JP5594028B2 - Print data generation apparatus and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a print data generation apparatus and a program.

  A technology (Patent Document 1) that generates surface graphic data for each surface such as a bottom surface and a side surface in the development view data from the development view data of a product designed by CAD (Computer Aided Design) or the like. A technique for calculating an assembly shape of a product using surface graphic data has been developed (Patent Document 2).

  Further, a system has been proposed in which a server that holds product or product development view data transmits development view data to a client terminal in response to a request from a user's client terminal. For example, the system described in Patent Document 3 transmits full-scale development drawing data of a product to an orderer's computer. The orderer prints the development data received by his / her computer on paper, cuts out the printed development drawing, and assembles it along the broken lines and margin lines in the development drawing, so that the full-scale appearance of the product can be obtained. Check. Further, for example, in Patent Document 4, in a system for transmitting product development view data to a client terminal, when creating product development view data, the dimensions of the development view are predetermined based on information relating to the dimensions of the product. A system is disclosed that adjusts the dimensions of a developed view to fit within the paper size.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228561 discloses a technique that enables a large image to be printed on a paper having a size larger than the size of paper that can be printed by a printing apparatus. In the technique described in Patent Document 5, image data is divided into a plurality of images at a reference position, and the divided plurality of images are scaled. Then, each of the divided and scaled images is printed on each side of the folded paper.

JP-A-6-259507 JP-A-6-176111 JP 2002-150059 A JP 2005-202838 A JP 2003-46752 A

  There are cases where the user desires to print development map data larger than the size of paper that can be printed by the printing apparatus. In this case, it is conceivable that the development view data is reduced and printed so as to be within the size range of the printable paper, or the development view data is divided and printed on a plurality of papers. When printing the development drawing data in a reduced size, even if the printed development drawing is assembled, a solid having the size represented by the development drawing data before the reduction cannot be obtained. In addition, when the development drawing data is divided and printed on a plurality of sheets and a solid is assembled from the development drawing obtained by pasting these sheets, processing for assembling may be difficult at the overlapping portion of the sheets.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a print data generation device and a program that can divide development data and print it on a plurality of sheets without changing the size of the development data so that processing for assembly is not hindered. It is.

  The invention according to claim 1 acquires development map data representing a three-dimensional development chart, detects each surface included in the acquired development chart data, sets the size of the paper used for printing, and Receiving means for accepting setting of a print area, which is an area on the paper, on which the development view data is printed, and dividing the development view data for each surface detected by the detection means; Arrangement determining means for determining the arrangement of the surface in the printing area, wherein the arrangement determining means determines the arrangement of the surface so that at least one of the sides constituting the surface is positioned on the side of the printing area. And a generation means for generating print data for printing an image representing the arrangement of each surface determined by the arrangement determination means on the paper.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the detection means detects an outer frame line and a fold line included in the development data, and each of the frames surrounded by the detected outer frame line and the fold line. An area is detected as each of the surfaces, and the arrangement determining unit is configured so that, for each of the detected surfaces, the fold line is positioned on the side of the print region, so that the fold line is positioned on the side of the print region. Determine the placement at.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the arrangement determining means arranges one of the detected faces in the print area of one sheet of paper, When a surface adjacent to the one surface further fits in the print area, it is determined that the one surface and the adjacent surface are arranged in the print area, and only one of the adjacent surfaces is If it is determined that the paper is to be arranged in the print area of the paper, the determination is discarded.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to third aspects, the arrangement determining means does not have a surface whose arrangement is to be determined within the print area of the single sheet. In this case, it is determined that the target surface is arranged over the print areas of the plurality of sheets.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the generation unit generates the development map data for an image representing the arrangement of each surface determined by the arrangement determination unit. Print data to which an image serving as a mark at the time of assembling work using the developed view is added is generated.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the size of the sheet on which the generating unit prints an image representing the arrangement of each surface determined by the arrangement determining unit. Is changed to the smallest paper size that can be printed on each side of the paper sizes available for printing, and then the print data is generated.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, a computer is used to acquire development view data representing a three-dimensional development view, detect each surface included in the obtained development view data, and a size of a sheet used for printing. Receiving the setting and setting of a print area that is an area where the development data is printed on the sheet; and dividing the development data for each surface detected in the detection step; An arrangement for determining an arrangement of the surface in the printing area of the paper, wherein the arrangement of the surface is determined such that at least one of the sides constituting the surface is positioned on the side of the printing area; A determination step, and a generation step for generating print data for printing an image representing the layout of each surface determined in the layout determination step on the paper. A gram.

  According to the first or seventh aspect of the invention, the development data can be divided and printed on a plurality of sheets without changing the size of the development data so that the processing for assembling is not hindered.

  According to the invention which concerns on Claim 2, it can prevent that the folding line of a developed view is printed in the overlap part in which a paper is bonded together.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to print the development view data using a smaller number of sheets as compared with the case of printing using one sheet for each side of the development view data.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the plane of the development data does not fit within the print area of one sheet, the plane can be printed over the print areas of a plurality of sheets.

  According to the invention which concerns on Claim 5, the assembly operation | work using the expanded view divided | segmented and printed on the some paper can be supported.

  According to the invention which concerns on Claim 6, compared with the case where the magnitude | size of a paper is fixed, the margin part in the paper which printed each surface of the developed data can be decreased.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematic internal configuration of a print data generation apparatus. It is a figure which shows the example of the expanded view printed. It is a figure which shows the example of the printing area | region of a paper. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a part of a procedure of processing executed by the print data generation apparatus. 10 is a flowchart illustrating another example of another part of a process executed by the print data generation apparatus. It is a figure which shows the example which has arrange | positioned one surface in an expanded view in the printing area | region of paper. It is a figure which shows the example which has arrange | positioned the other surface in an expanded view in the printing area | region of paper. It is a figure which shows the example which has arrange | positioned the other surface in a development view in the printing area | region of paper. It is a figure which shows the example which has arrange | positioned the other surface in a development view in the printing area | region of paper. It is a figure which shows the example of arrangement | positioning which the surface in an expanded view does not fit in the printing area | region of paper. It is a figure which shows the example of the state which added the sheet | seat with respect to arrangement | positioning of the example of FIG. 10A. 14 is a flowchart illustrating still another example of a procedure of processing executed by the print data generation apparatus. It is a figure which shows the example which has arrange | positioned all the surfaces in an expanded view on paper. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a frame line indicating a center position of a sheet pasting area. It is a figure which shows the example of the print data which added the mark at the time of an assembly. It is a figure which shows the example of the hardware constitutions of a computer.

  FIG. 1 shows an example of a schematic internal configuration of a print data generation apparatus according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the print data generation device 10 is connected to a display device 20 and a printing device 30. The display device 20 may be a general display device such as a liquid crystal display. The printing apparatus 30 may be a general printer that prints electronic data on paper.

  The print data generation device 10 generates print data for printing a three-dimensional development view on paper. The print data generation apparatus 10 includes a development view data storage unit 100, an input reception unit 110, a development view data processing unit 120, a print data generation unit 130, a print instruction unit 140, and a display control unit 150.

  The development view data storage unit 100 is storage means for storing development view data representing a development view. The development view data may be, for example, data of a development view image created using a CAD system or the like. The development view data is stored in the development view data storage unit 100 as a file in a format such as PDF (Portable Document Format). Further, it is assumed that the development diagram data includes information indicating the size of the development diagram represented by the development diagram data. The information indicating the size of the development view includes, for example, the size (size) of a sheet necessary for printing the whole development view and the dimensions of each part in the development view.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of a development diagram represented by the development diagram data stored in the development diagram data storage unit 100. The developed view of the example of FIG. 2 is a developed view of a box. In FIG. 2, the outer frame line and the cut line are indicated by solid lines, and the folding line is indicated by a broken line. 2 is assumed to be larger than the maximum size of paper that can be used by the printing apparatus 30. In addition, the code | symbol i-xiii shown in FIG. 2 is a code | symbol for identifying each surface in development drawing data in the following description.

  Referring again to FIG. 1, the input receiving unit 110 receives an input of a user instruction to the print data generating apparatus 10. For example, the input receiving unit 110 acquires information input using an input device (not shown) such as a mouse or a keyboard, and passes the acquired information to the development data processing unit 120 or the print data generation unit 130.

  The development view data processing unit 120 performs pre-processing for generating print data from the development view data on the development view data. The development data processing unit 120 includes a data acquisition unit 122, a surface detection unit 124, a paper information acquisition unit 126, and an arrangement determination unit 128.

  The data acquisition unit 122 acquires development view data from the development view data storage unit 100. For example, when the input receiving unit 110 receives an input from the user who designates one of the developed view data stored in the developed view data storage unit 100 and instructs generation of print data, the data acquisition unit 122 The development view data designated by the user is read from the development view data storage unit 100. The data acquisition unit 122 further extracts information representing the size of the development view from the read development view data.

  The surface detection unit 124 detects each surface in the development data. The surface detection unit 124 of the example of the present embodiment first detects various lines included in the development data. For example, in the case of the example of FIG. 2, the development data includes solid lines and broken lines, and the surface detection unit 124 detects these solid lines and broken lines. After detecting the line in the development data, the surface detection unit 124 detects each area surrounded by the detected surface as each surface in the development data. In the example of FIG. 2, surfaces i to xiii are detected. Note that the surface detection unit 124 in the example of the present embodiment recognizes the type of the detected line when detecting the line in the development data. Here, the “line type” means the function of each line when assembling a solid from the development. In the case of the example in FIG. 2, the solid line defining the outline of the developed view is recognized as “outer frame line”, the solid line inside the developed view is recognized as “cut line”, and the broken line is recognized as “folded line”. The information indicating the correspondence between the form of the line in the development data (solid line, broken line, dotted line, one-dot chain line, etc.) and the type of line (the function of the line at the time of assembly) may be included in the development data. Alternatively, it may be set in advance and stored in a storage device (not shown). In any case, information indicating what kind of line should be recognized as which kind of line in the development data may be referred to by the surface detection unit 124. With reference to this information, the surface detection unit 124 identifies the type of line detected in the development data.

  The paper information acquisition unit 126 acquires information about the paper used for printing the development view data via the input reception unit 110. The sheet information acquisition unit 126 of the example of the present embodiment acquires a user input that specifies the size of a sheet used for printing and a pasting area that is not used for printing on the sheet. Here, the pasting area is a margin area in which printing is not performed on the paper, and can be used for pasting the papers together when cutting and assembling the development drawing printed on the paper. For example, the paper information acquisition unit 126 requests the display control unit 150 (to be described later) to display information prompting the user to input the size of the paper and the size of the pasting area on the paper on the display device 20. For the paper size, for example, paper size options (A4, A3, B5, etc.) that can be used by the printing apparatus 30 may be displayed, and information that prompts the user to select one of them may be displayed. Regarding the size of the pasting area, for example, information that prompts the user to input the widths of the margin areas on the top, bottom, left, and right of the sheet may be displayed. When the user who has confirmed the display on the display device 20 inputs the paper size and the size of the pasting area using an input device (not shown), the input is passed to the paper information acquisition unit 126 by the input receiving unit 110. The paper information acquisition unit 126 passes the acquired paper size and pasting area size to the arrangement determination unit 128.

  The arrangement determination unit 128 determines the arrangement of each surface detected by the surface detection unit 124 on the sheet. The arrangement determining unit 128 of the example of the present embodiment first determines the position and size of the print area, which is the area where printing is performed on the paper, from the size of the paper received from the paper information acquisition unit 126 and the size of the pasting area. Ask. For example, referring to FIG. 3, it is assumed that the width of the top, bottom, left, and right margins is designated as the size of the pasting area of the sheet 400 as indicated by arrows top, bottom, left, and right. In the sheet 400, a hatched portion other than the margin portion is a print area 402. In the example of FIG. 3, the vertical size of the print area 402 is obtained by subtracting the sum of the margin widths of the arrows top and bottom from the vertical size of the paper 400, and the horizontal size of the paper 400 is obtained. Then, the size of the print area 402 in the horizontal direction is obtained by subtracting the sum of the margin widths of the arrows left and right. The position of the print area 402 is obtained from the width of the margin represented by the arrows top, bottom, left, and right.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 1, when the arrangement determining unit 128 obtains the size and position of the print area of the sheet, it determines whether or not the size of the developed view of the developed view data fits within the print area of one sheet. judge. When it fits within the print area of one sheet, the entire developed view is placed in the print area. When the entire development view does not fit within the printing area of one sheet, the arrangement determining unit 128 assigns a plurality of surfaces in the development drawing data detected by the surface detection unit 124 to a plurality of paper printing areas, Determine the placement of the surface in the print area. In other words, the developed view is divided into planes and arranged in the print area of a plurality of sheets. In the example of the present embodiment, the arrangement of each surface in the print area is determined so that at least one of the sides constituting the surface in the development data is positioned on the side of the print region. Details of the determination of the arrangement of each surface by the arrangement determining unit 128 will be described later.

  The print data generation unit 130 generates print data according to the arrangement determined by the arrangement determination unit 128. For example, the print data generation unit 130 generates print data for causing the printing apparatus 30 to print an image obtained as a result of arranging each surface in the development view data in the print area of the paper as determined by the arrangement determination unit 128. .

  The print instruction unit 140 instructs the printing apparatus 30 to print the print data generated by the print data generation unit 130 on a sheet.

  The display control unit 150 controls the contents displayed on the display device 20. For example, the display control unit 150 causes the display device 20 to display the processing result and process in the developed view data processing unit 120, and causes the display device 20 to display the print data generated by the print data generation unit 130.

  Hereinafter, an example of processing in the print data generation apparatus 10 will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of processing executed by the print data generation apparatus 10. For example, when the input receiving unit 110 receives an input from a user instructing printing of specific development data, the print data generation apparatus 10 starts the processing of the procedure in the example of FIG.

  In the developed view data processing unit 120 that has received the user input from the input receiving unit 110, the data acquisition unit 122 obtains the developed view data specified by the user input from the developed view data storage unit 100 (step S10). In step S10, the data acquisition unit 122 further extracts information representing the size of the development view from the acquired development view data.

  The paper information acquisition unit 126 of the development view data processing unit 120 receives user input of the size of the paper and the size of the pasting area used for printing development view data via the input receiving unit 110 (step S12). For example, the paper information acquisition unit 126 requests the display control unit 150 to display information for prompting the input of the paper size and the size of the pasting area on the display device 20, and the information input by the user according to the display is displayed. , Acquired from the input receiving unit 110. The paper information acquisition unit 126 passes the acquired paper size and pasting area size to the arrangement determination unit 128.

  The layout determining unit 128 specifies the position and size of the print area on the paper using the size of the paper and the size of the pasting area received in step S12 (step S14). For example, the print area may be specified as described above with reference to FIG.

  When the print area is specified, the arrangement determining unit 128 determines whether or not the entire developed view represented by the developed view data acquired in step S10 is within the print area of one sheet (step S16). This determination may be made by comparing the size of the development view extracted from the development view data in step S10 with the size of the print area obtained in step S14.

  When the entire development view fits within the print area of one sheet (YES in step S16), the arrangement determining unit 128 arranges the whole development drawing in the print area (step S18), and information indicating this arrangement To the print data generation unit 130. The print data generation unit 130 generates print data for printing an image obtained as a result of arranging the development view in the print area of the paper according to the information received from the arrangement determination unit 128 (step S20). The generated print data is transferred from the print data generation unit 130 to the print instruction unit 140, and the print instruction unit 140 instructs the printing apparatus 30 to perform printing using the print data (step S22). In response to this instruction, the developed view is printed on one sheet of paper.

  If the development view of the development view data acquired in step S10 does not fit within the print area of one sheet (NO in step S16), the process proceeds to step S30 in FIG.

  Referring to FIG. 5, first, the surface detection unit 124 of the development view data processing unit 120 detects a line in the development view data acquired in step S10 of FIG. 4 (step S30). In the case of the development drawing data of the example of FIG. 2 described above, an outer frame line and a cut line represented by solid lines and a fold line represented by a broken line are detected.

  Next, the surface detection unit 124 detects each surface in the development data using the lines detected in step S30 (step S32). The surface detection unit 124 of the example of this embodiment detects each of the regions surrounded by the line detected in step S30 as a surface in the development data. The surface detection unit 124 passes information on each surface detected in step S <b> 32 to the arrangement determination unit 128. For example, in the developed view of the example of FIG. 2, the surfaces i to xiii are detected, and information representing these surfaces i to xiii is passed to the arrangement determining unit 128. The information representing each surface includes, for example, the sides constituting the surface, the type of each side, the size of each side, and the positional relationship between the surface and another surface.

  After detecting each surface in the development data, the arrangement determining unit 128 selects one of these surfaces as a processing target (step S34), and determines the arrangement of the selected surface on the sheet (step S36). ). More specifically, the arrangement determining unit 128 determines the arrangement of the surface in the print area so that at least one of the sides constituting the selected surface is positioned on the side of the print area of the paper. The arrangement determining unit 128 of this example determines the arrangement of the surface so that the “fold line” is preferentially positioned on the side of the print area among the sides of the selected surface. FIGS. 6 to 9 show examples in which each surface is arranged in the print area 402 of the paper 400 with respect to a part of the surface (surfaces i to iv) of the development view of the example of FIG. In FIGS. 6 to 9, a rectangle surrounded by a one-dot chain line inside the paper 400 is a print area 402. 6, 7, 8, and 9 show examples of arrangements when the surfaces i, ii, iii, and iv in the development data are selected in step S <b> 34, respectively. 6 to 9, each of the surfaces i to iv is arranged such that at least one of the fold lines of the surfaces is located on the side of the print region 402. Further, the surfaces ii to iv including the angle of 90 degrees are arranged such that the 90 degree angle overlaps one of the corners of the print region 402. In the example of the present embodiment, it is assumed that the orientation of the paper on which each side is arranged is determined to be a fixed orientation in step S36. FIGS. 6 to 9 show examples in which the arrangement of each surface is determined by fixing the paper in a landscape orientation (direction in which the long side of the paper is parallel to the horizontal direction).

  After arranging the surface selected in step S32 in the print area of the sheet, the arrangement determining unit 128 checks whether or not the entire selected surface is within the print area (step S38). In each of the examples in FIGS. 6 to 9 described above, the arranged surfaces i to iv are all within the print area 402, so that a YES determination is made in step S38, and the process proceeds to step S42.

  On the other hand, the selected surface may not fit within the print area. An example of this case is shown in FIG. 10A. FIG. 10A shows a case where the paper is fixed in the vertical direction (the direction in which the long side of the paper is perpendicular to the horizontal direction) in step S36 when determining the arrangement of each surface of the development data in the example of FIG. It is an example of arrangement | positioning of surface ii. Referring to FIG. 10A, in the state where the surface ii is arranged in the print region 402 so that one of the two folding lines provided on the surface ii is located on the side of the print region 402, the inside of the print region 402 of the surface ii There are parts that do not fit in. When there is a part that does not fit in the print area 402 in the current processing target surface as in the example of FIG. 10A, NO is determined in the determination process of step S38 in the procedure of the example of FIG. Then, a sheet for printing the current processing target surface is added (step S40). In step S <b> 40, for example, the arrangement determining unit 128 allocates a print area of an additional sheet to a part that does not fit in the print area 402. In the case of the above-described example with reference to FIG. 10A, in step S40, as shown in FIG. 10B, for example, a portion that does not fit in the print area 402 of the sheet 400 is placed in the print area 402 ′ of the additional sheet 400 ′. Thus, the arrangement of the surface ii on the additional sheet 400 ′ is determined. In FIG. 10B, the sheet 400 ′ shown at the bottom of the development view does not indicate the actual arrangement position of the sheet 400 ′, but is merely shown for easy understanding. In the print area 402 ′ of the sheet 400 ′ shown below the development view, a portion that does not fit in the print area 402 on the plane ii of the development view is arranged in the hatched area. In addition, a fold line in a part of the surface ii that does not fit in the print area 402 is arranged on the side of the print area 402 ′. When a part of the surface ii is arranged in the print area 402 ′ of the additional sheet 400 ′ as in the example of FIG. 10B, the entire surface ii is the print area 402, 402 ′ of either the sheet 400 or the sheet 400 ′. Fits within.

  After step S40, the process returns to step S38, and it is again determined whether or not there is a portion that does not fit in the print area on the current processing target surface. If the surface does not fit within the print area even after the paper is added (NO in step S38), the process of adding paper (step S40) is repeated until the entire surface fits within the print area. Also, for example, as shown in FIG. 10B, when the surface is within the print area by performing the placement with the additional paper, a YES determination is made in step S38 and the process proceeds to step S42.

  In step S42, it is determined whether or not all the faces in the development data have been processed. If all the surfaces have not been processed (NO in step S42), the process returns to step S34 to select one unprocessed surface, and the processing from step S36 onward is performed on the selected surface. If all the surfaces have been processed (YES in step S42), the process proceeds to step S50 in FIG.

  In the procedure of the example of FIG. 5, when the processing is completed for all the surfaces in the development diagram data, the arrangement of the surfaces in the print area of one or more sheets is determined for each surface in the development diagram data. ing. For example, in the expanded view of the example of FIG. 2, in addition to the arrangement of the surfaces i to iv illustrated in FIGS. 6 to 9, each surface of the surfaces v to xiii is also transferred to the print area in the same manner as FIGS. 6 to 9. Placement is determined. If each side of the development view data is printed on a sheet according to the arrangement determined in this way, the number of sheets more than the number of sides in the development view data is required. In the case of the example referring to FIGS. 2 and 6 to 9 described above, since there are 13 faces i to xiii in the development data, the arrangement of one or more sheets in the print area is determined for each face. When printing is performed, 13 sheets or more are required. However, there are cases where a plurality of surfaces can be arranged in the printing area of one sheet. If a plurality of surfaces are arranged in the printing area of one sheet, the number of sheets required for printing is smaller than the arrangement of one or more sheets for each of the plurality of surfaces. Therefore, the arrangement determining unit 128 performs processing for arranging as many faces as possible on one sheet in steps S50 to S56 in the example of FIG.

  Referring to FIG. 11, the arrangement determining unit 128 selects arrangement information representing a state in which one of the faces in the development data is arranged on one sheet (step S50). Here, the “arrangement information” is information representing the arrangement of the surface in the development data on the sheet (printing area) as exemplified in FIGS. 6 to 9. At the time when the procedure of the example of FIG. 11 is started, as described above, arrangement information representing the arrangement of one surface on one or more sheets is generated for each surface in the development data. Among these pieces of arrangement information, information representing a state in which one surface is arranged on one sheet is a selection target in step S50.

  In the arrangement state represented by the arrangement information selected in step S50, the arrangement determining unit 128 determines whether there is a surface that can be accommodated in the print region among the surfaces adjacent to the surface arranged in the print region (adjacent surface). Is determined (step S52).

  For example, when the arrangement information representing the arrangement in the example of FIG. 6 is selected in step S50, the surface ii adjacent to the surface i is not within the print area 402. For this reason, NO determination is made at step S52. If NO is determined in step S52, the processes after step S50 are repeated until there is no unprocessed arrangement information (until NO is determined in step S56).

  For example, when the arrangement information representing the arrangement in the example of FIG. 7 is selected in step S50, the surface i adjacent to the surface ii is within the print area 402. Therefore, YES is determined in step S52.

  If “YES” is determined in step S52, the process proceeds to step S54, and the arrangement determining unit 128 discards arrangement information indicating a state in which only the adjacent surface within the print area is arranged on the sheet. For example, when the determination of step S52 is performed for FIG. 7 and the process of step S54 is performed, the arrangement information in the example of FIG. 6 representing the state where only the surface i adjacent to the surface ii is disposed on the sheet is discarded. In addition, the arrangement determining unit 128 sets the adjacent surface included in the arrangement information discarded in step S54 as the surface to be arranged in the print area in the arrangement information (selected in step S50) that is the current processing target. Include in the placement information to be processed. In the case of the above example referring to FIG. 7, not only the surface ii originally arranged in the print area, but also the adjacent face i (the face included in the discarded arrangement information of FIG. 6) is arranged in the print area. Recognize it as a made surface. In other words, both the surface i and the surface ii of the development view data located in the print area 402 illustrated in FIG. 7 are set as print targets.

  After step S54 or after NO is determined in step S52, the presence / absence of unprocessed arrangement information is determined in step S56. If there is unprocessed arrangement information (YES in step S56), the process returns to step S50, one of the unprocessed arrangement information is selected, and the processes after step S52 are executed.

  By the loop processing including steps S50 to S56, a plurality of adjacent faces in the development view data that can be arranged in the print area of one sheet is specified. Furthermore, the arrangement information on the plurality of sheets generated for each of the plurality of surfaces is integrated with the arrangement information indicating the state in which the plurality of surfaces are arranged in the printing area of one sheet. Therefore, it can be said that the loop process including steps S50 to S56 is a process of thinning out unnecessary arrangement information.

  In step S54 of the present example, the arrangement information indicating the state in which only the adjacent surface “only” that falls within the print area in the current processing target arrangement information is arranged on the paper is discarded. Arrangement information indicating a state where the surface is further arranged on the sheet is not discarded. For example, as in the example described above, it is assumed that a loop process including steps S50 to S56 is performed for each piece of arrangement information in the examples of FIGS. In this example, when the arrangement information in the example of FIG. 7 is a processing target, the arrangement information in the example of FIG. 6 is discarded in step S54. Thereafter, it is further assumed that arrangement information indicating the arrangement of the surface iii in the example of FIG. 8 is selected in step S50. Referring to FIG. 8, the adjacent surface ii of the surface iii is also within the print region 402. However, the print area 402 represented by the arrangement information (FIG. 7) in which the adjacent face ii is placed in the print area includes not only the face ii but also the face i. Furthermore, since the arrangement information including the surface i (FIG. 6) has already been discarded, if the arrangement information in the example of FIG. 7 including the surface ii is discarded, the assignment of the surface i to the sheet is lost. Therefore, the arrangement information in the example of FIG. 7 should not be discarded. As described above, even if the adjacent surface of the surface originally arranged in the print area in the arrangement information to be processed is within the print area, the other surface of the adjacent surface is printed in the arrangement information including the adjacent surface. If it is included in the region, the arrangement information including the adjacent surface is not discarded in step S54.

  In the loop processing including steps S50 to S56, the arrangement information (the arrangement information of the surface that does not fit in the printing area of one sheet) representing the state in which one surface is arranged over the printing area of a plurality of sheets. , Excluded from processing. This is because in such arrangement information, there is a low possibility that a surface adjacent to the surface arranged in the print area will be further accommodated in the print area.

  When the processing of steps S50 to S54 is executed for all of the arrangement information indicating the state where one surface is arranged on one sheet (NO in step S56), the arrangement determining unit 128 requests the display control unit 150 to make a request. Then, the current arrangement information of each surface is displayed on the display device 20 (step S58). FIG. 12 shows an example of the arrangement information displayed in step S58. FIG. 12 is an example of a result obtained by performing the processing from step S50 to step S56 in FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 11 described above on the development view data in the example in FIG. In the example of FIG. 12, all the faces i to xiii in the development data are arranged in the print area of any paper. In addition, the arrangement information on the other surfaces of the surfaces iii, v, and xii is information in which a plurality of adjacent surfaces are disposed in the print area of one sheet.

  Next, the development data processing unit 120 accepts a change in setting of paper and layout by the user who confirmed the display of the layout information (step S60). For example, the user may input an instruction to change the paper orientation in the specific arrangement information using an input device (not shown). Further, for example, an instruction to change the size of the paper in each piece of arrangement information to the minimum printable size among the paper sizes usable in the printing apparatus 30 may be input. Or you may perform the input which changes arrangement | positioning of a surface, for example. Examples of changing the arrangement of the surface include moving a certain surface within the print area, and moving a certain surface to a margin in the print area of another sheet. The user input as in the above example is acquired by the development view data processing unit 120 via the input receiving unit 110. The development data processing unit 120 changes the arrangement information in accordance with the acquired input. If there is no input of a change instruction by the user, for example, when there is an input indicating that no change is necessary, the process of step S60 is omitted.

  The print data generation unit 130 acquires the arrangement information displayed in step S58 from the arrangement determination unit 128, and generates print data using the acquired arrangement information (step S62). The print data generation unit 130 generates print data for printing an image of each sheet represented by the acquired arrangement information. For example, when the arrangement information in the example of FIG. 12 is acquired, print data for printing images on each of the seven sheets shown in FIG. 12 is generated. Further, in step S60, print data to which a line or mark that becomes a mark at the time of assembly may be generated in the image of each sheet represented by the acquired arrangement information. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, a frame line L representing the center position of the bonding area of each sheet is added. Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 14, in each sheet, a reference sign may be attached to a portion that is attached to each other at the time of assembly. The example of FIG. 14 shows that the same alphabetic character parts are pasted together during assembly. You may add both the frame line of the example of FIG. 13, and the mark of the example of FIG. Further, instead of indicating the bonding position with alphabetic characters as shown in FIG. 14, other types of codes and marks may be used as marks for the bonding position, or mark lines used for the bonding position may be added. For example, as described with reference to FIGS. 10A and 10B, the print data regarding the arrangement information in which one surface is arranged over the print areas of a plurality of sheets includes a line indicating the overlap position of the print areas. May be added. For example, in the print area 402 ′ of the sheet 400 ′ in FIG. 10B, a boundary line for distinguishing between an area (hatched portion) where a part of the surface ii is arranged and another area may be added.

  After generating the print data in step S <b> 62, the print data generation unit 130 passes the generated print data to the print instruction unit 140. The print instruction unit 140 issues a print instruction to the printing apparatus 30 so as to perform printing according to the print data received from the print data generation unit 130 (step S64). In accordance with this print instruction, the printing apparatus 30 prints a plurality of sheets on which different surfaces in the development data are arranged. After step S64, the process of the procedure in the example of FIG. 11 ends.

  As described above, according to the processing example described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 14, when printing a development view larger than the maximum size of the paper that can be used by the printing apparatus 30, the plane unit is used without reducing the development view. To print on multiple sheets. Thus, the solid assembled from the development view printed over a plurality of sheets has a size as shown in the development view. Further, according to the processing of this example, each side of the development view is printed only in the print area excluding the pasting area defined by the top, bottom, left, and right margins of the paper, and at least one of the folding lines of each side is on the side of the print area. Each surface is arranged in the print area so as to be located at the position. Therefore, when assembling a solid body by pasting the surfaces of the printed development view, the fold line is not located at a portion where the sheets overlap due to the pasting of a plurality of sheets.

  The example of the embodiment described above is merely an example of the embodiment of the present invention, and there may be various modifications in addition to the example of the above-described embodiment. For example, in step S60 of FIG. 11, the paper size may be automatically changed without waiting for an instruction from the user. In other words, the paper size in each piece of arrangement information may be automatically changed to the minimum printable size of the face arranged with the arrangement information among the paper sizes available in the printing apparatus 30.

  Further, for example, in the example of the above-described embodiment, the arrangement of one or more sheets in the print area is determined for each of all the surfaces in the development data, and then the arrangement is performed in the print area of one sheet. Identify multiple possible faces. In the modified example, every time the arrangement of each surface is determined, it may be confirmed whether or not other adjacent surfaces can be accommodated in the print region. In this modification as well, when the adjacent surface of the surface determined to be positioned so that one side of the surface is positioned on the side of the print region fits in the print region, the layout indicates a state in which only the adjacent surface is disposed in the print region. Discard information.

  The functions of the respective units of the print data generation apparatus 10 in the above-described example may be realized as a part of other system or software functions. For example, the functions of the developed view data processing unit 120 and the print data generating unit 130 may be realized as a part of a CAD system that creates developed view data, and used for printing the created developed view data. Further, for example, the development data processing unit 120 and the print data generation unit 130 may be realized as part of the functions of an image forming apparatus such as a printer and a facsimile. Alternatively, a printer driver installed in a PC (Personal Computer) connected to the printer may have the functions of the development view data processing unit 120, the print data generation unit 130, and the print instruction unit 140.

  The above-described print data generation apparatus 10 is typically realized by executing a program describing functions or processing contents of each unit of the above-described print data generation apparatus 10 on a general-purpose computer. As shown in FIG. 15, for example, the computer includes a CPU (central processing unit) 80, a memory (primary storage) 82, various I / O (input / output) interfaces 84, and the like connected via a bus 86. Circuit configuration. Also, a disk drive 90 for reading portable non-volatile recording media of various standards such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 88, a CD, a DVD, and a flash memory via the I / O interface 84, for example, to the bus 86. Connected. Such a drive 88 or 90 functions as an external storage device for the memory. A program in which the processing content of the embodiment is described is stored in a fixed storage device such as the HDD 88 via a recording medium such as a CD or DVD, or via a network, and is installed in a computer. The program stored in the fixed storage device is read into the memory and executed by the CPU, whereby the processing of the embodiment is realized.

  In the above, the embodiment and the modification example in which the print data generation device 10 is realized by one computer have been described. However, the functions of the respective units in the above-described example of the print data generation device 10 are distributed to a plurality of computers. May be. For example, in a system in which a server computer and a client computer are connected to each other, it is conceivable to realize the functions of each part of the print data generation apparatus 10 by distributing the functions to the server computer and the client computer. In one example, the functions of the expanded view data storage unit 100, the expanded view data processing unit 120, and the print data generating unit 130 are realized in a server computer, and the functions of the print instruction unit 140 and the display control unit 150 are realized in a client computer. In the case of this example, the client computer transmits an instruction input by the user on the client computer to the server computer, and in accordance with this instruction, the development diagram data processing unit 120 and the print data generation unit 130 of the server computer process the example of the above-described embodiment. And the generated print data is returned to the client computer. The print instruction unit 140 of the client computer issues a print instruction to the printing apparatus 30 connected to the client computer, and the development view is printed.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Print data production | generation apparatus, 20 Display apparatus, 30 Printing apparatus, 80 CPU, 82 Memory, 84 I / O interface, 86 bus | bath, 88 HDD, 90 Disk drive, 100 Expansion drawing data storage part, 110 Input reception part, 120 Expansion | deployment Graphic data processing unit, 122 data acquisition unit, 124 surface detection unit, 126 paper information acquisition unit, 128 arrangement determination unit, 130 print data generation unit, 140 print instruction unit, 150 display control unit

Claims (7)

Detection means for acquiring development data representing a three-dimensional development, and detecting each surface included in the acquired development data;
Accepting means for accepting setting of a size of a sheet used for printing and setting of a print area which is an area where the development data is printed on the sheet;
An arrangement determining unit that divides the development data for each surface detected by the detecting unit and determines an arrangement of the surface in the print area of one sheet of paper for each surface, the surface being configured Arrangement determining means for determining the arrangement of the surface so that at least one of the sides to be positioned is on the side of the print area;
Generating means for generating print data for printing an image representing the arrangement of each surface determined by the arrangement determining means on the paper;
A print data generation apparatus comprising: The detecting means detects an outer frame line and a fold line included in the development data, detects each area surrounded by the detected outer frame line and the fold line as the respective surfaces,
The arrangement determining means determines, for each of the detected surfaces, an arrangement of the surface in the print region so that the fold line is positioned on a side of the print region among the sides of the surface.
The print data generation apparatus according to claim 1. The arrangement determining means is arranged when one of the detected faces is arranged in the print area of one sheet of paper and a face adjacent to the one face is further accommodated in the print area. If it is determined that the one surface and the adjacent surface are arranged in the printing area, and only the adjacent surface is decided to be arranged in the printing area of one sheet of paper. Abandon the decision,
The print data generation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print data generation apparatus is a print data generation apparatus. The arrangement determining means arranges the target surface across the print areas of the plurality of sheets when the target surface of the arrangement does not fit within the print area of one sheet of paper. decide,
The print data generation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print data generation apparatus is a print data generation apparatus. The generation unit generates print data in which an image representing the layout of each surface determined by the layout determination unit is added with an image serving as a mark for assembly work using the development view represented by the development view data. To
The print data generation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print data generation apparatus is a print data generation apparatus. The generation unit sets the size of the sheet on which an image representing the layout of each side determined by the layout determination unit is set, and sets the minimum size that can print each side out of the sizes of sheets usable in printing. The print data is generated after the paper size is changed.
The print data generation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print data generation apparatus is a print data generation apparatus. On the computer,
A development step of obtaining development data representing a three-dimensional development, and detecting each surface included in the acquired development data;
An accepting step of accepting a setting of a size of a sheet used for printing and a setting of a print area that is an area on which the development view data is printed;
Dividing the development data for each surface detected in the detection step, and determining the arrangement of the surface in the print area of one sheet of paper for each surface, and configuring the surface An arrangement determining step for determining the arrangement of the surface so that at least one of the sides is positioned on the side of the print area;
A generation step for generating print data for printing an image representing the layout of each surface determined in the layout determination step on the paper;
A program for running

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