JP2010061314A - Handy terminal and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided are a handy terminal and an image forming apparatus capable of appropriately communicating in any situation where a user grips and uses the apparatus while being used in an image forming apparatus while suppressing shielding by an electromagnetic shield. To do.
Determining means for determining whether or not a handy terminal that communicates with an IC tag and writes information in the memory of the IC tag or reads information from the memory of the IC tag is connected to an image forming apparatus. 17, 18, a first antenna 80 that transmits a radio wave to the IC tag 150, and a second antenna 90 that transmits a radio wave having a polarization different from that of the first antenna 80. The first antenna 80 and the second antenna 90 are switched to communicate with the IC tag depending on whether or not connected to the IC tag.
[Selection] Figure 8

Description

  The present invention relates to a handy terminal and an image forming apparatus that communicate with an IC tag, and more particularly to a handy terminal that can be mounted on an image forming apparatus and an image forming apparatus on which the handy terminal is mounted.

IC tags have become smaller and can be attached to or embedded in printing paper. Therefore, an image tag reader / writer is mounted on the image forming apparatus in order to print a document desired by a user on a sheet and record bibliographic information such as print data, a file name, or a printer on an IC tag of the sheet. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which an IC tag reader / writer is attached to a cover of a printer main body with tape, and can be retrofitted to an image forming apparatus.
JP 2007-76065 A

  However, since the IC tag reader / writer described in Patent Document 1 is assumed to be used by being attached to an image forming apparatus, for example, when a user wants to read information from an IC tag by holding the IC tag reader, it is not always easy to use. Not good. Further, Patent Document 1 describes that a shield that blocks electromagnetic waves is used in order to avoid erroneous communication with an IC tag other than the IC tag to be communicated. However, if a large number of shields are used, the cost of the image forming apparatus increases. Bring.

  On the other hand, there is an IC tag reader / writer designed on the assumption that the user holds and works. This IC tag reader / writer is installed in an image forming apparatus for processing of paper with an IC tag. Is not suitable. For example, depending on the mounting position on the image forming apparatus, there is a problem that processing may not be possible if there is an IC tag outside the communication range for IC-tagged paper, and the IC tag may not be processed. When the reader / writer communication range is expanded, there is a problem that it may be necessary to incorporate a radio wave shield in the image forming apparatus for erroneous communication with an IC tag other than the target IC tag or to prevent erroneous communication. It was.

  As described above, the conventional IC tag reader / writer has a problem that it can be said to be easy to use only when it is held and used by a user or when it is mounted on an image forming apparatus.

  In view of the above-described problems, the present invention suppresses shielding by an electromagnetic shield, and enables a handy terminal capable of appropriately communicating in either a case where the user grips and uses it or a case where the user mounts and uses the image forming apparatus. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus.

  In view of the above problems, the present invention determines whether or not a handy terminal that communicates with an IC tag and writes information to or reads information from the IC tag memory is connected to the image forming apparatus. Means (for example, 2.4 GHz wireless communication circuit 17, USB I / F 18), a first antenna that transmits radio waves to the IC tag, and a second antenna that transmits radio waves having a polarization different from that of the first antenna And switching between the first antenna and the second antenna to communicate with the IC tag when connected to the image forming apparatus.

  By providing antennas with different polarizations and communicating with the IC tag with the antennas whose polarizations are optimized when mounted on the image forming apparatus, erroneous communication and communication failure can be prevented. In addition, when mounted on an image forming apparatus, it can communicate with an IC tag by an antenna optimized for handy use.

  It is possible to provide a handy terminal and an image forming apparatus capable of appropriately communicating in any situation in which the user is gripped and used and mounted in an image forming apparatus while being shielded by an electromagnetic shield. it can.

Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In this embodiment, an IC tag reader / writer (hereinafter referred to as a handy terminal 100) that can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus 200 is detached, and information is stored in the IC tag of a paper with an IC tag (RFID) (hereinafter simply referred to as paper). Write or read information from the IC tag.

  This handy terminal 100 is equipped with two different antennas, and when one is gripped and used by the user and when it is mounted and used on the image forming apparatus, one of the two antennas is enabled to offset the radio wave to be transmitted. Selectively switch waves. As a result, a state in which a single handy terminal 100 is used by the user holding the handy terminal 100 (hereinafter referred to as stand-alone use) and an aspect in which the handy terminal 100 is mounted on the image forming apparatus 200 and used are optimal. It makes it possible to communicate. Note that the two antennas are a linearly polarized antenna 90 and a circularly polarized antenna 80, which will be described later.

[Image forming apparatus 200]
FIG. 1 shows an example of a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus 200 in which the handy terminal 100 is mounted. When the handy terminal 100 is mounted, the image forming apparatus 200 becomes an RFID image forming apparatus (hereinafter, the image forming apparatus 100 and the RFID image forming apparatus are not distinguished from each other and are simply referred to as the image forming apparatus 200). The image forming apparatus 200 has a mounting port 40 on which the handy terminal 100 is mounted on the upper surface 200 a or the front surface 200 b, and the handy terminal 100 can be inserted from the mounting port 40. The mounting port 40 may be maintained in an open state, or a plate member that can be swung is energized to close the mounting port 40 so that the plate member is swung when the handy terminal 100 is mounted. May be opened.

  It is preferable that the mounting port 40 is made of, for example, a dielectric material whose bottom surface easily transmits radio waves, or has a hole. Thereby, it is possible to communicate with the IC tag 150 included in the paper being printed. As will be described later, the mounted handy terminal 100 is connected to the control unit 34 of the image forming apparatus 200 by wire or wirelessly and can be controlled from the control unit 34 of the image forming apparatus 200. In the figure, an example in which the image forming apparatus 200 is connected from the connector 100a of the handy terminal 100 by wire (cable) is shown. In this case, the wired connection interface on the image forming apparatus 200 side is preferably provided in the mounting opening 40.

  Since the image forming apparatus 200 itself operates with vibration due to the paper transport motor, the reciprocation of the ink head in the main scanning direction, etc. There is preferably a dedicated loading port 40 that is integrated with the device 200. When the handy terminal 100 is mounted on the exterior of the image forming apparatus 200 with tape, communication with the IC tag 150 is not possible until the discharge of the paper from the paper discharge outlet is started (unless the paper is visible from the outside). . However, in this embodiment, since the dedicated loading port 40 for the handy terminal 100 is provided, communication with the IC tag 150 is performed immediately after the sheet is separated from the transport belt without waiting for the sheet to be discharged from the sheet discharge port. Is possible. Accordingly, reading and writing of information to the paper can be started earlier when viewed in the entire printing process, and reading and writing of information can be completed when image formation is completed. Further, since the dedicated loading port 40 for the handy terminal 100 is provided, the relative position between the IC tag 150 on the paper and the handy terminal 100 can be specified. Note that the positional relationship between the paper and the handy terminal 100 when the handy terminal 100 is mounted on the image forming apparatus 200 will be described in detail later.

[Polarization when using standalone, polarization when mounting image forming device]
The handy terminal 100 of the present embodiment incorporates two antennas in addition to the control part that controls read / write. The radio waves used by the two antennas are, for example, UHF band radio waves, and include linearly polarized waves and circularly polarized waves. Both polarizations have different antenna shapes and characteristics. As the wavelength band of the radio wave used for the IC tag, the UHF band, 13.56 MHz, and 2.45 GHz are known. In this embodiment, it is assumed that communication is performed using the UHF band radio wave. However, the radio band of the handy terminal is not limited to the UHF band, 13.56 MHz, or 2.45 GHz.

  FIG. 2 is an example of a diagram schematically showing linearly polarized waves. As shown in the figure, when taking the coordinate system (X axis in the horizontal direction, Y axis in the vertical direction, Z axis in the traveling direction of radio waves), in the case of linearly polarized waves, the radio waves vibrate parallel to the Y axis. Go straight on.

  Some rectangular parallelepipeds shown in the Z-axis direction schematically show IC tags 150 embedded in paper. The amplitude of the radio wave and the size of the IC tag 150 are not necessarily matched. Assuming that the antenna is housed in substantially the entire area of the IC tag 150, this rectangular parallelepiped corresponds to the antenna surface of the IC tag 150.

  Therefore, in the A state and the B state in which the longitudinal direction of the IC tag 150 faces the same Y-axis direction as that of the linearly polarized wave, wireless communication can be satisfactorily performed and communication is easy even if the handy terminal 100 and the IC tag 150 are separated from each other. On the other hand, when the antenna surface of the IC tag 150 is orthogonal to the direction of linear polarization (states C and D), and when the longitudinal direction of the IC tag 150 is parallel to the Z axis (state E), the communication distance The drop in the power becomes noticeable and communication is impossible at the worst. Thus, when the polarization of the handy terminal 100 is a linear polarization, communication with the IC tag 150 is easily restricted.

  Next, circular polarization will be described with reference to FIG. The circularly polarized wave in FIG. 3 rotates in the XY plane around the Z axis (regardless of the rotation direction) and goes straight in the Z axis direction. Circular polarization includes polarization components in the X direction and the Y direction. Therefore, similarly to the linearly polarized wave of FIG. 2, in the states A and B in which the longitudinal direction of the IC tag 150 faces the Y-axis direction, and in the states C and D in which the longitudinal direction of the IC tag 150 faces the X-axis direction, Good communication. This is because the radio wave enters the XY axis plane at a different angle, so that there is an angle at which the radio wave is always orthogonal to the antenna plane.

  On the other hand, when the longitudinal direction of the IC tag 150 is parallel to the Z-axis (state E), when the antenna surface of the IC tag 150 cannot sufficiently secure the XY-axis surface, the communication distance is significantly reduced, and communication is performed in the worst case. It becomes impossible. As described above, when the polarization of the handy terminal 100 is a circular polarization, it is easy to ensure communication with the IC tag 150. Note that the circularly polarized wave travels straight while rotating, so the reach distance in the Z-axis direction is shorter and the communication distance is shorter than linearly polarized waves.

  Table 1 shows the characteristics of polarization.

〔ハンディ端末１００〕
直線偏波と円偏波のハンディ端末１００への適用について説明する。図４は、ハンディ端末１００の外観の一例を示す。ユーザが把持して使用することを考慮すると、ハンディ端末１００は片手で携帯できる形状かつ重さであることが好ましい。図４では、ハンディ端末１００として携帯電話型を想定している。すなわち、ハンディ端末１００は、携帯電話、ＰＨＳ（Personal Handyphone System）、ＰＤＡ（Personal Digital Assistant）等にＩＣタグリーダ・ライタを内蔵したものとして実現できる。

[Handy terminal 100]
An application of the linearly polarized wave and the circularly polarized wave to the handy terminal 100 will be described. FIG. 4 shows an example of the appearance of the handy terminal 100. Considering that the user grips and uses it, it is preferable that the handy terminal 100 has a shape and weight that can be carried with one hand. In FIG. 4, a mobile phone type is assumed as the handy terminal 100. That is, the handy terminal 100 can be realized as a mobile phone, a PHS (Personal Handyphone System), a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), or the like having an IC tag reader / writer built therein.

  In the case of a cellular phone type shape, the user grasps the periphery of a numeric keypad, a cross key, other function keys, a neuro pointer, a jog dial, a cursor key, etc. (hereinafter simply referred to as the operation input unit 13), and looks at the liquid crystal display unit 14. However, there may be cases where predetermined work is performed. In the case of such a stand-alone usage mode, there is a situation where the operation input unit 13 is shielded by the user's hand.

  In order to maximize the performance of the antenna, the most rational structure is to arrange the antenna unit at the same position as the liquid crystal display unit 14 that is not likely to be blocked by the user's hand. Note that even if the liquid crystal display unit 14 is equipped with a touch panel, the user can hold the antenna on the lower side of the handy terminal 100, so that the antenna can be arranged similarly. In FIG. 4, the antenna is disposed inside the outermost case on the back surface of the liquid crystal display unit 14.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, two types of polarized waves are used properly, but since the shape and characteristics of the antenna differ depending on the polarization type, it is necessary to design how to mount the two antennas.

  Here, considering that the handy terminal 100 is read and written by the user gripping the IC tag 150 such as paper close to the handheld terminal, the length of the communication distance is not a problem in practice (the communication distance may be short). ). On the other hand, with regard to the communication angle, it is not expected that the user sets an optimal communication angle for the handy terminal 100 with respect to the IC tag 150 in consideration of antenna characteristics. From the above, it can be said that it is most suitable to mount the circularly polarized antenna 80 having a wide communication angle even if the communication distance is short in the handy terminal 100 in the stand-alone use.

  As described above, the handy terminal 100 is used by being connected to the image forming apparatus 200. This is because the handy terminal 100 is used as a conversion unit for the image forming apparatus 200 to read / write information to / from the IC tag 150 wirelessly. Since the IC tag 150 embedded in the paper is mainly a passive type without a battery, the handy terminal 100 can read and write information wirelessly with respect to the passive UHF band IC tag (RFID). . As the printing process of the image forming apparatus 200, it is the role of the control unit 34 of the image forming apparatus 200 that instructs the IC tag 150 what information is to be read / written.

  The handy terminal 100 and the image forming apparatus 200 are connected via, for example, USB (Universal Serial Bus) I / Fs 18 and 32. The USB I / Fs 18 and 32 are interfaces that are generally used as inter-unit connection I / Fs inside the image forming apparatus, and are therefore suitable for expanding the handy terminal 100. In addition, many mobile phones and the like are equipped with the USB I / F 18.

  In addition, the handy terminal 100 according to the present embodiment uses UHF band 952-955 MHz radio waves for reading / writing of the IC tag 150 ("UHF band 300 MHz to 3 GHz" in general electromagnetic wave classification). Is different.) On the other hand, 2.4GHz used for personal computer communication is a free frequency band. For this reason, when it is necessary to make the connection between the control unit 34 of the image forming apparatus 200 and the handy terminal 100 wireless, the connection can be made by using a 2.4 Ghz band wireless module (for example, a Bluetooth communication module). In general, it is possible to reduce the operation load of both the control unit 34 and the handy terminal 100 by using the wired interface rather than controlling the handy terminal 100 using the wireless interface.

[Functional Block of Handy Terminal 100]
FIG. 5 shows examples of functional block diagrams of the handy terminal 100, the image forming apparatus 200, and the IC tag 150, respectively. FIG. 5 (a) shows a connection system diagram between the three parties, and FIG. 5 (b) shows a connection system diagram of each functional block.

・ Handy terminal 100
The modulation circuit 11 is a circuit that transmits a signal by modulating a radio wave in the UHF band with a signal to be transmitted, and generates power in the passive IC tag 150 by a carrier wave at the time of transmission.

  The demodulation circuit 12 is a circuit that demodulates the radio wave transmitted by the IC tag 150 and extracts a signal.

  The reader / writer control unit 15 is a control circuit that controls the modulation circuit 11 and the demodulation circuit 12 to read / write with the IC tag 150 in response to a request from the terminal control unit 16.

  The terminal control unit 16 is a control unit that performs integrated control of each functional block in the handy terminal (mobile phone) 100, and includes a microprocessor, a storage element, and the like. When there is a request for reading / writing information to the IC tag 150 from the image forming apparatus 200 to the handy terminal 100, the reader / writer control unit 15 is requested to read / write. In addition, the terminal control unit 16 displays information described below on the liquid crystal display unit 14.

  The operation input unit 13 is a numeric keypad or a function key of the handy terminal 100. In addition, an operation can be input by voice input or a three-dimensional acceleration sensor.

  The liquid crystal display unit 14 is a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL panel. In addition to displaying a telephone number and the like, in this embodiment, the contents of processing performed by the handy terminal 100 (for example, “XX information is written”). ”“ Reading XX information ”) and results (for example,“ Writing XX information ”“ Failed to write / read ”) are used.

  The 2.4 GHz radio communication circuit 17 is a control radio interface for connecting the handy terminal 100 and the image forming apparatus 200 and receiving a control signal from the image forming apparatus 200.

  The USB I / F 18 is a control wired interface for connecting the handy terminal 100 and the image forming apparatus 200 and receiving a control signal from the image forming apparatus 200.

  The rechargeable battery 19 is a rechargeable power source for operating the handy terminal 100.

・ IC tag 150
The rectifier circuit / power supply circuit 26 is a circuit that converts the carrier wave transmitted from the handy terminal 100 into power used by the IC tag 150 and activates the IC tag 150.

  The demodulation circuit 21 is a circuit that demodulates a radio wave transmitted from the handy terminal 100 and receives a signal carried on a carrier wave.

  The OSC (crystal oscillator) 22 is a circuit that generates an operation clock necessary for the internal operation of the IC tag 150 from the radio wave received by the demodulation circuit 21.

  The protocol control circuit 24 has a CPU, and is a control circuit that decodes a protocol (command) of a signal received by the demodulation circuit 21 and executes necessary read / write to the nonvolatile memory 25. The nonvolatile memory 25 is a storage element for storing identification information of the IC tag 150 and information written by the handy terminal 100.

  The modulation circuit 23 is a circuit that modulates a response to a command requested from the handy terminal 100, for example, information read from the nonvolatile memory 25, into a radio wave and transmits it to the handy terminal 100 as a reflected wave.

Image forming apparatus 200
The 2.4 GHz radio communication circuit 31 is a control radio interface when the handy terminal 100 and the image forming apparatus 200 are connected and a control signal is transmitted from the image forming apparatus 200. For example, the Bluetooth communication standard can be used, but any wireless communication standard such as UWB (Ultra Wideband) may be used.

  The USB I / F 32 is a wired interface for control when the handy terminal 100 and the image forming apparatus 200 are connected and a control signal is transmitted from the image forming apparatus 200.

  The terminal power supply I / F 33 is an interface that supplies power necessary for operation of the handy terminal 100 and charging of the rechargeable battery 19.

  The control unit 34 is a control unit that controls the overall operation of the image forming apparatus 200, and is implemented as, for example, a CPU and an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). In FIG. 5, the overall control of reading / writing information to / from the IC tag 150 from the handy terminal 100 via the 2.4 GHz radio communication circuit 31 and the USB I / F 32 is integrated.

[Polarization switching control procedure]
A procedure for enabling the handy terminal 100 to selectively enable either the circularly polarized antenna 80 or the linearly polarized antenna 90 using the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, it is necessary that the power switch is turned on or the power switch is turned on (S10).

  When the power is turned on, the terminal control unit 16 confirms the USB plug-in (S20). The USB plug-in means that a device is connected to the USB I / F 18. In this embodiment, the handy terminal 100 is mounted on the image forming apparatus 200 (wired connection) and used.

  When the USB plug-in is confirmed (Yes in S30), there is no need to use the 2.4GHz wireless communication circuit 17, so the terminal control unit 16 temporarily disables the 2.4GHz wireless communication circuit 17 ( S40).

  This temporary invalidity is different from the on / off setting of the 2.4 GHz wireless communication circuit 17 itself. Temporary disabling of the function is higher-order control than the on / off setting of the 2.4 GHz wireless communication circuit 17. If the USB plug-in is generated even if the 2.4 GHz wireless communication circuit 17 is on, Since it can be determined that all requests from the image forming apparatus 200 are received via the USB I / F 18, the 2.4 GHz wireless communication circuit 17 is temporarily disabled and the operation is stopped. However, when the USB plug-in is eliminated, the processing based on the on / off setting of the 2.4 GHz wireless communication circuit 17 is automatically resumed.

  Since the linearly polarized antenna 90 is used when mounted on the image forming apparatus 200, the linearly polarized antenna 90 is enabled and the circularly polarized antenna 80 is disabled (S50). Thereby, the basic setting as the handy terminal 100 is completed. Assuming that the handy terminal 100 is mounted in a wired manner, the image forming apparatus 200 transmits, for example, information from the USB I / F 32 and requests writing of the information (S60).

  Returning to step S30, if the USB plug-in is not confirmed (No in S30), the terminal control unit 16 confirms whether the 2.4 GHz wireless communication circuit 17 is on or off (S70).

  When the 2.4 GHz wireless communication circuit 17 is set to ON (Yes in S80), it is determined that the user intends to use the handy terminal 100 mounted on the image forming apparatus 200, and the terminal control unit 16 The polarization antenna 80 is disabled and the linear polarization antenna 90 is enabled (S90). Thereby, the basic setting as the handy terminal 100 is completed. The image forming apparatus 200 transmits, for example, information from the 2.4 GHz wireless communication circuit 31 and requests writing of the information, assuming that the handy terminal 100 is mounted in the wireless interface mode (S100).

  When the 2.4 GHz wireless communication circuit 17 is not set to ON (No in S80), it is determined that the user uses the handy terminal 100 manually, and the terminal control unit 16 enables the circularly polarized antenna 80. The linearly polarized antenna 90 is disabled (S110). The image forming apparatus 200 operates as if the user uses the handy terminal 100 manually (S120).

  As described above, the handy terminal 100 according to the present embodiment detects the user's usage mode and switches the polarization, thereby performing optimum communication for each of the standalone use and the case where the image forming apparatus 200 is mounted. realizable.

[Relationship between paper and handy terminal 100]
Next, the relationship between the paper and the handy terminal 100 when the handy terminal 100 is mounted on the image forming apparatus 200 will be described.

  FIG. 7 schematically shows the relationship between the handheld terminal 100 and the paper before the paper discharge is started, and FIG. 8 schematically shows the relationship between the handheld terminal 100 and the paper after the paper discharge is started. It is an example. 7 and 8, the left figure is a side view of the ink jet printer, and the right figure is a top view.

  Hereinafter, an inkjet printer will be described as an embodiment of the image forming apparatus 200 to which the present invention is applied. Since the configuration of the ink jet printer is known, it will be briefly described. A plurality of sheets to be printed are stacked and placed on the sheet feed tray 41, and a sheet discharge tray 39 for discharging sheets on which images are formed is formed above the sheet feed tray 41. The tray 41 can be detached from the main body. The paper in the paper feed tray 41 is taken out one by one by the transport roller 37 and transported on the transport belt 38 from the back side to the front side.

  The image forming apparatus 200 is covered with a case from the front surface 200b to the upper surface 200a and the rear surface, and the upper surface 200a of the case can be opened and closed. Further, the mounting opening 40 is provided on the upper surface 200a of the case. A paper feed tray 41 is disposed vertically below the front surface 200b of the case. The handy terminal 100 inserted from the loading port 40 is located at the approximate center of the paper feed tray 41 in the paper transport direction.

  When viewed from above, an ink cartridge 46 is provided in front of the right side of the image forming apparatus 200, and the supply unit 44 supplies ink from the ink cartridge 46 to the inkjet printer head 36.

  The ink jet printer head 36 is held by a driving unit so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the paper transport direction (main scanning direction). The ink jet printer head 36 has ink chambers for C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), and K (black) colors, and is provided with ejection openings that eject ink liquid toward the paper surface.

  The conveyance roller 37 conveys the sheet to a position facing the inkjet printer head 36 by a conveyance belt 38 stretched by a tension roller. Note that the illustrated image forming apparatus 200 includes a duplex unit 35 and can print on both sides of a sheet by inverting the sheet.

  When the paper transported to the transport belt 38 reaches a position facing the ink jet printer head 36, the transport belt 38 is stopped to stop the movement of the paper. Then, while the inkjet printer head 36 reciprocates in the main scanning direction, the ink liquid is ejected according to the print data, and an image for one line is recorded on the paper. When the recording for one line in the main scanning direction is completed, the conveyor belt 38 is driven for a predetermined time, the sheet is moved by one line and stopped, and an image for one line is recorded on the sheet. When this process is repeated and a desired image is printed on the paper, the paper is discharged to the paper discharge tray 39.

  Communication between the handy terminal 100 and the IC tag 150 in the printing procedure as described above will be described. As shown in the side view of the image forming apparatus 200 in FIG. 8, the sheet rides on the transport belt 38 and passes directly under the handy terminal 100. The IC tag 150 is affixed or embedded in the paper, and reading / writing to the IC tag 150 is executed as it passes under the handy terminal 100. As will be described later, the IC tag 150 is preferably disposed at one of the two ends of the sheet in the transport direction. It may be arranged anywhere in the main scanning direction. This is because the linearly polarized wave of the handy terminal 100 has a sufficient length with respect to the main scanning direction of the paper.

  Since the leading edge of the sheet separated from the conveyance belt 38 is supported by the conveyance belt 38, it is moved from the conveyance path to the paper discharge tray 39 in a form substantially parallel to the handy terminal 100. For this reason, there is no need to consider the inclination of the IC tag 150, that is, there is no need to use circular polarization with a wide communication angle, and communication with the IC tag 150 is sufficiently established with linear polarization. .

  When the IC tag 150 communicates with the antenna, if there is a radio wave shield between the IC tag 150 and the antenna, it is naturally impossible to communicate. Even if there is a radio wave shield (for example, metal) immediately after the IC tag 150, a communication failure occurs. This is an example of a communication failure particularly remarkable in the passive IC tag 150. The passive IC tag 150 is supplied with power for communication from the handy terminal 100 in the form of a carrier wave. However, the IC tag 150 cannot normally receive the carrier wave due to the presence of metal in the surroundings. A state occurs in which the power necessary for operation cannot be obtained. Since power cannot be obtained, the resulting communication failure occurs.

  Here, in order to reduce communication failure, it is conceivable to employ a configuration in which a radio wave shielding object is disposed on the extension line of the polarization antenna and the IC tag 150 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-253288). If the IC tag 150 is not arranged with a necessary and sufficient distance, the IC tag 150 that should be able to communicate with the IC tag 150 may be in a communication failure due to insufficient power. Originally, if radio waves reach far away from the space where communication is to be performed and there is a concern about malfunction, it is preferable to reduce the radio wave output and narrow the communicable range as control using the handy terminal 100. is there.

  In the configuration of FIG. 8, immediately after the paper is separated from the conveyance belt 38, the paper is in a suspended state, and before the radio wave shield before and after the IC tag 150 as viewed from the antenna of the handy terminal 100. There is no situation. Therefore, communication failure can be reduced or prevented without arranging a radio wave shield.

  The material used to configure the image forming apparatus 200 using the conveyance belt 38 as a printing paper conveyance mechanism is different. However, the communication method of the present embodiment that communicates with the IC tag 150 in a space where the paper floats in the air when separating the paper from the transport belt 38 and feeding it to the paper discharge tray 39 is the RFID image formation using the handy terminal 100. This is a preferred configuration of the apparatus. That is, it is possible to communicate well without disposing a radio wave shield and without considering the material of the image forming apparatus 200.

  In order to avoid the limitation using the radio wave shield as much as possible, the output of the radio wave having the strength necessary for operating the IC tag 150 from the handy terminal 100 is discharged from the paper surface separated from the transport tray. The output adjustment is performed so that the boundary line of the radio wave intensity comes between the surfaces of the paper tray 39. The handy terminal 100 determines the communication state while changing the output adjustment, and determines an output with good communication. Therefore, even if the image forming apparatuses 200 are different, communication can be performed using the same handy terminal 100. Note that the user may operate the handy terminal 100 to adjust the output from several stages (for example, 1 to 5 stages).

[About the arrangement of two antennas]
Next, the arrangement of the two antennas will be described. FIG. 9 is an example of a diagram schematically illustrating the structure of an antenna that can transmit by selecting either circularly polarized wave or linearly polarized wave. 9A is a top view of the handy terminal 100, the left figure in FIG. 9B is the circularly polarized antenna 80 in the top view of the handy terminal 100, and the right figure in FIG. The top view of the linearly polarized antenna 90, the left figure in FIG. 9C shows the circularly polarized antenna 80 in the side view of the handy terminal 100, and the right figure in FIG. 9C shows the straight line in the side view of the handy terminal 100. The left side of FIG. 9D shows the polarization antenna 90, the circular polarization antenna 80 and the linear polarization antenna 90 in the top view of the handy terminal 100, and the right side of FIG. 9D shows the side view of the handy terminal 100. A circularly polarized antenna 80 and a linearly polarized antenna 90 are respectively shown.

  As described above, the circularly polarized antenna 80 or the linearly polarized antenna 90 is preferably disposed on the back surface of the handy terminal 100. As shown in the left diagram of FIG. 9B, the circularly polarized antenna 80 is disposed in a shape (back surface of the liquid crystal) that is biased to one side with respect to the outer shape of the handy terminal 100. As shown in the left diagram of FIG. 9B, when the circularly polarized antenna 80 is viewed from above, the circularly polarized wave is transmitted radially, and covers a part of the handy terminal 100 (the side on which it is biased).

  9C, when the circularly polarized antenna 80 is viewed from the side, a rotating radio wave is transmitted around the center of the circularly polarized antenna 80 in the top view.

  Further, as shown in the right diagram of FIG. 9B, the straight-wave antenna is arranged so as to cover the entire outline of the handy terminal 100 in a top view. For this reason, the linearly polarized wave transmitted from the linearly polarized antenna 90 travels radially from the whole and covers the entire periphery of the handy terminal 100. 9C, when the linearly polarized antenna 90 is viewed from the side, the linearly polarized wave is amplified in the longitudinal direction of the linearly polarized antenna 90 while being amplified in the longitudinal direction of the handy terminal 100. Progress vertically.

  When the user uses the handy terminal 100 in a stand-alone manner, the two antennas shown in FIGS. 9B and 9C are connected to the handy terminal in order to perform communication by circular polarization when the image forming apparatus is mounted. 100. The handy terminal 100 is of the form shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 9D, a circularly polarized antenna 80 is disposed on the back surface of the liquid crystal display unit 14 so that the position is biased, and a linearly polarized antenna 90 is disposed on substantially the entire surface. The linearly polarized antenna 90 is superposed. In the figure, the circularly polarized antenna 80 is disposed inside the linearly polarized antenna 90, but the circularly polarized antenna 80 may be disposed outside the linearly polarized antenna 90. Further, the linearly polarized antenna 90 may be shortened so that the circularly polarized antenna 80 and the linearly polarized antenna 90 do not overlap.

[Simultaneous processing of printing and communication]
As described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 6, the polarization of the radio wave is optimized according to the usage mode of the handy terminal 100 by switching the antenna to be enabled at the time of use. Hereinafter, in the handy terminal 100 including the circularly polarized antenna 80 and the linearly polarized antenna 90 shown in FIG. 9D, the relationship between the paper and the radio wave when the printing on the paper and the read / write processing are executed in parallel will be described. To do.

  FIG. 10 is an example of a diagram schematically illustrating the communication range of the circularly polarized antenna 80 and the linearly polarized antenna 90. FIG. 10A is a top view of the handy terminal 100 and the paper when the paper discharge is started and the end of the paper reaches the handy terminal 100. The IC tag 150 indicated by a lane schematically indicates a range where communication is possible. In FIG. 10A, the IC tag 150 is present at the end in the longitudinal direction (conveying direction) of the paper and at the end in the short direction (main scanning direction) (hereinafter simply referred to as the left end).

  The left diagram of FIG. 10B shows the case where radio waves are transmitted from the circularly polarized antenna 80, and the right diagram of FIG. 10B shows the case where radio waves are transmitted from the linearly polarized antenna. As shown in the left diagram of FIG. 10B, when radio waves are transmitted from the circularly polarized antenna 80, the communication range does not cover all of the paper, but the circularly polarized antenna 80 is positioned at the position of the IC tag 150. Since it is biased, it is possible to communicate with the circularly polarized antenna 80 in the left diagram of FIG.

  On the other hand, when the IC tag 150 is present at the left end of the sheet as shown in FIG. 10C, the circularly polarized wave can cover the position of the IC tag 150 as shown in the left figure of FIG. Therefore, communication is impossible due to the circularly polarized antenna 80. Therefore, when circularly polarized waves are transmitted by the circularly polarized antenna 80, communication with the IC tag 150 passing directly under the handy terminal 100 is not necessarily covered 100%.

  On the other hand, as shown in the right diagram of FIG. 10B, when radio waves are transmitted from the linearly polarized antenna, the communication range covers all of the paper. Therefore, even if the IC tag 150 is present on the left side of the sheet as shown in FIG. 10A and the IC tag 150 is present on the right side of the sheet as shown in FIG. Regardless of the position of the IC tag 150 on the paper, reading and writing are possible. That is, the handy terminal 100 in which the entire surface of the handy terminal 100 is covered with the linearly polarized antenna 90 can cover 100% of communication with the IC tag 150 that passes directly under the handy terminal 100.

  It can be considered that such a disadvantage of the circularly polarized antenna is eliminated by increasing the output of the circularly polarized antenna.

  FIG. 11 is an example of a diagram schematically showing means for increasing the communication area in the handy terminal 100 having the circularly polarized antenna 80. FIG. 11A shows a case where the number of circularly polarized antennas 80 mounted on the handy terminal 100 is increased, and FIG. 11B shows a case where the output of the circularly polarized antenna 80 is increased.

  As shown in FIG. 11A, when a circularly polarized antenna 80 is added to the handy terminal 100 (three circularly polarized antennas 80 are mounted), the circularly polarized antenna 80 is selectively enabled and either It is conceivable that radio waves are transmitted from one or more circularly polarized antennas 80. However, in many cases, there is no way to know beforehand under which antenna the IC tag 150 passes (where the IC tag 150 exists on the paper). Needs to be output and controlled. In general, when the number of antennas increases, the control becomes complicated by the additional number, and the power consumption increases. Therefore, as one feature of the present embodiment, when one circular polarization antenna 80 is mounted and the handy terminal 100 is mounted on the image forming apparatus 200, the IC tag 150 is formed by one linear polarization antenna 90. It can be said that it is a rational structure to execute the read / write.

  As shown in FIG. 11B, when the output of one circularly polarized antenna 80 is increased and the entire width of the paper is covered by the communication range, the circularly polarized antenna is used regardless of the position of the IC tag 150 on the paper. Communication is possible even if the IC tag 150 does not pass under 80. If the communication range is expanded, it is possible to communicate with the IC tag 150 that was certainly impossible to communicate. However, when the communication range is expanded, the IC tag 150 that is not originally a communication target can also communicate, so communication failures due to erroneous detection increase.

  This is not a communication failure in the sense that communication is not possible, but reading / writing with the IC tag 150 that should not communicate should also be treated as a communication failure, so it is optimal to simply increase the output of the circularly polarized antenna 80. It's not a configuration. In addition, if the output of the antenna is increased, the power consumption will increase accordingly. Therefore, as one feature of the present embodiment, when one circular polarization antenna 80 is mounted and the handy terminal 100 is mounted on the image forming apparatus 200, the IC tag 150 is formed by one linear polarization antenna 90. It can be said that it is a rational structure to execute the read / write.

[After printing]
Next, communication between the IC tag 150 of the paper discharged to the paper discharge tray 39 after the printing is completed and the handy terminal 100 will be described.
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the handy terminal 100 mounted at a position where communication is not possible with both the IC tag 150 for paper after paper discharge and the IC tag 150 for paper before paper supply. In FIG. 12, the same parts as those in FIG. In FIG. 12, an IC tag 150 is disposed at the left end of the paper.

  The paper in the paper feed tray 41 is fed by the transport roller 37 with the leading edge changed from the back side to the front side of the image forming apparatus 200. Therefore, as shown in the top view of FIG. 12, the IC tag 150 of the paper in the paper feed tray 41 is located on the back side of the image forming apparatus 200 with respect to the linearly polarized antenna 90 (shown by a dotted line in the top view). . On the other hand, the IC tag 150 of the discharged paper is positioned on the foremost side of the image forming apparatus 200, similarly to the leading edge of the paper. The paper IC tag 150 is reversed from the paper feed tray 41 after paper ejection.

  As described above, since the handy terminal 100 mounted on the image forming apparatus 200 enables the linearly polarized antenna 90, the area where communication with the IC tag 150 is possible is around the handy terminal and directly under the handy terminal. When the arrangement position of the IC tag 150 on the paper is the leading end in the paper discharge direction, the IC tag 150 on the paper in the paper feed tray 41 before paper feeding is horizontal and at a distance equal to or higher than the height of the transport belt 38. That is, the distance between the end of the paper feed tray 41 on the back side and the handy terminal 100 in the direction is away from the handy terminal 100.

  Therefore, considering the reach of the radio wave of the linearly polarized antenna 90, the handy terminal 100 mounted on the image forming apparatus 200 cannot communicate with the paper IC tag 150 on the paper feed tray 41. By separating the relative positional relationship between the handy terminal 100 and the paper feed tray 41 as shown in the figure, erroneous communication with the IC tag 150 of the paper in the paper feed tray 41 can be prevented appropriately.

  In addition, the leading end of the sheet after printing is located at a position away from the communication area of the handy terminal 100 by the sheet length. Therefore, it can be said that the handy terminal 100 mounted on the image forming apparatus 200 cannot communicate with the paper IC tag 150 in the paper discharge tray 39 and can prevent erroneous communication.

  As described above, the handy terminal 100 according to the present embodiment can read and write to the IC tag 150 only during printing. Note that when the end of the paper with the IC tag 150 is placed on the front side of the paper feed tray 41, communication can be prevented when the paper is placed on the paper feed tray 41. There is a risk of erroneous communication with the IC tag 150. For this reason, when the paper is fed to the paper feed tray 41, the position of the IC tag 150 of the paper can be grasped with the naked eye so that the IC tag 150 is placed on the back side.

[Operation of Handy Terminal 100 and Image Forming Apparatus 200]
An operation of the handy terminal 100 and the image forming apparatus 200 when the handy terminal 100 is mounted on the image forming apparatus 200 will be described.
13A is a top view of the image forming apparatus 200 on which the handy terminal 100 is mounted, and FIG. 13B is a partially enlarged view. When using the operation input unit 13 of the handy terminal 100, as shown in the figure, the mounting port 40 provided on the upper surface 200 a of the case of the image forming apparatus 200 so that the user can operate the operation input unit 13 of the handy terminal 100. In addition, it is preferable to mount the operation input unit 13 vertically upward. As described above, the liquid crystal display unit 47 and the operation key 45 of the image forming apparatus 200 are arranged vertically upward at the right corner on the front side, assuming right-handedness as described above.

  The operation keys 45 of the illustrated image forming apparatus 200 are general ones, and a cross key, a function key, a power key, a forced paper discharge key, and a cancel key are arranged. Each of these keys is an example, and some keys can be substituted for other keys. Further, the image forming apparatus 200 includes a warning lamp that warns of out of paper, paper jam, out of ink, communication failure, and the like.

  Further, when a mobile phone is assumed as the handy terminal 100, a cross key, a function key, and a numeric keypad are arranged in the operation input unit 13 of the handy terminal 100 together with the liquid crystal display unit 14. Since the handy terminal 100 is controlled from the image forming apparatus 200 side when mounted on the image forming apparatus, the liquid crystal display unit, the cross key, the function key, and the numeric keypad are unnecessary.

  Therefore, some of the operation keys 45 (cross key and function key) of the image forming apparatus 200 and the liquid crystal display unit have the same functions as the operation input unit 13 of the handy terminal 100. For this reason, display and operation functions may be integrated into the handy terminal 100 or the image forming apparatus 200, and an operation necessary for reading / writing the IC tag 150 may be input from either one. Considering that the number of operation keys 45 of the image forming apparatus 200 may vary depending on the model or the number thereof may be small, it is preferable to integrate display and operation functions on the handy terminal 100.

  FIG. 13C shows the operation input unit 13 of the handy terminal 100 and the operation keys 45 of the image forming apparatus 200 when overlapping functions are collected in the handy terminal 100. Considering the user's standing position, it is preferable to place the handy terminal 100 sideways. When the handy terminal 100 is turned sideways, the liquid crystal display is in horizontal notation, and the cross key is left unchanged, and the notation of the numeric keypad that requires horizontal notation is changed. The numeric keypad is obtained by rotating a 4 × 3 array vertically and horizontally by 90 degrees. Such a change can be easily performed when the entire surface of the handy terminal 100 is the liquid crystal display unit (touch panel) 14, and if the handy terminal 100 is a dedicated machine, the direction of the key is changed and designed.

  As a result, the operation key 45 of the image forming apparatus 200 is provided with a power key, a forced paper discharge key, a cancel key, and a warning lamp that do not become duplicate buttons. The reason why only the four buttons are left in the image forming apparatus 200 is to maintain the function as the image forming apparatus 200 even when the user uses the handy terminal 100 in a stand-alone manner.

The function of the four buttons will be described below.
Power key: A key for turning on / off the power of the image forming apparatus 200. Even if the handy terminal 100 is not installed, power control is a necessary function.
Forced paper discharge key: A key for forcibly discharging paper jammed in the image forming apparatus 200. Even if the handy terminal 100 is not installed, this function is necessary as a trouble recovery function.
Cancel key: A key for forcibly canceling the processing being executed by the image forming apparatus 200.
Warning lamp: A lamp that notifies the user that an abnormality has occurred in the image forming apparatus 200. If the lamp flashes when the handy terminal 100 is not mounted, the handy terminal 100 is mounted, so that an error display is performed on the liquid crystal display 14 on the handy terminal 100 side, and an operation for eliminating the abnormality is possible. It becomes.

  In the present embodiment, when the image forming apparatus 200 writes information to the IC tag, it is beneficial to notify the handy terminal 100 of the warning content in a situation where the handy terminal 100 is not connected to the image forming apparatus 200. Accordingly, when the handy terminal 100 is not connected to the image forming apparatus 200, the image forming apparatus 200 turns on the warning lamp and causes the handy terminal 100 to display a message to prompt the connection.

  For other warnings, a message prompting connection can be displayed on the handy terminal 100 so that the content of the warning can be notified to the user.

  Based on the above configuration, a procedure for displaying information on the handy terminal 100 when an error requiring a warning lamp occurs in the image forming apparatus 200 will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG.

  When an error occurs first (S110), the control unit 34 of the image forming apparatus 200 turns on a warning lamp (S120).

  When the operation unit of the image forming apparatus 200 is a simple version and the handy terminal 100 is detached from the image forming apparatus 200, detailed warning contents cannot be notified to the user. In such a case, first, it is necessary to prompt the user to mount the handy terminal 100 on the image forming apparatus 200, and the handy terminal 100 is transferred from the image forming apparatus 200 using the 2.4 GHz wireless communication circuit 31 of the image forming apparatus 200. Is notified that a warning has occurred (S130).

  When the handy terminal 100 receives a notification that a warning has occurred, the handy terminal 100 determines whether the terminal itself is being used by the user in a stand-alone manner (S140).

  When in use (Yes in S140), the terminal control unit 16 performs a small display on the liquid crystal display unit 14 "please install it in the image forming apparatus" so as not to interfere with the work being performed by the user ( S150). FIG. 15A shows an example of a message displayed on the handy terminal 100 during stand-alone use. As shown in the figure, the message is displayed on about half of the liquid crystal display unit 14.

  When the handy terminal 100 is not used (No in S140), the terminal control unit 16 displays “please install in the image forming apparatus” on the full screen display (S160). FIG. 15B shows an example of a message displayed on the handy terminal 100 when the handy terminal 100 is unused. As shown in the figure, the message is displayed prominently on the entire screen of the liquid crystal display unit 14.

  The user who sees the display mounts the handy terminal 100 in the predetermined mounting port 40 of the image forming apparatus 200 (S170). Thereby, the handy terminal 100 and the image forming apparatus 200 communicate with each other by the 2.4 GHz radio communication circuit 31 or the USB I / F 32, and the handy terminal 100 starts a function as an operation unit of the image forming apparatus 200 (S180).

  Therefore, by applying the handy terminal 100 to the operation unit of the image forming apparatus 200 as described above, even when the handy terminal 100 is used stand-alone, the range of utilization of the handy terminal 100 can be expanded. The user can be notified of the warning contents accurately.

  As described above, according to the handy terminal 100 of the present embodiment, printing can be performed by switching between the linearly polarized antenna 90 and the circularly polarized antenna 80 when using the stand-alone device and when mounted on the image forming apparatus 200. Sometimes it is possible to communicate only with the IC tag 150 of the desired paper, and when using the stand-alone, the communication angle can be relatively widened, and it is possible to easily communicate with the desired IC tag 150.

  In addition, when the handy terminal 100 is mounted on the image forming apparatus 200, the user interface of the handy terminal 100 can be utilized to improve the usability of the image forming apparatus 200.

1 is an example of a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus equipped with a handy terminal. It is an example of the figure which shows a linearly polarized wave typically. It is an example of the figure which shows a circularly polarized wave typically. It is a figure which shows an example of the external appearance of a handy terminal. It is a figure which respectively shows an example of the functional block diagram of a handy terminal, an image forming apparatus, and an IC tag. It is an example of the flowchart figure which shows the procedure in which a handy terminal selectively validates either a circularly polarized wave antenna or a linearly polarized wave antenna. FIG. 4 is an example of a diagram schematically illustrating a relationship between a sheet and a handy terminal before the sheet discharge is started. FIG. 5 is an example of a diagram schematically illustrating a relationship between a sheet and a handy terminal after sheet discharge is started. It is an example of the figure which illustrates typically the structure of the antenna which can select and transmit either circularly polarized wave or linearly polarized wave. It is an example of the figure which illustrates typically the communication range of a circularly polarized wave antenna and a linearly polarized wave antenna. It is an example of the figure which shows typically the means for increasing a communication area | region in the handy terminal which has a circularly polarized antenna. FIG. 5 is an example of a diagram showing a handy terminal mounted at a position where communication is not possible with both the IC tag of paper after completion of paper discharge and the IC tag of paper before paper supply. FIG. 2 is an example of a top view and a partial enlarged view of an image forming apparatus equipped with a handy terminal. FIG. 10 is an example of a flowchart illustrating a procedure for displaying information on a handy terminal when an error requiring a warning lamp occurs in the image forming apparatus. It is a figure which shows an example of the message displayed on a handy terminal at the time of using in the stand-alone or not using it.

Explanation of symbols

13 Operation Input Unit 14 Liquid Crystal Display Unit 15 Reader / Writer Control Unit 16 Terminal Control Unit 17, 31 2.4 GHz Wireless Communication Circuit 18, 32 USB I / F
34 Control unit 40 Mounting port 80 Circularly polarized antenna 90 Linearly polarized antenna 100 Handy terminal 150 IC tag 200 Image forming apparatus (inkjet printer)

Claims (9)

In a handy terminal that communicates with an IC tag and writes information to the IC tag memory or reads information from the IC tag memory,
Determination means for determining whether or not the image forming apparatus is connected;
A first antenna that transmits radio waves to the IC tag, and a second antenna that transmits radio waves having a different polarization from the first antenna;
Communicating with the IC tag by switching between the first antenna and the second antenna depending on whether the image forming apparatus is connected or not connected.
Handy terminal characterized by that. If the first antenna transmits circularly polarized waves and the second antenna transmits linearly polarized waves,
When connected to the image forming device, it communicates with the IC tag through the second antenna,
When not connected to the image forming apparatus, the first antenna communicates with the IC tag.
The handy terminal according to claim 1. It can be connected to the image forming apparatus by either wired or wireless.
The handy terminal according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The determination unit determines whether or not the image forming apparatus is connected via a USB interface in the case of connecting by wire,
In the case of wireless connection, it is determined whether or not the image forming apparatus is connected based on whether or not communication with the image forming apparatus is possible via wireless communication means.
The handy terminal as claimed in claim 3. Have a flat panel display,
When connected to an image forming apparatus, display information transmitted from the image forming apparatus is displayed on the flat panel display.
The handy terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: When the image forming apparatus detects that it is not connected to the handy terminal and the warning lamp of the image forming apparatus indicating that it is not connected is lit,
A message prompting connection to the image forming apparatus is displayed on the flat panel display;
The handy terminal according to claim 5. When the handy terminal is used for other than communication with the IC tag, the size of the displayed message is smaller than when the handy terminal is not used for other than communication with the IC tag.
The handy terminal according to claim 6. It has a connection means to connect with the handy terminal according to claim 1,
When connected to a handy device,
Requests the handy terminal to write information to the IC tag provided on the paper to be printed between the start and the end of printing.
An image forming apparatus. The handy terminal mounting means is provided on the front side of the end of the transport belt for transporting paper from the back side of the paper feed tray and on the back side of the front end of the paper feed tray.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 8.

Images