JP4774973B2 - Network relay control for network type plug and play - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a control technology for a network relay device that supports network type plug and play.

  As is well known, plug and play is a technique that allows a peripheral device to be connected to or disconnected from a computer at an arbitrary timing after the computer is started. In recent years, Universal Plug and Play (hereinafter referred to as “UPnP”, UPnP is a trademark of UPnP Implementers Corporation) has been developed as an application of plug and play technology to a network. When UPnP is used, the network device can be connected to the network or disconnected from the network at an arbitrary timing. In this specification, an architecture that implements plug and play in a network, such as UPnP, is referred to as “network type plug and play”.

JP 2001-290724 A

  A UPnP-compatible network device can function as various service devices. Here, “service device” means a device that provides a service in response to an external request. The service device can be realized as various devices (referred to as “device units”) such as a printer, a scanner, a facsimile, a copier, a storage device, a camera, and a clock. It is also possible to realize the functions of a plurality of service devices with one device unit.

  By the way, a device unit that does not support UPnP is also desired to be used as a device that supports UPnP protocol by using a network relay device that supports UPnP protocol. However, in the past, the actual situation is that there has been no sufficient study on how to implement such a relay device. In particular, there is a possibility that device units having various capabilities may be connected to such a relay apparatus, and it has not been sufficiently devised as to whether or not to notify the client of the capabilities of the device unit.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of notifying a client of the capabilities of a server device in a network compatible with network type plug and play.

The apparatus of the present invention is compatible with a device unit having one or more service devices that provide a service in response to a request from a client on a network and a network type plug and play for relaying between the network. A network relay device,
A connection control unit that controls connection and disconnection with the client, detects establishment of a connection with the device unit, and disconnects the connection with the client;
A device capability registration unit that receives and registers capability information representing device capability that is the capability of the service device from the device unit ;
With
The device capability registration unit detects the establishment of a connection with the device unit, and after the connection control unit disconnects from the client, before the connection with the client starts again, the device capability registration unit register receives information, when from the client receives the inquiry of the device capabilities, you and notifies the device capability to the client in accordance with the registered capability information.

  According to this apparatus, even when a device unit having various device capabilities is connected to the network relay device, the network relay device can notify the client of the device capability.

The service device is a printer;
The device capability may include a combination of print paper type, paper size, and print quality available in the printer. The network relay device further includes a Web application unit that generates and transmits a print setting screen to the client, and a print setting screen displayed on the client screen in response to the transmission from the Web application unit May be displayed in a state where only a combination of setting values registered as usable in the device capability can be selected by the user.

  According to this configuration, the client can know a combination of print setting values that can be used by the printer.

The network relay device is
A device control unit that includes the device capability registration unit and operates the device unit by exchanging information with the device unit;
Network protocol control connected between the network and the device control unit, receiving a message having a message header and a message body from a client on the network, and transferring information of the message body to the device control unit And
With
The network protocol control unit interprets the message header according to the network type plug and play protocol without interpreting the content of the message body received from the client, and is different from the network type plug and play protocol. Sending the message body to the device controller according to a communication protocol;
The device control unit may interpret the content of the message body received from the network protocol control unit and cause the service device to execute a service according to the interpretation result.

  According to this configuration, the network protocol control unit interprets the header without interpreting the content of the message body and transmits the message body to the device control unit. Therefore, the control in the network protocol control unit is implemented in the device unit. It does not depend on the type or number of service devices. As a result, the control in the network protocol control unit can be simplified. In addition, when a device capability inquiry is received from the client, the device control unit including the device capability registration unit can return the device capability to the client in response thereto.

  Note that the present invention can be realized in various forms, for example, a network device, a network protocol control device, a control method and control device for those devices, and a function of those methods or devices. The present invention can be realized in the form of a computer program, a recording medium recording the computer program, a data signal including the computer program and embodied in a carrier wave, and the like.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order.
A. Explanation of terms:
B. System overview:
C. Device capability registration module configuration and processing sequence:
D. Variations:

A. Explanation of terms:
The meanings of the terms used in the following description are as follows.
DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol): Dynamic host configuration protocol. A protocol that dynamically assigns IP addresses.
GENA (General Event Notification Architecture): General event notification architecture. Used when issuing events in the UPnP architecture.
HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol): Hypertext transfer protocol.
HTTP MU (HTTP Multicast over UDP): HTTP multicast using UDP (User Datagram Protocol).
HTTPPU (HTTP (unicast) over UDP): HTTP unicast using UDP.
MFP (Multi Function Peripheral): A composite peripheral device having functions of a plurality of devices.
SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol): Simple object access protocol. In UPnP architecture, it is used for requesting and responding to actions by RPC (Remote Procedure Call).
SSDP (Simple Service Discovery Protocol): Simple service discovery protocol. In the UPnP architecture, it is used for service discovery.
UPnP (Universal Plug and Play): Universal Plug and Play (UPnP is a trademark of UPnP Implementers Corporation).
URI (Uniform Resource Identifier): Uniform resource identifier. An identifier that is a superordinate concept of URL (Uniform Resource Locator) and indicates a unique position of a resource.
XHTML (eXtensible HyperText Markup Language): An extended hypertext markup language. It is a kind of document description language compatible with HTML, and is a form of XML implementation. XHTML-print described later is a specification for printing an XHTML document.
XML (eXtensible Markup Language): An extensible markup language.

  Although many of the above-described protocols are used in UPnP, these are hereinafter collectively referred to as “UPnP protocol”.

B. System overview:
FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration of a network system to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. This network system has a configuration in which a personal computer 100, a digital camera 110, a digital TV set 120, an image server 130, and a relay unit 600 are connected to each other via a LAN. The relay unit 600 is connected to the multi-function device 800. The MFP 800 itself does not support the UPnP protocol, but the relay unit 600 executes processing according to the UPnP protocol. Therefore, the device 900 including the relay unit 600 and the multifunction device 800 can function as a UPnP compatible network device. The LAN may be a wired network such as IEEE 802.3 or a wireless network such as IEEE 802.11b / g / a. The digital camera 110 and the digital TV set 120 are UPnP compatible network devices. The digital camera 110 and the TV set 120 include control points 110C and 120C in the UPnP architecture. The UPnP architecture and control points will be described later. The personal computer 100 and the image server 130 are also components of this network system, but do not support UPnP.

  The personal computer 100 has a function of creating print data of an image using the printer driver 100D, and transferring the print data to the multi-function device 800 via the relay unit 600 via the LAN to execute printing. . During this printing process, the multi-function device 800 functions as a normal network printer. On the other hand, when printing is performed in accordance with a request from a control point (for example, 110C), the network device 900 including the multifunction device 800 and the relay unit 600 functions as a UPnP compatible printer device.

  The relay unit includes an MFP server 300 and an MFP device control unit 700. The MFP server 300 has a function as a network protocol control unit 302 that mediates messages exchanged between other devices on the LAN and the MFP device control unit 700. As will be described later, in a typical case, the MFP server 300 interprets the UPnP protocol with respect to the message header during message transfer, but does not interpret or process the message body.

  The MFP device control unit 700 includes a description creation module 710, a web application module 720, and a device capability registration module 730. The description creation module 710 has a function of creating a device description and a service description used in the UPnP protocol and providing these descriptions in response to a request from a client (control point). The web application module 720 has a function of creating various web pages for use in setting and using the network device 900 and providing web pages in response to requests from clients. The device capability registration module 730 receives and registers information indicating the device capability of the device unit connected to the relay unit 600, and notifies the device capability in response to inquiries from other modules 710 and 720 and clients on the network. It has the function to do. These modules 710, 720, and 730 are implemented as computer programs, but may be implemented as hardware circuits.

  The MFP server 300 and the MFP device control unit 700 are connected by USB (Universal Serial Bus), and the MFP device control unit 700 and the multi-function device 800 are also connected by USB. However, various physical interfaces other than USB can also be used. Further, the MFP server 300 and the MFP device control unit 700 can be connected with a communication protocol different from the UPnP protocol.

  The multi-function device 800 includes service devices 810, 820, and 830 for providing services to clients, and a control unit 840. Here, a print engine 810, a scanner engine 820, and a PC card interface 830 are mounted as service devices. Note that the multi-function device 800 only needs to have at least one service device, and is generally configured to have N service devices (N is an integer equal to or greater than 1). The multi-function device 800 is also referred to as a “device unit”.

  The print engine 810 is a printing mechanism that executes printing according to given print data. In this embodiment, when the control points 110C and 120C transmit XHTML data to the multi-function device 800 according to the UPnP protocol and perform printing, the MFP device control unit 700 interprets the XHTML data and performs color conversion and halftone processing. It executes to create print data, and supplies this print data to the print engine 810. However, instead of the MFP device control unit 700, the control unit 840 or the print engine 810 may be configured to have color conversion and halftone processing functions. On the other hand, when printing from the personal computer 100, the MFP device control unit 700 analyzes the page description language generated by the printer driver 100D, creates print data, and supplies the print data to the print engine 810. In this specification, “print data” means data representing a printed matter by dot data indicating a dot formation state on a print medium. The print data is composed of printer-specific control commands. XHTML does not correspond to print data, and is a document description language for describing a document. The scanner engine 820 is a mechanism that scans an image and generates image data.

  UPnP is an architecture that realizes connecting or disconnecting a network device to a network at an arbitrary timing. The UPnP network includes control points 110C and 120C and service devices 810, 820, and 830. Here, “service device” means a device that provides a service. In this specification, unless otherwise specified, “device” and “service device” are used as synonyms. The “control point” means a controller that detects and controls other devices on the network, and functions as a client for the service device. Various functions of the UPnP-compatible network device will be described later.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing internal configurations of the MFP server 300 and the MFP device control unit 700 in the relay unit 600. The MFP server 300 includes a central control unit (CPU) 310, a RAM 320, a ROM 330, a network control unit 340, and a USB host control unit 350. The network control unit 340 is connected to a wired network via the connector 342. The USB host control unit 350 has a root hub 352, and two USB connectors 354 and 356 are provided on the root hub 352. The first USB connector 354 is connected to the USB connector 462 of the MFP device control unit 700 via a USB cable. An additional device (for example, a wireless communication circuit for communicating with a wireless LAN network) can be connected to the second USB connector 356.

  The MFP device control unit 700 includes a central control unit (CPU) 410, a RAM 420, a ROM 430, a USB device control unit 460, and a USB host control unit 510. The first USB device control unit 460 is connected to the USB host control unit 350 of the MFP server 300 via the USB connector 462. The USB host control unit 510 has a root hub 512, and the root hub 512 is provided with a USB connector 514. A multi-function device 800 (device unit) is connected to the connector 514.

  The central control unit 310, the network control unit 340, and the USB host control unit 350 of the MFP server 300 realize the function as the network protocol control unit 302 in FIG. More specifically, the network control unit 340 transmits and receives messages according to various network protocols. The central control unit 310 interprets the UPnP protocol and determines the transfer destination. USB host control unit 350 transfers a message to and from MFP device control unit 700. These control units 310, 340, and 350 transfer messages without interpreting or processing the message body.

  The USB device control unit 460 of the MFP device control unit 700 transmits and receives messages according to the USB transfer protocol. The central control unit 410 interprets the content of the message transferred via the MFP server 300, executes processing according to the content of the message, creates control data, and transfers the control data to the multi-function device 800. To do. The operations of the service devices 810, 820, and 830 in the multi-function device 800 are controlled according to this control data. The functions of both MFP server 300 and MFP device control unit 700 may be realized by a single unit without separating MFP server 300 and MFP device control unit 700.

  The multifunction device 800 is provided with an operation panel and a display unit (monitor) that are used when the user performs various settings, but these are not shown.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a hierarchical structure of various protocols of the MFP server 300. The MFP server 300 includes a service protocol interpreter 1000 for interpreting various network protocols. The service protocol interpretation unit 1000 includes a lower layer of the network architecture and a lower layer of the USB architecture. As a lower layer of the network architecture, a UPnP device architecture 1100 and three non-UPnP device function units 1210, 1220, and 1230 are provided. Below these are a UDP or TCP layer, an Internet Protocol (IP) layer, a driver layer, and a network interface layer.

  As a lower layer of the USB architecture of the service protocol interpreter 1000, a D4 packet processor 1300, a USB printer class driver 1310, a USB scanner class driver 1320, and a USB storage class driver 1330 are provided. Below these three device drivers 1310, 1320, and 1330 are USB system software and a USB host interface (hardware). As can be understood from this figure, the USB printer class driver 1310 uses the so-called “D4 packet” (packet structure conforming to IEEE1284.4) to transfer data, whereas the scanner class driver 1310 The D4 packet is not used in 1320 or the storage class driver 1330. This is because, among the standard USB device classes, the D4 packet is adopted as the upper protocol in the printer class, but in the scanner class and the storage class, the control stack that does not use the D4 packet (from the application layer to the physical layer). This is because the architecture up to is the standard of the OS.

  The UPnP device architecture is configured according to various protocols such as HTTPMU, HTTPPU, SOAP / HTTP, and HTTP. UPnP uses these protocols to implement the following various processes.

(1) Addressing:
When a UPnP device (hereinafter simply referred to as “device”) is connected to a network, a network address (IP address) is acquired by addressing. For addressing, a DHCP server or Auto-IP is used. If a DHCP server is provided in the network, the device uses an IP address assigned by the DHCP server. If there is no DHCP server, the device determines its own address using an automatic IP addressing function called Auto-IP. In this embodiment, only one IP address is assigned to the network device 900 composed of the relay unit 600 and the multifunction device 800, and the entire device 900 is recognized as a single network device.

(2) Discovery (detection):
Discovery is a process in which the control point finds out where the device is. Discovery can be realized by the control point multicasting the discovery message, or can be realized by advertising the fact to the control point when the device joins the network. Discovery is performed using HTTPMU / SSDP or HTTPPU / SSDP. As a result of the discovery, the control point and the device can be processed peer-to-peer.

(3) Description:
Details of the device configuration are described in XML as a device description. The details of the device service are described in XML as a service description. These descriptions are owned by the device and provided to the control point. The control point can know the details of the device and service by referring to these descriptions. An example of the device description will be described later.

(4) Control:
Control is a process in which a control point controls a device by transferring a control message including an action request to the device. Control is performed using HTTP / SOAP.

(5) Event:
When a predetermined event occurs, a service in the device notifies the control point of the occurrence of the event. A control point that receives notification of an event occurrence “subscribes” to the service. Events are forwarded to subscribing control points. Notification of an event is performed using HTTP / GENA.

(6) Presentation:
The presentation is a process of acquiring a presentation page whose control point is described in HTML from the URL for presentation registered in the device description. With this presentation, for example, the control point can display various states of the device.

  The present invention can also be applied to future versions of UPnP. As network type plug and play, any control point and device can communicate peer-to-peer by addressing (automatic IP address determination) and device discovery, and the control point and device exchange messages. If it is an architecture, the present invention can be applied to network type plug and play specifications other than UPnP.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a hierarchical structure of various protocols of the MFP device control unit 700. The MFP device control unit 700 has a UPnP device function unit 2400 and three non-UPnP device function units 2210, 2220, and 2230. The UPnP device function unit 2400 includes three UPnP device modules (corresponding to the three devices 810, 820, and 830 in FIG. 1). Each device module includes a service module for executing a service, but is not shown here. Below the UPnP device function unit 2400 and the non-UPnP printer function unit 2210 are a D4 packet processing unit 2300 and a USB printer class driver 2310. A USB scanner class driver 2320 and a USB storage class driver 2330 exist below the non-UPnP scanner function unit 2220 and the non-UPnP storage function unit 2230. Below the three device drivers 2310, 2320, and 2330 are a USB logical device and a USB device interface (hardware). As can be understood from this hierarchical structure, when the UPnP scanner device or UPnP storage device provides services to the control point, the USB printer class driver 2310 is used between the MFP server 300 and the MFP device control unit 700. Data transfer. Therefore, the D4 packet can also be used when transferring data for UPnP scanner devices and UPnP storage devices.

  As shown in FIG. 4, seven types of UPnP bidirectional communication channels are provided between the USB printer class driver 1310 of the MFP server 300 and the USB printer class driver 2310 of the MFP device control unit 700. These are logical channels using D4 packets, and are used when the multi-function device 800 functions as a UPnP device. There are also seven types of UPnP logical channels corresponding to the seven types of logical channels between the printer class drivers 1310 and 2310 between the service protocol interpreter 1000 and the UPnP device function unit 2400. FIG. It is omitted. In the following, a logical channel using D4 packets will be described first.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an interface / endpoint configuration and a logical channel configuration in USB connection between the MFP server 300 and the MFP device control unit 700. Generally, a USB device has an interface and an endpoint. USB transfer is performed between the USB host and the endpoint. In other words, the “end point” is a logical resource that communicates with the host. In the example of FIG. 5A, seven end points EP # 0 to EP # 6 are shown. The control end point EP # 0 is an end point for transmitting / receiving a standard device request. A “standard device request” is a basic request that needs to be supported by all USBs. Therefore, one control endpoint EP # 0 is always provided for one USB device.

  The printer bulk-out endpoint EP # 1 and bulk-in endpoint EP # 2 are endpoints for receiving and transmitting messages for the print engine 810. Similarly, the bulk-out endpoint EP # 3 and the bulk-in endpoint EP # 4 for the scanner are endpoints for receiving and transmitting a message for the scanner engine 820. The storage endpoints EP # 5 and EP # 6 are endpoints for receiving and transmitting messages for the memory card (PC card interface 830). In general, in a USB device, endpoints other than the control endpoint EP # 0 are classified by a logical interface. In the example of FIG. 5A, a printer interface IF # 0, a scanner interface IF # 1, and a storage interface IF # 2 are provided as logical interfaces.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5B, nine logical channels are provided in the printer interface IF # 0. The function of each of these channels is as follows.

(1) PRINT-DATA channel CH # 11:
A channel for transmitting / receiving print data transferred from the printer driver 100D (FIG. 1) from the personal computer 100 on the network using a print port (port number or port number 9100 according to the LPR port). It is not shown in FIG.

(2) PRINT-STATUS channel CH # 12:
The MFP server 300 is a channel for transmitting and receiving information indicating the state of the print engine 810, and is provided from the MFP server 300 to the personal computer 100 on the network by a protocol such as SNMP. It is not shown in FIG.

(3) UPNP-LOCALCONTROL channel CH # 21:
A UPnP channel for performing communication between the MFP server 300 and the MFP device control unit 700 with the MFP server 300 as a requester and the MFP device control unit 700 as a responder. The MFP server 300 can acquire various types of information from the MFP device control unit 700 using this channel.

(4) UPNP-LOCALEVENT channel CH # 22:
A UPnP channel for performing communication between the MFP server 300 and the MFP device control unit 700 with the MFP device control unit 700 as a requester and the MFP server 300 as a responder. Using this channel, the MFP device control unit 700 can notify the MFP server 300 of the contents of setting changes made by the user on the multifunction device 800, and when the multifunction device 800 is turned off, UPnP A request to end the protocol can be notified to the MFP server 300.

(5) UPNP-PRESENTATION channel CH # 23:
A channel for transmitting and receiving UPnP presentation data (Web page data). A channel (down channel) for transmitting presentation data from the MFP device control unit 700 to the control point in response to a control point request, and a new presentation data for uploading from the control point to the MFP device control unit 700. A channel (up channel) may be provided separately.

(6) UPNP-CONTROL channel CH # 24:
In UPnP, a channel for transmitting and receiving data related to an action transmitted from a control point. The reason why the above-mentioned UPNP-LOCALCONTROL channel is prefixed with “LOCAL” is that the UPNP-LOCALTONTROL channel is not used for transferring action contents from the control point. In other words, the UPNP-CONTROL channel CH # 24 is used only for transmission / reception of data related to the action transmitted from the control point.

(7) UPNP-EVENT channel CH # 25:
In UPnP, a channel for sending events to subscribing control points. The reason why the above-mentioned UPNP-LOCALEVENT channel is prefixed with “LOCAL” is that this UPNP-LOCALEVENT channel is not used for sending events to the control point. In other words, the UPNP-EVENT channel CH # 25 is used only for transmitting an event generated in the multi-function device 800 to the control point.

(8) UPNP-DOWNCONTENTx channel CH # 26x:
In UPnP, a transmission / reception channel used when content data is downloaded from a control point to the MFP device control unit 700. Here, the suffix “x” means the x-th channel among Ndown (Ndown is an integer of 2 or more) UPNP-DOWNCONTENT channels. The number NUP of available UPNP-DOWNCONTENTx channels can be arbitrarily set to 1 or more, but is preferably set to a value of 2 or more. If Ndown is set to a value of 2 or more, it is possible to receive content data of a plurality of controls in parallel.

(9) UPNP-UPCONTENTx channel CH # 27x:
In UPnP, a transmission / reception channel used when uploading content data from the MFP device control unit 700 to a control point. The suffix “x” means the x-th channel among Nup (Nup is an integer of 2 or more) UPNP-UPCONTENT channels. The number Ndown of UPNP-DOWNCONTENTx channels and the number Nup of UPNP-UPCONTENTx channels may be the same or different. It can be understood that the actual number of UPnP logical channels in FIG. 5B is (5 + Ndown + Nup).

  Each logical channel can perform bidirectional communication using both the bulk-out endpoint EP # 1 and the bulk-in endpoint EP # 2. The identification information of the logical channel is registered in the header of the USB packet.

  As described above, the nine types of logical channels shown in FIG. 5 are used for USB connection between the MFP server 300 and the MFP device control unit 700. On the other hand, in the USB connection between the MFP device control unit 700 and the multifunction device 800, only two logical channels of the PRINT-DATA channel CH # 11 and the PRINT-STATUS channel CH # 12 are used. Preferably it is. This is because the MFP device control unit 700 interprets various messages received in accordance with the UPnP protocol and converts them into control data for the multi-function device 800, and the control data (mainly) via the PRINT-DATA channel CH # 11. This is because it has a function of transferring to the multifunction device 800. However, the same nine types of logical channels as shown in FIG. 5 may also be used in the USB connection between the MFP device control unit 700 and the multifunction device 800. Also in the USB connection between the MFP server 300 and the MFP device control unit 700, a smaller number of logical channels than in FIG. 5 may be used.

  FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of a D4 packet used for USB transfer via the printer interface IF # 0. This is a packet structure conforming to IEEE1284.4. This D4 packet is composed of a header part of 12 bytes and a message part of 0 bytes or more. The header part has a 6-byte D4 standard header, a 4-byte ID field, and a 2-byte error code field. In the D4 standard header, socket IDs (logical channel IDs) for identifying nine types of (7 + Ndown + Nup) logical channels shown in FIG. 5B are registered. A request ID is registered in the ID field. This request ID is used to identify packets constituting the same message in data transfer between the MFP server 300 and the MFP device control unit 700 (particularly the UPNP-DOWNCONTENTx channel and the UPNP-UPCONTENTx channel). The request ID is assigned by the MFP server 300 and assigned by the MFP device control unit 700. Therefore, it is preferable to provide a bit (for example, the most significant bit) that can uniquely identify which of the MFP server 300 and the MFP device control unit 700 is assigned to the request ID. The request ID is also referred to as “job ID”.

  In the D4 packet, since various logical channels can be configured using the header portion, various data transfers can be realized using various logical channels. In addition, since header information other than the D4 standard header can be set arbitrarily to some extent, there is an advantage that the degree of freedom of contrivance for executing various controls is high.

  When a request is transferred using the D4 packet according to the present embodiment, a URI (notice that the message is sent from the sender of the message to the receiver (receiver)) at the head of the message after the error field (also called “message header”) ( Usually, a relative URI) is added. The recipient of the message can easily determine the content and destination of the request from this URI.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, in this embodiment, logical ports CH # 11 to CH # 12 for print ports are used as logical channels for USB transfer between the MFP server 300 and the MFP device control unit 700. And logical channels CH # 21 to CH # 27x for UPnP are provided separately. Therefore, print data transferred to the MFP device control unit 700 via the network print port, content data (eg, XHTML data for printing) transferred to the MFP device control unit 700 via the UPnP port, and Can be easily identified. Further, in this embodiment, a plurality of logical channels CH # 21 to CH # 27x having different uses are provided for USB transfer of messages using the UPnP protocol, so that message content processing is performed on the message receiving side. It is possible to process at higher speed. In particular, in this embodiment, in addition to the logical channels CH # 23 to CH # 27x used for communication with the control point, local information transfer between the MFP server 300 and the MFP device control unit 700 is performed. Are separately provided with logical channels CH # 21 and CH # 22. Accordingly, for example, a message sent from a client (control) and specific information notified between the MFP server 300 and the MFP device control unit 700 can be easily distinguished, and processing suitable for each can be quickly executed. Is possible.

  FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram illustrating a typical example of processing using the UPnP architecture. Here, a case where a message is transferred among the control point 110C, the MFP server 300, and the MFP device control unit 700 is shown. Actually, control data and status information are exchanged between the MFP device control unit 700 and the multi-function device 800, but the illustration is omitted in FIG. 7 for convenience. In step [1], the control point 110C transfers the HTTP request message F1 to the MFP server 300. The header of the message F1 includes a request command method (such as POST or GET), a URI indicating a destination in the MFP device unit 400, and a network device 900 (FIG. 1) including the relay unit 600 and the multi-function device 800. The host name (IP address “169.254.100.100” in this example) is described. Since only one IP address is assigned to the network device 900, this IP address is the IP address of the MFP server 300, the IP address of the MFP device control unit 700, or the IP address of the multifunction device 800. It is also possible to think.

  In step [2], the MFP server 300 analyzes the request message F1. Here, only the header portion of the message F1 is analyzed (interpreted), and the content of the transmission data (that is, the message body) is not interpreted. More specifically, in step [2], the URI of the message F1 is analyzed to determine which logical channel should be used to transfer the message to the MFP device control unit 700. Note that some messages F1 have no substantial message body.

  In step [3], the MFP server 300 transfers the message F2 including the URI and the message body (if present) to the MFP device control unit 700 via USB. In this transfer, a logical channel selected according to the URI is used.

  In step [4], the MFP device control unit 700 executes processing according to the URI and message body (if any) in the received message F2. Specifically, for example, the MFP device control unit 700 interprets the content of the message body to create control data for the multi-function device 800, and transfers the control data to the multi-function device 800 for operation. In step [5], the MFP device control unit 700 transfers the message R1 including the response data to the MFP server 300 via USB. In step [6], the MFP server 300 adds an HTTP header to the transmission data. This HTTP header includes a status code indicating the processing result of the HTTP request. For example, if the processing result is OK, the status code is set to “200”, and if it is an error, it is set to “500”. In step [7], the HTTP response message R2 thus created is transferred from the MFP server 300 to the control point 110C.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the MFP server 300 analyzes (interprets) the header in the request message received from the control point, but does not interpret the content of the message body, and the message body is the MFP device. Processed by the control unit 700. This configuration has the following advantages. The first advantage is that the MFP server 300 does not need to grasp the device configuration of the device unit (multifunction device 800) and the contents of the service, and transfers a message sent to a device unit having an arbitrary configuration. It can function as a network protocol control unit. The second advantage is that even if the device configuration of the device unit and the contents of the service are changed, it is not necessary to change the configuration and functions of the MFP server 300. A third advantage is that since it is not necessary to mount an interpretation unit (parser) that interprets the content of the message body in the MFP server 300, the configuration of the MFP server 300 can be simplified.

C. Device capability registration module configuration and processing sequence:
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the internal configuration of the device capability registration module 730. The device capability registration module 730 includes an interface module 732 and a device capability database 734. The interface module 732 provides an interface (API) for the MFP server 300 and other modules 710 and 720 (FIG. 1) in the MFP device control unit 700 to access the database 734. The device capability database 734 stores a device capability table shown at the bottom of FIG. The device capability table stores available combinations of paper type, paper size, print quality, and layout (with or without margins) as the capabilities of the print engine 810. As can be understood from this example, the “device capability” of the print engine 810 (printer device) means a feasible combination of a plurality of print setting items. Alternatively, the device capability of the printer device can be considered to mean the contents of services that can be provided to the client. Note that the device capability information representing the device capability of the printer device preferably includes at least a combination of print paper type, paper size, and print quality that can be used.

  The device capability database 734 preferably stores a device capability table for each device included in the multi-function device 800. For example, for a scanner, it is preferable to store a device capability table indicating a feasible combination of a plurality of setting items including resolution, monochrome / color distinction, and whether or not film reading is performed.

  The device capability registration module 730 has a function of notifying the capabilities of devices in the multifunction device 800 in response to an inquiry from the outside. Inquiries from the outside include inquiries from other modules 710 and 720 in the MFP device control unit 700 in addition to inquiries from the control point. In order to be able to respond to such an inquiry, the device capability registration module 730 acquires information on the device capability from the multi-function device 800 when the multi-function device 800 is connected to the relay unit 600.

  FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram showing a processing sequence when the multi-function device 800 is connected to the relay unit 600 in this embodiment.

  In step [1], the MFP device control unit 700 detects from the multifunction device 800 that the connection between the multifunction device 800 and the relay unit 600 has been established. Here, “establishing a connection” is not only when physical connection of a cable or connector is started, but also when both devices 700 and 800 are activated while the physical connection of the cable is maintained. Has a broad meaning. Further, “connection establishment” in the case of wireless connection means that the authentication between the two devices 700 and 800 has been completed and the exchange of entity data is now possible.

  When the MFP device control unit 700 learns that the multifunction device 800 is connected, it sends a reset request to the MFP server 300 in step [2]. In step [3], the MFP server 300 transmits a shutdown notification to the MFP device control unit 700 as a response to the reset request. In step [4], the MFP server 300 multicasts a ByeBye notification to the control point. The shutdown notification is a notification for notifying that the MFP server 300 is to be restarted. The ByeBye notification is a notification for notifying all control points that the MFP device is leaving the network in the UPnP protocol. The reason why the MFP server 300 restarts by multicasting the ByeBye notification is that, in the UPnP standard, it is determined that these operations are performed when a device description is recreated (step [13] described later). It is. Thereafter, the MFP server 300 is restarted. The MFP device control unit 700 may be restarted together with the MFP server 300. Note that steps [2] to [4] and restart of the MFP server 300 may be omitted.

  In step [5] in FIG. 9, the MFP server 300 requests device information from the MFP device control unit 700. This request for device information is a process performed when the MFP server 300 is activated. The number of devices included in the UPnP-compatible network device 900, the number of services, the device type of each device, and the service type of each service This is performed in order for the MFP server 300 to acquire various types of device information including the contents of services that can be provided (that is, device capabilities). In step [6], the MFP device control unit 700 transfers this device information request to the multi-function device 800. In response to this request, the MFP 800 returns various device information including device capability information (step [7]), and the MFP device control unit 700 transfers this device information to the MFP server 300 (step [8]). ). The device capability information is registered in the device capability registration module 730 (FIG. 8) in the MFP device control unit 700.

  In the example of FIG. 9, in the subsequent step [9], the M-Search request is multicast from the control point 120C. The M-Search request is issued by the control point for searching for devices in the UPnP protocol. In response to this request, all UPnP-compatible network devices connected to the network return responses to the control point 120C that issued the request (step [10]).

  Thereafter, the control point 120C requests each network device to transfer the device description (step [11]). When the MFP server 300 transfers this request to the MFP device control unit 700 (step [12]), the MFP device control unit 700 recreates the device description (step [13]). This device description is created based on various device information provided from the multi-function device 800 to the MFP device control unit 700 in steps [6] and [7]. The device configuration of the network apparatus 900 is changed to XML. It is described in. Note that the MFP device control unit 700 may re-create the device description at an earlier time.

  The device description thus created is transferred from the MFP device control unit 700 to the MFP server 300 in step [14], and further transferred to the control point 120C in step [15].

  In step [16] in FIG. 9, the control point 120C requests the relay unit 600 to transfer the service description. When the MFP server 300 transfers this request to the MFP device control unit 700 (step [17]), the description creation module 710 in the MFP device control unit 700 makes a service description using the device capability table (FIG. 8). Create (step [18]). As described above, the device capability table represents the contents of services that the device can provide to the client. The service description describes the contents of services that can be provided by the device in XML. In other words, both the device capability table and the service description are common in terms of information representing device capabilities. The service description created in this manner is returned from the MFP device control unit 700 to the MFP server 300 (step [19]), and further returned to the control point 120C (step [20]).

  As described above, when the connection between the relay unit 600 and the MFP 800 is established, the device capability information indicating the device capability of the MFP 800 is registered in the device capability registration module 730 in the MFP device control unit 700. Therefore, when there is a service description request from the control point 120C, the service description can be returned from the MFP device control unit 700 to the control point 120C. Using this service description, the control point 120C can present the contents of services that the network device 900 can provide to the user of the control point 120C.

  Note that communication in steps [2] and [3] of FIG. 9 is performed using the UPNP-LOCALEVENT channel (FIG. 5), and steps [5], [8], [12], [14], Communication in [17] and [19] is performed using the UPNP-LOCALCONTROL channel. However, these communications may be performed using logical channels other than these.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure for instructing the MFP 800 to print using the digital TV set 120 (FIG. 1). In step S <b> 100, the user selects a print service on the screen of the digital TV set 120. FIG. 11A shows an example of a screen displayed on the digital TV set 120 when the function of the multi-function device 800 is used. This screen includes a button 910 for selecting the top page of the multifunction device 800, three buttons 920, 930, and 940 for selecting a service of the multifunction device 800, and a button 950 for returning to the previous page. It is out. In step S100 in FIG. 10, the print button 920 is clicked. The user interface on the digital TV set 120 is provided by the control point 120C.

  In step S110, in response to the click of the print button 920, the Web application module 720 (FIGS. 1 and 8) creates a print setting screen and returns it to the digital TV set 120, and the print setting screen is displayed accordingly. Is displayed. FIG. 11B shows an example of a print setting screen. On this screen, a combination of paper type, paper size, print quality, and layout (existence of margin) is selectable. However, the user can select only a combination of setting values registered as available in the device capability table (FIG. 8). For example, in the example of FIG. 11B, when the paper type is “glossy paper”, the paper size is “A4”, and the layout is “no margin”, “Premium” can be selected as the print quality, but “Fast” is selected. The display is made in a mode that cannot be selected. The print setting screen may be created by the control point 120C according to the service description.

  In step S120 in FIG. 10, the user performs print settings using the screen in FIG. In step S130, the user selects a print target and instructs printing. An example of the print target selection screen is omitted. In response to this instruction, the multi-function device 800 prints the print target.

  As described above, the relay unit 600 according to the present embodiment registers the device capability in the device capability registration module 730 when establishing a connection with the multi-function device 800, and notifies the registered device capability in response to a request from the client. Can do. Therefore, even when device units having various different capabilities are connected as the multi-function device 800, it is possible to appropriately notify the client of the capabilities of the individual device units.

D. Variations:
The present invention is not limited to the above-described examples and embodiments, and can be implemented in various modes without departing from the gist thereof. For example, the following modifications are possible.

D1. Modification 1:
In the above embodiment, the UPnP-compatible network device 900 is a device having the multi-function device 800 including a plurality of devices. Instead, a single-function network device including only one device (for example, a printer) is employed. It is also possible to do. In other words, the network device may have at least one device.

D2. Modification 2:
In the above embodiment, a part of the configuration realized by hardware may be replaced with software, and conversely, a part of the configuration realized by software may be replaced by hardware.

It is a conceptual diagram which shows the structure of the network system to which the Example of this invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of an MFP server and an MFP device control unit in a relay unit. 3 is a block diagram showing a hierarchical structure of various protocols of the MFP server. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the hierarchical structure of the various protocols of an MFP device control unit. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an interface / endpoint configuration and a logical channel configuration in USB connection between an MFP server and an MFP device control unit. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the packet used for USB transfer via a printer interface. It is a sequence diagram which shows the typical example of the process using UPnP architecture. It is explanatory drawing which shows the internal structure of a device capability registration module. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating a processing sequence when the multifunction peripheral is connected to the relay unit 600 in the present embodiment. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure when a multifunction apparatus is instructed to print using a digital TV set. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a screen when using a function of a multifunction peripheral from a digital TV set.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Personal computer 100D ... Printer driver 110 ... Digital camera 110C ... Control point 120 ... Digital TV set 120C ... Control point 130 ... Image server 300 ... MFP server 302 ... Network protocol control part 310 ... Central control part 320 ... RAM
330 ... ROM
340 ... Network control unit 342 ... Connector 350 ... USB host control unit 352 ... Root hub 354, 356 ... USB connector 410 ... Central control unit 420 ... RAM
430 ... ROM
460 ... USB device control unit 462 ... USB connector 510 ... USB host control unit 512 ... Root hub 514 ... USB connector 600 ... Relay unit 700 ... MFP device control unit 710 ... Description creation module 720 ... Web application module 730 ... Device capability registration module 732: Interface module 734: Device capability database 800 ... Multifunction device 810 ... Print engine 820 ... Scanner engine 830 ... PC card interface 840 ... Control unit 900 ... Network device 910-950 ... Button 1000 ... Service protocol interpretation unit 1100 ... UPnP device architecture 1210, 1220, 1230 ... Non-UPnP device function unit 1310 ... USB printer Las driver 1320 ... USB scanner class driver 1330 ... USB storage class driver 2210 ... Non-UPnP printer function unit 2220 ... Non-UPnP scanner function unit 2230 ... Non-UPnP storage function unit 2310 ... USB printer class driver 2320 ... USB scanner class driver 2330 ... USB Storage class driver 2400 ... UPnP device function unit

Claims (4)

A network relay device corresponding to a network type plug and play for relaying between a device unit having one or more service devices that provide a service in response to a request from a client on the network and the network ,
A connection control unit that controls connection and disconnection with the client, detects establishment of a connection with the device unit, and disconnects the connection with the client;
A device capability registration unit that receives and registers capability information representing device capability that is the capability of the service device from the device unit ;
With
The device capability registration unit detects the establishment of a connection with the device unit, and after the connection control unit disconnects from the client, before the connection with the client starts again, the device capability registration unit A network relay device that receives and registers information and notifies the client of the device capability according to the registered capability information when receiving an inquiry about the device capability from the client. The network relay device according to claim 1,
The service device is a printer;
The device capabilities, viewing including the available combinations by the printer and the print quality type and sheet size of the printing paper,
The network relay device further includes a Web application unit that creates and transmits a print setting screen to the client,
The print setting screen displayed on the client screen in response to transmission from the Web application unit is displayed in a state where only the combination of setting values registered as usable in the device capability can be selected by the user. that, the network relay device. The network relay device according to claim 1 or 2,
A device control unit that includes the device capability registration unit and operates the device unit by exchanging information with the device unit;
Network protocol control connected between the network and the device control unit, receiving a message having a message header and a message body from a client on the network, and transferring information of the message body to the device control unit And
With
The network protocol control unit interprets the message header according to the network type plug and play protocol without interpreting the content of the message body received from the client, and is different from the network type plug and play protocol. Sending the message body to the device controller according to a communication protocol;
The network relay device, wherein the device control unit interprets the content of the message body received from the network protocol control unit, and causes the service device to execute a service according to the interpretation result. Relay method using a network relay device that relays between a device unit having one or more service devices that provide a service in response to a request from a client on the network according to a network type plug-and-play protocol, and the network Because
The network relay device detects establishment of a connection with the device unit and disconnects the connection with the client;
After the disconnection and before starting the connection with the client again , receiving capability information representing the device capability that is the capability of the service device from the device unit and registering it in the memory
A method of notifying the client of the device capability according to capability information registered in the memory when receiving an inquiry about the device capability from a client.

Images