Stitch line forming method

Abstract

While feeding an upholstery member, a sewing needle is reciprocated to form needle receiving holes, and an upper thread is passed through each needle receiving hole, caused to cross a lower thread, and pulled out of the needle receiving hole. The sewing cycle is repeatedly performed to form a stitch, so that stitches form a stitch line in a surface sheet. A direction of a force, which is generated by applying tension to the lower thread and which acts to rotate thread ends of a pair of adjacent stitches in each needle receiving hole about a crossing part of the upper thread and the lower thread, is defined as a rotation direction. The sewing needle is rotated in a direction opposite to the rotation direction to incline a diagonal line of the quadrangular shape forming the cross section relative to the feeding direction of the upholstery member.

Claims

1. A stitch line forming method comprising: preparing an upholstery member and a sewing machine, wherein the sewing machine has a sewing needle having a quadrangular cross section in a plane parallel to a plane of the upholstery member, the quadrangular cross section of the sewing needle has two pairs of opposite corners, the quadrangular cross section of the sewing needle defines a pair of imaginary diagonal lines inside the quadrangular cross section between respective pairs of the two pairs of opposite corners of the quadrangular cross section, an upper thread, a lower thread, and a feeding direction in which the upholstery member is fed, wherein the upholstery member has a back face and a front face opposite to the back face; forming the stitch line, by performing a sewing cycle, in which, while the upholstery member is fed in the feeding direction, the sewing needle is reciprocated in a thickness direction of the upholstery member, and the sewing needle is positioned with respect to the feeding direction so that at least one of the imaginary diagonal lines between respective pairs of the two pairs of opposite corners of the quadrangular cross section of the sewing needle is inclined relative to a line extending in the feeding direction, to form needle receiving holes in the upholstery member, wherein each one of the needle receiving holes has two pairs of opposing corners, and each one of the needle receiving holes has two diagonal lines between respective pairs of the two pairs of opposing corners, and the imaginary diagonal lines between respective pairs of the two pairs of opposite corners of the quadrangular cross section of the sewing needle correspond to the two diagonal lines between respective pairs of the two pairs of opposing corners of the needle receiving holes, at least one of the two diagonal lines of the needle receiving holes is inclined relative to the line extending in the feeding direction, wherein, for each one of the needle receiving holes, the upper thread passes from the front face of the upholstery member to the back face of the upholstery member, the upper thread crosses the lower thread located on the back face of the upholstery member, the upper thread passes back to the front face of the upholstery member through the each one of the needle receiving holes, and the upper thread extends to the front face of the upholstery member from one of the two pairs of opposing corners corresponding to the one of the two diagonal lines which is inclined relative to the line extending in the feeding direction, for the each one of the needle receiving holes; and applying a tension to the lower thread, the tensioned lower thread acts on the upper thread which extends from the one of the two pairs of opposing corners of the one of the two diagonal lines of each of the needle receiving holes, to reduce an inclination, relative to the feeding direction, of the one of the two diagonal lines of each of the needle receiving holes.

2. The stitch line forming method according to claim 1, wherein the sewing needle is reciprocated with the one of the imaginary diagonal lines between respective pairs of the two pairs opposite corners of the quadrangular cross section of the sewing needle being inclined by an angle in a range from 10 to 20 relative to the feeding direction in which the upholstery member is fed.

3. The stitch line forming method according to claim 1, wherein the upholstery member is formed only of the surface sheet.

4. The stitch line forming method according to claim 1, wherein the upholstery member includes the surface sheet and a cushion layer laminated on a back face of the surface sheet.

5. The stitch line forming method according to claim 1, wherein the quadrangular cross section of the sewing needle is at a distal end of the sewing needle where the quadrangular cross section passes through the upholstery member, and the quadrangular cross section is at an imaginary plane perpendicular to the axis of the distal end of the sewing needle.

6. The stitch line forming method according to claim 5, wherein the quadrangular cross section of the sewing needle that passes through the upholstery member has a diamond shape.

7. The stitch line forming method according to claim 1, wherein, during the forming of the stitch line, a plane of the quadrangular cross section of the sewing needle is parallel to a plane of the upholstery member.

8. The stitch line forming method according to claim 1, wherein the quadrangular cross section of the sewing needle has a diamond shape, and the opposite corners of one of the two pairs of opposite corners of the quadrangular cross section of the sewing needle have acute angles, wherein, for each one of the needle receiving holes, the opposing corners of the one of the two pairs of opposing corners have acute angles and are offset relative to the feeding direction, and the upper thread is located in the acute angles.

9. The stitch line forming method according to claim 1, wherein in the step of forming the stitch line, each of the imaginary diagonal lines between the respective pairs of the two pairs of opposite corners of the quadrangular cross section of the sewing needle is inclined relative to the feeding direction, and wherein, for each of the needle receiving holes formed in the upholstery member, each of the opposing corners of the two pairs of opposing corners is offset relative to the feeding direction.

10. The stitch line forming method according to claim 9, wherein the quadrangular cross section of the sewing needle that passes through the upholstery member has a diamond shape, and the opposite corners of one of the two pairs of opposite corners of the quadrangular cross section of the sewing needle have acute angles, wherein, for each of the needle receiving holes formed in the upholstery member, the opposing corners of the one of the two pairs of opposing corners from which the upper thread extends have acute angles, and the upper thread is located in the opposing corners of the one of the two pairs of opposing corners which have acute angles.

11. The stitch line forming method according to claim 1, wherein in the step of forming the stitch line, each of the needle receiving holes has four flat inner wall surfaces.

12. The stitch line forming method according to claim 1, wherein in the step of forming the stitch line, the at least one of the imaginary diagonal lines between the respective pairs of the two pairs of opposite corners of the quadrangular cross section of the sewing needle is inclined by an angle in a range from 10 to 20 relative to the line extending in the feeding direction, and for each of the needle receiving holes formed in the upholstery member, the opposing corners of at least one of the two pairs of opposing corners are offset relative to the feeding direction, and the upper thread extends from the opposing corners which are offset relative to the feeding direction.

13. The stitch line forming method according to claim 8, wherein in the step of forming the stitch line, the at least one of the imaginary diagonal lines between the respective pairs of the two pairs of opposite corners of the quadrangular cross section of the sewing needle is inclined by an angle in a range from 10 to 20 relative to the line extending in the feeding direction, and for each of the needle receiving holes formed in the upholstery member, the opposing corners of at least one of the two pairs of opposing corners are offset relative to the feeding direction, and the upper thread extends from the opposing corners which are offset relative to the feeding direction.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view showing an upholstered article, which has been manufactured by a stitch line forming method according to one embodiment;

(2) FIG. 2 is a longitudinal partial cross-sectional view showing an upholstery member in which the stitch line is formed;

(3) FIG. 3A is a partial front view showing the distal end of a sewing needle used in execution of the stitch line forming method;

(4) FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the distal end of the sewing needle;

(5) FIG. 4 is a horizontal partial cross-sectional view showing the relationship between the sewing needle and the feeding direction of the upholstery member;

(6) FIG. 5 is a partial plan view showing the stitch line formed by the stitch line forming method;

(7) FIG. 6 is a partial plan view of the stitch line forming method, illustrating a needle receiving hole and the surrounding part in a state in which tension is applied to the lower thread;

(8) FIGS. 7A to 7D are process diagrams showing the process for manufacturing the upholstered article of FIG. 1;

(9) FIG. 8 is a longitudinal partial cross-sectional view showing an upholstery member according to a modification in which a stitch line is formed;

(10) FIG. 9 is a longitudinal partial cross-sectional view of a halfway stage of formation of the stitch line of FIG. 8 in the upholstery member, illustrating a state in which two adjacent surface sheets are sewn together;

(11) FIG. 10 is a partial plan view showing a stitch line formed by a conventional stitch line forming method;

(12) FIG. 11 is a partial plan view of the conventional stitch line forming method, illustrating a needle receiving hole and the surrounding part in a state in which tension is applied to the lower thread; and

(13) FIG. 12 is a partial plan view of the conventional stitch line forming method, illustrating the needle receiving hole and the surrounding part after tension is applied to the lower thread.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(14) A method for manufacturing an upholstered article, which includes a stitch line forming method according to one embodiment, will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7.

(15) First, an upholstered article 10 that is manufactured by the manufacturing method of the present embodiment will be described. The upholstered article 10 of the present embodiment may be any of various types of vehicle interior parts such as a vehicle instrument panel, a console, a door trim, a glove compartment, and a pillar garnish. For purposes of illustrating, the upholstered article will be exemplified by an article having a simple shape.

(16) As shown in FIG. 1, the upholstered article 10 includes a base member 11 and an upholstery member 12, which has a stitch line 17 and is arranged on the base member 11, as main components. Each of the components of the upholstered article 10 will now be described.

(17) <Base Member 11>

(18) The base member 11 forms the framework of the upholstered article 10 and has high rigidity. The base member 11 is formed into the shape of the article by injection molding a plastic such as polypropylene, polyethylene, and a polycarbonate/acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (PC/ABS) alloy. The base member 11 may include a non-planar surface (three-dimensional surface) such as a curved surface, an angular surface, and a surface with recesses and projections.

(19) <Upholstery Member 12>

(20) The upholstery member 12 is arranged along the surface of the base member 11 and is bonded to the base member 11 with adhesive while being held in close contact with the base member 11 on the back face of the upholstery member 12. At least the outermost part of the upholstery member 12 is formed by a surface sheet 13.

(21) In the present embodiment, the upholstery member 12 includes the surface sheet 13, which forms the outermost part, and a cushion layer 14, which is laminated on the back face (the lower side as viewed in FIG. 1) of the surface sheet 13. The cushion layer 14 is bonded to the surface sheet 13 with adhesive.

(22) The surface sheet 13 is employed mainly to improve the appearance and the tactile sensation of the upholstered article 10. The surface sheet 13 is a sheet with an even thickness made of artificial leather such as polyurethane, vinyl chloride, and thermoplastic elastomer (TPO).

(23) The surface sheet 13 preferably has a thickness in the range from 0.35 mm to 1.5 mm. When having a thickness in the above range, the surface sheet 13 resists formation of wrinkles near the stitch line 17 during manufacture of the upholstered article 10. A thickness in the above range prevents the surface sheet 13 from being excessively hard and allows the upholstery member 12 to be easily deformed along and bonded to base member 11. The surface sheet 13 may be subjected to grain finish to have an appearance like a leather article.

(24) The cushion layer 14 is mainly formed of a urethane slab and has elasticity. The cushion layer 14 is employed to improve the tactile sensation of the upholstered article 10. The cushion layer 14 preferably has a thickness in the range from 1.5 mm to 3.5 mm. When having a thickness in the above range, the cushion layer 14 ensures the appearance of the upholstered article 10.

(25) The stitch line 17 is used as ornamentation (decoration) in the surface sheet 13, which forms the outermost part of the upholstery member 12, to ostensibly create the seam of parts of the surface sheet 13. This imparts to the upholstered article 10 an appearance as if genuine leather were used, thereby producing a quality appearance. The stitch line 17 of such a form is also referred to as ornamental stitches.

(26) The stitch line 17 is formed in the upholstery member 12 by repeating sewing cycle with an upper thread 18 and a lower thread 19. The stitch line 17 includes multiple stitches 21, which are arranged to form a row on the surface of the surface sheet 13. In other words, the upper thread 18 intermittently emerges on the surface of the surface sheet 13, and the emerging parts form the stitches 21. As shown in FIG. 2, opposite thread ends 21a of each stitch 21 are drawn into needle receiving holes 25 of the upholstery member 12 while being curved in a convex shape. Each stitch 21 has a substantially flat middle portion 21b that is located between the opposite thread ends 21a.

(27) As operation of the present embodiment, a method for manufacturing the upholstered article 10 will now be described.

(28) First, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the stitch line 17 is formed in the upholstery member 12. At the formation, sewing is performed by a sewing machine (not shown). The sewing machine uses a sewing needle 22, which is shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. Assuming an imaginary plane P1 is perpendicular to the axis L1 of the distal end of the sewing needle 22, a cross section CS of the sewing needle 22 along the imaginary plane P1 has a quadrangular shape (a rhombus in the present embodiment). The sewing needle 22 is attached to the sewing machine such that one of the diagonal lines DL of the quadrangular shape forming the cross section CS is inclined by an angle relative to a line L2 extending in a feeding direction of the upholstery member 12.

(29) As shown in FIG. 6, when tension is applied to the lower thread 19, a force F1 is generated that acts to rotate the thread ends 21a of adjacent pair of stitches 21 in the needle receiving hole 25 about a crossing part 24 of the upper thread 18 and the lower thread 19, which serves as the pivot. The direction of the force F1 is defined as a rotation direction. As shown in FIG. 4, the direction in which the sewing needle 22 is inclined, in other words, the direction in which one of the diagonal lines DL passing through a pair of corners 23 extends in the cross section CS, is inclined relative to the line L2 in a direction opposite to the rotation direction. Such inclination of the diagonal DL is achieved by rotating the sewing needle 22 counterclockwise about its axis L1 as viewed in FIGS. 3B and 4.

(30) The angle is preferably set in a range from 10 to 20. Inclination of the diagonal line DL in this range relative to the feeding direction A (the line L2) allows the stitch line 17 to extend in a straight line in the feeding direction A of the upholstery member 12 even if the attachment of the sewing needle 22 varies or machining varies to the maximum extent in the permissible range.

(31) At the formation of the stitch line 17, the sewing cycle is performed, in which the feeding mechanism of the sewing machine feeds the upholstery member 12 in the feeding direction A, which is perpendicular to the thickness direction of the upholstery member 12 as shown in FIG. 4, and the sewing needle 22 is reciprocated along the axis L1 of the sewing needle 22 and in the thickness direction of the upholstery member 12.

(32) Execution of the sewing cycle forms the needle receiving hole 25 in the upholstery member 12 as shown in FIG. 6. The needle receiving hole 25 has a quadrangular shape (a rhombus in the present embodiment), which corresponds to the cross section CS of the distal end of the sewing needle 22. The needle receiving hole 25 has four flat inner wall surfaces 26. Further, the quadrangular needle receiving hole 25 has a diagonal line DL that is inclined by the angle relative to the feeding direction A (line L2) of the upholstery member 12 (see FIG. 4). The direction of the inclination is opposite to the direction of the force F1 (rotation direction), that is, the inclination direction is counterclockwise as viewed in FIG. 6. The upper thread 18, which is fed through reciprocation of the sewing needle 22, is passed through the needle receiving hole 25 from the front face of the upholstery member 12 and is then caused to cross the lower thread 19, which is located on the back face of the upholstery member 12. Thereafter, the upper thread 18 is pulled out of the needle receiving hole 25 from the front face.

(33) The sewing cycle is repeatedly performed to form a stitch 21 between adjacent needle receiving holes 25. Thread ends 21a of an adjacent pair of the stitches 21 are arranged in each needle receiving hole 25. The stitches 21 form the stitch line 17.

(34) When forming the stitch line 17, tension is applied to the lower thread 19 as indicated by arrows X in FIG. 6 to ensure the sewing quality and appearance. The tension generates a force F1 that acts to rotate the thread ends 21a in the needle receiving hole 25 about the crossing part 24, which serves as a pivot. However, the flat inner wall surfaces 26 of the needle receiving hole 25 act to receive the thread ends 21a. Thus, unlike the conventional configuration, in which the needle receiving hole 52 is circular, the thread ends 21a are restricted from rotating clockwise, or in a direction along the force F1 about the crossing part 24. Nevertheless, the upholstery member 12 (the surface sheet 13, the cushion layer 14), in which the needle receiving holes 25 are formed, is soft. The flat state of the inner wall surfaces 26 of the needle receiving hole 25 cannot be maintained due to the force F1, which acts to rotate the thread ends 21a, and there is a possibility of a slight rotation of the thread ends 21a about the crossing part 24.

(35) However, the diagonal line DL of the quadrangular needle receiving hole 25 is inclined relative to the feeding direction A of the upholstery member 12 and in a direction opposite to the direction of the force F1 (rotation direction), that is, in the counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 6. Thus, even if the thread ends 21a act to rotate about the crossing part 24, the thread ends 21a are located on or close to the line L2, which extends in the feeding direction A as shown in FIG. 5. Each stitch 21 extends along the line L2 and is located on or close to the line L2. Accordingly, the stitch line 17, which is formed by the multiple stitches 21, extends in the feeding direction A.

(36) The upholstery member 12 of FIG. 7B, in which the stitch line 17 has been formed, is used for manufacturing the upholstered article 10 shown in FIG. 1. In the manufacture, the base member 11, which has been formed separately from the upholstery member 12, is used.

(37) As shown in FIGS. 7B and 7C, adhesive is applied to the front face of the base member 11 or the back face of the upholstery member 12 (the cushion layer 14). Substantially the entire back face of the cushion layer 14 is brought into close contact with and bonded to the front face of the base member 11.

(38) In the present embodiment, at the bonding, the base member 11 and the upholstery member 12, which are overlaid on each other, are pressed against each other by a pressing machine (not shown) from the opposite sides. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 7D, the cushion layer 14 of the upholstery member 12 is bonded to the front face of the base member 11 to obtain the upholstered article 10, which is the objective of the manufacture.

(39) The present embodiment as described above achieves the following advantages.

(40) (1) As the sewing needle 22, a needle that has a quadrangular (rhombus) cross section CS at the distal end is employed (FIGS. 3A and 3B). The direction of the force F1 (FIG. 6), which is generated by applying tension to the lower thread 19 and acts to rotate the thread ends 21a in the needle receiving hole 25 is defined as a rotation direction. The sewing needle 22 is rotated in a direction opposite to the rotation direction, so that the diagonal line DL of the quadrangular shape forming the cross section CS is inclined relative to the feeding direction A of the upholstery member 12 (FIG. 4). The sewing needle 22 is reciprocated in this state.

(41) Therefore, even if the force F1 acts to rotate the thread ends 21a (FIG. 6), the thread ends 21a are maintained on or close to the line L2, which extends in the feeding direction of the upholstery member 12 (FIG. 5). Each stitch 21 extends along the line L2 and is located on or close to the line L2, so that the stitch line 17 extends as a straight line extending in the feeding direction A. As a result, the stitch line 17 is formed to approximate a straight line and have an improved appearance.

(42) (2) The sewing needle 22 is reciprocated with one of the diagonal lines DL being inclined by 10 to 20 relative to the feeding direction A (the line L2) as shown in FIG. 4.

(43) Therefore, even if the attachment of the sewing needle 22 varies or machining varies to the maximum extent in the permissible range, the above advantage (1) is achieved, that is, the stitch line 17 is formed to approximate a straight line and have an improved appearance.

(44) The above embodiment may be modified as follows.

(45) Instead of artificial leather, genuine leather may be used for the surface sheet 13 of the upholstery member 12.

(46) Instead of a urethane slab, foam material such as ethylene foam or propylene foam may be used for the cushion layer 14. These foam materials are characterized by being soft with continuous cells and restorability. Also, woven fabric may be used for the cushion layer 14.

(47) Instead of adhesive, the cushion layer 14 may be bonded to the surface sheet 13 with double-sided tape or tackifier. The surface sheet 13 and the cushion layer 14 may be bonded to each other by flame treatment.

(48) Likewise, instead of adhesive, the upholstery member 12 may be bonded to the base member 11 with double-sided tape or tackifier. The upholstery member 12 and the base member 11 may be formed without adhesive.

(49) As long as the cross section CS of the distal end of the sewing needle 22 has a quadrangular shape, the cross section CS may have any shape different from a rhombus.

(50) In the illustrated embodiment, the stitch line 17 is used as ornamentation in the surface sheet 13 to ostensibly create the seam of parts of the surface sheet 13. However, the stitch line 17 may be used to join two or more upholstery members 12.

(51) In the illustrated embodiment, the upholstery member 12 is formed by laminating the cushion layer 14 onto the back face of the surface sheet 13. However, the upholstery member 12 may be formed only of a surface sheet 13, which is a single layer material. FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate one modification in which two upholstery members 12 are used. In this example, each upholstery member 12 is formed only of a single surface sheet 13, and a stitch line 17 is formed in each upholstery member 12.

(52) In this modification, at least end portions of the adjacent of surface sheets 13 are overlaid onto each other as shown in FIG. 9, and the parts that are spaced from the edges by a certain distance are sewn together with an upper thread 31 and a lower thread 32, so that the surface sheets 13 are joined to each other. The sewing creates multiple stitches, and each stitch may be parallel with the feeding direction A as in the above illustrated embodiment or inclined relative to the feeding direction A.

(53) Subsequently, parts other than sewing margins 33 in the surface sheets 13, or general parts 34, are opened. The sewing margins 33 are kept overlaid on or close to each other, while being held perpendicular to the general parts 34 on the back side (the lower side as viewed in FIG. 9). In this case, the parts sewn by the upper thread 31 and the lower thread 32 and the sewing margins 33 cannot be seen or are barely seen from the front side.

(54) Next, as shown in FIG. 8, the sewing margins 33 are opened and folded to the general parts 34 and overlaid onto the back side of the general parts 34. Then, a sewing cycle is performed using a sewing needle 22 (FIGS. 3A and 3B) having the same cross section CS as that in the above illustrated embodiment. Specifically, the sewing needle 22 is reciprocated with the diagonal line DL of the cross section CS being inclined relative to the feeding direction A (the line L2). In this case, closely arranged parallel stitch lines 17 are formed to approximate a straight line and have an improved appearance.

(55) When the upholstery member 12 is formed only of a surface sheet 13, the upholstered article 10 is formed by directly bonding the surface sheet 13 onto the front face of the base member 11.

(56) When bonding the upholstery member 12 to the base member 11, only one of the base member 11 and the upholstery member 12 may receive force that presses it to the other.

(57) Not limited to vehicle interior parts, the above described stitch line forming method may be applied to any upholstered articles that have an upholstery member 12 in which a stitch line 17 is formed.