Program, information processing device, and communication system

Abstract

To provide technology in which a user can easily perform communication between a communication device and an information processing device.SOLUTION: An information processing device requests setting which enables communication with a prescribed communication mode in a prescribed state to a communication device by the prescribed communication mode.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a program for configuring a communication device, an information processing device, and a communication system. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been a technique for automatically changing the operating state of a device when a certain condition is satisfied in the device. Patent Document 1 describes an automatic power-on function that automatically turns on a printer when the printer is turned off and receives data to be printed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-10163 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, if the automatic power-on function described in Patent Document 1 is disabled in the device, even if the user desires communication between the device and an information processing device, the desired communication may not be possible when the device is in a power-off state. In this case, the user may need to perform an operation such as turning on the power, and the desired communication may not be easily performed.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a technique that allows a user to easily communicate between a communication device and an information processing device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The program of the present invention for solving the above problem is a program executed by an information processing device capable of communicating with a communication device, and causes the information processing device to function as an acquisition means for acquiring from the communication device, using the specified communication method, a specified setting regarding whether the communication device is capable of communication using a specified communication method in a specified state, and as a request means for requesting, when the acquisition means acquires a setting corresponding to a case in which the communication is not possible in the specified state, from the communication device, using the specified communication method, a setting that enables communication using the specified communication method in the specified state. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, a user can easily perform communication between a communication device and an information processing device in a predetermined state. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information processing device and a communication device according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 2] 11 is a diagram for explaining the process of broadcasting advertising information and receiving connection request information. FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining advertising in BLE. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a screen relating to pairing processing. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a flow for enabling an automatic power-on setting of a communication device. [Figure 6] 13 is a diagram illustrating a flow of connecting to a network by BLE communication and acquiring capability information of a printer. [Figure 7] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing screens displayed in an automatic setting process of an automatic power-on setting. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a screen displayed when printing a photo. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described by way of example with reference to the drawings. However, it should be understood that the scope of the present invention includes any appropriate changes or modifications to the embodiment described below based on the ordinary knowledge of a person skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0010] (First embodiment) An information processing device and a communication device included in the communication system of the present embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, a smartphone is exemplified as the information processing device, but is not limited thereto, and various devices such as a mobile terminal, a notebook PC, a tablet terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), and a digital camera can be applied. In addition, in the present embodiment, a printer is exemplified as the communication device, but is not limited thereto, and various devices that can perform wireless communication with the information processing device can be applied. For example, if it is a printer, it can be applied to an inkjet printer, a full-color laser beam printer, a monochrome printer, and the like. In addition to printers, it can be applied to copiers, facsimile machines, mobile terminals, smartphones, notebook PCs, tablet terminals, PDAs, digital cameras, music playback devices, televisions, and the like. In addition, it can be applied to a multifunction machine having multiple functions such as a copy function, a FAX function, and a print function.

[0011] First, the configuration of an information processing device of this embodiment and a communication device capable of communicating with the information processing device of this embodiment will be described with reference to the block diagram of Fig. 1. In addition, the following configuration will be described as an example in this embodiment, but this embodiment is applicable to devices capable of communicating with the communication device, and the functions are not particularly limited to those shown in this figure.

[0012] The information processing device 101 according to this embodiment includes an input interface 102, a CPU 103, a ROM 104, a RAM 105, an external storage device 106, an output interface 107, a display unit 108, a communication unit 109, a short-range wireless communication unit 110, and the like.

[0013] The input interface 102 is an interface for receiving data input and operational instructions from a user, and is composed of a physical keyboard, buttons, a touch panel, etc. Note that the output interface 107 described below and the input interface 102 may be configured in the same manner, so that the screen output and the reception of operations from the user are performed by the same configuration.

[0014] The CPU 103 is a system control unit, and controls the entire information processing device 101 .

[0015] The ROM 104 stores fixed data such as control programs and data tables executed by the CPU 103, and embedded operating system (hereinafter referred to as OS) programs. In this embodiment, each control program stored in the ROM 104 performs software execution control such as scheduling, task switching, and interrupt processing under the management of the embedded OS stored in the ROM 104.

[0016] The RAM 105 is composed of a static random access memory (SRAM) that requires a backup power source. Since the RAM 105 holds data using a primary battery (not shown) for data backup, it can store important data such as program control variables without volatilizing the data. The RAM 105 also has a memory area for storing setting information for the information processing device 101, management data for the information processing device 101, and the like. The RAM 105 is also used as the main memory and work memory for the CPU 103.

[0017] The external storage device 106 stores an application that provides a print execution function, a print information generation program that generates print information that can be interpreted by the communication device 151, and the like. The external storage device 106 also stores various programs, such as an information transmission / reception control program that is transmitted to and received from the communication device 151 connected via the communication unit 109, and various information used by these programs.

[0018] The output interface 107 is an interface that controls the display unit 108 to display data and to notify the status of the information processing device 101 .

[0019] The display unit 108 is composed of an LED (light emitting diode) and an LCD (liquid crystal display), and displays data and notifies the status of the information processing device 101. Note that a soft keyboard having keys such as numeric input keys, a mode setting key, a decision key, a cancel key, and a power key may be provided on the display unit 108 to accept input from the user via the display unit 108.

[0020] The communication unit 109 is a component for connecting to a device such as the communication device 151 and executing data communication. For example, the communication unit 109 can be connected to an access point (not shown) in the communication device 151. By connecting the communication unit 109 to the access point in the communication device 151, the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151 can communicate with each other. The communication unit 109 may directly communicate with the communication device 151 by wireless communication, or may communicate via an external access point (access point 131) that exists outside the information processing device 101 or the communication device 151. Examples of the wireless communication method include Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) (registered trademark) and Bluetooth (registered trademark). Examples of the access point 131 include devices such as a wireless LAN router. In this embodiment, a method in which the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151 are directly connected without going through an external access point is called a direct connection method. Moreover, a method in which the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151 are connected via an external access point is called an infrastructure connection method.

[0021] The short-range wireless communication unit 110 is configured to wirelessly connect to a device such as the communication device 151 at a short distance and execute data communication, and communicates by a communication method different from that of the communication unit 109. The short-range wireless communication unit 110 is connectable to a short-range wireless communication unit 157 in the communication device 151. In this embodiment, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is used as the predetermined communication method of the short-range wireless communication unit 110.

[0022] The communication device 151 is the communication device of this embodiment and includes a ROM 152, a RAM 153, a CPU 154, a print engine 155, a communication unit 156, a short-range wireless communication unit 157, and the like.

[0023] The communication unit 156 has an access point for connecting to a device such as the information processing device 101 as an access point inside the communication device 151. The access point can be connected to the communication unit 109 of the information processing device 101. The communication unit 156 may directly communicate with the information processing device 101 by wireless communication, or may communicate via the access point 131. Examples of the communication method include Wi-Fi (registered trademark) and Bluetooth (registered trademark). The communication unit 156 may include hardware that functions as an access point, or may operate as an access point by software for functioning as an access point.

[0024] The short-range wireless communication unit 157 is configured to establish a short-range wireless connection with a device such as the information processing device 101. In this embodiment, the short-range wireless communication unit 157 uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) as a communication method.

[0025] The RAM 153 is composed of an SRAM or the like that requires a backup power source. Since the RAM 153 holds data using a primary battery for data backup (not shown), important data such as program control variables can be stored without volatilization. The RAM 153 also has a memory area for storing setting information for the communication device 151, management data for the communication device 151, and the like. The RAM 153 is also used as the main memory and work memory for the CPU 154, and stores a reception buffer for temporarily storing print information received from the information processing device 101, etc., and various types of information.

[0026] The ROM 152 stores fixed data such as control programs, data tables, and OS programs executed by the CPU 154. In this embodiment, each control program stored in the ROM 152 performs software execution control such as scheduling, task switching, and interrupt processing under the management of the embedded OS stored in the ROM 152.

[0027] The CPU 154 is a system control unit, and controls the entire communication device 151 .

[0028] Based on the information stored in the print engine 155 and the RAM 153 and the print job received from the information processing device 101, etc., an image is formed on a recording medium such as paper using a recording agent such as ink, and the print result is output. At this time, the print job transmitted from the information processing device 101, etc., has a large amount of transmission data and requires high-speed communication, so it is received via a communication unit 156 that can communicate faster than the short-range wireless communication unit 157.

[0029] The communication device 151 is also provided with a power key (not shown), and the user can switch the state of the communication device 151 between a power-off state and a power-on state by pressing the power key. The communication device 151 also has an automatic power-off function and an automatic power-on function (described later), and the user can set these functions to be enabled or disabled individually. When the automatic power-off function is enabled, the communication device 151 is automatically turned to a power-off state when a predetermined condition is met, such as when the communication device 151 is not used for a predetermined period of time, even if the power key is not pressed. On the other hand, when the automatic power-on function is enabled, the communication device 151 is automatically turned to a power-on state when a predetermined condition is met, such as when the communication device 151 receives data, even if the power key is not pressed.

[0030] Note that a memory such as an external HDD or SD card may be attached to the communication device 151 as an optional device, and information stored in the communication device 151 may be stored in the memory. Also, the communication device of this embodiment has a connection mode set by a connection setting process, and communicates with the information processing device in a connection form based on the set connection mode. When communicating through an infrastructure connection, the communication device of this embodiment sets the infrastructure connection mode as the connection mode, and when communicating through a direct connection, the communication device sets the direct connection mode as the connection mode.

[0031] Here, the division of processing between the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151 is shown as above as an example, but the division is not limited to this and may be in another form.

[0032] In this embodiment, the information processing device 101 stores a predetermined application in the ROM 104, the external storage device 106, or the like. The predetermined application is, for example, an application program for transmitting a print job for printing image data, document data, or the like in the information processing device 101 to the communication device 151. An application having such a function is hereinafter referred to as a print application. For example, the print application may have other functions in addition to the print function. For example, when the communication device 151 has a scan function, the print application may have a function for scanning a document set in the communication device 151, a function for making other settings of the communication device 151, a function for checking the status of the communication device 151, and the like. That is, the print application may have a function for transmitting a scan job or a setting job to the communication device 151 in addition to a print job. In addition, the print application can acquire capability information of the communication device 151 via the communication unit 109 of the information processing device 101 and the communication unit 109 of the communication device 151. The capability information is the capability information of the communication device 151. For example, if the communication device 151 has a printing function, the capability information corresponds to the paper size and paper type to be printed. The print application displays the acquired capability information on the display unit 108 of the information processing device 101, and the user can select the paper size and paper type to be used for printing from the capability information. The print application generates a print job using the paper size and paper type selected by the user. The capability information may also include information specific to the communication device, such as the MAC address of the communication device 151. Note that the print application can also register multiple communication devices 151 to be used. In this case, multiple pieces of capability information can be stored for each communication device 151 in the ROM 104 or the external storage device 106 of the information processing device 101 (referred to as a registered device). Also, the user can select any one of the registered devices from a list (referred to as a selected device) via the UI of the application. When printing is executed, the selected device is used. If the communication device is a printer, the registered device and the selected device are called a registered printer and a selected printer, respectively, but the communication device is not limited to a printer.

[0033] In addition, in this embodiment, the short-range wireless communication unit 110 and the short-range wireless communication unit 157 are described as performing communication by BLE. In this embodiment, the short-range wireless communication unit 157 of the communication device 151 functions as an advertiser (or a slave) that broadcasts advertising information described below. In addition, the short-range wireless communication unit 110 functions as a scanner (or a master) that receives the advertising information. In addition, the communication unit 109 and the communication unit 156 are described as performing communication by wireless LAN (Wi-Fi). Here, the process of transmitting advertising information and receiving a BLE connection request in the BLE standard will be described.

[0034] In this embodiment, since the short-range wireless communication unit 157 of the communication device 151 operates as a slave device as described above, it is assumed that the short-range wireless communication unit 157 performs the above processing. The short-range wireless communication unit 157 performs communication by dividing the 2.4 GHz frequency band into 40 channels (0 to 39 ch). The short-range wireless communication unit 157 uses the 37th to 39th channels for transmitting advertising information and receiving BLE connection requests, and the 0th to 36th channels for data communication after BLE connection.

[0035] In FIG. 2, the vertical axis indicates the power consumption of the short-range wireless communication unit 157, the horizontal axis indicates time, and the power consumption when transmitting advertising information using one channel is shown for each process. Tx205 indicates the total power consumption in the transmission process, which is the process of broadcasting advertising information, and Rx206 indicates the total power consumption in the reception process, which is the process of keeping the receiver for receiving a BLE connection request active. Transmission power 202 indicates the instantaneous power consumption due to the transmission process. Also, reception power 203 indicates the instantaneous power consumption due to the reception process. Also, microcomputer operating power 201 indicates the instantaneous power consumption when the microcomputer in the short-range wireless communication unit 157 is operating. Note that the microcomputer is operating before, after, and between Tx205 and Rx206 because the microcomputer needs to be started in advance to execute or stop the transmission and reception process. Also, when the advertising information is transmitted through multiple channels, the power consumption increases by the number of channels through which the advertising information is transmitted. Moreover, while the microcomputer is not operating and the short-range wireless communication unit 157 is in a power saving state, the sleep power 204 becomes the instantaneous power consumption of the short-range wireless communication unit 157. In this manner, the short-range wireless communication unit 157 performs a transmission process using a predetermined channel, and then performs a reception process using the same channel for a certain period of time, thereby waiting for a BLE connection request to be transmitted from the information processing device 101.

[0036] As shown in Fig. 3, the short-range wireless communication unit 157 repeats the transmission and reception of advertising information three times for each channel, and then stops the operation of the microcomputer and enters a power-saving state for a certain period of time. Hereinafter, a combination of the transmission and reception of advertising information by a specific channel is referred to as advertising. Also, the time interval for transmitting advertising information by a specific channel is referred to as advertising interval. Note that the number of times advertising is repeated from the first advertising until entering the power-saving state can be changed arbitrarily as long as it is three or less.

[0037] When the supply of power starts, the short-distance wireless communication unit 157 performs an initialization process and enters an advertising state. When the short-distance wireless communication unit 157 enters an advertising state, it broadcasts advertising information to the surrounding area. The advertising information is a signal including basic header information (such as identification information for identifying the device that transmits the advertising information). For example, if the communication device 151 is a printer, the advertising information includes the IP address of the printer, the port used for printing, information indicating a specific printing service, and information regarding the transmission power of the advertising information.

[0038] When the short-range wireless communication unit 110 of the information processing device 101 receives the advertising information, it sends a scan request to the short-range wireless communication unit 157. In response to this scan request, the short-range wireless communication unit 157 of the communication device 151 sends, as a scan response, identification information (UUID) of the communication device 151 and information on functions and hardware provided in the communication device 151. After the information processing device 101 receives this scan response, pairing and GATT communication, which will be described later, are started.

[0039] In this embodiment, authentication is performed between the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151, and pairing processing is performed to read and write data between the devices by GATT (Generic Attribute Profile) communication. GATT is a profile that governs reading and writing (transmission and reception) of information in the BLE standard. GATT communication is communication in which the information processing device 101 plays the role of a GATT client and the communication device 151 plays the role of a GATT server, and information is read and written from the information processing device 101 to the communication device 151 by a GATT-based profile. In a state in which pairing is not performed between the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151, the communication device 151 is configured not to permit reading and writing of information by GATT communication. In this manner, it is possible to prevent the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151 that are not paired from communicating with each other, for example, from inadvertently acquiring information held by the communication device 151 by the information processing device 101 that is not paired. In this embodiment, it is assumed that there is GATT communication that is permitted in a state in which pairing is not performed, and GATT communication that is not permitted in a state in which pairing is not performed. By allowing low confidentiality information to be communicated by GATT communication that is permitted when pairing is not performed, the convenience of communication can be improved, whereas by allowing high confidentiality information to be communicated only by GATT communication that is not permitted when pairing is not performed, the security of communication can be improved.

[0040] The pairing process will be described in detail. First, when the above-mentioned print application is started and an instruction to execute the pairing process is received from a user via the print application, the information processing device 101 starts searching for advertising information having specific device information. The specific device information is, for example, a UUID or a MAC address of a device (printer, etc.) corresponding to the print application. Then, when the information processing device 101 receives the advertising information having the specific device information, it displays a list of devices that are the senders of the advertising information having the specific device information on the display unit, and receives a selection of a device to be paired from the user. Here, the description will be given assuming that the communication device 151 is selected.

[0041] Then, when the information processing device 101 accepts the selection of the device to be paired, it transmits a pairing request to the communication device 151 by communication according to the security manager protocol. Note that until the pairing is completed, communication between the devices is performed according to the security manager protocol. When the communication device 151 receives the pairing request, it displays a PIN code display screen 200 as shown in FIG. 4(a) on the display unit of the communication device 151. The PIN code display screen 200 displays a PIN code 201 and a Cancel button 202 for canceling the pairing process. Then, when the information processing device 101 transmits the pairing request, it displays a PIN code input screen 210 as shown in FIG. 4(b) on the display unit 108. The PIN code input screen 210 includes a PIN code input area 211 for accepting input of the PIN code 201 by the user, and an OK button 213 for transmitting the input PIN code 201 to the communication device 151. It also includes a Cancel button 212 for canceling the pairing process. When the OK button 213 is pressed with the PIN code 201 input in the PIN code input area 211, the information processing device 101 transmits information including the input PIN code 201 to the communication device 151. The communication device 151 determines whether the PIN code 201 included in the received information matches the PIN code 201 displayed on the PIN code display screen 200, and permits pairing with the information processing device 101 when it determines that they match. Specifically, the communication device 151 exchanges a link key created by a predetermined method based on the PIN code 201 with the information processing device 101 by using the SMP (Security Manager Protocol) of the BLE standard. The exchanged link key is stored in a storage area (ROM 104, etc.) of the information processing device 101 and a storage area (ROM 152, etc.) of the communication device 151, respectively. This completes pairing, and thereafter, BLE communication is permitted to be performed between the devices. When pairing is completed, the information processing device 101 makes the PIN code display screen 200 non-displayed and displays the original screen again.

[0042] After the pairing is completed, when the information processing device 101 transmits a GATT communication request to the communication device 151, the information processing device 101 notifies the communication device 151 of the link key stored in the storage area during the pairing process. When the communication device 151 receives a GATT communication request, the communication device 151 compares the link key stored in the storage area during the pairing process with the notified link key to confirm whether the device transmitting the GATT communication request is a paired device. Then, when the communication device 151 confirms that the device is a paired device, the information processing device 101 starts reading and writing information through GATT communication with the information processing device 101. As a result, once the information processing device 101 completes the pairing process with the communication device 151, the link key that has been successfully authenticated is stored in both the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151. In the next and subsequent pairings, pairing is performed using this stored link key, so that GATT communication with the communication device 151 can be performed without the user inputting a PIN code. In the above description, the PIN code 201 displayed on the PIN code input screen 210 is input to the PIN code input area 211 by the user, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the PIN code may be fixed information (which the user cannot change at will) and stored in the information processing device 101 together with the installation of the print app, so that the PIN code is notified to the communication device 151 without user input. In addition, the timing at which the pairing process is started is not limited to the above-described form, and may be, for example, the timing at which the user issues a print instruction via the print app, or the timing before a BLE connection is established in the connection setting process.

[0043] Furthermore, the PIN code input screen 210 displayed by the information processing device 101 does not have to be displayed by the print app. For example, the information processing device 101 may have a setting application (hereinafter, the setting app). The setting app is an application program for making settings related to functions executed by the OS. The setting app is, for example, an application program that is installed together with the OS in a series of processes in which the OS is installed in the information processing device 101, or that is installed in advance together with the OS in the information processing device 101 when the information processing device 101 arrives. When pairing with the communication device 151, the information processing device 101 may start the setting app, transition the print app to the background, and accept an input for pairing from the user on a Bluetooth setting screen displayed by the setting app.

[0044] By receiving advertising information from the short-range wireless communication unit 157, the information processing device 101 can transmit a BLE connection request to the communication device 151 and establish a BLE connection with the communication device 151. The BLE connection is to establish a state in which short-range wireless communication processing can be performed between the respective devices using a GATT profile.

[0045] Moreover, when the power supply of the communication device 151 is on, power is supplied to the short-range wireless communication unit 157, and the short-range wireless communication unit 110 is able to communicate with the short-range wireless communication unit 157. That is, in this embodiment, the short-range wireless communication unit 110 and the short-range wireless communication unit 157 are able to communicate by BLE. Even when the power supply of the communication device 151 is off, if the power supply to the short-range wireless communication unit 157 is maintained, the short-range wireless communication unit 110 and the short-range wireless communication unit 157 are able to connect via BLE. As an example of a method for establishing a state in which a BLE connection can be established even when the power supply of the communication device 151 is off, there is a method of enabling an automatic power-on setting of the communication device 151. The automatic power-on setting is a setting related to the above-mentioned automatic power-on function, and when this setting is enabled, power is supplied to the short-range wireless communication unit 157, the communication unit 156, the ROM 152, and the like even when the power supply of the communication device 151 is off.

[0046] By enabling this automatic power-on setting, the short-range wireless communication unit 157 is in an advertising state, so that the short-range wireless communication unit 110 and the short-range wireless communication unit 157 can make a BLE connection even if the power of the communication device 151 is off. On the other hand, if the automatic power-on setting is disabled, the short-range wireless communication unit 110 and the short-range wireless communication unit 157 cannot make a BLE connection when the power of the communication device 151 is off. In other words, whether or not BLE communication is possible when the power of the communication device 151 is off depends on the automatic power-on setting. Therefore, for example, when a user of the information processing device 101 desires a BLE connection when the communication device 151 is in a power-off state, the user needs to approach the communication device 151, press the power key, and perform an operation such as turning the communication device 151 into a power-on state.

[0047] The automatic power-on setting can also be enabled or disabled by a user's instruction on the operation panel of communication device 151. However, even in this case, the user of information processing device 101 must approach communication device 151 and operate the operation panel to change the automatic power-on setting.

[0048] Therefore, in this embodiment, the information processing device 101 automatically changes the automatic power-on setting of the communication device 151 to enabled by BLE communication. As a result, unless an operation to disable the automatic power-on setting is performed, the automatic power-on setting is enabled the next time BLE communication is performed. In that case, even if the power of the communication device 151 is off, the short-range wireless communication unit 157 is in an advertising state, and can transition to a power-on state by the subsequent GATT communication. Therefore, when the communication device 151 is in a power-off state, the user of the information processing device 101 can easily perform a BLE connection between the communication device 151 and the information processing device 101 without operating the operation panel of the communication device 151. The process in this embodiment will be described in detail below.

[0049] The process performed by the information processing device 101 in this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 5. In this embodiment, after pairing is completed, the information processing device 101 performs a process for enabling an automatic power-on setting of the communication device 151. The process shown in Fig. 5 is realized by the CPU 103 executing programs such as a print application and an OS stored in the ROM 104 in the RAM 105 serving as a work memory.

[0050] In S501, the information processing device 101 performs BLE connection processing to perform GATT communication between the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151. In S502, the information processing device 101 acquires an automatic power-on setting from the communication device 151 through the GATT communication established between the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151 by the BLE connection processing in S501. Then, the information processing device 101 holds the acquired automatic power-on setting in the RAM 105. In S503, the information processing device 101 determines whether the automatic power-on setting of the communication device 151 acquired in S502 is enabled or disabled.

[0051] When it is determined in S503 that the automatic power-on setting is invalid, in S504, the information processing device 101 transmits a request for enabling the automatic power-on setting to the communication device 151 through GATT communication with the communication device 151. The request is written to the short-range wireless communication unit 157 of the communication device 151 through the transmission process in S503.

[0052] Note that, when it is determined in S503 that the automatic power-on setting of the communication device 151 is already enabled, the information processing device 101 disconnects the BLE connection in S511 and ends the process of enabling the automatic power-on setting shown in Fig. 5. Even if the automatic power-on setting of the communication device 151 is already enabled, a request to enable the automatic power-on setting may be transmitted in S504.

[0053] The communication device 151 receives the request transmitted in S504 and updates the automatic power-on setting held in the RAM 153 to be valid. Meanwhile, after writing to enable the automatic power-on setting in S504, the information processing device 101 executes a confirmation process to confirm through GATT communication that the automatic power-on setting of the communication device 151 has been successfully updated. If it cannot be confirmed that the automatic power-on setting of the communication device 151 has been enabled even after a certain period of time has elapsed after writing in S504, the information processing device 101 executes a process to write the setting again. These processes will be described using steps from S505 onwards.

[0054] In S505, before the above confirmation process, the information processing device 101 initializes a timeout flag and starts counting a timer. The timeout flag is a value stored in the RAM 105 that indicates that a certain period of time has elapsed (timed out) on the timer. The timeout flag is updated (set) to a value indicating that a timeout has occurred only when a timeout has occurred. This timer count is performed by the CPU 103.

[0055] If the request has been sent successfully to the communication device 151, the automatic power-on setting is updated within a certain time in the communication device 151. However, if the automatic power-on setting is not updated even after the certain time has elapsed, there is a possibility that the request was not sent successfully. Therefore, a timeout time is set in the information processing device 101, and when a timeout occurs, the information processing device 101 again transmits a request to enable the automatic power-on setting. This ensures that the automatic power-on setting in the communication device 151 is enabled.

[0056] In S506, when a certain period of time has elapsed after the timer was started in S505, the information processing apparatus 101 sets a timeout flag by interrupt processing.

[0057] In S507, the information processing device 101 determines whether the timeout flag is set. If the result of the determination in S507 is that the timeout flag is not set, the information processing device 101 executes the process of S508. If the timeout flag is set, the information processing device 101 executes the process of S503 again.

[0058] In S508, after starting the timer count, the information processing device 101 acquires a setting value of the automatic power-on setting of the communication device 151 through GATT communication between the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151. In S509, the information processing device 101 determines whether the automatic power-on setting of the communication device 151 is enabled or disabled based on the automatic power-on setting of the communication device 151 acquired in S508. Note that the method of acquiring the automatic power-on setting in S508 and the method of determination in S509 are similar to the methods of acquisition and determination in S502 and S503, respectively.

[0059] If it is determined in S509 that the automatic power-on setting is invalid, the information processing device 101 waits until a predetermined time has elapsed in S510. Note that the predetermined time for which the information processing device 101 waits in S509 is shorter than the time for which the timeout flag is set in S506. Therefore, even if it is determined in S509 that the automatic power-on setting is invalid, the information processing device 101 can execute the processes in S508 and S509 multiple times until the timeout flag is set thereafter.

[0060] If the automatic power-on setting of the communication device 151 has been changed to enabled by the enable request for the automatic power-on setting in S504, a determination of Yes is made in S509. In this case, the information processing device 101 disconnects the BLE connection in S511 and ends the enable process for the automatic power-on setting shown in Fig. 5. In other words, if the information processing device 101 can confirm that the automatic power-on setting of the communication device 151 has been enabled during the confirmation process after transmitting the above-mentioned enable request, it ends the process shown in Fig. 5.

[0061] In this embodiment, the information processing apparatus 101 judges whether to send a request to enable the automatic power-on setting again by judging whether a confirmation process for confirming a change in the automatic power-on setting has timed out. However, the method of judgment is not limited to this, and instead of judging based on a timeout, it may be judged based on, for example, the number of times the automatic power-on setting acquisition process (S508) has been performed. Specifically, if the automatic power-on setting has not been updated to be valid even after the automatic power-on setting acquisition process (S508) has been performed an arbitrary number of times, S504 may be executed again to send a request to enable the automatic power-on setting.

[0062] As described above, according to the present embodiment, the information processing device 101 can enable the automatic power-on setting of the communication device 151 by transmitting a request to enable the automatic power-on setting to the communication device 151 through GATT communication. This allows the user of the information processing device 101 to enable the automatic power-on setting without approaching the communication device 151 and operating the communication device 151 on an operation panel, for example.

[0063] When the activation is performed in this manner, even if the power supply of the communication device 151 is off when BLE communication is performed again after the process shown in FIG. 5, the power supply to the short-range wireless communication unit 157 can be maintained, and the short-range wireless communication unit 157 is in an advertising state. When the short-range wireless communication unit 157 is in an advertising state, a BLE connection state can be established between the short-range wireless communication unit 110 and the short-range wireless communication unit 157, and GATT communication is possible. By being able to perform GATT communication, the information processing device 101 can transmit any request to the communication device 151. Using this function, the short-range wireless communication unit 110 can transmit a request to turn on the power supply of the communication device 151 to the short-range wireless communication unit 157. In response to this request, the communication device 151 can switch the power supply of the communication device 151 to an on state.

[0064] In this way, the power supply of the communication device 151 can be switched on by GATT communication. This allows the power supply of the communication device 151 to be turned on without the user operating the communication device 151, and makes it possible to use the functions of the communication device 151, thereby improving usability.

[0065] 5 may be executed every time BLE communication with the communication device 151 is established, or may be executed only at the first BLE connection with the communication device 151. That is, activation of automatic power on may be requested on condition that it is the first BLE connection with the communication device 151. In this case, even if the information processing device 101 has already established a BLE connection with another communication device, the process shown in FIG. 5 is executed at the first BLE connection with the communication device 151.

[0066] As a method of determining whether or not it is the first BLE connection, for example, it can be determined by a pairing method. Specifically, the determination is made by information about the communication device 151. For example, when pairing is performed by inputting a PIN code described with reference to FIG. 4, it is determined to be the first connection. On the other hand, when a link key corresponding to the link key stored in the communication device 151 is stored in advance in the information processing device 101 and pairing is performed by the link key, it is determined to be the second or subsequent connection. As another determination method, identification information of the communication device performing the BLE connection may be used. Specifically, when a BLE connection is performed, the information processing device 101 acquires and stores identification information such as a MAC address, a serial number, and a name from a communication partner device by GATT communication. Then, when the above identification information is not stored for a communication device to which a user has instructed a BLE connection, it can be determined to be the first BLE connection.

[0067] The process of enabling the automatic power-on setting by BLE communication shown in FIG. 5 may be performed based on the content of the user's instruction in the print app before the BLE connection. For example, if the user has specified a predetermined function using BLE communication before the BLE connection, the information processing device 101 performs the above-mentioned enabling process, and if a function other than the predetermined function is specified and the BLE connection is made, the above-mentioned enabling process may not be performed. As the above-mentioned predetermined function, any function such as a handover function may be set. When such a predetermined function is specified and a BLE connection is made, the process shown in FIG. 5 may be performed every time, or the process may be performed only when a BLE connection is made for the first time after a specific printer and a predetermined function are specified.

[0068] In addition, when the information processing device 101 receives advertisement information, for example, the instruction of the communication device to perform the BLE connection is made by presenting the printer that transmitted the advertisement information to the user as a connection candidate. Then, the user instructs the BLE connection with the printer. In addition, when the information processing device 101 receives multiple pieces of advertisement information, the multiple printers are presented to the user, and the user selects the printer to perform the BLE connection from among them. In addition, the advertisement information includes device identification information, manufacturer information indicating the manufacturer of the device, and part or all of the device model information. The information processing device 101 may present only printers or only specific models of printers to the user as BLE connection candidates based on the information in the advertisement information by a print application.

[0069] As described above, by performing the process of enabling the automatic power-on setting only at the time of the first BLE connection, for example, if the initial setting of the communication device 151 is "automatic power-on setting: disabled," the setting can be automatically enabled. Furthermore, if the user subsequently intentionally disables the automatic power-on setting, the automatic power-on setting is not automatically enabled in subsequent BLE connections, so that the setting intended by the user can be maintained.

[0070] In addition, in order to notify the user that the automatic power-on setting will be automatically enabled, the information processing device 101 may display a screen shown in FIG. 7(a) on the display unit 108. The timing of displaying the screen may be various, and may be displayed, for example, at the timing when pairing is completed and GATT communication is started in the BLE connection in S501. Alternatively, the screen may be displayed before pairing is completed. In either case, the screen shown in FIG. 7(a) may be displayed before or after the screen shown in FIG. 7(b) notifying the user of the completion of pairing.

[0071] Furthermore, the screen shown in Fig. 7(a) may be configured so that the user can refuse automatic activation of the automatic power-on setting, in which case the processes from S502 onward in Fig. 5 are not executed.

[0072] Fig. 6 shows a process flowchart for establishing a network connection by the BLE communication method and acquiring capability information of a printer. In the process shown in Fig. 6, a BLE connection is established between the information processing device 101 and the printer, but the process shown in Fig. 5 has already been executed in the previous BLE connection (for example, in the first BLE connection). Therefore, the automatic power-on setting is enabled in the printer, and BLE communication is possible even if the printer is turned off. Also, prior to the process shown in Fig. 6, the user issues an instruction to acquire capability information in the print application.

[0073] Here, a case where a job is transmitted and received by handover will be described as an example. Note that handover is a technology in which each device that communicates first exchanges connection information for communication by a high-speed communication method using a short-distance communication method, and then switches to the high-speed communication method to transmit and receive data. In this embodiment, BLE is used as the short-distance communication method, and Wi-Fi is used as the high-speed communication method. The communication speed of GATT communication (two-way communication made possible by establishing a BLE connection between devices) is slower than that of Wi-Fi communication. Therefore, in GATT communication, authentication between devices and exchange of connection information for Wi-Fi communication are performed, and large-capacity data (here, jobs) are transferred by Wi-Fi communication with a high communication speed, thereby enabling efficient data transfer. Note that the communication method used in handover is not limited to the above-mentioned form, and various communication methods may be used as the short-distance communication method and the high-speed communication method. For example, a configuration may be used in which connection information for Wi-Fi communication is exchanged by NFC communication or Wi-Fi Aware communication, and then data is exchanged by Wi-Fi communication. 6 is realized by CPU 103 executing programs such as a print application and an OS stored in ROM 104 in RAM 105 as a work memory. In the following description, communication device 151 is assumed to be a printer that prints an image on a print medium. The printer is also assumed to be capable of scanning documents.

[0074] In step S601, the information processing apparatus 101 performs a BLE connection process to perform GATT communication with the printer. This connection process is similar to the connection process described above and includes pairing.

[0075] In S602, the information processing device 101 performs GATT communication with the printer connected via BLE and acquires (receives) printer information from the printer. The printer information includes status information indicating the current power status of the printer and four types of connection information related to the network settings of the printer. These connection information are used for a Wi-Fi connection between the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151. Specifically, the connection information includes (1) the printer's MAC address, (2) the SSID and password when the printer is in AP mode, (3) the current network validity status of the printer, and (4) the printer's status information. Note that the AP mode is a mode in which even if there is no access point, the printer itself has an access point function and connects to the host terminal via wireless LAN in the same state as if it were connected to an access point from the host terminal. This AP mode allows a peer-to-peer (P2P) connection between the two devices, so that the information processing device 101 can instruct the printer to print and scan. The network validity status is information indicating an available communication method among wireless LAN communication, wired LAN communication, AP mode communication, and Wi-Fi Direct communication realized by the communication unit of the printer. The printer status information is information that indicates whether the printer is in an error state, such as out of ink, or in a job execution state, such as printing. Note that a printer in an error state or other state in which it cannot acquire capabilities is collectively called a busy state.

[0076] In S603, the information processing apparatus 101 checks the current power state of the printer based on the printer information acquired in S602. If the printer's power state is off, the process of S604 is executed, and if the printer's power state is on, the process of S604 is skipped.

[0077] In S604, the information processing device 101 transmits an automatic power-on request to the printer through GATT communication. This step switches the printer power on, so that the network settings can be changed and capability information can be acquired in the following steps. After the process in S604, the information processing device 101 may acquire (receive) printer information through a process similar to S602. For example, if the printer updates connection information or the like when it goes from a power-off state to a power-on state, the latest information can be acquired by reacquiring the printer information after S604. Also, the information processing device 101 may acquire information regarding the power state in S602, and acquire other information such as WiFi connection information after S604.

[0078] In S605, the information processing device 101 checks whether the MAC address of the (1) printer information acquired in S602 is included in the capabilities of the registered printer. The capabilities of the printer registered by the application (printing app) are stored in advance in the ROM 104 of the information processing device 101. In S605, it is determined whether the MAC address acquired in S602 is included in the capabilities stored in advance. If the MAC address is included in the capabilities, the printer communicating with BLE has already acquired capability information as a registered printer in the application. Therefore, the processing of steps from S609 onwards is skipped, and the processing can be shortened. If the BLE-connected printer is a registered printer, the processing proceeds to S606.

[0079] In S606, the information processing device 101 checks whether the BLE-connected printer is a selected printer selected in the print app among the registered printers. If the printer is not a selected printer, the process proceeds to S607. Note that the user can select the selected printer from the registered printers on a selection screen provided by the print app as the printer to be used from now on.

[0080] In S607, the information processing device 101 sets the registered printer connected via BLE as the selected printer. Since it is considered that the user will use the printer from which capability information is obtained in the future, the registered printer is automatically set as the selected printer. As a result, the selected printer is automatically changed even if the user does not perform an operation to change the selected printer. In S608, the information processing device 101 disconnects the BLE connection with the printer.

[0081] In S609, the information processing apparatus 101 checks whether the printer is busy based on the printer information acquired in S601. A print application cannot acquire capabilities from a busy printer. Therefore, if the printer is busy, in S610, the information processing apparatus 101 presents to the user an error message indicating that the capability acquisition process cannot be continued and a message indicating that the busy state needs to be improved.

[0082] In S611, the information processing device 101 broadcasts within the network via Wi-Fi and detects a printer that matches the MAC address of the printer (1) acquired in S602. If the printer is detected, the information processing device 101 disconnects the BLE connection in S619 and acquires printer capability information from the printer via Wi-Fi in S620. If the information processing device 101 detects the printer in S611, this means that the printer and the information processing device 101 are already connected to the same network, and communication is possible without executing handover processing from S612 onwards. Therefore, the processing from S612 onwards is skipped, and the time until capability acquisition is completed can be shortened.

[0083] If the printer cannot be detected in S611, the information processing device 101 checks in S612 whether the Wi-Fi setting of the information processing device 101 is disabled. If the setting is disabled, the information processing device 101 enables its own Wi-Fi setting in S613. The information processing device 101 saves information indicating that the Wi-Fi setting has been enabled in a memory such as the ROM 104 of the information processing device 101 by the print application. By saving such information, the information processing device can disable its own Wi-Fi setting again in S622, which will be described later. Depending on the OS configuration of the information processing device 101, enabling the Wi-Fi setting may automatically reconnect to the most recently connected and connectable wireless LAN router. When saving of the above information is completed, the information processing device 101 executes the process of S611 again. If the printer can be connected in S611, this means that communication was not possible when S611 was first executed because the Wi-Fi setting of the information processing device 101 was disabled.

[0084] If it is determined in S612 that the Wi-Fi setting of the information processing device 101 is valid, in S614 the information processing device 101 checks whether the printer is in AP mode from the (3) current network validity state of the printer acquired in S602. If the printer is in AP mode, in S615 the information processing device 101 instructs the printer to maintain the current network state through GATT communication via the print app. The printer prohibits changing the printer's network until it is instructed by the print app to cancel network maintenance. This makes it possible to prevent the printer's network from being changed while the print app is performing processing to connect the information processing device to AP mode.

[0085] If it is determined in S614 that the printer is not in the AP mode, in S616 the information processing device 101 instructs the printer to transition to the AP mode via GATT communication by the print application. When the printer detects the instruction to transition to the AP mode, it performs a process of transitioning to the AP mode (called the forced AP mode). The printer maintains the forced AP mode until it is instructed by the print application to end the forced AP mode. This makes it possible to prevent the printer network from being changed while the print application is performing a process of connecting the information processing device to the forced AP mode. Note that when the information processing device 101 is in the forced AP mode, it stores information indicating that the network state of the printer has been changed to the forced AP mode in this process in a memory such as the ROM 104. By storing such information, in S622 described later, the information processing device 101 can instruct the printer to end the forced AP mode via Wi-Fi communication.

[0086] In S617, the information processing device 101 establishes a connection to the AP mode of the printer using (2) the SSID and password for the printer's AP mode acquired in S602, and establishes a P2P state through a Wi-Fi connection. In S618, if the information processing device 101 changes the Wi-Fi settings of the information processing device 101 in S617 and connects to the AP mode, it saves the state before the change in a memory such as the ROM 104. For example, if the information processing device 101 is connected to a wireless LAN router different from the AP mode, it saves the SSID of that wireless LAN router until before executing this process. By saving in this way, it is possible to reconnect the Wi-Fi settings of the information processing device to that wireless LAN router in S622 described later.

[0087] In S619, the information processing device 101 disconnects the BLE connection with the printer because it will not perform BLE communication thereafter. In S620, the information processing device 101 acquires capability information of the printer through Wi-Fi communication. The acquired capability information is stored in a memory such as the ROM 104 of the information processing device 101, and the printer is set as the selected printer.

[0088] In S621, the information processing device 101 checks whether the various pieces of information to be saved in S613, S616, and S618 are saved in the memory of the information processing device 101, such as the ROM 104. If any of the pieces of information is saved, in S622, the information processing device 101 returns the information processing device 101 and the printer to their original network states. If information indicating that the Wi-Fi setting has been enabled is saved in S613, in S622, the information processing device 101 returns its own Wi-Fi setting to disabled. If information indicating that the network state of the printer has been changed to the forced AP mode is saved in S616, the information processing device 101 performs a process of canceling the forced AP mode of the printer. Specifically, the information processing device 101 instructs the printer to end the forced AP mode of the printer through Wi-Fi communication. If an SSID is saved in S618, the information processing device 101 connects to the SSID through Wi-Fi communication. This allows the information processing device 101 to reconnect to the wireless LAN router to which it was connected before S617.

[0089] In S623, the information processing device 101 determines whether the selected printer was changed in S607 or S620. If the selected printer was changed, it is determined that the information processing device 101 is connected to the selected printer for the first time, and in S624, the information processing device 101 displays a screen for printing photos, as shown in Fig. 8. The display in S624 makes it possible to guide the user through UI operations for printing photos using a printer.

[0090] As described above, according to the process in FIG. 6, the information processing device 101 and the printer can establish a connection by BLE communication with fewer steps of changing the network. Therefore, the user can more easily obtain the capability information of the printer. At this time, since the automatic power-on setting is enabled by the process in FIG. 5, the communication device 151 (printer) can perform BLE communication even when the power is off. Therefore, for example, even if the user does not approach the printer and perform an operation such as pressing the power key, the printer can be turned on by BLE communication and the capability information of the printer can be obtained.

[0091] 6, even when the forced AP mode is executed in the communication device 151, the forced AP mode is automatically terminated after the capability information is acquired. For example, there is a case where the information processing device 101 or the communication device 151 is connected to the Internet via Wi-Fi before the forced AP mode. In this case, the automatic termination process of the forced AP mode described above can prevent the state in which the Internet connection is disconnected by the forced AP mode from continuing unnecessarily even after the capability information is acquired.

[0092] 6, the case where capability information is acquired via Wi-Fi is described, but the present invention can be applied to other processes. For example, in S620, the information processing device 101 can cause a printer to execute a print process via Wi-Fi.

[0093] In this embodiment, a printer has been described as an example of the communication device 151, but the processing of this embodiment can also be applied to a digital camera having Wi-Fi connection and P2P connection functions. Specifically, when the information processing device is made to function as a remote control for the digital camera, it is possible to perform operations such as releasing the shutter of the digital camera connected from the information processing device. In addition, the information processing device may function as a remote control for devices such as a network audio player or a video recorder. In this way, even when this embodiment is applied to a device other than a printer, it is possible to facilitate a BLE connection with the information processing device. Furthermore, the automatic termination process of the forced AP mode makes it possible to prevent each device from continuing to have its Internet connection disconnected unnecessarily.

[0094] Furthermore, in the embodiment, an example of the AP mode is presented as an example of a P2P connection between an information processing device and a communication device, but other P2P connection methods such as Bluetooth connection, Wi-Fi Direct connection, etc. If such connection methods cause the Internet connection of both or one of the terminals and devices to be cut off, the automatic termination process of the forced AP mode can prevent the Internet connection of each device from being cut off unnecessarily.

[0095] In the above embodiment, the power-off state and the power-on state are taken as examples of the states of communication device 151, and an automatic power-on setting is taken as an example of the setting of communication device 151. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the states of communication device 151 may be a power saving mode and a normal mode, and the setting of communication device 151 may be a setting for automatically returning from the power saving mode to the normal mode.

[0096] The functions of this embodiment can also be realized by the following configuration. That is, the functions can also be achieved by supplying a program code for performing the processing of this embodiment to a system or device, and having the computer (or CPU or MPU) of that system or device execute the program code. In this case, the program code itself read out from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-mentioned embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code also realizes the functions of this embodiment.

[0097] In addition, the program code for realizing the functions of this embodiment may be executed by one computer (CPU, MPU), or may be executed by multiple computers working together. Furthermore, the program code may be executed by a computer, or hardware such as a circuit for realizing the functions of the program code may be provided. Alternatively, part of the program code may be realized by hardware, and the remaining part may be executed by a computer. [Explanation of symbols]

[0098] 103 CPU 104 ROM 105 RAM

Claims

1. A communication device capable of operating in either a predetermined power state or a power state that is more power-efficient than the predetermined power state, A first communication means for performing communication with an external information processing device via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE); A second communication means for performing communication with the information processing device via Wi-Fi; a setting means for disabling or enabling a predetermined function for automatically setting the communication device to the predetermined power state when a first condition is satisfied while the communication device is operating in a power state that saves power compared to the predetermined power state; A printing unit that executes printing based on a print job received via Wi-Fi communication with the information processing device; a switching means for switching the communication device to a power state that is more energy-efficient than the predetermined power state when a second condition is satisfied while the communication device is operating in the predetermined power state; a control means for controlling the communication device so that, when the predetermined function is enabled in the communication device, the communication device is capable of communicating with the information processing device even when the communication device is in a power state that saves power compared to the predetermined power state, and for controlling the communication device so that, when the predetermined function is disabled in the communication device, the communication device is not capable of communicating with the information processing device when the communication device is in a power state that saves power compared to the predetermined power state; a transmission means for transmitting, to the information processing device, predetermined information corresponding to whether the predetermined function is enabled in the communication device; having When the predetermined information is transmitted to the information processing device, a display based on the content of the predetermined information is executed on the information processing device. A communication device comprising:

2. When a predetermined communication is executed between the information processing device and the communication device while the predetermined function is disabled in the communication device, the predetermined function is enabled in the communication device based on the execution of the predetermined communication.

2. The communication device according to claim 1 .

3. A communication device as described in Claim 2, characterized in that the specified communication is executed based on the specified information corresponding to the specified function being enabled in the communication device.

4. A communication device as described in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the specified communication is communication after pairing has been performed between the information processing device and the communication device.

5. A communication device as described in any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the specified communication is communication performed by an initial connection between the information processing device and the communication device.

6. A communication device described in any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the specified communication is communication via BLE between the information processing device and the communication device.

7. A communication device as described in any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that the specified communication is communication executed by a specified application program possessed by the information processing device.

8. The communication device described in Claim 7, characterized in that the specified application program is a program having at least one of the functions of sending a print job to the communication device and sending a scan job to the communication device.

9. A communication device as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that status information regarding the power supply status of the communication device is transmitted to the information processing device.

10. when the state information indicates that the communication device is in a power state that is more energy-efficient than the predetermined power state, an instruction to place the communication device in the predetermined power state is received from the information processing device; The communication device according to claim 9 , wherein the communication device goes into the predetermined power state based on the instruction being received.

11. A communication device as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the power state that is more power-saving than the specified power state is a state in which the power of the communication device is off, and the specified power state is a state in which the power of the communication device is on.

12. A communication device described in any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising a second communication means for communicating connection information for establishing a connection using a communication method other than BLE.

13. The communication device as described in claim 12, further comprising a capability information transmission step of transmitting capability information of the communication device via a connection by the other communication method.

14. A communication device as described in claim 12 or 13, characterized in that the other communication method is Wi-Fi.

15. A communication device as described in any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that when the specified function is enabled in the communication device, the communication device is controlled so that communication with the information processing device via BLE is possible even if the communication device is in a power state that is more power-saving than the specified power state, and when the specified function is disabled in the communication device, the communication device is controlled so that communication with the information processing device via BLE is not possible when the communication device is in a power state that is more power-saving than the specified power state.

16. A communication device as described in any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that when the specified function is enabled in the communication device, power is controlled to be supplied to a wireless communication unit for performing communication via BLE even when the communication device is in a power state that is more energy-efficient than the specified power state.

17. A communication device as described in any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that when the specified function is enabled in the communication device, the communication device is controlled to broadcast information via BLE even when the communication device is in a power-saving power state compared to the specified power state.

18. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the first condition includes that the communication device has received data.

19. A communication device as described in any one of claims 1 to 18, characterized in that the second condition includes at least one of the communication device not being used for a predetermined period of time and a power key provided on the communication device being pressed.

20. A communication device as described in any one of claims 1 to 19, characterized in that when a specified function for setting the specified power state is disabled, the specified function is enabled based on a specified user operation on the communication device.

21. A communication device as described in any one of claims 1 to 20, characterized in that when the content of the specified information transmitted to the information processing device corresponds to the specified function being disabled in the communication device, the information processing device displays a screen indicating that the specified function will be enabled in the communication device as a display based on the content of the specified information.

22. A communication device as described in any one of claims 1 to 21, characterized in that when the content of the specified information transmitted to the information processing device corresponds to the specified function being disabled in the communication device, a screen is displayed in the information processing device as a display based on the content of the specified information, which allows the user to select whether or not to enable the specified function in the communication device.

23. A method for controlling a communication device capable of operating in either a predetermined power state or a power state that is more power-efficient than the predetermined power state, comprising: A first communication step of performing communication with an external information processing device by Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE); A second communication step of performing communication with the information processing device via Wi-Fi; a setting step of disabling or enabling a predetermined function of automatically setting the communication device to the predetermined power state when a first condition is satisfied while the communication device is operating in a power state that saves power compared to the predetermined power state; a printing step of executing printing based on a print job received via Wi-Fi communication with the information processing device; a switching step of switching the communication device to a power state that is more energy-efficient than the predetermined power state when a second condition is satisfied while the communication device is operating in the predetermined power state; a control step of controlling the communication device so that, when the predetermined function is enabled in the communication device, the communication device is in a state where communication with the information processing device is possible even if the communication device is in a power state that is more power-saving than the predetermined power state, and, when the predetermined function is disabled in the communication device, the communication device is in a state where communication with the information processing device is not possible when the communication device is in a power state that is more power-saving than the predetermined power state; a transmission step of transmitting, to the information processing device, predetermined information corresponding to whether the predetermined function is enabled in the communication device; having When the predetermined information is transmitted to the information processing device, a display based on the content of the predetermined information is executed on the information processing device. A control method comprising:

24. A computer of an information processing device capable of communicating with a communication device that can operate in either a predetermined power state or a power state that is more power-efficient than the predetermined power state, A first communication means for performing communication with the communication device by Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE); A second communication means for performing communication with the communication device via Wi-Fi; A transmission means for transmitting a print job via Wi-Fi communication with the communication device; a receiving means for receiving from the communication device predetermined information corresponding to whether a predetermined function for automatically setting the communication device to the predetermined power state when a first condition is satisfied while the communication device is operating in a power state that saves power compared to the predetermined power state is enabled in the communication device; a display unit that, when the predetermined information is transmitted to the information processing device, executes a display based on the content of the predetermined information; Operate as when a second condition is satisfied while the communication device is operating in the predetermined power state, the communication device switches to a power state that is more energy-efficient than the predetermined power state; the communication device controls the communication device so that, when the specified function is enabled in the communication device, the communication device is in a power state that is more power-saving than the specified power state, and, when the specified function is disabled in the communication device, the communication device is in a power state that is more power-saving than the specified power state, so that the communication device is in a state where communication with the information processing device is not possible. A program characterized by:

Images