JP2023043664A - Transfer device, printer, thermal transfer sheet and transfer method - Google Patents

Abstract

To efficiently perform printing using transfer.SOLUTION: A printer 1 comprises: a control unit 82 which detects the shape of a printing object; and a transfer mechanism 3. The transfer mechanism 3 comprises: a platen roller 32 which conveys a thermal transfer sheet Ns having at least a transfer object layer S4 and a base layer S2 in the conveyance direction D; a thermal head 33 which heats the thermal transfer sheet Ns conveyed by the platen roller 32 on the basis of the shape of the printing object and thermally transfers the base layer to the transfer object layer; and a pressing part 35 which presses the base layer S2 thermally transferred to the transfer object layer S4 toward the printing object.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

The present invention relates to a transfer device, a printing device, a thermal transfer sheet and a transfer method.

Conventionally, a printing device (nail printing device) for printing a design on a fingernail or the like is known. In this nail printing apparatus, a base layer of white or the like is sometimes formed on the nail before forming the color layer so that the finish is not affected by the color of the nail itself. Formation of this base layer is often performed by hand coating.

On the other hand, there is a method using transfer as a method of printing on the nail. For example, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, printing is performed by transferring ink applied to a printing plate to a nail using a pad. A pad cleaning device is used to remove ink, dust, and the like from the used pad.

JP-A-2004-216872

However, when forming the base layer using the technique described in Patent Document 1, printing must be performed according to the contour of each nail of the user, so the pad is washed every time printing of one nail is completed. need arises, and printing efficiency deteriorates.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances as described above, and an object of the present invention is to efficiently perform printing using transfer.

In order to achieve the above object, the transfer device of the present invention comprises:
a detection means for detecting the shape of a print target;
a transport means for transporting a medium to be heated having at least a transfer layer and an ink layer;
a first heating means for heating the medium to be heated transported by the transport means based on the shape of the object to be printed, and thermally transferring the ink layer to the transferred layer;
a pressing means for pressing the ink layer thermally transferred onto the transferred layer toward the printing target;
Prepare.

According to the present invention, printing using transfer can be performed efficiently.

1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of main parts of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment; FIG. 1 is a plan view of a main part of a printing device according to an embodiment; FIG. 1 is a side view of a main part of a printing device according to an embodiment; FIG. 4 is a front view of the main part of the transfer unit main body according to the embodiment; FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a thermal transfer sheet according to an embodiment; FIG. 2 is a control block diagram showing a schematic control configuration of a printing device and a terminal device according to the embodiment; FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of print processing according to the embodiment; 4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining print processing according to the embodiment; FIG. 4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining print processing according to the embodiment; FIG.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
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, the case where the printing apparatus is a nail printing apparatus for printing on fingernails as an object to be printed will be described as an example. The print target is not limited to fingernails, and may be, for example, toenails. In addition, objects other than human nails, such as nail tips and surfaces of various accessories, may be printed.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance configuration of a main part of a printing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are a plan view and a side view of the main part of the printing apparatus 1. FIG.
In the following embodiments, up and down, left and right, and front and back refer to directions shown in FIG. 1 and the like. Also, the X direction refers to the left-right direction, the Y direction refers to the front-rear direction, and the Z direction refers to the up-down direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, the printing apparatus 1 has a housing 11 formed in a substantially box shape.
An operation unit 12 is provided on the upper surface (top plate) of the housing 11 . The operation unit 12 is, for example, an operation button (power switch button) for turning on/off the printer 1 . When the operation section 12 is operated, an operation signal is output to the control section 82 (see FIG. 6), and the control section 82 performs control according to the operation signal to operate each section of the printing apparatus 1 .
The shape, arrangement, etc. of each part of the housing 11 are not limited to the illustrated example, and can be set as appropriate. For example, the operation unit 12 may be provided on the side surface, the back surface, or the like of the housing 11 instead of the top surface. Further, the printer 1 may operate according to an operation signal input from an external device such as a terminal device (not shown). Further, the housing 11 may be provided with various display units, indicators, and the like.

Further, an opening 13 is formed on the front side of the housing 11 (the front side of the printing apparatus 1, the front side in FIG. 1) and substantially at the center in the vertical direction. The opening 13 is an insertion opening for inserting the finger U into the device.
A finger placement unit 14 for placing a finger U (see FIG. 2 and the like) having a nail T to be printed is provided inside the printing apparatus 1 at a position corresponding to the opening 13 . The finger placement portion 14 has a finger receiving member 15 . The finger receiving member 15 supports the finger U inserted from the opening 13 from below, and is made of flexible resin or the like, for example. The configuration of the finger placement portion 14 is not particularly limited, and may be configured without the finger receiving member 15, for example.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the printing apparatus 1 includes a transfer mechanism 3, a printing section 4, an imaging section 5, and the like.

The printing unit 4 is printing means for printing on the nail T to be printed. As will be described later, the printing unit 4 of the present embodiment prints with color inks on the nail T to which the base layer S2 and the ink receiving layer S3 are adhered by the transfer mechanism 3 .
Specifically, the printing unit 4 includes a print head 41 that performs a printing operation, a head moving mechanism 42 (see FIG. 6) that moves the print head 41, and the like.

The print head 41 is, for example, an inkjet head that performs printing by spraying droplets of ink onto a surface to be printed (that is, the surface of the nail T). The type of print head 41 is not particularly limited. For example, it is possible to adopt a head that performs printing by various methods, such as a thermal print head.
There are no restrictions on the colors that the print head 41 can eject or the number of heads. It is possible to draw various designs precisely.

The print head 41 is movably supported by an X-direction guide rail 43 and a Y-direction guide rail 44 while being held by a holder (not shown).
The head moving mechanism 42 includes motors (not shown) that move the print head 41 in the X and Y directions. The head moving mechanism 42 drives the motor to move the print head 41 along the guide rails 43 and 44 in the X direction and the Y direction.
The head moving mechanism 42 allows the print head 41 to move within the XY plane within a head movement range 4R including the print area A1. The print area A1 is an area corresponding to the finger placement portion 14 and an area where the print head 41 performs a printing operation. Further, the head movement range 4R includes an area where the print head 41 is retracted behind the print area A1 by a sufficient distance not to interfere (contact) with the transfer unit main body 30 that has advanced into the print area A1.

The imaging unit 5 is arranged inside the upper surface (top plate) of the housing 11 and above the finger placement unit 14 . The photographing unit 5 photographs the surface of the nail (finger including the nail) exposed above the finger placement unit 14 and acquires the image (image of the finger including the nail, hereinafter referred to as “nail image”).
The photographing unit 5 includes a photographing camera 51 and a lighting lamp 52 .
The imaging camera 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 illumination lamp 52 is a light source arranged on the side of the photographing camera 51 to illuminate the nail of the object to be photographed, and is, for example, a white LED.
The photographing unit 5 may be provided at a position where the surface of the nail of the finger placed on the finger placement unit 14 can be photographed, and the specific arrangement and the like are not particularly limited. For example, the imaging unit 5 may be configured to be movable in the XY directions by a head moving mechanism 42 that moves the print head 41 .

The transfer mechanism 3 adheres the base layer S2 and the ink receiving layer S3 of the thermal transfer sheet Ns to the nail T using thermal transfer. A transfer device according to the present invention includes a transfer mechanism 3, an imaging unit 5, and a control unit 82, which will be described later. Specifically, the transfer mechanism 3 includes a transfer section main body 30 .
The transfer section main body 30 is movably supported by a guide rail 311 along the Y direction. The transfer mechanism 3 includes a movement motor 30M (see FIG. 6) that moves the transfer section body 30 in the Y direction. By driving the movement motor 30M, the transfer section body 30 moves in the Y direction along the guide rails 311. do.
The transfer section main body 30 is movable within the XY plane within a transfer section movement range 3R including the printing area A1. Further, the transfer section moving range 3R includes an area where the transfer section main body 30 is retracted forward from the printing area A1 by a sufficient distance not to interfere (contact) with the print head 41 advanced to the printing area A1. Note that the transfer unit main body 30 may be configured to be movable rearward from the transfer unit movement range 3R as long as the height is such that it does not come into contact with the print head 41 .

FIG. 4 is a front view schematically showing the essential parts of the transfer unit main body 30. As shown in FIG.
As shown in this figure, the transfer section main body 30 includes a sheet supply roller 31, a platen roller 32, a thermal head 33, a first collection roller 34, a pressing section 35, and a second collection roller .
A sheet roll Nr formed by winding a thermal transfer sheet Ns in a roll shape is exchangeably set on the sheet supply roller 31 .

Here, the thermal transfer sheet Ns will be described.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the thermal transfer sheet Ns.
As shown in this figure, the thermal transfer sheet Ns has a release layer S1, a base layer S2, an ink receiving layer S3, and a transfer layer S4 laminated in order from the bottom side (the bottom side when transported in the transport direction D). It is.

The release layer S1 is a release paper having a release surface that covers the base layer S2 when not in use and is peeled off from the base layer S2 when in use. The release layer S1 is made of, for example, a PET film having a thickness of about 25 μm.

The base layer S2 is an example of an ink layer according to the present invention, and is a main body portion of the thermal transfer sheet Ns and serves as a base for design printing (color printing) by the printing unit 4. As shown in FIG. The base layer S2 has adhesiveness, and is pressed and adhered to the surface of the print object such as the nail T together with the ink receiving layer S3 in the transfer mechanism 3. As shown in FIG.
Since the base layer S2 serves as a base for printing on the surface, the base layer S2 may be white or white to improve the color development of the ink, that is, to avoid being influenced by the color of the nail itself. It is preferable that the layer has a similar color (for example, light pink, light blue, etc.). However, the base layer S2 is not limited to white or the like, and may be transparent, translucent, or the like. In this case, when attached to the nail T, the lower nail T can be seen through in the portion where the printing is not applied. Therefore, when a one-point pattern or the like is applied partially or when a design such as a French nail is printed, it is possible to achieve a finish as if a nail print were directly applied to the natural nail.
Also, the base layer S2 may contain a fluorescent agent. In this case as well, the whole becomes whitish and constitutes a beautifully finished base layer S2.

The base layer S2 is formed, for example, by applying a base layer liquid and drying it.
The base layer liquid is, for example, a mixture of nitrocellulose, acetyl tributyl citrate, alkyl acrylate copolymer, stearalkonium hectorite, octocrelin, dimethicone, simethicone, citric acid, disodium stearoyl glutamate, titanium oxide, butyl acetate, acetic acid. It is prepared by dissolving and dispersing in a mixed solvent of ethyl and isopropanol as a base, and then adding and mixing an adhesive solution (for example, an ethyl acetate solution of an acrylic adhesive solution HiPAS10 manufactured by Cosmedy Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.).
The added tacky solution (adhesive component) has relatively weak tackiness at the temperature during thermal transfer, and the tackiness becomes stronger at the temperature (lower temperature than that at the time of thermal transfer) when applied to the nail T. Thereby, the base layer S2 can be preferably attached to the nail T. As shown in FIG.

The ink-receiving layer S3 receives ink, and facilitates fixing of the ink when design printing is performed by the printing unit 4. As shown in FIG.
The ink-receiving layer S3 is formed, for example, by applying an ink-receiving layer liquid and drying it.
The ink-receiving layer liquid is prepared by dissolving, for example, acrylates copolymer ammonium, vinyl acetate/vinylpyrrolidone copolymer, denatured alcohol, phenoxyethanol, and silicic acid (Al/Mg) in a mixed solvent of water and ethanol.

The transfer-receiving layer S4 covers the ink-receiving layer S3 when not in use, and the ink-receiving layer S3 is thermally transferred together with the base layer S2 during thermal transfer. It is a release paper that is peeled off from S3.

In the production of the thermal transfer sheet Ns, for example, first, the ink receiving layer liquid is applied onto the adhesive release paper constituting the transferred layer S4 and dried to form the ink receiving layer S3. Then, a base layer liquid is applied thereon and dried to form a base layer S2, and further a release paper constituting a release layer S1 is overlaid thereon. The thermal transfer sheet Ns is completed by pressing the resulting sheet while heating it to about 70° C. and cutting it into a tape shape.

Further, in the production of the thermal transfer sheet Ns, the adhesive strength between layers is important. Adhesive strength (adhesive strength) is a parameter that indicates "how strongly different materials adhere to each other". The strength of adhesive strength is determined by the compatibility between materials. Materials with similar properties (similar molecular structures, etc.) tend to stick together, and materials with different properties do not stick together easily.
In the thermal transfer sheet Ns of the present embodiment, at the temperature (first temperature) during thermal transfer by the thermal head 33, the adhesive force between the ink receiving layer S3 and the transferred layer S4 is the adhesive force between the release layer S1 and the base layer S2. stronger than In addition, at the temperature (second temperature lower than the first temperature) when pressed by the pressing portion 35, the adhesive force between the nail T and the base layer S2 is higher than the adhesive force between the ink receiving layer S3 and the transferred layer S4. strong.
In addition, the ink receiving layer S3 and the transfer layer S4 are not adhered to each other when they are not heated, but when heated, the ink receiving layer S3 melts or softens, and the separation layer S1 and the base layer S2 become stronger than the separation layer S1 and the base layer S2. Adheres with strong adhesive strength. Therefore, when a peeling force acts in the thickness direction of the thermal transfer sheet Ns, the peeling layer S1-base layer S2 is peeled, not the ink-receiving layer S3-transfer layer S4. The adhesion between the base layer S2 and the ink receiving layer S3 is the highest among the layers of the thermal transfer sheet Ns at least at the first temperature and the second temperature.

As shown in FIG. 4, the platen roller 32 conveys the thermal transfer sheet Ns along the conveying direction D parallel to the X direction. As for the direction of transporting the thermal transfer sheet Ns, rightward transport in FIG. 4 is forward transport, and leftward transport in FIG. 4 is reverse transport. The conveying means according to the invention includes at least the platen roller 32 .
The thermal head 33 is a heating means having a plurality of heating elements and thermally transferring the base layer S2 and the ink receiving layer S3 to the transferred layer S4. A thermistor 33 a for measuring the temperature of the thermal head 33 is embedded in the thermal head 33 . The thermal head 33 is arranged to face the platen roller 32, and heats the thermal transfer sheet Ns passing between the platen roller 32 from below to thermally transfer the base layer S2 and the ink receiving layer S3 to the transferred layer S4. .

The first collecting roller 34 is arranged below the platen roller 32 via a driven roller 341 arranged downstream in the transport direction D. As shown in FIG. The first collection roller 34 collects the release layer S1 of the thermal transfer sheet Ns together with the base layer S2 and the ink receiving layer S3 that have not been thermally transferred to the transfer layer S4 by the thermal head 33 .

The pressing portion 35 is arranged downstream of the platen roller 32 and the driven roller 341 in the transport direction D, and presses the base layer S2 thermally transferred onto the transferred layer S4, together with the ink receiving layer S3, against a printing object such as a nail T. and affix it.
Specifically, the pressing portion 35 is positioned above the thermal transfer sheet Ns conveyed in the conveying direction D in a normal state (when not in operation), and is configured to be driven up and down by a motor (not shown) or the like, and has a sponge bottom surface. and the like. Further, the pressing portion 35 may have a heater 35a (see FIG. 6) inside and press the thermal transfer sheet Ns while heating it with the heater 35a. The pressing portion 35 corresponds to the finger placement portion 14 in the X direction position, and the transfer portion main body 30 is moved in the Y direction to position the finger placement portion 14 below the pressing portion 35 via the thermal transfer sheet Ns. In this state, the thermal transfer sheet Ns is pressed toward the nail T placed on the finger placement portion 14 .

The second collecting roller 36 is arranged below the pressing portion 35 via a driven roller 361 arranged downstream in the conveying direction D. As shown in FIG. The second collection roller 36 collects the transferred layer S4 that has passed through the pressing portion 35 .

FIG. 6 is a control block diagram showing a schematic control configuration of the printer 1 and a terminal device 9, which will be described later.
As shown in this figure, the printing apparatus 1 includes a display unit 17, a communication unit 18, a storage unit 81, a control unit 82, etc., in addition to the operation unit 12, the transfer mechanism 3, the printing unit 4, and the photographing unit 5 described above. I have.

The display unit 17 displays various information based on display commands from the control unit 82 .
The communication unit 18 transmits and receives various types of information to and from a terminal device 9 or the like that operates in cooperation with the printing apparatus 1 . Communication between the printing device 1 and the terminal device 9 is performed by, for example, a wireless LAN. The communication between the printing device 1 and the terminal device 9 is not limited to this, and any method may be used. For example, it may use a network line such as the Internet, or may perform wireless communication based on a short-range wireless communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi. Also, this communication is not limited to wireless, and a configuration in which various data can be transmitted and received between the two through a wired connection may be employed. The communication unit 18 includes an antenna chip and the like compatible with the communication system of the terminal device 9 .

The storage unit 81 includes, for example, ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory), and stores various information and various programs for operating the printing apparatus 1 . For example, the storage unit 81 stores a print program for performing print processing. In addition, the storage unit 81 may store an image acquired by the photographing unit 5 and various data including design data to be printed on a print target.
The control unit 82 includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), for example, and controls each unit of the printing apparatus 1 . The control unit 82 develops the program in the storage unit 81 in the work area and executes it, so that each unit of the printing apparatus 1 is centrally controlled.

Further, the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is configured to be able to communicate with the terminal device 9, and executes printing operations and the like based on operation commands from the terminal device 9. FIG.
The terminal device 9 is a mobile terminal such as a smart phone or a tablet that exclusively functions as a user interface for the printing device 1 . However, the terminal device 9 is not particularly limited as long as it is an information processing device capable of communicating with the printing device 1, and may be, for example, a notebook or stationary personal computer, or a game terminal device.
Specifically, the terminal device 9 includes an operation unit 92, a display unit 93, a communication unit 94, a storage unit 96, a control unit 97, and the like.

The operation unit 92 can perform various inputs and settings according to user's operations, and an input signal corresponding to the operation received by the operation unit 92 is transmitted to the control unit 97 . In this embodiment, a touch panel is integrally provided on the surface of the display unit 93, and the user can perform various operations such as input and setting by touching the touch panel.
Note that the operation unit 92 for performing operations such as various inputs and settings is not limited to a touch panel. For example, various operation buttons, a keyboard, a pointing device, etc. may be provided as the operation unit 92 .

The display unit 93 displays various information based on display commands from the control unit 97 .
In the present embodiment, the display unit 93 displays various information such as the nail design input/selected by the user from the operation unit 92 and the nail image transmitted from the printing apparatus 1 . Note that the display unit 93 of the present embodiment is configured integrally with the touch panel for performing various inputs, as described above.

The communication section 94 is configured to be able to communicate with the communication section 18 of the printing apparatus 1 . Note that the communication unit 94 may be any unit that can communicate with the printing apparatus 1, and one that conforms to the communication standard of the communication unit 18 of the printing apparatus 1 is applied.

The storage unit 96 stores various programs, various data, and the like for operating each unit of the terminal device 9 . For example, the storage unit 96 stores various programs such as a nail print application program for performing nail printing using the printing apparatus 1 in addition to an operation program for centrally controlling each unit of the terminal device 9 . The storage unit 96 also stores data of a design (nail design) to be printed on a print target. The design may be an existing design prepared in advance, a design created by the user himself or a design acquired from a server device or the like (not shown) through the communication unit 94 or the like. good too.

The control unit 97 controls each unit of the terminal device 9 . Each part of the terminal device 9 is centrally controlled by the control part 97 developing the program of the storage part 96 in the work area and executing it.

Next, the operation of the printing apparatus 1 when executing print processing will be described. The printing process is a process of printing a nail design on the nail T of the finger U. FIG.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of print processing, and FIGS. 8 and 9 are diagrams for explaining the print processing.
It is assumed that the nail design to be printed on the nail T is selected and specified in advance by the user's operation.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the printing process is executed, the user first places the finger U of the nail T to be printed on the finger placement section 14 of the printing device 1 (step S1).
Prior to the printing process, the nail T may be previously coated with a coating agent that helps the base layer S2 to be adhered to the nail T in step S5, which will be described later, by hand coating or the like.

Then, the control unit 82 of the printing apparatus 1 controls the photographing unit 5 to photograph the surface of the nail (finger including the nail) placed on the finger placement unit 14 and obtain the image (nail image) (step S2). The acquired nail image is stored in the storage unit 81 . At this time, the transfer unit main body 30 of the transfer mechanism 3 is previously retracted forward of the finger placement portion 14 (printing area A1).

Next, the control unit 82 detects (also referred to as acquisition or calculation) the shape (contour) of the nail to be printed by performing image analysis on the nail image acquired in step S2 (step S3). That is, the control unit 82 here is detection means for detecting the shape of the nail. The detected nail shape (nail shape) is stored in the storage unit 81 .
At this time, the shape of the nail may be detected by further considering the curvature of the left and right portions of the nail T by image analysis. In this case, the curvature may be determined by reading the distance with a distance sensor or the like instead of image analysis.

Next, the controller 82 controls the transfer mechanism 3 to thermally transfer the base layer S2 and the ink receiving layer S3 having a shape corresponding to the shape of the nail to the transferred layer S4 of the thermal transfer sheet Ns (step S4).
Specifically, the control section 82 first controls the movement motor 30M of the transfer mechanism 3 to move the transfer section body 30 rearward into the printing area A1. Then, the control unit 82 drives the platen roller 32, the first recovery roller 34, and the second recovery roller 36 to let out the thermal transfer sheet Ns from the sheet roll Nr of the sheet supply roller 31 and transport it in the transport direction D. Then, the control unit 82 heats the thermal transfer sheet Ns from below with the thermal head 33 to thermally transfer the base layer S2 and the ink receiving layer S3 having a shape corresponding to the nail shape to the transferred layer S4 (see FIG. 8 ( a)). The temperature of the thermal head 33 at this time is measured by the thermistor 33a and is controlled at a predetermined temperature. The base layer S2 and the ink receiving layer S3 that have been thermally transferred to the transfer layer S4 are directed toward the pressing portion 35 along the transport direction D, and the base layer S2 and the ink receiving layer S3 that have not been thermally transferred to the transfer layer S4 are the release layer S1. are recovered by the first recovery roller 34 together.
The shapes of the base layer S2 and the ink-receiving layer S3 to be thermally transferred here may be the shape of a part of the nail instead of the whole nail shape based on the nail design.

Next, the control unit 82 controls the transfer mechanism 3 to press and attach the base layer S2 and the ink receiving layer S3 thermally transferred onto the transferred layer S4 to the surface of the nail T of the user (step S5). .
Specifically, the control section 82 controls the pressing section 35 to operate downward, and moves the base layer S2 and the ink receiving layer S3 transported above the finger placement section 14 together with the transfer layer S4 to the finger placement section. It is attached by pressing against the surface of the nail T of 14 (FIGS. 8(b) and 9). At this time, the controller 82 causes the heater 35a to heat the pressing portion 35 to about 50° C. and press it. As a result, the base layer S2 and the ink-receiving layer S3 having a shape corresponding to the shape of the nail are adhered to the surface of the nail T (FIG. 8(c)). The transferred layer S4 from which the base layer S2 and the ink receiving layer S3 have been removed is recovered by the second recovery roller .

Next, the control section 82 controls the printing section 4 to perform design printing on the base layer S2 and the ink receiving layer S3 attached to the nail T (step S6).
Specifically, the control section 82 first controls the movement motor 30M of the transfer mechanism 3 to retract the transfer section main body 30 from the printing area A1. Then, the control unit 82 generates print data based on the preselected nail design and nail shape, and controls the print head 41 and the head moving mechanism 42 of the printing unit 4 based on this print data to move the nail T. Print (Fig. 8(d)). It should be noted that print data may be generated at any timing after obtaining the nail design and nail shape.
Thereby, the desired nail design is printed on the nail T. Since this design is printed on the upper side of the base layer S2, the color of the ink is good. In addition, since the design is printed on the ink receiving layer S3, the ink is easily fixed. In addition, compared to the method of printing the base ink using the inkjet method, the time for the ink solvent to evaporate can be reduced, so the drying time is shorter than the inkjet method, and the design can be printed quickly.

Next, the user removes the finger U from the printing device 1 and applies a top coat to the nail on which the design print is applied to protect the design print (step S7).
Thus, the print processing ends. Note that the processing in the printing apparatus 1 itself may end at step S6.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the thermal transfer sheet Ns having the base layer S2 is heated by the thermal head 33 based on the nail shape, and the base layer S2 is pressed toward the nail T by the pressing portion 35. .
Therefore, unlike the case where the ink applied to the printing plate is transferred to the nail by the pad, it is not necessary to wash the pad every time printing of one nail is completed. In the case of transfer using a pad, if the cleaning time of the pad is shortened in order to increase efficiency, ink may remain on the pad. Therefore, with the configuration of this embodiment, printing using transfer can be performed efficiently.

Further, according to this embodiment, the pressing portion 35 has the heater 35a, and the base layer S2 is pressed against the nail T to be attached while being heated by the heater 35a.
As a result, the base layer S2 can be preferably attached to the surface of the nail T. As shown in FIG.

Further, according to this embodiment, the thermal transfer sheet Ns has the ink-receiving layer S3 between the transfer-receiving layer S4 and the base layer S2. It is thermally transferred and attached to the surface of the nail T.
As a result, the ink can be easily fixed in the subsequent design printing by the printing unit 4 .

Further, according to this embodiment, the adhesive force between the transferred layer S4 and the ink receiving layer S3 is the same as that between the base layer S2 and the release layer S1 at the temperature (first temperature) during thermal transfer by the thermal head 33. It is larger than the adhesive strength and smaller than the adhesive strength between the base layer S2 and the nail T at the temperature (the second temperature lower than the first temperature) at the time of pressing by the pressing portion 35 .
As a result, the ink receiving layer S3 can be suitably thermally transferred to the transferred layer S4 at the time of thermal transfer, and the base layer S2 can be suitably attached to the nail T at the time of pressing.

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 pressing part 35 heats the thermal transfer sheet Ns to about 50° C. by the heater 35a and presses it against the nail T. As shown in FIG. However, the heating temperature at this time is not particularly limited as long as it is a temperature that does not feel burdensome to the user. Also, this heating does not have to be performed.

Further, in this embodiment, the base layer S2 of white or a color close to it, which serves as a base for design printing, is attached to the nail T using thermal transfer. However, the base layer S2 may have a color other than white and may have a design (pattern). In this case, printing by the printing unit may be omitted, or after a part of the design (pattern) is formed on the nail by pasting using thermal transfer, the rest of the design (pattern) is formed by printing by the printing unit. Also good.
Moreover, the thermal transfer sheet Ns should just have at least the transferred layer S4 and the base layer S2.

Further, the transfer section main body 30 includes at least the thermal head 33 and the pressing section 35 , and other components of the transfer section main body 30 may be provided in a replaceable cartridge detachable from the transfer section main body 30 .

Further, the transfer section main body 30 may be configured such that the unused base layer S2 can be reused by reversely conveying (rewinding) the thermal transfer sheet Ns. In this case, for example, the conveying amount of the thermal transfer sheet Ns may be detected by an encoder or the like, and the unused portion of the base layer S2 may be specified and reused. The reverse conveyance of the thermal transfer sheet Ns can be achieved by rotating the conveying rollers in the reverse direction.

In order to make the transfer unit main body 30 more compact, the finger placement unit 14 and the pressing unit 35 are positioned between the sheet supply roller 31 and the thermal head 33 in the transport direction of the thermal transfer sheet Ns, that is, upstream of the thermal head 33 . It may be provided on the side. Specifically, it is assumed that the thermal transfer sheet Ns is composed of the base layer S2 (or the base layer S2 and the ink receiving layer S3) and the transferred layer S4, and the release layer S1 is removed. In this case, for example, the thermal transfer sheet Ns is heated by the thermal head 33 when the thermal transfer sheet Ns is reversely conveyed, and is arranged in the finger placement portion 14 provided between the sheet supply roller 31 and the thermal head 33 in the conveying direction. The pressing portion 35 may press the thermal transfer sheet Ns toward the finger U. At this time, the first recovery roller 34 and the driven roller 341 for recovering the peel layer S1 can be removed from the configuration, and the distance between the thermal head 33 and the second recovery roller 36 in the transport direction can be shortened. , the transfer section main body 30 can be made smaller.

In this embodiment, the printing apparatus 1 cooperates with the terminal device 9 to form a printing system, and the printing apparatus 1 alone controls and executes operations. However, the degree of division of processing between the printing device 1 and the terminal device 9 is not particularly limited. You can do it.

Further, various data such as nail designs, photographed images, nail shape information, etc. may be stored in the storage unit of the terminal device, or may be stored in the storage unit of the printing apparatus 1 . In this embodiment, the photographing unit 5 is provided in the printing device 1, but the photographing unit may be provided in the terminal device and the nail image may be transmitted to the printing device 1 via the communication unit. Further, the detection of the nail shape may be performed by the terminal device.
Alternatively, various data may be stored in a server device or the like that can be connected via a network line or the like, and the terminal device or the printing device 1 may access the server device or the like to refer to the data. By doing so, it is possible to select a design to be printed from among a larger number of nail designs.

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 detection means for detecting the shape of a print target;
a transport means for transporting a medium to be heated having at least a transfer layer and an ink layer;
a first heating means for heating the medium to be heated transported by the transport means based on the shape of the object to be printed, and thermally transferring the ink layer to the transferred layer;
pressing means for pressing the ink layer thermally transferred to the transfer layer toward the printing target;
A transfer device characterized by:
<Claim 2>
detection means for detecting a nail to be printed;
a transport means for transporting a medium to be heated having at least a transfer layer and an ink layer;
a first heating means for heating the medium to be heated conveyed by the conveying means and thermally transferring the ink layer to the transferred layer;
a pressing means for pressing the ink layer thermally transferred to the transfer layer toward the nail;
A transfer device characterized by:
<Claim 3>
The medium to be heated has an ink receiving layer between the layer to be transferred and the ink layer,
The first heating means thermally transfers the ink layer and the ink receiving layer to the transferred layer,
The pressing means presses the ink layer and the ink-receiving layer toward the object to be printed.
3. The transfer device according to claim 1, wherein:
<Claim 4>
The medium to be heated has a release layer that is laminated on the side opposite to the layer to be transferred with respect to the ink layer, and that is separated from the ink layer as the medium to be heated is transported.
4. The transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that:
<Claim 5>
The pressing means has a second heating means, and presses the ink layer toward the printing object while being heated by the second heating means.
5. The transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that:
<Claim 6>
The medium to be heated has a release layer that is laminated on the side opposite to the layer to be transferred with respect to the ink layer and that is separated from the ink layer as the medium to be heated is conveyed,
The pressing means directs the ink layer and the ink receiving layer toward the printing object at a temperature lower than a first temperature at which the first heating means thermally transfers the ink layer and the ink receiving layer to the transferred layer. has a second heating means that can take a second temperature when pressing while heating,
At the first temperature, the adhesive force between the transfer layer and the ink receiving layer is greater than the adhesive force between the ink layer and the release layer, and at the second temperature, the transfer layer and the ink-receiving layer is less than the adhesive force between the ink layer and the object to be printed,
The adhesive strength between the ink receiving layer and the ink layer is the greatest adhesive strength among the respective layers of the medium to be heated at the first temperature and the second temperature.
4. The transfer device according to claim 3, characterized in that:
<Claim 7>
The pressing means is arranged downstream of the first heating means in the conveying direction of the conveying means,
7. The transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that:
<Claim 8>
further comprising a photographing means for photographing the print target,
The detection means detects the shape of the object to be printed based on the image captured by the imaging means.
8. The transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that:
<Claim 9>
a transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 8;
a printing means for printing on the object to be printed to which the ink layer is attached;
comprising
A printing device characterized by:
<Claim 10>
a transfer layer;
an ink-receiving layer that is thermally transferable to the transfer-receiving layer and that receives ink;
an adhesive ink layer;
a release layer having a release surface;
are stacked in this order,
A thermal transfer sheet characterized by:
<Claim 11>
a detection step of detecting the shape of the object to be printed;
a first heating step of heating a medium to be heated having at least a layer to be transferred and an ink layer based on the shape of the object to be printed, and thermally transferring the ink layer to the layer to be transferred;
a pressing step of pressing the ink layer thermally transferred to the transferred layer toward the printing target;
comprising
A transfer method characterized by:

1 printing device 3 transfer mechanism 4 printing section (printing means)
5 Imaging unit (imaging means)
9 terminal device 14 finger placement unit 30 transfer unit main body 32 platen roller (conveying means)
33 thermal head (first heating means)
33a thermistor 35 pressing portion (pressing means)
35a heater (second heating means)
41 print head 42 head moving mechanism 82 control unit A1 print area D transport direction Ns thermal transfer sheet (medium to be heated)
S1 release layer S2 base layer (ink layer)
S3 Ink-receiving layer S4 Transfer-receiving layer T Nail (printing object)
U finger

Claims (11)

a detection means for detecting the shape of a print target;
a transport means for transporting a medium to be heated having at least a transfer layer and an ink layer;
a first heating means for heating the medium to be heated transported by the transport means based on the shape of the object to be printed, and thermally transferring the ink layer to the transferred layer;
pressing means for pressing the ink layer thermally transferred to the transfer layer toward the printing target;
A transfer device characterized by: detection means for detecting a nail to be printed;
a transport means for transporting a medium to be heated having at least a transfer layer and an ink layer;
a first heating means for heating the medium to be heated conveyed by the conveying means and thermally transferring the ink layer to the transferred layer;
a pressing means for pressing the ink layer thermally transferred to the transfer layer toward the nail;
A transfer device characterized by: The medium to be heated has an ink receiving layer between the layer to be transferred and the ink layer,
The first heating means thermally transfers the ink layer and the ink receiving layer to the transferred layer,
The pressing means presses the ink layer and the ink-receiving layer toward the object to be printed.
3. The transfer device according to claim 1, wherein: The medium to be heated has a release layer that is laminated on the side opposite to the layer to be transferred with respect to the ink layer, and that is separated from the ink layer as the medium to be heated is transported.
4. The transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The pressing means has a second heating means, and presses the ink layer toward the printing object while being heated by the second heating means.
5. The transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The medium to be heated has a release layer that is laminated on the side opposite to the layer to be transferred with respect to the ink layer and that is separated from the ink layer as the medium to be heated is conveyed,
The pressing means directs the ink layer and the ink receiving layer toward the printing object at a temperature lower than a first temperature at which the first heating means thermally transfers the ink layer and the ink receiving layer to the transferred layer. has a second heating means that can take a second temperature when pressing while heating,
At the first temperature, the adhesive force between the transfer layer and the ink receiving layer is greater than the adhesive force between the ink layer and the release layer, and at the second temperature, the transfer layer and the ink-receiving layer is less than the adhesive force between the ink layer and the object to be printed,
The adhesive strength between the ink receiving layer and the ink layer is the greatest adhesive strength among the respective layers of the medium to be heated at the first temperature and the second temperature.
4. The transfer device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The pressing means is arranged downstream of the first heating means in the conveying direction of the conveying means,
7. The transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: further comprising a photographing means for photographing the print target,
The detection means detects the shape of the object to be printed based on the image captured by the imaging means.
8. The transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: a transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 8;
a printing means for printing on the object to be printed to which the ink layer is attached;
comprising
A printing device characterized by: a transfer layer;
an ink-receiving layer that is thermally transferable to the transfer-receiving layer and that receives ink;
an adhesive ink layer;
a release layer having a release surface;
are stacked in this order,
A thermal transfer sheet characterized by: a detection step of detecting the shape of the object to be printed;
a first heating step of heating a medium to be heated having at least a layer to be transferred and an ink layer based on the shape of the object to be printed, and thermally transferring the ink layer to the layer to be transferred;
a pressing step of pressing the ink layer thermally transferred to the transferred layer toward the printing target;
comprising
A transfer method characterized by:

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