Communication apparatus, control method thereof, storage medium, and computer program product

Abstract

The invention provides a communication apparatus, a control method thereof, a storage medium, and a computer program product. The communication device performs wireless communication with an external device that conforms to the IEEE 802.11 be standard. The communication apparatus establishes a link between the external apparatus and the communication apparatus through a communication function conforming to the IEEE 802.11 be standard, and executes a predetermined process for controlling whether to execute a first communication or a second communication based on a job being held by the communication apparatus, the first communication uses a first complex number of links between the external device and the communication device, and the second communication uses a second complex number of links between the external device and the communication device, the second complex number being smaller than the first complex number.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a communication device, a control method for a communication device, a storage medium, and a computer program product. Background Art

[0002] There is a technology in which, in an Extended Service Set (ESS) composed of multiple APs, the connection destination AP is dynamically switched to efficiently exchange data between an Access Point (AP) and a Station (STA). When it is determined based on the congestion state of the AP connected to the STA, the idle degree of other APs, the radio wave condition, etc. that the connection destination AP should be switched, the connected AP sends a request to change the AP connected to the STA to the STA. When the STA receives the request to change the AP, the STA can connect to an appropriate AP by switching the connection destination AP according to the request.

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2018-50133 discloses the following as a process for sending a request for changing the connection destination from a router having an AP function to a connected wireless sub-device. A mobile router (MR1) that can be connected to multiple wireless sub-devices confirms whether the wireless sub-device terminal supports IEEE 802.11v. It is possible to determine whether the wireless sub-device terminal supports IEEE 802.11v based on the association request frame sent when the wireless sub-device terminal is wirelessly connected to MR1. When the wireless sub-device terminal supports IEEE 802.11v, a BSS Transition Management (BTM) request frame is sent to the corresponding wireless sub-device terminal. In the BSS transition candidate list entry field of the BTM request frame, the BSSID of the parent router RT2 is specified as the connection destination. Thus, the connection destination of the sub-device terminal is prompted to be switched, and the wireless sub-device terminal switches the connection destination from MR1 to RT2 according to the received BTM request frame.

[0004] In addition, in the newly established IEEE 802.11be standard, multiple wireless links are established between a communication device acting as an AP and other communication devices acting as STAs via multiple different frequency channels, and multi-link communication in which communication is performed in parallel on these links is realized.

[0005] It is desired to better control the execution of such communication using multiple links in an environment where such communication can be adopted. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present disclosure more appropriately controls the execution of communication using multiple links.

[0007] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a communication device for wirelessly communicating with an external device compliant with the IEEE 802.11be standard. The communication device includes: an establishment unit that establishes a link between the external device and the communication device through a communication function compliant with the IEEE 802.11be standard; and a control unit that performs a predetermined process based on an operation being held by the communication device. The predetermined process is for controlling whether to perform a first communication as the communication between the external device and the communication device or to perform a second communication as the communication between the external device and the communication device. The first communication uses a first plurality of links between the external device and the communication device established by the communication function compliant with the IEEE 802.11be standard, and the second communication uses a second plurality of links between the external device and the communication device established by the communication function compliant with the IEEE 802.11be standard, and the second plurality is less than the first plurality.

[0008] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as a communication device for wirelessly communicating with an external device compliant with the IEEE 802.11be standard. The program causes the computer to perform the following steps: establishing a link between the external device and the communication device through a communication function compliant with the IEEE 802.11be standard; and performing a predetermined process based on an operation being held by the communication device. The predetermined process is for controlling whether to perform a first communication as the communication between the external device and the communication device or to perform a second communication as the communication between the external device and the communication device. The first communication uses a first plurality of links between the external device and the communication device established by the communication function compliant with the IEEE 802.11be standard, and the second communication uses a second plurality of links between the external device and the communication device established by the communication function compliant with the IEEE 802.11be standard, and the second plurality is less than the first plurality.

[0009] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a control method for a communication device, the communication device being used for wireless communication with an external device compliant with the IEEE 802.11be standard. The control method includes: establishing a link between the external device and the communication device through a communication function compliant with the IEEE 802.11be standard; and performing a predetermined process based on the operation being held by the communication device, the predetermined process being used to control whether to perform a first communication as the communication between the external device and the communication device or to perform a second communication as the communication between the external device and the communication device. The first communication uses a first plurality of links between the external device and the communication device established by the communication function compliant with the IEEE 802.11be standard, and the second communication uses a second plurality of links between the external device and the communication device established by the communication function compliant with the IEEE 802.11be standard, the second plurality being less than the first plurality.

[0010] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a computer program product, which includes a program for causing a computer to function as a communication device that performs wireless communication with an external device compliant with the IEEE 802.11be standard. Wherein, the program causes the computer to perform the following steps: establishing a link between the external device and the communication device through a communication function compliant with the IEEE 802.11be standard; and performing a predetermined process based on the operation being held by the communication device, the predetermined process being used to control whether to perform a first communication as the communication between the external device and the communication device or to perform a second communication as the communication between the external device and the communication device. The first communication uses a first plurality of links between the external device and the communication device established by the communication function compliant with the IEEE 802.11be standard, and the second communication uses a second plurality of links between the external device and the communication device established by the communication function compliant with the IEEE 802.11be standard, the second plurality being less than the first plurality.

[0011] According to the present disclosure, the execution of communication using multiple links can be more appropriately controlled.

[0012] Other features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Description of the Drawings

[0013] Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of a network configuration.

[0014] Figure 2 is a sequence diagram when performing multi-link communication.

[0015] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing the format of the RNR element.

[0016] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the AP and the STA.

[0017] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the AP and the STA.

[0018] Figure 6A This is a flowchart of the process for determining whether to perform multi-link communication according to the first embodiment.

[0019] Figure 6B This is a flowchart of the process for determining whether to perform multi-link communication according to the first embodiment.

[0020] Figure 7 This is a flowchart of the process for determining whether to perform multi-link communication according to the second embodiment.

[0021] Figure 8 This is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the storage unit and storage areas included in the STA. Detailed Description of the Embodiment

[0022] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Multiple features are described in the embodiments, but the disclosure is not limited to the need for all such features, and multiple such features can be appropriately combined. Further, in the drawings, the same or similar configurations are given the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0023] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0024] (Configuration of the Wireless Communication System)

[0025] Figure 1 This shows an example of the configuration of the communication network according to the present embodiment. Figure 1 This shows a configuration including one access point (AP) 101 and two wireless sub-devices 102 and 105. The wireless sub-devices are stations and are hereinafter referred to as STAs. In the present embodiment, each of the AP 101 and the STAs 102, 105 corresponds to one device. Specifically, for example, the AP 101 is a single external device and is a single wireless local area network (LAN) router. Additionally, for example, the STA 105 is specifically a single printer. As Figure 1As shown, the communication network formed by AP 101 is indicated by circle 100. AP 101 and STAs 102, 105 can send and receive signals from each other. Hereinafter, a communication network constructed by wireless communication may be simply referred to as a network or a wireless network. STAs 102, 105 may also be referred to as sub-devices, wireless sub-devices, or wireless terminals. In addition, AP 101 and STAs 102, 105 may be referred to as communication devices or communication apparatuses.

[0026] STAs 102, 105 join the network formed by AP 101, and AP 101 and STAs 102, 105 can perform wireless communication conforming to the IEEE 802.11be (EHT) standard. Note that IEEE is the abbreviation of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. EHT is also the abbreviation of Extremely High Throughput. IEEE 802.11be is also known as Wi-Fi 7 (registered trademark). In EHT, communication devices 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 this, and may be different frequency bands, such as the 60 GHz band. In addition, AP 101 and STAs 102, 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 this, and different bandwidths, such as 240 MHz and 4 MHz, may be used.

[0027] Note that the AP 101 and STAs 102, 105 support the IEEE 802.11be standard, but can also support traditional standards (i.e., standards prior to the IEEE 802.11be standard), and can support subsequent standards of IEEE 802.11be. Specifically, the AP 101 and STA 102 can support at least one of the IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax standards. In addition, in addition to the IEEE 802.11 series of standards, other communication standards such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), NFC, UWB, ZigBee, and MBOA can also be supported. Note that UWB is an abbreviation for Ultra Wide Band, and MBOA is an abbreviation for Multi-Band OFDM Alliance. In addition, NFC is an abbreviation for Near Field Communication. UWB includes Wireless USB, Wireless 1394, WiNET, etc. In addition, the AP 101 can support a wired communication standard such as a wired LAN. Specific examples of the AP 101 include, but are not limited to, a wireless LAN router, a personal computer (PC), a single-function access point, etc. The AP 101 can be an information processing device such as a wireless chip capable of performing wireless communication conforming to the IEEE 802.11be standard. In addition, specific examples of the STA 102 include, but are not limited to, a camera, a tablet terminal, a smartphone, a personal computer (PC), a mobile phone, a video camera, headphones, etc. The STA 102 can be an information processing device such as a wireless chip capable of performing wireless communication conforming to the IEEE 802.11be standard. In addition, a specific example of the STA 105 is an image forming device having multiple functions such as a printer for forming an image and a scanner for reading an image.

[0028] For example, the STA 105 is an image forming device such as a single-function printer or a digital multifunction peripheral including a scanner for optically reading an image. This image forming device is an STA for the AP 101 and is thus called the STA 105, and can also be called the communication device 105. The STA 105 is connected to the AP 101 through communication conforming to the IEEE 802.11be standard. The unit of processing unique to the image forming device (such as image formation or image reading performed by the STA 105) is called a job, and the STA 105 can execute multiple jobs whose resources to be used do not conflict in parallel. For example, the STA 105 can execute a scanning job and a printing job that does not use the scanner in parallel.

[0029] Servers 111A and 111B are so-called cloud servers arranged on the Internet. One or both of them have the function of a print server that stores print data received from a terminal and sends the print data to the STA 105 in response to a request or without a request. Although servers 111A and 111B are cloud servers, they can be connected to the AP 101 via wireless communication according 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 the STA102 also applies to the STA 105 as an image forming apparatus. Note that the configuration may be such that only one of the servers 111A and 111B exists, and the configuration may be such that three or more servers exist.

[0030] AP 101 and STAs 102, 105 establish multiple links via multiple frequency channels and perform multi-link communication to communicate with each other. The AP corresponding to a single device that performs multi-link communication and the STA corresponding to a single device respectively include multiple virtual APs and multiple virtual STAs. Therefore, the AP corresponding to one device and the STA corresponding to one device are also respectively referred to as an AP multi-link device (AP MLD) and an STA multi-link device (STA MLD). The STA MLD is sometimes also referred to as a non-AP MLD. The AP MLD and the STA MLD may be referred to as communication devices or communication equipment. The virtual APs and virtual STAs are referred to as affiliated APs and affiliated STAs. The multiple affiliated APs included in one AP MLD are APs that each communicate using a different channel. Similarly, the multiple affiliated STAs included in one STA MLD are STAs that each communicate using a different channel. In the IEEE 802.11 series of standards, the bandwidth of a frequency channel is defined as 20 MHz. Here, the frequency channel is the frequency channel defined in the IEEE 802.11 series of standards, and in the IEEE 802.11 series of standards, multiple frequency channels are defined in each of the 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, 6 GHz band, and 60 GHz band. Therefore, the multiple affiliated APs and multiple affiliated STAs can use any of the above frequency channels. Note that by binding to adjacent frequency channels, a bandwidth of more than 40 MHz can be used in one frequency channel. For example, AP 101 can establish and communicate with STA 102 via a first frequency channel in the 5 GHz band on link 103. At the same time, STAs 102, 105 can establish and communicate with AP 102 via a second frequency channel in the 6 GHz band on link 104. In this case, in parallel with link 103 via the first frequency channel, STAs 102, 105 perform multi-link communication to maintain the second link 104 via the second frequency channel. Below, when AP 101 and STAs 102, 105 support multi-link communication, in order to distinguish them from the respective APs and STAs included therein, AP 101 will be referred to as AP MLD 101, and STAs 102, 105 will be referred to as STA MLDs 102, 105. However, when there is no risk of confusion, they will be referred to as AP 101 and STAs 102, 105.

[0031] Figure 2 Shows an exemplary sequence diagram when performing multi-link communication. In Figure 2 it, the affiliated APs will be given suffix numbers, such as AP 1, AP 2, …, and the affiliated STAs will be given suffix numbers, such as STA 1, STA 2, …. That is, in Figure 2Among them, for example, the AP MLD 101 includes the first AP AP 1, the second AP AP2, and the third AP AP3. Each of the STAMLD 102 and 105 includes the first STA STA 1, the second STA STA2, and the third STA STA3. AP 1 and STA 1 establish a first link using the first frequency channel. AP2 and STA2 establish a second link using the second frequency channel. AP3 and STA3 establish a third link using the third frequency channel. In this embodiment, the connection between the affiliated STA and the affiliated AP is called a link. In Figure 2 In the example of, the first frequency channel to the third frequency channel are located in the 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, and 6 GHz band respectively, but they can also be located in other available frequency bands. In this case, the number of APs included in the AP MLD is not limited to three, and can be the number corresponding to the available frequency bands. The same is true for the STA MLD. As described above, an AP associated with its respective frequency band and capable of data communication is called an affiliated AP, and a STA associated with its respective frequency band and capable of data communication is called an affiliated STA. For example, an affiliated AP and an affiliated STA can be preset by a user such as an administrator from the APs including the AP MLD 101 and the STAs including the STAMLD 102 and 105. Based on the basic multi-link element, it is determined whether to connect through multi-link. The AP MLD sends the basic multi-link element in the beacon or the probe response in response to the probe request from the STA. The STA MLD determines whether the basic multi-link element is included in the beacon or probe response sent by any affiliated AP, and determines whether it is the AP MLD. If the basic multi-link element is included, it can be determined that the sending source AP is the AP MLD.

[0032] When the communication partner AP (hereinafter referred to as the partner AP) is the AP MLD, the band and channel information of other affiliated APs belonging to the same AP MLD are obtained from the reduced neighbor report (RNR) element included in the obtained beacon or probe response. Based on the fact that the MLD ID included in the RNR element is 0, it can be determined that it is the same APMLD. The format of the RNR element is as Figure 3 shown. As Figure 3As shown, the RNR element includes the MLD ID 301. The STA MLD switches to the band and channel indicated by the acquired channel information, obtains the detailed information of each affiliated AP, and based on this information, connects to the affiliated AP to be connected via multi-link. When the partner AP is not the AP MLD, it connects via a single frequency channel. When the STA and the AP establish a connection, the STA1 first sends an authentication request to the AP 1 via an "authentication frame", and when the authentication is successful, the STA1 sends an "association request" to the AP 1. The AP 1 performs association by returning an "association response". After that, a 4-way handshake is performed to install the encryption / decryption key.

[0033] By establishing multiple links between the AP 101 and the STA102, 105 via multiple frequency channels as described above, the communication throughput between the AP 101 and each of the STA 102, 105 can be improved. In this embodiment, as described in the first embodiment and the second embodiment to be described later, even if the received beacon / probe response indicates that the AP 101 is the AP MLD, the STA102, 105 do not unconditionally set up multi-links. The multi-links are set according to the situation, or the number of links is changed. This will be described with reference to Figure 6A and Figure 6B as well as Figure 7 described.

[0034] In multi-link communication, multiple links with different frequency bands can be established as the 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 STA102 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, 15ch in the 6 GHz band can be established as the first link, and 207ch in the 6 GHz band can be established as the second link. Note that links with the same frequency band and links with different frequency bands can be mixed. For example, between the AP 101 and each of the STA102, 105, in addition to the link 103:36ch in the 5 GHz band, a link:149ch in the 5 GHz band and a link:15 channel in the 6 GHz band can also be established. By establishing multiple connections with the STA 102 at different frequencies, the AP 101 can establish communication with the STA 102 in other frequency bands when a specific band is congested, thereby preventing the deterioration of the communication throughput and communication delay with the STA 102. The same is true for the STA 105.

[0035] (Configuration of AP and STA)

[0036] Figure 4Shows an exemplary hardware configuration of the AP 101 according to the present 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. Note that multiple antennas can be used.

[0037] The storage unit 401 is configured to include one or more memories, such as non-volatile storage devices (such as ROM) and RAM, etc., and stores computer programs for performing various operations described later and various types of information, such as communication parameters for wireless communication. ROM is an abbreviation for Read Only Memory, and RAM is an abbreviation for Random Access Memory. In addition to memories such as ROM or RAM, storage media such as floppy disks, hard disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, CD-ROMs, CD-Rs, magnetic tapes, non-volatile memory cards, or DVDs can also be used as the storage unit 401. Furthermore, the storage unit 401 can include multiple memories, etc.

[0038] The control unit 402 is constituted by, for example, one or more processors (such as a CPU and an MPU), and controls the entire AP 101 by executing the computer program stored in the storage unit 401. The control unit 402 can cooperate with the computer program and the operating system (OS) stored in the storage unit 401 to control the entire AP 101. In addition, the control unit 402 generates data and signals (wireless frames) to be transmitted in communication with other communication devices. Note that CPU is an abbreviation for Central Processing Unit, and MPU is an abbreviation for Micro Processing Unit. Furthermore, the control unit 402 can include multiple processors such as a multi-core processor, and multiple processors can control the AP 101 as a whole.

[0039] In addition, the control unit 402 controls the functional unit 403 to perform predetermined processing, such as wireless communication, imaging, printing, and projection. The functional unit 403 is hardware for the AP 101 to perform predetermined processing.

[0040] The input unit 404 accepts various operations from the user. The output unit 405 performs various types of output to the user via a monitor screen or a speaker. Here, the output of the output unit 405 can be a display on the monitor screen, an audio output from the speaker, a vibration output, etc. Note that both the input unit 404 and the output unit 405 can be implemented by a single module, as in the case of a touch panel. The input unit 404 and the output unit 405 can be integrated with the AP 101, or can be separate bodies.

[0041] 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 such as a wired LAN. The communication unit 406 controls the antenna 407 to transmit and receive signals for wireless communication generated by the control unit 402.

[0042] In the case where the AP 101 complies with the NFC standard, Bluetooth standard, etc. in addition to the IEEE 802.11be standard, the wireless communication can be controlled according to these communication standards. In addition, in the case where the AP 101 can perform wireless communication compliant with multiple communication standards, it can be configured to separately include a communication unit and an antenna compliant with each communication standard. The AP 101 transmits data such as image data, document data, and video data to a partner device via the communication unit 406. Note that the antenna 407 can be separately configured from the communication unit 406 or can be configured together with the communication unit 406 as a single module.

[0043] The antenna 407 is an antenna capable of communicating in the 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, and 6 GHz band. In this embodiment, the AP 102 has two antennas, but it can also have three antennas. Alternatively, different antennas can be provided for each band. In the case where the AP 101 includes multiple antennas, it can include a communication unit 406 corresponding to each antenna.

[0044] STA102, 105 have a hardware configuration similar to that of Figure 4 the shown AP 101. Since the STA 105 is, for example, an image forming apparatus, in addition to the Figure 4 configuration in, it can also include an image forming unit (printer unit) such as an inkjet system or an electrophotographic system, a reading unit (scanner unit) for reading an image recorded on a paper document, etc., and a control unit for these units. In addition, the STA 105 can include an image processing unit for processing an image to be printed or read and a storage unit for storing print data received from a terminal or a server. Figure 4The configuration of the STA 105 shown is referred to as a controller unit to distinguish it from configurations specific to the image forming apparatus, such as an image forming unit and a scanner unit. The STA 102 is similar to the STA 105, but the STA 102 may be a different device from the STA 105. For example, the STA 102 may include at least one of a printer unit that prints image data on a medium and a scanner unit that reads a document. In addition, the STA 102 may include a camera unit that performs imaging. That is, the STA 102 may be an image processing apparatus such as a printer, a scanner, or an MFP, or may be a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet computer, a camera, or a personal computer (PC).

[0045] Figure 8 An exemplary configuration and storage areas of the storage unit 401 included in the STAs 102 and 105 according to the present embodiment are shown. The storage unit 401 includes a non-volatile storage unit 801 and a RAM 802. For example, the non-volatile storage unit 801 includes: function information 8011 indicating functions included in the STAs 102 and 105 and multi-link communication settings 8012 set by a user. The function information 8011 includes multi-link support information indicating whether the STAs 102 and 105 support multi-link communication. The multi-link communication settings 8012 are set by the user from a user interface included in the STAs 102 and 105, or remotely set via communication. The setting may be to perform multi-link communication (on), not to perform multi-link communication (off), or to determine whether to perform multi-link communication automatically. The RAM 802 includes: a communication quality flag 8021 indicating whether the quality of the latest communication with a partner AP is good; and a UDP communication in progress flag 8022 indicating that UDP communication is in progress. The RAM 802 also includes: a job flag 8023 indicating that the STA 105 as an image forming apparatus is executing a job; and includes a sleep flag 8024 indicating whether the STA 105 is in a sleep state. The sleep state is a power saving state (from which normal operation state is restored in response to receiving a signal or an operation input), and is, for example, a state in which power supply is stopped except for the controller unit of the image forming apparatus (see Figure 4 ). For example, when a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the completion of a job, the image forming apparatus 105 changes from the normal operation state to the sleep state, and when a specific message is received from a user interface (UI) or an operation is performed, the image forming apparatus 105 changes from the sleep state to the normal operation state. Note that the sleep state is not limited to the above description, and may reduce the clock rate of the CPU, or may stop power supply to units other than units that receive a signal or accept an operation input (such as the input unit 404 or the communication unit 406) even in the controller unit in the sleep state.

[0046] Figure 5 A block diagram showing the functional configuration of the AP 101 according to the present embodiment. The functional modules shown here are implemented by executing a program for realizing the corresponding functions on the hardware shown by the control unit 402. Note that the STAs 102 and 105 have a similar configuration, but in the STA, the subordinate AP setting unit 502 is replaced by a subordinate STA setting unit, and the object to be set is the subordinate STA. Figure 4 The AP 101 is composed of a multi-link control unit 501, a subordinate AP setting unit 502, a frame generation unit 503, a frame transmission / reception unit 504, and a communication quality measurement unit 505.

[0047] The multi-link control unit 501 is a block that controls the following communication start process (connection process), the process of adding and deleting links after starting communication, and the communication end process of deleting all links. The communication start process is used to establish one or more links for the AP 101 to perform wireless communication with the STA 102. Specifically, the connection process is configured to include an authentication process, an association process, and a four-way handshake (4WHS) process.

[0048] The subordinate AP setting unit 502 selects and determines the subordinate AP in the multi-link communication according to the settings in each UI unit. In addition, it notifies the frame transmission / reception unit 504 of the subordinate AP to be used.

[0049] The frame generation unit 503 is a block that generates frames to be transmitted according to the settings of the subordinate AP setting unit 502.

[0050] The frame transmission / reception unit 504 processes according to the subordinate AP information received from the subordinate AP setting unit 502. Specifically, the frame transmission / reception unit 504 transmits wireless frames including beacon / probe response frames and data frames generated by the frame generation unit 503 according to this information, and receives wireless frames from the partner device.

[0051] 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 the quality of the received signals from the STAs 102 and 105 is evaluated in the AP 101, the communication quality of the frames received from the STA (such as probe request frames) can be measured and calculated. The measured communication quality information can be not only the received radio field strength (RSSI), but also the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), etc., but is not limited thereto.

[0052]

[0053] ​Incidentally, when the STA performs continuous multi-link communication during communication, frame exchanges with multiple APs occur. Therefore, when there is no communication or little traffic, the processing load on the STA is large, and coupled with a large communication overhead, the power consumption is also greater than when communicating on a single link. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the situation that requires multi-link communication and switch between single-link communication and multi-link communication at an appropriate timing. In addition, when printing or scanning is performed by the STA 105, the STA 105 needs to receive job data. When uploading job data from the STA 102, the job data needs to be sent by the STA 102. In this case, if single-link communication is used for single-link communication, compared with multi-link communication, data transmission will be delayed, and the increase in job processing time will result in reduced usability. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the processing for solving such problems is performed as described below.

[0054] (Processing flow)

[0055] Next, several embodiments of the processing flow for selectively using single-link communication and multi-link communication as needed and determining the link count in multi-link communication, as well as the sequence in the wireless communication system, etc., which are executed in the AP and the STA (especially in the STA) as described above, will be described.

[0056] (First embodiment)

[0057] Figure 6A and Figure 6B Illustrates the process of determining whether the STA 105 performs multi-link communication with the AP 101 using a predetermined criterion. This process starts when the STA 105 starts attempting to connect to the AP 101. This process is implemented by executing a program stored in the storage unit 401 by the control unit 402 of the STA 105 (especially by the CPU). Although the STA 105 is taken as an example in the following description, a similar process can also be executed in the STA 102. For example, for step S614 and step S617 (i.e., the steps of determining conditions related to the image forming apparatus), when the STA 102 is not an image forming apparatus, it can be determined that the conditions are not satisfied.

[0058] First, in step S601, the control unit 402 of STA105 determines whether multi-link communication is supported. This determination can be made by referring to the information indicating whether multi-link communication is supported included in the function information 8011. In the case where STA105 does not support multi-link communication, the process branches to step S602. In step S602, the control unit 402 of STA102 determines that multi-link communication cannot be performed and connects only to AP 1 operating on the same frequency channel as the attached STA 1 to be used. That is, STA105 connects to AP 101 without performing multi-link communication. In the case where STA105 supports multi-link communication, the process proceeds to the subsequent step S603, and STA 105 operates on the premise that multi-link communication will be performed. In the case where the processing of this flowchart is performed only in the STA 105 that supports multi-link communication, this step can be omitted, and the processing starts from step S603. In addition, since only one link is established in step S601, the link can be established based on the normal IEEE802.11 standard without using the multi-link communication function compliant with the IEEE 802.11be standard.

[0059] In step S603, the control unit 402 of STA105 determines whether AP 101 supports multi-link communication. Based on whether the basic multi-link element exists in the beacon / probe response frame of AP 1 obtained at STA 1, 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 on the attached AP / STA that can perform multi-link communication. If the beacon / probe response frame includes the basic multi-link element, it is determined that AP 101 supports multi-link communication, and the process proceeds to step S604. In the case where the basic multi-link element does not exist in the beacon / probe response frame of AP 1, the process proceeds to step S602. In step S602, the control unit 402 of STA105 determines that AP 101 is an AP that does not support multi-link communication and connects only to AP 1.

[0060] In step S604, the control unit 402 of STA105 confirms the setting of the multi-link communication setting 8012. In the case where the multi-link communication setting 8012 is set to off by a user operation on the input unit 404 of STA 105, the process proceeds to step S602. In the case where it is set to on, the process proceeds to step S605, and in the case where it 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 STA105.

[0061] When multi-link communication is set to enabled, the control unit 402 of STA105 obtains information indicating the bands and channels on which the non-AP1 affiliated APs (assumed to be AP2 and AP3) belonging to AP 101 are operating in step S605. The basic multi-link element received by the STA may also include information about other AP groups that do not belong to AP 101. Therefore, in order to determine whether an affiliated AP belongs to AP 101, the control unit 402 of STA105 uses the reduced neighbor report (RNR) element (see Figure 3 ) in the beacon / probe response frame of AP 1 obtained by STA 1 to make a determination. An MLD ID 301 is assigned to each affiliated AP group in the basic multi-link element. When this MLD ID 301 is 0, it indicates the AP MLD to which the affiliated AP that sent the beacon / probe response frame obtained by STA 1 belongs. Therefore, by obtaining information indicating the bands and channels of the affiliated AP with an MLD ID of 0, the bands and channels of the non-AP 1 APs (AP2, AP3) operating in AP 101 can be grasped / identified.

[0062] In addition, in step S606, the control unit 402 of STA105 switches the bands and channels used for communication to the bands and channels of the grasped AP2 and AP3. Then, the control unit 402 of STA 105 obtains the beacon / probe response frames of AP2 and AP3 and shares the detailed information of each of AP2 and AP3. In step S607, the control unit 402 of STA 105 connects to AP 1, AP2, and AP3 through multi-link. That is, STA 105 connects to AP 101 by establishing three links as links to AP 1, AP2, and AP3 for multi-link communication. As Figure 2 shown, the connection process includes authentication, association, and 4-way handshake.

[0063] In step S608, the control unit 402 of STA 105 determines whether the communication quality (communication quality of AP 1) in the communication between AP 1 and STA 105 is poor. That is, in this embodiment, the execution of multi-link communication is controlled based on the elements of the communication quality of AP 1. Specifically, the control unit 402 of STA 105 calculates the communication quality of AP 1 and determines whether the calculated communication quality of AP 1 is lower than the threshold when using MCS0 (i.e., the lowest rate). When the communication quality is lower than the threshold, the process proceeds to step S610; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S609. MCS is an abbreviation for modulation and coding scheme and is an index of a combination of a wireless modulation scheme, coding rate, etc. The MCS used changes according to the communication environment. MCS0 is the method with the lowest throughput and is used in cases where the communication environment is very poor. In this embodiment, the received radio field strength (RSSI) of the radio wave transmitted from AP 1 and received by STA 105 is used as a value representing the communication quality. In step S609, when the RSSI is equal to or exceeds the threshold when using MCS0, the control unit 402 of STA 105 determines that there is no problem with the communication environment and records "good" in the communication quality flag 8021. In step S610, when the RSSI is lower than the threshold when using MCS0, the control unit 402 of STA 105 records "poor" in the communication quality flag 8021. For example, when -70 dBm is set as the threshold, if the RSSI is greater than or equal to -70 dBm, the communication quality flag 8021 is set to "good"; and if the RSSI is less than or equal to -71 dBm, the communication quality flag 8021 is set to "poor". In the case of frequently using applications with a large amount of downlink information, the downlink communication quality measured by STA 105 can be referred to as a value representing the communication quality. In the case of a large amount of uplink information, the uplink communication quality measured by AP 101 can be obtained from and referred to AP 101. It can be determined whether to refer to the downlink communication quality or the uplink communication quality according to the application being executed. For example, if the application involves the reception of images or videos with a large amount of downlink information, or the acquisition of print jobs, etc., the downlink communication quality standard can be selected; if the application involves the upload of images, videos, or print jobs, the uplink communication quality standard can be selected.

[0064] Subsequently, in step S611, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 determines whether the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) communication state is set. That is, in this embodiment, the execution of multi-link communication is controlled based on an element indicating whether the UDP communication state is set. If the UDP communication is in progress, the process proceeds to step S613; if the UDP communication is not in progress, the process proceeds to step S614. The UDP communication state is the state in which the STA 105 performs UDP communication that requires real-time performance for moving images, audio, etc. UDP communication is one-way communication and, unlike Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) communication, has lower reliability but can send data at high speed. Therefore, when the communication overlaps with the communication of an application other than the application through which the STA 105 is performing UDP communication, a delay in UDP communication occurs, and when the transmission / reception processing of the STA 105 is not timely, packet loss will occur. During UDP communication, the delay can be reduced through multi-link communication. In addition to moving images and audio, in the case where the STA 105 is an image forming apparatus such as a multifunction peripheral or a printer, UDP communication is also used for sending and receiving IP-FAX images, etc. IP-FAX is a function of transmitting an image printed by FAX via the Internet Protocol (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 application using UDP is in the UDP communication state based on whether the application is being executed. For example, in addition to IP-FAX, applications such as audio communication, video distribution, and web conferencing typically also use UDP, and if one of these specific applications using UDP is being executed, it can be determined that the device is in the UDP communication state. Note that the state that is not the UDP communication state is the state in which communication that is not UDP communication is in progress or the state in which communication with other devices is not in progress. For example, communication that is not UDP communication is TCP communication. For example, the function using TCP communication is the function of receiving a print job or a scan job from other devices or the function of sending an image obtained by scanning based on a scan job to other devices.

[0065] When it is determined in step S611 that it is in the UDP communication state, in step S613, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 records "1" in the UDP communication in-progress flag 8022. When it is determined in step S611 that it is not in the UDP communication state, in step S612, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 records "0" in the UDP communication in-progress flag. Specifically, for example, when starting to send an image through the IP-FAX function, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 records "1" in the UDP communication in-progress flag 8022; when the transmission of the image through the IP-FAX function is completed, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 records "0" in the UDP communication in-progress flag 8022. The UDP communication state can be determined by referring to the settings of the communication using UDP, and in the case where the communication settings are activated, "1" can be recorded in the UDP communication in-progress flag, while in the case where the communication settings are not activated, "0" can be recorded in the UDP communication in-progress flag.

[0066] Subsequently, in step S614, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 determines whether a job is being executed in the STA 105. That is, in the present embodiment, the execution of multi-link communication is controlled based on an element indicating whether a job is being executed in the STA 105. If a job is being executed, the process proceeds to step S616; if no job is being executed, the process proceeds to step S615. In the case where the STA 105 is an image forming apparatus such as a multi-functional peripheral or a printer, the job to be executed in the STA 105 is, for example, a print job or a scan job. A print job is a job of performing printing based on print data received from another STA (e.g., STA 102). A scan job is a job of scanning an original document based on a scan instruction received from another STA or a scan instruction received from a user through the input unit 404 of the STA 105, and sending the image data obtained by scanning. Whether there is an executing job can be determined by referring to, for example, information indicating the existence of an executing job, or can be determined by referring to the job queue based on the presence or absence of jobs. In step S616, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 records "1" in the job flag 8023. At the same time, in step S615, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 records "0" in the job flag 8023.

[0067] Subsequently, in step S617, the control unit 402 of STA 105 determines whether STA 105 is in a sleep state. If STA 105 is in the sleep state, the process proceeds to step S622. If STA 105 is not in the sleep state, the process proceeds to step S618. Since STA 105 is an image forming apparatus such as a multi-functional peripheral or a printer, there are parts such as a printing unit that prints on a paper medium (not shown) or a reading unit that reads an original document. In a state where the user does not use the apparatus or no job is being executed, these parts do not need to share power. In such a 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 suppressed. In addition, the normal state indicates a state in which the apparatus is not in the sleep state and the power consumption is higher than that in the sleep state. Specifically, the normal state is a state in which power is supplied to more hardware components compared to the number of hardware components powered in the sleep state. Additionally, the normal state is a state in which power is supplied to the hardware components according to a clock with a higher frequency compared to the clock that powers the hardware components in the sleep state. When a job is received from another apparatus via AP 101 or the like in the sleep state, STA 105 transitions to the normal state and then performs processing (printing, scanning, etc.) based on the job. Note that the sleep state can also occur in STA 102 which is not an image forming apparatus. For example, when STA 102 is a terminal device, the backlight intensity of the display unit, which is part of the hardware components, is reduced or turned off in the sleep mode. Such a state can also be included in the sleep state. It is possible to determine whether the apparatus is in the sleep state by referring to the information indicating the state of the STA.

[0068] Next, in step S618, the control unit 402 of STA 105 determines whether the conditions for multi-link communication are satisfied. Specifically, if at least one of the communication quality flag 8021 being "poor", the UDP communication in progress flag 8022 being "1", and the job flag 8023 being "1" is satisfied, it is determined that the multi-link communication conditions are satisfied. If none of the conditions are satisfied, it is determined that the multi-link communication conditions are not satisfied. If the multi-link communication conditions are satisfied, the process proceeds to step S619; while if the multi-link communication conditions are not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S622. In step S619, the control unit 402 of STA 105 obtains information indicating the frequency bands and channels on which the non-AP1 affiliated APs (assumed to be AP2 and AP3) belonging to AP 101 are operating, and designates the frequency bands and channels. The process of step S619 is similar to the process of step S605. In addition, in step S620, the control unit 402 of STA 105 switches the frequency band and channel for communication to the frequency bands and channels of the designated AP2 and AP3. Then, the control unit 402 of STA105 obtains the beacon / probe response frames of AP2 and AP3, and shares the details of each of AP2 and AP3. The process of step S620 is similar to the process of step S606. In step S621, the control unit 402 of STA105 connects to AP 1, AP2, and AP3 through multi-link. The process of step S621 is similar to the process of step S607.

[0069] Meanwhile, in step S622, the control unit 402 of STA105 determines whether there is a multi-link connection. For example, this determination can be made by setting information indicating that a multi-link connection has been made in step S607 or step S621 and referring to this information. Of course, other information indicating the existence of a multi-link connection can also be referred to. In the case where it is determined that there is a multi-link connection, the process proceeds to step S623, and if it is determined that the multi-link connection is not in progress, the process proceeds to step S624. In step S623, since the multi-link communication conditions are not satisfied, the control unit 402 of STA 105 disconnects AP2 and AP3 (APs other than AP1). In step S624, the control unit 402 of STA 105 connects to AP1, or if it is already connected to AP1, does nothing.

[0070] In this way, under the condition that the multi-link communication setting is set to "automatic", multi-link communication is established between the STA 105 and the AP 101 when the multi-link communication condition is satisfied, and single-link communication is established when the condition is not satisfied. Thereby, the communication of additional frames for exchanging link information can be maintained at the necessary minimum, reducing communication overhead and power consumption, and improving communication reliability. By not performing unnecessary multi-link communication, waste of communication resources such as channels shared with other communication devices in the service area can be prevented. In addition, when the communication quality is low, the throughput can be improved by performing multi-link communication. Especially when the communication quality of channels in a specific frequency band is low, the communication quality and throughput can be improved by using other frequency bands in multi-link communication. In addition, during UDP communication, object data may be being sent and received, enabling the throughput to be improved and packet loss etc. to be prevented through multi-link communication. When the STA is the STA 105 (i.e., an image forming apparatus), multi-link communication is performed while executing a job that transmits a large amount of information, thereby preventing job delays caused by communication with low throughput. In addition, since it is meaningless for the STA to perform multi-link communication in the sleep state, multi-link communication is not performed in the sleep state, thereby further reducing power consumption.

[0071] In Figure 6BIn the process, in step S618, if at least 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 this, and other conditions can be added, or one of the conditions can be replaced with other conditions. In addition, in the above processing, all three determinations based on the three determination criteria are performed (step S608, step S611, step S614), but it is not limited to this embodiment, and an embodiment in which at least one of the three determinations is performed can also be adopted. In step S618, it can be determined whether the multi-link communication condition is satisfied based on the determination results obtained in the three determinations. Specifically, for example, the control unit 402 of STA105 can only perform the determination in step S608 of the three determinations, and immediately enter step S618 after step S609 or step S610. Additionally, for example, the control unit 402 of STA 105 can only perform the determination in step S611 of the three determinations, omit steps S608 to S610, and immediately enter step S618 after step S612 or step S613. Additionally, for example, the control unit 402 of STA 105 can only perform the determination in step S614 of the three determinations, and omit steps S608 to S613. Additionally, for example, the control unit 402 of STA 105 can only perform the determination in step S617 of the four determinations, and omit steps S608 to S616. In addition, the order of the three determinations is not limited to the order of the above process. In addition, even in a mode where only a part of the three determinations is performed, the order of this part of the determinations can be in any order. In addition, for Figure 6A and Figure 6B the processing, the communication quality mentioned in step S608 is executed by the communication quality measurement unit 505 in the block diagram of Figure 5 , and the remaining processing is executed by the multi-link control unit 501.

[0072] In the above description, the following embodiments are described, where in step S602, step S623, and step S624, only one link is established between STA 105 and AP 101. However, it is not limited to this embodiment. In step S602, step S623, and step S624, more than two links can be established between STA 105 and AP 101. However, when entering step S602, step S623, and step S624, control is performed such that fewer links are used for communication compared to the number of links used for communication when entering step S607 and step S621. Specifically, for example, in step S602, step S623, and step S624, two links can be established between STA 105 and AP 101, while in step S607 and step S621, three links can be established between STA 105 and AP 101. When the process enters step S602, step S623, and step S624, control can be performed such that communication using two links is executed as the communication between STA 105 and AP 101. Additionally, when the process enters step S607 and step S621, control can be performed such that communication using three links is executed as the communication between STA 105 and AP 101.

[0073] Furthermore, after multiple links are established between STA 105 and AP 101, STA 105 can use only a part of the multiple links for communication while maintaining the establishment of the multiple links. Thus, for example, in step S602, step S623, and step S624, as well as in step S607 and step S621, three links can be established between STA 105 and AP 101. When the process enters step S602, step S623, and step S624, control can be performed such that communication using only one of the above three links is executed as the communication between STA 105 and AP 101. Additionally, when the process enters step S607 and step S621, control can be performed such that communication using three links is executed as the communication between STA 105 and AP 101. However, in the sleep state, the benefit of establishing multiple links is not significant. Thus, for example, in the process executed when the result of step S617 is "yes", control can be performed such that only one link is established between STA 105 and AP 101. Then, in the process executed when the result of step S618 is "no", multiple links can be established between STA 105 and AP 101, and control can be performed such that only a part of the multiple links is used for communication while maintaining the establishment of the multiple links.

[0074] In the above embodiment, it is determined whether the device is in a sleep state, and the processing is switched based on the determination result, but it is not limited to this embodiment. The determination (determination of step S617) can be omitted. That is, step S618 can be processed immediately after step S615 or step S616. In addition, in the above embodiment, the processing of steps S608 to step S616 is performed, and the processing is switched based on the processing result, but it is not limited to this embodiment. The processing of steps S608 to step S616 and step S618 can be omitted. That is, it is possible to switch whether to perform the processing of step S619 or the processing of step S622 based only on whether the device is in sleep mode.

[0075] (Second embodiment)

[0076] In combination with the above-described embodiments, the number of connections for multilink communication may be determined based on the state of the STA. In the case where the STA is a multifunction peripheral (an image forming device having a composite function such as a printer and a scanner), the amount of communication changes depending on the settings of the multifunction peripheral and the operating state of the functions according to the user environment. Therefore, in the multifunction peripheral, it is desirable to determine the number of multilink connections dynamically rather than statically. As a second embodiment, a process for determining the number of connections for multilink communication is described. In this embodiment, since the multifunction peripheral described in the first embodiment Figure 6A and Figure 6B In the steps other than step S607 and step S621 in the processing in the first embodiment, processing similar to that described in the first embodiment is performed, and thus description thereof is omitted. That is, in the present embodiment, only the processing described in the first embodiment is performed. Figure 6A and Figure 6B The processing unique to this embodiment is performed in step S607 and step S621 of the processing. Figure 7 Details of the processing performed in step S607 and step S621 in the present embodiment are described.

[0077] The control unit 402 of the STA 105 (especially the CPU) executes the program stored in the storage unit 401 to achieve Figure 7 Although STA 105 is used as an example in the following description, similar processing can also be performed in STA 102. In steps S701 to S707, specific individual conditions constituting link number reduction conditions are confirmed or determined, the link number is determined based on the conditions, and communication is performed through the link number.

[0078] In step S701, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 determines whether the job being executed in the STA 105 is a job corresponding to cloud printing. Here, cloud printing is a function of performing printing based on a print job received via the Internet from a cloud server 111A or 111B, etc. In cloud printing, print data is downloaded to the STA 105 via the AP 101. That is, a print job received via the Internet from a cloud server 111A or 111B, etc. corresponds to cloud printing. In addition, there is a function called local printing, which is a printing function different from cloud printing. Local printing is a function of performing printing based on a print job received from the local network to which the STA 105 belongs without passing through the Internet. For example, in local printing, the STA 105 receives a job from the STA 102. That is, a print job received without passing through the Internet is a print job corresponding to local printing. In the case where it is determined that the job being executed in the STA 105 corresponds to cloud printing, the process proceeds to step S706. In the case where it is determined that the job being executed in the STA 105 does not correspond to cloud printing, the process proceeds to step S702. The case where the job being executed in the STA 105 is not a job corresponding to cloud printing is specifically, for example, the case where the job being executed in the STA 105 is a job corresponding to local printing. In addition, the case where the job being executed in the STA 105 is not a job corresponding to cloud printing includes: the case where the job being executed in the STA 105 is a scanning job, and the case where no job is being executed in the STA 105, etc. Due to reasons such as authentication, the traffic of cloud printing may be more than that of local printing. Therefore, in the present embodiment, if a print job corresponding to cloud printing is being executed, the number of connections for multi-link communication is increased, and the job processing speed is increased.

[0079] 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 threshold value (for example, 50 megabytes). In the case where it is determined that the data volume of the data to be processed is greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold value, the process proceeds to step S706; when it is not determined that the data volume of the data to be processed is greater than or equal to the threshold value, that is, when the data volume of the data to be processed is less than the threshold value, the process proceeds to step S703. The data to be processed is, for example, data based on the job being executed in the STA 105. More specifically, the data to be processed is, for example, print setting information and scan setting information included in the job, image data to be printed, and image data obtained by scanning. In the present embodiment, in the case where the data volume of the data to be processed is greater than or equal to the threshold value, the number of connections for multi-link communication is increased, and the job processing speed is increased. Note that the threshold value of the data volume is not limited to the above 50 megabytes. The data volume is not limited only by the size (megabytes) of the print or scan data, but also by the number of pages of the print job, etc., and is not limited thereto. For example, the data volume can be based on the number of pages.

[0080] 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 threshold (e.g., two). If the number of jobs held in the STA 105 is greater than or equal to the predetermined number, the process proceeds to step S706; if the number is not greater than or equal to the predetermined number, the process proceeds to step S704. In the present embodiment, when a plurality of jobs are held in the STA 105, the number of connections for multi-link communication is increased and the job processing speed is increased.

[0081] In step S704, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 confirms whether a predetermined number (e.g., two or more) of server functions among one or more server functions of the STA 105 are activated. The server function is 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 Wi-Fi Direct function. The remote user interface function is a function of providing an interface screen for remotely operating the STA 105 to other devices through the STA 105 operating as an HTTP server. The SMB function is a function of accessing a scanned image stored in the storage unit 401 and storing a file on the storage unit 401 through the STA 105 operating as an SMB server. The Wi-Fi Direct function is a function of activating the AP within the STA 105 and directly wirelessly connecting to other devices without passing through other APs through the STA 105 operating as a DHCP server. If two or more server functions are activated, the process proceeds to step S706, and if the number of activated server functions is less than two, the process proceeds to step S705. When a plurality of functions are activated, since communication may be performed by each function, the number of multi-link communication connections is increased under the condition of low CPU utilization, thereby increasing the job processing speed.

[0082] 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 a predetermined number, for example, two or more. The communication destination server can be a server that communicates via the Internet as a partner that can access the STA 105 via the AP 101. For example, the communication destination server is a DHCP server, an SMB server, or a cloud printing server (such as the cloud servers 111A or 111B). Based on whether the operation log, counter information, computer program update information, etc. of the STA 105 are settings for communication with a server (not shown), the number of communication destination servers is determined. If the number of communication destination servers is two or more, the process proceeds to step S706; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S707. Since communication may be performed by each server if the number of communication destination servers is two or more, the number of multi-link communication connections is increased under the condition of low CPU utilization, thereby improving the job processing speed.

[0083] When at least one of the conditions regarding the job type, job data volume, number of executed jobs, number of activated server functions, number of communication destination servers, and number of continuously connected servers is satisfied, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 determines in step S706 whether the CPU utilization rate is greater than or equal to a specific value. For example, the CPU utilization rate can be obtained by referring to the information provided by the operating system. When the CPU utilization rate is greater than or equal to the specific value, the processing load of the STA 105 for processing other than multi-link communication is high. Therefore, even though multi-link communication can improve the throughput, the data cannot be fully processed, and since the processing load of multi-link communication also increases, it results in inefficiency. When the CPU utilization rate is greater than or equal to the specific value, the process proceeds to step S707; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S708.

[0084] When the conditions regarding the type of job, the amount of job data, the number of jobs executed, the number of server functions activated, the number of communication destination servers, and the number of continuously connected servers are not satisfied, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 performs multi-link connection with the AP 1 and the AP 2 in step S707. The same applies when the CPU utilization rate is greater than or equal to a specific value. That is, the STA 105 is connected to the AP 101 in a state where multi-link communication is performed by establishing two links (i.e., the links with the AP 1 and the AP 2). When the CPU utilization rate is not greater than or equal to the specific value, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 multi-links to the AP 1, the AP 2, and the AP 3 in step S708. In this way, according to the link number reduction condition, the number of links for multi-link connection is determined to be 2 or 3, and multi-link communication is performed through the determined number of links. Although the number of links in this example is 2 or 3, it is only necessary to switch between the first number and the second number greater than the first number, and the specific 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; otherwise, the number of links is set to the second number greater than the first number. In addition, according to the conditions, the number of links can be set to a third number different from the first number and the second number, or can be set to other numbers.

[0085] Thereafter, in step S709, the control unit 402 of the STA 105 confirms the multi-link communication setting. If the multi-link communication is set to on, the flowchart ends; if it is automatic, the flowchart returns to Figure 6B the process. Therefore, it is possible to connect to the AP 101 through multi-link communication according to the Figure 6B multi-link communication conditions in the process, and it is also possible to change the number of links in the Figure 7 process according to the communication and processing status when there is a multi-link communication connection.

[0086] In this way, in this embodiment, the following multi-link communication can be performed, in which the number of connections (number of links) of the multi-link communication is set according to the state of the STA (such as the communication state and the processing state), so that it is possible to suppress power consumption in a state with less overhead and improve the reliability of communication.

[0087] In step S706, it is not necessary to determine the CPU usage. That is, if the determination results of steps S701 to S705 are "yes", the process can immediately enter step S708.

[0088] In addition, a configuration can be made such that not all of the determinations in steps S701 to S705 are performed. That is, a configuration can be made such that at least one of the determinations in steps S701 to S705 is performed. Specifically, for example, in an embodiment where only the determination in step S701 is performed, if it is determined "Yes" in step S701, the process immediately proceeds to step S706; if it is determined "No" in step S701, the process immediately proceeds to step S707. The order of performing the determinations in steps S701 to S705 is not particularly limited.

[0089] A recording medium recording software program code for implementing the above functions can be provided to the system or apparatus, and a computer (CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus can read and execute the program code stored in the recording medium. In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium implements the functions of the above embodiments, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the above apparatus.

[0090] For example, a floppy disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, CD-R, magnetic tape, non-volatile memory card, ROM, DVD, etc. can be used as the storage medium for providing the program code.

[0091] In addition, the above functions can be implemented by a computer executing the read program code, and moreover, the OS running on the computer can perform part or all of the actual processing based on the instructions of the program code to implement the above functions. OS is an abbreviation for operating system.

[0092] In addition, the program code read from the storage medium can be written into a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer. The CPU included in the function expansion board or function expansion unit can perform part or all of the actual processing based on the instructions of the program code to implement the above functions.

[0093] Other embodiments

[0094] Embodiments of the present disclosure can also be implemented by a computer of a system or apparatus that reads and executes computer-executable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) recorded on a storage medium (which may also be more fully referred to as a "non-transitory computer-readable storage medium") to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiments and / or includes one or more circuits (e.g., an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) for performing the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiments, and the embodiments of the present disclosure 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 apparatus to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiments and / or controlling the one or more circuits to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiments. The computer may include one or more processors (e.g., 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, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), the 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 one or more of a memory card, etc.

[0095] Embodiments of the present invention can also be implemented by the following method, that is, by providing software (program) that performs the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus through a network or various storage media, and the method of reading and executing the program by a computer or a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessing unit (MPU) of the system or apparatus.

[0096] Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that the present disclosure 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 for wirelessly communicating with an external device that complies with the IEEE 802.11be standard, the communication device comprising: an establishing section that establishes a link between the external device and the communication device through a communication function that complies with the IEEE 802.11be standard; as well as A control unit, which performs a predetermined process based on the job being maintained by the communication device, the predetermined process being used to control whether to perform a first communication as communication between the external device and the communication device, or to perform a second communication as communication between the external device and the communication device, the first communication using a first plurality of links between the external device and the communication device established by a communication function that complies with the IEEE 802.11be standard, and the second communication using a second plurality of links between the external device and the communication device established by a communication function that complies with the IEEE 802.11be standard, the second plurality being smaller than the first plurality.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein: The predetermined process is executed based on whether the data volume of the job being executed on the communication device is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold value.

3. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein: performing the first communication based on the data volume of the job being executed on the communication device being greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold, and The second communication is performed based on the data volume of the job being executed on the communication device being not greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold.

4. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein: The predetermined process is executed based on whether the number of jobs being held in the communication device is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold value.

5. The communication device according to claim 4, wherein: performing the first communication based on the number of jobs being held in the communication device being greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold, and The second communication is performed based on the number of jobs being held in the communication device being not greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold.

6. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein: The predetermined process is executed based on whether the job being executed on the communication device is a job obtained from a server via the Internet.

7. The communication device according to claim 6, wherein: performing the first communication based on the job being executed on the communication device being a job obtained from a server via the Internet, and The second communication is performed based on the fact that the job being executed on the communication device is not a job obtained from a server via the Internet.

8. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein: The predetermined process is also performed based on the number of functions that the communication device has activated and in which the communication device operates as a server.

9. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein: The predetermined process is also performed based on the number of servers communicating with the communication device via the Internet.

10. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein: The predetermined process is also executed based on the utilization rate of a processor included in the communication device.

11. The communication device according to claim 1, further comprising: A second control unit that performs specific processing, the specific processing being used to control whether to perform the first communication or the second communication as communication between the external device and the communication device, or to perform a third communication, the third communication using a third number of links between the external device and the communication device established by a communication function that complies with the IEEE 802.11be standard, the third number being smaller than the first plurality and the second plurality.

12. The communication device according to claim 11, wherein: performing the specific processing based on the communication quality in the communication using at least one link between the external device and the communication device, and Based on the communication quality being a first quality, controlling to perform the first communication or the second communication as communication between the external device and the communication device, and Based on the communication quality being a second quality better than the first quality, control is performed to perform the third communication as communication between the external device and the communication device.

13. The communication device according to claim 11, wherein: The specific processing is performed based on whether the communication device is in a user datagram protocol communication state, and Based on the communication device being in a user datagram protocol communication state, control is performed to execute the first communication or the second communication as communication between the external device and the communication device.

14. The communication device according to claim 11, wherein: executing the specific processing based on whether a print job or a scan job is being executed in the communication device, and Based on the fact that a print job or a scan job is being executed in the communication device, control is performed to execute the third communication as communication between the external device and the communication device.

15. The communication device according to claim 11, wherein: executing the specific processing based on whether the communication device is in a sleep state, and Based on the communication device being in the sleep state, control is performed to perform the third communication as communication between the external device and the communication device.

16. The communication device according to claim 11, wherein: The third number is 1.

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

18. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as a communication device for wirelessly communicating with an external device conforming to the IEEE 802.11be standard, wherein: The program causes the computer to execute the following steps: establishing a link between the external device and the communication device through a communication function conforming to the IEEE 802.11be standard; and Based on the job being maintained by the communication device, a predetermined process is performed, the predetermined process being used to control whether to perform a first communication as communication between the external device and the communication device, or to perform a second communication as communication between the external device and the communication device, the first communication using a first plurality of links between the external device and the communication device established by a communication function that complies with the IEEE 802.11be standard, and the second communication using a second plurality of links between the external device and the communication device established by a communication function that complies with the IEEE 802.11be standard, the second plurality being smaller than the first plurality.

19. A control method for a communication device, the communication device being used for wireless communication with an external device conforming to the IEEE 802.11be standard, the control method comprising: establishing a link between the external device and the communication device through a communication function conforming to the IEEE 802.11be standard; as well as Based on the job being maintained by the communication device, a predetermined process is performed, the predetermined process being used to control whether to perform a first communication as communication between the external device and the communication device, or to perform a second communication as communication between the external device and the communication device, the first communication using a first plurality of links between the external device and the communication device established by a communication function that complies with the IEEE 802.11be standard, and the second communication using a second plurality of links between the external device and the communication device established by a communication function that complies with the IEEE 802.11be standard, the second plurality being smaller than the first plurality.

20. A computer program product comprising a program for causing a computer to function as a communication device for wirelessly communicating with an external device conforming to the IEEE 802.11be standard, wherein: The program causes the computer to execute the following steps: establishing a link between the external device and the communication device through a communication function conforming to the IEEE 802.11be standard; and Based on the job being maintained by the communication device, a predetermined process is performed, the predetermined process being used to control whether to perform a first communication as communication between the external device and the communication device, or to perform a second communication as communication between the external device and the communication device, the first communication using a first plurality of links between the external device and the communication device established by a communication function that complies with the IEEE 802.11be standard, and the second communication using a second plurality of links between the external device and the communication device established by a communication function that complies with the IEEE 802.11be standard, the second plurality being smaller than the first plurality.

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