JP2007156581A - Peripheral device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a peripheral device capable of reducing the burden on a user when the user checks a driver's version information. <P>SOLUTION: When the driver is installed, the driver's version information is obtained via a PC connection 27. The driver's version information obtained is stored in a storage device 15. The version information is displayed in a display device 25 by operation of an operating key part 22, a dial key 23 or the like. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a peripheral device that is connected to an information processing terminal device so that data can be transmitted and received, and is controlled by a driver stored in the information processing terminal device.

  A personal computer (hereinafter simply abbreviated as “PC”), which is an information processing terminal device, can exhibit various functions by connecting many peripheral devices such as a display, a printer, and a scanner. Since the specifications and control methods of peripheral devices vary greatly from device to device, basic software (OS: Operating System) installed in a PC cannot control all peripheral devices independently. For this reason, peripheral device manufacturers provide device drivers for controlling their own products to users, and users incorporate device drivers into the OS for use.

  If an appropriate device driver is not used, problems such as malfunction of the peripheral device and stop of operation may occur. In order to prevent such a problem from occurring or to solve the problem, the version information of the device driver used by the OS is required.

  When performing maintenance, it is necessary to check the version information. However, the work is complicated and the burden on the user is large.

  Conventionally, a management device such as a host or server stores and manages device driver version information of peripheral devices and various software version information stored in the device via a network.

  In the image forming apparatus communication system described in Patent Document 1, in an image forming apparatus including a plurality of CPUs, a slave CPU collects ROM versions of CPUs of each unit and transmits them to a main CPU. The main CPU adds its own ROM version to the version information and transmits it to the host device.

  The information processing terminal described in Patent Document 2 transfers external program version information from the client to the image forming apparatus, and the image forming apparatus compares the already stored driver version information with the transferred version information. If the external program is new, the external program is received.

  The intercom and its system described in Patent Document 3 send and display the software version information of its own device to any one of the collective entrance device, the call control device, and the management device.

  In the network printing system described in Patent Document 4, a printing device having a CSS line confirms the type of driver of a printing device on the same network, obtains version upgrade information from the connection destination, and upgrades from the current version. If so, download a new driver.

Japanese Patent No. 2875926 JP-A-10-171634 JP 2000-196758 A JP 2003-54077 A

  In the prior art, driver and software version information is managed by a network-connected management device. Therefore, when the user confirms the version information, the management device must be operated, and the burden on the user is reduced. There is a problem of being big.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a peripheral device capable of reducing the burden on the user when confirming driver version information.

The present invention is connected to an information processing terminal device so that data can be transmitted and received, and in a peripheral device controlled by a driver stored in the information processing terminal device,
Storage means for storing version information of the driver;
An output device for outputting the version information stored in the storage device.

  In addition, the present invention is characterized by comprising information acquisition means for acquiring the version information from the information processing terminal device.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that the information acquisition means acquires the version information when the driver is installed in the information processing terminal device.

  In addition, the present invention is characterized by having an instruction means for instructing output of the version information.

  According to the present invention, the peripheral device is connected to the information processing terminal device so as to be able to transmit and receive data, and is controlled by a driver stored in the information processing terminal device, and the version information of the driver is stored in the storage means. The output unit outputs the version information stored in the storage unit.

  Thereby, when checking the version information in the maintenance work of the peripheral device, the user can check the version information output from the output means of the peripheral device, so that the information processing terminal device or the network is connected. Operation of the management device or the like is not necessary, and the burden on the user can be reduced.

  Moreover, according to this invention, an information acquisition means acquires the said version information from the said information processing terminal device.

  As a result, an operation for storing the information in the peripheral device, such as inputting version information, is unnecessary, so that the burden on the user can be further reduced.

According to the invention, the information acquisition unit acquires the version information when the driver is installed in the information processing terminal device.
As a result, the latest version information can be acquired and stored.

  According to the invention, when the output of the version information is instructed by the instruction means, the output means outputs the version information.

  Thereby, when a user desires, version information can be confirmed by simple operation.

In the following, as an embodiment of a peripheral device of a PC that is an information processing terminal device, a multifunction peripheral (MFP:
Multi Function Printer) will be explained.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a multifunction machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The multifunction device 1 includes an image reading device 11, a printing device 12, an image reading device interface unit 13, an image storage device 14, a storage device 15, a cordless control circuit 16, a handset 17, a control device 18, a modem 19, and a network control device 20. , The operation key unit 22, the dial key 23, the display device interface unit 24, the display device 25, the antenna 26, and the PC connection unit 27.

  The image reading device 11 is a scanner for facsimile transmission and copying of an original image, and is read by a reduction reading method using a combination of a lens and a CCD (Charge Coupled Devices) line sensor, a contact sensor method using a rod lens array, or the like. A method is used. The printing device 12 is a unit that prints image information received via the telephone line network 21 or image information read from the image storage device 14, and uses a printing method such as a thermal method, a thermal transfer method, and an ink jet method. . The image reading device interface unit 13 converts analog image information read by the image reading device 11 into digital image information. The image storage device 14 includes a memory that can be written / read at any time, such as a flash ROM, and is a unit for storing image information read by the image reading device 11 and facsimile image information received via the telephone line network 21. By providing this unit, many complicated functions such as transfer of received image information, broadcast, proxy reception when printing paper runs out, memory transmission, and the like become possible. The storage device 15 is storage means for storing various processing programs such as a driver version information display processing program and a communication processing program, and version information including the version of the driver installed in the PC.

  The multifunction device 1 of the present embodiment can be wirelessly connected to one or a plurality of cordless slave units, and the cordless control circuit 16 controls wireless communication with the cordless slave units. The cordless control circuit 16 includes a tuner for searching for a communication path for establishing wireless communication with the cordless slave unit, establishing a connection, calling, radio wave transmission, and reception. The handset 17 includes a receiver that is a speaker that outputs sound and a transmitter that is a microphone that inputs sound when performing telephone communication.

  The control device 18 is constituted by a processing circuit such as a central processing unit (abbreviated as CPU), for example, and controls the overall operation of the multifunction device 1 together with a processing program stored in the storage device 15. The control device 18 controls the entire multifunction device 1 based on various information such as input information from the operation key unit 12, information indicating the state of the image reading device interface unit 13, information included in a received signal from the telephone line network 21, and the like. To control the operation. The modem 19 modulates a digital signal indicating image information into an analog signal suitable for transmission to the telephone line network 21, and prints the analog signal received from the telephone line network 21 via the network control device 20 and displays the image. Demodulate to a digital signal for. The network control device 20 is connected to the telephone line network 21 and monitors the status of the telephone line network 21 and switches the cordless control circuit 16 side, the handset 17 side, and the telephone line to any one of the modem 19 side.

  The operation key unit 22 receives and transmits a facsimile, scans a document image, and starts a reception key 22a, a transmission key 22b, a scan key 22c, a print key 22d, and interrupts the processing. Stop key 22e, function key 22f for registering / changing functions related to the operation of the multifunction device 1, for example, registering a destination telephone number or changing a ring tone, and a decision key for confirming an input when inputting instructions and numerical values 22g is provided.

  The dial key unit 23 is provided with numeric keys from 0 to 9, an * key, and a # key, and is an input means for inputting operation control parameters, communication telephone numbers, etc. In this embodiment, the driver version confirmation Also used as an input key.

  The display device interface unit 24 receives various image information given through the control device 18, for example, image information obtained through the telephone network 11, image information read out from the image storage device 14, and scanning by the reading device 1. The image information read from the read image information and the like, the driver version information stored in the storage device 15 of the present invention, and the like are converted into a format suitable for the display device 25.

  The display device 25 as output means is realized by, for example, a liquid crystal display (abbreviated as LCD), and displays various images based on the image information converted by the display device interface unit 24. The antenna 26 is used for transmitting and receiving radio waves for wireless communication with the cordless slave unit. The PC connection unit 27 is a connection interface with the PC, thereby receiving an operation command from the PC, and performing printing, scanner operation, and the like through the control device 18 as described above.

  The information acquisition means is composed of the control device 18 and the PC connection section, and the instruction means is composed of the operation key section 22 and the dial key section 23.

When the driver is installed in the PC, the multifunction device 1 can store the version information of the driver, and can display the stored version information as necessary.
First, version information storage processing will be described.

  For example, when installing a driver for the MFP 1 on a PC using a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory), insert the CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive of the PC and use an installation program, etc. Then, a file necessary for driver installation is copied from a file stored in the CD-ROM to a predetermined folder (storage area) of the PC. At this time, the version information of the driver for the MFP 1 to be installed is written in a predetermined file section such as an inf file (setup information definition file) having an extension of inf.

  Thereafter, the installation of the driver for the multifunction device 1 is started by connecting the PC connection port and the PC connection unit 27 of the multifunction device 1 via a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable or the like. After exchanging data necessary for driver installation between the PC and the multifunction device 1, the multifunction device 1 reads the file in which the version information is written, and acquires the driver version information. When acquiring the version information, it is preferable to store the time when the version information was acquired. In addition to the version information, the type and version of the OS (Operating System), the version of the USB that has performed communication, the name of the user who has logged in to the PC, the progress of driver installation, etc. are acquired as PC information. Also good. This makes it possible to refer to these pieces of information at the time of maintenance and when a failure occurs, thereby reducing maintenance time and analyzing the cause of the failure.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the version information storage process.
In step S1, a timer is set with t = 0, and counting is started. In step S2, it is determined whether or not the driver version information has been acquired from the PC. If it has been acquired, the process proceeds to step S3. In step S3, the acquired version information is stored in a predetermined storage area of the storage device 15. In step S4, the current value of the timer is compared with a predetermined value, for example, 30 seconds, and it is determined whether the time is up. If the time is up, the process ends. If the time is not up, the process returns to step S2. The count by the timer is for forcibly terminating the version information storage process due to time-up, and does not terminate the driver installation itself.

Next, version information display processing will be described.
The multi-function device 1 is configured so that the version information stored in the storage device 15 can be displayed on the display device 25 when the user performs a predetermined operation.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing version information display processing.
When the function key 22e of the operation key unit 12 is pressed during the standby state, the version information display process is started. In step S11, a function menu screen for changing various settings is displayed on the display device 25. Specifically, when the control device 18 detects that the function key 22e has been pressed, the display contents stored in the storage device 15 are displayed on the display device interface unit 24 in accordance with a program stored in the storage device 15. Display on the display device 25.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a screen display example in the version information display process. As shown in FIG. 4A, on the function menu screen 31, each item is displayed in association with a number, and when the number key of the dial key 23 is input, the item corresponding to the input number is selected. It is judged that

  For example, as shown in the figure, the items “initial registration”, “phone book”, “sound setting”, and “maintenance mode” are associated with “1”, “2”, “3”, and “4”, respectively. ing. Here, for example, when the numeric key “1” is pressed, an initial registration screen is displayed and an initial registration process is performed.

  In step S12, it is determined whether the maintenance mode has been selected. If selected, the process proceeds to step S13, and if another item is selected, the process proceeds to step S18. If the numeric key “4” is pressed while the function menu screen 31 is displayed, it is determined that the maintenance mode has been selected.

  In step S13, a maintenance menu screen for performing maintenance is displayed on the display device 25.

  As shown in FIG. 4B, on the maintenance menu screen 32, each maintenance item and a number are displayed in association with each other, and when the numeric key of the dial key 23 is input, an item corresponding to the input number is selected. It is judged that it was done.

  For example, as shown in the figure, “printer maintenance”, “scanner maintenance”, “other maintenance”, and “version information” are associated with “1”, “2”, “3”, and “4”, respectively. Yes. Here, for example, when the numeric key “2” is pressed, a scanner maintenance screen is displayed, and scanner maintenance processing is performed.

  In step S14, it is determined whether display of version information has been selected. If selected, the process proceeds to step S15, and if another item is selected, the process proceeds to step S18. When the numeric key “4” is pressed while the maintenance menu screen 32 is displayed, it is determined that the display of the version information is selected.

  In step S15, a version information menu screen for displaying version information is displayed on the display device 25.

  As shown in FIG. 4C, on the version information menu screen 33, items to be displayed and numbers are displayed in association with each other. When the numeric key of the dial key 23 is input, an item corresponding to the input number is displayed. It is determined that it has been selected.

  For example, as shown in the figure, the items “firmware” and “driver” are associated with “1” and “2”, respectively. Here, for example, when the numeric key “1” is pressed, the current version information of the firmware, which is a control program for the multifunction device 1, is displayed.

  In step S16, it is determined whether a driver has been selected. If selected, the process proceeds to step S16, and if another item is selected, the process proceeds to step S18. If the numeric key “2” is pressed while the version information menu screen 33 is displayed, it is determined that the driver has been selected.

  In step S17, the version information of the driver of the multifunction device 1 currently installed in the PC is displayed on the display device 25.

  As shown in FIG. 4D, the version information display screen 34 displays a numerical value indicating the driver version.

  For example, as shown in the figure, “Driver version is 1.3” is displayed as a numerical value 1.3 indicating the version.

In step S18, a screen corresponding to the selected item is displayed on each screen.
If an incorrect key is pressed during the execution of the version information display process, it is possible to return to the standby state by pressing the stop key 22g. When the function key 22e is pressed again, the version information display process is re-executed. it can.

  In addition, a timer may be set at the start of displaying each menu screen, and when the key is not pressed for a predetermined time, the timer may be timed up to return to the standby state.

  When checking the driver version for maintenance work or the like, the driver version information can be easily checked simply by operating the peripheral device, and there is no need to start up and operate the PC. In particular, it is possible to reduce a burden on a user who is not accustomed to the operation of the PC.

  In the above description, the output of version information has been described as a screen display on the display device 25. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the printing device 12 and the handset 17 are used as output means to print and output version information, or from a speaker. You may output with an audio | voice.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a multifunction machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows a version information storage process. It is a flowchart which shows a version information display process. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen display in a version information display process.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Multifunctional device 11 Image reading device 12 Printing device 13 Image reading device interface part 14 Image storage device 15 Storage device 16 Cordless control circuit 17 Handset 18 Control device 19 Modem 20 Network control device 22 Operation key part 23 Dial key 24 Display device interface Unit 25 display device 26 antenna 27 PC connection unit

Claims (4)

In the peripheral device connected to the information processing terminal device so as to be able to transmit and receive data and controlled by the driver stored in the information processing terminal device,
Storage means for storing version information of the driver;
And an output unit that outputs the version information stored in the storage unit.   The peripheral device according to claim 1, further comprising an information acquisition unit configured to acquire the version information from the information processing terminal device.   The peripheral device according to claim 2, wherein the information acquisition unit acquires the version information when the driver is installed in the information processing terminal device.   The peripheral device according to claim 1, further comprising an instruction unit that instructs output of the version information.

Images