The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 23, 1994
Filed:
Jun. 03, 1993
Tomoyuki Fujita, Tajimi, JP;
Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Nagoya, JP;
Abstract
An apparatus for measuring a remaining amount of a bobbin thread wound on a bobbin accommodated in a shuttle of a sewing machine, including a measurement bar displaceable along a displacement path from outside the shuttle toward an axis line of the bobbin inside the shuttle, a driver which displaces the measurement bar along the displacement path so that a free end of the bar contacts the outer surface of a roll of bobbin thread wound on the bobbin, a sensor which detects the displacement of the measurement bar and generates a displacement signal representative of continuous change in displacement amount of the bar, a signal-characteristic determining and storing device which determines a characteristic of the displacement signal based on respective values of the displacement signal when the measurement bar is located at a plurality of reference positions on the displacement path, and stores data indicative of the determined signal characteristic, and a remaining-amount determining device which determines the remaining amount of the bobbin thread left on the bobbin, based on the stored signal characteristic and a value of the displacement signal when the free end of the measurement bar contacts the outer surface of the roll of bobbin thread.