Communication device, control method for communication device, and program

Abstract

This enables the calculation of a single piece of information indicating the received signal strength of an MLO-compatible access point. [Solution] The communication device includes a receiving means for receiving signals in multiple frequency bands from a first access point that has multiple frequency bands capable of simultaneous communication, and a calculation means for calculating a single piece of information indicating the received radio wave strength of the first access point based on the signals in multiple frequency bands received by the receiving means.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication device, a control method for the communication device, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] As a communication standard for wireless LAN, there is the IEEE802.11 standard. In the latest IEEE802.11be standard, a function called Multi-Link Operation (MLO) has been added. Conventionally, an access point (AP) and a communication terminal have constructed a single link (single link) in any one of the frequency bands of 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, and 6 GHz band to perform communication. On the other hand, in MLO, it is possible to construct a plurality of links in a plurality of frequency bands from the 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, and 6 GHz band and perform communication simultaneously.

[0003] When the communication terminal communicates with the AP, it measures the received radio wave intensity of the signal from the AP. The communication terminal uses the information of the received radio wave intensity for display of a radio wave intensity icon, rearrangement of APs in the AP list display, etc. In conventional single-link communication, the received radio wave intensity that could be obtained was single, but when communicating with a plurality of links in MLO, a plurality of received radio wave intensities can be obtained.

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for ranking MLO-compatible APs using these plurality of received radio wave intensities.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] As mentioned above, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for ranking MLO-compatible APs using multiple received signal strengths, but it does not disclose a method for integrating the received signal strengths of multiple links of an MLO-compatible AP and representing them as a single piece of information. Hereafter, this single piece of information that integrates the received signal strengths of multiple links will be referred to as the virtual received signal strength.

[0007] Users use the signal strength icon and the AP list sorted by received signal strength as indicators of AP communication speed and stability. Therefore, in order to display the signal strength icon as before and to compare the received signal strength with APs that communicate via single link, it is desirable that the received signal strength of MLO-compatible APs be represented by a single piece of information. One way to represent the received signal strength of MLO-compatible APs by a single piece of information is to use the received signal strength of any one of the multiple links as the received signal strength of the MLO-compatible AP.

[0008] However, received signal strength differs for each link, and it is not appropriate to use one of them as the total received signal strength for the entire AP. Therefore, it is desirable that the virtual received signal strength integrates multiple received signal strengths into a single received signal strength information rather than simply selecting one received signal strength.

[0009] The objective of the present invention is to enable the calculation of a single piece of information indicating the received radio signal strength of an MLO-compatible access point. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The communication device includes a receiving means for receiving signals in multiple frequency bands from a first access point that has multiple frequency bands capable of simultaneous communication, and a calculation means for calculating a single piece of information indicating the received radio wave strength of the first access point based on the signals in multiple frequency bands received by the receiving means. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, a single piece of information indicating the received radio wave strength of an MLO-compatible access point can be calculated. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the communication device in this embodiment. [Figure 2] This figure illustrates the communication system in this embodiment. [Figure 3] This figure illustrates the information contained in a beacon received by the communication device in this embodiment. [Figure 4] This flowchart shows the virtual received radio wave strength calculation process for the communication device in this embodiment. [Figure 5] This figure illustrates the information used when the communication device in this embodiment stores and associates the received beacon information. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] The embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0014] The embodiments described below are merely examples of means for realizing the present invention, and may be modified or changed as appropriate depending on the configuration of the apparatus to which the present invention is applied and various conditions.

[0015] <Configuration of communication device 100> First, with reference to Figure 1, an example of the configuration and function of the communication device 100 of this embodiment will be described.

[0016] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the communication device 100 according to this embodiment. For example, the communication device 100 may be a smartphone with wireless functionality, a tablet device, a digital camera, or a personal computer.

[0017] The communication device 100 includes a control unit 101, a non-volatile memory 102, a working memory 103, an operation unit 104, a display unit 105, and a wireless communication unit 106.

[0018] The control unit 101 controls each part of the communication device 100 according to the input signals and the programs described later. Note that instead of the control unit 101 controlling the entire communication device 100, multiple hardware components may share the processing to control the entire communication device 100.

[0019] The non-volatile memory 102 is an electrically erasable and recordable non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory 102 stores an OS (Operating System), which is basic software executed by the control unit 101, and applications that realize application-level functions in cooperation with this OS. Also, in this embodiment, the non-volatile memory 102 stores an application for processing beacon information received from an access point (AP).

[0020] The working memory 103 is used as an image display memory for the display unit 105, a working area for the control unit 101, etc.

[0021] The operation unit 104 is used to receive instructions from the user for the communication device 100. The operation unit 104 includes, for example, an operation member such as a power button for the user to instruct the ON / OFF of the power of the communication device 100 and a touch panel formed on the display unit 105.

[0022] The display unit 105 performs display of image data, character display for interactive operations, etc. Note that the display unit 105 does not necessarily have to be provided in the communication device 100. The communication device 100 may be connected to the display unit 105 and only needs to have at least a display control function for controlling the display of the display unit 105.

[0023] The wireless communication unit 106 includes one or more communication circuits or communication modules and is a communication interface for connecting to an external device. In this embodiment, the wireless communication unit 106 performs wireless communication in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 standard, for example, under the control of the control unit 101. In this embodiment, the wireless communication unit 106 is used for communication with an AP, which is an external device.

[0024] The above describes an example of the configuration of the communication device 100.

[0025] <Virtual Received Radio Wave Strength Calculation Process> The process by which the communication device 100 calculates the virtual received signal strength of the MLO-compatible AP according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 2 to 5.

[0026] Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a wireless system representing the network configuration in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 2, in this embodiment, the wireless system has a communication device 100 and three access points (APs) AP200-1 to AP200-3 provided around the communication device 100.

[0027] AP200-1 is building an MLO-compatible network with usable frequency bands of 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz. AP200-2 is building an MLO-compatible network with usable frequency bands of 2.4GHz and 5GHz. AP200-3 is building a non-MLO-compatible network with usable frequency band of 2.4GHz.

[0028] Figure 3 illustrates the information contained in the beacon received by the communication device 100 in this embodiment. In this embodiment, the MLO-compatible AP emits beacons in all usable frequency bands.

[0029] Specifically, let's assume that AP200-1 is transmitting beacons 300, 310, and 320 in Figure 3(a), AP200-2 is transmitting beacons 330 and 340 in Figure 3(b), and AP200-3 is transmitting beacon 350 in Figure 3(c).

[0030] As shown in Figure 3, the beacon is assumed to include the SSID, frequency band used, BSSID, Information Element (IE), and Reduced Neighbor Report (RNR).

[0031] Typically, the BSSID uses the MAC address. In the case of an MLO-enabled network, the RNR includes the frequency bands used other than the frequency band on which the beacon is transmitted, and their BSSIDs. For example, in a 2.4GHz and 5GHz MLO-enabled network, a beacon transmitted in the 2.4GHz band will have an RNR that includes the 5GHz band as a frequency band used and its BSSID. In this embodiment, only the above information is described as information contained in a beacon, but the information contained in a beacon is not limited to this.

[0032] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the virtual received signal strength calculation process of the AP performed by the communication device 100 in this embodiment. Each process in this flowchart is realized by the control unit 101 loading the program stored in the non-volatile memory 102 into the working memory 103 and executing it.

[0033] The control method for the communication device 100 is described below. AP200-1 and 200-2 are MLO-compatible access points that can communicate simultaneously on multiple frequency bands. AP200-3 is an MLO-incompatible access point that can communicate simultaneously on only one frequency band.

[0034] In step S401, the control unit 101 controls the wireless communication unit 106 to receive beacons transmitted by AP200-1 to 200-3 in the surrounding area. The method for receiving beacons can be either active scan or passive scan. When a beacon is received, the control unit 101 measures the received signal strength of the beacon. The received signal strength is generally converted to RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) and used. RSSI is the ratio of the measured received signal strength to 1 [mW] (milliwatt) expressed on a common logarithm, and its unit is [dBm] (decibels-milli). When the measured received signal strength is P [mW], the RSSI Q [dBm] is expressed by the following formula (1).

[0035] Q = 10 × log(P) ... (1)

[0036] For example, if the received radio wave intensity measured when receiving the beacon 300 in Figure 3(a) was 0.0001 [mW], the RSSI would be -40 [dBm]. When the control unit 101 receives the beacon and calculates the RSSI, it proceeds to step S402.

[0037] In step S402, the control unit 101 obtains the SSID from the beacon received in step S401 and proceeds to step S403. For example, when the control unit 101 receives beacon 300, it obtains SSID_A of SSID 301.

[0038] In step S403, the control unit 101 obtains the operating frequency band from the beacon received in step S401 and proceeds to step S404. For example, when the control unit 101 receives beacon 300, it obtains the operating frequency band 302, which is 2.4 GHz.

[0039] In step S404, the control unit 101 obtains the BSSID from the beacon received in step S401 and proceeds to step S405. For example, when the control unit 101 receives beacon 300, it obtains BSSID 303, which is 000000000024.

[0040] In step S405, the control unit 101 obtains the IE from the beacon received in step S401 and proceeds to step S406. For example, when the control unit 101 receives beacon 300, it obtains IE304.

[0041] In step S406, the control unit 101 refers to the IE obtained in step S405 to determine whether or not it is an MLO-compatible network. If the control unit 101 determines in S406 that it is an MLO-compatible network, the process proceeds to step S407. If the control unit 101 determines that it is not an MLO-compatible network, the process proceeds to step S410. For example, when the control unit 101 receives beacon 300, it determines from IE304 that it is an MLO-compatible network and proceeds to step S407. Also, for example, when the control unit 101 receives beacon 350 in Figure 3(c), it determines from IE354 that it is a non-MLO-compatible network and proceeds to step S410.

[0042] In step S407, the control unit 101 obtains the RNR from the beacon received in step S401 and proceeds to step S408.

[0043] In step S408, the control unit 101 obtains other operating frequency bands and their BSSIDs supported by the MLO from the RNR obtained in step S407, and proceeds to step S409. For example, when the control unit 101 receives the beacon 300 shown in Figure 3(a), it obtains 5GHz for operating frequency band 305 and BSSID 306 000000000050, and 6GHz for operating frequency band 307 and BSSID 308 000000000060.

[0044] In step S409, the control unit 101 stores the RSSI measured in step S401, along with the SSID, operating frequency band, BSSID, and other operating frequency bands and their BSSIDs acquired in steps S402 to S408, in the working memory 103 as multilink information, and proceeds to step S411. For example, when the beacon 300 shown in Figure 3(a) is received, the control unit 101 stores -40[dBm] as the RSSI, SSID_A as the SSID, 2.4GHz as the operating frequency band, 000000000024 as the BSSID, and 000000000050 for 5GHz and 000000000060 for 6GHz as other operating frequency bands and their BSSIDs in the working memory 103.

[0045] In step S410, the control unit 101 stores the RSSI measured in step S401, along with the SSID, operating frequency band, and BSSID acquired in steps S402 to S404, as single-link information in the working memory 103, and then proceeds to step S411. For example, when receiving the beacon 350 in Figure 3(c), if the received signal strength was 0.0001 [mW], the control unit 101 stores -40 [dBm] as the RSSI, SSID_C as the SSID, 2.4GHz as the operating frequency band, and 200000000024 as the BSSID.

[0046] In step S411, the control unit 101 determines, via the wireless communication unit 106, whether or not it has completed receiving all beacons. If the control unit 101 determines in S411 that it has completed receiving all beacons, the process proceeds to step S412. If the control unit 101 determines that it has not completed receiving all beacons, the control unit 101 returns to step S401 and receives beacons again. In this embodiment, completing the reception of all beacons means that the communication device 100 has scanned all the wireless channels it supports and received all the beacon signals in the multiple frequency bands it supports.

[0047] As a result of the processing in steps S401 to S411, in this embodiment, the communication device 100 receives six beacons, beacons 300 to 350. Figure 5 shows the multilink information and single-link information stored in the working memory 103 by the control unit 101. As shown in Figure 5(a), multilink information 501 to 505 obtained based on beacons 300 to 340 is stored as multilink information, and single-link information 506 obtained based on beacon 350 is stored as single-link information.

[0048] In step S412, the control unit 101 refers to the information saved in step S409 or S410 and determines whether multilink information is saved. If the control unit 101 determines in step S412 that multilink information is saved, the process proceeds to step S413. If the control unit 101 determines that multilink information is not saved, the process proceeds to step S414.

[0049] In step S413, the control unit 101 aggregates the multilink information for each AP and proceeds to step S414. In this embodiment, since MLO-compatible APs transmit beacons in all usable frequency bands, the control unit 101 may receive multiple beacons from the same AP. The multilink information saved in step S409 is stored for each received beacon, and in step S413, the control unit 101 aggregates this information for each AP.

[0050] Let's explain this using the multilink information 501 in Figure 5(a) as an example. The system searches for multilink information that has the same BSSID as the BSSID 000000000024 in other operating frequency bands and their BSSID information. As a result, multilink information 502 and 503 are found to be the same. Therefore, it can be seen that the 2.4GHz band links indicated by multilink information 501, 502, and 503 are from the same AP. Based on this, the control unit 101 consolidates multilink information 501, 502, and 503 into a single piece of information. Similarly, multilink information 504 and 505 are also consolidated into one piece of information. Through the processing of step S413 described above, the multilink information is consolidated into 511 to 513 in Figure 5(b).

[0051] In step S414, the control unit 101 determines whether there are multiple received signal strengths associated with a single AP. If the control unit 101 determines that there are multiple, the process proceeds to step S415. If the control unit 101 determines that there is only one, the process proceeds to step S416. For example, since there are three RSSIs associated with the multilink information 511, it is determined that there are multiple received signal strengths associated with AP200-1 indicated by the multilink information. Also, for example, since there is only one RSSI associated with the single-link information 513, it is determined that there is only one received signal strength associated with AP200-3 indicated by the single-link information 513.

[0052] In step S415, the control unit 101 sums the received signal strengths of multiple frequency band beacon signals associated with a single AP, calculates the virtual received signal strength of that AP, and proceeds to step S417. The virtual received signal strength of an AP is an example of a single piece of information that indicates the received signal strength of an AP.

[0053] Let's explain this using the multilink information 511 as an example. There are three RSSIs associated with the multilink information 511: -40 [dBm] for the 2.4GHz band, -40 [dBm] for the 5GHz band, and -50 [dBm] for the 6GHz band. From equation (1), calculating the received signal strength from these RSSIs, we get 0.0001 [mW] for the 2.4GHz band, 0.0001 [mW] for the 5GHz band, and 0.00001 [mW] for the 6GHz band. The control unit 101 sums the received signal strengths of the beacon signals in these multiple frequency bands and calculates the virtual received signal strength of AP200-1 associated with the multilink information 511 as 0.00021 [mW]. As a result, the multilink information 521 in Figure 5(c) shows a virtual received signal strength of 0.00021 [mW].

[0054] Similarly, the control unit 101 calculates the virtual received signal strength of AP200-2 associated with the multilink information 512 as 0.00011 [mW]. As a result, the multilink information 522 in Figure 5(c) has a virtual received signal strength of 0.00011 [mW].

[0055] Furthermore, the control unit 101 converts the calculated virtual received signal strength into RSSI to obtain a virtual RSSI. The virtual RSSI of AP200-1 associated with multilink information 511 is approximately -36.8 [dBm], as shown in multilink information 521 in Figure 5(c). The virtual RSSI of AP200-2 associated with multilink information 512 is approximately -39.6 [dBm], as shown in multilink information 522 in Figure 5(c).

[0056] The virtual received signal strength and virtual RSSI shown above are just examples of single pieces of information that indicate received signal strength.

[0057] In step S416, the control unit 101 uses the received signal strength information associated with the AP as the virtual received signal strength of the AP, since it is the received signal strength of a beacon signal in a single frequency band, and proceeds to step S417. The virtual received signal strength of the AP is an example of a single piece of information that indicates the received signal strength of the AP.

[0058] For example, since the RSSI associated with single-link information 513 is only -40 [dBm] in the 2.4 GHz band, the virtual received signal strength of AP200-3 associated with single-link information 513 becomes 0.0001 [mW]. In this case, the virtual RSSI of AP200-3 is the same as the RSSI associated with the single-link information, which is -40 [dBm]. As a result, single-link information 523 in Figure 5(c) has a virtual received signal strength of 0.0001 [mW] and a virtual RSSI of -40 [dBm].

[0059] In step S417, the control unit 101 determines whether it has calculated the virtual received signal strength for all APs. If the control unit 101 determines that it has calculated the virtual received signal strength for all APs, the process in the flowchart of Figure 4 ends. If the control unit 101 determines that there are APs for which the virtual received signal strength has not been calculated, the process returns to step S414. In this embodiment, calculating the virtual received signal strength for all APs means that the communication device 100 has calculated the virtual received signal strength for all of the multilink information 511 and 512 and the single-link information 513.

[0060] Through the above process, all virtual received signal strengths for AP200-1 to AP200-3 can be calculated, and the results are summarized as shown in the multilink information 521, 522 and single-link information 523 in Figure 5(c).

[0061] The above is a description of the process by which the communication device 100 calculates the virtual received signal strength of the MLO-compatible AP.

[0062] As explained above, in this embodiment, a virtual received signal strength, which is a single piece of information that integrates the received signal strengths of multiple links of an MLO-compatible AP, was calculated. The calculated virtual received signal strength makes it possible to display signal strength icons in the same way as before, and to compare the received signal strength with APs that communicate via a single link. By using the virtual received signal strength, it becomes possible to compare the received signal strengths of APs even in environments where MLO-compatible APs and non-MLO-compatible APs are mixed, and it becomes possible to sort the AP list and determine the connection priority of APs.

[0063] The control unit 101 can control the display of AP signal strength icons based on a single piece of information indicating the received signal strength of each AP. Furthermore, the control unit 101 can calculate a single piece of information indicating the received signal strength of each of multiple APs through the process shown in Figure 4. In addition, the control unit 101 can control the display of a sorted list of APs based on this single piece of information indicating the received signal strength of each of the multiple APs. Finally, the control unit 101 can determine the connection priority of multiple APs based on this single piece of information indicating the received signal strength of each of the multiple APs.

[0064] In this embodiment, the virtual received signal strength was calculated by summing the received signal strengths of multiple frequency bands, but the virtual received signal strength may also be calculated by averaging the received signal strengths of multiple frequency bands. The control unit 101 can calculate the average of the received signal strengths of each of the received signals in multiple frequency bands. Then, the control unit 101 can calculate the RSSI based on the average of the received signal strengths of each of the received signals in multiple frequency bands.

[0065] In this embodiment, a method for calculating virtual received signal strength using RSSI has been described, but virtual received signal strength may also be calculated using SNR (Signal-Noise Ratio). The control unit 101 can calculate virtual received signal strength or virtual RSSI based on the SNR of each of the received signals in multiple frequency bands.

[0066] In this embodiment, the MLO-compatible AP transmits beacons in all available frequency bands, but it is not necessary for it to transmit beacons in all frequency bands. For frequency bands where beacons are not transmitted, the communication device 100 can send a Probe Request to the AP, and the received radio wave strength in that frequency band can be measured by receiving a Probe Response from the AP.

[0067] If the AP does not emit beacon signals in a certain frequency band, the control unit 101 sends a connection request to the AP for that frequency band and receives a response signal to that connection request. Based on the received response signal, the control unit 101 calculates a single piece of information indicating the AP's received signal strength.

[0068] Furthermore, if there are frequency bands where communication with the AP, such as beacon reception, is not possible and the received signal strength cannot be measured, the virtual received signal strength may be calculated using the received signal strength of the remaining frequency bands. Also, communication with the AP for measuring the received signal strength is not limited to beacon reception; any type of communication is acceptable. In addition, the connection state with the AP when calculating the virtual received signal strength may be either before or after the communication device 100 connects to the network constructed by the AP.

[0069] In this embodiment, the total received signal strength was calculated without weighting the received signal strength of each frequency band, but the received signal strength may be weighted according to the frequency band. For example, the 5GHz and 6GHz bands can be expected to provide faster communication speeds even with the same received signal strength as 2.4GHz. Therefore, by weighting the received signal strength of the 5GHz and 6GHz bands, a virtual received signal strength that reflects the expected communication speed can be calculated. The control unit 101 can calculate a weighted sum of the received signal strengths of each of the multiple frequency bands that have been received. Then, the control unit 101 can calculate the RSSI based on the weighted sum of the received signal strengths of each of the multiple frequency bands that have been received.

[0070] In this embodiment, the AP is described as constructing either an MLO-compatible network or a non-MLO-compatible network. However, a single AP may construct both an MLO-compatible network and a non-MLO-compatible network. For example, AP200-1 may construct an MLO-compatible network with usable frequency bands of 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz, as well as a non-MLO-compatible network that supports only single-link communication at 2.4GHz. In this case, the received signal strength in the 2.4GHz band used for calculating the virtual received signal strength may be the received signal strength in the 2.4GHz band from the non-MLO-compatible network.

[0071] The control unit 101 can receive beacon signals from APs that have established both MLO-compatible networks, which have multiple frequency bands that can communicate simultaneously, and non-MLO-compatible networks, which have only one frequency band that can communicate simultaneously. Here, one frequency band of the non-MLO-compatible network is the same as one of the multiple frequency bands of the MLO-compatible network. When the control unit 101 receives beacon signals from APs that have established both of the above networks, it can calculate a single piece of information indicating the received signal strength of the AP based on the signal from one frequency band of the non-MLO-compatible network and the signals from the other frequency bands of the MLO-compatible network.

[0072] As described above, this embodiment provides a method for calculating the virtual received signal strength of an MLO-compatible AP when communicating with an MLO-compatible AP via multiple links. By calculating the virtual received signal strength of the MLO-compatible AP, the communication device 100 can display a signal strength icon and compare the received signal strength with an AP communicating via a single link. This allows the user to be presented with an appropriate signal strength icon and comparison results between APs, enabling the user to understand the communication speed and stability of the AP.

[0073] Although the present invention has been described in detail above based on its preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various forms that do not depart from the gist of the invention are also included in the present invention. Some of the above embodiments may be combined as appropriate. Furthermore, the present invention also includes cases in which a software program that realizes the functions of the above embodiments is supplied directly from a recording medium or via wired / wireless communication to a system or device having a computer capable of executing the program, and the program is executed. Therefore, the program code itself supplied to and installed on a computer in order to realize the functional processing of the present invention also realizes the present invention. In other words, the computer program itself for realizing the functional processing of the present invention is also included in the present invention. In that case, the form of the program is not limited as long as it has the function of a program, such as object code, a program executed by an interpreter, or script data supplied to an OS. As a recording medium for supplying the program, for example, a hard disk, a magnetic recording medium such as magnetic tape, an optical / magneto-optical storage medium, or a non-volatile semiconductor memory may be used. Furthermore, as a method of supplying the program, a method in which a computer program forming the present invention is stored on a server on a computer network, and a connected client computer downloads the computer program and runs the program, can also be considered.

[0074] This embodiment includes the following configuration. (Item 1) A receiving means for receiving signals in multiple frequency bands from a first access point that has multiple frequency bands capable of simultaneous communication, A calculation means calculates a single piece of information indicating the received radio wave strength of the first access point based on signals of multiple frequency bands received by the receiving means. A communication device characterized by having the following features. (Item 2) The receiving means receives a signal in one frequency band from a second access point that has only one frequency band capable of simultaneous communication. The calculation means is When the receiving means receives signals of the multiple frequency bands from the first access point, the receiving means calculates a single piece of information indicating the received radio wave strength of the first access point based on the signals of the multiple frequency bands received by the receiving means. The communication device according to item 1, characterized in that when the receiving means receives a signal of one frequency band from the second access point, the receiving means calculates a single piece of information indicating the received radio wave strength of the second access point based on the signal of one frequency band received by the receiving means. (Item 3) The communication device according to item 1 or 2, characterized in that the single piece of information indicating the received radio wave strength of the first access point is the received radio wave strength [mW]. (Item 4) The communication device according to item 1 or 2, characterized in that the single piece of information indicating the received radio wave strength of the first access point is RSSI [dBm]. (Item 5) The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 4, characterized in that the calculation means calculates a single piece of information indicating the received radio wave strength of the first access point based on beacon signals of multiple frequency bands received by the receiving means. (Item 6) The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 5, characterized in that the calculation means calculates a single piece of information indicating the received radio wave strength of the first access point based on the received radio wave strength of each of the multiple frequency band signals received by the receiving means. (Item 7) The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 6, characterized in that the calculation means calculates the sum of the received radio wave intensities of each of the multiple frequency band signals received by the receiving means. (Item 8) The communication device according to item 7, characterized in that the calculation means calculates the RSSI based on the sum of the received radio wave intensities of each of the multiple frequency band signals received by the receiving means. (Item 9) The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 6, characterized in that the calculation means calculates a weighted sum of the received radio wave strengths of each of the multiple frequency band signals received by the receiving means. (Item 10) The communication device according to item 9, characterized in that the calculation means calculates the RSSI based on a weighted sum of the received radio wave intensities of each of the multiple frequency band signals received by the receiving means. (Item 11) The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 6, characterized in that the calculation means calculates the average of the received radio wave intensity of each of the multiple frequency band signals received by the receiving means. (Item 12) The communication device according to item 11, characterized in that the calculation means calculates the RSSI based on the average of the received radio wave strengths of each of the multiple frequency band signals received by the receiving means. (Item 13) The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 5, characterized in that the calculation means calculates a single piece of information indicating the received radio wave strength of the first access point based on the SNR of each of the multiple frequency band signals received by the receiving means. (Item 14) The calculation means calculates a single piece of information indicating the received radio wave strength of each of the multiple access points, The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 13, further comprising control means for controlling the display of a list of access points sorted based on a single piece of information indicating the received radio wave strength of each of the aforementioned plurality of access points. (Item 15) The calculation means calculates a single piece of information indicating the received radio wave strength of each of the multiple access points, The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 14, further comprising a determination means for determining the connection priority of the plurality of access points based on a single piece of information indicating the received radio wave strength of each of the plurality of access points. (Item 16) The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 15, further comprising control means for controlling the display of a radio wave strength icon for the first access point based on a single piece of information indicating the received radio wave strength of the first access point. (Item 17) If the receiving means has a frequency band in which the first access point does not emit a beacon signal, it transmits a connection request to the first access point for the frequency band in which the beacon signal is not emitted, and receives a response signal to the connection request. The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 16, characterized in that the calculation means calculates a single piece of information indicating the received radio wave strength of the first access point based on the response signal received by the receiving means. (Item 18) The receiving means receives signals from a third access point that constructs both a first network with multiple frequency bands capable of simultaneous communication and a second network with one frequency band capable of simultaneous communication. One frequency band of the second network is the same as one of the multiple frequency bands of the first network. The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 17, characterized in that when the receiving means receives a signal from a third access point that constructs both of the above, the calculation means calculates a single piece of information indicating the received radio wave strength of the third access point based on a signal in one frequency band of the second network and a signal in a frequency band other than the one frequency band among the multiple frequency bands of the first network. (Item 19) A receiving step of receiving signals in multiple frequency bands from a first access point that has multiple frequency bands capable of simultaneous communication, A calculation step which calculates a single piece of information indicating the received radio wave strength of the first access point based on signals of multiple frequency bands received in the reception step. A method for controlling a communication device, characterized by having the following features. (Item 20) A program to cause a computer to function as a communication device as described in any one of items 1 through 18. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0075] 100 Communication devices 101 Control Unit 102 Non-volatile memory 103 Working memory 104 Operation section 105 Display section 106 Wireless Communication Section

Claims

1. A receiving means for receiving signals in multiple frequency bands from a first access point that has multiple frequency bands capable of simultaneous communication, A calculation means calculates a single piece of information indicating the received radio wave strength of the first access point based on signals of multiple frequency bands received by the receiving means. A communication device characterized by having the following features.

2. The receiving means receives a signal in one frequency band from a second access point that has only one frequency band capable of simultaneous communication. The calculation means is When the receiving means receives signals of the multiple frequency bands from the first access point, the receiving means calculates a single piece of information indicating the received radio wave strength of the first access point based on the signals of the multiple frequency bands received by the receiving means. The communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that when the receiving means receives a signal of one frequency band from the second access point, the receiving means calculates a single piece of information indicating the received radio wave strength of the second access point based on the signal of one frequency band received by the receiving means.

3. The communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that the single piece of information indicating the received radio wave strength of the first access point is the received radio wave strength [mW].

4. The communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that the single piece of information indicating the received radio wave strength of the first access point is RSSI [dBm].

5. The communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that the calculation means calculates a single piece of information indicating the received radio wave strength of the first access point based on beacon signals of multiple frequency bands received by the receiving means.

6. The communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that the calculation means calculates a single piece of information indicating the received radio wave strength of the first access point based on the received radio wave strength of each of the multiple frequency band signals received by the receiving means.

7. The communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that the calculation means calculates the sum of the received radio wave intensities of each of the multiple frequency band signals received by the receiving means.

8. The communication device according to claim 7, characterized in that the calculation means calculates RSSI based on the sum of the received radio wave intensities of each of the multiple frequency band signals received by the receiving means.

9. The communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that the calculation means calculates a weighted sum of the received radio wave strengths of each of the multiple frequency band signals received by the receiving means.

10. The communication device according to claim 9, characterized in that the calculation means calculates RSSI based on a weighted sum of the received radio wave intensities of each of the multiple frequency band signals received by the receiving means.

11. The communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that the calculation means calculates the average of the received radio wave intensity of each of the multiple frequency band signals received by the receiving means.

12. The communication device according to claim 11, characterized in that the calculation means calculates RSSI based on the average of the received radio wave strengths of each of the multiple frequency band signals received by the receiving means.

13. The communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that the calculation means calculates a single piece of information indicating the received radio wave strength of the first access point based on the SNR of each of the multiple frequency band signals received by the receiving means.

14. The calculation means calculates a single piece of information indicating the received radio wave strength of each of the multiple access points, The communication device according to claim 1, further comprising control means for controlling the display of a list of access points sorted based on a single piece of information indicating the received radio wave strength of each of the plurality of access points.

15. The calculation means calculates a single piece of information indicating the received radio wave strength of each of the multiple access points, The communication device according to claim 1, further comprising a determination means for determining the connection priority of the plurality of access points based on a single piece of information indicating the received radio wave strength of each of the plurality of access points.

16. The communication device according to claim 1, further comprising control means for controlling the display of a radio wave strength icon for the first access point based on a single piece of information indicating the received radio wave strength of the first access point.

17. If the receiving means has a frequency band in which the first access point does not emit a beacon signal, it transmits a connection request to the first access point for the frequency band in which the beacon signal is not emitted, and receives a response signal to the connection request. The communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that the calculation means calculates a single piece of information indicating the received radio wave strength of the first access point based on the response signal received by the receiving means.

18. The receiving means receives signals from a third access point that constructs both a first network with multiple frequency bands capable of simultaneous communication and a second network with one frequency band capable of simultaneous communication. One frequency band of the second network is the same as one of the multiple frequency bands of the first network. The communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that when the receiving means receives a signal from a third access point that constructs both of the above, the calculation means calculates a single piece of information indicating the received radio wave strength of the third access point based on a signal in one frequency band of the second network and a signal in a frequency band other than the one frequency band among the multiple frequency bands of the first network.

19. A receiving step of receiving signals in multiple frequency bands from a first access point that has multiple frequency bands capable of simultaneous communication, A calculation step which calculates a single piece of information indicating the received radio wave strength of the first access point based on the signals of multiple frequency bands received in the reception step. A method for controlling a communication device, characterized by having the following features.

20. A program for causing a computer to function as a communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

Images