JP2015134150A - Painting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a painting device that allows a highly elaborated plotter-type painting on a nail by following a height change of the surface to be painted and reducing blurring of a penholder.SOLUTION: There are provided: a pen carriage 72 to which a pen 71 is to be installed; and a pen pressing mechanism 74 having an elastically-deformable plate spring 746 for pressing downward the pen 71 which has been installed to the pen carriage 72. The pen 71 has an edge portion having a pen tip 713 on one edge of a rod-like penholder 711. The pen carriage 72 is fixed to an auxiliary penholder 725 to which a fitting portion 712 at the edge of the pen 71 is fitted and which extends in a direction parallel to the penholder 711. The auxiliary penholder 725 is provided with a pen tip fitting member 720 having a coil spring 726 that energizes the auxiliary penholder 725 in an upward direction, while the pen pressing mechanism 74 presses the pen 71 downwardly via the plate spring 746.

Description

  The present invention relates to a drawing apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, nail printing apparatuses that print design images such as colors and patterns on the surface of a human nail using an ink jet method are known.
However, since the ink jet type print head has a small nozzle hole diameter, there is a restriction that ink containing a coloring material having a large particle diameter or ink having high viscosity cannot be used. For this reason, there is a limit to the nail design that can be printed.

  In this regard, conventionally, there has been known a plotter-type drawing apparatus that includes a print head on which a drawing tool such as a pen is mounted, and draws by bringing the tip of the pen into contact with a sheet (printing object) (for example, It is conceivable to use this plotter type drawing apparatus as a drawing apparatus that performs nail printing with good color using various inks.

JP-A-7-266789

The nail, which is a printing target of the nail printing apparatus, has a curved shape with different heights at the end portion and the central portion, and the print target surface changes up to about 10 mm in the vertical direction (height direction).
For this reason, when using a plotter type drawing device as a nail printing device, it is necessary to move the tip of a drawing tool such as a pen flexibly up and down along the surface of the nail while applying an appropriate writing pressure. is there.

However, since the conventional plotter-type printing device assumes that drawing is performed on a flat surface such as paper, the tip of the drawing tool follows the change in the vertical direction (height direction) of the drawing target surface. It was not devised.
Further, if the drawing tool moves up and down greatly, the pen shaft may be shaken, and high-definition drawing may not be performed. This is not taken into consideration in the conventional plotter type drawing apparatus.
For this reason, the conventional configuration has a problem in that a nail print cannot be smoothly and cleanly applied to the surface of the nail.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and when drawing on a nail by a plotter method, it follows the change in the height direction of the drawing target surface and suppresses the shake of the pen shaft. It is an object of the present invention to provide a drawing apparatus capable of performing high-definition nail printing.

In order to solve the above problems, a drawing apparatus of the present invention provides:
A fitting member that fits the tip of the drawing tool that draws the tip by contacting the surface of the nail that is the drawing target surface, and an auxiliary shaft that is fixed to the fitting member and moves with the drawing tool. A carriage having a member and an auxiliary shaft urging member that urges the auxiliary shaft member so as to separate the tip portion from the drawing target surface;
A drawing tool pressing mechanism for bringing the drawing tool into contact with the drawing target surface by pressing the drawing tool fitted to the fitting member of the carriage when performing the drawing;
It is characterized by having.

  According to the present invention, when drawing is performed on the nail by the plotter method, it is possible to follow a change in the height direction of the drawing target surface, and to perform high-definition nail printing while suppressing blurring of the pen shaft.

1 is a front view of a nail print apparatus according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing an internal configuration with a part of the nail printing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 as a section. (A) is the top view of the drawing head in 1st Embodiment, (b) is the front view which looked at the drawing head of (a) from arrow b direction, (c) is (a) It is the side view which looked at the drawing head of () from the arrow c direction. (A) is the side view which expanded a part of pen carriage in the state where the auxiliary shaft member is not pressed, (b) is expanded part of the pen carriage in the state where the auxiliary shaft member is pressed. (C) is a bottom view of the pen carriage in (a) as viewed from below, and (d) is an enlarged plan view of a part of the first plate-like member. It is a side view of a pen. It is a side view of a slide pin, a coil spring, and a pin attachment member, (a) is a side view showing a state where the slide pin is not pressed, and (b) is a side view showing a state where the slide pin is pressed. FIG. (A) is the side view which expanded the pen carriage at the time of non-drawing, and the pen supported by this, (b) is the side surface which expanded the pen carriage and the pen supported by this in the state which pushed down the pen FIG. FIG. 6 is a side view of the pen carriage and a pen supported by the pen carriage in a drawing state in which a finger is placed in the finger fixing unit. It is a principal part block diagram which showed the control structure of the nail print apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. (A) is the top view of the drawing head in 2nd Embodiment, (b) is the front view which looked at the drawing head of (a) from arrow b direction, (c) is (a) It is the side view which looked at the drawing head of () from the arrow c direction. (A) is a top view of the pen in 3rd Embodiment, (b) is a side view of the pen of (a), (c) is a pen tip which fits the pen of (a). It is a side view of a fitting member and an auxiliary shaft member, and (d) is a bottom view which looked at a nib fitting member and an auxiliary shaft member of (c) from an arrow d direction. (A) is the side view which expanded a part of pen carriage in the state where the auxiliary shaft member in 3rd Embodiment is not pressed, (b) is the auxiliary shaft member in 3rd Embodiment pressed. It is the side view which expanded a part of pen carriage in the state where it was done, and (c) is the bottom view which looked at the pen carriage in (a) from the arrow c direction. (A) is a top view of the drawing head in 4th Embodiment, (b) is a side view of the drawing head of (a). (A) is a side view of a pen in a state where the auxiliary shaft member in the fourth embodiment is not pressed, and (b) is a pen in a state where the auxiliary shaft member in the fourth embodiment is pressed. (C) is the bottom view which looked at the pen and pen-tip fitting member in (a) from arrow c direction. (A) is a top view of the drawing head in 5th Embodiment, (b) is a side view of the drawing head of (a).

[First Embodiment]
A first embodiment of a nail print apparatus (drawing apparatus) according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The embodiments described below are given various technically preferable limitations for carrying out the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments and illustrated examples.
Further, in the following embodiment, the nail print apparatus 1 will be described on the assumption that the surface of the fingernail of the hand is drawn on the surface to be drawn, but the drawing target surface of the present invention is the surface of the fingernail of the hand. For example, the surface of the toenail may be the drawing target surface.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the nail print apparatus 1.
FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing the internal structure of a part of the nail printing apparatus shown in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the nail print apparatus (drawing apparatus) 1 according to the present embodiment is a plotter type printing apparatus including a pen 71 whose drawing head 70 draws on a nail T of a printing finger U1.
The nail printing apparatus 1 includes a case main body 2 and an apparatus main body 10 accommodated in the case main body 2.

A pen replacement lid 23 configured to be openable and closable for replacing a pen (drawing tool) 71 of the drawing unit 7 described later is provided at one upper end of the side surface of the case body 2. The pen replacement lid 23 is rotatable from a closed state to an open state as shown in FIG. 1 via, for example, a hinge.
Further, a drawing medium placed on the pen custom-character part 61 at a position corresponding to a pen custom-character part 61 to be described later on one side surface of the case main body 2 (in this embodiment, the left side surface in FIG. 1). A medium insertion / exit 24 that can be replaced (not shown) is formed.

An operation unit 25 (see FIG. 9) is installed on the upper surface (top plate) of the case body 2.
The operation unit 25 is an input unit on which a user performs various inputs.
The operation unit 25 includes, for example, a power switch button for turning on the power of the nail printing apparatus 1, a stop switch button for stopping the operation, a design selection button for selecting a design image to be drawn on the nail T, and a drawing start for instructing a drawing start. Operation buttons (not shown) for performing various inputs such as buttons are arranged.

In addition, a display unit 26 is installed at a substantially central portion of the upper surface (top plate) of the case body 2.
The display unit 26 includes, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic electroluminescence display, or other flat displays.
In the present embodiment, the display unit 26 includes, for example, a nail image obtained by photographing the printing finger U1 (a finger image including an image of the nail T), a contour line of the nail T included in the nail image, and the like. An image, a design selection screen for selecting a design image to be drawn on the nail T, a thumbnail image for design confirmation, an instruction screen for displaying various instructions, and the like are appropriately displayed.
A touch panel may be integrally formed on the surface of the display unit 26. In this case, for example, various stylus pens (not shown) that are pointed stick-shaped writing tools that are written on the touch panel surface, or touch operations that touch the surface of the display unit 26 with a fingertip, etc. Configured to allow input.

  The apparatus main body 10 is formed in a substantially box shape, and a lower machine casing 11 installed below the inside of the case main body 2 and an upper machine installed above the lower machine casing 11 and above the inside of the case main body 2. And a frame 12.

First, the lower machine casing 11 will be described.
The lower machine casing 11 includes a back plate 111, a bottom plate 112, a pair of left and right side plates 113 a and 113 b, an X-direction moving stage accommodating portion 114, a Y-direction moving stage accommodating portion 115 and a partition wall 116.
The lower ends of the side plates 113a and 113b are connected to the left and right ends of the bottom plate 112, respectively, and the side plates 113a and 113b are provided in a state where they stand up against the bottom plate 112.
The lower part of the back plate 111 is formed to be recessed in two steps toward the front (front side in the finger insertion direction). A lower end portion of the back plate 111 is connected to a front end portion of the bottom plate 112, and the back plate 111 divides a region surrounded by the bottom plate 112 and the side plates 113a and 113b back and forth.
The space formed on the back side of the recessed back plate 111 is an X-direction moving stage accommodating portion 114 and a Y-direction moving stage accommodating portion 115 (see FIG. 2). In the X-direction moving stage accommodating portion 114, the X-direction moving stage 45 of the drawing portion 7 is accommodated when the drawing portion 7 moves forward (front side in the finger insertion direction). A Y-direction moving stage 47 of the drawing unit 7 is disposed in the Y-direction moving stage accommodating unit 115.
Further, the partition wall 116 divides the space on the front side inside the lower machine casing 11 (the space on the front side in the finger insertion direction surrounded by the back plate 111, the bottom plate 112, and the side plates 113a and 113b) vertically. Is provided inside. The partition wall 116 is provided substantially horizontally, the left and right ends of the partition wall 116 are connected to the side plates 113 a and 113 b, respectively, and the rear end portion of the partition wall 116 is connected to the back plate 111.

The lower machine casing 11 is integrally provided with a finger fixing unit 30 (see FIG. 2).
The finger fixing unit 30 receives a finger corresponding to the nail T to be drawn (hereinafter referred to as “printing finger U1”) and a finger other than the printing finger U1 (hereinafter referred to as “non-printing finger”). And a finger retracting section 32 that retracts the printing finger U2).
The finger receiving portion 31 is disposed on the upper side of the partition wall 116 and substantially at the center in the width direction of the lower machine casing 11. In addition, a space partitioned by the partition wall 116 on the lower side of the lower machine casing 11 constitutes the finger retracting portion 32.
For example, when drawing on the nail T of the ring finger, as shown in FIG. 8, the ring finger as the printing finger U1 is inserted into the finger receiving unit 31, and the other four fingers (thumb, index finger) as the non-printing finger U2. , Middle finger, little finger) is inserted into the finger retracting portion 32.
The finger receiving portion 31 is open to the front side of the lower machine casing 11 (front side in the printing finger insertion direction). The side is divided by the partition 31c (refer FIG. 8). The finger placement unit 116a places the finger (printing finger U1) of the nail T to be drawn on the XY plane.
Further, the upper side of the finger receiving portion 31 is partitioned by a ceiling portion 31d. A window 31e for exposing the nail T of the printing finger U1 inserted in the finger receiving portion 31 is formed in the ceiling portion 31d (see FIG. 8).

Further, front walls 31 f (see FIG. 1) that block the front side of the lower machine casing 11 are erected on both sides of the upper surface of the partition wall 116 and on the front side of the lower machine casing 11. In addition, a pair of guide walls 31g (which narrows from the end near the center of the front wall 31f toward the finger receiving portion 31 and guides the printing finger U1 into the finger receiving portion 31 on the upper surface of the partition wall 116f. 1) is erected.
The user can sandwich the partition wall 116 between the printing finger U1 inserted into the finger receiving unit 31 and the non-printing finger U2 inserted into the finger retracting unit 32. Therefore, the printing finger U1 inserted into the finger receiving part 31 is stably fixed.
In the present embodiment, a protruding portion 116b projecting downward is formed at the front end portion of the partition wall 116. The protruding portion 116b may be a tapered portion that gradually decreases in thickness toward the near side and gradually increases toward the inner side, and the thickness of the protruding portion 116b is formed in a recess on the inner side of the partition wall 116. On the other hand, the whole structure may be thick. Since the protrusion 116b is formed at the front end of the partition wall 116, when the non-printing finger U2 is inserted into the finger retracting portion 32, as shown in FIG. A space is secured between the nail T and the nail T can contact the lower surface of the partition wall 116 to prevent ink from adhering to the apparatus side, and the pattern drawn on the nail T from being rubbed and damaged.

On the upper surface of the lower machine casing 11, on the side of the finger receiving portion 31 (a position corresponding to the medium insertion / exit 24 of the case main body 2 and on the left side in FIG. 1 in this embodiment), a drawing head 70 described later. In the drawing possible range, a pen custom-character section 61 for performing a break-in of the pen 71, which will be described later, is provided. In addition, the pen custom-character part 61 is formed by digging down a part of the upper surface of the lower machine casing 11, and the height of the pen custom-character part 61 is when the printing finger U <b> 1 is inserted into the finger receiving part 31. It is preferable to be provided so as to be substantially the same as the height of the nail T.
The pen custom-character part 61 is a flat plate part on which a drawing medium (not shown) inserted from the medium insertion port 24 of the case body 2 is placed.
The drawing medium placed on the pen custom-printing unit 61 may be any medium that can accustom the pen tip (tip portion) 713, for example, a piece of paper.
In order to prevent the writing start point from being faded due to dryness of the pen tip 713 or poor ink loading or the like, the pen custom-printing unit 61 stores the drawing medium before starting drawing with image data on the nail T. The pen 71 is lowered to draw a predetermined figure such as “◯” or “∞” and write-in, thereby improving the state of the pen tip 713.
There are no particular limitations on the predetermined figure to be drawn when performing break-in writing, but it is preferably a simple figure such as “◯” or “∞” so as not to use ink excessively. It is preferable that the break-in writings such as “◯” and “∞” are written while slightly shifting each time within the range of the pen writing section 61.
When writing is performed on almost the entire surface of the drawing medium, a display screen for prompting replacement of the drawing medium such as “Replace paper” is displayed on the display unit 26. In this case, when the user takes out the drawing medium from the medium insertion port 24 and replaces it with a new one, a new writing medium can be written into. For example, when the drawing medium is roll paper, when the drawing space runs out, the drawing medium is fed out from the roll paper so that break-in can be performed on a new drawing surface.

  The drawing unit 7 moves the drawing head 70 including the drawing pen 71, the unit support member 44 that supports the drawing head 70, and the drawing head 70 in the X direction (the X direction in FIG. 1 and the left and right direction of the nail printing apparatus 1). X-direction moving stage 45, X-direction moving motor 46, and Y-direction moving stage 47 for moving drawing head 70 in the Y-direction (Y-direction in FIG. 2, front-back direction of nail printing apparatus 1), Y-direction movement A motor 48 and the like are provided.

FIG. 3A is a top view of the drawing head 70.
FIG. 3B is a front view of the drawing head 70 of FIG.
FIG. 3C is a side view of the drawing head 70 of FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C, in the present embodiment, the drawing head 70 is a rotary pen carriage 72 that can hold a plurality of pens 71, and a carriage rotation mechanism that rotates the pen carriage 72. 73, a pen pressing mechanism 74 for moving the pen 71 held by the pen carriage 72 up and down.
The upper end portion of the unit support member 44 is a beam portion 441 projecting substantially in an L shape on the front side (left side in FIG. 2) of the nail printing apparatus 1, and the drawing head 70 is provided on the beam portion 441. .

The pen carriage 72 of this embodiment includes three plate-like members 721 to 723 (that is, a first plate-like member 721, a second plate-like member 722, and a third plate-like member 723), and a pen tip fitting. A combined member 720, a rotation shaft 724, an auxiliary shaft member 725, a coil spring 726, a pen cylinder member 761, and a rotation shaft cylinder member 762 are provided.
The three plate-like members 721 to 723 (the first plate-like member 721, the second plate-like member 722, and the third plate-like member 723) are disk-like members formed in substantially the same size. From the bottom, the first plate member 721, the second plate member 722, and the third plate member 723 are stacked in this order.
Teeth that mesh with the gear 733 of the carriage rotation mechanism 73 are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the third plate-like member 723 arranged at the top, and the third plate-like member 723 functions as a gear. A reference index 728 for indicating a reference position for rotation of the pen carriage 72 is provided at a predetermined position (for example, a position corresponding to a predetermined pen cylinder member 761) on the outer peripheral surface of the second plate-like member 722. Is provided.
The reference index 728 is, for example, a reflective cloth or a reflective sheet that can be read by a photo reflector, and is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the second plate-like member 722 by sticking or the like in this embodiment.

On the pen carriage 72, eight pen cylindrical members 761 that open up and down and hold the pen 71 are arranged along the circumference of the pen carriage 72.
FIG. 4A is an enlarged side view of a main part of a part of the pen carriage 72, showing a non-drawing state in which the pen 71 is raised upward.
FIG. 4B is a main part side view showing a state where drawing is possible with the pen 71 of FIG. 4A lowered downward.
FIG. 4C is a bottom view of the pen carriage 72 of FIG. 4A viewed from below.
FIG. 4D is a partially enlarged view of the first plate-like member 721 showing a state in which the pen tip fitting member 720 is removed from the first plate-like member 721 of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4A to FIG. 4D, in the present embodiment, the three plate-like members 721 to 723 each have a through hole corresponding to the position where the pen cylindrical member 761 is disposed. (In FIGS. 4 (a), 4 (b) and 4 (d), a penetrating hole 721a is shown only for the first plate member 721), and the pen cylindrical member 761 is formed. These are inserted through the through-holes and provided through the three plate-like members 721 to 723.
The number of pen cylindrical members 761 provided on the pen carriage 72 is not particularly limited, and may be more or less than eight. The more pen cylinder members 761 are provided, the more pens 71 can be simultaneously held, and it becomes possible to draw a complicated nail design using various inks.
Note that the pens 71 need not be held by all the pen cylindrical members 761. 3A and 3C show an example in which the pen 71 is held by four of the eight pen cylindrical members 761. FIG.
Also, auxiliary shaft through-holes through which the auxiliary shaft member 725 is inserted are inserted into both sides of the pen through-holes in the first plate-like member 721 and the second plate-like member 722 (FIG. 4A). 4 (b) and 4 (d), a through hole 721b is shown only for the first plate member 721.

On the lower side of the first plate-like member 721, pen tip fitting members 720 are arranged so as to close the lower openings of the pen cylindrical members 761.
The pen tip fitting member 720 is a fitting member that fixes the tip end side of the pen shaft portion 711 of the pen 71 that is a drawing tool.
The pen tip fitting member 720 is provided with an auxiliary shaft member 725 that is fixed so as to be parallel to the pen shaft portion 711 of the pen 71 and moves up and down together with the pen 71, and an auxiliary shaft member 725 in an upward direction when no external force is applied. A coil spring 726 is provided as an auxiliary shaft biasing member for biasing.

Specifically, in the present embodiment, a pen-hole fitting member 720 is provided with a through-hole 720a into which a fitting portion 712 of a pen 71, which will be described later, is inserted and into which the fitting portion 712 is fitted. A recess 720b into which the auxiliary shaft member 725 is fitted is provided on both sides of the through hole 720a.
The auxiliary shaft member 725 is inserted into the auxiliary shaft through hole in the first plate member 721 and the second plate member 722, and the lower end portion thereof is fitted into the recess 720 b of the pen tip fitting member 720. ing.
Accordingly, the auxiliary shaft member 725 is fixed to the pen tip fitting member 720 so as to be parallel to the pen shaft portion 711 of the pen 71.

Further, an E-ring 727 that projects outward is provided near the upper end of the auxiliary shaft member 725.
The outer diameter of the E ring 727 is formed to be larger than the inner diameter of the through hole for the auxiliary shaft in the second plate-like member 722.
A coil spring 726 is wound around the outer periphery of the pen 71 and between the E ring 727 and the upper surface of the second plate-like member 722.
The coil spring 726 as an auxiliary shaft biasing member biases the auxiliary shaft member 725 upward in a state where no external force is applied.
In this embodiment, the coil spring 726 as the auxiliary shaft urging member is disposed on the outer periphery of the pen 71 and is compressed when the pen 71 is pressed downward by an external force, and returns to its original state against the external force. It is an elastic member having a restoring force to return.
One end side of the coil spring 726 is in contact with the lower surface of the E ring 727, and the other end side is in contact with the upper surface of the second plate-like member 722.
The coil spring 726 holds the position of the pen 71 in a non-drawing state at a position where the pen tip 713 does not contact the nail T. That is, as described above, the auxiliary shaft member 725 is biased upward (upward in FIGS. 4A and 4B) by the coil spring 726, and in the state where no external force is applied, The upper end portion of the member 725 is held at a position where it abuts on the lower surface of the third plate-like member 723. In this state, the pen tip 713 is located near the lower surface of the first plate-like member 721 so that the pen tip 713 does not come into contact with the nail T even when the pen carriage moves above the finger receiving portion 31. It has become.

In addition, a through hole (in FIG. 4D, the through hole 721c is shown only for the first plate member 721) is formed at substantially the center of the three plate members 721 to 723. Yes. A cylindrical member 762 for a rotating shaft is inserted through the central through-hole, and the rotating shaft cylindrical member 762 is provided through three plate-like members 721 to 723.
A rotating shaft 724 suspended from the beam portion 441 is inserted into the rotating shaft cylindrical member 762, and the pen carriage 72 is configured to be able to rotate substantially horizontally around the rotating shaft 724.
In addition, it is preferable that a washer is provided on the rotary shaft 724 so as to sandwich the upper and lower sides of the pen carriage 72, and an E-ring or the like for preventing the removal is provided at the lower end of the rotary shaft 724. Thereby, the pen carriage 72 can rotate more smoothly around the rotation shaft 724.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing the appearance of the pen 71 held by the pen cylindrical member 761 as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3C in this embodiment.
The pen 71 is a drawing tool that uses the surface of the nail T as a drawing target surface, and draws the tip part in contact with the surface of the nail T as the drawing target surface.
As shown in FIG. 5, a pen 71 as a drawing tool is provided with a pen tip 713 on the distal end side (lower side in FIG. 5) of a rod-shaped pen shaft portion 711.
In the present embodiment, a fitting portion 712 having a diameter smaller than that of the pen shaft portion 711 is provided on the tip end side of the pen shaft portion 711. The fitting portion 712 is a portion that is fitted into the concave portion 720b of the pen tip fitting member 720. By fitting the fitting portion 712 into the concave portion 720b, the pen tip 713 is satisfactorily fitted and the pen tip 713 is shaken. Etc. are less likely to occur.
Further, a bar-shaped protrusion 714 is provided on the upper portion of the pen shaft portion 711.
The protrusion 714 is a portion that is pressed by a slide pin 77 described later. In addition, when the pen 71 is replaced or the like, the protrusion 714 also functions as a knob that is picked with a finger or the like when the user takes out the pen 71. In this embodiment, the case where the tip of the protrusion 714 is hemispherical is illustrated, but the shape of the tip of the protrusion 714 can be stably pressed by the pressing surface 747a. The shape is not limited to the illustrated example as long as it is easy for the user to pick. For example, it may be a spherical shape or a flat plate shape.

The inside of the pen shaft portion 711 is an ink storage portion that stores various inks.
Various types of ink can be applied as the ink stored in the pen shaft portion 711. The viscosity of the ink and the particle size (particle size) of the color material are not particularly limited. For example, gold-silver lame ink or white ink, UV curable ink or gel nail, undercoat, top coat A manicure or the like can also be used.

In the present embodiment, the pen 71 is a ballpoint pen type in which, for example, the pen tip 713 is pressed against the surface of the nail T so that the ink contained in the pen shaft portion 711 oozes out and is drawn. It is a pen.
The pen 71 is not limited to a ballpoint pen type. For example, a sign pen type in which ink is soaked in a felt-shaped pen tip or a brush pen type in which ink is soaked into a bundled hair and drawn may be used.
Various types of pen nibs 713 can be prepared.
The pens 71 held by the pen carriage 72 may all be pens having the same type of pen point 713, or may be pens having different types of pen point 713.
The pen 71 is held only by being inserted into the pen cylindrical member 761 of the pen carriage 72 from above. For this reason, the replacement can be easily performed by opening the pen replacement lid portion 23 provided on the case body 2 and picking the protrusion 714 with, for example, a hand or tweezers.
As a result, the user realizes a wide range of nail designs by appropriately replacing the pen 71 attached to the pen carriage 72 with a pen 71 having a different color, type of pen tip 713, or ink type according to the nail design to be drawn. be able to.

As shown in FIG. 3C, the carriage rotation mechanism 73 includes a step motor 731 and teeth formed on the outer peripheral surface of the third plate-like member 723 connected to the step motor 731 via a rotation shaft 732. An intermeshing gear 733 is provided.
In the present embodiment, when the rotation shaft 732 is rotated by driving of the step motor 731 and the gear 733 attached to the rotation shaft 732 is rotated, the third plate member 723 as a gear meshing with the gear 733 is changed. Rotate. As a result, the pen carriage 72 rotates left and right.
The carriage rotation mechanism 73 includes an index reading unit 734 for reading the reference index 728 of the pen carriage 72. The index reading unit 734 is configured by, for example, a photo reflector that can read the reference index 728 configured by a reflective cloth, a reflective sheet, or the like. Each time the index reading unit 734 reads the reference index 728, the index reading unit 734 outputs the reading result to the drawing control unit 815.

The pen pressing mechanism 74 has a pressing-side elastic member that can be elastically deformed, and presses down the pen 71 that is a drawing tool mounted on the pen carriage 72.
In the present embodiment, the pen pressing mechanism 74 includes a solenoid 740 including a coil portion 741 and a plunger 742, a pin 743 attached to the moving end side of the plunger 742 of the solenoid 740, and one end via the pin 743. A leaf spring up / down lever 744 connected to the plunger 742, a leaf spring 746 attached to the other end of the leaf spring up / down lever 744, a slide pin 77, and a coil spring 78 disposed on the outer periphery of the slide pin 77, It has.

  In the solenoid 740 of the present embodiment, when the coil portion 741 is energized, the plunger 742 is attracted to the coil portion 741 side (right side in FIG. 7A, etc.), and when the energization is stopped, the plunger 742 is returned to the original position. This is a pull-type solenoid that protrudes. The solenoid 740 is not limited to a pull type as long as it reciprocates linearly, and may be configured as a push type.

A support member 442 is erected on the beam portion 441, and a support shaft 745 is provided on the support member 442 so as to extend in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the plunger 742.
As shown in FIG. 3C, the leaf spring up / down lever 744 is substantially L-shaped in a side view, and a support shaft 745 is inserted through the L-shaped intersection of the leaf spring up / down lever 744. The leaf spring up / down lever 744 is rotatable about the support shaft 745.
A long hole 744a is formed on the connection side of the leaf spring up / down lever 744 with the plunger 742, and a pin 743 attached to the plunger 742 is engaged with the long hole 744a.

A plate spring 746 is fixed to the other end of the plate spring up / down lever 744.
The leaf spring 746 is in contact with the upper portion of the slide pin 77 and can press the slide pin 77 and the pen 71 in contact with the slide pin 77 downward, and is pushed upward by the slide pin 77 and the pen 71. It is a pressing side elastic member which can be bent and deformed.
The plate spring 746 of the present embodiment is a flat spring and is arranged so that the free end side is located above the slide pin 77.

The leaf spring 746 has a sufficiently wide width with respect to the slide pin 77 and comes into contact with a line or a surface.
If the leaf spring 746 is brought into contact with the slide pin 77 at a point, the leaf spring 746 may be detached from the slide pin 77. 77, the leaf spring 746 is configured to come into contact with a line or surface. Accordingly, the leaf spring 746 does not come off from the slide pin 77, and the pen 71 in contact therewith can be stably pushed down in the vertical direction.

As a material for forming the leaf spring 746, a general spring member can be used. For example, “SUS”, “spring steel”, “phosphorus bronze”, “beryllium copper”, and the like can be applied. As “SUS”, for example, “SUS301-H”, “SUS304”, “SUS316”, and the like can be used.
In addition, the material which forms the leaf | plate spring 746 is not limited to what was illustrated here. The pressing force by the leaf spring 746 is the amount of spring deflection and the length of the leaf spring 746 (ie, the distance from the base end (fixed end to the leaf spring up / down lever 744) to the free end acting on the object to be pressed). If the length of the leaf spring 746 is short, a sufficient pressing force can be obtained even if a soft material is used. If the length of the leaf spring 746 is long, it is sufficient if a hard material is not used. The pressing force cannot be obtained. It can be adjusted according to the spring constant determined by the material used to form the leaf spring 746 and the shape (length, width, etc.) of the leaf spring 746, and is appropriately set according to the arrangement space of the leaf spring 746, etc. Is done.

6A is a diagram showing a state in which the slide pin 77 is raised, and FIG. 6B is a diagram showing a state in which the slide pin 77 is lowered.
As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the slide pin 77 is movable in the vertical direction. When the slide pin 77 is lowered, the lower end portion of the slide pin 77 is a pen. The upper part of 71 can be contacted.
Specifically, in the present embodiment, the slide pin 77 is provided at the pin shaft portion 771 and the upper end portion of the pin shaft portion 771, and has a larger diameter than the pin shaft portion 771 and is outside the pin shaft portion 771. A pin head 772 that protrudes from the pin shaft portion 771, and a flange portion 773 that is provided on the lower end surface of the pin shaft portion 771 and that has a diameter larger than that of the pin shaft portion 771 and extends outward from the pin shaft portion 771. A pressing portion 774 that can contact the upper portion of the pen 71 is provided on the lower end surface of the 773.
In the present embodiment, the pressing portion 774 is formed in a conical concave shape so as to receive the protruding portion 714 of the pen 71. The shape of the pressing portion 774 is not limited to the concave shape as long as it can stably receive the upper end portion of the protruding portion 714. For example, the pressing portion 774 may have a convex shape, and a concave portion that receives this may be formed at the upper end portion of the protruding portion 714.

The coil spring 78 is disposed between the pin head 772 on the outer periphery of the pin shaft portion 771 of the slide pin 77 and the pin mounting member 79, and is compressed when the slide pin 77 is pressed downward by an external force. It is a pin-side elastic member having a restoring force to resist and return to the original state.
The pin-side elastic member is not limited to a coil spring, and is an elastic member having a restoring force that is compressed when the slide pin 77 is pressed downward by an external force and tries to return to the original state against the external force. If so, it is applicable.

The slide pin 77 and the coil spring 78 are mounted on the beam portion 441 by a pin mounting member 79.
That is, the pin mounting member 79 is formed with a shaft insertion hole 791 through which the pin shaft portion 771 is inserted. The shaft insertion hole 791 has an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the pin shaft portion 771 and smaller than the outer diameters of the pin head 772 and the flange portion 773, and the pin shaft portion inserted through the shaft insertion hole 791. 771 does not fall out.
One end side of the coil spring 78 provided on the outer periphery of the pin shaft portion 771 is locked to the upper surface of the pin mounting member 79, and the other end side is pressed against the lower surface of the pin head 772, and the slide pin 77 is locked by an external force. When pressed downward, it is compressed between the upper surface of the pin mounting member 79 and the lower surface of the pin head 772.
The pin mounting member 79 has a screw hole 792, and a screw is inserted into the screw hole 792 so that the pin mounting member 79 is screwed and fixed onto the beam portion 441. A slide pin 77 into which the pin shaft portion 771 is inserted in 791 and a coil spring 78 provided on the outer periphery of the pin shaft portion 771 are attached on the beam portion 441.

  In the present embodiment, the pressing side elastic member is configured by the plate spring 746 and the coil spring 78 which is a pin side elastic member.

7A shows a state where the solenoid 740 of the pen pressing mechanism 74 is not operated during non-drawing, and FIG. 7B shows a state where the solenoid 740 of the pen pressing mechanism 74 is operated during drawing. Yes.
At the time of non-drawing, when the coil portion 741 of the solenoid 740 is not energized, the plunger 742 protrudes to the front side (left side in FIG. 2) of the nail printing apparatus 1 as shown in FIG. Thus, the pressing surface 747a of the leaf spring 747 is not in contact with the protrusion 714 of the pen 71. When the external force (pressing force by the leaf spring 747) is not applied in this way, the pen 71 is moved upward (upward in FIGS. 4A and 4B) by the biasing force of the coil spring 726. The pen tip 713 is held at a height that does not contact the surface of the nail T, which is the drawing target surface.
On the other hand, at the time of drawing, by energizing the coil portion 741 of the solenoid 740, the plunger 742 is attracted to the back side (right side in FIG. 2) of the nail printing apparatus 1 as shown in FIG. It will be in the state. As a result, the plate spring up / down lever 744 whose one end is locked to the pin 743 of the plunger 742 rotates about the support shaft 745, and the plate spring 747 attached to the plate spring up / down lever 744 tilts downward. The free end side of the leaf spring 746 contacts the pin head 772 of the slide pin 77 and presses the slide pin 77 downward. As a result, the pressing portion 774 of the slide pin 77 comes into contact with the upper end portion of the protruding portion 714 and presses it downward.
In this embodiment, the spring constant of the leaf spring 747 is larger than the spring constants of the coil spring 726 and the coil spring 78 that are auxiliary shaft biasing members. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 7B, in a state in which the claw T is not disposed below the pen 71, the leaf spring 747 is slightly bent, and the pen 71 can be pushed down to the lowest point.

On the other hand, FIG. 8 shows a state where the solenoid 740 of the pen pressing mechanism 74 is operated with the printing finger U1 inserted into the finger receiving unit 31 and the pen tip 713 is in contact with the nail T. ing.
In this case, as shown in FIG. 7B, the plunger 742 is attracted to the back side (right side in FIG. 2) of the nail printing apparatus 1 by energizing the coil portion 741 of the solenoid 740. The leaf spring up / down lever 744 whose one end is locked to the pin 743 of the plunger 742 rotates around the support shaft 745. As a result, the plate spring 747 attached to the plate spring up / down lever 744 tilts downward, the free end side of the plate spring 746 contacts the pin head 772 of the slide pin 77, and presses the slide pin 77 downward. As a result, the pressing portion 774 of the slide pin 77 comes into contact with the upper end portion of the auxiliary shaft member 725 and presses it downward.
When the auxiliary shaft member 725 is pushed down, the pen 71 connected to the auxiliary shaft member 725 is also pushed down by the pen tip fitting member 720, and the pen tip 713 comes into contact with the surface of the nail T. When the pen tip 713 hits the nail T and the pen 71 is pushed up according to the curved shape of the nail T, the auxiliary shaft member 725 is also pushed up following this. Then, the leaf spring 747 is bent and deformed (elastically deformed) by being pushed by the auxiliary shaft member 725, so that the pen 71 follows the height of the nail T while maintaining an appropriate writing pressure.
The spring constant of the leaf spring 747 is not so large, and this spring constant is set to such a value that the pawl T does not feel pain when the pressing force (external force) by the leaf spring 747 is applied to the pawl T. Has been. Further, when the leaf spring 747 is appropriately bent, an impact caused by the vertical movement of the pen 71 is absorbed, and a fine drawing can be performed with an appropriate writing pressure applied to the pen tip 713.

Further, the unit support member 44 is fixed to an X direction moving unit 451 attached to the X direction moving stage 45. The X-direction moving unit 451 moves in the X direction along a guide (not shown) on the X-direction moving stage 45 by driving the X-direction moving motor 46, and is thereby attached to the unit support member 44. The drawing head 70 is moved in the X direction (the X direction in FIG. 1, the left and right direction of the nail printing apparatus 1).
The X direction moving stage 45 is fixed to the Y direction moving portion 471 of the Y direction moving stage 47. The Y-direction moving unit 471 is moved in the Y-direction along a guide (not shown) on the Y-direction moving stage 47 by driving the Y-direction moving motor 48, and is thereby attached to the unit support member 44. The drawing head 70 is moved in the Y direction (the Y direction in FIG. 2, the front-rear direction of the nail printing apparatus 1).
In this embodiment, the X direction moving stage 45 and the Y direction moving stage 47 are configured by combining an X direction moving motor 46 and a Y direction moving motor 48 with a ball screw and a guide (not shown).
In the present embodiment, a head driving unit 49 as an XY driving unit that drives a drawing head 70 including a pen 71 that performs drawing on the nail T in the X direction and the Y direction by the X direction moving motor 46 and the Y direction moving motor 48. Is configured.

  A solenoid 740 of a pen pressing mechanism 74 for moving the pen 71 up and down in the drawing unit 7, a step motor 731 for rotating the pen carriage 72, an X direction moving motor 46, and a Y direction moving motor 48 are a control device described later. It is connected to 80 drawing control units 815 (see FIG. 9) and is controlled by the drawing control unit 815.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the photographing unit 50 is provided in the upper machine casing 12.
That is, the substrate 13 is installed on the upper machine casing 12, and two cameras 51 as imaging devices of the imaging unit 50 are installed on the lower surface of the central portion of the substrate 13.
The camera 51 is preferably a small camera configured to include, for example, a solid-state imaging device having about 2 million pixels or more, a lens, and the like.
The camera 51 captures the nail T of the printing finger U1 inserted in the finger receiving unit 31 and obtains a nail image (a finger image including an image of the nail T) that is an image of the nail T of the printing finger U1. It is.

In the present embodiment, the two cameras 51 are provided substantially side by side in the width direction of the nail T of the printing finger U1 inserted in the finger receiving unit 31.
Of the two cameras 51, one camera 51 is provided to face the bottom surface of the finger receiving portion 31 and photographs the nail T from directly above.
Further, the other camera 51 is arranged to be slightly inclined with respect to the bottom surface of the finger receiving portion 31 and photographs the nail T from an obliquely upward direction.

On the substrate 13, an illumination light (illumination device) 52 such as a white LED is installed so as to surround the camera 51. The illuminating lamp 52 illuminates the nail T of the printing finger U1 when the camera 51 takes a picture. The photographing unit 50 includes the camera 51 and the illumination lamp 52.
The imaging unit 50 is connected to an imaging control unit 811 (see FIG. 9) of the control device 80 described later, and is controlled by the imaging control unit 811.
Image data of an image photographed by the photographing unit 50 is stored in a nail image storage area 821 of the storage unit 82 described later.

In this embodiment, the nail | Tail T can be image | photographed from at least 2 different positions and angles with the two cameras 51 as an imaging device, and at least 2 nail images are acquired.
Then, based on these nail images, a nail information detecting unit 812 described later detects nail information such as the contour of the nail T (the shape of the nail T), the curved shape of the nail T, and the vertical position. Further, the nail information detection unit 812 can detect an inclination angle of the surface of the nail T with respect to the XY plane (hereinafter referred to as “inclination angle of the nail T” or “nail curvature”) based on these nail images. It has become. That is, for example, by capturing an image from directly above the nail T and an image from the oblique upper direction of the nail T, not only the contour of the nail T but also the inclination angle of the surface of the nail T can be accurately detected. be able to. The contents of the nail information detected by the nail information detection unit 812 are not limited to those exemplified here. Only a part of the above items (for example, the outline of the nail T) may be detected as nail information, or a hand may be detected, or other items other than the above may be detected as nail information.

Further, the control device 80 is installed on, for example, the substrate 13 disposed in the upper machine casing 12.
FIG. 9 is a principal block diagram showing a control configuration in the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 9, the control device 80 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) (not shown).
And a storage unit 82 including a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like (both not shown).

The storage unit 82 stores various programs and various data for operating the nail printing apparatus 1.
Specifically, the ROM of the storage unit 82 includes a nail information detection program for detecting nail information such as the shape of the nail T and the contour of the nail T from the nail image, and a drawing data generation program for generating drawing data. Various programs such as a drawing program for performing a drawing process are stored, and when these programs are executed by the control device 80, each unit of the nail print apparatus 1 is controlled in an integrated manner.
Further, in the present embodiment, the storage unit 82 stores the nail image storage area 821 for storing the nail image of the nail T of the user's printing finger U1 acquired by the photographing unit 50, and the nail information detected by the nail information detection unit 812. A nail information storage area 822 for storing (the contour of the nail T, the inclination angle of the nail T, etc.) and a nail design storage area 823 for storing nail design image data drawn on the nail T are provided.

  When viewed functionally, the control unit 81 includes an imaging control unit 811, a nail information detection unit 812, a drawing data generation unit 813, a display control unit 814, a drawing control unit 815, and the like. The functions as the imaging control unit 811, the nail information detection unit 812, the drawing data generation unit 813, the display control unit 814, the drawing control unit 815, etc. It is realized by the cooperation of.

The imaging control unit 811 controls the camera 51 and the illuminating lamp 52 of the imaging unit 50 and uses the camera 51 to detect a finger image including an image of the nail T of the printing finger U1 inserted into the finger receiving unit 31 (hereinafter referred to as “nail image”). ")").
In the present embodiment, the imaging control unit 511 causes the two cameras 51 to acquire at least two nail images from different positions and angles (for example, directly above the nail T and obliquely above the nail T).
The image data of the nail image acquired by the imaging unit 50 may be stored in the storage unit 82.

The nail information detecting unit 812 detects nail information about the nail T of the printing finger U1 based on the image of the nail T of the printing finger U1 inserted into the finger receiving unit 31 photographed by the camera 51.
Here, the nail information is, for example, the contour of the nail T (nail shape, horizontal position of the nail T), the height of the nail T (vertical position of the nail T, hereinafter “vertical position of the nail T” or simply “ It is also referred to as “the position of the nail T”.

Specifically, the nail information detection unit 812 detects the contour (shape and size) and position of the nail T from the nail image of the nail T of the printing finger U1 acquired by the camera 51, and this contour is represented by x, Acquired as information represented by the y coordinate or the like.
For example, the nail information detection unit 812 obtains the outline (shape) of the nail T based on the color difference between the nail T and the other finger part from the nail image of the nail T of the printing finger U1 acquired by the camera 51, for example. It is to detect. In addition, the method in which the nail information detection part 812 detects the outline (shape) of the nail | Tail T is not specifically limited, It is not restricted to what was mentioned here.
The nail information detection unit 812 detects the inclination angle (nail curvature) of the nail T based on at least two nail images photographed by the two cameras 51.
The nail information detection unit 812 is based on, for example, a difference in position and shape appearing in two nail images photographed from different positions and angles (for example, directly above the nail T and obliquely above the nail T) by the two cameras 51. The inclination angle (claw curvature) of the user's nail T is detected. Note that the method by which the nail information detection unit 812 detects the inclination angle (nail curvature) of the nail T is not particularly limited, and is not limited to that described here.

The drawing data generation unit 813 generates data for drawing applied to the nail T of the printing finger U1 by the drawing head 70 based on the nail information detected by the nail information detection unit 812.
Specifically, the drawing data generation unit 813 performs alignment processing by enlarging, reducing, cutting out, etc., nail design image data based on the shape of the nail T detected by the nail information detection unit 812, and the like. Generate data for rendering.
In the present embodiment, the drawing data generation unit 813 matches the nail design image data with the shape of the nail T in accordance with the nail information detected by the nail information detection unit 812, and appropriately performs curved surface correction or the like.
Thereby, data for drawing a nail design is generated.

  The display control unit 814 controls the display unit 26 to display various display screens on the display unit 26. In the present embodiment, the display control unit 814 causes the display unit 26 to display, for example, a nail design selection screen, a thumbnail image for design confirmation, a nail image obtained by photographing the printing finger U1, various instruction screens, and the like. It has become.

The drawing control unit 815 outputs a control signal to the drawing unit 7 based on the drawing data generated by the drawing data generation unit 813, and performs drawing according to the drawing data on the nail T. The control unit controls the solenoid 740, the step motor 731, the X-direction movement motor 46, and the Y-direction movement motor 48 of the pen pressing mechanism 74.
In the present embodiment, the drawing control unit 815 controls the operation of the solenoid 740 so that the solenoid 740 is not operated at the time of non-drawing, and the coil portion 741 of the solenoid 740 is energized to draw the plunger 742 toward the front side at the time of drawing.
Thus, when not drawing, the leaf spring 746 does not press the pin head 772 of the slide pin 77, the auxiliary shaft member 725 is biased upward by the coil spring 726, and the pen 71 does not contact the nail T with the pen 71. It will be up to the position. At the time of drawing, the leaf spring 746 presses the pin head 772 of the slide pin 77, the pen 71 is pushed down against the urging force of the coil spring 726, and the pen tip 713 is lowered to a position where it comes into contact with the nail T It becomes.
In this way, the drawing control unit 815 controls the operation of the solenoid 740 to appropriately move the pen 71 up and down, so that the pen tip 713 moves up and down following the height of the nail T while maintaining an appropriate writing pressure. A desired nail design can be drawn on the surface of the nail T to be drawn.

  Next, the operation and usage method of the nail print apparatus 1 in the present embodiment will be described.

When drawing with the nail printing apparatus 1, the user first turns on the power switch to activate the control apparatus 80.
The display control unit 814 causes the display unit 26 to display a design selection screen. The user operates an operation button or the like of the operation unit 25 to select a desired nail design from among a plurality of nail designs displayed on the design selection screen, whereby a selection instruction signal is output from the operation unit 25. A nail design to be drawn on the nail T is selected.
When the nail design is selected, the control unit 81 displays an instruction screen for prompting the display unit 26 to set the pen 71 necessary for drawing the selected nail design on the predetermined pen carriage 72 of the drawing head 70. Display. For example, when red ink or glitter gold ink is necessary, the display unit 26 instructs which pen carriage 72 should be equipped with which ink pen 71. The user sets a predetermined type of pen 71 on a predetermined pen carriage 72 in accordance with an instruction displayed on the display screen. Note that the user may dare to set a pen 71 different from the instruction to realize a nail design with a favorite color and texture.
Note that the control unit 81 may be configured to be able to read which type of pen 71 is set on the pen carriage 72 by a bar code or the like. In this case, the pen carriage 72 is set on the pen carriage 72. A nail design that can be drawn by the pen 71 may be displayed on the design selection screen of the display unit 26, and the user may be allowed to select a nail design from the screen.
Next, the user inserts the printing finger U1 into the finger receiving unit 31, inserts the non-printing finger U2 into the finger retracting unit 32, fixes the printing finger U1, and then operates the drawing switch.
For example, when the left finger is inserted into the finger receiving unit 31 as the printing finger U1, the other fingers are inserted into the finger retracting unit 32 as the non-printing finger U2.

When an instruction is input from the drawing switch, before the drawing operation is started, the shooting control unit 811 first controls the shooting unit 50 and illuminates the printing finger U1 with the illumination lamp 52 and the printing fingers with the two cameras 51. U1 is photographed. Thereby, the imaging control unit 811 acquires at least two images (nail images) of the nail T of the printing finger U1 inserted into the finger receiving unit 31.
Next, the nail information detection unit 812 detects nail information such as the outline (nail shape) of the nail T and the inclination angle (nail curvature) of the nail T based on the nail image.

When the nail information detection unit 812 detects the contour (nail shape) of the nail T and the inclination angle (nail curvature) of the nail T, the drawing data generation unit 813 uses the nail information to generate image data of the nail design. The fitting process to the nail T is performed.
The drawing data generation unit 813 performs curved surface correction on the image data of the nail design based on the nail information. Thereby, drawing data is generated.
Before starting drawing on the nail T, the drawing control unit 815 moves the drawing unit 7 to the pen custom writing unit 61 to drive the solenoid 740 of the pen pressing mechanism 74 of the pen carriage 72 that holds the pen 71. The pen 71 is pushed down by the spring 747 so that the pen 71 can be drawn. Then, running-in is performed to draw a predetermined figure such as “◯” or “∞” on the drawing medium. Note that the break-in may be performed only for the pen 71 necessary for drawing the selected nail design, or may be performed for all the pens 71.

When the drawing data is generated and the break-in writing is completed, the drawing control unit 815 outputs a control signal to the drawing unit 7 based on the drawing data, and causes the drawing head 70 to perform drawing based on the drawing data.
Specifically, first, the drawing control unit 815 grasps the rotation amount of the pen carriage 72 from the reading result of the reference index 728 by the index reading unit 734, and the step motor 731 performs the operation according to the rotation amount of the pen carriage 72. The driving is controlled, and the pen carriage 72 is rotated until the pen 71 necessary for drawing moves to a position where the pen pressing mechanism 74 is provided. Further, the drawing head 70 is appropriately moved in the XY directions to the drawing position, the pen pressing mechanism 74 is operated, and the auxiliary shaft member 725 is pressed downward by the plate spring 746. Thereby, the pen 71 is pushed down, and the pen tip 713 of the pen 71 is pressed against the surface of the nail T. At this time, the pen nib 713 is urged downward with an appropriate pressing force by the leaf spring 746 and draws on the surface of the nail T while moving up and down following the surface shape of the nail T.

When drawing is performed on a plurality of fingernails T, after the drawing process for one fingernail T is completed, the finger of the drawn nail T is removed from the finger receiving unit 31 and then drawn. The finger of the power nail T is inserted into the finger receiving unit 31 as the printing finger U1, the nail image of the nail T is acquired, and the above processing is repeated.
When the pen 71 is to be replaced, the drawing control unit 815 moves the drawing head 70 to a position corresponding to the pen replacement lid unit 23. In this state, when the user opens the pen replacement lid 23, the pen 71 can be taken out and replaced.

As described above, in the nail print apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the pen tip fitting member 720 that fits the tip end side (fitting portion 712) of the pen shaft portion 711 of the pen 71 is provided on the pen carriage 72 side. The pen tip fitting member 720 has an auxiliary shaft member 725 that is fixed so as to be parallel to the pen shaft portion 711 and moves up and down together with the pen 71, and an auxiliary shaft member 725 in an upward direction when no external force is applied. A coil spring 726 is provided as an auxiliary shaft biasing member that biases the pin, and a downward external force is applied to the auxiliary shaft member 725 via a plate spring 746 that is a pressing-side elastic member of the pen pressing mechanism 74. ing.
Thus, when a downward external force is applied to the protrusion 714 at the top of the pen via the slide pin 77 by the pen pressing mechanism 74, the pen 71 is pressed down and joined to the fitting portion 712 of the pen 71. The nib fitting member 720 is pushed down, whereby the auxiliary shaft member 725 is also lowered, and the coil spring 726 is compressed. For this reason, the pen tip 713 comes into contact with the surface of the nail T while maintaining an appropriate writing pressure, so that the drawing can be performed on the surface of the nail T.
Further, when the pen 71 is lifted by the pen tip 713 hitting the nail T, the leaf spring 746 is bent and deformed, and the pen tip fitting member 720 and the auxiliary shaft member 725 contacting the pen tip 713 are restored by the restoring force of the coil spring 726. Pushed upwards. Thereby, even if the height of the nail T which is the drawing target surface fluctuates, the pen tip 713 moves up and down smoothly following the shape of the nail T, and the fitting portion 712 moves to the pen tip fitting member 720. The leaf spring 746 absorbs the impact caused by the vertical movement of the pen 71, and the pen tip 713 can be prevented from shaking and shaking in the XY direction, so that high-quality nail printing can be performed.
The pen 71 has a simple configuration in which a pen tip 713 is provided on the pen shaft portion 711. For this reason, the pen 71 can be formed relatively thin. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 3A and the like, the diameter of the pen cylindrical member 761 that holds the pen 71 can be reduced, and the pen carriage 72 can hold many pens 71. Further, the pen carriage 72 itself can be reduced in size, and as a result, the entire nail printing apparatus 1 can be reduced in size.
Further, since the configuration of the pen 71 can be simplified as described above, it is possible to manufacture the pen 71 that is a consumable item relatively easily and inexpensively.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the nail print apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 (a) to 10 (c). Note that this embodiment is different from the first embodiment only in the configuration of the pen pressing mechanism, and therefore, in the following, differences from the first embodiment will be particularly described.

FIG. 10A is a top view of the drawing head 70.
FIG.10 (b) is the front view which looked at the drawing head 70 of Fig.10 (a) from the arrow b direction.
FIG.10 (c) is the side view which looked at the drawing head 70 of Fig.10 (a) from the arrow c direction.
As shown in FIGS. 10A to 10C, in this embodiment, the pen pressing mechanism 74 includes a solenoid 740 having the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, and a pin 743 to the solenoid 740. A plate spring up / down lever 744 having one end connected thereto and a plate spring 747 attached to the other end of the plate spring up / down lever 744 are provided.

The leaf spring 747 is a pressing side elastic member in the present embodiment.
The leaf spring 747 is bent at two positions on the free end side, and is formed in a substantially U shape in a side view. The lower surface of the leaf spring 747 bent in a U-shape is a pressing surface 747 a that presses the upper end of the protrusion 714 of the pen 71. The pressing surface 747 a abuts on the upper end portion of the protrusion 714 of the pen 71 and can press the auxiliary shaft member 725.
The leaf spring 747 abuts the projection 714 of the pen 71 with a line or surface on the pressing surface 747a, so that the leaf spring 747 moves the projection 71 714 of the pen 71 and the pen 71 that moves up and down in conjunction with the projection 714. It can be stably pushed down in the vertical direction.
The shape of the leaf spring 747 is not limited to the one illustrated here. The shape of the free end side of the leaf spring 747 may be a U shape instead of a U shape. Further, the free end side of the leaf spring 747 may be bent like a crank. Regardless of the shape, it is preferable that the portion of the leaf spring 747 that contacts the protrusion 714 of the pen 71 (the pressing surface 747a in this embodiment) is a “line or surface”. That is, if the leaf spring 747 is brought into contact with the protrusion 714 of the pen 71 at a point, the leaf spring 747 may be detached from the protrusion 714 of the pen 71. Therefore, the auxiliary spring member 747 is stably and reliably supported by the leaf spring 747. In order to press 725, the width of the leaf spring 747 is made sufficiently wide so that the protrusion 71 714 of the pen 71 is brought into contact with the line or surface.

By adopting the configuration as described above, in the present embodiment, the non-drawing state is such that the coil portion 741 of the solenoid 740 is not energized so that the plunger 742 is on the near side of the nail printing apparatus 1 (in FIG. 2). The leaf spring 747 does not depress the upper end of the protrusion 714 of the pen 71. In this state where the external force (pressing force by the leaf spring 747) is not applied, the auxiliary shaft member 725 is pushed upward by the urging force of the coil spring 726 and moves up and down in conjunction with the auxiliary shaft member 725. Also, the pen tip 713 is held at a height that does not contact the surface of the nail T that is the drawing target surface.
On the other hand, at the time of drawing, the coil portion 741 of the solenoid 740 is energized so that the plunger 742 is attracted to the back side (right side in FIG. 2) of the nail printing apparatus 1. As a result, the plate spring up / down lever 744 whose one end is locked to the pin 743 of the plunger 742 rotates about the support shaft 745, and the plate spring 747 attached to the plate spring up / down lever 744 tilts downward. The free end of the leaf spring 747 presses the upper end of the protrusion 714 of the pen 71, the pen 71 is pushed downward, and the pen tip 713 contacts the surface of the nail T, which is the drawing target surface.
Also in this embodiment, the spring constant of the leaf spring 747 is larger than the spring constant of the coil spring 726 that is the auxiliary shaft biasing member. For this reason, when the nail | Tail T is not arrange | positioned under the pen 71, the leaf | plate spring 747 can be pushed down to the lowest point only by bending a little.
When the solenoid 740 of the pen pressing mechanism 74 is operated with the printing finger U1 inserted into the finger receiving portion 31, the plunger 742 is nail printed by energizing the coil portion 741 of the solenoid 740. The plate spring up / down lever 744 whose one end is locked to the pin 743 of the plunger 742 rotates about the support shaft 745. As a result, the leaf spring 747 attached to the leaf spring up / down lever 744 is tilted downward, the free end side pushes down the upper end portion of the projection 714 of the pen 71, and the auxiliary shaft member 725 is pushed downward, and the pen 71 By being pushed down, the pen tip 713 comes into contact with the surface of the nail T. When the pen 71 is pushed up by the pen tip 713 hitting the nail T, the leaf spring 747 is bent and deformed (elastically deformed) by being pushed by the protrusion 714 of the pen 71. As a result, the pen 71 follows the height of the nail T while maintaining an appropriate writing pressure.
The spring constant of the leaf spring 747 is not so large, and this spring constant is set to a value that does not cause pain to the nail T when the pressing force (external force) by the leaf spring 747 is applied to the nail T. . Further, when the leaf spring 747 is appropriately bent, an impact caused by the vertical movement of the pen 71 is absorbed, and a fine drawing can be performed with an appropriate writing pressure applied to the pen tip 713.

  Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

Next, the operation of the nail print apparatus 1 in the present embodiment will be described.
First, as in the first embodiment, before starting a drawing operation, nail design selection, nail information detection, and the like are performed.
Specifically, when performing drawing, first, the drawing control unit 815 grasps the rotation amount of the pen carriage 72 from the reading result of the reference index 728 by the index reading unit 734, and determines the rotation amount of the pen carriage 72. Accordingly, the driving of the step motor 731 is controlled, and the pen carriage 72 is rotated until the pen 71 necessary for drawing moves to a position where the pen pressing mechanism 74 is provided. Further, the drawing head 70 is appropriately moved in the XY directions to move to the drawing position, the pen pressing mechanism 74 is operated, and the protrusion 714 of the pen 71 is pressed downward by the leaf spring 747. As a result, the pen 71 is pushed downward, and the pen tip 713 of the pen 71 is pressed against the surface of the nail T. At this time, the pen nib 713 is urged downward with an appropriate pressing force by the leaf spring 747 and draws on the surface of the nail T while moving up and down following the surface shape of the nail T.

  Since other points are the same as those in the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained in addition to the same effects as those of the first embodiment.
That is, in the present embodiment, the pressing side elastic member of the pen pressing mechanism 74 is configured only from the leaf spring 747.
For this reason, the configuration of the pen pressing mechanism 74 can be made simpler, the number of parts can be reduced, the number of assembling steps can be reduced, and the cost of measures can be reduced. This also makes it possible to reduce the overall size and weight of the apparatus.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the nail print apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 (a) to 11 (d) and FIGS. 12 (a) to 12 (c). In addition, since this embodiment is different from the first embodiment and the second embodiment only in the configuration of the pen and the pen tip fitting member, in the following, the first embodiment and the second embodiment will be particularly described. Differences from the embodiment will be described.

11A is a top view of the pen in the present embodiment, FIG. 11B is a side view of the pen in FIG. 11A, and FIG. 11C is FIG. 11A. FIG. 11D is a side view of the pen tip fitting member and the auxiliary shaft member for fitting the pen of FIG. 11, and FIG. 11D shows the pen tip fitting member and the auxiliary shaft member of FIG. FIG.
FIG. 12A is an enlarged side view of a part of the pen carriage in a state in which the auxiliary shaft member is not pressed in the present embodiment, and FIG. 12B is a diagram in which the auxiliary shaft member in the present embodiment is pressed. FIG. 12C is an enlarged side view of a part of the pen carriage in a state in which the pen carriage is viewed, and FIG. 12C is a bottom view of the pen carriage in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the pen 750 (drawing tool) of the present embodiment includes a pen shaft portion 751 and a pen tip 753 similar to those of the first embodiment. Yes.
The tip portion of the pen 750 has a screw portion 752 having a smaller diameter than the pen shaft portion 751 and a male screw formed on the outer peripheral surface, and a diameter gradually increasing from the pen shaft portion 751 side toward the screw portion 752. A tapered portion 754 that becomes smaller is provided.
The male screw provided in the screw portion 752 may be a single screw, a double screw, a triple screw, or the like. When the male screw provided in the screw portion 752 is a double screw or a triple screw, it is preferable because the number of rotations for tightening the screw is small.
In this embodiment, the screw part 752 and the taper-shaped part 754 are integrally provided, and the entire structure is like a flat head screw.
In addition, the pen 750 includes a rod-shaped protrusion 755 on the upper portion of the pen shaft portion 751. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11A, the protrusion 755 has a quadrangular prism shape that is substantially square when viewed from above.
In the present embodiment, as will be described later, the user rotates the pen 750 around the axis and screws the pen 750 so that the pen tip fixing plate 700 is fitted. It functions as a picking part that is picked with a finger or the like when rotating. Since the shape of the protruding portion 755 is a quadrangular prism shape, the protruding portion 755 can be gripped more firmly than in the case of a cylindrical shape, and the pen 750 can be fixed reliably and easily.
Note that the shape and the like of the protruding portion 755 are not limited to the illustrated example as long as they can be easily picked and can be firmly applied when the pen 750 is rotated.

As shown in FIGS. 11 (c) and 11 (d), the nib fitting member 700 of the present embodiment is provided with a fixing portion 703 into which the auxiliary shaft member 725 is fitted, as in the first embodiment. It has been. The fixing portion 703 may be a through hole or a non-penetrating recess.
In the present embodiment, the pen tip fitting member 700 includes a through hole 701 in which a female screw that fits a male screw of the screw portion 752 of the pen 750 is formed on the inner peripheral surface, and a tip portion of the pen tip fitting member 700. And a taper receiving portion 702 formed in a mortar shape for receiving the tapered portion 754 at a position corresponding to the through hole 701.
Here, in the above description, the screw of the screw portion 752 is a male screw and the screw of the through hole 701 is a female screw. However, the screw of the screw portion 752 may be a female screw and the screw of the through hole 701 may be a male screw. .

  In addition, since the other structure is the same as that of 1st Embodiment etc., the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same member and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

In this embodiment, when the pen 750 is replaced or newly installed, the user inserts the pen tip 753 into the through hole 701 of the pen tip fitting member 700, and rotates the projection 755 by pinching the projection 755 with a finger or the like. By doing so, the male screw of the screw part 752 is screwed into the female screw of the through hole 701. At this time, as the screw is screwed, the tapered portion 754 comes into close contact with the taper receiving portion 702, and the pen 750 is fitted and fixed to the pen tip fitting member 700 without rattling.
Also when the pen 750 moves up and down during drawing, as shown in FIGS. 12A to 12C, the threaded portion 752 of the pen 750 is screwed into the through-hole 701 of the pen tip fitting member 700, and the taper is tapered. Since the state where the shape portion 754 is in close contact with the taper receiving portion 702 is maintained, the pen tip 753 does not rattle or shake. In addition, since the auxiliary shaft member 725 provided in parallel with the pen 750 moves up and down with the pen tip fitting member 700 and the pen 750 fixed thereto, the movement of the pen 750 can be stabilized. 750 can be moved up and down smoothly.

  Since other points are the same as those in the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained, and the following effects can be obtained.
That is, in this embodiment, since the screw part 752 provided in the front-end | tip part of the pen 750 is screwed by the through-hole 701 of the pen point fitting member 700, the pen point 753 is more reliably attached to the pen point fitting member 700. Can be fixed to.
Further, a portion following the screw portion 752 is a tapered portion 754, and the tapered portion 754 is received by the tapered receiving portion 702 provided on the pen tip fitting member 700 side. When the screw portion 752 is screwed into the hole 701, the rattling can be surely suppressed. Also, when the pen 750 is set, the user precisely aligns the pen 750 with the pen tip fitting member 700. Even if the pen 750 is dropped on the taper receiving portion 702 and rotated, the pen tip 753 is naturally guided to the center portion of the through hole 701 and positioned and fixed at the correct position. The
For this reason, the pen 750 can be easily set, and the pen tip 753 can be completely fixed without play, and the pen tip 753 is prevented from shaking, for example, “lace” or “flower” It is possible to stably apply delicate and precise nail art such as “no failure”.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Next, a fourth embodiment of the nail print apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 (a), 13 (b), 14 (a) to 14 (c). In the present embodiment, the configuration of the pen carriage of the print head is different from that of the first embodiment and the like. In the following, differences from the first embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, in the present embodiment, the drawing head 70a holds four pens 750. Each pen 750 is held by a pen cylindrical member 761 similar to the first embodiment.
Four plate-like members 730 having through holes through which the pen 750 is inserted are attached to the beam portion 441 of the present embodiment, and each of the pen cylindrical members 761 is attached to the plate-like member 730.
A pen tip fitting member 700 having the same configuration as that of the third embodiment is provided below each pen cylindrical member 761. The pen tip fitting member 700 includes a pen 750, an auxiliary shaft member 725, and the pen tip fitting member 700. Is fixed.
That is, the pen 750 has a screw portion 752 and a tapered portion 754, and the pen tip fitting member 700 receives a through hole 701 into which the screw portion 752 is screwed and a taper receiving portion 702 that receives the tapered portion 754. It has a configuration in which rattling can be reliably suppressed by screwing the screw portion 752 into the through hole 701.
The auxiliary shaft member 725 of the present embodiment has a protruding member 729 that protrudes in a direction away from the axial center of the pen 750 that is a drawing tool.

The beam portion 441 is provided with four support plates 443 at positions corresponding to the four plate-like members 730 and the pen cylindrical member 761, and each support plate 443 is provided with a solenoid 780 and a support shaft 781. It has been. Each solenoid 780 and support shaft 781 are connected to an arm member 782 that swings according to the operation of the solenoid 780, and a plate spring 765 is attached to the free end of the arm member 782.
As shown in FIGS. 13 (a), 13 (b), 14 (a) to 14 (c), the leaf spring 765 has a through hole 765a through which the pen 750 and the auxiliary shaft member 725 are inserted. , And has a locking portion 765b to which the protruding member 729 is locked.
In this embodiment, when the arm member 782 swings by ON / OFF of the solenoid 780, the leaf spring 765 is also moved up and down, and the solenoid 780 is engaged with the locking portion 765b of the leaf spring 765 and the protruding member 729 is locked. In this state, a first position where an external force is applied to the auxiliary shaft member 725 and the pen 750 in the first direction (ie, the direction in which the tip of the pen 750 approaches the surface of the nail T, which is the drawing target surface), and a leaf spring The locking portion 765b of 765 functions as a leaf spring moving mechanism that moves the leaf spring 765 to either the second position where it does not contact the protruding member 729.

  In addition, since the other structure is the same as that of 3rd Embodiment etc., the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same member and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

In this embodiment, when the solenoid 780 is in the OFF state, the free end side of the arm member 782 rises upward as shown by the solid line in FIG. 13B, and the leaf spring 765 attached to this free end also moves upward. It will be in the raised state and will take the 2nd position where the protrusion member 729 does not contact the latching | locking part 765b. In this state, as shown in FIG. 14A, a non-drawing state in which the pen tip 753 rises and does not contact the nail T is entered.
When the solenoid 780 is energized and turned on, the arm member is attracted and rotated around the support shaft 781 as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 13B, and is provided on the free end side. The leaf spring is pushed downward. At this time, the locking portion 765b of the leaf spring 765 hits the protruding member 729, and the leaf spring presses the auxiliary shaft member 725 and the pen 750 downward with the protruding member 729 locked to the locking portion 765b. Then, the first position where the external force in the first direction (that is, the downward external force in the present embodiment) is applied to the auxiliary shaft member 725 and the pen 750 is taken.
In this way, even when the leaf spring 765 moves up and down due to ON / OFF of the solenoid 780, the pen 750 has the tapered portion 754 disposed in the tapered receiving portion 702, and the screw portion 752 is screwed into the through hole 701. Therefore, it is possible to perform drawing while following the height of the nail.

  Since other points are the same as those in the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained, and the following effects can be obtained.
That is, in this embodiment, the pen 750 can be moved up and down by combining the solenoid 780 and the leaf spring 765, and drawing with the pen 750 can be realized with a simple and inexpensive configuration.
Also in this case, by screwing the screw portion 752 provided at the tip end portion of the pen 750 into the through hole 701 of the nib fitting member 700, the nib 753 is securely attached to the nib fitting member 700. It can be fixed, and the pen tip 753 can be prevented from shaking, and a delicate and precise nail art can be stably applied without failure.

The mechanism for moving the leaf spring 765 up and down is not limited to that shown in the present embodiment.
For example, a stepping motor may be used instead of the solenoid 780. In this case, it is preferable to provide a micro switch for detecting the rotation amount of the stepping motor and controlling the movement of the motor.

[Fifth Embodiment]
Next, a fifth embodiment of the nail print apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 (a) and 15 (b). In addition, since this embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the configuration of the drawing head, the following description will particularly focus on differences from the first embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 15A and 15B, in the present embodiment, the drawing head 70b has a pen 750 as a drawing tool that performs drawing while the tip portion contacts the surface of the nail T, which is the drawing target surface. In addition to a pen cylindrical member 761 serving as a carriage for holding the ink, an ink jet type print head 90 that performs drawing by discharging small droplets of ink onto the surface of the nail T that is a drawing target surface is provided.
15A and 15B illustrate a configuration including one pen 750, the number of pens 750 provided in the drawing head 70b is not particularly limited.

The print head 90 is supported by a carriage 91, and the pen 750 and the solenoid 780 for moving the pen 750 up and down according to this embodiment are attached to the carriage 91 of the print head 90.
In the present embodiment, the pen cylindrical member 761 as a carriage for holding the pen 750 as a drawing tool and the print head 90 can be simultaneously moved by the head driving unit, and the head driving unit is used as the pen driving unit. It functions as a moving mechanism that moves 750 and the print head 90 simultaneously.
The configuration in which the print head 90 discharges ink is not particularly limited, and for example, a bubble jet (registered trademark) type or thermal type ink jet head can be applied.

  In addition, since the other structure is the same as that of 3rd Embodiment etc., the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same member and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In this embodiment, the solenoid 780 is operated so that the pen 750 is brought into contact with the nail T and the pen tip 753 is brought into contact with the nail T. For example, a base or background color is applied to the nail T, and then an inkjet print head is used. Ink is ejected from 90 to draw a fine pattern or the like.

  Since other points are the same as those in the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

As described above, according to this embodiment, in addition to the same effects as those of the third embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
In other words, in the present embodiment, both the pen 750 and the inkjet print head 90 are provided.
For this reason, for example, a high-viscosity ink or a base ink that is difficult to be ejected by the ink jet method is drawn using the pen 750, and a delicate pattern or the like is drawn by the ink jet print head 90. In addition, by properly using both features, the range of variations of the nail print that can be drawn by the nail print apparatus can be expanded.
In addition, since a moving mechanism that moves the pen 750 and the print head 90 at the same time is provided, drawing using both the pen 750 and the print head 90 can be realized without complicating the configuration.

  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 each of the above-described embodiments, the coil spring 726 is provided on the outer periphery of the auxiliary shaft member 725 as the auxiliary shaft biasing member. However, the auxiliary shaft biasing member is not limited to the coil spring.
The auxiliary shaft urging member is disposed on the outer periphery of the auxiliary shaft member 725, is compressed when the auxiliary shaft member 725 is pressed downward by an external force, and restores force to return to the original state against the external force. For example, the elastic member may be made of rubber or the like.
The auxiliary shaft urging member is not limited to an elastic member such as the coil spring 726 as long as it can urge the auxiliary shaft member 725 upward when no external force is applied. For example, a mechanism using hydraulic pressure or air pressure may be applied as the auxiliary shaft biasing member.

Further, in the first embodiment, a configuration including a leaf spring 746 and a slide pin 77 is illustrated as a pressing-side elastic member provided in the pen pressing mechanism 74, and a configuration including a leaf spring 747 in the second embodiment. Although illustrated, the pressing side elastic member provided in the pen pressing mechanism 74 is not limited to this.
For example, the pen pressing mechanism 74 may be configured by a solenoid including a plunger that linearly moves in the vertical direction, and the upper end portion of the auxiliary shaft member 725 may be pressed by the lower end portion of the plunger.
In this case, a pressing-side elastic member (for example, a coil spring) that can be elastically deformed when pushed upward by the auxiliary shaft member 725 is disposed on the outer periphery of the plunger.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, the case where the nail printing apparatus 1 includes the pen carriage 72 on which the eight pens 71 can be mounted is illustrated, but the number of pens 71 held by the nail printing apparatus 1 is eight. It is not limited. For example, a pen carriage capable of mounting a larger number of pens 71 such as ten may be provided. As the number of pens 71 that can be attached increases, it becomes possible to draw a complicated nail design using many colors.
Further, the pen carriage may not be capable of holding a plurality of pens at the same time, and may have a configuration in which only one pen 71 can be mounted. In this case, it is not necessary to rotate the pen carriage, and it is not necessary to provide the carriage rotation mechanism 73 configured by the step motor 731 and the like, the reference index 728 of the pen carriage 72, the index reading unit 734 and the like for reading this. . For this reason, the apparatus configuration can be further simplified, and the apparatus can be reduced in size and weight.
Further, a mechanism for automatically replacing the pen 71 mounted on the pen carriage 72 may be mounted. In this case, for example, a plurality of pens are held in the standby space, and the pens are automatically selected from here and mounted on the pen carriage 72. With this configuration, the number of pens 71 that can be held in the apparatus can be further increased. Also, the pen 71 mounted on the pen carriage 72 may be replaced by a method in which the user manually replaces the pen as necessary.

  In the present embodiment, a configuration using a solenoid as a pen pressing mechanism for moving the pen 71 up and down is illustrated, but the configuration of the pen pressing mechanism is not limited to this. For example, you may comprise with a step motor, DC motor, a motor, a ball screw, etc.

In each of the above embodiments, the X-direction moving stage 45 and the Y-direction moving stage 47 for moving the drawing head 70 are replaced by an X-direction moving motor 46 and a Y-direction moving motor 48 that are step motors, Although an example in which a combination with a guide is used has been described, the configuration for moving the drawing head 70 is not limited to this.
The X-direction movement motor 46 and the Y-direction movement motor 48 may be any one that can move the drawing head 70 back and forth and right and left as desired. For example, the X direction movement motor 46 and the Y direction movement motor 48 may be a shaft, guide, or wire used in a conventional inexpensive printer. A configuration using a configured mechanism may be used, or a configuration using a servo motor or the like may be used.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, the example in which the step motor 731 is used as the driving unit of the carriage rotation mechanism 73 that rotates the pen carriage 72 of the drawing head 70 is shown, but the configuration of the carriage rotation mechanism 73 is not limited to this.
For example, the carriage rotation mechanism that rotates the pen carriage of the drawing head may be composed of a ratchet mechanism and a solenoid.

In the present embodiment, the pen that draws with ink is illustrated, but the pen attached to the drawing head is not limited to the one that draws ink.
For example, a pen containing colorless or colored transparent liquid glue is attached to the drawing head, and after drawing (applying) the liquid glue in a predetermined pattern using this, powdery lame etc. before the liquid glue is dried A more luxurious nail design can also be realized by sprinkling or sticking rhinestones.
Alternatively, a pen containing a liquid containing fragrance or the like may be attached to the drawing head, and drawing may be performed using the pen so that a scented nail print can be enjoyed.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the case where a drawing medium that is a piece of paper is used for the pen customs is illustrated, but the drawing medium is not limited to paper. The drawing medium may be a roll-shaped medium. In this case, a medium feeding mechanism for feeding and winding the drawing medium automatically or manually is provided. Further, when the drawing medium is a roll-shaped medium, a medium attachment / detachment opening for attaching / detaching the roll-shaped drawing medium is provided instead of the medium insertion / exit 24.

  In this embodiment, the drawing data generation unit 813 matches the nail design image data with the shape of the nail T, and performs curved surface correction on the nail design image data to generate drawing data. However, it is not an essential component of the present invention that the drawing data generation unit 813 generates drawing data. For example, without generating drawing data separately, the drawing control unit 815 outputs the nail design image data to the drawing head while appropriately converting the image data using a LUT (Lookup Table) or the like to perform drawing in accordance with the nail shape. Drawing control may be performed.

  In this embodiment, the shape of the nail T is detected as the nail information, and the drawing data is generated based on the detected shape. However, the detection of the nail shape is not an essential component of the present invention. . For example, if it is not essential to extract the contour of the nail T when drawing, as in the case of drawing a one-point pattern in the middle of the nail T, it is necessary to accurately recognize the shape of the nail T No, drawing can be performed without detecting the nail shape.

  The imaging device is not limited to the camera 51 that captures a still image, and may be an apparatus that can capture a moving image. In this case, a moving image is captured by the camera, and an image on the upper surface of the nail T is appropriately cut out from the captured moving image and used for detection of nail information.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the case where the nail image storage area 821, the nail information storage area 822, and the nail design storage area 823 are provided in the storage unit 82 of the control device 80 is described as an example. The nail information storage area 822 and the nail design storage area 823 are not limited to those provided in the storage unit 82 of the control device 80, and a separate storage unit may be provided.

Further, in this embodiment, the nail print apparatus 1 that performs drawing sequentially by inserting fingers one by one into the apparatus has been described as an example. However, a plurality of fingers can be continuously inserted without inserting or removing each finger. The present invention can also be applied to an apparatus that can perform drawing.
For example, by extending the operating range of the pen to increase the drawing range, it is possible to continuously draw on the nails of each finger while being simultaneously inserted into the plurality of printing fingers U1.

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>
A fitting member that fits the tip of the drawing tool that draws the tip by contacting the surface of the nail that is the drawing target surface, and an auxiliary shaft that is fixed to the fitting member and moves with the drawing tool. A carriage having a member and an auxiliary shaft urging member that urges the auxiliary shaft member so as to separate the tip portion from the drawing target surface;
A drawing tool pressing mechanism for bringing the drawing tool into contact with the drawing target surface by pressing the drawing tool fitted to the fitting member of the carriage when performing the drawing;
A drawing apparatus comprising:
<Claim 2>
The drawing tool has a shaft portion provided with the tip portion on one end side, and a fitting portion having a diameter smaller than the shaft portion provided on the tip portion,
The drawing device according to claim 1, wherein the fitting member has a through hole into which the fitting portion is fitted and fitted.
<Claim 3>
The drawing tool is:
It has a screw part in which one of a male screw or a female screw is formed at the tip part,
The fitting member is
The drawing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a through hole in which the other of a male screw or a female screw that fits the screw portion is formed on an inner peripheral surface.
<Claim 4>
The drawing tool has a tapered portion where the screw portion has a smaller diameter than the shaft portion, and the diameter gradually decreases toward the screw portion at the tip portion,
The fitting member has a taper receiving portion formed in a mortar shape that receives the tapered portion at a position corresponding to the through hole on the surface of the fitting member on the insertion side of the tip portion. The drawing apparatus according to claim 3.
<Claim 5>
The auxiliary shaft urging member is disposed on an outer periphery of the auxiliary shaft member, and is compressed when the auxiliary shaft member is pressed in the first direction by an external force, so as to return to the original state against the external force. The drawing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the drawing apparatus is an elastic member having a restoring force.
<Claim 6>
The drawing tool pressing mechanism has an elastically deformable pressing side elastic member that contacts the drawing tool and presses the drawing tool,
The pressing-side elastic member is elastically deformed when the drawing tool is pressed, and is bent and deformed when the drawing tool is pushed up according to the shape of the drawing target surface when the drawing is being performed. 6. The drawing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drawing apparatus is a leaf spring.
<Claim 7>
The drawing tool pressing mechanism further includes:
A first position that is connected to one end of the leaf spring and that directly contacts the other end of the leaf spring with the other end of the drawing tool and presses the drawing tool; and the other end of the drawing tool The drawing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a leaf spring moving mechanism that moves to any one of a second position that does not contact the head.
<Claim 8>
The drawing tool pressing mechanism further includes:
Having one end and the other end, the other end can be brought into contact with the other end side of the drawing tool, and the other end is biased by a pin elastic member in a direction away from the other end side of the drawing tool body. A slide pin,
Connected to one end of the leaf spring, the other end of the leaf spring contacts the one end of the slide pin and pushes the slide pin, and the other end of the slide pin is the other end of the drawing tool body. A first position where the tip end part is brought into contact with the drawing target surface by pressing the drawing tool main body in a direction in which the tip end approaches the drawing target surface, and the slide pin is not pressed. A leaf spring moving mechanism for moving to any one of positions 2;
The drawing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:
<Claim 9>
The auxiliary shaft member has a projecting member projecting in a direction away from the axis center of the drawing tool,
The leaf spring has a through-hole through which the drawing tool and the auxiliary shaft member are inserted, and has a locking portion to which the protruding member is locked,
In a state where the protruding member is locked to the locking portion of the leaf spring, the protruding member is located at the first position for pressing the auxiliary shaft member and the drawing tool, and the locking portion of the leaf spring. The drawing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a leaf spring moving mechanism that moves the leaf spring to any one of the second positions that do not contact each other.
<Claim 10>
10. The ink jet printing head according to claim 1, further comprising an ink jet type print head for performing drawing by ejecting small droplets of ink onto a surface of a nail that is a drawing target surface. 11. The drawing apparatus described.
<Claim 11>
The drawing apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a moving mechanism that simultaneously moves the carriage and the print head.

1 Nail printing device (drawing device)
46 X direction moving motor 48 Y direction moving motor 49 Head drive unit 50 Imaging unit 70 Print head 71 Pen 72 Pen carriage 73 Carriage rotation mechanism 74 Pen pressing mechanism 77 Slide pin 78 Coil spring 81 Control unit 82 Storage unit 711 Pen shaft unit 713 Pen Tip 714 Protrusion 720 Pen tip fitting member 725 Auxiliary shaft member 726 Coil spring 740 Solenoid 744 Leaf spring up / down lever 746 Leaf spring 747 Leaf spring 747a Press surface T Nail U1 Printing finger

Claims (11)

A fitting member that fits the tip of the drawing tool that draws the tip by contacting the surface of the nail that is the drawing target surface, and an auxiliary shaft that is fixed to the fitting member and moves with the drawing tool. A carriage having a member and an auxiliary shaft urging member that urges the auxiliary shaft member so as to separate the tip portion from the drawing target surface;
A drawing tool pressing mechanism for bringing the drawing tool into contact with the drawing target surface by pressing the drawing tool fitted to the fitting member of the carriage when performing the drawing;
A drawing apparatus comprising: The drawing tool has a shaft portion provided with the tip portion on one end side, and a fitting portion having a diameter smaller than the shaft portion provided on the tip portion,
The drawing device according to claim 1, wherein the fitting member has a through hole into which the fitting portion is fitted and fitted. The drawing tool is:
It has a screw part in which one of a male screw or a female screw is formed at the tip part,
The fitting member is
The drawing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a through hole in which the other of a male screw or a female screw that fits the screw portion is formed on an inner peripheral surface. The drawing tool has a tapered portion where the screw portion has a smaller diameter than the shaft portion, and the diameter gradually decreases toward the screw portion at the tip portion,
The fitting member has a taper receiving portion formed in a mortar shape that receives the tapered portion at a position corresponding to the through hole on the surface of the fitting member on the insertion side of the tip portion. The drawing apparatus according to claim 3.   The auxiliary shaft urging member is disposed on an outer periphery of the auxiliary shaft member, and is compressed when the auxiliary shaft member is pressed in the first direction by an external force, so as to return to the original state against the external force. The drawing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the drawing apparatus is an elastic member having a restoring force. The drawing tool pressing mechanism has an elastically deformable pressing side elastic member that contacts the drawing tool and presses the drawing tool,
The pressing-side elastic member is elastically deformed when the drawing tool is pressed, and is bent and deformed when the drawing tool is pushed up according to the shape of the drawing target surface when the drawing is being performed. 6. The drawing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drawing apparatus is a leaf spring. The drawing tool pressing mechanism further includes:
A first position that is connected to one end of the leaf spring and that directly contacts the other end of the leaf spring with the other end of the drawing tool and presses the drawing tool; and the other end of the drawing tool The drawing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a leaf spring moving mechanism that moves to any one of a second position that does not contact the head. The drawing tool pressing mechanism further includes:
Having one end and the other end, the other end can be brought into contact with the other end side of the drawing tool, and the other end is biased by a pin elastic member in a direction away from the other end side of the drawing tool body. A slide pin,
Connected to one end of the leaf spring, the other end of the leaf spring contacts the one end of the slide pin and pushes the slide pin, and the other end of the slide pin is the other end of the drawing tool body. A first position where the tip end part is brought into contact with the drawing target surface by pressing the drawing tool main body in a direction in which the tip end approaches the drawing target surface, and the slide pin is not pressed. A leaf spring moving mechanism for moving to any one of positions 2;
The drawing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising: The auxiliary shaft member has a projecting member projecting in a direction away from the axis center of the drawing tool,
The leaf spring has a through-hole through which the drawing tool and the auxiliary shaft member are inserted, and has a locking portion to which the protruding member is locked,
In a state where the protruding member is locked to the locking portion of the leaf spring, the protruding member is located at the first position for pressing the auxiliary shaft member and the drawing tool, and the locking portion of the leaf spring. The drawing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a leaf spring moving mechanism that moves the leaf spring to any one of the second positions that do not contact each other.   10. The ink jet printing head according to claim 1, further comprising an ink jet type print head for performing drawing by ejecting small droplets of ink onto a surface of a nail that is a drawing target surface. 11. The drawing apparatus described.   The drawing apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a moving mechanism that simultaneously moves the carriage and the print head.

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