JP7435209B2 - Peripheral device search system and search method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a peripheral device search system and method for searching for image forming apparatuses such as copying machines, printers, facsimile machines, and other peripheral devices.

A document may be printed and sent to a printer located in a separate room or building. For example, when delivering a large amount of printed matter or when the recipient is located far away, it is desirable to use a printer near the destination.

Furthermore, if the desired printer is unavailable due to being in use or malfunctioning, it is desirable to be able to quickly find a printer near the destination as a replacement candidate.

In an office where many printers are connected to a LAN (Local Area Network), if you search for printers on the LAN, a large number of printers will be listed as search results regardless of their installation location, so it will be difficult to search for printers near your destination. Sometimes it is difficult to find from the results.

One possible solution to this problem is to allow the printer to input and store location information so that the location information can be checked from a search terminal, but this requires entering location information for each printer, which is cumbersome for the administrator. This becomes especially troublesome when there are a large number of printers even though the number of installation areas is limited.

Note that Patent Document 1 describes a means for recognizing mutual positions of information terminals/devices such as computers and printers, a means for displaying the recognition results, and a means for recognizing mutual positions of information terminals/devices such as computers and printers, and a means for recognizing mutual positions of information terminals/devices such as computers and printers. An electronic conference system has been proposed that includes a group specifying means for selecting information terminals/devices and specifying a group, and a printing means for instructing a printer to print from the information terminals in the specified group.

Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses a system that easily searches for an output device, which uses signals to determine and display wireless device location information regarding an area, displays area information, and determines and displays guidance information for the output device. A wireless device having a device configuration to display, the wireless device having a configuration for receiving and storing area information, and further having means for storing position information of each wireless device calculated from emitters arranged in the area. system is proposed.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-251992 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-241943

However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, since mutual positions are recognized through wireless communication or the like, if the distance between a computer and a printer is large, it is not possible to recognize each other's positions. Therefore, there is a problem that when using peripheral devices, the computer cannot be used unless the computer is near the peripheral devices.

In addition, the technology described in Patent Document 2 requires multiple emitters in one area, and map information that accurately reflects the positional relationship of the emitters and output devices is required in advance as area information. There is a problem in that map information must be manually re-created each time the map is rearranged.

This invention was made in view of the above technical background, and eliminates the need for an administrator to input location information into a peripheral device such as a printer or create map information. To provide a peripheral device search system and a search method that allow the location of the peripheral device to be known even when the device is far away from the peripheral device.

The above objective is achieved by the following means.
(1) A search system comprising one or more peripheral devices, one or more location information terminals, and a search device that searches for the peripheral devices, wherein the location information terminal has its own The peripheral device includes a position specifying information storage means for storing position specifying information for specifying the position, and the peripheral device includes a peripheral device specifying information storage means for storing peripheral device specifying information for specifying itself, and the peripheral device stores the position specifying information for specifying the position. At least one of the terminal and the peripheral device includes first acquisition means for acquiring peripheral device identification information or location identification information stored in the other device through mutual communication, and the search device is configured to communicate with the location information terminal. a second acquisition means for acquiring the position specifying information and the peripheral device specifying information acquired by the first acquiring means from at least one of the peripheral devices; and the acquired position specifying information and the peripheral device specifying information. a position specifying means for specifying the position of the peripheral device based on information; and a display means for displaying the position of the specified peripheral device , the position of the peripheral device specified by the position specifying means of the search device; A search system for peripheral devices, characterized in that the display device includes a selection device for selecting whether to display the location of each peripheral device or to display the peripheral devices by location .
(2) A search system comprising one or more peripheral devices, one or more location information terminals, and a search device that searches for the peripheral devices, wherein the location information terminal The peripheral device includes a position specifying information storage means for storing position specifying information for specifying the position, and the peripheral device includes a peripheral device specifying information storage means for storing peripheral device specifying information for specifying itself, and the peripheral device stores the position specifying information for specifying the position. At least one of the terminal and the peripheral device includes first acquisition means for acquiring peripheral device identification information or location identification information stored in the other device through mutual communication, and the search device is configured to communicate with the location information terminal. a second acquisition means for acquiring the position specifying information and the peripheral device specifying information acquired by the first acquiring means from at least one of the peripheral devices; and the acquired position specifying information and the peripheral device specifying information. A position specifying means for specifying the position of the peripheral device based on the information, and a display means for displaying the position of the specified peripheral device, and mutual communication between the position information terminal and the peripheral device is wireless. At least one of the location information terminal and the peripheral device generates a reception record during mutual communication, and the second acquisition means of the search device collects the location information and the peripheral device identification information. A search system for peripheral devices, characterized in that the reception record is also acquired.
( 3 ) The search device is connected to the location information terminal and the peripheral device via a network, and the second acquisition means of the search device acquires the location identification information and the peripheral device identification from the location information terminal. The peripheral device search system according to item 1 or 2 above, which acquires information and acquires the peripheral device specific information from the peripheral device.
( 4 ) The search device is connected to the peripheral device via a network, the peripheral device acquires the location specifying information through communication with the location information terminal, and the second acquisition means of the search device , the peripheral device search system according to the preceding clause 1 or 2, which acquires the position specifying information and the peripheral device specifying information from the peripheral device.
( 5 ) The location information terminal is a peripheral device according to any one of items 1 to 4 above, wherein the location information terminal is provided with a reception means for receiving input from the outside of the location information or input from a user interface provided in the location information terminal. Search system.
( 6 ) With respect to the position of the peripheral device specified by the position specifying means of the search device, selection means selects whether the display means should display the position of each peripheral device or the peripheral device by position. The peripheral device search system according to item 2 above, comprising:
( 7 ) The peripheral device search system according to any one of items 1 , 3 to 6, wherein mutual communication between the location information terminal and the peripheral device is performed wirelessly.
( 8 ) At least one of the location information terminal and the peripheral device generates a reception record during mutual communication, and the second acquisition means of the search device collects the location information and the peripheral device identification information. 8. The peripheral device search system according to item 7 , wherein the peripheral device search system acquires the reception record.
( 9 ) The peripheral device search system according to item 2 or 8, wherein the reception record is the radio field intensity at the time of reception.
( 10 ) For a peripheral device where there is a plurality of location information terminals and the second acquisition means has acquired the radio wave intensity between the plurality of location information terminals, the display means of the search device may display the radio wave intensity. 10. The peripheral device search system according to item 9 , which preferentially displays a location corresponding to a location information terminal with a high intensity as a peripheral device location.
( 11 ) A search method executed by a search system including one or more peripheral devices, one or more location information terminals, and a search device that searches for the peripheral devices, the search method comprising: The information terminal stores position specifying information for specifying its own position, and the peripheral device stores peripheral device specifying information for specifying itself, and the position information terminal and the peripheral device At least one of the terminals acquires peripheral device specifying information or position specifying information stored in the other through mutual communication, and the search device acquires the position specifying information from at least one of the position information terminal and the peripheral device. and the peripheral device specifying information, specifying the position of the peripheral device based on the acquired position specifying information and the peripheral device specifying information, and displaying the specified position of the peripheral device on a display means, Regarding the location of the peripheral device specified by the search device, the display means allows the user to select whether to display the location for each peripheral device or display the peripheral device for each location. How to search for equipment.
(12) A search method executed by a search system including one or more peripheral devices, one or more location information terminals, and a search device that searches for the peripheral devices, the search method comprising: The information terminal stores position specifying information for specifying its own position, and the peripheral device stores peripheral device specifying information for specifying itself, and the position information terminal and the peripheral device At least one of the terminals acquires peripheral device specifying information or position specifying information stored in the other through mutual communication, and the search device acquires the position specifying information from at least one of the position information terminal and the peripheral device. and the peripheral device specifying information, specifying the position of the peripheral device based on the acquired position specifying information and the peripheral device specifying information, and displaying the specified position of the peripheral device on a display means, Mutual communication between the location information terminal and the peripheral device is performed wirelessly, at least one of the location information terminal and the peripheral device generates a reception record at the time of mutual communication, and the search device A method for searching for a peripheral device, comprising acquiring the reception record together with specific information and the peripheral device specific information.

According to the invention described in the preceding sections (1) and (10), there is provided a search system comprising one or more peripheral devices, one or more location information terminals, and a search device that searches for peripheral devices. At least one of the location information terminal and the peripheral device acquires peripheral device identification information or location identification information stored in the other device through mutual communication. Further, the search device acquires location specifying information and peripheral device specifying information from at least one of the location information terminal and the peripheral device. Then, based on the acquired position specifying information and peripheral device specifying information, the position of the peripheral device is specified, and the specified position of the peripheral device is displayed on the display means. The user of the search device can select a peripheral device located at a desired location from among the displayed peripheral devices.

In this way, the location identification information only needs to be assigned to the location information terminal, and there is no need for the administrator to input location identification information into the peripheral devices, which reduces the hassle for the administrator, especially when there are a large number of peripheral devices. It is possible to eliminate the problem. Moreover, there is no need to create map information, and the search device does not communicate wirelessly with peripheral devices to recognize the location of the peripheral devices, so even if the peripheral device is far from the search device, the location of the peripheral device can be recognized. It can be specified and displayed on the display means.
Furthermore, with regard to the position of the peripheral device, it is possible to select whether to display the position of each peripheral device on the display means or to display the peripheral device by position, thereby increasing convenience for the user.
Moreover, according to the invention described in the preceding paragraph (2), the search device can acquire the reception record together with the position specifying information and the peripheral device specifying information.

According to the invention described in the preceding paragraph ( 3 ), the search device is connected to the location information terminal and the peripheral device via the network, acquires location identification information and peripheral device identification information from the location information terminal, and acquires the peripheral device identification information from the peripheral device. Since the device specifying information is acquired, the peripheral device specifying information can be obtained from both the location information terminal and the peripheral device, and the reliability of specifying the location of the peripheral device can be increased.

According to the invention described in the preceding paragraph ( 4 ), since the second acquisition means of the search device acquires the location specifying information and the peripheral device specifying information from the peripheral device, the search device and the location information terminal are network-connected. Even if you don't have one, you can pinpoint and display the location of peripheral devices.

According to the invention described in the preceding section ( 5 ), position specifying information can be input into the position information terminal from the outside or by a user interface provided in the position information terminal.

According to the invention described in the preceding paragraph ( 6 ), the user can select whether to display the position of each peripheral device on the display means or to display the peripheral device by position. It can increase convenience for people.

According to the invention described in the preceding paragraph ( 7 ), mutual communication between the position information terminal and the peripheral device can be performed wirelessly.

According to the invention described in the preceding paragraph ( 8 ), the search device can acquire the reception record together with the position specifying information and the peripheral device specifying information.

According to the invention described in the preceding paragraph ( 9 ), the search device can acquire the radio wave intensity at the time of reception along with the position specifying information and the peripheral device specifying information.

According to the invention described in the preceding paragraph ( 10 ), for a peripheral device for which radio wave intensities with multiple location information terminals have been obtained, priority is given to the location corresponding to the location information terminal with high radio field intensity as the location of the peripheral device. Since the location of the peripheral device is displayed accurately, the location of the peripheral device can be accurately identified and displayed.

1 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a printer as a peripheral device used in a peripheral device search system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a location information terminal. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a search device. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing network wiring between a printer, a location information terminal, and a search device. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the installation positions and positional relationship of a printer and a location information terminal. It is a figure which shows the input screen of the installation location to a location information terminal. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a screen after inputting the installation location. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an input screen for an installation location on another location information terminal. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a screen after inputting the installation location. It is a figure which shows the input screen of the installation location to yet another location information terminal. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a screen after inputting the installation location. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a screen when a user executes a peripheral device search function using a search device. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a display format of search results when the item “Group by peripheral device name” is selected in the search device. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a display form of search results when an item "grouping by location information" is selected in the search device. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a process from when the printer transmits a beacon until the location information terminal transmits peripheral device identification information and location identification information to the search device. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a process from when the printer transmits a beacon until the location information terminal transmits a reception record in addition to peripheral device identification information and location identification information to the search device. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a printer used in a peripheral device search system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a location information terminal used in a peripheral device search system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between a printer and a location information terminal based on the transmission range of a beacon transmitted from the location information terminal. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a process from when a location information terminal transmits a beacon to when a printer transmits peripheral device identification information, location identification information, and a reception record to a search device in the second embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.
[First embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a printer as a peripheral device used in a peripheral device search system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, five printers, Printer 1 to Printer 5, are used, and although the configuration of Printer 1 will be explained in FIG. Note that the peripheral device is not limited to a printer, and may be another image forming device that performs output, or may be one device instead of a plurality of devices.

The printer 1 includes a processor 11 that controls the entire printer 1, a storage device 12, a printing unit 13 that prints an image on paper, and a network interface 14 that communicates with an external device via a network. A beacon transmitter 15 is provided for transmitting a beacon, which is a low-power, low-cost communication protocol for wireless communication.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the location information terminal AP1. The location information terminal AP1 is a device that functions as a LAN (Local Area Network) access point and transmits its own location (installation location) to an external device. In this embodiment, three location information terminals AP1 to AP3 are used, and although the configuration of the location information terminal AP1 will be explained in FIG. 2, the configuration of the other location information terminals AP2 and AP3 is also used. This is the same as the information terminal AP1. Note that the number of location information terminals may be one instead of multiple.

The location information terminal AP1 is connected to a processor 21 that controls the entire AP1, a storage device 22, an HTTP web 23, an AP function unit 24 that allows the location information terminal AP1 to function as an access point, and external devices via a network. The device includes a network interface 25 for communicating with other users, and a beacon receiving section 26 for receiving beacons. The HTTP web 23 allows location information to be input from an external device such as the search device PC1 (shown in FIG. 3) to the location information terminal AP1 via the LAN.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of search device PC1. In this embodiment, the search device PC1 is constituted by a personal computer.

The search device PC1 includes a processor 31 that controls the entire search device PC1, a storage device 32, a web browser 33 that can access an external web server via LAN, and a peripheral device search unit 34 that searches for peripheral devices. , a network interface 35 for communicating with external devices via a network, a keyboard 36 and a mouse 37 as user input means, and a display device 38 consisting of a liquid crystal or the like as output means for the user.

In this embodiment, the network wiring of the printers 1 to 5, the position information terminals AP1 to AP3, and the search device PC1 is set as shown in FIG. That is, the location information terminal AP1 and the location information terminal AP2 are connected by wire, and the location information terminal AP1 and the location information terminal AP3 are connected by wire, and furthermore, the location information terminal AP1 is connected to the printer 1 and the printer 3 by wire, and the location information terminal AP2 is connected by wire. The printer 4 is connected by wire, and the printer 2, the printer 5, and the search device PC1 are connected by wire to the location information terminal AP3. This allows connection between the search device PC1, the location information terminals AP1 to AP3, and the printers 1 to 5.

On the other hand, the installation positions and positional relationships of the printers 1 to 5 and the position information terminals AP1 to AP3 are as shown in FIG. That is, printer 1, printer 3, printer 4, location information terminal AP1, and location information terminal AP2 are installed on the first floor, and printer 2, printer 5, and location information terminal AP3 are installed on the second floor.

Further, the location information terminal AP1 is arranged so as to be within the beacon transmission range A of the printer 1 at a radio field strength of 1, and the location information terminal AP2 is arranged so as to be within the beacon transmission range B of the printer 1 at the radio field strength of 2, The location information terminal AP3 is arranged so as to be within the beacon transmission range A of the printer 2 at a radio wave intensity of 1. Further, the location information terminal AP1 is arranged so as to be within the beacon transmission range A of the printer 3 at a radio field strength of 1, and the location information terminal AP2 is arranged so as to be within the beacon transmission range A of the printer 4 at the radio field strength of 1. There is. Note that none of the location information terminals AP1 to AP3 exists within the beacon transmission range of the printer 5.

Next, the usage method and operation of the peripheral device search system according to this embodiment will be explained.

The IP addresses of location information terminals AP1 to AP3 are respectively assumed to be location information terminal AP1: 192.0.2.0/24, location information terminal AP2: 198.51.100.0/24, and location information terminal AP3: 203.0.113.0/24. First, the administrator or user of the search system accesses the HTTP web 23 of the location information terminal AP1 from the web browser 33 of the search device PC1, and displays the installation location input screen using the web browser 33, as shown in FIG. After displaying the information, as shown in FIG. 7, if you input, for example, "1F East" as the installation location of the location information terminal AP1 and press the "Apply" button, the input is accepted and the information is stored in the storage unit 22 of the location information terminal AP1. , "1F East" is stored as location specifying information for specifying the location of the location information terminal AP1 itself.

Similarly, the administrator or user of the search system accesses the location information terminal AP2 from the web browser 33 of the search device PC1, and displays an installation location input screen using the web browser 33, as shown in FIG. Later, as shown in FIG. 9, if you enter, for example, "1F West" as the installation location of the location information terminal AP1 and press the "Apply" button, the input is accepted and the location is stored in the storage unit 22 of the location information terminal AP2. "1F West" is stored as location specifying information for specifying the location of the information terminal AP2 itself.

Similarly, the administrator or user of the search system accesses the location information terminal AP3 from the web browser 33 of the search device PC1, and displays an installation location input screen using the web browser 33, as shown in FIG. Later, as shown in FIG. 11, if you input, for example, "2F" as the installation location of the location information terminal AP1 and press the "Apply" button, the input is accepted and the location information is stored in the storage unit 22 of the location information terminal AP2. "2F" is stored as location identification information for identifying the location of the terminal AP3 itself.

Although the search device PC1 accesses each location information terminal AP1 to AP3 and inputs the location identification information, the user etc. inputs the information from the user interface such as the operation panel of each device of each location information terminal AP1 to AP3. However, each of the location information terminals AP1 to AP3 may be configured to accept input.

On the other hand, each printer 1 to 5 has peripheral device identification information such as its own name stored in the storage device 12 for identifying each printer, and each printer 1 to 5 can identify its own peripheral device via the network. Information can be transmitted to the search device PC1, and the beacon transmitting section 15 transmits its own peripheral device specific information using a beacon.

The location information terminals AP1 to AP3 receive (acquire) the peripheral device identification information transmitted by the beacon from the printers 1 to 5 through the beacon receiving unit 26, and also receive the received peripheral device identification information and their own location identification information, Generate a set of radio field strength values when receiving a beacon. For example, as the beacon reception result of location information terminal AP1 [peripheral device name, location identification information, radio field strength value],
・[Printer 1, location information of location information terminal AP1, radio wave strength 1]
・[Printer 3, location information of location information terminal AP1, radio wave strength 1]
generate. In addition, as the beacon reception result of location information terminal AP2 [peripheral device name, location information terminal identification information, radio field strength value],
・[Printer 1, location information of location information terminal AP2, radio wave strength 2]
・[Printer 4, location information of location information terminal AP2, radio wave strength 1]
generate. In addition, as the beacon reception status of the location information terminal AP3 [peripheral device name, location information terminal identification information, radio field strength value],
・[Printer 2, location information of location information terminal AP3, radio wave strength 1]
generate.

Next, as shown in FIG. 12, when the user of the search device PC1 instructs execution of the peripheral device search function by pressing the "Search Execution" button on the screen of the display device 38, the peripheral device search unit 34 Perform a search for peripherals above.

Specifically, in response to the peripheral device search from the printers 1 to 5, the search device PC1 obtains peripheral device specific information from each of the printers 1 to 5. Then, printer 1, printer 2, printer 3, printer 4, and printer 5 are obtained as search results.

Next, the search device PC1 executes a search for the location information terminals AP1 to AP3 on the LAN, and receives the peripheral device name and information generated by each location information terminal AP1 to AP3 as a response from the location information terminals AP1 to AP3. Information about a combination of location information and radio field intensity value at the time of beacon reception is acquired. In other words, as a location information terminal search result [peripheral device name, location identification information, radio field strength value],
・[Printer 1, location information of location information terminal AP1, radio wave strength 1]
・[Printer 3, location information of location information terminal AP1, radio wave strength 1]
・[Printer 1, location information of location information terminal AP2, radio wave strength 2]
・[Printer 4, location information of location information terminal AP2, radio wave strength 1]
・[Printer 2, location information of location information terminal AP3, radio wave strength 1]
get.

Next, the search device PC1 reads out each acquired position specifying information. Specifically, the position specifying information of the position information terminal AP1: "1F East", the position specifying information of the position information terminal AP2: "1F West", and the position specifying information of the position information terminal AP3: "2F" are read out. Then, the search device PC1 replaces the position specifying information of each of the position information terminals AP1 to AP3 in the above position information terminal search results with the read position information as shown below. At this time, for specifying each of the printers 1 to 5, the peripheral device specifying information acquired from each of the printers 1 to 5 is preferentially used.

・[Printer 1, "1F East", signal strength 1]
・[Printer 3, "1F East", signal strength 1]
・[Printer 1, "1F West", signal strength 2]
・[Printer 4, "1F West", signal strength 1]
・[Printer 2, "2F", signal strength 1]
Next, based on the rewritten information, the search device PC1 displays the peripheral device names of the printers 1 to 5 in association with the position information when displaying the peripheral device names of the printers 1 to 5 as the peripheral device search results. The user can select the display form of the search results on the screen of the display device 38 of the search device PC1.

As shown in FIG. 12, on the screen of the display device 38, the user can select two items: "Group by peripheral device name" and "Group by location information" in addition to the "List display switching" item. It looks like this.

FIG. 13 shows the display format of search results when "group by peripheral device name" is selected. This display format displays the installation position for each printer. As shown in FIG. 13, "1F East" and "1F West" are displayed as the locations of the printer 1. They are displayed in order from "1F East" with the highest signal strength value. "2F" is displayed for printer 2, "1F East" is displayed for printer 3, and "1F West" is displayed for printer 4. Note that "no information" is displayed for printers 5 for which there is no associated position information. The display can be closed using the "Close" button.

FIG. 14 shows the display form of search results when "group by location information" is selected. This display format displays the printer name for each position. As shown in FIG. 14, Printer 1 and Printer 3 are displayed at the "1F East" position, Printer 1 and Printer 4 are displayed at the "1F West" position, and Printer 2 is displayed at the "2F" position. ing. Note that printers 5 with no associated position information are displayed in the "no information" position. The display can be closed using the "Close" button.

As described above, in this embodiment, the location information terminals AP1 to AP3 acquire the peripheral device information of the printers 1 to 5, and the search device PC1 acquires the location specifying information stored in the location information terminals AP1 to AP3, Peripheral device information associated with each piece of position specifying information is acquired, and the positions of the printers 1 to 5 are displayed based on each piece of acquired information. Therefore, the location information can be stored and retained in the location information terminals AP1 to AP3, and there is no need for the administrator to input location information to each printer 1 to 5, so even if the number of printers increases, the management The troublesome input work of the person can be eliminated. Furthermore, there is no need to create map information, and since the search device PC1 does not communicate wirelessly with the printers 1 to 5 to recognize the locations of the printers 1 to 5, the printers 1 to 5 are separated from the search device PC1. The positions of the printers 1 to 5 can be specified and displayed on the display device 38 even if

Furthermore, the search device PC1 is connected to the location information terminals AP1 to AP3 and the printers 1 to 5 via a network, acquires location identification information and peripheral device identification information from the location information terminals AP1 to AP3, and obtains location information and peripheral device identification information from the printers 1 to 5. Since the peripheral device identification information is acquired, the peripheral device identification information can be acquired from both the location information terminals AP1 to AP3 and the printers 1 to 5, and the reliability of identifying the locations of the printers 1 to 5 can be increased. .

Furthermore, regarding the positions of the printers 1 to 5, it is possible to select whether to display the positions of the printers 1 to 5 on the display device 38 or to display the printers 1 to 5 by position, which is convenient for the user. You can increase your sexuality.

Furthermore, since the search device PC1 can acquire the radio wave intensity at the time of beacon reception in addition to the location specifying information and peripheral device specifying information, the search device PC1 can obtain the radio wave intensity between the plurality of location information terminals AP1 to AP3. Regarding printers 1 to 5, the positions corresponding to location information terminals AP1 to AP3 with high radio field strength are displayed in priority order as the positions of printers 1 to 5, so the positions of printers 1 to 5 can be accurately specified. can be displayed.

In the embodiments described above, the location information terminals AP1 to AP3 receive peripheral device identification information transmitted by beacons from the printers 1 to 5 through the beacon receiving unit 26, and also identify their own location using the received peripheral device identification information. The search device PC generated a set of information and the value of the radio field intensity at the time of beacon reception, and when displaying the positions of each of the printers 1 to 5, prioritized the display of the position with the highest value of the radio field intensity.

However, the location information terminals AP1 to AP3 do not have to generate a set of the peripheral device specifying information received by the beacon receiving unit 26 and their own position specifying information, and do not generate the value of the radio field intensity when receiving the beacon. In this case, when displaying the location of each of the printers 1 to 5, the search device PC displays each location regardless of whether the radio field intensity value is high or not.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the process from when the printers 1 to 5 transmit beacons to when the location information terminals AP1 to AP3 transmit peripheral device identification information and location identification information to the search device PC1.

In step S11, the printers (peripheral devices) 1 to 5 transmit peripheral device identification information using the beacon transmission function, and in step S12, the location information terminals AP1 to 3 receive the peripheral device identification information using the beacon reception function.

Next, in step S13, the location information terminals AP1 to AP3 generate a set of the received peripheral device identification information and the location identification information held by themselves.

In step S14, the search device PC1 executes the peripheral device search function based on the user's operation, and in step S15, the printers 1 to 5 transmit their respective peripheral device identification information to the prosecutor device PC1.

Further, in step S16, the location information terminals AP1 to AP3 transmit the generated set of peripheral device identification information and location identification information to the prosecutor's office PC1.

FIG. 16 shows that after printers 1 to 5 transmit beacons, location information terminals AP1 to AP3 transmit reception records (radio field strength at the time of reception) in addition to peripheral device identification information and location identification information to search device PC1. 2 is a flowchart showing the processing up to this point.

In this flowchart, in step S130, the location information terminals AP1-3 generate the received peripheral device identification information, the location identification information held by themselves, and a reception record, and in step S160, the location information terminals AP1-3 is the same as the flowchart of FIG. 15, except that the set of generated peripheral device identification information, position identification information, and reception record is transmitted to the prosecutor's office PC1, so a detailed explanation will be omitted.
[Second embodiment]
FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the printer 1 used in the peripheral device search system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The configurations of the other printers 2 to 5 are also the same.

Although the printer 1 shown in FIG. 1 was equipped with a beacon transmitter 15, the printer 1 shown in FIG. 17 is equipped with a beacon receiver 16.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the location information terminal AP1 used in the peripheral device search system according to the second embodiment of the present invention together with the printers 1 to 5 shown in FIG. The configurations of the other location information terminals AP2 and AP3 are also the same.

The location information terminal AP1 shown in FIG. 2 was equipped with a beacon reception section 26, but the location information terminal AP1 shown in FIG. 18 is equipped with a beacon transmission section 27.

The configuration of the prosecutor's office PC1 is the same as that of the prosecutor's office PC1 shown in FIG.

In this embodiment, each of the location information terminals AP1 to AP3 transmits its own location identification information using the beacon transmitter 27, and each printer 1 to 5 receives a beacon from the location information terminals AP1 to AP3 using the beacon receiver 16. It is supposed to be done.

Further, the network wiring of the printers 1 to 5, the position information terminals AP1 to AP3, and the search device PC1 is set as shown in FIG. 4, as in the first embodiment. Furthermore, the positional relationships between the printers 1 to 5 and the location information terminals AP1 to AP3 are the same as those shown in FIG. It has become. That is, printer 1, printer 3, printer 4, location information terminal AP1, and location information terminal AP2 are installed on the first floor, and printer 2, printer 5, and location information terminal AP3 are installed on the second floor.

Furthermore, printers 1 and 3 are arranged so that they are within the beacon transmission range A of the location information terminal AP1 at a radio field strength of 1, and printer 4 is arranged so that it is within the beacon transmission range A of the location information terminal AP2 at the radio field strength of 1. The printer 1 is placed in a beacon transmission range B of the location information terminal AP2 at a radio field strength of 2, and the printer 2 is arranged in a beacon transmission range A of the location information terminal AP3 at a radio field strength of 1. shall be Note that the printer 5 is not within the beacon transmission range of any of the location information terminals AP1 to AP3.

Next, the usage method and operation of the peripheral device search system according to this embodiment will be explained.

The administrator or user of the search system accesses the location information terminals AP1 to AP3 from the web browser 33 of the search device PC1, or from the user interface of the location information terminals AP1 to AP3, as explained in FIGS. 6 to 11. Similarly, position specifying information such as "1F East", "1F West", "2F", etc. is input and stored.

On the other hand, each printer 1 to 5 has peripheral device identification information such as its own name stored in the storage device 12 for identifying each printer, and each printer 1 to 5 can identify its own peripheral device via the network. Information including information can be transmitted to the search device PC1.

When the location information terminals AP1 to AP3 transmit their respective location identification information using the beacon transmitter 27, the printers 1 to 5 receive (obtain) the transmitted location information and combine the received location information with their own location information. A set of peripheral device identification information and the radio field strength value at the time of beacon reception is generated. For example, as the beacon reception result of printer 1 [peripheral device name, location identification information, radio field strength value],
・[Printer 1, location information of location information terminal AP1, radio wave strength 1]
・[Printer 1, location information of location information terminal AP2, radio wave strength 2]
generate. Also, as a beacon reception result of printer 2,
・[Printer 2, location information of location information terminal AP3, radio wave strength 1]
generate. Also, as a beacon reception result of printer 3,
・[Printer 3, location information of location information terminal AP1, radio wave strength 1]
generate. Additionally, as a beacon reception result of the printer 4,
・[Printer 4, location information of location information terminal AP2, radio wave strength 1]
generate. Additionally, as a beacon reception result of the printer 5,
・[Printer 5, no information, no information]
generate.

Next, as shown in FIG. 12, when the user of the search device PC1 instructs execution of the peripheral device search function by pressing the "Search Execution" button on the screen of the display device 38, the peripheral device search unit 34 Perform a search for peripherals above.

As a response to the peripheral device search, the printers 1 to 5 transmit a set of the peripheral device name, the location identification information of the location information terminals AP1 to AP3, and the radio field strength value to the search device PC1, and the search device PC1 receives this information. get.

In other words, as the search result [peripheral device name, location information, radio field strength value],
・[Printer 1, location information of location information terminal AP1, radio wave strength 1]
・[Printer 1, location information of location information terminal AP2, radio wave strength 2]
・[Printer 2, location information of location information terminal AP3, radio wave strength 1]
・[Printer 3, location information of location information terminal AP1, radio wave strength 1]
・[Printer 4, location information of location information terminal AP2, radio wave strength 1]
・[Printer 5, no information, no information]
get.

Next, the search device PC1 reads out each acquired position specifying information. Specifically, the position specifying information of the position information terminal AP1: "1F East", the position specifying information of the position information terminal AP2: "1F West", and the position specifying information of the position information terminal AP3: "2F" are read out. Then, the search device PC1 replaces the position specifying information of each of the position information terminals AP1 to AP3 in the above search results with the read position information as shown below.

・[Printer 1, "1F East", signal strength 1]
・[Printer 1, "1F West", signal strength 2]
・[Printer 2, "2F", signal strength 1]
・[Printer 3, "1F East", signal strength 1]
・[Printer 4, "1F West", signal strength 1]
・[Printer 5, no information, no information]
Next, based on the rewritten information, the search device PC1 displays the peripheral device names of the printers 1 to 5 in association with the position information when displaying the peripheral device names of the printers 1 to 5 as the peripheral device search results. As in the first embodiment, the user can select the display format of the search results on the screen of the display device 38 of the search device PC1. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, on the screen of the display device 38, there are two items, ``Group by peripheral device name'' and ``Group by location information,'' along with the item ``List display switching.'' can be selected by the user. The display format when each item is selected is the same as the display format shown in FIG. 13 or 14.

As described above, in this embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the printers 1 to 5 acquire the location specifying information held by the location information terminals AP1 to AP3 using beacons, and the search device PC1 acquires the location information held by the location information terminals AP1 to AP3 from the printers 1 to 5. Since a set of location specifying information, peripheral device specifying information, and reception record is acquired, the locations of printers 1 to 5 can be specified and displayed even if search device PC1 and location information terminals AP1 to AP3 are not connected to the network. be able to.

FIG. 20 shows the process from when the location information terminals AP1 to AP3 transmit beacons to when the printers 1 to 5 transmit peripheral device identification information, location identification information, and reception records to the search device PC1 in the second embodiment. 3 is a flowchart showing processing.

In step S21, the location information terminals AP1 to AP3 transmit position specifying information using the beacon transmitting function, and in step S22, the printers (peripheral devices) 1 to 5 receive the position specifying information using the beacon receiving function.

Next, in step S23, the printers 1 to 5 generate a set of the peripheral device specifying information held by themselves, the received position specifying information, and a reception record.

In step S24, the search device PC1 executes the peripheral device search function based on the user's operation. In step S25, the printers 1 to 5 send the generated set of peripheral device identification information, location identification information, and reception record to the prosecutor's office PC1. Send.

Note that in the second embodiment as well, the printers 1 to 5 may be configured to generate a set of position specifying information and peripheral device specifying information that does not include a reception record, and transmit it to the search device PC1.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. For example, although the case has been shown in which the location information terminals AP1 to AP3 function as access points, the location information terminals may be terminal devices that are independent of the access points and do not function as access points. Further, the function as a position information terminal may be incorporated into a part of another device (for example, some printers).

Further, although the case where the network wiring is a wired connection has been described, it may be performed by a wireless connection.

In addition, although the case where the reception record is the radio wave intensity at the time of receiving the beacon is shown, the reception record may also be the distance between the location information terminals AP1 to AP3 and the printers 1 to 5 calculated based on the radio wave intensity etc. .

1-5 Printer (peripheral equipment)
11 Processor 12 Storage device 14 Network interface 15 Beacon transmission unit 16 Beacon reception unit 21 Processor 22 Storage device 23 HTTP web 24 AP function unit 25 Network interface 26 Beacon reception unit 27 Beacon transmission unit 31 Processor 32 Storage device 33 Web browser 34 Peripheral equipment Search unit 35 Network interface 38 Display device AP1 to AP3 Location information terminal PC1 Search device

Claims (12)

A search system comprising one or more peripheral devices, one or more location information terminals, and a search device that searches for the peripheral devices, the search system comprising:
The location information terminal includes a location information storage means for storing location information for identifying its own location,
The peripheral device includes peripheral device identification information storage means for storing peripheral device identification information for identifying itself,
At least one of the location information terminal and the peripheral device includes a first acquisition means for acquiring peripheral device identification information or location identification information stored in the other device through mutual communication,
The search device includes a second acquisition unit that acquires the position specifying information and the peripheral device specifying information acquired by the first acquisition unit from at least one of the location information terminal and the peripheral device; a position specifying means for specifying the position of the peripheral device based on the position specifying information and the peripheral device specifying information; and a display means for displaying the position of the specified peripheral device;
Equipped with
With respect to the position of the peripheral device specified by the position specifying means of the search device, the display means is provided with a selection means for selecting whether to display the position of each peripheral device or to display the peripheral device for each position. A search system for peripheral devices. A search system comprising one or more peripheral devices, one or more location information terminals, and a search device that searches for the peripheral devices, the search system comprising:
The location information terminal includes a location information storage means for storing location information for identifying its own location,
The peripheral device includes peripheral device identification information storage means for storing peripheral device identification information for identifying itself,
At least one of the location information terminal and the peripheral device includes a first acquisition means for acquiring peripheral device identification information or location identification information stored in the other device through mutual communication,
The search device includes a second acquisition unit that acquires the position specifying information and the peripheral device specifying information acquired by the first acquisition unit from at least one of the location information terminal and the peripheral device; a position specifying means for specifying the position of the peripheral device based on the position specifying information and the peripheral device specifying information; and a display means for displaying the position of the specified peripheral device;
Equipped with
Mutual communication between the location information terminal and the peripheral device is performed wirelessly,
At least one of the location information terminal and the peripheral device generates a reception record during mutual communication,
A search system for peripheral devices, wherein the second acquisition means of the search device acquires the reception record together with the position specifying information and the peripheral device specifying information. The search device is connected to the location information terminal and the peripheral device via a network,
3. The second acquisition means of the search device acquires the position specifying information and the peripheral device specifying information from the position information terminal, and acquires the peripheral device specifying information from the peripheral device. Peripheral device search system. The search device is connected to the peripheral device via a network,
The peripheral device acquires the location identification information through communication with the location information terminal,
3. The peripheral device search system according to claim 1 , wherein the second acquisition means of the search device acquires the position specifying information and the peripheral device specifying information from the peripheral device. The peripheral device search system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the location information terminal is provided with a reception means for receiving input from the outside of the location information or input from a user interface provided in the location information terminal. . With respect to the position of the peripheral device specified by the position specifying means of the search device, the display means is provided with a selection means for selecting whether to display the position of each peripheral device or to display the peripheral device for each position. The peripheral device search system according to claim 2 . 7. The peripheral device search system according to claim 1 , wherein mutual communication between the location information terminal and the peripheral device is performed wirelessly. At least one of the location information terminal and the peripheral device generates a reception record during mutual communication,
8. The peripheral device search system according to claim 7 , wherein the second acquisition means of the search device acquires the reception record together with the position specifying information and the peripheral device specifying information. 9. The peripheral device search system according to claim 2, wherein the reception record is the radio field intensity at the time of reception. The location information terminals are plural,
For peripheral devices for which the second acquisition means has acquired radio wave intensities with a plurality of location information terminals, the display means of the search device displays the location of the peripheral device corresponding to the location information terminal with high radio field strength. 10. The peripheral device search system according to claim 9 , wherein the peripheral device is displayed preferentially as the location of . A search method executed by a search system including one or more peripheral devices, one or more location information terminals, and a search device that searches for the peripheral devices, the method comprising:
The location information terminal stores location identification information for identifying its own location,
The peripheral device stores peripheral device identification information for identifying itself,
At least one of the location information terminal and the peripheral device acquires peripheral device identification information or location identification information stored in the other through mutual communication,
The search device acquires the position specifying information and the peripheral device specifying information from at least one of the position information terminal and the peripheral device, and based on the acquired position specifying information and the peripheral device specifying information, identifying the location of the peripheral device, displaying the location of the identified peripheral device on a display means ,
Regarding the location of the peripheral device specified by the search device, the display means allows the user to select whether to display the location for each peripheral device or display the peripheral device for each location. How to search for equipment. A search method executed by a search system including one or more peripheral devices, one or more location information terminals, and a search device that searches for the peripheral devices, the method comprising:
The location information terminal stores location identification information for identifying its own location,
The peripheral device stores peripheral device identification information for identifying itself,
At least one of the location information terminal and the peripheral device acquires peripheral device identification information or location identification information stored in the other through mutual communication,
The search device acquires the position specifying information and the peripheral device specifying information from at least one of the position information terminal and the peripheral device, and based on the acquired position specifying information and the peripheral device specifying information, identifying the location of the peripheral device, displaying the location of the identified peripheral device on a display means,
Mutual communication between the location information terminal and the peripheral device is performed wirelessly,
At least one of the location information terminal and the peripheral device generates a reception record during mutual communication,
A method for searching for a peripheral device, wherein the search device acquires the reception record together with the position specifying information and the peripheral device specifying information.

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