JP6048568B2 - Nail printing apparatus and printing method for nail printing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a nail printing apparatus and a printing method of the nail printing apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a nail printing apparatus that prints a favorite nail design on a fingernail of a person is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).
If such an apparatus is used, a nail print can be easily enjoyed without using a nail salon or the like.

Special table 2003-534083 gazette

However, since the nail printing apparatus performs printing on a fingernail of a person, the finger (nail) may move during printing, which may cause a positional shift.
In this case, if the printing is continued as it is, there is a problem that the printed image is distorted, resulting in an unfinished image.
That is, for example, when printing is performed as it is when the finger (nail) moves in the same direction as the print head, the image is printed on the nail in a compressed state in the print head direction. Further, if printing is performed as it is when the finger (nail) moves in the direction opposite to the traveling direction of the print head, an image is printed on the nail while being stretched in the traveling direction of the print head.

  Conventionally, in the case of a normal printing apparatus that prints on a recording medium such as paper, it is unlikely that a displacement (position change) will occur due to the recording medium that is a printing target actively moving during printing. For this reason, a normal printing apparatus has not taken measures against misalignment caused by the movement of the printing target during printing.

  The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances as described above, and even when a nail that is a printing target moves during printing, high-quality printing is performed by preventing deviation of the printed image. An object of the present invention is to provide a nail printing apparatus and a printing method for the nail printing apparatus.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the nail printing apparatus of the present invention provides:
A print head that divides a fingernail into a plurality of unit areas and performs printing for each unit area;
A position information acquisition unit that acquires the position information of the nail at a predetermined timing during a printing operation by the print head ;
A storage unit having a nail position storage area in which the nail position information is stored, and the nail position information is updated each time the nail position information is acquired by the position information acquisition unit;
When a positional change of the fingernail is detected based on a comparison of the plurality of nail position information acquired at each of a plurality of different timings by the position information acquisition unit , printing by the print head is stopped. , Determining which unit area the print position printed by the print head when the position change is detected belongs, and acquiring the position information at a timing after the stop of the finger nail position change based on the position information of the claws being acquired by parts stored in the nail position storage area of the storage unit, the unit area printing position of the printing course belongs, to the printing start position after the position change A print control unit for controlling the print operation of the print head so as to resume printing from the print data of the unit area.
It is characterized by having.

Further, the printing method of the nail printing apparatus of the present invention is:
The nail printing apparatus has a print head that divides a fingernail into a plurality of unit areas and performs printing for each unit area ,
During the printing operation by the print head , the position information of the nail is acquired at every predetermined timing,
In the storage unit having a nail position storage area in which the nail position information is stored, each time the nail position information is acquired, the nail position information stored in the nail position storage area is updated,
When a change in the position of the fingernail is detected based on a comparison of a plurality of the nail position information acquired at a plurality of different timings , printing by the print head is stopped,
It is determined in which unit area the print position that the print head was printing when the position change is detected,
Based on the position information of the pawl stored is acquired at a timing after stopping the change in position of the nail of the finger to the nail position storage area of the storage unit, the unit area printing position of the print middle belongs The printing operation of the print head is controlled so as to return to the print start position after the position change and restart printing from the print data of the unit area.

According to the present invention, when the nail is shifted in the scanning direction of the print head in the middle of printing and a position change occurs, the print position during the printing that the print head was printing when this position change is detected is determined. After the determination, the nail position change is stopped, and the printing is resumed from the resuming position on the upstream side in the scanning direction from the printing position in the middle of printing.
For this reason, for example, when printing on the nail of a human finger, even if the finger moves during the printing and the position of the nail is changed, the printed image is displaced or distorted, or an unprinted part is generated. Etc., and a high-quality, high-definition design image can be printed on the nail.

1 is a perspective view conceptually showing an embodiment of a nail print apparatus according to the present invention, and shows a state in which a lid is opened. It is the perspective view which showed notionally the apparatus main body of the nail print apparatus of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the front side of the nail print apparatus of FIG. It is a sectional side view of the nail print apparatus of FIG. It is the typical top view which looked at the printing head in this embodiment from the nozzle surface side. It is principal part sectional drawing which shows typically the relationship between the finger inserted in the printing finger insertion part, and the printing part. It is a principal part block diagram which showed the control structure of the nail print apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. (A) is the figure which showed the unit area | region of the nail | claw in this embodiment, (B) shows adjustment of printing operation when the position change to the scanning direction downstream occurs in the nail | claw in (A). It is explanatory drawing. (A) is the figure which showed the unit area | region of the nail | claw in this embodiment, (B) shows adjustment of printing operation when the position change to the scanning direction upstream occurs in (A). It is explanatory drawing. It is a flowchart which shows the printing process in this embodiment. (A) is the figure which showed the unit area | region of the nail | claw in the modification of this embodiment, (B) is a printing operation | movement when the position change to the scanning direction downstream occurs in the nail | claw in (A). It is explanatory drawing which shows adjustment of this. (A) is the figure which showed the unit area | region of the nail | claw in one modification of this embodiment, (B) is a printing operation | movement when the position change to the scanning direction upstream arises in the nail | claw in (A). It is explanatory drawing which shows adjustment of this.

  An embodiment of a nail printing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The embodiments described below are given various technically preferable limitations for carrying out the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments and illustrated examples.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of a nail print apparatus according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an internal configuration of the nail print apparatus.
As shown in FIG. 1, the nail printing apparatus 1 includes a case body 2 and a lid body 4. The lid 4 is rotatably connected to the case body 2 via a hinge 3 provided at the rear end portion of the top plate 2a that is the upper surface of the case body 2. The lid 4 is rotatable from the state of being overlapped with the top plate 2a of the case main body 2 to the state of standing on the top plate 2a of the case main body 2 (see FIG. 1) with the hinge 3 as a fulcrum. Yes.

The case body 2 is formed in an approximately oval shape when viewed from above. An opening / closing plate 2c is provided on the front side of the case body 2 so as to be able to rise and fall. The opening / closing plate 2 c is connected to the case body 2 via a hinge (not shown) provided at the lower front end of the case body 2. The opening / closing plate 2 c is for opening and closing the front surface of the case body 2.
Note that the shapes and configurations of the case body 2 and the lid body 4 are not limited to those illustrated here.

An operation unit 12 is installed on the top plate 2 a of the case body 2.
The operation unit 12 is used by the user for various inputs.
The operation unit 12 includes, for example, a power switch button for turning on the power of the nail printing apparatus 1, a stop switch button for stopping the operation, a design selection button for selecting a design image to be printed on the nail T, and start of printing for instructing to start printing. Buttons and other operation buttons 121 for performing various other inputs are arranged.
In the present embodiment, for example, a design selection screen (not shown) for selecting a design image is displayed on the display unit 13, and the user selects a desired design image with the operation button 121 to print The design image to be selected is selected.

In addition, a display unit 13 is installed at a substantially central portion of the top plate 2 a of the case body 2.
The display unit 13 is a display unit configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic electroluminescence display, or other flat displays. In the present embodiment, the display unit 13 includes, for example, an image obtained by photographing the printing finger U1 (hereinafter referred to as “finger image”), a contour line of the nail T included in the finger image, and a finger in the finger image. A design selection screen for selecting an image to be printed on the nail T (ie, a design image), a thumbnail image for design confirmation, an instruction screen for displaying various instructions, a notification screen, a warning screen, etc. Is displayed.
A touch panel may be integrally formed on the surface of the display unit 13. In this case, it is configured such that various inputs can be performed by a touch operation of touching the surface of the display unit 13 with a stylus pen or a fingertip (not shown).

Further, the case main body 2 accommodates the apparatus main body 10 of the nail printing apparatus 1. The apparatus main body 10 includes a printing finger fixing unit 20 constituting a printing finger fixing unit shown in FIG. 2, a photographing unit 30 constituting a photographing unit, a printing unit 40 constituting a printing unit, and a control unit. A control device 50 (see FIG. 7) is provided. The printing finger fixing unit 20, the photographing unit 30, the printing unit 40, and the control device 50 are provided in the machine casing 11.
The machine casing 11 includes a lower machine casing 11a and an upper machine casing 11b. The lower machine casing 11a is formed in a box shape and installed below the inside of the case body 2, and the upper machine casing 11b is installed above the lower machine casing 11a and inside the case body 2.

The printing finger fixing unit 20 is provided on the lower machine casing 11 a in the machine casing 11. That is, the lower machine casing 11a is provided with a printing finger insertion unit 20a, a non-printing finger insertion unit 20b, and a gripping unit 20c, and the printing finger fixing unit 20 is configured by these.
Here, the printing finger insertion unit 20a is a finger insertion unit for inserting a finger corresponding to the nail T to be printed (hereinafter referred to as “printing finger U1”) (see FIG. 4 and the like). In this embodiment, the printing fingers U1 are inserted one by one into the printing finger insertion portion 20a to perform printing on the nail T. The width of the printing finger insertion portion 20a is such that an adult thumb or the like is inserted. It is set to such a level that it will not be too tight.
The bottom surface of the printing finger insertion portion 20a (configured by the partition wall 21 in this embodiment) functions as a finger placement unit (printing finger placement surface) for placing the printing finger U1. Photographing and printing of the printing finger U1 are performed in a state where the printing finger U1 is placed on the printing finger placement surface of the printing finger insertion unit 20a as the finger placement means.
The non-printing finger insertion unit 20b is a finger insertion unit for inserting a finger other than the printing finger (not shown; hereinafter referred to as “non-printing finger”) (see FIG. 4 and the like).
The grip 20c is a portion that can be sandwiched between the printing finger U1 inserted into the printing finger insertion unit 20a and the non-printing finger inserted into the non-printing finger insertion unit 20b. In the present embodiment, the grip portion 20c is constituted by a partition wall 21 that partitions the printing finger insertion portion 20a and the non-printing finger insertion portion 20b. The upper surface of the partition wall 21 constitutes a flat printing finger placement surface.
The finger insertion side end of the gripping portion 20c holds the gripping portion 20c (partition 21) between the printing finger U1 and the non-printing finger in a state where the entire belly of the printing finger U1 is in contact with the printing finger placement surface. The cross-section in the finger insertion direction has a shape that naturally adapts to the base of the printing finger U1 and non-printing finger, such as a circle, ellipse, or polygon, so that it can be firmly held. Is preferred.
For example, when the thumb becomes the printing finger U1, the thumb (printing finger U1) is inserted into the printing finger insertion portion 20a, and four fingers other than the thumb (index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger) are set as non-printing fingers. Insert into the non-printing finger insertion part 20b. In this case, the printing finger U1 is fixed by the user holding the grip portion 20c between the printing finger U1 and the non-printing finger.

3 is a cross-sectional view of the front side of the nail print apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view of the nail print apparatus 1.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the photographing unit 30 is provided in the upper machine casing 11 b in the machine casing 11.
That is, a substrate 31 is installed on the upper machine casing 11b, and a camera 32 having about 2 million pixels or more with a built-in driver is installed on the lower surface of the central portion of the substrate 31. An illumination lamp 33 such as a white LED is installed on the substrate 31 so as to surround the camera 32. The photographing unit 30 includes the camera 32 and the illumination lamp 33.
The imaging unit 30 is an imaging unit that obtains a finger image by illuminating the printing finger U1 placed in the printing finger insertion unit 20a with an illumination lamp 33 and imaging the printing finger U1 with a camera 32. The imaging unit 30 is connected to an imaging control unit 511 (see FIG. 7) of the control device 50 described later, and is controlled by the imaging control unit 511.
Note that image data of an image photographed by the photographing unit 30 may be stored in the storage unit 52 described later.

The printing unit 40 is a printing unit that prints on the fingernail T inserted into the printing finger insertion unit 20a based on nail design image data (printing data), and is mainly provided in the upper machine casing 11b. It has been.
That is, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, two guide rods 41 are installed in parallel on both side plates of the upper machine casing 11b. A main carriage 42 is slidably installed on the guide rod 41. As shown in FIG. 3, two guide rods 44 are installed in parallel on the front wall 42 a and the rear wall 42 b of the main carriage 42. A sub carriage 45 is slidably installed on the guide rod 44. A print head 46 is mounted at the center of the lower surface of the sub carriage 45.

  The main carriage 42 is connected to a motor 43 via a power transmission means (not shown), and is configured to move in the left-right direction along the guide rod 41 by forward and reverse rotation of the motor 43. The sub-carriage 45 is connected to a motor 47 through power transmission means (not shown), and is configured to move in the front-rear direction along the guide rod 44 by forward and reverse rotation of the motor 47.

  Further, the lower machine casing 11 a is provided with an ink cartridge 48 for supplying ink to the print head 46. The ink cartridge 48 is connected to the print head 46 via an ink supply pipe (not shown), and supplies ink to the print head 46 as appropriate. A configuration in which the ink cartridge is mounted on the print head 46 itself, or a configuration in which the ink cartridge and the print head 46 are integrated may be applied.

  The printing unit 40 includes the guide rod 41, the main carriage 42, the motor 43, the guide rod 44, the sub carriage 45, the print head 46, the motor 47, the ink cartridge 48, and the like.

Here, the print head 46 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 5 is a schematic enlarged plan view of the print head 46 of the present embodiment as viewed from the surface facing the surface of the nail T during printing.
A nozzle surface 460 is formed on the print head 46 on the surface facing the surface of the nail T during printing.
As shown in FIG. 5, the nozzle surface 460 is provided with a nozzle row 462 in which a plurality of nozzles 461 are arranged in a row. In the present embodiment, the print head 46 scans (moves) in the scanning direction X orthogonal to the extending direction of the nozzle row 462 (referred to as “nozzle row direction Y” in FIG. 5 and the following description) during the printing operation. The print head 46 is an ink jet print head that performs printing by atomizing ink and spraying the ink directly from the nozzle 461 on the nail T.
The configuration for ejecting ink from the nozzles 461 is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, each nozzle 461 is provided with driving means such as a piezo element (piezoelectric element) (not shown), and a voltage is applied to the driving means. Thus, ink is ejected from the nozzle 461.
A predetermined voltage is applied to each driving means based on an electrical signal from a print control unit 514, which will be described later. As described later, each nozzle 461 receives ink by the print control unit 514. The ejection drive (printing operation) is controlled.

In the present embodiment, the print head 46 has four colors (four colors of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. In FIG. 5 and the following description, they are represented as “C”, “M”, “Y”, and “K”, respectively. .)) Can be ejected, and four nozzle rows 462 are provided on the nozzle surface 460 corresponding to the four colors, one for each color of “C”, “M”, “Y”, and “K”. Is provided. The number and arrangement of the nozzle rows 462 are not particularly limited. For example, two rows may be provided for each color of “C”, “M”, “Y”, and “K” for a total of eight rows, and each may be arranged in a staggered manner.
The print head 46 of the present embodiment is provided with a nozzle 461 slightly inside the end of the nozzle surface 460, and the print head 46 can perform printing in a range where the nozzle 461 is provided. This is a region (a region indicated by a broken line in the print head 46 in FIG. 8A).

In the present embodiment, the dimension in the width direction of the print area of the print head 46 (scanning direction X of the print head 46) is shorter than the dimension in the width direction of a general human nail T. The nail T is divided into a plurality of unit areas (for example, four unit areas “ar1” to “ar4” in FIG. 8A, etc.) in the width direction (that is, the scanning direction X of the print head 46). Printing is performed for each area ("ar1" to "ar4").
Further, the length of the print area of the print head 46 in the nozzle row direction Y is longer than the length of a general human nail T, and the print head 46 completes printing for the entire nail T in one scan. (See FIG. 8A and the like).
The number of nozzles 461 is not particularly limited. As the length of the nozzle row 462 is longer and the number of nozzles 461 is larger, printing can be performed in a wider range. Therefore, it is possible to cope with a larger nail T in one scan, and time required for printing processing. Can be shortened.

The motor 43, the print head 46, and the motor 47 of the printing unit 40 are connected to a print control unit 514 of the control device 50 described later, and are controlled by the print control unit 514.
For example, in this embodiment, as will be described later, when the position of the nail T during printing (position movement) is generated, the print head 46 is appropriately moved in the scanning direction X under the control of the print control unit 514. The printing operation for moving and ejecting ink is stopped. Further, when the printing is resumed after being temporarily stopped due to the change in the position of the nail T, the print head 46 is located on the upstream side in the scanning direction X from the printing position where the printing was performed when the position change of the nail T occurred. Control is performed by the printing control unit 514 so that the printing is resumed after returning to step S2.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, in the present embodiment, a nail photographing camera 49 is provided at a position on the lower surface of the sub carriage 45 that does not interfere with the print head 46.
The nail photographing camera 49 is an image acquisition unit that continuously acquires image data for obtaining position information of the nail T from the start of printing to the end of printing.
The position where the nail photographing camera 49 is provided is not limited to the illustrated example. The range captured by the nail photographing camera 49 is not particularly limited, and a print nail image may be acquired by photographing only the nail T, or the entire printing finger U1 including the nail T may be photographed widely. The print finger image may be acquired. Alternatively, an image printed on the nail T may be taken.
The configuration of the nail photographing camera 49 is not particularly limited. For example, the nail photographing camera 49 may be capable of photographing a color still image or a color moving image, or may be capable of photographing a monochrome still image or a monochrome moving image. It may be something to be photographed. The nail photographing camera 49 is preferably a highly accurate camera capable of acquiring a sharp image or video of the nail T.
The nail photographing camera 49 is connected to a photographing control unit 511 of the control device 50 to be described later, and its operation is controlled by the photographing control unit 511.
An image (printing nail image, printing finger image, etc.) photographed by the nail photographing camera 49 is transmitted to a position information acquisition unit 512 described later.
Note that image data such as a printed nail image photographed by the nail photographing camera 49 may be stored in the storage unit 52 described later.

Moreover, the control apparatus 50 is installed in the board | substrate 31 etc. which are arrange | positioned at the upper machine casing 11b, for example. FIG. 7 is a principal block diagram showing a control configuration in the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 7, the control device 50 includes a control unit 51 configured by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) (not shown) and the like, a storage unit configured by a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like. 52 is a computer.

The storage unit 52 is a storage unit that stores various programs and various data for operating the nail print apparatus 1.
In the present embodiment, the storage unit 52 is provided with a design image storage area 521 that stores print data of a design image printed on the nail T.
In the present embodiment, the storage unit 52 is provided with a nail position storage area 522 that stores position information of the nail T acquired by a position information acquisition unit 512 that is a position information acquisition unit described later.
In addition, the data of the image photographed by the photographing unit 30, the data of the image photographed by the nail photographing camera 49, and the initial position (reference position) of the nail T acquired by the position information acquisition unit 512 before starting printing. Information or the like may also be stored in the storage unit 52.

The nail position storage area 522 is a position storage unit that stores position information of the nail T that is acquired as needed from the start of printing by a position information acquisition unit 512 described later.
In the present embodiment, a position change detection unit 513 described later compares the latest position information (current position information) of the nail T sent from the position information acquisition unit 512 with the position information of the nail T acquired immediately before. The position change of the nail T is detected, and after the position change detection processing by the position change detection unit 513, the latest position information (current position information) of the nail T is detected in the next position change detection. It is stored in the nail position storage area 522 as position information immediately before the nail T.
The position information of the nail T stored in the nail position storage area 522 is updated whenever new position information is acquired by the position information acquisition unit 512, and the position information immediately before the nail T is always stored in the nail position storage area 522. Is memorized.
Note that the position information stored in the nail position storage area 522 is not limited to the position information immediately before the nail T, and a history of position information of the nail T acquired as needed from the start of printing may be sequentially stored.

  When viewed functionally, the control unit 51 includes an imaging control unit 511, a position information acquisition unit 512, a position change detection unit 513, a print control unit 514, and the like. The functions as the photographing control unit 511, the position information acquisition unit 512, the position change detection unit 513, the print control unit 514, and the like are realized by the cooperation of the CPU and a program stored in the ROM of the storage unit 52 or the like. The functional units included in the control unit 51 are not limited to those described here, and may include other functional units. In addition, the functions of the control unit 51 listed here may not be strictly divided. For example, the print control unit 514 may also function as the position information acquisition unit 512 and the position change detection unit 513. .

The photographing control unit 511 is a photographing control unit that controls the nail photographing camera 49 serving as an image obtaining unit to obtain a printed nail image or the like. The photographing control unit 511 causes the nail photographing camera 49 to continuously photograph the nail T during the printing operation from the start of printing to the end of printing.
The imaging control unit 511 transmits data of images (printing nail image, printing finger image, etc.) acquired by the nail shooting camera 49 to the position information acquisition unit 512.
In addition, the photographing control unit 511 controls the photographing operation of the photographing unit 30 so as to photograph a finger image or the like of the user's printing finger U1. For example, the photographing control unit 511 causes the photographing unit 30 to photograph the state of the printing finger U1 inserted into the printing finger insertion unit 20a when the user inserts the printing finger U1 into the printing finger insertion unit 20a. It is preferable that the image photographed by the photographing unit 30 is displayed on the display unit 13 or the like, for example, so that the user can visually confirm the arrangement of the printing finger U1 when setting the printing finger U1.
Note that the imaging control unit 511 may store the image data of the image acquired by the nail imaging camera 49 or the imaging unit 30 in the storage unit 52.

The position information acquisition unit 512 is position information acquisition means for acquiring position information of the nail T. Specifically, the position information acquisition unit 512 extracts the contour of the nail T based on the image data such as the printed nail image transmitted from the imaging control unit 511, and the nail T indicated by the x and y coordinates. Get location information.
Here, the position information of the nail T is information for a position change detection unit 513 to be described later to detect the position change of the nail T. In the present embodiment, the position information of the nail T is the tip of the nail T or the like. As an example, the outline of the entire nail T including the position information of the feature points is indicated by x and y coordinates. Note that the position information of the nail T does not necessarily have to be the position coordinates of the contour of the entire nail T, and may be configured only by position information of feature points such as the tip of the nail T, for example. The index indicating the position of the nail T is not limited to the x and y coordinates.
In the present embodiment, the position information acquisition unit 512 obtains the current position of the nail T being printed from image data such as an image (printing nail image) of the nail T after the start of printing (during a printing operation) acquired by the imaging unit 30. Is acquired as needed, and this acquisition result is transmitted to the position change detection unit 513.

The position change detection unit 513 is a position change detection unit that detects a position change of the nail T during a printing operation based on the position information of the nail T acquired by the position information acquisition unit 512 that is a position information acquisition unit. .
Although the method by which the position change detection unit 513 detects the position change of the nail T is not particularly limited, in the present embodiment, the position change detection unit 513 includes the current position information of the nail T acquired by the position information acquisition unit 512. The position information of the nail T is detected by comparing the position information immediately before the nail T acquired by the position information acquisition unit 512 immediately before that.

Specifically, for example, the position change detection unit 513 is sent from the position information acquisition unit 512 as the position information immediately before the nail T acquired by the position information acquisition unit 512 (that is, as the position information of the nail T). The x and y coordinates of the contour of the nail T stored as the previous position information in the storage area 522 and the current position information of the nail T (that is, the latest current position information sent from the position information acquisition unit 512, for example, the nozzle Of the current position of the nail T when ink is ejected from 461 (in other words, the tip portion tp in the nozzle row direction Y (see FIG. 8A, etc.)) And the positions (positions indicated by x, y coordinates, etc.) are compared, whereby the position change detection unit 513 detects the presence or absence of a position change of the nail T in the scanning direction X of the print head 46. .
Note that the comparison target, the comparison method, and the like when the position change detection unit 513 detects the position change of the nail T are not limited thereto. For example, the entire contour of the nail T may be compared by pattern matching. For example, the boundary between the nail T and another portion such as a portion where the widthwise end of the nail T is separated from the finger (skin) is determined. You may detect the easy part and compare the position.

The print control unit 514 is a functional unit that controls the printing operation of the printing unit 40 that is a printing unit so as to print on the nail T based on the print data of the design image.
In the present embodiment, the print control unit 514 functions as a print control unit that controls the print operation of the print head 46.
That is, the print control unit 514 serving as the print control unit prints the print head 46 until the position change stops when the position change detection unit 513 serving as the position change detection unit detects that the position of the nail T has changed. The operation is stopped, and the printing position during printing that the print head 46 was printing when the position change is detected is determined. After the change in the position of the nail T is stopped, the scanning direction is longer than the printing position during printing. At the upstream resume position, the printing operation of the print head 46 is controlled so as to resume printing from the print data to be printed at the resume position.

Specifically, the position change detection unit 513 changes (moves) the nail T in the upstream or downstream side along the scanning direction X (that is, the moving direction of the print head 46) during the printing operation. When detected, the print control unit 514 immediately stops the motors 43 and 47 that move the carriage, and stops the driving of the print head 46 (that is, the ink ejection operation).
In the present embodiment, as described above, the print head 46 has the nail T arranged in a plurality of unit areas in the width direction (for example, four unit areas “ar1” to “ar4” in FIG. 8A). The print control unit 514 prints the print head 46 when the position change of the nail T is detected when the position change of the nail T is detected. It is determined to which unit area the printing position during printing belongs.
When the position change detection unit 513 determines that the position change (movement) of the nail T has stopped, the print head 46 is moved to the print start position of the unit area to which the print position during printing belongs. At the same time, the print head 46 is controlled to resume printing based on the print data to be printed in the unit area from the printing start position of the unit area.
In this embodiment, the control of the print operation of the print head 46 by the print control unit 514 is stopped every time the position change detection unit 513 detects the position change of the nail T during the print operation of the print unit 40. Done.

Here, the control of the printing operation by the print control unit 514 will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 8A, 8B, 9A, and 9B. 8A, 8B, 9A, and 9B, the nozzles 461 and the nozzle rows 462 of the print head 46 are not shown, and the nozzles 461 are provided. A range (printing area) is indicated by a broken line frame. In addition, the printed area is indicated by gray shading, and the portion that is overprinted by printing restarted after the position of the nail portion T is changed is indicated by hatching.
8A and 8B show a case where the printing finger U1 moves downstream in the scanning direction X during printing and the nail T changes its position downstream in the scanning direction X. It is explanatory drawing shown.
FIG. 8A shows the printing status when the position change of the nail T is detected and the position of the print head 46, and FIG. 8B shows the printing restart position after the position change of the nail T is stopped.
As shown in FIG. 8A, when the nail T is divided into four unit areas ar1 to ar4 and printing is performed for each unit area, the nail of the nail T is printed while halfway through the unit area ar2. If a change in the position of T in the scanning direction downstream is detected, after the position change of the nail T stops, the print control unit 514 moves the print head 46 to the print start position of the unit area ar2 (see FIG. 8 (B), the moving direction of the print head 46 is indicated by a thick arrow.) Then, printing is resumed from the printing start position of the unit area ar2 based on the print data to be printed in the unit area ar2.
As a result, a portion of the unit area ar2 that has already been printed (a portion indicated by hatching in FIG. 8B) is overprinted again with the same print data.
In this case, it is particularly effective when a dark pattern image that is originally darker than a transparent pattern or a light color pattern is printed.

9A and 9B, in the middle of printing, the printing finger U1 moves upstream in the scanning direction X, and the nail T changes its position in the upstream in the scanning direction X. It is explanatory drawing which shows a case.
FIG. 9A shows the printing status when the position change of the nail T is detected and the position of the print head 46, and FIG. 9B shows the printing restart position after the position change of the nail T is stopped.
As shown in FIG. 9A, when the nail T is divided into four unit areas ar1 to ar4 and printing is performed for each unit area, the nail T is scanned while the middle of the unit area ar2 is being printed. When the position change to the upstream side in the direction is detected, after the position change of the nail T stops, the print control unit 514 moves the print head 46 to the print start position of the unit area ar2 (FIG. 9B The moving direction of the print head 46 is indicated by a thick arrow in FIG. Then, printing is resumed from the printing start position of the unit area ar2 based on the print data to be printed in the unit area ar2.
As a result, in the unit region ar2, the already printed portion (the portion indicated by hatching in FIG. 9B) is overprinted again with the same print data.

  Next, a printing method by the nail printing apparatus 1 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Here, a case where printing is performed on the entire nail T by one scan using the print head 46 in which the length of the print region in the nozzle row direction is longer than the length of the nail T will be described as an example.

When printing is performed by the nail printing apparatus 1, the user first turns on the power switch to activate the control apparatus 50.
When the control device 50 is activated, the control unit 51 causes the design image stored in the design image storage area 521 of the storage unit 52 to be displayed on the display screen of the display unit 13. When the user operates the operation button 121 or the like of the operation unit 12 and selects a desired design image from a plurality of design images displayed on the display screen, a selection instruction signal is output from the operation unit 12. One design image is selected as an image to be printed on the nail T. The user inserts a finger (printing finger U1) whose design image is to be printed into the printing finger insertion unit 20a. At this time, an image photographed by the photographing unit 30 is displayed on the display unit 13, and the user sets the printing finger U1 at a position suitable for printing while confirming this image.

When a design image to be printed is selected, the setting (positioning) of the print finger U1 by the user is completed, and a print start instruction is input from the operation unit 12, first, as shown in FIG. When the motors 43 and 47 are operated by the above control and the print head 46 performs printing, printing is performed in order from the unit area ar1 to the unit area ar4 as shown in FIG. 8A, for example. Is moved to the printing start position of the unit area ar1 (step S1).
When the print head 46 is set at the initial printing start position, photographing of the nail T (or the entire printing finger U1 including the nail T) by the nail photographing camera 49 is started (step S2), and the printing operation by the printing unit 40 is also performed. It starts (step S3). Even after the printing operation is started, the photographing by the nail photographing camera 49 is continued, and the printed nail image photographed by the nail photographing camera 49 is transmitted to the position information acquiring unit 512 by the photographing control unit 511 as needed.
The position information acquisition unit 512 acquires the current position information of the nail T based on the printed nail image acquired by the nail photographing camera 49 (step S4), and the position change detection unit 513 receives the current position of the nail T. Transmit information.

When the current position information of the nail T is sent from the position information acquisition unit 512, the position change detection unit 513 receives the latest current position information and the position information immediately before the nail T stored in the nail position storage area 522. Are compared (step S5). Specifically, for example, the x and y coordinates of the tip tp (see FIG. 8A, etc.) in the extension direction (nozzle row direction Y) of the nail T included in the previous position information and the nail included in the current position information The x and y coordinates of the tip tp in the extending direction of T (nozzle row direction Y) are compared. Thereby, the position change detection unit 513 determines whether or not the position of the nail T has changed from the immediately preceding position (step S6).
If the position change detection unit 513 determines that there is a position change of the nail T (step S6; YES), the print control unit 514 stops the printing operation of the printing unit 40 (step S7). Specifically, the movement of the print head 46 is stopped and the ink ejection operation is stopped.

The print controller 514 determines whether or not the position change of the nail T has stopped (step S8), and determines that it has not stopped (that is, the nail T continues to move) (step S8; NO). ) Repeats the determination process of step 8. On the other hand, if it is determined that the position change of the nail T has been stopped (step S8; YES), the unit area to which the printing position during printing when the position change of the nail T is detected belongs is determined. (Step S9), the print head 46 is moved to the printing start position of the unit area (Step S10). That is, for example, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 9A, when the unit area to which the printing position printed when the position change of the nail T is detected is “ar2”, As shown in FIG. 8B and FIG. 9B, the print control unit 514 moves the print head 46 to the print start position of the unit area ar2. Then, the printing operation based on the print data to be printed in the unit area ar2 is restarted from the printing start position of the unit area ar2 (step S11). On the other hand, if the position change detection unit 513 determines that there is no position change of the nail T (step S6; NO), the print control unit 514 continues the printing operation by the printing unit 40 as it is (step S12). .
After the position change detecting unit 513 determines whether or not the position of the nail T has changed, the current position information of the nail T is stored in the nail position storage area 522 of the storage unit 52 as immediately preceding position information in the next position change detection of the nail T. (Step S13).
The print control unit 514 determines whether or not the printing on all unit areas has been completed for the nail T (step S14), and determines that the printing has not been completed for the entire nail T (step S14; NO). Returning to step S4, the process is repeated. On the other hand, when it is determined that printing has been completed for the entire nail T (step S14; YES), the printing process is terminated.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the nail T is displaced in the scanning direction X during printing and the position change occurs, the printing operation by the print head 46 is temporarily stopped to change the position of the nail T. Is stopped, the printing operation based on the print data to be printed at that position is resumed by returning to the upstream side in the scanning direction X from the printing position when the position change of the nail T is detected. For this reason, even when printing is performed on a fingernail T of a person who is a printing target that may cause a change in position during printing, a deviation or distortion occurs in the printed image when the position change occurs. It is possible to print a high-definition design image by preventing a non-printed part or a part or all of a printed image from being expanded or compressed.
In the present embodiment, the nail T is divided into a plurality of unit areas in the width direction of the nail T, and when the position change of the nail T is detected, the position at the time when the position change is detected Return to the printing start position of the unit area to which the position belongs and resume printing. For this reason, it is only necessary to identify the unit region in which the position change of the nail T is detected, and it is not necessary to detect the position change amount (position shift amount) of the nail T. Further, when the position change occurs, the print head 46 is moved to the print start position of the unit area to which the print position in the middle of printing belongs, so the movement of the print head 46 is finely adjusted according to the movement amount of the nail T. There is no need. Thereby, printing of a high-definition nail image is realizable by simple control.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

For example, in the present embodiment, the nail T has a plurality of unit regions (for example, four unit regions “ar1” to “ar4” in FIG. 8A) in the width direction (that is, the scanning direction X of the print head 46). In this example, printing is performed for each unit area ("ar1" to "ar4"). However, the method of setting the unit area is not limited to this, and the area may be further divided. .
For example, the length of the print area of the print head 46 in the nozzle row direction Y is shorter than the length of a general human nail T, and the print head 46 completes printing for the entire nail T in one scan. If this is not possible, the unit area is set by dividing the nail T into a plurality of nozzle row directions Y (length direction of the nail T).

For example, in FIGS. 11 (A), 11 (B), 12 (A), and 12 (B), the nail T is divided into three rows in the nozzle row direction Y (the length direction of the nail T) and scanned. In the example, the direction X (the width direction of the nail T) is divided into four columns and all 12 unit areas ar1 to ar12 are set. 11A and 11B are examples in the case where the printing finger U1 moves downstream in the scanning direction X during printing, as in FIGS. 8A and 8B. FIG. 12A and FIG. 12B are similar to FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B, and the printing finger U1 has moved upstream in the scanning direction X during printing. An example of the case is shown.
When the nail T is printed in a plurality of stages in the nozzle row direction Y (length direction of the nail T) in this way, all the unit areas in the first stage (that is, the unit areas ar1 to ar4) are printed. After that, the print head 46 is moved to the second-stage printing start position (that is, the printing start position of the unit area ar5) to perform the second-stage printing, and all the second-stage unit areas (that is, After printing the unit areas ar5 to ar8), the print head 46 is moved to the third stage printing start position (that is, the printing start position of the unit area ar9) to perform the third stage printing. Print the entire range.
Also in this case, as described in the present embodiment, when the position change of the nail T is detected by the position change detection unit, the print position in the middle of printing when the position change is detected is specified. Then, it is determined in which unit area the printing position in the middle of printing belongs, and after the movement of the nail T is stopped, the unit area from the printing start position of the unit area to which the printing position in the middle of printing belongs The printing is resumed based on the print data to be printed.
Thereby, even when printing is performed using the print head 46 whose length in the nozzle row direction Y is shorter than the length of the nail T, it is possible to appropriately cope with a change in position (position shift) of the nail T.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5 and the like, the print head 46 performs a printing operation (ink ejection) while moving from the right side to the left side in the drawing along the scanning direction X. The scanning direction X (traveling direction) during printing by the print head 46 is not limited to this.
Alternatively, the print head 46 may be configured to perform a printing operation (ink ejection) while moving in both directions along the scanning direction X (that is, in both the forward path and the backward path in the scanning direction X). For example, as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, and FIGS. 12A and 12B, the nail T is divided into a plurality of stages, and the entire nail T is scanned by a plurality of scans. When printing is performed, the time required for the printing process can be shortened by ejecting ink in both the forward path and the backward path in the scanning direction X.

In the present embodiment, the nail T is divided into a plurality of unit areas, and the print head 46 performs printing for each unit area. However, the nail printing apparatus 1 performs printing by such a method. It is not limited.
When the nail T is printed without dividing the area, if a position change occurs in the nail T, immediately before the printing position where the position change was detected (upstream in the scanning direction X). Printing may be resumed from this position.

Further, in the present embodiment, the position change detection unit 513 is configured to detect the current position information of the nail T at the time of the printing operation (that is, at the time of ink ejection) detected by the position information acquisition unit 512 and at the time of the printing operation just before that (ie, at the time of ink ejection) The position change detection unit 513 detects the position change of the nail T in the scanning direction X. The position change detection unit 513 detects the position change of the nail T in the scanning direction X. The structure to perform is not limited to this.
For example, the position information (initial position) of the nail T at the start of printing is stored in the nail position storage area 522 of the storage unit 52, and the position information of the nail T at the start of printing and the current state of the nail T at the time of the printing operation are stored. The position change detection unit 513 may be configured to detect a position change in the scanning direction X of the nail T by comparing the position information.

Further, in the present embodiment, the case where the image of the nail T or the printing finger U1 is acquired and the position information acquisition unit 512 acquires the position information of the nail T based on the image is taken as an example, but the position information acquisition unit 512 is used. However, the method for acquiring the position information of the nail T is not limited to this. For example, the position information of the nail T may be acquired based on an image that has already been printed on the nail T, an image that shows the irregularities on the surface of the nail T, an image that shows a reference for specifying the position, or the like. .
In the present embodiment, a nail photographing camera 49 for obtaining images of the nail T and the printing finger U1 is provided separately from the photographing unit 30, and the position information obtaining unit 512 is obtained by the nail photographing camera 49. Although the case where the position information of the nail T is acquired based on the image is taken as an example, the nail T and the printing finger U1 are photographed by the photographing unit 30 without being separately provided with the nail photographing camera 49 and acquired by the photographing unit 30. The position information acquisition unit 512 may acquire the position information of the nail T based on the obtained image.

  The nail photographing camera 49 may be a camera that can shoot a color image or a camera that can only shoot a monochrome image. The nail photographing camera 49 may be capable of continuously acquiring still images or may be capable of acquiring moving images.

Further, the position information acquisition unit 512 is not limited to the one that acquires the position information of the nail T based on the image acquired by the nail photographing camera 49.
For example, a sensor (for example, a pressure sensor or a contact sensor) that can detect the movement of the printing finger U1 is arranged on the printing finger placement surface on which the printing finger U1 is placed, and at the start of printing and during printing operation. The movement of the printing finger U1 may be detected by this sensor, and the position information acquisition unit 512 may acquire the position information of the nail T based on the detection result.

  In the present embodiment, the nail printing apparatus 1 includes a print head 46 of a type in which each nozzle 461 includes a driving unit such as a piezo element (piezoelectric element), and ink is ejected by applying a predetermined voltage thereto. However, the ink ejection method of the print head 46 is not limited to this. For example, a method of ejecting ink by heating the ink in the nozzles to generate bubbles may be used. .

Further, the number and arrangement of the nozzles 461 and nozzle rows 462 provided in the print head 46 are not particularly limited. For example, FIG. 5 illustrates the case where the nozzle rows 462 of the respective colors are arranged in the order of “C” M ”“ Y ”“ K ”from the left, but the arrangement of the nozzle rows 462 of the respective colors is limited to this. Not.
In addition, the range in which the nozzles 461 are provided (that is, the printing region) is not limited to the illustrated example. For example, the nozzles 461 may be provided up to the end of the nozzle surface 460 and the entire nozzle surface 460 may be the printing region.

In the present embodiment, the print head 46 can eject four colors of ink of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K), as shown in FIG. The case where the nozzle row 462 of the nozzles 461 for each of the colors “Y”, “M”, “C”, and “K” is provided on the nozzle surface 460 corresponding to the four colors is described as an example. The ink that can be ejected at 46 is not limited to this.
For example, the print head 46 may be provided with nozzles 461 of three colors of red, green, and blue as in the case of an RGB printer, or may be further provided with nozzles 461 of other colors such as intermediate color and white. Alternatively, the print head 46 may include only the CMY nozzles 461 or only the K nozzles 461.
Furthermore, the arrangement of the nozzles 461 in the print head 46 is not limited to that illustrated in this embodiment, and a plurality of nozzle rows 462 may be arranged in parallel for each color. When a plurality of nozzle rows 462 are provided for each color as described above, the nozzle rows 462 may be simply arranged in parallel so that the nozzles 461 of the adjacent nozzle rows 462 are arranged side by side or adjacent nozzles. For example, the nozzles 461 in the row 462 may be arranged so as to be staggered so as to be shifted in a staggered manner by, for example, 1/2 nozzles.

  In this embodiment, the design image storage area 521 and the nail position storage area 522 are provided in the storage unit 52 of the control device 50. However, the design image storage area 521 and the nail position storage area 522 are used. Is not limited to the case of being provided in the storage unit 52 (ROM, RAM) of the control device 50, and a separate storage unit may be provided.

  In the present embodiment, the nail printing apparatus 1 that performs printing sequentially by inserting fingers one by one into the apparatus is taken as an example. However, the present invention is applied to an apparatus that can perform printing on four fingers simultaneously. It is also possible to apply.

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, but includes the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof. .
The invention described in the scope of claims attached to the application of this application will be added below. The item numbers of the claims described in the appendix are as set forth in the claims attached to the application of this application.
[Appendix]
<Claim 1>
A plurality of nozzles are arranged in a row, and the fingernail is divided into a plurality of unit regions and printed for each unit region while moving in a scanning direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the nozzle rows. A print head to perform,
When a change in the position of the fingernail is detected during a printing operation by the print head, printing by the print head is stopped, and a print position where the print head is printing when the position change is detected is It is determined in which unit area it belongs, and after the change of the position of the fingernail is stopped, it returns to the print start position of the unit area to which the print position in the middle of printing belongs, and printing is performed from the print data of the unit area A print control unit for controlling the printing operation of the print head so as to resume,
A nail printing apparatus comprising:
<Claim 2>
A plurality of the nozzle rows;
A position information acquisition unit for acquiring position information of the fingernail;
A position change detection unit that detects a change in the position of the fingernail during a printing operation based on the position information of the fingernail acquired by the position information acquisition unit;
The nail printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
<Claim 3>
The nail print apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the plurality of unit areas are formed by dividing the fingernail into a plurality of rows in the scanning direction.
<Claim 4>
The nail printing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of unit areas are formed by dividing the fingernail into a plurality of stages in the nozzle row direction.
<Claim 5>
The nail printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a non-transparent pattern is printed on the fingernail.
<Claim 6>
A plurality of nozzles are arranged in a row, and the fingernail is divided into a plurality of unit regions and printed for each unit region while moving in a scanning direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the nozzle rows. When a change in the position of the fingernail is detected during a printing operation by the print head by the print control unit that controls the print head to be performed, the printing by the print head is stopped, and the change in position is detected. It is determined in which unit area the printing position printed by the print head belongs, and after stopping the change of the position of the fingernail, it returns to the printing start position of the unit area to which the printing position in the middle of printing belongs. The printing method of the nail printing apparatus, wherein the printing operation of the print head is controlled so as to resume printing from the print data of the unit area.
<Claim 7>
Obtaining the position information of the fingernail to be printed;
The printing method of the nail print apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a change in the position of the fingernail during a printing operation is detected based on the acquired position information of the fingernail.
<Claim 8>
The printing method of the nail print apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the fingernail is divided into a plurality of columns in the scanning direction to form the plurality of unit regions.
<Claim 9>
9. The printing method of the nail print apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of unit areas are formed by dividing the fingernail into a plurality of stages in the nozzle row direction.
<Claim 10>
The printing method of the nail print apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein a non-transparent pattern is printed on the fingernail.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Nail printing apparatus 20a Printing finger insertion part 30 Image | photographing part 40 Printing part 46 Print head 49 Nail imaging camera 50 Control apparatus 511 Image | photographing control part 512 Position information acquisition part 513 Position change detection part 514 Print control part 521 Design image storage area 522 Nail position storage area T Nail U1 Printing finger

Claims (10)

A print head that divides a fingernail into a plurality of unit areas and performs printing for each unit area;
A position information acquisition unit that acquires the position information of the nail at a predetermined timing during a printing operation by the print head ;
A storage unit having a nail position storage area in which the nail position information is stored, and the nail position information is updated each time the nail position information is acquired by the position information acquisition unit;
When a positional change of the fingernail is detected based on a comparison of the plurality of nail position information acquired at each of a plurality of different timings by the position information acquisition unit , printing by the print head is stopped. , Determining which unit area the print position printed by the print head when the position change is detected belongs, and acquiring the position information at a timing after the stop of the finger nail position change based on the position information of the claws being acquired by parts stored in the nail position storage area of the storage unit, the unit area printing position of the printing course belongs, to the printing start position after the position change A print control unit for controlling the print operation of the print head so as to resume printing from the print data of the unit area.
A nail printing apparatus comprising: Based on the comparison of the position information of the nails of at least two of the finger are acquired at each of at least two of said timing different from each other by pre-Symbol position information acquiring unit, during the printing operation, detects a change in position of the nail of the finger A position change detection unit that
The nail printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: The print head performs the printing while moving in a predetermined scanning direction,
The nail print apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the plurality of unit areas are formed by dividing the fingernail into a plurality of rows in the scanning direction. The nail print apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of unit regions are formed by dividing the fingernail into a plurality of stages in a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction .   The nail printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a non-transparent pattern is printed on the fingernail. In the printing method of the nail printing apparatus,
The nail printing apparatus has a print head that divides a fingernail into a plurality of unit areas and performs printing for each unit area ,
During the printing operation by the print head , the position information of the nail is acquired at every predetermined timing,
In the storage unit having a nail position storage area in which the nail position information is stored, each time the nail position information is acquired, the nail position information stored in the nail position storage area is updated,
When a change in the position of the fingernail is detected based on a comparison of a plurality of the nail position information acquired at a plurality of different timings , printing by the print head is stopped,
It is determined in which unit area the print position that the print head was printing when the position change is detected,
Based on the position information of the pawl stored is acquired at a timing after stopping the change in position of the nail of the finger to the nail position storage area of the storage unit, the unit area printing position of the print middle belongs The printing method of the nail printing apparatus, wherein the printing operation of the print head is controlled so as to return to the printing start position after the position change and resume printing from the print data of the unit area. Based on at least two comparison of the position information of the nail of the finger are acquired at each of at least two of said timing different each other physician, during the printing operation, and characterized by detecting a change in position of the nail of the finger The printing method of the nail print apparatus of Claim 6. The print head performs the printing while moving in a predetermined scanning direction,
The printing method of the nail print apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the fingernail is divided into a plurality of columns in the scanning direction to form the plurality of unit regions. 9. The printing method of the nail print apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of unit areas are formed by dividing the fingernail into a plurality of stages in a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction .   The printing method of the nail print apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein a non-transparent pattern is printed on the fingernail.

Images