Communication device, control method, and program

Abstract

To implement stable communication with a specific information terminal via an access point (AP).SOLUTION: A communication device 10a includes: a first communication IF11 which is connected to an AP 30a and wirelessly communicates with information terminals 40a-40d via the AP 30a; a first acquisition unit 131 which acquires an image transmission start instruction to a display device 20a, the instruction transmitted by the information terminal 40a; a determination unit 133 which determines, when the first acquisition unit 131 acquires the instruction, whether the first communication IF11 and the information terminal 40a are connected to different APs; a connection control unit 134 which performs connection control to cause the first communication IF11 to disconnect from the AP 30a when a determination is made that they are connected to the different APs and cause the first communication IF11 to connect to an AP 30b that the information terminal 40a is connected to; a second acquisition unit 132 which acquires, when the connection control is performed, image data from the information terminal 40a via the AP 30b; and an output unit 135 which outputs the image data to the display device 20a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for controlling communication so that when two or more access points (APs) having the same wireless LAN (Local Area Network) identification information are found among a plurality of APs and a device attempts to connect to one of the APs, if the AP satisfies a predetermined condition (one example being "radio wave intensity lower than a threshold"), the device is prevented from connecting to the AP. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4833779 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, with the technology described in Patent Document 1, for example, when multiple access points have the same wireless LAN identification information, the device and information terminal may connect to an access point with a strong received signal among the multiple access points. Because these access points are connected to each other via a wired network, the communication path between the device and the information terminal may not be optimal depending on the access point to which the device and the information terminal connect. In this case, communication bandwidth may be consumed on unnecessary paths for communication between the device and the information terminal, and the communication error rate may increase.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has an object to provide a communication device or the like that can perform stable communication with a specific information terminal via an access point. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, a communication device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a communication device comprising: a wireless communication interface that connects to an access point and performs wireless communication with an information terminal via the access point; a first acquisition unit that acquires an instruction sent from a specific information terminal to start transmitting image data to a display unit; a determination unit that, when the first acquisition unit acquires the instruction, determines whether the wireless communication interface and the specific information terminal are connected to different access points; a connection control unit that, when the determination unit determines that the wireless communication interface and the specific information terminal are connected to different access points, performs connection control to cause the wireless communication interface to disconnect from the access point and connect the wireless communication interface to the access point to which the specific information terminal is connected; a second acquisition unit that, when the connection control is performed by the connection control unit, acquires the image data from the specific information terminal via the access point to which the specific information terminal is connected; and an output unit that outputs the image data acquired by the second acquisition unit to the display unit.

[0007] According to this, when the communication device is connected to an access point different from the access point to which a specific information terminal (i.e., an information terminal that has received a user instruction and sent an instruction to start transmitting image data to itself) is connected, the communication device can switch the access point to which it is connected to the access point to which the specific information terminal is connected and acquire image data from the specific information terminal. Therefore, the communication path between the communication device and the information terminal is shorter than when the communication device and the specific information terminal are connected to different access points. This allows the communication device to perform stable communication (especially image data communication) with the specific information terminal via the access point, thereby enabling stable output of image data to the display unit.

[0008] In addition, when the acquisition unit acquires the instruction, it may acquire from the specific information terminal device identification information of the access point to which the information terminal is connected, and the determination unit may determine whether the wireless communication interface and the specific information terminal are connected to different access points based on the device identification information acquired by the acquisition unit.

[0009] According to this, when the communication device receives an instruction from a specific information terminal to start transmitting image data to the display unit, the communication device can also receive from the information terminal the device identification information of the access point to which the specific information terminal is connected. In this way, the communication device can receive from the specific information terminal the instruction and the device identification information of the access point to which the information terminal is connected, and therefore can efficiently determine whether the communication device is connected to an access point different from that of the specific information terminal.

[0010] In addition, when the acquisition unit acquires the instruction, it may acquire device identification information of the access point to which the specific information terminal is connected from the access point, and the determination unit may determine whether the wireless communication interface and the specific information terminal are connected to different access points based on the device identification information acquired by the acquisition unit.

[0011] According to this, when the communication device receives an instruction from a specific information terminal to start transmitting image data to the display unit, the communication device can obtain, from the access point to which the specific information terminal is connected, the device identification information of the access point to which the specific information terminal is connected. In this way, the communication device can obtain, from the specific information terminal, the instruction and the device identification information of the access point to which the information terminal is connected, and therefore can efficiently determine whether the communication device is connected to an access point different from the specific information terminal.

[0012] The device identification information may be a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID).

[0013] According to this, by using the BSSID as identification information for the access point, the communication device can distinguish between the access point to which it is connected and the access point to which a specific information terminal is connected, even when multiple access points are connected to one network.

[0014] Furthermore, a control method according to one aspect of the present invention is a control method for a communication device, the control method including: a wireless communication step of connecting the communication device to an access point and communicating wirelessly with an information terminal via the access point; a first acquisition step of acquiring an instruction sent from a specific information terminal to start transmitting image data to a display unit; a determination step of determining, if the instruction is acquired in the first acquisition step, whether the communication device and the specific information terminal are connected to different access points; a connection control step of performing connection control to disconnect the connection between the communication device and the access point and connect the communication device to the access point to which the specific information terminal is connected, if the connection control is performed in the connection control step; a second acquisition step of acquiring the image data from the specific information terminal via the access point to which the specific information terminal is connected; and an output step of outputting the image data acquired in the second acquisition step to the display unit.

[0015] This provides the same effects as the above-described communication device.

[0016] A program according to one aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute the above control method.

[0017] This provides the same effects as the above-described communication device.

[0018] The present invention can be realized not only as an apparatus, but also as a method in which the processing means constituting the apparatus are steps, as a program that causes a computer to execute those steps, as a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM on which the program is recorded, or as information, data, or signals that represent the program.These programs, information, data, and signals may be distributed via a communication network such as the Internet. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] According to the present invention, a communication device can achieve stable communication with a specific information terminal via an access point. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of transmission and reception of image data between a communication device according to an embodiment and a specific information terminal. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a first schematic diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a communication system and a communication device according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a second schematic diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the communication system and the communication device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing executed by the communication device according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of processing executed by the communication system according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

[0022] The embodiments described below each illustrate a preferred specific example of the present invention. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, component placement and connection configurations, steps, and step order shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components that are not described in the independent claims that represent the highest concept of the present invention will be described as optional components that constitute a more preferred embodiment. Note that identical components will be assigned the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof may be omitted.

[0023] (Embodiment) In this embodiment, a communication system and a communication device that can realize stable communication with an information terminal via an access point will be described.

[0024] First, a specific situation of transmission and reception of image data between a communication device according to this embodiment and a specific information terminal will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of transmission and reception of image data between a communication device according to this embodiment and a specific information terminal.

[0025] In this embodiment, spaces 50a and 50b are school classrooms, and an example is described in which a teacher uses information terminal 40a in space 50a (here, the classroom) and classes are held using information terminals 40b, 40c, and 40d, but this example is not limited to this.

[0026] 1, the communication device 10a and the display device 20a are connected by wire, and the communication device 10b and the display device 20b are connected by wire. In the following, an example in which the communication device and the display device are separate will be described, but the communication device and the display device may be integrated. In this case, the display device may function as a display unit provided in the communication device.

[0027] Furthermore, access point 30a and access point 30b have the same wireless LAN identification information (SSID) and are connected to each other via wired network N. The reason for using the same SSID across different spaces (classrooms) within the school is that students may move from one classroom to another to attend classes, and teachers may move to multiple classrooms to teach their own subjects. In such cases, if the SSID were different for each classroom when setting up multiple information terminals, it would be extremely cumbersome to have to set the SSIDs for all classrooms in advance on all of the information terminals.

[0028] 1, communication device 10a wirelessly communicates with (in other words, is wirelessly connected to) multiple information terminals 40a-40d present in space 50a where communication device 10a is installed, via access point 30a. Note that communication device 10a wirelessly communicating with multiple information terminals 40a-40d via one access point 30a means that communication device 10a is wirelessly connected to each of the multiple information terminals 40a-40d via at least one access point 30a to which communication device 10a is connected.

[0029] FIG. 1A illustrates an example of image data transmission and reception when a communication device 10a and an information terminal 40b (a specific information terminal) that has received an instruction from a user to start transmitting image data to a display device 20a (hereinafter also referred to as an image transmission start instruction) are connected to the same access point 30a. When the information terminal 40b receives the image transmission start instruction from the user to the display device 20a, it transmits the image transmission start instruction to the communication device 10a via the access point 30a. When the communication device 10a receives the image transmission start instruction from the information terminal 40b to the display device 20a, it determines whether the communication device 10a and the information terminal 40b are connected to different access points. In this example, since both the communication device 10a and the information terminal 40b are connected to the access point 30a, the communication device 10a obtains image data from the information terminal 40b via the access point 30a and outputs the obtained image data to the display device 20a.

[0030] FIG. 1B illustrates an example of image data transmission and reception when the specific information terminal that receives an image transmission start instruction from the user to the display device 20a is the information terminal 40a, and the communication device 10a and the information terminal 40a are connected to different access points. When the information terminal 40a receives the image transmission start instruction from the user to the display device 20a, it transmits the image transmission start instruction to the communication device 10a via the access point 30b. Generally, if the access point 30a in the space 50a and the access point 30b in the adjacent space 50a have the same SSID, each of the multiple information terminals 40a-40d in the space 50a will connect to the access point with the strongest received signal strength. Therefore, depending on the locations of the information terminals 40a-40d in the space 50a, there may be an information terminal, like the information terminal 40a, that connects to the access point 30b installed in the space 50b. In this example, the communication device 10a is connected to the access point 30a. When image data is transmitted and received between the communication device 10a and the information terminal 40a under such connection conditions, the communication device 10a acquires the image data transmitted from the information terminal 40a via the access point 30b, the wired network N, and the access point 30a. In this way, the communication device 10a consumes communication bandwidth of a path that is not necessary for image data communication with the information terminal 40a, which may increase the communication error rate.

[0031] Therefore, in the present invention, when communication device 10a receives an image transmission start instruction from information terminal 40a to display device 20a under such connection conditions, communication device 10a determines that its own device and information terminal 40a are connected to different access points and switches the access point to which its own device is connected. In other words, if the access point to which the information terminal that issued the image transmission start instruction is connected is different from the access point to which its own device is connected, its own device switches the access point to which its own device is connected. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1B, communication device 10a disconnects its own device from access point 30a and connects to access point 30b to which information terminal 40a is connected. Then, communication device 10a obtains image data from information terminal 40a via access point 30b and outputs the obtained image data to display device 20a.

[0032] Next, a communication system and a communication device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a first schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the communication system and the communication device according to the present embodiment. Fig. 3 is a second schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the communication system and the communication device according to the present embodiment. Note that dashed lines in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 indicate connection paths via wireless communication.

[0033] In this embodiment, the communication system 100 includes, for example, a communication device 10a and two or more access points (for example, access points 30a and 30b) connected to each other via a wired network N. Here, an example will be described in which the communication system 100 includes the communication device 10a and the access points 30a and 30b, but the present invention is not limited to this example.

[0034] Access points 30a and 30b have the same wireless LAN identification information (SSID) and are installed in different spaces. For example, as shown in Figure 2, access point 30a is installed in space 50a, and access point 30b is installed in space 50b.

[0035] One space is provided with one communication device, one display device, and one access point, and the access points installed in each space are connected to each other via a wired network N. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, a communication device 10a, a display device 20a, and an access point 30a are installed in a space 50a, and multiple information terminals 40a, 40b, 40c, and 40d used by multiple users are present. A communication device 10b, a display device 20b, and an access point 30b are installed in the space 50b. Note that when the communication device and the display device are integrated, one space is provided with one communication device equipped with a display unit and one access point. The display unit may be realized by, for example, a display panel. The display panel is, for example, a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) panel.

[0036] The spaces 50a and 50b are, for example, spaces separated by a wall or a partition within a building. The spaces 50a and 50b may be adjacent spaces or may face each other across an aisle or the like. For example, the building may be a school, office building, event hall, hospital, or the like, and the spaces may be a classroom, seminar room, meeting room, conference room, or the like.

[0037] The communication device 10a is a communication device that transmits image data acquired from, for example, one of the information terminals 40a to 40d (a so-called specific information terminal) to the display device 20a. More specifically, when the communication device 10a receives an instruction to start transmitting image data to the display device 20a from one of the information terminals 40a to 40d (a so-called image transmission start instruction), the communication device 10a connects to the same access point to which the information terminal is connected, acquires image data from the information terminal, and outputs the image data to the display device 20a. In the following, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described assuming that the information terminal 40a is the specific information terminal. For example, when the communication device 10a receives an instruction to start transmitting image data from the information terminal 40a to the display device 20a, the communication device 10a disconnects the connection between the first communication interface 11 and the access point 30a (see FIG. 2) and connects the first communication interface 11 to the access point 30b (see FIG. 3). The image data may be still image data or moving image (video) data.

[0038] In this embodiment, an example in which the communication device and the display device are separate will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this example, and the communication device and the display device may be integrated (in one housing). In this case, the communication device 10a includes a display unit as one of its functional components, and therefore the second communication interface 12 is not essential.

[0039] The communication device 10a includes, for example, a first communication interface 11 (first communication IF in the figure), a second communication interface 12 (second communication IF in the figure), a control unit 13, and a storage unit .

[0040] The first communication interface 11 is an example of a wireless communication interface of the present disclosure. More specifically, the first communication interface 11 is a communication circuit (or a communication module) that connects to the access point 30a and performs wireless communication with a plurality of information terminals 40a to 40d via the access point 30a. Furthermore, when a determination unit 133 (described later) determines that the first communication interface 11 and a specific information terminal that has received an instruction to start image transmission to the display device 20a (e.g., the information terminal 40a in FIG. 2) are connected to different access points, the first communication interface 11 disconnects from the access point 30a and connects to the access point (e.g., the access point 30b) to which the information terminal 40a is connected. The first communication interface 11 performs wireless communication with the access points 30a and 30b.

[0041] The second communication interface 12 is a communication circuit (or a communication module) that connects to the display device 20a. More specifically, the second communication interface 12 is a connection terminal for connecting to the display device 20a via a wired cable. For example, the second communication interface 12 includes a video input / output terminal such as an HDMI (registered trademark) (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) connection terminal or a DVI (Digital Visual Interface) connection terminal.

[0042] The control unit 13 performs various information processing related to the communication device 10a. The control unit 13 is realized by, for example, a microcomputer, but may also be realized by a processor or a dedicated circuit. The functions of the control unit 13 are realized by hardware such as the microcomputer or processor constituting the control unit 13 executing a computer program (software) stored in the storage unit 14.

[0043] The control unit 13 includes, as functional components, a first acquisition unit 131, a second acquisition unit 132, a determination unit 133, a connection control unit 134, and an output unit 135. Specific processes performed by the first acquisition unit 131, the second acquisition unit 132, the determination unit 133, the connection control unit 134, and the output unit 135 will be described later.

[0044] The memory unit 14 is a storage device that stores computer programs and the like executed by the control unit 13. The memory unit 14 can also temporarily store information that needs to be stored due to information processing performed by the first communication interface 11, the second communication interface 12, and the control unit 13. The memory unit 14 is realized by, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), but may also be realized by a semiconductor memory.

[0045] When the communication device 10b receives an instruction to start image transmission to the display device 20b from one information terminal (i.e., a specific information terminal) among multiple information terminals (not shown) in the space 50b in which the communication device 10b is installed, the communication device 10b connects to an access point to which the information terminal is connected, acquires image data from the information terminal, and outputs the image data to the display device 20b. The communication device 10b has a configuration similar to that of the communication device 10a, but differs from the communication device 10a in the following respects. For example, the first communication interface 11 of the communication device 10b is a communication circuit (or a communication module) that connects to the access point 30b and performs wireless communication with the information terminal (not shown) via the access point 30b. The second communication interface 12 of the communication device 10b is a communication circuit (or a communication module) that connects to the display device 20b. The control unit 13 of the communication device 10b performs various information processing related to the communication device 10b.

[0046] The display device 20a acquires image data output from the communication device 10a and displays an image based on the acquired image data. The display device 20a includes a display panel such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) panel. The display device 20a may be a monitor or a television. The display device 20b is similar to the display device 20a, but differs from the display device 20a in that it acquires image data output from the communication device 10b.

[0047] The access point 30a is a relay device that relays data communication between the communication device 10a and multiple information terminals 40a to 40d in the space 50a where the access point 30a is installed. The access point 30a is connected to other access points (for example, the access point 30b) via a wired network N.

[0048] The access point 30b is basically a relay device that relays data communication between the communication device 10b and multiple information terminals in the space 50b in which it is installed, but as shown in FIG. 1, it may also relay data communication between an information terminal in a space surrounding the space 50b (e.g., space 50a) and a communication device (e.g., communication device 10a).

[0049] The multiple information terminals 40a to 40d are used by multiple users in one space (here, space 50a), for example. As described above, if the space 50a is a school classroom, for example, the information terminal 40a is a terminal used by a teacher teaching a class in the classroom, and the information terminals 40b to 40d are terminals used by the students, respectively. The information terminals 40a to 40d are, for example, personal computers, tablet terminals, or smartphones. Note that, although the present embodiment will be described using the information terminals 40a to 40d shown in FIG. 1, the number of information terminals is not limited to this.

[0050] Next, an example of processing executed by the communication device 10a according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a flow diagram showing an example of processing executed by the communication device 10a according to the present embodiment. Note that processing that branches depending on conditions will be described in detail in the explanation of each processing.

[0051] As shown in Fig. 4, in a first communication step S01, the first communication interface 11 of the communication device 10a connects to an access point 30a and wirelessly communicates with a plurality of information terminals 40a to 40d via the access point 30a (see Figs. 2 and 3). More specifically, for example, when the communication device 10a receives a connection command from a predetermined application on a plurality of information terminals 40a to 40d used by a plurality of users (e.g., a teacher and students) staying in the space 50a where the communication device 10a is installed, the communication device 10a wirelessly communicates with the plurality of information terminals 40a to 40d via the access point 30a to which the communication device 10a is connected (not shown). Note that the wireless communication between the communication device 10a and the plurality of information terminals 40a to 40d may be performed, for example, via the access point 30a, or may be performed directly without via the access point 30a.

[0052] Next, in a second communication step S02, the second communication interface 12 of the communication device 10a connects to the display device 20a. As a result, for example, when the first communication interface 11 receives a connection command to the display device 20a from a predetermined application of an information terminal 40a operated by a user (e.g., a teacher), the communication device 10a transmits a response signal to the information terminal 40a via the first communication interface 11 and becomes able to receive (acquire) image data to be displayed on the display device 20a via the second communication interface 12. Note that if the communication device and the display device are integrated, the display device functions as a display unit included in the communication device, and therefore the second communication interface 12 may not be included. In this case, the control unit 13 of the communication device is connected to the display unit via a communication line (control line). Note that the second communication step S02 may be performed in parallel with the first communication step S01 or may be performed before the first communication step S01.

[0053] Next, in a first acquisition step S03, the first acquisition unit 131 of the communication device 10a acquires an instruction to start transmitting image data to the display device 20a (a so-called image transmission start instruction) transmitted by the information terminal 40a. For example, as shown in Fig. 1, the first acquisition unit 131 of the communication device 10a acquires the image transmission start instruction from the information terminal 40a to the display device 20a via the access point 30b.

[0054] Here, the communication device 10a acquires device identification information of the access point to which the information terminal 40a, which sent the image transmission start instruction to the communication device 10a, is connected. Unlike wireless LAN identification information (SSID), the device identification information is identifier information that can individually identify each access point, such as a BSSID. For example, the information terminal 40a may include the device identification information of the access point 30b to which it is connected in the image transmission start instruction to the display device 20a and send it, or may send the device identification information of the access point 30b together with the image transmission start instruction. In this case, upon acquiring the image transmission start instruction to the display device 20a, the first acquisition unit 131 of the communication device 10a acquires the device identification information of the access point 30b to which the information terminal is connected from the information terminal 40a.

[0055] Furthermore, for example, the information terminal 40a may transmit only an instruction to start image transmission to the display device 20a to the communication device 10a via the access point 30b. At this time, the access point 30b to which the information terminal 40a is connected may transmit its own identification information to the communication device 10a when relaying the instruction to start image transmission from the information terminal 40a to the communication device 10a. In this case, upon receiving the instruction to start image transmission to the display device 20a, the first acquisition unit 131 of the communication device 10a acquires the device identification information of the access point transmitted from the access point 30b to which the information terminal 40a is connected.

[0056] Next, in a determination step S04, when an image transmission start instruction to the display device 20a is acquired in the first acquisition step S03, the determination unit 133 of the communication device 10a determines whether the communication device 10a and the information terminal 40a are connected to different access points. More specifically, the determination unit 133 of the communication device 10a determines whether the communication device 10a (first communication interface 11) and the information terminal 40a are connected to different access points based on the device identification information acquired in the first acquisition step S03. More specifically, for example, the determination unit 133 of the communication device 10a determines whether the device identification information of the access point transmitted from the information terminal 40a is different from the device identification information of the access point 30a to which the communication device 10a is connected. As a result, the determination unit 133 of the communication device 10a determines whether the communication device 10a and the information terminal 40a are connected to different access points. In addition, when the device identification information of the access point 30b to which the information terminal 40a is connected is included in the image transmission start instruction to the display device 20a, the judgment unit 133 of the communication device 10a may obtain the device identification information by extracting the device identification information of the access point 30b from the image transmission start instruction.

[0057] Next, in a connection control step S05, the connection control unit 134 of the communication device 10a selects an access point to which the communication device should connect, depending on the result of the determination in the determination step S04. More specifically, in the connection control step S05, if it is determined in the determination step S04 that the communication device 10a (first communication interface 11) and the information terminal 40a are connected to different access points, the connection control unit 134 of the communication device 10a disconnects the connection between the communication device 10a (first communication interface 11) and the access point 30a and performs control to connect the communication device 10a (first communication interface 11) to the access point 30b to which the information terminal 40a is connected. This control is also referred to as connection control. The access point 30b is another access point, different from the one to which the communication device 10a is connected, among the two or more access points, and is the access point to which the information terminal 40a, which sent the image transmission start instruction to the communication device 10a, is connected. If it is determined in the determination step S04 that the connection control unit 134 itself (first communication interface 11) and the information terminal 40a are connected to the same access point, the connection control unit 134 does not perform the above control.

[0058] Next, in a second acquisition step S06, the second acquisition unit 132 of the communication device 10a acquires image data from the information terminal 40a via the access point 30b. As described above, the image data may be data of a still image or data of a moving image.

[0059] Next, in an output step S07, the output unit 135 of the communication device 10a outputs the image data acquired in the second acquisition step S06 to the display device 20a.

[0060] Next, an example of processing executed by communication system 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing executed by communication system 100 according to the embodiment.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 5, when the information terminal 40a receives an instruction to start transmitting image data to the display device 20a (so-called image transmission start instruction) input by the user (step S11), it transmits the image transmission start instruction to the communication device 10a via the access point (AP) (steps S12, S13).

[0062] First, a case will be described in which the information terminal 40a transmits an instruction to start image transmission to the display device 20a to the communication device 10a via the access point 30b. It is assumed that the communication device 10a is connected to the access point 30a when it receives the instruction to start image transmission.

[0063] The information terminal 40a includes device identification information of the access point 30b to which the information terminal 40a is connected in an image transmission start instruction and transmits the image transmission start instruction to the access point 30b (step S12). The access point 30b transmits the image transmission start instruction acquired from the information terminal 40a to the communication device 10a (step S13).

[0064] The information terminal 40a may transmit only the image transmission start instruction to the access point 30b to which the information terminal 40a is connected, without including the device identification information of the access point 30b to which the information terminal 40a is connected in the image transmission start instruction to the display device 20a. In this case, when the access point 30b receives the image transmission start instruction to the display device 20a from the information terminal 40a, the access point 30b may transmit the image transmission start instruction together with the device identification information of the access point 30b to the communication device 10a.

[0065] When the first acquisition unit 131 of the communication device 10a acquires an instruction to start image transmission to the display device 20a (step S14), the first acquisition unit 131 acquires device identification information of the access point 30b to which the information terminal 40a is connected (step S15). The processing of steps S14 and S15 has been described in the first acquisition step S03 of FIG. 4, and therefore description thereof will be omitted here.

[0066] Next, the determination unit 133 of the communication device 10a determines whether the communication device 10a (first communication interface 11) and the information terminal 40a are connected to different access points (step S16). More specifically, for example, the determination unit 133 determines whether the device identification information of the access point 30b to which the information terminal 40a is connected, acquired by the first acquisition unit 131 in step S15, is different from the device identification information of the access point 30a to which the communication device 10a is connected. In this case, since the device identification information of the two access points 30a and 30b is different, the determination unit 133 determines that the communication device 10a and the information terminal 40a are connected to different access points (Yes in step S16). Note that step S16 corresponds to determination step S04 in FIG. 4.

[0067] Next, based on the determination by the determination unit 133 that the communication device 10a (first communication interface 11) and the information terminal 40a are connected to different access points (Yes in step S16), the connection control unit 134 of the communication device 10a performs control to disconnect the first communication interface 11 of the communication device 10a from the access point 30a (step S17) and connect the first communication interface 11 to the access point 30b to which the information terminal 40a is connected (step S18). As a result, the communication device 10a disconnects from the access point 30a and connects to the access point 30b to which the information terminal 40a is connected. Note that steps S17 and S18 correspond to the connection control step S05 in FIG. 4.

[0068] Next, after the connection control unit 134 performs the above-mentioned connection control, the control unit 13 of the communication device 10a causes the information terminal 40a to transmit a signal requesting image data (hereinafter referred to as an image data request) to the first communication interface 11 (step S19). Upon receiving the image data request from the communication device 10a, the access point 30b transmits the image data request to the information terminal 40a (step S20).

[0069] Next, when the information terminal 40a receives a request for image data from the communication device 10a via the access point 30b (step S21), it transmits the image data to the communication device 10a via the access point 30b (steps S22 and S23).

[0070] The second acquisition unit 132 of the communication device 10a acquires the image data from the information terminal 40a via the access point 30b (step S24). Note that step S24 corresponds to the second acquisition step S06 in FIG.

[0071] The output unit 135 of the communication device 10a outputs the image data acquired by the second acquisition unit 132 in step S24 to the display device 20a via the second communication interface 12 (step S25). Note that step S25 corresponds to the output step S07 in FIG. 4.

[0072] The display device 20a acquires the image data output by the output unit 135 of the communication device 10a in step S25, and displays an image based on the acquired image data (step S26).

[0073] Next, a case will be described in which the information terminal 40a transmits an image transmission start instruction to the communication device 10a via the access point 30a. It is assumed that the communication device 10a is connected to the access point 30a when it receives the image transmission start instruction.

[0074] The information terminal 40a includes the device identification information of the access point 30a to which the information terminal 40a is connected in the image transmission start instruction and transmits the image transmission start instruction to the access point 30a (step S12). The access point 30a transmits the image transmission start instruction acquired from the information terminal 40a to the communication device 10a (step S13).

[0075] The information terminal 40a may transmit only the image transmission start instruction to the access point 30a. In this case, when the access point 30a receives the image transmission start instruction from the information terminal 40a, the access point 30a may transmit the instruction together with its own device identification information to the communication device 10a.

[0076] When the first acquisition unit 131 of the communication device 10a acquires an instruction to start image transmission to the display device 20a (step S14), the determination unit 133 acquires device identification information of the access point 30a to which the information terminal 40a is connected (step S15).

[0077] Next, the determination unit 133 of the communication device 10a determines whether the communication device 10a (first communication interface 11) and the information terminal 40a are connected to different access points (step S16). More specifically, the determination unit 133 determines whether the device identification information of the access point 30a to which the information terminal 40a is connected, which was acquired in step S15, is different from the device identification information of the access point 30a to which the communication device 10a is connected. In this case, the determination unit 133 determines that the communication device 10a and the information terminal 40a are not connected to different access points (in other words, connected to the same access point) because the device identification information of these two access points 30a is the same (No in step S16).

[0078] Next, when the determination unit 133 determines that the communication device 10a (first communication interface 11) and the information terminal 40a are not connected to different access points (i.e., connected to the same access point) (No in step S16), the control unit 13 of the communication device 10a causes the information terminal 40a to transmit a signal requesting image data (a so-called image data request) to the first communication interface 11 (step S19). When the access point 30a receives the image data request from the communication device 10a, it transmits the image data request to the information terminal 40a (step S20).

[0079] Next, when the information terminal 40a receives a request for image data from the communication device 10a via the access point 30a (step S21), the information terminal 40a transmits the image data to the communication device 10a via the access point 30a (steps S22 and S23).

[0080] The second acquisition unit 132 of the communication device 10a acquires the image data from the information terminal 40a via the access point 30a (step S24).

[0081] The output unit 135 of the communication device 10a outputs the image data acquired by the second acquisition unit 132 in step S24 to the display device 20a via the second communication interface 12 (step S25).

[0082] The display device 20a acquires the image data output by the output unit 135 of the communication device 10a in step S25, and displays an image based on the acquired image data (step S26).

[0083] As described above, in the embodiment of the present invention, the communication device determines whether the access point to which it is connected is different from the access point to which the communication terminal that sent the image transmission start instruction to the communication device is connected. If it determines that the two are different, it switches the access point to which it is connected to the access point to which the communication terminal is connected. As a result, the communication device and the information terminal that sent the image transmission start instruction to the communication device are connected via the same access point, eliminating unnecessary communication between different access points and shortening the communication path. As a result, the communication device can perform stable communication (especially image data communication) with the information terminal via the access point, allowing stable output of image data to the display device 20a.

[0084] As illustrated in the above-described embodiment, the present invention is a means for solving problems that arise in a system in which a communication device can connect to any of multiple access points. A typical example of such a system is a system in which the same wireless LAN identification information (SSID) is set for multiple access points, but the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention is also useful when the wireless LAN identification information (SSID) for the multiple access points is different. For example, if a communication device can store multiple SSIDs, it can establish a wireless connection based on the SSID of an access point installed in each classroom using the SSID (part of the profile) stored in the device for each classroom. However, even in this case, the tendency of information terminals to connect to access points with strong radio wave strength (i.e., easy wireless connection) remains unchanged, and the information terminal may communicate with the communication device via an unintended communication path (e.g., via an access point in an adjacent classroom).

[0085] In the above embodiment, the communication device 10a and the display device 20a are described as separate devices. However, the two devices may have the same housing or may be arranged on the same board. The communication device 10a is a communication device that transmits image data acquired from an information terminal to the display device 20a. However, this is not limiting. For example, the communication device 10a may be a device that outputs image data acquired from the information terminal as printouts or data, such as a printer or scanner. The communication device 10a may also be a document camera. In this case, the communication device 10a may transmit the captured image data to the information terminal via an access point. Upon receiving an instruction to display image data from the communication device 10a, the information terminal may acquire identification information of the access point to which the communication device 10a is connected, select the access point to which the communication device 10a is connected as the access point to which the communication device 10a is preferentially connected, and acquire the image data via the access point.

[0086] The present invention can be realized not only as an apparatus, but also as a method in which the processing means constituting the apparatus are steps, as a program that causes a computer to execute those steps, as a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM on which the program is recorded, or as information, data, or signals that represent the program.These programs, information, data, and signals may be distributed via a communication network such as the Internet.

[0087] While the communication device, control method, and program of the present invention have been described above based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. As long as they do not deviate from the spirit of the present invention, various modifications that a person skilled in the art can make to the present embodiments, and configurations constructed by combining components of different embodiments, are also included within the scope of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0088] The present invention can be used in a communication device or the like that realizes stable communication with an information terminal via an access point. [Explanation of symbols]

[0089] 10a, 10b Communication equipment 11 First communication interface 12 Second communication interface 13 Control Unit 131 First Acquisition Department 132 Second Acquisition Department 133 Judgment section 134 Connection control section 135 Output section 14 Storage section 20a, 20b display device 30a, 30b access points 40a, 40b, 40c, 40d Information terminal 50a, 50b space 100 Communication Systems N Wired Network

Claims

1. a wireless communication interface that is connected to an access point and that wirelessly communicates with an information terminal via the access point; a first acquisition unit that acquires an instruction to start transmitting image data to a display unit, the instruction having been transmitted from a specific information terminal; a determination unit that determines, when the first acquisition unit acquires the instruction, whether the wireless communication interface and the specific information terminal are connected to different access points; a connection control unit that, when the determination unit determines that the wireless communication interface and the specific information terminal are connected to different access points, performs connection control to disconnect the wireless communication interface from the access point and connect the wireless communication interface to the access point to which the specific information terminal is connected; a second acquisition unit that acquires the image data from the specific information terminal via an access point to which the specific information terminal is connected when the connection control unit performs the connection control; an output unit that transmits the image data acquired by the second acquisition unit to the display unit; Equipped with The display unit (a) provided in the communication device; or (b) a display device connected to the communication device; Communication equipment.

2. When the first acquisition unit acquires the instruction, it acquires, from the specific information terminal, device identification information of an access point to which the information terminal is connected; the determination unit determines whether the wireless communication interface and the specific information terminal are connected to different access points based on the device identification information acquired by the first acquisition unit. The communication device according to claim 1 .

3. Upon receiving the instruction, the first acquisition unit acquires, from the access point to which the specific information terminal is connected, device identification information of the access point; the determination unit determines whether the wireless communication interface and the specific information terminal are connected to different access points based on the device identification information acquired by the first acquisition unit. The communication device according to claim 1 .

4. The device identification information is a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID).

4. The communication device according to claim 2 or 3.

5. A method for controlling a communication device, comprising: a wireless communication step of connecting the communication device to an access point and wirelessly communicating with an information terminal via the access point; a first acquisition step of acquiring an instruction to start transmitting image data to a display unit, the instruction having been transmitted from a specific information terminal; a determination step of determining whether the communication device and the specific information terminal are connected to different access points when the instruction is acquired in the first acquisition step; a connection control step of disconnecting the communication device from the access point and connecting the communication device to the access point to which the specific information terminal is connected when it is determined in the determination step that the communication device and the specific information terminal are connected to different access points; a second step of acquiring the image data from the specific information terminal via an access point to which the specific information terminal is connected when the connection control is performed in the connection control step; an acquisition step; an output step of transmitting the image data acquired in the second acquisition step to the display unit; Including, The display unit (a) provided in the communication device; or (b) a display device connected to the communication device; Control method.

6. A control method according to claim 5 is executed by a computer. program.

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