NEEDLE POSITION CONTROL DEVICE FOR SEWING MACHINE

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To set a needle at top dead center without any need of being passed through the point of a needle location under the application of a simple configuration, and prevent an embroidering frame on an X-Y table from interfering with a needle at the time of turning on a power supply, regarding a sewing machine equipped with a table moved in X- and Y-directions. SOLUTION: A photo detection unit 10 is provided for detecting whether a needle is at an outgoing or a returning process, when the position of a needle is between top dead center and the point of a needle location at the time of turning on a power supply. In addition, CPU 11 rotates an upper shaft 1 in a normal direction on the operation of a motor 3, when a return process signal 10b is available from the photo detection unit 10, and stops the motor 3 at the position where the signal changes to an outgoing process signal 10a. Also, the CPU 11 operates the motor 3 to rotate the upper shaft 1 in a reverse direction, when the outgoing process signal 10a is available from the photo detection unit 10, and stops the motor 3 at the position where the signal changes to the returning process signal 10b. The upper shaft 1 is thereby set at a reference rotation angle for keeping the needle at the top dead center.