JP5915793B2 - Lenticular sheet and method for producing lenticular sheet - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a lenticular sheet that enables stereoscopic viewing of an image and a manufacturing method thereof.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, lenticular sheets are known as recording media that enable stereoscopic viewing of images. A general lenticular sheet is provided on a flat surface on a side opposite to a plurality of convex lenses of a lenticular lens having a plurality of convex lenses in a semi-cylindrical shape arranged in a plane, thereby forming a plurality of pixels. And an image recording layer. In the image recording layer, left-eye pixels and right-eye pixels are formed adjacent to each other. When viewed from the convex lens side of the lenticular lens, the left lens is visually recognized by the left eye and the right eye pixel is visually recognized by the right eye by the convex lens. (Binocular parallax) enables stereoscopic viewing of an image.

  In the lenticular sheet, there are various image recording methods for the image recording layer. One of them is a recording method using an ink jet recording apparatus. In this case, the image recording layer of the lenticular sheet is known. Is formed of a material having high ink absorbability (ink absorption layer).

  By the way, when an image is recorded on an image recording layer composed of an ink absorbing layer by an inkjet recording apparatus, not only a region where a desired pixel is arranged when the landing position of a droplet deviates from the original position, Ink may penetrate into the area where adjacent pixels are arranged. In particular, in the lenticular sheet, if the above problem occurs between the left-eye pixel and the right-eye pixel, there is a possibility that binocular parallax for realizing a stereoscopic image cannot be generated.

  In this regard, in the lenticular sheet of Patent Document 1, in order to suppress ink bleeding between adjacent pixels, the ink absorption layer is arranged in a direction (width direction) orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the semi-cylindrical convex lens portion. Sheet ribs and water repellent areas that do not allow ink to pass therethrough are provided at a predetermined pitch for each pixel.

JP-A-9-15766 (FIGS. 4 and 5)

  In Patent Document 1, sheet ribs and water repellent areas that suppress ink bleeding between pixels are exposed on the surface of the lenticular sheet. During image recording, when some of the ink droplets ejected from the ink jet recording apparatus to the ink absorbing layer adhere to the sheet rib or the water-repellent region, the ink tends to remain without being absorbed. For this reason, after image recording, there is a possibility that the surroundings (such as the user's hand or the inside of the recording apparatus) may be stained by the ink remaining on the exposed sheet ribs or the surface of the water repellent area.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a suppression portion between a plurality of pixel arrangement regions of an ink absorption layer to suppress ink permeation between adjacent pixels, and the surroundings are stained by ink remaining on the surface of the suppression portion. It is providing the lenticular sheet which can prevent.

A lenticular sheet according to a first aspect of the present invention is provided on a surface of a lenticular lens having a plurality of convex lens portions arranged in a plane and on a surface opposite to the plurality of convex lens portions of the lenticular lens, and the light of the plurality of convex lens portions. A first ink absorbing layer having a plurality of pixel arrangement regions corresponding to the field of view defined by the refraction effect; a suppression unit for suppressing ink permeation between the plurality of pixel arrangement regions; and covering the suppression unit And the suppression portion is provided between the plurality of pixel arrangement regions on the surface of the first ink absorption layer opposite to the lenticular lens. It is characterized by.

  According to the present invention, since the suppression unit that suppresses the permeation of ink between the plurality of pixel arrangement areas is provided, the ink that permeates one pixel arrangement area penetrates to the adjacent pixel arrangement area. It is prevented. In addition, if the suppression unit is exposed from the ink absorbing layer, the ink remaining on the surface of the suppression unit may contaminate the surroundings (such as a user's hand or a recording device). Since the second ink absorbing layer is provided so as to cover, the above problem does not occur.

  In the lenticular sheet according to a second aspect, in the first aspect, the suppressing portion has a tapered shape in which a width becomes narrower toward the lenticular lens in a cross section orthogonal to the first ink absorption layer. It is characterized by.

  If the cross-sectional shape of the suppression part is a tapered shape with a narrower width toward the lenticular lens side, the cross-sectional shape of one pixel arrangement region sandwiched between the suppression parts is conversely widened, opposite to the lenticular lens. The area of the portion where the ink penetrates from the second ink absorbing layer on the side becomes small. Therefore, even if the landing position of the droplet on the second ink absorption layer is slightly shifted, the position where the liquid penetrates the first ink absorption layer does not change, so that the ink penetrates into the adjacent pixel arrangement region in the first ink absorption layer. Is suppressed. Further, in one pixel arrangement region sandwiched between the suppression portions, the ink spreads in the surface direction as the ink permeates in the thickness direction of the first ink absorption layer. It is possible to increase the pixels formed in the pixel arrangement region to a certain level or more while preventing the penetration of.

  A lenticular sheet according to a third invention is characterized in that, in any one of the first to second inventions, the suppressing portion is formed of a colored material.

  When the suppression unit is formed of a colored material, the suppression unit can be detected by an optical sensor on the ink jet recording apparatus side. Thereby, since the position and pitch of the pixel arrangement area of the first ink absorption layer can be grasped, the ink can be landed accurately at a position corresponding to the pixel arrangement area of the second ink absorption layer.

  A lenticular sheet according to a fourth invention is the lenticular sheet according to any one of the first to third inventions, wherein the convex lens portion of the lenticular lens has a semi-cylindrical shape, and the plurality of convex lens portions are arranged in the width direction. And the suppression unit has a plurality of holes respectively corresponding to the plurality of pixel arrangement regions, and is formed so as to partially expose each of the plurality of pixel arrangement regions and surround an exposed portion, and The plurality of holes in the portion are long in the axial direction of the semi-cylindrical convex lens portion, parallel to the plane in which the plurality of convex lens portions are arranged, and perpendicular to the direction in which the plurality of convex lens portions are arranged. Each has a hole shape.

As described above, the exposed part of the pixel arrangement area (that is, the part where the ink permeates from the second ink absorption layer) is surrounded by the suppressing portion, so that the ink permeation into the adjacent pixel arrangement area is ensured. Is prevented. In addition, in order to realize individual visual recognition of the left eye pixel and the right eye pixel by the left and right eyes by the side photorefractive effect of the semi-cylindrical convex lens portion, in the width direction of the convex lens portion the left eye pixel and the right The eye pixels are arranged adjacent to each other. Therefore, in particular, it is preferable to reduce the hole of the suppression part in the width direction of the convex lens part and increase the distance between the two holes (width of the suppression part). On the other hand, since the left-eye pixels and the right-eye pixels are arranged in a line in the axial direction of the convex lens portion, the image quality is improved even if some ink bleeding occurs between the pixel arrangement regions adjacent in the axial direction of the convex lens portion. Does not affect much. Therefore, in the axial direction of the convex lens portion, the hole area (exposed area of the pixel arrangement region) can be increased by increasing the length of the hole of the suppressing portion, and the ink permeation speed in the pixel arrangement region can be increased. .

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lenticular sheet manufacturing method comprising: a lenticular lens having a plurality of convex lens portions arranged in a plane; and a surface of the lenticular lens opposite to the plurality of convex lens portions. A first ink absorbing layer having a plurality of pixel arrangement regions corresponding to a visual field defined by the photorefractive effect of the unit, a suppression unit for suppressing ink permeation between the plurality of pixel arrangement regions, and the suppression unit And a second ink absorbing layer provided to cover the first lenticular sheet, wherein the first ink absorbing layer is laminated on a surface of the lenticular lens opposite to the convex lens portion. The lenticular of the stacking step, the suppression layer forming step of forming the suppression portion between the plurality of pixel arrangement regions, and the first ink absorption layer The lens opposite to the surface, is characterized in that a second lamination step of laminating a second ink absorbing layer.

  As described above, after the suppression portion is formed between the plurality of pixel arrangement regions of the first ink absorption layer, the surface of the suppression portion that hardly absorbs ink is provided by providing the second ink absorption layer so as to cover the suppression portion. Since it is not exposed, no ink remains on the surface of the lenticular sheet.

  In the method for producing a lenticular sheet according to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the seventh aspect of the invention, in the suppression layer forming step, the liquid material forming the suppression portion is applied to the first ink absorption layer using a droplet ejection device. The suppression unit is formed by landing between the plurality of pixel arrangement regions.

  In this way, by forming the suppression portion with the droplet ejecting device, the suppression portion can be accurately formed between the pixel arrangement regions.

  According to the present invention, since the first ink absorbing layer is provided with the suppressing unit that suppresses the permeation of the ink between the plurality of pixel arrangement regions, the ink penetrating the certain pixel arrangement region is adjacent to the first ink absorption layer. Infiltration to the pixel arrangement region is prevented. In addition, since the second ink absorbing layer is covered so as to cover the suppressing portion, the ink remaining on the surface of the suppressing portion is prevented from soiling the surroundings.

1 is a schematic plan view of an ink jet printer according to an embodiment. It is a perspective view of a lenticular sheet. It is a figure explaining the three-dimensional visual effect by a lenticular sheet. It is sectional drawing of a lenticular sheet. It is a top view of the 1st ink absorption layer in which the suppression part was formed of the lenticular sheet. It is a figure which shows the manufacturing process of a lenticular sheet. It is sectional drawing of the lenticular sheet | seat of the modification 1. It is sectional drawing of the lenticular sheet | seat of the modification 2. It is sectional drawing of the lenticular sheet | seat of the modification 3. It is sectional drawing of the lenticular sheet | seat of the modification 4. It is sectional drawing of the lenticular sheet | seat of the modification 5. It is a top view of the 1st ink absorption layer in which the suppression part of the lenticular sheet of the modification 6 was formed.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. First, a schematic configuration of the inkjet printer 1 that records a stereoscopic image on the lenticular sheet of the present invention and an image forming method for the lenticular sheet will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an inkjet printer 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, an inkjet printer 1 includes a platen 2 on which a lenticular sheet 100 is placed, a carriage 3 that can reciprocate in a scanning direction parallel to the platen 2, and an inkjet head 4 mounted on the carriage 3. A transport mechanism 5 that transports the lenticular sheet 100 in a transport direction orthogonal to the scanning direction, a control device 8 that controls the entire inkjet printer 1, and the like.

  A lenticular sheet 100 (see FIG. 2), which is a recording medium, is placed on the upper surface of the platen 2 so that the surface opposite to the convex lens portion 31 of the lenticular lens 30 is up. Above the platen 2, two guide rails 10, 11 extending in parallel in the left-right direction (scanning direction) in FIG. 1 are provided, and the carriage 3 has two guide rails 10, 10 in a region facing the platen 2. 11 is configured to be able to reciprocate in the scanning direction along the line 11. In addition, an endless belt 14 wound between two pulleys 12 and 13 is connected to the carriage 3. When the endless belt 14 is driven by the carriage drive motor 15, the carriage 3 is connected to the endless belt 14. 14 moves in the scanning direction.

  The printer main body 1a of the printer 1 is provided with a linear encoder 24 having a large number of light transmitting portions (slits) arranged at intervals in the scanning direction. On the other hand, the carriage 3 is provided with a head position detection sensor 25 including a transmissive optical sensor having a light emitting element and a light receiving element. The printer 1 can recognize the current position in the scanning direction of the carriage 3 from the count value (number of detections) of the light transmitting portion of the linear encoder 24 detected by the head position detection sensor 25 during the movement of the carriage 3. ing.

  Further, on the side wall of the carriage 2, a pixel position detection sensor 26 for detecting information (position and pitch) about an area (pixel arrangement area 35) in which a plurality of pixels are formed on a lenticular sheet 100 described later is also provided. It has been. More specifically, the pixel position detection sensor 26 includes a light emitting element that irradiates light toward the lenticular sheet 100 and a light receiving element that receives reflected light. The pixel position detection sensor 26 includes a plurality of pixel arrangement regions in the width direction of the lenticular sheet 100. A plurality of colored portions (suppressing unit 33: see FIG. 4) arranged at equal pitches are detected.

  The ink jet head 4 is attached to the lower part of the carriage 3, and the lower surface of the ink jet head 4 (the surface on the opposite side of the paper in FIG. 1) parallel to the upper surface of the platen 2 is a droplet ejecting with a plurality of nozzles 16. It is a surface. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a holder 9 is fixedly provided in the printer main body 1a of the printer 1, and the holder 9 stores four inks (black, yellow, cyan, magenta) 4 respectively. Two ink cartridges 17 are mounted. Although not shown, the inkjet head 4 mounted on the carriage 3 and the holder 9 are connected by four tubes (not shown), and the ink in the four ink cartridges 17 passes through the four tubes. Are supplied to the inkjet head 4 respectively.

The inkjet head 4 applies pressure to each of the ink in the plurality of nozzles 16,
Actuators (not shown) for ejecting ink droplets individually from the plurality of nozzles 16 are provided. The configuration of this actuator is not limited to a specific one, and a known one such as a piezoelectric actuator using the piezoelectric strain of a piezoelectric element can be used. Then, the inkjet head 4 ejects ink of a corresponding color to the lenticular sheet 100 placed on the platen 2 from each of the plurality of nozzles 16 using the actuator.

  The transport mechanism 5 has two transport rollers 18 and 19 arranged so as to sandwich the platen 2 in the transport direction, and transports the lenticular sheet 100 placed on the platen 2 by these two transport rollers 18 and 19. Transport in the direction (front of FIG. 1).

  The inkjet printer 1 ejects ink from the inkjet head 4 that reciprocates in the scanning direction (left and right direction in FIG. 1) together with the carriage 3 onto the lenticular sheet 100 placed on the platen 2 and By transporting the lenticular sheet 100 in the transport direction (front of FIG. 1) by the transport rollers 18 and 19, ink droplets are landed on the surface of the lenticular sheet 100 opposite to the lenticular lens 30 to print an image. To do.

  Next, the lenticular sheet 100 will be described. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the lenticular sheet 100. As shown in FIG. 2, the lenticular sheet 100 has a substantially semi-cylindrical shape, and has a plurality of convex lens portions 31 arranged in a plane in the width direction, and the lenticular lens 30. It has the 1st ink absorption layer 32 arrange | positioned at the flat surface 30a on the opposite side to the some convex lens part 31. As shown in FIG.

  The first ink absorbing layer 32 is a transparent or white layer excellent in ink absorbability. The first ink absorbing layer 32 may be a resin layer having excellent ink absorbability including a swellable material such as a water-absorbing polymer or a porous material such as porous silica. It may be a paper sheet (recording paper) used for recording.

  The first ink absorption layer 32 has a plurality of pixel arrangement regions 35 in which a plurality of pixels are formed by the inkjet printer 1 described above. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a three-dimensional visual effect by the lenticular sheet 100. As shown in FIG. 3, the left-eye pixel and the right-eye pixel slightly different so as to cause binocular parallax in the region facing the one convex lens portion 31 of the first ink absorption layer 32. The pixels are arranged side by side in the width direction of the convex lens portion 31 having a substantially semi-cylindrical shape (hereinafter referred to as the lens width direction). As shown in FIG. 5, which will be described later, in the axial direction of the convex lens portion 31 (hereinafter referred to as the axial direction of the lens) orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. Are arranged in one row.

  FIG. 3A shows the range of the visual field of the left eye, and FIG. 3B shows the range of the visual field of the right eye. When the lenticular sheet 100 in which pixels (hatched portions) are formed in the plurality of pixel arrangement regions 35 of the first ink absorption layer 32 is viewed from the convex lens portion 31 side of the lenticular lens 30, the light of the convex lens portion 31 is observed. Due to the refraction effect, the visual field of the left eye is as shown in FIG. 3A, and the left eye pixel is visually recognized by the left eye, and the right eye pixel is not visually recognized. On the other hand, the visual field of the right eye is as shown in FIG. 3B, and the right eye pixel is visually recognized by the right eye, but the left eye pixel is not visually recognized. Then, by visually recognizing the left-eye pixel and the right-eye pixel, which are slightly different pixels, depending on the left eye and the right eye, a stereoscopic visual effect is generated.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the lenticular sheet 100. As described above, in the first ink absorption layer 32, the left-eye pixel and the right-eye pixel are formed adjacent to each other in the lens width direction. However, when ink permeation occurs between the left and right pixels, There is a possibility that the image quality is significantly lowered and a stereoscopic visual effect is not generated. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the surface of the first ink absorption layer 32 on the side opposite to the lenticular lens 30 (upper surface in the drawing) is adjacent between the plurality of pixel arrangement regions 35 of the first ink absorption layer 32. A suppressing portion 33 that suppresses the permeation of ink into the boundary portion of the matching pixel arrangement region 35 is formed. In the present embodiment, the suppressing portion 33 is formed by the liquid material having low ink permeability penetrating into the first ink absorbing layer 32 from the surface of the first ink absorbing layer 32 opposite to the lenticular lens 30. ing. In FIG. 4, the suppression unit 33 is arranged so as to straddle the boundary between the left-eye pixel and the right-eye pixel in the pixel arrangement region 35 in the first ink absorption layer 32. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent ink droplets from landing on at least the boundary between the left eye pixel and the right eye pixel of the first ink absorption layer 32. In addition, the cross-sectional shape orthogonal to the first ink absorption layer 32 of the suppressing portion 33 is a tapered shape that becomes narrower toward the lenticular lens 30 side. The suppressing portion 33 having a tapered shape has a thickness up to the central portion of the first ink absorbing layer 32 in the thickness direction. Further, a second ink absorption layer 34 is provided on the surface of the first ink absorption layer 32 where the suppression portion 33 is formed, and the suppression portion 33 is covered with the second ink absorption layer 34.

  As described above, the suppression unit 33 is formed between the plurality of pixel arrangement regions 35 of the first ink absorption layer 32, so that the ink penetrating into one pixel arrangement region 35 is adjacent to the adjacent one as shown in FIG. It is possible to prevent the pixel arrangement area 35 from penetrating. The suppressing portion 33 is not particularly limited in material as long as the ink permeability is lower than that of the first ink absorption layer 32. For example, the suppressing portion 33 may be formed of a resin material having very low ink permeability. it can. Furthermore, if the suppression portion 33 is formed of a fluorine-based resin such as PTFE having excellent ink repellency, the ink hardly remains on the suppression portion 33, and the ink can be quickly permeated into the pixel arrangement region 35.

  Further, as will be described later, when the suppression unit 33 is formed of a colored material, the suppression unit 33 formed between the pixel arrangement regions 35 by the pixel position detection sensor 26 (see FIG. 1) of the inkjet printer 1. Can be used as a detected portion for detecting the positions and pitches of the plurality of pixel arrangement regions 35. Here, “colored” indicates that the color is not transparent or white, and means a color that can be distinguished and detected when provided on the transparent or white first ink absorbing layer 32. Examples of the resin material that can be used as the suppression unit 33 include UV ink. Specifically, a UV ink having a photopolymerizable resin such as epoxy acrylate, a photopolymerization initiator such as benzophene, and a dye or pigment can be used. Further, a hot-melt ink provided with a low-melting resin such as a thermoplastic polymer and a pigment or dye can be used. Note that the resin material forming the suppressing portion 33 may have ink repellency, or may absorb a small amount of ink in the layer. It suffices that the ink is not absorbed in the boundary region of the pixel arrangement region 35 on the lenticular lens 30 side of the first ink absorption layer 32.

As shown in FIG. 4, the cross-sectional shape of the suppressing portion 33 is a tapered shape that becomes narrower toward the lenticular lens 30 side (lower side in the figure). Therefore, the cross-sectional shape of one pixel arrangement region 35 sandwiched between the suppression portions 33 is conversely widened, and the portion where ink penetrates from the second ink absorption layer 34 on the side opposite to the lenticular lens 30 (in the drawing). The area of the upper part becomes smaller. In other words, the suppression unit 33 allows ink to pass between the adjacent suppression units 33 on the lenticular lens 30 side (lower side in the drawing) and the opposite side (upper side in the drawing) of the first ink absorption layer 32. An opening for forming is formed. Further, when the suppressing portion 33 has a tapered cross-sectional shape, the opening on the opposite side (upper side) from the lenticular lens 30 for the ink to enter the first ink absorption layer 32 is on the lenticular lens 30 side (lower side). ) Is narrower than the opening. Accordingly, the landing position of the droplet D on the second ink absorption layer 34 is shifted like the landing of the droplet D on the left-eye pixel in FIG. 4, and the ink permeation region 34 a in the second ink absorption layer 34. However, even if the position is slightly deviated from the center position of the pixel arrangement area 35, the position where it penetrates into the first ink absorption layer 32 is not changed, and the penetration of ink into the adjacent pixel arrangement area 35 is prevented.

  In addition, when the cross-sectional shape of the suppression unit 33 is a tapered shape, the suppression unit as the ink permeates in the thickness direction of the first ink absorption layer 32 in one pixel arrangement region 35 sandwiched by the suppression unit 33. Since it is guided by the taper surface 33 and spreads in the surface direction, the pixels formed in the pixel arrangement region 35 are set to a certain level or more while preventing ink permeation between adjacent pixel arrangement regions 35. Can be bigger.

  FIG. 5 is a plan view of the first ink absorption layer 32 in which the suppressing portion 33 is formed. In FIG. 5, broken lines that are orthogonal to each other in vertical and horizontal directions indicate virtual boundary lines of a plurality of pixel arrangement areas 35, and an area surrounded by these broken lines is one pixel arrangement area 35. As shown in FIG. 5, the suppression unit 33 has a plurality of holes 33 a corresponding to the plurality of pixel arrangement regions 35, respectively, partially exposes each of the plurality of pixel arrangement regions 35 and exposes an exposed portion 35 a. It is formed so as to surround. As described above, the exposed portion 35a of each pixel arrangement region 35 (that is, the portion where the ink penetrates from the second ink absorption layer 34 to the first ink absorption layer 32) is surrounded by the suppression unit 33, so that adjacent pixels are arranged. Ink penetration into the placement area 35 is reliably prevented.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the plurality of holes 33 a of the suppressing portion 33 preferably have a long hole shape that is long in the axial direction of the lens. The reason is as follows. Since the left-eye pixel and the right-eye pixel are arranged adjacent to each other in the lens width direction, the hole 33a of the suppression unit 33 is reduced in the lens width direction, and the distance between the two holes 33a ( It is preferable to increase the width of the suppressing portion 33. On the other hand, since the left-eye pixels and the right-eye pixels are arranged in a line in the axial direction of the lens, even if some ink bleeding occurs between the pixel arrangement regions 35 adjacent to each other in the axial direction of the lens, the image quality is improved. Does not affect much. Therefore, in the axial direction of the lens, by increasing the length of the hole 33a of the suppressing portion 33, the area of the hole 33a, that is, the area of the exposed portion 35a of the pixel arrangement region 35 is increased, thereby providing one pixel arrangement. The ink penetration speed in the region 35 can be increased.

  By the way, since the suppression portion 33 is difficult to permeate ink, the ink tends to remain on the surface of the suppression portion 33. When the suppression portion 33 is exposed, the remaining ink is surrounded by the user (user's There is a risk of soiling hands and recording devices). Therefore, a second ink absorbing layer 34 is provided on the surface of the first ink absorbing layer 32 opposite to the lenticular lens 30 so as to cover the suppressing portion 33. Similar to the first ink absorption layer 32, the second ink absorption layer 34 is a transparent or white layer having excellent ink absorbability. Note that the second ink absorption layer 34 is intended to prevent ink from remaining on the surface of the suppressing portion 33, and thus the second ink absorption layer 34 is not required to have a large thickness and is thicker than the first ink absorption layer 32. It can be small. By making the second ink absorbing layer 34 thinner than the first ink absorbing layer 32, the amount of ink that is absorbed by the second ink absorbing layer 34 and does not reach the first ink absorbing layer 32 (contributes to pixel formation). The amount of ink not to be printed) can be reduced, and more printing can be performed with one ink cartridge. Further, by making the first ink absorbing layer 32 white and the second ink absorbing layer 34 transparent, the first ink absorbing layer 32 is made of white paper, and the visibility of the suppressing portion 33 on the back surface thereof is improved. Can do.

  Next, the operation when an image is recorded on the lenticular sheet 100 (pixels are formed) by the inkjet printer 1 will be described.

First, in FIG. 1, the lenticular sheet 100 is placed on the platen 2 with the lenticular lens 30 facing down, and the width direction of the lens is parallel to the scanning direction of the carriage 3, and the transport mechanism 5. Is conveyed in the axial direction of the lens. The inkjet printer 1 ejects ink droplets from the inkjet head 4 toward the lenticular sheet 100 while moving the carriage 3 in the scanning direction. At this time, the pixel position detection sensor 26 provided on the carriage 2 detects the colored suppression unit 33 located between the pixel arrangement areas 35, thereby grasping the scanning direction positions and pitches of the plurality of pixel arrangement areas 35. can do. The lenticular is controlled by controlling the ejection timing of the inkjet head 4 based on the detection result of the pixel position detection sensor 26 and the scanning direction position of the carriage 3 (inkjet head 4) detected by the head position detection sensor 25. Ink droplets can be landed with high precision at positions corresponding to the plurality of pixel arrangement regions 35 of the sheet 100 (second ink absorption layer 34).

  The ink droplets ejected from the inkjet head 4 toward the lenticular sheet 100 land on the surface of the second ink absorption layer 34 and enter the pixel arrangement region 35 of the first ink absorption layer 32 from the second ink absorption layer 34. Penetrating to form pixels. Here, since the suppression unit 33 that suppresses the permeation of ink is provided between the plurality of pixel arrangement regions 35, they are adjacent even if the landing positions of the droplets on the second ink absorption layer 34 are slightly shifted. Ink penetration into the pixel arrangement region 35 is suppressed by the suppression unit 33.

  If the landing position of the droplet on the second ink absorption layer 34 is shifted, the ink permeation region 34a in the second ink absorption layer 34 is changed to the pixel arrangement region of the first ink absorption layer 32 as shown in FIG. The second ink absorption layer 34 is shifted from the surface of the first ink absorption layer 32 that contacts the lenticular lens 30 (the pixel formation surface recognized by the human eye from the convex lens portion 31 side). Since the ink penetration area is considerably distant in the thickness direction, the deviation of the ink permeation region has little influence on the image quality (stereoscopic image when viewed from the convex lens portion 31 side).

  In addition, the suppression portion 33 formed of a material that does not easily transmit ink is covered with the second ink absorption layer 34, and the suppression portion 33 is not exposed on the surface of the lenticular sheet 100. Furthermore, since the second ink absorbing layer 34 is much more excellent in absorbing ink than the suppressing portion 33, the ink does not rapidly penetrate into the inside thereof and the ink does not remain on the surface. Therefore, ink does not remain on the surface of the lenticular sheet 100 after image recording, and the problem of staining the surroundings does not occur.

  Next, a method for manufacturing the lenticular sheet 100 will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a manufacturing process of the lenticular sheet 100. As shown in FIG. 6A, first, the first ink absorbing layer 32 is laminated on the flat surface 30a opposite to the convex lens portion 31 of the lenticular lens 30 (first lamination step). For example, the first ink absorption layer 32 can be formed by applying a liquid or gel-like ink-absorbing resin material over the entire flat surface 30 a of the lenticular lens 30. Alternatively, a paper sheet may be bonded to the flat surface 30a of the lenticular lens 30 with an adhesive. The thickness of the first ink absorbing layer 32 is, for example, 40 μm.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 6B, the suppression unit 33 is formed between the plurality of pixel arrangement regions 35 on the surface of the first ink absorption layer 32 opposite to the lenticular lens 30 (reduction layer formation). Process). Here, the suppressing portion 33 is formed by allowing a liquid material such as a resin having low ink permeability to penetrate the first ink absorption layer 32 from the surface of the first ink absorption layer 32 opposite to the lenticular lens 30. Specifically, the liquid material forming the suppression unit 33 is ejected from the nozzles of the droplet ejecting apparatus using a droplet ejecting apparatus, and landed between the plurality of pixel arrangement regions 35 of the first ink absorption layer 32. Let it penetrate. The thickness of the suppression part 33 is about 2-5 micrometers, for example. In this case, the material for forming the suppressing portion 33 is a liquid having a relatively low surface tension or viscosity, such as UV ink or hot melt ink, so that the nozzle can be easily ejected from the nozzle of the droplet ejecting apparatus. It is preferable that In the method using this droplet ejecting apparatus (so-called ink jet method), the ink can be landed between the plurality of pixel arrangement regions 35 of the first ink absorption layer 32 with high accuracy. Further, when the landed droplet penetrates into the first ink absorption layer 32, the amount of penetration decreases as the distance from the landed position in the thickness direction decreases, and the width of the suppressing portion 33 decreases. It is also easy to make the cross-sectional shape of the suppressing portion 33 a tapered shape.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6C, a second ink absorption layer 34 is laminated on the surface of the first ink absorption layer 32 on which the suppressing portion 33 is formed on the side opposite to the lenticular lens 30 to absorb the second ink. The suppression unit 33 is covered with the layer 34 (second stacking step). Here, as in the first laminating step, a resin material excellent in ink absorbability is applied to the entire flat surface 30a of the lenticular lens 30, or a paper sheet is bonded to the flat surface 30a of the lenticular lens 30. The second ink absorption layer 34 can be formed by such a method.

  Next, modified embodiments in which various modifications are made to the embodiment will be described. However, components having the same configuration as in the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted as appropriate.

(Modification 1)
When a liquid material such as hot melt ink that penetrates the first ink absorption layer 32 is used as the suppression unit 33, the liquid material is used not only for the first ink absorption layer 32 but also for the second ink absorption as shown in FIG. 7. The first ink absorbing layer 32 and the second ink absorbing layer 34 can be bonded by the suppressing portion 33 by penetrating the layer 34. This is particularly effective when the first ink absorption layer 32 and the second ink absorption layer 34 are each formed of a sheet material such as paper.

  The lenticular sheet 100 of FIG. 7 can be manufactured as follows, for example. After the sheet-like first ink absorption layer 32 is attached to the lenticular lens 30 with an adhesive, the first ink absorption layer 32 is heated to a predetermined melting temperature or more between the plurality of pixel arrangement regions 35. The liquid hot melt ink is dropped to form the suppression portion 33. Here, in the liquid state, the hot melt ink permeates into the first ink absorption layer 32, but the hot melt ink is solidified by cooling during the permeation, and the permeation is temporarily stopped. In addition, even when the hot melt ink is at a high temperature when dropped, the hot melt ink is naturally cooled by being dropped onto the first ink absorbing layer 32 having a temperature lower than that, so that a special cooling step is not required. It is possible to perform cooling and solidification in the middle of the penetration.

  Next, after placing the sheet-like second ink absorption layer 34 on the surface of the first ink absorption layer 32 on which the hot melt ink has solidified, the whole is heated to a temperature equal to or higher than the melting temperature of the hot melt ink. As a result, the hot melt ink is melted again and the portion that has not penetrated into the first ink absorption layer 32 penetrates into the second ink absorption layer 34, whereby the first ink absorption layer 32, the second ink absorption layer 34, Are bonded by hot melt ink.

(Modification 2)
In the above embodiment, the liquid material forming the suppressing portion 33 penetrates from the surface opposite to the lenticular lens 30 to the inside of the first ink absorbing layer 32. However, as shown in FIG. The suppressing portion 33 may be formed so as to be placed on the surface of the absorption layer 32 opposite to the lenticular lens 30. The suppression part 33 of this form can be formed by patterning a material having low ink permeability on the surface of the first ink absorption layer 32 opposite to the lenticular lens 30 using a mask. Alternatively, after the suppression portion 33 is applied to the entire surface of the first ink absorption layer 32, a part thereof may be removed by laser processing to expose the first ink absorption layer 32.

(Modification 3)
Even if the suppression portion 33 does not permeate the first ink absorption layer 32 as shown in FIG. 8, the cross-sectional shape of the suppression portion 33 is preferably a shape with a narrower width toward the lenticular lens 30 side. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, a first suppression portion 40 is formed on the surface of the first ink absorption layer 32 opposite to the lenticular lens 30, and the ink absorption layer is covered so as to cover the first suppression portion 40. In addition to the provision of 37, a second restraining portion 41 having a width larger than that of the first restraining portion 40 may be further provided. In this case, while the ink penetrates from the second ink absorption layer 34 to the pixel arrangement region 35 of the first ink absorption layer 32, the ink is absorbed in the ink absorption layer 37 positioned between the two ink absorption layers 32, 34. While being guided by the second suppression portion 41 and the first suppression portion 40 having a smaller width than the second suppression portion 41, the second suppression portion 41 penetrates in the thickness direction and spreads in the surface direction.

(Modification 4)
As shown in FIG. 10, a second suppression unit 41 may be provided so as to contact the first suppression unit 40. Also in this case, there are substantially the same effects as the embodiment of FIG.

(Modification 5)
As illustrated in FIG. 11, the suppression unit 33 may be provided between the plurality of pixel arrangement regions 35 of the first ink absorption layer 32 so as to completely divide the adjacent pixel arrangement regions 35. In this embodiment, the suppressing portion 33 may be formed of a resin material having low ink permeability, as in the above embodiment, but the lenticular lens 30 itself is formed of a material that does not transmit ink. Therefore, the suppressing portion 33 may be integrally formed of the same material as that of the lenticular lens 30. That is, the suppression unit 33 may protrude from the flat surface 30a of the lenticular lens 30 to the opposite side of the convex lens unit 31 so that the plurality of pixel arrangement regions 35 of the first ink absorption layer 32 are separated from each other. .

(Modification 6)
In the embodiment of FIG. 5, holes 33 a corresponding to the plurality of pixel arrangement regions 35 are formed in the suppression unit 33, and an exposed portion of one pixel arrangement region 35 is surrounded by the suppression unit 33. However, as described above, in the axial direction of the lens, the pixels for the left eye and the pixels for the right eye are arranged in a line, and the ink permeation between the pixel arrangement regions 35 adjacent in the axial direction is very large. It doesn't matter. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12, a band-like hole 33a corresponding to a row of pixel arrangement regions 35 aligned in the axial direction of the lens is formed in the suppression unit 33, and the pixel arrangement region 35 adjacent in the axial direction of the lens is suppressed. It is not separated by the part 33 and may be connected.

(Modification 7)
As the lenticular lens, in addition to the lens having the plurality of convex lens portions 31 that are substantially semicylindrical in the above-described embodiment, a lens in which a plurality of hemispherical convex lens portions are arranged in a plane is also known. The present invention can also be applied to a lenticular sheet having the same.

30 Lenticular lens 31 Convex lens portion 32 First ink absorption layer 33 Suppression portion 33a Hole 34 Second ink absorption layer 35 Pixel arrangement region 100 Lenticular sheet

Claims (6)

A lenticular lens having a plurality of convex lens portions arranged in a plane;
A first ink absorbing layer provided on a surface opposite to the plurality of convex lens portions of the lenticular lens and having a plurality of pixel arrangement regions corresponding to a visual field defined by a photorefractive effect of the plurality of convex lens portions;
A suppressing unit that suppresses permeation of ink between the plurality of pixel arrangement regions;
A second ink absorption layer provided so as to cover the suppression portion,
The lenticular sheet, wherein the suppression portion is provided on the opposite side of the lenticular lens with the first ink absorption layer interposed between the plurality of pixel arrangement regions.   2. The lenticular sheet according to claim 1, wherein the suppressing portion has a tapered shape in which a width becomes narrower toward the lenticular lens in a cross section orthogonal to the first ink absorption layer.   The lenticular sheet according to claim 1, wherein the suppressing portion is made of a colored material. The convex lens portion of the lenticular lens has a semi-cylindrical shape, and a plurality of the convex lens portions are arranged side by side in the width direction,
The suppressor has a plurality of holes respectively corresponding to the plurality of pixel arrangement regions, and is formed so as to partially expose each of the plurality of pixel arrangement regions and surround an exposed portion,
The plurality of holes of the suppressing portion are long in the axial direction of the semi-cylindrical convex lens portion, which is parallel to the plane in which the plurality of convex lens portions are arranged and is perpendicular to the direction in which the plurality of convex lens portions are arranged. The lenticular sheet according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each has a long hole shape. Corresponding to a lenticular lens having a plurality of convex lens portions arranged in a plane and a field defined by the photorefractive effect of the plurality of convex lens portions provided on the surface of the lenticular lens opposite to the plurality of convex lens portions. A first ink absorption layer having a plurality of pixel arrangement regions, a suppression unit that suppresses permeation of ink between the plurality of pixel arrangement regions, and a second ink absorption layer provided so as to cover the suppression unit And a method for producing a lenticular sheet,
A first laminating step of laminating a first ink absorbing layer on a surface of the lenticular lens opposite to the convex lens portion;
A suppression layer forming step of forming the suppression portion between the plurality of pixel arrangement regions of the first ink absorption layer;
A method for producing a lenticular sheet, comprising: a second laminating step of laminating a second ink absorbing layer on a surface of the first ink absorbing layer opposite to the lenticular lens. In the suppression layer forming step, the liquid material forming the suppression portion is landed between the plurality of pixel arrangement regions of the first ink absorption layer using a droplet ejecting device to form the suppression portion. The method for producing a lenticular sheet according to claim 5.

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