US20220306417A1

US20220306417A1 - Print device, print preparation method, and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium

Info

Publication number: US20220306417A1
Application number: US17/690,786
Authority: US
Inventors: Yoshihiro Takao
Original assignee: Brother Industries Ltd
Current assignee: Brother Industries Ltd
Priority date: 2021-03-29
Filing date: 2022-03-09
Publication date: 2022-09-29
Also published as: JP2022152979A

Abstract

A print device includes a supply unit, a print unit, a conveyer, a tensioner, a drive unit, a processor, a medium detector, and a memory. The tensioner is configured to apply tension to the medium. The memory stores computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, instruct the processor to perform processes including correction processing, which is repeated a plurality of times, of controlling the drive unit and applying the tension to the medium by the tensioner during a back-and-forth conveyance operation of conveying the medium in the return direction after conveying the medium in the conveyance direction, and detection processing of detecting attributes of the medium, based on the detection result output from the medium detector, during one of the back-and-forth conveyance operations, of the plurality of back-and-forth conveyance operations.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-055963 filed Mar. 29, 2021, the content of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to a print device, a print preparation method, and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.
In known art, a print device that prints an image on a long medium performs a plurality of processes, after the medium is mounted and in advance of print processing, to detect attributes of the mounted medium, to correct sheet skew of the medium, and the like. Further, the print device of the known art corrects the sheet skew in advance of the printing, by conveying the medium back-and-forth a number of times in a conveyance direction and a return direction, in a state in which the medium is urged in a reverse direction to a progress direction of the medium.

SUMMARY

With the print device of the known art, a time period up to a start of printing is required that corresponds to the time required for the plurality of processes that are performed in advance of the printing, since the medium is conveyed back-and-forth the plurality of times in the conveyance direction and the return direction.
Embodiments of the broad principles derived herein provide a print device, a print preparation method and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that contribute to shortening a time period up to a start of printing, compared to known art.
Embodiments provide a print device that includes a supply unit, a print unit, a conveyer, a tensioner, a drive unit, a processor, a medium detector, and a memory. The supply unit is configured to supply a long medium. The print unit is configured to print an image on the medium supplied from the supply unit. The conveyer is configured to convey the medium in a conveyance direction from the supply unit toward the print unit, and in a return direction opposite to the conveyance direction. The tensioner is configured to apply tension to the medium. The drive unit is configured to drive the conveyer. The processor is configured to control the print unit and the drive unit. The medium detector is configured to output a detection result of the medium to the processor. The memory stores computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, instruct the processor to perform processes including correction processing, which is repeated a plurality of times, of controlling the drive unit and applying the tension to the medium by the tensioner during a back-and-forth conveyance operation of conveying the medium in the return direction after conveying the medium in the conveyance direction, and detection processing of detecting attributes of the medium, based on the detection result output from the medium detector, during one of the back-and-forth conveyance operations, of the plurality of back-and-forth conveyance operations. By performing the detection processing during the correction processing, the print device contributes to shortening a time period up to a start of printing, compared to known art, in comparison to a case in which the correction processing and the detection processing are performed separately.
Embodiments also provide a print preparation method performed by a processor of a print device. The method includes a correction process, which is repeated a plurality of times, of controlling a drive unit of the print device and applying tension to a long medium, using a tensioner of the print device, during a back-and-forth conveyance operation of conveying the medium in a return direction after conveying the medium in a conveyance direction. The print device including a supply unit, a print unit, a conveyer, the tensioner, the drive unit, the processor, and a medium detector. The supply unit is configured to supply the medium. The print unit is configured to print an image on the medium supplied from the supply unit. The conveyer is configured to be driven by the drive unit to convey the medium in the conveyance direction and the return direction. The conveyance direction is a direction from the supply unit toward the print unit. The return direction is a direction opposite to the conveyance direction. The tensioner is configured to apply the tension to the medium. The processor is configured to control the print unit and the drive unit. The medium detector configured to output a detection result of the medium to the processor. The print preparation method includes a detection process of detecting attributes of the medium, based on the detection result output from the medium detector, during one of the back-and-forth conveyance operations, of the plurality of back-and-forth conveyance operations. By performing the detection process during the correction process, the print preparation method contributes to shortening a time period up to a start of printing, compared to known art, in comparison to a case in which the correction process and the detection processing are performed separately.
Embodiments further provide a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores computer-readable instructions that are executed by a processor of a print device, the computer-readable instructions performing processes. The processes include correction processing, which is repeated a plurality of times, of controlling a drive unit of the print device and applying tension to a long medium, using a tensioner of the print device, during a back-and-forth conveyance operation of conveying the medium in a return direction after conveying the medium in a conveyance direction. The print device including a supply unit, a print unit, a conveyer, the tensioner, the drive unit, the processor, and a medium detector. The supply unit is configured to supply the medium. The print unit is configured to print an image on the medium supplied from the supply unit. The conveyer is configured to be driven by the drive unit to convey the medium in the conveyance direction and the return direction. The conveyance direction is a direction from the supply unit toward the print unit. The return direction is a direction opposite to the conveyance direction. The tensioner is configured to apply the tension to the medium. The processor is configured to control the print unit and the drive unit. The medium detector configured to output a detection result of the medium to the processor. The processes includes detection processing of detecting attributes of the medium, based on the detection result output from the medium detector, during one of the back-and-forth conveyance operations, of the plurality of back-and-forth conveyance operations. By executing the detection processing during the correction processing by the processor of a print device according to the instructions stored in the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium contributes to shortening a time period up to a start of printing, compared to known art, in comparison to a case in which the correction processing and the detection processing are performed separately.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a print device;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an internal configuration of the print device;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of the print device;

FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram of a medium including a base sheet and a plurality of labels, and FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram of detection results output by a medium detector to a control unit;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of print preparation processing;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of first conveyance processing performed in the print preparation processing;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of second conveyance processing performed in the print preparation processing;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of third conveyance processing performed in the print preparation processing;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A print device 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings that are referenced are used to illustrate the technical characteristics that can be employed by the present disclosure. The configurations and the like of the devices that are described are not intended to be limited thereto, but are merely illustrative examples. In the description of the present embodiment, the left lower side, the right upper side, the right lower side, the left upper side, the upper side, and the lower side in FIG. 1 are, respectively, the front side, the rear side, the right side, the left side, the upper side, and the lower side of the print device 1.
A physical configuration of the print device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the print device 1 is provided with a housing 2, a display unit 3, and an operation unit 4. The housing 2 includes a front wall 24, a right wall 25, a rear wall 26, a lower wall 27, an upper wall 28, a left wall 29, and a cover 23. The housing 2 is a cuboid shape of a size that can be placed on a table. A discharge opening 21 and an opening 22 are formed in the housing 2. The discharge opening 21 is formed in a rectangular shape that is long in the left-right direction in a front view, in the front wall 24 of the housing 2. The opening 22 is formed in a rectangular shape in a right side view, in a rear lower portion of the right wall 25 of the housing 2. The cover 23 is a plate having a rectangular shape in a right side view, and is supported at a rear lower portion of the right side surface of the housing 2 such that the cover 23 can rotate between a closed position (illustrated using a solid line in FIG. 1) in which the opening 22 is closed, and an open position (illustrated using an alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 1) in which the opening 22 is open. The display unit 3 is provided at an upper right portion in the front surface of the front wall 24 of the housing 2, and displays an image. The operation unit 4 is provided below the display unit 3, of the upper right portion of the front surface of the front wall 24 of the housing 2, and is configured by a plurality of buttons used to input various commands. The display unit 3 and the operation unit 4 are provided above the discharge opening 21.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the print device 1 houses, inside the housing 2, a supply unit 5, conveyers 7, 10, 15, 19, and 48, a partition wall 55, a tensioner 8, a medium detector 53, a print unit 6, a fixing unit 40, a reading unit 45, and a cutting unit 50. The print device 1 is an inkjet printer configured to perform printing on a medium M. The medium M is a medium having an elongated shape wound in a roll shape on a tubular paper tube K, for example.
The supply unit 5 is provided to the left of the cover 23 that is in the closed position illustrated by the solid line in FIG. 1, and in a space in a rear lower portion of the print device 1 surrounded by the partition wall 55 and the rear wall 26 illustrated in FIG. 2. The supply unit 5 holds a roll R. The roll R is a roll on which the medium M is wound in the roll shape. The supply unit 5 of the present embodiment is provided with a shaft portion 51 and a magazine 52. The shaft portion 51 extends in the left-right direction, and is inserted through the paper tube K of the roll R. The magazine 52 is a support base having a U-shape in a front view. The magazine 52 supports both left and right ends of the shaft portion 51 such that the shaft portion 51 can rotate around an axis extending in the left-right direction. The shaft portion 51 is detachably supported by the magazine 52. The magazine 52 is detachably supported by the print device 1. When a user of the print device 1 replaces the roll R, the user disposes the cover 23 in the open position illustrated in FIG. 1, detaches the magazine 52 illustrated in FIG. 2 from inside the housing 2, and performs the replacement operation of the roll R. The partition wall 55 includes a first wall portion 56 extending upward from the lower wall 27 of the housing 2, and a second wall portion 57 extending to the rear from the upper end of the first wall portion 56, and partitions the internal space of the housing 2. The second wall portion 57 is separated from the rear wall 26 of the housing 2 in the front-rear direction.
The print unit 6 prints an image on the medium M supplied from the supply unit 5. The print unit 6 of the present embodiment is provided with a plurality of nozzles 60 that discharge a liquid G in a discharge direction, and is an inkjet head that performs the printing of the image on the medium M by discharging the liquid G from the plurality of nozzles 60. The discharge direction of the present embodiment is the downward direction, and the print unit 6 is provided in a posture in which the plurality of nozzles 60 are oriented downward, above a conveyance path Q of the medium M. The conveyance path Q is a path along which the medium M fed out from the supply unit 5 is conveyed until the medium M is discharged to the outside of the housing 2 from the discharge opening 21. The liquid G is supplied to the print unit 6, via a tube that is not illustrated, from a tank 20 disposed inside the housing 2.
The conveyer 7 conveys the medium M in a conveyance direction F from the supply unit 5 to the print unit 6, and in return direction B that is the opposite direction to the conveyance direction F. The conveyance direction F is a direction along the conveyance path Q from the supply unit 5 toward the print unit 6. The conveyance direction F is a direction intersecting the left-right direction that is an extending direction of the rotation axis of the roll R, and is a direction that changes in accordance with the position on the conveyance path Q. The conveyance direction F from the supply unit 5 to the tensioner 8 is a direction that changes in accordance with a remaining amount of the medium M, and when the remaining amount of the medium M is an initial value, that is, the remaining amount immediately after the replacement of the roll R, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the conveyance direction F is substantially upward. The conveyance direction F from the tensioner 8 to the discharge opening 21 is substantially to the front. In other words, in the print device 1, at a section at which the medium M comes into contact with the tensioner 8, the conveyance path Q bends, and the conveyance direction F changes from upward toward the front.
The conveyer 7 is provided upstream of the print unit 6 in the conveyance direction, and downstream of the supply unit 5 in the conveyance direction. In other words, the conveyer 7 is provided between the print unit 6 and the supply unit 5, on the conveyance path Q of the medium M. The conveyer 7 of the present embodiment includes a conveyance roller 71 and a pinch roller 72 that rotate around axes extending in the left-right direction, and nips and conveys the medium M by sandwiching the medium M from above and below between the conveyance roller 71 and the pinch roller 72.
The medium detector 53 outputs a detection result of the medium M to a control unit 30 illustrated in FIG. 3. The medium detector 53 of the present embodiment is a transmission type sensor or a reflection type sensor. When the medium detector 53 is the reflection type sensor, for example, the medium detector 53 detects a leading end of a label M2, using a difference in reflectivity between a base sheet M1 and the label M2. The base sheet M1 is provided with a plurality of holes provided in rows at a predetermined interval in the conveyance direction F, and, when the medium detector 53 is the transmission type sensor, for example, the medium detector 53 detects the leading end of the label M2 on the basis of whether or not light passes through the plurality of holes in the base sheet M1.
The conveyer 10 is provided downstream of the conveyer 7 in the conveyance direction, and conveys the medium M in the conveyance direction F and the return direction B. The conveyer 10 of the present embodiment rotates the roll R held by the supply unit 5, conveys the medium M in the return direction B, and winds the medium M onto the roll R. The conveyer 10 of the present embodiment detachably engages with the shaft portion 51 of the supply unit 5. The conveyer 10 rotates the roll R held by the supply unit 5, conveys the medium M in the conveyance direction F, and feeds out the medium M from the roll R toward the print unit 6.
The tensioner 8 applies a tension to the medium M on the conveyance path Q, between the supply unit 5 and the conveyer 7. The tension is a tension that acts in the reverse direction to a progress direction of the medium M. The tensioner 8 is disposed downstream of the conveyer 7 in the conveyance direction, and upstream of the conveyer 10 in the conveyance direction. The tensioner 8 is in contact with the medium M and urges the medium M in a direction intersecting the conveyance direction F. In other words, the tensioner 8 is provided between the conveyer 7 and the conveyer 10 on the conveyance path Q. The tensioner 8 is provided to the rear of the conveyer 7 and above the supply unit 5.
The conveyer 15 is provided below the print unit 6, and downstream of the conveyer 7 in the conveyance direction, and conveys the medium M in the conveyance direction F. The conveyer 15 is provided with a drive roller 13, a driven roller 14, and an endless belt 16. The drive roller 13 and the driven roller 14 are separated from each other in the front-rear direction. The endless belt 16 is stretched between the drive roller 13 and the driven roller 14. The driven roller 14 rotates in accordance with the rotation of the endless belt 16. The upper end on an outer peripheral surface of the endless belt 16 is in substantially the same position, in the up-down direction, as the section of the medium M that is nipped by the conveyer 7, and faces the plurality of nozzles 60 of the print unit 6. In the conveyance direction F, the upper end on the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt 16 supports and conveys, from below, the medium M conveyed between the conveyer 7 and the conveyer 19, in a state of sucking the medium M against the endless belt 16 using static electricity or a negative pressure.
The fixing unit 40 is disposed downstream of the print unit 6 in the conveyance direction, and upstream of the conveyer 19 in the conveyance direction. The fixing unit 40 is a halogen heater and includes a halogen lamp 41, a reflective plate 42, and a housing 43. An opening 44 in the left-right direction is formed in a lower wall of the housing 43. The fixing unit 40 radiates infrared rays through the opening 44, and heats the medium M passing directly below the opening 44. In this way, the liquid G discharged by the print unit 6 onto the medium M is fixed to the medium M.
The conveyer 19 is provided downstream of the print unit 6 and the fixing unit 40 in the conveyance direction, and upstream of the reading unit 45, the cutting unit 50, and the discharge opening 21 in the conveyance direction. The conveyer 19 conveys the medium M in the conveyance direction F and the return direction B. The conveyer 19 includes a conveyance roller 17 and a pinch roller 18 that rotate around axes extending in the left-right direction, and nips and conveys the medium M by sandwiching the medium M from above and below between the conveyance roller 17 and the pinch roller 18.
The reading unit 45 is provided downstream of the print unit 6 and the conveyer 19 in the conveyance direction, and upstream of the cutting unit 50 and the discharge opening 21 in the conveyance direction. The reading unit 45 is positioned directly above the conveyance path Q. The reading unit 45 optically reads an image printed on the surface of the label M2 of the medium M, and outputs an image signal representing the read image. The reading unit 45 is, for example, a line image sensor, such as a contact image sensor (CIS) that is long in the width direction of the medium M, that is, in the left-right direction.
The conveyer 48 is provided downstream of the reading unit 45 in the conveyance direction, and upstream of the cutting unit 50 and the discharge opening 21 in the conveyance direction. The conveyer 48 conveys the medium M in the conveyance direction F and the return direction B. The conveyer 48 includes a conveyance roller 46 and a pinch roller 47 that rotate around axes extending in the left-right direction. The conveyer 48 nips and conveys the medium M by sandwiching the medium M from above and below between the conveyance roller 46 and the pinch roller 47.
The cutting unit 50 is provided downstream of the reading unit 45 and the conveyer 48 in the conveyance direction, and upstream of the discharge opening 21 in the conveyance direction. The cutting unit 50 is positioned directly above the conveyance path Q. The cutting unit 50 includes a blade 59 that extends downward. The blade 59 can move between a cutting position and a stand-by position, and cuts the medium M on the conveyance path Q at a position immediately to the rear of the discharge opening 21. As illustrated by a solid line in FIG. 2, the cutting position is a position at which the blade 59 intersects the conveyance path Q. As illustrated by a dotted line in FIG. 2, the stand-by position is a position at which the blade 59 is separated from the conveyance path Q, and is disposed directly above the conveyance path Q.
The electrical configuration of the print device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The print device 1 is provided with the control unit 30, and with a storage unit 31, the operation unit 4, the display unit 3, drive units 9, 11, 38, 39, and 49, the print unit 6, the halogen lamp 41, encoders 33 to 37, the medium detector 53, a tension detector 54, the reading unit 45, and the cutting unit 50, which are electrically connected to the control unit 30. The control unit 30 controls the print device 1, and controls the print unit 6, the halogen lamp 41, the drive units 9, 11, 38, 39, and 49, the display unit 3, and the cutting unit 50. The storage unit 31 includes a ROM, a RAM, a flash memory, and the like that store various parameters and the like necessary when the control unit 30 executes various programs.
The drive unit 9 rotationally drives the conveyer 7 under the control of the control unit 30. The drive unit 11 rotationally drives the conveyer 10 under the control of the control unit 30. Under the control of the control unit 30, the drive unit 38 rotates the endless belt 16 of the conveyer 15, by rotating the drive roller 13 of the conveyer 15. The drive unit 39 rotationally drives the conveyer 19 under the control of the control unit 30. The drive unit 49 rotationally drives the conveyer 48 under the control of the control unit 30. Each of the drive units 9, 11, 38, 39, and 49 is a stepping motor that can perform forward and reverse rotation, for example. The encoder 33 inputs a value, to the control unit 30, in accordance with a drive amount of the drive unit 9. The encoder 34 inputs a value, to the control unit 30, in accordance with a drive amount of the drive unit 11. The encoder 35 inputs a value, to the control unit 30, in accordance with a drive amount of the drive unit 38. The encoder 36 inputs a value, to the control unit 30, in accordance with a drive amount of the drive unit 39. The encoder 37 inputs a value, to the control unit 30, in accordance with a drive amount of the drive unit 49. The tension detector 54 outputs, to the control unit 30, a detection result in accordance with the tension applied by the tensioner 8 to the medium M between the tensioner 8 and the conveyer 7.
The configuration of the medium M will be described with reference to FIG. 4A. As illustrated in FIG. 4A, the medium M includes the long base sheet M1 and the plurality of labels M2 attached to the base sheet M1. Each of the labels M2 is a rectangular shape whose length in a lengthwise direction is a length L and whose length in the width direction orthogonal to the lengthwise direction is a width W. The plurality of labels M2 are adhered at equal intervals to the base sheet M1 in the conveyance direction F at an interval J.
Print preparation processing performed by the control unit 30 of the print device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 5 to FIG. 8. The print preparation processing is performed after the medium M has been replaced in the print device 1, when a print command is first detected. The command includes an instruction to perform the print preparation processing of skew correction of the medium M, print data, and a command to perform print processing on the basis of the print data. In the following description, each of steps of the processing are denoted by the abbreviation “S”. When the print preparation processing is started, the medium M is sandwiched by the conveyer 7, and attributes of the medium M are input to the print device 1 by the user.
As illustrated in FIG. 5, the control unit 30 controls the cutting unit 50 and moves the blade 59 to an initial position (Si). The initial position of the blade 59 is a stand-by position indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 2, at which the blade 59 is separated upward from the conveyance path Q. The control unit 30 stores, as a predetermined origin position, a position of the leading end of the medium M at the start of the processing, namely, a position P0 (S2). The control unit 30 controls the drive units 9, 11, 38, 39, and 49 at predetermined drive amounts, and starts processing to convey the medium M in the conveyance direction F (S3). The predetermined drive amounts are set in advance as drive amounts when acquiring the tension of the medium M, and are stored in the storage unit 31. On the basis of an output value of the tension detector 54, the control unit 30 acquires the tension of the medium M during a period in which the medium M is conveyed in the conveyance direction F (S4). The drive unit 11 is driven at the same drive amount, at S3, regardless of the remaining amount of the medium M, and thus, the conveyance velocity of the medium M fed out by the conveyer 10 changes in accordance with the remaining amount of the medium M. The tension applied to the medium M changes in accordance with a difference between the conveyance velocity of the medium M fed out by the conveyer 10, and the conveyance velocity of the medium M by the conveyer 7. Based on a correspondence between the tension and the remaining amount of the medium M stored in the storage unit 31, and on the tension acquired at S4, the control unit 30 acquires the remaining amount of the medium M (S5). The control unit 30 controls the drive units 9, 11, 38, 39, and 49, and conveys the medium M in the return direction B until the position of the leading end of the medium M reaches the position P0 stored at S2 (S6).
The control unit 30 determines a velocity V0 and a distance D0, as variables of skew correction processing (S7). A method for determining the velocity V0 and the distance D0 may be set as appropriate. For example, the velocity V0 and the distance D0 may be determined as values stored in the storage unit 31, or may be determined as values set by the user. The control unit 30 performs first conveyance processing (S8). In the first conveyance processing, the control unit 30 performs a first-time back-and-forth conveyance operation, of back-and-forth conveyance operations performed a plurality of times in the skew correction processing, and adjustment processing to adjust the medium detector 53. In the skew correction processing, in each of the plurality of back-and-forth conveyance operations, after conveying the medium M in the conveyance direction F in a state in which the tensioner 8 has applied the tension to the medium M, the control unit 30 conveys the medium M in the return direction B without the tensioner 8 applying the tension to the medium M. In the adjustment processing, the control unit 30 of the present embodiment sets a threshold value that is used in processing to detect the leading end of the medium M by the medium detector 53 and in detection processing to be described later.
As illustrated in FIG. 6, in the first conveyance processing, as variables of the adjustment processing, the control unit 30 determines a velocity V1 and a distance D1 (S11). A method for determining the velocity V1 and the distance D1 may be set as appropriate. For example, the distance D1 may be determined as a value that is set in advance in accordance with a distance between the position P0 and the reading unit 45 and stored in the storage unit 31. For example, the velocity V1 may be determined as a value that is set in advance in accordance with a detection capability of the medium detector 53 and stored in the storage unit 31. Values set by the user may be determined as the velocity V1 and the distance D1.
The control unit 30 determines whether the velocity V1 determined at Sll is greater than the velocity V0 determined at S7 (S12). When the velocity V1 is greater than the velocity V0 (yes at S12), the control unit 30 sets the velocity V0 as a conveyance velocity V (S13). When the velocity V1 is not greater than the velocity V0 (no at S12), the control unit 30 sets the velocity V1 as the conveyance velocity V (S14). As a result of the processing at S12 to S14, of the conveyance velocity V0 required for the skew correction processing and the conveyance velocity V1 required for the adjustment processing, the control unit 30 sets the slower velocity as the conveyance velocity V.
The control unit 30 determines whether the distance D1 determined at Sll is greater than the distance D0 determined at S7 (S15). When the distance D1 is greater than the distance D0 (yes at S15), the control unit 30 sets the distance D1 as a conveyance distance D (S16). When the distance D1 is not greater than the distance D0 (no at S15), the control unit 30 sets the distance D0 as the conveyance distance D (S17). As a result of the processing at S15 to S17, of the conveyance distance D0 required for the skew correction processing and the conveyance distance D1 required for the adjustment processing, the control unit 30 sets the longer distance as the conveyance distance D.
The control unit 30 activates the medium detector 53 (S18). The medium detector 53 outputs a detection result, at a predetermined cycle, to the control unit 30. The predetermined cycle is, for example, a cycle in which 1 cycle is several milliseconds. The control unit 30 stores the detection results output from the medium detector 53 in the storage unit 31, as required. The control unit 30 controls the drive units 9, 11, 38, 39, and 49 and conveys the medium M in the conveyance direction F at the conveyance velocity V and for the conveyance distance D (S19). The control unit 30 sets the drive amount of the drive unit 11 for conveying the medium M at the conveyance velocity V, in accordance with the remaining amount of the medium M acquired at S5. At S19, a predetermined tension is applied to the medium M by the tensioner 8. In this way, of the skew correction processing, the control unit 30 performs the conveyance such that an outward path conveyance, namely, the conveyance in the conveyance direction F, of the first-time back-and-forth conveyance operation is performed at the conveyance velocity V set by the processing at S13 or S14, for the conveyance distance D set by the processing at S16 or S17.
The control unit 30 controls the drive units 9, 11, 38, 39, and 49 and conveys the medium M in the return direction B until the leading end of the medium M is positioned at the position P0 stored at S2 (S20). As a result of the processing at S20, in the first-time back-and-forth conveyance operation, of the plurality of back-and-forth conveyance operations of the skew correction processing, after the medium M has been conveyed in the conveyance direction F, the medium M is conveyed in the return direction B to the predetermined position P0. At S20, the predetermined tension is not applied to the medium M by the tensioner 8. The conveyance velocity at S20 may be the value set at S13 or S14, or may be a different value from these.
The control unit 30 determines whether data of a maximum value and a minimum value are present among the detection results of the medium detector 53 activated at S18 (S21). For example, when a difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of the detection results is greater than a predetermined value, the control unit 30 determines that the data of the maximum value and the minimum value are present among the detection results. When it is determined that the data of the maximum value and the minimum value are not present among the detection results (no at S21), the control unit 30 stores an error of the medium detector 53 (S23), and ends the print preparation processing. When it is determined that the data of the maximum value and the minimum value are present (yes at S21), the control unit 30 sets the threshold value for the medium detector 53 to detect the leading end of the label M2 adhered to the base sheet M1, that is, the front end of the label M2 (S22). For example, the control unit 30 may set, as the threshold value, an average value of the maximum value and the minimum value of the detection results. The control unit 30 ends the first conveyance processing and returns the processing to the print preparation processing illustrated in FIG. 5.
Subsequent to S8, the control unit 30 performs second conveyance processing (S9). As a result of the second conveyance processing, the control unit 30 performs detection processing to detect the attributes of the medium M, on the basis of the detection results output from the medium detector 53, during the second-time back-and-forth conveyance operation, of the plurality of back-and-forth conveyance operations of the skew correction processing. The control unit 30 of the present embodiment detects, as the attributes of the medium M, a length P between the plurality of adjacent labels M2, and a width W of the label M2, which are illustrated in FIG. 4A. The control unit 30 detects the length P on the basis of the detection results of the medium detector 53. The control unit 30 performs the detection processing after the adjustment processing, and detects the length P using the threshold value set in the adjustment processing. The control unit 30 detects the width W on the basis of the image read by the reading unit 45.
As illustrated in FIG. 7, in the second conveyance processing, the control unit 30 determines a velocity V2 and a distance D2 as variables of the detection processing(S31). A method for determining the velocity V2 and the distance D2 may be set as appropriate. For example, the distance D2 may be determined as a value that is set in advance in accordance with the distance between the position P0 and the reading unit 45 and stored in the storage unit 31. For example, the velocity V2 may be determined as a value that is set in advance in accordance with the detection capability of the medium detector 53 and stored in the storage unit 31. The velocity V2 and the distance D2 may be determined as values set by the user. The control unit 30 determines whether the velocity V2 determined at S31 is greater than the velocity V0 determined at S7 (S32). When the velocity V2 is greater than the velocity V0 (yes at S32), the control unit 30 sets the velocity V0 as the conveyance velocity V (S33). When the velocity V2 is not greater than the velocity V0 (no at S32), the control unit 30 sets the velocity V2 as the conveyance velocity V (S34). As a result of the processing at S32 to S34, of the conveyance velocity V0 required for the skew correction processing and the conveyance velocity V2 required for the detection processing, the control unit 30 sets the slower velocity as the conveyance velocity V.
The control unit 30 determines whether the distance D2 determined at S31 is greater than the distance D0 determined at S7 (S35). When the distance D2 is greater than the distance D0 (yes at S35), the control unit 30 sets the distance D2 as the conveyance distance D (S36). When the distance D2 is not greater than the distance D0 (no at S35), the control unit 30 sets the distance D0 as the conveyance distance D (S37). As a result of the processing at S35 to S37, of the conveyance distance D0 required for the skew correction processing and the conveyance distance D2 required for the detection processing, the control unit 30 sets the longer distance as the conveyance distance D. The control unit 30 controls the drive units 9, 11, 38, 39, and 49 and conveys the medium M in the conveyance direction F at the conveyance velocity V and for the conveyance distance D (S38). The control unit 30 sets the drive amount of the drive unit 11 for conveying the medium M at the conveyance velocity V, in accordance with the remaining amount of the medium M acquired at S5. At S38, the predetermined tension is applied to the medium M by the tensioner 8. In this way, of the skew correction processing, the control unit 30 performs the conveyance such that the outward path conveyance of a second-time back-and-forth conveyance operation is performed at the conveyance velocity V set by the processing at S33 or S34, for the conveyance distance D set by the processing at S36 or S37. The control unit 30 estimates the length P of the medium M in the conveyance direction F (S40). Using the threshold value set in the adjustment processing during the first conveyance processing, the control unit 30 estimates the length P corresponding to the size of the medium M in the conveyance direction F. As illustrated in FIG. 4B, for example, the control unit 30 estimates, as the length P, an average value of adjacent maximum values indicated by the detection results of the medium detector 53.
The control unit 30 determines whether the length P estimated at S40 matches the length of the medium M that has been set (S41). The length of the set medium M is acquired on the basis of the attributes of the medium M set by the user before the start of the print preparation processing. When a difference between the length P estimated at S40 and the length of the set medium M is within a predetermined range, the control unit 30 may determine that both lengths match each other. When it is determined that the estimated length P and the length of the set medium M do not match each other (no at S41), the control unit 30 stores a non-matching medium error (S48), and ends the print preparation processing.
When it is determined that the estimated length P and the length of the set medium M match each other (yes at S41), the control unit 30 sets a velocity Vw as the conveyance velocity V (S42). The velocity Vw is a velocity suitable for detecting a width W of the label M2, on the basis of the image read by the reading unit 45. In the detection processing, the control unit 30 of the present embodiment, in addition to the length P, detects the width W of the medium M on the basis of the image read by the reading unit 45. The reading unit 45 is separated upward from the position P0 by equal to or more than the distance D0 and the distance D2. Thus, after conveying the medium M by the conveyance distance D at S38, the control unit 30 sets the conveyance velocity V to Vm, controls the drive units 9, 11, 38, 39, and 49, and conveys the medium M in the conveyance direction F at the conveyance velocity V (S43). The control unit 30 sets the drive amount of the drive unit 11 for conveying the medium M at the conveyance velocity V in accordance with the remaining amount of the medium M acquired at S5. At S43, the predetermined tension is applied to the medium M by the tensioner 8. The control unit 30 determines whether the leading end of the medium M is at a width detection position (S44). The width detection position is a position at which at least the label M2 of a leading end portion of the medium M is positioned below the reading unit 45. The control unit 30 stands by until the leading end of the medium M reaches the width detection position (no at S44). When the leading end of the medium M is at the width detection position (yes at S44), the control unit 30 analyzes, using a known method, the image read by the reading unit 45, and detects the width W of the medium M (S45).
The control unit 30 controls the drive units 9, 11, 38, 39, and 49 and conveys the medium M in the return direction B until the position of the leading end of the medium M is at the position P0 stored at S2 (S46). As a result of the processing at step S46, in the second-time back-and-forth conveyance operation of the plurality of back-and-forth conveyance operations of the skew correction processing, the control unit 30 conveys the medium M in the return direction B to the predetermined position P0 after conveying the medium M in the conveyance direction F. At S46, the predetermined tension is not applied to the medium M by the tensioner 8. The conveyance velocity at S46 may be the same as the value set at S33 or S34, or may be a different value from these. The control unit 30 determines whether the width W detected at S46 matches a set width (S47). The set width is acquired on the basis of the attributes of the medium M set by the user before the start of the print preparation processing. When it is determined that the detected width W does not match the set width (no at S47), the control unit 30 stores the non-matching medium error (S48), and ends the print preparation processing. When it is determined that the detected width W matches the set width (yes at S47), the control unit 30 ends the second conveyance processing and returns the processing to the print preparation processing illustrated in FIG. 5.
Subsequent to S9, the control unit 30 performs third conveyance processing (S10). In the third conveyance processing, the control unit 30 performs a third-time back-and-forth conveyance operation, of the plurality of back-and-forth conveyance operations of the skew correction processing, and performs cutting processing to cut the medium M. As illustrated in FIG. 8, in the third conveyance processing, the control unit 30 sets a velocity V3 and a distance D3 as variables of the cutting processing (S51). In a similar manner to Sll and S31, a method for determining the velocity V3 and the distance D3 may be set as appropriate. The control unit 30 determines whether the velocity V3 determined at S51 is greater than the velocity V0 determined at S7 (S52). When the velocity V3 is greater than the velocity V0 (yes at S52), the control unit 30 sets the velocity V0 as the conveyance velocity V (S53). When the velocity V3 is not greater than the velocity V0 (no at S52), the control unit 30 sets the velocity V3 as the conveyance velocity V (S54). As a result of the processing at S52 to S54, of the conveyance velocity V0 required for the skew correction processing and the conveyance velocity V3 required for the cutting processing, the control unit 30 sets the slower velocity as the conveyance velocity V.
The control unit 30 determines whether the distance D3 determined at S51 is greater than the distance D0 determined at S7 (S55). When the distance D3 is greater than the distance D0 (yes at S55), the control unit 30 sets the distance D3 as the conveyance distance D (S56). When the distance D3 is not greater than the distance D0 (no at S55), the control unit 30 sets the distance D0 as the conveyance distance D (S57). As a result of the processing at S55 to S57, of the distance D0 required for the skew correction processing and the distance D3 required for the cutting processing, the control unit 30 sets the longer distance as the conveyance distance D. The control unit 30 controls the drive units 9, 11, 38, 39, and 49 and conveys the medium M in the conveyance direction F at the conveyance velocity V and for the conveyance distance D (S58). The control unit 30 sets the drive amount of the drive unit 11 for conveying the medium M at the conveyance velocity V, in accordance with the remaining amount of the medium M acquired at S5. At S58, the predetermined tension is applied to the medium M by the tensioner 8. In this way, the control unit 30 performs the conveyance such that the outward path conveyance of the third-time back-and-forth conveyance operation of the skew correction processing is performed at the conveyance velocity V set by the processing at S53 or S54, for the conveyance distance D set by the processing at S56 or S57.
The control unit 30 determines whether the medium M is at a cutting position (S59). When the distance D3 is set as the conveyance distance D, the control unit 30 determines that the medium M is at the cutting position. When the medium M is at the cutting position (yes at S59), the control unit 30 controls the cutting unit 50 and cuts the leading end portion of the medium M (S61). When the medium M is not at the cutting position (no at S59), the control unit 30 controls the drive units 9, 11, 38, 39, and 49 and, after conveying the medium M in the return direction B to the cutting position (S60), performs the processing at S61. At S60, the predetermined tension is not applied to the medium M by the tensioner 8. The control unit 30 controls the drive units 9, 11, 38, 39, and 49 and, after the cutting at S61, conveys the medium M in the return direction B until the position of the leading end of the medium M is at the position P0 stored at S2 (S62). As a result of the processing at step S62, in the third-time back-and-forth conveyance operation, of the plurality of back-and-forth conveyance operations of the skew correction processing, the control unit 30 conveys the medium M in the return direction B to the predetermined position P0 after conveying the medium M in the conveyance direction F. At S62, the predetermined tension is not applied to the medium M by the tensioner 8. The conveyance velocity at S62 may be the same as the value set at S53 or S54, or may be a different value from these. The control unit 30 ends the third conveyance processing and returns the processing to the print preparation processing illustrated in FIG. 5. As illustrated in FIG. 5, subsequent to S10, the control unit 30 ends the print preparation processing. After ending the print preparation processing, the control unit 30 performs the print processing on the basis of the print data.
The print device 1 of the above-described embodiment is provided with the supply unit 5, the print unit 6, the conveyers 7, 10, 15, 19, and 48, the tensioner 8, the drive units 9, 11, 38, 39, and 49, the control unit 30, and the medium detector 53. The supply unit 5 supplies the long medium M. The print unit 6 prints the image on the medium M supplied from the supply unit 5. The conveyers 7, 10, 15, 19, and 48 conveys the medium M in the conveyance direction F from the supply unit 5 toward the print unit 6, and in the return direction B that is the opposite direction to the conveyance direction F. The tensioner 8 applies the tension to the medium M. The drive units 9, 11, 38, 39, and 49 respectively drive the conveyers 7, 10, 15, 19, and 48. The control unit 30 controls the print unit 6, and the drive units 9, 11, 38, 39, and 49. The medium detector 53 outputs the detection result of the medium M to the control unit 30. The control unit 30 controls the drive units 9, 11, 38, 39, and 49 and performs the skew correction processing the plurality of times, in which, during the back-and-forth conveyance operation of conveying the medium M in the return direction B after conveying the medium M in the conveyance direction F, the tension is applied to the medium M by the tensioner 8 (S19 and S20 in FIGS. 6, S38, S43, and S46 in FIGS. 7, and S58 and S62 in FIG. 8). During one of the back-and-forth conveyance operations, of the plurality of back-and-forth conveyance operations, namely, during the second-time back-and-forth conveyance operation, the control unit 30 performs the detection processing (S40 and S45) to detect the attributes of the medium M, on the basis of the detection result output from the medium detector 53. By performing the detection processing during the skew correction processing, the print device 1 contributes to reducing, compared to known art, a time period up to the start of printing, in comparison to when the skew correction processing and the detection processing are performed separately.
The medium detector 53 of the print device 1 is a transmission type sensor or a reflection type sensor. During the other back-and-forth conveyance operations of the plurality of back-and-forth conveyance operations, the control unit 30 performs the adjustment processing (S18, S21, and S22) to adjust the medium detector 53. By performing the detection processing and the adjustment processing during the skew correction processing, the print device 1 contributes to reducing, compared to the known art, the time period up to the start of printing, in comparison to when the skew correction processing, the detection processing, and the adjustment processing are performed separately.
The control unit 30 of the print device 1 performs the detection processing after the adjustment processing. By performing the detection processing after the adjustment processing, the print device 1 can perform the detection processing on the basis of the detection result of the medium detector 53 for which the threshold value has been set by the adjustment processing. The print device 1 contributes to performing the detection processing appropriately, compared to when the detection processing is performed on the basis of the detection result of the medium detector 53 for which the threshold value has not been set by the adjustment processing.
In the second conveyance processing, the control unit 30 of the print device 1 sets the longer distance of the conveyance distance D0 required for the skew correction processing and the conveyance distance D2 required for the detection processing, as the conveyance distance D for the one back-and-forth conveyance operation of the plurality of back-and-forth conveyance operations of the skew correction processing, namely, for the second-time back-and-forth conveyance operation, and sets the slower velocity of the conveyance velocity V0 required for the skew correction processing and the conveyance velocity V2 required for the detection processing, as the conveyance velocity V for the second-time back-and-forth conveyance operation (S32 to S37). The control unit 30 performs the conveyance by the conveyance distance D and at the conveyance velocity V set at S32 to S37, for the second-time back-and-forth conveyance operation of the skew correction processing. The print device 1 contributes to performing the second-time back-and-forth conveyance operation of the plurality of back-and-forth conveyance operations of the skew correction processing, under conditions suitable for performing both the skew correction processing and the detection processing.
In the first conveyance processing, the control unit 30 of the print device 1 sets the longer distance of the distance D0 required for the skew correction processing and the distance D1 required for the adjustment processing, as the conveyance distance D for the other back-and-forth conveyance operation that performs the detection processing, of the plurality of back-and-forth conveyance operations of the skew correction processing, namely, for the first-time back-and-forth conveyance operation, and sets the slower velocity of the conveyance velocity V0 required for the skew correction processing and the conveyance velocity V1 required for the adjustment processing, as the conveyance velocity V for the first-time back-and-forth conveyance operation (S12 to S17). The control unit 30 performs the conveyance by the conveyance distance D and at the conveyance velocity V set at S12 to S17, for the first-time back-and-forth conveyance operation of the skew correction processing. The print device 1 contributes to performing the first-time back-and-forth conveyance operation under conditions suitable for performing both the skew correction processing and the adjustment processing.
The control unit 30 of the print device 1 acquires the remaining amount of the medium M before the skew correction processing (S5). The print device 1 can acquire the remaining amount of the medium M before the skew correction processing.
The print device 1 is provided with the tension detector 54 that detects the tension applied to the medium M by the tensioner 8. At S5, the control unit 30 acquires the remaining amount of the medium M on the basis of the tension detected by the tension detector 54 (S5). The print device 1 can detect the remaining amount of the medium M using comparatively simple processing, on the basis of the tension applied to the medium M.
In the skew correction processing, the print device 1 adjusts the drive amount of the drive unit 11 in accordance with the remaining amount detected at S5 (S19, S38, S43, and S58). The print device 1 can appropriately adjust the drive amount of the drive unit 11 in accordance with the remaining amount of the medium M, and contributes to applying the appropriate tension to the medium M.
The print device 1 is provided with the cutting unit 50 that cuts the medium M. After the one back-and-forth conveyance operation of the plurality of back-and-forth conveyance operations, namely, after the second-time back-and-forth conveyance operation, the control unit 30 controls the drive units 9, 11, 38, 39, and 49 and, after conveying the medium M in the conveyance direction F until the medium M reaches the cutting position in the state in which the tension is applied to the medium M by the tensioner 8, drives the cutting unit 50 and performs the cutting processing to cut the medium M (S61). The print device 1 can cut the medium M position at the cutting position. Even when there is a portion at the leading end portion of the medium M that is folded over, the print device 1 can cut the leading end portion. The print device 1 contributes to inhibiting the occurrence of a defect arising from the presence of the folded over portion at the leading end portion of the medium M.
In the skew correction processing, in each of the plurality of back-and-forth conveyance operations, the control unit 30 of the print device 1 conveys the medium M in the return direction B until the position of the leading end of the medium M is at the position P0, after conveying the medium M in the conveyance direction F (S20, S46, S60). The predetermined origin position of the above-described embodiment is the position P0. In each of the plurality of back-and-forth conveyance operations, the print device 1 can position the medium M at the predetermined origin position. The print device 1 contributes to disposing the medium M at the predetermined origin position after the skew correction processing.
The medium M includes the base sheet M1, and the plurality of labels M2 which are adhered to the base sheet M1. In the skew correction processing, in each of the plurality of back-and-forth conveyance operations, after conveying the medium M in the conveyance direction F in the state in which the tension is applied to the medium M by the tensioner 8, the control unit 30 conveys the medium M in the return direction B without applying the tension to the medium M by the tensioner 8. In the adjustment processing, the control unit 30 adjusts the threshold value used when detecting the label M2 on the basis of the plurality of detection results of the medium detector 53 during the first-time back-and-forth conveyance operation. In the detection processing, the control unit 30 detects the size of the medium M in the conveyance direction F on the basis of the threshold value and the plurality of detection results of the medium detector 53 during the second-time back-and-forth conveyance operation. The print device 1 can perform the adjustment processing and the detection processing during the skew correction processing using comparatively simple processing. The print device 1 contributes to performing the skew correction when the medium M is conveyed in the conveyance direction F in the skew correction processing, and contributes to conveying the medium M in the return direction B while the inclination of the medium M with respect to the conveyance direction F is maintained in the corrected state, when the medium M is conveyed in the return direction B.
The print device, the print preparation method, and the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications may be made without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the present disclosure. For example, the following modifications may be added as appropriate.
It is sufficient that the supply unit 5 be able to supply the long medium M, and a configuration of the supply unit 5 may be changed as appropriate. The medium M may be fan-fold paper that is folded along perforations cut into a sheet. The conveyer 7 may convey the medium M using another conveyance member, such as a conveyance belt or the like. The conveyer 10 may be configured to be able to convey the medium M in the return direction B, the configuration of the conveyer 10 may be changed in accordance with the configuration of the supply unit 5, or the conveyer 10 may be omitted. The drive amount of the drive unit 11 at the time of the back-and-forth conveyance operation, of the plurality of back-and-forth conveyance operations in the skew correction processing, may be the same regardless of the remaining amount of the medium M. The roll R need not necessarily include the paper tube K, and may be wound in a roll shape that can be mounted to the supply unit 5.
The configuration of the print unit 6 may be changed as appropriate, and the print unit 6 may be an inkjet head that can perform color printing, or may be a thermal head using an electrophotographic method or a thermal method. Depending on the printing method of the print device 1, the fixing unit 40 may be omitted, or the configuration of the fixing unit 40 may be changed. The cutting unit 50 may be omitted from the print device 1. The cutting unit 50 may cut the medium M using a manual method by the user. At least one selected from the group of the conveyers 15, 19, and 48 may be omitted as necessary, and the configurations thereof may be changed. The reading unit 45 may be another device, for example, such as a charge coupled device (CCD) or the like.
The configuration of the tensioner 8 may be changed as appropriate. For example, the tensioner 8 may apply the tension to the medium M by adding a predetermined frictional force to the shaft portion 51 when the roll R rotates in the feed-out direction of the medium M, that is, rotates in the counterclockwise direction in a right side view in the above-described embodiment. The print device 1 may apply the tension to the medium M by adjusting the conveyance velocity of the medium M by the conveyer 7 and the conveyance velocity of the medium M by the conveyer 10. In this case, the drive units 9 and 11 function as a tensioner. The medium detector 53 may be a sensor other than the transmission type sensor and the reflection type sensor.
The program including the instructions to execute the print preparation processing shown in FIG. 6 may be stored in a storage device of the print device 1 until the program is executed by the control unit 30. Thus, a program acquisition method, an acquisition path, and a device storing the program may be changed, respectively, as appropriate. The program executed by the control unit 30 may be received from another device via cable or wireless communication, and may be stored in a storage device, such as a flash memory or the like. The other device includes a PC, and a server connected via a network, for example.
Each of the steps of the print preparation processing of the print device 1 is not limited to the example of being executed by the control unit 30, and part or all of the processing may be executed by another electronic device (an ASIC, for example). Each of the steps of the main processing may be executed by distributed processing by a plurality of electronic devices (a plurality of CPUs, for example). The order of each of the steps of the main processing may be changed, the step may be omitted, or a step may be added, as necessary. A mode in which part or all of the main processing is executed by an operating system (OS) or the like operated on the print device 1 on the basis of instructions from the control unit 30 is also included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the following changes may be added to the print preparation processing as appropriate.
The number of times of the back-and-forth conveyance operation in the skew correction processing may be changed as appropriate. The control unit 30 may apply the tension to the medium M using the tensioner 8 only during a return path conveyance of the skew correction processing, or may apply the tension to the medium M using the tensioner 8 in each of the outward path conveyance and the return path conveyance. The control unit 30 need not necessarily convey the medium M to the position at which the leading end of the medium M is at the position P0 in the return path conveyance of the skew correction processing. The conveyance distance of the return path of the skew correction processing may be changed as appropriate.
Each of the detection processing, the adjustment processing, and the cutting processing may be performed at any of the times of the plurality of back-and-forth conveyance operations of the skew correction processing. Each of the detection processing and the adjustment processing may be performed at the time of the return path conveyance of the skew correction processing. Each of the adjustment processing and the cutting processing may be performed separately from the skew correction processing. The method of determining the conveyance velocity V and the conveyance distance D at the time of the back-and-forth conveyance operations of the skew correction processing may be changed as appropriate. In each of the plurality of back-and-forth conveyance operations, the same values may be set, or mutually different values may be set. The control unit 30 may display the error on the display unit 3 at least one of selected from the group of S23 and S48.
The apparatus and methods described above with reference to the various embodiments are merely examples. It goes without saying that they are not confined to the depicted embodiments. While various features have been described in conjunction with the examples outlined above, various alternatives, modifications, variations, and/or improvements of those features and/or examples may be possible. Accordingly, the examples, as set forth above, are intended to be illustrative. Various changes may be made without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the underlying principles.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A print device comprising:

a supply unit configured to supply a long medium;

a print unit configured to print an image on the medium supplied from the supply unit;

a conveyer configured to convey the medium in a conveyance direction from the supply unit toward the print unit, and in a return direction opposite to the conveyance direction;

a tensioner configured to apply tension to the medium;

a drive unit configured to drive the conveyer;

a processor configured to control the print unit and the drive unit;

a medium detector configured to output a detection result of the medium to the processor; and

a memory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, instruct the processor to perform processes comprising:

correction processing, which is repeated a plurality of times, of controlling the drive unit and applying the tension to the medium by the tensioner during a back-and-forth conveyance operation of conveying the medium in the return direction after conveying the medium in the conveyance direction, and

detection processing of detecting attributes of the medium, based on the detection result output from the medium detector, during one of the back-and-forth conveyance operations, of the plurality of back-and-forth conveyance operations.

2. The print device according to claim 1, wherein

the medium detector is a transmission type sensor or a reflection type sensor, and

the computer-readable instructions further instruct the processor to perform a process comprising:

adjustment processing of adjusting the medium detector during another of the back-and-forth conveyance operations, of the plurality of back-and-forth conveyance operations.

3. The print device according to claim 2, wherein

the detection processing is performed after the adjustment processing.

4. The print device according to claim 1, wherein

setting processing of setting, as a conveyance distance of the one back-and-forth conveyance operation, a longer distance of a conveyance distance required for the correction processing and a conveyance distance required for the detection processing, and setting, as a conveyance velocity of the one back-and-forth conveyance operation, a slower velocity of a conveyance velocity required for the correction processing and a conveyance velocity required for the detection processing, and

the correction processing includes performing the conveyance for the conveyance distance and at the conveyance velocity set in the setting processing , for at least a part of the one back-and-forth conveyance operation.

5. The print device according to claim 2, wherein

setting processing of setting, as a conveyance distance of the other back-and-forth conveyance operation, a longer distance of a conveyance distance required for the correction processing and a conveyance distance required for the adjustment processing, and setting, as a conveyance velocity of the other back-and-forth conveyance operation, a slower velocity of a conveyance velocity required for the correction processing and a conveyance velocity required for the adjustment processing, and

the correction processing includes performing a conveyance for the conveyance distance and at the conveyance velocity set in the setting processing , for at least a part of the other back-and-forth conveyance operation.

6. The print device according to claim 1, wherein

remaining amount acquisition processing of acquiring, before the correction processing, a remaining amount of the medium.

7. The print device according to claim 6, further comprising:

a tension detector configured to detect the tension applied to the medium by the tensioner, wherein

the remaining amount acquisition processing includes acquiring the remaining amount of the medium based on the tension detected by the tension detector.

8. The print device according to claim 6, wherein

the correction processing includes adjusting a drive amount of the drive unit in accordance with the remaining amount acquired by the remaining amount acquisition processing.

9. The print device according to claim 2, further comprising:

a cutting unit configured to cut the medium, wherein

cutting processing of, after the other back-and-forth conveyance operation of the plurality of back-and-forth conveyance operations, driving the cutting unit and cutting the medium, after controlling the drive unit and conveying the medium in the conveyance direction to a cutting position in a state in which the tension is applied to the medium by the tensioner.

10. The print device according to claim 1, wherein

the correction processing includes, in each of the plurality of back-and-forth conveyance operations, conveying the medium in the return direction to a predetermined origin position, after conveying the medium in the conveyance direction.

11. The print device according to claim 2, wherein

the medium includes a base sheet and a plurality of labels adhered to the base sheet,

the correction processing includes, in each of the plurality of back-and-forth conveyance operations, conveying the medium in the return direction without applying the tension by the tensioner, after conveying the medium in the conveyance direction in a state in which the tension is applied to the medium by the tensioner,

the adjustment processing includes adjusting a threshold value used when detecting the label, based on a plurality of the detection results of the medium detector during the other back-and-forth conveyance operation, and

the detection processing includes detecting a size of the medium in the conveyance direction, based on a plurality of the detection results of the medium detector during the one back-and-forth conveyance operation and on the threshold value.

12. A print preparation method performed by a processor of a print device, the method comprising:

a correction process, which is repeated a plurality of times, of controlling a drive unit of the print device and applying tension to a long medium, using a tensioner of the print device, during a back-and-forth conveyance operation of conveying the medium in a return direction after conveying the medium in a conveyance direction, the print device including a supply unit, a print unit, a conveyer, the tensioner, the drive unit, the processor, and a medium detector, the supply unit being configured to supply the medium, the print unit being configured to print an image on the medium supplied from the supply unit, the conveyer being configured to be driven by the drive unit to convey the medium in the conveyance direction and the return direction, the conveyance direction being a direction from the supply unit toward the print unit, the return direction being a direction opposite to the conveyance direction, the tensioner being configured to apply the tension to the medium, the processor being configured to control the print unit and the drive unit, and the medium detector being configured to output a detection result of the medium to the processor; and

a detection process of detecting attributes of the medium, based on the detection result output from the medium detector, during one of the back-and-forth conveyance operations, of the plurality of back-and-forth conveyance operations.

13. The print preparation method according to claim 12, further comprising:

an adjustment process of adjusting the medium detector during another of the back-and-forth conveyance operations, of the plurality of back-and-forth conveyance operations, wherein

the medium detector is a transmission type sensor or a reflection type sensor.

14. The print preparation method according to claim 13, wherein

the detection process is performed after the adjustment process.

15. The print preparation method according to claim 12, further comprising:

a condition setting process of setting, as a conveyance distance of the one back-and-forth onveyance operation, a longer distance of a conveyance distance required for the correction process and a conveyance distance required for the detection process, and setting, as a conveyance velocity of the one back-and-forth conveyance operation, a slower velocity of a conveyance velocity required for the correction process and a conveyance velocity required for the detection process, wherein

the correction process includes performing the conveyance for the conveyance distance and at the conveyance velocity set in the condition setting process, for at least a part of the one back-and-forth conveyance operation.

16. The print preparation method according to claim 13, further comprising:

a condition setting process of setting, as a conveyance distance of the other back-and-forth conveyance operation, a longer distance of a conveyance distance required for the correction process and a conveyance distance required for the adjustment process, and setting, as a conveyance velocity of the one back-and-forth conveyance operation, a slower velocity of a conveyance velocity required for the correction process and a conveyance velocity required for the adjustment process, wherein

the correction process includes performing a conveyance for the conveyance distance and at the conveyance velocity set in the condition setting process, for at least a part of the other back-and-forth conveyance operation.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-readable instructions that are executed by a processor of a print device, the computer-readable instructions performing processes comprising:

correction processing, which is repeated a plurality of times, of controlling a drive unit of the print device and applying tension to a long medium, using a tensioner of the print device, during a back-and-forth conveyance operation of conveying the medium in a return direction after conveying the medium in a conveyance direction, the print device including a supply unit, a print unit, a conveyer, the tensioner, the drive unit, the processor, and a medium detector, the supply unit being configured to supply the medium, the print unit being configured to print an image on the medium supplied from the supply unit, the conveyer being configured to be driven by the drive unit to convey the medium in the conveyance direction and the return direction, the conveyance direction being a direction from the supply unit toward the print unit, the return direction being a direction opposite to the conveyance direction, the tensioner being configured to apply the tension to the medium, the processor being configured to control the print unit and the drive unit, and the medium detector being configured to output a detection result of the medium to the processor; and

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium to claim 17, wherein:

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 18, wherein

the detection processing is performed after the adjustment processing.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 17, wherein:

setting processing of setting, as a conveyance distance of the one back-and-forth conveyance operation, a longer distance of a conveyance distance required for the correction processing and a conveyance distance required for the detection processing, and setting, as a conveyance velocity of the one back-and-forth conveyance operation, a slower velocity of a conveyance velocity required for the correction processing and a conveyance velocity required for the detection processing, wherein

the correction processing includes performing the conveyance for the conveyance distance and at the conveyance velocity set in the setting processing, for at least a part of the one back-and-forth conveyance operation.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 18, further comprising:

setting processing of setting, as a conveyance distance of the other back-and-forth conveyance operation, a longer distance of a conveyance distance required for the correction processing and a conveyance distance required for the adjustment processing, and setting, as a conveyance velocity of the one back-and-forth conveyance operation, a slower velocity of a conveyance velocity required for the correction process and a conveyance velocity required for the adjustment processing, wherein

the correction processing includes performing a conveyance for the conveyance distance and at the conveyance velocity set in the setting processing, for at least a part of the other back-and-forth conveyance operation.