Apparatus and non-transitory computer-readable medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9302404-B2
Application number	US-201414288109-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 27, 2014
Priority date	May 28, 2013
Publication date	Apr 5, 2016
Grant date	Apr 5, 2016

Abstract

An apparatus includes a moving device moving a holding member and a cutting or printing head relative to each other. The apparatus specifies, as a designated position, a position of an ultrasonic source located within a projection range on the holding member. The apparatus determines an edit pattern to be applied to an object based on the designated position to be specified and also determines a cutting or printing position on the object based on the designated position to be specified. The edit pattern is projected onto a holding region of the holding member and a menu image is projected onto an edge region of the holding member. The apparatus edits the edit pattern according to editing contents and generates data to perform cutting or printing on the object. The apparatus controls the moving device based on the generated data.

First claim

We claim:

1. An apparatus performing cutting or printing on an object, comprising:
a moving device configured to move a holding member and a cutting head or a printing head relative to each other, the holding member being set to the apparatus while holding the object;
a detection device configured to detect ultrasonic waves;
a projection device configured to be capable of projecting information about a pattern onto a predetermined projection range; and
a control device configured to cause the apparatus to:
specify, as a designated position, a position of an ultrasonic source located within the projection range on the holding member, based on the detected ultrasonic waves with the holding member being positioned, the projection range including a holding region holding the object on the holding member and an edge region located outside the holding region on the holding member;
determine an edit pattern which is a pattern to be applied to the object, based on the designated position to be specified;
determine a cutting position or a printing position on the object based on the designated position to be specified;
cause the projection device to project the edit pattern onto a corresponding position on the holding region and a menu image onto the edge region, the corresponding position serving as the cutting position or the printing position of the edit pattern, the information about the pattern including the determined edit pattern and the menu image representing a plurality of items to edit the edit pattern;
edit the edit pattern according to editing contents represented by an applicable one of items in the menu image projected onto the edge region when a position corresponding to the applicable item has been specified, based on the position which has been specified as the designated position and which is on the edge region within the projection range;
generate data to perform cutting or printing on the object based on the determined edit pattern or the edited edit pattern and the cutting or the printing position; and
control the moving device based on the generated data to move the holding member and the cutting head or the printing head relative to each other, thereby performing cutting or printing on the object.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control device further causes the apparatus to modify or delete at least a part of the edit pattern based on at least a plurality of specified designated positions.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the control device further causes the apparatus to cause the projection device to project the edit pattern reflecting modification or deletion onto the cutting or printing position when at least a part of the edit pattern has been modified or deleted.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a storage device configured to store data of a plurality of patterns;
a data selecting device configured to be capable of selecting data of a predetermined one of the patterns stored in the storage device,
wherein the control device further causes the apparatus to:
determine the edit pattern including the selected pattern and the cutting or printing position, based on the selected data and the specified designated positions; and
generate data which applies the edit pattern including the pattern of the selected data to the cutting or printing position, based on the selected data and the determined contents.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control device further causes the apparatus to specify the designated position while the holding member holding the object is positioned at the predetermined position.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program for an apparatus comprising:
a moving device configured to move a holding member and a cutting head or a printing head relative to each other, the holding member being set to the apparatus while holding the object;
a detection device configured to detect ultrasonic waves;
a projection device configured to be capable of projecting information about a pattern onto a predetermined projection range; and
a control device,
wherein the program causes the control device to execute instructions which, when executed, cause the apparatus to:
specify, as a designated position, a position of an ultrasonic source located within the projection range on the holding member, based on the detected ultrasonic waves with the holding member being positioned, the projection range including a holding region holding the object on the holding member and an edge region located outside the holding region on the holding member;
determine an edit pattern which is a pattern to be applied to the object, based on the designated position to be specified;
determine a cutting position or a printing position on the object based on the designated position to be specified;
cause the projection device to project the edit pattern onto a corresponding position on the holding region and a menu image onto the edge region, the corresponding position serving as the cutting position or the printing position of the edit pattern, the information about the pattern including the determined edit pattern and the menu image representing a plurality of items to edit the edit pattern;
edit the edit pattern according to editing contents represented by an applicable one of items in the menu image projected onto the edge region when a position corresponding to the applicable item has been specified, based on the position which has been specified as the designated position and which is on the edge region within the projection range;
generate data to perform cutting or printing on the object based on the determined edit pattern or the edited edit pattern and the cutting or the printing position; and
control the moving device based on the generated data to move the holding member and the cutting head or the printing head relative to each other, thereby performing cutting or printing on the object.

7. The medium according to claim 6 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the control device, further cause the apparatus to modify or delete at least a part of the edit pattern based on at least a plurality of specified designated positions.

8. The medium according to claim 7 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the control device, further cause the apparatus to cause the projection device to project the edit pattern reflecting modification or deletion onto the cutting or printing position when at least a part of the edit pattern has been modified or deleted.

9. The medium according to claim 6 , wherein the apparatus further comprises:
a storage device configured to store data of a plurality of patterns;
a data selecting device configured to be capable of selecting data of a predetermined one of the patterns stored in the storage device,
wherein the instructions, when executed by the control device, further cause the apparatus to:
determine the edit pattern including the selected pattern and the cutting or printing position, based on the selected data and the specified designated positions; and
generate data which applies the edit pattern including the pattern of the selected data to the cutting or printing position, based on the selected data and the determined contents.

10. The medium according to claim 6 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the control device, further cause the apparatus to specify the designated position while the holding member holding the object is positioned at the predetermined position.

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Matsushima Mika
• Hori Masayuki

Classifications

• B26D5/005 Primary

  Computer numerical control means · CPC title

• B26F1/3813

  wherein the tool head is moved in a plane parallel to the work in a coordinate system fixed with respect to the work · CPC title

• B26D5/02

  Means for moving the cutting member into its operative position for cutting · CPC title

• B26D2005/002

  Performing a pattern matching operation · CPC title

• B41J3/28

  for printing downwardly on flat surfaces, e.g. of books, drawings, boxes {, envelopes, e.g. flat-bed ink-jet printers} · CPC title