Image forming apparatus, control apparatus, authentication method, and consumable

Abstract

The application provides an image forming device, a control device, an authentication method and a consumable. The authentication method comprises the following steps: receiving first closeness information sent by an image forming device; comparing the first closeness information with second closeness information to obtain a comparison result; if the comparison result matches, sending a first verification result to the image forming device, and the first verification result is used to instruct the image forming device to determine whether to perform an authentication procedure matched with the first closeness information. In the embodiment of the application, the corresponding authentication procedure is matched for the consumable according to the closeness information of the consumable, so that the information security between the image forming device and the consumable is ensured, and the intelligentization of the authentication is higher and the application scenarios are more extensive.

Description

[0001] This invention claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202311863134.1, filed on December 29, 2023, entitled "Consumable Chip, Image Forming Apparatus, Control Device, Authentication Method and Consumable", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of image forming technology, and more specifically to an image forming apparatus, a control device, an authentication method, and consumables. Background Technology

[0003] An image forming apparatus is a device that forms an image on a recording medium using imaging principles, such as a printer, copier, fax machine, multifunction image production and copying apparatus, electrostatic printing apparatus, and any other similar apparatus. Image forming apparatuses typically include replaceable items (e.g., ink cartridges, drum units, imaging cartridges, etc.) for holding imaging materials (e.g., ink, toner, etc.) that are easily replaceable by the user. These consumables usually have a control device, such as a consumable chip.

[0004] To ensure the availability of consumables, image forming apparatuses typically need to authenticate the consumables or consumable chips before performing image forming operations. However, in the prior art, image forming apparatuses usually use only a fixed authentication scheme to authenticate consumables or consumable chips, resulting in low intelligence, limited application scenarios, and potential problems such as numerous authentication steps and complex authentication algorithms.

[0005] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the background section of this application is intended only to enhance the understanding of the general background of this application, and should not be construed as an admission or in any way implying that the information constitutes prior art known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides an image forming apparatus, a control device, an authentication method, and consumables to address the problems of low intelligence and limited application scenarios in the authentication of consumables by existing image forming apparatuses.

[0007] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide an authentication method, including:

[0008] Acquire first affinity information sent by the image forming apparatus, the first affinity information being used to characterize the degree of trust the image forming apparatus has in the consumables;

[0009] Obtain second intimacy information, which is used as a verification benchmark for the first intimacy information;

[0010] Based on the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information, output the intimacy verification result;

[0011] The intimacy verification result is related to the authentication process of the consumables by the image forming apparatus.

[0012] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a control device, including:

[0013] The first acquisition unit is used to acquire first affinity information sent by the image forming apparatus, wherein the first affinity information is used to characterize the degree of trust of the image forming apparatus in the consumables;

[0014] The second acquisition unit is used to acquire second intimacy information, which is used as a verification benchmark for the first intimacy information by the control device.

[0015] The intimacy verification unit is used to obtain an intimacy verification result based on the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information;

[0016] The output unit is used to output the intimacy verification result;

[0017] The intimacy verification result is related to the authentication process of the consumables by the image forming apparatus.

[0018] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide an authentication method applied to an image forming apparatus, wherein a consumable is mounted on the image forming apparatus, and a consumable chip is detachably mounted on the consumable, comprising:

[0019] Sending first affinity information to the consumable chip causes the consumable chip to output affinity verification results, wherein the first affinity information is used to characterize the degree of trust that the image forming device has in the consumable;

[0020] Obtain the intimacy verification result output by the consumable chip;

[0021] If the obtained intimacy verification result includes the first verification result, then based on the first verification result, it is determined whether to execute an authentication process that matches the first intimacy information. The first verification result is used to characterize that the error between the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information is within a preset range.

[0022] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide an image forming apparatus, comprising:

[0023] A second control unit is configured to perform the method described in the third aspect.

[0024] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a consumable, comprising:

[0025] case;

[0026] A developer container, located within the housing, is used to contain the developer; and

[0027] The control device described in the first aspect.

[0028] Sixthly, embodiments of this application provide a consumable, the consumable further comprising:

[0029] Photosensitive drum;

[0030] A charging roller for charging the photosensitive drum; and

[0031] The control device described in the first aspect.

[0032] In this embodiment, a corresponding authentication procedure can be matched to the consumable based on its affinity information. This ensures information security between the image forming apparatus and the consumable while improving the intelligence of the image forming apparatus in authenticating the consumable. This makes the authentication applicable to a wider range of application scenarios and solves the problem that, for example, the time required for the image forming apparatus to complete the full authentication procedure and enter the ready state is relatively long, which in turn causes users to wait a long time for the print job to be output, affecting the user experience. Attached Figure Description

[0033] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0034] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an image forming system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0035] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of another image forming system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0036] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating an authentication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0037] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating another authentication method provided in this application embodiment;

[0038] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating another authentication method provided in this application embodiment;

[0039] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating another authentication method provided in this application embodiment;

[0040] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating an affinity update method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0041] Figure 8 A flowchart illustrating another authentication method provided in this application embodiment;

[0042] Figure 9 A flowchart illustrating another authentication method provided in this application embodiment;

[0043] Figure 10 A flowchart illustrating another authentication method provided in this application embodiment;

[0044] Figure 11 A flowchart illustrating another authentication method provided in this application embodiment;

[0045] Figure 12 A structural block diagram of a consumable chip provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0046] Figure 13 A structural block diagram of an image forming apparatus provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0047] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a consumable provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0048] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of another consumable provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0049] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of another consumable provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0050] Figure 17 This is a schematic diagram of another consumable provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0051] To better understand the technical solution of this application, the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0052] It should be understood that the described embodiments are merely some, not all, of the embodiments in this application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments in this application without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0053] The terminology used in the embodiments of this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of this application. The singular forms “a,” “the,” and “the” used in the embodiments of this application and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0054] It should be understood that the term "and / or" used in this article is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, or B existing alone. Additionally, the character " / " in this article generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.

[0055] See Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an image forming system provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 1 As shown, the image forming system includes an image forming apparatus and consumables. The image forming apparatus is the part of the image forming system that performs the image forming operation, and the consumables are replaceable parts of the image forming system. For example, when the image forming apparatus is an inkjet printer, laser printer, 3D printer, label printer, or dot matrix printer, the corresponding consumables are ink cartridges, toner cartridges, drum units, toner cartridges, ribbon cartridges, etc. One possible implementation is that the consumables have a separate structure, including a drum cartridge and a developing cartridge that are detachable from each other. The drum cartridge includes a photosensitive drum and a charging roller, and the developing cartridge includes a developer container, a developing roller, and a developer delivery element. Another possible implementation is that the consumables have an integrated structure, for example, the consumables include a developer container, a developing roller, a developer delivery element, a photosensitive drum, a charging roller, etc. Further, the consumables may also consist only of a housing and a developer container. It should be noted that the consumables may also be the aforementioned developing cartridge or drum cartridge. The aforementioned developer container is used to hold a developer such as toner, and the developer delivery element is a component such as a toner feeding roller or a toner feeding screw used for stirring and / or delivering toner. Of course, the aforementioned developer cartridge may also include only the aforementioned developer container, which is not limited here. Furthermore, the aforementioned developer cartridge may also include only the aforementioned developer container and developer delivery element, which is not limited here. In one possible implementation, the consumable may also include a toner cartridge and / or an imaging assembly. The toner cartridge is used to deliver toner to the imaging assembly when the toner in the imaging assembly is insufficient, so that the image forming apparatus forms an image based on the toner delivered by the imaging assembly. When the consumable is a toner cartridge, the consumable may include only a housing and a developer container, or it may include a housing, a developer container, and a developer delivery element, which is not limited here. When the consumable is an imaging assembly, the consumable may include a housing, a developer container, a developer delivery unit, a charging roller, a photosensitive drum, etc., and a developer transfer channel is provided between the developer container and the imaging assembly, which is not limited here.

[0056] It should be noted that the consumables mentioned in the embodiments of this application can also be other easily damaged components, parts, or units (such as paper boxes) in the image forming apparatus that need to be replaced, which also belong to the technical solutions corresponding to the consumables protected in this application.

[0057] To facilitate the management of consumables, consumables are typically equipped with a consumable chip, which is an electronic device with storage capabilities. The consumable chip stores information about the consumable, such as the manufacturer, type, color, capacity, and usage status of the recording material (toner, ink). Therefore, when a user installs a consumable into the host computer, the information stored in the consumable chip can be provided to the host computer, allowing the host computer to obtain basic information about the consumable. Furthermore, during image formation operations, the host computer can also write updated information about the consumables (e.g., recording material usage status) into the consumable chip.

[0058] In one embodiment, the consumable chip of this application typically includes a substrate and multiple contact points. The multiple contact points are disposed on the substrate, and each contact point is used to electrically connect with multiple contact terminals disposed on the image forming apparatus, thereby realizing communication between the image forming apparatus and the consumable chip. The multiple contact points may include VCC contact, GND contact, SDA contact, and SCL contact.

[0059] In another embodiment, the consumable chip in this application may further include an adapter board in addition to the substrate, wherein the adapter board is electrically connected to the substrate, and at least some of the aforementioned plurality of contact points may be disposed on the adapter board.

[0060] Furthermore, the image forming apparatus includes an image forming control unit and an image forming unit, wherein the image forming control unit is used to control the entire image forming apparatus, and the image forming unit is used to form an image on the fed paper based on image data under the control of the image forming control unit.

[0061] The image forming control unit can be a System on Chip (SoC). An SoC is a miniature system composed of multiple system components, configured to control the imaging processing operations of the image forming apparatus. This includes processes such as linear correction, noise reduction, bad pixel removal, and detail enhancement of image data to improve the quality of the output image. The image forming control unit also performs data transmission and reception, command transmission and reception, and engine control-related processing operations for printing images. For example, it transmits and receives data, print engine control commands, and status information via interface units (including but not limited to USB ports, wired network ports, wireless network ports, or other interfaces).

[0062] See Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of another image forming system provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 2As shown, the image forming unit of the image forming apparatus may include: a developer container 11, a developing component 12, a developer delivery element 13, a photosensitive component 14, a transfer component 15, and a fixing assembly 5, etc. The paper to be printed moves in the paper feeding direction, and after passing through the toner feeding operation of the developer delivery element 13 and the developing operation of the developing component 12, it reaches the clamping area between the photosensitive component 14 and the transfer component 15 for transfer, and then passes through the fixing assembly 5 for fixing to complete the image forming operation. The developer container 11 is used to hold the developer, which can be a toner, carbon powder, or other materials. The developing component 12 includes a developing roller, etc. The developer delivery element 13 includes a toner feeding roller, etc. The photosensitive component 14 includes a photosensitive drum (OPC, Organic PhotoConductor) and a charging roller, etc., wherein the charging roller is used to charge the photosensitive drum.

[0063] Typically, image forming apparatuses have at least one consumable removably mounted, to Figure 2 Taking the image forming apparatus shown as an example, the image forming apparatus is detachably equipped with four consumables (respectively...). Figure 2 The consumables 1, 2, 3 and 4 shown are used to provide the image forming apparatus with four colors of developer: black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M) and yellow (Y). Of course, in other embodiments, the number of consumables installed in the image forming apparatus can be increased or decreased, for example, to 5 or 6 or even more or less, etc. This application does not limit this.

[0064] To ensure the availability of consumables, image forming apparatuses typically need to authenticate the consumable chip before performing an image forming job. For example, the default authentication procedure is S1+S2+S3+S4+S5+S6, which includes six authentication steps. It is understandable that existing image forming apparatuses do not consider the usage status of the consumable chip during the authentication process, using a fixed set of authentication procedures. This results in low intelligence in the authentication process and limited application scenarios. In some scenarios, this can lead to excessive authentication steps and overly complex authentication algorithms, causing a long time required for the image forming apparatus to enter the ready state after completing the authentication process. Consequently, this results in a longer waiting time for the user to receive the image forming job output, impacting the user experience. The ready state refers to the state in which the image forming apparatus can perform image forming operations. In other words, when the image forming apparatus enters the ready state, it can immediately perform image forming operations after receiving the data to be printed.

[0065] To address the aforementioned issues, this application provides an authentication scheme that matches a corresponding authentication process to the consumable chip based on its proximity information. This enhances the intelligence of the image forming apparatus's authentication of the consumable chip and meets the needs of different scenarios. The authentication process refers to the process by which the image forming apparatus executes a complete authentication strategy on the consumable chip. During this process, the image forming apparatus can use different authentication procedures or combinations thereof, execute the same authentication procedure different times, etc., to authenticate the consumable chip.

[0066] It is understandable that, since there is a corresponding relationship between consumable chips and consumables, the authentication of consumable chips by the image forming apparatus can be understood as the authentication of consumables.

[0067] In particular, when the authentication process is complex, such as having many authentication steps or complex authentication algorithms, the time required for the image forming apparatus to complete the authentication process and enter the ready state will be relatively long. This will result in a longer waiting time for the user to wait for the image forming job to be output, which will affect the user experience.

[0068] This application provides an authentication scheme that matches a corresponding authentication process to a consumable chip based on its proximity information. This satisfies the needs of different application scenarios and improves the intelligence level of authentication. For example, while ensuring information security between the image forming apparatus and the consumable chip, it can appropriately shorten the authentication process time, solving the problem that the time required for the image forming apparatus to complete the full authentication process and enter the ready state is relatively long, resulting in long waiting times for users to print jobs and affecting user experience.

[0069] For example, the correspondence between intimacy information and authentication procedures is shown in Table 1.

[0070] Table 1:

[0071] Intimacy Information Authentication process 0 S1+S2+S3+S4+S5+S6 1-10 S1+S2+S3+S4+S5 10-30 S1+S2+S3+S4 30-69 S1+S2+S3 70-99 S1+S2 100-150 S1

[0072] As shown in Table 1, when the intimacy information is "0", the corresponding authentication procedure is "S1+S2+S3+S4+S5+S6"; when the intimacy information is "1-10", the corresponding authentication procedure is "S1+S2+S3+S4+S5"; when the intimacy information is "10-30", the corresponding authentication procedure is "S1+S2+S3+S4", and so on. That is, as the value of the intimacy information increases, the number of authentication steps in the corresponding authentication procedure gradually decreases, or the complexity of the authentication algorithm gradually decreases. Optionally, when the intimacy information is "100-150", the authentication procedure can be omitted.

[0073] In this embodiment, a higher affinity value indicates a higher level of trust between the image forming apparatus and the consumable chip. For consumable chips with high trust, an authentication procedure with fewer authentication steps or lower algorithm complexity can be used to shorten the authentication time. For consumable chips with low trust, an authentication procedure with more authentication steps or higher algorithm complexity can be used to ensure the security of information between the image forming apparatus and the consumable chip.

[0074] It should be noted that, according to actual needs, those skilled in the art can also set the relationship between intimacy information and trust level as follows: the smaller the value of intimacy information, the higher the trust level between the image forming device and the consumable chip. This application does not impose specific limitations on this.

[0075] Furthermore, in order to simplify the complexity of determining the authentication procedure between the image forming apparatus and the consumable chip, the embodiments of this application can refer to the contents shown in Table 1 to unify the authentication procedures corresponding to the closeness information with numerical values ​​within a certain range into the same authentication procedure, that is, the authentication process corresponding to the closeness information with numerical values ​​within a certain range is basically the same.

[0076] It should be noted that, since there is a corresponding relationship between consumable chips and consumables, the authentication of consumable chips by the image forming apparatus can be understood as the authentication of consumables. The trust between the image forming apparatus and the consumable chip can be understood as the trust between the image forming apparatus and the consumable. The trust between the image forming apparatus and the consumable chip can be understood as the trust between the image forming apparatus and the consumable. The trust between the consumable chip and the image forming apparatus can be understood as the trust between the consumable and the image forming apparatus.

[0077] To facilitate understanding, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to specific examples.

[0078] See Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating an authentication method provided in an embodiment of this application. This method can be applied to... Figure 1 and Figure 2 The image forming system shown, such as Figure 3 As shown, it mainly includes the following steps.

[0079] Step S301: The image forming apparatus sends first proximity information to the consumable chip.

[0080] The affinity information involved in the embodiments of this application is used to characterize the degree of trust between the image forming apparatus and the consumable chip. Specifically, the affinity information used to characterize the degree of trust between the image forming apparatus and the consumable chip is referred to as "first affinity information"; and the affinity information used to characterize the degree of trust between the consumable chip and the image forming apparatus is referred to as "second affinity information".

[0081] Generally, the trust between an image forming apparatus and a consumable chip is established based on their interaction process. Normally, the trust level between the image forming apparatus and the consumable chip should match. Based on this trust matching requirement, the aforementioned first affinity information can also be used as a benchmark for verifying the matching of the image forming apparatus's trust in the consumable chip with its corresponding second affinity information, and vice versa. In other words, the first affinity information serves as the benchmark for verifying the matching of the consumable chip's trust in the image forming apparatus with its corresponding first affinity information, and vice versa.

[0082] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned first intimacy information is used to compare with second intimacy information, and the aforementioned second intimacy information is used to compare with the first intimacy information. It should be noted that the image forming apparatus sends the first intimacy information to the consumable chip. Specifically, the image forming apparatus can send the first intimacy information directly to the consumable chip via a communication line, or it can send the first intimacy information indirectly to the consumable chip via a repeater or other device. The consumable chip only needs to be able to obtain the first intimacy information. This application embodiment does not limit the method by which the image forming apparatus sends the first intimacy information or how the consumable chip obtains the first intimacy information.

[0083] In practical applications, an image forming apparatus may have one consumable with a consumable chip installed on it; it may also have multiple consumables, each with at least one consumable chip; or it may have one consumable with at least two consumable chips. That is, the image forming apparatus may communicate with one or more consumable chips. Understandably, the image forming apparatus's level of trust in each consumable chip may differ, resulting in different initial affinity information for each chip. Therefore, in this step, the "initial affinity information sent by the image forming apparatus to the consumable chip" refers to the initial affinity information corresponding to the specific consumable chip.

[0084] Step S302: The consumable chip obtains the intimacy verification result based on the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information.

[0085] In one possible implementation, the consumable chip compares the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information to obtain the intimacy verification result.

[0086] In one possible implementation, a first preset storage device stores second intimacy information. After receiving the first intimacy information, the consumable chip retrieves the second intimacy information from the first preset storage device, and then compares the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information to obtain a comparison result.

[0087] In one possible implementation, the first preset storage device stores association information of the second intimacy information. Before, after, or simultaneously with receiving the first intimacy information, the consumable chip determines the second intimacy information based on the association information of the second intimacy information, and then compares the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information to obtain a comparison result.

[0088] It should be noted that the first preset storage device involved in the embodiments of this application can be a storage device inside the consumable chip or an external storage device electrically connected to the consumable chip. The embodiments of this application do not impose specific limitations on this.

[0089] In other words, the embodiments of this application do not limit the method by which the consumable chip obtains the second intimacy information. It can be that the consumable chip directly obtains it from a preset storage device, or it can be that the consumable chip calculates and obtains it in a certain way. The embodiments of this application also do not limit the specific timing of the consumable chip obtaining the second intimacy information. It can be done when the consumable chip obtains the first intimacy information, or it can be done before or after obtaining the first intimacy information.

[0090] In one possible implementation, the difference between the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information can be calculated to obtain a comparison result. For example, if the first intimacy information is 80 and the second intimacy information is 85, the comparison result obtained by calculating the difference between the first and second intimacy information is 5. It can be understood that in this implementation, the closer the comparison result is to 0, the better the match between the first and second intimacy information.

[0091] In another possible implementation, the ratio of the first intimacy information to the second intimacy information can be calculated to obtain a comparison result. For example, if the first intimacy information is 80 and the second intimacy information is 85, the comparison result obtained by calculating the ratio of the first and second intimacy information is 0.94. It can be understood that in this implementation, the closer the comparison result is to 1, the better the match between the first and second intimacy information.

[0092] In another possible implementation, the first and second intimacy information can be XORed to obtain a comparison result. For example, if both the first and second intimacy information are 80, an XOR operation on both will result in all zeros, meaning the first and second intimacy information are identical. Understandably, in this implementation, the consumable chip can determine the matching degree of the first and second intimacy information based on the XOR operation result.

[0093] It should be noted that the consumable chip only needs to obtain the intimacy verification result based on the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information. This application embodiment does not limit the processing procedure therein. That is, this application embodiment does not limit the method of comparing the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information, as long as the matching between the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information can be determined based on the comparison.

[0094] Step S303: If the comparison result indicates that the error between the first affinity information and the second affinity information is within a preset range, the consumable chip sends the first verification result to the image forming apparatus.

[0095] In this embodiment, "the error between the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information is within a preset range" can be understood as either the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information being completely identical, i.e., without error, or the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information not being completely identical, i.e., with error, but within a preset range. For example, if both the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information are 80, then it can be considered that there is no error between them. "The first intimacy information and the second intimacy information have an error, and the error is within a preset range" can be understood as the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information having an error, but the error is small. For example, if the preset range of error is set to 10, the first intimacy information is 80, and the second intimacy information is 85. If, according to the difference calculation method, the comparison result of the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information is 5, then it is considered that the error between the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information is within a preset range.

[0096] It is understandable that "the error between the first and second intimacy information is within a preset range" indicates a good match between the first and second intimacy information. In this case, the consumable chip can be certified according to the authentication procedure matching the first intimacy information. Therefore, the consumable chip can send a first verification result to the image forming apparatus to instruct the image forming apparatus to determine whether to execute the authentication procedure matching the first intimacy information.

[0097] Step S304: If the image forming apparatus receives the first proximity verification result output by the consumable chip, it determines whether to execute an authentication procedure that matches the first proximity information.

[0098] Specifically, after receiving the first verification result from the consumable chip, the image forming apparatus can determine whether to execute an authentication procedure matching the first affinity information based on the first verification result. Executing the authentication procedure determines whether the consumable chip meets expectations. For example, it determines whether the consumable chip is a legitimate chip or an illegitimate chip.

[0099] Furthermore, after the image forming apparatus receives the first intimacy verification result output by the consumable chip, which is the aforementioned first verification result, in one feasible implementation, it can directly determine whether to execute the authentication procedure matching the first intimacy information based on the first verification result. In another feasible implementation, when determining whether to execute the authentication procedure matching the first intimacy information, in addition to relying on the first verification result, it can also combine the authentication results of other basic authentication procedures to determine whether to execute the authentication procedure matching the first intimacy information. For example, when the authentication result of the basic authentication procedure is authentication passed, the authentication procedure matching the first intimacy information is determined to be executed based on the first verification result; when the authentication result of the basic authentication procedure is authentication failed, the authentication procedure matching the first intimacy information is determined not to be executed.

[0100] The basic authentication procedure is a technology well known to those skilled in the art, and can be set up according to actual needs, without any limitations here.

[0101] For example, the correspondence between affinity information and authentication procedures is shown in Table 1 above. If the first affinity information is 125, falling within the affinity information range of 100-150, then the authentication procedure executed is "S1". In other words, if the first affinity information is 125, it indicates a high level of trust between the image forming apparatus and the consumable chip, and the information security between the image forming apparatus and the consumable chip has a certain trust basis. In this case, to shorten the authentication procedure time, an authentication procedure with fewer authentication steps or a simpler authentication algorithm can be used. If the first affinity information is 8, falling within the affinity information range of 1-10, then the authentication procedure executed is "S1+S2+S3+S4+S5". In other words, if the first affinity information is 8, it indicates a low level of trust between the image forming apparatus and the consumable chip, and there is no trust basis between the image forming apparatus and the consumable chip, or the trust basis is weak. In this scenario, to ensure information security between the image forming apparatus and the consumable chip, an authentication procedure with more authentication steps or a more complex authentication algorithm can be employed. In other words, the trust level corresponding to the first level of intimacy information is negatively correlated with the execution time of the authentication procedure; that is, the lower the trust level corresponding to the first level of intimacy information, the longer the execution time required for the authentication procedure, and vice versa.

[0102] In other embodiments, the trust level corresponding to the first intimacy information is positively correlated with the execution time of the authentication procedure. That is, the lower the trust level corresponding to the first intimacy information, the shorter the execution time required to execute the authentication procedure; and the higher the trust level corresponding to the first intimacy information, the longer the execution time required to execute the authentication procedure.

[0103] It should be further explained that, in the embodiments of this application, if the authentication procedures corresponding to various intimacy information whose intimacy values ​​are within a certain range can be the same authentication procedure, the trust level corresponding to the intimacy information described in this scenario is negatively correlated with the execution time of the authentication procedure. Specifically, the trust level corresponding to intimacy information whose values ​​are within different ranges is negatively correlated with the execution time of the corresponding authentication procedure. For example, the execution time of the authentication procedure corresponding to intimacy information whose values ​​are within a first value range is T1, and the execution time of the authentication procedure corresponding to intimacy information whose values ​​are within a second value range is T2. The value of the largest intimacy information included in the second value range is greater than the value of the largest intimacy information included in the first intimacy range, and the first value range and the second value range do not overlap. Therefore, it can be determined that T2 is less than T1.

[0104] In summary, in this embodiment, a corresponding authentication procedure can be matched to the consumable chip based on the chip's affinity information. This ensures information security between the image forming apparatus and the consumable chip while appropriately shortening the authentication process time. It solves the problem that the time required for the image forming apparatus to complete the full authentication process and enter the ready state is relatively long, which in turn causes users to wait a long time for the print job to be output, affecting the user experience.

[0105] See Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating another authentication method provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 4 As shown, the method is in Figure 3 Based on the illustrated embodiment, the following steps are also included.

[0106] Step S401: If there is an error between the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information, and the error is within a preset range, then intimacy information with a lower trust level is sent to the image forming apparatus. In this embodiment, "intimacy information with a lower trust level" refers to the one representing a relatively lower trust level between the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information. For example, if the trust level corresponding to the first intimacy information is lower than the trust level corresponding to the second intimacy information, then the first intimacy information is sent to the image forming apparatus; if the trust level corresponding to the second intimacy information is lower than the trust level corresponding to the first intimacy information, then the second intimacy information is sent to the image forming apparatus.

[0107] Step S402: If the intimacy information with a low trust level is the first intimacy information, then update the second intimacy information based on the first intimacy information.

[0108] For example, if the first intimacy information is 80 and the second intimacy information is 85 (assuming intimacy information is positively correlated with trust), then the intimacy information with lower trust is 80 (first intimacy information), and the second intimacy information is updated from 85 to 80. Alternatively, the second intimacy information can be updated to reduce the error between the second and first intimacy information. For example, if the first intimacy information is 80 and the second intimacy information is 87 (assuming intimacy information is positively correlated with trust), then the intimacy information with lower trust is 80 (first intimacy information), and the second intimacy information can be updated from 87 to 83, thus reducing the error between the second and first intimacy information.

[0109] Step S403: If a low level of trust intimacy information is received from the consumable chip, the first intimacy information is updated to match the low level of trust intimacy information.

[0110] For example, if the first intimacy information is 80 and the second intimacy information is 75 (assuming that intimacy information is positively correlated with trust level), then the intimacy information with lower trust level is 75 (second intimacy information), and the first intimacy information is updated from 80 to 75.

[0111] In summary, in this embodiment of the application, if there is an error between the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information and the error is within a preset range, the first intimacy information or the second intimacy information is aligned with the intimacy information with a relatively low trust level, so as to improve the matching between the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information.

[0112] It is understood that those skilled in the art can, according to actual needs, "align the first or second level of intimacy information with the intimacy information that has a relatively higher level of trust." However, "aligning the first or second level of intimacy information with the intimacy information that has a relatively lower level of trust" is more conducive to ensuring information security between the image forming apparatus and the consumable chip.

[0113] It should be further explained that the host device or consumable chip can update the intimacy level by directly replacing the original intimacy information, retaining the original intimacy information and storing the latest intimacy information in other storage units, or updating the intimacy level by combining the original intimacy information with the parts that need to be changed (such as the difference between two intimacy information). This application embodiment does not limit how the intimacy level is updated, as long as the numerical value and / or storage location of the intimacy information in the host device or consumable chip that needs to update the intimacy information changes.

[0114] See Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating another authentication method provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 5 As shown, the method is in Figure 3 Based on the illustrated embodiment, the following steps are also included.

[0115] Step S501: If there is an error between the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information and the error is not within the preset range, then send the second verification result to the image forming apparatus.

[0116] For example, the preset error range is set to 10, the first intimacy information is 80, and the second intimacy information is 50. If the comparison result of the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information is 30, then it is considered that the error between the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information is not within the preset range.

[0117] It is understandable that the statement "there is an error between the first and second intimacy information and the error is not within the preset range" indicates that the matching between the first and second intimacy information is poor. In this case, the consumable chip may not meet expectations, therefore the second intimacy information needs to be reset so that the consumable chip can be certified based on the re-established second intimacy information. Therefore, the consumable chip can send a second verification result to the image forming apparatus to instruct the image forming apparatus to determine whether the second intimacy information needs to be reset to its initial value.

[0118] Step S502: If the second verification result sent by the consumable chip is received, determine whether the second intimacy information needs to be reset to the initial value.

[0119] In one possible implementation, after receiving the second verification result sent by the consumable chip, the image forming apparatus can directly determine that the second intimacy information needs to be reset to the initial value.

[0120] In one possible implementation, after the image forming apparatus receives the second verification result sent by the consumable chip, it needs to further determine whether the number of times the second intimacy information is reset to the initial value is greater than or equal to a preset number threshold. If it is determined that the number of times the second intimacy information is reset to the initial value is greater than or equal to the number threshold, an error message is output. If it is determined that the number of times the second intimacy information is reset to the initial value is less than the number threshold, it is determined that the second intimacy information needs to be reset to the initial value.

[0121] For example, if the preset threshold for the number of times is 5, after the image forming apparatus receives the second verification result sent by the consumable chip, if it determines that the number of times the second intimacy information has been reset to its initial value has reached 5 (greater than or equal to the preset threshold), it means that the second intimacy information has been reset a considerable number of times. In this case, the consumable chip may not meet expectations, and an error message will be output to prompt the user to check the consumable. If it determines that the number of times the second intimacy information has been reset to its initial value is 2 (less than the preset threshold), it means that the second intimacy information has only been reset a small number of times. This situation may be due to communication errors between the image forming apparatus and the consumable chip or other reasons that caused the second intimacy information to be reset. Therefore, in this case, it can be determined to execute the procedure of resetting the second intimacy information to its initial value.

[0122] Step S503: If it is determined that the second intimacy information needs to be reset to the initial value, then send an intimacy reset command to the consumable chip.

[0123] Specifically, if the image forming apparatus determines that the second intimacy information needs to be reset to its initial value, it sends an intimacy reset command to the consumable chip. This intimacy reset command is used to instruct the second intimacy information to be reset to the initial value corresponding to the second intimacy information.

[0124] Step S504: If an intimacy reset command is received from the image forming apparatus, the second intimacy information is reset to the initial value corresponding to the second intimacy information according to the intimacy reset command.

[0125] In one possible implementation, the initial value corresponding to the second affinity information is set to the affinity information corresponding to a lower trust level. That is, uncertain consumable chips are identified as insecure chips and assigned the lowest trust level. It is understood that this setting can better ensure the communication security between the image forming apparatus and the consumable chip. For example, assuming that affinity information is positively correlated with trust level, and the affinity information ranges from 0 to 150, the initial value corresponding to the second affinity information can be set to any value between 0 and 10, that is, the initial value corresponding to the second affinity information is set to the affinity information corresponding to a lower trust level.

[0126] In one possible implementation, the initial value corresponding to the second level of intimacy information is set to the intimacy information corresponding to a higher level of trust. That is, uncertain consumable chips are assumed to be safe chips and assigned the highest level of trust. Understandably, this setting can significantly shorten the authentication process time. For example, assuming intimacy information is positively correlated with trust, and the intimacy information ranges from 0 to 150, the initial value corresponding to the second level of intimacy information can be set to any value between 100 and 150, i.e., the initial value corresponding to the second level of intimacy information is set to the intimacy information corresponding to a higher level of trust.

[0127] In one possible implementation, the initial value corresponding to the second affinity information is set to the affinity information corresponding to a medium trust level. That is, a neutral stance is taken towards the uncertain consumable chip, assigning it a medium trust level. This setting understandably represents a trade-off between "communication security between the image forming apparatus and the consumable chip" and "reducing the authentication process time." For example, assuming the affinity information is positively correlated with the trust level, and the affinity information ranges from 0 to 150, the initial value corresponding to the second affinity information can be set to any value between 70 and 99, i.e., the initial value corresponding to the second affinity information is set to the affinity information corresponding to a medium trust level.

[0128] It should be further noted that, since different application scenarios have different requirements for communication security and device response speed, those skilled in the art can choose to set the initial value corresponding to the second intimacy information to the intimacy information corresponding to a lower level of trust, a higher level of trust, or a medium level of trust, according to the needs of the actual application scenario. This application embodiment does not impose specific restrictions on this.

[0129] Step S505: The consumable chip sends the reset second affinity information to the image forming apparatus.

[0130] Normally, a legitimate chip can correctly execute the affinity reset command sent by the image forming apparatus; an illegitimate chip cannot. Therefore, after resetting the second affinity information to its initial value according to the affinity reset command, the consumable chip sends the reset second affinity information to the image forming apparatus so that the image forming apparatus can determine whether the consumable chip has correctly performed the second affinity information reset operation based on the reset second affinity information.

[0131] Step S506: The image forming apparatus determines whether the consumable chip has correctly performed the second intimacy information reset operation based on the reset second intimacy information.

[0132] Specifically, after receiving the reset second intimacy information sent by the consumable chip, the image forming apparatus determines whether the consumable chip correctly performed the second intimacy information reset operation based on the reset second intimacy information. For example, the intimacy reset command instructs the second intimacy information to be reset to 0. If the image forming apparatus receives a reset second intimacy information of 0 from the consumable chip, it determines that the consumable chip correctly performed the second intimacy information reset operation; if the image forming apparatus receives a non-zero reset second intimacy information from the consumable chip, it determines that the consumable chip did not correctly perform the second intimacy information reset operation.

[0133] Furthermore, if it is confirmed that the consumable chip correctly performed the second intimacy information reset operation, then the first intimacy information is reset to its corresponding initial value. Typically, the initial value corresponding to the first intimacy information is the same as the initial value corresponding to the second intimacy information, so that the first and second intimacy information are adjusted to a matching state.

[0134] If it is determined that the consumable chip did not correctly perform the second intimacy information reset operation, then return to step S502 to re-determine whether to execute the procedure to reset the second intimacy information to its initial value. It is understood that if the second intimacy information fails to reset multiple times, resulting in the number of times the second intimacy information is reset to its initial value exceeding or equal to a threshold, an error message will be output.

[0135] See Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating another authentication method provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 6 As shown, the method is in Figure 3 Based on the illustrated embodiment, the following steps are also included.

[0136] Step S601: When the first preset event occurs, the consumable chip updates the second intimacy information according to the increasing trust level.

[0137] In this embodiment, the first preset event can be a positive event that occurs between the image forming apparatus and the consumable chip (e.g., the consumable chip responds correctly to the image forming apparatus). Based on this positive event, the consumable chip can improve the second affinity information, that is, improve the consumable chip's trust in the image forming apparatus, so as to further shorten the time required for the image forming apparatus to authenticate the consumable chip.

[0138] In specific implementation, when a first preset event occurs, the consumable chip updates the second intimacy information according to a preset trust increment gradient. This trust increment gradient reflects the rate of trust increase. For example, if the trust increment gradient is 2, the second intimacy information is incremented by 2 each time the first preset event occurs; if the trust increment gradient is 5, the second intimacy information is incremented by 5 each time the first preset event occurs. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can set the trust increment gradient according to actual needs, and this application embodiment does not impose specific limitations in this regard.

[0139] Furthermore, to more reasonably adjust the second intimacy information based on the first preset event, one possible implementation is to set different trust increment gradients for different first preset events. For example, for the first preset event A, which is of high importance, the trust increment gradient can be set to 5; for the first preset event B, which is of low importance, the trust increment gradient can be set to 2. That is, when the first preset event A, which is of high importance, occurs, the trust value corresponding to the second intimacy information is increased at a faster increment rate; when the first preset event B, which is of low importance, occurs, the trust value corresponding to the second intimacy information is increased at a slower increment rate.

[0140] Step S602: When the second preset event occurs, the consumable chip updates the second intimacy information according to the decreasing trust level trend.

[0141] In this embodiment, the second preset event can be a negative event that occurs between the image forming apparatus and the consumable chip (e.g., an erroneous response of the consumable chip to the image forming apparatus). Based on this negative event, the consumable chip can reduce the second intimacy information, that is, reduce the consumable chip's trust in the image forming apparatus, so as to further improve the communication security between the image forming apparatus and the consumable chip.

[0142] In specific implementation, when a second preset event occurs, the consumable chip updates the second intimacy information according to a preset trust level decrease gradient. This trust level decrease gradient reflects the rate at which the trust level decreases. For example, if the trust level decrease gradient is 3, the second intimacy information is reduced by 3 each time a second preset event occurs; if the trust level decrease gradient is 7, the second intimacy information is reduced by 7 each time a second preset event occurs. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can set the trust level decrease gradient accordingly according to actual needs, and this application embodiment does not impose specific limitations in this regard.

[0143] Furthermore, to more reasonably adjust the second intimacy information based on the second preset event, one possible implementation is to set different trust reduction gradients for different second preset events. For example, for the second preset event A, which is of high importance, a trust reduction gradient of 7 can be set; for the second preset event B, which is of low importance, a trust reduction gradient of 3 can be set. That is, when the second preset event A, which is of high importance, occurs, the trust value corresponding to the second intimacy information is reduced at a faster rate; when the second preset event B, which is of low importance, occurs, the trust value corresponding to the second intimacy information is reduced at a slower rate.

[0144] Step S603: When a third preset event occurs, the image forming apparatus updates the first intimacy information according to the increasing trust level.

[0145] In this embodiment, the third preset event can be a positive event corresponding to the first preset event. That is, when the first preset event occurs, the third preset event usually occurs simultaneously, so that the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information increase synchronously.

[0146] Furthermore, to ensure the matching of the updated first and second intimacy information, the same trust increment gradient is set for both. For example, both the first and second intimacy information are 80, and the trust increment gradients for both are set to 2. When a first preset event occurs, the second intimacy information "80" is updated according to the preset trust increment gradient "2", resulting in an updated second intimacy information value of 82. When a third preset event occurs, the first intimacy information "80" is updated according to the preset trust increment gradient "2", resulting in an updated first intimacy information value of 82. In other words, the updated first and second intimacy information still maintain a high degree of matching.

[0147] Step S604: When the fourth preset event occurs, the image forming apparatus updates the first intimacy information according to the decreasing trust level trend.

[0148] In this embodiment, the fourth preset event can be a negative event corresponding to the second preset event. That is, when the second preset event occurs, the fourth preset event also occurs simultaneously, so that the first and second intimacy information decrease synchronously.

[0149] Furthermore, to ensure the matching of the updated first and second intimacy information, the same trust decrease gradient is set for both. For example, both the first and second intimacy information are 80, and the trust decrease gradients for both are set to 3. When a second preset event occurs, the second intimacy information "80" is updated according to the preset trust decrease gradient "3", resulting in an updated second intimacy information bit of 77. When a fourth preset event occurs, the first intimacy information "80" is updated according to the preset trust decrease gradient "3", resulting in an updated first intimacy information bit of 77. In other words, the updated first and second intimacy information still maintain a high degree of matching.

[0150] See Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for updating intimacy levels according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 7 As shown, it mainly includes the following steps.

[0151] Step S701: The image forming apparatus sends data synchronization information to the consumable chip.

[0152] For example, the data synchronization information may be printed page count information, printed page count increment information, consumable balance information, or other types of information, and this application embodiment does not impose specific limitations on this.

[0153] Step S702: The consumable chip updates the data to be synchronized according to the data synchronization information and obtains the updated data.

[0154] In one possible implementation, after obtaining data synchronization information, the consumable chip can assign the data in the data synchronization information to the data to be synchronized, thereby obtaining the updated data. For example, the data synchronization information is 1000, the data to be synchronized is 800, and the updated data obtained after updating the data to be synchronized according to the data synchronization information is 1000.

[0155] In one possible implementation, after obtaining data synchronization information, the consumable chip can add the data synchronization information to the data to be synchronized to obtain the updated data. For example, if the data synchronization information is 100 and the data to be synchronized is 800, the updated data obtained after updating the data to be synchronized based on the data synchronization information is 900.

[0156] It should be noted that those skilled in the art can also use other algorithms to update the data to be synchronized using data synchronization information, and the embodiments of this application do not impose specific limitations on this.

[0157] It should be further explained that the host device or consumable chip can update the data to be synchronized in the following ways: directly replacing the original data to be synchronized, retaining the original data to be synchronized and storing the latest updated data in other storage units, or updating the data to be synchronized by combining the original data to be synchronized with the parts that need to be changed (such as the difference part to be synchronized). This application embodiment does not limit how the data to be synchronized is updated, as long as the value and / or storage location of the data to be synchronized in the host device or consumable chip that needs to be updated changes.

[0158] Step S703: The consumable chip sends updated data to the image forming apparatus.

[0159] Specifically, after obtaining the updated data, the consumable chip sends the updated data to the image forming apparatus so that the image forming apparatus can determine whether the consumable chip has correctly updated the data to be synchronized based on the updated data.

[0160] Step S704: The image forming apparatus determines whether the consumable chip has correctly updated the data to be synchronized based on the updated data.

[0161] Specifically, after receiving the updated data, the image forming apparatus determines whether the updated data meets expectations. If the updated data meets expectations, it determines that the consumable chip has correctly updated the data to be synchronized and proceeds to step S705; if the updated data does not meet expectations, it determines that the consumable chip has not correctly updated the data to be synchronized and proceeds to step S710.

[0162] For example, the image forming apparatus sends a data synchronization message of 1000 to the consumable chip, and according to the set data update rules, the expected updated data should be 1000. If the updated data sent by the consumable chip to the image forming apparatus is 1000, it indicates that the updated data meets expectations, and it is determined that the consumable chip has correctly updated the data to be synchronized; if the updated data sent by the consumable chip to the image forming apparatus is not 1000 (for example, 700, 800, or any other arbitrary data), it indicates that the updated data does not meet expectations, and it is determined that the consumable chip has not correctly updated the data to be synchronized.

[0163] Step S705: If the image forming apparatus determines that the consumable chip has correctly updated the data to be synchronized, it sends a first instruction message to the consumable chip.

[0164] In this embodiment, if the image forming apparatus determines that the consumable chip has correctly updated the data to be synchronized, it indicates that the consumable chip has correctly responded to the instructions sent by the image forming apparatus, i.e., a positive event has occurred between the image forming apparatus and the consumable chip. At this time, a first instruction message is sent to the consumable chip, which instructs the consumable chip to update the second affinity information according to the increasing trust level trend.

[0165] Step S706: If the consumable chip receives the first instruction information sent by the image forming apparatus, it updates the second affinity information according to the increasing trust level trend of the first instruction information.

[0166] In this embodiment, if the consumable chip receives first indication information from the image forming apparatus, indicating that the first preset condition has been met, then the second intimacy information is updated according to the increasing trust level trend based on the first indication information. For details regarding updating the second intimacy information according to the increasing trust level trend, please refer to... Figure 6 The description of the embodiments shown is omitted here for the sake of brevity.

[0167] Step S707: The consumable chip sends the updated second proximity information to the image forming apparatus.

[0168] Specifically, after updating the second affinity information, the consumable chip sends the updated second affinity information to the image forming apparatus so that the image forming apparatus can determine whether the consumable chip has correctly updated the second affinity information based on the updated second affinity information.

[0169] Step S708: The image forming apparatus determines whether the consumable chip has been correctly updated with the second affinity information.

[0170] Specifically, after receiving the updated second intimacy information, the image forming apparatus determines whether the updated second intimacy information meets expectations. If the updated second intimacy information meets expectations, it determines that the consumable chip has correctly updated the second intimacy information and proceeds to step S709; if the updated second intimacy information does not meet expectations, it determines that the consumable chip has not correctly updated the second intimacy information.

[0171] For example, the expected value of the updated second intimacy information is 80. If the updated second intimacy information sent by the consumable chip to the image forming apparatus is 80, it indicates that the updated second intimacy information meets expectations, and it is determined that the consumable chip has correctly updated the second intimacy information; if the updated second intimacy information sent by the consumable chip to the image forming apparatus is 70, it indicates that the updated second intimacy information does not meet expectations, and it is determined that the consumable chip has not correctly updated the second intimacy information.

[0172] In one possible implementation, if it is determined that the consumable chip has not correctly updated the second affinity information, it indicates that the consumable chip has responded incorrectly to the instructions sent by the image forming apparatus, i.e., a negative event has occurred between the image forming apparatus and the consumable chip. At this point, the process can proceed to step S710, which involves sending second instruction information to the consumable chip. The specific content of the second instruction information is described in detail below.

[0173] Step S709: If the image forming apparatus determines that the consumable chip has correctly updated the second affinity information, it updates the first affinity information according to the increasing trust level trend.

[0174] In this embodiment, if the image forming apparatus determines that the consumable chip has correctly updated the second intimacy information, indicating that the third preset condition has been met, then it updates the first intimacy information according to the increasing trust level trend. For details regarding updating the first intimacy information according to the increasing trust level trend, please refer to... Figure 6 The description of the embodiments shown is omitted here for the sake of brevity.

[0175] It should be noted that after the image forming apparatus determines that the consumable chip has correctly updated the second intimacy information, updating the first intimacy information according to the increasing trust level can keep the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information increasing synchronously, so as to maintain the matching between the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information.

[0176] Step S710: If the image forming apparatus determines that the consumable chip has not correctly updated the data to be synchronized, it sends a second instruction message to the consumable chip.

[0177] In this embodiment, if the image forming apparatus determines that the consumable chip has not correctly updated the data to be synchronized, it indicates that the consumable chip has responded incorrectly to the instructions sent by the image forming apparatus, i.e., a negative event has occurred between the image forming apparatus and the consumable chip. At this time, a second instruction message is sent to the consumable chip, which instructs the consumable chip to update the second affinity information according to a decreasing trust level trend.

[0178] Step S711: If the consumable chip receives the second instruction information sent by the image forming apparatus, it updates the second affinity information according to the decreasing trust level trend based on the second instruction information.

[0179] In this embodiment, if the consumable chip receives the second indication information sent by the image forming apparatus, indicating that the second preset condition has been met, the second intimacy information is updated according to the second indication information in a decreasing trend of trust level. For details regarding updating the second intimacy information according to the decreasing trend of trust level, please refer to... Figure 6 The description of the embodiments shown is omitted here for the sake of brevity.

[0180] Step S712: The consumable chip sends the updated second proximity information to the image forming apparatus.

[0181] Specifically, after updating the second affinity information, the consumable chip sends the updated second affinity information to the image forming apparatus so that the image forming apparatus can determine whether the consumable chip has correctly updated the second affinity information based on the updated second affinity information.

[0182] Step S713: The image forming apparatus determines whether the consumable chip has been correctly updated with the second affinity information.

[0183] Specifically, after receiving the updated second intimacy information, the image forming apparatus determines whether the updated second intimacy information meets expectations. If the updated second intimacy information meets expectations, it determines that the consumable chip has correctly updated the second intimacy information and proceeds to step S714; if the updated second intimacy information does not meet expectations, it determines that the consumable chip has not correctly updated the second intimacy information.

[0184] For example, the expected value of the updated second intimacy information is 80. If the updated second intimacy information sent by the consumable chip to the image forming apparatus is 80, it indicates that the updated second intimacy information meets expectations, and it is determined that the consumable chip has correctly updated the second intimacy information; if the updated second intimacy information sent by the consumable chip to the image forming apparatus is 85, it indicates that the updated second intimacy information does not meet expectations, and it is determined that the consumable chip has not correctly updated the second intimacy information.

[0185] Step S714: If the image forming apparatus determines that the consumable chip has correctly updated the second intimacy information, it updates the first intimacy information according to the decreasing trust level.

[0186] In this embodiment, if the image forming apparatus determines that the consumable chip has correctly updated the second intimacy information, indicating that the fourth preset condition has been met, then it updates the first intimacy information according to a decreasing trust level trend. For details regarding updating the first intimacy information according to a decreasing trust level trend, please refer to... Figure 6 The description of the embodiments shown is omitted here for the sake of brevity.

[0187] It should be noted that after the image forming apparatus determines that the consumable chip has correctly updated the second intimacy information, updating the first intimacy information according to the decreasing trust level can keep the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information decreasing synchronously, so as to maintain the matching between the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information.

[0188] Additionally, in this embodiment, besides determining whether to update the affinity based on the correctness of the aforementioned data synchronization operation, the affinity information can also be determined by, for example, the cumulative power-on count of the consumable chip and the usage status of the corresponding consumable on the host device, such as the value of the cumulative number of printed pages. For example, when the cumulative power-on count of the consumable chip exceeds a preset threshold or the cumulative number of printed pages corresponding to the consumable chip on the host device exceeds a preset threshold, the affinity information of the host device or the consumable chip is directly updated to a higher affinity, thereby further optimizing the time required for the authentication process between the host device and the consumable chip.

[0189] See Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating another authentication method provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 8 As shown, the method is in Figure 3 Based on the illustrated embodiment, the following steps are also included.

[0190] Step S801: The image forming apparatus sends an affinity setting command to the consumable chip.

[0191] In this embodiment of the application, the intimacy setting instruction is used to instruct the consumable chip to set the second intimacy information to the corresponding intimacy value.

[0192] In one possible implementation, the affinity setting instruction may carry an affinity value, which is used to instruct the consumable chip to set the second affinity information to the affinity value carried in the affinity setting instruction.

[0193] In one possible implementation, the intimacy setting instruction may also carry intimacy value association information. This intimacy setting instruction is used to instruct the consumable chip to determine the intimacy value based on the intimacy value association information, and then set the second intimacy information to the determined intimacy value.

[0194] Step S802: The consumable chip sets the second intimacy information according to the intimacy setting instruction.

[0195] Specifically, after receiving the affinity setting instruction, the consumable chip can set the second affinity information to the corresponding affinity value according to the affinity setting instruction.

[0196] In one possible implementation, the intimacy setting instruction carries an intimacy value. After receiving the intimacy setting instruction, the consumable chip sets the second intimacy information to the intimacy value carried in the intimacy setting instruction.

[0197] In one possible implementation, the intimacy setting instruction carries the association information of the intimacy value. After receiving the intimacy setting instruction, the consumable chip can determine the intimacy value based on the association information of the intimacy value, and then set the second intimacy information as the determined intimacy value.

[0198] See Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating another authentication method provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 9 As shown, the method is in Figure 8 Based on the illustrated embodiment, the following steps are also included.

[0199] Step S901: The consumable chip sends the set second affinity information to the image forming apparatus.

[0200] Specifically, after setting the second affinity information, the consumable chip sends the set second affinity information to the image forming apparatus so that the image forming apparatus can determine whether the consumable chip has correctly updated the second affinity information based on the set second affinity information.

[0201] Step S902: The image forming apparatus confirms whether the consumable chip has been correctly set with the second affinity information based on the set second affinity information.

[0202] Specifically, after receiving the set second intimacy information, the image forming apparatus determines whether the set second intimacy information meets expectations. If the set second intimacy information meets expectations, it is determined that the consumable chip has correctly set the second intimacy information; if the set second intimacy information does not meet expectations, it is determined that the consumable chip has not correctly set the second intimacy information.

[0203] For example, the expected value of the set second intimacy information is 80. If the set second intimacy information sent by the consumable chip to the image forming apparatus is 80, it indicates that the set second intimacy information meets expectations, and it is determined that the consumable chip has correctly set the second intimacy information; if the set second intimacy information sent by the consumable chip to the image forming apparatus is 85, it indicates that the set second intimacy information does not meet expectations, and it is determined that the consumable chip has not correctly set the second intimacy information.

[0204] In one possible implementation, if the image forming apparatus determines that the consumable chip has correctly set the second intimacy information, it stores the second intimacy information; if it determines that the consumable chip has not correctly set the second intimacy information, it jumps to step S503, sends an intimacy reset command to the consumable chip, and then executes subsequent steps S504-S506. For details on steps S503-S506, please refer to... Figure 5 The description of the embodiments shown is omitted here for the sake of brevity.

[0205] See Figure 10 This is a flowchart illustrating another authentication method provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 10 As shown, the method is in Figure 3 Before step S301 shown, the following steps are also included.

[0206] Step S1001: The consumable chip sends its identity information to the image forming apparatus.

[0207] In practice, after the image forming apparatus is powered on, it needs to complete basic authentication with the consumable chip. During this basic authentication process, the image forming apparatus can obtain the consumable chip's identity information.

[0208] It should be noted that, since there is a corresponding relationship between the consumable chip and the consumable, the consumable chip's identity information can be used to indicate the consumable's identity information, and the consumable chip can use the consumable chip's identity information as the consumable's identity information.

[0209] Step S1002: The image forming apparatus searches for the first affinity information corresponding to the consumable chip identity information in a preset lookup table based on the consumable chip identity information.

[0210] In one possible implementation, a lookup table is stored in the second preset storage device. After acquiring the consumable chip identification information, the image forming apparatus can search for the first affinity information corresponding to the consumable chip identification information in the preset lookup table.

[0211] Specifically, the lookup table contains the association between consumable chip identity information and first affinity information. Based on this association, the first affinity information corresponding to the consumable chip identity information can be determined. For example, the lookup table is shown in Table 2.

[0212] Table 2:

[0213] Consumable chip identification information First level of intimacy information ABCD1234567890-AF1 80 EFGH4567891234-AF1 30

[0214] It is understandable that if the consumable chip identity information obtained by the image forming apparatus is “ABCD1234567890-AF1”, then according to Table 2, the first affinity information corresponding to the consumable chip identity information can be determined to be 80; if the consumable chip identity information obtained by the image forming apparatus is “EFGH4567891234-AF1”, then according to Table 2, the first affinity information corresponding to the consumable chip identity information can be determined to be 30.

[0215] It should be noted that the second preset storage device involved in the embodiments of this application can be a storage device within the image forming apparatus or an external storage device electrically connected to the consumable chip. The embodiments of this application do not impose specific limitations on this.

[0216] In one possible implementation, the lookup table also includes second affinity information corresponding to the consumable chip identity information, as shown in Table 3.

[0217] Table 3:

[0218] Consumable chip identification information First level of intimacy information Second Intimacy Information ABCD1234567890-AF1 80 85 EFGH4567891234-AF1 30 30

[0219] It should be noted that the correspondence between the first and second intimacy information can be found in the description above, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0220] In practical applications, if a consumable chip is being used for the first time, its corresponding identification information may not be found in the lookup table. Therefore, it is impossible to locate the first affinity information corresponding to the consumable chip's identification information in the preset lookup table. Thus, after obtaining the consumable chip's identification information, the image forming apparatus first needs to determine whether the preset lookup table contains that information before proceeding with subsequent steps. This will be explained in detail below with reference to specific embodiments.

[0221] See Figure 11 This is a flowchart illustrating another authentication method provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 11 As shown, the method is in Figure 10 Based on the illustrated embodiment, step S1002 specifically includes the following steps.

[0222] Step S1101: The image forming apparatus determines whether the preset lookup table contains the consumable chip identity information based on the consumable chip identity information.

[0223] In practical applications, if the consumable chip is being used for the first time, the lookup table will usually not contain the consumable chip identity information and the first affinity information corresponding to the consumable chip identity information; if the consumable chip is not being used for the first time, the lookup table will usually contain the consumable chip identity information and the first affinity information corresponding to the consumable chip identity information.

[0224] Specifically, if the image forming apparatus determines that the preset lookup table contains consumable chip identification information, it proceeds to step S1102; if the image forming apparatus determines that the preset lookup table does not contain consumable chip identification information, it proceeds to step S1103.

[0225] Step S1102: If included, the image forming apparatus determines that the first affinity information corresponding to the consumable chip identity information in the lookup table is the first affinity information.

[0226] Understandably, if the lookup table contains consumable chip identification information, the first affinity information corresponding to the consumable chip identification information can be determined from the lookup table based on that consumable chip identification information. For example, if the consumable chip identification information obtained by the image forming apparatus is "ABCD1234567890-AF1", then according to Table 2, the first affinity information corresponding to that consumable chip identification information can be determined to be 80; if the consumable chip identification information obtained by the image forming apparatus is "EFGH4567891234-AF1", then according to Table 2, the first affinity information corresponding to that consumable chip identification information can be determined to be 30.

[0227] Step S1103: If not included, the image forming apparatus sends an affinity setting instruction to the consumable chip to instruct the consumable chip to set the second affinity information to the initial value.

[0228] In this embodiment, if the image forming apparatus determines that the preset lookup table does not contain consumable chip identity information, indicating that the consumable chip is being used for the first time, it is necessary to set the first and second affinity information of the consumable chip. Then, an affinity setting instruction is sent to the consumable chip to instruct it to set the second affinity information to its initial value. For example, the consumable chip identity information obtained by the image forming apparatus is "IGKL0987654321-AF1". Since this consumable chip identity information does not exist in the lookup table shown in Table 2, an affinity setting instruction needs to be sent to the consumable chip to instruct it to set the second affinity information to its initial value.

[0229] In one possible implementation, the initial value corresponding to the second affinity information is set to the affinity information corresponding to a lower trust level. That is, uncertain consumable chips are assumed to be insecure chips and assigned the lowest trust level. It is understood that this setting can better ensure the communication security between the image forming apparatus and the consumable chip. For example, assuming that affinity information is positively correlated with trust level, and the affinity information ranges from 0 to 150, the initial value corresponding to the second affinity information can be set to any value between 0 and 10, that is, the initial value corresponding to the second affinity information is set to the affinity information corresponding to a lower trust level.

[0230] In one possible implementation, the initial value corresponding to the second level of intimacy information is set to the intimacy information corresponding to a higher level of trust. That is, uncertain consumable chips are assumed to be safe chips and assigned the highest level of trust. Understandably, this setting can significantly shorten the authentication process time. For example, assuming intimacy information is positively correlated with trust, and the intimacy information ranges from 0 to 150, the initial value corresponding to the second level of intimacy information can be set to any value between 100 and 150, i.e., the initial value corresponding to the second level of intimacy information is set to the intimacy information corresponding to a higher level of trust.

[0231] In one possible implementation, the initial value corresponding to the second affinity information is set to the affinity information corresponding to a medium trust level. That is, a neutral stance is taken towards the uncertain consumable chip, assigning it a medium trust level. This setting understandably represents a trade-off between "communication security between the image forming apparatus and the consumable chip" and "reducing the authentication process time." For example, assuming the affinity information is positively correlated with the trust level, and the affinity information ranges from 0 to 150, the initial value corresponding to the second affinity information can be set to any value between 70 and 99, i.e., the initial value corresponding to the second affinity information is set to the affinity information corresponding to a medium trust level.

[0232] It should be further noted that, since different application scenarios have different requirements for communication security and device response speed, those skilled in the art can choose to set the initial value corresponding to the second intimacy information to the intimacy information corresponding to a lower level of trust, a higher level of trust, or a medium level of trust, according to the needs of the actual application scenario. This application embodiment does not impose specific restrictions on this.

[0233] In other embodiments of this application, the consumable chip identity information can also be identity binding information generated by the image forming apparatus for the consumable chip. There are four scenarios where the consumable chip uses the identity binding information generated by the image forming apparatus as its identity information:

[0234] Scenario 1: When the consumable chip is used for the first time in the image forming device, the consumable chip does not have corresponding identity binding information.

[0235] In S1001, the consumable chip sends its identification information to the image forming apparatus as follows: the consumable chip sends its factory identification information to the image forming apparatus. In S1101, the image forming apparatus determines whether a preset lookup table contains the consumable chip identification information based on the consumable chip identification information. Specifically, if the image forming apparatus cannot find the factory identification information of the consumable chip in the lookup table, it determines that the lookup table does not contain the factory identification information of the consumable chip; or, it directly determines that the consumable chip is being used for the first time in the current image forming apparatus based on the factory identification information of the consumable chip, and determines that the lookup table does not contain the factory identification information of the consumable chip.

[0236] The authentication method further includes: an image forming apparatus generating identity binding information for the consumable chip; the image forming apparatus sending an identity information setting instruction to the consumable chip, the identity information setting instruction including the identity binding information, thereby instructing the consumable chip to set the identity binding information as its identity information. In another possible implementation, the identity binding information may also be included in a closeness setting instruction, which further instructs the consumable chip to set the identity binding information as its identity information.

[0237] Scenario 2: When the consumable chip has been previously used on other image forming devices, the consumable chip uses the identity binding information generated by the other image forming devices as the consumable chip's identity information.

[0238] In S1001, the consumable chip sends its identity information to the image forming apparatus as follows: the consumable chip sends its identity information to the current image forming apparatus using identity binding information generated by other image forming apparatuses. In S1101, the image forming apparatus determines whether a preset lookup table contains the consumable chip's identity information based on this information. Specifically, if the image forming apparatus cannot find the consumable chip's identity information in the lookup table, it determines that the lookup table does not contain the consumable chip's identity information; or, based directly on the consumable chip's identity information, it determines that the consumable chip's identity information was not generated by this image forming apparatus, and therefore determines that the lookup table does not contain the consumable chip's factory identity information. The authentication method also includes: the image forming apparatus generating the consumable chip's identity binding information; the image forming apparatus sending an identity information setting instruction to the consumable chip, the identity information setting instruction including the identity binding information, thereby instructing the consumable chip to set the identity binding information as its identity information. In other words, it replaces the identity binding information generated by other image forming apparatuses with the identity binding information generated by the current image forming apparatus. In another possible implementation, the identity binding information can also be included in the intimacy setting instruction, which further instructs the consumable chip to set the identity binding information as the consumable chip's identity information.

[0239] Scenario 3: The consumable chip was previously used on the current image forming apparatus, and the consumable chip uses the identity binding information generated by the current image forming apparatus as the consumable chip identity information, but the consumable chip identity information is not recorded in the lookup table of the current image forming apparatus.

[0240] In S1001, the consumable chip sends its identity information to the image forming apparatus as follows: the consumable chip sends its identity information to the current image forming apparatus using the identity binding information generated by the current image forming apparatus. In S1101, the image forming apparatus determines whether a preset lookup table contains the consumable chip's identity information based on this information. Specifically, if the image forming apparatus cannot find the consumable chip's identity information in the lookup table, it determines that the lookup table does not contain this information. In practical applications, the image forming apparatus has limited memory. When the memory occupied by the lookup table reaches a preset limit, at least some past records can be cleared. In this case, the image forming apparatus will not find the consumable chip's identity information in the lookup table. The authentication method also includes: the image forming apparatus generating the consumable chip's identity binding information; the image forming apparatus sending an identity information setting instruction to the consumable chip, which includes the identity binding information, thereby instructing the consumable chip to set the identity binding information as its identity information. This updates the consumable chip's identity information to the newly generated identity binding information. In another possible implementation, the identity binding information can also be included in the intimacy setting instruction, which is also used to instruct the consumable chip to set the identity binding information as the consumable chip's identity information.

[0241] Scenario 4: The consumable chip was previously used on the current image forming apparatus. The consumable chip uses the identity binding information generated by the current image forming apparatus as its identity information, and the consumable chip's identity information is recorded in the lookup table of the current image forming apparatus.

[0242] In S1001, the consumable chip sends its identity information to the image forming apparatus as follows: the consumable chip sends its identity information to the current image forming apparatus using the identity binding information generated by the current image forming apparatus. In S1101, the image forming apparatus determines whether a preset lookup table contains the consumable chip's identity information based on this information. Specifically, if the image forming apparatus finds the consumable chip's identity information in the lookup table and determines that the lookup table contains this information, then proceeding to S1102, the image forming apparatus determines that the first affinity information corresponding to the consumable chip's identity information in the lookup table is the first affinity information.

[0243] Furthermore, the image forming apparatus can execute different identity binding information generation and setting strategies according to the needs of actual applications. For example, the image forming apparatus can generate different identity binding information for different consumable chips to distinguish them. Alternatively, the image forming apparatus can generate new identity binding information for the same consumable chip at preset intervals to continuously update the identity information of the same consumable chip.

[0244] It should be noted that, since there is a corresponding relationship between consumable chips and consumables, the identity information of consumable chips can be used to indicate the identity information of consumables.

[0245] Step S505: The consumable chip sends the reset second affinity information to the image forming apparatus.

[0246] Step S1104: The image forming apparatus determines whether the consumable chip has correctly executed the proximity setting instruction.

[0247] Specifically, after the consumable chip sets the second affinity information to an initial value, it can send the set second affinity information to the image forming apparatus so that the image forming apparatus can determine whether the consumable chip has correctly executed the affinity setting instruction based on the set second affinity information.

[0248] For example, the intimacy setting instruction instructs the second intimacy information to be set to 0. If the image forming apparatus receives a set second intimacy information of 0 from the consumable chip, it is determined that the consumable chip has correctly performed the second intimacy information setting operation; if the image forming apparatus receives a set second intimacy information that is not 0 from the consumable chip, it is determined that the consumable chip has not correctly performed the second intimacy information setting operation.

[0249] Step S1105: If the image forming apparatus determines that the consumable chip has correctly executed the affinity setting instruction, it determines that the first affinity information is the initial value.

[0250] Furthermore, if it is confirmed that the consumable chip correctly performs the setting operation for the second affinity information, then the first affinity information is set to its corresponding initial value. Typically, the initial value corresponding to the first affinity information is the same as the initial value corresponding to the second affinity information, so that the first affinity information and the second affinity information are adjusted to a matching state.

[0251] If it is determined that the consumable chip did not correctly perform the second intimacy information setting operation, then return to step S1103 to re-determine whether to execute the procedure of setting the second intimacy information to the initial value. It is understood that if the second intimacy information fails to be set multiple times, resulting in the number of times the second intimacy information is set to the initial value exceeding or equal to a threshold, an error message will be output.

[0252] Furthermore, after setting the first and second intimacy information, the consumable chip identity information, the first intimacy information, and the second intimacy information can be stored in a lookup table. For example, the set first and second intimacy information corresponding to the consumable chip identity information "IGKL0987654321-AF1" are stored in the lookup table shown in Table 3, and the resulting new lookup table is shown in Table 4.

[0253] Table 4:

[0254] Consumable chip identification information First level of intimacy information Second Intimacy Information ABCD1234567890-AF1 80 85 EFGH4567891234-AF1 30 30 IGKL0987654321-AF1 0 0

[0255] It should be noted that the consumable chip acquires information sent by the image forming apparatus, such as first intimacy information, data synchronization information, first indication information, second indication information, and intimacy setting instructions. This can be done by directly receiving information from the image forming apparatus or by acquiring it from an external device, such as a relay. Specifically, the relay or other external device first receives the information sent by the image forming apparatus, and then the consumable chip acquires the information from the relay or other external device. The specific method by which the consumable chip sends or outputs information to the image forming apparatus, such as outputting intimacy verification results, updated data, second intimacy information, etc., can be either by directly sending information to the image forming apparatus or by forwarding information to the image forming apparatus through an external device, such as a relay. In other words, the consumable chip first sends the information to the relay or other external device, and then the external device sends the information to the image forming apparatus.

[0256] Corresponding to the above embodiments, this application also provides a consumable chip.

[0257] See Figure 12 This is a structural block diagram of a consumable chip provided in an embodiment of this application. The consumable chip can be mounted on a consumable, which is detachably mounted on an image forming apparatus. Figure 12 As shown, the consumable chip includes a first control unit. In a specific implementation, the first control unit can be an MCU. The first control unit is used to: acquire first affinity information sent by the aforementioned image forming apparatus, the aforementioned first affinity information being used to characterize the degree of trust of the aforementioned image forming apparatus in the aforementioned consumable chip;

[0258] Obtain second intimacy information, which is used as a benchmark for verifying the matching with the first intimacy information.

[0259] Based on the aforementioned first intimacy information and the aforementioned second intimacy information, output the intimacy verification result;

[0260] The aforementioned intimacy verification results are related to the image forming apparatus's authentication process for the aforementioned consumable chip.

[0261] In one possible implementation, the level of trust corresponding to the aforementioned first level of intimacy information is negatively correlated with the duration of the aforementioned authentication process.

[0262] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned first control unit is used for:

[0263] By comparing the aforementioned first intimacy information and the aforementioned second intimacy information, the aforementioned intimacy verification result is obtained;

[0264] If the error between the aforementioned first intimacy information and the aforementioned second intimacy information is within a preset range, then the first intimacy verification result is output;

[0265] If the error between the aforementioned first intimacy information and the aforementioned second intimacy information is not within the preset range, then the second intimacy verification result will be output.

[0266] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned first control unit is used for:

[0267] If there is an error between the aforementioned first intimacy information and the aforementioned second intimacy information and the error is within a preset range, and the trust level corresponding to the aforementioned first intimacy is lower than the trust level corresponding to the aforementioned second intimacy information, then the aforementioned second intimacy information is updated based on the aforementioned first intimacy information.

[0268] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned first control unit is used for:

[0269] If there is an error between the aforementioned first intimacy information and the aforementioned second intimacy information and the error is within a preset range, and the trust level corresponding to the aforementioned second intimacy is lower than the trust level corresponding to the aforementioned first intimacy information, then the aforementioned second intimacy information is output, so that the aforementioned image forming apparatus updates the aforementioned first intimacy information based on the aforementioned second intimacy information.

[0270] In one possible implementation,

[0271] The aforementioned second intimacy verification result is used to determine whether to reset the aforementioned second intimacy information.

[0272] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned first control unit is used for:

[0273] Based on the intimacy reset command sent by the aforementioned image forming apparatus, the intimacy information corresponding to the aforementioned intimacy reset command is output.

[0274] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned first control unit is used for:

[0275] When the first preset event occurs, the aforementioned second intimacy information is updated according to the increasing trust level.

[0276] When the second preset event occurs, the aforementioned second intimacy information is updated according to the decreasing trust level.

[0277] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned first control unit is used for:

[0278] Based on the data synchronization information sent by the aforementioned image forming apparatus, updated data corresponding to the aforementioned data synchronization information is output, and the aforementioned updated data is used to trigger the aforementioned first preset event or the aforementioned second preset event.

[0279] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned first control unit is used for:

[0280] If the first instruction information is received, the second intimacy information is updated according to the increasing trust level. The aforementioned first instruction information is used to indicate that the aforementioned consumable chip has correctly updated the aforementioned data to be synchronized.

[0281] If a second indication is received, the second intimacy information is updated according to the decreasing trust level. The aforementioned second indication is used to indicate that the aforementioned consumable chip has not correctly updated the aforementioned data to be synchronized.

[0282] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned first control unit is used for:

[0283] The updated second intimacy information is output, and the updated second intimacy information is used to determine whether the consumable chip has been correctly updated.

[0284] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned first control unit is used to: set the aforementioned second intimacy information according to the intimacy setting instruction sent by the aforementioned image forming apparatus.

[0285] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned first control unit is used for:

[0286] The output of the aforementioned second intimacy information after setting is used to confirm whether the aforementioned consumable chip has been correctly set to the aforementioned second intimacy information.

[0287] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned first control unit is used for:

[0288] Obtain the aforementioned second intimate information from the first preset storage device, or obtain the associated information of the aforementioned second intimate information from the first preset storage device;

[0289] Wherein, the aforementioned first preset storage device is a storage device within the aforementioned consumable chip, or the aforementioned first preset storage device is an external storage device electrically connected to the aforementioned consumable chip.

[0290] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned intimacy setting instruction further includes: identity binding information; the aforementioned first control unit is also used to: set the identity binding information as consumable chip identity information.

[0291] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned first control unit is further configured to: set the identity binding information as consumable identity information according to the identity information setting instruction sent by the aforementioned image forming apparatus, wherein the aforementioned identity information setting instruction includes the aforementioned identity binding information.

[0292] It should be noted that the specific content involved in the embodiments of this application can be found in the description of the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0293] This application embodiment also provides a control device, including:

[0294] The first acquisition unit is used to acquire the first affinity information sent by the aforementioned image forming apparatus, wherein the first affinity information is used to characterize the degree of trust that the aforementioned image forming apparatus has in the aforementioned consumable chip.

[0295] The second acquisition unit is used to acquire second intimacy information, which is used as a matching verification benchmark with the first intimacy information.

[0296] The intimacy verification unit is used to obtain an intimacy verification result based on the aforementioned first intimacy information and the aforementioned second intimacy information;

[0297] The output unit is used to output the aforementioned intimacy verification results;

[0298] The aforementioned intimacy verification results are related to the image forming apparatus's authentication process for the aforementioned consumable chip.

[0299] In one possible implementation, the level of trust corresponding to the aforementioned first level of intimacy information is negatively correlated with the duration of the aforementioned authentication process.

[0300] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned output unit is specifically used for:

[0301] If the error between the aforementioned first intimacy information and the aforementioned second intimacy information is within a preset range, then the first intimacy verification result is obtained;

[0302] If the error between the aforementioned first intimacy information and the aforementioned second intimacy information is not within the preset range, then the second intimacy verification result is obtained.

[0303] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned control device further includes:

[0304] The first updating unit is configured to update the second intimacy information based on the first intimacy information if there is an error between the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information and the error is within a preset range, and the trust level corresponding to the first intimacy is lower than the trust level corresponding to the second intimacy information.

[0305] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned output unit is further used for:

[0306] If there is an error between the aforementioned first intimacy information and the aforementioned second intimacy information and the error is within a preset range, and the trust level corresponding to the aforementioned second intimacy is lower than the trust level corresponding to the aforementioned first intimacy information, then the aforementioned second intimacy information is output, so that the aforementioned image forming apparatus updates the aforementioned first intimacy information based on the aforementioned second intimacy information.

[0307] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned second intimacy verification result is used to determine whether to reset the aforementioned second intimacy information.

[0308] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned output unit is further used for:

[0309] Based on the intimacy reset command sent by the aforementioned image forming apparatus, the intimacy information corresponding to the aforementioned intimacy reset command is output.

[0310] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned control device further includes:

[0311] The second update unit is used to update the aforementioned second intimacy information according to the increasing trend of trust level when the first preset event occurs;

[0312] The third update unit is used to update the aforementioned second intimacy information according to the decreasing trust level when the second preset event occurs.

[0313] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned control device is used for:

[0314] Based on the data synchronization information sent by the aforementioned image forming apparatus, the aforementioned output unit outputs the updated data corresponding to the aforementioned data synchronization information, and the aforementioned updated data is used to trigger the aforementioned first preset event or the aforementioned second preset event.

[0315] In one possible implementation,

[0316] The aforementioned second update unit is specifically used to update the second intimacy information according to the increasing trend of trust level if the aforementioned control device receives the first instruction information. The aforementioned first instruction information is used to indicate that the aforementioned control device has correctly updated the aforementioned data to be synchronized.

[0317] The aforementioned third update unit is specifically used to update the second intimacy information according to the decreasing trust level if the aforementioned control device receives the second instruction information. The aforementioned second instruction information is used to indicate that the aforementioned control device has not correctly updated the aforementioned data to be synchronized.

[0318] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned output unit is further used for:

[0319] The updated second intimacy information is output, and the updated second intimacy information is used to determine whether the control device has correctly updated the second intimacy information.

[0320] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned control device further includes:

[0321] The setting unit is used to set the aforementioned second intimacy information according to the intimacy setting instruction sent by the aforementioned image forming apparatus.

[0322] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned output unit is further used for:

[0323] The output of the aforementioned second intimacy information after setting is used to confirm whether the aforementioned control device has correctly set the aforementioned second intimacy information.

[0324] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned second acquisition unit is specifically used to acquire the aforementioned second intimate information from the first preset storage device, or to acquire the associated information of the aforementioned second intimate information from the first preset storage device.

[0325] Wherein, the aforementioned first preset storage device is a storage device within the aforementioned consumable chip, or the aforementioned first preset storage device is an external storage device electrically connected to the aforementioned consumable chip.

[0326] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned intimacy setting instruction further includes: identity binding information; the aforementioned control device further includes:

[0327] The identity setting unit is used to set the aforementioned identity binding information as the consumable chip identity information.

[0328] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned control device further includes: an identity setting unit, which sets the identity binding information as consumable identity information using an identity information setting instruction sent by the aforementioned image forming apparatus, wherein the aforementioned identity information setting instruction includes the aforementioned identity binding information.

[0329] Specifically, in the embodiments of this application, the aforementioned first acquisition unit, second acquisition unit, intimacy verification unit, output unit, first update unit, second update unit, third update unit, setting unit, and identity setting unit can be implemented in software or in hardware, and the embodiments of this application do not limit this.

[0330] For example, the aforementioned intimacy verification unit is implemented in hardware, such as including an input unit, a logic comparison circuit, and an output unit. The logic comparison circuit can be composed of logic units such as AND gates, OR gates, NOT gates, and flip-flops.

[0331] The aforementioned first acquisition unit, second acquisition unit, output unit, first update unit, second update unit, third update unit, setting unit, and identity setting unit can be circuit units including devices such as FPGA, MCU, and DSP. The sending unit can also implement its function by building a specific waveform generator circuit. The acquisition unit and the determination unit can also implement their corresponding functions by building a digital logic calculator. This application does not further limit the specific implementation form of each unit.

[0332] In one possible implementation, at least one of the first acquisition unit, the second acquisition unit, the intimacy verification unit, the output unit, the first update unit, the second update unit, the third update unit, the setting unit, and the identity setting unit can be an external module electrically connected to the consumable chip, other than the consumable chip. That is, the aforementioned consumable includes the consumable chip and the external module electrically connected to the consumable chip.

[0333] In one possible implementation, the first acquisition unit, the second acquisition unit, the intimacy verification unit, the output unit, the first update unit, the second update unit, the third update unit, the setting unit, and the identity setting unit are not other units of an external module electrically connected to the consumable chip, but are directly included in the consumable chip.

[0334] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned first acquisition unit, second acquisition unit, intimacy verification unit, output unit, first update unit, second update unit, third update unit, setting unit, and identity setting unit are included in the first control unit of the consumable chip.

[0335] In one possible implementation, some of the aforementioned units—the first acquisition unit, second acquisition unit, intimacy verification unit, output unit, first update unit, second update unit, third update unit, setting unit, and identity setting unit—are located in the consumable chip, while the remaining units are located in a first chip that communicates with the consumable chip. Preferably, the first acquisition unit, second acquisition unit, output unit, and identity setting unit are located in the consumable chip, and the intimacy verification unit, first update unit, second update unit, third update unit, and setting unit are located in the first chip that communicates with the consumable chip. In some embodiments, the communication interface between the consumable chip and the first chip is a wired communication interface, preferably an I2C interface. In some embodiments, a switch controlled by the consumable chip is provided in the communication link between the consumable chip and the first chip and the image forming apparatus. When the consumable chip determines that the first chip needs to communicate with the image forming apparatus at the current stage, it connects the communication link between the first chip and the image forming apparatus through the switch, or keeps the communication link between the first chip and the image forming apparatus connected. When the consumable chip determines that the first chip needs to communicate with the image forming apparatus at the current stage, it connects the communication link between the first chip and the image forming apparatus through the switch. When the consumable chip determines that the first chip does not need to communicate with the image forming apparatus at the current stage, it disconnects the communication link between the first chip and the image forming apparatus through the switch.

[0336] It should be noted that, since there is a corresponding relationship between consumable chips and consumables, each unit of the control device can be set on the consumable chip, or be an external module electrically connected to the consumable chip, or be set in the first chip that communicates with the consumable chip. Therefore, the authentication of the consumable chip by the image forming apparatus can be understood as the authentication of the consumable. The trust between the image forming apparatus and the consumable chip can be understood as the trust between the image forming apparatus and the consumable. The trust of the image forming apparatus in the consumable chip can be understood as the trust of the image forming apparatus in the consumable. The trust of the consumable chip in the image forming apparatus can be understood as the trust of the consumable in the image forming apparatus.

[0337] Corresponding to the above embodiments, this application also provides a consumable.

[0338] This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a consumable provided in an embodiment of this application. The consumable includes a housing; a developer container located inside the housing for containing developer; and the control device described in the foregoing embodiments.

[0339] Furthermore, the consumable also includes a developer delivery element for delivering developer.

[0340] Furthermore, the consumable also includes a photosensitive drum and a charging roller for charging the photosensitive drum.

[0341] In one possible implementation, the consumable also includes a photosensitive drum; a charging roller for charging the photosensitive drum; and the control device described in the above embodiments.

[0342] It should be noted that the specific details of the control device can be found in the description of the above embodiments, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0343] See Figure 13 This is a structural block diagram of an image forming apparatus provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 13 As shown, the image forming apparatus includes a second control unit, which is configured to perform some or all of the methods performed by the image forming apparatus in the above method embodiments.

[0344] It should be noted that the specific content involved in the embodiments of this application can be found in the description of the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0345] Corresponding to the above embodiments, this application also provides a consumable.

[0346] See Figure 14 This is a structural schematic diagram of a consumable provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 14 As shown, the consumable includes a housing; a developer container located inside the housing for containing developer; and the consumable chip described in the above embodiments.

[0347] See Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of another consumable provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 15 As shown, this consumable is in Figure 14 The illustrated embodiment also includes a developer delivery element for delivering developer.

[0348] See Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of another consumable provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 16 As shown, this consumable is in Figure 15 The embodiment shown also includes a photosensitive drum and a charging roller for charging the photosensitive drum.

[0349] See Figure 17 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of another consumable provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 17 As shown, the consumable includes a photosensitive drum; a charging roller for charging the photosensitive drum; and the consumable chip described in the above embodiments.

[0350] It should be pointed out that, Figures 14-17 The specific details of the consumable chip in the illustrated embodiment can be found in the description of the above embodiment, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0351] Corresponding to the above embodiments, this application also provides an image forming system, which includes the consumables and image forming apparatus described in the above embodiments, wherein the image forming apparatus and the consumable chip are communicatively connected.

[0352] It should be noted that the specific content involved in the embodiments of this application can be found in the description of the above embodiments, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0353] Corresponding to the above embodiments, this application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium may store a program, wherein when the program runs, it can control the device where the computer-readable storage medium is located to execute some or all of the steps in the above method embodiments. In specific implementation, the computer-readable storage medium may be a magnetic disk, an optical disk, read-only memory (ROM), or random access memory (RAM), etc.

[0354] Corresponding to the above embodiments, this application also provides a computer program product containing executable instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform some or all of the steps in the above method embodiments.

[0355] In this application embodiment, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "more than one" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent the existence of A alone, the simultaneous existence of A and B, or the existence of B alone. A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" and similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, and c can represent: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0356] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps described in the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented using electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of electronic hardware and software. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0357] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0358] In the several embodiments provided in this application, any function, if implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0359] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the protection scope of this application. The protection scope of this application should be determined by the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An authentication method, characterized in that, include: Acquire first affinity information sent by the image forming apparatus, the first affinity information being used to characterize the degree of trust the image forming apparatus has in the consumables; A second level of intimacy information is obtained, which serves as a verification benchmark for the first level of intimacy information and is used to characterize the consumables' trust in the image forming apparatus. Based on the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information, an intimacy verification result is output, which is used to characterize the matching between the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information; The intimacy verification result is related to the authentication process of the consumables by the image forming apparatus.

2. The authentication method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The level of trust corresponding to the first level of intimacy information is negatively correlated with the duration of the authentication process.

3. The authentication method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of outputting the intimacy verification result based on the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information includes: By comparing the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information, the intimacy verification result is obtained; If the error between the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information is within a preset range, the first intimacy verification result is output. If the error between the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information is not within a preset range, the second intimacy verification result is output.

4. The authentication method according to claim 3, characterized in that, When the error between the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information is within a preset range, the output of the first intimacy verification result includes: If there is an error between the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information and the error is within a preset range, and the trust level corresponding to the first intimacy is lower than the trust level corresponding to the second intimacy information, then the second intimacy information is updated based on the first intimacy information.

5. The authentication method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The step of outputting the first intimacy verification result when the error between the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information is within a preset range further includes: If there is an error between the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information and the error is within a preset range, and the trust level corresponding to the second intimacy is lower than the trust level corresponding to the first intimacy information, then the second intimacy information is output, so that the image forming device updates the first intimacy information based on the second intimacy information.

6. The authentication method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The second intimacy verification result is used to determine whether the image forming apparatus resets the second intimacy information.

7. The authentication method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The authentication method further includes: Based on the intimacy reset command sent by the image forming apparatus, the intimacy information corresponding to the intimacy reset command is output.

8. The authentication method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The authentication method further includes: When the first preset event occurs, the second intimacy information is updated according to the increasing trust level. When the second preset event occurs, the second intimacy information is updated according to the decreasing trust level.

9. The authentication method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The authentication method further includes: Based on the data synchronization information sent by the image forming apparatus, update data corresponding to the data synchronization information is output, and the update data is used to trigger the first preset event or the second preset event.

10. The authentication method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The authentication method further includes: If the first indication information is received, the second intimacy information is updated according to the increasing trust level. The first indication information is used to indicate that the data to be synchronized has been updated correctly. If a second indication is received, the second intimacy information is updated according to the decreasing trust level trend. The second indication is used to indicate that the data to be synchronized has not been updated correctly.

11. The authentication method according to any one of claims 4 or 8, characterized in that, The authentication method further includes: Output the updated second intimacy information, which is used to determine whether the second intimacy information has been updated correctly.

12. The authentication method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The authentication method further includes: The second intimacy information is set according to the intimacy setting instruction sent by the image forming apparatus.

13. The authentication method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The authentication method further includes: Output the second intimacy information after setting. The second intimacy information after setting is used to confirm whether the second intimacy information is set correctly.

14. The authentication method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The intimacy setting instructions also include: identity binding information; The authentication method further includes setting the identity binding information as consumable identity information.

15. The authentication method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The authentication method further includes: The identity binding information is set as consumable identity information according to the identity information setting instruction sent by the image forming apparatus, wherein the identity information setting instruction includes the identity binding information.

16. A control device, characterized in that, include: The first acquisition unit is used to acquire first affinity information sent by the image forming apparatus, wherein the first affinity information is used to characterize the degree of trust of the image forming apparatus in the consumable chip; The second acquisition unit is used to acquire second intimacy information, which is used as a verification benchmark for the first intimacy information by the control device and is used to characterize the consumable's trust in the image forming device. The intimacy verification unit is used to obtain an intimacy verification result based on the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information, wherein the intimacy verification result is used to characterize the matching between the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information; The output unit is used to output the intimacy verification result; The intimacy verification result is related to the authentication process of the consumable chip by the image forming apparatus.

17. The control device according to claim 16, characterized in that, The level of trust corresponding to the first level of intimacy information is negatively correlated with the duration of the authentication process.

18. The control device according to claim 16, characterized in that, The output unit is specifically used for: If the error between the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information is within a preset range, then the first intimacy verification result is obtained; If the error between the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information is not within a preset range, then the second intimacy verification result is obtained.

19. The control device according to claim 18, characterized in that, The control device further includes: The first updating unit is configured to update the second intimacy information based on the first intimacy information if there is an error between the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information and the error is within a preset range, and the trust level corresponding to the first intimacy is lower than the trust level corresponding to the second intimacy information.

20. The control device according to claim 18, characterized in that, The output unit is also used for: If there is an error between the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information and the error is within a preset range, and the trust level corresponding to the second intimacy is lower than the trust level corresponding to the first intimacy information, then the second intimacy information is output, so that the image forming device updates the first intimacy information based on the second intimacy information.

21. The control device according to claim 18, characterized in that, The second intimacy verification result is used to determine whether the image forming apparatus resets the second intimacy information.

22. The control device according to claim 16, characterized in that, The output unit is also used for: Based on the intimacy reset command sent by the image forming apparatus, the intimacy information corresponding to the intimacy reset command is output.

23. The control device according to claim 16, characterized in that, The control device further includes: The second update unit is used to update the second intimacy information according to the increasing trend of trust level when the first preset event occurs; The third update unit is used to update the second intimacy information according to the decreasing trust level when the second preset event occurs.

24. The control device according to claim 23, characterized in that, The control device is used for: Based on the data synchronization information sent by the image forming apparatus, the output unit outputs the updated data corresponding to the data synchronization information, and the updated data is used to trigger the first preset event or the second preset event.

25. The control device according to claim 24, characterized in that, The second update unit is specifically used to update the second intimacy information according to the increasing trust level if the control device receives the first indication information. The first indication information is used to indicate that the control device has correctly updated the data to be synchronized. The second update unit is specifically used to update the second intimacy information according to the decreasing trust level if the control device receives the second indication information. The second indication information is used to indicate that the control device has not correctly updated the data to be synchronized.

26. The control device according to any one of claim 19 or 23, characterized in that, The output unit is also used for: The updated second intimacy information is output, and the updated second intimacy information is used to determine whether the control device has correctly updated the second intimacy information.

27. The control device according to claim 16, characterized in that, The control device further includes: The setting unit is used to set the second intimacy information according to the intimacy setting instruction sent by the image forming apparatus.

28. The control device according to claim 27, characterized in that, The output unit is also used for: The second intimacy information after setting is output, and the second intimacy information after setting is used to confirm whether the control device has correctly set the second intimacy information.

29. The control device according to claim 28, characterized in that, The intimacy setting instruction also includes: identity binding information; the control device also includes: The identity setting unit is used to set the identity binding information as consumable identity information.

30. The control device according to claim 16, characterized in that, The control device further includes: An identity setting unit is used to set identity binding information as consumable identity information according to an identity information setting instruction sent by the image forming apparatus, wherein the identity information setting instruction includes the identity binding information.

31. An authentication method applied to an image forming apparatus, wherein a consumable is mounted on the image forming apparatus, and a consumable chip is detachably mounted on the consumable, characterized in that... include: Sending first affinity information to the consumable chip causes the consumable chip to output affinity verification results, wherein the first affinity information is used to characterize the degree of trust that the image forming device has in the consumable; Obtain the intimacy verification result output by the consumable chip; If the obtained intimacy verification result includes a first verification result, then based on the first verification result, it is determined whether to execute an authentication process that matches the first intimacy information. The first verification result is used to characterize that the error between the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information is within a preset range. The second intimacy information is used as a verification benchmark for the first intimacy information and is used to characterize the consumable's trust in the image forming device.

32. The authentication method according to claim 31, characterized in that, Also includes: If the second intimacy information sent by the consumable chip is received, the first intimacy information is updated according to the second intimacy information.

33. The authentication method according to claim 31, characterized in that, Also includes: If the received intimacy verification result includes a second verification result, then it is determined whether the second intimacy information needs to be reset to its initial value based on the second verification result. The second verification result is used to characterize that the error between the first intimacy information and the second intimacy information exceeds a preset range.

34. The authentication method according to claim 33, characterized in that, The authentication method further includes: If it is determined that the second intimacy information needs to be reset to the initial value, then an intimacy reset command is sent to the consumable chip; The second intimacy information after being reset is obtained from the consumable chip, and the reset intimacy information is used to determine whether the consumable chip has correctly performed the resetting operation of the second intimacy information.

35. The authentication method according to claim 31, characterized in that, The authentication method further includes: When a third preset event occurs, the first intimacy information is updated according to the increasing trust level. When the fourth preset event occurs, the first intimacy information is updated according to the decreasing trust level.

36. The authentication method according to claim 35, characterized in that, Also includes: Send data synchronization information to the consumable chip; Obtain the updated data of the consumable chip; Based on the updated data, determine whether the consumable chip has correctly updated the data to be synchronized; The step of updating the first intimacy information according to the increasing trust level when a third preset event occurs includes: If it is determined that the consumable chip has correctly updated the data to be synchronized, a first indication message is sent to the consumable chip, wherein the first indication message is used to instruct the consumable chip to update the second intimacy information according to the trend of increasing trust level; Determine whether the consumable chip has correctly updated the second intimacy information; If the consumable chip has correctly updated the second intimacy information, then the first intimacy information is updated according to the increasing trust level. When a fourth preset event occurs, updating the first intimacy information according to a decreasing trust level includes: If the consumable chip fails to update the data to be synchronized correctly, a second instruction message is sent to the consumable chip, wherein the second instruction message is used to instruct the consumable chip to update the second intimacy information according to the decreasing trust level trend; Determine whether the consumable chip has correctly updated the second intimacy information; If the consumable chip has correctly updated the second intimacy information, then the first intimacy information is updated according to the decreasing trust level.

37. The authentication method according to claim 31, characterized in that, Before sending the first affinity information to the consumable chip, the following steps are included: Obtain the identity information of consumables; Based on the consumable identification information, determine whether a preset lookup table contains the consumable identification information. The lookup table is used to store the association between the consumable identification information and the first affinity information. If it is included, then the first intimacy information corresponding to the consumable identity information in the lookup table is determined to be the first intimacy information; If not included, a closeness setting instruction is sent to the consumable chip to instruct the consumable chip to set the second closeness information to the initial value; Determine whether the consumable chip has correctly executed the intimacy setting instruction; If the consumable chip has correctly executed the intimacy setting instruction, then the first intimacy information is determined to be the initial value.

38. The authentication method according to claim 37, characterized in that, Before sending the affinity setting instruction to the consumable chip to instruct the consumable chip to set the second affinity information to an initial value, the method further includes: generating identity binding information; The intimacy setting instruction also includes the identity binding information, and the intimacy setting instruction is also used to instruct the consumable chip to set the identity binding information as consumable identity information.

39. The authentication method according to claim 31, characterized in that, The identity setting unit sends an identity information setting instruction to cause the consumable chip to set the consumable identity information as identity binding information, wherein the identity information setting instruction includes the identity binding information.

40. An image forming apparatus, characterized in that, include: A second control unit is configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 31-39.

41. A consumable, characterized in that, include: case; A developer container, located inside the housing, is used to contain the developer; as well as The control device according to any one of claims 16 to 30.

42. The consumable according to claim 41, characterized in that, The consumables also include: A developer delivery element for delivering the developer.

43. The consumable according to claim 42, characterized in that, The consumables also include: Photosensitive drum; A charging roller is used to charge the photosensitive drum.

44. A consumable, characterized in that, The consumables also include: Photosensitive drum; A charging roller for charging the photosensitive drum; and The control device according to any one of claims 16 to 30.

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