JP2019114836A - Communication device and communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a communication device and a communication system that can improve communication efficiency, compared with a case where when an obstacle blocking a communication path is removed from the communication path, communication using the communication path is not started.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus 100 comprises: an antenna for transmission 130 that wirelessly transmits a signal to an external interface device 800; and an infrared sensor 150 that monitors the presence/absence of an obstacle blocking a communication path of a signal transmitted by the antenna for transmission 130 and received by the interface device 800. When the obstacle is determined to be removed from a first path 902 from an output from the infrared sensor 150, the antenna for transmission 130 starts transmission of a signal using the first path 902 from which the obstacle is removed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication apparatus and a communication system.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a wireless communication apparatus for performing full-duplex wireless communication with a communication partner using a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna, and using a first frequency channel to transmit a signal from the transmitting antenna. Transmission means, reception means for receiving a signal by the reception antenna using a second frequency channel different from the first frequency channel, and signals transmitted by the transmission means and received by the communication party The directivity of at least one of the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna such that the direction of the communication path and the direction of the communication path of the signal transmitted from the communication partner and received by the receiving means are different from each other And a control means for controlling the direction of the wireless communication device.

JP, 2010-213188, A

  In an apparatus that communicates wirelessly, it is desirable to communicate using a communication path with high communication efficiency.

  The present invention is a communication device and communication system capable of improving communication efficiency when a blocker blocking the communication path is removed from the communication path, as compared with the case where communication using the communication path is not started. Intended to provide.

The present invention according to claim 1 is
Transmitting means for wirelessly transmitting a signal to an external receiving device;
Monitoring means for monitoring the presence or absence of a blocker for blocking the communication path of the signal transmitted by the transmission means and received by the external reception device;
Have
The transmission unit is a communication device that starts transmission of a signal using the communication path from which the blocking object has been removed, when it is determined that the blocking object has been removed from the communication path by the output from the monitoring unit. .

The present invention according to claim 2 is
The transmitting means wirelessly transmits a signal to the external receiving device using any of a plurality of communication paths,
The monitoring means monitors the presence or absence of a blocker blocking one communication path used for communication among a plurality of communication paths;
When it is determined by the output of the monitoring means that one communication path used for communication has been blocked by the blocking object, the transmission means uses a plurality of communication paths as communication paths used for communication. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication apparatus is switched to another communication path of

The present invention according to claim 3 is
The transmitting means wirelessly transmits a signal to the external receiving device using any of a plurality of communication paths,
The monitoring means monitors the movement of a blocker which may block one communication path used for communication among a plurality of communication paths;
The transmission means is configured such that the communication path used for communication is a plurality of communication paths when it is predicted by the output of the monitoring means that one communication path used for communication is interrupted by a blocker. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication path is switched to another communication path in the inside.

  In the present invention according to claim 4, the transmission means is a case where the communication efficiency of the communication path before switching is higher than the communication path after switching, and the communication means cuts off the communication path before switching by the output from the monitoring means. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein the communication path used for communication is returned to the communication path before switching when it is determined that the object has been removed.

The present invention according to claim 5 is
A first communication device,
A second communication device,
Have
The first communication device is
Transmission means for wirelessly transmitting a signal to the second communication device;
Monitoring means for monitoring the presence or absence of a blocker for blocking the communication path of the signal transmitted by the transmission means and received by the second transmission means;
Have
The second communication apparatus includes a receiving unit that receives the signal transmitted by the transmitting unit.
The transmission means is a communication system that starts transmission of a signal using the communication path when it is determined that the blocking object has been removed from the communication path by the output from the monitoring means.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the blocking object for blocking the communication path is removed from the communication path, the communication efficiency is improved as compared with the case where the communication using the communication path is not started. Can provide a communication device capable of

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, even if one communication path used for communication is blocked by a blocker, one communication is different from the case where the path used for communication is not switched to another communication path. Communication can be continued even if the path is blocked.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, after one communication path is blocked, the communication path from one communication path to another communication circuit is compared with the case where the path used for communication is switched to another path. Can be made less likely to occur in the middle of switching the communication.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the communication efficiency can be mentioned as compared with the case where the communication route with low communication efficiency is continued even if the blocking object is removed from the communication route with high communication efficiency.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when the blocking object for blocking the communication path is removed from the communication path, the communication efficiency is improved as compared with the case where the communication using the communication path is not started. Can provide a communication system capable of

FIG. 1 shows a communication system used in an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure of the image forming apparatus which the communication system of FIG. 1 has. FIG. 3A shows the communication system of FIG. 1 and FIG. 3A shows a state in which the first route of the communication system is not blocked, and FIG. 3B shows that the first route of the communication system is blocked It is a figure which shows the state interrupted | blocked by the thing, and FIG.3 (C) is a figure which shows the state from which the blockade was removed from the 1st path | route of a communication system. 5 is a flowchart illustrating switching of a path used for communication of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure of the modification of an image forming apparatus. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating switching of a path used for communication in a modification of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 5.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a communication system 10 used in an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system 10 includes an image forming apparatus 100 and an interface apparatus 800. Here, the image forming apparatus 100 is an example of a communication apparatus and an example of a first communication apparatus. The interface device 800 is an example of a receiving device and an example of a second communication device.

  The image forming apparatus 100 has an image forming apparatus main body 102, and an image forming unit 110 and a recording medium supply apparatus 120 are disposed in the image forming apparatus main body 102. Further, a transmitting antenna 130 and a receiving antenna 140 are attached to the image forming apparatus main body 102.

  The image forming unit 110 forms an image using, for example, image data such as image data received by the receiving antenna 140. Further, in this embodiment, an electrophotographic system having a photosensitive drum 112 is adopted as the image forming unit 110. still. Instead of adopting the electrophotographic method as the image forming unit 110, for example, a method other than the electrophotographic method such as an inkjet method may be adopted in the image forming unit 110.

  The recording medium supply device 120 supplies a recording medium such as plain paper to the image forming unit 110, for example.

  The transmitting antenna 130 is an example of transmitting means, and wirelessly transmits a signal to the interface apparatus 800, for example. Here, as the transmission antenna 130, WiGig (Wireless Gigabit) is adopted as a communication standard. Here, WiGig is a wireless communication standard using a radio wave band of 600 GHz, and digital wireless transmission of 7 Gbit / s is possible at the maximum. In addition, WiGig has a medium communication distance of about 10 m, and since the straightness (directivity) is strong, if there is a blocking object such as a person in the communication path, the communication is blocked. The details of the transmitting antenna 130 will be described later.

  The receiving antenna 140 receives, for example, a signal transmitted by radio from an interface device. Similar to the transmitting antenna 130, WiGig is adopted as a communication standard for the receiving antenna 140. The details of the receiving antenna 140 will be described later.

  The image forming apparatus 100 further includes an infrared sensor 150. The infrared sensor 150 constitutes a part of the monitoring means. The details of the infrared sensor 150 will be described later.

  The interface apparatus 800 is an apparatus for extending the function of the image forming apparatus 100. The interface apparatus 800 has an interface apparatus main body 802, and a transmission antenna 810 and a reception antenna 820 are attached to the interface apparatus main body 802. .

  The transmitting antenna 810 transmits a signal to the image forming apparatus 100 by wireless, for example. Also, the receiving antenna 820 receives, for example, a signal transmitted by wireless from the image forming apparatus 100. For the transmission antenna 810 and the reception antenna 820, WiGig is adopted as a communication standard. The details of the transmitting antenna 810 and the receiving antenna 820 will be described later.

  The interface device 800 further has a connector 830 such as RJ 45, for example, and is connected to the network 890 via the connector 830.

  With the above configuration, the image forming apparatus 100 is connected to the network 890 via the interface device 800. Therefore, even if the image forming apparatus 100 does not have an interface such as a connector of RJ 45, for example, the function of the image forming apparatus 100 is expanded by the interface apparatus 800, and the image forming apparatus 100 can be connected to the network 890.

  The interface device 800 may be, for example, a USB 2.0 connector, a powered USB 3.0 connector, a microphone combo jack connector, a USB 2.0 connector, an HDMI (registered trademark) connector, DisplayPort, in addition to the RJ45 connector 830. And the like (each not shown). Then, even if the image forming apparatus 100 does not have the various connectors such as USB 2.0 described above, the function of the image forming apparatus 100 is expanded by the interface device 800, and connections using the various interfaces of the image forming apparatus 100 are made. It will be.

  In the communication system 10 configured as described above, the image forming apparatus 100 and the interface apparatus 800 can communicate wirelessly. That is, the reception antenna 140 of the image forming apparatus 100 receives the signal transmitted by radio from the transmission antenna 810 of the interface apparatus 800, and the signal transmitted by radio from the transmission antenna 130 of the image forming apparatus 100 is interfaced. A receiving antenna 820 of the device 800 is adapted to receive.

  The signal transmitted from the transmitting antenna 130 and received by the receiving antenna 820 can be communicated using a plurality of communication paths. More specifically, the first path 902 and the second path 904 can be used to transmit a signal from the transmitting antenna 130 to the receiving antenna 820. In this embodiment, although two paths can be used to transmit a signal from the transmitting antenna 130 to the receiving antenna 820, three signals can be transmitted from the transmitting antenna 130 to the receiving antenna 820. More than one path may be used.

  The first path 902 is a path for sending a signal directly from the transmitting antenna 130 to the receiving antenna 820. The second path 904 is, for example, a path that transmits a signal by being reflected by a reflecting object 910 such as a wall. Then, in the path where the signal is transmitted by being reflected by the reflector 910, the signal loss is reduced by the reflection loss at the time of reflection by the reflector 910, and the communication efficiency is reduced. Thus, communication using the first path 902 is more efficient than communication using the second path 904, so if both the first path 902 and the second path 902 are available, It is desirable to use, for communication, a first path 902 with high communication efficiency.

  More specifically, as long as the first path 902 is not blocked by a blocker, it is desirable to communicate using the first path 902, and only if the first path 902 is blocked by a blocker. It is desirable to communicate using the second path 904.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 100 includes the transmission antenna 130 described above, the reception antenna 140 described above, and the infrared sensor 150 described above. The infrared sensor 150 is used to monitor the presence or absence of a blocker blocking the first path 902.

  In addition, the image forming apparatus 100 generates a command related to signal transmission, a modulation unit 164 that modulates the command generated by the command generation unit 162, and a wireless transmission unit that transmits a signal to the transmission antenna 130. And H. 166.

  Further, the image forming apparatus 100 causes the wireless reception unit 172 to cause the reception antenna 140 to receive a signal, the demodulation unit 174 to demodulate the signal received by the wireless reception unit 172, and a command to analyze the command demodulated by the demodulation unit 174. And an analysis unit 176.

  The image forming apparatus 100 further includes a blocker monitoring unit 182, a path switching determination unit 184, and an antenna control unit 186. The block monitoring unit 182 uses the output from the infrared sensor 150 to monitor whether there is a blocker blocking the first path 902. The path switching determination unit 184 determines whether to switch the path used for communication from one of the first path 902 and the second path 904 to the other based on the output of the blocking object monitoring unit 182.

  The antenna control unit 186 controls the transmitting antenna 130 and the receiving antenna 140. As an example of control by the antenna control unit 186, when a path used for communication is switched from one of the first path 902 and the second path 904 to the other, transmission is performed so that a signal is transmitted to the switched path. A control that switches the directivity to the credit antenna 130 can be mentioned.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the state of the communication system 10. FIG. 3 (A) shows a state in which there is no blocker blocking the first path 902 (hereinafter referred to as the first state). In the first state, the first path 902 is used for communication between the transmitting antenna 130 and the receiving antenna 820.

  FIG. 3B shows a state in which the first path 902 is blocked by a person who is an example of a blocker (hereinafter referred to as a second state). In the second state, the second path 904 that is not blocked is used for communication between the transmitting antenna 130 and the receiving antenna 820.

  FIG. 3C shows a state in which the blocker blocking the first path 902 is in a position blocking the first path 902, moved, or removed (hereinafter referred to as a third state). And). In the third state, the first path 902 is used for communication between the transmitting antenna 130 and the receiving antenna 820. More specifically, when the obstacle moves or is removed from the first path 904, the path used for communication is returned from the second path 904 to the first path 902.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating switching of a path used for communication of the image forming apparatus 100. In the image forming apparatus 100, in the initial state, a route used for signal communication is set as a first route 902.

  In step S10, which is the first step, the blocker monitoring unit 182 monitors the blocker from the output of the infrared sensor 150, and determines the presence or absence of the blocker that blocks the first path 902. Then, when it is determined that there is a blocker blocking the first path 902 (see FIG. 3B), the process proceeds to step S20.

  In step S20, based on the determination of the blocking object monitoring unit 182, the path switching determination unit 184 determines the switching from the first path 902 to the second path 904 by the switching determination unit 184. Then, based on the determination of the path switching determination unit 184, the antenna control unit 186 controls the transmitting antenna 130 to change the directivity of the transmitting antenna 130 to communicate using the second path.

  In the next step S30, from the output of the infrared sensor 150, the blocker monitoring unit 182 detects whether there is a blocker in the first path 902, that is, the blocker that blocks the first path 902 found in step S10 has moved. Monitor if it has been removed.

  Then, it is determined that there is no block in the first path 902, that is, the block is removed from the first path 902, or the block moves from the first path 902 (see FIG. 3C). If it has, the process proceeds to step S32. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is a blocker in the first path 902, that is, it is determined that the blocker has not been removed from the first path 902 and the blocker has not moved from the first path 902, step S34. move on.

  In step S <b> 32, the path switching determination unit 184 determines switching from the second path 904 to the first path 902 based on the determination of the blocking object monitoring unit 182. Then, based on the determination of the path switching determination unit 184, the antenna control unit 186 controls the transmitting antenna 130 to change the directivity of the transmitting antenna 130 to communicate using the first path.

  On the other hand, in step S34, based on the determination of the blocking object monitoring unit 182, the route switching determination unit 184 determines that the communication route is not switched, and the second route 904 is continuously used as the communication route.

  A functional configuration of a modified example of the image forming apparatus 100 is shown in FIG. The aforementioned image forming apparatus 100 has the infrared sensor 150. On the other hand, the modified example of the image forming apparatus 100 has a camera 152. Further, the modified example of the image forming apparatus 100 includes the prediction unit 188 which the above-described image forming apparatus 100 does not have.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating switching of a path used for communication in the modification of the image forming apparatus 100. In the image forming apparatus 100 of the modification, in the initial state, a path used for signal communication is set as a first path 902.

  In step S12, which is the first step, the blocker monitoring unit 182 observes the blocker from the output of the camera 152, and for example, the blocker moves from the moving speed of the blocker, the moving direction of the blocker, the size of the blocker, The prediction unit 188 predicts whether or not the first path 902 is to be blocked, and the timing at which the blocker blocks the first path 902. When it is predicted that the blocker blocks the first path 902, the process proceeds to step S22.

  In step S22, which is the next step, based on the prediction of the prediction unit 188, the route switching determination unit 184 determines whether or not switching from the first route 902 to the second route 904 is necessary, and the first route 902 to the second route 904. The antenna control unit 186 controls the transmitting antenna 130 based on the judgment of the path switching determination unit 184, and the directivity of the transmitting antenna 130 is communicated using the second path. To make it change.

  In the next step S24, from the output of the infrared sensor 150, the blocker monitoring unit 182 determines whether there is a blocker in the first path 902, that is, the first path 902 predicted to block the first path 902 in step S12. It is determined whether the blocking object to be blocked has moved from the first path 902 or has been removed from the first path 902.

  Then, it is determined that there is no block in the first path 902, that is, the block is removed from the first path 902, or the block moves from the first path 902 (see FIG. 3C). If it has, the process proceeds to step S32. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is a blocker in the first path 902, that is, it is determined that the blocker has not been removed from the first path 902 and the blocker has not moved from the first path 902, step S34. move on.

  Since step S32 and step S34 in this modification are the same as step S32 and step S34 in the above-mentioned embodiment, respectively, explanation is omitted.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 10 communication system 100 image forming apparatus 130 transmitting antenna 140 receiving antenna 150 infrared sensor 152 camera 166 wireless transmission unit 172 wireless Reception unit 182 ... Blocker monitoring unit 184 ... Path switching judgment unit 186 ... Antenna control unit 188 ... Prediction unit 800 ... Interface device 902 ... First path 904 ... Second Path 910: Reflector

Claims (5)

Transmitting means for wirelessly transmitting a signal to an external receiving device;
Monitoring means for monitoring the presence or absence of a blocker for blocking the communication path of the signal transmitted by the transmission means and received by the external reception device;
Have
The communication device starts the transmission of a signal using the communication path from which the blocking object has been removed, when it is determined that the blocking object has been removed from the communication path by the output from the monitoring means. The transmitting means wirelessly transmits a signal to the external receiving device using any of a plurality of communication paths,
The monitoring means monitors the presence or absence of a blocker blocking one communication path used for communication among a plurality of communication paths;
When it is determined by the output of the monitoring means that one communication path used for communication has been blocked by the blocking object, the transmission means uses a plurality of communication paths as communication paths used for communication. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication apparatus is switched to another communication path of The transmitting means wirelessly transmits a signal to the external receiving device using any of a plurality of communication paths,
The monitoring means monitors the movement of a blocker which may block one communication path used for communication among a plurality of communication paths;
The transmission means is configured such that the communication path used for communication is a plurality of communication paths when it is predicted by the output of the monitoring means that one communication path used for communication is interrupted by a blocker. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication apparatus is switched to another communication path in the inside.   The transmission means is a case where the communication efficiency of the communication path before switching is higher than the communication path after switching, and the output from the monitoring means determines that the blocking object has been removed from the communication path before switching. The communication device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein, in the case of communication, the communication path used for communication is returned to the communication path before switching. A first communication device,
A second communication device,
Have
The first communication device is
Transmission means for wirelessly transmitting a signal to the second communication device;
Monitoring means for monitoring the presence or absence of a blocker for blocking the communication path of the signal transmitted by the transmission means and received by the second transmission means;
Have
The second communication apparatus includes a receiving unit that receives the signal transmitted by the transmitting unit.
The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting means starts transmitting a signal using the communication path when it is determined that the blocking object has been removed from the communication path according to an output from the monitoring means.

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