Electronic device, control method therefor, and program

Abstract

To surely perform firmware update by avoiding communication errors caused by switching access points when updating firmware via wireless connection.SOLUTION: An electronic device capable of updating firmware is provided. The electronic device includes a connection unit that connects to an access point via wireless communication, and a control unit. When updating firmware, the control unit reconnects to a currently connected access point with settings that cannot accommodate a change request from the currently connected access point, and updates the firmware using the connection with the reconnected currently connected access point.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic device that can be connected via a wireless communication medium such as a wireless LAN, a control method for the electronic device, and a program. [Background technology]

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

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses the following process for a router with AP functionality to request a connected wireless slave device to change its connection destination: A mobile router (MR1) connectable to multiple wireless slave devices checks whether the wireless slave device terminal supports IEEE802.11v. Whether the wireless slave device terminal supports IEEE802.11v can be determined from the Association Request frame transmitted by the wireless slave device when wirelessly connecting to MR1. If the wireless slave device supports IEEE802.11v, a BSS Transition Management (BTM) Request frame is transmitted to the corresponding wireless slave device terminal. Here, BSS stands for Basic Service Set. The BSS Transition Candidate List Entries field of the BTM Request frame specifies the BSSID of the master router RT2 as the connection destination. This prompts the wireless slave device terminal to switch its connection destination, and the wireless slave device terminal switches its connection destination from MR1 to RT2 in accordance with the received BTM Request frame. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-175068 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] There are two states for STAs: one where no problems occur when switching APs, and another where problems occur when switching APs or when disconnecting from the currently connected AP.When a problem occurs, if the STA receives an AP change request from the AP and switches the connected AP in response to the request, the problem will occur for the STA.

[0006] For example, when an STA performs a firmware update, if it switches the AP to which it is connected during communication, an error may occur in the data communication, which may result in the firmware update failing.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a mechanism for more reliably updating firmware via a wireless connection. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above-described problems, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device capable of updating firmware, comprising: a connection means for connecting to an access point via wireless communication; a control means; The control means When updating firmware, reconnect to the currently connected access point with a setting that cannot respond to the change request from the currently connected access point, Update the firmware using the connection to the previously connected access point. An electronic device is provided.

[0009] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device capable of updating firmware, comprising: a receiving means for receiving a connection destination change request transmitted from a currently connected access point; and a control means for controlling the electronic device not to change the connection destination in response to the change request and not to respond to the change request if the change request is received when the electronic device updates firmware and there is no reason to change the currently connected access point in response to the change request. An electronic device is provided. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, firmware updates can be more reliably performed via wireless connection. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system configuration. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the configuration of an MFP. [Figure 3] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating examples of displays on an operation display unit of an MFP. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a mobile terminal device. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of an access point. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating a process in response to a connection destination change request from an AP. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart for executing a firmware update in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart for executing a firmware update in the second embodiment. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing control in response to a connection destination change request from an AP in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention claimed. Although multiple features are described in the embodiments, not all of these multiple features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0013] [Embodiment 1] (System Configuration) FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a system according to this embodiment. In one example, this system is a wireless communication system in which multiple communication devices can communicate with each other wirelessly. In the example of FIG. 1, the communication devices include a mobile terminal device 104, an MFP 100, access points (hereinafter, APs) AP101 and AP102, a DHCP server 103, a DNS server 105, and a network 110. Note that AP101 and AP102 may be referred to as AP1 and AP2. Specifically, AP101 and AP102 are, for example, wireless LAN routers. AP101 and AP102 may be separate APs enabled by separate wireless LAN routers, or may be separate APs enabled by a single wireless LAN router but using different frequency bands. The system also includes a ROM information server 106 and a ROM data server 107, which are servers for updating firmware for the MFP 100. The mobile terminal device 104 is a device having wireless communication capabilities via a wireless LAN or the like. Note that wireless LAN may be referred to as WLAN hereinafter. The mobile terminal device 104 may be a personal digital assistant (PDA) or other such personal information terminal, a mobile phone (smartphone), a digital camera, a personal computer, etc. In this embodiment, the connection between the mobile terminal device 104 and the AP and the connection between the MFP 100 and the AP are connections using a communication method based on the IEEE802.11 series of standards. Specifically, the communication method based on the IEEE802.11 series of standards is Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) (registered trademark).

[0014] The MFP 100 is a printing device or image forming device having a printing function, and may further have a reading function (scanner), a facsimile (FAX) function, and a telephone function. The MFP 100 of this embodiment also has a communication function that enables wireless communication with a mobile terminal device 104. While the present embodiment describes a case in which the MFP 100 is used as an example, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a scanner device, a projector, a mobile terminal, a smartphone, a laptop PC, a tablet terminal, a PDA, a digital camera, a music playback device, a television, a smart speaker, and the like, each having a communication function, may be used instead of the MFP 100. Note that MFP is an acronym for Multi Function Peripheral.

[0015] The AP 101 is provided separately (externally) from the mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100, and operates as a WLAN base station device. A communication device having a WLAN communication function can communicate in WLAN infrastructure mode via the AP 101. Note that hereinafter, an access point may be referred to as an "AP." Furthermore, infrastructure mode may be referred to as "wireless infrastructure mode." The AP 101 performs wireless communication with communication devices that have been authorized (authenticated) to connect to the AP 101, and relays wireless communication between the communication devices and other communication devices. The AP 101 may also be connected to, for example, a wired communication network, and relay communication between a communication device connected to the wired communication network and another communication device wirelessly connected to the AP 101.

[0016] AP 102 has the same functions as AP 101, and MFP 100 switches its connection from AP 101 to AP 102 as necessary. DHCP server 103 connects to MFP 100 via AP 101 and network 110 and provides services to MFP 100 by responding to requests from MFP 100. Note that while FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration in which DHCP server 103 is connected as a separate device from AP 101 and AP 102, AP 101 and AP 102 may have DHCP server functionality. DNS server 105 is connected to MFP 100 and mobile terminal device 104 via AP 101 and network 110 and provides name resolution services by responding to requests from MFP 100 and mobile terminal device 104. ROM information server 106 stores information about the firmware of MFP 100 and is accessed by MFP 100 to check whether a newer version of firmware is available. The ROM data server 107 holds the actual firmware (i.e., programs and data) for the MFP 100, and is accessed by the MFP 100 to download the firmware when updating it. Here, the ROM information server 106 and the ROM data server 107 may be the same server, or they may be different servers. Here, the network 110 may be the so-called Internet, or it may be a closed network within a company or a mobile phone network.

[0017] (MFP external configuration) FIG. 2(a) shows an example of the external configuration of MFP 100. MFP 100 has, for example, a platen 201, a platen cover 202, a print paper insertion slot 203, a print paper ejection slot 204, and an operation display unit 205. Platen 201 is a stand on which a document to be read is placed. Platen cover 202 is a cover that holds down the document placed on platen 201 and prevents light from a light source that illuminates the document during reading from leaking to the outside. Print paper insertion slot 203 is an insertion slot that can accept paper of various sizes. Print paper ejection slot 204 is an ejection slot through which paper that has been printed is ejected. Paper that has been placed in print paper insertion slot 203 is transported one sheet at a time to the printing unit, where it is printed and then ejected from print paper ejection slot 204. The operation display unit 205 includes keys such as character input keys, cursor keys, a confirm key, and a cancel key, as well as an LED and an LCD, and is configured to be able to accept user operations for activating various MFP functions and for various settings. The operation display unit 205 may also include a touch panel display. The MFP 100 has a wireless communication function using WLAN, and includes a wireless communication antenna 206 for this wireless communication, although this does not necessarily need to be visible from the exterior. Like the mobile terminal device 104, the MFP 100 can also perform wireless communication using WLAN in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands.

[0018] (MFP configuration) FIG. 2(b) shows an example configuration of MFP 100. MFP 100 includes a main board 211 that performs main control of the device itself and a wireless unit 226, which is a communication module that performs WLAN communication using at least one common antenna. MFP 100 also includes, for example, a modem 229 for performing wired communication. Main board 211 includes, for example, a CPU 212 (central processing unit), ROM 213, RAM 214, nonvolatile memory 215, image memory 216, read control unit 217, data conversion unit 218, reading unit 219, and encoding / decoding processing unit 221. Main board 211 also includes, for example, a printing unit 222, a paper feed unit 223, a print control unit 224, and an operation display unit 220. These functional units within main board 211 are connected to each other via a system bus 230 managed by CPU 212. The main board 211 and the wireless unit 226 are connected via, for example, a dedicated bus 225 , and the main board 211 and the modem 229 are connected via, for example, a bus 228 .

[0019] The CPU 212 is a system control unit including at least one processor, and controls the entire MFP 100. In one example, the processing of the MFP 100 described below is realized by the CPU 212 executing programs stored in the ROM 213. Note that dedicated hardware for each process may be provided. The ROM 213 is an example of a computer-readable storage medium that stores control programs, embedded OS programs, and the like, executed by the CPU 212. The OS is an operating system. In this embodiment, the CPU 212 executes each control program stored in the ROM 213 under the management of the embedded OS also stored in the ROM 213, thereby performing software control such as scheduling and task switching.

[0020] The RAM 214 is configured with an SRAM or the like. The RAM 214 stores data such as program control variables, setting values registered by the user, and management data for the MFP 100. The RAM 214 can also be used as a buffer for various types of work. The non-volatile memory 215 is configured with a memory such as a flash memory, and continues to store data even when the power to the MFP 100 is turned off. The image memory 216 is configured with a memory such as a DRAM. The image memory 216 accumulates image data received via the wireless unit 226, image data processed by the encoding / decoding processing unit 221, and the like. Note that the memory configuration of the MFP 100 is not limited to the configuration described above. The data conversion unit 218 analyzes data in various formats and converts image data into print data, etc.

[0021] The reading control unit 217 controls the reading unit 219 (for example, a CIS (contact image sensor)) to optically read the document placed on the document table 201. The reading control unit 217 converts the image obtained by optically reading the document into electrical image data (image signals) and outputs the converted data. At this time, the reading control unit 217 may output the image data after performing various image processes such as binarization and halftoning.

[0022] The operation display unit 220 is the operation display unit 205 described with reference to FIG. 2(a), and performs display on a display based on display control by the CPU 212, generation of a signal in response to reception of a user operation, and the like.

[0023] The encoding / decoding processor 221 performs encoding and decoding processes on image data (JPEG, PNG, etc.) handled by the MFP 100, as well as scaling processes.

[0024] The paper feed unit 223 holds paper for printing. The paper feed unit 223 can supply the set paper under the control of the print control unit 224. The paper feed unit 223 may include multiple paper feed units in order to hold multiple types of paper in one device, and under the control of the print control unit 224, it can control which paper feed unit to use to feed paper.

[0025] The print control unit 224 performs various image processing such as smoothing, print density correction, and color correction on the image data to be printed, and outputs the processed image data to the print unit 222. The print unit 222 is configured to be able to perform printing processing using, for example, an inkjet recording method, and ejects ink supplied from an ink tank from a print head to record an image on a recording medium such as paper. Note that the print unit 222 may also be configured to be able to perform other printing processing such as electrophotography. The print control unit 224 may also periodically read information from the print unit 222 and update status information stored in RAM 214, including the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank and the status of the print head.

[0026] The wireless unit 226 is a unit capable of providing WLAN communication functions, and can provide functions similar to those of a combination of the WLAN unit 429 of the mobile terminal device 104, for example. That is, the wireless unit 226 converts data into packets in accordance with the WLAN standard and transmits the packets to other devices, and also restores packets from other external devices to the original data and outputs the data to the CPU 212. The wireless unit 226 is capable of communication as a station compliant with the IEEE802.11 standard series. In particular, it is capable of communication as a station compliant with IEEE802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax. Hereinafter, the station may be referred to as an STA. It is also capable of communication as an STA compatible with Wi-Fi Agile Multiband (trademark).

[0027] The wireless unit 226 supports IEEE802.11ax, i.e., Wi-Fi 6 (trademark), and the MFP 100 can also operate as an STA that supports (complies with) at least one of OFDMA and TWT. Here, OFDMA stands for Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access. TWT stands for Target Wake Time. Support for TWT adjusts the timing of data communication from the master device to the STA. The wireless unit 226 (MFP 100) serving as an STA transitions its communication function to a sleep state when it does not need to wait for signal reception. This reduces power consumption. The wireless unit 226 also supports Wi-Fi 6E (trademark). That is, communication in the 6 GHz band (5.925 GHz to 7.125 GHz) is also possible. The band that is subject to Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS), which exists in the 5 GHz band, does not exist in the 6 GHz band. Therefore, communication interruptions due to DFS standby times do not occur in 6 GHz band communication, and more smooth communication can be expected.

[0028] The mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100 are capable of P2P (WLAN) communication based on WFD, and the wireless unit 226 has a software access point (soft AP) function or a group owner function. That is, the wireless unit 226 can build a P2P communication network and determine the channel to be used for P2P communication.

[0029] (MFP operation display section) FIG. 3 schematically shows an example of a screen display on a display (touch panel display) included in the operation display unit 220 of the MFP 100. FIG. 3(a) is an example of a home screen that is displayed when the MFP 100 is powered on and no operations such as printing or scanning are being performed (idle state, standby state). FIG. 3(a) displays display items (menu items) corresponding to copy, scan, and cloud, respectively. Cloud is a menu item related to cloud functions that use Internet communication. By selecting any of the menu items through key operations or touch panel operations, the MFP 100 can begin executing the corresponding settings or functions. The MFP 100 can seamlessly display a screen different from that shown in FIG. 3(a) by accepting key operations or touch panel operations on the home screen of FIG. 3(a).

[0030] Figure 3(b) is a display example of another part of the home screen, which transitions from the state of Figure 3(a) by performing an operation (such as sliding left or right) to display another page of the home screen. Figure 3(b) displays display items (menu items) corresponding to communication settings, print, and photo. When one of these menu items is selected, the function corresponding to the selected menu item, i.e., the print function, photo function, or communication settings, is executed.

[0031] Figure 3(c) is an example of a communication settings menu screen that is displayed when communication settings are selected on the screen in Figure 3(b). The communication settings menu screen displays the following menu items (options): "Wireless LAN," "Wired LAN," "Wireless Direct," "Bluetooth," and "Common." "Wireless LAN," "Wired LAN," and "Wireless Direct" are menu items for configuring LAN settings. These items allow users to configure wired connections, enable / disable wireless infrastructure mode, and enable / disable P2P modes such as WFD and soft AP mode. When the "Wireless LAN" item is selected and wireless LAN is enabled by user operation, wireless infrastructure mode is enabled. When the "Wireless Direct" item is selected and wireless Direct is enabled by user operation, P2P (WLAN) mode is enabled. This screen also displays a common settings menu for each connection type. Furthermore, the user can use this screen to configure settings such as the wireless LAN frequency band and frequency channel.

[0032] (External configuration of mobile terminal device) FIG. 4(a) is a diagram illustrating an example of the external configuration of the mobile terminal device 104. In this embodiment, as an example, the mobile terminal device 104 is a general-type smartphone. The mobile terminal device 104 includes, for example, a display unit 402, an operation unit 403, and a power key 404. The display unit 402 is, for example, a display including a liquid crystal display (LCD) type display mechanism. The display unit 402 may display information using, for example, an LED (light emitting diode). The mobile terminal device 104 may also have a function to output information by voice in addition to or instead of the display unit 402. The operation unit 403 includes hard keys such as keys and buttons, a touch panel, and the like for detecting user operations. In this example, the display unit 402 displays information and the operation unit 403 receives user operations using a common touch panel display, so the display unit 402 and the operation unit 403 are implemented by a single device. In this case, for example, button icons and a software keyboard are displayed using the display function of display unit 402, and the touch of the user on those locations is detected by the operation reception function of operation unit 403. Note that display unit 402 and operation unit 403 may be separated, and hardware for display and hardware for operation reception may be provided separately. Power key 404 is a hardware key for receiving a user operation to turn on or off the power of mobile terminal device 104.

[0033] The mobile terminal device 104 includes a WLAN unit 401 that provides WLAN communication functionality, although it does not necessarily need to be visible from the exterior. The WLAN unit 401 is configured to be able to perform data (packet) communication in a WLAN system that complies with, for example, the IEEE 802.11 standard series (IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax, etc.). It is also capable of communication as an AP compatible with Wi-Fi Agile Multiband (trademark). However, this is not a limitation, and the WLAN unit 401 may also be capable of communication in a WLAN system that complies with other standards. In this example, the WLAN unit 401 is capable of communication in both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands. It is also assumed that the WLAN unit 401 is capable of communication based on WFD, communication in soft AP mode, communication in wireless infrastructure mode, etc. Operation in these modes will be described later.

[0034] (Configuration of mobile terminal device) FIG. 4(b) shows an example of the configuration of the mobile terminal device 104. In one example, the mobile terminal device 104 includes a main board 411 that performs main control of the device itself and a WLAN unit 429 that performs WLAN communication. The main board 411 includes, for example, a CPU 412, a ROM 413, a RAM 414, an image memory 415, a data conversion unit 416, a telephone unit 417, a GPS 419, a camera unit 421, a non-volatile memory 422, a data storage unit 423, a speaker unit 424, and a power supply unit 425. Here, CPU is an acronym for Central Processing Unit, ROM is an acronym for Read Only Memory, RAM is an acronym for Random Access Memory, and GPS is an acronym for Global Positioning System. The mobile terminal device 104 also includes a display unit 420 and an operation unit 418. These functional units within the main board 411 are connected to each other via a system bus 628 managed by the CPU 412. The main board 411 and the WLAN unit 429 are connected via a dedicated bus 426, for example.

[0035] The CPU 412 is a system control unit including at least one processor, and controls the entire mobile terminal device 104. In one example, the processing of the mobile terminal device 104 described below is realized by the CPU 412 executing a program stored in the ROM 413. Note that dedicated hardware for each process may be provided. The ROM 413 stores control programs, such as a control program and an embedded operating system (OS) program, executed by the CPU 412. In this embodiment, the CPU 412 executes each control program stored in the ROM 413 under the management of an embedded OS also stored in the ROM 413, thereby performing software control such as scheduling and task switching.

[0036] The RAM 414 is configured with a static RAM (SRAM) or the like. The RAM 414 stores data such as program control variables, setting values registered by the user, and management data for the mobile terminal device 104. The RAM 414 can also be used as a buffer for various types of work. The image memory 415 is configured with a memory such as a dynamic RAM (DRAM). The image memory 415 temporarily stores image data received via the WLAN unit 429 and image data read from the data storage unit 423 for processing by the CPU 412. The nonvolatile memory 422 is configured with a memory such as a flash memory, and continues to store data even when the mobile terminal device 104 is powered off. Note that the memory configuration of the mobile terminal device 104 is not limited to the above configuration. For example, the image memory 415 and the RAM 414 may be shared, or data may be backed up using the data storage unit 423. In this embodiment, although a DRAM is given as an example of the image memory 415, other storage media such as a hard disk or nonvolatile memory may also be used.

[0037] The data conversion unit 416 analyzes data in various formats and performs data conversion such as color conversion and image conversion. The telephone unit 417 controls telephone lines and realizes telephone communication by processing audio data input and output via a speaker unit 424. The GPS 419 receives radio waves transmitted from satellites and acquires location information such as the current latitude and longitude of the mobile terminal device 104.

[0038] The camera unit 421 has the function of electronically recording and encoding an image input through a lens. Image data obtained by capturing an image with the camera unit 421 is stored in a data storage unit 423. The speaker unit 424 controls the input and output of audio for telephone functions, as well as other functions such as alarm notification. The power supply unit 425 is, for example, a portable battery, and controls the supply of power to the device. Power supply states include, for example, a dead battery state in which there is no remaining battery power, a power-off state in which the power key 404 is not pressed, a running state in which the device is normally running, and a power-saving state in which the device is running but is in power-saving mode.

[0039] The display unit 420 is the display unit 402 described with reference to Fig. 4(a), and performs various input operations and displays the operating status and status of the MFP 100 based on the control of the CPU 412. The operation unit 418 is the operation unit 403 described with reference to Fig. 4(a), and upon receiving a user operation, performs control such as generating an electrical signal corresponding to the operation and outputting it to the CPU 412.

[0040] The mobile terminal device 104 performs wireless communication using a WLAN unit 429 to perform data communication with other devices such as the MFP 100. The WLAN unit 429 converts data into packets and transmits the packets to other devices. The WLAN unit 429 also restores packets from other external devices to the original data and outputs the data to the CPU 412. The WLAN unit 429 is a unit for realizing communication compliant with the WLAN standards. The WLAN unit 429 can operate in parallel in at least two communication modes, including a wireless infrastructure mode and a P2P (WLAN) mode. Note that the frequency bands used in these communication modes may be limited by the functionality and performance of the hardware.

[0041] (Access point configuration) 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the AP 101 having a wireless LAN access point function. The AP 101 is configured to include a main board 510 that controls the AP 101, a wireless LAN unit 516, a wired LAN unit 518, and an operation button 520.

[0042] A microprocessor-type CPU 511 disposed on a main board 510 operates in accordance with a control program stored in a ROM-type program memory 513 connected via an internal bus 512 and the contents of a RAM-type data memory 514. The CPU 511 controls a wireless LAN unit 516 via a wireless LAN communication control unit 515 to perform wireless LAN communication with other communication terminal devices. The CPU 511 also controls a wired LAN unit 518 via a wired LAN communication control unit 517 to perform wired LAN communication with other communication terminal devices. The CPU 511 controls an operation unit control circuit 519 to accept operations from a user via operation buttons 520. The CPU 511 includes at least one processor.

[0043] The AP 101 also includes an interference wave detection unit 521 and a channel change unit 522. The interference wave detection unit 521 performs processing to detect interference waves when wireless communication is being performed in a band where DFS (Dynamic Frequency Selection) is implemented. If an interference wave is detected when wireless communication is being performed in a band where DFS is implemented, the channel change unit 522 performs processing to change the channel to be used when it is necessary to immediately change to an available channel.

[0044] The AP 102 has the same configuration as the AP 101.

[0045] (P2P communication method) Next, we will outline the P2P (WLAN) communication method, which allows devices to communicate directly with each other wirelessly without going through an external access point. P2P (WLAN) communication can be realized using multiple methods. For example, a communication device can support multiple modes for P2P (WLAN) communication and selectively use one of the multiple modes to perform P2P communication (WLAN).

[0046] The following two P2P modes are envisioned: Soft AP mode Wi-Fi Direct (WFD) mode A communication device capable of P2P communication may be configured to support at least one of these modes, but even a communication device capable of P2P communication does not have to support all of these modes and may be configured to support only some of them.

[0047] A communication device (e.g., the mobile terminal device 104) having a WFD communication function receives user operations via its operation unit, thereby invoking a (possibly dedicated) application for realizing the communication function. The communication device then displays a UI (user interface) screen provided by the application to prompt the user to perform an operation, and can execute WFD communication based on the received user operations.

[0048] ●Soft AP mode In the soft AP mode, a communication device (e.g., the mobile terminal device 104) operates as a client that requests various services. The other communication device (e.g., the MFP 100) operates as a soft AP that can execute the functions of a WLAN AP through software configuration. It is sufficient for the commands and parameters transmitted and received when establishing a wireless connection between the client and the soft AP to be those specified in the Wi-Fi (registered trademark) standard, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted here. Furthermore, the MFP 100 operating in the soft AP mode determines the frequency band and frequency channel as the master station. Therefore, the MFP 100 can select which frequency band to use, either 5 GHz or 2.4 GHz, and which frequency channel to use within that frequency band.

[0049] WFD mode The MFP 100 may be configured to be permanently activated as a master station in WFD mode (Autonomous Group Owner). In this case, GO negotiation processing to determine the role is not required. In addition, in this case, the MFP 100 determines the frequency band and frequency channel as the master station. Therefore, the MFP 100 can select which frequency band to use, 5 GHz or 2.4 GHz, and which frequency channel to use within that frequency band.

[0050] (Wireless infrastructure mode) In wireless infrastructure mode, communication devices (e.g., mobile terminal device 104 and MFP 100) that communicate with each other are connected to an external AP (e.g., AP 101) that manages the network, and communication between the communication devices is performed via that AP. In other words, communication between the communication devices is performed via a network established by the external AP. When mobile terminal device 104 and MFP 100 each discover AP 101 and send a connection request to AP 101 to connect, communication between these communication devices in wireless infrastructure mode via AP 101 is possible. Note that multiple communication devices may be connected to separate APs. In this case, data transfer between APs enables communication between the communication devices. Commands and parameters transmitted and received during communication between each communication device via an access point may be those specified in the Wi-Fi standard, and therefore will not be described here. In this case, AP 101 determines the frequency band and frequency channel. Therefore, the AP 101 can select which frequency band to use from 5 GHz, 2.4 GHz, and 6 GHz, and which frequency channel to use within that frequency band.

[0051] (User-defined AP) The MFP 100 operating as an STA can connect to an AP by a user operation to select and determine an external AP to which the MFP 100 will connect. In the following description, the AP determined by the user operation may be referred to as a "user-defined AP." The user-defined AP is, for example, an AP that the user sets as the AP to which the MFP 100 will connect by operating the MFP 100 or the mobile terminal device 104. In other words, the user-defined AP is an AP to which the MFP 100 was connected before the connection destination was switched by Wi-Fi Agile Multiband. In other words, it is an AP different from the AP to which the MFP 100 was connected when the connection destination was switched by Wi-Fi Agile Multiband. Switching of the connection destination by Wi-Fi Agile Multiband is described with reference to FIG. 6. The user-defined AP is, for example, a high-performance AP capable of communicating in the 5 GHz frequency band.

[0052] <Wi-Fi Agile Multiband> Wi-Fi Agile Multiband is a function that complies with the IEEE802.11v, IEEE802.11r, and IEEE802.11k standards, and is a function for controlling the communication device 151 to connect to an appropriate network depending on the state of the network surrounding the communication device 151. This function is also referred to as a band steering function below. In this embodiment, the mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100 are compatible with the Wi-Fi Agile Multiband (registered trademark) function and are capable of communication as STAs compatible with Wi-Fi Agile Multiband. The mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100 are also compatible with the Wi-Fi 6 (registered trademark) function, which is a function that complies with the IEEE802.11ax standard. As a result, the mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100 are also capable of operating as STAs compatible with Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) and Target Wake Time (TWT), as Wi-Fi 6 functions. The mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100, which are STAs, can reduce power consumption by transitioning their communication functions to a sleep state when there is no need to wait for signal reception. The mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100 may support Wi-Fi 6 functionality, specifically Wi-Fi 6E (registered trademark) functionality. That is, the mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100 may also be capable of communication in the 6 GHz band (5.925 GHz to 7.125 GHz). Unlike the 5 GHz band, the 6 GHz band does not have a band where Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS) is performed. Therefore, communication in the 6 GHz band does not experience communication interruptions due to DFS standby times. As described above, in this embodiment, the mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100 are compatible with both Wi-Fi Agile Multiband and Wi-Fi 6, but this is not a limitation. For example, the mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100 may be compatible with Wi-Fi Agile Multiband but not with Wi-Fi 6.As will be described later, the problem of the present invention may also arise in a situation where one of the mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100 does not support Wi-Fi Agile Multiband, but the other of the mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100 supports Wi-Fi Agile Multiband. Therefore, it is not necessary for one of the mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100 to support Wi-Fi Agile Multiband.

[0053] A wireless LAN router with this function enabled enables multiple access points that use different frequency bands, and each access point is set to the same ESSID. ESSID stands for Extended Service Set Identifier. Specifically, for example, a router with the band steering function enabled activates a first access point that can connect using a first frequency band and a second access point that can connect using a second frequency band. The first access point is, for example, AP101, and the second access point is, for example, AP102. If the communication environment using the first frequency band becomes unstable while the MFP 100 is connected to the first access point, the wireless LAN router instructs the MFP 100 to switch (change) its connection to the second access point, which provides a better communication environment and forms a network using the second frequency band. In response, the MFP 100 switches its connection to the second access point. Similarly, if the communication environment using the first frequency band becomes unstable while the mobile terminal device 104 is connected to the first access point, the wireless LAN router instructs the mobile terminal device 104 to switch the connection to the second access point. The wireless LAN router determines whether the communication environment is unstable based on the signal strength and noise level determined based on information received from the MFP 100 or the mobile terminal device 104, the number of devices connected to each access point enabled by the wireless LAN router, and other factors. This allows the mobile terminal device 104 or MFP 100, which is a client supporting the band steering function, to automatically switch the connection to the other access point using a frequency band with a better communication environment after connecting to one of the multiple access points. In other words, in this embodiment, the MFP 100 is capable of using multiple frequency bands, including the first frequency band and the second frequency band.In this example, a single router with the band steering function enabled activates a first access point connectable in a first frequency band and a second access point connectable in a second frequency band. The MFP 100 can use only one frequency band and does not need to switch the connection destination based on the band steering function. Even in this configuration, the mobile terminal device 104 can switch the connection destination based on the band steering function.

[0054] Note that the band steering function can only be used to switch connections between access points with the same ESSID. In other words, the first access point and the second access point must have the same ESSID. However, the BSSIDs of the first and second access points do not need to be the same.

[0055] In the above description, the first and second access points are enabled within a single wireless LAN router that has this function enabled, but this is not limited to this. The first and second access points may be enabled separately within two wireless LAN routers that have this function enabled. However, even in this configuration, the first and second access points that are the targets of connection switching based on the band steering function are assumed to have the same ESSID. In this configuration, the wireless LAN router that has enabled the first access point instructs the mobile terminal device 104 to switch the connection to the second access point.

[0056] (Processing in response to a request from the AP to change the connection destination of the STA) The mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100 support a function publicly known as Wi-Fi Agile Multiband (trademark). Wi-Fi Agile Multiband is a function that enables the selection of an optimal environment according to changing conditions in a Wi-Fi network. Specifically, STAs such as the mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100 and APs such as the AP 101 exchange information about the network environment using the IEEE 802.11 series of communication standards. Through this information exchange, if the network is congested, the AP can guide (change the connection destination) the STA to another AP, frequency band, channel, or even another cellular service.

[0057] The IEEE802.11 series of communication standards used include IEEE802.11k and IEEE802.11v. IEEE802.11k is a standard for a function known as Dynamic Monitoring. This function allows an AP to notify STAs of the location of neighboring APs, the strength of beacon signals from each AP, the WLAN signal level on each channel, and the signal level of non-WLAN devices on each channel. IEEE802.11v is a standard for a function known as Wireless Network Management. This function provides the ability to use measurement results using IEEE 802.11k to transition STA communications to another AP or another frequency band / channel.

[0058] 6 is a sequence diagram in which MFP 100 switches the AP of the connection destination from AP 101 to AP 102 in response to a connection destination change request from AP 101. In this sequence, the processes executed by each device are realized by the CPU of each device reading various programs stored in memory such as ROM of each device into RAM and executing them.

[0059] In the initial state of the processing in FIG. 6, it is assumed that the MFP 100 has established a connection with the AP 101 in wireless infrastructure mode. Note that in this embodiment, the AP 101 is the AP set by the user as described above. Furthermore, when the MFP 100 and the AP 101 connect in wireless infrastructure mode, the AP 101 acquires information on whether the MFP 100 supports IEEE802.11v. Then, it is assumed that the AP 101 performs the following processing if it has acquired information indicating that the MFP 100 supports IEEE802.11v.

[0060] In S601, the AP 101 transmits to the MFP 100 an inquiry (measurement request) about the signal quality (such as radio wave strength) from APs surrounding the MFP 100. This inquiry (measurement request) can be transmitted, for example, including a beacon frame request or a beacon report request. That is, this request can use a mechanism defined in the IEEE 802.11k standard. In one example, the measurement request may be a measurement instruction that instructs the MFP 100 to measure the received signal strength or signal-to-noise ratio of a predetermined wireless signal, such as a beacon signal, transmitted from an AP surrounding the MFP 100. In other words, the wireless unit 226 of the MFP 100 functions as a receiver capable of receiving the measurement request.

[0061] In S602, MFP 100 receives frames transmitted from surrounding APs in response to the request received in S601 and measures radio wave strength (i.e., received signal strength). This measures the radio wave strength of each of multiple APs, including AP 101 and AP 102. In one example, MFP 100 may store the measurement results of the received signal strength of frames transmitted from surrounding APs as signal quality in a storage device such as RAM 214 or nonvolatile memory 215. Therefore, CPU 212 of MFP 100 functions as a measurement unit that controls wireless unit 226 to measure signal quality from surrounding access points.

[0062] In S603, the MFP 100 transmits a list of the received signal strengths of the APs around the MFP 100 measured in S602 as a response to the request received in S601. Note that the received signal strengths transmitted in response may be information stored in the RAM 214 and nonvolatile memory 215 of the MFP 100 in addition to or instead of the information measured in S602. This response is transmitted including, for example, a beacon report or measurement reports.

[0063] In S604, the AP 101 determines whether or not it is necessary to switch the connection destination of the MFP 100, based on the congestion status within the network that the AP 101 is aware of and the received signal strength received in S603 from the MFP 100. Factors that the AP 101 may use to determine that a connection switch is necessary include a large number of connected STAs, a large amount of communication traffic, other APs being less congested, the presence or absence of radio interference, and AP function outages. Once it has determined that a switch of the connection destination of the MFP 100 is necessary and has decided the SSID, channel, and frequency band of another AP to specify as the switch destination of the MFP 100, the process proceeds to S605.

[0064] In S605, the AP 101 transmits an AP change request (a connection destination switch request or a connection destination change request) to the MFP 100. The connection destination change request includes information on the SSID, channel, and frequency band of another AP to be designated as a switch destination for the MFP 100, as determined in S604. Note that multiple SSIDs may be designated. The connection destination change request is transmitted, for example, as a BTM Request. That is, a BTM (BSS Transition Management) Request frame defined in the IEEE802.11v standard is transmitted. In the example of FIG. 6, it is assumed that the AP 102 is designated as the switch destination included in the connection destination change request. Therefore, the wireless unit 226 of the MFP 100 functions as a receiver capable of receiving a connection destination change request.

[0065] In S606, if the MFP 100 complies with the connection destination change request received in S605, it transmits a response indicating acceptance of the switch to the AP 101. If the MFP 100 does not comply with the connection destination change request, it may transmit a response indicating rejection of the switch. The response is transmitted as a BTM Response. In the example of FIG. 6, it is assumed that a response indicating acceptance is transmitted.

[0066] In S607, the AP 101 and the MFP 100 disconnect from each other in the wireless infrastructure mode.

[0067] In S608, the MFP 100 transmits a connection request to the AP 102 to connect to the AP 102 specified in the connection destination change request received in S605.

[0068] As a result, in S609, a connection between the MFP 100 and the AP 102 is established in the wireless infrastructure mode.

[0069] With this mechanism, MFP100, which is an STA, can change its connection destination from AP101 to AP102 based on a connection destination change request from AP101 to which it was originally connected. AP101 and AP102 may be APs installed in different locations. That is, by the processing of FIG. 6, MFP100 can switch to another AP installed in a location different from the AP to which it was originally connected. Also, among multiple frequency bands (any two or three of 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz) provided by the same device, the APs may each support different frequency bands. That is, by the processing of FIG. 6, MFP100 can switch to another frequency band provided by the same device as the AP to which it was originally connected. For example, it is possible to change the connection destination to an AP in the 6 GHz band based on a connection destination change request.

[0070] In this embodiment, an example will be described in which an AP transmits a measurement request or a connection destination change request in a mechanism compliant with Wi-Fi Agile Multiband, and an STA responds to the request, but the present invention is not limited to this. This embodiment can also be applied to a case in which an STA responds to a measurement request or a connection destination change request transmitted from an AP using a mechanism different from the above example, or changes the connection destination AP (switches, deletes, or adds an AP to be connected to).

[0071] (Beacon Report) The beacon report mentioned above in S603 will now be described. The MFP 100 searches for surrounding APs, or creates and transmits a beacon report to the AP 101 using searched information. If the MFP 100 does not find an AP, it creates a beacon report that does not include information about the AP. If multiple APs are found, the MFP 100 can create a beacon report that includes information about multiple APs. The beacon report may include, as signal quality, the received signal strength and signal-to-noise ratio (S / N ratio) of a predetermined wireless signal, including a beacon signal transmitted from the AP. In one example, the signal quality included in the beacon report may be associated with other parameters, such as the measurement time. In addition to the received signal strength and S / N ratio, the beacon report may also include any parameter indicating signal quality, such as a delay profile. The beacon report may also include additional information, such as a flag indicating a connection, as information about the currently connected AP.

[0072] The beacon report includes a channel number, received signal strength, S / N ratio, and BSSID (Basic Service Set Identifier) for each AP. Therefore, if there are multiple APs around MFP 100, the beacon report can include measurement results for each of the multiple APs. The channel number indicates the frequency band in which the AP is detected, the received signal strength indicates the received signal strength of the beacon signal received by MFP 100 from AP 101, and the S / N ratio indicates the signal-to-noise ratio of the beacon signal received by MFP 100 from AP 101. The BSSID is an identifier of AP 101 encoded in the beacon signal received by MFP 100 from AP 101.

[0073] (Response to request to change destination AP) While an STA such as the MFP 100 is connected to an AP, it may receive a request to change the destination AP (redirection request) from the destination AP. In such cases, there are situations where changing the destination AP based on the request to change the destination AP sent from the currently connected AP is acceptable, and situations where it is problematic or undesirable. In situations where it is undesirable to change the destination AP based on the request to change the destination, one or a combination of the following processes can be performed as a suppression process to suppress a change of destination in response to a request to change the destination. All of the following suppression processes are processes that prevent or make it more difficult to change the destination AP based on a request to change the destination.

[0074] (Suppression process 1) In the first suppression process, even if the MFP 100 receives the connection destination change request described in step S605, it does not change the connection destination AP based on the received connection destination change request and does not return a response to the connection destination change request. Alternatively, the MFP 100 sends a rejection response to the connection destination change request to the currently connected AP. If a rejection response is sent to the connection destination change request, the connection destination change priority of other STAs connected to the currently connected AP may increase, and the connection destination change priority of the MFP 100 that returned the rejection response may decrease. As a result, the connection with the currently connected AP may be maintained. Furthermore, if a response is not returned to the connection destination change request (ignored), the currently connected AP is considered to maintain its connection with the MFP 100 by waiting for a response until the response wait time expires. Therefore, if the currently connected AP were in a situation where it would immediately disconnect in response to a response from the MFP 100 to the connection destination change request, not responding can prolong the connection with the currently connected AP rather than returning a response. Therefore, for example, based on the information on the reason for change included in the connection destination change request, different processing can be performed depending on the reason, such as responding with a refusal if the reason is weak and ignoring if the reason is strong.

[0075] In this embodiment, the strength of the reason for changing the connection destination may be determined based on, for example, whether the AP 101 currently connected to the MFP 100 is in a situation where it would forcibly disconnect the connection with the MFP 100. Therefore, the strength of the reason for the change can be determined based on, for example, information indicating which of several reasons is included in the Request Mode included in the BTM Request. For example, if the Disassociation Imminent bit or the BSS Termination Included bit in the Request Mode is 1, the reason for the change can be determined to be a strong reason for the change. Otherwise, the reason for the change can be determined to be a weak reason. The Disassociation Imminent bit indicates that if a STA such as the MFP 100 does not reconnect to another AP, the connection with that STA will be terminated after a certain period of time has elapsed. Note that in this specification, the term "termination of a connection" is also referred to as "disconnection." The BSS Termination Included bit indicates, for example, that the BSS or AP MLD (Multi-Link Device) is shutting down and the STA's connection will be terminated. In this way, if a disconnection is imminent, the reason for the change can be determined to be a strong reason, and if not, the reason for the change can be determined to be a weak reason. By predetermining information indicating a strong reason for change or a criterion for determining a strong reason for change, it is possible to determine whether the reason for the connection destination change request is a strong reason or a weak reason.

[0076] (Suppression process 2) In the second suppression process, in response to the measurement request described in S601, the MFP 100 responds with information indicating that the signal quality of a non-connected AP other than the connected AP is worse than the actually measured signal quality (a false response). The signal quality may also be referred to as radio wave reception status or signal reception status. In this case, the MFP 100 may respond by actually measuring the signal quality in response to the measurement request, or may respond without actually measuring it. Specifically, in the response (beacon report, etc.) described in S603, the MFP 100 responds with a signal quality that is lower than the measured signal quality of the received signal from the non-connected AP. For example, if the signal quality is represented by received signal strength, the MFP 100 may respond with a value that indicates the received signal strength, which is lower than the measured value. Alternatively, if the signal quality is represented by noise, such as the signal-to-noise ratio, the MFP 100 may respond with a signal-to-noise ratio that is higher than the measured value. Alternatively, the MFP 100 may respond with values indicating lower quality than the measured signal quality for both the received signal strength and the signal-to-noise ratio.

[0077] Alternatively, the response may not include at least one piece of information about the disconnected AP (e.g., signal quality).Alternatively, the response may be based on previously measured information about the disconnected AP, and may include either a significantly lower received signal strength (signal quality) or a significantly increased signal-to-noise ratio.

[0078] Furthermore, even if a measurement request is received, the device may not actually perform measurements (AP search) and may instead respond with signal quality indicating good received signal strength or noise conditions only for the connected AP without including information about the non-connected AP. A response to a measurement request without including information about the non-connected AP corresponds to a response indicating that no other non-connected APs were found even after an AP search. In other words, a response without including information about the non-connected AP is a response indicating that at least some of the signal quality from the non-connected AP is worse than if an actual AP search were performed.

[0079] In this way, in suppression process 2, in response to a measurement request from a connected AP, a response is made indicating that the signal quality of the connected AP is higher than the signal quality of the non-connected AP, or a response is made indicating that the non-connected AP cannot be found. This is expected to suppress the connected AP from sending a connection destination change request to another AP. Therefore, a change of connection destination in response to a connection destination change request is suppressed.

[0080] (Suppression process 3) In suppression process 3, in response to a connection destination change request from the currently connected AP, the MFP 100 temporarily disconnects from the currently connected AP, notifies the AP of the fact that the connection destination change request is not supported, and reconnects to the same AP. Specifically, the MFP 100 temporarily disconnects from the currently connected AP, and in preparation for reconnecting wirelessly, creates Association Request frame data including information indicating non-compliance with IEEE 802.11v. Then, the created Association Request frame data is used to perform connection processing with the AP. As a result, an Association Request frame including information indicating non-compliance with IEEE 802.11v is transmitted to the AP. Therefore, the MFP 100 connects to the AP as an electronic device that does not support (is incompatible with) the Agile Multiband function. As a result, the currently connected AP recognizes that the MFP 100 does not support IEEE 802.11v and does not transmit a wireless connection destination change request to the MFP 100. In this way, a request to change the wireless connection to the MFP 100 is no longer made, making it easier to maintain the wireless connection between the MFP 100 and the currently connected AP. Furthermore, if the connected AP recognizes that the MFP 100 is not IEEE802.11v-compatible, the transmission of the measurement request (the request described in S601) from the connected AP to the MFP 100 is also suppressed. Therefore, the measurement (AP search) in response to the measurement request in the MFP 100 and the response to the measurement request (processing in S603) can also be suppressed. This reduces the processing load and power consumption, allowing resources to be allocated to other processes.

[0081] In addition to firmware updates, other situations in which it is undesirable to change the connection destination AP based on a change request include, for example, when print data is being received. While the MFP 100 is receiving print data, it has already received part of the print data for the image to be printed from the mobile terminal device 104, which is the other device, but has not yet received the remaining part of the print data. The MFP 100 does not store all of the print data for one sheet of paper. Therefore, when the MFP 100 receives part of the print data, it prints only that portion (for example, it receives and prints one line), and when it receives the remaining data, it prints that portion again, repeating this process. If the connection destination AP is changed based on a connection destination change request while receiving this print data, a time lag occurs during the connection destination change process, which may result in print quality degradation such as uneven printing. Furthermore, after the connection destination is changed, communication with the mobile terminal device 104, which is the other device, may become unsuccessful, preventing the reception of the remaining data and resulting in printing failure. Therefore, while receiving print data, it is advisable to perform at least one of the above-mentioned (suppression process 1) and (suppression process 2) processes to suppress a change in the connection destination in response to a change request, or to perform the above-mentioned (suppression process 3) process before starting to receive print data.

[0082] (Firmware update process) Next, the process by which MFP 100 executes a firmware update (hereinafter referred to as firmware update or FUP) will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 7. Each step shown in the flowchart of Fig. 7 is executed by CPU 212 loading a control program stored in a memory such as ROM 213 into RAM 214 and executing it. Fig. 7 shows the procedure for implementing suppression process 3 during a firmware update.

[0083] 7 is a flowchart showing the process performed by the MFP 100 in this embodiment when the MFP 100 executes a firmware update (hereinafter referred to as a firmware update or FUP). Here, the MFP 100 is assumed to have established a connection with the AP 101 in wireless infrastructure mode and to be able to communicate with the mobile terminal device 104, the ROM information server 106, and the ROM data server 107. The MFP 100 is also assumed to have a firmware update notification function that acquires ROM information from the ROM information server 106 in the background and notifies the user via a UI if a newer version of firmware (hereinafter referred to as updated firmware) is available. This firmware update notification function may be performed periodically, for example.

[0084] When a firmware update trigger is activated in the MFP 100, the following flow starts from S701. Any of the triggers listed below can be used as the trigger for starting a firmware update. Trigger 1 (Manual Update): The user has requested a firmware update. Trigger 2 (regular update): The time set by the user has arrived. Trigger 3 (Automatic Update): When the automatic update setting is enabled, a specified period of inactivity occurs. Trigger 4 (External Client Update): A firmware update operation was received from an external client tool. Trigger 5 (Update when power is turned off): The firmware update notification setting when power is turned off is enabled, and the user orders the device to turn off.

[0085] Here, the operation for transitioning to a firmware update for trigger 1 (manual update) is an operation of selecting execution of a firmware update from a menu on operation / display unit 205 of MFP 100. Alternatively, it may be an operation of accessing a remote UI of MFP 100 from mobile terminal device 104 and selecting execution of a firmware update from a menu on the remote UI. Furthermore, if the firmware update notification setting is enabled, a message indicating that updated firmware is available is displayed on operation / display unit 205 of MFP 100, allowing the user to confirm the presence of updated firmware before manually updating.

[0086] In S701, the CPU 212 accesses the ROM information server 106 to perform a process of acquiring ROM information. Communication with the ROM information server 106 uses HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) or HTTPS, which is HTTP secured by TLS (Transport Layer Security). The ROM information includes information related to the firmware of the MFP 100, such as the ROM version, the URL or URI of the ROM data storage destination, and the ROM size.

[0087] Next, in S702, the CPU 212 compares the ROM version included in the ROM information acquired in S701 with the currently running ROM version to determine whether or not updated firmware is available. If updated firmware is available (YES in S702), the process proceeds to S703; if updated firmware is not available (NO in S702), the flow of FIG. 7 ends.

[0088] In S703, CPU 212 displays a screen for accepting an instruction as to whether or not to perform a firmware update, and prompts the user for input. However, for trigger 2 (periodic update), trigger 3 (automatic update), and trigger 4 (external client update), the confirmation screen of S703 is not displayed. This is because the user may not necessarily be within a range where he or she can operate MFP 100. Therefore, in this case, it is assumed that the user has selected to perform the firmware update (YES in S704, described below). Also, for trigger 5 (update while power is off), if no input is made on the confirmation screen of S703 for a predetermined period of time, it is assumed that the user has not selected to perform the firmware update (NO in S704, described below), and the flow of FIG. 7 is terminated, and normal power-off operation is performed. The normal power-off operation will be described in S707.

[0089] If the user selects to execute a firmware update in S704 (YES in S704), the process proceeds to S705, and if the user does not select to execute a firmware update (NO in S704), the flow of FIG. 7 ends.

[0090] In S705, the CPU 212 sets a firmware update mode start flag in the nonvolatile memory 215 for starting up in firmware update mode next time.

[0091] In S706, the CPU 212 disconnects the wireless infrastructure connection with the AP 101.

[0092] In S707, CPU 212 executes power-off processing to restart MFP 100. In normal power-off processing, a shutdown sequence that is a sequence for shutting down each unit on main board 211 of MFP 100 is executed, and then the power is turned off and MFP 100 waits for the power key on operation display unit 205 to be pressed. In contrast, power-off processing for restarting is processing that executes the same shutdown sequence as normal power-off processing, and then subsequently starts power-on processing instead of waiting in the power-off state.

[0093] In S708, CPU 212 executes power-on processing. This is a startup sequence that initializes each unit on main board 211 of MFP 100, and is the same as the normal power-on operation that is initiated by pressing the power key on operation display unit 205 when MFP 100 is in a power-off state. In the flow of this embodiment, this is executed as a series of sequences for restarting MFP 100, following the restart power-off processing of S707 or S716.

[0094] In S709, CPU 212 determines the startup mode by referencing the FUP mode startup flag. If the startup is performed with the FUP mode startup flag set in nonvolatile memory 215, the startup mode is determined to be the firmware update mode (YES in S709), and the process proceeds to S710. On the other hand, if the startup is performed with the FUP mode startup flag cleared, the startup mode is determined not to be the firmware update mode (NO in S709), and the process proceeds to S717, where the system is started in user mode.

[0095] In S710, the CPU 212 starts up the MFP 100 in firmware update mode. The firmware update mode is a mode dedicated to updating the firmware of the MFP 100, and starts up only the software modules necessary for the firmware update.

[0096] In S711, the CPU 212 transmits an Association Request frame including information indicating that the AP 101, which is stored in the non-volatile memory 215 as the destination AP, is not IEEE802.11v-compatible, to establish a wireless infrastructure connection. Specifically, the connection process described in (Suppression Process 3) above is performed. Once the MFP 100 is connected to the AP 101, the MFP 100 will no longer receive measurement requests or connection destination change requests from the AP 101 while the MFP 100 is running in firmware update mode. That is, by executing this process, the present embodiment performs control so that the destination AP is not switched during a firmware update. As a result, it is possible to avoid communication errors caused by switching the destination AP during a firmware update and prevent firmware update failures.

[0097] In S712, the CPU 212 performs a ROM data acquisition process. In the ROM data acquisition process, the ROM data, which is the actual update firmware, is downloaded from the ROM data server 107 based on the storage URL of the ROM data included in the ROM information acquired in S701. HTTP or HTTPS is used for communication with the ROM data server 107. In addition, in the ROM data acquisition process, authenticity verification is also performed, such as by calculating the checksum of the acquired ROM data and detecting tampering.

[0098] In S713, the CPU 212 performs a ROM write process to write the ROM data acquired in S710 into the ROM 213.

[0099] When the ROM write process in S713 is completed, in S714 the CPU 212 clears the FUP mode activation flag that was set in S705.

[0100] In S715, similarly to S706, the CPU 212 disconnects the wireless infrastructure connection with the AP 101.

[0101] In S716, similarly to S707, the CPU 212 executes the restart power OFF process. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S708, and starts up the MFP 100. If the MFP 100 is restarted with the FUP mode start flag cleared, the determination in S709 is NO, and the process proceeds to S717.

[0102] In S717, the CPU 212 starts up the MFP 100 in the user mode, which is a mode in which functions provided in the MFP 100, such as printing and scanning, can be used.

[0103] In S718, the CPU 212 establishes a wireless infrastructure connection by transmitting an Association Request frame including information that the AP is compatible with IEEE802.11v to the AP 101 stored in the nonvolatile memory 215 as the destination AP. Since the suppression processes described in (Suppression Process 1) to (Suppression Process 3) above are not performed, the AP 101 will connect to the AP as an electronic device compatible with the Agile Multiband function.

[0104] In S719, the CPU 212 displays a message on the operation display unit 205 indicating that the firmware update was successful, and ends the series of flows in Fig. 7. After that, the user is able to use the functions of the MFP 100 with the updated firmware.

[0105] As described above, according to this embodiment, prior to firmware update processing, the MFP 100 reconnects to the AP as a device that does not support IEEE802.11v. This prevents the MFP 100 from receiving a measurement request or a request to change the AP connection destination that complies with the IEEE802.11v standard from the currently connected AP. This prevents the MFP 100 from changing the AP during firmware update processing and eliminates the need to measure signal quality in response to a measurement request, thereby achieving reliable and rapid firmware update processing. Furthermore, after firmware update processing, the MFP 100 reconnects to the AP as a device that supports IEEE802.11v, allowing the currently connected AP to be dynamically changed and high-quality communication to be achieved.

[0106] [Embodiment 2] In the first embodiment, a configuration was described in which the MFP 100 disconnects from the AP when a trigger for transition to FUP mode occurs, turns off the power, starts up in FUP mode, and reconnects to the AP. That is, in the first embodiment, suppression process 3 was performed. In contrast, in the second embodiment, a configuration will be described in which the MFP 100 does not turn off the power when a trigger for transition to FUP mode occurs, and transitions to FUP mode while maintaining the connection with the AP without being disconnected. That is, in this embodiment, suppression processes 1 and 2 described in the first embodiment are performed. In this embodiment, the wireless communication system and devices within the system are the same as in the first embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 6.

[0107] 8 is a flowchart showing the process performed by the MFP 100 in this embodiment when the MFP 100 executes a firmware update. Here, the MFP 100 is assumed to have established a connection with the AP 101 in wireless infrastructure mode and to be able to communicate with the mobile terminal device 104, the ROM information server 106, and the ROM data server 107. The MFP 100 is also assumed to have a firmware update notification function, similar to the first embodiment. Each step shown in the flowchart in FIG. 8 is processed by the CPU 212 loading a control program stored in a memory such as the ROM 213 into the RAM 214 and executing the program.

[0108] When a firmware update trigger is activated in the MFP 100, the following flow starts from S801. The trigger for starting the firmware update is the same as in the first embodiment.

[0109] In S801, the CPU 212 accesses the ROM information server 106 to perform a process for acquiring ROM information. HTTP or HTTPS is used for communication with the ROM information server 106. The ROM information includes information related to the firmware of the MFP 100, such as the ROM version, the URL where the ROM data is stored, and the ROM size.

[0110] Next, in S802, the CPU 212 compares the ROM version included in the ROM information acquired in S801 with the currently running ROM version to determine whether or not updated firmware is available. If updated firmware is available (YES in S802), the process proceeds to S803; if not (NO in S802), the flow of FIG. 8 ends.

[0111] In S803, the CPU 212 displays a screen for accepting an instruction as to whether or not to perform a firmware update, and prompts the user for input. However, for trigger 2 (periodic update), trigger 3 (automatic update), and trigger 4 (external client update), the confirmation screen of S803 is not displayed. This is because the user may not necessarily be within a range where he or she can operate the MFP 100. Therefore, in this case, it is assumed that the user has selected to perform the firmware update (YES in S804, described below). Also, for trigger 5 (update while power is off), if no input is made on the confirmation screen of S803 for a predetermined period of time, it is assumed that the user has not selected to perform the firmware update (NO in S804, described below), and the flow of FIG. 8 is terminated, and normal power-off operation is performed. The normal power-off operation is as described in S707 of FIG. 7.

[0112] If the user selects to execute a firmware update in S804 (YES in S804), the process proceeds to S805, and if the user does not select to execute a firmware update (NO in S804), the flow in FIG. 8 ends. In S805, the CPU 212 switches the MFP 100 to FUP mode while maintaining the wireless connection with the AP 101. When the MFP 100 switches to FUP mode, operations such as printing and scanning are excluded, and job processing other than firmware updates cannot be executed. Furthermore, while in FUP mode, the MFP 100 sends a false response to a connection destination change request from the AP 101. This will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 9. Whether the MFP 100 is in FUP mode can be determined, for example, by storing information indicating FUP mode in the RAM 214 or the like and testing this.

[0113] In S806, the CPU 212 performs a ROM data acquisition process. In the ROM data acquisition process, the ROM data, which is the actual update firmware, is downloaded from the ROM data server 107 based on the storage URL of the ROM data included in the ROM information acquired in S801. HTTP or HTTPS is used for communication with the ROM data server 107. In addition, the ROM data acquisition process also verifies the authenticity of the acquired ROM data, such as by calculating a checksum and detecting tampering.

[0114] In S807, the CPU 212 performs a ROM write process to write the ROM data acquired in S806 into the ROM 213.

[0115] In S808, the CPU 212 cancels the FUP mode, and then in S809 restarts the MFP 100. When the startup process is complete, in S810 the CPU 212 displays a message indicating that the firmware update was successful, and ends the series of flows in Fig. 8. After that, the user can use the functions provided by the MFP 100 with the updated firmware.

[0116] 9 is a flowchart showing the control of MFP 100 in response to a measurement request from AP 101 to MFP 100 and a connection destination change request. The new connection destination requested by the connection destination change request may be AP 102, for example. Note that the connection destination change request may also be simply referred to as a change request. The flow shown in FIG. 9 is triggered by the establishment of an infrastructure connection between AP 101 and MFP 100.

[0117] In step S901 , the CPU 212 waits to receive a measurement request or a connection destination change request transmitted from the AP 101 , or an event that occurs within the MFP 100 .

[0118] In S902, the CPU 212 determines whether or not the event is an end event, such as turning off wireless communication or power, etc. If it is determined to be an end event (YES in S902), the flow of Fig. 9 ends, and if it is determined not to be an end event (NO in S902), the flow proceeds to S903.

[0119] In S903, the CPU 212 determines whether or not a measurement request (corresponding to S601 in FIG. 6 described above) has been received from the AP 101. If a measurement request has been received (YES in S903), the process proceeds to S904, and if a measurement request has not been received (NO in S903), the process proceeds to S908.

[0120] In S904, the CPU 212 determines whether or not the mode is firmware update mode. If it is determined to be in firmware update mode (YES in S904), the process proceeds to S905, and if it is determined not to be in firmware update mode (NO in S904), the process proceeds to S906.

[0121] In step S905, the CPU 212 transmits a fake response to the AP 101. By executing this process, the present embodiment controls to prevent the connection destination AP from being switched during the firmware update. The content of the fake response may be any of the responses described in (Suppression Process 2) above. However, in the FUP mode, it is desirable to respond without actually performing measurements (AP searches) and without including information about the disconnected AP, indicating that only the connected AP has good received signal strength and / or good noise conditions. In other words, it is desirable to return a response indicating that the communication quality from the connected AP to the MFP 1001 is good. This is because no other job processes are executed during the firmware update, and after the update is complete, the MFP 1001 is restarted and reconnected with the updated firmware, making measurements to change the connection destination meaningless. This is expected to suppress transmission of a connection destination change request from the connected AP 101 to another AP during the firmware update.

[0122] In S906, the CPU 212 measures radio wave intensity (signal quality) by receiving a frame transmitted by an AP around the MFP 100. The index value of the signal quality to be measured is not limited to radio wave intensity, and may be, for example, a signal-to-noise ratio.

[0123] In S907, the CPU 212 transmits a list of the radio wave strengths (signal qualities) of the APs around the MFP 100 measured in S906 as a response to the request received in S901. The processes of S906 and S907 correspond to the processes of S602 to S603 in FIG. 6 described above.

[0124] In S908, the CPU 212 determines whether or not a change request (BTM Request, which corresponds to S605 in FIG. 6 described above) has been received from the AP 101. If a change request has been received (YES in S908), the process proceeds to S909, and if a change request has not been received (NO in S908), the process returns to S901, where the process waits for reception.

[0125] In S909, similarly to S904, the CPU 212 determines whether or not the mode is FUP. If it is determined to be FUP mode (YES in S909), the process proceeds to S910, and if it is determined not to be FUP mode (NO in S909), the process proceeds to S913.

[0126] In S910, the CPU 212 checks the reason for change included in the received change request. As described above (Suppression Process 1), the reason for change can be determined based on information indicating which of several reasons is included in the Request Mode included in the BTM Request. For example, if the Disassociation Imminent bit or the BSS Termination Included bit in the Request Mode is 1, it can be determined that the change request has a strong reason for change. This is because these information bits are considered to indicate that the disconnection from the source AP is imminent. Otherwise, it can be determined that the reason for change is weak. This is as described for Suppression Process 1 in the first embodiment.

[0127] In S911, the CPU 212 determines whether to approve the change request. After checking the reason for change in S910, the CPU 212 approves the change request if the reason is strong, and does not approve the change request if the reason is weak. The CPU 212 may also determine whether to approve the change request by taking into account factors other than the strength of the reason for change. For example, in firmware update (FUP) mode, the size of the update firmware to be downloaded is known in advance from the ROM size included in the ROM information. Therefore, the remaining download size may also be taken into account when determining whether to approve the change request. For example, if the remaining size is equal to or less than a predetermined amount, the change request may be approved. In other words, if the remaining size is equal to or less than a predetermined amount, the reason for change may be considered to be weak. Furthermore, the CPU 212 may calculate an estimated remaining time from the link speed with the currently connected AP and the time elapsed since the start of downloading the update firmware, and take these factors into account when determining whether to approve the change request. When factors other than the reason for the change are taken into consideration, for example, if the reason for the change is weak and the remaining time required for the firmware download is within a predetermined time, the change request may be approved; otherwise, the change request may not be approved. Alternatively, even if the reason for the change is strong, the change request may be ignored if the remaining time required for the firmware download is within a predetermined time. In either case, if the firmware download is expected to be completed before disconnection from the AP, the change request may be ignored; if this is not expected, the change request may be approved. In this case, if the reason for the change is strong and it is unclear whether the firmware download will be completed before disconnection from the AP, the change request may be approved as this is unlikely. If the change request is approved (YES in S911), proceed to S913; if the change request is not approved (NO in S911), proceed to S912.

[0128] In S912, the CPU 212 ignores the received change request (does not return a response to the change request) and returns the process to S901. As a result, it is expected that the connection with the AP 101 will be maintained until the response waiting time for the change request times out in the connected AP 101.

[0129] Meanwhile, in S913, the CPU 212 responds that it has accepted the received change request. In S914, the CPU 212 switches the connection to AP 102 specified in the received change request. The processing of S913 and S914 corresponds to S606 to S609 in FIG. 6 described above. When a connection is established with the AP after the change of connection destination, for example AP 102, the process returns to S901, and thereafter the CPU 212 waits to receive a change request sent from AP 102 or an event that has occurred within the MFP 100.

[0130] According to the present embodiment described above, in response to a measurement request during a firmware update, a response indicating that the communication status with the currently connected access point is good and not including the communication status with other access points is returned. This suppresses subsequent requests to change the connection destination, and ultimately suppresses firmware update failures caused by switching the currently connected AP.

[0131] Furthermore, when a request to change the connected access point is received during a firmware update, the system changes the access point in response to the request depending on the severity of the reason for the change, such as the degree to which the connection with the currently connected access point is imminent, or ignores the change request if no change is required. This prevents the access point from being changed until the maximum time limit for waiting for a response to the change request expires. By completing the firmware download during this time, firmware update failures due to access point changes can be prevented.

[0132] [Modification of the above embodiment] In the first embodiment, when the device is restarted in FUP mode and reconnected in S711, a frame including information indicating that the device is not IEEE802.11v-compliant is transmitted to establish a wireless infrastructure connection with the AP. However, even in the first embodiment, it goes without saying that a configuration is also possible in which a frame including information indicating that the device is IEEE802.11v-compliant is transmitted to establish a connection with the AP when reconnecting, and a false response is made as described in FIG.

[0133] In addition, in the second embodiment, the STA transitions to the FUP mode while maintaining the connection with the AP 101, and sends a false response during the FUP mode. However, in the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, it goes without saying that it is also possible to configure the STA to temporarily disconnect from the AP when transitioning to the FUP mode, and then establish a connection with the AP as an IEEE802.11v-incompatible STA when reconnecting.

[0134] 9, steps S904 and S909 are described as determining whether the device is in FUP mode, but these steps can also be applied to determining other modes, or states such as printing or scanning. The processes of S910 and S911 can be omitted, in which case the request is either ignored or accepted depending on the result of the mode determination in S909. That is, if the device is determined to be in firmware update mode in S909, the request for change is ignored; if the device is determined not to be in firmware update mode, the request for change is accepted and the access point is changed.

[0135] 9, the change request is ignored without responding, but the refusal response may be changed. By doing so, the priority of the change of connection destination for other STAs connected to the AP currently connected to MFP 100 may be increased, and the priority of the change of connection destination for MFP 100 that returned the refusal response may be decreased. As a result, the connection with the currently connected AP may be maintained.

[0136] In the above description, the program to be updated is firmware, and control is performed to prevent switching of the connected AP during the firmware update. However, this is not limiting. The program to be updated may be a program other than firmware. Specifically, for example, the program to be updated may be an OS, a driver, or an application program, and control may be performed to prevent switching of the connected AP while these programs are being updated.

[0137] The various controls described above as being performed by CPU 212 may be performed by a single piece of hardware, or the entire device may be controlled by multiple pieces of hardware (e.g., multiple processors or circuits) sharing the processing.

[0138] Furthermore, although the present invention has been described in detail based on preferred embodiments thereof, the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various forms within the scope of the gist of the present invention are also included in the present invention. Furthermore, each of the above-described embodiments merely represents one embodiment of the present invention, and each embodiment can be combined as appropriate.

[0139] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention has been described with reference to an MFP as an example. However, this is not limited to this example and can be applied to any wireless device that functions as an STA and is capable of processing a connection change request from an AP. Specifically, the present invention can be applied to personal computers, PDAs, tablet devices, mobile phone terminals such as smartphones, music players, game consoles, e-book readers, smartwatches, and various measuring devices (sensor devices) such as thermometers and hygrometers. The present invention can also be applied to digital cameras (including still cameras, video cameras, network cameras, and security cameras), printers, scanners, and drones. The present invention can also be applied to video output devices, audio output devices (e.g., smart speakers), media streaming players, and wireless LAN adapters (adapters) that can be connected via USB or LAN cable terminals. Video output devices include devices such as set-top boxes, which acquire (download) videos and still images from the Internet identified by a URL specified by an electronic device and output them to a connected display device via a video output terminal such as HDMI (registered trademark). This enables streaming playback on the display device and mirroring display (displaying the content displayed on the electronic device on the display device). Furthermore, video output devices include media players such as televisions, hard disk recorders, Blu-ray recorders, and DVD recorders, head-mounted displays, projectors, televisions, display devices (monitors), signage devices, etc. The present invention is also applicable to Wi-Fi-connectable devices known as smart home appliances, such as air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, ovens, microwave ovens, lighting equipment, heating equipment, and cooling equipment.

[0140] (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.The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0141] Summary of embodiments The above embodiments can be summarized as follows: (Item 1) An electronic device capable of updating firmware, a connection means for connecting to an access point via wireless communication; a control means; The control means When updating firmware, reconnect to the currently connected access point with settings that cannot accommodate the change request from the currently connected access point, Update the firmware using the connection to the previously connected access point. An electronic device characterized by: (Item 2) The electronic device according to item 1, Reconnecting to the currently connected access point with settings that cannot accommodate a change request from the currently connected access point includes disconnecting from the currently connected access point, restarting the electronic device, and reconnecting to the disconnected access point with settings that cannot accommodate a change request from the currently connected access point. An electronic device characterized by: (Item 3) Item 1 or 2, the electronic device according to When the firmware update is completed, the control means reconnects to the currently connected access point with settings that can accommodate a change request from the currently connected access point. An electronic device characterized by: (Item 4) Item 3: The electronic device according to item 3, Reconnecting to the currently connected access point with settings that can accommodate a change request from the currently connected access point includes disconnecting from the currently connected access point, restarting the electronic device, and reconnecting to the disconnected access point with settings that can accommodate a change request from the currently connected access point. An electronic device characterized by: (Item 5) The electronic device according to any one of items 1 to 4, The case where firmware is updated is when the server connected via the access point indicates that a firmware update is available and when an instruction to update the firmware is given. An electronic device characterized by: (Item 6) Item 5. The electronic device according to any one of items 1 to 5, The firmware update includes a process of acquiring firmware from a server connected via the access point and updating the current firmware with the acquired firmware. An electronic device characterized by: (Item 7) The electronic device according to any one of items 1 to 6, The settings that cannot accommodate a change request from the currently connected access point include settings that indicate compatibility with the IEEE802.11v standard. An electronic device characterized by: (Item 8) An electronic device according to any one of items 1 to 7; A communication system including an access point connectable to the electronic device, If the electronic device has a setting that cannot accommodate a change request from the currently connected access point, the access point does not transmit the change request to the electronic device. A communication system comprising: (Item 9) A program for causing a computer to function as each means of the electronic device described in any one of items 1 to 7. (Item 10) An electronic device capable of updating firmware, a receiving means for receiving a connection destination change request transmitted from a currently connected access point; and a control means for controlling the electronic device not to change the connection destination in response to the change request and not to respond to the change request if the change request is received when the electronic device updates firmware and there is no reason to change the currently connected access point in response to the change request. An electronic device characterized by: (Item 11) Item 10: The electronic device according to item 10, The case where there is no reason to change the currently connected access point includes a case where the reason for change received together with the change request does not indicate that the disconnection of the currently connected access point from the electronic device is imminent. An electronic device characterized by: (Item 12) Item 10 or 11, the electronic device according to item 10 or 11, The case where there is no reason to change the currently connected access point includes a case where the download of the firmware to be updated is expected to be completed before the currently connected access point disconnects the electronic device. An electronic device characterized by: (Item 13) The electronic device according to any one of items 10 to 12, The case where there is no reason to change the currently connected access point is when the remaining amount of firmware to be updated is equal to or less than a predetermined amount. An electronic device characterized by: (Item 14) An electronic device according to any one of items 10 to 13; an access point connected to the electronic device and capable of transmitting the change request to the electronic device; A communication system comprising: (Item 15) A program for causing a computer to function as each means of the electronic device described in any one of items 10 to 13. (Item 16) A method for controlling an electronic device capable of updating firmware, the method comprising: the connection means connects to an access point via wireless communication, The control means When updating firmware, reconnect to the currently connected access point with settings that cannot accommodate the change request from the currently connected access point, Update the firmware using the connection to the previously connected access point. A method for controlling an electronic device. (Item 17) A method for controlling an electronic device capable of updating firmware, the method comprising: receiving means and control means; the receiving means receives a connection destination change request transmitted from a currently connected access point, When the control means receives the change request when the electronic device updates firmware, if there is no reason to change the currently connected access point in response to the change request, the control means controls the electronic device not to change the connection destination in response to the change request and not to respond to the change request. A method for controlling an electronic device. (Item 18) The electronic device according to any one of items 1 to 7 or items 10 to 13, The electronic device is an image forming device that forms an image. An electronic device characterized by:

[0142] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0143] 100 MFP, 101 AP1, 102 AP2, 103 DHCP server, 104 mobile terminal device, 105 DNS server, 106 ROM information server, 107 ROM data server

Claims

1. An electronic device capable of updating firmware, a connection means for connecting to an access point via wireless communication; a control means; The control means When updating firmware, reconnect to the currently connected access point with a setting that cannot respond to the change request from the currently connected access point, Update the firmware using the connection to the previously connected access point. An electronic device characterized by:

2. 10. The electronic device according to claim 1, Reconnecting to the currently connected access point with settings that cannot accommodate a change request from the currently connected access point includes disconnecting from the currently connected access point, restarting the electronic device, and reconnecting to the disconnected access point with settings that cannot accommodate a change request from the currently connected access point. An electronic device characterized by:

3. 10. The electronic device according to claim 1, When the firmware update is completed, the control means reconnects to the currently connected access point with settings that can accommodate a change request from the currently connected access point. An electronic device characterized by:

4. 4. The electronic device according to claim 3, Reconnecting to the currently connected access point with settings that can accommodate a change request from the currently connected access point includes disconnecting from the currently connected access point, restarting the electronic device, and reconnecting to the disconnected access point with settings that can accommodate a change request from the currently connected access point. An electronic device characterized by:

5. 10. The electronic device according to claim 1, The case where firmware is updated is when the server connected via the access point indicates that a firmware update is available and when an instruction to update the firmware is given. An electronic device characterized by:

6. 10. The electronic device according to claim 1, The firmware update includes a process of acquiring firmware from a server connected via the access point and updating the current firmware with the acquired firmware. An electronic device characterized by:

7. 10. The electronic device according to claim 1, The setting that cannot accommodate a change request from the currently connected access point includes a setting indicating that the setting is compatible with the IEEE 802.11v standard. An electronic device characterized by:

8. An electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 7; A communication system including an access point connectable to the electronic device, If the electronic device has a setting that cannot accommodate a change request from the currently connected access point, the access point does not transmit the change request to the electronic device. A communication system comprising:

9. A program for causing a computer to function as each of the means of the electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. An electronic device capable of updating firmware, a receiving means for receiving a connection destination change request transmitted from a currently connected access point; and a control means for controlling the electronic device not to change the connection destination in response to the change request and not to respond to the change request if the change request is received when the electronic device updates firmware and there is no reason to change the currently connected access point in response to the change request. An electronic device characterized by:

11. The electronic device according to claim 10, The case where there is no reason to change the currently connected access point includes a case where the reason for change received together with the change request does not indicate that the disconnection of the currently connected access point from the electronic device is imminent. An electronic device characterized by:

12. The electronic device according to claim 10, The case where there is no reason to change the currently connected access point includes a case where the download of the firmware to be updated is expected to be completed before the currently connected access point disconnects the electronic device. An electronic device characterized by:

13. The electronic device according to claim 10, The case where there is no reason to change the currently connected access point is when the remaining amount of firmware to be updated is equal to or less than a predetermined amount. An electronic device characterized by:

14. An electronic device according to any one of claims 10 to 13; an access point connected to the electronic device and capable of transmitting the change request to the electronic device; A communication system comprising:

15. A program for causing a computer to function as each means of the electronic device according to any one of claims 10 to 13.

16. A method for controlling an electronic device capable of updating firmware, the method comprising: the connection means connects to an access point via wireless communication, The control means When updating firmware, reconnect to the currently connected access point with settings that cannot accommodate the change request from the currently connected access point, Update the firmware using the connection to the previously connected access point. A method for controlling an electronic device.

17. A method for controlling an electronic device capable of updating firmware, the method comprising: receiving means and control means; the receiving means receives a connection destination change request transmitted from a currently connected access point, When the control means receives the change request when the electronic device updates firmware, if there is no reason to change the currently connected access point in response to the change request, the control means controls the electronic device not to change the connection destination in response to the change request and not to respond to the change request. A method for controlling an electronic device.

18. 11. The electronic device according to claim 1 or 10, The electronic device is an image forming device that forms an image. An electronic device characterized by:

Images