JP2000196606A - Radio communication state monitoring device and printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To confirm a communication state and the existence of an opposite communication party even from a secondary printer in communication by an infrared communication interface. SOLUTION: A controlling part 13 turns on a part of a displaying part 14 in a station detection processing state while an infrared protocol is carried out by using an interface part 2. After the station detection processing, it turns on another part of the displaying part while data are received from data reception start to end, extracts the name of the opposite communication party from the detection information of a station detection command during the time to further turn on another part of the displaying part and further shows a self- name in another part of the displaying part. When it has a transmission authority, it decides that a printer transfers data to a computer to turn on an arrow of the displaying part in the direction of the opposite communication party name, and when it does not have the transmission authority, it decides that the computer transfers data to the printer to turn on an arrow of the displaying part in the direction of the printer.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wireless communication status monitoring device and a printing device for displaying and controlling the communication status of a wireless interface such as an infrared communication port used in a computer or a peripheral device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a peripheral device such as a printer having a wireless interface such as an infrared communication function has been known as one of communication data processing systems. Normally, in wired communication, communication is enabled by connecting devices using a cable, whereas in wireless communication using infrared, etc., communication without using a cable by facing communication ports or using an antenna Is possible. Therefore, since it is not physically connected in wireless communication, it is not possible to visually confirm whether data transfer is being performed.

In the prior art, it was possible to monitor the state of wireless communication from a computer, but it was not possible to monitor the state of communication from a peripheral device such as a printer.

[0004]

When one printer communicates with the host computer (A) by infrared through a printer cable, it is possible to confirm the communication state from the screen of the host computer (A). However, there is a disadvantage that the communication state cannot be confirmed from the printer side. As the communication distance becomes longer, the computer must always check the communication status from the computer, and the printer cannot even check whether a communicable partner exists nearby.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a wireless communication state monitoring apparatus and a printing apparatus which can confirm a wireless communication state and a communicable partner from a peripheral device such as a printer. Aim.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a display unit capable of displaying a communication processing state by a wireless interface.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the wireless interface is an IrDA interface.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the display unit includes a first display unit for displaying that there is a communicable partner, a second display unit for indicating a communication direction, and a communication partner. And a third display unit for displaying a name.

Further, the invention of claim 4 is characterized in that, in claim 3, there is provided means for controlling display of the first display unit during the station finding process by the wireless interface.

Further, the invention of claim 5 is characterized in that, in claim 1, the station finding process by the radio interface is performed until a station finding command is recognized and the last slot is received.

Further, the invention according to claim 6 is characterized in that, in claim 3, there is provided means for controlling display of the second display unit during data reception processing by the wireless interface.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, during the data reception processing by the wireless interface, the DIRM is transmitted after the SNRM command acknowledgment UA response is transmitted.
Until the SC command reception completion UA response is transmitted.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, a means for controlling the display of the communication partner name obtained from the information at the time of the station finding process on the third display unit during the data receiving process by the wireless interface. It is characterized by having.

Further, the invention of claim 9 is the above-mentioned claim 1-
8. A printing apparatus having the wireless communication state monitoring device according to any one of 8.

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the configuration diagram of an ink jet printer shown in FIG. The printer to which the present invention is applied is not limited to an ink jet printer, but can be applied to various devices.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a mode of use of a wireless interface between a general ink jet printer applicable to the present invention and a computer (A). The computer (A) has a normal configuration. That is, the CPU 6, the ROM 7, the RAM 8, the keyboard 9, the display 10, the hard disk (HD) 11,
And an interface unit 12 for performing communication using infrared wireless communication.

The ink-jet printer 1 has an interface unit 2 which can be connected to the computer (A) using infrared wireless communication, a print buffer which receives print data from the computer (A) by the interface unit 2 and stores the data. (RAM) 3, an analyzing unit 4 for analyzing data stored in the receiving buffer 3, and an analyzing unit 4.
A printer engine 5 that executes printing based on the data analyzed by the control unit 13, a control unit 13, and a display unit 14.

The analysis unit 4 includes a CPU 4 for executing an analysis process.
A, a ROM 4B storing a control procedure of the CPU 4A,
And a RAM 4C for providing a work area for the CPU 4A. The interface unit 2 provides the print data to the reception buffer 3 as described above, and is connected to the control unit 13. The control unit 13 executes the infrared protocol and displays the result on the display unit 14 (details will be described later). Further, the control unit 13 includes a CPU that executes the above-described control operation and the like, a ROM storing a control procedure of the CPU,
And a RAM for providing a work area for the PU.

FIG. 2 shows a configuration of a display unit for displaying a wireless communication state. B in FIG. 2 is a display unit that lights up during the station discovery process, which is the communication partner search process, and during the data reception process. For C, when data is being transferred from the printer to the computer during data reception processing, an arrow in the direction of the communication partner is lit, and when data is being transferred from the computer to the printer, an arrow in the printer name direction is lit sequentially. During the data transfer between the two arrows, the blinking is always performed from the transmitting side.

Hereinafter, the display mode of the wireless communication state display section in the infrared communication processing of the ink jet printer will be described.

The printer launches what is data transferred from the computer. Therefore, the printer plays only a secondary role (called a secondary station in the infrared communication protocol).

Therefore, the printer plays a role of only returning a response in the station finding process which is a communication partner search process in the infrared protocol. Here, the process from the station finding process to the display process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In the infrared protocol, at the time of negotiation, a communication partner station is searched for by a station discovery command, and the presence of a communicable station is notified by a station discovery response. As shown in FIG. 3, one station discovery is performed at intervals of several seconds. A command is transmitted 1, 6, 8 or 16 times in one station discovery. The station finding command is as shown in FIG. The number of station finding commands is determined by the bit state of the finding flag in FIG.
The bit state and the number of station finding commands are as shown in FIG. Also, the number of the slot of this data can be identified by the number of slots. In the case of the last slot, the number of slots is FF. The station discovery response returns a station discovery response only when a certain number of slots have been received (this number is selected at random) while receiving several station discovery commands.

The control unit 13 has a status flag indicating that the above-described processing is being performed during execution of the infrared protocol, and the status flag indicates a station discovery processing state (this state is based on the recognition of the station discovery command). During the period until the last slot is received), the display unit of FIG. 2B is turned on (FIG. 5).
S1, S2). Next, as shown in S3, the discovery information of the station discovery command of FIG. 4 is secured in the memory (RAM), and the station discovery processing ends.

In the infrared protocol, after the above station discovery processing (from S1 to S4), an SNRM command for determining subsequent communication parameters is transmitted from the computer side, and a UA response for confirmation is transmitted from the secondary station printer side for communication. Is started. At the end of the data reception, a DISC command is finally transmitted from the computer, and a UA response of acknowledgment is transmitted from the printer of the secondary station, and the process ends.

The control unit 13 has a status flag indicating that the above-described processing from the start to the end of data reception is being performed.
Is displayed, and during that time, the name of the communication partner is derived from the discovery information of the station discovery command in FIG. 4 (S5). Further, at this time, the communication partner name obtained from the discovery information of the station discovery command of FIG. 4 is displayed on the display section of FIG. 2C, and its own name is displayed on the display section of FIG. 2D (S6).

In the infrared protocol, the transmission order of the transfer data is managed by the transmission right. If the user has the transmission right, it is determined that the data is transferred from the printer to the computer, and the arrow in the direction of the communication partner name on the display section of FIG. If not, it is determined that data has been transferred from the computer to the printer, and an arrow in the printer direction on the display section of FIG. 2E is turned on (S7 to S9).

[0028]

As described above, according to the present invention, the state of wireless communication and the presence of a communication partner can be confirmed from a secondary device (such as a printer) in wireless communication.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an ink jet printer.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a wireless communication status display unit.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state of station discovery in IrDA.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a format of a station discovery command / response.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the wireless communication state monitoring device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 Inkjet printer 2 Interface unit 13 Control unit 14 Display unit

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Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A wireless communication state monitoring device comprising a display unit capable of displaying a communication processing state by a wireless interface. 2. The wireless communication state monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless interface is an IrDA interface. 3. The display unit according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays a first display unit that indicates that a communicable partner exists, a second display unit that indicates a communication direction, and a third display that indicates a communication partner name. And a wireless communication state monitoring device. 4. The wireless communication state monitoring device according to claim 3, further comprising: means for controlling display of the first display unit during a station finding process by the wireless interface. 5. The wireless communication state monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the station finding processing by the wireless interface is performed until a station finding command is recognized and the last slot is received. 6. The wireless communication state monitoring device according to claim 3, further comprising: means for controlling display of the second display unit during data reception processing by the wireless interface. 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein during data reception processing by the wireless interface, S
DISC after NRM command OK UA response transmission
A wireless communication state monitoring device, which is configured to transmit a command reception completion UA response. 8. The data processing system according to claim 3, further comprising means for controlling display of a communication partner name obtained from information at the time of station discovery processing on the third display unit during data reception processing by the wireless interface. Wireless communication status monitoring device. 9. A printing apparatus comprising the wireless communication status monitoring device according to claim 1.