JP2010066604A - Printing method and printer for instrument board - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce jaggies of a design in a printing method in dot-printing for an instrument board. <P>SOLUTION: The printing method for an instrument board forms at least either one of a design 4 whose outline 5 crosses in XY directions and a background 23 adjacent to the outline 5 of the design 4 on the surface of a substrate constituting an instrument board by printing in the shape of dots with a prescribed light characteristic value which is light transmittance or light reflectance. The method includes: an extracting step of extracting, out of the outline 5, straight line parts 521-524 formed of a plurality of dots arranged in one of the XY directions and level difference parts 511-514 formed of dots shifted in the other of the XY directions with respect to the straight line parts 521-524; and a printing step of printing dots having an intermediate light characteristic value between the design characteristic value which is the light characteristic value of the design 4 and a background characteristic value which is the light characteristic value of the background 23 at the dot position on the side of the straight line parts 521-524 and adjacent to the level difference parts 511-514. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an instrument panel printing method using dot-like printing, and an instrument board printing apparatus that performs dot-like printing.

An instrument panel printing method using dot-like printing is disclosed (see Patent Document 1). The inkjet device that prints in a dot shape moves relative to the substrate constituting the instrument panel in the XY direction, and prints the design on the surface of the substrate. In this way, the instrument panel printing method by dot-like printing does not require the production of a screen unlike the screen printing method, and the design can be directly printed on the substrate. Is suitable.
JP 2006-221044 A

  However, in the instrument panel printing method using dot-like printing, when the design is printed so that the contour of the design intersects the X and Y directions, the design is printed in a dot shape having a step-like contour. . For example, when a design is printed with a resolution of 600 dpi (Dot Per Inch) × 600 dpi, the stepped outline has a step portion of 0.042 (25.4 / 600) mm. The stepped portion having such a staircase-like contour generates a sense of jaggedness in the design.

  This jagged feeling becomes conspicuous when the stepped contour is inclined at a low angle of 2 to 5 degrees with respect to the X direction or the Y direction.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and in a printing method for an instrument panel by dot-like printing, and an instrument panel printing apparatus that performs dot-like printing, it is intended to alleviate the jaggedness of the design. Objective.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention employs the following technical means.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, at least one of the design whose contour intersects the XY direction and the background adjacent to the contour of the design has a predetermined light characteristic value that is light transmittance or light reflectance. In the printing method for an instrument panel formed on the surface of the substrate constituting the instrument panel by dot-like printing, a linear portion formed by a plurality of dots arranged in one of the XY directions, and the XY direction with respect to the linear portion The step formed by the dots shifted to the other of the two, the extraction process for extracting from the contour, the design characteristic value that is the light characteristic value of the design and the background light characteristic at the dot position adjacent to the step part on the straight line side And a printing step for printing dots having a light characteristic value intermediate between the background characteristic values.

  According to this method, in order to print a dot having a light characteristic value intermediate between the design characteristic value and the background characteristic value at the dot position adjacent to the stepped part on the straight line side, the dot adjacent to the stepped part on the straight line side. And the difference between the light characteristic value of the dot and the light characteristic value of the dot adjacent to the stepped part on the side opposite to the straight line part can be reduced. For this reason, a level | step difference part can be made inconspicuous and the jagged feeling of a design can be relieved.

  According to the invention described in claim 2, in the extraction step, the other is the design side, and in the printing step, the design characteristic value increases as the distance from the step portion increases from the step portion to the line position along the straight portion. It is characterized by printing dots having close light characteristic values.

  According to this method, as the distance from the step portion along the straight line portion increases, a dot having a light characteristic value that is closer to the design characteristic value is printed. Therefore, the intermediate point printed at the dot position adjacent to the step portion on the straight line portion side is printed. Dots having light characteristic values can be made inconspicuous. For this reason, the dots for making the stepped portion inconspicuous can be made inconspicuous, and the jaggedness of the design can be further alleviated.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, in the extraction process, the other is the background side, and in the printing process, the background characteristic value increases as the distance from the stepped part increases to the dot position aligned along the straight line part from the stepped part. It is characterized by printing dots having close light characteristic values.

  According to this method, as the distance from the step portion along the straight line portion increases, a dot having a light characteristic value closer to the background characteristic value is printed. Dots having light characteristic values can be made inconspicuous. For this reason, the dots for making the stepped portion inconspicuous can be made inconspicuous, and the jaggedness of the design can be further alleviated.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in the extraction step, the other is the background side, a straight line portion where no stepped portion is formed is extracted, and from the end portion of the straight portion where the stepped portion is not formed, the virtual side is virtualized. And a setting step for setting a step portion.

  Here, when the stepped portion is set on the background side with respect to the straight portion, a straight portion is formed in which the stepped portion is not formed. Therefore, a dot for making the stepped portion inconspicuous is formed in the straight portion where the stepped portion is not formed. Not. For this reason, the visual balance with the dots formed in order to make the stepped portion inconspicuous in the straight portion where the stepped portion is formed collapses in the straight portion where the stepped portion is not formed, and the inclination represented by this contour The line may appear to bend at a straight portion where no step portion is formed, and the design may not be shown accurately.

  On the other hand, according to this method, since the step portion is virtually set to the background side from the end portion of the straight portion where the step portion is not formed, the step portion is made inconspicuous in the straight portion where the step portion is not formed. Dots for visual balance with the dots for forming are formed. For this reason, the visual balance with the dots formed to make the stepped portion inconspicuous in the straight portion where the stepped portion is formed can be prevented from being broken in the straight portion where the stepped portion is not formed. Therefore, since it can suppress that the inclination line which an outline shows is bent in the straight part in which a level | step-difference part is not formed, the jagged feeling of a design can be eased, showing a design correctly.

  According to the invention described in claim 5, at least one of the design whose contour intersects the XY direction and the background adjacent to the contour of the design is a predetermined light characteristic value that is light transmittance or light reflectance. In the printing method for an instrument panel formed on the surface of the substrate constituting the instrument panel by dot-like printing, a linear portion formed by a plurality of dots arranged in one of the XY directions, and the XY direction with respect to the linear portion And a design dot region in which at least one dot having a design characteristic value, which is a light characteristic value of the design, is lined up with an extraction step for extracting a step portion formed by dots that are the other of the two and deviating toward the design side And the design dot area and the background so as to alternately form a background dot area in which at least one dot having a background characteristic value that is a background light characteristic value is arranged along the straight line portion. Tsu print at least one of the preparative area, characterized in that it comprises a printing step of increasing the number of dots the design dot regions farther from the stepped portion.

  According to this method, the number of dots in the design dot region arranged between the background dot regions increases as the distance from the step portion along the straight line portion increases. For this reason, the dot group in which the design dot area and the background dot area are alternately formed is visually recognized as a gradation that changes from the background characteristic value to the design characteristic value as the distance from the step portion is increased along the straight line portion.

  By this dot group gradation, the difference in the optical characteristic value between the background characteristic value of the dot adjacent to the stepped part on the side opposite to the straight line part can be relaxed. For this reason, a level | step difference part can be made inconspicuous and the jagged feeling of a design can be relieved.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, at least one of the design whose contour intersects the XY direction and the background adjacent to the contour of the design is a predetermined light characteristic value that is light transmittance or light reflectance. In the printing method for an instrument panel formed on the surface of the substrate constituting the instrument panel by dot-like printing, a linear portion formed by a plurality of dots arranged in one of the XY directions, and the XY direction with respect to the linear portion And a background dot region in which at least one dot having a background characteristic value, which is a light characteristic value of the background, is lined up with an extraction step for extracting a step portion formed by dots shifted to the background side. And a design dot region in which at least one dot having a design characteristic value, which is a design optical property value, is arranged along the straight line portion so that the background dot region and the design dot region are alternately formed. Printing one even without, characterized in that it comprises a printing step of increasing the number of dots background dot areas farther from the stepped portion.

  According to this method, the distance from the step portion along the straight line portion increases the number of dots in the background dot region arranged between the design dot regions. For this reason, the dot group in which the background dot area and the design dot area are alternately formed is visually recognized as a gradation that changes from the design characteristic value to the background characteristic value as the distance from the step portion along the straight line portion increases.

  By this dot group gradation, the difference in the optical characteristic value between the design characteristic value of the dot adjacent to the stepped part on the side opposite to the straight line part can be relaxed. For this reason, a level | step difference part can be made inconspicuous and the jagged feeling of a design can be relieved.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, in the extracting step, a straight line portion where a step portion is not formed with respect to the straight portion is extracted, and a step portion is virtually formed from the end portion of the straight portion where the step portion is not formed to the background side. It is characterized by comprising a setting step for setting.

  Here, when the step portion is set on the background side with respect to the straight portion, a straight portion is formed in which the step portion is not formed. Therefore, the background dot region and the design dot region are alternately arranged in the straight portion where the step portion is not formed. The formed dot group is not formed. For this reason, the visual balance with the dot group formed in order to make the step portion inconspicuous in the straight portion where the step portion is formed collapses in the straight portion where the step portion is not formed, and this contour represents There is a possibility that the inclined line appears to bend at a straight portion where no step portion is formed, and the design cannot be accurately shown.

  On the other hand, according to this method, since the step portion is virtually set to the background side from the end portion of the straight portion where the step portion is not formed, the step portion is made inconspicuous in the straight portion where the step portion is not formed. A dot group for visual balance with the dot group is formed. For this reason, the visual balance with the dot group formed in order to make the step portion inconspicuous in the straight portion where the step portion is formed can be prevented from being broken in the straight portion where the step portion is not formed. . Therefore, since it can suppress that the inclination line which an outline shows is bent in the straight part in which a level | step-difference part is not formed, the jagged feeling of a design can be eased, showing a design correctly.

  According to the eighth to tenth aspects, the same effects as those of the first, fifth, and sixth aspects can be obtained.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the mutually same or equivalent part in a figure.

(First embodiment)
A printing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes a memory 13 that stores a design printed on a substrate 2 as image data, an inkjet device 11, a control device 12, and a substrate stage 14 to which the substrate 2 is fixed. Prepare. The printing apparatus 10 is configured such that the inkjet apparatus 11 moves relative to the substrate 2 in the X and Y directions along the substrate 2.

  The inkjet apparatus 11 forms a printing film 22 by ejecting a printing material from the nozzle head electronically controlled by the control apparatus 12 as ink droplets 11 </ b> A onto the substrate 2, thereby forming a design on the surface 21 of the substrate 2. A design is printed on a substrate 2 made of a transparent resin substrate such as a polycarbonate resin to form a dial 1.

  In the example shown in FIG. 1, the memory 13 is a memory that is built in the control device 12 and includes a nonvolatile memory or a backup RAM (random access memory) that can electrically rewrite stored data.

  The control device 12 is composed of a microcomputer or the like, and forms bitmap data by performing RIP (Raster Image Processor) processing on the image data in the memory 13, and controls printing by the inkjet device 11 based on the bitmap data. The bitmap data is data expressed by dots (dots) regularly arranged on the XY coordinates. Based on the bitmap data expressed in the form of dots, the inkjet device 11 performs dot-formation with a predetermined resolution. Printing is done. The control device 12 performs discharge control of the ink droplet 11A from the ink jet device 11 and relative movement control of the ink jet device 11 with respect to the substrate 2 in the XY directions based on the bitmap data subjected to RIP processing.

  In the dial plate 1 shown in FIG. 2, designs such as characters 3 and scales 4 are formed as openings in a black background 23 that is a part of the printing film 22.

  In order to perform dot-like printing from the inkjet apparatus 11 based on the bitmap data, the outline 50 of the scale 4 that is inclined with respect to both the X and Y directions has the dot width YR in the Y direction in the region shown in FIG. Are formed as a step-like contour 5 composed of step portions 511 to 514 and straight portions 521 to 524. This is because the resolution (dot width XR, YR) of the bitmap data is lower than the resolution of the image data, so that the contour 50 by the image data is formed as a stepped contour 5 by the bitmap data.

  For example, when printing at 600 dpi (Dot Per Inch) × 600 dpi, the dot widths XR and YR are 0.042 (25.4 / 600) mm. The reason why the step portions 511 to 514 are formed in the contour 5X in the X direction, whereas the step portions are not formed in the contour 5Y in the Y direction is because the contour 5Y is short. In FIG. 3, the jagged feeling of the scale 4 by the step portions 511 to 514 becomes prominent when the inclination angle Θ of the contour 5X with respect to the X direction is a low angle of 2 to 5 degrees. In this embodiment, this jagged feeling is observed. An explanation will be given by taking a remarkable inclination angle Θ as about 4 degrees as an example.

  Smoothing portions 611 to 613 and 621 to 623 adjacent to the contour 5 are formed in the background 23 adjacent to the contour 5. The smoothing portions 611, 612, 621, and 623 are for relaxing the step portions 511 to 514, and the smoothing portions 613 and 622 appear to bend the inclined line represented by the contour 5 as described later. It is for suppressing.

  In the smoothing portion 611 shown in FIG. 4, the straight portion 521 is formed by 14 dots 611A to 611N arranged in the X direction, and the dot 611A is shifted from the straight portion 521 to the background 23 side in the Y direction. The step portion 511 is extracted from the contour 5. In the smoothing portion 611 composed of the straight portion 521 and the step portion 511, the light transmittance of the scale 4 (almost transparent) and the light transmittance of the background 23 (in black, at the dot position adjacent to the step portion 51 on the straight portion 521 side, A dot 611A having an intermediate light transmittance of (substantially opaque) is printed. As the distance from the stepped portion 511 increases, dots having light transmittance closer to the background 23 are printed at dot positions arranged along the straight line portion 521 from the stepped portion 511. In this way, the dots 611A to 611N are formed so that their respective light transmittances decrease at a constant rate.

  Specifically, a light gray ink material, a dark gray ink material with lower light transmittance, and a black ink material with lower light transmittance are prepared as ink materials for dot printing. In the background 23, the dot printing of the black ink material is performed four times, whereby the transmission density of the background 23 is adjusted to 4 or more. The transmission density refers to the common logarithm of the radiant flux incident on the sample with respect to the radiant flux that passes through the sample, and means that the light transmittance decreases as the transmission density increases. Therefore, that the transmission density of the background 23 is adjusted to 4 or more means that the light transmittance of the background 23 is substantially zero.

  Since the scale 4 is not printed, it is almost transparent. In the dots 611A to 611N, the smoothing portion 611 is formed by changing the combination of printing with each ink material of light gray, dark gray, and black and the number of times of printing by overlapping printing with each ink material. For example, at dot 611A, printing is performed once with light gray ink, and at dot 611N, one printing with dark gray ink and three printing with black ink are performed in an overlapping manner.

  A smoothing portion 612 composed of a straight portion 522 and a step portion 512, 621 composed of a straight portion 523 and a step portion 513, and 623 composed of a straight portion 524 and a step portion 514 are also formed in the same manner as the smoothing portion 611. In the smoothing portion 612, dots having a light transmittance intermediate between the light transmittance of the scale 4 and the light transmittance of the background 23 are printed at the dot positions adjacent to the step portion 512 on the straight line portion 522 side. As the distance from the step portion 512 increases, dots having light transmittance closer to the light transmittance of the background 23 are printed at dot positions arranged along the straight line portion 522 from the step portion 512.

  In the smoothing portion 621, dots having a light transmittance intermediate between the light transmittance of the scale 4 and the light transmittance of the background 23 are printed at the dot positions adjacent to the step portion 513 on the straight line portion 523 side. A dot having a light transmittance closer to the light transmittance of the background 23 is printed at a dot position arranged along the straight line portion 523 from the step portion 513 as the distance from the step portion 513 increases.

  In the smoothing portion 623, dots having a light transmittance intermediate between the light transmittance of the scale 4 and the light transmittance of the background 23 are printed at the dot positions adjacent to the step portion 514 on the straight line portion 524 side. As the distance from the step portion 514 increases, dots having a light transmittance closer to the light transmittance of the background 23 are printed at dot positions arranged along the straight line portion 524 from the step portion 514.

  In this way, the smoothing portions 612, 621, and 623 are also formed so that the light transmittance of each dot decreases at a constant rate from the scale 4 side to the background 23 side. The smoothing portions 611 and 621 have 14 dots, whereas the smoothing portions 612 and 623 have fewer than 14 dots.

  On the other hand, in the smoothing portions 613 and 622, the straight portions 531 and 532 that are not in the Y direction with respect to the straight portions 531 and 532 and have no stepped portion toward the background 23 and are not formed are extracted from the contour 5. . A stepped portion 541 is virtually set on the background 23 side from the end of the extracted straight portion 531, and a stepped portion 542 is virtually set on the background 23 side from the end of the extracted straight portion 532.

  The smoothing portion 613 composed of the straight line portion 531 and the stepped portion 541 has a light transmittance intermediate between the light transmittance of the scale 4 and the light transmittance of the background 23 at the dot position adjacent to the stepped portion 541 on the straight line portion 531 side. Dots are printed. As the distance from the step portion 541 increases, dots having a light transmittance closer to the light transmittance of the background 23 are printed at dot positions arranged along the straight line portion 531 from the step portion 541. In this way, the smoothing portion 613 is formed so that the light transmittance of each dot decreases at a constant rate from the scale 4 side to the background 23 side.

  In the smoothing portion 622, dots having a light transmittance intermediate between the light transmittance of the scale 4 and the light transmittance of the background 23 are printed at the dot positions adjacent to the step portion 542 on the straight line portion 532 side. As the distance from the step portion 542 increases, dots having a light transmittance closer to the light transmittance of the background 23 are printed at dot positions arranged along the straight line portion 532 from the step portion 542.

  A light source for transmitting and illuminating the dial 1 is arranged behind the dial 1 formed in this way, and the design such as the character 3 and the scale 4 formed as an opening portion of the black background 23 is a light source. It is configured to emit light in response to illumination light from.

  Hereinafter, the dial printing method according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 5 centering on the smoothing portions 611 to 613 and 621 to 623.

  In step S1, the control device 12 performs RIP processing on the image data from the memory 13 to form bitmap data.

  In step S2, the control device 12 extracts the straight line portions 521 to 524 formed by a plurality of dots arranged in the X direction from the outline 5 in the bitmap data formed in step S1, and displays them on the XY coordinates of the bitmap data. Thus, these coordinate positions are specified. Further, in step S2, step portions 511 to 514 formed by dots shifted in the Y direction and shifted to the background 23 are extracted from the contour 5 with respect to the straight line portions 521 to 524, respectively, and the XY coordinates of the bitmap data are obtained. Above, these coordinate positions are specified. In step S2, straight line portions 531 and 532 in which no stepped portion is formed are extracted from the contour 5 in the contour 5 on the bitmap data, and these coordinate positions are specified on the XY coordinates of the bitmap data.

  In step S3, the control device 12 virtually sets a step 541 from the end of the straight line portion 531 on the bitmap data to the background 23 side in the Y direction, and ends the straight line portion 532 on the bitmap data. Step 542 is virtually set to the background 23 side in the Y direction, and the coordinate positions of the step portions 541 and 542 are specified on the XY coordinates of the bitmap data.

  In step S4, the control device 12 sets smoothing portions 611 to 613, 621 to 623 from the straight line portions 521 to 524, 531 and 532 and the step portions 51 to 514, 541 and 542 on the bitmap data. In addition, modified bitmap data in which the printing conditions of the smoothing portions 611 to 613 and 621 to 623 are set is formed. Specifically, smoothing portions 611 to 613, 621 to 623 are set on the XY coordinates of the bitmap data, and light gray and dark gray are set at the respective dot positions of the smoothing portions 611 to 613, 621 to 623. A combination of black ink materials and the number of times of printing in which dots of each ink material are printed are set.

  In the bitmap data, the contour 5 is set in FIG. 3, and the contour 5 and the outer region (the region including the background 23 and the smoothing portions 611 to 613 and 621 to 623) are black. In addition, the printing conditions are set so that the inner region (scale 4) of the contour 5 is in a transparent state. In contrast, in the modified bitmap data, the same printing conditions as the bitmap data are set in the background 23 and the scale 4 in FIG. 3, but the following points are modified in the bitmap data. . That is, the smoothing portions 611 to 613 and 621 to 623 adjacent to the contour 5 in the region outside the contour 5 are set, and the smoothing portions 611 to 613 and 621 to 623 are black (almost opaque). The bit point is that the printing conditions are set so that the farther from the step portions 511, 512, 541, 513, 542, 514, the light transmittance is closer to the light transmittance of the background 23. The map data has been corrected.

  In step S5, the control device 12 performs printing by the inkjet device 11 based on the corrected bitmap data formed in step S4.

  The printing device 10 corresponds to the instrument panel printing device described in the claims, the dial 1 corresponds to the instrument panel described in the claims, and the characters 3 and the scale 4 correspond to the design described in the claims. To do. The control device 12 corresponds to the extraction means described in the claims, and the ink jet device 11 and the control device 12 correspond to the printing means described in the claims. Steps S1 and S2 correspond to the extraction step recited in the claims, step S3 corresponds to the setting step recited in the claims, and steps S4 and S5 correspond to the printing step recited in the claims.

  Next, functions and effects of the dial printing method according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  In the smoothing portion 611 shown in FIG. 4, the light transmittance of the scale 4 (substantially transparent state) and the light transmittance of the background 23 (light transmittance is substantially zero) at the dot position adjacent to the step portion 511 on the straight line portion 521 side. The dot 611A having an intermediate light transmittance in the state (1) is printed. Here, since the light transmittance of the dot 633A adjacent to the step portion 511 on the side opposite to the linear portion 521 is the light transmittance of the scale 4, the difference between the light transmittance of the dot 611A and the light transmittance of the dot 633A is calculated. The difference between the light transmittance of the background 23 and the light transmittance of the scale 4 can be reduced. For this reason, the level | step-difference part 511 can be made not conspicuous and the jagged feeling of the scale 4 can be relieved.

  In the smoothing portions 612, 621, and 623, similarly to the smoothing portion 611, the step portions 512, 513, and 514 can be made inconspicuous, and the jagged feeling of the scale 4 can be alleviated.

  Further, in the smoothing portion 611, the dots having the light transmittance closer to the light transmittance of the background 23 are printed as the distance from the step portion 511 along the straight portion 521, specifically, in the order of the dots 611A to 611N, Printing is performed so that each of these light transmittances decreases at a constant rate. For this reason, the dot 611A adjacent to the step portion 511 can be made inconspicuous. Therefore, the dot 611A for making the stepped portion 511 inconspicuous can be made inconspicuous, and the jagged feeling of the scale 4 can be further alleviated.

  In addition, the smoothing portions 612, 621, and 623 can also make the dots for making the step portions 512, 513, and 514 inconspicuous in the same manner as the smoothing portion 611, thereby further reducing the jaggedness of the scale 4. .

  Here, in the outline 5 shown in FIG. 3, since the straight portions 531 and 532 in which the step portions are not formed are generated, the dots for making the step portions inconspicuous are not formed in the straight portions 531 and 532 in which the step portions are not formed. Therefore, the smoothing portions 613 and 622 for making the stepped portion inconspicuous are not formed. For this reason, in the straight lines 521 to 524 where the stepped portions 511 to 514 are formed, the smoothing portions 611, 612, 621 and 623 formed to make the stepped portions 511 to 514 inconspicuous are visually There is a possibility that the balance may be lost at the straight portions 531 and 532 where the step portions are not formed. Therefore, the inclined line represented by the contour 5 appears to bend at the straight portions 531 and 532 where the stepped portion is not formed, and the scale 4 may not be shown accurately.

  On the other hand, step portions 541 and 542 are virtually set to the background 23 side from the end portions of the straight portions 531 and 532 where the step portions are not formed. For this reason, in the straight portions 531 and 532 where no stepped portion is formed, the dots of the smoothing portions 613 and 622 are formed for visual balance with the dots of the smoothing portions 611, 612, 621, and 623. For this reason, in the straight lines 521 to 524 where the stepped portions 511 to 514 are formed, the smoothing portions 611, 612, 621 and 623 formed to make the stepped portions 511 to 514 inconspicuous are visually The balance can be prevented from being broken at the straight portions 531 and 532 where no stepped portion is formed. Therefore, since it can suppress that the inclination line which the outline 5 represents is bent by the linear parts 531 and 532 in which a level | step-difference part is not formed, the jagged feeling of the scale 4 can be eased, showing the scale 4 correctly.

  In the above example, the smoothing portions 611 to 613 and 621 to 623 each have a light transmittance closer to the light transmittance of the background 23 as the distance from the step portions 511, 512, 541, 513, 542, and 514 is increased. Thus, although the light transmittance of each dot was formed so as to decrease at a constant rate, the present invention is not limited to this. It is also possible to form so that the light transmittance of each dot decreases at an indefinite rate. For example, in FIG. 4, the dots 611B and 611C can have the same light transmittance, the dots 611F to 611H have the same light transmittance, and the dots 611K to 611N can have the same light transmittance. That is, the smoothing portions 611 to 613 and 621 to 623 can be formed so that the light transmittance of each dot decreases at unequal intervals. Even in this case, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

(Second Embodiment)
In the above-described first embodiment, the smoothing portions 611 to 613, 623 to 623 have a light transmittance closer to the light transmittance of the background 23 as the distance from the step portions 511, 512, 541, 513, 542, and 514 is increased. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

  In the second embodiment, in the smoothing portion 611, at least one dot having a light transmittance of the background 23 and a background dot region in which at least one dot having the light transmittance of the background 23 (hereinafter referred to as a background dot) is arranged, and at least 1 having the light transmittance of the scale 4. A scale dot region in which two dots (hereinafter referred to as scale dots) are arranged is formed alternately along the straight line portion 521. The smoothing portion 611 is formed so as to increase the number of dots in the background dot region as the distance from the step portion 511 increases along the straight line portion 521.

  For example, in the smoothing portion 611 shown in FIG. 4, the dots 611B, 611D, 611G, and 611K are set as scale dots, and the remaining dots 611A, 611C, 611E, 611F, 611H to 611J, and 611L to 611N are set as background dots. In this way, the dots 611B, 611D, 611G, and 611K are set as scale dot regions each consisting of one dot. The background dot area arranged between the scale dot area 611B and the scale dot area 611D is composed of one dot 611C, and the background dot area arranged between the scale dot area 611D and the scale dot area 611G is two dots. The background dot area that is arranged between the scale dot area 611G and the scale dot area 611K is composed of three dots 611H, 611I, and 611J. In this manner, the number of dots in the background dot region increases as the distance from the step portion 511 increases.

  For this reason, the dot group in which the background dot area and the design dot area are alternately formed changes from the light transmittance of the scale 4 to the light transmittance of the background 23 as the distance from the step portion 511 along the straight line portion 521 is increased. Visible as a gradation.

  By the gradation of the dot group, the difference in optical characteristic value from the light transmittance of the scale 4 of the dot 633A adjacent to the stepped portion 511 on the side opposite to the linear portion 521 can be relaxed. For this reason, the level | step-difference part 511 can be made not conspicuous and the jagged feeling of the scale 4 can be relieved.

  In the smoothing portions 612, 621, and 623, similarly to the smoothing portion 611, a dot group in which background dot regions and design dot regions are alternately arranged is formed. In the smoothing portion 612, background dot areas and scale dot areas are alternately formed along the straight line portion 522, and the number of dots in the background dot area is increased as the distance from the step portion 512 is increased along the straight line portion 522. To.

  In the smoothing portion 621, the background dot area and the scale dot area are alternately formed along the straight line portion 523, and the number of dots in the background dot area is increased as the distance from the step portion 513 is increased along the straight line portion 523. To. In the smoothing portion 623, the background dot area and the scale dot area are alternately formed along the straight line portion 524, and the number of dots in the background dot area is increased as the distance from the step portion 514 is increased along the straight line portion 524. To. Therefore, even in the smoothing portions 612, 621, and 623, the step portions 512, 513, and 514 can be made inconspicuous, and the jagged feeling of the scale 4 can be alleviated.

  This effect is more remarkable in the smoothing portions 611 and 621 where the number of dots is larger than in the smoothing portions 612 and 623 where the number of dots is small.

  Here, in the contour 5 shown in FIG. 3, straight portions 531 and 532 in which no stepped portion is formed are generated. Therefore, in the straight portions 531 and 532 in which the stepped portion is not formed, a group of dots for making the stepped portion inconspicuous is formed. Since it is not formed, the smoothing portions 613 and 622 for making the stepped portion inconspicuous are not formed. For this reason, in the straight line portions 521 to 524 where the step portions 511 to 514 are formed, the smooth portions 611, 612, 621 and 623 formed in order to make the step portions 511 to 514 inconspicuous are visually May be broken at the straight portions 531 and 532 where the step portions are not formed. Therefore, the inclined line represented by the contour 5 appears to bend at the straight portions 531 and 532 where the stepped portion is not formed, and the scale 4 may not be shown accurately.

  On the other hand, step portions 541 and 542 are virtually set to the background 23 side from the end portions of the straight portions 531 and 532 where the step portions are not formed. Therefore, in the straight portions 531 and 532 where no stepped portion is formed, the smoothing portions 613 and 622 for visually balancing the smoothing portions 611, 612, 621 and 623 for making the stepped portions inconspicuous. Dot groups are formed.

  In the smoothing portion 613, the background dot area and the scale dot area are alternately formed along the straight line portion 531, and the number of dots in the background dot area is increased as the distance from the step portion 541 is increased along the straight line portion 531. Like that. In the smoothing portion 622, the background dot area and the scale dot area are alternately formed along the straight line portion 522, and the number of dots in the background dot area is increased as the distance from the step portion 542 is increased along the straight line portion 522. Like that.

  For this reason, in the straight line portions 521 to 524 where the step portions 511 to 514 are formed, the smooth portions 611, 612, 621 and 623 formed in order to make the step portions 511 to 514 inconspicuous are visually Can be prevented from being broken at the straight portions 531 and 532 where the step portions are not formed. Therefore, since it can suppress that the inclination line which the outline 5 represents is bent by the linear parts 531 and 532 in which a level | step-difference part is not formed, the jagged feeling of the scale 4 can be eased, showing the scale 4 correctly.

(Third embodiment)
In the above-described embodiment, the smoothing portions 611 to 613 and 621 to 623 are formed in order to relieve the jagged feeling of the scale 4, but this is not restrictive. In the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, smoothing portions 631 to 633 and 641 to 643 are formed instead of the smoothing portions 611 to 613 and 621 to 623 in order to alleviate the jagged feeling of the scale 4.

  In the smoothing portion 631, a straight line portion 521 formed by a plurality of dots arranged in the X direction, and a step portion 512 formed by dots shifted in the Y direction to the scale 4 side with respect to the straight line portion 521, from the contour 5. Extracted. In the smoothing portion 631 composed of the straight portion 521 and the step portion 512, the light transmittance (substantially transparent) of the opening portion 41 of the scale 4 and the light transmittance of the background 23A at the dot position adjacent to the step portion 512 on the straight portion 521 side. Dots with intermediate light transmittance (black, almost opaque) are printed. In addition, the opening part 41 of the scale 4 is equivalent to the area | region remove | excluding the smoothing parts 631-633, 641-643 from the scale 4, and the background 23A is the background 23 and the smoothing parts 611-613, 621-623 in FIG. It corresponds to the combined area.

  As the distance from the step portion 512 increases, dots having light transmittance closer to the opening portion 41 are printed at dot positions arranged along the straight line portion 521 from the step portion 512. In this way, the smoothing portion 631 is formed so that the light transmittance of each dot from the step portion 512 increases.

  A smoothing portion 632 composed of a straight portion 522 and a step portion 515, 633 composed of a straight portion 531 and a step portion 511, 641 composed of a straight portion 523 and a step portion 514, 642 composed of a straight portion 532 and a step portion 513, and a straight portion. 643 including 524 and a step portion 516 is also formed in the same manner as the smoothing portion 631. In the smoothing portion 632, dots having a light transmittance intermediate between the light transmittance of the opening portion 41 and the light transmittance of the background 23A are printed at the dot positions adjacent to the step portion 515 on the linear portion 522 side. As the distance from the step portion 515 increases, dots having a light transmittance closer to the opening portion 41 are printed at dot positions arranged along the straight line portion 522 from the step portion 515.

  In the smoothing portion 633, dots having a light transmittance intermediate between the light transmittance of the opening portion 41 and the light transmittance of the background 23A are printed at the dot positions adjacent to the step portion 511 on the straight line portion 531 side. A dot having a light transmittance closer to the opening portion 41 is printed at a dot position arranged along the straight line portion 531 from the step portion 511 as the distance from the step portion 511 increases. In the smoothing portion 641, dots having a light transmittance intermediate between the light transmittance of the opening portion 41 and the light transmittance of the background 23A are printed at the dot positions adjacent to the step portion 514 on the straight line portion 523 side. As the distance from the step portion 514 increases, dots having light transmittance closer to the opening portion 41 are printed at the dot positions arranged along the straight line portion 523 from the step portion 514.

  In the smoothing portion 642, dots having a light transmittance intermediate between the light transmittance of the opening portion 41 and the light transmittance of the background 23A are printed at the dot positions adjacent to the step portion 513 on the straight line portion 532 side. As the distance from the step portion 513 increases, dots having light transmittance closer to the opening portion 41 are printed at dot positions arranged along the straight line portion 532 from the step portion 513. In the smoothing portion 643, dots having a light transmittance intermediate between the light transmittance of the opening portion 41 and the light transmittance of the background 23A are printed at the dot positions adjacent to the step portion 516 on the straight line portion 524 side. As the distance from the stepped portion 516 increases, dots having light transmittance closer to the opening portion 41 are printed at dot positions arranged along the straight line portion 524 from the stepped portion 516.

  In this way, the smoothing portions 632, 633, 641 to 643 are also formed so that the light transmittance of each dot increases at a constant rate from the background 23 side toward the opening portion 41 side of the scale 4. In the present embodiment, there is no need to set a stepped portion virtually because a straight portion without a stepped portion does not occur.

  In the smoothing portion 631 shown in FIG. 6, the light transmittance (substantially transparent state) of the opening portion 41 of the scale 4 and the light transmittance (light) of the background 23A at the dot position adjacent to the step portion 512 on the straight line portion 521 side. A dot having an intermediate light transmittance is printed. Here, the light transmittance of the dot adjacent to the stepped portion 512 on the side opposite to the straight line portion 521 is the light transmittance of the background 23A. Therefore, the difference between the light transmittance of the dot adjacent to the stepped portion 512 on the side opposite to the straight line portion 521 and the light transmittance of the dot adjacent to the stepped portion 512 on the straight line portion 521 side is expressed as the light transmittance of the background 23A. Compared with the difference with the light transmittance of the opening part 41, it can be made small. For this reason, the level | step-difference part 512 can be made not conspicuous and the jagged feeling of the scale 4 can be eased.

  In the smoothing portions 633, 641, and 642, similarly to the smoothing portion 631, the step portions 511, 514, and 513 can be made inconspicuous, and the jagged feeling of the scale 4 can be alleviated.

  Further, as the distance from the step portion 512 along the straight line portion 521 is increased, dots having a light transmittance close to the light transmittance of the opening portion 41 of the scale 4 are printed, so that the dots for making the step portion 512 inconspicuous are conspicuous. It can be eliminated, and the jagged feeling of the scale 4 can be further reduced.

  In the smoothing portions 633, 641, and 642, the dots for making the step portions 511, 514, and 513 inconspicuous can be made inconspicuous in the same manner as the smoothing portion 631, and the jaggedness of the scale 4 can be further alleviated. .

  According to the present embodiment, the smoothing portions 632 and 643 are formed in order to achieve a visual balance with the smoothing portions 631, 633, 641, and 642. For this reason, the visual balance with the smoothing parts 631, 633, 641, and 642 formed so as to make the stepped parts 512, 511, 514, and 513 inconspicuous is prevented from being broken in the straight parts 522 and 524. Can do. Therefore, since it can suppress that the inclined line which the outline 5 represents is bent by the linear part 522,524, the jagged feeling of the scale 4 can be eased, showing the scale 4 correctly.

  In the smoothing portions 631 to 633 and 641 to 643, scale dot regions and background dot regions are alternately formed along the straight portions 521, 522, 531, 523, 532, and 524, respectively. It is also possible to increase the number of dots in the scaled dot region as the distance from the step portions 512, 515, 511, 514, 513, and 516 is increased along the lines 522, 531, 523, 532, and 524, respectively. Also by this method, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

  Further, instead of the smoothing portions 611 to 613, 621 to 623 and the smoothing portions 631 to 633 and 641 to 643, the smoothing portions may be the smoothing portions 611 to 613, 641 to 643, and the smoothing portions. It is also possible to set it as 621-623, 631-633. According to this method, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

(Fourth embodiment)
In the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, each part of the smoothing portions 611 to 613 and 621 to 623 in the above-described embodiment is defined as the smoothing portions 6110 to 6130, 6210, 6220, and 623. In the smoothing portion 611, the stepped portion 511 side is a smoothing portion 6110, and the region 71 is a dot region of the light transmittance of the background 23. In the smoothing portion 612, the stepped portion 512 side is a smoothing portion 6120, and the region 72 is a dot region of the light transmittance of the background 23. In the smoothing portion 613, the stepped portion 541 side is the smoothing portion 6130, and the region 73 is the dot region of the light transmittance of the background 23. In the smoothing portion 621, the stepped portion 513 side is a smoothing portion 6210, and the region 74 is a dot region of the light transmittance of the background 23. In the smoothing portion 622, the stepped portion 542 side is a smoothing portion 6220, and the region 75 is a dot region of the light transmittance of the background 23. Note that the smoothing portion 623 is left as it is.

  Smoothing portions 6110-6130, 6210, 6220, 623 can be formed by the method according to the first embodiment. For example, in the smoothing portion 6110, dots having a light transmittance intermediate between the light transmittance of the scale 4 and the light transmittance of the background 23 are printed at the dot positions adjacent to the step portion 511 on the straight line portion 521 side. As the distance from the step portion 511 increases, dots having a light transmittance closer to the light transmittance of the background 23 are printed at dot positions arranged along the straight line portion 521 from the step portion 511. In the fourth embodiment, the same effect as that of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

  In addition, at each dot position of the smoothing portions 6110 to 6130, 6210, 6220, and 623, dots having the same light transmittance as the light transmittance between the light transmittance of the scale 4 and the light transmittance of the background 23 are placed. It is also possible to print. As a result, the smoothing portions 6110 to 6130, 6210, 6220, and 623 are formed with the same intermediate light transmittance without being in gradation. According to this method, it is possible to suppress the inclined line represented by the contour 5 from being bent at the straight portions 531 and 532 and to make the step portions 511 to 514 inconspicuous. Therefore, it is possible to alleviate the jagged feeling of the scale 4 while showing the scale 4 accurately.

  Moreover, it is also possible to make each part of the smoothing parts 631-633, 641-643 a smoothing part.

  In the above example, the scale 4 has been described as an example, but the same effect can be obtained even in the design of the character 3 or the like.

  In the above-described example, the present invention is applied to the dial 1 that transmits and displays the design such as the character 3 and the scale 4 by illuminating the dial 1 from the back side, but is not limited thereto. The present invention can also be applied to a dial in which the dial is illuminated from the front side to display designs such as letters and scales. In this case, a printing method and a printing apparatus in which the light transmittance of each of the above-described embodiments is replaced with the light reflectance are the present invention. As a result, the difference between the light reflectance of the dots adjacent to the stepped portion on the linear portion side and the light reflectance of the dots adjacent to the stepped portion on the opposite side to the linear portion can be alleviated, and the same effect as described above can be obtained. Obtainable.

1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a printing apparatus that performs printing by a printing method according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a front view of the dial printed by the printing method by a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is an enlarged view of the III section in FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion IV in FIG. 3. FIG. 2 is a printing process diagram using the printing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. It is the elements on larger scale of the dial printed by the printing method by a 3rd embodiment of the present invention. It is the elements on larger scale of the dial printed by the printing method by a 4th embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

10 Printing device (printing device for instrument panel), 11 Inkjet device (printing means)
11A ink droplet, 12 control device (printing means, extracting means), 13 memory, 14 substrate stage, 1 dial (instrument panel), 2 substrate, 21 surface 22 printed film, 23, 23A background, 3 characters (design), 4 Scale (design)
41 Opening part, 5, 5X, 5Y, 50 Outline 511 to 516, 541, 542 Stepped part, 521 to 524, 531, 532 Linear part 611 to 643, 6110 to 6220 Smoothing part, 71 to 75 region 611A to 611N, 633A Dot, XR, YR Dot width, S1-S5 process

Claims (10)

An instrument by printing at least one of a design whose contour intersects with the XY direction and a background adjacent to the contour of the design with a predetermined light characteristic value that is light transmittance or light reflectance by dot-like printing In the printing method for instrument boards to be formed on the surface of the substrate constituting the board,
An extraction step of extracting, from the contour, a linear portion formed by a plurality of dots arranged in one direction in the XY direction and a step portion formed by a dot shifted in the other direction in the XY direction with respect to the linear portion;
A dot having a light characteristic value intermediate between a design characteristic value that is the light characteristic value of the design and a background characteristic value that is the light characteristic value of the background at a dot position adjacent to the stepped part on the straight line side. A printing method for an instrument panel, comprising: a printing step for printing. In the extraction step, the other is the design side,
2. The printing step includes printing dots having light characteristic values that are closer to the design characteristic value as the distance from the stepped portion increases from the stepped portion to a dot position arranged along the straight line portion. The printing method for instrument panels described in 1. In the extraction step, the other is the background side,
2. The printing process according to claim 1, wherein a dot having a light characteristic value closer to the background characteristic value is printed at a dot position arranged along the straight line part from the step part as the distance from the step part increases. The printing method for instrument panels described in 1. In the extraction step, the other side is the background side, and the straight portion where the stepped portion is not formed is extracted.
The instrument panel printing method according to claim 1, further comprising a setting step of virtually setting the stepped portion toward the background side from an end portion of the straight portion where the stepped portion is not formed. An instrument by printing at least one of a design whose contour intersects with the XY direction and a background adjacent to the contour of the design with a predetermined light characteristic value that is light transmittance or light reflectance by dot-like printing In the printing method for instrument boards to be formed on the surface of the substrate constituting the board,
A straight line portion formed by a plurality of dots arranged in one direction in the XY direction, and a step portion formed by a dot which is the other in the XY direction and deviates toward the design side with respect to the straight line portion, from the contour. An extraction process to extract;
A design dot region in which at least one dot having a design characteristic value that is the light characteristic value of the design is arranged, and a background in which at least one dot having a background characteristic value that is the light characteristic value of the background is arranged At least one of the design dot area and the background dot area is printed so that the dot area is alternately formed along the straight line portion, and the number of dots in the design dot region increases as the distance from the stepped portion increases. A printing method for an instrument panel, comprising: a printing step. An instrument by printing at least one of a design whose contour intersects with the XY direction and a background adjacent to the contour of the design with a predetermined light characteristic value that is light transmittance or light reflectance by dot-like printing In the printing method for instrument boards to be formed on the surface of the substrate constituting the board
A straight line formed by a plurality of dots arranged in one direction in the XY direction, and a stepped part formed by a dot that is the other in the XY direction and deviates to the background side with respect to the straight line portion from the contour. An extraction process to extract;
A background dot region in which at least one dot having a background characteristic value that is the light characteristic value of the background is arranged, and a design in which at least one dot having a design characteristic value that is the light characteristic value of the design is arranged. At least one of the background dot area and the design dot area is printed so that dot areas are alternately formed along the straight line portion, and the number of dots in the background dot region increases as the distance from the stepped portion increases. A printing method for an instrument panel, comprising: a printing step. In the extraction step, a straight line part where the step part is not formed with respect to the straight line part is extracted,
The instrument panel printing method according to claim 6, further comprising a setting step of virtually setting the stepped portion toward the background side from an end portion of the straight line portion where the stepped portion is not formed. An instrument by printing at least one of a design whose contour intersects with the XY direction and a background adjacent to the contour of the design with a predetermined light characteristic value that is light transmittance or light reflectance by dot-like printing In the instrument panel printing device formed on the surface of the substrate constituting the plate,
An extraction means for extracting, from the contour, a linear portion formed by a plurality of dots arranged in one of the XY directions, and a step portion formed by a dot shifted to the other of the XY directions with respect to the linear portion;
A dot having a light characteristic value intermediate between a design characteristic value that is the light characteristic value of the design and a background characteristic value that is the light characteristic value of the background at a dot position adjacent to the stepped part on the straight line side. An instrument panel printing apparatus comprising: printing means for printing. An instrument by printing at least one of a design whose contour intersects with the XY direction and a background adjacent to the contour of the design with a predetermined light characteristic value that is light transmittance or light reflectance by dot-like printing In the instrument panel printing device formed on the surface of the substrate constituting the plate,
A straight line portion formed by a plurality of dots arranged in one direction in the XY direction, and a step portion formed by a dot which is the other in the XY direction and deviates toward the design side with respect to the straight line portion, from the contour. Extracting means for extracting;
A design dot region in which at least one dot having a design characteristic value that is the light characteristic value of the design is arranged, and a background in which at least one dot having a background characteristic value that is the light characteristic value of the background is arranged At least one of the design dot area and the background dot area is printed so that the dot area is alternately formed along the straight line portion, and the number of dots in the design dot region increases as the distance from the stepped portion increases. An instrument panel printing apparatus. An instrument by printing at least one of a design whose contour intersects with the XY direction and a background adjacent to the contour of the design with a predetermined light characteristic value that is light transmittance or light reflectance by dot-like printing In the instrument panel printing device formed on the surface of the substrate constituting the plate,
A straight line formed by a plurality of dots arranged in one direction in the XY direction, and a stepped part formed by a dot that is the other in the XY direction and deviates to the background side with respect to the straight line portion from the contour. Extracting means for extracting;
A background dot region in which at least one dot having a background characteristic value that is the light characteristic value of the background is arranged, and a design in which at least one dot having a design characteristic value that is the light characteristic value of the design is arranged. At least one of the background dot area and the design dot area is printed so that dot areas are alternately formed along the straight line portion, and the number of dots in the background dot region increases as the distance from the stepped portion increases. An instrument panel printing apparatus.

Images