JPH0615990A - Color image carving device of card carving machine and card - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To carve a color image in a card by driving and controlling a cutter on the basis of the color image data read by a control means with respect to the card having a plurality of color components formed thereto in a dot or line form by the driving signals outputted at every respective color components. CONSTITUTION:Cutter driving signals are outputted at every color components on the basis of the color image data read by a control circuit with respect to a card 100 wherein a plurality of color components (C, M, Y, W) are formed on a card substrate in a dot or line form and cutters are driven and controlled on the basis of the cutter driving signals. By the driving and controlling of the cutters, the gathering of image elements 200 composed of a plurality of color components is formed on the card 100 and a color image is displayed on the card 100 by the gathering of the image elements. As a result, the color image can be carved in the card.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a color image engraving system of a card engraving machine used for engraving characters and images on a plastic card and a card on which a color image is engraved by this engraving system.

[0002]

[Prior art and problems to be solved] In recent years, credit cards, cash cards, membership cards,
Alternatively, many cards such as employee ID cards, student ID cards, and commuter passes have been issued to prove the identity of the user. Conventionally, in order to prove the user of such a card, a facial photograph of the user is pasted on the card, or a printing plate is created using the facial photograph as a document, and the face is printed on the card using this printing plate. Various methods have been tried, such as printing a photo. On the other hand, the character data is separately displayed on the card by printing or writing. However, the method of pasting a facial photograph on a card is not perfect in terms of preventing forgery / alteration of the card, and if the card is stolen / lost, the facial photograph may be replaced and misused. Further, in the above card making method, the photograph / image data and the character data must be separately attached, printed or written, which makes the card making troublesome and time-consuming. Therefore, it is not suitable for immediate card issuance,
Reissuing cards is not easy either. In addition, it is not possible to immediately respond to data management using cards such as personnel files. Furthermore, the above card making method has drawbacks in that it has a difficulty in durability such as a facial photograph, is easily damaged by friction during long-term use, and makes it difficult to prove the user within the valid period of the card. is there.

Therefore, in order to solve the above-mentioned drawback, the applicant of the present invention has proposed a card engraving machine capable of engraving character data and photograph / image data on one card at the same time. This card engraving machine moves the cutter relative to the card in the two-dimensional row and column directions, and in the process of moving the cutter, drives and controls the cutter in accordance with the characters, photographs, and image data read from the imaging means. A character / image corresponding to the read character / photo / image data is simultaneously engraved on one card, which is an effective means that can greatly contribute to the creation of the above various cards. However, the current card engraving machine forms a coating film of different colors on the card substrate, scrapes off the coating film portion, and expresses the image by the ratio of the size at which the background color of the card substrate appears. Therefore, for example, only a monochrome black and white color can be expressed, and a color image cannot be expressed. Therefore, some measure for engraving a color image corresponding to the original image has been demanded.

The present invention has been proposed in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to provide a novel image engraving system capable of engraving a color image on a card.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is based on color image data read by a control means for a card in which a plurality of color components are formed in a dot shape or a line shape. The image engraving method is used to drive and control the cutter by the drive signal output for each color component. In this method, a card is formed with reference points on two sides in the row and column directions and a plurality of color components so as to have a fixed positional relationship with the reference points, and the control means reads the color components. A method is adopted in which the obtained color image data is decomposed and generated into each color component, and the cutter is drive-controlled for each component based on this signal. In that case, the cutter
When the card is driven, the reference point of the card is read and the drive is controlled based on the signal.

Further, in the above method, a plurality of color components are formed in a delta shape, and this delta array is printed / formed in the row / column direction of the card, and the drive control of the cutter is performed to
It is also one of the features of the present invention that each of the components is moved to each engraving point of the corresponding one component of the card with reference to the reference points on the two sides, and each engraving point is engraved while controlling the engraving depth. .

Further, according to the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, a plurality of color components are formed in a dot shape or a line shape on a card substrate. In this case, the card base has a white background or a black ground, and a reference point and a plurality of color components having a fixed positional relationship with the reference point are formed on two sides in the row and column directions. The plurality of color components include the three primary colors and the black or white component. Further, in the above card structure, the present invention is characterized in that a plurality of color components are coated and the coating is a black coating when the card base is a white background and a white coating when the card base is a black background. .

[0008]

[Function] Regarding the plurality of color components obtained by decomposing and generating the color image read by the control means during the engraving operation,
By moving the cutter to each engraving point of the corresponding one component of the card based on the reference points on the two sides formed on the card for each component and engraving while controlling the engraving depth of each engraving point, each color For each component, the color of the component at each engraving point appears in the size of a predetermined ratio. As a result, a set of picture elements composed of a plurality of color components is formed by removing the coating film within the engraving area of the card. A color image corresponding to the read color image can be displayed on the card by this set of picture elements.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic construction of a card engraving machine according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of its main portion, FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a movement locus of a cutter with respect to a card, and FIG. 4 is an engraving target. Shows a card. The card 100 is formed by applying a black coating on a white plastic substrate, and is placed on the table 10 of the engraving machine and reciprocated.

The table 10 is reciprocated with a constant stroke through a crank mechanism 12 by driving a table motor 11. The direction of reciprocation of the table 10 is the card 1
It corresponds to the line direction of the engraving for 00. Table 1
A linear encoder 13 is attached to 0. When the table 10 reciprocates, the scale of the linear encoder 13 is detected by the photoelectric sensor 14, and the photoelectric sensor 14 outputs a pulse having a constant cycle. This pulse is input to the control circuit, and based on the input, the engraving operation of the cutter is performed in synchronization with the movement of each mechanical unit and the reading operation of character / image data.

A cutter unit 20 having a cutter 21 is assembled above the installation position side of the card 100. Further, the cutter unit 20 is assembled with a drive mechanism 210 which is composed of an electromagnet and changes the engraving depth by moving the cutter 21 up and down depending on the magnitude of the input current. The cutter 21 has a rhombic cross section and a pyramidal tip. However, the shape of a part of the cone may be a segment. Cutter unit 20
Is carried above the card 100 via the belt mechanism 23 by driving the pulse motor 22, and then the motor 2
4 is driven to descend onto the card 100 via the up-and-down mechanism 25. At this time, the cutter 21 is positioned at the engraving start point of the card 100. The moving direction of the cutter unit 20 is the front-back direction orthogonal to the direction of reciprocating movement of the table 10, that is, the row direction of the cards 100. When the cutter unit 20 moves forward above the card 100 and the pulse motor 22 stops, the cutter 20 is lowered onto the card 100 by the vertical movement mechanism 25. When the cutter unit 20 descends, the connection between the cutter unit 20 and the belt mechanism 23 is released, and the cutter unit 20 is engraved and fed from the forward position to the rear side by the lead screw 26. That is, during the engraving operation, the cutter unit 20 rotates the table 1 by the rotation of the lead screw 26.
It is sent to the rear side in conjunction with 0 reciprocating motion. The lead screw 26 is connected to the table motor 24 via a gear mechanism 27 and a belt mechanism 28.
4, the table 10 is reciprocally driven and rotated. As a result, the cutter 2 of the cutter unit 20
1 is sent to the rear side orthogonal to the reciprocating motion of the table 10 while performing the engraving operation in conjunction with the reciprocating motion of the table 10. Further, the lead screw 26 is held in an idling state by the action of a clutch mechanism (not shown) when the cutter unit 20 is moved forward by driving the pulse motor 22, and at the same time the coupling with the belt mechanism 23 is released at the forward position, the cutter is at the same time. It is connected to the unit 20. When the cutter 21 reaches the end of the engraving range of the card 100, the cutter unit 20 is lifted above the table 10 via the vertical movement mechanism 25. Simultaneously with this lifting operation, the belt mechanism 23 is connected to the cutter unit 20, and the connection between the cutter unit 20 and the lead screw 26 is released.

FIG. 3 shows a relative movement locus of the cutter 21 with respect to the card 100 during the engraving operation.
When the table 10 reciprocates with a constant stroke and the cutter unit 20 moves from the forward position to the rear side by one pitch interval by the rotation of the lead screw 26,
The cutter 21 relatively moves in the column direction while moving in the row direction of the card 100 from the engraving start point, and reaches the end of the engraving. At this time, the cutter 21 is engraved and fed in the row / column direction of the card 100 at a predetermined pitch interval while being driven in the engraving direction by the drive mechanism 210 incorporated in the cutter unit 20. The depth control of the cutter 21 in the engraving direction, that is, the control of the engraving depth of the card 100 is performed based on the cutter drive signal output from the control circuit 40.

The character / image data read from the source 30 is corrected and calculated by the control circuit 40 into a signal suitable for engraving, and then output as a cutter drive signal via the D / A converter 31 and the drive amplifier 32. To be done. This cutter drive signal is applied to the drive mechanism 210 of the cutter unit 20.

As the source 30, the character / image data represented on the manuscript is read through an optical image pickup means, and A /
Examples include D-converted signal-processed data, character-image data captured by a video camera or other means processed by a computer into a signal suitable for engraving, and the like. The character / image data of the source 30 is read by the control circuit 40 dot by dot in accordance with the engraving operation of the cutter 20. Alternatively, one color image is read during the engraving operation. The control circuit 40 is composed of a CPU 41 and a DSP (digital signal processor).

Next, a color image engraving method according to the present invention will be described. The source 30 stores the data of the color image to be engraved on the card 100.

The card 100 is shown in FIG.
(B) As shown in FIG. 5, a black plastic coating 111 is applied to the surface of a white plastic card substrate 110. The four sides around the card 100 are the base material 11
A white color of 0 is displayed, and the reference points 110A, 110B, and 110C, 11 that serve as printing references on two sides in the row and column directions.
0D is formed. Under the coating film 111, three components of three primary colors (cyan C, magenta M, and yellow Y) and one luminance component representing brightness (white W of the opposite color to the coating film 111) are predetermined. It is printed in a predetermined array at the position. At the time of this printing, the reference points 110A, 110B and 110C, 110D formed on the two sides are read by an optical sensor, and three color components (C, C, C) are read at predetermined positions in the engraving range of the card 100 with reference to the read reference points. (M, Y) and one luminance component (white W) are printed in dots to form delta-shaped picture elements composed of a collection of four components. The four-component delta array is repeatedly formed in a predetermined array in the row and column directions of the card 100 as shown in FIG. 5 with reference to the read reference points on the two sides. However, the four components are not limited to the delta arrangement, and may be printed / formed in a predetermined arrangement at predetermined positions with reference to the reference points on the two sides. A coating film 111 is formed on a group of four components printed in this engraving area.

At the start of the engraving operation, the control circuit 40 reads the color image data accumulated in the source 30. The read color image is subjected to signal processing by three components (cyan C, magenta M, yellow Y) representing the three primary colors and one luminance component (in this case, the coating film 111) representing the brightness. It is decomposed and generated with the opposite color of white W). The four components (C,
M, Y) and (W) are held by the control circuit 40, and a drive signal for driving and controlling the cutter 21 is calculated and extracted for each component. This cutter drive signal is applied to the drive mechanism 210 of the cutter head 20 via the D / A converter 31 and the drive amplifier 32.

When engraving each component, reference points 110A, 110B and 110C formed on two sides of the card 100,
110D is read by the optical sensor 50, and the engraving operation is performed in the row and column directions for each component with the read reference point as a reference. That is, the detection signal of the optical sensor 50 is input to the control circuit 40, and based on this input, the cutter 21 is correctly positioned and controlled at each engraving point of one component of the card 100 for each engraving of one component.

Although the engraving order of each component is set in the order of the color components C, M, Y, and the luminance component W in this example, the order can be arbitrarily selected and set.

When the engraving operation for each component is started, the cutter drive signal corresponding to the color component C is sent to the cutter drive mechanism 21.
Added to 0. As a result, the cutter 21 is relatively engraved in the row and column directions from the engraving start point to the end while the engraving depth of the card 100 is controlled.
That is, the cutter 21 is relatively engraved and fed from the engraving start point to the end of the card in the row direction and the column direction at intervals according to the C component. In the process of sending the engraving, the card 100
Each engraving point of the corresponding C component is engraved by a predetermined depth by controlling the engraving depth of the cutter 21 at each point. As a result, the color of the C component printed on the card 100 appears at a predetermined ratio at each engraving point within the engraving range.

When the color component C is engraved, the engraving points of the two color components M, Y and one luminance component W are then subjected to the same procedure as above by the movement control of the cutter 21 and the engraving depth control. Engraved in order to a predetermined depth.
As a result, the colors of the M, Y, and W components printed on the card 100 appear at a predetermined ratio at each engraving point in the engraving range. When the engraving operation is completed for all the decomposed and generated components (C, M, Y and W),
As shown in FIG. 5, a set of picture elements 200 composed of three color components (C, M, Y) and one luminance component (W) is formed in the engraving range of the card 100. By the set of the picture elements 200, a color image corresponding to the read color image is formed in the engraving range of the card 100.

In the above embodiment, three color components (C, M, Y) and one luminance component (W) are sequentially engraved in this order. For example, four color components are arranged at each delta array position. The components may be sequentially engraved one by one, and the four components may be engraved one by one for each delta array. Alternatively, the four components may be engraved one by one at each engraving position instead of sequentially by one component, and this may be performed over the entire engraving range.

Next, FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the present invention. In the engraving range of the card 100, three color components (magenta M, cyan C, yellow Y) and one luminance component ( Black B or white W, white W in this case) is formed in a strip shape, and four strip-shaped components are repeatedly printed / formed over the engraving range.

When engraving a color image, the cutter 21
When the engraving operation of is started, the cutter 21 makes the card 100
Is sent relative to the engraving direction. The engraving operation is performed while controlling the engraving depth for each component. By this, the M, C, and
Predetermined portions of the Y and W components are engraved over the engraving range with a depth and width corresponding to each component. And card 1
A group of picture elements 200 consisting of four components is formed in the engraving range of 00. A color image corresponding to the read color image is formed on the card surface by the set of the picture elements 200. In the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the cutter 21 engraves and feeds the engraving range of the card 100 in a line shape, and the engraving depth is controlled with respect to the engraving position during the engraving feeding process. As described above, even when each component is arranged in a strip shape, a color image can be engraved with a constant resolution as described above.

[0026]

As described above, according to the present invention, the color image corresponding to the read color image can be easily engraved on the card surface, and the color image can be easily engraved on various identification cards. Can be realized. In addition, a card is printed for each color component, and an engraving process is performed on each printed component, which requires technology for each process, requires precision in positioning during printing and engraving, and engraving Since high precision is required,
It is difficult to forge / alter the card, and it is possible to reliably prevent forgery / alteration.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a card engraving machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial plan view of a card engraving machine.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a movement trajectory of a cutter in a card engraving machine.

4A and 4B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view showing a card according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a main part plan view showing a partial configuration of a card.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a card structure according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 100 card 110 card base 111 coating film C, M, Y color component W, B luminance component 40 control circuit 21 cutter 110A, 110B reference point 110C, 110D reference point 200, 200 'picture element

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An image engraving machine for a card engraving machine which has a cutter that moves relative to a card in the row and column directions, reads image data from a source to a control means, and drives and controls the cutter based on the image signal. In the method, for a card in which a plurality of color components are formed in a dot shape or a line shape, the cutter is driven and controlled by a drive signal output for each color component based on the color image data read by the control means. Image engraving method of card engraving machine, which is characterized by that. 2. An image engraving machine for a card engraving machine, which has a cutter that moves relative to a card in the row and column directions, reads image data from a source to a control means, and drives and controls the cutter based on this image signal. In the method, a standard point is formed on the two sides in the row / column direction of the card, and a plurality of color components are formed so as to have a fixed positional relationship with respect to the standard point, and the control unit is configured to 2. The image engraving method of the card engraving machine according to claim 1, wherein the color image data read by the above is decomposed and generated into each color component, and the cutter is drive-controlled for each component based on this signal. . 3. The card engraving machine according to claim 1, wherein the cutter reads a reference point of the card when driving the card, and drive-controls the signal based on the signal. method. 4. A plurality of color components are formed in a delta shape, the delta array is printed / formed in the row / column direction of the card, and the reference point of the two sides is set as a reference for each component by drive control of a cutter. 4. The method is characterized by moving to each engraving point of the corresponding one component of the card, and engraving each engraving point while controlling the engraving depth.
Color image engraving method of the card engraving machine described in. 5. A card characterized in that a plurality of color components are formed in a dot shape or a line shape on a card base. 6. A card base having a white background or a black ground,
The card according to claim 5, wherein a reference point and a plurality of color components having a fixed positional relationship with respect to the reference point are formed on two sides in the row and column directions. 7. The card according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of color components include three primary colors and a black or white component. 8. A plurality of color components are coated, and when the card base is a white background, the coating is a black coating, and when the card base is a black background,
The card according to claim 7, which has a white coating.