Electronic device, target device, and control method thereof

Abstract

Disclosed are an electronic device, a target device, and a control method thereof. Specifically, the electronic device comprises: a communication unit; a memory for storing at least one instruction and information about a plurality of access points (APs); and a processor for executing the at least one instruction, wherein the processor may: identify one or more candidate APs for network setting of a target device among the plurality of APs on the basis of the information about the plurality of APs when a request for network setting of the target device is received; control the communication unit to transmit AP information related to the one or more candidate APs to the target device; and identify that network setting of the target device is possible when information indicating that there is an AP connectable to the target device among the one or more candidate APs is received from the target device in response to the AP information transmitted by the target device through the communication unit.

Description

Electronic devices, target devices and control methods thereof

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a target device and a method for controlling the same, and more particularly, to an electronic device capable of performing a connection process between a target device and an AP, a target device, and a method for controlling the same.

[0002] Recently, technologies related to the Internet of Things (IoT) are rapidly developing. In particular, ongoing advancements are being made in technologies for efficiently implementing the onboarding process—the process of registering a target device as part of an IoT network.

[0003] However, according to the prior art, in establishing a connection between a target device and an AP (Access Point), a process is required in which the target device searches for APs in the vicinity, then transmits information about the searched APs to an electronic device to assist in setting up a network of the target device, and then waits for a user input for selecting one of the searched APs to be received from the electronic device.

[0004] Therefore, according to the prior art, it takes time to transmit information about APs searched by the target device to the electronic device, and especially when the packet size increases according to the number of APs searched, there is a problem that the transmission time increases further and the probability of transmission failure also increases.

[0005] In addition, it has been pointed out that the conventional technology displays unnecessary screens and takes a waiting time in the process of waiting for user input to select one of the APs searched in the electronic device.

[0006] In addition, it has been pointed out that the conventional technology does not provide an efficient solution for cases where a connection between one AP and the target device is not established or is disconnected after connection, because only information about one AP selected from the electronic device is transmitted to the target device.

[0007] The present disclosure is intended to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide an electronic device, a target device, and a control method thereof that can efficiently perform a connection process between a target device and an AP while increasing a connection success rate.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure for achieving the above-described object, an electronic device includes a communication unit, a memory storing at least one instruction and information related to a plurality of Access Points (APs), and a processor executing the at least one instruction, wherein the processor, when a request for network configuration of a target device is received, controls the communication unit to identify one or more candidate APs for network configuration of the target device among the plurality of APs based on information related to the plurality of APs stored in the memory, and transmit AP information related to the one or more candidate APs to the target device, and when information indicating that there is an AP connectable to the target device among the one or more candidate APs is received from the target device through the communication unit in response to the AP information transmitted to the target device, identifies that the network configuration of the target device is possible.

[0009] Meanwhile, the AP information transmitted to the target device is first AP information, and the electronic device further includes a display, and the processor controls the display to display a user interface including the second AP information when second AP information related to a plurality of other APs searched by the target device is received from the target device through the communication unit in response to the first AP information, and controls the communication unit to transmit third AP information about the selected one AP to the target device when a user input for selecting one of the plurality of other APs searched by the target device is received through the user interface, and when information indicating that the target device has been determined to connect to the selected one AP is received from the target device through the communication unit in response to the third AP information, it is possible to identify that the network setting of the target device is possible.

[0010] Meanwhile, when two or more candidate APs are identified as the one or more candidate APs, the processor can control the communication unit to determine a priority between the two or more candidate APs and transmit to the target device information related to the priority and a request to attempt a connection to the two or more candidate APs according to the priority.

[0011] Meanwhile, the request to attempt a connection to the two or more candidate APs according to the above priorities may include a request to attempt a connection to at least one AP that has a history of being connected to the electronic device, and, if the request for a connection to the at least one AP that has a history of being connected to the electronic device fails, a request to attempt a connection to at least one AP that has a history of being connected to the at least one external device.

[0012] Meanwhile, the processor can control the communication unit to transmit a request to the target device to identify the installation location of the target device and the installation location of the at least one external device, and to preferentially attempt a connection to an AP that has a history of being connected to an external device having the same installation location as the target device among the at least one external device when connection to the AP connected to the electronic device fails.

[0013] Meanwhile, the processor can identify an installation location of the target device and an installation location of the at least one external device based on the type of the target device and the type of the at least one external device.

[0014] Meanwhile, the processor receives a first signal and a second signal from the target device and the at least one external device, respectively, through the communication unit, obtains information related to the intensity of the first signal and information related to the intensity of the second signal, and identifies an installation location of the target device and an installation location of the at least one external device based on the information related to the intensity of the first signal and the information related to the intensity of the second signal.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure for achieving the above-described object, the target device includes a communication unit, a memory storing at least one instruction, and a processor executing the at least one instruction, wherein the processor receives AP information on one or more candidate Access Points (APs) for network configuration of the target device from an electronic device through the communication unit, identifies whether an AP connectable to the target device exists among the one or more candidate APs, and, when it is identified that an AP connectable to the target device exists among the one or more candidate APs, controls the communication unit to transmit, in response to the received information on the one or more candidate APs, information indicating that the AP connectable to the target device exists to the electronic device.

[0016] Meanwhile, the AP information transmitted to the target device is first AP information, and when the processor identifies that there is no AP connectable to the target device among the one or more candidate APs, the processor controls the communication unit to perform a search related to a plurality of APs and transmit second AP information related to the plurality of APs to the electronic device, and when third AP information about an AP selected from among the plurality of APs according to a user input is received from the electronic device through the communication unit, the communication unit can be controlled to determine to connect the target device to the selected AP and to transmit information indicating that the target device has been determined to connect to the selected AP to the electronic device.

[0017] Meanwhile, the processor performs a search for a plurality of APs, and if the plurality of APs includes one or more candidate APs, it can identify that there is an AP among the one or more candidate APs that can connect to the target device.

[0018] Meanwhile, the processor performs a search for a plurality of APs, and if the plurality of APs includes one or more candidate APs, obtains information related to the strength of a signal received from the one or more candidate APs, and based on the information related to the strength of the signal, identifies whether there is an AP among the one or more candidate APs that can be connected to the target device.

[0019] Meanwhile, when the processor receives information related to priorities among the one or more candidate APs from the electronic device through the communication unit and a request to attempt connection to the two or more candidate APs according to the priorities, the target device identifies whether there is an AP among the two or more candidate APs that can be connected to the target device according to the priorities.

[0020] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure for achieving the above-described object, a method for controlling an electronic device includes, when a request for network setup of a target device is received, a step of identifying one or more candidate APs for network setup of the target device among a plurality of APs (Access Points) stored in a memory based on information related to the plurality of APs, a step of transmitting AP information related to the one or more candidate APs to the target device, and a step of identifying that network setup of the target device is possible when information indicating that there is an AP connectable to the target device among the one or more candidate APs is received in response to the AP information transmitted from the target device to the target device.

[0021] Meanwhile, the AP information transmitted to the target device is first AP information, and the control method of the electronic device may include, when second AP information related to a plurality of other APs searched by the target device is received from the target device in response to the first AP information, a step of providing a user interface including the second AP information, when a user input for selecting one of the plurality of other APs searched by the target device is received through the user interface, a step of transmitting third AP information about the selected one AP to the target device, and a step of identifying that network settings of the target device are possible when information indicating that the target device has been decided to connect to the selected one AP is received from the target device in response to the third AP information.

[0022] Meanwhile, the control method of the electronic device may further include, when two or more candidate APs are identified as the one or more candidate APs, a step of determining a priority between the two or more candidate APs and a step of transmitting, to the target device, information related to the priority and a request to attempt a connection to the two or more candidate APs according to the priority.

[0023] FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling an electronic device according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0024] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment related to a case where information indicating that there is an AP connectable to the target device is not received;

[0025] FIG. 3 is a drawing illustrating one or more embodiments related to identifying a candidate AP based on an installation location of a target device and an installation location of an external device;

[0026] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a target device according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0027] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an embodiment related to a case where there is no AP among one or more candidate APs that can connect to the target device;

[0028] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating one or more embodiments related to a process of identifying whether an AP among one or more candidate APs exists that is connectable to a target device;

[0029] FIG. 7 is a block diagram briefly illustrating a configuration of an electronic device according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0030] FIG. 8 is a block diagram detailing the configuration of an electronic device according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0031] FIG. 9 is a block diagram briefly illustrating a configuration of a target device according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, and

[0032] FIG. 10 is a block diagram detailing the configuration of a target device according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0033] The present embodiments may be modified and have various embodiments. Specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the detailed description. However, this is not intended to limit the scope to specific embodiments, but should be understood to encompass various modifications, equivalents, and / or alternatives of the embodiments of the present disclosure. In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar components.

[0034] In describing the present disclosure, if it is determined that a specific description of a related known function or configuration may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present disclosure, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0035] Additionally, the following embodiments may be modified in various other forms, and the scope of the technical concepts of the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments. Rather, these embodiments are provided to further faithfully and completely convey the technical concepts of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0036] The terminology used in this disclosure is for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of the rights. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0037] In this disclosure, expressions such as “has,” “can have,” “includes,” or “may include” indicate the presence of a corresponding feature (e.g., a component such as a number, function, operation, or part), and do not exclude the presence of additional features.

[0038] In this disclosure, expressions such as “A or B,” “at least one of A and / or B,” or “one or more of A or / and B” can include all possible combinations of the listed items. For example, “A or B,” “at least one of A and B,” or “at least one of A or B” can all refer to (1) including at least one A, (2) including at least one B, or (3) including both at least one A and at least one B.

[0039] The expressions “first,” “second,” “first,” or “second,” etc., used in this disclosure can describe various components, regardless of order and / or importance, and are only used to distinguish one component from another, but do not limit the components.

[0040] When it is said that a component (e.g., a first component) is “(operatively or communicatively) coupled with / to” or “connected to” another component (e.g., a second component), it should be understood that said component may be directly coupled to said other component, or may be coupled via another component (e.g., a third component).

[0041] On the other hand, when it is said that a component (e.g., a first component) is "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another component (e.g., a second component), it can be understood that no other component (e.g., a third component) exists between said component and said other component.

[0042] The expression "configured to" as used in the present disclosure may be used interchangeably with, for example, "suitable for," "having the capacity to," "designed to," "adapted to," "made to," or "capable of." The term "configured to" may not necessarily mean only "specifically designed to" in terms of hardware.

[0043] Instead, in some contexts, the phrase "a device configured to" may mean that the device, in conjunction with other devices or components, is "capable of" performing A, B, and C. For example, the phrase "a processor configured (or set) to perform A, B, and C" may refer to a dedicated processor (e.g., an embedded processor) for performing those operations, or a general-purpose processor (e.g., a CPU or application processor) that can perform those operations by executing one or more software programs stored in a memory device.

[0044] In the embodiments, a 'module' or 'part' performs at least one function or operation, and may be implemented as hardware or software, or as a combination of hardware and software. Furthermore, a plurality of 'modules' or 'parts' may be integrated into at least one module and implemented as at least one processor, except for a 'module' or 'part' that needs to be implemented as a specific hardware.

[0045] Meanwhile, the various elements and areas in the drawings are schematically drawn. Therefore, the technical concept of the present invention is not limited by the relative sizes or spacing depicted in the attached drawings.

[0046] Hereinafter, with reference to the attached drawings, embodiments according to the present disclosure will be described in detail so that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present disclosure pertains can easily implement the present disclosure.

[0047] FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling an electronic device (100) according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0048] The 'electronic device (100)' according to the present disclosure refers to a device that can participate in the network settings of a target device (200). Specifically, the electronic device (100) can assist in the network settings of the target device (200), including transmitting information about an AP to the target device (200) through a communication connection with the target device (200) or transmitting a user input for selecting an AP to the target device (200). In this sense, the electronic device (100) may be referred to as a so-called 'helper device.'

[0049] The term 'target device (200)' refers to a device that is the target of network settings. In particular, the target device (200) may refer to a device that is not registered as a device constituting an IoT (Internet of Things) network, and may refer to a device that can be registered as a device constituting an IoT network.

[0050] For example, the electronic device (100) may be a device that includes a display, such as a smart phone, a tablet PC, a TV, etc., and thus is easy to receive user input related to network settings and provide related information, and the target device (200) may be a device that is relatively less easy to receive user input related to network settings and provide related information compared to the electronic device (100), such as an air conditioner, a washing machine, a vacuum cleaner, etc. (e.g., a so-called headless home appliance that operates without a screen or touch interface). However, there is no particular limitation on the types of the electronic device (100) and the target device (200) according to the present disclosure.

[0051] Meanwhile, the term target device (200) is only used to distinguish and specify the electronic device (100) and the target device (200), and the term target device (200) may be replaced with the term electronic device (200). In addition, the electronic device (100) and the target device (200) may be referred to as the first electronic device (100) and the second electronic device (200), respectively.

[0052] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the electronic device (100) may receive a request for network setup of the target device (200) (S110). Here, the 'request for network setup of the target device (200)' may include a request for setting up a network of the target device (200) by connecting the target device (200) to an AP (Access Point). In addition, the request for network setup of the target device (200) may also include a request for registering the target device (200) as an IoT device.

[0053] Specifically, the electronic device (100) may receive a request for network settings of the target device (200) from the target device (200), may receive a request for network settings of the target device (200) based on a user input entered into the electronic device (100), and may obtain a request for network settings of the target device (200) based on the occurrence of a preset event in the electronic device (100).

[0054] When a request for network setup of a target device (200) is received, the electronic device (100) can identify one or more candidate APs for network setup of the target device (200) among a plurality of APs based on information about a plurality of APs stored in the memory (S120).

[0055] Here, the "information on multiple APs" may include identification information (e.g., Service Set Identifier, SSID) of multiple APs and password information for connecting to multiple APs. Furthermore, the information on multiple APs may include information on at least one AP that has a history of being connected to the electronic device (100) and information on at least one AP that has a history of being connected to at least one external device. The term "connection history" may include not only a current connected state but also a state that was connected in the past but is currently not connected.

[0056] Information about an AP that has a history of being connected to an external device may be obtained during the process of performing network settings of the external device using an electronic device (100), or may be obtained by receiving it from the external device.

[0057] For example, if the target device (200) is a washing machine, the information about the plurality of APs may include information about a first AP that has a history of being connected to the electronic device (100), as well as information about a second AP that has a history of being connected to the dryer. Depending on the embodiment, the information about the plurality of APs may also include information about an AP searched by the electronic device (100).

[0058] Meanwhile, the term 'candidate AP' is used to refer to an AP identified by an electronic device (100) among multiple APs for network configuration of a target device (200). In other words, the term 'candidate AP' can be distinguished from an 'AP searched' by an electronic device (100) or a target device (200) in that it refers to a set of APs identified by an electronic device (100) according to predetermined criteria.

[0059] Specifically, the electronic device (100) may identify all of the multiple APs included in the information about the multiple APs as candidate APs, but may also identify only some of the APs as candidate APs. There is no particular limitation on the number of candidate APs, and depending on the embodiment, only a preset threshold number of candidate APs may be identified.

[0060] In one or more embodiments, the electronic device (100) may identify one or more candidate APs among the plurality of APs based on the time, number of times, connection status, etc., at which the plurality of APs were connected to the electronic device (100) or an external device. For example, among the plurality of APs that have a history of being connected to the electronic device (100), an AP that has been connected to the electronic device (100) for a threshold amount of time or longer or has been connected to the electronic device (100) for a number of times less than the threshold may not be included in at least one candidate AP. In addition, various criteria may be used to identify an AP that has a high possibility of being connected to the target device (200) or a high connection success rate with the target device (200) as a candidate AP.

[0061] When one or more candidate APs are identified, the electronic device (100) may transmit first AP information about one or more candidate APs to the target device (200) (S130). Here, the "first AP information" refers to information about one or more candidate APs identified by the electronic device (100), and may include identification information of the candidate APs and password information for connecting to the candidate APs.

[0062] If a request for network setup of the target device (200) is received from the target device (200), since a communication connection has already been established between the electronic device (100) and the target device (200), the electronic device (100) can transmit the first AP information to the target device (200) through the established communication connection.

[0063] On the other hand, if a request for network setup of the target device (200) is received based on a user input entered into the electronic device (100) or a preset event generated in the electronic device (100), the electronic device (100) can establish a communication connection with the target device (200) and transmit the first AP information to the target device (200) through the established communication connection.

[0064] If two or more candidate APs are identified as candidate APs, the electronic device (100) may set priorities for the two or more candidate APs and transmit to the target device (200) information about the priorities between the two or more candidate APs and a request to attempt a connection to the two or more candidate APs according to the priorities. In other words, if one or more candidate APs are two or more candidate APs, the first AP information may include information about the priorities between the two or more candidate APs and a request to attempt a connection to the two or more candidate APs according to the priorities.

[0065] For example, if two or more candidate APs are identified as candidate APs, the electronic device (100) may give the highest priority to a candidate AP that has a history of being connected to the electronic device (100) among the two or more candidate APs, and may give the next highest priority to a candidate AP that has a history of being connected to an external device. In this case, a request to attempt a connection to two or more candidate APs according to the priority may include a request to preferentially attempt a connection to an AP that has a history of being connected to the electronic device (100), and if the connection to an AP that has a history of being connected to the electronic device (100) fails, to attempt a connection to an AP that has a history of being connected to at least one external device.

[0066] Meanwhile, the electronic device (100) may transmit to the target device (200) information about only candidate APs having a preset threshold ranking or higher among the identified candidate APs, including the information in the first information. For example, if the first candidate AP, the second candidate AP, the third candidate AP, the fourth candidate AP, and the fifth candidate AP are each given priorities of 1 to 5, and the preset threshold ranking is 3, the electronic device (100) may transmit to the target device (200) information about only the first candidate AP, the second candidate AP, and the third candidate AP.

[0067] Meanwhile, the electronic device (100) may assign different priorities to two candidate APs that have a history of being connected to the electronic device (100) based on the time, number of times, connection status, etc. of being connected to the electronic device (100).

[0068] Meanwhile, in a case where two or more candidate APs include multiple different candidate APs that have a history of being connected to multiple different external devices, which candidate AP will be given a higher priority is described in detail with reference to FIG. 3.

[0069] When the electronic device (100) receives information indicating that there is an AP that can connect to the target device (200) among one or more candidate APs in response to the first AP information from the target device (200) (S140-Y), the electronic device (100) can identify that the network setup of the target device (200) is possible.

[0070] Specifically, when first AP information is transmitted from an electronic device (100) to a target device (200), the target device (200) can identify whether there is an AP among one or more candidate APs that can connect to the target device (200) based on the first AP information, and transmit the identification result to the electronic device (100). Then, when the identification result transmitted from the target device (200) to the electronic device (100) indicates that there is an AP among one or more candidate APs that can connect to the target device (200), the electronic device (100) can identify that the network setting of the target device (200) is possible.

[0071] Meanwhile, the process of identifying whether there is an AP among one or more candidate APs that can connect to the target device (200) is an operation performed by the target device (200), and thus this is specifically described in the description of FIGS. 4 and 6.

[0072] Meanwhile, when information indicating that there is an AP among one or more candidate APs that can connect to the target device (200) is received, the electronic device (100) may identify that the target device (200) can be registered as an IoT device, instead of identifying that the network setup of the target device (200) is possible.

[0073] The electronic device (100) identifying that the network setup of the target device (200) is possible may mean that the operation of the electronic device (100) participating in the network setup of the target device (200) has ended. However, after identifying that the network setup of the target device (200) is possible, the electronic device (100) may receive information from the target device (200) indicating that a connection between a specific AP among one or more candidate APs and the target device (200) has been completed. In addition, the electronic device (100) may also receive information indicating that the target device (200) has been registered as a device configuring an IoT network from the target device (200) or a server providing a platform for IoT.

[0074] Meanwhile, the above description describes a case in which a communication connection is established between an electronic device (100) and a target device (200) using a Wi-Fi communication method, and the electronic device (100) receives information indicating that there is an AP among one or more candidate APs that can connect to the target device (200) in response to the first AP information from the target device (200).

[0075] Specifically, when a communication connection is established between an electronic device (100) and a target device (200) in the form of a Wi-Fi communication method, the target device (200) terminates the communication connection between the electronic device (100) and the target device (200) for connection with the AP, performs connection with the AP, and then accesses a server that provides a platform for IoT to register the target device (200) as a device constituting an IoT network. Thereafter, the electronic device (100) receives information from the server indicating that the target device (200) has been registered as a device constituting an IoT network, and can thereby identify that the target device (200) has been registered as a device constituting an IoT network.

[0076] However, a communication connection may be established between the electronic device (100) and the target device (200) using a communication method such as Bluetooth or NFC rather than a Wi-Fi communication method, and in this case, there is no need to terminate the communication connection between the electronic device (100) and the target device (200) in order for the target device (200) to connect to the AP. Accordingly, when a communication connection is established between the electronic device (100) and the target device (200) using a communication method other than a Wi-Fi communication method, the electronic device (100) may receive information indicating that it is connected to one of one or more candidate APs in response to the first AP information from the target device (200), or may receive information indicating that the target device (200) is registered as a device constituting an IoT network.

[0077] According to the various embodiments described above with reference to FIG. 1, the electronic device (100) can efficiently perform the connection process between the target device (200) and the AP while increasing the connection success rate. In particular, since the electronic device (100) identifies an AP that has a high possibility of connection with the target device (200) or a high connection success rate with the target device (200) as a candidate AP and transmits first information about it to the target device (200), the process of the target device (200) searching for an AP in the vicinity, the process of the target device (200) transmitting information about the searched AP to the electronic device (100), etc. can be omitted, and thus the efficiency of the network connection process of the target device (200) can be significantly improved.

[0078] Meanwhile, if information indicating that there is an AP that can connect to the target device (200) is not received (S140-N), the electronic device (100) performs additional operations related to network settings of the target device (200), which will be described below with reference to FIG. 2.

[0079] FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining an embodiment related to a case where information indicating that there is an AP connectable to the target device (200) is not received.

[0080] As described with reference to FIG. 1, the electronic device (100) can transmit first AP information for one or more candidate APs to the target device (200) (S210), and when information indicating that there is an AP that can connect to the target device (200) among one or more candidate APs is received in response to the first AP information from the target device (200) (S220-Y), it can be identified that the network setup of the target device (200) is possible (S280).

[0081] Meanwhile, if information indicating that there is an AP connectable to the target device (200) among one or more candidate APs in response to the first AP information from the target device (200) is not received (S220-N), and second AP information about a plurality of APs searched by the target device (200) is received (S230-Y), the electronic device (100) can provide a user interface including the second AP information (S240).

[0082] Specifically, when first AP information is transmitted from the electronic device (100) to the target device (200), the target device (200) can identify whether there is an AP that can connect to the target device (200) among one or more candidate APs based on the first AP information, and transmit the identification result to the electronic device (100). In particular, when it is identified that there is no AP that can connect to the target device (200) among one or more candidate APs, the target device (200) can transmit second AP information to the electronic device (100) as the identification result.

[0083] Here, 'second AP information' refers to information about multiple APs searched by the target device (200), and may include identification information about each of the multiple APs and information about the strength of signals transmitted from the multiple APs to the target device (200).

[0084] And, if the identification result transmitted from the target device (200) to the electronic device (100) is second AP information for a plurality of APs searched by the target device (200), the electronic device (100) can identify that there is no AP among one or more candidate APs that can connect to the target device (200), and display a user interface including the second AP information on the display of the electronic device (100).

[0085] The electronic device (100) can receive a user input for selecting one AP among multiple APs searched by the target device (200) through a user interface (S250), and can transmit third AP information about the selected AP to the target device (200) (S260).

[0086] Specifically, a user may input a user input for selecting one of the plurality of APs by referring to identification information for the plurality of APs included in the user interface and information about the strength of signals transmitted from the plurality of APs to the target device (200). Accordingly, the electronic device (100) may transmit third AP information about the selected AP to the target device (200).

[0087] Here, 'third information' refers to information about the AP selected based on user input, and may include identification information for the selected AP and password information for connecting to the selected AP.

[0088] Meanwhile, the number of APs selected according to user input may be one, but may be two or more depending on the embodiment, and therefore the number of APs included in the third AP information may also be two or more.

[0089] When information indicating that the target device (200) has decided to connect to the selected AP in response to the third AP information from the target device (200) is received (S270-Y), the electronic device (100) can identify that the network setup of the target device (200) is possible (S280).

[0090] Specifically, when third AP information is transmitted from the electronic device (100) to the target device (200), the target device (200) may determine to connect the target device (200) to the selected AP and transmit information indicating that the target device (200) has determined to connect to the selected AP to the electronic device (100). Accordingly, the electronic device (100) may identify that the network settings of the target device (200) are possible.

[0091] Meanwhile, as described above, a communication connection may be established between the electronic device (100) and the target device (200) using a communication method such as Bluetooth or NFC rather than a Wi-Fi communication method. In this case, the electronic device (100) may receive information indicating that it is connected to an AP selected in response to third AP information from the target device (200), or may receive information indicating that the target device (200) is registered as a device constituting an IoT network.

[0092] According to the various embodiments described above with reference to FIG. 2, even if information indicating that there is an AP that can connect to the target device (200) is not received, the electronic device (100) can improve the efficiency of the network setup process of the target device (200) by providing a user interface and transmitting information about an AP according to the user's selection to the target device (200).

[0093] FIG. 3 is a drawing for explaining one or more embodiments related to identifying a candidate AP based on the installation location of the target device (200) and the installation location of the external device.

[0094] As described above, when two or more candidate APs are identified as candidate APs, the electronic device (100) can determine priorities between the two or more candidate APs and transmit a request to the target device (200) to attempt connection to the two or more candidate APs according to the priorities. For example, the electronic device (100) can give the highest priority to a candidate AP that has a history of being connected to the electronic device (100) among the two or more candidate APs, and give the next highest priority to a candidate AP that has a history of being connected to at least one external device.

[0095] Meanwhile, when two or more candidate APs include multiple different candidate APs that have a history of being connected to multiple different external devices, the electronic device (100) can identify the installation location of the target device (200) and the installation location of at least one external device, and determine which candidate AP among the multiple different candidate APs to give a higher priority to based on the installation location of the target device (200) and the installation location of the at least one external device.

[0096] Here, the term 'installation location' may include not only the location where the target device (200) or the external device is actually installed, but also the location defined as being highly likely to be installed in the target device (200) or the external device.

[0097] The process of identifying the installation location of the target device (200) and the installation location of at least one external device can be performed through various embodiments as follows.

[0098] In one or more embodiments, the electronic device (100) can identify an installation location of the target device (200) and an installation location of the at least one external device based on a type of the target device (200) and a type of the at least one external device. Here, the type of the target device (200) or the type of the external device can be related to a function of the target device (200) or the external device, and can be identified based on a broadcast signal received from the target device (200) or the external device.

[0099] As in the example of FIG. 3, the electronic device (100) can identify that the installation location of the washing machine and the dryer is a laundry room (or balcony, etc.), based on the fact that both the washing machine and the dryer are devices that perform functions related to washing, and can identify that the installation locations of the washing machine and the dryer are at least likely to be the same.

[0100] In one or more embodiments, the electronic device (100) may receive a first signal and a second signal from the target device (200) and at least one external device, respectively, obtain information about the intensity of the first signal and information about the intensity of the second signal, and identify an installation location of the target device (200) and an installation location of the at least one external device based on the information about the intensity of the first signal and the information about the intensity of the second signal.

[0101] Here, information about the signal strength may include a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) value. Specifically, the electronic device (100) may perform analog-to-digital conversion on the first signal and the second signal, and measure the energy intensity of the first signal and the second signal using frequency spectrum analysis, etc. The measured energy intensity may be expressed as a value in a unit such as decibel or decibel milliwatt.

[0102] As the distance between the electronic device (100) and the target device (200) (or external device) increases, the RSSI value decreases, and as the distance between the electronic device (100) and the target device (200) (or external device) decreases, the RSSI value decreases. Therefore, the electronic device (100) can obtain information about the distance between the electronic device (100) and the target device (200) and information about the distance between the electronic device (100) and the external device based on the RSSI value.

[0103] Specifically, when an RSSI value is acquired, the electronic device (100) can convert the RSSI value into a distance using a predefined distance estimation model, thereby acquiring information about the distance between the electronic device (100) and the target device (200) and information about the distance between the electronic device (100) and the external device. Then, based on the information about the distance between the electronic device (100) and the target device (200) and the information about the distance between the electronic device (100) and the external device, the installation location of the target device (200) and the installation location of the external device can be identified, and at least whether the installation location of the target device (200) and the installation location of the external device are the same can be identified.

[0104] Once the installation location of the target device (200) and the installation location of at least one external device are identified, the electronic device (100) can determine which candidate AP among a plurality of different candidate APs to give a high priority to based on the installation location of the target device (200) and the installation location of at least one external device.

[0105] Specifically, when the electronic device (100) fails to connect to an AP connected to the electronic device (100), the electronic device (100) may transmit a request to the target device (200) to give priority to connecting to an AP that has a history of being connected to an external device having the same installation location as the target device (200) among at least one external device.

[0106] In other words, a request to attempt a connection to two or more candidate APs in order of priority may include a request to attempt a connection to at least one AP that has a history of being connected to the electronic device (100), and, if the connection to the AP connected to the electronic device (100) fails, to preferentially attempt a connection to an AP that has a history of being connected to at least one external device having the same installation location as the target device (200).

[0107] As in the example of FIG. 3, if the target device (200) is a washing machine and at least one external device includes a dryer, an air conditioner, and a TV, the electronic device (100) can identify that the installation locations of the washing machine and the dryer are a laundry room, and the installation locations of the air conditioner and the TV are a living room. In this case, the electronic device (100) can transmit a request to the target device (200), the washing machine, to give a higher priority to AP 2, which has a history of being connected to a dryer in the same installation location as the target device (200), among AP 1, AP 2, and AP 3, and to give priority to a connection to AP 2.

[0108] According to the various embodiments described above with reference to FIG. 3, when two or more candidate APs include multiple different candidate APs that have a history of being connected to multiple different external devices, the electronic device (100) can improve the efficiency of the network setup process of the target device (200) by giving priority to the multiple different candidate APs in a reasonable manner.

[0109] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a target device (200) according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0110] FIG. 4 is a drawing for explaining a control method of a target device (200) related to the control method of an electronic device (100) described with reference to FIG. 1. Therefore, in the description of FIG. 4, any description that overlaps with the description of FIG. 1 may be omitted.

[0111] Referring to FIG. 4, the target device (200) may receive first AP information regarding one or more candidate APs for network configuration of the target device (200) from the electronic device (100) (S410). The first AP information may include identification information of one or more candidate APs and password information for connecting to one or more candidate APs. In addition, if there are two or more candidate APs, the first AP information may include information regarding priorities between the two or more candidate APs and a request to attempt connection to the two or more candidate APs according to the priorities.

[0112] The target device (200) can identify whether there is an AP among one or more candidate APs that can connect to the target device (200) (S420). The process of identifying whether there is an AP among one or more candidate APs that can connect to the target device (200), i.e., the process of identifying the possibility of connection to the candidate AP, can be performed through various embodiments as described below.

[0113] In one or more embodiments, when information about priorities among one or more candidate APs and a request to attempt connection to two or more candidate APs according to the priorities are received from the electronic device (100), the target device (200) can identify whether there is an AP among the two or more candidate APs that can be connected to the target device (200) according to the priorities.

[0114] For example, a request to attempt a connection to two or more candidate APs in order of priority may include a request to attempt a connection to at least one AP that has a history of being connected to the electronic device (100), and if the connection to at least one AP that has a history of being connected to the electronic device (100) fails, to attempt a connection to at least one AP that has a history of being connected to at least one external device.

[0115] Additionally, a request to attempt a connection to two or more candidate APs in order of priority may include a request to attempt a connection to at least one AP that has a history of being connected to the electronic device (100), and, if the connection to the AP connected to the electronic device (100) fails, to preferentially attempt a connection to an AP that has a history of being connected to at least one external device that has the same installation location as the target device (200).

[0116] The target device (200) can sequentially identify whether there is an AP that can connect to the target device (200) among two or more candidate APs in order of priority, and transmit the identification result to the electronic device (100).

[0117] In one or more embodiments, the target device (200) searches for a plurality of APs, and if the plurality of APs includes one or more candidate APs, it can identify that there is an AP among the one or more candidate APs that can connect to the target device (200).

[0118] Specifically, the target device (200) can receive signals (e.g., beacon signals) broadcast by multiple APs. The frames of the signals received from the multiple APs can include identification information (e.g., Service Set Identifier, SSID) for the multiple APs. The target device (200) can obtain search results for the multiple APs based on the identification information for the multiple APs.

[0119] For example, if the candidate APs included in the first AP information include the first candidate AP and the second candidate AP, the target device (200) can identify whether at least one of the first candidate AP and the second candidate AP is included in the plurality of APs searched by the target device (200). In addition, if at least one of the first candidate AP and the second candidate AP is included in the plurality of APs searched by the target device (200), the target device (200) can identify that there is an AP that can connect to the target device (200) among one or more candidate APs.

[0120] In one or more embodiments, the target device (200) may search for a plurality of APs, and if one or more candidate APs are included in the plurality of APs, information regarding the strength of signals received from the one or more candidate APs may be obtained. In addition, the target device (200) may identify whether an AP capable of connecting to the target device (200) exists among the one or more candidate APs based on the information regarding the strength of signals received from the one or more candidate APs.

[0121] Specifically, the target device (200) can obtain information about the strength of a signal received from one or more candidate APs, and identify a candidate AP whose signal strength is higher than a preset threshold strength among the one or more candidate APs as an AP that can be connected to the target device (200). Here, the threshold strength may be, for example, -68 dBm, and may be changed according to the settings of a user or developer.

[0122] Meanwhile, the process of identifying the possibility of connection to a candidate AP based on information about the strength of the signal has been described above, but the possibility of connection to a candidate AP may also be identified by considering various factors that may indicate the quality of the signal in addition to the strength of the signal.

[0123] In one or more embodiments, even when a request to attempt connection to two or more candidate APs according to priority information and priorities is received from the electronic device (100), the target device (200) may search for multiple APs, obtain information on the strength of signals received from the multiple APs, and use the information on the strength of signals together with the priority information to identify whether there is an AP among the one or more candidate APs that can be connected to the target device (200). Such an embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 6.

[0124] If it is identified that there is an AP among one or more candidate APs that can connect to the target device (200), the target device (200) can transmit information indicating that there is an AP that can connect to the target device (200) to the electronic device (100) (S430).

[0125] When a communication connection is established between an electronic device (100) and a target device (200) using a Wi-Fi communication method, the target device (200) terminates the communication connection between the electronic device (100) and the target device (200) to connect to the AP, and after performing the connection to the AP, connects to a server that provides a platform for IoT and registers the target device (200) as a device that constitutes an IoT network.

[0126] Meanwhile, when a communication connection is established between an electronic device (100) and a target device (200) using a communication method such as Bluetooth or NFC rather than a Wi-Fi communication method, the target device (200) may transmit information indicating that the target device (200) is connected to a candidate AP to the electronic device (100) after completing the connection with the AP, or may transmit information indicating that the registration of the target device (200) is complete to the electronic device (100) after the registration of the target device (200) is complete. In other words, the target device (200) may attempt to connect to a candidate AP and transmit information indicating that the target device (200) is 'connected' to the candidate AP to the electronic device (100) rather than information regarding the 'connection possibility' of the target device (200) to the AP.

[0127] According to the various embodiments described above with reference to FIG. 4, the target device (200) can efficiently perform the connection process between the target device (200) and the AP while increasing the connection success rate. In particular, since the electronic device (100) identifies an AP that has a high possibility of connection with the target device (200) or a high connection success rate with the target device (200) as a candidate AP and transmits first information about it to the target device (200), the process of the target device (200) searching for an AP in the vicinity, the process of the target device (200) transmitting information about the searched AP to the electronic device (100), etc. can be omitted, and thus the efficiency of the network connection process of the target device (200) can be significantly improved.

[0128] FIG. 5 is a drawing for explaining an embodiment related to a case where there is no AP among one or more candidate APs that can connect to the target device (200).

[0129] FIG. 5 is a drawing for explaining a control method of a target device (200) related to the control method of an electronic device (100) described with reference to FIG. 2. Therefore, in the description of FIG. 5, any description that overlaps with the description of FIG. 2 may be omitted.

[0130] As described with reference to FIG. 4, the target device (200) can receive first AP information for one or more candidate APs (S510), and can identify whether there is an AP among the one or more candidate APs that can connect to the target device (200) (S520). Then, if it is identified that there is an AP among the one or more candidate APs that can connect to the target device (200) (S520-Y), the target device (200) can transmit information indicating that there is an AP that can connect to the target device (200) to the electronic device (100) (S530).

[0131] Meanwhile, if it is identified that there is no AP among one or more candidate APs that can connect to the target device (200) (S520-N), the target device (200) can search for multiple APs (S540) and transmit second AP information for the multiple APs to the electronic device (100) (S550).

[0132] Specifically, when first AP information is transmitted from the electronic device (100) to the target device (200), the target device (200) can identify whether there is an AP that can connect to the target device (200) among one or more candidate APs based on the first AP information, and transmit the identification result to the electronic device (100). In particular, when it is identified that there is no AP that can connect to the target device (200) among one or more candidate APs, the target device (200) can search for a plurality of APs and transmit second AP information including information on the searched plurality of APs to the electronic device (100).

[0133] Meanwhile, the target device (200) may obtain information about the strength of signals transmitted from the plurality of searched APs to the target device (200), and may include the information about the strength of signals transmitted from the plurality of APs to the target device (200) in second AP information and transmit the information to the electronic device (100). That is, the second AP information may include identification information about the plurality of APs searched by the target device (200) and information about the strength of signals transmitted from the plurality of APs to the target device (200).

[0134] Meanwhile, the target device (200) may obtain information about the strength of signals transmitted to the target device (200) from a plurality of APs searched by the target device (200), and may transmit to the electronic device (100) only the information about APs having a signal strength greater than or equal to a threshold strength by including the information in the second AP information, or may identify a threshold number of APs in order of signal strength, and transmit to the electronic device (100) only the information about the threshold number of APs by including the information in the second AP information. That is, the target device (200) may improve the efficiency of the network configuration process of the target device (200) by transmitting to the electronic device (100) only the information about the Top N APs among the plurality of APs searched by the target device (200).

[0135] The target device (200) can receive third AP information about an AP selected from among a plurality of APs according to a user input from the electronic device (100) (S560). Specifically, the electronic device (100) can provide a user interface including second AP information about a plurality of APs searched by the target device (200), and can receive a user input for selecting one AP from among the plurality of APs searched by the target device (200) through the user interface. As a result, the electronic device (100) can transmit third AP information about the selected AP to the target device (200), and the target device (200) can receive third AP information about the selected AP.

[0136] When the third AP information is received, the target device (200) may determine to connect the target device (200) to the selected AP (S570) and transmit information indicating that the target device (200) has been determined to connect to the selected AP to the electronic device (100) (S580). Thereafter, the target device (200) may connect to a server that provides a platform for IoT and register the target device (200) as a device that constitutes an IoT network after performing a connection to the AP.

[0137] According to the various embodiments described above with reference to FIG. 5, when there is no AP among candidate APs that can connect to the target device (200), the target device (200) can search for multiple APs and transmit at least some of the search results to the electronic device (100), thereby improving the efficiency of the network setup process of the target device (200).

[0138] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating one or more embodiments related to a process of identifying whether there is an AP among one or more candidate APs that can connect to a target device (200).

[0139] As described with reference to FIG. 4, when information on priorities between two or more candidate APs and a request to attempt connection to two or more candidate APs according to the priorities are received from the electronic device (100), the target device (200) can identify whether there is an AP among the two or more candidate APs that can be connected to the target device (200) according to the priorities.

[0140] For example, referring to Table 610 of FIG. 6, the priorities among candidate APs may be given in the order of AP 1, AP 2, and AP 3. In this case, the target device (200) may identify whether connection is possible in the order of AP 1, AP 2, and AP 3.

[0141] Meanwhile, as described with reference to FIG. 4, the target device (200) searches for multiple APs, and if one or more candidate APs are included in the multiple APs, it can obtain information on the strength of signals received from one or more candidate APs. In addition, the target device (200) can identify whether there is an AP among the one or more candidate APs that can be connected to the target device (200) based on the information on the strength of signals received from the one or more candidate APs.

[0142] Specifically, the target device (200) can obtain information about the strength of a signal received from one or more candidate APs, and identify a candidate AP whose signal strength is greater than or equal to a preset threshold strength among one or more candidate APs as an AP that can be connected to the target device (200).

[0143] For example, referring to Table 620 of FIG. 6, the target device (200) may search for multiple APs, namely AP 2, AP 3, AP 4, AP 5, AP 6, and AP 9. Here, AP 2 and AP 3 may be candidate APs identified by the electronic device (100). In addition, the signal strength received from AP 2 may be -50 dBm, and the signal strength received from AP 3 may be -70 dBm.

[0144] In this case, if the preset threshold intensity is -68 dBm, the intensity of the signal received from AP 2 is greater than or equal to the threshold intensity, but the intensity of the signal received from AP 3 is less than or equal to the threshold intensity. Therefore, the target device (200) can identify AP 2, among one or more candidate APs, whose signal intensity is greater than or equal to the preset threshold intensity, as an AP that can be connected to the target device (200).

[0145] On the other hand, referring to Table 630 of FIG. 6, the strength of the signal received from AP 2, which is a candidate AP identified by the electronic device (100), may be -77 dBm, and the strength of the signal received from AP 3, which is a candidate AP identified by the electronic device (100), may be -70 dBm.

[0146] In this case, if the preset threshold intensity is -68 dBm, both the intensity of the signal received from AP 2 and the intensity of the signal received from AP 3 are below the threshold intensity. Therefore, the target device (200) can identify that there is no AP among one or more candidate APs that can connect to the target device (200).

[0147] Meanwhile, the target device (200) can identify whether there is an AP among two or more candidate APs that can be connected to the target device (200) by considering information about priorities among one or more candidate APs and information about the strength of signals received from one or more candidate APs. Specifically, the target device (200) can identify an AP with a higher priority among two or more candidate APs whose signal strength is equal to or greater than a threshold strength as an AP that can be connected to the target device (200).

[0148] For example, referring to Table 640 of FIG. 6, the signal intensity received from AP 2, which is a candidate AP identified by the electronic device (100), may be -50 dBm, and the signal intensity received from AP 3, which is a candidate AP identified by the electronic device (100), may be -60 dBm. In addition, the priority of AP 3 may be higher than the priority of AP 2. In this case, if the preset threshold intensity is -68 dBm, the signal intensity received from AP 2 and the signal intensity received from AP 3 are both higher than the threshold intensity. Therefore, the target device (200) may identify AP 3, which has a higher priority among AP 2 and AP 3, as an AP that can be connected to the target device (200).

[0149] Meanwhile, contrary to the example of Table 640 of FIG. 4, the target device (200) may also identify an AP with a stronger signal strength among two or more candidate APs whose priority is higher than a threshold priority as an AP that can be connected to the target device (200).

[0150] According to the various embodiments described above with reference to FIG. 6, the target device (200) can perform a connection to the AP after verifying whether the candidate AP meets the requirements for setting up an IoT network based on information about the priority among candidate APs and information about the strength of the signal received from the candidate AP.

[0151] FIG. 7 is a block diagram briefly showing the configuration of an electronic device (100) according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, and FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing in detail the configuration of an electronic device (100) according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0152] FIG. 7 is a block diagram briefly showing the configuration of an electronic device (100) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic device (100) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure in detail.

[0153] As illustrated in FIG. 7, an electronic device (100) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a communication unit (110), a memory (120), and a processor (130). In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the electronic device (100) may further include an input unit (140) and an output unit (150). However, the configurations illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 are merely exemplary, and it is to be understood that new configurations may be added or some configurations may be omitted in addition to the configurations illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 when implementing the present disclosure.

[0154] The communication unit (110) includes a circuit and can perform communication with an external device. Specifically, the processor (130) can receive various data or information from an external device connected via the communication unit (110) and can also transmit various data or information to the external device.

[0155] The communication unit (110) may include at least one of a WiFi module, a Bluetooth module, a wireless communication module, an NFC module, and an Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) module. Specifically, the WiFi module and the Bluetooth module may each perform communication in the WiFi or Bluetooth manner. When using a WiFi module or a Bluetooth module, various connection information, such as an SSID, may be first transmitted and received, and then communication may be established using this, after which various pieces of information may be transmitted and received.

[0156] In addition, the wireless communication module can perform communication according to various communication standards such as IEEE, Zigbee, 3G (3rd Generation), 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project), LTE (Long Term Evolution), 5G (5th Generation), etc. And, the NFC module can perform communication in the NFC (Near Field Communication) method using the 13.56MHz band among various RF-ID frequency bands such as 135kHz, 13.56MHz, 433MHz, 860~960MHz, 2.45GHz, etc. In addition, the UWB module can accurately measure ToA (Time of Arrival), which is the time it takes for a pulse to reach a target, and AoA (Ange of Arrival), which is the pulse arrival angle at the transmitting device, through communication between UWB antennas, and accordingly, precise distance and location recognition is possible within an error range of several tens of centimeters indoors.

[0157] In one or more embodiments, the processor (130) may receive a request for network configuration of the target device (200) from the target device (200) via the communication unit (110). The processor (130) may control the communication unit (110) to transmit first AP information for one or more candidate APs to the target device (200). The processor (130) may receive, in response to the first AP information from the target device (200) via the communication unit (110), information indicating that there is an AP connectable to the target device (200) among the one or more candidate APs.

[0158] The processor (130) may receive second AP information about a plurality of APs searched by the target device (200) in response to the first AP information from the target device (200) through the communication unit (110). The processor (130) may control the communication unit (110) to transmit third AP information about the selected AP to the target device (200). In addition, the processor (130) may receive information indicating that the target device (200) has decided to connect to the selected AP in response to the third AP information from the target device (200) through the communication unit (110).

[0159] The processor (130) may also control the communication unit (110) to transmit second AP information about multiple APs searched by the target device (200) to the user terminal.

[0160] At least one instruction regarding the electronic device (100) may be stored in the memory (120). In addition, an O / S (Operating System) for driving the electronic device (100) may be stored in the memory (120). In addition, various software programs or applications for operating the electronic device (100) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may be stored in the memory (120). In addition, the memory (120) may include a semiconductor memory (120) such as a flash memory (120) or a magnetic storage medium such as a hard disk.

[0161] Specifically, the memory (120) may store various software modules for operating the electronic device (100) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, and the processor (130) may control the operation of the electronic device (100) by executing the various software modules stored in the memory (120). That is, the memory (120) is accessed by the processor (130), and data reading / recording / modifying / deleting / updating, etc. may be performed by the processor (130).

[0162] Meanwhile, in the present disclosure, the term memory (120) may be used to mean a memory (120), a ROM, a RAM in a processor (130), or a memory (120) card (e.g., a micro SD card, a memory (120) stick) mounted on an electronic device (100).

[0163] In one or more embodiments, the memory (120) may store information about multiple APs. The "information about multiple APs" may include identification information (e.g., Service Set Identifier, SSID) of the multiple APs and password information for connecting to the multiple APs. In addition, the information about the multiple APs may include information about at least one AP that has a history of being connected to the electronic device (100) and information about at least one AP that has a history of being connected to at least one external device.

[0164] The memory (120) may store first AP information, second AP information, and third AP information, information on criteria for determining priorities between two or more candidate APs, information on determined priorities, information on the strength of received signals, information on user interfaces, information on the type of target device (200), information on the type of external device, and the like.

[0165] In addition, various information necessary within the scope of achieving the purpose of the present disclosure may be stored in the memory (120), and the information stored in the memory (120) may be updated as received from an external device or input by a user.

[0166] The processor (130) controls the overall operation of the electronic device (100). Specifically, the processor (130) is connected to the configuration of the electronic device (100) including a communication unit (110), a memory (120), an input unit (140), and an output unit (150), and can control the overall operation of the electronic device (100) by executing at least one instruction stored in the memory (120) as described above.

[0167] The processor (130) may be implemented in various ways. For example, the processor (130) may be implemented as at least one of an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an embedded processor (130), a microprocessor (130), hardware control logic, a hardware finite state machine (FSM), and a digital signal processor (130) (Digital Signal Processor, DSP). Meanwhile, the term "processor (130)" in the present disclosure may be used to mean a central processing unit (CPU), a graphic processing unit (GPU), and a microprocessor unit (MPU).

[0168] In one or more embodiments, when a request for network setup of a target device (200) is received, the processor (130) controls the communication unit (110) to identify one or more candidate APs for network setup of the target device (200) among a plurality of APs based on information about a plurality of APs (Access Points) stored in the memory (120), and to transmit first AP information about the one or more candidate APs to the target device (200), and when information indicating that there is an AP connectable to the target device (200) among the one or more candidate APs is received from the target device (200) in response to the first AP information through the communication unit (110), it can be identified that network setup of the target device (200) is possible.

[0169] Various embodiments according to the present disclosure based on the control of the processor (130) have been described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, so a duplicate description will be omitted.

[0170] The input unit (140) includes a circuit, and the processor (130) can receive a user command to control the operation of the electronic device (100) through the input unit (140). Specifically, the input unit (140) can be configured with components such as a microphone, a camera, and a remote control signal receiving unit. In addition, the input unit (140) can also be implemented in a form included in a display as a touch screen. In particular, the microphone can receive a voice signal and convert the received voice signal into an electrical signal.

[0171] In one or more embodiments, the processor (130) may receive user input, such as a user input corresponding to a request for network setup of the target device (200), a user input for selecting one AP from among a plurality of APs searched by the target device (200), etc., through the input unit (140).

[0172] The output unit (150) includes a circuit, and the processor (130) can output various functions that the electronic device (100) can perform through the output unit (150). In addition, the output unit (150) can include at least one of a display, a speaker, and an indicator.

[0173] The display can output image data under the control of the processor (130). Specifically, the display can output an image previously stored in the memory (120) under the control of the processor (130).

[0174] In particular, a display according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may display a user interface stored in a memory (120). The display may be implemented as a liquid crystal display panel (LCD), organic light emitting diodes (OLED), etc., and in some cases, the display may also be implemented as a flexible display, a transparent display, etc. However, the display according to the present disclosure is not limited to a specific type.

[0175] The speaker can output audio data under the control of the processor (130).

[0176] The indicator can be lit under the control of the processor (130). Specifically, the indicator can be lit in various colors under the control of the processor (130). For example, the indicator can be implemented using a light emitting diode (LED), a liquid crystal display panel (LCD), a vacuum fluorescent display (VFD), etc., but is not limited thereto.

[0177] In one or more embodiments, when second AP information about a plurality of APs searched by the target device (200) is received from the target device (200) in response to the first AP information through the communication unit (110), the processor (130) may control the display to display a user interface including the second AP information. Then, when a user input for selecting one of the plurality of APs is received through the user interface, the processor (130) may control the communication unit (110) to transmit third AP information about the selected AP to the target device (200), and when information indicating that the target device (200) has decided to connect to the selected AP is received from the target device (200) in response to the third AP information through the communication unit (110), it may be identified that the network configuration of the target device (200) is possible.

[0178] FIG. 9 is a block diagram briefly showing the configuration of a target device (200) according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, and FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing in detail the configuration of a target device (200) according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0179] As illustrated in FIG. 9, a target device (200) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a communication unit (210), a memory (220), and a processor (230). In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 10, the target device (200) may further include an input unit (240) and an output unit (250). However, the configurations illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10 are merely exemplary, and it is to be understood that new configurations may be added or some configurations may be omitted in addition to the configurations illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10 when implementing the present disclosure.

[0180] Meanwhile, the communication unit (210), memory (220), processor (230), input unit (240), and output unit (250) included in the target device (200) may be configured with the same type of hardware as the communication unit (110), memory (120), processor (130), input unit (140), and output unit (150) included in the electronic device (100). Therefore, the description of the communication unit (110), memory (120), processor (130), input unit (140), and output unit (150) of the electronic device (100) described above with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 may also be applied to the description of the communication unit (210), memory (220), processor (230), input unit (240), and output unit (250) of the target device (200). Therefore, duplicate description of the same content will be omitted.

[0181] In one or more embodiments, the processor (230) may receive first AP information about one or more candidate APs (Access Points) for network configuration of the target device (200) from the electronic device (100) through the communication unit (210). The processor (230) may control the communication unit (210) to transmit to the electronic device (100) an identification result as to whether there is an AP connectable to the target device (200) among the one or more candidate APs. That is, the processor (230) may control the communication unit (210) to transmit to the electronic device (100) information indicating that there is an AP connectable to the target device (200) or second AP information about a plurality of APs connectable to the target device (200).

[0182] Additionally, the processor (230) can receive third AP information about an AP selected from among multiple APs according to a user input from the electronic device (100) through the communication unit (210). In addition, the processor (230) can control the communication unit (210) to transmit information indicating that the target device (200) has been determined to be connected to the selected AP to the electronic device (100).

[0183] In one or more embodiments, the memory (220) may store first AP information, second AP information, third AP information, information about priorities, information about the strength of received signals, and the like.

[0184] In one or more embodiments, the processor (230) may receive first AP information about one or more candidate APs (Access Points) for network setup of the target device (200) from the electronic device (100) through the communication unit (210), identify whether there is an AP that can connect to the target device (200) among the one or more candidate APs, and if it is identified that there is an AP that can connect to the target device (200) among the one or more candidate APs, control the communication unit (210) to transmit information indicating that there is an AP that can connect to the target device (200) to the electronic device (100).

[0185] In one or more embodiments, the processor (230) may receive, via the input unit (240), user input corresponding to a request for network setup of the target device (200).

[0186] In one or more embodiments, the processor (230) may control the output unit (250) to output information such as information indicating that a connection has been established between the target device (200) and the AP, information indicating that the target device (200) has been registered as a device constituting an IoT network, and the like.

[0187] Meanwhile, the control method of the electronic device (100) according to the above-described embodiment may be implemented as a program and provided to the electronic device (100). In particular, the program including the control method of the electronic device (100) may be stored and provided in a non-transitory computer readable medium.

[0188] Specifically, in a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium including a program for executing a method for controlling an electronic device (100), the method for controlling an electronic device (100) may include, when a request for network configuration of a target device (200) is received, a step of identifying one or more candidate APs for network configuration of the target device (200) among a plurality of APs (Access Points) stored in the memory, based on information about the plurality of APs, a step of transmitting first AP information about the one or more candidate APs to the target device (200), and a step of identifying that network configuration of the target device (200) is possible when information indicating that there is an AP connectable to the target device (200) among the one or more candidate APs is received from the target device (200) in response to the first AP information.

[0189] Likewise, the control method of the target device (200) according to the above-described embodiment may be implemented as a program and provided to the target device (200). In particular, the program including the control method of the target device (200) may be stored and provided in a non-transitory computer readable medium.

[0190] Specifically, in a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium including a program for executing a control method of a target device (200), the control method of the target device (200) may include a step of receiving first AP information about one or more candidate APs (Access Points) for network configuration of the target device (200) from the electronic device (100), a step of identifying whether an AP connectable to the target device (200) exists among the one or more candidate APs, and a step of transmitting information indicating that an AP connectable to the target device (200) exists to the electronic device (100) when it is identified that an AP connectable to the target device (200) exists among the one or more candidate APs.

[0191] In the above, the electronic device (100), the target device (200), the computer-readable recording medium including a program for executing a control method of the electronic device (100), and the computer-readable recording medium including a program for executing a control method of the target device (200) have been briefly described, but this is only to omit redundant descriptions, and the various embodiments of the electronic device (100) and the various embodiments of the target device (200) can be similarly applied to the electronic device (100), the target device (200), the computer-readable recording medium including a program for executing a control method of the electronic device (100), and the computer-readable recording medium including a program for executing a control method of the target device (200).

[0192] A device-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, the term "non-transitory storage medium" simply means a tangible device that does not contain signals (e.g., electromagnetic waves). This term does not distinguish between cases where data is permanently stored in the storage medium and cases where data is temporarily stored. For example, a "non-transitory storage medium" may include a buffer in which data is temporarily stored.

[0193] According to one embodiment, the method according to various embodiments disclosed in the present document may be provided as a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded between sellers and buyers as a product. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a device-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)) or may be provided through an application store (e.g., Play Store). TM ) or directly between two user devices (e.g., smartphones), online distribution (e.g., downloading or uploading). In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product (e.g., downloadable app) may be at least temporarily stored or temporarily created in a device-readable storage medium, such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or an intermediary server.

[0194] Each of the components (e.g., modules or programs) according to the various embodiments of the present disclosure as described above may be composed of a single or multiple entities, and some of the sub-components described above may be omitted, or other sub-components may be further included in the various embodiments. Alternatively or additionally, some components (e.g., modules or programs) may be integrated into a single entity, which may perform the same or similar functions as those performed by each of the respective components prior to integration.

[0195] According to various embodiments, operations performed by a module, program or other component may be executed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively or heuristically, or at least some operations may be executed in a different order, omitted, or other operations may be added.

[0196] Meanwhile, the terms "part" or "module" used in the present disclosure include units composed of hardware, software, or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with terms such as logic, logic block, component, or circuit. A "part" or "module" may be an integrally composed component, a minimum unit performing one or more functions, or a portion thereof. For example, a module may be composed of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0197] Various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented as software including instructions stored in a machine-readable storage medium that can be read by a machine (e.g., a computer). The device is a device that can call instructions stored in the storage medium and operate according to the called instructions, and may include an electronic device (e.g., an electronic device (100), a target device (200)) according to the disclosed embodiments.

[0198] When the above instruction is executed by the processor, the processor may perform the function corresponding to the instruction directly or by using other components under the control of the processor. The instruction may include code generated or executed by a compiler or interpreter.

[0199] Although the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and various modifications may be made by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains without departing from the gist of the present disclosure as claimed in the claims, and such modifications should not be understood individually from the technical idea or prospect of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. In electronic devices, Department of Communications; A memory storing at least one instruction and information related to a plurality of APs (Access Points); and a processor executing at least one instruction; The above processor, When a request for network setup of a target device is received, one or more candidate APs for network setup of the target device are identified among the plurality of APs based on information related to the plurality of APs stored in the memory, Controlling the communication unit to transmit AP information related to one or more candidate APs to the target device; An electronic device that identifies that network setup of the target device is possible when information indicating that there is an AP connectable to the target device among the one or more candidate APs is received in response to the AP information transmitted from the target device to the target device through the communication unit.

2. In paragraph 1, The AP information transmitted to the target device is the first AP information, The electronic device further comprises a display; The above processor, When second AP information related to a plurality of other APs searched by the target device is received in response to the first AP information from the target device through the communication unit, the display is controlled to display a user interface including the second AP information, When a user input for selecting one of the plurality of different APs searched by the target device through the user interface is received, the communication unit is controlled to transmit third AP information about the selected one AP to the target device, An electronic device that identifies that network setup of the target device is possible when information indicating that the target device has decided to connect to the selected one AP in response to the third AP information from the target device through the communication unit is received.

3. In paragraph 1, The above processor, When two or more candidate APs are identified as one or more candidate APs, the priority between the two or more candidate APs is determined, An electronic device controlling the communication unit to transmit to the target device information related to the above priorities and a request to attempt connection to the two or more candidate APs according to the above priorities.

4. In paragraph 3, An electronic device comprising: a request to attempt a connection to said two or more candidate APs according to said priorities; a request to attempt a connection to at least one AP that has a history of being connected to said electronic device; and, if the request to connect to said at least one AP that has a history of being connected to said electronic device fails, a request to attempt a connection to at least one AP that has a history of being connected to said at least one external device.

5. In paragraph 4, The above processor, Identifying the installation location of the target device and the installation location of at least one external device, An electronic device that controls the communication unit to transmit a request to the target device to give priority to a connection to an AP that has a history of being connected to an external device having the same installation location as the target device among at least one external device when a connection to an AP connected to the electronic device fails.

6. In paragraph 5, The above processor, An electronic device that identifies an installation location of the target device and an installation location of the at least one external device based on the type of the target device and the type of the at least one external device.

7. In paragraph 5, The above processor, Receive a first signal and a second signal from the target device and at least one external device, respectively, through the communication unit; Obtain information related to the intensity of the first signal and information about the intensity of the second signal, An electronic device that identifies an installation location of the target device and an installation location of the at least one external device based on information related to the intensity of the first signal and information related to the intensity of the second signal.

8. In the target device, Department of Communications; a memory storing at least one instruction; and a processor executing at least one instruction; The above processor, Receive AP information for one or more candidate APs (Access Points) for network setup of the target device from the electronic device through the above communication unit, Identify whether there is an AP among the above one or more candidate APs that can connect to the target device, A target device that controls the communication unit to transmit, to the electronic device, information indicating that there is an AP connectable to the target device in response to the received information about the one or more candidate APs, when it is identified that there is an AP connectable to the target device among the one or more candidate APs.

9. In paragraph 8, The AP information transmitted to the target device is the first AP information, The above processor, If it is identified that there is no AP among the above one or more candidate APs that can connect to the target device, a search involving multiple APs is performed, Controlling the communication unit to transmit second AP information related to the plurality of APs to the electronic device; When third AP information about an AP selected from among the plurality of APs according to user input is received from the electronic device through the communication unit, Decide to connect the above target device to the above selected AP, A target device that controls the communication unit to transmit information to the electronic device indicating that the target device has decided to connect to the selected AP.

10. In paragraph 8, The above processor, Perform a search for multiple APs, A target device that identifies that, when the above plurality of APs includes one or more candidate APs, there is an AP among the one or more candidate APs that can connect to the target device.

11. In paragraph 8, The above processor, Perform a search for multiple APs, When the above multiple APs include one or more candidate APs, information related to the strength of a signal received from the one or more candidate APs is obtained, A target device that identifies whether there is an AP among the one or more candidate APs that can connect to the target device based on information related to the strength of the signal.

12. In paragraph 8, The above processor, A target device that identifies whether there is an AP connectable to the target device among the two or more candidate APs according to the priorities, when information related to priorities among the one or more candidate APs and a request to attempt connection to the two or more candidate APs according to the priorities are received from the electronic device through the communication unit.

13. In a method for controlling an electronic device, When a request for network setup of a target device is received, a step of identifying one or more candidate APs for network setup of the target device among a plurality of Access Points (APs) stored in a memory based on information related to the plurality of APs; a step of transmitting AP information related to one or more candidate APs to the target device; and A method for controlling an electronic device, comprising: a step of identifying that network setup of the target device is possible when information indicating that there is an AP connectable to the target device among the one or more candidate APs is received in response to the AP information transmitted from the target device to the target device; 14. In paragraph 13, The AP information transmitted to the target device is the first AP information, The method of controlling the above electronic device is: When second AP information related to a plurality of other APs searched by the target device is received in response to the first AP information from the target device, a step of providing a user interface including the second AP information; When a user input for selecting one of the plurality of other APs searched by the target device through the user interface is received, a step of transmitting third AP information about the selected one AP to the target device; and A method for controlling an electronic device, comprising: a step of identifying that network setup of the target device is possible when information indicating that the target device has decided to connect to the selected one AP in response to the third AP information from the target device is received; 15. In paragraph 13, The method of controlling the above electronic device is: When two or more candidate APs are identified as one or more candidate APs, a step of determining a priority between the two or more candidate APs; and A method for controlling an electronic device, further comprising: a step of transmitting to the target device information related to the above priorities and a request to attempt connection to the two or more candidate APs according to the above priorities;

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