JP6907623B2 - Stereoscopic image formation system, stereoscopic image manufacturing method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a stereoscopic image forming system, a stereoscopic image manufacturing method, and a program.

As one of the modeling techniques, a stereoscopic image forming technique using an expandable sheet in which a thermal expansion layer is laminated on a base material is known. This technique is used, for example, to create teaching materials for the visually impaired, such as Braille. In Patent Documents 1 and 2, a two-dimensional image (planar image) used for partially expanding a desired region is printed on an inflatable sheet, and the inflatable sheet is subjected to light irradiation treatment to be two-dimensional. A technique for forming a stereoscopic image by expanding a region corresponding to an image is disclosed.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-150812 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 64-28660

As described below, the prior art disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 has been desired to stably secure a sufficient expansion height of a stereoscopic image.

The three-dimensional image forming system is a two-dimensional image forming system in which a printer that prints a two-dimensional image on an inflatable sheet with a photothermal conversion ink and a two-dimensional image printed on the inflatable sheet are irradiated with light to perform two-dimensionality on the inflatable sheet. It has a light irradiation device that expands the area corresponding to the image. The prior art is to form a stereoscopic image with sufficient expansion height when the area of the printed two-dimensional image is relatively large (that is, when the amount of ink used for printing is relatively large). It is necessary to give a large amount of heat to the expandable sheet. However, in the prior art, since a constant amount of heat is applied to the expandable sheet during the light irradiation process, it may not be possible to form a stereoscopic image having a sufficient expansion height. In particular, since the ink used for printing is not sufficiently dried in the expandable sheet immediately after printing, heat of vaporization for vaporizing the ink is required. Therefore, the prior art is particularly effective when the area of the two-dimensional image is relatively large (that is, when the amount of ink used is relatively large) and the elapsed time from printing the two-dimensional image is short. In some cases, it was not possible to form a stereoscopic image with sufficient expansion height.

An object of the present invention is to stably secure a sufficient expansion height of a stereoscopic image.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the three-dimensional image forming system of the present invention relates to a printer that prints a two-dimensional image on an expandable sheet with a photothermal conversion ink and the two-dimensional image printed on the expandable sheet. The inflatable sheet is provided with a light irradiating device that expands a region corresponding to the two-dimensional image in the inflatable sheet, and the light irradiating device prints the two-dimensional image with the printer. when the elapsed time is shorter than when the elapsed time is long, the amount of light to be irradiated to the two-dimensional image, so that often, the irradiating light to the two-dimensional image It is a feature.

Further, the three-dimensional image forming system of the present invention comprises a printer that prints a two-dimensional image on an expandable sheet with a photothermal conversion ink, and irradiates the two-dimensional image printed on the expandable sheet with light. The expandable sheet includes a light irradiation device that expands a region corresponding to the two-dimensional image, and the light irradiation device has an ink amount of an ink for photothermal conversion in printing the two-dimensional image equal to or larger than a threshold value. If, than when it is less than the threshold value, the amount of light to be irradiated to the two-dimensional image, so that many, and then irradiating the light to the two-dimensional image.

Further, the three-dimensional image forming system of the present invention comprises a printer that prints a two-dimensional image on an expandable sheet with a photothermal conversion ink, and irradiates the two-dimensional image printed on the expandable sheet with light. The expandable sheet includes a light irradiation device that expands a region corresponding to the two-dimensional image, and the light irradiation device prints the amount of light emitted to the two-dimensional image by the printer. With respect to the two-dimensional image, the residual amount of the volatile component contained in the photothermal conversion ink obtained as the two-dimensional image is the amount of light corresponding to the residual amount at the time of irradiation of the light. It is characterized by irradiating light.

According to the present invention, it is possible to stably secure a sufficient expansion height of a stereoscopic image.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the stereoscopic image formation system which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the light irradiation apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a top view which shows the structure of the expandable sheet before a printing process. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the operation of the stereoscopic image formation system which concerns on a comparative example. It is explanatory drawing which shows the shape of the 3D image formed by the 3D image formation system which concerns on a comparative example. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the operation of the stereoscopic image formation system which concerns on embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the shape of the stereoscopic image formed by the stereoscopic image formation system which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the correspondence processing performed in this embodiment. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the 1st operation at the time of setting corresponding processing. It is a figure which shows an example of the heat quantity adjustment control in the 1st operation at the time of setting corresponding processing. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the 2nd operation at the time of setting corresponding processing. It is a figure which shows an example of the heat quantity adjustment control in the 2nd operation at the time of setting corresponding processing. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the 3rd operation at the time of setting corresponding processing. It is a figure which shows an example of the heat quantity adjustment control in the 3rd operation at the time of setting corresponding processing. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the 4th operation at the time of setting corresponding processing. It is a figure which shows an example of the heat quantity adjustment control in the 4th operation at the time of setting corresponding processing. It is explanatory drawing which shows the timing which performs the heat quantity adjustment control. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the print average density and the light irradiation processing time. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the print average density | concentration and the light irradiation processing time. It is a figure which shows the modification of the bar code printed on the expandable sheet.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as “the present embodiment”) will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that each figure is merely schematically shown to the extent that the present invention can be fully understood. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated examples. Further, in each figure, common components and similar components are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description thereof will be omitted.

[Embodiment]
The present embodiment is intended to provide a stereoscopic image forming system capable of stably securing a desired expansion height.
For example, in general, a stereoscopic image forming system may not obtain a desired expansion height when light irradiation treatment is performed in a state where the ink is not sufficiently dried. As a result of conducting various experiments on this point, it is presumed that it is desirable to perform calorific value adjustment control in consideration of the heat of vaporization for evaporating the moisture contained in the ink and drying the ink in the light irradiation treatment. .. The stereoscopic image forming system according to the present embodiment stably secures a desired expansion height by performing such heat quantity adjustment control.

The present embodiment also intends to provide a stereoscopic image forming system in which the inflatable sheet has information to be notified from the printer to the light irradiation device.

For example, in order to form a stereoscopic image having a sufficient expansion height (that is, to secure a sufficient expansion height of the stereoscopic image), for example, during the light irradiation process, the transfer speed of the expandable sheet or the expandable sheet is used. It is preferable to control the amount of heat such as the amount of light to be irradiated.

However, in rare cases, the operator of the stereoscopic image forming system may perform an irregular operation. For example, it is a regular procedure to perform a stereoscopic image forming process on the next inflatable sheet after the process of forming a stereoscopic image on one inflatable sheet (that is, the process from the printing process to the light irradiation process) is completed. It is assumed that it is. In this case, as an irregular operation, the operator performs an operation of starting the three-dimensional image forming process on the next inflatable sheet before the three-dimensional image forming process on one inflatable sheet is completed. There is. That is, as an irregular operation, the operator stores a plurality of expandable sheets that have been printed by the printer, and sequentially sets the stored expandable sheets in the light irradiation device to perform the light irradiation process. May perform operations. If it was planned to perform the above-mentioned heat quantity adjustment control on the expandable sheet, and if such an irregular operation is performed, the expandable sheet will be different from the planned one. On the other hand, the amount of heat adjustment control is performed. Therefore, if such an irregular operation is performed, it becomes impossible to form a stereoscopic image having a sufficient expansion height (that is, to secure a sufficient expansion height of the stereoscopic image).

Therefore, in the prior art, the expandable sheet is provided with information (for example, information about printing and others) to be notified from the printer to the light irradiation device so that the heat quantity adjustment control as described above can be suitably performed. Was desired. In view of such a viewpoint, the present embodiment also intends to provide a stereoscopic image forming system in which the expandable sheet has information to be notified from the printer to the light irradiation device.

<Structure of stereoscopic image formation system>
Hereinafter, the configuration of the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a stereoscopic image forming system 1000 according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 includes a control device 100, a display operation unit 150 connected to the control device 100, a light irradiation device 200, and a printer 250 as a two-dimensional image forming means. , These are communicably connected to the management device 300 via the network NW. The printer 250 and the light irradiation device 200 constitute a stereoscopic image forming device 290.

The control device 100 is a general-purpose information processing device composed of a PC (Personal Computer) and connected to the display operation unit 150, and controls the light irradiation device 200 and the printer 250.

The display operation unit 150 is a touch panel display connected to the control device 100, and includes a display means for displaying a two-dimensional image and an input means for an operator to input various information.

The light irradiation device 200 is a device that functions as a light irradiation means, and by performing a light irradiation process on an expandable sheet, a region corresponding to a two-dimensional image printed with the photothermal conversion ink described later is expanded. To form a stereoscopic image.

The printer 250 is a device that functions as a two-dimensional image forming means, and prints a two-dimensional image used for partially expanding a desired region on an expandable sheet with a photothermal conversion ink described later. In this embodiment, the printer 250 will be described as an electrophotographic printer. However, the printer 250 can also be configured by an inkjet printer or the like.
The management device 300 is a general-purpose information processing device that stores and manages typical contents used for forming a stereoscopic image.

The control device 100 described above includes a control unit 10, a communication unit 40, a non-volatile storage unit 50, and a volatile storage unit 55.

The control unit 10 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and by executing a program, the functions of the stereoscopic image formation control means 20, the display operation control unit 31, the image selection means 32, and the communication control unit 33 are performed. Realize.

The stereoscopic image formation control means 20 is a means for controlling the operation of each part in the stereoscopic image formation process, and is composed of the two-dimensional image formation control means 21 and the light irradiation control means 23.

The two-dimensional image formation control means 21 is a functional unit that controls the printer 250 via the printer driver 53.

The display operation control unit 31 causes the display operation unit 150 to display a predetermined screen and accepts a touch operation by the operator.
The image selection means 32 described above causes, for example, the display operation unit 150 to display a plurality of three-dimensional image contents (sample images), and causes the user to select one of the plurality of contents.
The communication control unit 33 described above controls the communication unit 40.

The communication unit 40 is composed of a LAN (Local Area Network) interface circuit for communicating between the light irradiation device 200, the printer 250, and the management device 300, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface circuit, and the like. There is.

The non-volatile storage unit 50 is composed of a ROM (Read Only Memory), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or the like, and stores the OS 51, the application program 52, the printer driver 53, and the like.
The volatile storage unit 55 described above is composed of a RAM (Random Access Memory) and is used as a working memory.

The above-mentioned photothermal conversion ink is an ink having a property of converting light such as infrared light and near-infrared light into heat. In other words, the photothermal conversion ink is an ink having a property of being easily heated by light heating. Here, it is assumed that the photothermal conversion ink is a black (K) ink containing carbon black. However, as the photothermal conversion ink, another ink can be used instead of the black ink containing carbon black. For example, as the photothermal conversion ink, a transparent ink can be used in the visible light region as long as it has a function of converting light such as infrared light or near infrared light into heat.

In addition to the photothermal conversion ink, the printer 250 can use an ink that does not have the property of converting light into heat (hereinafter, referred to as "non-photothermal conversion ink"). The non-photothermal conversion ink is, for example, a CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) color ink, and is used when printing a color two-dimensional image. The print area containing only the non-photothermal conversion ink hardly expands even when the light irradiation treatment is performed.

In such a configuration, the printer 250 prints a two-dimensional image on the expandable sheet 400 with photothermal conversion ink in order to partially expand the desired region of the expandable sheet 400 (see FIG. 2). Further, when printing a color two-dimensional image, the printer 250 prints the color two-dimensional image on the expandable sheet 400 with the above-mentioned non-photothermal conversion ink of, for example, CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black). ..
The light irradiation device 200 performs a light irradiation process on the expandable sheet 400 (see FIG. 2) on which a two-dimensional image is printed.

<Structure of light irradiation device>
Hereinafter, the configuration of the light irradiation device 200 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the light irradiation device 200.

As shown in FIG. 2, the light irradiation device 200 includes a paper feed unit 220, drive rollers 231 and 232, driven rollers 233 and 234, a light irradiation unit 210, a motor 335, an upper guide 337, and a lower guide. It includes a 338, a room temperature sensor 225, a barcode reader 340, an inlet sensor 341, and an outlet sensor 342. Here, the paper feeding unit 220 feeds the inflatable sheet 400 into the transport path. The drive rollers 231 and 232, the driven rollers 233 and 234, the motor 335, the upper guide 337, and the lower guide 338 constitute a transport unit (transport means).

The light irradiation unit 210 includes a reflector 211, a halogen lamp 215, a cooling fan 213, and a temperature sensor 214. The halogen lamp 215 is a linear light source that emits near-infrared light and visible light from its outer peripheral surface. The reflecting mirror 211 is a parabolic reflector made of aluminum, and makes the synchrotron radiation of the halogen lamp 215 parallel light. Since the halogen lamp 215 and the reflecting mirror 211 are arranged above the transport surface, they irradiate near-infrared light and visible light from above the expandable sheet 400. The cooling fan 213 air-cools the reflector 211. The temperature sensor 214 is attached to the back surface of the reflector 211 and detects the back surface temperature thereof.

The drive rollers 231 and 232 and the driven rollers 233 and 234 sandwich and convey the inflatable sheet 400 being conveyed from above and below. The drive rollers 231 and 232 are driven by the motor 335. The upper guide 337 and the lower guide 338 are formed in a grid pattern, and guide the expandable sheet 400 from above and below the transport surface. The upper guide 337 is provided so as to be inclined so as not to cast a strong shadow on the inflatable sheet 400. As a result, immediately below the halogen lamp 215, the upper guide 337 and the expandable sheet 400 are separated by a predetermined distance, so that a strong shadow is not cast.

The paper feeding unit 220 mounts the expandable sheet 400 and feeds the mounted expandable sheet 400 to the transport unit. The room temperature sensor 225 is a sensor that detects the room temperature. The barcode reader 340 is a device that reads the barcode printed on the inflatable sheet 400. The inlet sensor 341 and the outlet sensor 342 detect the front end and the rear end of the inflatable sheet 400 during transportation.

In such a configuration, the light irradiation device 200 conveys the expandable sheet 400 on which the two-dimensional image is printed with the halogen lamp 215 turned on. As a result, the light irradiation device 200 performs the light irradiation treatment on the expandable sheet 400. At this time, in the expandable sheet 400, the thermal expansion layer (the thermal expansion layer in the region corresponding to the two-dimensional image) immediately below the print area on which the two-dimensional image is printed with the photothermal conversion ink expands, and the surface is convex. It changes sharply. As a result, a 2.5-dimensional (2.5D) stereoscopic image is formed. Here, the 2.5D stereoscopic image means a stereoscopic structure in which irregularities in the thickness direction are formed on a flat surface.

<Structure of expandable sheet>
Hereinafter, the configuration of the expandable sheet 400 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the configuration of the expandable sheet 400. FIG. 3A shows the configuration of the first surface of the expandable sheet 400, and FIG. 3B shows the configuration of the second surface of the expandable sheet 400.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the expandable sheet 400 has a structure in which the base material 415 and the thermal expansion layer 410 are laminated. The base material 415 is an elastically deformable paper leaf. The thermal expansion layer 410 is a resin layer that expands due to heat. In the present embodiment, the surface on the side where the thermal expansion layer 410 is provided is the first surface of the expandable sheet 400, and the surface on the side where the base material 415 is provided is the second surface of the expandable sheet 400. It is explained as. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the expandable sheet 400 has a structure in which the thermal expansion layer 410 faces one surface side (first surface side) and the base material 415 faces the other surface side (second surface side). It has become.

In the present embodiment, the inflatable sheet 400 has a rectangular shape in which one corner portion is notched. Before the printing process, the first surface of the expandable sheet 400 is in a plain state. A two-dimensional image 502 is printed on the first surface of the expandable sheet 400 by the printer 250 (see FIG. 1) with the photothermal exchange ink during the printing process. In the illustrated example, a large circular two-dimensional image 502a and a small elliptical two-dimensional image 502b are printed.

As shown in FIG. 3B, a pre-assigned barcode 501 is pre-printed near the tip of the second surface of the expandable sheet 400 before the printing process, depending on the operation. The pre-assigned barcode 501 is a pre-assigned pre-identifier. Here, it is assumed that the side inserted into the paper feeding unit 220 (see FIG. 2) of the light irradiation device 200 is the tip end side of the expandable sheet 400. The pre-assigned barcode 501 may not be printed. During the printing process, the printer 250 (see FIG. 1) prints a barcode 503 different from the pre-applied barcode 501 with the non-photothermal exchange ink on the second surface of the expandable sheet 400. The barcode 503 is a print identifier printed later. Hereinafter, when the bar code 503 is distinguished from the pre-assigned bar code 501, it is referred to as "print bar code 503".

The pre-applied barcode 501 represents an attribute of the expandable sheet 400 (for example, the thickness of the sheet, the orientation of the front surface or the back surface of the sheet, and the like). On the other hand, the print barcode 503 includes arbitrary information set according to the operation. The print barcode 503 includes, for example, correction information for heat amount adjustment control of light irradiation conditions given to the sheet (conveyance speed of the expansion sheet 400, light amount to be irradiated to the expansion sheet 400, etc.), and printing time information of the two-dimensional image 502. , The print area information of the two-dimensional image 502 and the like can be included.

The light irradiation device 200 (see FIG. 1) irradiates the expandable sheet 400 with light such as infrared light or near-infrared light to perform light irradiation processing. At this time, since the photoheat exchange ink is not used near the tip of the expandable sheet 400, almost no heat is applied. Therefore, after the light irradiation treatment, a stereoscopic image is not formed near the tip of the expandable sheet 400, and the vicinity of the tip of the expandable sheet 400 maintains the same cross-sectional shape as before the light irradiation treatment.

On the other hand, when the light irradiation device 200 (see FIG. 1) irradiates the expandable sheet 400 with light to perform the light irradiation process, the printed area of the two-dimensional image 502 of the expandable sheet 400 becomes hot. Therefore, after the light irradiation treatment, the thermal expansion layer 410 (the thermal expansion layer 410 of the region corresponding to the two-dimensional image) of the expandable sheet 400 expands directly under the print area of the two-dimensional image 502, and as a result, the stereoscopic image. Is formed.

<Operation of stereoscopic image formation system>
In general, if the stereoscopic image forming system is configured to give a constant amount of heat to the expandable sheet 400 during the light irradiation process, it may not be possible to form a stereoscopic image having a sufficient expansion height. Therefore, the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 according to the present embodiment is configured to adjust the amount of heat given to the expandable sheet 400 by performing the amount of heat adjustment control for the light irradiation process during the light irradiation process.

Hereinafter, the operation of the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 will be described. Here, in order to explain the operation of the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 in an easy-to-understand manner, first, the operation of the stereoscopic image forming system 1000Z (not shown) according to the comparative example will be described, and then the stereoscopic image according to the present embodiment will be described. The operation of the forming system 1000 will be described.

The stereoscopic image forming system 1000Z (not shown) according to the comparative example is a system configured to apply a constant amount of heat to the expandable sheet 400 during the light irradiation process, and corresponds to the system of the prior art.

Each device operates based on the time measured by a timer (not shown). Further, the operation of each device is defined by a program readable and stored in advance in the storage unit of each device, and is executed by the control unit of each device. Hereinafter, since these points are conventional means in information processing, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

(Operation of the stereoscopic image forming system according to the comparative example)
Hereinafter, the operation of the stereoscopic image forming system 1000Z (not shown) according to the comparative example will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the stereoscopic image forming system according to the comparative example. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the shape of the stereoscopic image 1502z formed by the stereoscopic image forming system 1000Z (not shown) according to the comparative example.

Here, the stereoscopic image forming system 1000Z (not shown) according to the comparative example has the same configuration as the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 (see FIG. 1) according to the present embodiment, but is subjected to light irradiation processing. It will be described as different in that sometimes a constant amount of heat is given to the expandable sheet 400.

As shown in FIG. 4, the operation of the stereoscopic image forming system 1000Z (not shown) according to the comparative example is compared with the operation of the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 according to the present embodiment (see FIG. 6) in the following points. It is different.
(1) The point that the processes of steps S160 to S180 (see FIG. 6) are not performed. That is, the print barcode 503 (see FIG. 3B) is not printed.
(2) The point that the processes of steps S220 to S230 (see FIG. 6) are not performed. That is, the print barcode 503 (see FIG. 3B) is not read and the corresponding processing setting is not performed.
(3) A point in which the process of step S250z is performed instead of the process of step S250 (see FIG. 6). That is, the point is that the light irradiation treatment (expansion treatment) with a constant amount of heat is performed without performing the light irradiation treatment (expansion treatment) based on the set corresponding processing.

Here, the process of step S250z (see FIG. 4) is to execute a light irradiation process (expansion process) characterized by applying a constant amount of heat to the expandable sheet 400.

As shown in FIG. 5, the stereoscopic image forming system 1000Z (not shown) according to such a comparative example has a configuration in which a constant amount of heat is applied to the expandable sheet 400 during the light irradiation process. Therefore, the stereoscopic image forming system 1000Z (not shown) forms a stereoscopic image 1502z having an insufficient expansion height (that is, a stereoscopic image 1502z not expanded to a desired height) when the light irradiation process is performed. I have something to do.

Such a phenomenon is likely to occur when the area of the printed two-dimensional image 502 is relatively large (that is, when the amount of ink used for printing is relatively large). It is necessary to give a correspondingly large amount of heat to the expandable sheet 400 in order to form a stereoscopic image 1502z having a sufficient expansion height, whereas the stereoscopic image forming system 1000Z according to a comparative example (not shown). ) Is given to the expandable sheet 400 only a certain amount of heat.

Further, such a phenomenon is particularly likely to occur immediately after printing. This is because the ink used for printing is not sufficiently dried, and therefore heat of vaporization is required to vaporize the ink.

Therefore, the stereoscopic image forming system 1000Z (not shown) according to the comparative example is particularly used when the area of the two-dimensional image 502 is relatively large (that is, when the amount of ink used is relatively large) and two. When the elapsed time from the printing of the two-dimensional image 502 is short, a stereoscopic image 1502z having an insufficient expansion height may be formed.

(Operation of the stereoscopic image forming system according to the embodiment)
Hereinafter, the operation of the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the stereoscopic image forming system 1000. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the shape of the stereoscopic image 1502 formed by the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 according to the present embodiment.

In the present embodiment, the light irradiation device 200 controls the calorific value according to the amount of the photothermal conversion ink that is printed by the printer 250 per sheet of the expandable sheet 400 to form a two-dimensional image. Explain as to be done. However, the light irradiation device 200 performs heat quantity adjustment control according to the ink amount of the photothermal conversion ink obtained as a two-dimensional image by printing per desired area in the transport direction of the expandable sheet 400. May be good. The amount of ink for photothermal conversion ink that has been printed into a two-dimensional image can be managed by the amount of ink that is output from the inside of the printer 250 to the outside.

The amount of ink for photothermal conversion ink that has been printed to form a two-dimensional image can also be managed by the cumulative area of the print area on which the heat conversion ink is printed at a certain density or higher. Alternatively, the amount of ink for the photothermal conversion ink that is printed to form a two-dimensional image is the amount of photothermal conversion that is printed to form a two-dimensional image when the photothermal conversion ink is an ink containing carbon black. It can also be controlled by the cumulative density of the ink for printing. The cumulative density of the photothermal conversion ink is the integrated amount of the gray or black gradation value (K density) of each pixel in the two-dimensional image and the print pixel area.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 according to the present embodiment, the operator sets the inflatable sheet 400 in the paper feed section (not shown) of the printer 250 (step S110). When the printer 250 detects the set of the inflatable sheet 400, the printer 250 notifies the control device 100 of the detection information. In response to this, the control device 100 displays, for example, a content list display screen (not shown) including selectable content (sample image) on the display operation unit 150 (see FIG. 1).

After step S110, the operator operates the display operation unit 150 (see FIG. 1) to select desired content (sample image) from the content list display screen (not shown), and starts the printing process. To instruct. In response to this, the control device 100 receives the selection result of the sample image data and also receives the instruction to start the printing process (steps S120 and S130).

Then, the two-dimensional image formation control means 21 (see FIG. 1) of the control device 100 instructs the printer 250 to print the two-dimensional image based on the selected sample image data. In response to this, the printer 250 prints the two-dimensional image 502 (see FIG. 3A) on the expandable sheet 400 with the photothermal conversion ink (step S140), and when the printing is completed, prints the expandable sheet 400. Discharge (step S150). Here, the two-dimensional image 502 (see FIG. 3A) will be described as being printed on the first surface of the inflatable sheet 400.

The operator flips the front and back of the ejected inflatable sheet 400 and sets the inflatable sheet 400 in the paper feed section (not shown) of the printer 250 (step S160). When the printer 250 detects the set of the inflatable sheet 400, the printer 250 notifies the control device 100 of the detection information. In response, the two-dimensional image forming control means 21 (see FIG. 1) of the control device 100 instructs the printer 250 to print the print barcode 503 (see FIG. 3B). Then, the printer 250 prints the print barcode 503 (see FIG. 3B) on the expandable sheet 400 with the non-photothermal conversion ink (step S170), and discharges the expandable sheet 400 when the printing is completed (step S170). Step S180). Here, it is assumed that the print barcode 503 (see FIG. 3B) is printed on the second surface of the expandable sheet 400. Details of the information contained in the print barcode 503 (see FIG. 3B) will be described later in the chapter "Example of Correspondence Processing Performed in the Present Embodiment".

After step S180, the operator sets the discharged inflatable sheet 400 in the paper feed unit 220 (see FIG. 2) of the light irradiation device 200 (step S210). When the light irradiation device 200 detects the set of the inflatable sheet 400, the bar code reader 340 (see FIG. 2) reads the printed barcode 503 of the inflatable sheet 400 (see FIG. 3B) (step S220). The bar code reading information is notified to the control device 100. In response to this, the light irradiation control means 23 (see FIG. 1) of the control device 100 sets the corresponding process based on the barcode reading information (step S230). The details of the corresponding processing will be described in the chapter "Example of the corresponding processing performed in the present embodiment" described later.

The operator operates the display operation unit 150 (see FIG. 1) to instruct the control device 100 to start the light irradiation process. In response to this, the control device 100 receives an instruction to start the light irradiation process (step S240).

Then, the light irradiation control means 23 (see FIG. 1) of the control device 100 causes the light irradiation device 200 to execute the light irradiation process (expansion process) based on the set corresponding process (step S250). As a result, a stereoscopic image is formed on the inflatable sheet 400. When the light irradiation treatment (expansion treatment) is completed, the light irradiation device 200 discharges the expandable sheet 400 (step S260).

As shown in FIG. 7, the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 according to the present embodiment has a configuration in which the amount of heat adjusted for the light irradiation process is controlled during the light irradiation process to adjust the amount of heat given to the expandable sheet 400. ing. Therefore, the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 can stably form a stereoscopic image 1502 having a sufficient expansion height (that is, a stereoscopic image 1502 expanding to a desired height) when the light irradiation process is performed. can.

In the example shown in FIG. 6, the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 prints the two-dimensional image 502 on the surface (first surface) on the side where the thermal expansion layer 410 is provided, and prints the two-dimensional image 502 on the side where the base material 415 is provided. The print barcode 503 is printed on the surface (second surface).

However, the surface on which the two-dimensional image 502 and the print barcode 503 are printed can be changed according to the operation. Correspondingly, the processing executed by the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 is also changed as appropriate.

For example, the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 may print the mirror image of the two-dimensional image 502 and the print barcode 503 on the second surface at the same time.

Further, for example, the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 prints a two-dimensional image 502 on the first surface, performs light irradiation processing on the first surface, and displays a mirror image of another two-dimensional image and a print bar code 503 on the second surface. May be printed and the second surface may be subjected to light irradiation treatment.

Further, for example, the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 prints a two-dimensional image 502 on the first surface, prints a mirror image of another two-dimensional image and a print bar code 503 on the second surface, and irradiates the first surface with light. The treatment may be performed and the second surface may be subjected to a light irradiation treatment.

Further, for example, the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 prints a two-dimensional image 502 and a print bar code 503 on the first surface, and prints a mirror image of another two-dimensional image and a print bar code 503 on the second surface. The first surface may be subjected to light irradiation treatment, and the second surface may be subjected to light irradiation treatment.

<Example of corresponding processing performed in this embodiment>
Hereinafter, an example of the corresponding processing performed in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the corresponding processing performed in the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 8, the print barcode 503 (see FIG. 3B) is, for example, depending on the operation, for example, correction information for heat quantity adjustment control, print time information for the two-dimensional image 502, and the two-dimensional image 502. It can be configured to include print area information and the like.

For example, it is assumed that the print barcode 503 (see FIG. 3B) contains the correction information of the calorific value adjustment control. Alternatively, for example, it is assumed that the print barcode 503 (see FIG. 3B) contains the print time information of the two-dimensional image 502. In these cases, in step S230 (see FIG. 6), the light irradiation control means 23 (see FIG. 1) of the control device 100 is characterized in that “the amount of heat is controlled for the light irradiation process” as a corresponding process. Set to.

Here, the setting characterized by "controlling the amount of heat for the light irradiation process" is to increase or decrease the amount of heat given to the expandable sheet 400 during the light irradiation process with respect to the light irradiation device 200. It means to control the light.

Alternatively, for example, it is assumed that the print barcode 503 (see FIG. 3B) includes the print area information of the two-dimensional image 502. In this case, in step S230 (see FIG. 6), the light irradiation control means 23 (see FIG. 1) of the control device 100 "concentrates the light irradiation process on the print area of the two-dimensional image" as a corresponding process. Make settings that feature "to do".

<Details of heat quantity adjustment control>
The details of the calorific value adjustment control will be described below.
The calorific value adjustment control is performed by adjusting (changing) the transport speed of the expandable sheet 400, the amount of light irradiated to the expandable sheet 400, and the like. For example, when the two-dimensional image printed on the expandable sheet 400 is an image in which it is difficult to secure a sufficient expansion height of the stereoscopic image, the light irradiation device 200 secures a sufficient expansion height of the stereoscopic image. In addition, the amount of heat given to the expandable sheet 400 during the light irradiation treatment is increased.

Here, an image in which it is difficult to secure a sufficient expansion height of the stereoscopic image is likely to occur when the photothermal conversion ink is not sufficiently dried. For example, when the amount of ink for photothermal conversion, which is made into a two-dimensional image by printing, is large, or when the elapsed time from printing the two-dimensional image is short, the stereoscopic image has a sufficient expansion height. It is difficult to secure. For such an image in which it is difficult to secure a sufficient expansion height of the stereoscopic image, an extra amount of heat is given to the photothermal conversion ink by the amount of the heat of vaporization of the photothermal conversion ink to dry the photothermal conversion ink. It is desirable to promote it.

Therefore, the light irradiation control means 23 (see FIG. 1) of the control device 100 determines step S230 when the two-dimensional image printed on the expandable sheet 400 is an image in which it is difficult to secure a sufficient expansion height of the stereoscopic image. In (see FIG. 6), as a corresponding process, a setting is made to slow down the transport speed of the expandable sheet 400, or a setting is made to increase the amount of light of the halogen lamp 215 of the light irradiation device 200.

For example, the light irradiation control means 23 (see FIG. 1) of the control device 100 conveys the expandable sheet 400 when the amount of the photothermal conversion ink printed to form a two-dimensional image is equal to or greater than a threshold value. Set the correction amount to slow down the speed. Alternatively, for example, the light irradiation control means 23 (see FIG. 1) of the control device 100 can be used as an expandable sheet 400 when the amount of the photothermal conversion ink printed to form a two-dimensional image is equal to or greater than a threshold value. Set the correction amount to increase the amount of light emitted to.

Alternatively, for example, the light irradiation control means 23 (see FIG. 1) of the control device 100 slows down the transport speed of the expandable sheet 400 when the elapsed time from printing the two-dimensional image 502 is less than the threshold value. Set the correction amount. Alternatively, for example, the light irradiation control means 23 (see FIG. 1) of the control device 100 increases the amount of light irradiated to the expandable sheet 400 when the elapsed time from printing the two-dimensional image 502 is less than the threshold value. Set the amount of correction to be performed.

As a result, the light irradiation device 200 performs the light irradiation process (expansion process) based on the corresponding process set in step S230 (see FIG. 6) in step S250 (see FIG. 6).

For example, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 according to the present embodiment performs the following processing at the time of setting the corresponding processing in step S230. FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the first operation at the time of setting the corresponding processing. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of heat quantity adjustment control in the first operation when the corresponding processing is set. The first operation is an operation of performing heat quantity adjustment control by changing the transport speed of the expandable sheet 400. In the first operation, whether the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 performs the calorific value adjustment control by determining whether or not the ink amount of the photothermal conversion ink that has been printed into a two-dimensional image is equal to or greater than the threshold value. Decide whether or not.

In the example shown in FIG. 9, in step S230 (see FIG. 6), first, the light irradiation control means 23 (see FIG. 1) of the control device 100 is printed based on the reading information of the print barcode 503. It is determined whether or not the amount of the photoheat exchange ink used as the two-dimensional image is equal to or greater than the first threshold TLow (see FIG. 10) (step S310).

In step S310, control is performed when it is determined (in the case of “Yes”) that the amount of ink for photothermal conversion ink that has been printed into a two-dimensional image is equal to or greater than the first threshold TLow (see FIG. 10). The light irradiation control means 23 (see FIG. 1) of the device 100 determines whether or not the amount of ink for photothermal conversion, which is printed into a two-dimensional image, is equal to or greater than the second threshold THigh (see FIG. 10). Determine (step S320).

In step S320, when it is determined (in the case of “Yes”) that the ink amount of the photothermal conversion ink that has been printed into a two-dimensional image is equal to or greater than the second threshold value THigh (see FIG. 10), control is performed. The light irradiation control means 23 (see FIG. 1) of the device 100 sets a correction amount for slowing the transport speed of the inflatable sheet 400 with respect to the light irradiation device 200 (step S330). As a result, the transport speed of the expandable sheet 400 is changed to a low speed VLow slower than the normal speed VSt (see FIG. 10). The normal speed VSt is the transport speed when the heat quantity adjustment control is not performed.

Further, in step S320, when it is determined (in the case of "No") that the ink amount of the photothermal conversion ink obtained as a two-dimensional image by printing is not equal to or higher than the second threshold value THigh (see FIG. 10). The light irradiation control means 23 (see FIG. 1) of the control device 100 maintains the transport speed of the inflatable sheet 400 with respect to the light irradiation device 200 at the normal speed VSt (step S340).

Further, in step S310, when it is determined (in the case of "No") that the ink amount of the photothermal conversion ink obtained as a two-dimensional image by printing is not equal to or more than the first threshold value TLow (see FIG. 10). The light irradiation control means 23 (see FIG. 1) of the control device 100 sets a correction amount for increasing the transport speed of the inflatable sheet 400 with respect to the light irradiation device 200 (step S350). As a result, the transport speed of the expandable sheet 400 is changed to a high-speed VHigh that is faster than the normal speed VSt (see FIG. 10).

After any of the processes of steps S330, S340, and S350, the process proceeds to step S240 (see FIG. 6).

Alternatively, for example, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 according to the present embodiment may perform the following processing at the time of setting the corresponding processing in step S230. FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the second operation at the time of setting the corresponding processing. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of heat quantity adjustment control in the second operation when the corresponding processing is set. The second operation is an operation of performing heat amount adjustment control by changing the amount of light of the halogen lamp 215 (see FIG. 2) (that is, by changing the amount of light given to the expandable sheet 400). In the second operation, as in the first operation, the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 determines whether or not the amount of the photothermal conversion ink that has been printed into a two-dimensional image is equal to or greater than the threshold value. , Determine whether or not to perform calorific value adjustment control.

In the example shown in FIG. 11, in step S230 (see FIG. 6), first, the light irradiation control means 23 (see FIG. 1) of the control device 100 is printed based on the reading information of the print barcode 503. It is determined whether or not the amount of the photoheat exchange ink used as the two-dimensional image is equal to or greater than the first threshold value TLow (see FIG. 12) (step S310).

In step S310, when it is determined (in the case of “Yes”) that the ink amount of the photothermal conversion ink that has been printed into a two-dimensional image is equal to or greater than the first threshold TLow (see FIG. 12), control is performed. The light irradiation control means 23 (see FIG. 1) of the device 100 determines whether or not the amount of ink for photothermal conversion ink that has been printed into a two-dimensional image is equal to or greater than the second threshold THigh (see FIG. 12). Determine (step S320).

In step S320, when it is determined (in the case of “Yes”) that the ink amount of the photothermal conversion ink that has been printed into a two-dimensional image is equal to or greater than the second threshold value THigh (see FIG. 12), control is performed. The light irradiation control means 23 (see FIG. 1) of the device 100 sets a correction amount for increasing the light amount of the halogen lamp 215 with respect to the light irradiation device 200 (step S330a). As a result, the light intensity of the halogen lamp 215 is changed to a large light intensity LHigh that is larger than the normal light intensity LSt (see FIG. 12). The normal light quantity LSt is the light quantity when the heat quantity adjustment control is not performed. The normal light quantity LSt is the light quantity when the heat quantity adjustment control is not performed.

Further, in step S320, when it is determined (in the case of "No") that the ink amount of the photothermal conversion ink obtained as a two-dimensional image by printing is not equal to or higher than the second threshold value THigh (see FIG. 12). The light irradiation control means 23 (see FIG. 1) of the control device 100 maintains the light amount of the halogen lamp 215 with respect to the light irradiation device 200 at the normal light amount LSt (step S340a).

Further, in step S310, when it is determined (in the case of "No") that the ink amount of the photothermal conversion ink obtained as a two-dimensional image by printing is not equal to or more than the first threshold value TLow (see FIG. 12). The light irradiation control means 23 (see FIG. 1) of the control device 100 sets a correction amount for reducing the light amount of the halogen lamp 215 with respect to the light irradiation device 200 (step S350a). As a result, the light intensity of the halogen lamp 215 is changed to a small light intensity LLow, which is smaller than the normal light intensity LSt (see FIG. 12).

After any of the processes of steps S330a, S340a, and S350a, the process proceeds to step S240 (see FIG. 6).

Alternatively, for example, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 according to the present embodiment may perform the following processing at the time of setting the corresponding processing in step S230. FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining the third operation at the time of setting the corresponding processing. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of heat quantity adjustment control in the third operation when the corresponding processing is set. The third operation is an operation of controlling the amount of heat by changing the transport speed of the expandable sheet 400. In the third operation, the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 determines whether or not to perform the calorific value adjustment control by determining whether or not the elapsed time since the two-dimensional image is printed is less than the threshold value.

In the example shown in FIG. 13, in step S230 (see FIG. 6), first, the light irradiation control means 23 (see FIG. 1) of the control device 100 is attached to the expandable sheet 400 based on the reading information of the print barcode 503. It is determined whether or not the elapsed time since the two-dimensional image is printed is less than the first threshold value TiLow (see FIG. 14) (step S410).

When it is determined in step S410 that the elapsed time is less than the first threshold value TiLow (see FIG. 14) (in the case of “Yes”), the light irradiation control means 23 (see FIG. 1) of the control device 100 controls. The light irradiation control means 23 (see FIG. 1) of the device 100 sets a correction amount for slowing the transport speed of the inflatable sheet 400 with respect to the light irradiation device 200 (step S420). As a result, the transport speed of the expandable sheet 400 is changed to a low speed VLow slower than the normal speed VSt (see FIG. 14).

Further, when it is determined in step S410 that the elapsed time is not less than the first threshold value TiLow (see FIG. 14) (in the case of “No”), the light irradiation control means 23 (see FIG. 1) of the control device 100 is determined. It is determined whether or not the elapsed time is less than the second threshold value TiHigh (see FIG. 14) (step S430).

When it is determined in step S430 that the elapsed time is less than the second threshold value TiHigh (see FIG. 14) (in the case of “Yes”), the light irradiation control means 23 (see FIG. 1) of the control device 100 is light. The transport speed of the inflatable sheet 400 with respect to the irradiation device 200 is maintained at the normal speed VSt (step S440).

Further, when it is determined in step S430 that the elapsed time is not less than the second threshold value TiHigh (see FIG. 14) (in the case of “No”), the light irradiation control means 23 (see FIG. 1) of the control device 100 is determined. A correction amount for increasing the transport speed of the expandable sheet 400 is set for the light irradiation device 200 (step S450). As a result, the transport speed of the expandable sheet 400 is changed to a high-speed VHigh that is faster than the normal speed VSt (see FIG. 14).

After any of the processes of steps S420, S440, and S450, the process proceeds to step S240 (see FIG. 6).

Alternatively, for example, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 according to the present embodiment may perform the following processing at the time of setting the corresponding processing in step S230. FIG. 15 is a flowchart for explaining the fourth operation at the time of setting the corresponding processing. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of heat quantity adjustment control in the fourth operation when the corresponding processing is set. The fourth operation is an operation of performing heat amount adjustment control by changing the amount of light of the halogen lamp 215 (see FIG. 2) (that is, by changing the amount of light given to the expandable sheet 400). In the fourth operation, as in the third operation, does the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 perform heat quantity adjustment control by determining whether or not the elapsed time since the two-dimensional image is printed is less than the threshold value? Decide whether or not.

In the example shown in FIG. 15, in step S230 (see FIG. 6), first, the light irradiation control means 23 (see FIG. 1) of the control device 100 is attached to the expandable sheet 400 based on the reading information of the print barcode 503. It is determined whether or not the elapsed time since the two-dimensional image is printed is less than the first threshold value TiLow (see FIG. 16) (step S410).

When it is determined in step S410 that the elapsed time is less than the first threshold value TiLow (see FIG. 16) (in the case of “Yes”), the light irradiation control means 23 (see FIG. 1) of the control device 100 controls. The light irradiation control means 23 (see FIG. 1) of the device 100 sets a correction amount for increasing the light amount of the halogen lamp 215 with respect to the light irradiation device 200 (step S420a). As a result, the light intensity of the halogen lamp 215 is changed to a large light intensity LHigh that is larger than the normal light intensity LSt (see FIG. 16).

Further, when it is determined in step S410 that the elapsed time is not less than the first threshold value TiLow (see FIG. 16) (in the case of “No”), the light irradiation control means 23 (see FIG. 1) of the control device 100 is determined. It is determined whether or not the elapsed time is less than the second threshold value TiHigh (see FIG. 16) (step S430).

When it is determined in step S430 that the elapsed time is less than the second threshold value TiHigh (see FIG. 16) (in the case of “Yes”), the light irradiation control means 23 (see FIG. 1) of the control device 100 is light. The light amount of the halogen lamp 215 is maintained at the normal light amount LSt with respect to the irradiation device 200 (step S440a).

Further, when it is determined in step S430 that the elapsed time is not less than the second threshold value TiHigh (see FIG. 16) (in the case of “No”), the light irradiation control means 23 (see FIG. 1) of the control device 100 is determined. A correction amount for reducing the light amount of the halogen lamp 215 is set for the light irradiation device 200 (step S450a). As a result, the light intensity of the halogen lamp 215 is changed to a small light intensity LLow, which is smaller than the normal light intensity LSt (see FIG. 16).

After any of the processes of steps S420a, S440a, and S450a, the process proceeds to step S240 (see FIG. 6).

In such a stereoscopic image forming system 1000, even if the two-dimensional image printed on the expandable sheet 400 is an image in which it is difficult to secure a sufficient expansion height of the stereoscopic image, an extra amount of heat is given to the photothermal conversion ink. Therefore, the drying of the photothermal conversion ink can be accelerated. As a result, the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 can secure a sufficient expansion height of the stereoscopic image.

When the two-dimensional image printed on the expandable sheet 400 has a low degree of dryness, the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 applies an extra amount of heat to the photothermal conversion ink to ensure a sufficient expansion height of the stereoscopic image. Therefore, the calorific value adjustment control for the light irradiation process is performed. Therefore, in the stereoscopic image forming system 1000, for example, as shown in FIG. 17, the timing of whether or not to perform the heat quantity adjustment control changes depending on whether or not the printing process is performed immediately before the light irradiation process. FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing the timing of performing the heat quantity adjustment control.

(1) As shown in process 1 of FIG. 17, for example, the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 prints the photothermal conversion ink only on the first surface of the expandable sheet 400, and then performs a light irradiation process on the first surface. Suppose. In this case, the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 performs heat quantity adjustment control for the light irradiation process on the first surface (see step 2 of process 1).
(2) As shown in process 2 of FIG. 17, for example, the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 prints the photothermal conversion ink on the first surface of the expandable sheet 400, and then performs a light irradiation process on the first surface. Further, it is assumed that the photothermal conversion ink is printed on the second surface of the expandable sheet 400, and then the second surface is subjected to the light irradiation treatment. In this case, the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 performs heat quantity adjustment control for both the light irradiation process on the first surface and the light irradiation process on the second surface (see steps 2 and 4 of process 2).
(3) As in process 3 of FIG. 17, for example, the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 prints the photothermal conversion ink on both the first surface and the second surface of the expandable sheet 400, and then prints the ink on the first surface. It is assumed that the light irradiation treatment of the above and the light irradiation treatment of the second surface are performed. In this case, the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 performs heat quantity adjustment control with respect to the light irradiation process performed first among the light irradiation process on the first surface and the light irradiation process on the second surface (process 3). Refer to step 3 of.

In the present embodiment, as described above, the surface on the side where the thermal expansion layer 410 (see FIG. 3 (a)) is provided is the first surface of the expandable sheet 400, and the base material 415 (FIG. 3 (a)). ) Is provided as the second surface of the expandable sheet 400. However, depending on the form of forming the stereoscopic image, the surface on the side where the base material 415 (see FIG. 3A) is provided is set as the first surface of the expandable sheet 400, and the thermal expansion layer 410 (see FIG. 3A) is used. ) May be the second surface of the inflatable sheet 400. The example shown in FIG. 17 can also be applied to such a case.

Further, in the example shown in FIG. 17, when printing a color image, the timing of whether or not to perform the heat quantity adjustment control changes according to the timing of printing the color image.

In the present embodiment, for example, when the two-dimensional image printed on the expandable sheet 400 is an image in which it is easy to secure a sufficient expansion height of the stereoscopic image, the light irradiation device 200 reduces the power consumption. Therefore, the amount of heat given to the expandable sheet 400 during the light irradiation treatment is reduced. An image in which a sufficient expansion height of a stereoscopic image can be easily secured is likely to occur when the photothermal conversion ink is sufficiently dried. For example, when the amount of ink for photothermal conversion, which is made into a two-dimensional image by printing, is small, or when the elapsed time from printing the two-dimensional image is long, the three-dimensional image has a sufficient expansion height. Is easy to secure. For an image in which a sufficient expansion height of a stereoscopic image can be easily secured, it is desirable to suppress the amount of heat given to the photothermal conversion ink to reduce power consumption and shorten the processing time.

Therefore, the light irradiation control means 23 (see FIG. 1) of the control device 100 determines step S230 when the two-dimensional image printed on the expandable sheet 400 is an image in which it is easy to secure a sufficient expansion height of the stereoscopic image. In (see FIG. 6), as a corresponding process, a setting for increasing the transport speed of the expandable sheet 400 or a setting for reducing the amount of light of the halogen lamp 215 of the light irradiation device 200 is performed.

For example, the light irradiation control means 23 (see FIG. 1) of the control device 100 conveys the expandable sheet 400 when the amount of the photothermal conversion ink printed to form a two-dimensional image is less than the threshold value. Set the correction amount to increase the speed. Alternatively, for example, the light irradiation control means 23 (see FIG. 1) of the control device 100 determines the expandable sheet 400 when the amount of the photothermal conversion ink printed to form a two-dimensional image is less than the threshold value. Set the correction amount to reduce the amount of light shining on the.

Alternatively, for example, the light irradiation control means 23 (see FIG. 1) of the control device 100 increases the transport speed of the expandable sheet 400 when the elapsed time from printing the two-dimensional image 502 is equal to or greater than the threshold value. Set the correction amount. Alternatively, for example, the light irradiation control means 23 (see FIG. 1) of the control device 100 reduces the amount of light irradiated to the expandable sheet 400 when the elapsed time from printing the two-dimensional image 502 is equal to or greater than the threshold value. Set the amount of correction to be performed.

As a result, the light irradiation device 200 performs the light irradiation process (expansion process) based on the corresponding process set in step S230 (see FIG. 6) in step S250 (see FIG. 6).

Such a stereoscopic image forming system 1000 suppresses the amount of heat given to the photothermal conversion ink when the two-dimensional image printed on the expandable sheet 400 is an image in which it is easy to secure a sufficient expansion height of the stereoscopic image. Therefore, the power consumption can be reduced and the processing time can be shortened.

The amount of ink used for the photothermal conversion ink, which is obtained as a two-dimensional image by printing as described above, means the total amount of ink used in one sheet of the expandable sheet 400. However, the amount of ink for the photothermal conversion ink that has been printed to form a two-dimensional image is the case where one sheet is divided and the calorific value adjustment control is performed, such as the first half portion and the second half portion of one sheet. , The total amount of ink used in a desired area of the expandable sheet 400 in the transport direction (for example, the first half portion or the second half portion of one sheet) may be used. The total amount of ink used is the gray or black gradation value (K density) and printing because the two-dimensional image becomes a gray or black image when the photothermal conversion ink is an ink containing carbon black. It can be expressed as an integrated amount with the area of the area. However, the total amount of ink used is irrelevant to the gray or black gradation value (K density) because the two-dimensional image becomes colorless and transparent when the photothermal conversion ink is transparent in the visible light region. It becomes a parameter.

The amount of correction for the heat amount adjustment control described above varies depending on the printing form of the image in the printer 250. For example, the printer 250 has a surface of the expandable sheet 400 having a thermal expansion layer 410 (see FIG. 3A) and a surface of the expandable sheet 400 having no thermal expansion layer 410 (see FIG. 3A). The photothermal conversion ink is printed on one side of the above, the photothermal conversion ink is printed on both sides, or the color ink is printed on either side. The amount of correction varies depending on the printing form of such an image. An appropriate value of the correction amount can be obtained by various experiments.

<Main features of the stereoscopic image forming system according to this embodiment>
(1) The stereoscopic image forming system 1000 according to the present embodiment includes a printer 250 and a light irradiation device 200. The light irradiation device 200 performs heat quantity adjustment control for the light irradiation process according to the expansion conditions of the stereoscopic image.

Since such a stereoscopic image forming system 1000 can adjust the amount of heat given to the expandable sheet 400 during the light irradiation process, it is possible to stably secure a sufficient expansion height of the stereoscopic image.

(2) In the present embodiment, the printer 250 prints the print barcode 503 including the information related to the two-dimensional image on the expandable sheet 400. The light irradiation device 200 performs an arbitrary process (suitable process) according to the information contained in the print barcode 503.

In such a stereoscopic image forming system 1000, the expandable sheet 400 can have information to be notified from the printer 250 to the light irradiation device 200. Thereby, the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 can improve the convenience.

The three-dimensional structure created by the three-dimensional image forming system 1000 has a configuration in which a two-dimensional image 502 and a print bar code 503 are printed and a three-dimensional image is formed. Further, the three-dimensional structure has a configuration in which a pre-assigned barcode 501 different from the print barcode 503 is pre-printed. However, the pre-assigned barcode 501 is not always indispensable, and it is possible not to print it in advance.

(3) In the present embodiment, the printer 250 prints a print barcode 503 (see FIG. 3B) as an identifier including information related to the two-dimensional image on the expandable sheet 400 prior to the light irradiation process. .. At this time, it is preferable that the printer 250 prints the print barcode 503 (see FIG. 3B) near the end of the inflatable sheet 400, which is the tip side when the printer 250 is set in the light irradiation device 200. A pre-applied barcode 501 is pre-printed near the end of the expandable sheet 400. The printer 250 prints the print barcode 503 (see FIG. 3B) on the side on which the pre-applied barcode 501 of the expandable sheet 400 is printed and at a position avoiding the pre-applied barcode 501. ..

The print barcode 503 (see FIG. 3B) can be configured to include, for example, correction information for heat quantity adjustment control for the light irradiation process. In this case, the light irradiation device 200 can perform heat quantity adjustment control for the light irradiation process according to the correction information of the print barcode 503.

Further, the print barcode 503 (see FIG. 3B) can be configured to include, for example, the print time information of the two-dimensional image 502 printed by the printer 250. In this case, the light irradiation device 200 can perform heat quantity adjustment control for the light irradiation process according to the print time information of the print barcode 503.

Further, the print barcode 503 (see FIG. 3B) can be configured to include, for example, print area information of the two-dimensional image 502 printed with the photothermal conversion ink. In this case, the light irradiation device 200 can intensively perform the light irradiation process on the print area according to the print area information of the print barcode 503.

Since the print barcode 503 is to be read by the light irradiation device 200, it is printed with a certain density or more by an ink having a color instead of a colorless and transparent ink. However, the barcode should not be inflated so that the light irradiator 200 can accurately read it. Therefore, it is preferable that the printer 250 prints the print barcode 503 with a non-photothermal conversion ink that does not have a function of converting light into heat. Further, it is preferable that the printer 250 prints the print barcode 503 with a density that does not inflate the expandable sheet 400, although it can be visually recognized.

As described above, according to the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 according to the present embodiment, the expandable sheet 400 can have information to be notified from the printer 250 to the light irradiation device 200.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.
For example, the above-described embodiment has been described in detail in order to explain the gist of the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner. Therefore, the present invention is not necessarily limited to those including all the components described above. In addition, the present invention can add other components to a certain component, or change some components to other components. In addition, the present invention can also delete some components.

Further, for example, in the above-described embodiment, the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 controls the calorific value adjustment based on the determination result based on the two threshold values THigh (or TiHigh) of the first threshold value TLow (or TiLow) and the second threshold value. The control amount is changed (see FIGS. 10, 12, 14, and 16). However, the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 may change the control amount of the heat quantity adjustment control according to the determination result based on one threshold value. Alternatively, the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 may change the control amount of the heat quantity adjustment control according to the determination result based on three or more threshold values.

Further, for example, in the above-described embodiment, the amount of heat is adjusted according to the amount of ink of the photothermal conversion ink obtained as a two-dimensional image by printing the light irradiation device 200 by the printer 250 per sheet of the expandable sheet 400. It is described as performing control. However, the light irradiation device 200 performs heat quantity adjustment control according to the ink amount of the photothermal conversion ink obtained as a two-dimensional image by printing per desired area in the transport direction of the expandable sheet 400. Is also good. However, the light irradiation device 200 may perform calorific value adjustment control according to the average print density of the two-dimensional image printed on the expandable sheet 400, as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, for example. The average print density of the two-dimensional image means the average density of the photothermal exchange ink used for printing the two-dimensional image. The average print density of the two-dimensional image is, for example, the integrated amount of the gray or black gradation value (K density) of each pixel in the two-dimensional image and the print pixel area of the area of one sheet (or the expandable sheet 400). It is a value divided by (desired area in the transport direction).

FIG. 18 is a graph showing the relationship between the print average density and the light irradiation processing time. FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the print average density and the light irradiation processing time. In the example shown in FIG. 18, the print average density K1, K2, and K3 in three stages are shown in order from the lighter density side to the darker side. Further, as the light irradiation processing time corresponding to the print average density K1, K2, K3, the light irradiation processing time T1, T2, T3 is shown in order from the shorter time to the longer time.

The longer the light irradiation treatment time, the slower the transport speed of the expandable sheet 400. Therefore, among the light irradiation processing times T1, T2, and T3, the light irradiation processing time T3 has the slowest transport speed, the light irradiation treatment time T2 has the second slowest transport speed, and the light irradiation treatment time T1 is three. Secondly, the transport speed is slower.

Alternatively, the longer the light irradiation treatment time, the larger the amount of light of the halogen lamp 215 (see FIG. 2) (that is, the larger the amount of light given to the expandable sheet 400). Therefore, among the light irradiation processing times T1, T2, and T3, the light irradiation processing time T3 has the largest amount of light, the light irradiation processing time T2 has the second largest amount of light, and the light irradiation processing time T1 has the third largest amount of light. The amount of light is increasing.

In such a relationship, in FIG. 19, the regions to be light-irradiated in the expandable sheet 400 are in the order of low-concentration large region, medium-concentration large region, low-concentration small region, high-concentration large region, and medium-concentration small region. An example is shown in which the light irradiation processing times T1, T2, T1, T3, and T1 are applied to each region in order. As shown in the examples shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the light irradiation device 200 may perform calorific value adjustment control according to the average print density of the two-dimensional image printed on the expandable sheet 400. ..

Further, for example, in the above-described embodiment, the light irradiation device 200 reads the pre-assigned barcode 501 and the print barcode 503 with the barcode reader 340 (see FIG. 2). However, the light irradiation device 200 may read the barcode by a reading means such as a scanner or a camera instead of the barcode reader 340 (see FIG. 2).

Further, for example, the print barcode 503 (see FIG. 3B) can be changed to a two-dimensional barcode (QR code (registered trademark)) 504 as shown in FIG. 20. The two-dimensional bar code 504 is printed with the non-photothermal conversion ink in the same manner as the print bar code 503 (see FIG. 3B).

Further, as described above, for example, as the photothermal conversion ink, another ink can be used instead of the ink containing carbon black. For example, the photothermal conversion ink has a function of converting light such as infrared light or near-infrared light into heat, and an ink that is transparent in the visible light region can also be used.

Further, for example, the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 displays information related to the heat quantity adjustment control for the light irradiation process in the light irradiation device 200 (for example, correction information of the heat quantity adjustment control) provided on the printer 250 or the light irradiation device 200. It may be configured to display on a unit (not shown) and manage the heat quantity adjustment control based on the display information.

Further, for example, in the above-described embodiment, the printer 250 prints the two-dimensional image 502 only on the first surface of the inflatable sheet 400. However, the printer 250 can print the two-dimensional image 502 on the first side and the second side of the expandable sheet 400. Alternatively, the printer 250 can print the two-dimensional image 502 only on the second surface of the inflatable sheet 400. Further, the printer 250 can print a color image on the first surface of the expandable sheet 400. The light irradiating device 200 irradiates one or both of the first surface and the second surface of the inflatable sheet 400 according to these forms. At that time, the light irradiation device 200 performs heat quantity adjustment control.

When printing a color image, the stereoscopic image forming system 1000 performs calorific value adjustment control according to the degree of dryness of the photothermal conversion ink (the amount of heat of vaporization required to dry the photothermal conversion ink).

Further, for example, the light irradiation device 200 may control the light irradiation process based on both the start time of the light irradiation process and the time information.

Further, for example, in the above-described embodiment, the stereoscopic image forming apparatus 290 has a configuration in which the light irradiation apparatus 200 and the printer 250 are integrated (see FIG. 1). However, the light irradiation device 200 and the printer 250 may have separate configurations. In the case of this configuration, the light irradiation device 200 and the printer 250 can be independently installed in different places.

Further, for example, in the above-described embodiment, the halogen lamp 215 is fixedly installed in the light irradiation device 200, and the light irradiation process is performed by transporting the expandable sheet 400 (see FIG. 2). However, the halogen lamp 215 is movably installed, and the halogen lamp 215 in the lit state may be moved while the expandable sheet 400 is held in a fixed position to perform the light irradiation process. Considering such a configuration, the light irradiation process controls the amount of light, controls the transport speed of the expandable sheet (the relative speed of the expandable sheet with respect to the light irradiation unit), and moves the moving speed of the light irradiation unit that emits light ( At least one control of the relative velocity of the light irradiation unit with respect to the inflatable sheet) may be performed.

Further, for example, in the light irradiation device 200, the amount of light emitted to the two-dimensional image is the residual amount of volatile components contained in the photothermal conversion ink obtained as a two-dimensional image by being printed by the printer 250. Therefore, the two-dimensional image may be irradiated with light so that the amount of light corresponds to the amount of light remaining at the time of irradiation with light. Here, the "residual amount of the volatile component" means the amount of ink remaining on the expandable sheet 400 in a state where it is not sufficiently dried. The residual amount of the volatile component can be controlled by the amount of the photothermal conversion ink that is printed to form a two-dimensional image.

The inventions described in the claims originally attached to the application of this application are added below. The claims in the appendix are as specified in the claims originally attached to the application for this application.
[Additional Notes]
<< Claim 1 >>
A printer that prints a two-dimensional image on an expandable sheet with photothermal conversion ink,
A light irradiation device that expands a region of the inflatable sheet corresponding to the two-dimensional image by irradiating the two-dimensional image printed on the inflatable sheet with light.
With
In the light irradiation device, the amount of light emitted to the two-dimensional image corresponds to the elapsed time since the two-dimensional image was printed on the expandable sheet with the photothermal conversion ink by the printer. A three-dimensional image forming system characterized by irradiating the two-dimensional image with light so as to have a light amount.
<< Claim 2 >>
A printer that prints a two-dimensional image on an expandable sheet with photothermal conversion ink,
A light irradiation device that expands a region of the inflatable sheet corresponding to the two-dimensional image by irradiating the two-dimensional image printed on the inflatable sheet with light.
With
In the light irradiation device, the amount of light emitted to the two-dimensional image becomes the amount of light corresponding to the amount of ink of the photothermal conversion ink obtained as the two-dimensional image by being printed by the printer. As described above, a three-dimensional image forming system characterized by irradiating the two-dimensional image with light.
<< Claim 3 >>
When the elapsed time from printing the two-dimensional image by the printer is less than the threshold value, the light irradiation device is more than when it is equal to or more than the threshold value. The stereoscopic image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the relative velocity of the light irradiation unit or the relative velocity of the light irradiation unit with respect to the inflatable sheet is reduced.
<< Claim 4 >>
When the elapsed time from printing the two-dimensional image by the printer is less than the threshold value, the light irradiation device increases the amount of light of the light irradiation unit of the light irradiation device as compared with the case where the elapsed time is not more than the threshold value. The stereoscopic image forming system according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the three-dimensional image forming system is characterized.
<< Claim 5 >>
In the light irradiation device, when the amount of the photothermal conversion ink in printing the two-dimensional image is equal to or more than the threshold value, the expansion sheet of the expandable sheet with respect to the light irradiation unit of the light irradiation device is more than when the amount of the ink is less than the threshold value. The stereoscopic image forming system according to claim 2, wherein the relative speed or the relative speed of the light irradiation unit with respect to the expandable sheet is reduced.
<< Claim 6 >>
The light irradiation device increases the light amount of the light irradiation unit of the light irradiation device when the ink amount of the photothermal conversion ink in printing the two-dimensional image is equal to or more than the threshold value and is less than the threshold value. The stereoscopic image forming system according to claim 2 or 5.
<< Claim 7 >>
Claims 1 to claim 1, wherein the light irradiation device controls the irradiation of the light according to the amount of ink of the photothermal conversion ink printed per sheet in printing the two-dimensional image. The stereoscopic image forming system according to any one of 6.
<< Claim 8 >>
The printer prints an identifier including control information of the irradiation of light on the expandable sheet.
The stereoscopic image forming system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the light irradiation device irradiates light according to the control information of the identifier.
<< Claim 9 >>
A printer that prints a two-dimensional image on an expandable sheet with photothermal conversion ink,
A light irradiation device that expands a region of the inflatable sheet corresponding to the two-dimensional image by irradiating the two-dimensional image printed on the inflatable sheet with light.
With
In the light irradiation device, the amount of light emitted to the two-dimensional image is the residual amount of volatile components contained in the photothermal conversion ink obtained as the two-dimensional image by being printed by the printer. A three-dimensional image forming system characterized by irradiating the two-dimensional image with light so that the amount of light corresponds to the amount of light remaining at the time of irradiation of the light.
<< Claim 10 >>
A printing process that prints a two-dimensional image on an expandable sheet with photothermal conversion ink,
A light irradiation step of irradiating the two-dimensional image printed on the inflatable sheet with light to expand a region of the inflatable sheet corresponding to the two-dimensional image.
With
In the light irradiation step, the amount of light emitted to the two-dimensional image corresponds to the elapsed time since the two-dimensional image was printed on the expandable sheet with the photothermal conversion ink. A three-dimensional image forming method, characterized in that the two-dimensional image is irradiated with light so as to be.
<< Claim 11 >>
A printing process that prints a two-dimensional image on an expandable sheet with photothermal conversion ink,
A light irradiation step of irradiating the two-dimensional image printed on the inflatable sheet with light to expand a region of the inflatable sheet corresponding to the two-dimensional image.
With
In the light irradiation step, the amount of light emitted to the two-dimensional image is such that the amount of light corresponding to the amount of ink of the photothermal conversion ink obtained as the two-dimensional image by being printed by a printer. A method for forming a three-dimensional image, which comprises irradiating the two-dimensional image with light.
<< Claim 12 >>
A printing process that prints a two-dimensional image on an expandable sheet with photothermal conversion ink,
A light irradiation step of irradiating the two-dimensional image printed on the inflatable sheet with light to expand a region of the inflatable sheet corresponding to the two-dimensional image.
With
In the light irradiation step, the amount of light emitted to the two-dimensional image is the residual amount of volatile components contained in the photothermal conversion ink obtained as the two-dimensional image by being printed by a printer. A method for forming a three-dimensional image, which comprises irradiating the two-dimensional image with light so that the amount of light corresponds to the amount of light remaining at the time of irradiation of the light.
<< Claim 13 >>
For a light irradiation device that expands a region of the expandable sheet corresponding to the two-dimensional image by irradiating a two-dimensional image printed on the expandable sheet with a photothermal conversion ink by a printer.
The amount of light emitted to the two-dimensional image is such that the amount of light corresponds to the elapsed time since the two-dimensional image was printed on the expandable sheet by the photothermal conversion ink. A program for performing an irradiation process of irradiating the two-dimensional image with light.
<< Claim 14 >>
For a light irradiation device that expands a region of the expandable sheet corresponding to the two-dimensional image by irradiating a two-dimensional image printed on the expandable sheet with a photothermal conversion ink by a printer.
The two-dimensional image is such that the amount of light emitted to the two-dimensional image corresponds to the amount of ink of the photothermal conversion ink that has been made into the two-dimensional image by being printed by the printer. A program that performs irradiation processing that irradiates an image with light.
<< Claim 15 >>
For a light irradiation device that expands a region of the expandable sheet corresponding to the two-dimensional image by irradiating a two-dimensional image printed on the expandable sheet with a photothermal conversion ink by a printer.
The amount of light emitted to the two-dimensional image is the residual amount of volatile components contained in the photothermal conversion ink that is printed by the printer to form the two-dimensional image, and the irradiation of the light. A program for performing an irradiation process of irradiating the two-dimensional image with light so that the amount of light corresponds to the amount of light remaining at the time.

10 Control unit (CPU)
20 Stereoscopic image formation control means 21 Two-dimensional image formation control means 23 Light irradiation control means 31 Display operation control unit 32 Image selection means 50 Non-volatile storage unit (ROM)
52 Application Program 55 Volatile Memory (RAM)
100 Control device 150 Display operation unit 200 Light irradiation device (light irradiation means)
250 printer (two-dimensional image forming means)
290 3D image forming device 300 Management device 400 Expandable sheet 410 Thermal expansion layer 415 Base material 501 Pre-applied barcode (pre-applied identifier)
502 Two-dimensional image 503 Bar code (print bar code (print identifier))
1000 stereoscopic image formation system

Claims (14)

A printer that prints a two-dimensional image on an expandable sheet with photothermal conversion ink,
A light irradiating device for expanding a region of the inflatable sheet corresponding to the two-dimensional image by irradiating the two-dimensional image printed on the inflatable sheet with light is provided.
In the light irradiation device, when the elapsed time after printing the two-dimensional image with the printer is short, the amount of light emitted to the two-dimensional image is larger than when the elapsed time is long. A stereoscopic image forming system characterized by irradiating the two-dimensional image with light so as to increase the number. A printer that prints a two-dimensional image on an expandable sheet with photothermal conversion ink,
A light irradiating device for expanding a region of the inflatable sheet corresponding to the two-dimensional image by irradiating the two-dimensional image printed on the inflatable sheet with light is provided.
In the light irradiation device, when the amount of ink for photothermal conversion ink in printing the two-dimensional image is equal to or more than the threshold value, the amount of light emitted to the two-dimensional image is greater than when the amount is less than the threshold value. , A three-dimensional image forming system characterized by irradiating the two-dimensional image with light so as to increase the number. A printer that prints a two-dimensional image on an expandable sheet with photothermal conversion ink,
A light irradiating device for expanding a region of the inflatable sheet corresponding to the two-dimensional image by irradiating the two-dimensional image printed on the inflatable sheet with light is provided.
The light irradiation device is
The amount of light emitted to the two-dimensional image is such that the amount of light corresponds to the elapsed time since the two-dimensional image was printed on the expandable sheet with the photothermal conversion ink by the printer. Illuminate the two-dimensional image with light
When the elapsed time from printing the two-dimensional image with the printer is less than the threshold value, the relative velocity of the expandable sheet with respect to the light irradiation unit of the light irradiation device or the relative speed of the expandable sheet is higher than when the elapsed time is less than the threshold value. A stereoscopic image forming system characterized in that the relative speed of the light irradiation unit with respect to the expandable sheet is reduced. When the elapsed time from printing the two-dimensional image by the printer is less than the threshold value, the light irradiation device increases the amount of light of the light irradiation unit of the light irradiation device as compared with the case where the elapsed time is not more than the threshold value. The stereoscopic image forming system according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the three-dimensional image forming system is characterized. A printer that prints a two-dimensional image on an expandable sheet with photothermal conversion ink,
A light irradiating device for expanding a region of the inflatable sheet corresponding to the two-dimensional image by irradiating the two-dimensional image printed on the inflatable sheet with light is provided.
The light irradiation device is
The two-dimensional image is such that the amount of light emitted to the two-dimensional image corresponds to the amount of ink of the photothermal conversion ink that has been made into the two-dimensional image by being printed by the printer. Illuminate the image with light
When the amount of the photothermal conversion ink in printing the two-dimensional image is equal to or more than the threshold value, the relative velocity of the expandable sheet with respect to the light irradiation unit of the light irradiation device, or the said A stereoscopic image forming system characterized in that the relative speed of the light irradiation unit with respect to the inflatable sheet is reduced. Claims 1 to claim 1, wherein the light irradiation device controls the irradiation of the light according to the amount of ink of the photothermal conversion ink printed per sheet in printing the two-dimensional image. 5. The stereoscopic image forming system according to any one of 5. A printer that prints a two-dimensional image on an expandable sheet with photothermal conversion ink,
A light irradiating device for expanding a region of the inflatable sheet corresponding to the two-dimensional image by irradiating the two-dimensional image printed on the inflatable sheet with light is provided.
The printer prints an identifier including control information of the irradiation of light on the expandable sheet.
The light irradiation device is
The amount of light emitted to the two-dimensional image is such that the amount of light corresponds to the elapsed time since the two-dimensional image was printed on the expandable sheet with the photothermal conversion ink by the printer. Alternatively, the two-dimensional image is irradiated with light so that the amount of light corresponds to the amount of ink of the photothermal conversion ink that has been printed by the printer to form the two-dimensional image.
A stereoscopic image forming system characterized in that light is irradiated according to the control information of the identifier. A printer that prints a two-dimensional image on an expandable sheet with photothermal conversion ink,
A light irradiating device for expanding a region of the inflatable sheet corresponding to the two-dimensional image by irradiating the two-dimensional image printed on the inflatable sheet with light is provided.
In the light irradiation device, the amount of light emitted to the two-dimensional image is the residual amount of volatile components contained in the photothermal conversion ink obtained as the two-dimensional image by being printed by the printer. A three-dimensional image forming system characterized by irradiating the two-dimensional image with light so that the amount of light corresponds to the amount of light remaining at the time of irradiation of the light. A printing process that prints a two-dimensional image on an expandable sheet with photothermal conversion ink,
A light irradiation step of irradiating the two-dimensional image printed on the inflatable sheet with light to expand a region corresponding to the two-dimensional image in the inflatable sheet is provided.
The light irradiation step, when the elapsed time from the two-dimensional image is printed is shorter than when the elapsed time is long, so that the amount of light irradiated to the two-dimensional image is, the more In addition, a method for producing a stereoscopic image, which comprises irradiating the two-dimensional image with light. A printing process that prints a two-dimensional image on an expandable sheet with photothermal conversion ink,
A light irradiation step of irradiating the two-dimensional image printed on the inflatable sheet with light to expand a region corresponding to the two-dimensional image in the inflatable sheet is provided.
In the light irradiation step, when the amount of ink for photothermal conversion ink in printing the two-dimensional image is equal to or more than the threshold value, the amount of light emitted to the two-dimensional image is larger than when the amount is less than the threshold value. A method for producing a three-dimensional image, which comprises irradiating the two-dimensional image with light so as to increase the number. A printing process that prints a two-dimensional image on an expandable sheet with photothermal conversion ink,
A light irradiation step of irradiating the two-dimensional image printed on the inflatable sheet with light to expand a region corresponding to the two-dimensional image in the inflatable sheet is provided.
In the light irradiation step, the amount of light emitted to the two-dimensional image is the residual amount of volatile components contained in the photothermal conversion ink obtained as the two-dimensional image by being printed by a printer. A method for producing a stereoscopic image, which comprises irradiating the two-dimensional image with light so that the amount of light corresponds to the amount of light remaining at the time of irradiation of the light. For a light irradiation device that expands a region of the expandable sheet corresponding to the two-dimensional image by irradiating a two-dimensional image printed on the expandable sheet with a photothermal conversion ink by a printer.
When the elapsed time from printing the two-dimensional image by the printer is shorter than said when the elapsed time is long, the amount of light to be irradiated to the two-dimensional image, so that many, the A program that performs irradiation processing that irradiates a two-dimensional image with light. For a light irradiation device that expands a region of the expandable sheet corresponding to the two-dimensional image by irradiating a two-dimensional image printed on the expandable sheet with a photothermal conversion ink by a printer.
If the ink amount of the photothermal conversion inks in the printing of the two-dimensional image is not less than the threshold value, than when it is less than the threshold value, as the amount of light used for irradiation is, the more to the two-dimensional image, A program for performing an irradiation process of irradiating the two-dimensional image with light. For a light irradiation device that expands a region of the expandable sheet corresponding to the two-dimensional image by irradiating a two-dimensional image printed on the expandable sheet with a photothermal conversion ink by a printer.
The amount of light emitted to the two-dimensional image is the residual amount of volatile components contained in the photothermal conversion ink that is printed by the printer to form the two-dimensional image, and the irradiation of the light. A program for performing an irradiation process of irradiating the two-dimensional image with light so that the amount of light corresponds to the amount of light remaining at the time.

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