JP2017018456A - Application device and application method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer in which a printing position can be corrected according to movement of a medium to which printing is performed.SOLUTION: An application device comprises: a coating application part for discharging and applying a coating to a medium; a pressure detection part for detecting pressure distribution on the medium; and a position correction part for on the basis of positional information of the medium generated based on the pressure distribution, changing a discharge position of the coating so that an application position of the coating to the medium does not change.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  One embodiment of the present invention relates to a coating apparatus and a coating method.

  In recent years, there has been proposed a nail printing apparatus that applies a pattern to a nail by applying ink to the fingernail. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique related to a nail printing apparatus that confirms the position of a nail a plurality of times with a camera during printing and corrects the position if the nail position is different and continues printing. . Patent Document 2 discloses a technique related to a nail print apparatus that specifies the position of a finger by reflected light from the finger obtained by using a light emitting element and a light receiving element. Patent Document 3 discloses a technique relating to a nail printing apparatus that quickly detects a finger to be printed by sensing an area pressed by a finger using a pressure sensor.

JP2013-39170A JP 2012-85944 A JP 2013-192680 A

  However, in the conventional nail printing apparatus, it is difficult to pattern the nails so as not to be displaced. According to the technique described in Patent Document 1, since the position of the nail is confirmed using a camera, it is possible to correct the misalignment. However, the position of the print head and the position of the nail are close to each other. Therefore, in order to arrange the camera, it is necessary to integrally configure the print head and the camera as a head unit and move the head unit beyond the printing stroke. In this case, there is a problem that the apparatus becomes large and the printing time increases. Further, according to the technique described in Patent Document 2, it is possible to confirm the position of the finger and print while correcting the position based on the position information, but the finger position and the nail position are Since it is not possible to guarantee that they are linked, it is actually difficult to print while correcting the position.

  The present invention adopts the following means in order to solve the above problems. In the following description, in order to facilitate understanding of the invention, reference numerals and the like in the drawings are appended in parentheses, but each component of the present invention is not limited to these appendices. It should be construed broadly to the extent that contractors can technically understand.

One means of the present invention is to
A coating application unit (printing unit 140) for applying the coating by discharging the coating on the medium;
A pressure detector (110) for detecting the pressure distribution of the medium;
A position correction unit (control unit 100) that changes the discharge position of the paint so that the application position of the paint on the medium does not change based on the position information of the medium generated from the pressure distribution. This is a coating apparatus (printing apparatus 10).

Another means of the present invention is as follows:
Detecting the pressure distribution of the medium to which the paint is applied;
Applying the paint to the medium while changing the discharge position of the paint so that the application position of the paint on the medium does not change based on the position information of the medium generated from the pressure distribution; It is the coating method characterized by including.

  According to the above configuration or method, for example, the position of the medium to be printed (for example, the nail 210) is detected based on the pressure distribution, and the paint is applied to the medium without deviation while correcting the paint application position (print position) ( Printing). As a result, printing failure can be prevented even when the medium moves. Further, the stroke of a print head or the like for printing on the medium can be minimized. Thereby, for example, it is possible to provide a nail printing apparatus capable of appropriately applying a pattern to the nail.

In the coating apparatus, preferably,
A medium position information storage unit (memory 130) that stores a plurality of pieces of position information of the medium corresponding to the pressure distribution;
The position correction unit acquires position information of the medium corresponding to the detected pressure distribution from the medium position information storage unit.

  According to the coating apparatus having the above-described configuration, the discharge position of the paint is corrected based on the position information of the plurality of media (the claws 210) stored in the medium position information storage unit (memory 130), and the appropriate position on the medium is obtained. Since the paint is controlled to be applied, image formation at a more appropriate position is possible.

In the coating apparatus, preferably,
The position correction unit generates position information of the medium based on a pressure peak position of the pressure distribution.

  According to the coating apparatus having the above configuration, the position of the medium can be specified by a relatively simple method.

In the coating apparatus, preferably,
The position correction unit changes the ejection position by an interpolation process using position information of a plurality of media stored in the medium position information storage unit.

  According to the coating apparatus configured as described above, the position of the medium can be specified by a relatively simple method, and more appropriate correction of the paint discharge position can be performed by interpolation processing. Thereby, it can be set as the structure which apply | coats a coating material in the appropriate position on a medium.

In the coating apparatus, preferably,
The position correction unit changes the discharge position when a change in the pressure distribution is detected.

  According to the coating apparatus having the above-described configuration, it is possible to execute the process of correcting the paint discharge position only when the pressure distribution changes, so that it is possible to reduce the processing load on the coating apparatus.

In the coating apparatus, preferably,
The position correction unit stops the discharge of the paint when a change in the pressure distribution is detected.

  According to the coating apparatus having the above configuration, when it is estimated that the position of the medium has changed, it is possible to stop the discharge (printing) of the paint once and then restart the discharge of the paint as necessary. . As a result, it is possible to effectively prevent the application of the paint to an unintended position, and it is possible to form a cleaner image on the medium.

In the coating apparatus, preferably,
When the change in the pressure distribution is detected, the position correction unit continues to apply the paint while dynamically changing the discharge position.

  According to the coating apparatus having the above-described configuration, even when it is estimated that the position of the medium has changed, it is possible to continuously apply the paint while correcting the position at which the paint is discharged. As a result, even when the position of the medium changes, it is possible to complete the application (printing) of the paint to the medium in a relatively short time.

In the coating apparatus, preferably,
The paint application unit performs a process of repeatedly ejecting the paint a plurality of times on the same line in the main scanning direction.

  According to the coating apparatus having the above configuration, by applying a so-called interlace printing method, even if the coating position of the coating is shifted several times among the plurality of times, the remaining number of times can be applied to the appropriate position. As long as it is, it becomes possible to make it difficult to understand the positional deviation of an image or the like formed on the medium.

In the coating apparatus, preferably,
An imaging unit (120) for imaging the state of the medium;
The medium position information storage unit stores an imaging result by the imaging unit as position information of the medium corresponding to the pressure distribution,
The position correction unit changes the ejection position with reference to the imaging result.

  According to the coating apparatus having the above-described configuration, the position of the medium is specified based on the pressure detection unit and the imaging apparatus, and the coating material discharge position is corrected based on the position. Accordingly, the medium is corrected while performing position correction more appropriately. It becomes possible to apply the paint to the surface.

In the coating apparatus, preferably,
The medium is a nail.

  According to the coating apparatus having the above-described configuration, it is possible to provide a nail printing apparatus that applies an image or a pattern to the nail while appropriately correcting the coating position of the paint.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a printing apparatus. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement of components of the printing apparatus. FIG. FIG. The top view of a printing apparatus. Sectional drawing of a printing apparatus. The figure which shows the acquisition method of pressure distribution. The figure which shows the acquisition method of pressure distribution. The figure which shows the acquisition method of pressure distribution. The figure which shows the movement of a finger | toe and the change of pressure distribution. The figure which shows the movement of a finger | toe and the change of pressure distribution. The figure which shows the printing condition with respect to a finger | toe. The figure which shows the printing condition with respect to a finger | toe. The figure which shows the printing condition with respect to a finger | toe.

An embodiment according to the present invention will be specifically described according to the following configuration with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiments described below are merely examples of the present invention, and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, in each drawing, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same component and the description may be abbreviate | omitted.
1. Embodiment 1
(1) Configuration example of printing apparatus (2) Operation example Embodiment 2
3. Embodiment 3
4). Embodiment 4
5. Embodiment 5
6). Supplementary matter

<1. Embodiment 1>
First, Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The printing apparatus of the present invention is mainly used as a nail printing apparatus (nail printer), and has a function of applying a paint ink to a medium nail to form a pattern or an image. In particular, in the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment, the pressure distribution at the place where the finger is placed is detected, the movement of the finger and the nail is determined based on this pressure distribution, and the pattern or image is displayed at the position of the moved proper nail. One of the characteristics is to form. In the present invention, the image includes a pattern, a character, or the like that is formed on a medium by ink or paint.

<(1) Configuration Example of Printing Apparatus>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a control unit 100, a pressure detection unit 110, an imaging unit 120, a memory 130, and a printing unit 140.

  2 to 6 are views showing an external configuration of the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement of each component of the printing apparatus 10. Although the control unit 100 is described on the outside of the printing apparatus 10, the control unit 100 is mounted on any substrate in the printing apparatus 10. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the printing apparatus 10 includes the control unit 100, the pressure detection unit 110, and the imaging unit 120 illustrated in FIG. 1. The printing apparatus 10 includes a finger fixing unit 111 for fixing a finger placed on the pressure detection unit 110. The printing apparatus 10 includes an ink mechanism 141 for an inkjet printer, an X-axis motor 142, an X-axis motor belt 143, a Y-axis motor 144, and a Y-axis motor shaft 145 as the printing unit 140. Although not shown in FIG. 2, the memory 130 is mounted on any substrate in the printing apparatus 10 as with the control unit 100.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the printing apparatus of the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a front view of the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment as viewed from above. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the printing apparatus according to this embodiment at the position AA in FIG.

<Pressure detection unit 110>
The pressure detection unit 110 acquires a pressure distribution indicating the range and level (pressure intensity) of the pressure applied by the finger 200 to the pressure detection unit. The pressure detector is configured to acquire a pressure range in a two-dimensional plane. The pressure detection unit 110 outputs the acquired pressure distribution data to the control unit 100.

<Finger fixing part 111>
The finger fixing unit 111 is arranged so as to cover the user's finger 200 placed on the pressure detection unit 110, and is configured to fix the position of the finger 200 within a predetermined range. That is, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the movement of the user's finger 200 is restricted in the portion covered by the finger fixing unit 111.

<Imaging unit 120>
The imaging unit 120 is configured by a camera or the like, and as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 6, the imaging unit 120 is disposed above the pressure detection unit 110 on which the user's finger 200 is placed, and includes the finger 200 including the user's nail 210. A partial image is captured from above, and data of the captured image is output to the control unit 100. In the present embodiment, the imaging unit 120 is disposed integrally with the unit of the ink mechanism 141, but may be disposed at another position. Note that the imaging unit 120 does not necessarily have to be disposed immediately above the portion where the user's finger 200 is placed, and may be disposed at a position where the finger 200 including the user's nail 210 can be imaged. However, it is preferable to dispose the imaging unit 120 in the vicinity immediately above the portion on which the user's finger 200 is placed because the user's nails 210 and the finger 200 are easily imaged.

<Memory 130>
The memory 130 is configured to store necessary data under the control of the control unit 100. In particular, in the present embodiment, the memory 130 associates a plurality of sets of pressure distributions detected by the pressure detection unit 110 and images indicating the state of the finger 200 including the user's nail 210 acquired by the imaging unit 120, respectively. Remember. In addition, the memory 130 stores information indicating which part is the nail 210 in the image of the finger 200 including the user's nail 210 in association with the image. That is, the memory 130 functions as a medium position information storage unit that stores position information for applying ink and ink at an appropriate position with respect to the nail 210.

<Printer 140>
The printing unit 140 is configured to discharge ink to the nail 210 that is a recording target medium under the control of the control unit 100 to form (print) an image (including a pattern) using the ink on the nail 210. The The printing unit 140 includes an ink mechanism 141, an X-axis motor 142, an X-axis motor belt 143, a Y-axis motor 144, and a Y-axis motor shaft 145 (see FIGS. 2 to 6).

<Ink mechanism 141>
The ink mechanism 141 is a print head for an ink jet printer, and is disposed above the placement position of the user's finger 200 so that ink can be ejected to the user's nails 210 (FIGS. 3 to 6). reference). The ink mechanism 141 is configured to form (print) an image on the nail 210 by discharging ink to the user's nail 210 under the control of the control unit 100. The ink mechanism 141 is connected to the X-axis motor belt 143 and the Y-axis motor shaft 145, and moves when the X-axis motor belt 143 and the Y-axis motor 144 operate. When printing is performed on the user's nail 210, the ink mechanism 141 moves with respect to the user's nail 210 in the main scanning direction (the moving direction of the X-axis motor belt 143) and the sub-scanning direction (the Y-axis motor shaft 145 is installed). Printing is performed while moving in the extending direction. At this time, the ink mechanism 141 performs printing on the line in the main scanning direction, then moves in the sub scanning direction, and repeats printing on the next line in the main scanning direction. Note that the ink mechanism 141 does not necessarily have to be disposed directly above the user's claw 210, and may be disposed at a position where ink can be ejected with respect to the user's claw 210. However, it is preferable to dispose the ink mechanism 141 in the vicinity immediately above the user's claw 210 because it is easy to accurately eject ink to the user's claw 210.

<X-axis motor 142>
The X-axis motor 142 is configured to drive the X-axis motor belt 143 by rotating under the control of the control unit 100 and move the ink mechanism 141 to a desired position.

<X-axis motor belt 143>
The X-axis motor belt 143 is arranged to be connected to the ink mechanism 141, and is configured to move the ink mechanism 141 by being driven by the rotation operation of the X-axis motor 142.

<Y-axis motor 144>
The Y-axis motor 144 is configured to move under the control of the control unit 100 to move the ink mechanism 141 to a predetermined position on the Y-axis motor shaft 145, thereby moving the ink mechanism 141 to a desired position. .

<Y-axis motor shaft 145>
The X-axis motor belt 145 is arranged to be connected to the ink mechanism 141, and is configured to move the ink mechanism 141 by the rotation operation of the Y-axis motor 144.

<Control unit 100>
The control unit 100 is configured to control the entire printing apparatus 10 including the pressure detection unit 110, the imaging unit 120, the memory 130, and the printing unit 140. In particular, in the present embodiment, the control unit 100 functions as a position correction unit that adjusts the position of ink ejected to the nail by the printing unit 140 based on the finger pressure distribution detected by the pressure detection unit 110. To do.

  First, the control unit 100 causes the memory 130 to store the pressure distribution data acquired by the pressure detection unit 110 and the image data of the finger 200 including the user's nail 210 acquired by the imaging unit 120 in association with each other. . This is because the position state of the user's claw 210 can be determined based on the pressure distribution. More specifically, the control unit 100 prompts the user to place the finger in three different states: a front state, a right rotation state, and a left rotation state, and images of the nail 210 and the finger 200 in each state. And pressure distribution are acquired, and these are associated with each other and stored in the memory 130. At this time, the control unit 100 generates information indicating the position of the nail 210 in the image by image processing, and stores the information in the memory 130 in association with the image.

  Here, the relationship between the pressure distribution detected by the pressure detection unit 110 and the position state of the finger 200 (including the nail 210) captured and acquired by the imaging unit 120 will be described. 7 to 9 are diagrams illustrating the pressure distribution acquired by the pressure detection unit 110 while changing the position state of the finger 200 (including the nail 210) as described above. 7 to 9 show the isobaric lines 220 and 221 indicating the pressure applied to the pressure detection unit 110 by the finger 200 together with the finger 200 and the nail 210. 7 shows the pressure distribution when the finger 200 is in the front state, FIG. 8 shows the pressure distribution when the finger 200 is in the right rotation state, and FIG. 9 shows the pressure distribution when the finger 200 is in the left rotation state. In these drawings, the vertical axis indicates the pressure level (pressure intensity), and the horizontal axis indicates the position in the horizontal direction (finger width direction). In these drawings, for convenience, three lines of an upper nail portion (p1), a middle nail portion (p2), and a lower nail portion (p3) will be described. As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, in the line (p1) at the top of the nail, the pressure detection range (pressure range) is relatively narrow, and the pressure level (pressure intensity) is low. In the middle nail line (p2), the pressure range is wider and the pressure level (pressure intensity) is higher than the upper nail line. In the lower nail line (p3), the pressure range is narrower and the pressure level (pressure intensity) is lower than in the middle nail.

  In the pressure distribution when the finger 200 shown in FIG. 7 is in the front state, the pressure level peak position (pressure peak position) is near the center. In the pressure distribution when the finger 200 is rotated to the right as shown in FIG. 8, the peak position of the pressure level moves to the right side, and the entire pressure distribution is biased to the right side. In the pressure distribution when the finger 200 is in the left rotation state shown in FIG. 9, the peak position of the pressure level moves to the left side, and the entire pressure distribution is biased to the left side. Therefore, based on the pressure distribution detected by the pressure detection unit 110, the rotation state (position state) of the nail 210 is determined by referring to the image and the position state of the nail associated with the pressure distribution. It turns out that it becomes possible to confirm.

  The control unit 100 starts printing on the user's nail 210 based on an operation by the user. At this time, the control unit 100 instructs the printing unit 140 where to print on the nail 210. When the control unit 100 detects that the pressure distribution detected by the pressure detection unit 110 has changed during printing on the nail 210 that is a recording medium, the control unit 100 performs control to correct the printing position with respect to the nail 210. The printing unit 140 is instructed.

<(2) Example of operation>
Next, a specific operation example of the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described.

  When the user inserts the finger 200 into the finger fixing unit 111 of the printing apparatus 10 and performs an operation for starting printing on the nail 210, the printing apparatus 10 starts printing in response to the operation for starting printing. At this time, the control unit 100 of the printing apparatus 10 prompts the user to put the finger into three states, that is, a front state, a right rotation state, and a left rotation state, and the nail 210 and the finger 200 in each state. An image and a pressure distribution are acquired and stored in the memory 130 in association with each other. Images of the finger 200 and the nail 210 are acquired by the imaging unit 120, output to the control unit 100, and stored in the memory 130. The pressure distribution is acquired by the pressure detection unit 110, output to the control unit 100, and stored in the memory 130. At this time, the control unit 100 performs image processing based on the image acquired by the imaging unit 120, generates information indicating the position of the nail 210, and stores the position information in the memory 130 in association with the image.

  When the above processing is completed, the control unit 100 instructs the printing unit 140 to start ejecting ink to the nail 210. The printing unit 140 controls the ink mechanism 141, the X-axis motor 142, and the Y-axis motor 144 to form an ink image on the nail 210.

  During printing on the nail 210, the pressure detection unit 110 detects the pressure distribution given by the finger 200 and outputs it to the control unit 100. The control unit 100 continuously or intermittently observes whether or not the pressure distribution has changed. When a change occurs in the pressure distribution, the control unit 100 corrects the printing position by specifying the position of the nail 210 where an image is to be formed based on the pressure distribution, and ejects ink to the corrected position. The printing unit 140 is instructed. The printing unit 140 operates the ink mechanism 141, the X-axis motor 142, and the Y-axis motor 144 based on this instruction.

  By performing the processing as described above, printing on the nail 210 can be performed while correcting the position information for ejecting ink. Further, as compared with the case where the camera is configured separately from the ink mechanism 141 (print head), it is not necessary to retract the ink mechanism 141 for imaging by the camera. Thereby, the stroke at the time of printing can be minimized, and the printing time can be prevented from being prolonged.

  In addition, since a plurality of combinations of the pressure distribution and the state of the nail 210 are stored in the memory 130, more appropriate printing on the nail 210 can be performed.

  Further, since the printing position is corrected when the position of the nail 210 is changed, it is not always necessary to print while confirming the position of the nail 210, thereby preventing the printing time from becoming longer than necessary. Can do.

  Moreover, the printing apparatus 10 having the above configuration can be suitably applied as a nail printing apparatus. Further, the present invention can be applied not only to the fingernail of a hand but also to a printing apparatus that performs printing on a toe nail. Furthermore, the print target medium is not limited to the nail, and may be applied as a printing apparatus that performs printing on other media.

<2. Second Embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. One feature of the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment is that the printing position is corrected while referring to the peak position in the pressure distribution. In the following description, only differences from the first embodiment will be specifically described, and the description of the same points as those of the first embodiment will be omitted.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a change in pressure distribution when the finger 200 changes from the front state to the right rotation state. As shown in FIG. 10, when the finger 200 changes from the front state to the right rotation state, the pressure distribution changes to the right as shown in the graph on the right side of FIG. 10 (from the dotted line to the solid line in the figure). Change).

  FIG. 11 is an enlarged view showing a change in pressure distribution in FIG. As shown in FIG. 11, the pressure level peak position (pressure peak position) in the pressure distribution changes to the right with respect to the initial position.

  The control unit 100 determines the state of the finger 200 and the nail 210 based on the pressure peak position. When the control unit 100 detects the change in the state of the finger 200 and the nail 210 based on the change in the pressure peak position, the control unit 100 specifies the position of the nail 210 in an analog manner according to the change in the pressure peak position, and sets the print position. The printing unit 140 is instructed to correct. That is, the control unit 100 refers to the pressure distribution stored in the memory 130 and the state of the claw 210 according to a change in the pressure peak position, performs an interpolation process on the position as necessary, and ejects ink. Determine and correct the printing position.

  As described above, by performing the control based on the pressure peak position, the process of specifying the position of the claw 210 can be performed relatively easily. This makes it possible to shorten the printing time.

  Further, by specifying the position of the nail 210 in an analog manner using interpolation processing and correcting the printing position, it is possible to print at a more appropriate position. In addition, the printing time can be shortened.

<3. Embodiment 3>
Next, Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. One of the features of the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment is that processing is performed so as not to exceed the printing area (so as not to protrude from the nail). In the following description, only differences from the second embodiment will be specifically described, and the description of the same points as those of the second embodiment will be omitted.

  When the change of the pressure peak position in the detected pressure distribution is detected, the control unit 100 controls to specify again the position of the nail 210 on which an image is to be formed based on the newly detected pressure distribution. At this time, if it is determined that the position of the ink to be ejected from the ink mechanism 141 is about to exceed the printing area of the nail 210, the control unit 100 prohibits the ejection of ink to the position. The ink mechanism 141 is prevented from overrunning the print area. Thereafter, the control unit 100 appropriately applies the ink to the position of the nail 210 where the image is to be formed, which is specified in the above process, so that the ink is ejected to an appropriate position on the nail 210. The ink mechanism 141 is controlled.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a state of the nail 210 during printing. When the claw 210 changes from the front state to the right rotation state as shown in FIG. 12, the pressure distribution applied to the pressure detection unit 110 by the claw 210 changes, and the pressure peak position also changes accordingly. When the change in the pressure peak position is detected, the control unit 100 again specifies the position of the claw 210 as described above, and if the position where the ink is discharged exceeds the range of the claw 210, the control unit 100 Is temporarily stopped. Thereafter, the control unit 100 controls the X-axis motor so that ink is ejected to an appropriate position again.

  By performing the above processing, it is possible to effectively prevent the printing on the nail 210 from protruding. Thereby, since it can prevent that the finger | toe 200 gets dirty, it can prevent a user from feeling stress.

<4. Embodiment 4>
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. One feature of the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment is that printing is temporarily stopped when the position of the nail 210 changes. In the following description, only differences from the second embodiment will be specifically described, and the description of the same points as those of the second embodiment will be omitted.

  The control unit 100 instructs the printing unit 140 to temporarily stop printing on the nail 210 when it detects a change in the position of the finger 200 and the nail 210 based on the change in the pressure peak position in the detected pressure distribution. Then, the control unit 100 corrects the position of the nail 210 to be printed based on the detected pressure distribution by calculation again, and instructs the printing unit 140 to resume printing.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a state of the finger 200 and the nail 210 immediately after the pressure change is detected. As described above, when the finger 200 changes from the front state to the right rotation state, the control unit 100 instructs the printing unit 140 to stop printing. And the control part 100 correct | amends the printing position with respect to the nail | claw 210 by calculation again, and instructs the printing part 140 to resume printing.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating the state of the finger 200 and the nail 210 when the printing position correction processing by the control unit 100 is performed as described above and printing is resumed. As shown in FIG. 14, images are printed seamlessly on the nail 210 (so that the joints are not noticeable).

  By performing the processing as described above, it is possible to provide a function of temporarily stopping printing when it is estimated that the positions of the finger 200 and the nail 210 have changed, and then restarting printing as necessary. This makes it possible to print on the nail 210 more clearly.

<5. Embodiment 5>
Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The printing apparatus according to the present embodiment employs so-called interlaced printing, and when printing the position of the nail 210 changes, printing is continued while dynamically correcting the printing position without stopping printing. And In the following description, only differences from the second embodiment will be specifically described, and the description of the same points as those of the second embodiment will be omitted.

  The printing unit 140 performs printing on the nail 210 that is a printing target medium by a so-called interlaced printing method that completes printing while ejecting ink a plurality of times in the main scanning direction. More specifically, the control unit 100 generates dot data to be printed for each printing pass (line extending in the main scanning direction) by thinning out image data to be printed using a mask pattern prepared in advance. Then, printing is performed based on the dot data. Thereby, ink is ejected several times for one line in the main scanning direction of the print target medium (nail 210). For example, when 8 interlace printing is employed, ink is ejected 8 times for the same line (print pass) of the print target medium (nail 210). For this reason, even if there is a problem with the ink ejection position in one of the eight times, if the remaining seven times are normal, it is difficult to understand the printing failure. The number of times of interlace printing can be arbitrarily set.

  When the control unit 100 detects a change in the position of the finger 200 and the nail 210 based on a change in the pressure peak position in the detected pressure distribution, the control unit 100 again specifies a position (printing position) at which ink should be ejected. Thus, the control unit 100 instructs the printing unit 140 to perform printing while performing processing for appropriately changing (correcting) the printing position during printing.

  As described above, it is possible to form an image in a relatively short time by executing printing while dynamically correcting the printing position.

  In particular, when an interlaced printing method that prints multiple times at the same position is adopted, even if the printing position is shifted several times among the multiple times, as long as the remaining number of times is printed at an appropriate position, the nail This is preferable because it is difficult to understand the deviation of the image printed on 210.

<6. Supplementary items>
The specific description of each embodiment of the present invention has been given above. The above description is merely an embodiment, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, but should be broadly interpreted to the extent that a person skilled in the art can grasp.

  The printing apparatus of the above embodiment is not limited to printing on fingernails of a hand, and can be used for printing on other media. However, it is preferable to apply the printing apparatus of the above-described embodiment for printing on the fingernail of the hand because an image (including a pattern) can be printed cleanly on the nail.

  In the above embodiment, the method for detecting the change (movement) of the state of the finger 200 and the nail 210 based on the pressure peak position has been mainly described, but the finger 200 and the finger 200 based on the pressure distribution regardless of the pressure peak. A change in the state of the nail 210 may be detected.

  In addition, the imaging unit 120 is not necessarily a high-performance camera, and may be any low-performance imaging device that can identify the position of the nail 210. For example, a method may be employed in which an optical sensor is used as the imaging unit 120 and the position of the nail 210 is specified based on reflected light from the nail 210. In this case, the printing apparatus 10 may use position information that can specify the position of the nail 210 instead of using the image of the finger 200 or the nail 210.

  Further, information that can specify the position of the nail 210 may be stored in advance in the printing apparatus 10 using a PC or the like that is an external apparatus. According to this, the printing apparatus 10 does not necessarily need to include the imaging unit 120.

  In addition, the printing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment ejects ink to the nail 210, but this is not limited to ink. For example, a medium can be obtained by ejecting a nail protection material or a decoration material as a paint. It can also be used as a coating device for coating on the surface.

  The present invention is suitably applied as a nail printing apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Printing apparatus 100 ... Control part 110 ... Pressure detection part 111 ... Finger fixing part 120 ... Imaging part 130 ... Memory 140 ... Printing part 141 ... Ink mechanism 142 ... X-axis motor 143 ... X-axis motor belt 144 ... Y-axis motor 145 ... Y-axis motor shaft 200 ... Finger 210 ... Nail 220 ... Isobar

Claims (11)

A paint application part that is applied by discharging paint to the medium;
A pressure detector for detecting the pressure distribution of the medium;
A position correction unit that changes the discharge position of the paint so that the application position of the paint to the medium does not change based on the position information of the medium generated from the pressure distribution. Coating device. A medium position information storage unit that stores a plurality of pieces of position information of the medium corresponding to the pressure distribution;
The coating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position correction unit acquires position information of the medium corresponding to the detected pressure distribution from the medium position information storage unit. The coating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the position correction unit generates position information of the medium based on a pressure peak position of the pressure distribution. The application according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the position correction unit changes the discharge position by an interpolation process using position information of a plurality of media stored in the medium position information storage unit. apparatus. The coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the position correction unit changes the discharge position when a change in the pressure distribution is detected. The coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the position correction unit stops the discharge of the paint when a change in the pressure distribution is detected. The said position correction | amendment part continues application | coating of the said coating material, changing the said discharge position dynamically, when the change of the said pressure distribution is detected. 2. The coating apparatus according to item 1. The coating apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the paint application unit performs a process of repeatedly discharging the paint multiple times to the same line in the main scanning direction. An image capturing unit configured to image the state of the medium;
The medium position information storage unit stores an imaging result by the imaging unit as position information of the medium corresponding to the pressure distribution,
The coating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the position correction unit changes the ejection position with reference to the imaging result. The coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the medium is a nail. Detecting the pressure distribution of the medium to which the paint is applied;
Applying the paint to the medium while changing the discharge position of the paint so that the application position of the paint on the medium does not change based on the position information of the medium generated from the pressure distribution; A coating method characterized by comprising.

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