Program and information processing device

Abstract

To perform connection processing considering the radio wave conditions with access points around a communication device when performing connection setting processing between the communication device and an external device (access point) and establish an appropriate communication environment between the communication device and the external device.SOLUTION: A program causes an information processing device to execute: a first acquisition step for acquiring information on the radio wave environment between a first external device and a communication device; a determination step for determining whether or not to transmit information used for connection with the first external device to the communication device on the basis of the information on the radio wave environment; and a first transmission step for transmitting the information used for connection with the first external device to the communication device, if it is determined that the information used for connection with the first external device is to be transmitted to the communication device in the determination step.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a program and an information processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] A technique is known in which an information processing device establishes a connection between the communication device and an external device such as an access point by the information processing device in order to enable communication between the information processing device and the communication device. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which, when establishing a connection between the communication device and an external device such as an access point, the communication device establishes a connection with a closer external device depending on the distance between the information processing device and the communication device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6641194 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, for example, the method described in Patent Document 1 does not establish a connection between a communication device and an external device according to the communication status.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to establish a good connection between a communication device and an external device by taking into account the communication status between the communication device and the external device, thereby improving usability. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the program of the present invention is characterized in that it causes a computer of an information processing device to execute the following steps: a first acquisition step of acquiring information regarding the radio wave environment between a first external device and a communication device; a decision step of deciding whether or not to transmit information used for connecting with the first external device to the communication device based on the information regarding the radio wave environment; and a first transmission step of transmitting the information used for connecting with the first external device to the communication device if it is decided in the decision step to transmit the information used for connecting with the first external device to the communication device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, a good connection between a communication device and an external device can be established, and usability can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a system configuration. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a system configuration including a hardware configuration. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process in which a printer executes wireless settings instructed by a PC. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a destination SSID acquisition process. [Figure 5] 10A to 10C are diagrams showing screens displayed by a PC during wireless setting processing. [Figure 6] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating screens displayed by a PC during a connection destination SSID acquisition process. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating examples of SSID lists created by a PC and a printer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention, and not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the present invention. In the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0010] (Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a system configuration according to this embodiment. FIG. 1(a) illustrates a state in which a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as PC) 101, which is an information processing device, and an access point (hereinafter referred to as AP) 102, which is an external device identified by a service set identifier (hereinafter referred to as SSID) 11, are connected via a wireless LAN. A printer 103, which is a communication device, is also connected to the AP 102 identified by SSID 11. That is, the PC 101 is capable of communicating with the printer 103 via the AP 102. A method in which two devices such as this connect via an AP is called a wireless infrastructure connection. A wireless infrastructure connection can create a network environment in which a PC can communicate with two or more devices connected to the AP. Note that, instead of a PC, various devices such as a smartphone or a digital camera may be used as the information processing device according to this embodiment. Also, instead of a printer, various devices such as a PC, smartphone, digital camera, smart speaker, or music playback device may be used as the communication device according to this embodiment. The printing method of the printer 103 used in this embodiment may be an electrophotographic method, an inkjet method, or any other method.

[0011] On the other hand, there is also a connection method called a direct connection (Peer to Peer connection (hereinafter, P2P connection)) that connects two devices without going through an external device. Note that the direct connection in this embodiment may be a wireless Ad-hoc connection, a connection using a USB cable 221, or a connection using legacy Wi-Fi in which the printer 103 operates as a software AP. It may also be a connection using Wi-Fi Direct (registered trademark).

[0012] The PC 101 performs processing to connect the printer 103 to the AP 102 via a wireless LAN connection. To do this, the PC 101 connects the printer 103 to the AP 102 by sending wireless network connection setting information to the printer 103 using a direct connection. Note that the communication method used for the wireless LAN connection is, for example, the IEEE802.11 series communication standard (Wi-Fi).

[0013] 2 is a configuration diagram of a communication system including the hardware configuration of a PC 101 and a printer 103 in this embodiment. The PC 101 has, for example, a CPU 201, a ROM 202, a RAM 206, an external storage device 207, a display device 208, and an input interface 209. The PC 101 also has a USB interface 205, a wired LAN interface 210, and a wireless LAN interface 211. However, it is sufficient for the PC 101 to have at least one of the USB interface 205, the wired LAN interface 210, and the wireless LAN interface 211. The PC 101 uses one of the interfaces to send information to the printer 103 for connecting the printer 103 to an AP 223 (described later). The wireless LAN interface 211 is an interface used to connect the printer 103 to the AP 223 and the printer 103, and the communication method used is, for example, the IEEE802.11 series communication standard (Wi-Fi). The PC 101 may also have an interface for communicating using a wireless communication standard other than Wi-Fi and communicate with the printer 103 via that interface. Examples of wireless communication standards other than Wi-Fi include Bluetooth (Bluetooth Classic, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), etc.). The ROM 202 stores a program 203 and a wireless profile 204 (described later). In this embodiment, the program 203 includes application programs (hereinafter referred to as a setting application) that handle various processes, including a wireless network setting process program for instructing the printer to set up a wireless network. The wireless network setting process will be described in detail later. The external storage device 207 also stores an operating system (hereinafter referred to as an OS), a printer driver, and various other data. The CPU 201 reads the program 203 from the ROM 202 into the RAM 206 and executes it to execute various processes, including the instruction process described above. The setting application includes the SSID of the printer 103 operating in a wireless setting mode (described later). Therefore, when the setting application is installed on the PC 101, the SSID is also stored in the ROM 202.The SSID of the printer 103 operating in the wireless setting mode will be described later.

[0014] PC 101 can be directly connected to printer 103. PC 101 can also be connected to LAN 222 via Ethernet cable 225, and if printer 103 can also be connected to LAN 222, PC 101 and printer 103 can communicate with each other in the same LAN 222 environment. Furthermore, PC 101 can be connected to AP 223 via Wi-Fi, for example, and AP 223 can be connected to LAN 222 via Ethernet cable 226, thereby enabling PC 101 to connect to LAN 222. Note that if AP 223 is the AP to which PC 101 is connected, it is the same AP as AP 102 in FIG. 1.

[0015] Here, the wireless profile 204 is information including identification information (such as an SSID) of the AP 223 that has been connected via the wireless LAN interface 211, and authentication information (such as a password) used in authentication processing for connecting to the AP 223. In other words, the wireless profile 204 includes not only information about the AP to which the PC 101 is currently connected, but also identification information and authentication information about APs to which the PC 101 has previously connected but is not currently connected. The wireless LAN interface 211 is an interface used for connecting to the AP 223 and the printer 103, and the communication method used is, for example, the IEEE802.11 series communication standard (Wi-Fi). The wireless profile 204 is stored and managed by an OS included in the external storage device 207.

[0016] The printer 103 includes a CPU 252, a ROM 253, a RAM 257, a display device 258, an input interface 259, a printing unit 260, a USB interface 251, and a wireless LAN interface 256. The wireless LAN interface 256 is an interface used to connect to the AP 223 and the PC 101, and the communication method used is, for example, the IEEE802.11 series communication standard (Wi-Fi). The printer 103 may also have an interface for communication using a wireless communication standard other than Wi-Fi, and may communicate with the PC 101 using that interface. The wireless communication standard other than Wi-Fi is, for example, Bluetooth (Bluetooth Classic, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), etc.). The ROM 253 stores a program 254, a wireless profile 255, and the like. The CPU 252 reads the program 254 from the ROM 253 to the RAM 257 and executes it to perform various controls on the printer 103. The printer 103 does not necessarily have to include the USB interface 251.

[0017] The printer 103 can be directly connected to the PC 101. In addition, the printer 103 can be connected to the AP 223 via Wi-Fi, for example, and the AP 223 can be connected to the LAN 222 via an Ethernet cable 226, thereby enabling the printer 103 to be connected to the LAN 222.

[0018] Here, the wireless profile 255 is information including settings such as identification information and authentication information of the AP 223 that has been connected via the wireless LAN interface 256. The wireless LAN interface 256 is an interface used to connect to the AP 223 or the PC 101, and the communication method used is, for example, the IEEE802.11 series communication standard (Wi-Fi). The wireless profile 255 is stored and managed by a program 254 included in the ROM 253.

[0019] The ROM 253 also stores identification information (hereinafter referred to as SSID13) of the printer 103 operating in the wireless setting mode stored in the ROM 202 of the PC 101 described above. The SSID13 is an SSID commonly used among multiple printers (e.g., multiple printers of the same model or multiple printers from the same vendor). The wireless LAN interface 256 of the printer 103 can operate as an AP corresponding to the SSID13. In this embodiment, P2P communication may take a form in which either the PC 101 or the printer 103 operates as an AP. For example, if the wireless LAN interface 256 operates as an AP for the printer 103 operating in the wireless setting mode described above, the wireless LAN interface 211 will be connected. Alternatively, neither the PC 101 nor the printer 103 may operate as an AP. In this manner, the PC 101 can directly connect to the printer 103 operating as an AP, similar to when connecting to the AP 223. The configuration of the PC 101 and the printer 103 in FIG. 2 is an example, and other configurations are also possible.

[0020] In this embodiment, a PC connects to a printer, sends information to the printer about the AP to which the printer is to be connected, and connects the printer to that AP. For example, the PC obtains from the printer a list of APs to which the printer can connect, determines whether the AP to which the PC was connected is included in the list, and sends information about that AP to the printer. The printer then uses that information to connect to that AP. The information about the AP includes AP identification information (such as an SSID) and authentication information (such as a password) used in the AP authentication process.

[0021] As shown in Figure 1(b), the AP sent from the PC to the printer may not be the appropriate AP for the printer's location. Note that printer 103 in Figure 1(b) is not connected to AP 102. In other words, a conventional method involves a PC connecting to a printer, sending information to the printer about the AP to which the printer should be connected, and then connecting the printer to that AP. However, in this method, even if the radio wave environment between the printer and the AP corresponding to the information sent to the printer is poor, the printer will establish a connection with that AP. As a result, communication between the AP and the printer becomes unstable, which can lead to unstable communication between the PC and the printer via the AP.

[0022] For example, consider a situation where a PC and a printer are installed far apart and an AP is installed near the PC. In this case, the radio wave environment between the PC and the AP is good, but the radio wave environment between the printer and the AP may not be good because the distance between the printer and the AP is long.

[0023] Therefore, in this embodiment, before transmitting information about the AP from the PC to the printer, the PC checks the radio wave environment between the printer and the AP. Specifically, if the PC determines that the radio wave environment between the AP and the printer is good, it performs connection processing between the printer and the AP. Furthermore, the PC connects to an AP that has a good radio wave environment not only with the printer but also with the PC. This makes it possible to establish an optimal connection between the AP and the printer, reducing the possibility of communication problems occurring after the connection between the AP and the printer is set up. As a result, the possibility of communication problems occurring after the connection between the PC and the printer is set up can be further reduced.

[0024] 3 shows a process for establishing a LAN connection between the PC 101 and the printer 103 via an AP that has a good radio wave environment with the printer 103. For example, FIG. 1C shows a system configuration in which an AP 104 exists that has a good radio wave environment with the printer 103. In FIG. 1C, the AP 104 also has a good radio wave environment with the PC 101. In FIG. 1C, the printer 103 is not connected to the AP 102, and the PC 101 and the printer 103 are not connected to the AP 104. The process in this case will be described below. The process by the PC 101 is realized by the CPU 201 executing a setting application, and similarly, the process by the printer 103 is realized by the CPU 252 executing a program 254.

[0025] In S301, the CPU 201 displays a predetermined screen on the display device 208 using the setting application. Then, the CPU 201 accepts a specific instruction from the user on the predetermined screen to connect the printer to one of the APs, starts processing for the wireless setting instruction, and proceeds to S302. The specific instruction is an instruction to connect the printer to one of the APs, or an instruction to set a state in which communication between the PC 101 and the printer 103 is possible. At this time, it is assumed that the PC 101 is already connected to the AP 102 via Wi-Fi, and the SSID 11 and password of the AP 102 are stored in the wireless profile 204.

[0026] In step S302, the CPU 201 disconnects the Wi-Fi connection between the PC 101 and the AP 102.

[0027] In S303, the CPU 201 searches for the printer 103 in wireless setting mode. This process searches for APs around the PC 101 (performs an AP search) and searches to see if the APs found include an AP corresponding to the printer 103 in wireless setting mode. Specifically, if an SSID 13 is found that includes a predetermined character string indicating an AP corresponding to the printer 103 in wireless setting mode, it is determined that an AP corresponding to the printer 103 in wireless setting mode exists. In addition to searching for the printer 103 in wireless setting mode, the CPU 201 also creates and saves a list of the SSIDs of the APs found by the AP search executed at this time. The list created in S303 is referred to as PC-created SSID list 1 (see FIG. 9(a) to be described later).

[0028] In S304, the CPU 201 determines whether a printer 103 in wireless setting mode has been detected (discovered) by the search in S303. If the answer is YES in S304, the CPU 201 proceeds to S305, and if the answer is NO in S304, the CPU 201 proceeds to S315. S315 will be described later.

[0029] In S305, the CPU 201 performs processing to establish a direct connection between the PC 101 and the printer 103. Specifically, the CPU 201 connects the wireless LAN interface 211 to an AP inside the printer 103, which is an AP represented by SSID 13 of the printer 103 operating in wireless setting mode.

[0030] In S306, the CPU 201 makes an information acquisition request to the printer 103, and receives an SSID list and identification information (such as a MAC address) of the printer 103 by receiving a response from the printer 103. The SSID list acquired here is a list of APs discovered by the printer 103 through a search (AP search), and is referred to as a printer created SSID list 1 (or a first identification information list), details of which will be described later.

[0031] 3, that is, when the specific instruction is received in S301, and the wireless connection to the AP 102 is terminated in S302. The SSID 11 is acquired by referring to the wireless profile 204.

[0032] In step S308, the CPU 201 executes a destination SSID acquisition process, which will be described later with reference to FIG.

[0033] In step S309, the CPU 201 transmits to the printer 103 information including the AP indicated by the SSID acquired in the connection destination SSID acquisition process and the password corresponding to the SSID.

[0034] In S310, the CPU 201 disconnects the direct connection between the PC 101 and the printer 103, and reconnects the PC 101 to the AP 102. Note that, because the SSID 11 and password of the AP 102 are stored in the wireless profile 204, the PC 101 can reconnect to the AP 102 in S310 without the user needing to re-enter the password or the like.

[0035] In S311, if information for establishing a direct connection between the PC 101 and the printer 103 exists in the wireless profile 204, the CPU 201 deletes the information from the wireless profile 204. The processing in S311 is performed to prevent a direct connection between the PC 101 and the printer 103 from being established unintentionally by the user due to a reconnection process executed by the PC 101.

[0036] In step S312, the CPU 201 searches for the printer 103 on the network including the AP 102.

[0037] In S313, the CPU 201 determines whether the printer 103 has been found or detected by the search in S312. Specifically, the CPU 201 receives identification information (such as a MAC address) from each device connected to the AP 102. If the received identification information includes identification information that matches the identification information acquired from the printer 103 in S306, the CPU 201 determines that the printer 103 has been detected. If the answer is YES in S313, the process proceeds to S314, and if the answer is NO in S313, the process proceeds to S316. If the CPU 201 determines that the printer 103 has been detected in S314, the CPU 201 displays a setting success screen 501 such as that shown in FIG. 5A on the display device 208. If the user presses the "Next" button 502 on the setting success screen 501, the CPU 201 ends the wireless setting instruction process. The CPU 201 may connect to the printer 103 when it determines in S313 that the printer 103 has been detected, or may connect to the printer 103 when it detects that the user has pressed the "Next" button 502 on the setting success screen 501.

[0038] In S316, if the result of S313 is NO, CPU 201 switches the connection to the AP indicated by the SSID acquired in the connection destination SSID acquisition process. In other words, if the AP indicated by the SSID acquired in the connection destination SSID acquisition process is different from AP 102, CPU 201 switches the connection to the AP indicated by the SSID acquired in the connection destination SSID acquisition process. For example, in the environment shown in FIG. 1(c), if the AP indicated by the SSID acquired in the connection destination SSID acquisition process is AP 104, CPU 201 switches the connection to AP 104.

[0039] In step S317, the CPU 201 again searches for the printer 103 on the network that includes the AP indicated by the SSID acquired in the connection destination SSID acquisition process.

[0040] In S318, the CPU 201 determines whether the printer 103 was found or detected by the search in S317. The determination method is the same as in S313. If the answer is YES in S318, the CPU 201 performs the process of S314 and ends the wireless setting instruction process. On the other hand, if the answer is NO in S318, the CPU 201 proceeds to S315.

[0041] In S315, which is executed if the result of S304 is NO or if the result of S318 is NO, the CPU 201 displays a setting failure screen 511 as shown in FIG. 5B on the display device 208. The CPU 201 ends the wireless setting instruction process when the user presses the "Next" button 512 on the setting failure screen 511. Note that a case where the result of S318 is NO is, for example, a case where the printer 103 is successfully connected to the AP indicated by the SSID acquired in the connection destination SSID acquisition process, but the printer 103 cannot be detected on the network to which the PC 101 is connected (Case 1). Case 1 can occur, for example, when a privacy separator is enabled in the AP.

[0042] Furthermore, a case where the result of S318 is NO means, for example, that an incorrect password was sent to the printer 103 and the connection between the printer 103 and the AP was not successful (Case 2). Therefore, for example, in S315, the CPU 201 may receive information from the printer 103 via a connection such as BLE, indicating whether the connection between the printer 103 and the AP was successful. If information indicating that the connection between the printer 103 and the AP was successful is received, this corresponds to Case 1. Therefore, the CPU 201 may display a setting failure screen indicating that the connection between the printer 103 and the AP was successful but that the printer 103 could not be detected on the network to which the PC 101 is connected. Furthermore, if information indicating that the connection between the printer 103 and the AP was unsuccessful is received, this corresponds to Case 2, and the PC 101 may display a setting failure screen indicating that the password entered by the user is incorrect. Note that if the password is incorrect, a setting failure screen indicating that the password entered by the user is incorrect may be displayed before displaying FIG. 6(c), which will be described later.

[0043] Next, the wireless setting process of the printer 103 will be described in detail.

[0044] In S351, when the CPU 252 detects that a predetermined instruction for starting the wireless connection process has been given by the user on the display device 258 of the printer 103, the CPU 252 starts the wireless connection process.

[0045] In S352, the CPU 252 searches for surrounding APs (performs an AP search) and creates a printer created SSID list 1 that includes the SSIDs of the APs detected thereby.

[0046] In S353, the CPU 252 switches the printer 103 to wireless setting mode. The printer 103, now in wireless setting mode, causes the wireless LAN interface 256 to operate as an AP corresponding to the SSID of the printer 103 operating in wireless setting mode. Note that the switch to wireless setting mode may be initiated by a predetermined instruction from the user as described above, or by other methods. For example, the switch to wireless connection setting mode may be automatically initiated when the printer is powered on for the first time after purchase.

[0047] In S354, the CPU 252 determines whether the printer 103 that has transitioned to the wireless setting mode has received an information acquisition request from the PC 101. If the answer is YES in S354, the CPU 252 proceeds to S355, and if the answer is NO in S354, the CPU 252 proceeds to S356. S356 will be described later.

[0048] In S355, the CPU 252 performs processing to transmit information to the PC 101, and returns to S354 to wait for the next instruction. The information transmitted to the PC 101 includes information on the printer created SSID list 1 and identification information (such as the MAC address) of the printer 103.

[0049] In S356, which follows if NO in S354, the CPU 252 determines whether or not a wireless setting instruction has been received from the PC 101. If YES in S356, the CPU 252 proceeds to S357, and if NO in S356, the CPU 252 returns to S354.

[0050] In S357, the CPU 252 executes connection processing to connect the printer 103 to an AP corresponding to the information received from the PC 101. Specifically, the CPU 252 executes connection processing to connect the printer 103 to the AP using the SSID and password corresponding to the AP included in the wireless profile 204 received from the PC 101.

[0051] In S358, the CPU 252 determines whether the connection process in S357 was successful (the AP and the printer 103 were connected). If YES in S358, the wireless setting process ends, and if NO in S358, the process proceeds to S359.

[0052] In S359, the CPU 252 displays an error message on the display device 258 of the printer 103 indicating that the connection process was not successful.

[0053] Next, a description will be given of the destination SSID acquisition process in S308 of Fig. 3. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the destination SSID acquisition process.

[0054] In S401, the CPU 201 determines whether the SSID 11 of the AP 102 acquired in S307 is included in the printer created SSID list 1 acquired from the printer 103 in S306. Note that the printer created SSID list 1 may include multiple SSIDs or only one SSID. If the answer is YES in S401, the process proceeds to S402. If the answer is NO in S401, the process proceeds to S404. Note that when the CPU 201 receives the printer created SSID list 1 from the printer 103, the CPU 201 acquires from the printer 103 an index used to determine whether the radio wave environment between the printer 103 and each AP discovered by the printer 103 is good. Hereinafter, the index used to determine whether the radio wave environment between the printer 103 and each AP discovered by the printer 103 is good will be referred to as index A. Specifically, when searching for surrounding SSIDs in S352, the CPU 252 acquires the SSID representing each AP and index A from information in a beacon transmitted from each AP. The beacon information also includes information such as the frequency band supported by the AP. Then, in S306, the CPU 201 acquires index A from the printer 103 along with the printer-created SSID list 1. Similarly, when the PC 101 creates the PC-created SSID list 1 in S303, the CPU 201 acquires an index (hereinafter referred to as index B) for determining whether the radio wave environment between the PC 101 and the AP is good. In this embodiment, it is assumed that radio wave reception strength is used as index A and index B. The radio wave reception strength refers to the reception strength of radio waves emitted by the AP and received by the PC 101 or the printer 103. In this embodiment, it is assumed that a Received Signal Strength Indicator (hereinafter referred to as RSSI) is used as the radio wave reception strength. However, index A and index B are not limited to this. For example, the criterion may be the signal-to-noise ratio (hereinafter referred to as SNR), which is a value calculated by subtracting the difference between radio waves emitted by the AP 102 and received by the PC 101 or the printer 103 and noise caused by radio waves of the same frequency present in the vicinity. Alternatively, another index or multiple indexes may be used as the criterion, or a value calculated based on at least one index from multiple indexes may be used as the criterion.The timing at which CPU 201 acquires printer created SSID list 1 and acquires index B, and the timing at which CPU 201 creates and saves PC created SSID list 1 and acquires index A may be simultaneous or different.

[0055] 7(a) shows an example of PC-created SSID list 1. PC-created SSID list 1 holds SSIDs detected by PC 101 and RSSI values, which are values ​​used as index B. FIG. 7(b) shows an example of printer-created SSID list 1. Printer-created SSID list 1 holds SSIDs detected by printer 103 and RSSI values, which are values ​​used as index A.

[0056] In S402, the CPU 201 determines whether the index A corresponding to the AP 102 indicated by the SSID 11 is greater than a predetermined threshold set in advance. As described above, the index A corresponding to the AP 102 is, specifically, the RSSI value of the radio waves emitted by the AP 102 and received by the printer 103. If the answer is YES in S402, the process proceeds to S403, and if the answer is NO in S402, the process proceeds to S404. Note that the predetermined threshold is set to, for example, the lower limit of values ​​that allow stable communication without disconnection after connection is established between the AP 102 and the printer 103. Furthermore, the predetermined threshold for index A and the specific threshold for index B, which will be described later, may be the same or different.

[0057] In S403, the CPU 201 determines that the printer 103 should be connected to the AP 102 represented by SSID 11. In other words, S403 is an example of a process for determining whether or not to transmit information about the AP 102 to the printer 103. Then, the CPU 201 ends the connection destination SSID acquisition process and instructs the printer 103 to make wireless settings for connecting to the AP 102 (S309).

[0058] In S404, following a NO in S401 or a NO in S402, the CPU 201 determines whether the printer created SSID list 1 includes an SSID corresponding to an index A greater than a predetermined threshold. If YES in S404, the process proceeds to S405, and if NO in S404, the process proceeds to S413. S413 will be described later.

[0059] In S405, CPU 201 creates an SSID list consisting of only SSIDs included in printer created SSID list 1 that correspond to index A greater than a predetermined threshold. In this embodiment, the list created in S405 is referred to as printer created SSID list 2. Here, FIG. 7C illustrates an example of printer created SSID list 2 when the predetermined threshold is set to 60.

[0060] In S406, the CPU 201 determines whether the printer created SSID list 2 includes an SSID stored in the wireless profile 204 of the PC 101. An SSID is stored in the wireless profile 204 of the PC 101 if the PC 101 has connected to an AP represented by the SSID before connecting to the AP 102. In other words, the CPU 201 determines whether the printer created SSID list 2 includes an SSID corresponding to an AP to which the PC 101 has connected. If the SSID is stored in the wireless profile 204 of the PC 101, the connection to the AP can be established without the user having to input authentication information or the like. If the answer is YES in S406, the process proceeds to S407; if the answer is NO in S406, the process proceeds to S413. S413 will be described later.

[0061] In S407, the CPU 201 creates an SSID list consisting of only SSIDs stored in the wireless profile 204 of the PC 101, from among the SSIDs included in the printer created SSID list 2. In this embodiment, the list created in S407 is referred to as the printer created SSID list 3. Here, Fig. 7(d) illustrates an example of the printer created SSID list 3 when wireless profiles related to SSID-XXXX and SSID-ZZZZ are stored in the PC 101.

[0062] In S408, the CPU 201 determines whether the SSIDs included in both the PC-created SSID list 1 and the printer-created SSID list 3 include an SSID corresponding to an index B greater than a specific threshold. As described above, index B is an index used to determine whether the radio wave environment between the PC 101 and the AP is good. Here, the reason for referencing both the PC-created SSID list 1 and the printer-created SSID list 3 will be explained. This is because, among the SSIDs discovered by the printer 103, the AP represented by the SSID corresponding to index A greater than a specific threshold and stored in the wireless profile 204 of the PC 101 is also the AP represented by an SSID discovered by the PC 101. Then, by determining whether index B corresponding to the AP represented by the SSID is greater than a specific threshold, it is possible to determine both whether index A is greater than the specific threshold and whether index B is greater than the specific threshold. In other words, it is possible to determine whether the radio wave environment between the printer 103 and the AP and the radio wave environment between the PC 101 and the AP are both good. If the answer is YES in S408, the process proceeds to S409. If the answer is NO in S408, the process proceeds to S411. S411 will be described later.

[0063] In S409, CPU 201 determines whether there is one SSID that corresponds to an index B greater than a specific threshold value among the SSIDs included in both PC-created SSID list 1 and printer-created SSID list 3. If YES in S409, the SSID is selected and the process proceeds to S412; if NO in S409, the process proceeds to S410. S412 will be described later.

[0064] In S410, CPU 201 selects the SSID corresponding to index A that is the largest above a predetermined threshold from among the SSIDs included in both PC-created SSID list 1 and printer-created SSID list 3. Note that in this embodiment, the SSID with the largest index A value is selected, but this is not limiting. For example, the SSID corresponding to index B that is the largest above a specific threshold may be selected. Other configurations may also be used.

[0065] In S411 following a NO result in S408, the CPU 201 acquires (selects) the SSID with the largest value of index A from among the SSIDs included in the printer created SSID list 3. A NO result in S408 is, for example, the case of an environment such as that shown in FIG. 1(d). That is, the radio wave environment between the printer 103 and the AP 104 is good, but the radio wave environment between the PC 101 and the AP 104 is not good. In this case, the CPU 201 selects an SSID representing an AP that has a good radio wave environment between the printer 103 and the AP.

[0066] 3, the PC 101 reconnects to the AP 102, searches for the printer 103 in S312, and determines in S313 whether the printer 103 has been detected. If it is determined in S313 that the printer 103 has been detected, this means that the PC 101, while connected to the AP 102, has detected the printer 103 connected to the AP indicated by the SSID selected in the connection destination SSID acquisition process. This may be the case when the AP indicated by the SSID selected in the connection destination SSID acquisition process is an AP that can be connected to the AP 102. Alternatively, the AP indicated by the SSID selected in the connection destination SSID acquisition process is the AP 102, but the AP 102 supports SSIDs in different frequency bands, and the SSIDs to which the PC 101 and the printer 103 are connected may be different. If it is determined in S313 that the printer 103 has not been detected (NO in S313), the following configuration may be adopted before the PC 101 connects to the AP represented by the SSID acquired in the connection destination SSID acquisition process in S316. Of the SSIDs included in the printer creation SSID list 3, the SSID with the largest value of index A is acquired (selected) from among the APs represented by the remaining SSIDs, excluding the SSID already selected in the connection destination SSID acquisition process. The CPU 201 then determines to issue an instruction to connect the printer 103 to the AP represented by the acquired SSID, and performs processing similar to S309 to S313 (hereinafter referred to as verification 1). The CPU 201 performs verification 1 for each SSID included in the printer creation SSID list 3 in order until the printer 103 is detected in processing similar to S313 (YES in S313). Furthermore, if it is determined as a result of verification 1 that the printer 103 has not been detected in processing similar to S313 (NO in S313), the process may proceed to S316, or the following configuration may be adopted. The CPU 201 executes steps S413 to S415 described below, determines to issue an instruction to connect the printer 103 to the AP indicated by the SSID selected by the user, and executes the same processing as steps S309 to S313 (hereinafter referred to as verification 2).If the result of verification 2 is that the printer 103 was not detected in the same process as S313 (NO in S313), the PC 101 may connect to the AP indicated by the SSID acquired in the connection destination SSID acquisition process in S316. Note that the printer 103 in FIG. 1D is not connected to the AP 102, and the PC 101 and the printer 103 are not connected to the AP 104.

[0067] In S413 following a NO in S404 or a NO in S406, the CPU 201 determines that there is no SSID suitable for establishing a LAN connection with the printer 103. In this case, the CPU 201 displays an installation guide screen 601 on the display device 208, as shown in FIG. 6A, which prompts the user to change the installation location of the printer 103. Note that although the installation guide screen 601 displays a guide prompting the user to change the installation location of the printer 103, this is not limiting. For example, the screen may prompt the user to change the installation location of the AP 102 or the PC 101, or both.

[0068] In S414, the CPU 201 determines whether to select a new destination SSID. Specifically, if the user presses the "Select Destination" button 603 on the installation guide screen 601 in FIG. 6A, the CPU 201 determines that the destination SSID should be selected. On the other hand, if the user presses the "Next" button 602 on the installation guide screen 601 in FIG. 6A, the CPU 201 determines that the destination SSID acquisition process should be terminated. If the determination in S414 is YES, the process proceeds to S415. If the determination in S414 is NO, the destination SSID acquisition process should be terminated. If the destination SSID acquisition process should be terminated, the CPU 201 does not issue an AP connection instruction to the printer 103 in S309. In this case, the setting failure screen 511 as shown in FIG. 5B described above may be displayed. Then, the CPU 201 may terminate the wireless setting instruction process if the user presses the "Next" button 512 on the setting failure screen 511.

[0069] In S415, the CPU 201 displays a connection destination selection screen 611 as shown in FIG. 6B. The connection destination selection screen 611 has an SSID list 612, a password setting section 613, a WEP key selection section 614, and a “Next” button 615. The SSID list 612 displays a list of SSIDs included in the printer created SSID list 1 acquired by the PC 101 in S306. The user selects a desired SSID from the SSID list 612 and enters the password (e.g., letters or numbers) set for the selected SSID in the password setting section 613. Note that the CPU 201 acquires encryption method and channel (frequency band) information for each SSID from the printer 103, similar to acquiring RSSI as the above-described index A when acquiring the printer created SSID list 1 in S306. If communication via the SSID selected in the SSID list 612 is encrypted with WEP, the CPU 201 enables the WEP key selection section 614 and prompts the user to select a WEP key. Thereafter, when the user presses the "Next" button 615, the CPU 201 closes the connection destination selection screen 611. Then, in S414, the CPU 201 determines to connect the printer 103 to the AP represented by the SSID selected by the user from the SSID list 612. Note that the SSID list 612 can also display the RSSI as the corresponding index A in addition to the name of each SSID. In this case, the user can select an SSID while comparing the RSSI of each SSID.

[0070] In S412, the CPU 201 determines to connect the printer 103 to the AP indicated by the SSID selected (obtained) in each process. In other words, S412 is an example of a process for determining whether or not to send information about the AP to the printer 103. Then, in S309, the CPU 201 instructs the printer 103 to connect to the AP.

[0071] In this embodiment, in steps S403 and S412, the CPU 201 determines that the printer 103 should be connected to the AP represented by the SSID selected in each process. However, the CPU 201 may request confirmation from the user before making this determination. In this case, for example, the CPU 201 displays a connection destination confirmation screen 621, such as that shown in FIG. 6C, on the display device 208. When the user presses a "Yes" button 622, the CPU 201 determines that the printer 103 should be connected to the AP represented by the SSID selected in each process.

[0072] 6C, the displayed items include SSID 624 indicating the AP to which the printer 103 is to be connected, but are not limited to this. For example, other information indicating the AP (such as a MAC address) may also be included. When the user presses the "No" button 623, the CPU 201 may end the connection destination SSID acquisition process, or may display the connection destination selection screen 611 described above.

[0073] When the destination SSID acquisition process is to be terminated, the setting failure screen 511 as shown in Fig. 5(b) may be displayed. Then, the CPU 201 may terminate the wireless setting instruction process when the user presses the "Next" button 512 on the setting failure screen 511.

[0074] The above processing enables the PC 101 to acquire the SSID 21 of the AP 104 in an environment such as that shown in Fig. 1(c) where the AP 104 exists and provides a good radio wave environment between the PC 101 and the printer 103. When proceeding to S404 in Fig. 4, the following processing may be performed in order starting with any SSID included in the printer created SSID list 1.

[0075] Furthermore, in the destination SSID acquisition process, the CPU 201 first determines whether the SSID 11 of the AP 102 to which the PC 101 was connected is included in the printer-created SSID list 1 acquired from the printer, but this is not limiting. For example, the process may start from S404 in FIG. 4. That is, the CPU 201 may first determine whether the value of index A for the SSID included in the printer-created SSID list 1 acquired from the printer is greater than a predetermined threshold, and then perform the subsequent processes. In this case, the process of S302 in FIG. 3 is not executed, and the process of S316 is executed in S310. As described above, in this embodiment, if it is determined that the radio wave environment between the AP and the printer is good, the connection process between the printer and the AP is executed. Furthermore, both the PC and the printer connect to an AP with a good radio wave environment. This reduces the chance of establishing a connection with an AP that is not suitable for the printer. As a result, the possibility of communication failures occurring after the connection between the PC and the printer is established can be further reduced.

[0076] (Other embodiments) The above-described embodiments can also be realized by executing the following process. That is, software (programs) that realize the functions of the above-described embodiments are supplied to a system or device via a network or various storage media, and a computer (CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or device reads and executes the program. The program may be executed by a single computer, or may be executed by multiple computers in cooperation with each other. Furthermore, it is not necessary to realize all of the above-described processes by software; some or all of the processes may be realized by hardware such as an ASIC. Furthermore, the CPU is not limited to one that performs all processes by a single CPU, and multiple CPUs may perform processes in cooperation with each other as appropriate.

[0077] Furthermore, the functions of the above-described embodiments are not only realized by a computer reading and executing the program code, but also include cases where an operating system running on a computer performs some or all of the actual processing based on the instructions of the program code, thereby realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 101 Personal Computer (PC) 102 Access Point (AP) 103 Printer

Claims

1. The computer of the information processing device a first acquisition step of acquiring information about a radio wave environment between a first external device and a communication device; a determining step of determining whether or not to transmit information used for connecting with the first external device to the communication device based on the information about the radio wave environment; a first transmission step of transmitting information used for connecting with the first external device to the communication device when it is determined in the determination step that information used for connecting with the first external device is to be transmitted to the communication device; A program characterized by executing the following.

2. a first determination step of determining whether a value corresponding to the information about the radio wave environment is greater than a threshold; The program described in claim 1, characterized in that if in the first judgment step it is determined that the value corresponding to the information regarding the radio wave environment is greater than a threshold, the decision step decides to send information used to connect with the first external device to the communication device.

3. a second acquisition step of acquiring a first identification information list, the first identification information list being a list of one or more identification information representing external devices discovered by the communication device; 3. The program according to claim 2, wherein the first external device is an external device corresponding to any one of the identification information included in the first identification information list acquired in the second acquisition step.

4. The program described in claim 3, further comprising causing the computer to execute a third acquisition step of acquiring information regarding the radio wave environment between the communication device and one or more second external devices represented by one or more identification information different from the identification information representing the first external device included in the first identification information list.

5. a second determination step of determining whether there are one or more second external devices for which the value corresponding to the information on the radio wave environment between the one or more second external devices and the communication device acquired in the third acquisition step is greater than the threshold value, when it is determined in the first determination step that the value corresponding to the information on the radio wave environment between the first external device and the communication device acquired in the first acquisition step is smaller than the threshold value; a third determination step of determining whether there are one or more second external devices for which a value corresponding to information regarding a radio wave environment between one or more of the second external devices and the information processing device is greater than a specific threshold value, when it is determined in the second determination step that there are one or more second external devices for which a value corresponding to information regarding a radio wave environment between one or more of the second external devices and the communication device is greater than the threshold value; a second transmission step of transmitting, to the communication device, information to be used for connecting with one of the second external devices, the value corresponding to information on the radio wave environment between the one or more second external devices and the information processing device being greater than the specific threshold value, when it is determined in the third determination step that there is one or more second external devices for which a value corresponding to information on the radio wave environment between the one or more second external devices and the information processing device is greater than the specific threshold value; 5. The program according to claim 4, further causing the computer to execute the following:

6. a fourth determination step of determining whether the one or more second external devices, whose values ​​corresponding to information on the radio wave environment between the one or more second external devices and the communication device are greater than the threshold value, are external devices to which the information processing device has been connected in the past, when it is determined in the second determination step that there are one or more second external devices whose values ​​corresponding to information on the radio wave environment between the one or more second external devices and the communication device are greater than the threshold value; when it is determined in the fourth determination step that the one or more second external devices, the value of which corresponds to information about the radio wave environment between the one or more second external devices and the communication device is greater than the threshold value, are external devices to which the information processing device has connected; The program described in claim 5, characterized in that if it is determined in the third determination step that there is one or more second external devices for which a value corresponding to information regarding the radio wave environment between one or more of the second external devices and the information processing device is greater than the specific threshold, information to be used for connecting with one of the second external devices for which a value corresponding to information regarding the radio wave environment between one or more of the second external devices and the information processing device is greater than the specific threshold is transmitted to the communication device in the second transmission step.

7. The program described in claim 6, characterized in that if it is determined in the second judgment step that there are no one or more second external devices for which a value corresponding to information regarding the radio wave environment between one or more of the second external devices and the communication device is greater than the threshold value, or if it is determined in the fourth judgment step that one or more second external devices for which a value corresponding to information regarding the radio wave environment between one or more of the second external devices and the communication device is greater than the threshold value are not external devices to which the information processing device has ever connected, the program further causes the information processing device to execute a display step of displaying guidance to change the location of the communication device.

8. The program described in any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that if it is determined in the third determination step that there are multiple second external devices whose values ​​corresponding to information regarding the radio wave environment between one or more of the second external devices and the information processing device are greater than the specific threshold, the program further causes the computer to execute a third transmission step of transmitting to the communication device information used to connect the one second external device whose value corresponding to information regarding the radio wave environment between the multiple second external devices and the information processing device is the largest.

9. The program described in claim 5 or 6, characterized in that if it is determined in the third determination step that there are no one or more second external devices for which the value corresponding to the information regarding the radio wave environment between one or more second external devices and the information processing device is greater than the specific threshold, the program further causes the computer to execute a fourth transmission step of transmitting to the communication device information to be used for connecting with one second external device for which the value corresponding to the information regarding the radio wave environment between one or more second external devices and the communication device, acquired in the third acquisition step, is the largest.

10. 7. The program according to claim 5, wherein the specific threshold value may be the same as or different from the threshold value.

11. a receiving step of receiving a predetermined instruction for performing wireless setting of the communication device; When the predetermined instruction is accepted in the accepting step, information used for connecting with the first external device is transmitted to the communication device; 3. The program according to claim 2, wherein the first external device is an external device to which the information processing apparatus is connected at least when the predetermined instruction is received.

12. a receiving step of receiving a predetermined instruction for performing wireless setting of the communication device; When the predetermined instruction is accepted in the accepting step, information used for connecting with the first external device is transmitted to the communication device; The program described in claim 3, characterized in that the first external device is an external device corresponding to any of the identification information included in the first identification information list, and is an external device to which the information processing device was connected when the specified instruction was accepted.

13. A program as described in any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that when information used to connect with the first external device is transmitted to the communication device via a connection using Bluetooth, the information used to connect with the first external device is transmitted to the communication device via a connection using Bluetooth without disconnecting the connection between the information processing device and the first external device.

14. A program according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that when information used to connect with the first external device is transmitted to the communication device via a connection using Wi-Fi, the connection using Wi-Fi between the information processing device and the first external device is disconnected, and the information used to connect with the first external device is transmitted to the communication device via a connection using Wi-Fi.

15. when the first external device is an external device to which the information processing device is connected and the external device to which the information processing device is connected is an external device corresponding to identification information included in the first identification information list, causing the computer to execute the first determination step based on information regarding a radio wave environment between the first external device and the communication device; A program as described in any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that if the external device to which the information processing device was connected is not an external device corresponding to the identification information included in the first identification information list, the program causes the computer to execute the first judgment step based on information regarding the radio wave environment between the first external device corresponding to any of the identification information included in the first identification information list and the communication device, and information regarding the radio wave environment between the first external device and the information processing device.

16. 16. The program according to claim 1, wherein the information about the radio wave environment is radio wave reception strength.

17. 16. The program according to claim 1, wherein the information about the radio wave environment is a signal-to-noise ratio of radio waves.

18. An information processing device, an acquisition means for acquiring information about a radio wave environment between a first external device and a communication device; a determining means for determining whether or not to transmit information used for connecting with the first external device to the communication device based on the information about the radio wave environment; a first transmitting means for transmitting, to the communication device, information used for connecting with the first external device, when the determining means determines that information used for connecting with the first external device should be transmitted to the communication device; An information processing device comprising:

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