JP7528501B2 - Programs and Electronic Devices - Google Patents

Description

The technical field disclosed in this specification relates to a program and an electronic device capable of selecting a template image.

There is a known technology in which one or more template images are prepared in advance and a template image is selected and printed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a computer connected to a label printer receives input of conditions such as formatting, extracts and displays template images that correspond to the input conditions, and accepts the selection of the template image to be printed from among the displayed template images.

JP 2012-78886 A

In the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, when selecting a template image, it is necessary to search for the desired template image from among the displayed template images and perform the selection operation, which is time-consuming. In addition, since all extracted template images are displayed for selection, template images that are not to be printed are also displayed. Therefore, there is a problem in that it is difficult to prepare highly confidential images as template images.

This specification discloses a technology that reduces the effort required for selection and provides high security for template images in electronic devices that allow selection of template images.

The program made for the purpose of solving the above-mentioned problems is a program executable by a computer of an electronic device equipped with a motion sensor, and causes the computer to execute a gesture acquisition process for acquiring gesture information, which is information indicating a gesture, an image acquisition process for acquiring a template image, and a registration process for registering the gesture information acquired in the gesture acquisition process and the template image acquired in the image acquisition process in association with each other, and further causes the computer to execute a detection process for detecting the gesture based on an output result from the motion sensor, a first image selection process for selecting the template image associated with the gesture information registered in the registration process based on the detected gesture when the gesture is detected in the detection process, a print acceptance process for accepting a print instruction with the template image selected, and a generation process for generating a job for causing a printer to print an image based on the selected template image when the print instruction is accepted.

In the program configured as above, gestures and template images are stored in advance in association with each other. When the program detects input of the stored gesture using a motion sensor, the program selects the template image associated with the detected gesture. Thereafter, when a print instruction is received, the program generates a print job including an image based on the selected template image. In this way, when selecting a template image to be printed, the user can select the template image by making a gesture in front of the electronic device, which reduces the effort required for selecting a template image. In addition, when selecting a template image, template images that are not associated with a gesture are not displayed, so that template images that are stored in advance in association with a gesture have a high degree of confidentiality.

The electronic device for implementing the functions of the above-mentioned device, the control method, and the computer-readable storage medium storing the computer program are also novel and useful.

The technology disclosed in this specification realizes a technology that reduces the effort required for selection and provides high security for template images in electronic devices that allow selection of template images.

1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of an electronic device in which a program according to an embodiment of the present invention is embedded. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the structure of a registration DB. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure of a control process. 13 is an example of an initial screen. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure of a registration process. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure of a gesture printing process. 1A is a diagram showing an example of a template confirmation screen, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing an example of a template selection screen. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure of a manual printing process. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure of a gesture recording process.

First Embodiment
Hereinafter, an embodiment of a program incorporated in an electronic device will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. This embodiment discloses an application program (hereinafter, referred to as an "app") incorporated in a portable electronic device capable of displaying images, such as a tablet or a smartphone. The electronic device of this embodiment is installed, for example, at the reception desk of a company together with a printer 2, and is used to print nameplates and the like.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the printing system of this embodiment, electronic device 1 is communicatively connected to printer 2. Printer 2 of this embodiment is, for example, a so-called label printer that has a thermal transfer print head, stores label paper wound in a roll, and prints while unwinding the label paper. Printer 2 prints images on the stored label paper and transports the label paper based on, for example, a print job received from electronic device 1, and ejects the printed portion outside the machine. Electronic device 1 is also communicatively connected to printer 3. Printer 3 is a different model printer from printer 2.

The electronic device 1 of this embodiment includes a controller 10 including a CPU 11 and a memory 12. The electronic device 1 further includes a display 20, an input interface (hereinafter referred to as "input I/F") 30, a communication interface (hereinafter referred to as "communication I/F") 40, a millimeter wave radar 50, and an authentication information input unit 60, which are electrically connected to the controller 10. The electronic device 1 is, for example, a device capable of executing various applications for causing the printer 2 and the printer 3 to print. Note that the controller 10 in FIG. 1 is a collective term for the hardware and software used to control the electronic device 1, and does not necessarily represent a single piece of hardware that actually exists in the electronic device 1.

Electronic device 1 is an example of an electronic device, and is, for example, a mobile terminal such as a tablet or a smartphone. Electronic device 1 may be a stationary electronic device such as a personal computer if it is equipped with a motion sensor. Printer 2 and printer 3 are examples of printers.

The CPU 11 executes various processes according to the programs read from the memory 12 and based on the user's operations. The CPU 11 is an example of a computer. The memory 12 includes a ROM, a RAM, and also includes a non-volatile memory such as a HDD and a flash memory, and stores various programs and data.

The display 20 has a display surface that displays various functions of the electronic device 1. The display 20 is an example of a display. The input I/F 30 is a key for executing each function of the electronic device 1, and is configured as a transparent touch panel that is integrally provided on the surface of the display 20. The electronic device 1 accepts icon selection operations when the user touches an icon displayed on the display 20 from the input I/F 30.

The communication I/F 40 includes hardware for communicating with an external device such as the printer 2. The communication method of the communication I/F 40 may be wireless or wired, and may be Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), USB, wired LAN, etc. The electronic device 1 of this embodiment may also have a function of connecting to the Internet via the communication I/F 40.

The millimeter wave radar 50 is a millimeter wave sensor that can express the wavelength of electromagnetic waves, such as Soil (registered trademark), in millimeter units (frequency 30 GHz to 300 GHz). The millimeter wave radar 50 of this embodiment is capable of transmitting millimeter waves of around 60 GHz toward an object to be measured, such as a hand, and is also configured to be able to receive reflected waves from the object to be measured. The millimeter wave radar 50 can then output a wave-shaped output signal (an example of a waveform signal) based on the reflected waves it receives. This allows the millimeter wave radar 50 to detect the movement of the object to be measured around the electronic device 1.

For the millimeter wave radar 50, it is desirable to use a wide band of radar frequencies to detect minute movements of the object being measured. In this embodiment, a laser frequency band of 57 GHz to 64 GHz is used, but the radar frequency band is not limited to frequencies in the 57 GHz to 64 GHz band, and a wider band of radar frequencies may be used. For example, a radar frequency with a wavelength in millimeters or units shorter than millimeters may be used.

In this embodiment, the millimeter wave radar 50 is an example of a motion sensor, but other devices that detect the acceleration, inclination, direction, etc. of an object may also be examples of a motion sensor. For example, an optical sensor or an infrared sensor may be used instead of the millimeter wave radar 50. The motion sensor may also be a camera.

The authentication information input unit 60 accepts the input of authentication information. The authentication information input unit 60 is, for example, a camera, a fingerprint sensor, or a card reader. The authentication information is, for example, face information, fingerprint information, or two-dimensional barcode information. The millimeter wave radar 50 may also function as the authentication information input unit 60 and accept authentication gestures as authentication information.

As shown in Fig. 1, the memory 12 of the electronic device 1 of this embodiment incorporates an operating system (hereinafter referred to as "OS") 41, an application program for creating print images (hereinafter referred to as "label creation application") 42, an image database (hereinafter referred to as "image DB") 43, a gesture database (hereinafter referred to as "gesture DB") 44, a registration database (hereinafter referred to as "registration DB") 45, an authentication database (hereinafter referred to as "authentication DB") 46, and an application program for figure analysis (hereinafter referred to as "figure analysis application") 47. The label creation application 42 is an example of a program.

OS41 is a multitasking OS that can process multiple tasks in parallel by managing and switching between multiple tasks, and is, for example, iOS (registered trademark), Android (registered trademark), Windows (registered trademark), MacOS (registered trademark), or Linux (registered trademark).

The label creation application 42 in this embodiment is a program that edits print images and controls the printer. The label creation application 42 is compatible with multiple models, such as printer 2 and printer 3. The label creation application 42 can be started, for example, by the user touching an icon (not shown) for starting the label creation application that is displayed on the display 20. The label creation application 42 accepts instructions for creating and editing images to be printed by the printer 2, and displays the images for which instructions have been accepted on the display 20.

The label creation application 42 also receives an instruction to print the image being displayed on the display 20, generates a print job based on the image being displayed, and sends it to the printer 2. Note that the label creation application 42 in this embodiment may be a program that can be executed independently based on an execution instruction from the user, or may be a program that is called and executed by another program while that program is running.

The image DB 43 is a storage area that stores image data of various images for the label creation application 42. Based on a user's instruction, the label creation application 42 displays an image of the image data stored in the image DB 43 on the display 20. Note that the image data stored in the image DB 43 may be stored at all times, or may be obtained from a server or the like as necessary. The image data may also be image data created by the user and registered in the image DB 43.

In this embodiment, the image DB 43 stores, for example, a plurality of templates selectable by the label creation application 42 and image data of a plurality of example images showing examples of use of each template. The templates used by the label creation application 42 are image data of templates for label creation, and include samples of text strings, code images, frame images, etc.

For example, a user can refer to multiple example images, select a template from multiple templates that is similar to the label they want to create, and edit and print the selected template. For example, a user can easily create the desired label paper by changing the text string in the template to a desired text string and printing it, selecting an image and printing it, or inserting a three-dimensional image into the text string and printing it.

The performance of printers varies depending on the model, and it may not be possible to print template images (hereinafter referred to as "template images") that correspond to different models. For this reason, templates are stored in image DB 43 in association with the printer model. Furthermore, when there are many templates, it is convenient to be able to extract templates according to their purpose. For this reason, templates are stored in association with their purpose. Examples of purposes include name plates, restaurant menus, tickets, language translations, and reports.

The label creation application 42 shown in FIG. 1 can detect a gesture, select a template image, and perform printing. Here, a gesture refers to the movement of a hand held out within the detection range of the millimeter wave radar 50. The label creation application 42 can also manually select a template image and perform printing.

The gesture DB 44 is a storage area that stores gesture information, which is information indicating gestures. In the gesture DB 44, a selection gesture for selecting a template image and a cancellation gesture for canceling the selection of a template image are registered. The cancellation gesture is not included in the selection gestures. The gesture information may be stored in advance in the label creation application 42, for example, or may be acquired from a server or the like. The gesture information may be stored at all times, or may be acquired from a server or the like as necessary. The gesture information may also be registered by a user using the millimeter wave radar 50. The cancellation gesture may be determined in advance, or may be set by the user.

Registration DB45 is a storage area for registering gesture information and template images in association with each other, as shown in FIG. 2, for example. One or more template images are associated with gesture information. By associating multiple template images with a gesture, multiple template images that can be selected with one gesture can be read out all at once, which reduces the effort required for selection. Note that the information registered in registration DB45 may be stored in a memory external to electronic device 1, such as a server, instead of in memory 12 of electronic device 1.

Each template image registered in the registration DB 45 has a hidden flag registered therein that sets whether or not the image is to be displayed only when a gesture of the corresponding gesture information is detected. A template image with a hidden flag set to "ON" is displayed on the display 20 when a gesture is detected, but is not displayed on the display 20 when the corresponding gesture is not detected. On the other hand, a template image with a hidden flag set to "OFF" is always displayed on the display 20 whether or not the corresponding gesture is detected. Note that a hidden flag set to "ON" is an example of "having a specific attribute", and a hidden flag set to "OFF" is an example of "not having a specific attribute". A template image with a hidden flag set to "OFF" is an example of a first template image, and a template with a hidden flag set to "ON" is an example of a second template image.

The authentication DB 46 is a storage area that stores authentication information used for user authentication. The label creation application 42 of this embodiment performs pre-authentication, which authenticates the user before detecting a gesture, and post-authentication, which authenticates the user after selecting a template image. Pre-authentication is a comprehensive authentication process that authenticates the authority to execute the gesture print mode regardless of the template image. On the other hand, post-authentication is an individual authentication process that authenticates the authority to select each template image. The authentication information includes authentication information used for pre-authentication and authentication information used for post-authentication. The authentication information is, for example, face information, fingerprint, employee number, and gesture.

The figure analysis application 47 is a type of application software. The figure analysis application 47 is, for example, a program that analyzes the output waveform output from the millimeter wave radar 50 and provides figure information. "Figure information" is information that indicates the temporary state of the hand, like a photograph. The figure analysis application 47 provides figure information at regular intervals, like a series of photographs, in response to, for example, periodic analysis requests.

When the label creation application 42 is started by the user, the figure analysis application 47 is also started. The label creation application 42 acquires figure information provided by the figure analysis application 47 and can detect a gesture based on the acquired figure information. When the label creation application 42 detects a gesture, it compares the detected gesture with gesture information registered in the registration DB 45, acquires a template image corresponding to the gesture information, and displays it selectably on the display 20.

Next, the control procedure for creating a label using the label creation application 42 will be described. When the launch icon for the label creation application 42 displayed on the display 20 of the electronic device 1 is tapped, the CPU 11 executes the control process shown in FIG. 3. The CPU 11 starts the figure analysis application 47 at the same time as starting the label creation application 42. In the following description, it may be said that "XX application performs XX processing," but this means that the CPU performs XX processing.

First, the CPU 11 displays an initial screen (S1). For example, the initial screen 100 shown in FIG. 4 includes input buttons such as a manual print button 111, a gesture print button 112, a registration button 113, and a gesture record button 114. The manual print button 111 is a button for receiving an instruction to execute a manual print mode in which label printing is performed manually. The gesture print button 112 is a button for receiving an instruction to execute a gesture print mode in which label printing is performed using gestures. The registration button 113 is a button for receiving a registration instruction for executing a registration mode in which gesture information is associated with a template image and registered in the registration DB 45. The gesture record button 114 is a button for receiving a gesture record instruction (an example of a record start instruction) for executing a gesture record mode in which a gesture is recorded in the gesture DB 44. The registration button 113 and the gesture record button 114 are buttons that can be operated only by the administrator, and administrator authentication is required when operating them. The registration button 113 and gesture record button 114 may be displayed in an operable manner on the initial screen 100 if administrator authentication is successful, and may be hidden if administrator authentication is unsuccessful.

As shown in FIG. 3, the CPU 11 that displays the initial screen 100 determines whether a mode selection has been accepted (S3). When the manual print button 111 or the gesture print button 112 shown in FIG. 4 is tapped, the CPU 11 uses the input I/F 30 to determine that a mode selection has been accepted (S3: YES). In this case, the CPU 11 determines whether the manual print mode or the gesture print mode has been selected (S5).

When the manual print button 111 shown in FIG. 4 is tapped, the CPU 11 determines that the manual print mode has been selected (S5: manual print mode). In this case, the CPU 11 executes the manual print process (S9) and returns to the process of S1. The manual print process will be described later.

On the other hand, when the gesture print button 112 shown in FIG. 4 is tapped, the CPU 11 determines that the gesture print mode has been selected (S5: gesture print mode). In this case, the CPU 11 executes the gesture print process (S7) and returns to the process of S1. The gesture print process will be described later.

In contrast to the above, if the manual print button 111 and gesture print button 112 are not tapped on the initial screen 100 in FIG. 4, and the registration button 113 or gesture record button 114 is tapped, the CPU 11 determines that the mode selection has not been accepted (S3: NO). In this case, the CPU 11 uses the input I/F 30 to determine whether or not a registration instruction for executing a registration process has been accepted (S11). If the registration button 113 has been tapped, the CPU 11 determines that a registration instruction has been accepted (S11: YES). In this case, the CPU 11 executes the registration process (S13) and returns to the process of S1. The registration process is a process in which gesture information and a template image are associated with each other and registered in the registration DB 45. The registration process will be described later.

When the CPU 11 determines that a registration instruction has not been received (S11: NO), it uses the input I/F 30 to determine whether or not a gesture record instruction has been received (S15). When the gesture record button 114 has been tapped, the CPU 11 determines that a gesture record instruction has been received (S15: YES). In this case, the CPU 11 executes a gesture record process (S17) and returns to the process of S1. The process of S15 is an example of a record reception process. The process of S17 is an example of a storage process. The gesture record process is a process of recording a gesture detected using the millimeter wave radar 50 in the gesture DB 44. The gesture record process will be described later. When the CPU 11 determines that a gesture record instruction has not been received (S15: NO), it returns to the process of S1.

Next, the registration process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 5. First, the CPU 11 requests administrator authentication (S201) and determines whether the administrator authentication is successful (S202). For example, the CPU 11 obtains authentication information using the authentication information input unit 60 and compares it with the authentication DB 46 to determine whether to authenticate. If the administrator authentication is unsuccessful (S202: NO), the CPU 11 ends the registration process. On the other hand, if the administrator authentication is successful (S202: YES), the CPU 11 searches for the target printer and accepts the selection of the printer (S203). For example, the CPU 11 searches for the printers 2 and 3 that can be connected to the electronic device 1 and displays them on the display 20. The CPU 11 accepts the selection of the printer using the input I/F 30.

The CPU 11, to which the target printer has been set, accepts the setting of the use (S204). For example, the CPU 11 obtains the uses that the printer selected in S201 can support from the image DB 43, and displays them on the display 20. The CPU 11 then uses the input I/F 30 to accept a selection operation to select one of the displayed uses.

After accepting the application setting, the CPU 11 acquires gesture information (S205). The process of S205 is an example of a gesture acquisition process. For example, the CPU 11 reads gestures from the gesture DB 44 and displays them on the display 20. The CPU 11 then accepts a selection operation using the input I/F 30 to select one of the gestures to be displayed. Note that when performing the process of S205, a gesture recording process described below may be performed, and gesture information indicating the gesture whose registration has been accepted may be acquired in the process of S205.

After acquiring the gesture information, the CPU 11 extracts a template image corresponding to the application selected in S204 from the image DB 43 and displays it on the display 20 (S207). The CPU 11 then accepts a selection of a template image to be associated with the gesture from among the template images displayed on the display 20 (S209). The number of template images to be selected may be one or more. The processes of S207 and S209 are an example of an image acquisition process.

After accepting the selection of the template image, the CPU 11 associates the gesture information acquired in S205 with the template image selected in S209, and registers them in the registration DB 45 (S211). The process of S211 is an example of a registration process. At this time, the CPU 11 also stores the model name of the printer selected in S203 and the purpose selected in S204 in association with the gesture.

Then, the CPU 11 accepts the designation of a hidden template (S213). Using the input I/F 30, the CPU 11 accepts a setting for each template image registered in S211 as to whether or not to designate the template as a template that is displayed only when a gesture is detected (hereinafter referred to as a "hidden template"). For template images designated as hidden templates, the CPU 11 registers "ON" in the hidden flag of the registration DB 45 shown in FIG. 2. On the other hand, for template images that are not designated as hidden templates, the CPU 11 registers "OFF" in the hidden flag of the registration DB 45 shown in FIG. 2. This allows the CPU 11 to determine whether or not the template of the template image corresponds to a hidden template based on the contents of the hidden flag.

Then, the CPU 11 accepts the designation of the authentication-required template (S215). The CPU 11 accepts, using the input I/F 30, a setting of whether or not to designate one gesture registered in S211 as a template requiring post-authentication (hereinafter referred to as an "authentication-required template"). That is, one authentication necessity is set for one gesture. The CPU 11 collectively registers "required" in the authentication necessity of the registration DB 45 shown in FIG. 2 for template images associated with gestures for which the designation of the authentication-required template has been accepted. On the other hand, the CPU 11 collectively registers "not required" in the authentication necessity of the registration DB 45 shown in FIG. 2 for template images associated with gestures for which the designation of the authentication-required template has not been accepted. This allows the CPU 11 to determine whether or not the template image corresponds to an authentication-required template depending on the content of the authentication necessity. In this embodiment, one authentication necessity is registered for one gesture, but the authentication necessity may be registered for each template image.

Then, the CPU 11 determines whether or not a registration completion instruction has been received (S217). For example, if the Confirm button that confirms the registration contents displayed on the display 20 is tapped, the CPU 11 receives the registration completion instruction using the input I/F 30 (S217: YES). In this case, the CPU 11 ends the registration process. This confirms the contents of the registration DB 45. On the other hand, if the Confirm button is not tapped, the CPU 11 does not receive a registration completion instruction using the input I/F 30 (S217: NO), and returns to the process of S203. This makes it possible to associate gesture information of another gesture with a template image and register it in the registration DB 45.

In this type of registration process, for example, the hidden flag is registered as "ON" for the template image of the template intended for employees, and the hidden flag is registered as "OFF" for the template image of the template intended for both employees and visitors. As a result, when a purpose is selected without detecting a gesture and the template image is displayed on the display 20, the template image intended for employees will not be displayed. This makes it possible to prevent the template image intended for employees from being seen by visitors.

Next, the gesture printing process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 6. In the gesture printing process, first, the CPU 11 requests pre-authentication (S101). Pre-authentication is a process for authenticating the authority to execute the gesture printing process. For example, the CPU 11 uses the display 20 to display a message such as "Please hold your employee ID card over the reader" to prompt the user to input authentication information. The user holds the employee ID card over the authentication information input unit 60 and has the electronic device 1 read the employee number. The CPU 11 compares the employee number acquired using the authentication information input unit 60 with the authentication DB 46 to perform authority authentication. The employee number may be entered via a virtual keyboard. The authentication information may also be information other than the employee number, such as face information, fingerprint information, or gestures.

The CPU 11 that requested pre-authentication determines whether or not the pre-authentication was successful (S103). The processes of S101 and S103 are an example of authentication processing. If the pre-authentication is unsuccessful (S103: NO), the CPU 11 notifies the user of the authentication failure (S131) and ends the processing. For example, the CPU 11 uses the display 20 to display an error message such as "Authentication has failed. Please print in manual print mode."

On the other hand, if the pre-authentication is successful (S103: YES), the CPU 11 starts acquiring figure information from the figure analysis application 47 and starts detecting gestures (S105). For example, the millimeter wave radar 50 outputs millimeter waves while the electronic device 1 is running. When a hand is held out within the detection range, the millimeter wave radar 50 receives the reflected wave from the hand and outputs an output signal. The figure analysis application 47 acquires and analyzes the output signal output from the millimeter wave radar 50, and passes the figure information to the label creation application 42. The label creation application 42 detects gestures by comparing the figure information passed from the figure analysis application 47 with each gesture registered in the registration DB 45.

Successful pre-authentication is an example of an input start acceptance process that accepts an input start instruction to start a gesture input mode that accepts input via gesture.

After starting gesture detection, the CPU 11 determines whether or not a gesture has been detected (S107). If the CPU 11 does not detect a gesture (S107: NO), the process ends.

When the CPU 11 detects a gesture (S107: YES), the CPU 11 uses the display 20 to display all templates associated with the detected gesture (S109). For example, when the CPU 11 detects the gesture J11 shown in FIG. 2, the CPU 11 reads out template images X11 to X14 associated with the gesture J11 from the registration DB 45. Then, the CPU 11 uses the display 20 to display the template confirmation screen 200, for example, as shown in FIG. 7(a). The template confirmation screen 200 includes the read out template images X11 to X14. That is, the CPU 11 displays both the template image with "OFF" registered in the hidden flag and the template image with "ON" registered in the hidden flag. Note that for the template image X11 with "ON" registered in the hidden flag, a character string indicating that it is a hidden template image may be displayed instead of the image contents. The processes of S105 and S107 are examples of detection processes. The process of S109 is an example of a first image selection process. In addition, the template confirmation screen 200 includes an up scroll button 205, a down scroll button 206, and a confirm button 201.

The CPU 11 determines whether or not a cancel instruction has been received (S112). For example, if the detected gesture is a cancel gesture registered in the gesture DB 44 (e.g., a hand sweeping gesture, a hand waving gesture from side to side), the CPU 11 determines that a cancel instruction has been received (S112: YES). In this case, the CPU 11 cancels the selection of the template image displayed in S109 (S113) and proceeds to processing of S114. A cancel gesture is an example of a specific gesture. The processing of S113 is an example of a cancel processing. Note that if the CPU 11 does not receive a cancel instruction (S112: NO), the processing of S113 is skipped and the processing of S114 is proceeded to processing.

The CPU 11, which has proceeded to S114, judges whether or not another gesture has been detected. If the CPU 11 judges that another gesture has been detected (S114: YES), the template image displayed on the display 20 is switched to a template image associated with the other gesture (S115). For example, the CPU 11 detects the gesture J11 shown in FIG. 2, selects and displays the template images X11 to X14 on the display 20, and then detects the gesture J12. In this case, the CPU 11 selects the template images X21 to X25 associated with the gesture J12 shown in FIG. 2, and displays the template images X21 to X25 on the display 20 in place of the template images X11 to X14. After that, the CPU 11 proceeds to the process of S116. If the CPU 11 does not detect another gesture (S114: NO), the process of S115 is skipped and the process proceeds to the process of S116.

The CPU 11 proceeds to the process of S116 and determines whether or not the decision button 201 displayed on the template confirmation screen 200 shown in FIG. 7(a) has been pressed. If the decision button 201 has not been pressed (S116: NO), the CPU 11 returns to the process of S107. On the other hand, if the decision button 201 has been pressed (S116: YES), the CPU 11 ends the acquisition of figure information and gesture detection (S117).

Then, the CPU 11 determines whether the selected template image is a template requiring authentication (S118). For example, assume that the CPU 11 detects gesture J21, uses the input I/F 30 to display template images X21 to X25 on the display 20, and selects template image X21. As shown in FIG. 2, template image X21 has "not required" registered in the authentication requirement field. In this case, the CPU 11 determines that the selected template image X21 is not a template requiring authentication (S118: NO), and proceeds to the processing of S121.

On the other hand, for example, suppose that the CPU 11 detects gesture J11 and uses the input I/F 30 to display template images X11 to X14 on the display 30, and that template image X11 is selected. As shown in FIG. 2, template image X11 has "required" registered in the authentication requirement field. In this case, the CPU 11 determines that the selected template image X11 is an authentication-required template (S118: YES) and requests post-authentication (S119). The CPU 11 then determines whether or not post-authentication has been successful (S120). The processes of S119 and S120 are an example of authentication processing.

For example, the CPU 11 uses the display 20 to display a message such as "Please enter facial information" to prompt the user to enter authentication information to be used in post-authentication. When facial information is entered using the authentication information input unit 60, the CPU 11 compares the entered facial information with the authentication DB 46 and performs post-authentication. Note that the authentication information may be information other than facial information, such as an employee number or fingerprint information. Post-authentication may also be performed by detecting an authentication gesture. In this case, the acquisition of figure information and the detection of gestures are resumed, and the acquisition of figure information and the detection of gestures are terminated after the end of post-authentication. If post-authentication fails (S120: NO), the CPU 11 notifies the user of the authentication failure (S131) and then terminates the gesture printing process.

If post-authentication is successful (S120: YES), the CPU 11 uses the display 20 to display an editing screen for editing the template image (S121), and determines whether an additional information setting instruction for setting additional information to the template has been received (S123).

For example, the CPU 11 accepts input of a character string via an editing screen and generates an image for printing. The editing screen is provided with, for example, an additional information setting button for accepting an additional information setting instruction for setting additional information to a template. When the additional information setting button is tapped, the CPU 11 determines that an additional information setting instruction has been accepted using the input I/F 30 (S123: YES). In this case, the CPU 11 inputs the additional information to the template image (S125) and proceeds to the process of S127. The additional information may be input manually or may be read by a reader such as a camera or a card reader. For example, if the additional information is an employee ID, an employee ID card storing the employee ID can be read by a reader, and an image with the employee ID added to the template image can be printed. Also, when multiple template images are displayed in S109, additional information may be input individually for each template image, or additional information may be input for all multiple templates. The process of S125 is an example of an information acquisition process.

The additional information may be, for example, a photograph or an icon. If the selected template image is a nameplate template, a face photograph is input as the additional information. For example, for employee nameplates, a department name or a unique ID is input as the additional information, and for guest nameplates, a one-time ID is input as the additional information. For example, if the selected template image is a template for a restaurant menu (e.g., a label to be affixed to a food or drink container), the menu name and a photograph are input as the additional information. The additional information may be information that changes the printing mode according to the attributes of the template image. For example, if the selected template image is a child's nameplate or ticket template, information that changes the general rate to a child's rate or changes a character string containing kanji to hiragana may be input as the additional information. If the selected template image is a senior citizen's nameplate or ticket template, additional information that increases the font size of the character string may be input.

If the CPU 11 determines that the additional information setting instruction has not been accepted (S123: NO), it skips S125 and proceeds to S127.

After proceeding to the process of S127, the CPU 11 judges whether or not a print instruction has been received. For example, a print button for receiving a print instruction is displayed on the editing screen. If the print button is not tapped, the CPU 11 judges that a print instruction has not been received (S127: NO) and returns to the process of S121. On the other hand, if the print button is tapped, the CPU 11 judges that a print instruction has been received using the input I/F 30 (S127: YES), generates a job including print data including an image of the selected template and the input additional information, and transmits it to the printer 2 (S129). After that, the CPU 11 ends the process. Note that the process of S127 is an example of a print reception process. The process of S129 is an example of a generation process.

In the gesture printing process of this embodiment, when a gesture is input, template images of templates associated with the input gesture are selected, including hidden templates, and displayed on the display 20. Therefore, the user can select a template just by making a gesture, without having to set a printer or purpose.

In addition, after making a gesture to select a template, you can easily cancel the template selection by making a gesture to cancel. This makes template selection easy to use.

In addition, if a gesture is detected and a template is selected while figure information is being acquired, and then another gesture is detected, the template image can be switched in response to the change in gesture. This means that template images can be easily changed with gestures, providing good operability when selecting templates.

In addition, because gesture detection is performed on the condition that pre-authentication is successful, the processing load for detecting gestures is reduced. In addition, because printing of the selected template is performed on the condition that post-authentication is successful, it is possible to prevent highly confidential template images from being printed by unauthorized third parties (such as visitors).

Next, the manual printing process will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 8. The manual printing process is a printing process that is applied to conventional label printing, so it will be described briefly here. In the manual printing process, the CPU 11 accepts the selection of a printer (S51). For example, the CPU 11 uses the display 20 to display a printer selection screen for selecting a printer to perform printing. Then, the CPU 11 uses the input I/F 30 to accept the selection of a printer to perform printing from among the displayed printers. Note that when printing is to be performed on a printer registered in the label creation application 42 or the OS 41, the processes of S51 and S53 may be omitted and the process may start from S55.

After accepting the selection of the printer, the CPU 11 accepts the selection of the purpose (S53). For example, the CPU 11 acquires the purpose associated with the printer selected in S51 from the registration DB 45, and displays the acquired purpose in a selectable manner using the display 20. The CPU 11 accepts the selection of the purpose from among the purposes displayed on the display 20.

After the use has been selected, the CPU 11 reads out from the registration DB 45 template images associated with the printer selected in S51 and the use selected in S53 (S55). The CPU 11 then determines whether or not the read out templates include hidden templates (S57). If the CPU 11 determines that a hidden template exists (S57: YES), it displays on the display 20 a template selection screen 300 including all templates read out in S55 except for the hidden templates (S59), and proceeds to S61.

On the other hand, if the CPU 11 determines that there are no hidden templates (S57: NO), it displays the template selection screen 300 including all of the retrieved templates on the display 20 (S63), and proceeds to the processing of S61.

For example, when the model name of the printer 2, "M01," is selected in S51, and "Nameplate" is selected as the application in S53, the CPU 11 reads out the associated template images X11-X14 from the registration DB 45 shown in FIG. 2. The hidden flag of the read out template image X11 is registered as "ON," and the hidden flags of the template images X12-X14 are registered as "OFF." In other words, the template images X12-X14 are not hidden templates, but the template image X11 is a hidden template. Therefore, the CPU 11 uses the display 20 to display the template images X12-X14 as selectable, as shown in FIG. 7(b), and does not display the template image X11, which is a hidden template.

On the other hand, for example, when the model name of the printer 2 "M01" is selected in S51 and "food and drink menu" is selected as the purpose in S53, the CPU 11 reads out the template images X21 to X25 associated with them from the registration DB 45 shown in FIG. 2. The hidden flags of the read out template images X21 to X25 are all registered as "OFF." In other words, the read out template images X21 to X25 do not include any hidden templates. In this case, the CPU 11 displays all the read out template images X21 to X25 selectably using the display 20.

The CPU 11 proceeds to S61, and uses the input I/F 30 to accept the selection of a template image, and proceeds to the process of S123. The process from S123 onwards is similar to the gesture printing process, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. Note that the processes of S57, S59, and S61 are an example of the second image selection process.

In this way, in the manual printing process of this embodiment, the printer and purpose must be manually selected before a template image can be selected, so printing takes more time than in the gesture printing process. Also, in the manual printing process, as shown in FIG. 7(b), for example, template images X12 to X14 other than template image X11 of the hidden template are displayed on the display 20 so that they can be selected. Therefore, for example, a visitor who does not know the gesture can only select a template image from among template images X12 to X14 by selecting the manual printing mode, thereby enhancing the confidentiality of template image X11.

Next, the gesture recording process will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 9. First, the CPU 11 requests administrator authentication (S77) and determines whether the administrator authentication is successful (S79). The processes of S77 and S79 are similar to the processes of S201 and S202 in FIG. 5, and therefore will not be described here. If the CPU 11 succeeds in administrator authentication, it starts acquiring figure information and detecting gestures (S81). The process of S81 is similar to the process of S105 in FIG. 6, and therefore will not be described here.

The CPU 11 determines whether or not the acquired gesture has been detected (S83). If the CPU 11 detects hand movement based on the figure information from the gesture analysis application 47, it determines that the gesture has been detected (S83: YES). In this case, the CPU 11 stores the detected gesture in the gesture DB 44 (S85) and proceeds to processing of S87. On the other hand, if the CPU 11 does not detect a gesture (S83: NO), it skips processing of S85 and proceeds to processing of S87.

The CPU 11 proceeds to the process of S87 and determines whether or not a recording end condition is satisfied. The recording end condition is, for example, that a certain amount of time has elapsed since the start of the gesture recording process. If the recording end condition is not satisfied (S87: NO), the CPU 11 returns to the process of S83. On the other hand, if the recording end condition is satisfied (S87: YES), the CPU 11 ends the acquisition of figure information and gesture detection (S89), and ends the gesture recording process.

By performing the gesture recording process of this embodiment, a gesture that is easy for a user to intuitively understand can be registered, and the gesture can be associated with a template image and registered in the registration DB 45, and can further be used in the gesture printing process. This allows the user to select a template image with a gesture that is easy to use, improving convenience.

As described above in detail, in the label creation application 42 of this embodiment, gestures and template images are associated with each other and stored in advance. When the label creation application 42 detects input of the stored gesture using the millimeter wave radar 50, it selects a template image associated with the detected gesture. After that, when a print instruction is received, the label creation application 42 generates a print job including an image based on the selected template image. In this way, when selecting a template image to be printed, the user can select the template image by making a gesture in front of the electronic device 1, and the effort required for selecting a template image is reduced. In addition, when selecting a template image, template images that are not associated with a gesture are not displayed, so that the confidentiality of template images that are associated with a gesture and stored in advance is high.

Note that this embodiment is merely an example and does not limit the present invention in any way. Naturally, the present invention can be modified and altered in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The printer 2 may be a device other than a label printer, such as a multifunction device or a printing device. The print medium may also be a print medium other than label paper, such as cut paper.

In the above embodiment, the template image with the hidden flag set to "ON" can be selected when a gesture is detected in gesture print mode, but cannot be selected when printing in manual print mode. However, the selection of the template image may be performed in a different manner. For example, template images for visitors and template images for employees are managed in separate databases. In this case, the template image for employees is not registered in the database for visitors, but is registered in the database for employees. Then, when a gesture is detected, the template image registered in the database for employees is displayed on the display 20, and when a gesture is not detected, the template image registered in the database for visitors is displayed on the display 20 for selection. In this way, a visitor who does not know the gesture manually displays the template image for visitors without making a gesture, so that it is possible to avoid the template image for employees being seen by the visitor and compromising confidentiality.

The process of S213 in FIG. 5 may be omitted. However, by executing the process of S213 and accepting the designation of a hidden template, the template image to be printed can be manually selected from among multiple template images, which can improve convenience. At the same time, even when manually selecting a template image, it is possible to prevent hidden template images (an example of a second template image) that have "ON" registered in the hidden setting, i.e., those that have specific attributes, from being displayed. This can improve the confidentiality of the template image designated as the hidden template.

In FIG. 6, the pre-authentication of S101 and S103 and the post-authentication of S119 and S120 may be omitted, or either one of them. However, by performing pre-authentication or post-authentication and making user authentication a condition for template image selection by gesture, the security of the template image can be further improved. In addition, the detection process for detecting gestures has a high processing load. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the security of the template image can be further improved by performing pre-authentication of S101 and S103 before gesture detection in S107 and making user authentication a condition for template image selection. On the other hand, if pre-authentication is omitted and post-authentication is performed, authentication of each template image becomes possible.

The gesture recording process shown in FIG. 9 may be omitted. However, by executing the gesture recording process shown in FIG. 9 and providing a gesture recording function, the user can select a template image with a gesture that is easy for the user to use, improving convenience.

The processes of S123 and S125 in FIG. 6 may be omitted. However, by executing the processes of S123 and S125 in FIG. 6 and automatically adding the acquired additional information to the selected template image, it is possible to add added value to the template image to be printed.

The processes of S112 and S113 in FIG. 6 may be omitted. However, by preparing a specific gesture indicating cancellation in advance and performing the processes of S112 and S113, the operability when making a selection can be improved.

The processes of S114 and S115 in FIG. 6 may be omitted. However, by executing the process of S114 and switching the template image selected by the gesture, the operability during selection is improved.

In FIG. 6, the acquisition of figure information and the detection of gestures are terminated by pressing the decision button 201. However, the acquisition of figure information and the termination of gesture detection may be triggered by something other than pressing the decision button 201. For example, the termination may be simultaneous with the acceptance of the selection of a template image. Also, for example, the acquisition of figure information and the termination of gesture detection may be terminated when a certain amount of time has elapsed since the start of the acquisition of figure information and the detection of gestures.

Pre-authentication, post-authentication, and administrator authentication may be performed by an external server.

In addition, in this embodiment, the label creation application 42 and the figure analysis application 47 are configured as independent modules, but the label creation application 42 may be configured to have the functions of the figure analysis application 47. The functions of the figure analysis application 47 may be provided as part of the functions of the OS 41, and the label creation application 42 may be configured to execute the functions by calling the functions of the OS 41 via an API.

In addition, in this embodiment, the figure analysis application 47 is automatically started when the label creation application 42 is started, but it is also possible to configure the two applications to be started independently. In this case, it is also possible to display an icon for starting the label creation application 42 and an icon for starting the figure analysis application 47 on the display 20.

In the above embodiment, the figure analysis application 47 receives a signal from the millimeter wave radar 50 and generates figure information, which is acquired by the label creation application 42. Alternatively, the label creation application 42 may receive a signal from the millimeter wave radar 50, pass it to the figure analysis application 47, and acquire the figure information from the figure analysis application 47.

In addition, although the label creation application 42 detects gestures, the figure analysis application 47 may detect gestures and the label creation application 42 may acquire the detection results.

In addition, in any of the flowcharts disclosed in the embodiments, the execution order of multiple processes in any of the steps can be changed or they can be executed in parallel as desired, as long as no inconsistencies occur in the process content.

The processes disclosed in the embodiments may be executed by a single CPU, multiple CPUs, hardware such as an ASIC, or a combination of these. The processes disclosed in the embodiments may be realized in various ways, such as a recording medium on which a program for executing the processes is recorded, or a method.

1 Electronic device 42 Label creation application 50 Millimeter wave radar

Claims (11)

A program executable by a computer of an electronic device having a motion sensor, comprising:
The computer includes:
A gesture acquisition process for acquiring gesture information that is information indicating a gesture;
An image acquisition process for acquiring a template image;
a registration process for registering the gesture information acquired in the gesture acquisition process and the template image acquired in the image acquisition process in association with each other;
The computer further comprises:
A detection process for detecting the gesture based on an output result from the motion sensor;
a first image selection process for selecting the template image associated with the gesture information registered in the registration process based on the detected gesture when the gesture is detected in the detection process;
a print receiving process for receiving a print instruction with the template image selected;
a generation process for generating a job for causing a printer to print an image based on the selected template image when the print instruction is received;
The template images include a first template image having no specific attribute and a second template image having the specific attribute,
In the registration process, either the first template image or the second template image can be registered in association with the gesture information,
The computer includes:
executing a second image selection process of displaying the first template image on a display unit of the electronic device, not displaying the second template image, and accepting selection of a template image from the displayed first template images via an input interface of the electronic device;
A program characterized by: The program according to claim 1,
The computer includes:
accepting input of authentication information and executing an authentication process for performing user authentication using the input authentication information;
In the first image selection process, when the user is authenticated by the authentication process, the template image associated with the detected gesture is selected.
A program characterized by: The program according to claim 2,
The computer includes:
executing the authentication process before executing the detection process, and executing the detection process when the user authentication in the authentication process is successful.
A program characterized by: In the program according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
In the registration process,
One or more template images can be registered in association with one gesture,
In the first image selection process,
When the gesture is detected in the detection process, all of the template images associated with the gesture information indicating the detected gesture are selected.
A program characterized by: The program according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The computer includes:
a recording reception process for receiving a recording start instruction for starting a gesture recording mode for receiving recording of the gesture;
execute, after receiving the instruction to start recording and before terminating the gesture recording mode, a storage process for storing, in a memory of the electronic device, the gesture information indicating a gesture identified based on an output result from the motion sensor;
In the registration process, the gesture information stored in the memory is registered in association with the template image.
A program characterized by: The program according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The computer includes:
executing a printer selection process for selecting a printer for printing an image based on the template image;
In the image acquisition process, the template image corresponding to the printer selected in the printer selection process is acquired.
A program characterized by: The program according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The computer includes:
Executing an information acquisition process to acquire additional information to be added to the template image;
In the generation process, when the print instruction is accepted, a job is generated to cause the printer to print an image in which the additional information acquired in the information acquisition process is added to the selected template image.
A program characterized by: The program according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The computer includes:
When a specific gesture indicating cancellation is detected in the detection process after the template image is selected in the first image selection process, a cancellation process is executed to cancel selection of the selected template image, and gesture information indicating the specific gesture is excluded from the registration process .
A program characterized by: The program according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
In the first image selection process,
when a different gesture is detected in the detection process after a template image is selected in the first image selection process, the selected template image is switched to the template image associated with the gesture information indicating the different gesture that has been detected.
A program characterized by: The program according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
the motion sensor is a sensor that receives electromagnetic waves having wavelengths in millimeter units or units smaller than millimeters and outputs a waveform signal based on the received electromagnetic waves;
In the detection process,
acquiring the waveform signal output from the motion sensor as the output result, and detecting the gesture based on the acquired waveform signal;
A program characterized by: A motion sensor;
A computer,
A display device;
An input interface;
Equipped with
The computer includes:
A gesture acquisition process for acquiring gesture information that is information indicating a gesture;
An image acquisition process for acquiring a template image;
a registration process for registering the gesture information acquired in the gesture acquisition process and the template image acquired in the image acquisition process in association with each other;
The computer further comprises:
A detection process for detecting the gesture based on an output result from the motion sensor;
a first image selection process for selecting the template image associated with the gesture information registered in the registration process based on the detected gesture when the gesture is detected in the detection process;
a print receiving process for receiving a print instruction with the template image selected;
a generation process for generating a job for causing a printer to print an image based on the selected template image when the print instruction is received;
The template images include a first template image having no specific attribute and a second template image having the specific attribute,
In the registration process, either the first template image or the second template image can be registered in association with the gesture information,
The computer includes:
executing a second image selection process of displaying the first template image on the display device, not displaying the second template image, and accepting selection of a template image from the displayed first template image via the input interface;
1. An electronic device comprising:

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