Printing device, printing method, and program

Abstract

To provide a printer, a printing method and a program which can perform printing in a reasonable printing order when performing printing on plural nails.SOLUTION: In a printer 1, an index value calculation unit 517 calculates an index value indicating ease of drying of a printing region on each of plural nails on the basis of a nail image on each of plural nails and the nail design to be printed on each nail, a printing order decision unit 518 decides a printing order of the plural nails on the basis of the calculated index value, and a printing unit 40 performs printing on the plural nails in the decided printing order.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, printing devices (nail printing devices) that print nail designs on nails or the like are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-028406 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] As described in Patent Document 1, in a printing device in which fingers are placed one by one in the device and nails are detected and printed, the printing order is not taken into consideration within the printing device. On the other hand, for example, a printing device has been proposed that prints multiple nails by placing multiple fingers together in the device, but none of them suggests a rational printing order, such as which nail to print first.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a printing device, printing method, and program that are capable of printing multiple nails in a rational printing order. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, the printing device of the invention described in claim 1 comprises: a calculation means for calculating an index value indicating the ease of drying of the print area of ​​each of the plurality of nails based on information corresponding to the print area set for each of the plurality of nails; a determination means for determining a printing order of the plurality of nails based on the index value calculated by the calculation means; a printing means for printing on each of the plurality of nails in the printing order determined by the determining means; Equipped with 、 The calculation means calculates the length of an edge of each of the print areas of the plurality of nails as an index value indicating how easily the print areas set for each of the plurality of nails dry. It is characterized by the following. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, when printing multiple nails, it is possible to perform printing in a rational printing order that can shorten the time it takes for all nails to dry completely. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view conceptually illustrating an embodiment of a printing device according to the present invention, showing a state in which a cover is open. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view conceptually showing the main body of the printing device of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] (a) is a diagram showing the state in which the index finger to little finger of the left hand are positioned by the first finger positioning unit and the thumb of the right hand is positioned by the second finger positioning unit, and (b) is a diagram showing the state in which the index finger to little finger of the right hand are positioned by the first finger positioning unit and the thumb of the left hand is positioned by the second finger positioning unit. [Figure 4] 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a print finger fixing portion, which is a main portion of the printing device in FIG. 1, showing a fixed state when the print fingers, from the index finger to the little finger, are inserted into the print finger insertion portion. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the front side of the printing device of FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the printing device of FIG. [Figure 7] 2 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the printing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 8] 8 is a flowchart showing a printing process A performed by the control unit of FIG. 7 in the first embodiment. [Figure 9]8 is a flowchart showing a printing process B performed by the control unit of FIG. 7 in the second embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing a printing process C performed by the control unit of FIG. 7 in the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] [First embodiment] A first embodiment of a printing device, a printing method, and a program according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. It should be noted that the embodiments described below are subject to various limitations that are technically preferable for carrying out the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments and illustrated examples. In addition, in the following embodiments, the printing device will be described as an example of a nail printing device that prints a nail design on fingernails as the printing target, but the printing target of the printing device in this invention is not limited to fingernails, and the printing target may also be, for example, toenails.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a printing device 1 according to this embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal configuration of the printing device 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the printing device 1 includes a case body 2 and a lid body 4. The case body 2 and the lid body 4 are connected to each other via a hinge 3 provided at the rear end of the top surface of the case body 2.

[0011] The case body 2 is formed in an oval shape in a plan view. An opening / closing plate 2c is provided on the front side of the case body 2 so that it can be raised or lowered. The opening / closing plate 2c is connected to the case body 2 via a hinge (not shown) provided at the lower end of the front surface of the case body 2. The opening / closing plate 2c is used to open and close the front surface of the case body 2. Furthermore, on the top panel 2f of the case body 2, an operation unit 12 and a display unit 13, which will be described later, are provided. The shapes and configurations of the case body 2 and the lid body 4 are not limited to those exemplified here.

[0012] The case body 2 also houses the device body 10 of the printing device 1, as shown in Fig. 2. The device body 10 includes a printing finger fixing unit 20, a photographing unit 30, a printing unit 40, and a control device 50 (see Fig. 7). The printing finger fixing unit 20, the photographing unit 30, the printing unit 40, and the control device 50 are provided in a machine frame 11. The machine casing 11 is made up of a lower machine casing 11a and an upper machine casing 11b. The lower machine casing 11a is formed in a box shape and is installed at the bottom inside the case main body 2, and the upper machine casing 11b is installed above the lower machine casing 11a and at the top inside the case main body 2.

[0013] The print finger fixing unit 20 is provided in the lower machine casing 11a inside the machine casing 11. The print finger fixing unit 20 is made up of the print finger insertion unit 20a, the non-print finger insertion unit 20b, and the grip unit 20c, which are provided in this lower machine casing 11a. Here, the printing finger insertion section 20a is a finger insertion section for inserting a finger U1 (hereinafter referred to as a "printing finger") corresponding to the nail T to be printed (see FIG. 4). The non-printing finger insertion section 20b is a finger insertion section for inserting a finger other than the printing finger (hereinafter referred to as a "non-printing finger") U2 (see FIG. 4). The gripping portion 20c is a portion that can be held between the printing finger U1 inserted in the printing finger insertion portion 20a and the non-printing finger U2 inserted in the non-printing finger insertion portion 20b. In this embodiment, the gripping portion 20c is formed by a partition wall 21 that separates the printing finger insertion portion 20a and the non-printing finger insertion portion 20b.

[0014] The upper surface of the gripping portion 20c forms a flat print finger placement surface. A bulge 22 is formed at the finger insertion end of the gripping portion 20c. This bulge 22 is formed at the portion where the bases U3 of the print finger U1 and non-print finger U2 abut when the print finger U1 and non-print finger U2 are deeply inserted into the print finger insertion portion 20a and non-print finger insertion portion 20b. The bulge 22 has a circular cross section in the finger insertion direction that bulges downward from the lower surface of the gripping portion 20c so that the print finger U1 and non-print finger U2 can tightly grip the gripping portion 20c when the entire pad of the print finger U1 abuts against the print finger placement surface. The shape of the bulge 22 is not limited to a circular cross section and may be non-circular, such as an elliptical or polygonal cross section.

[0015] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, in this embodiment, a first finger positioning section 201 is arranged in the center of the width of the gripping section 20c. This first finger positioning section 201 is capable of positioning the four fingers from the index finger to the little finger by abutting the bases U3 of the four fingers from the index finger to the little finger, which are the printing fingers U1 inserted into the printing finger insertion section 20a, and the other fingers (i.e., the thumb), which are the non-printing fingers U2 inserted into the non-printing finger insertion section 20b, against the end. In this embodiment, the length dimension of the first finger positioning section 201 in the width direction X is approximately the same as or slightly larger than the left-right width dimension of the four fingers, from the index finger to the little finger, to be inserted into the printing finger insertion section 20a.

[0016] In addition, the gripping section 20c is provided with second finger positioning sections 202 on both the left and right sides of the first finger positioning section 201, which are capable of positioning the thumb inserted in the printing finger insertion section 20a by abutting the bases U3 of the thumb, which is the printing finger U1 inserted in the printing finger insertion section 20a, and the other fingers, which are the non-printing fingers U2 inserted in the non-printing finger insertion section 20b (i.e., the four fingers from the index finger to the little finger), against the ends. In this embodiment, the combined length of the first finger positioning portion 201 and the second finger positioning portions 202 disposed on the left and right thereof in the width direction X is approximately 200 mm.

[0017] The second finger positioning portion 202 is positioned such that its end is shifted further back in the insertion direction Y of the printing finger than the end of the first finger positioning portion 201. There are no particular limitations on how much the end of the second finger positioning portion 202 is shifted from the end of the first finger positioning portion 201, but it is preferable that it be shifted so that the positions of the thumb nail Tb and each of the nails Ta of the other four fingers are roughly aligned horizontally. In this regard, the thumb of a human hand is shorter than the other four fingers, and although there are gripping techniques and individual differences, there is a 40 to 75 mm difference in length between the thumb and the other four fingers. Therefore, taking into consideration this difference in finger length, it is preferable that the end of the second finger positioning portion 202 be shifted approximately 40 to 75 mm further back in the insertion direction Y of the printing finger U1 than the end of the first finger positioning portion 201.

[0018] 3(a) is a diagram showing a state in which the four fingers of the left hand (index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger) are positioned in the first finger positioning portion 201 of the gripping portion 20c, and the thumb of the right hand is positioned in the second finger positioning portion 202 located to the right of the first finger positioning portion 201. FIG. 3(b) is a diagram showing a state in which the four fingers of the right hand (index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger) are positioned in the first finger positioning portion 201 of the gripping portion 20c, and the thumb of the left hand is positioned in the second finger positioning portion 202 located to the left of the first finger positioning portion 201.

[0019] FIG. 4 specifically shows an example of a fixing mode of the printing finger U1 when the four fingers (index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger) of the left hand other than the thumb are used as the printing finger U1. In this case, as shown in FIG. 4, the user pinches the gripping portion 20c between the printing finger U1 inserted in the printing finger insertion portion 20a and the non-printing finger U2 inserted in the non-printing finger insertion portion 20b, thereby fixing the printing finger U1 on the gripping portion 20c.

[0020] 5 is a cross-sectional view of the front side of the printing device 1 according to this embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view of the printing device 1. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the photographing unit 30 is provided in the upper machine frame 11b within the machine frame 11. That is, a camera 32 with a built-in driver and having pixels of about 2 million or more is installed on the underside of the center of a board 31 installed in the upper machine casing 11b. In addition, illumination lights 33 such as white LEDs are installed on the board 31 so as to surround the camera 32. The photographing unit 30 is configured with this camera 32 and illumination lights 33. The photographing unit 30 functions as a nail image acquiring means that illuminates the printing finger U1 with an illumination lamp 33, photographs the printing finger U1 with a camera 32, and acquires image data including the nail T of the printing finger U1 (hereinafter referred to as a "nail image"). The photographing unit 30 is connected to a control unit 51 of a control device 50 (described later) and is controlled by a photographing control unit 512 of the control unit 51.

[0021] The printing unit 40 is mainly provided in the upper machine casing 11b. That is, as shown in Figures 2 and 5, two guide rods 41 are installed in parallel between both side plates of the upper machine casing 11b. A main carriage 42 is slidably mounted on these guide rods 41. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 6, two guide rods 44 are installed in parallel between the front wall 42a and the rear wall 42b of the main carriage 42. A sub-carriage 45 is slidably mounted on these guide rods 44. A print head 46 is mounted in the center of the underside of this sub-carriage 45. In this embodiment, the print head 46 is an inkjet print head that prints by forming ink into fine droplets and spraying them directly onto the print medium. The print head 46 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 print head 46 can eject are not limited to these, and the print head 46 may be capable of ejecting ink of other colors. In addition, a base print head may be provided.

[0022] The main carriage 42 is connected to a motor 43 via a power transmission means (not shown), and is configured to move left and right along the guide rod 41 as the motor 43 rotates forward and backward. The sub-carriage 45 is connected to a motor 47 via a power transmission means (not shown), and is configured to move back and forth along the guide rod 44 as the motor 47 rotates forward and backward. In this embodiment, the movable range of the print head 46 is the printable range of the printing device 1, and printing on the printing finger U1 is performed within this printable range. Additionally, the lower machine casing 11a is provided with an ink cartridge 48 for supplying ink to the print head 46. The ink cartridge 48 is connected to the print head 46 via an ink supply pipe (not shown), and supplies ink to the print head 46 as needed.

[0023] The printing unit 40 is configured to include the guide rod 41, the main carriage 42, the motor 43, the guide rod 44, the sub-carriage 45, the print head 46, the motor 47, the ink cartridge 48, and the like. The motor 43 , print head 46 , and motor 47 of the printing unit 40 are connected to a control unit 51 of a control device 50 (described later), and are controlled by a print control unit 515 of the control unit 51 .

[0024] An operation unit 12 is provided on the top panel 2f of the case body 2. The operation unit 12 is an input means for the user to perform various inputs. The operation unit 12 is provided with operation buttons 121 for performing various inputs, such as a power switch button 121a for turning on the power of the printing device 1, a print start command switch button 121b for inputting a command to start printing, a design selection switch button (not shown) for selecting a nail design to be printed, and other operation buttons 121 for performing various inputs.

[0025] A display unit 13 configured with a liquid crystal panel (LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)) or the like is provided on the top panel 2f of the case body 2. A touch panel may be integrally configured on the surface of this display unit 13. When a touch panel is configured, it may be configured so that various inputs can also be made by touching the surface of the display unit 13 through touch operations using a stylus pen or the like (not shown).

[0026] The case body 2 is also provided with a communication section 14 for communicating with external devices.

[0027] A control device 50 is provided inside the case body 2. The control device 50 is installed on, for example, a board 31 disposed on the upper machine casing 11b. Fig. 7 is a block diagram of the main parts showing the control configuration in this embodiment.

[0028] The control device 50 is a computer including a control unit 51 including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like (not shown), and a storage unit 52 including a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like (all not shown).

[0029] The storage unit 52 stores various programs and data for operating the printing device 1. Specifically, the memory unit 52 includes a program memory area 521 in which various programs such as a printing program for performing printing processing are stored, a nail information memory area 522 in which various information including nail images relating to the nail T is stored, and a design memory area 523 in which image data of nail designs is stored. The control device 50 executes the programs stored in the program storage area 521, thereby controlling each part of the printing device 1 in an integrated manner.

[0030] From a functional perspective, the control unit 51 includes a communication control unit 511, an imaging control unit 512, a nail information detection unit 513, a print data generation unit 514, a print control unit 515, a display control unit 516, an index value calculation unit 517, a print order determination unit 518, etc. The functions of the communication control unit 511, the imaging control unit 512, the nail information detection unit 513, the print data generation unit 514, the print control unit 515, the display control unit 516, the index value calculation unit 517, the print order determination unit 518, etc. are realized by cooperation between the CPU of the control unit 51 and a program stored in the program storage area 321 of the storage unit 52.

[0031] The communication control unit 511 controls the operation of the communication unit 14. For example, it controls communication with an external terminal device (e.g., a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, etc.) and receives image data of nail designs when the image data is transmitted from the terminal device. The image data of nail designs received from the terminal device is stored in the design storage area 523 by the control unit 51.

[0032] The photographing control unit 512 controls the camera 32 and the illumination lamp 33 of the photographing unit 30 to photograph a nail image of the nail T of the printing finger U1 placed in the printing finger insertion unit 20a by the camera 32. In this embodiment, the camera 32 photographs nail images of the multiple nails T of the multiple printing fingers U1 placed in the printing finger insertion unit 20a. The nail image acquired by the photographing unit 30 is stored in the nail information storage area 522 of the storage unit 52.

[0033] The nail information detection unit 513 detects the contour shape of each nail T from the nail images acquired by photographing the multiple nails T of the multiple printing fingers U1 placed in the printing finger insertion unit 20a, and obtains XY coordinate point data of the contour shape of each nail T. There is no particular limitation on the method for detecting the contour shape of the nail T from the nail image. For example, the nail information detection unit 513 detects the contour of the nail T using a method such as applying image processing such as various filter processes and binarization processes to the nail image, and then determining the boundary between the nail and other parts based on differences in brightness and color. Furthermore, when a plurality of images are acquired from various angle positions by the camera 32, the nail information detection unit 513 may obtain the curvature of the nail T and the like from the plurality of images.

[0034] The print data generation unit 514 sets the print area to be printed by the printing unit 40 based on the outline information of the nail T detected by the nail information detection unit 513 and the image data of the nail design corresponding to the nail T, and generates print data. In this embodiment, the camera 32 photographs a plurality of nails T to be printed, and the nail information detection unit 513 detects nail information such as the outlines of the plurality of nails T from the obtained nail images. The print data generation unit 514 sets a print area for each nail T to be printed by the printing unit 40 based on the outline information of each nail T and image data of the nail design corresponding to each nail T, and generates a plurality of pieces of print data for each nail T. Specifically, the print data generation unit 514 cuts out the image data of the nail design selected by the user to match the contour shape of each detected nail T, enlarges or reduces the data as appropriate, and generates print data including information such as the position of the print area to be printed by the printing unit 40 and the color of ink to be ejected onto each pixel of the print area. When the nail information detection unit 513 detects the curvature, etc. of each nail T, the print data generation unit 514 may perform curved surface correction on the print data based on the curvature, etc. of the nail T. When curved surface correction is performed, print data that better matches the shape of the nail T can be generated.

[0035] The print control unit 515 controls the print head 46. Specifically, a control signal is output to the print unit 40 based on the print data generated by the print data generation unit 514, and the print control unit 515 controls the motor 43, the motor 47, the print head 46, etc. of the print unit 40 so that printing is performed on the nail T to be printed in accordance with the print data.

[0036] The display control unit 516 controls the display unit 13 to display various display screens on the display unit 13. For example, the display control unit 516 displays selectable nail designs on the display screen of the display unit 13 based on image data of nail designs stored in the design storage area 523 of the storage unit 52, allowing the user to select one. In addition, the display control unit 516 may cause the display unit 13 to display messages, various instructions, and the like for the user.

[0037] The index value calculation unit 517 calculates an index value indicating how easily the printing area of ​​each of the plurality of nails T dries, based on the printing data for each of the plurality of nails T generated by the print data generation unit 514. The index value calculation unit 517 functions as a calculation means.

[0038] The printing order determination unit 518 determines the printing order of the multiple nails T based on the index value that indicates the ease of drying of the printing area of ​​each of the multiple nails T calculated by the index value calculation unit 517, and outputs the printing data of the multiple nails T in the determined order to the print control unit 515. The printing order determination unit 518 functions as a determination means.

[0039] Next, the operation of the printing device 1 of this embodiment will be described. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of print process A executed by the printer 1 in the first embodiment. The print process A shown in Fig. 8 is executed, for example, when the printer 1 is powered on, by the control unit 51 shown in Fig. 7 working in cooperation with a program stored in the program storage area 521 of the storage unit 52.

[0040] First, the control unit 51 allows the user to select a nail design to be printed on each nail T to be printed, and acquires image data of the nail design corresponding to each nail T (step S1). For example, the control unit 51 causes the display control unit 516 to display on the display unit 13 a selection screen for the user to select a nail design to be printed on each nail T from a list of nail designs. When the user operates the operation unit 12 to select a nail design corresponding to each nail T to be printed, the control unit 51 reads and acquires image data of the selected nail design for each nail T from the design storage area 523 of the storage unit 52.

[0041] Next, the control unit 51 places a plurality of printing fingers U1 corresponding to the plurality of nails T to be printed on the printing finger insertion unit 20a, and causes the photographing control unit 512 to cause the photographing unit 30 to photograph the plurality of nails T to obtain nail images (step S2). For example, the control unit 51 causes the display control unit 516 to display on the display unit 13 an instruction screen instructing the user to place and set multiple fingers (i.e., printing fingers U1) corresponding to multiple nails T to be printed on the printing finger insertion unit 20a. As described above, the printing finger insertion unit 20a can hold five fingers at once: four fingers (index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger) of one hand and the thumb of the other hand. The user sets five fingers in the printing finger insertion unit 20a. Depending on the user's needs, four fingers may be set in the printing finger insertion unit 20a. Alternatively, three or two fingers may be set. When the printing finger U1 is placed in the printing finger insertion unit 20a and the print start instruction switch button 121b is pressed, the control unit 51 causes the photographing control unit 512 to cause the photographing unit 30 to photograph and acquire a nail image. The acquired nail image includes nail images of multiple nails T corresponding to the placed printing fingers U1.

[0042] Next, the control unit 51 sets the variable n to 0 (step S3). Next, the control unit 51 causes the nail information detection unit 513 to detect the nail contour shape from the nail image, and determines whether or not the contour shape of a new nail T has been detected from the nail image (step S4). Here, the nail information detection unit 513 detects each nail T from the acquired nail image.

[0043] When it is determined that a new contour shape of the nail T has been detected from the nail image (step S4; YES), the control unit 51 increments the variable n (step S5).

[0044] Next, the control unit 51 acquires the outline shape of the nail Tn detected by the nail information detection unit 513 (step S6), and the print data generation unit 514 generates print data by matching the nail design corresponding to the nail Tn to the acquired outline shape of the nail Tn (step S7). That is, the print data generation unit 514 cuts out image data of the nail design corresponding to the nail Tn according to the outline shape of the nail Tn, enlarges or reduces it as appropriate, sets it as the printing area of ​​the nail Tn, and generates printing data (information corresponding to the printing area set for the nail Tn). The nail design may be printed on the entire nail Tn, in which case the printing area of ​​the nail Tn will be equal to the outline shape of the nail Tn. Alternatively, the nail design may be printed on only a part of the nail, such as a French nail. In this case, the printing area of ​​the nail Tn will be the nail design area set for the nail Tn.

[0045] Next, the control unit 51 calculates the area of ​​the print area of ​​the nail Tn as an index value indicating how easily the print area of ​​the nail Tn dries from the printing data of the nail Tn using the index value calculation unit 517 (step S8), and returns to step S4. The control unit 51 repeats steps S4 to S8 until no new nails are detected. When a nail design is printed on a nail, the smaller the area of ​​the printed area, the easier the ink dries. Therefore, in this embodiment, the area of ​​the printed area of ​​the nail Tn is calculated as an index value indicating how easily the printed area of ​​the nail Tn dries. The smaller the index value, the easier it dries, and the larger the value, the harder it dries.

[0046] In step S4, if no new nail is detected (step S4; NO), the control unit 51 causes the printing order determination unit 518 to obtain the order of the largest area of ​​the printing region of the nails T1 to Tn (i.e., the order of the nails that are hard to dry) (step S9).

[0047] Then, the control unit 51 determines the printing order of the nails T1 to Tn in descending order of the area of ​​the printing region of the nails T1 to Tn using the printing order determination unit 518 (step S10), and causes the printing control unit 515 to cause the printing unit 40 to print on the nails T1 to Tn in the determined printing order (step S11). When printing of all of the nails T1 to Tn is completed, the control unit 51 ends the printing process A, and causes the display control unit 516 to display a selection screen on the display unit 13, and waits for the next printing.

[0048] In this way, the printing device 1 of the first embodiment prints the nails T1 to Tn of the printing finger U1 set as the printing target in the order of the largest printing area and the slowest to dry, thereby shortening the total time required to completely dry all the fingers to be printed.

[0049] [Second embodiment] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The configuration of the printing device 1 of the second embodiment is similar to that described in the first embodiment, so the description will be used here, and the operation of the second embodiment will be described below. Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of print process B executed by the printer 1 in the second embodiment. Print process B shown in Fig. 9 is executed, for example, when the printer 1 is powered on, by the control unit 51 shown in Fig. 7 working in cooperation with a program stored in the program storage area 521 of the storage unit 52.

[0050] First, the control unit 51 allows the user to select a nail design to be printed on each nail T to be printed, and acquires image data of the nail design corresponding to each nail T (step S21).

[0051] Next, the control unit 51 places a plurality of printing fingers U1 corresponding to the plurality of nails T to be printed on the printing finger insertion unit 20a, and causes the photographing control unit 512 to cause the photographing unit 30 to photograph the plurality of nails T to obtain nail images (step S22).

[0052] Next, the control unit 51 sets the variable n to 0 (step S23). Next, the control unit 51 causes the nail information detection unit 513 to detect the nail contour shape from the nail image, and determines whether or not the contour shape of a new nail T has been detected from the nail image (step S24).

[0053] When it is determined that a new contour shape of the nail T has been detected from the nail image (step S24; YES), the control unit 51 increments the variable n (step S25).

[0054] Next, the control unit 51 acquires the outline shape of the nail Tn detected by the nail information detection unit 513 (step S26), and the print data generation unit 514 generates print data by matching the nail design corresponding to the nail Tn to the acquired outline shape of the nail Tn (step S27). The processing in steps S21 to S27 is the same as that in steps S1 to S7 in FIG. 8, and therefore the detailed description thereof will be cited.

[0055] Next, the control unit 51 calculates the length of the edge (border) of the print area of ​​the nail Tn as an index value indicating how easily the print area of ​​the nail Tn dries from the printing data of the nail Tn using the index value calculation unit 517 (step S28), and returns to step S24. The control unit 51 repeats steps S24 to S28 until no new nails are detected. Here, since ink dries starting from the edge of the printing area, the longer the edge of the printing area, the easier it is to dry. Therefore, in this embodiment, the length of the edge of the printing area of ​​the nail Tn is calculated as an index value indicating how easily the printing area of ​​the nail Tn dries. The larger this index value, the easier it is to dry, and the smaller the value, the harder it is to dry.

[0056] In step S24, if no new nail is detected (step S24; NO), the control unit 51 causes the printing order determination unit 518 to obtain the order of the nails T1 to Tn in order of smallest edge length of the printing area (i.e., order of least likely to dry) (step S29).

[0057] Then, the control unit 51 determines the printing order of the nails T1 to Tn in ascending order of edge length of the printing area of ​​the nails T1 to Tn using the printing order determination unit 518 (step S30), and causes the printing control unit 515 to cause the printing unit 40 to print on the nails T1 to Tn in the determined printing order (step S31). When printing on all of the nails T1 to Tn is completed, the control unit 51 ends the printing process B, and causes the display control unit 516 to display a selection screen on the display unit 13, and waits for the next printing.

[0058] In this way, in the second embodiment, the nails T1 to Tn of the printing finger U1 set as the printing target are printed in order of the edge length of the printing area and the time it takes to dry them, thereby shortening the total time required to dry all the fingers to be printed.

[0059] [Third embodiment] Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The configuration of the printing device 1 of the third embodiment is similar to that described in the first embodiment, so the description will be used here, and the operation of the third embodiment will be described below. Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of print processing C executed by the printer 1 in the third embodiment. The print processing C shown in Fig. 10 is executed, for example, when the printer 1 is powered on, by the control unit 51 shown in Fig. 7 working in cooperation with a program stored in the program storage area 521 of the storage unit 52.

[0060] First, the control unit 51 allows the user to select a nail design to be printed on each nail T to be printed, and acquires image data of the nail design corresponding to each nail T (step S41).

[0061] Next, the control unit 51 places a plurality of printing fingers U1 corresponding to a plurality of nails T to be printed on the printing finger insertion unit 20a, and causes the photographing control unit 512 to cause the photographing unit 30 to photograph the plurality of nails T to obtain nail images (step S42).

[0062] Next, the control unit 51 sets the variable n to 0 (step S43). Next, the control unit 51 causes the nail information detection unit 513 to detect the nail contour shape from the nail image, and determines whether or not the contour shape of a new nail T has been detected from the nail image (step S44).

[0063] When it is determined that a new contour shape of the nail T has been detected from the nail image (step S44; YES), the control unit 51 increments the variable n (step S45).

[0064] Next, the control unit 51 acquires the outline shape of the nail Tn detected by the nail information detection unit 513 (step S46), and the print data generation unit 514 generates print data by matching the nail design corresponding to the nail Tn to the acquired outline shape of the nail Tn (step S47). The processing in steps S41 to S47 is the same as steps S1 to S7 in FIG. 8, and therefore the detailed description thereof will be cited.

[0065] Next, the control unit 51 calculates the ink ejection amount (hereinafter, ejection amount) for the printing area of ​​the nail Tn from the printing data of the nail Tn as an index value indicating how easily the printing area of ​​the nail Tn dries (step S48), using the index value calculation unit 517, and returns to step S44. The control unit 51 repeats steps S44 to S48 until no new nails are detected. The smaller the amount of ink ejected onto the print area (ejection amount), the easier it will dry. Here, the printing unit 40 prints the nail design by ejecting ink of a color corresponding to the color of the nail design from the print head 46, but the number of ink ejections per pixel (ejection number) varies depending on the color. For example, if one pixel of a single color (C, M, Y) is represented by one ejection, one pixel of black, which is a mixture of C, M, and Y, is represented by three ejections. The ejection amount is calculated by multiplying the ink amount per ejection by the number of ejections. Therefore, the smaller the ejection number, the easier it will dry because the smaller the ejection amount onto the print area. Therefore, in this embodiment, the ejection number is used as a value representing the ejection amount onto the print area of ​​the nail Tn, and the ejection number is calculated as an index value indicating the ease with which the print area of ​​the nail Tn will dry. A smaller value of this index value indicates an easier drying, and a larger value indicates a slower drying. Instead of using the ejection number as the ejection amount, the ink amount per ejection multiplied by the number of ejections may be used. In addition, if the ease of drying differs depending on the type of ink of each color, an index value indicating the ease of drying can be calculated taking the type of ink into consideration, for example, by multiplying the ejection volume of each color by a coefficient corresponding to the type of ink to calculate the ejection volume of each color and then adding them up.

[0066] In step S44, if no new nail is detected (step S44; NO), the control unit 51 acquires the order of the largest ejection amount (i.e., the order of least likely to dry) for the printing area of ​​the nails T1 to Tn by the printing order determination unit 518 (step S49).

[0067] Then, the control unit 51 determines the printing order of the nails T1 to Tn in descending order of the ejection amount onto the printing area of ​​the nails T1 to Tn using the printing order determination unit 518 (step S50), and causes the printing control unit 515 to cause the printing unit 40 to print on the nails T1 to Tn in the determined printing order (step S51). When printing on all of the nails T1 to Tn is completed, the control unit 51 ends the printing process C, and causes the display control unit 516 to display a selection screen on the display unit 13, and waits for the next printing.

[0068] In this way, in the third embodiment, the nails T1 to Tn set as the printing target are printed in order of the amount of ink ejected into the printing area and the time it takes to dry them, thereby shortening the total time required to dry all the fingers to be printed.

[0069] As described above, according to the printing device 1, the index value calculation unit 517 calculates an index value indicating the ease of drying of the printing area of ​​each of the multiple nails based on the nail image of each of the multiple nails and the nail design to be printed on each nail, and the printing order determination unit 518 determines the printing order of the multiple nails based on the calculated index value. Then, the printing unit 40 prints on the multiple nails in the determined printing order. Therefore, when printing a plurality of nails, it is possible to perform printing in a rational printing order that can shorten the time until all the nails are completely dried.

[0070] For example, the index value calculation unit 517 calculates the area of ​​the printing area of ​​each of the multiple nails as an index value indicating how easily the printing area of ​​each of the multiple nails dries, and the printing order determination unit 518 determines the printing order of the multiple nails based on the calculated area. Therefore, when printing multiple nails, the printing order is determined based on the area of ​​the printing area, so it is possible to print in a rational printing order that can shorten the time it takes for all nails to dry.

[0071] Furthermore, for example, the index value calculation unit 517 calculates the amount of ink ejected for each print area of ​​the multiple nails as an index value indicating how easily the print area of ​​each of the multiple nails dries, and the print order determination unit 518 determines the print order of the multiple nails based on the calculated ink ejection amount. Therefore, when printing multiple nails, the print order is determined based on the amount of ink ejected for the print area, so it is possible to print in a rational print order that can shorten the time it takes for all nails to dry completely.

[0072] Furthermore, for example, the index value calculation unit 517 calculates the edge length of the printing area of ​​each of the multiple nails as an index value indicating how easily the printing area of ​​each of the multiple nails dries, and the printing order determination unit 518 determines the printing order of the multiple nails based on the calculated edge length. Therefore, when printing multiple nails, the printing order is determined based on the edge length relative to the printing area, so it is possible to print in a rational printing order that can shorten the time it takes for all nails to dry completely.

[0073] The above-described embodiments are preferred examples of the printing device, printing control method, and program according to the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these.

[0074] For example, in the above embodiment, a case has been described in which a plurality of printing fingers U1 are set in the printing device 1, and the plurality of printing fingers U1 are photographed at once to acquire nail images of a plurality of nails T at once and determine the printing order, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a plurality of printing fingers U1 corresponding to a plurality of nails T to be printed may be set one by one in the printing device, and the process of photographing each finger one by one and acquiring nail images may be repeated multiple times to acquire nail images of the plurality of nails T and determine the printing order.

[0075] In addition, in the above embodiment, an example of a printing device capable of photographing four fingers (index finger, middle finger, ring finger, little finger) of one hand and the thumb of the other hand at the same time was described. However, if all nails on both hands are to be printed, if the width of the printing device and the angle of view of the camera 32 allow, it is also possible to set and photograph all ten fingers on both hands at once, obtain nail images of the nails T of all ten fingers at once, and determine the printing order.

[0076] In the above embodiment, the printing order is determined based on the area, edge length, and ejection volume of the printing regions of the nails T1 to Tn. However, the printing order may be determined based on a combination of these. For example, if the areas and ejection volumes of the printing regions are the same, the one with the smaller edge length may be determined to be higher in the printing order. Alternatively, if the edge lengths are the same, the one with the larger area or ejection volume may be determined to be higher in the printing order. Furthermore, in addition to the area, edge length, and ejection volume of the printing region, factors related to the index value for the drying speed of the printing region include the drying speed of the ink itself, which is based on the composition of each of the multiple colors of ink. This may also be added to the generation of the index value for determining the printing order.

[0077] In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the functions of the nail information detection unit, print data generation unit, index value calculation unit, and print order determination unit are all included within the printing device 1, but for example, the printing device may be connected to a terminal device such as a smartphone, tablet, or PC via the communication unit 14, and some or all of the above functions may be realized by cooperation between the control unit of the terminal device and a program stored in the storage unit. In this way, the printing device of the present invention may be configured to include a terminal device connected via the communication unit. In addition, in the above embodiment, it was explained that image data of the nail design is stored in the printing device 1 and the user selects the nail design on the printing device 1, but it is also possible that image data of the nail design is stored on a terminal device connected to the printing device via a communication unit, the user selects the nail design on the terminal device, and the image data of the selected nail design is sent to the printing device 1 (or, if the terminal device has a print data generation unit, it is output to the print data generation unit).

[0078] It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be modified as appropriate.

[0079] 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 as follows. The claim numbers described in the appendix are the same as those of the claims originally attached to this application. [Note] <Claim 1> a calculation means for calculating an index value indicating the ease of drying of the print area of ​​each of the plurality of nails based on information corresponding to the print area set for each of the plurality of nails; a determination means for determining a printing order of the plurality of nails based on the index value calculated by the calculation means; a printing means for printing on the plurality of nails in the printing order determined by the determining means; A printing device comprising: <Claim 2> The printing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the calculation means calculates the area of ​​each of the printing areas of the plurality of nails as an index value indicating the ease of drying of the printing area set for each of the plurality of nails. <Claim 3> The printing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the calculation means calculates the amount of ink ejected for each printing area of ​​the plurality of nails as an index value indicating the ease of drying of the printing area set for each of the plurality of nails. <Claim 4> The printing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the calculation means calculates the length of the edge of each of the printing areas of the plurality of nails as an index value indicating the ease of drying of the printing area set for each of the plurality of nails. <Claim 5> 5. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein the printing area set for each of the plurality of nails is a nail design area set for each nail or a contour area for each nail. <Claim 6> 6. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein the printing order determined by the determining unit is to print the printing areas of the plurality of nails in order from the printing area that dries the least. <Claim 7> a calculation step of calculating an index value indicating the ease of drying of the print area of ​​each of the plurality of nails based on information corresponding to the print area set in each nail image of the plurality of nails; a determination step of determining a printing order of the plurality of nails based on the calculated index value; a printing step of printing on the plurality of nails in the determined printing order; A printing method comprising: <Claim 8> Computer, a calculation means for calculating an index value indicating how easily a print area of ​​each of the plurality of nails dries based on information corresponding to the print area set in each nail image of the plurality of nails; a determination means for determining the printing order of the plurality of nails based on the index value calculated by the calculation means; a print control means for causing a printing means to print on the plurality of nails in the print order determined by the determination means; A program to function as a [Explanation of symbols]

[0080] 1 Printing device 2 Case body 4 Lid 12 Control section 20a Print finger insertion section 20b Non-printed finger insertion section 20c Grip 20 Printing finger fixing part 30 Photography Department 32 Camera 33 Lighting 40 Printing Department 50 Control device 51 Control section 513 Nail information detection unit 514 Print data generation unit 517 Index value calculation unit 518 Printing Order Determination Unit 121a Power switch button 121b Print start instruction switch button 201 first finger positioning portion 202 second finger positioning portion T-claw U1 printing finger U2 non-printing finger

Claims

1. a calculation means for calculating an index value indicating the ease of drying of the print area of ​​each of the plurality of nails based on information corresponding to the print area set for each of the plurality of nails; a determination means for determining a printing order of the plurality of nails based on the index value calculated by the calculation means; a printing means for printing on each of the plurality of nails in the printing order determined by the determining means; Equipped with The printing device is characterized in that the calculation means calculates the length of the edge of each of the printing areas of the multiple nails as an index value indicating the ease of drying of the printing area set for each of the multiple nails.

2. The printing device according to claim 1 , wherein the calculation means further calculates the area of ​​the printing area of ​​each of the plurality of nails as an index value indicating the ease of drying of the printing area set for each of the plurality of nails.

3. 2. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein the calculation means calculates the amount of ink ejected for each of the printing areas of the plurality of nails as an index value indicating the ease of drying of the printing areas set for each of the plurality of nails.

4. The calculation means further calculates the ink ejection amount for each of the printing areas of the plurality of nails as an index value indicating the ease of drying of the printing areas set for each of the plurality of nails, 3. The printing device according to claim 2, wherein when there are a plurality of nails having the same area of ​​the printing area and the same amount of ink ejected to the printing area, the nail having the smaller edge length is determined to be higher in the printing order.

5. The calculation means further calculates the ink ejection amount for each of the printing areas of the plurality of nails as an index value indicating the ease of drying of the printing areas set for each of the plurality of nails, 3. A printing device according to claim 2, wherein when there are multiple nails with the same edge length of the printing area, the one with the larger area of ​​the printing area or the larger amount of ink ejected to the printing area is determined to be higher in the printing order.

6. 6. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein the printing area set for each of the plurality of nails is a nail design area or a contour area set for each nail.

7. 7. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein the printing order determined by the determining unit is to print the printing areas of the plurality of nails in order of the least drying.

8. a calculation step of calculating an index value indicating the ease of drying of the print area of ​​each of the plurality of nails based on information corresponding to the print area set in each nail image of the plurality of nails; a determination step of determining a printing order of the plurality of nails based on the calculated index value; a printing step of printing each of the plurality of nails in the determined printing order; Including, A printing method characterized in that the calculation step calculates the length of the edge of each of the printing areas of the multiple nails as an index value indicating the ease of drying of the printing area set for each of the multiple nails.

9. Computer, a calculation means for calculating an index value indicating how easily a print area of ​​each of the plurality of nails dries based on information corresponding to the print area set in each nail image of the plurality of nails; a determination means for determining the printing order of the plurality of nails based on the index value calculated by the calculation means; a print control means for causing a printing means to print on each of the plurality of nails in the printing order determined by the determination means; It functions as The calculation means is a program for calculating the length of the edge of each of the print areas of the plurality of nails as an index value indicating the ease of drying of the print areas set for each of the plurality of nails.

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