Communication devices and their control methods, information processing devices and their control methods, systems and their control methods, programs and storage media

Abstract

To enable the optimal use of multiple Wi-Fi Direct standards. [Solution] The communication device performs direct communication with an external device via wireless LAN without going through an access point. Furthermore, the device is controlled to display a display target that can capture both of the following at once: first connection information for connecting to the communication device in the first method, which includes the SSID and password of the communication device, and second connection information for connecting to the communication device in the second method, which is different from the first method.

Description

Technical Field

[0005] ,

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication device and its control method, an information processing device and its control method, a system and its control method, a program, and a storage medium.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, with the increase in the amount of data to be communicated, the development of communication technologies such as wireless LAN (Local Area Network) has been promoted. As the main communication standards for wireless LAN, the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) 802.11 standard series is known. The IEEE 802.11 standard series includes IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax standards, etc. For example, in the latest IEEE 802.11ax standard, by using OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access), technologies for achieving a high peak throughput of up to 9.6 gigabits per second (Gbps) and improving the communication speed under congested conditions have been standardized. OFDMA is an abbreviation for Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access.

[0003] On the other hand, the Wi-Fi Alliance has formulated a program for authenticating wireless LAN devices. For example, the WFD standard has been formulated, which defines a procedure for establishing a communication link between wireless LAN stations (STAs) by exchanging communication parameters between the STAs without going through an access point (AP). WFD is an abbreviation for Wi-Fi Direct (registered trademark).

[0004] Also, the Wi-Fi Aware standard, which is a standard for discovering services provided by devices, has been formulated. In Patent Document 1, there is a description of detecting a communication terminal using the provisions of the Wi-Fi Aware standard.

[0005] In addition, there are known methods of establishing wireless connections using two-dimensional codes (QR codes®) when using direct connections such as Wi-Fi Direct. Patent document 2 proposes a method of establishing a wireless direct connection by converting the communication parameters necessary for wireless direct connection into a QR code, displaying it on a printer, and reading it with a mobile terminal. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-201427 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2017-175444 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] The new Wi-Fi Direct® method, WFD R2, allows for parameter exchange by specifying a QR code for bootstrapping. However, users of smartphones and other devices that do not support the WFD R2 method cannot use it, which creates an inconvenience as they are also unable to use the conventional QR code-based wireless direct connection standard (legacy method).

[0008] In view of the above problems, the present invention aims to provide a mechanism that allows for the appropriate use of multiple Wi-Fi Direct standards. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] To solve the above problems, the communication device of the present invention is A communication method that enables direct communication with external devices via wireless LAN without going through an access point, Connection information for establishing a direct communication connection with the communication device in the first manner, the first connection information including the SSID and password of the communication device, Second connection information including information for connecting the communication device to the direct communication using a second method different from the first method, A display control means that controls the display to allow simultaneous capture of display targets from which both of the above can be extracted, It is characterized by having the following features. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, multiple Wi-Fi Direct standards can be suitably utilized. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of a system configuration. [Figure 2] This diagram shows an example of an MFP configuration. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of the display on the operation display unit of an MFP. [Figure 4] This diagram shows the configuration of a mobile terminal device. [Figure 5] This is a diagram showing the configuration of an access point. [Figure 6] This is a sequence diagram illustrating the connection process of the conventional WFD standard. [Figure 7] This is a sequence diagram illustrating the connection process for the new WFD standard. [Figure 8A] This is a flowchart of the process for displaying a 2D code using an MFP and connecting to a terminal in the embodiment. [Figure 8B] This is a flowchart of the process for displaying a 2D code using an MFP and connecting to a terminal in the embodiment. [Figure 9A] This is a flowchart of the process for displaying a 2D code using an MFP and connecting to a terminal in a modified embodiment. [Figure 9B]It is a flowchart of the display of a two-dimensional code by an MFP and the connection process with a terminal in a modification example of an embodiment. [Figure 10] It is a diagram showing an example of the display of a two-dimensional code in an embodiment. [Figure 11A] It is a flowchart of the processing of printing application software in a mobile terminal device. [Figure 11B] It is a flowchart of the processing of printing application software in a mobile terminal device. [Figure 12A] It is a flowchart of the processing of application software of a general-purpose QR code reader in a mobile terminal device. [Figure 12B] It is a flowchart of the processing of application software of a general-purpose QR code reader in a mobile terminal device.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that this embodiment is merely an example, and specific examples of components, processing steps, display screens, etc. are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to them without special description.

[0013] When connecting a terminal and a communication device (such as a printer) using a legacy method, the terminal connects to the communication device as part of the wireless infrastructure. In other words, the terminal treats the communication device as equivalent to an access point and connects to it, thus disconnecting connections to other access points. Therefore, even if the terminal was previously connected to an external access point, that connection is temporarily disconnected. As a result, while communication with the communication device is possible, communication with the internet via the external access point is not. That is, for example, even if an image scanned by a communication device with a scanning function can be received and acquired from the communication device to the terminal, the image received from the communication device cannot be uploaded to the internet in that state. To upload the received image to the internet, it is necessary to disconnect the direct connection to the communication device and reconnect to the access point.

[0014] On the other hand, if the opposing terminal supports simultaneous connection of wireless infrastructure and wireless direct connection, the wireless infrastructure connection can be maintained even when the opposing terminal and printer are directly connected using the WFD R2 method. Therefore, for example, an image scanned by a communication device with a scanning function can be received and acquired from the communication device to the opposing terminal, and the image received from the communication device can then be uploaded to the internet from the opposing terminal in the same state.

[0015] For these reasons, when both the legacy and R2 methods of WFD connection are available, it is preferable to prioritize the WFD R2 method connection.

[0016] On the other hand, if we were to create a communication device that supports both legacy and R2 connection methods, one possible configuration would be to separate menu items for the legacy method and the R2 method, and display a QR code for WFD connection using the method selected by the user. However, with such a configuration, if the user of the opposing terminal does not know whether their terminal supports the legacy or R2 method of the WFD standard, they will not know which menu item to select. Furthermore, in many cases, users are unaware that there are multiple WFD methods, the characteristics of each method, and which method their device supports.

[0017] In this embodiment, in view of the above, a mechanism is provided that offers a more favorable connection state without requiring the user to be aware of whether to connect using the legacy method or the WFD R2 method, and also avoids complicating the menu structure.

[0018] (System Configuration) Figure 1 shows an example of the system configuration according to this embodiment. In one example, this system is a wireless communication system in which multiple communication devices can communicate with each other wirelessly. In the example in Figure 1, the communication devices include a mobile terminal device 104, an MFP 100, an access point AP 101, a DHCP server 103, and a network 110. The mobile terminal device 104 is a device that has wireless communication functionality such as wireless LAN. In the following, wireless LAN may be referred to as WLAN. The mobile terminal device 104 may be a personal information terminal such as a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a mobile phone (smartphone), a digital camera, a personal computer, etc.

[0019] The MFP100 is a printing device with printing capabilities, and may also have scanning, faxing, and telephone functions. Furthermore, the MFP100 in this embodiment has a communication function that allows it to communicate wirelessly with the mobile terminal device 104. While this embodiment describes the use of the MFP100 as an example, it is not limited to this. For example, a scanner, projector, mobile terminal, smartphone, notebook PC, tablet, PDA, digital camera, music playback device, television, smart speaker, etc., each with communication capabilities, may be used instead of the MFP100. MFP is an acronym for Multi Function Peripheral.

[0020] AP101 is installed separately (externally) from the mobile terminal device 104 and MFP100, and operates as a WLAN base station device. Communication devices with WLAN communication capabilities can communicate in WLAN infrastructure mode via AP101. In the following, access points may be referred to as "AP," and infrastructure mode may be referred to as "wireless infrastructure mode." AP101 communicates wirelessly with communication devices that it has authorized (authenticated) to connect to, and relays wireless communication between those communication devices and other communication devices. AP101 can also be connected to a wired communication network, for example, and can relay communication between communication devices connected to that wired communication network and other communication devices that are wirelessly connected to AP101.

[0021] The DHCP server 103 connects to the MFP 100 via AP 101 and network 110, and provides services to the MFP 100 by responding to requests from the MFP 100. In Figure 1, the DHCP server 103 is described as being connected as a separate device from AP 101, but AP 101 may also have DHCP server functionality. The DNS server 105 connects to the MFP 100 and mobile terminal device 104 via AP 101 and network 110, and provides name resolution services by responding to requests from the MFP 100 and mobile terminal device 104. Here, network 110 may be the internet, a closed network within a company, or a mobile phone network.

[0022] (External configuration of the MFP) Figure 2(a) shows an example of the external configuration of the MFP100. The MFP100 includes, for example, a document tray 201, a document cover 202, a paper input slot 203, a paper output slot 204, and an operation display unit 205. The document tray 201 is a platform on which the document to be scanned is placed. The document cover 202 is a cover that holds down the document placed on the document tray 201 and prevents light from the light source that illuminates the document during scanning from leaking to the outside. The paper input slot 203 is an input slot that can accommodate paper of various sizes. The paper output slot 204 is an output slot for discharging paper after printing is complete. Paper set in the paper input slot 203 is transported to the printing unit one sheet at a time, and after printing is performed in the printing unit, it is discharged from the paper output slot 204. The operation display unit 205 is configured to include keys such as character input keys, cursor keys, select keys, and cancel keys, as well as LEDs and LCDs, and is configured to accept user input for activating various functions and setting various settings as an MFP. The operation display unit 205 may also be configured to include a touch panel display. The MFP 100 has a wireless communication function via WLAN, and although it does not necessarily need to be visible from the outside, it is configured to include a wireless communication antenna 206 for this wireless communication. Like the mobile terminal device 104, the MFP 100 can also perform wireless communication via WLAN in the 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz frequency bands.

[0023] (MFP configuration) Figure 2(b) shows an example configuration of the MFP100. The MFP100 consists of a main board 211 that performs the main control of the device itself, and a wireless unit 226 which is a communication module that performs WLAN communication using at least one common antenna. The MFP100 also includes a modem 229 for wired communication, for example. The main board 211 consists of, for example, a CPU 212 (central processing unit), ROM 213, RAM 214, non-volatile memory 215, image memory 216, read control unit 217, data conversion unit 218, read unit 219, and code decoding unit 221. The main board 211 also includes, for example, a printing unit 222, a paper feeding unit 223, a print control unit 224, and an operation display unit 220. These functional units within the main board 211 are interconnected via a system bus 230 managed by the CPU 212. Furthermore, the main board 211 and the wireless unit 226 are connected, for example, via a dedicated bus 225, and the main board 211 and the modem 229 are connected, for example, via a bus 228.

[0024] The CPU 212 is a system control unit including at least one processor, and controls the entire MFP 100. In one example, the processing of the MFP 100 described below is realized by the CPU 212 executing a program stored in the ROM 213. Dedicated hardware may be provided for each process. The ROM 213 stores control programs and embedded OS programs that the CPU 212 executes. In this embodiment, the CPU 212 performs software control such as scheduling and task switching by executing each control program stored in the ROM 213 under the management of the embedded OS, which is also stored in the ROM 213.

[0025] RAM214 is composed of SRAM or the like. RAM214 stores data such as program control variables, user-registered settings, and MFP100 management data. RAM214 can also be used as a buffer for various work. Non-volatile memory 215 is composed of memory such as flash memory and continues to store data even when the MFP100 is powered off. Image memory 216 is composed of memory such as DRAM. Image memory 216 stores image data received via the wireless unit 226 and image data processed by the code decoding processing unit 221. Note that the memory configuration of MFP100 is not limited to the above configuration. The data conversion unit 218 performs analysis of various data formats and conversion from image data to print data.

[0026] The reading control unit 217 controls the reading unit 219 (for example, a CIS (contact image sensor)) to optically read the document placed on the document table 201. The reading control unit 217 converts the image obtained by optically reading the document into electrical image data (image signal) and outputs it. At this time, the reading control unit 217 may perform various image processing such as binarization and halftone processing before outputting the image data.

[0027] The operation display unit 220 is the same as the operation display unit 205 described with reference to Figure 2(a), and performs functions such as displaying information on the display based on display control by the CPU 212 and generating signals in response to user operations.

[0028] The encoding and decoding processing unit 221 performs encoding and decoding processing, as well as scaling processing, for image data (JPEG, PNG, etc.) handled by the MFP100.

[0029] The paper feed unit 223 holds paper for printing. The paper feed unit 223 can supply the set paper under the control of the print control unit 224. The paper feed unit 223 may include multiple paper feed units to hold multiple types of paper in one device, and the print control unit 224 can control which paper feed unit to use for feeding.

[0030] The print control unit 224 applies various image processing to the image data to be printed, such as smoothing, print density correction, and color correction, and outputs the processed image data to the print unit 222. The print unit 222 is configured to perform, for example, inkjet printing, and ejects ink supplied from the ink tanks from the print head to record an image on a recording medium such as paper. The print unit 222 may also be configured to perform other printing processes such as electrophotography. Furthermore, the print control unit 224 can periodically read information from the print unit 222 and update status information, including the remaining amount of ink in the ink tanks and the status of the print head, which is stored in the RAM 214.

[0031] The wireless unit 226 is a unit capable of providing WLAN communication functionality, and can provide similar functionality to, for example, a combination of the WLAN unit 401 of the mobile terminal device 104. That is, the wireless unit 226 converts data into packets according to the WLAN standard and transmits the packets to other devices, and also restores packets from other external devices to their original data and outputs it to the CPU 212. The wireless unit 226 is capable of communication as a station compliant with the IEEE 802.11 standard series. In particular, it is capable of communication as a station compliant with IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax. Hereafter, a station may be referred to as an STA.

[0032] The wireless unit 226 supports IEEE 802.11ax, i.e., Wi-Fi 6 (trademark), and can perform processing compliant with IEEE 802.11ax. In other words, the MFP100 can perform processing as an STA that supports (complies with) OFDMA, or as an STA that supports (complies with) TWT, or both. OFDMA stands for Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access. TWT stands for Target Wake Time. Because it supports TWT, the timing of data communication from the base station to the STA is adjusted. The wireless unit 226 (MFP100), acting as an STA, switches its communication function to sleep mode when there is no need to wait for signal reception. This reduces power consumption. The wireless unit 226 also supports Wi-Fi 6E (trademark). In other words, it can communicate in the 6GHz band (5.925GHz~7.125GHz). The 6GHz band does not have the same frequency bands where Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS), which exists in the 5GHz band, is performed. Therefore, communication in the 6GHz band does not experience communication interruptions due to DFS waiting time, and a more comfortable communication experience can be expected. Although processing compliant with IEEE802.11ax is performed here, the mobile terminal device 104 and MFP100 may operate in compliance with other standards in the IEEE802.11 series. For example, they may be compliant with standards later than IEEE802.11be.

[0033] Furthermore, the mobile terminal device 104 and MFP 100 are capable of P2P (WLAN) communication based on WFD, and the wireless unit 226 has software access point (soft AP) functionality or group owner functionality. That is, the wireless unit 226 can build a P2P communication network and determine the channel to be used for P2P communication. WFD here is based on the standard developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance. The wireless unit 226 can also operate as a WFD client.

[0034] (MFP operation display) Figure 3 schematically shows an example of the screen display on the display (touch panel display) included in the operation display unit 220 of the MFP100. Figure 3(a) is an example of the home screen displayed when the MFP100 is powered on and no operations such as printing or scanning are being performed (idle state, standby state). In Figure 3(a), display items (menu items) corresponding to copy, scan, and cloud are displayed. Cloud is a menu item related to cloud functions that utilize internet communication. By selecting any of the menu items through key operations or touch panel operations, the MFP100 can start executing the corresponding settings or functions. The MFP100 can seamlessly display a screen different from Figure 3(a) by accepting key operations or touch panel operations on the home screen of Figure 3(a).

[0035] Figure 3(b) shows an example of another part of the home screen, which is accessed by performing an action (such as sliding left or right) to display other pages of the home screen from the state shown in Figure 3(a). In Figure 3(b), display items (menu items) corresponding to communication settings, print, and photo are shown. When any of these menu items is selected, the function corresponding to the selected menu item, namely the print function, photo function, or communication settings, is executed.

[0036] Figure 3(c) shows an example of the communication settings menu screen displayed when communication settings are selected in the screen shown in Figure 3(b). The communication settings menu screen displays the following menu items (options): "Wireless LAN," "Wired LAN," "Wireless Direct," "Bluetooth," and "Common." "Wireless LAN," "Wired LAN," and "Wireless Direct" are menu items for LAN settings, and from these items, users can configure settings such as wired connection settings, enabling / disabling wireless infrastructure mode, and enabling / disabling P2P modes such as WFD and soft AP mode. If the "Wireless LAN" item is selected and wireless LAN is enabled by the user, wireless infrastructure mode is enabled. If the "Wireless Direct" item is selected and wireless direct is enabled by the user, P2P (WLAN) mode is enabled. In addition, a common settings menu for each connection type is also displayed on this screen. Furthermore, from this screen, the user can configure settings such as the wireless LAN frequency band and frequency channel.

[0037] (External configuration of a mobile terminal device) Figure 4(a) shows an example of the external configuration of the mobile terminal device 104. In this embodiment, as an example, the case where the mobile terminal device 104 is a general-purpose smartphone is shown. The mobile terminal device 104 is composed of, for example, a display unit 402, an operation unit 403, and a power key 404. The display unit 402 is a display that includes, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) type display mechanism. The display unit 402 may also display information using, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode). In addition to or instead of the display unit 402, the mobile terminal device 104 may also have a function to output information by voice. The operation unit 403 is composed of hard keys such as keys and buttons, a touch panel, etc., for detecting user operations. In this example, since the information display on the display unit 402 and the reception of user operations by the operation unit 403 are performed using a common touch panel display, the display unit 402 and the operation unit 403 are realized by a single device. In this case, for example, button icons or a software keyboard are displayed using the display function of the display unit 402, and the operation reception function of the operation unit 403 detects when the user touches these areas. Alternatively, the display unit 402 and the operation unit 403 may be separated, with separate hardware for display and hardware for operation reception. The power key 404 is a hard key for receiving user input to turn the power of the mobile terminal device 104 on or off.

[0038] The mobile terminal device 104 does not necessarily need to be visible from its external appearance, but it has a WLAN unit 401 that provides WLAN communication functionality. The WLAN unit 401 is configured to perform data (packet) communication in a WLAN system compliant with, for example, the IEEE 802.11 standard series (IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax, etc.). It is also capable of communication as an AP compatible with Wi-Fi Agile Multiband (trademark). However, it is not limited to this, and the WLAN unit 401 may be capable of performing communication in WLAN systems compliant with other standards. In this example, the WLAN unit 401 is assumed to be capable of communication in the 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz frequency bands. Furthermore, the WLAN unit 401 is assumed to be capable of performing WFD-based communication, communication in soft AP mode, communication in wireless infrastructure mode, etc. The operation in these modes will be described later.

[0039] (Configuration of mobile terminal devices) Figure 4(b) shows an example of the configuration of a mobile terminal device 104. In one example, the mobile terminal device 104 has a main board 411 that performs the main control of the device itself, and a WLAN unit 429 that performs WLAN communication. The main board 411 includes, for example, a CPU 412, ROM 413, RAM 414, image memory 415, data conversion unit 416, telephone unit 417, GPS 419, camera unit 421, non-volatile memory 422, data storage unit 423, speaker unit 424, and power supply unit 425. Here, CPU is an acronym for Central Processing Unit, ROM for Read Only Memory, RAM for Random Access Memory, and GPS for Global Positioning System. The mobile terminal device 104 also includes a display unit 420 and an operation unit 418. These functional units within the main board 411 are interconnected via a system bus 628 managed by the CPU 412. Furthermore, the main board 411 and the WLAN unit 429 (the aforementioned WLAN unit 401) are connected, for example, via a dedicated bus 426.

[0040] The CPU 412 is a system control unit including at least one processor, and controls the entire mobile terminal device 104. In one example, the processing of the mobile terminal device 104 described below is realized by the CPU 412 executing a program stored in the ROM 413. Dedicated hardware may be provided for each process. The ROM 413 stores control programs and embedded operating system (OS) programs that the CPU 412 executes. In this embodiment, the CPU 412 performs software control such as scheduling and task switching by executing each control program stored in the ROM 413 under the management of the embedded OS, which is also stored in the ROM 413.

[0041] RAM 414 is composed of SRAM (Static RAM) or the like. RAM 414 stores data such as program control variables, user-registered settings, and management data for the mobile terminal device 104. RAM 414 can also be used as a buffer for various tasks. Image memory 415 is composed of memory such as DRAM (Dynamic RAM). Image memory 415 temporarily stores image data received via the WLAN unit 429 and image data read from the data storage unit 423 for processing by the CPU 412. Non-volatile memory 422 is composed of memory such as flash memory, and continues to store data even when the power to the mobile terminal device 104 is turned off. Note that the memory configuration of the mobile terminal device 104 is not limited to the above configuration. For example, image memory 415 and RAM 414 may be shared, or data backup may be performed using the data storage unit 423. In this embodiment, DRAM is given as an example of image memory 415, but other storage media such as hard disks or non-volatile memory may be used.

[0042] The data conversion unit 416 performs data analysis of various formats and data conversions such as color conversion and image conversion. The telephone unit 417 controls the telephone line and processes the voice data input and output via the speaker unit 424 to enable telephone communication. The GPS 419 receives radio waves transmitted from satellites and acquires location information such as the current latitude and longitude of the mobile terminal device 104.

[0043] The camera unit 421 has the function of electronically recording and encoding images input through the lens. Image data obtained by imaging with the camera unit 421 is stored in the data storage unit 423. The speaker unit 424 has the function of inputting or outputting sound for telephone functions, and also controls functions such as alarm notifications. The power supply unit 425 is, for example, a portable battery and controls the power supply to the device. Power states include, for example, a battery-dead state where there is no remaining battery power, a power-off state where the power key 404 is not pressed, a normal startup state, and a power-saving state where the device is running but power-saving.

[0044] The display unit 420 is the same as the display unit 402 described with reference to Figure 4(a), and, based on the control of the CPU 412, displays various input operations, the operating status of the MFP 100, and the status status. The operation unit 418 is the same as the operation unit 403 described with reference to Figure 4(a), and, upon receiving a user operation, performs control such as generating an electrical signal corresponding to that operation and outputting it to the CPU 412.

[0045] The mobile terminal device 104 uses a WLAN unit 429 to perform wireless communication and communicate data with other devices such as the MFP 100. The WLAN unit 429 converts data into packets and transmits them to other devices. The WLAN unit 429 also restores packets from external devices back to their original data and outputs it to the CPU 412. The WLAN unit 429 is a unit that enables communication compliant with WLAN standards. The WLAN unit 429 can operate in parallel in at least two communication modes, including wireless infrastructure mode and P2P (WLAN) mode. The frequency bands used in these communication modes may be limited by the hardware functions and performance.

[0046] (Access point configuration) Figure 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of AP101, which has wireless LAN access point functionality. It consists of a main board 510 that controls AP101, a wireless LAN unit 516, a wired LAN unit 518, and operation buttons 520.

[0047] The microprocessor-type CPU 511 located on the main board 510 operates according to the control program stored in the ROM-type program memory 513, which is connected via the internal bus 512, and the contents of the RAM-type data memory 514. The CPU 511 performs wireless LAN communication with other communication terminal devices by controlling the wireless LAN unit 516 through the wireless LAN communication control unit 515. The CPU 511 also performs wired LAN communication with other communication terminal devices by controlling the wired LAN unit 518 through the wired LAN communication control unit 517. The CPU 511 can accept user input via the operation buttons 520 by controlling the operation control circuit 519. The CPU 511 includes at least one processor.

[0048] The AP101 also includes an interference wave detection unit 521 and a channel changing unit 522. The interference wave detection unit 521 performs interference wave detection processing when wireless communication is being performed in a band where DFS (Dynamic Frequency Selection) is implemented. The channel changing unit 522 performs channel changing processing when an interference wave is detected while wireless communication is being performed in a band where DFS is implemented, and when it is necessary to immediately switch to an available channel.

[0049] (P2P communication method) Next, we will outline the P2P (WLAN) communication method, which allows devices to communicate directly wirelessly with each other without the need for an external access point. P2P (WLAN) communication can be implemented using multiple methods; for example, a communication device can support multiple modes for P2P (WLAN) communication and selectively use one of these modes to perform P2P communication (WLAN).

[0050] Two P2P modes are assumed: • Soft AP mode • Wi-Fi Direct (WFD) mode A communication device capable of performing P2P communication may be configured to support at least one of these modes. On the other hand, a communication device capable of performing P2P communication is not required to support all of these modes, but may be configured to support only some of them.

[0051] A communication device with WFD communication capabilities (for example, a mobile terminal device 104) receives user input via its control panel, thereby calling a (possibly dedicated) application to implement its communication functionality. The communication device then displays a UI (user interface) screen provided by the application to prompt user input, and can perform WFD communication based on the received user input.

[0052] ● Soft AP mode In soft AP mode, a communication device (e.g., mobile terminal device 104) acts as a client requesting various services. The other communication device (e.g., MFP100) acts as a soft AP capable of performing WLAN AP functions through software configuration. The commands and parameters transmitted and received when establishing a wireless connection between the client and the soft AP only need to be those specified in the Wi-Fi® standard, so their explanation is omitted here. In addition, the MFP100 operating in soft AP mode determines the frequency band and frequency channel as the master station. Therefore, the MFP100 can select which frequency band to use from 2.4GHz, 5GHz, or 6GHz, and which frequency channel to use within that frequency band. In soft AP mode, there is no negotiation to determine roles, and compliance with the WFD standard established by the Wi-Fi Alliance is not required.

[0053] ●WFD mode The MFP100 may be configured to start permanently as the master station in WFD mode (Autonomous Group Owner). In the following, the Autonomous Group Owner may be referred to as Auto GO. In this case, the GO Negotiation process to determine the roles is unnecessary. Furthermore, in this configuration, the MFP100, as the master station, determines the frequency band and frequency channel. Therefore, the MFP100 can select which frequency band to use from 2.4GHz, 5GHz, or 6GHz, and which frequency channel to use within that frequency band. Alternatively, in WFD mode, the MFP100 may be configured to perform GO Negotiation, which determines which device acts as the group owner and which as a client.

[0054] (Wireless infrastructure mode) In wireless infrastructure mode, communication devices that communicate with each other (for example, the mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100) are connected to an external access point (AP) that manages the network (for example, AP 101), and communication between communication devices takes place via that AP. In other words, communication between communication devices is performed via the network established by the external AP. When the mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100 each discover AP 101, send connection requests to AP 101, and connect, communication between these communication devices in wireless infrastructure mode via AP 101 becomes possible. Note that multiple communication devices may be connected to separate APs. In this case, data transfer between APs enables communication between communication devices. The commands and parameters sent and received during communication between each communication device via the access point can be those specified in the Wi-Fi standard, so their explanation is omitted here. Also, in this case, AP 101 determines the frequency band and frequency channel. Therefore, the AP101 can select which frequency band to use from 2.4GHz, 5GHz, or 6GHz, and which frequency channel to use within that frequency band.

[0055] Here, we will assume that there are two WFD standards: a conventional standard and a new standard. In other words, there are multiple WFD standards with different versions. The conventional WFD standard will be called WFD R1, and the new WFD standard will be called WFD R2. WFD R1 and WFD R2 differ in their methods for device discovery and parameter exchange.

[0056] (Connection processing for the conventional WFD standard) The mobile terminal 104 and MFP100 support the functionality known as Wi-Fi Direct. Wi-Fi Direct is a function that allows Wi-Fi Direct-compatible devices to establish their own Wi-Fi network without the need for an internet connection. Specifically, Wi-Fi Direct-compatible devices such as the mobile terminal 104 and MFP100 can connect directly to each other even in environments without AP101 or similar equipment.

[0057] Figure 6 is a sequence diagram of the process by which the mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100 connect in accordance with the WFD standard. Here, the processing sequence for WFD R1 is shown. In this sequence, the processing performed by each device is realized by the CPU of each device reading various programs stored in the memory such as ROM into RAM and executing them.

[0058] For example, the mobile terminal device 104 and MFP 100 begin processing a sequence when they receive a WFD start command from the user. Upon receiving the WFD start command from the user, the mobile terminal device 104 and MFP 100 search for the other device by repeatedly switching between the Listen state and the Search state. There may be a period before these states in which each channel is scanned. In the Listen state, for example, channel 1 in 2.4 GHz is selected and awaits Probe Request frames from other communication devices. In the Search state, Probe Request frames are sent while switching between frequency channels (e.g., channel 1, channel 6, channel 11) and awaits Probe Response frames.

[0059] In S601, the mobile terminal device 104 sends a Probe Request frame to search for a WFD communication device. By sending a Probe Request frame, it searches for the other device being searched. Here, the searching communication device is the mobile terminal device 104, and the other device being searched is the MFP 100. The Probe Request frame has the WFD attribute (P2P IE), which identifies the target of the search as a WFD communication device.

[0060] In S602, when MFP100 receives a Probe Request frame, it transmits a Probe Response frame. The mobile terminal device 104 detects MFP100, which is the WFD communication partner, upon receiving the Probe Response frame transmitted by MFP100. Note that the Probe Request frame and Probe Response frame may include P2P IE and Multi-Link elements. Multi-Link elements may include communication parameters used for multi-link communication as defined in the IEEE 802.11be standard. This makes it possible to set up multiple links between communication devices with a single connection procedure. Thus, WFD R1 can detect the presence of other communication devices using a first search process that utilizes Probe Request / Response frames. The first search process described above is the search sequence of WFD R1.

[0061] In S603, the mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100 perform GO Negotiation processing. In GO Negotiation, the channel to be used for wireless communication may be determined directly. In GO Negotiation processing, the mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100 transmit or receive a GO Negotiation Request / Response frame containing an intent value indicating the degree to which they want to become a GO. The GO Negotiation Request / Response frame determines the roles of P2P group owner (GO) and P2P client. The MFP 100 may also be configured to start permanently as a master station (GO) in WFD mode (Autonomous Group Owner). In this case, GO Negotiation processing to determine the role is unnecessary. The MFP 100 may also be configured to execute GO Negotiation processing by setting its intent value to the maximum of 15, but to always operate as a GO. In this case, the MFP 100 determines the frequency band and frequency channel to be used for wireless communication directly as a master station. Therefore, the MFP100 can select whether to use the 2.4GHz or 5GHz frequency band, and which frequency channel to use within that frequency band.

[0062] In S604, the mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100 exchange communication parameters using WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) processing. These communication parameters may include parameters used for wireless communication, such as SSID (Service Set Identifier), encryption method, encryption key, authentication method, AKM, BSSID, and MAC Address. AKM stands for Authentication and Key Management. AKM indicates the authentication protocol and key exchange algorithm used for wireless communication. For example, if AKM is "SAE," the communication parameters may include a password for connecting to an AP or GO compatible with WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) 3. If AKM is "psk," the communication parameters may include a PSK (Pre-Shared Key) / passphrase for connecting to an AP or GO compatible with WPA2. If AKM is "1X," it may include an ID, password, public key, etc., for connecting to an AP compatible with WPA-Enterprise. The password and PSK / passphrase are encryption keys used when performing authentication and key exchange based on WPA or IEEE 802.11. The WPS processing in S604 is the communication parameter exchange sequence for WFD R1. Furthermore, from processing S604 onwards, the channel used for communication may be changed from the channel used in S601-603.

[0063] In S605, when the MFP100 determines that it will operate as a GO, it begins transmitting a Beacon frame. The Beacon frame may contain communication parameters for communicating with the MFP100. The Beacon frame may also contain information elements and attributes as defined in the WFD standard. This allows communication devices other than the mobile terminal device 104 to detect the presence of the MFP100 and establish a direct wireless communication connection with it. For example, other communication devices can detect the presence of the MFP100 by receiving a Beacon frame containing information defined in the WFD standard.

[0064] At S606, the mobile terminal device 104 sends a Probe Request frame to perform the connection procedure with the MFP 100. At S607, upon receiving the Probe Request frame, the MFP 100 sends a Probe Response frame.

[0065] In S608, the mobile terminal device 104 transmits an Authentication frame. In S609, when the MFP 100 receives an Authentication frame, it transmits an Authentication frame.

[0066] In S610, when the mobile terminal device 104 receives an Authentication frame, it sends an Association Request frame. In S611, when the MFP 100 receives an Association Request frame, it sends an Association Response frame.

[0067] In S612, the mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100 perform a 4-way handshake. By performing this connection procedure, a connection is established between the mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100.

[0068] Furthermore, although not shown in the sequence described above, the mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100 may also be configured to send or receive Provision Discovery Request / Response frames. Alternatively, the processing of the mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100 as described above may be reversed.

[0069] (Connection process for the new WFD standard) Figure 7 is a sequence diagram of the process by which the mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100 connect in accordance with the WFD standard. Here, the WFD R2 processing sequence is shown. In this sequence, the processing performed by each device is realized by the CPU of each device reading various programs stored in the memory such as ROM into RAM and executing them.

[0070] For example, the mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100 begin processing the sequence when they receive a WFD start command from the user. The WFD R2 search sequence performs a second search process. An example of the search procedure by the second search process is shown below. In this search procedure, each mobile terminal device 104 and MFP 100 performs processing based on whether it is a communication device on the service provider side or a communication device on the service request side, and detects other communication devices. Communication devices on the service provider side may be called Publisher, Listener, Advertiser, etc. Communication devices on the service request side may be called Subscriber, Searcher, Seeker, etc. For example, a communication device on the service request side may send a frame to detect other communication devices. Also, a communication device on the service provider side may receive and respond to frames sent by other communication devices. The role assigned to a communication device may be determined by a higher layer (service layer, etc.). Figure 7 shows an example in which the mobile terminal device 104 operates as a communication device on the service request side and the MFP 100 operates as a communication device on the service provider side. For example, the mobile terminal device 104 intermittently performs detection operations and transmits frames to detect other communication devices. In the second discovery process, the mechanism of the Wi-Fi Aware standard, for example, developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance, may be used. In other words, the frames communicated in the second discovery process may be frames defined in the Wi-Fi Aware standard. Furthermore, other service discovery protocols and methods, not limited to the Wi-Fi Aware standard, may also be used in the second discovery process.

[0071] In S701, the mobile terminal device 104 transmits a Service Discovery frame to search for a WFD communication device. Here, we assume that the Service Discovery is transmitted on channel 6 of 2.4GHz. By transmitting the Service Discovery frame, the mobile terminal device 104 searches for the other device being searched. Here, we assume that the searching communication device is the mobile terminal device 104 and the other device being searched is the MFP 100. The Service Discovery frame has the WFD attribute, which identifies the target of the search as a WFD communication device.

[0072] In S702, when MFP100 receives a Service Discovery frame, it transmits a Service Discovery frame. The Service Discovery frame transmitted here may be called an SDF Follow-up. Upon receiving the Service Discovery frame, the mobile terminal device 104 detects MFP100, which is the WFD communication partner. The second search process described above is the search sequence for WFD R2. Because the first search process of WFD R1 and the second search process of WFD R2 use different methods, a communication device that only supports WFD R1 cannot be searched using the WFD R2 method. Conversely, a communication device that only supports WFD R2 cannot be searched using the WFD R1 method.

[0073] In S703, the mobile terminal device 104 sends a request using a Bootstrapping Request frame. This request concerns the method for exchanging communication parameters. Using this frame, the mobile terminal device 104 can notify the MFP 100 of the exchange methods it can perform from among those using, for example, button presses, PIN codes, passphrases, QR codes, NFC tags, etc. For example, if the mobile terminal device 104 can perform the exchange method using a QR code, it can indicate at least whether it can display or read QR codes. Also, if the mobile terminal device 104 can perform the exchange method using a passphrase, it can indicate whether it can use either a string or a number, or both. Furthermore, if the mobile terminal device 104 can perform the exchange method using a passphrase, it can indicate at least whether it can display or input passphrases. In addition, the mobile terminal device 104 can indicate whether it can use a button press as a trigger for exchanging communication parameters. The information that the mobile terminal device 104 can notify is not limited to these.

[0074] In S704, the MFP100 responds to a request using a Bootsstrapping Request frame by sending a response to the mobile terminal device 104 using a Bootsstrapping Response frame. For example, the MFP100 may select an exchange method that it can execute from among the exchange methods included in the request from the mobile terminal device 104 and send a response containing information that identifies that exchange method. If there is no exchange method that the MFP100 can execute among the exchange methods included in the request, it may send a response containing information indicating that.

[0075] In S705, bootstrapping is performed using an exchange method for exchanging communication parameters determined between communication devices, and the exchange of communication parameters is executed. For example, MFP100 displays a QR code, and the mobile terminal device 104 reads the QR code to exchange communication parameters. The bootstrapping process in S705 is the communication parameter exchange sequence for WFD R2.

[0076] In S706, mutual authentication can be performed using PASN authentication. PASN is an abbreviation for Preassociation Security Negotiation. Communication parameters for using PASN may include the public key of each communication device. Communication parameters for using PASN may be exchanged using methods not specified in the WFD standard, such as Bluetooth. Alternatively, a temporary network including an AP may be configured, and the communication devices may obtain the communication parameters by connecting to that network. In PASN, the mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100 may perform GO Negotiation processing. In GO Negotiation, the channel to be used for wireless communication may be determined directly. In GO Negotiation processing, the roles of P2P group owner (GO) and P2P client are determined. In addition, the MFP 100 may be set to start permanently as the master station in WFD mode (Autonomous Group Owner). In this case, GO Negotiation processing to determine roles is unnecessary. The MFP 100 may perform GO Negotiation processing by setting its intent value to the maximum of 15, but may always operate as the MFP 100. In this case, the MFP100, acting as the master station, directly determines the frequency band and frequency channel to be used for wireless communication. Therefore, the MFP100 can select which frequency band to use from 2.4GHz, 5GHz, or 6GHz, and which frequency channel to use within that frequency band. In WFD R1, the frequency bands that could be used for direct wireless communication were 2.4GHz and 5GHz, but in WFD R2, in addition to 2.4GHz and 5GHz, 6GHz can also be used for direct wireless communication. Also, unlike R1, WFD R2 determines the role after exchanging communication parameters. From processing S707 onwards, the channel used for communication may be changed from the channel used in S701-706.

[0077] In S707, when the MFP100 determines that it will operate as a GO, it begins transmitting a Beacon frame. The Beacon frame may contain communication parameters for communicating with the MFP100. The Beacon frame may also contain information elements and attributes as defined in the WFD standard. This allows communication devices other than the mobile terminal device 104 to detect the presence of the MFP100 and establish a connection with it. For example, other communication devices can detect the presence of the MFP100 by receiving a Beacon frame containing information defined in the WFD standard.

[0078] At S708, the mobile terminal device 104 sends a Probe Request frame to perform the connection procedure with the MFP 100. At S709, when the MFP 100 receives the Probe Request frame, it sends a Probe Response frame.

[0079] In S710, the mobile terminal device 104 transmits an Authentication frame. In S711, when the MFP 100 receives an Authentication frame, it transmits an Authentication frame.

[0080] In S712, when the mobile terminal device 104 receives an Authentication frame, it sends an Association Request frame. In S713, when the MFP 100 receives an Association Request frame, it sends an Association Response frame.

[0081] In S714, the mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100 perform a 4-way handshake. By performing this connection procedure, a connection is established between the mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100.

[0082] The processing configurations for the mobile terminal device 104 and MFP 100 described above may be reversed. Furthermore, whether a device is WFD R1 compatible or WFD R2 compatible can be indicated in the P2P IE.

[0083] In the following, Autonomous Group Owner may be referred to as Auto GO.

[0084] (Device registration process for direct connection) Figures 8A and 8B show flowcharts of the process for displaying a QR code for direct connection with an external device, such as a mobile terminal, in the MFP100. The QR code is used to register the MFP100 or other device with the mobile terminal 104. The mobile terminal 104 reads the QR code displayed on the display included in the operation display unit 220 of the MFP100, decodes the information encoded as a QR code, and uses that information to register the MFP100 with the mobile terminal 104. The mobile terminal 104 can then establish a direct connection with the registered MFP100, send a print job to the MFP100, and have it executed. Figures 8A and 8B include the processing steps from when the MFP100 displays a QR code for direct connection until a connection with the mobile terminal 104 is established. Note that the establishment of the connection between the MFP100 and the mobile terminal 104 may be performed in the sequence shown in Figure 6 or Figure 7. The processes shown in Figures 8A and 8B begin with the startup of the MFP100, but may be executed from S802 in response to instructions for device registration, not limited to startup. The processes shown in Figures 8A and 8B are realized by the CPU 212 executing a program stored in the MFP100's non-volatile memory 215 after it has been loaded (or placed) into the RAM 214. The processes shown in Figures 8A and 8B begin when the MFP100 is powered on. Direct connection is sometimes referred to as direct communication. Direct communication is a communication method compliant with the Wi-Fi Direct standard. In this embodiment, two methods are adopted for direct communication. The first method, the WFD legacy method, is a legacy method compliant with the Wi-Fi Direct standard. The second method, the WFD R2 method, is Wi-Fi Direct Release 2 compliant with the Wi-Fi Direct standard.

[0085] In the S801, CPU212 performs the startup process for the MFP100. If infrastructure connection is enabled in the network settings, it performs the connection process with the external access point. If direct connection is enabled, it performs the WFD R1 discovery process and the R2 discovery process.

[0086] In the S802, the CPU 212 displays the home screen described in Figures 3(a) and 3(b) on the display included in the operation display unit 220.

[0087] In S803, CPU212 determines whether a communication settings option has been selected on the home screen. If it determines that a communication settings option has been selected, it proceeds to S807; otherwise, it proceeds to S804.

[0088] In S804, CPU212 determines whether or not another operation has been performed. Other operations are those that are not for communication settings, such as a copy command, a scan command, or a command to use a cloud service. If it is determined that another operation has been performed, the process proceeds to S805; otherwise, it proceeds to S806.

[0089] In the S805, CPU212 performs processing according to other operations. For example, it performs operations such as copying, scanning, and using cloud services.

[0090] In S806, CPU212 determines whether or not a termination event has occurred. A termination event is, for example, the operation of turning off the power of MFP100. If it is determined that a termination event has occurred, the process shown in Figure 8 is terminated; otherwise, it returns to S803 and waits for the next operation.

[0091] In the S807, the CPU 212 displays the communication settings menu, as explained in Figure 3(c), on the display included in the operation display unit 220.

[0092] In S808, CPU212 determines whether "Wireless Direct" is selected from among the multiple menu items included in the communication settings menu. If it determines that "Wireless Direct" is selected, it proceeds to S810; otherwise, it proceeds to S809.

[0093] S809 performs processing according to the selected menu item in the communication settings menu. A detailed explanation of this is omitted here. Then proceed to S802.

[0094] In the S810, the CPU 212 displays the Wireless Direct menu screen on the display included in the operation display unit 220. The Wireless Direct menu screen includes items for changing and displaying settings related to Wireless Direct connection, and for issuing instructions to execute a Wireless Direct connection. The Wireless Direct menu screen displays multiple menu items, such as "Display Settings Information," "Connect to Smartphone," "Toggle Wireless Direct On / Off," "Change Network Name (SSID)," and "Change Password."

[0095] In S811, CPU212 determines whether "Connect to Smartphone" is selected from among the multiple menu items included in the Wireless Direct menu screen. If it determines that "Connect to Smartphone" is selected, it proceeds to S820; otherwise, it proceeds to S812.

[0096] In S812, CPU212 determines whether "Change Network Name (SSID)" has been selected from among the multiple menu items included in the Wireless Direct menu screen. If it determines that "Change Network Name (SSID)" has been selected, it proceeds to S813; otherwise, it proceeds to S814.

[0097] In the S813, the CPU 212 accepts user requests to change settings, in this case, the network name. Specifically, it accepts text input to change a portion of the string that will become the SSID (Service Set Identifier) ​​of Wireless Direct (WFD in this case) to a string of the user's choosing. The combination of the entered string and the predefined string becomes the SSID of the MFP100 in WFD, and is stored in the non-volatile memory 215 as at least part of the Wireless Direct configuration information.

[0098] In S814, CPU212 determines whether "Change Password" has been selected from among the multiple menu items included in the Wireless Direct menu screen. If it determines that "Change Password" has been selected, it proceeds to S815; otherwise, it proceeds to S816.

[0099] In the S815, the CPU 212 accepts user requests to change settings, specifically the password (passkey). Specifically, it accepts text input to change the WFD password to a string of the user's choosing. The entered string becomes the WFD password and is stored in the non-volatile memory 215 as at least part of the Wireless Direct configuration information.

[0100] In S816, the CPU212 determines whether or not the "Other" menu item has been selected from among the multiple menu items included in the Wireless Direct menu screen. If the "Other" menu item has been selected, the process proceeds to S817; otherwise, it proceeds to S818.

[0101] In the S817, the CPU 212 performs configuration processing according to the selected menu item. For example, it sets the security method (encryption method, authentication method) used in WFD according to user input. The settings made here are also stored in the non-volatile memory 215 as at least part of the Wireless Direct configuration information.

[0102] In S818, CPU212 determines whether a back operation has been performed. If it determines that a back operation has not been performed, it returns to S811 and waits for an operation. If it determines that a back operation has been performed, it proceeds to S802 and displays the home screen.

[0103] In the S820, the CPU 212 displays a device selection menu on the display included in the operation display unit 220. The device selection menu includes menu items for the types of devices that can be selected. The device selection menu displays multiple menu items, such as "iPhone / iPad" (both registered trademarks), "Android" (registered trademark), and "Other."

[0104] In S821, the CPU212 determines whether a user has made a selection of any of the menu items included in the device selection menu, i.e., any of the device types. If it is determined that any of them have been selected, the process proceeds to S823; otherwise, it proceeds to S822.

[0105] In S822, CPU212 determines whether a back operation has been performed. If it determines that a back operation has not been performed, it returns to S821 and waits for the operation. If it determines that a back operation has been performed, it proceeds to S802 and displays the home screen.

[0106] In the S823, CPU212 enables Wireless Direct (WFD). If it was already enabled, this process does not start any new operations; if it was disabled, it is changed to enabled. This puts the system in a state where the WFD R1 and R2 search processes can be performed.

[0107] In S824, the CPU 212 retrieves the wireless direct configuration information (information indicating the settings set in S813, S815, and S817) recorded in the non-volatile memory 215, and the information of the device type selected in S821.

[0108] In S825, CPU212 generates a QR code based on the information acquired by S824. The generated QR code includes connection information for WFD R2 connection and connection information for WFD legacy connection. It also includes information acquired by S824. The QR code is generated based on the network settings. The connection information for each connection method includes, for example, the SSID and encryption method set in S813, and the encryption key (password) set in S814, associated with each connection method. Examples of the information included in the QR code are described after the explanations of Figures 8A and 8B.

[0109] In S826, the CPU 212 displays the QR code generated in S825 on the display included in the operation display unit 220. An example of this display is shown in Figure 10(a). The display shows a message 1001 prompting the user to read the QR code and the QR code 1002. The QR code 1002 is the QR code generated in S825. A back button 1003 is also displayed. The QR code displayed here is optically read and decoded by the mobile terminal device 104, and the encoded information is acquired by the mobile terminal device 104 and used for registration and connection (or pairing) of the MFP 100. The display of the QR code in S826 and its reading by the mobile terminal device 104 correspond to Bootstrapping in S705 of Figure 7 in WFD R2. In WFD legacy, it corresponds to providing connection information for device registration to the mobile terminal 104 and reading it. Therefore, in the case of WFD R2, steps S701 to S704 of the procedure in Figure 7 may have already been executed, for example, between S824 and S825, before the generation and display of the QR code by S825 and S826. In this case, it is assumed that the exchange of information via QR code is determined in the Bootsrapping request and response (S703, S704) with the mobile terminal device 104. Alternatively, in the case of WFD R2, when a WFD connection is made using the QR code displayed by the generation and display of the QR code by S825 and S826, steps S701 to S704 of the procedure in Figure 7 are omitted. On the other hand, in the case of WFD Legacy, the procedure in Figure 6 will now be executed using the connection information provided to the mobile terminal device 104 by S826.

[0110] In S827, CPU212 determines whether the back button 1003 has been selected. If it is determined that the back button 1003 has been selected, it proceeds to S802 to display the home screen. Otherwise, it proceeds to S828.

[0111] In S828, the CPU 212 determines whether or not a WFD connection request has been received from any external device. There are two types of connection requests that can be received here: legacy connection requests and WFD R2 compliant connection requests. A legacy connection request is a connection request to the legacy WFD SSID. In the case of a WFD R2 connection request, a pairing process is performed based on the information read from the QR code, depending on the connection request. If either a legacy or WFD R2 connection request is received, the process proceeds to S829; otherwise, it returns to S827. The process from S829 onward will be explained assuming that a connection request has been received from the mobile terminal device 104.

[0112] In the S829, the CPU212 hides the QR code 1002 that was displayed on the screen and displays a message indicating that the connection process is underway.

[0113] In S830, CPU212 performs WFD connection processing with the mobile terminal device 104 using the method corresponding to the connection request received in S828. In the case of connection processing using the R2 method, it performs the processing described above from S706 onwards in Figure 7. In the case of connection processing using the legacy method, it performs connection processing including authentication processing to determine whether the correct password has been received for the legacy WFD SSID.

[0114] In S831, the CPU 212 determines whether the WFD connection with the mobile terminal device 104 was successful. If the connection is successful, the process proceeds to S832; otherwise, it proceeds to S833.

[0115] In step S832, the CPU 212 displays a message on the display unit 220 indicating that the connection was successful (connection established), and then proceeds to step S802 to display the home screen. After this, the MFP 100 can perform processing instructed by the mobile terminal device 104 via WFD communication (for example, printing instructed by a print job) or transmit information to the mobile terminal 104 via WFD communication (for example, transmitting image data scanned by the MFP 100). Furthermore, when connected via WFD R2, the WFD R2 connection between the mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100 and the infrastructure connection between the mobile terminal device 104 and the AP 101 are maintained in parallel. Therefore, the mobile terminal device 104 can perform processing via the AP 101 and the network 110 while maintaining the WFD R2 connection with the MFP 100. That is, for example, it is possible to upload scanned images received from the MFP 100 via WFD R2 to a server on the internet via the AP 101 and the network 110. In the example in Figure 1, the mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100 are shown connected to the same AP 101. However, this processing is also possible in other cases, such as when the MFP 100 is connected to a different AP, or when the MFP 100 is not connected to any AP. Therefore, it is highly convenient. On the other hand, when the mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100 are connected using the WFD legacy method, the infrastructure connection between the mobile terminal device 104 and the AP 101 is disconnected. As a result, communication with the MFP 100 is possible, but as mentioned above, there are cases where it is inconvenient for the mobile terminal device 104 to perform processing via the AP.

[0116] In S833, the CPU 212 displays a message on the display unit 220 indicating that the connection failed (could not be connected), then proceeds to S826, where it displays the QR code generated in S825 again.

[0117] Through the above procedure, a communication device with image forming capabilities, such as an MFP, can display a 2D code on its display unit that encodes connection information for connecting to a terminal device or information processing device, such as a mobile terminal device, using either the WFD legacy standard or the WFD R2 standard. From the displayed 2D code, it is possible to extract connection information for either the WFD legacy standard or the WFD R2 standard. Therefore, an information processing device that reads the 2D code and obtains the connection information can connect to the communication device using one of the two types of connection information. The processing procedure by the information processing device at this time will be described later with reference to Figure 11. As a result, even an information processing device that does not have the resources to connect to a communication device using WFD R2 can connect using the legacy standard.

[0118] (Examples of information contained in a QR code) This section explains the string obtained when decoding QR code 1002 displayed by S826 (the string extracted from QR code 1002), that is, the connection information encoded when generating the QR code in S825. The string extracted from QR code 1002 is assumed to be, for example, the string within the brackets below. "WFDR2:S:DIRECT-xyAB-CDEFG;T:WPA2;P:0123456789;;WIFI:S:DIRECT-xyAB-CDEFG;T:WPA2;P:0123456789;;" Each element in the above string has the following meaning: The first string of a statement (the string before the first ":") is the identifier for that statement. • ";" ... Separator for a key (a single element of a string) • ``;;''...Ends a single unit of text, a sentence. For each key, the part before the colon (:) is the identifier of that key, and the part after the colon (:) is the value of that key.

[0119] Therefore, the above string contains two sentences, Sentence 1 (or the first string) and Sentence 2 (or the second string), arranged in the order of Sentence 1 → Sentence 2. Sentence 1 and Sentence 2 correspond to the connection information for WFD R2 and the legacy connection information for WFD, respectively, and can also be called the first connection information and the second connection information, respectively. Sentence 1 “WFDR2:S:DIRECT-xyAB-CDEFG;T:WPA2;P:0123456789” Sentence 2 "WIFI:S:DIRECT-xyAB-CDEFG;T:WPA2;P:0123456789".

[0120] The first connection information, statement 1, is identified as relating to WFD 2 by the identifier "WFDR2". Furthermore, statement 1 includes the following multiple keys: The key identifier is "S" (indicating the SSID), and its value is "DIRECT-xyAB-CDEFG". Here, the SSID can also be considered the identification information for the wireless LAN. The key identifier is "T" (indicating the authentication method) and the value is "WPA2". Here, the authentication method can also be referred to as the encryption method. The key identifier is "P" (password) and the value is "0123456789". Here, the password can also be called the encryption key.

[0121] The information indicated by these keys is shared as part of the Bootstrapping process in S705 when establishing a WFD connection using the R2 method. This information is a set of communication parameters that should be shared with the communication partner regarding which of the MFP100 and the communication partner will be the master station (GroupOwner) (GO negotiation in S706). The above is an example, and other information such as passphrase, encryption method, encryption key, authentication method, AKM, and BSSID (MAC address) may also be included in statement 1 as keys.

[0122] Furthermore, the second connection information, statement 2, is identified as relating to the legacy WFD method by the identifier "WIFI". Statement 2 also includes the following multiple keys. • Key identifier "S" (indicating SSID) with value "DIRECT-xyAB-CDEFG" • The key identifier is "T" (indicating the authentication method) and the value is "WPA2". The key identifier is "P" (password) and the value is "0123456789".

[0123] In the example above, the key sets in statement 1 and statement 2 are the same, but this is not the only example. In particular, statement 1 concerning WFD R2 may include other keys necessary for connection with R2, or conversely, it may exclude keys that are not necessary for connection with R2 from the keys mentioned above. Furthermore, different keys may be included or the string structure may differ depending on the device selected in the device selection menu (i.e., information that identifies the OS of the communication partner). Also, the string structure described above is just one example and is not limited to it.

[0124] As described above, QR code 1002 contains (encodes) information such that a string is extracted in an order in which sentence 1, which contains information about WFD R2, comes first, followed by sentence 2, which contains information about the legacy WFD method. In other words, sentence 1 appears before sentence 2. When a mobile terminal device 104 reads a QR code, it usually executes the processes indicated by the sentences contained in the extracted string in the order they are written. Therefore, when a mobile terminal device 104 reads QR code 1002, it will first attempt the process corresponding to sentence 1, and then the process corresponding to sentence 2. Consequently, the mobile terminal device 104 will first attempt a WFD connection using WFD R2. If the WFD connection is successful, there is no need to connect using the legacy method, so the process indicated by sentence 2 will not be executed.

[0125] Also, if the mobile terminal device 104 is a model that does not support WFD R2 or if it seems impossible to establish a WFD connection using the R2 method due to other factors, the process of WFD connection using the legacy method will be executed according to Sentence 2. Thus, the QR code 1002 stores information that includes both R2 method and legacy method information but is configured such that R2 is preferentially executed. By doing so, it ensures that a WFD connection is possible regardless of whether the device (mobile terminal device 104) serving as the connection partner in the WFD has the connection ability using the R2 method. Furthermore, if there is the connection ability using the R2 method, the connection using the R2 method will be prioritized over the legacy method. Moreover, the user does not need to be conscious of whether it is the legacy method or the R2 method and simply needs to perform the simple operation of reading the QR code 1002. In this way, it becomes possible to more reliably establish a WFD connection regardless of the ability of the WFD connection partner and to preferentially perform a more convenient connection using the R2 method.

[0126] In this example, the generation and display of the QR code in S825 and S826 of FIG. 8B were described as corresponding to the Bootstrapping in S705 of FIG. 7 with respect to WFD R2. However, similar to the case of the WFD legacy method, it may be a process that is performed prior to the connection process shown in FIG. 7 in order to provide connection information from the MFP 100 to the mobile terminal device 104 and register the MFP. In that case, even when connecting according to the WFD R2 standard, the connection process of FIG. 7 may be performed in S830 of FIG. 8B.

[0127] <Variation of the process for QR code display for WFD connection by MFP100> Here, before explaining the connection process in the mobile terminal device 104, a variation of the process for providing connection information using the QR code by the MFP 100 shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B will be explained.

[0128] The process described in Figures 8A and 8B illustrates an example of displaying a QR code 1002 that includes information from both the R2 method and the legacy method. However, this is not the only example; it is also possible to switch between displaying a QR code containing R2 method information and a QR code containing legacy method information.

[0129] Figures 9A and 9B illustrate a modified version of the process shown in Figures 8A and 8B, illustrating the process of switching between displaying a QR code and a QR code containing legacy information.

[0130] Prior to the process in S924 in Figure 9A, the process is the same as that described in Figures 8A and 8B, from S801 to S823. In this modified example, the process proceeds to S924 after the process in S823.

[0131] In S924, the CPU 212 retrieves the wireless direct configuration information (information indicating the settings set in S813, S815, and S817) recorded in the non-volatile memory 215, and the type of device selected in S821. In this process, information for connection in R2 is retrieved, and information that is not necessary for connection in the R2 method, which is only for legacy connection methods, does not need to be retrieved.

[0132] In S925, CPU212 generates a QR code based on the information acquired by S924. The QR code generated here includes information for connection using WFD R2, but does not include information for connection using the legacy WFD method. Information acquired by S924 is included.

[0133] In S926, the CPU 212 displays the QR code generated by S925 on the display included in the operation display unit 220. An example of this display is shown in Figure 10(b). The display shows a message 1001 prompting the user to read the QR code and the QR code 1012. The QR code 1012 is the QR code generated by S925. The QR code 1012 contains the information from sentence 1 (connection information for the WFD R2 method) but does not contain the information from sentence 2 (connection information for the WFD legacy method). In other words, when the QR code 1012 is read and decoded, a string containing sentence 1 but not sentence 2 is extracted. If a WFD connection cannot be established even after reading the QR code 1012, a message 1014 prompting the user to switch the displayed QR code and a switch button 1015 are displayed.

[0134] In S927, CPU212 determines whether the back button 1003 has been selected. If it is determined that the back button 1003 has been selected, it proceeds to S802 to display the home screen. Otherwise, it proceeds to S928.

[0135] In S928, the CPU 212 determines whether or not the operation to select the toggle button 1015 has been performed. If it is determined that the operation to select the toggle button 1015 has been performed (i.e., the QR code has been instructed to be switched), the process proceeds to S944; otherwise, it proceeds to S929.

[0136] In S929, the CPU 212 determines whether or not it has received a connection request using the WFD R2 method from some external device. If it determines that it has received a connection request using the R2 method, it proceeds to S930; otherwise, it returns to S927. The processing in S930 to S934 will be explained assuming that a connection request has been received from the mobile terminal device 104. The connection request is as described in Figures 8A and 8B.

[0137] In the S930, CPU212 hides QR code 1012, which was previously displayed on the screen, and instead displays a message indicating that connection processing is in progress.

[0138] In S931, CPU212 performs WFD connection processing with the mobile terminal device 104 using the R2 method.

[0139] In S932, the CPU 212 determines whether the WFD connection with the mobile terminal device 104 was successful. If the connection is successful, the process proceeds to S934; otherwise (if it failed), it proceeds to S933.

[0140] In S933, the CPU 212 displays a message on the display unit 220 indicating that the connection failed (could not be connected), and proceeds to S926 to display the QR code generated in S925 again. Alternatively, the error message in S933 may display a guide prompting the user to try switching the QR code by pressing the switch button 1015. Furthermore, the system may proceed directly to S944 after S933 without going to S926.

[0141] The processing of S934 is the same as the processing of S832 in Figure 8 mentioned above; it is sufficient to display a message to inform the user that the connection was successful.

[0142] The correspondence between the connection process shown in Figure 7 and S925-S929 is the same as S825-S828 in Figure 8B, although S928 is added in Figure 9A. That is, in S929, the reception of a Bootstruping request that was received before S925 may be checked again. .

[0143] In S944, the CPU 212 retrieves the wireless direct configuration information (information indicating the settings set in S813, S815, and S817) recorded in the non-volatile memory 215, and the type of device selected in S821. In this process, it is not necessary to retrieve information that is only required for R2 method connections and is not needed for legacy method connections.

[0144] In S945, CPU212 generates a QR code based on the information obtained by S944. The QR code generated here includes information for legacy connection methods but does not include information for R2 connection methods.

[0145] In S946, the CPU 212 displays the QR code generated in S945 on the display included in the operation display unit 220. An example of this display is shown in Figure 10(c). The display shows a message 1001 prompting the user to read the QR code and the QR code 1022. The QR code 1022 is the QR code generated in S945. The QR code 1022 contains the information from sentence 2 (connection information for the WFD legacy system) mentioned above, but does not contain the information from sentence 1 (connection information for the WFD R2 system). In other words, when the QR code 1022 is read and decoded, a string containing sentence 2 but not sentence 1 is extracted.

[0146] In S947, CPU212 determines whether the back button 1003 has been selected. If it is determined that the back button 1003 has been selected, it proceeds to S802 to display the home screen. Otherwise, it proceeds to S949.

[0147] In S949, the CPU 212 determines whether or not it has received a connection request using the legacy WFD method from some external device. If it determines that a connection request using the legacy method has been received, it proceeds to S950; otherwise, it returns to S947. The processing in S950 to S954 will be explained assuming that a connection request has been received from the mobile terminal device 104. The connection request is as described in Figures 8A and 8B.

[0148] In the S950, CPU212 hides QR code 1022, which was previously displayed on the screen, and instead displays an indication that connection processing is in progress.

[0149] In S951, the CPU 212 performs the WFD connection process with the mobile terminal device 104 using a legacy method.

[0150] The processing in S952 to S954 is the same as the processing in S831 to S833 in Figure 8 mentioned above.

[0151] By switching between displaying QR codes containing information for R2 connection and information for legacy connection, it is possible to ensure more reliable WFD connections regardless of the capabilities of the WFD connection partner. Furthermore, because the QR code for R2 information is displayed before the QR code for legacy information, the more convenient R2 connection method is prioritized. Moreover, users do not need to be aware of whether they are using the legacy or R2 method.

[0152] The methods in Figures 9A and 9B, while less user-friendly than Figure 8 due to the extra step of scanning the QR code twice and operating the switch button 1015, can reduce the amount of data contained in a single QR code if only the legacy method is supported. If the amount of data contained in a QR code is large, the number of cells in the QR code increases, which may prevent it from being displayed correctly on displays with lower resolutions or reduce readability on the reader. Conversely, if the amount of data contained in a QR code is small, the increase in the number of cells in the QR code is suppressed, allowing it to be displayed correctly even on lower-resolution displays or improving readability on the reader.

[0153] The QR code 1012 in Figure 10(b) may also include information such as adding a comment (guide message) to the mobile terminal device 104 that reads "R2 method not supported" if the mobile terminal device 104 is unable to perform the process indicated by statement 1, after statement 1. Alternatively, the comment may read "Connection using the displayed QR code is not supported. Please scan the corresponding QR code." This way, users who scan QR code 1012 with a terminal that does not support the R2 method can be prompted to press the switch button 1015 to switch to the display of QR code 1022. The guide message here may not be fixed but configurable. Also, it can be determined from the flag when receiving the Bootstrapping Request shown in S703 that parameter exchange using the WFD R2 method QR code is not supported. If this is determined, a comment may be embedded in QR code 1012. Furthermore, if the WFD R2 method Service Discovery in S701 is not received, it may be assumed that there is no WFD R2 compatible mobile terminal, and a comment may be embedded in QR code 1012.

[0154] Alternatively, without switching, the QR code 1012 containing information for R2 and the QR code 1022 containing information for legacy devices may be displayed side-by-side, as shown in Figure 10(d), so that they can be scanned at the same time. In this case, the arrangement of the two QR codes should be such that the QR code 1012 containing information for R2 is processed preferentially by the terminal that reads both QR codes simultaneously (left side if arranged horizontally, or top side if arranged vertically). A message 1041 prompting the user to read both QR codes should also be displayed. Alternatively, instead of message 1041, a message such as "Please read the QR codes starting from the left" may be used to prompt the user to read the QR code 1012 containing information for R2 first.

[0155] Furthermore, when displaying QR codes containing connection information corresponding to both the WFD legacy method and the R2 method side by side, as shown in Figure 10(d), the procedure for that table can be the same as that shown in Figures 8A and 8B. In this case, the QR codes generated by S825 will be multiple (two in this case) QR codes corresponding to each method, as shown in Figure 10(d), and these can be displayed by S826.

[0156] In this example as well, the generation and display of the QR code corresponding to WFD R2 in S925 and S926 of Figure 9A may be a process performed prior to the connection process shown in Figure 7 in order to provide connection information from the MFP 100 to the mobile terminal device 104 and register the MFP. In that case, even when connecting using the WFD R2 standard, the connection process shown in Figure 7 may be performed in S931 of Figure 9A.

[0157] <Processing of printing applications in mobile terminal device 104> Figure 11 shows a flowchart of the processing performed by the printing application software (hereinafter simply referred to as the printing app) in the mobile terminal device 104. This process involves taking a picture of the QR code displayed on the MFP 100 with the camera of the mobile terminal 104 and reading it, and establishing a WFD connection between the mobile terminal 104 and the MFP 100 based on the information read and extracted. This printing app is compatible with both the MFP 100 that performs the processing shown in Figures 8A and 8B, and the modified versions of the MFP 100 that perform the processing shown in Figures 9A and 9B.

[0158] The processes shown in Figures 11A and 11B are performed by the mobile terminal device 104. More specifically, the processes shown in Figures 11A and 11B are realized by loading the print application program stored in the non-volatile memory 422 into the RAM 414 and executing it on the CPU 412. When the mobile terminal device 104 is instructed to start the print application, the processes shown in Figures 11A and 11B begin.

[0159] In the S1101, the CPU 412 displays the home screen of the print application on the display unit 420. The print application is an application for controlling printers such as the MFP100, and can send print commands (send print jobs) and scan commands (send scan jobs) to the printer. The home screen of the print application displays information about the printers registered in the print application (if the MFP100 is registered, it displays the status information of the MFP100). The home screen of the print application also displays menu items for giving commands to the printer, such as "Document Printing," "Photo Printing," "Scan," and "Cloud" (command items for processing using cloud services). In addition, the home screen of the print application displays display items for registering the printer in the print application.

[0160] In S1102, CPU412 determines whether the display item for registering a printer has been manipulated and whether an operation to register a new printer has been performed. If an operation to register a printer has been performed, the process proceeds to S1103; otherwise, it proceeds to S1115.

[0161] In S1103, CPU412 determines whether or not the user selected registration using a QR code as the method for registering a new printer (the method for connecting to a new printer wirelessly). If registration using a QR code is selected, the process proceeds to S1105; otherwise, it proceeds to S1104.

[0162] In S1104, CPU412 connects to and registers new printers using methods other than those involving QR codes. For example, it multicasts a printer discovery request within the network, connects to the found printer, and registers it.

[0163] In S1105, the CPU 412 activates the camera unit 421 and starts taking pictures (live view shooting) with the camera unit 421 to read the QR code.

[0164] In S1106, the CPU 412 determines whether a QR code was detected (read) from the image captured by the camera unit 421. If a QR code is detected, the process proceeds to S1108; otherwise, it proceeds to S1107. The QR code read here may be a QR code displayed by the MFP 100 in the procedure shown in Figures 8A and 8B or Figures 9A and 9B.

[0165] In S1107, the CPU 412 determines whether or not an operation was performed to cancel the shooting of the camera unit 421 for reading the QR code. If an operation was performed to cancel, the shooting of the camera unit 421 is terminated and the process returns to S1101, and the home screen of the print application is displayed.

[0166] In S1108, CPU412 decodes the QR code detected in S1106 and extracts a string. It then determines whether the extracted string contains a sentence corresponding to R2 (i.e., sentence 1). If it is determined that there is a sentence corresponding to R2, the process proceeds to S1109; otherwise, it proceeds to S1111. As mentioned above, the presence of a sentence corresponding to R2 is determined if a sentence containing the sentence identifier "WFDR2" exists.

[0167] In S1109, the CPU 412 instructs the OS (operating system) running on the mobile terminal device 104 to establish a WFD connection using the R2 method, according to the R2-compatible statement (statement 1) that was determined to exist in S1108. Specifically, it notifies the OS of the values ​​of each key extracted from the R2-compatible statement and requests the OS to establish a WFD connection using the R2 method. In accordance with this request, the OS performs the connection process shown in Figure 7, according to WFD-R2, with the communication partner (MFP 100) whose identifier (SSID) is included in the notified key.

[0168] At this time, the MFP displaying the QR code detected by S1106 may be registered in the mobile terminal device 104 as an MFP that can be connected using the WFD R2 method. The information to be registered may be the connection information obtained from the QR code and the name assigned to the target MFP. For the registered MFP, a corresponding icon may be created, and that icon may be displayed as selectable on the initial screen shown when the printing application is launched, etc., as an MFP that can be connected using the WFD R2 method. Also, the timing of registration may be at the time the connection is successful, rather than at the start of the connection process.

[0169] In S1110, CPU412 determines whether the WFD connection using the R2 method was successful. If it receives notification of successful connection from the OS, it determines that the connection was successful. If the connection is successful, it proceeds to S1114. Otherwise (if it receives notification of failure, or if the requested processing was not performed due to reasons such as the mobile terminal device 104 not supporting the R2 method connection), it proceeds to S1111.

[0170] In S1111, CPU412 decodes the QR code detected in S1106 and determines whether the extracted string contains a legacy-compatible sentence (i.e., sentence 2). If a legacy-compatible sentence is found, the process proceeds to S1112; otherwise, it proceeds to S1115. As mentioned above, a legacy-compatible sentence is determined to exist if a sentence containing the identifier "WIFI" is present.

[0171] In S1112, CPU 412 instructs the OS (operating system) running on the mobile terminal device 104 to establish a WFD connection using the legacy method, according to the legacy method-compatible statement (statement 2) that was determined to exist in S1111. Specifically, it notifies the OS of the values ​​of each key extracted from the legacy method-compatible statement and requests the OS to establish a WFD connection using the legacy method. In accordance with this request, the OS processes the Wi-Fi connection with the communication partner (MFP100) whose identifier (SSID) is included in the notified key.

[0172] At this time, the MFP displaying the QR code detected by S1106 may be registered in the mobile terminal device 104 as an MFP that can be connected using the WFD legacy method. The information to be registered may be the connection information obtained from the QR code and the name assigned to the target MFP. For the registered MFP, a corresponding icon may be created, and that icon may be displayed as selectable on the initial screen displayed when the printing application is launched, etc., as an MFP that can be connected using the WFD legacy method. Furthermore, the timing of registration may be at the time the connection is successful, rather than at the start of the connection process.

[0173] In S1113, CPU412 determines whether the WFD connection using the legacy method was successful. If it receives notification of a successful connection from the OS, it determines that the connection was successful. If the connection was successful, it proceeds to S1114; otherwise (if it receives notification of failure), it proceeds to S1115.

[0174] In S1114, the CPU 412 displays on the display unit 420 that the connection with the new printer was successful and that the new printer was registered, and then proceeds to S1101.

[0175] In S1115, the CPU 412 displays an error message on the display unit 420 indicating that the connection to the printer failed, that a new printer could not be registered, or that information about the target printer could not be obtained from the QR code. The process then proceeds to S1101.

[0176] Note that the processing in S1105-S1115 was described as the process to be performed when an instruction is given to register a new printer. Alternatively, it may be performed when an instruction is given to execute the direct connection function to the printer, which is used when you want to temporarily establish a P2P connection with the printer.

[0177] In S1120, CPU412 determines whether or not other processing has been instructed. If other processing has been instructed, proceed to S1121; otherwise, proceed to S1122.

[0178] In S1121, CPU412 performs processing according to instructions for other processes. This processing includes sending print instructions (sending print jobs) and scan instructions (sending scan instructions) to registered printers.

[0179] In S1122, CPU412 determines whether or not there is an instruction to terminate the print application. If there is an instruction to terminate, the print application is closed and the process shown in Figure 11 is terminated. If there is no instruction to terminate, the process returns to S1102 and is repeated.

[0180] In the processing shown in Figures 11A and 11B, the entire string extracted from the detected QR code is treated, and the determination in S1108 is followed by the determination in S1111. In this way, if the string extracted from the QR code contains both sentence 1 and sentence 2 described above, the connection in R2 can be prioritized over the legacy method connection, regardless of the order in which sentences 1 and 2 are written. That is, in the example above, even if sentence 2 is written first and sentence 1 is written later, the connection in R2 can be prioritized over the legacy method connection. Furthermore, if the mobile terminal device 104 supports the R2 method, the WFD connection will be made using the R2 method; if it does not support the R2 method, the WFD connection will be made using the legacy method. In other words, a more reliable WFD connection can be made regardless of whether the mobile terminal device 104 supports the R2 method or not. Also, the user does not need to be aware of whether the mobile terminal device 104 supports the R2 method or not.

[0181] Furthermore, if two QR codes are captured simultaneously by taking a picture of a screen like the one in Figure 10(d), the determination in S1108 will be performed on both strings extracted from the two QR codes, followed by the determination in S1111. In this way, when multiple QR codes are detected, regardless of the relative positions of the multiple QR codes, the R2 method connection can be prioritized over the legacy method connection. That is, for example, even if QR code 1022 is on the left and QR code 1012 is on the right in Figure 10(d), the R2 method connection can be prioritized over the legacy method connection.

[0182] <Processing by a general-purpose QR code reader in the mobile terminal device 104> Figures 12A and 12B show flowcharts of the processing performed by the application software for a general-purpose QR code reader (hereinafter referred to as the QR code reader) in the mobile terminal device 104. This processing may be a dedicated application for reading QR codes, or a camera application with a QR code reading function. This processing involves taking a picture of the QR code displayed on the MFP 100 with the camera of the mobile terminal 104 to read it, and establishing a WFD connection between the mobile terminal 104 and the MFP 100 based on the information extracted from the reading. The processing shown in Figures 12A and 12B is achieved by loading the QR code reader program recorded in the non-volatile memory 422 into the RAM 414 and executing it on the CPU 412. When the mobile terminal device 104 is instructed to start the QR code reader, the processing shown in Figures 12A and 12B begins.

[0183] In S1201, the CPU 412 activates the QR code reader and the camera unit 421, and starts live view shooting with the camera unit 421.

[0184] In S1201, the CPU 412 determines whether a QR code was detected (read) from the image captured by the camera unit 421. If a QR code is detected, the process proceeds to S1204; otherwise, it proceeds to S1203.

[0185] In S1203, CPU412 determines whether or not there is an instruction to terminate the QR code reader. If there is an instruction to terminate, the QR code reader is closed and the process shown in Figure 12 is terminated. If there is no instruction to terminate, the process returns to S1202 and is repeated.

[0186] In S1204, CPU412 decodes the QR code detected in S1202 and extracts a string. Then, it assigns sequential numbers to one or more sentences contained in the extracted string.

[0187] In S1205, CPU412 initializes counter N, which is stored in RAM414, to 1. Counter N represents the number assigned to the sentence of interest.

[0188] In S1206, CPU412 determines whether the sentence with the Nth serial number (the Nth sentence) extracted in S1204 is decipherable (readable). If it is decipherable, proceed to S1210; otherwise, proceed to S1220.

[0189] In S1210, CPU412 determines whether the Nth statement is an R2-compatible statement. If it is determined to be an R2-compatible statement, the process proceeds to S1211; otherwise, it proceeds to S1213. As mentioned above, a statement is determined to be R2-compatible if it contains the statement identifier "WFDR2".

[0190] In S1212, CPU 412 instructs the OS (operating system) running on the mobile terminal device 104 to establish a WFD connection using the R2 method, according to the Nth statement. This process is the same as the process described in S1109 above.

[0191] In S1212, CPU412 determines whether the WFD connection using the R2 method was successful, similar to S1110 mentioned earlier. If the connection is successful, the process proceeds to S1217; otherwise, it proceeds to S1216.

[0192] In S1213, CPU412 determines whether the Nth statement is a legacy-compatible statement. If it is determined to be a legacy-compatible statement, the process proceeds to S1214; otherwise, it proceeds to S1218. As mentioned above, a legacy-compatible statement is determined to exist if a statement containing the identifier "WIFI" is present.

[0193] In S1214, CPU 412 instructs the OS (operating system) running on the mobile terminal device 104 to establish a legacy WFD connection according to the Nth statement. This process is the same as the process described in S1112 above.

[0194] In S1215, CPU412, similar to S1112 mentioned above, determines whether the WFD connection using the legacy method was successful. If the connection is successful, it proceeds to S1217; otherwise (if a failure notification is received), it proceeds to S1216.

[0195] In S1217, the CPU 412 displays on the display unit 420 that the Wi-Fi (wireless LAN) connection with the communication partner was successful. In S1218, the CPU 412 displays an error on the display unit 420 indicating that the Wi-Fi (wireless LAN) connection with the communication partner failed, or that information about the communication partner to be connected to could not be obtained from the QR code.

[0196] In S1218, other processing is performed according to the Nth sentence. For example, if the Nth sentence contains information indicating a URL, the URL is displayed as a link. When the URL displayed as a link is touched, the displayed URL is accessed.

[0197] In S1220, CPU412 determines whether counter N is the maximum value of the serial number assigned in S1204, that is, whether it has finished checking all the sentences extracted in S1204. If N is the maximum value, proceed to S1202; otherwise, in S1221, increment N by 1 and proceed to S1206. In other words, it performs the checks from S1206 onwards on the next sentence among the multiple sentences contained in the extracted string.

[0198] Even when reading with a general-purpose QR code reader as explained in Figure 12, if the QR code display is as explained in Figures 10(a) to 10(d), the connection will be made using a method supported by the mobile terminal device 104. In this example, the connection method supported by the mobile terminal device 104 is either a WFD connection in R2 format or a WFD connection in legacy format. If the QR code is displayed as explained in Figures 10(a) to 10(d), even with general-purpose processing like that shown in Figure 12, the R2 connection will be prioritized over the legacy connection.

[0199] According to the embodiments described above, multiple Wi-Fi Direct standards can be more favorably utilized.

[0200] <Further variations> Instead of the QR code 1002 generated in step S825 of Figure 8 and displayed in step S826, a string containing sentence 1 and sentence 2, which are obtained by decoding the QR code, for example, a string consisting of letters, numbers, and symbols [SM1] may be generated and displayed as the display target. In this case, the mobile terminal 104 can perform character recognition on the captured string and extract both the first connection information indicated by sentence 1 and the second connection information indicated by sentence 2. In recent years, display devices have high pixel density and can display high-quality characters, and the accuracy of character recognition processing has also improved through the use of machine learning, so errors caused by misrecognition are suppressed and it is possible to replace 2D codes with strings.

[0201] This also applies to other steps that display the QR code, such as steps S925-S926 and S945-S946. Even with this configuration, the system as a whole operates and achieves the same effects as described in the above implementation and modifications. Furthermore, this configuration eliminates the need for 2D codes, and is therefore unaffected even if, for example, the usage conditions for 2D codes change. In addition, the user can read the display target shown on the operation display unit 220 of the MFP100.

[0202] Furthermore, the various controls described above, which are performed by the CPU212, may be performed by a single piece of hardware, or multiple pieces of hardware (for example, multiple processors or circuits) may share the processing to control the entire device.

[0203] Furthermore, although the present invention has been described in detail based on its preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various forms that do not depart from the spirit of the invention are also included in the present invention. Moreover, each of the embodiments described above is merely one embodiment of the present invention, and it is possible to combine each embodiment as appropriate.

[0204] Furthermore, although the above-described embodiments used the application of the present invention to an MFP as an example, this is not limited to this example and can be applied to any wireless device capable of P2P (WLAN) communication based on WFD. In other words, the present invention can be applied to personal computers, PDAs, tablet terminals, mobile phone terminals such as smartphones, music players, game consoles, e-book readers, smartwatches, and various measuring devices (sensor devices) such as thermometers and hygrometers. The present invention can also be applied to digital cameras (including still cameras, video cameras, network cameras, and security cameras), printers, scanners, and drones. The present invention can also be applied to video output devices, audio output devices (e.g., smart speakers), media streaming players, and wireless LAN adapters that can connect to USB terminals or LAN cable terminals. Video output devices include, for example, devices such as set-top boxes, which acquire (download) videos and still images from the internet specified by a URL instructed by an electronic device and output them to a display device connected via a video output terminal such as HDMI®. This enables streaming playback on the display device or mirroring display (displaying the content displayed on the electronic device on the display device as well). Furthermore, video output devices include media players such as televisions, hard disk recorders, Blu-ray recorders, and DVD recorders, as well as head-mounted displays, projectors, televisions, display devices (monitors), and signage devices. The present invention is also applicable to Wi-Fi-connected devices known as smart home appliances, such as air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, ovens, microwave ovens, lighting fixtures, heating appliances, and cooling appliances.

[0205] (Other embodiments) The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that implements one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and by having one or more processors in the computer of that system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., an ASIC) that implements one or more functions.

[0206] ●Summary of Embodiments The above embodiments can be summarized as follows: (Item 1) A communication device, A communication method that enables direct communication with external devices via wireless LAN without going through an access point, Connection information for establishing a direct communication connection with the communication device in the first manner, the first connection information including the SSID and password of the communication device, Second connection information including information for connecting the communication device to the direct communication using a second method different from the first method, A display control means that controls the display to allow simultaneous capture of display targets from which both of the above can be extracted, A communication device characterized by having the following features. (Item 2) A communication device as described in item 1, The display target is a single two-dimensional code from which both the first connection information and the second connection information can be extracted. A communication device characterized by the following features. (Item 3) A communication device as described in item 2, In the string extracted from the aforementioned two-dimensional code, display a two-dimensional code such that the second connection information appears before the first connection information in the string. A communication device characterized by the following features. (Item 4) A communication device as described in item 3, The aforementioned 2D code is generated based on the network settings. A communication device characterized by the following features. (Item 5) A communication device described in any one of items 1 to 4, The display target is a screen that includes both a first two-dimensional code from which the first connection information can be extracted and a second two-dimensional code from which the second connection information can be extracted. A communication device characterized by the following features. (Item 6) A communication device as described in item 5, In the aforementioned screen, the second 2D code is positioned to the left or above the first 2D code. A communication device characterized by the following features. (Item 7) A communication device described in any one of items 1 to 6, The display target is a string from which both the first connection information and the second connection information can be extracted. A communication device characterized by the following features. (Item 8) A communication device, A communication method that enables direct communication with external devices via wireless LAN without going through an access point, Connection information for establishing the direct communication connection with the communication device in the first manner, a first display target from which the first connection information including the SSID and password of the communication device can be extracted, A display control means that controls the display of a second display target from which second connection information can be extracted, which includes connection information for connecting the communication device to the direct communication using a second method different from the first method, wherein the display control means controls the display of the first display target after the second display target has been displayed. A communication device characterized by having the following features. (Item 9) A communication device as described in item 8, Along with the second display target, a display item that accepts instructions to switch the display is displayed, and based on the operation of the display item, the system switches to displaying the first display target instead of the second display target. A communication device characterized by the following features. (Item 10) A communication device as described in item 8 or 9, The first display target and the second display target are different 2D codes. A communication device characterized by the following features. (Item 11) A communication device as described in item 10, The 2D codes for the first and second display targets are generated based on the network settings. A communication device characterized by the following features. (Item 12) A communication device described in any one of items 1 to 11, The second connection information includes communication parameters that should be shared with the communication partner before processing whether the communication device or the communication partner will be the master station when performing direct communication using the second method. A communication device characterized by the following features. (Item 13) A communication device described in any one of items 1 to 12, The second connection information includes at least one of the following: passphrase, encryption key, AKM, and BSSID (MAC address). A communication device characterized by the following features. (Item 14) A communication device described in any one of items 1 to 13, The aforementioned direct communication is a communication that conforms to the Wi-Fi Direct standard. A communication device characterized by the following features. (Item 15) A communication device described in any one of items 1 to 14, The first method described above is a legacy method that conforms to the Wi-Fi Direct standard. A communication device characterized by the following features. (Item 16) A communication device as described in any one of items 1 to 15, The second method described above is Wi-Fi Direct Release 2, which conforms to the Wi-Fi Direct standard. A communication device characterized by the following features. (Item 17) A communication device as described in any one of items 1 to 16, The aforementioned communication device is a printer. A communication device characterized by the following features. (Item 18) An information processing device, A communication method that enables direct communication with external devices via wireless LAN without going through an access point, Photography methods, Extraction means for extracting information from an object detected from an image captured by the aforementioned imaging means, If the extracted information includes both first connection information for connecting to a communication device in a first manner, which includes the SSID and password of the communication device, and second connection information for connecting to the direct communication in a second manner different from the first manner, the control means controls the system to connect to the communication device indicated by the second connection information based on the second connection information. An information processing device characterized by having the following features. (Item 19) The information processing device described in item 18, If the extracted information does not contain the second connection information but does contain the first connection information, a connection will be made based on the first connection information. An information processing device characterized by the following: (Item 20) An information processing device as described in item 18 or 19, If both the first and second connection information are available, and the connection based on the second connection information is successful, the connection based on the first connection information will not be attempted. An information processing device characterized by the following: (Item 21) The information processing device described in item 20, If both the first and second connection information are available, and the connection based on the second connection information fails, the connection based on the first connection information will be attempted. An information processing device characterized by the following: (Item 22) An information processing device described in any one of items 18 to 21, The control means requests the operating system to establish a connection based on the first connection information or a connection based on the second connection information. An information processing device characterized by the following: (Item 23) An information processing device described in any one of items 18 to 22, The aforementioned object is a 2D code. An information processing device characterized by the following: (Item 24) An information processing device described in any one of items 18 to 23, If the extracted information contains a group of keys to which a first identifier has been assigned, it is determined that the first connection information exists. If the extracted information contains a group of keys to which a second identifier has been assigned, it is determined that the second connection information exists. An information processing device characterized by the following: (Item 25) An information processing device described in any one of items 18 to 24, The second connection information includes communication parameters that should be shared with the communication partner before processing whether the information processing device or the communication partner will be the master station when performing direct communication using the second method. An information processing device characterized by the following: (Item 26) An information processing device described in any one of items 18 to 25, The second connection information includes at least one of the following: passphrase, encryption key, AKM, and BSSID (MAC address). An information processing device characterized by the following: (Item 27) An information processing device described in any one of items 18 to 26, The aforementioned direct communication is a communication that conforms to the Wi-Fi Direct standard. An information processing device characterized by the following: (Item 28) An information processing device described in any one of items 18 to 27, The first method described above is a legacy method that conforms to the Wi-Fi Direct standard. An information processing device characterized by the following: (Item 29) An information processing device described in any one of items 18 to 28, The second method described above is Wi-Fi Direct Release 2, which conforms to the Wi-Fi Direct standard. An information processing device characterized by the following: (Item 30) An information processing device described in any one of items 18 to 29, The aforementioned communication device is a printer. An information processing device characterized by the following: (Item 31) A system including a communication device and an information processing device, The aforementioned communication device is A communication method that enables direct communication with external devices via wireless LAN without going through an access point, Connection information for establishing a direct communication connection with the communication device in the first manner, the first connection information including the SSID and password of the communication device, Second connection information including information for connecting the communication device to the direct communication using a second method different from the first method, A display control means that controls the display to allow simultaneous capture of display targets from which both of the above can be extracted, It has, The aforementioned information processing device is A communication method that enables direct communication with external devices via wireless LAN without going through an access point, Photography methods, Extraction means for extracting information from an object detected from an image captured by the aforementioned imaging means, If the extracted information includes both first connection information for connecting to a communication device in a first manner, which includes the SSID and password of the communication device, and second connection information for connecting to the direct communication in a second manner different from the first manner, the control means controls the system to connect to the communication device indicated by the second connection information based on the second connection information. A system characterized by having the following features. (Item 32) A control method for a communication device having a communication means and a display control means that perform direct communication to communicate with an external device via wireless LAN without going through an access point, The display control means, Connection information for establishing a direct communication connection with the communication device in the first manner, the first connection information including the SSID and password of the communication device, Second connection information including information for connecting the communication device to the direct communication using a second method different from the first method, Control the display so that both of the following can be extracted and the display target can be photographed at once. A method for controlling a communication device, characterized by the features described above. (Item 33) A control method for a communication device having a communication means for performing direct communication with an external device via wireless LAN without going through an access point, and a display control means, The display control means, Connection information for establishing the direct communication connection with the communication device in the first manner, a first display target from which the first connection information including the SSID and password of the communication device can be extracted, A display control means that controls the display of a second display target from which second connection information can be extracted, which includes connection information for connecting the communication device to the direct communication using a second method different from the first method, wherein the control means controls the display of the first display target after the second display target has been displayed. A method for controlling a communication device, characterized by the features described above. (Item 34) A control method for an information processing device having a communication means for direct communication with an external device via wireless LAN without going through an access point, a shooting means, an extraction means, and a control means, The extraction means extracts extraction information from the target detected from the image captured by the imaging means. If the extracted information contains both first connection information for connecting to a communication device in a first manner, including the SSID and password of the communication device, and second connection information for connecting to the direct communication in a second manner different from the first manner, the control means controls the system to connect to the communication device indicated by the second connection information based on the second connection information. A control method for an information processing device characterized by the following features. (Item 35) A control method for a system including a communication device having communication means and display control means for direct communication with an external device via wireless LAN without going through an access point, and an information processing device having communication means, imaging means, extraction means and control means for direct communication with an external device via wireless LAN without going through an access point, The display control means of the communication device has connection information for establishing a direct communication connection with the communication device in a first manner, which includes the SSID and password of the communication device, Second connection information including information for connecting the communication device to the direct communication using a second method different from the first method, The system controls the display to allow simultaneous capture of both of the following display targets: The extraction means of the information processing device extracts extraction information from the object detected from the image captured by the imaging means, If the extracted information contains both first connection information for establishing the direct communication connection using a first method, which includes the SSID and password of the communication device, and second connection information for establishing the direct communication connection using a second method different from the first method, the control means controls the system to establish a connection with the communication device indicated by the second connection information based on the second connection information. A method for controlling a system characterized by the following features. (Item 36) A program for causing a computer to function as one of the devices described in any one of items 1 through 30. (Item 37) A computer-readable storage medium containing a program for causing a computer to function as one of the devices described in any one of items 1 through 30.

[0207] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, claims are attached to disclose the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0208] 100 MFP, 101 AP, 103 DHCP server, 104 Mobile terminal device, 105 DNS server, 110 Communication network

Claims

1. A communication device, A communication method that performs direct communication with external devices via wireless LAN without going through an access point, Connection information for establishing a direct communication connection with the communication device in the first manner, the first connection information including the SSID and password of the communication device, Second connection information including information for connecting the communication device to the direct communication using a second method different from the first method, A display control means that controls the display to allow simultaneous capture of a display target from which both of the above can be extracted, A communication device characterized by having the following features.

2. A communication device according to claim 1, The display target is a single two-dimensional code from which both the first connection information and the second connection information can be extracted. A communication device characterized by the following features.

3. A communication device according to claim 2, In the string extracted from the aforementioned two-dimensional code, display a two-dimensional code such that the second connection information appears before the first connection information in the string. A communication device characterized by the following features.

4. A communication device according to claim 3, The aforementioned two-dimensional code is generated based on the network settings. A communication device characterized by the following features.

5. A communication device according to claim 1, The display target is a screen that includes both a first two-dimensional code from which the first connection information can be extracted and a second two-dimensional code from which the second connection information can be extracted. A communication device characterized by the following features.

6. A communication device according to claim 5, In the aforementioned screen, the second two-dimensional code is positioned to the left or above the first two-dimensional code. A communication device characterized by the following features.

7. A communication device according to claim 1, The display target is a string from which both the first connection information and the second connection information can be extracted. A communication device characterized by the following features.

8. A communication device, A communication method that performs direct communication with external devices via wireless LAN without going through an access point, Connection information for establishing a direct communication connection with the communication device in a first manner, wherein the first connection information, including the SSID and password of the communication device, is extracted from a first display target, A display control means that controls the display of a second display target from which second connection information can be extracted, which includes connection information for connecting the communication device to the direct communication using a second method different from the first method, wherein the display control means controls the display of the first display target after the second display target has been displayed. A communication device characterized by having the following features.

9. A communication device according to claim 8, Along with the second display target, a display item that accepts instructions to switch the display is displayed, and based on the operation of the display item, the system switches to displaying the first display target instead of the second display target. A communication device characterized by the following features.

10. A communication device according to claim 8, The first display target and the second display target are different two-dimensional codes. A communication device characterized by the following features.

11. A communication device according to claim 10, The two-dimensional codes for the first and second display targets are generated based on the network settings. A communication device characterized by the following features.

12. A communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, The second connection information includes communication parameters that should be shared with the communication partner before processing whether the communication device or the communication partner will be the master station when performing direct communication using the second method. A communication device characterized by the following features.

13. A communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, The second connection information includes at least one of the following: a passphrase, an encryption key, an AKM, and a BSSID (MAC address). A communication device characterized by the following features.

14. A communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, The aforementioned direct communication is a communication that conforms to the Wi-Fi Direct standard. A communication device characterized by the following features.

15. A communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, The first method described above is a legacy method that conforms to the Wi-Fi Direct standard. A communication device characterized by the following features.

16. A communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, The second method described above is Wi-Fi Direct Release 2, which conforms to the Wi-Fi Direct standard. A communication device characterized by the following features.

17. A communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, The aforementioned communication device is a printer. A communication device characterized by the following features.

18. An information processing device, A communication method that performs direct communication with external devices via wireless LAN without going through an access point, Photography methods, Extraction means for extracting information from an object detected from an image captured by the aforementioned imaging means, If the extracted information includes both first connection information for establishing a direct communication connection with a communication device using a first method, which includes the SSID and password of the communication device, and second connection information for establishing a direct communication connection using a second method different from the first method, the control means controls the system to establish a connection with the communication device indicated by the second connection information based on the second connection information. An information processing device characterized by having the following features.

19. An information processing apparatus according to claim 18, If the extracted information does not contain the second connection information but does contain the first connection information, a connection will be made based on the first connection information. An information processing device characterized by the following:

20. An information processing apparatus according to claim 18, If both the first and second connection information are available, and the connection based on the second connection information is successful, the connection based on the first connection information will not be performed. An information processing device characterized by the following:

21. An information processing apparatus according to claim 20, If both the first and second connection information are available, and the connection based on the second connection information fails, the connection based on the first connection information will be performed. An information processing device characterized by the following:

22. An information processing apparatus according to claim 18, The control means requests the operating system to establish a connection based on the first connection information or a connection based on the second connection information. An information processing device characterized by the following:

23. An information processing apparatus according to claim 18, The aforementioned object is a two-dimensional code. An information processing device characterized by the following:

24. An information processing apparatus according to claim 18, If the extracted information contains a group of keys to which a first identifier has been assigned, it is determined that the first connection information exists. If the extracted information contains a group of keys to which a second identifier has been assigned, it is determined that the second connection information exists. An information processing device characterized by the following:

25. An information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 18 to 24, The second connection information includes communication parameters that should be shared with the communication partner before processing whether the information processing device or the communication partner will be the master station when performing direct communication using the second method. An information processing device characterized by the following:

26. An information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 18 to 24, The second connection information includes at least one of the following: a passphrase, an encryption key, an AKM, and a BSSID (MAC address). An information processing device characterized by the following:

27. An information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 18 to 24, The aforementioned direct communication is a communication that conforms to the Wi-Fi Direct standard. An information processing device characterized by the following:

28. An information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 18 to 24, The first method described above is a legacy method that conforms to the Wi-Fi Direct standard. An information processing device characterized by the following:

29. An information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 18 to 24, The second method described above is Wi-Fi Direct Release 2, which conforms to the Wi-Fi Direct standard. An information processing device characterized by the following:

30. An information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 18 to 24, The aforementioned communication device is a printer. An information processing device characterized by the following:

31. A system including a communication device and an information processing device, The aforementioned communication device is A communication method that performs direct communication with external devices via wireless LAN without going through an access point, Connection information for establishing a direct communication connection with the communication device in the first manner, the first connection information including the SSID and password of the communication device, Second connection information including information for connecting the communication device to the direct communication using a second method different from the first method, A display control means that controls the display to allow simultaneous capture of a display target from which both of the above can be extracted, It has, The aforementioned information processing device is A communication method that performs direct communication with external devices via wireless LAN without going through an access point, Photography methods, Extraction means for extracting information from an object detected from an image captured by the aforementioned imaging means, If the extracted information includes both first connection information for establishing a direct communication connection with a communication device using a first method, which includes the SSID and password of the communication device, and second connection information for establishing a direct communication connection using a second method different from the first method, the control means controls the system to establish a connection with the communication device indicated by the second connection information based on the second connection information. A system characterized by having the following features.

32. A control method for a communication device having a communication means and a display control means that perform direct communication to communicate wirelessly with an external device without going through an access point, The display control means, Connection information for establishing a direct communication connection with the communication device in the first manner, the first connection information including the SSID and password of the communication device, Second connection information including information for connecting the communication device to the direct communication using a second method different from the first method, Control the display so that both of the following can be extracted and the display target can be photographed at once. A method for controlling a communication device, characterized by the features described above.

33. A control method for a communication device having a communication means for performing direct communication to communicate wirelessly with an external device without going through an access point, and a display control means, The display control means, Connection information for establishing a direct communication connection with the communication device in a first manner, wherein the first connection information, including the SSID and password of the communication device, is extracted from a first display target, A display control means that controls the display of a second display target from which second connection information can be extracted, which includes connection information for connecting the communication device to the direct communication using a second method different from the first method, wherein the control means controls the display of the first display target after the second display target has been displayed. A method for controlling a communication device, characterized by the features described above.

34. A control method for an information processing apparatus having a communication means for performing direct communication with an external device via wireless LAN without going through an access point, a shooting means, an extraction means, and a control means, The extraction means extracts extraction information from the target detected from the image captured by the imaging means. If the extracted information contains both first connection information, which includes the SSID and password of a communication device, and second connection information, which includes information for connecting to the direct communication using a second method different from the first method, the control means controls the system to connect to the communication device indicated by the second connection information based on the second connection information. A control method for an information processing device characterized by the following features.

35. A control method for a system including a communication device having communication means and display control means for direct communication with an external device via wireless LAN without going through an access point, and an information processing device having communication means, imaging means, extraction means and control means for direct communication with an external device via wireless LAN without going through an access point, The display control means of the communication device has connection information for establishing a direct communication connection with the communication device in a first manner, which includes the SSID and password of the communication device, Second connection information including information for connecting the communication device to the direct communication using a second method different from the first method, The system controls the display to allow simultaneous capture of both of the following display targets: The extraction means of the information processing device extracts extraction information from the object detected from the image captured by the imaging means, If the extracted information contains both first connection information for establishing the direct communication connection using a first method, which includes the SSID and password of the communication device, and second connection information for establishing the direct communication connection using a second method different from the first method, the control means controls the system to establish a connection with the communication device indicated by the second connection information based on the second connection information. A method for controlling a system characterized by the following features.

36. A program for causing a computer to function as one of the means of the apparatus described in any one of claims 1 to 11 or 18 to 24.

37. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as one of the means of the apparatus described in any one of claims 1 to 11 or 18 to 24.

Images