KR20060033260A - The printing method through changing the transmission mode on the networking error - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a printing method by changing a transmission mode when an error occurs in a network. The printing method by changing the transmission mode when an error occurs in the network according to the present invention includes an access point, an image forming apparatus, and a note PC, and in a network operating in an infrastructure mode, a print job is requested from the note PC. Step, transferring print data from the note PC to an access point connected to the note PC, determining whether an error has occurred in the network environment of the infrastructure mode, if it is determined that the error has occurred, And automatically switching the network environment of the PC from the infrastructure mode to the ad-hoc mode, and transmitting the print data to a predetermined image forming apparatus operating in the ad-hoc mode to perform a print job. According to the present invention, if an error occurs in the network environment of the infrastructure mode, the printing job is difficult, by automatically switching the network environment to the ad hoc mode by setting the network connection, there is an advantage that can be performed smoothly.

Wireless LAN, Ad Hoc, Infrastructure, Image Forming Device, Network

Description

The printing method through changing the transmission mode on the networking error}

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a wired and wireless LAN composite system having a wired and wireless network communication function;

2 shows an example of an ad-hoc mode;

3 illustrates an example of an infrastructure mode;

4 is a view for explaining the concept of a printing method by changing the transmission mode when an error occurs in the network according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration inside each note PC shown in FIG. 4; and

6 is a flowchart provided to explain a printing method by changing a transmission mode when an error occurs in a network according to the present invention.

Brief description of the main parts of the drawing

110a, 110b: first and second access points

120a, 120b, 120c: 1st, 2nd, 3rd note PC

130a, 130b, and 130c: first, second and third image forming apparatuses

140: key input unit 150: printer driver unit

152: first profile server 154: second profile server                 

156: switching unit 160: output unit

The present invention relates to a method of performing a print job by changing a transmission mode when an error occurs in a network, and in particular, when a connection error occurs in a network environment set as an infrastructure mode, the network environment is automatically changed to an ad hoc mode to perform a print job. The present invention relates to a printing method by changing a transmission mode when an error occurs in a network.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a network card having a wired or wireless network communication function. Referring to FIG. 1, reference numeral 100 denotes a wired / wireless LAN composite system having a communication module of wired and wireless LAN. The CPU 10 operates by a program stored in a ROM 20 and stores data in a RAM 30. Temporarily store and process. The processed data is transmitted to the peripheral device 50 through the interface unit 40. When the connected peripheral device 50 is an image forming apparatus such as a printer, the image forming apparatus prints the received data.

The network card 100 transmits and receives data to and from another system connected to the wired LAN 80 through the wired LAN module 60, and a system equipped with a wireless LAN 90 card through the wireless LAN module 70. Send and receive data. Here, the components are connected to each other by the internal bus 95.

The WLAN module basically consists of two transmission modes: Ad-Hoc networking and Infrastructure networking.                         

2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an ad hoc mode. Referring to the drawings, the ad hoc mode performs direct P2P communication between terminals equipped with a wireless LAN and is not connected to an external network. Ad-hoc mode is mainly used in small office or personal small network because it communicates only between wireless LANs.

3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an infrastructure mode. Referring to the drawings, the infrastructure mode has a configuration similar to that of using a conventional wired LAN in an office, and configures a wireless network by connecting an access point (AP), which is a wired / wireless connection relay device, to an Ethernet. do.

On the other hand, a network printer card having a wireless LAN module needs to set an operation mode (ad-hoc or infrastructure), a channel, a service set ID (SSID), a wired equivalent privacy (WEP) value, and the like. Only when these setting values are input correctly, data can be transmitted and received by being connected to a wireless base station that wants to communicate. If an error occurs due to an overload of the network environment, the user may have to reconfigure the operation mode, channel, SSID, WEP, etc. as described above.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an error when a network connection occurs in a network set to an infrastructure mode so that a print job cannot be performed, when an error occurs in the network for performing a print job by automatically switching the network transmission mode to an ad hoc mode. This is to provide a printing method by changing the transmission mode.

The printing method by changing the transmission mode when an error occurs in the network according to the present invention for achieving the above object is a transmission mode when an error occurs in the network operating in an infrastructure mode, including an access point, an image forming apparatus and a note PC In the printing method through the change, a step in which a print job is requested from the note PC, a print data is transmitted from the note PC to an access point connected to the note PC, and an error occurs in the network environment of the infrastructure mode. Determining whether an error has occurred, automatically switching the network environment of the notebook PC from the infrastructure mode to the ad-hoc mode, and to a predetermined image forming apparatus operating in the ad-hoc mode. It is preferable to include the step of transmitting the print data to perform a print job The.

Here, it is preferable that an error occurs in the network environment when the speed of the network is 5 Mbps or less, or the sensitivity of the access point is 20 percent or less.

In this case, if it is determined that an error has not occurred in the network environment, the method may further include a step of transmitting print data from the access point to the image forming apparatus operating in the infrastructure mode and performing a print job.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating the present invention.

4 is a view for explaining the concept of a printing method by changing the transmission mode when an error occurs in the network according to the present invention. Referring to FIG. 4A, a wireless network system for implementing the present invention conforms to the IEEE 802.11 standard and basically operates in an infrastructure mode.

The wireless network system includes a plurality of access points 110a and 110b, a plurality of image forming apparatuses 130a to 130c, a plurality of note PCs 120a to 120c, and the like. It is assumed that the first access points AP1 and 110a operate in IEEE 802.11a, and the second access points AP2 and 110b operate in IEEE 802.11g.

The first access point 110a functions as a relay to connect and communicate with the first image forming apparatus 130a and the first note PC 120a. Likewise, the second access point 110b forms a second image. A relay function is provided to communicate with the device 130b and the second note PC 120b.

In FIG. 4, the network environment of the first and second note PCs 120a to 120b is basically set to operate in an infrastructure mode, and the network environment of the third note PC 120c is set to an ad hoc mode.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of each note PC shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 5, each note PC 120a to 120c includes a key input unit 140, a printer driver unit 150, and an output unit 160.

The printer driver 150 may include a first profile server 152 for setting a network environment in an infrastructure mode, a second profile server 154, a first profile server 152, and a second for setting a network environment in an ad hoc mode. It includes a switching unit 156 to control the profile server 154 so that the network environment is set to any one of the infrastructure mode and the ad hoc mode transmission mode.                     

 Each of the first profile server 152 and the second profile server 154 has information about the first and second access points 110a and 110b, that is, the SSID (Service) of the first and second access points 110a and 110b. set ID), IP address, and Mac address.

6 is a flowchart provided to explain a method of changing a transmission mode when an error occurs in a wired or wireless network according to the present invention. Hereinafter, the first access point 110a, the first image forming apparatus 130a, and the first note PC 120a operating in IEEE 802.11a will be described.

4 to 6, when a print request is made by the user through the key input unit 140 of the first note PC 120a (S610), the print data is connected to the first note PC 120a. 1 is transmitted to the access point (110a) (S620). On the other hand, if there is a print request from the second note PC 120b, the print data is transmitted to the second access point 110b connected to the second note PC 120b.

As such, when print data is transmitted to the first access point 110a connected to the first note PC 120a, the first note PC 120a determines whether an error has occurred in the network environment (S630).

Whether an error occurs in the network environment is determined by the sensitivity of the access point and the speed of the network. That is, when the network speed is 5 Mbps or less, or when the sensitivity of the access point is 20 percent or less, the first note PC 120a determines that an error has occurred in the network environment currently operating in the infrastructure mode.

As such, when the speed of the network is 5 Mbps or less, or the sensitivity of the access point is 20 percent or less, and it is determined that an error has occurred in the network environment operating in the infrastructure mode (S640), the switching of the first note PC 120a is performed. The unit 156 automatically switches the network environment from the preset infrastructure mode to the ad hoc mode (S650).

Thereafter, the first note PC 120a transmits the print data to the third image forming apparatus 130c of FIG. 4, which is conventionally operating in the ad hoc mode. When print data is transmitted to the third image forming apparatus 130c operating in the ad hoc mode, the first note PC 120a automatically switches back to the infrastructure mode. The third image forming apparatus 130c operating in the ad hoc mode receives print data from the first note PC 120a and performs a print job.

Meanwhile, when it is determined in step S630 that the network speed exceeds 5 Mbps or the access point sensitivity exceeds 20 percent, it is determined that no error has occurred in the network environment operating in the infrastructure mode (S640). The access point 110a transmits the print data received from the first note PC 120a to the first image forming apparatus 130a operating in the infrastructure mode (S645).

Accordingly, the print job is performed in the first image forming apparatus 130a operating in the infrastructure mode (S670).

As described above, according to the present invention, when an error occurs in an infrastructure mode network environment and a printing job is difficult, the network environment is automatically switched to the ad hoc mode to establish a connection, and then the printing job is performed. Therefore, even if an error occurs in the network environment of the infrastructure mode, there is no problem in performing the print job.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments of the present invention without departing from the spirit of the present invention as claimed in the claims. Anyone skilled in the art can make various modifications, as well as such modifications that fall within the scope of the claims.

Claims (3)

In the printing method by changing the transmission mode when an error occurs in the network operating in the infrastructure (Infrastructure) mode, including the access point, image forming apparatus and note PC, Requesting a print job from the note PC; Transmitting print data from the note PC to the access point connected to the note PC; Determining whether an error has occurred in the network environment of the infrastructure mode; If it is determined that an error has occurred, automatically switching the network environment of the note PC from the infrastructure mode to the ad-hoc mode; And And transmitting a print data to a predetermined image forming apparatus operating in the ad hoc mode to perform a print job. The method of claim 1, And when the speed of the network is 5 Mbps or less, or the sensitivity of the access point is 20 percent or less, it is determined that an error has occurred in the network environment. The method of claim 1, If it is not determined that an error has occurred in the network environment, And transmitting print data from the access point to the image forming apparatus operating in an infrastructure mode to perform a print job.

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