Electronic device and control method

Abstract

There is a demand for a technique for appropriately detecting an abnormality in wireless communication.SOLUTION: An electronic apparatus 100 includes a wireless communication unit 120 that performs wireless communication with a communication device 200, and a processing unit 110 including a communication control unit 114 that controls communication of the wireless communication unit 120, in which the communication control unit 114 transmits a signal for searching for the communication device 200 when an event that causes transition of communication connection between the processing unit 110 and the wireless communication unit 120 from a power saving mode to a non-power saving mode occurs, and detects an abnormality in the wireless communication depending on whether or not a response to the signal is received from the communication device 200.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electronic device and a control method. [Background technology]

[0002] In wireless communication such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), an error may occur in the wireless communication between an electronic device and another device. In this regard, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses that in a printing device capable of communicating with a terminal device, if a communication error occurs, the communication control unit sends an initialization signal to the communication unit to resolve the communication error. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-15997 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Even if an abnormality occurs in the wireless communication of an electronic device, if the occurrence of the abnormality can be detected, the electronic device can perform a predetermined process to recover and resolve the abnormality. Therefore, anomaly detection technology is important to avoid reducing user convenience. However, existing anomaly detection technology has room for improvement in terms of appropriately detecting anomalies. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The electronic device according to the present disclosure has a wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication with a communication device, and a processing unit including a communication control unit that controls communication of the wireless communication unit, and when an event occurs that causes the communication connection between the processing unit and the wireless communication unit to transition from a power saving mode to a non-power saving mode, the communication control unit transmits a signal to search for the communication device and detects an abnormality in the wireless communication based on whether or not a response to the signal is received from the communication device.

[0006] In addition, the control method disclosed herein is a control method for an electronic device having a wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication with a communication device and a processing unit that includes a communication control unit that controls communication of the wireless communication unit, and when an event occurs that causes the communication connection between the processing unit and the wireless communication unit to transition from a power saving mode to a non-power saving mode, the control method transmits a signal to search for the communication device and detects an abnormality in the wireless communication based on whether a response to the signal is received from the communication device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a communication system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an electronic device according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] 2 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of the configuration of a processing unit and a wireless communication unit in the electronic device according to the embodiment; [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of operations of a processing unit. [Figure 5] 1 is a sequence chart illustrating an example of an operation of an electronic device and a communication device according to an embodiment; [Figure 6] 10 is a sequence chart showing a first operation example of an electronic device according to a comparative example. [Figure 7] 10 is a sequence chart showing a second operation example of the electronic device according to the comparative example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. For clarity of explanation, the following description and drawings have been omitted and simplified as appropriate. In addition, the same elements in each drawing are given the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations are omitted as necessary. Furthermore, not all of the features or steps shown in any one drawing are necessarily required to explain an exemplary embodiment, and some features or steps may be omitted. Furthermore, the order of steps shown in any one drawing may be changed as appropriate.

[0009] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a communication system 10 according to the present embodiment. The communication system 10 includes an electronic device 100 and a communication device 200 that can communicate with the electronic device 100 wirelessly.

[0010] The communication device 200 is any device that performs wireless communication with the electronic device 100. In the present embodiment, as an example, the communication device 200 is an access point. The communication system 10 may include a plurality of communication devices 200. For example, when the communication system 10 is configured as a network environment in which a plurality of access points are arranged in a space, such as mesh Wi-Fi (registered trademark), the communication system 10 may include a plurality of communication devices 200. The communication device 200 periodically (for example, every 100 milliseconds) transmits a beacon, which is a signal for notifying surrounding devices of the presence of the communication device 200. The beacon may include an SSID (Service Set Identifier) ​​of the communication device 200.

[0011] The electronic device 100 may be any device that has a configuration for performing wireless communication. In this embodiment, a technology is described in which the electronic device 100 detects an abnormality in wireless communication that occurs in the electronic device 100. In this embodiment, the configuration is described in which the electronic device 100 is a device with a printing function, i.e., a printer, but the electronic device 100 does not necessarily have to have a printing function. Furthermore, the electronic device 100 may have one or more other functions instead of or in addition to the printing function. For example, the electronic device 100 may have a scanner function, a facsimile function, a copy function, or the like.

[0012] As described above, the electronic device 100 performs wireless communication with other devices such as the communication device 200. The wireless communication performed by the electronic device 100 may be wireless communication according to a known wireless communication standard, but in this embodiment, as an example, the electronic device 100 performs communication using the Wi-Fi (registered trademark) system. The Wi-Fi system is a wireless communication system based on, for example, the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 standard and standards equivalent thereto.

[0013] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the electronic device 100 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a specific example of the configuration of the processing unit 110 and the wireless communication unit 120 in the electronic device 100.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 2, the electronic device 100 includes a processing unit 110, a wireless communication unit 120, a display unit 130, an operation unit 140, a printing unit 150, and a storage unit 160.

[0015] The processing unit 110 controls each unit of the electronic device 100. The units of the electronic device 100 include, for example, the wireless communication unit 120, the display unit 130, the operation unit 140, the printing unit 150, and the storage unit 160. In this embodiment, the processing unit 110 has computer functions and is configured as, for example, a system on a chip (SoC). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3 , the processing unit 110 is included in a chip 51. The chip 51 is, for example, a semiconductor chip. Thus, in this embodiment, the processing unit 110 is configured as an integrated circuit. The processing unit 110 includes a processor 111, a memory 112, and an interface 113. The processor 111 is a processor that performs processing related to the wireless communication function of the electronic device 100. Note that the processing unit 110 may include another processor that performs processing related to other functions of the electronic device 100, or the processor 111 may perform processing related to other functions in addition to the processing related to the wireless communication function.

[0016] The wireless communication unit 120 performs wireless communication with devices other than the electronic device 100, such as the communication device 200, in accordance with, for example, a predetermined wireless communication standard. For example, the wireless communication unit 120 performs wireless communication in accordance with a predetermined wireless LAN (Local Area Network) standard. In this embodiment, specifically, the wireless communication is performed in accordance with, for example, the Wi-Fi (registered trademark) standard, which is one of the wireless LAN standards. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the wireless communication unit 120 is included in a chip 52. The chip 52 is, for example, a semiconductor chip. Thus, in this embodiment, the wireless communication unit 120 is configured by an integrated circuit. Note that the wireless communication unit 120 may have a wireless communication circuit in accordance with a standard other than the wireless LAN standard. For example, the wireless communication unit 120 may include a wireless communication circuit in accordance with a short-range wireless communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). Specifically, it may include a wireless communication circuit in accordance with the BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) standard.

[0017] The display unit 130 and the operation unit 140 are a user interface. The display unit 130 is configured with a display or the like that displays various information to the user. The operation unit 140 is configured with buttons or the like that accept input operations from the user. The display unit 130 and the operation unit 140 may be configured as an integrated unit using a touch panel or the like.

[0018] The printing unit 150 has a printing function for forming an image on a print medium such as paper. The printing unit 150 includes a print engine. The print engine is a mechanical configuration that prints an image on a print medium using color materials. The print engine may have a mechanism for printing using ink, for example, by an inkjet method. Alternatively, the print engine may have a mechanism for printing using toner, for example, by an electrophotographic method. The print engine may also have a transport mechanism for transporting the print medium.

[0019] The storage unit 160 stores various types of information such as data and programs. The processing unit 110 and the wireless communication unit 120 may use the storage unit 160 as a work area, for example. The storage unit 160 may be a semiconductor memory such as a static random access memory (SRAM) or a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), a register, a magnetic storage device, or an optical storage device. The storage unit 160 may store data transmitted by wireless communication from another device. This data may be data used for printing by the printing unit 150.

[0020] Hereinafter, the processing unit 110 and the wireless communication unit 120 in the electronic device 100 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

[0021] The processing unit 110 includes a processor 111, a memory 112, and an interface 113. The processor 111 is, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), but may also be a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), or the like. The memory 112 is configured with a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, or a combination thereof. The memory 112 is used to store programs executed by the processor 111, data used for various processes of the processing unit 110, and the like. The processor 111 performs processes to realize each function of the processing unit 110 shown in FIG. 3 by reading and executing the programs from the memory 112. The processor 111 may use a random access memory (RAM) 162 or a read-only memory (ROM) 164 instead of or in addition to the memory 112. In this embodiment, the processor 111 specifically performs processes of the communication control unit 114, the wireless chip driver 115, and the interface driver 116. The communication control unit 114, the wireless chip driver 115, and the interface driver 116 will be described later. The processor 111 may also perform other processes.

[0022] The interface 113 is an interface for, for example, wired communication between internal devices of the electronic device 100. Specifically, the interface 113 is an interface circuit for communication between the processing unit 110 and the wireless communication unit 120. The interface 113 is, for example, a serial interface capable of high-speed serial transfer. Specifically, the interface 113 is, for example, an interface conforming to the USB (Universal Serial Bus) communication standard, but may be an interface conforming to other communication standards. The processing unit 110 may also be connected to the RAM 162 and ROM 164 that constitute the storage unit 160 in FIG. 2. The RAM 162 and the ROM 164 may be included in the chip 51 or the processing unit 110. The RAM 162 is, for example, an SRAM or a DRAM, and may be used as a work area for the processing unit 110. The ROM 164 is a memory that can retain information even when the power supply is cut off. The ROM 164 may be a ROM called a nonvolatile memory, such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), from which data can be electrically erased, or may be a mask ROM.

[0023] The wireless communication unit 120 includes a wireless communication circuit 121, an interface 122, a RAM 123, and an antenna 124. As described above, the wireless communication circuit 121 may include multiple wireless communication circuits of different standards, such as wireless LAN and short-range wireless communication.

[0024] The wireless communication circuit 121 performs wireless communication with an external device using an antenna 124. The wireless communication circuit 121 may include, for example, a transceiver, which is a circuit for the physical layer of wireless communication, and a communication processing circuit that performs link layer processing and the like. The transceiver includes, for example, a transmitting circuit and a receiving circuit for wireless communication. The communication processing circuit may be implemented by, for example, a processor such as a CPU. The interface 122 is, for example, a serial interface capable of high-speed serial transfer and is an interface that conforms to the same communication standard as the interface 113 of the processing unit 110. For example, the interface 122 is an interface that conforms to the USB communication standard. The interface 113 of the processing unit 110 and the interface 122 of the wireless communication unit 120 are connected via a bus 60. The RAM 123 temporarily stores various data and programs. The communication processing circuit of the wireless communication circuit 121 may operate using the RAM 123 as a work area.

[0025] Next, the wireless chip driver 115, the interface driver 116, and the communication control unit 114, which are processed by the processing unit 110, will be described.

[0026] The wireless chip driver 115 is a device driver for the wireless communication unit 120. That is, the wireless chip driver 115 is software for operating the wireless communication unit 120. Specifically, the wireless chip driver 115 is software such as a program that controls the operation of the wireless communication circuit 121 of the wireless communication unit 120.

[0027] The interface driver 116 is a device driver for the bus 60 through which the processing unit 110 communicates with the wireless communication unit 120. That is, the interface driver 116 is software that controls the communication connection between the processing unit 110 (chip 51) and the wireless communication unit 120 (chip 52). In this embodiment, the interface driver 116 is specifically a USB host driver. The interface driver 116 also controls the power supply to the wireless communication unit 120 via the USB VBUS. The electronic device 100 has a function that switches the communication connection between the processing unit 110 and the wireless communication unit 120 to a power-saving mode. Specifically, this function is, for example, a USB Auto Suspend function. With this function, if communication between the processing unit 110 and the wireless communication unit 120 is interrupted for a predetermined period of time or longer, the interface driver 116 stops the normal power supply to the wireless communication unit 120 via VBUS. This reduces power consumption. That is, the interface driver 116 transitions the communication connection from a non-power saving mode (active state) to a power saving mode (suspended state). That is, the power supply state for the communication connection transitions from a non-power saving mode (active state) to a power saving mode (suspended state). Thereafter, when communication occurs, the interface driver 116 resumes normal power supply. That is, the interface driver 116 transitions the communication connection from a power saving mode (suspended state) to a non-power saving mode (active state). That is, the power supply state for the communication connection transitions from a power saving mode (suspended state) to a non-power saving mode (active state). The suspended state may also be referred to as a sleep state.

[0028] The communication control unit 114 controls the wireless communication of the electronic device 100. That is, the communication control unit 114 controls the communication of the wireless communication unit 120. In this embodiment, the communication control unit 114 not only performs a transmission control process for controlling the sending and receiving of data via wireless communication, but also particularly performs a process related to an abnormality in wireless communication. The process related to an abnormality in wireless communication performed by the communication control unit 114 will be described below. An abnormality in wireless communication refers to a state in which wireless communication cannot be performed normally, and can also be called an abnormality in wireless connection.

[0029] The communication control unit 114 performs a process of detecting the occurrence of an abnormality in wireless communication (hereinafter also referred to as an abnormality detection process). In particular, the communication control unit 114 uses the abnormality detection process to detect the presence or absence of an abnormality caused by the electronic device 100. If an abnormality is detected by the abnormality detection process, the communication control unit 114 executes a predetermined process to resolve the abnormality, as will be described later. In this embodiment, the communication control unit 114 performs two types of abnormality detection processes (first abnormality detection process and second abnormality detection process).

[0030] In the present embodiment, the communication control unit 114 performs a first abnormality detection process when a predetermined event occurs. Details of the predetermined event will be described later. As the first abnormality detection process, the communication control unit 114 transmits a signal to search for the communication device 200. Then, the communication control unit 114 detects an abnormality in wireless communication based on whether or not a response to the signal is received from the communication device 200. Specifically, the communication control unit 114 broadcasts a Probe Request, which is a signal to search for the communication device 200. More specifically, the communication control unit 114 broadcasts the Probe Request including the SSID (Service Set Identifier) ​​of the communication device 200 with which a connection was previously established. Then, the communication control unit 114 detects an abnormality in wireless communication based on whether or not the electronic device 100 receives a Probe Response transmitted as a response from any of the communication devices 200 that received the Probe Request.

[0031] If the communication control unit 114 is unable to receive a Probe Response, it determines that an abnormality has occurred in the wireless communication of the electronic device 100. In contrast, if the communication control unit 114 is able to receive a Probe Response from the communication device 200, it determines that no abnormality has occurred in the wireless communication. Note that, for example, if multiple communication devices 200 configure a mesh Wi-Fi, the same SSID is set for these multiple communication devices 200. In this case, two or more communication devices 200 may transmit a Probe Response in response to a Probe Request from the electronic device 100. In this case, if the communication control unit 114 is able to receive a Probe Response from any of the communication devices 200, it determines that no abnormality has occurred in the wireless communication.

[0032] In Wi-Fi, even if no abnormality occurs in the electronic device 100, the electronic device 100 may not be able to receive a probe response due to external disturbances. For this reason, the communication control unit 114 may transmit a signal (probe request) for searching for the communication devices 200 multiple times. In this case, the communication control unit 114 detects an abnormality in wireless communication based on whether or not a response to the signal has been received at least once from any of the communication devices 200. In this case, the communication control unit 114 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the wireless communication of the electronic device 100 if no probe response is received even after transmitting a probe request multiple times. This determination process can prevent erroneous detection of an abnormality due to an inability to receive a response due to external disturbances.

[0033] As described above, the communication control unit 114 performs the first abnormality detection process when a predetermined event occurs. Here, the predetermined event is an event that causes the communication connection between the processing unit 110 and the wireless communication unit 120 to transition from a power saving mode to a non-power saving mode. Specifically, the predetermined event may be, for example, an event in which the wireless communication unit 120 is unable to receive a signal (beacon) periodically transmitted from the communication device 200. Hereinafter, this event will be referred to as a beacon non-reception event. More specifically, a beacon non-reception event is an event in which a beacon from a specific communication device 200 that was previously received periodically becomes unable to be received. When such an event occurs, the wireless communication circuit 121 of the wireless communication unit 120 notifies the processing unit 110 of the occurrence of the event. At this time, if the communication connection between the processing unit 110 and the wireless communication unit 120 is in the power saving mode, the wireless communication circuit 121 outputs a signal to the processing unit 110 via the bus 60 requesting the processing unit 110 to switch the communication connection to a non-power saving mode in order to transmit a message notifying the processing unit 110 of the occurrence of the event. When the processing unit 110 receives the signal requesting a return to the non-power saving mode, the interface driver 116 transitions the communication connection from the power saving mode to the non-power saving mode. Thereafter, the wireless communication circuit 121 transmits a message notifying the occurrence of the above-mentioned event to the processing unit 110. Note that the wireless communication circuit 121 determines that a beacon non-reception event has occurred, for example, when the processing unit 110 has not received a beacon from a specific communication device 200 that it had been receiving periodically for a predetermined period of time (e.g., one second).

[0034] The predetermined event may also be an event in which the wireless communication unit 120 receives a disconnection notification from the communication device 200. Hereinafter, this event will be referred to as a disconnection notification event. For example, some access points have a function to periodically (e.g., every 30 minutes) disconnect a wireless connection with a client as a security function. If the communication device 200 has such a function, the communication device 200 transmits a disconnection notification to the electronic device 100 and disconnects the wireless connection when the periodic disconnection timing arrives. When such an event occurs, the wireless communication circuit 121 of the wireless communication unit 120 also notifies the processing unit 110 of the occurrence of the event. In this case, when the communication connection between the processing unit 110 and the wireless communication unit 120 is in the power saving mode, the wireless communication circuit 121 outputs a signal to the processing unit 110 requesting that the communication connection be set to a non-power saving mode in order to transmit a message notifying the processing unit 110 of the occurrence of the event. Then, when the interface driver 116 shifts the communication connection from the power saving mode to the non-power saving mode, the wireless communication circuit 121 transmits a message to the processing unit 110 notifying the occurrence of the above-mentioned event.

[0035] For the convenience of the user of the electronic device 100, it is preferable that the electronic device 100 maintains a wireless connection with the communication device 200. Therefore, when the electronic device 100 is unable to properly establish a wireless connection with the communication device 200, it is necessary to execute a wireless connection process, and this wireless connection process is executed under the control of the processing unit 110. Therefore, when a beacon non-reception event or a disconnection notification event occurs, the wireless communication unit 120 of this embodiment immediately notifies the processing unit 110, which is the entity executing the wireless connection process, of the occurrence of the event.

[0036] When the communication control unit 114 receives a response (Probe Response) to a signal (Probe Request) for searching for the communication device 200 transmitted in the first abnormality detection process, the communication control unit 114 executes a process of establishing a wireless communication connection with the communication device 200 that transmitted the response. That is, when no abnormality is detected in the first abnormality detection process, the communication control unit 114 executes a wireless connection process for establishing a wireless communication connection with the communication device 200 that transmitted the response. For example, the communication control unit 114 executes a process in accordance with the Wi-Fi standard as the wireless connection process. Specifically, the communication control unit 114 executes authentication and association processes in accordance with the Wi-Fi standard with the communication device 200 as the wireless connection process. Note that when the communication control unit 114 receives responses (Probe Responses) to the signal (Probe Request) for searching for the communication device 200 from a plurality of communication devices 200, the communication control unit 114 executes a process of establishing a wireless communication connection with a communication device 200 selected based on the radio wave intensity of the response. Specifically, for example, the communication control unit 114 executes a process of establishing a wireless communication connection with the communication device 200 that has the highest response radio wave intensity. This allows a stable wireless connection to be established. Note that part or all of the above-described wireless connection process may be executed by the wireless chip driver 115 under the control of the communication control unit 114.

[0037] On the other hand, if the communication control unit 114 cannot receive a response (Probe Response) to a signal (Probe Request) for searching for the communication device 200 transmitted in the first abnormality detection process, the communication control unit 114 executes a recovery process, which will be described later. That is, if an abnormality is detected in the first abnormality detection process, the communication control unit 114 executes a recovery process. Then, thereafter, the communication control unit 114 executes a wireless connection process to establish a wireless communication connection with the communication device 200.

[0038] Furthermore, as the second abnormality detection process, the communication control unit 114 periodically transmits packets to the communication device 200 to determine whether an abnormality has occurred in the wireless communication. That is, the communication control unit 114 detects an abnormality in the wireless communication by transmitting packets to the communication device 200. The communication control unit 114 transmits packets, for example, at intervals of 10 minutes. More specifically, the communication control unit 114 executes a ping command to transmit packets to the communication device 200, thereby determining the state of the wireless communication connection of the wireless communication unit 120. That is, the communication control unit 114 determines whether an abnormality has occurred in the wireless communication by checking a response to the packet transmitted by executing the ping command. If a response is received from the communication device 200, the communication control unit 114 determines that no abnormality has occurred in the wireless communication by the wireless communication unit 120. On the other hand, if a response is not received from the communication device 200, the communication control unit 114 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the wireless communication by the wireless communication unit 120.

[0039] In the present embodiment, when the predetermined event (beacon non-reception event or disconnection notification event) described above occurs, the communication control unit 114 suspends the second abnormality detection process by transmitting packets at least until a wireless communication connection with the communication device 200 is established. This prevents the first abnormality detection process and the second abnormality detection process from being executed overlappingly. In particular, when a disconnection notification event occurs and the wireless connection between the electronic device 100 and the communication device 200 is disconnected, packet transmission and reception between the electronic device 100 and the communication device 200 fails. Therefore, if the second abnormality detection process is executed until the wireless communication connection with the communication device 200 is re-established, it is erroneously detected that an abnormality has occurred in the wireless communication function of the communication device 200. As a result, the recovery process described below is executed even though it is unnecessary. In contrast, as described above, by suppressing the execution of the second abnormality detection process during the period from the occurrence of the event until the establishment of a wireless communication connection with the communication device 200, unnecessary recovery process execution can be avoided.

[0040] When the communication control unit 114 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the wireless communication of the electronic device 100, the communication control unit 114 executes a predetermined process (hereinafter also referred to as a recovery process) to resolve the abnormality. By executing the recovery process, the abnormality in the wireless communication function of the electronic device 100 can be resolved. The recovery process may also be referred to as an abnormality resolution process. In this embodiment, when the communication control unit 114 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the wireless communication, the communication control unit 114 executes at least one of the following three recovery processes as the recovery process. However, these are merely specific examples of the recovery process, and the communication control unit 114 may execute a predetermined recovery process different from the following three recovery processes.

[0041] As the first recovery process, the communication control unit 114 reinstalls the wireless chip driver 115. That is, the communication control unit 114 uninstalls the wireless chip driver 115 and installs the wireless chip driver 115 after the uninstallation.

[0042] The wireless chip driver 115 is stored in, for example, the ROM 164, and is installed by reading the wireless chip driver 115 from the ROM 164. That is, the wireless chip driver 115 is installed by incorporating it into the execution program of the processor 111 so that it can be executed. In the first recovery process, the communication control unit 114 first uninstalls the installed wireless chip driver 115. That is, the uninstallation is performed to remove the wireless chip driver 115 from the execution program of the processor 111. At this time, the communication control unit 114 may perform a negotiation process with the wireless communication unit 120 and initialize various settings configured in the registers of the wireless communication circuit 121, etc. Then, in the first recovery process, after the uninstallation, the communication control unit 114 reinstalls the wireless chip driver 115 from the ROM 164. This makes it possible to resolve any malfunctions, such as malfunctions in the register settings of the wireless communication circuit 121 controlled by the wireless chip driver 115, or malfunctions in the wireless chip driver 115. For example, even if the register settings of the wireless communication circuit 121 have been lost or changed to an incorrect setting, the register settings of the wireless communication circuit 121 can be restored to the correct setting by the wireless chip driver 115 that is newly installed after uninstallation. Furthermore, uninstalling the wireless chip driver 115 can also reset the state of the memory used by the wireless chip driver 115. Therefore, by executing the first recovery process, it is possible to resolve an abnormality in wireless communication caused by a problem occurring in the operation of the wireless chip driver 115 or the operation of the wireless communication unit 120.

[0043] Furthermore, as a second recovery process, the communication control unit 114 cuts off the power supply to the wireless communication unit 120 and resumes the power supply after the power supply was cut off. That is, as the second recovery process, the communication control unit 114 executes a hardware reset of the wireless communication unit 120. For example, when power is supplied to the wireless communication unit 120 via a USB VBUS, the communication control unit 114 first stops the power supply via this VBUS. Then, after cutting off the power supply, the communication control unit 114 resumes the power supply via VBUS. In this embodiment, specifically, the communication control unit 114 instructs the interface driver 116 to cut off the power supply to the wireless communication unit 120. The communication control unit 114 also instructs the interface driver 116 to resume the power supply to the wireless communication unit 120. In this way, the power supply to the wireless communication unit 120 is cut off and resumed. By cutting off and resuming the power supply in this manner, register settings and the like of the wireless communication circuit 121 are initialized, which may resolve the wireless communication abnormality.

[0044] Furthermore, as a third recovery process, the communication control unit 114 reboots itself. That is, the communication control unit 114 reboots the software operating as the communication control unit 114. An abnormality in the transmission control process executed by the communication control unit 114 may cause an abnormality in wireless communication. In such a case, rebooting the communication control unit 114 can restore the operating state of the software functioning as the communication control unit 114 and the state of the memory used for the operation of the software to the state when the software was started. This stabilizes the operation of the software and can resolve the abnormality in wireless communication.

[0045] When the communication control unit 114 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the wireless communication, it may execute any one of these multiple predetermined recovery processes, or may execute two or more of the processes in sequence.

[0046] Next, the flow of operations of the processing unit 110 regarding detection of an abnormality in wireless communication of the electronic device 100 will be described. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of operations of the processing unit 110. Hereinafter, the flow of operations will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Note that this flow is started, for example, when the electronic device 100 establishes a wireless connection with the communication device 200, but this flow may be started at any timing.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 4, processing unit 110 performs, in parallel, the processing from step S110 to step S112, which is the processing related to the first abnormality detection processing, and the processing from step S120 to step S124, which is the processing related to the second abnormality detection processing.

[0048] First, steps S110 to S112, which are the processing related to the first abnormality detection processing, will be described.

[0049] In step S110, the communication control unit 114 determines whether the above-mentioned predetermined event (a beacon non-reception event or a disconnection notification event) has occurred. If the predetermined event has occurred (YES in step S110), the process proceeds to step S111. The communication control unit 114 determines that the event has occurred based on a notification from the wireless communication unit 120 that has detected the occurrence of the event. Therefore, when the process proceeds to step S111, the power mode of the communication connection between the processing unit 110 and the wireless communication unit 120 is in a non-power saving mode. The communication control unit 114 may obtain the notification from the wireless communication unit 120 that has detected the occurrence of the event via the wireless chip driver 115.

[0050] In step S111, the communication control unit 114 transmits a probe request to search for a communication device 200 as a first abnormality detection process. Next, in step S112, the communication control unit 114 determines whether or not a probe response has been received from any of the communication devices 200 that received the probe signal. If no response has been received (NO in step S112), the communication control unit 114 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the wireless communication function of the electronic device 100. In this case, the process proceeds to step S130 (recovery process). On the other hand, if a response has been received (YES in step S112), the process proceeds to step S131 (wireless connection process).

[0051] Next, steps S120 to S124, which are the processing related to the second abnormality detection processing, will be described.

[0052] In step S120, the communication control unit 114 determines whether or not a predetermined time, which is the interval between Ping packet transmissions in the second abnormality detection process, has elapsed. If the predetermined time has elapsed (YES in step S120), the process proceeds to step S121.

[0053] In step S121, the communication control unit 114 determines whether the first abnormality detection process is being executed. That is, the communication control unit 114 determines whether the processes from step S111 onwards are being executed. If the first abnormality detection process is being executed (YES in step S121), the process proceeds to step S122. On the other hand, if the first abnormality detection process is not being executed (NO in step S121), the process skips step S122 and proceeds to step S123.

[0054] In step S122, the communication control unit 114 determines whether the wireless connection process (step S131, described later) performed after the first abnormality detection process has been completed. That is, the communication control unit 114 determines whether the reconnection of the wireless communication between the electronic device 100 and the communication device 200 has been completed. If the wireless communication connection by the wireless connection process performed after the first abnormality detection process has been completed (YES in step S122), the process proceeds to step S123. On the other hand, if the wireless communication connection has not been completed (NO in step S122), the execution of the subsequent step S123 (packet transmission of the second abnormality detection process) is postponed until the connection is completed.

[0055] When the process proceeds to step S123, the communication control unit 114 executes a second abnormality detection process. Specifically, the communication control unit 114 executes a ping command to transmit a packet to the communication device 200. That is, the communication control unit 114 transmits a packet addressed to the IP address of the communication device 200 using the wireless communication unit 120. After step S123, the process proceeds to step S124. In step S124, the communication control unit 114 determines whether or not a response to the packet transmitted in step S123 has been received. If a response has been received from the communication device 200 (YES in step S124), the communication control unit 114 determines that no abnormality has occurred in the wireless communication function of the electronic device 100. In this case, the process returns to step S120. If a response has not been received from the communication device 200 (NO in step S124), the communication control unit 114 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the wireless communication function of the electronic device 100. In this case, the process proceeds to step S130.

[0056] In step S130, the communication control unit 114 executes a recovery process. In this embodiment, the communication control unit 114 executes at least one of the first to third recovery processes described above. After step S130, the process proceeds to step S131.

[0057] In step S131, communication control unit 114 executes wireless connection processing to establish a wireless communication connection with communication device 200. After step S130, the processing returns to step S110 or step S120.

[0058] Fig. 5 is a sequence chart showing an example of the operation of the electronic device 100 and the communication device 200. Note that the sequence chart shown in Fig. 5 shows an example of the operation in an environment where two communication devices 200 (a first communication device 200 and a second communication device 200) having the same SSID (for example, "HOGE") exist.

[0059] First, a wireless connection process is performed between the electronic device 100 and the first communication device 200, and a wireless communication connection between them is established (step S200). After that, a second abnormality detection process is periodically performed (step S201). That is, the transmission of a Ping packet and the reception of a response are repeated at predetermined time intervals.

[0060] Thereafter, when the above-described predetermined event (beacon non-reception event or disconnection notification event) occurs (step S202), the electronic device 100 executes a first abnormality detection process. Specifically, the electronic device 100 broadcasts a Probe Request to search for the communication device 200 with which wireless communication with the electronic device 100 has been established by the wireless connection process of step S200 (step S203).

[0061] When the electronic device 100 receives a Probe Response transmitted by the communication device 200 in response to the Probe Request, the electronic device 100 operates as follows. When the electronic device 100 receives the Probe Response (step S204), the electronic device 100 executes a wireless connection process to establish a wireless communication connection with the communication device 200 that transmitted the Probe Response (step S205). Note that, when Probe Responses are received from multiple communication devices 200, the electronic device 100 executes a process to establish a wireless communication connection with a communication device 200 selected based on, for example, the radio wave intensity of the response. When a wireless communication connection between the electronic device 100 and the communication device 200 is established, the second abnormality detection process is resumed (step S206). That is, the second abnormality detection process is suspended from step S202 to step S205.

[0062] On the other hand, if the electronic device 100 cannot receive a response (Probe Response) to the Probe Request, the electronic device 100 operates as follows. The electronic device 100 executes a process to restore the wireless communication function (step S250). Thereafter, the electronic device 100 executes a wireless connection process to establish a wireless communication connection with the communication device 200 (step S251). Note that this wireless connection process may be a wireless connection process using active scanning, which is a process of transmitting a Probe Request to establish a wireless connection, or a passive scanning, which is a process of receiving a beacon periodically transmitted by the communication device 200 to establish a wireless connection. Also in step S251, the communication device 200 to be connected to may be selected based on the radio wave intensity of the signal transmitted from each communication device 200. When a wireless communication connection between the electronic device 100 and the communication device 200 is established, the second abnormality detection process is resumed (step S252). That is, the second abnormality detection process is suspended from step S202 to step S251.

[0063] Next, a comparative example will be described to help understand the features of the electronic device 100 according to the embodiment. The electronic device 900 according to the comparative example is different from the electronic device 100 according to the embodiment in that it only performs the second abnormality detection process (abnormality detection by sending a Ping packet) and does not perform the first abnormality detection process.

[0064] 6 is a sequence chart showing a first operation example of the electronic device 900 according to the comparative example. The first operation example of the electronic device 900 will be described below with reference to the sequence chart shown in FIG.

[0065] First, wireless connection processing is performed between the electronic device 900 and the communication device 200, and a wireless communication connection between them is established (step S300). Thereafter, second abnormality detection processing is periodically performed (steps S301 to S303). That is, transmission of a Ping packet and reception of a response are repeated at predetermined time intervals. Here, assume that an abnormality occurs in the wireless communication function of the electronic device 900 immediately after the second abnormality detection processing is performed in step S303 (step S304). In this case, in the electronic device 900 according to the comparative example, the abnormality is detected (step S306) when the second abnormality detection processing is performed in step S305 after a predetermined time has elapsed, and recovery processing is performed (step S307). Therefore, in the electronic device 900 according to the comparative example, even if an abnormality occurs, the abnormality is not detected immediately, and recovery may be delayed.

[0066] To solve this problem, it is conceivable to shorten the interval between Ping packet transmissions. However, frequent transmission and reception of Ping packets may increase power consumption. This is because even if the electronic device 900 has transitioned to a power-saving mode due to a period of no communication occurring, it must transition to a non-power mode in order to transmit a Ping packet. Therefore, shortening the interval between Ping packet transmissions is not desirable from the perspective of power consumption.

[0067] In contrast, in this embodiment, as described above, the first detection process is performed. The first abnormality detection process is performed when an event occurs that causes a transition from the power saving mode to the non-power saving mode. Therefore, whether or not the first abnormality detection process is performed has almost no effect on power consumption. Therefore, according to the electronic device 100, it is possible to detect an abnormality early without increasing power consumption. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to appropriately detect an abnormality.

[0068] Fig. 7 is a sequence chart showing a second operation example of the electronic device 900 according to the comparative example. Hereinafter, the second operation example of the electronic device 900 will be described with reference to the sequence chart shown in Fig. 7. In the example shown in Fig. 7, the communication device 200 has a function of periodically disconnecting a wireless connection with a client as a function for ensuring security.

[0069] First, wireless connection processing is performed between the electronic device 900 and the communication device 200, and a wireless communication connection between them is established (step S400). Thereafter, a second abnormality detection processing is periodically performed (steps S401 to S403). That is, transmission of a Ping packet and reception of a response are repeated at predetermined time intervals. Here, it is assumed that the electronic device 900 receives a disconnection notification from the communication device 200 in step S404. That is, it is assumed that disconnection processing is performed by the security function of the communication device 200 in step S404. Thereafter, when the timing for performing the second abnormality detection processing arrives, the electronic device 900 performs the second abnormality detection processing in step S405. At this time, the wireless connection between the communication device 200 and the electronic device 900 is disconnected, and therefore transmission and reception of the Ping packet fails. As a result, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred even though no abnormality has occurred in the wireless communication function of the electronic device 900. That is, an abnormality is falsely detected (step S406), and unnecessary recovery processing is performed (step S407).

[0070] In contrast, in the present embodiment, as described above, when the communication device 200 executes the disconnection process, the second abnormality detection process is suspended until the reconnection between the communication device 200 and the electronic device 100 is completed. This prevents an abnormality from being erroneously detected and unnecessary recovery processes from being executed.

[0071] Although the embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiments, the electronic device 100 executes both the first abnormality detection process and the second abnormality detection process, but it may execute only one of them (particularly the first abnormality detection process). Note that by executing not only the first abnormality detection process but also the second abnormality detection process, the abnormality detection capability of the electronic device 100 can be improved compared to when only the first abnormality detection process is executed.

[0072] Also, in the above examples, the program includes instructions (or software code) that, when loaded into a computer, cause the computer to perform one or more functions described in the embodiments. The program may be stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium or a tangible storage medium. By way of example and not limitation, computer-readable medium or tangible storage medium includes random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, solid-state drive (SSD) or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disk (DVD), Blu-ray® disk or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassette, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage device. The program may also be transmitted on a transitory computer-readable medium or communication medium. By way of example and not limitation, transitory computer-readable medium or communication medium includes electrical, optical, acoustic, or other forms of propagated signals.

[0073] Some or all of the above embodiments can be described as, but are not limited to, the following supplementary notes. (Appendix 1) a wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication with the communication device; a processing unit including a communication control unit that controls communication of the wireless communication unit; and When an event occurs that causes a transition of the communication connection between the processing unit and the wireless communication unit from a power saving mode to a non-power saving mode, the communication control unit transmits a signal to search for the communication device, and detects an abnormality in the wireless communication based on whether a response to the signal is received from the communication device. electronic equipment. (Appendix 2) The event includes an event in which the wireless communication unit cannot receive a signal periodically transmitted from the communication device. 1. The electronic device described in Appendix 1. (Appendix 3) The event includes an event that the wireless communication unit receives a disconnection notification from the communication device. 3. An electronic device according to claim 1 or 2. (Appendix 4) When the communication control unit detects the abnormality, the communication control unit executes a predetermined process to resolve the abnormality. 4. An electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. (Appendix 5) When the response to the signal is received from the communication device, the communication control unit executes a process of establishing a wireless communication connection with the communication device. 5. An electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. (Appendix 6) When the response to the signal is received from a plurality of the communication devices, the communication control unit executes a process of establishing a wireless communication connection with a communication device selected based on radio wave intensity of the response. 10. The electronic device described in Appendix 5. (Appendix 7) The communication control unit further detects an abnormality in the wireless communication by transmitting a packet to the communication device. 7. An electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. (Appendix 8) When the event occurs, the communication control unit stops detecting the abnormality by transmitting the packets at least for a period until a wireless communication connection with the communication device is established. 8. The electronic device according to claim 7. (Appendix 9) The communication control unit transmits a signal for searching the communication device a plurality of times, and detects an abnormality in the wireless communication based on whether a response to the signal is received at least once from the communication device. 9. An electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 8. (Appendix 10) A control method for an electronic device having a wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication with a communication device and a processing unit including a communication control unit that controls communication of the wireless communication unit, When an event occurs that causes a transition of the communication connection between the processing unit and the wireless communication unit from a power saving mode to a non-power saving mode, a signal for searching the communication device is transmitted, and an abnormality in the wireless communication is detected based on whether or not a response to the signal is received from the communication device. Control method. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 10...communication system, 51...chip, 52...chip, 60...bus, 100...electronic device, 110...processing unit, 111...processor, 112...memory, 113...interface, 114...communication control unit, 115...wireless chip driver, 116...interface driver, 120...wireless communication unit, 121...wireless communication circuit, 122...interface, 124...antenna, 130...display unit, 140...operation unit, 150...printing unit, 160...memory unit, 200...communication device, 900...electronic device

Claims

1. a wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication with the communication device; a processing unit including a communication control unit that controls communication of the wireless communication unit; and When an event occurs that causes a transition of the communication connection between the processing unit and the wireless communication unit from a power saving mode to a non-power saving mode, the communication control unit transmits a signal to search for the communication device, and detects an abnormality in the wireless communication based on whether a response to the signal is received from the communication device. electronic equipment.

2. The event includes an event in which the wireless communication unit cannot receive a signal periodically transmitted from the communication device. The electronic device according to claim 1 .

3. The event includes an event that the wireless communication unit receives a disconnection notification from the communication device.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. When the communication control unit detects the abnormality, the communication control unit executes a predetermined process to resolve the abnormality. The electronic device according to claim 1 .

5. When the response to the signal is received from the communication device, the communication control unit executes a process of establishing a wireless communication connection with the communication device. The electronic device according to claim 1 .

6. When the response to the signal is received from a plurality of the communication devices, the communication control unit executes a process of establishing a wireless communication connection with a communication device selected based on radio wave intensity of the response. The electronic device according to claim 5 .

7. The communication control unit further detects an abnormality in the wireless communication by transmitting a packet to the communication device. The electronic device according to claim 1 .

8. When the event occurs, the communication control unit stops detecting the abnormality by transmitting the packets at least for a period until a wireless communication connection with the communication device is established.

8. The electronic device according to claim 7.

9. The communication control unit transmits a signal for searching the communication device a plurality of times, and detects an abnormality in the wireless communication based on whether a response to the signal is received at least once from the communication device. The electronic device according to claim 1 .

10. A control method for an electronic device having a wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication with a communication device and a processing unit including a communication control unit that controls communication of the wireless communication unit, When an event occurs that causes a transition of the communication connection between the processing unit and the wireless communication unit from a power saving mode to a non-power saving mode, a signal for searching the communication device is transmitted, and an abnormality in the wireless communication is detected based on whether or not a response to the signal is received from the communication device. Control method.

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