Information processing device, and control method and program of the same

Abstract

To solve the problem in which, in an information processing device provided with both functions for displaying barcodes and displaying color inversions of a screen, when a barcode is also displayed with the color inversions, a barcode reader is unable to properly recognize the barcode.SOLUTION: Either a first mode for outputting an image in regular color information or a second mode for outputting the image by inverting the color information is set, and the image is determined whether or not to include a code image indicating a code. If the second mode is set and further the image is determined to include the code image, an image in which the image thereof other than the code image is inverted is outputted.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a control method thereof, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, many camera-equipped devices such as mobile terminals are equipped with a barcode reader function and can obtain information from barcodes such as QR (Quick Response) Codes (registered trademark). In addition, an increasing number of information processing devices such as printers can provide information using barcode data. For example, Patent Document 1 describes displaying wireless authentication information in a QR code.

[0003] Furthermore, some information processing devices are provided with a function for displaying the screen of an operation unit or the like in inverted colors as a function for realizing universal design. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-213294 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In an information processing device having both the above-mentioned functions of displaying a barcode and displaying a color inversion on the screen, it is considered that the barcode is displayed in a color inverted manner. Even if a mobile terminal tries to read the barcode displayed by the information processing device, there is a problem that the mobile terminal cannot correctly recognize the barcode because the barcode is inverted in color.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to solve the problems of the prior art.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a technique that enables an external device such as a mobile terminal to correctly recognize a code image even when an information processing device operates in a color inversion mode. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, an information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention has the following configuration. An information processing device, a setting means for setting either a first mode in which an image is output with standard color information or a second mode in which an image is output with inverted color information; A determination means for determining whether or not the image includes a code image showing a code; The image forming apparatus is characterized in having a control means that, when the second mode is set by the setting means and the determination means determines that the image contains the code image, controls the image to be output in which all parts of the image except the code image are inverted. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, even when the information processing device operates in a color inversion mode, the information processing device outputs a code image without inverting the code image, so that the code image can be correctly recognized by an external device such as a mobile terminal.

[0010] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar features throughout the drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a printing apparatus according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating functions of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a view showing an example of a setting screen displayed on an operation unit of the printing device according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] 11A and 11B are diagrams showing an example of a display screen when the printing device according to the embodiment provides authentication information for wireless communication using a QR code. [Figure 6] 6 is a flowchart for explaining a process performed when the printing device according to the first embodiment displays a screen on the operation unit. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart for explaining a process performed when a printing device according to a second embodiment displays a screen on an operation unit. [Figure 8] 11 is a flowchart for explaining a process performed when a printing device according to a third embodiment creates a screen from screen components, and then performs color inversion processing and displays the entire screen at once. [Figure 9] FIG. 13A shows an example of an image of a screen created in the third embodiment, and FIG. 13B shows an example of the display thereof. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention, and not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the present invention.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] A printing device 101, which is an information processing device, has a wireless communication function and is capable of network communication with a mobile terminal 102, an access point 103, and a PC 104. This network communication is not limited to wireless communication, and may be wired communication.

[0015] In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the printing device 101 provides the mobile terminal 102 with information for establishing network communication between the two devices using a QR code. Note that the information that the printing device 101 provides using the QR code is not limited to information related to the network.

[0016] Furthermore, the printing device 101 has two display modes on the operation unit 205 (FIG. 2): a normal display mode that displays the screen without inverting the standard color information, and a color inversion display mode that displays the screen with inverted color information. The color inversion display mode is a mode that provides inverted display colors on the screen for users with idiosyncratic color vision, and is intended to improve visibility for such users.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the printing device 101 according to the embodiment.

[0018] The CPU 201 controls the overall operation of the printing device 101. The CPU 201 executes a boot program stored in the ROM 202, expands a program and an OS stored in the HDD 204 into the RAM 203, and controls the operation of the printing device 101 by executing the expanded program. The RAM 203 is a volatile memory used by the CPU 201 as a work area for executing various programs. The HDD (hard disk drive) 204 stores various control programs, various setting information such as the SSID and wireless authentication key of the printing device 101, and data corresponding to parts (screen components) for configuring a screen including a QR code. The operation unit 205 has a display unit with a touch panel function that can be operated by a user, and displays an operation screen in either a normal display mode or a color inversion display mode. The printer unit 206 prints an image on a paper (sheet) according to image data transferred via an internal bus. The network I / F (interface) 207 has a NIC (Network Interface Card) for connecting to a network, and has a wireless communication function. This allows the printing apparatus 101 to communicate with external devices such as the mobile terminal 102 via the network I / F 207. The NFC I / F 208 is a chip equipped with an NFC (Near Field Communication) communication function. The Bluetooth (registered trademark) I / F 209 is a chip equipped with a Bluetooth communication function.

[0019] 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating functions of the printing device 101 according to the embodiment. The functions of the units illustrated in FIG.

[0020] These functions include an operation control unit 310, a setting control unit 320, an application unit 330, and a communication control unit 340. The operation control unit 310 has a display control unit 311 and an operation notification unit 312. The display control unit 311 performs a process of displaying a screen for the operation unit 205. The display control unit 311 also executes a process of displaying a screen using screen components, a color inversion process of the screen components, and the like. The operation notification unit 312 performs an input process for information input via the operation unit 205.

[0021] The setting control unit 320 includes a setting storage unit 321 and a setting acquisition unit 322. The setting storage unit 321 performs processing for writing setting data to the HDD 204. The setting acquisition unit 322 performs processing for reading out setting data stored in the ROM 202 or the HDD 204.

[0022] Application unit 330 is, for example, an application that generates a QR code. Barcode generation unit 331 generates barcode data based on an instruction from operation control unit 310. This barcode data is generated based on setting data acquired from setting control unit 320, and the generated barcode data is stored in HDD 204 via setting control unit 320.

[0023] The communication control unit 340 controls the network I / F 207. The connection control unit 341 performs connection processing with the mobile terminal 102 and the access point 103 in accordance with instructions from the operation control unit 310.

[0024] [Embodiment 1] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen displayed on the operation unit 205 of the printing apparatus 101 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Fig. 4(A) shows an example of a setting screen for setting the color inversion display mode of the screen. Via this screen, the operator can set either the normal display mode or the color inversion display mode. When the operator selects the ON button 401 on this screen, the color inversion display mode is set and the printing device 101 operates in the color inversion display mode, and when the operator selects the OFF button 402, the normal display mode is set and the printing device 101 operates in the normal display mode. In Fig. 4(A), when the OK button 403 is pressed, the settings on this screen are stored in the HDD 204 as setting information, and when the cancel button 404 is pressed, the settings on this screen are canceled.

[0026] 5A and 5B are diagrams showing examples of display screens when the printing apparatus 101 according to the first embodiment provides authentication information for wireless communication using a QR code. These screens are all displayed on the operation unit 205.

[0027] Fig. 5(A) shows an example of a screen displayed on the operation unit 205 when the printing device 101 is in normal display mode. Fig. 5(B) shows an example of a screen displayed on the operation unit 205 when the printing device 101 is in color inversion display mode. Here, in either display mode, the QR code 501 is displayed without color inversion. Note that, although a QR code is exemplified as a code in the first embodiment, the codes handled by the printing device 101 are not limited to QR codes. The first embodiment can be applied to the case where an image indicating a code such as a barcode or a QR code is displayed or printed.

[0028] This screen is composed of a combination of multiple screen components. For example, the screen shown in Fig. 5 (A) and (B) includes five screen components: a QR code 501, a background 502, a title 503, network information 504, and a message 505.

[0029] Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment, an example will be described in which the CPU 201 functions as the display control unit 311 and performs color inversion processing for each screen component to display a screen in a color inversion display mode.

[0030] 6 is a flowchart for explaining a process when the printing device 101 according to the first embodiment displays a screen on the operation unit 205. This process is realized by the CPU 201 loading a program stored in the HDD 204 into the RAM 203 and executing the loaded program.

[0031] First, in S601, the CPU 201 functions as the operation notification unit 312, and upon detecting that the operator has operated the operation unit 205, determines whether an event has occurred that transitions the screen displayed on the operation unit 205 to another screen. Upon detecting the occurrence of this event, the process proceeds to S602, where the CPU 201 functions as the setting acquisition unit 322, and acquires the screen components to be displayed on the transition destination screen.

[0032] Next, the process proceeds to S603, where the CPU 201 determines whether the normal display mode or the color inversion display mode is set. Here, the setting information set on the setting screen of Fig. 4(A) and stored in the HDD 204 is acquired, and the determination is made based on the setting information. If the CPU 201 determines in S603 that the color inversion display mode is set, the process proceeds to S604, and if not, that is, if the CPU 201 determines that the normal display mode is set, the process proceeds to S607.

[0033] In S604, the CPU 201 determines whether the destination screen includes a code image such as a QR code. If it is determined that the code image such as QR data is included, the process proceeds to S605, and if not, the process proceeds to S606. In S605, the CPU 201 functions as the display control unit 311 and performs color inversion of the screen components other than the code image. This color inversion is achieved by converting each value representing RGB of each pixel of the screen component into a bit-inverted value. For example, if a value represents 256 gradations in 8 bits, the bit-inverted value is the value obtained by subtracting "256" from the original data. On the other hand, if it is determined that the destination screen does not include a code image such as a QR code, the process proceeds to S606 and performs color inversion of all screen components. The color inversion process of the screen components is performed by the CPU 201 for each screen component. When the process for the screen component is thus completed in S605 or S606, the process proceeds to S607, where the CPU 201 functions as the display control unit 311 and creates a screen using each screen component for which the process has been completed. The process then proceeds to S608, where the CPU 201 functions as the display control unit 311 to display the screen created in S607 on the operation unit 205, and this process ends.

[0034] If the CPU 201 determines in S603 that the normal display mode is selected, the process proceeds to S607, where the CPU 201 creates a screen using the screen components without executing color inversion processing. Then, in S608, the CPU 201 displays a screen on the operation unit 205 that does not display the screen components inverted, and ends this process.

[0035] In the first embodiment, the pixel data is 8 bits and expresses 256 gradations, but in another embodiment, color inversion may be performed using another algorithm. Also, the color space is not limited to RGB, and may be other color spaces such as CMYK or HSV.

[0036] As described above, according to the first embodiment, even when the color inversion display mode is set, a code image such as a QR code can be displayed without being inverted.

[0037] [Embodiment 2] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the second embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4(B), when the color inversion display mode is set, it is possible to select whether to display a code image such as a QR code without inverting it, or to determine and display it. Note that the configuration and system configuration of the printing device 101 according to the second embodiment are similar to those of the first embodiment described above, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0038] Fig. 4(B) shows an example of a setting screen for individually setting whether or not to perform color inversion on the code image according to the second embodiment. When the color inversion display mode is set on the screen of Fig. 4(A), a screen for setting whether or not to perform color inversion on the code image is displayed on the operation unit 205. When the "Yes" button 405 is selected here, it is set to perform color inversion on the code image, and when the "No" button 406 is selected, it is set to display the code image without color inversion. In Fig. 4(B) as in Fig. 4(A), when the OK button 403 is pressed, the setting on this screen is stored in the HDD 204 as setting information, and when the cancel button 404 is pressed, the setting on this screen is canceled.

[0039] Fig. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the process when the printing device 101 according to the second embodiment displays a screen on the operation unit 205. This process is realized by the CPU 201 loading a program stored in the HDD 204 into the RAM 203 and executing the loaded program. In Fig. 7, parts common to the flowchart in Fig. 6 described above are indicated by the same symbols, and their explanation will be omitted.

[0040] Here, if the color inversion display mode is set and the transition destination screen includes a code image such as a QR code, the process proceeds to S701. In S701, CPU 201 determines whether or not the setting is made to invert the code image on the screen of FIG. 4B, based on the setting information stored in HDD 204. If the setting is made to invert the color of the code image, the process proceeds to S606, where color inversion is performed for all screen components. On the other hand, if the setting is not made to invert the color of the code image, the process proceeds to S605, where color inversion is performed for screen components other than the code image.

[0041] According to the second embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, even if the color inversion display mode is set, a code image such as a QR code can be displayed without inversion.

[0042] [Embodiment 3] Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this third embodiment, a case will be described in which a screen in a color inversion display mode is configured by a display control unit 311 performing color inversion processing collectively on a screen configured from each screen component. Note that the configuration and system configuration of the printing device 101 according to the third embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment described above, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0043] 8 is a flowchart for explaining the process when the printing device 101 according to the third embodiment configures a screen from screen components, and then performs color inversion processing and displays the entire screen at once. Note that this process is realized by the CPU 201 loading a program stored in the HDD 204 onto the RAM 203 and executing the loaded program.

[0044] In addition, in FIG. 8, the processes of S801 to S804 are the same as those of S601 to S604 in the flowchart of FIG. 6 described above, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

[0045] If the CPU 201 determines in S804 that the transition destination screen is in color inversion display mode and contains a code image such as a QR code, the process proceeds to S805. In S805, the CPU 201 replaces the screen component that is the code image with a screen component of a color-inverted code image. The process then proceeds to S806, where a screen is created that includes a screen component that contains the color-inverted code image.

[0046] 9A is a diagram showing an example of the image of the screen created in S806 at this time. Here, only the screen component, which is the QR code 901, is displayed with color inversion, and the other screen components are displayed without color inversion. Note that the color-inverted QR code screen component may be created in advance at any timing, such as when the printing device 101 is started up.

[0047] Thus, in S806, the CPU 201 functions as the display control unit 311, and configures a screen using each screen component, and then the process proceeds to S807. In S807, the CPU 201 determines whether the color inversion display mode is set, as in S803, and if so, proceeds to S808, where it performs color inversion processing on the screen configured in S806 all at once. This completes the configuration of the screen in the color inversion display mode, and a screen including a QR code 902 that is not color inverted can be configured, for example, as shown in Fig. 9(B). Then, the process proceeds to S809, where the CPU 201 functions as the display control unit 311, and displays a screen configured for the normal display mode or the color inversion display mode on the display unit of the operation unit 205, and this process ends.

[0048] According to the third embodiment, by configuring the screen with image components in which the code image has been color-inverted in advance, such as the QR code 901, the code image can be displayed without color inversion even when the color of the entire screen is inverted all at once.

[0049] In the third embodiment, similarly to the second embodiment, when the color inversion display mode is set, a configuration may be provided that allows the user to select whether to display a code image such as a QR code without inverting it or to display it inverted. In that case, the determination process of S701 in Fig. 7 is inserted between S804 and S805 in the flowchart in Fig. 8. Then, when the code image is set not to be inverted on the screen in Fig. 4(B), the process may proceed to S805.

[0050] In the above-mentioned first to third embodiments, the case where a screen is displayed has been described, but it goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to the case where an image including a code image is printed with color inversion.

[0051] (Other embodiments) The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more of the functions.

[0052] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 101 Printing device, 205... Operation unit, 201... CPU, 401... ON button, 402... OFF button, 405... "Yes" button, 406... "No" button, 501, 901... QR code

Claims

1. An information processing device, a setting means for setting either a first mode in which an image is output with standard color information or a second mode in which an image is output with inverted color information; A determination means for determining whether or not the image includes a code image showing a code; a control means for controlling, when the setting means sets the second mode and the determination means determines that the image includes the code image, to output an image in which the parts of the image other than the code image are inverted; 13. An information processing device comprising:

2. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the second mode, the control means executes color inversion processing for each component constituting the image.

3. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the second mode, the control means executes color inversion processing collectively on the components that make up the image.

4. 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the color inversion process is a process of converting each value representing RGB of each pixel of the component into a bit-inverted value.

5. The apparatus further includes an instruction unit for instructing whether or not to output the code image in the second mode with a color inversion, 5. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein, when the instruction means instructs the code image to be output in a color-inverted manner, the control means outputs an image in which the parts of the image other than the code image are inverted.

6. 6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the code image includes a barcode or a QR code.

7. Further comprising a display means, 7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means outputs the image to the display means for display.

8. Further comprising a printing means, 7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means outputs the image to the printing means for printing.

9. A control method for controlling an information processing device, comprising: a setting step of setting either a first mode in which an image is output with standard color information or a second mode in which an image is output with inverted color information; a determining step of determining whether the image includes a code image showing a code; a control step of controlling the image output device to output an image in which the part of the image other than the code image is inverted when the second mode is set in the setting step and the determination step determines that the code image is included; 13. A method for controlling an information processing apparatus comprising the steps of:

10. A program for causing a computer to function as each of the means of the information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

Images