JP2012179320A - Nail print apparatus and print control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a nail print apparatus and a print control method with which nail print suitable for the outer shape of a nail of a user, having a stereoscopic effect, and kept longer, is enjoyed readily and immediately according to the demand of the user.SOLUTION: A finger U is imaged to obtain a fingernail image, and a nail region is extracted from the fingernail image. On a nail portion T of the user which is corresponds to the nail region extracted from the fingernail image, printing is applied using a photo-curing coating ink cured by light, the coating ink is irradiated with light from a light irradiation portion 49 to cure the coating ink, and a photo-cured resin layer 91 is formed. Further printing using basic colors, is applied to the top surface of the photo-cured resin layer, and an ink layer 92 of a nail design image is formed. Accordingly, the nail art suitable for the outer shape of the nail T of the user, having the stereoscopic effect owing to the photo-cured resin layer 91, and kept longer, is fully enjoyed.

Description

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

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, nail printing apparatuses that print nail designs on human fingernails are known. If such an apparatus is used, a nail print can be easily enjoyed without using a nail salon or the like.
However, simply printing a nail design such as a pattern may cause the printed nail design to become thin or disappear due to the nail portion rubbing against clothing or other objects.
Therefore, conventionally, in order to keep the nail print in a long and beautiful state, after printing with a nail printing apparatus, a user or the like applies a gel-like coating agent onto the nail portion on which the printing has been performed. .

  However, when using a coating agent containing an aqueous or oily solvent as the coating agent, it is necessary to volatilize the solvent by volatilizing the solvent after applying it to the nail part, so it takes time to volatilize the solvent, During that time, fingers cannot be used, which is inconvenient.

Therefore, an artificial nail forming composition containing an ultraviolet curable resin and a photopolymerization initiator is applied to the nail with a brush or the like, and this is irradiated with ultraviolet rays to form an artificial nail forming composition applied to the nail portion. It has been proposed to cure (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Since UV curable resin cures immediately by irradiating with UV light, the work time is shorter and the fingers can be used immediately compared to the conventional coating agent containing water-based or oil-based solvent. There is.

JP 2010-105967 A

  However, it is a very time-consuming operation to apply the coating agent to the nail part by itself. Further, it is difficult to uniformly apply the coating agent to the entire nail part, and it is particularly difficult to apply it to the nail part of the dominant hand. For this reason, there is a problem that it is difficult to finish all the nails cleanly.

In addition, as a user, there is a demand for enjoying a nail print easily for a short time, such as at a party, and a desire for easily changing a nail design according to clothes and mood.
In this regard, if it can only be printed directly on the nail as in the conventional nail printing device, after printing once, the nail design printed using a light removal liquid etc. must be erased, It takes time and effort. For this reason, it is difficult to enjoy nail print casually in daily life. Furthermore, if the printing on the nail part and the removal of the printing with the light removing liquid or the like are repeated in a short period of time, there is a possibility that the finger including the nail part may become rough.

  Therefore, it is also conceivable to apply a desired design to the nail tip and attach it to the nail portion of the user. However, since the existing nail tip does not completely match the size and shape of the user's nail part, it is necessary to adjust the shape and the like by scraping the edge after sticking. Further, it is very troublesome for the user himself to apply a desired nail design to the nail chip, and there is also a problem that it is difficult to finish it according to the image.

  The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances as described above, and not only conforms to the outer shape of the user's nail part, but also has a three-dimensional appearance and a long-lasting nail print according to the user's request. An object of the present invention is to provide a nail printing apparatus and a printing control method that can be enjoyed simply and quickly.

In order to solve the above-described problem, a nail print apparatus according to the present invention includes:
Fingernail image obtaining means for photographing a finger including a nail part and obtaining a fingernail image;
Nail area extracting means for extracting a nail area corresponding to the nail portion from the fingernail image acquired by the fingernail image acquiring means;
A printing means for printing a photocurable coating ink that is cured by light while printing a basic color ink;
A light irradiating means for irradiating the coating ink printed by the printing means with light for curing the coating ink;
Using the basic color ink and the coating ink, a nail tip for generating a nail tip of a user corresponding to the nail region extracted by the nail region extraction means or a nail tip attached to the nail portion. Printing control means for controlling the printing means so as to print on the sheet;
It is characterized by having.

In addition, a printing control method according to the present invention includes:
A printing control method used in a nail printing apparatus including a printing unit,
A fingernail image acquisition step of acquiring a fingernail image by photographing a finger including the nail part;
A nail region extraction step of extracting a nail region corresponding to the nail portion from the fingernail image acquired in the fingernail image acquisition step;
The nail area of the user corresponding to the nail area extracted in the nail area extraction step or the nail chip sheet for generating the nail chip to be affixed to the nail area is cured with basic color ink and light. A printing control step for controlling the printing means so as to perform printing using a photocurable coating ink;
A light irradiation step of irradiating the coating ink printed in the printing control step with light for curing the coating ink;
It is characterized by containing.

According to the present invention, the basic color ink and the light are applied to the nail part of the user corresponding to the nail area extracted from the fingernail image or the nail chip sheet for generating the nail chip to be attached to the nail part. The coating ink can be cured by printing using a photo-curing type coating ink that is cured by the above-described method, and irradiating the coating ink with light.
For this reason, the user can apply a photo-curing type coating ink that matches the outer shape of the user's nail part on the user's nail part without having to work by himself, and has a three-dimensional effect. In addition, it is possible to easily and quickly realize a nail print that can maintain a long and beautiful finish.
In addition to printing directly on the nail part, it is also possible to generate a nail chip, so it is possible to create a nail chip that matches the external shape of the user's nail part according to the user's needs. In addition, there is an effect that it is possible to easily enjoy a nail print that has a three-dimensional effect and can maintain a beautiful finish for a long time.

It is the perspective view which showed the nail print apparatus which concerns on this embodiment notionally, and has shown the state which opened the cover body. 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 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. It is a sectional side view in the state where the finger holding member for four fingers was turned upside down. It is a top view which shows the nail chip sheet with which the mount was mounted | worn. It is a perspective view which shows a nail chip sheet. It is the top view which looked at the state which printed the outline and nail design of the nail | claw part on the nail chip sheet | seat of FIG. It is the front view which showed notionally the print head and light irradiation part which were mounted in the subcarriage. FIG. 11 is a side view of a print head and a light irradiation unit mounted on the sub carriage illustrated in FIG. 10. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a control configuration of the nail print apparatus of FIG. 1. It is a flowchart of the print control process of a nail chip. It is a flowchart which shows the printing process by the nail | claw printing mode in this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the printing process by the nail chip | tip print mode in this embodiment. 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. (A) is a top view which shows the state which printed the coating ink on the whole nail | claw area | region of a finger | toe, (B) is a side view of the finger | toe which made only the layer of the ink of (A) the cross section. (A) is a top view which shows the state which printed the nail design image on the layer of coating ink, (B) is a side view of the finger which made the cross section only the layer of the ink of (A). (A) is a top view which shows the state which printed the coating ink on the layer which printed the nail design image, (B) is a side view of the finger which made the cross section only the layer of the ink of (A). is there. 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 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. (A) is a top view which shows the state which printed the outline of the nail | claw part on the nail chip sheet | seat, (B) is sectional drawing of the nail chip sheet | seat and ink layer which are shown to (A). (A) is a top view which shows the state which printed the coating ink on the whole inner side area | region of the outline, (B) is sectional drawing of the nail chip sheet | seat and ink layer which are shown to (A). (A) is a top view which shows the state which printed the nail design image on the layer of coating ink, (B) is sectional drawing of the nail chip sheet | seat and ink layer which are shown to (A). (A) is a top view which shows the state which printed the coating ink on the layer which printed the nail design image, (B) is sectional drawing of the nail chip sheet | seat and ink layer which are shown to (A). . It is the figure which showed the state which cut | disconnected the nail chip | tip from the nail chip | tip sheet | seat of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which showed a mode that the nail chip | tip for thumbs was stuck on a thumb. It is a perspective view which shows a long nail chip sheet | seat and the tape cassette which accommodates this. FIG. 32 is a perspective view showing a state in which the nail chip sheet of FIG. 31 is loaded in a tape cassette. It is a top view which shows one modification of a nail chip sheet. (A) is a top view which shows the state which printed the coating ink and the nail design image, without printing an outline, (B) is sectional drawing of the nail chip sheet | seat and ink layer which are shown to (A). is there. It is the perspective view which showed notionally the modification of the nail print apparatus of FIG.

An embodiment of a nail print apparatus according to the present invention will be described 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 that can print a nail design image on the user's nail portion T and can generate a nail chip 70 (see FIG. 29 and the like) to be attached to the finger nail portion T. As shown in FIG. 1, the nail printing apparatus 1 is a finger insertion unit into which a finger (target finger U) corresponding to a nail part to be printed is inserted in addition to the case body 2 and the lid body 4. A printing apparatus main body 10 having one finger insertion portion 20a and the like, and a finger holding member 6 and the like configured to be detachable from the first finger insertion portion 20a are provided.

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. 12), 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.

In the present embodiment, the first finger insertion unit 20a is a finger corresponding to the nail portion T to be printed by the user (that is, the second person) (hereinafter referred to as “target finger U”, see FIG. 20 and the like). It is an insertion part for inserting a nail chip sheet 7 for generating a nail chip 70 to be affixed to a fingernail part.
In the present embodiment, the target finger U or the nail chip sheet 7 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. 20). From FIG. 22 and the like), when “claw portion T” is simply referred to, these claw 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. 20 to FIG. 22 etc.). These target fingers U are collectively referred to.

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. 20). (See FIG. 22). 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 end of the partition wall 21 on the finger holding member insertion side (see FIGS. 20 to 22). 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. 20 to 22, 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.

Here, the finger holding member 6 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 5, and 6.
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. 5A is a side sectional view of the finger holding member 6a for four fingers, and FIG. 5B is a front view of the finger holding member 6a for four fingers viewed from the insertion direction of the finger. is there. FIG. 5C is a side sectional view of the thumb finger holding member 6b, and FIG. 5D is a front view of the thumb finger holding member 6b as seen from the insertion direction of the finger.

As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 5 (A) and FIG. 5 (B), 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 becomes difficult to recognize the contour of the nail portion T of each target finger U. It is preferable that an appropriate interval is maintained between the target fingers U by the partition 62.

The front surface of the finger holding member 6a for four fingers (the upper surface (the upper surface in FIGS. 5A and 5B when the target finger U is inserted) side) 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 T of each target finger U (index finger to little finger) inserted into each finger insertion hole 61. . When the target finger U (forefinger to little finger) is inserted deep into the finger holding member 6a, the nail portion T of each finger is exposed from the nail portion exposure hole 63 of each finger insertion hole 61, and the nail portion T of the nail portion T by the photographing unit 30 is exposed. The photographing and printing unit 40 is ready to print on the nail portion T.
In addition, the finger holding member 6a for four fingers is on the back surface (the lower surface when the target finger U is inserted (the lower surface in FIGS. 5A and 5B)) and the finger 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 FIG. 1, FIG. 5C and FIG. 5D, the finger holding member 6b for 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 thumb holding member 6b for the thumb (on the upper side (the upper side in FIGS. 5C and 5D) 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) inserted into the finger inserting hole 61 at a position corresponding to the finger inserting hole 61. When the target finger U (thumb) is inserted to the back of the finger holding member 6b, the nail part of the thumb is exposed from the nail part exposure hole 63 of the finger insertion hole 61, and the nail part is photographed by the photographing part 30 and by the printing part 40. Printing on the nail portion is possible.
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. 5C and 5D)). 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.

  FIG. 6 shows how 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 finger holding member 6a turned over. FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, 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 is substantially flush.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the configuration of the nail chip sheet 7 used in the present embodiment, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the nail chip sheet 7. FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a state where the contour lines R (R1 to R5) of the nail portion T and the nail design images 75 (75a to 75e) are printed on the nail chip sheet 7.
As shown in FIG. 7, in this embodiment, a plurality of nail chip sheets 7 are detachably mounted on a single mount 8, and the nail chip sheets 7 are removed from the mount 8 one by one during printing. To use. Note that the number of nail chip sheets 7 mounted on one mount 8 and the shape and size of each nail chip sheet 7 are not particularly limited. The nail chip sheets 7 may not be attached to the mount 8 but may be one by one.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the nail chip sheet 7 is a film-like sheet, an adhesive layer 71 to be attached on the nail portion T, and an adhesive layer for attaching the adhesive layer 71 on the nail portion T. 72 and a release layer 73 that covers the adhesive layer 72 when not in use and is peeled off from the adhesive layer 72 when in use. On the surface of the adhesive layer 71, a pattern or the like (in the present embodiment, a vertical stripe pattern background) is drawn. A reference line 74 serving as a reference for the print start position when printing by the printing unit 40 is provided at the left end of the nail chip sheet 7.

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 a finger (target finger U) with the illumination lamp 33, photographs the finger (target finger U) including the nail portion T with the camera 32, and obtains a fingernail image. Means.
In the present embodiment, the camera 32 of the photographing unit 30 may photograph the target fingers U inserted into the first finger insertion unit 20a one by one, or within the first finger insertion unit 20a. All or a plurality of target fingers U inserted into the camera may be photographed.
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 the contour of the nail portion T extracted from the fingernail image photographed by the photographing unit 30, various nail designs, coating ink, and the like on the nail portion T of the printing finger U and the nail chip 70. Printing means for printing on the adhesive layer 71 of the nail chip sheet 7 (refer to FIG. 8 etc.), and as shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 4, on the machine casing 11 (mainly the upper machine casing 11b). Is provided.
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 plurality of print heads 46 are mounted at the center of the lower surface of the sub-carriage 45.

FIG. 10 is a front view of the sub-carriage 45 on which the print head 46 in this embodiment is mounted, and FIG. 11 is a side view of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 10, in this embodiment, the sub-carriage 45 is printed with a print head 46 a for basic color ink for printing basic color ink and a photo-curable coating ink that is cured by light as the print head 46. And a print head 46b for the coating ink. Note that the “print head 46” simply includes both the print head 46a for color ink and the print head 46b for base ink.
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.

The nail printing apparatus 1 can print yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), black (K), and white (W) as basic color inks, and these five basic color inks. Are provided with five basic color ink print heads 46a. The printing unit 40 prints the basic color ink with the basic color ink print head 46 a to form the nail design image ink layer 92 on the nail portion T and the nail chip sheet 7.
The type and number of basic color ink print heads 46a mounted on the sub-carriage 45 are not particularly limited. A print head 46a for basic color inks corresponding to basic color inks other than those listed here may be provided, for example, a print head 46a for basic color inks of black (K) or white (W). It is good also as a structure which is not provided.
Further, the coating ink (J) is a gel ink that is cured and dried by irradiating light (active energy rays) such as ultraviolet rays, and has excellent quick drying properties and quick curing properties. After this coating ink is printed on the nail part T of the printing finger U or the nail chip sheet 7 for generating the nail chip 70 to be affixed to the nail part T, light is irradiated by the light irradiation means described later. Thus, a photocurable resin layer can be formed.
The photo-curing resin layer formed in this way can give the nail part T or the nail chip 70 a solid three-dimensional effect after being cured by irradiation with light (active energy rays) such as ultraviolet rays and dried. And a beautiful finish can be maintained for a long time.

In this embodiment, the coating ink (J) is a photocurable gel ink, and includes at least a photocurable resin that is cured by irradiation with light (active energy rays) such as ultraviolet rays and a photopolymerization initiator. It is prepared by mixing each component. The coating ink may be transparent or lightly colored. Also, as the coating ink, a plurality of types of photo-curable inks such as transparent ones and colored ones can be printed, and may be used properly according to the user's application and preferences. In this case, the print head 46 b corresponding to each coating ink is mounted on the sub carriage 45.
The photocurable resin is not particularly limited, but is preferably one that can be easily cured by light such as ultraviolet rays. In the present embodiment, the case of using an ultraviolet curable resin that is cured by irradiating with ultraviolet rays will be described below. However, what is cured by irradiating light (active energy rays) with a wavelength other than ultraviolet rays is applied to the present invention. It is also possible to apply.

Examples of the ultraviolet curable resin include methacrylate, acrylate (particularly urethane acrylate, epoxy acrylate, acrylic acrylate), unsaturated polyester, epoxy resin, oxetane resin, and the like. These may be used in a monomer and / or oligomer state.
Specifically, for example, styrene compounds such as styrene, α-methylstyrene, and chlorostyrene; vinyl compounds such as vinyl acetate and N-vinylpyrrolidone; methyl (meth) acrylate, ethyl (meth) acrylate, and butyl (meth) Acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl (meth) acrylate, lauryl (meth) acrylate, cyclohexyl (meth) acrylate, isobornyl (meth) acrylate, isodecyl (meth) acrylate, tetrahydrofurfuryl (meth) acrylate, dicyclopentenyl (meth) acrylate, N, N-dimethylamino (meth) acrylate, tetrafluoropropyl (meth) acrylate, phenyl (meth) acrylate, benzyl (meth) acrylate, phenoxydiethylene glycol (meth) acrylic , Butoxyhydroxypropyl (meth) acrylate, allyl (meth) acrylate, glycidyl (meth) acrylate, ethyl monoacryloxy succinate, (meth) acryloxyethoxydihydroxyphosphine oxide, (meth) acryloylmorpholine, hydroxyethyl ( Monofunctional monomers such as (meth) acrylate, hydroxymethyl (meth) acrylamide, diacetone (meth) acrylamide; 1,4-butanediol di (meth) acrylate, 1,6-hexanediol di (meth) acrylate, diethylene glycol di ( (Meth) acrylate, hydroxypivalate ester neopentyl glycol di (meth) acrylate, dicyclopentadienyl di (meth) acrylate, ethoxylated bisphenol A di (meth) ) Bifunctional monomers such as acrylate, hydroxypropyl (meth) acrylate, tetrabromobisphenol A diacrylate, zinc di (meth) acrylate, methylenebis (meth) acrylamide; trimethylolpropane tri (meth) acrylate, pentaerythritol tri (meth) Trifunctional or higher monomers such as acrylate, dipentaerythritol hexa (meth) acrylate, tris (acryloxyethyl) isocyanurate; bisphenol A type, bisphenol F type, bisphenol S type, phenol novolak type, cresol novolak type, alicyclic type Epoxy (meth) acrylate, epoxidized oil (meth) acrylate, polyester type, polyether type, spirane ring type urethane (meth) acrylate, unsaturated polyester (Meth) acrylate, polyester (meth) acrylate, polyether (meth) acrylate, polyacryl (meth) acrylate, vinyl / acryl oligomer, polyol / polythiol, silicon (meth) acrylate, polybutadiene (meth) acrylate, polystyrylethyl Examples of the ultraviolet curable resin include oligomers such as (meth) acrylate. These ultraviolet curable resins can be used alone or in combination of two or more.

The photopolymerization initiator is at least one selected from the group consisting of an alkylphenone type, an acylphosphine oxide type, a titanocene type, and an oxime ester type that easily initiates polymerization by ultraviolet rays as light (active energy rays). Use seeds.
Specifically, for example, as alkylphenone type, benzyl ketal (2,2-dimethoxy-1,2-diphenylethane-1-one etc.), α-hydroxyacetophenone (2-hydroxy-2-methyl-1-) Phenyl-propan-1-one, 1-hydroxy-cyclohexyl-phenyl-ketone, 1- [4- (2-hydroxyethoxy) -phenyl] -2-hydroxy-2-methyl-1-propan-1-one, etc.) , Α-aminoacetophenone (2-methyl-1- [4- (methylthio) phenyl] -2-morpholinopropan-1-one, 2-benzyl-2-dimethylamino-1- (4-morpholinophenyl)- Butanone-1). Examples of the acylphosphine oxide type include bis (2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl) -phenylphosphine oxide, 2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl-diphenyl-phosphine oxide, and the like.
As the titanocene type, bis (η6-2,4-cyclopentadien-1-yl) -bis (2,6-difluoro-3- (1H-pyrrol-1-yl) -phenyl) titanium and the like are available. Can be mentioned. Examples of the oxime ester type include 1,2-octanedione, 1- [4- (phenylthio)-, 2- (O-benzoyloxime)] and the like.

  In addition, the compounding quantity of the photoinitiator with respect to photocurable resin is not specifically limited, Although it can set according to the kind of photocurable resin and a photoinitiator, Usually with respect to 100 weight part of photocurable resin. About 0.1-10 weight part of photoinitiators are preferable, and about 0.1-5 weight part is more preferable.

The coating ink may contain additives in addition to the photocurable resin and the photopolymerization initiator.
For example, when a photosensitizer is blended as an additive, it can be used as an auxiliary for promoting the decomposition of the photopolymerization initiator. Examples of the photosensitizer include triethanolamine, triisopropanolamine, di-n-butylamine, n-butylamine, 4,4′-bis (N, N-dimethylamino) benzophenone, 4,4′-bis ( N, N-diethylamino) benzophenone, ethyl 4-N, N-dimethylaminobenzoate, propyl 4-N, N-dimethylbenzoate, isopropyl 4-N, N-dimethylbenzoate, 4-N, N-dimethylamino And isoamyl benzoate. Examples thereof include N, N-dimethylaminoethyl (meth) acrylate which is an ethylenically unsaturated compound.
As other additives, generally known additives such as nail manicure can be used. That is, for example, oily components such as fats, waxes, hydrocarbons, higher fatty acids, higher alcohols, esters, metal soaps, silicone oils, wetting agents, lower alcohols, nonionic surfactants, anionic surfactants, positive ions Surfactants such as ionic surfactants and amphoteric surfactants, organic pigments and inorganic pigments, powders such as powders treated with various oils such as silicones and fluorine compounds, dyes such as dyes and natural pigments Fragrances such as vitamins, hormones, preservatives, UV absorbers, antioxidants, bactericides, plant extracts, animal extracts, enzymes, drugs, acids, alkalis, etc. In addition to special components, polyhydric alcohols, polymer substances, purified water, pearlizing agents, antifoaming agents, film-forming aids, and the like can be added.
Also, in order to obtain gloss, there is almost no coloring power, generally called extender pigment, and a natural color with transparency is obtained, barite powder, precipitated barium sulfate, barium carbonate, lime carbonate powder, precipitated Calcium carbonate, gypsum, asbestos, clay, silica powder, finely divided silicic acid, light algae, talc, basic magnesium carbonate, alumina white, gloss white, satin white, tricalcium phosphate, hydroxyapatite, etc. .
The coating ink is not limited to being colorless and transparent, and may be colored or the like. In this case, for example, pigment, pearlizing agent, lamellar agent, carbon black, titanium white (titanium oxide), titanium black, zinc white, red pepper, chromium oxide, iron black, cobalt blue, alumina white, iron oxide yellow , Viridian, zinc sulfide, lithopone, cadmium yellow, vermilion, cadmium red, yellow lead, molybdate orange, zinc chromate, strontium chromate, white carbon, ultramarine, lead white, bitumen, manganese violet, aluminum powder, brass powder, etc. Inorganic pigments, organic pigments and acid dye lake pigments, fish scale foil, various mica titanium such as coated mica titanium, mica, sericite, mascobite, pearl oyster powder, abalone shell powder, Takase shell powder, pearl pigments, polyethylene Terephthalate / polymethylmethacrylate laminate film powder Polyethylene terephthalate-aluminum-aluminum-epoxy laminated powder, polyethylene terephthalate polyolefin laminated film powder, can be added to and blended polyethylene terephthalate and gold stacked end lame agents such like.

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. By the movement of the main carriage 42 and the sub-carriage 45 and the discharge of ink from the print head 46, the nail portion T of the printing finger U inserted into the first finger insertion portion 20a and the sheet placement portion of the finger holding member 6 Printing on the nail chip sheet 7 placed on 65 (see FIG. 6 and the like) becomes possible.
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.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the lower side of the sub carriage 45 of the printing unit 40 (the side facing the nail portion T of the printing finger U inserted in the first finger insertion unit 20a and the nail chip sheet 7). ) Is provided with a light irradiation part 49.
The light irradiation unit 49 is a light irradiation unit that irradiates the coating ink printed by the coating head 46b for coating ink with ultraviolet rays as light for curing the coating ink.
The light irradiation unit 49 is, for example, a semiconductor light emitting element (LED; light emitting diode) or an ultraviolet lamp, and emits ultraviolet light having a wavelength of about 350 nm, for example.
In the present embodiment, the light irradiation unit 49 is driven together with the printing unit 40 to generate a nail chip T for a user corresponding to the nail region or a nail chip 70 to be affixed to the nail part T. The coating ink printed on 7 is irradiated with ultraviolet light, which is light, at a pinpoint to form an undercoat layer 91 and an overcoat layer 93 that are photocurable resin layers.
The light irradiation unit 49 is connected to a control unit 51 of the control device 50 described later, and is controlled by the control unit 51.
The light irradiation unit 49 may be provided in the vicinity of the printing unit 40 and configured to irradiate the coating ink printed by the coating ink print head 46b with ultraviolet rays. The shape, size, etc. are not limited to the illustrated example. It may be attached to the lower side or the side surface of the printing head 46b for the coating ink, or may be provided separately from the printing unit 40 and configured to move independently according to the movement of the printing unit 40. Good. Further, the light irradiation unit 49 may be fixed at a position where ultraviolet light can be irradiated to the printable area of the printing unit 40.

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 main body 2. The operation unit 25 includes, for example, a power key for turning on / off the power of the nail printing apparatus 1, and for starting photographing by the photographing unit 30. There are provided a camera key serving as a trigger, a print key serving as a trigger for starting the print control process, and other various operation keys and operation buttons.
In the present embodiment, the nail printing apparatus 1 can select a nail printing mode for printing on the nail portion T of the printing finger U and a nail chip printing mode for printing on the nail chip sheet 7 as printing modes. The user can select and set in which printing mode printing is performed by operating the operation unit 25, and the operation unit 25 functions as a print mode selection unit.

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. .

  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. 12, a control unit 51 configured by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or the like (not shown) and a ROM (Read Only Memory) 52 as 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 nail region extraction unit 511, a print control unit 512, a display control unit 513, and the like. The functions as the nail region extraction unit 511, the print control unit 512, the display control unit 513, and the like are realized by the cooperation of the CPU and the program stored in the ROM 52.

The nail region extraction unit 511 is a nail region extraction unit that extracts a nail region corresponding to the nail unit T from the fingernail image acquired by the imaging unit 30 that is a fingernail image acquisition unit. The method for extracting the nail region by the nail region extracting unit 511 is not particularly limited.
The extraction result by the nail region extraction unit 511 is sent to and stored in a storage unit such as the RAM 53.

  The printing control unit 512 uses the basic color ink and the coating ink to paste the user's nail portion T corresponding to the nail region extracted by the nail region extraction unit 511 serving as the nail region extraction unit or the nail portion T. It is a printing control means for controlling the printing unit 40 so as to perform printing on the nail chip sheet 7 for generating the nail chip 70 to be generated.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the nail printing mode for printing on the nail portion T of the printing finger U and the nail chip printing mode for printing on the nail chip sheet 7 can be selected as printing modes. The control unit 512 controls the printing unit 40 and the light irradiation unit 49 to perform printing in a printing mode selected by input from the operation unit 25 or the like.

  Specifically, in both the nail print mode and the nail chip print mode, the print control unit 512 uses at least either before or after printing with the basic color ink using the print head 46a for the basic color ink. On the other hand, the coating ink is printed on the entire nail portion T of the user or the entire area corresponding to the nail chip 70 in the nail chip sheet 7 by the coating head 46b for the coating ink. Then, the printing unit 40 and the light irradiation unit 49 are controlled so as to form a photocurable resin layer (that is, the undercoat layer 91 and the overcoat layer 93) by irradiating light from the light irradiation unit 49.

  When the nail chip printing mode for printing on the nail chip sheet 7 is selected, the print control unit 512 controls the printing unit 40 to show the outline of the nail portion T extracted by the nail region extraction unit 511. The contour line R (R1 to R5) is printed on the nail chip sheet 7 with a basic color ink having good visibility such as black ink, thereby forming the ink layer 95 of the contour image. At this time, the printing control unit 512 adjusts the printing position by the printing unit 40 so that the contour lines R (R1 to R5) of the fingernail portion T of each finger are arranged at a certain distance from each other. For example, the contour lines R (R1 to R5) of each fingernail T overlap each other by adjusting the contour of the fingernail T of each finger within a distance of 20 mm from the reference line 74 as a base point. Can not be. In addition, the arrangement | positioning method of the outline R (R1-R5) of the nail | claw part T of each finger | toe is not limited to this. The predetermined distance from the reference line 74 may be narrowed as long as the contour lines R (R1 to R5) do not overlap each other. In this way, the number of contour lines R that can be printed on one nail chip sheet 7 can be increased.

In the present embodiment, the print control unit 512 prints the contour lines R1 to R5 indicating the contours of the five finger nails T from the thumb to the little finger of one hand on each nail chip sheet 7 so that each contour line can be printed. The arrangement of R1 to R5 is adjusted (see FIGS. 10 and 11, etc.).
Note that how many contour lines R1 to R5 that indicate the contours of the fingernail portions T of the finger nail sheet 7 and how each contour line R1 to R5 is disposed is arranged on the sheet. It is determined according to the size of the nail chip sheet 7 disposed in the portion 65 (that is, the length and width of the nail chip sheet 7) and the like.
For example, when the length of the nail chip sheet 7 is only three contour lines R1 to R5 indicating the contour of the nail portion T, one contour line R1 to R5 is included in one nail chip sheet 7. In this case, for example, contour lines R1 to R3 for three fingers from the thumb to the middle finger are printed on the first nail chip sheet 7, and the second nail chip sheet 7 is printed. Assigns print data so as to print contour lines R4 and R5 for two fingers of the ring finger and little finger.
In addition, when the length of the nail chip sheet 7 is 10 contour lines R1 to R5 indicating the contour of the claw portion T, one nail chip sheet 7 has up to 10 contour lines R1 to R5. Can be printed. In this case, for example, the printing data may be allocated so that the contour lines R for ten fingers of both hands are arranged on one nail chip sheet 7. When the length of the nail chip sheet 7 is long, how to arrange the contour line R for how many fingers may be set in advance or can be arbitrarily set by the user according to the use situation. It may be.

In addition, the print control unit 512 controls the printing unit 40 to generate a nail chip sheet 7 for generating the nail chip 70 to be affixed to the user's nail part T or the nail part T corresponding to the nail region. Then, the basic color ink is printed by the basic color ink print head 46a to form the ink layer 92 of the nail design image.
Note that when printing in the nail chip printing mode, the print control unit 512 is arranged so that the nail design image fits in substantially the center of the contour of the nail portion T of each finger printed on the nail chip sheet 7. Adjust to adjust printing.

In the present embodiment, when the nail printing mode is selected as the printing mode, first, the coating ink is printed on the entire nail portion T, and the light irradiation unit 49 irradiates light to cure the coating ink, thereby photocuring. An undercoat layer 91 that is a resin layer is formed. After that, the nail design image is printed with the basic color ink to form the ink layer 92 of the nail design image, and finally the coating ink is printed again on the entire nail portion T from the printed nail design image, The printing process is performed in the procedure of irradiating and curing the light to form the overcoat layer 91 that is a photo-curing resin layer.
When the nail chip printing mode is selected as the printing mode, the contour line R (R1 to R5) of the finger nail portion T is first printed with the basic color ink to form the contour ink layer 95. Thereafter, the coating ink is printed on the entire area inside the printed outline (that is, the entire area corresponding to the nail chip 70 in the nail chip sheet 7), and the light is irradiated by the light irradiation unit 49 to coat the coating ink. Is cured to form an undercoat layer 91 which is a photo-curing resin layer. Then, the nail design image is printed with the basic color ink thereon, and finally, the coating ink is printed again on the entire area inside the contour from the printed nail design image, and the light is cured by irradiation with light. The printing process is performed in the procedure of forming the overcoat layer 91 that is a cured resin layer.
Note that the printing processing procedures in the nail printing mode and the nail chip printing mode are not limited to those described in this embodiment. When printing is desired according to a procedure different from the default print processing procedure, it is preferable that the user can change the settings as appropriate by operating the operation unit 25 or the like.

  The display control unit 513 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 518 causes the display unit 26 to display, for example, a confirmation screen for the arrangement of the contour line R, a print mode selection screen, various instruction screens, and the like.

  The ROM 52 as a storage means stores various programs such as a nail region extraction program for extracting the nail region of the nail portion T from the fingernail image and a print control processing program for performing print control processing. By executing the above program by the control device 50, each unit of the nail print apparatus 1 is controlled in an integrated manner.

  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. .

  Next, a printing control method by the nail printing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 13 to 15 and FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 13, when a print start instruction is input from the operation unit 25 or the like (step S1), the display control unit 515 prints on the display unit 13 in the first finger insertion unit 20a of the nail printing apparatus 1. A holding member insertion instruction screen for instructing insertion of the finger holding member 60 holding the finger U is displayed (step S2).
As shown in FIGS. 20 to 22, when the finger holding member 6 is inserted into the first finger insertion portion 20 a while holding the printing finger U, the target finger U held by the finger holding member 6 The nail | claw part T is exposed from the nail | claw part exposure hole 63, and it will be in the state which can be image | photographed located below the imaging | photography part 30.
The control unit 51 acquires a fingernail image obtained by photographing the printing finger U by the photographing unit 30 (step S3). When acquiring fingernail images for the fingers of both hands, for example, as shown in FIG. 21, four fingers from the index finger U2 to the little finger U5 of one hand are held by the finger holding member 6a for four fingers. Then, the finger nail image is taken and inserted into the first finger insertion part 20a, and then the thumb U1 of one hand is held on the thumb finger holding member 6b as shown in FIG. The fingernail image is photographed by inserting into the insertion portion 20a.
When the fingernail image is acquired, the nail region extraction unit 511 extracts the nail region of the nail portion T from the fingernail image of the printing finger U acquired by the photographing unit 30 (step S4), and stores it in a RAM or the like. Memorize in means.

  The control unit 51 determines whether or not the nail printing mode is selected (step S5), and when it is determined that the nail printing mode is selected but operated by the operation unit 12 serving as a printing mode selection unit (step S5). ; YES), a printing process in the nail printing mode is performed (step S6). If it is determined that the nail print mode is not selected (step S5; NO), it is further determined whether the nail chip print mode is selected (step S7), and the nail chip print mode is selected. If it is determined (step S7; YES), a printing process in the nail chip printing mode is performed (step S8). When it is determined that the operation unit is not operated and no print mode is selected (step S7; NO), the determination in step S5 is repeated.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a printing process (step S6 in FIG. 13) in the nail printing mode.
In the nail print apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, when the printing finger U is inserted into the first finger insertion portion 20 a while being held by the finger holding member 60, the finger holding member 6. The nail portion T of the target finger U held by the nail portion is exposed from the nail portion exposure hole 63 and is positioned below the printing portion 40 so that printing is possible.
In the present embodiment, in the nail printing mode, the nail portions T of the plurality of printing fingers U (the nail portions T of the four fingers of one hand) held by the finger holding member 60 inserted into the first finger insertion portion 20a. ) Is printed.

The print control unit 512 reads the data of the nail area of the nail part T from the RAM or the like, and drives the recording head 46b for the coating ink of the printing part 40 so as to print the coating ink on the entire nail area (step S11). ).
When the printing of the coating ink on the entire nail region is completed, the print control unit 512 controls the light irradiation unit 49 to irradiate the coating ink printed on the nail portion T with ultraviolet rays so as to cure the coating ink ( Step S12). Thereby, formation of the undercoat layer (photocuring resin layer) 91 to the nail | claw part T is completed (refer FIG. 17 (A) and FIG. 17 (B)).
Next, the printing control unit 512 records the basic color ink of the printing unit 40 so as to print the nail design image 75 with the basic color ink on the nail portion T on which the undercoat layer 91 that is a photocurable resin layer is formed. The head 46a is driven (step S13). The nail design image 75 may be determined by default, or the user may select a desired nail design image 75 using the operation unit 25 or the like.
When the nail design image 75 is printed with the basic color ink and the ink layer 92 of the nail design image is formed (see FIGS. 18A and 18B), the print control unit 512 again uses the coating ink for the coating ink. The recording head 46b is driven to further print a coating ink on the nail portion T on which the nail design image 75 is printed (step S14). Then, the light irradiation unit 49 is controlled to irradiate the coating ink printed on the nail portion T with ultraviolet rays to cure the coating ink (step S15). Thereby, formation of the overcoat layer 93 which is a photocurable resin layer is completed (refer FIG. 19 (A) and FIG. 19 (B)), and the printing process by nail | claw printing mode is complete | finished.

  Next, FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the printing process (step S8 in FIG. 13) in the nail chip printing mode.

When the nail chip printing mode is selected, the display unit 26 removes the finger holding member 6 from the first finger insertion unit 20a, turns it over, and places the nail chip sheet 7 on the sheet arrangement unit 65 on the back side. Then, an instruction screen for instructing reinsertion into the first finger insertion unit 20a is displayed.
When the user places the nail chip sheet 7 on the sheet placement portion 65 on the back surface side of the finger holding member 6 according to this instruction (see FIG. 23) and reinserts it into the first finger insertion portion 20a, FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the nail chip sheet 7 placed on the sheet placement unit 65 is positioned below the printing unit 40 and is ready for printing.
Then, as shown in FIG. 15, the print control unit 512 reads the data of the nail region of each nail unit T from the RAM or the like and drives the recording head 46 a for the basic color ink of the printing unit 40 to generate the reference line. The printing process which prints the outline R (R1-R5) which shows the outline of the nail | claw part T of each finger on the sticking layer 71 of the nail chip sheet 7 sequentially is carried out, setting a predetermined distance from 74 (step S21). ). Thereby, the ink layer 95 of the outline is formed (see FIGS. 25A and 25B).
Next, the printing control unit 512 drives the recording head 46b for the coating ink of the printing unit 40 so as to print the coating ink on the entire area inside the contour line R (R1 to R5) (step S22). .
When printing of the coating ink on each area of the nail chip sheet 7 is completed, the print control unit 512 controls the light irradiation unit 49 to irradiate the coating ink printed on the nail portion T with ultraviolet rays, thereby coating the ink. Is cured (step S23). Thereby, formation of the undercoat layer (photocuring resin layer) 91 on the nail chip 70 is completed (see FIGS. 26A and 26B).
Next, the printing control unit 512 uses the basic color ink for the printing unit 40 so as to print the nail design image 75 with the basic color ink on the nail chip sheet 7 on which the undercoat layer 91 that is a light curable resin layer is formed. The recording head 46a is driven (step S24). Also in this case, the nail design image 75 may be determined by default, or the user may be able to select a desired nail design image 75 from the operation unit 25 or the like.
When the nail design image 75 is printed with the basic color ink and the ink layer 92 of the nail design image is formed (see FIGS. 27A and 27B), the print control unit 512 again uses the coating ink for the coating ink. The recording head 46b is driven to further print a coating ink on the nail chip sheet 7 on which the nail design image 75 is printed (step S25). Then, the light irradiation unit 49 is controlled to irradiate the coating ink printed on the nail chip sheet 7 with ultraviolet rays to cure the coating ink (step S26). Thereby, formation of the overcoat layer 93 which is a photocuring resin layer is completed (refer FIG. 28 (A) and FIG.28 (B)).

  When the printing process on the nail chip sheet 7 is completed, the control unit 51 (display control unit 513) 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, the nail chip sheet 7 is cut along the contour line R (R1 to R5), and the nail chip for each finger There are an instruction to create 70a to 70e (see FIG. 29), an instruction to peel off the release layer 73 of each nail chip 70a to 70e for each finger that has been cut, and attach it to each printing finger U1 to U5 of the user.

FIG. 29 is for the thumb from the nail chip sheet 7 when the contour lines R (R1 to R5) for each of the target fingers U1 to U5 are printed on the adhesive layer 71 of the nail chip sheet 7 shown in FIG. The nail tip 70a and the index finger nail tip 70b are shown separated.
FIG. 30 shows that the adhesive layer 72 is exposed by peeling the release layer 73 from the nail tip 70a for the thumb in which the first pattern 75a (cherry) is drawn on the adhesive layer 71 among the nail tips 70 (70a to 70e). It shows a state of being stuck on the nail portion T of the thumb.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the nail printing mode and the nail chip printing mode can be selectively performed. For this reason, the user can freely choose between printing directly on the nail portion T or creating a nail chip 70 and attaching it to the nail portion T according to the application and needs, and can easily enjoy nail art. it can.
Further, since the nail area is extracted from the user's fingernail image and printing is performed in accordance with the area, it is possible to prevent the ink from protruding from the nail portion T when printing on the own nail. In addition, since the nail tip 70 that matches the shape of the user's nail region can be created, unlike the case of using a conventional artificial nail, it is possible to save time and effort such as shaving and adjusting the shape after being attached to the nail portion T. .
When the nail chip printing mode is selected, the nail chip sheet 7 in which the adhesive layer 71, the adhesive layer 72, and the release layer 73 are laminated is used, and the top of the adhesive layer 71 of the nail chip sheet 7 is used. In addition, a contour line R (R1 to R5) indicating the contour of the nail portion T, an undercoat layer 91 with a coating ink, an ink layer 92 of a nail design image with a basic color ink, and an overcoat layer 93 with a coating ink are sequentially printed. The nail chip 70 is created. For this reason, if the nail chip | tip 70 (70a-70e) is cut | disconnected along outline R (R1-R5), a user will peel the peeling layer 73 from the adhesion layer 72, and will stick the adhesive layer 71 to a user's own nail | claw part. You can enjoy fashionable nail prints simply and quickly just by sticking on T.
In addition, since a photo-curable ink is used as the coating ink for applying the undercoat and overcoat, it can be cured simply and quickly simply by irradiating light. Even when it is performed, the time during which the fingers are restrained can be made as short as possible.
Since the photocurable ink is relatively difficult to peel, the nail art can be kept beautiful for a long period of time by using the photocurable ink as the coating ink.
Moreover, since the nail chip sheet 7 is a tape-like long sheet, the contour lines R (R1 to R5) indicating the outlines of the plurality of nail portions T are arranged and printed on the single nail chip sheet 7. Can do. For this reason, for example, it is possible to generate the nail chip 70 for the nail portion T of the five fingers from the thumb to the little finger of one hand or the ten fingers from the thumb to the little finger of the left and right hands by using one nail chip sheet 7. It becomes.
Further, the nail chip sheet 7 is provided with a reference line 74 that serves as a reference for the print start position at the time of printing, and the print control unit 512 sets the contours of the plurality of nail portions T at a predetermined distance from the reference line 74. The printing unit 40 is controlled so as to print contour lines R (R1 to R5). Therefore, even when a plurality of nail chips 70 are generated from one nail chip sheet 7 by printing contour lines R (R1 to R5) indicating the contours of the plurality of claw portions T, each contour line R (R1 to R1) is generated. R5) are properly arranged without overlapping or being too far apart.

  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 embodiment, the nail chip sheet 7 has a length capable of printing the outline of five fingers for each predetermined distance. However, the nail chip sheet 7 is not limited to this, Furthermore, it is possible to generate a nail chip 70 for six fingers or more by one printing using a long one.
In this case, for example, the nail chip sheet 7 is wound and accommodated in a tape cassette 150 as shown in FIGS. 30 and 31, and the tape cassette 150 is loaded in the nail printing apparatus 1 for printing. Good.
The configuration of the tape cassette 150 is not particularly limited. For example, as shown in FIGS. 30 and 31, the tape cassette 150 includes a groove 151 that is loaded in a state where the nail chip sheet 7 is wound, and the groove 151 includes a groove 151. Two locking claws 152 for preventing the nail chip sheet 7 from falling off are provided.
The nail chip sheet 7 is wound so that the adhesive layer 71 is on the outside and loaded into the groove 151, and the end on the side where the reference line 74 is provided is pulled out from the groove 151, It is locked to a locking piece 153 that locks the portion. The nail chip sheet 7 is locked at the position where the locking piece 153 is engaged with the reference line 74, whereby the printing start position is positioned. In this case, when printing is started, the nail chip sheet 7 is sequentially printed from the side where the reference line 74 is provided, and the printed portions are sequentially conveyed and sent out in a certain direction.
When the nail chip sheet 7 is housed in such a tape cassette 150 and used, the shape of the first finger insertion portion 20a and the like of the nail printing apparatus 1 is changed so that the tape cassette 150 can be loaded. .

In the present embodiment, when printing is performed on the nail portion T or the nail chip sheet 7, the undercoat layer 91 is first printed with a photocurable coating ink, and then the ink layer of the nail design image is printed with the basic color ink. Although the case where 92 is printed and the overcoat layer 93 is further formed thereon is taken as an example, the procedure of the printing process is not limited to this.
For example, only one of the undercoat and the overcoat may be performed.
Further, the undercoat and overcoat with the coating ink are not limited to those applied to the entire area of the nail portion T. For example, undercoat or overcoat with a coating ink is applied only to the necessary toe portion, or over the portion where a pattern is drawn as the nail design image 75 (for example, the pattern portion of the cherries for the nail tip 70a for the thumb). A coat may be applied. In this case, for example, printing with the coating ink is performed based on the image data of the pattern as the nail design image 75.
Further, the nail design image may not be printed, and the nail portion T and the nail chip sheet 7 may be coated only with a transparent or colored coating ink. Since the photo-curing resin layer formed of the photo-curing ink has a certain level of strength, the effect of protecting the nail portion T can be expected even when only coating with the coating ink is performed.
In the case of using the nail chip sheet 7 on which a picture as shown in FIG. 9 is printed from the beginning or the nail chip sheet 7 on which a continuous picture as shown in FIG. 33 is used, the nail chip printing mode is used. At this time, the nail design image 75 may not be printed, and only the coating with the coating ink may be performed. Among these, when using the nail chip sheet 7 on which a pattern as shown in FIG. 9 is used, the distance from the reference line 74 to the center of the pattern and the distance from the reference line 74 to the center of the outline of each nail T By matching the distances so as to be approximately the same, each pattern can be arranged at the center of each nail chip 70.

  Further, in the case of the nail chip printing mode, as shown in FIG. 34 (A), the contour line of the nail portion T may not be printed. In this case, as shown in FIG. 32 (B), on the adhesive layer 71 of the nail chip sheet 7 composed of the release layer 73, the adhesive layer 72, and the adhesive layer 71, an undercoat layer 91 made of a coating ink, An ink layer 92 of a nail design image with basic color ink and an overcoat layer 93 with a coating ink are printed in order. In this case, as shown in FIGS. 32 (A) and 32 (B), since the entire region inside the contour line R is printed with the coating ink, the boundary of the contour line R is easy to understand, and the contour line R Even without printing, the nail chip 70 corresponding to the nail region can be cut out correctly. Further, when the nail printing apparatus 1 is provided with a cutter or the like to automatically cut out the nail tip 70 (see FIG. 35 described later) instead of being cut manually, it is based on the data of the nail region. Can be cut. For this reason, it is possible to appropriately cut out the nail tip 70 without printing the outline.

  The material of the nail chip sheet 7 is not particularly limited. Using nail chip sheet 7 of various materials (for example, glossy material, lame-containing material, suede-like material, etc.) or by preparing a material with rhinestones attached in advance Nail chips 70 with variations can be easily created.

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, as shown in FIG. Is provided with a cutting means such as a cutter 5, and after the printing operation by the print head 46 is completed, each nail chip 70 is automatically moved along the contour lines R1 to R5 printed on the nail chip sheet 7 by the cutter 5. You may comprise so that it may isolate | separate. 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 layers cut by the cutter 5 (adhesive layer 71, adhesive layer 72) from the release layer 73, and thus the nail chip 70 is removed with the adhesive layer 72 exposed. It can be removed from the chip 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.
Further, for example, by changing the size and shape of the sheet placement portion 65 between the finger holding member 6a for four fingers and the finger holding member 6b for thumb, it is possible to deal with the nail chip sheets 7 having various shapes and sizes. You may do it.

  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.

In this embodiment, the printing unit 40 shown in FIG. 2 or the like, which is a printing unit, includes a basic color ink print head 46a for printing the basic color ink and a coating for printing photocurable coating ink that is cured by light. The ink print head 46b may be configured, but may be configured of a basic color ink print head 46a and a pen-shaped discharge unit that performs printing while discharging a photocurable coating ink. When configured in this way, printing can be performed while discharging a photocurable coating ink, so that printing with a three-dimensional impression of unevenness can be performed and a beautiful finish can be maintained for a long time. The appearance shape of the nail part or the appearance shape of the nail chip can be obtained.
When using a pen-like ejection part, use a photo-curing type coating ink containing an adhesive component in order to obtain a strong adhesion effect to the nail part or nail chip sheet. May be.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof. .
The invention described in the scope of claims attached to the application of this application will be added below. The item numbers of the claims described in the appendix are as set forth in the claims attached to the application of this application.
[Appendix]
<Claim 1>
Fingernail image obtaining means for photographing a finger including a nail part and obtaining a fingernail image;
Nail area extracting means for extracting a nail area corresponding to the nail portion from the fingernail image acquired by the fingernail image acquiring means;
A printing means for printing a photocurable coating ink that is cured by light while printing a basic color ink;
A light irradiating means for irradiating the coating ink printed by the printing means with light for curing the coating ink;
Using the basic color ink and the coating ink, a nail tip for generating a nail tip of a user corresponding to the nail region extracted by the nail region extraction means or a nail tip attached to the nail portion. Printing control means for controlling the printing means so as to print on the sheet;
A nail printing apparatus comprising:
<Claim 2>
Fingernail image obtaining means for photographing a finger including a nail part and obtaining a fingernail image;
Nail area extracting means for extracting a nail area corresponding to the nail portion from the fingernail image acquired by the fingernail image acquiring means;
A printing means for printing a photocurable coating ink that is cured by light while printing a basic color ink;
A light irradiating means for irradiating the coating ink printed by the printing means with light for curing the coating ink;
The coating ink is applied to the nail chip sheet for generating the nail chip of the user corresponding to the nail area extracted by the nail area extraction unit or the nail chip to be affixed to the nail part by the printing unit. In order to form a photocurable resin layer by irradiating light from the light irradiation unit to the coating ink, and to form a nail design image by printing the basic color ink by the printing unit, Print control means for controlling the printing means and the light irradiation means;
A nail printing apparatus comprising:
<Claim 3>
The print control means is configured to apply the entire nail portion or the entire area corresponding to the nail chip in the nail chip sheet before or after printing with the basic color ink by the printing means. The coating ink is printed, and the printing unit and the light irradiation unit are controlled to form a photocurable resin layer by irradiating the coating ink with light from the light irradiation unit. The nail printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.
<Claim 4>
The nail print apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the light irradiation unit is provided in a vicinity of the printing unit.
<Claim 5>
The nail print apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the light irradiation means is a semiconductor light emitting element or an ultraviolet lamp.
<Claim 6>
The coating ink printed on the nail chip sheet for generating the nail chip to be applied to the nail part of the user corresponding to the nail area or the nail part by driving the light irradiation unit together with the printing unit The nail printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a light curable resin layer is formed by irradiating light with respect to a pinpoint.
<Claim 7>
A printing control method used in a nail printing apparatus including a printing unit,
A fingernail image acquisition step of acquiring a fingernail image by photographing a finger including the nail part;
A nail region extraction step of extracting a nail region corresponding to the nail portion from the fingernail image acquired in the fingernail image acquisition step;
The nail area of the user corresponding to the nail area extracted in the nail area extraction step or the nail chip sheet for generating the nail chip to be affixed to the nail area is cured with basic color ink and light. A printing control step for controlling the printing means so as to perform printing using a photocurable coating ink;
A light irradiation step of irradiating the coating ink printed in the printing control step with light for curing the coating ink;
A printing control method comprising:

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 Print Unit 46a Print Head 46b for Basic Color Ink Print Head for Coating Ink 50 Controller 51 Controller 52 ROM
53 RAM
60 Holding member main body 61 Finger insertion hole 62 Finger partition part 63 Nail part exposure hole 65 Sheet placement part 70 Nail chip 74 Reference line 511 Nail region extraction part 512 Print control part 513 Display control part R1 to R5 Outline T (T1 to T5) ) Nail part U (U1-U5) Target finger N Non-target finger

Claims (7)

Fingernail image obtaining means for photographing a finger including a nail part and obtaining a fingernail image;
Nail area extracting means for extracting a nail area corresponding to the nail portion from the fingernail image acquired by the fingernail image acquiring means;
A printing means for printing a photocurable coating ink that is cured by light while printing a basic color ink;
A light irradiating means for irradiating the coating ink printed by the printing means with light for curing the coating ink;
Using the basic color ink and the coating ink, a nail tip for generating a nail tip of a user corresponding to the nail region extracted by the nail region extraction means or a nail tip attached to the nail portion. Printing control means for controlling the printing means so as to print on the sheet;
A nail printing apparatus comprising: Fingernail image obtaining means for photographing a finger including a nail part and obtaining a fingernail image;
Nail area extracting means for extracting a nail area corresponding to the nail portion from the fingernail image acquired by the fingernail image acquiring means;
A printing means for printing a photocurable coating ink that is cured by light while printing a basic color ink;
A light irradiating means for irradiating the coating ink printed by the printing means with light for curing the coating ink;
The coating ink is applied to the nail chip sheet for generating the nail chip of the user corresponding to the nail area extracted by the nail area extraction unit or the nail chip to be affixed to the nail part by the printing unit. In order to form a photocurable resin layer by irradiating light from the light irradiation unit to the coating ink, and to form a nail design image by printing the basic color ink by the printing unit, Print control means for controlling the printing means and the light irradiation means;
A nail printing apparatus comprising:   The print control means is configured to apply the entire nail portion or the entire area corresponding to the nail chip in the nail chip sheet before or after printing with the basic color ink by the printing means. The coating ink is printed, and the printing unit and the light irradiation unit are controlled to form a photocurable resin layer by irradiating the coating ink with light from the light irradiation unit. The nail printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.   The nail print apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the light irradiation unit is provided in a vicinity of the printing unit.   The nail print apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the light irradiation means is a semiconductor light emitting element or an ultraviolet lamp.   The coating ink printed on the nail chip sheet for generating the nail chip to be applied to the nail part of the user corresponding to the nail area or the nail part by driving the light irradiation unit together with the printing unit The nail printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a light curable resin layer is formed by irradiating light with respect to a pinpoint. A printing control method used in a nail printing apparatus including a printing unit,
A fingernail image acquisition step of acquiring a fingernail image by photographing a finger including the nail part;
A nail region extraction step of extracting a nail region corresponding to the nail portion from the fingernail image acquired in the fingernail image acquisition step;
The nail area of the user corresponding to the nail area extracted in the nail area extraction step or the nail chip sheet for generating the nail chip to be affixed to the nail area is cured with basic color ink and light. A printing control step for controlling the printing means so as to perform printing using a photocurable coating ink;
A light irradiation step of irradiating the coating ink printed in the printing control step with light for curing the coating ink;
A printing control method comprising:

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