Communication device, control method, and program

Abstract

To efficiently set communication parameters by an external device.SOLUTION: A communication device including a communication function that performs communication via a connection destination has communication means, detection means for detecting the connection destination by the communication means, acquisition means for acquiring extraction conditions for the connection destination, extraction means for extracting the connection destination on the basis of the extraction conditions from the connection destination detected by the detection means, and transmission means for transmitting information about the connection destination extracted by the extraction means to an external device via the communication means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication device, a control method, and a program, and particularly to a technique for assisting communication settings of a communication device.

Background Art

[0002] Some devices such as digital cameras and printers have a wireless communication function and can operate by directly connecting to a network. In order to enable the wireless communication function of such a device (hereinafter referred to as a communication device), it is necessary to set communication parameters such as an encryption method, an encryption key, an authentication method, and an authentication key for the wireless network to be communicatively connected in the communication device.

[0003] On the other hand, the modes of communication devices are various, and there may be a communication device that is not suitable for setting communication parameters. For example, when the function of the user input interface provided in the communication device is limited, or when the performance of the display device is insufficient for the display purpose of information related to the setting, the operation input for the user to set communication parameters using the communication device may become complicated. In contrast, there is a technique for setting communication parameters for a communication device via an external device such as a smartphone. In one aspect of such a technique, a list of connection destinations (wireless network or access point (AP)) detected in the communication device is supplied to the external device, and the communication parameters of the connection destination selected by the user in the external device are set in the communication device. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for setting the communication parameters of a connection destination in a communication device without accepting the selection of the connection destination by the user when the list of connection destinations includes the connection destination to which the external device is connected.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] By the way, the detection of the connection destination can change according to the situation and state of the communication device, and some connection destinations may not be detected by the communication device. In such a case, the information of the connection destination desired by the user may not be included in the connection destination list in the first place, and it may be necessary to cause the communication device to re-execute the detection of the connection destination and re-transmit the list. Also in Patent Document 1, when the connection destination list did not include the connection destination to which the external device was connected, the communication parameters of the connection destination were not set. As a result, the user had to search for the desired connection destination in the list or perform procedures related to re-transmitting the list.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a communication device, a control method, and a program that enable efficient setting of communication parameters by an external device.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, a communication device of the present invention is a communication device having a communication function for performing communication via a connection destination, and includes a communication unit, a detection unit that detects a connection destination with which the communication unit can communicate, an acquisition unit that acquires an extraction condition for the connection destination, an extraction unit that extracts a connection destination from the communication-capable connection destinations detected by the detection unit based on the extraction condition, and a transmission unit that transmits information on the connection destination extracted by the extraction unit to an external device via the communication unit.

Effects of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention with such a configuration, it is possible to efficiently set communication parameters by an external device.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 9

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] [Embodiment 1] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although a plurality of features are described in the embodiments, not all of these plurality of features are essential to the invention, and the plurality of features may be arbitrarily combined. Further, in the accompanying drawings, the same or similar configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0011] The following embodiment describes an example of applying the present invention to a digital camera configured to participate in a wireless communication network related to a predetermined access point (hereinafter referred to as an AP) as an example of a communication device and perform communication via the AP. However, the communication device is not limited to an imaging device such as a digital camera, and the present invention is applicable to any device having a communication function via an external connection destination. Such communication devices can include, for example, printers, smartwatches, and the like.

[0012] 《Configuration of Digital Camera 100》 FIG. 1(a) is a block diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of a digital camera 100 according to the present embodiment.

[0013] The control unit 101 controls the operations of each block included in the digital camera 100. More specifically, the control unit 101 can control the operations of each block by reading out a program for operating each block stored in the non-volatile memory 103 and expanding and executing it in the working memory 104. In the example of the figure, the control unit 101 is shown as being composed of one control device, but the control unit 101 may be composed of a plurality of control devices such as a group of processors.

[0014] Here, the non-volatile memory 103 is a storage device configured to be electrically erasable and recordable and capable of storing permanent information. In the non-volatile memory 103, in addition to the operation programs of each block, information such as parameters necessary for the operation of each block is stored. The non-volatile memory 103 is also used for storing still image data and moving image data captured by the digital camera 100. On the other hand, the working memory 104 is a storage device configured to be able to store temporary information. The working memory 104 is used as an image display memory for the display unit 106 described later, a working area of the control unit 101 (including a program expansion area), and the like. The working memory 104 is also used as a buffer memory for temporarily holding still image data and moving image data obtained by imaging.

[0015] The imaging unit 102 generates still image data or moving image data obtained by imaging a subject. The imaging unit 102 is configured to include, for example, a lens unit, an imaging element, and an image processing unit. The imaging element can employ, for example, a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) sensor, and converts an optical image of the subject formed on the imaging surface via the lens unit into an electrical signal and outputs it. The image processing unit performs various image processes on the electrical signal generated by the imaging element to generate still image data or moving image data.

[0016] The operation input unit 105 is a user interface that receives operation inputs from the user and is provided in the digital camera 100. The operation input unit 105 includes various user interfaces as shown in FIGS. 1(b) and 1(c), for example. FIGS. 1(b) and 1(c) are diagrams showing the appearance of the digital camera 100. In the example of the figure, the digital camera 100 includes a release switch 105a for receiving a shooting instruction, a playback button 105b for receiving a playback instruction for still image data or moving image data, and a direction key 105c for receiving item selection, image feed instruction, etc. The release switch 105a is configured to issue different control signals (SW1, SW2) according to the amount of depression. More specifically, when the release switch 105a is in the half-pressed state, the SW1 signal is transmitted from the operation input unit 105 to the control unit 101. In response to receiving the SW1 signal, the control unit 101 performs preparatory operations for imaging such as AF (Auto Focus) processing, AE (Auto Exposure) processing, AWB (Auto White Balance) processing, and EF (Flash Pre-Firing) processing. Also, when the release switch 105a is in the fully-pressed state, the SW2 signal is transmitted from the operation input unit 105 to the control unit 201. In response to receiving the SW2 signal, the control unit 101 causes the imaging unit 102 to perform an imaging operation for recording. The operation input unit 105 also includes a touch panel 105d that detects touch operations performed on the display unit 106.

[0017] The display unit 106 is a display device that performs operations such as displaying a through-image during imaging, displaying recorded still image data, and displaying characters for interactive operations. The display unit 106 can employ, for example, a liquid crystal display or an LED display. In the present embodiment, the display unit 106 will be described as a display device integrated into the digital camera 100, but it will be easily understood that the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. The display unit 106 may be an external display device configured to be detachable from the digital camera 100. In this case, the control unit 101 may assume a display control function for controlling the display content of the external display device. The external display device is, for example, a viewfinder that can be connected to the digital camera 100.

[0018] As will be described later, the digital camera 100 of the present embodiment is related to the setting of communication parameters by an external device and performs wireless communication with the external device. For this reason, the digital camera 100 includes a wireless communication unit 111 and a short-range wireless communication unit 112 for wireless communication with the external device, and is configured to exchange information with the external device using two types of communication methods.

[0019] The wireless communication unit 111 is a communication interface for connecting to an external device, which is configured to include one or more communication circuits or communication modules. In the present embodiment, the wireless communication unit 111 performs wireless communication compliant with the IEEE802.11x (x is b, a, g, n, ac, etc.) standard. The wireless communication unit 111 makes a communication connection to a wireless LAN access point (AP) (not shown) and communicates with a public network such as the Internet or an external device via the AP. Also, the wireless communication unit 111 can directly communicate with an external device by operating as an AP itself. That is, the wireless communication unit 111 is configured to enable infrastructure communication and ad-hoc communication.

[0020] The short-range wireless communication unit 112 is a communication interface composed of, for example, an antenna for wireless communication, a modulation / demodulation circuit for processing wireless signals, and a communication controller. The short-range wireless communication unit 112 outputs a modulated wireless signal from the antenna and demodulates the wireless signal received by the antenna to perform short-range wireless communication compliant with the IEEE802.15 standard (so-called Bluetooth (registered trademark)). The short-range wireless communication unit 112 can control the establishment and disconnection of communication by treating communication using the Bluetooth Low Energy communication method and communication using the Bluetooth Classic communication method as separate communications. Both Bluetooth Low Energy communication and Bluetooth Classic communication are communications using the 2.4 GHz frequency band. The digital camera 100 of the present embodiment can exchange data with an external device (smartphone 200) existing around via the short-range wireless communication unit 112.

[0021] As described above, the wireless communication unit 111 and the short-range wireless communication unit 112 are configured to perform wireless communications with different communication methods with an external device (smartphone 200). In the following description, the communication method performed with an external device via the short-range wireless communication unit 112 may be referred to as the first communication method, and the communication method performed with an external device via the wireless communication unit 111 may be referred to as the second communication method.

[0022] 《Configuration of Smartphone 200》 In the present embodiment, the smartphone 200 will be described as an example of an external device for setting communication parameters for the digital camera 100. However, the external device is not limited to the smartphone 200, and includes other devices having a function of communicating with the digital camera 100 and setting communication parameters of an external connection destination for the digital camera 100. Such devices may include, for example, tablet devices and personal computers.

[0023] Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of the smartphone 200 of the present embodiment.

[0024] The control unit 201 controls the operations of each block included in the smartphone 200. More specifically, the control unit 201 can control the operations of each block by reading out a program for operating each block stored in the non-volatile memory 203, expanding it in the working memory 204, and executing it. In the example of the figure, the control unit 201 is shown as being composed of one control device, but the control unit 201 may be composed of a plurality of control devices such as a group of processors.

[0025] Here, the non-volatile memory 203 is a storage device configured to be electrically erasable and recordable and capable of storing permanent information. The non-volatile memory 203 stores an OS (operating system), which is basic software executed by the control unit 201, and application programs that realize application functions in cooperation with the OS. In the present embodiment, the non-volatile memory 203 also stores an application program for communicating with a communication device (digital camera 100) that sets communication parameters. On the other hand, the working memory 204 is a storage device configured to be able to temporarily store information. The working memory 204 is used as an image display memory for the display unit 206 described later, a working area of the control unit 201 (including a program expansion area), and the like.

[0026] The imaging unit 202 is a camera unit provided in the smartphone 200. The imaging unit 202 includes an imaging optical system and an image sensor. The imaging unit 202 converts the optical image formed by the imaging optical system into an electrical signal by the image sensor and outputs digital data (image data) obtained by applying noise reduction processing and the like. The image data obtained by imaging is stored in a buffer memory such as the working memory 204, for example, and then various processes are applied by the control unit 201.

[0027] The operation input unit 205 is a user interface that receives operation inputs from the user and is provided in the smartphone 200. The operation input unit 205 includes operation members such as a power button for the user to instruct turning on / off the power of the smartphone 200, and a touch panel for detecting touch operations on the display unit 206. When detecting that an operation input has been made, the operation input unit 205 outputs a corresponding control signal to the control unit 201.

[0028] The display unit 206 is a display device that performs display of image data, character display for interactive operations, etc. In this embodiment, the display unit 206 will be described as a display device integrated into the smartphone 200, but it will be easily understood that the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. The display unit 206 may be an external display device configured to be detachable from the smartphone 200. In this case, the control unit 201 may assume a display control function for controlling the display content of the external display device.

[0029] Similar to the digital camera 100, the smartphone 200 is provided with a wireless communication unit 211 and a short-range wireless communication unit 212 for wireless communication with the digital camera 100, and is configured to exchange information with the digital camera 100 using two types of communication methods.

[0030] The wireless communication unit 211 is a communication interface for connecting to an external communication device, which is configured to include one or more communication circuits or communication modules. In this embodiment, the wireless communication unit 211 performs wireless communication compliant with the IEEE802.11x (x is b, a, g, n, ac, etc.) standard. The wireless communication unit 211 makes a communication connection to an AP (not shown) and communicates with a public network such as the Internet or an external communication device (digital camera 100) via the AP. Also, the wireless communication unit 211 can directly communicate with the digital camera 100 by operating as an AP itself. That is, the wireless communication unit 211 is configured to enable infrastructure communication and ad-hoc communication.

[0031] The short-range wireless communication unit 212 is a communication interface composed of, for example, an antenna for wireless communication, a modulation / demodulation circuit for processing wireless signals, and a communication controller. The short-range wireless communication unit 212 outputs a modulated wireless signal from the antenna and demodulates the wireless signal received by the antenna to perform short-range wireless communication compliant with the IEEE802.15 standard (so-called Bluetooth). The short-range wireless communication unit 212 can control the establishment and disconnection of communication by treating communication using the Bluetooth Low Energy communication method and communication using the Bluetooth Classic communication method as separate communications. The smartphone 200 of the present embodiment can exchange data with a surrounding communication device (digital camera 100) via the short-range wireless communication unit 212.

[0032] In this way, the wireless communication unit 211 and the short-range wireless communication unit 212 are configured to perform wireless communication with different communication methods with an external communication device (digital camera 100). More specifically, the short-range wireless communication unit 212 transmits and receives information with the short-range wireless communication unit 112 of the digital camera 100 using the first communication method. Also, the wireless communication unit 211 transmits and receives information using the second communication method via an AP or with the wireless communication unit 111 of the digital camera 100.

[0033] The connection unit 213 is a communication interface used when performing wireless communication via a mobile communication network. The smartphone 200 can make a call with another device via the mobile communication network by way of the connection unit 213. At this time, the control unit 201 inputs and outputs an audio signal via the microphone 214 and the speaker 215 to realize a call. In the present embodiment, the connection unit 213 is an antenna, and the control unit 201 can connect to the mobile communication network via the antenna. In the example of FIG. 2, the wireless communication unit 211 and the connection unit 213 are shown as separate hardware, but they may share a common antenna.

[0034] 《Overview of the setting function》 The digital camera 100 of this embodiment is configured to be able to execute functions that can be used via an arbitrary network, such as an automatic upload function for images recorded by imaging and a remote control function based on commands from an external device. Hereinafter, the functions that can be used via communication connection to the network are simply referred to as "communication functions". That is, the digital camera 100 of this embodiment is a device equipped with a communication function, and is configured to execute various operations related to the communication function, for example, in response to a predetermined condition being satisfied. In this embodiment, the communication function will be described as performing a specific operation involving communication via a wireless communication network. Therefore, the digital camera 100 is configured to participate in the wireless communication network related to the AP by communicating with any one of the APs, and to communicate with a predetermined device via the network to execute a specific operation.

[0035] By the way, the environment in which the digital camera 100 is used varies depending on the user, and the AP to which the digital camera 100 connects when performing wireless communication needs to be set individually by the user. That is, the user needs to select the AP to be connected when using the communication function according to the usage environment in order to make the digital camera 100 available for the communication function. Since it is troublesome to have the user select the AP to be connected every time the communication function is used, generally, the information of the corresponding AP is fixedly set in the digital camera 100 and configured to be repeatedly referred to every time the communication function is used.

[0036] Hereinafter, when referring to the AP that is set in the digital camera 100 in this way and is repeatedly connected when using the communication function as the "fixed connection destination", the term "fixed" does not intend that the digital camera 100 will permanently communicate and connect only to the AP after the setting. This term intends that the information of the AP is held in the non-volatile memory 103 or the like so as to be reusable during a specific period and is maintained without being temporarily changed. Therefore, the information of the AP set in the digital camera 100 as the fixed connection destination may be changeable by further setting by the user. Also, depending on the environment in which the digital camera 100 is used, information of a plurality of types of APs may be held in the digital camera 100 at the same time as the information of the AP of the fixed connection destination so as to be switchable.

[0037] The information set in the digital camera 100 as the information of the fixed connection destination shall include communication parameters for performing wireless communication via the AP, such as identification information (SSID) and password for uniquely identifying the AP. Therefore, the smartphone 200 of the present embodiment has a setting function for setting communication parameters for performing wireless communication via the AP in the digital camera 100. The setting function is provided, for example, in the form of an application for performing a cooperation operation between the smartphone 200 and the digital camera 100, and is provided by the control unit 201 executing the program of the application. Hereinafter, the application for performing the cooperation operation between the smartphone 200 and the digital camera 100 will be referred to as the "setting application".

[0038] When the setting application is started, a communication connection between the digital camera 100 and the smartphone 200 is established, and a menu screen 300 as shown in FIG. 3(a) is displayed on the display unit 206 of the smartphone 200. The user can use the setting function related to the setting of the communication parameters for the AP to be connected when the digital camera 100 performs wireless communication by performing a selection operation on the item 301 (Wireless Settings of the Camera) on the menu screen 300.

[0039] In the example of the figure, on the menu screen 300, in addition to the setting function, as items corresponding to functions available to the user, there are included an item 302 for displaying a list of images recorded in the digital camera 100, and items 303 and 304 for remotely operating the digital camera 100. The menu screen 300 also includes an item 305 for checking / changing the settings made in the digital camera 100.

[0040] When a selection operation is performed on the item 301, the display on the display unit 206 transitions from the menu screen 300 to a setting screen 310 as shown in FIG. 3(b). The user can start detecting APs existing around the digital camera 100 by performing an operation input on the item 311 (network search) on the setting screen 310. When an operation input is made on the item 311, a detection request for the AP is transmitted from the smartphone 200 to the digital camera 100, and the digital camera 100 starts the AP detection operation. More specifically, the wireless communication unit 111 of the digital camera 100 detects beacons broadcast from surrounding APs and adds information about the detected APs (AP information) to a list of detected APs (detection AP list). The detection AP list is stored, for example, in the work memory 104, and AP information included in beacons detected during a predetermined period (hereinafter referred to as the detection period) from the start of detection is sequentially added.

[0041] The detected AP list may be configured as shown in FIG. 4, for example. In the example of FIG. 4, as one record of the detected AP list, AP information regarding one AP is stored. In the present embodiment, the AP information regarding one AP includes information on the frequency band, channel, and encryption method used for wireless communication with the AP, associated with the SSID of the AP as shown. Also, the record regarding one AP includes information on the received signal strength (Received Signal Strength Indicator: RSSI) of the beacon received from the AP. In the setting application of the present embodiment, the "radio wave strength" of the AP is evaluated as "strong" when the value of the received signal strength is included in the value range of -30 to -67, "medium" when included in the value range of -68 to -70, and "weak" when included in the value range of -71 to -80. Therefore, it is assumed that the control unit 101 can convert the radio wave strength of each detected AP into a three-level evaluation value (strong / medium / weak) based on the value of the received signal strength in the detected AP list and handle it.

[0042] When the detection period ends, the information of the AP added to the detected AP list is returned from the digital camera 100 to the smartphone 200 as the information of the AP for the setting candidate of the communication parameter. In response to receiving the information of the AP for the setting candidate, the display on the display unit 206 transitions to a selection screen 320 that displays a list of APs for the setting candidate as shown in FIG. 3(c). The user can set the communication parameters for connecting to the selected AP in the digital camera 100 by selecting the item of the AP to which the digital camera 100 is to be connected on the selection screen 320. Also, an update button 321 is arranged on the selection screen 320, and the user can also cause the digital camera 100 to re-detect the AP and update the list of APs for the setting candidate by performing an operation input on the update button 321.

[0043] On the selection screen 320, when any one of the APs in the list of setting candidates is selected, the display on the display unit 206 transitions to a password input screen 330 for connecting to the selected AP as shown in FIG. 3(d). On the input screen 330, the user can cause the control unit 201 to configure communication parameters for connecting to the wireless communication network related to the selected AP by inputting a password into the text box 331 and performing an operation input on the OK button 332. Here, the configured communication parameters include at least the SSID of the selected AP and the information of the password input into the text box 331.

[0044] In the setting application of this embodiment, for an AP for which communication parameters are desired to be set in the digital camera 100, it is possible to input a password on the input screen 330. This is generally due to the fact that the information processing apparatus (smartphone 100) on which the setting application is executed has a user interface suitable for character input. In other words, by accepting password input on the smartphone 200, the convenience of the user can be improved particularly when the communication device for which communication parameters are to be set does not have a user interface suitable for character input.

[0045] In response to an operation input being made to the OK button 332, the display on the display unit 206 returns to the setting screen 310. When an AP to be connected to the digital camera 100 is selected on the selection screen 320, the SSID and password related to the AP are input in the area 312 of the setting screen 310. In this state, the user can perform an operation input on the item 313 to transmit the configured communication parameters to the digital camera 100 and store them as the communication parameters of the fixed connection destination. That is, on the condition that the password has been input for the AP selected on the selection screen 320, the communication parameters related to the fixed connection destination to the digital camera 100 are set. By setting the communication parameters, the wireless communication unit 111 of the digital camera 100 can participate in the wireless communication network related to the selected AP using the communication parameters. Note that, with the information related to the selected AP input in the area 312, the user can also perform an operation input on the item 314 to test whether it is possible to participate in the wireless communication network of the AP with the configured communication parameters.

[0046] 《Sequence related to the setting function》 The operations of the smartphone 200 and the digital camera 100 related to the execution of such a setting function will be described in more detail with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG. 5.

[0047] When the setting application is launched, in S501, a communication connection between the smartphone 200 and the digital camera 100 is established. To facilitate the establishment of the communication connection, in this step, the smartphone 200 and the digital camera 100 communicate and connect using a first communication method compliant with the IEEE802.15 standard. Specifically, the control unit 201 of the smartphone 200 establishes a communication connection with the digital camera 100 via the short-range wireless communication unit 212. Similarly, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 establishes a communication connection with the smartphone 200 via the short-range wireless communication unit 112 in response to the short-range wireless communication unit 112 receiving a connection request from the smartphone 200.

[0048] In response to the activation of the setting application, the control unit 201 causes the display unit 206 to display the menu screen 300. Then, in response to an operation input being made to the item 301 related to the execution of the setting function in S502, the control unit 201 causes the display on the display unit 206 to transition to the setting screen 310.

[0049] In response to an operation input being made to the item 301, in S503, the control unit 201 of the smartphone 200 transmits a request for acquiring information necessary for establishing a wireless communication connection used when setting communication parameters to the digital camera 100. When receiving the acquisition request, in S504, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 transmits information necessary for establishing a wireless communication connection used when setting communication parameters to the smartphone 200.

[0050] Although details will be described later, in the setting application of the present embodiment, when setting communication parameters, the configured communication parameters are transmitted using ad-hoc communication of the second communication method compliant with the IEEE802.11x standard. This is because the second communication method has higher information confidentiality than the first communication method. That is, since communication parameters including the password for AP connection may be misused if transmitted to a communication device unintended by the user, instead of the first communication method in which communication connection is easily established, it is transmitted using the second communication method with higher security.

[0051] Therefore, the information necessary for establishing a wireless communication connection, which is transmitted from the digital camera 100 to the smartphone 200 in S504, includes information on the SSID and password used when operating the wireless communication unit 111 of the digital camera 100 as an AP. The SSID may not use fixed information, but may be newly issued by the control unit 101 including random numerical values, for example, in response to receiving the acquisition request.

[0052] In S505, in response to an operation input being made to item 311 related to AP detection around the setting screen 310, the control unit 201 of the smartphone 200 transmits a detection request for APs existing in the vicinity to the digital camera 100 in S506. When receiving the detection request, in S507, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 causes the wireless communication unit 111 to detect APs existing in the vicinity. Further, when the detection period elapses after the control unit 101 starts the operation related to AP detection in the wireless communication unit 111, in S508, based on the information of the APs held in the detected AP list, it configures the information of the candidate APs for setting and transmits it to the smartphone 200. That is, the information of the candidate APs for setting transmitted to the smartphone 200 in S508 corresponds to the detection result for the detection request made in S506.

[0053] Also, in response to receiving the information of the candidate APs for setting from the digital camera 100, the control unit 201 of the smartphone 200 causes the display on the display unit 206 to transition to the selection screen 320 in S509. On the selection screen 320, items corresponding to each of the candidate APs for setting included in the received information are arranged.

[0054] In S510, in response to an operation input for selecting any one of the APs on the selection screen 320, the control unit 201 of the smartphone 200 causes the display on the display unit 206 to transition to the input screen 330. Then, in S511, when the control unit 201 receives an input of a password for connecting to the wireless communication network related to the AP, it configures communication parameters for setting and causes the display on the display unit 206 to transition to the setting screen 210. Further, in S512, in response to an operation input for selecting an item 313 related to the setting of the communication parameters on the setting screen 310, in S513, the control unit 201 transmits a start request for setting wireless communication to the digital camera 100. When receiving the start request, in S514, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 operates the wireless communication unit 111 as an AP and causes it to transition to a state where ad-hoc communication is possible. At this time, the SSID related to the ad-hoc communication uses the SSID issued in S504 and transmitted to the smartphone 200.

[0055] When the operation of the wireless communication unit 111 as an AP is started, in S515, a communication connection of the second communication method between the smartphone 200 and the digital camera 100 is established. Specifically, the control unit 201 of the smartphone 200 uses the information necessary for the wireless communication connection received in S504 to establish a communication connection (ad-hoc communication) with the digital camera 100 via the wireless communication unit 211. That is, the smartphone 200 enters a state of participating in the wireless communication network related to the wireless communication unit 111 of the digital camera 100 operating as an AP. When the communication connection of the second communication method is established, in S516, the control unit 201 transmits the configured communication parameters to the digital camera 100 in the second communication method via the wireless communication unit 211 together with a setting request. When receiving the setting request, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 stores the communication parameters in the non-volatile memory 103 in S517 and completes the setting. With the completion of the setting of the communication parameters, the digital camera 100 can participate in the wireless communication network related to the selected AP and perform information communication.

[0056] Thus, in the sequence related to the setting function of this embodiment, the information transmission and reception between the smartphone 200 and the digital camera 100 will be switched from the first communication method used so far to the second communication method in S516. That is, the smartphone 200 and the digital camera 100 perform information transmission and reception via the communication connection of the first communication method in S503 - S504, S506, S508, S513, but perform information transmission and reception via the communication connection of the second communication method in S516. Here, in the whole sequence related to the setting function, the information transmission and reception by the first communication method will be performed more frequently than the information transmission and reception by the second communication method. However, repeating the operations of establishing and disconnecting the communication connection each time is not suitable from the perspective of efficiency. Therefore, the setting application shall control to maintain the communication connection of the first communication method between the short-range wireless communication unit 212 and the short-range wireless communication unit 112 established in S501 until at least S513.

[0057] 《Setting of Extraction Conditions》 By the way, among the candidate APs detected in the digital camera 100 and information is provided to the smartphone 200, there may be no AP that the user desires to set. In this case, the user needs to perform an operation input on the update button 321 to update the candidate APs displayed in the list until a desired AP is detected by the digital camera 100. That is, each time an operation input is made on the update button 321, the processes of transmitting a detection request from the digital camera 100 to the smartphone 200, detecting APs with a detection period in the digital camera 100, and receiving the detection results (S505 - S508) are executed. Therefore, the time required until the setting of the communication parameters of the desired AP to the digital camera 100 is completed may be prolonged. Also, each time these processes are executed, the calculation load of the digital camera 100 increases. Especially when the digital camera 100 is battery-powered, there is a risk such as increased power consumption and shortened drivable time.

[0058] On the other hand, for example, by lengthening the detection period so that many APs are detected in the digital camera 100, it is possible to increase the likelihood that the desired AP is included in the list of candidate APs for setting. However, when there are a large number of candidate APs in the list, it may take time for the user to find and select the corresponding AP from the list, or it may require complicated operation inputs. As a result, similarly, the time required to complete the setting of the communication parameters of the desired AP to the digital camera 100 may be prolonged. Also, as the number of APs included in the candidate settings increases, the amount of information transmitted from the digital camera 100 to the smartphone 200 increases, so the computational load related to communication increases, and an increase in the power consumption of the digital camera 100 may also occur.

[0059] Therefore, the setting application of this embodiment is configured to be able to set the extraction conditions of APs from the detected AP list so that the information of the AP desired by the user is included in the information of the detection result transmitted from the digital camera 100 to the smartphone 200. More specifically, in the setting application, when transmitting a detection request for an AP from the smartphone 200 to the digital camera 100, the input of the extraction conditions is accepted. Then, the information of the input extraction conditions is transmitted to the digital camera 100 together with the detection request. The control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 causes the wireless communication unit 111 to detect an AP in response to the received detection request, and then extracts the APs corresponding to the extraction conditions from among the APs whose information is registered in the detected AP list, and configures and returns the information of the candidate APs for setting. By doing so, it is possible to reduce the amount of information transmitted from the digital camera 100 to the smartphone 200 while ensuring that the desired AP is included in the list of candidate settings on the selection screen 320.

[0060] The extraction conditions are set via a condition input screen 600 as shown in, for example, FIG. 6(a). The condition input screen 600 is displayed on the display unit 206 of the smartphone 200 after an operation input for the item 311 is made on the setting screen 310. In the example of the figure, the condition input screen 600 includes items such as the SSID of the AP, the frequency band, channel, and encryption method adopted for the wireless communication network related to the AP, and the radio wave intensity related to the wireless communication with the AP as items that can be set as extraction conditions.

[0061] Specifically, the SSID designation item 601 for designating conditions related to the SSID of the AP includes a text box 611 for designating the character string included in the SSID of the AP to be extracted. The SSID designation item 601 also includes radio buttons 612 for designating how the character string input in the text box 611 should be included in the SSID to be judged as corresponding (matching mode). In the example of the figure, the radio buttons 612 are configured to be able to select either "partial match" or "exact match" as the matching mode.

[0062] Also, the frequency band designation item 602 for designating the frequency band of the wireless communication network related to the AP is provided with check boxes 621 and 622, and the 2.4 GHz band and the 5 GHz band can be selected as the frequency bands of the AP to be extracted. The channel designation item 603 for designating the channel of the wireless communication network related to the AP is provided with text boxes 631 and 632, and the lower limit value and the upper limit value of the channel of the AP to be extracted can be designated. The encryption method designation item 604 for designating the encryption method of the wireless communication network related to the AP is provided with check boxes 641 to 644, and WEP, WPA, WPA2, and WPA3 can be selected as the encryption methods of the AP to be extracted. The radio wave intensity designation item 605 for designating the radio wave intensity related to the wireless communication with the AP is provided with check boxes 651 to 653, and strong, medium, and weak can be selected as the radio wave intensity related to the AP to be extracted.

[0063] The user can specify, through operation input for each item, the condition (the applicable condition) for extracting an AP when it is applicable on the condition input screen 600, and finally, by performing an operation input on the detection button 606, the extraction condition can be specified to the digital camera 100. That is, in response to the operation input being made on the detection button 606, the control unit 201 of the smartphone 200 constructs the extraction condition based on the information input on the condition input screen 600 at that time and transmits it to the digital camera 100 via the short-range wireless communication unit 212. When the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 receives the information on the extraction condition by the short-range wireless communication unit 112, it stores this as the information on the extraction condition specified by the user in the working memory 104.

[0064] In the illustrated example, as the extraction condition, it is determined that the character string "TEST" is included in the SSID in a partial match manner, the frequency band is the 2.4 GHz band, the channel is in the range of 1ch to 11ch, the encryption method is WPA or WPA2, and the radio wave intensity is strong. When such an extraction condition is specified, the control unit 101 extracts the APs that meet the extraction condition from among the APs detected in S507 of the sequence related to the setting function, and transmits them to the smartphone 200 as the information on the APs for setting candidates in S508.

[0065] For example, when the detected AP list is as shown in FIG. 4, only the APs with SSIDs of "TEST_AAA" and "AAA_NETWORK_TEST" will meet the extraction conditions. Therefore, as the information of the candidate APs for setting, the information of these two APs as shown in FIG. 7(a) is transmitted to the smartphone 200. In response to the reception of the information, the selection screen 320 displayed on the display unit 206 of the smartphone 200 will be in the form as shown in FIG. 8(a). That is, the user can set the extraction conditions for the AP for which the user wishes to set the communication parameters using the condition input screen 600, so that the digital camera 100 can be made to transmit information only for the APs that meet the conditions, and thus the AP can be selected efficiently. From another perspective, in the digital camera 100, instead of all the APs registered in the detected AP list by detection, the information of the candidate APs for setting can be configured only for the APs that meet the extraction conditions, so that the amount of data to be transmitted can be suppressed and the power consumption can be reduced.

[0066] At this time, when the AP that meets the extraction conditions is not included in the detected AP list, the control unit 101 may control not to transmit the information of the candidate APs for setting to the smartphone 200. Then, by making the wireless communication unit 111 re-execute the AP detection operation until the AP that meets the extraction conditions is detected, the control unit 101 can control so that the transmission process of information that does not surely include the AP desired by the user does not occur.

[0067] In the above-described example, the mode in which all of the SSID designation item 601, the frequency band designation item 602, the channel designation item 603, the encryption method designation item 604, and the radio wave intensity designation item 605 are designated as extraction conditions has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the setting of the extraction conditions only needs to set conditions for at least any of the items included in the condition input screen 600, and it is not required that the corresponding conditions be designated for all five types of items. In other words, the extraction conditions can be determined in various modes, for example, only the conditions of the character string included in the SSID, or only the conditions of the frequency band and the encryption method. Therefore, the user can determine the extraction conditions for designating the corresponding conditions for any item on the condition input screen 600.

[0068] <Setting Process> Regarding the sequence related to such a setting function, the setting process executed by the digital camera 100 will be exemplified using the flowchart of FIG. 9. The process corresponding to the flowchart can be realized by the control unit 101 reading out the corresponding processing program stored in, for example, the non-volatile memory 103 and expanding it in the working memory 104 for execution. This setting process will be described as being started, for example, in response to receiving a detection request for an AP from the smartphone 200.

[0069] In the present embodiment, the information on the extraction conditions set in the smartphone 200 is described as being transmitted to the digital camera 100 together with the AP detection request in S505 of the sequence related to the setting function. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this, and the information on the extraction conditions may be acquired at any timing as long as it is acquired prior to the configuration of the information on the candidate APs to be set in the digital camera 100 (S508). Also, in the following description, various processes related to the establishment of the communication connection for transmitting and receiving information are omitted.

[0070] In S901, the control unit 101 stores the information on the extraction conditions received together with the detection request in the working memory 104.

[0071] In S902, the control unit 101 causes the wireless communication unit 111 to detect an AP existing around the digital camera 100. That is, the wireless communication unit 111 detects an AP capable of receiving the beacon broadcast in this step. When the wireless communication unit 111 receives a beacon broadcast from any AP, it adds the AP information included in the beacon to the detected AP list in the working memory 104. The detection process of the AP according to this step is performed over a predetermined detection period as described above, and the control unit 101 moves the process to S903 after the elapse of the detection period.

[0072] In S903, the control unit 101 determines whether there is an AP for which the determination of whether it meets the extraction conditions has not been performed among the APs whose AP information is included in the detected AP list. If the control unit 101 determines that there is an AP for which the determination of whether it meets the extraction conditions has not been performed, it moves the process to S904, and if it determines that there is none, it moves the process to S908.

[0073] In S904, the control unit 101 selects one of the APs for which the determination has not been performed as the determination target.

[0074] In S905, the control unit 101 determines whether the determination target AP meets the extraction conditions. More specifically, the control unit 101 determines whether the AP information added to the detected AP list for the determination target AP satisfies the extraction conditions stored in the working memory 104 in S901. If the control unit 101 determines that the determination target AP meets the extraction conditions, it moves the process to S906, and if it determines that it does not meet the conditions, it moves the process to S907.

[0075] In S906, the control unit 101 determines that the determination target AP meets the extraction conditions and returns the process to S903. Here, the information on the determination result may be held in association with the determination target AP in the detected AP list, for example.

[0076] Also, when it is determined in S905 that the AP to be determined does not meet the extraction conditions, the control unit 101 determines in S907 that the AP to be determined does not meet the extraction conditions, and returns the process to S903.

[0077] Also, when it is determined in S903 that there is no AP for which the determination of meeting the extraction conditions has not been performed, the control unit 101 configures the information of the candidate APs to be set in S908. More specifically, the control unit 101 configures the information of the candidate APs to be set by extracting the APs among the APs whose AP information is included in the detected AP list and for which the determination result of meeting the extraction conditions is not associated.

[0078] In S909, the control unit 101 transmits the information of the candidate APs to be set configured in S908 to the short-range wireless communication unit 112 and causes it to be transmitted to the smartphone 200 which is the transmission source of the detection request.

[0079] In S910, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a setting request for communication parameters for any of the APs has been received. Since the setting request is obtained via the communication connection of the second communication method established in S515 of the sequence related to the setting function as described above, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a acquisition request has been received from the smartphone 200 via the wireless communication unit 111. The setting request received in this step requests the setting of communication parameters for any one of the candidate APs for which information was transmitted in S909. When the control unit 101 determines that a setting request for communication parameters for any of the APs has been received, the process proceeds to S911, and when it determines that no request has been received, the process of this step is repeated.

[0080] In S911, based on the received setting request, the control unit 101 stores the information of the communication parameters received together with the setting request in the non-volatile memory 103 as the information of the communication parameters related to the fixed connection destination, and completes this setting process. By setting the communication parameters related to the fixed connection destination in this way, when the communication function is used in the digital camera 100, it is possible to connect to the AP of the fixed connection destination using the communication parameters, and predetermined communication via the AP can be executed.

[0081] As described above, according to the communication device of the present embodiment, since only the information of the AP that meets the extraction conditions set by the user is provided to the external device, the external device can be made to efficiently set the communication parameters.

[0082] [Embodiment 2] In the above-described embodiment, the mode of determining the corresponding condition for extracting the AP when it meets the extraction condition has been described, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. The extraction condition can also be configured to determine an exclusion condition for excluding the AP from extraction when it meets the condition.

[0083] The extraction condition related to the exclusion condition can be set, for example, when a check box 607 is provided on a condition input screen 600 as shown in FIG. 6(b) and the check box 607 is in a checked state. That is, the user can determine the exclusion condition using items 601 to 605 by performing an operation input on the check box 607 to make it in a checked state on the condition input screen 600 that transitions from the setting screen 310.

[0084] In the example of FIG. 6(b), it is defined as an exclusion condition that it does not correspond to any of the following: the SSID contains the character string "TEST" in a partial match manner, the frequency band is the 2.4 GHz band, the channel is in the range of channels 1 to 11, the encryption method is WPA, and the radio wave intensity is weak. Here, in the case of the corresponding conditions, it has been described that the AND condition of the conditions defined for each item on the condition input screen 600 is defined as the extraction condition. However, in the case of the exclusion conditions, the OR condition of the conditions defined for each item is to be defined as the extraction condition. That is, in the case of the corresponding conditions, the AP that satisfies the conditions of all items on the condition input screen 600 is finally extracted. However, in the case of the exclusion conditions, the AP that does not satisfy any of the conditions of all items is finally extracted. In other words, in the case of the exclusion conditions, the AP that satisfies all the negative conditions of the conditions input for each item is finally extracted. When such an extraction condition is specified, the control unit 101 excludes the AP that corresponds to the extraction condition from among the APs detected in S507 of the sequence related to the setting function, and transmits it to the smartphone 200 as information on the candidate APs for setting in S508.

[0085] For example, when the detected AP list is FIG. 4, only the AP with the SSID "MOBILE_NETWORK" will correspond to the extraction condition. Therefore, as information on the candidate APs for setting, the information on these one AP as shown in FIG. 7(b) is transmitted to the smartphone 200. In response to the reception of the information, the selection screen 320 displayed on the display unit 206 of the smartphone 200 will be in the form shown in FIG. 8(b). That is, the user can set the exclusion conditions for the AP for which communication parameter setting is desired using the condition input screen 600, thereby excluding the AP that corresponds to the condition and causing the digital camera 100 to transmit information, so that the AP can be selected efficiently. From another perspective, in the digital camera 100, not all the APs registered in the detected AP list by detection, but the APs that correspond to the exclusion conditions can be excluded to constitute the information on the candidate APs for setting, so that the amount of data to be transmitted can be suppressed and the power consumption can be reduced.

[0086] [Modification Example 1] In the above-described embodiments, as the extraction conditions, an aspect has been described in which it is possible to set either a corresponding condition that meets all of the conditions defined for each item on the condition input screen 600 or an exclusion condition that does not meet any of the conditions defined for each item. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this, and it goes without saying that it is also possible to set either corresponding or excluded for each item and to set a complex extraction condition by combining these. For example, as the extraction conditions, it can be determined that the SSID contains the character string "TEST" in a partial match manner, the frequency band is the 2.4 GHz band, the channel is not included in the range of 1ch to 11ch, and the encryption method is not WPA2. In this case, in the mode of the detected AP list in FIG. 4, only the AP with the SSID "MOBILE_TEST" is extracted.

[0087] Also, the extraction conditions do not necessarily have to be only the conditions temporarily input on the condition input screen 600. For example, the user may input the extraction conditions using the condition input screen 600 multiple times, and the digital camera 100 may perform extraction of the AP to be set using these multiple extraction conditions. At this time, the control unit 101 may extract the APs that meet all of the multiple extraction conditions (extraction by the AND condition of the multiple extraction conditions), or may extract the APs that meet any of the multiple extraction conditions (extraction by the OR condition of the multiple extraction conditions). How to use the extraction conditions input multiple times may be configured to be selectable, for example, on the smartphone 200.

[0088] [Modification Example 2] By the way, depending on the performance of the AP, the spatial range that can communicate with the AP may become vast. For example, a situation may occur where an AP installed in a neighboring house or the like is detected as an AP that can communicate in the digital camera 100. On the other hand, such an AP has no possibility of being selected as a fixed connection destination, and it is not suitable for the user that it is included in the setting candidates every time the setting of the fixed connection destination is performed using the setting application. Although the user can specify not to include such an AP in the candidate APs for setting by specifying the above-described exclusion conditions, it is troublesome to input the same exclusion conditions every time of setting.

[0089] Therefore, when an exclusion condition is input as an extraction condition, the information of the AP excluded based on the exclusion condition may be registered in the negative list, and when a detection request for specifying another extraction condition is made thereafter, it may be configured to always exclude it from the candidate APs for setting. Specifically, when receiving a detection request for specifying an exclusion condition, the control unit 101 registers the information of the AP corresponding to the exclusion condition in the negative list and holds it in the non-volatile memory 103. Then, when receiving a detection request for specifying another extraction condition thereafter, the control unit 101 configures the information of the candidate APs for setting corresponding to the other extraction condition in S908 of the setting process, and then excludes the information of the APs that are also registered in the negative list from among them. In this way, by excluding the APs registered in the negative list as well as corresponding to another extraction condition and configuring the information of the candidate APs for setting, the convenience for the user can be further enhanced.

[0090] In addition, if an AP once registered in the negative list is permanently excluded from the set of candidates, there is a possibility that the user may not be able to set a desired AP as the fixed connection destination when temporarily excluding a specific AP or when specifying exclusion conditions by mistake. Therefore, among the APs in the set of candidates extracted according to another extraction condition, for the APs whose information is registered in the negative list, identification information may be attached and they may be configured to be displayed in a different manner from other APs on the selection screen 320 of the smartphone 200. In this case, the information of the APs registered in the negative list is not excluded, but is transmitted to the smartphone 200 as the information of the APs in the set of candidates when the other extraction condition is met. On the other hand, for the APs registered in the negative list, for example, they may be grayed out (faded) on the selection screen 320 or information indicating that they have been excluded in past extractions may be attached so that they can be distinguished by the user.

[0091] [Modification Example 3] In the above-described embodiments and modification examples, when an operation input is made to the item 311 related to the detection of surrounding APs in the smartphone 200, an aspect of further requesting the user to input extraction conditions has been described. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. The extraction condition information may be configured to be retrievable from a recording medium such as a memory card in which pre-configured information is recorded and connected to the digital camera 100. Also, the extraction condition information may be pre-stored in an external device such as a server associated with the user, and the information may be acquired at the time of sending a detection request and transmitted to the digital camera 100.

[0092] [Modification Example 4] In the above-described embodiments and modifications, it has been described that the communication method between the digital camera 100 and the external device is switched at the time of receiving a detection request from the external device, acquiring extraction conditions, and transmitting information of candidate APs for setting, and at the time of receiving communication parameters from the external device. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this, and these communications may perform information transmission and reception using the same communication method. In this case, for example, control may be performed so that the communication connection between the digital camera 100 and the external device established first for the setting function is maintained until the completion of the setting of the communication parameters.

[0093] Also, as the communication method between the digital camera 100 and the external device, it has been described that a communication connection conforming to the IEEE802.11x standard or a communication connection conforming to the IEEE802.15 standard is used. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. The communication method between the digital camera 100 and the external device may adopt other wireless communication methods such as infrared communication and WirelessUSB, or a wired communication method using a USB cable, an HDMI (registered trademark) cable, an IEEE1394 cable, or the like.

[0094] [Summary of Embodiments and Modifications] The disclosure of this specification includes the following communication devices, control methods, and programs. (Item 1) A communication device having a communication function for performing communication via a connection destination, communication means, detection means for detecting a connection destination capable of being communicated with by the communication means, acquisition means for acquiring extraction conditions of the connection destination, extraction means for extracting a connection destination from the connection destinations capable of being communicated with detected by the detection means based on the extraction conditions, transmission means for transmitting information of the connection destination extracted by the extraction means to an external device via the communication means, A communication device characterized by having the above. (Item 2) Receiving means for receiving, via the communication means, communication parameters for performing communication via any of the extracted destinations from the external device; Setting means for setting, as a fixed destination for communication by the communication means during use of the communication function, the destination from which the communication parameters were received from the external device; further comprising: The communication device according to item 1, wherein the communication means communicates with the fixed destination using the communication parameters during use of the communication function. (Item 3) The communication device according to item 2, wherein the acquisition means acquires the extraction conditions from the external device via the communication means. (Item 4) The acquisition means acquires the extraction conditions from the external device in a first communication method via the communication means, The transmission means transmits the information on the extracted destination to the external device in the first communication method via the communication means, The receiving means receives the communication parameters from the external device in a second communication method different from the first communication method via the communication means The communication device according to item 3, characterized in that. (Item 5) The communication device according to item 4, wherein, prior to acquisition of the extraction conditions from the external device by the acquisition means, the communication means establishes a communication connection between the external device and the communication device in the first communication method, and maintains the communication connection until transmission of the information on the extracted destination by the transmission means. (Item 6) The communication device according to item 4 or 5, wherein the second communication method is a communication method with higher information confidentiality than the first communication method. (Item 7) The communication device according to any one of items 4 to 6, wherein the communication means transmits, to the external device in the first communication method, information for communicating with the external device in the second communication method. (Item 8) The extraction condition determines at least one of a corresponding condition for determining a connection destination to be extracted among the communicable connection destinations and an exclusion condition for determining a connection destination to be excluded from the extraction among the communicable connection destinations, and is characterized in that it is any one of Items 1 to 7 of the communication device described in any one of the preceding claims. (Item 9) When the extraction condition determines an exclusion condition, the communication device further has a registration means for registering information on connection destinations extracted based on the extraction condition. The transmission means excludes the information on the connection destinations registered in the registration means from the information on the extracted connection destinations and transmits the same to the external device. The communication device according to Item 8, characterized in that it is as described above. (Item 10) When the extraction condition determines an exclusion condition, the communication device further has a registration means for registering information on connection destinations extracted based on the extraction condition. The transmission means attaches identification information to the information on the connection destinations registered in the registration means among the information on the extracted connection destinations and transmits the same to the external device. The communication device according to Item 8, characterized in that it is as described above. (Item 11) The extraction condition determines at least one of the identification information of the connection destination, the frequency band of the wireless communication via the connection destination, the channel of the wireless communication via the connection destination, the encryption method of the wireless communication via the connection destination, and the received signal strength related to the connection destination, and is characterized in that it is any one of Items 1 to 10 of the communication device described in any one of the preceding claims. (Item 12) The extraction condition, as a condition for the identification information of the connection destination, determines a character string included in the identification information, and is characterized in that it is the communication device according to Item 11. (Item 13) The extraction condition, as a condition for the identification information of the connection destination, includes information specifying a matching mode of the included character string, and is characterized in that it is the communication device according to Item 12. (Item 14) A control method for a communication device having a communication function for the communication means to perform communication via a connection destination, comprising: a detection step of detecting a connection destination communicable by the communication means; An acquisition step of acquiring extraction conditions for a connection destination; An extraction step of extracting a connection destination from the communicable connection destinations detected in the detection step based on the extraction conditions; A transmission step of transmitting information on the connection destination extracted in the extraction step to an external device via the communication means; A control method characterized by comprising the above. (Item 15) A program for causing a computer to function as each means of the communication device according to any one of Items 1 to 13.

[0095] [Other Embodiments] The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program. Further, it can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0096] The invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, claims are attached to disclose the scope of the invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0097] 100: Digital camera, 101: Control unit, 103: Non-volatile memory, 104: Working memory, 35111: Wireless communication unit, 112: Short-range wireless communication unit

Claims

1. A communication device having a communication function for performing communication via a connection destination, comprising: communication means; detection means for detecting a connection destination with which the communication means can communicate; acquisition means for acquiring extraction conditions for the connection destination; extraction means for extracting a connection destination from the communication-capable connection destinations detected by the detection means based on the extraction conditions; transmission means for transmitting information on the connection destination extracted by the extraction means to an external device via the communication means; A communication device characterized by comprising the above.

2. receiving means for receiving, via the communication means, communication parameters for performing communication via any of the extracted connection destinations from the external device; setting means for setting, as a fixed connection destination with which the communication means communicates when using the communication function, the connection destination from which the communication parameters are received from the external device; further comprising: The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication means communicates with the fixed connection destination using the communication parameters when using the communication function.

3. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein the acquisition means acquires the extraction conditions from the external device via the communication means.

4. The acquisition means acquires the extraction conditions from the external device in a first communication method via the communication means, The transmission means transmits information on the extracted connection destination to the external device in the first communication method via the communication means, The receiving means receives the communication parameters from the external device in a second communication method different from the first communication method via the communication means The communication device according to claim 3, characterized by the above.

5. The communication device according to claim 4, wherein the communication means establishes a communication connection with the external device in the first communication method prior to the acquisition of the extraction conditions from the external device by the acquisition means, and maintains the communication connection until the transmission of the information on the extracted connection destination by the transmission means.

6. The communication device according to claim 4, wherein the second communication method is a communication method having higher information confidentiality than the first communication method.

7. The communication device according to claim 4, wherein the communication means transmits information for communicating with the external device in the second communication method to the external device in the first communication method.

8. The extraction condition according to claim 1 is characterized in that it defines at least one of a corresponding condition for determining a connection destination to be extracted among the communicable connection destinations and an exclusion condition for determining a connection destination to be excluded from the extraction among the communicable connection destinations.

9. When the extraction condition defines an exclusion condition, it further has a registration means for registering information on the connection destinations extracted based on the extraction condition, and the transmission means excludes the information on the connection destinations registered in the registration means from the information on the extracted connection destinations and transmits the same to the external device. The communication device according to claim 8, characterized in that.

10. When the extraction condition defines an exclusion condition, it further has a registration means for registering information on the connection destinations extracted based on the extraction condition, and the transmission means attaches identification information to the information on the connection destinations registered in the registration means among the information on the extracted connection destinations and transmits the same to the external device. The communication device according to claim 8, characterized in that.

11. The extraction condition according to claim 1 is characterized in that it defines at least one of the identification information of the connection destination, the frequency band of the wireless communication via the connection destination, the channel of the wireless communication via the connection destination, the encryption method of the wireless communication via the connection destination, and the reception signal strength related to the connection destination.

12. The extraction condition according to claim 11 is characterized in that, as a condition of the identification information of the connection destination, it defines a character string included in the identification information.

13. The extraction condition according to claim 12 is characterized in that it includes information specifying a matching mode of the included character string as a condition of the identification information of the connection destination.

14. A control method for a communication device having a communication function in which a communication means performs communication via a connection destination, comprising: a detection step of detecting connection destinations communicable by the communication means; an acquisition step of acquiring an extraction condition for the connection destinations; an extraction step of extracting connection destinations based on the extraction condition from the communicable connection destinations detected in the detection step; and a transmission step of transmitting information on the connection destinations extracted in the extraction step to an external device via the communication means. A control method characterized by comprising the steps of.

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

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