Etching inkjet printing apparatus and etching inkjet printing method

Abstract

The application discloses an etching inkjet printing device and an etching inkjet printing method, and relates to the technical field of inkjet printing. The method combines chemical etching technology and inkjet printing technology, and uses an image acquisition module to perform etching and printing positioning, so that more accurate and fine image etching and printing can be realized, deviation and error caused by manual operation and equipment error are avoided, etching precision and printing precision are improved, and the method is particularly suitable for application occasions in which the shapes of printing substrates are irregular. In addition, a pattern is etched on the surface of the printing substrate by spraying an etchant through a nozzle, so that a certain roughness is formed on the surface of the printing substrate, better adhesion between ink and the surface of the printing substrate is achieved, the printing effect is more firm, and the quality and stability of printing are improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of inkjet printing technology, and in particular to an etching inkjet printing device and an etching inkjet printing method. BACKGROUND

[0002] Inkjet printing technology is a printing technology that uses a nozzle to spray ink onto paper or other printing materials to form patterns, text or pictures. Inkjet printing technology has the characteristics of fast printing speed, low printing cost and good printing quality, and is widely used in various fields such as electronics, aviation, medical treatment, etc. However, due to factors such as unevenness and smoothness of the surface of the material, problems such as printing position deviation and unstable ink flow often occur during inkjet printing, thereby affecting the printing precision and printing quality. In order to solve these problems, the industry has proposed a method of chemical etching before inkjet printing. However, how to combine the chemical etching technology and the inkjet printing technology for image printing, especially when etching and printing are performed on some irregularly shaped printing substrates, how to ensure that the position of the printed image is consistent with the position of the etched pattern during inkjet printing is a problem to be solved. SUMMARY

[0003] Therefore, the embodiments of the present application provide an etching inkjet printing device and an etching inkjet printing method to solve the problems of inkjet printing position deviation and unstable ink flow in the prior art.

[0004] In a first aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide an etching inkjet printing device, which comprises an etchant spraying module, an image acquisition module and an inkjet printing module; wherein the etchant spraying module is used to spray etchant onto the surface of a printing substrate to etch a pattern; the image acquisition module is used to acquire a printing substrate image to determine an etching area or to acquire an etched pattern in the printing substrate to determine the position of a printing area, and the inkjet printing module is used to perform inkjet printing of an image based on the etched pattern.

[0005] Preferably, the etchant spraying module at least comprises a nozzle module including a first nozzle for spraying etchant and a second nozzle for spraying solvent; a storage module including a first storage container for storing etchant and a second storage container for storing solvent; and a delivery module including a first delivery pipeline for delivering etchant to the first nozzle and a second delivery pipeline for delivering solvent to the second nozzle.

[0006] Preferably, the nozzle module further comprises a third nozzle for spraying a cleaning agent; the storage module further comprises a third storage container for storing the cleaning agent; and the delivery module further comprises a third delivery pipeline for delivering the cleaning agent to the third nozzle.

[0007] Preferably, the substrate is any one, two or more of glass, crystal, metal, plastic, stone, etc.

[0008] In a second aspect, embodiments of the present application provide an etching inkjet printing method, applied to the etching inkjet printing device of any one of the first aspect, comprising:

[0009] controlling the image acquisition module to acquire an image of the substrate to obtain a first image;

[0010] determining an etching area of the substrate according to the first image;

[0011] determining a preset etching pattern according to a to-be-printed image;

[0012] controlling the etchant spraying module to etch the etching area according to the preset etching pattern;

[0013] controlling the image acquisition module to acquire an image of the substrate after etching to obtain a second image;

[0014] obtaining a printing area and printing parameters according to the second image and the to-be-printed image;

[0015] controlling the inkjet printing module to spray ink droplets to the printing area according to the printing parameters.

[0016] Preferably, the controlling the etchant spraying module to etch the etching area according to the preset etching pattern comprises:

[0017] controlling the etchant spraying module to spray the etchant to the etching area of the substrate according to the preset etching pattern using a first nozzle;

[0018] controlling the etchant spraying module to spray the solvent to the etchant according to the preset etching pattern using a second nozzle to mix with the etchant and generate a chemical reaction to form an etching pattern in the etching area.

[0019] Preferably, the method further comprises:

[0020] controlling the etchant spraying module to spray a cleaning agent to the surface of the substrate using a third nozzle to remove residues of the etchant and the solvent.

[0021] Preferably, the method further comprises, before the controlling the etchant spraying module to etch the etching area according to the etching pattern:

[0022] cleaning the surface of the substrate to remove surface dirt and impurities;

[0023] determining the types and mixing ratios of the etchant and the solvent according to the material of the substrate.

[0024] Preferably, the controlling the inkjet printing module to eject ink drops to the printing area according to the printing parameters comprises:

[0025] acquiring an etching depth of the etching pattern on the printing substrate;

[0026] judging whether it is necessary to eject filling ink before ejecting ink according to the printing data according to the etching depth;

[0027] if yes, acquiring filling data corresponding to the filling ink according to the etching pattern on the printing substrate and the etching depth;

[0028] controlling the inkjet printing module to eject the filling ink to the printing area according to the filling data to obtain a base layer;

[0029] controlling the inkjet printing module to eject ink to the surface of the base layer according to the printing data to obtain a printed image.

[0030] Preferably, the controlling the inkjet printing module to eject ink drops to the printing area according to the printing parameters comprises:

[0031] acquiring original image dot array data of the image to be printed;

[0032] adjusting the original image dot array data according to the etching depth to obtain new image dot array data;

[0033] controlling the inkjet printing module to eject ink drops to the printing area according to the new image dot array data and the printing parameters.

[0034] In a third aspect, an etching inkjet printing device is provided, and the device comprises:

[0035] a first image acquisition module, configured to control an image acquisition device to acquire a first image of a printing substrate;

[0036] an etching area acquisition module, configured to determine an etching area of the printing substrate according to the first image;

[0037] a preset etching pattern determination module, configured to determine a preset etching pattern according to an image to be printed;

[0038] an etching module, configured to control an etching agent ejecting module to etch the etching area according to the preset etching pattern;

[0039] a second image acquisition module, configured to control the image acquisition device to acquire a second image of the printing substrate after etching is completed;

[0040] The printing parameter acquisition module is configured to acquire a printing area and a printing parameter according to the second image and the image to be printed.

[0041] The printing module is configured to control an inkjet printing device to spray ink drops to the printing area according to the printing parameter.

[0042] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a storage medium having computer program instructions stored thereon, and the computer program instructions, when executed by a processor, implement the method of the second aspect in the above-described embodiments.

[0043] To sum up, the beneficial effects of the present application are as follows:

[0044] The etching inkjet printing device and the etching inkjet printing method provided by the embodiments of the present application can obtain a first image by controlling an image acquisition module to acquire an image of a printing substrate; determine an etching area of the printing substrate according to the first image; determine a preset etching pattern according to an image to be printed; control an etching agent spraying module to etch the etching area according to the preset etching pattern; control the image acquisition module to acquire an image of the printing substrate after etching to obtain a second image; acquire a printing area and a printing parameter according to the second image and the image to be printed; and control an inkjet printing module to spray ink drops to the printing area according to the printing parameter. The method combines chemical etching technology and inkjet printing technology, and uses the image acquisition module to position etching and printing, so that more accurate and fine image etching and printing can be achieved, deviations and errors caused by manual operation and equipment errors are avoided, etching precision and printing precision are improved, and the method is particularly suitable for application occasions in which the shape of the printing substrate is irregular. In addition, the etching agent is sprayed by the nozzle to etch a pattern on the surface of the printing substrate, so that a certain roughness is formed on the surface of the printing substrate, which helps the ink to form better adhesion with the surface of the printing substrate, makes the printing effect more firm, and thus improves the quality and stability of the printing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0045] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following will briefly introduce the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments of the present application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can also be obtained without creative labor on the premise that these drawings are within the protection scope of the present application.

[0046] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of an etching inkjet printing device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0047] Figure 2 FIG. 2 is a flow schematic diagram of an etching inkjet printing method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0048] Figure 3is a flowchart of the etching step of an embodiment of the present application.

[0049] Figure 4 is a flowchart of the printing step of an embodiment of the present application.

[0050] Figure 5 is a flowchart of the printing step of an embodiment of the present application.

[0051] Figure 6 is a structural diagram of an etching inkjet printing device of an embodiment of the present application.

[0052] Figure 7 is a structural diagram of a master control module of an etching inkjet printing device of an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0053] The features and exemplary embodiments of various aspects of the present application will be described below in detail, in order to make the purposes, technical solutions and advantages of the present application more clear and apparent, the present application will be further described in detail below in combination with the drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only configured to explain the present application, and are not configured to limit the present application. The present application can be implemented without some of these specific details by those skilled in the art. The following description of the embodiments is only to provide a better understanding of the present application by showing examples of the present application.

[0054] It should be noted that, in this paper, relational terms such as first and second are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply that there is any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "include", "contain" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that the process, method, article or device including a series of elements not only includes those elements, but also includes other elements not explicitly listed or inherent to such process, method, article or device. Without more limitations, the elements defined by the statement "include" do not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the elements.

[0055] Embodiment one

[0056] Please see Figure 1The etching inkjet printing device provided by the embodiment of the present application comprises an etching agent spraying module 11, an image acquisition module 12, an inkjet printing module 13, and a printing platform 3. The etching agent spraying module 11 is used to spray etching agent and solvent to the etching area 6 on the surface of the printing object 2 to etch a pattern. The image acquisition module 12 is used to acquire the image of the printing object to determine the etching area or acquire the etching pattern in the printing object to determine the position of the printing area. The inkjet printing module 13 is used to perform inkjet printing of an image based on the etching pattern. Figure 1 As shown in the figure, in the embodiment of the present application, the etching agent spraying module 11, the image acquisition module 12, and the inkjet printing module 13 are all arranged on the cross beam 5. The etching agent spraying module 11, the image acquisition module 12, and the inkjet printing module 13 can all reciprocate along the X direction on the cross beam 5, and the cross beam can reciprocate along the Y direction. The motion control module (not shown) of the etching inkjet printing device can drive the etching agent spraying module 11, the image acquisition module 12, and the inkjet printing module 13 to move along the X direction and / or the Y direction respectively, so that the etching agent or ink can be sprayed to any position in the printing object 2 on the printing platform 3. The printing object 2 can be made of glass, crystal, metal, plastic (including PVC, ABS, acrylic, etc.), stone, etc.

[0057] In one embodiment, the etching agent spraying module at least comprises a nozzle module, a storage module, and a delivery module. The nozzle module comprises a first nozzle for spraying etching agent and a second nozzle for spraying solvent. The storage module comprises a first storage container for storing etching agent and a second storage container for storing solvent. The delivery module comprises a first delivery pipeline for delivering etching agent to the first nozzle and a second delivery pipeline for delivering solvent to the second nozzle. Generally, etching agent needs to be stored in a sealed manner to prevent volatilization or contamination. The etching agent and the solvent are sprayed from different nozzles to the etching area in the printing object and mixed to produce a chemical reaction to achieve the purpose of etching.

[0058] In one embodiment, in the etching inkjet printing device, the nozzle module further comprises a third nozzle for spraying cleaning agent. The storage module further comprises a third storage container for storing cleaning agent. The delivery module further comprises a third delivery pipeline for delivering the cleaning agent to the third nozzle. The cleaning agent is used to remove the residues of etching agent and solvent on the surface of the printing object for subsequent inkjet printing.

[0059] In an embodiment, the image acquisition module can be a CCD / CMOS monocular camera, a 3D vision camera, or the like. The 3D vision camera can acquire not only a planar image but also a three-dimensional image. The image acquisition device can acquire an image of the printing object and the etching pattern in the printing object placed on the printing platform, and send the acquired electronic image to the host computer or the main control module of the etching inkjet printing device for image analysis and processing to obtain information of the etching pattern on the printing object, such as position information or etching depth information of the etching pattern.

[0060] Based on the above etching inkjet printing device, please refer to Figure 2 The embodiment of the present application provides an etching inkjet printing method, which specifically comprises the following steps:

[0061] S1: controlling the image acquisition module to acquire an image of the printing object to obtain a first image;

[0062] S2: determining an etching area of the printing object according to the first image;

[0063] S3: determining a preset etching pattern according to a to-be-printed image;

[0064] S4: controlling an etching agent spraying module to etch the etching area according to the preset etching pattern;

[0065] S5: controlling the image acquisition module to acquire an image of the printing object after etching to obtain a second image;

[0066] S6: acquiring a printing area and printing parameters according to the second image and the to-be-printed image;

[0067] S7: controlling an inkjet printing module to spray ink droplets to the printing area according to the printing parameters.

[0068] Specifically, in order to make the ink better jet on the surface of the substrate to improve the image printing quality, a corresponding pattern of the to-be-printed image or the outline of the to-be-printed image can be etched on the surface of the substrate by chemical etching before inkjet printing. The shape of the substrate can be any shape such as a rectangle, a circle, a star, a triangle, a trapezoid, etc. In order to ensure that the etched pattern matches the shape of the substrate, in the embodiment of the present application, the image acquisition module is controlled to acquire the image of the substrate, and the acquired electronic image is recorded as a first image. Then, the first image is processed to obtain the shape and size of the substrate, and the etching area is determined according to the shape and size of the substrate and the to-be-printed image to be printed subsequently. After the etching area is determined, the pattern to be etched on the substrate is obtained, which is recorded as a preset etching pattern. The preset etching pattern can be determined according to the to-be-printed image. The preset etching pattern can be consistent with the to-be-printed image or be the outline image or part of the image of the to-be-printed image. In an embodiment, a drawing tool or software is used to design the preset etching pattern according to the to-be-printed image or the preset etching pattern is obtained by directly importing the to-be-printed image. After the design is completed, the geometric shape, size and position of the preset etching pattern are checked to see whether they meet the requirements, and then the designed preset etching pattern is exported.

[0069] After the preset etching pattern is obtained, the etchant jetting module is controlled to jet the etchant and solvent in the etching area of the substrate to complete etching. After etching is completed, inkjet printing is performed. In order to accurately jet the ink on the etching pattern in the etching area during inkjet printing, in the embodiment of the present application, the image acquisition module is controlled to acquire the image of the substrate again to obtain a second image. The second image records the position of the etching area or the etching pattern on the substrate. According to the second image, the printing area of the ink during inkjet printing is obtained. According to the printing area and the to-be-printed image, printing parameters such as inkjet printing precision and printing mode are obtained. Then, the inkjet printing module is controlled to jet ink droplets to the printing area according to the printing parameters.

[0070] Please refer to Figure 3 In an embodiment, the control of the etchant jetting module to etch the etching area according to the preset etching pattern comprises:

[0071] S41: controlling the etchant jetting module to jet the etchant to the etching area in the substrate using a first nozzle according to the preset etching pattern;

[0072] S42: controlling the etchant jetting module to jet the solvent to the etchant to mix with the etchant and produce a chemical reaction to form an etching pattern in the etching area according to the preset etching pattern using a second nozzle.

[0073] Specifically, if the solvent and the etchant are mixed first to generate a corrosive liquid through a chemical reaction and then sprayed onto the etching area of the surface of the printing substrate through the nozzle, on the one hand, the corrosive liquid can corrode the nozzle, affecting the service life of the nozzle, and on the other hand, the corrosive liquid generated by the chemical reaction of the mixed solvent and etchant cannot be immediately sprayed onto the printing substrate through the nozzle, and the etching effect of the subsequent sprayed mixed liquid will be weakened, thereby affecting the etching effect. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, different first nozzles and second nozzles are used to spray the etchant and the solvent onto the etching area of the surface of the printing substrate, respectively. The first nozzles and the second nozzles can be arranged side by side on the spraying module of the etchant spraying module, and when the motion control module of the etching inkjet printing device controls the spraying module to move along the X or Y direction, the first nozzles and the second nozzles spray the etchant and the solvent onto the etching area of the surface of the printing substrate according to the preset etching image. In one embodiment, the spraying positioning of the etchant and the solvent is performed by using a grating positioning device. When the first nozzle reaches the spraying position and triggers the grating positioning device, the grating positioning device sends a spraying trigger signal to the main control module of the etching inkjet printing device, and the main control module sends a signal to drive the first nozzle to spray the etchant. Similarly, when the second nozzle reaches the etching agent spraying position, the second nozzle is controlled to spray the solvent, and the etchant and the solvent at the same position are mixed to generate a corrosive liquid through a chemical reaction, which corrodes the surface of the printing substrate to etch a pattern on the printing substrate. In other embodiments, the second nozzle can be controlled to spray the solvent onto the printing substrate first, and then the first nozzle can be controlled to spray the etchant into the solvent to generate a corrosive liquid through a chemical reaction to etch a pattern.

[0074] In one embodiment, before the control etchant spraying module etches the etching area according to the etching pattern, it further includes:

[0075] cleaning the surface of the printing substrate to remove surface dirt and impurities;

[0076] determining the types and mixing ratios of the etchant and the solvent according to the material of the printing substrate.

[0077] Specifically, in order to make the etchant better adhere to the surface, before etching, the surface of the printing substrate is first cleaned to remove surface dirt and grease and other impurities. In addition, appropriate etchant and solvent need to be selected according to the material of the printing substrate, and the mixing ratio of the etchant and the solvent needs to be set. Since the etchant and the solvent are sprayed onto the surface of the printing substrate in sequence in the embodiment of the present application, when spraying, the first nozzle and the second nozzle need to be controlled to mix the etchant and the solvent in the corresponding dose (such as by adjusting the spraying pressure of the nozzle to adjust the dose) according to the set mixing ratio.

[0078] In one embodiment, after the etching agent and solvent are sprayed on the printing substrate for a period of time to complete the etching pattern or the etching depth of the etching pattern meets the requirements, the etching agent spraying module is controlled to spray a cleaning agent on the surface of the printing substrate using a third nozzle to remove the residues of the etching agent and solvent, and the surface of the printing substrate is wiped with a soft brush or a cotton cloth to keep the surface clean so that the ink can better adhere to the etching pattern during subsequent inkjet printing to bring better printing effect.

[0079] After the etching pattern on the printing substrate is completed, the image acquisition module is controlled to acquire the image of the printing substrate again to obtain a second image, the second image records the position of the etching area or the etching pattern on the printing substrate, the printing area of the ink during inkjet printing is obtained according to the second image, and the printing parameters are obtained according to the printing area and the image to be printed. The printing parameters at least include the printing data corresponding to the image to be printed, the printing mode, and the printing area and the printing parameters are obtained according to the second image and the image to be printed, which includes:

[0080] image analysis is performed on the second image to determine the printing area;

[0081] The image to be printed is rasterized to obtain the corresponding printing data.

[0082] The printing mode is determined according to the accuracy of the printing data and the accuracy of the nozzle, and the printing mode includes a single PASS printing mode and a multiple PASS printing mode.

[0083] Specifically, the second image is an image containing the etching pattern information and the etching position information on the printing substrate, the position information of the etching pattern is obtained by image analysis on the second image to obtain the printing area. Exemplarily, the image analysis process includes: first, image grayscale processing is performed to convert a color image into a grayscale image, and the grayscale image is converted into a binary image to make the objects and backgrounds in the image into black and white colors to facilitate the segmentation and identification of the regions; the target objects and the background in the image are separated to facilitate the selection and identification of the printing area; the printing area is selected in the segmented target objects, and the position and size thereof are determined, the selected printing area is marked and transmitted to the inkjet printing module to enable the inkjet printing module to obtain the accurate printing area.

[0084] In addition to determining the accurate printing area, the corresponding printing data of the image to be printed is also needed to be obtained, and the image to be printed is rasterized to obtain the corresponding printing data. Further, the printing mode is determined according to the accuracy of the printing data and the accuracy of the nozzle, and the printing mode includes a single PASS printing mode and a multiple PASS printing mode. When the accuracy of the nozzle cannot meet the requirements, multiple PASS printing is needed to ensure the image accuracy and quality for the image with high accuracy requirements.

[0085] Please refer to Figure 4 In one embodiment, the controlling the inkjet printing module to eject ink to the printing area according to the printing parameter comprises:

[0086] S71: obtaining an etching depth of the etching pattern on the printing substrate;

[0087] S72: judging whether it is necessary to eject the filling ink before ejecting the ink according to the printing data according to the etching depth;

[0088] S73: if yes, obtaining the filling data corresponding to the filling ink according to the etching pattern and the etching depth;

[0089] S74: controlling the inkjet printing module to eject the filling ink to the printing area according to the filling data to obtain a base layer;

[0090] S75: controlling the inkjet printing module to eject the ink according to the printing data on the surface of the base layer to obtain a printing image.

[0091] Specifically, with the greater etching depth of the chemical etching, if the inkjet printing is directly performed on the etching pattern, the thickness of the inkjet ink is insufficient, so that the printing image can be recessed on the surface of the printing substrate, thereby affecting the final printing quality of the image. In the embodiment of the present application, before the inkjet printing image is performed, it is judged whether it is necessary to eject the filling ink to the etching area to form a base layer according to the etching depth, if the etching depth is greater, a base layer can be selected to be first ejected, and then color ink is ejected on the surface of the base layer to print the image, so that the printed image is more flat and beautiful. In another embodiment, it can also be judged whether it is necessary to eject the filling ink according to the material characteristics of the printing substrate. For example, a layer of white ink is first ejected on the transparent glass material to form a base layer, and then color ink is ejected on the base layer of the white ink to print a color image, so that the color image is more obvious and has higher contrast. Preferably, the filling ink is white ink. It is worth pointing out that the filling ink can be determined according to the actual production application, and is not limited to white, for example, when the surface layer of the product is black, the filling ink can be black ink, etc. In one embodiment, the filling data can be determined according to the etching depth of the etching pattern etched on the printing substrate. Preferably, the etching pattern actually etched on the printing substrate is extracted from the second image, the etching depth is obtained by image analysis and processing of the second image, and then the filling image and the filling thickness are determined according to the etching depth, the filling data is obtained by raster processing of the filling image, and the base layer is obtained by ejecting several layers of filling ink according to the thickness of the filling ink.

[0092] In one embodiment, the filling data corresponding to the filling ink is determined according to the etching pattern and the etching depth, comprising:

[0093] determining a filling image according to the etching pattern;

[0094] determining sub-filling data according to the filling pattern;

[0095] obtaining a scanning number of printing the sub-filling data according to the etching depth and a preset unit depth;

[0096] determining the filling data according to the scanning number.

[0097] Specifically, the scanning number (printing PASS number) of printing the filling data is obtained according to the etching depth and the preset unit depth, and then the total filling data is determined according to the scanning number (printing PASS number). The printing PASS number is obtained according to the etching depth and the preset unit depth, wherein, S is the etching depth, U is the preset unit depth, and the symbol is a floor function. The data of each PASS is a sub-filling data, and when the scanning number (printing PASS number) obtained according to the etching depth and the preset unit depth is S, the corresponding filling data includes S sub-filling data, each of which corresponds to a PASS printing. The existing inkjet printing equipment can often eject four kinds of similar ink dots, i.e., large ink dots, medium ink dots, small ink dots and empty ink dots. Among them, the ink amount of the large ink dots is the largest, the ink amount of the medium ink dots is the second, the ink amount of the small ink dots is the smallest, and the empty ink dots represent no ink. In order to make the filling ink thickness corresponding to the filling data of each PASS the largest, preferably, the filling data of each PASS is a full-pixel maximum ink dot. For example, if the maximum pixel accuracy that can be achieved in the etching area is 360x360 dpi, then in the printing of the filling data of each PASS, the large ink dots are used and the printing is performed with the accuracy of 360x360 dpi. For example, if the etching depth is 42 μm, because the etching depth 42 μm is greater than 20, then the printing PASS number Then the filling data includes 2 sub-filling data, and both of the 2 sub-filling data are full-pixel large ink dot data. In the printing of the filling data, the corresponding printing is performed in 2 PASS, one sub-filling data is printed at a time, and the printing of the filling data is completed after 2 PASS printing.

[0098] After the printing of the base layer is completed, the inkjet is controlled to perform image printing on the surface of the base layer according to the printing data, the printing mode and the like corresponding to the to-be-printed image. Since the chemical etching is performed before the image printing, a certain roughness is formed on the surface of the printing substrate after the etching, which helps to form better adhesion between the ink and the surface of the printing substrate, so that the printing effect is more firm. In addition, the inkjet printing sprays color ink onto the etched pattern, which can make the pattern clearer and more distinct, and enhance the image quality and image effect.

[0099] See Figure 5 In one embodiment, instead of using underlay printing, the image dot array data corresponding to the image to be printed is adjusted directly according to the etching depth to adapt to the surface of the printing substrate after laser etching.

[0100] Preferably, the controlling the inkjet printing module to eject ink drops to the printing area according to the printing parameters comprises:

[0101] S81: obtaining original image dot array data of the image to be printed;

[0102] S82: obtaining the etching depth of the etching pattern on the printing substrate;

[0103] S83: adjusting the original image dot array data according to the etching depth to obtain new image dot array data;

[0104] S84: controlling the inkjet printing module to eject ink drops to the printing area according to the new image dot array data and the printing parameters.

[0105] Before image printing, the bitmap format of the to-be-printed image needs to be halftone processed and converted into image dot array data recognizable by the inkjet printing module. Each dot data in the image dot array data corresponds to an ink dot and its ink amount. Taking 2-bit halftone processing as an example, the dot data includes dot data 00, dot data 01, dot data 10 and dot data 11. The dot data 00 represents that the ink amount of the corresponding ink dot is 0 (no ink), the dot data 01 represents that the ink amount of the ink dot is small ink amount (for example, 25%), the dot data 10 represents that the ink amount of the ink dot is medium ink amount (for example, 50%), and the dot data 11 represents that the ink amount of the corresponding ink dot is large ink amount (for example, 100%). After laser etching the printing substrate, the surface of the printing substrate is not a flat plane. With the greater the etching depth of the laser etching, if the inkjet printing is directly performed on the etched pattern, the thickness of the inkjet ink is insufficient, and then the printed image can be recessed on the surface of the printing substrate, thereby affecting the final image printing quality. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, according to the etching depth, the image dot array data is adjusted correspondingly, so that the ink amount is increased correspondingly, especially for the dot array data jetted into the etched area recessed on the surface of the printing substrate, the ink amount corresponding to the dot array data is increased, so that the ink amount thickness of the area is increased correspondingly to fill the recess caused by the laser etching, thereby avoiding the recess of the etched area to affect the overall image printing quality. For example, the corresponding dot array data of the etched area is obtained, the small ink dot in the dot array data is adjusted to a medium ink dot (or a large ink dot), and the medium ink dot is adjusted to a large ink dot to obtain new image dot array data. Then, the inkjet printing module is controlled to perform inkjet printing on the etched area according to the new image dot array data and the corresponding printing parameters. In other embodiments, the image dot array data can also be adjusted while filling data is used to optimize the printing effect. For example, when the etching depth is small, the printing effect can be optimized only by adjusting the ink amount of the image dot array data, and the adjustment of the image dot array data is mainly used. When the etching depth is large, the ink amount of the image dot array data can not be able to achieve a better effect, and the filling data can be used to improve the effect.

[0106] In summary, the etching inkjet printing method provided by the embodiment of the present application controls an image acquisition module to acquire an image of a printing substrate to obtain a first image, determines an etching area of the printing substrate according to the first image, determines a preset etching pattern according to a to-be-printed image, controls an etchant injection module to etch the etching area according to the preset etching pattern, controls the image acquisition module to acquire an image of the printing substrate after etching is completed to obtain a second image, acquires a printing area and printing parameters according to the second image and the to-be-printed image, and controls an inkjet printing module to inject ink droplets to the printing area according to the printing parameters. The method combines etching technology and inkjet printing technology, and uses an image acquisition module to position etching and printing, so that more accurate and fine image etching and printing can be realized, deviations and errors caused by manual operation and equipment errors are avoided, etching precision and printing precision are improved, and the method is particularly suitable for application occasions in which the shape of a printing substrate is irregular. In addition, the etching technology etches a pattern on the surface of the printing substrate, so that a certain roughness is formed on the surface of the printing substrate, which helps ink and the surface of the printing substrate to form better adhesion, makes the printing effect more firm, and thus improves the quality and stability of printing.

[0107] Embodiment two

[0108] Please refer to Figure 6 The embodiment of the present application provides an etching inkjet printing device 200, the device 200 comprises:

[0109] A first image acquisition module 201 is configured to control an image acquisition module to acquire an image of a printing substrate to obtain a first image.

[0110] An etching area acquisition module 202 is configured to determine an etching area of the printing substrate according to the first image.

[0111] A preset etching pattern determination module 203 is configured to determine a preset etching pattern according to a to-be-printed image.

[0112] An etching module 204 is configured to control an etchant injection module to etch the etching area according to the preset etching pattern.

[0113] A second image acquisition module 205 is configured to control the image acquisition module to acquire an image of the printing substrate after etching is completed to obtain a second image.

[0114] A printing parameter acquisition module 206 is configured to acquire a printing area and printing parameters according to the second image and the to-be-printed image.

[0115] A printing module 207 is configured to control an inkjet printing module to inject ink droplets to the printing area according to the printing parameters.

[0116] In summary, the etching inkjet printing device provided by the embodiment of the present application controls the image acquisition module to acquire the image of the printing substrate to obtain a first image; determines the etching area of the printing substrate according to the first image; determines a preset etching pattern according to the image to be printed; controls the etching agent spraying module to etch the etching area according to the preset etching pattern; controls the image acquisition module to acquire the image of the printing substrate after etching to obtain a second image; acquires a printing area and a printing parameter according to the second image and the image to be printed; and controls the inkjet printing module to spray ink drops to the printing area according to the printing parameter. The method provided by the present application combines the etching technology and the inkjet printing technology, and uses the image acquisition module to position etching and printing, so that more accurate and fine image etching and printing can be realized, and the deviation and error caused by manual operation and equipment error are avoided, thereby improving the etching precision and the printing precision, and the method is particularly suitable for application occasions in which the shape of the printing substrate is irregular. In addition, the etching technology is used to etch a pattern on the surface of the printing substrate, so that the surface of the printing substrate also has a certain roughness, which helps the ink to form better adhesion with the surface of the printing substrate, so that the printing effect is more firm, thereby improving the printing quality and stability.

[0117] Embodiment three

[0118] In addition, the etching inkjet printing method provided by the embodiment of the present application can be realized by the main control module of the etching inkjet printing device. Figure 7 The hardware structure schematic diagram of the main control module of the etching inkjet printing device provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0119] The main control module of the etching inkjet printing device can include a processor 301 and a memory 302 in which computer program instructions are stored.

[0120] Specifically, the processor 301 can include a central processing unit (CPU), or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or can be configured as one or more integrated circuits that implement the embodiment of the present application.

[0121] The memory 302 can include mass storage for data or instructions. By way of example, and not limitation, the memory 302 can include a hard disk drive (HDD), floppy disk drive, flash memory, compact disk (CD), digital versatile disk (DVD), magnetic tape, or Universal Serial Bus (USB) drive or a combination of two or more of these. The memory 302, in some embodiments, can include removable or non-removable (or fixed) media, where appropriate. The memory 302 can be internal or external, where appropriate. In certain embodiments, the memory 302 is nonvolatile, solid-state memory. In certain embodiments, the memory 302 includes read-only memory (ROM). Where appropriate, this ROM can be mask programmed ROM, programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), electrically alterable ROM (EAROM), or flash memory or a combination of two or more of these. In some embodiments, the memory 302 includes ROM. In some embodiments, the memory 302 includes random-access memory (RAM). In some embodiments, the memory 302 includes dynamic RAM (DRAM). In some embodiments, the memory 302 includes static RAM (SRAM). In some embodiments, the memory 302 includes fast page mode RAM (FPM RAM). In some embodiments, the memory 302 includes double data rate RAM (DDR RAM). In some embodiments, the memory 302 includes enhanced DDR RAM (DDR2 RAM), 3rd generation DDR RAM (DDR3 RAM), or 4th generation DDR RAM (DDR4 RAM). In some embodiments, the memory 302 includes low power DDR RAM (LPDDR RAM). In some embodiments, the memory 302 includes synchronous DRAM (SDRAM). In some embodiments, the memory 302 includes video random access memory (VRAM). In some embodiments, the memory 302 includes a combination of two or more of these. In some embodiments, the memory 302 includes a combination of volatile and non-volatile memory.

[0122] The processor 301 implements the etching inkjet printing method of any of the above embodiments by reading and executing computer program instructions stored in the memory 302.

[0123] In one example, the master module of the etching inkjet printing device further includes a communication interface 303 and a bus 310. As shown, the processor 301, the memory 302, and the communication interface 303 are connected through the bus 310 and complete communication among each other. Figure 7

[0124] The communication interface 303 is mainly used to realize the communication between the modules, devices, units and / or equipment in the embodiments of the present application.

[0125] The bus 310 includes hardware, software, or both that couples components of the master module of the etching inkjet printing device to each other. By way of example, and not limitation, the bus 310 can include an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) or other graphics bus, an Enhanced Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, a Front Side Bus (FSB), a HyperTransport (HT) interconnect, an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, an InfiniBand (IB) interconnect, a Low Pin Count (LPC) bus, a memory bus, a Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, a PCI-Express (PCI-X) bus, a Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) bus, a Video Electronics Standards Association Local (VLB) bus, or another suitable bus or interconnect, or a combination of two or more of these. Where appropriate, the bus 310 can include one or more buses. Although the present application is described and illustrated with a particular bus, the present application contemplates any suitable bus or interconnect.

[0126] ​Embodiment Four

[0127] In addition, in combination with the etching inkjet printing method in the above embodiments, a computer readable storage medium can be provided to implement the embodiments. The computer readable storage medium stores computer program instructions; the computer program instructions are executed by the processor 301 to implement any one of the etching inkjet printing methods in the above embodiments.

[0128] It should be noted that the present application is not limited to the specific configurations and processes described above and shown in the drawings. For the sake of brevity, detailed descriptions of well-known methods are omitted. In the above embodiments, several specific steps are described and shown as examples. However, the method processes of the present application are not limited to the specific steps described and shown, and those skilled in the art can make various changes, modifications and additions, or change the order of the steps, after understanding the spirit of the present application.

[0129] The functional blocks shown in the structural block diagrams described above can be implemented as hardware, software, firmware or a combination thereof. When implemented in hardware, it can be, for example, an electronic circuit, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), appropriate firmware, a plug-in, a functional card, etc. When implemented in software, the elements of the present application are program or code segments used to perform the required tasks. The program or code segments can be stored in a machine readable medium or transmitted through a data signal carried in a carrier wave over a transmission medium or communication link. The "machine readable medium" can include any medium capable of storing or transmitting information. Examples of machine readable media include electronic circuits, semiconductor memory devices, ROM, flash memory, erasable ROM (EROM), floppy disks, CD-ROMs, optical disks, hard disks, optical fiber media, radio frequency (RF) links, etc. The code segments can be downloaded via a computer network such as the Internet, an intranet, etc.

[0130] It should also be noted that the exemplary embodiments mentioned in the present application describe some methods or systems based on a series of steps or devices. However, the present application is not limited to the order of the above steps, that is, the steps can be performed in the order mentioned in the embodiments, or in an order different from the embodiments, or several steps can be performed simultaneously.

[0131] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, and those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity of description, the specific working process of the above described system, module and unit can refer to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be described here. It should be understood that the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto, and any skilled person in the art can easily think of various equivalent modifications or replacements within the technical scope disclosed by the present application, which should be covered within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. An etching inkjet printing method characterized by, The method comprises: controlling an image acquisition module to acquire an image of a printing substrate to obtain a first image; determining an etching area of the printing substrate according to the first image; determining a preset etching pattern according to a to-be-printed image; controlling an etchant spraying module to etch the etching area according to the preset etching pattern; controlling the image acquisition module to acquire an image of the printing substrate after etching is completed to obtain a second image; obtaining a printing area and a printing parameter according to the second image and the to-be-printed image; controlling an inkjet printing module to spray ink droplets to the printing area according to the printing parameter; wherein the controlling the inkjet printing module to spray ink droplets to the printing area according to the printing parameter comprises: obtaining an etching depth of an etching pattern on the printing substrate; determining whether it is necessary to spray filling ink before spraying ink according to printing data according to the etching depth; if yes, obtaining filling data corresponding to the filling ink according to the etching pattern on the printing substrate and the etching depth; controlling the inkjet printing module to spray the filling ink to the printing area according to the filling data to obtain a base layer; controlling the inkjet printing module to spray ink to the surface of the base layer according to the printing data to obtain a printed image.

2. An etching inkjet printing method characterized by, The method comprises: controlling an image acquisition module to acquire an image of a printing substrate to obtain a first image; determining an etching area of the printing substrate according to the first image; determining a preset etching pattern according to a to-be-printed image; controlling an etchant spraying module to etch the etching area according to the preset etching pattern; controlling the image acquisition module to acquire an image of the printing substrate after etching is completed to obtain a second image; obtaining a printing area and a printing parameter according to the second image and the to-be-printed image; controlling an inkjet printing module to spray ink droplets to the printing area according to the printing parameter; wherein the controlling the inkjet printing module to spray ink droplets to the printing area according to the printing parameter comprises: obtaining original image dot array data of the to-be-printed image; obtaining an etching depth of an etching pattern on the printing substrate; adjusting the original image dot array data to obtain new image dot array data according to the etching depth; controlling the inkjet printing module to spray ink droplets to the printing area according to the new image dot array data and the printing parameter.

3. The etching inkjet printing method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by, The controlling the etchant spraying module to etch the etching area according to the preset etching pattern comprises: controlling the etchant spraying module to spray an etchant to the etching area in the printing substrate according to the preset etching pattern using a first nozzle; controlling the etchant spraying module to spray a solvent to the etchant according to the preset etching pattern using a second nozzle to mix with the etchant and produce a chemical reaction to form an etching pattern in the etching area.

4. The etching inkjet printing method according to claim 3, characterized by, The method further comprises: controlling the etchant spraying module to spray a cleaning agent to the surface of the printing substrate using a third nozzle to remove residues of the etchant and the solvent.

5. The etching inkjet printing method according to claim 4, characterized by, The method further comprises: cleaning the surface of the printing substrate to remove surface dirt and impurities before the controlling the etchant spraying module to etch the etching area according to the etching pattern; determining the types and mixing ratios of the etchant and the solvent according to the material of the printing substrate.

6. An etching inkjet printing apparatus characterized by comprising: The etching inkjet printing device uses the etching inkjet printing method of any one of claims 1-5 to perform etching inkjet printing, and comprises an etchant spraying module, an image acquisition module, and an inkjet printing module; the etchant spraying module is used to spray etchant onto the surface of a printing substrate to etch a pattern; the image acquisition module is used to acquire an image of the printing substrate to determine an etching area or to acquire the etched pattern in the printing substrate to determine the position of a printing area, and the inkjet printing module is used to perform inkjet printing of an image on the basis of the etched pattern.

7. The etching inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein The etchant spraying module at least comprises a nozzle module including a first nozzle for spraying etchant and a second nozzle for spraying solvent; a storage module including a first storage container for storing etchant and a second storage container for storing solvent; and a delivery module including a first delivery pipeline for delivering etchant to the first nozzle and a second delivery pipeline for delivering solvent to the second nozzle.

8. The etching inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein The nozzle module further comprises a third nozzle for spraying a cleaning agent; the storage module further comprises a third storage container for storing the cleaning agent; and the delivery module further comprises a third delivery pipeline for delivering the cleaning agent to the third nozzle.

9. The etching inkjet printing apparatus of claim 6, wherein, The printing substrate is any one of glass, crystal, metal, plastic, stone, or two or more thereof.

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