JP2024085778A - Information processing apparatus, printing device, method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an information processing apparatus, a printing device, a method, and a program that, even when an object is not correctly printed on a printing target (nail art is not printed on the nails), corrects the state of the printing target into a re-printable state.SOLUTION: A printing system prints an object on a printing target by a printer based on print data. A photographing unit of the printer photographs a predetermined area including a printing object (the nails of a user), and control means controls the printing unit to perform printing of concealing the object printed on the printing object (perform printing by using the same ink as the ink used in printing the background color of the print data) based on a result of determination as to whether the printing is successful or not.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device, a printing device, a method, and a program.

There are printers that can print nail art on a user's nails. Hereinafter, a printer for printing nail art on a user's nails will be referred to as a "nail printer." The nail printer sets a printing area based on the position and size of the user's nail, and prints the nail art on the nail. In order to increase user satisfaction, it is necessary to print the nail art on the nail as neatly as possible. For this reason, machine learning is used when extracting the printing area.

For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a printing method in which printing is interrupted if an error occurs during printing processing, and printing is resumed once the cause of the error has been eliminated.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-95016

In Patent Document 1, if printing fails due to some error during the printing process, the image forming device requests data for reprinting and reprints on a different sheet of paper. However, because the printing target of a nail printer is the user's nail, there is an issue that if the nail art cannot be printed correctly on the nail, the nail art cannot be reprinted on the same nail.

The present invention aims to provide an information processing device that corrects the state of a print target so that it can be reprinted even if an object cannot be printed correctly on the print target.

In order to achieve the object of the present invention, an information processing device according to one embodiment of the present invention is characterized by comprising a printing means for printing an object on a printing target using a printing unit based on print data, and a control means for controlling the printing unit to perform printing on the printing target to conceal the object printed on the printing target based on a result of determining whether the printing has been successful.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an information processing device that corrects the state of the print target so that it can be reprinted even if an object cannot be printed correctly on the print target.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a printing system. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a nail art data selection screen. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a print data creation screen. 5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining an area setting mode for setting a print area. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a nail image data setting screen. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of an information processing device. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing according to the present embodiment. 10 is a flowchart showing a process after a print success determination process.

The following embodiments are described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although the embodiments describe multiple features, not all of these multiple features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined in any manner. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicate explanations are omitted.

First Embodiment
<System Configuration>
The present embodiment is configured as a system including an information processing device and a printer. The information processing device of the present embodiment is a tablet terminal, but is not limited to a tablet terminal. The information processing device may be, for example, a mobile terminal, a notebook PC, a smartphone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), or a digital camera. The printer may be, for example, an inkjet printer or a 3D printer. The printer may be a multifunction device having multiple functions such as a copying function, a fax function, and a printing function. The printer of the present embodiment has a function of drawing an object directly on the nails of a person's hand. Note that, although the present embodiment will be described as an information processing device and a printer being independent devices, the present embodiment may include a form in which the information processing device and the printer are integrated together.

Figure 1 is a diagram explaining the configuration of a printing system.

The printing system includes an information processing device 101 and a printer 151. FIG. 1(a) shows a block diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of the information processing device 101 and the printer 151. FIG. 1(b) shows a schematic diagram of the exterior of the printer 151. The configuration of the information processing device 101 and the printer 151 will be described below with reference to FIG. 1.

<Information processing device>
1A, the information processing apparatus 101 includes an input interface 102, a CPU 103, a ROM 104, a RAM 105, an external storage device 106, an output interface 107, a communication unit 109, and a GPU 110. The units of the information processing apparatus 101 are connected to each other via a system bus.

The input interface 102 is an interface for accepting data input and operation instructions from a user via an operation unit (not shown) such as a physical keyboard, buttons, and a touch panel. Note that this embodiment includes a form in which at least a part of the display unit 108 and the operation unit described below are integrated. This embodiment includes a form in which, for example, the screen output and the acceptance of operations from the user are performed on the same screen.

The CPU 103 is a system control unit that executes programs and starts up hardware, and controls the entire information processing device 101.

ROM 104 stores data such as control programs executed by CPU 103, data tables, an embedded operating system (hereinafter, OS), and programs. Each control program in ROM 104 is a program that performs software execution control such as scheduling, task switching, and interrupt processing under the management of the embedded OS.

The RAM 105 is a static random access memory (SRAM) or a dynamic random access memory (DRAM). The RAM 105 may retain data using a primary battery (not shown) for data backup. In this case, the RAM 105 can store data such as program control variables without volatilizing the data. The RAM 105 also has a memory area for storing setting information and management data for the information processing device 101. The RAM 105 is used as the main memory and work memory for the CPU 103.

The external storage device 106 stores an application that provides a print execution function, a print information generation program that generates print information that can be interpreted by the printer 151, and the like. The external storage device 106 also stores various programs, such as an information transmission/reception control program that transmits and receives information to and from the printer 151 via the communication unit 109, and various pieces of information used by the various programs.

The output interface 107 is an interface that controls the display of data by the display unit 108 and notification of the status of the information processing device 101.

The display unit 108 is an LED (light emitting diode) or LCD (liquid crystal display) that displays data and notifies the status of the information processing device 101. The display unit 108 also includes a soft keyboard that includes keys such as numeric input keys, a mode setting key, a confirmation key, a cancel key, and a power key. This allows the display unit 108 to accept input from the user. The display unit 108 may also be a touch panel display. The display unit 108 is connected to the system bus via the output interface 107.

The communication unit 109 executes data communication with an external device such as the printer 151. The communication unit 109 can be connected to, for example, an access point (not shown) in the printer 151. By connecting the communication unit 109 to the access point in the printer 151, the information processing device 101 and the printer 151 can wirelessly communicate with each other. The communication unit 109 may directly communicate with the printer 151 by wireless communication, or may communicate with the printer 151 via an external access point 131. Examples of the wireless communication method are Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) (registered trademark) and Bluetooth (registered trademark). The access point 131 is, for example, a wireless LAN router. In this embodiment, a method in which the information processing device 101 and the printer 151 are directly connected without going through the access point 131 is called a direct connection method. A method in which the information processing device 101 and the printer 151 are connected through the access point 131 is called an infrastructure connection method. The information processing device 101 and the printer 151 may be connected via a wire such as a USB cable or a LAN cable.

The GPU 110 can perform efficient calculations by processing data in parallel. For this reason, it is effective to have the GPU 110 execute processing of a learning model such as deep learning. In this embodiment, the CPU 103 and the GPU 110 execute processing that uses the learning model. Specifically, when executing a learning program that includes a learning model, the CPU 103 and the GPU 110 cooperate to perform calculations to process the learning model. Note that the processing that uses the learning model may be executed by only one of the CPU 103 or the GPU 110.

The information processing device 101 stores a predetermined application in the ROM 104 or the external storage device 106. The predetermined application is, for example, an application program for sending a print job to the printer 151 to print nail art data in response to a user operation. An application having such a function is hereinafter referred to as a nail app. Note that the nail app may have other functions in addition to the print function. For example, the nail app may have a function for communicating with the printer 151 and activating the camera of the photographing unit 157 of the printer 151. That is, the nail app has a function for sending a camera activation job to the printer 151 in addition to the print job. Also, the predetermined application stored in the ROM 104 or the external storage device 106 is not limited to the nail app, and may be an application program having a function in addition to the print function.

<Printer>
The printer 151 includes a ROM 152, a RAM 153, a CPU 154, a print engine 155, a communication unit 156, and an image capture unit 157. The units of the printer 151 are connected to each other via a system bus. As shown in FIG. 1B, the printer 151 is provided with a print object insertion unit 158, which is a space for inserting a print object (for example, a user's fingernail). FIG. 1B shows a state in which a user's hand is inserted into the print object insertion unit 158. The print object is the user's fingernail. The print object insertion unit 158 is equipped with four rails for placing the user's fingers, and the user can place one to four fingers on the rails. The four rails are independent of each other, and each rail can be raised and lowered in the up and down directions of FIG. 1B to adjust the height of the rails to an optimal height for printing. The rail raising and lowering operation is performed in response to an instruction from the nail app. The printer 151 performs the rail raising and lowering operation corresponding to the rail number received from the nail app. In this embodiment, the printing target is a fingernail, but it is not limited to the fingernails and may be a toenail.

ROM 152 stores data such as control programs, data tables, and OS programs executed by CPU 154. Each control program in ROM 152 is a program that performs software execution control such as scheduling, task switching, and interrupt processing under the management of the embedded OS.

RAM 153 is an SRAM or DRAM. The RAM 153 may retain data using a primary battery (not shown) for data backup. In this case, the RAM 153 can store data such as program control variables without volatilizing the data. A memory area for storing setting information and management data of the printer 151 is also provided in the RAM 153. The RAM 153 is used as the main memory and work memory of the CPU 154, and can temporarily store printing information and various information received from the information processing device 101.

The CPU 154 is a system control unit that controls the entire printer 151 by executing programs and starting up hardware.

Based on the information in RAM 153 or the print job received from the information processing device 101, the print engine 155 forms an image on the printing object (user's nail) in the printing object insertion section 158 using a recording material (CMYK ink, white ink, etc.).

The communication unit 156 has an access point for connecting to an external device such as the information processing device 101. This access point is an access point that can be connected to the communication unit 109 of the information processing device 101. The communication unit 156 may directly communicate with the information processing device 101 by wireless communication, or may communicate with the information processing device 101 via an external access point 131. The communication unit 156 may also be provided with hardware that functions as an access point, or may operate as an access point using software for functioning as an access point.

The photographing unit 157 is a device having a photographing function. The device having the photographing function is installed in the printer 151. The photographing unit 157 has a function of photographing a predetermined area including the printing target (user's nail) in the printing target insertion unit 158 and sending the photographed image (still image or video) to the information processing device 101 in real time. The photographing unit 157 photographs videos and still images of the printing target. The device having the photographing function is a camera module composed of at least a lens and an image sensor. The lens photographs the printing target in the printing target insertion unit 158 and forms an image on the image sensor. The image sensor converts the light photographed by the lens into an electrical signal that can be processed by the CPU 154. The device having the photographing function may be, for example, a smartphone, a mobile terminal, or a digital camera. The print engine 155 prints the printing target in the printing target insertion unit 158.

The printer 151 may also be equipped with a memory such as an external HDD or SD card. Information stored in the printer 151 may be stored in the memory. The information processing device 101 and printer 151 in FIG. 1 are merely examples, and the information processing device 101 and printer 151 may include configurations other than those described above, but a description of these will be omitted here.

<Definition of terms>
Next, definitions of terms used in this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, nail art is mainly printed on nails. In addition, in this embodiment, nail art is applied (printed) on each nail of one hand. Generally, the nail art printed on each nail is based on the same concept, but the nail art printed on each nail may not be based on a completely identical concept. For example, a nail art set of design A includes 10 nail arts (nail art corresponding to each of the 10 nails). The 10 nail arts are based on a common design concept, but may not have completely identical patterns. In light of the above, the terms used in this embodiment are defined as follows.

"Nail image data": refers to image data of nail art to be printed on one nail.
"Nail art data" refers to a collection of multiple nail image data. In other words, nail art data can also be said to be a data set of multiple nail image data. Typically, nail art data is image data that aggregates nail image data corresponding to the nail art of ten nails on a right hand and a left hand. The nail art data may be data that aggregates image data of ten nails (i.e., a set of ten image data), or may be image data that combines the image data of ten nails into one.

Thus, "nail image data" refers to the data of images of nail art on individual nails. "Nail art data" refers to a data set of images of nail art for 10 nails.

<Outline of Nail Art Printing>
The CPU 103 of the information processing device 101 executes the program of the nail app in the ROM 104 or the external storage device 106 to start the nail app. Then, by using the nail app, the user can print nail art on the nail by reflecting the nail image data of the nail art data selected by the user in the printing area. That is, the following series of operations are performed using the nail app. (1) The user selects a set of nail image data (i.e., nail art data) in the application. (2) The application starts the camera of the nail printer (printer 151). (3) The application displays the captured image of the camera transmitted from the printer 151. (4) The user inserts his/her hand into the print target insertion section 158 of the printer 151. (5) The application detects the nail area from the captured image of the camera and sets the nail area on which the nail art is to be printed. (6) The application reflects the nail image data included in the nail art data in the set printing area. (7) When adjusting the set printing area, the user edits the printing area. (8) The application causes the printer 151 to execute printing using the reflected image data. (9) The application detects the nail area from the captured image of the camera, and determines whether the object based on the nail image data included in the nail art data has been correctly printed in the set printing area. (10) If it is determined that the printing has not been correctly done in the step (9), the application causes the printer 151 to execute printing using correction data for correcting the printing area to the state before printing. (11) The application changes the shooting settings of the camera of the printer 151, executes a maintenance process for the printer 151, and then returns to the step (5). In this embodiment, an embodiment will be described in which, if printing on the printing area has failed in the above steps (9) to (11), the printing area is corrected to the state before printing and printing is performed again. Note that the user who inserts his/her hand into the print object insertion section 158 of the printer 151 and the user who operates the application may be the same user, or may be different users.

<Nail app user interface>
For ease of understanding, a graphical user interface (hereinafter referred to as GUI) screen displayed in the nail application will be described. The GUI screen described below is displayed on the display unit 108 by the CPU 103 that executes the nail application. The input interface 102 functions as an operation unit integrated with the display unit 108. There are three types of GUI screens in the nail application (first GUI screen to third GUI screen). The first GUI screen is a nail art data selection screen as shown in FIG. 2. The second GUI screen is a nail image data setting screen as shown in FIG. 5. The third GUI screen is a print data creation screen as shown in FIG. 3.

Figure 2 shows the nail art data selection screen.

The nail art data selection screen 201 (first GUI screen) has a nail art data display area 202 and a decision button 204.

In the nail art data display area 202, multiple nail art data corresponding to each design concept of the nail art to be printed on each nail are displayed. Specifically, four nail art data 203 are displayed in the nail art data selection screen 201. The nail art data 203 includes ten types of nail image data corresponding to the nails of the thumb, index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger of each of the left and right hands. The user can select one or more nail art data 203, and can also cancel the selected nail art data 203. As an example of a method in which the user can select or cancel the nail art data 203, the user can select the nail art data 203 (illustrated by the thick-framed area) by tapping the nail art data 203 once. In addition, the user can cancel the selection state by tapping the selected nail art data 203 once more.

When the user selects one or more nail art data 203 from the nail art data display area 202 and then presses the confirm button 204, the nail image data setting screen 501 shown in FIG. 5 is displayed instead of the nail art data selection screen 201.

In this embodiment, various button operations are referred to as "pressing", and "tapping", "touching", "pinch in", "pinch out", etc. are used as touch panel operations for each area, but these are merely examples. For example, pressing various buttons on the touch panel may be realized by touching the buttons. Furthermore, each area may be operated by cursor operation using a mouse or the like. Furthermore, the input interface 102 may be provided with various directional buttons, and each area may be operated by the directional buttons.

Figure 5 shows the nail image data setting screen.

The nail image data setting screen 501 (second GUI screen) has a nail art data display area 502, a left hand preview area 503, a right hand preview area 504, a selection mode change switch 505, a deselect button 506, and a setting completion button 507.

The nail art data display area 502 is an area that displays the nail art data selected by the user on the nail art data selection screen 201.

A total of five nail regions 508 are displayed in the left hand preview area 503, from the thumb to the little finger of the left hand. A total of five nail regions 508 are displayed in the right hand preview area 504, from the thumb to the little finger of the right hand. The user selects nail art data or nail image data from the nail art data display area 502. This allows the selected nail art data or nail image data to be reflected in the nail regions 508 in the left hand preview area 503 and right hand preview area 504.

The bulk selection mode changeover switch 505 is a switch that changes the method of selecting nail art data or nail image data to be reflected in the nail area 508 of the left hand preview area 503 and the right hand preview area 504. When the bulk selection mode changeover switch 505 is ON, the nail art data selected by the user from the nail art data display area 502 can be reflected in the nail area 508 of each of the left hand preview area 503 and the right hand preview area 504 at once. When the bulk selection mode changeover switch 505 is OFF, the nail image data selected by the user from the nail art data display area 502 can be reflected in the nail area 508 of the left hand preview area 503 or the right hand preview area 504.

The deselect button 506 is a button that can be selected when at least one nail image data is already reflected in the nail area 508 of the left hand preview area 503 and the right hand preview area 504. When the user presses the deselect button 506, the selection of all reflected nail image data is deselected, and the state returns to one in which no nail image data is selected.

The setting completion button 507 is a button that can be selected when nail image data is reflected in one or more nail areas 508 in the left hand preview area 503 and the right hand preview area 504. When the user presses the setting completion button 507, the print data creation screen 301 in FIG. 3 is displayed on the display unit 108 instead of the nail image data setting screen 501.

Figure 3 shows the print data creation screen.

The print data creation screen 301 (third GUI screen) has a setting data display area 302, a print target display area 303, a printer search button 304, a printer name display area 305, a capture button 306, a preview area 307, a print area setting button 308, and a print button 310.

The preview area 307 displays a video of the nail before it is photographed or a captured image of the nail after it is photographed. If a print area 309 (see FIG. 4 ) described below is set in the captured image, the preview area 307 displays an image in which the print area 309 (display item) is superimposed on the captured image of the nail.

The set data display area 302 displays the nail image data set on the nail image data setting screen 501 in FIG. 5 in up to four groups, data for the left hand and data for the right hand. FIG. 3 shows set data for four fingers (index finger, middle finger, ring finger, little finger) on the left hand, set data for one finger (thumb) on the left hand, set data for four fingers (index finger, middle finger, ring finger, little finger) on the right hand, and set data for one finger (thumb) on the right hand. The set data display area 302 shows the case where nail image data is set for all nails on the left and right hands. The set data display area 302 displays set data 302(a) for the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, little finger of the left hand, and set data 302(b) for the thumb of the left hand. The set data display area 302 also displays set data 302(c) for the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, little finger of the right hand, and set data 302(d) for the thumb of the right hand. Each area of setting data 302(a)-(d) has four slots for storing nail image data.

The print target display area 303 displays four hand icons indicating which nails each of the setting data 302(a) to 302(d) corresponds to. That is, the four hand icons respectively indicate four fingers (index finger, middle finger, ring finger, little finger) of the left hand, one finger (thumb) of the left hand, four fingers (index finger, middle finger, ring finger, little finger) of the right hand, and one finger (thumb) of the right hand, as in the setting data display area 302. Note that the print target display area 303 shows a case where nail image data is set for all nails on the left and right hands. Icon 303(a) corresponds to the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger of the left hand in setting data 302(a). Icon 303(b) corresponds to the thumb of the left hand in setting data 302(b). Icon 303(c) corresponds to the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger of the right hand in setting data 302(c). Icon 303(d) corresponds to the right thumb in setting data 302(d).

When the printer search button 304 is pressed by the user, a process is executed to search for printers that can communicate with the nail app. If the search finds one or more printers, including printer 151, the nail app displays information identifying each of the discovered printers. The information identifying the discovered printers is displayed in a list, and the user can select any one of the printers from the list. In this example, it is assumed that the user has selected printer 151.

The printer name for uniquely identifying the selected printer 151 is displayed in the printer name display area 305. Note that the nail app automatically searches for a printer not only when the user presses the printer search button 304, but also when the screen transitions to the print data creation screen 301 when a printer has not yet been registered. This allows the nail app to display a list of printers.

When the user presses the capture button 306, the printer 151 in the printer name display area 305 communicates with the printer 151, and the video captured by the capture unit 157 of the printer 151 is displayed in the preview area 307 in real time. In this embodiment, it is assumed that a human (user) hand is inserted into the print object insertion section 158. For this reason, for example, when the user inserts one hand and presses the capture button 306 with the other hand, an image of the user's fingers including nails is displayed in real time in the preview area 307. Note that the timing for displaying the video, etc. in the preview area 307 is not limited to when the capture button 306 is pressed. The display timing may be, for example, when the printer 151 has already been registered and the screen transitions to the print data creation screen 301, and communication with the printer 151 becomes possible. In this case, the nail app automatically communicates with the printer 151 when the screen transitions to the print data creation screen 301, and can receive the video captured by the capture unit 157 of the printer 151.

Note that the above-mentioned usage is just one example, and other usages are also possible. For example, the nail image data setting screen 501 may have a capture button, and a customer at the nail salon may insert one hand into the screen, and an employee at the nail salon may press the capture button on the nail image data setting screen 501.

When the user presses the print area setting button 308 while a video is being displayed in the preview area 307, the mode transitions to an area setting mode in which the print area 309 is set. In response to the print area setting button 308 being pressed, the mode transitions to an area setting mode in which the print area 309 can be set.

Figure 4 is a diagram explaining the area setting mode for setting the print area. Figure 4 shows an example of a method for automatically detecting the nail area. Figure 4 also shows an example of automatically detecting the nail area from a still image and setting the print area 309.

The preview area 307 and print area setting button 308 in FIG. 4 are displayed in place of the preview area 307 and print area setting button 308 in FIG. 3. Alternatively, in response to pressing the print area setting button 308 in FIG. 3, the preview area 307 and print area setting button 308 in FIG. 4 may be displayed overlapping the entire print data creation screen 301 in FIG. 3, or may be displayed in place of the print data creation screen 301.

First, the user presses the print area setting button 308 to set the preview area 307 to the "area setting mode." When the print area setting button 308 is pressed, the printer 151 captures a still image of the finger. Alternatively, the printer 151 generates a frame displayed when the print area setting button 308 is pressed from the captured video as a still image of the finger. In this way, the information processing device 101 acquires a still image of the user's finger captured by the imaging unit 157 from the printer 151. The information processing device 101 automatically detects the nail area from the still image and automatically sets the print area 309. A method for automatically detecting the nail area from a still image is, for example, a method using a learning model generated by machine learning. When the learning model receives a still image of the finger as input, it outputs the detection result of the nail area. The nail area output by the learning model is set as the print area 309 in FIG. 4. Then, a display item indicating the print area 309 is displayed in the preview area 307. The display items include an image to be printed on the nail and a dotted frame that clearly shows the image. The display items are not limited to the above example, and may include only an image or only a dotted frame. The image and dotted frame are displayed at a size and position that correspond to the size and position of the print area 309.

Furthermore, nail area detection is performed for each finger. For example, when detecting nails of four fingers, nail area detection is performed four times. Display items in the print area 309 are displayed for each finger image (assumed to be a finger image) in the preview area 307. FIG. 4 shows how four finger images are displayed in the preview area 307. The print area 309 is displayed on the finger images. One print area 309 is displayed for each finger image. Display items in the print area 309 set for each finger image are displayed in the preview area 307.

In this way, after the print area 309 is set, the image (image to be printed on the nail) corresponding to the setting data selected by the user from the setting data display area 302 is automatically reflected in the print area 309. The image obtained by combining the image to be printed on the nail with the print area 309 is called the "assumed successful print image (corresponding to correct data)."

The size of the printing area 309 can be changed arbitrarily by the user. The user can also delete the printing area 309 set on the finger image. The nails on which the user wants to print nail art may be all of the nails or some of the nails. For this reason, in this embodiment, the user can arbitrarily set the printing area 309 desired by the user. In addition, since the printing target on which the image is printed is the user's nails, the size of the set printing area 309 may not match the size and shape of the user's nails. Therefore, the user can insert his/her hand into the printing object insertion unit 158 of the printer 151 and set the printing area 309 while checking the image of the nail, thereby printing the nail art at an appropriate position on the nail. Note that the printing area 309 once set can follow the finger image in subsequent image recognition processing, etc. For example, if the position of the finger or nail shifts in the printing object insertion unit 158 after the user sets the printing area 309 on the finger image, the set printing area 309 may follow the new finger image and automatically change the position of the printing area 309.

Note that the preview area 307 and print area setting button 308 in FIG. 4 are displayed overlapping the entire print data creation screen 301 in FIG. 3, or are displayed in place of the print data creation screen 301. In this case, when the user issues an instruction to end the area setting mode in the display state of FIG. 4, the screen returns to the print data creation screen 301 in FIG. 3.

The print button 310 on the print data creation screen 301 in FIG. 3 is a button that instructs the user to start printing. When the print button 310 is pressed, the nail app creates print data for printing on the nails based on the setting data selected by the user from the setting data display area 302. The nail app then sends the created print data to the printer 151 displayed in the printer name display area 305. Note that in FIG. 3, the print data is created by extracting four print areas 309 from the preview area 307. The printer 151 executes printing on the nails based on the print data sent from the nail app.

After the printer 151 completes printing on the nail, the nail app compares the image captured by the image capture unit 157 of the printer 151 with the assumed image of successful printing to determine whether printing was successful or not. If the nail app determines that printing has failed, it sends correction data to the printer 151 to correct the print area 309 to the state before printing. The printer 151 executes printing on the nail based on the correction data. The nail app then sends new shooting settings for the image capture unit 157 and an instruction to perform maintenance on the print head of the printer 151 to the printer 151. The nail app then repeats the process from automatic detection of the nail area to printing. At this time, the nail app displays only a message on the display unit 108 of the information processing device 101 indicating that printing is continuing, and does not display a message on the display unit 108 indicating that printing has failed. This prevents the user from being made aware that nail printing has failed, thereby preventing a decrease in user satisfaction.

<Functional configuration of information processing device>
FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of the information processing device.

The information processing device 101 has a nail app 600. The CPU 103 of the information processing device 101 executes the program of the nail app 600 in the ROM 104 or the external storage device 106, thereby realizing each function of the nail app 600. The nail app 600 has a display control unit 610. The display control unit 610 displays the nail art data selection screen 201 of FIG. 2, the nail image data setting screen 501 of FIG. 5, and the print data creation screen 301 of FIG. 3 on the display unit 108. The display control unit 610 also has the functions of the input interface 102, and performs various controls in response to instructions input by the user.

The display control unit 610 has a nail art data selection receiving unit 611, a nail image data setting unit 612, a photography instruction unit 613, an image display control unit 614, a nail detection unit 615, a print area setting unit 616, a reflection data receiving unit 617, a reflection execution unit 618, and a print instruction unit 619.

As shown in FIG. 2, the nail art data selection receiving unit 611 receives a selection of nail art data 203 from the user and acquires the selected nail art data 203.

The nail image data setting unit 612 acquires the nail image data that the user has set in the nail area 508 of the left hand preview area 503 and the right hand preview area 504, as shown in FIG. 5.

The shooting instruction unit 613 instructs the printer 151 to shoot a video in response to pressing the shooting button 306 in FIG. 3 or detecting a transition to the print data creation screen 301 when the printer 151 is registered.

The image display control unit 614 displays the video sent from the printer 151 in the preview area 307.

The nail detection unit 615 detects nails from a still image and outputs a print area 309 based on the results of the nail detection.

The print area setting unit 616 sets the print area 309 in the preview area 307 according to instructions from the user.

The reflected data reception unit 617 receives the setting data selected by the user from the setting data display area 302 and associates the selected setting data with the print area 309.

The reflection execution unit 618 reflects the setting data selected by the user from the setting data display area 302 in the corresponding print area 309.

The print instruction unit 619 creates print data for the printer 151 to print based on the setting data reflected in the print area 309, and transmits the created print data to the printer 151.

The print result determination unit 620 compares the image received from the image capture unit 157 of the printer 151 after printing is completed with the expected successful print image pixel by pixel. If the number of mismatched pixels is equal to or greater than the threshold, the print result determination unit 620 determines that printing has failed. If the number of mismatched pixels is equal to or less than the threshold, the print result determination unit 620 determines that printing has been successful. Note that the print success determination method may be a method of evaluating the degree of pixel match as a percentage, rather than whether the pixels match perfectly, and comparing the average value with a threshold to determine whether printing has been successful. Also, instead of comparing pixel by pixel, a comparison may be made for each pixel area that combines multiple pixels to determine whether printing has been successful. Also, instead of comparing pixel by pixel, a trained model created by machine learning may be used to compare images to determine whether printing has been successful.

<Processing flow>
FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the process of this embodiment.

The processing of the nail app 600 in FIG. 7 is performed by the CPU 103 of the information processing device 101 expanding the program of the nail app 600 from the ROM 104 or the external storage device 106 into the RAM 105 and executing it. Alternatively, some or all of the processing in FIG. 7 may be executed by hardware such as an ASIC or electronic circuit. Note that the symbol "S" in the following explanation refers to each step of the sequence. Below, the flow in which the user starts the nail app 600 and the print engine 155 prints nail art on the nail in the print target insertion section 158 will be explained using FIG. 7.

The user launches the nail app 600.

In S701, the display control unit 610 displays the nail art data selection screen 201 of FIG. 2 on the display unit 108.

In S702, the user selects one or more nail art data 203 on the nail art data selection screen 201. The nail art data selection receiving unit 611 receives the user's selection of one or more nail art data 203 via the nail art data display area 202 of the nail art data selection screen 201. When the user presses the confirm button 204 after selecting one or more nail art data 203, the display control unit 610 displays the nail image data setting screen 501 of FIG. 5 on the display unit 108. The nail art data display area 502 of the nail image data setting screen 501 displays the one or more nail art data 203 selected by the user in S702.

In S703, the nail app 600 accepts a user operation to select one piece of nail art data in the nail art data display area 502.

In S704, the nail image data setting unit 612 sets the nail image data of the nail art data selected in S703 for the nail area 508. When the user presses the setting completion button 507, the display control unit 610 displays the print data creation screen 301 of FIG. 3 on the display unit 108. The setting data display area 302 of the print data creation screen 301 displays the setting data, which is one or more pieces of nail image data set in S704. If the printer 151 is not registered, the nail app 600 executes a search process to search for a printer that can communicate with the nail app 600. The display control unit 610 displays a list of printers that can communicate with the nail app 600 on the display unit 108 as a result of the search process.

In S705, the user specifies the printer to be used from the printer list on the display unit 108. In this example, it is assumed that the user specifies printer 151. The display control unit 610 accepts the instruction from the user to specify printer 151.

In S706, the photographing instruction unit 613 executes communication processing with the printer 151 and instructs the printer 151 to take a photograph using the photographing unit 157. Note that the photographing instruction unit 613 may send a camera startup job to the printer 151, and the printer 151 may start photographing using the photographing unit 157 in response to the camera startup job.

In S707, the printer 151 transmits the video captured by the image capture unit 157 to the information processing device 101. The video is displayed in real time in the preview area 307 of the print data creation screen 301 in FIG. 3. At this point, a video of the user's fingertip within the print object insertion unit 158 is displayed in the preview area 307.

In S708, the nail app 600 accepts a user operation to select one of the setting data to be printed on the nail from the setting data in the setting data display area 302.

At S709, the nail art data selection receiving unit 611 receives an instruction from the user to select one piece of setting data. The display control unit 610 highlights the setting data selected by the user.

In S710, the user inserts the user's hand into the print object insertion section 158 of the printer 151. At this time, in order to print the nail image data set in S708 more vividly, a gel-like liquid has been applied to the user's nails in advance. Hereinafter, this liquid will be referred to as a "base coat." There are multiple colors of base coat, such as white and translucent. In addition, after processing of S709, the image display control section 614 may display a message prompting the user to insert their hand into the print object insertion section 158 of the printer 151.

In S711, the user sets the print area 309 while the video transmitted in S707 is displayed in the preview area 307. Specifically, the nail app 600 accepts an operation in which the user presses the print area setting button 308. In addition, in the nail detection in S716 described later, the nail detection unit 615 automatically displays the display item of the print area 309 in the preview area 307 in response to pressing the print area setting button 308. In this embodiment, the number of print areas 309 that can be set is predefined as a predetermined value. For example, in FIG. 3, the predetermined value corresponding to the number of nails of the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger of one hand is defined as "4". The predetermined value corresponds to the number of rails mounted on the print object insertion unit 158 and the number of nail image data included in the setting data. In the following, an example will be described in which the user sets the same number of print areas 309 as the predetermined value, that is, a case in which four print areas 309 are set. The number of print areas 309 set here is stored in RAM 105 as the first predetermined value ("4").

In S712, the photography instruction unit 613 sends a photography instruction to the printer 151 to capture a still image. The photography instruction also includes the rail number corresponding to the nail to be photographed. For example, if the four rails are each numbered 1 to 4 from the left, rail number "1" indicates an instruction to photograph the little finger of the left hand or the index finger of the right hand. Similarly, rail number "4" corresponds to an instruction to photograph the index finger of the left hand or the little finger of the right hand.

In S713, the printer 151 raises the rail corresponding to the rail number and adjusts the height of the rail so that the nail is close to the print head of the printer 151. By bringing the nail close to the print head, for example, an inkjet printer can ensure that the ink ejected from the print head hits the nail. To adjust the height of the rail, a movable laser sensor mounted on the printer 151 is used. The laser sensor is installed at a height close to the print head. Therefore, the printer 151 can raise the height of the rail to the maximum height at which the laser is not blocked. The printer 151 can adjust the height of the rail more efficiently by narrowing the movable range of the laser sensor to the range of the nail after grasping the approximate position of the nail, rather than making the entire rail the movable range. Therefore, the nail app 600 performs nail detection in advance before adjusting the height of the rail, and transmits the shooting instruction of S712 and the position information of the nail to the printer 151. In this embodiment, the advance nail detection is called "pre-nail detection". When performing pre-nail detection, the nail app 600 transmits a shooting instruction to the printer 151 before processing S712. In addition, since the rail height is not adjusted in pre-nail detection, the image capture instruction sent for pre-nail detection does not need to include the rail number. The printer 151 captures a still image with the image capture unit 157 based on the image capture instruction. The printer 151 transmits the captured image to the information processing device 101. The nail app 600 detects the nails from the captured image and retains information indicating the positions of all detected nails (referred to as nail position information). Then, the nail app 600 transmits the rail number and nail position information to the printer 151 when issuing an image capture instruction in S712. The printer 151 uses the nail position information to narrow the movable range of the laser sensor and adjust the rail height.

In S714, the image capture unit 157 captures a still image. After capturing the image, the printer 151 resets the height of the target rail to its initial value.

In S715, the printer 151 transmits the captured data to the information processing device 101.

In S716, the nail app 600 detects the nail area from the received captured image. The print area 309 of the print data creation screen 301 is set for the detected nail area. One method for detecting the nail area is to detect the white color of the base coat applied to the nail by image processing. Specifically, the nail app 600 detects pixels in the captured image whose RGB values exceed a predetermined threshold (e.g., R>200, G>200, B>200), and determines the detected pixels as pixels of the nail area. The rail is preferably painted in a color other than white (e.g., black) so that the nail app 600 does not erroneously detect the rail under the finger as a nail when detecting the nail area. In addition, the rail is preferably made of a material that diffuses light so that the nail app 600 does not erroneously detect the part of the captured image where the light (illumination) is reflected and the whiteout is blown out as the nail area. In addition, when the base coat is translucent, it is difficult to detect the nail area by the image processing method for detecting the nail area. Therefore, a detection method by machine learning may be adopted as a method for detecting the nail area. As a learning image for the learning model, an image of a nail coated with a white or translucent base coat is used. This allows the nail app 600 to detect the nail region using the learning model, even for nails coated with not only white but also translucent base coats. Machine learning builds a learning model with high accuracy in detecting the nail region by having the learning model learn where the nail is in the learning image. The built learning model is incorporated into the nail app 600. The CPU 103 and the GPU 110 use the learning model to detect the nail region from the captured image. Since skin color and nail shape vary from person to person, hand patterns of many people are prepared as learning images. Then, by having the learning model learn various learning images, the learning model can detect nails with various characteristics. There are many frameworks for machine learning, and the above-described detection of the nail region can be realized by machine learning using existing frameworks.

The processes of S712 to S716 are repeated for the number of nails to be photographed. For example, if the four nails from the little finger to the index finger of the left hand are to be photographed, the series of processes of lifting the rail, photographing the finger, transmitting the finger photograph data, and detecting the nail are repeated for each finger. In this case, a total of four photographed images are produced. When the print area setting unit 616 sets the print area 309 in the photographed image, it cuts out a partial image including the nail from each photographed image and displays the partial image in the preview area 307. In other words, the preview area 307 displays a list of the four finger images that have been cut out, and the print area setting unit 616 sets the print area 309 in the nail area of each finger image.

In S717, the reflection data receiving unit 617 associates the nail image data as the setting data with the set print area 309. The reflection execution unit 618 then reflects the setting data in the print area 309 based on the association. Note that in FIG. 3, association is established between each of the four types of nail image data in the setting data 302(c) and each of the four print areas 309.

In S718, the nail application 600 accepts an operation by the user to edit the print area 309 as necessary. Specifically, the user can adjust the size of the print area 309, etc. At this time, the reflection data acceptance unit 617 accepts the editing of the print area 309. The reflection execution unit 618 reflects the results of the editing of the print area 309.

In S719, the nail app 600 accepts the user's operation of pressing the print button 310. In response to pressing the print button 310, the print instruction unit 619 creates print data for printing an image in which the setting data selected by the user from the setting data display area 302 is reflected in the print area 309. Specifically, the nail app 600 reflects the setting data selected by the user from the setting data display area 302 in the print area 309. After checking the displayed content, the user presses the print button 310. The print instruction unit 619 creates print data in response to pressing the print button 310. At this time, the nail app 600 can display the message "Do not move the hand inserted in the print object insertion section 158."

In S720, the nail app 600 sends the print data created in S719 to the printer 151. Note that the print data reflects the print area 309 set on the screen in FIG. 3. For example, the position and size of the image to be printed on the nail in the print data corresponds to the position and size of the print area 309 set in FIG. 3. Therefore, in S722 described below, the printer 151 prints in the portion corresponding to the print area 309.

In S721, the printer 151 raises the rail to the same height as when it was raised in S713. This resets the rail height to a height suitable for printing.

In S722, the printer 151 prints the nail art on the user's nails based on the print data. This allows the nail art to be applied to the user's nails.

At S723, the image capturing unit 157 captures a still image of the user's nails on which the nail art is printed.

In S724, the printer 151 transmits the captured data to the information processing device 101.

In S725, the nail app 600 uses the print result determination unit 620 to compare the expected successful print image with the captured data sent by the printer in S724 to determine whether or not the nail art printing was successful. If the nail app 600 determines that the nail art printing was not successful, processing proceeds to S726. On the other hand, if the nail app 600 determines that the nail art printing was successful, processing proceeds to S727.

In S726, the nail application 600 creates correction data to correct the print area 309 to its pre-printing state. The nail application 600 sends the correction data to the printer 151.

In S727, the printer 151 prints on the user's nail based on the correction data. The correction data is data for printing using the same ink as that used when printing the background color of the print data. For example, if the background color of the print data is white, the color of the correction data is white. Then, the print engine 155 of the printer 151 ejects a recording agent (white ink) onto the nail art of the user's nail based on the correction data. Alternatively, the print engine 155 may eject a recording agent (CMYK) corresponding to the color of the user's nail with a base coat applied, or the same base coat as above, onto the nail art of the user's nail. This returns the user's nail to the state before the nail art was printed. Also, the print engine 155 may eject a recording agent, etc. onto only the nail art of the user's nail or onto the entire nail based on the correction data.

In S728, the nail app 600 sends new shooting settings of the image capture unit 157 to the printer 151. For example, the nail app 600 can change the settings of the exposure value, shutter speed, and ISO value from the perspective of suppressing whiteout in the captured image caused by reflection of light (illumination). The nail app 600 sets the exposure value to a low exposure value, the shutter speed to a high shutter speed, and the ISO value to a low ISO value, thereby suppressing whiteout in the captured image.

In S729, the printer 151 updates the shooting settings to the new shooting settings.

At S730, the printer 151 uses the image capture unit 157 to capture a still image of the user's finger.

In S731, the printer 151 sends the captured image data to the nail app 600.

At S732, the nail app 600 detects nails from the captured image.

In S733, the nail app 600 updates the print area 309.

In S734, the nail app 600 sends a maintenance instruction for the print head of the printer 151 to the printer 151.

In S735, the printer 151 performs maintenance on the print head. Note that if printing is determined to be successful in S725, the processes of S726 to S735 are not executed. The processes of S720 to S735 are repeated for any nail to be printed until printing is determined to be successful in S725 or the number of times printing is determined to be unsuccessful in S725 exceeds a predetermined threshold. Furthermore, the processes of S720 to S735 are repeated the same number of times as there are nails to be printed. For example, if the four nails from the little finger to the index finger of the left hand are to be printed, the series of processes of sending print data, lifting the rail, and printing is repeated for each finger.

Figure 7 shows the flow of the process executed when it is determined that the print success determination process in S725 has failed. Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the process after the print success determination process.

The processing from S800 to S817 is the same as the processing from S720 to S735.

If the nail app 600 determines in S806 that the nail art was successfully printed, processing proceeds to S818.

In S818, the nail app 600 determines whether there are any nails on which nail art has not been printed. If the nail app 600 determines in S818 that there are no nails on which nail art has not been printed, the printing process is completed. If the nail app 600 determines in S818 that there are any nails on which nail art has not been printed, the process proceeds to S819.

In S819, the nail app 600 determines the next nail on which to print nail art, and proceeds to processing of S800 (printing processing for the next nail).

If the nail app 600 determines in S806 that printing of the nail art has failed, processing proceeds to S820.

In S820, the nail app 600 determines whether the number of print failures is equal to or less than the threshold. If the nail app 600 determines in S820 that the number of print failures is not equal to or less than the threshold, the process proceeds to S821.

In S821, the nail app 600 determines whether there are any nails on which nail art has not been printed. If the nail app 600 determines that there are no nails on which nail art has not been printed, the printing process is completed. If the nail app 600 determines in S821 that there are nails on which nail art has not been printed, the process proceeds to S822.

In S822, the nail app 600 determines the next nail to print and proceeds to S800 (printing process for the next nail).

If the nail app 600 determines in S820 that the number of print failures is less than or equal to the threshold, the process proceeds to S808 (corrected data transmission process).

The printer 151 continues to capture images of the nail while printing the nail art. Therefore, the printer 151 may stop printing if it detects that the finger has left the print object insertion section 158 before printing is complete. Also, if the nail app 600 detects that the finger has left the print object insertion section 158 before printing is complete, it may instruct the printer 151 to stop printing.

<Effects of this embodiment>
According to this embodiment, when the printing of the nail art fails, the user is not aware of the failure and does not need to perform recovery processing in response to the failure, thereby solving the problem of the failed printing process.

<Other embodiments>
In the first embodiment, the printer 151 is described as having one hand inserted into the print object insertion section 158, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a nail salon or a store in a commercial facility may use a printer that allows both hands to be inserted into the print object insertion section 158. In this case, a staff member or a store clerk at the nail salon may operate the GUI of the nail app on behalf of the user who has both hands inserted into the print object insertion section 158.

In the first embodiment, an example of printing an image (pattern) as nail art has been described, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the present invention can also be applied to a form in which a three-dimensional structure including a pattern is printed on a nail as nail art using shape data and image data representing a three-dimensional structure, etc.

In the first embodiment, a user inserts their hand into the printing object insertion section 158 of the printer 151 and prints directly on their nails, but this is not limited to the above. For example, there are printers that print on stickers to be attached to nails. Such printers may also print nail art on stickers. This makes it easy to manufacture nail stickers that allow nail art to be attached to nails.

In the first embodiment, fingernails are described as the detection target, but detection targets other than fingernails may also be used. Detection targets may include, for example, face and toenails.

In the first embodiment, a form in which the nail region is detected in four finger images is shown, but the concept of the present invention can be applied to any form in which the nail region is detected in two or more finger images.

Other Examples
The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more of the functions.

The disclosure of this specification includes the following information processing device, printing device, method, and program.
(Item 1)
a printing means for printing an object on a print target using a printing unit based on print data;
and a control means for controlling the printing unit to perform printing on the printing target to conceal the object printed on the printing target based on a result of the success or failure of the printing.
23. An information processing apparatus comprising:
(Item 2)
The printing method further includes a determination unit that determines whether the printing is successful or not based on an image of a printing target having the object and on correct answer data of the image,
the control means controls the printing unit to perform printing on the print target to conceal the object when the determination result of the determination means indicates a failure of the printing.
2. The information processing device according to item 1,
(Item 3)
the control means, when the determination means determines that the printing has been successful, refrains from controlling the printing unit to perform printing on the print target to conceal the object.
3. The information processing device according to item 2.
(Item 4)
the control means performs control to instruct execution of maintenance of the printing unit when the determination result of the determination means indicates failure of the printing.
4. The information processing device according to item 2 or 3.
(Item 5)
When the determination result of the determination means indicates a failure of the printing, the control means controls the printing unit to perform printing on the printing object to conceal the object with either an ink of a background color of the printing object or a base coat.
5. The information processing device according to any one of items 2 to 4.
(Item 6)
an imaging means for imaging the printing object;
the control means performs control to change an imaging setting of the imaging means when the determination result of the determination means indicates a failure of the printing.
6. The information processing device according to any one of items 2 to 5.
(Item 7)
The printing apparatus further includes a detection unit for detecting an area of a printing object from the image of the printing object captured by the imaging unit.
7. The information processing device according to item 6,
(Item 8)
The correct answer data is data obtained by combining the detection result of the detection means and data of the object.
8. The information processing device according to item 7.
(Item 9)
the control means controls the printing unit to perform printing to conceal the object when the number of printing failures is equal to or less than a threshold value as a result of the determination by the determination means;
the printing means, after the printing for concealing the object is executed, further prints the object on the print target based on the print data by the printing unit;
3. The information processing device according to item 2.
(Item 10)
the control means, when the number of times of printing failure exceeds a threshold, refrains from controlling the printing unit to perform printing on the printing target to conceal the object.
10. The information processing device according to item 9,
(Item 11)
The printing method further includes: receiving means for receiving input of data of an object to be printed on the printing target;
11. The information processing device according to any one of items 1 to 10.
(Item 12)
The printing target is a user's fingernails or toenails.
12. The information processing device according to any one of items 1 to 11.
(Item 13)
The object is nail art.
13. The information processing device according to any one of items 1 to 12.
(Item 14)
A storage section for storing a user's hand or foot;
a printing unit for printing an object on a fingernail or a toenail of a user of the container;
The information processing device according to any one of items 1 to 13,
A printing device comprising:
(Item 15)
a printing step of printing an object on a print target by a printing unit based on the print data;
and a control step of controlling the printing unit so as to perform printing on the printing target to conceal the object printed on the printing target based on a result of the success or failure of the printing.
A method comprising:
(Item 16)
14. A program for causing a computer to function as the information processing device according to any one of items 1 to 13.

The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the following claims are appended to disclose the scope of the invention.

101 Information processing device 151 Printer 600 Nail application 610 Display control unit 615 Nail detection unit

Claims (16)

a printing means for printing an object on a print target using a printing unit based on print data;
and a control means for controlling the printing unit to perform printing on the printing target to conceal the object printed on the printing target based on a result of the success or failure of the printing.
23. An information processing apparatus comprising: The printing method further includes a determination unit that determines whether the printing is successful or not based on an image of a printing target having the object and on correct answer data of the image,
the control means controls the printing unit to perform printing on the print target to conceal the object when the determination result of the determination means indicates a failure of the printing.
2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, the control means, when the determination means determines that the printing has been successful, refrains from controlling the printing unit to perform printing on the print target to conceal the object.
3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2. the control means performs control to instruct execution of maintenance of the printing unit when the determination result of the determination means indicates failure of the printing.
3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2. When the determination result of the determination means indicates a failure of the printing, the control means controls the printing unit to perform printing on the printing object to conceal the object with either an ink of a background color of the printing object or a base coat.
3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2. An imaging means for imaging the printing object;
the control means performs control to change an imaging setting of the imaging means when the determination result of the determination means indicates a failure of the printing.
3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2. The printing apparatus further includes a detection unit for detecting an area of a printing object from the image of the printing object captured by the imaging unit.
7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, The correct answer data is data obtained by combining the detection result of the detection means and data of the object.
8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, the control means controls the printing unit to perform printing to conceal the object when the number of printing failures is equal to or less than a threshold value as a result of the determination by the determination means;
the printing unit further prints the object on the print target based on the print data after the printing to conceal the object is executed.
3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2. the control means, when the number of times of printing failure exceeds a threshold, refrains from controlling the printing unit to perform printing on the printing target to conceal the object.
10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, The printing method further includes a receiving unit for receiving input of data of an object to be printed on the printing target.
2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, The printing target is a user's fingernails or toenails.
2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, The object is nail art.
2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, A storage section for storing a user's hand or foot;
a printing unit for printing an object on a fingernail or a toenail of a user of the container;
The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 13,
A printing device comprising: a printing step of printing an object on a print target by a printing unit based on the print data;
and a control step of controlling the printing unit so as to perform printing on the printing target to conceal the object printed on the printing target based on a result of the success or failure of the printing.
A method comprising: A program for causing a computer to function as an information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

Images