JP2021072599A - Communication system, information processing device, communication device, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To display more detailed information specific to a communication device on an information processing device on the basis of a communication state between the information processing device and the communication device.SOLUTION: A communication system includes a communication device and an information processing device capable of communicating with each other by first wireless communication and second wireless communication having different communication standards. The information processing device includes first display control means that causes a display unit to display an event that has occurred in the communication device on the basis of information received from the communication device by the first wireless communication, and second display control means that causes the display unit to display the details of the event in response to input to the information processing device after the display of the display unit by the first display control means. The second display control means causes the display unit to perform different display depending on a case in which a communication path by the second wireless communication is established between the information processing device and the communication device or a case in which the communication path by the second wireless communication is not established between the information processing device and the communication device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

The present invention relates to communication systems, information processing devices, communication devices and programs.

When an error such as ink shortage or paper jam occurs in a communication device such as a printer capable of communicating with the information processing device, the error information may be notified to the display screen or the like of the information processing device. Patent Document 1 proposes a method of notifying an information processing device of information regarding an error of a communication device.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2017-188875

In the above-mentioned prior art, a communication device such as a printer notifies an information processing device of information such as an error such as no paper or ink low by wireless communication, and information for canceling the error or the like is transmitted by wireless communication. A method of displaying according to the state has been proposed. As a result, not only the display screen of the communication device but also the information processing device is notified of the status such as an error of the communication device, and the method of canceling the error is displayed to improve the convenience of the user. However, in the above-mentioned conventional technique, further ingenuity is required when displaying more detailed information specific to the communication device such as the ink remaining amount of each color and the communication strength of the main body on the information processing device.

An object of the present invention is to cause the information processing device to display more detailed information specific to the communication device based on the communication state between the information processing device and the communication device.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the communication system includes a communication device and an information processing device capable of communicating with each other by a first wireless communication and a second wireless communication having different communication standards. A first display control means for causing the display unit to display an event generated by the communication device based on the first information received from the communication device by the first wireless communication, and the first display control means. A second display control means for causing the display unit to display details of the event in response to an input to the information processing apparatus after the display of the display unit is provided. Is based on the case where the communication path by the second wireless communication is established between the information processing device and the communication device, and the case where the second wireless communication is performed between the information processing device and the communication device. Provided is a communication system characterized in that the display unit displays differently depending on whether a communication path has not been established.

According to the present invention, more detailed information specific to the communication device can be displayed on the information processing device based on the communication state between the information processing device and the communication device.

The block diagram which shows the structural example of the communication system which concerns on one Embodiment. The figure for demonstrating the process of broadcasting advertisement information and receiving connection request information. The figure for demonstrating the advertisement in BLE. The figure which shows an example of the structure of advertisement information. (A) and (b) are schematic diagrams showing a display screen after starting a printing application. The schematic diagram which shows the setting screen at the time of a pairing process. A flowchart showing an example of processing executed by an information processing device. A flowchart showing an example of processing executed by an information processing device. A flowchart showing an example of processing executed by an information processing device. (A) is a schematic view of a display screen prompting confirmation as to whether or not to display more detailed status information of the communication device. (B) is a schematic view of a display screen prompting confirmation of the main body of the communication device. (A) and (b) are schematic views of a display screen that allows the user to select whether to confirm the error clearing method. Schematic diagram showing a configuration example of a remote UI. The sequence diagram which shows the example of the processing of the information processing apparatus and communication apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment. A sequence diagram showing an example of a process in which an information processing device and a communication device perform pairing. (A) and (b) are schematic views of a display screen on which information for canceling an error is displayed. A flowchart showing an example of processing executed by a communication device. The figure which shows the modification of the flowchart of FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although a plurality of features are described in the embodiment, not all of the plurality of features are essential to the invention, and the plurality of features may be arbitrarily combined. Further, in the attached drawings, the same or similar configurations are designated by the same reference numbers, and duplicate explanations are omitted.

<First Embodiment>
The information processing device and the communication device included in the communication system of the present embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, a smart phone as an information processing device and a printer as a communication device will be described as an example. In the present embodiment, a smart phone is exemplified as the information processing device, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various devices such as a mobile terminal, a notebook PC, a tablet terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), and a digital camera can be applied. Is. Further, as the communication device, a printer is exemplified in this embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various devices can be applied as long as they can wirelessly communicate with the information processing device. For example, if it is a printer, it can be applied to an inkjet printer, a full-color laser beam printer, a monochrome printer, and the like. Further, it can be applied not only to printers but also to copiers, facsimile machines, mobile terminals, smartphones, notebook PCs, tablet terminals, PDAs, digital cameras, music playback devices, televisions and the like. In addition, it can be applied to a multifunction device having a plurality of functions such as a copying function, a fax function, and a printing function.

(Configuration of information processing device)
The configuration of the communication system 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a communication system. The communication system 1 includes an information processing device 101 and a communication device 151 capable of wirelessly communicating with the information processing device 101. The configuration shown in FIG. 1 is an example, and the functions of each device are not limited as shown in this figure.

The information processing device 101 has a device main body 101a and a display unit 108. The device main body 101a includes an input interface 102, a CPU 103, a ROM 104, a RAM 105, an external storage device 106, an output interface 107, a communication unit 109, a short-range wireless communication unit 110, and the like. These are connected to each other via a system bus.

The input interface 102 is an interface for receiving data input and operation instructions from the user, and includes an operation unit (not shown) such as a physical keyboard, buttons, and a touch panel. The display unit 108 and the operation unit, which will be described later, may be at least partially integrated with each other. For example, as in a touch panel, the screen output and the operation reception from the user are performed on the same screen. May be good.

The CPU 103 is a system control unit, and controls the entire information processing apparatus 101, such as program execution and hardware activation.

The ROM 104 stores fixed data such as a control program executed by the CPU 103, a data table, and an embedded operating system (hereinafter referred to as an OS) program. In the present embodiment, the CPU 103 executes software execution control such as scheduling, task switching, interrupt processing, etc. by executing each control program stored in the ROM 104 under the control of the embedded OS stored in the ROM 104. ..

The RAM 105 is used as the main memory and the work memory of the CPU 103. The RAM 105 is also provided with a memory area for storing the setting information of the information processing device 101, the management data of the information processing device 101, and the like. The RAM 105 is composed of a SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), a DRAM, or the like that requires a backup power supply. Data may be held in the RAM 105 by a primary battery for data backup (not shown). In that case, the RAM 105 can store important data such as program control variables without volatilizing them.

The external storage device 106 stores an application that provides a print execution function, a print information generation program that generates print information that can be interpreted by the communication device 151, and the like. Further, the external storage device 106 stores various programs such as an information transmission / reception control program transmitted / received to / from the communication device 151 connected via the communication unit 109, and various information used by these programs. ..

The output interface 107 is an interface for controlling the display unit 108 for displaying data and notifying the status of the information processing device 101.

The display unit 108 is configured to display data and notify the status of the information processing device 101, and is composed of an LED (light emitting diode), an LCD (liquid crystal display), and the like. By installing a soft keyboard having keys such as a numerical input key, a mode setting key, an enter key, a cancel key, and a power key on the display unit 108, input from the user can be received via the display unit 108. May be good.

The communication unit 109 is configured to connect to an external device such as the communication device 151 to execute data communication. In the configuration example of FIG. 1, the communication unit 109 communicates with the communication unit 156 of the communication device 151 via an external access point (access point 131) existing outside the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151. However, the communication unit 109 may be connectable to, for example, an access point (not shown) in the communication device 151. By connecting the communication unit 109 and the access point in the communication device 151, the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151 can wirelessly communicate with each other without going through an external access point. That is, the communication unit 109 may directly communicate with the communication device 151 by wireless communication, or may communicate with the communication device 151 via an external access point.

As a wireless communication method, for example, it conforms to the IEEE802.11 series (IEEE802.11a, IEEE802.11n (Wi-Fi 4), IEEE802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5), IEEE802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6), etc.). Examples thereof include Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) (registered trademark) and Bluetooth (registered trademark), which are communication methods. Further, examples of the access point 131 include devices such as wireless LAN routers. As shown in FIG. 1, a method in which the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151 are connected via an external access point is called an infrastructure connection method. Further, a method in which the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151 are directly connected without going through an external access point is called a direct connection method.

The short-range wireless communication unit 110 has a configuration for executing data communication by wirelessly communicating with a device such as a communication device 151 at a short distance, and communicates by a communication method (communication standard) different from that of the communication unit 109. .. The short-range wireless communication unit 110 can be connected to the short-range wireless communication unit 157 in the communication device 151. In this embodiment, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is used as the communication method of the short-range wireless communication unit 110. That is, the short-range wireless communication unit 110 has a BLE unit (BLE communication module). The BLE unit includes a microcomputer, which is a microprocessor that processes wireless communication, and a wireless communication circuit that transmits and receives data by wireless communication. The microcomputer is equipped with RAM and flash memory. As the communication method of the short-range wireless communication unit 110, for example, NFC (Near Field Communication) or Wi-Fi Area may be used. As described above, in the present embodiment, the communication device 151 uses the communication unit 109 and the short-range wireless communication unit 110 to establish a communication path by wireless communication having different communication standards with the information processing device 101. Can be done.

In the present embodiment, the information processing device 101 stores a predetermined application in a ROM 104, an external storage device 106, or the like. The predetermined application is, for example, an application program for transmitting a print job for printing image data, document data, and the like in the information processing device 101 to the communication device 151. An application having such a function is hereinafter referred to as a print application. The print application may have other functions in addition to the print function. For example, when the communication device 151 has a scanning function, the print application has a function of scanning a document set in the communication device 151, a function of performing other settings of the communication device 151, and a state of the communication device 151. It may have a function for checking and the like. That is, the print application may have a function of transmitting a scan job and a setting job to the communication device 151 in addition to the print job. The document scanning function is an image reading function, which is different from the advertising information scanning function in BLE communication described later. Further, the predetermined application is not limited to the printing application, and may be an application program having a function other than printing.

(Communication device configuration)
The communication device 151 includes a ROM 152, a RAM 153, a CPU 154, a print engine 155, a communication unit 156, a short-range wireless communication unit 157, and the like. These are connected to each other via a system bus.

The communication unit 156 is configured to connect to an external device such as the information processing device 101 to execute data communication. The communication unit 156 may have an access point function for connecting to an external device such as the information processing device 101 as an access point inside the device. The communication device 151 operates as a master station by the internal access point, and the communication unit 109 of the information processing device 101 can be connected to the communication device 151. That is, the communication unit 151 and the information processing terminal 101 can be directly connected by the internal access point. The communication unit 156 may directly communicate with the information processing device 101 by wireless communication, or may communicate via the access point 131.

The communication method conforms to, for example, the IEEE802.11 series (IEEE802.11a, IEEE802.11n (Wi-Fi 4), IEEE802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5), IEEE802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6), etc.). Examples include Wi-Fi (registered trademark) and Bluetooth (registered trademark), which are communication methods. Further, in the case of direct connection, the communication unit 156 may be provided with hardware that functions as an access point, or may operate as an access point by software for functioning as an access point. Further, the communication unit 156 may function as a Group Owner which is a master station of Wi-Fi Direct (registered trademark). As a communication method, Bluetooth (registered trademark) or the like may be used.

The short-range wireless communication unit 157 is configured to wirelessly connect to a device such as an information processing device 101 at a short distance. In the present embodiment, Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy (BLE) is used as the communication method of the short-range wireless communication unit 157. That is, the short-range wireless communication unit 157 has a BLE unit (BLE communication module). The BLE unit includes a microcomputer, which is a microprocessor that processes wireless communication, and a wireless communication circuit that transmits and receives data by wireless communication. The microcomputer is equipped with RAM and flash memory. As the communication method of the short-range wireless communication unit 110, for example, NFC (Near Field Communication) or Wi-Fi Area may be used.

The RAM 153 is composed of an SRAM, a DRAM, or the like that requires a backup power supply. Since the data is held in the RAM 153 by a primary battery for data backup (not shown), important data such as program control variables can be stored without being volatilized. The RAM 153 is also provided with a memory area for storing the setting information of the communication device 151, the management data of the communication device 151, and the like. The RAM 153 is also used as the main memory and the work memory of the CPU 154, and stores a reception buffer and various types of information for temporarily storing the print information received from the information processing apparatus 101 and the like.

The ROM 152 stores fixed data such as a control program, a data table, and an OS program executed by the CPU 154. In the present embodiment, each control program stored in the ROM 152 performs software execution control such as scheduling, task switching, and interrupt processing under the control of the embedded OS stored in the ROM 152.

The CPU 154 is a system control unit, and controls the entire communication device 151 by executing a program or starting hardware.

The print engine 155 forms an image on a recording medium such as paper using a recording agent such as ink based on the information stored in the RAM 153 and the print job received from the information processing device 101 or the like, and outputs the print result. .. At this time, the print job transmitted from the information processing device 101 or the like has a large amount of transmitted data and requires high-speed communication. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the communication unit capable of communicating at a higher speed than the short-range wireless communication unit 157. Receive via 156. Specifically, the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151 use the communication unit 109 and the communication unit 156 to perform communication by a wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) capable of higher speed communication than BLE, and perform wireless LAN. The information processing device 101 may send a print job using the above.

More specifically, the information processing device 101 recognizes that a wireless LAN can be used by exchanging communication protocols that can be used with each other between the devices by BLE communication described later. Then, the information processing device 101 exchanges information for performing wireless LAN communication, such as an address that identifies a communication partner and SSID information. As a result, it is possible to switch from BLE communication to wireless LAN communication.

A memory such as an external HDD or an SD card may be attached to the communication device 151 as an optional device, and the information stored in the communication device 151 may be stored in the memory.

(Communication using BLE)
In the present embodiment, the short-range wireless communication unit 112 and the short-range wireless communication unit 157 will be described as communicating by BLE. In the present embodiment, the short-range wireless communication unit 157 of the communication device 151 functions as an advertiser (or slave) that broadcasts advertisement information described later. Further, the short-range wireless communication unit 112 of the information processing device 101 functions as a scanner (or master) for receiving advertisement information.

Here, the processing of transmitting advertisement information and receiving a BLE connection request in the BLE standard will be described. In the present embodiment, the information processing device 101 operates as a master device, and the communication device 151 operates as a slave device. Here, as an example, the processing sharing between the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151 is shown as described above, but the sharing form is not particularly limited to this sharing form, and other forms may be used.

In BLE communication, the short-range wireless communication unit 157 divides the 2.4 GHz frequency band into 40 channels (0 to 39 channels) for communication. The short-range wireless communication unit 157 uses the 37th to 39th channels for transmitting advertisement information and receiving a BLE connection request, and the 0th to 36th channels for data communication after the BLE connection.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a process of broadcasting advertisement information and receiving connection request information. In FIG. 2, the vertical axis shows the power consumption of the short-range wireless communication unit 157, and the horizontal axis shows the time, and the power consumption when transmitting advertisement information using one channel is shown for each process. .. TX205 indicates the total power consumption in the process of broadcasting the advertisement information (hereinafter, also referred to as “transmission process”). RX206 indicates the total power consumption in the process of enabling the receiver for receiving the BLE connection request (hereinafter, also referred to as “reception process”). The transmission power 202 indicates the instantaneous power consumption due to the transmission process. Further, the received power 203 indicates the instantaneous power consumption due to the reception process. Further, the microcomputer operating power 207 indicates the instantaneous power consumption when the microcomputer in the short-range wireless communication unit 157 is operating. The reason why the microcomputer operates before and after and between the TX205 and RX206 is that the microcomputer needs to be started in advance in order to execute or stop the transmission / reception processing. Further, when the advertisement information is transmitted by a plurality of channels, the power consumption increases by the number of channels for transmitting the advertisement information. Further, while the microcomputer is not operating and the short-range wireless communication unit 157 is in the power saving state, the sleep power 204 becomes the instantaneous power consumption of the short-range wireless communication unit 157. In this way, the short-range wireless communication unit 157 performs transmission processing using a predetermined channel, and then performs reception processing for a certain period of time using the same channel, so that the BLE connection request is transmitted from the information processing device 101. Wait for it to be done.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining advertisement in BLE. As shown in FIG. 3, the short-range wireless communication unit 157 repeats the transmission processing and the reception processing of the advertisement information three times for each channel, and then stops the operation of the microcomputer and enters the power saving state for a certain period of time. Hereinafter, the combination of the transmission processing and the reception processing of the advertisement information by the predetermined channel is referred to as advertisement (advertising). Further, the time interval for transmitting the advertisement information by a predetermined channel, that is, the time interval between transmitting the advertisement information by a certain channel and transmitting the advertisement information next by the same channel is called an advertisement interval. The number of advertisements repeated from the first advertisement to the power saving state can be arbitrarily changed as long as it is 3 times or less.

FIG. 4 is an example of the structure of advertisement information broadcast by the short-range wireless communication unit 157 to the periphery of the communication device 151. When the power supply is started, the short-range wireless communication unit 157 performs an initialization process and enters an advertising state. When the short-range wireless communication unit 157 is in the advertising state, the short-range wireless communication unit 157 periodically broadcasts advertisement information to the surroundings based on the advertisement interval.

In the present embodiment, the advertisement information (advertisement signal) is composed of a header 1001 and a payload 1002. The header 1001 is an area for storing information such as the PDU type of advertisement information and the size of the payload 1002. When the PDU type is ADV_IND or ADV_SCAN_IND, the short-range wireless communication unit 110 can issue a scan request (SCAN_CHECK) to the short-range wireless communication unit 157 (see FIG. 13). The payload 1002 stores the device name 1003 as identification information, the mounted profile information, and the connection information 1004 for BLE connection with the communication device 151. In addition, the payload 1002 stores information such as the transmission power (Tx Power) 1005 of the advertisement information. Further, the identification information 1006 may include the MAC address of the communication device and the SSID (IP address) of the access point in the communication device. Further, the identification information 1006 may include port information used for printing, information indicating a specific printing service, information on functions and hardware included in the communication device 151, a password, and the like.

In the present embodiment, the short-range wireless communication unit 157 enters the advertising state when the power of the communication device 151 is turned on, and starts transmitting the advertising information. However, the timing at which the short-range wireless communication unit 157 starts transmitting the advertisement information is not limited to the above-described form, and may be, for example, the timing at which a predetermined operation for enabling the BLE function is performed. Good.

The information processing device 101 can recognize the existence of the communication device 151 by receiving this advertisement information. Then, the information processing device 101 transmits a connection request to the communication device 151, and GATT (Generic Attribute Profile) communication can be performed by establishing a connection between the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151. GATT is a profile that controls reading and writing (transmission and reception) of information in the BLE standard.

In this embodiment, pairing is performed to authenticate between the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151, and to execute reading / writing of data in the communication device 151 in a state where more security is ensured by GATT communication. Execute processing (authentication processing). In the present embodiment, when the pairing between the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151 is not executed, the communication device 151 permits reading and writing of specific information (information with high confidentiality) by GATT communication. do not. That is, in the unpaired state, it is possible to read / write to the pairing unnecessary area of the communication device 151, but it is not possible to read / write to the pairing necessary area. In the pairing state, reading and writing is possible for both the pairing required area and the pairing unnecessary area of the communication device 151. As a result, the information processing device 101 that is not paired and the communication device 151 communicate with each other, and for example, the highly confidential information held by the communication device 151 is carelessly sent to the information processing device 101 that is not paired. It is possible to suppress the acquisition.

Further, in the present embodiment, in the "paired" state, the pairing setting procedure is performed again even at the time of connection after the pairing setting process (procedure for generating a temporary common security encryption key). Indicates a state in which an encrypted connection can be established without doing so. That is, the “pairing” in the present embodiment means a process including “bonding” in which a persistent security encryption key is generated and exchanged. The "paired" state is a concept indicating a state in which encryption can be reestablished by storing the encryption key in both devices after the bonding is completed and reestablishing a secure connection using the encryption key. Is.

In the present embodiment, there will be a case where there is a GATT communication that is permitted in a state where pairing is not performed and a GATT communication that is not permitted in a state where pairing is not performed. Information with low confidentiality can be communicated by GATT communication permitted in a state where pairing is not performed, so that the convenience of communication can be improved. On the other hand, highly confidential information can be communicated only by GATT communication, which is not permitted in the state where pairing is not performed, so that the security of communication can be improved.

(Processing example of pairing processing)
The details of the pairing process will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram showing a process from transmission of advertisement information to pairing. Each of the following processes of the information processing apparatus 101 is realized, for example, by the CPU 103 reading the program stored in the ROM 104 or the like into the RAM 105 and executing the program based on the hardware configuration shown in FIG. Further, each process of the following communication device 151 is realized, for example, by the CPU 154 reading a program stored in the ROM 152 or the like into the RAM 153 and executing the program based on the hardware configuration shown in FIG. Further, communication between these devices is performed via the short-range wireless communication units 110 and 157 of each device.

In S1001, the communication device 151 transmits advertisement information (first advertisement information) while the power is on. The payload of the first advertisement information includes the IP address of the printer, the port used for printing, the information indicating a specific printing service, and the information regarding the transmission power of the advertisement information.

In S1002, the information processing device 101 receives the first advertisement information and transmits a scan request to the communication device 151. Specifically, when the print application is started in the information processing device 101 and the initial screen (home screen) provided by the print application is displayed on the display unit 108, the search for the first advertisement information is started. , A scan request is sent. The scan request is transmitted based on the information contained in the header in the first advertisement information. Specifically, when the PDU type is ADV_IND or ADV_SCAN_IND, the short-range wireless communication unit 110 can issue a scan request (SCAN_CHECK) to the short-range wireless communication unit 157.

In S1003, the communication device 151 transmits a scan response. Since this scan response information basically has a structure including a header and a payload like the advertisement information, it is also referred to as a second advertisement information below. The payload of the second advertisement information includes identification information (UUID) of the communication device 151 and information on the functions and hardware included in the communication device 151. The PDU type included in the header of the second advertisement information is SCAN_RSP.

In the case of such an embodiment, for example, the print application is designed to handle the second advertisement information. Therefore, in the following, an example in which the advertisement information handled by the print application is the second advertisement information will be described.

In S1004, when the information processing apparatus 101 receives the second advertisement information, the information processing apparatus 101 transmits a BLE connection request (CONNECT_RQ) to the apparatus (here, the communication apparatus 151) that has transmitted the second advertisement information. By this connection request, the GATT connection is established between the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151 (S1005).

Here, the BLE connection request is not limited to the case where the second advertisement information of S1003 is received, and the BLE connection request is made based on the identification information (UUID etc.) of the communication device acquired from the communication device by Wi-Fi communication or the like. It may be configured to transmit. In this case, the steps S1001 to S1003 can be omitted.

In addition, the identification information of the communication device 151 stored in the information processing device 101 in advance may be read out and a BLE connection request may be transmitted. Specifically, the information processing device 101 stores advertisement information and identification information of the communication device 151 acquired by Wi-Fi communication or the like in a storage area such as ROM 104, and stores the information in advance when transmitting a BLE connection request. Read out the identification information of the communication device to be communicated. As a result, a BLE connection can be established between the communication device and the information processing device without executing S1001 to S1003 each time during GATT communication.

After the BLE connection is established, the information processing device 101 displays a screen on the display unit 108 for prompting the user to perform pairing when the pairing with the communication device 151 is not completed. Then, when the user instructs the execution of pairing, the information processing device 101 transmits a pairing request to the communication device 151 by communication using the security manager protocol. Until the pairing is completed, the communication between the devices shall be performed by the security manager protocol.

Upon receiving the pairing request, the communication device 151 displays the PIN code display screen 200 as shown in FIG. 6A on the display unit. On the PIN code display screen 200, the PIN code 201 and the Cancel button 209 for canceling the pairing process are displayed. The pairing start processing method is not limited to this method. Specifically, an instruction to Read the pairing essential area "dummy data for pairing start trigger" is executed according to the program of the print application. However, since it is in the unpaired state at this stage, when it is detected that a Read error is returned from the communication device 151, a pairing request is transmitted. The communication device 151 receives this pairing request and transmits a pairing response. Then, the information processing device 101 receives the pairing response and displays the PIN code input screen.

On the other hand, when the information processing device 101 transmits the pairing request, the information processing device 101 displays the PIN code input screen 210 as shown in FIG. 6B on the display unit 108. On the PIN code input screen 210, a PIN code input area 211 for accepting the input of the PIN code 201 by the user is displayed. Further, on the PIN code input screen 210, an OK button 213 for transmitting the input PIN code 201 to the communication device 151 and a Cancel button 212 for canceling the pairing process are displayed.

In S1006, when the OK button 213 is pressed by the user while the PIN code 201 is input to the PIN code input area 211, the information processing device 101 transmits the information including the input PIN code 201 to the communication device 151. Send.

The communication device 151 determines whether the PIN code 201 included in the received information matches the PIN code 201 displayed on the PIN code display screen 200, and if it determines that the PIN code 201 matches, the information processing device 101 is paired. To give permission. Specifically, the communication device 151 exchanges the link key created by a predetermined method based on the PIN code 201 with the information processing device 101 using the BLE standard SMP (Security Manager Protocol). The exchanged link keys are stored in a storage area (ROM 104 or the like) of the information processing device 101 and a storage area (ROM 152 or the like) of the communication device 151, respectively. As a result, the pairing between the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151 is completed (S1007).

When the pairing is completed, the information processing device 101 saves a flag indicating that the pairing has been completed. When the information processing device 101 acquires information that is permitted only when the information processing device 101 has been paired with the communication device 151, this flag is set to determine whether the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151 have been paired. Judge based on. The flag may be confirmed by inquiring the OS from the printing application. When the information processing device 101 can confirm that the communication device 151 that has established the BLE connection has been paired, the information processing device 101 may start reading / writing information having a higher security level to the communication device 151 by GATT communication. it can. As a result, once the information processing device 101 has completed the pairing process with the communication device 151, the information processing device 101 is in a state where more security is ensured between the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151 without the user inputting the PIN code. GATT communication can be executed.

In the above description, the form in which the user inputs the PIN code 201 displayed on the PIN code input screen 210 in the PIN code input area 211 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this form. For example, by setting the PIN code 201 as fixed information (which the user cannot arbitrarily change) and storing it in the information processing device 101 when the printing application is installed, the PIN code 201 can be stored in the information processing device 101 without input by the user. It may be in the form of being notified to. Further, the timing at which the pairing process is started is not limited to the above-described form, and may be, for example, a timing at which the user instructs printing via the printing application, a timing before GATT communication is performed, or the like.

(Processing example of information processing device)
(Display control related to the state information of the communication device in the information processing device)
The process for displaying the state information such as the ink row and the paper jam generated in the communication device 151 on the display unit of the information processing device 101 will be described.

The information processing device 101 performs a device status display process of the communication device 151 when a specific application stored in the ROM 104, the external storage device 106, or the like is running. Specific applications include setting the access point to which the communication device 151 is connected, confirming the status of the communication device 151 and notifying the device status and error information, and instructing the communication device 151 to execute a process. It is an application for doing. In the present embodiment, the above-mentioned printing application will be described as an example as a specific application.

FIG. 5 is an example of a screen displayed on the display unit 108 after the printing application is started. The user can use the function provided in the communication device 151 or check the state information of the communication device via the startup screen 801 as shown in FIG. 5A. When any one of the objects (display items) on the startup screen 801 is selected, the information processing device 101 detects that the selection has been made and executes the process corresponding to each object. In the present embodiment, the activation screen 801 has a photo print button 802, a document scan button 803, and a communication device 151 state confirmation button 804 as objects for causing the communication device 151 to execute various operations. Further, the start screen 801 has an end button 805 for terminating the print application.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5B, it has a status display area 806 indicating the status of the communication device 151. Examples of the information displayed in the status display area 806 include information such as an in-row status, a warning status indicating that the paper is low, an error status, and a firmware update, that is, information related to an event that has occurred in the communication device 151.

Further, when the CPU 103 detects that the printing application has been started, the information processing device 101 enters a scanning state in which advertisement information can be received. In addition, the startup screen 801 is displayed on the display unit 108 as the printing application is started. The timing of the scanning state is not limited to the above. The information processing device 101 can receive advertisement information by detecting a predetermined operation on the start screen 801 displayed on the display unit 108 (for example, pressing the confirmation button 804 for confirming the state of the communication device 151). It may be in a scanning state, which is a state.

In the following description, the communication device 151 functions as an advertiser that transmits advertisement information at predetermined intervals. In addition, the information processing device 101 functions as a scanner that listens for advertisement information transmitted from advertisementrs in the vicinity. Specifically, as described with reference to FIG. 13, first, the short-range wireless communication unit 157 of the communication device 151 transmits the advertisement information. The information processing device 101 can recognize the existence of the communication device 151 by receiving this advertisement information. Then, in the present embodiment, when the CPU 103 detects that the short-range wireless communication unit 110 has received the advertisement information, the CPU 103 starts the display processing of the device status.

In the present embodiment, by using BLE for the status notification of the communication device 151, the power consumption can be suppressed as compared with the case where the communication device 151 and the information processing device 101 periodically communicate with each other by Wi-Fi communication or the like. it can.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing executed by the information processing device 101, and shows that the display unit 108 of the information processing device 101 is in the incrow state when the communication device 151 is in the incrow state. It is a flowchart to notify. That is, FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a processing example when the information processing device 101 displays the event generated in the communication device 151. The flowchart shown in FIG. 7 is realized, for example, by the CPU 103 reading a program stored in the ROM 104, the external storage device 106, or the like into the RAM 105 and executing the program.

In S101, the CPU 103 determines whether or not the advertisement information transmitted from the short-range wireless communication unit 157 of the communication device 151 to be connected to the print application has been received. Specifically, the CPU 103 confirms whether or not the short-range wireless communication unit 110 has received the advertisement information, and also confirms the identification information (for example, Bluetooth address) of the communication device 151 included in the received advertisement information. That is, the CPU 103 determines whether or not the received advertisement information includes identification information indicating the communication device 151 to be connected to the printing application. Hereinafter, the communication device 151 will be described as being a communication device to which the printing application is connected.

When the CPU 103 determines that the short-range wireless communication unit 110 has received the advertisement information from the communication device 151, the CPU 103 performs the process of S102. On the other hand, when the CPU 103 determines that the short-range wireless communication unit 110 has not received the advertisement information from the communication device 151, the CPU 103 repeats the process of S101.

In S102, the CPU 103 starts processing of GATT communication with the communication device 151 based on the received advertisement information. Specifically, the CPU 103 transmits a GATT communication start request (connection request) to the communication device 151 based on the identification information indicating the communication device 151 included in the advertisement information received in S101. When the communication device 151 receives the GATT communication start request, the GATT communication is started between the communication device 151 and the information processing device 101. In the present embodiment, the communication device 151 is the slave side in GATT communication, and the information processing device 101 is the master side in GATT communication.

In S103, the CPU 103 transmits a status information request to the communication device 151 by GATT communication. In the present embodiment, the status information is information related to the status of the communication device 151, and information indicating whether or not the communication device 151 is in the ink low state, that is, a state in which the remaining amount of ink in the communication device 151 is less than the default value occurs. Includes an ink row generation flag to indicate whether or not. In addition, the status information is that the number of sheets is less than the default value, the settings such as the paper settings have been changed, an error such as a paper jam has occurred, and a message is notified to the communication device 151. It may include information indicating that the state is in a state of being in a state of being. In other words, it can be said that the status information includes information about an event that has occurred in the communication device 151. Examples of the message notified to the communication device 151 include notification of update information such as "Farm update available".

Next, in S104, the CPU 103 determines whether or not the short-range wireless communication unit 110 has received the status information transmitted from the short-range wireless communication unit 157 of the communication device 151 by GATT communication. Specifically, the CPU 103 determines whether or not the information received by the short-range wireless communication unit 110 can be acquired as status information with a correct value. When the CPU 103 determines that the short-range wireless communication unit 110 has received the status information, the CPU 103 proceeds to S105. On the other hand, when the CPU 103 determines in S104 that the short-range wireless communication unit 110 has not received the status information, the CPU 103 proceeds to S108.

In S105, it is determined whether or not the communication device 151 is in the in-row state based on the status information received by the short-range wireless communication unit 110. Specifically, the CPU 103 determines whether the ink low generation flag included in the received status information has a value indicating that the ink row state is in effect. For example, when the ink low generation flag is "1", the CPU 103 determines that the value indicates the ink low state. When the communication device 151 determines in S105 that the communication device 151 is in the inlay state, the CPU 103 proceeds to S106. On the other hand, when the CPU 103 determines in S105 that the communication device 151 is not in the inlay state, the CPU 103 proceeds to S107. For example, when the ink low generation flag is “0”, the CPU 103 determines that the value does not indicate the ink low state, that is, it is not in the ink low state.

In S106, the CPU 103 displays the ink low state as shown in the state display area 806 of FIG. 5 (b) on the display screen of the print application of the display unit 108, and proceeds to S108. The inclaw generation flag is information indicating whether or not the communication device 151 is in the incrow state. Therefore, the notification displayed by this process is not a notification of detailed information such as an ink color in which the remaining amount of ink is less than the default value, but an ink low state as shown in FIG. 5B occurs. This is a notification that only indicates that you are there. So to speak, it is a notification about the outline of the event occurring in the communication device 151.

In S107, the CPU 103 hides the ink row generation notification as shown in FIG. 5B on the display screen of the printing application of the display unit 108, and proceeds to the step of S108. That is, the in-law occurrence notification is not displayed.

In S108, the CPU 103 terminates GATT communication with the communication device 151. The timing for disconnecting the GATT communication is not limited to this, and may be, for example, after the transmission of the status information request of S103 or after the reception of the status information of S104.

Subsequently, in S109, the CPU 103 determines whether or not the startup screen 801 is displayed on the print application screen of the display unit 108. When the CPU 103 determines that the startup screen 801 is being displayed on the print application screen of the display unit 108, the CPU 103 performs the process of S102 again. That is, the CPU 103 repeats the processes of S102 to S108 while the startup screen 801 is displayed on the print application screen. On the other hand, if it is determined that the start screen 801 is not being displayed on the print application screen of the display unit 108, the status display process is terminated.

In S109, the CPU 103 determines whether or not to repeat GATT communication depending on whether or not the startup screen 801 is being displayed on the print application screen of the display unit 108. However, the determination method is not limited to this. For example, the CPU 103 may determine whether or not to repeat GATT communication depending on whether or not the printing application is running.

From the above flow, the user can recognize that the communication device 151 is in the in-row state based on the information displayed on the display unit 108 of the information processing device 101.

In the present embodiment, when the short-range wireless communication unit 110 detects that the advertisement information has been received in the step S101 of FIG. 7, the CPU 103 is based on the identification information of the communication device included in the advertisement information. And start the display processing of the device status. However, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the CPU 103 starts the display processing of the device status based on the identification information of the communication device acquired in advance by the advertisement information, Wi-Fi communication with the communication device, or the like. For example, the information processing device 101 stores advertisement information and identification information of the communication device 151 acquired by Wi-Fi communication or the like in a storage area such as ROM 104, and becomes a communication target stored in advance when transmitting a BLE connection request. Read the identification information of the communication device 151. As a result, a BLE connection can be established between the communication device and the information processing device without performing the step S101 each time during GATT communication. In this case, when the start screen 801 is displayed on the display unit 108, the CPU 103 can omit the process of S101 of FIG. 7 and start the display process of the device state after S102.

(Display control of detailed status information of communication device in information processing device)
Next, with reference to FIG. 8, a flow in which the information processing device 101 displays detailed information on the event specific to the communication device 151 after displaying the information on the event of the communication device 151 by the process of FIG. 7 will be described. In the present embodiment, as an example of a method for displaying detailed state information of the communication device 151, a case where the information processing device 101 has a function called a remote UI (Remote User Interface) of the printer will be described. The remote UI function is a function (software) for managing the communication device 151 using a Web browser (not shown) of the information processing device 101, and is a service that allows the information processing device 101 to remotely manage the communication device 151. In the case of the remote UI function, the server in the communication device 151 can be accessed via the network. Therefore, the state of the communication device 151 can be confirmed by the Web browser. Normally, it is displayed by inputting the IP address of the communication device 151 in the address input field of the Web browser of the information processing device 101. The remote UI has, for example, a function of displaying device-specific information regarding the ink remaining amount of each color and the radio wave strength of the printer, a function of displaying an ink purchase site, a Web manual, and the like.

In this way, the information processing device 101 uses the Wi-Fi communication instead of the BLE communication to display the detailed state information unique to the communication device 151, thereby utilizing the functions such as the remote UI of the communication device. be able to. Further, when reading and writing highly confidential information peculiar to a communication device such as the remaining amount of ink in BLE communication, it is conceivable to secure confidentiality by a pairing operation, but Wi-Fi communication was used. In that case, the pairing operation of BLE communication can be omitted.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a processing example of the information processing device 101 when displaying detailed state information unique to the communication device 151 when the communication device 151 is determined to be in the in-row state by the process shown in FIG. 7. Examples of detailed state information specific to the communication device 151 include information on the remaining amount of ink of each color of the communication device 151, information on the communication strength of the main body, and the like.

As described above, the process shown in FIG. 7 allows the user to first grasp whether or not an incrow state has occurred. Then, when the information processing device 101 performs the process of FIG. 8, the user can grasp the detailed state peculiar to the communication device 151 when he / she wants to know more detailed information on the ink remaining amount of the communication device. The request for detailed state information from the information processing device 101 to the communication device 151 is executed according to the operation of the user.

The processing of FIG. 8 is, for example, pressing the status confirmation button 804 of the communication device 151 or pressing the status while the communication device 151 is displaying the in-row state in the status display area 806 as shown in FIG. 5 (b). It is started when an operation such as pressing the display area 806 is detected. That is, the process of FIG. 8 is started when there is a request for acquisition of information regarding the detailed state of the communication device 151 based on the input from the user. The flowchart shown in FIG. 8 is realized, for example, by the CPU 103 reading a program stored in the ROM 104, the external storage device 106, or the like into the RAM 105 and executing the program.

First, in S301, the CPU 103 of the information processing device 101 determines whether or not Wi-Fi communication is possible with the communication device 151. Specifically, the CPU 103 broadcasts (transmits a search request) on the wireless network to which the information processing device 101 is currently connected, and acquires a response from the device connected to the network. As a result, if there is a response from the communication device 151, it is determined that the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151 can communicate with Wi-Fi, and if there is no response, the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151 cannot communicate with Wi-Fi. Is determined. For example, when the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151 are connected to the same external access point, the communication device 151 returns a response to the broadcast, so that it is determined that Wi-Fi communication is possible. Further, even when the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151 are directly connected, a response is returned, so that it is determined that Wi-Fi communication is possible. If the information processing device 101 is able to communicate with the communication device 151, the CPU 103 proceeds to S303. On the other hand, if the information processing device 101 is not capable of Wi-Fi communication with the communication device 151, the process proceeds to S304.

In S303, the CPU 103 indicates that the communication device 151 has an ink low state as shown in FIG. 10A on the display screen of the printing application of the display unit 108, and that the communication device 151 is more detailed. Display to prompt confirmation of the status of. For example, the CPU 103 displays in the display area 402 an option as to whether or not to confirm the detailed state information of the communication device 151. The detailed information is specifically information such as the remaining amount of ink of each color.

In S305, the CPU 103 confirms whether or not there is a request for displaying detailed status information of the communication device 151. Specifically, when the user selects to confirm the detailed information in the display area 401 of FIG. 10A, the CPU 103 proceeds to S306 as if there was a request. On the other hand, if the user does not select to confirm the detailed information, the CPU 103 terminates the flowchart assuming that there is no request.

In S306, the CPU 103 displays the remote UI screen. FIG. 12 is an example of a screen configuration of the remote UI. In the remote UI shown in FIG. 12, a screen for confirming various information about the printer, which is the communication device 151, is displayed. The remote UI screen of FIG. 12 is a screen acquired by accessing the server in the communication device 151. In FIG. 12, the state of the printer (ink level, radio wave intensity, communication level) and the like are shown. As a result, the user can know the detailed state peculiar to the communication device such as the ink remaining amount of each color of the communication device 151.

On the other hand, in S304, the CPU 103 displays on the display screen of the printing application of the display unit 108 that the communication device 151 has an ink low state and that the communication device 151 is urged to confirm the main body. FIG. 10B shows a configuration example of such a display.

In this way, by displaying the remote UI when the information processing device 101 is capable of Wi-Fi communication with the communication device 151, the information unique to the communication device 151 is displayed on the information processing device 101. Therefore, the user can grasp a more detailed state peculiar to the communication device 151.

In the present embodiment, as an example of a method for displaying detailed status information of the communication device 151, a function called a remote UI (Remote User Interface) of the printer is given. However, the detailed state information display method is not limited to this, and a method of connecting to a communication device by Wi-Fi communication to acquire the state information of the communication device and notifying the information processing device may be used.

(Display control of error information of communication device in information processing device)
In the processing example shown in FIG. 7, the CPU 103 determines whether or not the communication device 151 is in the in-low state based on the status information of the communication device 151, and causes the display unit 108 to indicate that the communication device 151 is in the in-low state. However, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the CPU 103 additionally determines whether or not an error has occurred based on the information included in the status information, and displays that the error has occurred on the display unit 108. is there. In the present embodiment, when an event that requires the printer, which is the communication device 151, to interrupt the job execution occurs, such as out of paper or jam, it is determined that an error has occurred.

As an example, when the in-row state and the error occur at the same time, the CPU 103 may preferentially display on the display unit 108 that the error has occurred. That is, when the event that the printer can continue the job and the event that the print needs to interrupt the job occur at the same time, the CPU 103 preferentially displays the display about the event that needs to interrupt the job, line 108 of the display unit. You may let me.

FIG. 17 is a modification of the flowchart of FIG. 7, and shows a process in which the communication device 151 gives priority to the display of the error state over the display of the in-row state. In FIG. 17, the changed portion from FIG. 7 is mainly shown, and the processes of S111 to S113 are added after the process of S104.

In S111, the CPU 103 determines whether or not an error has occurred in the communication device 151 based on the status information acquired in S104. Specifically, the CPU 103 determines whether the error occurrence flag included in the status information received in S104 has a value indicating that it is in an error state. For example, when the error occurrence flag is "1", the CPU 103 determines that the value indicates an error state. When the communication device 151 determines in S111 that the communication device 151 is in an error state, the CPU 103 proceeds to S112. Then, in S112, the CPU 103 displays on the display screen of the printing application of the display unit 108 that it is in an error state instead of displaying the ink low state as shown in the state display area 806 of FIG. 5 (b). I do.

On the other hand, when the CPU 103 determines in S111 that the communication device 151 is not in the error state, the process proceeds to S112. For example, when the error occurrence flag is "0", the CPU 103 determines that the value does not indicate an error state, that is, it is not an error state. Further, in this case, in S112, the CPU 103 hides the display of the error state. After that, the process proceeds to S105, and the process as described with reference to FIG. 7 is executed.

By the above processing, the CPU 103 can give priority to the display of the error state over the display of the in-row state. In other words, the CPU 103 displays an event in which the job needs to be interrupted in preference to an event in which the printer can continue the job. As a result, the CPU 103 can display information that is more important to the user on the display unit 108.

Here, when it is determined in S111 that the communication device 151 is in an error state, a configuration for displaying a manual for grasping a method of canceling the error that has occurred can also be adopted.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a flow of device error information display processing of the communication device 151 and guidance processing to a manual for eliminating the error by the CPU 103. This process is executed, for example, in S111 of FIG. 7, when the communication device 151 is determined to be in an error state instead of the determination of whether the communication device 151 is in the incrow state and is determined to be in the error state. To do. Further, when the CPU 103 is determined to be in an error state in S111 and the error state is displayed in the state display area 806 in S112, the CPU 103 accepts an operation such as pressing the confirmation button 804 by the user. To start.

The flowchart shown in FIG. 9 is realized, for example, by the CPU 103 reading a program stored in the ROM 104, the external storage device 106, or the like into the RAM 105 and executing the program. Further, the flow shown in FIG. 8 may be performed before or after the flow shown in FIG.

First, in S201, the CPU 103 determines whether the information processing device 101 has been paired with the communication device 151. When the CPU 103 determines that the pairing with the communication device 151 has been completed, the CPU 103 proceeds to the step of S202. On the other hand, if the CPU 103 determines that the pairing with the communication device 151 has not been completed, the process proceeds to the step S206.

As a method for determining whether or not pairing has been completed, the CPU 103 may check a flag indicating that pairing has been completed, which is saved after the pairing setting is completed. As a method of confirming the flag, the CPU 103 may directly confirm the saved flag, or may confirm it via the OS. As a result of checking the flag, the information processing device 101 determines that the pairing has been completed when the flag indicating that the pairing has been completed is set.

Here, if it is determined that the pairing has not been completed, the process continues to S206, but the present embodiment is not limited to this. For example, if it is determined that pairing has not been completed, the CPU 103 may proceed to a process for performing pairing with the communication device 151. In this case, the CPU 103 may display a screen related to pairing on the display unit 108, such as a setting screen for performing pairing and a confirmation screen for confirming whether to perform pairing.

In S202, the CPU 103 starts processing GATT communication with the communication device 151. Specifically, based on the identification information indicating the communication device 151 acquired in S101 of FIG. 7, a GATT communication start request is transmitted to the communication device 151. When the communication device 151 receives the request to start the GATT communication, the GATT communication is established between the communication device 151 and the information processing device 101. Since this GATT communication is a GATT communication performed in a paired state, an encrypted connection is established and more secure information can be read and written. That is, in the present embodiment, the information processing device 101 acquires detailed error information from the communication device 151 as secure information.

In S203, the CPU 103 transmits a request for detailed error information to the communication device 151 in GATT communication.

In S204, the CPU 103 determines whether or not the short-range wireless communication unit 110 has received detailed information on the error transmitted from the short-range wireless communication unit 157 of the communication device 151 by GATT communication. When the CPU 103 determines that the short-range wireless communication unit 110 has received the detailed error information, the CPU 103 proceeds to S205. Specifically, the CPU 103 determines whether or not the information received by the short-range wireless communication unit 110 can be acquired with a correct value as detailed error information. On the other hand, when the CPU 103 determines that the short-range wireless communication unit 110 has not received the detailed error information, the process proceeds to S206. The detailed error information acquired here is information regarding the type of error occurring in the communication device 151. Specifically, it includes error identification information indicating the type of error, link information such as a URL of a WEB manual in which a method for canceling each type of error is posted, and the like. If it is not in the error state, the identification information indicating the normal state is acquired.

In S205, the CPU 103 displays the detailed error information as shown in FIG. 11A on the display screen of the print application of the display unit 108 based on the acquired detailed error information. In the display of detailed error information in FIG. 11A, a sentence indicating that an error has occurred in the communication device 151 and asking whether to confirm a method for canceling the error is displayed in the display area 301. In the display area 302, detailed information on a specific error (in this case, the type of error) is displayed based on the detailed error information acquired by GATT communication. Here, the specific error type is displayed in characters as the detailed error information, but the detailed error information in the present embodiment includes the error code number corresponding to the specific error and the support number. Etc. may be displayed. In the display area 303, options for confirming a method for clearing a specific error are displayed. Specifically, the specific error is an error displayed in the display area 302.

In S207, the CPU 103 confirms whether or not there is a display request for a manual that describes a method for canceling a specific error. Specifically, in the display area 303 of FIG. 11A, when the user selects to confirm the cancellation method, it is determined that there is a request for manual display, and the process proceeds to S209. When the CPU 103 determines that there is no selection by the user and the user has selected not to confirm the cancellation method, the process proceeds to S211.

In S209, the CPU 103 displays a manual on the screen of the display unit 108 that describes a method for canceling a specific error, and proceeds to S211. Here, the manual is displayed using the WEB browser installed in the information processing apparatus 101. A specific example of the display screen is shown in FIG. 15 (a). In FIG. 15A, a WEB manual screen is displayed in which the cause of the error and the content of the error are described as more detailed information of the error, and the specific countermeasures are described as the information for canceling the error. Has been done. The screen of this WEB manual is different from the remote UI screen, and is a screen acquired from an external server via the Internet. Therefore, it can be acquired if the information processing device 101 is connected to the Internet.

As a specific display method, when the information processing device 101 acquires error identification information for each type of error as detailed error information, it connects to the Internet via an access point or the like and uses a WEB browser to WEB. Get manual resources. Then, the CPU 103 is realized by displaying the WEB manual on the screen of the display unit 108. That is, the CPU 103 uses the error identification information to generate a URL of a WEB manual in which a method for canceling the error is posted, and displays the WEB manual at the URL destination on the display unit 108. The screen of the WEB manual can be displayed by a method other than the method of generating the URL. Specifically, the CPU 103 can acquire the URL of the corresponding WEB manual by preparing a table in which the error identification information and the URL of the WEB manual are associated and stored in the storage area of the information processing device 101. .. Further, as detailed information of the error, a method of acquiring the URL itself of the WEB browser may be used.

Further, the method is not limited to the method using a WEB browser, and a control capable of displaying a WEB manual may be used in an application such as WebView. Further, the manual is not limited to the WEB manual, and for example, a manual stored in a storage area (ROM 104 or the like) of the information processing device 101 or a storage area (ROM 152 or the like) of the communication device 151 may be read and displayed.

In S206, the CPU 103 displays an outline of the error on the display unit 108. FIG. 11B is a display example of an outline of the error. The processing of S206 is executed when it is determined in S201 that the information processing device 101 has not been paired with the communication device 151, and when the detailed error information cannot be acquired by GATT communication in S204. .. In the display of FIG. 11B, the CPU 103 displays in the display area 304 a sentence asking whether an error has occurred in the communication device 151 and whether to confirm the method of canceling the error. Further, in the display area 305, options for confirming whether or not to confirm the error clearing method are displayed.

In S208, the CPU 103 determines whether or not there is a request for displaying a list of errors. Specifically, it is determined whether or not the user has selected to confirm the error clearing method. Since the CPU 103 has not been able to acquire the detailed error information when proceeding to S206, the details (type) of the error occurring in the communication device 151 cannot be known. Therefore, even if the user inputs a request for confirming the detailed information of the error and the canceling method on the screen of FIG. 5B or FIG. 11B, the CPU 103 cannot identify the error. Therefore, when the CPU 103 requests the display of detailed error information or the release method, the CPU 103 processes it as if there was a request for displaying a list of errors. When the CPU 103 determines in S208 that there is a request for displaying an error list, the CPU 103 proceeds to S210.

In S210, the CPU 103 displays a Web manual screen on which error list information is displayed. This WEB manual screen is also a screen acquired from an external server via the Internet. The CPU 103 realizes the manual display by displaying it on the display unit 108 using, for example, a WEB browser installed in the information processing apparatus 101, as in S209. However, the display method is not limited to this, and the CPU 103 displays a list of manual errors stored in, for example, a storage area (ROM 104 or the like) of the information processing device 101 or a storage area (ROM 152 or the like) of the communication device 151. You may.

A specific example of the display screen is shown in FIG. 15 (b). In FIG. 15B, a list of error identification information is displayed as an error support number. Each of these identification information has a link to the corresponding error clearing manual. When the user selects one of the identification information, a manual for clearing the error corresponding to the selected identification information is displayed. That is, as shown in FIG. 15A, a screen is displayed in which a coping method is described as information for canceling a specific error.

In S211 the CPU 103 terminates GATT communication with the communication device 151. The timing for disconnecting the GATT communication is not limited to this, and may be, for example, after the acquisition of the status information of S204.

As described above, in the present embodiment, when the user gives an instruction to acquire information specific to the communication device regarding the ink row or the error, the information processing device 101 displays the information based on the communication status with the communication device 151. The screen displayed on the unit 108 is changed. Furthermore, the information processing device 101 changes the screen displayed on the display unit 108 based on whether the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151 are capable of Wi-Fi communication, whether they have been paired, and the like.

Specifically, when the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151 are capable of Wi-Fi communication, the information processing device 101 displays the state information unique to the communication device 151 on the remote UI, so that the information is ink as detailed information of the ink low. The remaining amount of each color of is displayed.

When the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151 have already been paired, detailed information on the error, which is secure information, can be obtained from the communication device 151 by GATT communication. Therefore, the error type and the cause of the error can be obtained as the detailed error information. Is displayed. In addition, information for clearing the error is also displayed. Therefore, the user grasps not only simple information on whether an ink row or an error has occurred but also information on the remaining amount of ink of each color, the content of the error, and the method of canceling the error on the display unit 108 of the information processing device 101. can do.

On the other hand, if the pairing has not been completed, detailed error information cannot be obtained from the communication device 151 by GATT communication, so that a list information of a plurality of types of errors is displayed as information related to the error. In this way, even if the detailed error information of the communication device 151 cannot be acquired, the user can easily display the error list information screen on the manual screen summarizing the method of canceling each error by using the information processing device 101. Can be accessed. Therefore, detailed information on the error occurring in the communication device 151 can be known.

Further, in S105 of FIG. 7, when the information processing device 101 receives that the communication device 151 is in an error state, the remote UI may be displayed without displaying the manual depending on the content of the error. Specifically, when the communication device 151 receives in S104 of FIG. 7 that the communication device 151 is in an error state related to ink related to the content displayed on the remote UI or an error state related to radio wave intensity, the communication device shown in FIG. 8 is shown. A flow for displaying detailed status information of 151 is executed. As a result, the user can grasp the detailed state information peculiar to the communication device 151 not only in the warning state such as the in-row state but also in the error state.

<Second Embodiment>
Hereinafter, the second embodiment will be described. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the information processing device 101 accesses the function with access restriction of the communication device 151 by the remote UI function.

In the first embodiment, when the information processing device 101 acquires the state information of the communication device 151 by GATT communication, if Wi-Fi communication is possible with the communication device 151, the detailed state of the communication device 151 is performed by the remote UI function. The information was displayed. Here, the state information of the communication device 151 is information about, for example, an incrow state, a paper jam, or the like.

On the other hand, the remote UI may have a function of changing the wireless communication information of the printer which is the communication device 151. At this time, if the information processing device 101 changes the wireless communication information of the printer using the remote UI, the printer may not be able to communicate with other devices with which it can communicate. Therefore, it is necessary to restrict access so that such settings cannot be changed from any device. As an example of access restriction, the user may need to acquire a password for displaying the remote UI from the communication device 151 and enter an appropriate password on the password input screen of the remote UI displayed on the information processing device 101. is there.

In the present embodiment, when accessing the access-restricted function of the communication device 151 for which pairing has been completed, it is confirmed whether or not the communication device 151 provides the password acquisition function. When the communication device 151 provides the password acquisition function, the access is smoothly restricted even if the user does not enter the password of the function having the access restriction by acquiring the password from the communication device 151. Functions can be used.

FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing of the communication device 151 and the information processing device 101 according to the present embodiment. The process shown in FIG. 13 is performed before S306 in FIG. 8 in the first embodiment, for example, when accessing a function having access restrictions. Each process related to the following processing sequence is performed by the CPU of each of the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151 reading and executing the program stored in the ROM or the like based on the hardware configuration shown in FIG. It will be realized. Further, communication between the devices is performed via the short-range wireless communication unit of each device.

When the user inputs an instruction for displaying the remote UI whose access is restricted via the screen of the print application in S306 of FIG. 8, the information processing device 101 outputs the advertisement information of BLE from the communication device 151 in S401. Prepare to receive. The preparation for receiving the advertisement information of BLE can be paraphrased as the search of the advertisement information. It is assumed that the communication device 151 periodically transmits advertisement information by BLE.

In S402, the information processing device 101 receives the advertisement information transmitted from the communication device 151. Since the receivable distance of the BLE advertisement information is limited to a predetermined range, the user carrying the information processing device 101 should be within that range when receiving the BLE advertisement information. It is necessary to approach the communication device 151.

Upon receiving the advertisement information, the information processing apparatus 101 executes the pairing process shown in FIG. 14 in S403. By pairing the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151 in S403, the security of communication is ensured. As a result of analyzing the advertisement information, if the communication device transmitting the advertisement information is a communication device that has already been paired, S403 may be omitted. On the contrary, when an instruction for displaying the remote UI is input, the pairing process may be executed every time.

In order to perform bidirectional communication, the information processing apparatus 101 requests GATT communication in the BLE standard in S404, and thereafter GATT communication is started.

In S405, the information processing device 101 acquires a list of services supported by the communication device 151 by GATT communication. The service list information can be acquired not only by the processing in S405 but also by Wi-Fi communication, but in order to realize it, it is necessary to change the Wi-Fi setting of the information processing device 101. In order to connect to Wi-Fi with access restrictions, a Wi-Fi password is further required. On the other hand, BLE has an advantage that communication can be performed without changing the connection destination. Therefore, here, BLE is used to send and receive information on the service list.

In S406, the information processing device 101 determines whether or not the communication device 151 has a password acquisition service for the remote UI based on the information in the acquired service list. In other words, the information processing device 101 determines whether or not the password can be obtained from the communication device 151. The password acquisition service here is a service that provides a password (authentication information) for using a function (here, a remote UI) provided by a communication device to an information processing device that has been paired. .. If the pairing is not normally performed between the information processing device and the communication device, the GATT communication itself is rejected, so that the password is not provided. If there is no password acquisition service (NO in S406), the process proceeds to S408, and if there is a password acquisition service (YES in S406), the process proceeds to S407.

When the information processing device 101 makes a password acquisition request by GATT communication, the information processing device 101 acquires the password of the remote UI from the communication device 151 in S407. After that, the process proceeds to S409.

If the communication device 151 does not provide the service acquisition service, it is necessary for the user to enter the password for the remote UI. Therefore, in S408, the information processing apparatus 101 displays a password input screen (not shown) and waits until the input is performed. When the password is input by the user, the process proceeds to S409. On the other hand, if the password is not entered by the user, the remote UI display process is canceled.

In S409, the information processing device 101 transmits a request for displaying the remote UI to the communication device 151. The request here is transmitted including the password acquired from the communication device 151 in S407 or the password entered by the user in S408.

In S410, the communication device 151 determines whether or not the password included in the request received from the information processing device 101 is correct.

In S411, the communication device 151 transmits the determination result of S410 to the information processing device 101 as a response to the request for displaying the remote UI. As a response here, if the password is correct, a response is made to allow access to the remote UI as authentication success, and if the password is invalid, an error (authentication failure) value is returned. When permitting access, the communication device 151 may also transmit information regarding the remote UI.

In S412, the information processing device 101 confirms the content of the response transmitted from the communication device 151, and determines whether or not a response to the effect that access is permitted has been obtained. If access is permitted (YES in S412), the process proceeds to S414, and if an error is returned, the process proceeds to (NO in S412) S413.

In S413, the information processing device 101 presents an error indicating that the password is invalid (authentication failure) to the user via a Web browser or the like, and waits until the next process comes.

In S414, the information processing device 101 displays the remote UI. An example of the screen configuration of the remote UI is shown in FIG.

As described above, in the present embodiment, it is confirmed whether or not the communication device 151 provides the password acquisition function when accessing the access-restricted function of the communication device 151 for which pairing has been completed. .. When the communication device 151 provides the password acquisition function, the access is smoothly restricted even if the user does not enter the password of the function having the access restriction by acquiring the password from the communication device 151. Functions can be used. Further, there is a case where the information processing device 101 holds the password of the function having access restriction (for example, remote UI) before the pairing process is executed. In this case, when the user instructs the execution of the remote UI via the print application, the information processing apparatus 101 executes the pairing process shown in FIG. Then, the information processing device 101 transmits the held password to the communication device 151 according to the success of the pairing. As a result, the remote UI is automatically displayed on the information processing device 101. That is, according to this embodiment, it is possible to improve the operability of the user.

Further, when it is clear that the communication device 151 for which pairing has been completed provides the password acquisition function, it is not necessary to acquire the service list of the communication device 151, so that the processes of S405 and S406 are performed. It may be omitted. In the present embodiment, the password can be acquired by the password acquisition function, and it is not necessary for the user of the information processing apparatus 101 to input the password, so that the step of S408 becomes unnecessary.

By the above processing, when the function of the device requiring the authentication processing is used, the convenience related to the use of the function can be improved without displaying an unnecessary confirmation screen or authentication screen.

<Third Embodiment>
Hereinafter, the third embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment, in the process of FIG. 8, it is determined whether or not WiFi communication is possible with the communication device 151 on the side of the information processing device 101 (S301), and different displays are displayed depending on the communication status. (S303, S304, S306). In the third embodiment, the communication device 151 confirms the communication status with the information processing device 101, and based on the confirmation result, the communication device 151 displays the communication data to the information processing device 101 on the display unit 108. Controls transmission.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of processing executed by the communication device 151. This flowchart is realized, for example, by the CPU 154 reading a program stored in the ROM 152 or the like into the RAM 153 and executing the program. Further, in this flowchart, the information processing device 101 detects an operation such as pressing the confirmation button 804 or pressing the status display area 806 while displaying the screen of FIG. 5B, and the communication device 151 is connected to the communication device 151 by GATT communication. It starts when a request for detailed information is made.

In S501, the CPU 154 determines whether or not Wi-Fi communication is possible with the information processing device 101. Specifically, the CPU 154 broadcasts to a device on the wireless network currently connected by the short-range wireless communication unit 157, and determines whether or not Wi-Fi communication is possible between the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151. Do. Then, when the information processing device 101 is capable of WiFi communication with the communication device 151, the CPU 154 proceeds to S504 (S502: Yes). On the other hand, if the information processing device 101 is not capable of WiFi communication with the communication device 151, the CPU 154 proceeds to S504 (S502: No).

In S503, the CPU 154 transmits communication data for displaying detailed information of the communication device 151 to the information processing device 101 by Wi-Fi communication. The information processing device 101 displays a screen based on the received communication data on the display unit 108. As an example, the CPU 154 of the communication device 151 transmits communication data related to the ink level of each color and the like to the information processing device 101. The information processing device 101 displays a remote UI screen (FIG. 12) including information on the estimated ink level on the display unit 108 based on the received communication data. In this way, the information processing device 101 can display the details of the event generated by the communication device 151 based on the communication data received from the communication device 151.

In S504, the CPU 154 transmits communication data for displaying a display prompting confirmation of the communication device by GATT communication. The information processing device 101 displays a screen based on the received communication data on the display unit 108. As an example, the CPU 154 of the communication device 151 transmits communication data related to a display prompting confirmation of the device itself to the information processing device 101. The information processing device 101 displays a screen (FIG. 10b) prompting confirmation of the device on the display unit 108 based on the received communication data.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the communication device 151 confirms the communication status with the information processing device 101. Then, when the communication device 151 is in a situation where detailed information about the event generated in the own device can be transmitted to the information processing device 101, the communication device 151 can send communication data regarding the detailed information. Further, when the communication device 151 is in a situation where detailed information about an event generated in the own device cannot be transmitted to the information processing device 101, the communication device 151 processes communication data for displaying a display prompting to directly confirm the own device. It can be sent to the device 101.

<Other Examples>
The present invention supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiment to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of the system or device reads and executes the program. It can also be realized by the processing to be performed. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

1 communication device, 101 information processing device, 103 CPU, 151 communication device, 154 CPU

Claims (16)

A communication system including a communication device and an information processing device capable of communicating with each other by a first wireless communication and a second wireless communication having different communication standards.
The information processing device
A first display control means for causing the display unit to display an event generated by the communication device based on the first information received from the communication device by the first wireless communication.
After the display of the display unit by the first display control means, a second display control means for causing the display unit to display the details of the event in response to an input to the information processing device is provided.
The second display control means includes a case where a communication path by the second wireless communication is established between the information processing device and the communication device, and between the information processing device and the communication device. The display unit is made to display differently depending on whether the communication path by the second wireless communication is not established.
A communication system characterized by that. When the communication path by the second wireless communication is established, the second display control means obtains the second information regarding the details of the event received from the communication device by the second wireless communication. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays the details of the event based on the above. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein the second display control means causes the display unit to display details of the event based on a request from the user. When the communication path by the second wireless communication is not established, the second display control means displays on the display unit to prompt the communication device to confirm the details of the event. The communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the communication system is provided. The second display control means is characterized in that the display unit is made to perform a display for prompting confirmation of the communication device based on a third information received from the communication device by the first wireless communication. The communication system according to claim 4. The communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first information includes advertisement information including information about the event broadcast by the communication device. The communication device is a printer.
The event that occurs in the communication device includes a first event that allows the printer to continue the job.
The first display control means causes the display unit to display as a display related to the event, prompting the display unit to confirm whether or not to display more detailed information of the first event.
The communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the communication system is characterized by the above. The event generated by the communication device includes a second event in which the printer interrupts the job.
The first display control means causes the display unit to display that the second event has occurred as a display related to the event.
The communication system according to claim 7. The second display control means causes the display unit to display information related to canceling the second event as a display related to the details of the event.
The communication system according to claim 8. When the first event and the second event are simultaneously included as the event, the first display control means gives priority to the display related to the second event as the display related to the event. Let the club do it
The communication system according to claim 8 or 9. When the display relating to the details of the event includes content having access restrictions, the second display control means displays the contents having access restrictions before displaying the display relating to the details of the event on the display unit. The communication system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein an input screen for inputting a password for display is displayed on the display unit. Before the input screen is displayed, the information processing device requests authentication processing, so that authentication information is output from the communication device and the authentication information is input to the information processing device. Further provided with a processing means for performing the pairing process by the first wireless communication.
In the second display control means, when the pairing process is executed by the processing means and the information processing device can acquire the password from the communication device, the display regarding the details of the event is displayed. Even when the content with the access restriction is included, the display unit is made to display the details of the event without displaying the input screen on the display unit.
11. The communication system according to claim 11. An information processing device capable of first wireless communication and second wireless communication having different communication standards with a communication device.
A first display control means for causing the display unit to display an event generated by the communication device based on the information received from the communication device by the first wireless communication.
After the display of the display unit by the first display control means, a second display control means for causing the display unit to display the details of the event in response to an input to the information processing device is provided.
The second display control means includes a case where a communication path by the second wireless communication is established between the information processing device and the communication device, and between the information processing device and the communication device. The display unit is made to display differently depending on whether the communication path by the second wireless communication is not established.
An information processing device characterized by being equipped with. A program for causing a computer to function as each means of the information processing apparatus according to claim 13. A communication device capable of first wireless communication and second wireless communication having different communication standards with an information processing device.
A first transmission means for transmitting information about an event generated in the communication device to the information processing device, and
After transmitting the information about the event by the first transmission means, the second transmission means for transmitting the information about the details of the event to the information processing device in response to the input to the information processing device.
When the second transmitting means transmits information regarding the details of the event to the information processing device, a communication path by the second wireless communication is established between the information processing device and the communication device. And the case where the communication path by the second wireless communication is not established between the information processing device and the communication device, the communication data to be transmitted as information regarding the details of the event is different. A transmission control means that controls the transmission means of 2 and
A communication device characterized by comprising. A program for causing a computer to function as each means of the communication device according to claim 15.

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