JP2022109632A - Printer, printing control method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a printer which does not shift to an operation other than printing operation inadvertently, and to provide a printing control method and a program.SOLUTION: A printer 1 includes an imaging device 51 which detects whether a nail exists in an arrangement area of the nail, a printed object. The printer 1 includes a control unit 31 which causes the imaging device 51 to detect whether the nail, the printed object, exists and determines whether to conduct an operation following an instruction for an operation other than printing operation based on a captured image, a detection result, when the operation other than the printing operation is instructed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a printer, a print control method, and a program.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a printing apparatus that prints on a printing target such as a person's nails.
In addition to performing a printing operation on an object to be printed, the printing apparatus moves the print head to a predetermined position (for example, a predetermined standby position or origin position), performs various alignment operations, and performs a cleaning operation of the print head. Operations other than the printing operation, such as printing, are also performed as appropriate.

For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200002 discloses a configuration for cleaning ink ejection ports of a print head in a printing apparatus that performs printing using an inkjet method.

JP 2018-153940 A

However, users generally think that the printing apparatus does not operate unless the printing operation is being performed.
Therefore, if the sound of the motor for moving the print head or the sound generated during the cleaning operation is heard while the printing operation is not being performed, the user may suspect that an abnormality has occurred in the apparatus, or it may occur unexpectedly. There is a risk that the abnormal noise will make them feel uneasy or be surprised.

Also, when various cleaning operations are started with a finger or the like placed in an arrangement area where a print object such as a nail or paper is arranged, ink mist or the like generated by the cleaning operation adheres to the surface of the nail, paper, or the like. There is also a risk that the surface to be printed will be soiled.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a printing apparatus, a printing control method, and a program that do not inadvertently shift to an operation other than a printing operation. .

In order to solve the above problems, one aspect of the printing apparatus of the present invention includes:
detection means for detecting the presence or absence of the print target within the print target layout area;
control means for determining, when an operation instruction other than the printing operation is given, whether or not to perform an operation according to the operation instruction other than the printing operation based on the detection result of the detection means;
It is characterized by having

According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent an inadvertent transition to an operation other than the printing operation.

1 is a perspective view of a main part showing an external configuration of a printing apparatus according to this embodiment; FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a main part showing an internal configuration of a printing apparatus according to this embodiment; FIG. 3 is a block diagram of main parts showing a control configuration of a printing apparatus according to the embodiment and a terminal apparatus cooperating with the printing apparatus; FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing print control processing according to the present embodiment.

An embodiment of a printing apparatus, a printing control method, and a program according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG.
Although various technically desirable limitations are attached to the embodiments described below for carrying out the present invention, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments and illustrated examples.
Further, in the following embodiments, a printing device that prints on fingernails as printing targets will be described as an example, but the printing targets of the printing device in the present invention are limited to fingernails. Instead, for example, toe nails or the like may be printed. In addition, a nail-like object other than a human nail, such as a nail tip or the surface of various accessories, or other various objects may be printed.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of a main part of a printing apparatus according to this embodiment.
In the following embodiments, up and down, left and right, and front and back refer to directions shown in FIG. Also, the X direction and the Y direction refer to the directions shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the printing device 1 has a housing 2 formed in a substantially box shape.
In the lower part of the front side (the front side of the printing device 1, the front side in FIG. 1) of the housing 2 (the housing main body 20), there is a horizontal direction (the horizontal direction of the printing device 1, the horizontal direction in FIG. 1, the X direction) ) is formed over substantially the entire surface thereof. The upper part of the front side of the housing 2 (the housing main body 20) is a front wall portion 22, and the upper side of the opening 21 is provided in the substantially central portion of the front wall portion 22 in the left-right direction of the housing 2. A notch 23 is formed continuously with the . The notch portion 23 functions as an entrance and exit for attaching and detaching a cartridge 41 (41a, 41b), which will be described later, to and from the apparatus.

The housing 2 also has a front cover 25 that covers the notch 23 .
The front cover 25 is rotatably connected to the housing body 20 via a hinge mechanism 24 provided at the upper end of the front wall portion 22 or the front end of the upper surface (top plate) of the housing body 20. ing.
The upper cover 25 has the front side of the housing body 20 opened from the closed state covering the front side of the front wall section 22 of the housing body 20 (in this embodiment, the front wall section 22 including the notch 23 is exposed). ) can be rotated to the open state.
Note that FIG. 1 illustrates the case where the upper cover 25 is in an open state.

An apparatus main body 10 is housed inside the housing 2 .
The apparatus main body 10 includes a base 11 and the like fixed inside the housing 2 .
A printing unit 40 that prints on a surface to be printed (printing surface) is provided on the base 11 . In this embodiment, a fingernail is to be printed, and the surface of the nail is the surface to be printed (printing surface).

The printing unit 40 includes a cartridge 41 functioning as a print head, a cartridge holder 42 holding the cartridge 41, a carriage 8 supporting the cartridge holder 42 movably in the X direction, an X direction movement motor 46, and a Y direction movement motor 48. etc.

As described above, the cartridge 41 functions as a print head, and has an ink ejection section (not shown) provided on its lower surface (the surface facing the surface of the base 11).
The cartridge 41 is an inkjet head that performs printing by spraying droplets of ink from an ink ejection portion onto a surface to be printed.
Although the type and number of cartridges 41 are not particularly limited, two cartridges 41 are arranged side by side in the X direction and mounted on the cartridge holder 42 in this embodiment. The two cartridges 41 each have a design head 41a capable of ejecting each color ink (hereinafter referred to as "color ink") such as cyan (C; CYAN), magenta (M; MAGENTA), and yellow (Y; YELLOW). and a base head 41b for printing a base liquid agent before printing a design. Note that the term "cartridge 41" simply includes the design head 41a and the base head 41b.

The cartridge holder 42 detachably holds the cartridge 41 .
The cartridge holder 42 is supported on the front portion of the carriage 8 so as to be movable in the X direction. The carriage 8 is provided with a guide shaft 80 extending in the left-right direction, an X-direction movement motor 46, a drive belt (not shown), and the like. The guide shaft 80 is inserted through the rear portion of the cartridge holder 42 . The cartridge holder 42 is movable on the carriage 8 in the X direction along the guide shaft 80 by driving the X direction movement motor 46 and rotating the drive belt.

Inside the carriage 8 or the like, an X-direction origin sensor 411 (see FIG. 3) is provided for detecting when the cartridge holder 42 (and the cartridge 41 supported by it) reaches the origin position (for example, the left end on the carriage 8). ) are provided.
Further, an encoder sensor 413 (see FIG. 3) for detecting movement of the cartridge holder 42 (and the cartridge 41 supported by it) is provided inside the carriage 8 of the present embodiment.

The carriage 8 is formed in a rectangular box shape extending in the left-right direction (X direction), and both left and right ends thereof are supported by guide rails 81 .
Each guide rail 81 extends in the Y direction and supports the carriage 8 movably in the Y direction.
The carriage 8 on which the cartridge holder 42 is mounted is located at the origin position (for example, the end on the front side of the device) at the end of either the left or right guide rail 81 (for example, the end on the front side (front side) of the device). A Y direction origin sensor 412 (see FIG. 3) is provided to detect when the .

A timing belt 83 is connected to each of the left and right ends of the carriage 8 via a belt clip 82 . Each timing belt 83 extends in the Y direction and is stretched around pulleys 84 (only the right one is shown in FIG. 1). Of the left and right timing belts 83 , the right timing belt 83 is on the driving (driving) side and is connected to the Y-direction movement motor 48 . On the other hand, the timing belt 83 on the left side is the driven side, and is synchronized with the driving side in rotation speed and rotation amount by a connecting shaft 85 that connects pulleys 84 on both the left and right sides.
The carriage 8 can move in the Y direction while being supported by the guide rails 81 by driving the Y-direction movement motor 48 to rotate the pulley 84 , which in turn rotates the timing belt 83 . there is

In this embodiment, the X-direction movement motor 46 is a DC motor, an AC motor, or the like, and accurate movement control is performed based on information acquired by the encoder sensor 413 . As the Y-direction movement motor 48, for example, a stepping motor that rotates in synchronization with input pulses is applied.
In this embodiment, the cartridge 41 can be moved in the XY directions by driving the X-direction movement motor 46 and the Y-direction movement motor 48 , and the head movement mechanism 49 including the X-direction movement motor 46 and the Y-direction movement motor 48 is configured.

A finger fixing portion 6 is arranged in the front side (near side) portion of the base 11 and substantially in the center in the left-right direction. The finger fixing part 6 is a box-shaped member having an opening 61 that opens to the front side of the device. is printed.
The back side (rear side) of the top surface of the finger fixing portion 6 is an open window portion 63 . A nail of a finger inserted into the finger fixing portion 6 is exposed through the window portion 63 .

The right rear portion of the base 11 serves as a standby area (home position) A1 where the cartridge 41 (cartridge holder 42) waits during non-printing. The standby area A1 is provided with a cap portion (not shown) that covers the ink ejection surface on the bottom surface of the cartridge 41 to protect it from drying or the like.
The rear left side of the base 11 serves as a cleaning area A2 in which cleaning (maintenance) operations, etc., of the cartridge 41 (ink ejection portion, etc.) are performed during non-printing. Although not shown, the cleaning area A2 includes, for example, a purge section for performing a purge (spit) process, a wipe section for wiping the ink ejection section to remove ink and dirt adhering to the ink ejection section, and a wiping section for the wipe section. A cleaning unit 7 including a scraper or the like for removing ink or the like adhering to members is provided.

The front portion of the base 11, which is substantially central in the left-right direction, is a region corresponding to the window portion 63 of the finger fixing portion 6, and is a printing operation region in which the cartridge 41 performs a printing operation during printing. It is A3.
In the present embodiment, the printing operation area A3 is a "printing target placement area" in which a nail or the like to be printed is placed.
It should be noted that the "placement area to be printed" is not limited to the print operation area A3. For example, a predetermined area including the print operation area A3 and its peripheral area may be set as the "print target layout area".
In the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, in order to make the entire apparatus relatively compact and to shorten the movement line of movement of the cartridge 41, as shown in FIG. The operating area A3 is provided at a position relatively close to the cleaning area A2.

Further, inside the housing 2, an imaging unit 50 (see FIG. 3) is provided.
The photographing unit 50 includes a photographing device 51 and an illumination device 52 .
The photographing device 51 is attached to the inside of the top surface of the housing 2 or to a support member (not shown) erected on the base 11 . Although the arrangement of the imaging device 51 is not particularly limited, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, it is arranged substantially in the center in the horizontal direction (X direction) of the device.
Note that the imaging unit 50 may be configured to be movable in the XY directions by a moving mechanism such as the head moving mechanism 49 that moves the cartridge 41 .

The imaging device 51 is, for example, a compact camera including a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) type or CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) type solid-state imaging device having two million or more pixels, a lens, and the like.
The photographing unit 50 (particularly, the photographing device 51) is arranged above the window 63 of the finger fixing unit 6, and photographs the fingernail exposed through the window 63 to acquire the image.
In this embodiment, as will be described later, the shape of the nail to be printed is detected from an image of the finger including the nail (referred to as a "nail image") captured by the imaging unit 50, and the imaging device 51 , are two-dimensional sensors used to detect the shape of the object to be printed.
In addition, the imaging device 51 of the present embodiment functions as detection means for detecting the presence or absence of a print target (for example, a nail) in the print operation area A3 or the "print target layout area" that is an area including the print operation area A3. . When the photographing device 51 detects the presence or absence of a print target (for example, a fingernail) by setting a range wider than the print operation area A3 as a "print target layout area", the angle of view is sufficient to cover the entire detection target area. lens (not shown).

The lighting devices 52 are arranged, for example, on the left and right sides of the photographing device 51, and illuminate the object to be photographed by the photographing device 51 (the surface of the nail to be printed and the finger including the finger).
Although the specific configuration and arrangement of the lighting device 52 are not particularly limited, the lighting device 52 is, for example, a lighting unit including a plurality of LEDs. Note that the light source of the lighting device 52 is not limited to an LED as long as it can illuminate the imaging target of the imaging device 51 .

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of this embodiment.
The control device 30 mounted on the printing apparatus 1 includes a control unit 31 (see FIG. 3) configured by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) (not shown), ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory). etc. (none of which are shown) and a storage unit 32 (see FIG. 3).
The control device 30 is mounted, for example, on a substrate (not shown) arranged inside (lower surface side) of the upper surface (top plate) of the housing 2 or the like.

The storage unit 32 has a program storage area 321 in which various programs for operating the printing apparatus 1 are stored.
Specifically, the storage unit 32 stores various programs such as a print program for performing print processing. By being executed in the unit 31, each unit of the printing apparatus 1 is centrally controlled.
The storage unit 32 also has a nail information storage area 322 . The nail information storage area 322 stores various information related to the nail detected by the information detection unit 313, which will be described later.
Note that the storage unit 32 may store data such as the nail image acquired by the imaging unit 50, or may store various other data.

The control unit 31 includes a communication control unit 311, an imaging control unit 312, an information detection unit 313, a print data generation unit 314, a print control unit 315, and the like, from a functional point of view. The functions of the communication control unit 311, the photographing control unit 312, the information detection unit 313, the print data generation unit 314, the print control unit 315, etc. are performed by programs stored in the program storage areas 321 of the control unit 31 and the storage unit 32. realized through the collaboration of

The communication control section 311 controls the operation of the communication section 13 of the printing apparatus 1 .
The communication unit 13 includes a wireless communication module or the like capable of communicating with the communication unit 73 of the terminal device 9, and the communication control unit 311 transmits and receives various data between the printing device 1 and the terminal device 9. It controls the operation of the communication unit 13 at that time.
The printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment prints a nail design (hereinafter also simply referred to as "design") in cooperation with a terminal device 9, which will be described later. For example, design data to be printed on nails is stored in the terminal device 9 side, and the communication control unit 311 appropriately controls communication by the communication unit 13 to acquire design data from the terminal device 9 side via the communication unit 13. do.
Data such as the nail image acquired by the imaging unit 50 may be transmitted to the terminal device 9 side via the communication unit 13 .

The photographing control unit 312 controls the photographing device 51 and the lighting device 52 of the photographing unit 50 to perform photographing and obtain an image.
In the present embodiment, the photographing control unit 312 causes the photographing unit 50 (the photographing device 51 of the photographing unit 50) to photograph the nail (the finger including the nail) placed on the finger fixing unit 6 to obtain a nail image.
In particular, in the present embodiment, the imaging control unit 312 causes the imaging unit 50 (imaging device 51 of the imaging unit 50) to photograph the inside of the “layout area to be printed”, inside).
It should be noted that the photographing by the photographing device 51 may be either still image photographing or moving image photographing. When the photographing by the photographing device 51 is moving image photographing, the photographing control unit 312 appropriately extracts a frame from the photographed moving image, for example, and obtains it as a still image.
The imaging control unit 312 may store the acquired image data in the storage unit 32 .

The information detection unit 313 acquires information by analyzing various images acquired by the imaging control unit 312 .
Specifically, based on the nail image acquired by the imaging control unit 312, nail information about the finger nail is detected.
The nail information acquired by the information detection unit 313 is, for example, a nail contour that defines the nail area by separating the nail from other parts (such as the skin part of the finger).
Note that the nail information detected by the information detection unit 313 is not limited to the contour of the nail.
The nail information detected by the information detection unit 313 may include, for example, the inclination angle of the nail surface with respect to the XY plane (nail inclination angle, nail curvature). Further, when the height of the nail (vertical position of the nail) can be acquired from an image or the like captured by the imaging device 51, the height of the nail may also be included in the nail information.

Further, when an operation instruction other than the printing operation is given, the information detection unit 313 performs printing based on the image (detection result of the detection unit) in the “print target layout area” acquired by the imaging control unit 312. It functions as control means for determining whether or not to perform an action according to an action instruction other than the action.
Here, "operations other than printing operations" are, for example, "operations accompanied by mechanical operations", "operations accompanied by operation sounds", or both.
For example, cleaning operation of the cartridge 41, moving the cartridge 41 from the standby area A1 to the cleaning area A2 or the printing operation area A3, moving the cartridge 41 to the origin position in the X direction, the origin position in the Y direction, the exchange position of the cartridge 41 (for example, The position corresponding to the notch 23 on the front side of the apparatus), the operation of moving to a predetermined position, the alignment operation of adjusting the positions and postures of the cartridge 41 and the imaging device 51 to the correct state, etc. are "operations involving mechanical operations". Alternatively, it is an "operation accompanied by a mechanical operation" and an "operation accompanied by an operation sound", which corresponds to the "operation other than the printing operation" according to the present embodiment.

During these operations, various motors (the X-direction movement motor 46, the Y-direction movement motor 48, etc.) are operated to move the cartridge 41. Therefore, motor sounds are generated and the parts and members of each section collide with each other. A sound or the like is generated. For this reason, when the user is very close to the printing apparatus 1, such as when the user places a nail (a finger corresponding to the nail) inside the apparatus, the sudden sound makes the user feel uneasy. There is a risk that you will be tricked or startled.
Further, in the cleaning operation of the cartridge 41, there is a risk that ink mist ejected from the ink ejecting portion during purging or the like, or ink repelled from the ink ejecting portion by wiping, etc., may adhere to the surface of the nail or the like, which is the object of printing. be. In this case, the surface to be printed becomes dirty, and printing (nail printing) cannot be performed unless the hands are washed once. Moreover, if the nail print has already been applied, there is a possibility that the process must be started again from the beginning.
In addition, when there is a problem whether or not there is an object to be printed within the "placement area of the object to be printed", it refers to an operation that generates sound, ink mist, etc. Operations that do not physically affect the outside are not included in the "operations other than printing operations" referred to here.

In addition, if the printing apparatus 1 has an operation unit, the operation instruction instructing "an operation other than the printing operation" may be an instruction input from the operation unit, or may be an instruction input from the operation unit. It may be an instruction input from the operation unit 93 of the terminal device 9, which will be described later.
Further, when the cleaning operation is set to be performed at fixed time intervals, the operation instruction may be based on the setting.
Further, in the case where the printing apparatus 1 has the front cover 25 as in the present embodiment, when the front cover 25 is opened, a predetermined "non-printing operation" such as a cleaning operation of the cartridge 41 or replacement of the cartridge 41 is performed. If it is set that "the operation" is to be performed, the opening of the front cover 25 may be used as an operation instruction to instruct the "operation other than the printing operation". In this case, for example, a sensor, a mechanical switch, or the like for detecting the opening/closing state of the front cover 25 is provided so that it can be detected when the front cover 25 is opened.

The print data generation unit 314 generates print data by, for example, matching a desired design with the nail contour detected by the information detection unit 313 and stored in the nail information storage area 322 .
Specifically, the print data generation unit 314 cuts out image data of a nail design selected by the user, performs enlargement/reduction as appropriate, adjusts placement, etc. fitting to.
It should be noted that when the information detection unit 313 acquires the curvature of the nail and the like, the print data generation unit 314 may appropriately perform curved surface correction on the print data based on the curvature of the nail and the like. When curved surface correction is performed, it is possible to generate print data that more closely matches the shape of the nail.

The print control unit 315 controls the print unit 40 to print on the nail according to the print data generated by the print data generation unit 314 .
Specifically, the print control unit 315 outputs a control signal to the print unit 40 based on the print data, and controls the X-direction movement motor 46 of the print unit 40 to print on the nail according to the print data. , the Y-direction movement motor 48, the cartridge 41, and the like.
Further, when the print control unit 315 of the present embodiment receives an operation instruction other than the printing operation for the printing apparatus 1, the information detection unit 313 determines to perform the operation according to the operation instruction other than the printing operation. If so, the X-direction movement motor 46, the Y-direction movement motor 48, the cartridge 41, etc. of the printing unit 40 are controlled according to the content of the operation instruction to execute the instructed operation.

Note that if the printing apparatus 1 is provided with a display unit, an audio output unit, etc. (not shown), when the information detection unit 313 determines that an operation other than the printing operation is to be performed in accordance with the operation instruction, The control unit 31 notifies that "operations other than the printing operation", such as movement of the cartridge 41 and cleaning operation, are about to start, and retracts the nail (finger having the nail) that is the object of printing from the "arrangement area of the object of printing". It may also function as control means for outputting a message or the like prompting the user to do so from the display unit, the audio output unit, or the like, and notifying the user.
Further, when the display unit, the audio output unit, etc. are not provided, the control unit 31 transmits the determination result to the control unit 91 of the terminal device 9 that cooperates via the communication control unit 311, and the terminal device 9 The user may be notified by a display unit, an audio output unit, or the like.

Further, as described above, the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment performs printing on nails in cooperation with the terminal device 9 .
The terminal device 9 is, for example, a mobile terminal device such as a smart phone. Note that the terminal device 9 is not limited to a smart phone. For example, it may be a tablet personal computer (hereinafter referred to as "PC"), a notebook PC, a stationary PC, a game terminal device, or the like.
As shown in FIG. 3, the terminal device 9 includes an operation section 93, a display section 94, a communication section 95, a control device 90, and the like.

The operation unit 93 can perform various inputs and settings according to user operations, and is, for example, a touch panel integrally provided on the surface of the display unit 94 . When the operating portion 93 is operated, an input signal corresponding to the operation is transmitted to the control portion 91 .
Various operation screens are displayed on the touch panel configured in the display unit 94 according to the control of the display control unit 912, which will be described later, and the user can perform various operations such as input and setting by touching the touch panel. . Note that the operation unit 93 for performing operations such as various inputs and settings is not limited to a touch panel.

In this embodiment, the user operates the operation unit 93 to output various instructions such as printing start from the terminal device 9 to the printing device 1 . It also functions as an operation unit.
Further, by operating the operation unit 93, the user can select a nail design to be printed on the nail.

The display unit 94 is configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic electroluminescence display, or another flat display.
Note that, as described above, a touch panel for performing various inputs may be integrally formed on the surface of the display unit 94 . In this case, the touch panel functions as the operation unit 93 .
In this embodiment, the nail design input/selected by the user through the operation unit 93, various guidance screens, warning display screens, and the like can be displayed on the display unit 94. FIG.
The display unit 94 also functions as a notification means for notifying the user when the printer 1 is about to perform an operation other than the printing operation, as will be described later.
Note that the content displayed on the display unit 94 is not limited to this.

The communication section 95 is configured to be able to communicate with the communication section 13 of the printing apparatus 1 .
Communication between the printing device 1 and the terminal device 9 may be either a wireless connection method or a wired connection method, and the specific method is not limited. The communication unit 95 can communicate with the printing apparatus 1, and a communication standard conforming to the communication standard of the communication unit 13 of the printing apparatus 1 is applied.

As shown in FIG. 3, the control device 90 of the terminal device 9 of the present embodiment includes a control unit 91 configured by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) (not shown), a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (not shown). (random access memory) or the like.

The storage unit 92 stores various programs, various data, and the like for operating each unit of the terminal device 9 .
Specifically, in the ROM or the like of the present embodiment, in addition to an operation program 921a for centrally controlling each section of the terminal device 9, a nail print application program 921b (hereinafter referred to as a nail print application program 921b) for performing nail printing using the printing apparatus 1 "Nail print AP") and other various programs are stored. Each part of the device 9 is controlled in an integrated manner.

Further, the storage unit 92 of the present embodiment is provided with a design storage area 922 and the like for storing nail design data.
Note that the nail design (design) stored in the design storage area 922 may be an existing design prepared in advance or a design created by the user himself/herself. Further, when the terminal device 9 can be connected to various networks, it may be possible to import a nail design stored in a network-connectable server device (not shown) or the like.

The control unit 91 of the terminal device 9 includes a communication control unit 911, a display control unit 912, etc. from a functional point of view. Functions of the communication control unit 911 , the display control unit 912 , etc. are realized by cooperation between the CPU of the control unit 91 and the programs stored in the ROM of the storage unit 92 . Note that the functions provided by the control unit 91 of the terminal device 9 are not limited to this, and may be provided with various other functional units.
The communication control section 911 controls the operation of the communication section 95 .
The display control unit 912 also controls the display unit 94 to display various display screens on the display unit 94 .

Next, the print control method of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing print control processing in this embodiment.
When performing nail printing using the printer 1 of the present embodiment, the user operates the operation unit 12 (operation buttons) of the printer 1 to turn on the power (step S1).
Also, the power of the terminal device 9 is turned on, and execution of nail print processing is selected from the operation unit 91 of the terminal device 9 . This activates the nail print AP 921b.

When the nail print AP 921b is activated in the terminal device 9, the display control section 912 of the terminal device 9 causes the display section 94 to display a design selection screen (not shown) from which a design can be selected, and one of the designs is selected. When the operation is performed, the selected design is set as the design to be printed on the nail.

Also, when the power is turned on, the control unit 31 moves the cartridge 41 from the initial state of the printer 1 (for example, the state where the cartridge 41 is in the standby area Ar2) and starts a preparatory operation for starting printing. . This preparatory operation includes, for example, an operation for aligning the cartridge 41 and the photographing device 51, and an initial process such as an operation for preparing ink ejection from the cartridge 41 by a cleaning operation such as a purge process or a wipe process (step S5, which will be described later). and the movement of the cartridge 41 to the origin position (step S6 to be described later), which is "an operation other than the printing operation".

Such "operations other than printing operations" as preparatory operations at the start of printing are processes that cannot be postponed after printing ends. Therefore, the control unit 31 confirms whether or not there is a print target such as a nail in the "print target layout area", and if there is a print target, saves it, and appropriately performs a preparation operation ("print target layout area"). It is in a state where it is possible to perform actions other than actions”).
Specifically, first, the control unit 31 causes the image capturing device 51 to capture an image of the printing operation area A3, which is the "print target layout area" in the present embodiment, and acquires an image (step S2). The control unit 31 (information detection unit 313) analyzes the acquired image and detects whether or not there is a print target such as a nail in the photographed range (“print target layout area”) (step S3 ).
In particular, in this embodiment, before a pattern is printed as a nail print, a base such as white is printed on the nail by the base head 41b. By doing so, it is possible to relatively easily detect whether or not there is a print target such as a nail.

When it is detected that the nail or the like is reflected in the acquired image (step S3; YES), a message such as "Please remove your finger or nail from the apparatus" is notified to the user by text or voice (step S4). . The notification is performed, for example, by transmitting the information to the terminal device 9 that cooperates and displaying it on the display unit 94 of the terminal device 9 . The contents of the notification are not limited to those shown here. For example, if the movement of the cartridge 41 only produces a motor sound or the like, a message such as "The cartridge will move" is issued to inform the user of the situation so as not to startle the user, and the message "Please press the OK button if you are satisfied." ” or the like may be requested from the user.
After notifying the user, the control unit 31 returns to step 2 again and repeats the determination process until the print target such as the nail is removed from the print operation area A3, which is the "print target layout area". Note that even if the nail or the like is not removed, if the user gives an instruction to allow the notified situation (for example, by pressing the OK button), the nail or the like is removed from the "placement area to be printed". You may take the same action as in the case.
Then, if the print target such as the nail is not within the "print target layout area" or has already been removed from the "print target layout area" (step S3; NO), the cartridge 41 or the photographing device 51 Initial processing such as alignment and cleaning by moving the cartridge 41 to the cleaning area A2 is performed as appropriate (step S5). the left end of the apparatus in the X direction) and stand by at the origin position (step S6).

The control unit 31 determines whether or not an operation other than the printing operation has been instructed (step S7), and if an operation other than the printing operation has been instructed (step S7; YES), the "placement area to be printed" is displayed. If there is a printing target such as a fingernail, it is evacuated and a state in which "operations other than printing operation" can be appropriately performed is established.
Specifically, first, the control unit 31 causes the photographing device 51 to photograph the print operation area A3, which is the "print target layout area" in the present embodiment, and obtains an image (step S8). Then, the control unit 31 (information detection unit 313) analyzes the acquired image and detects whether or not there is a print target such as a nail in the photographed range (“print target layout area”) ( step S9).

If the object to be printed, such as a nail, is not within the "placement area to be printed" or has already been removed from the "placement area to be printed" (step S9; NO), the control unit 31 causes each operating unit (e.g. The motors 46, 48, etc. of the head moving mechanism 49 are operated to perform "operations other than the printing operation" such as the cleaning operation of the ink ejection portion of the cartridge 41 (step S10).
On the other hand, when it is detected that the nail or the like is reflected in the image captured within the "placement area to be printed" (step S9; YES), the control unit 31 further performs the instructed "operation other than the printing operation". is canceled (step S11).

For example, when the instructed "operation other than printing operation" is a cleaning operation, a predetermined time or more has passed since the previous cleaning operation, or a predetermined amount or more of printing has been performed. If it is determined that normal printing cannot be performed until the relevant operation is performed, the control unit 31 determines that the "operation other than the printing operation" cannot be canceled (step S11; NO). In the same manner as described in step S4, the user is notified by displaying a message such as "Take your finger or nail out of the device" (step S12). Then, the process returns to step S8 and the determination process is repeated until the situation is resolved. Note that even if the nail or the like is not removed, if the user gives an instruction to allow the notified situation (for example, by pressing the OK button), the nail or the like is removed from the "print target layout area". It is also the same as the case of step S4 in that the same correspondence as in the case may be performed.

On the other hand, if not much time has passed since the previous cleaning operation, or if the printing operation has not been performed much, there is no problem even if the printing operation is performed as it is. Therefore, in such a case, the control unit 31 determines that "operations other than the printing operation" can be canceled (step S11; YES), and proceeds to the next step S13 as in step S10. In this case, a series of preset printing operations (for example, if printing on ten fingers of the left and right hands is preset, printing operations on the nails of ten fingers) are completed. After that, the canceled "operations other than the printing operation" are performed (step S25 described later).

If "operations other than printing operations" are not instructed (step S7; NO), and if "operations other than printing operations" are performed (step S10), the instructed "operations other than printing operations" are canceled. If so (step S11; YES), the control unit 31 further determines whether or not there is a print operation instruction (step S13). The case where the printing operation is instructed is, for example, the case where data to be printed is sent from the terminal device 9 or the like.
If there is no print operation instruction (step S13; NO), the process returns to step S7 to repeat the process.
On the other hand, if there is a print operation instruction (step S13; YES), the control unit 31 (imaging control unit 312) controls the imaging unit 50 to control the finger (including the nail) held by the finger fixing unit 6. ) to obtain a nail image (step S14).
When the nail image is acquired, the control section 31 sets the print area and the print start position based on the nail image (step S15). Specifically, first, the control unit 31 (information detection unit 313) detects nail information such as a nail contour from the nail image. When the nail contour is detected, the control unit 31 (print data generation unit 314) matches the design data to the nail contour, performs corrections as appropriate, and generates print data based on the design data.

After the print area and print start position are set, the print operation is performed.
Specifically, first, the control unit 31 operates the Y-direction movement motor 48 to start moving the cartridge 41 to the printing start position in the Y direction (step S16).
The control unit 31 determines whether or not the cartridge 41 has moved to the desired position in the Y direction (step S17). repeat. Whether or not the cartridge 41 has moved to the desired Y-direction position may be determined by monitoring the number of pulses input to the Y-direction movement motor 48, which is a stepping motor. The situation may be continuously photographed by the photographing device 51, and the position confirmation based on the image by the photographing device 51 may be performed in place of or in combination with monitoring the number of input pulses to the motor.

On the other hand, if it has moved to the target position (step S17; YES), the control unit 31 stops the movement in the Y direction, operates the X direction movement motor 46, and moves to the printing start position in the X direction. Movement of the cartridge 41 is started (step S18).
The control unit 31 determines whether or not the cartridge 41 has moved to the target X-direction position (step S19). If the cartridge 41 has not moved to the target X-direction position (step S19; NO), Further, it is determined whether or not the encoder sensor 413 has detected movement of the cartridge 41 (step S20).

If the encoder sensor 413 detects the movement of the cartridge 41 (step S20; YES), the process returns to step S19 to repeat the judgment as to whether the cartridge 41 has moved to the target position in the X direction.
On the other hand, if the encoder sensor 413 does not detect movement of the cartridge 41 (step S20; NO), it is considered that some kind of abnormality has occurred. Therefore, the control unit 31 makes an emergency stop of the X-direction movement motor 46 and notifies the user of the error by displaying the error (step S21).

When the cartridge 41 has moved to the target position in the X direction (step S19; YES), the control unit 31 (print control unit 315) controls the printing unit 40 to print one line in the X direction (step S22). ).
Then, it is determined whether or not the preset printing has been completed (step S23), and if the printing has not been completed (step S23; NO), it is further determined whether or not the printing for the nail has been completed. It judges (step S24). If unprinted lines remain for one nail (step S24; NO), the process returns to step S16 and the subsequent processes are repeated. Further, although printing has been completed for one nail (step S24; YES), if there is a nail for which printing has not been completed among the preset nails, the process returns to step S2 and the subsequent processes are executed. repeat.

On the other hand, if all preset printing has been completed (step S23; YES), if there is an "operation other than the printing operation" that has been canceled before the printing operation, it is performed (step S25), and the printing process is performed. exit.
For example, if a cleaning operation has been instructed, but the instruction is canceled and the print operation is started, the control unit 31 moves the cartridge 41 to the cleaning area A2 before completing the print process. to perform the cleaning operation as the "operation of

In this way, when attempting to perform "an operation other than the printing operation", it is checked whether or not the print object such as the user's fingernails is within the printing operation area A3, and appropriate measures are taken to avoid carelessness. It is possible to prevent the surface of the nail, which is the surface to be printed, from being soiled before printing due to the cleaning operation. In addition, by notifying the user, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the user will be disturbed or startled by sudden motor noise.

As described above, the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment detects the presence or absence of a nail (printing target) in the placement area of the nail, which is the printing target, and when an operation instruction other than the printing operation such as the cleaning operation is received. , confirms whether or not there is a nail (printing object) in the nail placement area to be printed, and determines whether or not to perform an operation other than the printing operation according to the operation instruction according to the result.
As a result, it is possible to prevent the cleaning operation from being performed carelessly.
For this reason, even if the area (printing operation area A3, etc.) in which the nail or the like is arranged and the cleaning area A2 are close to each other, and there is a risk that ink mist or the like generated by the cleaning will scatter to the printing operation area A3, the print object will not be printed. It is possible to prevent the surface of a nail, which is a surface, from being soiled before printing, or from having to redo printing due to the adhesion of dirt to a portion that has already been printed.
In addition, by not operating each operating unit carelessly, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the user will feel uneasy or startled by sudden motor noise.
As a result, it is possible to realize the printing apparatus 1 that can be used safely and securely.

In addition, the "operation other than the printing operation" referred to in the present embodiment is "an operation accompanied by a mechanical operation", "an operation accompanied by an operation sound", or "an operation accompanied by a mechanical operation" and "an operation accompanied by an operation sound". is.
In this embodiment, when there is an instruction to perform such an action, it is determined whether or not to perform the action according to the action instruction. For this reason, it is possible to avoid the possibility that the fingernails will become dirty due to careless cleaning operations, or that the user will feel uneasy or startled by sudden motor noise, etc., and the device can be operated safely and with peace of mind. can be used.

Further, in the present embodiment, when an operation instruction other than the printing operation is given and it is detected that there is a print object such as a fingernail in the print object layout area, the user is notified of this fact. It has become.
For this reason, it is possible to avoid the risk of the nail being soiled due to the cleaning operation or the like being performed without the user noticing. In addition, it is possible to prevent the user from feeling anxious or surprised by sudden motor noise.

Further, in the present embodiment, after the notification, if the detection means (image capturing device 51) detects that there is no printing object such as a nail in the printing object arrangement area, an operation other than the printing operation is performed according to the operation instruction. control the operating part to do so.
In this way, after confirming that the situation in which the nail or the like is arranged has been resolved, the "operation other than the printing operation" is performed, so it is possible to reliably prevent the nail or the like from being soiled by the cleaning operation. can.

Further, in the present embodiment, when an operation instruction other than the printing operation is given and the detecting means (image capturing device 51) detects that there is a print target such as a fingernail in the print target layout area, an operation other than the print operation is performed. It is determined whether or not to perform an operation other than the printing operation according to the operation instruction according to the priority of the operation.
As a result, the operations necessary for proper printing are not postponed, and adverse effects caused by performing high-quality printing processing and operations other than printing operations (i.e., ink stains on fingernails, etc., motor noise, etc.) It is possible to achieve compatibility with avoidance of the user's anxiety.

Further, in this embodiment, the control unit 31 determines whether or not a series of printing operations set in advance has ended, and if the series of printing operations has ended, performs an operation other than the printing operation according to the operation instruction. to control the operating unit to perform
As a result, operations that can be postponed can be performed after printing, and the printing process can be performed efficiently.

Further, in this embodiment, the operation other than the printing operation is a print head cleaning operation or the like.
As shown in FIG. 2, in the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the area for arranging the nails or the like to be printed is relatively close to the cleaning area A2. Therefore, if the user does not notice that the cleaning operation will be performed and the nail is placed inside the apparatus, the surface of the nail may become dirty with ink mist or the like generated during purging or wiping.
In this regard, in this embodiment, when "operations other than the printing operation" such as the cleaning operation are performed, it is confirmed whether the nail or the like to be printed is arranged within the arrangement area of the printing object. Therefore, it is possible to safely and securely perform nail printing by avoiding the possibility of carelessly staining the nail.

Further, in this embodiment, the detection means is the photographing device 51 as a two-dimensional sensor used for detecting the shape of the object to be printed.
Therefore, there is no need to provide a separate detection means, and complication of the device configuration and increase in cost can be suppressed.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments, and it goes without saying that various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the invention.

For example, in the present embodiment, the cleaning operation, the initial process such as alignment, and the moving operation of the cartridge 41 are exemplified as the "operations other than the printing operation", but the "operations other than the printing operation" are not limited to these.
Other actions are "actions accompanied by mechanical actions" or "actions accompanied by action sounds" or "actions accompanied by mechanical actions" and "actions accompanied by action sounds", e.g. Operations that cause various mechanical parts to collide with fingers, stains on fingernails and fingers, and abnormal noises that make the user feel uneasy are the same as those described in the present embodiment. can take action.

Further, in the present embodiment, the detection means is the photographing device 51 as a two-dimensional sensor used for detecting the shape of the printing object, but the detection means is not limited to this.
For example, other sensors such as a contact sensor capable of detecting whether or not a finger is placed within a predetermined range may be provided as detection means.

Further, in the present embodiment, the case where the print target is the nail is illustrated, but the print target is not limited to this, and may be, for example, paper for test printing.

In addition, the "print target layout area" is not limited to the print operation area A3 where printing is actually performed, and may be a peripheral area thereof.
As a result, for example, even if the paper for test printing is left behind in the apparatus, it is possible to prevent contamination by mistake during the cleaning operation.

Further, in the present embodiment, the cartridge 41 of the printing apparatus 1 is configured to include the ink jet cartridge 41, but the configuration of the cartridge 41 is not limited to this.
A head having a structure different from that of the ink-jet type cartridge 41, such as a syringe-type head or a pen-type head, may be provided.

Further, in the present embodiment, the case where the printing device 1 performs printing on nails in cooperation with the terminal device 9 was exemplified, but the printing device 1 is not limited to the one shown here, and the printing operation can be completed by itself. It may be configured to
For example, in the present embodiment, the input of the print start instruction, the selection of the nail design, and the like are performed from the operation unit 91 on the terminal device 9 side. It may be configured to be performed in the operation unit 12 . In this case, the printing apparatus 1 may be provided with a touch panel type operation unit. Further, the printing apparatus 1 may be provided with a display section, and in this case, a touch panel may be provided integrally with the display section.

In the present embodiment, the nail design storage area 822 for storing nail design data is provided in the storage unit 92 of the terminal device 9 . It is not limited to being stored in the storage unit 92 and may be stored in the storage unit 32 of the printing apparatus 1 .
Further, 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 so that the nail design data can be referred to by accessing the server device or the like.
By doing so, it is possible to select a design to be printed from a larger number of nail designs without increasing the capacity of the storage unit 92 or the like.

In this embodiment, the information detection unit 313 and the print data generation unit 314 are provided in the printing apparatus 1, and the control unit 30 of the printing apparatus 1 detects nail information from the nail image and creates print data. Although the case where it is configured to perform is illustrated, the configuration of the printing apparatus 1 is not limited to this.
For example, the printing apparatus 1 may include only the printing unit 40 and the imaging unit 50, and detection of nail information and generation of print data may be performed by an external terminal (for example, a terminal device 9 such as a smartphone).
In this case, when the photographing device 51 of the photographing unit 50 photographs the nail and obtains a nail image (an image of the nail including the finger), the nail image obtained by the photographing unit 50 is transmitted via the communication unit 13. It is sent to the control device 90 of the terminal device 9 . In this case, the configuration of the printer 1 can be simplified.

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, and includes the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalent ranges thereof. .
The invention described in the scope of claims originally attached to the application form of this application is additionally described below. The claim numbers in the appendix are as in the claims originally attached to the filing of this application.
[Appendix]
<Claim 1>
detection means for detecting the presence or absence of the print target within the print target layout area;
control means for determining, when an operation instruction other than the printing operation is given, whether or not to perform an operation according to the operation instruction other than the printing operation based on the detection result of the detection means;
A printing device comprising:
<Claim 2>
2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation instruction other than the printing operation is an instruction for an operation involving a mechanical operation.
<Claim 3>
3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation instruction other than the printing operation is an operation instruction accompanied by an operation sound.
<Claim 4>
When an operation instruction other than the printing operation is given and the detecting means detects that the printing target is within the printing target layout area,
4. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control means notifies the user.
<Claim 5>
After the notification, if the detection means detects that the print target is not present in the print target layout area,
5. The printing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the control means controls the operation section so as to perform an operation other than the printing operation according to the operation instruction.
<Claim 6>
When an operation instruction other than the printing operation is given and the detecting means detects that the printing target is within the printing target layout area,
6. The control unit determines whether or not to perform the operation according to the instruction for the operation other than the printing operation according to the priority of the operation other than the printing operation. 1. The printing device according to claim 1.
<Claim 7>
The control means determines whether or not a series of printing operations set in advance has ended, and if the series of printing operations has ended, performs an operation other than the printing operation according to the operation instruction. 7. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the operating unit is controlled.
<Claim 8>
8. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation other than the printing operation is a print head cleaning operation.
<Claim 9>
9. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the detection means is a two-dimensional sensor used to detect the shape of the object to be printed.
<Claim 10>
a detection step of detecting the presence or absence of the print target within the print target layout area;
a determination step of determining, when an operation instruction other than the printing operation is given, whether or not to perform an operation according to the operation instruction other than the printing operation based on the detection result in the detection step;
A print control method, comprising:
<Claim 11>
to the computer,
a detection function for detecting the presence or absence of the print target within the print target layout area;
a judgment function for judging whether or not to perform an operation according to the operation instruction other than the printing operation based on the result of detection by the detection function when an operation instruction other than the printing operation is given;
A program characterized by realizing

1 printing device 9 terminal device 31 control unit 32 storage unit 40 printing unit 41 cartridge (printing head)
46 X-direction movement motor 48 Y-direction movement motor 49 Head movement mechanism 50 Photographing unit 51 Photographing device 315 Print control unit 411 X-direction origin sensor 412 Y-direction origin sensor 413 Encoder sensor

Claims (11)

detection means for detecting the presence or absence of the print target within the print target layout area;
control means for determining, when an operation instruction other than the printing operation is given, whether or not to perform an operation according to the operation instruction other than the printing operation based on the detection result of the detection means;
A printing device comprising: 2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation instructions other than the printing operation are instructions for operations involving mechanical operations. 3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation instruction other than the printing operation instructs an operation accompanied by an operation sound. When an operation instruction other than the printing operation is given and the detecting means detects that the printing target is within the printing target layout area,
4. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control means notifies the user. After the notification, if the detection means detects that the print target is not present in the print target arrangement area,
5. The printing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the control means controls the operation section so as to perform an operation other than the printing operation according to the operation instruction. When an operation instruction other than the printing operation is given and the detecting means detects that the printing target is within the printing target layout area,
6. The control unit determines whether or not to perform the operation according to the instruction for the operation other than the printing operation according to the priority of the operation other than the printing operation. 1. The printing device according to claim 1. The control means determines whether or not a series of printing operations set in advance has ended, and if the series of printing operations has ended, performs an operation other than the printing operation according to an operation instruction. 7. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the operating unit is controlled. 8. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation other than the printing operation is a print head cleaning operation. 9. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the detection means is a two-dimensional sensor used to detect the shape of the object to be printed. a detection step of detecting the presence or absence of the print target within the print target layout area;
a determination step of determining, when an operation instruction other than the printing operation is given, whether or not to perform an operation according to the operation instruction other than the printing operation based on the detection result in the detection step;
A print control method, comprising: to the computer,
a detection function for detecting the presence or absence of the print target within the print target layout area;
a judgment function for judging whether or not to perform an operation according to the operation instruction other than the printing operation based on the detection result of the detection function when an operation instruction other than the printing operation is given;
A program characterized by realizing

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