Information processing device and program

Abstract

To provide an information processing apparatus that conducts a search by using radio communication and displays an electronic apparatus located within a range in a predetermined direction.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus 100 uses a radio communication unit 110 to perform radio communication with an electronic apparatus 200, and includes a search result acquisition unit 130, a direction information acquisition unit 140, and a control unit 150. The search result acquisition unit 130 acquires information on a result of a search for the electronic apparatus 200 conducted by the radio communication unit 110. The direction information acquisition unit 140 acquires direction information indicating a direction in which the electronic apparatus 200 is present through short-range radio communication with the electronic apparatus 200 performed by the radio communication unit 110. The control unit 150 performs a determination as to whether the electronic apparatus 200 found by the search is located within a range in a predetermined direction on the basis of the information on the search result and the direction information, and performs display processing on a screen related to the electronic apparatus 200, the location of which has been determined.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a program, and the like.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a method of transmitting electronic data stored in an information processing apparatus to an electronic device using wireless communication and causing the electronic device to execute a job based on the electronic data is known. Patent Document 1 discloses a method of displaying an electronic device searched using wireless communication on a predetermined display unit of an information processing apparatus.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, a method of displaying a search result of an electronic device located within a predetermined range based on information regarding the direction of the electronic device is not disclosed.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus that wirelessly communicates with an electronic device via a wireless communication unit, the information processing apparatus including: a search result acquisition unit that acquires information on a search result of the electronic device by searching by the wireless communication unit; a direction information acquisition unit that acquires direction information indicating a direction of existence of the electronic device by short-range wireless communication with the electronic device by the wireless communication unit; and a control unit that determines whether or not the electronic device discovered by the search is located within a range of a predetermined direction based on the information on the search result and the direction information, and performs display processing of a screen related to the electronic device targeted by the determination.

[0006] Furthermore, one aspect of this disclosure relates to a program that causes a computer to function as a wireless communication unit that wirelessly communicates with an electronic device, a search result acquisition unit that acquires information on the search result of the electronic device by searching the wireless communication unit, a direction information acquisition unit that acquires direction information indicating the direction of the electronic device's location by short-range wireless communication with the electronic device by the wireless communication unit, and a control unit that determines whether or not the electronic device found by the search is located within a predetermined direction range based on the search result information and the direction information, and performs screen display processing for the electronic device that is the subject of the determination. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] A diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 2] A flowchart illustrating an example of processing performed by an information processing device. [Figure 3] A diagram illustrating an example of a given direction. [Figure 4] A flowchart illustrating an example of the display process. [Figure 5] A diagram illustrating an example screen showing the application of the method of this embodiment. [Figure 6] Another diagram illustrating an example screen using the method of this embodiment. [Figure 7] Another diagram illustrating an example screen using the method of this embodiment. [Figure 8] Another diagram illustrating an example screen using the method of this embodiment. [Figure 9] Another diagram illustrating an example screen using the method of this embodiment. [Figure 10] A flowchart illustrating an example of the display processing in a modified example. [Figure 11] A diagram illustrating an example of screen transitions in a modified example. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] The following describes this embodiment. Note that the embodiment described below does not unduly limit the content of the claims of this disclosure. Furthermore, not all of the configurations described in this embodiment are necessarily essential components of this disclosure.

[0009] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example configuration of the information processing device 100 of this embodiment and a system including the information processing device 100 and electronic equipment 200. The information processing device 100 includes a wireless communication unit 110, a processing unit 120, and a display unit 160. The information processing device 100 communicates wirelessly with the electronic equipment 200 via the wireless communication unit 110. The information processing device 100 of this embodiment is not limited to the configuration shown in Figure 1, and various modifications are possible, such as omitting some components or adding other components. Other components include, for example, an operation unit and memory. The display unit 160 is composed of a display that shows various information to the user, and can be implemented as, for example, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or a dot matrix LED. The display unit 160 and an operation unit (not shown) can also be integrated into a single piece of hardware, for example, by using a touch panel. The electronic equipment 200 is, for example, a printer, but may also be a personal computer, a wearable device, a biometric information measuring device, a robot, a video device, or a physical quantity measuring device. Wearable devices refer to smartwatches or activity trackers, etc. Furthermore, biological information measuring devices refer to pulse meters or pedometers, etc. Video equipment refers to cameras or projectors, etc. Physical quantity measuring devices refer to thermometers or scales, etc. Also, the term "printer" here includes multifunction printers. A multifunction printer is a printer that includes functions other than printing, and these functions other than printing may include copying, faxing, or scanning functions, but other functions may also be used. Furthermore, the system configuration example including the information processing device 100 and electronic equipment 200 in this embodiment is not limited to Figure 1. For example, the information processing device 100 may communicate wirelessly with multiple electronic equipment 200, and the electronic equipment 200 may communicate wirelessly with multiple information processing devices 100.

[0010] The wireless communication unit 110 is a communication interface that performs wireless communication according to a predetermined wireless communication standard. The wireless communication unit 110 can be implemented by communication hardware such as a communication ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or a communication processor, communication firmware, etc. In this embodiment, the control unit 150, which will be described later, performs communication control processing such as information transmission processing and reception processing for the wireless communication unit 110, thereby enabling the wireless communication unit 110 to transmit information to an external device such as an electronic device 200 or to receive information from said external device. There may be multiple predetermined wireless communication standards. In other words, the wireless communication unit 110 includes hardware and communication firmware, etc., that correspond to the desired wireless communication standard.

[0011] The wireless communication unit 110 can perform wireless communication according to a predetermined wireless communication standard, such as Bluetooth®, a short-range wireless communication standard. In this embodiment, Bluetooth includes BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy), and in the following description, it may be simply referred to as BLE. For example, as shown in Figure 1, the wireless communication unit 110 of the information processing device 100 in this embodiment includes a BLE communication unit 112, and the electronic device 200 includes a BLE communication unit 212, thereby enabling BLE communication between the information processing device 100 and the electronic device 200. Furthermore, the BLE communication unit 112, etc. in this embodiment are assumed to be compatible with Bluetooth 5.1 or later versions of the standard. In other words, each part included in the information processing device 100 and the electronic device 200 in this embodiment is assumed to be compatible with Bluetooth 5.1 or later versions of the standard.

[0012] Furthermore, the wireless communication unit 110 can also perform wireless communication using a predetermined wireless communication standard, such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), in a predetermined connection mode. The predetermined connection mode is, for example, the infrastructure mode of Wi-Fi. In other words, as shown in Figure 1, for example, the wireless communication unit 110 of the information processing device 100 includes a Wi-Fi communication unit 114, and the electronic device 200 includes an infrastructure mode communication unit 214, thereby enabling communication using the infrastructure mode of Wi-Fi via the external access point 300. In the following explanation and illustrations, the access point may be referred to as AP. For example, the external access point 300 periodically broadcasts radio waves for wireless communication, such as beacons, so that its own identification information can be deciphered, and a Wi-Fi infrastructure mode connection is established by the method described later. The identification information of the external access point 300 is, for example, the SSID (Service Set Identifier). In the following explanation, "communication connection in accordance with the communication standard" will be referred to simply as "connection" as appropriate. The access point can also be called a router. Furthermore, once communication via Wi-Fi infrastructure mode is established, even if that communication is temporarily interrupted, a connection to the external access point 300 will be automatically re-established.

[0013] Furthermore, the specified connection mode may be Wi-Fi Direct® mode. In the following explanation and illustrations, Wi-Fi Direct may be referred to as direct connection. For example, as shown in Figure 1, the wireless communication unit 110 of the information processing device 100 includes a Wi-Fi communication unit 114, and the electronic device 200 includes an internal access point 216, thereby realizing a direct connection. In other words, the electronic device 200 is a group owner with the information processing device 100 as a client, and the internal access point 216 functions as a software access point. For example, the internal access point 216 periodically broadcasts radio waves for wireless communication, such as beacons, that conform to the direct connection standard. The advertised packets of these radio waves for wireless communication include information such as the SSID, which is the identification information of the internal access point 216. The Wi-Fi communication unit 114 then performs a scan to receive the radio waves for wireless communication broadcast from the internal access point 216. The scan here is a passive scan, but it may be an active scan. The Wi-Fi communication unit 114 then makes a connection request to the internal access point 216. The signal related to the connection request includes information such as the password corresponding to the SSID of the internal access point 216. This enables a connection between the Wi-Fi communication unit 114 and the internal access point 216. Note that once communication via direct connection is established and then disconnected, the user may be asked to reconfigure the connection settings due to reasons such as a change in the encryption key. Note that the above explanation does not prevent the inclusion of other wireless connection modes such as ad-hoc mode, wired communication connection modes, etc., as predetermined connection modes. Furthermore, each predetermined connection mode in the electronic device 200 can be arbitrarily enabled or disabled. For example, the user can enable only the Wi-Fi infrastructure mode for both the information processing device 100 and the electronic device 200.

[0014] The processing unit 120 controls data input and output with each functional unit, including the aforementioned wireless communication unit 110. The processing unit 120 then executes various calculation processes based on a predetermined program read from a memory (not shown), an operation input signal from an operation unit (not shown), or various data received via the wireless communication unit 110, and controls the display output operation to the display unit 160 or the data output operation to the electronic device 200. The predetermined program is, for example, basic software such as an OS (Operating System), various application programs that operate on the basis of the basic software, or both. The processing unit 120 can be implemented by a processor. In other words, each process in this embodiment can be implemented by a processor that operates based on information such as a program, and a memory (not shown) that stores information such as a program. The processor may be, for example, individual hardware that implements the functions of each unit, or it may be integrated hardware that implements the functions of each unit. For example, the processor includes hardware, and that hardware may include at least one of a circuit that processes digital signals and a circuit that processes analog signals. For example, a processor can consist of one or more circuit devices or one or more circuit elements mounted on a circuit board. The processor may be, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). However, the processor is not limited to a CPU; various other processors such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) can be used. Furthermore, the processor may be a hardware circuit based on an ASIC. The processor may also include amplifier circuits, filter circuits, etc., for processing analog signals.

[0015] Further, the processing unit 120 of the present embodiment includes a search result acquisition unit 130, a direction information acquisition unit 140, and a control unit 150. That is, the information processing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment includes a search result acquisition unit 130, a direction information acquisition unit 140, and a control unit 150. For example, the above-mentioned processing unit 120 reads out a program of a predetermined application described later from a memory (not shown) and executes it to realize the functions of the search result acquisition unit 130, the direction information acquisition unit 140, and the control unit 150. Further, in the operation of the program of the predetermined application, when basic software serving as a basis is required, the processing unit 120 may read out the program of the basic software from a memory (not shown) so as to realize, for example, the function as the control unit 150.

[0016] The search result acquisition unit 130 acquires information on the search result of the electronic device 200 through the search by the wireless communication unit 110. Specifically, for example, the BLE communication unit 212, the internal access point 216, etc. of the electronic device 200 broadcast radio waves for wireless communication according to various wireless communication standards. Then, the control unit 150 operating as the above-mentioned basic software converts the information included in the advertisement packet received through at least one of the above-mentioned BLE communication unit 112 and Wi-Fi communication unit 114 into information corresponding to a search display application program described later, and transmits it to the search result acquisition unit 130. Thereby, it can be realized that the search result acquisition unit 130 acquires the information on the search result. In the following description, the fact that the BLE communication unit 212 or the internal access point 216 of the electronic device 200 broadcasts an advertisement packet or the like may be simply described as the electronic device 200 broadcasting an advertisement packet or the like.

[0017] The direction information acquisition unit 140 acquires direction information indicating the presence direction of the electronic device 200 through short-range wireless communication with the electronic device 200 by the wireless communication unit 110. The acquisition of the direction information can be realized by, for example, the following method. For example, as described above, the BLE communication unit 212 of the electronic device 200 broadcasts a BLE advertisement packet, and the BLE communication unit 112 that receives the advertisement packet is assumed to include a plurality of receiving antennas. At this time, since the advertisement packet arrives at each receiving antenna with a time difference, based on the first calculation method using the known distance between each antenna and the wavelength of the radio wave, the angle of arrival AOA (Angle of Arrival) of the radio wave can be estimated. Note that the method for estimating the angle of arrival AOA including the first calculation method here is well-known, and a detailed description is omitted.

[0018] Also, the acquisition of the direction information may be realized by, for example, the following method. The BLE communication unit 212 of the electronic device 200 includes a plurality of transmitting antennas, and broadcasts a BLE advertisement packet while shifting the timing of transmitting radio waves from each transmitting antenna. At this time, the advertisement packet is assumed to include the information on the timing when each transmitting antenna transmits the advertisement packet and the distance information between each transmitting antenna. Then, the BLE communication unit 112 can estimate the angle of departure AOD (Angle of Departure) of the radio wave based on the second calculation method using the phase difference of the advertisement packet received from each transmitting antenna, the information on the transmission timing included in the advertisement packet, and the information between the transmitting antennas. Note that the method for estimating the angle of departure AOD including the second calculation method here is well-known, and a detailed description is omitted.

[0019] The control unit 150 controls the display of the display unit 160 based on predetermined information. This predetermined information may be, for example, information on the search results, but it may also be direction information, as described later, or other information. Specifically, in this embodiment, the control unit 150 displays information on the electronic device 200 discovered by the search on the display unit 160 based on the information on the search results. As mentioned above, the control unit 150 may also function as basic software or the like.

[0020] An example of the processing method of this embodiment will be explained using the flowchart in Figure 2. For example, the information processing device 100 generates a timer interrupt process at predetermined intervals from the time the user starts a program of a predetermined application, which will be described later, and repeatedly performs the processing shown in Figure 2. However, it is not limited to this, and for example, the information processing device 100 may repeatedly perform the processing shown in Figure 2 by loop processing.

[0021] The information processing device 100 performs a search process (step S100). For example, when the information processing device 100 and the electronic device 200 perform wireless communication in accordance with the BLE standard described above, the information processing device 100 can perform the search process (step S100) by including the identification information of the electronic device 200 in the BLE advertisement packet and receiving the advertisement packet. Specifically, the identification information of the electronic device 200 is, for example, the MAC address of the electronic device 200 stored in the payload of the Protocol Data Unit in the advertisement packet, but other information such as a serial number may also be used as long as it is mutually convertible with the MAC address. In this embodiment, other information may also be included in the payload. Other information may include, for example, radio wave strength information, information indicating the status of the electronic device 200, etc. Details will be described later.

[0022] Furthermore, for example, if the information processing device 100 is connected to an external access point 300 via Wi-Fi infrastructure mode, the Wi-Fi communication unit 114 of the wireless communication unit 110 may search for the electronic device 200 on the network formed by the external access point. More specifically, for example, the Wi-Fi communication unit 114 sends a response request packet specifying a broadcast address or a link-local multicast address to the infrastructure mode communication unit 214 of the electronic device 200. A response request packet is a packet that requests the receiving device to send back a response packet containing the device's identification information. The infrastructure mode communication unit 214 can then realize the search process (step S100) by sending a response packet containing its own identification information, such as its SSID, back to the information processing device 100.

[0023] Subsequently, the information processing device 100 performs direction information acquisition processing (step S200). For example, when the BLE communication unit 112 of the wireless communication unit 110 receives an advertisement packet from the electronic device 200 in accordance with the BLE standard, the control unit 150 calculates the estimated arrival angle AOA or departure angle AOD mentioned above. Then, the control unit 150 performs processing to convert the arrival angle AOA or departure angle AOD into direction information corresponding to a predetermined application described later, and transmits it to the direction information acquisition unit 140. For example, the control unit 150 performs processing to convert the arrival angle AOA or departure angle AOD, which is relative information obtained based on the information processing device 100 or the electronic device 200, into absolute information such as bearing. This enables the direction information acquisition processing (step S200).

[0024] Subsequently, the information processing device 100 performs a determination process (step S300). For example, the control unit 150 performs a determination process based on the information obtained from the search process (step S100) and the direction information obtained from the direction information acquisition process (step S200) to determine whether or not the electronic equipment 200 included in the search results is located within a predetermined directional range. The predetermined directional range is, for example, an angular range consisting of a predetermined azimuth angle, with the direction the information processing device 100 is facing as the reference, assuming the information processing device 100 is located on a floor parallel to the horizontal plane. The angular range consisting of the predetermined azimuth angle is, for example, approximately the same angular range as the user's field of view, and may be set as appropriate by the user. This is because there is little practical benefit in displaying electronic equipment 200 that is not within the desired field of view on the display unit 160 by the display process (step S400) described later.

[0025] Subsequently, the information processing device 100 performs display processing (step S400). For example, the control unit 150 performs display processing on a screen showing the electronic device 200 that was discovered by the search processing (step S100) and is located within a predetermined range in a specific direction, as a result of the determination processing (step S300). The control unit 150 displays the information of the electronic device 200 included in the result of the determination processing (step S300) on the screen of a predetermined application of the information processing device 100, which will be described later. More specifically, suppose a user starts the information processing device 100 and connects an electronic device 200-A (not shown) to the predetermined application, and then the user starts the information processing device 100 again to use the predetermined application. In this case, if the processing shown in Figure 2 is performed as described above, and for example the determination processing (step S300) determines that the electronic device 200-A is located within a predetermined range in a specific direction, the control unit 150 displays information on the home screen of the predetermined application indicating that the electronic device 200-A is connected. This allows the user to recognize that they can use the predetermined application in the same environment as when they last used it.

[0026] As described above, the information processing device 100 of this embodiment communicates wirelessly with the electronic device 200 via a wireless communication unit 110 and includes a search result acquisition unit 130, a direction information acquisition unit 140, and a control unit 150. The search result acquisition unit 130 acquires information on the search results of the electronic device 200 through a search by the wireless communication unit 110. The direction information acquisition unit 140 acquires direction information indicating the direction of the electronic device 200's location through short-range wireless communication with the electronic device 200 via the wireless communication unit 110. Based on the search result information and direction information, the control unit 150 makes a determination as to whether the electronic device 200 found by the search is located within a predetermined direction range, and performs screen display processing for the electronic device 200 that was the subject of the determination.

[0027] As described above, the information processing device 100 of this embodiment can communicate wirelessly with the electronic device 200 by including a wireless communication unit 110. Furthermore, the information processing device 100 can acquire search results and direction information of the electronic device 200 based on wireless communication by including a search result acquisition unit 130 and a direction information acquisition unit 140. In addition, the information processing device 100 includes a control unit 150, which determines whether the electronic device 200 found by the search is located within a predetermined direction range based on the search result information and direction information. This enables processing to determine the presence of electronic devices 200 located within a desired range. The control unit 150 also performs display processing of a screen showing the electronic devices 200 based on the result of the determination. This allows the user to understand which electronic devices 200 are located within the predetermined direction range. This enables the user to make an appropriate decision regarding which electronic device 200 to select.

[0028] To date, no information processing device 100 has been proposed that performs screen display processing for electronic devices 200 based on the determination result of whether or not an electronic device 200 is located within a predetermined range. With conventional methods, for example, an electronic device 200 located in a direction that the user is unlikely to move in may be displayed, and the user may not be able to make an appropriate judgment about which electronic device 200 to select. In this respect, by applying the method of this embodiment, only electronic devices 200 located within a predetermined range are displayed, so the user can make a more appropriate judgment about which electronic device 200 to select. For example, if the user finds that the electronic device 200 they used last time is located within a predetermined range, they can determine that the electronic device 200 is available for use at their current location. Also, for example, if the user finds that the desired electronic device 200 is not located within a predetermined range, they can determine that they should move to a different location.

[0029] Furthermore, the method of this embodiment may be implemented by a program. Specifically, the program of this embodiment uses a computer as a wireless communication unit 110 that communicates wirelessly with the electronic device 200, a search result acquisition unit 130, a direction information acquisition unit 140, and a control unit 150. The search result acquisition unit 130 acquires information on the search results of the electronic device 200 through the search conducted by the wireless communication unit 110. The direction information acquisition unit 140 acquires direction information indicating the direction of the electronic device 200's location through short-range wireless communication with the electronic device 200 by the wireless communication unit 110. Based on the search result information and direction information, the control unit 150 determines whether or not the electronic device 200 found by the search is located within a predetermined direction range, and performs screen display processing for the electronic device 200 that was the subject of the determination. In this way, the same effects as described above can be obtained.

[0030] It should be noted that the method of this embodiment is not limited to the above, and various modifications can be implemented. For example, the predetermined direction mentioned above may be an angular range consisting of a predetermined elevation angle α with respect to the horizontal direction. The predetermined elevation angle α may be set by the user as appropriate according to the size and height of the floor on which the information processing device 100 is located. For example, as shown in Figure 3, in a building consisting of predetermined floors, the information processing device 100 and electronic device 200-1 are located on the floor indicated by F1, and electronic device 200-2 is located on the floor indicated by F2. Furthermore, the floor indicated by F2 is a floor higher than the floor indicated by F1. In this case, when the information processing device 100 is facing direction D in Figure 3, the search results acquired by the search result acquisition unit 130 in the search process (step S100) may include electronic device 200-2. However, since the user is unlikely to select electronic device 200-2 located on a different floor from the floor on which they are located, there is little practical benefit in displaying information about electronic device 200-2 on the display unit 160 of the information processing device 100. Therefore, in the aforementioned determination process (step S300), the control unit 150 may perform a process to determine that electronic devices 200 located in a range exceeding the elevation angle α with respect to direction DXY, which is parallel to the horizontal direction, are not located within the range of a predetermined direction. As a result, the information of electronic devices 200-2 will not be displayed on the display unit 160 of the information processing device 100 by the aforementioned display process (step S400). This allows the information processing device 100 to display electronic devices 200 that are appropriate as the target of display.

[0031] These processes can be implemented using the following method, although the presentation of mathematical formulas will be omitted. The control unit 150 can acquire information on the direction of gravity, i.e., the direction vector perpendicular to the horizontal plane, from a geomagnetic sensor or gyro sensor (not shown) included in the information processing device 100. As a result, the control unit 150 can decompose, for example, the direction vector parallel to direction D in Figure 3 into a direction vector parallel to direction DXY and a direction vector parallel to direction DZ. Direction DZ is the direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane and parallel to the direction DXY. Then, from the direction information acquired by the direction information acquisition process (step S200), the control unit 150 can find a direction vector parallel to the direction connecting the information processing device 100 and the electronic device 200-2, and determine the elevation angle α based on the relationship between this direction vector and the direction vector parallel to direction DXY.

[0032] Although the above explanation uses the elevation angle α as an example, the method of this embodiment can be applied similarly to the depression angle. That is, if the electronic device 200-2 is located on a floor lower than the floor where the information processing device 100 is located, the control unit 150 can exclude the electronic device 200-2 from the display target by performing a process to determine whether or not it is within a predetermined depression angle range from the horizontal direction using the same method as described above. Furthermore, the predetermined angular range may consider both the angular range consisting of the aforementioned elevation angle α and the angular range consisting of the predetermined depression angle, or it may be limited to the angular range consisting of the aforementioned predetermined azimuth angle in the horizontal direction.

[0033] Thus, in the information processing device 100 of this embodiment, the control unit 150 performs a process to determine whether or not the electronic device 200 is located within a predetermined angular range, including the horizontal direction, as a predetermined range of directions. In this way, the user can primarily grasp information about electronic devices 200 located in the horizontal direction. This prevents, for example, the user from selecting an electronic device 200 located on a different floor.

[0034] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing a more detailed example of the display process (step S400). The control unit 150 performs a process (step S410) to determine whether the result of the judgment process (step S300) includes the previously selected electronic device 200. If the control unit 150 determines that the result of the judgment process (step S300) includes the previously selected electronic device 200 (YES in step S410), it performs a process (step S420) to display the icon so that operation on the predetermined icon is enabled, and then terminates the flow. On the other hand, if the control unit 150 determines that the result of the judgment process (step S300) does not include the previously selected electronic device 200 (NO in step S410), it performs a process (step S430) to determine whether the list screen, which will be described later in Figure 8, etc., is displayed. If the control unit 150 determines that the list screen is displayed (YES in step S430), it performs a process (step S440) to determine whether the electronic device 200 has been selected from the list screen. If the control unit 150 determines that the electronic device 200 is not selected from the list screen (NO in step S440), it performs a process (step S450) to display a message indicating that operations on the predetermined icon are invalid, and terminates the flow. On the other hand, if the control unit 150 determines that the electronic device 200 is selected from the list screen (YES in step S440), it performs the process described in step S420 above.

[0035] Furthermore, if the control unit 150 determines that the list screen is not displayed (NO in step S430), it performs a process (step S460) to determine whether the result of the judgment process (step S300) includes one or more electronic devices 200. If the control unit 150 determines that the result of the judgment process (step S300) includes one or more electronic devices 200 (YES in step S460), it performs a process (step S470) to display the list screen and terminates the flow. On the other hand, if the control unit 150 determines that the result of the judgment process (step S300) does not include one or more electronic devices 200 (NO in step S460), it performs the process of step S450 described above.

[0036] Next, an example of a screen applying the method of this embodiment will be described using Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. For example, when a user starts a program for a predetermined application on the information processing device 100, the home screen shown at A10 in Figure 5 is displayed. The predetermined application exemplified in Figure 5, etc., is, for example, a printing application, but is not limited to this and may be any other application.

[0037] The home screen of the printing application shown in A10 of Figure 5 is the screen that appears, for example, immediately after launching the printing application. The home screen displays one or more panels corresponding to the functions that the electronic device 200 can perform. In the example screen shown in A10 of Figure 5, the photo panel shown in A11, the document panel shown in A12, the scan panel shown in A13, the camera copy panel shown in A14, and the online service panel shown in A15 are displayed, and the printing application performs the corresponding function by operating on each panel. The information processing device 100 may also display panels other than those shown in A11 to A15. Furthermore, if the information processing device 100 is connected to the electronic device 200 that was connected last time, for example, it may display information about that electronic device 200 in the area shown in A16.

[0038] For example, suppose the user selects the photo panel shown in A11 as one of the functions of a given application. In this case, the screen shown in A10 of Figure 5 will transition to one of the screens shown in A20 of Figure 6, A30 of Figure 7, or A40 of Figure 8, depending on the processing performed by the control unit 150.

[0039] Figure 6 shows an example of the print execution instruction screen when the process in step S420 of Figure 4 is performed, displaying the print data preview screen shown in A21, the home screen transition button icon shown in A22, and the print button icon as a predetermined icon shown in A23. Although not shown in the figure, the information processing device 100 may further display print setting information, including information on the paper size and type used for printing. Also, similar to Figure 5, if the information processing device 100 is connected to the previously connected electronic device 200, for example, it may display information about the electronic device 200 in the area shown in A24.

[0040] As mentioned earlier in Figure 4, if the result of the determination process in Figure 2 (step S300) includes the previously selected electronic device 200, then step S410 in Figure 4 will be YES. As a result, the control unit 150 displays the print button icon, which is a predetermined icon, as shown in A23 of Figure 6, enabling its operation. The user then selects the print button icon in A23, and the information processing device 100 sends the print job data related to the preview screen shown in A21 to the electronic device 200, which is the printer, and the electronic device 200 executes the print job. This allows the user to obtain the desired printed material. If the information processing device 100 and the electronic device 200 are connected via BLE, the control unit 150 may perform a handover process from BLE to Wi-Fi before sending the print job data. In this way, the information processing device 100 can send large print job data to the electronic device 200. The functions of the panels shown in A12 to A15 of Figure 4 are publicly known and therefore will not be explained, but the user can obtain the desired printed material by performing similar operations.

[0041] A30 in Figure 7 is an example of the print execution instruction screen when the process in step S450 in Figure 4 is performed. If the result of the determination process in Figure 2 (step S300) is that no electronic devices 200 are included, then step S460 in Figure 4 will result in NO, and the process in step S450 will be performed. As a result, the control unit 150 will display the print button icon, which is a predetermined icon, in a way that disables its operation, as shown in A33 in Figure 7. Note that A33 in Figure 7 is illustrated so that the user can recognize that the operation is disabled by the print button icon being displayed in a lighter color, but the control unit 150 may, for example, hide the print button icon, or display an icon indicating that it is disabled superimposed on the print button icon. Note that the preview screen shown in A31 in Figure 7 is the same as the preview screen shown in A21 in Figure 6, the icon shown in A32 in Figure 7 is the same as the icon shown in A21 in Figure 6, and the area shown in A34 in Figure 7 is the same as the area shown in A24 in Figure 6.

[0042] In this embodiment, the information processing device 100 performs the following operations: if the result of the determination is that the electronic device 200 is located within a predetermined range in a specific direction, the control unit 150 enables the operation of the icon indicating job execution; if the result of the determination is that the electronic device 200 is not located within a predetermined range in a specific direction, the control unit 150 disables the operation of the icon. In this way, the user can determine whether or not an electronic device 200 capable of executing a job is located within the desired range.

[0043] A40 in Figure 8 is an example of the print execution instruction screen when the process in step S470 in Figure 4 is performed. If, as a result of the determination process in Figure 2 (step S300), the previously connected electronic device 200 is not included (NO in step S410), but one or more other electronic devices 200 are included (YES in step S460), then the process in step S470 is performed. As a result, the control unit 150 displays the list screen on the display unit 160, for example as a dialog box, as shown in A41 in Figure 8.

[0044] Note that the electronic device 200 that was connected last time will be referred to as electronic device 200-1, but in the list screen shown in A41, it will simply be displayed as electronic device 1. Also, the result of the determination process (step S300) in Figure 2 will include electronic devices 200-3, 200-4, and 200-5, but the list display is not limited to three electronic devices 200. Furthermore, in the list screen shown in A41, electronic device 200-3 will simply be displayed as electronic device 3. Similarly, in the list screen shown in A41, electronic device 200-4 will simply be displayed as electronic device 4, and electronic device 200-5 will simply be displayed as electronic device 5.

[0045] In the list screen shown in A41, information on electronic device 200-3 is displayed as shown in A42, information on electronic device 200-4 is displayed as shown in A43, and information on electronic device 200-5 is displayed as shown in A44. Also, as shown in A45, information is displayed on the list screen indicating that electronic device 200-1, which was previously connected, is not connected to the information processing device 100 and was not found in the determination process (step S300) in Figure 2. Also, as shown in A46, information is displayed along with the list screen instructing the user to select one of the electronic devices 200-3, 200-4, or 200-5 that were found in the determination process (step S300) in Figure 2. In this way, in the information processing device 100 of this embodiment, if, as a result of the determination, multiple electronic devices 200 are found by the search and located within a predetermined range, the control unit 150 performs a display process indicating that the multiple electronic devices 200 are located within a predetermined range. In this way, the user can grasp the existence of multiple electronic devices 200 located within a desired range. This allows the user to appropriately select the optimal electronic device 200.

[0046] Then, when the user taps any of the areas displaying information for electronic device 200-3, electronic device 200-4, or electronic device 200-5, the result in step S440 in Figure 4 is YES, and the process in step S420 is executed. This leads to a screen similar to A20 in Figure 6.

[0047] Furthermore, the control unit 150 may display the information of the electronic device 200 closest to the information processing device 100 among the electronic devices 200 discovered in the determination process (step S300) in Figure 2 in a manner that is more conspicuous than the information of other electronic devices 200. For example, if electronic device 200-3 is the electronic device 200 closest to the information processing device 100, a predetermined area containing the information of electronic device 200-3 is displayed in a different color from the surrounding area, as shown in A50. This allows the user to recognize that electronic device 200-3 is the closest to the information processing device 100. This improves the usability of the information processing device 100. This is because the electronic device 200 closest to the user is more likely to be used by that user, and it is convenient for the user to be able to grasp the information of that electronic device 200.

[0048] Such processing can be achieved, for example, by the following method. When the BLE communication unit 112 of the wireless communication unit 110 receives radio waves based on BLE, the control unit 150 can obtain information on the distance between the information processing unit 100 and the electronic device 200 because the BLE advertisement packet contains reference signal strength information. The reference signal strength is the received signal strength (RSSI: Received Signal Strength Indication) of the beacon signal at the receiving device when the receiving device is installed at a reference distance from the transmitting device of the beacon signal. Since the signal strength is inversely proportional to the square of the distance, if the signal strength at the reference distance is known, the control unit 150 can calculate information on the distance between the information processing unit 100 and the electronic device 200 based on the signal strength of the BLE beacon signal actually received by the wireless communication unit 110.

[0049] Furthermore, information indicating the direction in which the electronic device 200 detected in the determination process (step S300) in Figure 2 is located may be displayed. Specifically, for example, the control unit 150 may display an icon including an arrow pointing in a predetermined direction as information for electronic device 200-3, as shown in A61 of Figure 8. Also, as shown in A62, an icon similar to the one shown in A61 may be displayed as information for electronic device 200-4. Also, as shown in A63, an icon similar to the icons shown in A61 and A62 may be displayed as information for electronic device 200-5. In this way, the user can understand the direction in which the electronic device 200 is located.

[0050] Such a display can be achieved, for example, by the control unit 150 performing the following processes: creating an icon of a direction image based on the direction information acquired by the direction information acquisition process (step S200) in Figure 2, and displaying the created icon together with the information of the corresponding electronic device 200. Alternatively, the control unit 150 may perform the following processes: selecting an icon of a direction image corresponding to the acquired direction information from a group of multiple types of direction image icons stored in a memory (not shown) in advance, and displaying it together with the information of the electronic device 200.

[0051] Furthermore, the control unit 150 may display information indicating the status of the electronic device 200 discovered in the determination process (step S300) in Figure 2. Note that status can also be referred to as state. In addition, there may be multiple types of information indicating the status of the electronic device 200. Specifically, for example, the icon shown in A71 of Figure 8 indicates that electronic device 200-3 is in a state where it can execute a job and is currently in standby mode. The icon shown in A72 indicates that electronic device 200-4 is in a state where it can execute a job and is currently executing a job, and the icon shown in A73 indicates that electronic device 200-5 has encountered an error. Furthermore, the way in which the status of the electronic device 200 is indicated is not limited to the example shown in Figure 8. For example, the control unit 150 may perform a process to display the differences in the status of the electronic device 200 by changing the color of the icon, or by changing the shape of the icon. Such processing can be achieved by including information indicating the status of the electronic device 200 in BLE advertisement packets transmitted by the electronic device 200. The control unit 150 may also perform processing to hide status icons such as A71 to A73 for electronic devices 200 that have never been connected to the information processing device 100. In the example in Figure 8, electronic devices 200-3, 200-4, and 200-5 are all assumed to have been connected to the information processing device 100.

[0052] In this embodiment, the information processing device 100 displays a screen indicating that the electronic device 200 that was the subject of the determination is capable of executing the job. This allows the user to make an appropriate decision about which electronic device 200 to select based on whether or not it is capable of executing the job. For example, in Figure 8, the user can see that it is optimal to select electronic device 200-3, which is capable of executing the job and is currently in standby mode. Also, for example, if the only electronic device 200 included in the list display is electronic device 200-5, which is in an error state, the user can make a decision such as moving to look for another electronic device 200.

[0053] The list shown in A41 of Figure 8 displays electronic devices 200-3 to 200-5 in a vertical list, but the control unit 150 may further enumerate the electronic devices 200 based on predetermined criteria. For example, the control unit 150 may enumerate and display the electronic devices 200 in order of proximity to the information processing device 100, as a predetermined criterion. Alternatively, the control unit 150 may enumerate the electronic devices 200 based on predetermined criteria related to the aforementioned direction information. More specifically, for example, the direction in which the antenna (not shown) of the information processing device 100 points may be designated as the first priority direction. The control unit 150 may then enumerate and display the electronic devices 200 in order of proximity to the first priority direction, based on the direction information acquired in the aforementioned direction information acquisition process (step S130). Alternatively, the control unit 150 may enumerate the electronic devices 200 based on predetermined criteria related to the status of the electronic devices 200, as a predetermined criterion. For example, the control unit 150 may perform a process to display electronic devices 200 capable of executing a job above electronic devices 200 in an error state. The control unit 150 may also set up multiple predetermined criteria and sort the enumerated electronic devices 200 according to each criterion. In this way, the user can easily select the desired electronic devices 200 according to the criteria they prioritize. Note that these processes are not mandatory when displaying as a list; the control unit 150 may simply enumerate and display the electronic devices 200 discovered by the search process (step S110) in order by the display process (step S300). Therefore, in the information processing device 100 of this embodiment, the control unit 150 performs a display process for a screen related to the electronic devices 200 that have been judged, displaying a list of information on electronic devices 200 located within a predetermined directional range. In this way, the user can grasp the electronic devices 200 located within a desired range as a list.

[0054] The example screen shown at A40 in Figure 8 is an example of listing the electronic devices 200 as a list, but it is not limited to this, and for example, the example screen shown at A80 in Figure 9 may also be used. Specifically, the control unit 150 displays a map image in which icons representing the electronic devices 200 are arranged in a two-dimensional space as a list in the dialog box shown at A81 in Figure 9, as shown at A82. In the map screen shown at A82, the electronic devices 200 discovered by the search process (step S100) are displayed as icons with a square shape filled in. The information shown at A83 in Figure 9 is the same as the information shown at A45 in Figure 8, and the information shown at A84 in Figure 9 is the same as the information shown at A46 in Figure 8.

[0055] The map image shown in A82 can be displayed by, for example, the following method. The control unit 150 processes a map screen that can be displayed on a predetermined application based on image information of the floor where the electronic device 200, whose location is known, is located, which is stored in a memory (not shown). The control unit 150 also processes the electronic device 200 found by the aforementioned search process (step S100) to be displayed on the map screen as an icon superimposed on the map screen at coordinates corresponding to the map screen. Furthermore, based on the direction information of the electronic device 200 acquired by the direction information acquisition process (step S200), etc., the control unit 150 processes the estimation of the location information of the information processing device 100, and based on the estimated location information, it processes the superimposition of an icon representing the information processing device 100 on the map screen.

[0056] The process of estimating the location information of the information processing device 100 can be implemented, for example, by the following method. The control unit 150 performs a process to determine a virtual line connecting the electronic device 200 and the information processing device 100 based on the aforementioned directional information, for both electronic devices 200. The control unit 150 then finds the intersection point of the two virtual lines obtained through this process and performs a process to estimate the location information based on this intersection point as the location information of the information processing device 100. The control unit 150 then performs a process to display an icon representing the information processing device 100 at the location on the map screen corresponding to the estimated location information, for example, in the form of a double circle as shown in A85.

[0057] Furthermore, in the list display shown in A82 of Figure 9, the information of the electronic device 200 closest to the information processing device 100 among the electronic devices 200 discovered in the determination process (step S300) of Figure 2 may be displayed in a manner that emphasizes it more than the information of other electronic devices 200. For example, as shown in A86, the control unit 150 can achieve this by adding and displaying an icon surrounding the icon of the electronic device 200 closest to the information processing device 100. However, the control unit 150 may also perform a display process to change the color of the icon, a display process to change the size of the icon, or a display process to make the icon blink, and this can be achieved in various ways.

[0058] Furthermore, the method shown in Figure 9 may be combined with the methods described in Figure 8, etc. For example, although not shown in the diagram, the control unit 150 may display icons of electronic devices 200 in a standby state in a first color, and icons of electronic devices 200 in an error state in a second color different from the first color. Alternatively, the control unit 150 may display icons of electronic devices 200 that are close to the information processing device 100 in a first size, and icons of electronic devices 200 that are farther from the information processing device 100 than those of electronic devices 200 of the first size in a second size smaller than the first size. Alternatively, the control unit 150 may display icons of fixed-position electronic devices 200 in a first shape, and icons of mobile electronic devices 200 in a second shape different from the first shape. Note that the characteristics of the electronic devices 200 corresponding to the color, size, and shape of the icons are not limited to those described above and can be set by the user as appropriate.

[0059] In this embodiment, the information processing device 100 performs display processing on a screen in which images of electronic devices 200 located within a predetermined directional range are displayed on a map image, as a screen related to the electronic devices 200 that are the subject of determination. In this way, the user can visually determine the information of electronic devices 200 located within a desired range. This allows the user to make a more appropriate decision about which electronic device 200 to select. For example, if the map image includes information such as passageways, the user can make an appropriate decision about which electronic device 200 is most easily accessible from the information processing device 100.

[0060] As mentioned above, the processing example in Figure 2 is performed repeatedly at regular intervals. Therefore, the displays in Figures 6 to 9 may be updated periodically and their contents changed due to certain circumstances. These circumstances include, for example, the power of one of the electronic devices 200 being turned on or off, the electronic device 200 suddenly malfunctioning, or the information processing device 100 or the electronic device 200 moving, resulting in changes to distance and direction information. The same applies to the display examples in the modified examples described later in Figure 11.

[0061] It should be noted that the method of this embodiment is not limited to the above, and various modifications can be implemented. The display process in Figure 4 (step S400) was a process that displayed a predetermined icon so that its operation would be enabled after the information processing device 100 and the electronic device 200 were connected. However, for example, if the result of the determination process (step S300) includes the electronic device 200, it may be a process that displays a predetermined icon so that its operation would be enabled. This is because some users may want to execute a job regardless of the positional relationship of the electronic device 200, as long as they can confirm that the connectable electronic device 200 is located within a predetermined directional range. Specifically, the control unit 150 can achieve this by changing the example of the display process from step S400 in Figure 2 to step S1400 in Figure 10 and performing the process.

[0062] Figure 10 is a flowchart that explains in detail an example of the display processing (step S1400) in a modified example. For example, the control unit 150 performs a process (step S1410) to determine whether the result of the determination process (step S300) includes the previously selected electronic device 200. If the control unit 150 determines that the result of the determination process (step S300) includes the previously selected electronic device 200 (YES in step S1410), it performs a process (step S1420) to display the predetermined icon in a way that enables operation, and then terminates the flow. On the other hand, if the control unit 150 determines that the result of the determination process (step S300) does not include the previously selected electronic device 200 (NO in step S1410), it performs a process (step S1430) to determine whether the predetermined icon is displayed in a way that enables operation. If the control unit 150 determines that the predetermined icon is not displayed in a way that enables operation (NO in step S1430), it performs a process (step S1440) to determine whether the result of the determination process (step S300) includes one or more electronic devices 200. If the control unit 150 determines that the result of the determination process (step S300) does not include one or more electronic devices 200 (NO in step S1440), it performs a process to display that operation on the predetermined icon is disabled (step S1450) and terminates the flow. On the other hand, if the control unit 150 determines that the result of the determination process (step S300) includes one or more electronic devices 200 (YES in step S1440), it performs the process of step S1420 described above. Also, if the control unit 150 determines that the predetermined icon is displayed in a way that allows it to be effectively operated (YES in step S1430), it performs a process to determine whether the predetermined icon has been selected or not (step S1460). If the control unit 150 determines that the predetermined icon has been selected (YES in step S1460), it performs a process to display the list screen (step S1470) and terminates the flow. On the other hand, if the control unit 150 determines that the predetermined icon has not been selected (NO in step S1460), it terminates the flow.

[0063] Using Figure 11, the screen transitions when the display process (step S1400) of Figure 10 is performed will be explained. The screen shown at E10 in Figure 11 is the same as the screen shown at A10 in Figure 5, and the user is assumed to have selected the photo panel icon shown at E11, similar to A11 in Figure 5. If the result of the judgment process (step S300) includes the previously selected electronic device 200 (YES in step S1410), the control unit 150 executes step S1420 in Figure 10, and performs the process of displaying the screen shown at E20, similar to the screen shown at A20 in Figure 6. Also, if the result of the judgment process (step S300) does not include the previously selected electronic device 200 but includes one or more electronic devices 200, the control unit 150 will get YES at step S1410 in Figure 10 and execute step S1420, and similarly performs the process of displaying the screen shown at E20. In other words, the user cannot distinguish from the E20 screen alone whether the result of the determination process (step S300) included the previously selected electronic device 200, or whether it did not include the previously selected electronic device 200 but included one or more electronic devices 200. However, as mentioned above, this is not a problem if it is important for the user to be able to recognize the situation in which a print job can be executed with electronic devices 200 within a predetermined range. On the other hand, if the result of the determination process (step S300) does not include any electronic devices 200, the control unit 150 will get NO in step S1440 in Figure 10 and execute step S1450, so it performs the process of displaying the screen shown in E30.

[0064] Suppose the user selects the print button icon shown as E21 as a predetermined icon. If the result of the determination process (step S300) includes the previously selected electronic device 200 (YES in step S1410), the control unit 150 performs a process to send print job data to the electronic device 200. Such a process can be implemented using the following method. For example, although the flow diagram is omitted, a process to turn on a predetermined flag can be added if the result of step S1410 in Figure 10 is YES. Then, the control unit 150 performs a process to determine whether the predetermined flag is on when the predetermined icon shown as E21 in Figure 11 is selected, and if the predetermined flag is on, it performs a process to send print job data to the electronic device 200.

[0065] On the other hand, if the result of the determination process (step S300) does not include the previously selected electronic device 200 but includes one or more electronic devices 200, the control unit 150 determines YES in step S1460 and executes step S1470 to display the screen shown in E40. The screen in E40 is, for example, the same as A40 in Figure 8, and the screen shown in E41 in Figure 11, although not specifically illustrated, is, for example, the list display shown in A41 in Figure 8. The control unit 150 may also perform a process to display the screen in E40 as a screen similar to the screen shown in E80 in Figure 9. In other words, the control unit 150 may perform a process to display the screen shown in E41 in Figure 11 in the same way as the list display shown in A81 in Figure 9.

[0066] As described above, the information processing device of this embodiment is an information processing device that communicates wirelessly with electronic devices using a wireless communication unit, and includes a search result acquisition unit, a direction information acquisition unit, and a control unit. The search result acquisition unit acquires information on the search results of electronic devices through the search performed by the wireless communication unit. The direction information acquisition unit acquires direction information indicating the direction of the electronic device's presence through short-range wireless communication with the electronic device using the wireless communication unit. Based on the search result information and direction information, the control unit makes a determination as to whether or not the electronic device found by the search is located within a predetermined direction range, and performs screen display processing for the electronic device that was the subject of the determination.

[0067] In this way, users can identify electronic devices located within a specified directional range. This allows users to make appropriate decisions about which electronic devices to select.

[0068] Furthermore, the control unit may perform a screen display process indicating that the electronic device subject to the determination is capable of executing the job.

[0069] In this way, users can make appropriate decisions about which electronic devices to choose based on whether or not they can perform the job.

[0070] Furthermore, the control unit may perform a process to enable the operation of the icon indicating job execution if the result of the determination is that the electronic device is located within a predetermined range in a specific direction, and a process to disable the operation of the icon if the result of the determination is that the electronic device is not located within a predetermined range in a specific direction.

[0071] In this way, users can determine whether or not the electronic devices capable of performing the job are located within the desired range.

[0072] Furthermore, the control unit may perform a process to determine whether or not the electronic device is located within a predetermined angular range, including the horizontal direction, as defined as a range within a predetermined direction.

[0073] In this way, users can primarily grasp information about electronic devices located horizontally.

[0074] Furthermore, if the control unit determines, as a result of the determination, that multiple electronic devices are found through the search and are located within a predetermined range in a specific direction, it may perform a display process indicating that the multiple electronic devices are located within a predetermined range in a specific direction.

[0075] In this way, the user can become aware of the presence of multiple electronic devices located within a desired range.

[0076] Furthermore, the control unit may perform display processing for a screen that shows a list of information about electronic devices located within a predetermined directional range, as the screen for the electronic device that was the subject of the determination.

[0077] In this way, users can see a list of electronic devices located within a desired range.

[0078] Furthermore, the control unit may perform display processing for a screen related to the electronic device that was the subject of the determination, in which images of the electronic device located within a predetermined directional range are displayed on the map image.

[0079] In this way, users can visually determine information about electronic devices located within a desired range.

[0080] Furthermore, the program of this embodiment includes a wireless communication unit that communicates wirelessly with electronic devices, a search result acquisition unit, a direction information acquisition unit, and a computer that functions as a control unit. The search result acquisition unit acquires information on the search results of electronic devices through the wireless communication unit's search. The direction information acquisition unit acquires direction information indicating the direction of the electronic devices through short-range wireless communication with the electronic devices by the wireless communication unit. Based on the search result information and direction information, the control unit makes a determination as to whether or not the electronic devices found by the search are located within a predetermined direction range, and performs screen display processing for the electronic devices that were the subject of the determination.

[0081] Although this embodiment has been described in detail above, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications are possible without substantially departing from the novel aspects and effects of this embodiment. Therefore, all such modifications are included within the scope of this disclosure. For example, any term that appears at least once in the specification or drawings together with a broader or synonymous term may be replaced with that different term anywhere in the specification or drawings. Furthermore, all combinations of this embodiment and its modifications are also included within the scope of this disclosure. In addition, the configuration and operation of the information processing device and programs are not limited to those described in this embodiment, and various modifications are possible. [Explanation of symbols]

[0082] 100...Information processing device, 110...Wireless communication unit, 112...BLE communication unit, 114...Wi-Fi communication unit, 120...Processing unit, 130...Search result acquisition unit, 140...Direction information acquisition unit, 150...Control unit, 160...Display unit, 200, 200-1, 200-2, 200-3, 200-4, 200-5, 200-A...Electronic equipment, 212...BLE communication unit, 214...Infrastructure mode communication unit, 216...Internal access point, 300...External access point, AOA...Arrival angle, AOD...Departure angle, α...Elevation angle, D, DXY, DZ...Direction

Claims

1. An information processing device that wirelessly communicates between a printing device and a wireless communication unit using a first wireless communication method and a second wireless communication method, A search result acquisition unit that acquires information on the search result of the printing device by searching the wireless communication unit using the first wireless communication method, A direction information acquisition unit acquires direction information indicating the direction of the printing device by short-range wireless communication between the wireless communication unit and the printing device using the second wireless communication method, A control unit performs a determination based on the search results and direction information to determine whether the printing device found by the search is located within a predetermined direction range, and performs a screen display process for the printing device that was the subject of the determination. Includes, The control unit, The printing device that was the subject of the determination is wirelessly connected to the information processing device by the first wireless communication method, and a screen display process is performed to indicate that a print job can be executed. If the result of the determination is that the printing device is located within the range of the predetermined direction, the process of enabling the operation of the icon indicating the execution of the print job is performed. An information processing device characterized in that, if the result of the determination is that the printing device is not located within the range of the predetermined direction, it performs a process to disable the operation of the icon.

2. In the information processing apparatus according to claim 1, The control unit, An information processing device characterized by performing a process to determine whether or not the printing device is located within a predetermined angular range, including the horizontal direction, as part of the predetermined range of directions.

3. In the information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, The control unit, An information processing apparatus characterized in that, as a result of the determination, if a plurality of the printing devices are found by the search and located within the range of the predetermined direction, a display process is performed to indicate that the plurality of the printing devices are located within the range of the predetermined direction.

4. In the information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The control unit, An information processing device characterized by performing a display process for a screen that displays a list of information about the printing device located within the range of the predetermined direction, as a screen relating to the printing device that was the subject of the determination.

5. In the information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The control unit, An information processing device characterized by performing a screen display process on a map image in which an image of the printing device located within the predetermined directional range is displayed as a screen related to the printing device that was the subject of the determination.

6. A wireless communication unit that communicates wirelessly with a printing device using a first wireless communication method and a second wireless communication method, A search result acquisition unit that acquires information on the search result of the printing device by searching the wireless communication unit using the first wireless communication method, A direction information acquisition unit acquires direction information indicating the direction of the printing device by short-range wireless communication between the wireless communication unit and the printing device using the second wireless communication method, Based on the search results and direction information, a control unit determines whether the printing device found by the search is located within a predetermined direction range, and performs screen display processing for the printing device that was the subject of the determination. A program that makes a computer work, The control unit, The printing device that was the subject of the determination is in a state where it is wirelessly connected to the wireless communication unit by the first wireless communication method, and a screen display process is performed to indicate that it is capable of executing a print job. If the result of the determination is that the printing device is located within the range of the predetermined direction, the process of enabling the operation of the icon indicating the execution of the print job is performed. A program characterized in that, if the result of the determination is that the printing device is not located within the range of the predetermined direction, it performs a process to disable the operation of the icon.

Images