Electronic device and communication method

Abstract

To provide an electronic apparatus and the like that can achieve authentication processing without using pairing.SOLUTION: An electronic apparatus 20 includes a communication unit 40 that wirelessly communicates with a terminal device 60 by Bluetooth and a processing unit 22 that controls the communication unit 40. The processing unit 22 determines a command received via the communication unit 40 without performing authentication by pairing with the terminal device 60, performs authentication processing when determining that the command is an authentication request command, and performs processing of transmitting a NACK response to the terminal device 60 via the communication unit 40 when determining that the command is a command other than the authentication request command.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic device, a communication method, and the like. [Background technology]

[0002] The Bluetooth (Bluetooth is a registered trademark) standard prescribes pairing as a means of authentication. In pairing, a link key, which is an encryption key, is generated, exchanged, and stored between the master and slave. Storing the link key is also called bonding. During communication, encryption is performed using this link key. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses Bluetooth pairing in which authentication is performed by the user entering a PIN code. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-12945 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, pairing that requires authentication using a passkey or the like has the problem of making user operations cumbersome. Furthermore, no method has been proposed that can achieve appropriate authentication processing without using such pairing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure relates to an electronic device that includes a communication unit that performs wireless communication with a terminal device via Bluetooth, and a processing unit that controls the communication unit, wherein the processing unit determines a command received via the communication unit without performing authentication by pairing with the terminal device, and if it determines that the command is an authentication request command, performs authentication processing, and if it determines that the command is a command other than the authentication request command, performs processing to send a NACK response to the terminal device via the communication unit.

[0006] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a communication method for performing wireless communication via Bluetooth with a terminal device using a communication unit, which determines a command received via the communication unit without performing authentication via Bluetooth pairing with the terminal device, and if it is determined that the command is an authentication request command, performs authentication processing, and if it is determined that the command is a command other than the authentication request command, performs processing to send a NACK response to the terminal device via the communication unit. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 2 shows an example of the configuration of an electronic device according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 shows an example of a colorimeter, which is an example of an electronic device. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of authentication processing using a unique protocol. [Figure 9] 4 is a flowchart illustrating a processing example of the present embodiment. [Figure 10] 4 is a flowchart illustrating a processing example of the present embodiment. [Figure 11]FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of state transitions in the processing of the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] The present embodiment described below does not unduly limit the contents described in the claims. Furthermore, not all of the configurations described in the present embodiment are necessarily essential configurations.

[0009] 1.Electronic equipment Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an electronic device 20 according to the present embodiment. The electronic device 20 includes a processing unit 22 and a communication unit 40. The electronic device 20 may further include an operation unit 13, a storage unit 30, and a display unit 36. Note that the electronic device 20 is not limited to the configuration shown in Fig. 1, and various modifications are possible, such as omitting some of the components and adding other components.

[0010] The processing unit 22 performs control processing of each part of the electronic device 20 and each processing of the present embodiment. For example, the processing unit 22 performs control processing of the communication unit 40. The processing unit 22 also performs input processing of operation information from the operation unit 13, reading processing of information from the storage unit 30, writing processing of information to the storage unit 30, display processing of information on the display unit 36, and the like. The processing unit 22 can be realized by a processor. For example, each processing of the present embodiment can be realized by a processor that operates based on information such as a program, and a memory that stores information such as a program. The memory is the storage unit 30. The processor may, for example, realize the functions of each part by individual hardware, or may realize the functions of each part by integrated hardware. For example, the processor includes hardware, and the hardware may include at least one of a circuit that processes a digital signal and a circuit that processes an analog signal. For example, the processor may be configured by one or more circuit devices mounted on a circuit board, or one or more circuit elements. The processor may, for example, be a CPU (Central Processing Unit). However, the processor is not limited to a CPU, and various processors such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) can be used. The processor may also be a hardware circuit using an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The processor may also include an amplifier circuit or a filter circuit that processes analog signals.

[0011] The operation unit 13 is an operation interface for inputting user operation information. The operation unit 13 can be realized by an operation device. Taking FIG. 2 described later as an example, the operation unit 13 can be realized by operation devices such as a color measurement button 14, a cross key 15, a power button 16, and a back button 17. However, the operation devices that realize the operation unit 13 are not limited to these operation devices.

[0012] The storage unit 30 stores various information. For example, the storage unit 30 stores programs and data. In the identification information storage area 32 of the storage unit 30, identification information realized by, for example, a GUID (Globally Unique Identifier) ​​is stored. The storage unit 30 functions as, for example, a work area for the processing unit 22 and the communication unit 40. For example, the storage unit 30, which is a memory, may be a semiconductor memory such as an SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), or a non-volatile memory, or may be a register, or may be a hard disk device, etc. For example, the storage unit 30, which is a memory, stores instructions that can be read by a computer, and the instructions are executed by the processing unit 22, which is a processor, to realize the processing of each part of the processing unit 22. The instructions here may be an instruction set that constitutes a program, or may be an instruction that instructs a hardware circuit of the processor to operate.

[0013] The display unit 36 ​​displays various information to the user. The display unit 36 ​​can be realized by various displays such as a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, etc. The display unit 36 ​​displays, for example, information necessary for the user to operate the electronic device 20, various status information of the electronic device 20, etc.

[0014] The communication unit 40 is a communication interface that performs wireless or wired communication with an external device such as the terminal device 60. The communication unit 40 can be realized by, for example, hardware such as a communication ASIC or a communication processor, or communication firmware. In this embodiment, the processing unit 22 performs control processing of communication such as information transmission processing and reception processing on the communication unit 40, so that the communication unit 40 transmits information to the external device and receives information from the external device. The communication unit 40 communicates with an external device such as the terminal device 60 by short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth. Specifically, the communication unit 40 communicates with the external device by wireless communication of the BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) standard. Note that various versions of the Bluetooth standard, such as Ver. 4.X, Ver. 5.0, or further developed standards, can be adopted. The communication unit 40 may also be configured to communicate with an external device by wireless communication of other standards such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The communication unit 40 may also perform wired communication according to a standard such as USB.

[0015] The electronic device 20 is communicatively connected to a terminal device 60. The terminal device 60 is a communication terminal capable of wirelessly communicating information, and is realized by, for example, a smartphone or a tablet PC (Personal Computer). The terminal device 60 is communicatively connected to the electronic device 20 by, for example, Bluetooth wireless communication. The terminal device 60 has a terminal display unit 66 as shown in FIG. 2 described later, and is also provided with an operation device such as an operation button. The terminal display unit 66 is, for example, a touch panel, and the user performs various operations by touching the terminal display unit 66 which is a touch panel. Similarly to the electronic device 20, the terminal device 60 can include a communication unit that performs communication such as Bluetooth, a terminal processing unit that performs various processes, and a terminal storage unit that stores various information.

[0016] Thus, the electronic device 20 of the present embodiment includes a communication unit 40 that performs wireless communication with the terminal device 60 via Bluetooth, and a processing unit 22 that controls the communication unit 40. The processing unit 22 judges a command received from the terminal device 60 via the communication unit 40. For example, the processing unit 22 judges a command received via the communication unit 40 without performing authentication by pairing with the terminal device 60. Without performing authentication by pairing means, for example, not generating or exchanging a link key by Bluetooth pairing, and for example, performing communication in unencrypted plain text. The command judgment process is performed by the command judgment unit 24 of the processing unit 22. Then, when the processing unit 22 judges that the received command is an authentication request command, it performs authentication processing. For example, the processing unit 22 performs authentication processing to confirm whether the terminal device 60 with which a communication connection is established via Bluetooth is a legitimate connection destination device. This authentication process is performed by the authentication processing unit 26 of the processing unit 22. On the other hand, when the processing unit 22 judges that the received command is a command other than an authentication request command, it performs processing to transmit a NACK response to the terminal device 60 via the communication unit 40. For example, the processing unit 22 performs a process of transmitting a NACK (Negative ACKnowledgement) response, which is a negative reply sent from the receiving side to the transmitting side, to the terminal device 60. For example, the processing unit 22 performs a process of transmitting a NACK response to the terminal device 60 to inform the terminal device 60 that the received command cannot be processed as a valid command by an authenticated device. This process of transmitting the NACK response is performed by the communication processing unit 28 of the processing unit 22. The process of transmitting information is the processing unit 22 controlling the communication unit 40 to transmit information via the communication unit 40, and the process of receiving information is the processing unit 22 controlling the communication unit 40 to receive information via the communication unit 40.

[0017] Furthermore, when the user selects to permit connection with the terminal device 60, the processing unit 22 performs processing to transmit an authentication permission response to the terminal device 60. When the user selects not to permit connection with the terminal device 60 or when a timeout occurs, the processing unit 22 performs processing to transmit an authentication rejection response to the terminal device 60. In this case, the selection by the user to permit or reject the connection may be performed using a selection screen (described later) displayed on the display unit 36, may be performed by voice input, or may be performed by an operating device such as a physical operating button provided on the electronic device 20.

[0018] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a colorimeter 10, which is an example of an electronic device 20. The colorimeter 10 is communicatively connected to a terminal device 60 by wireless communication such as Bluetooth. As shown in Fig. 2, the colorimeter 10 has, for example, a substantially cubic shape, and is provided with a display unit 36, a colorimeter button 14, and a cross key 15 on its upper surface. In addition, a power button 16 and a back button 17 are also provided on the upper surface of the colorimeter 10. In addition, a colorimeter unit 12 is provided on the lower surface of the colorimeter 10.

[0019] The display unit 36 ​​is realized by, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display, and displays various information to the user. The color measurement button 14 is an operation device that allows the user to instruct the colorimeter 10 to perform color measurement. For example, when the user presses the color measurement button 14, the colorimeter 10 performs color measurement using the color measurement unit 12. The cross key 15 is an operation device that allows the user to instruct directions such as up, down, left, and right. The power button 16 is a button for turning the power of the colorimeter 10 on and off. The back button 17 is a button for performing a back operation, which is also called a back operation.

[0020] The colorimetric unit 12 is realized by a colorimetric sensor, and has, for example, a substantially circular shape in plan view. For example, the colorimetric unit 12 measures the color of a target color printed on a print medium, and outputs a colorimetric value that is a result of the colorimetric measurement. For example, a spectroscopic sensor can be used as the colorimetric sensor. The spectroscopic sensor is, for example, a sensor that measures a reflected spectroscopic spectrum. Specifically, the spectroscopic sensor can be realized by a light source realized by, for example, an LED, an optical filter that selects and switches the wavelength of the reflected light, which is light from the light source reflected on a measurement surface, and a light receiving device that measures the amount of reflected light that has passed through the optical filter. The optical filter can be an etalon, which is a wavelength filter that utilizes multiple interference between two opposing reflecting surfaces. The colorimetric sensor that realizes the colorimetric unit 12 is not limited to such a spectroscopic sensor, and the colorimetric sensor may be realized by, for example, an image sensor.

[0021] The electronic device 20 of the present embodiment is not limited to the colorimeter 10 as shown in Fig. 2. For example, the electronic device 20 may be an image forming device such as a printer or scanner, a wearable device such as a head mounted display, a watch or a wrist computer, an audio device such as a music player or headphones, a biometric measuring device that measures biometric information, a mobile information terminal such as a mobile game terminal, a projector, or a robot.

[0022] 2. Authentication process using the authentication request command In Bluetooth, pairing is performed between devices. For example, the first type of pairing is pairing without authentication operation and without user operation. The first type of pairing has the advantage that the user operation is not required on the destination device, but has the disadvantages that troubles may occur when reconnecting due to the encryption key being deleted on the source or destination device, and that there is no authentication function. The second type of pairing is pairing that requires authentication operation and checks the passkey. In the second type of pairing, a six-digit number is displayed on the source device, and the destination device checks whether the number string matches and performs an operation to allow or deny. The second type of pairing has the advantage that there is an authentication function, but has the disadvantages that troubles may occur when reconnecting as described above and that the user must check the number string of the passkey. The third type of pairing is pairing that requires authentication operation and inputs the passkey. In the third type of pairing, a six-digit number is displayed as a passkey on the source device, and the destination device inputs the number string. The third type of pairing has the advantage of having an authentication function, but it has the disadvantages of causing the above-mentioned reconnection problems and requiring the user to enter a numeric passkey string.

[0023] Up until now, no method has been proposed for realizing authentication processing without using Bluetooth pairing. Therefore, this embodiment shows an electronic device 20 and a communication method that can realize authentication processing without using pairing. Specifically, in the communication method of this embodiment, the electronic device 20 judges a command received via the communication unit 40 without performing authentication with the terminal device 60 by Bluetooth pairing. Then, when the electronic device 20 judges that the command is an authentication request command, it performs authentication processing, and when it judges that the command is a command other than the authentication request command, it performs processing to transmit a NACK response to the terminal device 60 via the communication unit 40. In this way, when the received command is a command other than the authentication request command, a NACK response is returned, so that authentication processing without using pairing can be realized.

[0024] 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 are explanatory diagrams of the process of this embodiment. In FIG. 3, a wireless connection is established between the electronic device 20 and the terminal device 60 by Bluetooth. This wireless connection is a Bluetooth connection without pairing. A Bluetooth connection without pairing is a connection without security at the level of Bluetooth Low Energy, for example. In this embodiment, Bluetooth and Bluetooth Low Energy are appropriately described as BLE. After the Bluetooth connection without pairing is established, the terminal device 60 transmits an authentication request command, and the electronic device 20 receives this authentication request command. When the electronic device 20 determines that it has received the authentication request command, it displays a selection screen, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, on the display unit 36. In this selection screen, the user can select whether to permit or reject the connection with the terminal device 60. In FIG. 3, the user selects permit, so the electronic device 20 transmits an authentication permission response to the terminal device 60. This makes it possible for the terminal device 60 and the electronic device 20 to establish a connection between them through, for example, authentication processing using a unique protocol, without requiring authentication through pairing.

[0025] 4, after a Bluetooth connection without pairing is established, an authentication request command is sent and a selection screen is displayed on the electronic device 20, but the user selects to reject the connection with the terminal device 60 on this selection screen. In this case, the electronic device 20 transmits an authentication rejection response to the terminal device 60. This allows the user to reject the authentication request by their own operation even when an authentication request command is received from the terminal device 60.

[0026] In Fig. 5, after a Bluetooth connection is established without pairing, the terminal device 60 transmits a command other than the authentication request command before authentication by the authentication request command is successful. In this case, the electronic device 20 transmits a NACK response to the terminal device 60. In this way, the electronic device 20 can return a NACK response, which is a negative response, to the terminal device 60 that has transmitted a command and requested processing of the command in a state in which authentication by the authentication request command has not been successful. For example, the electronic device 20 can transmit to the terminal device 60 that the command is an unauthorized command. In this way, appropriate authentication processing can be achieved without using pairing.

[0027] In FIG. 6, the second or subsequent Bluetooth connection is being made between the electronic device 20 and the terminal device 60. That is, the electronic device 20 has been successfully authenticated with the terminal device 60 in the past by an authentication request command, and after disconnecting the Bluetooth connection, the second or subsequent Bluetooth connection is made again with the terminal device 60 that has already been authenticated with the electronic device 20. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, the electronic device 20 transmits an authentication permission response to the terminal device 60 without displaying a selection screen such as that shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 4 on the display unit 36. In this way, in the second or subsequent Bluetooth connection, the user does not need to perform a selection operation such as permission on the selection screen, so that the user operation can be simplified and the user's convenience is improved. Specifically, when the electronic device 20 is successful in authentication with the terminal device 60 by an authentication request command, the electronic device 20 stores the identification information of the terminal device 60 as stored identification information in the identification information storage area 32 of FIG. 1. Then, in the second or subsequent Bluetooth connection with the terminal device 60 after the electronic device 20 has disconnected the Bluetooth connection with the terminal device 60, the electronic device 20 judges whether or not the identification information included in the authentication request command from the terminal device 60 matches the stored identification information in the identification information storage area 32. If the electronic device 20 judges that the identification information included in the authentication request command matches the stored identification information, it transmits an authentication permission response to the terminal device 60 without performing a process of displaying a selection screen on the display unit 36. This eliminates the need for the user to perform an input operation on the selection screen, improving user convenience.

[0028] In FIG. 7, the electronic device 20 establishes a Bluetooth connection with another terminal device 70 without pairing after disconnecting the Bluetooth connection with the authenticated terminal device 60. Then, the other terminal device 70 transmits an authentication request command, and the electronic device 20 receives the authentication request command. In FIG. 7, the disconnected Bluetooth connection between the electronic device 20 and the terminal device 60 is represented as a previous BLE connection. Also, in FIG. 7, the Bluetooth connection between the electronic device 20 and the other terminal device 70 is represented as a current BLE connection. In this case, the electronic device 20 displays a selection screen on the display unit 36 ​​for the user to select whether or not to permit the connection with the other terminal device 70. Then, when the user selects permit on this selection screen, an authentication permission response is transmitted to the other terminal device 70, and the other terminal device 70 is authenticated. Specifically, since the authentication with the terminal device 60 has been successful as described above, the identification information of the terminal device 60 is stored as stored identification information in the identification information storage area 32, but the identification information of the other terminal device 70 is not stored. Therefore, the electronic device 20 judges that the authentication information included in the authentication request command from the other terminal device 70 does not match the stored identification information in the identification information storage area 32, and displays a selection screen for performing authentication processing of the other terminal device 70 on the display unit 36. Alternatively, even if the stored identification information in the identification information storage area 32 is lost for some reason, the electronic device 20 displays a selection screen for performing authentication processing of the other terminal device 70 on the display unit 36. In this way, when the identification information included in the authentication request command does not match the stored identification information or when the stored identification information is lost, the electronic device 20 can perform appropriate authentication processing for the other terminal device 70. Note that, when only one stored identification information can be stored in the identification information storage area 32, if the authentication of the other terminal device 70 in FIG. 7 is successful, another authentication processing using the selection screen is required for the terminal device 60.

[0029] As described above, in this embodiment, the processing unit 22 of the electronic device 20 judges a command received via the communication unit 40 without performing authentication by pairing with the terminal device 60. Then, when the processing unit 22 judges that the command is an authentication request command as shown in FIG. 4, the processing unit 22 performs authentication processing. For example, the processing unit 22 performs authentication processing to allow the user to select whether or not to permit connection with the terminal device 60. Specifically, the processing unit 22 displays a selection screen for authentication, and performs authentication processing to allow the user to select whether or not to permit connection with the terminal device 60 on this selection screen. On the other hand, when the processing unit 22 judges that the command is a command other than the authentication request command, the processing unit 22 performs processing to transmit a NACK response to the terminal device 60 via the communication unit 40 as shown in FIG. 5. The NACK response is a response that informs the terminal device 60 that the command was not approved.

[0030] In this embodiment, when authentication is not performed by Bluetooth pairing, the processing unit 22 determines the authentication request command from the terminal device 60, and an original authentication process can be realized. Therefore, the complicated user operation required for pairing with authentication can be omitted, and an authentication function can be realized by a simple user operation. If the terminal device 60 transmits a command other than the authentication request command without performing such authentication process, a NACK response is transmitted to the terminal device 60. Therefore, the electronic device 20 can return a negative response to the terminal device 60, which indicates that the command cannot be approved because the authentication process has not been completed. Therefore, it becomes possible to reject a command transmitted before the authentication process is performed as an inappropriate command without approving it. Therefore, it becomes possible to provide an electronic device 20 that can realize an appropriate authentication process without using pairing. In addition, in pairing, since both devices generate keys used for encryption, problems with reconnection due to key management may occur. For example, if the key is deleted by initialization in one device, a problem occurs in which reconnection is not possible. In this regard, in the present embodiment, since a unique authentication process is performed using an authentication request command instead of authentication by pairing, it is not necessary to generate or manage keys by pairing, and therefore it is possible to prevent such troubles from occurring when reconnecting.

[0031] In the present embodiment, the electronic device 20 includes a display unit 36, and the processing unit 22 performs a process of displaying a selection screen on the display unit 36 ​​for the user to select whether or not to permit a connection to the terminal device 60, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, as authentication processing. In this way, the user can select whether or not to permit a connection to the terminal device 60 using the selection screen, and an authentication function can be realized by a simple user operation using the selection screen. Here, in the selection screen, as an example, a permission icon for selecting permission of the connection and a refusal icon for selecting refusal of the connection are displayed. The user selects whether or not to permit a connection to the terminal device 60 by selecting the permission icon or the refusal icon. The icon may be selected using an operation device such as the cross key 15 in FIG. 2, or may be selected by touch operation using a touch panel as the display unit 36. The display mode of the selection screen is not limited to the display mode shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, and various modifications are possible, such as displaying icons in a mode different from that shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, or realizing user selection using something other than icons. In addition, instead of displaying the selection screen, it is also possible to select whether or not to permit a connection by other input methods such as voice input.

[0032] Also, the processing unit 22 transmits an authentication permission response to the terminal device 60 when the user selects to permit connection to the terminal device 60 on the selection screen as shown in FIG. 3. For example, when the user performs a selection operation such as selecting a permission icon on the selection screen, the processing unit 22 performs a process of transmitting an authentication permission response in which permission is set as a result of the authentication response to the terminal device 60 via the communication unit 40. After that, the processing unit 22 performs a process on an arbitrary command transmitted by the terminal device 60. In this way, the user can select whether or not to permit connection to the terminal device 60 that has transmitted the authentication request command, without performing operations such as inputting a passkey or confirming a passkey. Therefore, it is possible to realize an authentication function by a simple user operation.

[0033] In addition, the processing unit 22 performs a process of transmitting an authentication refusal response to the terminal device 60 when the user selects not to permit the connection with the terminal device 60 on the selection screen as shown in FIG. 4. For example, when the user performs a selection operation such as selecting a refusal icon on the selection screen, the processing unit 22 performs a process of transmitting an authentication refusal response in which refusal is set as a result of the authentication response to the terminal device 60 via the communication unit 40. Alternatively, as described below, the processing unit 22 also performs a process of transmitting an authentication refusal response to the terminal device 60 when a timeout occurs. For example, when a predetermined period of time has elapsed without a selection of permission or refusal of the connection being made, the processing unit 22 performs a process of determining that a timeout has occurred and transmitting an authentication refusal response to the terminal device 60. In this way, the user can reject the authentication request from the terminal device 60 when the user does not want the terminal device 60 to be connected to the electronic device 20, when the authentication request from the terminal device 60 is an authentication request that is not intended by the user, or an authentication request due to an erroneous operation, etc. This makes it possible to prevent a situation in which the terminal device 60 and the electronic device 20 are connected against the user's will, etc.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 6, the processing unit 22 performs a process of transmitting an authentication permission response to the terminal device 60 without performing a process of displaying a selection screen in the second or subsequent Bluetooth connection with the terminal device 60. After that, the processing unit 22 performs a process for an arbitrary command transmitted by the terminal device 60. In this case, the second or subsequent Bluetooth connection refers to a Bluetooth connection after a Bluetooth connection in which an authentication permission response is returned in response to an authentication request command and authentication processing is properly performed is disconnected. In this way, in the second or subsequent Bluetooth connection, even if the user does not perform an operation such as selecting permission on the selection screen, the authentication processing is deemed to have been properly performed, and the electronic device 20 and the terminal device 60 are connected. Therefore, for example, similar to reconnection of Bluetooth after pairing, the electronic device 20 and the terminal device 60 are automatically connected, improving user convenience.

[0035] 3.Detailed processing Next, a detailed processing example of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a Bluetooth protocol stack in this embodiment. In the Bluetooth physical layer, link layer, etc., communication connection is performed in plain text without pairing. That is, since key generation and exchange by pairing are not performed, encryption using a key is not performed, and Bluetooth communication is performed in plain text. Then, in the layer of the unique protocol, authentication processing based on the authentication request command as described in FIG. 3 to FIG. 7 is performed. Then, when the authentication processing of the terminal device 60 is successful, the processing unit 22 executes an arbitrary command execution processing. For example, processing such as transmitting information of the electronic device 20 to the terminal device 60 and receiving information from the terminal device 60 by the electronic device 20 is performed by an arbitrary command from the terminal device 60. Taking FIG. 2 as an example, processing such as transmitting color measurement data and status information of the colorimeter 10 from the colorimeter 10 to the terminal device 60 and receiving information for making the colorimeter 10 perform a predetermined operation by the colorimeter 10 is performed. In this way, after the terminal device 60 has been properly authenticated by the authentication process using the authentication request command, the electronic device 20 can execute any command from the terminal device 60. Therefore, in a state where security is ensured by the authentication process, it becomes possible to process any command and execute various processes such as sending and receiving information. For information that requires high security communication, such as confidential information, the terminal device 60 may, for example, request pairing and encrypt the communication.

[0036] 9 and 10 are flowcharts for explaining a detailed processing example of this embodiment. First, the processing unit 22 of the electronic device 20 judges whether or not a Bluetooth connection without pairing has been established (step S1). If a Bluetooth connection without pairing has been established, the processing unit 22 transitions to a status of waiting for an authentication request (step S2).

[0037] Next, the processing unit 22 that has transitioned to a status of waiting for authentication request judges whether or not a command has been received from the terminal device 60 (step S3), and if a command has been received, judges whether or not the received command is an authentication request command (step S4). If the processing unit 22 judges that the received command is an authentication request command, it judges whether or not the identification information included in the authentication request command matches the stored identification information stored in the storage unit 30 (step S5). For example, when the electronic device 20 succeeds in authenticating the terminal device 60, the identification information such as the GUID of the terminal device 60 is stored as the stored identification information in the identification information storage area 32 of the storage unit 30 in FIG. 1. The identification information storage area 32 is a storage area secured in a non-volatile memory such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory) that realizes the storage unit 30. Therefore, even if the power supply of the electronic device 20 is turned off, the stored identification information stored in the identification information storage area 32 is not lost. Therefore, the processing unit 22 can determine whether the authentication request command is from an authenticated terminal device 60 by reading out the stored identification information stored in the identification information storage area 32 of the storage unit 30 and comparing it with the identification information included in the authentication request command. If the processing unit 22 determines that the identification information included in the authentication request command matches the stored identification information, it determines that the terminal device 60 has been authenticated and transmits an authentication permission response to the terminal device 60 (step S6). As a result, as explained in FIG. 5, in the second and subsequent Bluetooth connections with the terminal device 60, an authentication permission response is transmitted to the terminal device 60 without the display process of the selection screen being performed. On the other hand, if the processing unit 22 determines that the identification information included in the authentication request command does not match the stored identification information, it proceeds to authentication processing that will be described in detail later in FIG. 10 (step S7). If the command received in step S4 is a command other than the authentication request command, the processing unit 22 transmits a NACK response (step S8). That is, as explained in FIG. 5, the processing unit 22 performs a process of transmitting a NACK response by determining that the command received from the terminal device 60 that has not been authenticated is a command that cannot be approved.

[0038] FIG. 10 is a flow chart for explaining the authentication process in step S7 in FIG. 9. In the authentication process, the processing unit 22 performs a process of displaying a selection screen (step S11). That is, the processing unit 22 performs a process of displaying a selection screen as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4. Then, the processing unit 22 judges whether or not the user has selected "permission" on the selection screen (step S12), and if the user has selected "permission", transmits an authentication permission response to the terminal device 60 as described in FIG. 3 (step S13). Then, the processing unit 22 stores the identification information included in the authentication request command as saved identification information in the storage unit 30 (step S14). The identification information included in the authentication request command is, for example, identification information such as the GUID of the terminal device 60. This allows the authentication of the terminal device 60 to be successful, and allows the processing of any command. On the other hand, if the user has not selected "permission" in step S12, the processing unit 22 judges whether or not the user has selected "rejection" (step S15), and if the user has selected "rejection", transmits an authentication rejection response to the terminal device 60 as described in FIG. 4 (step S16). As a result, authentication of the terminal device 60 will be unsuccessful, and any command will not be processed. If the user does not select refusal in step S15, the processing unit 22 determines whether or not a timeout has occurred (step S17), and if it determines that a timeout has occurred, sends an authentication refusal response to the terminal device 60 as described in FIG. 4 (step S18). For example, the processing unit 22 measures the passage of a predetermined time, and if it determines that the predetermined time has passed, it determines that a timeout has occurred and sends an authentication refusal response. As a result, if the user does not perform any operation for a predetermined time after the selection screen is displayed, an authentication refusal response is sent to the terminal device 60, authentication will be unsuccessful, and any command will not be processed.

[0039] As described above, the electronic device 20 of the present embodiment includes the storage unit 30 that stores information, and the authentication request command includes the identification information of the terminal device 60. In the present embodiment, an example in which a GUID is used as the identification information will be described, but the identification information is not limited to a GUID, and various information capable of uniquely identifying the terminal device 60 can be adopted. Then, when the stored identification information stored in the storage unit 30 matches the identification information included in the authentication request command, the processing unit 22 performs a process of transmitting an authentication permission response without performing a process of displaying a selection screen. For example, when the authentication of the terminal device 60 is successful in the first wireless communication, as shown in step S14 of FIG. 10, the identification information included in the authentication request command is stored in the storage unit 30 as the stored identification information. Then, as shown in step S5 of FIG. 9, in the second or subsequent wireless communication, the processing unit 22 determines whether the identification information included in the authentication request command matches the stored identification information stored in the storage unit 30 realized by a non-volatile memory, and when they match, transmits an authentication permission response without performing a process of displaying a selection screen. That is, if the identification information matches the stored identification information, the process does not proceed to the authentication process in step S7 in Fig. 9, and the process of displaying the selection screen in step S11 in Fig. 10 is not performed, so that an authentication permission response is transmitted without performing the process of displaying the selection screen. In this way, for example, in the second or subsequent wireless communication, a match determination is performed between the identification information included in the authentication request command and the stored identification information stored in the electronic device 20, and if they match, the selection screen as shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 is not displayed, and the state can be transitioned to an authenticated state. Therefore, in the second or subsequent wireless communication, the user does not need to select permission or denial on the selection screen, which improves user convenience.

[0040] Furthermore, the processing unit 22 performs a process of displaying a selection screen when the identification information included in the authentication request command does not match the stored identification information or when the stored identification information is lost. In this way, the processing unit 22 determines whether the identification information included in the authentication request command matches the stored identification information, and when they do not match, displays a selection screen and allows the user to select whether to permit connection with the terminal device 60, thereby making it possible to execute authentication processing with the terminal device 60. Here, there are several cases in which the selection screen is displayed. For example, the first case is a case in which authentication processing with the terminal device 60 has not been completed and the identification information has not been stored in the storage unit 30 as the stored identification information. In this case, the selection screen is displayed and the user is allowed to select whether to permit connection with the terminal device 60, thereby realizing authentication processing with the terminal device 60. The second case is a case in which a connection request is received from another terminal device 70 for which authentication processing has not been completed, other than the terminal device 60 for which authentication processing has been completed, as shown in FIG. 7. In this case, the identification information of the terminal device 60 is stored as saved identification information in the storage unit 30, but the identification information of the other terminal device 70 is not stored as saved identification information in the storage unit 30, so the processing unit 22 displays a selection screen that allows the user to select whether or not to permit the connection. The third case is when the saved identification information stored in the storage unit 30 is lost. For example, authentication with the terminal device 60 is successful, and the identification information of the terminal device 60 is stored as saved identification information in the storage unit 30, but this saved identification information may be lost due to some accident. In this case as well, the processing unit 22 displays a selection screen that allows the user to select whether or not to permit the connection.

[0041] Note that two or more pieces of stored identification information may be stored in the storage unit 30. In this way, when connecting to another terminal device 70 after connecting to the terminal device 60 as shown in Fig. 7, if authentication for the other terminal device 70 has been completed previously and the identification information of the other terminal device 70 has been stored as stored identification information, it is possible to permit connection to the terminal device 70 without displaying a selection screen. In this way, when a plurality of pieces of stored identification information are stored in the storage unit 30, if the identification information included in the authentication request command matches any of the plurality of pieces of stored identification information, an authentication permission response is transmitted to permit the connection, and if the identification information does not match any of the plurality of pieces of stored identification information, a selection screen is displayed to allow the user to select whether or not to permit the connection.

[0042] Fig. 11 is a diagram showing state transitions in the processing of this embodiment. State S21 is a state waiting for Bluetooth connection, and for example, the electronic device 20 sends out an advertising packet. Then, when a Bluetooth connection is established, the electronic device 20 transitions to state S22 waiting for authentication request. This Bluetooth connection is a connection that does not perform pairing. In state S22 waiting for authentication request, as described in Fig. 5, the electronic device 20 transmits a NACK response when it receives a command other than an authentication request command.

[0043] In the authentication request waiting state S22, if an authentication request reception command is received and the identification information included in the authentication request command does not match the stored identification information, the electronic device 20 transitions to the authenticating state S23. In the authenticating state S23, the electronic device 20 displays an allow / reject selection screen as shown in Figures 3 and 4. In the authenticating state S23, if the user selects to allow the connection on the selection screen, the electronic device 20 transitions to the authenticated state S24. Also, in the authentication request waiting state S22, if an authentication request command is received and the identification information included in the authentication request command matches the stored identification information, the electronic device 20 transitions to the authenticated state S24.

[0044] In the authenticated state S24, the electronic device 20 stores the identification information in the storage unit 30 as saved identification information and processes the arbitrary command. That is, when the electronic device 20 receives a command other than an authentication request command from the terminal device 60, it executes the command and performs processing corresponding to the command. Here, in state S24, the identification information is stored in the storage unit 30 only when the user selects permission and transitions to the authenticated state S24, and when transitions to the authenticated state S24 due to a match in the identification information, the electronic device 20 does not save the identification information.

[0045] Furthermore, in any of the cases of the authentication request waiting state S22, the authentication in progress state S23, and the authenticated state S24, when the Bluetooth connection is disconnected, the electronic device 20 returns to the Bluetooth connection waiting state S21.

[0046] In the above, the electronic device 20 displays a selection screen on the display unit 36, and the user is allowed to select whether to permit or reject the connection on the selection screen. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the user may select whether to permit or reject the connection by voice input, or may select whether to permit or reject the connection by operating an operation device such as an operation button provided on the electronic device 20. Then, the processing unit 22 performs a process of transmitting an authentication permission response to the terminal device 60 when the user selects to permit the connection with the terminal device 60. Also, the processing unit 22 performs a process of transmitting an authentication rejection response to the terminal device 60 when the user selects not to permit the connection with the terminal device 60 or when a timeout occurs. In this manner, it is possible to provide the electronic device 20 or the like that can realize the authentication function by a simple user operation or the like.

[0047] As described above, the electronic device of the present embodiment includes a communication unit that performs wireless communication with a terminal device via Bluetooth, and a processing unit that controls the communication unit. The processing unit judges a command received via the communication unit without performing authentication by pairing with the terminal device, and performs authentication processing when it is determined that the command is an authentication request command. Furthermore, when it is determined that the command is a command other than the authentication request command, the processing unit performs processing to transmit a NACK response to the terminal device via the communication unit.

[0048] According to this embodiment, even during wireless communication by Bluetooth where authentication by pairing is not performed, authentication processing can be realized by determining an authentication request command from a terminal device. If authentication processing is not performed and the terminal device transmits a command other than the authentication request command, a NACK response is transmitted, so that a negative response to the command can be returned to the terminal device, and proper authentication processing can be realized. Therefore, it is possible to provide an electronic device or the like that can realize authentication processing without using authentication by pairing.

[0049] In the present embodiment, a display unit may be included, and the processing unit may perform, as the authentication process, a process of displaying a selection screen on the display unit for the user to select whether or not to permit connection with the terminal device.

[0050] In this way, the user can use a selection screen to select whether or not to allow connection to the terminal device, making it possible to realize an authentication function that requires simple user operations using a selection screen that does not require passkey verification.

[0051] In the present embodiment, the processing unit may also perform processing for transmitting an authentication permission response to the terminal device when the user selects to permit connection with the terminal device on the selection screen.

[0052] In this way, the user can select whether to permit connection to a terminal device that has transmitted an authentication request command, without having to perform any complicated operations.

[0053] In addition, in this embodiment, the processing unit may perform processing to send an authentication rejection response to the terminal device when the user selects on the selection screen not to allow connection with the terminal device, or when a timeout occurs.

[0054] In this way, it becomes possible to reject an authentication request from a terminal device in cases where the user does not want the terminal device to be connected to the electronic device, where the authentication request from the terminal device is an authentication request that is not intended by the user, or where the authentication request is due to an incorrect operation, etc.

[0055] In the present embodiment, the processing unit may perform a process of transmitting an authentication permission response to the terminal device without performing a process of displaying the selection screen in the second or subsequent wireless communication with the terminal device.

[0056] In this way, from the second wireless communication onwards, the authentication process is deemed to have been performed properly, and the electronic device and the terminal device will be connected, even if the user does not perform any operation such as selecting permission on the selection screen.

[0057] In the present embodiment, the authentication request command may include identification information of the terminal device, and the processing unit may perform a process of transmitting an authentication permission response to the terminal device without performing a process of displaying the selection screen when the identification information included in the authentication request command matches the stored identification information stored in the storage unit.

[0058] In this way, in the second and subsequent wireless communications, the user does not need to select permission or denial on the selection screen, thereby improving user convenience.

[0059] In this embodiment, the processing unit may perform processing to display a selection screen when the identification information included in the authentication request command does not match the stored identification information, or when the stored identification information is lost.

[0060] In this way, the processing unit determines whether the identification information included in the authentication request command matches the stored identification information, and if they do not match, displays a selection screen to allow the user to select whether or not to allow connection with the terminal device, thereby making it possible to perform authentication processing between the terminal device and the processing unit.

[0061] In the present embodiment, the processing unit may execute an arbitrary command when the authentication process has succeeded in authenticating the terminal device.

[0062] In this way, the arbitrary command can be processed while security is ensured by the authentication process, and various processes can be executed in response to the arbitrary command.

[0063] In addition, in this embodiment, the processing unit may perform processing to send an authentication permission response to the terminal device when the user selects to allow connection to the terminal device, and may perform processing to send an authentication rejection response to the terminal device when the user selects not to allow connection to the terminal device or when a timeout occurs.

[0064] In this way, the user can select whether to allow a connection to a terminal device that has sent an authentication request command without performing complicated operations. Also, it becomes possible to reject an authentication request from a terminal device in cases where the user does not want the terminal device to be connected to the electronic device, where the authentication request from the terminal device is an authentication request that the user does not intend, or is an authentication request due to an operation error, etc.

[0065] The present embodiment is a communication method for performing wireless communication with a terminal device via Bluetooth using a communication unit, in which a command received via the communication unit is judged without performing authentication by Bluetooth pairing with the terminal device, and when it is judged that the command is an authentication request command, an authentication process is performed, and when it is judged that the command is a command other than the authentication request command, a process of transmitting a NACK response to the terminal device via the communication unit is performed.

[0066] In this way, it is possible to provide a communication method that can achieve appropriate authentication processing without using Bluetooth pairing.

[0067] Although the present embodiment has been described in detail as above, it will be easily understood by those skilled in the art that many modifications are possible that do not substantially deviate from the novel matters and effects of the present embodiment. Therefore, all such modifications are intended to be included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, a term described at least once in the specification or drawings together with a different term having a broader meaning or synonymy can be replaced with that different term anywhere in the specification or drawings. In addition, all combinations of the present embodiment and modifications are also included in the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, the configurations and operations of electronic devices, terminal devices, etc. are not limited to those described in the present embodiment, and various modifications are possible. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 10...colorimeter, 12...colorimeter section, 13...operation section, 14...colorimeter button, 15...cross key, 16...power button, 17...back button, 20...electronic device, 22...processing section, 24...command determination section, 26...authentication processing section, 28...communication processing section, 30...storage section, 32...identification information storage area, 36...display section, 40...communication section, 60...terminal device, 66...terminal display section, 70...terminal device

Claims

1. A communication unit that performs wireless communication with the terminal device via Bluetooth; A processing unit that controls the communication unit; A storage unit that stores information; Including, The processing unit includes: determining a command received via the communication unit without performing authentication by pairing with the terminal device, and when determining that the command is a command other than an authentication request command, performing a process of transmitting a NACK response to the terminal device via the communication unit; When it is determined that the command is the authentication request command, it is determined whether or not the identification information of the terminal device included in the authentication request command matches the stored identification information stored in the storage unit, and when the identification information matches the stored identification information, a process of transmitting an authentication permission response to the terminal device is performed, and when the identification information does not match the stored identification information, an authentication process of the terminal device is performed; When the authentication of the terminal device is successful, the electronic device executes an arbitrary command other than the authentication request command.

2. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, Including a display unit, The processing unit includes: The electronic device is characterized in that, as the authentication process, a process is performed in which a selection screen for a user to select whether or not to permit a connection with the terminal device is displayed on the display unit.

3. 3. The electronic device according to claim 2, The processing unit includes: the electronic device performing a process of transmitting the authentication permission response to the terminal device when the user selects on the selection screen to permit connection to the terminal device.

4. 4. The electronic device according to claim 3, The processing unit includes: The electronic device is characterized by performing a process of sending an authentication rejection response to the terminal device when the user selects on the selection screen not to allow connection to the terminal device or when a timeout occurs.

5. 5. The electronic device according to claim 3, The processing unit includes: the electronic device performing a process of transmitting the authentication permission response to the terminal device without performing a process of displaying the selection screen in the second or subsequent wireless communication with the terminal device.

6. 6. The electronic device according to claim 3, The processing unit includes: An electronic device characterized in that, when the identification information included in the authentication request command matches the stored identification information stored in the memory unit, it performs a process of sending the authentication permission response to the terminal device without performing a process of displaying the selection screen.

7. 7. The electronic device according to claim 6, The processing unit includes: an electronic device that performs processing to display the selection screen when the identification information included in the authentication request command does not match the stored identification information or when the stored identification information is lost.

8. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, The processing unit includes: An electronic device characterized by performing a process of sending an authentication permission response to the terminal device when a user selects to allow a connection to the terminal device, and performing a process of sending an authentication rejection response to the terminal device when the user selects not to allow a connection to the terminal device or when a timeout occurs.

9. A communication method for performing wireless communication via Bluetooth with a terminal device using a communication unit, determining a command received via the communication unit without performing authentication by Bluetooth pairing with the terminal device; When it is determined that the command is a command other than an authentication request command, a process of transmitting a NACK response to the terminal device via the communication unit is performed; When it is determined that the command is the authentication request command, it is determined whether or not the identification information of the terminal device included in the authentication request command matches the stored identification information stored in a storage unit, and when the identification information matches the stored identification information, a process of transmitting an authentication permission response to the terminal device is performed, and when the identification information does not match the stored identification information, an authentication process of the terminal device is performed; When the authentication of the terminal device is successful, an execution process of an arbitrary command other than the authentication request command is performed. A communication method comprising:

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