COMMUNICATION DEVICE, COMMUNICATION DEVICE CONTROL METHOD, AND PROGRAM

Abstract

To enable more rapid completion of establishment of wireless communication with external apparatuses even in situations where wired communication is not available.SOLUTION: An imaging apparatus 100 includes a wired communication unit 113 that executes a wired communication, and a connection unit 111 that executes a wireless communication. The control unit 101 is controlled so that establishments of respective connections of the wired communications and the wireless communication are executed in parallel, and monitors a link situation of the wired communication. The control unit 101 determines whether, on the basis of a result of the monitoring, or not the link situation will be in auto negotiation before satisfying predetermined conditions. The control unit 101 stops the wireless communication if determining that it becomes in the auto negotiation, and stops the wired communication if determining that it becomes not in the auto negotiation. A time until the predetermined conditions are satisfied is shorter than a timeout time when an attempt is made to establish the connection of the wired communication.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4D

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a communication device, a control method for a communication device, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] A technology is known in which an information processing device capable of data processing, such as a digital camera, is provided with a function for wirelessly communicating with an external device via a wireless communication path, such as a so-called wireless LAN, and image data stored in the information processing device is transmitted to the external device. Using such a function makes it possible to more easily transmit image data to an external device. Patent Document 1 discloses an example of a digital camera that selects a server, a PC, or a printer to transmit images to. Another technology is known in which a function for wired communication with an external device via a wired communication path, such as a so-called wired LAN based on a standard such as Ethernet, is provided to transmit image data to the external device at a higher speed than when wireless communication is used. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-120279 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Generally, wired communication has a faster communication speed and a more stable connection between devices than wireless communication. Therefore, devices capable of both wired and wireless communication may employ a communication sequence in which, when communicating with an external device, they first attempt to establish a wired connection and, if the wired connection is difficult to establish, they attempt to establish a wireless connection. On the other hand, if establishing a wired connection is difficult due to factors such as a cable for wired communication (e.g., a LAN cable) not being connected, it may take some time to determine that the wired connection cannot be established. In such cases, the start timing of the process for establishing a wireless connection may be delayed by the time it takes to determine that the wired connection cannot be established, resulting in a longer time until the establishment of communication with the external device is completed.

[0005] In view of the above problems, the present invention has an object to enable the establishment of wireless communication with an external device to be completed more quickly even in a situation where it is difficult to use wired communication. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A communication device according to the present invention comprises wired communication means for performing wired communication, wireless communication means for performing wireless communication, control means for controlling the establishment of connections for the wired communication and the wireless communication so as to be executed in parallel, and monitoring means for monitoring a link status of the wired communication, and the control means performs the following based on a result of the monitoring: The wireless communication connection is completed It is determined whether the link status is in auto-negotiation by the time of the start of auto-negotiation, and if it is determined that the link status is in auto-negotiation, it stops the wireless communication, and if it is determined that the link status is not in auto-negotiation, it stops the wired communication, Wireless communication connection complete The time until the establishment of the wired communication connection is attempted is shorter than the timeout time. 。 [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, even in a situation where it is difficult to use wired communication, it is possible to more quickly complete the establishment of wireless communication with an external device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an imaging device. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a connection configuration between an imaging device and an FTP server. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on a display unit of the imaging device. [Figure 4A] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a process related to establishing a communication connection. [Figure 4B] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating another example of a process related to establishing a communication connection. [Figure 4C] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating another example of a process related to establishing a communication connection. [Figure 4D] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating another example of a process related to establishing a communication connection. [Figure 5A] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process related to establishing a communication connection. [Figure 5B] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process related to establishing a communication connection. [Figure 5C] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process related to establishing a communication connection. [Figure 5D] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process related to establishing a communication connection. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating another example of a process related to establishment of a communication connection. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart illustrating another example of a process related to establishment of a communication connection. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that in this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted. Furthermore, the embodiments described below are examples of means for realizing the present invention, and may be modified or changed as appropriate depending on the configuration of the device to which the present invention is applied and various conditions. Furthermore, the various embodiments may be combined as appropriate.

[0010] First Embodiment A first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below. Note that, here, an imaging device configured as a so-called digital camera will be described as an example of a communication device, but this does not limit the type of device that can realize the communication device according to this embodiment or the configuration of the device. For example, the communication device according to this embodiment may be realized by an information processing device such as a portable media player, a so-called smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a personal computer.

[0011] (Configuration of imaging device) First, an example of the configuration of an image capture device 100, which is an example of a communication device according to this embodiment, will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The image capture device 100 includes a control unit 101, an image capture unit 102, a non-volatile memory 103, a working memory 104, an operation unit 105, a display unit 106, a recording medium 110, a connection unit 111, a short-range wireless communication unit 112, and a wired communication unit 113.

[0012] The control unit 101 controls each unit of the imaging device 100 in accordance with input signals and a program described below. Note that instead of the control unit 101 controlling the entire device, the entire device may be controlled by having multiple pieces of hardware (for example, a microcomputer or various processors) share the processing.

[0013] The imaging unit 102 is configured with, for example, an optical system that controls the aperture, zoom, focus, etc. of the optical lens unit, and an imaging element that converts light (image) introduced through the optical lens unit into an electrical video signal. A CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) or a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) is generally used as the imaging element. Under the control of the control unit 101, the imaging unit 102 photoelectrically converts subject light formed by a lens included in the imaging unit 102 into an electrical signal using the imaging element, performs noise reduction processing, and outputs the signal as digital image data. In the imaging device 100 of this embodiment, image data is recorded on the recording medium 110 in accordance with the DCF (Design Rule for Camera File system) standard.

[0014] The nonvolatile memory 103 is an electrically erasable and recordable nonvolatile memory, and stores programs to be executed by the control unit 101, which will be described later. The work memory 104 is used as a buffer memory for temporarily storing image data captured by the image capturing unit 102, as an image display memory for the display unit 106, as a work area for the control unit 101, and the like.

[0015] The operation unit 105 is used to accept instructions for the imaging device 100 from the user. The operation unit 105 includes, for example, a power button used by the user to turn the imaging device 100 on / off, a release switch used to instruct shooting, and a playback button used to instruct playback of image data. The operation unit 105 also includes operation members such as a dedicated connection button for starting communication with an external device via a connection unit 111 (described later). The operation unit 105 also includes a touch panel formed on a display unit 106 (described later). The release switch includes SW1 and SW2. When the release switch is pressed halfway, SW1 turns ON. This accepts instructions for performing shooting preparations such as AF (autofocus) processing, AE (auto exposure) processing, AWB (auto white balance) processing, and EF (pre-flash) processing. When the release switch is pressed fully, SW2 turns ON. This accepts instructions for performing shooting preparations such as AF (autofocus) processing, AE (auto exposure) processing, AWB (auto white balance) processing, and EF (pre-flash) processing. When the release switch is pressed fully, SW2 turns ON.

[0016] The display unit 106 displays a viewfinder image during shooting, displays captured image data, displays text for interactive operation, etc. The display unit 106 does not necessarily have to be built into the imaging device 100. The imaging device 100 can be connected to an internal or external display unit 106, and it is sufficient that the imaging device 100 has at least a display control function for controlling the display on the display unit 106.

[0017] The recording medium 110 can record image data output from the imaging unit 102. The recording medium 110 may be configured to be detachable from the imaging device 100, or may be built into the imaging device 100. In other words, it is sufficient that the imaging device 100 has at least a means for accessing the recording medium 110.

[0018] The connection unit 111 is an interface for communicating with an external device via a wireless communication path. The connection unit 111 can be realized as an interface for communicating with an external device via a so-called wireless LAN conforming to the IEEE802.11 standard, for example. The imaging device 100 according to this embodiment can exchange data with an external device via the connection unit 111. For example, image data generated by the imaging unit 102 can be transmitted to the external device via the connection unit 111. Note that the connection unit 111 does not necessarily have to be built into the imaging device 100. The imaging device 100 can be connected to an internal or external connection unit 111, and it is sufficient that the imaging device 100 has at least a connection control function for controlling the connection unit 111. The control unit 101 realizes wireless communication with the external device by controlling the connection unit 111. Note that the communication method is not limited to wireless LAN, and other wireless communication methods such as infrared communication, Bluetooth (registered trademark), and Wireless USB may also be adopted.

[0019] The short-range wireless communication unit 112 is an interface for communicating with an external device via a wireless communication path using a technology known as short-range wireless communication. The short-range wireless communication unit 112 includes, for example, an antenna for wireless communication, a modulation / demodulation circuit for processing wireless signals, and a communication controller. The short-range wireless communication unit 112 realizes short-range wireless communication by outputting modulated wireless signals from an antenna and demodulating wireless signals received by the antenna. An example of this short-range wireless communication is short-range wireless communication conforming to the IEEE 802.15 standard (known as Bluetooth (registered trademark)). In this embodiment, Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy version 4.0, which consumes low power, is adopted as the Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication. This Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication has a narrower communication range (i.e., a shorter communication distance) than wireless LAN communication. Furthermore, Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication has a slower communication speed than wireless LAN communication. On the other hand, Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication consumes less power than wireless LAN communication. The imaging device 100 according to this embodiment can exchange data with an external device via the short-range wireless communication unit 112. For example, when a command to take a photograph is received from an external device, the imaging unit 102 is controlled to perform the photographing operation, and when a command to send and receive data via wireless LAN communication is received, the connection unit 111 is controlled to start wireless LAN communication.

[0020] The wired communication unit 113 is an interface for connecting to an external device via a wired communication path. The imaging device 100 according to this embodiment can exchange data with the external device via the wired communication unit 113. In this embodiment, the wired communication unit 113 includes an interface for communicating with the external device via a wired LAN. The control unit 101 realizes wired communication with the external device by controlling the wired communication unit 113. The communication method is not limited to a wired LAN.

[0021] The connection unit 111 of the imaging device 100 in this embodiment has two operation modes: an AP mode in which the imaging device 100 operates as an access point in infrastructure mode, and a CL mode in which the imaging device 100 operates as a client in infrastructure mode. Operating the connection unit 111 in the CL mode enables the imaging device 100 in this embodiment to operate as a CL device in infrastructure mode. When the imaging device 100 operates as a CL device, it can connect to a nearby access point device and participate in a network formed by the access point device. Operating the connection unit 111 in the AP mode enables the imaging device 100 in this embodiment to operate as a simple access point (hereinafter also referred to as a simple AP), which is a type of access point but has more limited functionality. When operating as a simple AP, the imaging device 100 forms a network by itself. Peripheral devices of the imaging device 100 recognize the imaging device 100 as an access point device and can participate in the network formed by the imaging device 100. It is assumed that a program for operating the imaging device 100 as described above is stored in the non-volatile memory 103.

[0022] In this embodiment, the imaging device 100 is a type of access point, but operates as a simple access point that does not have a gateway function for transferring data received from a CL device to an Internet provider, etc. Therefore, even if the imaging device 100 receives data from another device participating in the network formed by the imaging device itself, the function for transferring the data to another network such as the Internet is limited.

[0023] An example of the configuration of the imaging device 100, which is an example of a communication device according to this embodiment, has been described above with reference to FIG.

[0024] (Connection type overview) When transferring data of an image captured by the imaging device 100 to an external device, for example, FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is used as one of the communication protocols. FTP is one of the communication protocols for transferring files over a network.

[0025] An example of a connection between the imaging device 100 and the FTP server 200 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a diagram schematically showing an example of a connection between the imaging device 100 and the FTP server 200 in this embodiment. 2(a) shows a connection configuration in which the imaging device 100 and the FTP server 200 are connected via an AP 300. The imaging device 100 and the FTP server 200 join a wireless LAN network formed by the AP 300, which is an example of an external relay device, and the imaging device 100 specifies and connects to the FTP server 200, thereby enabling an FTP connection with the FTP server 200. 2(b) shows a connection configuration in which the imaging device 100 and the FTP server 200 are connected via a Hub 300. The imaging device 100 and a Hub 300 of a wired LAN, which is an example of an external relay device, are connected by a wired LAN cable, and the imaging device 100 specifies and connects to the FTP server 200, thereby enabling an FTP connection with the FTP server 200. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the imaging device 100 is connected to an FTP server 200 as a counterpart device, but the present invention is not limited to this. Also, an example is shown in which the imaging device 100 is connected to a wired LAN hub via a wired LAN cable, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the imaging device 100 can be connected to an AP via a wired LAN cable, or the imaging device 100 can be directly connected to the FTP server 200 via a wired LAN cable.

[0026] (Method of connecting the imaging device to an AP or a Hub) When connecting to a remote device, the imaging device 100 first connects to a hub using a wired LAN cable or joins a wireless LAN network formed by an AP, and then establishes a connection (e.g., an FTP connection) with the remote device connected to the hub or AP.

[0027] First, with reference to Fig. 3 and Fig. 4A to Fig. 4D, a process for establishing a wired LAN connection with a hub or a wireless LAN connection with an AP in the imaging device 100 will be described. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the display unit 106 of the imaging device 100 when the imaging device 100 establishes a connection with a hub or an AP. Fig. 4A is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process flow for establishing a wired LAN connection with a hub when the imaging device 100 establishes a wireless LAN connection with an AP. Fig. 4B is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process flow for establishing a wireless LAN connection with the imaging device 100 when the imaging device 100 establishes a wireless LAN connection with an AP.

[0028] When the user instructs the imaging device 100 to start connection settings, the screen displayed on the display unit 106 transitions to the screen shown in Fig. 3(a). Fig. 3(a) shows an example of a network setting screen for receiving from the user designation of settings related to the network of the imaging device 100. The network setting screen presents options such as whether to use / not use a "network," "connection setting," "manual setting," and "connection option setting," and the user can select from these options.

[0029] When a user selects the "Connection Settings" item labeled 301 on the network setting screen shown in FIG. 3(a), the screen displayed on the display unit 106 transitions to the screen shown in FIG. 3(b). FIG. 3(b) shows an example of a connection setting screen presenting a list of connection settings (SETs). A SET is a combination of communication settings, including wireless parameters for connecting to an AP, such as an SSID and a CH, wired parameters for connecting to a wired LAN, and IP addressing information, and function settings, including information on the connected device, such as a UUID and FTP server information. The communication settings, function settings, and SETs are stored in the non-volatile memory 103. A connection process is performed using the communication settings and function settings associated with the SETs. As shown in FIG. 3(b), if a SET is stored, a function name is displayed as labeled SET1 labeled 302. If a SET is not stored, "not set" is displayed as labeled SET3 labeled 303.

[0030] When the user selects SET1 marked with 302 on the connection setting screen shown in Fig. 3(b), the screen displayed on the display unit 106 transitions to the screen shown in Fig. 3(c). Fig. 3(C) shows an example of the connection setting screen on which a list of processes that can be performed for connection setting is presented. The connection setting screen shown in Fig. 3(c) presents options such as "Connect," "Change with wizard," and "Change by selecting from list," and the user can select from these options.

[0031] When the user selects the "Connection" option marked with 304 on the connection setting screen shown in FIG. 3(c), the connection of the SET is initiated. Furthermore, when the user selects "Change by selecting from list" marked with 305 on the connection setting screen shown in FIG. 3(c), the screen displayed on the display unit 106 transitions to the screens shown in FIGS. 3(d) to 3(f). FIGS. 3(d) to 3(f) show examples of setting change screens presenting lists of communication settings and function settings associated with the SET. In the examples shown in FIGS. 3(d) to 3(f), two settings can be specified for each of the communication settings and function settings. FIG. 3(d) shows an example in which information indicating a wired LAN is set as the communication setting. FIG. 3(e) shows an example in which information related to an AP is set as the communication setting. FIG. 3(f) shows an example in which both information indicating a wired LAN and information related to an AP are set as the communication setting.

[0032] First, an example of processing when a wired LAN connection is initiated will be described with reference to Fig. 4A. In this case, under the circumstances where information indicating a wired LAN is set as a communication setting as shown in Fig. 3(d), the user selects the "connect" item marked with 304 on the connection setting screen shown in Fig. 3(c), and the wired LAN connection is initiated. Fig. 4A is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing flow when the imaging device 100 establishes a wired LAN connection with a hub.

[0033] In S401, when the control unit 101 recognizes that the "Connection" item marked with 301 has been selected on the connection setting screen shown in FIG. 3(c) based on an instruction from the user via the operation unit 105, it starts the wired LAN connection process. In S402, the control unit 101 turns on the power supply of the wired LAN. In S403, the control unit 101 starts monitoring the link status of the wired LAN (in other words, monitoring the link status). The link status of the wired LAN includes a no-link state in which the LAN cable is not connected, an auto-negotiation state in which auto-negotiation is being performed with the connection partner (a hub in this embodiment), a linking state in which a link with the connection partner is established, and the like. In S404, the control unit 101 starts a connection timer. The connection timer is used to notify the user that the connection has not been established if the timer times out under circumstances in which it is difficult to establish a wired LAN connection due to factors such as the LAN cable not being connected. In S405, the control unit 101 detects that auto-negotiation is in progress with the connection partner by acquiring the link status of the wired LAN. The process of S405 is executed when the link status that is the target of monitoring started in S403 has transitioned to the auto-negotiation status. In S406, the control unit 101 detects that the connection partner is in a linked state by acquiring the link status of the wired LAN, and completes the wired LAN connection with the connection partner. The processing of S406 is executed when the link status that is the target of monitoring started in S403 has transitioned to a linked state. In S407, the control unit 101 performs IP addressing based on the IP address information stored in the nonvolatile memory 103 as communication settings, and sets the IP address. In S408, the control unit 101 executes a connection process with the connection partner based on the information of the connection partner (in this embodiment, information of the FTP server) stored as a function setting in the non-volatile memory 103, and completes the connection with the connection partner. An example of the process when a wired LAN connection is started has been described above with reference to FIG. 4A.

[0034] Next, an example of processing when a wireless LAN connection is started will be described with reference to Fig. 4B. In this case, under the condition that wireless LAN information (information about the AP) is set as a communication setting as shown in Fig. 3(e), the user selects the "connect" item marked with 304 on the connection setting screen shown in Fig. 3(c), and the wireless LAN connection is started. Fig. 4B is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing flow when the imaging device 100 establishes a wireless LAN connection with an AP.

[0035] In S411, when the control unit 101 recognizes that the "Connection" item marked with 301 has been selected on the connection setting screen shown in FIG. 3(c) based on an instruction from the user via the operation unit 105, it starts the wireless LAN connection process. In S412, the control unit 101 turns on the power supply of the wireless LAN. In S413, the control unit 101 downloads firmware related to realizing the wireless LAN stored in the nonvolatile memory 103 to the wireless LAN chip. In S414, the control unit 101 sets the wireless parameter information of the AP to be connected (information of AccessPoint_002_bgn in this embodiment) stored as communication settings in the nonvolatile memory 103 as parameter information related to the wireless LAN connection. In S415, the control unit 101 starts a connection to the AP based on the wireless parameter information set in S414, thereby starting a series of connection sequences related to the establishment of a wireless LAN connection between the imaging device 100 and the AP. Then, when a series of connection sequences relating to the establishment of a wireless LAN connection between the image capture device 100 and the AP is completed, in S416, the control unit 101 completes the connection with the AP. In S417, the control unit 101 performs IP addressing based on the IP address information stored in the nonvolatile memory 103 as communication settings, and sets the IP address. In S418, the control unit 101 executes a connection process with the connection partner based on the information of the connection partner (in this embodiment, information of the FTP server) stored as function settings in the non-volatile memory 103, and completes the connection with the connection partner. An example of the process when a wireless LAN connection is started has been described above with reference to FIG. 4B.

[0036] Next, a case will be described in which a communication connection is started under the condition that both wired LAN information and wireless LAN information (AP-related information) are set as communication settings as shown in FIG. 3(f). When both wired LAN information and wireless LAN information are configured as communication settings, the wired LAN connection, which has a faster communication speed and a more stable connection, may be prioritized. In such a case, for example, a method may be applied in which a wired LAN connection is first attempted, and if the wired LAN connection is difficult to establish, a wireless LAN connection is attempted. However, if establishing a wired LAN connection is difficult due to factors such as a LAN cable not being connected, it may take some time to determine that the wired LAN connection cannot be established. In such a case, the start timing of the process for establishing the wireless LAN connection may be delayed by the time it takes to determine that the wired LAN connection cannot be established, resulting in a longer time to complete the establishment of communication with the other device. Specifically, depending on the other device to which the wired LAN connection is connected, it may take some time for the linking status, indicating a complete connection, to be reached. Therefore, it may be necessary to wait for the time (e.g., approximately 30 seconds) until it is determined that the wired LAN connection cannot be established. In consideration of the above situation, the communication device according to the present embodiment controls the establishment of connections between the wired LAN and the wireless LAN in parallel when both information about the wired LAN and information about the wireless LAN are set as communication settings. As a specific example, the communication device according to the present embodiment may control the establishment of connections between the wired LAN and the wireless LAN in parallel by simultaneously starting connection processes for the wired LAN and the wireless LAN.

[0037] First, a case where a wired LAN connection can be established when both wired LAN information and wireless LAN information are set as communication settings will be described. Fig. 4C is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing when a wired LAN connection can be established when both wired LAN information and wireless LAN information are set as communication settings.

[0038] In S421, the control unit 101 starts connection processing for both wired LAN and wireless LAN when it recognizes that the "Connection" item marked with 301 has been selected on the connection setting screen shown in Fig. 3(c) based on an instruction from the user via the operation unit 105. Note that S422 to S425 and S427 to S429 indicate a processing sequence related to establishing a connection on the wired LAN side. Also, S430 to S434 indicate a processing sequence related to establishing a connection on the wireless LAN side.

[0039] First, the processing sequence on the wired LAN side will be described. In S422, the control unit 101 turns on the power supply for the wired LAN. In S423, the control unit 101 starts monitoring the link status of the wired LAN. The link status of the wired LAN includes a no-link state in which the LAN cable is not connected, an auto-negotiation state in which auto-negotiation is being performed with the connection partner (a hub in this embodiment), and a linking state in which a link with the connection partner is established. In S424, the control unit 101 starts a connection timer. The connection timer is used to notify the user that the connection has not been established if the timer times out under circumstances in which it is difficult to establish a wired LAN connection due to factors such as the LAN cable not being connected. In S425, the control unit 101 detects that auto-negotiation is in progress with the connection partner by acquiring the link status of the wired LAN. The process of S425 is executed when the link status that is the target of monitoring started in S423 has transitioned to the auto-negotiation status.

[0040] Next, the processing sequence on the wireless LAN side will be described. In S430, the control unit 101 turns on the power supply of the wireless LAN. In S431, the control unit 101 downloads firmware related to realizing a wireless LAN stored in the nonvolatile memory 103 to the wireless LAN chip. In S432, the control unit 101 sets the wireless parameter information of the AP to be connected (information of AccessPoint_002_bgn in this embodiment) stored as communication settings in the nonvolatile memory 103 as parameter information related to the wireless LAN connection. In S433, the control unit 101 starts a connection to the AP based on the wireless parameter information set in S432, thereby starting a series of connection sequences related to the establishment of a wireless LAN connection between the imaging device 100 and the AP.

[0041] Here, since the control unit 101 detects in S425 that the link status of the wired LAN has entered an auto-negotiation state, in S426 it notifies the wireless LAN connection processing that the wired LAN connection has entered an auto-negotiation state. In S434, the control unit 101 stops the wireless LAN connection process in response to the fact that the wired LAN connection has entered the auto-negotiation state. Note that in the example shown in Fig. 4C, after the wireless LAN connection process has progressed to the wireless connection start process shown as S433, a notification is made that the wired LAN has entered the auto-negotiation state. However, the timing of the notification that the auto-negotiation state has entered is not limited to this.

[0042] In S427, the control unit 101 detects that the connection partner is in a linked state by acquiring the link status of the wired LAN, and completes the wired LAN connection with the connection partner. The processing of S427 is executed when the link status that is the subject of monitoring started in S423 has transitioned to a linked state. In S428, the control unit 101 performs IP addressing based on the IP address information stored in the nonvolatile memory 103 as communication settings, and sets the IP address. In S429, the control unit 101 executes a connection process with the connection partner based on the information of the connection partner (in this embodiment, information of the FTP server) stored as function settings in the non-volatile memory 103, and completes the connection with the connection partner via wired LAN. An example of processing when a wired LAN connection can be established under a situation where both wired LAN information and wireless LAN information are set as communication settings has been described above with reference to FIG. 4C.

[0043] Next, a case where it is difficult to establish a wired LAN connection when both wired LAN information and wireless LAN information are set as communication settings will be described. Fig. 4D is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing when it is difficult to establish a wired LAN connection when both wired LAN information and wireless LAN information are set as communication settings.

[0044] In S441, the control unit 101 starts connection processing for both the wired LAN and the wireless LAN when it recognizes that the "Connection" item marked with 301 has been selected on the connection setting screen shown in Fig. 3(c) based on an instruction from the user via the operation unit 105. Note that S442 to S444 and S446 indicate a processing sequence related to establishing a connection on the wired LAN side. Also, S447 to S453 indicate a processing sequence related to establishing a connection on the wireless LAN side.

[0045] First, the processing sequence on the wired LAN side will be described. In S442, the control unit 101 turns on the power supply of the wired LAN. In S443, the control unit 101 starts monitoring the link status of the wired LAN. In S444, the control unit 101 starts a connection timer.

[0046] Next, the processing sequence on the wireless LAN side will be described. In S447, the control unit 101 turns on the power supply of the wireless LAN. In S448, the control unit 101 downloads the firmware for realizing the wireless LAN stored in the nonvolatile memory 103 to the wireless LAN chip. In S449, the control unit 101 sets the wireless parameter information of the AP to be connected (information of AccessPoint_002_bgn in this embodiment) stored as communication settings in the nonvolatile memory 103 as parameter information related to the wireless LAN connection. In S450, the control unit 101 starts a connection to the AP based on the wireless parameter information set in S449, thereby starting a series of connection sequences related to the establishment of a wireless LAN connection between the imaging device 100 and the AP. Then, when a series of connection sequences relating to the establishment of a wireless LAN connection between the image capture device 100 and the AP is completed, in S451 the control unit 101 completes the connection with the AP.

[0047] Here, since the control unit 101 detects in S451 that the wireless LAN connection has been completed, in S445 it notifies the wired LAN connection processing that the wireless LAN connection has been completed. In S446, the control unit 101 receives the completion of the wireless LAN connection and stops the wired LAN connection process. Note that in the example shown in Fig. 4D, the notification indicating that the wireless LAN connection has been completed is made after the wired LAN connection process has progressed to the connection timer start process shown in S444. However, the timing of the notification indicating that the wireless LAN connection has been completed is not limited to this.

[0048] In S452, the control unit 101 performs IP addressing based on the IP address information stored in the nonvolatile memory 103 as communication settings, and sets the IP address. In S453, the control unit 101 executes a connection process with the connection partner based on the information of the connection partner (in this embodiment, information of the FTP server) stored as a function setting in the non-volatile memory 103, and completes the connection with the connection partner. An example of processing when it is difficult to establish a wired LAN connection in a situation where both wired LAN information and wireless LAN information are set as communication settings has been described above with reference to FIG. 4D.

[0049] As described above, the communication device according to this embodiment controls the establishment of connections between the wired LAN and the wireless LAN in parallel when both information about the wired LAN and information about the wireless LAN are set as communication settings. Then, if the link status of the wired LAN connection becomes an auto-negotiation in progress state before a predetermined condition is satisfied (for example, before the wireless LAN connection is completed), the communication device stops the wireless LAN connection process. Furthermore, if the wireless LAN connection is completed before the link status of the wired LAN connection becomes an auto-negotiation in progress state, the communication device stops the wired LAN connection process. The reason for stopping the wired LAN connection process when the wireless LAN connection is completed is that the wired LAN connection status may remain uncertain until a timeout occurs, which may result in power consumption and delays until the connection is established. Specifically, if it is difficult to establish a wired LAN connection and the timing at which the use of the wireless LAN connection is confirmed is the time when the wired LAN connection times out, which is longer than the time it takes to complete the wireless LAN connection, the above-mentioned power consumption and delays until the connection is established may occur. Furthermore, the reason why the wireless LAN connection process is stopped when the wired LAN link status is in the auto-negotiation state is that if the timing of the stop is delayed until the wired LAN is in the linked state, the wireless LAN connection may take priority. Specifically, in the case of a wired LAN connection, it may take some time for the linked state to be achieved depending on the connected device. Under these circumstances, if the timing for stopping the wireless LAN after the wired LAN connection is established is set to the timing when the wired LAN link status is in the linked state, a situation may arise in which the wireless LAN connection takes priority over the wired LAN connection. Therefore, even if the timing for stopping the wired LAN connection process is set to the completion of the wireless LAN connection, the timing for stopping the wireless LAN connection process is set to the timing when the wired LAN link status is in the auto-negotiation state so that the wired LAN connection takes priority.

[0050] Next, with reference to FIGS. 5A to 5D, an example of the flow of connection processing when both wired LAN information and wireless LAN information (AP-related information) are set as communication settings will be described. First, referring to Fig. 5A, an example of processing when a wired LAN or wireless LAN connection is made when both wired LAN information and wireless LAN information (information about the AP) are set as communication settings will be described. Each processing shown in Fig. 5A is realized by the control unit 101 expanding a program stored in the non-volatile memory 103 into the work memory 104 and executing it. Furthermore, the series of processing shown in Fig. 5A is started, for example, when the "connection" item marked with 301 is selected on the connection setting screen shown in Fig. 3(c) (in other words, when an instruction to start a connection with a partner device is received).

[0051] In S501, the control unit 101 determines whether or not both wired LAN information and wireless LAN information are stored in the nonvolatile memory 103 as communication settings. If the control unit 101 determines in S501 that both the information about the wired LAN and the information about the wireless LAN are stored as the communication settings, the control unit 101 advances the process to A. The process of A will be described separately later with reference to FIG. 5B. Furthermore, if the control unit 101 determines in S501 that neither the information about the wired LAN nor the information about the wireless LAN is stored as the communication settings, the process proceeds to S502.

[0052] In S502, the control unit 101 determines whether or not information about a wired LAN is stored in the nonvolatile memory 103 as a communication setting. If the control unit 101 determines in S502 that information about a wired LAN is stored as the communication setting, the control unit 101 advances the process to B. The process of B will be described separately later with reference to FIG. 5C. Furthermore, if the control unit 101 determines in S502 that information about a wired LAN is not stored as a communication setting (in other words, if only information about a wireless LAN is stored), the control unit 101 proceeds to C. The processing of C will be described separately later with reference to FIG. 5D.

[0053] Next, the processes indicated as A to C in FIG. 5A will be described. First, referring to Fig. 5B, the process shown as process A in Fig. 5A for establishing a connection with a counterpart device when both wired LAN information and wireless LAN information are stored as communication settings will be described. Fig. 5B is a flowchart showing an example of the process for establishing a connection with a counterpart device when both wired LAN information and wireless LAN information are stored as communication settings. The series of processes shown in Fig. 5B is realized by the control unit 101 loading a program stored in the non-volatile memory 103 into the work memory 104 and executing it. Note that S511 to S523 show the process flow for establishing a connection on the wired LAN side. Furthermore, S524 to S529 show the process flow for establishing a connection on the wireless LAN side.

[0054] In S511, the control unit 101 turns on the power supply for the wired LAN using the wired communication unit 113. The process of S511 corresponds to the process of S422 in Fig. 4C and the process of S442 in Fig. 4D. In S512, the control unit 101 starts monitoring the link status of the wired LAN using the wired communication unit 113. The process of S512 corresponds to the process of S423 in Fig. 4C and the process of S443 in Fig. 4D. In S513, the control unit 101 starts a connection timer for the wired LAN. The process of S513 corresponds to the process of S424 in Fig. 4C and the process of S444 in Fig. 4D.

[0055] Furthermore, the control unit 101 executes the wired LAN connection process shown as S511 to S523 and the wireless LAN connection process shown as S524 to S529 in parallel. In S524, the control unit 101 turns on the power of the wireless LAN using the connection unit 111. The process of S524 corresponds to the process of S430 in Fig. 4C and the process of S447 in Fig. 4D. In S525, the control unit 101 downloads firmware related to realizing a wireless LAN stored in the non-volatile memory 103 to the wireless LAN chip via the connection unit 111. The processing of S525 corresponds to the processing of S431 in Fig. 4C and the processing of S448 in Fig. 4D. In S526, the control unit 101 sets the parameters related to the wireless LAN connection stored as the communication setting in the non-volatile memory 103 in the working memory 104. In the example shown in Fig. 5B, the information of AccessPoint_002_bgn is set for communication setting 2 as the wireless LAN information of the communication setting as shown in Fig. 3(f). Therefore, the control unit 101 sets the information of AccessPoint_002_bgn in the working memory 104. The processing of S526 corresponds to the processing of S432 in Fig. 4C and the processing of S449 in Fig. 4D. In S527, the control unit 101 starts a process of connecting to the AP based on the wireless LAN parameters set in S526, using the connection unit 111. The process of S527 corresponds to the process of S433 in Fig. 4C and the process of S450 in Fig. 4D. In S528, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the connection to the AP has been successful. If the control unit 101 determines in S528 that the connection to the AP has been successful, the process proceeds to S530. On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines in S528 that the connection to the AP has failed, the process proceeds to S529. In S529, the control unit 101 uses the connection unit 111 to turn off the power to the wireless LAN, and then the process proceeds to S530.

[0056] Here, the processing on the wired LAN side will be explained again. In S514, the control unit 101 determines whether the connection timer started in S513 has timed out. If the control unit 101 determines in S514 that the connection timer has not timed out, the process proceeds to S515. On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines in S514 that the connection timer has timed out, the process proceeds to S522. In S515, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the connection with the AP has been completed in the wireless LAN connection processing shown as S524 to S529, which is being executed in parallel with the wired LAN connection in the connection unit 111. If the control unit 101 determines in S515 that the wireless LAN connection with the AP has not been completed, the process proceeds to S516. On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines in S515 that the wireless LAN connection with the AP has been completed, the process proceeds to S522.

[0057] In S516, the control unit 101 uses the wired communication unit 113 to acquire the link status of the wired LAN. In S517, the control unit 101 determines whether the link status acquired in S516 has changed from the link status acquired previously. If the control unit 101 determines in S517 that the link status has changed, the control unit 101 advances the process to S518. Note that, even if the link status is acquired for the first time in S516, the control unit 101 also advances the process to S518. On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines in S517 that the link status has not changed, the process proceeds to S514. In this case, the process from S514 onwards is executed again. In S518, the control unit 101 determines whether the link status acquired in S516 is a no-link status. If the control unit 101 determines in S518 that the link status is not the no-link state (in other words, if the link status is a state to which the link status will transition after the no-link state), the process proceeds to S519. On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines in S518 that the link status is a no-link state, the process proceeds to S514. In this case, the process from S514 onwards is executed again.

[0058] In S519, the control unit 101 determines whether the link status acquired in S516 is in an auto-negotiation state. If the control unit 101 determines in S519 that the link status is not in the auto-negotiation state (in other words, if the link status is in a state that will transition after the auto-negotiation state), the process proceeds to S520. On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines in S519 that the link status is in the auto-negotiation state, the process proceeds to S521. In S521, the control unit 101 executes a process of stopping the wireless LAN using the connection unit 111. That is, when the link status of the wireless LAN transitions to an auto-negotiation state, the control unit 101 determines that a wired LAN connection with the partner device is almost established, and stops the wireless LAN. In this case, after the process of stopping the wireless LAN, the control unit 101 advances the process to S514 and executes the processes from S514 onwards again. The process of S521 corresponds to the process of S434 in FIG. 4C.

[0059] In S520, the control unit 101 determines whether the link status acquired in S516 is a linked state. If the control unit 101 determines in S520 that the link status is a linked state, the process proceeds to S530. On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines in S520 that the link status is not a linked state, the process proceeds to S514. In this case, the process from S514 onwards is executed again. The process of S520 corresponds to the process of S427 in FIG. 4C.

[0060] The processes of S522 and S523 are executed when the connection timer times out or when the wireless LAN connection satisfies predetermined conditions before the wired LAN link status becomes an auto-negotiation in progress state (for example, when the wireless LAN connection is completed). In S522, the control unit 101 stops monitoring the link status of the wired LAN in the wired communication unit 113. In S523, the control unit 101 uses the wired communication unit 113 to turn off the power to the wired LAN. The processes of S522 and S523 correspond to the process of S446 in FIG. 4D.

[0061] In S530, the control unit 101 stops the wired LAN connection timer that was started in S513. In S531, the control unit 101 determines whether a connection to either a wired LAN or a wireless LAN has been established. If the control unit 101 determines in S531 that a connection to either the wired LAN or the wireless LAN has been established, the process proceeds to S532. On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines in S531 that a connection between either the wired LAN or the wireless LAN has not been established, the control unit 101 ends the series of processes shown in FIG. 5B (that is, the process A). In S532, control unit 101 performs IP addressing and sets an IP address using connection unit 111 or wired communication unit 113 based on the IP address information stored as communication settings in non-volatile memory 103. Whether connection unit 111 or wired communication unit 113 is used is determined depending on whether a connection to a wired LAN or a wireless LAN has been established. That is, if a connection to a wired LAN has been established, wired communication unit 113 is used, and if a connection to a wireless LAN has been established, connection unit 111 is used. The processing of S532 corresponds to the processing of S428 in FIG. 4C and the processing of S452 in FIG. 4D. In S533, control unit 101 uses connection unit 111 or wired communication unit 113 to perform connection processing with the FTP server based on the FTP server information stored as function settings in non-volatile memory 103, and ends the series of processes shown in Fig. 5B (i.e., process A). The process of S533 corresponds to the process of S429 in Fig. 4C and the process of S453 in Fig. 4D.

[0062] Above, with reference to Figure 5B, we have explained the process related to establishing a connection with a partner device when both wired LAN information and wireless LAN information are stored as communication settings, which is shown as process A in Figure 5A.

[0063] Next, referring to Fig. 5C, a process shown as process B in Fig. 5A for establishing a connection with a partner device when wired LAN information is stored as a communication setting but wireless LAN information is not stored will be described. Fig. 5C is a flowchart showing an example of a process for establishing a connection with a partner device when wired LAN information is stored as a communication setting but wireless LAN information is not stored. In other words, Fig. 5C shows an example of a process for establishing a wired LAN connection when the wired LAN is used alone. The series of processes shown in Fig. 5C is realized by the control unit 101 loading a program stored in non-volatile memory 103 into work memory 104 and executing it.

[0064] In S541, the control unit 101 turns on the power supply for the wired LAN using the wired communication unit 113. The processing in S541 corresponds to the processing in S402 in FIG. In S542, the control unit 101 starts monitoring the link status of the wired LAN using the wired communication unit 113. The process of S542 corresponds to the process of S403 in FIG. In S543, the control unit 101 starts a connection timer for the wired LAN. It may take some time for the state to become linked depending on the other device with which the wired LAN connection is established. Therefore, it is desirable to set the timeout period of the connection timer for the wired LAN to a certain length depending on the tendency of the time it takes to become linked depending on the other device. In this embodiment, it is also desirable to set the timeout period of the connection timer for the wired LAN to be longer than the time it takes to complete the wireless LAN connection depending on the tendency of the time it takes to complete the wireless LAN connection. The processing of S543 corresponds to the processing of S404 in FIG. 4A.

[0065] In S544, the control unit 101 determines whether the connection timer started in S543 has timed out. If the control unit 101 determines in S544 that the connection timer has not timed out, the process proceeds to S545. On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines in S544 that the connection timer has timed out, the process proceeds to S553.

[0066] In S545, the control unit 101 uses the wired communication unit 113 to acquire the link status of the wired LAN. In S546, the control unit 101 determines whether the link status acquired in S545 has changed from the link status acquired previously. If the control unit 101 determines in S546 that the link status has changed, the control unit 101 advances the process to S547. Note that, even if the link status is acquired for the first time in S545, the control unit 101 also advances the process to S547. On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines in S546 that the link status has not changed, the process proceeds to S544. In this case, the process from S544 onwards is executed again. In S547, the control unit 101 determines whether the link status acquired in S545 is a no-link status. If the control unit 101 determines in S547 that the link status is not the no-link status (in other words, if the link status is a status that will transition after the no-link status), the process proceeds to S548. On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines in S547 that the link status is a no-link state, the process proceeds to S544. In this case, the process from S544 onwards is executed again. In S548, the control unit 101 determines whether the link status acquired in S545 is in an auto-negotiation state. If the control unit 101 determines in S548 that the link status is not in the auto-negotiation state (in other words, if the link status is in a state that will transition after the auto-negotiation state), the process proceeds to S549. On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines in S548 that the link status is in the auto-negotiation state, the process proceeds to S544. In this case, the process from S544 onwards is executed again. The process of S548 corresponds to the process of S405 in FIG. 4A. In S549, the control unit 101 determines whether the link status acquired in S545 is a linked state. If the control unit 101 determines in S549 that the link status is a linked state, the process proceeds to S550. On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines in S549 that the link status is not a linked state, the process proceeds to S544. In this case, the process from S544 onwards is executed again. The process of S549 corresponds to the process of S406 in FIG. 4A.

[0067] The processes of S553 and S554 are executed when the connection timer times out. In S553, the control unit 101 stops monitoring the link status of the wired LAN in the wired communication unit 113. In S554, the control unit 101 uses the wired communication unit 113 to turn off the power to the wired LAN.

[0068] In S550, the control unit 101 stops the wired LAN connection timer that was started in S543. In S551, the control unit 101 performs IP addressing and sets an IP address using the wired communication unit 113 based on the IP address information stored as communication settings in the non-volatile memory 103. The processing of S551 corresponds to the processing of S407 in FIG. 4A. In S552, the control unit 101 uses the wired communication unit 113 to perform connection processing with the FTP server based on the FTP server information stored as function settings in the non-volatile memory 103, and ends the series of processing shown in Fig. 5C (i.e., processing B). The processing of S552 corresponds to the processing of S408 in Fig. 4A.

[0069] Above, with reference to Figure 5C, we have explained the processing related to establishing a connection with a partner device when wired LAN information is stored as communication settings but wireless LAN information is not stored, which is shown as processing B in Figure 5A.

[0070] Next, referring to Fig. 5D, a process related to establishing a connection with a partner device when wireless LAN information is stored as a communication setting but wired LAN information is not stored, which is shown as process C in Fig. 5A, will be described. Fig. 5D is a flowchart showing an example of a process related to establishing a connection with a partner device when wireless LAN information is stored as a communication setting but wired LAN information is not stored. In other words, Fig. 5D shows an example of a process related to establishing a wireless LAN connection when the wireless LAN is used alone. The series of processes shown in Fig. 5D is realized by the control unit 101 loading a program stored in non-volatile memory 103 into work memory 104 and executing it.

[0071] In S561, the control unit 101 turns on the power of the wireless LAN using the connection unit 111. The process of S561 corresponds to the process of S412 in FIG. 4B. In S562, the control unit 101 downloads firmware related to realizing a wireless LAN stored in the non-volatile memory 103 to the wireless LAN chip via the connection unit 111. The processing of S562 corresponds to the processing of S413 in FIG. 4B. In S563, the control unit 101 sets the parameters related to the wireless LAN connection stored as the communication setting in the non-volatile memory 103 in the working memory 104. In the example shown in FIG. 5C, the information of AccessPoint_002_bgn is set for communication setting 1 as the wireless LAN information of the communication setting as shown in FIG. 3(e). Therefore, the control unit 101 sets the information of AccessPoint_002_bgn in the working memory 104. The processing of S563 corresponds to the processing of S414 in FIG. 4B. In S564, the control unit 101 starts a process of connecting to the AP based on the wireless LAN parameters set in S563, using the connection unit 111. The process of S564 corresponds to the process of S415 in FIG.

[0072] In S565, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the connection to the AP has been successful. If the control unit 101 determines in S565 that the connection to the AP has been successful, the process proceeds to S566. On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines in S565 that the connection to the AP has failed, the process proceeds to S568.

[0073] In S568, since the connection to the AP has failed, the control unit 101 turns off the power to the wireless LAN using the connection unit 111, and then ends the series of processes shown in FIG. 5D (that is, the process C). In response to this, in S566, since the connection to the AP has been successful, the control unit 101 performs IP addressing and sets the IP address using the connection unit 111 based on the IP address information stored as communication settings in the non-volatile memory 103. The processing of S566 corresponds to the processing of S417 in Fig. 4B. Furthermore, in S567, the control unit 101 uses the connection unit 111 to perform connection processing with the FTP server based on the FTP server information stored as function settings in the nonvolatile memory 103, and ends the series of processing shown in Fig. 5D (i.e., processing C). The processing of S567 corresponds to the processing of S418 in Fig. 4B.

[0074] Above, with reference to Figure 5C, we have explained the processing related to establishing a connection with a partner device when wired LAN information is stored as communication settings but wireless LAN information is not stored, which is shown as processing B in Figure 5A.

[0075] As described above, when both wired LAN information and wireless LAN information are set as communication settings, the communication device according to the present embodiment controls the establishment of wired LAN and wireless LAN connections in parallel. Then, if the link status of the wired LAN becomes an auto-negotiation state before the wireless LAN connection is established, the communication device terminates the wireless LAN connection. On the other hand, if the link status of the wired LAN does not become an auto-negotiation state by the time the wireless LAN connection is established, the communication device terminates the wired LAN connection. In this way, the communication device according to the present embodiment controls the processes related to the establishment of communication for each of multiple different communication paths to be executed in parallel and individually, and when one communication satisfies a predetermined condition, the process related to the establishment of the other communication is terminated. By applying such control, the wireless LAN connection can be quickly established even in situations where a wired LAN connection is difficult due to factors such as a disconnected LAN cable, thereby further shortening the time required to complete a connection with a connected device. Note that, in the present embodiment, a configuration has been described in which the connection process is started when an instruction from a user is received, such as when the "Connect" button 304 on the screen shown in FIG. 3(c) is pressed, but the timing at which the connection process is started is not limited to this. For example, if it is possible to automatically start the communication connection process when the imaging device 100 is started, the connection process described in the present embodiment may be applied to the connection process. As another example, in a case where the connection process is started again by retry after the connection is disconnected due to a factor such as a communication error, the connection process described in the present embodiment may be applied to the connection process.

[0076] <Second embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below. In the first embodiment described above, an example of a case where connection processing is started based on an instruction from a user, such as when the "Connect" button is pressed on the screen shown in Fig. 3(c) has been described. In this embodiment, an example of a case where connection processing is executed when returning from a power-saving state after transitioning to the power-saving state will be described. Some devices are equipped with a power-saving function, and some of these devices with a power-saving function have the ability to disconnect already established communication connections with other devices when they transition to a power-saving state, and to execute the connection process again when they return from the power-saving state.

[0077] For example, the imaging device 100 according to this embodiment is provided with the above-described power-saving function as a function related to FTP transfer, and the power-saving function can be enabled as part of the FTP transfer settings. Fig. 3(g) shows an example of the FTP transfer settings screen, and it is possible to set whether or not to use the power-saving function via the "power-saving function" item labeled 306. Specifically, in a state where "Use" is set for the "Power Saving Function" item marked with 306 on the FTP transfer setting screen shown in FIG. 3(g), if there is no data (e.g., image data) to transfer via FTP after the FTP connection is completed, the device transitions to the power saving state. When transitioning to this power saving state, a logoff process is executed for the FTP server, and the network connection (wired LAN connection or wireless LAN connection) is disconnected. Thereafter, when a situation arises where data needs to be transferred via FTP (e.g., when an image is captured or an instruction to transfer an image is issued), the device returns from the power saving state, reconnects to the network, and then executes a logon process for the FTP server. In this way, the FTP connection is re-established, and the target data is transferred to the FTP server. On the other hand, if "Power saving function" is set to "Disable," after the FTP connection has been established, if there is no data to transfer via FTP, the FTP server will log off, but the network connection will be maintained. If there is a situation where data needs to be transferred via FTP, the FTP server will log on, and the target data will be transferred to the FTP server.

[0078] As described above, if the power saving function is set to "Use," a network connection is established again when the device returns from the power saving state. However, in most cases, the communication path that was established before the transition to the power saving state is reused. Specifically, if a wired LAN was used before the transition to the power saving state, a wired LAN connection is often established when the device returns from the power saving state. Also, if a wireless LAN was used before the transition to the power saving state, a wireless LAN connection is often established when the device returns from the power saving state. In light of this, the communication device according to this embodiment applies control such that, when returning from the power saving state, the device first attempts to establish a connection via the communication path that was established before the transition to the power saving state, and if the connection is unsuccessful, the device attempts to establish a connection via the other communication path. An example of connection processing when returning from a power-saving state will now be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of connection processing when returning from a power-saving state. The series of processing shown in Fig. 6 is realized by the control unit 101 expanding a program stored in the non-volatile memory 103 into the work memory 104 and executing it. In addition, hereinafter, the power-saving state that focuses particularly on FTP control will also be referred to as the "FTP power-saving state" for convenience.

[0079] In S601, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a wired LAN connection has been established before transition to the FTP power saving state. If the control unit 101 determines in S601 that a wired LAN connection was established before the transition to the FTP power saving state, the process proceeds to S602. On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines in S601 that a wired LAN connection was not established before the transition to the FTP power saving state (i.e., if it determines that a wireless LAN connection was established), it proceeds to S618.

[0080] First, a process will be described when it is determined in S601 that a wired LAN connection has been established before the transition to the FTP power saving state. If it is determined that a wired LAN connection was established before the transition to the FTP power saving state, the control unit 101 attempts to establish a wired LAN connection based on the wired LAN information stored as communication settings in the non-volatile memory 103, as shown in the processes of S602 to S611. Note that the processes of S602 to S611 are substantially the same as the processes of S541 to S554 in Fig. 5C, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted. If a wired LAN connection is established through the processes of S602 to S611, the control unit 101 advances the process to S612.

[0081] On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines in S605 that the connection timer set in S604 has timed out, that is, that the wired LAN connection has not been established, the process proceeds to S614. In S614, the control unit 101 stops monitoring the link status of the wired LAN in the wired communication unit 113. In S615, the control unit 101 uses the wired communication unit 113 to turn off the power to the wired LAN.

[0082] In S616, the control unit 101 determines whether the link status of the wired LAN acquired in S606 has ever been in an auto-negotiation state. If the control unit 101 determines in S616 that the link status of the wired LAN has been in an auto-negotiation state, the control unit 101 ends the series of connection processes shown in Fig. 6. Note that if the link status of the wired LAN has been in an auto-negotiation state in S616, this means that auto-negotiation with the connection partner has failed and the connection timer has timed out in S605. Therefore, the control unit 101 determines that establishment of a wired LAN connection has failed, and ends the connection process. On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines in S616 that the link status of the wired LAN has never been in an auto-negotiation state, the process proceeds to S617.

[0083] In S617, the control unit 101 determines whether or not an attempt has already been made to establish a wireless LAN connection using the connection unit 111. If the control unit 101 determines in S617 that an attempt to establish a wireless LAN connection has already been made, the series of connection processes shown in FIG. 6 ends. On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines in S617 that an attempt to establish a wireless LAN connection has not yet been made, the process proceeds to S618. At this point, the control unit 101 has not yet attempted to establish a wireless LAN connection, and therefore the process proceeds to S618.

[0084] The processing of S618 to S622 is substantially the same as the processing of S561 to S565 shown in Fig. 5D, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted. In S618 to S622, the control unit 101 attempts to establish a wireless LAN connection with the AP based on the wireless LAN information stored as communication settings in the non-volatile memory 103, and determines whether the wireless LAN connection with the AP has been completed. If the control unit 101 determines in S622 that the wireless LAN connection with the AP has been completed, the process proceeds to S612. On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines in S622 that the wireless LAN connection with the AP has not been completed, the process proceeds to S623.

[0085] In S623, the control unit 101 uses the connection unit 111 to turn off the power to the wireless LAN. In S624, the control unit 101 determines whether or not an attempt has already been made to establish a wired LAN connection. If the control unit 101 determines in S624 that an attempt to establish a wired LAN connection has already been made, the series of connection processes shown in FIG. 6 ends. On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines in S624 that an attempt to establish a wired LAN connection has not yet been made, the process proceeds to S602. At this point, the control unit 101 has already attempted to establish a wired LAN connection, and therefore ends the series of connection processes shown in FIG.

[0086] When a wired LAN or wireless LAN connection is established, the processes of S612 and S613 are executed. In S612, the control unit 101 performs IP addressing using the connection unit 111 or the wired communication unit 113 based on the IP address information stored in the non-volatile memory 103 as communication settings, and sets an IP address. In S613, the control unit 101 uses the connection unit 111 or the wired communication unit 113 to perform connection processing with the FTP server based on the FTP server information stored as function settings in the non-volatile memory 103, and ends the series of connection processing shown in Figure 6. The above has described the processing when it is determined in S601 that a wired LAN connection has been established before the transition to the FTP power saving state.

[0087] Next, a process will be described in the case where it is determined in S601 that a wireless LAN connection has been established before the transition to the FTP power saving state. If it is determined that a wireless LAN connection was established before the transition to the FTP power saving state, the control unit 101 attempts to establish a wireless LAN connection based on the wireless LAN information stored as communication settings in the non-volatile memory 103, as shown in the processes of S618 to S622. Note that the processes of S618 to S622 are substantially the same as the processes of S561 to S565 in Fig. 5D, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0088] In S622, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the wireless LAN connection with the AP has been completed. If the control unit 101 determines in S622 that the wireless LAN connection with the AP has been completed, the process proceeds to S612. On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines in S622 that the wireless LAN connection with the AP has not been completed, the process proceeds to S623.

[0089] In S623, the control unit 101 uses the connection unit 111 to turn off the power to the wireless LAN. In S624, the control unit 101 determines whether or not an attempt has already been made to establish a wired LAN connection. If the control unit 101 determines in S624 that an attempt to establish a wired LAN connection has already been made, the series of connection processes shown in FIG. 6 ends. On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines in S624 that an attempt to establish a wired LAN connection has not yet been made, the process proceeds to S602. At this point, the control unit 101 advances the process to S602 because it has not yet attempted to establish a wired LAN connection.

[0090] The processes in S602 to S611 are substantially the same as the processes in S541 to S554 in FIG. 5C, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted. If a wired LAN connection is established through the processes of S602 to S611, the control unit 101 advances the process to S612.

[0091] On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines in S605 that the connection timer set in S604 has timed out, that is, that the wired LAN connection has not been established, the process proceeds to S614. In S614, the control unit 101 stops monitoring the link status of the wired LAN in the wired communication unit 113. In S615, the control unit 101 uses the wired communication unit 113 to turn off the power to the wired LAN.

[0092] In S616, the control unit 101 determines whether the link status of the wired LAN acquired in S606 has ever been in an auto-negotiation state. If the control unit 101 determines in S616 that the link status of the wired LAN has been in an auto-negotiation state, it ends the series of connection processes shown in FIG. On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines in S616 that the link status of the wired LAN has never been in an auto-negotiation state, the process proceeds to S617.

[0093] In S617, the control unit 101 determines whether or not an attempt has already been made to establish a wireless LAN connection using the connection unit 111. If the control unit 101 determines in S617 that an attempt to establish a wireless LAN connection has already been made, the series of connection processes shown in FIG. 6 ends. On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines in S617 that an attempt to establish a wireless LAN connection has not yet been made, the process proceeds to S618. At this point, the control unit 101 has already attempted to establish a wireless LAN connection, and therefore ends the series of connection processes shown in FIG. The processes in S612 and S613 are the same as those described above, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted here. The above has described the processing when it is determined in S601 that a wireless LAN connection has been established before transitioning to the FTP power saving state.

[0094] As described above, the communication device according to this embodiment applies control such that, when returning from a power-saving state, first, a connection is attempted via the communication path that was established before the transition to the power-saving state, and if the connection cannot be established, a connection is attempted via the other communication path. Basically, when returning from a power-saving state, the communication path that was established before the transition to the power-saving state is often used again. Therefore, by applying the control described above, it is possible to quickly connect to the communication path that was connected before the transition to the power-saving state. Furthermore, even if an attempt to reconnect to the communication path that was connected before the transition to the power-saving state fails, it is possible to establish a connection with the communication partner using the other communication path.

[0095] <Third embodiment> Next, a third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below. In the second embodiment described above, when returning from a power-saving state, a control is applied in which a connection is first attempted via the communication path that was established before the transition to the power-saving state, and if the connection cannot be established, a connection is attempted via the other communication path. However, it is not necessarily possible to establish a connection under the same conditions before and after the transition to the power-saving state. For example, suppose an FTP connection is made via wireless LAN, then the system transitions to FTP power-saving mode, and a LAN cable is connected during the FTP power-saving mode, making the wired LAN available. In this case, only the wireless LAN was available before the transition to FTP power-saving mode, but after returning from the FTP power-saving mode, both the wireless LAN and the wired LAN are available. In such a situation, when returning from the FTP power-saving mode, it may be desirable to prioritize attempting to establish an FTP connection via the wired LAN rather than attempting to establish an FTP connection via wireless LAN, as was the case before the transition to the FTP power-saving mode. Therefore, in this embodiment, we will explain a case where, if a wireless LAN connection is established before transitioning to the power saving state, when returning from the power saving state, the establishment of connections to the wired LAN and wireless LAN described in the first embodiment is controlled to be performed in parallel.

[0096] For example, Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of connection processing when returning from a power-saving state, illustrating an example of a case where control is performed so that connections to a wired LAN and a wireless LAN are established in parallel when returning from an FTP power-saving state. The series of processing shown in Fig. 7 is realized by the control unit 101 loading a program stored in the non-volatile memory 103 into the work memory 104 and executing it. The series of processing shown in Fig. 7 is also started when returning from the FTP power-saving state, for example, when a situation arises in which data needs to be transferred by FTP, such as when an image is captured or an instruction to transfer an image is issued.

[0097] In S701, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a wired LAN connection has been established before transition to the FTP power saving state. If the control unit 101 determines in S701 that a wired LAN connection was established before the transition to the FTP power saving state, the process proceeds to S702. In contrast, if the control unit 101 determines in S701 that a wired LAN connection was not established before the transition to the FTP power saving state (i.e., if it determines that a wireless LAN connection was established), it executes processing A shown in Figure 5B.

[0098] First, a process will be described when it is determined in S701 that a wired LAN connection has been established before the transition to the FTP power saving state. The processes of S702 to S711 are substantially the same as the processes of S541 to S554 in FIG. 5C, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted. If a wired LAN connection is established through the processes of S702 to S711, the control unit 101 advances the process to S672.

[0099] On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines in S705 that the connection timer set in S704 has timed out, that is, that the wired LAN connection has not been established, the process proceeds to S714. In S714, the control unit 101 stops monitoring the link status of the wired LAN in the wired communication unit 113. In S715, the control unit 101 uses the wired communication unit 113 to turn off the power to the wired LAN.

[0100] In S716, the control unit 101 determines whether the link status of the wired LAN acquired in S706 has ever been in an auto-negotiation state. If the control unit 101 determines in S716 that the link status of the wired LAN has been in an auto-negotiation state, it ends the series of connection processes shown in FIG. On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines in S716 that the link status of the wired LAN has never been in an auto-negotiation state, the process proceeds to S717.

[0101] Next, in the processes of S717 to S722, the control unit 101 attempts to establish a wireless LAN connection with the AP based on the wireless LAN information stored as communication settings in the non-volatile memory 103. The processes of S717 to S722 are substantially the same as the processes of S561 to S565 shown in Fig. 5D, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted. If the control unit 101 determines in S721 that the wireless LAN connection with the AP has been completed, the process proceeds to S712. On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines in S721 that the wireless LAN connection with the AP has not been completed, the process proceeds to S722. In S722, the control unit 101 turns off the power supply of the wireless LAN using the connection unit 111, and ends the series of connection processes shown in FIG.

[0102] When a wired LAN or wireless LAN connection is established, the processes of S712 and S713 are executed. In S712, the control unit 101 performs IP addressing using the connection unit 111 or the wired communication unit 113 based on the IP address information stored in the non-volatile memory 103 as communication settings, and sets an IP address. In S713, the control unit 101 uses the connection unit 111 or the wired communication unit 113 to perform connection processing with the FTP server based on the FTP server information stored as function settings in the non-volatile memory 103, and ends the series of connection processing shown in Figure 7. The above has described the processing when it is determined in S701 that a wired LAN connection has been established before the transition to the FTP power saving state. In addition, if it is determined in S701 that a wireless LAN connection was established before the transition to the FTP power saving state, the processing A described with reference to Figure 5B in the first embodiment is executed, so detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0103] As described above, when a wireless LAN connection is established before the communication device enters the power-saving mode, the communication device according to this embodiment controls the establishment of the wired LAN and wireless LAN connections in parallel upon returning from the power-saving mode. As a result, for example, if an FTP connection is established via the wireless LAN, the device transitions to the FTP power-saving mode, and a LAN cable is connected during the FTP power-saving mode, making the wired LAN available, and the connection process can be executed with priority given to the wired LAN connection. Note that the above is merely an example, and the conditions for applying control to establish a wired LAN connection and a wireless LAN connection in parallel when returning from a power-saving state are not necessarily limited. For example, even if a wired LAN connection was established before transitioning to the power-saving state, control to establish a wired LAN connection and a wireless LAN connection in parallel may be applied when returning from the power-saving state. In other words, when establishing communication upon returning from the power-saving state, control to establish a wired communication connection and a wireless communication connection in parallel may be applied, regardless of the communication path that was established before transitioning to the power-saving state.

[0104] <Other embodiments> The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions. The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the components can be modified and embodied in practice without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, various inventions can be created by appropriately combining multiple components disclosed in the above-described embodiments. For example, some components may be omitted from all the components shown in the embodiments. Furthermore, components from different embodiments may be appropriately combined. [Explanation of symbols]

[0105] 100 Imaging device 101 Control section 111 Connection 113 Wired Communications Department 200 FTP Server

Claims

1. a wired communication means for performing wired communication; wireless communication means for performing wireless communication; a control means for controlling the establishment of the wired communication and the wireless communication connections to be executed in parallel; a monitoring means for monitoring the link status of the wired communication; Equipped with The control means Based on the result of the monitoring, it is determined whether the link status will be in auto-negotiation mode before the wireless communication connection is completed; If it is determined that auto-negotiation is in progress, the wireless communication is stopped. If it is determined that auto-negotiation is not in progress, the wired communication is stopped. The time required for the wireless communication to be established is shorter than the timeout period required for the attempt to establish the wired communication. A communication device comprising:

2. The control means stops the wired communication when it determines that the connection has not been established within a timeout period when an attempt to establish a connection for the wired communication is made under the condition that the wired communication is used alone.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein:

3. The control means At least one of the following times is started: when a communication connection is started based on an instruction from a user, when a communication connection is started upon startup, and when a communication connection is started upon recovery from an error; Controlling the establishment of the wired communication and the wireless communication connections so that they are executed in parallel.

3. A communication device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. comprising a storage means, When both the information related to the wireless communication and the information related to the wired communication are stored in the storage means, the control means controls the establishment of connections for the wired communication and the wireless communication to be executed in parallel.

4. A communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication device is a communication device having a plurality of communication ports.

5. When establishing a connection of a communication path following recovery from a power saving state, the control means executes processing related to the establishment of a connection of the communication path according to the communication path that was established before the transition to the power saving state.

5. A communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication device is a communication device having a plurality of communication ports.

6. When establishing a connection of a communication path upon returning from a power saving state, the control means controls so that the establishment of the connection of the wired communication and the wireless communication is executed in parallel, regardless of the communication path that was established before the transition to the power saving state.

5. A communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication device is a communication device having a plurality of communication ports.

7. When the FTP connection is re-established upon recovery from the power saving state, the control means controls so that the establishment of the wired communication and the wireless communication connections is executed in parallel, regardless of the communication path on which the connection was established before the transition to the power saving state.

7. The communication device according to claim 6, wherein:

8. The control means controls the processes relating to the wired communication and the wireless communication so as to start simultaneously.

8. A communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication device is a communication device.

9. A control method for a communication device including a wired communication unit that performs wired communication and a wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication, a control step of controlling the establishment of the wired communication and the wireless communication connections to be executed in parallel; a monitoring step of monitoring a link status of the wired communication; Including, In the control step, Based on the result of the monitoring, it is determined whether the link status will be in auto-negotiation until the wireless communication connection is completed; If it is determined that auto-negotiation is in progress, the wireless communication is stopped, If it is determined that auto-negotiation is not in progress, the wired communication is stopped, The time required for the wireless communication to be established is shorter than the timeout period required for the attempt to establish the wired communication. A method for controlling a communication device, comprising:

10. 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 8.

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