JP2017097548A - Information processing apparatus, installation control system, installation control program, and installation control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To install a device driver on an information processing apparatus, in a stand-alone system.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus has a function of installing a control program for controlling the apparatus with respect to connected hardware. When detecting the hardware connected thereto, receiving a response signal from the hardware, and detecting a connection with the hardware, the information processing apparatus electrically switches connection in accordance with a receiving state of the response signal. When the hardware is electrically disconnected and the hardware is electrically connected again, the information processing apparatus transmits identification information, which is different from the above identification information, for specifying the information processing apparatus required in installing the control program.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an installation control system, an installation control program, and an installation control method.

  In recent years, there has been a tendency to digitize information, and image processing apparatuses such as printers and facsimiles used for outputting digitized information and scanners used for digitizing documents have become indispensable devices. Such an image processing apparatus is often configured as a multifunction machine that can be used as a printer, a facsimile, a scanner, or a copier by providing an imaging function, an image forming function, a communication function, and the like.

  Of these image processing apparatuses, when operating a printing apparatus used to output an electronic document, a print job is generated by a printer driver installed in an information processing apparatus such as a PC (Personal Computer) and printed. It is common to send to a device. Therefore, it is necessary to install a printer driver in an information processing apparatus that transmits a print job to the printing apparatus. In addition, when the function on the printing apparatus side is expanded or when a new model printing apparatus is used, it is necessary to install a printer driver corresponding to the function or model in the information processing apparatus.

  As a method for installing a printer driver in an information processing apparatus, a technique for installing a printer driver from a printing apparatus connected to the information processing apparatus with a USB cable or the like is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 1). In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, a driver for a printing apparatus is installed in an information processing apparatus using a connection method called Plug and Play (hereinafter referred to as PnP).

  At this time, the printer driver installed from the printing device to the information processing device is manufactured according to the compatibility driver compatible with the product of the printing device vendor and the model of the printing device connected to the information processing device. There is a model-specific driver.

  The compatibility driver is a driver provided by the printing device vendor to the OS (Operating System) vendor, and is shared with respect to the function of the greatest common divisor in the model provided by the printing device vendor. . The model-specific driver is a driver provided and managed by the vendor of the printing apparatus, and has a function of generating a print job specific to the model and a function of displaying a print setting screen on the information processing apparatus. Therefore, in the printing apparatus in which the model-specific driver is installed, all functions installed in the printing apparatus can be used. Therefore, in order to use all the functions installed in the printing apparatus, it is desirable that the driver installed in the information processing apparatus is a model-specific driver.

  As a method of installing such a driver, in Patent Document 1, first, a compatible driver is downloaded via a network and installed in an information processing apparatus. Then, the compatible driver downloads the model-specific driver via the network and installs it in the information processing apparatus.

  However, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 may not be applied to a stand-alone printing system in which only an information processing apparatus and a printing apparatus are connected and not connected to a network. For example, in the case of an information processing apparatus that is not connected to a network, a printing apparatus of a model that is released after the OS is installed in the information processing apparatus is a model that does not support a compatible driver because the OS is not updated. It will be judged. In such a case, since the compatible driver cannot be installed in the information processing apparatus, the model-specific driver cannot be installed in the information processing apparatus in the stand-alone printing system.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to install a device driver in an information processing apparatus in a stand-alone system.

  In order to solve the above problems, one embodiment of the present invention is an information processing apparatus having a function of installing a control program for controlling itself to connected hardware, the hardware being connected A connection detection unit that detects that the connection has been made, a communication control unit that controls connection to the hardware, and a response signal from the hardware when it is detected that the connection has been made to the hardware A signal reception unit, and an identification information transmission unit that transmits identification information that can identify the information processing device, and the communication control unit receives the response signal when the hardware is connected. The identification information transmission unit is electrically disconnected from the hardware and is electrically connected again to the hardware. The case, unlike the identification information, and characterized by transmitting the identification information required to install the control program.

  According to the present invention, a device driver can be installed in an information processing apparatus in a stand-alone system.

The figure which illustrated the operation mode of the image processing system concerning the embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an external device connection I / F of an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The block diagram which shows the function structure of the information processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The block diagram which shows the information structure of the driver set which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of device information of the image processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the invention. The figure which illustrated description of the device driver which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which showed the flow which installs the driver at the time of PnP connection which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which shows the flow of the process which switches ID in the device information which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The sequence diagram which shows the flow of the process which switches ID which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and installs a driver. The sequence diagram which shows the flow of the process which installs a driver using the product display information which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As an image processing system in the present embodiment, a system in which an image processing apparatus and a PC are connected via a USB (Universal Serial Bus) terminal will be described as an example. Note that the image processing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described by taking an MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) including an image reading apparatus as an example.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an operation mode of the image processing system according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the image processing system according to the present embodiment includes an image processing apparatus 1 including input / output functions such as a printer and a scanner, and a PC 2 that is an information processing apparatus operated by a user. The image processing apparatus 1 and the PC 2 are connected by a USB cable.

  The image processing apparatus 1 is an MFP that can be used as a printer, a facsimile, a scanner, and a copier by providing an imaging function, an image forming function, a communication function, and the like. In addition, the image processing apparatus 1 generates CMYK or monochrome drawing information based on image information included in a print job transmitted from the PC 2 and executes image formation output based on the generated drawing information. And functions as a monochrome printer.

  The PC 2 is an information processing apparatus operated by a user. Moreover, you may implement | achieve by portable information terminals, such as a smart phone and a tablet terminal. Further, when a printer driver is installed in the PC 2, a print job for causing the image processing apparatus of a model supported by the installed printer driver to execute printing can be generated and transmitted.

  Next, the hardware configuration of the entire image processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the image processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. In the following description, the hardware configuration of the image processing apparatus 1 will be described as an example, but the same applies to the PC 2.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the image processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment has the same configuration as an information processing apparatus such as a general PC (Personal Computer) or a server. That is, the image processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 12, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 13, a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 14, and an I / F 15. 19 is connected. Further, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) 16, an operation unit 17, and a dedicated device 18 are connected to the I / F 15. In addition to the hardware configuration shown in FIG. 2, the image processing apparatus 1 includes an engine for realizing a scanner, a printer, and the like.

  The CPU 11 is a calculation unit and controls the operation of the entire image processing apparatus 1. The RAM 12 is a volatile storage medium capable of reading and writing information at high speed, and is used as a work area when the CPU 11 processes information. The ROM 13 is a read-only nonvolatile storage medium, and stores programs such as firmware. The HDD 14 is a non-volatile storage medium that can read and write information, and stores an OS, various control programs, application programs, and the like.

  The I / F 15 connects and controls the bus 19 and various hardware and networks. The LCD 16 is a visual user interface for the user to check the state of the image processing apparatus 1. The operation unit 17 is a user interface for the user to input information to the image processing apparatus 1, and is configured by a touch panel, hard keys, and the like in the present embodiment.

  The dedicated device 18 is hardware for realizing functions unique to the image processing apparatus 1, and is a print engine that executes image formation output on a paper surface and a scanner unit for reading an image on the paper surface.

  In such a hardware configuration, a program stored in a recording medium such as the ROM 13, the HDD 14, or an optical disk (not shown) is read into the RAM 12, and the CPU 11 performs an operation according to those programs, thereby configuring a software control unit. The A functional block that realizes the function of the image processing apparatus 1 is configured by a combination of the software control unit configured as described above and hardware.

  Next, the functional configuration of the image processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the image processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a controller 100, an ADF (Auto Document Feeder) 101, a scanner unit 102, a paper discharge tray 103, a display panel 104, and a paper feed table. 105, a print engine 106, a paper discharge tray 107, and an external device connection I / F 108.

  The controller 100 includes a main control unit 110, an engine control unit 120, an image processing unit 130, an operation display control unit 140, and an input / output control unit 150. As shown in FIG. 3, the image processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is configured as a multifunction machine having a scanner unit 102 and a print engine 106. In FIG. 3, the electrical connection is indicated by a solid arrow, and the flow of a sheet or a document bundle is indicated by a broken arrow.

  The display panel 104 is an output interface that visually displays the state of the image processing apparatus 1, and when the user directly operates the image processing apparatus 1 as a touch panel or inputs information to the image processing apparatus 1. It is also an input interface (operation unit). The display panel 104 is realized by the LCD 16 and the operation unit 17 shown in FIG.

  The external device connection I / F 108 is an interface for the image processing apparatus 1 to communicate with other devices via a network, and uses an Ethernet (registered trademark) or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface. The external device connection I / F 108 is realized by the I / F 15 shown in FIG. Further, the external device connection I / F 108 includes a function as a FAX modem, and also functions as an interface for the image processing apparatus 1 to perform FAX transmission / reception via the network.

  The controller 100 is configured by a combination of software and hardware. Specifically, a program stored in a nonvolatile storage medium such as a ROM 13 or a nonvolatile memory, an HDD 14 or an optical disk is loaded into a volatile memory (hereinafter referred to as a memory) such as a RAM 12, and the CPU 11 performs an operation according to the program. The controller 100 is configured by a software control unit configured by performing and hardware such as an integrated circuit. The controller 100 functions as a control unit that controls the entire image processing apparatus 1.

  The main control unit 110 plays a role of controlling each unit included in the controller 100, and gives a command to each unit of the controller 100. Further, the main control unit 110 according to the present embodiment executes various processes corresponding to information input to the controller 100. The processing executed by the main control unit 110 will be described in detail later. The engine control unit 120 serves as a driving unit that controls or drives the print engine 106, the scanner unit 102, and the like.

  The image processing unit 130 generates drawing information based on image information to be printed out under the control of the main control unit 110. The drawing information is information for drawing an image to be formed in the image forming operation by the print engine 106 as an image forming unit. The image processing unit 130 processes image data input from the scanner unit 102 to generate image data. This image data is information stored in the storage area of the image processing apparatus 1 as a result of the scanner operation or transmitted to another apparatus such as the PC 2 via the external apparatus connection I / F 108.

  The operation display control unit 140 displays information on the display panel 104 or notifies the main control unit 110 of information input via the display panel 104. The input / output control unit 150 inputs information input via the external device connection I / F 108 to the main control unit 110. The main control unit 110 also controls the input / output control unit 150 to access other devices such as the PC 1 via the external device connection I / F 108 and the network.

  When the image processing apparatus 1 operates as a printer, first, the input / output control unit 150 receives a print job via the external apparatus connection I / F 108. The input / output control unit 150 transfers the received print job to the main control unit 110. When receiving a print job, the main control unit 110 controls the image processing unit 130 to generate drawing information based on document information or image information included in the print job.

  When drawing information is generated by the image processing unit 130, the engine control unit 120 controls the print engine 106 to form an image on the paper conveyed from the paper feed table 105 based on the generated drawing information. Let it run. As a specific aspect of the print engine 106, an image forming mechanism using an ink jet method, an image forming mechanism using an electrophotographic method, or the like can be used. A document on which image formation has been performed by the print engine 106 is discharged to a discharge tray 107.

  When the image processing apparatus 1 operates as a scanner, the operation display control unit 140 or the user operates the display panel 104 according to a scan operation instruction input from the external PC 3 or the like via the operation of the display panel 104 or the external apparatus connection I / F 108. The input / output control unit 150 transfers a scan execution signal to the main control unit 110. The main control unit 110 controls the engine control unit 120 based on the received scan execution signal.

  The engine control unit 120 drives the ADF 101 and conveys the document to be imaged set on the ADF 101 to the scanner unit 102. In addition, the engine control unit 120 drives the scanner unit 102 and images a document conveyed from the ADF 101. If no original is set on the ADF 101 and the original is set directly on the scanner unit 102, the scanner unit 102 images the set original according to the control of the engine control unit 120. That is, the scanner unit 102 operates as an imaging unit.

  In the imaging operation, an imaging element such as a CCD included in the scanner unit 102 optically scans the document, and imaging information generated based on the optical information is generated. The engine control unit 120 transfers the imaging information generated by the scanner unit 102 to the image processing unit 130. The image processing unit 130 generates image information based on the imaging information received from the engine control unit 120 according to the control of the main control unit 110. Image information generated by the image processing unit 130 is stored in a storage medium attached to the image processing apparatus 1 such as the HDD 14. That is, the scanner unit 102, the engine control unit 120, and the image processing unit 130 work together to function as a document reading unit.

  The image information generated by the image processing unit 130 is stored as it is in the HDD 40 or the like according to a user instruction or transmitted to an external device such as the PC 3 via the input / output control unit 150 and the external device connection I / F 108. . Further, as described above, in the image processing apparatus 1 that does not include the function of transmitting the scan result image, the image information generated by the image processing unit 130 is stored in a predetermined storage area and stored in an information processing terminal such as the PC 2. The installed and operating driver downloads the image information via the external device connection I / F 108.

  Further, when the image processing apparatus 1 operates as a copying machine, the image processing unit 130 generates drawing information based on imaging information received by the engine control unit 120 from the scanner unit 102 or image information generated by the image processing unit 130. To do. Based on the drawing information, the engine control unit 120 drives the print engine 106 as in the case of the printer operation. When the information format of the drawing information and the imaging information is the same, the imaging information can be used as the drawing information as it is.

  Further, when an external device such as a PC 2 is connected in the image processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, communication confirmation with the connected external apparatus is executed in the external device connection I / F 108 of the image processing apparatus 1. Hereinafter, the functional configuration of the external device connection I / F 108 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the external device connection I / F 108.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the external device connection I / F 108 according to the present embodiment includes a data communication unit 80, an end point (IN) 81, an end point (OUT) 82, and a data control unit 83. The data communication unit 80 communicates with an external device connected to the image processing apparatus 1. The end point (IN) 81 transmits information input to the image processing apparatus 1 from an external device to the data control unit 83. The end point (OUT) 82 receives information output from the image processing apparatus 1 to the external apparatus from the data control unit 83 and transmits the information to the data communication unit 80.

  The data control unit 83 determines whether an external apparatus is connected to the image processing apparatus 1 in accordance with the communication status with the end point (IN) 81 and the end point (OUT) 82. Further, the data control unit 83 performs on / off control of the connection state with respect to the end point (IN) 81 and the end point (OUT) 82.

  The image processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment stores a printer driver in a storage medium such as the HDD 14 and can be installed in the PC 2 via the external apparatus connection I / F 108. The compatibility driver storage unit 41 stores compatibility drivers that are common to the functions of the greatest common divisor in the models provided by the vendor of the image processing apparatus 1. The model-specific driver storage unit 42 stores a model-specific driver in which a function for generating a print job unique to the image processing apparatus 1 and a function for displaying a print setting screen on the information processing apparatus are installed.

  Next, the functional configuration of the PC 2 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the PC 2 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the PC 2 according to the present embodiment includes a controller 200 and a network I / F 201 in addition to the HDD 14, the LCD 16, and the operation unit 17 described in FIG. 2. The controller 200 includes an installation unit 210, a network control unit 250, a display control unit 260, and an operation control unit 270.

  The network I / F 201 is an interface for the PC 2 to communicate with other devices via the network, and an Ethernet (registered trademark) or a USB interface is used. The network I / F 201 is realized by the I / F 15 shown in FIG.

  The controller 200 is configured by a combination of software and hardware. Specifically, a program stored in a nonvolatile storage medium such as a ROM 13 or a nonvolatile memory, an HDD 14 or an optical disk is loaded into a volatile memory (hereinafter referred to as a memory) such as a RAM 12, and the CPU 11 performs an operation according to the program. The controller 200 is configured by a software control unit configured by performing and hardware such as an integrated circuit. The controller 200 is a control unit that controls the entire PC 2.

  The network control unit 250 acquires information input via the network I / F 201 and transmits information to other devices via the network I / F 201. The display control unit 260 displays the state of the PC 2 on the display unit of the LCD 16 such as a GUI (Graphical User Interface) of the installation unit 210. The operation control unit 270 acquires a signal of an operation by the user with respect to the operation unit 17 and inputs the signal to software operating on the PC 2 such as the installation unit 210.

  In such an image processing system, as described above, when a print job is transmitted from the PC 2 to the image processing apparatus 1, a scan execution command is transmitted from the PC 2 to the image processing apparatus 1, and scanning is performed in the image processing apparatus 1. When the PC 2 acquires an image generated by executing the above, a driver that is a software program for using the function of the image processing apparatus 1 needs to be installed in the PC 2. In the present embodiment, the installation unit 210 functions as an installation control program having a function of supporting the user when installing such a driver. Hereinafter, the function of the installation unit 210 will be described in detail.

  As described above, the installation unit 210 provides a function for installing a driver for using the image processing apparatus 1 in the PC 2. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the installation unit 210 includes an installation control unit 211 and a driver acquisition control unit 212.

  The installation control unit 211 controls driver installation in the installation unit 210. Specifically, the installation control unit 211 is configured to display a GUI on the LCD 16 via the display control unit 260 based on an operation signal input from the operation control unit 270 or from the image processing apparatus 1 via the network control unit 250. It includes a function for acquiring transmitted information.

  In addition, the installation control unit 211 controls processing for acquiring information on drivers already installed in the PC 2 and peripheral devices such as the image processing apparatus 1 connected to the PC 2. Peripheral device information (device information) is, for example, vendor information provided by the peripheral device, PnP information that can uniquely identify the model. Based on the peripheral device information acquired in this manner, driver installation in the installation unit 210 is controlled.

  The driver acquisition control unit 212 functions as an installation program that performs installation processing of the driver downloaded to the PC 2. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the driver acquisition control unit 212 acquires from the HDD 14 a driver set 600 in which a driver installed in the PC 2 and an installer corresponding to the driver are packaged. Hereinafter, the configuration of the driver set 600 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the driver set 600 according to the present embodiment.

  As illustrated in FIG. 6, the driver set 600 according to the present embodiment includes a rendering engine 610, a UI control unit 620, and an installer 630. The rendering engine 610 acquires a signal of a user operation on the operation unit 17 via the operation control unit 270, performs image processing for printing, and generates a print job.

  The UI control unit 620 includes a screen display setting unit 621, a print setting unit 622, and an installation instruction unit 623. The screen display setting unit 621 displays a print setting screen on the LCD 16 via the display control unit 260. The print setting unit 622 acquires a signal of a user operation performed on the print setting screen displayed on the LCD 16 via the operation control unit 270, and performs processing on the print image based on the acquired signal as a rendering engine. 610 is executed.

  The installation instruction unit 623 acquires a signal of an operation performed by the user on the screen displayed on the LCD 16 via the operation control unit 270, and downloads and installs a driver set to the installer 630 based on the acquired signal. Let it run. The installer 630 downloads and installs the driver set based on the command information transmitted from the installation instruction unit 623.

  The image processing system according to the present embodiment is characterized by processing when a driver that controls the image processing apparatus 1 is installed in the PC 2. The image processing system according to the present embodiment is premised on a stand-alone image processing system in which the image processing apparatus 1 and the PC 2 are connected by USB and not connected to a network. When the image processing apparatus 1 and the PC 2 are PnP connected, the PC 2 acquires device information for specifying the image processing apparatus 1 by the OS installed in the PC 2. FIG. 7 illustrates an example of the configuration of device information that the image processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment transmits to a device that is PnP connected by a USB cable.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the device information according to this embodiment includes “vendor information”, “corresponding command information”, “model information”, “special key”, “class information”, “product display information”, “compatible”. Information of a configuration including at least a sex ID ". “Vendor information” is information of a vendor that provides the image processing apparatus 1. “Corresponding command information” is information of the description format of the print job corresponding to the image processing apparatus 1. “Model information” is information indicating the model of the image processing apparatus 1.

  The “special key” is information on a special key used by the vendor of the image processing apparatus 1. “Class information” is information indicating that the image processing apparatus 1 is a printer. “Product display information” is information on the product name of the image processing apparatus 1 displayed to the user. The “compatibility ID” is an ID used by the vendor of the image processing apparatus 1 to support its own printing device. By transmitting this “compatibility ID” to the PC 2, the PC 2 can install a compatible driver corresponding to the “compatibility ID”.

  The compatibility driver is a printer driver that is compatible with the product of the vendor of the printing apparatus, and may correspond to a “hardware ID” described below in addition to “compatibility ID”. In such a case, the PC 2 can install a model-specific driver and a compatible driver corresponding to the “hardware ID”.

  Among the information as described above, a combination of “vendor information” and “model information” is used as the “hardware ID”. “Hardware ID” and “compatibility ID” are information used in the system definition file, which is information included in the driver set 600 of the image processing apparatus 1 as shown in FIG. By transmitting this “hardware ID” to the PC 2, the PC 2 can install a compatible driver corresponding to the “hardware ID” and a model-specific driver described below.

  The model-specific driver is a printer driver in which a function for generating a model-specific print job and a function for displaying a print setting screen on the information processing apparatus are installed. In the model-specific driver, the corresponding model is identified by “hardware ID”.

  FIG. 8 exemplifies the description of the system definition file included in the driver set 600 of the image processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, in the system definition file included in the driver set 600 of the image processing apparatus 1, a combination of “hardware ID” and a hexadecimal code value is used as “product ID”. Further, “product ID” may be used by combining “hardware ID” and “compatibility ID” with a hexadecimal code value. Therefore, by reading the system definition file included in the driver set 600, it is possible to specify the “hardware ID” and “compatibility ID” of the driver included in the driver set 600.

  Note that there is at least one “hardware ID” of a driver included in the driver set 600. This is because the driver included in the driver set 600 may be compatible with a plurality of models. In addition, the driver included in the driver set 600 may have a configuration that does not have a “compatibility ID”. In such a case, in the compatible driver corresponding to “hardware ID”, the corresponding model can be identified by “hardware ID”. Further, the driver included in the driver set 600 may have a plurality of “compatibility IDs”.

  As described above, in the image processing system according to the present embodiment, the PC 2 executes processing based on the device information of the image processing apparatus 1. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 9, processing when installing a driver for controlling the image processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment in the PC 2 will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing for installing a driver for controlling the image processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment in the PC 2.

  When detecting that the PnP connection with the image processing apparatus 1 is detected, the installation control unit 211 acquires device information from the image processing apparatus 1 (S901). Then, the installation control unit 211 searches for a driver corresponding to the “hardware ID” of the acquired device information among the drivers stored in the HDD 14 of the image processing apparatus 1 (S902). When a driver corresponding to “hardware ID” exists in the HDD 14 of the PC 2 (S903 / Yes), the installation control unit 211 causes the driver acquisition control unit 212 to install a driver corresponding to the existing “hardware ID” ( S904).

  When the driver corresponding to “Hardware ID” does not exist in the HDD 14 of the image processing apparatus 1 (S903 / No), the installation control unit 211 acquires the acquired device among the drivers stored in the HDD 14 of the image processing apparatus 1. A search is performed for a driver corresponding to the “compatibility ID” of the information (S905). When a driver corresponding to “compatibility ID” exists in the HDD 14 of the PC 2 (S906 / Yes), the installation control unit 211 causes the driver acquisition control unit 212 to install a driver corresponding to the existing “compatibility ID” ( S907). If the driver corresponding to the “compatibility ID” does not exist in the HDD 14 of the PC 2 (S906 / No), the installation control unit 211 ends this process.

  In FIG. 9, the driver set 600 stored in the HDD 14 of the PC 1 is a driver bundled with the PC 2 OS, a driver added by updating the PC 2 OS, or a driver manually downloaded to the PC 2 by the user. . In addition, when installing a model-specific driver or a compatible driver and there are a plurality of matching drivers as installation targets, the installation control unit 211 selects a driver to be actually installed based on the system definition file of each driver. decide.

  In the image processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the model-specific driver of the image processing apparatus 1 can be installed on the PC 2 by internally switching the “hardware ID”. Specifically, in the processing of S903, when the compatibility driver does not exist in the HDD 14 of the PC 2, the image processing apparatus 1 switches the “hardware ID”.

  Hereinafter, the ID switching process performed by the image processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of ID switching processing in the image processing apparatus according to the present embodiment.

  When the data communication unit 80 detects that the image processing apparatus 1 and the PC 2 are PnP connected (S1001), the data control unit 83 transmits device information to the PC 2. At this time, the PC 2 executes the processing shown in FIG. 9 based on the received device information. Therefore, as a result of the processing in S1001, the PC 2 is in a state where a compatible driver or a model-specific driver is installed, or in which no driver is installed. Thus, the data communication unit 80 functions as a connection detection unit that executes the connection detection step.

  After performing the process of S1001, the data control unit 83 determines whether there is a response from the PC 2 (S1002). Therefore, the data control unit 83 functions as a signal receiving unit that executes a signal receiving step of receiving a response signal from the PC 2. When there is a response from the PC 2 (S1002 / Yes), the data control unit 83 notifies the main control unit 110 of information indicating that a communication connection with the PC 2 has been established. At this time, if the driver of the image processing apparatus 1 is installed in the PC 2, there is a response from the PC 2.

  When the main control unit 110 receives the communication establishment notification from the data control unit 83, the main control unit 110 ends this processing without switching the “hardware ID”, and operates the image processing apparatus 1 in the normal mode. The normal mode is a process performed by the image processing apparatus 1 when the device information transmitted to the PC 2 is not switched.

  When there is no response from the PC 2 (S1002 / No), the data control unit 83 electrically turns off the connection with the PC 2 (S1004). Therefore, the data control unit 83 functions as a communication control unit that executes a communication control step for controlling communication with the PC 2.

  Then, the data control unit 83 executes a process of switching the “hardware ID” in the device information to a name based on the “compatibility ID” (for example, an ID such as “vendor name_compatibility ID_printer”) (S1005). . At this time, the “compatibility ID” switched from the “hardware ID” is the “compatibility ID” corresponding to the compatibility driver bundled with the OS installed in the PC 2. In this way, the PC 2 can securely install the compatible driver. Note that the “compatibility ID” corresponding to the compatibility driver bundled with the OS installed in the PC 2 is stored in the HDD 14 of the image processing apparatus 1. ID ”is transferred to the data control unit 83.

  When the “hardware ID” is switched to “vendor name_compatibility ID_printer”, the data control unit 83 electrically turns on the connection with the PC 2 (S1006). When the device information is switched by the data control unit 83, the main control unit 110 operates the image processing apparatus 1 in the compatibility mode (S1007). Note that the compatibility mode is processing performed by the image processing apparatus 1 when device information to be transmitted to the PC 2 is switched. As described above, in the image processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the process of switching the “hardware ID” in the device information to a name based on the “compatibility ID” is executed.

  Thus, the effect at the time of switching ID is demonstrated with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing for installing the model-specific driver of the image processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment in the PC 2. The process shown in FIG. 11 is applied when the process shown in FIG. 10 is executed and the image processing apparatus 1 is operating in the “compatibility mode”.

  First, the installation control unit 211 transmits command information for requesting device information to the image processing apparatus 1 (S1101). At this time, since the image processing apparatus 1 is operating in the “compatibility mode”, the “hardware ID” in the device information is described as “vendor name_compatibility ID_printer”. When the command information requesting device information is received from the PC 2, the data control unit 83 describes the “hardware ID” as “vendor name_compatibility ID_printer” and can recognize the compatible driver. Is transmitted to PC2. Therefore, the data control unit 83 functions as an identification information transmission unit that executes an identification information transmission step of transmitting device information.

  Upon receiving the device information, the installation control unit 211 searches the HDD 14 for a printer driver corresponding to “vendor name_compatibility ID_printer” (S1103). As described above, “vendor name_compatibility ID_printer” is a name corresponding to the compatibility driver bundled with the OS of the PC 2, and as a result of the processing of S1103, “vendor name_compatibility” There is a compatible driver corresponding to “sex ID_printer”. Then, the installation control unit 211 causes the driver acquisition control unit 212 to install a compatible driver corresponding to “vendor name_compatibility ID_printer” (S1104).

  The driver set 600 including the compatible driver includes an installation instruction unit 623 as illustrated in FIG. When the compatible driver is installed in the PC 2, the installation control unit 211 activates the installation instruction unit 623. The installation instruction unit 623 transmits command information for requesting a model-specific driver to the image processing apparatus 1 (S1105). When receiving the command information requesting the model-specific driver, the main control unit 110 determines the model-specific driver to be transmitted to the PC 2. At this time, the main control unit 110 determines a model-specific driver to be returned based on the OS information received from the PC 2 together with the command information requesting the model-specific driver.

  The main control unit 110 obtains the driver set 600 of the model-specific driver determined as described above from the model-specific driver storage unit 42 and transfers it to the data control unit 83. The data control unit 83 transmits the transferred driver set 600 of the model-specific driver to the PC 2 (S1106).

  The installation control unit 211 reads “product ID” from the system definition file included in the driver set of the model-specific driver received from the image processing apparatus 1 and determines whether the corresponding model-specific driver has already been installed ( S1107). If the model-specific driver is already installed in the PC 2, the installation control unit 211 transmits an installed notification to the image processing apparatus 1 (S1108). On the other hand, if the model-specific driver is not installed in the PC 2, the installation control unit 211 causes the driver acquisition control unit 212 to install the acquired model-specific driver. When the driver acquisition control unit 212 completes the installation of the model-specific driver, the installation control unit 211 transmits an installed notification to the image processing apparatus 1 (similarly, S1108).

  When the installation notification is received from the PC 2 (S1109), the data control unit 83 electrically turns off the USB connection (S1110). Then, the data control unit 83 changes the “hardware ID”, which is “vendor name_compatibility ID_printer”, to the original description again while the USB connection is turned off (S1111). Therefore, the device information for specifying the image processing apparatus 1 is returned to the “hardware ID” before the connection with the PC 2 by the processing of S1111.

  When the “hardware ID” is changed, the data control unit 83 electrically turns on the USB connection with the PC 2 (S1112). At this time, the image processing apparatus 1 is operating in the “normal mode”. Therefore, by performing this processing, it becomes possible to install the model-specific driver of the image processing apparatus 1 on the PC 2 and to execute print output using all the functions installed in the image processing apparatus 1. become.

  As described above, the image processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment can switch device information to a format in which a compatible driver can be installed in a connected device. In this way, even in a stand-alone image processing system, the image processing apparatus 1 can execute print output based on a print job input from the PC 2.

  In the above-described embodiment, the compatibility driver and the model-specific driver are stored in the storage medium installed in the image processing apparatus 1, but the model-specific driver is acquired from a server on the local area network. Can also be considered. Even in such a case, the image processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment can be similarly applied. A flow of processing when acquiring a model-specific driver from a server on the local area network will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram showing a flow of processing for acquiring a model-specific driver from a server on the local area network.

  In the processing shown in FIG. 12, the processing up to S1104 is the same as the processing shown in FIG. Subsequent to the processing of S1104, when the installation of the compatible driver is completed, the installation control unit 211 transmits command information requesting “product display information” to the image processing apparatus 1 (S1201).

  When the command information requesting “product display information” is received from the PC 2, the data control unit 83 transmits “product display information” of the device information of the image processing apparatus 1 to the PC 2 (S 1202). When receiving the “product display information”, the installation control unit 211 transmits the OS information of the PC 2 and “product display information” to the server on the local area network as command information for requesting a model-specific driver. (S1203).

  When the server receives the OS information and “product display information” from the PC 2, the server obtains the driver set 600 of the model-specific driver corresponding to the OS information and “product display information” from the storage area inside the server, It transmits to PC2 (S1204).

  The subsequent processing is the same as the processing from S1107 in FIG. As described above, when transmitting device information, the image processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment switches device information and changes the configuration of information to be transmitted according to connected hardware. By doing so, it becomes possible to install the model-specific driver of the image processing apparatus 1 corresponding to the connected hardware in the PC 2. Therefore, all functions installed in the image processing apparatus 1 can be used even in a stand-alone image processing system.

  In this embodiment, the printer driver that controls the image processing apparatus has been described as an example. However, an apparatus mounted inside the information processing apparatus, for example, an expansion card such as a NIC (Network Interface Card) is used. The present invention also relates to a control program for controlling hardware installed in an information processing apparatus, such as a device driver and a peripheral device connected to the outside, for example, a device driver such as an input / output device such as a graphic display or a sound speaker. Can be applied as well.

1 Image processing device 2 PC
11 CPU
12 RAM
13 ROM
14 HDD
15 I / F
16 LCD
17 Operation unit 18 Dedicated device 19 Bus 41 Compatible driver storage unit 42 Model-specific driver storage unit 80 Data communication unit 81 Endpoint (IN)
82 Endpoint (OUT)
83 Data control unit 100 Controller 101 ADF
102 Scanner unit 103 Paper discharge tray 104 Display panel 105 Paper feed table 106 Print engine 107 Paper discharge tray 108 External device connection I / F
110 Main Control Unit 120 Engine Control Unit 130 Image Processing Unit 140 Operation Display Control Unit 150 Input / Output Control Unit 200 Controller 201 Network I / F
210 Installation unit 211 Installation control unit 212 Driver acquisition control unit 250 Network control unit 260 Display control unit 270 Operation display control unit 600 Driver set 610 Rendering engine 620 UI control unit 621 Screen display setting unit 622 Print setting unit 623 Installation instruction unit 630 Installer

JP 2011-186969 A

Claims (6)

An information processing apparatus having a function of installing a control program for controlling itself to connected hardware,
A connection detection unit for detecting that the hardware is connected;
A communication control unit that controls connection with the hardware when it is detected that the hardware is connected;
A signal receiving unit for receiving a response signal from the hardware;
An identification information transmitting unit that transmits identification information capable of specifying the information processing apparatus;
Including
The communication control unit
When the hardware is connected, the connection is electrically switched according to the reception status of the response signal,
The identification information transmitting unit
When the connection with the hardware is electrically interrupted and again with the hardware, the identification information that is different from the identification information and is necessary for installing the control program is transmitted. An information processing apparatus characterized by: The identification information transmitting unit
When the connection with the hardware is electrically interrupted and again electrically connected with the hardware, the control program corresponding to a plurality of information processing device models and different from the identification information is installed. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein identification information for transmitting is transmitted. The identification information transmitting unit
When the connection with the hardware is electrically interrupted and again with the hardware, the control program that is unique to the model of the information processing apparatus and different from the identification information is installed. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein identification information for transmitting the information is transmitted. An installation control system including an information processing apparatus having a function of installing a control program for controlling itself and hardware capable of executing control of the information processing apparatus,
The information processing apparatus includes:
A connection detection unit for detecting that the hardware is connected;
A communication control unit that controls connection with the hardware when it is detected that the hardware is connected;
A signal receiving unit for receiving a response signal from the hardware;
An identification information transmitting unit that transmits identification information capable of specifying the information processing apparatus;
Including
The communication control unit
When the hardware is connected, the connection is electrically switched according to the reception status of the response signal,
The identification information transmitting unit
When the connection with the hardware is electrically interrupted and again with the hardware, the identification information that is different from the identification information and is necessary for installing the control program is transmitted. An installation control system characterized by: An information processing apparatus installation control program having a function of installing a control program for controlling itself to connected hardware,
A connection detection step of detecting that the hardware is connected;
A communication control step for controlling connection with the hardware when it is detected that the hardware is connected;
A signal receiving step of receiving a response signal from the hardware;
An identification information transmission step of transmitting identification information capable of specifying the information processing apparatus;
To the computer,
In the communication control step,
When the hardware is connected, the connection is electrically switched according to the reception status of the response signal,
In the identification information transmission step,
When the connection with the hardware is electrically interrupted and again with the hardware, the identification information that is different from the identification information and is necessary for installing the control program is transmitted. An installation control program for an information processing apparatus. An information processing apparatus installation control method having a function of installing a control program for controlling itself to connected hardware,
Detect that the hardware is connected,
Receiving a response signal from the hardware;
When it is detected that the hardware is connected, the connection is electrically switched according to the reception status of the response signal,
The information processing apparatus, which is different from the identification information and is required for installing the control program when the connection with the hardware is electrically cut off and is electrically connected again with the hardware An information processing apparatus installation control method, comprising: transmitting identification information that can identify the information processing apparatus.