JP5174643B2 - Printing apparatus, medium remaining amount management apparatus, medium remaining amount calculation method, and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus, a medium remaining amount management apparatus, a medium remaining amount calculation method, and a program.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, printing apparatuses that use a roll-shaped medium in which a medium (medium) is wound in a roll shape are known. As such a printing apparatus, for example, a large format printer or the like is known.

  In such a printing apparatus, in order to perform printing appropriately, for example, it is desired to detect the remaining amount of the medium. However, as the roll-shaped medium, for example, various media having different thicknesses and lengths of the medium or the diameter of the core around which the medium is wound may be used. For example, the roll-shaped medium may be replaced during use depending on the purpose of printing. For this reason, it is difficult to automatically detect the remaining amount of the medium unless the thickness of the medium, the diameter of the core, and the like are known in advance.

Conventionally, when the thickness of the medium is known, a method of obtaining the remaining amount of the medium using the known thickness value is known (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3). However, considering the situation in which various roll-shaped media having different media thicknesses and the like are used, it is desirable to appropriately detect the remaining amount of the media even when the media thickness is unknown. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus, a medium remaining amount management apparatus, a medium remaining amount calculation method, and a program that can solve the above-described problems.
JP 2005-247568 A JP 7-172649 A JP 2003-48348 A

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has the following configuration.
(Configuration 1) A printing apparatus that uses a roll-shaped medium in which a medium is wound around a winding core, the medium holding roll holding the roll-shaped medium by holding the winding core, and the rotation of the medium holding roll A printing unit that performs printing on a medium fed in response, a rotation detection unit that detects a rotation amount of the medium holding roll, and a medium conveyance that detects a conveyance amount of the medium conveyed to the printing unit according to the rotation of the medium holding roll Medium detection unit, medium thickness calculation unit for calculating the thickness of the medium based on the rotation amount detected by the rotation detection unit, and the conveyance amount detected by the medium conveyance amount detection unit, and the rotation amount and medium detected by the rotation detection unit Based on the transport amount detected by the transport amount detection unit and the thickness of the medium calculated by the medium thickness calculation unit, the remaining amount of the medium wound around the core is determined for the roll-shaped medium on which the medium before printing is wound. A medium remaining amount calculation unit for calculating.

  When configured in this way, for example, the thickness can be appropriately calculated even when the thickness or usage history of the medium is unknown. Further, the remaining amount of the medium can be calculated appropriately based on the detected thickness. Therefore, with this configuration, for example, in a printing apparatus using a roll-shaped medium, the remaining amount of the medium can be calculated appropriately and automatically.

  The transport amount of the medium is, for example, a travel distance of the transported medium. The medium holding roll is, for example, a supply-side roll that holds a roll-shaped medium around which a medium before printing is wound. In addition to the supply side roll, the printing apparatus may further include a winding side roll that is a medium holding roll that holds a roll-shaped medium around which the printed medium is wound. In this case, the rotation detection unit may further detect the rotation amount of the winding side roll. Further, the medium thickness calculation unit may detect the thickness of the medium based on the rotation amount of the winding side roll.

  (Configuration 2) A remaining amount information output unit that outputs information indicating that the remaining amount of the medium has decreased when the remaining amount of the medium calculated by the remaining amount calculation unit of the medium is less than a preset amount. Prepare.

  The remaining amount information output unit outputs information indicating that the remaining amount of the medium has decreased, for example, when the medium is insufficient as compared with a necessary amount for the print data. Further, the remaining amount information output unit notifies the user of information indicating that the remaining amount of the medium has decreased, for example, by warning display, sound generation, or buzzer. With this configuration, it is possible to appropriately notify the user that the medium is insufficient. The remaining amount information output unit may notify the user of information indicating that the remaining amount of the medium has decreased due to, for example, stoppage of operation of the printing apparatus.

  (Configuration 3) The medium holding roll is a supply-side roll that holds a roll-shaped medium around which a medium before printing is wound, and the medium thickness calculation unit includes a first rotation amount set in advance and a first rotation. The diameter of the roll-shaped medium held by the medium holding roll at the time of the rotation of the first rotation amount is calculated based on the ratio with the conveyance amount of the medium conveyed between the amounts, and the rotation of the first rotation amount Based on the ratio between the second rotation amount that the medium holding roll further rotates and the conveyance amount of the medium conveyed between the second rotation amounts, the medium holding roll is rotated at the second rotation amount. The diameter of the held roll-shaped medium is calculated, the diameter of the roll-shaped medium when the first rotation amount is rotated, the diameter of the roll-shaped medium when the second rotation amount is rotated, and the rotation of the first rotation amount Medium based on the transport amount of the medium transported between the time and the rotation of the second rotation amount To calculate the thickness.

  The transport amount of the medium transported between the rotation of the first rotation amount and the rotation of the second rotation amount is, for example, the second rotation amount from the start of the rotation of the first rotation amount. This is the transport amount of the medium transported before the end of the rotation. The diameter of the roll-shaped medium is, for example, the radius of the cross section of the roll-shaped medium by a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the core. The diameter of the roll-shaped medium may be a cross-sectional diameter. If comprised in this way, the thickness of a medium can be calculated appropriately, for example. In addition, for example, the remaining amount of the medium can be calculated appropriately.

  Note that the first rotation amount and the second rotation amount are preferably, for example, one rotation. If comprised in this way, the subsequent calculation can be appropriately performed, for example, considering that the diameter of the roll-shaped medium during rotation is constant. This also makes it possible to appropriately calculate the diameter of the roll-shaped medium during each rotation.

  The printing apparatus preferably further rotates the medium holding roll by a preset third rotation amount between the rotation of the first rotation amount and the rotation of the second rotation amount. If comprised in this way, the change of the diameter of a roll-shaped medium between the time of the rotation of the 1st rotation amount and the rotation of the 2nd rotation amount can be enlarged more. This also allows the thickness of the medium to be calculated with higher accuracy.

  For example, when the first rotation amount and the second rotation amount are one rotation, the printing apparatus 10 causes the medium holding roll to rotate one rotation corresponding to the first rotation amount, and then performs the third rotation. As the rotation amount obtained by combining the rotation amount and the second rotation amount, rotation of α (α is an integer of 2 or more) rotation is performed. In this case, the first α−1 rotation of the α rotations corresponds to the third rotation amount. Further, the last one rotation of the α rotation corresponds to the second rotation amount.

  (Configuration 4) The medium thickness calculation unit corresponds to each diameter based on the diameter of the roll-shaped medium at the time of rotation of the first rotation amount and the diameter of the roll-shaped medium at the time of rotation of the second rotation amount. The cross-sectional area of the roll-shaped medium to be calculated is calculated, and the difference in the cross-sectional areas corresponding to the respective diameters is transported between the rotation of the first rotation amount and the rotation of the second rotation amount. The thickness of the medium is calculated by dividing by the amount.

  The cross-sectional area of the roll-shaped medium is, for example, the cross-sectional area of the cross-section of the roll-shaped medium by a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the core. If comprised in this way, the thickness of a medium can be calculated appropriately, for example. In addition, for example, the remaining amount of the medium can be calculated appropriately.

  (Configuration 5) A core diameter storage unit that stores the diameter of the core is further provided, and the medium remaining amount calculation unit calculates the remaining amount of the medium based further on the diameter of the core stored in the core diameter storage unit. . With this configuration, for example, the remaining amount of the medium can be appropriately calculated even when the diameter of the roll core of the roll-shaped medium is variously different.

  (Configuration 6) A core diameter information which is information indicating the diameter of the core is attached to the core, and the printing apparatus further includes a core diameter information reading unit that reads the core diameter information of the core. And the core diameter storage unit stores the diameter of the core based on the core diameter information read by the core diameter information reading unit. The core diameter information is, for example, a barcode attached to the core. With this configuration, for example, even when the core is not known in advance, the remaining amount of the medium can be calculated appropriately.

  (Configuration 7) In a printing apparatus using a roll-shaped medium in which a medium is wound around a roll core, the medium remaining amount management apparatus manages the remaining amount of the medium, and the roll-shaped medium is held by holding the roll core. A rotation detection unit that detects the rotation amount of the medium holding roll that holds the medium, a medium conveyance amount detection unit that detects the conveyance amount of the medium conveyed according to the rotation of the medium holding roll to the printing unit that performs printing on the medium, Based on the rotation amount detected by the rotation detection unit and the conveyance amount detected by the medium conveyance amount detection unit, the medium thickness calculation unit for calculating the thickness of the medium, the rotation amount detected by the rotation detection unit, and the medium conveyance amount detection unit Based on the transport amount to be detected and the thickness of the medium calculated by the medium thickness calculation unit, the remaining amount of medium for calculating the remaining amount of the medium wound around the core with respect to the roll-shaped medium on which the medium before printing is wound. A calculation unit. If comprised in this way, the effect similar to the structure 1 can be acquired, for example.

  (Configuration 8) In a printing apparatus that uses a roll-shaped medium in which a medium is wound in a roll shape on a winding core, a medium remaining amount calculation method for calculating the remaining amount of the medium, the roll-shaped medium being held by holding the winding core A rotation detection step for detecting a rotation amount of a medium holding roll for holding the medium, a medium conveyance amount detection step for detecting a conveyance amount of a medium conveyed according to the rotation of the medium holding roll to a printing unit that performs printing on the medium, and Based on the rotation amount detected in the rotation detection stage and the conveyance amount detected in the medium conveyance amount detection stage, the medium thickness calculation stage for calculating the thickness of the medium, the rotation amount detected in the rotation detection stage, and the medium conveyance amount Based on the transport amount detected in the detection stage and the thickness of the medium calculated in the medium thickness calculation stage, the remaining amount of the medium wound around the core is determined with respect to the roll-shaped medium on which the medium before printing is wound. A medium remaining amount calculation stage to calculate That. In this way, for example, the same effect as that of Configuration 1 can be obtained.

  (Configuration 9) A program for causing a control unit of a printing apparatus that uses a roll-shaped medium in which a medium is wound around a core to calculate the remaining amount of the medium, and holds the roll-shaped medium by holding the core Rotation detection process for detecting the rotation amount of the medium holding roll, medium conveyance amount detection process for detecting the conveyance amount of the medium conveyed according to the rotation of the medium holding roll to the printing unit for printing on the medium, and rotation detection Medium thickness calculation processing for calculating the thickness of the medium based on the rotation amount detected in the processing and the conveyance amount detected in the medium conveyance amount detection processing, and the rotation amount and medium conveyance amount detection processing detected in the rotation detection processing The remaining amount of the medium wound around the core is calculated with respect to the roll-shaped medium around which the medium before printing is wound based on the transport amount detected in step 1 and the medium thickness calculated in the medium thickness calculation process. Media remaining amount calculation processing and control unit To perform. If comprised in this way, the effect similar to the structure 1 can be acquired, for example.

  The control unit is, for example, a CPU of the printing apparatus. The control unit may be an ASIC, FPGA, or the like mounted on the printing apparatus. Moreover, the structure which contains CPU which controls the whole printing apparatus, ASIC, FPGA, etc. may be sufficient.

  According to the present invention, for example, in a printing apparatus that uses a roll-shaped medium, the remaining amount of the medium can be calculated appropriately.

  Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an example of a printing apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1A shows an example of the configuration of the printing apparatus 10. The printing apparatus 10 is an ink jet printer that uses roll-shaped media 52a and 52b in which a medium (medium) 50 is wound in a roll shape on a winding core 54, and includes a platen 12, an ink-jet head 14, a medium conveying roller 16, a driven roller 18, A core diameter information reading unit 20, a storage unit 22, a control unit 24, and a plurality of medium holding rolls 60 are provided.

  Here, the printing apparatus 10 may be a large format printer, for example. The large format printer is, for example, a wide-width printer having an output size of A2 or larger, and performs printing on the medium 50 having various thicknesses.

  The roll-shaped medium 52 a is a roll-shaped medium around which the medium 50 before printing is wound, and is installed upstream of the inkjet head 14 in the transport direction of the medium 50. The roll-shaped medium 52 b is a roll-shaped medium around which the printed medium 50 is wound, and is installed on the downstream side of the inkjet head 14 in the conveyance direction of the medium 50.

  The winding core 54 of the roll-shaped media 52a and 52b is a hollow cylindrical body. In this example, core diameter information indicating the diameter of the core 54 is attached to the core 54 of the roll-shaped medium 52a by, for example, a barcode. The core diameter information is attached to, for example, the end of the core 54 so that the medium 50 can be read in a wound state. The core diameter information may be attached by various identification information other than the barcode, for example. For example, the core diameter information may be character information.

  Hereinafter, each configuration of the printing apparatus 10 will be described. The platen 12 is a table that supports the medium 50 to be printed. The inkjet head 14 is an example of a printing unit that performs printing on the medium 50, is provided at a position facing the platen 12 with the medium 50 interposed therebetween, and ejects ink droplets onto the medium 50. Thereby, the inkjet head 14 performs printing on the medium 50 fed out from the roll-shaped medium 52a.

  The medium conveyance roller 16 is a roller for conveying the medium 50, and conveys the medium 50 in a predetermined conveyance direction by rotating with the medium 50 sandwiched between the driven roller 18. In this example, the medium transport roller 16 is, for example, a roller with an encoder, and transmits a signal indicating a rotation amount such as an encoder pulse to the control unit 24 during rotation. The driven roller 18 is a roller that rotates according to the medium transport roller 16.

  The core diameter information reading unit 20 is, for example, a bar code reader, and reads the core diameter information attached to the core 54 of the roll-shaped medium 52a. The storage unit 22 is a memory that stores various information necessary for the operation of the printing apparatus 10. In this example, the storage unit 22 stores, for example, a program for controlling the operation of the printing apparatus 10 and causes the control unit 24 to execute the program. The storage unit 22 operates as a core diameter storage unit, and stores the diameter of the core 54 based on the core diameter information read by the core diameter information reading unit 20. Thereby, the diameter of the core 54 is registered and becomes known.

  With this configuration, for example, even when the core diameter of the roll-shaped medium 52a frequently changes depending on the type of the medium 50, the core diameter information is read when the roll-shaped medium 52a is set, for example, Can be entered automatically. This also makes it possible to accurately and appropriately calculate the remaining amount of the medium 50 described below.

  The diameter data of the core 54 may be manually input, for example. Further, for example, it may be automatically input by a method other than reading of the core diameter information. Also in these cases, the storage unit 22 stores the input diameter of the core 54.

  The control unit 24 is configured to control the operation of the printing apparatus 10, and controls each unit of the printing apparatus 10 according to a program stored in the storage unit 22. In this example, the control unit 24 calculates the thickness of the medium 50 and the remaining amount of the medium 50 in the roll-shaped medium 52a according to the program.

A method for calculating the thickness of the medium 50 and the remaining amount of the medium 50 will be described in detail later. In the following description, the radius of the core 54 of the roll-shaped media 52a, 52b is assumed to be r. Further, in the state shown, the radius of the roll-shaped medium 52a is _{r n.} The radius of the roll-shaped medium 52b is _rn2 .

  Each of the plurality of medium holding rolls 60 is a roller that holds each of the roll-shaped media 52a and 52b. In this example, the medium holding roll 60 holds the cores 54 of the roll-shaped media 52a and 52b by being inserted into the hollow portions of the cores 54 of the corresponding roll-shaped media 52a and 52b.

  The medium holding roll 60 that holds the roll-shaped medium 52a around which the medium 50 before printing is wound functions as a supply-side roll. The medium 50 of the roll-shaped medium 52a is fed out according to the rotation of the medium holding roll 60 that functions as a supply-side roll. In addition, the medium holding roll 60 that holds the roll-shaped medium 52b around which the medium 50 after printing is wound functions as a winding-side roll. The medium 50 after printing is wound around the roll-shaped medium 52b according to the rotation of the medium holding roll 60 that functions as a winding-side roll.

  FIG. 1B shows an example of the configuration of the medium holding roll 60 that holds the roll-shaped medium 52a. The medium holding roll 60 that holds the roll-shaped medium 52b may have the same or similar configuration as the roll-shaped medium 52a side.

  In this example, the medium holding roll 60 includes a shaft portion 62 and an encoder 64. The shaft portion 62 is a portion that is inserted into the hollow portion of the core 54, and rotates in a state where it is inserted into the core 54, for example, to rotate the roll-shaped medium 52 a according to an instruction from the control unit 24. . The encoder 64 is an encoder that outputs a signal indicating the rotation amount of the shaft portion 62 to the control unit 24. With these configurations, in this example, the medium holding roll 60 rotates the roll-shaped medium 52a. Further, the amount of rotation performed is transmitted to the control unit 24 by the output signal of the encoder 64.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of the configuration of the control unit 24. In this example, the control unit 24 includes a conveyance amount detection unit 102, a rotation detection unit 104, a medium thickness calculation unit 106, a medium remaining amount calculation unit 108, a remaining amount information output unit 110, and a roller control unit 112.

  The carry amount detection unit 102 is configured to detect the carry amount of the medium 50 (see FIG. 1). The transport amount of the medium 50 is, for example, a travel distance of the medium 50 that is transported in a predetermined transport direction. In this example, the conveyance amount detection unit 102 detects the rotation amount of the medium conveyance roller 16 based on a signal received from the encoder of the medium conveyance roller 16, and determines the conveyance amount of the medium 50 based on the rotation amount of the medium conveyance roller 16. calculate. Thereby, the conveyance amount detection unit 102 detects the conveyance amount of the medium 50 conveyed from the rolled medium 52a (see FIG. 1) to the inkjet head 14 (see FIG. 1) according to the rotation of the medium holding roll 60.

  The rotation detection unit 104 is configured to detect the rotation amount of the medium holding roll 60. In this example, the rotation detection unit 104 detects the amount of rotation of the medium holding roll 60 on the roll medium 52a side based on a signal received from the encoder 64 (see FIG. 1) of the medium holding roll 60 that holds the roll medium 52a. To do. For example, the rotation detection unit 104 may further detect the rotation amount of the medium holding roll 60 on the roll medium 52b side.

  The medium thickness calculation unit 106 is configured to calculate the thickness of the medium 50. In this example, the medium thickness calculation unit 106 calculates the thickness of the medium 50 based on the conveyance amount detected by the conveyance amount detection unit 102 and the rotation amount detected by the rotation detection unit 104. A specific method for calculating the thickness will be described in more detail later. The medium thickness calculation unit 106 may detect the thickness of the medium 50 based on, for example, the rotation amount of the medium holding roll 60 on the roll medium 52b side.

  The medium remaining amount calculation unit 108 is configured to calculate the remaining amount of the medium 50 in the roll-shaped medium 52a. In this example, the medium remaining amount calculation unit 108 includes the conveyance amount detected by the conveyance amount detection unit 102, the rotation amount detected by the rotation detection unit 104, the thickness of the medium 50 calculated by the medium thickness calculation unit 106, and the storage unit 22. Further, the remaining amount of the medium 50 wound around the core 54 is calculated with respect to the roll-shaped medium 52a around which the medium 50 before printing is wound. A specific method for calculating the remaining amount will also be described in more detail later.

  The remaining amount information output unit 110 is configured to output information about the remaining amount of the medium 50. In this example, the remaining amount information output unit 110 indicates that the remaining amount of the medium 50 has decreased when the remaining amount of the medium 50 calculated by the remaining medium amount calculating unit 108 is less than a preset amount. The information shown is output. For example, the remaining amount information output unit 110 outputs information indicating that the remaining amount of the medium 50 has decreased when the medium 50 is insufficient compared to the amount necessary for the print data. The remaining amount information output unit 110 displays information indicating that the remaining amount of the medium 50 has decreased due to warning display, sound generation, buzzer, or the like by controlling an external display device or warning device, for example. May be notified. According to this example, for example, it is possible to appropriately notify the user of a shortage of the remaining amount of the medium 50.

  The roller control unit 112 is configured to control the rotation of the medium holding roll 60 of the roll medium 52a and the roll medium 52b. The roller control unit 112 controls the rotation of the medium holding roll 60 by controlling, for example, a motor that drives the medium holding roll 60.

  Further, in this example, the roller control unit 112 stops the rotation of the medium holding roll 60 when the remaining amount of the medium 50 is reduced, for example, according to the output of the remaining amount information output unit 110. Thereby, the roller control unit 112 stops the conveyance of the medium 50 when the remaining amount of the medium 50 is reduced.

  The control unit 24 is, for example, a CPU that controls the entire printing apparatus 10. In this case, the CPU functions as each unit of the control unit 24. The control unit 24 may be an ASIC, FPGA, or the like mounted on the printing apparatus. The control unit 24 may include a CPU that controls the entire printing apparatus, an ASIC, an FPGA, and the like. In this case, a part of the configuration of the control unit 24 is configured by, for example, an ASIC or FPGA other than the CPU. For example, it is conceivable that the medium thickness calculation unit 106 and the remaining medium calculation unit 108 are configured by ASIC, FPGA, or the like. With this configuration, for example, the thickness and remaining amount of the medium 50 can be calculated appropriately and at high speed.

  In this example, the printing apparatus 10 calculates the remaining amount of the medium 50 at the start of operation, for example. Then, when the medium 50 is insufficient with respect to the print data, information indicating that the remaining amount of the medium 50 is low is output, and the operation is stopped. According to this example, for example, waste of media, ink, and work time can be appropriately reduced.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the printing apparatus 10 and illustrates an example of a method for calculating the thickness of the medium 50 and the remaining amount of the medium 50. In this example, when calculating the thickness and the remaining amount of the medium 50, the printing apparatus 10, first, obtains the winding diameter (radius) r _n of roll-shaped medium 52a at the present time.

  In the operation for obtaining the winding diameter of the roll-shaped medium 52a, first, the roller control unit 112 rotates the medium holding roll 60 of the roll-shaped medium 52a once (S102). Accordingly, the medium transport roller 16 transports the medium 50 for one rotation.

During this time, the rotation detection unit 104 detects that the medium holding roll 60 makes one rotation based on the encoder pulse received from the encoder 64 of the medium holding roll 60. Further, the time required until the detection of the encoder pulse after the next one rotation is detected with reference to the detection start time t ₀ of one rotation of the encoder pulse, that is, one rotation of the medium holding roll 60 of the roll-shaped medium 52a is required. Time T1 is obtained.

Further, the transport amount detection unit 102 detects the transport amount ΔL of the medium 50 transported during the same time T1 based on the number of rotations N of the medium transport roller 16 and the radius R of the medium transport roller 16. This detection can be obtained from the following equation (1), for example.
ΔL = 2πR × N Formula (1)

Then, based on the calculated [Delta] L, the medium thickness calculating section 106, a winding diameter _{r n} of roll-shaped medium 52a at present, obtained from the following equation (2) (S104).
r _n = ΔL / 2π Formula (2)

Subsequently, the roller control unit 112 further rotates the medium holding roll 60 of the roll-shaped medium 52a by α, and further conveys the medium 50 (S106). Then, based on the rotation of the last α-th rotation, similarly to S102 and S104, the transport amount detection unit 102 and the medium thickness calculation unit 106 obtain the winding diameter r _α of the α-th rotation of the roll-shaped medium 52a (S108). ). For example, the conveyance amount detection unit 102 determines the conveyance amount ΔL _α during one rotation time of the α-th rotation based on the number of rotations N _{α of} the medium conveyance roller 16 and the radius R of the medium conveyance roller 16 as follows. Obtained from equation (3).
ΔL _α = 2πR × N _α formula (3)

Further, based on the calculated △ L _alpha, medium thickness calculating section 106, a winding diameter r _alpha of the roll-shaped medium 52a, determined from the following equation (4).
r _α = ΔL _α / 2π Formula (4)

In this example, the transport amount detection unit 102 further calculates the transport amount L ₀ of the medium 50 from the detection start time t ₀ of the encoder pulse at the first rotation to after the α rotation when the α rotation ends. . In this calculation, the conveyance amount detection unit 102 stores the accumulated rotation speed N (t ₀ , α) of the medium conveyance roller 16 during this time, and obtains the conveyance amount L ₀ from the following equation (5).
L ₀ = 2πR × N (t _α , α) Equation (5)

Subsequently, the medium thickness calculating unit 106, calculates the thickness _{D m} of the medium (S110). In the calculation of the thickness D _m , the medium thickness calculation unit 106 first changes the winding diameter before and after the α rotation based on the winding diameters r _n and r _α of the roll-shaped medium 52a obtained by the equations (2) and (4). From the following equation (6), the cross-sectional area (difference in cross-sectional area) ΔS changed by the feeding of the medium 50 is obtained.
ΔS = π (r _α ) ² −π (r _n ) ²
_{= Π (△ L α / 2π} ) 2 -π (△ L / 2π) 2
= {(ΔL _α ) ² 1 (ΔL) ² } / 4π Formula (6)

Then, the medium thickness calculator 106 calculates the calculated cross-sectional area difference ΔS as the following expression (7) by the transport amount L ₀ of the medium 50 from the detection start time t ₀ of the encoder pulse to after α rotation. By dividing, the thickness D _m of the medium 50 is obtained.
D _m = ΔS / L ₀
= {(ΔL _α ) ² 1 (ΔL) ² } / 4π ÷ {2πR × N (t _α , α)}
= {(ΔL _α ) ² − (ΔL) ² } / {8π ² R × N (t _α , α)} Equation (7)

Subsequently, the medium remaining amount calculation unit 108 calculates the remaining amount length Lr as the remaining amount of the medium 50 (S112). In calculating the remaining length Lr, the medium remaining amount calculating unit 108 first reads the diameter (radius) r of the core 54 of the roll-shaped medium 52 a from the storage unit 22. Thereby, the diameter r of the core 54 becomes known. By using the diameter r of the winding core, the cross-sectional area ΔS _n of the medium 50 between the outer periphery of the roll-shaped medium 52a and the winding core 54 is expressed by the following equation (8).
ΔS _n = π (r _n ² −r ² ) Formula (8)

Then, when the cross-sectional area ΔS _n is divided by the thickness D _m of the medium 50 that has already been obtained from the equation (7), the remaining amount Lr of the medium 50 is obtained as in the following equation (9).
Lr = ΔS _n / D _m formula (9)

In the present embodiment, the medium remaining amount calculating unit 108, based on the radius r _n of the rotation at the start of the roll-shaped medium 52a, and calculates the remaining amount of the medium 50 at this point. The medium remaining amount calculation unit 108 may calculate the remaining amount of the medium 50 after α rotation based on, for example, the radius r _α after α rotation. Further, the medium remaining amount calculation unit 108 notifies the remaining amount information output unit 110 of the calculated remaining amount Lr. The remaining amount information output unit 110 outputs information indicating that the remaining amount of the medium 50 has decreased as necessary.

  According to this example, for example, even when the thickness or usage history of the medium 50 is unknown, the thickness of the medium 50 can be automatically calculated appropriately by calculation. Further, the remaining amount of the medium 50 can be calculated appropriately based on the detected thickness. Further, by performing these calculations by moving the medium holding roll 60, the medium transport roller 16, and the like, the remaining amount of the medium 50 can be obtained, for example, in substantially real time. Therefore, according to this example, the remaining amount of the medium 50 can be appropriately and automatically calculated, for example, in the printing apparatus 10 using the roll-shaped media 52a and 52b.

  Further, by acquiring the diameter of the core 54 based on the core diameter information and registering it in advance, for example, even when a roll-shaped medium 52a having various diameters of the core 54 is used, the remaining medium 50 remains. The amount can be calculated appropriately. The diameter of the winding core 54 may be fixed with respect to the printing apparatus 10, for example. In this case, for example, the remaining amount of the medium 50 can be appropriately calculated without reading the core diameter information or the like.

  Here, the rotation amount by which the roller control unit 112 rotates the medium holding roll 60 is not limited to the above rotation amount, and can be changed as appropriate. For example, the roller control unit 112 may cause the medium holding roll 60 to rotate by the first rotation amount and then rotate the second rotation amount. In this case, the first rotation amount and the second rotation amount may be rotation amounts other than one rotation. Further, for example, a third rotation amount may be further rotated between the first rotation amount and the second rotation amount.

  In this case, the medium thickness calculation unit 106, for example, based on the ratio of the first rotation amount and the conveyance amount of the medium 50 conveyed between the first rotation amounts, at the time of rotation of the first rotation amount. The diameter of the roll-shaped medium 52a is calculated. In addition, for example, the diameter of the roll-shaped medium 52a when the second rotation amount is rotated is calculated based on the ratio between the second rotation amount and the conveyance amount of the medium 50 that is conveyed between the second rotation amounts. To do. Then, the medium thickness calculation unit 106, for example, based on each of the diameter of the roll-shaped medium 52a when rotating the first rotation amount and the diameter of the roll-shaped medium 52a when rotating the second rotation amount, respectively. The cross-sectional area of the roll-shaped medium 52a corresponding to the diameter is calculated, and the difference between the cross-sectional areas corresponding to the respective diameters is conveyed between the rotation of the first rotation amount and the rotation of the second rotation amount. The thickness of the medium 50 is calculated by dividing by the transport amount of the medium 50.

  Also when comprised in this way, the thickness of the medium 50 can be calculated appropriately, for example. Further, the remaining amount of the medium 50 can be calculated appropriately.

  In the modified example of the present invention, for example, it is conceivable to detect a change in the winding diameter of the roll-shaped medium 52a not by calculation but by measurement. In this case, the printing apparatus 10 further includes, for example, a mechanism (for example, a winding diameter measuring unit) that directly measures the winding diameter of the roll-shaped medium 52a.

  In the above description, the method of detecting the rotation amount of the medium holding roll 60 on the roll medium 52a side by the rotation detection unit 104 has been described. For example, the rotation holding unit 104 can hold the medium on the roll medium 52b side. It is also conceivable to detect the rotation amount of the roll 60. Also in this case, the thickness of the medium 50 can be appropriately calculated in the same or similar manner as described above.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated using embodiment, the technical scope of this invention is not limited to the range as described in the said embodiment. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be added to the above embodiment. It is apparent from the description of the scope of claims that embodiments with such changes or improvements can be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  The present invention can be suitably used for a printing apparatus, for example.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a printing apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1A shows an example of the configuration of the printing apparatus 10. FIG. 1B shows an example of the configuration of the medium holding roll 60 that holds the roll-shaped medium 52a. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a control unit 24. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of the printing apparatus 10.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Printing apparatus, 12 ... Platen, 14 ... Inkjet head, 16 ... Medium conveyance roller, 18 ... Driven roller, 20 ... Core diameter information reading part, 22 ... Storage unit, 24 ... control unit, 50 ... medium, 52 ... roll medium, 54 ... core, 60 ... medium holding roll, 62 ... shaft part, 64 ... Encoder, 102 ... Conveyance amount detection unit, 104 ... Rotation detection unit, 106 ... Medium thickness calculation unit, 108 ... Medium remaining amount calculation unit, 110 ... Remaining amount information output unit, 112 ..Roller control unit

Claims (9)

A printing apparatus using a roll-shaped medium in which a medium is wound around a roll core,
A medium holding roll for holding the roll-shaped medium by holding the core;
A printing unit that performs printing on the medium fed out according to the rotation of the medium holding roll;
A rotation detector for detecting the rotation amount of the medium holding roll;
A medium conveyance amount detection unit for detecting a conveyance amount of the medium conveyed to the printing unit according to the rotation of the medium holding roll;
A medium thickness calculation unit that calculates the thickness of the medium based on the rotation amount detected by the rotation detection unit and the conveyance amount detected by the medium conveyance amount detection unit;
The medium before printing is wound based on the rotation amount detected by the rotation detection unit, the conveyance amount detected by the medium conveyance amount detection unit, and the thickness of the medium calculated by the medium thickness calculation unit. A printing apparatus comprising: a medium remaining amount calculation unit configured to calculate a remaining amount of the medium wound around the winding core with respect to a roll-shaped medium. A remaining amount information output unit that outputs information indicating that the remaining amount of the medium has decreased when the remaining amount of the medium calculated by the remaining amount calculation unit of the medium is less than a preset amount; The printing apparatus according to claim 1. The medium holding roll is a supply-side roll that holds the roll-shaped medium around which the medium before printing is wound,
The medium thickness calculator is
The medium holding during rotation of the first rotation amount based on a ratio between a preset first rotation amount and the conveyance amount of the medium conveyed between the first rotation amount Calculate the diameter of the roll-shaped medium held on the roll,
Based on the ratio of the second rotation amount that the medium holding roll further rotates after the rotation of the first rotation amount and the transport amount of the medium transported between the second rotation amounts, the first rotation amount. A diameter of the roll-shaped medium held by the medium holding roll at the time of rotation of 2 is calculated;
The diameter of the roll-shaped medium at the time of rotation of the first rotation amount, the diameter of the roll-shaped medium at the time of rotation of the second rotation amount, and the second rotation from the time of rotation of the first rotation amount. 3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the medium is calculated based on the transport amount of the medium transported until the amount is rotated. The medium thickness calculator is
The roll-shaped medium corresponding to each of the diameters based on the diameter of the roll-shaped medium at the time of rotation of the first rotation amount and the diameter of the roll-shaped medium at the time of rotation of the second rotation amount. Calculate the cross-sectional area of
Dividing the difference in cross-sectional area corresponding to each of the diameters by the transport amount of the medium transported between the rotation of the first rotation amount and the rotation of the second rotation amount. The printing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the thickness of the medium is calculated by: A core diameter storage unit for storing the diameter of the core;
The said medium remaining amount calculation part calculates the remaining amount of the said medium further based on the diameter of the said core memorize | stored in the said core diameter memory | storage part. Printing device. The core is provided with core diameter information, which is information indicating the diameter of the core,
The printing apparatus further includes a core diameter information reading unit that reads the core diameter information of the core,
The printing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the core diameter storage unit stores a diameter of the core based on the core diameter information read by the core diameter information reading unit. In a printing apparatus that uses a roll-shaped medium in which a medium is wound in a roll shape on a core, a medium remaining amount management apparatus that manages the remaining amount of the medium,
A rotation detector that detects a rotation amount of a medium holding roll that holds the roll-shaped medium by holding the winding core;
A medium conveyance amount detection unit for detecting a conveyance amount of a medium conveyed according to the rotation of the medium holding roll to a printing unit that performs printing on the medium;
A medium thickness calculation unit that calculates the thickness of the medium based on the rotation amount detected by the rotation detection unit and the conveyance amount detected by the medium conveyance amount detection unit;
The medium before printing is wound based on the rotation amount detected by the rotation detection unit, the conveyance amount detected by the medium conveyance amount detection unit, and the thickness of the medium calculated by the medium thickness calculation unit. A remaining medium amount management device comprising: a remaining medium amount calculating unit that calculates a remaining amount of the medium wound around the winding core with respect to a roll-shaped medium. In a printing apparatus that uses a roll-shaped medium in which a medium is wound in a roll shape on a core, a medium remaining amount calculation method for calculating the remaining amount of the medium,
A rotation detecting step for detecting a rotation amount of a medium holding roll for holding the roll-shaped medium by holding the winding core;
A medium conveyance amount detection step for detecting a conveyance amount of a medium conveyed according to the rotation of the medium holding roll to a printing unit that performs printing on the medium;
A medium thickness calculating step of calculating a thickness of the medium based on the rotation amount detected in the rotation detection step and the transport amount detected in the medium transport amount detection step;
Based on the rotation amount detected in the rotation detection step, the conveyance amount detected in the medium conveyance amount detection step, and the thickness of the medium calculated in the medium thickness calculation step, the medium before printing is wound. And a medium remaining amount calculating step of calculating a remaining amount of the medium wound around the winding core with respect to the rolled medium. A program that causes a control unit of a printing apparatus that uses a roll-shaped medium in which a medium is wound around a roll core to calculate the remaining amount of the medium,
A rotation detection process for detecting a rotation amount of a medium holding roll for holding the roll-shaped medium by holding the winding core;
A medium conveyance amount detection process for detecting a conveyance amount of a medium conveyed according to the rotation of the medium holding roll to a printing unit that performs printing on the medium;
A medium thickness calculation process for calculating a thickness of the medium based on the rotation amount detected in the rotation detection process and the transport amount detected in the medium transport amount detection process;
Based on the rotation amount detected in the rotation detection process, the conveyance amount detected in the medium conveyance amount detection process, and the thickness of the medium calculated in the medium thickness calculation process, the medium before printing is wound. A program for causing the control unit to perform a remaining medium calculation process for calculating the remaining amount of the medium wound around the roll core with respect to the rolled medium.

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