Nail printing apparatus and printing control method

Abstract

A nail printing apparatus to perform printing on a nail includes an imaging device, an illuminating device, a printing section and a movement mechanism. The imaging device photographs a specific finger including the nail to be printed from a plurality of directions different from each other and acquires a plurality of nail images of the nail. The illuminating device is disposed at a certain position relative to the imaging device and illuminates the nail when the imaging device photographs the nail. The printing section performs the printing on the nail. The movement mechanism moves the imaging device, the illuminating device and the printing section together with one another.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A nail printing apparatus to perform printing on a nail, the apparatus comprising:
 an imaging device which photographs a specific finger including the nail to be printed from a plurality of directions different from each other and acquires a plurality of nail images of the nail;   an illuminating device which illuminates the nail when the imaging device photographs the nail, the illuminating device being disposed at a certain position relative to the imaging device;   a printing section which performs the printing on the nail; and   a movement mechanism which moves the imaging device, the illuminating device and the printing section together with one another.   
     
     
         2 . The nail printing apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the plurality of directions include a first direction from just above the nail toward the nail and a second direction shifting from the first direction to one side of the nail in a width direction of the nail.   
     
     
         3 . The nail printing apparatus according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein the movement mechanism moves the imaging device to a first position and a second position when the imaging device acquires the nail images, wherein a direction from the first position toward the nail is the first direction, and a direction from the second position toward the nail is the second direction.   
     
     
         4 . The nail printing apparatus according to  claim 3 , further comprising a printing maintenance section which maintains a print head, the print head being included in the printing section to apply ink to the nail,
 wherein the imaging device and the printing section are disposed so that the print head is over the printing maintenance section when the imaging device is in the first position.   
     
     
         5 . The nail printing apparatus according to  claim 4 ,
 wherein the printing section includes a carriage supporting the print head; and   wherein the imaging device is fixed to a position lateral to the carriage.   
     
     
         6 . The nail printing apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the illuminating device includes only one pair of light sources arranged in a longitudinal direction of the nail, with the imaging device disposed between the pair of light sources; and   wherein the light sources are turned on when the imaging device photographs the nail.   
     
     
         7 . The nail printing apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a nail information detecting section which detects a contour of the nail and at least one of a height and a curvature of the nail as nail information on the basis of the nail images acquired by the imaging device; and   a print data generating section which corrects image data on the basis of the nail information to generate print data,   wherein the printing section is moved by the movement mechanism in accordance with the print data to print an image on the nail.   
     
     
         8 . The nail printing apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the printing section includes a print head which applies ink to the nail;   wherein the print head includes at least one printing tool which applies the ink to the nail when a tip of the printing tool touches the nail; and   wherein the print head allows the tip of the printing tool to touch the nail when the printing is performed on the nail, and the print head keeps the printing tool at such a position that the tip does not touch the nail when the imaging device is moved by the movement mechanism and acquires the nail images.   
     
     
         9 . A printing control method of a nail printing apparatus to perform printing on a nail, the apparatus including an imaging device which photographs a finger, an illuminating device which is disposed at a certain position relative to the imaging device and which illuminates the nail of the finger, a printing section which prints an image on the nail, and a movement mechanism which moves the imaging device, the illuminating device and the printing section together with one another, the method comprising:
 moving the imaging device and the illuminating device using the movement mechanism to a plurality of positions, wherein a plurality of directions from the plurality of respective positions toward a specific finger including the nail to be printed are different from each other;   illuminating the nail using the illuminating device at each of the positions;   photographing the specific finger from the plurality of directions using the imaging device to acquire a plurality of nail images of the nail; and   printing the image on the nail using the printing section on the basis of the nail images.   
     
     
         10 . The printing control method according to  claim 9 ,
 wherein the plurality of directions include a first direction from just above the nail toward the nail and a second direction shifting from the first direction to one side of the nail in a width direction of the nail; and   wherein the movement mechanism moves the imaging device to a first position and a second position when the imaging device acquires the nail images, wherein a direction from the first position toward the nail is the first direction, and a direction from the second position toward the nail is the second direction.   
     
     
         11 . The printing control method according to  claim 10 ,
 wherein the printing section includes a print head which applies ink to the nail;   wherein the nail printing apparatus further comprises a printing maintenance section which maintains the print head;   wherein the imaging device and the printing section are disposed so that the print head is over the printing maintenance section when the imaging device is in the first position; and   wherein the printing maintenance section maintains the print head when the imaging device is moved to the first position by the movement mechanism.   
     
     
         12 . The printing control method according to  claim 9 , further comprising:
 acquiring a contour of the nail and at least one of a height and a curvature of the nail as nail information on the basis of the nail images acquired by the imaging device; and   correcting image data on the basis of the nail information to generate print data.