Information processing apparatus, method of controlling the same, and storage medium

Abstract

To improve convenience of a function for connecting a communication device and an access point.SOLUTION: By an information processing apparatus capable of communicating with a communication apparatus and an access point, acquiring a first search result and a second search result of a search for an access point executed by the communication apparatus, selecting a first access point based on the first search result and the second search result, and attempting to establish a connection with a second access point with which an attempt to establish a connection has not yet been made in a case where an attempt to establish a connection between the first access point and the information processing apparatus has failed, predetermined information for executing communication according to the DPP is acquired from a communication device, Authentication processing of the DPP is executed on the basis of the predetermined information, and connection information for connection with an access point corresponding to connection that has been successfully established is transmitted to the communication device by Configuration processing of the DPP.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] BACKGROUND ART A technique is known in which an information processing device such as a PC (personal computer) transmits information about an access point to a communication device having a communication function such as a printer, and connects the communication device to the access point. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-127545 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, as the function of transmitting connection information for connecting a communication device to an access point and connecting the communication device to the access point becomes more widespread, there is a demand for improving the convenience of this function.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to improve the convenience of the function of connecting a communication device to an access point. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following configuration: That is, according to one aspect of the present invention, a computer of an information processing device that can communicate with a communication device and an access point includes: a first acquisition step of acquiring a first search result that is a result of a search for an access point executed by the communication device; a second acquisition step of acquiring a second search result that is a result of a search for an access point executed by the information processing device; a selection step of selecting a first access point based on the first search result and the second search result; a first attempt step of attempting to establish a connection between the first access point and the information processing device; a second attempt step of attempting to establish a connection between the information processing device and a second access point to which the information processing device has not yet attempted to establish a connection, if the establishment of a connection with the first access point has failed; a third acquisition step of acquiring, from the communication device, predetermined information for performing communication in accordance with a Device Provisioning Protocol (DPP); a processing step of executing DPP authentication processing based on the predetermined information; a transmission step of transmitting connection information for connecting to the access point corresponding to the successfully established connection to the communication device by a configuration process of DPP; A program is provided that causes the program to execute the above. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the convenience of the function of connecting a communication device to an access point. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of an information processing device and a communication device. [Figure 2] 10 is a flowchart showing an AP search process executed by a communication device. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an AP search result executed by a communication device. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process executed by the information processing device. [Figure 5]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a WEC start screen. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating processing executed by an information processing device and a communication device. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a GATT database included in the communication device. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing processing in a case where WEC-related information is realized by short-range wireless communication. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] 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.

[0010] (First embodiment) An information processing device and a communication device included in the communication system of this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, a smartphone is used as an example of the information processing device, but the information processing device is not limited to this. Any device having the information processing function, communication function, and user interface function described in this embodiment may be used. For example, the communication function includes a near field communication (NFC) function or a Bluetooth (registered trademark) function for communicating directly (P2P) with a communication device. For example, various devices such as a mobile terminal, a PC (personal computer), a tablet terminal, a PDA (personal digital assistant), and a digital camera can be used as the information processing device.

[0011] Furthermore, while a printer is used as an example of the communication device in this embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and various devices capable of wireless communication with an information processing device can be applied. This communication device does not need to have a user interface, but it can have a function for directly communicating with the information processing device, such as a near-field communication (NFC) function or a Bluetooth (registered trademark) function. If the communication device is, for example, a printer, there is no restriction on the image formation method, and it can be applied to inkjet printers, full-color laser beam printers, monochrome printers, etc. Furthermore, it can be applied not only to printers but also to copiers, facsimile machines, mobile terminals, smartphones, notebook PCs, tablet terminals, PDAs, digital cameras, music playback devices, televisions, smart speakers, etc. In addition, it can be applied to multifunction peripherals equipped with multiple functions such as copying, faxing, and printing.

[0012] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the information processing device supports a function called Wi-Fi (registered trademark) Easy Connect (hereinafter, WEC), the information processing device can execute this function. WEC is a function that executes network setup of other devices from the information processing device using the Device Provisioning Protocol (hereinafter, DPP) established by the Wi-Fi (registered trademark) Alliance. The other devices are the above-mentioned communication devices, and the network setup is specifically a process of connecting the other devices to an access point that forms a network. In WEC, communication takes place between a device that operates in the role of "Configurator" (hereinafter, Configurator device) and a device that operates in the role of "Enrollee" (hereinafter, Enrollee device). The above-mentioned information processing device corresponds to the Configurator device, and the communication device corresponds to the Enrollee device.

[0013] The Configurator device acquires bootstrap information from the Enrollee device. Bootstrapping information includes, for example, the Enrollee device's identification information (such as its MAC address) and public key information used for secure communication with the Enrollee device. In this embodiment, the bootstrap information is described as "WEC-related information." Note that other information may also be treated as WEC-related information. Note that the bootstrap information does not necessarily have to be acquired from the Enrollee device. For example, the bootstrap information may be encoded on a label attached to the Enrollee device and optically read, or it may be stored on a wireless tag and electronically read. Alternatively, the bootstrap information may be acquired from a server registered in association with the Enrollee device, or it may be entered manually.

[0014] The Configurator device then uses the acquired Bootstrapping information to perform wireless communication with the Enrollee device. Specifically, for example, the Configurator device encrypts a protocol key using the public key included in the Bootstrapping information and transmits the encrypted protocol key to the Enrollee device. A common key is then generated based on the encrypted protocol key. The Configurator device then transmits information encrypted using the common key to the Enrollee device. The transmitted information may be, for example, connection information for connecting to an access point. The Enrollee device then establishes a wireless connection with the access point using the connection information received from the Configurator device. The above procedure outlines the procedures defined as WEC and DPP. In this embodiment, the network setup process using WEC will be described assuming that an information processing device compatible with WEC operates as a Configurator device, and a communication device compatible with WEC operates as an Enrollee device.

[0015] First, the configuration of an information processing device of this embodiment and a communication device capable of communicating with the information processing device of this embodiment will be described with reference to the block diagram of Fig. 1. In addition, the following configuration will be described as an example in this embodiment, but this embodiment is applicable to devices capable of communicating with the communication device, and the functions are not particularly limited to those shown in this diagram.

[0016] ●Configuration of information processing device The information processing device 101 is an information processing device of this embodiment. The information processing device 101 includes an input interface 102, a CPU 103, a ROM 104, a RAM 105, an external storage device 106, an output interface 107, a display unit 108, a communication unit 110, a short-range wireless communication unit 111, etc. The CPU 103, the ROM 104, the RAM 105, etc. form a computer of the information processing device 101.

[0017] The input interface 102 is an interface for receiving data inputs and operational instructions from a user by operating an operation unit such as the keyboard 109. The operation unit may be a physical keyboard, physical buttons, or the like, or may be a touch panel integrated with the display unit 108, or may particularly be a soft keyboard, soft buttons, or the like displayed on the display unit 108. In other words, the input interface 102 may receive inputs from a user via the display unit 108.

[0018] The CPU 103 is a system control unit that controls the entire information processing device 101. The ROM 104 stores fixed data such as control programs and data tables executed by the CPU 103, and embedded operating system (hereinafter referred to as OS) programs. In this embodiment, each control program stored in the ROM 104 controls software execution such as scheduling, task switching, and interrupt processing under the management of the embedded OS stored in the ROM 104.

[0019] The RAM 105 is configured with an SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) or the like that requires a backup power source. Note that the RAM 105 holds data using a primary battery (not shown) for data backup, so that important data such as program control variables can be stored without volatilization. The RAM 105 also has a memory area for storing setting information for the information processing device 101, management data for the information processing device 101, and the like. The RAM 105 is also used as the main memory and work memory for the CPU 103.

[0020] The external storage device 106 stores an application program (hereinafter, a setting application) for executing network setup of the communication device 151, a print information generation program for generating print information that can be interpreted by the communication device 151, and the like. The setting application is an application program for configuring an access point to which the communication device 151 is connected using a WEC or the like. The setting application may have functions other than the network setup function. For example, the setting application may have a function for causing the communication device 151 to execute printing, a function for causing a document placed in the communication device 151 to be scanned, a function for checking the status of the communication device 151, and the like. The setting application is stored in the external storage device 106 by being installed from an external server, for example, via Internet communication via the communication unit 110. The external storage device 106 also stores various programs, such as an information transmission / reception control program, transmitted and received between the communication device 151 connected via the communication unit 110 and the communication device 151, as well as various information used by these programs.

[0021] The output interface 107 is an interface that controls the display unit 108 to display data and notify the status of the information processing device 101 .

[0022] The display unit 108 is configured with an LED (light emitting diode) or an LCD (liquid crystal display), and displays data and notifies the status of the information processing device 101. The display unit 108, together with the keyboard 109 and touch panel, configures a user interface.

[0023] The communication unit 110 is configured to connect to devices such as the communication device 151 and the access point 131 to perform data communication. For example, the communication unit 110 can connect to an access point (not shown) within the communication device 151. By connecting the communication unit 110 to the access point within the communication device 151, the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151 can communicate with each other. The communication unit 110 may communicate directly with the communication device 151 via wireless communication, or may communicate via an external device located outside the information processing device 101 or the communication device 151. The external device includes an external access point (such as the access point 131) located outside the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151, and a device other than an access point that can relay communication. In this embodiment, the wireless communication method used by the communication unit 110 is Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) (registered trademark), which is a communication standard conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series. The above-mentioned WEC is performed through communication by the communication unit 110. Furthermore, the access point 131 may be, for example, a device such as a wireless LAN router or a wireless LAN access point. In this embodiment, a method in which the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151 connect directly without going through an external access point is called a direct connection or a peer-to-peer (P2P) connection method. A method in which the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151 connect through an external access point is called an infrastructure connection method. Each of these connection methods may also be called a mode.

[0024] The short-range wireless communication unit 111 is configured to perform data communication by wirelessly connecting to a device such as the communication device 151 at a short distance, and performs communication using a communication method different from that of the communication unit 110. The short-range wireless communication unit 111 can be connected to, for example, a short-range wireless communication unit 157 in the communication device 151. Examples of communication methods include Near Field Communication (NFC), Bluetooth (registered trademark) Classic, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), and Wi-Fi Aware.

[0025] In this embodiment, the information processing device 101 executes WEC using the OS of the information processing device 101 based on an instruction to execute a network setup process from a setting application (setting app). The OS of the information processing device 101 has a means for storing connection information, such as SSIDs and passwords, for already connected communication devices, and the setting app can acquire a list of communication device information for which connection information has been stored. The setting app can instruct the OS to connect to a specific communication device, and the OS executes a connection to a device for which connection information has been stored based on the stored information. If a connection to a device for which connection information has been stored fails or if a connection to a device for which connection information has not been stored is attempted, the OS prompts the user to enter connection information such as a password and attempts to connect based on the entered information. If the OS does not accept a connection to a communication device directly from the setting app as a function of the OS, the setting app presents the user with information such as the SSID of the connection destination, prompts the user to use connection settings for the communication device provided by the OS, and establishes the desired connection.

[0026] ●Communication device configuration The communication device 151 is the communication device of this embodiment. The communication device 151 includes a ROM 152, a RAM 153, a CPU 154, a print engine 155, a communication unit 156, a short-range wireless communication unit 157, etc. The ROM 152, the RAM 153, the CPU 154, etc. form a computer of the communication device 151.

[0027] The communication unit 156 has an access point for connecting to devices such as the information processing device 101 as an access point within the communication device 151. The access point can be connected to the communication unit 110 of the information processing device 101. When the communication unit 156 enables the access point, the communication device 151 operates as an access point. The communication unit 156 may wirelessly connect to the information processing device 101 directly or via the access point 131. In this embodiment, the wireless communication method used by the communication unit 156 is a communication standard conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series. In the following description, Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) (registered trademark) is a communication standard conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series. If the communication device 151 supports WEC, the WEC described above is executed through communication by the communication unit 156. The communication unit 156 may be provided with hardware that functions as an access point, or may operate as an access point using software that causes it to function as an access point.

[0028] The communication device 151 of this embodiment is operable in infrastructure mode and P2P (Peer to Peer) mode as modes for performing communication using the communication unit 156.

[0029] The infrastructure mode is a mode in which the communication device 151 communicates with other devices, such as the information processing device 101, via an external device (e.g., the access point 131) that forms a network. A connection with an external access point established by the communication device 151 operating in the infrastructure mode is called an infrastructure connection (hereinafter, referred to as an infrastructure connection). In this embodiment, in the infrastructure connection, the communication device 151 operates as a slave station, and the external access point operates as a master station. In this embodiment, the master station is a device that determines a communication channel to be used in the network to which the master station belongs, and the slave station is a device that does not determine a communication channel to be used in the network to which the slave station belongs, but uses the communication channel determined by the master station.

[0030] The P2P mode is a mode in which the communication device 151 communicates directly with other devices, such as the information processing device 101, without going through an external device that forms a network. In this embodiment, the P2P mode includes an AP mode in which the communication device 151 operates as an access point. The connection information (SSID and password) of the access point enabled in the communication device 151 in the AP mode can be arbitrarily set by the user. The P2P mode may also include, for example, a WFD mode in which the communication device 151 communicates via Wi-Fi Direct (WFD). Which of multiple WFD-compatible devices operates as a master station is determined, for example, according to a sequence called Group Owner Negotiation. The master station may also be determined without executing Group Owner Negotiation. A WFD-compatible device that also serves as a master station is particularly referred to as a Group Owner. A direct connection with another device established by the communication device 151 operating in P2P mode is referred to as a direct connection. In this embodiment, in a direct connection, the communication device 151 operates as a master station, and the other devices operate as slave stations.

[0031] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the communication device 151 can operate in a network setup mode, which is a mode for performing network setup of the communication device 151, by receiving a predetermined operation from the user. The effects of the embodiment can also be achieved by automatically activating the network setup mode when the communication device 151 is powered on without any network settings being configured for the communication device 151. When operating in the network setup mode, the communication device 151 operates as a setup access point that is valid while operating in the network setup mode by using the communication unit 156. The setup access point is an access point that is different from the access point that is enabled in the AP mode described above. The SSID of the setup access point includes a predetermined character string that can be recognized by the setting application of the information processing device 101. The setup access point is an access point that does not require a password for connection. The communication device 151 operating in the network setup mode uses a predetermined communication protocol (setup communication protocol) to communicate with the information processing device 101 connected to the setup access point. Specifically, the setup communication protocol is, for example, Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP).

[0032] After starting operation in the network setup mode, the communication device 151 stops operation in the network setup mode and disables the setup access point after a predetermined time has elapsed. This is because, as described above, the setup access point is an access point that does not require a password, and if it is enabled for a long period of time, there is a high possibility that an inappropriate device will request connection. Note that the setup access point may be an access point that requires a password. In this case, the password used to connect to the setup access point is a fixed password (that cannot be changed by the user) that is known in advance by the setting application.

[0033] The short-range wireless communication unit 157 is configured to establish a short-range wireless connection with a device such as the information processing device 101, and can be connected to, for example, the short-range wireless communication unit 111 in the information processing device 101. Examples of communication methods include NFC, Bluetooth Classic, BLE, and Wi-Fi Aware.

[0034] The RAM 153 is composed of an SRAM or the like that requires a backup power source. Since the RAM 153 holds data using a primary battery (not shown) for data backup, it can store important data such as program control variables without volatilizing it. The RAM 153 also has a memory area for storing setting information for the communication device 151, management data for the communication device 151, and the like. The RAM 153 is also used as the main memory and work memory for the CPU 154, and stores a receive buffer for temporarily storing print information received from the information processing device 101, etc., as well as various other information.

[0035] The ROM 152 stores fixed data such as control programs, data tables, and OS programs executed by the CPU 154. In this embodiment, each control program stored in the ROM 152 controls software execution such as scheduling, task switching, and interrupt processing under the management of the embedded OS stored in the ROM 152.

[0036] The CPU 154 is a system control unit that controls the entire communication device 151. The CPU 154 executes programs stored in the ROM 152 and RAM 153 to perform communication, data generation, processing, and the like.

[0037] Based on information stored in the print engine 155 and RAM 153 and a print job received from the information processing device 101 or the like, an image is formed on a recording medium such as paper by applying a recording material such as ink to the recording medium, and the print result is output. Generally, since the amount of data for a print job transmitted from the information processing device 101 or the like is large, a communication method capable of high-speed communication is required for communicating the print job. Therefore, the communication device 151 receives the print job via a communication unit 156 capable of communication at higher speeds than the short-range wireless communication unit 157.

[0038] Note that the communication device 151 may be equipped with an optional memory such as an external HDD or SD card, and the information stored in the communication device 151 may be stored in the memory.

[0039] ●Network setup process Hereinafter, a process of executing a network setup process for the communication device 151 from the information processing device 101 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0040] Access point search process 2 is a flowchart showing the timing of network setup processing or the flow of an access point search (hereinafter referred to as AP search) executed as a preliminary step in the information processing device 101 or the communication device 151. The processing in FIG. 2 may be executed periodically in advance, for example, but in this example, it is also executed during the processing in FIG. 4 described below.

[0041] When the AP search begins, in step S201, beacon information periodically transmitted by surrounding access points in the 2.4 GHz band is received to search for surrounding access points. The beacon information includes information such as the SSID, authentication method, encryption method, MAC address, and radio wave strength measured from the received power of each access point. Next, in step S202, similar to step S201, surrounding access points in the 5 GHz band are searched for. Each communication terminal, such as the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151, has a security policy set to ensure communication security and convenience. Specifically, restrictions such as not connecting to devices that do not require authentication or have vulnerable encryption methods, and not connecting to devices in the 2.4 GHz band, are set by the user of the terminal. In step S203, the information about the access points found in steps S201 and S202 is compared with the security policy, and devices that are not eligible for connection are removed from the list. Next, in step S204, the radio wave strength of the information about the access points remaining on the list is referenced, and the process is terminated by sorting them in order of strength.

[0042] FIG. 3 shows an example of the results of the AP search performed by the communication device 151 as described in FIG. 2. FIG. 3(a) shows the AP search results after steps S201 and S202 in FIG. 2 are performed, revealing the discovery of 2.4 GHz band access points 301, 302, and 303 and 5 GHz band access points 304, 305, and 306. For example, assume that the communication device 151 has a security policy that prohibits connection to APs that specify WEP as the encryption method. Since the encryption methods set for access points 303 and 305 are WEP64 and WEP128, respectively, these are checked against the security policy in the processing of step S203, and these access points are excluded from the list of access points that are not candidates for connection. For example, an access point that is determined to have a vulnerability in security (i.e., is not secure) in terms of authentication method or encryption method may be excluded from the list of access points that are not candidates for connection. The vulnerability determination criteria may be, for example, a vulnerable authentication method or encryption method that is preset, or conversely, a non-vulnerable authentication method or encryption method that is preset. Based on this determination criterion, it may be determined that the device is vulnerable. Furthermore, in the process of step S204, the remaining device list is referenced for radio wave strength, sorted in descending order of value 304, 302, 301, 306, and converted into the AP search result shown in Figure 3(b). By executing the AP search process described above using Figures 2 and 3, the communication terminal can search for the optimal access point that complies with its own security policy and is expected to provide good communication.

[0043] Network setup process by information processing device Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed by the information processing device 101 in the network setup processing of this embodiment. The flowchart shown in Fig. 4 is realized, for example, by the CPU 103 reading out a setting application stored in the ROM 104, the external storage device 106, etc. into the RAM 105 and executing it. The flowchart shown in Fig. 4 is started in response to a predetermined operation for network setup being performed on a screen displayed by the setting application.

[0044] When the setting application is launched by a user operation of the information processing device 101, in step S401, the information processing device 101 executes the AP search shown in FIG. 2 to search for nearby access points, and saves the results. Next, in step S402, the communication device 151 in the network setup mode described above, i.e., the setup access point, is detected from the AP search results, and an attempt is made to connect to the detected setup access point. In step S403, the successful connection of P2P communication with the communication device 151 is confirmed. If the connection fails, in step S413, a message indicating that the setting failed is displayed and the process ends. If the connection with the communication device 151 is successful in step S403, WEC-related information of the communication device 151 is acquired via SNMP in step S404. In addition, in step S405, AP search information of the communication device 151 is acquired via SNMP. The communication device 151 performs the AP search described in FIG. 2 when activating the network setup mode, and as shown in FIG. 3(b), maintains a list of access points optimal for the device itself. The effect of this embodiment can be obtained even if the AP search process in the communication device 151 is performed not when the network setup mode is started but when the information processing device 101 requests information in step S405.

[0045] After acquiring the AP search information of the communication device 151 in step S405, the process proceeds to step S406, where the connection candidate list shown in FIG. 3(b) presented by the communication device 151 is merged with the AP search results performed by the information processing device 101 in step S401. Merging begins by comparing the connection candidate list obtained from the communication device 151 with the AP search results performed by the information processing device 101. As a result of the comparison, any inconsistencies are deleted from the connection candidate list shown in FIG. 3(b). That is, a connection candidate list is created that includes access points from the connection candidate list obtained by the communication device 151 that are also included in the AP search results obtained by the information processing device 101. This process is referred to as merging. By executing step S406, it becomes possible to narrow down the access points that can be connected to by at least one of the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151 to the access point 131 to which both are connected. Note that in the connection candidate list obtained in S406, the access points are sorted in order of signal strength on the communication device 151. This explanation will be given for the case where no access points are to be deleted.

[0046] Next, after creating the connection candidate list in step S406, the information processing device 101 checks in step S407 whether there is an access point 131 to which connection is to be made. That is, it is determined whether at least one access point is included in the connection candidate list. If there is no access point 131 to which connection is to be made, in step S413, a message indicating that the setting has failed is displayed and the process ends. If there is an AP to which connection is to be made in step S407, the process proceeds to step S408 to obtain confirmation from the user to connect to the access point 131 at the top of the connection candidate list. If confirmation is obtained, the information processing device 101 attempts to establish a connection between the access point 131 and the information processing device 101. A method for prompting the user about the access point 131 to which connection is to be made will be described later with reference to FIG. 5. Next, in step S409, it is determined whether the connection to the attempted access point 131 has been completed (whether the connection between the access point 131 and the information processing device 101 has been successfully established). The determination of connection completion is made based on a response from the access point. There may be cases where a negative response is received to the connection or the response times out, in which case it may be possible to retry the connection multiple times depending on the reason for the connection failure (error state), such as an incorrect password.If a connection failure is confirmed in step S409, the access point 131 that was being attempted to connect to is removed from the list of connection targets (not shown), and the process returns to step S407, where an attempt is made to connect to the next access point to connect to from the updated list.

[0047] When connection to the desired access point 131 is completed in step S409, the connection to the previously connected access point 131 is disconnected (not shown), and in step S410, a series of DPP sequences are executed based on the WEC-related information obtained from the communication device 151. Details of the DPP sequence will be described later, but the information processing device 101 executes a process of connecting by the means specified by the communication device 151 in the WEC-related information, and communicating the connection method to the optimal access point 131 confirmed in the steps up to this point.

[0048] When the DPP sequence in step S410 ends, the information processing device 101 reconnects (not shown) to the access point 131 to which connection was once completed in step S409, and proceeds to step S411. Here, it is determined whether the infrastructure connection between the currently connected access point 131 and the communication device 151 has been completed. This connection completion confirmation method can be realized by confirming the presence of the communication device 151 through the access point 131. If the connection between the communication device 151 and the access point 131 cannot be confirmed in step S411, a message indicating that the setting has failed is displayed in step S413, and the processing ends. If the completion of the connection with the communication device 151 is confirmed through the access point 131 in step S411, a message indicating that the setting has been completed is displayed, and the processing ends.

[0049] The setting application of the information processing device 101 can perform connection settings with the optimal access point 131 as viewed from the communication device 151 by executing the processing described above.

[0050] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen display on the display unit 108 of the information processing device 101 for requesting the user's permission to connect to the access point 131 when the connection candidate list described in step S408 of FIG. 4 is as shown in FIG. 3(b). The SSID and MAC address 501 of the SSID "qrstu" 304, which is the optimal access point 131 in the connection candidate list of FIG. 3(b), are displayed as the connection target 501, and the user is requested to grant permission to connect. If the user selects "Yes" in field 504, a connection to the presented access point 131 is initiated. If the user selects "No" in field 503, the connection process is not performed. Furthermore, if the user selects "Select another access point" in field 502, the next connection destination candidate is displayed in order of priority in the connection candidate list and becomes selectable (not shown). For example, in the display of FIG. 5, the SSIDs "fghijk" 302, "abcde" 301, and "aaaaa" 306, which are the second and subsequent candidates in the connection candidate list of FIG. 3(b), are displayed in order and become selectable. Through these screens, it becomes possible to present the access points 131 to be set in the communication device 151 to the user in an optimal order and allow the user to select one. Here, "optimal" means an access point with the strongest signal strength for the communication device 151 among access points that can also communicate with the information processing device 101.

[0051] ●Network setup process sequence in a communication system 6 is a sequence diagram showing the processing flow in the information processing device 101, the communication unit 156 of the communication device 151, and the access points AP304 and AP302 for the network setup processing described in FIG. 4. The description will be made assuming that the access points present around the communication device 151 are AP304 with the SSID "qrstu" and AP302 with the SSID "fghijk" described in FIG. 3. As pre-processing, the communication device 151 accepts a predetermined user operation and transitions to network setup mode, and operates (not shown). Regarding transition to this network setup mode, the same effect can be obtained even if the transition occurs automatically, for example, when the communication device 151 is powered on without network setup being performed, in addition to the predetermined user operation.

[0052] When the network setup of the communication device 151 is initiated, the AP search described with reference to Fig. 2 is executed to detect surrounding access points in step 601. As a result of the AP search, access points AP304, AP302, and others present around the communication device 151 are found, and the search results (Fig. 3(b)) including priority are obtained by sorting the search results.

[0053] Meanwhile, the information processing device 101 will be described assuming that it has been previously infrastructurally connected to the AP 302 (not shown). When the user launches the setting application for the information processing device 101, the infrastructurally connected AP 302 is disconnected in step S602. Next, in step S603, an AP search is performed to detect surrounding access points and a communication device 151 that has transitioned to network setup mode. Next, in step S604, a P2P connection is established with the detected communication device 151, and communication using SNMP is initiated.

[0054] Next, in step S605, the information processing device 101 requests WEC-related information and obtains the information from the communication device 151. Then, in step S606, the information processing device 101 requests the AP search results from the communication device 151, and the communication device 151 responds with the AP search results obtained in step S601. After obtaining all the necessary information, the information processing device 101 disconnects the P2P connection with the communication device 151 in step S607.

[0055] Based on the WEC-related information transmitted in step S605, the communication device 151 transitions to DPP standby mode in step S608, making it ready for network configuration using DPP. In step S606, the information processing device 101 merges the AP search result (FIG. 3(b)) acquired from the communication device 151 with the AP search result acquired by the information processing device 101 itself in step S603, and determines the priority order of the access points to connect to (not shown). The merging process is the same as that described in step S406. By determining the access points to connect to based on the priority order acquired from the communication device 151, it becomes possible to provide information on access points with good communication environments or conditions for communication with the communication device 151. The communication environment may be, for example, the signal strength from the access points.

[0056] Next, in step S609, an infrastructure connection is established with the access point AP304, which has the highest priority, based on the merged result, and the information processing device 101 confirms that connection to AP304 is possible. The establishment of the infrastructure connection is achieved using functions provided by the OS. The information processing device 101 presents the user with the access point for which connection settings are to be established, using the screen described in FIG. 5 on the display unit 108, and establishes the infrastructure connection based on the selected access point information. After the information processing device 101 confirms that an infrastructure connection can be established with the desired access point, in step S610, the information processing device 101 disconnects the infrastructure connection with AP304 to enable DPP communication in the next step. If the communication unit 110 has a function that can simultaneously realize the infrastructure connection in step S609 and the DPP connection described in the next step S611, the disconnection process in step S610 is not necessarily required. Thereafter, in steps S611-S614, the information processing device 101 executes a DPP sequence with the communication device 151.

[0057] In step S611, the information processing device 101 establishes a DPP connection with the communication device 151, which is in DPP standby mode, based on the WEC-related information acquired in step S605. In this DPP connection, the information processing device 101 operates as a Configurator device, and the communication device 151 operates as an Enrollee device. In step S612, in accordance with the DPP architecture, DPP Authentication is performed to create a shared key using a public key included in the WEC-related information and the communication device's own private key, etc. Next, in step S613, the information processing device 101, which is the Configurator device, performs DPP Configuration processing to send information encrypted using the shared key to the Enrollee device. Note that the information sent here is connection information for the access point, including the SSID, password, etc. stored in the information processing device 101 and required for connecting to the AP 304. The above procedure completes the connection settings for the communication device 151 to connect to the access point.

[0058] When the information processing device 101 completes a series of DPP sequences starting from step S611, it disconnects the DPP connection in step S614. The communication device 151 establishes an infrastructure connection based on the connection information to the AP 304 received in step S615. The information processing device 101 also re-establishes an infrastructure connection with the AP 304 in step S616. By both the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151 establishing an infrastructure connection to the AP 304, they become able to communicate with each other via an access point. The setting application of the information processing device 101 confirms that a series of network settings has been completed by confirming communication with the communication device 151 (not shown). After confirmation, the information processing device 101 may disconnect from the AP 304. After this, the communication device 151 can communicate with devices connected to the communication network via the AP 304. For example, if the communication device 151 is a printer, devices on the network can recognize and use the printer.

[0059] Note that if the infrastructure connection is not disconnected in S610, the infrastructure connection is maintained, and therefore it is not necessary to re-establish the infrastructure connection in S616. Furthermore, since the information processing device 101 searches for a communicable access point in S601, it is not necessary to confirm the infrastructure connection in S609 and S610. Furthermore, the information processing device 101 does not necessarily need to acquire the WEC-related information by the above-described method. For example, the information processing device 101 may acquire the WEC-related information by reading a barcode or QR code (registered trademark) displayed by the communication device 151 or by performing NFC communication or Bluetooth communication with the communication device 151, without performing S401 to S404. This also applies to the second embodiment. Note that the mode of acquiring the WEC-related information by performing Bluetooth communication has been described in the second embodiment. Furthermore, it is also possible to perform only one of confirming the infrastructure connection in step S408 and merging the AP search results in step S406. This also applies to the second embodiment.

[0060] As described above, the setting application of the information processing device 101 executes network settings for the communication device 151 based on the AP search results of the communication device 151, thereby realizing network settings suitable for the communication device 151. More specifically, the information processing device 101 can acquire a list of access points with good communication environments from the communication device 151. The information processing device 101 can present access points from the list that are connection partner candidate partners to the user and allow the user to select one. This allows the information processing device 101 to transmit connection information for the selected access point to the communication device 151 in accordance with the DPP, and the communication device 151 can connect to the access point in infrastructure mode. The list of access points that the communication device 151 transmits to the information processing device 101 also indicates the order of the quality of the communication environment with the communication device 151. This allows access points with good environments for communication with the communication device 151 to be presented to the user in order of quality.

[0061] In the above example, the vulnerability of an access point is determined by the communication terminal, but the information processing device that receives the AP search results may also make the determination. For example, the AP search results, which associate authentication methods and encryption methods with access points, may be sent from the communication terminal to the information processing terminal, and the information processing terminal may determine vulnerable access points using the method described above. In this case, access points determined to be vulnerable are excluded from the list of candidate access points to which the communication terminal can connect.

[0062] (Second embodiment) In the first embodiment, an example was described in which the communication units 110 and 156 of the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151 are used as P2P communication means for transferring WEC-related information. In this embodiment, a form in which short-range wireless communication units 111 and 157 are used will be described. In this embodiment, an example is described in which Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is used as communication means for the short-range wireless communication units 111 and 157. However, the effects of this embodiment can be achieved even when other short-range wireless communication means are used. In the BLE standard established by the Bluetooth SIG, communication is performed using the Generic Attribute Profile (hereinafter referred to as GATT). A GATT client confirms the existence and status of a GATT server by receiving advertising information output by a beacon from the GATT server, and communicates by establishing a GATT connection. Once a GATT connection is established, the GATT client makes read and write requests to the GATT database provided by the GATT server, and exchanges information based on the GATT server's response. Each characteristic, which is individual information in the GATT database, is identifiable by a Universally Unique Identifier (UUID). For each characteristic, it is possible to set a security attribute indicating whether or not the read / write attribute and the data are encrypted. In this embodiment, the communication device 151 serves as a GATT server and the information processing device 101 serves as a GATT client, thereby realizing P2P communication.

[0063] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of characteristic information provided by the communication device 151 as a GATT database. WEC-related information 701 is set to encryption with a read attribute and includes the WEC-related information described above, such as DPP connection information and a public key. Station (STA) state 702 is set to encryption with a read attribute and indicates the state of the communication unit 156, making it possible to determine whether the STA has transitioned to a DPP standby state. DPP transition request 703 is set to write, and writing a specific value to this characteristic makes it possible to request the communication device 151 to transition to a DPP state. Connection state 704 is set to read, making it possible to read the connection state between the communication unit 156 of the communication device 151 and an access point. AP search result 705 is set to read, making it possible to read the results of an AP search performed by the communication device 151, with each access point prioritized.

[0064] ●Network setup process sequence in a communication system (second embodiment) 8 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing in the information processing device 101, the communication device 151, and the access points AP304 and AP302. The communication device 151 performs communication using the short-range wireless communication unit 157 and the communication unit 156, and the information processing device 101, not shown, performs communication using the short-range wireless communication unit 111 and the communication unit 110. The following description is based on the assumption that the information processing device 101 is already in an infrastructure-connected state with the AP302 (step S801).

[0065] In the communication device 151, a network setup mode (not shown) is activated, and an AP search is performed by the communication unit 156. It is assumed that the information shown in FIG. 3(b) is obtained as the AP search result, and this information is stored in the AP search result 705 of the GATT database. The short-range wireless communication unit 157 of the communication device 151 includes information indicating a state in which network setup is possible in the advertising information, and outputs a beacon at a specific interval. When network setup is not possible, the information included in the advertising information can be changed to notify surrounding communication devices of the setup availability state. In addition to the above, the communication device 151 can also notify its availability state by presenting a Connectable mode indicating whether GATT communication is possible, or a Non-Connectable mode when setup is not possible.

[0066] When the setting app of the information processing device 101 is launched, in step S802, the short-range wireless communication unit 111 is used to acquire advertising information emitted by the communication device 151, and a BLE connection is established to enable GATT communication. This BLE connection uses the short-range wireless communication units 111 and 157, which are separate from the communication units 110 and 156 that perform network setup, so communication is possible independent of the setup process. Next, in step S803, a read request is made to the WEC-related information 701 via GATT communication, and information is acquired by receiving a response. Furthermore, in step S804, the AP search result 705 is read via GATT communication.

[0067] The setting application of the information processing device 101 extracts configurable access points by merging the received AP search result 705 ( FIG. 3( b) ) of the communication device 151 with the AP search result it has performed itself. The extracted access points are then arranged for the communication device 151 in order of best communication conditions (i.e., communication environment). Merging here refers to the processing described in step S406. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the optimal access point is AP304, which is different from AP302 to which the information processing device 101 itself is already connected. In this case, in step S805, the information processing device 101 disconnects the currently connected infrastructure connection with AP302. Next, in step S806, the information processing device 101 establishes an infrastructure connection with AP304 to confirm that connection to AP304, the optimal access point, is possible, and verifies that the connection information for the access point it holds is functioning correctly. After confirming that the connection information for the access point is correct, the infrastructure connection with AP304 is temporarily disconnected.

[0068] Next, in step S807, the information processing device 101 writes the specific value "Start" to the DPP transition request 703 in the GATT database of the communication device 151 via GATT communication. This causes the communication device 151 to transition to DPP standby mode. The communication device 151 receives the transition request, and in step S808 requests the communication unit 156 to transition to DPP standby mode. After the communication unit 156 of the communication device 151 has transitioned to DPP standby mode, in step S809 it notifies the short-range wireless communication unit 157 that the transition to DPP standby mode has been completed. This causes the value of the STA state 702 in the GATT database to be changed to indicate that the device has transitioned to DPP standby mode.

[0069] In step S810, the information processing device 101 reads the value of the STA state 702 via GATT communication and determines whether the communication device 151 has transitioned to DPP standby mode. This reading process is executed multiple times after the transition request in step S807 is made until completion of transition to DPP standby mode is confirmed, and synchronization is performed for the next DPP connection. The information processing device 101 confirms that the communication device 151 has transitioned to DPP standby mode, and establishes a DPP connection in step S811 based on the received WEC-related information 701. Next, in step S812, DPP authentication processing is performed to authenticate the device and encrypt communication data. Next, in step S813, DPP configuration processing is performed to transmit connection information for connecting to the access point AP304 to be connected to the communication device 151. After completing the series of DPP sequences starting from step S811, the information processing device 151 disconnects the DPP connection (not shown).

[0070] In step S815, the communication device 151 establishes an infrastructure connection with the AP 304 based on the connection information received in step S813. This connection process is based on the received connection information and conforms to the IEEE 802.11 standard, so a detailed description will be omitted. When the infrastructure connection is complete, the communication unit 156 of the communication device 151 notifies the short-range wireless communication unit 157 in step S816 that the infrastructure connection has been completed, and upon receiving the notification, changes the value of the connection status 704 in the GATT database to connected.

[0071] The information processing device 101 reads the value of the connection status 704 via GATT communication and confirms that the communication device 151 has completed an infrastructure connection with the AP 304. This reading process is executed after a series of DPP sequences have ended, and is executed periodically multiple times until it is confirmed that the infrastructure connection of the communication device 151 has been completed. The setting app of the information processing device 101 confirms that the infrastructure connection of the communication device 151 has been completed, and disconnects the BLE connection in step S819. Furthermore, in step S820, an infrastructure connection with the AP 304 is established again, and communication with the communication device 151 becomes possible via the access point AP304.

[0072] As described above, by performing bootstrapping processing and status management between the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151 using short-range wireless communication that is different from WLAN communication, it is possible to realize a highly convenient network setting process that takes security into consideration.

[0073] Furthermore, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are achieved. That is, the information processing device 101 can acquire a list of access points with good communication environments from the communication device 151. The information processing device 101 can present access points from the list that are connection partner candidate partners to the user and allow the user to select one. As a result, the information processing device 101 can transmit connection information for the selected access point to the communication device 151 in accordance with the DPP, and the communication device 151 can connect to the access point in infrastructure mode. The list of access points that the communication device 151 transmits to the information processing device 101 also indicates the order of the quality of the communication environment with the communication device 151. As a result, access points with good environments for communication with the communication device 151 can be presented to the user in order of the quality.

[0074] [Other Examples] In the above embodiment, the first search result obtained by the communication device through AP search and the second search result obtained by the information processing device through AP search are merged, i.e., narrowed down to a common AP. However, the communication device may determine connection candidate APs based only on the first search result obtained through AP search. Furthermore, although the information processing device is pre-connected to the AP with the highest priority among the connection candidate APs, this may be omitted. Furthermore, after the communication device establishes a connection with an AP, the information processing device connects to that AP. However, the AP to which the information processing device connects may be another AP as long as it can communicate with the AP to which the communication device is connected. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, WEC and DPP are used as protocols for connecting the communication device to an AP. However, other protocols may be used as long as they can connect the communication device to an AP selected from the APs searched by the communication device.

[0075] 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.

[0076] 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]

[0077] 101 information processing device, 131 access point, 151 communication device

Claims

1. A computer of an information processing device that can communicate with the communication device and the access point, a first acquisition step of acquiring a first search result that is a result of a search for an access point executed by the communication device; a second acquisition step of acquiring a second search result that is a result of a search for an access point executed by the information processing device; a selection step of selecting a first access point based on the first search result and the second search result; a first attempt step of attempting to establish a connection between the first access point and the information processing device; a second attempt step of attempting to establish a connection between the information processing device and a second access point to which the information processing device has not yet attempted to establish a connection, if the establishment of the connection with the first access point has failed; a third acquisition step of acquiring, from the communication device, predetermined information for executing communication in accordance with Device Provisioning Protocol (DPP); a processing step of executing a DPP authentication process based on the predetermined information; a transmitting step of transmitting connection information for connecting to the access point corresponding to the successfully established connection to the communication device by a DPP configuration process; A program characterized by executing the following.

2. 2. The program according to claim 1, A program further comprising a determining step of determining a priority order corresponding to each of a plurality of access points included in the first search result and the second search result.

3. 3. The program according to claim 2, A program characterized in that, based on the priority corresponding to the first access point being higher than the priority corresponding to the second access point, establishment of a connection between the first access point and the information processing device is attempted before establishment of a connection between the second access point and the information processing device.

4. 4. The program according to claim 2 or 3, A program, comprising: a program for determining a priority corresponding to each of the plurality of access points based on a signal strength of a signal received from each of the plurality of access points.

5. 5. The program according to claim 1, A program, comprising: an attempt to establish a connection between the selected first access point and the information processing device before the connection information is transmitted to the communication device.

6. 6. The program according to claim 1, The program, wherein the first search result is received via direct communication between the communication device and the information processing device.

7. 7. The program according to claim 1, A program characterized by controlling the first search result so that an access point using a predetermined encryption method is not included.

8. 8. The program according to claim 7, The program is characterized in that the predetermined encryption method is WEP.

9. 9. The program according to claim 1, A program characterized by controlling the first search result so that it does not include an access point corresponding to a predetermined frequency band.

10. 10. The program according to claim 9, The program is characterized in that the predetermined frequency band is the 2.4 GHz band.

11. 11. The program according to claim 1, A program characterized in that control to prevent a specific access point from being included in the first search result is executed in accordance with a security policy set by a user of the communication device or the information processing device.

12. 12. The program according to claim 1, The program, wherein the predetermined information is bootstrap information.

13. 13. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 12, A program characterized in that the specified information is obtained from the communication device via communication between the communication device and the information processing device via Bluetooth (registered trademark) or communication between the communication device and the information processing device via Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

14. 13. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 12, The program is characterized in that the predetermined information is obtained from the communication device by reading a QR code or a barcode displayed by the communication device.

15. 15. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 14, The program, wherein the communication device is a printer.

16. 16. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 15, a program for selecting, in the selecting step, an access point that is commonly included in the first search result and the second search result as the first access point;

17. A control method for an information processing device that can communicate with both a communication device and an access point, comprising: a first acquisition step of acquiring a first search result that is a result of a search for an access point executed by the communication device; a second acquisition step of acquiring a second search result that is a result of a search for an access point executed by the information processing device; a selection step of selecting a first access point based on the first search result and the second search result; a first attempt step of attempting to establish a connection between the first access point and the information processing device; a second attempt step of attempting to establish a connection between the information processing device and a second access point to which the information processing device has not yet attempted to establish a connection, if the establishment of the connection with the first access point has failed; a third acquisition step of acquiring, from the communication device, predetermined information for executing communication in accordance with Device Provisioning Protocol (DPP); a processing step of executing a DPP authentication process based on the predetermined information; a transmitting step of transmitting connection information for connecting to the access point corresponding to the successfully established connection to the communication device by a DPP configuration process; A control method comprising:

18. An information processing device capable of communicating with a communication device and an access point, a first acquisition means for acquiring a first search result that is a result of a search for an access point executed by the communication device; a second acquisition means for acquiring a second search result that is a result of a search for an access point executed by the information processing device; a selection means for selecting a first access point based on the first search result and the second search result; a first attempt means for attempting to establish a connection between the first access point and the information processing device; a second attempt means for attempting to establish a connection between the information processing device and a second access point to which the information processing device has not yet attempted to establish a connection, if the establishment of a connection with the first access point has failed; a third acquisition means for acquiring, from the communication device, predetermined information for executing communication in accordance with a Device Provisioning Protocol (DPP); A processing means for executing DPP authentication processing based on the predetermined information; a transmitting means for transmitting connection information for connecting to the access point corresponding to the successfully established connection to the communication device through a DPP configuration process; An information processing device comprising:

Images