JP2023033854A - Printing device, information processing device, printing control method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a printing device, an information processing device, a printing control method, and a program that allow propriety of the position in a height direction of a nail to be determined.SOLUTION: A printing device 1 includes: a printing mechanism 4 for executing printing on a nail T, which is a printing object; a distance measuring sensor 6 as first acquisition means for acquiring a first value for detecting the position in a height direction of the nail T; a pressure sensor 33 as second acquisition means for acquiring a second value, which is different from the first value in character, and changes in correspondence with the position in the height direction of the nail T; and a control unit 71 as determination means for determining whether or not the position in the height direction of the nail T is in the range suitable for printing by the printing mechanism 4 on the basis of the correspondence between the first value and the second value.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a printing device, an information processing device, a print control method, and a program.

Conventionally, a printing device (nail printing device) for printing a design on a fingernail is known. In such a printing apparatus, a finger corresponding to a nail to be printed is placed on a finger placement unit, the nail is recognized by an imaging device (eg, a camera), and printing is performed on the recognized nail region using an inkjet method. I have a lot to do.

2. Description of the Related Art In a printing apparatus that prints on a nail (nail printing apparatus), high-definition printing cannot be performed if the nail to be printed moves during printing.
In this regard, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200002 describes a printing apparatus in which a pressure detection unit is provided at a position where a finger is placed. Specifically, the pressure detection unit detects the pressure distribution, and based on the pressure distribution, it is determined whether the claw is in the front state, the clockwise rotation state, or the counterclockwise rotation state. Then, according to which state the nail is in, position correction is performed to change the ejection position of the ink (“paint” in Patent Document 1) with respect to the nail.

JP 2017-018456 A

However, the change in position of the nail during printing is not limited to the rotation of the nail as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200010.
The nails to be printed are fixed at the base of the finger or the like so that the printing operation is not hindered, and free movement is restricted. Movement in the height direction (vertical direction) can occur, such as the position of the nail being too high due to the tip of the finger being lifted, or the position of the nail being lowered by applying force to the tip of the finger.

For example, if the tip of the nail floats and the position of the nail becomes too high, the nail may interfere with the print head during printing, and the surface of the nail may become dirty or damaged. In addition, there is a possibility that problems such as failure of the print head and various mechanical units supporting the print head may occur.
On the other hand, if the position of the nail is too low, the nail will tilt unnaturally, making it impossible to print normally, and the accuracy of landing of the ink ejected from the print head will be lowered.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a printing apparatus, an information processing apparatus, a printing control method, and a program capable of judging whether the position of the nail in the height direction is appropriate. aim.

In order to achieve the above object, the printing apparatus of the present invention includes:
a printing means for printing on a nail to be printed;
a first acquisition means for acquiring a first value for detecting the position of the nail in the height direction;
a second acquisition means for acquiring a second value that changes according to the position of the nail in the height direction and that is different in nature from the first value;
determining means for determining whether or not the position of the nail in the height direction is within a range suitable for printing by the printing means, based on the correspondence relationship between the first value and the second value; ,
characterized by comprising

According to the present invention, it is possible to determine whether the position of the nail in the height direction is appropriate even during printing.

1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of a main part of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment; FIG. 3 is a control block diagram showing a schematic control configuration of the printing apparatus according to the embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a finger placement portion and its periphery in the first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a top view of a finger placement portion and its periphery in the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a side view of the main part of the finger placement part and its surroundings in the first embodiment; 4 is a graph showing the relationship between the pressure value applied to the finger placement portion and the height position of the nail; 4 is a flowchart showing print control processing in the first embodiment; 4 is a table showing the relationship between the pressure value applied to the finger placement portion and the distance between the nail and the print head; 7 is a graph showing the difference in the relationship between the pressure value applied to the finger placement portion and the position of the fingernail in the height direction for each user. FIG. 10 is a top view of a finger placement portion and its periphery in a second embodiment; FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a finger placement portion and its periphery in a second embodiment; 9 is a flowchart showing print control processing in the second embodiment; 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a printing system including a printing device and an information processing device; FIG.

[First embodiment]
A first 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 9. 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.
For example, in the following embodiments, the case where the printing apparatus is a nail printing apparatus that prints on fingernails as printing objects will be described as an example. For example, toe nails or the like may be printed.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of a main part of a printing device (nail printing device) according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of main parts of the printing apparatus.
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.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the printing apparatus 1 has a housing 2 that is substantially box-shaped.
An operation unit 21 and a display unit 22 are installed on the upper surface (top plate) of the housing 2 .

The operation unit 21 allows the user to perform various inputs.
The operation unit 21 includes operation buttons for performing various inputs, such as a power switch button for turning ON/OFF the printer 1, a stop switch button for stopping operation, and a print start button for instructing start of printing. It is
When the operation unit 21 is operated, an operation signal corresponding to the operation is output to the control unit 71 , and the control unit 71 performs control according to the operation signal to operate each unit of the printing apparatus 1 .
When the printing apparatus 1 cooperates with an external device such as various terminal devices, an operation signal is output to the control unit 71 by operating the operation unit of the external device, and each unit of the printing apparatus 1 operates. It may be.

The display unit 22 is configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic electroluminescence display, or other flat display.
A touch panel for performing various inputs may be integrally formed on the surface of the display unit 22 . In this case, the touch panel functions as the operation unit 21 .

The display unit 22 may display a nail design input/selected by the user from the operation unit 21, a nail image obtained by photographing the user's nail T, or the like.
In this embodiment, the display unit 22 also functions as information display means for displaying various instructions, guidance, warnings, etc. to the user.
For example, the display unit 22 as information display means displays an instruction screen or the like for prompting the user to place the finger U on the finger placement unit 3 or for instructing an operation to raise or lower the fingertip of the placed finger U. Prompt the user to take action.

When printing with the printer 1, a finger is inserted into the front side (front side in the Y direction in FIG. 1) of the housing 2 of the printer 1 and approximately in the center in the lateral direction (X direction in FIG. 1) of the device. A finger insertion opening 23, which is an opening for
At a position inside the housing 2 corresponding to the finger insertion opening 23, finger placement means for placing the finger U inserted through the finger insertion opening 23 (the finger U corresponding to the nail T to be printed) is provided. , a finger placement portion 3 is provided.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the main part of the finger placement part as seen from the left side of the device (the left side in the X direction in FIG. 1) from an obliquely upward direction. FIG. 3 schematically shows the position of a distance measuring sensor 6, which will be described later. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the main part of the finger placement part with the finger placed thereon as seen from above, and FIG. 5 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the main part of the finger placement part with the finger placed thereon. be.
As shown in FIG. 3, the lower surface of the finger placement portion 3 serves as a finger receiving portion 31 for receiving the pad portion of the finger U. As shown in FIG. The widthwise central portion of the finger receiving portion 31 is slightly recessed along the longitudinal direction so that the finger U can be placed stably. Note that the finger receiving portion 31 may be provided with a cushion member made of a flexible material such as resin.

Further, the upper side of the finger placement portion 3 (at least the upper side of the back side in the Y direction in FIG. 1) is open so that the surface of the nail T of the finger U inserted into the finger placement portion 3 is exposed. there is
If at least part of the finger placement section 3 (for example, the finger receiving section 31 for receiving the finger U) is vertically movable, for example, the front side of the finger placement section 3 (the front side in the Y direction in FIG. 1) It is preferable to provide a frame-shaped portion surrounding the upper side of the finger U on the side) so that the upper side of the finger U placed on the finger placement portion 3 is abutted against the top surface of the frame-shaped portion. As a result, the top surface of the frame-shaped portion functions as a finger presser that regulates the upward position of the finger U, prevents the finger U from being pushed upward too much, and positions the finger U in the height direction. can.

A pressure sensor 33 is installed in a portion of the finger receiving portion 31 that corresponds to the periphery of the fingertip when the finger U is placed (for example, a portion beyond the first joint where the fingerprint is present, a portion corresponding to the nail T, and the surrounding portion). is provided.
In this embodiment, a pressure sensor 33 is embedded in a partial surface of the finger receiving portion 31 as shown in FIG.

In this embodiment, the pressure sensor 33 is a second obtaining means for obtaining a “second value” that changes according to the height position of the nail T. As shown in FIG. The pressure sensor 33 as a second acquisition means detects the value P of the pressure exerted by at least a part of the finger U corresponding to the nail T (this is also referred to as the “pressure value P”; see FIG. 6 etc.) as the “second value”.
Note that the pressure sensor 33 may detect changes in the pressure value P generated in the finger receiving portion 31 by placing the finger U thereon, and the specific configuration, principle, etc. for detecting the pressure are particularly limited. not.

Here, the "second value" is a "first value" (a value indicating the position of the nail T of the finger U placed on the finger placement portion 3 in the height direction) detected by the distance measuring sensor 6, which will be described later. is a value with different properties. Specifically, the "second value" is the distance (unit: mm) for obtaining (detecting) the position of the nail T in the height direction, and the "second value" is It is a value that changes according to the height position of the claw T but does not indicate the height position itself, and is the "pressure value P" in this embodiment.
That is, when the fingertip of the finger U placed on the finger receiving portion 31 rises, the pressure applied to the finger receiving portion 31 decreases, and the pressure value P detected by the pressure sensor 33 decreases. Conversely, when the fingertip is pressed downward and strongly pressed against the finger receiving portion 31, the pressure applied to the finger receiving portion 31 increases, and the pressure value P detected by the pressure sensor 33 increases. Thus, the change in the "pressure value P" caused by the vertical movement of the fingertip of the finger U corresponds to the change in the height position of the nail.
A detection result by the pressure sensor 33 is output to the control section 71 .

The area in which the finger placement portion 3 is provided (in this embodiment, the area in the front side of the device that is substantially central in the X direction) serves as a printing operation area in which the printing mechanism 4 prints on the nail T. there is
The printing mechanism 4 is printing means including a print head 41, an X-direction movement motor 45 as a head movement means, a Y-direction movement motor 47 (see FIG. 2), and the like. As indicated by the dashed arrow in FIG. 4, the print head 41 (indicated by the chain double-dashed line in the drawing) moves above the area where the finger placement portion 3 is provided during the printing operation of the printing mechanism 4 .

The print head 41 of this embodiment has an ink ejection surface 411 having a plurality of nozzle openings (not shown) for ejecting ink on the surface (lower surface) facing the surface of the nail. This is an inkjet head that forms fine droplets and sprays ink directly from the ink ejection surface 411 onto the surface of the nail for printing. Although the configuration of the print head 41 is not particularly limited, it is, for example, a cartridge-integrated head in which an ejection mechanism such as the ink ejection surface 411 and an ink cartridge storing ink are integrated.
The print head 41 can eject color inks such as cyan (C; CYAN), magenta (M; MAGENTA), and yellow (Y; YELLOW), for example. The type and number of print heads 41 are not particularly limited. For example, in addition to the print head that ejects the color inks as described above, a base print head or the like that prints a liquid such as white as a base before printing the design may be provided.

The X-direction movement motor 45 constitutes an X-direction movement mechanism for moving the print head 41 in the horizontal direction (X direction) of the apparatus, and the Y-direction movement motor 47 moves the print head 41 in the front-rear direction (Y direction) of the apparatus. A directional movement mechanism for movement is constructed. The X-direction movement motor 45 and the Y-direction movement motor 47 are, for example, DC motors or stepping motors, and appropriately move the print head 41 in the XY directions.

FIG. 5 shows an arrangement example of the print head 41 during the printing operation with a two-dot chain line.
If the distance between the print head 41 (the ink ejection surface 411 of the print head 41) and the nail T is too large, the ink ejected from the print head 41 cannot land in the correct position, and high-definition printing cannot be performed. . On the other hand, if the nail T is too close to the print head 41 (ink ejection surface 411), the print head 41 collides with the nail T and the finger U when passing over the nail T during printing operation, resulting in injury or malfunction of the device. may cause
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, when the distance between the print head 41 (ink ejection surface 411) and the surface of the nail T during the printing operation is defined as "distance D", this "distance D" is constant during the printing operation. preferably kept at

In this embodiment, the upper limit of the position of the nail T in the height direction suitable for printing (that is, the threshold in the direction in which the nail T approaches the print head 41) is set to 2 mm from the print head 41 (ink ejection surface 411), The lower limit (that is, the threshold value in the direction in which the nail T separates from the print head 41) is set at a distance of about 6 mm from the print head 41 (ink ejection surface 411). That is, the “distance D” between the print head 41 (ink ejection surface 411) and the surface of the nail T is kept at 2 to 6 mm during the printing operation.
It should be noted that the preferred value of the "distance D" depends on the configuration of the device, the ejection performance of the print head 41, etc., and is not limited to about 2 to 6 mm.

In the device, the position of the finger U placed on the finger placement portion 3 above the nail T is acquired as the position in the height direction of the surface of the nail T (the distance to the surface of the nail T is measured). A distance sensor 6 is provided.
The distance measuring sensor 6 is a first obtaining means for obtaining a "first value" indicating the position of the nail T in the height direction. Specifically, the distance measuring sensor 6 measures the distance to the nail T (in the present embodiment, the nail T of the finger U placed on the finger placement portion 3) and sets the height position information of the nail T to the "first value”.

The specific configuration, measurement principle, and the like of the distance measuring sensor 6 are not particularly limited. For example, a sensor or the like is employed that irradiates the surface of the nail T with a laser beam or the like and converts the time required for the reflected light to return to a distance.
Moreover, the distance measuring sensor 6 is not particularly limited as long as it is provided at a position where the distance to the nail T can be measured. In this embodiment, the distance measuring sensor 6 is arranged inside the top surface of the housing 2 and at a position where it can face the nail T (surface of the nail T) of the finger U placed on the finger placement portion 3. .

Here, the "first value" in the present embodiment is information such as a distance (unit: mm) for acquiring the position of the nail T in the height direction, and the distance from the distance measuring sensor 6 to the surface of the nail T is distance and the like.
In this embodiment, the position of the ink ejection surface 411 of the print head 41 in the height direction is grasped by the apparatus. Therefore, by acquiring the distance from the distance measuring sensor 6 to the surface of the nail T, the "distance D" (see FIG. 5) from the ink ejection surface 411 to the surface of the nail T can be calculated.

Normally, the claw T has the highest height in the center and has a curved shape that decreases in height toward the sides. the central portion of the nail T). That is, if the highest part of the nail T is arranged with a "distance D" with respect to the ink ejection surface 411 of the print head 41, it is in a state suitable for printing.
Note that the reading position of the nail T by the distance measuring sensor 6 is not limited to the highest portion such as the central portion of the nail T. In the case of reading the highest position, if the user applies force to the tip of the nail T, the base of the nail T ends up reaching a higher position, which may result in erroneous detection. Therefore, the distance measuring sensor 6 may read near the tip of the toe.
The position at which reading is performed may be determined by default, or may be selected and set by the user. Alternatively, for example, the contour of the nail T may be acquired using the photographing unit 51, and the control unit 71 may determine which position is appropriate for reading from the shape of the user's nail T or the like. In this case, reading can be performed at an accurate and appropriate reading position that matches the shape of the user's nail.

It should be noted that the print head 41 (indicated by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 5) is arranged between the distance measuring sensor 6 and the nail T during the printing operation.
Therefore, the measurement of the distance to the surface of the nail T by the distance measuring sensor 6 is performed outside the printing operation (that is, when the print head 41 is arranged outside the printing operation area).
A detection result by the distance measuring sensor 6 is output to the control section 71 .

Further, inside the housing 2, a photographing device 5 (see FIG. 2) for acquiring an image of the finger U including the nail T is provided. The imaging device 5 includes an imaging section 51 and an illumination section 52 .
The photographing unit 51 is, for example, a compact camera including a solid state photographing element having pixels of about 2 million pixels or more, a lens, and the like. Also, the lighting unit 52 is, for example, a lighting lamp such as a white LED.
The photographing device 5 illuminates the nail T of the finger U placed on the finger placement section 3 with the illumination section 52 . Then, the finger U is photographed by the photographing unit 51 to obtain a nail image that is an image of the nail T of the finger U (an image of the finger including the nail image).
Note that the image data of the image captured by the imaging unit 51 may be stored in the storage unit 32, which will be described later.

The photographing unit 51 may be provided at a position where the finger U including the nail T placed on the finger placement unit 3 can be photographed, and the specific arrangement is not particularly limited. In this embodiment, the photographing unit 51 and the lighting unit 52 are fixed at positions inside the top surface of the housing 2 and capable of facing the nail T (the surface of the nail T) of the finger U placed on the finger placement unit 3. are placed.
Note that the imaging device 5 may be configured to be movable in the XY directions by a head moving mechanism (not shown) that moves the print head 41 or the like.

Further, the printer 1 is equipped with a control device 7 as shown in FIG. The control device 7 installed in the printing apparatus 1 includes a control unit 71 (see FIG. 2) configured by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) (not shown), ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory) (not shown). Memory) and the like (see FIG. 2).
In this embodiment, the control unit 71 mainly functions as determination means, print control means, imaging control means, display control means, and the like.
The storage unit 72 stores various programs and data for operating the printing apparatus 1 . Functions of the control unit 71 as determination means, print control means, photographing control means, display control means, etc. are realized by cooperation between the CPU of the control unit 71 and the programs stored in the ROM of the storage unit 72 or the like.

The storage unit 72 stores the correspondence between the "first value" obtained by the distance measuring sensor 6 as the first obtaining means and the "second value" obtained by the pressure sensor 33 as the second obtaining means. Storage means for storing relationships.
In the present embodiment, in particular, the storage unit 72 stores, of the "first values" acquired by the distance measuring sensor 6, "values" corresponding to at least the upper and lower limits of the position of the nail T in the height direction suitable for printing. second value” (P1, P2 in FIGS. 6 to 8).

That is, for example, the upper limit of the position of the nail T in the height direction suitable for printing is 2 mm from the print head 41 (ink ejection surface 411), and the lower limit is 6 mm from the print head 41 (ink ejection surface 411). In some cases, when the "distance D" between the ink ejection surface 411 of the print head 41 and the nail T, which is calculated based on the "first value" obtained by the distance measuring sensor 6, exceeds 6 mm (this is 6) is stored as a "pressure value P1".
Also, when the "distance D" between the ink ejection surface 411 of the print head 41 and the nail T, which is calculated based on the "first value" obtained by the distance measuring sensor 6, falls below 2 mm (this is shown in FIG. 6) is stored as a "pressure value P2".

During the printing operation for the nail T, the control unit 71 as a determination unit determines the height direction of the nail T from the "second value" based on the correspondence between the "first value" and the "second value". determine the position of
Specifically, during the printing operation on the nail T of the finger U placed on the finger placement unit 3, the upper limit of the position in the height direction of the nail T suitable for printing, which is derived from the “first value”, and Based on the corresponding relationship between the lower limit distance value and the pressure values P1 and P2, the position of the nail T in the height direction is determined from the pressure value P, which is the "second value".
Then, the position of the nail T in the height direction is within a certain range suitable for printing from the pressure value P, which is the “second value” (in this embodiment, the ink ejection surface 411 of the print head 41 and the nail T are within a certain range). is between 2 mm and 6 mm).

A control unit 71 as print control means controls the print mechanism 4 to perform print processing.
Specifically, the operation of each motor (the X-direction movement motor 45 and the Y-direction movement motor 47) of the head movement mechanism is controlled based on the print data, and the ink discharge operation of the print head 41 is controlled to control the ink discharge surface 411. Ink droplets are appropriately ejected from the nozzle openings of the .
Further, as a determination means, the position of the nail T in the height direction determined from the pressure value P, which is the "second value", is within a certain range suitable for printing (that is, when the ink ejection surface 411 of the print head 41 and the nail When determining that the distance T is not within 2 mm to 6 mm), the control unit 71 as print control means stops the printing operation by the printing mechanism 4 .

Further, the control section 71 as a photographing control means controls the operation of the photographing section 51 and the illumination section 52 of the photographing device 5 to obtain an image.
The control unit 71 detects the range of the nail to be printed (that is, the nail contour) by image analysis of the nail image acquired by the photographing device 5, for example, and fits the desired nail design within the nail contour. It may function as a detection unit for nail information or a generation unit for print data, such as for generating print data.
Further, the control section 71 as display control means controls the operation of the display section 22 to display various instruction screens and the like on the display section 22 .
Further, the printing apparatus 1 has a communication section 25 that transmits and receives information to and from an external device, and the control section 71 also functions as communication control means for controlling the communication operation of the communication section 25 .
The communication unit 25 is configured to be able to communicate with communication units of external devices such as various terminal devices. Communication between the printing device 1 and the external device may be either a wireless connection method or a wired connection method, and the specific method is not limited. The communication unit 25 may be any device that can communicate with an external device, and one that conforms to the communication standard of the communication unit of the external device is applied.

Further, the control unit 71 may perform various correction processes on the print data. For example, curved surface correction is applied to print data for printing on a curved nail T that is taller in the center and lower in height toward the sides. As a result, the height of the nail T during the printing operation is adjusted to the highest portion of the nail T (for example, the central portion of the nail T) in an appropriate range (that is, in the present embodiment, the distance from the print head 41 is 2 to 6 mm). range), even when printing is performed on the side of the nail T, it is possible to cope with the curved surface correction, and it is possible to perform clear printing up to the edge.

When the printing apparatus 1 performs printing in cooperation with various external devices, detection of nail information, generation of print data, correction processing of print data, and the like are performed by an external terminal device. The control device 7 may receive the final print data and perform print processing.

Next, the operation of the printing apparatus 1 and the print control method according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7 and the like.

When the printer 1 performs printing, first, the display unit 22 or the like displays an instruction to prompt the user to place the finger U corresponding to the nail T to be printed on the finger placement unit 3 (step S1). When an instruction to start printing is input from the operation unit 21 or the like, the control unit 71 causes the distance measuring sensor 6 provided in the device and the pressure sensor 33 provided in the finger placement unit 3 to start detection. Detection by the distance measurement sensor 6 and the pressure sensor 33 is performed as needed, and the detection result is sent to the control section 71 .

The control unit 71 causes the display unit 22 or the like to display a display instructing the user to gradually lower the fingertip (step S2).
When the user lowers the fingertip so as to press it against the finger receiving portion 31 according to the instruction, the distance between the nail T and the distance measuring sensor 6 gradually increases. Correspondingly, the pressure value P detected by the pressure sensor 33 increases as the fingertip is pressed.

As described above, the position of the print head 41 is grasped by the apparatus, so if the distance between the nail T and the distance measuring sensor 6 is known, the "distance D" between the nail T and the print head 41 can be calculated. can be calculated.
The control unit 71 determines whether or not the distance between the nail T and the distance measuring sensor 6 exceeds the "fixed distance" corresponding to the "distance D" between the nail T and the print head 41=6 mm. (Step S3), if the "predetermined distance" is exceeded (step S3; YES), the pressure value P at the moment of exceeding (time S1 in FIG. 6) is stored in the storage unit 72 as the "pressure value P1". (step S4).

If the distance between the claw T and the distance measuring sensor 6 does not exceed the "predetermined distance" (step S3; NO), the controller 71 further determines whether or not a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the start of measurement. (Step S5), the process returns to step S3 and repeats the determination until a certain period of time elapses.
It should be noted that the reason why the elapse of the "fixed time" is used as a determination factor here is that, for example, when the height of the finger U is too high, when the finger U does not exceed the "fixed distance", the processing loop is exited. It is a countermeasure.
On the other hand, if the predetermined time has passed (step S5; YES), the maximum pressure value P measured within the predetermined time is stored in the storage unit 72 as the "pressure value P1" (step S6). It should be noted that there is no particular limitation on how long the "fixed period of time" should be, and it is appropriately set to about 15 seconds.

After the "pressure value P1" is stored, the control unit 71 causes the display unit 22 or the like to display a display instructing the user to gradually raise the fingertip (step S7).
As the user raises the fingertip from the finger receiving portion 31 according to the instruction, the distance between the nail T and the distance measuring sensor 6 gradually decreases. Correspondingly, the load applied to the pressure sensor 33 decreases, and the detected pressure value P decreases.

The control unit 71 determines whether or not the distance between the nail T and the distance measuring sensor 6 has fallen below the "fixed distance" corresponding to the "distance D" between the nail T and the print head 41=2 mm. (Step S8), if it is less than the "fixed distance" (step S8; YES), the pressure value P at the moment when it is less than (at S2 in FIG. 6) is stored in the storage unit 72 as the "pressure value P2". (step S9).
If the distance between the claw T and the distance measuring sensor 6 does not fall below the "predetermined distance" (step S8; NO), the controller 71 further determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of measurement. (Step S10), the process returns to step S8 and the determination is repeated until a predetermined time has passed. On the other hand, if the predetermined time has passed (step S10; YES), the minimum pressure value P measured within the predetermined time is stored in the storage unit 72 as the "pressure value P2" (step S11).

When the pressure values P1 and P2 are stored, the control unit 71 always determines whether the pressure value P detected by the pressure sensor 33 satisfies the relationship "P1>P>P2" (step S12). ).
When the pressure value P detected by the pressure sensor 33 satisfies the relationship of "P1>P>P2" (step S12; YES), the distance from the print head 41 to the surface of the nail T as shown in FIG. is 2 to 6 mm, and is judged to be "printable". Therefore, the control unit 71 controls the print head 41, the X-direction movement motor 45, and the Y-direction movement motor 47 of the printing mechanism 4 to start the printing operation (step S13).
On the other hand, if the pressure value P detected by the pressure sensor 33 does not satisfy the relationship "P1>P>P2" (step S12; NO), that is, if the pressure value P exceeds P1 or is less than P2 In some cases, as shown in FIG. 8, it is determined that "printing is not possible". In this case, the controller 71 repeats the determination until the pressure value P becomes "P1>P>P2".

Even after the printing operation is started, the control unit 71 always determines whether or not the pressure value P detected by the pressure sensor 33 satisfies the relationship "P1>P>P2" (step S14).
Then, when the pressure value P satisfies the relationship of "P1>P>P2" (step S14; YES), the control section 71 further determines whether or not the printing operation has ended (step S15). . When all the print data such as the design to be printed on the nail T of the finger U placed on the finger placement portion 3 has been printed, the control portion 71 determines that the printing operation has ended (step S15). ; YES), the print control process is terminated.
On the other hand, if the printing operation has not ended (step S15; NO), the control unit 71 returns to step S14 to determine whether the pressure value P satisfies the relationship "P1>P>P2". while continuing the printing operation.

On the other hand, if the pressure value P no longer satisfies the relationship "P1>P>P2" (step S14; NO), the printing operation is forcibly stopped (step S16), and the process is stopped.
That is, at the moment when the pressure value P exceeds the value of P1 (time of S3 shown in FIG. 6), and at the moment when the pressure value P falls below the value of P2 (time of S4 shown in FIG. 6) ) to stop the printing operation.
In this case, a message to the effect that the printing operation will be stopped, the reason for stopping the printing, etc. may be displayed on the display unit 23 or the like to indicate the situation to the user.
When the pressure value P returns to a range that satisfies the relationship of "P1>P>P2", the temporarily stopped printing operation may be restarted to continue printing. If the printing is stopped completely, the printing up to the middle will be wasted, and the ink applied to the nail T must be removed and the printing must be restarted from the beginning. Therefore, depending on the progress of printing up to the point of stop, it may be preferable for the user to continue printing from the point at which printing stopped.

As shown in FIG. 8, the distance between the nail T and the print head 41 corresponds to the threshold value of the pressure value P (ie, P1, P2). Therefore, when the value P satisfies the relationship of "P1>P>P2", the position of the nail T is suitable for printing even if the position of the nail T in the height direction is not measured by the distance measuring sensor 6. 2 to 6 mm away from the print head 41 (ink ejection surface 411).

The print head 41 reciprocates between the distance measuring sensor 6 and the nail T during the printing operation. Therefore, although it is difficult to always measure the position of the nail T in the height direction by the distance measuring sensor 6 and directly grasp it, the pressure value P associated with the position of the nail T in the height direction is the threshold value. (that is, the upper limit threshold value P1 corresponding to the distance between the nail T and the print head 41 of 6 mm, and the lower limit threshold value P2 corresponding to the distance between the nail T and the print head 41 of 2 mm). Therefore, it is possible to always accurately grasp whether or not the position of the nail T is at a height suitable for printing. As a result, high-quality nail printing can be performed while the distance between the nail T and the print head 41 is substantially constant.

Note that the relationship between the distance between the nail T and the print head 41 and the pressure value P varies depending on the user. That is, since there are individual differences in the shape of the finger U and the nail T, even if the pressure value P is the same, the distance between the nail T and the print head 41 is different.
FIG. 9 is a graph showing an example in which the relationship between the distance between the nail T and the print head 41 and the pressure value P differs from user to user.

As shown in FIG. 9, for the fingernails of user A, for example, even if the pressure value P does not decrease much (that is, even if the fingertips are raised slightly), the "distance D" between the nail T and the print head 41 is more than 2 mm. The "distance D" to the print head 41 becomes too close unless a large pressure is applied (that is, the fingertip is pressed down strongly). On the other hand, the "distance D" will not be more than 6 mm unless it is pressed down quite strongly. On the other hand, for the nail of user C, unless the pressure value P drops considerably (that is, unless the fingertip is lifted), the "distance D" between the nail T and the print head 41 does not become closer than 2 mm. , the "distance D" between the print head 41 and the print head 41 exceeds 6 mm when the fingertip is slightly lowered. User B's fingernails are intermediate between user A's and user C's fingernails.

In this way, even when the nail T and the print head 41 are separated by the same distance, the pressure value P detected by the pressure sensor 33 differs from person to person. Therefore, the position of the claw T cannot be grasped only by measuring the pressure value P.
In this regard, as in the present embodiment, by associating the "distance D" between the nail T and the print head 41 with the "pressure value P", the height direction of the nail T can be measured simply by measuring the "pressure value P". position can be accurately determined.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the printing device 1 acquires the printing mechanism 4 that prints on the nail T, which is the target of printing, and the "first value" that indicates the position of the nail T in the height direction. a distance measuring sensor 6 as a first acquisition means, and a second sensor that acquires a "second value" that changes in correspondence with the height position of the nail T and that is different in nature from the "first value". The pressure sensor 33 as an acquisition means, the storage unit 72 as a storage means for storing the correspondence between the "first value" and the "second value", and during the printing operation for the nail T, based on the correspondence , and a control unit 71 as determination means for determining the position of the nail T in the height direction from the "second value". It is determined whether or not the position in the height direction is within a certain range suitable for printing (in this embodiment, the position 2 to 6 mm away from the print head 41).
This makes it difficult for the distance measuring sensor 6 to measure the position of the nail T in the height direction due to the obstruction of the print head 41, and even during the printing operation in which the position of the nail T cannot be grasped directly. , the pressure value P associated with the position of the nail T in the height direction is the threshold value (that is, the upper limit threshold value P1 corresponding to the distance between the print head 41 and the nail T of 6 mm, the distance between the print head 41 and the nail T By checking whether the height is within the range of the lower limit threshold value P2) corresponding to 2 mm, it is possible to accurately grasp whether the position of the nail T is at a height suitable for printing. As a result, the printing operation can be performed in a position separated from the nail T and the print head 41 by 2 to 6 mm.

For example, by acquiring information for detecting the position of the nail T in the height direction by the photographing unit 51 and by associating this information with the detection value of the pressure sensor 33, the print head 41 can be positioned above the nail T. If the photographing unit 51 cannot grasp the position of the nail T in the height direction, it is possible to determine the position of the nail T in the height direction from the value of the pressure sensor 33 .
However, depending on the user, the height position of the nail T may be originally high, and the pressure sensor 33 may hardly detect the pressure change. In this case, it is difficult to accurately grasp the position of the nail T in the height direction from a slight change in pressure, and there is a possibility that the nail T and the print head 41 will come into contact with each other.
In this respect, when the distance measuring sensor 6 acquires the "first value" for detecting the position of the nail T in the height direction as in the present embodiment, specific measurement by the distance measuring sensor 6 Thresholds can be accurately set in advance based on the values. Therefore, even when the pressure sensor 33 can detect only a slight change in pressure, the position of the claw T in the height direction can be accurately grasped. As a result, the nail T can be printed even during a printing operation that is blocked by the print head 41 and cannot rely on the measuring means provided above the nail T (that is, the distance measuring sensor 6 and the imaging unit 51). It is possible to accurately detect whether or not the height is within the range of height.
Therefore, it is possible to reliably avoid printing in a state in which the nail T is raised too high to contact or collide with the print head 41, or the nail T is lowered too low to disturb the landing position. It is possible to achieve high quality nail prints safely and appropriately.

In this embodiment, the second acquisition means is the pressure sensor 33 as a pressure acquisition means for detecting the value P of the pressure exerted by at least part of the finger U corresponding to the nail T as the "second value". .
Even when the print head 41 is positioned above the nail T, the pressure sensor 33 that detects the pressure value P when the finger U is placed can detect the “second value”.
Therefore, by using the pressure value P as the "second value", it is possible to confirm whether or not the nail T is at a height suitable for printing even during the printing operation.

Further, in the present embodiment, the storage unit 72, which is storage means, stores at least the "second value" corresponding to the upper limit and lower limit of the position of the nail T in the height direction suitable for printing.
Thus, in the present embodiment, the pressure value P1 as the upper limit threshold corresponding to the distance between the print head 41 and the nail T of 6 mm and the pressure value as the lower limit threshold corresponding to the distance between the print head 41 and the nail T of 2 mm The value P2 is stored in the storage unit 72 .
Therefore, the load on the storage unit 72 can be reduced compared to storing all the pressure values P detected by the pressure sensor 33 . If it is not necessary to consider the storage capacity of the storage unit 72, all the pressure values P detected by the pressure sensor 33 can be set to the "first value" indicating the distance between the print head 41 and the nail T. ” may be associated with and stored.

Further, in this embodiment, the control unit 71 functions as print control means for controlling the printing operation of the printing mechanism 4, and the control unit 71 as the print control means determines the value of the second value is not within a certain range suitable for printing, the printing operation by the printing mechanism 4 is stopped.
As a result, printing can be stopped when the nail T is too close to the print head 41 or too far from the print head 41, and the nail T and the print head 41 collide or come into contact with each other. Injury and equipment damage can be avoided. Further, it is possible to prevent printing from being performed while the nail T is too far from the print head 41, thereby enabling high-definition printing.

Further, in the present embodiment, the first acquisition means is the distance sensor 6 that measures the distance to the nail T and acquires the height position information of the nail T as the "first value".
Therefore, the position of the nail T in the height direction can be directly obtained as an objective numerical value.

[Second embodiment]
A second embodiment of the printing apparatus, print control method, and program according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 12. FIG. In addition, since the present embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the first acquisition means for acquiring the "first value" indicating the position of the nail T in the height direction, the following description will be made especially for the first value. 1 will be described.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the main part of the finger placement part in this embodiment, with fingers placed on it, as seen from above, and FIG. It is a diagram.
As shown in FIG. 10, the finger placement portion 3a of this embodiment has a placement portion main body 34. As shown in FIG. The placement portion main body 34 is made of, for example, a transparent resin or the like. Note that the material forming the placement portion body 34 is not limited to resin, and may be, for example, transparent glass. Further, it does not have to be completely transparent, but it may be semi-transparent or the like, as long as the markers M1 and M2, which will be described later, can be seen through it. Further, the placement section body 34 is not limited to being entirely transparent, and at least a portion near the surface of the placement section body 34 on which markers M1 and M2 described later are provided may be transparent (or translucent).

Also, as in the first embodiment, when the finger U is placed on the finger receiving portion 31, the periphery of the fingertip (for example, the portion where the fingerprint is located beyond the first joint, the portion corresponding to the nail T, and its peripheral portion) A pressure sensor 33 is provided at a portion corresponding to .
In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the pressure sensor 33 is embedded in a partial surface of the placement portion body 34. As shown in FIGS.

Markers (first marker M1, second marker M2) extending in the longitudinal direction of the finger placement portion 3a are provided on one side of the placement portion main body 34 as identifiers indicating the reference of the height position of the nail T. is provided.
In this embodiment, the first marker M1 is embedded slightly below the surface of the placement section main body 34 and the second marker M2 is placed slightly above the surface of the placement section main body 34 . The markers (the first marker M1 and the second marker M2) are formed in a color such as red that can be clearly identified in the transparent placement portion main body 34 .
Note that the color, material, size, position, range, etc. of the markers (the first marker M1 and the second marker M2) are appropriately set. Also, the first marker M1 and the second marker M2 may have different colors.
Furthermore, the marker is not limited to the illustrated example as long as it can indicate the reference of the height position of the nail T. FIG. Further, the number of markers is not limited to two, and three or more may be provided to indicate the reference of the height position of the nail T in three or more stages.

A mirror (reflection portion) 35 is arranged on the other side portion of the placement portion main body 34 .
The mirror 35 is made of synthetic resin using, for example, acrylic as a base material. The material and the like of the mirror 35 are not particularly limited, and for example, a mirror made of glass using glass as a base material may be used.
In this embodiment, a first marker M1 and a second marker M2 are provided on the left side of the placement section main body 34, and a mirror 35 is placed on the opposite right side.

In the present embodiment, an imaging unit 51 similar to that in the first embodiment is provided, and the mirror 35 captures the markers (the first marker M1 and the second marker M2) by the imaging unit 51 as imaging means. It is an optical element that can be accommodated within the possible range.
The arrangement position, angle, size, etc. of the mirror 35 are appropriately adjusted so that the markers (the first marker M1 and the second marker M2) can be placed within the imaging range of the imaging unit 51 .

The photographing unit 51 is a first acquiring unit that acquires the positional relationship between the markers (the first marker M1 and the second marker M2) and the nail T as a "first value".
The photographing unit 51 can photograph the markers (the first marker M1 and the second marker M2) through the mirror 35 .

Since the rest of the device configuration of the printing device 1 is the same as that of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same members, and the description thereof will be omitted.

Next, the operation of the printing apparatus 1 and the print control method according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 12 and the like. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing print control processing in this embodiment. Steps S21 and S22 are the same as steps S1 and S2 in the first embodiment.

Before printing, the control unit 71 causes the display unit 22 or the like to display a display instructing the user to gradually lower the fingertip (step S22), and the user presses the fingertip against the placement unit main body 34 according to the instruction. , the first marker M1 cannot be detected by the photographing unit 51 and the second marker M2 can be detected (that is, only the second marker M2 is reflected in the photographed image by the photographing unit 51, The state where the first marker M1 is not reflected) gradually changes to a state where the first marker M1 can be detected. Correspondingly, the pressure value P detected by the pressure sensor 33 increases as the fingertip is pressed.
In this embodiment, the first marker M1 is arranged at a position where the first marker M1 can be detected when the nail T is separated from the print head 41 (ink ejection surface 411) by about 6 mm.

The control unit 71 determines whether or not the first marker M1 has been detected (step S23), and if it has been detected (step S23; YES), the pressure value P at the moment of detection is referred to as a "pressure value P1” is stored in the storage unit 72 (step S24).
On the other hand, if the first marker M1 cannot be detected (step S23; NO), the control unit 71 further determines whether or not a given period of time has passed since the start of measurement (step S25), and continues stepping until the given period of time has passed. Returning to S23, the determination is repeated. On the other hand, if the predetermined time has passed (step S25; YES), the maximum pressure value P measured within the predetermined time is stored in the storage unit 72 as the "pressure value P1" (step S26).

After the "pressure value P1" is stored, the control unit 71 causes the display unit 22 or the like to display a display instructing the user to gradually raise the fingertip (step S27).
When the user raises the fingertip from the finger receiving portion 31 according to the instruction, the second marker M2 gradually becomes undetectable. Correspondingly, the load applied to the pressure sensor 33 decreases and the detected pressure value P decreases.
In this embodiment, the second marker M2 is arranged at a position where the second marker M2 cannot be detected when the nail T approaches the print head 41 (ink ejection surface 411) by about 2 mm. there is

The control unit 71 determines whether or not the second marker M2 can be detected (step S28), and if it cannot be detected (step S28; NO), the pressure value P at the moment when it becomes undetectable is referred to as "pressure value P2" in the storage unit 72 (step S29).
On the other hand, if the second marker M2 can be detected (step S28; NO), the control unit 71 further determines whether or not a certain period of time has elapsed since the start of measurement (step S30). The process returns to step S28 and repeats the determination until it does. On the other hand, if the predetermined time has passed (step S30; YES), the minimum pressure value P measured within the predetermined time is stored in the storage unit 72 as the "pressure value P2" (step S31).

When the pressure values P1 and P2 are stored, the control unit 71 constantly determines whether the pressure value P detected by the pressure sensor 33 satisfies the relationship "P1>P>P2" (step S32).
Note that since steps S32 to S36 are the same as steps S12 to S16 described in the first embodiment, description thereof will be omitted.

When the pressure value P satisfies the relationship of “P1>P>P2”, the position of the nail T can be determined without confirming detection/non-detection of the first marker M1 and the second marker M2 by the imaging unit 51. is within a range of positions 2 to 6 mm away from the print head 41 (ink ejection surface 411), which is a height position suitable for printing.
The print head 41 reciprocates between the imaging unit 51 and the nail T during the printing operation. Therefore, although it is difficult for the photographing unit 51 to always grasp the position of the nail T in the height direction, the pressure associated with the detection/non-detection of the first marker M1 and the second marker M2 by the photographing unit 51 is is within the range of thresholds (that is, upper threshold P1 corresponding to a distance of 6 mm and lower threshold P2 corresponding to a distance of 2 mm). It is possible to accurately grasp whether or not it is at the height position. As a result, high-quality nail printing can be performed while the nail T and the print head 41 maintain a certain "distance D" suitable for printing.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained in addition to the same effects as those of the first embodiment.
That is, in this embodiment, markers (a first marker M1 and a second marker M2) indicating the reference of the height position of the nail T are provided in the device. It has an imaging unit 51 that acquires the positional relationship as a "first value" as a first acquisition means.
As a result, the “first value” indicating the position of the nail T in the height direction can be acquired with a relatively simple configuration including the markers M1 and M2 and the imaging unit 51 .

It also has a mirror 35 as an optical element capable of placing the markers (the first marker M1 and the second marker M2) within the photographable range of the photographing unit 51 as photographing means.
By providing the optical element in this manner, the degree of freedom in arranging the photographing unit 51 and the markers M1 and M2 is improved.

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 each of the above-described embodiments, the device includes the finger placement portion 3 (finger rest) for placing the finger U, and the finger receiving portion 31 (or placement portion main body 34) of the finger placement portion 3 is provided with the second acquisition. Although the case where the pressure sensor 33 is arranged as a means is illustrated, it is not essential that the printing device 1 is provided with the finger placement section 3 . For example, the finger U may be placed directly within the range where printing is performed (within the range where the print head 41 can print).
In this case, the pressure sensor 33, which is the second acquisition means, may be arranged in the range where the printing operation is performed, and the finger U may be placed on the pressure sensor 33 itself. In this case also, the pressure sensor 33 can detect a change in the pressure value P due to the finger U being placed.

Further, a nail placement portion (nail placement table) on which the tip of the nail is placed may be provided on the back side of the finger placement portion 3 (finger placement table) on which the finger U is placed (on the fingertip side of the finger U to be placed).
When a claw placement portion (nail placement table) is provided, the pressure value P1 may be a pressure value at a height about 1 mm lower than the height of the nail placement portion, or the pressure value P1 itself may not be set. , only the pressure value P2 may be set.

In each of the above embodiments, the printable range is set when the pressure value P detected by the pressure sensor 33 is between the pressure value P1 and the pressure value P2. is associated with the numerical value (“first value”) indicating the position of the nail T in the height direction, but the correspondence with the numerical value (“first value”) indicating the position of the nail T in the height direction. The attached pressure value is not limited to this.
For example, within the ranges of the pressure values P1 and P2, further threshold values such as P1-1, P1-2, . . . , P2-1, P2-2 . Therefore, the content of print control may be changed according to each threshold value.
More specifically, even when the pressure value P is between P1 and P2 and the position of the nail T in the height direction is within the printable range, when the pressure value P2-1 is closer to P2, may control the printing operation more finely according to the situation, such as controlling the printing speed to be slower than usual.

Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, as the order of the print control process, the case where the pressure value P1 and the pressure value P2 are acquired in this order was illustrated, but the order of acquiring the pressure value P1 and the pressure value P2 is not limited to this. , the pressure value P2 may be obtained first, and then the pressure value P1 may be obtained.

Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, the finger placement portion 3 is of a fixed type, and when the height of the nail T does not fall within a certain distance range suitable for printing (eg, the nail is too high), Although it is assumed that printing is stopped after a certain period of time has passed, the countermeasure when the height of the nail T does not fall within a certain distance range is not limited to this.
For example, when all or part of the finger placement portion 3 (for example, the finger receiving portion 31 for receiving the finger U) is vertically movable, the height of the nail T does not fall within a certain distance range. Even if it does not exist, it is possible to deal with it by moving the finger placement part 3 up and down according to the height of the nail T.
Note that if the height of the nail T does not fall within the range of the predetermined distance even after adjusting the height of the finger placement portion 3, printing may be stopped after a predetermined period of time has elapsed.

Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, the pressure sensor 33 is used as the second acquisition means. It is not limited to a pressure sensor as long as it can continuously detect the "second value" that is an index for determining the position in the height direction of the sensor.

In addition, in the second embodiment, the mirror 35 is provided as an optical element. It is not limited to a mirror as long as it is possible.
For example, a prism or the like may be arranged as an optical element. In this case as well, the arrangement, angle, etc. of the optical elements are adjusted so that the markers (the first marker M1 and the second marker M2) are within the photographable range of the photographing unit 51 .

Further, in the second embodiment, as a configuration for acquiring the "first value", the configuration including the imaging unit 51, the markers M1 and M2, and the mirror 35 as an optical element was exemplified, but the "first value" is not limited to this.
For example, by changing the arrangement position of the photographing unit 51, if it is possible to keep the markers M1 and M2 within the photographable range of the photographing unit 51 without reflecting them using an optical element, A configuration without the mirror 35 may be employed.

Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, the printing apparatus 1 is configured to complete the printing operation by itself, but the printing apparatus 1 is not limited to the one shown here.
For example, a printing system may be configured in cooperation with an information processing device such as an external terminal device (smartphone, tablet terminal, etc.).

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a printing system including a printing device and an information processing device.
As shown in FIG. 13, in this case, the information processing device 8 includes a communication unit 84 (communication means) that communicates with the printing device 1 that includes the printing mechanism 4 that prints on the nail T described in the above embodiment. .
In the information processing device 8, the control unit 81 of the control device 80 receives the “first value” for detecting the position of the nail T in the height direction from the printing apparatus 1 via the communication unit 84, and the nail It functions as information acquisition means for acquiring a "second value" that changes in accordance with the position in the height direction of the , and that is different in nature from the "first value".
Furthermore, the control unit 81 determines whether or not the position of the nail T in the height direction is within a range suitable for printing by the printing means of the printing device (the print head 41 of the printing mechanism 4) as a “first value”. and the "second value".
Then, the control section 81 as a judgment means transmits the judgment result to the printing apparatus 1 via the communication section 84 .
In this case, the correspondence between the “first value” and the “second value” may be stored in the storage unit 82 of the information processing device 8 .

As described above, the printing apparatus 1 cooperates with the external information processing apparatus 8, so that the printing apparatus 1 can obtain values for determining the position of the nail T in the height direction (“first value”, “second ) by various sensors (for example, the distance measurement sensor 6 and the pressure sensor 33), the photographing unit 51, etc., and send it to the information processing device 8. Judgment processing based on these values (for example, the value of the nail Judgment processing for judging the position of T in the height direction, nail design selection processing, processing such as print data generation, etc.) can be performed on the information processing device 8 side. Therefore, the control configuration can be simplified, and the load on the storage unit 72 of the printing apparatus 1 can be minimized. In this case, programs (application programs) and data required for various processes are stored in the storage unit 82 of the information processing device 8 or the like.

Further, the information processing device 8 may include an operation unit 83 and a display unit 85 as shown in FIG. 13 . In this case, the printing device 1 may operate according to instructions input from the operation unit 83 of the information processing device 8 . Also, for example, the selected design or the like may be displayed on the display section 85 of the information processing device 8 .

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>
a printing means for printing on a nail to be printed;
a first acquisition means for acquiring a first value for detecting the position of the nail in the height direction;
a second acquisition means for acquiring a second value that changes according to the position of the nail in the height direction and that is different in nature from the first value;
determining means for determining whether or not the position of the nail in the height direction is within a range suitable for printing by the printing means, based on the correspondence relationship between the first value and the second value; ,
A printing device comprising:
<Claim 2>
Storage means for storing a correspondence relationship between the first value and the second value,
2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said determination means determines the position of the nail in the height direction from said second value based on said correspondence stored in said storage means.
<Claim 3>
3. A printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said storage means stores at least second values corresponding to upper and lower limits of positions of the nail in the height direction suitable for printing.
<Claim 4>
4. The second acquisition means is pressure detection means for acquiring, as the second value, a value of pressure exerted by at least part of the finger corresponding to the nail. The printing device according to any one of Claims 1 to 3.
<Claim 5>
A printing control means for controlling the printing operation of the printing means for printing on the nail,
The printing control means controls the printing operation by the printing means when the judging means judges that the position of the nail in the height direction determined from the second value is not within a range suitable for printing. 5. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printing apparatus is stopped.
<Claim 6>
6. The first acquisition means is a distance measuring sensor that measures a distance to the nail and acquires height direction position information of the nail as the first value. The printing device according to any one of Claims 1 to 3.
<Claim 7>
An identifier is provided to indicate a reference position of the nail in the height direction,
6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first acquiring means is a photographing means for acquiring the positional relationship between the identifier and the nail as the first value. printer.
<Claim 8>
8. A printing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising an optical element capable of placing said identifier within a photographable range of said photographing means.
<Claim 9>
a communication means for communicating with a printing device comprising a printing means for printing on a nail;
A first value for detecting the position of the nail in the height direction, and the first value that changes corresponding to the position in the height direction of the nail, from the printing device via the communication means. an information acquisition means for acquiring a second value different in nature from the
determining means for determining whether or not the position of the nail in the height direction is within a range suitable for printing by the printing means, based on the correspondence relationship between the first value and the second value; ,
with
An information processing apparatus, wherein the judgment result of the judging means is transmitted to the printing apparatus.
<Claim 10>
a first acquiring step of acquiring a first value for detecting the position of the nail in the height direction;
a second acquiring step of acquiring a second value that changes in accordance with the position of the nail in the height direction and is different in nature from the first value;
Determining whether the position of the nail in the height direction is within a range suitable for printing by printing means for printing on the nail based on the correspondence between the first value and the second value a decision process to
A print control method, comprising:
<Claim 11>
to the computer,
a first acquisition function for acquiring a first value for detecting the position of the nail in the height direction;
a second acquisition function that acquires a second value that changes according to the position of the nail in the height direction and that is different in nature from the first value;
Determining whether the position of the nail in the height direction is within a range suitable for printing by printing means for printing on the nail based on the correspondence between the first value and the second value judgment function to
A program characterized by realizing

1 printing device 2 housing 3 finger placement unit 31 finger receiving unit 33 pressure sensor 35 mirror 4 printing mechanism 41 print head 411 ink discharge surface 5 photographing device 51 photographing unit 6 ranging sensor 7 control device 71 control unit 72 storage unit

Claims (11)

a printing means for printing on a nail to be printed;
a first acquisition means for acquiring a first value for detecting the position of the nail in the height direction;
a second acquisition means for acquiring a second value that changes according to the position of the nail in the height direction and that is different in nature from the first value;
determining means for determining whether or not the position of the nail in the height direction is within a range suitable for printing by the printing means, based on the correspondence relationship between the first value and the second value; ,
A printing device comprising: Storage means for storing a correspondence relationship between the first value and the second value,
2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said determination means determines the position of the nail in the height direction from said second value based on said correspondence stored in said storage means. 3. A printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said storage means stores at least second values corresponding to upper and lower limits of positions of the nail in the height direction suitable for printing. 4. The second acquisition means is pressure detection means for acquiring, as the second value, a value of pressure exerted by at least part of the finger corresponding to the nail. The printing device according to any one of Claims 1 to 3. A printing control means for controlling the printing operation of the printing means for printing on the nail,
The printing control means controls the printing operation by the printing means when the judging means judges that the position of the nail in the height direction determined from the second value is not within a range suitable for printing. 5. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printing apparatus is stopped. 6. The first acquisition means is a distance measuring sensor that measures a distance to the nail and acquires height direction position information of the nail as the first value. The printing device according to any one of Claims 1 to 3. An identifier is provided to indicate a reference position of the nail in the height direction,
6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first acquiring means is a photographing means for acquiring the positional relationship between the identifier and the nail as the first value. printer. 8. A printing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising an optical element capable of placing said identifier within a photographable range of said photographing means. a communication means for communicating with a printing device comprising a printing means for printing on a nail;
A first value for detecting the position of the nail in the height direction, and the first value that changes corresponding to the position in the height direction of the nail, from the printing device via the communication means. an information acquisition means for acquiring a second value different in nature from the
determining means for determining whether or not the position of the nail in the height direction is within a range suitable for printing by the printing means, based on the correspondence relationship between the first value and the second value; ,
with
An information processing apparatus, wherein the judgment result of the judging means is transmitted to the printing apparatus. a first acquiring step of acquiring a first value for detecting the position of the nail in the height direction;
a second acquiring step of acquiring a second value that changes in accordance with the position of the nail in the height direction and is different in nature from the first value;
Determining whether the position of the nail in the height direction is within a range suitable for printing by printing means for printing on the nail based on the correspondence between the first value and the second value a decision process to
A print control method, comprising: to the computer,
a first acquisition function for acquiring a first value for detecting the position of the nail in the height direction;
a second acquisition function that acquires a second value that changes according to the position of the nail in the height direction and that is different in nature from the first value;
Determining whether the position of the nail in the height direction is within a range suitable for printing by printing means for printing on the nail based on the correspondence between the first value and the second value judgment function to
A program characterized by realizing

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