JP2006236176A - Communication device, communication system and communication control program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a user to optionally designate a terminal that is a communication partner among a plurality of communication equipment present on a network. <P>SOLUTION: This communication system 1 comprises a PC 10 used by the user and a plurality of printers 20 which are wirelessly communicable thereto. When the user inputs a retrieval command in the PC 10, printers 20 present within a visible and audible range in the vicinity of the user are retrieved as designation candidate terminals, and a designation candidate terminal list is formed. A connect signal is repeatedly transmitted from the PC 10 to each designation candidate terminal in order at predetermined time intervals. In each designation candidate terminal which received the connect signal, a predetermined information expression means is started. By this starting of the information expression means, the user confirms each designation candidate terminal by the eyes or ears and designates a designation candidate terminal present in a desired position as the communication partner. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication device, a communication system, and a communication control program that allow a user to arbitrarily specify a terminal as a communication partner among a plurality of communication devices existing on a network.

  Conventionally, various techniques for a user to arbitrarily select or designate a terminal as a communication partner of a communication device used by a user among a plurality of communication devices connected to the same network are known. .

For example, a device that displays a list of devices holds names set by the user for other devices on the network in association with information that can uniquely identify each device. When a device whose data is being output is searched, the name of the device is displayed as a list of devices together with information such as manufacturer and device type. The user can select a device as a reception target of data output from another device from the displayed device list. As described above, an electronic device that displays a list of devices connected to a network system and realizes selection of another device that receives data being output is known.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-7824

  However, in the above-described conventional technology, there is a problem in that data cannot be output to a device existing at a desired position unless the user knows where each device actually exists. For example, according to the above-described prior art, when there are a plurality of printer devices on the same floor, the user can arbitrarily designate a printer device that outputs print data created by a personal computer from a list of devices. it can. However, if the user does not know the location of the printer device in advance, the printer device cannot be confirmed unless printing is actually executed. For this reason, when the user wants to output print data to the nearest printer device, such as when outputting data to the printer device at the desired position, the user knows the name and identification number of the printer device in advance. I had to leave.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and can easily grasp the position of each terminal that can be a communication partner among a plurality of communication devices existing on the network, and the user can reliably identify any communication partner. It is an object of the present invention to provide a communication device, a communication system, and a communication control program.

  In order to achieve the above object, a communication device according to a first aspect of the present invention provides a first drive signal for instructing driving of an information expression means to a plurality of communicable designated candidate terminals existing outside. When the first drive signal transmitting means for transmitting in accordance with the order specified by the signal transmission order specifying means, the communication partner specifying means for making an input for the user to specify the communication partner terminal, and when input from the communication partner specifying means The communication candidate specifying means for specifying the designated candidate terminal to which the latest first drive signal is transmitted by the first drive signal transmitting means as the communication partner terminal, and the communication specified by the communication partner specifying means Communication control means for executing communication with the counterpart terminal.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect of the invention, the communication device according to the second aspect searches for a plurality of communicable terminals existing outside and the terminal search means. A list creation means for creating a designated candidate terminal list in which the plurality of terminals are registered as designated candidate terminals, wherein the first drive signal transmission order designation means designates a transmission order according to the designated candidate terminal list It is characterized by that.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the second aspect of the invention, the terminal search means includes a terminal within the visible range in which the user can visually recognize the driving of the information expression means, or listening. The terminal including the information expression means is searched for within an audible range.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect of the invention, the first drive signal is the information representation means included in the plurality of designated candidate terminals. Are driven in different modes.

  In addition to the configuration of the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the communication device of the invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that the first drive signal transmission means The first drive signal is transmitted to the next designated candidate terminal in the order designated by the drive signal transmission order designation means.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect of the present invention, the communication apparatus according to the sixth aspect provides an input for a user to change the designated candidate terminal that drives the information expression means. Candidate changing instruction means to perform, and each time the first driving signal transmitting means is inputted from the candidate changing instruction means, the next designated candidate terminal in the order designated by the first driving signal sending order designating means And transmitting the first drive signal.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect of the present invention, when the communication counterpart terminal is specified by the communication counterpart specifying means, the communication counterpart terminal is provided. And a second drive signal transmitting means for transmitting a second drive signal for instructing driving of the information expression means.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the seventh aspect of the invention, the second drive signal drives the information representation means in a mode different from the first drive signal. It is characterized by being.

  The communication system of the invention according to claim 9 is a communication in which communication is performed between a communication device and a communication partner terminal selected by a user among a plurality of designated candidate terminals capable of communicating with the communication device. In the system, the communication device transmits a first drive signal for instructing the plurality of designated candidate terminals to drive information representation means in the order designated by the first drive signal transmission order designation means. The signal transmission means, the communication partner designation means for performing input for designating the communication partner terminal by the user, and the first drive signal transmission means when the latest first drive signal is input from the communication partner designation means. A first communication control unit that executes communication between a communication partner specifying unit that specifies the transmitted designation candidate terminal as the communication partner terminal and the communication partner terminal specified by the communication partner specifying unit. Each of the plurality of designated candidate terminals is notified to the user by at least one of sound and light, and first drive signal receiving means for receiving the first drive signal transmitted from the communication device. When the first drive signal is received by the information expression means and the first drive signal reception means, the information expression control means for driving the information expression means and the second communication control for executing communication with the communication device Means.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication control program for transmitting a first drive signal for instructing driving of an information expression means to a plurality of designated candidate terminals that are externally communicable. A first drive signal transmitting means for transmitting in the order designated by the order designating means; a communication partner designating means for performing input for designating a communication partner terminal by the user; Communication partner specifying means for specifying the designated candidate terminal to which the latest first drive signal has been transmitted by the drive signal transmitting means as the communication partner terminal, communication with the communication partner terminal specified by the communication partner specifying means It is made to function as a communication control means which performs.

  In the communication device of the invention according to claim 1, a first drive signal instructing driving of the information expression means is transmitted in order to a plurality of communication candidate candidates existing outside, and the communication partner terminal is designated by the user. Then, communication is performed with the communication partner terminal. That is, since the information expression means is activated in turn in each designated candidate terminal, the user can easily grasp the position of each designated candidate terminal that can be a communication partner. In addition, since the designation candidate terminal that is being activated by the information expression means can be designated as the communication partner terminal, the user can reliably designate the communication partner terminal.

  In addition, in the communication device of the invention according to claim 2, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1, a plurality of communicable terminals existing outside are searched to create a designated candidate terminal list. A first drive signal is transmitted based on the terminal list. Therefore, even if the communication device or an external terminal is a mobile terminal, a terminal existing around the communication device can be set as a designated candidate terminal.

  In addition, in the communication device of the invention according to claim 3, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 2, a terminal including information representation means existing in the visible range or audible range of the user is searched. Therefore, it is possible to search for only the designation candidate terminals for which the activation of the information expression means is recognized by the user.

  In the communication device of the invention according to claim 4, in addition to the effect of the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the first drive signal drives the information expression means of each designated candidate terminal in a different manner. . Therefore, the user can easily grasp the position of each designated candidate terminal by the difference in driving of the information expression means.

  In addition, in the communication device of the invention according to claim 5, in addition to the effect of the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the first drive signal is sequentially sent to each designated candidate terminal every time a predetermined time elapses. Sent. Therefore, the designated candidate terminals that drive the information expression means can be switched in order at predetermined time intervals.

  In addition, in the communication device of the invention according to claim 6, in addition to the effect of the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5, when the user instructs to change the designated candidate terminal that drives the information expression means, The first drive signal is transmitted to the designated candidate terminals. Therefore, the designated candidate terminals that drive the information expression means can be switched in order according to the user's instruction.

  Further, in the communication device of the invention according to claim 7, in addition to the effect of the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the second that instructs the communication partner terminal designated by the user to drive the information expression means. A drive signal is transmitted. Therefore, the user can easily grasp the position of the communication partner terminal.

  In the communication apparatus according to the eighth aspect of the invention, in addition to the effect of the invention according to the seventh aspect, the second drive signal drives the information expression means in a manner different from the first drive signal. Therefore, the user can easily recognize the position of the communication partner terminal by distinguishing other designated candidate terminals by the difference in driving of the information expression means.

  In the communication system of the invention according to claim 9, a first drive signal instructing driving of the information expression means is sequentially transmitted to a plurality of designated candidate terminals that can be communicated outside, and the communication partner terminal is transmitted by the user. Is specified, communication is executed with the communication partner terminal. That is, since the information expression means is activated in turn in each designated candidate terminal, the user can easily grasp the position of each designated candidate terminal that can be a communication partner. In addition, since the designation candidate terminal that is being activated by the information expression means can be designated as the communication partner terminal, the user can reliably designate the communication partner terminal.

  In the communication control program of the invention according to claim 10, the first drive signal instructing driving of the information expression means is sequentially transmitted to a plurality of communication-candidate designated candidate terminals existing outside, and the communication partner is communicated by the user. When a terminal is designated, communication is performed with the communication partner terminal. That is, since the information expression means is activated in turn in each designated candidate terminal, the user can easily grasp the position of each designated candidate terminal that can be a communication partner. In addition, since the designation candidate terminal that is being activated by the information expression means can be designated as the communication partner terminal, the user can reliably designate the communication partner terminal.

  Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the communication system 1 according to the first embodiment, a personal computer (PC) 10 that is a communication device used by a user and a plurality of printers 20 that are communication devices connectable to the PC 10 exist on the same floor. An example will be described.

  First, the configuration of the communication system 1 according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of the communication system 1. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the communication system 1.

  As shown in FIG. 1, there are a plurality of printers 20 that can wirelessly communicate with the PC 10 around the PC 10 used by the user, and each printer 20 uses recording data output from the PC 10 on recording paper. Printing can be performed. In FIG. 1, five printers 20 (printers A, B, C, D, and E) exist around one PC 10. When the user of the PC 10 designates any one of the plurality of printers 20 at the time of executing printing, communication is executed between the PC 10 and the designated printer 20. Then, print data is transmitted from the PC 10 to the printer 20, and the printer 20 performs printing on a recording sheet based on the print data. Details will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the PC 10 has the same configuration as a general personal computer, and stores a CPU 11 that controls the PC 10, a ROM 12 that stores BIOS, a RAM 13 that temporarily stores various data, and various data. In addition to the hard disk drive (HDD) 14, a display 15 for displaying various data, a user interface (user I / F) 16 including a keyboard 16a and a mouse 16b for operating the PC 10, and a communication control with the printer 20. Communication control units 17 for performing the above are connected to each other via a bus.

  The HDD 14 stores various types of information such as a control program executed by the CPU 11 (including a program for executing “main processing of the PC 10” described later (see FIG. 3)) and a printer driver. The CD-ROM inserted in the CD-ROM drive (not shown) stores a control program for the PC 10, and this control program is loaded from the CD-ROM into the program storage area (not shown) of the HDD 14 when installed. Set up and memorized. The printer driver is a program for converting data generated by executing the application program into various commands and print data that can be interpreted by the printer 20 and transmitting the data to the printer 20 in response to a request from the application program. It is.

  On the other hand, each printer 20 has the same configuration as a general-purpose printer. In addition to the CPU 21, ROM 22 and RAM 23, a liquid crystal panel 27 for displaying the status of the printer 20, buttons for operating the printer 20, An operation panel 28 provided with a switch or the like and a communication control unit 29 that performs communication control with the PC 10 are connected to each other via a bus. A printing unit 26 is provided that performs printing by conveying and coloring the recording paper by driving a motor for conveying the recording paper, driving a laser, or driving a head. Furthermore, as information expression means for notifying the user of the PC 10, a light emitting unit 24 that emits laser light toward the upper side of the printer 20, and a sound output unit 25 that includes a speaker and an amplifier and can output predetermined sound. Is provided.

  In the RAM 23, a reception buffer 23a for storing commands and print data transmitted from the communication control unit 17 of the PC 10 received by the communication control unit 29, and drawing data for each page are generated by interpreting the received print data. Various storage areas such as a page memory 23b for storage are provided. In addition, a control program (including a program for executing “main processing of the printer 20” (see FIG. 9) described later) executed by the CPU 21 is stored in advance in a program storage area (not shown) of the ROM 22. .

  In the communication system 1 of this embodiment, the PC 10 and each printer 20 are configured to be mutually connectable via short-range wireless communication by Bluetooth via the respective communication control units 17 and 29. Then, a connection signal, select signal, print data, and the like, which will be described later, are transmitted and received between the PC 10 and each printer 20 via the communication control units 17 and 29.

  Next, the flow of processing in the communication system 1 according to the first embodiment will be described separately for processing executed by the PC 10 and processing executed by the printer 20.

  First, the flow of processing in the PC 10 will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing main processing of the PC 10. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a print pop-up screen 40. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the visible / audible range of the user. FIG. 6 is a data configuration diagram of the designation candidate terminal list 50. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing details of the communication partner designation process (S13). FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing details of the connect signal transmission process (S23). Note that the main process (FIG. 3) of the PC 10 is started when the PC 10 is turned on and activated, and is repeatedly executed continuously while the PC 10 is activated.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the main process of the PC 10, it is first determined whether or not the system is terminated (S1). For example, when the user instructs the end of the main process (FIG. 3) or the PC 10 to be turned off, it is determined that the system is ended. If the system is not terminated (S1: NO), it is determined whether a communication partner designation process (S13) described later is being executed (S3). When the communication partner designation process is not being executed (S3: NO), it is determined whether or not a search command is input from the user (S5).

  Here, the search command will be described. The search command is a signal for instructing to search for a terminal that can be a communication partner of the PC 10 and to create a list (designated candidate terminal list) in which the retrieved designated candidate terminals are displayed as a list. In the present embodiment, when the user of the PC 10 instructs printing from an application such as document creation software, a print pop-up screen 40 as shown in FIG. 4 is displayed on the display 15. The user can input a search command to the PC 10 at an arbitrary timing by selecting the search button 41 on the print pop-up screen 40. Each button on the print pop-up screen 40 (FIG. 4) can be selected using the keyboard 16a and the mouse 16b.

  If there is an input of a search command (S5: YES), a terminal that exists within the visible / audible range of the user is detected (S7). That is, a terminal that is within a range (visible / audible range) in which the user can recognize light and sound emitted from each printer 20 among a plurality of printers 20 around the PC 10 is searched. As shown in FIG. 5, in this embodiment, the user's visible / audible range is “10 m”, and printers 20 (printers A, C, and D) existing within a radius of 10 m centered on the user are searched. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the user is present at substantially the same position as the PC 10, and the communication control unit 17 of the PC 10 executes the short-range wireless communication by Bluetooth with the communication control unit 29 of each printer 20. The printers 20 (printers A, C, and D) existing within a radius of 10 m from the center are searched.

  Then, a designated candidate terminal list 50 (number of elements N) in which the N designated candidate terminals detected in S7 are displayed as a list is created (S9). In the case of FIG. 5, since three printers 20 (printers A, C, and D) are searched in S7, printers A, C, and D are listed together with the list number Ln as designated candidate terminals as shown in FIG. The displayed designated candidate terminal list 50 (number of elements 3) is created and stored in the RAM 13.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the number N of elements of the designated candidate terminal list 50 created in S9 is 0 (S11). If the number N of elements is not 0 (S11: NO), the designated candidate terminal is searched in S7. Therefore, the communication partner designation process for the user to arbitrarily designate the communication partner from these designated candidate terminals ( S13) is executed.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in the communication partner designation process (S13), first, an initialization process for returning various variables and the like stored in the RAM 13 to the default state is executed (S21). In this embodiment, “1” is set to a list number Ln, which will be described later, “0” is set to the loop count loop, “3” is set to the maximum loop count Rmax, and “5” is set to the WaitTime as default values. Then, a connect signal transmission process for transmitting a connect signal instructing each designated candidate terminal to drive the information expression means is executed (S23).

  As shown in FIG. 8, in the connect signal transmission process (S23), it is first determined whether or not the currently specified list number Ln is larger than the element number N (S31). If the currently specified list number Ln is N or less in number of elements (S31: NO), a connect signal is transmitted to the designated candidate terminal of the list number Ln (S37). The connect signal is a signal for driving predetermined information expression means (light emitting unit 24 and audio output unit 25) provided in each printer 20 serving as a designated candidate terminal. As described above, since the list number Ln “1” is specified at the start of the connect signal transmission process (S23), a connect signal is transmitted to the designated candidate terminal “printer A”.

  After transmitting the connect signal, a timer (not shown) is started (S39), and it is determined whether or not WaitTime has elapsed (S41). WaitTime indicates the time interval between the previous connect signal transmission and the next connect signal transmission, and is 5 seconds in this embodiment.

  If WaitTime has not elapsed (S41: NO), it is determined whether or not a partner selection command has been input from the user described later (S43). When there is no input of a partner selection command from the user (S43: NO), the process returns to S41. Therefore, the processing of S41 and S43 is repeated until WaitTime elapses or a selection command is input.

  When WaitTime has elapsed (S41: YES), the list number Ln is counted (S45). That is, the designation candidate terminal of the next list number Ln is specified in the designation candidate terminal list 50. Then, returning to S31, in the same manner as described above, a connect signal is transmitted to the designated candidate terminal of the list number Ln currently specified in S37.

  As described above, when the list number Ln is equal to or less than the number N of elements (S31: NO), the connect signal is sequentially transmitted to the plurality of designated candidate terminals registered in the designated candidate terminal list 50 every time WaitTime elapses. Is sent.

  On the other hand, when the list number Ln is larger than the element number N (S31: YES), the list number Ln is reset to “1” and the loop count “loop” is counted (S33). Then, it is determined whether or not the loop number loop is smaller than the maximum loop number Rmax (S35). The maximum loop count Rmax indicates how many times a connect signal is repeatedly transmitted to each designated candidate terminal registered in the designated candidate terminal list 50, and is 3 times in this embodiment.

  When the loop count loop is smaller than the maximum loop count Rmax (S35: YES), the connect signal is transmitted again to the designated candidate terminal “printer A” of the list number Ln “1” specified in S33 (S37). In the same manner as described above, a connect signal is sequentially transmitted to the plurality of designated candidate terminals registered in the designated candidate terminal list 50 every time WaitTime elapses.

  On the other hand, when the loop count loop is equal to or greater than the maximum loop count Rmax (S35: NO), the connect signal is repeatedly transmitted for the maximum loop count Rmax to a plurality of designated candidate terminals registered in the designated candidate terminal list 50. It will be. Therefore, a timer (not shown) started in S39 is stopped (S49), the designated candidate terminal list 50 is deleted from the RAM 13 (S51), and the connect signal transmission process (FIG. 8) ends. Note that the communication partner designation process (FIG. 7) is also terminated when the connect signal transmission process (FIG. 8) is terminated, and the process returns to S1 of the main process (FIG. 3).

  By the way, if there is an input of a partner selection command from the user before the WaitTime has elapsed (S43: YES), a timer (not shown) started in S39 is stopped (S47), and communication partner designation processing (FIG. 7) is performed. Return to). As a result, the designated candidate terminal currently specified in the designated candidate terminal list 50 is fixed to the printer 20 to which the connect signal was transmitted most recently in S37.

  Here, the partner selection command will be described. The partner selection command is a signal for the user to arbitrarily specify a communication partner terminal of the PC 10 among the specification candidate terminals registered in the specification candidate terminal list 50. In the present embodiment, the user can input a partner selection command to the PC 10 at an arbitrary timing by selecting the partner selection button 42 on the print pop-up screen 40 (FIG. 4).

  Thereafter, the process returns to the communication partner designation process (FIG. 7), and a select signal is transmitted to instruct the designated terminal candidate of the list number Ln to drive the information expression means (S25). That is, the select signal is transmitted to the printer 20 to which the connect signal was transmitted most recently in S37. The select signal is a signal for driving predetermined information expression means (light emitting unit 24 and audio output unit 25) provided in the printer 20 serving as a communication partner terminal. For example, when the user selects the partner selection button 42, if it is the designated candidate terminal “printer A” to which the connect signal was transmitted immediately before, the select signal is transmitted to the “printer A”.

  Returning to the main process (FIG. 3) of the PC 10, the process returns to S1 after the communication partner designation process (S13). If the communication partner designation process is being executed (S3: YES), no search command is input (S5: NO), or if the number of elements N is 0 (S11: YES), the process returns to S1. If the system is not finished (S1: NO), the above processing (S1 to S13) is repeatedly executed.

  On the other hand, if the system is terminated (S1: YES), the communication partner designation process in S13 is stopped (S15), the connect signal transmission process in S23 is stopped (S17), and the designated candidate terminal list 50 is deleted from the RAM 13. (S19), the main process (FIG. 3) of the PC 10 ends.

  In this way, in the main process of the PC 10 (FIG. 3), when a search command is input by the user, the designated candidate terminal list 50 that displays a list of printers 20 that exist within the user's visible / audible range as designated candidate terminals is displayed. A connect signal is generated and transmitted in order to each designated candidate terminal at predetermined time intervals. When a partner selection command is input by the user, a select signal is transmitted to the designated designation candidate terminal.

  Note that after the select signal is transmitted to the printer 20 serving as the communication partner terminal in S25, a wireless communication connection is established between the PC 10 and the printer 20. When the user selects the determination button 43 on the print pop-up screen 40 (FIG. 4), the printer driver is activated from an application such as document creation software to create print data, and this print data is transmitted to the printer 20. . In the printer 20, printing on the recording paper is executed based on the received print data.

  Next, a processing flow in the printer 20 will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing main processing of the printer 20. Note that the main process (FIG. 9) of the printer 20 is started when the printer 20 is turned on and started, and is repeatedly executed while the printer 20 is started.

  As shown in FIG. 9, in the main process of the printer 20, the drive time CTime of the information expression means corresponding to the connect signal is set in the RAM 23, and the drive time STime of the information expression means corresponding to the select signal is set in the RAM 23. (S71). In the present embodiment, the drive time CTime is “5 seconds”, and the drive time STime is “10 seconds”. It is assumed that the drive time CTime and the drive time STime, the drive mode of the information expression means in S75 and S87 described later, and the like are stored in the ROM 22 in advance.

  Next, it is determined whether or not a connect signal has been received from the PC 10 (S73). When the connect signal is received (S73: YES), the connect signal information expression means is activated (S75). In S75, a laser beam is emitted from the light emitting unit 24 and a sound is emitted from the sound output unit 25 in a driving mode corresponding to the connect signal. Then, a timer (not shown) is started (S77), and it is determined whether the drive time CTime has elapsed (S79). If the drive time CTime has not elapsed (S79: NO), the process waits in S79 until the drive time CTime has elapsed. If the drive time CTime has elapsed (S79: YES), the connect signal information representation means is stopped (S81). That is, laser light emission from the light emitting unit 24 activated in S75 and audio output from the audio output unit 25 are executed for 5 seconds. Thereafter, the process returns to S73.

  On the other hand, if the connect signal has not been received (S73: NO), it is determined whether a select signal has been received from the PC 10 (S83). When the select signal is received (S83: YES), the connect signal information expression means is stopped (S85). In S85, when the select signal is received, the activation of the information expression means in S75 is stopped, thereby preventing the information expression means from being duplicated.

  Then, the select signal information expression means is activated (S87). In S87, laser light is emitted from the light emitting unit 24 and sound is emitted from the sound output unit 25 in a driving manner corresponding to the select signal. Then, a timer (not shown) is started (S89), and it is determined whether or not the drive time STime has elapsed (S91). If the drive time STime has not elapsed (S91: NO), the process waits at S91 until the drive time STime has elapsed. When the drive time STTime has elapsed (S91: YES), the select signal information representation means is stopped (S93). That is, laser light emission from the light emitting unit 24 activated in S87 and audio output from the audio output unit 25 are executed for 10 seconds. If the select signal has not been received (S83: NO) and after S93, the process returns to S73.

  As described above, in the main process of the printer 20 (FIG. 9), when a connect signal or a select signal is received from the PC 10, the information expression means is driven in a manner corresponding to each. When print data is received from the PC 10, the printer 20 executes printing on a recording sheet based on the print data.

  Hereinafter, the processing timeline in the communication system 1 and the information expression means driving mode in the printer 20 when receiving the connect signal and the select signal will be described more specifically. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a timeline of processing in the communication system 1. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an information expression means driving mode of the printer 20 when the connect signal is received. FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining a driving mode of the information expression unit of the printer 20 when the select signal is received. In FIG. 10, the same reference numerals are used for the processes corresponding to the above-described flowcharts (FIGS. 3, 7, 8, and 9).

  As shown in FIG. 10, when the user of the PC 10 enters a search command (S5: YES), the printer 20 existing within the user's visible / audible range is searched as described above, and the designated candidate terminal list 50 is created. Is done. Then, a connect signal is repeatedly transmitted to each designated candidate terminal (printer A, C, D) according to the order of the list number Ln in the designated candidate terminal list 50 (S37). The time interval for transmitting the connect signal is constant (WaitTime interval). On the other hand, in each designated candidate terminal (printer A, C, D) that has received the connect signal, activation of the connect signal information expression means is executed in order (S75).

  As shown in FIG. 11, when the user inputs a search command to the PC 10, in the designated candidate terminal “printer A” that has received the connect signal, one laser beam is emitted upward from the light emitting unit 24, and the voice The output unit 25 outputs a “beep” sound. Thereafter, the information representation means are similarly driven in the designated candidate terminals “printer B” and “printer C” that have received the connect signal, but in each printer 20, the information representation means are driven in different modes. For example, the light emitting units 24 of each printer 20 emit laser beams with different colors, directions, and blinking intervals, and the audio output units 25 of each printer 20 output with different sounds and volumes. By driving the information expression means based on the connect signal, the user can confirm each designated candidate terminal (printer A, C, D) with eyes or ears.

  Returning to FIG. 10, while the designation of the designation candidate terminal is performed while the activation of the connect signal information expression means (S75) is executed repeatedly in order at each designation candidate terminal (printer A, C, D). By grasping this, it is determined which of the designated candidate terminals (printers A, C, D) is to execute printing. When printing is to be performed by the designated candidate terminal “printer A”, the user inputs a partner selection command while the connect signal information expression means is being driven by “printer A” (S43: YES). Then, a timer (not shown) for measuring the connection signal transmission interval is stopped, and connection signal transmission is stopped (S47). Then, a select signal is transmitted to the communication partner terminal “printer A” designated by the user (S25). On the other hand, in the communication partner terminal “printer A” that has received the select signal, activation of the select signal information expression means is executed (S87).

  As shown in FIG. 12, when the user inputs a partner selection command to the PC 10, the communication partner terminal “printer A” that has received the select signal emits three laser beams upward from the light emitting unit 24, The sound output unit 25 outputs a “beep beep” sound. As described above, the information expression means driving based on the select signal (S87) is executed in a different manner from the information expression means driving based on the connect signal (S75). Can be confirmed with eyes and ears.

  As described above, according to the communication system 1 of the first embodiment, when a connect signal instructing driving of the information representation means is sequentially transmitted to a plurality of designated candidate terminals and a communication partner terminal is designated by the user, Communication is performed with the communication partner terminal. In other words, since each information candidate is driven in a different manner in each designated candidate terminal, the user can distinguish each designated candidate terminal by the difference in driving of the information representing means and easily grasp the position of each designated candidate terminal. it can. Further, by selecting the designation candidate terminal being driven by the information expression means, the user can reliably designate the communication partner terminal.

  In addition, a select signal for instructing driving of the information expression means is transmitted to the communication partner terminal designated by the user in a manner different from the collect signal. Therefore, the user can distinguish the communication partner terminal by the difference in driving of the information expression means, and can easily grasp the position of the communication partner terminal.

  Furthermore, every time a predetermined time (WaitTime) elapses, a connect signal is transmitted in order to each designated candidate terminal. Therefore, the designation candidate terminal that drives the information expression means can be switched in order at every predetermined time (WaitTime).

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The basic configuration of the communication system 1 according to the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, but the user can arbitrarily switch the designated candidate terminal that drives the information expression means. It is different in point.

  First, a difference between the processing in the PC 10 and the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing details of the connect signal transmission process (S23) in the second embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 13, in the connect signal transmission process (S23) of this embodiment, S101 to S107 are the same as S31 to S37 of the first embodiment (FIG. 8), but the following processes are different. That is, after the connection signal is transmitted (S107), it is determined whether or not a partner selection command is input from the user (S109). If there is an input of the partner selection command (S109: YES), the designated candidate terminal currently specified in the designated candidate terminal list 50 is fixed to the printer 20 to which the connect signal was transmitted most recently in S107, and the communication partner Return to the designation process (FIG. 7).

  On the other hand, when there is no input of a partner selection command (S109: NO), it is determined whether or not a partner switching command is input from the user (S111). The partner switching command is a signal for instructing switching of the designated candidate terminal that activates the information expression means. In the present embodiment, the user can input a partner switching command to the PC 10 at an arbitrary timing by selecting a partner switching button (not shown) on the print pop-up screen 40.

  When there is no input of the partner switching command (S111: NO), the process returns to S109. Therefore, S109 and S111 are repeatedly executed until a partner selection command or a partner switching command is input. As long as the partner selection command or partner switching command is not input to the PC 10, the information expression means is continuously driven in the printer 20 to which the connect signal is transmitted in S107.

  On the other hand, when there is an input of the partner switching command (S111: YES), a connect signal stop signal is transmitted to the designated candidate terminal with the list number Ln (S113). The connect signal stop signal is a signal for stopping the driving of the information expression means based on the connect signal. Thereafter, the list number Ln is counted (S115), and the process returns to S101. Other processes are the same as those in the first embodiment (FIG. 8). However, when the loop number loop is equal to or greater than the maximum loop number Rmax (S105: YES), the designated candidate terminal list 50 is deleted (S117). Only) is executed.

  As described above, in the connect signal transmission process (FIG. 13) of the present embodiment, the connection is sequentially performed for each of the plurality of designated candidate terminals registered in the designated candidate terminal list 50 each time the partner switching command is input from the user. A signal is sent.

  Next, the difference between the processing in the printer 20 and the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing main processing of the printer 20 in the second embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 14, in the main process of the printer 20 of the present embodiment, first, only the driving time STime of the information expression means corresponding to the select signal is set (S121). When the connect signal is received (S123: YES), the connect signal information representation means is activated (S125).

  Thereafter, it is determined whether or not a connect signal stop signal has been received (S127). When the connect signal stop signal is received (S127: YES), the connect signal information expression means is stopped (S129), and the process returns to S123. On the other hand, if the connect signal stop signal has not been received (S127: NO), the process enters a waiting state in S127, and the connect signal information expression means continues to be driven until the connect signal stop signal is received. The other processes (S131 to S141) are the same as S83 to S93 in the first embodiment (FIG. 9).

  As described above, in the main process (FIG. 14) of the printer 20 according to the present embodiment, when the connect signal is received from the PC 10, the information representation means is driven in a manner corresponding to each, and when the connect signal stop signal is received, the information representation is performed. The driving of the means is stopped.

  As described above, according to the communication system 1 of the second embodiment, when a partner switching command is input by the user, a connect signal is transmitted to the next designated candidate terminal. Therefore, the user can sequentially switch the designated candidate terminals that drive the information expression means at an arbitrary timing.

  By the way, in the above embodiment, the PC 10 corresponds to the “communication device” of the present invention, the communication system 1 corresponds to the “communication system” of the present invention, and the control for executing the main processing (FIG. 3) of the PC 10. The program corresponds to the “communication control program” of the present invention. The connect signal corresponds to the “first drive signal” of the present invention, and the select signal corresponds to the “second drive signal” of the present invention.

  Further, the CPU 11 that executes the main processing (FIG. 3) of the PC 10 performs “first drive signal transmission order designation means”, “first drive signal transmission means”, “communication partner designation means”, “communication partner identification” of the present invention. Means ”,“ communication control means ”,“ candidate change instruction means ”,“ second drive signal transmission means ”. The communication control unit 17 under the control of the CPU 11 realizes the “first drive signal transmission unit” and the “second drive signal transmission unit”, and the user I / F 16 under the control of the CPU 11 performs the “communication partner designation unit” and the “candidate”. "Change instruction means" is realized.

  On the other hand, the CPU 21 that executes the main processing (FIG. 9) of the printer 20 serves as the “first drive signal receiving means”, “information expression means”, “information expression control means”, and “second communication control means” of the present invention. Equivalent to. Note that the communication control unit 29 controlled by the CPU 21 realizes a “first drive signal receiving unit”, and the light emitting unit 24 and the sound output unit 25 controlled by the CPU 21 realize “information expression unit”.

  The present invention is not limited to the first and second embodiments described in detail above, and it goes without saying that various modifications are possible. For example, by combining the above-described embodiments, when either the input of the partner switching command or the elapse of a predetermined time (WaitTime) is satisfied, the connect signal is transmitted to other designated candidate terminals. The designated candidate terminal that drives the expression means may be switched.

  Further, in the above embodiment, when the main process (FIG. 3) of the PC 10 is started and a search command is input, the printer 20 existing in the visible / audible range near the user is searched and the designated candidate terminal list 50 is searched. Is created. However, when the positional relationship between the PC 10 and the printer 20 is fixed, if the designated candidate terminal list 50 created in advance is set in the PC 10, the communication partner designation process (S13) is performed without searching for the designated candidate terminal again. Can be executed.

  On the other hand, since the user can search for the designated candidate terminal at any timing and create the designated candidate terminal list 50, even if the positional relationship between the PC 10 and the printer 20 is variable, the printer 20 in the vicinity of the user The designated candidate terminal list 50 is created by searching each time. Therefore, even if the PC 10 or the printer 20 is a mobile terminal, the printer 20 existing within the visible / audible range near the user can be set as the designated candidate terminal.

  Further, the information expression means driving based on the connect signal and the select signal can be arbitrarily changed. That is, in the above embodiment, the light emitting unit 24 and the audio output unit 25 are exemplified as the information expression means, but the designer or the user can arbitrarily set the laser light and audio output modes. Further, other information expression means such as image display on the liquid crystal panel 27 and vibration caused by a vibration vibrator (not shown) may be used. Further, in the above embodiment, each printer 20 stores the information representation means driving mode corresponding to the connect signal and the select signal, but the connect signal and the select signal indicate the driving mode of the information representation unit in each printer 20. You may make it do.

  In the above embodiment, the communication system 1 including the PC 10 and the printer 20 has been described as an example. However, the present invention can be widely applied as a technique for allowing a specific communication device to communicate with a device arbitrarily designated by a user among a plurality of communication devices. For example, as a specific communication device used by a user, various devices such as a PDA, a mobile phone, a home terminal, and a multi-function remote controller can be used. As other communication devices, various devices such as a digital camera, a television, a stereo, a copy machine, and a fax machine can be used.

  Further, the present invention can also be applied to a case where a plurality of status communication apparatuses 100 search and select terminals that are communication partners with each other. FIG. 15 is an image diagram of the status communication device 100. As shown in FIG. 15, the situation communication device 100 is a sphere, and the size fits in the palm of a person. Although not shown in the figure, other situation communications other than a CPU, ROM, RAM, timer, etc. A transmission / reception unit for transmitting / receiving to / from the apparatus 100 is connected to each other via a bus.

  On the surface of the status communication device 100, a USB port 120 for connecting to an external PC and an expansion port (not shown) for inserting various modules (various sensors and various actuators) are provided. As various actuators, a flash lamp 102, LEDs 111, 112, 113, and 114 (collectively referred to as LED 110), a 7-segment LED 103, and a speaker 104 are provided. The expansion port (not shown) is connected to a motor or heater (not shown) as other actuators, and as various sensors, in addition to the microphone 101, a bending sensor (strain sensor), acceleration sensor, temperature, etc. Sensors, heart rate sensors, optical sensors, pressure sensors, humidity sensors, sweat sensors, etc. are connected.

  The status communication device 100 is not provided with a keyboard like a personal computer. Therefore, information detected by the various sensors of the situation communication device 100 is registered in advance as an instruction input for instructing a predetermined operation, and the user performs a gesture (was shaken, grips, etc. a predetermined number of times) by grasping the situation communication device 100. The operation is instructed by.

  The situation communication device 100 having such a configuration measures biological information of a person (user) who uses the situation communication device 100 and changes in the state of the situation communication device 100 in various sensors. Then, index information indicating the user's situation is determined based on a predetermined rule, and can be transmitted to another situation communication device 100. Moreover, various actuators can be controlled by the expression form determined based on the predetermined rule from the index information received from the other situation communication device 100, and can express the user situation.

  By applying the present invention, the user can arbitrarily search and select another situation communication device 100 as a communication partner of his / her situation communication device 100. In this case, the user may perform the search and selection instructions for his / her situation communication device 100 using a predetermined gesture as described above, or may provide other input buttons.

  In the above embodiment, for the convenience of explanation, the specific communication device (PC 10) used by the user and the other communication device (printer 20) are described separately. However, if the PC 10 is configured to execute the main process of the printer 20 (FIG. 9) and the printer 20 is configured to execute the main process of the PC 10 (FIG. 3), the printer 20 that is the communication partner of the PC 10 is set. Not only can it be specified, but it is also possible to specify the PC 10 that is the communication partner of the printer 20.

  The communication device, the communication system, and the communication control program of the present invention can be used as a communication device or the like for a user to arbitrarily designate a terminal as a communication partner among a plurality of communication devices existing on a network.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of a communication system 1. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a communication system 1. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the main process of PC10. It is a figure which shows the print popup screen. It is a figure for demonstrating a user's visible and audible range. It is a data block diagram of the designation | designated candidate terminal list 50. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of a communication other party designation | designated process (S13). It is a flowchart which shows the detail of a connection signal transmission process (S23). 4 is a flowchart showing main processing of the printer 20. 3 is a diagram showing a timeline of processing in the communication system 1. FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the information representation means drive mode of the printer 20 at the time of connection signal reception. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an information expression means driving mode of the printer 20 when a select signal is received. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the connection signal transmission process (S23) in 2nd Embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a main process of the printer 20 according to the second embodiment. It is an image figure of the status communication apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

1 Communication system 10 PC
11 CPU
12 ROM
13 RAM
14 HDD
15 Display 16 User I / F
16a Keyboard 16b Mouse 17 Communication control unit 20 Printer 21 CPU
22 ROM
23 RAM
23b Page memory 23a Reception buffer 24 Light emitting unit 25 Audio output unit 26 Printing unit 27 Liquid crystal panel 28 Operation panel 29 Communication control unit 40 Print pop-up screen 50 Designated candidate terminal list 100 Status communication device

Claims (10)

First drive signal transmission means for transmitting a first drive signal for instructing driving of the information expression means to a plurality of communicable designated candidate terminals existing outside according to the order designated by the first drive signal transmission order designation means. When,
A communication partner designating means for a user to input for designating a communication partner terminal;
A communication partner specifying unit for specifying, as the communication partner terminal, the designated candidate terminal to which the latest first drive signal has been transmitted by the first drive signal transmitting unit when input from the communication partner specifying unit;
And a communication control means for executing communication with the communication partner terminal specified by the communication partner specifying means. Terminal search means for searching a plurality of communicable terminals existing outside;
A list creation means for creating a designated candidate terminal list in which the plurality of terminals searched by the terminal search means are registered as designated candidate terminals, respectively.
The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first drive signal transmission order designating unit designates a transmission order according to the designation candidate terminal list.   The terminal search means searches for the terminal having the information expression means within a visible range in which the user can visually recognize the driving of the information expression means or an audible range in which the user can hear the information expression means. Item 3. The communication device according to Item 2.   4. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first drive signal drives the information expression means included in the plurality of designated candidate terminals in different modes. 5.   The first drive signal transmission means transmits the first drive signal to the next designated candidate terminal in the order designated by the first drive signal transmission order designation means every time a predetermined time elapses. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A candidate change instruction means for a user to perform an input for changing the designated candidate terminal for driving the information expression means;
The first drive signal transmission means transmits the first drive signal to the next designated candidate terminal in the order designated by the first drive signal transmission order designation means every time it is input from the candidate change instruction means. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication device is a communication device.   And a second drive signal transmitting means for transmitting a second drive signal for instructing the communication counterpart terminal to drive the information representation means when the communication counterpart terminal is specified by the communication counterpart specifying means. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.   The communication apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the second drive signal is for driving the information expression unit in a manner different from that of the first drive signal. A communication system in which communication is performed between a communication device and a communication partner terminal selected by a user among a plurality of designated candidate terminals capable of communicating with the communication device,
The communication device
First drive signal transmitting means for transmitting a first drive signal for instructing driving of the information expressing means to the plurality of designated candidate terminals in an order designated by the first drive signal transmission order designating means;
A communication partner designating means for a user to input for designating a communication partner terminal;
A communication partner specifying means for specifying, as the communication partner terminal, the designated candidate terminal to which the latest first drive signal has been transmitted by the first drive signal transmitting means when input from the communication partner specifying means;
First communication control means for executing communication with the communication partner terminal specified by the communication partner specifying means;
Each of the plurality of designated candidate terminals is
First drive signal receiving means for receiving the first drive signal transmitted from the communication device;
Information expression means for informing the user by at least one of sound and light;
Information representation control means for driving the information representation means when the first drive signal is received by the first drive signal receiving means;
And a second communication control means for executing communication with the communication device. Computer
First drive signal transmitting means for transmitting a first drive signal for instructing driving of the information expression means to a plurality of communication-specified candidate terminals existing outside in the order specified by the first drive signal transmission order specifying means. ,
A communication partner specifying means for the user to input for specifying the communication partner terminal;
A communication partner specifying unit for specifying, as the communication partner terminal, the designated candidate terminal to which the latest first drive signal has been transmitted by the first drive signal transmitting unit when input from the communication partner specifying unit;
A communication control program for causing a communication control unit to execute communication with the communication partner terminal specified by the communication partner specifying unit.

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