Terminal Apparatus Wi-Fi BLE Beacon Distance Display
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing terminal apparatuses face challenges in selecting a suitable electronic apparatus for wireless connection, as they often fail to consider the distance and status information, leading to inconvenient printer selection and potential misconnection.
Innovation Solution
The terminal apparatus employs both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication schemes to search for and display available electronic apparatuses, using BLE beacon signals to provide distance and status information, enabling precise selection of nearby and operational devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If only Wi-Fi communication is used to search for electronic apparatuses, then the search can find all Wi-Fi capable devices, but the distance to the terminal apparatus cannot be determined leading to inconvenient selection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines Wi-Fi and BLE communication systems to achieve both comprehensive device discovery and accurate distance measurement. The terminal apparatus performs Wi-Fi scanning to find all available electronic apparatuses, then uses BLE beacon signals to measure distance and determine operational status, merging the strengths of both communication protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
BLE beacon signals serve as an intermediary mechanism that provides distance and status information without interfering with the primary Wi-Fi communication function. The BLE system acts as a supplementary layer that enhances the Wi-Fi-based device discovery process with additional spatial and operational context.
2Reliability
If BLE communication is used to determine distance, then nearby apparatuses can be identified, but apparatuses without BLE signals may be incorrectly excluded even if they can perform Wi-Fi jobs
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal apparatus performs Wi-Fi scanning first to establish the complete list of available electronic apparatuses and their Wi-Fi capabilities. Then, as a supplementary step, it checks for BLE beacon signals to gather additional distance and status information. This preliminary Wi-Fi discovery ensures no capable devices are excluded, while BLE provides enhancement rather than exclusion criteria.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs more checks than strictly necessary by implementing both Wi-Fi and BLE verification, but structures it so that Wi-Fi capability is the primary criterion and BLE information is used for prioritization and display enhancement rather than mandatory filtering, thus avoiding exclusion of valid devices.
3Reliability
If electronic apparatuses are displayed without status information, then the display is simple, but users cannot identify operational apparatuses leading to potential misconnection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds status information selectively to the display output, maintaining the core simple device list structure while enhancing specific entries with operational status indicators. The display shows device names and basic information as before, but incorporates additional visual cues or metadata about operational status for devices that provided BLE signals, allowing users to quickly identify suitable connection targets without fundamentally changing the display paradigm.
Data Source
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AI summary
A terminal apparatus includes a first wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication with an electronic apparatus using a first wireless communication scheme, a second wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication with the electronic apparatus using a second wireless communication scheme, and a processing unit. The first wireless communication unit searches for the electronic apparatus using the first wireless communication scheme, and the processing unit performs processing that displays on a display unit a display image, which associates the electronic apparatus that is found as a result of the search which uses the first wireless communication scheme, and information that is acquired with a beacon signal which is received using the second wireless communication scheme.