US 7,467,592 B2
Sewing machine
Koichi Hosoi, Inazawa (Japan); Eiichi Hamajima, Kasugai (Japan); Masaru Jimbo, Kasugai (Japan); and Ryoji Owaki, Kasugai (Japan)
Assigned to Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Nagoya (Japan)
Filed on Apr. 13, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/402,870.
Claims priority of application No. 2005-115488 (JP), filed on Apr. 13, 2005.
Prior Publication US 2006/0290315 A1, Dec. 28, 2006
Int. Cl. D05B 3/00 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 112—68  [112/275; 318/685; 318/66] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A sewing machine comprising:
a first driving mechanism that moves a workpiece during a first sewing operation;
a second driving mechanism that moves a workpiece during a second sewing operation, either the first driving mechanism or the second driving mechanism being selectively driven;
a first electric actuator that drives the first driving mechanism with a first drive current;
a second electric actuator that drives the second driving mechanism with a second drive current different from the first drive current;
a CPU that controls the first and second electric actuators, the CPU having input/output ports including common input/output ports;
a first driver circuit connected between the common input/output ports of the CPU and the first electric actuator;
a second driver circuit connected between the common input/output ports of the CPU and the second electric actuator;
a switching unit that includes an inverter and that performs a switching action to selectively activate either one of the first and second electric actuators; and
a voltage regulating circuit that is connected between one of the input/output ports of the CPU and the first driver circuit and that is connected between the one of the input/output ports of the CPU and the second driver circuit, for applying a voltage corresponding to the first drive current to the first driver circuit and for applying a voltage corresponding to the second drive current to the second driver circuit, in synchronization with the switching action of the operation switching unit, such that one of the driver circuits is selectively activated.