Information processing apparatus and method, storage medium storing program, and program product

Abstract

The invention provides an information processing apparatus and method, a storage medium storing a program, and a program product. The information processing apparatus includes a search unit configured to search for an access point, and a display control unit configured to display a search result obtained by the search unit on a display unit. The display control unit performs control to display access point information of an access point that has been searched by the search unit when the search result is displayed on the display unit, and controls the display such that the access point information is displayed on the display unit in a case where the search unit has searched for a plurality of access points. Access point information of an access point compatible with a predetermined function conforming to a communication standard is displayed in priority over access point information of an access point incompatible with the predetermined function as a search result.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device communicating with an access point, a method in the information processing device, a storage medium storing a program, and a program product. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, wireless local area network (LAN) technology has been applied to various devices, wherein the various devices are connected via wireless links. When various devices are connected via wireless links, since no cables or the like are used, there are no restrictions on the installation location of the devices. Therefore, users do not experience any inconvenience. There has been a trend to build a wireless LAN environment by arranging access points (APs) of the wireless LAN in different locations (such as home and office environments). Regarding the access points of the wireless LAN, a service setting identifier (SSID) for identifying the access point and for protecting the security of wireless communication can be set. When searching for an access point on a wireless LAN-compatible device such as a printer, a display panel installed on the device displays, for example, a list of SSIDs for identifying the access point as a search result. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-180106 discusses displaying access points with high radio wave strength when displaying the results of searching for access points. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-112729 discusses displaying access points that have been set under a predetermined security method in an easy-to-understand manner when displaying the search results of access points.

[0003] Wireless LAN technology includes standards such as IEEE 802.11b / 11g / 11n / 11ac / 11ax, etc. In recent years, IEEE 802.11be has been issued as a subsequent standard that aims to further increase throughput, improve frequency usage efficiency, and improve communication delay.

[0004] According to the IEEE 802.11be standard, multi-link communication is considered, in which, for example, one AP establishes multiple links with one station (STA) via multiple different frequency channels and communicates in parallel. When an AP compatible with multi-link communication is used, when multi-link communication is performed in an environment with high communication quality, communication throughput can be improved compared to when communication is performed using a single frequency channel.

[0005] It is desirable for the communication device to connect to an AP that is in a good communication state and is compatible with multi-link communication. However, in the case where there are many surrounding APs, it may be difficult for the user to find the desired AP from the displayed list of results of searching for access points. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention provides an information processing device and method, a storage medium storing a program, and a program product for improving user convenience when a list of access points is displayed on a screen.

[0007] In a first aspect, the present invention provides an information processing device capable of wirelessly communicating with an external access point. The information processing device includes at least one memory and at least one processor, the at least one processor being configured to function as: a search unit configured to search for access points; and a display control unit configured to display search results obtained by the search unit on a display unit, wherein the display control unit: controls the display unit to display access point information of access points searched for by the search unit when displaying the search results on the display unit, and controls the display so that, if the search unit has searched for multiple access points, access point information of access points compatible with predetermined functions that comply with a communication standard is displayed as the search results in priority over access point information of access points incompatible with the predetermined functions.

[0008] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a method that can be executed on an information processing device, the information processing device being capable of wirelessly communicating with an external access point, the method comprising: searching for the access point; and displaying search results of the search on a display unit, wherein, in controlling the display, control is performed so that access point information of access points found in the search is displayed when the search results are displayed on the display unit, and the display is controlled so that, if multiple access points are found in the search, access point information of access points compatible with a predetermined function that conforms to a communication standard is displayed as the search result in priority over access point information of access points incompatible with the predetermined function.

[0009] In its third aspect, the present invention provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs including instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors of an information processing device, cause the information processing device to: search for external access points; and display the search results of the search on a display unit, wherein, in controlling the display, control is performed so that when the search results are displayed on the display unit, access point information of the access points searched for in the search is displayed, and the display is controlled so that, if multiple access points are searched for in the search, access point information of access points compatible with a predetermined function that conforms to a communication standard is displayed as the search result in priority over access point information of access points incompatible with the predetermined function.

[0010] In a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a program product storing one or more programs including instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors of an information processing device, cause the information processing device to: search for external access points; and display search results of the search on a display unit, wherein, in controlling the display, control is performed so that access point information of access points found in the search is displayed when the search results are displayed on the display unit, and the display is controlled so that, if multiple access points are found in the search, access point information of access points compatible with predetermined functions that comply with a communication standard is displayed as the search result in priority over access point information of access points incompatible with the predetermined functions.

[0011] The present invention can improve user convenience when a list of access points is displayed on a screen.

[0012] Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration.

[0014] Figure 2A and Figure 2B is a diagram showing the configuration of a multifunction peripheral (MFP).

[0015] Figures 3A to 3C FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an operation display unit of an MFP.

[0016] Figures 4A to 4D FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an operation display unit of an MFP.

[0017] Figures 5A to 5G FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an operation display unit of an MFP.

[0018] Figures 6A to 6C It is a diagram showing AP attribute information.

[0019] Figure 7A and Figure 7B is a flowchart showing a display control process.

[0020] Figure 8A and Figure 8B It is a diagram showing an AP selection screen. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention. A plurality of features are described in the embodiments, but this does not limit the invention to one requiring all such features, and a plurality of such features may be appropriately combined. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are given to the same or similar configurations, and redundant descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0022] (System Configuration)

[0023] Figure 1 An exemplary configuration of a system according to this embodiment is shown. In one example, this system is a wireless communication system in which a plurality of communication devices can communicate with each other wirelessly. Figure 1 In the example shown in FIG1 , the communication devices include a mobile terminal device 104, an MFP 100, access points AP 101 and AP 102, a server 103, and a network 110. The mobile terminal device 104 is a device with wireless communication capabilities using, for example, a wireless LAN. A wireless LAN may be referred to as a WLAN below. The mobile terminal device 104 may be a personal information terminal such as a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile phone (smartphone), a digital camera, or a personal computer. In the figure, access points AP 101 and AP 102 are represented by AP1 and AP2, respectively.

[0024] The MFP 100 is a printing device having a printing function, and may also have a reading function (scanner), a FAX function, and a telephone function. The MFP 100 of this embodiment has a communication function that enables wireless communication with the mobile terminal device 104. Although this embodiment will be described with respect to a case where the MFP 100 is used as an example, this is not intended to be limiting. For example, a scanner device, a projector, a mobile terminal, a smart phone, a notebook PC, a tablet terminal, a PDA, a digital camera, a music reproduction device, a television receiver, or a smart speaker having a communication function may be used instead of the MFP 100.

[0025] The AP 101 is separately set outside the mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100, and operates as a base station device of the WLAN. A communication device with a WLAN communication function can communicate in the WLAN infrastructure mode via the AP 101. Hereinafter, the access point may be referred to as an "AP". The infrastructure mode may be referred to as a "wireless infrastructure mode". The AP 101 wirelessly communicates with a communication device that has been permitted to connect to itself (authenticated), and relays wireless communication between the communication device and another communication device. The AP 101 is connected to, for example, a wired communication network, and can relay communication between a communication device connected to the wired communication network and another communication device wirelessly connected to the AP 101.

[0026] AP 102 represents an AP different from AP 101 and is arranged similarly to AP 101 within a range capable of wireless communication with MFP 100. MFP 100 can switch the connection destination from AP 101 to AP 102 in response to a request for switching the connection destination AP from AP 101. Access points other than AP 101 and AP 102 may exist.

[0027] The server 103 is connected to the MFP 100 via the AP 101 or the AP 102 and the network 110, and provides services to the MFP 100 by responding to requests from the MFP 100. The network 110 may be the Internet, or may be a closed company intranet or a mobile phone network.

[0028] (MFP Configuration)

[0029] Figure 2A The following illustrates an exemplary configuration of an MFP 100. The MFP 100 includes, for example, a platen 201, a document cover 202, a print sheet inlet 203, a print sheet outlet 204, and an operation display unit 205. The platen 201 is a plate on which documents to be read are placed. The document cover 202 presses the document placed on the platen 201 and also prevents light leakage from the light source illuminating the document during reading. The print sheet inlet 203 supports sheets of various sizes set therein. The print sheet outlet 204 discharges printed sheets. Sheets set in the print sheet inlet 203 are conveyed one by one to the printing unit and, after printing on them, are discharged from the print sheet outlet 204. The operation display unit 205 is configured to include, for example, keys such as character input keys, cursor keys, an enter key, and a cancel key, as well as an LED or LCD, and can accept user operations for activating various functions of the MFP and making various settings. The operation display unit 205 may also include a touch panel display. The MFP 100 has a wireless communication function using WLAN, and is configured to include a wireless communication antenna 206 for this wireless communication. The MFP 100 can perform wireless communication using frequency bands of 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, and 6 GHz band via WLAN.

[0030] Figure 2BAn exemplary configuration of the MFP 100 is shown. The MFP 100 is configured to include a main board 211 for performing control, and a wireless unit 226, which is a single communication module that performs WLAN communication using at least one antenna shared between the infrastructure side and the direct side. The MFP 100 is configured to include, for example, a modem 229 for performing wired communication. The main board 211 is configured to include, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) 212, a ROM 213, a RAM 214, a non-volatile memory 215, an image memory 216, a reading control unit 217, a data conversion unit 218, a reading unit 219, and an encoding / decoding processing unit 221. The main board 211 includes, for example, a printing unit 222, a sheet feeding unit 223, a printing control unit 224, and an operation display unit 220. These functional units within the main board 211 are interconnected via a system bus 230 managed by the CPU 212. The main board 211 and the wireless unit 226 are connected to each other via, for example, a dedicated bus 225 , and the main board 211 and the modem 229 are connected to each other via, for example, a dedicated bus 228 .

[0031] The CPU 212 is a system control unit including at least one processor, and controls the MFP 100. In one example, the processing of the MFP 100 described below is implemented by the CPU 212 executing programs stored in the ROM 213. Hardware items dedicated to each type of processing can be prepared. The ROM 213 stores control programs executed by the CPU 212 and built-in OS programs, etc. In this embodiment, software control such as scheduling and task switching is performed by the CPU 212 executing various control programs similarly stored in the ROM 213 under the management of the built-in OS stored in the ROM 213.

[0032] The RAM 214 is composed of, for example, an SRAM. The RAM 214 stores data such as program control variables and data such as setting values registered by the user and management data of the MFP 100. The RAM 214 can also be used as various types of work buffers. The non-volatile memory 215 is composed of, for example, a memory such as a flash memory, and keeps storing data even when the power of the MFP 100 is turned off. The image memory 216 is composed of a memory such as a DRAM. In the image memory 216, for example, image data received via the wireless unit 226 and image data processed by the encoding / decoding processing unit 221 are accumulated. The memory configuration of the MFP 100 is not limited to the above configuration. The data conversion unit 218 performs analysis of data in various formats and conversion from image data to print data, etc.

[0033] The reading control unit 217 optically reads the document placed on the platen 201 by controlling the reading unit 219 (e.g., a contact image sensor (CIS)). The reading control unit 217 converts the image obtained by optically reading the document into electrical image data (image signal) and outputs the image data. At this time, the reading control unit 217 may apply various image processing (such as binarization processing and halftoning processing) to the image data and output the image data.

[0034] The operation display unit 220 is a reference Figure 2A The operation display unit 205 is described, and performs presentation on the display based on display control by the CPU 212, generation of a signal in response to acceptance of a user operation, and the like. The encoding / decoding processing unit 221 performs encoding processing, decoding processing, and enlargement / reduction processing on image data (JPEG, PNG, etc.) handled by the MFP 100.

[0035] The sheet feeding unit 223 stores sheets for printing. Under the control of the print control unit 224, the sheet feeding unit 223 can feed sheets set in a cassette. The sheet feeding unit 223 can include multiple sheet feeding units for storing multiple types of sheets in a single device, and can control which sheet feeding unit to feed sheets from under the control of the print control unit 224. The print control unit 224 applies various types of image processing (such as smoothing processing, print density correction processing, and color correction) to the image data to be printed, and outputs the processed image data to the print unit 222. The print unit 222 performs a print process such as an inkjet recording method, causing a print head to eject ink supplied from an ink tank and record an image on a recording medium such as a sheet. The print unit 222 can also be configured to perform other print processes such as an electrophotographic method. The print control unit 224 may periodically read out information of the print unit 222 and update, for example, status information stored in the RAM 214 and including the amount of ink remaining in the ink tank and the status of the print head.

[0036] The wireless unit 226 is a unit for providing WLAN communication functions. Based on the WLAN communication standard, the wireless unit 226 converts data into packets, transmits the packets to another device, restores the packets from another external device to the original data, and outputs the original data to the CPU 212. The wireless unit 226 can communicate as a station compliant with the IEEE 802.11 standard series. The wireless unit 226 can communicate as a station compliant with IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax / be. Hereinafter, a station may be referred to as a STA. The wireless unit 226 can communicate as a station compliant with IEEE 802.11be (i.e., Wi-Fi 7 TMAccording to the IEEE 802.11be standard, multi-link communication is considered in which, for example, one AP establishes multiple links with one STA via multiple different frequency channels and communicates in parallel.

[0037] The mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100 can communicate with each other via Wi-Fi. The wireless unit 226 has a software access point (software AP) function or a group owner function. The wireless unit 226 can build a P2P communication network and determine a channel to be used in the P2P communication.

[0038] (Operation display unit of MFP)

[0039] Figures 3A to 3C An example of a screen displayed on the display (touch panel display) included in the operation display unit 220 of the MFP 100 is schematically shown. Figure 3A is an example of a home screen displayed during a state (idle state or standby state) in which the power of the MFP 100 is ON and no operation such as printing and scanning is performed. Figure 3A In the , display items (menu items) corresponding to copy, scan and cloud are displayed respectively. Cloud is a menu item related to cloud functions using Internet communication. When one of the menu items is selected by key operation or touch panel operation, the MFP 100 can execute and start the corresponding setting or function. The MFP 100 can Figure 3A The main screen accepts key operations or touch panel operations to seamlessly display Figure 3A Different pictures.

[0040] Figure 3B is a display example of another part of the main screen, and is Figure 3A The screen to which the state transitions when an operation (for example, a left or right swipe operation) is performed to display another page of the home screen. Figure 3B In the display, display items (menu items) corresponding to communication settings, printing and main body settings are displayed. When one of these menu items is selected, the function corresponding to the selected menu item (such as communication settings, printing function and main body settings, etc.) is executed.

[0041] Figure 3C is Figure 3BAn example of a display of the menu screen for communication settings that is displayed when communication settings are selected on the screen. The menu screen for communication settings displays "Wireless LAN", "Wired LAN", "Wireless Direct", "Bluetooth", and "General Settings" as menu items (options). "Wireless LAN", "Wired LAN", and "Wireless Direct" are menu items for configuring LAN settings; settings such as settings for wired connection, settings for enabling / disabling wireless infrastructure mode, and settings for enabling / disabling P2P mode (such as WFD and software AP mode) can be configured from these items. For example, when the item "Wireless LAN" is selected and the wireless LAN is set to enabled by a user operation, the wireless infrastructure mode is enabled. For example, when the item "Wireless Direct" is selected and the wireless direct is set to enabled by a user operation, the P2P (WLAN) mode is enabled. This screen also displays a general settings menu related to each connection form. In addition, the user can set the frequency band and frequency channel of the wireless LAN, for example, from this screen.

[0042] (How to set up the multi-link function)

[0043] Figures 4A to 4D This is an explanatory diagram of a method for setting the multi-link function of the MFP 100. The AP and the station (STA) perform multi-link communication, in which they establish links and communicate via multiple frequency channels. Multi-link is defined in the IEEE 802.11 standard. An AP that performs multi-link communication is also called an AP MLD. According to the IEEE 802.11 series of standards, the bandwidth of each frequency channel is defined as 20 MHz. Here, the frequency channel refers to a frequency channel defined in the IEEE 802.11 series of standards; the IEEE 802.11 series of standards defines multiple frequency channels in each of the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, the 6 GHz band, and the 60 GHz band. A single frequency channel can use a bandwidth of more than 40 MHz by joining with adjacent frequency channels. For example, the AP 101 can communicate with the STA by establishing a link with the STA via a first frequency channel in the 5 GHz band. In parallel, the STA can communicate with the AP 101 by establishing a link with the AP 101 via a second frequency channel in the 6 GHz band. In this case, the STA performs multi-link communication maintaining a second link through a second frequency channel in parallel with a link through a first frequency channel.

[0044] Traditionally, STAs compliant with the IEEE 802.11 standard connect to an access point and communicate data with the access point via a single link. Increased throughput can be achieved by connecting to an access point and communicating data simultaneously via two or more links in multi-link communication. According to 11be, support for the 6 GHz band is also being considered to expand the available frequency band. Two or more links can be selected from the same frequency band (one of the sub-GHz band, 2.4 GHz band, 3.6 GHz band, 4.9 GHz band, 5 GHz band, 60 GHz band, and 6 GHz band), or two or more links can be selected from different frequency bands. APs and STAs compatible with multi-link communication are referred to as AP Multi-Link Devices (MLDs) and STA MLDs. An AP associated with an AP MLD and operating in a different channel is referred to as an attached AP, and a STA associated with a STA MLD and operating in a different channel is referred to as an attached STA. Attached APs and attached STAs are represented by numbers appended to the end, such as AP1, AP2, ..., and STA1, STA2, .... As described above, AP 101 establishes links with STAs via multiple frequency channels. This increases the throughput of communications with STAs. For links between discrete communication devices, multiple links in different frequency bands can be established in multi-link communications. For example, in addition to a link in the 5 GHz band and a link in the 6 GHz band, AP 101 and a STA can also establish a third link in the 2.4 GHz band. Alternatively, links can be established via multiple different channels within the same frequency band. For example, channel 15 in the 6 GHz band can be established as a first link, and channel 207 in the 6 GHz band can also be established as a second link. Links in the same frequency band and links in different frequency bands can coexist. For example, in addition to a link in channel 36 in the 5 GHz band, AP 101 and a STA can also establish a link in channel 149 in the 5 GHz band and a link in channel 15 in the 6 GHz band. When AP 101 has established multiple connections with a STA on different frequencies, even if one frequency band is congested, communication with the STA can be established in another frequency band. This can prevent a reduction in throughput and a communication delay in communication with the STA.

[0045] Figure 4A is Figure 3C The wireless LAN setting screen is displayed when "Wireless LAN" is selected on the communication setting menu screen. The wireless LAN setting screen displays "Enable / Disable Wireless LAN", "Set Wireless LAN", "Display Wireless LAN Settings" and "Detailed Settings" as menu items. Here, when "Detailed Settings" under menu item 401 is selected, the Figure 4B 's picture.

[0046] Figure 4B This is the detailed setting screen for wireless LAN. The detailed setting screen for wireless LAN displays "TCP / IP Setting" and "Multi-link Setting" as menu items. Here, when "Multi-link Setting" under menu item 402 is selected, the Figure 4C 's picture.

[0047] Figure 4C 403 and "Disable" under option 404 as options; by selecting one of them, the user can switch between the enabled state and the disabled state of the multi-link function of the MFP 100. The setting value of the enabled or disabled state of the multi-link function is stored in the non-volatile memory 215. When the display is displayed, Figure 4C , the operation display unit 220 reads the setting value from the nonvolatile memory 215 and displays a check mark 405 at the current setting value. Figure 4C In the example, the check mark 405 indicates that the multi-link function is currently disabled. Here, if "Enable" under option 403 is selected, the multi-link function is switched to Figure 4D , and the operation display unit 220 stores “enabled” as the multilink setting value in the nonvolatile memory 215.

[0048] When the multi-link setting is enabled, the MFP 100 acts as a STA compatible with multi-link (referred to as a multi-link compatible STA). In this state, if it has established a link with an AP compatible with multi-link (referred to as a multi-link compatible AP) in the multi-link mode, multi-link communication can be performed. Multi-link communication in which multiple links are established between an AP and a STA and communication is performed in parallel becomes possible. In the case where a link has been established with a multi-link compatible AP in non-multi-link mode, communication is performed via a single frequency channel. When the multi-link setting has been disabled, the MFP 100 acts as a STA not compatible with multi-link and is connected to the multi-link compatible AP via a single frequency channel.

[0049] (Wireless connection method)

[0050] Figures 5A to 5G It is an explanatory diagram related to the wireless connection method of the MFP 100. Figures 5A to 5G The flow of a series of contents displayed on the operation display unit 220 when wireless connection is performed is shown. Figure 5A Is when Figure 3C The Wireless LAN setting screen is displayed when you select "Wireless LAN" on the communication setting menu screen. Figure 5A is with Figure 4AThe same screen. The wireless LAN setting screen displays "Enable / Disable Wireless LAN", "Set Wireless LAN", "Display Wireless LAN Settings" and "Detailed Settings" as menu items. Here, when "Set Wireless LAN" under menu item 501 is selected, the Figure 5B The wireless LAN setting screen displays "Manual connection on the printer", "WPS (Push Button) method" and "Other connection methods" as menu items. Here, when "Manual connection on the printer" under menu item 502 is selected, the wireless LAN setting screen is displayed. Figure 5C At this time, the MFP 100 searches for surrounding APs using the wireless unit 226. The progress bar 503 indicates that the search process is currently being executed and enables the user to confirm that the process has not stopped. When the AP search has been completed, the search results are displayed.

[0051] Figure 5D The AP selection screen for displaying AP search results is shown. The AP selection screen displays a list of access point information (AP information) for the searched APs. AP information area 504 is an AP information area for displaying information about a single AP. The AP information area is configured to include the SSID (an identifier representing the AP), radio wave strength, security type information, and information regarding whether the AP is compatible with multilink. The SSID is an arbitrary character string set for the AP. Radio wave strength represents the communication quality level described below. The security type information is a character string such as "WEP," "WPA," "WPA2," and "WPA3." Note that WEP is an abbreviation for Wired Equivalent Privacy, and WPA is an abbreviation for Wi-Fi Protected Access. The character strings "YES" and "NO" are displayed as multilink compatibility information, indicating if the AP is compatible with multilink and if it is not, respectively. Although in this example, the AP information includes the SSID, radio wave strength, security information, and multilink compatibility information, the AP information may include other AP attribute information. Other information may be included as long as it is included in the response to the AP search request. The aforementioned multilink compatibility information is obtained based on, for example, the basic multilink elements included in the probe response from the AP. While the aforementioned configuration determines whether an AP is multilink compatible, this is not intended to be limiting. For example, it is permissible to adopt a configuration that determines whether an AP is compatible with IEEE 802.11be or a later standard. In this case, based on the information indicating compatibility with IEEE 802.11be or a later standard, the AP is determined to be compatible with IEEE 802.11be or a later standard.

[0052] In AP information area 505, which is similar to AP information area 504, a portion of the AP information is hidden due to the limitation on the number of rows displayed on operation display unit 220. The hidden portion can be displayed by scrolling the screen. Scroll buttons provided for this purpose are down scroll button 506 and up scroll button 507. By selecting these buttons, the user can confirm the information of all searched APs. When the user selects any AP information area, MFP 100 transitions to the connection process with the selected AP.

[0053] Figure 5E This is a confirmation screen for providing a notification indicating that a multilink-incompatible AP has been selected. Before the connection process with the AP, in the case where the multilink function has been enabled and the AP search results include multilink-compatible APs, when the user selects a multilink-incompatible AP, the MFP 100 displays a confirmation screen to the user. This is done to remind the user of the possibility of error in AP selection. Here, selecting the cancel button 509 returns to Figure 5D If the OK button 508 is selected, the MFP 100 displays a screen that allows the user to input information such as Figure 5D The screen for entering the password for connection information such as the passphrase of the AP selected in the [Access Point Name] dialog box appears.

[0054] Figure 5F It is a password input screen at the time of AP connection processing (the expression "password" used here is synonymous with "pass phrase"). Restrictions on the password, such as the number of characters, vary depending on the security type of the AP; thus, the MFP 100 displays a screen corresponding to the security of the selected AP. This example relates to a password input screen in the case where the security type of the AP is "WPA2". Although the method of inputting characters to the character input area 510 generally includes a method such as using a soft keyboard screen, a detailed description is omitted here. During password input, the character currently being input is replaced with "*" (asterisk) (a method called masking characters) to prevent others from reading the character. However, selecting the password display button 512 causes the input characters to be displayed. Once the password is input and the OK button 511 is selected, the MFP 100 attempts to make a wireless connection with the selected AP based on the input connection information. When the MFP 100 has succeeded in the wireless connection, the screen is displayed. Figure 5G Through the above operation, the MFP 100 can communicate with an external terminal in the network provided by the connected AP, and can communicate with an external terminal in another network mutually connected to the network.

[0055] (AP information display order)

[0056] Figures 6A to 6Cis a diagram showing an example of AP attribute information of an AP group according to the present embodiment. Figure 6A Shows AP information obtained by MFP100 from each AP. The AP column indicates the AP number. As a result of performing an AP search, MFP 100 discovered six APs (i.e., AP1 to AP6) and obtained their information from, for example, the beacon signal of each AP. The SSID column indicates the identifier of the AP. The security column shows the security settings of the AP, and its types include WEP, WPA2, and WPA3. WPA3 has the highest security strength, and the security strengths of WPA2 and WPA decrease in turn, and WEP has the lowest security strength. The multi-link compatibility column indicates whether the AP is compatible with the multi-link function. "Yes" and "No" mean compatible and incompatible, respectively. The signal strength column indicates the strength of the radio wave signal reaching MFP 100 from each AP. Its unit is decibel relative to milliwatts (dBm), which means that the smaller the value, the lower the signal strength. Among the APs in the table, AP1 has the highest signal strength, and AP6 has the lowest signal strength.

[0057] Figure 6B is a diagram showing an example of the correspondence between signal strength and communication quality level on MFP 100. The communication quality level is made to correspond to the signal strength range based on the reliability and desirability of the communication. Typically, the expected signal strength varies depending on the intended use and purpose of the communication device. Therefore, only one example is shown. On MFP 100, the communication quality level with a signal strength equal to or higher than -66dBm is considered to be "extremely high". The communication quality level with a signal strength in the range of -67dBm to -69dBm is considered to be "very high". The communication quality level with a signal strength in the range of -70dBm to -79dBm is considered to be "high". The communication quality level with a signal strength in the range of -80dBm to -89dBm is considered to be "low". The communication quality level with a signal strength equal to or lower than -90dBm is considered to be "unusable".

[0058] Figure 6C is a table showing the communication quality level of each AP on the MFP 100. The MFP 100 is based on Figure 6A The signal strength of each AP shown and the Figure 6B The corresponding relationship between the signal strength and the communication quality level is shown in FIG. Figure 6B The signal strengths of AP4, AP5, and AP6 are classified as being within the range of -67dBm to -69dBm. Figure 6BThe communication quality levels of AP4, AP5, and AP6 are within the range of -70 dBm to -79 dBm as shown, so the MFP 100 determines that the communication quality levels of AP4, AP5, and AP6 are "high."

[0059] Next, a description will be provided of a display control process executed by the MFP 100 to control the display of the AP search results.

[0060] Figure 7A and Figure 7B is a flowchart showing the display control process according to the present embodiment. Figure 7A and Figure 7B The flowchart is realized by CPU 212 reading the program stored in ROM 213 into RAM 214 and executing the program. Figure 5B In the case of "Manually connect to the printer" under menu item 502, start Figure 7A and Figure 7B Flowchart of the process. Figure 7A and Figure 7B The flowchart starts with the setting for searching for nearby APs, not with "Manual connection on the printer." Figure 4B 、 Figure 4C and Figure 4D The multi-link setting is enabled on the settings screen of .

[0061] In step S701, the CPU 212 uses the wireless unit 226 to search for surrounding APs. Next, in step S702, the CPU 212 determines whether the search was successful. Specifically, for example, if there are no surrounding APs transmitting beacon signals, there are zero search results, the search is determined to have failed, and processing proceeds to step S715. In step S715, the CPU 212 displays a message on the operation display unit 220 indicating that the AP search has failed. The processing in this flowchart then ends. If the search is determined to be successful, in step S703, the CPU 212 stores the AP information for the searched AP group in array A, which is reserved in the RAM 214.

[0062] Next, in step S704, the CPU 212 reads the multilink setting information from the nonvolatile memory 215 and determines whether the multilink function has been enabled. If it is determined that the multilink function has not been enabled, the process proceeds to step S716. In step S716, the CPU 212 performs processing to rearrange the AP groups stored in array A in descending order of signal strength. This processing uses, for example, a bubble sort. Next, in step S717, the CPU 212 displays array A as the AP search result on the operation display unit 220, and then terminates the processing of this flowchart.

[0063] As described above, in a case where the multilink function has not been set to enabled on the MFP 100 , AP information of the searched AP group can be displayed in descending order of signal strength, and the user can easily find an AP with good communication quality.

[0064] In the case where the multilink function has been set to enabled in step S704, the process proceeds to step S705, and the CPU 212 rearranges the AP search results using the multilink compatibility / incompatibility information included in the AP information. Figure 6A The AP is used as the AP information and Figure 6B The following description is provided in the case where the table is used as the communication quality level.

[0065] In step S705, the CPU 212 further groups the AP information stored in the array A into four communication quality levels excluding the "unavailable" level, and stores the AP information in the arrays B, C, D, and E secured in the RAM 214. Arrays B to E correspond to the order of the communication quality levels. AP information with a communication quality level of "extremely high" is stored in the array B. AP information with a communication quality level of "very high" is stored in the array C. AP information with a communication quality level of "high" is stored in the array D. AP information with a communication quality level of "low" is stored in the array E. Specifically, for example, the AP information of AP1, AP2, and AP3 is stored in the array C, and the AP information of AP4, AP5, and AP6 is stored in the array D.

[0066] Steps S706 and S712 instruct the CPU 212 to repeat the processing of steps S707 to S711 for each of the arrays B, C, D, and E. Figure 6C The AP information of the six APs exemplarily shown in does not include AP information with a communication quality level of "very high" or "low", and therefore no AP information is stored in arrays B and E. Therefore, the processing of steps S707 to S711 is not performed for arrays B and E.

[0067] In step S707 , the CPU 212 first stores the AP information in the currently iteratively processed array in array F. Specifically, for example, focusing on array C as the currently iteratively processed array, the AP information of AP1 , AP2 , and AP3 in array C is stored in array F.

[0068] Next, in step S708, the CPU 212 sorts the AP information in the array F in the order of signal strength. This process uses, for example, bubble sort. In the above example, the result of sorting the array F is based on Figure 6C The signal strengths shown are AP1, AP2, and AP3, respectively.

[0069] Next, in step S709, the CPU 212 copies the AP information of the multilink compatible APs among the AP information included in the array F to the array G, and deletes the AP information from the array F. Figure 6A According to the multi-link compatibility / incompatibility information, AP3 and AP5 are compatible with the multi-link function, while AP1, AP2, AP4, and AP6 are incompatible with the multi-link function. Therefore, in the above example, the AP information of AP3 is copied to array G and the AP information of AP3 is deleted from array F.

[0070] Next, in step S710, the CPU 212 creates array H by joining array F to the end of array G. To describe this using the aforementioned example, as a result of step S710, array H is created in which AP information of AP3, AP1, and AP2 is stored in that order.

[0071] Next, in step S711, the CPU 212 overwrites the original array (i.e., the array currently being processed) with array H. In the aforementioned example, array C is overwritten with array H. As a result, array C becomes an array consisting of AP3, AP1, and AP2, in that order. The array is sorted so that, among APs with a communication quality level of "very high," APs compatible with the multi-link function are ranked high in the array.

[0072] This completes the rearrangement process for APs with one communication quality level. Subsequently, the CPU 212 similarly repeats the process of steps S707 to S711 for arrays with other communication quality levels. Before this repetition, arrays F, G, and H are cleared. In the aforementioned example, the CPU 212 focuses on array D, which is the target array for the current repetition process, and in step S707, stores the AP information of AP4, AP5, and AP6 in array D into array F. Then, in step S708, the CPU 212 sorts the AP information in array F in the order of signal strength. The result of this sorting is based on Figure 6CThe signal strengths shown are for AP4, AP5, and AP6, in that order. In step S709, the CPU 212 copies the AP information for the multilink-compatible APs in the AP information included in array F to array G and deletes this AP information from array F. As a result, the AP information for AP5 is copied to array G and the AP information for AP5 is deleted from array F. In step S710, the CPU 212 creates array H by attaching array F to the end of array G. As a result, array H is created, storing the AP information for AP5, AP4, and AP6 in that order. In step S711, the CPU 212 overwrites the original array (i.e., the array currently being processed repeatedly) with array H. As a result, array D becomes an array containing AP5, AP4, and AP6, in that order. Sorting is performed so that, among the APs with a communication quality level of "high," APs compatible with the multilink function have a higher level in the array. When processing has been completed for each array, the process proceeds to step S713.

[0073] In step S713, the CPU 212 creates an array 1 by sequentially combining arrays B, C, D, and E. In the aforementioned example, the array 1 is created by sequentially combining arrays C and D. In the aforementioned example, the created array 1 includes AP3, AP1, AP2, AP5, AP4, and AP6 in sequence.

[0074] In step S714, the CPU 212 displays the AP search result on the operation display unit 220 based on the array 1, and then ends the processing of this flowchart.

[0075] Figure 8A and Figure 8B is a diagram showing an example of an AP selection screen for displaying AP search results on the MFP 100 . Figure 8A This is the AP selection screen of the operation display unit 220 for the case where the multi-link function of the MFP 100 has been set to disabled. Figure 7A The screen displayed in step S717.

[0076] The AP search screen 801 is a screen at the beginning of the AP search results. The AP search screen 802 is a screen following the lower area of the AP search screen 801. The AP search screen 803 is a screen following the lower area of the AP search screen 802. The AP search screen 804 is a screen following the lower area of the AP search screen 803. Selecting the down scroll button 506 or the up scroll button 507 causes each screen to transition. As shown on the AP search screen 801 to the AP search screen 804, the SSIDs in the AP information are in the following order from the top: "SSID_1", "SSID_2", "SSID_3", "SSID_4", "SSID_5", and "SSID_6". This is Figure 6A The order of AP1, AP2, AP3, AP4, AP5 and AP6 in the AP column is shown, that is, they are listed in the order of signal strength.

[0077] Figure 8B This is the AP selection screen of the operation display unit 220 for the case where the multi-link function of the MFP 100 has been set to enabled. Figure 7B The screen displayed in step S714 of . AP search screen 811 is the screen at the beginning of the AP search result. AP search screen 812 is the screen following the lower area of AP search screen 811. AP search screen 813 is the screen following the lower area of AP search screen 812. AP search screen 814 is the screen following the lower area of AP search screen 813. Selecting the scroll down button 506 or the scroll up button 507 causes each screen to transition. From AP search screen 811 to AP search screen 814, the SSIDs in the AP information are in the following order from the top: "SSID_3", "SSID_1", "SSID_2", "SSID_5", "SSID_4", and "SSID_6". This is the same as Figure 6A The order of AP3, AP1, AP2, AP5, AP4, and AP6 in the AP column shown corresponds to the order. In the figure, the communication quality level is expressed as "radio wave strength." Among AP1, AP2, and AP3, which belong to the "very high" communication quality level, AP3, which is compatible with multilink, is displayed at the top.

[0078] As described above, according to this embodiment, APs are displayed in descending order of communication quality level. In addition, multi-link compatible APs are displayed in such a manner that the multi-link compatible APs are ranked higher than the multi-link incompatible APs for each communication quality level. In other words, multi-link compatible APs are displayed in priority over multi-link incompatible APs for each communication quality level. As a result, the multi-link compatible AP with the highest communication quality level is displayed as the highest priority (displayed at the top) on the AP search result screen. Therefore, even in the presence of many surrounding APs, the user can be presented with a user interface that makes it easier to find the AP with the highest communication quality and compatible with the multi-link function from the AP search results. Although the above description discusses an example of displaying multi-link compatible APs so that they are ranked higher than multi-link incompatible APs, this configuration is not intended to be limiting, as long as multi-link compatible APs are displayed with priority. For example, it is permitted to adopt a configuration that emphasizes the display of multi-link compatible APs using icons, etc., and it is permitted to adopt a configuration that displays multi-link compatible APs as search results more quickly than multi-link incompatible APs. Although an example is presented above in which multilink-compatible APs are displayed preferentially over multilink-incompatible APs, this is not intended to be limiting and permits a configuration in which APs compliant with IEEE 802.11be or later standards are displayed preferentially over APs compliant with standards prior to IEEE 802.11be.

[0079] Although the above embodiment is described using an example using the MFP 100, this example is not intended to be limiting, and a communication device (electronic device) connected to an AP and used as an STA is applicable. Instead of the MFP 100, a personal computer, a PDA, a tablet terminal, a mobile phone terminal such as a smartphone, a music player, a game device, an e-book reader, a smart watch, and various types of measuring devices (sensor devices) such as a thermometer and a hygrometer can be used. Instead of the MFP 100, a digital camera (including a still camera, a video camera, a web camera, and a security camera), a printer, a scanner, and a drone can also be used. In addition, a video output device, a sound output device (for example, a smart speaker), a streaming media player, and a wireless LAN slave device (adapter) to which a USB terminal and a LAN cable terminal can be connected can be used instead of the MFP 100. The video output device includes, for example, a device for obtaining (downloading) a moving image on the Internet specified by a URL assigned by the electronic device, and outputting the moving image to a device connected to a network such as an HDMI port. TMThe video output device includes a media player such as a television receiver, a hard disk recorder, a Blu-ray recorder and a DVD recorder, a head-mounted display, a projector, a television receiver, a display device (monitor) and a sign device. The video output device can be connected to a video output terminal of the display device, thereby realizing stream reproduction on the display device and realizing a mirrored display (whereby the content displayed on the electronic device is also displayed on the display device). Video output devices include media players such as television receivers, hard disk recorders, Blu-ray recorders and DVD recorders, head-mounted displays, projectors, television receivers, display devices (monitors) and sign devices. Appliances such as air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, ovens, microwave ovens, lamps, heaters and coolers that can be connected to the display device can be used. And it is a device of a so-called smart home appliance instead of the MFP 100 .

[0080] The user may set a configuration in which the MFP 100 is configured to display multilink-compatible APs with priority. In this case, for example, if the multilink function is determined to be enabled in step S704, the CPU 212 may further determine whether to display multilink-compatible APs with priority based on the aforementioned setting. If the multilink-compatible APs are determined to be displayed with priority, the processing from step S705 onwards is executed. If the multilink-compatible APs are determined not to be displayed with priority, the CPU 212 executes the processing from step S716 onwards, even if the multilink function is set to be enabled.

[0081] In this embodiment, a configuration in which the user can set whether to filter and display only multi-link compatible APs as search results is permitted. In this case, for example, in step S714, the CPU 212 can determine, based on the aforementioned setting, whether to filter and display only multi-link compatible APs as search results. If it is determined that filtering is to be performed and only multi-link compatible APs are to be displayed as search results, in step S714, the CPU 212 performs the filtering and displays only multi-link compatible APs as search results. Using the example of this embodiment, among "AP3, AP1, AP2, AP5, AP4, and AP6" in Array 1, as a result of the filtering, only multi-link compatible APs (i.e., "AP3 and AP5") are displayed as search results.

[0082] Other embodiments

[0083] The embodiments of the present invention can also be implemented by the following method, that is, software (including computer program products of computer programs / instructions) that perform the functions of the above-mentioned embodiments is provided to a system or device through a network or various storage media, and a computer (central processing unit (CPU), microprocessing unit (MPU)) of the system or device reads and executes the computer program / instructions.

[0084] While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.

Claims

1. An information processing device capable of wirelessly communicating with an external access point, the information processing device comprising: a searching unit configured to search for the access point, and a display control unit configured to display the search results obtained by the search unit on a display unit, Wherein, the display control unit: performing control so that access point information of the access points searched by the search unit is displayed when the search result is displayed on the display unit, and The display is controlled so that, when the search unit has searched for a plurality of access points, access point information of access points compatible with a predetermined function conforming to a communication standard is displayed as the search result in priority to access point information of access points incompatible with the predetermined function.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein The display control unit controls so that, in the search result, access point information of access points compatible with the predetermined function is displayed at a higher level than access point information of access points incompatible with the predetermined function.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein The display control unit displays access point information of access points compatible with the predetermined function preferentially over access point information of access points that are classified in the same communication quality class as the access points compatible with the predetermined function and are incompatible with the predetermined function. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein: In a case where the search unit has searched for a first access point that is incompatible with the predetermined function and classified in a first communication quality level, and a second access point that is compatible with the predetermined function and classified in a second communication quality level, the display control unit controls so that, if the first communication quality level is higher than the second communication quality level, access point information of the second access point is not displayed in priority to access point information of the first access point.

5. The information processing device according to claim 4, wherein The display control unit controls so that, if the first communication quality level is higher than the second communication quality level, the access point information of the first access point is displayed with priority over the access point information of the second access point. The information processing device according to claim 4 , wherein: In a case where the search unit has further searched for a third access point that is compatible with the predetermined function and classified in the first communication quality level, the display control unit controls so that, if the first communication quality level is higher than the second communication quality level, access point information of the third access point is displayed with priority over access point information of the second access point.

7. The information processing device according to claim 6, wherein The first communication quality level and the second communication quality level correspond to ranges of radio wave intensities.

8. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein The display control unit controls so that access point information of access points incompatible with the predetermined function is not displayed as the search result.

9. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein The control performed by the display control unit is performed when the predetermined function is enabled on the information processing device.

10. The information processing device according to claim 9, wherein In a case where the predetermined function is not enabled on the information processing device, the display control unit controls display of each access point information based on information of radio wave intensities included in the access point information of the plurality of access points in the search result.

11. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising: a setting unit configured to set whether to display access point information of access points compatible with the predetermined function in priority to access point information of access points incompatible with the predetermined function, and The control performed by the display control unit is performed when the setting unit has set the priority display.

12. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising: an accepting unit configured to accept a selection of an access point from the search results displayed by the display control unit; as well as A notification unit is configured to provide a notification indicating that the access point is not compatible with the predetermined function if the acceptance unit has accepted the selection of the access point not compatible with the predetermined function.

13. The information processing device according to claim 12, further comprising: a setting unit configured to set whether to enable the predetermined function on the information processing device, and The notification unit provides the notification in a case where the predetermined function has been set to be enabled by the setting unit.

14. The information processing device according to claim 12, wherein: The notification unit provides the notification in a case where the plurality of access points that the search unit has searched for include an access point compatible with the predetermined function.

15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a printing unit. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a reading unit.

17. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein The predetermined function is a multi-link communication function of the IEEE 802.11 series standards.

18. A method capable of being executed on an information processing device, the information processing device being capable of wirelessly communicating with an external access point, the method comprising: Searching for the access point; as well as displaying the search results of the search on a display unit, Among them, in the control of the display, performing control so that access point information of access points found in the search is displayed when the search result is displayed on the display unit, and The display is controlled so that, if a plurality of access points are found in the search, access point information of access points compatible with a predetermined function conforming to a communication standard is displayed as a search result in preference to access point information of access points incompatible with the predetermined function.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs including instructions, wherein when the one or more programs are executed by one or more processors of an information processing device, the one or more programs cause the information processing device to: Searching for external access points; and displaying the search results of the search on a display unit, in, In the control of the display, performing control so that access point information of access points found in the search is displayed when the search result is displayed on the display unit, and The display is controlled so that, if a plurality of access points are found in the search, access point information of access points compatible with a predetermined function conforming to a communication standard is displayed as a search result in preference to access point information of access points incompatible with the predetermined function.

20. A computer program product storing one or more programs including instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors of an information processing device, cause the information processing device to: Searching for external access points; and displaying the search results of the search on a display unit, in, In the control of the display, performing control so that access point information of access points found in the search is displayed when the search result is displayed on the display unit, and The display is controlled so that, if a plurality of access points are found in the search, access point information of access points compatible with a predetermined function conforming to a communication standard is displayed as a search result in preference to access point information of access points incompatible with the predetermined function.

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