Communication apparatus, control method, and storage medium

Abstract

To enable a user of a station conforming to the Wi-FiDirect standard to efficiently select another station of a communication partner.SOLUTION: Performing, by a communication apparatus that performs communication of a wireless frame conforming to a Wi-FiDirect (WFD) standard, first detection of another communication apparatus in accordance with a first mode defined by the WFD standard in which a communication partner apparatus is searched for by using a first wireless frame, and second detection of another communication apparatus in accordance with a second mode defined by the WFD standard in which a partner apparatus is searched for by using a second wireless frame that is not used in the first mode; By analyzing the first radio frame and the second radio frame, it is determined whether or not the same device is detected in the first detection and the second detection, and information of another communication device detected by the first detection and the second detection is output. When the same device is detected in the first detection and the second detection, information indicating that the device is one device is output.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 13

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a connection destination selection technique in a wireless communication device. [Background technology]

[0002] With the recent increase in the amount of data being transmitted, development of communication technologies such as wireless local area networks (wireless LANs) is progressing. The IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 series of standards is known as the main communication standard for wireless LANs. The IEEE 802.11 series of standards includes, for example, IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax. For example, the IEEE 802.11ax standard uses orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDMA) to standardize technology that not only achieves a high peak throughput of up to 9.6 gigabits per second (Gbps) but also improves communication speeds under congested conditions.

[0003] Meanwhile, the Wi-Fi (registered trademark) Alliance, which develops a certification program for wireless LAN devices, has developed the WFD standard, which defines a procedure for establishing a communication link between wireless LAN STAs by exchanging communication parameters without going through an AP. AP, STA, and WFD stand for access point, station, and Wi-Fi Direct, respectively. Conventionally, in WFD, a STA discovers other STAs using a Probe Request frame and a Probe Response (see Patent Document 1). Currently, in addition to this, the adoption of a procedure for searching for a partner device using a Service Discovery Frame (SDF), which is adopted in Wi-Fi Aware, in WFD is being considered. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-063310 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As described above, a WFD-compliant STA may be able to search for other STAs using the first method using the conventional Probe Request and Probe Response and the second method using the SDF. It is possible that there may be other STAs that are candidates for communication partners that can use both the first method and the second method. In this case, if a STA discovers other STAs using both the first method and the second method, it may treat them as separate devices, which may complicate the user's selection of a partner device to establish a connection with.

[0006] The present invention provides techniques that allow users of stations that comply with the Wi-Fi Direct standard to efficiently select other stations with which to communicate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A communication device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a communication device that communicates wireless frames compliant with the Wi-Fi Direct (WFD) standard, and includes: a first detection means that performs a first detection of other communication devices according to a first method defined by the WFD standard for searching for a communication partner device using a first wireless frame; a second detection means that performs a second detection of other communication devices according to a second method defined by the WFD standard for searching for the communication partner device using a second wireless frame that is not used in the first method; a determination means that determines whether the same device was detected in the first detection and the second detection by analyzing the first wireless frame and the second wireless frame; and an output means that outputs information about other communication devices detected by the first detection and the second detection, and if the same device is detected in the first detection and the second detection, outputs the information about the device as a single device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it becomes possible for a user of a station that complies with the Wi-Fi Direct standard to efficiently select other stations with which to communicate. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a wireless communication system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of a communication device. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a functional configuration of a communication device. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing flow when detecting a partner device using a WFD. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a Service Discovery Frame. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a Sub-Attribute. [Figure 7] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating exemplary configurations of a Probe Request frame, a Probe Response frame, and a Beacon frame. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating P2P IE. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining WCE IE. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a flow of processing executed by a communication device. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the flow of connection processing by WFD R2. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the flow of connection processing by WFD R1. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the communication device. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the communication device. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the communication device. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the communication device. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the communication device. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the communication device. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the communication device. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the communication device. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the communication device. [Figure 22] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the communication device. 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] (System Configuration) FIG. 1 shows an example of a network configuration according to this embodiment. The wireless communication system includes two or more communication devices. For example, the wireless communication system may include a communication device 101 and a communication device 102. In this embodiment, when there is no need to distinguish between the communication device 101 and the communication device 102, they may be collectively referred to simply as "communication devices." Even when the terms "communication device 101" and "communication device 102" are used, their roles are interchangeable. The communication device 101 has the functions of the communication device 102, and the communication device 102 has the functions of the communication device 101. The communication device may be a wireless communication device capable of performing wireless communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 series of standards, including the IEEE 802.11bn standard. In this embodiment, the communication device is assumed to have the functions of a station (STA) in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 series of standards. The communication device may also have the functions of an access point (AP) in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 series of standards. IEEE stands for Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The IEEE 802.11bn standard may also be referred to as the UHR standard. UHR may be an abbreviation for Ultra High Reliability. The IEEE 802.11 series standards may include the IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax / be standards. These standards may be referred to as legacy standards. That is, a communication device may support one or more legacy standards in addition to the IEEE 802.11bn standard. Also, a communication device may support one or more of the legacy standards but not the IEEE 802.11bn standard. A network 111 is constructed in an area that encompasses the range of the communication device 101 and the communication device 102, and the communication device 101 and the communication device 102 can communicate over this network 111. Within network 111, communication device 102 can receive signals transmitted from communication device 101 with power at or above a predetermined level, and communication device 101 can receive signals transmitted from communication device 102 with power at or above a predetermined level.In addition to the IEEE802.11 series standards, the communication device may also support other communication standards such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), NFC, UWB, ZigBee, and MBOA. UWB stands for Ultra Wide Band, and MBOA stands for Multi Band OFDM Alliance. NFC stands for Near Field Communication. UWB includes wireless USB, wireless 1394, WiNET, and the like. The communication device may also support wired communication standards such as wired LAN.

[0012] In this embodiment, the communication device 101 and the communication device 102 are assumed to have the function of discovering each other and establishing a communication link in accordance with the Wi-Fi Direct (WFD) standard. For example, in a connection establishment procedure compliant with the WFD standard, one of the communication device 101 and the communication device 102 may operate in the role of Group Owner (GO) and the other in the role of Client (CL). In this embodiment, the communication device 101 serves as the GO, provides communication parameters to the communication device 102, and establishes a network 111. Meanwhile, the communication device 102 serves as the CL, receives communication parameters from the communication device 101, and participates in the network 111 established by the communication device 101. Note that the communication device 102 may serve as the GO and the communication device 101 may serve as the CL. The parameters may also be provided from the CL to the GO by a bootstrap procedure, which will be described later.

[0013] Conventionally, in WFD, a STA receives a Probe Request frame and a Probe Response frame from another STA to discover another STA (partner device) with which to communicate. When a STA receives a Probe Request frame from another STA, it recognizes the presence of the other STA and returns a Probe Response frame. By sending a Probe Request frame and receiving a Probe Response frame in return, a STA can recognize the other STA that sent the Probe Response frame. In addition to this conventional first procedure, WFD is considering adopting a second procedure for searching for a partner device using a Service Discovery Frame (SDF) adopted in Wi-Fi Aware. In this embodiment, a communication device is assumed to be able to search for other surrounding STAs using these first and second procedures. Hereinafter, the first procedure will be referred to as WFD R1 or R1, and the second procedure will be referred to as WFD R2 or R2.

[0014] Although FIG. 1 shows a state in which two communication devices (communication device 101 and communication device 102) exist, three or more communication devices may exist. In addition, the three or more communication devices may be directly connected to each other, or one communication device may function as a hub and relay communications between the other communication devices. For example, a network 111 may be constructed based on communication parameters provided by communication device 101 playing the role of GO, and multiple communication devices playing the role of CL may join network 111. In this case, communication device 101 may operate as a temporary AP. For example, communication device 101 may notify other communication devices of its communication parameters by broadcasting a Beacon.

[0015] In this embodiment, the communication device may be any electronic device such as, but not limited to, a smartphone, a tablet, a mobile phone, a PC, a video camera, a headset, a printer, a display, etc. The communication device may also be an information processing device such as a wireless chip capable of performing wireless communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11bn standard.

[0016] A communication device may communicate using radio signals in frequency bands such as the 2.4 GHz band, 3.6 GHz band, 5 GHz band, and 6 GHz band, as well as the 45 GHz and 60 GHz bands known as millimeter waves. The frequency bands used by the communication device are not limited to these bands and may also be, for example, the Sub-1 GHz band. Furthermore, the communication device may communicate using bandwidths of 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 320 MHz, 540 MHz, 640 MHz, 1080 MHz, and 2160 MHz. The bandwidths used by the communication device are not limited to these bands and may also be, for example, 240 MHz or 4 MHz. The IEEE 802.11 series of standards specifies a frequency channel using a 20 MHz bandwidth as the basic channel in frequency bands such as the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands. Furthermore, this standard defines multiple available channels in each of the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands. Furthermore, this standard allows a channel to be used in combination with adjacent channels. Here, a channel bundle formed by one or two or more adjacent channels may be called a "communication link" (or simply "link"). That is, one link formed by two channels with a bandwidth of 20 MHz uses a bandwidth of 40 MHz. Note that the communication device may be a STA MLD (Multi-Link Device) or AP MLD that supports Multi-Link, which establishes multiple links simultaneously for communication. Note that FIG. 1 shows a state in which one wireless link (link 121) is established between communication device 101 and communication device 102.

[0017] (Device configuration) Fig. 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of a communication device in this embodiment. The communication device has, for example, a storage unit 201, a control unit 202, a function unit 203, an input unit 204, an output unit 205, a communication unit 206, and an antenna 207. Note that, although Fig. 2 shows only one antenna 207, the communication device may have multiple antennas 207.

[0018] The storage unit 201 includes one or more memories such as a ROM and a RAM, and stores various information such as computer programs for performing various operations described below and communication parameters for wireless communication. ROM and RAM stand for Read Only Memory and Random Access Memory, respectively. In addition to memories such as a ROM and a RAM, storage media such as a flexible disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a magnetic tape, a non-volatile memory card, and a DVD may be used as the storage unit 201. The storage unit 201 may also include multiple memories. The storage unit 201 may store setting information input by a user to the device itself, information regarding the status of the device itself, such as the remaining battery charge of the device itself, and whether or not a power-saving operation is being performed.

[0019] The control unit 202 includes one or more processors, such as a CPU or an MPU, and controls the entire communication device by executing a computer program stored in the storage unit 201. The control unit 202 may control the entire communication device in cooperation with the computer program stored in the storage unit 201 and an OS (Operating System). The control unit 202 also generates data and signals (radio frames) to be transmitted in communication with other communication devices. The CPU is an abbreviation for Central Processing Unit, and the MPU is an abbreviation for Micro Processing Unit. The control unit 202 may also have multiple processors, such as a multi-core processor, and may perform overall control of the communication device using the multiple processors. The control unit 202 may also include, for example, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), etc.

[0020] Furthermore, the control unit 202 controls the functional unit 203 to execute predetermined processes such as wireless communication, image capture, printing, and projection. The functional unit 203 is configured to include hardware that enables the communication device to execute predetermined processes. If the communication device is a printer, the functional unit 203 is a printing device that prints image data acquired via the communication unit 206, for example. If the communication device is a scanner, the functional unit 203 is a reading device that outputs image data generated by scanning to the outside, for example, via the communication unit 206. If the communication device is a camera, the functional unit 203 is configured to include an image sensor and a lens, and outputs image data captured by the camera to the outside, for example, via the communication unit 206. Furthermore, the functional unit 203 may include components for implementing an AP function or an STA function.

[0021] The input unit 204 includes, for example, a touch panel, hard keys, buttons, etc., and accepts various operations from the user. The output unit 205 includes, for example, a display, a speaker, etc., and performs various outputs to the user. Here, the output by the output unit 205 may be a screen display output on a display or an audio output from a speaker. The output unit 205 may also include a vibrator and may output information by vibration output. Note that both the input unit 204 and the output unit 205 may be implemented by a single module, such as a touch panel display. The input unit 204 and the output unit 205 may be built into the communication device, or may be implemented by an external input / output device. In this case, the communication device has an input / output interface for connecting to the input / output device.

[0022] The communication unit 206 executes control for wireless communication compliant with the IEEE 802.11 series standards. The communication unit 206 may control wireless communication compliant with, for example, the IEEE 802.11be standard, the IEEE 802.11bn standard, or successor standards thereof, and control wired communication such as a wired LAN. The communication unit 206 may also control wireless communication compliant with legacy standards such as the IEEE 802.11ax standard. The communication unit 206 controls the antenna 207 to transmit and receive signals for wireless communication generated by the control unit 202. For example, the communication device communicates data such as image data, document data, and video data with a partner device via the communication unit 206. Note that if the communication device supports standards such as the NFC standard and the Bluetooth standard in addition to the IEEE 802.11 series standards, the communication unit 206 may control wireless communication compliant with these communication standards. Note that if the communication device is capable of wireless communication compliant with multiple communication standards, separate communication units and antennas compatible with those communication standards may be provided.

[0023] Antenna 207 is an antenna capable of detecting and emitting radio waves in, for example, the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, and the 6 GHz band. Antenna 207 may be configured to be capable of communication in the same frequency band. In this case, antenna 207 may be, for example, a multi-band antenna capable of communication in multiple frequency bands. While FIG. 2 illustrates an example in which the communication device has only one antenna, multiple antennas may be used according to the number of available spatial streams. If the communication device has multiple antennas, it may have a communication unit 206 corresponding to each antenna. Antenna 207 may be provided separately from communication unit 206, or may be configured together with communication unit 206 as a single module.

[0024] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a functional (software) configuration of a communication device (communication device 101, communication device 102) according to this embodiment. The communication device includes, as its functions, an R1 control unit 301, an R2 control unit 302, a frame control unit 303, a remote device determination unit 304, and a communication control unit 305. Note that these functional configurations are merely examples, and other functions may be added, or the illustrated functions may be modified. For example, one functional block illustrated in FIG. 3 may be divided into multiple blocks, or multiple functional blocks may be integrated into one. Furthermore, some functions may be omitted, or functions not illustrated may be added. In one example, at least some of the functions illustrated in FIG. 3 may be implemented by the control unit 202 executing a program stored in the storage unit 201. Furthermore, at least some of the functions illustrated in FIG. 3 may be implemented using dedicated hardware.

[0025] The R1 control unit 301 executes control for discovering a partner device using a Probe Request frame and a Probe Response frame and control for establishing a connection in accordance with the WFD R1 standard. For example, the R1 control unit 301 sends a Probe Request frame and waits for a Probe Response frame from other surrounding communication devices. Furthermore, when the R1 control unit 301 receives a Probe Request frame from another communication device, it transmits a Probe Response to that other communication device. Furthermore, when the R1 control unit 301 receives a Probe Request frame from another communication device or a Probe Response frame addressed to the R1 control unit 301, it determines that another communication device exists. Furthermore, the R1 control unit 301 controls Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) processing for exchanging communication parameters, GO Negotiation processing for determining a communication device that will function as a GO, and the like.

[0026] The R2 control unit 302 executes control for discovering a partner device using a Service Discovery Frame (SDF) and control for establishing a connection in accordance with the WFD R2 standard. For example, the R2 control unit 302 analyzes an SDF received from another communication device to check whether the other communication device is capable of communicating in WFD. The R2 control unit 302 also controls a bootstrap process for exchanging communication parameters with another communication device capable of communicating in WFD, a GO negotiation process, and the like.

[0027] The frame control unit 303 generates radio frames in response to instructions from the R1 control unit 301 and the R2 control unit 302. The frame control unit 303 also analyzes the received radio frames, determines whether the frames should be processed by the R1 control unit 301 or the R2 control unit 302, and transfers the information included in the radio frames to the R1 control unit 301 or the R2 control unit 302 depending on the determination result.

[0028] The counterpart device determination unit 304 acquires information about other communication devices detected by at least one of the R1 control unit 301 and the R2 control unit 302. Then, the counterpart device determination unit 304 determines whether the other communication devices detected by the R1 control unit 301 and the R2 control unit 302 are the same devices as devices that have already been detected and stored in the storage unit 201. If the detected other communication devices are different from any of the already detected devices, the counterpart device determination unit 304 stores information about the newly detected device in the storage unit 201 as a newly detected device as a candidate for connection. Furthermore, when storing information about a newly detected device as a candidate for connection in the storage unit 201, the counterpart device determination unit 304 may also store information indicating whether the device was detected by R1 or R2 in the storage unit 201. In this case, for example, when a device previously detected by the R2 control unit 302 is newly detected by the R1 control unit 301, the counterpart device determination unit 304 may store in the storage unit 201 that the device was detected by both R1 and R2. Furthermore, when a device previously detected by the R1 control unit 301 is newly detected by the R2 control unit 302, the counterpart device determination unit 304 can store similar information in the storage unit 201.

[0029] The communication control unit 305 controls the transmission of a frame generated by the frame control unit 303 (to a destination if the frame has a destination). The communication control unit 305 also transfers a frame received from the outside via the antenna 207 to the frame control unit 303. The communication control unit 305 also performs connection processing with a partner device in accordance with connection parameters acquired by the R1 control unit 301 or the R2 control unit 302. The communication control unit 305 can execute connection processing such as authentication processing, association processing, and 4-Way Hand Shake (4WHS) processing.

[0030] (Processing flow) Next, an example of the flow of communication processing executed by the above-described communication devices (communication device 101, communication device 102) will be described. Fig. 4 shows an example of the flow of processing when a communication device conforming to the WFD standard starts searching for a partner device and discovers the partner device in accordance with an instruction from, for example, a user or an application. Note that in the sequence, communication device 101 transmits a frame and communication device 102 receives the frame, but communication device 102 can also transmit a frame. Communication device 101 can also receive a frame.

[0031] The communication device 101 receives an instruction to discover a partner device from a user or an application (S401). For example, the communication device 101 displays a button on the output unit 205 for starting a partner device discovery process using Wi-Fi Direct, and may determine that the instruction has been received when the user selects the button via the input unit 204. Upon receiving the instruction, the communication device 101 performs scanning on all corresponding channels to detect a partner device operating as a GO (S402). For example, if the partner device operates as a GO on a specific channel other than channels 1, 6, and 11 in the 2.4 GHz band, the communication device 101 can discover the partner device by scanning all channels. Note that "ch" is an abbreviation for "channel." At this time, the frame used by the communication device 101 to discover the partner device may be a beacon frame or a probe response frame. Note that, in one example, the communication device 101 may perform scanning only on preferred scanning channels (PSCs) in the 6 GHz band. After completing the scan of all channels, the communication device 101 may stay on a specific channel for a certain period of time and only receive frames from a remote device. Here, the specific channel may be, for example, channel 6. Next, the communication device 101 cycles through channels 1, 6, and 11 in the 2.4 GHz band and transmits a Probe Request frame on each channel (S405, S407, S410). The communication device 101 also transmits not only a Probe Request frame but also an SDF on channel 6 (S408). It is assumed that the length of the period during which the communication device 101 waits on each channel is 100 msec (milliseconds). This is merely an example, and other values ​​may be used for the length of the period. However, by setting the length of this period to a multiple of 100 msec, it may be easier to discover a remote device configured to wait on each channel for a similar length of time. Furthermore, after operating on channel 11, the communication device 101 may simply wait for reception on channel 6 of 2.4 GHz for a randomly-lengthened period.This prevents a situation in which the communication device 101 and the other device are unable to discover each other due to the communication device 101 and the other device operating at the same time interval but at different times. Furthermore, the communication device 101 may alternate between a Listen mode in which it passively detects the presence of other communication devices by simply waiting for reception and a Search mode in which it actively searches for other communication devices by transmitting frames until the user selects a connection destination.

[0032] When the communication device 102 receives an instruction to discover a remote device from a user or an application (S403), it performs a scan on all corresponding channels to detect a remote device operating as a GO, similar to the communication device 101 (S404). Thereafter, the communication device 102 scans channels 1, 6, and 11 in the 2.4 GHz band and waits for a Probe Request frame or an SDF on each channel. Note that the communication device 102 may transmit a Probe Request frame or an SDF, similar to the communication device 101. When the communication device 102 receives a Probe Request frame on each channel, it replies with a Probe Response frame. For example, when the communication device 102 receives a Probe Request frame transmitted from the communication device 101 on channel 1 in S405 while waiting on channel 1, it replies with a Probe Response frame to the communication device 101 (S406). On the other hand, in S407, a Probe Request frame is transmitted from the communication device 101 on channel 6, but at this timing, the communication device 102 is waiting on channel 1 and therefore does not transmit a Probe Response frame. Also, in S410, a Probe Request frame is transmitted from the communication device 101 on channel 11, but at this timing, the communication device 102 is waiting on channel 6 and therefore does not transmit a Probe Response frame. Note that, since the communication device 102 can receive the SDF transmitted from the communication device 101 on channel 6 in S408, in this case, it replies with an SDF on channel 6 (S409). Note that the communication device 102 may perform the same processing as the communication device 101, and the communication device 101 may perform the same processing as the communication device 102.

[0033] Note that, when communication device 101 is the service requester and communication device 102 is the service provider, the SDF transmitted by communication device 101 in S408 above is Subscribe, and the SDF transmitted by communication device 102 in S409 above is Publish. When communication device 102 receives a Subscribe SDF from communication device 101, it may transmit a Publish SDF as a response, or may actively transmit it on 6ch. Furthermore, a communication device may transmit both a Publish SDF and a Subscribe SDF regardless of whether it is a service provider or requester. Furthermore, a communication device may transmit a Follow up, which is a type of SDF, after receiving an SDF from another communication device.

[0034] In this way, the communication device can confirm the presence of a partner device by using a Beacon frame, a Probe Request frame, a Probe Response frame, and an SDF. If the communication device 102 supports WFD R1, the communication device 101 can receive a Probe Response frame from the communication device 102 by transmitting a Probe Request frame. In this case, the communication device 101 can discover the communication device 102 by receiving the Probe Request frame, and the communication device 102 can discover the communication device 101 by receiving the Probe Response frame. Furthermore, if the communication device 101 supports WFD R1, the communication device 102 can receive a Probe Response frame from the communication device 101 by transmitting a Probe Request frame. In this case, the communication device 101 can discover the communication device 102 by receiving the Probe Response frame, and the communication device 102 can discover the communication device 101 by receiving the Probe Request frame. Furthermore, if the communication device 102 supports WFD R2, the communication device 101 can discover the communication device 102 by receiving an SDF from the communication device 102 (for example, by transmitting an SDF and receiving the SDF in response). The communication device 102 can also discover the communication device 101 by receiving an SDF transmitted from the communication device 101. Note that the communication device 101 and the communication device 102 may support only one of WFD R1 and WFD R2.

[0035] In the above example, each communication device cycles through the channels in the order of 1ch, 6ch, and 11ch. However, this is not limited to this. A communication device may preferentially cycle through 6ch, for example, in the order 6ch, 1ch, and 11ch. Because 6ch is a recommended channel for searching for a partner device using WFD R2, it is assumed that it is a channel that is easier to find a partner device. Therefore, by preferentially cycling through 6ch, a communication device can improve the probability of finding a partner device that supports WFD R2. A communication device may also increase the number of times it cycles through 6ch when cycling through channels, or increase the time spent on 6ch compared to other channels, thereby improving the probability of finding a partner device. If a communication device and a partner device have previously agreed to use a specific channel for mutual searches, the communication device may increase the standby time on that specific channel. For example, the standards recommend searching for a partner device on 1ch, 6ch, and 11ch in WFD R1, and on 6ch in WFD R2. In response to this, for example, an application used by the communication device may instruct the device to search for a partner device on channel 7 in the 6 GHz band. In this case, the communication device may reserve a long period for frame transmission and reception standby on channel 7 in the 6 GHz band, and set a short period for searching on other channels.

[0036] (Frame composition) 5 shows an example of the structure of an SDF (MAC (medium access control) frame) transmitted and received by WFD R2. The SDF is defined in the format of an Action frame defined in the IEEE 802.11 series of standards. The SDF includes a Frame Control field 501, a Duration field 502, an Address 1 field 503, an Address 2 field 504, an Address 3 field 505, and a Frame Body field 506.

[0037] The Frame Control field 501 stores a value indicating the type of frame. When the 8-bit bit string indicating the Frame Control field 701 is expressed as B7 to B0, setting B2B3 to 00 and B4 to B7 to 1011 indicates that this frame is an Action frame. Furthermore, setting B2B3 to 00 and B4 to B7 to 0111 in the Frame Control field 501 indicates that this frame is an Action No Ack frame. The Duration field 502 stores a value indicating the time that processing related to the frame to be transmitted will control the medium (wireless channel). The Address1 field 503 stores the MAC address of the destination communication device. In the SDF used in this embodiment, a value indicating broadcast or the P2P (Peer-to-Peer) Device address of the destination communication device is stored in the Address1 field 503. Furthermore, a multicast address defined in the P2P network may be stored in the Address1 field. The Address2 field 504 stores the MAC address of the source communication device. In the SDF used in this embodiment, the P2P Device address of the source communication device is stored in the Address2 field 504. The Address3 field 505 stores a wildcard BSSID (Basic Service Set Identifier) ​​or the P2P Device address of the destination communication device.

[0038] The Frame Body field 506 includes information about the Action frame. The Frame Body field 506 includes a Category field, an Action field, an OUI field, an OUI Type field, and a NAN Attributes field 507. Setting the Category field to 0x04 and the Action field to 0x09 indicates that this frame is an Action frame defined in the WFD. Setting the OUI field to 0x50-6F-9A and the OUI Type field to 0x13 indicates that this frame is an SDF defined for Wi-Fi Aware. Note that the OUI Type field may be 0x09 defined in Wi-Fi Direct. The NAN Attributes field 507 includes attributes (attribute values) defined for Wi-Fi Aware. The NAN Attributes field 507 includes, for example, service descriptor attributes shown as the Attribute ID field 511 to the Service Info field 518.

[0039] The Attribute ID field 511 stores a value indicating the type of Attribute. For example, setting the value to 0x03 indicates that the following field is a Service Descriptor Attribute. The Length field 512 stores a value indicating the length of the Attribute. The Service ID field 513 stores the output value (hash value) of a hash function using the name of a service provided by or requested by the communication device transmitting this frame as an argument. The Instance ID field 514 stores an ID assigned to a service managed, provided, or requested by the communication device transmitting this frame. If the communication device receives an SDF from a remote device and has received an Instance ID through the SDF, the Requestor ID field 515 stores the ID. On the other hand, if the communication device has not received an Instance ID from the remote device, the Requestor ID field 515 is set to 0. The Service Control field 516 stores a value indicating whether the SDF is Publish, Subscribe, or Follow up. The Service Control field 516 also includes bits indicating whether the following Service Info Length field 517 and Service Info field 518 exist. The Service Info Length field 517 stores a value indicating the length of the following Service Info field 518. The Service Info field 518 is a field that stores information related to the service. The Service Info field 518 stores, for example, the following Sub-Attributes:

[0040] The Sub-Attribute includes a Sub-Attribute ID field 521, a Length field 522, and a Value field 523. The Sub-Attribute ID field 521 indicates the type of attribute information included as the Sub-Attribute. The Length field 522 stores a value indicating the length of the Value field 523. The Value field 523 stores a value of the type of information specified in the Sub-Attribute ID field 521. Note that in order to include more information in the Service Info field 518, the above information may be included in a Service Descriptor Extension Attribute (SDEA). In this case, the Attribute ID field 511 stores a value of 0x0E.

[0041] FIG. 6 shows the correspondence between the value of the Sub-Attribute ID field 521 and the type of information included in the Value field 523. As shown in FIG. 6, when the value of the Sub-Attribute ID field 521 is set to 0x00, the port number used in the Transport layer is indicated in the Value field 523. When the value of the Sub-Attribute ID field 521 is set to 0x01, the type of protocol used in the Transport layer is indicated in the Value field 523. For example, when the protocol type is TCP, the value 0x06 is set in the Value field 523, and when the protocol type is UDP, the value 0x11 is set in the Value field 523. When the value of the Sub-Attribute ID field 521 is set to 0x02, the service name is indicated in the Value field 523. When the value of the Sub-Attribute ID field 521 is set to 0x03, the service instance name is indicated in the Value field 523. When the value of the Sub-Attribute ID field 521 is set to 0x04, text information is indicated in the Value field 523. In this case, the Value field 523 may contain any data expressed using, for example, XML, CSV, JSON, or YAML format. If the value of the Sub-Attribute ID field 521 is set to 0x05, the Value field 523 indicates a UUID. If the value of the Sub-Attribute ID field 521 is set to 0x06, the Value field 523 indicates a BLOB (Binary Large Object). In this case, the Value field 523 may store unstructured data, binary data, or the like. If the value of the Sub-Attribute ID field 521 is set to 0xDD, the Value field 523 indicates any value defined by the vendor.

[0042] Note that a P2P attribute to be included in a P2P IE (described later) may be indicated using an Element Container Attribute in NAN Attributes field 507. Also, an attribute to be included in a WCE IE may be indicated in NAN Attributes field 507.

[0043] Next, a Probe Request frame, a Probe Response frame, or a Beacon frame will be described with reference to Fig. 7. These frames are classified as Management Frames, and similarly to Fig. 5, are configured to include Frame Control field 501 to Frame Body field 506. Fig. 7 shows the details of Frame Body field 506. Note that in Frame Control field 501, B2B3 is set to 00 and B4 to B7 are set to 0010, thereby indicating that this frame is a Probe Request frame. Also, in Frame Control field 501, B2B3 is set to 00 and B4 to B7 are set to 1010, thereby indicating that this frame is a Probe Response frame. Also, in Frame Control field 501, B2B3 is set to 00 and B4 to B7 are set to 0001, thereby indicating that this field is a Beacon frame.

[0044] Information about each element is included in the Frame Body field 506 of these frames. For example, a P2P IE containing P2P information and a WCE IE containing WPS information may be included in the Frame Body field 506. A P2P Extended IE that has been extended so as not to affect models that only support R1 may also be included in the Frame Body field 506. An SSID Element indicating an SSID (Service Set Identifier) ​​may also be included in the Frame Body field 506. A Multiple BSSID Element indicating information about other BSSIDs that operate simultaneously may also be included in the Frame Body field 506. A Service Hash Element indicating a hash value of a service name may also be included in the Frame Control field 501. A Multi-Link Element indicating information about multiple links may also be included in the Frame Control field 501.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 7, the Frame Body field 506 may include, for example, an Element ID field, a Length field, an OUI field, an OUI Type field, and a P2P Attributes field 701. Also, as shown in FIG. 7, the Frame Body field 506 may include, for example, an Element ID field, a Length field, an OUI field, an OUI Type field, and an Attribute field 702. The Frame Body field 506 may include only one of the P2P Attributes field 701 and the Attribute field 702, or may include both. The P2P Attributes field 701 may be placed after the Attribute field 702. The Frame Body field 506 may also include other configurations capable of storing similar information. Setting the Element ID field to 0xDD indicates that this information is a vendor-defined Element. Setting the OUI field to 0x50-6F-9A and the OUI Type field to 0x09 indicates that the Element is a P2P IE defined in the WFD. Furthermore, the OUI field is set to 0x50-F2-04 and the OUI Type field is set to 0x04, which indicates that the Element is a WCE IE. In this embodiment, the P2P Attributes field 701 stores an attribute defined by Wi-Fi Direct, and the Attributes field 702 stores an attribute defined by WPS.

[0046] FIG. 8 shows an example of the types of information stored in the P2P Attributes field 701 in which a P2P IE is included. The P2P Attributes field 701 contains information in the following order: Attribute ID, Length, and Value. The Value field stores a value related to the type of information indicated by the Attribute ID. As shown in FIG. 8, when the value of the Attribute ID field is set to 03, the Value field stores a P2P Device ID (i.e., P2P Device Address). When the value of the Attribute ID field is set to 07, the Value field stores a P2P Group BSSID. When the value of the Attribute ID field is set to 09, the Value field stores an Intended P2P Interface Address (i.e., P2P Interface Address). Here, the P2P Device Address is a MAC address used when performing P2P connection and disconnection processing. The P2P Interface Address is a MAC address used during communication. The P2P Device Address and the P2P Interface Address may be the same value or different values. If the value of the Attribute ID field is set to 13, the Value field stores P2P Device Info (i.e., P2P Device Address, Device Name). If the value of the Attribute ID field is set to 14, the Value field stores P2P Group Info. That is, the Value field stores the P2P Device Address, P2P Interface Address, and Device Name of the client participating in the P2P network. If the value of the Attribute ID field is set to 21, the Value field stores the Service Hash value (i.e., the hash value of the service name).If the value of the Attribute ID field is set to 24, the Value field stores Advertisement ID Info (i.e., Advertisement ID, Service MAC Address). If the value of the Attribute ID field is set to 25, the Value field stores Advertised Service Info (i.e., Advertisement ID, Service Name). If the value of the Attribute ID field is set to 26, the Value field stores Session ID Info (i.e., Session ID, Session MAC Address). If the value of the Attribute ID field is set to 28, the Value field stores Persistent Group Info (i.e., P2P Device Address, SSID).

[0047] FIG. 9 shows an example of the type of information stored in the Attributes field 702 containing the WCE IE. The Attribute field 702 contains information in the following order: Attribute ID, Length, and Value. The Value field stores a value related to the type of information indicated by the Attribute ID. If the value of the Attribute ID field is set to 0x1058, the Value field stores an Application Extension (i.e., a UUID). If the value of the Attribute ID field is set to 0x100A, the Value field stores a Confirmation URL4 (i.e., a URL used in IPv4). If the value of the Attribute ID field is set to 0x100B, the Value field stores a Confirmation URL6 (i.e., a URL used in IPv6). If the value of the Attribute ID field is set to 0x1011, the Value field stores a Device Name. If the value of the Attribute ID field is set to 0x1071, the Value field stores an Enrollee IPv4 Address. If the value of the Attribute ID field is set to 0x1020, the Value field stores a MAC Address. If the value of the Attribute ID field is set to 0x1023, the Value field contains the Model Number. If the value of the Attribute ID field is set to 0x1029, the Value field contains the New Device Name. If the value of the Attribute ID field is set to 0x106F, the Value field contains the Registrar IPv4 Address. If the value of the Attribute ID field is set to 0x1042, the Value field contains the Serial Number. If the value of the Attribute ID field is set to 0x1045, the Value field contains the SSID.If the Attribute ID field is set to a value of 0x1047, the Value field contains UUID-E (i.e., the UUID generated by the Enrollee). If the Attribute ID field is set to a value of 0x1048, the Value field contains UUID-R (i.e., the UUID generated by the Registrar).

[0048] (Distinguishing the other device) Next, an example of the flow of processing executed when a communication device connects to another communication device will be described with reference to Fig. 10. The processing shown in Fig. 10 may be started, for example, when a user or an application requests execution of connection processing, such as discovery of a communication partner device using WFD. Furthermore, for example, the processing shown in Fig. 10 may be started when a communication device receives an instruction to detect a communication partner device or an instruction to start connection processing, without specifying a standard, not limited to WFD. Note that the processing shown in Fig. 10 is merely an example, and various modifications may be made. For example, the order of processing steps may be changed, some processing steps may be omitted, and processing steps not shown may be added.

[0049] The communication device determines whether the user has selected a connection destination (S1001). At this time, instead of or in addition to determining whether the user has selected a connection destination on the communication device itself, the communication device may determine whether a frame indicating that the other device has selected a connection with the communication device has been received from the other device. Note that the communication device may determine that a connection destination has been selected in S1001, for example, when the communication device receives a frame for selecting a bootstrap procedure or a GO Negotiation Request frame. Note that the communication device may proceed to S1015, described below, when the user of the communication device or the other device has selected to perform the bootstrap procedure.

[0050] If a communication device has not selected a connection destination (NO in S1001), the communication device executes a process of searching for other communication devices that are candidate connection destinations. The communication device, for example, scans all channels to receive each frame and may operate by repeatedly switching between Search mode and Listen mode. The communication device checks whether it has received an SDF from the other communication device that is a candidate connection destination (S1002). The communication device also checks whether it has received a frame such as a Probe Request frame, a Probe Response frame, or a Beacon frame from the other communication device that is a candidate connection destination (S1003). If the communication device has not received any frame (NO in S1002 and NO in S1003), the communication device returns the process to S1001. On the other hand, if the communication device has received any frame (YES in S1002 or YES in S1003), the communication device determines whether the other communication device that sent the frame is registered in a list of other communication devices that are candidate connection destinations (S1004). Details of the determination in S1004 will be described later. If the communication device determines that the other communication device that is the frame sender is registered in the list (YES in S1004), the process returns to S1001. On the other hand, if the communication device determines that the other communication device that is the frame sender is not registered in the list (NO in S1004), the communication device adds the other communication device to a list of candidate devices to connect to (S1005). Then, the communication device outputs (presents to the user) the list of candidate devices to connect to via output unit 205. An example of the output at this time will be described later.

[0051] In S1004, the communication device checks the Address2 field 504 of, for example, an SDF, a Probe Request frame, a Probe Response frame, or a Beacon frame (hereinafter, each frame). Then, the communication device may determine whether the P2P interface address stored in the Address2 field 504 matches the P2P interface address of a candidate device registered in the list as a connection destination. If the P2P interface address stored in the Address2 field of the received frame is already registered in the list, the communication device may determine that the device that sent the frame is already registered in the list. Note that in this case, if the communication device finds another communication device that is not registered in the list, it may register the identification information of the other communication device in association with the P2P interface address. The communication device may also make this determination using information other than the P2P interface address. For example, if the MAC address included in the P2P IE (P2P Attribute field 701) of each frame is registered in the list, it may determine that the other communication device that sent the frame is already registered in the list. For example, one or both of the P2P Device address indicated in the P2P Device ID and the P2P Group BSSID may be used as this MAC Address. Alternatively, the P2P Interface Address indicated in the Intended P2P Interface Address may be used as this MAC Address. Alternatively, the P2P Device Address indicated in the P2P Device Info and the P2P Device Address indicated in the P2P Group Info may be used. Alternatively, the P2P Interface Address and the Service MAC Address indicated in the Advertisement ID Info may be used.Alternatively, the Session MAC Address indicated in the Session ID Info or the P2P Device address indicated in the Persistent Group Info may be used. Furthermore, if the MAC Address included in the WCE IE (Attribute field 702) of each frame is registered in the list, the communication device may determine that another communication device that is the source of the frame is already registered in the list. Note that the communication device may make the determination using the information stored in the WCE IE instead of or in addition to the determination based on the information stored in the P2P IE. In one example, the MAC Address or BSSID included in the Multiple BSSID Element of each frame, or the MLD MAC Address included in the Multi-Link Element of each frame may be used for the determination. Alternatively, the MAC address of each link may be used. A MAC address specified by one or more combinations of the above information, or any combination including values ​​indicated in the above fields or other fields, may be used for the determination. In either case, if the address information included in the received frame matches the address information registered in the list, the communication device that is the source of the frame may be determined to be already registered. On the other hand, if none of the address information included in the received frame is registered in the list, it is determined that the other communication device that sent the frame is not registered in the list, and the other communication device may be newly registered in the list. Note that only one of the above information may be used for the determination in S1004, or any combination of the above information may be used for the determination.

[0052] Alternatively, or in addition to, the communication device may use a Service Hash value to determine whether the other communication device that is the source of the frame is registered in the list. For example, the determination may be made based on the Service Hash value included in the Service ID field 513 included in the SDF and the P2P Attributes field 701 of each frame. Alternatively, the Service Hash value indicated in the Service Hash Element included in each frame may be used. A Service Hash value identified by one or more combinations of the above information, or any combination including values ​​indicated in the above fields or other fields, may be used for the determination. That is, if the identified Service Hash value is registered in the list, it may be determined that the other communication device that is the source of the frame is registered in the list. Alternatively, or in addition to, the communication device may use a service name to determine whether the other communication device that is the source of the frame is registered in the list. For example, the Service Name indicated in the Service Info field 518 of the SDF may be used for the determination. Alternatively, the Service Name indicated in the Advertisement Service Info included in the P2P Attributes field 701 of each frame may be used for the determination. Additionally, one or more combinations of the information stored in these fields, or the Service Name identified by one or a combination of the values ​​indicated by the above-mentioned fields or other fields, may be used in the determination.

[0053] Furthermore, instead of or in addition to the above examples, the communications device may use one or more of UUID, Device Name, Serial Number, Model Name, and Model Number to determine whether the device that has transmitted the frame is registered in the list. Note that UUID is an abbreviation for Universal Unique Identifier and is an identifier for uniquely identifying the device, service, etc. that has transmitted the frame. The Device Name is, for example, the device name of the device that has transmitted the frame. The Serial Number is a serial number assigned to the device (e.g., the device that has transmitted the frame). The Model Name is the model name of the device (e.g., the device that has transmitted the frame), and the Model Number is the model number of the device. For example, the UUID included in the Service Info field 518 of the SDF may be used for the determination. Also, the Device Name indicated by the P2P Device Info included in the P2P Attributes field 701 of each frame or the Device Name indicated by the P2P Group Info may be used for the determination. Furthermore, information indicated by the Application Extension in the Attribute field 702 included in the WCE IE of each frame may be used. This information includes, for example, UUID, Device Name, Model Name, Model Number, New Device Name, Serial Number, etc. Alternatively, the UUID indicated by UUID-E or UUID indicated by UUID-R may be used. Any one or more combinations of this information, or any combination including values ​​indicated in the above fields or other fields, may be used. If one or more of the UUID, Device Name, Serial Number, Model Name, and Model Number identified by this information are registered in the list, it may be determined that the device that sent the frame is registered.

[0054] Alternatively, or in addition to the above example, the communication device may use an SSID to determine whether another communication device that is the source of a frame is registered in the list. For example, the SSID indicated by the Persistent Group Info included in the P2P Attribute field 701 of each frame may be used. Alternatively, the SSID in the Attribute field 702 included in the WCE IE of each frame or the SSID included in the SSID Element of each frame may be used. Note that one or more combinations of these pieces of information, or an SSID identified by any combination including values ​​indicated in the above fields or other fields, may also be used for the determination.

[0055] In addition to or instead of the above information, other information may be used for the determination. For example, either or both of Confirmation URL4 and Confirmation URL6 in the Attribute field 702 in the WCE IE of each frame may be used. Also, either or both of the Enrollee IPv4 Address and the Registrar IPv4 Address may be used. Also, information indicated in the Vendor Specific Element of each frame may be used for the determination. Also, at least one of the above values ​​may be included as information indicated in the Vendor Specific Info defined in the SDF, and that value may be used for the determination.

[0056] The determination may be made using a combination of two or more of the above information, or using only one of them. For example, if a combination of a service name and a MAC address is registered in the list, when a frame containing information matching the registered combination is received, it may be determined that the frame has been received from another registered communication device. Alternatively, for example, only the MAC address of the other source communication device may be used for the determination. For example, when registering a device that has transmitted a frame in the list, the MAC address of the source device may be registered. Then, when the MAC address of the source of the received frame is registered in the list, it may be determined that the frame has been received from another registered communication device. Note that, in order to make each of the above determinations, when registering another communication device that has transmitted a frame in the list, values ​​contained in the frame that correspond to the information used for the determination may be registered in the list along with information such as the name of the other communication device.

[0057] By generating a list of detected other communication devices as described above, a user of the communication device can review the list and select a communication device to connect to. Alternatively, the communication device may be selected by an application within the communication device, rather than by user selection. The communication device may, for example, display a list of other communication devices as candidate connection destinations on a display and accept a user's selection by tapping or clicking on information indicating a specific communication device from among the information on the listed devices. The communication device may also accept a user's identification of a communication device as a candidate connection destination via voice input. The communication device may also set predetermined conditions in advance, and automatically select the other communication device when a communication device as a candidate connection destination that satisfies the predetermined conditions is detected. The communication device may also store other communication devices to which it has previously connected, and automatically select the other communication device when the other communication device is detected. Such automatic selection may be performed based on a user's prior settings or an application setting. Once the other communication device as a candidate connection destination is selected, the communication device then executes a connection process with the other communication device.

[0058] When another communication device to which the communication device is to connect is selected, the communication device determines whether the selected other communication device supports WFD R2 (S1007). Here, instead of determining whether the other communication device supports WFD R2, a determination may be made as to whether the selected other communication device supports PASN (Preassociation Security Negotiation). Whether the other communication device supports PASN may be determined by checking the Capability in the P2P Attributes field 701 included in the P2P IE of each frame. Alternatively, whether the other communication device supports WFD R2 may be determined based on whether an Attribute indicating a list of Bootstrapping procedures is included in the frame. Alternatively, whether the other communication device supports WFD R2 may be determined based on whether the frame received when the other communication device is detected is an SDF. That is, when the other communication device is detected by an SDF, the other communication device may be determined to support WFD R2. On the other hand, when the other communication device is detected by a Beacon frame, a Probe Request frame, or a Probe Response frame, a determination may be made as to whether the other communication device supports WFD R2 based on the Attribute as described above.

[0059] If the communication device determines that the selected other communication device as a connection destination candidate does not support WFD R2 (NO in S1007), it executes connection processing based on WFD R1. That is, the communication device executes GO Negotiation with the other communication device (S1008). This negotiation determines which of the communication device and the other communication device will operate in the role of GO. Note that the device determined not to operate in the role of GO operates in the role of CL. The communication device exchanges parameters used for connection with the other communication device by executing WPS in accordance with the role determined in S1008 (S1009). Then, after exchanging parameters, the communication device establishes a connection with the selected other communication device (S1014). When establishing this connection, authentication frame exchange, exchange of association request frames and association response frames, and 4WHS are executed.

[0060] If the communication device determines that the selected other communication device, which is a candidate for connection, supports WFD R2 (YES in S1007), the communication device shares the bootstrap procedure to be used with the other communication device and selects which procedure to execute (S1010). The bootstrap procedure may be selected by the user, or one of the procedures available to both the communication device and the other communication device may be selected by either the communication device or the other communication device. For example, as shown in S1101 and S1102 in FIG. 11 , one communication device transmits a request frame for selecting a bootstrap procedure, and the other communication device replies with a response frame for determining the bootstrap procedure. For example, if the communication device cannot determine the bootstrap procedure to be used in common with the other communication device (NO in S1011), the communication device may proceed to S1008. That is, if the communication device cannot perform connection processing using the bootstrap procedure, the communication device may execute GO Negotiation and parameter exchange using WPS in accordance with WFD R1. 11 again to attempt to identify a bootstrapping procedure that can be used in common with other communication devices. If the communication device can identify a bootstrapping procedure that can be used in common with other communication devices (YES in S1011), the communication device exchanges parameters with the other communication devices through bootstrapping (S1012). The communication device then executes GO negotiation in accordance with the exchanged parameters (S1013). Note that the processes of S1012 and S1013 may be executed simultaneously. For example, if a procedure in which buttons are pressed simultaneously (or approximately simultaneously) in the communication device and the other communication device is selected, the processes of S1012 and S1013 may be executed in parallel. In this case, for example, each communication device's public key and information for executing GO negotiation are stored in the same frame. Then, after exchanging parameters, the communication device establishes a connection with the selected other communication device (S1014).Note that when a GO is discovered by scanning all channels and a connection is made to another communication device already operating as a GO, the GO Negotiation (S1008, S1013) may be omitted. In this case, only the parameter exchange by WPS (S1009) or the parameter exchange by the Bootstrapping procedure (S1012) is performed. Furthermore, when a communication device reconnects to a communication device that was previously connected, the process of S1009 to S1012 may be omitted, and only the authentication process may be performed instead of the GO Negotiation of S1008 or S1013.

[0061] Next, with reference to FIG. 11 , the flow of connection processing in WFD processing after the communication device 101 and the communication device 102, both of which are WFD R2-compatible, recognize each other's presence using SDF will be described. Note that in the following description, the roles of the communication device 101 and the communication device 102 may be reversed. First, the communication device 101 requests the communication device 102 to present a bootstrap procedure (presentation of a procedure that the communication device 102 wishes to use) (S1101). The bootstrap procedure indicates a method for exchanging parameters not specified in a standard. For example, the communication device 102 may display a QR code (registered trademark) containing parameters, and the communication device 101 may read the QR code to provide the parameters from the communication device 102 to the communication device 102. In this case, the provided parameters include setting items required for wireless communication, such as the SSID, encryption method, encryption key, authentication method, AKM, BSSID, and MAC Address. Note that AKM is a value indicating the authentication protocol and key exchange algorithm used during communication and is an abbreviation for Authentication and Key Management. For example, if the AKM is "SAE," the communication parameters include a password for connecting to an AP or GO that supports Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) 3. Furthermore, if the AKM is "psk," the communication parameters include a PSK (Pre Shared Key) and / or a passphrase for connecting to an AP or GO that supports WPA2. If the AKM is "1X," the communication parameters include an ID, password, public key, etc. for connecting to an AP that supports WPA-Enterprise. The password and PSK / passphrase are encryption keys used when performing authentication and key exchange in accordance with the WPA or IEEE 802.11 standard. The presentation of the bootstrapping procedure may indicate whether the communication device 102 can display and read QR codes. Furthermore, the presentation of the bootstrapping procedure may indicate whether or not NFC supports tags.The presentation of the bootstrapping procedure may also indicate whether a passphrase can be displayed as a character string or whether a pass frame can be input as a character string. The presentation of the bootstrapping procedure may also indicate whether a numerical value can be displayed or input. The presentation of the bootstrapping procedure may also indicate whether a parameter exchange process can be triggered by a button. The presentation of the bootstrapping procedure may also indicate other methods. For example, it may indicate whether a method of transferring parameters for using a PASN defined in the WFD using a method not defined in the WFD is supported. It may also indicate whether parameter exchange is possible using a method completely different from the above method. When the communication device 101 and the communication device 102 use a PASN, parameters for using the PASN include each other's public keys, etc. Examples of methods for exchanging PASN parameters using a method not defined in the WFD include, for example, a method using Bluetooth. The method for exchanging PASN parameters using a method not defined in the WFD may also include a method of temporarily activating AP and STA functions, establishing a connection using those functions, and exchanging parameters for a WFD connection. It is assumed here that the parameters are provided from the communication device 102 to the communication device 101 by displaying and reading a QR code. In this case, the communication device 102 transmits a Bootstrapping Response including information indicating that the QR code will be displayed to the communication device 101 (S1102). In this processing example, the communication device 102 thereby displays a QR code corresponding to the connection parameters, and the communication device 101 reads the QR code, thereby confirming that the communication parameters will be provided from the communication device 102 to the communication device 101. It is also possible for the communication device 101 to indicate a specific procedure in the Bootstrapping Request of S1101, and for the communication device 102 to indicate only whether or not to use the specific procedure in the Bootstrapping Response of S1102.

[0062] The communication device 101 and the communication device 102 exchange parameters using the determined procedure (S1103). Thereafter, the communication device 101 and the communication device 102 perform GO Negotiation to determine which one will operate as the GO and the frequency channel on which the GO will operate (S1104). At this time, the communication device 101 and the communication device 102 may perform PASN according to the parameters exchanged by Bootstrapping to authenticate each other. Here, it is assumed that it has been determined that the communication device 101 will operate in the role of GO and the communication device 102 will operate in the role of CL. Then, the communication device 101 operating in the role of GO starts transmitting a Beacon frame (S1105). The communication device 102 operating in the role of CL transmits a Probe Request frame to connect to the communication device 101 operating as the GO (S1106). Upon receiving the Probe Request frame, the communication device 101 returns a Probe Response frame in response thereto (S1107). The Probe Request frame may be an ML Probe Request frame including a Multi-Link Element indicating that the communication device 101 is multi-link compatible. The Probe Response frame may also be an ML Probe Response frame including a Multi-Link Element. When the communication device 102 receives the Probe Response frame, it transmits an Authentication frame (SAE Commit) (S1108). When the communication device 101 receives the Authentication frame (SAE Commit), it returns an Authentication frame (SAE Commit) (S1109). When the communication device 102 receives the Authentication frame (SAE Commit), it transmits an Authentication frame (SAE Confirm) (S1110). When the communication device 101 receives the Authentication frame (SAE Confirm), it returns an Authentication frame (SAE Confirm) (S1111).When the communication device 102 receives the Authentication frame (SAE Confirm), it transmits an Association Request frame (S1112). When the communication device 101 receives the Association Request frame, it returns an Association response frame (S1113). Note that 4WHS may be executed after this. Through the above-described procedure, a connection is established between the communication device 101 and the communication device 102, and they become able to transmit and receive data to and from each other.

[0063] FIG. 12 illustrates an example of a processing flow when bootstrapping is not used for parameter exchange used in communication. The processing in FIG. 12 may be executed, for example, when either the communication device 101 or the communication device 102 supports only WFD R1. Alternatively, the processing may be executed when both the communication device 101 and the communication device 102 support both WFD R1 and WFD R2. This processing may also be executed when an SDF transmitted by either the communication device 101 or the communication device 102 indicates that parameter exchange using WFD R2 is not supported. This processing may also be executed, for example, when the communication device 101 discovers the communication device 102 by receiving an SDF transmitted from the communication device 102 but is unable to support the indicated bootstrapping. For example, if the communication device 101 supports NFC tagging and button pressing, and the communication device 102 supports NFC tagging, pin code input, and passphrase input, there is no bootstrapping procedure that can be used for parameter exchange. For this reason, in this case, parameter exchange according to WFD R1 may be performed between the communication device 101 and the communication device 102. At this time, the communication device 101 may transmit a Probe Request frame including a P2P IE to the communication device 102 to confirm whether or not it supports WFD R1. In response to this, the communication device 102 replies to the communication device 101 with a Probe Response frame including a P2P IE, thereby enabling the communication device 101 to confirm whether or not the communication device 102 supports WFD R1. Note that in FIG. 12, the same processes as those in FIG. 11 are assigned the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. Note that in S1104, GO Negotiation is performed according to WFD R1, so PASN is not performed in parallel, and only which of the communication device 101 and the communication device 102 will operate as the GO and the frequency channel on which it will operate as the GO are determined.

[0064] After GO Negotiation, the communication device 101 and the communication device 102 execute WPS to exchange parameters (S1201). The parameters exchanged using WPS include setting items required for wireless communication, such as SSID, encryption method, encryption key, authentication method, AKM, BSSID, and MAC Address.

[0065] (Screen display example) Next, examples of a screen on which the communication device displays a list of other communication devices as connection destination candidates via the output unit 205 in S1006 of FIG. 10 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0066] 13 displays a device name 1301 of the device itself, a list 1302 of device names or P2P device addresses of other communication devices (peer devices) that are connection destination candidates, and a saved group name 1303. In the example of FIG. 13, the device name 1301 of the communication device itself is shown to be "An-334." Furthermore, the list 1302 of peer devices shows "DIRECT-Lf-H," "DIRECT-3Z-E," "DIRECT-8W-C," and "00:2f:a4:8b:09:04" as other communication devices that are connection destination candidates. Note that "DIRECT-Lf-H," "DIRECT-3Z-E," and "DIRECT-8W-C" are device names, and "00:2f:a4:8b:09:04" is a P2P device address. Here, when one other communication device is detected by multiple frames, the other communication device is displayed as a single device, and the device names are all displayed together in the peer device list 1302. In FIG. 13 , for example, when an SDF and a Probe Request frame, a Probe Response frame, and a Beacon frame are both received from the device "DIRECT-Lf-H," the device is displayed as a single device. That is, because detection by WFD R1 and detection by WFD R2 are performed in separate systems, the device "DIRECT-Lf-H" may be detected as two separate devices. In contrast, in this embodiment, the frames used in these detections are analyzed to identify that one device has been detected in two systems, and the device is displayed as a single device rather than as two separate devices. Note that, for example, if a unique device name is assigned to each device, it may be possible to determine whether the devices detected according to WFD R1 and WFD R2 are the same device based solely on the device name included in each frame. On the other hand, if device names can be assigned arbitrarily and a common device name can be assigned to different devices, the identity of the devices can be determined not only by the device name but also by determining whether, for example, the address information of the frame sender is common.

[0067] A user of the communication device can select a device to connect to by, for example, tapping on a device name from the list of peer devices 1302. When the communication device accepts the selection of a device to connect to, the communication device may execute a connection process with the device, for example, using the procedure shown in FIG. 11 or 12 . The saved group name 1303 field displays the names of P2P groups the communication device previously joined or the names of devices it previously connected to. The communication device can identify the device to connect to by accepting the selection of a P2P group or device name displayed here. The communication device may display detailed information about a device selected from the list of peer devices 1302 or the saved group name 1303. In this case, when a device is selected, the communication device may display a screen (item) that allows the user to select whether to display detailed information about the device or connect to the device. While the above example illustrates an example in which the device name or P2P device address is displayed, this is not limiting. For example, the URL, model name, model number, serial number, UUID, P2P interface address, etc., of other communication devices that are candidates for connection may be displayed. Also, for example, if a device name is included in each frame when another communication device is detected, the device name may be displayed, and if the frame does not include a device name, the P2P device address may be displayed. Furthermore, for each discovered device, the reception strength when a signal from that device is detected may be displayed. Note that, if another communication device that is a connection candidate transmits Beacon frames over multiple links, the reception strength of the signal for each link may be displayed.

[0068] FIG. 14 shows an example in which an SSID is displayed in a list of other communication devices that are candidates for connection destinations. In this case, when the Wi-Fi function is enabled, the communication device displays a list of SSIDs indicated by connectable WFD devices, including the SSID indicated by the connectable WFD device, in the list of SSIDs indicated by connectable APs. The communication device displays WFD devices detected with an SSID common to both WFD R1 and WFD R2 as a single device. A user of the communication device can select an SSID to select a device operating using that SSID as a connection destination. The communication device can then execute a connection process with the selected device. The communication device may also display detailed information about the selected device. In this case, when a device is selected, the communication device may display a screen (item) that allows the user to select whether to display detailed information about the device operating using that SSID or to connect to that device.

[0069] FIG. 15 shows an example in which service names are displayed in a list of other communication devices that are candidates for connection. In this case, the communication device displays a list of service names that can be provided by other communication devices in the vicinity. If the communication device detects one other communication device that provides a service with a service name common to both WFD R1 and WFD R2, it displays only one common service name. If one other communication device provides multiple services with different service names, each service is displayed as a separate service. That is, if another communication device is detected whose service name and service provider device match in both WFD R1 and WFD R2, one service name is displayed. If either the service name or the provider device is different, each service name is displayed. If a service name is uniquely assigned to each device, for example, it can be determined whether the devices detected according to WFD R1 and WFD R2 are the same device based solely on the service name included in each frame. On the other hand, if service names can be assigned arbitrarily and a common service name can be assigned to different devices, the identity of the devices can be determined not only by the service name but also by determining whether, for example, the address information of the frame sender is the same. Furthermore, for example, when the service name and device name are the same, it may be determined whether multiple information items are common between frames detected by WFD R1 and WFD R2, regardless of address information. In this case, the communication device may determine that the same device has been detected in both WFD R1 and WFD R2 based on whether a predetermined number (multiple) of information items are common between the frames. The communication device may also display previously used services as saved services. A user of the communication device can select a device that provides that service as a connection destination by selecting a service name. The communication device may then execute a connection process with the selected device. The communication device may also display detailed information about the selected service. In this case, when a device is selected, the communication device may display a screen (item) that allows the user to select whether to display detailed information about the service or connect to the device.

[0070] FIG. 16 shows an example in which a list of other communication devices that are potential connection destinations displays whether each device supports WFD R1 or WFD R2. For example, next to the device name, "R1" indicates that it supports WFD R1, and "R2" indicates that it supports WFD R2. When a specific device is selected and detailed information is displayed on the screen display shown in FIG. 13 , whether the device supports WFD R1 or WFD R2 may be displayed. Furthermore, the communication device may display the format used for the previous connection next to the name of a previously connected device. The example in FIG. 16 shows the device "DIRECT-XY" and that a previous connection was made using WFD R2.

[0071] 17 to 19 show examples in which Wi-Fi settings are displayed in a pop-up format. As shown in FIG. 17, a user of the communication device can select a radio wave mark 1701 displayed as an icon. When the icon is selected, the communication device can display a pop-up of Wi-Fi settings as shown in FIG. 18. Here, a list of SSIDs detected by the communication device is shown as in FIG. 14. In this case, too, as described with reference to FIG. 14, the SSID indicated by the WFD device can be included in the list and displayed. Here, when an item 1801 displayed as "Wi-Fi Direct" is selected, the communication device can display a list of device names that can be connected via WFD as shown in FIG. 19.

[0072] FIG. 20 shows an example of a case where a list of connection destination candidates is displayed when a user inputs the name of a connection destination device. For example, when "DIREC" has been input as the connection destination, the communication device may display a list of device names beginning with "DIREC" (or including "DIREC" as part of the name). The device names displayed here are the same as those in the example of FIG. 13. That is, if one device is detected by both WFD R1 and WFD R2, the communication device displays one device name rather than two device names corresponding to the respective detection results.

[0073] 21 and 22 show examples of when a Wi-Fi Direct setting screen is displayed as a pop-up. For example, when an item 2101 labeled "Wi-Fi Direct" is selected on the screen of Fig. 21, a pop-up 2201 as shown in Fig. 22 causes the screen of Fig. 13 to be displayed.

[0074] As described above, in this embodiment, when a communication device detects a common other communication device using WFD R1 and WFD R2, it can identify that frames of each method were sent from the same other communication device by analyzing the frames detected at the time of the detection. Then, based on the identification result, the communication device prevents one other communication device from being presented to the user as multiple devices, allowing the user to easily select another communication device to connect to.

[0075] In the above embodiment, a procedure has been described for a communication device to discover other communication devices with which to communicate based on two different wireless frames, WFD R1 and WFD R2. However, this is merely an example, and the same applies to a case where a third method is used, in which at least one of searching for and connecting to a communication device is performed using a wireless frame not used in WFD R1 or WFD R2. That is, even when the third method is used, the communication device may determine whether a communication method has been detected in two or more of the multiple methods by analyzing the wireless frames used in each of the multiple methods. Then, based on the determination result, the communication device presents other communication devices that are candidates for connection to the user (e.g., via a screen display or audio output), allowing the user to efficiently select a communication device to connect to. The third method may, for example, be a method adopted in future WFDs following WFD R2. Furthermore, in the above example, an example in which WFD R1 and WFD R2 are used has been described. However, any combination of methods may be used, such as a combination of two methods, WFD R2 and a third method, or a combination of WFD R1 and a third method. Furthermore, a third method and a fourth method, each of which will be adopted in a future standard, may also be used. That is, in the above embodiment, an example in which WFD R1 and WFD R2 are used to comply with the current WFD standard has been described. However, neither of these methods may be used. The techniques according to the above embodiment can be applied to any environment in which other communication devices are detected using any two or more methods that use different wireless frames. Furthermore, information used in infrastructure connections may be used to determine the identity of communication devices detected using multiple methods. For example, it may be determined that one communication device has been detected multiple times based on the results of analyzing frames received as an AP or STA.

[0076] 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. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0077] (Summary of the embodiment) At least some of the above-described embodiments can be summarized as follows. (Item 1) A communication device that communicates wireless frames compliant with the Wi-Fi Direct (WFD) standard, a first detection means for performing a first detection of another communication device in accordance with a first method for searching for a communication partner device using a first wireless frame, which is defined by the WFD standard; a second detection means for performing a second detection of another communication device according to a second method for searching for the other device using a second wireless frame that is not used in the first method, which is defined by the WFD standard; a determination means for determining whether the same device is detected in the first detection and the second detection by analyzing the first radio frame and the second radio frame; an output means for outputting information about other communication devices detected by the first detection and the second detection, wherein when the same device is detected in the first detection and the second detection, the output means outputs the information about the device as a single device; A communication device comprising: (Item 2) The communication device according to item 1, characterized in that the first radio frame is at least one of a Probe Request frame and a Probe Response frame, and the second radio frame is a Service Discovery Frame (SDF). (Item 3) The communication device described in item 1, characterized in that the first wireless frame is at least one of a Probe Request frame, a Probe Response frame, and a Beacon frame, and the second wireless frame is a Service Discovery Frame (SDF). (Item 4) The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 3, characterized in that the discrimination means discriminates that the same device has been detected by the first wireless frame and the second wireless frame based on whether the source addresses of the frames included in the first wireless frame and the second wireless frame match. (Item 5) 5. The communication device according to item 4, wherein the output means outputs a screen including addresses of other communication devices detected by the first detection and the second detection. (Item 6) The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 5, characterized in that the discrimination means discriminates that the same device has been detected by the first wireless frame and the second wireless frame based on the fact that the device names of the senders of the frames contained in the first wireless frame and the second wireless frame match. (Item 7) 7. The communication device according to item 6, wherein the output means outputs a screen including the device names of the other communication devices detected by the first detection and the second detection. (Item 8) The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 7, characterized in that the discrimination means discriminates that the same device has been detected by the first wireless frame and the second wireless frame based on whether the service names provided by the device that transmitted the frames included in the first wireless frame and the second wireless frame match. (Item 9) Item 9. The communication device according to item 8, wherein the output means outputs a screen including the names of services provided by other communication devices detected by the first detection and the second detection. (Item 10) The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 9, characterized in that the discrimination means discriminates that the same device has been detected by the first wireless frame and the second wireless frame based on the fact that the UUIDs of the senders of the frames included in the first wireless frame and the second wireless frame match. (Item 11) Item 11. The communication device according to item 10, wherein the output means outputs a screen including the UUIDs of the other communication devices detected by the first detection and the second detection. (Item 12) A control method executed by a communication device that communicates wireless frames compliant with the Wi-Fi Direct (WFD) standard, comprising: performing a first detection of another communication device according to a first method for searching for a communication partner device using a first wireless frame, as defined by the WFD standard; performing a second detection of another communication device according to a second method defined by the WFD standard for searching for the other device using a second wireless frame not used in the first method; determining whether the same device was detected in the first detection and the second detection by analyzing the first radio frame and the second radio frame; an output means for outputting information about other communication devices detected by the first detection and the second detection, wherein when the same device is detected in the first detection and the second detection, the output means outputs the information about the device as a single device; A control method comprising: (Item 13) 12. A program for causing a computer to function as each of the means possessed by the communication device according to any one of items 1 to 11.

[0078] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0079] 301: R1 control unit, 302: R2 control unit, 303: frame control unit, 304: remote device determination unit, 305: communication control unit

Claims

1. A communication device that communicates wireless frames conforming to the Wi-Fi Direct (WFD) standard, a first detection means for performing a first detection of another communication device in accordance with a first method for searching for a communication partner device using a first wireless frame, which is defined by the WFD standard; a second detection means for performing a second detection of another communication device according to a second method defined by the WFD standard, the second method being for searching for the other device using a second wireless frame that is not used in the first method; a determination means for determining whether the same device is detected in the first detection and the second detection by analyzing the first radio frame and the second radio frame; an output means for outputting information about other communication devices detected by the first detection and the second detection, wherein when the same device is detected in the first detection and the second detection, the output means outputs the information about the detected device as a single device; A communication device comprising:

2. 2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the first radio frame is at least one of a probe request frame and a probe response frame, and the second radio frame is a service discovery frame (SDF).

3. 2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the first radio frame is at least one of a probe request frame, a probe response frame, and a beacon frame, and the second radio frame is a service discovery frame (SDF).

4. 2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the determination means determines that the same device has been detected by the first wireless frame and the second wireless frame based on whether the source addresses of the frames contained in the first wireless frame and the second wireless frame match.

5. 5. The communication device according to claim 4, wherein said output means outputs a screen including addresses of other communication devices detected by said first detection and said second detection.

6. 2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the determination means determines that the same device has been detected by the first wireless frame and the second wireless frame based on the fact that the device names of the senders of the frames contained in the first wireless frame and the second wireless frame match.

7. 7. The communication device according to claim 6, wherein the output means outputs a screen including device names of the other communication devices detected by the first detection and the second detection.

8. 2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the determination means determines that the same device has been detected by the first wireless frame and the second wireless frame based on a match between service names provided by a device that transmitted the frames contained in the first wireless frame and the second wireless frame.

9. 9. The communication device according to claim 8, wherein the output means outputs a screen including names of services provided by the other communication devices detected by the first detection and the second detection.

10. The communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that the discrimination means determines that the same device has been detected by the first wireless frame and the second wireless frame based on the fact that the UUIDs of the senders of the frames contained in the first wireless frame and the second wireless frame match.

11. 11. The communication device according to claim 10, wherein the output means outputs a screen including UUIDs of the other communication devices detected by the first detection and the second detection.

12. A control method executed by a communication device that communicates wireless frames compliant with the Wi-Fi Direct (WFD) standard, comprising: performing a first detection of another communication device according to a first method for searching for a communication partner device using a first wireless frame, as defined by the WFD standard; performing a second detection of another communication device according to a second method defined by the WFD standard for searching for the other device using a second wireless frame that is not used in the first method; determining whether the same device was detected in the first detection and the second detection by analyzing the first radio frame and the second radio frame; an output means for outputting information about other communication devices detected by the first detection and the second detection, wherein when the same device is detected in the first detection and the second detection, the output means outputs the information about the device as a single device; A control method comprising:

13. A program for causing a computer to function as each of the means included in the communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

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