Electronic apparatus, method for controlling the same, program, and storage medium

Abstract

To prevent a situation in which when an electronic apparatus changes a connection destination AP according to a request for changing a connection destination during specific processing involving communication, the electronic apparatus cannot promptly perform another processing.SOLUTION: An electronic apparatus has: receiving means that receives a request for changing an access point (AP) to be a connection destination from an AP being connected with the electronic apparatus; processing means that communicates with another apparatus via the AP being connected with the electronic apparatus and performs specific processing involving transmission or reception of data; and control means that performs control to receive or transmit part of data for the specific processing through the communication with the another apparatus, and when changing the connection destination according to the change request in a first state in which reception or transmission of the rest of the data is not completed, suspend the specific processing and cancel the standby state of the reception or transmission of the rest of the data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic device capable of changing an access point (AP) to which a connection is to be made based on a connection change request from the AP, a control method thereof, a program, and a storage medium. [Background technology]

[0002] In an Extended Service Set (ESS) consisting of multiple Access Points (APs), there is a technology that dynamically switches the AP to which the STA (Station) connects in order to efficiently exchange data between the AP and the STA. When it is determined that the AP to which the STA should connect should be switched based on the congestion of the AP to which the STA is connected, the availability of other APs, the radio wave conditions, etc., the currently connected AP sends a request to the STA to change the connected AP. When the STA receives an AP change request, it can connect to the appropriate AP by switching the AP to which it connects in accordance with the request.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses the following process of requesting a connected wireless slave device to change its connection destination from a router having an AP function. A mobile router (MR1) that can connect to multiple wireless slave devices checks whether the wireless slave device terminal supports IEEE802.11v. It is possible to determine whether the wireless slave device terminal supports IEEE802.11v from an Association Request frame that the wireless slave device terminal transmits when wirelessly connecting to MR1. If the wireless slave device terminal supports IEEE802.11v, a BTM (BSS Transition Management) Request frame is transmitted to the corresponding wireless slave device terminal. The BSS Transition Candidate List Entries field of the BTM Request frame specifies the BSSID of the parent router RT2 as the connection destination. This prompts the slave device terminal to switch its connection destination, and the wireless slave device terminal switches its connection destination from MR1 to RT2 in accordance with the received BTM Request frame. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2021-175068 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] There are two states for a STA: one where no problems occur when the connected AP is switched, and another where problems occur when the connected AP is switched or disconnected from the currently connected AP. In other words, a problem may occur in a STA when it receives a request to change the connected AP from the currently connected AP and switches the connected AP in response to the request. Also, if a request to change the connected AP received from a disconnected AP is not responded to, it may be disconnected from the currently connected AP, and this may also cause problems in the STA.

[0006] Problems may occur, for example, when the STA is in the middle of receiving print data from another device, such as a smartphone or a PC, via the AP to which it is connected and printing the data. In this case, if the STA receives a request to change the connected AP and switches the connected AP in response to the request, the IP address of the STA may change. Then, the other device will not be able to find the STA with the changed IP address, and will not be able to send the rest of the print data being printed from the other device. Therefore, the STA will not be able to receive the unreceived part of the print data being printed, and the printing cannot be completed. In this case, the STA will enter a reception standby state in which it is waiting to receive the rest of the print data (the unreceived part) in the middle of printing, but since the rest is not sent, the reception standby state will continue. During this period, other processes cannot be executed, and the subsequent process cannot be executed promptly while the printing is in progress. Similarly, if the connected AP is switched in the middle of sending or receiving data other than print data, problems may occur such as not being able to send or receive the remaining part and complete the process.

[0007] In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention aims to provide a mechanism for preventing other processes from being unable to be performed promptly when the AP of the connection destination is changed in response to a request to change the connection destination during a specific process involving communication. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the electronic device of the present invention comprises: A receiving means for receiving a request to change an access point (AP) to be connected from a currently connected AP; A processing means for communicating with another device via the currently connected AP and performing a specific process involving transmission or reception of data; a control means for controlling, when a connection destination is changed in response to the change request in a first state in which a part of data for the specific process is received or transmitted through communication with the other device and the reception or transmission of the remaining part is not completed, to interrupt the specific process and release the standby state for the reception or transmission of the remaining part; The present invention is characterized by having the following. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, when the AP of the connection destination is changed in response to a request to change the connection destination during a specific process involving communication, it is possible to prevent other processes from being unable to be performed promptly. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system configuration. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of the configuration of an MFP. [Diagram 3] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating examples of displays on an operation display unit of the MFP. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a mobile terminal device. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of an access point. [Figure 6] 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating a process in response to a connection destination change request from an AP. [Figure 7] 13 is a flowchart of a process in the MFP in response to a connection destination change request from an AP. [Figure 8] 13 is a flowchart of a connection destination change request in the MFP. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiment is merely an example, and specific examples of components, processing steps, display screens, etc. are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention unless otherwise specified.

[0012] (System Configuration) FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a system according to this embodiment. In one example, this system is a wireless communication system in which a plurality of communication devices can wirelessly communicate with each other. In the example of FIG. 1, the communication devices include a mobile terminal device 104, an MFP 100, access points AP1 (101) and AP2 (102), a DHCP server 103, a DNS server 105, and a network 110. The mobile terminal device 104 is a device having a wireless communication function using a wireless LAN or the like. Note that, hereinafter, a wireless LAN may be referred to as a WLAN. The mobile terminal device 104 may be a personal information terminal such as a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a mobile phone (smartphone), a digital camera, a personal computer, or the like.

[0013] The MFP100 is a printing device having a printing function, and may further have a reading function (scanner), a FAX function, and a telephone function. The MFP100 of this embodiment has a communication function capable of wirelessly communicating with a mobile terminal device 104. Although the MFP100 is used in this embodiment as an example, this is not limiting. For example, a scanner device, a projector, a mobile terminal, a smartphone, a notebook PC, a tablet terminal, a PDA, a digital camera, a music playback device, a television, a smart speaker, and the like, each having a communication function, may be used instead of the MFP100. Note that MFP is an acronym for Multi Function Peripheral.

[0014] The AP1 (101) is provided separately (externally) from the mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100, and operates as a base station device of the WLAN. A communication device having a communication function of the WLAN can communicate in infrastructure mode of the WLAN via the AP1 (101). In the following, an access point may be called an "AP." Also, infrastructure mode may be called a "wireless infrastructure mode." The AP1 (101) performs wireless communication with a communication device that has been authorized to connect to the own device (has been authenticated), and relays wireless communication between the communication device and other communication devices. Also, the AP1 (101) is connected to, for example, a wired communication network, and can relay communication between a communication device connected to the wired communication network and another communication device wirelessly connected to the AP1 (101).

[0015] AP2 (102) has the same function as AP1 (101), and MFP 100 switches the connection from AP1 (101) to AP2 (102) as necessary. DHCP server 103 connects to MFP 100 via AP1 (101) and network 110, and provides services to MFP 100 by responding to requests from MFP 100. Note that, in FIG. 1, DHCP server 103 is described as being connected as a device separate from AP1 (101) and AP2 (102), but AP1 (101) and AP2 (102) may have a DHCP server function. DNS server 105 is connected to MFP 100 and mobile terminal device 104 via AP1 (101) and network 110, and provides services for name resolution by responding to requests from MFP 100 and mobile terminal device 104. Here, network 110 may be the so-called Internet, or may be a closed network within a company or a mobile phone network.

[0016] (External configuration of MFP) FIG. 2A shows an example of the external configuration of the MFP 100. The MFP 100 has, for example, a document table 201, a document cover 202, a print paper insertion port 203, a print paper discharge port 204, and an operation display unit 205. The document table 201 is a table on which a document to be read is placed. The document cover 202 is a cover for holding the document placed on the document table 201 and preventing light from a light source that irradiates the document during reading from leaking to the outside. The print paper insertion port 203 is an insertion port that allows various sizes of paper to be set. The print paper discharge port 204 is a discharge port that discharges paper that has been printed. The paper set in the print paper insertion port 203 is transported one sheet at a time to the printing unit, and after printing is performed in the printing unit, it is discharged from the print paper discharge port 204. The operation display unit 205 includes keys such as character input keys, cursor keys, a decision key, and a cancel key, as well as an LED and an LCD, and is configured to be able to accept operations by the user to activate various functions as an MFP and to operate various settings. The operation display unit 205 may also be configured to include a touch panel display. The MFP 100 has a wireless communication function using WLAN, and includes a wireless communication antenna 206 for the wireless communication, although this does not necessarily need to be visible from the outside. Like the mobile terminal device 104, the MFP 100 can also perform wireless communication using WLAN in frequency bands of 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz.

[0017] (MFP configuration) 2B shows an example of the configuration of the MFP 100. The MFP 100 includes a main board 211 that performs main control of the device itself, and a wireless unit 226 that is one communication module that performs WLAN communication using at least one common antenna. The MFP 100 also includes, for example, a modem 229 for performing wired communication. The main board 211 includes, for example, a CPU 212 (central processing unit), a ROM 213, a RAM 214, a non-volatile memory 215, an image memory 216, a read control unit 217, a data conversion unit 218, a reading unit 219, and an encoding / decoding processing unit 221. The main board 211 also includes, for example, a printing unit 222, a paper feed unit 223, a print control unit 224, and an operation display unit 220. These functional units in the main board 211 are connected to each other via a system bus 230 managed by the CPU 212. Furthermore, the main board 211 and the wireless unit 226 are connected via, for example, a dedicated bus 225 , and the main board 211 and the modem 229 are connected via, for example, a bus 228 .

[0018] The CPU 212 is a system control unit including at least one processor, and controls the entire MFP 100. In one example, the processing of the MFP 100 described below is realized by the CPU 212 executing a program stored in the ROM 213. Dedicated hardware for each process may be prepared. The ROM 213 stores a control program and an embedded OS program executed by the CPU 212. In this embodiment, the CPU 212 executes each control program stored in the ROM 213 under the management of an embedded OS also stored in the ROM 213, thereby performing software control such as scheduling and task switching.

[0019] The RAM 214 is composed of an SRAM or the like. The RAM 214 stores data such as program control variables, setting values ​​registered by the user, and management data of the MFP 100. The RAM 214 can also be used as a buffer for various types of work. The non-volatile memory 215 is composed of a memory such as a flash memory, and continues to store data even when the power of the MFP 100 is turned off. The image memory 216 is composed of a memory such as a DRAM. The image memory 216 accumulates image data received via the wireless unit 226, image data processed by the encoding / decoding processing unit 221, and the like. Note that the memory configuration of the MFP 100 is not limited to the above configuration. The data conversion unit 218 analyzes data of various formats, converts image data into print data, and the like.

[0020] The reading control unit 217 controls the reading unit 219 (for example, a CIS (contact image sensor)) to optically read the document placed on the document table 201. The reading control unit 217 converts the image obtained by optically reading the document into electrical image data (image signals) and outputs the same. At this time, the reading control unit 217 may output the image data after performing various image processes such as binarization and halftoning.

[0021] The operation display unit 220 is the operation display unit 205 described with reference to FIG. 2(a), and performs display on a display based on display control by the CPU 212, generation of a signal in response to reception of a user operation, and the like.

[0022] The encoding / decoding processor 221 performs encoding and decoding processes and enlargement / reduction processes for image data (JPEG, PNG, etc.) handled by the MFP 100.

[0023] The paper feed unit 223 holds paper for printing. The paper feed unit 223 can supply the set paper under the control of the print control unit 224. The paper feed unit 223 may include multiple paper feed units in order to hold multiple types of paper in one device, and under the control of the print control unit 224, it can control which paper feed unit to use to feed paper.

[0024] The print control unit 224 performs various image processing such as smoothing, print density correction, and color correction on the image data to be printed, and outputs the processed image data to the print unit 222. The print unit 222 is configured to be able to execute, for example, an inkjet printing process, and ejects ink supplied from an ink tank from a print head to record an image on a recording medium such as paper. The print unit 222 may be configured to execute other printing processes such as an electrophotographic method. The print control unit 224 may also periodically read out information from the print unit 222 and update status information stored in the RAM 214, including the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank and the state of the print head.

[0025] The wireless unit 226 is a unit capable of providing a communication function of WLAN, and can provide the same function as that of a combination of the WLAN unit 401 of the mobile terminal device 104, for example. That is, the wireless unit 226 converts data into packets according to the WLAN standard and transmits the packets to other devices, and also restores packets from other external devices to the original data and outputs them to the CPU 212. The wireless unit 226 can communicate as a station conforming to the IEEE802.11 standard series. In particular, it can communicate as a station conforming to IEEE802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax. Hereinafter, the station may be referred to as an STA. It can also communicate as an STA compatible with Wi-Fi Agile Multiband (trademark).

[0026] The wireless unit 226 is compatible with IEEE802.11ax, i.e., Wi-Fi6 (trademark), and can perform processing compliant with IEEE802.11ax. That is, the MFP 100 can perform either or both of the processing as an STA compatible with (compliant with) OFDMA and the operation (processing) as an STA compatible with (compliant with) TWT. OFDMA stands for Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access. TWT stands for Target Wake Time. Since it supports TWT, the timing of data communication from the parent device to the STA is adjusted. The wireless unit 226 (MFP 100) that is an STA transitions the communication function to a sleep state when it is not necessary to wait for signal reception. This makes it possible to reduce power consumption. The wireless unit 226 also supports Wi-Fi 6E (trademark). That is, communication in the 6 GHz band (5.925 GHz to 7.125 GHz) is also possible. The band that is in the 5 GHz band and in which Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS) is performed does not exist in the 6 GHz band. As a result, when communicating in the 6 GHz band, communication interruptions due to DFS waiting times will not occur, and you can expect more smooth communication.

[0027] The mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100 are capable of P2P (WLAN) communication based on the WFD, and the wireless unit 226 has a software access point (soft AP) function or a group owner function. That is, the wireless unit 226 can build a network for P2P communication and determine a channel to be used for P2P communication.

[0028] (MFP operation display section) FIG. 3 shows an example of a screen display on a display (touch panel display) included in the operation display unit 220 of the MFP 100. FIG. 3(a) shows an example of a home screen displayed when the MFP 100 is powered on and an operation such as printing or scanning is not being performed (idle state, standby state). In FIG. 3(a), display items (menu items) corresponding to copy, scan, and cloud are displayed. Cloud is a menu item related to a cloud function using Internet communication. When any of the menu items is selected by key operation or touch panel operation, the MFP 100 can start executing the corresponding setting or function. The MFP 100 can seamlessly display a screen different from that shown in FIG. 3(a) by accepting key operation or touch panel operation on the home screen of FIG. 3(a).

[0029] Fig. 3(b) is a display example of another part of the home screen, which is a screen transitioned to by an operation (such as a sliding operation to the left or right) to display another page of the home screen from the state of Fig. 3(a). In Fig. 3(b), display items (menu items) corresponding to communication settings, print, and photo are displayed. When any of these menu items is selected, the function corresponding to the selected menu item, that is, the print function, photo function, or communication settings, is executed.

[0030] FIG. 3(c) is an example of a display of a menu screen of communication settings that is displayed when communication settings are selected on the screen of FIG. 3(b). On the menu screen of communication settings, "wireless LAN", "wired LAN", "wireless direct", "Bluetooth", and "common" are displayed as menu items (options). "Wireless LAN", "wired LAN", and "wireless direct" are menu items for performing LAN settings, and from these items, settings such as setting wired connection, enabling / disabling wireless infrastructure mode, and enabling / disabling P2P modes such as WFD and soft AP mode can be performed. When the "wireless LAN" item is selected and wireless LAN is enabled by user operation, wireless infrastructure mode is enabled. When the "wireless direct" item is selected and wireless direct is enabled by user operation, P2P (WLAN) mode is enabled. In addition, on this screen, a common setting menu for each connection form is also displayed. Furthermore, the user can set the frequency band and frequency channel of wireless LAN from this screen.

[0031] (External configuration of mobile terminal device) FIG. 4(a) is a diagram showing an example of the external configuration of the mobile terminal device 104. In this embodiment, as an example, the mobile terminal device 104 is a smartphone of a general type. The mobile terminal device 104 includes, for example, a display unit 402, an operation unit 403, and a power key 404. The display unit 402 is, for example, a display including a display mechanism of an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) type. The display unit 402 may display information using, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) or the like. The mobile terminal device 104 may have a function of outputting information by voice in addition to or instead of the display unit 402. The operation unit 403 includes hard keys such as keys and buttons, a touch panel, and the like for detecting user operations. In this example, the display unit 402 displays information and the operation unit 403 accepts user operations using a common touch panel display, so that the display unit 402 and the operation unit 403 are realized by one device. In this case, for example, button icons and a software keyboard are displayed using the display function of the display unit 402, and the touch of the user on those points is detected by the operation reception function of the operation unit 403. Note that the display unit 402 and the operation unit 403 may be separated, and hardware for display and hardware for operation reception may be prepared separately. The power key 404 is a hardware key for receiving a user operation for turning the power of the mobile terminal device 104 on or off.

[0032] The mobile terminal device 104 includes a WLAN unit 401 that provides a communication function of a WLAN, although it is not necessarily visible from the outside. The WLAN unit 401 is configured to be able to execute data (packet) communication in a WLAN system that complies with, for example, the IEEE802.11 standard series (IEEE802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax, etc.). In addition, it is capable of communication as an AP compatible with Wi-Fi Agile Multiband (trademark). However, it is not limited to this, and the WLAN unit 401 may be capable of executing communication in a WLAN system that complies with other standards. In this example, it is assumed that the WLAN unit 401 is capable of communication in both the 2.4 GHz band and the 5 GHz band. It is also assumed that the WLAN unit 401 is capable of communication based on WFD, communication in a soft AP mode, communication in a wireless infrastructure mode, etc. Operations in these modes will be described later.

[0033] (Configuration of mobile terminal device) FIG. 4(b) shows an example of the configuration of the mobile terminal device 104. In one example, the mobile terminal device 104 has a main board 411 that performs main control of the device itself, and a WLAN unit 429 that performs WLAN communication. The main board 411 includes, for example, a CPU 412, a ROM 413, a RAM 414, an image memory 415, a data conversion unit 416, a telephone unit 417, a GPS 419, a camera unit 421, a non-volatile memory 422, a data storage unit 423, a speaker unit 424, and a power supply unit 425. Here, CPU is an acronym for Central Processing Unit, ROM is an acronym for Read Only Memory, RAM is an acronym for Random Access Memory, and GPS is an acronym for Global Positioning System. The mobile terminal device 104 also includes a display unit 420 and an operation unit 418. These functional units in the main board 411 are connected to each other via a system bus 628 managed by the CPU 412. Furthermore, the main board 411 and the WLAN unit 429 (the above-mentioned WLAN unit 401) are connected via a dedicated bus 426, for example.

[0034] The CPU 412 is a system control unit including at least one processor, and controls the entire mobile terminal device 104. In one example, the processing of the mobile terminal device 104 described below is realized by the CPU 412 executing a program stored in the ROM 413. Dedicated hardware for each process may be prepared. The ROM 413 stores a control program executed by the CPU 412, an embedded operating system (OS) program, and the like. In this embodiment, the CPU 412 executes each control program stored in the ROM 413 under the management of an embedded OS also stored in the ROM 413, thereby performing software control such as scheduling and task switching.

[0035] The RAM 414 is composed of a static RAM (SRAM) or the like. The RAM 414 stores data such as program control variables, settings registered by the user, and management data of the mobile terminal device 104. The RAM 414 can also be used as a buffer for various types of work. The image memory 415 is composed of a memory such as a dynamic RAM (DRAM). The image memory 415 temporarily stores image data received via the WLAN unit 429 and image data read from the data storage unit 423 for processing by the CPU 412. The non-volatile memory 422 is composed of a memory such as a flash memory, and continues to store data even when the power supply of the mobile terminal device 104 is turned off. Note that the memory configuration of the mobile terminal device 104 is not limited to the above-mentioned configuration. For example, the image memory 415 and the RAM 414 may be shared, or data may be backed up using the data storage unit 423. In the present embodiment, a DRAM is given as an example of the image memory 415, but other storage media such as a hard disk or a non-volatile memory may also be used.

[0036] The data conversion unit 416 performs data conversion such as analysis of data in various formats, color conversion, image conversion, etc. The telephone unit 417 controls the telephone line and realizes telephone communication by processing audio data input and output via the speaker unit 424. The GPS 419 receives radio waves transmitted from satellites and acquires location information such as the current latitude and longitude of the mobile terminal device 104.

[0037] The camera unit 421 has a function of electronically recording and encoding an image input through a lens. Image data obtained by imaging with the camera unit 421 is stored in the data storage unit 423. The speaker unit 424 performs control to realize a function of inputting or outputting voice for a telephone function and other functions such as alarm notification. The power supply unit 425 is, for example, a portable battery, and controls the power supply to the device. The power supply state includes, for example, a dead battery state in which the battery has no remaining charge, a power-off state in which the power key 404 is not pressed, a running state in which the device is normally running, and a power-saving state in which the device is running but is in power-saving mode.

[0038] 4(a) and performs various input operations and displays the operating and status conditions of the MFP 100 based on the control of the CPU 412. The operation unit 418 is the operation unit 403 described with reference to Fig. 4(a) and, upon receiving a user operation, performs control such as generating an electrical signal corresponding to the operation and outputting it to the CPU 412.

[0039] The mobile terminal device 104 performs wireless communication using the WLAN unit 429, and performs data communication with other devices such as the MFP 100. The WLAN unit 429 converts data into packets and transmits the packets to other devices. The WLAN unit 429 also restores packets from other external devices to their original data and outputs the data to the CPU 412. The WLAN unit 429 is a unit for realizing communication compliant with the WLAN standards. The WLAN unit 429 can operate in parallel in at least two communication modes including a wireless infrastructure mode and a P2P (WLAN) mode. The frequency bands used in these communication modes may be limited by the functions and performance of the hardware.

[0040] (Access point configuration) 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of AP1 (101) having a wireless LAN access point function. The AP1 (101) includes a main board 510 that controls the AP1 (101), a wireless LAN unit 516, a wired LAN unit 518, and an operation button 520.

[0041] A microprocessor-type CPU 511 arranged on a main board 510 operates according to a control program stored in a ROM-type program memory 513 connected via an internal bus 512 and the contents of a RAM-type data memory 514. The CPU 511 performs wireless LAN communication with other communication terminal devices by controlling a wireless LAN unit 516 via a wireless LAN communication control unit 515. The CPU 511 also performs wired LAN communication with other communication terminal devices by controlling a wired LAN unit 518 via a wired LAN communication control unit 517. The CPU 511 is capable of accepting operations from a user via an operation button 520 by controlling an operation unit control circuit 519. The CPU 511 includes at least one processor.

[0042] The AP1 (101) also includes an interference wave detection unit 521 and a channel change unit 522. The interference wave detection unit 521 performs processing to detect interference waves when wireless communication is being performed in a band where DFS (Dynamic Frequency Selection) is performed. If an interference wave is detected when wireless communication is being performed in a band where DFS is performed, the channel change unit 522 performs processing to change the channel to be used when it is necessary to immediately change to an available channel.

[0043] It should be noted that AP2 (102) has the same configuration as AP1 (101).

[0044] (P2P communication method) Next, we will outline a P2P (WLAN) communication method in which devices communicate directly with each other wirelessly without going through an external access point in WLAN communication. P2P (WLAN) communication can be realized using a number of methods, and for example, a communication device can support a number of modes for P2P (WLAN) communication and selectively use one of the multiple modes to execute P2P communication (WLAN).

[0045] The following two P2P modes are envisioned: Soft AP mode Wi-Fi Direct (WFD) mode A communication device capable of P2P communication may be configured to support at least one of these modes, but a communication device capable of P2P communication does not necessarily have to support all of these modes and may be configured to support only some of them.

[0046] A communication device (e.g., the mobile terminal device 104) having a communication function based on WFD calls up a (possibly dedicated) application for implementing the communication function by accepting user operations via its operation unit. The communication device then displays a UI (user interface) screen provided by the application to prompt the user to operate, and can execute WFD communication based on the accepted user operations in response.

[0047] ●Soft AP mode In the soft AP mode, a communication device (e.g., the mobile terminal device 104) operates as a client that requests various services. The other communication device (e.g., the MFP 100) operates as a soft AP that can execute the functions of a WLAN AP by software settings. Note that commands and parameters transmitted and received when establishing a wireless connection between a client and a soft AP are not described here because those specified in the Wi-Fi (registered trademark) standard are sufficient. In addition, the MFP 100 operating in the soft AP mode determines a frequency band and a frequency channel as a parent station. Therefore, the MFP 100 can select which frequency band to use from 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz, and which frequency channel to use within that frequency band.

[0048] ●WFD mode The MFP 100 may be configured to start up as a fixed parent station in the WFD mode (Autonomous Group Owner). In this case, GO Negotiation processing for determining the role is not required. In addition, in this case, the MFP 100 determines the frequency band and frequency channel as the parent station. Therefore, the MFP 100 can select which frequency band to use from 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz, and which frequency channel to use within that frequency band.

[0049] (Wireless infrastructure mode) In the wireless infrastructure mode, communication devices (e.g., the mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100) that communicate with each other are connected to an external AP (e.g., AP1 (101)) that manages the network, and communication between the communication devices is performed via the AP. In other words, communication between the communication devices is performed via a network built by the external AP. When the mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100 each find the AP1 (101) and transmit a connection request to the AP1 (101) and connect, communication between these communication devices in the wireless infrastructure mode via the AP1 (101) is possible. Note that multiple communication devices may be connected to separate APs. In this case, data transfer between the APs enables communication between the communication devices. Commands and parameters transmitted and received during communication between each communication device via an access point may be those specified in the Wi-Fi standard, so description thereof will be omitted here. In this case, the AP1 (101) determines the frequency band and frequency channel. Therefore, the AP1 (101) can select which frequency band to use from 5 GHz, 2.4 GHz, and 6 GHz, and which frequency channel to use within that frequency band.

[0050] (Processing in response to a request from the AP to change the connection destination of the STA) The mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100 support a function disclosed as Wi-Fi Agile Multiband (trademark). Wi-Fi Agile Multiband is a function that enables the selection of an optimal environment according to the changing conditions of a Wi-Fi network. Specifically, STAs such as the mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100 and APs such as AP1 (101) exchange information about the network environment using the IEEE802.11 series of communication standards. By such information exchange, when the network is congested, the AP can guide (change the connection destination) the STA to another AP, frequency band, channel, or even to another cellular service in some cases.

[0051] 6 is a sequence diagram in which the MFP100 switches the AP of the connection destination from AP1 (101) to AP2 (102) in response to a request to change the connection destination from AP1 (101). In this sequence, the processes executed by each device are realized by the CPU of each device reading various programs stored in a memory such as a ROM of each device into a RAM and executing the programs.

[0052] In the initial state of the process in Fig. 6, it is assumed that the MFP 100 has established a connection with the AP1 (101) in wireless infrastructure mode. In addition, when the MFP 100 and the AP1 (101) connect in wireless infrastructure mode, the AP1 (101) acquires information on whether the MFP 100 supports IEEE802.11v. Then, it is assumed that the AP1 (101) performs the following process if it has acquired information indicating that the MFP 100 supports IEEE802.11v.

[0053] In S601, the AP1 (101) transmits to the MFP 100 an inquiry (measurement request) regarding the radio wave strength of APs around the MFP 100. This inquiry is transmitted, for example, as a beacon frame request or a beacon report request. That is, this request can use a mechanism defined in the IEEE 802.11k standard.

[0054] In S602, in response to the request received in S601, the MFP 100 receives frames transmitted from the surrounding APs and measures the radio wave strength, thereby measuring the radio wave strength of each of the multiple APs, including AP1 (101) and AP2 (102).

[0055] In S603, the MFP 100 transmits a list of the radio wave strengths of the APs around the MFP 100 measured in S602 as a response to the request received in S601. Note that the radio wave strength to be responded to may be information stored in the RAM 214 and non-volatile memory 215 of the MFP 100 in addition to or instead of the information measured in S602. This response is transmitted as, for example, a beacon report or measurement reports.

[0056] In S604, the AP1 (101) determines whether or not it is necessary to switch the connection destination of the MFP 100 based on the congestion status in the network that the AP1 (101) is aware of and the radio wave strength received in S603 from the MFP 100. Factors that the AP1 (101) uses to determine that a connection switch is necessary include a large number of connected STAs, a large amount of communication, other APs are less congested, the presence or absence of radio interference, and AP function stoppage. If it determines that it is necessary to switch the connection destination of the MFP 100 and determines the SSID, channel, and frequency band of another AP to be specified as the switching destination of the MFP 100, the process proceeds to S605.

[0057] In S605, AP1 (101) transmits an AP change request (connection destination switching request) to the MFP 100. The connection destination change request includes information on the SSID, channel, and frequency band of another AP to be specified as a switching destination for the MFP 100, as determined in S604. Note that multiple SSIDs may be specified. The connection destination change request is transmitted, for example, as a BTM Request. In other words, a BTM (BSS Transition Management) Request frame defined in the IEEE802.11v standard is transmitted. In the example of FIG. 6, it is assumed that AP2 (102) is specified as the switching destination included in the connection destination change request.

[0058] In S606, if the MFP 100 complies with the connection destination change request received in S605, it transmits a response indicating switch approval to the AP1 (101). If the MFP 100 does not comply with the connection destination change request, it may transmit a switch refusal as a response. The response is transmitted as a BTM Response. In the example of FIG. 6, it is assumed that a response indicating approval is transmitted.

[0059] In S607, the AP1 (101) and the MFP 100 disconnect the connection in the wireless infrastructure mode.

[0060] In S608, the MFP 100 transmits a connection request to the AP2 (102) to connect to the AP2 (102) specified in the connection destination change request received in S605.

[0061] As a result, in S609, a connection between the MFP 100 and the AP2 (102) is established in the wireless infrastructure mode.

[0062] With this mechanism, the MFP100, which is an STA, can change the connection destination from AP1 (101) to AP2 (102) based on a connection destination change request from the originally connected AP1 (101). The AP1 (101) and AP2 (102) may be APs installed in different locations. That is, the MFP100 can switch to another AP installed in a different location from the originally connected AP by the process of FIG. 6. Also, the APs may correspond to different frequency bands among multiple frequency bands (any two or three of 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz) provided by the same device. That is, the MFP100 can switch to another frequency band provided by the same device as the originally connected AP by the process of FIG. 6. For example, the connection destination can be changed to an AP in the 6 GHz band based on a connection destination change request.

[0063] In this embodiment, an example will be described in which a measurement request and a connection destination change request are transmitted from an AP in a mechanism conforming to Wi-Fi Agile Multiband, and the STA responds to the request, but the present invention is not limited to this. This embodiment can also be applied to a case in which the STA responds to a measurement request or a connection destination change request transmitted from an AP using a mechanism different from the above-mentioned example, or changes the connection destination AP (switching, deleting, or adding the AP to be connected).

[0064] Fig. 7 shows a flowchart of processing in response to a connection destination change request in MFP 100. This processing is realized by CPU 212 expanding a program stored in ROM 213 into RAM 214 and executing it. When MFP 100 is powered on or the wireless communication function is turned on, the processing in Fig. 7 starts.

[0065] In S701, the CPU 212 starts a connection to a preset AP (registered AP). The SSID and password of the preset AP are recorded in a non-volatile memory, and this information is used to connect to the registered AP. In this embodiment, it is assumed that AP1 (101) is registered as the registered AP. Note that there are cases where connection to the registered AP fails, such as when radio waves from the registered AP cannot be received, but a description of such cases will be omitted. When a wireless connection (Wi-Fi connection) to the registered AP is established, the process proceeds to S702.

[0066] In S702, the CPU 212 judges whether the IP address setting of the MFP 100 is a static IP address setting. If the dynamic IP address setting is on and it is judged to be a static IP address setting, the process proceeds to S704, and if it is judged not to be a static IP address setting, the process proceeds to S703. If the dynamic IP address setting by DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) is on (DHCP is set to be valid), it is judged that the static IP address setting is off and the process proceeds to S703. That is, S702 is also a judgment as to whether the DHCP setting is valid in the MFP 100. The dynamic IP address setting is, for example, a setting item name such as "automatic acquisition", and a state in which automatic acquisition is set to on is a state in which the dynamic IP address setting is on. If the dynamic IP address setting is disabled (off, i.e., DHCP is set to be disabled) and an IP address to be used as a static IP address is set, it is judged that the static IP address setting is on and the process proceeds to S704. In this embodiment, the protocol used for the dynamic IP address is DHCP, but this is not limited to this.

[0067] Here, a dynamic IP address is an IP address assigned by a DHCP server. When the DHCP setting is ON, the MFP 100 obtains an IP address using DHCP. A static IP address is an IP address manually set by the user of the MFP 100. The MFP 100 checks whether a static IP address has been manually set and determines whether the static IP address setting is ON.

[0068] In S703, CPU 212 controls to request DHCP server 103 to allocate a dynamic IP address. That is, a DHCP Discover command is issued to request allocation of an IP address. DHCP server 103 notifies MFP 100 that any IP address can be allocated by responding with a DHCP Offer. MFP 100 issues a DHCP Request command to DHCP server 103 specifying the IP address notified as available in the DHCP Offer, and requests allocation of an IP address. If DHCP server 103 can allocate the IP address specified by MFP 100, it responds with a DHCP ACK to confirm the IP address (dynamic IP address) of MFP 100.

[0069] In S704, the CPU 212 determines the IP address as a static IP address. That is, the CPU 212 determines the IP address that has been set by the user and stored in the ROM 213 as the IP address of the MFP 100.

[0070] In S705, the CPU 212 stores the dynamic IP address or the static IP address assigned by the DHCP server 103 in the system memory 56.

[0071] As a result, a connection with the AP1 (101) is established in the wireless infrastructure mode. When the MFP 100 and the AP1 (101) connect in the wireless infrastructure mode, the AP1 (101) acquires information on whether the MFP 100 supports IEEE802.11v. In this embodiment, the description will be given assuming that the MFP 100 supports IEEE802.11v.

[0072] In S706, the CPU 212 determines whether or not a measurement request (measurement request described above in S601 of FIG. 6) has been received from the AP1 (101). If a measurement request has been received, the process proceeds to S707; if not, the process proceeds to S708.

[0073] In S707, the CPU 212 measures the radio wave strength of the APs around the MFP 100 using the wireless unit 226, as described in S602 and S603 of FIG. 6, and transmits a list of the radio wave strengths of the APs to the AP1 (101) as a Beaon report.

[0074] In S708, the CPU 212 determines whether or not a connection destination change request (as described above in S605) has been received from the AP1 (101). If a change request has been received, the process proceeds to S709, and if not, the process proceeds to S716.

[0075] In S709, the CPU 212 determines whether or not the MFP 100 is performing application layer communication, that is, communication for executing print processing, with the mobile terminal device (104) connected via the AP1 (101) to which the MFP 100 is currently connected. If communication for executing print processing is being performed, proceed to S712, and if not, proceed to S710. When communication for executing print processing is being performed, a part of the print data of the image to be printed has been received from the mobile terminal device (104) that is the other device, and reception of the remaining part of the print data has not been completed. The MFP 100 does not store all of the print data to be printed on one sheet of paper, but prints only the part of the print data that has been received (for example, receives and prints one line), and when the subsequent data is received, prints only that part, and repeats this process to perform printing. Even if printing is being performed for maintenance that does not involve communication with the other device in order to use the print data stored in the MFP 100, S709 is determined to be No. Printing for maintenance includes, for example, the following. - Automatic registration adjustment printing that prints and reads adjustment patterns to adjust the head position to correct vertical line distortion and color misalignment Prints a nozzle check pattern to check for clogged nozzles Printing adjustment patterns to set calibration adjustment values ​​that correct color variations due to individual differences in the MFP100 and changes over time (printing for color calibration) Printing adjustment patterns to fine-tune the amount of paper feed (printing for band adjustment) In S710, the CPU 212 transmits a response indicating that the connection destination will be changed based on the received connection destination change request (in accordance with the request) to the AP1 (101). This corresponds to the process of S606 in FIG.

[0076] In S711, the CPU 212 disconnects the connection with AP1 (101) and executes a process of connecting to the recommended AP included in the connection destination change request. That is, the connection destination AP is changed in response to the connection destination change request. More specifically, the process described in S606 to S609 in FIG. 6 is performed. Also, if the dynamic IP address setting is on (if the determination in S702 is No), the same process as in S703 is performed to newly obtain a dynamic IP address and store it in the RAM 214 as the IP address of the MFP 100. That is, if the determination in S709 is No, a new dynamic IP address is obtained in response to a change in the connection destination based on the connection destination change request, and the IP address is allowed to change.

[0077] In S712, the CPU 212 stores in the RAM 214 of the MFP 100 information on the recommended AP to be changed that is included in the received connection destination change request (information that identifies the recommended AP to be changed that includes the BSSID).

[0078] In S713, the CPU 212 refers to the reason for change included in the received connection destination change request and judges whether the reason for change includes a strong reason. If there is a strong reason, the process proceeds to S715, and if there is not, the process proceeds to S714. For example, if the Disassociation Imminent bit or the BSS Termination Included bit in the Request mode of the BTM Request is 1, the request is judged to have a strong reason.

[0079] In S714, the CPU 212 transmits a response to the AP1 (101) to the effect that the change of the connection destination in response to the connection destination change request is rejected. This process corresponds to the rejection response transmission in S606 in FIG. 6. Since there is no strong reason for the change in S714, even if the change rejection response is transmitted, it is considered that there is a low possibility that the AP1 (101) that received the response will forcibly disconnect the communication with the MFP 100. That is, for example, it is expected that the AP1 (101) will increase the priority of maintaining the connection of the MFP 100 by transmitting a change request of the connection destination to another STA other than the MFP 100 connected to the AP1 (101). In this way, when there is no strong reason for the change, the change rejection response is transmitted in the hope that the connection with the AP1 (101) can be maintained. Note that the MFP 100 may not return a response corresponding to the connection destination change request (i.e., ignore it) without transmitting a rejection response to the AP1 (101). In any case, when the process proceeds to S714, the control is performed so that the connection destination is not changed in response to the connection destination change request.

[0080] In S715, the CPU 212 performs a connection destination change process to change the connection destination in response to the connection destination change request. The connection destination change process will be described later with reference to FIG.

[0081] In this embodiment, the determination in S713 is performed, and the connection destination is changed in response to the connection destination change request only when a connection destination change request with a strong change reason is received during processing involving communication (print processing), but this is not limited to this. After S712, the process of S713 may be omitted, and the process may proceed to S715 to change the connection destination in response to the connection destination change request regardless of the strength of the change reason.

[0082] In S716, the CPU 212 determines whether or not another event has occurred. If another event has occurred, the process proceeds to S717, and if not, the process proceeds to S718.

[0083] In S717, the CPU 212 executes processing according to other events. For example, processing involving copying or cloud communication is performed by key operations or touch panel operations on the operation display unit 205. Also, if there is an event such as a user operation to enable the dynamic IP address setting described above or a user operation to manually input a static IP address, the setting contents according to the operation are recorded in the ROM 213. Also, for example, if there is an operation event to register a registered AP (register the SSID and password of the registered AP), a registration process according to the operation is performed.

[0084] For example, if there is an operation event instructing copying in S716, the reading unit 219 is driven in S717 to read the original, and the read image is printed by the printing unit 222 to perform copying. Note that this process (new printing process) cannot be executed unless the process of S812 in Fig. 8 described later is executed. The process of S812 is a process for canceling the printing process of a print job that could not be printed to the end because the IP address has changed and it has become impossible to receive the rest of the print data that was being printed.

[0085] In S718, CPU 212 determines whether the wireless connection with the currently connected AP has been terminated (disconnected). The termination of the wireless connection determined here occurs, for example, when an event occurs in which MFP 100 is powered off, when a setting is made to disable wireless communication, or when radio waves from the currently connected AP can no longer be received. Note that disconnection from the original connection destination that accompanies processing to change the connection destination in accordance with a connection destination change request is not subject to the determination in S718. If the wireless connection with the currently connected AP has not been terminated, the process returns to S706, and if the wireless connection with the currently connected AP has been terminated, the process in FIG. 7 ends.

[0086] Fig. 8 shows a flowchart of the connection destination change process of S715 in Fig. 7. This process is realized by the CPU 212 loading a program stored in the ROM 213 into the RAM 214 and executing it.

[0087] In S801, the CPU 212 transmits a response indicating that the change based on the connection destination change request is accepted to the currently connected AP (for example, AP1) before the connection destination change, and then disconnects the wireless connection with the currently connected AP (AP1).

[0088] In S802, the CPU 212 wirelessly connects to the AP recommended for change (which is assumed to be AP 2) using the information on the recommended AP recorded in S712, which was included in the connection destination change request received from the AP (AP 1) that was currently connected before the connection destination change.

[0089] In S803, the CPU 212 determines whether the IP address setting of the MFP 100 is a static IP address setting. This determination is the same as that in S702 in Fig. 7. If the IP address setting is a static IP address setting, the process proceeds to S804, and if the IP address setting is not a static IP address setting (i.e., if the dynamic IP address setting is valid), the process proceeds to S806.

[0090] In S804, the CPU 212 determines the IP address as a static IP address, and the process proceeds to S810. This process is similar to the process of S704 in FIG.

[0091] In S806, the CPU 212 issues a DHCP Request command to the DHCP server 103 from which the dynamic IP address is acquired, specifying the IP address previously used, and requests the allocation of an IP address. The IP address previously used is the IP address saved in S705 via S703, and is the IP address used when connecting to AP1 (101), which was connected before the connection destination was changed.

[0092] In S807, the CPU 212 determines whether or not the same IP address as the previously used IP address has been acquired from the DHCP server 103. If the previously used IP address has been acquired, the process proceeds to S810; otherwise, the process proceeds to S808.

[0093] In S808, the CPU 212 requests the DHCP server 103 to assign a dynamic IP address. This process is similar to the process of S703 in FIG.

[0094] In S809, the CPU 212 receives the DHCP ACK sent as a response from the DHCP server 103 to the MFP 100, and acquires the IP address of the MFP 100 from the information contained therein.

[0095] In S810, the CPU 212 stores in the RAM 214 any one of the static IP address determined in S804, the previous IP address acquired from the DHCP server 103, or the dynamic IP address newly assigned by the DHCP server 103 in S809.

[0096] In S811, the CPU 212 judges whether the IP address (the IP address saved in S810) determined when connecting to the AP (AP2) after the change of the connection destination has changed from the previous IP address used when connecting to the AP (AP1) before the change of the connection destination. If the IP address has changed (i.e., the IP address saved in S810 is different from the previous IP address), the process proceeds to S812, and if it has not changed (i.e., the IP address saved in S810 and the previous IP address are the same), the process proceeds to S813.

[0097] In S812, the CPU 212 cancels the standby state of communication with the mobile terminal device 104 and cancels (interrupts) the print processing that has been executed in association with the communication with the mobile terminal device 104. In the case of proceeding to S812, since the IP address has changed due to a change in the connection destination, the application layer communication with the mobile terminal device 104 that was communicating before the change in the connection destination cannot be continued. That is, from the mobile terminal device 104, the MFP 100 cannot be found by the previous IP address. Therefore, communication cannot be performed, and the print processing that has been executed in association with the communication cannot be continued. Therefore, the communication with the mobile terminal device 104 is canceled and the print processing that has been executed in association with the communication with the mobile terminal device 104 is canceled. This processing includes a process of discharging paper that was in the middle of being printed. At that time, a screen indicating that the processing associated with the communication has been canceled may be displayed on the display of the operation display unit 220 of the MFP 100.

[0098] In S813, CPU 212 continues communication with mobile terminal device 104, which is the other device, and continues executing the print process. In this case, the AP of the connection destination has been changed based on the connection destination change request, but the IP address has not changed, so application layer communication with mobile terminal device 104 can be continued. In other words, mobile terminal device 104 can communicate with MFP 100 by specifying the previous IP address. Therefore, the print process involving communication continues to be executed, and the print data included in the print job is printed to the end.

[0099] In S814, the CPU 212 judges whether or not a connection destination change request transmitted from the currently connected AP (in this case, AP2) has been received. That is, the CPU 212 judges whether or not a further change of connection destination has been requested from AP2. If a connection destination change request has been received, the process proceeds to S709, and if not, the process proceeds to S815.

[0100] In S815, the CPU 212 determines whether the print process involving communication with the mobile terminal device 104 that was continued in S813 has ended (whether printing has been completed). If it is determined that printing has ended, the process in Fig. 8 ends and the process proceeds to S716 in Fig. 7, and if not, the process proceeds to S813.

[0101] 8, if the MFP 100 detects IP address duplication caused by using a static IP address after changing the connection destination to AP2 (102) in S804, one of the following processes may be performed: IP address duplication is detected, for example, when devices with the same IP address but different MAC addresses exist in the ARP table. Reconnect to the AP before the switch (before the connection destination was changed) (i.e., proceed to S701). A message is displayed on the display of the operation display unit 220 to the effect that the IP address has been duplicated, and the network is disconnected. · Dynamically obtain an IP address from the DHCP server (i.e., proceed to S808).

[0102] In addition, although the present embodiment has been described with respect to obtaining an IPv4 address by DHCP, the same method can be applied to obtaining an IPv6 address. When obtaining an IPv6 address, the MFP 100 sends a DHCPv6 Request to the DHCP server to request the same IPv6 address. If the request fails, the MFP 100 sends a DHCPv6 Solicit to re-obtain an IPv6 address.

[0103] The above-mentioned process of S806 makes it possible to avoid changing the IP address due to a change in the connection destination by requesting the DHCP server for the IP address before switching the connection destination AP. Therefore, it is possible to continue a process (e.g., a print process) involving communication with the mobile terminal device 104 that was communicating using the IP address before the connection destination was changed. In other words, even if the connection destination is switched based on a connection destination change request during processing, it is possible to prevent the process from becoming unable to continue.

[0104] In this embodiment, when a connection destination change request is received in a situation where it is determined in S709 that a specific process involving communication is being performed, control is performed in S806 so that the IP address does not change before and after the change of the connection destination, but this is not limited to this. Regardless of whether or not a specific process involving communication is being performed, when changing the connection destination AP based on a connection destination change request, control may be performed so that the IP address does not change before and after the change of the connection destination as in S806.

[0105] In the above-mentioned process of S806, an example has been described in which a change in IP address due to a change in connection destination is avoided by requesting the DHCP server for the IP address before switching the AP of the connection destination, but this is not limited to the above. In S806, the static IP address setting may be automatically turned on (i.e., the dynamic IP address setting may be turned off), and the previous IP address acquired before the change in connection destination may be used as the static IP address to determine the IP address. In this way, it is possible to more reliably prevent the IP address from changing before and after the change in connection destination based on the connection destination change request.

[0106] Furthermore, when the MFP 100 changes the AP of the connection destination based on the connection destination change request by the process of S812 described above, if the IP address has changed, the specific process (e.g., print process) that was being executed involving communication is canceled. In this way, it is possible to prevent a situation in which a state of waiting for the next data that is not expected to arrive is prolonged for a process involving communication that is in the middle of being processed, and during that time, the next different process cannot be accepted. In other words, the state of waiting for the next data can be quickly released, and the next process can be quickly started in response to the acceptance.

[0107] Although the above describes the process during reception of print data, the same process can be applied during reception of other data different from print data or during transmission of other data. For example, the same process can be applied when scanning an original with the reading unit 219 and transmitting the scanned image (image data) to the mobile terminal device (104) via the AP. In this case, if the result of S708 in FIG. 7 is Yes, instead of or in addition to the determination of S709, it is determined whether or not scan and send is being executed. If scan and send is not being executed, the process proceeds to S710. If scan and send is being executed, the process of S712 to S715 and the process of FIG. 8 is executed with the above-mentioned "print" replaced with "scan and send".

[0108] In the present embodiment, the control is performed in S806 so that the IP address does not change before and after the change of the connection destination, but if the IP address cannot be the same, the specific process (for example, print process) that was being executed involving communication is canceled in S812. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the control (control as in S806) to keep the IP address unchanged before and after the change of the connection destination may not be performed. That is, when the AP of the connection destination is changed based on the connection destination change request, a dynamic IP address may be newly acquired and the IP address may be allowed to change, regardless of whether a specific process involving communication was performed. In this case, it is highly likely that the IP address has changed before and after the change of the connection destination. Therefore, without determining whether the IP address has changed before and after the change of the connection destination (determination in S811), when the connection destination is changed based on the connection destination change request, the specific process involving communication that was being executed in the middle of processing may be canceled as in S812.

[0109] The various controls described above as being performed by CPU 212 may be performed by a single piece of hardware, or the entire device may be controlled by multiple pieces of hardware (e.g., multiple processors or circuits) sharing the processing.

[0110] In addition, although the present invention has been described in detail based on the preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various forms within the scope of the gist of the present invention are also included in the present invention. Furthermore, each of the above-mentioned embodiments merely shows one embodiment of the present invention, and each embodiment can be appropriately combined.

[0111] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the present invention is applied to an MFP, but the present invention is not limited to this example and can be applied to any wireless device that functions as an STA capable of processing in response to a request to change the connection destination from an AP. That is, the present invention can be applied to various measuring devices (sensor devices) such as personal computers, PDAs, tablet terminals, mobile phone terminals such as smartphones, music players, game consoles, electronic book readers, smart watches, thermometers, and hygrometers. The present invention can also be applied to digital cameras (including still cameras, video cameras, network cameras, and security cameras), printers, scanners, and drones. The present invention can also be applied to video output devices, audio output devices (e.g., smart speakers), media streaming players, and wireless LAN adapters (adapters) that can be connected to USB terminals or LAN cable terminals. The video output device includes a device such as a set-top box, and acquires (downloads) videos and still images on the Internet specified by a URL instructed from an electronic device, and outputs them to a display device connected via a video output terminal such as HDMI (registered trademark). This allows streaming playback on the display device and mirroring display (display in which the content displayed on the electronic device is also displayed on the display device). Furthermore, the video output device includes media players such as televisions, hard disk recorders, Blu-ray recorders, and DVD recorders, head-mounted displays, projectors, televisions, display devices (monitors), signage devices, etc. Furthermore, the present invention is also applicable to Wi-Fi-connectable devices known as smart home appliances, such as air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, ovens, microwave ovens, lighting equipment, heating equipment, and cooling equipment.

[0112] (Other embodiments) 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. [Explanation of symbols]

[0113] 100 MFP 101 AP1 102 AP2 103 DHCP Server 104 Portable terminal device 105 DNS Server

Claims

1. A receiving means for receiving a request to change an access point (AP) to be connected from a currently connected AP; A processing means for communicating with another device via a connected AP and performing a specific process involving transmission or reception of data; a control means for controlling, when a connection destination is changed in response to the change request in a first state in which a part of data for the specific process is received or transmitted through communication with the other device and the reception or transmission of the remaining part is not completed, to interrupt the specific process and release the standby state for the reception or transmission of the remaining part; 1. An electronic device comprising:

2. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the specific process is at least one of printing, scanning, and faxing.

3. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein, while the standby state is not released, execution of a process other than the specific process is not started.

4. 4. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein when execution of the other process is instructed after the standby state is released, the electronic device executes the other process.

5. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the specific process is a printing process performed by receiving print data from the other device, and the control means releases the standby state to eject a sheet of paper that is being printed.

6. The electronic device further includes an acquisition unit for acquiring a dynamic IP address as the IP address of the electronic device, The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that when the acquisition means acquires a new dynamic IP address as a result of changing the AP to which the connection is made in response to the change request in the first state, the control means controls to cancel the standby state.

7. The electronic device according to claim 6, characterized in that when the control means changes the connection destination in response to the change request in the first state, the control means controls the acquisition means to request the acquisition source so that the IP address of the electronic device after the change of connection destination will be the same IP address as the first IP address acquired by the acquisition means before the change of connection destination, and if the first IP address cannot be acquired even after the request, the control means controls the acquisition means to acquire a new dynamic IP address.

8. The electronic device further includes a setting unit for setting the electronic device to use a preset static IP address as the IP address without acquiring a dynamic IP address by the acquiring unit, 7. The electronic device according to claim 6, characterized in that, when the electronic device is set to use a static IP address, even if the connection destination is changed in response to the change request in the first state, the control means controls the electronic device to continue the specific processing without canceling the standby state.

9. 7. The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the acquisition unit acquires an IP address of DHCPv6.

10. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that when the connection destination is changed in response to the change request in the first state, if the IP address of the electronic device does not change before and after the change, the control means controls the electronic device to continue the specific processing without canceling the standby state.

11. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device performs connection and processing with the AP in compliance with the IEEE 802.11ax standard.

12. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that the electronic device can perform at least one of a process conforming to Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) and a process conforming to Target Wake Time (TWT).

13. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the change of the connection destination based on the change request enables the connection destination to be changed to an AP in the 6 GHz band.

14. A receiving step of receiving a request to change an access point (AP) to be connected from a currently connected access point; A processing step of communicating with another device via the connected AP and performing a specific process involving transmission or reception of data; a control step of controlling so as to interrupt the specific process and release the standby state for receiving or transmitting the remaining part of the data when a connection destination is changed in response to the change request in a first state in which a part of the data for the specific process has been received or transmitted through communication with the other device and the reception or transmission of the remaining part has not been completed; 13. A method for controlling an electronic device comprising:

15. A program for causing at least one computer to function as each of the means of the electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

16. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing at least one computer to function as each of the means of the electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

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