JP2003345537A - Print system, communication method and its program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a print system, a communication method, and its program for deciding the validity/invalidity of a communication environment between a printer and information terminal equipment, and for allowing a user himself or herself to set a decision criteria for deciding the validity/invalidity in accordance with his or her purpose. <P>SOLUTION: This print system consists of a plurality of pieces of information terminal equipment 12 to 15. In the printer 11, a desired parameter is set from among a plurality of parameters for testing a communicating environment, a threshold corresponding to the set parameter is set, and data for testing the communicating environment based on the set parameter and threshold are read from an ROM part 102, and transmitted to the information terminal equipment 12, and the data for testing the communicating environment returned from the information terminal equipment 12 are compared with the data for testing the communicating environment transmitted to the information terminal equipment 12 to decide whether the communication environment is good or not. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printing system, a communication method, and a program, and more particularly, to transmitting and receiving print data and commands between a printer and an information terminal device by wireless communication, and a communication environment for wireless communication. The present invention relates to a print system, a communication method, and a program for determining pass / fail of a print job.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Computer technology and communication technology have been remarkably developed in recent years, and portable information terminal devices are becoming popular not only in offices but also in homes. In particular, when an information terminal device or a printer is installed in a home and used, wireless communication that can be easily connected without requiring a special cable is required as a communication means between the information terminal device and the printer. Have been.

In wireless communication technology, standardization of various wireless communication system standards is being promoted. In the IEEE standard committee promoting this standardization, for example, in the standardization of a wireless communication system standard for transmitting and receiving packetized data by wireless communication using electromagnetic waves, a physical layer of a wireless LAN and a media access control layer (hereinafter, referred to as a physical layer) "MAC layer"
Abbreviated. ) Standardized as IEEE std 802.11. Also, IEEE std 802.11b and IEEE s
Higher speed physical layer and MAC layer are standardized by td 802.11a standard.

[0004] IEEE std 802.11 includes the use of infrared as well as electromagnetic waves.
Estd 802.11a currently only includes the use of electromagnetic waves. In addition, IEEE std 802.11 and IEEE std 802.
The frequency band of the electromagnetic wave used in 11b is a 2.4 GHz (gigahertz) band that does not require the user to obtain a license.

[0005] In the IEEE std 802.11 standard, the communication speed is specified as 1 Mbit / sec (megabits per second) to 2 Mbit / sec.
It / s and 11 Mbit / s communication speeds have been added. On the other hand, in the standard of IEEE std 802.11a, a frequency band of an electromagnetic wave to be used is a 5 GHz band, and a communication speed of 6 Mbit / sec to 54 Mbit / sec is specified.

In a wireless communication system using electromagnetic waves, IEEE
Both direct spreading (DS) and frequency hopping (FH) are adopted in the standard of std 802.11, and IEEE std 8
The DS method is adopted in the standard of 02.11b, and IEEE std 802.1
The standard of 1a includes OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Divisio
n Multiplexing) method.

[0007] In addition to the IEEE std 802.11 series, Bluet
Wireless communication systems such as ooth (registered trademark) and HomeRF (registered trademark) have also been proposed. In addition, wireless 1394 (IEEE
Studies on wireless communication of std1394) are in progress, and there are also IrDA (registered trademark), which is an infrared communication system, and original wireless communication systems of individual manufacturers.

In the above-described print system including the information terminal device and the printer, when the information terminal device transmits desired data (for example, print data including a document or an image) to the printer and prints out the data, Printer driver software must be installed in the information terminal device. In addition, wireless L
In a print system constructed by an AN or the like, the information terminal device and the printer must be within a range where electromagnetic waves and infrared rays can be transmitted and received from each other.

The printer driver software installed in the information terminal device has a test printing function for performing test printing on the printer. This is a function of transmitting print data stored in the information terminal device to the printer and printing the data when the driver software for the printer is installed in the information terminal device. This is for confirming whether or not is correctly connected, whether or not the driver software is correctly installed and operating normally.

An example of a print system in which an information terminal device and a printer are connected to each other by wireless communication and which diagnoses a communication state (communication environment) when the information terminal device causes the printer to print out is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-205224. There is a publication printing system. The printing system includes an external device and a printing device that perform wireless communication with each other via a wireless communication device, the printing device includes a transmission / reception unit, and the external device wirelessly communicates with the printing device via the wireless communication device. The printing device performs a printing process. The printing apparatus includes a storage unit for storing predetermined communication test data, and a communication state while communicating the predetermined communication test data stored in the storage unit between the transmission / reception unit of the printing apparatus and the wireless communication device. And a communication state diagnosing means for diagnosing.

[0011]

However, in the above-described conventional print system, when a test print function is used by printer driver software installed in an information terminal device, it is determined whether a test print result is output from a printer. There is no shortage of consumables such as ink and toner, and it is only possible to judge whether satisfactory test printing results have been obtained or not, and it is difficult to judge the quality of the communication environment between the information terminal device and the printer It is.

In addition, since the user must visually check the test print result output from the printer, it is inconvenient when the printer is installed at a place away from the information terminal device.

Further, when print data is transmitted from the information terminal device to the printer without confirming the communication environment, nothing is output from the printer depending on the superiority of the communication environment.
There is also a problem that communication errors occur frequently and it takes time. In particular, if communication cannot be continued during print output, there is a problem that printing is insufficient and a desired print result cannot be obtained.

The above-described printing system disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-205224 is an example for solving such a problem, but does not refer to a specific “communication state diagnosing means”. It does not mention whether the communication state is diagnosed by using parameters or setting of parameters.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and can determine the quality of a communication environment between a printer and an information terminal device. It is an object of the present invention to provide a print system, a communication method, and a program that can be set according to the purpose.

[0016]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a print system for transmitting and receiving data between at least one printer and the at least one printer by wireless communication. Storage means for storing communication environment test data for determining whether a communication environment with the at least one information terminal device is good or not, Designating means for designating, from among the at least one information terminal device, a partner device for which the quality of the communication environment is determined, and transmitting means for transmitting the communication environment test data to the designated partner device. It is characterized by.

[0017] To achieve the above object, a printing system according to claim 2 includes at least one printer,
A print system comprising: at least one information terminal device that transmits and receives data to and from the at least one printer by wireless communication, wherein the information terminal device determines whether a communication environment with the at least one printer is good or bad. Storage means for storing communication environment test data for determination; designation means for designating, from among the at least one printer, a partner device for which the communication environment is determined to be acceptable; Transmission means for transmitting the communication environment test data.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the print system according to the first or second aspect, the designation unit sets a desired parameter for determining whether the communication environment is good or not, and Threshold setting means for setting a threshold corresponding to the set parameter.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the print system according to the third aspect, the transmitting means transmits the communication environment test data based on the set parameters and thresholds to the partner apparatus. Features.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the print system according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the transmitting means transmits the communication environment test data to the other device which has received the communication environment test data. It is characterized in that it instructs to return and transmit the test data.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the print system according to the fifth aspect, the transmitting unit performs the instruction by transmitting a predetermined command.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the print system according to the sixth aspect, the transmitting means transmits the command at a minimum communication speed within an allowable range.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the print system according to any one of the fifth to seventh aspects, the transmitting unit receives the communication environment test data transmitted back from the partner device. Receiving means;
And a comparing means for comparing the received communication environment test data with the communication environment test data transmitted to the partner device.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the print system of the eighth aspect, the comparing means includes a judging means for judging the quality of the communication environment based on a comparison result.

A printing system according to a tenth aspect is the printing system according to any one of the third to ninth aspects, wherein the parameters are: reception power, S / N ratio, communication speed, bit error rate, packet error. rate,
And at least one of the number of retries.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication method, comprising: at least one printer; and at least one information terminal device that transmits and receives data to and from the at least one printer by wireless communication. A communication method of a print system comprising: a reading step of reading communication environment test data for determining whether a communication environment between the at least one printer and the at least one information terminal device is good; A designation step of designating a partner device whose quality is determined, and a transmission step of transmitting wireless communication test data for determining the quality of the communication environment of the wireless communication to the designated partner device. And

The communication method according to claim 12 is the communication method according to claim 11.
In the communication method described above, the specifying step includes a parameter setting step of setting a desired parameter for determining whether the communication environment is good or bad, and a threshold setting step of setting a threshold value corresponding to the set parameter. It is characterized by the following.

The communication method according to claim 13 is the communication method according to claim 12.
In the communication method described above, the transmitting step transmits the communication environment test data based on the set parameters and thresholds to the partner device.

The communication method according to claim 14 is the communication method according to claim 11
14. The communication method according to any one of claims 13 to 13, wherein the transmitting step instructs the counterpart device that has received the communication environment test data to transmit the communication environment test data back. I do.

The communication method according to claim 15 is the communication method according to claim 14.
In the communication method described above, the transmitting step is performed by transmitting a predetermined command.

The communication method according to claim 16 is the communication method according to claim 15.
In the communication method described above, the transmitting step transmits the command at a minimum communication speed within an allowable range.

The communication method according to claim 17 is the communication method according to claim 14.
17. The communication method according to any one of claims 16 to 16, wherein the transmitting step includes a receiving step of receiving communication environment test data loop-back transmitted from the partner device, and the received communication environment test data and the partner device. And a comparing step of comparing the communication environment test data transmitted to the device.

The communication method according to claim 18 is the communication method according to claim 17
In the communication method described above, the comparing step includes a determining step of determining whether the communication environment is good or bad based on a comparison result.

The communication method according to claim 19 is the communication method according to claim 12.
19. The communication method according to any one of claims 18 to 18, wherein the parameter includes at least one of a reception power, an S / N ratio, a communication speed, a bit error rate, a packet error rate, and a number of retries. I do.

In order to achieve the above object, a program according to a twentieth aspect includes at least one printer and at least one information terminal device that transmits and receives data to and from the at least one printer by wireless communication. In a program for causing the printer to execute a communication method of a print system provided, the program includes communication environment test data for determining whether a communication environment between the at least one printer and the at least one information terminal device is good. Reading out the communication environment, specifying the partner device for which the quality of the communication environment is determined, and transmitting wireless communication test data for determining the quality of the communication environment of the wireless communication to the specified partner device. And a step.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium storing at least one printer and at least one information terminal device that transmits and receives data to and from the at least one printer by wireless communication. In a program for causing the information terminal device to execute a communication method of a print system provided, the program includes a communication environment test for determining whether a communication environment between the at least one printer and the at least one information terminal device is good. Reading the data for use, and specifying a partner device for which the quality of the communication environment is determined,
Transmitting wireless communication test data for determining whether the communication environment of the wireless communication is good or not to the designated partner device.

[0037]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIGS. 1 and 2 are schematic structural views of a printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, the printing system includes an ink jet printer 11, a notebook personal computer and a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant).
t) and a plurality of information terminal devices 12, 13, 14,
15 is provided. Such a form is called an ad hoc mode or an ad hoc network. The printer 11 and the information terminal devices 12 to 15 have a wireless communication function based on IEEE std 802.11b. Each of the information terminal devices 12 to 15 has a function of causing the printer 11 to execute print output, and the information terminal device 12 will be described as a representative.

In FIG. 2, the print system further includes an access point 23 and the access point 23 in addition to the printer 11 and the information terminal device 12 shown in FIG.
And a plurality of network terminal devices 25 and 26 connected via a wired network 24.

The access point 23 is a device for relaying between a wireless communication network and a wired network and relaying communication between devices having a wireless communication function. The wired network 24 includes Ethernet (registered trademark) or the like. Like the information terminal device 12, the network terminal devices 25 and 26 include personal computers having a function of causing the printer 11 to execute print output.

When print data is transmitted from the information terminal device 12 to the printer 11 for printing out, print data and commands are transmitted and received between the information terminal device 12 and the access point 23 by wireless communication. Print data is transmitted and received between the printer 23 and the printer 11 by wireless communication. When print data is transmitted from the network terminal device 25 to the printer 11 and printed out, print data and commands are transmitted and received between the network terminal device 25 and the access point 23 via the wired network 24. The transmission and reception of print data and commands between the access point 23 and the printer 11 are performed by wireless communication. Such a form is called an infrastructure mode or an infrastructure network.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the printer 11 of FIG.

In FIG. 3, a printer 11 has a central control unit 101 for controlling each unit in the printer 11,
ROM (Read Only Memory) unit 102 and RAM (Rand
om Access Memory) unit 103, timer 104, print engine unit 105, power comparison unit 117, switch unit 106, display unit 107, MAC (Medium Acces
s Control) layer control unit 108, which are connected to each other via an internal bus 118.

The printer 11 further includes a baseband processing unit 109 connected to the MAC layer control unit 108,
(Intermediate Frequency) signal modem 110 and RF (Radio Frequency) / I
An F conversion unit 111 and an RF transmission / reception unit 112 are provided, which are connected in series with each other. RF transceiver 112
The antenna 113 is connected to the
2 is connected to the power comparison unit 117, and the input is connected to the MAC layer control unit 108. The printer 11 has a ROM section 114 and a RAM section 115, which are connected to a MAC layer control section 108 via a memory bus 116.

The ROM unit 102 is a storage medium in which program instruction codes and the like read out by the central control unit 101 to control each unit in the printer 11 as necessary are stored in advance. The RAM unit 103 includes a central control unit 101
The printer 11 performs writing and reading of data as necessary, buffering of print data received from the information terminal device 11 and the like, and transmitting to the information terminal device 11 in response to a request from the information terminal device 11 and the like. Buffers status information, etc. Timer 104 is
The timer is started under the control of the central controller 101, and the set time is notified to the central controller 101, and a plurality of time settings (actually, after the central controller 101 receives an instruction to start timing from the central controller 101). , And counts a clock (not shown), and can set a plurality of count values. These are referred to as a first timer and a second timer in the timer 104 for convenience.

The print engine unit 105 performs printing by discharging ink onto print paper.
1 depends on the type. For example, when the printer 11 is an ink jet printer, the print engine unit 105 includes a paper feed mechanism, a print head, an ink cartridge, a paper discharge mechanism, a unit for detecting the presence or absence of print paper, and a unit for detecting a jam of print paper. And means for detecting the presence or absence of the remaining ink.

The switch unit 106 is an array of switch buttons for the user to operate or input. When the user performs an operation or the like, the switch unit 106 notifies the central controller 101 that the operation or the like has been performed. Alternatively, the central controller 101 is configured to periodically monitor the state of the switch unit 106. The display unit 107 includes an LED (Li) for performing display under the control of the central control device 101.
ght Emitting Diode) and liquid crystal panels.

The MAC layer control unit 108 sometimes has a built-in microcontroller, operates based on the IEEE Std 802.11b standard, assembles and disassembles frames transmitted and received in wireless communication, generates control frames, and controls wireless communication channels. It performs acquisition control and communication speed control. The baseband processing unit 109 performs modulation / demodulation, encoding / decoding, and analog / digital conversion of the frame. The IF signal modem unit 110 performs filtering of the transmission IF signal and the reception IF signal, and performs four-phase modulation / demodulation.
According to the IEEE std 802.11 standard, the IF signal has a center frequency of 374 MHz and a band of 17 MHz.

The ROM section 114 has a MAC layer control section 108.
A program instruction code and the like read by a microcontroller in the memory are stored in advance. RAM unit 115
Data is written and read by the microcontroller in the MAC layer control unit 108 as needed, and data transmitted and received by wireless communication is buffered.

The RF / IF conversion unit 111 receives the IF signal output from the IF signal modem unit 110 and
To RF (Radio Frequency) signals in the
The RF signal is transmitted by the antenna 113 via the transmission / reception unit 112. On the other hand, R
When the F signal is input via the RF transceiver 112,
The signal is converted into an IF signal and output to the IF signal modem unit 110. The RF transmission / reception unit 112 performs transmission / reception switching or the like according to amplification of an RF signal or an instruction from the MAC layer control unit 108. The antenna 113 transmits an electric signal as an RF signal output from the RF transmitting / receiving unit 112 as an electromagnetic wave, or converts the received electromagnetic wave into an electric signal as an RF signal. A physical layer based on IEEE std802.11b is formed from the baseband processing unit 109 to the antenna 113.

Power comparing section 117 receives the received power via antenna 113 and RF transmitting / receiving section 112,
It has a function of comparing the power (power value) input from the central control device 101 to notify the central control device 101, and performs digital / analog conversion of the power input from the central control device 101 to perform an internal comparator. To the RF transmitting and receiving unit 11
2 and the like.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the information terminal device 12 of FIG.

In FIG. 4, the information terminal device 12 includes a notebook personal computer main body 201, a wireless LAN card 202 as wireless communication means, for example, based on IEEE std 802.11b, and a personal computer main body 2.
1 and a PCMCIA interface unit 203 which is an interface (I / F) for connecting the wireless LAN card 202 to the wireless LAN card 202.

The wireless LAN card 202 is a PCMCIA
A MAC layer control unit 204 connected to the interface unit 203, a baseband processing unit 205, and an IF (Interm
edit frequency) signal modem section 206 and IF / RF
(Radio Frequency) converter 207 and RF receiver 20
8 are connected in series with each other. R
An antenna 209 is connected to the F transmitting / receiving unit 208, and a ROM unit 210 and a RAM unit 211 are connected to the MAC layer control unit 204.

The MAC layer control unit 204 sometimes has a built-in microcontroller, operates based on the IEEE Std 802.11b standard, assembles and disassembles frames transmitted and received by wireless communication, generates control frames, and controls wireless communication channels. It performs acquisition control and communication speed control. The baseband processing unit 205 performs modulation / demodulation, encoding / decoding, and analog / digital conversion of the frame. IF
The signal modem unit 206 includes a transmission IF signal and a reception IF signal.
It performs signal filtering and four-phase modulation / demodulation.

The ROM section 210 has a MAC layer control section 204
It is a storage medium in which program instruction codes and the like read by a microcontroller in the above are stored in advance.
The RAM unit 211 performs writing and reading of data as needed by a microcontroller in the MAC layer control unit 204, and buffers data transmitted and received by wireless communication.

The RF / IF conversion unit 207 receives the IF signal output from the IF signal modem unit 206, converts it into an RF signal, and transmits the RF signal to the antenna 209 via the RF transmission / reception unit 208.
To transmit the RF signal. On the other hand, when the RF signal received by the antenna 209 is input via the RF transmitting / receiving section 208, it is converted into an IF signal and
06. The RF transmission / reception unit 208 performs switching of transmission / reception or the like in accordance with amplification of an RF signal or an instruction from the MAC layer control unit 204. The antenna 209 is connected to the RF transceiver 2
An electric signal, which is an RF signal output from 08, is transmitted as an electromagnetic wave, or a received electromagnetic wave is converted into an electric signal, which is an RF signal.

FIG. 5 is a correspondence table of communication channel numbers and frequencies of the communication system used in the printing system of FIG.

In FIG. 5, the printing system of FIG.
The communication system of the IEEE std 802.11b-1999 Edition is used, and the center frequency of communication channel 1 is 2412 MHz.
2484M which is the center frequency of the communication channel 14 from z
Center frequencies corresponding to 14 communication channels up to Hz are used.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are flowcharts of communication control processing executed in the printing system of FIG. This processing is executed by the central control device 101 in the printer 11 based on the program instruction code read from the ROM 102 or the like.

First, before the processing of FIG. 6, when the switch unit 106 detects the presence or absence of an operation or input by the user, the central control unit 101 in the printer 11 transmits the information terminal devices 12 to 15, the network terminal device 25, 26, a desired information terminal device 12 for determining the quality of the communication environment is designated as a partner device, and the channel number 1 in the correspondence table shown in FIG.
11M, which is the maximum communication speed specified in the on standard
bit / sec (hereinafter, “Mbit / sec (megabits per second)” is abbreviated as “Mbps” (megabits).)
And the communication mode is set to a mode for directly communicating with the information terminal device 12 in the ad hoc network shown in FIG.

Next, the central controller 101 sets items necessary for wireless communication, such as an ID called a BSS-ID for group identification. For example, when using encryption called WEP, the same W
It is necessary to input key information for encryption and decryption called an EP key. In this case, the destination information terminal device 12
Is assumed to have the same setting, or when communication with the information terminal device 12 is possible, the printer 11 negotiates with the destination and performs the same setting for the destination from the printer 11. Request to be.

In FIG. 6, when the switch unit 106 detects the presence or absence of a user's operation or the like, the central control unit 101 sets a communication environment test parameter for determining whether or not the communication environment with the information terminal device 12 is good. It is determined whether or not there is a setting request for setting. As a result of this determination, when there is a request for setting a desired parameter (YES in step S101), a plurality of communication environment test parameters are displayed on the display unit 107 (step S102).

Next, the central controller 101 detects whether or not a desired parameter has been selected or input from the plurality of communication environment test parameters displayed on the display unit 107 by the switch unit 106. Is set (YES in step S103), a screen (threshold setting screen) for setting a threshold corresponding to the set parameter is displayed on the display unit 107 (step S10).
4). Subsequently, the switch unit 106 detects whether an operation or the like for setting a desired threshold is performed from among a plurality of parameter thresholds displayed on the display unit 107, and when the parameter threshold is set, ( Y in step S105
ES), it is determined whether or not a setting request for setting a threshold of another parameter has been made (step S106). As a result of this determination, when a setting request for setting a threshold of another parameter is made (YES in step S106), the process returns to step S102, and when a setting request for setting a threshold of another parameter is not made. Is (Step S106
NO), and proceeds to step S107.

In step S107, it is detected whether or not the user has performed an operation for starting a communication environment test, and the like.
When the test start operation is performed (Y in step S107)
ES), while proceeding to step S109, if the test start operation is not performed (NO in step S107) and the operation to stop the communication environment test is performed (step S108)
YES), and terminates this processing.

In step S109, the central control unit 10
1 is a command for starting a communication environment test, that is, a command for instructing the printer 11 to transmit (reply) a frame including communication environment test parameters (communication environment test data) to the printer 11. It transmits to the terminal device 12. Specifically, a command code for instructing the information terminal device 12 to return the frame received from the printer 11 to the printer 11 is stored in the ROM 10.
2 and sends it to the MAC layer control unit 108,
The frame is formed by the layer control unit 108, and the baseband processing unit 1
09, IF signal modem unit 110, RF / IF conversion unit 11
1. Transmit to the information terminal device 12 via the RF transmitting / receiving unit 112 and the antenna 113. At this time, the framed command code uses the communication channel of channel number 1 and the information terminal device 12 in the ad hoc mode.
Sent to The data may be transmitted at 11 Mbps set as described above, but may be transmitted at a minimum communication speed of 1 Mbps within a permissible range in order to increase reliability.

The information terminal device 12 transmits the framed command code to the antenna 209, the RF transceiver 208,
MAC layer control unit 2 via IF / RF conversion unit 207, IF signal modem unit 206, and baseband processing unit 205
04, the received frame (framed command code) is temporarily stored in the RAM unit 211, and is decomposed into command codes in accordance with the procedure of the program code stored in the ROM unit 210. The contents of the code are sent to the personal computer main body 201 via the PCMCIA interface unit 203.

The personal computer main body 201 analyzes the contents of the decomposed command code, and outputs a command code indicating that the command code has been accepted to the MAC layer control unit 204 via the PCMCIA interface unit 203.
Send to The MAC layer control unit 204 converts the command code into a frame, and generates a response frame as a response frame.
05, IF signal modem section 206, IF / RF conversion section 20
7, and transmits to the printer 11 via the RF transmitting / receiving unit 208 and the antenna 209. At this time, the response frame is
The communication channel of channel number 1 is used, and transmitted to the printer 11 in the ad hoc mode. The data may be transmitted at 11 Mbps set as described above, but the minimum communication speed 1 within the allowable range for higher reliability is set.
It may be transmitted at Mbps. Further, the personal computer main unit 201 instructs the MAC layer control unit 204 to return a frame received from the printer 11 to the printer 11 thereafter.

In the printer 11, the MAC layer control unit 108 receives the response frame via the antenna 113, the RF transmission / reception unit 112, the IF / RF conversion unit 111, the IF signal modem unit 110, and the baseband processing unit 109.
The MAC layer control unit 108 temporarily stores the received response frame in the RAM unit 115, decomposes the received response frame into command codes according to the procedure of the program code stored in the ROM unit 114, and stores the content of the decomposed command code in the central unit. Send to control device 101.

Next, after transmitting the above-mentioned command, the central control unit 101 activates the first timer in the timer 104 and starts measuring a first predetermined time (step S).
110). Subsequently, it is determined whether or not a first predetermined time has elapsed, that is, whether or not a time-out has occurred (Step S).
111), if the timeout has not occurred (step S
It is determined whether or not the above-described response frame has been received from the information terminal device 12 (step S11: NO).
5). As a result of this determination, when a response frame is received from the information terminal device 12 (YES in step S115),
Stop (reset) the first timer (step S11)
6), proceed to step S117 in FIG.

If the result of determination in step S111 is that a timeout has occurred (YES in step S111), the fact that a communication environment test is not possible is displayed on the display unit 107 to allow the user to recognize it (step S112). When the operation of starting the test is not performed again (NO in step S113), and when the operation of ending is performed (step S114)
Is YES), and the process is terminated while step S113 is performed.
As a result of the determination, when the operation of starting the test is performed again (YES in step S113), the process returns to step S109.

In FIG. 7, in step S117, the central controller 101 reads from the ROM 102 the communication environment test data based on the parameters set in step S103 and the threshold set in step S105, and reads the data from the MAC layer controller. To the MAC layer control unit 10
8 converts the communication environment test data into a frame, converts the data into a baseband processing unit 109, an IF signal modem unit 110, and an RF / I
F conversion section 111, RF transmission / reception section 112, and antenna 1
13 to the information terminal device 2. The communication environment test data may be the number of bytes that can be accommodated in one frame. However, when calculating the packet error rate, it is necessary that the data have a large number of bytes that can be accommodated in a plurality of frames. The transmission of the communication environment test data is performed at the communication speed of 11 Mbps. Next, the central controller 101 sets the timer 104
The second timer is started to start measuring a second predetermined time (step S118).

The information terminal device 12 transmits the frame containing the communication environment test data transmitted from the printer 11 to the antenna 209, the RF transceiver 208, and the IF / RF converter 20.
7. When the MAC layer control unit 204 receives the frame via the IF signal modem unit 206 and the baseband processing unit 205, the frame is temporarily stored in the RAM unit 211, and the program code stored in the ROM unit 210 The frame is decomposed according to the procedure, the printer 11 is set as the destination address for the decomposed frame, and the frame is re-framed,
Baseband processing section 205, IF signal modem section 206,
A reply is sent to the printer 11 via the IF / RF converter 207, the RF transceiver 208, and the antenna 209.

When the printer 11 receives the frame returned from the information terminal device 12 within the second predetermined time without timing out (NO in step S119), and ends the reception of the returned frame, (Step S1
23 (YES), the second timer is stopped (reset) (step S124). Next, the central controller 101
The communication environment test data returned from the information terminal device 12 is compared with the communication environment test data transmitted to the information terminal device 12 (step S125), and step S103 is performed.
The value obtained for the parameter set in step S1 is
It is determined whether the value is better than the threshold value set in step S05 (step S126). The parameters are received power, S / N ratio,
If it is the communication speed, it is determined that it is better to be larger than the threshold. to decide. As a result of this determination, when the value is better than the parameter threshold set in step S105 (YE in step S126).
S), it is determined that the communication environment with the information terminal device 12 is good, and the fact is displayed on the display unit 107 (step S127). On the other hand, when the value is not better than the parameter threshold set in step S105, If the value is bad (NO in step S126), the information terminal device 12
It is determined that the communication environment is bad, and the fact is displayed on the display unit 107 (step S128), and the user is notified of the communication environment test result.

Next, when the communication environment test end operation is performed by the user (YES in step S129),
This processing ends. On the other hand, if the user
Antenna 11 in printer 11 or information terminal device 12
When the operation of starting the test is performed again by adjusting 3, 209 or changing the installation location of the printer 11 or the like (YES in step S130), the process returns to step S109 in FIG.

As a result of the determination in step S130, if the operation for starting the test is not performed again (NO in step S130) and a request for resetting another parameter is made (YES in step S131), the process returns to step S102. If another parameter is not selected (NO in step S131), the process returns to step S129.

In this processing, for example, in step S10
If the parameter set in step 3 is the bit error rate and the threshold value of the parameter set in step S105 is 10 ^-7 , the communication environment test data returned from the information terminal device 12 and the information terminal device 12 The number of different bits is compared with the data for the communication environment test transmitted to, and the number of bits is divided by the total number of bits. If the result is smaller than 10 ^-7 , the value is determined to be a value better than the threshold value. On the other hand, if it is greater than 10 ^-7 , it is determined that the value is not better than the threshold value, so that it is possible to determine that the communication environment is bad.

According to the first embodiment, a desired parameter is set from a plurality of communication environment test parameters (step S103), and a threshold value corresponding to the set parameter is set. (Step S10
5) The communication environment test data based on the set parameters and thresholds is read from the ROM unit 102 and transmitted to the information terminal device 12 (step S117), and the communication environment test data returned from the information terminal device 12 and the The quality of the communication environment is determined by comparing the communication environment test data transmitted to the information terminal device 12 (step S125) (steps S127 and S128).
1 and the information terminal device 12 can efficiently determine the quality of the communication environment.

Further, the quality of the communication environment can be confirmed without actually performing a test print from the information terminal device 12 to the printer 11. Therefore, waste of printing paper and ink due to test printing in a poor communication environment can be avoided,
Furthermore, time wasted is avoided.

Further, when the printer 11 and the information terminal device 12 are located close to each other, the threshold can be set high to perform the test, and when the printer 11 and the information terminal device 12 are far apart, the threshold can be set somewhat lower to perform the test. Becomes possible. Also, different parameters and thresholds can be set according to the difference in the print contents of monochrome text, high-definition images, and the like, and the printing purpose such as the case of printing quickly or the case of slow printing.

Further, it is possible to find out an optimal positional relationship between the printer 11 and the information terminal device 12 by performing a plurality of communication environment tests while gradually changing the threshold value with the same parameter. This is effective when the printer 11 and the information terminal device 12 are installed. Further, it is possible to analyze which parameter has a better result in the same communication environment.

In the above embodiment, the case where the printer 11 determines whether the communication environment is good or not with respect to the information terminal device 12 has been described.
1 may be performed. As shown in FIG. 2, the printer 11 and the information terminal device 12 may mutually determine whether or not the communication environment is good via the access point 23. The communication environment may be similarly determined between the printer 11 and the network terminal device 25.

(Second Embodiment) The second embodiment has the same basic configuration as that of the first embodiment, and only differs from the first embodiment. explain.

In the second embodiment, in the above-described processing of FIG. 6, the parameter set in step S102 is the packet (frame) error rate, and the threshold value of the parameter set in step S105 is 1/100.
, The FCS (Frame
Check Sequence) The number of packets (frames) in which an error has occurred is divided by the total number of received frames to obtain a threshold 1 /
If the comparison result is less than 1/100, it is determined that the value is better than the threshold value, and the communication environment is determined to be good. If it is greater than 1/100, the value is worse than the threshold value. It is determined that the communication environment is bad.

The IEEE std 802.11b standard has a communication speed of 5.5 Mbps, 2 Mbps, and 1 Mbps in addition to 11 Mbps.
Although it is possible to use Mbps, the MAC layer control units 108 and 204 often have a function of automatically lowering the communication speed depending on the situation such as when the number of retransmissions exceeds a predetermined number. Therefore, when the parameter set in step S102 is the communication speed and the threshold value of the parameter set in step S105 is 5.5 Mbps, the communication speed during the communication environment test is maintained at 5.5 Mbps or more. When the communication speed is 2 Mbps or reduced to 1 Mbps, it is determined that the value is lower than the threshold, and the communication environment is poor. Is determined.

According to the second embodiment, since different parameters and thresholds can be set, the quality of the communication environment can be accurately determined.

(Third Embodiment) The third embodiment has the same basic configuration as the first and second embodiments, and the first and second embodiments are the same. Only different points from the embodiment will be described.

In the first and second embodiments, the parameters and thresholds for the communication environment test are set for the printer 11 and the operation for starting the communication environment test with the desired communication destination is performed. Has been described, but a communication environment test parameter and a threshold value are set for a personal computer or other information terminal device 12, and an operation for starting a communication environment test with a desired printer 11 is performed. The same applies to the case. Rather, in this case, the display unit and the operation unit are sufficient and the operation is easy.
In many cases, it is more effective to operate the information terminal device 12 that wants to transmit print data to the printer 11 than to perform the operation for the printer 1.

The printer 11 can be directly connected to an image input device such as a digital camera without using a personal computer.
It is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to a print system having a so-called direct print function of transmitting data and outputting an image.

(Fourth Embodiment) The fourth embodiment has the same basic configuration as the first to third embodiments, and the first to third embodiments have the same structure. Only different points from the embodiment will be described.

In FIG. 3, the printer 11 has a built-in wireless communication unit including the MAC layer control unit 108 to the antenna 113, and the wireless communication unit is, for example, a PC card or a micom.
The card may be a niPCI card, or may be a card attached to the printer 11 as another unit by another interface.

In FIG. 4, the information terminal device 12 is connected between the personal computer main unit 201 and the wireless communication unit 202 via the PCMCIA interface 203. The wireless communication unit 202 is built in the personal computer main unit 201. And PCMCI
An interface other than the A interface may be used. Further, the information terminal device 12 may be a digital camera or other home electric appliances, or any device having a communication function with the printer 11.

In the first to fourth embodiments, the printer 11 is an ink jet printer, but is not limited to this, and may be a thermal transfer printer or a page printer. Further, the present invention is not limited to a printer, but may be applied to a peripheral device such as a scanner (image reading device).

In the first to fourth embodiments, the bit error rate, the packet (frame) error rate, and the communication speed are used as parameters for the communication environment test for determining the communication environment. Instead of being limited to one, a plurality of parameters may be selected and a threshold may be set for each. Further, it goes without saying that other parameters such as the reception power and the number of retries may be used.

It is clear that the case of the infrastructure mode as shown in FIG. 2 may be used.

The display unit 107 may be a means for identifying the meaning of the display by turning on or blinking the LED, changing the color, or the like. It is also possible. Further, the information may be displayed not only on the printer 11 but also on the information terminal device 12.

In the above embodiment, the communication environment test data is not specially prepared, but may be, for example, a printout test data stored in a memory inside the printer 11 used for a shipping test of the printer 11 or the like. Data may be used. The wireless communication method is IEEE std 802.11, IEEE std.
The communication method may be a communication method conforming to any of d 802.11a and IEEE std 802.11b, and may be another method such as IEEE P802.11g which is under study by IEEE. In addition, Bluetooth (registered trademark), H
A system based on another wireless communication system such as omeRF (registered trademark) may be used.

In the above-described embodiment, the method using the IF signal shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It goes without saying that the object of the present invention is achieved. The configuration is not limited to the IEEE std 802.11b, and may be a configuration according to the IEEE std 802.11a or another standard.

The present invention supplies a software program (a program corresponding to the flowcharts of FIGS. 6 and 7) for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiment to the printer 11 or the information terminal device 12 and It is needless to say that the object of the present invention can also be achieved when the central control device 101 or the CPU (not shown) in the information terminal device 12 reads and executes the supplied program.

In this case, the above-mentioned program can be executed directly from a storage medium storing the program, or via the Internet,
It is supplied by downloading from another computer or database (not shown) connected to a commercial network or a local area network.

The program only needs to be able to realize the functions of the above-described embodiment by the printer 11, the information terminal device 12, the computer, and the like.
It may be in the form of an object code, a program executed by an interpreter, script data supplied to an OS, or the like.

Further, a storage medium storing a software program for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiment is supplied to the printer 11, the information terminal device 12, the computer, and the like, and the central control device 101 or the CPU stores the storage medium. It goes without saying that the object of the present invention is also achieved by reading and executing the program stored in the medium.

In the above embodiment, the program is R
It is stored in the OM 102 or the like, but is not limited to this. Examples of the storage medium for supplying the program include a RAM, an NV-RAM, a hard disk, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, and an MO disk. , CD-ROM, CD-R / RW, DVD (D
VD-ROMs, DVD-Rs), magnetic tapes, non-volatile memory cards, and other ROMs can be used as long as they can store the above programs.

[0105]

As described in detail above, according to the system according to the first and second aspects, the method according to the eleventh aspect, and the program according to the twentieth and twenty-first aspects, at least one printer is provided. The communication environment test data for judging the quality of the communication environment between the printer and the at least one information terminal device is transmitted to the partner device whose communication environment is judged good or bad. The quality of the communication environment can be determined.

According to the system of the third aspect and the method of the twelfth aspect, a desired parameter for determining the quality of the communication environment is set, and a threshold value corresponding to the set parameter is set. The user himself / herself can set a criterion for judging the quality of the communication environment between the printer and the information terminal device.

According to the system of the fourth aspect and the method of the thirteenth aspect, the communication environment test data based on the set parameters and the threshold is transmitted to the partner apparatus.
The effects of the system according to claim 3 and the method according to claim 12 can be reliably achieved.

According to the system of the eighth aspect and the method of the seventeenth aspect, the communication environment test data returned from the partner device is received, and the received communication environment test data and the communication transmitted to the partner device are received. Since the data is compared with the environmental test data, the quality of the communication environment can be more efficiently determined.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a print system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a print system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the printer 11 of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the information terminal device 12 of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a correspondence table of communication channel numbers and frequencies of a communication method used in the printing system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a communication control process executed in the print system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a communication control process executed in the print system of FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

11 Printer 12,13,14,15 Information terminal device 23 Access Point 24 Wired network 25,26 network terminal equipment 101 Central control unit 104 timer 105 Print Engine 106 Switch section 107 Display 108,204 MAC layer control unit 109,205 Baseband processing unit 110,206 IF signal modem 111,207 RF / IF converter 112,208 RF transceiver 113,209 antenna 102,114,210 ROM section 103, 115, 211 RAM section 116 Memory Bus 117 Power comparison unit 118 Internal bus 201 Personal computer body 202 Wireless communication unit 203 PCMCIA interface

   ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page    F-term (reference) 2C061 AP01 AQ05 CG02 CG15 HJ08                       HK11 HQ06                 5B021 AA01 BB02 EE01 NN06                 5K067 AA34 BB02 BB21 DD11 DD51                       EE02 EE12 FF02 FF22 KK13                       KK15

Claims (21)

[Claims] 1. A printing system comprising: at least one printer; and at least one information terminal device that transmits and receives data to and from the at least one printer by wireless communication, wherein the printer is configured to control the at least one information Storage means for storing communication environment test data for determining the quality of a communication environment with a terminal device; and specifying a partner device for which the quality of the communication environment is determined from among the at least one information terminal device. And a transmitting unit for transmitting the communication environment test data to the specified partner device. 2. A print system comprising: at least one printer; and at least one information terminal device that transmits and receives data to and from the at least one printer by wireless communication, wherein the information terminal device is configured to include the at least one printer. Storage means for storing communication environment test data for determining the quality of the communication environment between the two printers; and designation of designating, from among the at least one printer, a partner device for which the quality of the communication environment is determined. Means for transmitting the communication environment test data to the designated partner device. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the specifying unit includes a parameter setting unit that sets a desired parameter for determining whether the communication environment is good or bad, and a threshold setting unit that sets a threshold value corresponding to the set parameter. The print system according to claim 1, wherein: 4. The print system according to claim 3, wherein the transmission unit transmits the communication environment test data based on the set parameters and threshold to the partner device. 5. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission unit instructs the other device that has received the communication environment test data to transmit the communication environment test data back. 2. The printing system according to claim 1. 6. The print system according to claim 5, wherein the transmitting unit performs the instruction by transmitting a predetermined command. 7. The print system according to claim 6, wherein said transmission means transmits said command at a minimum communication speed within an allowable range. 8. The receiving means for receiving the communication environment test data transmitted back from the partner apparatus, the receiving means for receiving the communication environment test data and the communication environment test data transmitted to the partner apparatus. The printing system according to claim 5, further comprising: a comparing unit configured to compare (a) with (b). 9. The print system according to claim 8, wherein the comparing unit includes a determining unit that determines whether the communication environment is good or not based on a result of the comparison. 10. The parameter is a received power, S / N
The print system according to claim 3, further comprising at least one of a ratio, a communication speed, a bit error rate, a packet error rate, and the number of retries. 11. A communication method for a print system, comprising: at least one printer; and at least one information terminal device that transmits and receives data to and from the at least one printer by wireless communication. A reading step of reading communication environment test data for determining the quality of a communication environment with the at least one information terminal device; a specifying step of specifying a partner device for which the quality of the communication environment is determined; Transmitting a wireless communication test data for determining whether the communication environment of the wireless communication is good or not to a specified partner device. 12. The designating step includes a parameter setting step of setting a desired parameter for determining whether the communication environment is good or bad, and a threshold setting step of setting a threshold value corresponding to the set parameter. The communication method according to claim 11, wherein: 13. The communication method according to claim 12, wherein said transmitting step transmits said communication environment test data based on said set parameters and thresholds to said partner device. 14. The transmission method according to claim 11, wherein the transmitting step instructs the partner device that has received the communication environment test data to transmit the communication environment test data back. The communication method according to claim 1. 15. The communication method according to claim 14, wherein said transmitting step is performed by transmitting a predetermined command. 16. The communication method according to claim 15, wherein said transmitting step transmits said command at a minimum communication speed within an allowable range. 17. The transmitting step includes a receiving step of receiving communication environment test data transmitted back from the partner device, and the received communication environment test data and a communication environment test data transmitted to the partner device. 17. The communication method according to claim 14, further comprising: a comparing step of comparing. 18. The communication method according to claim 17, wherein the comparing step includes a determining step of determining whether the communication environment is good or bad based on a result of the comparison. 19. The parameter is a received power, S / N
19. The communication method according to claim 12, comprising at least one of a ratio, a communication speed, a bit error rate, a packet error rate, and the number of retries. 20. A program that causes a printer to execute a communication method of a print system including at least one printer and at least one information terminal device that transmits and receives data to and from the at least one printer by wireless communication. Reading the communication environment test data for determining whether the communication environment between the at least one printer and the at least one information terminal device is good; and determining whether the communication environment is good. A program comprising: a step of designating a partner device; and a step of transmitting wireless communication test data for determining whether the communication environment of the wireless communication is good to the designated partner device. 21. The information terminal device executes a communication method of a print system including at least one printer and at least one information terminal device that transmits and receives data to and from the at least one printer by wireless communication. In the program, the program reads data for a communication environment test for determining whether a communication environment between the at least one printer and the at least one information terminal device is good, and determines whether the communication environment is good. A program, comprising: a step of designating a partner device to be performed; and a step of transmitting wireless communication test data for determining whether the communication environment of the wireless communication is good to the designated partner device.