Communication apparatus capable of wireless communication, control method, and medium

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a communication apparatus capable of wireless communication, a control method, and a medium. And the communication device is set to be capable of wirelessly communicating with a communication opposite end device. The communication apparatus includes: a processor; and a memory that stores a program that, when executed by the processor, causes the communication device to: execute a search process for searching the communication peer device; and performing a management process of associating and managing each piece of beacon information including any one of the plurality of identifiers included in the predetermined beacon information among the plurality of pieces of beacon information obtained by the search.

Description

Communication devices, control methods and media capable of wireless communication Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a communication device, control method, and medium. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, the use of communication devices equipped with wireless communication capabilities, such as digital cameras or smartphones, to connect to wireless networks has become increasingly common. When connecting communication devices to wireless networks, wireless local area network (WLAN) access points (hereinafter referred to as APs) are typically used. Additionally, to improve security and communication speed, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)...

[0003] The 802.11x standard (where x represents b, a, g, n, ac, ax, be, etc.) is also under continuous development.

[0004] Therefore, with the increasing number of access points (APs) conforming to multiple IEEE 802.11 standards and the further increase in the number of beacons transmitted from APs, the number of beacons received when a communication device connects to an AP also increases. This leads to the problem that users of communication devices cannot find the Service Set Identifier (hereinafter referred to as SSID) of the desired AP.

[0005] Especially in the case of APs that support multi-link operation (hereinafter referred to as MLO), since they can transmit beacons for 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz and MLO, four SSIDs are displayed on the communication device for an AP.

[0006] For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-157276 describes a technique for displaying SSIDs included in beacons transmitted from an AP based on channel and signal strength.

[0007] In addition, Japanese Patent No. 6652254 describes a technique for determining an AP as a specific AP when the SSID included in the beacon transmitted from the AP matches but the Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) does not match.

[0008] This necessitates a technology that allows users to instantly find the desired SSID and switch to a connection when connected to an AP using a communication device such as a smartphone. However, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-157276 describes a configuration that associates multiple SSIDs based on channel and signal strength information included in beacons transmitted from the AP and centrally displays these SSIDs. In other words, associating SSIDs requires multiple pieces of information (i.e., channel and signal strength), but it does not mention methods for associating SSIDs based on other types of information. Furthermore, Japanese Patent No. 6652254 describes a configuration for determining a specific AP when the SSIDs included in beacons transmitted from the AP match but the BSSIDs do not. However, it does not mention determining if the AP is the same...

[0009] AP. Summary of the Invention

[0010] In view of the above, this disclosure aims to associate and manage multiple beacon messages transmitted from the same communication peer device based on the identifiers included in the multiple beacon messages transmitted from the communication peer device.

[0011] To achieve the above objectives, according to one aspect of this disclosure, the communication device according to this disclosure is a communication device that wirelessly communicates with a communication peer device, and the communication device includes: a search unit configured to search for the communication peer device; and a management unit configured to associate and manage each beacon message, including any one of a plurality of identifiers included in the predetermined beacon message, among a plurality of beacon messages obtained through the search performed by the search unit.

[0012] The features of this disclosure will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments will now be described by way of example. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the communication device according to this embodiment.

[0014] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating a network configuration according to this embodiment.

[0015] Figures 3A to 3H are schematic diagrams of information included in a beacon received by a communication device according to this embodiment.

[0016] Figures 4A to 4C are flowcharts illustrating the processes performed by the communication device according to the first embodiment.

[0017] Figures 5A and 5B are schematic diagrams of the information to be stored when the beacon received by the communication device according to the first embodiment is associated with storage.

[0018] Figures 6A and 6B are schematic diagrams of a screen displayed on a communication device according to the first embodiment, used to display and expand the summarized Service Set Identifier (SSID).

[0019] Figures 7A to 7D are schematic diagrams showing the summarized SSID in a highlighted manner on a communication device according to the first embodiment.

[0020] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a screen displayed on a communication device according to the first embodiment, used to display the correlation of SSIDs without summarizing SSIDs.

[0021] Figures 9A and 9B are schematic diagrams showing a screen displaying a summary of single-link SSIDs on a communication device according to the first embodiment.

[0022] Figures 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams showing a screen displaying the summarized SSID in the upper half of a communication device according to the first embodiment.

[0023] Figures 11A and 11B are flowcharts illustrating the processes performed by the communication device according to the second embodiment.

[0024] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating the association of SSIDs that can be connected to multiple links according to the second embodiment.

[0025] Figures 13A and 13B are schematic diagrams illustrating the separation of multi-link-connectable SSIDs from other SSIDs according to the second embodiment.

[0026] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram showing the SSIDs displayed in order of radio field strength according to the second embodiment.

[0027] Figures 15A and 15B are flowcharts illustrating the processes performed by the communication device according to the third embodiment.

[0028] Figures 16A to 16F are schematic diagrams of screens displayed on a communication device according to the third embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0029] Hereinafter, the desired embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below are examples for implementing this disclosure and may be appropriately modified or changed depending on the configuration of the apparatus to which this disclosure is applied and various conditions. Furthermore, this disclosure is not limited to the configuration of the following embodiments. In addition, the embodiments described below may be partially combined.

[0030] (First Embodiment)

[0031] The following process will be described: Communication device 100 compares the Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) (also called the identifier) ​​included in a single-link beacon transmitted from an access point (AP) supporting multilink operation (MLO) with the BSSID included in a multilink beacon transmitted from the same AP, and manages the association of the matching BSSIDs. The AP is an example of a communication peer device, and communication device 100 can wirelessly communicate with the AP. MLO stands for IEEE 802.11be multilink operation.

[0032] <Configuration of Communication Device 100>

[0033] First, the configuration and function of the communication device 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG1.

[0034] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a configuration example of the communication device 100 according to this embodiment. For example, the communication device 100 may be a smartphone, tablet device, digital camera, or personal computer equipped with wireless capabilities.

[0035] The control unit 101 controls the various components of the communication device 100 based on input signals and the program described below. Instead of the control unit 101 controlling the entire device, multiple hardware components can control the entire device by sharing processing.

[0036] The non-volatile memory 102 is an electrically erasable and recordable non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory 102 stores the operating system (OS), which is the basic software executed by the control unit 101, and applications that cooperate with the OS to implement application functions. Additionally, in this embodiment, the non-volatile memory 102 also stores applications for processing beacons received from the AP.

[0037] The working memory 103 is used as the image display memory of the display unit 105, the working area of ​​the control unit 101, etc.

[0038] The operation unit 104 is used to receive instructions from the user to the communication device 100. For example, the operation unit 104 includes a power button such as a command for the user to turn the power on / off of the communication device 100, and operation components of a touch panel formed on the display unit 105.

[0039] Display unit 105 displays image data and text for interactive operation. The communication device 100 does not always need to include display unit 105. The communication device 100 only needs to be able to connect to display unit 105 and have at least a display control function to control the display on display unit 105.

[0040] The wireless communication unit 106 is a communication interface for connecting to an external device and includes one or more communication circuits or modules. Under the control of the control unit 101, the wireless communication unit 106 according to this embodiment performs wireless communication, for example, conforming to the IEEE 802.11 standard. In this embodiment, the wireless communication unit 106 is used to communicate with an access point (AP) as an external device.

[0041] This concludes the description of an example configuration for the communication device 100. The functional configurations included in the communication device 100 are not limited to the examples described above. For instance, the communication device 100 may have an image capture function.

[0042] <Network Configuration>

[0043] Next, the network configuration according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG2.

[0044] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the network configuration according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 2, in this embodiment, three APs 200 are present around the communication device 100.

[0045] At this time, AP 200-1 constructs a network that does not support MLO, with a Service Set Identifier (SSID) of SSID_A_2.4G, a frequency band of 2.4GHz, and a channel of 6.

[0046] AP 200-2 constructs two networks that do not support MLO: one with SSID SSID_B_2.4G, a frequency band of 2.4GHz, and channel 5; and the other with SSID SSID_B_5G, a frequency band of 5GHz, and channel 36. Additionally, AP 200-2 also constructs a network with SSID...

[0047] A network with SSID_B_6G, a frequency band of 6GHz, and channel 37 that does not support MLO. In addition, AP 200-2 can also build a network with SSID_SSID_B, frequency bands of 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz, and channels 5, 36, and 37 that supports MLO (also known as supporting multiple links).

[0048] AP 200-3 constructs two networks that do not support MLO: one with SSID SSID_C_2.4G, a frequency band of 2.4GHz, and channel 7; and another with SSID SSID_C_5G, a frequency band of 5GHz, and channel 40. Additionally, AP 200-3 also constructs a network with SSID...

[0049] Supports SSID_C_MLO, frequency bands of 2.4GHz and 5GHz, and channels 7 and 40.

[0050] MLO's network.

[0051] <Information included in the beacon received by communication device 100>

[0052] Next, the information included in the beacon received by the communication device 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 3A to 3H.

[0053] Figures 3A to 3H are illustrations of information (examples of beacon information) included in a beacon received by the communication device 100 according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, AP 200-1 shown in Figure 2 transmits the beacon shown in Figure 3A. Additionally, AP 200-2 shown in Figure 2 transmits the beacon shown in Figures 3B to 3E. Furthermore, AP 200-3 transmits the beacon shown in Figures 3F to 3H. As shown in Figures 3A to 3H, the beacon includes an SSID (also called an identification name), BSSID, information element (hereinafter referred to as IE), channel, and simplified neighbor report (hereinafter referred to as RNR). In a network supporting MLO, the RNR includes information about a frequency band outside the beacon transmission band. For example, in a 2.4GHz and 5GHz network supporting MLO, if the beacon is transmitted in the 2.4GHz band, the RNR includes information about the 5GHz band (channel, BSSID, etc.). In this embodiment, the above information is described as information included in the beacon, but the information included in the beacon is not limited to this.

[0054] <AP search and association processing performed by communication device 100>

[0055] Next, the AP search and AP information association processing performed by the communication device 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A to 4C and FIGS. 5A to 5B. In this example, the communication device 100 according to this embodiment receives beacons from AP 200-1 and AP 200-2.

[0056] Figure 4A is a flowchart illustrating the process performed when the communication device 100 according to this embodiment performs an AP search and associates the AP information obtained through the search.

[0057] In step S401, the control unit 101 searches for nearby access points (APs) via the wireless communication unit 106. Details of the AP search process will be described below with reference to FIG4B.

[0058] In step S402, control unit 101 determines whether the APs discovered in step S401 include APs that support MLO. If control unit 101 determines that APs that support MLO are included (yes in step S402), control unit 101 causes the process to proceed to step S402.

[0059] S403. If the control unit 101 determines that there is no AP supporting MLO (in step S402, it is "No"), the control unit 101 ends the process.

[0060] In step S403, the control unit 101 performs association processing on the APs discovered in step S401. Details of the AP association processing will be described below with reference to FIG4C.

[0061] Figure 4B is a flowchart illustrating the process performed when the communication device 100 according to this embodiment performs an AP search, and shows the details of the process in step S401 of Figure 4A.

[0062] In step S411, the control unit 101 receives a beacon transmitted by a nearby access point (AP) via the wireless communication unit 106. The method by which the control unit 101 receives the beacon can be either active scanning or passive scanning. Furthermore, if the beacon received by the control unit 101 is, for example, a 2.4 GHz single-link beacon, the beacon includes the information transmitted by AP 200-1 in Figure 3A and the information transmitted by AP 200-2 in Figure 3B. If the beacon received by the control unit 101 is, for example, a 5 GHz single-link beacon, the beacon includes the information transmitted by AP 200-2 in Figure 3C. If the beacon received by the control unit 101 is, for example, a 6 GHz single-link beacon, the beacon includes the information transmitted by AP 200-2 in Figure 3D. If the beacon received by the control unit 101 is, for example, an MLO beacon, the beacon includes the information transmitted by AP 200-2 in Figure 3E.

[0063] In step S412, the control unit 101 obtains the SSID from the beacon received in step S411.

[0064] For example, if the beacon includes information for 2.4 GHz as shown in Figure 3A, SSID 301 is SSID_A_2.4G; similarly, if the beacon includes information for 2.4 GHz as shown in Figure 3B, SSID 311 is SSID_B_2.4G.

[0065] Additionally, if the beacon includes information for the 5GHz frequency shown in Figure 3C, SSID 321 is SSID_B_5G. Furthermore, if the beacon includes information for the 6GHz frequency shown in Figure 3D, SSID 331 is SSID_B_6G. Finally, if the beacon includes information for the MLO frequency shown in Figure 3E, SSID 341 is SSID_B.

[0066] In step S413, the control unit 101 obtains the BSSID from the beacon received in step S411. Typically, the BSSID stores the Media Access Control (MAC) address. For example, if the beacon includes information for 2.4 GHz as shown in FIG3A, BSSID 302 is 000000000024; similarly, if the beacon includes information for 2.4 GHz as shown in FIG3B, BSSID 312 is 1000000000024. Furthermore, if the beacon includes information for 5 GHz as shown in FIG3C, BSSID 322 is 100000000050. Additionally, if the beacon includes information for 6 GHz as shown in FIG3D, BSSID 332 is 100000000060.

[0067] Additionally, if the beacon includes information for the MLO shown in Figure 3E, BSSID 342 is 100000000024.

[0068] In step S414, the control unit 101 obtains channel information from the beacon received in step S411. For example, if the beacon includes information for 2.4 GHz as shown in FIG3A, channel 304 is 6; similarly, if the beacon includes information for 2.4 GHz as shown in FIG3B, channel 314 is 5.

[0069] In step S415, the control unit 101 extracts frequency band information from the channel information obtained in step S414. For example, since channel 304 obtained in step S414 is 6, the control unit 101 obtains 2.4 GHz as the frequency band. Similarly, since channel 314 obtained in step S414 is 5, the control unit 101 obtains 2.4 GHz as the frequency band.

[0070] In step S416, the control unit 101 obtains the IE from the beacon received in step S411. Typically, the IE includes information indicating whether the received beacon supports MLO. For example, if the beacon includes information for 2.4 GHz as shown in FIG. 3A, IE 303 indicates that MLO is not supported; similarly, if the beacon includes information for 2.4 GHz as shown in FIG. 3B, IE 313 indicates that MLO is not supported. Furthermore, if the beacon includes information for 5 GHz as shown in FIG. 3C, IE 323 indicates that MLO is not supported. Additionally, if the beacon includes information for 6 GHz as shown in FIG. 3D, IE 333 indicates that MLO is not supported. Furthermore, if the beacon includes information for MLO as shown in FIG. 3E, IE 343 indicates that MLO is supported.

[0071] In step S417, the control unit 101 determines whether the beacon supports MLO based on the IE obtained in step S416. If the control unit 101 determines that the beacon does not support MLO ("No" in step S417), the control unit 101 causes the process to proceed to step S418. If the control unit 101 determines that the beacon supports MLO ("Yes" in step S417), the control unit 101 causes the process to proceed to step S419. The process will be described using the ID for 2.4 GHz shown in FIG3A and the ID for MLO shown in FIG3E as examples. IE 303 shown in FIG3A indicates that MLO is not supported (i.e., information supporting MLO is not included). Therefore, the control unit 101 causes the process to proceed to step S418. IE 343 shown in FIG3E indicates that MLO is supported (i.e., information supporting MLO is included). Therefore, the control unit 101 causes the process to proceed to step S419.

[0072] In step S418, the control unit 101 stores the information acquired in steps S412 to S416 as a single-link beacon. At this time, the area to store the information is either the working memory 103 or the non-volatile memory 102. In this example, the information shown in Figures 3A, 3B, 3C, or 3D is stored as a single-link beacon.

[0073] In step S419, the control unit 101 obtains the RNR from the beacon received in step S411.

[0074] In step S420, the control unit 101 obtains channel information from the RNR obtained in step S419. For example, if the beacon includes information for the MLO shown in FIG3E, channel 345 is 36 and channel 347 is 37.

[0075] In step S421, the control unit 101 obtains frequency band information from the channel information obtained in step S420. Since channel 345 obtained in step S420 is 36, the control unit 101 obtains 5GHz as the frequency band. Similarly, since channel 347 obtained in step S420 is 37, the control unit 101 obtains 6GHz as the frequency band.

[0076] In step S422, the control unit 101 obtains the BSSID from the RNR obtained in step S419. For example, if the beacon includes information for the MLO shown in FIG3E, the BSSID 346 included in the RNR is 100000000050, and the BSSID 348 is 100000000060.

[0077] In step S423, the control unit 101 stores the information acquired in steps S412 to S416 and steps S420 to S422 as a multi-link beacon. At this time, the area to store the information is either the working memory 103 or the non-volatile memory 102. In this example, the information shown in FIG3E is stored as a multi-link beacon.

[0078] In step S424, the control unit 101 determines whether the reception of all beacons transmitted by the surrounding APs has been completed. If the control unit 101 determines that the reception has been completed ("Yes" in step S424), the process ends. If the control unit 101 determines that the reception has not been completed ("No" in step S424), the control unit 101 resumes the process from step S411.

[0079] Figure 4C is a flowchart illustrating the process performed when the communication device 100 according to this embodiment associates and manages related AP information, and shows the details of the process in step S403 of Figure 4A.

[0080] In step S431, the control unit 101 retrieves the BSSID from the multilink beacons stored in step S423. In this embodiment, the BSSID to be retrieved includes, for example, the one shown in Figure 3E.

[0081] BSSID 342, BSSID 346 and BSSID 348.

[0082] In step S432, the control unit 101 obtains the SSID from the single-link beacon stored in step S418. In this embodiment, the SSID to be obtained includes, for example, SSID 301 in FIG3A, SSID 311 in FIG3B, SSID 321 in FIG3C, and SSID 331 in FIG3D.

[0083] In step S433, the control unit 101 obtains the BSSID from the single-link beacon stored in step S418. In this embodiment, the BSSID to be obtained includes, for example, BSSID 302 in FIG3A, BSSID 312 in FIG3B, BSSID 322 in FIG3C, and BSSID 332 in FIG3D.

[0084] In step S434, the control unit 101 determines the multi-link obtained in step S431.

[0085] The control unit determines whether the BSSID matches the single-link BSSID obtained in step S433. In step S434, if the control unit 101 determines that the BSSID matches (yes in step S434), the control unit 101 proceeds to step S435. In step S434, if the control unit 101 determines that the BSSID does not match (no in step S434), the control unit 101 proceeds to step S436. The processing will be described using BSSIDs 302 and 312 for 2.4 GHz, BSSID 322 for 5 GHz, BSSID 332 for 6 GHz, and BSSIDs 342, 346, and 348 for MLO as examples. BSSID 302 for 2.4 GHz is 000000000024, which does not match BSSID 342, BSSID 346, and BSSID 348 used for MLO. Therefore, control unit 101 causes the process to proceed to step S436. BSSID 312 for 2.4 GHz is 100000000024, which matches 1000000000024 used as BSSID 342 for MLO. Therefore, control unit 101 causes the process to proceed to step S435. BSSID 322 for 5 GHz is 100000000050, which matches 1000000000050 used as BSSID 346 for MLO. Therefore, control unit 101 causes the process to proceed to step S435. The BSSID 332 for 6GHz is 100000000060, which matches the BSSID 348 for MLO, which is also 100000000060. Therefore, the control unit 101 causes the process to proceed to step S435.

[0086] In step S435, the control unit 101 stores the multi-link information and single-link information that matched in the comparison in step S434 in association with each other. At this time, the information to be stored is, for example, the information shown in FIG. 5A, and is stored in the working memory 103 or the non-volatile memory 102. The process will be described using BSSID 312 for 2.4 GHz, BSSID 322 for 5 GHz, BSSID 332 for 6 GHz, and BSSID 342, BSSID 346, and BSSID 348 for MLO as examples. Since the multi-link information for 2.4 GHz is determined in step S434...

[0087] BSSID 312 matches BSSID 342 used for MLO, therefore the beacon is determined to be a beacon transmitted from the same AP and is associated and stored. At this time, the information to be stored is information 501 in FIG. 5A. Furthermore, since BSSID 322 used for 5GHz is determined to match BSSID 346 used for MLO in step S434, the beacon is determined to be a beacon transmitted from the same AP and is associated and stored. At this time, the information to be stored is information 502 in FIG. 5A. Furthermore, since BSSID 332 used for 6GHz is determined to match BSSID 348 used for MLO in step S434, the beacon is determined to be a beacon transmitted from the same AP and is associated and stored. At this time, the information to be stored is information 503 in FIG. 5A. In this way, by associating multi-link information and single-link information for storage, information can be managed as beacons transmitted from the same AP. In addition, at this time, it is not necessary to associate all multi-link information and single-link information. As shown in Figure 5B, single-link information 511 and multi-link information 512 can be managed separately.

[0088] In step S436, control unit 101 determines whether all single-link beacons stored in step S418 have been acquired. If control unit 101 determines that all single-link beacons have been acquired (yes in step S436), control unit 101 causes the process to proceed to step S436.

[0089] S437. If the control unit 101 determines that not all single-link beacons have been acquired (No in step S436), the control unit 101 resumes the process from step S432 and searches for single-link information that matches the acquired multi-link information.

[0090] In step S437, control unit 101 determines whether all multilink beacons stored in step S423 have been acquired. If control unit 101 determines that all multilink beacons have been acquired (yes in step S437), control unit 101 terminates the process. If control unit 101 determines that not all multilink beacons have been acquired (no in step S437), control unit 101 resumes the process from step S431 and associates the new multilink information with the single-link information.

[0091] This concludes the description of the AP information association processing performed by the communication device 100 according to this embodiment.

[0092] <Display and processing of AP information associated with communication device 100>

[0093] Next, the process of displaying associated AP information by the communication device 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 6A to 6B to 10A to 10B.

[0094] Figure 6A shows an example of a screen where AP information associated with the control unit 101 according to this embodiment is summarized into a single message and displayed on the display unit 105. SSID 601 indicates information stored by the control unit 101 as single-link information in step S418 of Figure 4B and not associated with multi-link information. At this time, the SSID to be displayed is SSID 301 in Figure 3A. SSID 602 ​​indicates information associated and stored by the control unit 101 in step S435 of Figure 4C, as shown in Figure 5A. At this time, the SSID to be displayed can be any of the associated stored single-link SSIDs, a multi-link SSID, or an SSID whose name has been changed in a manner indicating the association status (example of group information), etc.

[0095] Figure 6B shows an example of a screen to be displayed when the operation unit 104 selects the AP information associated with the control unit 101 according to this embodiment. At this time, the control unit 101 obtains information from the operation unit 104 indicating that SSID 602 ​​has been selected, and displays the screen shown in Figure 6B on the display unit 105.

[0096] If the control unit 101 detects a selection of SSID 602, the control unit 101 displays on the display unit 105 all single-link SSIDs and multi-link SSIDs associated with SSID 602.

[0097] SSID. SSID 611 corresponds to information 501 in FIG5A that is associated with and stored by control unit 101 in step S435 of FIG4C. SSID 612 corresponds to information 502 in FIG5A that is associated with and stored by control unit 101 in step S435 of FIG4C. SSID 613 corresponds to information 503 in FIG5A that is associated with and stored by control unit 101 in step S435 of FIG4C.

[0098] SSID 614 corresponds to the information 504 in FIG5A that is associated and stored by the control unit 101 in step S435 of FIG4C. In this way, when the associated AP information is selected and summarized into a single display, the communication device 100 according to this embodiment can expand and display all associated AP information.

[0099] Figures 7A to 7D illustrate examples of displays on the display unit 105 showing AP information associated with the control unit 101 according to this embodiment in a simple and easy-to-understand manner. In Figure 7A, SSID 701 is displayed in bold, thereby displaying the AP information associated with SSID 701 in a simple and easy-to-understand manner. In Figure 7B, SSID 711 is displayed by changing the background color, thereby displaying the AP information associated with SSID 711 in a simple and easy-to-understand manner. In Figure 7C, an icon is displayed, thereby displaying the AP information associated with SSID 721 in a simple and easy-to-understand manner. In Figure 7D, the display name is changed and displayed, thereby displaying the AP information associated with SSID 731 in a simple and easy-to-understand manner. In this way, in order to display the AP information associated with SSID in a simple and easy-to-understand manner, the communication device 100 according to this embodiment can display SSID while distinguishing between SSID and non-associated AP information. However, the method of displaying information in a simple and easy-to-understand manner is not limited to this. The information should be displayed in a simple and easy-to-understand way, with differences in the display patterns between associated and unassociated AP information. For example, it is desirable to display AP information in a way that allows users to easily identify that the AP information is associated AP information, but the display pattern is not limited to the examples shown in Figures 7A to 7D.

[0100] Figure 8 shows an example of a screen displaying the associated AP information of the control unit 101 according to this embodiment on the display unit 105 without summarizing AP information. SSID 801 indicates a multi-link SSID among the AP information associated with the control unit 101. SSID 802 indicates a 2.4GHz SSID among the AP information associated with the control unit 101. SSID 803 indicates a 5GHz SSID among the AP information associated with the control unit 101. SSID 804 indicates a 6GHz SSID among the AP information associated with the control unit 101. In this example, when other SSIDs are displayed below the representative SSID 801, indentation and hyphens are used to indicate that SSIDs 801 to 804 are associated AP information. In this way, the communication device 100 according to this embodiment can display that the associated AP information is related without summarizing AP information. However, the method of displaying related information is not limited to this.

[0101] Figure 9A shows an example of a screen displaying, one by one, the multi-link SSIDs and single-link SSIDs associated with the control unit 101 on the display unit 105. SSID 901 indicates the information associated and stored by the control unit 101 in step S435 of Figure 4C. At this time, the SSID to be displayed is the associated multi-link SSID. SSID 902 indicates the information associated and stored by the control unit 101 in step S435 of Figure 4C. At this time, the SSID to be displayed is the associated single-link SSID.

[0102] This includes any one of the SSIDs, multi-link SSIDs, and SSIDs whose names have been changed in a manner indicating their association status. Figure 9B shows an example of a screen to be displayed when the operation unit 104 selects the AP information associated with the control unit 101 according to this embodiment. At this time, the control unit 101 obtains information from the operation unit 104 indicating that SSID 902 has been selected, and displays the screen shown in Figure 9B on the display unit 105. If the control unit 101 detects the selection of SSID 902, the control unit 101 displays all single-link SSIDs associated with SSID 902 on the display unit 105. SSIDs 911 to 913 are single-link SSIDs associated and stored by the control unit 101 in step S435 of Figure 4C. In this way, the communication device 100 according to this embodiment can summarize only single-link SSIDs into one and display single-link SSIDs and multi-link SSIDs separately. However, the method of displaying single-link SSIDs separately from multi-link SSIDs is not limited to this.

[0103] Figure 10A shows an example of a screen on display unit 105 displaying the AP information associated with the control unit 101 according to this embodiment, with the associated AP information located at the top of all AP information when the associated AP information is displayed in a summary manner.

[0104] SSID 1001 indicates that the control unit 101 associates and stores information in step S435 of FIG4C. At this time, the SSID to be displayed is any one of the associated single-link SSIDs, a multi-link SSID, or an SSID whose name has been changed in a manner indicating the association status, etc. Generally, when displaying AP information in a list, the arrangement order is SSID ascending order, order based on connection history, order based on radio field strength, etc., and the communication device 100 according to this embodiment can display the associated and summarized AP information in a manner that places the associated and summarized AP information at the top of all AP information. In addition, when there are multiple sets of associated and summarized AP information, the AP information can be arranged in ascending order of SSID, order based on connection history, order based on radio field strength, etc.

[0105] Figure 10B shows an example of a screen displaying the AP information associated with the control unit 101 according to this embodiment on the display unit 105 when only single-link SSIDs are aggregated into one and the aggregated single-link SSID is displayed, with the aggregated single-link SSID at the top of the associated AP information. SSID 1011 indicates the information associated and stored by the control unit 101 in step S435 of Figure 4C. At this time, the SSID to be displayed is any one of the associated stored single-link SSIDs, an SSID whose name has been changed in a manner indicating the association status, etc. In this way, when there are SSIDs to be aggregated and displayed, the communication device 100 according to this embodiment can display the aggregated SSID at the top of other not aggregated and displayed AP information.

[0106] The way above SSID displays the summarized SSIDs.

[0107] This concludes the description of the process by which the communication device 100 displays associated AP information according to this embodiment.

[0108] (Second Embodiment)

[0109] The following process will be described: when the information element included in the single-link beacon transmitted from an MLO-enabled AP contains MLO-enabled information, the communication device 100 will preferentially display that information.

[0110] First, the process of associating the SSID of the AP information with the MLO adaptation will be described by the communication device 100 according to this embodiment with reference to Figures 11A and 11B.

[0111] Figure 11A is a flowchart illustrating the processes to be performed when the communication device 100 according to this embodiment performs an AP search.

[0112] The process in step S1101 is the same as the process described with reference to FIG4B in the first embodiment above. Since this process has already been described, the description will be omitted here.

[0113] The process in step S1102 is a characteristic part of the second embodiment, which is the process of displaying the APs that can be connected via MLO among the APs found in step S1101. It will be described in detail below with reference to FIG11B and FIG4B.

[0114] Figure 11B is a flowchart illustrating the processing of a centrally displayed MLO-connectable AP.

[0115] In step S1111, the control unit 101 retrieves the multi-link information stored in step S423 from the working memory 103 or the non-volatile memory 102.

[0116] In step S1112, the control unit 101 displays the steps on the display unit 105.

[0117] The multi-link SSID obtained from S1111.

[0118] In step S1113, the control unit 101, based on the multi-link information obtained in step S1111, confirms whether all multi-link SSIDs have been displayed. If there are any multi-link SSIDs that have not yet been displayed ("No" in step S1113), the process returns to step S1113.

[0119] S1111, and repeat the process until all multi-link SSIDs are displayed. If all multi-link SSIDs have been displayed (yes in step S1113), proceed to step S1114.

[0120] In step S1114, the control unit 101 confirms whether the single-link SSID stored in step S418 is stored in the working memory 103 or the non-volatile memory 102. If no single-link SSID exists ("No" in step S1114), the process ends. If a single-link SSID exists ("Yes" in step S1114), the process proceeds to step S1115.

[0121] In step S1115, the control unit 101 displays the multi-link in step S1112.

[0122] The SSID is followed by the single-link SSID.

[0123] In step S1116, the control unit 101 confirms whether all single-link SSIDs have been displayed. If there are any single-link SSIDs that have not yet been displayed ("No" in step S1116), the process returns to step S1114 and repeats. If all single-link SSIDs have been displayed ("Yes" in step S1116), the process ends.

[0124] Figure 12 shows the status of the multi-link SSID being associated and displayed with reference to Figure 11B.

[0125] Screen 1200 is the screen displayed on display unit 105 during network connection operations. The SSID of the received AP is displayed on screen 1200.

[0126] SSID 1201 is the SSID received from AP 200-2, and is the same as shown in Figure 3E.

[0127] SSID correspondence.

[0128] By centrally displaying the multi-link SSID processing performed in step S1112, the multi-link SSID is displayed with a higher priority than the single-link SSID, and SSID 341 is displayed as the display name.

[0129] SSID 1202 indicates that the SSID received from AP 200-3 is a multi-link SSID and displays SSID 371. The process described so far corresponds to the process of centrally displaying multi-link SSIDs as shown with reference to FIG11B, and has already been performed in step S1102 above.

[0130] SSID 1203 is the SSID received from AP 200-1, and is shown in Figure 3A.

[0131] SSID 301.

[0132] SSID 1204 is the SSID received from AP 200-2, and is shown in Figure 3B.

[0133] SSID 311.

[0134] SSID 1205 is the SSID received from AP 200-2, and is shown in Figure 3C.

[0135] SSID 321.

[0136] SSID 1206 is the SSID received from AP 200-2, and is shown in Figure 3D.

[0137] SSID 331.

[0138] SSID 1207 is the SSID received from AP 200-3 and is shown as SSID 351 in Figure 3F.

[0139] SSID 1208 is the SSID received from AP 200-3, and is shown in Figure 3G.

[0140] SSID 361.

[0141] SSID 1203 to SSID 1208 indicate the SSID in the process described above with reference to step S1114.

[0142] As described above, compared to the associated single-link AP information, the communication device 100 according to this embodiment prioritizes displaying the associated multi-link AP information on the display unit 105, thereby enabling the user to easily find the multi-link AP.

[0143] In other words, according to this embodiment, the communication device 100 displays associated multi-link AP information on the display unit 105 with a higher priority than associated single-link AP information, thereby enabling the user to easily locate multi-link APs. This is an example of a general display screen where users can more easily identify APs located in the upper half. On this display screen, if the number of SSIDs exceeds a predefined number, the SSIDs located in the lower half are displayed by the user scrolling. That is, unless the number of multi-link APs exceeds a predefined number, the user can find multi-link APs without scrolling the screen.

[0144] However, there is also the scenario where users can easily identify the APs in the lower half of the display screen, or where users can easily identify the APs in the left or right half. In this case, it is not necessary to display the associated multi-link AP information with a higher priority than the associated single-link AP information. For example, if the user can easily identify the APs in the lower half of the display screen, the associated multi-link AP information can be displayed with a lower priority than the associated single-link AP information. With this configuration, users can easily find multi-link APs.

[0145] Additionally, Figure 11B shows an example of displaying a single-link SSID after all multi-link SSIDs have been displayed; however, the display process according to this embodiment is not limited to this example. As long as multi-link SSIDs are displayed before (i.e., have higher priority than) single-link SSIDs, multi-link SSIDs and single-link SSIDs can be displayed in the order in which APs are discovered during the AP search process.

[0146] The following text will describe, with reference to Figures 13A to 13B and Figure 11B, a method for displaying only the SSIDs that can be connected via MLO on the screen, without displaying other SSIDs on the same screen.

[0147] Since the method for receiving beacons and obtaining multi-link and single-link information from the IE is similar to the method described in the first embodiment, the description will be omitted.

[0148] In step S1111, the control unit 101 acquires the SSID of the multi-link information, and in step S1112, the control unit 101 displays the multi-link SSID on the display unit 105. Figure 13A shows the displayed SSID.

[0149] The display screen 1300 shown in Figure 13A is similar to screen 1200 and indicates the screen for network connection on display unit 105. SSID 1301 is the SSID received from AP 200-2 and corresponds to the SSID shown in Figure 3E. SSID 1301 indicates a multi-link SSID and displays SSID 341 (SSID_B).

[0150] SSID 1302 is the SSID received from AP 200-3, and is the same as shown in Figure 3H.

[0151] SSID correspondence. SSID 1302 also indicates the multi-link SSID and displays SSID 371 (SSID_C_MLO).

[0152] In the example according to this embodiment, since only SSIDs that can be connected via MLO are displayed, single-link SSIDs are not displayed on the screen.

[0153] Icon 1303 is the update icon. By pressing icon 1303, the display of MLO SSIDs that are not adapted to a single screen is updated. In addition, if all MLO SSIDs are displayed, in step S1113, the single-link SSID is confirmed by updating, and if a single-link SSID exists, only the single-link SSID can be displayed as shown in Figure 13B.

[0154] SSID 1304 is the SSID received from AP 200-1, and SSID 301 is shown in Figure 3A.

[0155] SSID 1305 is the SSID received from AP 200-2, and SSID 311 is shown in Figure 3B.

[0156] SSID 1306 is the SSID received from AP 200-2, and SSID 321 is shown in Figure 3C.

[0157] SSID 1307 is the SSID received from AP 200-2, and SSID 331 is shown in Figure 3D.

[0158] SSID 1308 is the SSID received from AP 200-3, and SSID 351 is shown in Figure 3F.

[0159] SSID 1309 is the SSID received from AP 200-3, and SSID 361 is shown in Figure 3G.

[0160] This display allows you to distinguish MLO-connectable SSIDs from other SSIDs and easily locate them. However, the method for displaying single-link SSIDs is not limited to pressing the update icon. Single-link SSIDs can be displayed based on pre-defined user actions.

[0161] The following will describe, with reference to FIG14, a method for displaying SSIDs that can be connected via MLO, taking into account radio field strength.

[0162] Since the method for receiving beacons and obtaining multi-link and single-link information from the IE is similar to the method described in the first embodiment, the description will be omitted.

[0163] Display screen 1400 is similar to screens 1200 and 1300 described above, and indicates a network connection on display unit 105.

[0164] SSID 1401 is the SSID received from AP 200-3, and SSID 371 is shown in Figure 3H.

[0165] In Figures 12 and 13A above, SSIDs are arranged and displayed in alphabetical order without considering radio field strength. However, in this embodiment, the wireless communication unit 106 receives the radio field strength provided by each AP, associates the radio field strength with the SSID, and stores it in the working memory 103.

[0166] Status 1401 indicates that the radio field strength associated with SSID 371 (SSID_C_MLO) is high.

[0167] State 1402 indicates that the radio field strength associated with SSID 341 (SSID_B) is lower than the radio field strength under State 1401.

[0168] Furthermore, the method of referencing radio field strength can also be applied to other display screens, such as the one shown in Figure 12. For example, if the method is applied to the display screen shown in Figure 12, multi-link SSIDs can be displayed in order of radio field strength, and single-link SSIDs can be displayed below the multi-link SSIDs in order of radio field strength.

[0169] By arranging the SSIDs that can be connected to MLO in this manner according to radio field strength, users can be prompted to establish a connection with a more stable MLO communication. Figure 14 shows the radio field strength, but indicators that indicate other connection statuses can also be used.

[0170] The second embodiment has now been described. Based on the above example, the user may preferentially use an AP that can be connected via MLO.

[0171] (Third Embodiment)

[0172] Hereinafter, the process of displaying an AP search results list by the communication device 100 according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 2, 3A to 3H, 15A to 15B and 16A to 16F.

[0173] In this embodiment, the network configuration shown in FIG2 will be described, specifically the case where communication device 100 receives beacons transmitted by AP 200-1 and AP 200-2. That is, communication device 100 receives the beacons shown in FIG3A, FIG3B, FIG3C, FIG3D, or FIG3E.

[0174] Figure 15A is a flowchart illustrating the AP search and display process performed by the communication device 100 according to this embodiment. Each process in this flowchart is implemented by the control unit 101 loading a program stored in the non-volatile memory 102 into the working memory 103 and executing the program.

[0175] In step S1501, the control unit 101 performs AP search processing, and the process proceeds to step S1502. Since the AP search processing is similar to the process in the flowchart shown in FIG4B, its description will be omitted. This embodiment describes the case where the communication device 100 receives beacons transmitted by AP 200-1 and AP 200-2. Therefore, in step S418 of FIG4B, the beacon in FIG3A (SSID_A_2.4G, channel 6, 2.4GHz, single link) or the beacon in FIG3B (SSID_B_2.4G, channel 5, 2.4GHz, single link) is stored. Another option is to store the beacon in FIG3C (SSID_B_5G, channel 36, 5GHz, single link) or the beacon in FIG3D (SSID_B_6G, channel 37, 6GHz, single link). Furthermore, in step S418 of FIG4B...

[0176] In S423, the beacons (SSID_B, channels 5 / 36 / 37, 2.4GHz / 5GHz / 6GHz, multi-link) in Figure 3E are stored.

[0177] In step S1502, the control unit 101 performs display processing and then ends the processing. The display processing will be described with reference to FIG15B.

[0178] Figure 15B is a flowchart illustrating the process of displaying AP search results obtained by the communication device 100 according to this embodiment. The various processes in this flowchart are implemented by the control unit 101 loading a program stored in the non-volatile memory 102 into the working memory 103 and executing the program.

[0179] In step S1511, the control unit 101 refers to the beacon stored in steps S418 and S423 and proceeds to step S1512. First, the control unit 101 refers to the beacon shown in FIG3A.

[0180] In step S1512, the control unit 101 determines whether the beacon referenced in step S1511 includes multilink information. If the control unit 101 determines that multilink information is included (yes in step S1512), the process proceeds to step S1513. If the control unit 101 determines that multilink information is not included (no in step S1512), the process proceeds to step S1514. Since the beacon shown in FIG3A (SSID_A_2.4G, channel 6, 2.4GHz, single link) does not include multilink information, the process proceeds to step S1514.

[0181] In step S1514, the control unit 101 determines whether all beacons stored in steps S418 and S423 have been referenced. If it is determined that all beacons have been referenced (yes in step S1514), the process proceeds to step S1515. If it is determined that not all beacons have been referenced (no in step S1514), the process returns to step S1515.

[0182] S1511. In this example, since only the beacon in Figure 3A is referenced and there are beacons that have not yet been referenced ("No" in step S1514), the process returns to step S1511 and references the next beacon.

[0183] Since the beacon (SSID_B_2.4G, channel 5, 2.4GHz, single link) in Figure 3B also does not include multi-link information, the processing is performed in the order of steps S1512 and S1514. Similarly, since the beacon (SSID_B_5G, channel 36, 5GHz, single link) in Figure 3C also does not include multi-link information, the processing is performed in the order of steps S1512 and S1514. Furthermore, since the beacon (SSID_B_6G, channel 37, 6GHz, single link) in Figure 3D also does not include multi-link information, the processing is performed in the order of steps S1512 and S1514.

[0184] Next, in step S1511, refer to the beacon in Figure 3E. Since the beacon in Figure 3E (SSID_B, channel 5 / 36 / 37, 2.4GHz / 5GHz / 6GHz, multilink) includes multilink information, in step S1512, the control unit 101 determines that multilink information is included ("Yes" in step S1512), and proceeds to step S1513.

[0185] In step S1513, the control unit 101 adds information that makes the MLO-enabled network recognizable to the beacon referenced in step S1511, and proceeds to step S1514.

[0186] In step S1514, the control unit 101 determines whether all the received beacons shown in Figures 3A to 3E have been referenced, and if all beacons have been referenced (yes in step S1514), the process proceeds to step S1515.

[0187] In step S1515, the control unit 101 displays the network list on the display unit 105 and ends the process.

[0188] A detailed example of adding information that makes MLO-enabled networks recognizable and displaying a network list in steps S1513 and S1515 will be described with reference to Figures 16A to 16F.

[0189] Figures 16A to 16F are diagrams illustrating the screens displayed on the display unit 105 of the communication device 100 according to this embodiment.

[0190] Figure 16A shows the MLO-marked icon in the network list display as a way to indicate support.

[0191] An example of adding MLO-enabled network-recognizable information. As shown by icon 1601 in Figure 16A, an icon indicating that the network supports MLO is displayed next to the SSID (SSID_B) of the MLO-enabled network. In this embodiment, an icon indicating MLO is added, but since the information can be identification information that makes the MLO-enabled network recognizable, the information is not limited to an icon. Furthermore, the position of the icon is not limited to the position next to the SSID. The icon is displayed in the position corresponding to the SSID.

[0192] Figure 16B shows an example of displaying frequency band information side-by-side as information that makes MLO-enabled networks recognizable in a network list display. As shown in frequency bands 1602 and 1604 in Figure 16B, 2.4GHz and 5GHz are displayed for SSID_A_2.4G and SSID_B_5G, which are single-link networks.

[0193] In contrast, for SSID_B, which is a network supporting MLO, frequency band information such as 2.4GHz / 5GHz / 6GHz is displayed side-by-side. In this embodiment, since the network with SSID_B is an MLO-supporting network at 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz, 2.4GHz / 5GHz / 6GHz is displayed. On the other hand, if the network is an MLO-supporting network at 2.4GHz and 5GHz, 2.4GHz / 5GHz is displayed. Similarly, if the network is an MLO-supporting network at 2.4GHz and 6GHz, 2.4GHz / 6GHz is displayed. Furthermore, if the network is an MLO-supporting network at 5GHz and 6GHz, 5GHz / 6GHz is displayed. However, since it is only necessary for the network to be identifiable as long as it supports MLO, the description of the side-by-side frequency band information is not limited to this.

[0194] Figure 16C illustrates an example of displaying channel information side-by-side in a network list display as information that makes MLO-enabled networks recognizable. As shown by channels 1605 and 1607 in Figure 16C, for SSID_A_2.4G and SSID_B_5G, which are single-link networks, individual channels such as 6ch and 36ch are displayed. Conversely, for SSID_B, which is an MLO-enabled network, channel information for 5ch / 36ch / 37ch is displayed side-by-side. In this embodiment, since the network with SSID_B is an MLO-enabled network with 5ch, 36ch, and 37ch channels, 5ch / 36ch / 37ch are displayed. However, since the channel combinations differ depending on the channels corresponding to the MLO-enabled networks, the combinations are not limited to this. Furthermore, since it is only necessary for the MLO-enabled networks to be recognizable, the description of the side-by-side arrangement of channel information is not limited to this.

[0195] Figure 16D illustrates an example of highlighting the SSID of an MLO-enabled network in a network list display to make the network recognizable. Compared to SSID_A_2.4G of the single-link network shown by SSID 1608 in Figure 16D, the characters of SSID_B, representing the MLO-enabled network, are displayed in a larger size, as shown by SSID 1609 in Figure 16D. In this embodiment, an example of displaying the characters of the SSID in a larger size has been described; however, since it is only necessary to make the MLO-enabled network recognizable, the description is not limited to this. For example, other methods of highlighting the SSID can be used, such as changing the character color of the SSID of the MLO-enabled network to a different color than the character color of the SSID of the single-link network, or making the characters of the SSID of the MLO-enabled network bold.

[0196] Figures 16E and 16F illustrate examples of how to make MLO-enabled networks recognizable, displaying screens for an MLO-enabled network list and a single-link network list, respectively. If the Multi-Link tab is selected as shown in label 1610 of Figure 16E (example of the second display operation), an MLO-enabled network list is displayed (example of the second network selection screen). Conversely, if the Single-Link tab is selected as shown in label 1611 of Figure 16F (example of the first display operation), a single-link network list is displayed (example of the first network list screen). The initial screen for displaying the network selection screen can be the one shown in label 1610 of Figure 16E. This allows users to prioritize connecting to MLO-enabled networks.

[0197] This concludes the description of the process by which the communication device 100 displays the AP search results list according to this embodiment.

[0198] As described above, in this embodiment, when the AP search results list is displayed, by showing in an identifiable manner whether the displayed network is a network that supports MLO, the user can select and connect to a network that supports MLO.

[0199] The desired embodiments of this disclosure have been described so far. However, this disclosure is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its spirit.

[0200] For example, the first, second, and third embodiments can be combined. Specifically, it is envisioned that the processing according to the second embodiment is combined with the processing according to the first or third embodiment. Specifically, by performing the association processing according to the first embodiment, the SSID of the same AP shown in FIG12 can be displayed in a recognizable manner using colors or the like. By further combining with the third embodiment, the SSID can be displayed in a manner that makes multi-link SSIDs recognizable.

[0201] Additionally, the various display screens shown in Figures 6A to 10B according to the first embodiment may include identification information (e.g., icons) indicating multi-link information or identification information (e.g., icons) indicating single-link information.

[0202] So far, specific examples of combinations of multiple embodiments have been described, but the combinations are not limited to the examples described above.

[0203] Other embodiments

[0204] Embodiments of the present invention can also be implemented by providing software (including computer program products of computer programs) that performs the functions of the above embodiments to a system or device via a network or various storage media, and the computer (central processing unit (CPU), microprocessor unit (MPU) of the system or device) reads and executes the computer program.

[0205] Although this disclosure has been described with reference to embodiments, it should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. The appended claims should be interpreted in the broadest possible sense to cover all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.

Claims

1. A communication device, the communication device wirelessly communicating with a communication peer device, the communication device comprising: processor; And a memory storing a program that, when executed by the processor, causes the communication device to: perform a search process to search for the communication peer device; And management processing, which involves associating and managing each beacon message among multiple beacon messages obtained through a search, including any one of the multiple identifiers included in the predetermined beacon message.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein, The predetermined beacon information includes beacon information with supporting information, and the supporting information indication information is information that supports multiple links.

3. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein, The management process includes managing the association of each beacon message with any one of the multiple identifiers included in the predetermined beacon information, but excluding the supporting information.

4. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein, The identifier is a basic service set identifier.

5. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein, The management process includes the management of each beacon message that includes any one of the multiple identifiers included in the predetermined beacon information and the management of the association between the predetermined beacon information.

6. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein, The processor further executes a stored program, causing the communication device to perform display control processing to control the display on the screen, so as to display a screen based on the beacon information.

7. The communication device according to claim 6, wherein, The display control process also includes displaying a screen on the display that includes the identification name included in the beacon information.

8. The communication device according to claim 7, wherein, The display control process includes displaying, in different modes, the identification names included in the associated beacon information and the identification names included in the unassociated beacon information on the display.

9. The communication device according to claim 6, wherein, The display control process displays grouped information summarizing multiple associated beacon messages on the display.

10. The communication device according to claim 9, wherein, When the user selects the grouping information, the display control process includes displaying on the display the identification names included in the multiple beacon information contained in the grouping information.

11. The communication device according to claim 6, further comprising the display.

12. A control method for controlling a communication device, the communication device being capable of wireless communication with a communication peer device, the control method comprising: Search the communication peer device; And among the multiple beacon messages obtained through search processing, each beacon message is associated with and managed, including any one of the multiple identifiers included in the predetermined beacon message.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program that, when executed by one or more processors of a computer, causes the computer to perform a control method for controlling a communication device, the communication device being capable of wireless communication with a communication peer device, the control method comprising: Search the communication peer device; And among the multiple beacon messages obtained through search processing, each beacon message is associated with and managed, including any one of the multiple identifiers included in the predetermined beacon message.

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