Communication apparatus, control method for controlling communication apparatus, and storage medium

Abstract

The invention provides a communication apparatus, a control method for controlling the communication apparatus, and a storage medium. The communication apparatus includes a control unit that, based on whether the communication apparatus is in a sleep state, performs a predetermined process that controls whether to perform a first communication or a second communication as a communication between an external apparatus and the communication apparatus, the first communication uses a plurality of communication links having a first number of links between the external device and the communication device established by communication functions conforming to the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 series standard, the second communication uses one or more communication links between the external device and the communication device having a second number of links less than the first number established by a communication function conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series standard.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication device, a control method for controlling the communication device, and a storage medium. Background Art

[0002] There is a technique for dynamically switching a connection destination AP in an extended service set (ESS) composed of a plurality of access points (APs) so that the AP and the station (STA) can effectively exchange data. Based on the congestion of the AP to which the STA is connected, the idleness of another AP, and the radio wave condition, if it is determined to switch the connection destination AP, the AP to which the STA is currently connected sends a connection destination AP change request to the STA. If the STA receives the AP change request, the STA can connect to an appropriate AP by switching the connection destination AP according to the request.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-50133 discusses the following technique as a process in which a router having an AP function requests a wireless slave device to which the router is currently connected to change the connection destination. A mobile router (MR1) that can be connected to a plurality of wireless slave devices confirms whether the wireless slave terminal complies with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11v. When the wireless slave terminal is wirelessly connected to the mobile router MR1, it is possible to determine whether the wireless slave terminal complies with IEEE 802.11v based on an association request frame sent from the wireless slave terminal to the mobile router MR1. If the wireless slave terminal complies with IEEE 802.11v, the mobile router MR1 sends a basic service set (BSS) transition management (BTM) request frame to the corresponding wireless slave terminal. In the BSS transition candidate list entry field of the BTM request frame, the BSS identifier (ID) of the master device router RT2 is specified as the connection destination. This prompts the slave terminal to switch the connection destination, and the wireless slave terminal switches the connection destination from the mobile router MR1 to the master device router RT2 according to the received BTM request frame.

[0004] The newly established IEEE 802.11be standard implements multi-link communication, in which a plurality of wireless links are established between a communication device acting as an AP and another communication device acting as an STA via a plurality of different frequency channels, and the communication devices use these links to communicate with each other in parallel.

[0005] In an environment where communication using multiple links can be used, it is desirable to more appropriately control the execution of communication using multiple links. Summary of the Invention

[0006] An object of the present invention is to more appropriately control the execution of communication using multiple links.

[0007] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication device that operates in any one of a plurality of states including a first state, a second state, and a third state, where the second state has lower power consumption than the first state, and the third state has lower power consumption than the first state and the second state. The communication device includes: a setting unit configured to set a predetermined function to enabled or disabled; a communication unit configured to communicate using a communication module, the communication module being configured to perform communication conforming to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 series standards; and a first control unit configured to: based on satisfying a predetermined condition for transitioning to a state with lower power consumption than the first state when the communication device operates in the first state, establishing a plurality of communication links having a first number of links for multi-link communication conforming to the IEEE 802.11be standard between the communication module and an external device, and setting the predetermined function to enabled, control the communication device such that the communication device operates in the second state, and establish one or more communication links having a second number of links less than the first number between the communication module and the external device, and based on satisfying the predetermined condition when the communication device operates in the first state, establishing a plurality of communication links having a first number of links between the communication module and the external device, and setting the predetermined function to disabled, control the communication device such that the communication device operates in the third state and does not establish a communication link between the communication module and the external device.

[0008] Other features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a network.

[0010] Figure 2 is a sequence diagram during multi-link communication.

[0011] Figure 3 is a diagram showing the format of a Reduced Neighbor Report (RNR) element.

[0012] Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of each of an access point (AP) and a station (STA).

[0013] Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of each of the AP and the STA.

[0014] Figure 6A and Figure 6BIt is a flowchart of a process for determining whether to perform multi-link communication according to a first exemplary embodiment.

[0015] Figure 7 It is a flowchart of a process for determining whether to perform multi-link communication according to a second exemplary embodiment.

[0016] Figure 8 It is a diagram showing an example of the configuration and storage area of a storage unit included in each STA. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0017] In the following description, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. A plurality of features are described in the exemplary embodiments described below. However, not all of the plurality of features are necessary for the present invention, and the plurality of features can be arbitrarily combined. In addition, in the drawings, the same or similar components are given the same reference numerals, and their descriptions are omitted.

[0018] Referring to the accompanying drawings, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below.

[0019] (Configuration of Wireless Communication System)

[0020] Figure 1 Shows an example of the configuration of a communication network according to the present exemplary embodiment. Figure 1 Shows a configuration including a single access point (AP) 101 and two wireless slave devices 102 and STA 105. The wireless slave device is a station and will be hereinafter referred to as "STA". In the present exemplary embodiment, each of AP 101 and STAs 102 and 105 corresponds to a single device. That is, specifically, for example, AP 101 is a single external device and is a single wireless local area network (LAN) router. Specifically, for example, each of STAs 102 and 105 is a single printer. As Figure 1 shown, the communication network formed by AP 101 is indicated by circle 100. AP 101 and STAs 102 and 105 can send and receive signals to and from each other. Hereinafter, the communication network composed of wireless communication will sometimes be simply referred to as "network" or "wireless network". Each of STAs 102 and 105 will sometimes be referred to as a "slave device", "wireless slave device" or "wireless terminal". Each of AP 101 and STAs 102 and 105 will sometimes be referred to as a "communication device" or "communication equipment".

[0021] STA 102 and STA 105 participate in the network formed by AP 101, and AP 101, STA 102, and STA 105 can perform wireless communication compliant with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11be (Extremely High Throughput (EHT)) standard. EHT can also be interpreted as an abbreviation for "Extreme High Throughput". IEEE 802.11be is also known as In EHT, each communication device can communicate at frequencies in the 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, and 6 GHz band. The frequency bands used by each communication device are not limited to these bands, and different bands such as the 60 GHz band can be used. AP 101, STA 102, and STA 105 can communicate using 20 GHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, and 320 MHz bandwidths. The bandwidths used by each communication device are not limited to these bandwidths, and different bandwidths such as 240 MHz or 4 MHz bandwidth can be used.

[0022] Although AP 101, STA 102, and STA 105 comply with the IEEE 802.11be standard, in addition to IEEE 802.11be, AP 101, STA 102, and STA 105 can also comply with legacy standards that are standards prior to the IEEE 802.11be standard, or can also comply with subsequent standards of the IEEE 802.11be standard. Specifically, AP 101 and STA 102 can comply with at least any one of the IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax standards. In addition to the IEEE 802.11 series of standards, AP 101 and STA 102 can also comply with such as Other communication standards such as Near Field Communication (NFC), Ultra-Wideband (UWB), Zigbee, or Multi-Band Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing Alliance (MBOA). UWB includes Wireless Universal Serial Bus (USB), Wireless 1394, and WiNET. AP 101 may also conform to a wired communication standard for a wired Local Area Network (LAN). Specific examples of AP101 include a wireless LAN router, a Personal Computer (PC), and a single-function access point. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. Alternatively, AP 101 may be an information processing device such as a wireless chip capable of performing wireless communication conforming to the IEEE 802.11be standard. Specific examples of STA 102 include a camera, a tablet terminal, a smartphone, a PC, a mobile phone, a video camera, and headphones. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. Alternatively, STA102 may be an information processing device such as a wireless chip capable of performing wireless communication conforming to the IEEE 802.11be standard. Specific examples of STA 105 include an image forming device having multiple functions such as a printer for forming an image and a scanner for reading an image.

[0023] STA 105 is an image forming device such as a single-function printer or a digital multifunction peripheral including a printer and a scanner for optically reading an image. This image forming device is a STA with respect to AP 101 and is thus called "STA105", and is sometimes also called "communication device 105". STA 105 is connected to AP101 through communication conforming to the IEEE 802.11be standard. A unit of processing unique to an image forming device (such as image formation or image reading performed by STA 105) is called a "job", and STA 105 can execute multiple jobs whose resources to be used do not conflict with each other in parallel. For example, STA 105 can execute a scanning job and a printing job that does not use the scanner in parallel.

[0024] Servers 111A and 111B are so-called cloud servers placed on the Internet. One or both of Servers 111A and 111B have the function of a print server that stores print data received from a terminal and sends the print data to STA 105 in response to a request from STA 105 or without a request. Although Servers 111A and 111B are cloud servers in this case, Servers 111A and 111B can be connected to AP 101 via wireless communication conforming to IEEE 802.11be. Servers 111A and 111B can be servers that provide services other than the service of the print server. In the following description, the description of STA 102 also applies to STA 105 as an image forming apparatus. Alternatively, only one of Servers 111A and 111B may exist, or three or more servers may exist.

[0025] AP 101, STA 102, and STA 105 also perform multi-link communication as follows. In this multi-link communication, AP 101, STA 102, and STA 105 establish multiple links via multiple frequency channels and communicate with each other. The AP corresponding to a single device performing multi-link communication includes multiple virtual APs, and the STA corresponding to a single device performing multi-link communication includes multiple virtual STAs. Therefore, the AP corresponding to a single device is also referred to as an "AP multi-link device (AP MLD)", and the STA corresponding to a single device is also referred to as a "STA multi-link device (STA MLD)". The STA MLD is sometimes also referred to as a "non-AP MLD". Each of the AP MLD and STA MLD is sometimes also referred to as a "communication device" or "communication equipment". Then, the virtual AP is called an "associated AP (participating AP)", and the virtual STA is called an "associated STA (participating STA)". The multiple associated APs included in a single AP MLD are APs that communicate using different channels. Similarly, the multiple associated STAs included in a single STA MLD are STAs that communicate using different channels. The IEEE 802.11 series of standards defines the bandwidth of a frequency channel as 20 MHz. A "frequency channel" refers to the frequency channel defined by the IEEE 802.11 series of standards, and the IEEE 802.11 series of standards defines multiple frequency channels in frequency bands such as the 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, 6 GHz band, and 60 GHz band. Therefore, the multiple associated APs and multiple associated STAs use any of the above frequency channels. By binding a frequency channel and adjacent frequency channels, a bandwidth of more than 40 MHz can be used in a single frequency channel. For example, AP 101 can establish a link 103 with STA 102 via a first frequency channel in the 5 GHz band and communicate with STA 102. STA 102 and STA 105 can establish a link 104 with AP 101 via a second frequency channel in the 6 GHz band in parallel with link 103 and communicate with AP 101. In this case, STA 102 and STA 105 perform multi-link communication as follows. In this multi-link communication, link 104 via the second frequency channel is maintained in parallel with link 103 via the first frequency channel. Hereinafter, when AP 101, STA 102, and STA 105 support multi-link communication, AP 101 is referred to as "AP MLD 101" to distinguish AP 101 from each AP included in AP 101, and STA 102 and STA 105 are referred to as "STA MLD 102 and STA MLD 105" to distinguish STA 102 and STA 105 from each STA included in STA 102 and STA 105.However, if the AP 101, the STA 102, and the STA 105 are not confused with the respective APs and STAs, the AP 101 is referred to as "AP 101", and the STA 102 and the STA 105 are referred to as "STA 102 and STA 105".

[0026] Figure 2 An example of a sequence diagram when performing multi-link communication is shown. In Figure 2 , the attached APs are represented by adding numbers after "AP" (such as "AP 1", "AP 2",...), and the attached STAs are represented by adding numbers after "STA" (such as "STA 1", "STA 2",...). That is, for example, in Figure 2 , the AP MLD 101 includes AP 1 as the first AP, AP 2 as the second AP, and AP 3 as the third AP. Each of the STA MLD 102 and the STA MLD 105 includes STA 1 as the first STA, STA 2 as the second STA, and STA 3 as the third STA. AP 1 and STA 1 establish a first link using a first frequency channel. AP 2 and STA 2 establish a second link using a second frequency channel. AP 3 and STA 3 establish a third link using a third frequency channel. In this exemplary embodiment, the connection between the attached STA and the attached AP is referred to as a "link". Although in Figure 2 's example, the first frequency channel to the third frequency channel are the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, and the 6 GHz band respectively, the first frequency channel to the third frequency channel can be other available frequency bands. In this case, the number of APs included in the AP MLD 101 is not limited to three and can be based on the number of available frequency bands. The same applies to the STA MLD 102 and the STA MLD 105. As described above, the AP associated with each frequency band capable of communicating data is referred to as an "attached AP", and the STA associated with each frequency band capable of communicating data is referred to as an "attached STA".

[0027] For example, a user such as an administrator can pre-set an affiliated AP and affiliated STAs among the APs included in the AP MLD 101 and the STAs included in the STA MLD 102 and STAMLD 105. Based on the Basic Multi-Link element, a determination is made as to whether to use multiple links for connection. The AP MLD sends the Basic Multi-Link element by including it in a beacon or a probe response to a probe request from the STA. The STA MLD determines whether the Basic Multi-Link element is included in a beacon or a probe response sent from any affiliated AP, and determines whether the affiliated AP is included in the APMLD. If the Basic Multi-Link element is included, the STA MLD can determine that the sending source AP is the AP MLD.

[0028] If the communication partner AP (hereinafter referred to as the "other AP") is the AP MLD, the STA MLD obtains channel information about the band and channel of another affiliated AP belonging to the same AP MLD from the Reduced Neighbor Report (RNR) element included in the obtained beacon or probe response. Based on the fact that the MLD identifier (ID) included in the RNR element is 0, the STA MLD determines that the other AP is the same AP MLD. Figure 3 Shows the format of the RNR element. As Figure 3 shown, the RNR element includes the MLD ID 301. The STA MLD switches to the band and channel indicated by the obtained channel information, obtains detailed information about the affiliated AP, and uses multiple links to connect to the desired affiliated AP based on this detailed information. If the other AP is not the AP MLD, the STA MLD connects to the other AP via a single frequency channel. When the STA 102 or STA 105 and the AP 101 establish a connection, first, the STA 1 requests authentication from the AP1 using an authentication frame. If the authentication is successful, the STA 1 sends an association request to the AP 1. The AP 1 returns an association response, and the STA 1 and the AP 1 are associated with each other. Then, the STA 1 and the AP 1 perform a 4-way handshake and install encryption / decryption keys.

[0029] As described above, multiple links via multiple frequency channels are established between the AP 101 and the STAs 102 and 105, thereby improving the communication throughput between the AP 101 and each of the STAs 102 and 105. In the present exemplary embodiment, as will be described in the first exemplary embodiment and the second exemplary embodiment below, even if the beacon or probe response received by the STA 102 or 105 indicates that the AP 101 is an AP MLD, the STA 102 or 104 does not unconditionally set up multiple links. Then, the STA 102 or 105 sets up multiple links or changes the number of multiple links according to the situation. This will be described with reference to Figure 6A 、 Figure 6B and Figure 7 as follows.

[0030] In multi-link communication, multiple links with different frequency bands can be established as links between communication devices. For example, in addition to the link 103 in the 5 GHz band and the link 104 in the 6 GHz band, the AP 101 and the STA 102 can also establish a third link in the 2.4 GHz band. Alternatively, links can be established via multiple different channels included in the same frequency band. For example, ch.15 in the 6 GHz band can be established as the first link, and in addition, ch.207 in the 6 GHz band can be established as the second link. Links in the same frequency band and links in different frequency bands can coexist. For example, in addition to the link 103 via ch.36 in the 5 GHz band, the AP 101 can establish a link via ch.149 in the 5 GHz band and a link via ch.15 in the 6 GHz band with each of the STAs 102 and 105. The AP 101 establishes multiple connections with the STA 102 at different frequencies. Thus, even if a certain frequency band is congested, the AP 101 can establish communication with the STA 102 in another frequency band. Therefore, the AP 101 can prevent a reduction in throughput and communication latency in communicating with the STA 102.

[0031] (Configuration of AP and STA)

[0032] Figure 4 FIG. shows an example of the hardware configuration of the AP 101 according to the present exemplary embodiment. The AP 101 includes a storage unit 401, a control unit 402, a functional unit 403, an input unit 404, an output unit 405, a communication unit 406, and an antenna 407. The AP 101 may include multiple antennas.

[0033] The storage unit 401 includes one or more memories such as non-volatile storage devices (e.g., read-only memory (ROM)) and random access memory (RAM), and stores computer programs for performing various operations described below and various types of information such as communication parameters for wireless communication. In addition to memories such as ROM and RAM, storage media such as floppy disks, hard disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), recordable compact disc (CD-R), magnetic tapes, non-volatile memory cards, or digital versatile discs (DVD) can also be used as the storage unit 401. Alternatively, the storage unit 401 may include multiple memories.

[0034] The control unit 402 includes one or more processors such as a central processing unit (CPU) and a microprocessor unit (MPU), and controls the entire AP 101 by executing the computer programs stored in the storage unit 401. The control unit 402 can cooperate with the computer programs and the operating system (OS) stored in the storage unit 401 to control the entire AP 101. The control unit 402 also generates data and signals (wireless frames) to be transmitted through communication with another communication device. Alternatively, the control unit 402 may include multiple processors such as a multi-core processor, and control the entire AP 101 using the multiple processors.

[0035] The control unit 402 also controls the functional unit 403 to perform predetermined processing such as wireless communication, image capture, printing, or projection. The functional unit 403 is hardware for the AP 101 to perform predetermined processing.

[0036] The input unit 404 receives various operations from the user. The output unit 405 provides various outputs to the user through a monitor screen or a speaker. The output provided by the output unit 405 can be a display on the monitor screen, a sound output from the speaker, or a vibration output. Both the input unit 404 and the output unit 405 can be implemented by a single module such as a touch panel. Each of the input unit 404 and the output unit 405 can be integrated with or separated from the AP 101.

[0037] The communication unit 406 controls wireless communication compliant with the IEEE 802.11be standard. In addition to the IEEE 802.11be standard, the communication unit 406 can also control wireless communication compliant with other IEEE 802.11 series standards, or control wired communication via a wired LAN. The communication unit 406 controls the antenna 407 to transmit and receive wireless signals for wireless communication generated by the control unit 402.

[0038] When the AP 101 complies with the NFC standard in addition to the IEEE 802.11be standard or In the case of standard, AP101 can control wireless communication that complies with these communication standards. When AP 101 can perform wireless communication that complies with multiple communication standards, AP 101 can separately include communication units and antennas that comply with each communication standard. AP 101 communicates data such as image data, document data, or video data with a partner device via communication unit 406. Antenna 407 can be constructed separately from communication unit 406, or can be constructed together with communication unit 406 as a single module.

[0039] Antenna 407 is an antenna capable of communicating in the 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, and 6 GHz band. Although AP 101 includes two antennas in this exemplary embodiment, AP 101 can include three antennas. Alternatively, AP 101 can include different antennas for each frequency band. When AP 101 includes multiple antennas, AP 101 can include communication unit 406 corresponding to each antenna.

[0040] Each of STA 102 and STA 105 has a hardware structure similar to that of Figure 4 the AP 101 shown. For example, since STA 105 is an image forming apparatus, in addition to Figure 4 the components in, it can also include an image forming unit (printer unit) using an inkjet method or an electrophotographic method, a reading unit (scanner unit) for reading an image recorded on a document such as paper, and a control unit for these units. In addition, STA 105 can include an image processing unit for processing an image to be recorded or read, and a storage unit for storing print data received from a terminal or a server. Regarding STA 105, by distinguishing the components shown in Figure 4 from the components unique to the image forming apparatus (such as an image forming unit and a scanner unit), the components shown in Figure 4 are referred to as a "controller unit". Although STA 102 is similar to STA 105, STA 102 can be a device different from STA 105. For example, STA 102 can include at least one of a printer unit for printing image data on a medium and a scanner unit for reading a document. STA 102 can also include a camera unit for taking images. That is, STA 102 can be an image processing apparatus such as a printer, a scanner, or a multi-functional peripheral (MFP), or can be a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet, a camera, or a PC.

[0041] Figure 8An example of the configuration and storage area of the storage unit 401 included in each of the STAs 102 and 105 according to the present exemplary embodiment is shown. The storage unit 401 includes a non-volatile storage unit 801 and a RAM 802. The non-volatile storage unit 801 includes, for example, function information 8011 indicating the functions included in the STA 102 or STA 105, and multi-link communication settings 8012 set by the user. The function information 8011 includes multi-link compatibility information indicating whether the STA 102 or STA 105 supports multi-link communication. The multi-link communication settings 8012 are set by the user through the user interface included in the STA 102 or STA 105, or remotely set by the user through communication. The set value of the multi-link communication settings 8012 is any one of "perform multi-link communication" (on), "do not perform multi-link communication" (off), and "automatically determine whether to perform multi-link communication". The RAM 802 includes a communication quality flag 8021 indicating whether the latest communication quality with the other AP is good, and a UDP communication period flag 8022 indicating that UDP communication is currently being performed. In addition, the RAM 802 includes: a job flag 8023 indicating that the STA is currently executing a job when the STA is the image forming apparatus 105; and a sleep flag 8024 indicating that the STA 102 or 105 is in a sleep state. The "sleep state" refers to a power-saving state in which the STA 102 or STA 105 returns to the normal operation state according to the reception of a signal or an operation input. Examples of the sleep state include a state in which power supply to components other than the controller unit of the image forming apparatus 105 (see Figure 4 ) is stopped. For example, if a predetermined time has elapsed after the completion of a job, the image forming apparatus 105 transitions from the normal operation state to the sleep state. If certain messages are received or an operation is performed through the user interface (UI), the image forming apparatus 105 transitions from the sleep state to the normal operation state. The sleep state is not limited to the above description, and there are also cases where the clock rate of the CPU is reduced, or power supply to components other than the units that receive signals and operation inputs in the controller unit (such as the input unit 404 and the communication unit 406) is stopped.

[0042] Figure 5 A block diagram showing the functional configuration of the AP 101 according to the present exemplary embodiment. The functional blocks shown are implemented by the control unit 402 executing programs for implementation on hardware components Figure 5 shown, and these programs are used to implement Figure 4Functions of the hardware components shown. Although each of STA 102 and STA 105 also has a similar structure, since STA 102 and STA 105 are STAs, the attached AP setting unit 502 is changed to an "attached STA setting unit", and the setting target is the attached STA.

[0043] AP 101 includes a multi-link control unit 501, an attached AP setting unit 502, a frame generation unit 503, a frame transmission / reception unit 504, and a communication quality measurement unit 505.

[0044] The multi-link control unit 501 is a block that controls the communication start process (connection process) for AP 101 to establish one or more links for wireless communication with STA 102, the addition process and deletion process of links after the start of communication, and the communication end process for deleting all links. Specifically, the connection process includes an authentication process, an association process, and a four-way handshake (4WHS) process.

[0045] The attached AP setting unit 502 selects and determines the attached AP in multi-link communication according to the settings in each UI unit. The attached AP setting unit 502 also notifies the frame transmission / reception unit 504 of the attached AP to be used.

[0046] The frame generation unit 503 is a block that generates frames to be transmitted according to the settings of the attached AP setting unit 502.

[0047] The frame transmission / reception unit 504 transmits wireless frames including beacon / probe response frames or data frames generated by the frame generation unit 503 according to the attached AP information received from the attached AP setting unit 502, and receives wireless frames from the partner device.

[0048] The communication quality measurement unit 505 measures and calculates the communication quality of the beacon / probe response frames received from the frame transmission / reception unit 504. Since AP 101 evaluates the quality of signals received from each of STA 102 and STA 105, it is possible to measure and calculate the communication quality of frames such as probe request frames received from STA 102 or STA 105. Examples of information on the communication quality to be measured include received signal strength indicator (RSSI) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). However, the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0049] Incidentally, if the STA always performs multi-link communication during communication, frames will be exchanged with multiple APs. Therefore, when there is no communication or the traffic is light, the processing load of the STA may increase, and compared with the case of using a single link for communication, the communication overhead may become larger and the power consumption may also become larger. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the state where multi-link communication is required and switch between single-link communication and multi-link communication at an appropriate time. When the STA 105 performs printing or scanning, the STA 105 needs to receive job data. When the STA 105 uploads job data from the STA 102, the STA 102 needs to send job data. In this case, if single-link communication using a single link is performed, the transmission and reception of data will be delayed compared with multi-link communication. Therefore, there is a possibility that the increase in job processing time will result in a decrease in usability. Therefore, in the present exemplary embodiment, the processing for solving this problem is performed as described below.

[0050] (Processing flow)

[0051] Next, some exemplary embodiments of the processing flow for the demand-based selection of single-link communication and multi-link communication and the determination of the number of links in multi-link communication performed by the AP and the STA (especially the STA) as described above, and the sequence in the wireless communication system will be described.

[0052] Figure 6A and Figure 6B The processing until the STA 105 determines whether to perform multi-link communication with the AP 101 using a predetermined criterion is shown. This processing starts when the STA 105 starts attempting to connect to the AP 101. This processing is implemented by executing a program stored in the storage unit 401 by the control unit 402 of the STA 105, especially the CPU of the control unit 402. Although the following description is given by taking the STA 105 as an example, the STA 102 can also perform similar processing. In each of the steps such as step S614 and step S617 related to the image forming apparatus, the STA 102 that is not the image forming apparatus can determine that the conditions are not satisfied.

[0053] First, in step S601, the control unit 402 of STA 105 determines whether STA 105 supports multi-link communication. This determination can be made with reference to the information indicating whether STA 105 supports multi-link communication included in the function information 8011. If STA 105 does not support multi-link communication ( "No" in step S601), the process proceeds to step S602. In step S602, the control unit 402 of STA 105 determines that the control unit 402 of STA 105 cannot perform multi-link communication. Then, the control unit 402 of STA105 connects only to AP 1 operating via the same frequency channel as the attached STA 1 to be used. That is, in the state where STA 105 does not perform multi-link communication, STA 105 connects to AP 101. If STA 105 supports multi-link communication ( "Yes" in step S601), it is determined that STA 105 operates on the premise of performing multi-link communication, and the process proceeds to step S603. In the case where only the STA 105 that supports multi-link communication processes this flowchart, the form of omitting step S601 and starting the process from step S603 can be adopted. Since only a single link is established in step S601, the link can be established based on the normal IEEE 802.11 standard without using the multi-link communication function conforming to the IEEE 802.11be standard.

[0054] In step S603, the control unit 402 of STA 105 determines whether AP 101 supports multi-link communication. Based on whether the beacon / probe response frame of AP 1 obtained by STA1 includes the basic multi-link element, it is determined whether AP 101 supports multi-link communication. The basic multi-link element exists in the beacon / probe response frame of a device that supports multi-link communication and includes information about the attached AP or attached STA capable of performing multi-link communication.

[0055] If the beacon / probe response frame includes the basic multi-link element, the control unit 402 of STA 105 determines that AP101 supports multi-link communication ( "Yes" in step S603), and the process proceeds to step S604. If the beacon / probe response frame of AP 1 does not include the basic multi-link element ( "No" in step S603), the process proceeds to step S602. In step S602, the control unit 402 of STA 105 determines that AP 101 is an AP that does not support multi-link communication. Then, the control unit 402 of STA 105 connects only to AP 1.

[0056] In step S604, the control unit 402 of STA 105 checks the setting value of the multi-link communication setting 8012. If the multi-link communication setting 8012 is set to off by an operation of the user on the input unit 404 of STA 105, the process proceeds to step S602. If the multi-link communication setting 8012 is set to on, the process proceeds to step S605. If the multi-link communication setting 8012 is set to automatic, the process proceeds to step S608. "Automatic" is a setting for dynamically changing whether to perform multi-link communication according to the state of STA 105.

[0057] If the multi-link communication setting is on, then in step S605, the control unit 402 of STA 105 acquires information indicating the frequency bands and channels on which the secondary APs (AP 2 and AP 3) other than AP 1 belonging to AP 101 are operating. There is a possibility that the basic multi-link element received by STA 105 also includes information about another set of APs that do not belong to AP 101. Therefore, the control unit 402 of STA 105 uses the reduced neighbor report (RNR) element in the beacon / probe response frame of AP 1 acquired by STA 1 to determine whether the secondary APs belong to AP 101 (see Figure 3 ). The MLD ID 301 is assigned to each group of secondary APs in the basic multi-link element. If the MLD ID 301 is 0, this indicates that the secondary AP belongs to the AP MLD to which the secondary AP that issued the beacon / probe response frame acquired by STA 1 belongs.

[0058] Therefore, by acquiring the information of the frequency bands and channels of the secondary APs indicating that the MLD ID 301 is 0, it is possible to grasp and identify the frequency bands and channels of AP 2 and AP 3 other than AP 1 operating in AP 101.

[0059] In addition, in step S606, the control unit 402 of STA 105 switches the frequency band and channel for communication to the frequency bands and channels of the grasped AP 2 and AP 3. Then, the control unit 402 of STA 105 acquires the beacon / probe response frames of AP 2 and AP 3 and shares the detailed information about each of AP 2 and AP 3. In step S607, the control unit 402 of STA 105 uses multiple links to connect to AP 1, AP 2, and AP 3. That is, STA 105 establishes three links as the links to AP1, AP 2, and AP 3, so as to connect to AP 101 in a state of performing multi-link communication. As Figure 2 shown, the connection process includes authentication, association, and four-way handshake.

[0060] In step S608, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 determines whether the communication quality of the communication between the AP 1 and the STA 105 (the communication quality of the AP 1) is poor. That is, in the present exemplary embodiment, the execution of multi-link communication is controlled based on factors indicating the communication quality of the AP 1. Specifically, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 calculates the communication quality of the AP 1 and determines whether the calculated communication quality of the AP 1 is lower than a threshold when using the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) 0 as the minimum rate. If the communication quality is lower than the threshold (yes in step S608), the process proceeds to step S610. Otherwise (no in step S608), the process proceeds to step S609. The MCS is obtained by indexing a combination of a wireless modulation method and a coding rate, and the MCS to be used varies according to the communication environment. MCS 0 is a method with the lowest throughput and is used in cases where the communication environment is very poor. In the present exemplary embodiment, the RSSI of the radio wave transmitted from the AP 1 and received by the STA 105 is used as a value indicating the communication quality. In step S609, if the RSSI is equal to or exceeds the threshold when using MCS 0, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 determines that there is no problem with the communication environment. Then, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 records "excellent" in the communication quality flag 8021. In step S610, if the RSSI is lower than the threshold when using MCS 0, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 records "poor" in the communication quality flag 8021. For example, if the threshold is set to -70 dBm and the RSSI is greater than or equal to -70 dBm, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 sets the communication quality flag 8021 to "excellent". If the RSSI is less than or equal to -71 dBm, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 sets the communication quality flag 8021 to "poor". In cases where applications with a large amount of information on the downlink are widely used, the STA 105 can refer to the communication quality of the downlink measured by the STA 105 as a value indicating the communication quality. In cases where the amount of information on the uplink is very large, the STA 105 can obtain the communication quality of the uplink measured by the AP 101 from the AP 101 and refer to the obtained communication quality. It is possible to determine which of the downlink and the uplink to refer to the communication quality by referring to the application being executed. For example, in cases of applications involving the reception of images or videos or the acquisition of print jobs and with a large amount of information on the downlink, the communication quality of the downlink can be selected as a reference. In cases of applications involving uploading images, videos, or print jobs, the communication quality of the uplink can be selected as a reference.

[0061] Next, in step S611, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 determines whether the STA 105 is in a UDP communication state. That is, in the present exemplary embodiment, the execution of multi-link communication is controlled based on factors indicating whether the STA 105 is in a UDP communication state. If UDP communication is currently being performed (Yes in step S611), the process proceeds to step S613. If UDP communication is not currently being performed (No in step S611), the process proceeds to step S612. The "UDP communication state" refers to a state in which the STA 105 is performing UDP communication for moving images or sounds that require real-time performance. UDP communication is one-way communication and has low reliability (different from Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) communication), but at the same time, data can be sent at high speed. Therefore, if the communication of an application on which the STA 105 is performing UDP communication overlaps with the communication of another application other than that application, the UDP communication is delayed. Then, if the STA 105 does not perform send / receive processing in a timely manner, packet loss occurs. During UDP communication, multi-link communication can be used to reduce the occurrence of delays. In addition to moving images or sounds, in the case where the STA 105 is an image forming apparatus such as a multifunctional peripheral device or a printer, UDP communication is used to send and receive images in Internet Protocol (IP) fax. "IP fax" refers to a function of communicating an image printed by fax via IP. In step S611, it can be determined whether the packet to be received or the packet to be sent is a UDP packet. Alternatively, it can be determined whether the STA 105 is in a UDP communication state based on whether an application using UDP is currently being executed. For example, in addition to IP fax, applications for voice communication, moving image distribution, or web conferencing typically use UDP. If any one of these specific applications using UDP is currently being executed, it can be determined that the STA 105 is in a UDP communication state. Examples of states in which the STA 105 is not in a UDP communication state include a state in which communication other than UDP communication is being performed, and a state in which the STA 105 is not communicating with another device. Then, for example, the communication other than UDP communication is TCP communication. For example, the function using TCP communication is a function of receiving a print job or a scan job from another device, or a function of sending an image obtained by scanning based on a scan job to another device.

[0062] If it is determined in step S611 that STA 105 is in the UDP communication state, then in step S613, the control unit 402 of STA 105 records "1" in the UDP communication period flag 8022. If it is determined in step S611 that STA 105 is not in the UDP communication state, then in step S612, the control unit 402 of STA 105 records "0" in the UDP communication period flag 8022. Specifically, for example, if the control unit 402 of STA 105 starts to send and receive images through the IP fax function, the control unit 402 of STA 105 records "1" in the UDP communication period flag 8022. If the sending and receiving of images through the IP fax function are completed, the control unit 402 of STA 105 records "0" in the UDP communication period flag 8022. Whether STA 105 is in the UDP communication state can be determined with reference to the communication settings using UDP. If the communication settings are enabled, the control unit 402 of STA 105 can record "1" in the UDP communication period flag 8022. If the communication settings are disabled, the control unit 402 of STA 105 can record "0" in the UDP communication period flag 8022.

[0063] Next, in step S614, the control unit 402 of STA 105 determines whether STA 105 is currently executing a job. That is, in the present exemplary embodiment, the execution of multi-link communication is controlled based on factors indicating whether STA 105 is currently executing a job. If STA 105 is currently executing a job (yes in step S614), the process proceeds to step S616. If STA 105 is not currently executing a job (no in step S614), the process proceeds to step S615. In the case where STA 105 is an image forming apparatus such as a multi-functional peripheral or a printer, for example, the job to be executed by STA 105 is a printing job or a scanning job. A "printing job" refers to a job for performing printing based on print data received from another STA (e.g., STA 102). A "scanning job" refers to a job for scanning an original document based on a scanning instruction received from another STA or a scanning instruction received from a user through the input unit 404 of STA 105 and sending the image data obtained by scanning. The presence or absence of the currently executed job can be determined with reference to, for example, information indicating the presence of the currently executed job, or can be determined with reference to the job queue based on the presence or absence of jobs. In step S616, the control unit 402 of STA 105 records "1" in the job flag 8023. On the other hand, in step S615, the control unit 402 of STA 105 records "0" in the job flag 8023.

[0064] Next, in step S617, the control unit 402 of STA 105 determines whether STA 105 is in a sleep state. If STA 105 is in a sleep state (Yes in step S617), the process proceeds to step S622. If STA 105 is not in a sleep state (No in step S617), the process proceeds to step S618. Since STA 105 is an image forming apparatus such as a multi-functional peripheral or a printer, there is a part that does not need to share power in a state where the user does not use a part (such as a printing unit that prints on a paper medium (not shown) or a reading unit that reads a document) or in a state where no job is currently being executed. In this state, the sleep state is a state in which power supply to some of the hardware components included in STA 105 is stopped, the clock for operating the hardware components included in STA 105 is stopped, or the clock frequency is reduced. That is, the sleep state is a state in which the power consumption of STA 105 is reduced. The "normal state" means a state in which STA 105 is not in a sleep state, and is a state in which the power consumption is higher than that in the sleep state. Specifically, the normal state is a state in which power is supplied to a larger number of hardware components than the number of hardware components to which power is supplied in the sleep state. The normal state is a state in which a clock having a frequency higher than the frequency of the clock supplied to the hardware components in the sleep state is supplied to the hardware components. If STA 105 receives a job from another device via AP101 while in the sleep state, STA 105 transitions to the normal state and then executes processing (printing or scanning) based on the job. The sleep state can also occur in STA 102 that is not an image forming apparatus. For example, if STA 102 is a terminal device, STA 102 reduces the illuminance of the backlight of the display unit, which is one of the hardware components, or turns off the backlight while in the sleep state.

[0065] This state can also be included in the sleep state. It can be determined whether STA is in a sleep state with reference to the information indicating the state of STA.

[0066] Next, in step S618, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 determines whether the conditions for performing multi-link communication are satisfied. Specifically, if at least any one of the conditions that the communication quality flag 8021 is "poor", the UDP communication period flag 8022 is "1", and the job flag 8023 is "1" is satisfied, it is determined that the multi-link communication conditions are satisfied. If none of these conditions are satisfied, it is determined that the multi-link communication conditions are not satisfied. If the multi-link communication conditions are satisfied (Yes in step S618), the process proceeds to step S619. If the multi-link communication conditions are not satisfied (No in step S618), the process proceeds to step S622. In step S619, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 acquires information indicating the bands and channels in which the subordinate APs (AP 2 and AP 3) other than AP 1 belonging to the AP 101 are operating. Then, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 identifies the bands and channels. The process of step S619 is similar to the process of step S605. Further, in step S620, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 switches the bands and channels for communication to the identified bands and channels of AP 2 and AP 3. Then, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 acquires the beacon / probe response frames of AP 2 and AP 3 and shares the detailed information about each of AP 2 and AP 3. The process of step S620 is similar to the process of step S606. In step S621, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 connects to AP 1, AP 2, and AP 3 using multiple links. The process of step S621 is similar to the process of step S607.

[0067] On the other hand, in step S622, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 determines whether the STA 105 is currently using multiple links for connection. This determination can be made as follows. For example, when the control unit 402 of the STA 105 uses multiple links for connection in step S607 or step S621, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 sets information indicating that the STA 105 uses multiple links for connection, and then refers to the set information. Of course, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 can refer to other information indicating that the STA 105 is currently using multiple links for connection. If it is determined that the STA 105 is currently using multiple links for connection (Yes in step S622), the process proceeds to step S623. If it is determined that the STA 105 is not currently using multiple links for connection (No in step S622), the process proceeds to step S624. In step S623, since the multi-link communication condition is not satisfied, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 disconnects the connection with the APs 2 and 3 other than the AP 1. In step S624, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 connects to the AP 1, or if the control unit 402 of the STA 105 is currently already connected to the AP 1, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 does not perform any operation.

[0068] In this way, under the condition that the multi-link communication setting is set to "automatic", if the multi-link communication condition is satisfied, the STA 105 performs multi-link communication with the AP 101. If the multi-link communication condition is not satisfied, the STA 105 performs single-link communication with the AP 101. In this way, the exchange of additional frames for exchanging information about the links can be reduced to the minimum required amount, reducing the communication overhead and power consumption, and improving the communication reliability. In particular, unnecessary multi-link communication is not performed, so that the communication resources (such as the channels shared with another communication device in the service area) can be prevented from being wasted. In addition, if the communication quality is low, multi-link communication is performed, so that the throughput can be improved. Especially when the communication quality of the channels in a specific frequency band is low, another frequency band is also used for multi-link communication, so that the communication quality and throughput can be improved. In addition, while UDP communication is being performed, there is a possibility that the target data is being sent and received. Therefore, the throughput can be improved through multi-link communication, and packet loss can be prevented. When the STA is the STA 105 (i.e., the image forming apparatus), multi-link communication is performed during the execution of a job with a large amount of information to be sent and received, so that the job delay due to low communication throughput can be prevented. Since there is no meaning for a STA in the sleep state to perform multi-link communication, the STA does not perform multi-link communication in the sleep state. Therefore, the power consumption can be further reduced.

[0069] In Figure 6BDuring the process, in step S618, if at least any one of the three determination criteria is satisfied, it is determined that the multi-link communication condition is satisfied. However, the determination criteria are not limited to these, and another condition can be added, or any condition can be replaced with another condition. Although in the above process, all three determinations (step S608, step S611, and step S614) are made based on the three determination criteria, the present invention is not limited to this form. A form in which at least one of the three determinations is made can be adopted. Then, in step S618, based on the determination results among the three determinations, it can be determined whether the condition for performing multi-link communication is established. Specifically, for example, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 can only perform the determination in step S608 among the three determinations, and thus the process can proceed to step S618 immediately after step S609 or step S610. Or, for example, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 can only perform the determination in step S611 among the three determinations, and thus the process can proceed to step S618 immediately after step S612 or step S613, while steps S608 to S610 can be omitted. Alternatively, for example, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 can only perform the determination in step S614 among the three determinations, so that steps S608 to S613 can be omitted. Alternatively, for example, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 can only perform the determination in step S617 among the four determinations of step S608, step S611, step S614, and step S617, so that steps S608 to S616 can be omitted. The order of the three determinations is not limited to the order in the above process. In addition, in the form in which only some of the three determinations are made, the order of these some determinations can be any order. Perform Figure 6A and Figure 6B the processing in, so that in the Figure 5 block diagram of, the communication quality measurement unit 505 performs the processing of step S608 regarding the communication quality, and the multi-link control unit 501 performs the other steps.

[0070] In the above description, the following form has been described: in step S602, step S623, or step S624, only a single link is established between STA105 and AP 101. However, the present invention is not limited to this form. In step S602, step S623, or step S624, two or more links may be established between STA 105 and AP 101. However, if the process proceeds to step S602, step S623, or step S624, control is performed such that a smaller number of links than the number of links used for communication when the process proceeds to step S607 or step S621 is used for communication. Specifically, for example, the following form may be adopted: two links are established between STA 105 and AP 101 in step S602, step S623, or step S624, and three links are established between STA 105 and AP 101 in step S607 or step S621. Then, if the process proceeds to step S602, step S623, or step S624, control may be performed such that communication using two links is executed as communication between STA105 and AP 101. Then, if the process proceeds to step S607 or step S621, control may be performed such that communication using three links is executed as communication between STA 105 and AP 101.

[0071] After establishing multiple links between STA 105 and AP 101, STA 105 may use only some of the multiple links for communication while maintaining the establishment of the multiple links. Therefore, for example, the form of establishing three links between STA105 and AP 101 in step S602, step S623, or step S624 and step S607 or step S621 may be adopted. Then, if the process proceeds to step S602, step S623, or step S624, control may be performed such that communication using only a single link out of the three links is executed as communication between STA 105 and AP 101. Then, if the process proceeds to step S607 or step S621, control may be performed such that communication using three links is executed as communication between STA105 and AP101. However, there is little advantage in establishing multiple links in the sleep state. Therefore, for example, in the process executed when the determination in step S617 is "yes", control may be performed such that only a single link is established between STA105 and AP 101. Then, in the process executed when the determination in step S618 is "no", control may be performed such that multiple links are established between STA 105 and AP 101, and while maintaining the establishment of the multiple links, only some of the multiple links are used for communication.

[0072] Although in the above form, it is determined whether the STA 105 is in the sleep state and the processing is switched based on the determined result, the present invention is not limited to this form. The determination (the determination in step S617) can be omitted. That is, a form in which the processing of step S618 is immediately performed after step S615 or step S616 can be adopted. Although in the above form, the processing of steps S608 to S616 is performed and the processing is switched based on the result of the processing, the present invention is not limited to this form. The processing of steps S608 to S616 and step S618 can be omitted. That is, whether to perform the processing of step S619 or the processing of step S622 can be switched only based on whether the STA 105 is in the sleep state.

[0073] After the multi-link communication condition is established due to the communication quality flag 8021 being "poor" and multi-link communication is performed, the STA 105 can determine the communication quality of the AP 1 again. Then, if it is determined again that the communication quality of the AP 1 is poor, the STA 105 can stop the multi-link communication and reduce the number of communication links between the AP 1 and the STA 105. Specifically, for example, the number of communication links between the AP 1 and the STA 105 can be reduced to one. This is because it is inefficient in terms of power consumption to perform communication using many links even though the communication quality of the AP 1 is poor. If it is determined again that the communication quality of the AP 1 is poor, the STA 105 can display a notification screen notifying the user that the communication quality of the AP 1 is poor. For example, the notification screen is a screen urging the user to change the position of the AP 1 or the STA 105. This is because, although multi-link communication is performed, there is a high possibility that the poor communication quality of the AP 1 is not caused by the frequency band used for communication, but by the position of the AP 1 or the STA 105.

[0074] By combining the above exemplary embodiments, the number of connections via which multi-link communication is performed can be determined according to the state of the STA. In the case where the STA is a multi-functional peripheral device (an image forming apparatus having multiple functions such as a printer and a scanner), the traffic changes according to the user environment, the settings of the multi-functional peripheral, or the operating state of the function. Therefore, it is desirable to dynamically determine the number of multi-link connections in the multi-functional peripheral device rather than fixedly. The second exemplary embodiment shows the processing until the number of connections via which multi-link communication is performed is determined. In the present exemplary embodiment, in the steps of the processing in the first exemplary embodiment described in Figure 6A and Figure 6B except for steps S607 and S621, the processing similar to that described in the first exemplary embodiment is performed, and therefore, these steps are not described. That is, in the present exemplary embodiment, only in the Figure 6A andFigure 6B In the processing of steps S607 and S621 in the processing of the present exemplary implementation example, processing unique to this exemplary implementation example is performed. Figure 7 , describing the details of the processing performed in step S607 and step S621 in the present exemplary embodiment.

[0075] The control unit 402 of the STA 105, in particular the CPU of the control unit 402, executes the program stored in the storage unit 401 to achieve Figure 7 Although the following description is given using STA 105 as an example, STA 102 can also perform similar processing. In steps S701 to S707, a specific individual condition as a link number reduction condition is confirmed or determined, the link number is determined according to the condition, and communication is performed using the determined link number.

[0076] In step S701, the control unit 402 of STA 105 determines whether the job currently executed by STA 105 is a job corresponding to cloud printing. "Cloud printing" refers to a function of performing printing based on a print job received from a cloud server 111A or 111B via the Internet. In cloud printing, data for printing is downloaded to STA 105 via AP 101. That is, a print job received from a cloud server 111A or 111B via the Internet is a print job corresponding to cloud printing. As a printing function different from cloud printing, there is a function called local printing. "Local printing" refers to a function of performing printing based on a print job received from a local network to which STA 105 belongs, not via the Internet. For example, in local printing, STA105 receives a job from STA 102. That is, a print job not received via the Internet is a print job corresponding to local printing. If it is determined that the job currently executed by STA 105 is a job corresponding to cloud printing ("Yes" in step S701), the process proceeds to step S706. If it is determined that the job currently executed by STA105 is not a job corresponding to cloud printing ("No" in step S701), the processing proceeds to step S702. Specifically, for example, the case where the job currently executed by STA105 is not a job corresponding to cloud printing is a case where the job currently executed by STA105 is a job corresponding to local printing. Or, for example, the case where the job currently executed by STA 105 is not a job corresponding to cloud printing is a case where the job currently executed by STA 105 is a scan job, or a case where STA 105 is not currently executing a job. In cloud printing, due to authentication, the communication volume may increase compared to local printing. Therefore, in the present exemplary embodiment, if a print job corresponding to cloud printing is currently executed, the number of connections (through which multi-link communication is performed) is increased, thereby increasing the job processing speed.

[0077] In step S702, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 determines whether the data volume of the data to be processed is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold (for example, 50 megabytes). If it is determined that the data volume of the data to be processed is greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold (yes in step S702), the process proceeds to step S706. If it is determined that the data volume of the data to be processed is not greater than or equal to the threshold, that is, if the data volume of the data to be processed is less than the threshold (no in step S702), the process proceeds to step S703. For example, the "data to be processed" refers to the data based on the job currently being executed by the STA 105. More specifically, for example, the "data to be processed" refers to the print setting information or scan setting information included in the job, the image data of the print target, or the image data obtained by scanning. In the present exemplary embodiment, if the data volume of the data to be processed is greater than or equal to the threshold, the number of connections through which multi-link communication is performed is increased, thereby improving the job processing speed. The threshold of the data volume is not limited to 50 megabytes. The data volume is defined not only by the size (megabytes) of the print or scan data, but also by the number of pages of the print job, and is not limited thereto. For example, the data volume can be based on the number of pages.

[0078] In step S703, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 determines whether the number of jobs held in the STA 105 is greater than or equal to a predetermined number (for example, two). If the number of jobs held in the STA 105 is greater than or equal to the predetermined number (yes in step S703), the process proceeds to step S706. If the number of jobs held in the STA 105 is not greater than or equal to the predetermined number (no in step S703), the process proceeds to step S704.

[0079] In the present exemplary embodiment, if multiple jobs are held in the STA 105, the number of connections through which multi-link communication is performed is increased, thereby improving the job processing speed.

[0080] In step S704, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 confirms whether a predetermined number or more (e.g., two or more) of one or more server functions included in the STA 105 are enabled. A "server function" refers to a function in which the STA 105 operates as a server. Specifically, the server functions of the STA 105 include a remote user interface function, a Server Message Block (SMB) function, and a Wireless Direct function. The remote user interface function is a function in which the STA 105 operates as a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) server to provide an interface screen for remotely operating the STA 105 to another device. The SMB function is a function in which the STA 105 operates as an SMB server to be able to access a scanned image stored in the storage unit 401 or to be able to save a file in the storage unit 403. The Wireless Direct function is a function in which the STA 105 operates as a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server to enable the AP in the STA 105 and directly wirelessly connect to another device without going through another AP. If the number of enabled server functions is greater than or equal to two (Yes in step S704), the process proceeds to step S706. If the number of enabled server functions is less than two (No in step S704), the process proceeds to step S705. If multiple functions are enabled, it is possible to communicate through each function. Therefore, under the condition of low CPU usage, the number of connections through which multi-link communication is performed increases, thereby improving the job processing speed.

[0081] In step S705, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 confirms whether the number of communication destination (or communication partner) servers of the STA 105 is greater than or equal to a predetermined number, e.g., greater than or equal to two. A "communication destination server" may refer to a server that serves as a partner that the STA 105 can access via the AP 101 and communicate with via the Internet. For example, the communication destination server is a DHCP server, an SMB server, and a cloud printing server such as the cloud server 111A or 111B.

[0082] Identify the number of communication destination servers based on whether the operation log of STA 105 is set, the counter information about STA 105, or the update information about the computer program, so that STA 105 communicates with the servers (not shown). If the number of communication destination servers is greater than or equal to two ("Yes" in step S705), the process proceeds to step S706. Otherwise ("No" in step S705), the process proceeds to step S707. If the number of communication destination servers is greater than or equal to two, there is a possibility that STA105 is communicating with each server. Therefore, under the condition of low CPU usage, the number of connections through which multi-link communication is performed increases, thereby improving the job processing speed.

[0083] If at least any one of the conditions including the type of job, the amount of job data, the number of jobs to be executed, the number of enabled server functions, the number of communication destination servers, and the number of servers that are always connected holds, then in step S706, the control unit 402 of STA 105 determines whether the CPU usage rate is greater than or equal to a specific value. For example, the CPU usage rate can be obtained by referring to the information provided by the operating system. If the CPU usage rate is greater than or equal to the specific value, then STA 105 is in a state with a high processing load other than the processing load of multi-link communication. Therefore, even if the throughput is increased through multi-link communication, STA 105 cannot process all the data, and only the processing load of multi-link communication increases, which is actually inefficient. If the CPU usage rate is greater than or equal to the specific value ("Yes" in step S706), the process proceeds to step S707. Otherwise ("No" in step S706), the process proceeds to step S708.

[0084] If the conditions including the type of job, the amount of data of the job, the number of jobs to be executed, the number of enabled server functions, the number of communication destination servers, and the number of always-connected servers do not hold, then in step S707, the control unit 402 of STA105 uses multiple links to connect to AP 1 and AP 2. This also applies to the case where the CPU usage rate is greater than or equal to a specific value. That is, STA 105 establishes two links such as a link to AP 1 and a link to AP 2, and thus connects to AP 101 in a state of performing multi-link communication. If the CPU usage rate is not greater than or equal to the specific value, then in step S708, the control unit 402 of STA105 uses multiple links to connect to AP 1, AP 2, and AP 3. As described above, according to the link number reduction condition, the number of links used for multi-link connection is determined to be two or three, and multi-link communication is performed using the determined number of links. Although the number of links is two or three in this example, the number of links can be switched between a first number and a second number greater than the first number, and the specific numbers of the first number and the second number can be other numbers. For example, if the link number reduction condition is satisfied, the number of links is set to the first number, and if the link number reduction condition is not satisfied, the number of links is set to the second number greater than the first number. According to the conditions, the number of links can be set to a third number different from both the first number and the second number, or can be set to another number.

[0085] Then, in step S709, the control unit 402 of STA105 checks the multi-link communication setting 8012. If the multi-link communication setting 8012 is set to ON, the flowchart ends. If the multi-link communication setting 8012 is set to AUTO, the process returns to Figure 6B the process in Figure 6B . Thus, STA 105 can, through the process in Figure 7 , connect to AP 101 through multi-link communication according to the multi-link communication conditions. In addition, when STA105 connects to AP 101 through multi-link communication, STA105 can change the number of links according to the communication or processing situation through the process in

[0086] In this way, in the present exemplary embodiment, the number of connections (number of links) through which multi-link communication is performed is set according to the state of the STA (e.g., communication state and processing state), so that multi-link communication with reduced power consumption can be performed in a situation with less overhead, and the communication reliability can be improved.

[0087] Alternatively, the CPU usage rate may not be determined in step S706. That is, the following form may be adopted: If it is determined as "Yes" in any one of steps S701 to S705, the process immediately proceeds to step S708.

[0088] Alternatively, a form in which not all of the determinations in steps S701 to S705 are made may be adopted. That is, a form in which at least one of the determinations in steps S701 to S705 is made may be adopted. Specifically, for example, in a form in which only the determination in step S701 is made, if the determination in step S701 is "Yes", the process immediately proceeds to step S706. If it is determined as "No" in step S701, the process immediately proceeds to step S707. There is no particular limitation on the order of the determinations made among the determinations in steps S701 to S705.

[0089] In the third exemplary embodiment, the process executed by the STA 105 having an automatic power-on function is described. Unless otherwise specified, the configuration of the communication network according to the present exemplary embodiment is similar to the configuration of the communication network according to the first exemplary embodiment.

[0090] The "automatic power-on function" refers to a function that, when the STA 105 is operating in the sleep state, based on satisfying the condition for automatically returning from the sleep state to the normal state (automatic return condition), causes the STA 105 to automatically return to the normal state. The STA 105 receives an instruction to enable the automatic power-on function or an instruction to disable the automatic power-on function, thereby setting the automatic power-on function to enabled or disabled. The instruction to enable the automatic power-on function or the instruction to disable the automatic power-on function may be received through a user operation on the STA 105 or may be received through communication with an information processing device external to the STA 105. Specifically, for example, the STA 105 receives a predetermined access from the information processing device to which the STA 105 is connected, thereby providing a screen for various settings of the STA 105 to the information processing device. This screen can receive an operation to enable the automatic power-on function and an operation to disable the automatic power-on function, and an instruction corresponding to the operation received by the screen is sent from the information processing device to the STA 105.

[0091] If a predetermined condition for transitioning to a sleep state (sleep transition condition) is satisfied while the auto-power-on function is set to enabled, STA105 transitions from the normal state to the first sleep state. In the normal state, power is supplied to all hardware components included in STA 105. For example, the sleep transition condition includes a condition where there is no user operation on STA105 for a predetermined time or longer, and a condition where STA 105 does not process a job for a predetermined time or longer. The "first sleep state" is a state where the power consumption is less than that in the normal state, but power is supplied to the communication unit 406, and communication based on the IEEE 802.11 standard can be performed. For example, in the first sleep state, in addition to the communication unit 406, the control unit 402 and the module included in STA 105 for detecting a power button press also share power, and power is not supplied to at least one other hardware component. If the auto-power-on function is set to enabled and the auto-return condition is satisfied while STA 105 is operating in the first sleep state, STA 105 transitions from the first sleep state to the normal state. For example, the auto-return condition includes a condition where STA 105 receives a job from an information processing device external to STA105 through communication by the communication unit 406. If STA 105 receives a job while operating in the first sleep state, STA 105 transitions to the normal state and then processes the job. The auto-return condition may also include a condition where STA105 receives data other than job data (such as information for changing various settings of STA105 or a request for acquiring the state of STA 105). In addition, if the manual return condition for operating the power button included in STA105 is satisfied while STA105 is operating in the first sleep state, STA105 transitions from the first sleep state to the normal state.

[0092] If the sleep transition condition is satisfied while the auto-power-on function is set to the disabled state, STA105 transitions from the normal state to the second sleep state. The "second sleep state" refers to a state where the power consumption is less than that in the normal state and the first sleep state, power is not supplied to the communication unit 406, and communication based on the IEEE 802.11 standard is not performed. In the second sleep state, the control unit 402 and the module included in STA105 for detecting the pressing of the power button share power, and power is not supplied to at least one other hardware component. While STA 105 operates in the second sleep state, STA 105 does not perform communication based on the IEEE 802.11 standard. Therefore, the auto-return condition is not satisfied. Thus, while STA105 operates in the second sleep state, STA 105 does not automatically transition to the normal state. If the manual return condition is satisfied while STA 105 operates in the second sleep state, STA 105 transitions from the second sleep state to the normal state.

[0093] As described above, STA 105 according to this exemplary embodiment can operate in different sleep states, and thus different controls are performed regarding the number of links for multi-link communication in each sleep state. Specifically, if the sleep transition condition is satisfied while the auto-power-on function is set to the enabled state and a first number of links greater than or equal to two are established through multi-link communication, STA105 is controlled such that STA 105 transitions to the first sleep state and establishes fewer links than the first number. That is, some of the first number of links are disconnected. For example, the number of links less than the first number of links is a single link. Specifically, for example, if STA105 has established connections with AP 1, AP 2, and AP 3 in the normal state, the connections between AP 2 and AP 3 other than AP 1 are disconnected according to the satisfaction of the sleep transition condition. The number of links less than the first number may only need to be established based on the IEEE 802.11 standard and may not be established through the multi-link communication function.

[0094] Then, if the sleep transition condition is satisfied in a state where the automatic power-on function is set to disabled and a first number of links are established, the STA 105 is controlled such that the STA 105 transitions to the second sleep state and no link is established through multi-link communication. That is, all the links in the first number of links are disconnected. Specifically, for example, if the STA 105 has established connections with the AP 1, AP 2, and AP 3 in the normal state, the connections with the AP 1, AP 2, and AP 3 are disconnected according to the satisfaction of the sleep transition condition. This is because, as described above, wireless communication is not performed in the second sleep state. Alternatively, the STA 105 may not disconnect the first number of links conforming to the multi-link communication standard, but may disconnect the first number of links by turning off the wireless function according to the transition to the second sleep state.

[0095] Also in this exemplary embodiment, the processing described in the first exemplary embodiment with reference to Figure 6A 、 Figure 6B and Figure 7 can be performed. Although Figure 6A and Figure 6B the processing of the flowcharts starts when the STA 105 starts attempting to connect to the AP 101, but since wireless communication is not performed in the second sleep state as described above, Figure 6A and Figure 6B the processing of the flowcharts in

[0096] is performed in the normal state or the first sleep state.

[0097] In the present exemplary embodiment, first, in step S608, similar to the first exemplary embodiment, the control unit 402 of STA 105 determines whether the communication quality (hereinafter referred to as "communication quality 1") of the communication between AP 1 and STA 105 is poor. Then, if it is determined that communication quality 1 is poor, the control unit 402 of STA 105 determines whether the communication quality (hereinafter referred to as "communication quality 2") of the communication between AP 1 and STA 102 is poor. That is, in the present exemplary embodiment, the execution of multi-link communication is controlled based on not only the factors indicating communication quality 1 but also the factors indicating communication quality 2. In the determination regarding communication quality 2, first, the control unit 402 of STA 105 obtains information regarding communication quality 2 from STA 102 via AP 1. For example, the information regarding communication quality 2 is information indicating the RSSI of the radio wave transmitted from AP 1 and received by STA 102. Then, if the RSSI indicated by this information when using MCS 0 is equal to or exceeds the threshold, it is determined that communication quality 2 is excellent. If communication quality 2 is excellent, the communication quality 1 can be improved through multi-link communication to enhance the communication between STA 105 and STA 102. Therefore, if it is determined that communication quality 2 is excellent, the process proceeds to step S609. In step S609, the control unit 402 of STA 105 controls based on factors related to the communication quality such that the multi-link communication conditions are satisfied. On the other hand, if the RSSI indicated by the information regarding communication quality 2 when using MCS 0 is lower than the threshold, it is determined that communication quality 2 is poor. In addition, if the information regarding communication quality 2 is not obtained, it is determined that communication quality 2 is poor. If communication quality 2 is poor, even if the communication quality 1 is improved by using multi-link communication, it may not be possible to enhance the communication between STA 105 and STA 102. Therefore, if it is determined that communication quality 2 is poor, the process proceeds to step S610. In step S610, the control unit 402 of STA 105 controls based on factors related to the communication quality such that the multi-link communication conditions are not satisfied. That is, in the present exemplary embodiment, if communication quality 1 is excellent, regardless of whether communication quality 2 is excellent, the process proceeds to step S609. In step S609, the control unit 402 of STA 105 controls such that the multi-link communication conditions are satisfied. If communication quality 1 is not excellent and communication quality 2 is not excellent, the process proceeds to step S610. In step S610, the control unit 402 of STA 105 controls based on factors related to the communication quality such that the multi-link communication conditions are not satisfied. If communication quality 1 is not excellent while communication quality 2 is excellent, the process proceeds to step S609. In step S609, the control unit 402 of STA 105 controls based on factors related to the communication quality such that the multi-link communication conditions are satisfied.Even when the process reaches step S610, control may be performed based on a factor indicating whether the STA 105 is in a UDP communication state or a factor indicating whether the STA 105 is currently executing a job, so that the multi-link communication condition is satisfied.

[0098] The determination of communication quality 2 is not limited to the above form. For example, the following form may be adopted: The STA 105 receives information indicating the result of the STA 102 determining whether communication quality 2 is poor as information about communication quality 2. In this form, based on information indicating the above threshold and the received signal strength indicator of the radio wave transmitted from the AP 1 and received by the STA 102, the STA 102 determines whether communication quality 2 is poor. Alternatively, the following form may be adopted: The STA 105 receives information about communication quality 2 through communication between the STA 105 and the STA 102 without passing through the AP 1. For example, the communication between the STA 105 and the STA 102 without passing through the AP 1 is communication using Bluetooth.

[0099] Other embodiments

[0100] Embodiments of the present invention can also be implemented by a computer of a system or device that reads and executes computer-executable instructions (for example, one or more programs) recorded on a storage medium (which may also be more completely referred to as a "non-transitory computer-readable storage medium") to perform one or more functions of the above embodiments, and / or includes one or more circuits (for example, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) for performing one or more functions of the above embodiments. Moreover, embodiments of the present invention can be implemented by a method of, for example, reading and executing the computer-executable instructions from the storage medium by the computer of the system or device to perform one or more functions of the above embodiments, and / or controlling the one or more circuits to perform one or more functions of the above embodiments. The computer may include one or more processors (for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessing unit (MPU)), and may include a network of separate computers or separate processors to read and execute the computer-executable instructions. The computer-executable instructions may be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or the storage medium. The storage medium may include, for example, one or more of a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a memory of a distributed computing system, an optical disc (such as a compact disc (CD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), or a Blu-ray disc (BD) TM ), a flash device, and a memory card, etc.

[0101] Embodiments of the present invention can also be implemented by the following method, that is, software (program) that executes the functions of the above embodiments is provided to a system or device through a network or various storage media, and a method in which a computer or a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessing unit (MPU) of the system or device reads and executes the program.

[0102] Although the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the appended claims should be given the broadest interpretation so as to cover all such variations and equivalent structures and functions.

Claims

1. A communication device, which operates in any one of a plurality of states including a first state, a second state and a third state, wherein the second state consumes less power than the first state, and the third state consumes less power than the first state and the second state, the communication device comprising: a setting unit configured to set a predetermined function to be enabled or disabled; a communication unit configured to communicate using a communication module configured to perform communication in compliance with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers IEEE 802.11 series of standards; as well as A first control unit, which is configured to: Based on the predetermined condition for transitioning to a state less than the first state in power consumption being satisfied in a state in which the communication device is operating in the first state, a plurality of communication links having a first number of links through multi-link communication conforming to the IEEE 802.11be standard are established between the communication module and the external device, and the predetermined function is set to be enabled, controlling the communication device so that the communication device operates in a second state and one or more communication links having a second number of links less than the first number are established between the communication module and the external device, and Based on satisfying the predetermined condition when the communication device is operating in the first state, establishing a plurality of communication links having a first number of links between the communication module and the external device, and setting the predetermined function to be disabled, the communication device is controlled so that the communication device operates in a third state and no communication link is established between the communication module and the external device.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, further comprising: A second control unit is configured to, after controlling the communication device so that the communication device operates in a second state and one or more communication links with a second number of links are established between the communication module and the external device, and based on performing communication using the one or more communication links with the second number of links, control the communication device so that the communication device operates in a first state and establishes a plurality of communication links with a first number of links through multi-link communication between the communication module and the external device.

3. The communication device according to claim 1, further comprising: A third control unit is configured to, after controlling the communication device so that the communication device operates in a third state and no communication link is established between the communication module and the external device, and based on an operation of a power button of the communication device, control the communication device so that the communication device operates in a first state and establishes a plurality of communication links having a first number of links through multi-link communication between the communication module and the external device.

4. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein: The second number is 1.

5. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein: The predetermined condition includes a state in which no operation is performed on the communication device continuing for a predetermined time or longer.

6. The communication device according to claim 1, in, The second state is a state in which power is supplied to the communication module, and The third state is a state in which no power is supplied to the communication module.

7. The communication device according to claim 1, further comprising: A fourth control unit is configured to, when the communication device is operating in the first state and based on another factor different from the factor indicating whether the communication device is in the sleep state, control the communication device so that a plurality of communication links having a first number of links are established between the communication module and the external device through multi-link communication, or control the communication device so that one or more communication links having a third number of links less than the first number are established between the communication module and the external device.

8. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein: The third quantity is the same as the second quantity.

9. The communication device according to claim 7, in, The other factor includes a communication quality of communication using at least one link between the external device and the communication module, wherein, based on the state that the communication quality is the first quality, the communication device is controlled so that one or more communication links having a third number of links are established between the communication module and the external device, and Wherein, based on the state that the communication quality is a second quality worse than the first quality, the communication device is controlled so that a plurality of communication links having a first number of links are established between the communication module and the external device through multi-link communication.

10. The communication device according to claim 7, in, The other factor includes a factor indicating whether the communication device is currently executing a print job or a scan job, wherein, based on the state that the communication device is not currently executing a print job or a scan job, the communication device is controlled so that one or more communication links having a third number of links are established between the communication module and the external device, and Wherein, based on the state that the communication device is currently executing a printing job or a scanning job, the communication device is controlled so that a plurality of communication links having a first number of links are established between the communication module and the external device through multi-link communication.

11. The communication device according to claim 7, in, The other factor includes a factor indicating whether the communication device is in a state where the communication device is performing User Datagram Protocol UDP communication, wherein, based on the communication device being in a state where the communication device does not perform UDP communication, the communication device is controlled so that one or more communication links having a third number of links are established between the communication module and the external device, and Wherein, based on the communication device being in a state where the communication device is performing UDP communication, the communication device is controlled so that a plurality of communication links having a first number of links are established between the communication module and the external device through multi-link communication.

12. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein: The communication device operates as a station in multi-link communication.

13. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein: The plurality of communication links having a first number of links includes communication links using a first frequency band and communication links using a second frequency band different from the first frequency band.

14. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein: The plurality of communication links having a first number of links includes communication links using a 6 GHz frequency band.

15. The communication device according to claim 1, in, Based on receiving an instruction to enable the predetermined function or an instruction to disable the predetermined function, setting the predetermined function to be enabled or disabled, and Wherein, an instruction to enable the predetermined function or an instruction to disable the predetermined function is received through a user operation on the communication device.

16. The communication device according to claim 1, in, Based on receiving an instruction to enable the predetermined function or an instruction to disable the predetermined function, setting the predetermined function to be enabled or disabled, and The instruction to enable the predetermined function or the instruction to disable the predetermined function is received through communication with an information processing device outside the communication device.

17. The communication device according to claim 1, further comprising: A printing unit is configured to perform printing.

18. A control method for controlling a communication device, wherein the communication device operates in any one of a plurality of states including a first state, a second state, and a third state, wherein the second state consumes less power than the first state, and the third state consumes less power than the first state and the second state, the control method comprising: Set the predetermined function to be enabled or disabled; communicating using a communication module configured to perform multi-link communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11be standard; as well as Based on the predetermined condition for transitioning to a state less than the first state in power consumption being satisfied in a state in which the communication device is operating in the first state, a plurality of communication links having a first number of links through multi-link communication are established between the communication module and the external device, and the predetermined function is set to be enabled, controlling the communication device so that the communication device operates in a second state, and one or more communication links having a second number of links less than the first number are established between the communication module and the external device through multi-link communication, and Based on satisfying the predetermined condition when the communication device is operating in the first state, establishing a communication link with a first number of links between the communication module and the external device, and setting the predetermined function to be disabled, the communication device is controlled so that the communication device operates in a third state and does not establish a communication link between the communication module and the external device through multi-link communication.

19. A storage medium storing a program, the program being used to cause a computer of a communication device to execute the following steps, the communication device operating in any one of a plurality of states including a first state, a second state and a third state, the second state having less power consumption than the first state, the third state having less power consumption than the first state and the second state, the steps comprising: Set the predetermined function to be enabled or disabled; communicating using a communication module configured to perform multi-link communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11be standard; as well as Based on the predetermined condition for transitioning to a state less than the first state in power consumption being satisfied in a state in which the communication device is operating in the first state, a plurality of communication links having a first number of links through multi-link communication are established between the communication module and the external device, and the predetermined function is set to be enabled, controlling the communication device so that the communication device operates in a second state, and one or more communication links having a second number of links less than the first number are established between the communication module and the external device through multi-link communication, and Based on satisfying the predetermined condition when the communication device is operating in the first state, establishing multiple communication links with a first number of links between the communication module and the external device, and setting the predetermined function to be disabled, the communication device is controlled so that the communication device operates in a third state and does not establish a communication link between the communication module and the external device through multi-link communication.

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