Electronic apparatus, control method for electronic apparatus, and program

Abstract

To provide an electronic apparatus which reduces occurrence of a defect in a communication with an external device caused by performing a change of a connection destination access point.SOLUTION: An electronic apparatus performs control to store connection information of a first access point to which the electronic apparatus is being connected, confirms the possibility of a communication between the electronic apparatus and an external communication apparatus via the first access point to which the electronic apparatus is being connected, receives a change request of a connection destination access point, changes the connection destination access point on the basis of the received change request, confirms the possibility of a communication between the electronic apparatus and the communication apparatus via a second access point which is the connection destination access point changed and, in a case where the communication between the electronic apparatus and the communication apparatus cannot be performed as a result of the confirmation, controls to connect the electronic apparatus to the first access point as the connection destination access point.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic device capable of changing a connection destination access point, a control method for an 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 the STA (Station) connects in order to efficiently exchange data between the AP and the STA. When it is determined that the AP to which the STA 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 the AP to which it connects. When the STA receives a request to change the AP to which it connects, it can connect to the appropriate AP by switching the AP to which it connects in accordance with the request.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses the following process 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 an Association Request frame transmitted by the wireless slave device when wirelessly connecting to MR1. If the wireless slave device terminal supports IEEE802.11v, a BTM (BSS Transition Management) Request frame is transmitted to the corresponding wireless slave device. 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] When a STA receives a request from an AP to change its connection destination and changes its connection destination to the recommended AP, it is not clear whether the STA will be able to continue communicating with other STAs that were communicating via the previous AP after the change. Therefore, changing the connection destination AP may cause communication problems with external STAs.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device, a control method for an electronic device, and a program that reduce the occurrence of communication problems with external devices caused by changing the access point to which the device is connected. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, the electronic device of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a storage control means for controlling the electronic device to store connection information of a first access point to which the electronic device is connected, a first confirmation means for confirming whether communication is possible between the electronic device and an external communication device via the first access point to which the electronic device is connected, a receiving means for receiving a request to change the destination access point, a change means for changing the destination access point based on the change request received by the receiving means, a second confirmation means for confirming whether communication is possible between the electronic device and the communication device via a second access point that will become the destination access point after the change by the change means based on the result of the confirmation by the first confirmation means, and a control means for controlling the electronic device to connect to the first access point as the destination access point if communication between the electronic device and the communication device is not possible as a result of the confirmation by the second confirmation means. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of communication problems with external devices caused by changing the access point to which the connection is made. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a system configuration. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of an MFP. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating 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 a 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 showing a process executed in response to a request to change a destination AP. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] 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.

[0011] [First embodiment] (System Configuration) FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a system according to this embodiment. In one example, this system is a wireless communication system in which a plurality of communication devices can 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 AP101 and AP102, a DHCP server 103, a DNS server 105, an external server 106, and a network 110. Note that AP101 and AP102 may be illustrated as AP1 and AP2. The mobile terminal device 104 is a device having a wireless communication function such as a wireless LAN. Note that, hereinafter, wireless LAN may be referred to as WLAN. The mobile terminal device 104 may be a personal digital assistant (PDA) or other personal information terminal, a mobile phone (smartphone), a digital camera, a personal computer, or the like.

[0012] The MFP 100 is a printing device having a printing function, and may also have a reading function (scanner), a fax function, and a telephone function. The MFP 100 of this embodiment has a communication function that enables wireless communication with a mobile terminal device 104. Although 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 notebook PC, a tablet terminal, a PDA, a digital camera, a music playback device, a television, a smart speaker, and the like, each having a communication function, may be used instead of the MFP 100. Note that MFP is an acronym for Multi Function Peripheral.

[0013] 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.

[0014] 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 DHCP 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. External server 106 connects to MFP 100 via AP 101 and network 110 and provides services to MFP 100 by responding to requests from MFP 100. For example, the external server 106 corresponds to a network update server that distributes firmware for the MFP 100, or a cloud printing server that communicates with the MFP 100 via the Internet and transmits print data. Here, the network 110 may be the so-called Internet, or may be a closed network within a company or a mobile phone network. The system according to this embodiment is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 1 and may include, for example, an authentication server that performs the above authentication.

[0015] (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 antenna 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.

[0016] (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 (communication interface) 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 .

[0017] The CPU 212 is a system control unit including at least one processor, and controls the entire MFP 100. In one example, the processing of the MFP 100 described below is realized by the CPU 212 executing programs stored in the ROM 213. Note that dedicated hardware for each process may be provided. The ROM 213 stores control programs such as a control program and an embedded OS program executed by the CPU 212. In this embodiment, the CPU 212 executes each control program stored in the ROM 213 under the management of an embedded OS also stored in the ROM 213, thereby performing software control such as scheduling and task switching.

[0018] The RAM 214 is 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.

[0019] The reading control unit 217 controls the reading unit 219 (for example, a CIS (contact image sensor)) to optically read the document placed on the document table 201. The reading control unit 217 converts the image obtained by optically reading the document into electrical image data (image signals) and outputs the 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.

[0020] 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, etc. The encoding / decoding processing unit 221 performs encoding processing, decoding processing, and enlargement / reduction processing of image data (JPEG, PNG, etc.) handled by the MFP 100.

[0021] 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.

[0022] 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.

[0023] The wireless unit 226 is a unit capable of providing WLAN communication functions, and can provide functions similar to those of the WLAN unit 429 of the mobile terminal device 104. 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 conforming to the IEEE802.11 standard series. In particular, it is capable of communication as a station conforming to 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).

[0024] The wireless unit 226 supports IEEE802.11ax, i.e., Wi-Fi 6™, and the MFP 100 can also operate as an STA supporting at least one of Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) and Target Wake Time (TWT). 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™. This means that communication in the 6 GHz band (5.925 GHz to 7.125 GHz) is also possible. The bands in the 5 GHz band where Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS) is performed do not exist in the 6 GHz band. Therefore, communication in the 6 GHz band does not experience communication interruptions due to DFS standby times, enabling smoother communication.

[0025] 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.

[0026] (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).

[0027] 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.

[0028] FIG. 3(c) is an example of a communication settings menu screen that is displayed when communication settings are selected on the screen in FIG. 3(b). The communication settings menu screen displays menu items (options): "Wireless LAN," "Wired LAN," "Wireless Direct," "Bluetooth," and "Common Settings." "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. Furthermore, selecting the "Common Settings" item on this screen also displays a common settings menu for each connection type. Furthermore, the user can configure settings such as the wireless LAN frequency band and frequency channel from this screen.

[0029] (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.

[0030] 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.

[0031] (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.

[0032] 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.

[0033] 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.

[0034] 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.

[0035] 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.

[0036] 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.

[0037] 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.

[0038] (Access point configuration) 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an AP 101 having a wireless LAN access point function. The AP 101 includes a main board 510 that controls the AP 101, a wireless LAN unit 516, a wired LAN unit 518, and an operation button 520.

[0039] 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.

[0040] 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. The AP 102 also has a configuration similar to that of the AP 101.

[0041] (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).

[0042] The following two P2P modes are envisioned:

[0043] 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.

[0044] 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.

[0045] ●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.

[0046] 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.

[0047] (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 connect to AP 101 by sending a connection request, communication between these communication devices is enabled via AP 101 in wireless infrastructure mode. 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.

[0048] (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 (registered 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, when the network is congested, the AP can guide (change the connection destination) the STA to another AP, frequency band, channel, or even a different cellular service.

[0049] 6 is a sequence diagram when MFP 100 changes (switches) the AP of the connection destination from AP 101 to AP 102 in accordance with 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.

[0050] 6, it is assumed that MFP 100 has established a connection with AP 101 in wireless infrastructure mode. Furthermore, when MFP 100 and AP 101 connect in wireless infrastructure mode, AP 101 acquires information on whether MFP 100 supports IEEE802.11v, and performs the following processing if the information indicating that MFP 100 supports IEEE802.11v has been acquired. AP 101 determines whether MFP 100 supports IEEE802.11v from an Association Request frame transmitted by MFP 100 when wirelessly connecting to AP 101.

[0051] In S601, the AP 101 transmits to the MFP 100 an inquiry (measurement request) about the radio wave strength of APs around the MFP 100. This inquiry can be transmitted, for example, including a beacon frame request or a beacon report request. In other words, this request can use a mechanism defined in the IEEE 802.11k standard.

[0052] In S602, the MFP 100 receives frames transmitted by surrounding APs in response to the request received in S601 and measures the radio wave strength. As a result, the radio wave strength of each of the multiple APs, including AP 101 and AP 102, is measured.

[0053] In S603, the MFP 100 transmits a list of the radio wave intensities of the APs around the MFP 100 measured in S602 as a response to the request received in S601. Note that the radio wave intensity to be 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.

[0054] In S604, the AP 101 determines whether a change in the connection destination of the MFP 100 is necessary based on the congestion status of the network that the AP 101 is aware of and the radio wave strength received from the MFP 100 in S603. Factors that may cause the AP 101 to determine that a change in connection destination is necessary include a large number of STAs connected to the AP 101 (above a threshold), a large amount of communication traffic between the AP 101 and the STAs connected to the AP 101 (above a threshold), the presence or absence of radio interference determined based on the signal-to-noise ratio, or an AP function outage. The AP 101 may also determine whether a change in connection destination is necessary based on the degree of congestion of each AP (number of STAs connected, communication traffic) determined through communication between the APs. Once it has determined that a change in the connection destination of the MFP 100 is necessary and has determined the SSID, channel, and frequency band of another AP to be designated as the new connection destination for the MFP 100, the process proceeds to S605. For example, the SSID of the other AP designated as the new connection destination is the same as the SSID of the original AP.

[0055] In S605, AP 101 transmits a request to change the destination access point (destination AP) (also referred to as a destination switch request or a destination change request) to MFP 100. The destination AP change request includes information on the SSID, channel, and frequency band of another AP to be designated as the destination (connection destination) for MFP 100, as determined in S604. The AP designated as the destination by the destination AP change request corresponds to a recommended connection AP, which will be described later. Note that multiple SSIDs may be designated. The destination AP 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 AP 102 has been designated as the destination by the destination AP change request.

[0056] In S606, if the MFP 100 complies with the request to change the destination AP received in S605, it transmits a response indicating that the change is accepted to the AP 101. If the MFP 100 does not comply with the request to change the destination AP, it may transmit a response indicating that the change is rejected. The response is transmitted as a BTM Response. In the example of FIG. 6, it is assumed that the response indicating that the change is accepted is transmitted.

[0057] In step S607, the connection in wireless infrastructure mode is disconnected between the AP 101 and the MFP 100. At this time, the MFP 100 still retains the connection information to the AP 101 and does not delete it.

[0058] In S608, the MFP 100 transmits a connection request to the AP 102 to connect to the AP 102 specified in the connection destination AP change request received in S605. As a result, in S609, a connection between the MFP 100 and the AP 102 in wireless infrastructure mode is established. When the connection between the MFP 100 and the AP 102 in wireless infrastructure mode is established, the connection information to the AP 101 is deleted.

[0059] With this mechanism, MFP100, which is an STA, can change its connection destination from AP101 to AP102 based on a request from AP101 to change the connection destination AP to AP102. 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 different location 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, APs may 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 request to change the connection destination AP.

[0060] In this embodiment, an example will be described in which an AP transmits a measurement request and a connection destination AP 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 AP 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).

[0061] There are situations where it is acceptable to change the destination AP based on a change request sent from the currently connected AP, and situations where it is not desirable. In situations where it is not desirable to change the destination AP based on a change request, one or a combination of the following processes can be performed to suppress the change of the destination AP in response to the change request. The following processes respectively prevent the change of the destination AP from being performed, or make it more difficult to perform the change.

[0062] (Suppression process 1) Even if the change request described in S605 is received, the MFP 100 does not change the destination AP based on the received change request, does not return a response to the change request, or sends a rejection response (indicating that the destination AP will not be changed) to the currently connected AP. If a rejection response is sent, the priority of the change of the destination AP for other STAs connected to the currently connected AP is increased, and the priority of the change of the destination AP for the MFP 100 that returned the rejection response is decreased, resulting in the connection with the currently connected AP being maintained. Also, if no response is returned (ignored), the currently connected AP is considered to maintain its connection with the MFP 100 in order to wait for a response until the response wait time expires. Therefore, if the connection is to be immediately terminated in response to a response from the MFP 100 to the change request, not responding can extend the time the connection with the currently connected AP can be maintained rather than returning a response. Therefore, for example, different processing can be performed depending on the reason for the change, such as responding with a rejection if the reason is weak and ignoring if the reason is strong, based on the information about the reason for the change included in the change request. The reason for the change can be determined based on the information included in the Request Mode included in the BTM Request, which of several reasons applies. 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 reason for the change is a strong reason for the change request. Otherwise, it can be determined that the reason for the change is a weak reason for the change.

[0063] (Suppression process 2) In response to the measurement request described in S601, the AP responds with information indicating that the radio wave reception conditions (signal reception conditions) of non-connected APs other than the connected AP are inferior to the conditions actually measured (a false response). In this case, the AP may respond by actually performing measurements in response to the measurement request, or may respond without actually performing measurements. Specifically, in the response (beacon report, etc.) described in S603, the AP may respond with a value obtained by reducing the received signal strength and / or increasing the noise (signal-to-noise ratio) compared to the signal quality measured for the signal received from the non-connected AP. Alternatively, the AP may respond without including information about at least one of the non-connected APs. Furthermore, the AP may respond with either a significantly lower received signal strength or a significantly increased noise based on information previously measured for the non-connected AP. Furthermore, the AP may respond without actually performing measurements (AP search) even when it receives a measurement request, and may not include information about the non-connected AP, indicating that only the connected AP has good received signal strength and noise conditions. A response to a measurement request without including information about the non-connected AP corresponds to an AP search not finding other non-connected APs. In other words, a response without including information about the non-connected AP indicates that at least some of the signal quality from the non-connected AP is inferior to that obtained by an actual AP search. This is expected to prevent a connected AP from sending a request to change the destination AP to another AP. Therefore, a change of destination in response to a request to change the destination AP is prevented.

[0064] (Suppression process 3) The MFP 100 temporarily disconnects from the currently connected AP, notifies the MFP 100 of information that the change request is not supported, and then reconnects to the same AP. Specifically, the wireless connection with the currently connected AP is temporarily disconnected, and in preparation for reconnecting wirelessly, association request frame data is created that includes information that the MFP 100 is not IEEE802.11v-compatible. Then, connection processing with the AP is performed using the created association request frame data. As a result, if an association request frame including information that the MFP 100 is not IEEE802.11v-compatible is created, the MFP 100 will connect 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 is IEEE802.11v-compatible and will not send a request to change the connected AP to the MFP 100. In this way, the MFP 100 is no longer requested to change the connected AP, 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.

[0065] For example, a state in which changing the destination AP based on a change request is undesirable is 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 may not store all of the print data that would be printed on 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 destination AP is changed based on a change request for the destination AP while this print data is being received, a time lag occurs during the process of changing the destination AP, which may result in a decrease in print quality, such as uneven printing. Furthermore, after the change of the destination AP, communication with the mobile terminal device 104, which is the other device, may become unsuccessful, preventing it from receiving the remaining data and resulting in printing failure. Therefore, while receiving print data, at least one of the above-mentioned suppression process 1 and suppression process 2 may be performed to suppress the change of the destination AP in response to a change request, or the above-mentioned suppression process 3 may be performed before starting to receive print data.

[0066] When a STA such as a printer receives a BTM request from an AP to change its connection destination and changes its connection destination to the recommended AP, it is unclear whether the STA will be able to continue communicating with other STAs, such as host terminals and servers, that it was communicating with via the previous AP after changing its connection destination. For this reason, for example, after changing the connection destination AP, it may become impossible to print from a smartphone to the printer, it may become impossible to update the printer's firmware by communicating with an external server, or it may become impossible to perform cloud printing via an external server.

[0067] Therefore, in this embodiment, when changing the destination AP, a communication check with another STA is performed, and the result of this communication check is stored. Information about the currently connected AP (first AP) is also stored. After changing the destination AP from the first AP to the second AP, if the result of the previous communication check indicates that communication was possible, a communication check with the other STA is performed again. If the result of this communication check indicates that communication is not possible, control is exercised to connect to the first AP based on the stored information about the first AP. With this configuration, this embodiment can reduce the occurrence of communication problems with another STA due to a change in the destination AP.

[0068] 7 is a flowchart showing a connection destination AP change process that is executed in accordance with the state of MFP 100 and the reason for the change request for the connection destination AP change. The process in FIG. 7 is realized, for example, by CPU 212 of MFP 100 reading a program stored in ROM 213 into RAM 214 and executing it.

[0069] 7 starts, MFP 100 has established a connection with AP 101 in wireless infrastructure mode. Also, when MFP 100 and AP 101 connect in wireless infrastructure mode, AP 101 has acquired information on whether MFP 100 supports IEEE802.11v. The process in FIG. 7 is executed when AP 101 has acquired information indicating that MFP 100 supports IEEE802.11v.

[0070] In S701, the CPU 212 checks whether communication with the external server 106 is possible via the AP 101. The following description will be given taking the external server 106 as an example of the above-mentioned other STA. However, the STA is not limited to the external server 106, and may be another server or the mobile terminal device 104. In S701, for example, the CPU 212 may send an ICMP Echo Request of the Internet Communication Message Protocol (ICMP), a protocol used to check network connectivity, to the external server 106 and check whether an ICMP Echo Response has been received from the external server 106. Alternatively, for example, the CPU 212 may send data to the external server 106 and check whether a response has been received from the external server 106. Alternatively, for example, the CPU 212 may send an SNMP Get Request of the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), a protocol used to manage communication devices, to the external server 106 and check whether an SNMP Get Response has been received from the external server 106.

[0071] In S702, the CPU 212 stores the confirmation result of whether communication is possible in S701 in the RAM 214. In S703, the CPU 212 performs storage control to store information about the currently connected AP 101 in the RAM 214. Here, the information about the AP 101 includes information about at least one of the SSID, password, channel, and frequency band.

[0072] In S704, the CPU 212 determines whether or not an inquiry (measurement request) about the radio wave strength of APs around the MFP 100 has been received from the AP 101. This inquiry can include a beacon frame request or a beacon report request, and in this embodiment, it includes either of these requests. The inquiry about radio wave strength received in S704 corresponds to the inquiry sent by the AP 101 in S601 of FIG. 6. If it is determined in S704 that the inquiry has been received, the process proceeds to S705, and if it is determined that the inquiry has not been received, the process proceeds to S706.

[0073] In S705, the CPU 212 measures the radio wave strength of APs around the MFP 100 and transmits a list of the radio wave strengths of the APs as a Beaon report to the AP 101. S705 corresponds to S602 and S603 in FIG.

[0074] In S706, the CPU 212 determines whether or not a connection destination AP change request transmitted by the AP 101 has been received. The connection destination AP change request here corresponds to the request transmitted by the AP 101 in S605 of Fig. 6. If it is determined in S706 that the request has been received, the process proceeds to S707, and if it is determined that the request has not been received, the process proceeds to S708.

[0075] When the process proceeds from S706 to S708, the CPU 212 determines in S708 whether or not the connection with the currently connected AP 101 is being continued. If it is determined in S708 that the connection is being continued, the process proceeds to S704, and if it is determined that the connection is not being continued, that is, if it is determined that the connection with the AP 101 has ended, the process in FIG. 7 ends.

[0076] In S707, the CPU 212 determines whether or not the destination AP can be changed. Specifically, for example, the CPU 212 makes this determination based on whether the MFP 100 is currently connected to the external server 106. If the connection with the AP 100 is immediately disconnected while the MFP 100 is currently connected to the external server 106, communication is forcibly interrupted without connection termination processing with the external server 106 being performed, and reconnection processing takes time. Therefore, in this embodiment, as an example, if the MFP 100 is currently connected to the external server 106, it is determined that the destination AP cannot be changed (is not possible). If it is determined in S707 that the destination AP can be changed, the process proceeds to S709, and if it is determined that the destination AP cannot be changed, the process proceeds to S715.

[0077] In S709, the CPU 212 transmits a response to the AP 101 indicating that it will comply with the received request to change the destination AP, and proceeds to S710. In S710, the CPU 212 disconnects the connection between the AP 101 and the MFP 100, and executes processing to establish a connection between the MFP 100 and a recommended AP included in the request to change the destination AP, for example, AP 102. The recommended AP is an AP indicated by information received from the AP 101 based on a mechanism compliant with Wi-Fi Agile Multiband. The recommended AP is an AP that is referenced when changing the connection destination of the MFP 100, which is an STA, from AP 101 to another AP based on a mechanism compliant with Wi-Fi Agile Multiband. S709 corresponds to S606 in FIG. 6, and S710 corresponds to the processing of S607 and S608.

[0078] In S711, the CPU 212 refers to the confirmation result of whether communication with the external server 106 is possible, stored in S702, and determines whether communication is possible. If it is determined that communication is not possible, i.e., if communication with the external server 106 was not possible in S701, the process proceeds to S708. On the other hand, if it is determined that communication is possible, i.e., if communication with the external server 106 was possible in S701, the process proceeds to S712. If the process proceeds from S711 to S708, the CPU 212 determines in S708 whether the connection with the currently connected AP 102 is still ongoing. If it is determined that the connection is still ongoing in S708, the process proceeds to S704; if it is determined that the connection is not still ongoing, i.e., if it is determined that the connection with the AP 102 has ended, the process in FIG. 7 ends.

[0079] Note that, before the determination in S711, other determination processing may be added so that the process proceeds to S711 only if certain conditions are met. For example, if the external server 106 is a firmware distribution server for the MFP 100, the following processing is added. First, when confirming whether communication with the external server 106 is possible in S701, the CPU 212 detects whether new firmware has been distributed and stores the presence or absence of new firmware in the RAM 214. Then, before the determination in S711, the CPU 212 determines whether new firmware has been distributed, and proceeds to S711 only if it is determined that new firmware has been distributed. On the other hand, if it is determined that new firmware has not been distributed, the process proceeds to S708. Also, for example, it may be determined whether the user has previously operated the MFP 100 to set up the MFP 100 to permit communication with the external server 106. Only if it is determined that the setting has been made, the process proceeds to S711; and if it is determined that the setting has not been made, the process proceeds to S708.

[0080] In S712, the CPU 212 checks whether communication is possible with the external server 106 that was available in S701 via the currently connected AP (for example, AP 102, which is the AP indicated as the recommended AP for connection). The method for checking whether communication is possible is the same as that described in S701.

[0081] In S713, the CPU 212 refers to the result of the check on whether communication is possible in S712 and determines whether communication is possible. If communication is possible, the process proceeds to S708. On the other hand, if it is determined that communication is not possible, the process proceeds to S714. In other words, if communication is possible, control is exercised so that the processing of S714, which will be described later, is not performed. If the process proceeds from S713 to S708, the CPU 212 determines in S708 whether the connection with the currently connected AP 102 is continued. If it is determined in S708 that the connection is continued, the process proceeds to S704; if it is determined that the connection is not continued, i.e., that the connection with the AP 102 has ended, the processing of FIG. 7 ends.

[0082] In S714, the CPU 212 disconnects the connection between the MFP 100 and the AP 102. The CPU 212 then controls the MFP 100 to connect to the AP 101 based on the information about the SSID, password, channel, and frequency band of the AP 101 before the change that was stored in the RAM 214 in S703. That is, the CPU 212 executes processing to disconnect the connection between the AP 102 and the MFP 100 and establish a connection between the AP 101 and the MFP 100. In other words, the AP connected to the AP 101 is changed (or switched) from the AP 102. This reduces the likelihood of the MFP 100 being unable to communicate with the external server 106, which may cause the MFP 100 to be unable to perform a network update using the external server 106 or perform cloud printing via the external server 106. Furthermore, the above-described suppression processing 2 may be performed in S705 in response to a measurement request from the AP 101 connected in S714. Furthermore, the above-described suppression process 3 may be performed when connecting to the AP 101 in S714, thereby suppressing subsequent requests to change the connection destination AP from being sent.

[0083] If the process proceeds from S714 to S708, the CPU 212 determines in S708 whether the connection with the currently connected AP 101 is being continued. If it is determined in S708 that the connection is being continued, the process proceeds to S704, and if it is determined that the connection is not being continued, that is, if it is determined that the connection with the AP 101 has ended, the process in FIG. 7 ends.

[0084] In S715, the CPU 212 performs storage control to store information about the recommended connection AP (for example, AP 102) included in the received connection destination AP change request in the RAM 214 of the MFP 100, and then the process proceeds to S716.

[0085] In S716, the CPU 212 refers to the reason for change included in the received request to change the destination AP, and determines whether the reason for change includes a strong reason. If it is determined that there is a strong reason, the process proceeds to S717, and if it is determined that there is no strong reason, the process proceeds to S718. For example, if the Disassociation Imminent bit or the BSS Termination Included bit in the Request mode of the BTM Request is 1, the CPU 212 determines that there is a strong reason for the change.

[0086] In S717, the CPU 212 controls the AP 101 not to return a response to the request to change the destination AP, and the process proceeds to S719. In this case, since it is determined that there is a strong reason for the change, if a change rejection response is sent, the AP 101 may forcibly disconnect the connection upon receiving the response. Therefore, if it is determined that there is a strong reason for the change, the CPU 212 controls the AP 101 not to return a response, in the hope that the connection can be maintained until the AP 101 times out while waiting for a response.

[0087] In S718, the CPU 212 transmits a response to the AP 101 refusing the change in response to the request to change the destination AP, and proceeds to S719. In this case, since it is determined that there is no strong reason for the change, it is considered that the AP 101, upon receiving the response, will not forcibly disconnect the connection even if the change rejection response is transmitted. Therefore, if it is determined that there is no strong reason for the change, the CPU 212 controls the AP 101 to transmit the change rejection response in the hope that it will be able to maintain the connection without forcibly disconnecting the connection. The processing of S718 corresponds to the transmission of the rejection response at the timing of S606 in FIG. 6. The processing of S717 and S718 corresponds to the suppression processing 1 described above.

[0088] In S719, the CPU 212 determines whether or not a connection destination AP change request has been received again from the AP 101. If it is determined that the request has been received, the process proceeds to S715, and if it is determined that the request has not been received, the process proceeds to S720.

[0089] In S720, CPU 212 determines whether MFP 100 is now in a state where the destination AP can be changed. Specifically, for example, CPU 212 determines that the destination AP is now in a state where it can be changed when the connection with external server 106 is terminated. If it is determined that the destination AP is now in a state where it can be changed, the process proceeds to S721, and if it is determined that the destination AP is not now in a state where it can be changed, that is, the destination AP remains in a state where it cannot be changed, the process proceeds to S719. Specifically, for example, CPU 212 determines that MFP 100 is now in a state where it can be changed when MFP 100 is no longer connected to external server 106.

[0090] In S721, the CPU 212 changes the connection destination AP to the AP indicated by the recommended connection AP information stored in S715. That is, the CPU 212 disconnects the connection between the AP 101 and the MFP 100, and executes processing to establish a connection between the recommended connection AP included in the connection destination AP change request, for example, between the AP 102 and the MFP 100. Thereafter, the CPU 212 proceeds to S708. The connection destination AP change processing is the same as that described in S607, S608, and S609 of FIG. 6. Furthermore, after S721, processing similar to that of S711 to S714 may be performed.

[0091] When the process proceeds from S721 to S708, the CPU 212 determines in S708 whether the connection with the currently connected AP 102 is being continued. If it is determined in S708 that the connection is being continued, the process proceeds to S704, and if it is determined that the connection is not being continued, that is, if it is determined that the connection with the AP 102 has ended, the process in FIG. 7 ends.

[0092] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of communication problems with other STAs due to a change in the destination AP. Furthermore, when a request to change the destination AP is received, if there is a possibility of a forced disconnection, no response is returned, and if there is no possibility of a forced disconnection, a rejection response is returned, thereby making it possible to maintain the connection with AP 101 as long as possible.

[0093] Furthermore, when a request to change the destination AP is received and it is determined in S707 that the destination AP cannot be changed, or when it is determined in S716 that there is a strong reason for this, processing may be started to resolve the cause of the inability to change the destination AP. Specifically, for example, if the destination AP cannot be changed because of a connection to external server 106, processing to terminate the connection with external server 106 may be started. This increases the likelihood that MFP 100 will be able to change the destination AP before the forced disconnection, even if it is forcibly disconnected from AP 101.

[0094] Alternatively, other criteria may be used in S707. For example, the determination may be made based on whether print data is being received, other data different from print data is being received, or other data is being transmitted. Specifically, the determination may be made based on whether a document is being scanned by the reading unit 219 and the scanned image (image data) is being transmitted to the mobile terminal device 104 via the AP 101. For example, if the determination in S706 is Yes, instead of or in addition to the determination in S707, the process determines whether a document is being scanned by the reading unit 219 and the transmission of image data is being executed. If it is determined that the process is not being executed, the process proceeds to S709; if it is determined that the process is being executed, the processes of S715 to S721 are executed.

[0095] The various controls described above as being performed by MFP100 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.

[0096] 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.

[0097] Furthermore, while the above-described embodiment has been described using an example in which the MFP 100 is applied, this is not limited to this example and any wireless device functioning as an STA capable of processing in response to a connection destination change request from an AP is applicable. Specifically, 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 are applicable. Digital cameras (including still cameras, video cameras, network cameras, and security cameras), printers, scanners, and drones are also applicable. Video output devices, audio output devices (e.g., smart speakers), media streaming players, and wireless LAN adapters (adapters) that can be connected to USB or LAN cable terminals are also applicable. Examples of video output devices include devices that acquire (download) videos 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), thereby enabling streaming playback on the display device or mirroring display (displaying the content displayed on the electronic device on the display device). 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. Also applicable are so-called smart home appliances that can be connected to Wi-Fi, such as air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, ovens, microwave ovens, lighting equipment, heating equipment, and cooling equipment.

[0098] 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.

[0099] The disclosure of the present embodiment includes the following electronic device, control method for an electronic device, and program. (Item 1) An electronic device, a storage control means for controlling the electronic device to store connection information of the first access point to which the electronic device is currently connected; a first confirmation means for confirming whether communication between the electronic device and an external communication device is possible via the first access point to which the electronic device is connected; receiving means for receiving a request to change the destination access point; a change means for changing the destination access point based on the change request received by the receiving means; a second confirmation means for confirming whether communication between the electronic device and the communication device is possible via a second access point that will become the destination access point after the change by the change means, based on a result of the confirmation by the first confirmation means; and a control means for controlling the electronic device to connect to the first access point as the destination access point when the second confirmation means determines that communication between the electronic device and the communication device is not possible; An electronic device comprising: (Item 2) The electronic device described in item 1, characterized in that the second confirmation means, in a specific case, confirms whether communication is possible between the electronic device and the communication device via the second access point. (Item 3) 3. The electronic device according to item 2, wherein the specific case includes a case where new firmware is detected. (Item 4) 4. The electronic device according to item 2 or 3, wherein the specific case includes a case where a connection between the electronic device and the communication device is permitted. (Item 5) The electronic device described in any one of items 1 to 4, characterized in that the second confirmation means, when the result of confirmation by the first confirmation means shows that communication is possible between the electronic device and the communication device via the first access point, confirms whether communication is possible between the electronic device and the communication device via the second access point. (Item 6) The electronic device described in any one of items 1 to 5, characterized in that the confirmation by the second confirmation means is controlled not to be performed if the result of the confirmation by the first confirmation means shows that communication between the electronic device and the communication device via the first access point is not possible. (Item 7) The electronic device described in any one of items 1 to 6, characterized in that if the result of confirmation by the second confirmation means is that communication is possible between the electronic device and the communication device, the control means controls the electronic device to maintain a connection between the electronic device and the second access point. (Item 8) 8. The electronic device according to any one of items 1 to 7, wherein the control unit executes a suppression process for suppressing the change request from being transmitted from the first access point. (Item 9) 9. The electronic device according to item 8, wherein the suppression process includes a process of sending a false response to a request from the first access point to measure the radio wave strength of access points around the electronic device. (Item 10) The electronic device described in item 8 or 9, characterized in that the suppression process includes a process of transmitting information indicating that the electronic device does not support the change request when connecting to the first access point. (Item 11) further comprising a second storage control means for controlling the electronic device to store information about the second access point if the electronic device is unable to change the destination access point when the change request is received by the receiving means; The electronic device described in any one of items 1 to 10, characterized in that the change means changes the destination access point based on the change request received by the receiving means when it becomes possible to change the destination access point in the electronic device. (Item 12) Item 12. The electronic device according to item 11, wherein the case where the electronic device is unable to change the access point to which it is connected includes a case where the electronic device is currently connected to the communication device. (Item 13) 13. The electronic device according to any one of items 1 to 12, wherein the communication device is a server that provides software updates for the electronic device. (Item 14) 14. The electronic device according to any one of items 1 to 13, further comprising a printing means for printing an image on a recording medium. (Item 15) The electronic device described in any one of items 1 to 14 is characterized in that the electronic device is capable of operating in accordance with at least one of OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access) and TWT (Target Wake Time). (Item 16) The electronic device described in any one of items 1 to 15, characterized in that the electronic device is an apparatus capable of operating in accordance with IEEE802.11ax. (Item 17) The electronic device described in any one of items 1 to 16, characterized in that when the control means controls to change the connection destination based on the change request, it controls to change to an access point with a frequency band of 6 GHz. (Item 18) A control method for an electronic device executed in an electronic device, comprising: a storage control step of controlling the electronic device to store connection information of the first access point to which the electronic device is currently connected; a first confirmation step of confirming whether communication between the electronic device and an external communication device is possible via the first access point to which the electronic device is connected; a receiving step of receiving a request to change the destination access point; a change step of changing the destination access point based on the change request received in the receiving step; a second confirmation step of confirming whether communication between the electronic device and the communication device is possible via a second access point that will become the destination access point after the change in the change step, based on a result of the confirmation in the first confirmation step; a control step of controlling the electronic device to connect to the first access point as the destination access point when the confirmation result in the second confirmation step indicates that communication between the electronic device and the communication device is not possible; A control method comprising: (Item 19) A program for causing a computer to function as each means of the electronic device described in any one of items 1 to 17.

[0100] The 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. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0101] 100 MFP: 101 AP1: 102 AP2: 103 Server: 104 Mobile terminal: 212 CPU: 213 ROM: 214 RAM

Claims

1. An electronic device, a storage control means for controlling the electronic device to store connection information of a first access point to which the electronic device is currently connected; a first confirmation means for confirming whether communication between the electronic device and an external communication device is possible via the first access point to which the electronic device is connected; receiving means for receiving a request to change the destination access point; a change means for changing the destination access point based on the change request received by the receiving means; a second confirmation means for confirming whether communication between the electronic device and the communication device is possible via a second access point that will become the destination access point after the change by the change means, based on a result of the confirmation by the first confirmation means; and a control means for controlling the electronic device to connect to the first access point as the destination access point when the second confirmation means determines that communication between the electronic device and the communication device is not possible; An electronic device comprising:

2. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the second confirmation means confirms whether communication between the electronic device and the communication device is possible via the second access point in a specific case.

3. 3. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the specific case includes a case where new firmware is detected.

4. 3. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the specific case includes a case where a connection between the electronic device and the communication device is permitted.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that the second confirmation means, when the result of confirmation by the first confirmation means shows that communication is possible between the electronic device and the communication device via the first access point, confirms whether communication is possible between the electronic device and the communication device via the second access point.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that the confirmation by the second confirmation means is controlled not to be performed if the result of the confirmation by the first confirmation means shows that communication between the electronic device and the communication device via the first access point is not possible.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that, if the result of confirmation by the second confirmation means indicates that communication is possible between the electronic device and the communication device, the control means controls the electronic device to maintain a connection between the electronic device and the second access point.

8. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit executes a suppression process for suppressing the change request from being transmitted from the first access point.

9. The electronic device according to claim 8 , wherein the suppression process includes a process of sending a false response to a request from the first access point to measure the radio wave intensity of access points around the electronic device.

10. 9. The electronic device according to claim 8, wherein the suppression process includes a process of transmitting information indicating that the electronic device does not support the change request when connecting to the first access point.

11. a second storage control unit configured to control the electronic device to store information about the second access point when the change request is received by the receiving unit and the electronic device is unable to change the destination access point; 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the change means changes the destination access point based on the change request received by the receiving means when it becomes possible to change the destination access point in the electronic device.

12. 12. The electronic device according to claim 11, wherein the case where the electronic device is unable to change the access point to which it is connected includes a case where the electronic device is currently connected to the communication device.

13. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the communication device is a server that provides software updates for the electronic device.

14. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising a printing unit for printing an image on a recording medium.

15. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device is capable of operating in accordance with at least one of Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) and Target Wake Time (TWT).

16. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device is capable of operating in accordance with IEEE 802.11ax.

17. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the control means, when controlling the change of connection destination based on the change request, controls the change to an access point with a frequency band of 6 GHz.

18. A control method for an electronic device executed in an electronic device, comprising: a storage control step of controlling the electronic device to store connection information of the first access point to which the electronic device is currently connected; a first confirmation step of confirming whether communication between the electronic device and an external communication device is possible via the first access point to which the electronic device is connected; a receiving step of receiving a request to change the destination access point; a change step of changing the destination access point based on the change request received in the receiving step; a second confirmation step of confirming whether communication between the electronic device and the communication device is possible via a second access point that will become the destination access point after the change in the change step, based on a result of the confirmation in the first confirmation step; a control step of controlling the electronic device to connect to the first access point as the destination access point when the confirmation result in the second confirmation step indicates that communication between the electronic device and the communication device is not possible; A control method comprising:

19. 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 17.

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