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

Abstract

To prevent a user from being confused by the settings of a BSS ID of an AP to be connected and a change of a connection destination according to a request for changing a connection destination from the AP.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; setting means that sets a BSS ID of an AP to be connected as the settings of the AP to be connected; and control means that performs control for preventing a change of a connection destination AP based on the change request on the basis of the setting of the BSS ID of the AP to be connected performed by the setting means.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 is a function to uniquely set the AP to connect to by MAC address (BSSID). When this function is set to uniquely specify the AP to connect to by BSSID, if the connection destination is changed to another AP in response to a request from the AP to change the connection destination, the AP will be connected to a different AP than the AP with the BSSID that was set as the AP to connect to. This situation is unnatural to the user and may confuse them.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism that can prevent user confusion regarding setting the BSSID of the AP to connect to and changing the connection destination in response to a request from the AP to change the connection destination. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In view of 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 setting means for setting the BSSID of the AP to be connected as a setting of the AP to be connected; A control means for performing control to suppress a change of a destination AP based on the change request, based on the setting means having set the BSSID of the AP to be connected; The present invention is characterized by having the following. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent a user from becoming confused regarding setting the BSSID of an AP to connect to and changing a connection destination in response to a connection destination change request from an AP. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system configuration. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the configuration of an MFP. [Diagram 3] 2A to 2C are diagrams illustrating examples of displays on an operation display unit of the MFP 100. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a mobile terminal device 104. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of an access point 101. [Figure 6] 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating a process in response to a connection destination change request from an AP. [Figure 7] 4 shows examples of various displays on the display of the MFP100. [Figure 8] 13 is a flowchart of a process in the MFP 100, including a process for suppressing a connection destination change function linked to the BSSID designation of a connection destination AP. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] 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.

[0011] (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.

[0012] 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.

[0013] 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).

[0014] 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.

[0015] (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.

[0016] (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 .

[0017] 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.

[0018] 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.

[0019] 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.

[0020] 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.

[0021] 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.

[0022] 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.

[0023] 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.

[0024] 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).

[0025] 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.

[0026] 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.

[0027] (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).

[0028] 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.

[0029] 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.

[0030] (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.

[0031] 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.

[0032] (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.

[0033] 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.

[0034] 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.

[0035] 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.

[0036] 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.

[0037] 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.

[0038] 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.

[0039] (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.

[0040] 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.

[0041] 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.

[0042] It should be noted that AP2 (102) has the same configuration as AP1 (101).

[0043] (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).

[0044] 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.

[0045] 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.

[0046] ●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.

[0047] ●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.

[0048] (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.

[0049] (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.

[0050] 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.

[0051] 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.

[0052] 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.

[0053] 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).

[0054] 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.

[0055] 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.

[0056] 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.

[0057] 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.

[0058] In S607, the AP1 (101) and the MFP 100 disconnect the connection in the wireless infrastructure mode.

[0059] 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.

[0060] As a result, in S609, a connection between the MFP 100 and the AP2 (102) is established in the wireless infrastructure mode.

[0061] 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.

[0062] 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).

[0063] (Suppression of the function to change the connection destination in conjunction with the BSSID designation of the connection destination AP) In the following embodiment, an example will be described in which the function of automatically changing the destination AP in response to a connection destination change request is disabled (suppressed) in conjunction with a setting to uniquely specify the MAC address (BSSID) of the destination AP in the MFP 100. That is, when a setting is made to uniquely specify the MAC address of the destination AP, the function of Wi-Fi Agile Multiband is disabled in conjunction with the setting. When the MAC address of the destination AP is not uniquely set, the function of automatically changing the destination AP in response to a connection destination change request is basically enabled, and the destination AP is switched in response to the connection destination change request.

[0064] First, the setting for uniquely specifying the MAC address of the AP to be connected to will be described with reference to Fig. 7(a) to Fig. 7(f). Note that Fig. 7(a) to Fig. 7(f) are all display examples on a display included in the operation display unit 220.

[0065] FIG. 7(a) shows a display example of a wireless LAN setting menu. The wireless LAN setting menu in FIG. 7(a) is a screen that is displayed when the wireless LAN item (the top choice in FIG. 3(c)) is selected from among the menu items included in the communication setting menu described above in FIG. 3(c). When menu item 702 ("wireless LAN manual connection") is selected from among menu items 701 to 703 included in the wireless LAN setting menu, a wireless LAN router (AP connectable in infrastructure mode) is searched for. Note that in FIGS. 7(a) to 7(c), the term "wireless LAN router" has the same meaning as an AP connectable in infrastructure mode. Therefore, the notation in the display example may be replaced with "infrastructure AP" or the like. The search here is a process that includes measurement of radio wave intensity, and is a search for APs (surrounding APs) whose radio waves can be detected by the wireless unit 226, and is hereinafter referred to as AP search. During AP search, a message "Searching for wireless LAN router" is displayed on the display. When the search for a wireless LAN router is complete, the wireless LAN router selection screen shown in FIG. 7(b) will be displayed.

[0066] FIG. 7B is a display example of a wireless LAN router selection screen, and is a display example of the results of a wireless LAN router search when a menu item 702 is selected in FIG. 7B. As a search result, the ESSIDs (Extended Service Set Identifiers) of surrounding APs whose radio waves can be detected by the wireless unit 226 are displayed in a list. In the illustrated example, three ESSIDs are displayed on one screen, but if more than three APs are detected as an AP search result, the ESSIDs of the fourth and subsequent APs can be displayed by scrolling. Note that in the case where one router device has router functions for multiple frequency bands (AP functions for multiple frequency bands), if each frequency band can be detected by an AP search, the AP search result displays multiple different wireless LAN routers for each frequency band. The multiple frequency bands are, for example, three frequency bands, 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, and 6 GHz band. The user can select one of the displayed ESSIDs as the ESSID of the AP to which the MFP 100 is to be connected. The user can also redo the AP search by touching a search again icon 714. When one of the multiple ESSIDs displayed on the wireless LAN router selection screen in Fig. 7(b) is selected, a screen for accepting input of a network key (WEP key or passphrase, password), which is authentication information for the network of that ESSID, is displayed. If the network key entered on the network key input acceptance screen is correct, it is possible to connect to the AP of the selected ESSID.

[0067] FIG. 7(c) is an example of a screen displayed when multiple APs with the same ESSID as the ESSID selected on the wireless LAN router selection screen of FIG. 7(b) are included in the search results. The screen of FIG. 7(c) displays a message 721 and options 722 and 723. The message 721 indicates that there are multiple APs with the same name (ESSID) as the ESSID selected by the user on the wireless LAN router selection screen among the APs detected by the AP search. The message 721 is a message asking whether to use multiple APs (wireless LAN routers) with the same name (same SSID) as the ESSID selected by the user. The option 722 is an option for selecting to use multiple APs. Here, "using multiple APs" means that all of the multiple APs with the same ESSID are candidates for use. Specifically, when the option 722 is selected, the MFP 100 controls to connect to one AP with the best connection conditions among the multiple APs with the same ESSID when connecting to an AP. In other words, multiple APs with the same ESSID are used differently depending on the connection conditions. Option 723 is an option for selecting to use only one of multiple APs having the same ESSID. When option 723 is selected, MFP 100 requests input of a BSSID (Basic Service Set Identifier) ​​for identifying one AP to be used from multiple APs having the same ESSID.

[0068] FIG. 7(d) is an example of a display of a MAC address selection screen that is displayed when option 723 is selected in FIG. 7(c). The MAC address (Media Access Control address) is equal to the BSSID. The MAC address selection screen in FIG. 7(d) displays a list of BSSIDs of multiple APs that have the same ESSID as the ESSID selected by the user on the wireless LAN router selection screen in FIG. 7(b) among the APs detected by the AP search. In the illustrated example, options 741 and 742 are displayed as BSSID options. The user checks the MC address (BSSID) of the AP that he / she wants to use, and selects an option from options 741 and 742 that matches the MC address (BSSID) of the AP that he / she wants to use. The MAC address of the option selected in this way is recorded in non-volatile memory 215 or ROM 213 as the AP to which MFP 100 is to be connected, and the MAC address of the AP to be connected to is uniquely set. In this way, when an operation is performed to specify the MAC address of the connection destination, when MFP 100 connects to an AP from a state where it is not connected to an AP, it controls so as to connect to the AP with the specified MAC address, and does not connect to other APs. In this way, a setting can be made to uniquely specify the MAC address of the AP to which the connection is to be made.

[0069] After the option 723 is selected in Fig. 7(c), before the MAC address selection screen in Fig. 7(d) is displayed, a guide message may be displayed to prompt the user to check the MAC address (i.e., BSSID) of the wireless LAN router (i.e., AP) to be used. For example, the guide message may be something like "Please check the MAC address of the wireless LAN router to be used by referring to the manual for the wireless LAN router."

[0070] Fig. 7(e) is a screen that is displayed when any of the options is selected on the MAC address selection screen of Fig. 7(d), and is an example of a selection screen that asks whether to disable the Agile Multiband function in conjunction with the selection. In Fig. 7(e), a message 751 and options 752 and 753 are displayed. The message 751 includes a content that asks whether to disable the Agile Multiband function in conjunction with the setting that uniquely specifies the MAC address (BSSID) of the AP to be connected. The message 751 also includes a content that explains what the Agile Multiband function (automatic switching of the connection destination in response to a connection destination change request, and connection destination change function) is.

[0071] Choice 752 is a choice for selecting to disable the Agile Multiband function (a function for automatically switching a connection destination in response to a connection destination change request, hereinafter simply referred to as a connection destination change function). When choice 752 is selected, the connection destination change function is set to be disabled, and the setting content is recorded in non-volatile memory 215 or ROM 213. When the connection destination change function is set to be disabled, CPU 212 of MFP 100 controls so that a connection destination change request is not transmitted from the AP to MFP 100, or controls so that even if a connection destination change request is received, the connection destination AP is not changed in response to the change request. In this way, when choice 752 is selected, the function for automatically changing the connection destination AP in response to a connection destination change request (connection destination change function) is disabled in conjunction with the setting for uniquely specifying the MAC address of the connection destination AP.

[0072] If the setting is made to uniquely specify the destination AP by the MAC address and the destination change function is also enabled, the following unnatural situation may occur. That is, even if the destination AP is uniquely specified by the MAC address, an unnatural situation may occur in which the destination is changed to another AP in response to a destination change request. However, as in this embodiment, by disabling the destination change function in conjunction with the setting to uniquely specify the MAC address of the destination AP, it is possible to prevent a setting state that causes an unnatural situation, and the user can use the wireless connection function without confusion.

[0073] Choice 753 is a choice for selecting not to disable the connection destination change function. When choice 753 is selected, the setting state of the connection destination change function from before this is reached is maintained. In other words, when the connection destination change function is originally set to be enabled, CPU 212 of MFP 100 performs control so as to change the connection destination AP in response to a change request for the connection destination, based on the reception of the change request. In this case, even if the connection destination AP is uniquely specified by the MAC address, a situation in which the connection destination is changed to another AP in response to the connection destination change request is also allowed.

[0074] FIG. 7(f) is an example of a screen display that asks whether to enable the destination change function in conjunction with the change in the setting state, which is displayed when the setting state is changed from a setting state in which a MAC address is specified as the destination AP to a setting state in which a MAC address is not specified, in contrast to FIG. 7(e). FIG. 7(f) displays a message 761 and options 762 and 763. The message 761 includes a content that asks whether to enable the destination change function in conjunction with the change in the setting state to one in which the MAC address (BSSID) of the destination AP is not uniquely specified. The message 761 also includes a content that explains what the destination change function is. The option 762 is an option for selecting to enable the destination change function. The option 763 is an option for selecting not to enable the destination change function. When the option 763 is selected, the setting state of the destination change function from before this point is maintained.

[0075] Fig. 8 shows a flowchart of a process including a process for suppressing the connection destination change function linked to the BSSID designation of the connection destination AP. This process is realized by the CPU 212 expanding a program stored in the ROM 213 into the RAM 214 and executing it. When the MFP 100 is powered on, the process in Fig. 8 starts.

[0076] In S800, the CPU 212 judges whether or not information on the AP to be connected (AP to be connected) has been set. For example, if connection information including the ESSID and network key of the AP to be connected has been set (registered, saved) by the method described above using the wireless LAN router selection screen in FIG. 7B, it is judged that the AP to be connected has been set. The AP to be connected may be set by other methods such as a method using WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) (a method performed by operating the option 703). If the AP to be connected has been set, the process proceeds to S801, and if not, the process proceeds to S808. Note that if the AP to be connected has not been set, the process proceeds to S810 without going through S808, and the process may be guided to a screen for setting the AP to be connected.

[0077] In S801, the CPU 212 determines whether or not the BSSID has been set as information on the set destination AP. As described above with reference to FIG. 7D, if the destination AP is uniquely specified by the MAC address (BSSID), the BSSID has been set and the process proceeds to S805, otherwise the process proceeds to S802.

[0078] In S802, the CPU 212 judges whether or not the connection destination change function is enabled by referring to the setting state of the connection destination change function recorded in the ROM 213. If the connection destination change function is enabled, the process proceeds to S803, and if the connection destination change function is disabled, the process proceeds to S804.

[0079] In S803, the CPU 212 uses the stored connection information to control the wireless unit 226 to connect to an AP with a set (registered, stored) ESSID. Specifically, an AP search is performed, and if one AP matching the stored ESSID is detected, a connection is made to the detected AP. On the other hand, if an AP search is performed and multiple APs matching the stored ESSID are detected, a connection is made to the AP with the best radio wave conditions among the multiple APs with the same detected ESSID, regardless of the BSSID. If multiple ESSIDs and connection information are stored, a connection is made to the AP with the best radio wave conditions among the APs matching any of the stored ESSIDs as a result of the AP search.

[0080] Also, in S803, when connecting to an AP with a set ESSID, the CPU 212 transmits information to the AP that the MFP 100 supports a connection destination change function, and connects to the AP. Specifically, for example, the CPU 212 creates Association Request frame data including information that the MFP 100 supports IEEE802.11v in preparation for wireless connection to the AP. Then, the CPU 212 performs operations including transmitting the created Association Request frame data, and performs wireless connection processing for the AP. More specifically, the information that the MFP 100 supports IEEE802.11v is, for example, information that sets the BSS Transition SUPPORT flag of the Association Request to ON. This causes the connection destination AP to recognize that the MFP 100 supports (is enabled with) the connection destination change function, and a measurement request or a connection destination change request is transmitted from the currently connected AP to the MFP 100.

[0081] In S804, the CPU 212 uses the stored connection information to perform control so as to connect to an AP having a set (registered, stored) ESSID via the wireless unit 226. The method of identifying the AP to which the connection is to be made is the same as in S803.

[0082] Also, in S804, when connecting to an AP with a set ESSID, the CPU 212 transmits information to the AP that the MFP 100 does not support the connection destination change function, and connects to the AP. Specifically, for example, the CPU 212 creates Association Request frame data including information that the MFP 100 does not support IEEE802.11v in preparation for wireless connection to the AP. Then, the CPU 212 performs operations including transmission of the created Association Request frame data, and performs wireless connection processing for the AP. More specifically, the information that the MFP 100 supports IEEE802.11v is, for example, information that turns off the BSS Transition SUPPORT flag in the Association Request. This causes the connection destination AP to recognize that the MFP 100 does not support (is disabled) the connection destination change function, and the connected AP will no longer transmit a measurement request or a connection destination change request to the MFP 100.

[0083] In S805, similarly to S802, the CPU 212 refers to the setting contents of the connection destination change function recorded in the ROM 213 and judges whether it is enabled or not. If it is enabled, the process proceeds to S806, and if it is not enabled (if it is disabled), the process proceeds to S807.

[0084] In S806, the CPU 212 uses the saved connection information to perform control so as to connect to an AP having a set (registered, saved) MAC address (BSSID) using the wireless unit 226. At this time, as described in S803, the MFP 100 transmits information to the AP indicating that it supports the connection destination change function and connects to the AP.

[0085] In S807, the CPU 212 uses the saved connection information to perform control so as to connect to an AP with a set (registered, saved) MAC address (BSSID) using the wireless unit 226. At this time, as described in S804, the MFP 100 transmits information to the AP indicating that the MFP 100 does not support the connection destination change function and connects to the AP.

[0086] In S808, the CPU 212 displays the home screen described above with reference to FIGS.

[0087] In S809, the CPU 212 selects communication settings and wireless LAN from the home screen to display the wireless LAN setting menu of Fig. 7(a), and determines whether or not the option 702 has been operated (i.e., whether or not an operation to instruct manual wireless LAN connection has been performed). If an operation to instruct manual wireless LAN connection has been performed, the process proceeds to S810, and if not, the process proceeds to S828.

[0088] In S810, the CPU 212 performs an AP search and displays an ESSID list screen of the search results. The ESSID list screen is the wireless LAN router selection screen shown in FIG.

[0089] In S811, the CPU 212 accepts a user operation to select one of the ESSIDs displayed on the ESSID list screen (FIG. 7B) and a user operation to input a network key for the selected ESSID. Here, the following description will be given assuming that the correct network key has been input. Note that, although an example has been described in which the selection of the ESSID is accepted in S811 and the input of the network key for the selected ESSID is accepted, this is not limiting. The input of the network key may be accepted after the selection of the ESSID, confirmation of whether there is an AP with the same name in S812, and after the specification of the BSSID in S815. In other words, when the selection of the ESSID is accepted in S811, the process proceeds to S812 without accepting the input of the network key, and if Yes in S812, the input of the network key may be accepted immediately after S815, or if No in S812, the input of the network key may be accepted immediately after S812No.

[0090] In S812, the CPU 212 determines whether or not multiple APs (APs with the same name) with the same ESSID as the ESSID selected in S811 are included in the results of the AP search performed in S810. If it is determined that multiple APs with the same name are included, the process proceeds to S813, and if not, the process proceeds to S821.

[0091] In S813, the CPU 212 displays a screen for selecting whether to use one or more of the multiple APs having the same name, as described with reference to FIG. 7C.

[0092] In S814, the CPU 212 judges whether or not an operation for selecting the use of one of multiple APs with the same name (i.e., selecting option 723) has been performed on the screen displayed in S813. If an operation for selecting the use of one has been performed, the process proceeds to S815. If not, that is, if an operation for selecting the use of multiple APs (i.e., selecting option 722) has been performed, the process proceeds to S821.

[0093] In S815, the CPU 212 displays a BSSID input screen and accepts an input from the user specifying the BSSID. Specifically, the CPU 212 displays the MAC address selection screen described in FIG. 7D and accepts an operation to select one of multiple options for the BSSID.

[0094] In S816, the CPU 212 records the ESSID of the AP having the BSSID of the option selected in S815 (the ESSID selected in S811) in the ROM 213 as the setting of the connection destination AP.

[0095] In S817, the CPU 212 records the BSSID of the option selected in S815 as the connection destination AP setting in the ROM 213. In this way, the BSSID of the AP to be connected to is set as the connection destination AP setting.

[0096] In S818, the CPU 212 displays a screen inquiring whether to disable the connection destination change function in conjunction with the designation of the BSSID. Specifically, the selection screen described in Fig. 7(e) is displayed, and the user is asked to select whether to disable the connection destination change function.

[0097] In S819, the CPU 212 determines whether or not the option (option 752) for selecting to disable the connection destination change function has been selected on the screen of Fig. 7(e). If the option (option 752) for selecting to disable the connection destination change function has been selected, the process proceeds to S820. If, on the other hand, the option (option 753) for selecting not to disable the connection destination change function has been selected, the process proceeds from S801 to S806 or S807, and the AP with the BSSID saved in S817 is connected.

[0098] In S820, the CPU 212 disables the connection destination change function and records this in the ROM 213. Then, the process proceeds from S801 to S807, and a connection is made to the AP having the BSSID saved in S817 as being incompatible with the connection destination change function.

[0099] In S821, the CPU 212 determines whether or not the BSSID is stored as the information (settings) of the destination AP in the ROM 213. If the BSSID is stored as the information (settings) of the destination AP, the process proceeds to S822, and if not, the process proceeds to S826. If the BSSID is stored as the information (settings) of the destination AP, this refers to a case where the BSSID was specified as the information of the previous destination AP that was set before the current series of operations for setting a new destination AP.

[0100] In S822, the CPU 212 erases the BSSID stored in the ROM 213 as information on the previous connection destination AP.

[0101] In S823, the CPU 212 displays a screen inquiring whether or not to enable the connection destination change function in conjunction with the change from the setting that specified the BSSID to the setting that does not specify the BSSID. Specifically, the selection screen described in FIG. 7(f) is displayed.

[0102] In S824, the CPU 212 judges whether or not the option (option 762) for selecting to enable the connection destination change function has been selected on the screen of Fig. 7(f). If the option (option 762) for selecting to enable the connection destination change function has been selected, the process proceeds to S825. If, on the other hand, the option (option 763) for selecting not to enable the connection destination change function has been selected, the process proceeds from S801 to S803 or S804, and a connection is made to the AP of the ESSID selected in S811.

[0103] In S825, the CPU 212 sets the connection destination change function to valid and records this in the ROM 213. Then, the process proceeds from S801 to S803, and a connection is made to the AP of the ESSID selected in S811 as one that supports the connection destination change function.

[0104] In S826, the CPU 212 records the ESSID selected in S811 as the setting of the connection destination AP in the ROM 213. Then, the process proceeds from S801 to S803 or S804, and a connection is made to the AP of the ESSID selected in S811.

[0105] In S828, the CPU 212 determines whether or not a measurement request (measurement request described above in S601 of FIG. 6) has been received from the connected AP. If a measurement request has been received, the process proceeds to S829, and if not, the process proceeds to S830.

[0106] In S829, 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 as a Beaon report to the currently connected AP.

[0107] In S830, the CPU 212 determines whether or not a connection destination change request (as described above in S605) has been received from the currently connected AP. If a change request has been received, the process proceeds to S831, and if not, the process proceeds to S834.

[0108] In S831, the CPU 212 judges whether or not the state is capable of accepting a change in the connection destination in response to the received connection destination change request. If it is judged to be capable of accepting, the process proceeds to S833, and if not, the process proceeds to S832. An example of an unacceptable state (unacceptable state) is a state in which printing is in progress while print data (print job) is being received from another information processing device via the connected AP. Another example is a power saving state in which the clock count is set lower than the clock count required for connection processing with the AP. In such an unacceptable state, regardless of whether the connection destination change function recorded in the ROM 213 is enabled / disabled, control is performed so that the connection destination AP is not changed temporarily based on the connection destination change request.

[0109] In S832, the CPU 212 responds with a refusal as a response to the connection destination change request received in S830, or ignores the request without responding, and performs control so as not to change the connection destination AP based on the connection destination change request.

[0110] In S833, the CPU 212 transmits information to the currently connected AP indicating that the request has been accepted as a response to the connection destination change request received in S830. Then, the CPU 212 disconnects the currently connected AP, and executes a process of connecting to the recommended connection AP included in the connection destination change request received in S830. 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. Here, the connection destination AP is changed in response to the change request when the BSSID of the AP to be connected is not set, the connection destination change function is enabled, and the connection destination change request can be accepted. Note that even if the BSSID of the AP to be connected is set, the connection destination AP is changed in response to the change request when the connection destination change function is enabled and the connection destination change request can be accepted.

[0111] In S834, the CPU 212 determines whether or not another event has occurred. If another event has occurred, the process proceeds to S835, and if not, the process proceeds to S836.

[0112] In S835, the CPU 212 executes processing according to other events. For example, processing involving copying or cloud communication is executed by key operations or touch panel operations on the operation display unit 205. When an operation event instructing copying occurs, in S717, the reading unit 219 is driven to read the original, and the read image is printed by the printing unit 222 to execute copying.

[0113] In addition, when a setting item of the connection destination change function included in the wireless LAN setting menu is selected and a user operation to change the setting is performed on the setting screen for enabling / disabling the connection destination change function, in S835, the CPU 212 changes the setting according to the operation. This setting is the target to be changed by the processing of S820 or S825 described above. The state set to "disabled" is a state set to a suppressed state in which a change of the connection destination AP based on a change request is suppressed. In addition, when a BSSID is set as the setting of the AP to be connected on the setting screen for enabling / disabling the connection destination change function, the connection destination change function may be controlled so that it cannot be changed to enabled. In this case, a display corresponding to the setting of the BSSID of the AP to be connected is made by graying out the option for enabling (displaying an indication that the operation is disabled), etc. Alternatively, a warning indicating that the BSSID is set as the setting of the AP to be connected may be displayed in response to an operation to enable the connection destination change function. Alternatively, a display indicating that the BSSID is set as the setting of the AP to be connected may be displayed on the setting screen for enabling / disabling the connection destination change function.

[0114] In S836, the CPU 212 determines whether or not an end event such as a power off has occurred. If no end event has occurred, the process returns to S809 and is repeated, and if an end event has occurred, the process in FIG.

[0115] According to the above-described process, a process for disabling (restricted state) the connection destination change function is performed in response to the unique designation of the connection destination AP by the MAC address (BSSID) (S818 to S820). Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of an unnatural situation in which the connection destination is changed to another AP in response to a connection destination change request, even though the connection destination AP is uniquely designated by the MAC address. That is, the user can use the wireless connection function without confusion. Also, in response to the cancellation of the designation of the BSSID of the connection destination AP, a process for enabling (cancelling the restricted state) the connection destination change function is performed (S823 to S825). Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a situation in which the connection destination cannot be changed to another AP in response to a connection destination change request, even though the connection destination AP is not uniquely designated by the MAC address. Therefore, the user can use the wireless connection function without confusion, and it is possible to more suitably utilize the connection destination change function. That is, according to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the user from becoming confused about the setting of the BSSID of the AP to be connected to and the change of the connection destination in response to a connection destination change request from the AP.

[0116] In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which in response to the BSSID of the destination AP being specified, an inquiry is made as to whether or not to disable the destination change function in conjunction with the BSSID of the destination AP in S818, and the destination change function is disabled in S820 by the user performing an operation to disable the destination change function. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the destination change function may be automatically disabled in response to the BSSID of the destination AP being specified without the inquiry process in S818. In this case, the process proceeds from S817 to S820 without the processes in S818 and S819. Note that, even at this time, a message or icon may be displayed to notify that the destination change function has been automatically disabled. Similarly, with regard to the activation, the destination change function may be automatically enabled in response to the BSSID of the destination AP being released without the inquiry process in S823. In this case, the process proceeds from S822 to S825 without the processes in S823 and S824. Note that, even at this time, a message or icon may be displayed to notify that the destination change function has been automatically enabled.

[0117] Also, the method of designating the MAC address (BSSID) of the destination AP described above is not limited to the above method, and other methods may be used. Even in this case, the same processing as S818 to 820 is performed based on the designation of the BSSID, and the connection destination change function is disabled. Similarly, the same processing as S823 to 825 is performed based on the release of the designation of the BSSID of the destination AP, and the connection destination change function is enabled.

[0118] In the above embodiment, when the connection destination change function is set to be disabled, information indicating that the connection destination change function is not supported is transmitted to the AP when connecting to the AP, and the connection is made, so that the connection destination is not changed in response to a connection destination change request. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other methods may be used for the control when the connection destination change function is set to be disabled, as long as the change of the connection destination AP in response to a connection destination change request from the AP is suppressed. For example, when connecting to the AP, information indicating that the connection destination change function is supported is transmitted to the AP, but when a connection destination change request is actually received, the control may be such that the connection destination is not changed in response to the received connection destination change request, by responding with ignorance or refusal as described in S832. In addition, when a measurement request is received, the control may be such that the radio wave reception status of other APs other than the currently connected AP is worse than the actually measured status (weak radio waves, much noise, radio waves cannot be detected) (false response). In this way, it is expected that a connection destination change request is suppressed from being sent from the currently connected AP to another AP. Therefore, a change of the connection destination in response to a connection destination change request is suppressed.

[0119] 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.

[0120] 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.

[0121] 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.

[0122] (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]

[0123] 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 the destination AP from a currently connected access point (AP), The configuration method for setting the AP to connect to includes setting the BSSID of the AP to connect to, Based on the setting means that the BSSID of the AP to be connected to has been set, a control means performs control to suppress changes to the destination AP based on the change request, An electronic device characterized by having the following features.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control means controls to display a screen that accepts a user selection as to whether or not to put the device into a suppressed state in which the change of the connected AP based on the change request is suppressed, as a control for suppression.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control means controls the change of the destination AP based on the change request when the BSSID of the AP to be connected to is not set by the setting means and the change request is accepted.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that, based on the control for suppression, if the device is set to a suppression state in which the change of the destination AP based on the change request is suppressed, the control means transmits information to the AP indicating that it does not support the function of changing the destination based on the change request, and controls the device to connect to the AP.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that, based on the control for suppression, when the device is set to a suppression state in which the change of the connected AP based on the change request is suppressed, the control means responds to a measurement request received from the connected AP with information indicating worse radio wave conditions than those measured for other APs other than the connected AP, or controls the receiving means not to change the connected destination based on the change request even if it receives the change request from the connected AP.

6. The system further includes a display control means that controls the display of a settings screen that allows the user to set whether or not to enable the connection destination change function, which is a function that changes the connected AP based on a change request, based on user operation. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that the display control means controls the setting screen to display a message corresponding to the fact that the BSSID of the AP to be connected is set in the setting means.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control means performs control to release the suppression state for changing the destination AP based on the change request, based on the fact that the setting of the BSSID of the AP to be connected in the setting means has been released.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising a printing control means for controlling printing on printing paper.

9. Connection and communication processing with AP in accordance with the IEEE 802.11ax standard, Processing compliant with Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Processing compliant with Target Wake Time (TWT), Based on the aforementioned change request, the process of changing the connection destination to a 6GHz band AP, The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized by performing at least one of the following.

10. A receiving means for receiving a request to change the destination AP from a currently connected access point (AP), The configuration method for setting the AP to connect to includes setting the BSSID of the AP to connect to, A control means that performs control to release the suppression state for changing the destination AP based on the change request, based on the fact that the BSSID setting of the AP to be connected to in the setting means has been released. An electronic device characterized by having the following features.

11. A receiving step that receives a request to change the destination AP from the currently connected access point (AP), The configuration step involves setting the BSSID of the AP to be connected to, as part of the AP configuration. Based on the fact that the BSSID of the AP to be connected has been set in the above configuration step, a control step is performed to suppress changes to the destination AP based on the change request, A method for controlling electronic equipment, characterized by having the following features.

12. A receiving step that receives a request to change the destination AP from the currently connected access point (AP), The configuration step involves setting the BSSID of the AP to be connected to, as part of the AP configuration. A control step is performed to release the suppression state for changing the destination AP based on the change request, based on the fact that the BSSID setting of the AP to be connected in the setting step has been removed. A method for controlling electronic equipment, characterized by having the following features.

13. A program for causing at least one computer to function as one of the electronic devices described in any one of claims 1 to 10.

14. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing at least one computer to function as one of the electronic devices described in any one of claims 1 to 10.

15. Receiving means for receiving user operations to configure the access point (AP) to which the connection will be made, A receiving means for receiving a request to change the destination AP from the currently connected AP, A control means that controls the system to establish a wireless connection with a first AP based on the operation received by the reception means, It has, The print control device is characterized in that, after the control means has wirelessly connected to the first AP which was set based on the operation received by the receiving means, the receiving means does not change the connection destination from the first AP even when it receives the change request.

16. The print control device according to claim 15, characterized in that the first AP is an AP set based on a user operation that specifies the access point to be connected to, which is received by the receiving means.

17. The print control device according to claim 16, characterized in that the first AP is an AP set based on a user operation that specifies the BSSID of the access point to be connected to, which is received by the receiving means.

18. The print control device according to claim 15, characterized in that when the control means wirelessly connects to the first AP, it transmits predetermined information to the first AP indicating that it corresponds to the connection destination change function based on the change request, and controls it to connect to the first AP.

19. The print control device according to claim 18, characterized in that the predetermined information is information corresponding to IEEE 802.11v.

20. The print control device according to claim 15, further comprising print control means for controlling the printing to be performed based on print data received from another information processing device via a connected AP.

21. The print control device according to claim 15, further comprising an inkjet or electrophotographic printing means.

22. The print control device according to claim 15, characterized in that when the control means receives the change request from the first AP, it controls the first AP to send a rejection response to the change request.

23. The print control device according to claim 15, characterized in that when the control means is wirelessly connected to a first AP set based on an operation received by the reception means, if the reception means receives a user operation to set up a connection to a second AP, the control means controls the connection to the second AP.

24. AP, connection and communication processing compliant with the IEEE 802.11ax standard, Processing compliant with Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Processing compliant with Target Wake Time (TWT), Based on the aforementioned change request, the process of changing the connection destination to a 6GHz band AP, The print control device according to claim 15, characterized in that it can perform at least one of the following.

25. The change request is a request to change the AP to which the connection destination is to the AP that is currently connected from the AP to another AP, The print control device according to claim 15, characterized in that, after the control means has wirelessly connected to the first AP which was set based on the operation received by the receiving means, even if the receiving means receives the change request, it does not change the connection destination from the first AP regardless of the information of other APs included in the received change request.

26. The print control device according to claim 15, characterized in that, after a wireless connection is established with the first AP based on an operation received by the receiving means, if the change request is received by the receiving means, the change of the destination AP from the first AP based on the received change request is invalidated.

27. ​​A reception step that accepts user operations to configure the access point (AP) to be connected to, A receiving step in which a request to change the destination AP is received from the currently connected AP, The system controls the system to establish a wireless connection with the first AP, which is configured based on the operation received in the aforementioned reception step. Subsequently, even if the receiving means receives the change request, a control step is taken to control the system so as not to change the connection destination from the first AP. A control method for a printing control device, characterized by having [a certain feature].

28. A program for causing at least one computer to function as each of the means of the print control device described in any one of claims 15 to 26.

29. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing at least one computer to function as each of the means of the print control device described in any one of claims 15 to 26.

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