Nail Printing Apparatus Invariant Area Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing nail printing technologies face challenges in accurately detecting and correcting the nail area, leading to time-consuming and effort-intensive processes, especially when nail shape changes occur due to growth or cutting, resulting in difficulties in reproducing previously corrected designs.
Innovation Solution
A nail printing apparatus and method that divides the nail area into a first area near the nail root and a second area near the free edge, allowing for pre-registration and retrieval of the first area without re-detection, enabling efficient correction and design reproduction by distinguishing between invariant and variant areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the nail area is corrected and registered each time the nail shape changes, then the printing accuracy is maintained, but the time and effort required increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the nail area into a first area (nail root side) and a second area (free edge side). The first area is stored and reused without re-detection, while only the second area undergoes correction. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by maintaining measurement precision for the first area through storage while reducing correction time by excluding it from repeated correction processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary detection and storage of the first area (nail root side) in advance. This stored information is then reused in subsequent printing operations without requiring re-detection or re-correction. This preliminary action maintains measurement precision while significantly reducing the time and effort required for each subsequent operation.
2Area of stationary object
If the whole nail area is used as the effective area for printing, then the design coverage is maximized, but the printing accuracy decreases for French manicure nails where the root should not be decorated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the nail area into a first area (nail root side) and a second area (free edge side), enabling differential handling. This segmentation allows the system to exclude the nail root from printing when appropriate (such as for French manicure styles) while still utilizing the rest of the nail area, thus achieving both accurate effective area definition and appropriate design coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different processing qualities to different parts of the nail area. The first area (nail root) is stored and reused without correction, while the second area (free edge) undergoes correction. This local quality approach allows precise control over which areas are included in printing, enabling accurate effective area definition for specific design styles while maintaining overall design coverage.
3Manufacturing precision
If the nail area correction is performed manually for every change, then the design accuracy is maintained, but the ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the nail area correction process into two parts: the first area (nail root side) is automatically stored and reused without manual correction, while only the second area (free edge side) requires correction. This segmentation maintains design accuracy by still performing correction when needed but significantly improves ease of operation by eliminating redundant manual corrections for the first area.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-service by automatically storing and reusing the first area information without requiring manual intervention. This self-service mechanism maintains design accuracy through automated processes while dramatically improving ease of operation by reducing the burden of repeated manual corrections.
Data Source
AI summary
A nail printing apparatus comprising:a print head configured to perform printing on a nail of one of a finger of a hand and a toe of a foot; anda processor configured to detect, from a nail image captured of the nail of one of the finger and the toe, a nail area that is a target of the printing performed by the print head;wherein the processor is further configured to:divide the nail area into a first area on a nail root side of the nail and a second area on a nail free edge side of the nail to store information of the first area in a memory; and,in accordance that the information of the first area is stored in the memory, when detecting the nail area from the nail image, forgo detecting the first area, and reads out the information of the first area stored in the memory.