Medium processing apparatus and control method of medium processing apparatus

Abstract

To provide a medium processing device capable of grasping a remaining amount of a medium before processing with a relatively simple configuration in the medium processing device for performing predetermined processing such as printing on a long medium.SOLUTION: The medium processing device includes a feeding roll holding part for holding a feeding roll 11 which is a medium 2 before processing wound in a roll shape, a tension bar 25 for applying tension to the medium 2 by coming into contact with the medium 2 before processing, a position detection mechanism for detecting a position of the tension bar 25, and a rotation mechanism for rotating the feeding roll 11. A control part of a media processing device executes a time measuring step of rotating a feeding roll 11 in one direction at a constant rotation speed until a tension bar 25 arranged at a first reference position 25A moves to a second reference position 25B, and measuring a moving time when the tension bar 25 moves from the first reference position 25A to the second reference position 25B.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a media processing device that performs predetermined processes such as printing on long media, and also to a control method for such a media processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, inkjet printers that print on long media are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The inkjet printer described in Patent Document 1 includes a printer main body that prints on the media, a payout roll holder that holds a payout roll of unprinted media wound into a roll, a tension bar that contacts the unprinted media and applies tension to the media, and a frame with a guide groove that guides the tension bar in the up and down direction. The tension bar contacts the unprinted media from above and applies tension to the media by its own weight. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-195973 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the inkjet printer described in Patent Document 1, if the unprinted medium that makes up the payout roll runs out while printing on the medium, printing on the medium cannot be completed and the printing that has been done up to that point will be wasted. Therefore, it is preferable for the inkjet printer described in Patent Document 1 to be able to grasp the remaining amount of unprinted medium that makes up the payout roll.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a media processing device that performs predetermined processes such as printing on long media and that is capable of determining the remaining amount of media before processing with a relatively simple configuration.Another object of the present invention is to provide a control method for a media processing device that performs predetermined processes such as printing on long media and that is capable of determining the remaining amount of media before processing with a relatively simple configuration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, the media processing device of the present invention comprises a processing mechanism that processes long media, a payout roll holding unit that holds a payout roll, which is the media before processing that is wound into a roll, a tension bar that is arranged between the payout roll and the processing mechanism in the media movement path and contacts the media before processing to apply tension to the media, a tension bar holding unit that movably holds the tension bar, a position detection mechanism for detecting the position of the tension bar, and a control unit to which the position detection mechanism is electrically connected, wherein the payout roll holding unit has a rotation mechanism that has a drive source electrically connected to the control unit and rotates the payout roll, and the control unit rotates the payout roll in one direction at a constant rotational speed using the rotation mechanism until the tension bar, which is positioned at a predetermined first reference position, moves to a predetermined second reference position, and performs a time measurement step that measures the movement time when the tension bar moves from the first reference position to the second reference position.

[0007] In addition, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the control method for a media processing device of the present invention includes a processing mechanism that processes long media, a payout roll holding unit that holds a payout roll, which is the media before processing that is wound into a roll, a tension bar that is arranged between the payout roll and the processing mechanism in the media movement path and contacts the media before processing to apply tension to the media, a tension bar holding unit that movably holds the tension bar, and a position detection mechanism for detecting the position of the tension bar, and the payout roll holding unit is equipped with a rotation mechanism that rotates the payout roll, and is characterized by rotating the payout roll in one direction at a constant rotational speed using the rotation mechanism until the tension bar, which is positioned at a predetermined first reference position, moves to a predetermined second reference position, and executing a time measurement step that measures the movement time when the tension bar moves from the first reference position to the second reference position.

[0008] In the present invention, the feeding roll is rotated in one direction at a constant rotational speed until the tension bar, which is positioned at the first reference position, moves to the second reference position, and a time measurement step is performed to measure the movement time of the tension bar when it moves from the first reference position to the second reference position. The movement time when the feeding roll is rotated in one direction at a constant rotational speed to move the tension bar from the first reference position to the second reference position varies depending on the outer diameter of the feeding roll. Therefore, in the present invention, by performing the time measurement step, it is possible to determine the outer diameter of the feeding roll. Furthermore, in the present invention, it is possible to determine the remaining amount of media before processing by determining the outer diameter of the feeding roll. In this way, in the present invention, it is possible to determine the remaining amount of media before processing with a relatively simple configuration using a tension bar that is originally included in the media processing device to apply tension to the media.

[0009] In the present invention, for example, the time measurement step includes a first rotation step in which the rotation mechanism rotates the payout roll until the position detection mechanism detects that the tension bar is at a first reference position, and a second rotation step in which, after the first rotation step, the rotation mechanism rotates the payout roll until the position detection mechanism detects that the tension bar is at a second reference position. In this case, for example, if the direction in which the payout roll rotates to pay out the medium toward the processing mechanism is defined as the payout direction, and the direction in which the medium is wound up, which is the opposite direction to the payout direction, is defined as the take-up direction, the control unit rotates the payout roll in the payout direction in the first rotation step, and rotates the payout roll in the take-up direction in the second rotation step.

[0010] In the present invention, for example, the control unit executes a roll diameter calculation step of calculating the diameter or radius of the payout roll based on the movement time measured in the time measurement step.

[0011] In the present invention, a cylindrical core around which the medium is wound is preferably placed at the center of the payout roll, and the control unit preferably executes a media length calculation step of calculating the length of the medium constituting the payout roll based on the diameter or radius of the payout roll calculated in the roll diameter calculation step, the thickness of the medium, and the diameter or radius of the core. With this configuration, the operator of the media processing device can intuitively and easily grasp the remaining amount of medium before processing by checking the media length calculated in the media length calculation step.

[0012] In the present invention, it is preferable that a display unit that displays predetermined information is electrically connected to the control unit, and the control unit displays the medium length calculated in the medium length calculation step on the display unit. With this configuration, an operator of the media processing device can visually check the medium length displayed on the display unit and more intuitively and easily grasp the remaining amount of media before processing.

[0013] In the present invention, for example, the tension bar is movable linearly relative to the tension bar holder, and the position detection mechanism is a linear encoder.

[0014] In the present invention, the processing mechanism is a printing mechanism that performs a printing process on the medium, and the control unit preferably executes a time measurement step before starting printing on the medium. This configuration makes it possible to determine the remaining amount of medium before starting printing on the medium and confirm whether printing on the medium can be completed. Furthermore, this configuration makes it possible to prevent the printing operation on the medium from being interrupted even if the remaining amount of medium before printing can be determined.

[0015] In the present invention, for example, the processing mechanism is a printing mechanism that performs a printing process on a medium, and the printing mechanism includes an inkjet head that ejects ink onto the medium, a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted, and a carriage drive mechanism that moves the carriage in a main scanning direction perpendicular to the up-down direction. The printing mechanism performs a cleaning operation to prevent clogging of the inkjet head nozzles while printing on the medium, and the control unit executes a time measurement step during the cleaning operation. In this case, it is possible to grasp the remaining amount of medium before printing while printing on the medium and confirm whether printing on the medium can be completed. Furthermore, in this case, it is possible to prevent the printing operation on the medium from being interrupted even if it is possible to grasp the remaining amount of medium before printing. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] As described above, the present invention makes it possible to grasp the remaining amount of media before processing with a relatively simple configuration in a media processing device that performs predetermined processing such as printing on long media. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view illustrating the configuration of a media processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the media processing device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the media processing device shown in FIG. 1 when calculating the length of the media that makes up the payout roll. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0019] (Configuration of media processing device) Fig. 1 is a side view illustrating the configuration of a media processing device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the media processing device 1 shown in Fig. 1.

[0020] The medium processing device 1 is a device for performing predetermined processing on a long medium 2. In this embodiment, the medium processing device 1 is a printer that performs printing processing on the medium 2. Specifically, the medium processing device 1 is an inkjet printer. Hereinafter, the medium processing device 1 will be referred to as the "printer 1." The printer 1 is, for example, a commercial inkjet printer. The medium 2 is, for example, a sheet-like medium such as paper, fabric, or a resin sheet. The printer 1 is equipped with a printing mechanism 3 as a processing mechanism that performs printing processing on the medium 2.

[0021] The printing mechanism 3 includes an inkjet head 4 (hereinafter referred to as "head 4") that ejects ink onto the medium 2, a carriage 5 on which the head 4 is mounted, a carriage drive mechanism 6 that moves the carriage 5 in a main scanning direction (Y direction in FIG. 1) perpendicular to the up-down direction (vertical direction), a support frame (Y bar) 7 that supports the carriage 5 so that it can move in the main scanning direction, and a platen 8 that is disposed below the carriage 5. The head 4 ejects ink downward. The underside of the head 4 forms an ink ejection surface on which a large number of nozzles that eject ink are disposed. The carriage drive mechanism 6 includes, for example, a belt that is partially fixed to the carriage 5, a pulley around which the belt is stretched, and a motor for rotating the pulley. The medium 2 to be printed is placed on the platen 8.

[0022] The printing mechanism 3 also includes a medium transport mechanism for transporting the medium 2 placed on the platen 8 in a sub-scanning direction (X direction in FIG. 1) that is perpendicular to the up-down direction and the main scanning direction. The medium transport mechanism transports the medium 2 in the longitudinal direction of the medium 2. In the following description, the main scanning direction (Y direction) is referred to as the "left-right direction," and the sub-scanning direction (X direction) is referred to as the "front-rear direction." Furthermore, one side of the front-rear direction is referred to as the X1 direction in FIG. 1, and the opposite side is referred to as the X2 direction in FIG. 1, and the "rear" side. The medium 2 before printing is transported from the rear side to the top surface of the platen 8, and the medium 2 after printing is transported from the top surface of the platen 8 to the front side.

[0023] The printing mechanism 3 is equipped with a maintenance unit (not shown) for preventing clogging of the nozzles of the head 4. This maintenance unit is located in a position outside the printing area in the left-right direction (main scanning direction) where printing on the medium 2 is performed. In the printing mechanism 3, the maintenance unit performs a cleaning operation to prevent clogging of the nozzles of the head 4 while printing on the medium 2. In the printing mechanism 3, the maintenance unit also performs a cleaning operation before printing on the medium 2. Cleaning operations include, for example, purging, which forcibly sucks ink out of the nozzles of the head 4, flushing, which forcibly ejects ink from the nozzles of the head 4, and wiping, which wipes the ink ejection surface of the head 4 with a specified wiper member.

[0024] In addition to the printing mechanism 3, the printer 1 is equipped with a payout roll holding unit 12 that holds a payout roll 11, which is the unprinted medium 2 (i.e., the medium 2 before processing) wound into a roll, and a take-up roll holding unit 14 that holds a take-up roll 13, which is the printed medium 2 wound into a roll. The payout roll holding unit 12 is located below and behind the printing mechanism 3. The take-up roll holding unit 14 is located below and in front of the printing mechanism 3.

[0025] The payout roll 11 and the take-up roll 13 are rotatable with the left-right direction as the axis of rotation. A cylindrical winding core (paper tube) 15 around which the medium 2 is wound is disposed at the center of the payout roll 11. A cylindrical winding core (paper tube) 16 around which the medium 2 is wound is disposed at the center of the take-up roll 13. The ends of the long medium 2 wound around the winding cores 15, 16 are fixed to the winding cores 15, 16. Alternatively, the medium 2 is wound around the winding cores 15, 16 with its ends not fixed to the winding cores 15, 16.

[0026] The payout roll holding unit 12 is equipped with a rotation mechanism 20 that rotates the payout roll 11. The rotation mechanism 20 is equipped with a rotating shaft 21 that is inserted into the inner periphery of the winding core 15, a motor 22 that serves as a drive source for rotating the rotating shaft 21, and a power transmission mechanism for transmitting the power of the motor 22 to the rotating shaft 21. The take-up roll holding unit 14 is equipped with a rotation mechanism 23 that rotates the take-up roll 13. The rotation mechanism 23 is equipped with a rotating shaft 24 that is inserted into the inner periphery of the winding core 16, a motor that serves as a drive source for rotating the rotating shaft 24, and a power transmission mechanism for transmitting the power of the motor to the rotating shaft 24.

[0027] The printer 1 also includes a tension bar 25 that contacts the medium 2 before printing and applies tension to the medium 2, a tension bar holder 26 that movably holds the tension bar 25, and a position detection mechanism 27 that detects the position of the tension bar 25. The tension bar holder 26 is located, for example, behind the payout roll holder 12. The tension bar 25 is located so that its axial direction coincides with the left-to-right direction. The tension bar 25 is located between the payout roll 11 and the printing mechanism 3 in the movement path of the medium 2. The tension bar 25 is also located behind and below the rotation shaft 21.

[0028] The tension bar 25 is movable linearly relative to the tension bar holder 26. In this embodiment, the tension bar 25 is movable linearly in the vertical direction relative to the tension bar holder 26. More specifically, the tension bar 25 is movable linearly relative to the tension bar holder 26 in a direction slightly tilted from the vertical direction. The tension bar holder 26 is formed with a linear guide groove 26a that guides the tension bar 25. The guide groove 26a is slightly tilted from the vertical direction so that it approaches the rear as it approaches the upper side. A portion of the tension bar 25 engages with the guide groove 26a. The tension bar 25 contacts the medium 2 from above before printing and applies tension to the medium 2. The tension bar 25 also applies tension to the medium 2 by its own weight. The guide groove 26a may be parallel to the vertical direction.

[0029] The position detection mechanism 27 is a linear encoder. The position detection mechanism 27 is, for example, a transmissive or reflective optical linear encoder. The position detection mechanism 27 may also be, for example, a magnetic linear encoder. The position detection mechanism 27 includes a linear scale 28 (see FIG. 3) attached to the tension bar holder 26 and a sensor 29 attached to the tension bar 25. The sensor 29 moves linearly together with the tension bar 25 relative to the linear scale 28 attached to the tension bar holder 26.

[0030] The printer 1 also includes a tension bar 30 that contacts the printed medium 2 and applies tension to the medium 2, a tension bar holder 31 that movably holds the tension bar 30, and a position detection mechanism for detecting the position of the tension bar 30. The tension bar holder 31 is located, for example, in front of the take-up roll holder 14. The tension bar 30 is located so that its axial direction coincides with the left-right direction. The tension bar 30 is located between the printing mechanism 3 and the take-up roll 13 in the movement path of the medium 2. The tension bar 30 is also located below and in front of the rotation shaft 24. The tension bar 30 contacts the printed medium 2 from above and applies tension to the medium 2 by its own weight.

[0031] The tension bar 30 is movable linearly relative to the tension bar holder 31. In this embodiment, the tension bar 30 is movable linearly in the up and down direction relative to the tension bar holder 31. A linear guide groove 31a that guides the tension bar 30 is formed in the tension bar holder 31. A portion of the tension bar 30 engages with the guide groove 31a. The position detection mechanism for detecting the position of the tension bar 30 is configured similarly to the position detection mechanism 27.

[0032] The printer 1 is equipped with a control unit 35 for controlling the printer 1. The control unit 35 is electrically connected to the position detection mechanism 27. Specifically, the sensor 29 is electrically connected to the control unit 35. The control unit 35 is also electrically connected to the motor 22. The control unit 35 controls the motor 22 based on the detection result of the sensor 29 (i.e., based on the detection result of the position detection mechanism 27). Similarly, the control unit 35 is electrically connected to the motor of the rotation mechanism 23 and a position detection mechanism for detecting the position of the tension bar 30. The control unit 35 controls the motor of the rotation mechanism 23 based on the detection result of the position detection mechanism for detecting the position of the tension bar 30.

[0033] A display unit 36 ​​that displays predetermined information is electrically connected to the control unit 35. The display unit 36 ​​is a display such as a liquid crystal display. The display unit 36 ​​is attached to the frame of the printer 1, for example. The display unit 36 ​​may also be a display of a PC (personal computer) connected to the printer 1, for example.

[0034] (Printer control method) FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the printer 1 shown in FIG. 1 when calculating the length of the medium 2 that constitutes the payout roll 11. In FIG.

[0035] The control unit 35 calculates the length of the medium 2 constituting the payout roll 11 (i.e., the length of the medium 2 wound around the core 15) to determine the remaining amount of the medium 2 before printing and to predict when the medium 2 before printing will run out, by performing the following control. The control unit 35 first rotates the payout roll 11 in one direction at a constant rotational speed using the rotation mechanism 20 until the tension bar 25, which is located at a predetermined first reference position 25A (see FIG. 3(A)), moves to a predetermined second reference position 25B (see FIG. 3(B)), and measures the movement time taken for the tension bar 25 to move from the first reference position 25A to the second reference position 25B (time measurement step). That is, the control unit 35 executes the time measurement step.

[0036] The time measurement step includes a first rotation step (see FIG. 3(A)) in which the rotation mechanism 20 rotates the payout roll 11 until the position detection mechanism 27 detects that the tension bar 25 is at the first reference position 25A, and a second rotation step (see FIG. 3(B)) in which, after the first rotation step, the rotation mechanism 20 rotates the payout roll 11 until the position detection mechanism 27 detects that the tension bar 25 is at the second reference position 25B. The first reference position 25A is, for example, a predetermined position close to the lower limit position of the movable range of the tension bar 25, and the second reference position 25B is, for example, a position close to the upper limit position of the movable range of the tension bar 25. The tension bar 25, which is positioned at the first reference position 25A, rises toward the second reference position 25B.

[0037] If the direction in which the medium 2 is fed toward the printing mechanism 3 (counterclockwise in FIG. 3) among the rotation directions of the feed roll 11 is defined as the feed direction, and the direction in which the medium 2 is wound up (clockwise in FIG. 3), which is the opposite direction to the feed direction, is defined as the winding direction, in this embodiment, the control unit 35 rotates the feed roll 11 in the feed direction in the first rotation step, and rotates the feed roll 11 in the winding direction in the second rotation step. The control unit 35 executes a time measurement step before starting printing on the medium 2. The control unit 35 also executes a time measurement step during a cleaning operation that is performed during printing on the medium 2.

[0038] The movement time required to rotate the payout roll 11 in the winding direction at a constant rotational speed and move the tension bar 25 from the first reference position 25A to the second reference position 25B varies depending on the diameter (outer diameter) of the payout roll 11. Therefore, after the time measurement step, the control unit 35 calculates the diameter of the payout roll 11 based on the movement time measured in the time measurement step (roll diameter calculation step). That is, the control unit 35 executes the roll diameter calculation step.

[0039] In this embodiment, an approximate formula for calculating the diameter of the payout roll 11 is experimentally determined in advance based on the movement time of the tension bar 25 from the first reference position 25A to the second reference position 25B when the payout roll 11 is rotated at a constant rotation speed. This approximate formula is stored in advance in the control unit 35. In the roll diameter calculation step, the control unit 35 calculates the diameter of the payout roll 11 using this approximate formula.

[0040] After the roll diameter calculation step, the control unit 35 calculates the length of the medium 2 constituting the payout roll 11 based on the diameter of the payout roll 11 calculated in the roll diameter calculation step, the thickness of the medium 2, and the diameter of the winding core 15 (medium length calculation step). That is, the control unit 35 executes the medium length calculation step. If the length of the medium 2 constituting the payout roll 11 is L (m), the diameter of the payout roll 11 is D1 (mm) (see FIG. 3(A)), the thickness of the medium 2 is t (μm), and the diameter of the winding core 15 is D2 (mm) (see FIG. 3(A)), the control unit 35 calculates the length L of the medium 2 using the following formula in the medium length calculation step. L=(D1 2 -D2 2 )×π / (4×t) / 1000

[0041] The thickness of the medium 2 and the diameter of the winding core 15 are, for example, input in advance into the control unit 35 by the operator of the printer 1 and stored. Alternatively, the type of the medium 2 is input in advance into the control unit 35 by the operator of the printer 1, and the control unit 35 determines the thickness of the medium 2 and the diameter of the winding core 15 based on the input type of the medium 2. When the length of the medium 2 is calculated in the medium length calculation step, the control unit 35 displays the calculated length of the medium 2 on the display unit 36.

[0042] In the roll diameter calculation step, the control unit 35 may calculate the radius of the payout roll 11 based on the movement time measured in the time measurement step. In this case, in the medium length calculation step, the control unit 35 calculates the length of the medium 2 constituting the payout roll 11 using the radius of the payout roll 11. In addition, in the medium length calculation step, the control unit 35 may calculate the length of the medium 2 constituting the payout roll 11 using the radius of the winding core 15 instead of the diameter of the winding core 15.

[0043] (Main effect of this form) As described above, in this embodiment, the control unit 35 rotates the payout roll 11 in one direction at a constant rotational speed until the tension bar 25, which is located at the first reference position 25A, moves to the second reference position 25B, and executes a time measurement step of measuring the movement time taken for the tension bar 25 to move from the first reference position 25A to the second reference position 25B. Also, as described above, the movement time taken for the tension bar 25 to move from the first reference position 25A to the second reference position 25B by rotating the payout roll 11 in one direction at a constant rotational speed varies depending on the outer diameter of the payout roll 11.

[0044] Therefore, in this embodiment, by executing the time measurement step, it is possible to determine the outer diameter of the payout roll 11. Also, in this embodiment, it is possible to determine the remaining amount of medium 2 before printing by determining the outer diameter of the payout roll 11. In this way, in this embodiment, it is possible to determine the remaining amount of medium 2 before printing with a relatively simple configuration that uses the tension bar 25 and position detection mechanism 27 that are originally provided in the printer 1 to apply tension to the medium 2.

[0045] Furthermore, in this embodiment, in the medium length calculation step, the control unit 35 calculates the length of the medium 2 constituting the payout roll 11 based on the diameter of the payout roll 11 calculated in the roll diameter calculation step, the thickness of the medium 2, and the diameter of the winding core 15, so the operator of the printer 1 can intuitively and easily grasp the remaining amount of the medium 2 before printing by checking the length of the medium 2 calculated in the medium length calculation step. In particular, in this embodiment, the length of the medium 2 calculated in the medium length calculation step is displayed on the display unit 36, so the operator of the printer 1 can more intuitively and easily grasp the remaining amount of the medium 2 before printing by visually checking the length of the medium 2 displayed on the display unit 36.

[0046] In this embodiment, the control unit 35 executes the time measurement step before starting printing on the medium 2. Therefore, in this embodiment, before starting printing on the medium 2, it is possible to grasp the remaining amount of medium 2 before printing and confirm whether printing on the medium 2 can be completed. Also, in this embodiment, the control unit 35 executes the time measurement step during the cleaning operation that is performed during printing on the medium 2, so it is possible to grasp the remaining amount of medium 2 before printing and confirm whether printing on the medium 2 can be completed during printing on the medium 2. Also, in this embodiment, even if it is possible to grasp the remaining amount of medium 2 before printing, it is possible to prevent the printing operation on the medium 2 from being interrupted.

[0047] (Other embodiments) The above-described embodiment is one example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0048] In the above-described embodiment, for example, the first reference position 25A may be a predetermined position close to the upper limit position within the movable range of the tension bar 25, and the second reference position 25B may be a position close to the lower limit position within the movable range of the tension bar 25. In this case, the tension bar 25 located at the first reference position 25A descends toward the second reference position 25B. In this case, the control unit 35 rotates the payout roll 11 in the winding direction in the first rotation step, and rotates the payout roll 11 in the payout direction in the second rotation step. In the above-described embodiment, for example, the first reference position 25A may be an intermediate position within the movable range of the tension bar 25. In this case, the control unit 35 may rotate the payout roll 11 in the winding direction or in the payout direction in the first rotation step.

[0049] In the embodiment described above, if the tension bar 25 is already positioned at the first reference position 25A when the time measurement step is started, the first rotation step does not have to be executed. Also, in the embodiment described above, the position detection mechanism 27 may be equipped with, in addition to the linear scale 28 and the sensor 29, a sensor for detecting that the tension bar 25 is positioned at the first reference position 25A, or a sensor for detecting that the tension bar 25 is positioned at the second reference position 25B.

[0050] In the above-described embodiment, the control unit 35 may execute the time measurement step only before starting printing on the medium 2, or may execute the time measurement step only during a cleaning operation that is performed during printing on the medium 2. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the control unit 35 may not execute the medium length calculation step. In this case, for example, the control unit 35 displays the diameter of the payout roll 11 calculated in the roll diameter calculation step on the display unit 36. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the control unit 35 may not execute the roll diameter calculation step. In this case, for example, the control unit 35 displays the travel time calculated in the time measurement step on the display unit 36. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the media processing device 1 may include a processing mechanism other than the printing mechanism 3 that performs a predetermined process on the medium 2. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1. Printers (inkjet printers, media processing devices) 2 medium 3 Printing mechanism (processing mechanism) 4 heads (inkjet heads) 5 Carriage 6 Carriage drive mechanism 11 Payout roll 12 Payout roll holder 15 Winding core 20 Rotation mechanism 22 Motor (drive source) 25 tension bar 25A 1st reference position 25B 2nd reference position 26 Tension bar holder 27 Position detection mechanism 35 Control Unit 36 Display section D1 Diameter of the payout roll D2 Core diameter Y main scanning direction

Claims

1. a tension bar disposed between the payout roll and the processing mechanism in a path of movement of the medium and in contact with the medium before processing to apply tension to the medium; a tension bar holder that movably holds the tension bar; a position detection mechanism that detects the position of the tension bar; and a control unit to which the position detection mechanism is electrically connected, the feed roll holding unit includes a rotation mechanism that has a drive source electrically connected to the control unit and rotates the feed roll, The control unit rotates the payout roll in one direction at a constant rotational speed using the rotation mechanism until the tension bar, which is positioned at a predetermined first reference position, moves to a predetermined second reference position, and performs a time measurement step to measure the movement time of the tension bar when it moves from the first reference position to the second reference position.

2. 2. The media processing device according to claim 1, wherein the time measurement step includes a first rotation step in which the rotation mechanism rotates the payout roll until the position detection mechanism detects that the tension bar is at the first reference position, and a second rotation step in which, after the first rotation step, the rotation mechanism rotates the payout roll until the position detection mechanism detects that the tension bar is at the second reference position.

3. The direction in which the medium is fed out toward the processing mechanism among the rotation directions of the feed roll is defined as the feed direction, and the direction in which the medium is wound up, which is the opposite direction to the feed direction, is defined as the take-up direction.

3. The media processing device according to claim 2, wherein the control unit rotates the supply roll in the supply direction in the first rotation step, and rotates the supply roll in the take-up direction in the second rotation step.

4. 4. The media processing device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit executes a roll diameter calculation step of calculating a diameter or radius of the payout roll based on the movement time measured in the time measurement step.

5. a cylindrical winding core around which the medium is wound is disposed at the center of the payout roll; The media processing device described in claim 4, characterized in that the control unit executes a media length calculation step that calculates the length of the media that constitutes the payout roll based on the diameter or radius of the payout roll calculated in the roll diameter calculation step, the thickness of the media, and the diameter or radius of the winding core.

6. a display unit that displays predetermined information is electrically connected to the control unit; 6. The media processing device according to claim 5, wherein the control unit displays the length of the media calculated in the media length calculation step on the display unit.

7. The tension bar is movable linearly relative to the tension bar holding portion, 4. The media processing device according to claim 1, wherein the position detection mechanism is a linear encoder.

8. the processing mechanism is a printing mechanism that performs a printing process on the medium, 4. The media processing device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit executes the time measurement step before starting printing on the medium.

9. the processing mechanism is a printing mechanism that performs a printing process on the medium, the printing mechanism includes an inkjet head that ejects ink onto the medium, a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted, and a carriage drive mechanism that moves the carriage in a main scanning direction perpendicular to the up-down direction; the printing mechanism performs a cleaning operation to prevent clogging of the nozzles of the inkjet head during printing on the medium; 4. The media processing device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit executes the time measurement step during the cleaning operation.

10. A control method for a media processing device comprising: a processing mechanism for processing long media; a payout roll holder that holds a payout roll, which is the media wound into a roll before processing; a tension bar that is arranged between the payout roll and the processing mechanism in a movement path of the media and that contacts the media before processing to apply tension to the media; a tension bar holder that movably holds the tension bar; and a position detection mechanism that detects the position of the tension bar, wherein the payout roll holder has a rotation mechanism that rotates the payout roll, A control method for a media processing device, characterized in that the rotation mechanism rotates the payout roll in one direction at a constant rotational speed until the tension bar, which is positioned at a predetermined first reference position, moves to a predetermined second reference position, and a time measurement step is executed to measure the movement time when the tension bar moves from the first reference position to the second reference position.

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