Image forming apparatus, control method thereof, and program

Abstract

To provide an image forming apparatus that imports an appropriate setting value, a method for controlling the same, and a program.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus allows connection of a plurality of types of wireless local area network (LAN) chips, and has: a specification unit (I / E processing unit) that specifies the ability of a wireless LAN chip connected with the image forming apparatus; a receiving unit (communication unit) that receives an instruction to import a setting value; a determination unit (I / E processing unit) that, based on the specified ability, determines if the wireless LAN chip connected with the image forming apparatus is operable with the setting value; and a reflecting unit (setting reflecting unit) that, when the wireless LAN chip connected with the image forming apparatus is determined to be operable with the setting value, reflects the setting value for the wireless LAN chip connected with the image forming apparatus.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] As image forming devices have become more multifunctional in recent years, the number of configurable settings has increased. To reduce the workload of manually configuring multiple settings, mechanisms have been provided for importing and exporting multiple settings at once. Image forming devices have conditions for reflecting their settings, such as settings that cannot be configured unless a license is installed or items that are not displayed unless an external device is connected. Furthermore, some items may not exist depending on the model, or the configurable values ​​may differ depending on the connected external device. Therefore, even if settings are configured on one image forming device, exporting the settings from that image forming device, and then attempting to import them into another image forming device, the other image forming device may not meet the conditions for reflecting the settings. Patent Document 1 proposes converting settings to match the specifications of the target image forming device, enabling settings to be imported into image forming devices with different specifications. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-028047 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The settable values ​​of a wireless LAN chip connected to an image forming apparatus may differ depending on the type of the chip. If the wireless LAN chip connected to the image forming apparatus is uniquely determined, the imported setting values ​​can be converted using the method described in Patent Document 1. However, in an image forming apparatus that can use multiple types of wireless LAN chips, the settable values ​​differ depending on the type of wireless LAN chip connected, so such conversion is not possible. As a result, there is a risk that setting values ​​that cannot be used for the connected wireless LAN chip may be imported. Some aspects of the present invention aim to import appropriate setting values. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In view of the above problem, an image forming apparatus capable of connecting to a plurality of types of wireless LAN chips, the image forming apparatus comprising: a specifying unit for specifying the capabilities of the wireless LAN chip connected to the image forming apparatus; Represented by import data acquired from an external device different from the wireless LAN chip a receiving means for receiving an instruction to import setting values; a determining means for determining whether a wireless LAN chip connected to the image forming apparatus can operate with the setting values ​​based on the specified capabilities; and a determining means for determining whether a wireless LAN chip connected to the image forming apparatus can operate with the setting values ​​when it is determined that the wireless LAN chip connected to the image forming apparatus can operate with the setting values. Regarding specific setting items of the image forming apparatus and a reflecting unit that reflects the setting value. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] By the above means, appropriate setting values ​​can be imported. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example configuration of a system according to various embodiments. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus according to various embodiments. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the software configuration of an image forming apparatus according to various embodiments. [Figure 4] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating examples of information tables according to various embodiments. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 3A and 3B are schematic views illustrating examples of images displayed on the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment. [Figure 9] 10A and 10B are schematic views illustrating examples of images displayed on an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the image forming apparatus according to the third embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the image forming apparatus according to the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention claimed. Although multiple features are described in the embodiments, not all of these multiple features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0009] First Embodiment An example configuration of a system 100 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The system 100 includes an image forming apparatus 101, a personal computer (PC) 102, and a server 103. In the example of FIG. 1, the system 100 includes one image forming apparatus 101, one PC 102, and one server 103, but the system 100 may include multiple of each apparatus. The image forming apparatus 101 may perform multiple functions, such as printing, scanning, and copying, in accordance with instructions from a user of the system 100. An image forming apparatus 101 having such multiple functions is also called a multifunction peripheral (MFP). The PC 102 may operate as a client that allows a user of the system 100 to submit a job to the image forming apparatus 101. The server 103 may store setting values ​​related to the image forming apparatus 101 and store image data formed by the image forming apparatus 101.

[0010] The image forming apparatus 101, the PC 102, and the server 103 are connected via a local area network (LAN) 104. Each apparatus in the system 100 may be connected to the LAN 104 by wire or wirelessly.

[0011] In response to an instruction to export setting values ​​related to the image forming apparatus 101, the image forming apparatus 101 may generate export data representing the setting values ​​and output the export data to an external device (e.g., the server 103). An instruction to export setting values ​​related to the image forming apparatus 101 will be simply referred to as an export instruction hereinafter. The image forming apparatus 101 may receive the export instruction from the PC 102 or the server 103 via the LAN 104, or may receive the export instruction via the operation unit 206 ( FIG. 2 ) of the image forming apparatus 101. The setting values ​​included in the export data may be setting values ​​related to all items of the image forming apparatus 101, or may be setting values ​​related to some items specified by the user. For example, the export data may include an address book, an administrator, and network settings. In the export data, the setting values ​​related to the image forming apparatus 101 may be represented by numerical values, character strings, or other formats. The data format of the export data may be a dedicated data format developed by the vendor of the image forming apparatus 101, or may be a general-purpose data format such as comma separated values ​​(CSV).

[0012] In accordance with an instruction to import setting values ​​related to the image forming apparatus 101, the image forming apparatus 101 may receive import data representing the setting values ​​from an external device (e.g., the server 103) and may be able to reflect the instructed setting values ​​in the image forming apparatus 101. An instruction to import setting values ​​related to the image forming apparatus 101 will be simply referred to as an import instruction below. The content and format of the import data may be the same as the format of the export data.

[0013] The import data may be, for example, export data exported from an image forming apparatus other than the image forming apparatus 101. In this case, the setting values ​​of the image forming apparatus 101 can be made the same as the setting values ​​of the different image forming apparatus by a simple operation. The import data may also be export data exported in the past from the image forming apparatus 101. In this case, the setting values ​​of the image forming apparatus 101 can be returned to their previous setting values ​​by a simple operation.

[0014] An example of the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 101 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. While FIG. 2 illustrates an example in which the image forming apparatus 101 is an MFP, the image forming apparatus 101 may be capable of performing only a single function. For example, the image forming apparatus 101 may be capable of performing only one of a scanning function, a printing function, and a copying function. The image forming apparatus 101 has the components shown internally in FIG. 2. Furthermore, while this embodiment assumes that the apparatus receiving the import data is an image forming apparatus, this is not a limitation. For example, this embodiment can be applied to a wide variety of communication devices and information processing apparatuses to which a wireless communication chip conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series can be connected. For example, the apparatus to which this embodiment can be applied may be a router apparatus that relays wireless communication conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series, a digital still camera, a network camera, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus, a portable medical device, or the like.

[0015] The control unit 200 controls the operation of the image forming apparatus 101. The control unit 200 has the components shown in FIG. 2 . The central processing unit (CPU) 201 is a general-purpose processor for performing operations by the control unit 200. The read-only memory (ROM) 202 is a non-volatile storage device that stores the boot program of the image forming apparatus 101 and other programs. The random access memory (RAM) is a volatile storage device that functions as a system work memory for the CPU 201 to operate and as a memory for temporarily storing image data. The RAM 203 may be configured as a static RAM (SRAM) or a dynamic RAM (DRAM). The contents stored in the SRAM are retained even after the image forming apparatus 101 is powered off and the power supply to the SRAM is stopped. The contents stored in the DRAM are erased when the image forming apparatus 101 is powered off and the power supply to the SRAM is stopped. The operations of the control unit 200 may be performed by the CPU 201 executing a program stored in the ROM 202 or the RAM 203.

[0016] The hard disk drive (HDD: Hard Disk Drive) 204 is a non-volatile storage device that stores image data, various programs, and various information tables. The operation unit interface (I / F) 205 is an interface for connecting the system bus 215 and the operation unit 206. The operation unit I / F 205 acquires image data to be displayed on the operation unit 206 via the system bus 215, and outputs information input from the operation unit 206 to the system bus 215. The operation unit 206 may be configured with a display unit and an input unit. The display unit may be configured with, for example, a liquid crystal display device. The input unit may be configured with a touchpad or a keypad. The display unit and the input unit may be configured integrally as a touchscreen.

[0017] The image processing chip 207 is a device that executes image processing. The scanner I / F 208 is an interface for connecting the system bus 215 and the scanner unit 209. The scanner I / F 208 corrects, processes, and edits image data received from the scanner unit 209. The scanner I / F 208 may determine the type of image data received (for example, color or black and white, text or photo). The scanner I / F 208 attaches the determination result to the image data. Information attached to image data is called attribute data. The scanner unit 209 generates image data by scanning a document.

[0018] The printer I / F 210 is an interface for connecting the system bus 215 and the printer unit 211. The printer I / F 210 receives image data transmitted from the image processing chip 207 and performs image processing on the image data while referencing attribute data attached to the image data. The image data after image processing is transferred from the control unit 200 via the printer I / F 210 to the printer unit 211, where it is printed on a recording medium.

[0019] The network I / F 212 is an interface for connecting the system bus 215 and the LAN 104. The network I / F 212 performs wired communication between the image forming apparatus 101 and devices connected to the LAN 104.

[0020] A universal serial bus (USB) I / F 213 is an interface for connecting a system bus 215 and a wireless LAN chip 214. A wireless LAN chip 214 capable of wireless LAN communication conforming to, for example, the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 standard is connected to the USB I / F 213. When the wireless LAN chip 214 is connected to the image forming apparatus 101 and the image forming apparatus 101 is set to use the wireless LAN chip 214, the control unit 200 uses the wireless LAN chip 214 to wirelessly communicate with a wireless LAN access point or the like.

[0021] Multiple types of wireless LAN chips may be connectable to the image forming apparatus 101 as the wireless LAN chip 214. These multiple types of wireless LAN chips may have different capabilities. For example, the wireless LAN chips may have different capabilities in at least one of the frequency band (2.4 GHz / 5 GHz, etc.) and encryption standard (WEP / WPA / WPA2 / WPA3, etc.). For example, the wireless LAN chip 214 may be a wireless LAN chip that can use the 2.4 GHz frequency band and WEP and WPA but cannot use the 5 GHz frequency band and WPA2 or WPA3. Alternatively, the wireless LAN chip 214 may be a wireless LAN chip that can use the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands and WEP, WPA, WPA2, and WPA3. The image forming apparatus 101 may be operable without the wireless LAN chip 214 connected. In this case, the image forming apparatus 101 may communicate with an external device via a wired connection via the network I / F 212.

[0022] An example of the software configuration of the image forming apparatus 101 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Software used by the image forming apparatus 101 may be stored as a program in the ROM 202 and loaded into the RAM 203 by the CPU 201 at the time of execution. Fig. 3 mainly describes the modules used in this embodiment among the software modules for causing the image forming apparatus 101 to function.

[0023] The import / export (I / E) control module 310 performs processing to reflect setting values ​​included in import data in the image forming apparatus 101 and processing to export setting values ​​of the image forming apparatus 101. The processing to reflect setting values ​​included in import data in the image forming apparatus 101 may involve replacing setting values ​​of the image forming apparatus 101 with setting values ​​represented by the import data for specific items. In response to receiving the export instruction, the I / E management unit 312 of the I / E control module 310 instructs the application 320 that manages the setting values ​​of the image forming apparatus 101 to export the setting values.

[0024] The image forming apparatus 101 has a plurality of applications 320a to 320n for realizing the functions of the image forming apparatus 101. The applications 320a to 320n are collectively referred to as application 320. The following description of application 320 applies to all of applications 320a to 320n. The applications 320a to 320n may include a COPY application for operating a COPY function that prints image data received from the scanner unit 209. The applications 320a to 320n may also include a SEND application for operating a SEND function that transmits image data received from the scanner unit 209 to the PC 102 or the like.

[0025] The I / E processing unit 321 of the application 320 requests the setting acquisition unit 332 of the setting management module 330 to acquire the setting values ​​of the image forming apparatus 101 stored in the setting value database 335. The setting acquisition unit 332 of the setting management module 330 acquires the setting values ​​of the image forming apparatus 101 from the setting value database 335. The I / E processing unit 334 of the setting management module 330 registers the acquired setting values ​​of the image forming apparatus 101 as setting values ​​to be exported. After completing the registration of the setting values ​​to be exported, the I / E processing unit 334 of the setting management module 330 converts the registered setting values ​​into an exportable format. Next, the I / E management unit 312 of the I / E control module 310 compiles the setting values ​​converted to the exportable format as an export file. Thereafter, the communication unit 311 of the I / E control module 310 transmits the export data to an external device (e.g., the server 103) via the network I / F 212 or via the wireless LAN chip 214 connected to the USB I / F 213.

[0026] When an import instruction is received, the communication unit 311 of the I / E control module 310 receives the import data via the network I / F 212 or via the wireless LAN chip 214 connected to the USB I / F 213. Next, the I / E management unit 312 instructs the setting management module 330 to convert the import data into a format that can be read by the application 320. In response to the instruction from the I / E management unit 312, the data conversion unit 333 of the setting management module 330 converts the import data into a format that can be read by the application 320.

[0027] The I / E management unit 312 of the I / E control module 310 references the expanded import data and instructs the application 320, which manages the setting value items included in the import data, to import the data. The I / E processing unit 321 of the application 320 that has been instructed to import acquires the setting values ​​of the import data that it manages from the I / E processing unit 334 of the setting management module 330. Next, the I / E processing unit 321 of the application 320 stores the acquired setting values ​​of the import data in the setting value database 335 via the setting reflection unit 331. Through this processing, the setting values ​​instructed to be imported are reflected in the image forming apparatus 101.

[0028] The power control module 340 manages the power state of the image forming apparatus 101. The power control unit 341 manages the power supply to the hardware that constitutes the image forming apparatus 101, and receives instructions (start / stop) related to the power supply from the application 320. In response to receiving an instruction (start / stop) related to the power supply to the USB I / F 213 from the application 320, the power control unit 341 instructs the USB I / F control unit 342 to start / stop the power supply to the USB I / F 213. The USB I / F control unit 342 controls the start / stop of the power supply to the USB I / F 213 in accordance with the instruction from the power control unit 341. The power control module 340 may restart the image forming apparatus 101.

[0029] The image forming apparatus 101 includes an application 320a that manages wireless communication. The application 320a performs wireless communication using the image forming apparatus 101, specifically the wireless LAN chip 214 connected to the USB I / F 213. The application 320a uses an information table 322a to manage the types of wireless LAN chips that the image forming apparatus 101 can use and their capabilities. The application 320a also manages whether the wireless LAN chip 214 is set to be used or not to be used. A setting to use the wireless LAN chip 214 may be expressed as the wireless LAN chip 214 being enabled. A setting to not use the wireless LAN chip 214 may be expressed as the wireless LAN chip 214 being disabled.

[0030] An example of the information table 322a will be described with reference to FIG. 4. Each record in the information table 322a corresponds to a type of wireless LAN chip that the image forming apparatus 101 can use. That is, the image forming apparatus 101 can use wireless LAN chips of the types included in the information table 322a, but cannot use wireless LAN chips of other types. Column 401 of the information table 322a indicates a vendor identifier (ID). The vendor ID is identification information that uniquely identifies the vendor that manufactured the wireless LAN chip. Column 402 of the information table 322a indicates a device ID. The device ID is identification information that uniquely identifies the model of the wireless LAN chip manufactured by each vendor. In this embodiment, a combination of the vendor ID and the device ID is used as identification information that identifies each type of wireless LAN chip. Alternatively, if the device ID is different for each vendor, only the device ID may be used as identification information that identifies the type of wireless LAN chip.

[0031] Column 403 of information table 322a indicates frequency bands that can be used by each type of wireless LAN chip (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz in the example of FIG. 4). Column 404 of information table 322a indicates encryption standards that can be used by each type of wireless LAN chip (WEP, WPA, WPA2, and WPA3 in the example of FIG. 4). In this way, columns 403 and 404 indicate capability information of each type of wireless LAN chip (in other words, functions supported by the wireless LAN chip). Therefore, information table 322a is a table for managing correspondence information that associates identification information that identifies each type of wireless LAN chip with capability information of the wireless LAN chip of that type. In the example of FIG. 4, frequency bands and encryption standards are shown as the capabilities of the wireless LAN chip, but information table 322a may also manage other capabilities.

[0032] An example of the operation of the image forming apparatus 101 will be described with reference to Figures 5 and 6. The operation of the image forming apparatus 101 is performed by the control unit 200 executing a control method for controlling the image forming apparatus 101. The operation of the image forming apparatus 101 may also be performed by the CPU 201 executing a program stored in a memory such as the ROM 202 or the RAM 203. Alternatively, some or all of the steps in Figures 5 and 6 may be performed by a dedicated circuit such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0033] 5 is performed when the image forming apparatus 101 is started up. That is, the control unit 200 executes the method of Fig. 5 as part of a start-up process that is started in response to the power of the image forming apparatus 101 being switched from off to on. The start-up process may be a process that is performed from when the power of the image forming apparatus 101 is turned on until the image forming apparatus 101 becomes available for use by the user.

[0034] In S501, the application 320a instructs the power control unit 341 to start supplying power to devices connected to the USB I / F 213. This instruction may be made regardless of whether the wireless LAN chip 214 is set to be used (that is, even if the wireless LAN chip 214 is set not to be used). In response to receiving the instruction to start supplying power, the USB I / F control unit 342 starts supplying power to devices connected to the USB I / F 213.

[0035] In S502, the application 320a determines whether power has been supplied to the device connected to the USB I / F 213. If it is determined that power has been supplied ("YES" in S502), the control unit 200 transitions the process to step S503; otherwise ("NO" in S502), the control unit 200 ends the process of FIG. 5. If no device is connected to the USB I / F 213, the USB I / F control unit 342 cannot supply power to the device connected to the USB I / F 213. Furthermore, even if a device is connected to the USB I / F 213, if this device is in a state where it cannot receive power (for example, a fault has occurred), power cannot be supplied to the device connected to the USB I / F 213.

[0036] In S503, the I / E processing unit 321 of the application 320a acquires a vendor ID and a device ID from a device connected to the USB I / F 213 by communicating with the device. As will be described later, if the device connected to the USB I / F 213 is a wireless LAN chip, the vendor ID and device ID acquired from the wireless LAN chip are used to identify the capabilities of the wireless LAN chip.

[0037] In S504, the I / E processing unit 321 of the application 320a determines whether the device connected to the USB I / F 213 is a wireless LAN chip that can be used by the image forming apparatus 101. If it is determined that the device is a wireless LAN chip that can be used by the image forming apparatus 101 ("YES" in S504), the control unit 200 transitions the process to step S505, and otherwise ("NO" in S504), the control unit 200 transitions the process to S507.

[0038] The determination in S504 may be made based on whether the information table 322a includes a record having the combination of the vendor ID and device ID acquired in S503. If the information table 322a includes a record having the combination of the vendor ID and device ID acquired in S503, it is determined that the device connected to the USB I / F 213 is a wireless LAN chip that can be used by the image forming apparatus 101. The wireless LAN chip that is connected to the USB I / F 213 and can be used by the image forming apparatus 101 is the wireless LAN chip 214. For example, if the device connected to the USB I / F 213 is not a wireless LAN chip, it is determined that the device connected to the USB I / F 213 is not a wireless LAN chip that can be used by the image forming apparatus 101. Furthermore, if the wireless LAN chip is not usable by the image forming apparatus 101, it is determined that the device connected to the USB I / F 213 is not a wireless LAN chip that can be used by the image forming apparatus 101.

[0039] In S505, the I / E processing unit 321 of the application 320a identifies the capabilities of the wireless LAN chip 214 and stores the identified capabilities in a storage device (for example, the RAM 203). The capabilities of the wireless LAN chip 214 may be identified by comparing the vendor ID and device ID acquired in S503 with each record in the information table 322a. For example, the I / E processing unit 321 may identify that the wireless LAN chip 214 has the capability to use the 2.4 GHz frequency band and WEP and WPA, and store the identified content in a storage device. In this way, the vendor ID and device ID acquired in S503 are used as information for identifying the capabilities of the wireless LAN chip 214.

[0040] In S506, the I / E processing unit 321 of the application 320a determines whether or not the use of the wireless LAN chip 214 is set. If it is determined that the use of the wireless LAN chip 214 is set ("YES" in S506), the control unit 200 ends the process, and otherwise ("NO" in S506), the control unit 200 transitions the process to S507. This determination may be made based on the setting values ​​stored in the setting value database 335. If the use of the wireless LAN chip 214 is set, the power supply to the wireless LAN chip 214 continues, and therefore the control unit 200 of the image forming apparatus 101 can communicate via the wireless LAN chip 214.

[0041] If it is determined that the device connected to the USB I / F 213 is not a wireless LAN chip that the image forming apparatus 101 can use, or if it is determined that the setting is such that the wireless LAN chip is not used, the process proceeds to step S507. If this determination is made, the control unit 200 of the image forming apparatus 101 does not use the device connected to the USB I / F 213. Therefore, in step S507, the application 320a may instruct the power control unit 341 to stop the power supply to the device connected to the USB I / F 213 (i.e., the wireless LAN chip 214). In response to receiving the instruction to stop the power supply, the USB I / F control unit 342 stops the power supply to the USB I / F 213.

[0042] 6 is repeatedly executed while the image forming apparatus 101 is in operation. In S601, the I / E processing unit 321 of the application 320a determines whether an import instruction has been received. If it is determined that an import instruction has been received ("YES" in S601), the control unit 200 transitions the process to S602; otherwise ("NO" in S601), the control unit 200 repeats S601. By repeating S601, the control unit 200 waits for an import instruction.

[0043] In S602, the I / E processing unit 321 of the application 320a determines whether a wireless LAN chip usable by the image forming apparatus 101 is connected to the image forming apparatus 101 (specifically, its USB I / F 213). If it is determined that a wireless LAN chip usable by the image forming apparatus 101 is connected ("YES" in S602), the control unit 200 transitions the process to S603; otherwise ("NO" in S602), the control unit 200 transitions the process to S606. This determination may be made based on whether the capabilities of the wireless LAN chip are stored in the storage device (e.g., RAM 203). As described above with reference to FIG. 5, if a wireless LAN chip usable by the image forming apparatus 101 is connected, the capabilities of this wireless LAN chip are stored in the storage device in S505 of FIG. 5. On the other hand, if a wireless LAN chip usable by the image forming apparatus 101 is not connected, the capabilities of the wireless LAN chip are not stored in the storage device. In S603, the I / E processing unit 321 of the application 320a acquires the capabilities of the wireless LAN chip 214 stored in the storage device.

[0044] In S604, the I / E processing unit 321 of the application 320a determines, based on the capabilities of the wireless LAN chip 214, whether the wireless LAN chip 214 can operate with the setting values ​​instructed to be imported. If it is determined that the wireless LAN chip 214 can operate with the setting values ​​("YES" in S604), the control unit 200 transitions the process to S605; otherwise ("NO" in S604), the control unit 200 transitions the process to S606. For example, assume that the import instruction includes WPA2 as the setting value for the encryption standard, and the wireless LAN chip 214 can operate with WPA2. In this case, it is determined that the wireless LAN chip 214 can operate with the setting values ​​instructed to be imported. If the import instruction includes multiple items, the I / E processing unit 321 may perform the determination in S604 for each item.

[0045] In step S605, the I / E processing unit 321 of the application 320a reflects the setting values ​​instructed to be imported for the wireless LAN chip 214. For example, the I / E processing unit 321 of the application 320a instructs the setting reflecting unit 331 of the setting management module 330 to replace the setting values ​​with existing setting values ​​in the setting value database 335. The existing setting values ​​may be specific setting values ​​or may be a value indicating that no specific value has been set (e.g., null). If the setting values ​​instructed to be imported include setting values ​​related to an application other than the application 302a, the I / E processing unit 321 of the other application reflects the setting values. For example, if the import data includes an address book, the I / E processing unit of the SEND application reflects the address book. Once the import reflection is complete, a list of the imported address books is displayed via a send screen provided by the SEND application, allowing the user to select a destination to send the scan data. If the import data includes administrator information, the system application reflects the setting values.

[0046] If it is determined that a wireless LAN chip that can be used by the image forming apparatus 101 is not connected to the USB I / F 213, or if it is determined that the wireless LAN chip 214 cannot operate with the setting values ​​instructed to be imported, the process proceeds to S606. In S606, the I / E processing unit 321 of the application 320a discards the setting values ​​instructed to be imported. For example, the I / E processing unit 321 terminates the import process for these setting values. If the setting values ​​instructed to be imported include setting values ​​related to another application other than the application 302a, the I / E processing unit of the other application performs reflection processing based on these setting values, as in S505. In other words, when the process of S606 is executed, the setting values ​​instructed to be imported are not reflected for the wireless LAN chip 214.

[0047] In S607, the I / E processing unit 321 of the application 320a may notify the user of the image forming apparatus 101 that the setting values ​​for the wireless LAN chip 214 were not reflected. This notification may be made by displaying an image on the operation unit 206 indicating that the setting values ​​for the wireless LAN chip 214 could not be reflected. With reference to FIG. 7, an example of an image 700 used for the notification in S607 will be described. The image 700 may be displayed on the entire operation unit 206, or may be displayed in a portion of the operation unit 206 to allow the user to perform other operations. The image 700 includes a message 701 notifying that the import instruction has been discarded and information 702 indicating the discarded setting values. The example of the image 700 indicates that the setting values ​​related to the encryption standard (WPA3-SAE) have been discarded. The information 702 further indicates the items of the discarded setting values.

[0048] According to the above-described method, it is possible to appropriately determine whether to reflect the setting values ​​instructed to be imported, based on the capabilities of the wireless LAN chip connected to the image forming apparatus 101. Furthermore, in the above-described method, the control unit 200 does not communicate with the wireless LAN chip 214 during the period from when the import instruction is received in S601 to when the setting values ​​are reflected in S606. Therefore, even if the wireless LAN chip 214 is set not to be used and therefore power is not being supplied to the wireless LAN chip 214, the control unit 200 can reflect the instructed setting values ​​without supplying power to the wireless LAN chip 214. As a result, the import processing time and processing load are reduced compared to when communicating with the wireless LAN chip 214 after receiving the import instruction.

[0049] In the above-described embodiment, the control unit 200 identifies the capabilities of the Wireless LAN chip 214 in S505, stores the capabilities in the storage device, and acquires the capabilities from the storage device in S603. Alternatively, the control unit 200 may store the vendor ID and device ID in the storage device in S505, and identify the capabilities of the Wireless LAN chip 214 using the vendor ID and device ID stored in the storage device in S603. Even in this case, the control unit 200 can determine whether the Wireless LAN chip 214 can operate with the setting values ​​instructed to be imported after receiving the import instruction, without communicating with the Wireless LAN chip 214.

[0050] In the above-described embodiment, the wireless LAN chip 214 is connected to the image forming apparatus 101 through the USB I / F 213. Alternatively, the wireless LAN chip 214 may be connected to the image forming apparatus 101 through an interface of another standard (for example, an M.2 interface).

[0051] Second Embodiment The image forming apparatus 101 according to the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the operations that are performed while the image forming apparatus 101 is in operation, but may be similar to the first embodiment in other respects. Therefore, the following description will focus on the differences from the first embodiment, and overlapping descriptions will be omitted.

[0052] An example of the operation of the image forming apparatus 101 will be described with reference to Fig. 8. The operation of the image forming apparatus 101 may be performed by the CPU 201 executing a program stored in a memory such as the ROM 202 or the RAM 203. Alternatively, some or all of the steps in Fig. 8 may be performed by a dedicated circuit such as an ASIC.

[0053] Steps S601 to S607 of the method in Fig. 8 may be the same as those in Fig. 6 of the first embodiment. However, if it is determined in S604 that the wireless LAN chip 214 cannot operate with the setting values ​​instructed to be imported ("NO" in S604), the control unit 200 transitions the process to S801.

[0054] In S801, the I / E processing unit 321 of the application 320a determines another setting value that is related to the setting value instructed to be imported and that allows the wireless LAN chip 214 to operate. The other setting value related to the setting value instructed to be imported may be another setting value related to the same item as the setting value instructed to be imported. For example, if the setting value instructed to be imported is a setting value related to an encryption standard, the other setting value related to the encryption standard is determined. Furthermore, if there are multiple setting values ​​that satisfy the conditions, the I / E processing unit 321 may determine any one of the setting values ​​as the other setting value to be used in subsequent processing.

[0055] In S802, the I / E processing unit 321 of the application 320a reflects the setting values ​​instructed to be imported for the wireless LAN chip 214. This process of reflecting different setting values ​​may be called rounding processing. The reflection of different setting values ​​may be performed in the same manner as the reflection of setting values ​​in S605.

[0056] In S803, the I / E processing unit 321 of the application 320a may notify the user of the image forming apparatus 101 that a different setting value has been reflected in the wireless LAN chip 214. This notification may be performed by displaying an image on the operation unit 206 indicating that a different setting value has been reflected in the wireless LAN chip 214. With reference to FIG. 9 , an example of an image 900 used for the notification in S803 will be described. The image 900 may be displayed on the entire operation unit 206, or may be displayed in a portion of the operation unit 206 to allow the user to perform other operations. The image 900 includes a message 901 notifying that a different setting value has been reflected and information 902 indicating the reflected setting value. The example of the image 900 indicates that a setting value related to an encryption standard (WPA / WPA2-EAP) has been reflected. The information 902 further indicates the item to which the different setting value has been reflected.

[0057] According to this embodiment, even if the wireless LAN chip 214 cannot operate with the setting values ​​instructed to be imported, other setting values ​​related to the setting values ​​can be reflected.

[0058] <Third embodiment> The image forming apparatus 101 according to the third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the operation of the image forming apparatus 101, but may be similar to the first embodiment in other respects. Therefore, the following description will focus on the differences from the first embodiment, and overlapping descriptions will be omitted.

[0059] 10 and 11, an example of the operation of the image forming apparatus 101 will be described. The operation of the image forming apparatus 101 may be performed by the CPU 201 executing a program stored in a memory such as the ROM 202 or the RAM 203. Alternatively, some or all of the steps in Fig. 10 and 11 may be performed by a dedicated circuit such as an ASIC.

[0060] The method of FIG. 10 is repeatedly performed while the image forming device 101 is in operation.

[0061] 6, the I / E processing unit 321 of the application 320a waits for an import instruction. In S1002, the I / E processing unit 321 of the application 320a acquires the import data from the I / E processing unit 334 of the setting management module 330, and stores the setting values ​​in a temporary storage area of ​​a storage device (for example, the HDD 204). In S1003, the I / E control module 310 restarts the image forming apparatus 101.

[0062] The method of Fig. 11 is performed when the image forming apparatus 101 is started up. Therefore, in response to the image forming apparatus 101 being restarted in S1003 described above, the method of Fig. 11 is executed during the restart. S501 to S507 of the method of Fig. 11 may be the same as those in Fig. 5 of the first embodiment. S604, S605, and S607 of the method of Fig. 11 may be the same as those in Fig. 6 of the first embodiment. After the capabilities of the wireless LAN chip 214 are identified in S505, S1101 is executed.

[0063] In S1101, the I / E processing unit 321 of the application 320a determines whether or not a setting value for the wireless LAN chip 214 is stored in a temporary storage area of ​​the storage device. If it is determined that the setting value is stored ("YES" in S1101), the control unit 200 transitions the process to S604; otherwise ("NO" in S1101), the control unit 200 transitions the process to S506. If an import instruction has been received in S1101 of FIG. 10, the setting value is stored in the temporary storage area. Therefore, the fact that the setting value is not stored in the temporary storage area indicates that an import instruction has not been received. In this case, the I / E processing unit 321 executes S506 without executing the processes for reflecting the setting value (specifically, S604, S605, and S607).

[0064] On the other hand, the fact that the setting values ​​are stored in the temporary storage area indicates that an import instruction has been received. In this case, the I / E processing unit 321 executes processing to reflect the setting values ​​(specifically, S604, S605, and S607). Thereafter, in S1102, the I / E processing unit 321 deletes the setting values ​​from the temporary storage area of ​​the storage device. This makes it possible to avoid unnecessary processing to reflect the setting values ​​the next time the image forming apparatus 101 is started.

[0065] According to the above-described method, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not to reflect the setting values ​​instructed to be imported, based on the capabilities of the wireless LAN chip connected to the image forming apparatus 101.

[0066] If the application 320a is able to use the wireless LAN chip 214 at the time the import instruction is received in S1101 of FIG. 10, the control unit 200 may execute the processes from S602 onwards in FIG. 6 instead of the processes from S1102 onwards.

[0067] <Fourth embodiment> The image forming apparatus 101 according to the fourth embodiment differs from the third embodiment in the operation of the image forming apparatus 101, but may be similar to the third embodiment in other respects. Therefore, the following description will focus on the differences from the third embodiment, and redundant description will be omitted. In the fourth embodiment, as in the second embodiment, the control unit 200 reflects different setting values ​​in the image forming apparatus 101 by executing S801 to S803 in FIG.

[0068] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] 101 image forming apparatus, 200 control unit, 310 I / E control module, 320a application

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus to which multiple types of wireless LAN chips can be connected, a specifying means for specifying the capabilities of a wireless LAN chip connected to the image forming apparatus; a receiving means for receiving an instruction to import setting values ​​represented by import data acquired from an external device different from the wireless LAN chip; a determining unit that determines whether a wireless LAN chip connected to the image forming apparatus can operate with the set values ​​based on the specified capabilities; a reflecting unit that reflects the setting values ​​in specific setting items of the image forming apparatus relating to the wireless LAN chip connected to the image forming apparatus when it is determined that the wireless LAN chip connected to the image forming apparatus can operate with the setting values; An image forming apparatus comprising:

2. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the identifying unit identifies the capabilities of the wireless LAN chip connected to the image forming apparatus based on information acquired by communicating with the wireless LAN chip connected to the image forming apparatus.

3. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the specifying unit acquires the information by communicating with a wireless LAN chip connected to the image forming apparatus when the image forming apparatus is started up.

4. a power control unit that controls power supply to a wireless LAN chip connected to the image forming apparatus; The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, when the wireless LAN chip connected to the image forming apparatus is set not to be used, the power control unit stops supplying power to the wireless LAN chip after acquiring the information.

5. the image forming apparatus stores correspondence information that associates identification information for identifying each type of the plurality of types of wireless LAN chips with capability information of the wireless LAN chips of the corresponding types; 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the information is identification information for identifying a type of the wireless LAN chip, the image forming apparatus and the wireless LAN chip are connected via a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface or an M.2 interface, and the specifying unit specifies the capabilities of the connected wireless LAN chip based on the information and the correspondence information.

6. An image forming apparatus as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that if it is determined that the wireless LAN chip connected to the image forming apparatus cannot operate with the setting value, the reflection means does not reflect the setting value in the specific setting item.

7. 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a notification unit that notifies a user of the image forming apparatus that the setting value has not been reflected in the specific setting item.

8. An image forming apparatus as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that when it is determined that a wireless LAN chip connected to the image forming apparatus cannot operate with the setting value, the reflection means reflects to the specific setting item another setting value that is related to the setting value and with which the wireless LAN chip can operate.

9. 9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a notification unit that notifies a user of the image forming apparatus that the different setting value has been reflected.

10. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, after receiving an instruction to import the setting values, the determination unit determines whether the wireless LAN chip connected to the image forming apparatus can operate with the setting values ​​without communicating with the wireless LAN chip.

11. 10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the specifying unit, after receiving an instruction to import the setting values, communicates with a wireless LAN chip connected to the image forming apparatus to obtain information used to specify the capabilities of the wireless LAN chip.

12. a storage means for storing the set value in a storage device; a restart unit that restarts the image forming apparatus after the setting value is stored in the storage device and before it is determined whether a wireless LAN chip connected to the image forming apparatus can operate with the setting value, 12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the specifying unit acquires the information by communicating with a wireless LAN chip connected to the image forming apparatus while the image forming apparatus is being restarted.

13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the import data is export data exported from the image forming apparatus or another image forming apparatus.

14. The image forming device described in Claim 13, characterized in that the export data is data representing settings that were set in the image forming device or another image forming device.

15. An image forming device described in any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the specific setting item is a setting item related to security, and the setting value is at least one of WPA, WPA2, and WPA3.

16. When the setting value is WPA2 and it is determined that the wireless LAN chip can operate with WPA2, the reflecting means reflects the setting value, 16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 15, wherein when the setting value is WPA3-SAE and it is determined that the wireless LAN chip is not capable of operating with WPA3-SAE, the reflecting unit does not reflect the setting value.

17. A program for causing a computer to function as each of the means of the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

18. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as each means of an image forming apparatus described in any one of claims 1 to 16.

19. A control method executed by an image forming apparatus to which multiple types of wireless LAN chips can be connected, comprising: a step of identifying the capabilities of a wireless LAN chip connected to the image forming apparatus; a receiving step of receiving an instruction to import setting values ​​represented by import data acquired from an external device different from the wireless LAN chip; a determining step of determining whether a wireless LAN chip connected to the image forming apparatus can operate with the setting values ​​based on the specified capabilities; a reflection step of reflecting the setting values ​​in specific setting items of the image forming apparatus relating to the wireless LAN chip connected to the image forming apparatus when it is determined that the wireless LAN chip connected to the image forming apparatus can operate with the setting values; A control method comprising:

Images