JP4844142B2 - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an oblique printing method that eliminates waste and further ensures a printing width, and also to provide a printer that can print an oblique image well. <P>SOLUTION: The oblique printing method prints an image diagonally against lenses, directly on the backside of lenticular lenses formed by arranging a plurality of lenses extending in a longitudinal direction, or on a medium attached to the backside thereof. Then, the method includes: a first step (S302) of rotating a plurality of parallax-constituting images forming parallax by an oblique angle of the image against the lenses, respectively; a second step (S303) of synthesizing the plurality of parallax-constituting images and generating a single strip image; and a third step (S304) of rotating the generated single strip image in the direction opposite to the first step by the oblique angle. Also, the printer can print the oblique image well by executing the printing method. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an oblique printing method and a printer that employs the printing method.

  Among various printing technologies, there is one that prints a printed image on a recording layer of a lens sheet that includes a lenticular lens in which a large number of cylindrical convex lenses (hereinafter, convex lenses) are arranged in parallel (Patent Document 1). reference). In this printing technique, a large number of stripe-shaped subdivided images corresponding to the pitch of the convex lenses are recorded side by side on the recording layer of the lens sheet. Then, according to the type of the subdivided image, the image to be viewed becomes three-dimensional (stereoscopic), and can be an image (animation) that moves by changing the viewing angle. In printing on this lens sheet, an arrangement in which the convex lens array is vertically or horizontally with respect to both eyes is generally used (see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 3471930 (see paragraph numbers 0066 to 0076, FIG. 1, FIG. 5, FIG. 8, FIG. 9 etc.)

  However, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, the number of parallaxes that can be handled due to the convenience of the printing width within the convex lens is limited, or the printing width decreases as the number of parallaxes increases. Note that the number of parallaxes easily affects the smoothness of the image, and the print width per parallax affects the image quality.

  As a countermeasure, it is conceivable to print the segmented image obliquely with respect to the lens sheet. However, in such a method, the image is printed on a lens sheet having an area larger than the area of the necessary image portion, and only the image portion is cut out from the lens sheet after printing. When such a cutting operation is performed, the remaining part of the lens sheet is wasted.

The present invention has been made based on the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an oblique printing method that is not wasteful and that can increase the printing width. Another object of the present invention is to provide a printer capable of satisfactorily printing an oblique image ( hereinafter, “image” includes characters) .

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the oblique printing method of the present invention provides an image (hereinafter referred to as an image) on the back side of a lenticular lens in which a plurality of lenses extending in the longitudinal direction are formed in parallel, or on a medium attached to the back side. In the oblique printing method of printing an image including characters) so as to be oblique with respect to the lens, a plurality of parallax configuration images forming a parallax are respectively rotated by an oblique angle of the image with respect to the lens. A first step of combining a plurality of parallax constructing images to generate a single strip image, and the generated single strip image by an oblique angle in a direction opposite to the first step. And a third step of rotating.

  According to the oblique printing method of the present invention, it is possible to avoid waste and to increase the printing width. Each lens of the lens sheet of the present invention is tilted with respect to the image, but the tilt angle may be any number of times such as 0.2 degrees or 45 degrees. Further, the inclination may be lower right or lower left. In the following, it is assumed that the image includes a character image representing a character.

  In another invention, in addition to the above-described invention, halftone processing is performed after the third step. Adopting this method increases the smoothness of the image quality. For this reason, this method is suitable for three-dimensional printing.

  In another invention, in addition to the above-described invention, halftone processing is performed after the first step. When this method is adopted, switching of images is improved. Therefore, it is suitable for changing picture printing.

  In addition to the above-described invention, another invention is such that the angle of inclination between the image and the lens is in the range of 5 to 15 degrees with respect to the sheet edge along the moving direction when printing. . If the inclination is within this range, it becomes a three-dimensional printing direction, and when the sheet is observed with an inclination of 90 degrees, it becomes a changing type printing direction such as motion printing or change picture printing.

  The printer of the present invention has a lenticular lens in which a plurality of lenses extending in the longitudinal direction are formed in parallel, and has a surface on which a printed or printed medium is attached on the back side of the lenticular lens. In a printer having a control unit that prints an image on a lens sheet, the control unit, in the case of a lens sheet arranged so that the image is inclined with respect to the lens, respectively, a plurality of parallax configuration images that form parallax, The image is rotated by an oblique angle of the image with respect to the lens, one strip image is generated from a plurality of parallax configuration images, and the generated single strip image is rotated by an oblique angle in the opposite direction to the first step. It is assumed that the processing is performed.

  In this invention, an oblique image can be printed satisfactorily. In other words, printing can be performed so as not to be wasted and the printing width can be increased, and printing can be performed on a medium having the same size as before, and printing can be performed efficiently. .

  Furthermore, in addition to the printer of the above invention, the printer of another invention corresponds to the width of each lens when the lens sheet is an oblique lens sheet in which each lens is inclined with respect to the sheet edge. Based on the lens signal that is formed and output as a result of the continuous period width signal, the pulse corresponding to the missing pulse part that is output first in the lens signal is the same as the pulse width of the signal that is output later. A complementary lens signal is generated as a signal having no width loss, and printing is performed on an oblique lens sheet based on the complementary lens signal.

  In the case of the lens sheet (an oblique lens sheet) of the present invention, a defect occurs in a part of the lens at the sheet start side on the printing start side. In the present invention, the complementary lens signal corresponding to the defect part is a lens in another part. Since the pulse width is the same as that of the image, printing that fits the subdivided image within the narrow lens width is not performed.

  In another aspect of the invention, in addition to the above-described invention, the complementary lens signal is a lens signal, and a missing signal corresponding to the last output pulse portion is replaced with a pulse width of the previously output signal. The signal has no loss of the same pulse width. In such a configuration, even if the lens at the end of the sheet on the side where the oblique lens sheet is to be printed is missing, the complementary lens signal corresponding to this portion is a pulse having the same width as the lens at other locations. Due to the width, printing that fits the subdivided image within a narrow lens width is prevented.

  Hereinafter, an oblique printing method and a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The printer 10 of the present embodiment is an ink jet printer. Such an ink jet printer may be an apparatus that employs any ejection method as long as it can print by ejecting ink. Further, the present invention can be applied to printers other than the ink jet type such as a laser type, a sublimation type thermal transfer type, and a dot impact type.

  In the following description, the lower side refers to the side where the printer 10 is installed, and the upper side refers to the side away from the installed side. Further, a direction in which a carriage 30 described later moves is a main scanning direction, a direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction, and a direction in which the lens sheet 12 is conveyed is a sub-scanning direction. Also, the side on which the lens sheet 12 is supplied will be described as a paper feed side (rear end side), and the side on which the lens sheet 12 is discharged will be described as a paper discharge side (front side).

<Lens sheet>
First, the lens sheet 12 that is a printing object will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the lens sheet 12 includes a lenticular lens 12A located on the front surface, an ink absorbing layer 12B in contact with the back surface of the lenticular lens 12A, and an ink transmission layer 12C located on the back surface of the lens sheet 12. It has. Among these, the lenticular lens 12A has a configuration in which a plurality of cylindrical convex lenses (convex lenses 12A1) whose longitudinal direction is one direction are arranged in parallel at a constant pitch. In the lenticular lens 12A, the curvature of the convex lens 12A1 is formed so that the focal point of the light traveling through each convex lens 12A1 is located on the back surface (boundary surface Q with the ink absorbing layer 12B) of the lenticular lens 12A.

  The lenticular lens 12A is made of PET, PETG, APET, PP, PS, PVC, acrylic, UV resin, or the like. The ink absorbing layer 12B corresponds to the printing surface, and ink is fixed on the printing surface to form a printed image. The ink absorbing layer 12B may be a dedicated paper to be bonded to the lenticular lens 12A, a roll paper, or the like. The lens sheet 12 may or may not have the ink permeable layer 12C, but the presence of the ink permeable layer 12C makes it possible to touch immediately after printing. In addition to the ink transmission layer 12C and the ink absorption layer 12B, there may be other layers such as a transparent film layer and an adhesive layer. The lens sheet 12 may employ a configuration that does not include the ink absorption layer 12B and the ink transmission layer 12C described above, and may print directly on the back surface of the lenticular lens 12A, and the back surface of the lenticular lens 12A itself may be used as a printing surface. .

  In this embodiment, the pitch (arrangement interval) of the convex lenses 12A1 in the lenticular lens 12A is an integral multiple of the pitch of the line patterns of the scale 81 described later. For example, when the line pattern of the scale 81 is 1/180 inch, the pitch of the convex lens 12A1 is 10 lpi (lens per inch; the number of convex lenses 12A1 per inch), 20 lpi, 30 lpi, 45 lpi, 60 lpi, 90 lpi, 180 lpi ( And a scale having a ratio of 1 to 18 in comparison with the scale 81 having a line pattern having a pattern pitch of 180 dpi. However, the pitch of the convex lens 12A1 is not limited to this example, and may be variously changed, for example, 100 lpi, 120 lpi, 130 lpi. Further, the pitch of the convex lenses 12A1 of the lens sheet 12 is usually not a precise pitch as described above, but is slightly shifted due to manufacturing errors or the like.

  The ink permeable layer 12C is a portion to which the ink droplet ejected from the nozzle first adheres, and is a portion through which the attached ink passes. The ink permeable layer 12C is formed of, for example, titanium oxide, silica gel, PMMA (methacrylic resin), binder resin, barium sulfate, glass fiber, plastic fiber, or the like. The ink absorption layer 12B is a part that absorbs and / or fixes the ink that has passed through the ink transmission layer 12C. The ink absorbing layer 12B is formed using, for example, a hydrophilic polymer resin such as PVA (polyvinyl alcohol), a cationic compound, or fine particles such as silica. One of the ink absorption layer 12B and the ink transmission layer 12C is a non-transparent member that transmits light, and the other is a transparent member. It may be a simple member. Moreover, it can also be set as the member which does not let light pass if necessary.

  Furthermore, since the cut surface of the lenticular lens 12A is sharp, there is a risk of cutting the hand or finger of the person handling it, so it is desirable to keep the corner. That is, as shown in FIG. 3A, the portion 13 where the sheet end 12E intersects is rounded (arced), or as shown in FIG. It is preferable to provide a rounded portion 14 on the front side which is the surface of the same and a similar rounded portion 15 on the back side which is the second surface. In addition, you may provide the inclined surface which is a taper instead of providing roundness. The rounded portion is preferably provided in the portion of the lenticular lens 12A. However, if at least one side of the first or second surface is rounded or tapered, the risk of cutting the hand is reduced. .

  As another method for avoiding the danger of cutting the hand, the lens sheet 12 is composed of a lenticular lens 12A, a transparent film, an ink absorbing layer 12B, and an ink transmitting layer 12C in this order, and the transparent film is slightly more than the lenticular lens 12A. A larger method can also be adopted.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the lens sheet 12 in the present embodiment has a rectangular or square rectangular appearance, and the lens sheet 12 that forms the rectangular appearance. The end 12Et (this sheet end 12Et is a sheet end parallel to the sub-scanning direction during printing, as will be described later, and hereinafter referred to as a sub-scanning direction sheet end as appropriate) is the longitudinal direction (transition) of the convex lens 12A1. In a state inclined with respect to the direction). That is, the longitudinal direction of the convex lens 12A1 is provided so as to be inclined rather than parallel or perpendicular to the outer frame (each sheet end 12E) of the rectangular lens sheet 12. Note that there are two sheet ends in the sub-scanning direction, the sheet end 12Et on the printing start side and the sheet end 12Ee on the printing end side. In addition to the above two, the sheet end 12E has sheet ends 12Em and 12Eu at positions in the front-rear direction so as to connect the sheet ends 12Et and 12Ee. These four sheet ends 12Et, 12Ee, 12Em, and 12Eu form a rectangular or square outer shape.

  In this embodiment, the inclination angle θ of the convex lens 12A1 with respect to the sheet ends 12Et and 12Ee is set to be about 10 degrees. However, the inclination angle θ is not limited to 10 degrees, and if the angle is within a range of 5 degrees to 15 degrees, the visibility of the parallax image corresponding to the parallax becomes good. Further, when the inclination is within this range, it becomes a three-dimensional printing direction, and when the lens sheet 12 is observed with an inclination of 90 degrees, it becomes a change-type printing direction such as motion printing or change picture printing. Note that the sheet end 12Et is a sheet end on the side where printing in the main scanning direction (printing direction) of the lens sheet 12 is started as described above.

<About the overall configuration of the printer>
As shown in FIG. 4 and others, the printer 10 conveys the lens sheet 12 by a carriage mechanism 20 that reciprocates the carriage 30 in the main scanning direction by a carriage motor (CR motor 22) and a PF motor 41 (corresponding to a paper feed motor). In addition, there is a sheet transport mechanism 40 and the like, and there is a control unit 100 shown in FIG.

  Here, details of the carriage mechanism 20 will be described. The carriage mechanism 20 includes a carriage 30 as shown in FIGS. The carriage mechanism 20 includes a carriage shaft 21 that slidably holds the carriage 30, a carriage motor (CR motor 22), a gear pulley 23 attached to the CR motor 22, an endless belt 24, A driven pulley 25 that stretches the endless belt 24 between the gear pulley 23 and a linear encoder 80 are provided. The carriage mechanism 20 may be swung to add a swinging mechanism in which the main scanning direction is inclined with respect to the sub-scanning direction (= the conveyance direction of the lens sheet 12).

  As shown in FIG. 5 and the like, the carriage 30 is provided so as to face the platen 50. As shown in FIG. 4 and the like, an ink cartridge 31 of each color is detachably mounted on the carriage 30. A print head 32 is provided below the carriage 30. As shown in FIG. 6, the nozzles 33 a are arranged in a row in the print head 32 in the conveyance direction (sub-scanning direction) of the lens sheet 12, and the nozzle rows 33 corresponding to the respective color inks are formed. . In this embodiment, the nozzle row 33 is composed of, for example, 180 nozzles 33a. Of these, the 180th nozzle 33a is located on the paper feed side, and the first nozzle 33a is located on the paper discharge side. ing.

  In addition, a piezo element (not shown) is arranged for each nozzle 33a in the nozzle row 33 provided below the carriage 30 and associated with each ink. By the operation of this piezo element, it is possible to eject ink droplets from the nozzle 33a at the end of the ink passage. The print head 32 is not limited to a piezo drive system using a piezo element. For example, a heater system that uses ink to heat ink with a heater, a magnetostriction system that uses a magnetostrictive element, or an electrostatic force. Other methods such as an electrostatic method and a mist method in which the mist is controlled by an electric field may be used.

  Further, as illustrated in FIG. 5 and the like, the printer 10 includes a paper transport mechanism 40. The paper transport mechanism 40 includes a PF motor 41 (see FIG. 4) for transporting the lens sheet 12 and the like, and a paper feed roller 42 for feeding plain paper or the like. Further, a PF roller pair 43 for conveying and / or clamping the lens sheet 12 is provided on the paper discharge side with respect to the paper supply roller 42. Of the PF roller pair 43, the PF drive roller 43a is transmitted with the driving force from the PF motor 41 and enables the lens sheet 12 to be conveyed step by step.

  Further, the platen 50 and the above-described print head 32 are arranged on the paper discharge side of the PF roller pair 43 so as to face each other in the vertical direction. The platen 50 supports the lens sheet 12 conveyed below the print head 32 by the PF roller pair 43 from below. Further, a paper discharge roller pair 44 similar to the above-described PF roller pair 43 is provided on the paper discharge side from the platen 50. Of the pair of paper discharge rollers 44, the drive power from the PF motor 41 is transmitted to the paper discharge drive roller 44a together with the PF drive roller 43a.

  Further, an opening 45 is provided in the printer 10 on the rear end side opposite to the paper discharge side and on the lower side of the paper feed roller 42. The opening 45 is an opening for allowing a printing object, such as the lens sheet 12, that is difficult to bend, to pass on the rear end side of the printer 10. In addition, the lens sheet 12 may be passed through the opening 45 in a state where it is placed on a tray or the like.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 8, etc., as a lens detection means for detecting the lens pitch (or lens position) of the convex lens 12A1 in the lens sheet 12 at a portion between the lower surface of the carriage 30 and the platen 50. A lens detection sensor 60 is disposed. The lens detection sensor 60 is a light projection / reception system (transmission system) sensor, and includes a light emitting unit 61 and a light receiving unit 62 as shown in FIGS. Among these, the light emission part 61 is provided in the platen 50 side (downward side) rather than the lens sheet 12 conveyed. The light receiving unit 62 is provided on the carriage 30 side (upper side) with respect to the conveyed lens sheet 12. The part where the light emitting unit 61 is provided is not limited to the platen 50, and may be provided in another fixed part, or may be provided on the front end side of the platen 50. In this way, by providing the light emitting unit 61 on the rear end side of the platen 50, a light emitting unit 61 and a light receiving unit 62, which will be described later, face each other.

  Among these, the light emission part 61 is comprised from many light emitting diodes (LED; light emitting diode). Note that some LEDs emit light having various wavelengths such as visible light or infrared light. However, in order to suppress glare, it is preferable to use an infrared LED that emits infrared light. Further, the light emitting part 61 is provided in the recessed part 51 existing on the rear end side of the platen 50. The recessed portion 51 is a portion that is recessed from the other portions of the platen 50. The recessed portion 51 is provided in a state having a depth dimension greater than or equal to a certain depth so that the light source group 611 (light source 612) can be separated from the diffusion plate 613 by a certain distance.

  Further, as described above, the light source group 611 includes a large number of light sources 612 arranged in the main scanning direction. Further, the light sources 612 are arranged at predetermined intervals, and are arranged in a state of being separated from the lens sheet 12 by a predetermined interval in consideration of the directivity of the light sources 612. Thereby, the light emitted from the light source 612 is irradiated to the diffusion plate 613 with a slight spread. The diffusion plate 613 changes various traveling directions of the light emitted from the light source 612. Thereby, the light that has passed through the diffusion plate 613 is emitted toward the lens sheet 12 in a state in which the contrast is made uniform.

  In the present embodiment, the light source group 611 in which the light sources 612 are arranged is provided so as to be larger than the prescribed width of the lens sheet 12. Therefore, the contrast of the light incident on the lens sheet 12 is provided so as not to cause a large difference. In order to further reduce the contrast of light, the arrangement of the light sources 612 constituting the light source group 611 may be changed so that a large number of light sources 612 are arranged in a staggered manner.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the light receiving unit 62 is attached to the lower surface of the carriage 30, and is attached to the sheet feeding side in the sub-scanning direction, for example, in a portion separated from the home position in the main scanning direction. ing. However, the attachment position of the light receiving unit 62 is not limited to such a part, and may be configured to be attached to, for example, the central portion in the main scanning direction on the lower surface of the carriage 30.

  In the present embodiment, the light receiving portion 62 includes a base portion 621, a light receiving element 623, and a slit plate 624. Of these, the base portion 621 is a portion to which the light receiving element 623 is attached, and has a storage portion 622 to which the light receiving element 623 is attached. The storage portion 622 is in a state where four sides are surrounded by plate-like members. And the light receiving element 623 is attached to the accommodating part 622 enclosed by the plate-shaped member, and only the lower surface side is open | released. Thereby, it is configured to prevent the reception of certain diffused light.

  The light receiving element 623 is an element that can convert received light into an electrical signal, such as a phototransistor, a photodiode, or a photo IC. A slit plate 624 is attached to the lower surface side of the storage portion 622. The slit plate 624 is formed with a slit 624a that allows light to pass therethrough, and allows light in a predetermined direction (light in the direction along the optical axis L in FIG. 1) to be received through the slit 624a. It is the composition to do.

  The width dimension of the slit 624a is preferably less than or equal to ½ of the lens width of the convex lens 12A1. However, when the width dimension of the slit 624a is too narrow, the gap adjustment between the platen 50 and the carriage 30 becomes severe and there is a possibility that good detection cannot be performed. For this reason, the width dimension of the slit 624a needs to be a certain dimension value or more. In addition, light irradiated on the slit plate 624 other than the slit 624 a is blocked by the slit plate 624. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent diffused light other than the direction along the optical axis L from being received by the light receiving element 623.

  Moreover, you may employ | adopt the structure which does not provide the above slit plates 624. FIG. In this case, although the detection accuracy of the lens pitch in the light receiving element 623 is deteriorated, the lens pitch of the lens sheet 12 can be detected by the condensing action of each convex lens 12A1.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the light receiving unit 62 is arranged so as not to contact the lens sheet 12 in the conveyance state of the lens sheet 12 but close to the lens sheet 12 so as not to deteriorate the conveyance property. Yes. As a result, the light emitted from the light emitting unit 61 is diffused with the center of curvature of each convex lens 12A1 in the boundary surface Q as a focal point, but the light is incident on the light receiving unit 62 without being diffused so much.

  When the light emitting unit 61 adopts a direct type as shown in FIG. 1, the configuration is not limited to the arrangement of a large number of light emitting diodes, and a linear light source having a longitudinal direction in the main scanning direction is used. Also good. Specifically, a cathode fluorescent lamp (CFL), a cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL), or electroluminescence (EL) can be used as the line light source. is there. In addition, the light emitting unit 61 may use a laser oscillator, a lamp, or the like that can generate laser light such as visible light or infrared light.

  Further, as the light emitting unit, an edge light type configuration may be adopted without adopting the direct type. In this case, the light emitting unit includes a light source disposed at an end in the main scanning direction, a reflector that reflects light from the light source toward the main scanning direction, and the light travels inside and has the main scanning direction as a longitudinal direction. A light guide plate, a reflective member attached to the lower surface side, the side surface side, and the other end of the light guide plate in the longitudinal direction of the light guide plate, reflecting light; a diffusion film for diffusing the light emitted toward the upper surface side; It is preferable to have reflective dots that are disposed on the lower surface of the light plate and diffuse light.

  Further, in order to measure the distance PG between the lens sheet 12 and the nozzle 33a, it is preferable that a gap detection sensor 70 exists on the lower surface of the carriage 30 in addition to the lens detection sensor 60. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of the gap detection sensor 70 that detects the distance PG. As shown in FIG. 9, the gap detection sensor 70 includes a light emitting unit 71 and two light receiving units (a first light receiving unit 72a and a second light receiving unit 72b). The light emitting unit 71 includes a light emitting diode and irradiates the lens sheet 12 with light. The first light receiving unit 72a and the second light receiving unit 72b each have a light receiving element that outputs an electrical signal corresponding to the amount of light received. The second light receiving unit 72b is provided at a position farther from the light emitting unit 71 than the first light receiving unit 72a.

  The light emitted from the light emitting unit 71 is applied to the lens sheet 12 and reflected. The reflected light is incident on the above-described light receiving element, and is converted into an electrical signal corresponding to the amount of light incident on the light receiving element. Here, when the distance PG is small, the light reflected by the lens sheet 12 is mainly incident on the first light receiving portion 72a, but only the diffused light is incident on the second light receiving portion 72b. Therefore, the output signal of the first light receiving unit 72a is larger than the output signal of the second light receiving unit 72b.

  On the other hand, when the distance PG is large, the reflected light is mainly incident on the second light receiving portion 72b, and only the diffused light is incident on the first light receiving portion 72b. Therefore, the output signal of the second light receiving unit 72b is larger than the output signal of the first light receiving unit 72a. Therefore, if the relationship between the ratio of the output signals of the first light receiving unit 72a and the second light receiving unit 72b and the distance PG is obtained in advance, the distance PG corresponding to the lens sheet 12 and the like based on the ratio of the output signals. Can be detected. In this case, information regarding the relationship between the ratio of the output signals of the light receiving units 72a and 72b and the distance PG may be stored in the ROM 102 or the nonvolatile memory 104 as a table.

  Such output signal detection is performed while driving the carriage 30 in the main scanning direction. In this driving, the distance PG in the main scanning direction of the lens sheet 12 can be detected by corresponding to the position detection of the linear encoder 80 described later.

  The gap detection sensor 70 can also be used as the lens detection sensor 60 described above. In this case, if the optical axis of the light emitting unit 61 is disposed so as to be inclined, and the ratio of the output signals between the first light receiving unit 72a and the second light receiving unit 72b changes according to the distance PG, the gap It becomes possible to share the detection sensor 70 and the lens detection sensor 60.

  As shown in FIG. 4 and the like, the carriage mechanism 20 is provided with a linear encoder 80 corresponding to the position detecting means. The linear encoder 80 outputs a light toward the scale 81 in which a line pattern composed of a black printed portion and a transparent portion that transmits light is repeated, and outputs the light reflected from the scale 81 to the electric light. And a linear sensor 82 that converts the signal into a specific signal (encoder signal; hereinafter referred to as an ENC signal) and transmits the signal to the control unit 100.

  Here, in this embodiment, the carriage mechanism 20 is not provided with a swing mechanism for swinging the carriage shaft 21 corresponding to the support shaft. However, a swing mechanism may be provided. . That is, while the print head 32 itself is inclined as shown in FIG. 18, it is driven in a direction having an angle exceeding 90 degrees with respect to the sub-scanning direction, or only the print head 32 is inclined as shown in FIG. You may make it drive.

<Outline of signal forming unit configuration and signal processing>
Next, the configuration of the signal forming unit 90 will be described. As shown in FIG. 10, the signal forming unit 90 includes a filter 91, an amplifier (AMP) 92, and a binarization processing unit 93. Among these, the filter 91 is connected to one end side of the signal line 94. The other end side of the signal line 94 is connected to the light receiving unit 62 (light receiving element 623) described above. For this reason, the analog signal generated by the light receiving unit 62 is transmitted to the filter 91 via the signal line 94, but the filter 91 removes frequency components other than the predetermined band from the analog signal (see FIG. 11). Is done. As a result, a digital signal (lens signal; corresponding to a detection signal) as shown in FIG. 11 is generated.

  The signal passing through the filter 91 is input to the AMP 92 and amplified to a predetermined voltage or the like (for example, 40 times). The amplified signal is then input to the binarization processing unit 93, and an H level or L level binary signal (2) depending on whether or not the input signal exceeds a threshold value. Value signal). In this state, the lens pitch of the lens sheet 12 can be measured by inputting a binarized signal to the control unit 100 described later and detecting the switching timing of the H level signal and / or the L level signal.

<About the printer control unit>
Next, the control unit 100 will be described. The control unit 100 is a part that performs various types of control, and is a part that corresponds to a control unit and a determination unit, and includes a lens detection sensor 60, a lens sheet detection sensor 63 (see FIG. 6) for lens sheet detection, and a gap. Each output signal of a detection sensor 70, a linear sensor 82, a rotary encoder 132, which will be described later, a power source SW for turning on / off the printer 10, and the like is input. As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 100 includes a CPU 101, a ROM 102 for storing various programs, a RAM 103 for temporarily storing data, a nonvolatile memory (PROM) 104, an ASIC 105, a head driver 106, and the like. These are connected via a bus 107. A processing flow described below is realized by adding a circuit for performing such cooperation or specific processing.

  Note that the configuration for executing the processing flows in the following FIGS. 12, 14, and 16 may be realized by hardware or may be realized by software.

  Further, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the printer 10 includes an interface 131 connected to the control unit 100. The printer 10 is connected to the computer 130 via the interface 131. The printer 10 includes a rotary encoder 132. Unlike the above-described linear encoder 80, the rotary encoder 132 has a scale 132a in a disc shape. However, the other configuration is the same as that of the linear encoder 80.

<About the basic processing flow for printing>
A basic processing flow for printing on the lens sheet 12 using the printer 10 having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the power-on state of the printer 10, it is first determined whether or not the convex lens 12A1 of the lens sheet 12 is inclined (step S10; corresponding to the information acquisition process). By making this determination, print data to be described later should be formed in correspondence with the inclination of the convex lens 12A1 (whether the length of the convex lens 12A1 is inclined with respect to the sub-scanning direction), or to the normal lens sheet 12 As in printing, whether the length of the convex lens 12A1 is along the sub-scanning direction is determined. In this determination, if Yes (when the length of the convex lens 12A1 is inclined), the process proceeds to step S20. In the case of No (when the length of the convex lens 12A1 is along the sub-scanning direction), the process proceeds to Step S50 described later.

  In the case of Yes in step S10 described above, subsequently, processing for calculating how much the inclination angle (inclination angle θ in FIG. 2) is performed (step S20). In this calculation, for example, as shown in FIG. 12, a distance Q between the point A and a point B that is separated from the point A by a predetermined distance along the sub-scanning direction is measured. Further, the distance to the valley portion that is present on either the right side or the left side (right side in FIG. 13A) with respect to the point A on the straight line along the direction perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction, that is, the transverse direction of the convex lens 12A1. AL and the distance BL to the valley portion existing on either the right side or the left side of the above-mentioned point B in the transverse direction (right side in FIG. 13A) are measured. Then, after the measurement of the distances AL, BL and the distance Q is completed, the inclination angle θ is subsequently calculated. When “θ” is expressed in degrees, the inclination angle θ is obtained by θ = ATAN (Δ / Q) × 180 / π. Note that Δ is a difference between the distance BL and the distance AL. As described above, the inclination angle θ of the convex lens 12A1 is calculated.

  After the calculation of the tilt angle θ described above, processing for creating print data to be printed is performed by reflecting the information of the tilt angle θ (step S30; hereinafter, corresponding to the printing process up to step S50). When print data is created by this processing, printing is executed (step S40). If the determination in step S10 is No (when the length of the convex lens 12A1 is along the sub-scanning direction), processing for creating print data in a state where the convex lens 12A1 is not inclined is performed (step S50). ).

  In step S50, the image size in the visual image data after the resolution conversion is performed and a plurality of original image data is synthesized is converted according to the lens resolution (the number of convex lenses 12A1), the print resolution, and the print size. Calculation (usually compression of the original image data) is performed. Next, the number of pixels R in each convex lens 12A1 is obtained. The number of pixels R corresponds to the number of dots that can be placed in each convex lens 12A1. Next, the number of pixels (number of dots) L per image data in each convex lens 12A1 is obtained. The number of pixels L can be obtained by dividing the number of dots L by the number of original image data. As described above, resolution conversion is performed, and the resolution conversion is performed on each of the original image data. Then, the subdivided compressed original image data after resolution conversion are arranged in a predetermined order (viewing angle order). Thereby, strip-shaped segmented image data arranged in one convex lens 12A1 is created.

  Moreover, visual image data reflecting information of a plurality of original image data is created by arranging the created segmented image data in the order of arrangement of the convex lenses 12A1 in the short direction. After this, color conversion processing is executed, and color components expressed in the R, G, B system of the visual image data can be printed and / or expressed by the printer 10 as cyan (C), magenta (M), It is converted into yellow (Y) and black (K) color components. Further, halftone processing is performed on the visual image data that has undergone color conversion. Here, the halftone process refers to a process of reducing the gradation value of the original image data (256 gradations in the present embodiment) to a gradation value that can be expressed by the printer 10 for each pixel. Here, “color reduction” refers to reducing the number of gradations expressing a color. Specifically, referring to the recording rate table, for example, four gradations of “no dot formation”, “small dot formation”, “medium dot formation”, and “large dot formation” are obtained. Perform color reduction. In this halftone processing, dot dispersion processing is performed using a technique such as an error diffusion method or a dither method.

  Further, a process for generating print data from the image data subjected to the halftone process is executed. Here, the print data is data including raster data indicating the dot recording state during each main scan and data indicating the sub-scan feed amount, and is created with reference to the distributed data in the distributed table. Note that the print data is data obtained by mirror-inversion of normal print data. The above is the basic processing flow when the printer 10 performs printing.

<Processing Flow for Creating Print Data When Convex Lens 12A1 is Inclined>
Subsequently, when it is determined in step S10 described above that the convex lens 12A1 is inclined (in the case of Yes), the process for creating print data performed in step S30 is based on FIG. explain.

  First, it is determined whether the generated print data corresponds to a continuous pixel arrangement or a separated pixel arrangement (step S301). Here, as shown in FIG. 15, the continuous pixel arrangement means that pixel data constituting compressed original image data obtained by compressing original image data corresponding to each parallax is along the longitudinal direction of the convex lens 12A1. A state in which they are arranged continuously (in a line). On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the distant pixel arrangement is such that the pixels constituting the compressed original image data corresponding to each parallax are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the convex lens 12A1. In other words, it means a state in which the pixel data are arranged apart from each other, not continuously (in a row). Note that whether the print data corresponds to the continuous pixel arrangement or the separated pixel arrangement may be determined based on the number of original image data (number of parallaxes). However, the determination may be made based on other factors such as image quality.

  In the continuous pixel arrangement shown in FIG. 15, the pixels of the four images 1, 2, 3, and 4 are arranged one-dimensionally. That is, the pixel 1a1 of the image 1, the pixel 2a1 of the image 2, the pixel 3a1 of the image 3, and the pixel 4a1 of the image 4 are arranged in a line in the main scanning direction, and the subsequent pixels 1a2, 2a2, 3a2, 4a2 ,... Extend in the sub-scanning direction while maintaining the same relationship. One partial parallax image in one convex lens 12A1 is formed by the pixel 1a system, and one subdivided parallax image is formed by the pixels 1a system, 1b system,.

  In the separated pixel arrangement shown in FIG. 16, the pixels of the six images 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 are arranged two-dimensionally. That is, the pixel 3a1 of the image 3 is arranged on the right side of the pixel 1a1 of the image 1 and the pixel 5a1 of the image 5 is arranged on the right side of the pixel 1a1, and the image 6 is arranged in the sub-scanning direction (lower side in FIG. 16) of the pixel 1a1 of the image 1. The pixel 6a1 of the image 2, the pixel 2a1 of the image 2 on the right side thereof, and the pixel 4a1 of the image 4 on the right side thereof are arranged. Also in this case, one partial parallax image in one convex lens 12A1 is formed by the pixel 1a system, and one subdivided parallax image is formed by the pixels 1a system, 1b system,. In the figure, the partial parallax image of the pixel 3a system is shown by shading. Here, a small square portion 12B with a thick dotted line indicates an arrangement region (= parallax region) of a parallax image, and a thick solid line portion 12C indicates a parallax region corresponding to the number of parallaxes (hereinafter referred to as a parallax region), which is oblique. A thin dotted line portion 12 </ b> D extending in FIG. In addition, a solid line portion 12F extending obliquely indicates a physical boundary of the convex lens 12A1.

  In the separated pixel arrangement shown in FIG. 17, the pixels of the six images 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are two-dimensionally arranged. That is, the number of parallaxes is both 6 parallaxes. FIG. 16 shows an arrangement of 2 × 3 in the vertical direction, and FIG. 17 shows an arrangement of 3 × 2 in the vertical direction. 16 and 17 are different from each other in the influence of image crosstalk. For example, when attention is paid to the pixel 3a system, which is a shaded portion in FIG. 16, when the partial parallax image of the pixel 3a system is viewed, the pixels of the pixel 2a system and the pixel 4a system may be partially seen. is there. On the other hand, in FIG. 17, pixels 1a, 2a, 4a, or pixels 2a, 4a, and 5a can be seen. As described above, when the number of parallaxes increases, the influence of crosstalk due to the difference in arrangement becomes significant. Image crosstalk tends to decrease as more parallax is assigned to the width side (lateral side) of the convex lens 12A1. As the crosstalk of the image decreases, the image switching becomes clear while the smoothness of the image disappears.

  Although not shown in the drawing, as a candidate for a two-dimensional array of 6 parallaxes, there may be vertical 1 × horizontal 6 and vertical 6 × horizontal 1. These sizes are a continuous pixel arrangement and a one-dimensional arrangement (one-dimensional arrangement), but may be one of the two-dimensional arrangements prepared by the printer 10.

Here, in the two-dimensional arrangement, the number of pieces of original image data that can be viewed (arranged) is larger than the continuous pixel arrangement shown in FIG. That is, it becomes easy to increase the number of parallaxes. This is an advantage of the two-dimensional arrangement. In the separated pixel arrangement and the continuous pixel arrangement, the rotation of the lens sheet 12 when viewing both is based on the reference direction L ( sub-scanning direction; this direction corresponds to the reference axis direction and the rotation axis direction). The user's eyes are also based on the reference direction L.

  In the two-dimensional arrangement, when the lens sheet 12 is continuously rotated, the pixels to be visually observed are continuously switched, for example, pixels in a matrix arrangement. In the present embodiment, the pattern that the user views through the lens sheet 12 corresponds to a stereoscopic image. Therefore, each pixel is approximate, and even if the two-dimensional arrangement as described above is adopted, the user can see it well. It should be noted that the image to be viewed is not a three-dimensional image but also an image (animation) that moves by changing the viewing angle, and the user can view the image well. As shown in FIG. 16, even in the two-dimensional arrangement, for example, the pixels 1a, 1b,..., The pixels 2a, 2b,. This is because the same angle with respect to L is obtained.

  If the determination in step S301 described above is Yes (corresponding to the continuous pixel arrangement), each compressed original image data is rotated (step S302). In this rotation process, each compressed original image data is rotated by the inclination angle θ detected in step S20 described above. FIG. 18 shows an example in the case of creating a 4-parallax image (parallax configuration image). The four images for parallax configuration are rotated by the inclination angle θ. This step S302 corresponds to the first step.

  Next, temporary image data corresponding to the continuous pixel arrangement is created (step S303). In this case, each compressed original image data subjected to the rotation process is subdivided in accordance with the lens pitch of the convex lens 12A1 along the direction corresponding to the paper feed direction. Prior to subdivision, in this embodiment, resolution conversion processing is performed, and the original image data is subjected to compression of the image data to obtain each compressed original image data. Then, strip-shaped fragmented image data is created from this compressed original image data. Next, the strip-shaped segmented image data is arranged in the order of switching when viewed. In this way, temporary image data is obtained. This step S303 corresponds to the second step.

  That is, in step S303, one image is created by synthesizing the images. When the images are synthesized, information on the lens resolution, the print resolution, the number of parallaxes, and the print size is necessary. For example, when creating a composite image having a print size of 100 mm (horizontal) × 148 mm (vertical), first, the resolution of the input image is converted, and then each image is combined into a strip shape. Resolution conversion is performed based on the lens resolution, print resolution, and print size. When the lens resolution is 60 lpi and the printing resolution is 1440 dpi, the number of horizontal pixels is 236 pixels (≈100 / (25.4 / 60)), and the vertical length is 8390 pixels (≈148 / (25.4 / 1440). ) Note that the number of horizontal pixels 236 can be said to be the number of lenses in the print size length.

  After the resolution conversion, in the strip-shaped synthesis, the images are alternately combined in consideration of the number of pixels of each parallax that can be arranged in one convex lens 12A1. For example, when the number of parallaxes is 4, the number L of pixels of each parallax in one lens is 6 pixels (= 24 (= 1440/60) / 4 parallax). At the time of composition, an image for one lens (1 × 8390) is taken out from each image in order, and is combined into an image size for one parallax (6 × 8390) and then combined in the order of parallax. As a result, an image (24 × 8390) for one lens is completed. This is repeated several times for the convex lens 12A1.

  When creating strips, if the number of pixels for each parallax in one lens is not a positive number, the lens pitch and the printing pitch will be different, resulting in a period shift, but the pixel distribution within one parallax must be uniform. That's fine. Further, the value of the lens resolution used in step S303 may be a manufacturing lens resolution, or a lens resolution obtained more strictly by using a scanner or the like. However, there are points to be noted when providing the lens resolution at the time of manufacture. That is, if ejection based on the ENC signal is selected in the printing method shown in FIG. 28 described later, it is possible that the lens and the image do not match exactly, so it is better to avoid specifying the lens resolution at the time of manufacture. .

  Subsequently, the temporary image data created in step S303 is subjected to a reverse rotation process in which it is rotated by the same rotation angle θ in the opposite direction to the previous step S302 (step S304; image created at this time). The data is parallax image data.) By this reverse rotation, the boundary of the segmented image data corresponding to each original image data is in a state along the length of the convex lens 12A1. As a result, an image having an oblique strip structure as shown in the last stage in FIG. 18 is completed. This step S304 corresponds to the third step.

  Halftone processing is performed on the parallax image data created in step S304 (step S305). Note that the halftone process may be performed at a stage prior to step S304, such as for each of a plurality of compressed original image data. A process of generating print data from the image data subjected to the halftone process is executed, and the process ends. Here, the print data is data including raster data indicating the dot recording state during each main scan and data indicating the sub-scan feed amount, and is created with reference to the distributed data in the distributed table. Note that the print data is data obtained by mirror-inversion of normal print data. For this halftone process, an HT module is used, and in addition to the halftone process, color conversion and creation of print data are executed.

  In the processing flow of FIG. 14, the color conversion / halftone process is applied after the strip image is created. Alternatively, after the image is rotated in step S302, the color conversion / halftone process, the strip image creation, You may apply in order of reverse rotation of an image and preparation of print data. The former method shown in FIG. 14 increases the smoothness of image quality, and the latter method improves image switching. Therefore, in many cases, the former method is for three-dimensional printing, and the latter is for changing picture printing.

  If it is determined in the above-described step S301 that it corresponds to the separated pixel arrangement, then whether or not the printer 10 that performs printing is compatible with oblique ejection (whether or not the above-described swing mechanism is provided) Alternatively, if a swing mechanism is provided, it is determined whether or not it is in a usable state (step S310). Here, the oblique ejection refers to a state in which the nozzle row 33 does not become a row along the paper feed direction but is inclined by an angle corresponding to the inclination angle θ of the convex lens 12A1 (see FIGS. 21 and 22).

  If it is determined in the above-described step S310 that it corresponds to oblique ejection, then parallax image data corresponding to oblique ejection is created (step S311). When the visual image data for oblique ejection is created in step S311, the process proceeds to the halftone process shown in step S305. In the case of the printer 10 that does not support oblique ejection, it is preferable that the process flow in which steps S310 and S311 are omitted is used.

  If it is determined in step S310 described above that the printer 10 does not support oblique ejection (in the case of No), the rotation processing of each compressed original image data is performed in the same manner as in step S302 described above (step S312). ). Also in this rotation process, the process of rotating each compressed original image data by the inclination angle θ of the convex lens 12A1 is performed.

  After step S312, temporary image data corresponding to the separated pixel arrangement is created, and visual image data to be a parallax image is created (step S313). At this time, as in step S303 described above, each compressed original image data that has been subjected to the rotation process is subdivided in accordance with the lens pitch of the convex lens 12A1 along the direction corresponding to the paper feed direction. . Prior to the subdivision process, each original image data is compressed in the paper feed direction in association with the separated pixel arrangement. In this case, each original image data is compressed according to the number of subdivided image data arranged along the longitudinal direction of the convex lens 12A1. Then, after this compression is completed, each compressed original image data after compression is arranged into a matrix by subdividing the convex lens 12A1 and the pixel data in each compressed original image data one by one to form a matrix. Converted image data is obtained. In this way, temporary image data is created.

  After the temporary image data is created, the temporary image data is subjected to a reverse rotation process in which the temporary image data is rotated by the same rotation angle in the opposite direction to the previous step S312 (the image data created at this time is , Corresponding to visual image data). By reverse rotation similar to step S304, the boundary of the segmented image data corresponding to each original image data is in a state along the length of the convex lens 12A1, and visual image data corresponding to the separated pixel arrangement is created. In the case of a two-dimensional arrangement (separated pixel arrangement) as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the rotation and reverse rotation processes in steps S312 and S313 are not necessary, but a solid line indicating the physical boundary of each convex lens 12A1. When spaced pixels are arranged along the portion 12F, the rotation and reverse rotation processes in steps S312 and S313 are necessary.

  When the visual image data is created in this way, the process proceeds to the halftone process shown in step S305. The above is a processing flow for creating print data when printing is performed on an oblique lens sheet in which the convex lens 12A1 is inclined.

<Processing flow when executing printing>
Subsequently, a process (step S40) for executing printing when it is determined that the convex lens 12A1 is inclined (in the case of Yes) in the determination in step S10 described above will be described based on FIG. .

  When executing printing, first, pitch adjustment of print data based on visual image data is performed (step S401). In this pitch adjustment, when the dot data corresponding to the ejection of the ink droplets is present in the valley portion of the convex lens 12A1, the adjustment is performed so that the dot data is included on any convex lens 12A1 side. In this case, adjustment is made so that the dot data is included on any one of the convex lenses 12A1 according to the ratio of the dot data. This pitch adjustment may be performed in step S303 or step S313. In the case of dots straddling the convex lens 12A1, the pitch adjustment for adjusting which convex lens 12A1 enters is used only for ejection with an ENC signal described later, and is not used for ejection with a lens signal described later. This is because the same number of dots is ejected from any convex lens 12A1, and the pitch will not match if adjusted. Therefore, when the pitch is adjusted, ejection is always performed using the ENC signal. Next, it is determined whether or not to eject ink droplets with reference to the sheet end 12Et of the lens sheet 12 (step S402). In this determination, when ink droplets are ejected based on the sheet edge 12Et (in the case of Yes), the ink droplets are set to be ejected based on the ENC signal (step S403). Here, the case where the ENC signal is used as a reference is a case where a certain condition is satisfied, for example, the lens pitch is accurate.

  In the above-described determination in step S402, when ink droplets are ejected without using the sheet edge 12Et as a reference (in the case of No), the setting is made to eject ink droplets based on the lens signal (step S404). ). In this case, printing is executed while detecting the lens pitch of the lens sheet 12 using the lens detection sensor 60 described above.

  The determination in step S402 and the processing in steps S403 and S404 are used to designate which of two types of printing methods (printing methods) are performed. One is to perform printing based on the ENC signal without changing the ejection timing signal after detecting the end of the lens sheet 12. FIG. 20A shows an image of how to make the strike. The other is based on the lens signal for the discharge timing after detecting the end of the lens sheet 12 or the convex lens 12A1. The image is shown in FIG. In the lens signal ejection, not only the image of FIG. 20B, but also the entire scanning of the carriage 20 may be used as a lens signal by generating a representative lens interval with a CPU timer.

  The printing method of the former (FIG. 20A) can be executed by a general-purpose printer for photo printing or document printing, but the lens resolution at the time of image creation must be calculated to the first or second decimal. On the other hand, the latter requires a lens detection mechanism and lens signal generation in addition to the configuration of a general-purpose printer. However, the lens resolution at the time of image creation may be a value at the stage of manufacture.

  In the processing flow of FIG. 19, in step S402, it is confirmed whether or not to strike along the sheet end 12Et, that is, whether or not printing is performed based on the sheet end 12Et. The method for deciding which type to hit may be specified by the user, or it may be determined whether the lens resolution specified at the time of print image creation is a value at the time of manufacture, or the printer 10 detects the lens. You may judge by the correspondence condition of whether it is equipped with an apparatus. If the discharge based on the sheet edge is selected, step S403 is applied. In other cases, step S404 is applied.

  In step S403, the ENC signal discharge setting is validated. In step S404, the lens signal discharge setting is validated. After the setting is completed, printing is performed based on the setting contents. When the ENC signal discharge setting is valid, printing is performed so that the edge of the print medium and the edge of the print image are aligned, as is performed by a general-purpose printer, rather than printing specialized for the lens sheet 12. On the other hand, when the lens signal discharge is effective, the shot is made based on the lens signal. However, in order to use the lens sheet 12 which is an oblique lens sheet, it is necessary to expand discharge control.

  In addition, after the settings in steps S403 and S404 described above are completed, subsequently, as in step S310 described above, whether the printer 10 supports oblique ejection (whether the above-described swing mechanism is provided). Or in the case where a swing mechanism is provided, it is determined whether or not it is in a usable state (step S405). In this determination, when it is determined that the printer 10 supports oblique ejection (in the case of Yes), subsequently, settings corresponding to oblique ejection are set (step S406). If it is determined in step S405 described above that the printer 10 does not support oblique ejection (in the case of No), the setting is made to correspond to normal ejection instead of oblique ejection (step S407). In the case of this printer 10 that does not support oblique ejection, it is preferable that the processing flow is such that steps S405 and S406 are omitted.

  After the settings in step S406 and step S407 described above are made, printing corresponding to each setting is executed (step S408).

  Here, an example of printing corresponding to each setting will be described. For example, when a swing mechanism capable of sliding one end side of the carriage shaft 21 is provided, as shown in FIG. 21, the scanning direction of the print head 32 is orthogonal to the paper feed direction during printing. In addition, the length of the convex lens 12A1 of the lens sheet 12 is in a direction that coincides with the length of the nozzle row 33. In this case, the ejection timing of the ink droplet is in a state based on the lens signal. Therefore, printing is performed while adjusting the ejection timing of the ink droplets according to the lens pitch.

  In the state shown in FIG. 21, when the paper feed amount in the state where the length of the nozzle row 33 is along the paper feed direction is L, the paper feed amount W = L cos θ. When the PF motor 41 is driven with this paper feed amount and ink droplets are ejected using a lens signal as a trigger, good printing is performed on the lens sheet 12 that is an oblique lens sheet as shown in FIG. Can do. In FIG. 21, when the lens pitch is accurate and the consistency between the lens signal and the ENC signal is good, after detecting the sheet edge 12Et, the ENC signal is used as a reference. Printing may be executed.

  Further, for example, when the carriage shaft 21 is fixed and includes a swing mechanism in which the print head 32 swings with respect to the carriage shaft 21, unlike the case shown in FIG. 21, the carriage shaft 21 is arranged in the convex lens 12 </ b> A <b> 1. The dots of ink droplets do not have a square shape, and the dots adhere to the lens sheet 12 in a state of forming a parallelogram as shown in FIG. For this reason, when creating print data corresponding to the ejection of ink droplets, the print data is created so as to correspond to the parallelogram dot arrangement. In this case, when forming dots using the edge of the lens signal as a reference, if several dots travel along the scanning direction of the print head 32, the dot arrangement in FIG. 22 is one paper feed direction than the dot arrangement in FIG. In this state, ink droplets are ejected in correspondence with the pixel data located next to each other.

  In the case shown in FIG. 22, since the main scanning direction of the print head 32 is slightly inclined with respect to the width direction of the convex lens 12A1, the transverse distance of the convex lens 12A1 along the main scanning direction is the width direction of the convex lens 12A1. Longer than. Therefore, the print head 32 can increase the number of dots that can be hit per one convex lens 12A1.

  Furthermore, in the case where printing is performed only by the control drive of the print head 32 without the swing mechanism, if the ink discharge timing can be independently adjusted in each nozzle 33a, as shown in FIG. Printing can be executed with a parallelogram-shaped dot arrangement. The case of printing by this method will be described later. In this case as well, the ink is ejected using a lens signal as a trigger.

  The above is a processing flow that considers whether or not the printer 10 has a swing mechanism, that is, whether or not oblique printing is possible as shown in FIG. 21 (oblique scanning system) and FIG. 22 (oblique discharge system). However, in the case of a printer that does not have such a mechanism, the above-described processing flow is simplified. Note that when oblique printing is performed as in the oblique scanning system or the oblique ejection system, image deformation is required in creating image data.

  FIG. 24 shows a flow of creating a print image in oblique printing. In this flow, the flow of image transformation in step S611, strip image creation in step S612, and halftone processing (HT) in step S613 are performed. Steps S612 and S613 are the same as steps S303 and S305 described in FIG. 14, but the image deformation in step S611 is a process that depends on the oblique scanning system and the oblique ejection system.

  In the image deformation of the oblique scanning system, the image width is the same as shown in FIG. 25, and it is necessary to create an image pulled to the lower right according to the angle of the convex lens 12A1. This is because it is rising to the right as shown in the print area of FIG. In order to fit in the lens sheet 12, a pattern opposite to the printing area is required. In the oblique scanning system, the application order of the image deformation in step S611 and the strip image creation in step S612 is interchanged, so that only one image to be deformed is required, which is efficient in terms of time. Here, in order to simplify the explanation, the same flow as that of the next oblique ejection system is adopted.

  In the oblique ejection system, since the image is ejected obliquely, it is converted into an inclined image without changing the vertical length as shown in FIG. However, as shown in FIG. 26, since the image to be created includes an unnecessary portion as print data, it must be extracted so as to be composed of only necessary data at the stage of print data creation. For example, if it is assumed that the printer draws three times of scanning for halftone image data, print data must be created in the shaded portion (divided into three areas) as shown in FIG. should not.

  The subsequent printing process is the process flow of FIG. In the oblique ejection system, step S405 and / or step S406 in FIG. 19 are required, but in the normal printing and the oblique scanning system, they are unnecessary.

  Note that even if there are oblique scanning system and ejection system mechanisms, these mechanisms need not necessarily be used. However, a printer having an oblique ejection system or an oblique scanning system has a higher image quality than a printer that does not employ the oblique mechanism because ink is ejected along the convex lens 12A1. In a printer that does not employ an oblique mechanism, the dot arrangement of the printed image is an image of a grid made up of horizontal and vertical lines with respect to the main and sub-scanning systems, but when an oblique lenticular lens 12A is put on the image, Some dots often straddle the valleys of the lens. Crossing the valley of the convex lens 12A1 is a cause of crosstalk in the image, so it should be avoided as much as possible. Accordingly, a printer that employs an oblique scanning system or an ejection system tends to have better image quality than a non-adopted system.

<About generation of complementary lens signal>
Incidentally, as shown in FIG. 28A, the carriage 30 performs main scanning from the points (1), (2), and (3) in the sub-scanning direction with respect to the lens sheet 12 conveyed in the arrow direction in the drawing. The lens signal when moved in the direction is as shown in FIG. A lens signal (1) indicates a lens signal at the point (1). A lens signal (2) indicates a lens signal at the point (2). A lens signal (3) indicates a lens signal at the point (3).

  As can be seen from the lens signals (1), (2), and (3), the lens signal at the sheet end 12Et of the lens sheet 12 that is output first is a convex lens 12A1 (convex lens 12A11) at a position along the sheet end 12Et. ) Is missing outside the sheet edge 12Et, so that no pulse appears (lens signal (1)) or the pulse width is narrow (lens signal) despite the presence of the convex lens 12A1. (2), (3)).

  When an ink droplet is ejected based on the narrow pulse width pulse appearing in the lens signals (2) and (3), the ejection signal for one convex lens 12A1 having a normal width is printed in the narrow pulse width. It exists as a signal, and when ink droplets are ejected, the dots are packed. For this reason, the image to be viewed is also compressed in the horizontal direction, or is blurred due to mixing of ink droplets, and an undesired image is printed.

  Therefore, as described below, even if the convex lens 12A1 is missing at the sheet end 12Et, a complementary lens in which the pulse width corresponding to the convex lens 12A1 is the same as the pulse width at other timings in the main scanning direction. A signal is generated, and ink droplets are ejected based on the complementary lens signal, thereby preventing an undesirable image from being printed. In FIG. 29A, complementary lens signals for the lens signals (1), (2), and (3) shown in FIG. 28B are shown as complementary lens signals (1 ′), (2 ′), (3 ′).

  FIG. 30 shows a schematic configuration of the lens signal processing control unit 110 that generates a complementary lens signal, a pseudo ENC signal, and an ejection signal from the lens signal, and controls the ejection of the ink droplets. In the lens signal processing control unit 110, first, a complementary lens signal is generated from the lens signal while using the buffer 112 in the complementary lens signal generation unit 111. Then, the pseudo ENC signal generation unit 113 generates a pseudo ENC signal from the complementary lens signal using the ENC signal. Then, the ejection control unit 114 generates an ejection signal for ejecting ink from the pseudo ENC signal.

The lens signal complementary processing in the complementary lens signal generation unit 111 will be described with reference to the processing flow of FIG. 31, FIG. 32, and the like, taking the lens signal (3) as an example. The lens signals (1) and (2) are processed in the same manner as the processing performed for the lens signal (3). Here, as a representative example, only the lens signal (3) will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 32A, the lens signal (3) has pulses P ₁ , P ₂ , P ₃ ,..., P _n−2 , P _n−1 , and P _n shown in FIG. This is a pulse corresponding to the convex lenses 12A11, 12A12, 12A13, 12A14,..., 12A1 (n-2), 12A1 (n-1), 12A1n of the lens sheet 12.

In generating the complementary lens signal, first, the interval between the positive edges (rising portions) of the adjacent pulses of the lens signal (3) is counted according to the number of clocks of the clock signal, and this counted value is set as the arrangement interval of the convex lens 12A1. (Step S500). Since the convex lens 12A11 detected first is a lens in which the sheet end 12Et side of the lens sheet 12 is missing, the lens width is detected narrowly. Thus, the spacing of the first pulse P ₁ and a positive edge of the pulse P ₂ that has detected the convex lens A12, is smaller than between other pulses, for example, the spacing of the positive edge of the pulse P ₂ and P _3. That is, the interval in the number of clocks between the first convex lens 12A11 and the next convex lens 12A12 is 700. For the second and subsequent convex lenses 12A12, 12A13,..., The convex lens 12A1 exists in a complete shape, and therefore the interval in the number of clocks between adjacent convex lenses 12A1 is 1000. Also for the convex lens 12A1n, since the outside of the sheet end 12Ee is missing, the width of the pulse _Pn is narrower than that of the other pulses, but the interval (arrangement interval) with the previous pulse _Pn-1. ) Is 1000 as before. The sheet end 12Ee is a sheet end on the side where printing in the printing direction of the lens sheet 12 in the main scanning direction ends.

The arrangement interval of the convex lenses 12A1 counted as the number of clocks is sequentially recorded in the buffer 112 according to the movement of the carriage 30 (step S500). At this time, the pulse P ₁ detected at the beginning of the lens signal (3) is the convex lens 12A11 in the portion of the sheet end 12Et of the lens sheet 12 and is missing as described above. Is not recorded in the buffer 112. Similarly for the other lens signals (1) and (2), the first detected pulse is the convex lens 12A11 at the sheet end 12Et of the lens sheet 12, and may be missing. The positive edge signal is not recorded in the buffer 112.

  Recording of the arrangement interval of the convex lens 12A1 to the buffer 112 is performed as shown in FIG. In FIG. 32B, the direction from top to bottom corresponds to the traveling direction of the carriage 30. The buffer 112 can record the arrangement intervals of the five convex lenses 12A1 as the count value of the clock signal. FIG. 32B shows a state in which the interval between the convex lens A12 and the convex lens A13, the interval between the convex lens A13 and the convex lens A14 are recorded as a clock number 1000, and the interval between the convex lens A14 and the convex lens A15 is being measured.

  When a predetermined number of convex lenses 12A1 are detected (step S510), a complementary lens signal (3 ') is generated based on the arrangement interval of the convex lenses 12A1 recorded in the buffer 112 (step S520). The predetermined number needs to be set so that the width of the predetermined number of convex lenses 12A1 is narrower than the interval between the print head 32 and the light receiving unit 62 of the lens detection sensor 60. The reason is that at least the print head 32 needs to generate a complementary lens signal before it reaches the sheet end 12Et of the lens sheet 12 to prepare for ink ejection. In the present embodiment, the complementary lens signal generation process (step S520) is performed after the fourth positive edge of the lens signal (3) is detected.

The generation of the complementary lens signal (3 ′) is performed based on the arrangement interval of the convex lenses 12A1 recorded in the buffer 112. The complementary lens signal (3 ′) shown in FIG. 32C is generated as the Hi signal for the first half (500) of the arrangement interval of the clock number 1000 and the Lo signal for the other half (500). . Then, the complementary lens signal (3 ') is, as might be missing, instead of the pulse P ₁ of the lens signal has not been recorded in the buffer 112 (3), the pulse P ₁ indicated by dotted lines' Has been complemented. In the present embodiment, the complemented pulse P ₁ ′ uses the pulse P ₂ ′. The pulse _{P 2} 'corresponds to the pulse _{P 2,} the pulse _{P 3'} corresponds to the pulse _{P 3.} Further, the pulse P ₄ ′ corresponds to the pulse P ₄ .

  Thereafter, a complementary lens signal (3 ') is generated based on the lens signal (3) detected as the carriage 30 moves toward the sheet end 12Ee (step S520). The buffer 112 is configured to record the arrangement interval of the five convex lenses 12A1 as described above, and the arrangement contents of the convex lenses 12A1 sequentially recorded as the carriage 30 moves are recorded. Updating is performed (step S530).

When the carriage 30 moves from the sheet end 12Et of the lens sheet 12 toward the sheet end 12Ee, the convex lenses 12A11, 12A12, 12A13, 12A14,..., 12A1 (n-2), 12A1 (n-1), 12A1n In addition, as shown in FIG. 32A, lens signals (3) of pulses P ₁ , P ₂ , P ₃ , P ₄ ,..., P _n−2 , P _n−1 , and P _n are output. . Then, based on the lens signal (3), a complementary lens signal (3 ′) shown in FIG. 32C is generated. Pulses P ₁ ′, P ₂ ′, P ₃ ′, P ₄ ′,..., P _n−2 ′, P _n−1 ′, and P _n ′ of the complementary lens signal (3 ′) are respectively converted into lens signals (3). , P _n−2 , P _n−1 , P _n correspond to the pulses P ₁ , P ₂ , P ₃ , P ₄ ,.

Whether the carriage 30 has moved to the sheet end 12Ee side of the lens sheet 12 is determined as follows. FIG. 33 shows the positional relationship between the print head 32, the light receiving unit 62 of the lens detection sensor 60, and the convex lens 12A1 at the sheet end 12Ee of the lens sheet 12. When the carriage 30 moves from the sheet end 12Et side to the sheet end 12Ee side and the lens detection sensor 60 exceeds the convex lens 12A1n at the sheet end 12Ee of the lens sheet 12, the convex lens 12A1 does not exist thereafter. The lens signal (3) is not output. Therefore, if the lens signal (3) is not detected even if the carriage 30 moves a predetermined distance after the pulse P _n of the lens signal (3) of the convex lens 12A1n is detected, the lens detection sensor 60 It is determined that the sheet end 12Ee of the sheet 12 has been detected. The predetermined distance is, for example, a distance corresponding to 1.5 times the distance from the convex lens 12A1 (n-1) detected immediately before the convex lens 12A1n. If the lens signal (3) is not detected even if the carriage 30 moves for this distance, it is determined that the carriage 30 has moved to a position beyond the sheet end 12Ee of the lens sheet 12 at the position of the light receiving unit 62 (step). S540).

Also at the sheet end 12Ee of the lens sheet 12, the convex lens 12A1n may be missing as shown in FIG. In this case as well, a pulse P _n having a narrow pulse width of the lens signal is generated as in the case where the convex lens 12A11 at the sheet end 12Et is missing. If there is an ejection signal for one convex lens 12A1 having a normal width in the narrow pulse width, when ink droplets are ejected, the dots are stuffed, and the image to be viewed is not preferable. .

Therefore, when it is determined that the light receiving unit 62 of the lens detection sensor 60 has reached the sheet end 12Ee of the lens sheet 12 (step S540), a complementary lens signal (3 ′) shown in FIG. In addition, as the pulse P _n ′ corresponding to the convex lens 12A1n, complement processing is performed using the pulse P _n−1 ′ corresponding to the lens interval with the convex lens 12A1 (n−1) immediately before the convex lens 12A1n.

  As described above, the complementary lens signal (3 ′) is generated. Then, by ejecting ink droplets based on the complementary lens signal (3 ′), even if there is a narrow pulse in the lens signal (3), it is possible to ensure the same print quality as the other parts.

  The complementary lens signal (3 ′) is generated based on the lens signal (3) as the carriage 30 moves. Then, as the print head 32 reaches the sheet end 12Et of the lens sheet 12, the ejection of ink droplets is started based on the ink ejection signal generated based on the complementary lens signal (3 ').

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the light receiving portion 62 provided in the carriage 30 is disposed at a position preceding the print head 32 in the main scanning direction. Therefore, when the carriage 30 moves by the distance T between the light receiving unit 62 and the print head 32 after the lens signal (3) is detected, the ejection of ink droplets is started. It should be noted that the light receiving unit 62 of the lens detection sensor 60 needs to be disposed ahead of the print head 32 in the main scanning direction. That is, after the lens signal (3) is output from the lens detection sensor 60, a complementary lens signal (3 ') is generated, and an ejection signal is generated based on the complementary lens signal (3') as described later. This is because an ink droplet is ejected based on the ejection signal, and there is a time lag between the output of the lens signal (3) and the ejection of the ink droplet.

  The complementary lens signal (3 ′) sequentially generated by the complementary lens signal generation unit 111 according to the movement of the carriage 30 is output to the pseudo ENC signal generation unit 113 as it is generated, and is generated as a pseudo ENC signal. The pseudo ENC signal is generated as a pseudo ENC signal by multiplying the complementary lens signal (3 ') according to the resolution of the ENC signal. For example, when the lens arrangement pitch is 45 lpi and the resolution of the ENC signal is 180 dpi, the period of the complementary lens signal (3 ′) is adjusted to match the resolution of the ENC signal. A signal whose period is quadrupled (180 ÷ 45) is a pseudo ENC signal.

  Further, based on the pseudo ENC signal, the ejection control unit 114 generates an ink ejection signal. Ink droplets are ejected based on the ejection signal. This ejection signal is generated as an ejection signal by multiplying the pseudo ENC signal according to the printing resolution. For example, if the print resolution is 1440 dpi, a signal obtained by multiplying the period of the pseudo ENC signal by 8 (1440 ÷ 180) to match the print resolution is used as the ejection signal.

  The printer 10 performs printing by ejecting ink suitability to a predetermined position of the lens sheet 12 by moving the carriage 30 to the main scanning travel and using the above-described ejection signal output according to the movement of the carriage 30.

By the way, as described above, the light receiving unit 62 of the lens detection sensor 60 is disposed at a position preceding the print head 32 in the moving direction of the carriage 30. Therefore, the print head 32 arrives at the convex lens 12A1 detected by the lens detection sensor 60 with a delay from the detected time point. Therefore, it is necessary to perform ejection when the print head 32 reaches the convex lens 12A1 corresponding to the ejection signal. For example, when discharging the ink by the discharge signal generated based on the pulse P ₁ of the lens signal (3), it is necessary to discharge when the print head 32 has reached the convex lens 12A11.

  Therefore, the ejection by the ejection signal is delayed by an amount corresponding to the distance T between the light receiving unit 62 and the print head 32 in the main scanning direction. Specifically, for example, if the lens resolution is 45 lpi, the ENC signal resolution is 180 dpi, and the print resolution is 1440 dpi as described above, one wavelength of the ejection signal corresponds to 0.0177 mm. Therefore, for example, when the distance (interval) T between the light receiving unit 62 and the print head 32 is set to 1.77 mm, if ejection is performed at a timing of 100 wavelengths after the ejection signal is output, it corresponds to the ejection signal. The printing position on the lens sheet 12 and the discharge position coincide with each other.

  In the above description, for the sake of simplicity, the ejection signal and the ejection timing are matched based on the distance T between the light receiving unit 62 and the print head 32. In practice, however, the ink ejection nozzle 33a and the light receiving unit of the print head 32 are used. The distance from 62 is the reference. In addition, the ejection timing is determined in consideration of the generation time from the lens signal (3) until the ejection signal is generated and other mechanical or electrical loss time.

  As described above, after the carriage 30 is moved in the main scanning direction and printing is performed from the sheet end 12Et to the sheet end 12Ee at the point (3) shown in FIG. The carriage 30 is returned to the sheet end 12Et side of the lens sheet 12 while feeding the lens sheet 12 in the sub-scanning direction. Then, the printing operation described above is performed for the points (2) and (3). That is, the complementary lens signals (1 ′) and (2 ′) shown in FIG. 29A are generated from the lens signals (1) and (2) shown in FIG. Printing is performed by generating an ejection signal based on 1) and (2).

  In the above description, the printing operation for only the points (1), (2), and (3) in the middle of the sub-scanning direction of the lens sheet 12 shown in FIG. From the front end side in the transport direction 12 toward the rear end side of the lens sheet 12, a printing operation similar to that described for the point (3) described above is performed for each transport pitch of the lens sheet 12.

  By the way, the complementary lens signal is generated as if the convex lens 12A1 is outside the lens sheet 12 where the convex lens 12A1 does not actually exist. Therefore, if ink droplets are ejected based on the complementary lens signal, ink is ejected to the outside of the lens sheet 12 and the platen 50 becomes dirty.

  Therefore, the lens sheet detection sensor 63 detects the sheet edge 12Et and the sheet edge 12Ee of the lens sheet 12 so that ink droplets are not ejected when the print head 32 is outside the lens sheet 12. Is appropriate.

  That is, when the print head 32 is actually located at a position where the convex lens 12A1 is not present, the print head 32 reaches the sheet end 12Et of the lens sheet 12 even if ink droplets should be ejected by the ejection signal. Up to this step, the blanking is performed so as not to eject ink droplets. That is, when ink droplets are ejected according to the ejection signal based on the image data, control is performed so that ink droplets are not actually ejected. In this way, by controlling the ejection of ink droplets, the print image is printed according to the width of the lens sheet 12 in the main scanning direction.

  Whether the print head 32 has reached the sheet end 12Et of the lens sheet 12 is determined as follows. The lens sheet detection sensor 63 is disposed at a position preceding the print head 32 in the main scanning direction, similarly to the light receiving unit 62 of the lens detection sensor 60. Accordingly, when the carriage 30 moves the distance T in the main scanning direction between the lens sheet detection sensor 63 and the print head 32 after the sheet end 12Et is detected by the lens sheet detection sensor 63, the print head 32 Assuming that the sheet end 12Et of the sheet 32 has been reached, ink droplets are ejected. The movement distance of the carriage 30 after the lens sheet detection sensor 63 detects the sheet edge 12Et is measured by the ENC signal. In the present embodiment, the lens sheet detection sensor 63 and the lens detection sensor 60 are disposed at the same distance T in the main scanning direction with respect to the print head 32.

  Further, also at the sheet end 12Ee of the lens sheet 12, the complementary lens signal is generated as if the convex lens 12A1 exists outside the lens sheet 12 where the convex lens 12A1 does not actually exist. Therefore, if ink droplets are ejected based on the complementary lens signal, ink is ejected to the outside of the lens sheet 12 and the platen 50 becomes dirty.

  Therefore, after the lens sheet detection sensor 63 detects the sheet end 12Ee, when the carriage 30 moves the distance T in the main scanning direction between the lens sheet detection sensor 63 and the print head 32, the print head 32 moves to the lens sheet 32. When the sheet end 12Ee is reached, the ejection of ink droplets is stopped.

  Incidentally, outside the sheet end 12Et of the lens sheet 12, although ink is not ejected, image data is consumed. That is, the printing on the lens sheet 12 is performed with a bias of the signal supplemented to the sheet end 12Et side as a whole. Accordingly, there is a possibility that image data is lost and printing is not performed at the sheet end 12Ee opposite to the sheet end 12Et of the lens sheet 12. Therefore, image data in the main scanning direction is created slightly larger than the width of the lens sheet 12 in the main scanning direction. By creating the image data in this manner, it is possible to prevent the image data for printing from being lost at the sheet end 12Ee even if the image data is consumed outside the sheet end 12Et of the lens sheet 12. it can.

  Further, it is preferable that the complementary lens signal is biased toward the sheet end 12Et by the width Y shown in FIG. This width Y is the distance between the positive edge of the complementary lens signal and the valley of the convex lens 12A1. By offsetting the complementary lens signal by the width Y toward the sheet end 12Et and matching the positive edge of the complementary lens signal with the position of the valley of the convex lens 12A1, the start of ejection of ink enemies to each convex lens 12A1 is detected by the convex lens. It becomes easy to adjust to the position where the convex part of 12A1 starts. That is, the ink enemy can be ejected accurately according to the width of each convex lens 12A1.

  Incidentally, as can be seen from the lens signal (1) shown in FIG. 28 (B) and the complementary lens signal (1 ′) shown in FIG. 29 (A) corresponding thereto, the signal corresponding to the convex lens 12A11. No pulse appears in spite of the slight convex lens 12A11. That is, no pulse appears in the lens signal and no pulse appears in the complementary lens signal at a location where the lens defect amount is large and the remaining portion is small. Therefore, an ejection signal is not generated, and ink is not ejected to such a portion.

  Therefore, if the pulse width (the sum of the convex portion and the concave portion) that appears first is 1000 in terms of the number of clocks in the above example, the sheet end 12Et of the lens sheet 12 is the remaining portion. It is determined that the convex lens 12A11 is present although there are few. Then, as shown in FIG. 29B, a complementary lens signal (1 ″) obtained by complementing two pulse signals corresponding to the number of clocks 1000 on the sheet end 12Et side (indicated by a dotted line on the sheet end 12Et side in the figure). Signal).

  By doing so, ink can be discharged also to the portion of the convex lens 12A11 remaining slightly at the portion of the sheet end 12Et, and characters and images can be printed on the full sheet end 12Et of the lens sheet 12. . In this embodiment, since processing is performed after obtaining this complementary lens signal (1 ″), characters and images can be printed on the full sheet edge 12Et.

  According to the lens sheet 12, the printer 10, and the printing method having such a configuration, the reference direction L of the lens sheet 12 is inclined at an inclination angle θ with respect to the length of the convex lens 12A1. Moreover, in this lens sheet 12, since the outer shape is rectangular or square and each convex lens 12A is arranged to be inclined with respect to the sheet edge E, there is no waste and it is possible to increase the printing width. . When the lens sheet 12 is rotated, the angle of the surface of the convex lens 12A1 changes not only in the direction crossing the convex lens 12A1, but also in the reference direction L of the lens sheet 12. Accordingly, the compressed original image data constituting the parallax image can be arranged not only in a straight line in the transverse direction but also in a planar shape, and when viewing parallax images corresponding to a plurality of parallaxes, the parallax image Can be smoothly switched, and a natural impression can be given to the user who sees.

  The lens sheet 12 has a rectangular appearance, and the sheet end 12Et is provided in parallel to the reference direction L. Thereby, the reference direction L of the lens sheet 12 becomes parallel to the sheet end 12Et, and the user can easily understand the reference direction L when viewing. Further, it becomes easy to perform operations such as paper feeding in the printer 10.

  Further, the inclination angle θ described above is inclined within a range of 5 degrees to 15 degrees. For this reason, when the lens sheet 12 is rotated 5 degrees to 15 degrees with respect to the reference direction L, the switching of the image in the visual image becomes good, and particularly when the visual image corresponds to the stereoscopic image, the stereoscopic image Is smoothly switched, and visibility is improved for the user. The inclination angle θ may be in the range of 0.1 degrees to 45 degrees.

  Further, as in the printer 10 described above, the lens sheet 12 is a normal lens sheet or the convex lens 12A1 is inclined by scanning the print head 32 so as to pass through the points A and B. Therefore, even when it is determined that the head is inclined, it is possible to perform printing well by distinguishing it from a normal lens sheet. That is, the convex lens 12A1 is inclined, and ink droplets corresponding to the visual image data can be ejected for each lens pitch and can be made to correspond to oblique printing.

  As shown in FIG. 13, when the lens pitch is measured at two points, it is possible to appropriately calculate the inclination angle θ with respect to one direction in the longitudinal direction of the convex lens 12A1, and consider the inclination angle of the convex lens 12A1. Thus, it is possible to eject ink droplets at appropriate positions. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the print image (corresponding to the print content) from being shifted or bent as in the case of ejecting ink droplets without considering the inclination angle of the convex lens 12A1.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 21, when the ejection of ink droplets from the print head 32 can be controlled for each nozzle 33a, the timing of ejection of ink droplets can be adjusted for each nozzle 33a. . Therefore, even in the lens sheet 12 in which the length of the convex lens 12A1 is inclined with respect to the paper feeding direction, the original image data corresponding to the parallax exists in the visual image data for each lens pitch of each convex lens 12A1. Thus, printing can be executed while shifting the timing of ink ejection from each nozzle 33a so as to correspond to the inclination. Accordingly, it is possible to satisfactorily perform printing corresponding to the inclination of the convex lens 12A1 without having a swing mechanism for swinging the print head 32 or the like.

  The lens signal is a pulse signal having a different pulse width depending on the width of the convex lens 12A1, and the control unit 100 detects the lens signal and the width of the convex lens 12A1 near the sheet end 12Et of the lens sheet 12 is narrow. If it is determined, the complement processing is performed so that the pulse width is the same as that of the other portions. Thereby, the state in which print data (dots) corresponding to a plurality of parallax image data of a plurality of parallaxes is packed in a lens signal having a narrow pulse width is eliminated, and the same print quality as that of other portions can be ensured.

  When the continuous pixel arrangement as shown in FIG. 15 is adopted, parallax image data is composed of a plurality of compressed original image data subdivided corresponding to the lens pitch along the direction crossing the convex lens 12A1. . In this case, even when the convex lens 12A1 is tilted with respect to the reference direction L, it is possible to print a parallax image on which the switching of images for each parallax is favorable on the lens sheet 12. Further, since the main scanning direction is inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the convex lens 12A1, the distance along the main scanning direction is slightly increased, and the number of dots to be landed can be increased, so that the print quality can be improved. Become.

  Furthermore, when a two-dimensional arrangement that is a separated pixel arrangement as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 is adopted, parallax image data formed from a plurality of original image data is arranged in a matrix after compression and fragmentation. The Thereby, compared with the case shown in FIG. 15 in which compressed original image data subdivided only in the direction crossing the convex lens 12A1, a larger number of pixel data (compressed and subdivided compressed image data) is obtained. Can be placed. Accordingly, for example, when a stereoscopic image is viewed by the user, it is possible to correspond to motion parallax, and the user can recognize a stereoscopic image in a more natural state.

  Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention can be variously modified. This will be described below.

  In the above-described embodiment, the inclination of the convex lens 12A1 is lower right, but may be lower left. Further, when printing is performed, the printing may be performed in a state rotated by 90 degrees from the state shown in FIG. In the above description, the configuration including the swing mechanism of the carriage shaft 21, the configuration including the other swing mechanism, and the configuration not including the swing mechanism are simply described. However, these are optional elements. Yes, in principle, only one of them is provided, but a configuration including all or a configuration including any two selectively may be employed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the lens sheet 12 is printed by directly transporting the lens sheet 12 in the sub-scanning direction without using a tray. However, a dedicated tray is used for printing. May be. When a tray is used, the tray has a fitting portion corresponding to the size of the lens sheet 12. When the lens sheet 12 is fitted into the fitting portion, the length of the convex lens 12A1 is along the paper feed direction, but the lens The sheet end E of the sheet 12 may be one that is inclined in the paper feeding direction. When printing is performed using such a tray, print quality can be ensured without providing a specific mechanism such as a swing mechanism. Further, the print head 32 may be moved in the main scanning direction and the sub scanning direction without conveying the lens sheet 12.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, only one lens detection sensor 60 is provided in a part that is separated from the home position. However, the number of lens detection sensors 60 is not limited to one, and a plurality of lens detection sensors 60 may be provided on the carriage 30. For example, when the lens detection sensors 60 are attached to both ends of the lower surface of the carriage 30 in the main scanning direction, the lens pitch can be measured before printing in each reciprocation of the carriage 30, and the lens sheet. 12 can be executed by reciprocation.

  In the above-described embodiment, the ENC signal and the lens signal are pulse signals, and the encoder cycle information and the lens cycle information are measured with these positive edges, but may be measured with a negative edge. . Further, the ENC signal and the lens signal may be analog signals. When these are analog signals, a count value or the like can be calculated if a predetermined threshold value of voltage is encoder period information or lens period information. In addition, when acquiring a lens signal or the like, a light reflection type sensor may be used instead of a light transmission type sensor.

  In the above-described embodiment, the lens sheet 12 has a configuration in which many convex lenses 12A1 are arranged. However, the lens sheet is not limited to this, and may be a lens sheet in which a large number of concave lenses are arranged. . In this case, it is preferable that the above-described processes are based on the detection of a negative edge instead of a positive edge.

  In the above-described embodiment, the printer 10 performs printing. However, the printer 10 is not limited to performing only printing, and is a composite that also functions as one or more of copy, fax, and scanner functions. A typical printer may be used. In the above-described embodiment, the case of the direct drawing type, which is a method for directly printing a print image on the lens sheet 12, is described. However, it is of course possible to apply the present invention to the case of a separation type in which a separately printed product is bonded to the lenticular lens 12A.

  Moreover, each processing method mentioned above may be programmed. Alternatively, the program may be stored in a storage medium, such as a CD (Compact Disc), a DVD, or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, and read by a computer. In this case, the printer 10 and the computer 130 have reading means for reading the program in the storage medium. Further, the program may be stored in a server external to the printer 10 or the computer 130, downloaded as necessary, and used. In this case, the printer 10 and the computer 130 have communication means for downloading the program in the storage medium.

It is a front sectional view showing the composition of the lens detection sensor in the printer concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a top view which shows schematic structure of the lens sheet printed with the printer which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of the lens sheet of FIG. 2, (A) is a partially enlarged view of a plan view, and (B) is a partially enlarged view of a sectional view. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of a portion related to paper feeding of the printer of FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is a bottom view showing a lower surface of a carriage in the printer of FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing a shape near a platen in the printer of FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing a configuration of a lens detection sensor and the like in the printer of FIG. 4. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the gap sensor in the printer of FIG. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a signal output unit of the printer of FIG. 4. It is a figure which shows the analog signal and digital signal of lens pitch detection which are performed with the printer of FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a basic processing flow for performing printing, which is executed by the printer of FIG. 4. It is a figure which shows a lens signal while explaining calculation of the inclination angle performed with the printer of FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a processing flow for creating print data, which is executed by the printer of FIG. 4. It is a figure which shows the continuous pixel arrangement | positioning printed with the printer of FIG. 4, and is a figure which shows the data arrangement | positioning. It is a figure which shows the two-dimensional arrangement | positioning which is a separation pixel arrangement | positioning printed with the printer of FIG. 4, and is a figure which shows the data arrangement | positioning. It is a figure which shows the other example of the two-dimensional arrangement | positioning which is a separation pixel arrangement | positioning printed with the printer of FIG. 4, and is a figure which shows the data arrangement | positioning. It is a figure explaining the specific condition of the main step in the processing flow of FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a processing flow for executing printing in the printer of FIG. 4. FIGS. 19A and 19B are diagrams illustrating specific states of main steps in the processing flow of FIG. 19, in which FIG. 19A is an image when printing is performed based on the ENC signal, and FIG. 19B is based on the lens signal. It is an image figure at the time of performing printing. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating how dots are formed in the swing mechanism when the swing mechanism is present in the printer of FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating how dots are formed in the swing mechanism when another swing mechanism is present in the printer of FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a dot forming method that can be employed in the printer of FIG. 4 and showing how dots are formed by adjusting the drive timing of each nozzle. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a processing flow for creating a print image in the case of an oblique scanning system or an oblique ejection system as shown in FIGS. 21 and 22. It is a figure for demonstrating the creation process of the printing image in the case of the diagonal scanning system like FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the creation process of the printing image in the case of an oblique discharge system like FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the print data in the case of the diagonal discharge system like FIG. FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining lens signals generated when printing is performed by the printer of FIG. 4. FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating a scanning position of the carriage in the sub-scanning direction with respect to the lens sheet, and FIG. It is a figure which shows the lens signal from which a pulse width becomes narrow at the sheet | seat end. 4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining complementary lens signals generated when printing is performed by the printer of FIG. 4. FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating complementary lens signals that have been subjected to a complementary process at the end of a lens sheet sheet, and FIG. It is a figure which shows the complementary lens signal after performing a complementary process further. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a lens signal processing control unit of the printer of FIG. 4. 5 is a flow for explaining generation of a complementary lens signal executed by the printer of FIG. FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating a generation process of a complementary lens signal generated by the printer of FIG. 4, where FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating the lens signal itself, and FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating a state recorded in a buffer; C) is a diagram showing the generated complementary lens signal. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship among a print head, a light receiving unit, a convex lens, and a lens signal at a sheet end on the printing end side of the lens sheet in the printer of FIG. 4.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Printer, 12 ... Lens sheet (equivalent to diagonal lens sheet), 12A1 ... Convex lens (equivalent to lens), 12E ... Sheet end, 12Et ... Sub scanning direction sheet end, 60 ... Lens detection sensor, [theta] ... Inclination angle

Claims (2)

A surface having a lenticular lens in which a plurality of convex lenses extending in the longitudinal direction are formed in parallel, and a surface on which a printed medium or a printed medium is affixed on the back surface side of the lenticular lens opposite to the surface on which the convex lens is formed A printer that prints an image forming a parallax on a rectangular lens sheet comprising:
The printer is
A carriage that moves by mounting a print head that ejects ink droplets and a lens detection sensor that detects the pitch of the convex lens;
Conveying means for conveying the lens sheet in a sub-scanning direction orthogonal to a main scanning direction in which the carriage moves;
A controller that prints an image on the lens sheet,
The control unit
The carriage moves in the main scanning direction and prints the image by ejecting ink droplets from the print head based on a lens signal that outputs a signal having a period width corresponding to the width of the convex lens from the lens detection sensor. Is to control
When the rectangular lens sheet is an oblique lens sheet that is arranged with the longitudinal direction of the convex lens inclined with respect to the sheet end in the sub-scanning direction of the carriage, it corresponds to the plurality of convex lenses formed in parallel. The lens signal having a missing pulse width narrower than the first pulse width of the plurality of lens signals continuously output with the same pulse width is the same as the signal of the pulse width subsequently output. A printer that controls to discharge the ink droplets from the print head onto the lens sheet and print the image based on the complementary lens signal as a complementary lens signal having a pulse width and no defect. . The controller further includes a plurality of the lens signals that are continuously output with the same pulse width corresponding to the plurality of convex lenses formed in parallel, and a missing portion that is narrower than the last output pulse width. A lens signal having a pulse width is used as a complementary lens signal having the same pulse width as that of the pulse width signal output subsequently and without the defect, and an ink droplet is applied from the print head to the lens sheet based on the complementary lens signal. 2. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the printer is controlled to discharge and print the image .

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