JP2020161085A - Data creation device and data creation method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a data creation device capable of more easily creating print data and transfer data.SOLUTION: A data creation device 20 includes a storage part 32 for storing image data expressing a predetermined image 6, a printing area setting part 34 for setting a printing area P which is an area to which an ink is discharged from an ink head 72 in the predetermined image 6, a transfer area setting part 38 for setting a transfer area F which is an area to which a thermal transfer foil is transferred by a foil transfer head 81 in the predetermined image 6, a print data creation part 36 for creating the print data on the basis of the image data and the set printing area P, and a transfer data creation part 42 for creating the transfer data on the basis of at least the image data and the set transfer area F.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a data creation device and a data creation method.

Conventionally, there has been known an inkjet printer provided with an ink head for ejecting ink to a work piece and performing predetermined printing on the work piece by an inkjet method. Further, for the purpose of improving designability and the like, there is known a thermal transfer device that performs decorative processing on a work piece by a thermal transfer method using a thermal transfer foil (also referred to as a thermal transfer sheet). The thermal transfer device includes a foil transfer head that transfers the thermal transfer foil placed on the workpiece to the workpiece. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an inkjet printer including a foil transfer head.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2017-7237

By the way, when a predetermined printing and thermal transfer foil is transferred to a work piece by using an inkjet printer provided with the foil transfer head described above, an ordinary inkjet printer and a thermal transfer device, a printing step and a transferring step are performed. Is independent. Therefore, it is necessary to separately prepare the print data used in the printing process and the transfer data used in the transfer process. Here, when the print data and the transfer data are prepared separately, it is relatively difficult to set the print area, which is the area for printing, and the transfer area, which is the area for transfer, and the burden associated with the creation of each data is increased. It was big.

The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and an object of the present invention is to provide a data creation device capable of more easily creating print data and transfer data.

The data creation device according to the present invention is a processing system having an ink head that ejects ink to a work piece and a foil transfer head that transfers a thermal transfer foil to the work piece, and print data for ejecting the ink. And a data creation device that creates transfer data for transferring the thermal transfer foil. The data creation device includes a storage unit that stores image data representing a predetermined image, a print area setting unit that sets a print area that is an area in which the ink is ejected from the ink head in the predetermined image. In the predetermined image, the print data is printed based on the transfer region setting unit that sets the transfer region, which is the region to which the thermal transfer foil is transferred by the foil transfer head, and the image data and the set print region. It includes a print data creation unit to be created, and a transfer data creation unit that creates the transfer data based on at least the image data and the set transfer region.

According to the data creation apparatus of the present invention, the print area and the transfer area can be set based on a predetermined image. That is, the print area and the transfer area can be set based on one image data stored in the storage unit. Then, the print data and the transfer data are created based on the image data, the print area, and the transfer area. In this way, since the print area and the transfer area can be set respectively based on one image data, the print area and the transfer area can be set as compared with the case where the print area and the transfer area are set separately and independently. Is easy. As a result, it becomes easier to create print data and transfer data.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a data creation device capable of creating print data and transfer data more easily.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the structural example of the processing system which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of the processed product which was printed and transferred on the work piece. It is a block diagram of the control system of the processing system which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a flowchart which showed the procedure of manufacturing the processing product by the processing system which concerns on one Embodiment. It is an example of a predetermined image. This is an example of a print area in a predetermined image. This is an example of a transfer region in a predetermined image. This is an example in which another transfer region is added to the transfer region in a predetermined image.

Hereinafter, the processing system according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments described here are, of course, not intended to limit the present invention. In addition, members and parts that perform the same action are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description will be omitted or simplified as appropriate.

As shown in FIG. 1, the processing system 10 includes a data creation device 20, a printing device 70 that performs predetermined printing on a work piece 5 (see FIG. 2), and a heat transfer device that transfers a heat transfer foil to a work piece 5. It has 80 and. The data creation device 20 is connected to the printing device 70 and the thermal transfer device 80 by a line L so as to enable wired communication. The data creation device 20, the printing device 70, and the thermal transfer device 80 can communicate with each other wirelessly.

The work piece 5 may be, for example, a sheet such as a recording paper, various cases such as a mobile phone case, a small electronic device such as an electronic cigarette, small parts such as a key holder, a photo frame, and a pen, daily necessities, and accessories. It may be a three-dimensional object such as. The material of the workpiece 5 is not only plain paper, drawing paper, Japanese paper, printing paper for inkjet, but also polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), acrylic resin, polycarbonate (PC), and polystyrene. , Resin materials such as acrylic nitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) copolymer, metal materials such as gold, silver, copper, platinum, brass, aluminum, iron, titanium, stainless steel, natural fibers such as cotton, linen, silk and nylon , Cloth, carbon, pottery, ceramic, glass, rubber, leather, wood board, etc. made of chemical fibers such as polyester.

As shown in FIG. 1, the printing device 70 is a device that prints a predetermined image on the workpiece 5. Examples of the printing device 70 include an inkjet printer that performs predetermined printing on a work piece 5 (see FIG. 2) by an inkjet method. The printing apparatus 70 includes a mounting table 71 on which the workpiece 5 is placed, and an ink head 72 that ejects ink to the workpiece 5 mounted on the mounting table 71. The material of the ink discharged from the ink head 72 is not limited in any way, and various materials conventionally used as the ink material of the inkjet printer can be used. The ink may be, for example, a solvent-based (solvent-based) pigment ink, a water-based pigment ink, a water-based ink, an ultraviolet curable pigment ink that is cured by receiving ultraviolet rays, or the like. The printing device 70 can print a predetermined image 6 (see FIG. 5) on the workpiece 5 based on the image data described later.

As shown in FIG. 1, the thermal transfer device 80 is an apparatus for transferring the thermal transfer foil to the workpiece 5 (see FIG. 2). The thermal transfer device 80 includes a foil transfer head 81. The foil transfer head 81 presses and heats a sheet-shaped thermal transfer foil placed on the workpiece 5. As a result, the thermal transfer foil is transferred to the workpiece 5. Examples of the foil transfer head 81 include a heat pen and a laser pen. The heat pen is configured to be heatable by itself, and the heat of the heat pen heats the heat transfer foil. The laser pen is configured to be capable of irradiating light in a predetermined wavelength band (laser light), and heats the thermal transfer foil by irradiating the thermal transfer foil with light and converting light energy into thermal energy. When a laser pen is used, for example, a light absorbing film is placed on a heat transfer foil. The light absorption film is a sheet configured to efficiently absorb light in a predetermined wavelength band emitted from the foil transfer head 81 and convert light energy into heat energy. As the thermal transfer foil, for example, a thermal transfer foil generally commercially available for thermal transfer can be used without particular limitation. In the thermal transfer foil, a base material, a decorative layer, and an adhesive layer are generally laminated in this order. The thermal transfer foil includes, for example, metallic foils such as gold foil and silver foil, half metallic foils, pigment foils, multicolor printing foils, hologram foils, electrostatic destruction countermeasure foils and the like.

As shown in FIG. 3, the data creation device 20 includes a control device 30 that controls a printing device 70 and a thermal transfer device 80. The control device 30 executes a predetermined process according to the program. The control device 30 is connected to the printing device 70 and the thermal transfer device 80. The data creation device 20 creates print data for ejecting ink and transfer data for transferring the thermal transfer foil. The control device 30 transmits the created print data to the printing device 70. The control device 30 transmits the created transfer data to the thermal transfer device 80. The data creation device 20 of the present embodiment is a notebook type personal computer, but may be, for example, a desktop type personal computer or the like. The data creation device 20 includes a display device 22 (see also FIG. 1) including a display and the like, and an input device 24 (see also FIG. 1) including a keyboard, a touch panel, a mouse, and the like. The display device 22 displays a predetermined image 6 (see FIG. 5) or the like based on the image data.

The control device 30 is typically a computer. The control device 30 includes, for example, an interface (I / F) for receiving image data from an external terminal, a central processing unit (CPU) for executing instructions of a control program, and a program executed by the CPU. It is equipped with a stored ROM (read only memory), a RAM (random access memory) used as a working area for deploying programs, and a storage device such as a memory for storing the above programs and various data.

As shown in FIG. 3, the control device 30 includes a storage unit 32, a print area setting unit 34, a print data creation unit 36, a transfer area setting unit 38, a transfer area editing unit 40, and a transfer data creation unit 42. And have. The functions of each part of the control device 30 are realized by a program. This program is read from a recording medium such as a CD or DVD. This program may be downloaded via the Internet. Further, the functions of each part of the control device 30 may be realized by a processor and / or a circuit or the like. The specific functions of each of these parts will be described later.

Next, a procedure for processing the workpiece 5 using the printing apparatus 70 and the thermal transfer apparatus 80 will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure for manufacturing the processed product 5X (see FIG. 2) according to the embodiment. In the following example, a case where the mobile phone case as the workpiece 5 is processed will be described. Further, here, a case where printing by the printing apparatus 70 is applied to the workpiece 5 and then the transfer of the thermal transfer foil by the thermal transfer apparatus 80 is applied to the workpiece 5 will be described.

First, in step S10, image data is taken into the data creation device 20. The captured image data is stored in the storage unit 32. The image data represents a predetermined image 6 (see FIG. 5). The predetermined image 6 is, for example, a two-dimensional image. The predetermined image 6 has a plurality of first objects 7A to 7th objects 7G. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the predetermined image 6 has a first object 7A identified as the outermost first frame and a second object 7B identified as the second frame located inside the first frame. , The third object 7C identified as an illustration of the crescent moon, the fourth object 7D identified as an illustration of a small star, the fifth object 7E identified as an illustration of a star trail, and identified as an illustration of a large star. The sixth object 7F to be created and the seventh object 7G identified as an illustration of a star located inside a large star are included. The first object 7A to the seventh object 7G include contour lines 8A to 8G representing a predetermined shape, respectively. For example, the contour line 8D is star-shaped. The predetermined image 6 can be arbitrarily created by the operator by using the data creation device 20 or software installed on an external computer. That is, the operator can create a desired image having a plurality of objects. Objects include illustrations, photographs, characters, figures, symbols and the like.

Next, in step S20, the print area setting unit 34 sets the print area P (see FIG. 6) in the predetermined image 6. The print area P is an area where ink is ejected from the ink head 72 (see FIG. 1). In the example shown in FIG. 6, the print area P is represented by diagonal lines. In the present embodiment, the print area P includes a first print area PA, a second print area PB, and a third print area PC. The print area setting unit 34 sets, for example, the first print area PA outside the contour line 8B of the second object 7B. The print area setting unit 34 prints second, for example, on the outside of the contour line 8C of the third object 7C, the contour line 8D of the fourth object 7D, the contour line 8E of the fifth object 7E, and the contour line 8F of the sixth object 7F. Set the area PB. The print area setting unit 34 sets, for example, the third print area PC inside the contour line 8G of the seventh object 7G. The print area P is set by the operator while looking at the predetermined image 6 displayed on the display device 22, for example.

Next, in step S30, the print data creation unit 36 creates print data based on the image data stored in the storage unit 32 and the print area P set by the print area setting unit 34. The print data creation unit 36 converts the image data into data that can be processed by the printing device 70 (for example, raster data expressed in a raster format), and creates print data used by the printing device 70. The print data includes print condition data when printing on the workpiece 5 by the ink head 72. The print condition data includes, for example, the moving speed of the ink head 72, the size and density of the ink ejected from the ink head 72, the transport speed of the workpiece 5, and the like.

Next, in step S40, the data creation device 20 transmits the created print data to the printing device 70. The printing apparatus 70 controls the ink head 72 and the like based on the print data to eject ink to a predetermined position of the workpiece 5 to complete printing. Before step S40, the workpiece 5 is placed on the mounting table 71 of the printing apparatus 70 in advance.

Next, in step S50, the transfer region setting unit 38 sets the transfer region F (see FIG. 7) in the predetermined image 6. The transfer region F is a region to which the thermal transfer foil is transferred by the foil transfer head 81. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the transfer region F is represented by diagonal lines. In the present embodiment, the transcription region F includes a first transcription region FA, a second transcription region FB, a third transcription region FC, and a fourth transcription region FD. The transfer area setting unit 38 sets, for example, the first transfer area FA inside the contour line 8C of the third object 7C. The transfer area setting unit 38 sets the second transfer area FB inside the contour line 8D of the fourth object 7D, for example. The transfer region setting unit 38 sets the third transfer region FC inside the contour line 8E of the fifth object 7E, for example. The transfer region setting unit 38 sets the fourth transfer region FD inside the contour line 8F of the sixth object 7F, for example. In the present embodiment, the contour line 8C, the contour line 8D, the contour line 8E and the contour line 8F are included in the transfer region F. Further, the transfer area F and the print area P do not overlap. The transfer region F is set by the operator while looking at the predetermined image 6 displayed on the display device 22, for example.

Next, in step S60, the transfer region editing unit 40 adds another transfer region FX (see FIG. 8) located outside the predetermined image 6. The other transfer region FX is associated with a positional relationship relative to the transfer region F. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the other transfer region FX is set to the other object 7X identified as the character string "summer-night". The other transfer area FX may be set in an illustration, a photograph, a figure, a symbol, or the like.

Next, in step S70, the transfer data creation unit 42 has the image data stored in the storage unit 32, the transfer area F set by the transfer area setting unit 38, and another transfer area added by the transfer area editing unit 40. Transfer data is created based on FX. When another transfer area FX is not added by the transfer area editing unit 40, the transfer data creation unit 42 uses the image data stored in the storage unit 32 and the transfer area set by the transfer area setting unit 38. Transfer data is created based on F. The transfer data creation unit 42 converts the transfer data into data that can be processed by the thermal transfer device 80 (for example, vector data represented in a vector format), and creates transfer data to be used in the thermal transfer device 80. The transfer data includes transfer condition data when the thermal transfer foil is transferred to the workpiece 5 by the foil transfer head 81. The transfer condition data includes, for example, the moving speed of the foil transfer head 81, the amount of light emitted from the foil transfer head 81, and the like.

Next, in step S80, the data creation device 20 transmits the created transfer data to the thermal transfer device 80. The thermal transfer device 80 controls the foil transfer head 81 and the like based on the transfer data to transfer the thermal transfer foil to a predetermined position of the workpiece 5. As a result, the processed product 5X as shown in FIG. 2 is manufactured. Prior to step S80, the heat transfer foil is preliminarily placed on the work piece 5 and the work piece 5 for which printing has been completed on a jig (not shown) provided in the heat transfer device 80.

As described above, according to the data creation device 20 of the present embodiment, the print area P and the transfer area F can be set based on the predetermined image 6. That is, the print area P and the transfer area F can be set based on one image data stored in the storage unit 32. Then, print data and transfer data are created based on the image data, the print area P, and the transfer area F. In this way, since the print area P and the transfer area F can be set respectively based on one image data, the print area P can be set as compared with the case where the print area P and the transfer area F are set separately and independently. And the transfer region F can be easily set. As a result, it becomes easier to create print data and transfer data.

According to the data creation device 20 of the present embodiment, the print area P and the transfer area F do not overlap. As a result, the ink discharged from the ink head 72 lands directly on the workpiece 5, so that the ink is fixed better than when the ink lands on the thermal transfer foil. Further, since the heat transfer foil is directly transferred to the work piece 5, the heat transfer foil is better fixed to the work piece 5 as compared with the case where the heat transfer foil is transferred onto the ink.

According to the data creation device 20 of the present embodiment, the predetermined image 6 includes contour lines 8A to 8G representing a predetermined shape, and the print area setting unit 34 is, for example, a print area outside the contour line 8C. The PB is set, and the transfer region setting unit 38 sets the transfer region FA inside the contour line 8C, for example. In this way, the print area P and the transfer area F can be easily set by using the contour line 8C included in the predetermined image 6 as a reference.

According to the data creation device 20 of the present embodiment, the transfer data includes transfer condition data when the thermal transfer foil is transferred by the foil transfer head 81. As a result, appropriate transfer conditions can be set according to the state of the workpiece 5, so that the thermal transfer foil can be transferred to the workpiece 5 with high quality.

The data creation device 20 of the present embodiment includes a transfer region editing unit 40 located outside a predetermined image 6 and adding another transfer region FX associated with a relative positional relationship with respect to the transfer region F. There is. The transfer data creation unit 42 creates transfer data based on the image data, the set transfer area F, and the added other transfer area FX. In this way, since another transfer region FX can be added to the outside of the predetermined image 6, the design of the processed product 5X can be improved.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, the above-described embodiment is merely an example, and the present invention can be implemented in various other embodiments.

In the above-described embodiment, the print area setting unit 34 sets the print area P outside the contour line, and the transfer area setting unit 38 sets the transfer area F inside the contour line, but the present invention is limited to this. Not done. The print area setting unit 34 may set the print area P inside the contour line, and the transfer area setting unit 38 may set the transfer area F outside the contour line. In this way, the print area P and the transfer area F can be easily set by using the contour line included in the predetermined image 6 as a reference.

In the above-described embodiment, the transfer region F and the print region P are set so as not to overlap, but the present invention is not limited to this. The transfer region F and the print region P may be set so that at least a part thereof overlaps. For example, when a part of the transfer area F and a part of the print area P overlap, the processing system 10 performs the work piece by the thermal transfer device 80 after the printing on the work piece 5 by the printing device 70 is completed. Thermal transfer to 5 may be performed. That is, by transferring the thermal transfer foil onto the ink ejected from the ink head 72, the thermal transfer foil may be transferred onto a predetermined image in a part of the processed product 5X. Alternatively, the processing system 10 may perform printing on the workpiece 5 by the printing apparatus 70 after the thermal transfer to the workpiece 5 by the thermal transfer device 80 is completed. That is, a predetermined image may be formed on the thermal transfer foil in a part of the processed product 5X by ejecting ink from the ink head 72 onto the thermal transfer foil transferred to the workpiece.

Further, for example, when the print area P is included in the transfer area F (that is, when the entire print area P is included in the transfer area F), the processing system 10 applies the printing device 70 to the workpiece 5. After the printing is completed, the thermal transfer device 80 may perform thermal transfer to the workpiece 5. That is, by transferring the thermal transfer foil to the entire ink ejected from the ink head 72, the entire predetermined image formed on the processed product 5X may be covered with the thermal transfer foil. Alternatively, for example, when the transfer area F is included in the print area P (that is, when the entire transfer area F is included in the print area P), the processing system 10 transfers the work piece 5 to the workpiece 5 by the thermal transfer device 80. After the thermal transfer is completed, printing on the workpiece 5 by the printing apparatus 70 may be performed. That is, by ejecting ink from the ink head 72 to the entire thermal transfer foil transferred to the workpiece 5, the entire thermal transfer foil transferred to the processed product 5X may be covered with a predetermined image.

In the above-described embodiment, the transfer region F is set after the printing on the workpiece 5 is completed, but the present invention is not limited to this. The transfer region F may be set before printing on the workpiece 5. For example, the transfer area F may be set at the same time as the print area P is set.

In the above-described embodiment, the work piece 5 is printed by the printing apparatus 70, and then the heat transfer foil is transferred to the work piece 5 by the heat transfer device 80, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the work piece 5 may be printed by the printing device 70 after the heat transfer foil is transferred to the work piece 5 by the heat transfer device 80.

In the above-described embodiment, the processing system 10 includes, but is not limited to, the printing apparatus 70 and the thermal transfer apparatus 80. The processing system 10 may include, for example, a device in which a printing device 70 and a thermal transfer device 80 are integrated, that is, a printing device with a foil transfer head in which the printing device includes a foil transfer head.

5 Work piece 6 Predetermined image 10 Processing system 20 Data creation device 30 Control device 32 Storage unit 34 Print area setting unit 36 Print data creation unit 38 Transfer area setting unit 40 Transfer area editing unit 42 Transfer data creation unit 72 Ink head 81 Foil transfer head

Claims (19)

In a processing system having an ink head that ejects ink to an workpiece and a foil transfer head that transfers a thermal transfer foil to the workpiece, print data for ejecting the ink and the thermal transfer foil for transferring the thermal transfer foil. A data creation device that creates transfer data
A storage unit that stores image data representing a predetermined image,
In the predetermined image, a print area setting unit for setting a print area which is an area where the ink is ejected from the ink head, and a print area setting unit.
In the predetermined image, a transfer region setting unit that sets a transfer region, which is a region to which the thermal transfer foil is transferred by the foil transfer head,
A print data creation unit that creates the print data based on the image data and the set print area.
A data creation device including a transfer data creation unit that creates the transfer data based on at least the image data and the set transfer region. The data creation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print area and the transfer area do not overlap. The predetermined image includes a contour line representing a predetermined shape.
The print area setting unit sets the print area outside the contour line, and sets the print area.
The data creation device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the transfer region setting unit sets the transfer region inside the contour line. The predetermined image includes a contour line representing a predetermined shape.
The print area setting unit sets the print area inside the contour line, and sets the print area.
The data creation device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the transfer region setting unit sets the transfer region outside the contour line. The data creation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a part of the print area and a part of the transfer area overlap. The data creation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print area is included in the transfer area. The data creation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transfer region is included in the print region. The data creation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the transfer data includes transfer condition data when the thermal transfer foil is transferred by the foil transfer head. A transfer region editing unit located outside the predetermined image and adding another transfer region associated with the relative positional relationship with respect to the transfer region is provided.
The transfer data creation unit according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the transfer data creation unit creates the transfer data based on the image data, the set print area, and the added other transfer area. Data creation device. With the ink head
With the foil transfer head
A processing system comprising the data creation device according to any one of claims 1 to 9. In a processing system having an ink head that ejects ink to an workpiece and a foil transfer head that transfers a thermal transfer foil to the workpiece, print data for ejecting the ink and the thermal transfer foil for transferring the thermal transfer foil. It is a method of creating transfer data.
Setting a print area, which is an area where the ink is ejected from the ink head, in a predetermined image.
To set a transfer region, which is a region to which the thermal transfer foil is transferred by the foil transfer head in the predetermined image.
Creating the print data based on the image data representing the predetermined image and the set print area.
A data creation method comprising creating the transfer data based on at least the image data and the set transfer region. The data creation method according to claim 11, wherein the print area and the transfer area do not overlap. The predetermined image includes a contour line representing a predetermined shape.
The print area is set outside the contour line,
The data creation method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the transfer region is set inside the contour line. The predetermined image includes a contour line representing a predetermined shape.
The print area is set inside the contour line,
The data creation method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the transfer region is set outside the contour line. The data creation method according to claim 11, wherein a part of the print area and a part of the transfer area overlap. The data creation method according to claim 11, wherein the print area is included in the transfer area. The data creation method according to claim 11, wherein the transfer region is included in the print region. The data creation method according to any one of claims 11 to 17, wherein the transfer data includes transfer condition data when the thermal transfer foil is transferred by the foil transfer head. Including adding another transfer region that is located outside the predetermined image and is associated with a relative positional relationship with respect to the transfer region.
The data creation method according to any one of claims 11 to 18, wherein the transfer data is created based on the image data, the set print area, and the added other transfer area.

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