Communication apparatus and control method thereof

Abstract

To provide a communication apparatus, in which an operation targeted at appropriate external device is possible when connection with one external device is established in a state where connection with other external device is established, and to provide a control method thereof.SOLUTION: A communication apparatus that can communicate with an external device using a first connection method and a second connection method is provided. When connection with the external device is established, the communication apparatus determines whether or not a screen for utilizing the external device from the communication apparatus is automatically displayed on a display device depending on the connection method with the external device and / or whether the external device is newly connected or reconnected.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication device and a control method thereof, and more particularly to a communication device capable of communicating with a plurality of external devices and a control method thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] When there are multiple external devices with which communication is possible, it is necessary to determine which external device is to be the target for executing an operation. Patent Document 1 discloses a communication device that, when a connection is established with one external device and then a connection is established with another external device, automatically switches the target of data communication to the external device with which the connection was established last. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-123841 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the method described in Patent Document 1, if the external device to which a connection is established later is an external device not intended by the user, the target of data communication will be switched to the external device not intended by the user.

[0005] In view of such problems with the conventional technology, in one aspect, the present invention provides a communications device and a control method thereof that are capable of operating with an appropriate external device when a connection is established with another external device while a connection with one external device is already established. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The above-mentioned object is achieved by a communication device capable of communicating with an external device via a first connection method and a second connection method, characterized in having a display means and a control means for determining, when a connection with the external device is established, whether or not to automatically display a screen for using the external device from the communication device on the display means, depending on the connection method with the external device and / or whether the external device is newly connected or reconnected. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a communication device and a control method thereof that are capable of operating with an appropriate external device when a connection is established with another external device while a connection with one external device is already established. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] Schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a digital camera as an external device according to an embodiment; [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a smartphone as a communication device according to an embodiment; [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a menu screen of a camera communication application according to an embodiment; [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a menu screen of a camera communication application according to an embodiment; [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of camera information registered in the embodiment; [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a sequence diagram of a wireless LAN connection operation between a digital camera and a smartphone according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] Sequence diagram of BLE connection operation between a digital camera and a smartphone in an embodiment [Figure 9] Flowchart for controlling the screen display of a smartphone according to an embodiment [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of screen display control of a camera communication application in an embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing screen display control for each connection method according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] The present invention will be described in detail below based on its exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. In addition, although multiple features are described in the embodiments, not all of them are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicated explanations are omitted.

[0010] In the following embodiment, the present invention will be described with respect to a case where the present invention is implemented in a smartphone. However, the present invention can be implemented in any electronic device capable of establishing a connection with multiple external devices. Such electronic devices include computer devices (personal computers, tablet computers, media players, PDAs, etc.), game consoles, imaging devices, etc. These are merely examples, and the present invention can be implemented in other electronic devices.

[0011] <System configuration> 1 is a diagram showing an example of a connection between a smartphone 200 as an example of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention and digital cameras 100a and 100b as examples of multiple external devices. Note that the external devices do not necessarily have to have an imaging function and may be any electronic device capable of communicating with the smartphone 200.

[0012] The smartphone 200 has a communication interface that complies with the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard and a communication interface that complies with the wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) standard. The smartphone 200 may have a communication interface that complies with other wireless communication standards. The smartphone 200 may also have one or more wired communication interfaces.

[0013] 1, it is assumed that the smartphone 200 has established a Bluetooth connection with the digital camera 100a and a wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) connection with the digital camera 100b. The smartphone 200 may establish connections that comply with the same communication standard with both the digital cameras 100a and 100b. For example, such a connection is possible with the Bluetooth standard. On the other hand, the wireless LAN standard does not allow multiple connections to be established at the same time.

[0014] Also, communication according to the wireless LAN standard is executed in infrastructure mode, and the digital camera functions as a simple access point (AP). Note that the smartphone 200 and the digital camera 100b may be configured to connect to a common access point.

[0015] Although details will be described later, it is assumed that digital camera 100a is stored in smartphone 200 as "Camera A" and digital camera 100b is stored in smartphone 200 as "Camera B."

[0016] <Example of digital camera configuration> The configuration of digital cameras 100a and 100b will be described. Note that in this specification, it is assumed that the main functional configurations of digital cameras 100a and 100b are the same. Furthermore, digital cameras 100a and 100b will be collectively referred to as digital camera 100. Therefore, the description of digital camera 100 applies to both digital cameras 100a and 100b.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the digital camera 100. As shown in FIG. The control unit 101 has one or more processors (hereinafter referred to as CPUs) capable of executing programs, and for example, reads a program stored in a non-volatile memory 103 into a working memory 104 and executes it. The control unit 101 controls the operation of each functional block by executing the program, and realizes the functions of the digital camera 100.

[0018] Non-volatile memory 103, which may be rewritable, stores programs executable by the CPU of control unit 101, settings of digital camera 100, GUI data, etc. Non-volatile memory 103 also stores information regarding external devices with which it has communicated.

[0019] It is assumed that the operation of the digital camera 100 , which will be described later, is realized by executing a program stored in the non-volatile memory 103 .

[0020] The working memory 104 is, for example, a volatile memory, and is used to load the programs executed by the CPU of the control unit 101 and to store values ​​required during the execution of the programs. In addition, a part of the working memory 104 may be used as a display memory for the display unit 106.

[0021] The imaging unit 102 is a camera unit having an imaging optical system, an imaging element, and the like. The imaging unit 102 captures images under the control of the control unit 101, and stores the obtained image data in the work memory 104. The control unit 101 applies a predetermined image processing to the image data to generate an image data file. The control unit 101 records the image data file, for example, in a recording medium 107. The control unit 101 also applies a predetermined image processing to the image data to generate image data for display. The control unit 101 stores the image data for display in a video memory area of ​​the work memory 104, synthesizes an image showing information such as current setting values, and displays it on the display unit 106.

[0022] By immediately displaying a moving image on the display unit 106 while the image capturing unit 102 is capturing the moving image, the display unit 106 can function as an electronic viewfinder (EVF). The moving image displayed in order to cause the display unit 106 to function as an EVF is called a live view image.

[0023] Operation unit 105 is a general term for input devices provided in digital camera 100. Operation unit 105 may include, but is not limited to, a touch panel provided on display unit 106, a power switch, a shutter button, a video recording button, directional keys, a setting button, a menu button, and the like. When control unit 101 detects an operation on operation unit 105, it executes an operation corresponding to the detected operation.

[0024] The display unit 106 is used to display images captured by the imaging unit 102, images recorded in the recording medium 107, menu screens, etc. The digital camera 100 may be connectable to an external display device.

[0025] The recording medium 107 may be, for example, a semiconductor memory card, provided separately from the non-volatile memory 103. The recording medium 107 is used as a recording destination for image data files generated by the control unit 101, for example.

[0026] The connection unit 108 is a communication interface. The connection unit 108 performs communication with an external device in accordance with one or more of known wired and wireless communication standards, including a wireless communication standard. The connection unit 108 has a circuit (such as an antenna, a connector, a transceiver, etc.) corresponding to the communication standard to which it conforms.

[0027] The short-range wireless communication unit 109 is also a communication interface. The short-range wireless communication unit 109 performs communication with an external device in accordance with one or more known short-range wireless communication standards. The connection unit 108 has a circuit (such as an antenna, a transceiver, etc.) corresponding to the communication standard to be complied with.

[0028] For convenience, connection unit 108 and short-range wireless communication unit 109 described below are assumed to conform to different wireless communication standards. Connection unit 108 is also assumed to conform to a communication standard that has a wider communication range and a higher communication speed than short-range wireless communication unit 109, and also requires more power for operation than short-range wireless communication unit 109. There are no particular limitations on the combination of communication standards to which connection unit 108 and short-range wireless communication unit 109 conform as long as the above-mentioned relationship is satisfied.

[0029] In this embodiment, the digital camera 100 communicates with a connection unit 208 and a short-range wireless communication unit 212 of the smartphone 200, which will be described later. Therefore, it is assumed that the connection units 108 and 208 conform to the same communication standard, and that the short-range wireless communication units 112 and 212 conform to the same communication standard.

[0030] In the following, as an example, it is assumed that the connection units 108 and 208 are wireless communication interfaces that comply with the wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11 series) standard, and that the short-range wireless communication units 112 and 212 are wireless communication interfaces that comply with Bluetooth (registered trademark) ver. 4.0 or later standards, particularly Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). Note that the connection unit 108 and the short-range wireless communication unit 109 may share a part of the circuit.

[0031] Furthermore, the connection unit 108 functions as an access point (AP) to communicate with the connection unit 208 in infrastructure mode. That is, the connection unit 108 has a function of forming a network to which the smartphone 200 can connect. However, the connection unit 108 functions as a simple AP that does not have a gateway function of transferring data received from an external device connected to the network that the connection unit 108 has formed to another network.

[0032] <Example of smartphone configuration> 3A is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a smartphone 200 as an example of a communication device according to an embodiment. The smartphone 200 may be any electronic device capable of communicating with each of the connection unit 108 and the short-range wireless communication unit 112 of the digital camera 100, which is an external device.

[0033] The control unit 201 has one or more processors (hereinafter referred to as CPUs) capable of executing programs, and for example, reads a program stored in a non-volatile memory 203 into a working memory 204 and executes it. The control unit 201 controls the operation of each functional block by executing the program, and realizes the functions of the smartphone 200.

[0034] Non-volatile memory 203, which may be rewritable, stores programs (basic software (OS), applications, etc.) executable by the CPU of control unit 201, setting values ​​of smartphone 200 and applications, user data, etc. As will be described later, smartphone 200 also stores in non-volatile memory 203 information on an external device with which it has communicated, and information required to resume communication with the external device with which it has communicated.

[0035] The operation of the smartphone 200, which will be described later, is realized by executing an application stored in the non-volatile memory 203. The application does not need to include all of the programs for realizing its functions, and can use the functions provided by the OS as appropriate. For example, the OS can provide basic functions related to wireless communication with an external device that conforms to a specific wireless communication standard, such as checking the presence or absence of an external device, and establishing and disconnecting a wireless connection (link) with an external device.

[0036] The working memory 204 is, for example, a volatile memory, and is used to read the programs executed by the CPU of the control unit 201 and to store values ​​required during the execution of the programs. In addition, a part of the working memory 204 may be used as a display memory for the display unit 206.

[0037] The imaging unit 202 is a camera unit having an imaging optical system, an imaging element, etc. The imaging unit 202 captures images under the control of the control unit 201, and stores the obtained image data in the working memory 204. The control unit 201 applies predetermined image processing to the image data to generate an image data file. The control unit 201 records the image data file, for example, on a recording medium 207.

[0038] The operation unit 205 is a general term for input devices provided in the smartphone 200. The operation unit 205 may include, but is not limited to, a touch panel provided in the display unit 206, a power switch, a volume adjustment button, and the like. When the control unit 201 detects an operation on the operation unit 205, it executes an operation corresponding to the detected operation.

[0039] The display unit 206 is a touch display. Screens provided by the OS and applications are displayed on the display unit 206. Note that the smartphone 200 may be connectable to an external display device.

[0040] The recording medium 207 is provided separately from the nonvolatile memory 203, and may be, for example, a semiconductor memory card. The recording medium 207 is used, for example, as a recording destination for image data files generated by the control unit 201, data downloaded by the user, etc. The recording medium 207 may be used as a part of the nonvolatile memory 203 (to expand the capacity of the nonvolatile memory 203).

[0041] The connection unit 208 (second communication means) is a communication interface. The connection unit 208 executes communication with an external device in accordance with one or more of known wired and wireless communication standards, including a wireless communication standard. The connection unit 208 has a circuit (antenna, connector, transceiver, etc.) corresponding to the communication standard to which it conforms.

[0042] The short-range wireless communication unit 212 (first communication means) is also a communication interface. The short-range wireless communication unit 212 performs communication with an external device in accordance with one or more known short-range wireless communication standards. The connection unit 208 has a circuit (such as an antenna, a transceiver, etc.) corresponding to the communication standard to be complied with.

[0043] As described above, it is assumed here that the connection unit 208 is a wireless communication interface that complies with the wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11 series) standard, and the short-range wireless communication unit 212 is a wireless communication interface that complies with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).

[0044] The public network connection unit 209 is a communication interface with a mobile communication network, and complies with one or more communication standards (such as 3G, 4G, and 5G) established by, for example, the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

[0045] The connection unit 208, the short-range wireless communication unit 212, and the public network connection unit 209 may share a part of the circuit.

[0046] The microphone 210 is used for making calls and inputting voice commands. The microphone 210 as an input device for voice commands is included in the operation unit 205. The speaker 211 is used for conversation and audio reproduction.

[0047] 3(b) is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of the smartphone 200. The power button 205a, the home button 205b, and the touch panel 205c are input devices included in the operation unit 205. When the home button 205b is operated, the control unit 201 suspends the execution of an application and displays a home screen on the display unit 206.

[0048] Items (for example, icons) corresponding to applications are arranged on the home screen of the smartphone 200. From the home screen, it is possible to start an application or bring an application running in the background into the foreground.

[0049] Here, item 221 is an item of a camera communication application that provides functions that utilize communication between smartphone 200 and digital camera 100. Item 222 is an item of an image application that allows viewing and editing of images stored in smartphone 200. Item 223 is an item of an SNS (social network service) application that allows sharing of images, text, etc. with other users by communicating with a server.

[0050] In this embodiment, the camera communication application is provided by the manufacturer of the digital camera 100 and installed via an application distribution site. The SNS application is provided by a third party and installed via an application distribution site. Meanwhile, the image application is pre-installed as standard on the smartphone 200. It is assumed that whether each application is pre-installed or installed via an application distribution site is stored in, for example, the non-volatile memory 203.

[0051] When an operation on an item (for example, a touch operation) is detected, the control unit 201 checks the state of the application corresponding to the operated item. If the application is not running or needs to be started, the control unit 201 starts the application. On the other hand, if the application is running in the background (inactive) and does not need to be started, the control unit 201 moves the application to the foreground (activates it). As a result, the application screen is displayed on the display unit 206.

[0052] In addition to the operation of items, the smartphone 200 can also change the state of an application by switching the application according to the OS. Specifically, the application can be switched between background (inactive) and foreground (active). If necessary, the control unit 201 starts the application that has been switched from background to foreground. Note that even if the application transitions to background (inactive), it can continue to execute some of its functions.

[0053] <Explanation of the menu screen of the camera communication application of the smartphone 200> 4 is a diagram showing an example of a menu screen provided by a camera communication application in the foreground state. The camera communication application in this embodiment stores information about a digital camera that has established a connection with the smartphone 200, and provides a menu screen for each stored digital camera. When multiple digital cameras are stored, the user can switch the menu screen to display the menu screen of a desired digital camera to be used through the camera communication application.

[0054] Hereinafter, examples of screens displayed on the display unit 206 as a result of the control unit 201 executing the camera communication application will be described with reference to FIGS. 4(a) shows an example of a menu screen 400 that is displayed when no digital camera is registered when the camera communication application is started. The menu screen 400 has a camera registration button 401 and a registration confirmation button 402.

[0055] When the camera registration button 401 is operated, the control unit 201 executes the registration operation of the digital camera. When the registration is completed, the control unit 201 generates a menu screen for the registered digital camera and displays it on the display unit 206. The operations of the smartphone 200 and the digital camera 100 when registering the digital camera will be described in detail later.

[0056] When the registration confirmation button 402 is operated, the control unit 201 displays, on the display unit 206, a list of information on the digital cameras registered in the camera communication application.

[0057] 4(b) shows an example of a menu screen 400a that is displayed when a connection is established between a registered digital camera and the smartphone 200 when the camera communication application is started. Here, it is assumed that a connection is established between a digital camera 100a that is registered in the camera communication application and the smartphone 200. Therefore, the menu screen 400a is a menu screen for the digital camera 100a.

[0058] On the menu screen 400a, for example, an icon 403a indicating the appearance, a name 404a (Camera-A), and a connection method 405a are displayed as information on the connected digital camera 100a. Here, an icon is listed for each method (communication standard name) by which the smartphone 200 and the digital camera 100a can connect, and if a connection is established, the icon is displayed brighter than if the connection is not established. Note that other display methods may be used, such as displaying only the methods by which a connection is established. The example in FIG. 4(b) shows that the smartphone 200 and the digital camera 100a have established a BLE connection, but have not established a Wi-Fi connection.

[0059] In this embodiment, information required to establish a connection between the connection units 208 and 108 (e.g., identification information, a password or encryption key, address information, etc.) can be acquired from the digital camera 100 through the connection between the short-range wireless communication units 212 and 112. Switching the communication interface used for communication with the same external device between the short-range wireless communication unit 112 and the connection unit 108 is referred to as handover here.

[0060] A wireless LAN connection is required for functions executed by operating function buttons 406a to 408a, which will be described later. However, if a BLE connection is established, handover to a wireless LAN connection is possible. Therefore, on menu screen 400a, function buttons 406a to 408a are displayed as valid functions. If handover is not possible, function buttons 406a to 408a are displayed as invalid functions.

[0061] Function buttons 406a to 409a correspond to functions that the camera communication application can provide for the digital camera 100a. Note that the functions shown here are merely examples, and the type and number of functions may vary depending on the camera communication application and the digital camera.

[0062] For example, any function related to the registered digital camera may be used, such as a function for changing the settings of the digital camera, a function for connecting to an external site where the instruction manual for the digital camera can be viewed, etc. Furthermore, the number and types of function buttons displayed on the menu screen may differ depending on the digital camera.

[0063] Function button 406 a is a button for executing a function of acquiring an image recorded in storage medium 110 from digital camera 100 a and displaying it on display unit 206 . The function button 407a is a button for acquiring a live view image from the digital camera 100a and using the display unit 206 as an EVF for the digital camera 100a. The function button 408a is a button for setting an automatic transmission function for transferring the generated record image data to the smartphone 200 when a still image is captured by the digital camera 100a. The function button 409a is a button for causing the smartphone 200 to function as a remote control for issuing shooting instructions to the digital camera 100a. Note that the remote control function only outputs shooting instructions and does not cause the display unit 206 to function as an EVF for the digital camera 100a.

[0064] Here, it is assumed that the functions corresponding to the function buttons 406a to 408a are registered in the camera communication application as functions that require communication via wireless LAN when executed. On the other hand, it is assumed that the function corresponding to the function button 409a is registered in the camera communication application as a function that does not require communication via wireless LAN when executed (can be executed via BLE communication). It is assumed that the relationship between the functions provided by the camera communication application and the communication method required when executed is determined in advance according to, for example, the amount of data communicated between the digital camera 100 and the smartphone 200 when the function is executed, the type of data, etc. For example, a function that requires image data to be transmitted from the digital camera 100 to the smartphone 200 can be a function that requires a communication method capable of high-speed communication among the communication methods supported by the smartphone 200.

[0065] The camera communication application determines whether the function buttons are enabled or disabled depending on the connection method between the smartphone 200 and the digital camera 100a, and changes the display form of the function buttons depending on the determination.

[0066] 4B shows a state in which the digital camera 100a and the smartphone 200 have established a connection via BLE, but have not established a connection via wireless LAN. In this case, the control unit 201 determines that the remote control function that does not require communication via wireless LAN is enabled. As a result, the function button 409a corresponding to the remote control function is displayed in a form indicating that it is enabled. Here, the function button corresponding to the enabled function is displayed brighter than the function button corresponding to the disabled function.

[0067] On the other hand, the functions corresponding to the function buttons 406a to 408a require communication via wireless LAN when executed, and therefore are invalid in the current connection method. However, since it is possible to establish a wireless LAN connection using the currently established BLE connection, the control unit 201 also displays the function buttons 406a to 408a in a form indicating that they are valid.

[0068] In the menu screen 400a, the page marks 410a have a number equal to the number of switchable menu screens. Here, since one digital camera has been registered, one page mark 410a is displayed, indicating that there is no switchable menu screen. For example, if there is one more switchable menu screen, two page marks 410a are displayed, one of which is displayed in black. The page mark 410a displayed in black indicates the currently displayed menu screen. Furthermore, among the multiple page marks 410a, the position of the page mark displayed in black indicates the page number of the currently displayed menu screen, and corresponds to the index number of the camera information described later.

[0069] The control unit 201 stores the page number of the currently displayed menu screen in the working memory 204. Furthermore, when the camera communication application transitions from the foreground to the background or is terminated, the control unit 201 stores the page number in the non-volatile memory 203. This makes it possible to reproduce the state in which the same menu screen as the previous time is displayed the next time the camera communication application is started.

[0070] Fig. 5(a) shows an example of a menu screen 400b that is displayed when the smartphone 200 establishes a wireless LAN connection with the digital camera 100b when the camera communication application is started in a state in which the digital cameras 100a and 100b have already been registered. Among the items displayed on the menu screen 400b, items with the same reference numbers as those in Fig. 4(b) are the same as those on the menu screen 400a, and therefore will not be described here.

[0071] On the menu screen 400b, information on the connected digital camera 100b is displayed, such as an icon 404a indicating the appearance, a name 404b (Camera-B), and a connection method 405b.

[0072] Note that BLE is not displayed in the connection method 405b because the digital camera 100b has not established a BLE connection with the smartphone 200. In addition, if a wireless LAN connection has been established, a disconnection button 411b is displayed.

[0073] When the disconnection button 411b is operated, the control unit 201 transmits a request to disconnect the wireless LAN connection to the digital camera 100b. When the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100b receives the disconnection request, it stops the operation of the connection unit 108. As a result, the network that the connection unit 108 generated as a simple AP disappears.

[0074] Because a wireless LAN connection is established, control unit 201 determines that the functions corresponding to function buttons 406b to 408b are enabled, and displays function buttons 406b to 408b brightly. On the other hand, because a BLE connection is not established, control unit 201 determines that the remote control function is disabled, and displays function button 409b darkly.

[0075] Two page marks 410b are displayed, one in black and the other in white. This is because two digital cameras 100a and 100b are registered and two pages of menu screens have been generated. Of the two page marks 410b, the left one is displayed in black and the right one is displayed in white, so it is clear that there is another page of menu screen on the right side. Therefore, when a flick operation, for example to the left, is detected on the display unit 206, the control unit 201 switches to the menu screen 400a.

[0076] Fig. 5(b) shows a state of the menu screen 400a updated when the control unit 201 detects that the BLE connection with the digital camera 100a has been disconnected in the state shown in the menu screen 400a in Fig. 4(b). The BLE connection may be intentionally disconnected by the user through the operation unit 105 of the digital camera 100a, for example, or may be disconnected due to other factors.

[0077] As the BLE connection is disconnected, the connection established with the digital camera 100a is no longer established. Therefore, the control unit 201 updates the display of BLE in the connection method 405a on the menu screen 400a and the display of the function buttons 406a to 409a. Specifically, the control unit 201 darkens the display of BLE in the same way as Wi-Fi. In addition, the control unit 201 darkens the display of the function buttons 406a to 409a to indicate an invalid state.

[0078] Fig. 5(c) shows a state of the menu screen 400b updated when the control unit 201 detects that the wireless LAN connection with the digital camera 100a has been disconnected in the state shown in the menu screen 400b in Fig. 5(a). The wireless LAN connection may be intentionally disconnected, for example, by the user operating the disconnection button 411b, or may be disconnected due to other factors.

[0079] As the wireless LAN connection is disconnected, the connection established with digital camera 100b is no longer established. Therefore, control unit 201 updates the display of Wi-Fi in connection method 405b on menu screen 400b and the display of function buttons 406b to 408b. Specifically, control unit 201 darkens the display of Wi-Fi to indicate a disconnected state. In addition, control unit 201 darkens the displays of function buttons 406b to 408b to indicate an invalid state.

[0080] <Example of registered camera information> Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of camera information that the smartphone 200 acquires from a digital camera with which it has established a connection and stores in the non-volatile memory 203. Note that, for ease of explanation and understanding, the camera information is shown in a table format in Fig. 6, but the format of the camera information actually stored is arbitrary. The camera communication application handles a digital camera whose information is recorded in the non-volatile memory 203 as a registered digital camera.

[0081] The camera information has, for each camera, an index 501, a name 502, and identification information 503. Note that other information, such as information on functions supported by the camera, may also be included. The index 501 is a numerical value indicating the index (number) of the camera information, and is assigned in order starting from 1. Name 502 is a character string indicating the name to be displayed on the menu screen. Note that the name is different from the model name and is a nickname that the user can set for the digital camera. The identification information 503 is unique information that differs for each individual digital camera. In this embodiment, a character string indicating a MAC address assigned to the connection unit 108 (wireless LAN interface) is used as the identification information 503. Note that the identification information 503 may be other information, such as a serial number, as long as it differs for each individual digital camera.

[0082] In the process of establishing a connection with the digital camera, or by using the established connection, the control unit 201 acquires the MAC address and name of the connection unit 108. The method and timing of acquiring the camera information differ depending on the connection method (communication standard).

[0083] The control unit 201 compares the identification information (MAC address) acquired from the digital camera 100 with the identification information 503 of the camera information stored in the non-volatile memory 203. If the identification information acquired from the digital camera 100 has not been registered as camera information, the control unit 201 determines that the digital camera 100 has been newly connected. The control unit 201 then adds the name and identification information of the digital camera 100 together with the new index to the camera information stored in the non-volatile memory 203. In this way, when a digital camera for which no identification information is stored is connected, it is added to the camera information as a new digital camera.

[0084] On the other hand, if the identification information acquired from digital camera 100 is registered as camera information, control unit 201 determines that the registered digital camera has been reconnected. In this case, the registered camera information does not need to be updated. However, since the name setting in digital camera 100 may have been changed, the name in the registered camera information of digital camera 100 may be updated.

[0085] <Wireless LAN connection sequence> Next, a procedure for establishing a wireless LAN connection between the digital camera 100 and the smartphone 200 will be described with reference to FIG. The procedure shown in Fig. 7 is executed in a state where the function of connecting to an external device via wireless LAN is enabled in both the digital camera 100 and the smartphone 200 (a state where the connection units 108 and 208 are operable). The connection units 108 and 208 can be switched between enabled and disabled by any known method, such as operating a menu screen of the digital camera 100 or an operating a setting application of the smartphone 200. It is also assumed that a BLE connection has not been established and handover from BLE is not possible. It is also assumed that the digital camera 100 and the smartphone 200 are located within a distance where they can communicate via wireless LAN.

[0086] At T601, the control unit 101 activates the connection unit 108 and operates it as a simple AP. As a result, the connection unit 108 periodically broadcasts a wireless LAN advertisement signal (beacon frame) to notify the presence of the connection unit 108. Here, the wireless LAN advertisement signal includes at least an application ID, a name, and a wireless LAN Mac address as device information of the digital camera 100.

[0087] The application ID is an identifier for uniquely identifying a connection destination device. It is specified only when a reconnection is requested to a specific device. For example, when a connection with the smartphone 200 has been previously established and a reconnection with the smartphone 200 is requested, the application ID previously acquired from the smartphone 200 is specified. The application ID is specified only when a reconnection is made, and is not specified when a new connection is made (it is empty and contains no value).

[0088] At T602, the control unit 201 of the smartphone 200 activates the connection unit 208 and starts a search process for a wireless LAN advertisement signal. At T603, the control unit 201 receives the wireless LAN advertisement signal transmitted by the digital camera 100 via the connection unit 208.

[0089] In T604, the control unit 201 analyzes the received wireless LAN advertising signal and acquires device information of the digital camera 100. The control unit 201 checks whether the application ID included in the device information is blank, and if it is blank, it determines that the request is a new connection request and executes T605. On the other hand, if the application ID is not blank, the control unit 201 checks whether the application ID matches the application ID of the smartphone 200. If they match, the control unit 201 determines that the request is a reconnection request from the digital camera 100 to the smartphone 200 and executes T610. If they do not match, the control unit 201 determines that the request is a reconnection request to another device. In this case, if the control unit 201 has not received any other advertising signals, it may terminate the operation of the connection unit 208.

[0090] Here, it is assumed that the application ID in the device information included in the advertising signal is null. At T605, the control unit 201 displays on the display unit 206 a screen inquiring of the user as to whether or not to start a connection via wireless LAN. The control unit 201 can display a screen including options such as "Connect" and "Cancel" together with the name of the digital camera 100 acquired from the device information, for example.

[0091] When the control unit 201 detects an operation to instruct a connection, such as the operation of a "connect" button, it executes T606, and when it detects an operation to instruct not to connect, such as the operation of a "cancel" button, it does not execute the subsequent processes. In this case, the control unit 201 may execute T602 or may end the operation of the connection unit 208.

[0092] In T606, the control unit 201 transmits a connection initiation request from the connection unit 208 to the digital camera 100. The connection initiation request includes at least the application ID and name as the smartphone 200 device information.

[0093] The control unit 101 receives a connection request signal from the smartphone 200 through the connection unit 108. The control unit 101 checks whether or not an application ID included in the device information included in the connection start request signal from the smartphone 200 is stored in the non-volatile memory 103. If the application ID of the received device information is not stored in the non-volatile memory 103, the control unit 101 determines that the connection start request is from a new device and executes T607. On the other hand, if the application ID of the received device information is stored in the non-volatile memory 103, the control unit 101 determines that the connection start request is a request for reconnection and executes T611. This corresponds to the case where the connection start request signal transmitted in T610 has been received.

[0094] At T607, the control unit 101 displays a screen inquiring of the user as to whether or not to start a connection via wireless LAN on the display unit 106. For example, the control unit 101 can display a screen including options such as "Connect" and "Cancel" together with the name of the smartphone 200 acquired from the device information.

[0095] When the control unit 101 detects an operation on the screen, it transmits a response signal according to the detection result from the connection unit 108 to the smartphone 200. When the control unit 101 detects an operation instructing a connection, such as an operation of a "connect" button, it transmits a response signal permitting the connection. When the control unit 101 detects an operation instructing not to connect, such as an operation of a "cancel" button, it transmits a response signal not permitting the connection. Here, it is assumed that a response signal permitting the connection is transmitted.

[0096] When the control unit 201 receives a response signal permitting the connection from the digital camera 100 via the connection unit 208, the control unit 201 executes a process for establishing a connection with the control unit 101. As a result, a wireless LAN connection is established between the digital camera 100 and the smartphone 200.

[0097] When the wireless LAN connection is established, in T608, the control unit 101 stores the device information (here, the application ID and the device name) of the smartphone 200 in the non-volatile memory 103. The non-volatile memory 103 of the digital camera 100 can store the device information in the same manner as the camera information shown in FIG.

[0098] Furthermore, in T609, the control unit 201 stores the device information of the digital camera 100 (here, the name and the wireless LAN Mac address) in the non-volatile memory 203 as camera information.

[0099] In the case of reconnection, at T610, the control unit 201 transmits a connection start request, in which the connection application ID of the smartphone 200 is set in the device information, to the digital camera 100 from the connection unit 208. As described above, the control unit 101 determines that the connection start request is a reconnection request based on the connection application ID.

[0100] When receiving a reconnection request, without asking the user whether to start the connection, the control unit 101 transmits a response signal permitting the connection at T611. Thereafter, the control units 201 and 101 establish the connection in the same manner as in the case of a new connection request. In the case of reconnection, the control units 101 and 201 do not newly store the device information of the connection partner. As described above, the registered name may be updated as necessary.

[0101] <Bluetooth Connection Sequence> Subsequently, a procedure for establishing a Bluetooth (BLE) connection between the digital camera 100 and the smartphone 200 will be described with reference to FIG. 8. The procedure shown in FIG. 8 is executed in both the digital camera 100 and the smartphone 200 in a state where the connection function with an external device by BLE is valid (a state where the short-range wireless communication units 112 and 212 are operable). The validity / invalidity of the short-range wireless communication units 112 and 212 can be switched by any known method, such as operating the menu screen of the digital camera 100 or operating the settings application of the smartphone 200. Further, it is assumed that the digital camera 100 and the smartphone 200 are within a communicable distance by BLE.

[0102] At T701, the control unit 101 causes the short-range wireless communication unit 112 to periodically broadcast and transmit a BLE advertisement signal for notifying the surrounding devices of its own presence. It is assumed that the BLE advertisement signal includes at least the application ID and the name as the device information of the digital camera 100.

[0103] Also in the BLE advertisement signal, when the control unit 101 requests a new connection, the control unit 101 sets the application ID of the device information to be empty. Further, when the control unit 101 requests a connection with a specific device, the control unit 101 sets the application ID corresponding to that device in the BLE advertisement signal.

[0104] At T702, the control unit 201 causes the short-range wireless communication unit 212 to start a search process for a BLE advertising signal. At T703, the control unit 201 receives the BLE advertise signal transmitted by the digital camera 100 via the short-range wireless communication unit 212.

[0105] In T704, the control unit 201 analyzes the received BLE advertisement signal and acquires device information of the digital camera 100. The control unit 201 checks whether the application ID included in the device information is blank, and if it is blank, determines that the request is a new connection request and executes T705. On the other hand, if the application ID is not blank, the control unit 201 checks whether the application ID matches the application ID of the smartphone 200. If they match, the control unit 201 determines that the request is a reconnection request from the digital camera 100 to the smartphone 200 and executes T714. If they do not match, the control unit 201 determines that the request is a reconnection request to another device. In this case, the control unit 201 can execute the search operation of T702.

[0106] Here, it is assumed that the application ID in the device information included in the advertising signal is null. At T705, the control unit 201 displays a screen on the display unit 206 to inquire of the user whether to start a connection via BLE. For example, the control unit 201 can display a screen including options such as "Connect" and "Cancel" together with the name of the digital camera 100 acquired from the device information.

[0107] The control unit 201 executes T706 when it detects an operation instructing a connection, such as the operation of a "connect" button, and does not execute the subsequent processes when it detects an operation instructing not to connect, such as the operation of a "cancel" button. In this case, the control unit 201 can execute the search operation of T702.

[0108] In T706, the control unit 201 transmits a connection initiation request to the digital camera 100 from the short-range wireless communication unit 212. The connection initiation request includes at least an application ID as the smartphone 200 device information.

[0109] The control unit 101 receives a connection request signal from the smartphone 200 through the short-range wireless communication unit 112. The control unit 101 checks whether or not an application ID included in device information included in the connection start request signal from the smartphone 200 is stored in the non-volatile memory 103. If the application ID of the received device information is not stored in the non-volatile memory 103, the control unit 101 determines that the connection start request is from a new device. On the other hand, if the application ID of the received device information is stored in the non-volatile memory 103, the control unit 101 determines that the connection start request is a reconnection request. This corresponds to a case where a connection start request signal transmitted in T714, which will be described later, is received. The control unit 101 transmits a response signal from the short-range wireless communication unit 112 to the smartphone 200, whether it is a new connection request or a reconnection request.

[0110] At T707, the control unit 201 receives a response signal from the digital camera 100 via the short-range wireless communication unit 212. The control unit 201 displays on the display unit 106 a screen inquiring of the user as to whether or not to start pairing with the digital camera 100. The control unit 201 can display a screen including options such as "pair" and "cancel" together with the name of the digital camera 100 acquired from the device information, for example.

[0111] The control unit 201 executes T708 when it detects an operation to instruct pairing, such as an operation of the "pair" button, and does not execute the subsequent processes when it detects an operation to instruct not to pair, such as an operation of the "cancel" button. In this case, the control unit 201 can execute the search process of T702.

[0112] At T708, the control unit 201 and the control unit 101 generate an encryption key for encrypted communication. Then, communication for exchanging the generated encryption keys is executed by the short-range wireless communication units 112 and 212. The control unit 201 associates the received encryption key with the identification information of the digital camera 100 and stores it in the non-volatile memory 203. Similarly, the control unit 101 associates the received encryption key with the identification information of the smartphone 200 and stores it in the non-volatile memory 103. The encryption key may be stored as part of the camera information shown in FIG. 6. This establishes encrypted communication (BLE connection) between the digital camera 100 and the smartphone 200.

[0113] When the BLE connection is established, in T709, the control unit 201 transmits a registration request including device information of the smartphone 200 to the digital camera 100. The device information includes at least the application ID and name of the smartphone 200.

[0114] When the control unit 101 receives a registration request from the smartphone 200 via the short-range wireless communication unit 112, in T710, the control unit 101 displays on the display unit 106 a screen inquiring of the user as to whether or not to register the smartphone 200. For example, the control unit 101 can display a screen including options such as "Register" and "Cancel" together with the name of the smartphone 200 acquired from the device information.

[0115] When the control unit 101 detects an operation on the screen, it transmits a response signal according to the detection result from the short-range wireless communication unit 112 to the smartphone 200. When the control unit 101 detects an operation instructing registration, such as an operation of a "Register" button, it transmits a response signal permitting registration. When the control unit 101 detects an operation instructing not to register, such as an operation of a "Cancel" button, it transmits a response signal not permitting registration. Here, it is assumed that a response signal permitting registration has been transmitted.

[0116] In T711, the control unit 101 stores in the non-volatile memory 103 the device information of the smartphone 200 included in the registration request received in T709.

[0117] At T712, the control unit 201 transmits a wireless LAN Mac address acquisition request signal to the digital camera 100 via the short-range wireless communication unit 212 in order to acquire identification information of the digital camera 100.

[0118] The control unit 101 receives a wireless LAN Mac address acquisition request signal from the smartphone 200 through the short-range wireless communication unit 112. The control unit 101 generates a response signal including the wireless LAN Mac address of the connection unit 108, and transmits the response signal from the short-range wireless communication unit 112 to the smartphone 200.

[0119] At T713, the control unit 201 acquires the Wireless LAN Mac address of the digital camera 100 from the response signal received via the short-range wireless communication unit 212. Then, the control unit 201 stores the Wireless LAN Mac address and the name of the digital camera 100 acquired from the BLE advertising signal at T703 as new camera information in the non-volatile memory 203. This completes the process of pairing the smartphone 200 with the digital camera 100.

[0120] In the case of reconnection, at T714 the control unit 201 transmits a connection start request, in which the connection application ID of the smartphone 200 is set in the device information, to the digital camera 100 from the short-range wireless communication unit 212. As described above, the control unit 101 determines that the connection start request is a reconnection request based on the connection application ID.

[0121] When a reconnection request is received, the control unit 101 reads the encryption key of the smartphone 200 from the non-volatile memory 103. Similarly, the control unit 201 reads the encryption key of the digital camera 100 from the non-volatile memory 203. Then, the control units 101 and 201 execute processing for establishing encrypted communication. As a result, encrypted communication (BLE connection) between the digital camera 100 and the smartphone 200 is established.

[0122] <Menu screen display control> Next, the display control operation of the menu screen in the camera communication application will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 9. The camera communication application determines the menu screen to be displayed depending on whether the connected device is a new device and the connection method.

[0123] Here, it is assumed that the smartphone 200 and the digital camera 100b are connected to the same wireless LAN network. Alternatively, the smartphone 200 may be connected to a network generated by the connection unit 108 of the digital camera 100b as a simple AP. Moreover, the digital camera 100b and the smartphone 200 may be connected to a network generated by a Wi-Fi router (not shown) as an AP.

[0124] 9 is realized by the control unit 201 executing a camera communication application. Also, the operation is executed when a menu screen is displayed, for example, when the camera communication application is started on the smartphone 200. Also, it is assumed that the digital camera 100a is connected to the smartphone 200 via BLE, and the digital camera 100b is connected to the smartphone 200 via wireless LAN.

[0125] In S801, the control unit 201 causes the short-range wireless communication unit 212 to start a search process for a BLE advertising signal.

[0126] In S802, the control unit 201 determines whether or not a BLE advertising signal has been received via the short-range wireless communication unit 212. If it is determined that a BLE advertising signal has been received, the control unit 201 executes S803, and if not, executes S812.

[0127] In S803, the control unit 201 acquires an application ID from the device information included in the received BLE advertising signal. Then, the control unit 201 determines whether or not the acquired application ID matches the application ID of the smartphone 200 (for example, the application ID transmitted in T709 in FIG. 8).

[0128] If it is determined that the two application IDs match, the control unit 201 determines that the request is a reconnection from a registered device, and executes S804. If the BLE advertisement signal does not include an application ID, the control unit 201 determines that the request is a new connection request, and executes S809. Note that if the BLE advertisement signal includes an application ID and it is not determined that the application ID matches the application ID of the smartphone 200, the control unit 201 determines that the advertisement signal is a connection request to another device, and executes S812. (BLE reconnection process) In S804, the control unit 201 executes a BLE reconnection process with the digital camera 100a via the short-range wireless communication unit 212, and re-establishes the BLE connection. This reconnection process is the same as the process described after T714 in Fig. 8, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0129] In S805, the control unit 201 determines the update contents for reflecting the reconnection on the menu screen. At this point, the display is not yet updated. The control unit 201 determines that the BLE icon of the connection method 405a is to be displayed brightly and the Wi-Fi icon is to be displayed darkly, and that the function buttons 406a to 409a on the menu screen are to be displayed brightly.

[0130] In S806, the control unit 201 identifies the page position of the menu screen 400a of the digital camera 100a reconnected in S804. The page position of the menu screen 400a of the reconnected digital camera 100a matches the index 501 of the camera information of the digital camera 100a stored in the non-volatile memory 203.

[0131] Therefore, the control unit 201 can specify the page position of the menu screen 400a of the reconnected digital camera 100a by acquiring the index of the digital camera 100a from the camera information stored in the non-volatile memory 203. If necessary, the control unit 201 may acquire identification information (Mac address of the wireless LAN) from the digital camera 100a in S806. Alternatively, the control unit 201 may acquire the index of the digital camera 100a from the camera information by using the name of the digital camera 100a included in the BLE advertising signal received in S802.

[0132] The acquired index is used by the control unit 201 in S807 to determine whether or not the menu screen currently being displayed on the display unit 206 of the smartphone 200 is the menu screen 400a of the reconnected digital camera 100a.

[0133] In S807, the control unit 201 determines whether the menu screen currently displayed on the display unit 206 is the menu screen 400a of the digital camera 100a reconnected in S804. The control unit 201 acquires the page position of the menu screen indicated by the page mark 410 from the work memory 204 and compares it with the index acquired in S806. Since the page position of the menu screen corresponds to the index, if the two have the same value, it can be determined that the menu screen currently displayed on the display unit 206 is the menu screen 400a of the digital camera 100a. On the other hand, if the two have different values, the control unit 201 can determine that the menu screen currently displayed on the display unit 206 is not the menu screen 400a of the digital camera 100a.

[0134] If the control unit 201 determines that the menu screen being displayed on the display unit 206 is the menu screen 400a of the digital camera 100a reconnected in S804, it executes S808, and if not, it ends the processing in FIG.

[0135] The menu screen 400a of the reconnected digital camera 100a is not displayed on the display unit 206, for example, when a wireless LAN connection has already been established between the digital camera 100b and the smartphone 200. In this case, when the digital camera 100a reconnects to the smartphone 200 in S804, the menu screen 400b of the digital camera 100b is displayed on the display unit 206 (FIG. 10(a), left side).

[0136] In this manner, in this embodiment, even if a connection is established with another device while the menu screen of a device to which a connection has already been established is being displayed, the display does not automatically switch to the menu screen of the other device. Therefore, as shown on the right side of FIG. 10(a), the menu screen 400b continues to be displayed.

[0137] In S808, the control unit 201 updates the menu screen 400a displayed on the display unit 206 based on the changes determined in S805. Specifically, when a BLE connection is established, the BLE icon of the connection method 405a and the function buttons 406a to 409a are displayed brightly. After the update, the menu screen 400a is displayed in the form shown in FIG. 4(b). However, the number of page marks 410a may vary depending on the number of indexes of the registered camera information.

[0138] Furthermore, when a wireless LAN connection is established with the digital camera 100a, the Wi-Fi icon of the connection method 405a and the function buttons 406a to 408a are displayed brightly. Furthermore, the BLE icon of the connection method 405a and the function button 409a are displayed darkly. As a result, the menu screen 400a is displayed in the form shown in Fig. 5(a). In this case as well, the number of page marks 410a may vary depending on the number of indexes of the registered camera information.

[0139] The BLE standard has a function of automatically reconnecting when a paired device is detected within the communication range. Therefore, when a wireless LAN connection is established between the digital camera 100b and the smartphone 200, if the digital camera 100a approaches the smartphone 200, the connection is automatically reconnected. This automatic reconnection process is executed by the control unit 201 regardless of whether the camera communication application is in the foreground or background. In addition, the smartphone 200 can simultaneously establish BLE connections with multiple digital cameras. In this way, depending on the communication standard, automatic reconnection may be executed regardless of the user's intention.

[0140] Therefore, for example, if the menu screen of the device that last established a connection is displayed, the menu screen will be changed due to an unintended automatic reconnection, and the operation that the user was performing on another device will be interrupted. In this embodiment, if a menu screen of a certain device is displayed when the other device is reconnected, the menu screen is not changed, thereby avoiding the above-mentioned problem and providing ease of use. (BLE new connection processing) Returning to FIG. 9, the operation when the BLE advertisement signal does not include an application ID, i.e., when a new connection is made, will be described. In S809, the control unit 201 executes a new BLE connection process with the digital camera 100a via the short-range wireless communication unit 212, and establishes a BLE connection. This new connection process is the same as the process described as T705 to T713 in FIG. 8, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0141] In S810, the control unit 201 generates a menu screen for the newly connected digital camera. Based on the camera information registered in T713 of Fig. 8, the control unit 201 generates the menu screen shown in Fig. 4(b) for the digital camera 100a.

[0142] The control unit 201 reads out the name of the digital camera 100a from the camera information stored in the non-volatile memory 203, and sets it to the name 404a. The icon 403a showing the appearance of the digital camera 100a can be acquired from icons registered in advance in the camera communication application according to the model name obtained from the digital camera 100a. It may also be acquired by other methods. Furthermore, for the connection method 405a, the control unit 201 sets the BLE icon to be displayed brightly because the BLE connection was established in S809, and the Wi-Fi icon to be displayed darkly because the wireless LAN connection has not been established.

[0143] In addition, since the BLE connection has been established, the control unit 201 sets the function buttons 406a to 409a to be displayed brightly. Furthermore, the control unit 201 sets the maximum index value of the camera information registered in the non-volatile memory 203 as the number of page marks 410a. The control unit 201 generates image data for the menu screen 400a based on the above settings.

[0144] In S811, the control unit 201 displays the menu screen 400a generated in S810 on the display unit 206. For example, if the digital camera with which the BLE connection is established in S809 is the first digital camera registered in the smartphone, the menu screen 400 in Fig. 4(a) is switched to the menu screen 400a in Fig. 4(b).

[0145] Since new connections are not made automatically, it is assumed that the user is making the connection intentionally. Therefore, when a new device is connected, the display switches to a menu screen for the newly connected device. When the menu screen 400a is displayed in S811, the control unit 201 ends the process shown in the flowchart of FIG.

[0146] (Wireless LAN connection) Next, the operations from S812 onwards that are executed when a BLE advertisement signal is not received in S802 will be described. The digital camera 100b and the smartphone 200 are connected to the same wireless LAN network. The smartphone 200 can connect to the wireless LAN network, for example, by operating a setting application provided by the OS. Similarly, the digital camera 100b can connect to the wireless LAN network through operations on a menu screen. It is assumed that information required for connection, such as a password, is already known.

[0147] In S812, the control unit 201 searches for the presence of the digital camera 100b in the currently connected wireless LAN network through the connection unit 208. When the wireless LAN function of the digital camera 100b is enabled, the digital camera 100b transmits a wireless LAN advertisement signal from the connection unit 108 (T601 in FIG. 7). Therefore, the control unit 201 causes the connection unit 208 to search for a wireless LAN advertisement signal.

[0148] The process of searching for the digital camera 100b on the wireless LAN network can be executed when the camera communication application is in the foreground. Therefore, when the camera communication application is moved to the background, the search process is stopped.

[0149] In S813, the control unit 201 determines whether or not a wireless LAN advertising signal has been received through the connection unit 208. If it is determined that a wireless LAN advertising signal has been received, the control unit 201 executes S814, and if not, executes S801.

[0150] In S814, the control unit 201 checks whether or not an application ID is included in the received wireless LAN advertisement signal. If an application ID is included, the control unit 201 determines that the signal is a reconnection request and executes S815. If an application ID is not included, the control unit 201 determines that the signal is a new connection request and executes S817.

[0151] (Wireless LAN reconnection) In S815, the control unit 201 executes the wireless LAN reconnection process with the digital camera 100b. The wireless LAN reconnection process is the same as the process after T610 in Fig. 7, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0152] When the wireless LAN connection between the digital camera 100b and the smartphone 200 is established in S815, the control unit 201 executes S816.

[0153] In S816, the control unit 201 determines the update contents for reflecting the reconnection on the menu screen in the same manner as in S805. At this point, the display is not yet updated. The control unit 201 determines that the BLE icon of the connection method 405b is to be displayed darkly and the Wi-Fi icon is to be displayed brightly, and that the function buttons 406b to 408b on the menu screen are to be displayed brightly and 409b is to be displayed darkly.

[0154] In S817, the control unit 201 identifies the page position of the menu screen 400b of the reconnected digital camera 100b, similarly to S806. The page position of the menu screen 400b of the reconnected digital camera 100b matches the index 501 of the camera information of the digital camera 100b stored in the non-volatile memory 203.

[0155] The control unit 201 uses the wireless LAN Mac address of the digital camera 100b included in the wireless LAN advertise signal to acquire the index 501 of the camera information of the digital camera 100b from the camera information stored in the non-volatile memory 203. For example, when the camera information shown in Fig. 5 is registered in the non-volatile memory 203, the index of the camera information of the digital camera 100b is "2". Alternatively, the index 501 of the camera information of the digital camera 100b may be acquired using the name of the digital camera 100b, "Camera B", included in the wireless LAN advertise signal received in S812.

[0156] Thereafter, the control unit 201 generates image data for the menu screen 400b for the reconnected digital camera 100b, reflecting the determination in S816 and the index acquired in S817.

[0157] In S811, the control unit 201 causes the display unit 206 to display the generated menu screen 400b, and ends the process shown in the flowchart of FIG.

[0158] For example, Fig. 9(b) shows the change in the menu display when a wireless LAN connection is re-established with digital camera 100b while menu screen 400a for digital camera 100a with which no connection has been established is displayed. Because no connection has been established with digital camera 100a, the items on menu screen 400a are displayed dark (left side of Fig. 9(b)). When a wireless LAN connection with digital camera 100b is re-established in this state, the display switches to menu screen 400b shown on the right side of Fig. 9(b).

[0159] (New wireless LAN connection) Next, the operation when the application ID is not included in the wireless LAN advertisement signal, i.e., when a new connection is made, will be described. In S818, the control unit 201 executes new wireless LAN connection processing with the digital camera 100a via the connection unit 208, and establishes a wireless LAN connection. This new connection processing is the same as the processing of T606 to T609 in FIG. 7, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0160] In S819, the control unit 201 generates a menu screen for the newly connected digital camera 100b. Based on the camera information registered in T609 in Fig. 7, the control unit 201 generates the menu screen shown in Fig. 5(a) for the digital camera 100b.

[0161] The control unit 201 reads out the name of the digital camera 100b from the camera information stored in the non-volatile memory 203, and sets it to name 404b. Note that icon 403b showing the appearance of the digital camera 100b can be acquired from icons registered in advance in the camera communication application according to the model name obtained from the digital camera 100b. It may also be acquired by other methods. Furthermore, for connection method 405b, the control unit 201 sets so that the Wi-Fi icon is displayed brightly because a wireless LAN connection was established in S818, and the BLE icon is displayed darkly because a BLE connection has not been established.

[0162] Furthermore, since a BLE connection has not been established, the control unit 201 sets the function buttons 406b to 408b to be displayed brightly and 409b to be displayed darkly. Furthermore, the control unit 201 sets the maximum value of the index of the camera information registered in the non-volatile memory 203 as the number of page marks 410b. The control unit 201 generates image data for the menu screen 400b based on the above settings. In the case of a new connection, the page position of the menu screen is the last, so there is no need to specify it.

[0163] Thereafter, the control unit 201 executes S811, displays the generated menu screen 400b on the display unit 206, and ends the process shown in the flowchart of FIG.

[0164] In this way, in the case of a wireless LAN connection, when a connection is established, whether it is a reconnection or a new connection, the menu screen for the connected device is displayed. A wireless LAN connection, which consumes more power than BLE, is generally performed only when using a function that requires wireless LAN communication, so it is considered to be a connection intended by the user. Therefore, by automatically displaying the menu screen of the device connected to the wireless LAN when a wireless LAN connection is established, functions using the connected device can be executed without manually switching the menu screen.

[0165] According to this embodiment, in a communication device capable of communicating with an external device using a plurality of connection methods, when an external device is connected, whether or not to automatically display a screen for the connected external device is determined according to the connection method and whether the connection is a new connection or a reconnection. Specifically, when there is a high possibility that the user intentionally connected the external device, the screen for the connected external device is automatically displayed, and in other cases, the screen for the connected external device is not automatically displayed. This makes it possible to improve user convenience.

[0166] (Other embodiments) In the above embodiment, when the BLE connection is re-established, if a menu screen of a device other than the BLE-connected device is displayed, the menu screen is not switched. However, if communication with the device on which the menu screen is displayed is not established, the display may be automatically switched to the menu screen of the device that re-established the BLE connection.

[0167] In the above-described embodiment, the connection between BLE and wireless LAN has been described. However, the connection unit 208 may be a USB interface, and the external device may be connected to the smartphone via a USB cable (referred to as a USB connection). Alternatively, a connection method (referred to as an NFC connection) using near field communication (NFC) by the near field communication unit 212 for wireless LAN connection, also called tap-to-connect, may be used.

[0168] In either method, the user physically connects the digital camera and the smartphone or brings them close to each other to establish a connection, and therefore the connection is considered to be intentional. Therefore, when a USB or NFC connection with an external device is established, the display can automatically switch to the menu screen for the external device.

[0169] Figure 11 summarizes the display control when connecting for the first time and when reconnecting for each connection method: BLE, wireless LAN, USB, and NFC.

[0170] In addition, when a wireless LAN connection is established after a USB connection is established, or when a USB connection is established after a wireless LAN connection is established, the display is not switched. In addition, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that other devices have not established a wireless LAN connection in the wireless LAN connection process. However, when other devices have established a wireless LAN connection, a new wireless LAN connection request may not be accepted. This is because a function using an already established connection may be executed between the external device and the smartphone.

[0171] In addition, in the present embodiment, the camera communication application has been described as always being in the foreground. However, there is a possibility that the camera communication application may be moved to the background. When the camera communication application is in the background, the control unit 201 does not execute a connection process even if a USB connection or NFC connection operation is detected. When the camera communication application returns from the background to the foreground, the control unit 201 can execute or resume a connection process.

[0172] The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more of the functions.

[0173] The disclosure of the present embodiment includes the following communication device, a control method thereof, and a program. (Item 1) A communication device capable of communicating with an external device by a first connection method and a second connection method, A display means; a control means for determining, when a connection with an external device is established, whether or not to automatically display a screen for using the external device from the communication device on the display means, depending on a connection method with the external device and / or whether the external device is newly connected or reconnected; A communication device comprising: (Item 2) The communication device described in item 1, characterized in that the control means determines not to automatically display the screen when the connection method is a first connection method that allows for simultaneous establishment of connections with different external devices. (Item 3) The communication device described in item 2, characterized in that the control means determines to automatically display the screen when the connection method is a second connection method that does not allow simultaneous establishment of a connection with different external devices. (Item 4) The communication device described in item 1, characterized in that the control means determines not to automatically display the screen when the connection method is a first connection method that automatically reconnects another external device when the communication device has established a connection with the external device. (Item 5) The communication device described in any one of items 1 to 4, characterized in that when a connection with the external device is established, if there is no external device that has established a connection with the communication device, the control means determines to automatically display a screen for using the external device from the communication device. (Item 6) 2. The communication device according to item 1, wherein the control means, when a connection using the second connection method has been established, does not accept any further connection request using the second connection method. (Item 7) 7. The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 6, wherein the second connection method enables faster communication and consumes more power than the first connection method. (Item 8) 8. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the first connection method is a connection method conforming to the Bluetooth standard, and the second connection method is a connection method conforming to the wireless LAN standard. (Item 9) The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 7, characterized in that the second connection method is a connection method conforming to the USB standard or a connection method that uses close proximity wireless communication for a connection conforming to the wireless LAN standard. (Item 10) A control method executed by a communication device capable of communicating with an external device by a first connection method and a second connection method, comprising: Detecting that a connection with an external device has been established; determining whether or not to automatically display a screen for using the external device with which the connection has been established from the communication device on the display device, depending on a connection method with the external device and / or whether the external device has been newly connected or reconnected; 13. A method for controlling a communication device, comprising: (Item 11) A program for causing a computer to function as a control means possessed by the communication device according to any one of items 1 to 9.

[0174] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the following claims are appended to disclose the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0175] 100... digital camera, 200... smartphone, 101, 201... control unit, 108, 208... connection unit, 112, 212... short-range wireless communication unit

Claims

1. A communication device capable of communicating with an external device by a first connection method and a second connection method, A display means; a control means for determining, when a connection with an external device is established, whether or not to automatically display a screen for using the external device from the communication device on the display means, depending on a connection method with the external device and / or whether the external device is newly connected or reconnected; A communication device comprising:

2. 2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the control means determines not to automatically display the screen when the connection method is a first connection method capable of simultaneously establishing connections with different external devices.

3. The communication device according to claim 2, characterized in that the control means determines to automatically display the screen when the connection method is a second connection method that does not allow simultaneous establishment of connections with different external devices.

4. The communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control means determines not to automatically display the screen when the connection method is a first connection method that automatically reconnects another external device when the communication device has established a connection with the external device.

5. The communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that, when a connection with the external device is established, the control means determines that if there is no external device that has established a connection with the communication device, a screen for using the external device will be automatically displayed from the communication device.

6. 2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the control means, when a connection by the second connection method has been established, does not accept any further connection request by the second connection method.

7. 2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the second connection method enables faster communication and consumes more power than the first connection method.

8. 8. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the first connection method is a connection method conforming to a Bluetooth standard, and the second connection method is a connection method conforming to a wireless LAN standard.

9. 2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the second connection method is a connection method conforming to a USB standard or a connection method utilizing close proximity wireless communication for a connection conforming to a wireless LAN standard.

10. A control method executed by a communication device capable of communicating with an external device by a first connection method and a second connection method, comprising: Detecting that a connection with an external device has been established; determining whether or not to automatically display a screen for using the external device with which the connection has been established from the communication device on the display device, depending on a connection method with the external device and / or whether the external device has been newly connected or reconnected; 13. A method for controlling a communication device, comprising:

11. A program for causing a computer to function as the control means of the communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

Images