JP2023072791A - Medium processor and control method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a medium processor and control method therefor.SOLUTION: A medium processor includes: a communication section which is capable of radio-communicating with an external device; a reading section which reads an image from a medium with setting information carried according to a prescribed type; and a control section which acquires setting information from the image read by the reading section and a control section which communicates with the external device through the communication section on the basis of the setting information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a media processing device and a control method for the media processing device.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-200012, a printing apparatus is known that uses an external scanner to make communication settings.

JP 2017-40991 A

The printing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 requires an external scanner or the like, and it is difficult to easily set up communication.

The media processing device includes a communication unit capable of wireless communication with an external device, a reading unit reading an image from a medium carrying setting information in a predetermined format, and acquiring the setting information from the image read by the reading unit. and a control unit that communicates with the external device through the communication unit based on the setting information.

A control method for a medium processing device comprising: a communication unit capable of wireless communication with an external device; and a reading unit reading an image from a medium carrying setting information in a predetermined format, wherein The setting information is acquired from the image, and the communication unit communicates with the external device based on the setting information.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a media processing device according to the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a form on which the SSID and password of the AP are written as characters; 10 is a flow chart for a media processing device to make communication settings with an AP; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a form on which the SSID and password of an AP are marked. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing paper on which the SSID and password of an AP are printed as symbol images. The block diagram which shows the structure of the media processing apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

1. First Embodiment 1-1. Media Processing Apparatus As shown in FIG. 1 , a media processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment includes a control section 10 , a communication section 11 , a storage section 12 and a reading section 13 . Each of these will be explained in detail.

The control unit 10 of the media processing device 1 includes a CPU that executes various controls. CPU is also called a processor.
The storage unit 12 is, for example, a rewritable non-volatile memory such as a flash ROM, and is capable of storing predetermined information including firmware and utilities that are programs, setting information related to communication, and the like. The storage unit 12 also includes a RAM that the control unit 10 uses as a work area.
The control unit 10 reads and executes firmware and utilities stored in the storage unit 12 to control each unit of the media processing device 1 . Further, the control unit 10 reads setting information related to communication from the storage unit 12 and performs communication.

The communication unit 11 is configured by a circuit including a module for wireless LAN (Local Area Network) communication and an antenna.
The communication unit 11 is capable of communication using the Wi-Fi (registered trademark) system. This is a wireless communication method according to the IEEE802.11 standard group, which is the wireless LAN standard. The communication unit 11 is capable of communication in infrastructure mode in the Wi-Fi system.
The communication unit 11 is capable of wireless communication with an access point (hereinafter referred to as AP) 2, which is an external device, using a Wi-Fi system or the like. The communication unit 11 can communicate with other devices via the AP2.

For example, the reading unit 13 includes a fixed image sensor, a non-reading medium conveying mechanism, and the like (not shown). In this case, the media processing device 1 is a so-called sheet feed type scanner.
The image sensor is a color CCD (Charge Coupled Devices) linear image sensor or the like having a group of RGB (Red, Green, Blue) 3-channel photoelectric elements for optically reading a non-reading medium. The image sensor may be a monochrome CCD linear image sensor.
The reading unit 13 reads an image of a non-read medium set in the insertion slot by a user with a fixed image sensor while conveying the non-read medium by a conveying mechanism.

Note that the reading unit 13 may be configured to include a document platen, an image sensor, and a carriage. In this case, the media processing device 1 is a so-called flatbed scanner. The platen has a lower surface on which a non-read medium is placed, which is made of a material such as glass that can transmit light. The carriage moves the image sensor along the platen in the scanning direction.
The user places the non-read medium on the platen of the reading unit 13 with the reading surface facing down. The reading unit 13 reads the image of the non-reading medium on the platen while scanning the image sensor with the carriage.

1-2. Control Method of Media Processing Apparatus As shown in FIG. 2, the packing box of the media processing apparatus 1 includes a sheet P1 for entering setting information. Characters of SSID and PASSWORD are printed as marks C1 on the paper P1. A space for the user to write characters is provided to the right of the mark C1.
On the sheet P1, the user may print a method of entering setting information for communication between the media processing device 1 and the AP2, a procedure for communicating between the media processing device 1 and the AP2, and the like. .

The user takes out the paper P1 from the packaging box, and uses the SSID (Service Set Identifier) and password of AP2, which are setting information for the media processing device 1 to communicate with AP2, as characters, to mark C1 on the paper P1. Please fill in each in the space on the right. The password is also called a security key.
The user checks the specifications of AP2, finds out that the SSID and password of AP2 are, for example, "1234" and "789", and fills in form P1.

A sheet P2 shown in FIG. 2 is a sheet P1 in which the user writes setting information S2, which is the SSID and password of AP2, as characters. The characters "1234" and "789" are entered as the setting information S2 in the spaces to the right of the characters SSID and PASSWORD, which are the printed marks C1. Note that the characters of the setting information S2 may include not only numbers but also other types of characters such as alphabets.
In this manner, the SSID and password of AP2, which is the setting information S2, is carried on the paper P2, which is a medium, in a predetermined format including characters.

The user sets the sheet P<b>2 on which the setting information S<b>2 is written to the insertion slot of the reading unit 13 . Then, the user operates a panel switch (not shown) of the media processing device 1 .
When the control unit 10 detects the reading instruction by the panel switch, as shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 10 reads a utility for setting wireless communication from the storage unit 12 and executes it (S10).
When executing the utility, the control unit 10 first performs a process of reading an image on the reading surface of the paper P2 using the reading unit 13 .

Utilities include OCR (Optical Character Recognition) programs.
The utility also includes layout information indicating the position and size of the printed character C1 on the paper P1.

The control unit 10 can refer to the layout information related to the mark C1 and easily cut out the characters of the setting information S2 from the image of the sheet P2 read by the reading unit 13 . That is, the control unit 10 can infer that the setting information S2 is entered at the right position of the mark C1 and that the character size of the mark C1 conforms to the character size of the setting information S2. .

The control unit 10 executes an OCR program. Based on the layout information of the sheet P1, the control section 10 performs processing such as layout analysis, line extraction, and character extraction on the image of the sheet P2 read by the reading section 13 .
Next, the control unit 10 performs character recognition processing such as normalization, feature extraction, and matching on the extracted characters to specify the characters.

The control unit 10 acquires setting information S2, which is the SSID and password of AP2, from the specified characters (S11).
Note that the control unit 10 can also cut out characters without using the layout information related to the mark C1.

The control unit 10 transmits the acquired setting information S2 to the AP 2 through the communication unit 11 (S12). The control unit 10 performs authentication and the like with the AP 2 and makes communication settings (S13). Then, the control unit 10 terminates execution of the utility.

An example of processing in which the control unit 10 transmits the setting information S2 to the AP 2 through the communication unit 11 and makes communication settings will be described in detail.
The control unit 10 receives a beacon including an SSID from the AP 2 via the communication unit 11, and performs a so-called "passive scan" to determine whether the received SSID matches the SSID of the acquired setting information S2. do.
Alternatively, the control unit 10 uses the communication unit 11 to transmit a request (Probe request) to the AP 2, receive a response (Probe response) including the SSID from the AP 2, and determine whether it matches the SSID of the acquired setting information S2. to perform a so-called “Active scan”.

When the control unit 10 determines that the SSID received from the AP2 matches the SSID of the acquired setting information S2, the communication unit 11 transmits the password of the acquired setting information S2 to the AP2. AP 2 performs authentication based on the password received from media processing device 1 . The AP 2 can set up communication with the media processing device 1 if it can be authenticated.
After setting communication with AP2, the control unit 10 can communicate with AP2 through the communication unit 11 . The control unit 10 can establish a connection and communicate with another device via the AP 2 using an IP (Internet protocol) address by the communication unit 11 .

By including the model name and serial number of the AP 2 in the setting information S2, the security at the time of communication setting can be further enhanced. Further, the setting information S2 includes the AP2's MAC (Media Access Control) address and certificate information for authentication, thereby further enhancing security.
The control unit 10 may read and acquire the sheet P2 on which at least one of these pieces of information is written by the reading unit 13, include it in the setting information S2, transmit it to the AP2, and perform authentication and communication settings.

1-3. Example of Mark as Setting Information As an example of a sheet carrying setting information, FIG. 2 shows a sheet P2 in which the user has written setting information S2 and which has a predetermined format including characters.
As another example, FIG. 4 shows a sheet P4 in which the user has entered the setting information S4 as marks and which has a predetermined format including marks.

As shown in FIG. 4, on the sheet P3, the characters of SSID and PASSWORD, the characters arranged vertically indicating the order of marking, the numbers arranged horizontally, and the user fills in the marks in order corresponding to the numbers. A frame arranged in a matrix is printed as the mark C3.
The user takes out the paper P3 from the packaging box and writes the SSID and password of AP2 in order as marks in the frames corresponding to the corresponding numbers. The user can fill in the corresponding frame with a pen or the like.

As shown on the sheet P4 of FIG. 4, marks are written as the setting information S4 in the frames arranged in a matrix on the right side of the printed characters C1 SSID and PASSWORD.
As an example, the setting information S4 is written as marks in the frames corresponding to the AP2 SSID "1234" and the password "789" in order.
In this manner, the SSID and password of AP2, which are the setting information S4, are carried on the paper P4, which is a medium, in a predetermined format including marks.

The user sets the paper P<b>4 on which marks are written to the insertion opening of the reading unit 13 . Then, the user operates the panel switches of the media processing device 1 .
When the panel switch detects a reading instruction, the control unit 10 reads a utility for setting wireless communication from the storage unit 12 and performs processing such as reading the image of the paper P4 by the reading unit 13, as in the case of the paper P2. Execute. The following description focuses on the processing of the control unit 10 that differs from the case of the sheet P2.

The utility includes a program that recognizes marks by contrast ratio. The utility also includes layout information indicating the position of each printed frame on the sheet P3 and the number corresponding to the position.
The control unit 10 recognizes the mark of the setting information S4 based on the contrast ratio of the image of the sheet P4 read by the reading unit 13 .
The control unit 10 can specify the number corresponding to the position of the recognized mark based on the layout information related to the frame, and acquire the setting information S4, which is the SSID and password of AP2.

Note that the setting information S4 may include not only numbers but also other types of characters such as alphabets. Other types of character frames may also be printed on the paper P3. In addition, the layout information may also correspond to other types of characters.

In this way, the control unit 10 can recognize the mark from the image of the sheet P4 read by the reading unit 13 and acquire the setting information S4.
The control unit 10 can transmit the acquired setting information S4 to the AP 2 through the communication unit 11, perform authentication and the like with the AP 2, and make communication settings.

1-4. Example of symbol image as setting information As another example of a sheet carrying setting information, a sheet P5 having a predetermined format including a symbol image Q is shown in FIG. The symbol image Q may be a two-dimensional code such as a QR code (registered trademark) or a bar code. Note that the paper P5 is printed by another printing device or the like.

As shown in FIG. 5, a symbol image Q obtained by encoding the setting information S5 is printed on the paper P5. Furthermore, characters of SSID and PASSWORD, and setting information S5 are also printed. Since the user does not know what is printed from the symbol image Q alone, the setting information S5 allows the user to know the SSID and password of AP2.
In this manner, the SSID and password of AP2, which is the setting information S5, is carried on the paper P5, which is a medium, in a predetermined format including the symbol image Q. FIG.

The user sets the paper P5 in the insertion opening of the reading section 13 . Then, the user operates the panel switch of the media processing device 1 to give a reading instruction.
When the reading instruction is detected by the panel switch, the control unit 10 reads the utility for wireless communication setting from the storage unit 12 and reads the symbol image Q on the paper P5 by the reading unit 13, as in the case of the paper P2. etc. The following description focuses on the processing of the control unit 10 that differs from the case of the sheet P2.

The utility includes a program that recognizes the modules of the symbolic image Q by contrast ratio and decodes the two-dimensional code.
The control unit 10 recognizes the module from the contrast ratio of the symbol image Q on the sheet P5 read by the reading unit 13 and decodes it.
The control unit 10 can acquire the setting information S5, which is the SSID and password of the AP2, according to the decoding result. Specifically, the control unit 10 can acquire the SSID “1234” and the password “789” of the AP2 from the symbol image Q on the sheet P5.
Note that depending on the type of the symbol image Q, the setting information S5 can include not only numbers but also other types of characters such as alphabets.

In this manner, the control section 10 can recognize the symbol image Q from the image of the sheet P5 read by the reading section 13 and acquire the setting information S5.
The control unit 10 can transmit the acquired setting information S5 to the AP 2 through the communication unit 11, perform authentication and the like with the AP 2, and make communication settings.

As described above, the media processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes the communication unit 11 capable of wireless communication with the external apparatus AP2, and an image from the sheet P2, which is a medium carrying the setting information S2 and the like in a predetermined format. and a control unit 10 that acquires setting information S2 from the image read by the reading unit 13 and communicates with the external device AP through the communication unit 11 based on the setting information S2.
According to the media processing device 1 of this embodiment, a reading device such as an external scanner is unnecessary, and communication settings can be easily made to the AP 2 using the reading unit 13 inside the media processing device 1. can.

2. Second Embodiment As shown in FIG. 6, a media processing device 3 according to a second embodiment includes a control section 10, a communication section 11, a storage section 12, a reading section 13, and a printing section . The media processing device 3 has a printing unit 14 added to the media processing device 1 . In the medium processing device 3 shown in FIG. 6, the same reference numerals are used for the configuration common to the medium processing device 1 shown in FIG.

The control unit 10 can print the setting information, which is the SSID and password of the AP 2, by the printing unit 14 inside the media processing device 1. FIG. In addition, the printing unit 14 has an inkjet head, for example. In this case, the media processing device 3 is a so-called multi-function machine including a reading section 13 and a printing section 14 .

If the user wants to print the AP 2 setting information, the user can operate a panel switch (not shown) of the media processing device 3 . When the control unit 10 detects the print instruction by the panel switch, the printing unit 14 can print setting information such as the SSID and password of the AP 2 .
The user can check the setting information of AP2 by looking at the print result. Note that the control unit 10 may display the setting information of the AP 2 using a panel switch.

Furthermore, the control unit 10 may print the paper P1 or the paper P3 by the printing unit 14 inside the media processing device 1 .
When the user wants to print the paper P1 and the paper P3, the user can operate the panel switch of the media processing device 3 and issue a print instruction. When the control unit 10 detects the print instruction by the panel switch, the printing unit 14 can print the paper P1 and the paper P3. Unlike the media processing device 1 described above, there is no need to bundle the paper P1 or the paper P3.
After that, the user writes setting information such as the SSID and password of the AP 2 on the sheets P 1 and P 3 printed by the printing unit 14 and causes the reading unit 13 inside the media processing device 1 to read them.

As described above, each embodiment has been described in detail with reference to the drawings, but the specific configuration is not limited to this, and may be changed, replaced, deleted, etc. without departing from the gist of the present invention. .

In the case of the above-described medium processing device 1, the paper P5 printed by another printing device or the like is used. Alternatively, other devices with liquid crystal display screens may be used. The symbol image Q including the setting information of AP2 is displayed on the liquid crystal display screen of another device, and the reading unit 13 reads it.
In this case, the reading unit 13 may be of a flatbed type, and the liquid crystal display screen of the other device may be pressed against the original table for reading.

In the medium processing device 3 described above, the printing unit 14 has an inkjet head, but the printing method of the printing unit 14 is not limited. For example, a thermal method, an electrophotographic method such as a laser, or the like may be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 3... Media processing apparatus 2... Access point 10... Control part 11... Communication part 12... Storage part 13... Reading part 14... Printing part C1, C3... Notation P1, P2, P3, P4, P5... paper, Q... symbol image, S2, S4, S5... setting information.

Claims (7)

a communication unit capable of wireless communication with an external device;
a reading unit for reading an image from a medium carrying setting information in a predetermined format;
and a control unit that acquires the setting information from the image read by the reading unit, and communicates with the external device through the communication unit based on the setting information. the predetermined format includes characters;
The medium processing device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit recognizes the characters from the image read by the reading unit and acquires the setting information. the predetermined format includes a mark;
The medium processing device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit recognizes the mark from the image read by the reading unit and acquires the setting information. the predetermined format includes a symbol image;
The medium processing device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit recognizes the symbol image from the image read by the reading unit and acquires the setting information. 5. The media processing device according to claim 4, wherein said symbol image is printed by another device. Equipped with a printing unit,
The medium processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the control section can print the setting information by the printing section. A control method for a medium processing device comprising: a communication unit capable of wireless communication with an external device; and a reading unit reading an image from a medium carrying setting information in a predetermined format,
A method of controlling a medium processing device, wherein the setting information is acquired from the image read by the reading unit, and the communication unit communicates with the external device based on the setting information.

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