JP2012125311A - Nail printing device and printing control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a nail printing device in which a contour of a synthetic nail zone image for a nail tip that can be put on a whole area of a claw part that has a curve shape without the gap is printed, and a nail print can enjoyed simply, and to provide a printing control method.SOLUTION: To a measured apparent dimension Wa of a width direction X of a nail part T, a nail actual dimension width Wb considering a curved shape is obtained, nail width added images B1, B2 corresponding the nail actual dimension width Wb are formed, the nail width added images B1, B2 are combined with right and left side parts of nail region images A1, A2 of the nail part T to form combined nail region images G1, G2. Then, a contour of the combined nail region images G1, G2 is printed to a nail tip sheet 7. After printing, along contour lines R1-R5 of the nail part T that are printed on the nail tip sheet 7, the nail tip sheet 7 is cut by a cutter 5 automatically or a scissors or the like manually, thereby a nail tip 70 of a contour shape that conforms to the actual width Wb of the nail part T is created.

Description

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

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a nail print apparatus that prints design images such as characters and pictures on a human fingernail is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
The nail printing apparatus detects a nail region to be printed by photographing a nail to be printed with a photographing unit, and uses the inkjet print head or the like to design a design image selected by the user in the detected nail region. It is something to print.
If such an apparatus is used, a nail print can be easily enjoyed without using a nail salon or the like.

Special table 2003-534083 gazette

However, when printing is performed by directly ejecting ink onto the upper surface of a person's nail as in a conventional nail printing apparatus, the user must wait without fixing his / her finger during the printing operation. The burden is large.
In addition, when printing is performed using an ink jet print head, ink mist may be scattered around the nail, and there is a possibility that the ink adheres to the finger and becomes dirty during printing.
Furthermore, when printing directly on the nail, if you want to change the printed design image to something else, you have to erase the printed image using a light removal liquid etc. . For this reason, there is also a problem that it is not possible to change the nail print according to clothes and mood and enjoy fashion.

  Therefore, in order to make it easier for the user to enjoy nail printing, instead of printing directly on the nail portion, the nail print device prints the contour of the nail portion on the nail chip sheet. It is conceivable to make a nail tip to be attached to the garment.

  However, the shape of the claw portion is not a flat plate but a curved shape in which the central portion in the width direction is raised. For this reason, when a nail tip is created by simply printing the contour line of the nail portion based on the apparent width when the nail portion is viewed from above, the nail tip is attached when the nail tip is attached to the nail portion. The left and right ends of the nail tip do not reach the left and right ends of the nail portion, and gaps are formed at the left and right end portions of the nail portion, so that the nail tip cannot be pasted over the entire nail portion. There is a problem.

  The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances as described above, and automatically creates a nail chip that can be attached to the entire area of the curved nail portion without any gaps, and can easily enjoy nail printing. An object of the present invention is to provide a nail printing apparatus and a printing control method that can be used.

In order to solve the problem, the nail printing apparatus according to claim 1,
Nail area image acquisition means for acquiring a nail area image corresponding to the nail part of the finger;
Apparent dimension measuring means for measuring the apparent dimension in the width direction of the claw portion in plan view;
Nail actual width acquisition means for acquiring the actual nail width corresponding to the apparent dimension in the width direction of the nail portion measured by the apparent dimension measurement means;
Nail width additional image generation means for generating a nail width additional image corresponding to the actual nail width of the nail portion acquired by the nail actual width acquisition means;
A combined nail region for generating a combined nail region image by combining the nail width added image generated by the nail width additional image generating unit with the left and right sides of the nail region image acquired by the nail region image acquiring unit. Image generating means;
Print control means for printing on the nail chip sheet the outline of the composite nail area image synthesized by the synthetic nail area image generating means;
It is characterized by having.

A second aspect of the present invention is the nail printing apparatus according to the first aspect,
The nail region image acquisition means acquires a nail region image corresponding to each nail part for a plurality of fingers,
The apparent dimension measuring means measures the apparent dimension in the width direction of the nail portion in plan view for each finger,
The actual nail width acquisition means acquires the actual nail width corresponding to the apparent dimension of the nail portion for each finger measured by the apparent dimension measurement means,
The nail width additional image generating unit generates a nail width additional image corresponding to the nail actual size width of the nail part for each finger acquired by the nail actual size width acquiring unit,
The combined nail region image generation unit combines the nail width additional image for each finger with the right and left side portions of the nail region image for each finger acquired by the nail region image acquisition unit, respectively. Generate a nail area image for each finger,
The print control unit prints the outline of the combined nail region image for each finger combined by the combined nail region image generating unit on a nail chip sheet.

Moreover, the nail print apparatus according to claim 3
Nail area image acquisition means for acquiring a nail area image corresponding to the nail part of the finger;
Apparent dimension measuring means for measuring the apparent dimension in the width direction of the claw portion in plan view;
Nail width additional image generating means for generating a nail width additional image corresponding to the apparent dimension in the width direction of the nail portion acquired by the apparent dimension measuring means;
A combined nail region for generating a combined nail region image by combining the nail width added image generated by the nail width additional image generating unit with the left and right sides of the nail region image acquired by the nail region image acquiring unit. Image generating means;
Print control means for printing on the nail chip sheet the outline of the composite nail area image synthesized by the synthetic nail area image generating means;
It is characterized by having.

The invention according to claim 4 is the nail print apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The apparent dimension measuring means measures the apparent dimension in the width direction of the nail portion based on the nail area image acquired by the nail area image acquiring means.

The invention according to claim 5 is the nail print apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The nail width additional image generating means generates the nail width additional image by taking into account the length in the length direction of the nail portion in addition to the actual nail width of the nail portion.

Moreover, the nail print apparatus according to claim 6
Surface area image acquisition means for acquiring a surface area image of the nail part;
Print control means for printing the contour of the surface area image of the nail portion acquired by the surface area image acquisition means on the nail chip sheet;
It is characterized by having.

The invention according to claim 7 is the nail print apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
It further comprises a design designation means for designating a design image to be printed,
The printing control means is for causing the design image designated by the design designation means and the outline of the synthetic nail area image generated by the synthetic nail area image generation means to be printed on a nail chip sheet. It is said.

The print control method according to claim 8 is:
A nail region image obtaining step for obtaining a nail region image corresponding to a fingernail portion;
An apparent dimension measuring step for measuring an apparent dimension in the width direction of the nail portion in plan view;
An actual nail width acquiring step for acquiring an actual nail width corresponding to the apparent dimension in the width direction of the nail portion measured in the apparent dimension measuring step;
A nail width additional image generating step for generating a nail width additional image corresponding to the nail actual width of the nail portion acquired in the nail actual size width acquiring step;
A combined nail region that generates a combined nail region image by combining the nail width added image generated in the nail width additional image generation step with the left and right sides of the nail region image acquired in the nail region image acquisition step. An image generation step;
A printing control step of printing on the nail chip sheet the outline of the synthetic nail region image synthesized in the synthetic nail region image generation step;
It is characterized by containing.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to include a contour (designated design) of a synthesized nail region image in which a nail width additional image of the actual nail width corresponding to the apparent size in the width direction of the nail portion is added to the finger nail region image. ) Is printed on the nail sheet. As a result, the user cuts the nail chip sheet along the contour of the printed synthetic nail area image, and pastes it on the nail part as a nail chip having a shape that matches the actual nail width of the nail part. Since it is possible to attach the nail tip over the entire area of the nail part without leaving a gap between the left and right ends of the nail part, it is possible to easily enjoy beautiful nail art. There is an effect.

1 is a perspective view conceptually showing an embodiment of a nail print apparatus according to the present invention, and shows a state in which a lid is opened. It is the perspective view which showed notionally the apparatus main body of the nail print apparatus of FIG. It is sectional drawing at the time of seeing the apparatus main body in FIG. 2 from the front side. It is sectional drawing at the time of seeing the apparatus main body in FIG. 2 from the right side from the right side. (A) is explanatory drawing explaining the apparent dimension and nail length of the nail | claw part of an object finger | toe, (B) is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the apparent dimension of a nail | claw part and a nail | claw actual dimension width, C) is a right side view showing a side portion of the claw portion. It is the block diagram which showed the nail print apparatus of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the nail | claw actual size width matching table stored in ROM. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the nail | claw area | region relevant data stored in RAM. (A) is a diagram showing an index finger nail region image, nail width added image, and combined nail region image, and (B) is a diagram showing a thumb nail region image, a nail width added image, and a synthesized nail region image. is there. (A) is a side sectional view of a finger holding member for four fingers, (B) is a front view of a finger holding member for four fingers, and (C) is a finger holding member for a thumb. (D) is a front view of the finger holding member for thumb. (A) is a sectional side view of the finger holding member for four fingers turned upside down, (B) is a sectional view of the nail chip sheet of this embodiment, (C) is a nail chip sheet It is sectional drawing which shows the state which peels a peeling layer after printing, and (D) is sectional drawing which shows the state which affixed the cut-out nail chip | tip on the fingernail. (A) is a front view which shows a mode that a nail chip | tip is affixed on a nail | claw part, (B) is a front view which shows the state by which the nail | tip chip | tip was affixed on the nail | claw part. It is a flowchart which shows the whole flow of a nail chip | tip print control process. It is a flowchart of a nail | claw area | region image transformation process. It is a flowchart of a printing process. It is a figure which shows an example of the design selection screen of an operation part and a display part. It is a figure which shows an example of the finger insertion instruction | indication screen of a display part. It is a figure which shows an example of the holding member insertion instruction | indication screen of a display part. FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing a printing finger fixing part and a finger holding member for four fingers inserted into the first finger insertion part of the nail printing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing a state in which a finger holding member for four fingers is inserted into a first finger insertion portion of a printing finger fixing portion of the nail printing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state where a thumb finger holding member is inserted into a first finger insertion portion of a printing finger fixing portion of the nail printing apparatus of FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows an example of the holding member extraction instruction | indication screen of a display part. It is a figure which shows an example of the sheet | seat placement instruction | indication screen of a display part. It is a figure which shows an example of the holding member reinsertion instruction | indication screen of a display part. It is the perspective view which showed the state which turned the finger holding member of the nail print apparatus of FIG. 1 upside down. 2 is a side sectional view showing a state in which a finger holding member for four fingers on which a nail chip sheet is placed is inserted into a first finger insertion portion of a printing finger fixing portion of the nail printing apparatus of FIG. It is the figure which showed the nail tip sheet | seat on which the outline and design image of five synthetic nail | claw area | region images were printed. It is the figure which showed the nail chip | tip for five claws cut | disconnected from the nail chip | tip sheet | seat of FIG. It is the figure which showed the nail chip sheet | seat on which the outline of the synthetic | combination nail | claw area | region image for 5 pieces was printed. It is the perspective view which showed notionally the modification of the nail print apparatus of FIG. It is the front view which showed notionally the surface area image acquisition means provided in the modification of a nail print apparatus.

An embodiment of a nail print apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of a nail print apparatus according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an internal configuration of the nail print apparatus.
In the present embodiment, the nail printing apparatus 1 is an apparatus capable of generating a nail chip 70 (see FIGS. 27 to 29) to be affixed to a fingernail, and as shown in FIG. In addition to the case body 2 and the lid body 4, a first finger insertion portion 20 a that is a finger insertion portion into which a finger (target finger U) corresponding to a nail that is a collection target of information necessary for generating the nail chip 70 is inserted. And the like, and a finger holding member 6 configured to be detachable from the first finger insertion portion 20a.

The case body 2 and the lid body 4 are connected to each other via a hinge 3 provided at the rear end portion of the upper surface of the case body 2.
The case body 2 is formed in an oval shape in plan view. An opening / closing plate 2c is provided on the front side of the case body 2 so as to be able to rise and fall. The opening / closing plate 2 c is connected to the case body 2 via a hinge (not shown) provided at the lower front end of the case body 2. The opening / closing plate 2 c is for opening and closing the front surface of the case body 2. The nail printing apparatus 1 is used with the front surface of the case body 2 opened. An operation unit 25 described later is installed on the top plate 2 f of the case body 2. Further, a display unit 26 is installed on the inner surface of the lid 4.

As shown in FIG. 2, the case main body 2 accommodates the printing apparatus main body 10 of the nail printing apparatus 1. The printing apparatus main body 10 includes a printing finger fixing unit 20 constituting a printing finger fixing unit, a photographing unit 30 constituting a photographing unit, a printing unit 40 constituting a printing unit, and a control unit. The control device 50 (see FIG. 6), the operation unit 25, and the display unit 26 are provided. Among these, the printing finger fixing unit 20, the imaging unit 30, the printing unit 40, and the control device 50 are provided in the machine casing 11.
The machine casing 11 includes a lower machine casing 11a and an upper machine casing 11b. The lower machine casing 11 a is formed in a box shape and is installed in the lower part of the case body 2. On the other hand, the upper machine casing 11 b is installed above the lower machine casing 11 a and above the inside of the case body 2.

  The printing finger fixing unit 20 is provided on the lower machine casing 11 a in the machine casing 11. The printing finger fixing unit 20 includes a first finger insertion unit 20a, a second finger insertion unit 20b, and a grip unit 20c provided in the lower machine casing 11a.

The first finger insertion unit 20a is a finger corresponding to the nail part T (hereinafter referred to as “target finger”) from which information necessary for generating the nail chip 70 (see FIGS. 27 to 29) to be attached to the fingernail part is collected. U ”(refer to FIG. 19 and the like). In the present embodiment, the target finger U is inserted into the first finger insertion portion 20a while being held by a finger holding member 6 described later.
In the following, among the nail portions T, the nail portion of the thumb is T1, the nail portion of the index finger is T2, the nail portion of the middle finger is T3, the nail portion of the ring finger is T4, and the nail portion of the little finger is T5 (FIG. 19). Etc.) is simply referred to as “nail portion T”, these nail portions T are collectively referred to. Of the target fingers U, the thumb is U1, the index finger is U2, the middle finger is U3, the ring finger is U4, and the little finger is U5 (see FIG. 8 etc.). The finger U is generically named.

The second finger insertion unit 20b is a finger insertion unit for inserting a non-target finger N other than the target finger U.
The grip 20c is a portion that can be sandwiched between the target finger U inserted into the first finger insertion unit 20a and the non-target finger N inserted into the second finger insertion unit 20b (from FIG. 19). (See FIG. 21). The grip portion 20c is constituted by a partition wall 21 that partitions the first finger insertion portion 20a and the second finger insertion portion 20b.
The second finger insertion portion 20b and the grip portion 20c need not be provided, but by providing these, the finger holding member 6 inserted into the first finger insertion portion 20a and the finger holding member 6 are held by this. The target finger U can be made more stable, which is extremely effective for fixing the target finger U.

The upper surface of the partition wall 21 constitutes a flat finger holding member mounting surface. The finger holding member placement surface is for placing the finger holding member 6 inserted into the first finger insertion portion 20a. Note that this finger holding member placement surface is constituted by the floor surface of the first finger insertion portion 20a when the second finger insertion portion 20b and the grip portion 20c are not provided.
A bulging portion 22 is formed at the finger holding member insertion side end of the partition wall 21 (see FIGS. 19 to 21). This bulging portion 22 is inserted when the finger holding member 6 is inserted deeply into the first finger insertion portion 20a and the non-target finger N is inserted deeply into the second finger insertion portion 20b. It is formed in the part where the root of N contacts. The bulging portion 22 is wrapped around the base between the target finger U and the non-target finger N when the partition wall 21 (gripping portion 20 c) is sandwiched between the target finger U and the non-target finger N. Here, “holding” means that the roots of the target finger U and the non-target finger N come into contact with each other and the bulging portion 22 can be grasped. By holding the bulging portion 22, the wrist can be prevented from shaking left and right or up and down, and the hand can be stabilized.
As shown in FIGS. 19 to 21, the bulging portion 22 bulges downward from the lower surface of the partition wall 21 when viewed in a section along the insertion direction of the finger holding member 6 (in side view). It is so circular. The shape of the bulging portion 22 is not limited to a circular cross section, and may be a non-circular shape such as an elliptical cross section or a polygonal cross section. In short, any shape may be used as long as it is held at the base of the target finger U and the non-target finger N.
In addition, the size of the bulging portion 22, that is, the thickness in the thickness direction of the partition wall 21 is about 1 to 2 cm so that the root of the target finger U and the non-target finger N sufficiently contacts the bulging portion 22. Preferably, the thickness of the partition wall 21 is preferably about 0.5 to 1 cm smaller than the thickness of the bulging portion 22 so that the finger pad can be firmly pressed against the partition wall 21.

Next, the photographing unit 30 will be described. The photographing unit 30 is provided on the upper machine casing 11b in the machine casing 11 as shown in FIGS.
That is, a camera 32 having about 2 million pixels or more with a built-in driver is installed on the lower surface of the central portion of the substrate 31 installed in the upper machine casing 11b. An illumination lamp 33 such as a white LED is installed on the substrate 31 so as to surround the camera 32. In the present embodiment, the photographing unit 30 includes the camera 32 and the illumination lamp 33.
The photographing unit 30 illuminates the target finger U with the illuminating lamp 33, photographs the target finger U with the camera 32, and takes a nail region corresponding to the fingernail portion T, which is information necessary for generating the nail chip 70. It is a nail | claw area | region image acquisition means to acquire an image.
In the present embodiment, the camera 32 of the photographing unit 30 photographs the target fingers U inserted into the first finger insertion unit 20a one by one. The range that the camera 32 can shoot in one shooting is various target fingers that can be inserted into the first finger insertion unit 20a in the finger insertion direction of the target finger U (Y direction in FIG. 5A). It is the range which can cover the length (claw length H in Drawing 5 (A)) of claw part T of U (namely, thumb U1-small finger U5). In addition, the imageable range in the width direction of the target finger U (X direction in FIG. 5A) is various target fingers U that can be inserted into the first finger insertion unit 20a (that is, the thumb U1 to the little finger U5). ) Is larger than the apparent dimension Wa (see FIGS. 5A and 5B) in the width direction of the claw T in a plan view as viewed from directly above.
The photographing unit 30 is connected to a control unit 51 of a control device 50 described later, and is controlled by the control unit 51.

Further, the printing unit 40 generates a nail chip sheet 7 (FIG. 11 (B) for generating a nail chip 70 based on a later-described synthetic nail region image or the like generated based on the nail region image or the like photographed by the photographing unit 30. ) Etc.) and is provided on the machine casing 11 (mainly the upper machine casing 11b) as shown in FIGS.
That is, two guide rods 41 are installed in parallel on both side plates of the upper machine casing 11b. A main carriage 42 is slidably installed on the guide rod 41. In addition, two guide rods 44 are installed in parallel on the front wall 42a and the rear wall 42b of the main carriage 42. A sub carriage 45 is slidably installed on the guide rod 44. A print head 46 is mounted at the center of the lower surface of the sub-carriage 45.
In the present embodiment, the print head 46 is an ink jet type print head that performs printing by atomizing ink and spraying it directly onto a print medium. The recording method of the print head 46 is not limited to the ink jet method, and various other printing methods such as a thermal printing method can be adopted.

The main carriage 42 is connected to a motor 43 through power transmission means (not shown), and is configured to move in the left-right direction along the guide rod 41 by forward and reverse rotation of the motor 43. The sub-carriage 45 is connected to a motor 47 via a power transmission means (not shown), and is configured to move in the front-rear direction along the guide rod 44 by forward and reverse rotation of the motor 47. The nail chip sheet 7 placed on the sheet placement portion 65 (see FIG. 11A, etc.) of the finger holding member 6 by the movement of the main carriage 42 and the sub carriage 45 and the ejection of ink from the print head 46. Can be printed.
Further, the lower machine casing 11 a is provided with an ink cartridge 48 for supplying ink to the print head 46. The ink cartridge 48 is connected to the print head 46 via an ink supply pipe (not shown), and supplies ink to the print head 46 as appropriate. Note that an ink cartridge may be mounted on the print head 46 itself.

  The printing unit 40 includes the guide rod 41, the main carriage 42, the motor 43, the guide rod 44, the sub carriage 45, the print head 46, the motor 47, the ink cartridge 48, and the like. The motor 43, the print head 46, and the motor 47 of the printing unit 40 are connected to a control unit 51 of a control device 50 described later, and are controlled by the control unit 51.

The operation unit 25 is input means for the user to perform various input operations. The operation unit 25 is provided on the top plate 2f of the case body 2. The operation unit 25 in this embodiment includes a power key 25a, a camera key 25b, a print key 25c, a stop key 25d, a character input key 25e, a selection key, and a selection key. A key 25f, a cursor key 25g, an enter key 25h, and the like are provided (see FIG. 16).
Here, the character input key 25e, the selection key 25f, and the cursor key 25g are keys used for selecting a design to be printed. The determination key 25h is a key for determining the design selected by the character input key 25e, the selection key 25f, and the cursor key 25g. The power key 25a is a key for turning on / off the power of the nail printing apparatus 1. The camera key 25b is a key serving as a trigger for starting shooting by the shooting unit 30. The print key 25c is a key serving as a trigger for starting the print control process. The stop key 25d is a key used when stopping the print control process.
In the present embodiment, the operation unit 25 and a design setting unit 511 to be described later constitute design design means for designating a design image to be printed on the nail chip sheet 7.

  In the present embodiment, design images (for example, design images a to e displayed on the display unit 26 in FIG. 16) to be printed on the nail chip sheet 7 are stored in the ROM 52 (see FIG. 6) of the nail printing apparatus 1 or the like. When the user designates a desired design image by operating the operation unit 25 or the like, the designated design image and a synthesized nail region image to be described later are synthesized to show the outline of the synthesized nail region image. An example in which a design image is printed on the nail chip sheet 7 together with lines will be described. However, printing the design image is not an essential element of the present invention, and the nail print apparatus 1 may print only a line indicating the outline of the combined nail region image on the nail chip sheet 7. In this case, it is not necessary to store the design image in the ROM 52 (see FIG. 6) or the like, and it is not necessary to provide a design specifying means including the design setting unit 511 or the like.

The display unit 26 is constituted by, for example, a liquid crystal panel (liquid crystal display (LCD)) or the like, and is a display unit that performs various displays when performing a print control process. In addition, the display part 26 is not limited to what is comprised with a liquid crystal panel, For example, an organic EL display etc. may be sufficient.
A touch panel may be integrally formed on the surface of the display unit 26. In this case, various inputs can be performed by touching the surface of the display unit 26 with a stylus pen or a fingertip (not shown), and the display unit 26 has the same functions as the operation unit 25. .

In the present embodiment, for example, the display unit 26 displays a design selection screen (see FIG. 16) that prompts the user to select a design, displays a design composite image in which the selected design is superimposed on the user's finger, and confirms the user with the design selection screen. In addition to the desired design confirmation screen, various instruction screens (FIGS. 17, 18, and 22 to 24) are displayed.
In the present embodiment, five types of design images a to e (see design images a to e displayed on the display unit 26 in FIG. 16) as design images that can be selected are stored in advance in the ROM 52 or the like. The user can select a desired design from a plurality of design images by operating the screen of the display unit 26 configured with the operation unit 25 or the touch panel.

  The control device 50 is provided in the upper machine casing 11b. The control device 50 is installed on a substrate 31, and as shown in FIG. 6, a control unit 51 configured by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or the like (not shown) and a ROM (Read Only Memory) 52 as a storage means. And a computer having a RAM 53 (Random Access Memory) and the like. The storage means is not limited to the ROM 52 and the RAM 53 in the control device 50, and other storage means may be provided.

  When viewed functionally, the control unit 51 includes a design setting unit 511, an apparent dimension measurement unit 512, an actual nail width acquisition unit 513, an additional nail width image generation unit 514, a combined nail region image generation unit 515, and a print control unit. 516, a display control unit 517, and the like. The functions as these design setting unit 511, apparent dimension measurement unit 512, actual nail width acquisition unit 513, additional nail width image generation unit 514, synthetic nail region image generation unit 515, print control unit 516, display control unit 517, etc. This is realized by the cooperation of the CPU and the program stored in the ROM 52.

The design setting unit 511 assigns and sets a design (hereinafter simply referred to as “design”) composed of one or a combination of characters or designs (including nail images) to be printed on the nail chip 70. The design setting unit 511 constitutes design design means for designating a design image to be printed together with the operation unit 25 described above.
The design setting unit 511 stores the design image designated by the design designation unit in a storage unit such as the RAM 53.

The apparent dimension measuring unit 512 is an apparent dimension measuring unit that measures the apparent dimension Wa in the width direction X of the nail part T in plan view for each finger (target finger U).
In the present embodiment, the apparent dimension measuring unit 512 has an apparent appearance in the width direction X of each nail portion T based on the nail region image for each of the plurality of target fingers U acquired by the imaging unit 30 which is a nail region image acquiring unit. The upper length dimension (hereinafter referred to as “apparent dimension Wa”; see FIG. 5A) is measured. It should be noted that the apparent dimension measuring unit 512 only needs to be able to measure the apparent dimension Wa in the width direction X of the claw T, and the method for measuring the apparent dimension Wa is not limited to the one exemplified here.
The apparent dimension measuring unit 512 stores the measured apparent dimension Wa of the nail part T in the storage means such as the RAM 53 for each target finger U as the “nail width apparent dimension” of the nail region related data 531 (see FIG. 8). It is like that.

The actual nail width acquisition unit 513 acquires the actual nail width Wb (see FIG. 5B) corresponding to the apparent dimension Wa in the width direction X of the nail T measured by the apparent dimension measurement unit 512. Means.
In the present embodiment, for example, an actual nail size width correspondence table 521 (see FIG. 7) in which the apparent dimension Wa, the actual nail size width, and the specified nail length are associated with each target finger U is stored in the ROM 52 or the like. When the apparent dimension Wa of the nail portion T is measured by the apparent dimension measuring unit 512, the actual nail width acquisition unit 513 refers to the nail actual width association table 521 and refers to the actual nail width corresponding to the apparent dimension Wa. Wb is acquired.
The actual nail width acquiring unit 513 stores the acquired actual nail width of the nail portion T as the “nail actual width” of the nail region related data 531 (see FIG. 8) in the storage means such as the RAM 53 for each target finger U. It has become.

  In the present embodiment, the nail actual size width acquisition table 521 associates different nail actual size widths Wb depending on the nail length even with the same apparent dimension Wa. The actual nail width Wb is obtained while considering the nail length. Note that it is not essential to consider the nail length when acquiring the actual nail width Wb, and the actual nail width Wb is acquired only by association with the apparent dimension Wa without considering the nail length. It may be. In this case, only the association between the apparent dimension Wa and the actual nail width Wb is defined in the actual nail width association table 521.

  Here, the actual nail width Wb is the width dimension of the nail portion T in consideration of the actual curved shape of the nail portion T. As shown in FIG. 5 (B), the claw T has a curved shape in which the vicinity of the central portion in the width direction X is raised, and the claw actual width Wb that is a value considering this curved shape is The width dimension is larger than the apparent dimension Wa, which is the length in the width direction X of the claw portion T in a plan view when T is viewed from directly above. The claw length in the claw actual dimension width association table 521 is a specified value set in advance in association with the apparent dimension Wa.

  Note that the method of acquiring the actual nail width 513 by the actual nail width acquiring unit 513 is not limited to this. For example, the actual nail width Wb may be calculated by adding a certain value to the apparent dimension Wa of the nail part T measured by the apparent dimension measuring unit 512 without using the actual nail width association table 521 or the like. . In this case, the nail actual width matching table 521 may not be provided.

The nail width additional image generation unit 514 has the nail actual width Wb of the nail portion T and the length dimension (nail length H) of the nail portion T acquired by the nail actual size width acquiring unit 513 and stored in the storage unit such as the RAM 53. It is a nail width additional image generating means for generating a nail width additional image B corresponding to both.
Specifically, the nail width additional image generation unit 514 calculates, for example, a difference value between the actual nail width Wb and the apparent dimension Wa, and divides the difference value into two equal parts to obtain the width dimension of the nail width additional image B. . Then, a pair of left and right nail width additional images B having the width dimension as a dimension in the width direction and the length dimension of the claw portion T (nail length H) as a dimension in the length direction are generated.
The nail width additional image generation unit 514 stores the generated nail width additional image B as a “nail width additional image” of the nail region related data 531 (see FIG. 8) in the storage unit such as the RAM 53 for each target finger U. It has become.

Note that it is not essential to consider the length dimension (nail length H) of the nail portion T when generating the nail width additional image B, and the nail width additional image generation unit 514 is not limited to the actual nail width of the nail portion T. The nail width added image B may be generated based only on Wb.
In the present embodiment, the length dimension of the nail portion T in the vertical direction Y (see FIG. 5A) from the nail region image acquired by photographing the user's target finger U by the photographing unit 30 (see FIG. 5). (Nail length H ”in (A)) is measured and stored in the storage means such as the RAM 53 as the nail region related data 531, and the nail width additional image generation unit 514 stores the nail width additional image B. At the time of generation, a nail width additional image B corresponding to the nail length H of the user's nail portion T and the actual nail width Wb of the nail portion T is generated from the nail region related data 531 stored in the RAM 53 or the like. However, the nail length H of the nail portion T is not limited to that measured based on the user's nail region image A. For example, in addition to the actual nail size width Wb, the nail length H of the nail portion T is stored in the nail actual size width association table 521 in association with the apparent size Wa, and the nail width additional image generation unit 514 The nail width additional image B may be generated based on the specified nail length H and the actual nail width Wb.
In the present embodiment, the shape of the nail width added image B is a boomerang that is a kind of club used for hunting and sports as shown by hatching in FIG. 9A, but is not limited thereto. For example, other shapes such as a crescent shape and an arc shape may be used.

The combined nail region image generation unit 515 generates a combined nail region image G by combining the nail width additional image B generated by the nail width additional image generation unit 514 with the left and right sides of the nail region image A. It is a generation means.
The combined nail region image generation unit 515 stores the generated combined nail region image G as a “combined nail region image” of the nail region related data 531 (see FIG. 8) in the storage unit such as the RAM 53 for each target finger U. It has become.

The combined nail region image generation unit 515 combines the nail width added image with the left and right side portions of the nail region image A acquired by the photographing unit 30, and for example, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B. A composite nail region image G is generated.
FIG. 9A is an example of a combined nail region image G2 of the index finger U2, for example, and FIG. 9B is an example of a combined nail region image G1 of the thumb U1. The combined nail region image G is an image obtained by combining the nail region image A corresponding to the apparent dimension Wa of the nail portion T and the nail width additional images B respectively added to the left and right sides of the nail region image A (that is, G = A + B).

When the contour of the combined nail region image G for each finger generated by the combined nail region image generating unit 515 is printed on the nail chip sheet 7, the print control unit 516 displays the combined nail region image G for each finger. This is print control means for generating printing data so as to be arranged at a certain distance from each other, outputting the data to the printing unit 40, and controlling the printing operation of the printing unit 40.
In the present embodiment, the design image to be printed on the nail portion T can be selected, and the print control unit 516 can select the design image designated by the design designation unit and the combined nail region image generation unit 515. The printing data is generated so that the outline of the combined nail region image G generated by the above is printed on the nail chip sheet.
Further, for example, as shown in FIGS. 27 and 29, the print control unit 516 gives a comment instructing to cut the nail chip 70 along the contour lines R1 to R5 printed on the nail chip sheet. It is preferable to generate data for printing so that it is printed together with R5 and the design image.

In the present embodiment, the print control unit 516 adjusts the arrangement of the combined nail region image G of each finger so that five fingers from the thumb to the little finger of one hand can be printed on one nail chip sheet 7. Data for printing is generated (see FIGS. 27 and 29).
Note that how many fingers of the combined nail region image G are arranged on one nail chip sheet 7 may be set in advance, or may be arbitrarily set by the user according to the use situation. Also good. For example, printing data may be generated so that only the combined nail region image G of four fingers excluding the thumb is arranged on one nail chip sheet 7, or all ten fingers of both hands may be generated. After generating the combined nail region image for, printing data may be generated so that the ten combined nail region images G are arranged on one nail chip sheet 7.

  The display control unit 517 is a display control unit that displays various displays on the display unit 26 as a display unit. In the present embodiment, the display control unit 517 causes the display unit 26 to display a design selection screen, a design confirmation screen, various instruction screens, and the like as described above.

In addition to these functional units, the control unit 51 provides nail contour extraction means for extracting the contour of the nail part from the nail region image of the nail part T included in the fingernail image photographed by the photographing unit 30. The nail contour extracting unit may be provided to extract the contour of the nail portion T from the fingernail image.
Further, when a plurality of fingernail images (images of the target finger U including the nail region image for the nail portion T) corresponding to the plurality of target fingers U are acquired by the imaging unit 30 for the plurality of target fingers U, A finger type detection unit as a finger type detection unit that detects the type of each finger from the fingernail image may be provided in the control unit 51. In this case, the finger type detection unit detects the finger type of each fingernail image based on, for example, the arrangement of the fingernail image, the length dimension, the width dimension, and the like.

  The ROM 52 serving as a storage unit generates a combined nail region image G by combining the nail region image A (an image of a line indicating the outline of the nail portion T in this embodiment) and the nail width additional image B. Various programs such as a combined nail region image generation program, a printing data generation program for generating printing data, and a printing control processing program for performing printing control processing are stored, and these programs are stored in the control device 50. As a result, the respective units of the nail print apparatus 1 are controlled in an integrated manner.

In the present embodiment, design images a to e can be selected as design images that can be printed on the nail chip 70 attached to the nail portion T as described above, and these design images a to e are stored in the ROM 52. The data corresponding to is stored.
In addition, the ROM 52 stores a nail actual size width association table 521 in which the apparent dimension Wa, the nail actual size width, and the specified nail length are associated with each target finger U as illustrated in FIG. 7, for example. In the present embodiment, the nail actual width association table 521 is prepared for each finger, such as for thumb, forefinger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger. In addition, the format of the nail | claw actual size width | variety correlation table 521 is not limited to what was illustrated here. For example, the correspondence from the maximum width assumed as the apparent dimension Wa of the thumb U1 to the minimum width assumed as the apparent dimension Wa of the little finger U5 may be defined in one table. Further, in one table, an apparent dimension Wa corresponding to the thumb U1 to an apparent dimension Wa corresponding to the little finger U5 may be defined. Further, as described above, when the nail actual dimension width Wb is acquired only from the apparent dimension Wa, the nail actual dimension width association table 521 is configured only by the association between the apparent dimension Wa and the nail actual dimension width Wb, and the nail length There is no need to be specified.

Further, the RAM 53 which is a storage unit in the present embodiment includes a storage area for storing various data and the like, and a work area (not shown) for developing programs and the like when the control unit 51 performs various processes. .
The storage area of the RAM 53 stores user nail area related data 531.
FIG. 8 shows an example of the nail region related data 531. Note that numbers 1 to 5 in FIG. 8 and the like indicate finger numbers from the thumb (U1) to the little finger (U5).
As illustrated in FIG. 8, the nail region-related data 531 includes, for example, nail region images A (thumb nail region images A1 to U1) for a plurality of target fingers U1 to U5 for which the nail region image A has been acquired by the imaging unit 30. Nail region image A5 of the little finger, apparent dimension Wa of the nail T in the width direction X (apparent dimension Wa1 to apparent dimension Wa1 to Wa5 of the little finger), actual nail size width Wb of the nail part (actual nail width Wb1 of the thumb) Nail length Wb5), nail lengths H1 to H5 (thumb length H1 to nail length H5 of nail), nail width additional image B (thumb width additional image B1 to nail of little finger) Width added image B5), combined nail region image G (thumbnail combined nail region image G1 to combined finger nail region image G5, where the combined nail region image G is nail region image A + nail width added image B). Are stored in association with each finger.
In addition, in the storage area of the RAM 53, as design images to be printed on the nail chip 70 to be attached to each finger based on input information from the operation unit 25 from printable design data stored in advance in the ROM 52. Designated design image data (design data) is stored in association with the combined nail region image G1 of the thumb, the combined nail region image G5 of the little finger, and the like.
The RAM 53 may store not only design data selected from the design data stored in the ROM 53 but also new design data added later by the user.

Next, the finger holding member 6 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 10.
As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, a finger for four fingers that holds four fingers from the index finger to the little finger as target fingers U (U2 to U5) in the first finger insertion portion 20a. The holding member 6a and the finger holding member 6b for thumb that holds the thumb (U1) as the target finger U can be selectively inserted. In the following, when the finger holding member 6 is simply used, it includes both the finger holding member 6a for four fingers and the finger holding member 6b for thumb.
FIG. 10A is a side sectional view of the finger holding member 6a for four fingers, and FIG. 10B is a front view of the finger holding member 6a for four fingers as viewed from the insertion direction of the fingers. is there. 10C is a side sectional view of the thumb finger holding member 6b, and FIG. 10D is a front view of the thumb finger holding member 6b as seen from the insertion direction of the finger.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 10A, and 10B, the finger holding member 6a for four fingers includes a holding member main body 60 capable of holding four fingers. Are provided with four finger insertion holes 61 as finger holding portions that open to the front side of the finger insertion side of the finger holding member 6a for four fingers. The inner upper surface of the finger insertion hole 61 is inclined upward from the substantially central portion in the finger insertion direction toward the opening side. Although the shape and structure of the finger insertion hole 61 are not limited to the illustrated example, the thickness of the finger increases from the fingertip to the root, so that the inner upper surface of the finger insertion hole 61 is inclined as in the illustrated example. In this case, the target finger U can be smoothly inserted into the finger insertion hole 61, which is preferable. Instead of inclining the inner upper surface of the finger insertion hole 61, a step is provided on the inner upper surface of the finger insertion hole 61 so that the thickness on the opening side is thicker on the opening side than on the inner side in the finger insertion direction. Also good.
Between each finger insertion hole 61 is a finger partition 62, and when four target fingers U (forefinger U2 to little finger U5) are inserted into each finger insertion hole 61, each finger is inserted between the target fingers U. There is a moderate gap. The thickness of the finger partition 62 is not particularly limited. However, if the target fingers U are too close to each other, it is difficult to recognize the contour of the nail portion of each target finger U. It is preferable that an appropriate interval is maintained between the target fingers U by the unit 62.

The front surface of the finger holding member 6a for four fingers (the upper surface when the target finger U is inserted (the upper surface in FIGS. 10A and 10B)) and the back in the finger insertion direction On the side, a nail portion exposure hole 63 is formed at a position corresponding to each finger insertion hole 61 to expose the nail portion of each target finger U (index finger to little finger) inserted into each finger insertion hole 61.
Further, the finger holding member 6a for four fingers has a finger on the back surface (the lower surface when the target finger U is inserted (the lower surface in FIGS. 10A and 10B)). On the back side in the insertion direction, a sheet placement portion 65 for placing a nail chip sheet 7 to be described later is formed. The sheet arrangement portion 65 is a cutout portion having a depth substantially the same as the thickness of the nail chip sheet 7 used in the nail printing apparatus 1 in the present embodiment. The vertical and horizontal dimensions of the sheet arrangement portion 65 are the same as or slightly larger than the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the nail chip sheet 7.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 10C and 10D, the finger holding member 6b for the thumb includes a holding member main body 60 capable of holding the thumb, and the holding member main body 60 includes a thumb. One finger insertion hole 61 is provided as a finger holding portion that opens in front of the finger insertion side of the finger holding member 6b. A step is provided on the inner upper surface of the finger insertion hole 61 so that the thickness in the vertical direction is greater on the opening side than on the back side in the finger insertion direction. Although the shape and structure of the finger insertion hole 61 are not limited to the illustrated example, the thickness of the finger increases from the fingertip to the root, so a step is provided on the inner upper surface of the finger insertion hole 61 as illustrated. When the thickness on the opening side is increased in the vertical direction, the target finger U (thumb U1) can be smoothly inserted into the finger insertion hole 61, which is preferable. Similar to the finger insertion hole 61 of the finger holding member 6b for four fingers, the inner upper surface of the finger insertion hole 61 is inclined upward from the substantially central portion in the finger insertion direction toward the opening side. May be.

On the surface of the finger holding member 6b for thumb (on the upper side (the upper side in FIGS. 10C and 10D) when the target finger U is inserted) on the back side in the finger insertion direction Is formed with a claw portion exposing hole 63 that exposes the claw portion of the target finger U (thumb U1) inserted into the finger inserting hole 61 at a position corresponding to the finger inserting hole 61.
Also, the finger insertion direction on the back surface of the thumb finger holding member 6b (the lower surface when the target finger U is inserted (the lower surface in FIGS. 10C and 10D)). A sheet disposing portion 65 on which a nail chip sheet 7 to be described later is placed is formed on the back side. Since the sheet arrangement part 65 is the same as the sheet arrangement part 65 provided in the finger holding member 6a for four fingers, the description thereof is omitted.

In FIG. 11A, the nail chip sheet 7 is placed on the sheet placement portion 65 provided on the back side of the four-finger holding member 6a with the front and back sides of the four-finger holding member 6a turned over. It is the figure which showed a mode that it places. As shown in FIG. 11A, when the nail chip sheet 7 is placed on the sheet placement portion 65, the surface on the sheet placement portion 65 side of the finger holding member 6a for four fingers becomes substantially flush. ing.
FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the nail chip sheet 7 used in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11B, the nail chip sheet 7 is a sheet on a film, and a print layer 71 on which ink is ejected and printing, an adhesive layer 72, and a release layer 73 are sequentially arranged. It is composed of overlapping.
As shown in FIG. 11C, when ink is ejected onto the nail chip sheet 7, the nail print layer 8 is formed on the printed layer 71. After printing, the nail chip sheet 7 is cut along a line indicating the outline of the nail part printed on the nail chip sheet 7, so that each of the nail chip sheets 7 has a seal-like shape along the corresponding finger nail part T. The nail chip 70 (in FIGS. 27 to 29, etc., a nail chip 70a for the thumb, a nail chip 70b for the index finger, a nail chip 70c for the middle finger, a nail chip 70d for the ring finger, and a nail chip 70e for the little finger). For example, the user cuts a portion indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 11C to form a nail chip 70 for each nail portion T, and then peels the release layer 73 of each nail chip 70 to expose the adhesive layer 72. Affix on the corresponding nail | Tail part T, respectively. FIG. 11D shows a state in which the nail chip 70 is pasted on the fingernail portion T of the finger.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12A, the nail chip 70 includes a main body portion 701 corresponding to the nail region image A and an additional portion 702 corresponding to the nail width additional image B.
As described above, the human claw portion T is not a flat plate shape but a curved shape in which the vicinity of the central portion in the width direction X is raised (see FIG. 5B), and the claw portion T is directed upward. When viewed from above, the apparent dimension Wa is shorter than the actual dimension value (actual nail dimension width Wb) in the width direction X of the nail region of the actual nail portion T (see FIG. 5B). For this reason, when the nail chip 70 is generated based on the apparent dimension Wa based on a plan view from directly above, the length in the width direction X is insufficient, and the nail part 70 is attached when the nail chip 70 is attached to the nail part T. A gap is formed on both sides of T.
In this regard, as shown in FIG. 12A, when an additional portion 702 is added to the main body portion 701 to generate a nail tip 70 corresponding to the actual nail width Wb which is a width dimension larger than the apparent dimension Wa. As shown in FIG. 12B, when the nail tip 70 is attached to the nail portion T, there is no gap between the left and right sides, and the nail tip 70 can be attached cleanly over the entire area of the nail portion T. .

  Next, the flow of print control processing in the nail print apparatus 1 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 13 to 15 and FIGS.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the overall flow of the print control process in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 13, the overall flow of nail chip printing control processing is as follows. First, the controller 51 of the nail printing apparatus 1 determines whether or not the power key 25a (see FIG. 16) has been operated. (Step S1) If the power key 25a is not operated (Step S1; NO), the determination in Step S1 is repeated. If it is determined that the power key 25a is operated (Step S1; YES), the design selection screen is displayed. (See FIG. 16) is displayed on the display unit 26 (step S2). In this embodiment, since five types of image data of design images a to e are stored in advance in the ROM 52 or the like as selectable design images, the design images a to e are displayed on the display unit 26 in FIG. The The user can select a desired design image from among a plurality of design images a to e by operating the operation unit 25 or directly touching the screen of the display unit 26 configured with a touch panel.
For example, when the design image a is selected by the user, the control unit 51 performs identification display (displayed with diagonal lines) indicating that the design image a is selected on the display unit 26 in FIG. Thereafter, a design composite image is displayed on the display unit 26 as a design confirmation screen in which the selected design image a is superimposed on the finger image (step S3).
The control unit 51 determines whether or not a touch operation for confirming the design or a switch operation using a key or the like has been performed (step S4), and if the operation has not been performed (step S4; NO), the determination is repeated. If it is determined that an operation for confirming the design has been performed (step S4; YES), the data of the confirmed design image is stored in the RAM 53 (see FIG. 6) (step S5). If the design image is not printed and only the contour line R of the combined nail region image G is printed, the process proceeds from step S2 to step S5 and proceeds to the next step.

Next, the nail region image A is acquired for the target finger U for which the nail chip 70 is to be created, and the nail width image B is combined with the nail region image A to generate the combined nail region image G (step S6). FIG. 14).
When performing the nail region image deformation process, first, the control unit 51 displays on the display unit 26 a finger insertion instruction screen (see FIG. 17) that prompts the user to insert a finger into the finger insertion hole 61 of the finger holding member 6. Let In FIG. 17, an instruction to insert four fingers of the right hand or to insert the thumb of the right hand is displayed, but the display content of the finger insertion instruction screen is not limited to this. For example, when a series of processing for the four fingers of the right hand is completed, an instruction to insert the thumb of the right hand is displayed, and when processing for all the fingers of the right hand is completed, an instruction to insert the finger of the left hand is similarly given. In addition, instructions may be displayed sequentially.
Then, the control unit 51 prompts the finger holding member 6 to be inserted into the first finger insertion unit 20a with the finger inserted into the finger insertion hole 61, and switches the camera 32 after the insertion (camera key 25b). A holding member insertion instruction screen (see FIG. 18) for instructing to operate is displayed on the display unit 26.
As shown in FIGS. 19 to 21, when the finger holding member 6 is inserted into the first finger insertion portion 20 a, the nail portion T of the target finger U held by the finger holding member 6 is moved to the nail portion exposure hole 63. Is exposed and is located below the photographing unit 30 and is ready for photographing.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing nail region image deformation processing.
When the nail portion T of the target finger U held by the finger holding member 6 is exposed from the nail portion exposing hole 63 and is ready to be photographed, as shown in FIG. The nail region images A1 to A5 are photographed by the photographing unit 30 for each U (step S21 in FIG. 14).
When the nail area images A1 to A5 are taken by the imaging unit 30, the nail area images A1 to A5 are stored in the storage area of the RAM 53 for each target finger U1 to U5 as nail area related data (step S22).
When the photographing of the nail region images A1 to A5 by the photographing unit 30 is completed for all the target fingers U1 to U5, the control unit 51 takes out the holding member that prompts the user to remove the finger holding member 6 from the first finger insertion unit 20a. An instruction screen (see FIG. 22) is displayed on the display unit 26.

When the nail area images A1 to A5 are acquired, the apparent dimension measuring unit 512 measures the apparent dimension Wa (Wa1 to Wa5) in the width direction of the nail part T from the nail area images A1 to A5 (step S23). Further, the nail length H (H1 to H5) of the nail portion T is measured by the control unit 51 from the nail region images A1 to A5. The apparent dimensions Wa1 to Wa5 and the nail length H (H1 to H5) for each finger measured by the apparent dimension measuring unit 512 are stored in the RAM 53 (see FIG. 6) as constituting nail region related data (see FIG. 6). Step S24).
Then, when the apparent dimensions Wa1 to Wa5 are measured for the nail area images A1 to A5 for each of the target fingers U1 to U5, the nail actual dimension width acquisition unit 513 reads the nail actual dimension width association table 521 from the ROM 52 (see FIG. 7). Are read and referred to, and the actual nail widths Wb1 to Wb5 corresponding to the apparent dimensions Wa1 to Wa5 of the nail portions T of the target fingers U1 to U5 are obtained (step S25). For example, when the apparent dimension Wa2 of the user measured by the apparent dimension measuring unit 512 is 14 mm for the index finger U2, 20 mm which is the actual nail width Wb2 corresponding to this is acquired as the actual nail width Wb. The actual nail widths Wb1 to Wb5 acquired by the actual nail width acquisition unit 513 are stored in the RAM 53 (see FIG. 6) (step S26).

When the actual nail widths Wb1 to Wb5 for each of the target fingers U1 to U5 are acquired, the nail width additional image generation unit 514 corresponds to the actual nail widths Wb1 to Wb5 and the nail lengths H1 to H5 of the nail portion T. A pair of nail width additional images B1 to B5 to be generated is generated for each of the target fingers U1 to U5 (step S27). Then, the combined nail region image generation unit 515 combines the nail width addition images B1 to B5 generated by the nail width addition image generation unit 514 with the nail region images A1 to A5, and combines the nail region images G1 to G5 (FIG. 9). (A) and FIG. 9B) are generated (step S28).
The nail width additional images B1 to B5 generated by the nail width additional image generation unit 514 and the combined nail region images G1 to G5 combined by the combined nail region image generation unit 515 are stored in the RAM 53 (see FIG. 7) (step S29). ), The nail region image deformation process ends.

When the nail region image deformation process is completed, a printing process (step S7 in FIG. 13) is performed.
When performing the printing process, the control unit 51 turns over the finger holding member 6 and displays a sheet placement instruction screen (see FIG. 23) that prompts the user to place the nail chip sheet 7 on the sheet placement unit 65. (Step S21). Furthermore, a holding member reinsertion instruction screen (see FIG. 24) that prompts the user to insert the finger holding member 6 into the first finger insertion portion 20a with the nail chip sheet 7 placed thereon is displayed on the display unit 26.
When the holding member reinsertion instruction screen (see FIG. 24) is displayed, the user turns over the finger holding member 6 and places the nail chip sheet 7 on the sheet placement unit 65 as shown in FIG. Then, the finger holding member 6 is reinserted into the first finger insertion portion 20a so that the sheet placement portion 65 on which the nail chip sheet 7 is placed faces up. FIG. 26 shows a state in which the finger holding member 6 is inserted into the first finger insertion portion 20a with the nail chip sheet 7 placed on the sheet placement portion 65. As shown in FIG. 26, when the nail chip sheet 7 is placed on the sheet placement portion 65 and the finger holding member 6 is inserted into the first finger insertion portion 20a, the nail chip sheet 7 is positioned below the printing portion 40. The printer is ready for printing.

The control unit 51 determines whether or not the print key 25c (see FIG. 16) has been operated. When the print key 25c (see FIG. 16) has been operated, the composite nail is placed on the nail chip sheet 7 for every finger. A printing process for printing the contour lines R1 to R5 of the region images G1 to G5 is performed (see step S7 in FIG. 13 and FIG. 25).
FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the printing process (step S7 in FIG. 13).
As illustrated in FIG. 15, the print control unit 516 reads out the combined nail region images G1 to G5 for each of the target fingers U1 to U5 from the RAM 53 (Step S31).
The control unit 51 determines whether or not a design image is designated (selected by the user) (step S32). If a design image is designated (step S32; YES), each target finger U1 to U1 is selected. The lines (contour lines R1 to R5) indicating the contours of the combined nail region images G1 to G5 for each U5 and the designated design image are printed on the nail chip sheet 7 (see step S33, FIG. 27).
On the other hand, when the design image is not designated (step S32; NO), only the lines (contour lines R1 to R5) indicating the contours of the combined nail region images G1 to G5 for the target fingers U1 to U5 are used as nail tips. Printing is performed on the sheet 7 (step S34, see FIG. 29).

  When the printing process ends, the control unit 51 causes the display unit 26 to display a guidance screen indicating the end of printing and the procedure after printing. As a procedure after printing, for example, an instruction to pull out the finger holding member 6 from the first finger insertion portion 20a, and the nail chip sheet 7 are cut along the contour lines R1 to R5 of the combined nail region images G1 to G5. Instructions for creating finger nail chips 70a to 70e (see FIGS. 27 to 29), peeling off the peeled layer 73 of each nail chip 70a to 70e for each finger that has been cut, and sticking to each finger U1 to U5 of the user There are instructions to attach.

In FIG. 27, the design image is designated by the user, and the outlines R1 to R5 of the combined nail region images G1 to G5 for each target finger U1 to U5 and the designated design image are printed on the nail chip sheet 7. The nail chip sheet 7 and the nail chip 70 for each finger (the nail chip 70a for the thumb, the nail chip 70b for the index finger, the nail chip 70c for the middle finger, the nail chip 70d for the ring finger, and the nail chip 70e for the little finger) are shown. is there.
FIG. 28 shows five nail tips 70 (70a to 70e) for nails separated from the nail tip sheet 7 of FIG.
FIG. 29 shows the nail when the design image is not specified by the user and only the contour lines R1 to R5 of the combined nail region images G1 to G5 for each target finger U1 to U5 are printed on the nail chip sheet 7. The chip sheet 7 and the nail chip 70 for each finger (the nail chip 70a for the thumb, the nail chip 70b for the index finger, the nail chip 70c for the middle finger, the nail chip 70d for the ring finger, and the nail chip 70e for the little finger) are shown.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the combined nail width images B1 to B5 generated in consideration of the actual nail width Wb are combined with the nail region images A1 to A5 to generate the combined nail region images G1 to G5. The contour lines R1 to R5 of the combined nail region images G1 to G5 are printed on the nail chip sheet 7. Therefore, it is possible to create nail tips 70a to 70e that match the shape of the curved nail portion T, and paste the completed nail tips 70a to 70e over the entire nail portion T of each finger without a gap. The nail art by the nail tips 70a to 70e can be finished finely.
In addition, the imaging unit 30 acquires nail region images A1 to A5 corresponding to the nail portion T for each of the plurality of target fingers U, and the apparent dimension measurement unit 512 performs the nail portion T in plan view for each finger. The nail actual dimension width acquisition unit 513 measures the apparent dimensions Wa1 to Wa5 in the width direction, and the nail actual dimension width Wb1 corresponds to the apparent dimensions Wa1 to Wa5 of the nail part T for each finger measured by the apparent dimension measurement unit 512. -Wb5 is acquired. The nail width additional image generating unit 514 generates nail width additional images B1 to B5 corresponding to the actual nail widths Wb1 to Wb5 of the nail portion T for each finger, and the combined nail region image generating unit 515 The width-added images B1 to B5 are combined with the left and right sides of the nail region images A1 to A5 for each finger to generate combined nail region images G1 to G5. Then, the print control unit 516 causes the printing unit 40 to print the contours of the combined nail region images G1 to G5 combined by the combined nail region image generation unit 515 on the nail chip sheet 7, so that the shape of the user's nail unit T The nail chips 70a to 70e suitable for the plurality of target fingers U1 to U5 can be simultaneously created.
In the present embodiment, the apparent dimension measuring unit 512 has apparent dimensions Wa1 to Wa5 in the width direction X of the nail portion T based on the nail region images A1 to A5 acquired by the photographing unit 30 which is a nail region image acquiring unit. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a separate member for measuring the apparent dimensions Wa1 to Wa5, and the apparent dimensions Wa1 to Wa5 can be easily measured.
In the present embodiment, the nail width additional image generation unit 514 also takes into account the nail width in the length direction Y of the nail portion T (nail length H) in addition to the actual nail widths Wb1 to Wb5 of the nail portion T. Additional images B1 to B5 are generated. For this reason, it is possible to generate the nail width additional images B1 to B5 having a length dimension that matches the nail length H of the user's nail portion T, and to combine these with the nail region images A1 to A5. Thereby, the synthetic | combination nail | claw area | region images G1-G5 more suitable for the shape of a user's nail | claw part T can be produced | generated, and the completed nail chip | tips 70a-70e can be affixed on the nail | claw part T without gap.
In the present embodiment, a design designating unit that designates a design image to be printed is provided, and the print control unit 516 combines the design image designated by the design designating unit and the composite nail region image generation unit 515. The lines indicating the outlines of the nail region images G1 to G5 can be printed on the nail chip sheet 7. For this reason, the nail chips 70a to 70e including the design image can be easily created.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the nail printing apparatus 1 includes the design designation unit, and when the design is designated, the designated design and the outline of the combined nail region images G1 to G5 are printed. The provision of the design designation means is not an essential configuration of the present invention. It may be a nail printing apparatus dedicated to contour line printing that does not include design designating means and prints only lines indicating the contours of the combined nail region images G1 to G5 on the nail chip sheet 7.
For example, when printing on the nail chip sheet 7 with a pattern, the user selects the nail chip sheet 7 with a desired pattern and prints only the line indicating the contour of the nail portion T. And the nail chip | tip 70 with a pattern can be produced simply by cutting along the outline R1-R5 which the user printed.
The nail chip sheet 7 may be made of various materials (for example, glossy material, lame material, suede material, etc.) or prepared with a rhinestone or the like attached in advance. Therefore, it is possible to easily create nail tips with more variations.
Thus, when printing only the line which shows the outline of the nail | claw part T, the effort which a user selects a design on the display part 26 can be saved. In addition, since only the line indicating the outline needs to be printed, the ink used for printing may be one color and the amount used may be small. Further, if a pattern or the like is provided on the nail chip sheet 7 itself, the pattern is less likely to be peeled off than printing with ink when rubbed.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, what provided the adhesive layer 72 as the nail chip sheet 7 was illustrated, However, The nail chip sheet 7 which can be used with the nail print apparatus 1 is not limited to this, The adhesive layer 72 is used. You may not have.

In the present embodiment, the case where the user himself / herself separates the individual nail chips 70a to 70e after printing on the nail chip sheet 7 is shown as an example. However, for example, as shown in FIG. Is provided with cutting means such as the cutter 5 and after the printing operation by the print head 46 is completed, along the contour lines R1 to R5 of the synthetic nail region images G1 to G5 printed on the nail chip sheet 7 by the cutter 5 You may comprise so that each nail chip | tip 70 may be cut off automatically. In this case, the control unit 51 functions as a cutting control unit that controls the cutting unit such as the cutter 5. The position where the cutting means is provided is not limited to the illustrated example.
Alternatively, the cutter 5 may be used to cut all the layers of the nail chip sheet 7, leaving only the release layer 73. In this case, after cutting, the user peels off the layer (printed layer 71, adhesive layer 72) cut by the cutter 5 from the release layer 73, so that the nail chip 70 is exposed with the adhesive layer 72 exposed. Can be removed from the nail tip sheet 7.
As described above, when the nail chip 70 is configured to be automatically separated, the nail chip 70 can be created more easily and quickly without bothering the user.

In this embodiment, the sheet placement unit 65 is provided on both the finger holding member 6a for four fingers and the finger holding member 6b for thumb. However, the sheet placement unit 65 holds the fingers for four fingers. It is good also as what is provided in any one of the member 6a and the finger | toe holding member 6b for thumbs.
For example, when the thin nail chip sheet 7 is used by changing the depth of the sheet placement portion 65 between the finger holding member 6a for four fingers and the finger holding member 6b for thumb, a rhinestone is formed on the sheet. Etc. may be used so that the nail chip sheet 7 having various thicknesses can be handled.

In the present embodiment, the apparent dimensions Wa1 to Wa5 in the width direction X of the nail portion T are measured based on the planar nail region images A1 to A5 acquired by the photographing unit 30, and the apparent dimensions Wa1 to Wa5 are obtained. The actual nail widths Wb1 to Wb5 are acquired based on the above, and the nail chip 70 corresponding to the actual nail width is created by generating the nail width additional images B1 to B5 and combining them with the nail region images A1 to A5. Although illustrated, the method of creating the nail tip 70 that matches the actual nail width is not limited to this.
For example, the nail printing apparatus includes surface area image acquisition means for acquiring a surface area image that is an image of the entire surface of the nail part T, and the contour of the surface area image of the nail part acquired by the surface area image acquisition means is obtained. It is good also as a structure which produces the nail chip | tip 70 suitable for an actual nail width | variety by a printing control part controlling a printing part so that it may print on a nail chip sheet | seat.

Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 31, as the surface region image acquisition unit 300, a support member 302 movable along the width direction X along the shaft 301 extending in the width direction X of the claw portion T is provided. Two photographing means 303 (camera) are arranged. Among these, the 1st imaging | photography means 303a (camera) image | photographs the nail | claw part T planarly from right above, and the imaging | photography range in the width direction X of the object finger | toe U is possible in one imaging | photography. The apparent dimension Wa in the width direction of the nail portion T in a plan view of various target fingers U (that is, the thumb U1 to the little finger U5) that can be inserted into the first finger insertion portion 20a as viewed from directly above (FIG. 5). (A), see FIG. 5B). The second photographing unit 303b (camera) photographs the claw portion T from an oblique direction.
Thus, by providing the surface area image acquisition means 300 with the two imaging means 303 (the first imaging means 303a and the second imaging means 303b), an image in which the surface area of the nail portion T is captured in three dimensions is acquired. The nail tip 70 having a shape that matches the shape of the curved nail portion T can be created only from the image acquired by the surface area image acquisition means 300.
Note that the surface region image acquisition unit 300 is not limited to the configuration exemplified here as long as it can grasp the three-dimensional surface shape of the nail portion T.

  When the nail printing apparatus has such a configuration, it is not necessary to perform processing such as generation of the nail width additional images B1 to B5 and synthesis with the nail region images A1 to A5, thereby reducing the processing time required for printing. Etc. can be achieved.

In the present embodiment, the case where the nail width additional image generation unit 514 generates the nail width additional image B based on the nail actual size width Wb acquired by the nail actual size width acquisition unit 513 has been described as an example. The method by which the width-added image generation unit 514 generates the nail width-added image B is not limited to this. For example, the nail width additional image generation unit 514 generates a nail width additional image B corresponding to the apparent dimension Wa after adding a certain value to the apparent dimension Wa of the nail part T measured by the apparent dimension measurement unit 512. May be.
In the case of such a configuration, the process of acquiring the actual nail width by the nail actual width acquiring unit 513 is not required, and the processing time required for printing can be shortened.

  Further, in the present embodiment, a case where the index finger U2 to the little finger U5 are inserted into the printing finger insertion unit 20a at a time for shooting and various processes including the nail image deformation process can be performed for each finger is illustrated. However, the nail printing apparatus is not limited to a device that can process a plurality of fingers at the same time, and may perform one processing for each finger.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Nail printing apparatus 2 Case main body 4 Cover body 5 Cutter 6 Finger holding member 6a Finger holding member 6b for four fingers Finger holding member 7 for thumb Nail chip sheet 10 Printing apparatus main body 20a Printing finger insertion part 20b Non-printing finger insertion Part 20c grip part (partition wall)
20 Printing Finger Fixing Unit 30 Imaging Unit 32 Camera 33 Illumination Light (LED)
40 Printing Unit 50 Control Device 51 Control Unit 52 ROM
53 RAM
60 Holding member main body 61 Finger insertion hole 62 Finger partition part 63 Nail part exposure hole 65 Sheet arrangement part 70 Nail chip 511 Design setting part 511 Design data holding part 512 Apparent dimension measurement part 513 Nail actual width acquisition part 514 Nail width additional image generation Unit 515 composite nail region image generation unit 516 print control unit 517 display control unit A1 to A5 nail region image B1 to B5 nail width additional image G1 to G5 composite nail region image R1 to R5 contour line T (T1 to T5) nail unit U (U1-U5) Target finger N Non-target finger

Claims (8)

Nail area image acquisition means for acquiring a nail area image corresponding to the nail part of the finger;
Apparent dimension measuring means for measuring the apparent dimension in the width direction of the claw portion in plan view;
Nail actual width acquisition means for acquiring the actual nail width corresponding to the apparent dimension in the width direction of the nail portion measured by the apparent dimension measurement means;
Nail width additional image generation means for generating a nail width additional image corresponding to the actual nail width of the nail portion acquired by the nail actual width acquisition means;
A combined nail region for generating a combined nail region image by combining the nail width added image generated by the nail width additional image generating unit with the left and right sides of the nail region image acquired by the nail region image acquiring unit. Image generating means;
Print control means for printing on the nail chip sheet the outline of the composite nail area image synthesized by the synthetic nail area image generating means;
A nail printing apparatus comprising: The nail region image acquisition means acquires a nail region image corresponding to each nail part for a plurality of fingers,
The apparent dimension measuring means measures the apparent dimension in the width direction of the nail portion in plan view for each finger,
The actual nail width acquisition means acquires the actual nail width corresponding to the apparent dimension of the nail portion for each finger measured by the apparent dimension measurement means,
The nail width additional image generating unit generates a nail width additional image corresponding to the nail actual size width of the nail part for each finger acquired by the nail actual size width acquiring unit,
The combined nail region image generation unit combines the nail width additional image for each finger with the right and left side portions of the nail region image for each finger acquired by the nail region image acquisition unit, respectively. Generate a nail area image for each finger,
2. The nail printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print control unit causes the outline of the combined nail region image for each finger combined by the combined nail region image generating unit to be printed on a nail chip sheet. . Nail area image acquisition means for acquiring a nail area image corresponding to the nail part of the finger;
Apparent dimension measuring means for measuring the apparent dimension in the width direction of the claw portion in plan view;
Nail width additional image generating means for generating a nail width additional image corresponding to the apparent dimension in the width direction of the nail portion acquired by the apparent dimension measuring means;
A combined nail region for generating a combined nail region image by combining the nail width added image generated by the nail width additional image generating unit with the left and right sides of the nail region image acquired by the nail region image acquiring unit. Image generating means;
Print control means for printing on the nail chip sheet the outline of the composite nail area image synthesized by the synthetic nail area image generating means;
A nail printing apparatus comprising:   The said apparent dimension measuring means measures the apparent dimension of the width direction of the said nail | claw part based on the said nail | claw area | region image acquired by the said nail | claw area | region image acquisition means. 4. The nail printing apparatus according to claim 1.   The nail width additional image generating means generates the nail width additional image by taking into account the size of the nail portion in the length direction in addition to the actual nail width of the nail portion. 5. The nail printing apparatus according to claim 4. Surface area image acquisition means for acquiring a surface area image of the nail part;
Print control means for printing the contour of the surface area image of the nail portion acquired by the surface area image acquisition means on the nail chip sheet;
A nail printing apparatus comprising: It further comprises a design designation means for designating a design image to be printed,
The printing control means is for causing the design image designated by the design designation means and the outline of the synthetic nail area image generated by the synthetic nail area image generation means to be printed on a nail chip sheet. The nail printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6. A nail region image obtaining step for obtaining a nail region image corresponding to a fingernail portion;
An apparent dimension measuring step for measuring an apparent dimension in the width direction of the nail portion in plan view;
An actual nail width acquiring step for acquiring an actual nail width corresponding to the apparent dimension in the width direction of the nail portion measured in the apparent dimension measuring step;
A nail width additional image generating step for generating a nail width additional image corresponding to the nail actual width of the nail portion acquired in the nail actual size width acquiring step;
A combined nail region that generates a combined nail region image by combining the nail width added image generated in the nail width additional image generation step with the left and right sides of the nail region image acquired in the nail region image acquisition step. An image generation step;
A printing control step of printing on the nail chip sheet the outline of the synthetic nail region image synthesized in the synthetic nail region image generation step;
A printing control method comprising:

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