JP2019147392A - Drawing device, drawing method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a drawing device which properly combines and performs maintenance operations according to a situation to enable efficient head maintenance, and to provide a drawing method and a program.SOLUTION: A drawing device includes: a drawing head 41 having an ink discharge surface 411; a head moving part 49 which can move the drawing head 41 in a first direction and a second direction intersecting with the first direction; a drawing control part 814 which controls the drawing head 41 and the head moving part 49; and a cap part 23 which covers the ink discharge surface. In a range where the drawing head 41 can move, a drawing area 21 in which drawing is performed by the drawing head 41 and a stand-by area 22 in which the cap part 23 is disposed are provided at positions different from each other. The drawing control part causes the ink to be discharged to a drawing object while moving the drawing head 41 in the first direction in the drawing area 21 and causes the drawing head 41 to move to the stand-by area 22 from one side toward the other side as seen in the second direction to cause the cap part 23 to cover the ink discharge surface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a drawing apparatus, a drawing method, and a program.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ink jet drawing apparatus that draws ink on a drawing target by discharging ink as fine droplets from an ink discharge surface is known.
In the case of such an ink jet drawing apparatus, the ink is attached to the ink discharge surface of the drawing head or the nozzle provided with the discharge port on the ink discharge surface, etc. It may become clogged. In addition, if the drawing operation is not performed for a long time, the ink in the nozzle may be difficult to dry and be discharged, or the ink adhering to the ink discharge surface may solidify and block the ink discharge port. .
If the drawing operation is continued while this is left unattended, the ink ejection direction will bend and it will not be able to land at the correct position, or it may become impossible to eject ink from the ink ejection port, resulting in high-definition drawing. It becomes difficult to do.

  For this reason, in an ink jet drawing apparatus, a purge process for forcibly ejecting ink from the ink ejection surface is performed, and bubbles or foreign matters adhering to or flowing into the nozzle and the ink ejection port are washed away by the ink. It is known to appropriately perform maintenance such as eliminating ink or wiping off ink adhering to the nozzle surface with a wipe member (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2007-021726 A

However, since a general ink jet drawing apparatus performs drawing while conveying a drawing target such as paper in a predetermined transport direction, the drawing head is in a direction (for example, the Y direction) orthogonal to the drawing target transport direction (for example, the Y direction). For example, it has a uniaxial configuration that moves only in the X direction).
For this reason, as described in Patent Document 1, a drawing area in which drawing is performed, a standby area in which the drawing head waits when drawing is not performed, and an area in which maintenance is performed are arranged in the movable direction of the drawing head. There was no choice but to arrange them in parallel.
Therefore, when the maintenance operation is performed between the standby area and the drawing area, the maintenance order is determined, and it is difficult to adjust the content of the maintenance according to the situation.
In addition, there is a problem that it is difficult to secure efficient flow lines because the arrangement of the standby area and the maintenance area is limited.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a drawing apparatus, a drawing method, and a program capable of efficiently maintaining a drawing head by appropriately performing maintenance operations in combination according to the situation. It is an advantage to provide.

In order to solve the above problems, a drawing apparatus of the present invention provides:
A drawing head having an ink ejection surface for ejecting ink to the drawing target and performing drawing on the drawing target;
A head moving unit capable of moving the drawing head in a first direction and a second direction intersecting the first direction;
A drawing control unit for controlling the drawing head and the head moving unit;
A cap portion that protects the ink discharge surface by covering it;
With
A drawing area where the drawing target is placed and the drawing by the drawing head is performed within a range in which the drawing head can be moved by the head moving unit, and a standby area where the cap unit is arranged Provided in different positions,
The drawing control unit
While the drawing head is moved in the drawing area by the head moving unit in the first direction, the ink is ejected from the ink ejection surface to the drawing target,
The ink ejection surface is covered with the cap portion by moving the drawing head from one side to the other side in the second direction by the head moving unit.

  According to the present invention, the maintenance of the drawing head can be efficiently performed by appropriately performing maintenance operations in combination according to the situation.

It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance structure of the nail print apparatus in this embodiment. It is the principal part perspective view which removed the housing | casing from the nail print apparatus and showed the internal structure. It is a top view which shows the structure of the base of the nail print apparatus in this embodiment. It is a side view which shows typically the structure of the purge part in this embodiment. (A)-(c) is a typical side view explaining operation | movement of a wipe part. It is a perspective view which shows the scrape part in this embodiment. It is a side view of the scrape part in FIG. It is a side view which shows the state with which the drawing head and scrape part in this embodiment were connected. It is the principal part perspective view which expanded the connection part of a drawing head and a scrape part. It is principal part sectional drawing to which the connection part of a drawing head and a scrape part was expanded. It is a principal part block diagram which showed the control structure of the nail print apparatus in this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the drawing process of the nail print apparatus in this embodiment. (A) is a flowchart showing a maintenance process in the first maintenance mode, (b) is a flowchart showing a maintenance process in the second maintenance mode, and (c) is a maintenance process in the third maintenance mode. It is a flowchart which shows a process, (d) is a flowchart which shows the maintenance process by a 4th maintenance mode. (A) is explanatory drawing which shows the maintenance process by 1st maintenance mode, (b) is explanatory drawing which shows the maintenance process by 2nd maintenance mode, (c) is 3rd maintenance mode. (D) is an explanatory view showing a maintenance process in a fourth maintenance mode.

An embodiment of a 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, a case where the drawing apparatus is a nail print apparatus that draws a fingernail of a hand as a drawing target will be described as an example. The drawing target is not limited to the nail, and for example, a nail of a toe may be a drawing target. In addition, objects other than the nail, such as the surface of a nail chip or various accessories, may be the drawing target.

As shown in FIG. 1, the nail print apparatus 1 in this embodiment has a housing 11 formed in a substantially box shape.
An operation unit 12 is installed on the upper surface (top plate) of the housing 11.
The operation unit 12 is an input unit on which a user performs various inputs.
The operation unit 12 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 for performing various inputs such as buttons are arranged.

A display device 13 is installed on the upper surface (top plate) of the housing 11.
The display device 13 includes, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic electroluminescence display, or other flat displays.
In the present embodiment, the display device 13 includes, for example, an image such as a nail image obtained by photographing the finger U1 (a finger image including an image of the nail T) and a contour line of the nail T included in the nail image. An image in a state in which an original image described later is projected on the nail T, 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, etc. Is displayed.
Note that a touch panel for performing various inputs may be integrally formed on the surface of the display device 13. In this case, the touch panel functions as the operation unit 12.

Further, the nail T exposed from the window 33 is photographed at a position inside the upper surface (top plate) of the housing 11 and above the window 33 of the finger fixing unit 3 to be described later. An imaging mechanism 50 (see FIG. 11) for acquiring an image of a finger U1 including
In addition, the imaging | photography mechanism 50 should just be a thing which can image | photograph the nail | claw T arrange | positioned in the finger | toe fixing | fixed part 3, The specific arrangement | positioning is not specifically limited. For example, instead of the inner surface of the housing 11, it may be fixed to any structure disposed in the housing 11, or fixed to a carriage or the like of the drawing mechanism 40 described later, and the head moving mechanism 49 (FIG. 11) or the like. In this case, the photographing mechanism 50 can be moved in the X direction that is the first direction and the Y direction that is the second direction by the head moving unit 49 including the X direction moving motor 46 and the Y direction moving motor 48. Configured.
As described above, when the photographing mechanism 50 is configured to be movable by the head moving unit 49 or the like, when photographing the nail T as a drawing target, the nail T exposed from the window 33 of the finger fixing unit 3 is captured. The photographing mechanism 50 is arranged above, and can be appropriately moved so that the drawing head 41 is arranged above the finger fixing unit 3 at the time of drawing.

The imaging mechanism 50 is an imaging unit that images the nail T and acquires a nail image that is an image of the finger U1 including the nail T, and is an image acquisition unit.
The photographing mechanism 50 includes a photographing device 51 and a lighting device 52.
The imaging device 51 is, for example, a small camera configured to include a solid-state imaging element having about 2 million pixels or more, a lens, and the like.
The illumination device 52 is an illumination lamp such as a white LED. In the present embodiment, a plurality of illumination devices 52 are arranged so as to surround the imaging device 51. The number and arrangement of the lighting devices 52 are not limited to the illustrated example.
The photographing mechanism 50 is connected to a photographing control unit 811 of a control device 80 described later, and is controlled by the photographing control unit 811.
Note that image data of an image photographed by the photographing mechanism 50 is stored in a nail image storage area 823, which will be described later.

Further, on the front side of the housing 11 (front side in FIG. 1), in the almost central portion of the nail printing apparatus 1 in the X direction (X direction in FIG. 1), a photographing mechanism and a drawing mechanism by the nail printing apparatus 1 are provided. The finger U1 corresponding to the nail T to be drawn is inserted at the time of the drawing operation by 40, and the nail T is set at the photographing position where the photographing mechanism 50 can shoot and the drawing position where the drawing mechanism 40 can draw. An opening 14 is formed.
As will be described later, a finger fixing part 3 for fixing the nail T (finger U1 including the nail T) is disposed inside the opening 14.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the main part showing the internal configuration of the nail print apparatus 1 with the casing 11 removed from the nail print apparatus 1 shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, a base 2 in which various internal structures are incorporated is provided in the housing 11.
The surface of the base 2 (that is, the upper surface of the nail printing apparatus 1 as shown in FIG. 2) is a base upper surface 20 that constitutes the XY plane in this embodiment.

A position on the base upper surface 20 on the front side of the apparatus (front side in the Y direction in FIG. 2), which is substantially the center in the width direction of the apparatus (X direction in FIG. 2) and corresponds to the opening 14 of the housing 11. The finger fixing part 3 is arranged.
The finger fixing part 3 is a box-like member having an opening 31 on the front side of the apparatus, and a finger fixing member 32 for fixing the finger U1 is arranged inside the finger fixing part 3.
The finger fixing member 32 pushes up and supports the finger U1 from below, and is formed of, for example, a flexible resin. In the present embodiment, the finger fixing member 32 has a shape in which a substantially central portion in the width direction is recessed, and when the finger U1 is placed on the finger fixing member 32, the abdominal portion of the finger U1 is placed on the finger fixing member. 32 can prevent the finger U1 from rattling in the apparatus width direction (X direction in FIGS. 1 and 2).
The finger fixing member 32 is not particularly limited as long as it can support the finger U1 from the lower side. For example, it may be biased from below by an elastic member such as a spring. Further, for example, the finger fixing member 32 is configured to be able to expand and contract by changing the internal pressure, and may be configured to push up the finger U1 in the expanded state and fix its position.

The back side of the top surface of the finger fixing unit 3 is an opening window 33. From the window 33, the nail T of the finger U1 inserted into the finger fixing part 3 is exposed.
In the present embodiment, the area in which the window 33 is provided is a drawing area 21 (see FIG. 3) where drawing is performed by a drawing mechanism described later.
The position at which the window 33 is provided in the finger fixing unit 3 (that is, the position of the drawing region 21) is not limited to the illustrated example, but the drawing region 21 is on the base upper surface 20 that is the XY plane and the head moving unit 49 (see FIG. 11, the drawing head 41 is provided within a movable range.

Further, the front side of the finger fixing unit 3 is a finger presser 34 that prevents the finger U1 from lifting and restricts the upward position of the finger U1. The finger U1 and the nail T thereof are supported by the finger fixing member 32 from the lower side, and the upper side of the finger U1 is pressed by the finger presser 34, whereby the position in the height direction is positioned at a predetermined position.
Moreover, in this embodiment, the nail | claw mounting part 35 which mounts the nail | claw T is provided in the back | inner side of the finger insertion direction.
By placing the tip of the claw T on the claw placement portion 35, the position of the claw T in the horizontal direction (that is, the X direction and the Y direction) is defined, and the position in the height direction is also regulated. .

As shown in FIG. 2, a drawing mechanism 40 for drawing on the drawing target surface is provided inside the housing 11. Here, the drawing target surface is the surface of the drawing target, and in this embodiment is the surface of the nail T of the finger U1.
The drawing mechanism 40 includes a drawing head 41 which is a drawing mechanism main body, a head carriage 42 which supports the drawing head 41, and the drawing head 41 in the X direction which is the first direction (the X direction in FIGS. 1 and 2, the nail printing apparatus 1 X direction moving stage 45, X direction moving motor 46 (see FIG. 11), and drawing head 41 in the second direction intersecting the first direction X direction (FIG. 1). And a Y-direction moving stage 47 and a Y-direction moving motor 48 (see FIG. 11) for moving in the Y direction in FIG.

The Y-direction moving stage 47 has Y-directions (in FIGS. 1 and 2, etc.) on both sides of the apparatus upper surface 20 in the apparatus width direction (X-direction in FIGS. A support member 471 is provided extending in the Y direction (the front-rear direction of the nail printing apparatus 1).
Pulleys 477 are attached to both ends of the pair of support members 471 in the extending direction. Drive pulleys 474 extending in the front-rear direction of the apparatus (the Y direction in FIG. 2) are wound around the pulleys 477 on the left side and the right side of the apparatus.
Pulleys 477 provided on the back side of the apparatus are attached to both ends of the drive shaft portion 476. A Y-direction movement motor 48 (see FIG. 11) is connected to the drive shaft portion 476, and when the Y-direction movement motor 48 is driven, the drive shaft portion 476 and the pulley 477 attached thereto are properly adjusted. Rotate in the opposite direction.
Due to the rotation of the pulley 477, the drive belt 474 wound around the pulley 477 is also rotated, whereby the X direction moving stage 45 (and the drawing head 41 mounted on the X direction moving stage 45) can move in the Y direction. It has become.
Further, a guide shaft 475 extending in the Y direction in parallel with the drive belt 474 is provided on the support member 471.

The X-direction moving stage 45 is provided on the back side of the apparatus with respect to the base upper surface 20 and extends in the X direction of the base 2, and extends from the upper end of the back plate 451 to the front of the apparatus. Part 452, and a pair of side parts 453 provided upright so as to block both side parts of the substantially L-shaped part in side view formed by the back plate 451 and the flange part 452.
The pair of left and right side surfaces 453 are provided with shaft insertion portions 453a through which the guide shafts 475 are inserted. The guide shafts 475 are inserted into the pair of shaft insertion portions 453a, and the Y-direction drive motor 48 is driven. As the drive belt 474 rotates, the X direction moving stage 45 can move in the Y direction along the guide shaft 475.

Further, a pulley (not shown) to which an X-direction moving motor 46 is connected is provided inside the pair of side surfaces 453, and this pulley extends in the left-right direction of the apparatus (X direction in FIG. 2 and the like). A drive belt 454 is wound. Further, a guide shaft 455 extending in the X direction of the base 2 is provided inside the X direction moving stage 45 so as to be substantially parallel to the drive belt 454.
A head carriage 42 that supports the drawing head 41 is mounted on the X-direction moving stage 45.
A carriage support member 421 having a shaft insertion portion 422 (see FIG. 8 and the like) through which the guide shaft 455 is inserted is provided on the back side (the device back side) of the head carriage 42.
The guide shaft 455 is inserted through the shaft insertion portion 422 of the head carriage 42, and the X-direction drive motor 46 is driven to rotate the drive belt 454, so that the head carriage 42 moves along the guide shaft 455 in the X-direction moving stage 45. It is possible to move in the X direction.

In the present embodiment, a head moving unit 49 (see FIG. 11) that can move the drawing head 41 in the X and Y directions on the XY plane is configured by the X direction moving motor 46, the Y direction moving motor 48, and the like. The operation is controlled by a control device 80 (particularly the drawing control unit 814) described later.
The drawing control unit 814 that controls the operation of the drawing head 41 and the operation of the head moving unit 49 does not have to be provided on one control board. For example, a control unit 81 that controls the ink ejection of the drawing head 41 and the operation of the X-direction movement motor 46 is mounted, and a control board (not shown) that is electrically connected to the main control board is provided on the X-direction movement stage 45. It may be done. In the present embodiment, a flexible printed wiring board 425 is provided on the back side of the head carriage 42. The printed wiring board 425 is electrically connected to a control board provided on the X-direction moving stage 45, and a control signal from the drawing control unit 814 provided on the main control board is an X-direction. The ink is sent to the printed wiring board 425 via a control board provided on the moving stage 45, and ink ejection control of the drawing head 41 is performed under the control of the drawing control unit 814.

The drawing head 41 of this embodiment is an ink jet head that performs drawing by an ink jet method.
The drawing head 41 is, for example, an ink cartridge (not shown) corresponding to yellow (Y; YELLOW), magenta (M; MAGENTA), and cyan (C; CYAN) ink, and a drawing target (surface of the nail T) in each ink cartridge. This is an ink cartridge integrated head in which an ink discharge surface 411 provided on an opposing surface (in this embodiment, a lower surface in FIG. 4 and the like) is integrally formed. On the ink ejection surface 411, ejection openings (ink ejection openings, not shown) of a nozzle array composed of a plurality of nozzles that eject ink of each color are formed in a line. The drawing head 41 atomizes the ink and draws the ink directly from the ink discharge surface 411 (the ink discharge port of the ink discharge surface 411) onto the drawing target surface (that is, the surface of the nail T). I do. The drawing head 41 is not limited to the one that ejects the three colors of ink. An ink cartridge for storing other ink and an ink discharge port may be provided.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the configuration of the base upper surface 20 with the drawing head 41 supported by the X-direction moving stage 45 and the head carriage 42 of the drawing mechanism 40 removed.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the finger fixing portion 3 is arranged as described above at the front side of the base surface 20 in the Y direction and substantially in the center of the X direction. A region corresponding to the window 33 of the finger fixing unit 3 is a drawing region 21 in which the drawing head 41 performs a drawing operation at the time of drawing.
Further, the back side in the Y direction on the base upper surface 20 and the right side in the X direction (the right side in FIGS. 2 and 3) is a standby region 22 in which the drawing head 41 is arranged at the time of non-drawing.
The standby area 22 is arranged at a position different from the drawing area 21. Note that the standby area 22 is not limited to the illustrated example as long as it is disposed on the XY plane and within the range in which the drawing head 41 can be moved by the head moving unit 49.

The standby area 22 is provided with a cap portion 23 that covers the ink ejection surface 411.
The cap unit 23 protects the ink ejection surface 411 from drying or the like when not drawing, and is formed of, for example, a flexible resin.
When the cap unit 23 is in an initial position that does not cover the drawing head 41 (for example, the state shown in FIG. 3), the cap unit 23 is directed toward the front side in the Y direction (the lower side in FIG. 3) by the biasing member 231 having a spring or the like. Is energized. In this state, the upper surface of the cap part 23 is lowered to a sufficiently low position so as not to contact the lower surface of the drawing head 41 (that is, the ink ejection surface 411). Thereby, the cap part 23 does not contact the drawing head 41 at the time of drawing, or the movement is prevented.

When the drawing head 41 moves to the standby area 22 while moving from the near side in the Y direction toward the far side, the drawing head 41 and the head carriage 42 that supports the drawing head 41 are subjected to the biasing force of the biasing member 231. Accordingly, the cap part 23 is pushed inward in the Y direction.
As a result, the cap unit 23 is guided by a rail or the like (not shown) to rise to a position covering the ink ejection surface 411 of the drawing head 41, and the ink ejection surface 411 is capped by the cap unit 23. Further, when the drawing head 41 is detached from the standby area 22, the cap portion 23 is pushed back to the initial position by the urging member 231 and lowered again to a height position that does not interfere with the drawing head 41.
Note that the configuration in which the cap portion 23 can be moved up and down between a height position at which the cap portion 23 does not interfere with the drawing head 41 and a height position covering the ink ejection surface 411 of the drawing head 41 is not limited to the configuration exemplified here.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a plurality of maintenance units that perform maintenance of the drawing head 41 are located on the back side in the Y direction on the base upper surface 20 and on the left side in the X direction (left side in FIGS. 2 and 3). Is provided.
In the present embodiment, the plurality of maintenance units perform maintenance with different contents. Specifically, a purge unit 6 that performs a purge process and a wipe unit 7 that wipes the ink ejection surface 411 are provided. Yes.
The plurality of maintenance units (in this embodiment, the purge unit 6 and the wipe unit 7) are at positions different from the drawing region 21 and the standby region 22 on the XY plane, and the drawing head 41 can be moved by the head moving unit 49. It is arranged in the range.
Further, the plurality of maintenance units (the purge unit 6 and the wipe unit 7) are arranged at positions shifted from each other in at least one of the X direction and the Y direction. In the present embodiment, the position of the purge unit 6 and the wipe unit 7 in the X direction is substantially the same, but the purge unit 6 is disposed on the front side (lower side in FIG. 3) in the Y direction with respect to the wipe unit 7. Yes.
The specific arrangement of the purge unit 6 and the wipe unit 7 is not limited to the illustrated example. For example, the positions of the purge unit 6 and the wipe unit 7 in the Y direction may be reversed. And the wiper part 7 may be arranged so as to be shifted in the X direction instead of the Y direction, or may be arranged so as to be shifted in both the X direction and the Y direction.

The purge unit 6 forcibly discharges ink from the ink discharge port of the ink discharge surface 411 and discharges air, impurities, ink with increased viscosity, etc. in the ink flow path such as the nozzle to the outside together with the ink. This is a maintenance unit that receives ink forcibly ejected from the ink ejection surface 411 during a so-called purge process.
By performing the purge process, clogging or the like that has occurred in the nozzles of the drawing head 41 is eliminated, and a good discharge state can be recovered.
FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing how the drawing head is maintained in the purge unit. In FIG. 4, for the convenience of explanation, the inside of the purge unit 6 is transmitted through. In FIG. 4, ink droplets L ejected by the purge process are indicated by broken lines.
As shown in FIG. 4, the purge unit 6 includes an opening 61 that is formed to be slightly larger than the ink discharge surface 411 and a waste ink tank 62 that is connected to the opening 61. In the waste ink tank 62, an absorber 63 for absorbing ink is provided. The absorber 63 only needs to be able to absorb ink quickly, and for example, a porous material such as felt or sponge-like resin is applied.
In the present embodiment, an inclined surface is formed from the opening 61 toward the waste ink tank 62, and the ink ejected from the ink ejection surface 411 of the drawing head 41 is indicated by a black arrow in FIG. The waste ink tank 62 flows along the inclined surface.
The absorber 63 or the entire purge unit 6 may be a part that can be taken out and replaced.

The wipe unit 7 is a maintenance unit that cleans the ink ejection surface 411 by wiping the ink discharge surface 411. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a plurality of wipe members 71 are erected. In the present embodiment, four wipe members are arranged in a staggered manner. The arrangement, size, number of wipe members 71, etc. are not limited to the illustrated example.
For example, one wipe member 71 may be used as long as it can wipe the entire ink discharge surface 411 wider than the width of the ink discharge surface 411 (width dimension in the X direction in FIG. 3 and the like). Further, a larger number of wipe members 71 may be arranged in a plurality of rows.
The wipe member 71 is a cleaning blade that wipes off ink or the like adhering to the ink discharge surface 411, and is formed of an elastic body such as rubber. The wipe member 71 is preferably formed of a corrosion-resistant material that is unlikely to be corroded even when repeatedly touched with ink.
The wipe member 71 or the entire wipe unit 7 may be a part that can be taken out and replaced.

FIG. 5A to FIG. 5C are schematic side views showing a state where the ink discharge surface of the drawing head is wiped by the wipe member of the wipe portion.
As shown in FIGS. 5A to 5C, the wipe member 71 is a plate-like member extending in the X direction orthogonal to the Y direction when the moving direction of the drawing head is the Y direction. When the drawing head 41 passes above the wipe part 7, the tip of the drawing head 41 is formed at a position and height where it contacts the ink ejection surface 411.
As described above, the wiping member 71 is a member having elasticity, and as shown in FIGS. 5B and 5C, the wiping member 71 flexes flexibly in accordance with the movement of the drawing head 41, and the leading end portion is the ink ejection surface. The ink and the like attached to the ink ejection surface 411 can be removed by being brought into sliding contact with 411.

When the ink discharge surface 411 of the drawing head 41 is wiped, ink adheres to the tip of the wipe member 71 and the like.
For this reason, in the present embodiment, a scraping unit 70 that removes ink adhering to the wipe member 71 is provided on the back side in the Y direction (upper side in FIG. 3) from the wipe unit 7.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the main part of the scrape part 70, and FIG. 7 is a side view of the main part of the scrape part 70 shown in FIG. In FIG. 7, the wipe part 7 which overlaps with the scrape part 70 is shown by a broken line.
As shown in FIG. 6, the scrape part 70 includes a scrape part main body 73 and guide parts 75 provided on both sides of the scrape part main body 73.
A scrape member 74 that slides on the wipe member 71 and scrapes off ink adhering to the tip of the wipe member 71 and the like is provided on the front side of the scrape body 73 (front side in the Y direction, lower side in FIG. 3). ing. The material, shape, and the like of the scrape member 74 are not particularly limited as long as the ink attached to the wipe member 71 can be removed.

Guide rails 76 are provided along the Y direction on both sides of the scrape portion 70.
The guide portions 75 provided on both sides of the scrape portion 70 are fitted with the guide rails 76, and the scrape portion 70 moves smoothly in the Y direction by the guide portions 75 being guided by the guide rails. can do.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 and the like, a connecting spring 77 is provided on the top surface of the scrape part main body 73 of the present embodiment. The connection spring 77 is a thin plate-like spring, for example.
The connection spring 77 has a rear end portion (right end portion in FIG. 7) fixed by a screw 771. Further, a locking portion 770 formed by folding a part of a plate-like spring at a front end portion (left end portion in FIG. 7) of the connection spring 77 is provided.
In the present embodiment, in order to make the scrape unit 70 slidably contact the wipe member 71, a method of hooking and moving the scrape unit 70 on the drawing head 41 or a head carriage 42 (in this embodiment, the head carriage 42) that holds the drawing head 41. Adopted.
In this way, by using the operation of the drawing head 41 or the like to move the scrape unit 70, it is not necessary to provide a motor or the like for moving the scrape unit 70 separately, and the wipe member 71 can be configured with a simple configuration. Maintenance can be performed.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing a state in which the scrape unit 70 has moved to a position where it can slide on the wipe member 71 of the wipe unit 7 together with the drawing head 41 and the head carriage 42, and FIG. 9 shows the state shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view of a main portion of a connection portion between the head carriage and the scrape member, and FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the main portion of the portion shown enlarged in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, in this embodiment, a recess 426 is formed on the lower surface of the support member 421 provided in the head carriage 42, and the locking portion 770 of the connecting spring 77 is formed in the recess 426. By fitting, the scrape part 70 is connected to the head carriage 42.

When connecting the scrape unit 70 to the head carriage 42, the head carriage 42 (the drawing head 41 supported by the head carriage 42) moves above the scrape unit 70 from behind or in front of the scrape unit 70, Move in one direction. Since the height of the locking portion 770 of the coupling spring 77 is higher than the height (gap) to the lower surface of the head carriage 42, the locking portion 770 is pressed and compressed. When the concave portion 426 reaches a position corresponding to the locking portion 770 of the coupling spring 77, the convex locking portion 770 returns to its original shape due to the spring property, and as shown in FIG. Fit into. As a result, the scrape unit 70 is connected to the head carriage 42. When the head carriage 42 moves in this connected state, the scraping unit 70 can move to a position where the wipe member 71 of the wiping unit 7 can be scraped.
As shown in FIG. 8, there is a purge unit 6 on the front side in the Y direction from the wipe unit 7, and the head carriage 42 moves to the purge unit 6 after passing the wipe unit 7, but the scrape unit 70 is purged. It stops when it hits part 6. Since the connecting spring 77, which is a leaf spring, can be flexibly deformed, the locking portion 770 is deformed and detached from the recess 426 when a strong force is applied against the purge portion 6. As a result, the connection between the scraping unit 70 and the head carriage 42 is released. Note that the scrape unit 70 is provided with a spring or the like for returning to the initial position (in this embodiment, the position on the far side in the Y direction from the wipe unit 7) after the connection with the head carriage 42 is released. Preferably it is.
Note that the method of hooking and moving the scrape unit 70 on the drawing head 41 or the head carriage 42 that holds the drawing head 41 is not particularly limited, and a configuration other than that exemplified here may be employed.

The control device 80 is installed on, for example, a substrate (not shown) disposed on the lower surface side of the top surface of the housing 11 or the like. In the present embodiment, as described above, the substrate is dispersedly provided on the X-direction moving stage 45, the head carriage 42, and the like in addition to the main substrate arranged on the lower surface side of the top surface of the housing 11 and the like. These units are electrically connected to each other so that the respective units are controlled in an integrated manner and operate in conjunction with each other.
FIG. 11 is a principal block diagram showing a control configuration in the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 11, the control device 80 includes a control unit 81 configured by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) (not shown), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like (both not shown). And a storage unit 82 constituted by the computer.

The storage unit 82 stores various programs and various data for operating the nail printing apparatus 1.
Specifically, in the program storage area 820 constituted by a ROM or the like in the storage unit 82, for example, a maintenance program for performing a maintenance operation for maintaining the drawing head 41, the shape of the nail T and the nail T from the nail image Nail information detection program for detecting various nail information such as the contour, nail width, nail area, drawing data generation program for generating drawing data, drawing program for performing drawing processing, etc. Programs are stored, and by executing these programs by the control device 80, each unit of the nail print apparatus 1 is controlled in an integrated manner.
In the present embodiment, the storage unit 82 includes a maintenance mode storage area 821 that stores data related to the maintenance mode and the like, and a nail design storage area 822 that stores image data of a nail design drawn on the nail T. The nail image storage area 823 that stores the acquired nail image of the nail T of the user's finger U1, nail information detected by the nail information detection unit 813 (the nail T contour, the inclination angle (degree of curvature) of the nail T, etc.) Nail information storage area 824 is stored.

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 drawing control unit 814, a display control unit 815, and the like. The functions of the imaging control unit 811, the nail information detection unit 812, the drawing data generation unit 813, the drawing control unit 814, the display control unit 815, and the like are stored in the CPU of the control unit 81 and the program storage area 820 of the storage unit 82. This is achieved through collaboration with other programs.
In the present embodiment, the control unit 81 includes a timer 816 and can grasp various elapsed times and the like.

The imaging control unit 811 controls the imaging device 51 and the illumination device 52 of the imaging mechanism 50, and the image of the finger including the image of the nail T of the finger U1 fixed to the finger fixing unit 3 by the imaging device 51 (nail image). Shoot.
The image data of the nail image acquired by the imaging mechanism 50 is stored in the nail image storage area 821 of the storage unit 82.

The nail information detection unit 813 detects nail information about the nail T of the finger U1 based on the image of the nail T of the finger U1 fixed to the finger fixing unit 3 imaged by the imaging device 51.
Here, the nail information includes, for example, the contour of the nail T (nail shape, XY coordinates of the horizontal position of the nail T, etc.), the height of the nail T (the vertical position of the nail T, hereinafter “the vertical position of the nail T”). Or “the position of the nail T”), the curvature (degree of curvature) of the nail T, and the like.
The nail information detected by the nail information detection unit 812 is stored in the nail information storage area 822 of the storage unit 82.

The drawing data generation unit 813 generates drawing data to be applied to the nail T of the finger U1 by the drawing head 41 based on the nail information detected by the nail information detection unit 812.
Specifically, the drawing data generation unit 813 matches the shape of the nail T by enlarging, reducing, or cutting out nail design image data based on the shape of the nail T detected by the nail information detection unit 812. Align processing is performed.
In addition, when the curvature of the nail T is acquired by the nail information detection unit 812, the drawing data generation unit 813 appropriately performs curved surface correction and draws data for drawing on the surface of the nail T that is a drawing target surface. Is generated.

The drawing control unit 814 outputs a control signal to the drawing mechanism 40 based on the drawing data generated by the drawing data generating unit 813 and performs drawing according to the drawing data on the nail T. The control unit controls the 40 X-direction movement motors 46, the Y-direction movement motor 48, the drawing head 41, and the like.
In this embodiment, the drawing control unit 814 moves the drawing head 41 in the first direction (X direction in this embodiment) while the head moving unit 49 moves the drawing head 41 from the standby area 22 to the drawing area 21. And in the second direction (Y direction in this embodiment), it is possible not to pass through at least one of the plurality of maintenance units (in this embodiment, the purge unit 6 and the wipe unit 7). And
In particular, in the present embodiment, drawing is performed so that at least one maintenance operation is performed in at least one of a plurality of maintenance units (in this embodiment, the purge unit 6 and the wipe unit 7) according to a predetermined maintenance mode. The head 41 and the head moving unit 49 are controlled.

As the maintenance mode in the present embodiment, a first maintenance mode in which a maintenance operation is performed a plurality of times by one maintenance unit, a second maintenance mode in which a maintenance operation is performed once by all the maintenance units, and a maintenance in the wipe unit 7 are performed. There is a third maintenance mode in which no operation is performed, and a fourth maintenance mode in which no maintenance operation is performed in the purge unit 6.
The second maintenance mode is a mode performed in a normal drawing operation. On the other hand, the first maintenance mode is a mode selected when, for example, it is desired to enhance the maintenance operation. The third maintenance mode is a mode selected when, for example, it is desired to perform a drawing process quickly. The fourth maintenance mode is a mode selected when, for example, the ink remaining amount of the drawing head 41 is low.
The detailed contents of each maintenance mode will be described later.

As an element for determining and setting the maintenance of the drawing head 41 by which maintenance mode the drawing control unit 814 performs, that is, the content of the maintenance operation, for example, the ink is ejected from the ink ejection surface 411 of the drawing head 41. There is a total amount of ink.
Of the total amount of ink, the amount of ink ejected by drawing is grasped based on the drawing data, which drawing data was drawn after the drawing head 41 was set in the apparatus. The ink amount ejected by the purge process in the purge unit 6 is grasped by the drawing control unit 814 for each purge process.
The drawing control unit 814 grasps the ink ejection amount by the drawing and the ink ejection amount by the purge process as the total ink amount, and grasps (estimates) the remaining ink amount of the drawing head 41 from here, and determines and sets the maintenance mode. To do.

For example, when the ink remaining amount is smaller than the “predetermined amount”, the drawing control unit 814 selects the fourth maintenance mode in which the maintenance with a large ink discharge amount is not performed as in the purge process.
It should be noted that the degree of the “predetermined amount” that serves as a reference for determining that the remaining amount of ink is low is an item that is appropriately set. Further, the “predetermined amount” may be set / changed later by the user. For example, when the user selects the eco mode or the like so that the ink consumption is reduced as much as possible, the “predetermined amount” is set to a larger value, and the purge process is performed even when there is still a margin in the remaining amount of ink. A maintenance mode that does not perform the above (in the present embodiment, a fourth maintenance mode) may be selected.

Further, as an element for the drawing control unit 814 to determine and set the maintenance mode, for example, a drawing elapsed time after the drawing operation by the drawing head 41 is started may be considered.
The control unit 81 of the present embodiment is provided with a timer 816 as a drawing time acquisition unit that acquires a drawing elapsed time after the drawing operation by the drawing head 41 is started. The drawing elapsed time is acquired by the timer 816. Is done.
The drawing control unit 814 may set the maintenance mode based on the drawing elapsed time acquired by the timer 816.
For example, when the elapsed drawing time is longer than a predetermined time, there is a high possibility that ink clogging has occurred, so the first maintenance mode is set to perform a sufficient maintenance operation. On the other hand, when the drawing operation is performed for only a short time, the fourth maintenance mode may be selected so that only a simple maintenance operation is required.
It should be noted that how long the drawing time is determined to be longer or shorter than the predetermined time is an appropriately set matter. In this case, the user may be able to change the predetermined time set by default.

In addition, the timer 816 of the present embodiment also functions as a pause time acquisition unit that acquires an elapsed pause time since the drawing operation by the drawing head 41 was last performed.
The drawing control unit 814 may set the maintenance mode based on the pause elapsed time acquired by the timer 816.
For example, when the pause elapsed time is longer than a predetermined time, there is a high possibility that the ink is dried and clogged in the nozzles, or the viscosity of the ink is increased, making it difficult to eject. For this reason, the first maintenance mode is set in order to perform a sufficient maintenance operation. On the other hand, when only a short time has passed since the previous drawing, the fourth maintenance mode may be selected so that only a simple maintenance operation is required.
In this case as well, how long the drawing time is determined to be longer or shorter than the predetermined time is an appropriately set matter. In this case, the user may be able to change the predetermined time set by default.

  In addition, a maintenance mode setting button or the like may be provided on the operation unit 12 or the like of the nail print apparatus 1 so that the user can perform an input operation for mode setting. In this case, when the control unit 81 receives a mode setting input operation, the drawing control unit 814 performs a maintenance operation in the maintenance mode that has been set and input.

  The display control unit 815 controls the display device 13 to display various display screens on the display device 13. In the present embodiment, the display control unit 815 includes, for example, a nail design selection screen, a thumbnail image for design confirmation, a nail image obtained by photographing the finger U1, an image obtained by projecting the original image on the nail T, and various instruction screens. The operation screen or the like is displayed on the display device 13.

Next, a drawing method according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
When nail printing is performed by the nail printing apparatus 1, as shown in FIG. 12, the display control unit 815 first reads a nail design from the nail design storage area 824, and displays a screen asking the user to select a nail design. It is displayed on the display device 13 (step S1). When the user selects one of the nail designs displayed on the display device 13 by performing an input operation such as a touch operation, a desired nail design is selected as a design to be drawn on the nail T (step S2). ).
Further, the display control unit 817 displays an instruction screen for instructing to set the nail T to be drawn on the finger fixing unit 3 (step S3).
When set on the finger U1 finger fixing unit 3, the photographing control unit 811 controls the photographing mechanism 50 to photograph the nail T and obtain a nail image (step S4). Then, nail information such as the contour and curvature of the nail T is detected from the nail image by the nail information detection unit 813 (step S5).
When the nail information is detected, the drawing data generation unit 813 reads the drawing image data of the nail design selected by the user, and corrects the drawing image data based on the nail information detected for the nail T. Then, drawing data is generated (step S6). The drawing data generated by the drawing data generation unit 813 is sent to the drawing control unit 814.

The drawing control unit 814 determines the maintenance mode before shifting to the drawing operation, and performs a maintenance process corresponding to the maintenance mode (step S7).
Here, the maintenance process will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14.
In FIG. 14, I to V indicate directions of movement of the drawing head 41.

  First, in the normal case where the drawing head 41 moves from the state in the standby area 22 to the drawing area 21 and performs the drawing operation, as shown in FIGS. 13B and 14B, the drawing control unit 814 is used. Adopts the second maintenance mode, moves the drawing head 41 from the state capped by the cap portion 23 of the standby area 22 (step S21) to the left side in the X direction (left side in FIG. 14B), The ink discharge surface 411 is wiped by the wipe unit 7 (step S22). Next, the drawing head 41 is moved as it is toward the front side in the Y direction (lower side in FIG. 14B), and ink is forcibly ejected by the purge unit 6 (step S23). Thereafter, the drawing head 41 is moved to the front side in the Y direction and to the right side in the X direction to move above the drawing area 21 (step S24).

  Further, when the elapsed drawing time is equal to or longer than the predetermined time or when the elapsed elapsed time is equal to or longer than the predetermined time, the user may be in maintenance enhanced mode (first maintenance mode) due to disordered ejection in the actually attempted drawing. ) Is selected / set, etc., as shown in FIGS. 13A and 14A, the drawing control unit 814 adopts the first maintenance mode and uses the cap unit 23 in the standby area 22. From the capped state (step S11), the drawing head 41 is first slightly moved to the front side in the Y direction (lower side in FIG. 14A) and further to the left side in the X direction (left side in FIG. 14A). The ink is forcibly ejected in the purge unit 6 (step S12). Next, the drawing head 41 is once moved slightly to the back in the Y direction (upward in FIG. 14A), and the ink discharge surface 411 is wiped by the wipe unit 7 (step S13). Next, the drawing head 41 is directly moved to the front side in the Y direction (lower side in FIG. 14A), and ink is forcibly ejected again in the purge unit 6 (step S14). Thereafter, the drawing head 41 is moved to the front side in the Y direction and to the right side in the X direction to move above the drawing area 21 (step S15).

  Further, when the user selects / sets the maintenance skip mode (third maintenance mode) due to, for example, performing drawing processing quickly, as shown in FIGS. 13C and 14C, The drawing control unit 814 adopts the third maintenance mode, and from the state where the drawing unit 41 is capped by the cap unit 23 in the standby area 22 (step S31), the drawing head 41 is first moved forward in the Y direction (see FIG. 14C). The ink is slightly moved to the lower side and further moved to the left in the X direction (left side in FIG. 14C), and the purge unit 6 forcibly ejects ink (step S32). Thereafter, the drawing head 41 is moved to the front side in the Y direction and to the right side in the X direction to move above the drawing area 21 (step S33).

Also, when the remaining amount of ink is less than a predetermined amount, or when the user selects / sets the maintenance skip mode (fourth maintenance mode) for the purpose of suppressing the ink consumption amount or performing drawing processing quickly. For example, as shown in FIG. 13D and FIG. 14D, the drawing control unit 814 adopts the fourth maintenance mode and is capped by the cap unit 23 in the standby area 22 (steps). From S41), the drawing head 41 is moved to the left side in the X direction (left side in FIG. 14D), and the ink discharge surface 411 is wiped by the wipe unit 7 (step S42). Thereafter, the drawing head 41 is moved to the front side in the Y direction and to the right side in the X direction to move above the drawing area 21 (step S43).
Note that if the determination in the drawing control unit 814 is different from the content set by the user, the content input by the user may be prioritized. In addition, a display screen that informs the display device or the like of the current state of the drawing head 41 (remaining ink is low, the pause elapsed time is long and requires careful maintenance, etc.) is displayed, and which maintenance mode is selected. Judgment may be further requested from the user.

Returning to FIG. 12, when the drawing head 41 moves above the drawing area 21, the drawing control unit 814 outputs drawing data to the drawing mechanism 40 to start the drawing process (step S8).
The drawing control unit 814 determines whether or not the drawing process has ended (step S9). If the drawing process has not ended (step S9; NO), the drawing control unit 814 returns to step S8 and continues the drawing process.
On the other hand, when the drawing of the nail design for the nail T is finished (step S9; YES), the drawing process in the present embodiment is finished.
When the drawing process ends, a message to that effect may be displayed on the display device 13 or the like.
When the drawing process ends, the user removes the finger U1 from the apparatus, and performs post-processing such as drying for the drawing mechanism and application of an overcoat agent.

  Although not particularly described above, when drawing on the nail T with the nail printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the user first applies a white or other undercoat agent to the nail region and then dries it. It is preferable to fix the finger U1 and its nail T to the finger fixing part 3 after performing the pretreatment. In this way, by applying the undercoat to the nail T in advance, the color of the ink discharged onto the nail T is improved and a more beautiful finish can be achieved. In addition, when an undercoat agent such as white is applied to the nail T, the nail information detection unit 812 can easily recognize the boundary between the nail T and the skin portion of the finger U1, and the contour of the nail T to be drawn can be more enhanced. It becomes possible to detect with high accuracy.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the drawing area 21 and the standby area 22 are provided at different positions within the range in which the drawing head 41 can be moved by the head moving unit 49 on the XY plane. The plurality of maintenance units are arranged at positions different from the drawing area and the standby area on the XY plane and within a range in which the drawing head 41 can be moved by the head moving unit 49, and a plurality of maintenance units. The units are arranged at positions shifted in at least one of the X direction and the Y direction, and the drawing control unit 814 responds to a predetermined maintenance mode while moving the drawing head 41 from the standby area 22 to the drawing area 21. The drawing head 41 and the head so that at least one maintenance operation is performed in at least one of the plurality of maintenance units. And controls the moving unit 49.
In the case of a general drawing apparatus that draws on paper, the drawing head 41 performs a drawing operation while transporting the paper to be drawn in a predetermined transport direction (for example, the Y direction in FIG. 3 and the like). Has a uniaxial configuration that moves only in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction (for example, the X direction in FIG. 3 and the like).
On the other hand, when the drawing head 41 has a two-axis configuration that can move in both the X direction and the Y direction as in this embodiment, the drawing head 41 can be moved by the head moving unit 49. As long as it is on the XY plane, the drawing head 41 can be appropriately placed at any position regardless of where the drawing area, the standby area, and the maintenance area are arranged.
For this reason, the degree of freedom of arrangement and design inside the apparatus is increased, and when a plurality of maintenance parts such as the purge part 6 and the wipe part 7 are provided as in this embodiment, the arrangement positions can be freely dispersed. Therefore, it is possible to achieve an efficient arrangement that requires as little movement of the drawing head 41 as possible.
Furthermore, since the arrangement of a plurality of maintenance units can be dispersed, it is possible to freely select a maintenance unit to stop by or a combination thereof to perform a maintenance operation according to the state of the drawing head 41 or the like. it can. For this reason, it is possible to perform the head maintenance efficiently by executing a combination of necessary maintenance operations according to the situation.
As a result, problems such as ejection failures can be sufficiently resolved, and some maintenance operations can be omitted to give priority to quick drawing processing, or maintenance operations with a large ink ejection amount such as purge processing can be performed. By omitting it, it is possible to realize flexible maintenance according to various situations and requests, such as reducing ink consumption.
In addition, if unnecessary maintenance operations can be omitted in this way, it is possible to suppress the consumption of consumable parts such as the wipe member 71 of the wipe unit 7 and the absorber 63 of the purge unit 6.

In the present embodiment, the standby area 22 is provided with a cap portion 23 that covers the ink ejection surface 411.
This prevents drying of the ink ejection surface 411 when not drawing, maintains a state where the drawing operation can be performed immediately, and makes the ink ejection surface 411 suitable for drawing even when the apparatus is not used for a long period of time. The apparatus can be stored while maintaining a good state.

Further, in the present embodiment, the plurality of maintenance units include a purge unit 6 that receives ink forcedly ejected from the ink ejection surface 411 and a wipe unit 7 that cleans the ink ejection surface 411 by wiping.
By performing the maintenance operation by the purge unit 6 and the wipe unit 7, the ink adhering to the ink discharge surface 411 and the ink discharge ports formed on the ink discharge surface 411, the air accumulated in the nozzles, foreign matters, etc. are properly removed, and good A proper discharge state can be recovered.

In the present embodiment, the predetermined maintenance mode is such that the content of the maintenance operation is set based on the total amount of ink ejected from the ink ejection surface of the drawing head.
As a result, when the remaining amount of ink is low, a maintenance operation that consumes a large amount of ink, such as purge processing, can be avoided, and the drawing head 41 can be lengthened.

Further, in the present embodiment, a timer 816 serving as a drawing time acquisition unit that acquires a drawing elapsed time after the drawing operation by the drawing head is started is included, and the predetermined maintenance mode is the drawing progress acquired by the timer 816. The content of the maintenance operation is set based on the time.
For this reason, when the ink discharge surface is expected to be stained, for example, after drawing for a long period of time, an appropriate mode such as selecting a mode in which careful maintenance can be performed (for example, the first maintenance mode) is selected. In response, normal ink ejection can be realized.

Further, in the present embodiment, the timer 816 is provided as a pause time acquisition unit that acquires the pause elapsed time since the drawing operation by the drawing head was last performed, and the predetermined maintenance mode is acquired by the timer 816. The content of the maintenance operation is set on the basis of the pause elapsed time.
For this reason, for example, when the device has been left for a long time, or when the dirt adhering to the ink ejection surface is hardened or the ink may be thickened in the nozzles, care must be taken. Normal ink ejection can be realized by taking an appropriate measure such as selecting a mode (for example, the first maintenance mode) in which proper maintenance can be performed.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

For example, in the present embodiment, the purge unit 6 is exemplified by forcibly ejecting ink by the same operation as normal ink ejection, but the configuration of the purge unit 6 is not limited to this.
For example, a purge unit of a type provided with a small pump or the like and having the ink discharge surface 411 sealed and sucking ink or impurities remaining in the nozzle or the like with a pump and forcibly discharging it to the outside is provided. Also good.

Moreover, although the case where it has the purge part 6 and the wipe part 7 as a maintenance part was illustrated in this embodiment, the kind of maintenance part is not limited to this. Instead of these, or together with these, another maintenance unit may be provided.
As another maintenance unit, for example, an absorbing member formed of a highly absorbent material such as felt is pressed against the ink discharge surface 411 to remove the ink adhering to the ink discharge surface 411 by absorbing and adsorbing it. May be provided.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the configuration in which the purge unit 6 and the wipe unit 7 are provided one by one is illustrated, but the number of the purge units 6 and the wipe units 7 is not particularly limited. One type of maintenance unit may be provided at a plurality of locations, such as providing the purge unit 6 in the vicinity and the vicinity of the drawing region, or arranging the wipe unit 7 in the front, rear, and side of the purge unit 6.

In the present embodiment, the remaining amount of ink, the elapsed drawing time, the elapsed elapsed time, etc. are exemplified as the determination elements when selecting the maintenance mode. However, the determination elements are not limited to this, and other elements are also included. You may consider it.
Further, when selecting the maintenance mode, a determination may be made by taking a plurality of factors into consideration. In this case, when there is a conflicting condition by applying a certain weight to the determination element, a maintenance mode corresponding to a higher weight may be selected.

In the present embodiment, the case where the nail design storage area 822 for storing the nail design image data is provided in the storage unit 82 of the nail print apparatus 1 is illustrated. However, the nail design image data is stored in the nail print apparatus 1. It is not limited to the case where it is preserve | saved in the memory | storage part 82.
For example, nail design image data may be stored in a server device or the like that can be connected via a network line or the like, and the nail design image data may be referred to by accessing the server device or the like.
In this way, it is possible to select a design to be drawn from among a larger number of nail designs.

In the present embodiment, the drawing head 41 of the nail printing apparatus (drawing apparatus) 1 includes the inkjet drawing head 41, but the configuration of the drawing head 41 is not limited to this.
For example, a pen holder that holds a drawing pen that performs drawing with a pen tip attached to the surface of the nail T may be provided, and drawing may be performed using the pen. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which comprises both the drawing head of an inkjet system like this embodiment, and the pen holder holding a drawing pen, and performs drawing using several drawing means.

  Further, the nail printing apparatus 1 may be provided with a drying unit including a heater and a fan for drying ink after drawing.

In the present embodiment, the case where the nail T of the finger U1 is fixed to the finger fixing unit 3 to perform shooting and drawing processing is illustrated, but the object that can be drawn in the nail printing apparatus (drawing apparatus) 1 is the finger U1. It is not limited to nail T.
For example, even a nail-like shape such as a nail chip used by being attached to the nail T can be a “nail” that can be drawn in the drawing system.

In the present embodiment, an example is shown in which the drawing head 41 is movable by the head moving unit 49 in the X direction that is the first direction and the Y direction that is the second direction intersecting the X direction. The first direction and the second direction only need to cross each other, and are not limited to the X direction and the Y direction.
For example, the drawing head 41 may be able to move obliquely on the XY plane by the head moving unit 49.
In addition, the first direction and the second direction do not have to be orthogonal directions. For example, when the drawing head 41 can move obliquely on the XY plane, The direction may be an X direction or a Y direction that intersects with the first direction.

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 drawing head having an ink ejection surface for ejecting ink to the drawing target and performing drawing on the drawing target;
A head moving unit capable of moving the drawing head in a first direction and a second direction intersecting the first direction;
A drawing control unit for controlling the drawing head and the head moving unit;
Multiple maintenance departments;
With
Each of the plurality of maintenance units performs different maintenance on the drawing head,
A drawing area in which the drawing target is placed and the drawing by the drawing head is performed within a range in which the drawing head can be moved by the head moving unit, and when the drawing head is not performing the drawing The standby area in which the drawing head is arranged and the plurality of maintenance units are provided at different positions,
The drawing control unit
While moving the drawing head from the standby area to the drawing area, the head moving unit moves the drawing head in the first direction and the second direction, so that at least one of the plurality of maintenance units. A drawing apparatus characterized in that it is possible not to pass through one.
<Claim 2>
At least one of the plurality of maintenance units is disposed at a position shifted in the first direction and the second direction with respect to at least one of the drawing area and the standby area. Item 2. The drawing apparatus according to Item 1.
<Claim 3>
The drawing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a cap portion that covers the ink discharge surface is provided in the standby area.
<Claim 4>
The plurality of maintenance sections include a purge section that receives ink forcedly ejected from the ink ejection surface, and a wipe section that cleans by wiping the ink ejection surface. The drawing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
<Claim 5>
The drawing control unit uses at least one of the plurality of maintenance units according to a set maintenance mode while moving the drawing head from the standby area to the drawing area. Controlling the drawing head and the head moving unit to perform a maintenance operation;
The content of the maintenance operation is set in the maintenance mode based on the total amount of ink ejected from the ink ejection surface of the drawing head. Drawing device.
<Claim 6>
A drawing time acquisition unit for acquiring an elapsed drawing time after the drawing operation by the drawing head is started;
The drawing control unit uses at least one of the plurality of maintenance units according to a set maintenance mode while moving the drawing head from the standby area to the drawing area. Controlling the drawing head and the head moving unit to perform a maintenance operation;
5. The maintenance mode according to claim 1, wherein the content of the maintenance operation is set based on the drawing elapsed time acquired by the drawing time acquisition unit. Drawing device.
<Claim 7>
A pause time acquisition unit for acquiring a pause elapsed time since the drawing operation by the drawing head was last performed;
The drawing control unit uses at least one of the plurality of maintenance units according to a set maintenance mode while moving the drawing head from the standby area to the drawing area. Controlling the drawing head and the head moving unit to perform a maintenance operation;
The content of the maintenance operation is set in the maintenance mode on the basis of the suspension elapsed time acquired by the suspension time acquisition unit, according to any one of claims 1 to 4. Drawing device.
<Claim 8>
A drawing method of a drawing device,
The drawing apparatus includes a drawing head that is movable in a first direction and a second direction that intersects the first direction and that draws ink on the drawing target to perform drawing on the drawing target, and a plurality of maintenance units Each of the plurality of maintenance units performs maintenance of different contents on the drawing head, and the drawing target is placed within a movable range of the drawing head so that the drawing head The drawing area where the drawing is performed, the standby area where the drawing head is arranged at the time of non-drawing where the drawing head is not performing the drawing, and the plurality of maintenance units are provided at different positions,
Moving the drawing head in a first direction and a second direction between the drawing area, the standby area, and the plurality of maintenance units;
While moving the drawing head from the standby area to the drawing area, the drawing head is moved in the first direction and the second direction so as not to pass at least one of the plurality of maintenance units. A drawing method characterized in that the drawing head can be moved.
<Claim 9>
A program executed by a computer that controls the drawing apparatus,
The drawing apparatus includes a drawing head that is movable in a first direction and a second direction that intersects the first direction and that draws ink on the drawing target to perform drawing on the drawing target, and a plurality of maintenance units Each of the plurality of maintenance units performs maintenance of different contents on the drawing head, and the drawing target is placed within a movable range of the drawing head so that the drawing head The drawing area where the drawing is performed, the standby area where the drawing head is arranged at the time of non-drawing where the drawing head is not performing the drawing, and the plurality of maintenance units are provided at different positions,
Moving the drawing head in the first direction and the second direction between the drawing area, the standby area, and the plurality of maintenance units;
While moving the drawing head from the standby area to the drawing area, the drawing head is moved in the first direction and the second direction so as not to pass at least one of the plurality of maintenance units. Making it possible to move the drawing head;
A program characterized by that.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Nail printing apparatus 6 Purge part 7 Wipe part 15 Base part 16 Drawing area 17 Standby area 23 Cap part 33 Window part 35 Claw mounting part 40 Drawing mechanism 41 Drawing head 50 Imaging mechanism 81 Control part 82 Storage part 811 Imaging control part T nail U1 finger

Claims (7)

A drawing head having an ink ejection surface for ejecting ink to the drawing target and performing drawing on the drawing target;
A head moving unit capable of moving the drawing head in a first direction and a second direction intersecting the first direction;
A drawing control unit for controlling the drawing head and the head moving unit;
A cap portion that protects the ink discharge surface by covering it;
With
A drawing area where the drawing target is placed and the drawing by the drawing head is performed within a range in which the drawing head can be moved by the head moving unit, and a standby area where the cap unit is arranged Provided in different positions,
The drawing control unit
While the drawing head is moved in the drawing area by the head moving unit in the first direction, the ink is ejected from the ink ejection surface to the drawing target,
The drawing apparatus, wherein the ink moving surface is covered by the cap portion by moving the drawing head from one side to the other side in the second direction by the head moving unit.   The drawing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cap unit includes a biasing member having a biasing force that biases the cap unit from the other side in the second direction toward the one side. The drawing control unit moves the drawing head from the one side in the second direction toward the other side to the standby area,
3. The drawing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the cap portion is pushed to the other side in the second direction against the biasing force and rises to a position covering the ink discharge surface.   The drawing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drawing head is arranged in the standby area when the drawing head is not performing the drawing when the drawing is not performed.   The drawing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the standby area is arranged on the other side in the second direction with respect to the drawing area. A drawing method of a drawing device,
The drawing device is movable in a first direction and a second direction intersecting the first direction, and draws on the drawing target by discharging ink from an ink discharge surface to the drawing target; A cap portion that protects the ink ejection surface by covering the drawing surface, and a drawing area where the drawing target is placed and the drawing head performs the drawing within the movable range of the drawing head, and the cap And the standby area where the part is provided are located at different positions,
While the drawing head moves in the first direction in the drawing area, the ink is ejected from the ink ejection surface to the drawing target,
A drawing method, wherein the ink discharge surface is covered with the cap portion by moving the drawing head from one side of the second direction toward the other side to the standby region. A program executed by a computer that controls the drawing apparatus,
The drawing device is movable in a first direction and a second direction intersecting the first direction, and draws on the drawing target by discharging ink from an ink discharge surface to the drawing target; A cap portion that protects the ink ejection surface by covering the drawing surface, and a drawing area where the drawing target is placed and the drawing head performs the drawing within the movable range of the drawing head, and the cap And the standby area where the part is provided are located at different positions,
While the drawing head moves in the first direction in the drawing area, the ink is ejected from the ink ejection surface to the drawing target,
A program characterized in that the ink discharge surface is covered with the cap portion by moving the drawing head from one side to the other side in the second direction to a standby region.

Images