Device to reproduce images or graphical patterns in general on surfaces, and corresponding method

Device to reproduce images or graphical patterns in general on large surfaces, comprising at least a printing system (14) mobile in at least one direction with respect to a support frame (12)>> an optical viewing system (100) associated with the support frame (12) and able to recognize the position of the portion of image already executed, and to recognize possible reference signs affixed in the step when said portion of image was executed, in order to allow the correct positioning of the device so as to execute the adjacent portion of image that has to be executed next.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a 35 U.S.C. §371 National Phase conversion of PCT/IB2012/000929, filed May 11, 2012, which claims benefit of Italian Application No. UD2011A000072, filed May 13, 2011, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The PCT International Application was published in the English language.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns a device and the corresponding method to reproduce images or graphical patterns in general, on large surfaces such as, but not only, walls, canvases or other surfaces, irrespective of their orientation.

The invention is applied particularly, although not exclusively, in the decoration of rooms, the facades of buildings, vehicles, and floors, in order to make indications, in restoration works etc., substantially on surfaces of any material, such as plastered walls, brickwork, plastic, glass, ceramics and tiles, metal, wood, etc.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The complexities of reproducing graphical patterns are generally known, such as images, writings, copies of photographs, paintings, landscapes, decorations etc., in order to embellish and personalize a surface, for example an external or internal wall of a building, a fabric, a canvas, etc.

Manual solutions are closely connected to individual abilities and are lacking in repeatability and constant results.

In the state of the art partly automated solutions have been proposed, which use printing systems moved by a movement apparatus commanded by a computerized control unit.

For example apparatuses are known consisting of Cartesian type structures, for example a frame with movement on the x axis and y axis, which move a printing system, for example the paint gun type, with an ink jet head, a laser head or other, along the surface to be painted.

One disadvantage of known solutions derives from the fact that the bearing structure of the apparatus is not moved during the printing step of all the programmed and desired image.

Therefore, these solutions are satisfactory when the image to be reproduced is the same size as or smaller than the machine used, but they are not so if the size of the image is larger than the machine; alternatively, the apparatuses are complex and bulky if they have sizes comparable to those of the image.

One purpose of the present invention is to supply a device and a method to reproduce images, writings, decorations or graphical patterns in general on very large surfaces, using apparatuses of limited sizes, thus simplifying transport and use in restricted spaces, or which are difficult to reach.

Another purpose is to guarantee that the images reproduced are high quality, repeatable, with continuity in the lines and graphical patterns, with imperceptible joints between the various portions, in short times and at reasonable costs, and that this can be done easily and practically even by people who are not particularly expert.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the above purposes, the invention provides a method in which the area to be decorated, painted or otherwise embellished or enhanced, is divided into a plurality of consecutive sub-areas, to each of which is assigned a precise portion of the image or graphical pattern to be reproduced.

The invention also provides that, after the reproduction of the image has been completed in a first of the areas, the printing instrument is repositioned on each occasion in an adjacent position, without needing to carry out measurements or observations by the operator and without needing any positioning by the operator, and in any case the absolute continuity and precision between the adjacent portions of image reproduced one after the other is guaranteed.

According to one form of embodiment of the present invention, the device used in the above method comprises a printing system, for example a print head, a paint gun system or other system, which may be one known in the state of the art, mounted on a support frame which allows it to be moved on a plane.

The support frame has variable dimensions according to need but, in the spirit of the invention, it is not bulky but easy to transport, assemble and store. In one solution of the invention, the support frame is square or rectangular with sides between 30 and 100 centimeters.

In a first solution, the device is suitable to be used manually, kept by the operator in a position facing the surface to be decorated at a suitable distance so that the printing system can make the decoration.

According to a variant, the device can be associated with a support system, for example a tripod, a base, a pole or suchlike, also of the self-moving type.

According to the invention, the support frame allows movement of the printing system along at least two axes, for example axes x and y of a Cartesian plane.

In order to carry out this movement, there are at least two systems with a motorized drive, one for each axis of movement, by means of which the printing system is correctly positioned to perform the programmed printing.

The device according to the invention is also equipped with an optical viewing system, for example with one or more cameras, or LED or laser devices associated with corresponding electro-optical transducers.

The optical system for example allows recognition of the position of the portion of the image already done, and recognition of possible reference signs affixed on the wall, canvas or other surface to be decorated in the execution of said portion of the image, in order to allow the correct positioning of the device so as to execute the adjacent portion of the image which is to be done next.

The subsequent positioning of the whole device can be carried out manually by the operator, to the position where the optical system indicates that the reference signs have been recognized and signals to the operator for example to rest the device on the wall in order to execute the next portion of image; in variant embodiments, the positioning of the device is governed by a system for moving the possible support on which the device is mounted.

In one form of embodiment of the invention, the device also comprises a device for detecting the inclination, associated for example with the support frame, which detects if the frame is correctly positioned with respect to the wall to be decorated, before starting printing and/or during printing, and possibly corrects the position and drive of the printing system to guarantee that the portion of image is correctly oriented even in the presence of a support frame that is not correctly positioned.

According to the present invention, the device is associated with a command and control unit which regulates and manages the functioning thereof. The command and control unit comprises at least a memory containing an archive of a plurality of images, decorations, designs, landscapes and graphical patterns in general, which a user can access in order to select the graphical pattern to be reproduced.

The command and control unit may comprise, or be associated with, a unit for acquiring images, for example a scanner, a camera or other suitable device, to acquire an image which then, suitably sized, for example enlarged, can be reproduced on the surface to be decorated.

The command and control unit may also comprise a command interface with which an operator can not only select from the archive the image to be reproduced, but can also modify it, for example inserting writings or suchlike, or he can combine together two or more images, or process a selected image as desired.

The command and control unit is also connected to the support frame of the printing system to determine the movement thereof on the Cartesian axes according to the image to be printed.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A device to reproduce images10, as shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, comprises a bearing frame12, in this case square, with sides equal to about 50 cm. In one solution that is not shown here, the bearing frame12may have feet or little suckers, or a similar feature to facilitate its resting on the wall to be decorated by the operator, and also to increase its stability during use.

It is obvious that both the shape and sizes of the device10shown in the drawings are merely indicative; the sizes may change, although the device remains configured for a mainly manual use, so that its sizes and weight allow it to be kept in position by an operator, also during use.

The device10shown in the drawings in this case comprises a print head14that can move in the bearing frame, in a vertical direction “y”, along a first guide16.

Here and hereafter in the description the directions vertical and horizontal refer to the representation inFIG. 1, although it is obvious that the device10can be used with any orientation, also with the sides inclined with respect to a horizontal or vertical direction.

The print head14is passed through by a worm screw18which, at both ends, is connected to a corresponding support20; the supports20support the print head14and allow it to rotate. The supports20are both connected to a belt22(as shown inFIG. 1) which allows them to move along a second guide24in a horizontal direction “x”.

The movement in the vertical direction of the print head14is generated by the fact that the worm screw18can rotate in one direction or the other, the rotational movement being determined by a first drive means26that is disposed inside one of the two supports20, in this case the lower one.

To make the two belts22rotate, one of which is located in a first horizontal side and the other in the opposite horizontal side of the frame12, in order to impart the horizontal movements to the support frame12, a second drive means28is used, connected to a support30that transmits the rotation of the second drive means28to the two belts22.

The functioning of the first drive means26and the second drive means28is managed by a control unit40(shown inFIG. 4a), which is connected to the device10by means of a cable32. It comes within the field of the invention that the device10may be connected to the control unit by means of a wireless connection, Bluetooth or any other type of wireless connection.

To determine the inclination of the device10for a possible correction of the orientation of the image to be painted by the control unit, on one side of the frame12there is a three-axis accelerometer34.

Obviously, it comes within the field of the invention that one or more accelerometers34may be disposed on one or more corresponding sides of the support frame12.

The print head14, as shown inFIG. 3, consists of nozzles102(for example five: cyan, magenta, yellow, white and black) with corresponding cartridges to paint the wall200with the portion of image, and of an optical detection system100, which is used in the movements of the device10to determine, by the control unit40, at least the position of one or more portions already produced, and thus to determine the point from where the painting of the wall200is to be restarted.

In one form of embodiment shown inFIG. 2, the device10has two handles36associated with the frame12of the device10, to allow manual use by an operator.

The device10can also be bigger, and therefore not able to be easily held manually by the operator, or at least for the period required to complete a respective portion of image; in this case, one form of embodiment of the invention provides that the support frame12is mounted on a self-moving support208(shown by dashes inFIG. 4a) and the painting operations in this case can be carried out at least partly without the operator.

The device10as described heretofore functions as follows.

FIG. 4dshows a wall completely painted with an image202that is to be obtained by repeating a decorative element204both vertically “y” and horizontally “x”.

FIG. 4ashows the first step of the method to paint the wall200using the device10where the image202to be reproduced is divided into different sequential portions, respectively206a,206b,206c,206d. The device10is positioned, either manually by the operator using the two handles36, or using a self-moving device208which supports the device10, in correspondence with the upper left edge from where the reproduction of the first portion of image206aon the wall200is to start.

The device10starts painting the first portion of image moving the print head14in both a horizontal direction “x” and in a vertical direction “y” along the whole length of the device10.

In correspondence with the horizontal end of the first portion of image206awith which subsequently a second portion of image206bwill be placed laterally adjacent, the device10will trace a vertical edge210awhich will subsequently be used to recognize the portion of image already painted. In correspondence with the vertical end of the first portion of image206awith which subsequently another portion of image206cwill be placed vertically adjacent, the device10will trace a horizontal edge210b(as shown inFIG. 4b) which will subsequently be used to recognize the portion of image already painted.

InFIG. 4bthe device10has finished painting the first portion of image206a, in which the corresponding edges210a,210bare shown, continuous with the subsequent portions of image which have to be made subsequently. The device10can therefore be moved toward the subsequent portion of the image. As shown inFIG. 4b, the device10is moved laterally so that it can reproduce the portion of image206bwhich is on the right of the portion of image206aalready done. To determine the position from where painting is restarted, the device10uses the detection system100mounted inside the print head14, to analyze the position of the vertical edge210awhich has already been done.

As shown inFIG. 4c, once the position of the edge210ahas been determined, the device10starts painting the second portion of image206bwith the same characteristics and method as described before. The edge210a, having been painted with a shade of color compatible with the portion of image206b, will be totally covered by the painting of the portion of image206b, in this way giving the idea of continuity of the image202.

It is clear that modifications and/or additions of parts may be made to the device to reproduce images10as described heretofore, without departing from the field and scope of the present invention.

For example, it comes within the field of the invention that, instead of the printing system with nozzles as described heretofore, laser engraving heads may be used, milling, or even dispensers of gluing substances, for example to apply materials such as wall paper or decorations in general according to particular graphical patterns.

It is clear that instead of tracing a specific edge, such as210aas previously described, any reference sign whatsoever, or part of an image, can be used as a reference.