A needle bar case has a plurality of needle bars. As a main shaft is rotated by a main shaft motor (first drive source), the needle bars are driven in an up-down direction so that a sewing operation is carried out in a conventionally-known manner. Ascending/descending bars are supported on the needle bar case in corresponding relation to the needle bars, and each of the ascending/descending bars is driven in the up-down direction by a motor (second drive source). A cord guide member for guiding a cord material onto a workpiece is mounted to the lower end of any of the ascending/descending bars, in place of a conventional presser foot. Cord sewing or loop sewing of cord material can be performed selectively by changing an ascending/descending stroke of the ascending/descending bar. Thus, cord sewing and loop sewing of the chord material can be performed selectively with a simple construction.

A needle bar case has a plurality of needle bars. As a main shaft is rotated by a main shaft motor (first drive source), the needle bars are driven in an up-down direction so that a sewing operation is carried out in a conventionally-known manner. Ascending/descending bars are supported on the needle bar case in corresponding relation to the needle bars, and each of the ascending/descending bars is driven in the up-down direction by a motor (second drive source). A cord guide member for guiding a cord material onto a workpiece is mounted to the lower end of any of the ascending/descending bars, in place of a conventional presser foot. Cord sewing or loop sewing of cord material can be performed selectively by changing an ascending/descending stroke of the ascending/descending bar. Thus, cord sewing and loop sewing of the chord material can be performed selectively with a simple construction.

In a first step, a needle pierces into an object to be sewed by reciprocal motion and leaves from the object to be sewed after the tip of the needle has penetrated therethrough. At this time, the needle is placed in a state of being stopped relative to the object to be sewed. In a second step, the needle leaves from the object to be sewed. At this time, the needle is moved relative to the object to be sewed along a sewing direction (sewing line).

A sewing machine includes a feed amount setting part and a feed amount adjustment part. In the feed amount setting part, a forward feed amount for one stitch of forward stitching is set. In the feed amount adjustment part, the forward feed amount which is set by the feed amount setting part is compared with the maximum backward feed amount for one stitch of reverse stitching which is determined by a feed mechanism. Then, in the feed amount adjustment part, when the forward feed amount is larger than the maximum backward feed amount, the total amount of backward feed amounts for plural stitches of backward stitching is adjusted so as to coincide with the total amount of the forward feed amounts for one stitch or more of forward stitching.

A sewing control device includes in a sewing machine having upper feed function a control device which controls feed of an object to be sewn. A lower feed amount setting motor sets a feed amount of a lower feed dog and an upper feed amount change motor changes a feed amount of an upper feed dog. A feed execution range, in which the feed of the object to be sewn is executed by an appropriate feed amount while the object to be sewn is sandwiched between the lower feed dog and the upper feed dog, and a feed non-execution range, in which the feed of the object to be sewn is not executed in a state in which the feed dogs do not act on the object to be sewn, are present. The feed amount of the upper feed dog can be changed only in the feed non-execution range during sewing.

A sewing control device includes in a sewing machine having upper feed function a control device which controls feed of an object to be sewn. A lower feed amount setting motor sets a feed amount of a lower feed dog and an upper feed amount change motor changes a feed amount of an upper feed dog. A feed execution range, in which the feed of the object to be sewn is executed by an appropriate feed amount while the object to be sewn is sandwiched between the lower feed dog and the upper feed dog, and a feed non-execution range, in which the feed of the object to be sewn is not executed in a state in which the feed dogs do not act on the object to be sewn, are present. The feed amount of the upper feed dog can be changed only in the feed non-execution range during sewing.

Apparatuses, methods, and computer program products for quilting webs without compressing the webs. A quilting machine includes a needle bar to which needles are attached, needle thread passing through each needle, a looper shaft to which loopers are attached, a looper corresponding to each needle and from which looper thread is provided to form stitches, and a retainer bar to which spreaders are attached to facilitate stitching. A drive pulley powered by a first servo motor rotates cranks to move the needles through a cycle and rotates a belt which rotates an indexer pulley. Rotation of the indexer pulley oscillates the looper shaft and reciprocates the retainer bar. Another drive pulley powered by a second servo motor operates to move an input web through the machine between chain stiches.

Apparatuses, methods, and computer program products for quilting webs without compressing the webs. A quilting machine includes a needle bar to which needles are attached, needle thread passing through each needle, a looper shaft to which loopers are attached, a looper corresponding to each needle and from which looper thread is provided to form stitches, and a retainer bar to which spreaders are attached to facilitate stitching. A drive pulley powered by a first servo motor rotates cranks to move the needles through a cycle and rotates a belt which rotates an indexer pulley. Rotation of the indexer pulley oscillates the looper shaft and reciprocates the retainer bar. Another drive pulley powered by a second servo motor operates to move an input web through the machine between chain stiches.

Multi-sensor sewing machine with automatic needle speed adjustment. In some embodiments, a sewing machine may include a frame, a needle bar, a motor, a first sensor configured to emit first electromagnetic radiation at a first frequency in order to sense relative movement of the fabric and the frame, a second sensor configured to emit second electromagnetic radiation at a second frequency, that is different from the first frequency, in order to sense relative movement of the fabric and the frame, and a processor. The processor may be configured to control a speed of the motor, determine a translational relative movement of the fabric and the frame based on the sensed relative movement of the first sensor and/or based on the sensed relative movement of the second sensor, and, in response to the determined translational relative movement, alter the speed of the motor.

A sewing machine that sews an embroidery pattern on a sewing object includes an embroidery frame horizontally moving along a direction which a frame surface extends, a needle bar supporting a needle for inserting a thread, and reciprocally moving toward an internal space of the embroidery frame, a memory unit storing image data of the embroidery frame, and embroidery data of the embroidery pattern, and a display unit displaying an image of the embroidery frame, an image of the embroidery pattern within the image of the embroidery frame, and a feature point with a positional relation between the embroidery pattern, and the embroidery frame when actually sewn in accordance with the embroidery data.