Drawing apparatus and drawing control method for drawing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9694623-B2
Application number	US-201514981205-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 28, 2015
Priority date	Dec 26, 2014
Publication date	Jul 4, 2017
Grant date	Jul 4, 2017

Abstract

A drawing apparatus includes a drawing unit, a test-writing portion, and a control unit including a drawing tool identification unit.
At least one drawing tool is loaded in the drawing unit and the drawing tool draws on a drawing target and a drawing medium different from the drawing target. A drawing medium is placed on the test-writing portion. The drawing tool identification unit acquires a test target image from an area on the drawing medium drawn with the drawing tool in the test-writing portion, and identifies a type of the drawing tool loaded in the drawing unit on the basis of the test target image.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A drawing apparatus comprising:
a drawing head in which at least one drawing tool is loaded, the drawing tool drawing on a drawing target and a drawing medium different from the drawing target;
a test-writing device on which the drawing medium is placed; and
a control device configured to identify a type of the drawing tool loaded in the drawing head on the basis of a test target image acquired from an area on the drawing medium drawn with the drawing tool in the test-writing device,
wherein:
the drawing tool is a pen having a tip part which applies ink to the drawing target and the drawing medium to draw on the drawing target and the drawing medium, and
the type of drawing tool corresponds to at least one of a kind of ink and a thickness of the tip part.

2. The drawing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control device determines whether at least one particular kind of the drawing tool, which is necessary to draw a particular nail design selected by a user on the drawing target, is loaded in the drawing head on the basis of a result of the identifying.

3. The drawing apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising a display device, wherein the control device performs a control which causes the display device to display image information representing that the particular drawing tool is not loaded in the drawing head to notify the user in a case in which it is determined that the particular drawing tool is not loaded in the drawing head.

4. The drawing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein in a case in which it is determined that the particular drawing tool is not loaded in the drawing head, the control device executes at least one of the following:
(i) causing a display device to display an image showing how the particular nail design would look in a case where the drawing tool loaded in the drawing head is used to draw the particular nail design; and
(ii) causing the display device to display one or more candidates of a nail design, which is different from the particular nail design and which can be drawn with the drawing tool loaded in the drawing head.

5. The drawing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control device is configured to determine whether a drawing position of the drawing tool on the drawing medium is displaced from a preset normal drawing position on the basis of the test target image, and in a case in which it has been determined that the drawing position is displaced from the normal drawing position, calculate a correction value for correcting the drawing position to the normal drawing position.

6. The drawing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the control device performs:
controlling the drawing head to control drawing on the drawing medium with the drawing tool and drawing of a particular nail design on the drawing target; and
generating drawing data for drawing the particular nail design on the drawing target with the drawing tool on the basis of image data of the particular nail design,
wherein:
in the generating of the drawing data, the correction value is applied to the drawing data, and
the controlling of the drawing head is performed on the basis of the drawing data after the correction value is applied, when the particular nail design is drawn on the drawing target with the drawing tool.

7. The drawing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the drawing target is a finger nail of a hand or a foot; and
the drawing medium is a sheet of paper.

8. A drawing apparatus comprising:
a drawing head in which at least one drawing tool, which draws on a drawing target and a drawing medium different from the drawing target, is loaded;
a test-writing device on which the drawing medium is placed; and
a control device,
wherein the control device is configured to determine whether at least one particular kind of the drawing tool, which is necessary to draw a particular nail design selected by a user on the drawing target, is loaded in the drawing head, and to determine whether a drawing position of the drawing tool is displaced from a preset normal drawing position on the basis of a test target image acquired from an area of the drawing medium drawn with the drawing tool in the test-writing device, and in a case in which it has been determined that the drawing position is displaced from the normal drawing position, calculate a correction value for correcting the drawing position to the normal drawing position.

9. The drawing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the control device performs:
controlling the drawing head to control drawing on the drawing medium with the drawing tool and drawing of the particular nail design on the drawing target; and
generating drawing data for drawing the particular nail design on the drawing target with the drawing tool on the basis of image data of the particular nail design,
wherein:
in the generating of the drawing data, the correction value is applied to the drawing data, and
the controlling of the drawing head is performed on the basis of the drawing data after the correction value is applied, when the particular nail design is drawn on the drawing target with the drawing tool.

10. A drawing apparatus comprising:
a drawing head in which at least one drawing tool is loaded, the drawing tool drawing on a drawing target and a drawing medium different from the drawing target;
a test-writing device on which the drawing medium is placed; and
a control device configured to identify a type of the drawing tool loaded in the drawing head on the basis of a test target image acquired from an area on the drawing medium drawn with the drawing tool in the test-writing device, and to determine whether at least one particular kind of the drawing tool, which is necessary to draw a particular nail design selected by a user on the drawing target, is loaded in the drawing head on the basis of a result of the identifying.

11. The drawing apparatus according to claim 10 , further comprising a display device, wherein the control device performs a control which causes the display device to display image information representing that the particular drawing tool is not loaded in the drawing head to notify the user in a case in which it is determined that the particular drawing tool is not loaded in the drawing head.

12. The drawing apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein in a case in which it is determined that the particular drawing tool is not loaded in the drawing head, the control device executes at least one of the following:
(i) causing a display device to display an image showing how the particular nail design would look in a case in which the drawing tool loaded in the drawing head is used to draw the particular nail design; and
(ii) causing the display device to display one or more candidates of a nail design, which is different from the particular nail design and which can be drawn with the drawing tool loaded in the drawing head.

13. A drawing apparatus comprising:
a drawing head in which at least one drawing tool is loaded, the drawing tool drawing on a drawing target and a drawing medium different from the drawing target;
a test-writing device on which the drawing medium is placed; and
a control device configured to determine whether a drawing position of the drawing tool on the drawing medium is displaced from a preset normal drawing position on the basis of a test target image acquired from an area on the drawing medium drawn with the drawing tool in the test-writing device, and in a case in which it has been determined that the drawing position is displaced from the normal drawing position, calculate a correction value for

Assignees

• Casio Computer Co Ltd

Inventors

• Bitoh Hiroyasu

Classifications

• B43L13/00 Primary

  Drawing instruments, or writing or drawing appliances or accessories not otherwise provided for (stencils for surface decoration B44D) · CPC title

• A45D2029/005

  Printing or stamping devices for applying images or ornaments to nails · CPC title

• A45D29/00 Primary

  Manicuring or pedicuring implements · CPC title

• B41J3/4073

  Printing on three-dimensional objects not being in sheet or web form, e.g. spherical or cubic objects (B41J3/283, B41J3/286 take precedence; building up a 3D object using individual droplets from jetting heads B29C64/112) · CPC title