Agitation device, printing device, control method and program

Abstract

To provide an agitation device capable of performing a proper ink agitation operation depending on surrounding situations, a printer, a control method, and a program.SOLUTION: A printer comprises an agitation control part that controls an agitation part for agitating ink. The agitation control part acquires information on the periphery of the printer (S4), and controls an agitation speed of the agitation part on the basis of the acquired information on the periphery of the printer.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an agitation device, a printing device, a control method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, printing devices (nail print devices) that print designs on fingernails and the like are known. When printing on fingernails, a base layer of white or other color may be formed on the nail before printing the nail design so that the finish is not affected by the color of the nail. This white base layer is formed by hand painting or by a printing device, but as described in Patent Document 1, particles in the white ink coloring material, which is mainly composed of metal oxide and is the base of the layer, tend to settle in the solvent, and regular stirring is required. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-049829 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Since the particles in the white ink colorant are prone to settling, it is desirable to shake the ink cartridge at high speed in order to disperse the particles more quickly. However, if stirring is suddenly started using a motor or the like, a loud noise is generated, which may startle people around the user. For example, if a user is performing a hand-painting process such as a base coat or top coat near the nail printing device, this may cause the user's hand to move and the coating to fail. Even if it does not startle the user, it is undesirable for the loud stirring operation sound to continue for a long time, and it may cause discomfort to people around.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide an agitation device, a printing device, a control method, and a program that are capable of performing appropriate ink agitation operation according to the surrounding conditions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the stirring device of the present invention is A stirring device provided in a printing device, agitation means for agitating the ink; An acquisition means for acquiring information about the surroundings of the own device, the information being information about the presence or absence of people around the own device, information about the distance between the own device and people around it, or information about audio around the own device; a stirring control means for controlling a stirring speed of the stirring means based on whether a user is operating an operation unit or a display unit of the own device and on information about the surroundings of the own device acquired by the acquisition means; Equipped with When the stirring control means determines that the user is not operating an operation unit or a display unit of the device itself and determines that a person is present around the device itself based on information on the presence or absence of people around the device itself, the stirring control means controls the stirring speed to be zero, and when the stirring control means determines that the user is not operating an operation unit or a display unit of the device itself and determines that no person is present around the device itself, the stirring control means controls the stirring speed to be greater than zero. It is characterized by: Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an agitation device, a printing device, a control method, and a program that are capable of performing an appropriate ink agitation operation according to the surrounding conditions. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view conceptually illustrating an embodiment of a printing device according to the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is a block diagram showing a main part of a control configuration of a printing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 3] 3 is a flowchart showing a flow of an agitation control process A executed by the agitation control unit of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a case where the proportion of people in a captured image is large (exceeding a predetermined proportion). [Diagram 5]FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a case where the proportion of people in a captured image is small (a predetermined proportion or less). [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a case where a photographed image includes a plurality of people; [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a main part of a control configuration of a printing device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 8] 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of an agitation control process B executed by the agitation control unit of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of a mixing device, a printing device, a control method, and a program according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, the embodiments described below are subject to various limitations that are technically preferable for implementing the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments and illustrated examples. In the following embodiment, a printing device including the configuration of the stirring device according to the present invention is described as a nail print device that prints a nail design on the printing target of fingernails, but the printing target of the printing device in the present invention is not limited to fingernails, and may be, for example, toenails. Furthermore, the printing device is not limited to a nail print device, and may be a general printing device that prints images on a recording medium such as paper. Furthermore, the configuration of the printing device does not need to include a stirring device, and the printing device and the stirring device may exist separately.

[0010] [First embodiment] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a printing device (nail print device) 1 including a stirring device according to the present invention Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a main control configuration of the printing device 1.

[0011] In this embodiment, the printing device 1 has a housing 11 formed in a substantially box shape, as shown in FIG. An operation unit 12 is provided on the top surface (top plate) of the housing 11. The operation unit 12 is an operation unit through which the user performs various inputs. The operation unit 12 is configured with operation buttons for performing various inputs, such as a power switch button for turning on the power of the printing device 1, a stop switch button for stopping the operation, and a print start button for instructing the start of printing. When the operation unit 12 is operated, an operation signal corresponding to the operation is output to the control device 30 (see FIG. 2), and the control device 30 performs control according to the operation signal, causing each part of the printing device 1 to operate. Instead of the operation unit 12, each unit of the printing device 1 may be operated in accordance with an operation signal input from a terminal device such as a PC (Personal Computer), a smartphone, or a tablet.

[0012] Furthermore, a display unit 13 is provided on the top surface (top plate) of the housing 11. The display unit 13 is configured with, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic electroluminescence display (OLED), other flat displays, etc. The display unit 13 appropriately displays, for example, a nail design selected by the user, various guide screens, notification screens, etc. A touch panel for performing various inputs may be integrally configured on the surface of the display unit 13. In this case, the touch panel functions as the operation unit 12.

[0013] The printing device 1 also includes a communication unit 14 (see FIG. 2). The communication unit 14 is configured to be capable of transmitting and receiving information to and from an external device such as a PC (Personal Computer), a smartphone, or a tablet via wired or wireless communication. The communication unit 14 is connected to a communication control unit 311 (see FIG. 2) of the control device 30, which will be described later, and is controlled by the communication control unit 311.

[0014] The printing device 1 also includes a speaker 17. The speaker 17 is controlled by the control unit 31 and outputs voice such as guidance.

[0015] A finger insertion opening 15, which is an opening into which a finger is inserted when printing is performed by the printing device 1, is formed on the front side of the housing 11 of the printing device 1 (the front side in the Y direction in FIG. 1). The inside of finger insertion opening 15 is a finger holding section 2 for placing and holding a printing finger inserted during printing. Here, the printing finger is a finger that corresponds to the nail that is to be printed by printing section 40. The inside of the housing 11 is divided into upper and lower sections by a partition plate 16, and the finger holding section 2 is provided on the upper side of the partition plate 16 at a position corresponding to the finger insertion opening 15. A finger support member 21 is provided on the partition plate 16 to receive the pad of the held printing finger. The finger support member 21 supports the printing finger by pushing it up from below, and is formed of, for example, a flexible resin. The finger support member 21 may be any member capable of supporting the printing finger from below, and its configuration is not particularly limited. For example, it may be biased from below by an elastic member such as a spring. Also, for example, the finger support member 21 may be configured to be expandable and contractable by changing the internal pressure, and may be configured to push up the printing finger in an expanded state and fix the position.

[0016] The back side of the top surface of finger holding unit 2 is a window portion (not shown) that opens upward. The surface of the nail of the printing finger inserted into finger holding unit 2 is exposed from the window portion. In addition, a finger presser (not shown) that regulates the upward position of the printing finger is provided on the front side of the top surface of finger holding unit 2. Furthermore, inside finger holding unit 2, on the back side in the direction of insertion of the printing finger, a nail placing portion (not shown) on which the nail of the printing finger is placed is provided. The printing finger and its nail are supported from below by the finger support member 21 with the tip of the nail placed on the nail placement section, and the upper side of the printing finger is pressed by the finger presser, so that the printing finger is positioned at a predetermined position.

[0017] Also, a photographing unit 70 is provided on the front side of the housing 11 of the printing device 1. The photographing unit 70 is a small camera equipped with a solid-state photographing element and a lens, and is connected to a photographing control unit 312 (see FIG. 2) of the control device 30 described later, and is controlled by the photographing control unit 312. The photographing unit 70 reads a QR code (registered trademark) that indicates the identification information of the nail design used for printing, which is held up by the user, and acquires a photographed image of the periphery of the printing device 1 (i.e., the periphery of the mixing device. Here, the front of the printing device 1). In this embodiment, the photographing unit 70 is provided on the front side of the printing device 1 as an acquisition means for acquiring information on the periphery of the printing device 1 (i.e., the periphery of the mixing device), and is described as acquiring a photographed image of the front of the printing device 1, but it may be provided not only on the front side, but also on the side or rear side. Also, the photographing unit 70 may or may not have a lighting device. Also, if the printing device does not include a mixing device, a photographing unit may be provided in the mixing device itself to acquire information on the periphery of the mixing device.

[0018] Inside the housing 11, there are provided a printing unit 40 that performs printing on the nail (surface of the nail) of the printing finger, an imaging unit 50 that captures an image of the printing finger including the nail, and the like.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2, the photographing section 50 includes a photographing device 51 and a lighting device 52. The photographing device 51 is, for example, a small camera equipped with a solid-state photographing element having about 2 million pixels or more, a lens, etc. The lighting device 52 is, for example, an illumination lamp such as a white LED. The photographing unit 50 illuminates the nail of the printing finger placed on the finger holding unit 2 with the lighting device 52. Then, the photographing device 51 photographs the printing finger to obtain a nail image (an image of the finger including a nail image) which is an image of the nail of the printing finger. The photographing section 50 is connected to a photographing control section 312 (see FIG. 2) of the control device 30, which will be described later, and is controlled by the photographing control section 312. The image data of the image captured by the image capturing unit 50 may be stored in the storage unit 32, which will be described later.

[0020] The photographing unit 50 is not particularly limited in its specific location as long as it is provided at a position where it can photograph the printing finger held in the finger holding unit 2. In this embodiment, the photographing device 51 and the lighting device 52 are fixedly disposed on the inside of the top surface of the housing 11 at positions where they can face the nail (surface of the nail) of the printing finger held in the finger holding unit 2. The photographing unit 50 may be configured to be movable in the X and Y directions by a head moving mechanism 42 that moves the print head 41.

[0021] The printing unit 40 includes a print head 41 that prints on the nail surface while moving over the nail to be printed (i.e., above the nail surface), and a head moving mechanism 42 (see FIG. 2) for moving the print head 41 in the X direction (the X direction in FIG. 1 etc., the left-right direction of the printing device 1) and the Y direction (the Y direction in FIG. 1 etc., the front-rear direction of the printing device 1). The print head 41 is supported by an X-direction movement stage for moving the print head 41 in the X direction, and a Y-direction movement stage for moving the print head 41 in the Y direction, and the head movement mechanism 42 is equipped with an X-direction movement motor 42a and a Y-direction movement motor 42b, etc., which serve as drive units for appropriately moving the print head 41 in the X and Y directions.

[0022] The print head 41 of this embodiment is equipped with a base head 41a for printing the base and a design head 41b for printing the design. The base head 41a prints a liquid agent (hereinafter referred to as "base ink") that serves as a base before printing a design. The base ink printed by the base head 41a is preferably white or a color close to white so that the ink will have good color when the design is printed. By forming the base with a color such as white, it becomes easier to distinguish it from the color of the skin around the nail (skin color, etc.), making it easier to recognize the nail area from the nail image. In this embodiment, the base head 41a will be described as printing white ink as the base ink. The design head 41b prints a design after the base printing by the base head 41a, and is capable of ejecting ink of various colors (hereinafter referred to as "color ink") such as cyan (C; CYAN), magenta (M; MAGENTA), and yellow (Y; YELLOW). Note that the types of color ink that the design head 41b can eject are not limited to these, and it may be capable of ejecting ink of other colors.

[0023] In this embodiment, the base head 41a and the design head 41b are both ink jet heads that use an ink jet system in which the surface facing the nail is an ink ejection surface equipped with a plurality of nozzle openings (not shown) that eject ink, and print by atomizing the ink and spraying the ink from the ink ejection surface directly onto the nail surface, which is the surface to be printed on the nail. The configuration of the print head 41 is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, it will be described as being a cartridge-integrated head in which, for example, an ejection mechanism such as an ink ejection surface and an ink cartridge (neither shown) are integrated. In addition, since the ink ejected from the print head 41 is in the form of fine droplets, if the distance between the print head 41 and the nail surface is too great, the ink will not land in the correct position and high-resolution printing will not be possible. For this reason, printing with the print head 41 is preferably performed with the ink ejection surface facing the nail surface positioned approximately a few mm above the nail surface.

[0024] The print head 41 (base head 41a and design head 41b) in the printing unit 40, and the X-direction movement motor 42a and Y-direction movement motor 42b as drive units for driving the print head 41 are connected to a print control unit 315 (see FIG. 2) of the control device 30 described later, and are controlled by the print control unit 315.

[0025] Further, inside the housing 11, an agitation unit 60 for agitating the ink is provided. The agitation unit 60 is operated by, for example, a motor or the like, and agitates at least the ink cartridge of the base ink (i.e., the base head 41a in this embodiment) in a predetermined direction (e.g., vertical or horizontal direction, etc.) to agitate at least the base ink. Note that the ink cartridge of the color ink (i.e., the design head 41b in this embodiment) may also be swung to agitate the color ink as well. In this embodiment, the ink is agitated by swung together the base head 41a and the design head 41b (i.e., the print head 41). Note that the detailed configuration of the agitation unit 60 is not particularly limited as long as it produces a sound when the ink is agitated. The stirring unit 60 is connected to a stirring control unit 317 (see FIG. 2) of the control device 30, which will be described later, and is controlled by the stirring control unit 317.

[0026] The control device 30 installed in the printing device 1 is a computer including a control unit 31 (see FIG. 2) constituted by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) not shown, and a memory unit 32 (see FIG. 2) constituted by a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. (neither of which are shown).

[0027] The storage unit 32 stores various programs for operating the printing device 1, various data, and the like. Specifically, the memory unit 32 is provided with a program memory area 321 in which various programs such as a printing program for performing printing processing are stored, a nail information memory area 322 in which various information regarding the nail to be printed is stored, and a nail design memory area 323 in which image data of the nail design is stored in correspondence with identification information of the nail design. The programs stored in the program storage area 321 are executed by the control device 30, whereby each unit of the printing device 1 is controlled in an integrated manner.

[0028] From a functional perspective, the control unit 31 includes a communication control unit 311, an imaging control unit 312, a nail information detection unit 313, an image processing unit 314, a printing control unit 315, a display control unit 316, and an agitation control unit 317. The functions of the communication control unit 311, the imaging control unit 312, the nail information detection unit 313, the image processing unit 314, the printing control unit 315, the display control unit 316, and the agitation control unit 317 are realized by cooperation between the CPU of the control unit 31 and a program stored in a program storage area 321 of the storage unit 32.

[0029] The communication control unit 311 controls the operation of the communication unit 14. In this embodiment, the communication control unit 311 controls communication with an external terminal device, and receives nail design data and the like when the data is transmitted from the terminal device.

[0030] The photographing control unit 312 controls the photographing device 51 and the lighting device 52 of the photographing unit 50 to cause the photographing device 51 to photograph an image of the finger (hereinafter referred to as a "nail image") including an image of the nail of the printing finger held in the finger holding unit 2. The image data of the nail image acquired by the photographing unit 50 is stored in the nail information storage area 322. Furthermore, the photographing control unit 312 controls the photographing unit 70 to perform photographing, and obtains a read image of the QR code and a photographed image.

[0031] The nail information detection unit 313 detects nail information about the nail of the printing finger based on an image of the nail of the printing finger placed on the finger holding unit 2 taken by the photographing device 51. Here, the nail information is, for example, the outline of the nail (nail shape, XY coordinates of the horizontal position of the nail, etc.), the inclination angle of the nail surface with respect to the XY plane (nail inclination angle, nail curvature), etc. Note that if the nail height (vertical position of the nail) can be acquired from an image captured by the imaging device 51, the nail height is also included in the nail information.

[0032] The image processing unit 314 sets a printing area to be printed by the printing unit 40 based on the detection result by the nail information detection unit 313, and generates printing data. In this embodiment, the photographing unit 50 photographs the nail to be printed, and nail information such as the outline of the nail is detected from the nail image by the nail information detection unit 313. The image processing unit 314 sets the printing area (nail area) to be printed by the printing unit 40 based on the detection result, and generates printing data. Specifically, the image processing unit 314 cuts out image data of the nail design selected by the user to be printed (for example, image data of the nail design stored in the nail design memory area 323 in association with the identification information indicated by the QR code read by the photographing unit 70) to match the shape of the nail area (the outline shape of the nail), and performs appropriate enlargement / reduction, etc. to generate data for printing. When the nail information detection unit 313 detects the curvature of the nail, the image processing unit 314 may perform curved surface correction on the printing data based on the curvature of the nail, etc. When curved surface correction is performed, printing data that is more suited to the shape of the nail to be printed can be generated.

[0033] The print control unit 315 controls each head (the base head 41a and the design head 41b). Specifically, it outputs a control signal to the print unit 40 based on the print data generated in the image processing unit 314, and controls the X-direction movement motor 42a, the Y-direction movement motor 42b, the print head 41, etc. of the print unit 40 so as to perform printing on the nail to be printed according to the print data.

[0034] The display control unit 316 controls the display unit 13 to display various display screens on the display unit 13. The display control unit 316 causes the display unit 13 to display messages, various instructions, and the like for the user.

[0035] The stirring control unit 317 controls the stirring speed of the stirring unit 60 to control the stirring of the ink in the printing unit 40. For example, when stirring is normally performed, the stirring control unit 317 controls the stirring unit 60 to stir the ink at a predetermined speed by setting the output value of the stirring unit 60 to a predetermined value (maximum value in this embodiment) and setting the stirring speed of the stirring unit 60 to a predetermined speed (maximum speed in this embodiment). When stirring is performed at a low speed, the stirring control unit 317 controls the stirring unit 60 to stir the ink at a low speed by setting the output value of the stirring unit 60 to the motor to "0 < output value < predetermined value (maximum value)". When stirring is not performed, the stirring control unit 317 controls the stirring unit 60 not to stir the ink by setting the output value of the stirring unit 60 to 0 and the stirring speed of the stirring unit 60 to 0 (zero). When stirring the ink, the stirring control unit 317 controls the stirring speed of the stirring unit 60 so that the stirring unit 60 stirs the ink for a predetermined period of time, and when the predetermined period of stirring has ended, the stirring speed of the stirring unit 60 is set to 0 to stop stirring.

[0036] As described above, particles in the base ink are prone to settling in the solvent, and periodic stirring is required. In order to disperse the particles more quickly, it is desirable to oscillate at least the base head 41a at high speed. However, if stirring is started suddenly, loud noises and vibrations may occur, which may startle people around the user. It is possible to notify the user that stirring will start in advance, but the user may not notice the notification by screen display, and may not hear the notification by voice. Even if the user is not surprised by the sound of stirring, it is not desirable for the loud stirring operation sound to continue for a long time, and it may cause discomfort to people around the user. Here, in the stirring section 60, the higher the stirring speed, the greater the noise and vibration caused by stirring, and the lower the stirring speed, the smaller the noise and vibration caused by stirring. Therefore, the agitation control unit 317 controls the ink agitation speed in accordance with the surrounding conditions of the printing device 1, thereby controlling the generation of noise and vibrations caused by ink agitation.

[0037] 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of an agitation control process A executed by the agitation control unit 317 in the first embodiment. The agitation control process A shown in FIG 3 is executed by the agitation control unit 317, for example, while the power of the printing device 1 is ON.

[0038] First, the stirring control unit 317 waits for a predetermined time to elapse, during which the base ink needs to be stirred (step S1). The predetermined time here refers to, for example, the time that has elapsed since the previous stirring or printing was performed (timing). Note that this predetermined time is appropriately set, such as an interval of several minutes or several hours, depending on the amount of remaining ink, the size of the ink cartridge, etc.

[0039] When it is determined that the predetermined time during which the undercoat ink needs to be stirred has elapsed (step S1; YES), the stirring control unit 317 determines whether or not the user is operating the operation unit 12 (step S2).

[0040] If it is determined that the user is operating the operation unit 12 (step S2; YES), the stirring control unit 317 notifies the start of stirring by causing the display control unit 316 to display on the display unit 13 that stirring is about to start or by causing the speaker 17 to output an audible message that stirring is about to start, and causes the stirring unit 60 to stir the ink (step S3), and then returns to step S1. When the user is operating the operation unit 12, the user is likely to notice the notification that stirring has started, and there is a high possibility that printing will start soon. Since the ink needs to be sufficiently stirred when printing, stirring is performed (for example, normally) after a notification that stirring will start. For example, the stirring unit 60 is controlled to stir the ink at a predetermined stirring speed (for example, maximum speed). Stirring may also be performed at a low speed so as not to cause discomfort to the user.

[0041] If it is determined that the user is not operating the operation unit 12 (step S2; NO), the stirring control unit 317 causes the shooting control unit 312 to acquire a captured image (a captured image of the surroundings of the printing device 1 (stirring device)) (step S4), and based on the acquired captured image, determines whether or not a person is present in the vicinity of the printing device 1 (i.e., around the stirring device) (step S5). That is, the stirring control unit 317 analyzes the acquired photographed image, detects people from the photographed image, and acquires information on the presence or absence of people in the photographed image. The method of detecting people from the photographed image is not particularly limited, and any known method may be used. Then, based on the information on the presence or absence of people, it is determined whether or not there are people around the printing device 1. Note that, although figures of people facing the direction of the photographing unit 70 are shown in Figs. 4 to 6 described later, people may be detected not only from the front face, but also when people are facing to the side or backwards, and silhouettes of people, moving objects, etc. may be detected.

[0042] If it is determined that a person is present around the printing device 1 (step S5; YES), the agitation control unit 317 does not agitate the ink, that is, the agitation speed of the agitation unit 60 remains at 0, and the process returns to step S1.

[0043] When it is determined that no person is present around the printing device 1 (step S5; NO), the stirring control unit 317 causes the stirring unit 60 to stir the ink (step S6), and returns to step S1. In step S6, for example, the stirring unit 60 is controlled to stir the ink (normal stirring) at a predetermined stirring speed (for example, maximum speed). The agitation control unit 317 repeatedly executes steps S1 to S6 while the power of the printing device 1 is ON.

[0044] In this way, in the stirring control process A, when the time when the ink needs to be stirred arrives, if the user is performing an operation, the stirring unit 60 is controlled to perform stirring after notifying the user of the start of stirring, and if the user is not performing an operation, a captured image of the periphery of the printing device 1 (i.e., the stirring device) is acquired to acquire information on the presence or absence of a person in the captured image, and if a person is present, the stirring unit 60 is controlled not to stir the ink (so that the stirring speed becomes 0), and if no person is present, the stirring unit 60 is controlled to stir the ink. Therefore, since an appropriate ink stirring operation can be performed according to the surrounding situation, it is possible to prevent the ink stirring operation from surprising or causing discomfort to people in the vicinity. In addition, if it is expected that printing will be performed immediately, such as when the user is performing an operation, the ink is stirred even if the user is in the vicinity, so that settling of particles during printing can be suppressed.

[0045] 3, if it is determined in step S5 that a person is present around the printing device 1, the stirring control unit 317 controls the stirring unit 60 not to stir the ink, but the following modification may be made. That is, information on the proportion of people (human area) in the captured image may be obtained as information on the distance between the printing device 1 (stirring device) and the people in its vicinity, and the stirring speed may be controlled based on the obtained information. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the proportion of people in the captured image is large (exceeds a predetermined proportion), the stirring control unit 317 determines that the distance between the printing device 1 (stirring device) and the people in the vicinity is close (closer than a predetermined distance) and controls the stirring unit 60 not to stir the ink (so that the stirring speed is 0). However, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the proportion of people in the captured image is small (less than a predetermined proportion), the stirring control unit 317 may determine that the distance between the printing device 1 (stirring device) and the people in the vicinity is far (more than a predetermined distance) and control the stirring unit 60 to stir the ink. The predetermined distance (predetermined value) here refers to, for example, a radius of several meters from the printing device 1 (stirring device). It may also be a radius of several meters from the stirring unit 60. In this case, for example, the stirring unit 60 may be made to stir the ink at a predetermined speed (maximum speed) (normal operation), or, since there is a person around the printing device 1, the stirring start may be notified as in step S3, and then the stirring unit 60 may be made to stir the ink at a predetermined speed (maximum speed) (normal operation). Alternatively, the stirring unit 60 may be made to stir the ink at a low speed. Also, a plurality of thresholds may be set according to the distance, and the stirring speed may be determined according to them.

[0046] The stirring control unit 317 may further acquire information on the number of people in the captured image, and change the ink stirring speed by the stirring unit 60 based on the number of people in the captured image and the distance between the people and the printing device 1 (stirring device). For example, as shown in FIG. 6, it is assumed that there are multiple people in the captured image (or more than a predetermined number N (N is a number equal to or greater than 2)), one person is within a predetermined distance from the printing device 1 (stirring device), and the other two are outside the predetermined distance. Even if there are multiple people in the captured image, if there is no person within the predetermined distance, the stirring control unit 317 may control the stirring speed of the stirring unit 60 to be zero (i.e., control not to stir the ink) if there is at least one person within the predetermined distance. For example, the stirring unit 60 may be made to stir the ink at a predetermined speed (maximum speed) (normal operation), or, as in step S3, after notifying the start of stirring, the stirring unit 60 may be made to stir the ink at a predetermined speed (maximum speed) (normal operation). Alternatively, the stirring unit 60 may be made to stir the ink at a low speed. Also, a plurality of thresholds may be set according to the distance, and the stirring speed may be determined according to the thresholds.

[0047] 4, the stirring control unit 317 may control to perform stirring if a predetermined period of time has passed since the date and time of the previous stirring, even if the proportion of people in the captured image exceeds a predetermined threshold and it is estimated that the distance between the printing device 1 and the person is close (closer than a predetermined distance). In this case, as in step S3, after notifying the start of stirring, the stirring unit 60 may stir the ink at a predetermined speed (maximum speed), for example (normally). Alternatively, the stirring unit 60 may stir the ink at a low speed.

[0048] In addition, the captured image for determining whether or not a person is present around the printing device 1 may be one frame, but it is preferable to use multiple frames. If only one frame is captured, a person who happens to pass in front of the printing device 1 may be captured, and the stirring operation may not be performed even though there is no person. Therefore, for example, in step S4 of FIG. 3, by capturing images at a predetermined frame rate for 1 to 2 seconds and determining whether or not a person is present around the printing device 1 using the obtained multiple frame images, it is possible to accurately determine the presence or absence of a person, and it is possible to prevent the stirring operation from not being performed even though there is no person. Furthermore, as described above, the shooting time of about several seconds may be set in advance, and each time the set shooting time elapses, it may be determined based on the obtained frame images whether or not a person is present around the printing device 1 (stirring device), and if a person is present, how far away they are from the printing device 1 (stirring device), and the stirring speed may be automatically adjusted.

[0049] Also, the nail salon staff is aware that noise will be generated due to the ink stirring in the printing device 1, and is rarely surprised by this. Therefore, when the stirring control unit 317 determines in step S5 of FIG. 3 that there is a person around the printing device 1, it may determine whether the people appearing in the captured image are only staff members, and if so, may proceed to step S6 and control the stirring unit 60 to stir the ink. The determination of whether the person appearing in the captured image is a staff member can be made, for example, by storing face information of the staff member (which may be a face image or facial features) in advance in the storage unit 32, comparing the face information of the person detected from the captured image acquired in step S4 with the face information of the staff member, and determining that the person is a staff member if they match.

[0050] In the first embodiment, information on people around the printing device 1 (mixing device) is obtained based on the captured image taken by the photographing unit 70, but for example, a surveillance camera installed in a room in which the printing device 1 is installed may be connected to the printing device 1 by, for example, the communication unit 14, and the captured image of the surroundings of the printing device 1 taken by the surveillance camera may be acquired by the communication unit 14, and information on the presence or absence of people around the printing device 1, the number of people, the distance from people, etc. may be acquired based on the acquired captured image. Alternatively, instead of the photographing unit 70, a distance measuring sensor, a pyroelectric sensor, a thermograph, etc. may be used to acquire information on the presence or absence of people around the printing device 1, the number of people, the distance from people, etc., or any combination of the above may be used.

[0051] [Second embodiment] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment, a captured image of the area around the printing device 1 is obtained as information about the area around the printing device (i.e., the stirring device), and the agitation of the ink is controlled based on information about people around the printing device 1 (e.g., the presence or absence of people, the number of people, the distance from people, etc.) obtained based on the captured image.In the second embodiment, an example is described in which audio around the printing device (i.e., the stirring device) is obtained as information about the area, and the agitation of the ink is controlled based on the audio.

[0052] Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a printing device 1A according to a second embodiment. As shown in Fig. 7, the printing device 1A is provided with a voice input (voice detection) unit 80 in addition to the configuration of the printing device 1 shown in Fig. 2. The voice input unit 80 acquires voice around the printing device 1A as an acquisition means for acquiring information about the periphery of the printing device (i.e., the periphery of the stirring device). The rest of the configuration of the printing device 1A is similar to that of the printing device 1, so the explanation will be used to explain the operation of the second embodiment.

[0053] Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of the agitation control process B executed by the agitation control unit 317 in the second embodiment. The agitation control process B shown in Fig. 8 is executed by the agitation control unit 317, for example, while the power of the printing device 1A is ON.

[0054] First, the stirring control unit 317 waits for a predetermined time during which stirring of the undercoat ink is required to elapse (step S11). When a predetermined time has elapsed during which the base ink needs to be stirred (step S11; YES), the stirring control unit 317 analyzes the voice input from the voice input unit 80 and determines whether the volume of the input voice (noise) is above a predetermined threshold (step S12). The predetermined threshold here is, for example, the same level of volume as the operating sound generated when the stirring unit 60 normally stirs the ink (for example, when operating at maximum speed). Here, in step S12, it may be determined whether the volume of the input sound having a frequency close to the operating sound (a frequency in the range of the operating sound frequency ±α) generated when stirring by the stirring unit 60 (for example, during normal operation) is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value.

[0055] When it is determined that the input volume is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold (step S12; YES), the stirring control unit 317 causes the stirring unit 60 to stir the ink (step S13), and returns to step S11. For example, the agitation unit 60 is controlled to agitate the ink (normally) at a predetermined agitation speed (for example, maximum speed), and the process returns to step S11.

[0056] When it is determined that the input volume is smaller than the predetermined threshold (step S12; NO), the stirring control unit 317 gradually increases the output value of the motor of the stirring unit 60 from 0 to gradually increase the stirring speed, thereby stirring the ink (step S14), and returns to step S11. At this time, the speed may be controlled to emit a stirring operation sound close to the input volume so as not to cause discomfort to people around the user, etc. The agitation control unit 317 repeatedly executes steps S11 to S14 while the power of the printer 1A is ON. The predetermined threshold value may be appropriately set not to the same level of volume as the operation sound generated at the maximum speed, but to the same level of volume as the operation sound generated at a speed slower than the maximum speed.

[0057] In step S12, it is preferable to determine that the volume exceeds the predetermined threshold if the input volume continues to exceed the predetermined threshold for a predetermined period of time or more. This is to prevent erroneous determination due to momentary loud sounds, background music in a nail salon, talking, laughter, etc.

[0058] Thus, in the second embodiment, when the time arrives when it is necessary to stir the ink, the ink stirring operation can be performed appropriately according to the volume of noise around the printing device (stirring device), thereby preventing the ink stirring operation from startling or discomforting people in the vicinity.

[0059] As described above, the printing device 1 is equipped with an agitation unit 60 that agitates the ink and an agitation control unit 317 that controls the agitation unit 60, and the agitation control unit 317 acquires information (information about the surroundings of the device) of the surroundings of the printing device 1 (i.e., the surroundings of the agitation unit) and controls the agitation speed of the agitation unit 60 based on the acquired information about the surroundings of the printing device 1. Therefore, since an appropriate ink agitation operation can be performed according to the surrounding conditions, it is possible to prevent people in the vicinity from being startled or uncomfortable due to the ink agitation operation.

[0060] For example, the information about the surroundings of the printing device 1 includes information about the presence or absence of people around the printing device 1 or information about the distance between the printing device 1 and the people in the vicinity, so that an appropriate ink agitation operation can be performed according to the presence or absence of people around the printing device 1 and the distance between the people in the vicinity. As a result, it is possible to prevent the ink agitation operation from startling or making people in the vicinity feel uncomfortable.

[0061] For example, when the stirring control unit 317 determines, based on information on the presence or absence of people in the vicinity of the printing device 1, that there is a person in the vicinity of the printing device 1, it controls the stirring speed of the stirring unit 60 to zero, and when it determines that there is no person in the vicinity of the printing device 1, it controls the stirring speed of the stirring unit 60 to a predetermined speed greater than zero.This makes it possible to prevent ink stirring when there is a person in the vicinity of the printing device 1, and to prevent people in the vicinity from being surprised or uncomfortable by the ink stirring operation.

[0062] Also, for example, when the agitation control unit 317 determines based on information about the distance between the printing device 1 and people in the vicinity that the distance between the printing device 1 and people in the vicinity is less than a predetermined distance, it controls the agitation speed of the agitation unit 60 to zero, and when it determines that the distance is equal to or greater than the predetermined distance, it controls the agitation speed of the agitation unit 60 to a predetermined speed greater than zero, thereby making it possible to prevent ink agitation from being performed when people are near the printing device 1, and to prevent people in the vicinity from being surprised or uncomfortable by the ink agitation operation. Also, even if there are people in the vicinity of the printing device 1, if they are far away, ink agitation is performed, so ink can be appropriately agitated.

[0063] Furthermore, for example, the stirring control unit 317 can obtain a captured image of the surroundings of the printing device 1 using the photographing unit 70, and based on the obtained captured image, obtain information regarding the presence or absence of people in the surroundings of the photographing unit 70 or information regarding the distance between the printing device 1 and the people in its vicinity, thereby using the photographing unit 70 already provided in the printing device 1 to obtain information regarding the presence or absence of people in the surroundings or information regarding the distance between the printing device 1 and the people in its vicinity, and can perform appropriate ink stirring operation without increasing costs. For example, the agitation control unit 317 can obtain information on the presence or absence of people in the captured image as information on the presence or absence of people around the printing device 1. Also, for example, the stirring control unit 317 can obtain information on the proportion of people in the captured image as information on the distance between the printing device 1 and people in the vicinity thereof.

[0064] Furthermore, for example, the stirring control unit 317 acquires information on the number of people in the captured image as information on the surroundings of the printing device 1, and changes the stirring speed of the stirring unit 60 based on information on the distance between the printing device 1 and the people in its surroundings and information on the number of people in the captured image, so that the stirring speed of the stirring unit 60 can be controlled by appropriately taking into account the distance between the printing device 1 and people.

[0065] Also, for example, when the user is operating the operation unit 12 or the display unit 13 (when a specified operation is being performed), the stirring control unit 317 controls the stirring speed of the stirring unit 60 to a specified speed greater than zero, so that when the user is operating the unit and it is expected that printing will begin immediately, the stirring control unit 317 can cause the stirring unit 60 to stir the ink, thereby preventing particles from settling during printing.

[0066] Furthermore, for example, the stirring control unit 317 acquires information about audio in the vicinity of the printing device 1 via the audio input unit 80, and acquires the information about the acquired audio as information about the vicinity of the printing device 1, thereby enabling appropriate ink stirring operation to be performed in accordance with the sound of the printing device 1.

[0067] Furthermore, when the agitation control unit 317 determines that the volume of noise around the printing device 1 is lower than a predetermined threshold based on the acquired information about the sound, it controls the agitation speed of the agitation unit 60 to gradually increase from zero, and when the volume is equal to or higher than the predetermined threshold, it controls the agitation unit 60 to operate at a predetermined agitation speed. Therefore, when the sound around the printing device 1 is low, the noise can be kept low so as not to startle people in the vicinity, and when the sound around is high, agitation can be performed more quickly.

[0068] In addition, when the time arrives when it is necessary to stir the ink, the stirring control unit 317 acquires information about the surroundings of the printing device 1 and controls the stirring speed of the stirring unit 60, making it possible to perform stirring at the appropriate time when stirring of the ink is necessary.

[0069] The above-described embodiments are preferred examples of the mixing device, printing device, control method, and program according to the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these. For example, in the first embodiment described above, ink agitation is controlled based on captured images of the area around the printing device, and in the second embodiment, ink agitation is controlled based on audio around the printing device, but ink agitation may also be controlled by combining captured images and audio. For example, when a predetermined time when stirring is required has elapsed, the stirring control unit 317 may determine whether the sound input from the voice input unit 80 of the printing device 1A is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, and if it determines that it is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, may operate the stirring unit 60 at a predetermined stirring speed (for example, maximum speed) to perform stirring, and if it determines that the sound input from the voice input unit 80 is smaller than the predetermined threshold, may perform the processing from step S2 onwards of the stirring control process A in Fig. 3. Also, a variation thereof may be implemented.

[0070] In the above embodiment, the stirring speed of the stirring unit 60 is controlled as an example of controlling the generation of sound and vibration due to stirring of ink, but the manner of controlling the generation of sound and vibration due to stirring of ink is not limited to this. For example, the printing device 1 (1A) may be provided with a storage unit (a storage unit including soundproofing material (and vibration-proofing material)) capable of storing the stirring unit 60 so that sound and vibration due to stirring of ink by the stirring unit 60 do not leak out, and when there is a person nearby (for example, when step S5 in FIG. 3 is YES or step S14 in FIG. 8), the stirring control unit 317 may control the stirring unit 60 to be stored in the storage unit and control the stirring unit 60 to be stirred in a state where it is stored in the storage unit.

[0071] Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be modified as appropriate.

[0072] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents. The inventions described in the claims originally attached to this application are set forth below. The claim numbers in the appended claims are the same as those in the claims originally attached to this application. [Note] <Claim 1> agitation means for agitating the ink; An acquisition means for acquiring information about the surroundings of the device; a stirring control means for controlling a stirring speed of the stirring means based on the surrounding information of the device itself acquired by the acquisition means; A stirring device comprising: <Claim 2> 2. The mixing device according to claim 1, wherein the information about the surroundings of the device includes information about the presence or absence of people around the device, or information about the distance between the device and the people around it. <Claim 3> The stirring device described in claim 2, characterized in that the stirring control means controls the stirring speed to zero when it determines that a person is present in the vicinity of the device based on information on the presence or absence of people in the vicinity of the device, and controls the stirring speed to a speed greater than zero when it determines that no person is present in the vicinity of the device. <Claim 4> The stirring device described in claim 2, characterized in that the stirring control means controls the stirring speed to zero when it determines, based on information regarding the distance between the device and people in the vicinity, that the distance between the device and people in the vicinity is smaller than a predetermined value, and controls the stirring speed to a speed greater than zero when it determines that the distance between the device and people in the vicinity is greater than or equal to the predetermined value. <Claim 5> The stirring device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the acquisition means acquires a photographed image of the surroundings of the device, and acquires information regarding the presence or absence of people in the vicinity of the device or information regarding the distance between the device and the people in the vicinity based on the acquired photographed image. <Claim 6> 6. The stirring device according to claim 5, wherein the acquisition means acquires information on the presence or absence of a person in the captured image as information on the presence or absence of a person in the vicinity of the stirring device itself. <Claim 7> 7. The stirring device according to claim 5, wherein the acquisition means acquires information on a proportion of people in the captured image as information on a distance between the device itself and people in the vicinity thereof. <Claim 8> The acquisition means further acquires information on the number of people in the captured image as information about the vicinity of the own device, 8. The stirring device according to claim 7, wherein the stirring control means changes the stirring speed based on information regarding a distance between the device itself and people in the vicinity thereof and information regarding the number of people in the captured image. <Claim 9> 9. The stirring device according to claim 5, wherein the stirring control means adjusts the stirring speed based on the captured image every time a preset shooting time elapses. <Claim 10> 10. The stirring device according to claim 1, wherein the stirring control means controls the stirring speed to a predetermined speed greater than zero when a user is performing a predetermined operation. <Claim 11> The stirring device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the acquisition means acquires information regarding audio in the vicinity of the device, and acquires the acquired information regarding the audio as information regarding the vicinity of the device. <Claim 12> The stirring device described in claim 11, characterized in that when the stirring control means determines based on the information about the audio that the volume around the device is lower than a predetermined threshold, it controls the stirring speed to gradually increase from zero, and when the volume is equal to or higher than the predetermined threshold, it controls the stirring means to operate at a predetermined stirring speed. <Claim 13> The stirring device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, A printing means for printing using the ink; A printing device comprising: <Claim 14> An acquisition step of acquiring information about the surroundings of a stirring device having a stirring means for stirring the ink; a stirring control step of controlling a stirring speed of the stirring means based on the peripheral information of the stirring device acquired in the acquisition step; A control method comprising: <Claim 15> A computer of an agitation device having an agitation means for agitating ink, An acquisition means for acquiring information about the surroundings of the stirring device; a stirring control means for controlling a stirring speed of the stirring means based on information about the surroundings of the stirring device acquired by the acquisition means; A program to function as a [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] 1 Printing device 11. Cabinet 12 Control section 13 Display section 14 Communications Department 15 Finger insertion hole 16 Partition 17 Speakers 2 finger holder 21 Finger support member 30 Control device 31 Control Unit 311 Communication Control Unit 312 Shooting control section 313 Nail information detection unit 314 Image Processing Unit 315 Printing control unit 316 Display control unit 317 Mixing control section 32 Storage section 321 Program Memory Area 322 Claw information storage area 323 Nail Design Memory Area 40 Printing Department 41 Print Head 41a Base Head 41b Design Head 42 Head movement mechanism 42a X-direction movement motor 42b Y-direction movement motor 50 Photography Department 60 Mixing section 51 Imaging Equipment 52 Lighting Equipment 70 Photography Department

Claims

1. A stirring device provided in a printing device, Agitation means for agitating the ink; An acquisition means for acquiring information about the surroundings of the own device, the information being information about the presence or absence of people around the own device, information about the distance between the own device and people around it, or information about audio around the own device; a stirring control means for controlling a stirring speed of the stirring means based on whether a user is operating an operation unit or a display unit of the own device and on information about the surroundings of the own device acquired by the acquisition means; Equipped with The stirring control means controls the stirring speed to zero when it determines that the user is not operating an operation unit or display unit of the device and determines that a person is present in the vicinity of the device based on information on the presence or absence of people in the vicinity of the device, and controls the stirring speed to a speed greater than zero when it determines that the user is not operating an operation unit or display unit of the device and determines that no person is present in the vicinity of the device.

2. A mixing device provided in a printing device, Agitation means for agitating the ink; An acquisition means for acquiring information about the surroundings of the own device, the information being information about the presence or absence of people around the own device, information about the distance between the own device and people around it, or information about audio around the own device; a stirring control means for controlling a stirring speed of the stirring means based on whether a user is operating an operation unit or a display unit of the own device and on information about the surroundings of the own device acquired by the acquisition means; Equipped with The stirring control means controls the stirring speed to zero when it determines that the user is not operating an operation unit or display unit of the device and determines, based on information regarding the distance between the device and people in the vicinity, that the distance between the device and people in the vicinity is less than a predetermined value, and controls the stirring speed to a speed greater than zero when it determines that the user is not operating an operation unit or display unit of the device and determines that the distance between the device and people in the vicinity is greater than or equal to the predetermined value.

3. The stirring device described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the acquisition means acquires a photographed image of the surroundings of the device, and acquires information regarding the presence or absence of people in the vicinity of the device or information regarding the distance between the device and the people in the vicinity based on the acquired photographed image.

4. The stirring device according to claim 3 , wherein the acquisition means acquires information on the presence or absence of a person in the captured image as information on the presence or absence of a person in the vicinity of the device itself.

5. 5. The stirring device according to claim 3, wherein the acquiring means acquires information on a ratio of people to the captured image as information on a distance between the device itself and people in the vicinity thereof.

6. The acquisition means further acquires information on the number of people in the captured image as information about the vicinity of the own device, The stirring device according to claim 5 , wherein the stirring control means changes the stirring speed based on information regarding a distance between the device itself and people in the vicinity thereof and information regarding the number of people in the captured image.

7. The stirring device according to any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that the stirring control means adjusts the stirring speed based on the obtained captured image each time a predetermined shooting time has elapsed.

8. The stirring device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the stirring control means controls the stirring speed to a predetermined speed greater than zero when a user is performing a predetermined operation.

9. A stirring device provided in a printing device, Agitation means for agitating the ink; An acquisition means for acquiring information about the surroundings of the own device, the information being information about the presence or absence of people around the own device, information about the distance between the own device and people around it, or information about audio around the own device; a stirring control means for controlling a stirring speed of the stirring means based on whether a user is operating an operation unit or a display unit of the own device and on information about the surroundings of the own device acquired by the acquisition means; Equipped with The stirring control means controls the stirring speed to gradually increase from zero when it determines that the user is not operating an operation unit or display unit of the device and determines, based on information about the audio, that the volume around the device is lower than a predetermined threshold, and controls the stirring means to operate at a predetermined stirring speed when it determines that the user is not operating an operation unit or display unit of the device and the volume is equal to or higher than the predetermined threshold.

10. The stirring device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, A printing means for printing using the ink; A printing device comprising:

11. an acquisition step of acquiring information on the surroundings of a stirring device provided in a printing device and having a stirring means for stirring ink, the information being information on the presence or absence of people around the stirring device, information on the distance between the stirring device and people around it, or information on sounds around the stirring device; a stirring control step of controlling a stirring speed of the stirring means based on whether or not a user is operating an operation unit or a display unit of the stirring device and on the peripheral information of the stirring device acquired in the acquisition step; Including, The stirring control process controls the stirring speed to zero when it is determined that the user is not operating an operation unit or display unit of the stirring device and when it is determined that a person is present in the vicinity of the stirring device based on information on the presence or absence of people in the vicinity of the stirring device, and controls the stirring speed to a speed greater than zero when it is determined that the user is not operating an operation unit or display unit of the stirring device and when it is determined that no person is present in the vicinity of the stirring device.

12. A computer of an agitation device provided in a printing device and having an agitation means for agitating ink, an acquisition means for acquiring information about the surroundings of the agitation device, the information being information about the presence or absence of people around the agitation device, information about the distance between the agitation device and people around it, or information about sounds around the agitation device; a stirring control unit that controls a stirring speed of the stirring unit based on whether a user is operating an operation unit or a display unit of the stirring device and on information about the surroundings of the stirring device acquired by the acquisition unit; The stirring control means is a program for controlling the stirring speed to zero when it determines that the user is not operating the operation unit or display unit of the stirring device and when it determines that there is a person in the vicinity of the stirring device based on information on the presence or absence of people in the vicinity of the stirring device, and for controlling the stirring speed to a speed greater than zero when it determines that the user is not operating the operation unit or display unit of the stirring device and when it determines that there is no person in the vicinity of the stirring device.

Images