JP2007041435A - Printing device and printing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printing device capable of printing an image in a correct position by accurately detecting the position of each projection lens. <P>SOLUTION: The printing device includes: a conveying means (paper feed roller 50) with which a lens sheet 10 having a first face with the plurality of lenses formed on it and a second face formed as a printing face is conveyed lengthwise; a printing means (recording head 32) for scanning the second face in the direction perpendicular to the length of the lenses and printing images on the second side according to the arrangement of the lenses; a detecting means (optical sensor 40) disposed in part of the printing means, and used to irradiate the lens sheet with light and detect the intensity of light transmitted through at least part of each lens, reflected and then re-transmitted through the lens; and an adjusting means (control section 100) which, based on the detection result of the detecting means, adjusts the position where an image is printed with the printing means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a printing method.

  As a method of displaying a stereoscopic image or selectively displaying a plurality of images according to the viewing angle, there is a method of using a cylindrical convex lens (hereinafter referred to as “convex lens”).

  FIG. 19 shows a method of displaying a stereoscopic image using a convex lens. As shown in this figure, on the back surface of the lens sheet 1 having a plurality of convex lenses 2, a plurality of subdivided images 3a1 to 3a7 formed by dividing one image into a plurality of strip-shaped images, A plurality of subdivided images 3b1 to 3b7 formed by dividing another image taken from an angle different from the image into a plurality of strip-like images are arranged or printed.

  When such a lens sheet 1 is observed, a light image from the subdivided images 3a1 to 3a7 is incident on the right eye ER, and a light image from the subdivided images 3b1 to 3b7 is incident on the left eye EL. As a result, since two images with different angles are presented to the right eye ER and the left eye EL, the images can be viewed three-dimensionally.

  Conventionally, as a method for printing a segmented image on a lens sheet having such a convex lens, there is a technique as shown in Patent Document 1.

JP-A-8-137034 (abstract, claim)

  By the way, in the technique shown in Patent Document 1, in the transmissive detection method, light is projected onto a lens sheet having a convex lens, and a change in the intensity of transmitted light transmitted through the lens sheet is detected, whereby the convex lens and the image are detected. Correct the misalignment. By the way, the lens sheet is provided with an opaque layer (for example, an ink adsorbing layer), and the transmitted light passing through the layer is weak, so that it is difficult to detect the intensity change. There is. For this reason, it is difficult to accurately detect the position of the convex lens.

  In the technique shown in Patent Document 2, in the reflection type detection method, light is projected onto a lens sheet, and a change in the intensity of reflected light reflected by the convex lens is detected, whereby the positional deviation between the convex lens and the image is detected. Correct it. Even in such a reflection type detection method, as in the case of the transmission type described above, since the intensity change of the reflected light is weak, it is difficult to detect this. Therefore, the position of the convex lens is accurately determined. There is a problem that it is difficult to detect.

  The present invention has been made based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a printing apparatus and a printing method capable of accurately detecting the position of a convex lens and printing an image at an accurate position. .

  In order to achieve the above object, a printing apparatus according to the present invention conveys a lens sheet having a first surface on which a plurality of lenses are formed and a second surface on which a printing surface is formed in the longitudinal direction of the lenses. A conveying unit that scans the second surface in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the lens, and a printing unit that prints an image according to the arrangement of the plurality of lenses on the second surface. A detecting means for irradiating the lens sheet with light and detecting the intensity of the light transmitted again through the lens after the light transmitted through at least a part of the lens is reflected; Adjusting means for adjusting a position for printing an image by the printing means based on a detection result by the means.

  Therefore, it is possible to provide a printing apparatus that can accurately detect the position of the lens and print an image at an accurate position.

  In addition to the above-described invention, another invention further includes a reflection unit disposed at a position facing the printing unit with the lens sheet interposed therebetween, and the reflection unit is irradiated by the detection unit and includes at least a lens. The light that has partially transmitted is reflected, is transmitted again through the lens, and is incident on the detection means. For this reason, the detection sensitivity by a detection means can be improved by increasing the light quantity of reflected light. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of erroneous detection and reliably detect the position of the lens.

  In addition to the above-mentioned invention, the light emitted from the detection means is set so that the beam width in the same direction is less than half of the width in the short direction of each lens. ing. For this reason, it can prevent that the light which permeate | transmitted the some lens interferes with each other, and falls the detection accuracy with respect to a single lens.

  In another invention, in addition to the above-described invention, the light irradiated by the detecting means is a laser beam. For this reason, the detection accuracy of the lens position can be improved by narrowing down the beam. Further, since the laser beam has a high energy density, it is possible to improve detection sensitivity.

  Further, the printing apparatus of the present invention conveys a lens sheet having a first surface on which a plurality of lenses are formed and a second surface on which a printing surface is formed, in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the lens. Means, a printing means for scanning the second surface in the longitudinal direction of the lens, and printing an image according to the arrangement of the plurality of lenses on the second surface, and the first surface of the lens sheet A detecting unit configured to detect the intensity of the light that has been irradiated and transmitted through at least a part of the lens; and an adjusting unit configured to adjust a position at which the image is printed by the printing unit based on a detection result of the detecting unit.

  Therefore, it is possible to provide a printing apparatus that can accurately detect the position of the lens and print an image at an accurate position.

  Further, the printing method of the present invention conveys a lens sheet having a first surface on which a plurality of lenses are formed and a second surface on which the printing surface is formed in the longitudinal direction of the lens, and the second surface. The upper surface is scanned in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the lens, an image corresponding to the arrangement of the plurality of lenses is printed on the second surface, light is applied to the lens sheet, and at least a part of the lens After the light transmitted through the light is reflected, the intensity of the light transmitted through the lens again is detected, and the position where the image is printed is adjusted based on the detection result of the light.

  Therefore, it is possible to provide a printing method capable of detecting the position of the lens with high accuracy and printing an image at an accurate position.

  The printing method of the present invention conveys a lens sheet having a first surface on which a plurality of lenses are formed and a second surface on which a printing surface is formed, in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the lens, The second surface is scanned in the longitudinal direction of the lens, an image corresponding to the arrangement of the plurality of lenses is printed on the second surface, light is applied to the first surface of the lens sheet, and the lens The intensity of light transmitted through at least a part of the image is detected, and the position where the image is printed is adjusted based on the light detection result.

  Therefore, it is possible to provide a printing method capable of detecting the position of the lens with high accuracy and printing an image at an accurate position.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a printing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a printing apparatus according to the present embodiment. In the following description, the lower side refers to the side where the printing apparatus is installed, and the upper side refers to the side away from the installed side. In addition, a direction in which a carriage 31 described later moves is a main scanning direction, a direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction, and a direction in which the lens sheet 10 is conveyed is a sub-scanning direction. Further, the side on which the lens sheet 10 is supplied will be described as a paper feeding side (rear end side) and the side on which the lens sheet 10 is discharged will be described as a paper discharge side (front side).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printing apparatus includes a platen 20, and a carriage 31 is configured to be reciprocally movable relative to the platen 20. The carriage 31 holds an ink cartridge 30 in which cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks are stored. A recording head 32 as a printing unit is provided below the carriage 31 so as to face the lens sheet 10, and the ink stored in the ink cartridge 30 can be sucked and discharged as minute ink droplets. It is said. The mounted ink cartridges 30 are not limited to four colors, and may be any number of colors such as six colors, seven colors, and eight colors. Ink filled in the ink cartridge 30 is not limited to dye-based ink, and other types of ink such as pigment-based ink may be mounted.

  A part of the timing belt 35 is fixed to the carriage 31. The timing belt 35 is stretched so as to connect the pulleys 33 and 34. A drive shaft of a carriage motor 36 is connected to the pulley 33. Therefore, when the carriage motor 36 is rotated, the carriage 31 reciprocates in the X direction (main scanning direction) indicated by an arrow in FIG.

  An optical sensor 40 for detecting a cylindrical convex lens (hereinafter referred to as “convex lens”) to be described later is provided on a part of the carriage 31 (on the left side in the example in this figure). The details of the optical sensor 40 as the detection means will be described later.

  A scale 37 constituting a linear encoder is disposed on a path along which the carriage 31 reciprocates. An optical sensor 38, which will be described later, is disposed on the surface of the carriage 31 facing the scale 37, and the position of the carriage 31 is specified by detecting a pattern printed on the scale 37 by the optical sensor 38.

  A paper feed roller 50 having a cylindrical shape is provided on the upstream side (back side of the paper surface) of the platen 20. A driving force of a paper feed motor (PF motor) 51 as a part of the transport unit is transmitted to the paper feed roller 50 as a part of the transport unit. Accordingly, when the paper feed motor 51 is rotated, the paper feed roller 50 is rotated, and the lens sheet 10 is conveyed on the platen 20 toward the paper discharge side in the Y direction (the direction indicated by the arrow in the figure).

  As will be described later, for example, a plurality of convex lenses (lenses) having a convex shape are formed on one surface (first surface) of the lens sheet 10. The other surface (second surface) is a printing surface. In the example of FIG. 1, the lens sheet 10 is disposed so that the longitudinal direction of the convex lens (the direction in which the lens extends) and the Y direction (sub-scanning direction) coincide. In this example, a plurality of strip-shaped images that are long in the Y direction are printed so as to be within the width of each convex lens in the short direction. In addition, as a convex lens, what has not only the convex shape shown to a figure but a concave shape can also be used, for example.

  The platen 20 has a reflecting plate 22 on its upper side. The platen 20 is made of, for example, resin, and holds the lens sheet 10 so that the platen 20 can be smoothly conveyed, and the distance between the recording head 32 and the lens sheet 10 is constant.

  The reflection plate 22 as the reflection means has a function of reflecting the light irradiated from the optical sensor 40 and transmitted through the lens sheet 10 and returning it to the optical sensor 40. The reflector 22 is made of, for example, a mirror-polished metal member, a resin on which the metal member is deposited, or a white resin having a high reflectance, and the light emitted from the optical sensor 40 has a high reflectance. Reflect on. Further, the reflecting plate 22 has, for example, a rectangular shape, the longitudinal direction has a width wider than the X direction of the lens sheet 10, and the lateral direction is longer than the beam irradiated from the optical sensor 40. It has a wide width. In addition, when the platen 20 has a characteristic of reflecting light, the reflecting plate 22 may not be particularly provided. Moreover, as the reflecting plate 22, for example, a member that irregularly reflects (for example, a member having a rough surface) can be used instead of a member having a flat surface. Further, the reflection plate 22 may be detachable, and the reflection plate 22 may be installed on the platen 20 as necessary.

  In FIG. 1, the reflector 22 is provided near the downstream end of the platen 20 in order to make the overall shape easy to understand, but it is actually provided at a position facing the upstream optical sensor 40. It has been. These detailed positional relationships will be described later with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the back surface of the carriage 31 (the surface facing the lens sheet). As shown in the drawing, on the rear surface of the carriage 31, a recording head 32 having a plurality of nozzle rows 32a in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged in the row direction is provided. Each nozzle row is composed of, for example, 180 nozzles. Each nozzle row 32a is constituted by a nozzle group that ejects ink of the same color.

  An optical sensor 40 is provided at the upper right end of the back surface of the carriage 31. In this example, the optical sensor 40 is provided on the upstream side (upstream side in the conveyance direction of the lens sheet) from the nozzle formed at the uppermost end (upper end in the drawing) of each nozzle row 32a. The convex lens can be detected by the optical sensor 40 before the sheet 10 reaches the first nozzle (uppermost nozzle) of the recording head 32.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship between the optical sensor 40 and the lens sheet 10 when the optical sensor 40 shown in FIG. 2 is cut by A-A ′. As shown in this figure, the optical sensor 40 includes a holding body 41, a light emitting unit 44, and a light receiving unit 45. Here, the holder 41 is formed with a recess 42 in which the light emitting unit 44 is disposed and a recess 43 in which the light receiving unit 45 is disposed. A light emitting unit 44 and a light receiving unit 45 are arranged on the bottom surface of the recesses 42 and 43, respectively.

  The light emitting unit 44 is configured by, for example, a laser diode or an LED (Light Emitting Diode), and emits light with high straightness. The light receiving unit 45 is constituted by, for example, a photodiode, receives light reflected by the reflecting plate 22, converts the light into an electric signal having a level corresponding to the intensity of the light, and outputs the electric signal. In addition, as the light emission part 44, the light emitting diode which can emit the light of a predetermined color like red light, blue light, green light, infrared light etc. can be used, for example. Further, for example, a laser oscillator or a lamp that can generate laser light such as visible light or infrared light may be used as the light emitting unit. In addition, as the light receiving unit 45, for example, an element that can convert received light into an electric signal, such as a phototransistor, a photodiode, or a photo IC, can be used.

  The lens sheet 10 includes a convex lens 11, an ink absorption layer 12, and an ink transmission layer 13. Here, the convex lens 11 as a lens is made of, for example, a transparent resin, and a plurality of lenses having a kamaboko shape are connected at a predetermined interval (pitch). The type of the lens sheet 10 is indicated by the distance between the lenses, and examples thereof include 45 lpi (lens per inch), 60 lpi, 90 lpi, and the like. It is also possible to use lenses with other pitches (for example, 100 lpi). The convex lens 11 is made of PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate), PETG (Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol), APET (Amorphous Polyethylene Terephthalate), PP (Polypropylene), PS (Polystyrene), PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride), acrylic, UV (Ultraviolet) cured resin, etc. Composed.

  The ink absorption layer 12 is made of a material that absorbs ink, and fixes the ink that has passed through the ink transmission layer 13. The ink absorbing layer 12 is made of, for example, a hydrophilic polymer such as PVA (Poly Vinyl Alcohol), a cationic compound, or fine particles such as silica. The ink transmission layer 13 is made of a material that transmits ink, and protects the ink fixed on the ink absorption layer. The ink transmission layer 13 is composed of fine particles such as titanium oxide, silica gel, and PMMA (Polymethylmethacrylate), a binder resin, and the like. Note that one of the ink absorption layer 12 and the ink transmission layer 13 is made of a non-transparent material. The ink permeable layer 13 may or may not be present. Further, in addition to the ink absorption layer 12 and the ink transmission layer 13, for example, a transparent film layer or an adhesive layer may be provided.

  The light emitted from the light emitting unit 44 and transmitted through the ink transmission layer 13, the ink absorption layer 12, and the convex lens 11 is reflected by the reflection plate 22, and a part thereof is the convex lens 11, the ink absorption layer 12, and the ink transmission. The light is received by the light receiving unit 45 through the layer 13 again. Here, the path from the light emitting unit 44 to the reflecting plate 22 coincides with the optical axis of the light emitting unit 44. In addition, the path from the reflection plate 22 to the light receiving unit coincides with the optical axis of the light receiving unit 45. That is, in the light emitting unit 44 and the light receiving unit 45, the bottom surfaces of the recesses 42 and 43 are inclined from the direction parallel to the reflecting plate 22 so that the optical path indicated by the broken line in FIG. It is formed so as to have θ. Thus, the detection sensitivity of the optical sensor 40 can be increased by matching the optical axes of the light emitting unit 44 and the light receiving unit 45 with the light path.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the convex lens and the beam emitted from the light emitting unit 44. As shown in this figure, when the diameter of the beam emitted from the light emitting unit 44 is L2, and the length in the short direction of one convex lens is L1, between L1 and L2, for example, L2 ≦ ( The beam diameter is set so as to have a relationship of L1 / 2). If there is a possibility of using different types of convex lenses, the beam is set so as to have the above relationship with respect to the convex lens of the smallest size among those that may be used. In addition, if a laser light source (laser diode etc.) is used as the light emission part 44, it can adjust easily so that it may become a beam diameter as shown in FIG. That is, since the laser beam has a single wavelength and has high coherency, the beam diameter can be easily changed by using a lens or the like. Further, since the laser beam has a high energy density, a sufficient amount of reflected light can be obtained even when the ink absorption layer 12 is present, so that the lens can be reliably detected.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a control system of the printing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. As shown in the figure, the control system of the printing apparatus includes a carriage motor 36, a paper feed motor 51, a control unit 100, and an interface 112. Here, the interface 112 has a function of electrically connecting the control unit 100 and the host computer 200 and converting a signal expression format or the like in order to enable information exchange between them. The control unit 100 performs control for printing an image on the lens sheet 10 based on the print data transmitted from the host computer 200. Details of the control unit 100 will be described later. The carriage motor 36 is controlled by the control unit 100 and reciprocates the carriage 31 in the main scanning direction. An optical sensor 38 is provided on a part of the carriage 31, and the optical sensor 38 and the scale 37 constitute a linear encoder. The control unit 100 can know the current position of the carriage 31 using this linear encoder. The paper feed motor 51 moves the lens sheet 10 in the sub-scanning direction by applying a driving force to the paper feed roller 50. The host computer 200 has an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 201, and an image processing program for processing an image corresponding to printing of the lens sheet 10 is stored in the HDD 201.

  6 is a view of the printing apparatus shown in FIG. 5 as viewed from the right side of the drawing. As shown in this figure, the carriage 31 is provided so as to face the platen 20. A recording head 32 is provided below the carriage 31. As shown in FIG. 2, the recording head 32 has a plurality of nozzles arranged in the conveyance direction (sub-scanning direction) of the lens sheet 10 to form a nozzle row 32a. As described above, in the present embodiment, each nozzle row 32a is composed of, for example, 180 nozzles, of which the 180th nozzle is the paper feed side and the first nozzle is the paper discharge side. Is located.

  In addition, a piezo element (not shown) is provided for each nozzle in the nozzle row 32a provided at the lower portion of the carriage 31 and associated with each ink. By operating the piezo element, it is possible to eject ink droplets from the nozzles at the end of the ink passage. The recording head 32 is not limited to the piezo driving method using a piezo element, and other methods may be used. Other methods include, for example, a heater method in which ink is heated with a heater and the generated foam force is used, a magnetostriction method in which a magnetostrictive element is used, an electrostatic method in which electrostatic force is used, and a mist method in which mist is controlled by an electric field. Etc. are mentioned as main methods.

  The paper transport mechanism 80 includes a paper feed motor (not shown) that provides a driving force for transporting a printing object such as the lens sheet 10 and a paper feed roller 82 that supports the feeding of plain paper or the like. A paper feed roller 50 for conveying the lens sheet 10 is provided on the paper discharge side of the paper feed roller 82. Further, the platen 20 and the recording head 32 described above are disposed on the paper discharge side of the paper feed roller 50 so as to face each other in the vertical direction. The platen 20 supports the lens sheet 10 conveyed below the print head 32 by the paper feed roller 50 from below.

  A paper discharge roller 52 similar to the paper feed roller 50 is provided on the paper discharge side of the platen 20. The paper discharge roller 52 rotates upon receiving the driving force from the paper feed motor 51. The paper feed motor 51 employs a configuration that distributes the driving force to the paper feed roller 50 and the paper discharge roller 52. However, a configuration may be employed in which a separate motor is provided in addition to the paper feed motor 51 and the paper discharge roller 52 is driven by the motor.

  An opening 87 is provided on the rear end side opposite to the paper discharge side and on the lower side of the paper feed roller 82. The opening 87 is an opening for allowing a printing object that is difficult to bend, such as the lens sheet 10, to pass therethrough. Therefore, the opening 87 has a width in the main scanning direction sufficient to pass the lens sheet 10. The lens sheet 10 alone may pass through the opening 87, or may be passed in a state of being placed on a thick tray or the like.

  FIG. 7 is an example of a side sectional view of the platen 20. As shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of ribs 21 b projecting upward from the reference plane 21 a of the platen 20 and contacting the lens sheet 10 and the like protrude from the platen 20. Further, a reflection plate 22 is provided on the end side of the sheet feeding side of the platen 20 (see FIGS. 1 and 7). The reflection plate 22 is a part for reflecting the light emitted from the light emitting unit 44 of the optical sensor 40.

  The lens sheet 10 is moved in the sub-scanning direction by being given a driving force while being sandwiched between the paper feed roller 50 and the driven roller 50a. Further, when printing is completed, the lens sheet 10 is ejected with a driving force applied while being sandwiched between the ejection roller 52 and the driven roller 52a.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a detailed configuration example of the control unit 100. As shown in this figure, the control unit 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 102, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103, an ASIC (Application Specified Integrated Circuit) 104, and a DC (Direct Current). A unit 105, a signal processing unit 106, a PF motor driver 107, a CR motor driver 108, a head driver 109, a nonvolatile memory 110, a lens signal binarization circuit 111, and an interface 112 are included. The control unit 100 is connected to a paper width detection PW (Paper Width) sensor (not shown), an optical sensor 40, a gap detection sensor (not shown), an optical sensor 38, a rotary encoder 113, and the like. Based on signals input from these sensors, the recording head 32, the paper feed motor 51, the carriage motor 36, and the like are controlled.

  Here, the CPU 101 performs arithmetic processing for executing a control program stored in the ROM 102, the nonvolatile memory 110, and the like, and other necessary arithmetic processing. The ROM 102 stores a control program for controlling the printing apparatus, data necessary for processing, and the like. The ASIC 104 includes a parallel interface circuit, and can receive a print signal supplied from the host computer 200 via the interface 112.

  The RAM 103 is a memory that temporarily stores programs being executed by the CPU 101 / data being calculated. The nonvolatile memory 110 is a memory for storing various data that needs to be retained even after the printing apparatus is powered off.

  The rotary encoder 113 is different from the linear encoder described above in that a scale 113a is provided in a disk shape. However, the other configuration is the same as that of the linear encoder. In this embodiment, the slit interval of the plurality of slits provided on the scale 113a of the rotary encoder 113 is 1/180 inch, and when the paper feed motor 51 rotates by one slit, 1 The lens sheet 10 is configured to be conveyed by / 1440 inches. However, the slit interval and the conveyance pitch are not limited to this, and can be variously set.

  The DC unit 105 is a control circuit for performing speed control of the carriage motor 36 and the paper feed motor 51 which are DC motors. The DC unit 105 performs various calculations for controlling the speed of the paper feed motor 51 and the carriage motor 36 based on a control command sent from the CPU 101, an output signal from the signal processing unit 106 described later, and the like. Based on the calculation result, a motor control signal is transmitted to the paper feed motor driver 107 and the carriage motor driver 108.

  Further, the signal processing unit 106 receives a binarized signal output from a lens signal binarization circuit 111 described later and an encoder signal output from the optical sensor 38. The signal processing unit 106 outputs a motor drive signal reflecting the binarized signal having lens pitch information to the carriage motor 36 based on the binarized signal and the encoder signal. Thereby, the carriage motor 36 is driven at a driving speed corresponding to the detected lens pitch.

  The PF motor driver 107 is a drive circuit that drives the paper feed motor 51 in accordance with a motor control signal supplied from the DC unit 105. The CR motor driver 108 is a drive circuit that drives the carriage motor 36 in accordance with a motor control signal supplied from the DC unit 105. The head driver 109 drives a piezo element built in the recording head 32 according to the print signal supplied from the ASIC 104, generates ink droplets corresponding to the print signal, and prints a desired image on the lens sheet 10. To do.

  Each component in the control unit 100 described above is connected by a bus 100a, and data can be exchanged between the components.

  The printing apparatus includes an interface 112. A host computer 200 is connected via the interface 112. As described above, the host computer 200 includes the HDD 201, and the HDD 201 stores an image processing program for processing an image corresponding to printing of the lens sheet 10.

  This image processing program includes a compression process for compressing image data to 1 / N only in either the vertical direction or the horizontal direction according to the number N of the selected image data, Before and after this compression processing, image division processing that divides an image according to the lens pitch of the convex lens, and strip-shaped image data that has undergone compression processing and image division processing are arranged at appropriate portions in each convex lens. Placement processing. In the image processing program, it is possible to specify predetermined items such as the width (LPI) of the convex lens and the division direction of the image data. Further, when the image dividing process and the compression process are passed, a subdivided image is formed.

  FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing details of the lens signal binarization circuit 111 shown in FIG. As shown in this figure, the lens signal binarization circuit 111 includes a band pass filter 111a, an amplification circuit 111b, and a binarization circuit 111c as main components.

  Here, the band pass filter 111 a is a filter that selectively passes a signal corresponding to the period of the convex lens 11 from the analog signal output from the light receiving unit 45. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a result of Fourier transform of a signal output from the light receiving unit 45 when the lens sheet 10 having a pitch of 100 lpi is used. As shown in this figure, the signal output from the light receiving unit 45 includes two types of signals, a signal near 2 kHz and a signal near 14.4 kHz. Here, the signal in the vicinity of 14.4 kHz is a signal that is output under the influence of the driving frequency of the printing apparatus (for example, the driving frequency of the carriage motor 36) in the vicinity of 14.4 kHz. On the other hand, the signal near 2 kHz is a signal corresponding to light periodically reflected by the convex lens 11 when the carriage 31 is scanned. Therefore, in this example, as the band pass filter 111a, a filter that selectively passes a signal in the vicinity of 2 kHz (a filter having a pass band of 2 kHz) may be used. Specifically, a band pass filter having a pass band from 1.8 kHz to 2.2 kHz centered on 2 kHz is used.

  When the type (lens pitch) of the convex lens 11 changes, the frequency of the signal output from the light receiving unit 45 also changes. Specifically, when the resolution is low (when lpi (lens per inch) is low), the frequency is low, and when the resolution is high, the frequency is high. Accordingly, when there is a possibility of using various kinds of resolutions as the lens sheet 10, for example, the frequencies at the maximum resolution and the minimum resolution are measured in advance, and the bands that maximize and minimize these frequencies are measured. By using the band-pass filter 111a having a pass band within this range, the lens signal can be reliably extracted regardless of the resolution of the lens sheet 10 within this range. As a specific example, in the case of 100 lpi, as described above, the bandpass filter 111a having a center band of 2 kHz and a pass band from 1.8 kHz to 2.2 kHz is used. In the case of 60 lpi, a band pass filter 111a having a center band of 1.2 kHz and a pass band from 1.0 kHz to 1.4 kHz is used. Therefore, when there is a possibility of using these two types, a band pass filter having a pass band from 1.0 kHz to 2.2 kHz is used.

  In addition to this, for example, a switch capacitor filter is used as the band-pass filter 111a, and an optimum pass band according to the resolution of the lens sheet 10 being used is changed by changing the drive frequency (switching frequency) of the filter. May be set. That is, in the switched capacitor filter, the transfer function is determined by the capacitance value ratio of the capacitor and the switching period. Since the capacitance value of the used capacitor is fixed, for example, the pass band of the band-pass filter can be easily changed by changing the switching period.

  The amplifier circuit 111b amplifies the signal in the vicinity of 2 kHz that has passed through the band-pass filter 111a to a predetermined gain (for example, 40 times) and outputs the amplified signal. The binarization circuit 111c is configured by, for example, a Schmitt trigger circuit or the like, and outputs a high-level signal when the output signal of the amplification circuit 111b exceeds a predetermined threshold, and otherwise outputs a low level signal. The signal of the state is output. As a result, a digital signal having a binary value of high or low is output from the binarization circuit 111c.

  Next, the operation of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  When printing an image on the lens sheet 10, first, the host computer 200 executes a process for processing the image to be printed (step S10). Specifically, the host computer 200 executes an image processing program stored in the HDD 201, decomposes each of a plurality of target images into strips, performs compression processing, and sequentially obtains the obtained images. Line up. For example, in the case of a three-dimensional image, two images A and B having different viewpoints are decomposed into strip-shaped images (images As and Bs) having the same shape according to the lens resolution of the lens sheet 10, respectively. The images As and Bs are alternately arranged. The obtained striped image is subjected to resolution conversion, color conversion processing, halftone processing, and the like, converted into data (print data) for printing by the printing apparatus, and supplied to the printing apparatus (step) S11).

  In the printing apparatus, first, the CPU 101 initially sets the pass band of the band pass filter 111a of the lens signal binarization circuit 111 according to the resolution of the lens of the lens sheet 10 (step S12). For example, when the resolution of the lens sheet 10 is 100 lpi, the center is 2 kHz as described above, and the pass band is from 1.8 kHz to 2.2 kHz. Note that the data relating to the print resolution may be obtained directly from the host computer 200 or may be input from an operation unit (not shown) of the printing apparatus.

  When the setting of the bandpass filter 111a is completed, the CPU 101 drives the paper feed motor 51 to move the lens sheet 10 to a predetermined position (print start position). Specifically, the lens sheet 10 is moved in the Y direction so that the front end portion of the lens sheet 10 is directly below the optical sensor 40.

  When the lens sheet 10 moves to a predetermined position, the CPU 101 starts the light emission of the light emitting unit 44 and starts the operation of the lens signal binarization circuit 101 (step S13). Then, the CPU 101 inquires of the host computer 200 as to whether or not print data exists, and if present, proceeds to step S15, otherwise proceeds to step S20 (step S14). If print data exists, the print data for one line is received from the host computer 200 and the print operation is started. Specifically, the CPU 101 refers to the output signal from the optical sensor 38, detects the current position of the carriage 31, generates a drive signal corresponding to the position, and supplies it to the carriage motor 36. As a result, the carriage 31 starts reciprocation in the main scanning direction (step S15).

  At this time, light is emitted from the light emitting unit 44. The light emitted from the light emitting unit 44 passes through the ink transmission layer 13 and the ink absorption layer 12 of the lens sheet 10 and reaches the convex lens 11. As shown in FIG. 12A, when the light (incident light) emitted from the light emitting unit 44 reaches the top 11a of the convex lens 11, the incident light is positioned so as to contact the top 11a of the convex lens 11. The light is reflected by the reflecting plate 22 and enters the light receiving unit 45 as reflected light. That is, since the angle of the reflecting plate 22 that is in contact with the top 11a of the convex lens 11 is the same as the angle of the contacting surface of the lens curved surface, most of the transmitted light of the lens is reflected by the reflecting plate 22 and the light receiving unit 45. Is incident on. A part of the light emitted from the light emitting unit 44 is reflected by the ink transmissive layer 13 and the ink absorbing layer 12, but the reflected light is different from the reflecting plate 22. 45 does not reach. Therefore, the light receiving unit 45 does not output a signal with respect to the reflected light.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 12B, when the light emitted from the light emitting unit 44 reaches a position shifted from the top 11 a of the convex lens 11, the incident light passes through the convex lens 11 and is reflected by the reflecting plate 22. However, it is irregularly reflected when re-entering the convex lens 11. As a result, the intensity of the light incident on the light receiving unit 45 becomes weaker than that in the case of FIG.

  FIG. 13 shows the relationship between incident light and reflected light in the prior art. In the case of the prior art, as shown in FIG. 13A, when the incident light reaches the top 11a of the convex lens 11, most of the light is transmitted through the convex lens 11, so that it enters the light receiving unit 45 as reflected light. The intensity of the emitted light is reduced. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 13B, when the incident light reaches the bottom 11b of the convex lens 11, the incident light is irregularly reflected at the bottom 11b and is incident on the light receiving unit 45 as reflected light. The intensity of light at this time is larger than that in the case of FIG. Therefore, the analog signal output from the light receiving unit 45 becomes the maximum signal in the case of FIG. By the way, since the area of the bottom 11b of the convex lens 11 is small and diffusely reflected, the amount of reflected light is not so large. Therefore, the intensity ratio (contrast) of the reflected light in FIG. 13B and the other cases is not so large, so that it is difficult to detect the lens signal as compared with the present embodiment.

  FIG. 14 shows a correspondence relationship between the convex lens 11, an analog signal (output signal of the light receiving unit 45), and a digital signal (output signal of the binarization circuit 111c). As shown in FIG. 14B, the analog signal output from the light receiving unit 45 is a signal that becomes maximum and gradually decreases at the top 11a of the lens to be detected (see FIG. 14A). Such a signal is supplied to the band-pass filter 111a, and the harmonic component (driving signal) and the low-frequency component (for example, DC component and commercial power supply signal (50 Hz signal)) are attenuated and output.

  The signal output from the band pass filter 111a is supplied to the amplifier circuit 111b, where it is amplified by, for example, 40 times and output. The signal output from the amplifier circuit 111b is supplied to the binarization circuit 111c where it is compared with a predetermined threshold value. When the input signal is greater than or equal to the threshold, the binarization circuit 111c sets the output signal to a high state, and when the input signal is less than the threshold, the binarization circuit 111c sets the output signal to a low state. . As a result, as shown in FIG. 14C, the binarization circuit 111c generates and outputs a pulse train signal that rises at a predetermined position of each convex lens 11 and falls at a predetermined position.

  By the way, the carriage 31 operates at a constant speed, and the distance from the optical sensor 40 to each nozzle row is known in advance. Therefore, an image is printed according to the width of the convex lens 11 by controlling so that ink is ejected from each nozzle at a predetermined timing after each convex lens 11 is detected by the output from the binarization circuit 111c. Will be. Specifically, when a rising edge of the signal of the binarization circuit 111c is detected, it is used as a trigger to sequentially eject ink from each nozzle row 32a at a predetermined interval according to the width of the convex lens 11. An image can be printed (step S16). The convex lens 11 has a lens interval that varies depending on the accuracy of manufacturing and the humidity of the environment in which it is left. However, by directly detecting each convex lens 11 as described above and ejecting ink according to the detected timing, it is possible to reliably print an image according to the lens interval.

  Next, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the printing process for one scan has been completed. If the printing process has been completed, the process proceeds to step S18. Otherwise, the process returns to step S16 to repeat the same process (step S17).

  By the way, in the case of the recording head 32 shown in FIG. 2, the optical sensor 40 is arranged in the upper right part. Therefore, when the carriage 31 scans from right to left in FIG. 1, the optical sensor 40 precedes the recording head 32, so that the operation as described above is possible. However, when the carriage 31 scans from left to right, the optical sensor 40 follows the recording head 32, and thus the above-described operation cannot be performed. Therefore, for example, when the carriage 31 moves from left to right, it is only necessary to prevent printing (step S18). Alternatively, when the carriage 31 scans from right to left, the position of each lens is stored in association with the output of the encoder signal, and when the carriage 31 scans from left to right, it is stored. Printing may be performed with reference to the information. Alternatively, another optical sensor 40 as shown in FIG. 2 is provided not only in the upper right part, but also in the upper left part, and when the carriage 31 scans from right to left, the output of the optical sensor in the upper right part is used, and left to right When scanning is performed, printing may be performed using the output of the upper left optical sensor.

  When the printing operation for one line is completed in this way, the CPU 101 drives the paper feed motor 51 to move the lens sheet 10 in the sub-scanning direction by a predetermined distance (step S19). Then, the CPU 101 returns to step S14 and repeats the same processing. That is, the CPU 101 receives print data for the next line from the host computer 200, and executes a process for printing the print data by the same process as described above. By repeating such processing, a desired image can be printed on the lens sheet 10.

  When printing of all the print data is completed, the CPU 101 stops the light emission of the optical sensor 40 (step S20) and drives the paper feed motor 51 to execute the process of discharging the lens sheet 10 (step S21). As a result, the lens sheet 10 that has been printed is discharged to the outside of the printing apparatus.

  As described above, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the position of the convex lens 11 is detected by the optical sensor 40, and an image is printed according to the detected position. Even when the manufacturing accuracy of the lens 10 is low or when the pitch of the lens changes due to the humidity of the environment, an image can be accurately printed within the width of each lens.

  In the first embodiment, since the reflecting plate 22 is provided, a signal having a stronger contrast can be obtained than in the conventional case. Therefore, the position of the convex lens 11 can be detected reliably and with high accuracy.

  In the first embodiment, the light emitting unit 44 uses light having straightness and the beam width of the light is about ½ of the lens width. Can be prevented from interfering with each other. As a result, the position of each lens can be reliably detected. For example, when a laser diode is used as the light emitting unit 44, the laser light has high luminance, so that even if it is attenuated to some extent by the ink absorption layer 12 or the ink transmission layer 13, sufficient reflected light is received by the light receiving unit 45. Therefore, the convex lens 11 can be reliably detected. Further, since the laser light has a strong directivity and the beam area can be narrowed down, if the beam area is set so as to satisfy the relationship of L2 << L1 in FIG. Since the reflected reflected light can be obtained, the detection accuracy of the convex lens 11 can be increased. Further, since the laser beam has a high energy density, a certain amount of reflected light can be ensured even when the ink absorption layer 12 and the ink transmission layer 13 are non-transparent, so that the lens can be detected reliably. Can do.

  In the first embodiment, the band pass filter 111a is provided to attenuate components other than the signal corresponding to the lens pitch of the convex lens 11. Therefore, the noise component is removed to ensure the position of the convex lens 11. Can be detected.

  Further, in the first embodiment, the light emitting unit 44 and the light receiving unit 45 are arranged so that the optical axes of the incident light and the reflected light shown in FIG. Can be efficiently irradiated, and the light receiving unit 45 can efficiently convert the reflected light into an electrical signal.

  In the above first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the light emitting unit 44 and the light receiving unit 45 are juxtaposed so as to be parallel to the main scanning direction. Alternatively, they may be juxtaposed in a direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction. According to such an arrangement method, since the area occupied by the optical sensor 40 in the main scanning direction in FIG. 2 can be reduced, the width of the carriage 31 in the main scanning direction can be reduced.

  In the first embodiment described above, the light emitted from the light emitting unit 44 is directly applied to the lens sheet 10. For example, a lens is provided between the light emitting unit 44 and the lens sheet 10. You may make it narrow a beam with a lens. For example, the beam may be focused on the reflector 22. According to such a method, the detection resolution can be improved by focusing light on a part of each convex lens 11.

  In the first embodiment described above, the case where the lens sheet 10 is directly placed on the platen 20 has been described. However, for example, the lens sheet 10 is placed on a tray having a certain thickness, and the tray 10 and It is also possible to print by inserting into the printing apparatus. In that case, a reflection plate may be provided on the whole (or part) of the portion of the tray on which the lens sheet 10 is placed.

  In the first embodiment described above, the distance between the platen 20 and the recording head 32 is constant. However, these distances may be adjustable according to the thickness of the lens sheet 10. In this case, since the distance between the reflecting plate 22 and the optical sensor 40 changes, it is assumed that not all the reflected light is incident on the light receiving unit 45 when the distance is large. Therefore, for example, when these distances can be adjusted, it is desirable to limit the adjustable range to a range in which a sufficient amount of received light can be obtained. Alternatively, it is desirable that the optical axes of the light emitting unit 44 and the light receiving unit 45 can be adjusted according to these distances. As a method for adjusting the optical axis, for example, a mechanism equivalent to an optical pickup mechanism used for an optical disk or the like is provided, and the same method as that of the tracking servo is performed according to the distance between the reflecting plate 22 and the optical sensor 40. The optical axis may be adjusted by the operation.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a schematic basic configuration of a printing apparatus according to the second embodiment. In this figure, parts corresponding to those of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  In the second embodiment shown in FIG. 15, compared with the case of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the optical sensor 40 added to the carriage 31 is excluded, and an optical sensor 70 as a detection means is provided. Newly added. Further, the lens lens 10 is arranged so that the longitudinal direction of the convex lens 11 is the same as the main scanning direction. Other configurations are the same as those in FIG.

  Here, the optical sensor 70 has a U-shaped housing 71. The casing 71 is disposed on the home position side of the printing apparatus of the platen 20 at a position where the right end portion of the lens sheet 10 passes through the inside thereof. Note that the reason why the lens is disposed on the home position side is to ensure that the end portion passes through the interior of the lens sheet 10 even when the lens sheet 10 has a different size. That is, since one end of the lens sheet 10 is arranged to be aligned with the home position side, the one end reliably passes through the inside of the housing 71 even when the sizes are different.

  Inside the casing 71, a light emitting unit 44 and a light receiving unit 45 are arranged. In the example of FIG. 1, the light emitting unit 44 is disposed on the lower side of the housing, and irradiates light upward in the figure. On the other hand, the light receiving unit 45 is disposed on the upper side of the housing and receives light from the lower direction in the figure.

  FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view (a view cut in the Y direction of FIG. 15) showing the relationship between the optical sensor 70 and the lens sheet 10. As shown in this figure, the light emitted from the light emitting unit 44 is incident on the convex lens 11 as the first surface. Since the convex lens 11 functions to focus the incident light on the ink absorption layer 12, the incident light is condensed at one point of the ink absorption layer 12 and then diffused again. At this time, the light (primary ray) that has passed near the center of the convex lens 11 travels straight and is incident on the light receiving unit 45, and the light (sub-ray) that has passed near the center is refracted and enters the light receiving unit 45. Not. Therefore, when the center of the light emitting unit 44 and the center of the convex lens 11 coincide with each other, the intensity of the light received by the light receiving unit 45 is maximized, and the intensity decreases as these are shifted. As a result, the signal (analog signal) output from the light receiving unit 45 is the same as in the case of FIG.

  In the prior art, as shown in FIG. 17, light is incident from the ink absorbing layer 12 side, and the light receiving unit 45 is disposed on the convex lens 11 side. On the other hand, in the second embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 18, light is incident from the convex lens 11 side, and the light receiving portion 45 is disposed on the ink absorbing layer 12 side.

  In the conventional technique shown in FIG. 17, a part of the light incident on the ink absorption layer 12 (broken line light in this example) passes through the convex lens 11 and reaches the light receiving unit 45 as a parallel light beam. On the other hand, in the case of the second embodiment, the light incident on the entire convex lens 11 is diffused after being focused on one point of the ink absorbing layer 12. Therefore, when the incident light beam density is the same, the emitted light beam density is higher in the second embodiment. For this reason, in the second embodiment, the intensity of light incident on the light receiving unit 45 is increased, and the detection sensitivity is increased.

  In the conventional technique shown in FIG. 17, the light incident on the ink absorption layer 12 is diffusely reflected to become light directed in various directions, and then passes through the convex lens 11. On the other hand, in the second embodiment of the present invention, the light passing through the convex lens 11 is condensed and focused on one point of the ink absorption layer 12, and then becomes light directed in various directions by irregular reflection. In order to increase the detection sensitivity, it is desirable that the distance between the ink absorbing layer 12 causing the irregular reflection and the light receiving unit 45 is short. In the conventional technique, since the convex lens 11 is disposed between the ink absorbing layer 12 and the light receiving portion 45, the distance cannot be further reduced. On the other hand, in the case of the second embodiment of the present invention, the ink transmission layer 13 is disposed between them, which is thinner than the convex lens 11, so that the ink absorption layer 12 and the light receiving portion are disposed. The distance between 45 can be shortened. As a result, the influence of diffusion due to irregular reflection can be reduced and the detection sensitivity can be improved.

  Next, the operation of the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, description is abbreviate | omitted about the part similar to 1st Embodiment, and it demonstrates focusing on a different part.

  The procedure for generating a print image in the host computer 200 is the same as in the case of the first embodiment described above. However, in the case of the second embodiment, since the arrangement direction of the lens sheet 10 is different, it is necessary that the strip-shaped image matches the direction of the convex lens 11.

  When an instruction to print an image is issued from the host computer 200, the CPU 101 as an adjustment unit in the printing apparatus receives the instruction, and sets the bandpass filter 111a in the same manner as described above. In the case of the second embodiment, the speed at which the lens sheet 10 is transported by the paper feed roller 50 serving as transport means is slower than the operation speed of the carriage 31, so the signal output from the light receiving unit 45 The frequency is also very low (for example, about several Hz). Further, since the frequency difference due to the resolution of the lens is very small (for example, less than 1 Hz), the pass band may be fixed regardless of the lens resolution. Further, since the frequency is low, a low pass filter may be used instead of the band pass filter.

  When the setting of the band pass filter 111 a is completed, the CPU 101 drives the paper feed motor 51 and conveys the lens sheet 10 to a position where it reaches the optical sensor 70. When the leading end of the lens sheet 10 reaches the optical sensor 70, an analog signal corresponding to the convex lens 11 is output from the light receiving unit 45. The analog signal is converted into a digital signal and supplied to the CPU 101 in the same manner as described above. As will be described later, the CPU 101 performs control for adjusting the paper feed amount with reference to the supplied digital signal.

  When the leading end portion of the lens sheet 10 is detected, the CPU 101 receives print data for one line from the host computer 200. Then, while driving the carriage motor 36, print data is supplied to the recording head 32 as a printing unit, and printing for one line is executed.

  When printing for one line is completed, the CPU 101 drives the paper feed motor 51 to execute paper feed control. At this time, an analog signal corresponding to the shape of the convex lens 11 is output from the light receiving unit 45, and a corresponding digital signal is output from the lens signal binarization circuit 101. The CPU 101 can know the actual resolution (lens pitch) of the lens sheet 10 by comparing this digital signal with the control amount of the paper feed motor 51.

  Thus, by knowing the actual resolution, it is possible to prevent the subdivided image from being printed out of the lens position due to the accumulation of errors. That is, when the nominal resolution of the lens is 100 lpi and the actual resolution is 101 lpi, when the paper feed is executed assuming that the lens resolution is 100 lpi, an error of 1 lpi is generated every time the paper is fed. As a result, the printing position is greatly shifted due to the accumulation of errors. Therefore, if an error is accumulated to some extent, the accumulation of error can be reset by adjusting the paper feed amount, and the print position can be adjusted to the correct position.

  When printing on the lens sheet 10 is completed, the CPU 101 drives the paper feed motor 51 to eject the lens sheet 10 and stops the operation of the lens signal binarization circuit 101 and the like.

  In the second embodiment, the beam having the same diameter as that of the convex lens 11 has been described as an example. However, for example, a beam having a small diameter as shown in FIG. 4 may be used. Is possible. If such a beam is used, it is possible to prevent the transmitted light from the adjacent lens from wrapping around, so that the detection accuracy can be improved.

  In the second embodiment, the case where one scan line is printed using all the nozzles has been described. However, if all nozzles are used and an error occurs at the end of the nozzle, some nozzles are printed. Printing may be performed using only (for example, nozzles in one or more rows on the sheet feeding side). That is, the pitch between the nozzles of the recording head 32 is fixed, and the nozzle row has a certain width in the sub-scanning direction. It may not print correctly. In such a case, it is possible to print normally by limiting the number of nozzles in the row direction to be printed.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the paper feed control is performed based on the reflected light from the convex lens 11, so that the positions of the lens and the image are accurately adjusted. Is possible.

  In the second embodiment of the present invention, since the light emitting portion 44 is provided on the convex lens 11 side and the light receiving portion 45 is provided on the ink absorption layer 12 side, the intensity of transmitted light compared to the conventional technique. Therefore, the position of the convex lens 11 can be detected accurately.

  Each of the above embodiments is an example, and there are various other modified embodiments. For example, in each of the embodiments described above, the light emitted from the light emitting unit 44 has been described as an example of a circular shape, but for example, has an elliptical shape having a long axis in the longitudinal direction of the convex lens 11. You may do it. By using such a beam, the amount of reflected light or transmitted light can be increased, so that detection sensitivity can be improved.

  In each of the above embodiments, the wavelength of light emitted from the light emitting unit 44 is not described in detail. For example, the wavelength of the ink absorbing layer 12 having high transparency (for example, infrared) is used. By setting, detection accuracy can be improved.

  In each of the embodiments described above, the light receiving unit 45 receives the reflected light or transmitted light as it is. For example, the light receiving unit 45 passes through a filter that selectively passes only light having the same wavelength as the light emitting unit 44. Light may be incident. According to such an embodiment, the influence of ambient light can be reduced.

  In the above embodiment, the binarization circuit 111c binarizes the analog signal by comparing it with a predetermined threshold value, so that the duty of the digital signal may not be 50% depending on the threshold value. is assumed. Therefore, by inverting the signal output from the amplifier circuit 111b, comparing the original signal, and switching between high and low at these intersections, it is possible to easily obtain a signal with a duty close to 50%. it can.

  In each of the above embodiments, the embodiment in which the longitudinal direction of the convex lens 11 is orthogonal to the main scanning direction (first embodiment) and the embodiment in the case where they are parallel (second embodiment). Form) have been described as separate forms, but these may be one embodiment. That is, both the optical sensor 40 and the optical sensor 70 may be provided. According to such an embodiment, even when the lens sheet 10 is placed in any direction, printing can be performed with high accuracy. In this case, in the conventional technique, in the optical sensor 40, as shown in FIG. 13, the reflected light becomes strong at the bottom 11b of the convex lens 11, and the signal detected by the optical sensor 70 because the transmitted light becomes strong at the top 11a. Therefore, a correction circuit is required. However, in this embodiment, since the light intensity is strong at the top portion 11a in both cases, a correction circuit is not necessary, and these can be input to the lens signal binarization circuit 111 as they are, so that the circuit configuration is simplified. Can be

  In each of the above embodiments, as shown in FIG. 9, an analog circuit is used as the lens signal binarization circuit 111. For example, analog signals are converted from analog to digital (A / D). Various processes may be executed after digitization by a device or the like. According to such an embodiment, for example, the passband of the bandpass filter 111a can be easily adjusted.

  Further, in each of the above embodiments, the printing apparatus is connected to the host computer 200 and receives print data from the host computer 200. However, the present invention is, for example, a so-called stand-alone type printing apparatus that includes an image storage unit, an image editing unit, a print data generation unit, and the like and can perform a printing process without connecting the host computer 200. It is also possible to apply. The present invention can also be applied to a digital multi-function apparatus in which a printer (printing apparatus), a scanner, a facsimile, and a copier are integrated.

1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration example of a printing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a detailed configuration example of a recording head illustrated in FIG. 1. It is sectional drawing of the optical sensor shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the light and the lens which are irradiated from the light emission part shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the control system of embodiment shown in FIG. It is the figure which looked at the printing apparatus of embodiment shown in FIG. 1 from the right side of the figure. It is the figure which looked at the printing apparatus of embodiment shown in FIG. 1 from the right side of the figure. It is a block diagram which shows the detailed structural example of the control part shown in FIG. 9 is a detailed configuration example of a lens signal binarization circuit illustrated in FIG. 8. It is a figure which shows the frequency component of the signal output from a light-receiving part. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the printing apparatus according to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the incident light and reflected light in embodiment shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the incident light and reflected light in a prior art. It is a figure which shows the relationship between a lens, an analog signal, and a digital signal. It is a figure which shows the schematic structural example of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the optical sensor shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the lens and reflected light in a prior art. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the lens and reflected light in embodiment shown in FIG. It is a figure explaining the principle of the stereoscopic vision by a convex lens.

Explanation of symbols

  11 convex lens (lens), 22 reflector (reflecting means), 32 recording head (printing means), 40 optical sensor (detecting means), 50 paper feed roller (part of transport means), 51 paper feed motor (of transport means) Part), 70 Optical sensor (detection means), 101 CPU (adjustment means)

Claims (7)

Conveying means for conveying a lens sheet having a first surface on which a plurality of lenses are formed and a second surface on which a printing surface is formed in the longitudinal direction of the lens;
Printing means for scanning the second surface in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the lens and printing an image corresponding to the arrangement of the plurality of lenses on the second surface;
Provided in a part of the printing means, irradiates the lens sheet with light, reflects the light transmitted through at least a part of the lens, and then reflects the intensity of the light transmitted through the lens again. Detecting means for detecting;
An adjusting means for adjusting a position for printing an image by the printing means based on a detection result by the detecting means;
A printing apparatus comprising: Further comprising a reflection means disposed at a position facing the printing means across the lens sheet,
2. The printing according to claim 1, wherein the reflection unit reflects light that has been irradiated by the detection unit and transmitted through at least a part of the lens, and transmits the lens again to enter the detection unit. apparatus.   The light irradiated by the detection means is set so that the beam width in the same direction is half or less compared to the width in the short direction of each lens. Printing device.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light irradiated by the detection unit is a laser beam. Conveying means for conveying a lens sheet having a first surface on which a plurality of lenses are formed and a second surface on which a printing surface is formed, in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the lenses;
Printing means for scanning the second surface in the longitudinal direction of the lens and printing an image corresponding to the arrangement of the plurality of lenses on the second surface;
Detecting means for irradiating the first surface of the lens sheet with light and detecting the intensity of light transmitted through at least a part of the lens;
An adjusting means for adjusting a position for printing an image by the printing means based on a detection result by the detecting means;
A printing apparatus comprising: A lens sheet having a first surface on which a plurality of lenses are formed and a second surface on which a printing surface is formed is conveyed in the longitudinal direction of the lens;
The second surface is scanned in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the lens, and an image corresponding to the arrangement of the plurality of lenses is printed on the second surface.
Irradiating the lens sheet with light and detecting the intensity of the light transmitted again through the lens after the light transmitted through at least a part of the lens is reflected;
Adjust the position to print the image based on the detection result of the light,
A printing method characterized by the above. A lens sheet having a first surface on which a plurality of lenses are formed and a second surface on which a printing surface is formed is conveyed in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the lens;
The second surface is scanned in the longitudinal direction of the lens, and an image corresponding to the arrangement of the plurality of lenses is printed on the second surface.
Irradiating the first surface of the lens sheet with light, detecting the intensity of light transmitted through at least a part of the lens;
Adjust the position to print the image based on the detection result of the light,
A printing method characterized by the above.

Images