Communication device, control method thereof, program, and storage medium

Abstract

Provided is a communication device that suppresses connection to an unnecessary access point (AP) when reconnecting to a desired AP. 【Solution means】A digital camera 100, which is a communication device, includes a connection unit that wirelessly connects to access points (AP401 to 404), a first storage unit that stores the SSID and authentication key of the AP designated as the connection target by the user, a second storage unit that stores the SSID, BSSID, and authentication key of the AP to be excluded from the trial targets for connection trials by the connection unit as an exclusion list, and a control unit that, when the connection unit fails to connect to an AP, stores the SSID and BSSID of the AP and the authentication key used for the connection trial in the exclusion list for an AP having the same BSSID as the BSSID of the failed AP. The control unit deletes from the exclusion list an AP that has the same SSID as the SSID of the designated AP and a different authentication key from the authentication key of the designated AP when receiving an operation to connect to the AP from the user.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a connection technology for communication devices.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in competition venues such as the Olympics, multiple access points (hereinafter referred to as APs) with the same SSID (Service Set Identifier) are installed. In such an environment, when a device moves while connected to an AP and the signal strength of the received AP weakens, there is a known roaming function that automatically connects to another AP with a stronger signal strength.

[0003] Also, there is a known history connection function that stores in advance a desired SSID and authentication key to be connected, and automatically connects to an AP using the stored SSID and authentication key.

[0004] In these functions, when there is another AP with the same desired AP and SSID but a different authentication key, and the signal strength of the other AP is stronger than that of the desired AP, there is a problem that the desired AP cannot be connected.

[0005] To solve this problem, Patent Document 1 discloses a communication device that performs the following processing. That is, the BSSID (Basic Service Set Identifier) of the AP for which network connection has failed is stored in an exclusion list, and when generating a scan list, the BSSID stored in the exclusion list is excluded to generate a scan list. Then, when a certain period of time has elapsed, the exclusion list is deleted.

[0006] Patent Document 2 discloses a communication device that performs the following processing. That is, the BSSID of the AP for which network connection has failed is stored in an exclusion list, the BSSID stored in the exclusion list is not set as a connection target, and when network settings are made, the exclusion list is deleted.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Document

[0007]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0008] However, in the technology disclosed in the above patent documents, after a certain period of time has passed or when settings related to the network are made, the exclusion list is uniformly deleted. Therefore, after a certain period of time has passed or after settings related to the network are made, when attempting to connect to a desired AP, a connection to an unnecessary AP will be attempted again, resulting in wasteful connection trial processing.

[0009] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a communication device that can further reduce the execution of connection processing with unnecessary APs when reconnecting to a desired AP.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] The communication device according to the present invention includes a connection means for wirelessly connecting to an access point, a first storage means for storing the SSID and authentication key of the access point designated as a connection target by the user, a second storage means for storing the SSID, BSSID, and authentication key of the access point to be excluded from the trial targets for which the connection means attempts connection as an exclusion list, and a control means for storing, in the exclusion list, the SSID, BSSID, and authentication key used for the connection trial for an access point having the same BSSID as the BSSID of the access point for which the connection with the access point has failed when the connection means fails to connect to the access point. In a state where the exclusion list is stored in the second storage means, From the user newly predetermined When receiving an operation to connect to an access point , the control means performs the predetermined having the same SSID as the SSID of the access point, and the predetermined access point having an authentication key different from the authentication key of the access point is deleted from the exclusion list and does not delete an access point having an SSID different from the SSID of the predetermined access point from the exclusion list characterized by this.

Advantages of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, in a communication device, when reconnecting to a desired AP, it becomes possible to further reduce the execution of connection processing with unnecessary APs.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although a plurality of features are described in the embodiments, not all of these plurality of features are essential for the invention, and the plurality of features may be arbitrarily combined. Further, in the accompanying drawings, the same or similar configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0014] (First Embodiment) <Configuration of Digital Camera 100> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an imaging device (digital camera 100) which is a first embodiment of the communication device of the present invention.

[0015] In the present embodiment, as an example of the imaging device, a digital camera 100 capable of imaging videos (hereinafter, images) such as still images and moving images will be described. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and is also applicable to information processing devices such as tablet devices and personal computers with camera functions, surveillance cameras, medical cameras, and the like.

[0016] In FIG. 1, a control unit 101 is an arithmetic processing unit (CPU) that controls the entire digital camera 100 in an overall manner. The control unit 101 realizes communication processing and control processing described later by expanding and executing a program stored in a non-volatile memory 103 described later in a working memory 104. Note that instead of the control unit 101 controlling the entire device, a plurality of hardware may share the processing to control the entire device.

[0017] The imaging unit 102 includes a lens group including a zoom lens and a focus lens, and a shutter having an aperture function. Further, the imaging unit 102 includes an imaging element composed of a CCD, a CMOS element, or the like that converts a subject image into an electrical signal, and an A / D converter that converts an analog image signal output from the imaging element into a digital signal.

[0018] The imaging unit 102, under the control of the control unit 101, converts the subject image formed by the lens included in the imaging unit 102 into an electrical signal by the image sensor, performs noise reduction processing, etc., and outputs image data composed of a digital signal. The image data output from the imaging unit 102 is recorded on the recording medium 107 according to the DCF (Design Rule for Camera File system) standard.

[0019] The non-volatile memory 103 is an electrically erasable and recordable memory, and for example, an EEPROM or the like is used. In the non-volatile memory 103, constants, programs, etc. for the operation of the control unit 101 are recorded. The program mentioned here refers to the program for executing the communication processing and control processing described later in this embodiment.

[0020] The working memory 104 is used as a working area for expanding constants, variables, programs read from the non-volatile memory 103, etc. for the operation of the control unit 101. Also, the working memory 104 is used as a buffer memory for temporarily holding the image data captured by the imaging unit 102 and as an image display memory for the display unit 106.

[0021] The operation unit 105 is composed of various operation members such as various switches, buttons, and touch panels that receive various operations from the user. The operation unit 105 includes, for example, as shown in FIGS. 1(b) and 1(c), a shutter button 105a for taking an image, a playback button 105b for playing back the captured image, and a four-way key 105c composed of up, down, left, and right buttons for performing various settings of the camera. Also, a touch panel 105d integrally formed with the display unit 106 described later is also included in the operation unit 105.

[0022] The shutter button 105a turns on the first shutter switch during operation, specifically in the so-called half-press (shooting preparation indication), and generates a first shutter switch signal SW1. Upon receiving the first shutter switch signal SW1, the control unit 101 starts operations such as AF (auto focus) processing, AE (auto exposure) processing, AWB (auto white balance) processing, and EF (flash pre-emission) processing by controlling the imaging unit 102. Also, when the operation of the shutter button 105a is completed, specifically in the so-called full-press (shooting instruction), the second shutter switch turns on and generates a second shutter switch signal SW2. The control unit 101 starts a series of shooting processing operations from reading the signal from the imaging unit 102 to writing the image data to the recording medium 110 upon receiving the second shutter switch signal SW2.

[0023] The display unit 106 performs functions such as displaying the viewfinder image during shooting, displaying the captured image, and displaying characters for interactive operations. The display unit 106 is, for example, a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The display unit 106 may be configured to be integrated with the digital camera 100 or may be an external device connected to the digital camera 100. The digital camera 100 only needs to be able to connect to the display unit 106 and have a function to control the display of the display unit 106.

[0024] The image data output from the imaging unit 102 is recorded on the recording medium 107, or an image file already recorded by the control unit 101 is read out. The recording medium 107 may be a memory card or a hard disk drive attached to the digital camera 100, or may be a flash memory or a hard disk drive built into the digital camera 100. The digital camera 100 only needs to have at least means to access the recording medium 107.

[0025] The connection unit 108 is an interface for communicably connecting to an external device such as the server 200 described later. The digital camera 100 of the present embodiment can exchange data with the external device via the connection unit 108. For example, the digital camera 100 can transmit the image data output from the imaging unit 102 to the external device via the connection unit 108, or can receive a control instruction output from the external device via the connection unit 108. In the present embodiment, the connection unit 108 includes an interface for communicating with the external device via a wireless LAN according to the IEEE802.11 standard. The control unit 101 realizes wireless communication with the external device by controlling the connection unit 108.

[0026] <Display screen of digital camera 100> Next, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the display screen of the digital camera 100 of the present embodiment. FIGS. 2(a) to (c) show display screens for connecting to access points (hereinafter referred to as APs) with different SSIDs or authentication keys.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 2(a), the screen 200 includes an SSID setting button 201, an authentication key setting button 202, and a connection button 203. The screen 200 is displayed on the display unit 106 of the digital camera 100.

[0028] The SSID setting button 201 is a button for inputting the SSID of a desired AP that can be selected by the operation unit 105 of the digital camera 100. In the SSID setting button 201, the SSID of the desired AP being input is "Canoc".

[0029] The authentication key setting button 202 is a button for inputting the authentication key of a desired AP that can be selected by the operation unit 105 of the digital camera 100. In the authentication key setting button 202, the authentication key of the desired AP being input is "AAAAAAAA".

[0030] The connection button 203 is a button for instructing connection to a desired AP that can be selected by the operation unit 105 of the digital camera 100. When connection is instructed by the connection button 203, connection to the desired AP is started using the SSID of the desired AP input by the SSID setting button 201 and the authentication key input by the authentication key setting button 202.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 2(b), the screen 210 includes an SSID setting button 211, an authentication key setting button 212, and a connection button 213. The screen 210 is displayed on the display unit 106 of the digital camera 100.

[0032] The SSID setting button 211 is a button for inputting the SSID of a desired AP that can be selected by the operation unit 105 of the digital camera 100. In the SSID setting button 211, the SSID of the desired AP being input is "Temp". The authentication key setting button 212 is a button for inputting the authentication key of a desired AP that can be selected by the operation unit 105 of the digital camera 100. In the authentication key setting button 212, the authentication key of the desired AP being input is "ZZZZZZZZ".

[0033] The connection button 213 is a button for instructing connection to a desired AP that can be selected by the operation unit 105 of the digital camera 100. When connection is instructed by the connection button 213, connection to the desired AP is started using the SSID of the desired AP input by the SSID setting button 211 and the authentication key input by the authentication key setting button 212.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 2(c), the screen 220 includes an SSID setting button 221, an authentication key setting button 222, and a connection button 223. The screen 220 is displayed on the display unit 106 of the digital camera 100.

[0035] The SSID setting button 221 is a button for inputting the SSID of a desired AP that can be selected by the operation unit 105 of the digital camera 100. In the SSID setting button 221, the SSID of the desired AP being input is "Canoc". The authentication key setting button 222 is a button for inputting the authentication key of a desired AP that can be selected on the operation unit 105 of the digital camera 100. In the authentication key setting button 222, the authentication key of the desired AP being input is "BBBBBBBB".

[0036] The connection button 223 is a button for instructing connection to a desired AP that can be selected on the operation unit 105 of the digital camera 100. When connection is instructed by the connection button 223, connection to the desired AP is started using the SSID of the desired AP input by the SSID setting button 221 and the authentication key input by the authentication key setting button 222.

[0037] <Exclusion list> Next, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the exclusion list of the present embodiment.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 3(a), the exclusion list 300 includes an SSID 301, a BSSID 302, and an authentication key 303. When the digital camera 100 fails to connect to an AP, the control unit 101 acquires the SSID and the BSSID from the signal given from the AP targeted for connection trial. Also, the control unit 101 acquires the trial authentication key, which is the authentication key used for the connection trial. The control unit 101 stores these acquired SSID, BSSID, and trial authentication key in the exclusion list 300.

[0039] More specifically, in the SSID 301, when the authentication process of the digital camera 100 fails, the SSID acquired by the control unit 101 from the signal given from the AP targeted for connection trial is stored. Here, the SSID 301 has not failed in the authentication process and no SSID is stored.

[0040] In the BSSID 302, when the authentication process of the digital camera 100 fails, the BSSID acquired by the control unit 101 from the signal given from the AP targeted for connection trial is stored. Here, the BSSID 302 has not failed in the authentication process and no BSSID is stored.

[0041] When the authentication process of the digital camera 100 fails, the trial authentication key used for the connection attempt extracted by the control unit 101 is stored in the authentication key 303. Here, the trial authentication key 303 has not failed in the authentication process and no trial authentication key is stored.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 3(b), the exclusion list 310 includes an SSID 311, a BSSID 312, and an authentication key 313. When the digital camera 100 fails to connect to the AP, from the signal given by the AP targeted for the connection attempt, the control unit 101 acquires the SSID and the BSSID. In addition, the control unit 101 acquires the trial authentication key, which is the authentication key used for the connection attempt. The control unit 101 stores the acquired SSID, BSSID, and trial authentication key in the exclusion list 310.

[0043] More specifically, when the authentication process of the digital camera 100 fails, the SSID acquired by the control unit 101 from the signal given by the AP targeted for the connection attempt is stored in the SSID 311. Here, the authentication process of the digital camera 100 has failed, and "Canoc" is stored in the SSID 311 as the SSID for which authentication has failed.

[0044] When the authentication process of the digital camera 100 fails, the BSSID acquired by the control unit 101 from the signal given by the AP targeted for the connection attempt is stored in the BSSID 312. Here, the authentication process of the digital camera 100 has failed, and "22:22:22:22:22:22" is stored in the BSSID 312 as the BSSID for which authentication has failed.

[0045] When the authentication process of the digital camera 100 fails, the trial authentication key used for the connection attempt extracted by the control unit 101 is stored in the authentication key 313. "AAAAAAAA" is stored in the trial authentication key 313 as the trial authentication key for which the authentication attempt has failed.

[0046] Next, FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 are diagrams for explaining the deletion of the exclusion list.

[0047] <System Configuration including Digital Camera 100> First, FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a system configuration including digital camera 100. Digital camera 100 is set to be able to connect to an AP with an SSID of "Canoc" and an authentication key of "AAAAAAAA". In digital camera 100, the SSID and authentication key can be set to the SSID and authentication key of the AP to be connected. For example, it can be changed to a setting with an SSID of "Canoc" and an authentication key of "BBBBBBBB", or a setting with an SSID of "Temp" and an authentication key of "ZZZZZZZZ".

[0048] AP 401 is set with an SSID of "Canoc", a BSSID of "11:11:11:11:11:11", and an authentication key of "AAAAAAAA". AP 401 has a stronger signal strength than APs 402 and 403 with the same SSID set.

[0049] AP 402 is set with an SSID of "Canoc", a BSSID of "22:22:22:22:22:22", and an authentication key of "BBBBBBBB". AP 402 has a stronger signal strength than AP 403 with the same SSID set.

[0050] AP 403 is set with an SSID of "Canoc", a BSSID of "33:33:33:33:33:33", and an authentication key of "AAAAAAAA". AP 403 has a weaker signal strength than APs 401 and 402 with the same SSID set.

[0051] AP 404 is set with an SSID of "Temp", a BSSID of "44:44:44:44:44:44", and an authentication key of "ZZZZZZZZ".

[0052] <Control Sequence of Digital Camera 100> Next, FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the control sequence of digital camera 100.

[0053] In S501, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 receives a connection instruction from the user via the operation unit 105. For example, as shown in Fig. 2(a), a screen 200 is displayed on the display unit 106, the SSID "Canoc" is input with the SSID setting button 201, the authentication key "AAAAAAAA" is input with the authentication key setting button 202, and it is received that the connection button 203 has been input.

[0054] In S502, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 associates the SSID and the authentication key included in the connection instruction received in S501 as the SSID and the authentication key of the desired AP of the user, and stores them in the work memory 104.

[0055] Here, it is assumed that an exclusion list is already stored in the non-volatile memory 103. In that case, in S503, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 determines that an exclusion list is already stored in the non-volatile memory 103. Also, it is determined that the desired SSID stored in the work memory 104 is the same as the predetermined SSID stored in the exclusion list stored in the non-volatile memory 103. Furthermore, it is determined that the desired authentication key stored in the work memory 104 is not the same as the predetermined trial authentication key stored in the exclusion list stored in the non-volatile memory 103.

[0056] In this case, the control unit 101 deletes the SSID identical to the desired SSID, the BSSID, and the authentication key from the exclusion list stored in the non-volatile memory 103. The reason is that if the SSIDs are the same, there is a possibility of connection when a different authentication key is reset to the desired authentication key, so as to enable a connection attempt. Also, when the desired SSID stored in the work memory 104 is not the same as the SSID stored in the exclusion list stored in the non-volatile memory 103, the SSID, the BSSID, and the authentication key in that exclusion list are not deleted.

[0057] In S504, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 designates the AP of the desired SSID stored in the working memory 104, and performs a scan to attempt wireless reception of signals including the SSID and BSSID from each of the one or more APs.

[0058] In S505, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 acquires the SSID and BSSID of each of the one or more APs from the signals obtained by the scan in S504. Further, the acquired SSID and BSSID are stored in the working memory 104.

[0059] In S506, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 determines the AP to be the connection attempt target from the SSID and BSSID acquired in S505. At this time, an AP having the same SSID as the SSID of the desired AP stored in the working memory 104 and the same BSSID as the BSSID stored in the exclusion list of the non-volatile memory 103 is excluded from the targets of the wireless LAN connection attempt.

[0060] In S507, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 performs an association process in cooperation with the AP to be the connection attempt target using the BSSID included in the signal given from the AP to be the connection attempt target.

[0061] In S508, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 searches the working memory 104 using the SSID included in the signal given from the AP to be the connection attempt target, and extracts the authentication key associated with this SSID. Then, authentication processing is performed in cooperation with the AP to be the connection attempt target using the extracted authentication key.

[0062] In S509, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 receives a successful authentication notification from the AP to be the connection attempt target. Here, authentication will succeed for the AP 401 to be the connection attempt target.

[0063] In S510, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 determines that the AP (AP401) to be the connection attempt target is the desired AP, and establishes a wireless LAN connection with this AP.

[0064] In S511, when the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 determines that the signal strength of a desired AP has weakened, it specifies the AP with the desired SSID stored in the working memory 104 and performs a scan.

[0065] In S512, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 acquires the SSID and BSSID of each of one or more APs from the signals obtained in the scan of S511. Further, the acquired SSID and BSSID are stored in the working memory 104.

[0066] In S513, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 determines the AP to be the connection trial target from the SSID and BSSID acquired in S512. At this time, an AP having the same SSID as the desired AP stored in the working memory 104 and the same BSSID as the BSSID stored in the exclusion list of the non-volatile memory 103 is excluded from the trial targets for wireless LAN connection. Also, an AP with a strong signal strength is given priority as a trial target for wireless LAN connection. Further, the currently connected AP is not set as a trial target for wireless LAN connection.

[0067] In S514, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 performs an association process in cooperation with the AP to be the connection trial target using the BSSID included in the signal given from the AP to be the connection trial target.

[0068] In S515, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 searches the working memory 104 using the SSID included in the signal given from the AP to be the connection trial target, and extracts the authentication key associated with this SSID. Then, authentication processing is performed in cooperation with the AP to be the connection trial target using the extracted authentication key.

[0069] In S516, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 receives an authentication failure notification from the AP to be the connection trial target. Here, since the authentication key of the AP 402 to be the connection trial target is different, authentication will fail.

[0070] In S517, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 searches the working memory 104 using the SSID included in the signal given from the AP to be subjected to the connection trial, and acquires the authentication key associated with this SSID. This authentication key, the SSID and BSSID acquired in S512 for the AP to be subjected to the connection trial, are stored in the exclusion list of the non-volatile memory 103.

[0071] In S518, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 determines the APs to be subjected to the connection trial other than the AP402 from the SSID and BSSID acquired in S512. At this time, an AP having the same SSID as the SSID of the desired AP stored in the working memory 104 and having the same BSSID as the BSSID stored in the exclusion list of the non-volatile memory 103 is excluded from the targets for the wireless LAN connection trial. Also, APs with strong signal strength are preferentially set as targets for the wireless LAN connection trial. Also, the currently connected AP is not set as a target for the wireless LAN connection trial.

[0072] In S519, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 performs an association process in cooperation with the AP to be subjected to the connection trial using the BSSID included in the signal given from the AP to be subjected to the connection trial.

[0073] In S520, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 searches the working memory 104 using the SSID included in the signal given from the AP to be subjected to the connection trial, and extracts the authentication key associated with this SSID. Then, authentication processing is performed in cooperation with the AP to be subjected to the connection trial using the extracted authentication key.

[0074] In S521, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 receives a successful authentication notification from the AP to be subjected to the connection trial. Here, since the AP403 to be subjected to the connection trial has the same authentication key as the desired AP, the authentication will be successful.

[0075] In S522, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 determines that the AP to be subjected to the connection trial is the desired AP, and establishes a wireless LAN connection with this AP.

[0076] <Control Flow of Digital Camera 100> Next, FIG. 6 is a control flowchart showing the operation of digital camera 100.

[0077] In S601, the control unit 101 of digital camera 100 associates the SSID and authentication key included in the received connection instruction as the SSID and authentication key of the desired AP, and stores them in the working memory 104. The process of S601 corresponds to S502 in FIG. 5.

[0078] In S602, the control unit 101 of digital camera 100 determines whether an exclusion list is already stored in the working memory 104. If the control unit 101 determines that the exclusion list is stored, the process proceeds to S603. If it determines that the exclusion list is not stored, the process proceeds to S606.

[0079] In S603, the control unit 101 of digital camera 100 determines whether the desired SSID stored in the working memory 104 is the same as the predetermined SSID stored in the exclusion list stored in the non-volatile memory 103. If the control unit 101 determines that they are the same, the process proceeds to S604. If it determines that they are not the same, the process proceeds to S606.

[0080] In S604, the control unit 101 of digital camera 100 determines whether the desired authentication key stored in the working memory 104 is the same as the trial authentication key stored in the exclusion list stored in the non-volatile memory 103. If the control unit 101 determines that they are not the same, the process proceeds to S605. If it determines that they are the same, the process proceeds to S606.

[0081] In S605, the control unit 101 of digital camera 100 deletes the SSID that is the same as the desired SSID, the BSSID, and the authentication key from the exclusion list stored in the non-volatile memory 103. The process of S605 corresponds to S503 in FIG. 5.

[0082] In S606, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 designates the AP with the desired SSID stored in the working memory 104, and performs a scan for wirelessly receiving signals including the SSID and BSSID from each of the one or more APs. The process of S606 corresponds to S504 in FIG. 5.

[0083] In S607, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 acquires the SSID and BSSID (identifier) of each of the one or more APs from the signals obtained by the scan in S606. Further, the acquired SSID and BSSID are stored in the working memory 104. The process of S607 corresponds to S505 in FIG. 5.

[0084] In S608, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 determines whether there is an AP to be the connection trial target. If the control unit 101 determines that there is one, the process proceeds to S609, and if it determines that there is not, the process proceeds to S615.

[0085] In S609, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 determines the AP to be the connection trial target from the SSID and BSSID acquired in S607. At this time, an AP having the same SSID as the SSID of the desired AP stored in the working memory 104 and the same BSSID as the BSSID stored in the exclusion list of the non-volatile memory 103 is excluded from the trial targets for wireless LAN connection. Also, APs with stronger signal strength are preferentially set as the trial targets for wireless LAN connection. The process of S609 corresponds to S506 in FIG. 5.

[0086] In S610, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 performs an association process in cooperation with the AP to be the connection trial target, using the BSSID included in the signal given from the AP to be the connection trial target. The process of S610 corresponds to S507 in FIG. 5.

[0087] In S611, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 searches the working memory 104 using the SSID included in the signal given from the AP targeted for connection trial, and extracts the authentication key associated with this SSID. Then, using the extracted authentication key, it performs authentication processing in cooperation with the AP targeted for connection trial. The process of S611 corresponds to S508 in FIG. 5.

[0088] In S612, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 determines whether or not the authentication has succeeded. If the control unit 101 determines that the authentication has failed, it advances the process to S613, and if it determines that the authentication has succeeded, it advances the process to S614.

[0089] In S613, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 searches the working memory 104 using the SSID included in the signal given from the AP targeted for connection trial, and acquires the authentication key associated with this SSID. Then, it stores the SSID and BSSID acquired in S607 and the acquired authentication key in the exclusion list of the non-volatile memory 103. The process of S613 corresponds to S517 in FIG. 5.

[0090] In S614, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 determines that the AP targeted for connection trial is the desired AP, and establishes a wireless LAN connection with this AP. The process of S613 corresponds to S522 in FIG. 5.

[0091] In S615, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 determines whether or not to end the connection. If the control unit 101 determines not to end the connection, it advances the process to S616, and if it determines to end the connection, it ends the process of this flow.

[0092] In S616, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 determines whether or not the signal strength of the connected AP has fallen below the threshold value. If the control unit 101 determines that the signal strength of the connected AP has fallen below the threshold value, it returns the process to S606, and if it determines that the signal strength of the connected AP has not fallen below the threshold value, it returns the process to S615.

[0093] As described above, according to the first embodiment, the digital camera 100 determines whether a desired SSID is the same as a predetermined SSID stored in the exclusion list. Further, it determines whether a desired authentication key is the same as a predetermined authentication key stored in the exclusion list. And when the SSIDs are the same but the authentication keys are different, it deletes the SSID that is the same as the desired SSID, the BSSID, and the authentication key from the exclusion list.

[0094] By doing so, it becomes possible to further reduce the execution of connection processing with unnecessary APs when reconnecting to a desired AP again.

[0095] (Second Embodiment) Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 7, 8, and 9, a method for deleting an exclusion list in the second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0096] <System Configuration Including Digital Camera 100> FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a system configuration including the digital camera 100 according to the second embodiment.

[0097] The digital camera 100 is set to be able to connect to an AP with an SSID of "Canoc" and an authentication key of "AAAAAAAA".

[0098] The AP 701 is set with an SSID of "Canoc", a BSSID of "22:22:22:22:22:22", and an authentication key of "BBBBBBBB".

[0099] <Control Sequence of Digital Camera 100> FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the control sequence of the digital camera 100 in the second embodiment.

[0100] In S801, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 receives a connection instruction from the user via the operation unit 105. For example, as shown in FIG. 2(a), the screen 200 is displayed on the display unit 106, the SSID "Canoc" is input with the SSID setting button 201, the authentication key "AAAAAAAA" is input with the authentication key setting button 202, and it is received that the connection button 203 has been input.

[0101] In S802, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 associates the SSID and the authentication key included in the connection instruction received in S801 as the SSID and the authentication key of the desired AP of the user, and stores them in the working memory 104.

[0102] In S803, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 designates the AP of the desired SSID stored in the working memory 104, and performs a scan to attempt wireless reception of signals including the SSID and the BSSID from each of one or more APs.

[0103] In S804, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 acquires the SSID and the BSSID of each of one or more APs from the signals obtained in the scan of S803. Further, the acquired SSID and BSSID are stored in the working memory 104.

[0104] In S805, when both of the following conditions are satisfied, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 deletes the SSID identical to the desired SSID, and the BSSID and the authentication key from the exclusion list stored in the non-volatile memory 103. (1) The number of APs of the SSID obtained in the scan of S803 stored in the working memory 104 is not plural. (2) The BSSID obtained in the scan of S803 stored in the working memory 104 is identical to a predetermined BSSID stored in the exclusion list stored in the non-volatile memory 103.

[0105] In S806, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 determines the AP to be the target of connection attempt from the SSID and BSSID acquired in S804. At this time, an AP having the same SSID as the desired AP stored in the working memory 104 and the same BSSID as the BSSID stored in the exclusion list of the non-volatile memory 103 is excluded from the targets of wireless LAN connection attempt. Also, an AP with a strong signal strength is preferentially set as the target of wireless LAN connection attempt. If there is no AP to be the target of connection attempt, the connection is terminated.

[0106] In S807, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 performs association processing in cooperation with the AP to be the target of connection attempt, using the BSSID included in the signal given from the AP to be the target of connection attempt.

[0107] In S808, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 searches the working memory 104 using the SSID included in the signal given from the AP to be the target of connection attempt, and extracts the authentication key associated with this SSID. Then, authentication processing is performed in cooperation with the AP to be the target of connection attempt using the extracted authentication key.

[0108] In S809, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 receives an authentication failure notification from the AP to be the target of connection attempt. Here, since the authentication keys are different, the authentication by the AP 701 to be the target of connection attempt fails.

[0109] In S810, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 searches the working memory 104 using the SSID included in the signal given from the AP to be the target of connection attempt, and acquires the authentication key associated with this SSID. This authentication key, the SSID and BSSID acquired in S804 for the AP to be the target of connection attempt are stored in the exclusion list of the non-volatile memory 103.

[0110] <Control Flow of Digital Camera 100> FIG. 9 is a control flowchart showing the operation of the digital camera 100 in the second embodiment.

[0111] In S901, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 associates the SSID and authentication key included in the received connection instruction with the SSID and authentication key of a desired AP, and stores them in the working memory 104. The process of S901 corresponds to S802 in FIG. 8.

[0112] In S902, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 designates the AP with the desired SSID stored in the working memory 104, and performs a scan to attempt wireless reception of signals including the SSID and BSSID from each of one or more APs. The process of S902 corresponds to the process of S803 in FIG. 8.

[0113] In S903, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 acquires the SSID and BSSID of each of one or more APs from the signals obtained in the scan of S902. Further, the acquired SSID and BSSID are stored in the working memory 104. The process of S903 corresponds to the process of S804 in FIG. 8.

[0114] In S904, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 determines whether there are multiple APs with the SSID obtained in the scan of S902 stored in the working memory 104. If the control unit 101 determines that there are not multiple APs, the process proceeds to S905. If the control unit 101 determines that there are multiple APs, the process proceeds to S907.

[0115] In S905, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 determines whether the BSSID obtained in the scan of S902 stored in the working memory 104 is the same as the predetermined BSSID stored in the exclusion list stored in the non-volatile memory 103. If the control unit 101 determines that they are the same, the process proceeds to S906. If the control unit 101 determines that they are not the same, the process proceeds to S907.

[0116] In S906, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 deletes the SSID identical to the desired SSID, the BSSID, and the authentication key from the exclusion list stored in the non-volatile memory 103. The process of S903 corresponds to S805 in FIG. 8.

[0117] In S907, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 determines whether there is an AP to be the target of connection attempt. If the control unit 101 determines that there is one, the process proceeds to S908. If it determines that there is none, the process of this flow ends.

[0118] In S908, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 determines the AP to be the target of connection attempt from the SSID and BSSID acquired in S903. At this time, an AP that has the same SSID as the SSID of the desired AP stored in the working memory 104 and the same BSSID as the BSSID stored in the exclusion list of the non-volatile memory 103 is excluded from the targets of wireless LAN connection attempt. Also, an AP with a strong signal strength is preferentially set as the target of wireless LAN connection attempt. The process of S908 corresponds to S806 in FIG. 8.

[0119] In S909, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 performs an association process in cooperation with the AP to be the target of connection attempt, using the BSSID included in the signal given from the AP to be the target of connection attempt. The process of S909 corresponds to S807 in FIG. 8.

[0120] In S910, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 searches the working memory 104 using the SSID included in the signal given from the AP to be the target of connection attempt, and extracts the authentication key associated with this SSID. Then, an authentication process is performed in cooperation with the AP to be the target of connection attempt using the extracted authentication key. The process of S909 corresponds to S808 in FIG. 8.

[0121] In S911, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 determines whether the authentication has failed. If the control unit 101 determines that the authentication has failed, the process proceeds to S912. If it determines that the authentication has succeeded, the process of this flow ends.

[0122] In the S912, the control unit 101 of the digital camera 100 searches the working memory 104 using the SSID included in the signal given from the AP to be the connection trial target, and acquires the authentication key associated with this SSID. This authentication key, the SSID and BSSID acquired in S902 for the AP to be the connection trial target, are stored in the exclusion list of the non-volatile memory 103. The process of S912 corresponds to S810 in FIG. 8.

[0123] As described above, according to the second embodiment, when the digital camera 100 determines that there is not a plurality of APs of the desired SSID and the BSSID obtained by scanning is the same as the BSSID stored in the exclusion list, the digital camera 100 deletes the SSID identical to the desired SSID, the BSSID, and the authentication key from the exclusion list.

[0124] By doing so, it becomes possible to further reduce the execution of the connection process with unnecessary APs when reconnecting to the desired AP again.

[0125] The disclosure of this specification includes the following communication device, its control method, program, and storage medium.

[0126] (Item 1) Connection means for wirelessly connecting to an access point, First storage means for storing the SSID and authentication key of the access point designated as the connection target by the user, Second storage means for storing, as an exclusion list, the SSID, BSSID, and authentication key of the access point to be excluded from the trial target for which the connection means performs a connection trial, Control means for storing, in the exclusion list, the SSID, BSSID, and the authentication key used for the connection trial for the access point having the BSSID identical to the BSSID of the access point for which the connection means has failed to connect to the access point when the connection means fails to connect to the access point. When the control means receives an operation of connecting to an access point from a user, it deletes from the exclusion list an access point that has the same SSID as the specified access point and a different authentication key from the authentication key of the specified access point. The communication device is characterized by this.

[0127] (Item 2) The communication device according to item 1, wherein the control means does not delete from the exclusion list an access point that has an SSID different from the SSID of the specified access point.

[0128] (Item 3) When there are no multiple access points having the same SSID as the specified access point, the control means deletes from the exclusion list an access point that has the same SSID as the specified access point and the same BSSID as the BSSID of the specified access point. The communication device according to item 1 or 2 is characterized by this.

[0129] (Item 4) The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 3, wherein the connection means receives a signal including an SSID and a BSSID from each of one or more access points.

[0130] (Item 5) The communication device according to item 4, wherein the connection means performs a scan for attempting to wirelessly receive a signal including an SSID and a BSSID from each of one or more access points.

[0131] (Item 6) The communication device according to item 5, wherein the connection means re-executes the scan when the signal strength of the connected access point becomes weaker than a predetermined level.

[0132] (Item 7) A method for controlling a communication device having connection means for wirelessly connecting to an access point, comprising: a first storage step of storing the SSID and authentication key of an access point designated as a connection target by a user; a second storage step of storing, as an exclusion list, the SSID, BSSID, and authentication key of an access point to be excluded from the trial targets for the connection means to attempt connection; a control step of, when the connection means fails to connect to an access point, storing in the exclusion list the SSID and BSSID of the access point having the same BSSID as the BSSID of the failed access point, and the authentication key used for the connection attempt; In the control step, when receiving an operation for connecting to an access point from a user, deleting from the exclusion list an access point having the same SSID as the SSID of the designated access point and having an authentication key different from the authentication key of the designated access point. A method for controlling a communication device, characterized by this.

[0133] (Item 8) A program for causing a computer to function as each means of the communication device according to any one of Items 1 to 6.

[0134] (Item 9) A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as each means of the communication device according to any one of Items 1 to 6.

[0135] (Other Embodiments) The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program for realizing one or more functions of the above-described embodiment to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) for realizing one or more functions.

[0136] The invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the claims are appended to disclose the scope of the invention.

Explanation of Signs

[0137] 100: Digital camera, 101: Control unit, 102: Imaging unit, 103: Non-volatile memory, 104: Working memory, 105: Operation unit, 106: Display unit, 401~404: AP

Claims

1. A connection means for wirelessly connecting to an access point; a first storage means for storing an SSID and an authentication key of an access point designated by a user as a connection target; a second storage means for storing, as an exclusion list, the SSIDs, BSSIDs, and authentication keys of access points to be excluded from targets to which the connection means attempts to connect; a control means for storing, in the exclusion list, an SSID and BSSID of an access point having the same BSSID as that of the access point to which the connection means has failed, and an authentication key used in the connection attempt; A communication device characterized in that, when the exclusion list is stored in the second storage means and a user newly operates to connect to a specified access point, the control means deletes from the exclusion list any access point that has the same SSID as the specified access point and has an authentication key different from the authentication key of the specified access point, and does not delete from the exclusion list any access point that has an SSID different from the SSID of the specified access point.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that, when there are not multiple access points having the same SSID as the specified access point, the control means deletes from the exclusion list an access point that has the same SSID as the specified access point and also has the same BSSID as the specified access point.

3. 2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the connection means receives a signal including an SSID and a BSSID from each of one or more access points.

4. 4. The communication device according to claim 3, wherein the connection means performs a scan to attempt wireless reception of a signal including an SSID and a BSSID from each of one or more access points.

5. 5. The communication device according to claim 4, wherein said connection means executes said scan again when the signal strength of the connected access point becomes weaker than a predetermined value.

6. A method for controlling a communication device having a connection means for wirelessly connecting to an access point, comprising: a first storage step of storing an SSID and an authentication key of an access point designated by a user as a connection target; a second storage step of storing, as an exclusion list, the SSID, the BSSID, and the authentication key of an access point to be excluded from targets to which the connection means attempts a connection; a control step of, when the connection means fails to connect to an access point, storing in the exclusion list, for an access point having the same BSSID as the BSSID of the failed connection, the SSID and BSSID of the access point and an authentication key used in the connection attempt; A control method for a communication device, characterized in that when the exclusion list is stored in the second storage process and a user newly operates to connect to a specified access point, in the control process, an access point that has the same SSID as the specified access point and has an authentication key different from the authentication key of the specified access point is deleted from the exclusion list, and an access point that has an SSID different from the SSID of the specified access point is not deleted from the exclusion list.

7. A program for causing a computer to function as each of the means of the communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

8. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as each of the means of the communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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