Communication device, method for controlling same, program, and storage medium

Abstract

This communication device connects to a plurality of access points and transmits or receives data via the plurality of access points. When, while connected to N (a plurality of) access points, the communication device operates in a power-saving mode that is an operation mode having lower power consumption than a normal mode and does not satisfy a first condition corresponding to the volume of communication with the plurality of connected access points being high, the communication device performs a prescribed process for reducing the number of connected access points and establishing a state of being connected to one or more but less than N APs.

Description

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

[0001] The technology according to the present disclosure relates to a communication device capable of using wireless communication compliant with IEEE 802.11, its control method, program, and storage medium.

[0002] In recent years, with the increase in the amount of data to be communicated, the development of communication technologies such as wireless LAN (Local Area Network) has been promoted. As the main communication standards for wireless LAN, the IEEE 802.11 standard series is known. The IEEE 802.11 standard series includes standards such as IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax / be.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a communication device corresponding to IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax.

[0004] Also, a mechanism for Multi-AP communication in which a plurality of APs cooperate to transmit data to a STA has been studied.

[0005] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2018-50133

[0006] In Multi-AP communication, there is room for improvement in suitable communication and user usability. More specifically, while it is possible to improve communication speed and reliability by performing Multi-AP communication, there is a problem of an increase in the power consumption of the STA.

[0007] Therefore, the technology according to the present disclosure provides a mechanism for more suitably performing Multi-AP communication. More specifically, it provides a mechanism for suppressing the power consumption of the STA while enjoying the communication speed and reliability by Multi-AP communication.

[0008] To solve the above problems, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, a communication device is provided, comprising: a communication control means that connects to a plurality of access points and transmits or receives data through the plurality of access points; and a control means that, while connected to the plurality of access points, does not satisfy a first condition corresponding to a large amount of communication between the communication device and the plurality of N access points that are connected, and performs a predetermined processing to reduce the number of access points to which it is connected to one or more APs and less than N APs.

[0009] According to the above configuration, it is possible to provide a mechanism for more favorably performing Multi-AP communication while utilizing Multi-AP communication and reducing the power consumption of the STA.

[0010] Other features and advantages of the technical ideas derived from this disclosure will become apparent from the following description with reference to the attached drawings. In the attached drawings, the same or similar components are given the same reference numeral.

[0011] The attached drawings are included in the specification and constitute a part thereof, illustrating embodiments in this disclosure and used to explain the technical ideas derived from this disclosure together with their descriptions. A diagram showing an example of the configuration of a wireless communication system. A diagram showing the appearance of the MFP 100. A diagram showing an example of the configuration of the MFP 100. A diagram showing an example of the display of the home screen on the MFP 100. A diagram showing an example of the display of the communication settings screen on the MFP 100. A diagram showing an example of the display of the wireless LAN settings screen on the MFP 100. A diagram showing an example of the display of the wireless LAN setup screen on the MFP 100. A diagram showing the appearance of the mobile terminal device 101. A diagram showing an example of the configuration of the mobile terminal device 101. A diagram showing an example of the configuration of an access point (AP). A sequence diagram explaining the processing of the STA (MFP 100) and the access point related to Multi-AP communication. A flowchart showing the flow of the AP connection method determination process in the first embodiment. A flowchart showing the flow of the AP connection method determination process in the first embodiment. A flowchart showing the multi-AP connection process of the communication device. A flowchart showing the power saving mode determination process of the communication device. A flowchart showing the communication status determination process of the communication device 100. This is a flowchart showing the AP connection count reduction process 1 of the communication device 100. This is a flowchart showing the AP connection count reduction process 2 of the communication device 100. This is a flowchart showing the AP connection count reduction process 3 of the communication device 100. This is a table showing AP attribute information. This is a first sequence diagram showing the AP connection reduction process of the communication device 100. This is a second sequence diagram showing the AP connection reduction process of the communication device 100. This is a third sequence diagram showing the AP connection reduction process of the communication device 100. This is a flowchart showing the flow of the AP connection method determination process of the second embodiment. This is a flowchart showing the flow of the AP connection method determination process of the third embodiment.

[0012] The embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Please note that this embodiment is merely an example, and unless otherwise specified, the specific examples of components, processing steps, display screens, etc., are not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

[0013] (System Configuration) Figure 1 shows an example of the system configuration according to this embodiment. In one example, this system is a wireless communication system in which multiple communication devices can communicate with each other wirelessly. The system in Figure 1 includes an MFP 100 which is a communication device, a mobile terminal device 101, a multi-AP group 110 which includes multiple access points (APs), a DHCP server 114, a DNS server 115, and a network 120. The multi-AP group 110 is described as including APs 111, 112, and 113, but the multi-AP group 110 may include more APs.

[0014] The mobile terminal device 101 is a device having wireless communication capabilities such as a wireless LAN. In the following, wireless LAN may be referred to as WLAN. The mobile terminal device 101 may be a personal information terminal such as a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a mobile phone terminal (smartphone), a tablet terminal, a digital camera, a personal computer, etc.

[0015] The MFP 100 is a printing device with printing capabilities, and may also have reading (scanning), fax, and telephone functions. Furthermore, the MFP 100 in this embodiment has a communication function that allows wireless communication with the mobile terminal device 101. While this embodiment describes the use of the MFP 100 as an example, it is not limited to this. For example, a scanner, projector, mobile terminal, smartphone, notebook PC, tablet terminal, PDA, digital camera, music playback device, television, smart speaker, etc., each with communication capabilities, may be used instead of the MFP 100. Note that MFP is an acronym for Multi-Function Peripheral.

[0016] AP111 is installed separately (externally) from the mobile terminal device 101 and MFP100, and operates as a WLAN base station device. Communication devices with WLAN communication capabilities can communicate in WLAN infrastructure mode via AP111. Infrastructure mode is sometimes referred to as "wireless infrastructure mode." AP111 communicates wirelessly with communication devices that it has authorized to connect to (authenticated) and relays wireless communication between those communication devices and other communication devices. AP111 can also be connected to a wired communication network, for example, and can relay communication between communication devices connected to that wired communication network and other communication devices that are wirelessly connected to AP111.

[0017] AP112 and AP113 have the same hardware configuration as AP111. Furthermore, AP111, AP112, and AP113 are APs that support Multi-AP communication, as described later, and they form a group (multi-AP group 110) and operate in a cooperative manner.

[0018] The DHCP server 114 connects to the MFP 100 via AP 111 and network 120, and provides services to the MFP 100 by responding to requests from the MFP 100. In Figure 1, the DHCP server 114 is described as being connected as a separate device from AP 111, AP 112, and AP 113, but it is also possible for AP 111, AP 112, and AP 113 to have DHCP server functionality.

[0019] The DNS server 115 is connected to the MFP 100 and mobile terminal device 101 via AP 111 and network 120, and provides name resolution services by responding to requests from the MFP 100 and mobile terminal device 101. Here, network 120 may be the so-called internet, a closed network within a company, or a mobile phone network.

[0020] (External Configuration of MFP) Figure 2A shows an example of the external configuration of MFP 100. MFP 100 has, for example, a document tray 201, a document cover 202, a paper insertion slot 203, a paper output slot 204, and an operation display unit 220. The document tray 201 is a tray on which the document to be scanned is placed. The document cover 202 is a cover that holds down the document placed on the document tray 201 and prevents light from the light source that illuminates the document during scanning from leaking to the outside. The paper insertion slot 203 is an insertion slot that can accommodate paper of various sizes. The paper output slot 204 is an output slot that discharges the paper after printing is complete. The paper set in the paper insertion slot 203 is transported to the printing unit one sheet at a time, and after printing is performed in the printing unit, it is discharged from the paper output slot 204. The operation display unit 220 includes a touch panel display and is configured to accept user input for activating various functions and setting various options as an MFP. The operation display unit 220 may also include physical operation keys such as character input keys, cursor keys, select keys, and cancel keys, as well as LEDs or LCDs. The MFP 100 has a wireless communication function via WLAN and does not necessarily need to be visible from the outside, but it is configured to include a wireless communication antenna 206 for this wireless communication. The MFP 100 can perform wireless communication via WLAN, similar to the mobile terminal device 101.

[0021] (MFP Configuration) Figure 2B shows an example of the configuration of the MFP 100. The MFP 100 is configured to include a main board 211 that performs the main control of the device itself, and a wireless unit 250 which is a communication module that performs WLAN communication using at least one antenna. The MFP 100 may also be configured to include, for example, a wired LAN unit for wired LAN communication.

[0022] The main board 211 is composed of, for example, a CPU 212 (Central Processing Unit), ROM 213, RAM 214, non-volatile memory 215, image memory 216, read control unit 217, data conversion unit 218, read unit 219, and code decoding unit 221. The main board 211 also includes, for example, a printing unit 222, a paper feeding unit 223, a print control unit 224, and an operation display unit 220. These functional units within the main board 211 are interconnected via a system bus 230 managed by the CPU 212. The main board 211 and the wireless unit 250 are connected, for example, via a dedicated bus 225.

[0023] The CPU 212 is a system control unit including at least one processor, and controls the entire MFP 100. In one example, the processing of the MFP 100 described below is realized by the CPU 212 executing a program stored in the ROM 213. Dedicated hardware may be provided for each process. The ROM 213 is a non-volatile memory that stores control programs and embedded OS programs executed by the CPU 212. In this embodiment, the CPU 212 loads each control program stored in the ROM 213 into the RAM 214 and executes them under the management of the embedded OS stored in the ROM 213, thereby performing software control such as scheduling and task switching.

[0024] RAM 214 is a volatile memory composed of SRAM or the like. RAM 214 stores data such as program control variables, user-registered settings, and MFP 100 management data. RAM 214 can also be used as a buffer for various work. Non-volatile memory 215 is composed of memory such as flash memory and continues to store data even when the MFP 100 is powered off. Image memory 216 is composed of memory such as DRAM. Image memory 216 stores image data received via the wireless unit 250 and image data processed by the code decoding processing unit 221. Note that the memory configuration of MFP 100 is not limited to the above configuration. Data conversion unit 218 performs analysis of various data formats and conversion from image data to print data.

[0025] The reading control unit 217 controls the reading unit 219 (for example, a CIS (contact image sensor)) to optically read (scan) the document placed on the document table 201. The reading control unit 217 converts the image obtained by optically reading the document into electrical image data (image signal) and outputs it. At this time, the reading control unit 217 may perform various image processing such as binarization and halftone processing before outputting the image data.

[0026] The operation display unit 220 includes a touch panel display that displays images based on display control by the CPU 212, and performs functions such as generating signals in response to user operations on the touch panel display or physical operation keys.

[0027] The code-decoding processing unit 221 performs encoding and decoding processing, as well as scaling processing, for image data (JPEG, PNG, etc.) handled by the MFP 100.

[0028] The paper feed unit 223 holds paper for printing. The paper feed unit 223 can supply the set paper under the control of the print control unit 224. The paper feed unit 223 may include multiple paper feed units to hold multiple types of paper in one device, and the print control unit 224 can control which paper feed unit to use for feeding.

[0029] The print control unit 224 applies various image processing to the image data to be printed, such as smoothing, print density correction, and color correction, and outputs the processed image data to the print unit 222. The print unit 222 is configured to perform, for example, an inkjet printing process, and ejects ink supplied from an ink tank from a print head to record an image on a recording medium such as paper. The print unit 222 may also be configured to perform other printing processes such as electrophotography. Furthermore, the print control unit 224 can periodically read information from the print unit 222 and update status information, including the remaining amount of ink in the ink tanks and the status of the print head, which is stored in the RAM 214.

[0030] The wireless unit 250 is a unit capable of providing WLAN communication functions, and can provide functions similar to, for example, the wireless unit 401 of the mobile terminal device 101. That is, the wireless unit 250 converts data into packets in accordance with the WLAN standard and transmits the packets to other devices, and also restores packets from other external devices to their original data and outputs it to the CPU 212.

[0031] The wireless unit 250 is capable of communication as a Station (hereinafter referred to as STA) or Access Point (AP) compliant with the IEEE 802.11 standard series. Specifically, it is capable of communication compliant with the IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax / be / bn standards. The wireless unit 250 includes at least one processor and at least one memory that stores a program.

[0032] The communication control unit 240 is a unit that controls the communication functions of the MFP 100 and controls the wireless unit 250. The processing of the communication control unit 240 is realized by the CPU 212 executing a control program stored in the ROM 213. The communication control unit 240 and the wireless unit 250 are interconnected, for example, via a system bus 230 and a dedicated bus 225.

[0033] (MFP operation display unit) Figures 3A to 3D schematically show an example of the screen display on the display (touch panel display) included in the operation display unit 220 of the MFP 100.

[0034] Figure 3A is an example of the home screen displayed when the MFP 100 is powered on but not performing any operations such as printing or scanning (idle state, Standby state). The area 310 at the top of the home screen is the basic menu area, where menu items selected when issuing copy or scan commands are displayed. In Figure 3A, area 310 displays a list of icons 311 to 313, corresponding to copy, scan, and print, respectively, as menu items (display items) of the basic menu. When each menu item of the basic menu is selected, a detailed menu corresponding to it is displayed, and the MFP 100 can be instructed to execute the operation / function (copy or scan) corresponding to the selected menu item. By performing operations to display other pages of the basic menu (such as sliding left or right on area 310), menu items different from icons 311 to 313 can be displayed in area 310. For example, an icon corresponding to the cloud can be displayed. The cloud is a menu item related to cloud functions that utilize internet communication.

[0035] The network display area 321 is an area that displays icons indicating the network status. In the illustrated example, the network display area 321 displays icons indicating that both wireless infrastructure and wireless direct are disabled. Furthermore, touching the network display area 321 allows you to display the communication settings menu.

[0036] Icon 322 is an operation icon that accepts instructions to perform setup on a PC / smartphone. When icon 322 is touched, the same action as when "Set up on PC / smartphone" is selected in Figure 3D, which will be described later, is performed.

[0037] Icon 323 is the operation icon to select when changing settings or performing maintenance on the MFP100.

[0038] Figure 3B shows an example of the communication settings menu screen displayed when the network display area 321 is touched on the home screen of Figure 3A. The communication settings menu screen displays the following menu items (options): "Wireless LAN", "Wired LAN", "Wireless Direct", "Bluetooth", and "Common". "Wireless LAN", "Wired LAN", and "Wireless Direct" are menu items for configuring LAN settings. From these items, you can configure settings such as wired connection settings, enabling / disabling wireless infrastructure mode, and enabling / disabling P2P modes such as WFD and soft AP mode.

[0039] Figure 3C shows an example of the wireless LAN settings menu screen displayed when the "Wireless LAN" option is selected in the screen shown in Figure 3B. The wireless LAN settings menu screen displays the following menu items (options): "Enable / Disable Wireless LAN," "Wireless LAN Setup," and "Display Wireless LAN Settings." Selecting the "Enable / Disable Wireless LAN" option switches the setting of enabling or disabling the wireless infrastructure mode. Selecting the "Wireless LAN Setup" option displays the wireless LAN setup menu shown in Figure 3D. Selecting "Display Wireless LAN Settings" displays a detailed screen (wireless LAN settings display screen) that shows details such as the current wireless LAN settings and communication status.

[0040] Figure 3D shows an example of the wireless LAN setup menu screen displayed when the "Wireless LAN Setup" option is selected in the screen shown in Figure 3C. The wireless LAN setup menu screen displays the following menu items (options): "Set up with PC / smartphone," "Set up by entering a password," and "Set up using the router buttons." From these items, you can perform wireless LAN setup using the network setup mode described later, the password entry method, or the push-button method.

[0041] (External Configuration of the Mobile Terminal Device) Figure 4A shows an example of the external configuration of the mobile terminal device 101. In this embodiment, as an example, the case where the mobile terminal device 101 is a general-purpose smartphone is shown. The mobile terminal device 101 is configured to include, for example, a display unit 420, an operation unit 418, and a power key 404. The display unit 420 is a display that includes a display mechanism such as an organic EL (Electroluminescence) type or an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) type. The display unit 420 may also display information using, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode). In addition to or instead of the display unit 420, the mobile terminal device 101 may also have a function to output information by voice. The operation unit 418 is configured to include hard keys such as keys and buttons, a touch panel, etc., for detecting user operations. In this example, since the information display on the display unit 420 and the reception of user operations by the operation unit 418 are performed using a common touch panel display, the display unit 420 and the operation unit 418 are implemented in a single device. In this case, for example, button icons or a software keyboard are displayed using the display function of the display unit 420, and when the user touches these areas, the operation reception function of the operation unit 418 detects it. Alternatively, the display unit 420 and the operation unit 418 may be separated, with separate hardware for display and hardware for operation reception. The power key 404 is a hard key for receiving user operations to turn the power of the mobile terminal device 101 on or off.

[0042] The mobile terminal device 101 does not necessarily need to be visible from its external appearance, but it has a wireless unit 401 that provides WLAN communication functionality. The wireless unit 401 is configured to perform data (packet) communication in a WLAN system compliant with, for example, the IEEE 802.11 standard series (IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax / be / bn). However, it is not limited to this, and the wireless unit 401 may also be able to perform communication in a WLAN system compliant with other standards. In this example, the wireless unit 401 is assumed to be able to communicate in both the 2.4 GHz band and the 5 GHz band. However, it is not limited to this, and the wireless unit 401 may also be able to communicate in one or more frequency bands including the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, and the 6 GHz band. Furthermore, the wireless unit 401 is assumed to be able to perform WFD-based communication, soft AP mode communication, wireless infrastructure mode communication, etc. The operation of these modes will be described later.

[0043] (Configuration of the mobile terminal device) Figure 4B shows an example of the configuration of the mobile terminal device 101. In one example, the mobile terminal device 101 has a main board 411 that performs the main control of the device itself, and a wireless unit 429 that performs WLAN communication. The main board 411 includes, for example, a CPU 412, ROM 413, RAM 414, image memory 415, data conversion unit 416, telephone unit 417, GPS 419, camera unit 421, non-volatile memory 422, data storage unit 423, speaker unit 424, and power supply unit 425. Here, CPU is an acronym for Central Processing Unit, ROM is for Read Only Memory, RAM is for Random Access Memory, and GPS is for Global Positioning System. The mobile terminal device 101 also includes a display unit 420 and an operation unit 418. These functional units within the main board 411 are interconnected via a system bus 628 managed by the CPU 412. The main board 411 and the wireless unit 429 (the aforementioned wireless unit 401) are connected, for example, via a dedicated bus 426.

[0044] The CPU 412 is a system control unit including at least one processor, and controls the entire portable terminal device 101. In an example, the processes of the portable terminal device 101 described below are realized by the CPU 412 executing a program stored in the ROM 413. Note that dedicated hardware for each process may be provided. The ROM 413 stores a control program executed by the CPU 412, an embedded operating system (OS) program, and the like. In the present embodiment, the CPU 412 executes each control program stored in the ROM 413 under the management of the embedded OS also stored in the ROM 413, thereby performing software control such as scheduling and task switching.

[0045] The RAM 414 is composed of, for example, SRAM (Static RAM). The RAM 414 stores data such as variables for program control, setting values registered by the user, and management data of the portable terminal device 101. Also, the RAM 414 can be used as various work buffers. The image memory 415 is composed of a memory such as DRAM (Dynamic RAM). The image memory 415 temporarily stores image data received via the wireless unit 429 and image data read from the data storage unit 423 for processing by the CPU 412. The non-volatile memory 422 is composed of a memory such as a flash memory, for example, and continues to store data even when the power of the portable terminal device 101 is turned off. Note that the memory configuration of the portable terminal device 101 is not limited to the above-described configuration. For example, the image memory 415 and the RAM 414 may be shared, or data backup or the like may be performed using the data storage unit 423. Also, in the present embodiment, DRAM is cited as an example of the image memory 415, but other storage media such as a hard disk and a non-volatile memory may be used.

[0046] The data conversion unit 416 performs analysis of various types of data and data conversions such as color conversion and image conversion. The telephone unit 417 controls the telephone line and realizes telephone communication by processing voice data input and output via the speaker unit 424. The GPS 419 receives radio waves sent from satellites and acquires position information such as the current latitude and longitude of the portable terminal device 101.

[0047] The camera unit 421 has a function of electronically recording and encoding an image input via a lens. The image data obtained by imaging with the camera unit 421 is stored in the data storage unit 423. The speaker unit 424 performs control for realizing functions such as inputting or outputting voice for the telephone function and other functions such as alarm notification. The power supply unit 425 is, for example, a portable battery and controls the power supply to the device. The power supply state includes, for example, a battery dead state where there is no remaining amount in the battery, a power off state where the power key 404 is not pressed, a startup state where it is normally started, and a power saving state where it is started but in a power saving mode.

[0048] The display unit 420 performs various input operations, displays the operation status of the MFP 100, status status, etc. based on the control of the CPU 412. The operation unit 418 executes control such as generating an electrical signal corresponding to the operation and outputting it to the CPU 412 when a user operation is received.

[0049] The portable terminal device 101 performs wireless communication using the wireless unit 429 and conducts data communication with other devices such as the MFP 100. The wireless unit 429 converts data into packets and transmits the packets to other devices. Also, the wireless unit 429 restores packets from external other devices to original data and outputs it to the CPU 412. The wireless unit 429 is a unit for realizing communication compliant with the WLAN standard respectively. The wireless unit 429 can operate in parallel in at least two communication modes including the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P (WLAN) mode. Note that the frequency bands used in these communication modes can be restricted by the functions and performance of the hardware.

[0050] (Access Point Configuration) Figure 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of AP1 (101) which has wireless LAN access point functionality. AP1 (101) is configured to include a main board 510 that controls AP1 (101), a wireless LAN unit 516, a wired LAN unit 518, and operation buttons 520.

[0051] The microprocessor-type CPU 511 located on the main board 510 operates according to the control program stored in the ROM-type program memory 513 connected via the internal bus 512 and the contents of the RAM-type data memory 514. The CPU 511 controls the wireless LAN unit 516 through the wireless LAN communication control unit 515 to perform wireless LAN communication with other communication terminal devices. Specifically, the wireless LAN unit 616 is configured to perform data (packet) communication in a WLAN system compliant with, for example, the IEEE 802.11 standard series (IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax / be / bn) as wireless LAN communication. It is also capable of communication as an AP compatible with Multi-AP communication, which will be described later. However, it is not limited to this, and the wireless unit 616 may also be capable of performing communication in a WLAN system compliant with other standards. In this example, the wireless unit 616 is assumed to be capable of communication in the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz frequency bands. However, it is not limited to this, and the wireless unit 616 may be capable of communication in one or more frequency bands, including the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands.

[0052] Furthermore, the CPU 511 controls the wired LAN unit 518 through the wired LAN communication control unit 517 to perform wired LAN communication with other communication terminal devices. The CPU 511 can accept user operations via the operation buttons 520 by controlling the operation control unit control unit 519. The CPU 511 includes at least one processor.

[0053] AP1 (101) also includes an interference wave detection unit 521 and a channel changing unit 522. The interference wave detection unit 521 performs interference wave detection processing when wireless communication is being performed in the band where DFS (Dynamic Frequency Selection) is implemented. The channel changing unit 522 performs channel changing processing when an interference wave is detected while wireless communication is being performed in the band where DFS is implemented, and when it is necessary to immediately switch to an available channel, etc.

[0054] AP112 and AP113 have the same configuration as AP111.

[0055] (P2P Communication Method) Next, we will outline the P2P (WLAN) communication method, which allows devices to communicate directly wirelessly with each other without the need for an external access point in WLAN communication. P2P (WLAN) communication can be implemented using multiple methods. For example, a communication device can support multiple modes for P2P (WLAN) communication and selectively use one of these modes to perform P2P communication (WLAN).

[0056] Two modes are assumed for P2P communication: • Soft AP mode • Wi-Fi Direct (WFD) mode A communication device capable of performing P2P communication may be configured to support at least one of these modes. On the other hand, a communication device capable of performing P2P communication is not required to support all of these modes, but may be configured to support only some of them.

[0057] A communication device with WFD communication capabilities (for example, a mobile terminal device 104) receives user input via its control panel, thereby calling a (possibly dedicated) application to implement the communication function. The communication device then displays a UI (user interface) screen provided by the application to prompt user input, and can perform WFD communication based on the received user input.

[0058] ●Soft AP Mode In soft AP mode, the communication device (e.g., mobile terminal device 104) operates as a client requesting various services. The other communication device (e.g., MFP 100) operates as a soft AP capable of performing WLAN AP functions through software configuration. The commands and parameters transmitted and received when establishing a wireless connection between the client and the soft AP are those specified in the Wi-Fi® standard, so their explanation is omitted here. In addition, the MFP 100 operating in soft AP mode determines the frequency band and frequency channel as the master station. Therefore, the MFP 100 can select which frequency band to use from 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz, and which frequency channel to use within that frequency band.

[0059] ●WFD Mode The MFP100 may be configured to start permanently as the master station in WFD mode (Autonomous Group Owner). In this case, the GO Negotiation process to determine the role is unnecessary. Also, in this case, the MFP100 determines the frequency band and frequency channel as the master station. Therefore, the MFP100 can select which frequency band to use from 5GHz and 2.4GHz, and which frequency channel to use within that frequency band.

[0060] (Wireless Infrastructure Mode) In wireless infrastructure mode, communication devices that communicate with each other (for example, the mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100) are connected to an external AP (for example, AP1 (101)) that manages the network, and communication between communication devices is performed via that AP. In other words, communication between communication devices is performed via the network established by the external AP. When the mobile terminal device 104 and the MFP 100 each discover AP1 (101), send a connection request to AP1 (101), and connect, communication between these communication devices in wireless infrastructure mode via AP1 (101) becomes possible. Note that multiple communication devices may be connected to separate APs. In this case, data transfer between APs enables communication between communication devices. The commands and parameters sent and received during communication between each communication device via the access point can be those specified in the Wi-Fi standard, so their explanation is omitted here. In this case, AP1 (101) determines the frequency band and frequency channel. Therefore, AP1 (101) can select which frequency band to use from 5 GHz, 2.4 GHz, and 6 GHz, and which frequency channel to use within that frequency band.

[0061] (Multi-AP communication) The IEEE 802.11be standard specifies Multi-Link communication, in which one Access Point (AP) establishes multiple links with one Station (STA) via multiple different frequency channels and communicates in parallel.

[0062] Furthermore, the IEEE 802.11bn standard, the successor to the IEEE 802.11be standard, is exploring methods to improve usability using Multi-AP communication.

[0063] For example, there is distributed MIMO technology, which is based on a technique called MIMO (multi-user multi-output) that uses multiple transmitting and receiving antennas simultaneously on the same channel. In distributed MIMO, in an environment with multiple access points (APs) and multiple stas (STAs), groups are formed among the APs to share information about the communication status and the status of each AP, and data is sent to the STA in parallel from multiple APs at the same time. By having multiple APs perform joint transmission, the number of spatial streams can be increased compared to the case of a single AP, and thus an improvement in throughput can be expected.

[0064] Another example is a technology that improves reception quality at the STA by having multiple APs transmit data to the STA at different times through time-division multiplexing, thereby utilizing the effects of time diversity and spatial diversity.

[0065] This type of communication technology, in which multiple access points (APs) form a group and operate in a coordinated manner, is called Multi-AP communication. APs are classified into a single Coordinator AP that manages all APs and Coordinated APs that operate under the management of the Coordinator AP.

[0066] In the following, in Multi-AP communication, the AP that manages the APs will be referred to as the "Coordinator AP" or "Sharing AP". Furthermore, the APs that operate under the management of the Coordinator AP will be referred to as the "Coordinated AP" or "Shared AP". The Coordinator AP and the Coordinated AP can send and receive signals from each other. Each of the multiple APs, including AP111 to AP113, may be connected wirelessly to perform wireless LAN communication, or connected via a wired connection to perform wired LAN communication. It is assumed that AP111 to AP113 are capable of Multi-AP communication compliant with the IEEE 802.11 series standards and support a configuration in which multiple APs cooperate to communicate with a common STA.

[0067] There are two types of Multi-AP communication methods: Co-OFDMA and Joint-TX. In the Co-OFDMA (Coordinated-Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) method, the available frequency resources are separated among multiple BSSs (Basic Service Sets). For example, the frequency resources used by AP112 and MFP100 (STA) are separated from those used by AP113 and MFP100 (STA) so as not to overlap. This prevents interference between BSS communications. If the STA has the capability to simultaneously transmit and receive data across multiple frequency bands (multiple resource units within the same channel or spanning different channels, multiple channels, or multiple of the 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bands), then multiple APs can cooperate to transmit and receive data to the same STA. Data refers to content data such as image data, audio data, document data, and print data. In this case, for example, AP 112 can transmit packet 1 of content A to MFP 100 (STA), and AP 113 can transmit packet 2 of content A to MFP 100 (STA) in parallel.

[0068] In the Joint-TX (Joint-Transmission) method, the same signal is transmitted and received between multiple access points (APs) and one staging area (STA). At this time, the STA receives a multiplexed wave (superimposed wave, multiplexed wave, composite wave) created by combining the radio waves emitted from multiple APs in a way that is amplified by wave interference. This ensures that the STA receives a stronger signal (amplified signal) than a signal from a single AP alone. For example, the same signal is transmitted and received between AP112 and MFP100 (STA), and between AP113 and MFP100 (STA), multiplexed and amplified at the MFP100 (STA) location. For instance, at the same time, AP112 transmits packet 1 of content A to MFP100 (STA), and AP113 transmits packet 1 of content A to MFP100 (STA). At this time, the radio waves for content A are transmitted in a way that multiplexes them at the MFP100 (STA) location. This improves the reliability (connectivity) of communication between the STA and AP, as well as the speed of data transmission and reception.

[0069] Figure 6 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process in which AP111 operates as a Coordinator AP, and Coordinated APs AP112 and AP113 cooperate to send and receive data to and from MFP100 (STA). In this sequence, the processing performed by each device is realized by the CPU of each device reading various programs stored in the memory such as ROM of each device into RAM and executing them.

[0070] In S601, AP111 to AP113 perform Multi-AP setup processing. In Multi-AP setup processing, capability information and parameters are exchanged between APs, and a group is formed for Multi-AP communication.

[0071] In S602, Multi-AP coordination processing is performed between AP111 and AP113. For example, the Multi-AP communication method is determined, the AP role (CoordinatorAP or CoordinatedAP) is determined, and parameters and network information are exchanged between APs. The Multi-AP communication method and the AP role are determined by exchanging and comparing parameters between AP111 and AP113. At that time, the CoordinatorAP (AP111) notifies the CoordinatedAPs (AP112 and AP113) of network information that should be used in common (such as the SSID to be used in common and the BSSID (Basic Service Set color ID) to be used in common). Note that the BSSID to be used in common is notified in the case of the Joint-TX method.

[0072] In S603, AP112 and AP113 transmit Beacon frames (information that APs voluntarily transmit periodically) according to the network information notified in S602. The Beacon frame contains information indicating that Multi-AP communication is possible with respect to the connected STA and information indicating the Multi-AP communication method. APs that support Multi-AP communication may also transmit Beacon frames with a Multi-AP IE (Information Element) attached. The Multi-AP IE contains at least one of the following pieces of information (one or more of the following pieces of information).

[0073] - SSID used by multiple Coordinated APs belonging to the same multi-AP group (ESSID to be used in common as notified in S602) - BSSID (BSSID to be used in common by APs belonging to multi-AP group 110, as notified in S602 in the case of Joint-TX) - BSS color value (identifier) ​​for Multi-AP communication - Operating radio channel (communication channel to be used in common if it is Joint-TX. If it is Co-OFDMA, the communication channel and / or resource unit used by the source AP. In the case of Co-OFDMA, it may also include the communication channels and / or resource units used by other APs in multi-AP group 110.) - Multi-AP communication method (information that identifies whether it is Co-OFDMA or Joint-TX) Note that the storage method and configuration of this information are not limited to these, and similar information may be stored and transmitted in a similar format. Note that Multi-AP IE may be referred to by other names such as Multi-AP Element. Furthermore, Multi-AP IE may be included in wireless frames such as the S605 Probe Response frame or other Action frames.

[0074] In S604, the MFP100(STA) begins establishing a connection with the AP using wireless infrastructure mode. The MFP100(STA) sends a ProbeRequest frame to begin searching for the AP in order to determine whether the AP supports Multi-AP communication.

[0075] In S605, the MFP100 (STA) searches for and discovers APs by receiving ProbeResponse frames and Beacon frames transmitted from APs, which are responses to AP searches.

[0076] In S606, MFP100(STA) performs connection processing with at least one CoordinatedAP based on the information contained in the frame received in S605. Here, as an example, MFP100(STA) sends a connection request to AP112 and performs a connection attempt (connection processing). This connection processing includes processes such as Authentication and Association as defined in IEEE802.11. MFP100(STA) may also add Multi-AP IE to the Association Request frame it sends to indicate that it is requesting Multi-AP communication. AP112, upon receiving the Association Request frame, sends an Association Response frame in response. This establishes a wireless LAN connection between the MFP100 (STA) and AP112.

[0077] In S607, when AP112 establishes a connection with MFP100(STA), it notifies CoordinatorAP (AP111) of information indicating that it has established a connection with MFP100(STA), along with connection parameters related to the connected MFP100(STA). The connection parameters related to the connected MFP100(STA) include information used or generated during the connection process between AP112 and MFP100 (such as PMK cache, roaming information, authentication information, etc.), and the identifier of STA. Similarly, when AP113 connects with MFP100(STA), AP113 notifies CoordinatorAP (AP111) that it has established a connection.

[0078] After S607, AP111 transmits the connection parameters for MFP100(STA) transmitted in S607 to AP113. AP113 may use the transmitted connection parameters for MFP100(STA) to establish a connection with MFP100. However, in the Joint-TX method, data can be transmitted from APs that have not established a connection. In other words, APs that have not established a connection can also be sources of multiplexed radio waves. Therefore, it is not necessary to perform the process of establishing a connection between AP113 and MFP100.

[0079] In S608, the Coordinator AP (AP111) determines the transmission parameters (information necessary for determining the transmission timing and transmission power at each Coordinated AP and each antenna, and / or resource unit allocation information, etc.) based on the connection parameters (parameters received in S607) of the Coordinated AP that has connected to the MFP100 (STA), and then allocates the transmission data. The determined transmission parameter information is notified to each Coordinated AP via a Multi-AP Trigger frame. AP112 and AP113 set their own transmission parameters (transmission timing, transmission power, resource units to be used) based on the notified information. Note that the Multi-AP Trigger frame may have a different name. Furthermore, the Multi-AP Trigger frame may be an extension of the Trigger frame of the IEEE 802.11ax / be standard.

[0080] In S609, the CoordinatorAP (AP111) sends the data to be sent to the MFP100 (STA) (for example, content data such as image data, document data, and print data) to the CoordinatedAP.

[0081] In S610, when the Coordinated APs (AP112, AP113) receive data to be transmitted from the Coordinator AP (AP111), they coordinately transmit that data to the MFP100. Also, when the Coordinated APs (AP112, AP113) receive data from the MFP100 (STA), they transmit that received data to the Coordinator AP (AP111). Note that this order of data transmission and reception is just an example; for example, the reception of data from STA may occur before the transmission of data to STA.

[0082] Furthermore, the Coordinator AP may directly transmit and receive signals with the STA. For example, AP111 may operate as both a Coordinator AP and a Coordinated AP. In this case, for example, AP111 may transmit and receive wireless frames between itself and the STA while issuing instructions to AP112 or AP113 to transmit and receive wireless frames between AP112 or AP113 and the STA. Furthermore, when the Coordinator AP causes the Coordinated AP to transmit wireless frames, it may send the data to be transmitted to the Coordinated AP. However, it is not limited to this, and the Coordinated AP may, for example, directly obtain the data to be transmitted from the Internet. Furthermore, while CoordinatorAP may receive data from CoordinatedAP that CoordinatedAP has received from STA, CoordinatedAP may also forward the data received from STA to the STA's partner device without forwarding it to CoordinatorAP.

[0083] Furthermore, any AP within the same network can operate as a Coordinator AP, and it may be determined by some criteria that one of the APs will operate as a Coordinator AP. A Coordinator AP may not operate as an AP that transmits Beacon frames, but may only perform the role of a Coordinator AP, such as sending instructions to other APs. Also, each AP may operate as multiple Coordinated APs by having multiple wireless LAN communication control units 515. Furthermore, a Coordinator AP may be implemented as a logical function, and one physical AP may operate as a Coordinator AP while simultaneously operating as one or more Coordinated APs.

[0084] [First Embodiment] Next, the operation of the AP connection method determination process in which the MFP 100 switches the AP connection method according to the situation in the above system configuration will be explained. When connecting in parallel with multiple APs belonging to a multi-AP group (multi-access point group), the STA side needs to use multiple frequencies and handle management packets from multiple APs, which can increase power consumption due to the complexity of the processing. Therefore, in this embodiment, a technique to reduce the power consumption of the STA while utilizing a multi-AP cooperative configuration (or multi-access point function) will be explained. In the following explanation, the MFP 100 may be referred to as a communication device 100, focusing on the communication function of the MFP 100. Alternatively, the MFP 100 may be referred to as an image device 100 or a printing device 100 because it has an image forming function.

[0085] (AP connection method determination process) Figures 7A and 7B are flowcharts showing the flow of the AP connection method determination process according to this embodiment. This process is achieved by the CPU 212 loading the program stored in the ROM 413 into the RAM 414 and executing it.

[0086] When the communication device 100 is started up, the CPU 212 first performs a multi-AP connection in S701. Details of S701 are explained in Figure 8.

[0087] Next, in S702, the CPU 212 determines whether the operating mode of the communication device 100 should be changed to power saving mode (power saving state). Details of S702 are explained in Figure 9.

[0088] In S703, the CPU 212 determines whether or not to switch to power saving mode based on the result of the determination in S702. If it switches to power saving mode, it proceeds to S704; otherwise, it proceeds to S719.

[0089] In S704, the CPU 212 performs a process to switch the operating mode (power state) of the communication device 100 to power-saving mode. Specifically, the CPU 212 performs at least one of the following processes: dimming the backlight of the display unit, lowering the period of the clock supplied to the arithmetic unit (CPU 212), setting the sleep timer to be shorter than normal, and setting the email reception confirmation interval to be longer.

[0090] Lines S705 to S712 determine whether or not to reduce the number of AP connections. Depending on the amount of data traffic, it is determined whether to maintain multi-AP connections or reduce the number of AP connections.

[0091] In S705, the CPU 212 performs a communication status determination process. As will be described later with reference to Figure 10, it determines the amount of communication between the communication device 100 and the AP. In S706, if the determination process in S705 determines that the amount of communication with the AP is large, the process proceeds to S707; otherwise, the process proceeds from S710 to S711.

[0092] In S706, the CPU 212 determines, based on the result of the determination in S705, whether or not the system is in a high-traffic state with a large amount of communication volume with the connected AP. If it is in a high-traffic state, proceed to S707; otherwise, proceed to S710.

[0093] In S707, the CPU 212 determines whether the AP connection count is currently reduced. The connection count reduction state means either the system is not connected to any APs capable of Multi-AP communication and is communicating with only one AP (hereinafter referred to as the single AP connection state), or it is connected to one or more APs capable of Multi-AP communication, but the AP connection reduction process described in S712 has been performed. If the system is in the single AP connection state, or if the AP connection count reduction state flag stored in S1124 described later is set (Yes), the system is determined to be in the connection count reduction state. If S707 determines that the AP connection count reduction state is in place, the system proceeds to S708; otherwise, it proceeds to S710.

[0094] In S708, CPU 212 performs the process of disconnecting the currently connected AP. In S709, CPU 212 performs the process of connecting to multiple APs. Here, the processing content of S709 is the same as that of S701.

[0095] Note that, depending on the specifications of the connected AP, the S708 process may not require disconnecting the connection to the AP (i.e., releasing the connection). If it is possible to transition to a multi-AP connection without disconnecting the connection to the AP, then S708 is unnecessary and can be skipped.

[0096] As described above, even when the communication device is operating in power-saving mode and the connected AP reduction process is performed in S712 described later, if the amount of data transmitted becomes large, the device attempts to connect to multiple APs to increase the number of connections, or returns to the number of connections before the connected AP reduction process, thereby controlling the device to enable stable communication with large amounts of data.

[0097] In S710, the CPU 212 determines, based on the result of the determination in S705, whether or not the communication volume with the connected AP is small and the communication is in a low-communication state. If it is determined that the communication is in a low-communication state, proceed to S711; otherwise, proceed to S713.

[0098] In S711, the CPU 212, similar to S707, determines whether the current state is one in which the number of AP connections is reduced. If it determines that the current state is one in which the number of AP connections is reduced, it proceeds to S713; otherwise, it proceeds to S712. In S712, the CPU 212 performs the AP connection reduction process. This reduces the number of connected APs. Details of the AP connection reduction process will be described later with reference to Figures 11A-11C.

[0099] As described above, when the communication device enters power-saving mode and other conditions such as not being in a high-volume communication state are met, the communication device performs a process in S712 to reduce the number of connected APs. Specifically, this process changes the state from being connected to multiple (N) Coordinated APs in multi-AP communication to being connected to fewer than N APs, specifically one or more APs. More specifically, it either becomes a state where it is connected to fewer than N Coordinated APs in multi-AP connection, or a single AP connection state.

[0100] The communication state determined by the communication state determination process in S705 is either a high communication state or a low communication state. Therefore, when the communication device 100 is operating in power saving mode, only one of either S707-S709 or S711-S712 will be executed, depending on the communication state. Thus, when operating in power saving mode, depending on the amount of communication, if the amount of communication is large, multi-AP communication is performed, and if it is small, the number of APs for multi-AP communication is reduced. This makes it possible to achieve both power saving and high-speed communication.

[0101] S713 and S714 are processes to determine whether or not to disable the power saving mode.

[0102] In S713, the CPU 212 performs a power saving mode determination process, similar to S702. In S714, the CPU 212 determines, based on the results of the process in S713, whether or not to change from power saving mode to normal mode. If it determines that it should change from power saving mode to normal mode, it proceeds to S715; otherwise, i.e., if power saving mode is maintained, it returns to S705.

[0103] In S715, the CPU 212 performs a process to disable power saving mode (a process to return to normal mode). Specifically, the CPU 212 performs at least one of the following processes: - Restores the backlight of the dimmed display to its original brightness (brighter than in power saving mode). - Restores the period of the clock supplied to the arithmetic unit (CPU 212), which had been set low, to its original value (higher than in power saving mode). - Sets the sleep timer to normal (longer than in power saving mode). - Sets the email reception confirmation interval to normal (shorter than in power saving mode).

[0104] Lines S716 to S718 are processes to return the AP connection count to a multi-AP connection state (non-AP connection count reduction state) when the system returns from power saving mode to normal mode, if the AP connection count is reduced. The processing content is the same as that of lines S707 to S709.

[0105] Once the series of processes is complete, the process proceeds to S719. In S719, the CPU 212 determines whether to terminate the process. If the power is turned off, wireless LAN communication is disabled, etc., the process is terminated; otherwise, it returns to S702 and repeats the process.

[0106] (Multi-AP connection processing) Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the multi-AP connection processing of the communication device 100 according to this embodiment. This processing provides a detailed explanation of the processes S701 and S709 in Figure 7A and S718 in Figure 7B.

[0107] In S801, the CPU 212 searches for APs around the communication device 100. In S802, the CPU 212 establishes a multi-AP connection to the found multi-AP configuration AP group. The multi-AP configuration AP group is the AP group for which the multi-AP compatible setting process described in S601-S603 in Figure 6 has been completed, and may be, for example, AP111, AP112, and AP113. The processing sequence for S801 and S802 is as shown in S604-S606 in Figure 6. Finally, in S803, the CPU 212 stores that the AP connection count reduction state is not in effect (the AP connection count reduction state flag is lowered to No), and terminates this process. The AP connection count reduction state is the state referenced in S707 in Figure 7A and S711 and S716 in Figure 7B. Furthermore, if the S801's AP search fails to find any APs capable of multi-AP communication, and only APs capable of single-AP connection (APs that do not support multi-AP) are found, the device will connect to the AP using a single-AP connection instead of a multi-AP connection.

[0108] (Power saving mode determination process) Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the power saving mode determination process of the communication device 100 according to this embodiment. This process is a detailed explanation of the processes S702 in Figure 7A and S713 in Figure 7B. This process is executed by the CPU 212, and the determination result is stored in a storage unit such as the RAM 214.

[0109] This process checks several conditions described below. If any of these conditions are met, it is determined that the operating mode should be set to power-saving mode. If none of these conditions are met, it is determined that the operating mode should be set to normal mode.

[0110] First, in S901, the CPU 212 determines whether the communication device 100 is battery-powered. If it is not battery-powered, the process proceeds to S903; if it is battery-powered, the process proceeds to S902. In S902, the CPU 212 determines whether the remaining battery level is less than the threshold Th1 [%]. If it is less than the threshold Th1 [%], the process proceeds to S906; otherwise, the process proceeds to S903, which is the next determination condition. Note that whether it is battery-powered and the remaining battery level are maintained, for example, by the operating system running on the communication device 100, and can be determined by referring to this information.

[0111] In S903, the CPU 212 determines whether the user has enabled the power saving mode setting for the communication device 100. If it is enabled, the process proceeds to S906; otherwise, it proceeds to S904. The power saving mode setting can be performed by the user, for example, on the operation display unit 220, and the setting value is stored in, for example, the non-volatile memory 215.

[0112] In S904, the CPU 212 determines the amount of power supplied. S904 determines whether the amount of power supplied is less than the threshold Th2 [W]. If it is less than the threshold, the process proceeds to S906; otherwise, it proceeds to S905, which is the next determination condition. Information on the amount of power supplied may also be obtained from, for example, the operating system. The threshold Th2 may be, for example, the upper limit of the expected power consumption when power saving mode is set by the user. If information on the amount of power supplied cannot be obtained, S904 may determine that the amount of power supplied is greater than or equal to the threshold Th2.

[0113] In S905, CPU212 determines that the operating mode is normal mode and sets the determination result to normal mode. In other words, it stores that the operating mode is normal mode.

[0114] In S906, the CPU 212 determines that the operating mode is power saving mode and sets the determination result to power saving mode. In other words, it stores that the operating mode is power saving mode. The operating mode stored in S905 and S906 is referenced in S703 in Figure 7A and S714 in Figure 7B.

[0115] The conditions for determining whether the communication device 100 is in power-saving mode, as described above, are merely examples and are not limited to these.

[0116] (Communication Status Determination Process) Figure 10 is a flowchart showing the communication status determination process of the communication device 100 according to this embodiment. This process is a detailed explanation of the process at S705 in Figure 7A. This process is executed by the CPU 212, and the determination result is stored in a memory unit such as the RAM 214. This process determines several conditions described below, and if any of them are met, the communication volume is set to a high state (high communication state), and if none of them are met, the communication volume is set to a low state (low communication state).

[0117] In S1001, the CPU 212 determines whether the communication device 100 is running a predetermined application. Here, a predetermined application is, for example, an application for video playback, music playback, a game involving online communication, or a web conferencing application. In this context, a predetermined application is defined as an application used for communication involving the transmission and reception of relatively large amounts of data or for communication requiring real-time performance. Since these predetermined applications require higher quality (stable communication, large-capacity communication, high-speed communication), improving communication quality can be expected by performing multi-AP communication. The CPU may store in advance which applications are predetermined applications and make a determination, or it may determine whether an application is a predetermined application based on its type. If a predetermined application is running, that is, if an application that transmits large amounts of data or requires real-time performance is running, the process proceeds to S1008; otherwise, the process proceeds to the next determination condition, S1002.

[0118] In S1002, the CPU 212 determines whether the communication device 100 is transmitting or receiving a predetermined type of data. The predetermined type of data is, for example, a print job file in PRN format that is sent to the printer, i.e., the communication device 100. A print job file in PRN format may cause problems such as printing errors if its transmission is interrupted for a certain period of time, so it is necessary to maintain a stable communication state during transmission and reception. Such communication is identified from its data format. Of course, PRN format is just one example, and any type of data that requires stable transmission and reception may be determined as the predetermined type in S1002. If the transmission or reception of the predetermined type of data is in progress in S1002, the process proceeds to S1008; otherwise, the process proceeds to S1003, which is the next determination condition. Other data that may be determined as the predetermined type of data in S1002 may include call data, data containing authentication information for login or payment, etc.

[0119] In S1003, the CPU 212 determines whether the communication device 100 is sending or receiving streaming data. Streaming data is data that is received and played simultaneously in real time, such as video or music. In S1001, it was determined whether video or music data was being played based on whether a specific application was running, but here, it is assumed that it is being run by a general-purpose application such as a web browser. As a specific method of determination, for example, the HTML5 <video> tag and <audio> tag are detected by a web browser extension or custom script. If such tags are detected in the data being sent or received, it is determined that it is streaming data. If streaming data is being sent or received, the process proceeds to S1004; otherwise, the process proceeds to S1005, which is the next determination condition.

[0120] In S1004, the CPU 212 determines whether a streaming data transmission / reception error has occurred. Generally, streaming data communication includes buffering and other processes to avoid temporary communication failures, but if a communication error occurs, it is possible that the communication bandwidth is insufficient. Therefore, if a streaming data transmission / reception error has occurred, it is highly likely that a wider bandwidth (the ability to transmit a larger amount of data) than the current communication bandwidth is required. In that case, the process proceeds to S1008; otherwise, it proceeds to the next determination condition, S1005.

[0121] In S1005, the CPU 212 determines whether the communication device 100 is about to begin sending or receiving data exceeding a predetermined amount. Data exceeding a predetermined amount may be, for example, a video or an OS update file, and the application can determine that it is about to begin communicating large amounts of data from the file size. The CPU may also know that the application is about to send such data by determining, for example, that a call has been made to a process provided to the application by the OS for data transmission. The CPU may also know that it is about to receive data exceeding a predetermined amount by, for example, receiving notification of the amount of data to be sent from the transmitting device prior to the data transmission. If the sending and receiving of data exceeding a predetermined amount has begun, the process proceeds to S1008; otherwise, the process proceeds to the next determination condition, S1006.

[0122] In S1006, it is determined whether the communication device 100 is currently transmitting or receiving a predetermined amount of data or more. The predetermined amount is the same as in S1005. Whether data is being transmitted or received or more than the predetermined amount can be determined by whether the size of the data file being transmitted or received exceeds the predetermined amount. If data is being transmitted or received or received more than the predetermined amount, the process proceeds to S1008; otherwise, the process proceeds to S1007, which is the next determination condition.

[0123] The difference between S1005 and S1006 is whether the determination is made before (S1005) or after (S1006) transmission and reception exceeding a predetermined size begins. Since the AP connection reduction process requires a certain amount of time, it is more desirable to make the determination before transmission and reception begin, but whether this is possible depends on the application.

[0124] As a result of the above series of determination processes, if S1007 is reached, the communication status is determined to be "low communication volume," and if S1008 is reached, it is determined to be "high communication volume." In the procedure shown in Figure 10, if it is determined in S1002 that no predetermined type of data is being transmitted or received, the process may proceed to S1007 without executing S1003 to S1006. The reason why S1003-S1004 may be omitted is that in this embodiment, the communication device 100 is a printer, and it is considered that there are few opportunities to transmit or receive streaming data. The reason why S1005-S1006 may also be omitted is that the possibility of transmitting or receiving more than a predetermined amount of data is determined in S1001 and S1002 based on the type of application and the type of data, etc.

[0125] (AP number reduction process) Figures 11A-11C are flowcharts showing the AP connection number reduction process of the communication device 100 according to this embodiment. Three embodiments of the AP connection number reduction process are illustrated in Figures 11A-11C. One of these processes is executed at S712 in Figure 7B.

[0126] Figure 11A shows a first embodiment of the AP connection count reduction process.

[0127] When the AP connection reduction process is started, in S1101 the CPU 212 performs an AP search and obtains AP information around the communication device 100. In S1102 the CPU 212 determines from the AP search results whether or not there are APs that do not support multi-AP. AP information may be included, for example, in the AP search response received from an AP, and this response may include information indicating that the responding AP supports multi-AP. If this information is not included in the AP information, it can be determined that the responding AP does not support multi-AP. If no APs that do not support multi-AP are found in the search, this process is terminated. If there are APs that do not support multi-AP, the process proceeds to S1103.

[0128] In S1103, CPU 212 performs the process of disconnecting the currently connected multi-AP connection.

[0129] Next, S1104 causes CPU212 to connect to an AP that does not support multi-AP. This results in a single-AP connection state, meaning it is connected to only one AP.

[0130] Finally, in S1105, the CPU 212 stores that the number of AP connections has been reduced and terminates this process. The information stored here indicating that the number of AP connections has been reduced is the same as the information stored in S803 and is referenced in S707, S711, and S716.

[0131] As a result of the AP connection reduction process, the communication device 100 is connected to one AP that does not support multi-AP connections instead of multiple AP connections, thereby reducing the number of AP connections.

[0132] Figure 11B shows a second embodiment of the AP connection count reduction process.

[0133] The difference from Figure 11A lies in the process of S1114. Therefore, only S1114 will be explained. The other steps S1111-S1113 and S1115 are the same as steps S1101-S1103 and S11105 in Figure 11A, respectively.

[0134] In S1114, the CPU 212 selects the AP with the best communication status from among the APs found through the search, and connects to the best AP without using multi-AP connection, even if the best AP is multi-AP compatible. If only one AP is found, that is the best AP. If multiple APs are found, the best AP among them may be identified based on, for example, the signal strength and communication quality of the received signal from the communication device 100 measured by the AP, or the signal strength and communication quality of the received signal received by the communication device 100 from the AP. The values ​​measured by the AP can be obtained by the communication device 100 by receiving values ​​contained in the signal from the AP, such as a beacon. In addition, "best" may mean the strongest signal strength, or, for example, the highest signal-to-noise ratio in terms of communication quality. Furthermore, the AP evaluated as having the strongest security may be identified as the best AP. Security evaluation will be described later with reference to Figure 12.

[0135] As described above, the AP connection reduction process causes the communication device 100 to select the best AP from multiple multi-AP connections and connect to it, thereby reducing the number of AP connections.

[0136] Note that in Figure 11B, step S1112 may be omitted, and steps S1113 and later may be executed immediately after S1111. By doing so, regardless of whether or not an AP that does not support multi-AP is detected, it is possible to reconnect to only the best AP and reduce the number of connected APs.

[0137] Figure 11C shows a third embodiment of the AP connection reduction process. This process is performed when connected to two or more Coordinated APs.

[0138] When the AP connection reduction process is initiated, the CPU 212 first performs an AP search in S1121 and obtains AP information around the communication device 100.

[0139] In S1122, the CPU 212 determines which AP to disconnect from among the currently connected multi-AP compatible APs (Coordinated APs) based on the AP search results. As will be explained in detail later, here at least one AP excluding the best AP is designated as a candidate for disconnection. The best AP may be the same as the one explained in Figure 11B.

[0140] In S1123, the CPU 212 sends a disconnection request to the AP determined in S1122 and executes the disconnection process.

[0141] Finally, in S1105, the CPU 212 remembers that the number of AP connections has been reduced and terminates this process. This is the same as S1105.

[0142] As a result of the AP connection reduction process, the communication device 100 switches from a multi-AP connection with at least one fewer AP to an AP connection, thereby reducing the number of AP connections.

[0143] Note that Figures 11A and 11C may be combined. For example, if it is determined in S1102 of Figure 11A that there are no APs that do not support multi-AP, the process may proceed to S1113 of Figure 11B, or alternatively, to S1122 of Figure 11C. In this way, if an AP that does not support multi-AP is found, the system can reconnect to that AP. Furthermore, if no APs that do not support multi-AP are found, the system can connect to the best AP among the multi-AP compatible APs, or reduce the number of APs to connect to.

[0144] The following sections will provide more specific examples of the processes shown in Figures 11A and 11C, using tables and sequence diagrams.

[0145] (AP Attributes) Figure 12 is a table showing the attribute information of AP in this embodiment.

[0146] Figure 12 shows an example of AP information obtained by the communication device 100 during AP search in steps S1101 in Figure 11A, S1111 in Figure 11B, and S1121 in Figure 11C. The AP column in the table contains AP numbers for the purposes of this explanation.

[0147] As a result of the communication device 100 performing AP discovery, four APs, AP1 to AP4, were found, and the information shown in Figure 12 can be obtained from the Beacon signals of each AP. The SSID column is the identifier of the AP. The Multi-AP Compatibility column indicates whether or not the AP supports the Multi-AP Cooperative Connection function. In the table, "YES" means compatible, and "NO" means not compatible. Beacons from APs that do not have the Multi-AP Cooperative Connection function may not contain information indicating that they are not Multi-AP compatible, but in that case, the transmitting AP can be treated as not having the Multi-AP Cooperative Connection function. AP1, AP2, and AP3 have the Multi-AP Compatibility column as "YES" and the same SSID "SSID_1", so it can be seen that these three APs constitute the same Multi-AP group. On the other hand, AP4 has the Multi-AP Compatibility column as "NO" and its SSID is different from the others, "SSID_4", so it can be seen that it is an independent AP that does not belong to the Multi-AP group.

[0148] The signal strength column shows the radio signal strength received from each AP to the communication device 100. The radio signal is expressed as an RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) value, in dBm (decibels relative to a milliwatt). A higher value indicates stronger signal strength. The link speed column shows the maximum communication speed when the communication device 100 is connected to each AP. The unit is Mbps (megabits per second), and a higher value indicates faster communication speed.

[0149] In other words, the best AP can be defined as the one with the strongest signal strength, the highest communication quality, or the fastest link speed, but in this embodiment, the best AP will be defined as the one with the strongest signal strength. In the example in Figure 12, AP3 has the highest signal strength and is therefore the best AP. As mentioned above, communication quality can be determined based on the signal-to-noise ratio measured by the AP, for example, if that value is included in the beacon, and the best AP can be identified based on that value. Regarding link speed, for example, the communication device 100 can measure it for each AP and determine the best AP based on that value.

[0150] Note that AP attributes are not limited to those described above. Therefore, for example, if the security level can be obtained, the AP with the highest security level may be defined as the best AP. The security level may be evaluated, for example, by the encryption method used by the AP. For APs with the same encryption method, the evaluation may be based, for example, on the key length of the encryption key.

[0151] The following explains how the AP reduction process for the communication device 100 is performed when APs with the attributes described above are present around the communication device 100.

[0152] (AP count reduction processing sequence) Figures 13A, 13B, and 13C are sequence diagrams showing the AP connection reduction processing of the communication device 100 according to this embodiment.

[0153] Figures 13A, 13B, and 13C correspond to the processes in Figures 11A, 11B, and 11C of the flowchart mentioned above, respectively. Although not shown, a prerequisite for each sequence is that at the start of the sequence, the communication device 100 is already connected to AP111, AP112, and AP113 via a multi-AP connection.

[0154] Figure 13A shows an example of disconnecting a multi-AP connection and connecting to a single non-multi-AP compatible AP. This corresponds to Figure 11A in the flowchart mentioned earlier.

[0155] In S1301, the communication device 100 performs an AP search. In response, each surrounding AP returns AP information in S1302, and the communication device 100 receives this information. The results of this reception are shown in the table in Figure 12. Through this process, the communication device 100 learns that there is an AP 114 (AP4) nearby that does not support multi-AP. Nearby means that the communication device 100 is within the AP's service area. This is the process in S1101 in Figure 11A.

[0156] In S1303, the communication device 100 sends a disconnection request (Deauth (De-authentication) frame) to the AP of the currently connected multi-AP connection, and disconnects the connection with the AP. This corresponds to the process in S1103 in Figure 11A.

[0157] Next, in S1304, the communication device 100 connects to AP 114, which does not support multi-AP. Once the connection with AP 114 is established, in S1305, data transmission and reception between the communication device 100 and AP 114 begins.

[0158] As described above, in the process of reducing the number of connected APs, the communication device 100 disconnects the multi-AP connection and connects to one AP that does not support multi-AP. If there are other APs that do not support multi-AP besides AP 114, it may connect to the best AP among them.

[0159] Figure 13B shows an example where the multi-AP connection is disconnected and a connection is made to the AP with the best communication status among the multiple APs using a non-multi-AP connection. This corresponds to Figure 11B in the flowchart mentioned above.

[0160] Steps S1311 to S1313 are the same as the processes S1301 to S1303 in Figure 13A. That is, the communication device 100 searches for nearby APs and receives their responses. Furthermore, it disconnects the currently connected multi-AP connection.

[0161] In S1314, the communication device 100 exchanges connection procedures with the AP. At this time, the AP to which the connection request should be sent is AP 113, which has the best radio signal strength, as shown in the table in Figure 12. Once the connection is established, in S1315, data transmission and reception between the communication device 110 and AP 113 begins.

[0162] As described above, in the process of reducing the number of connected APs, the communication device 100 disconnects the multi-AP connection and connects to the AP with the best communication status among the multiple APs using a non-multi-AP connection.

[0163] Figure 13C shows an example where a multi-AP connection is maintained, and at least one AP other than the one with the best communication status is disconnected. This corresponds to Figure 11C in the flowchart mentioned earlier.

[0164] This embodiment is effective when there are three or more Coordinated APs (access points to be coordinated). Therefore, at the start of this process, AP 111 is assumed to be both a Coordinator AP (coordinator access point) and a Coordinated AP. It is possible to determine whether there are three or more Coordinated APs just before S1122 in Figure 11C, and if there are three or more, the process may continue. If there are fewer than three, the process in Figure 11C may be terminated. If there are fewer than three Coordinated APs, for example, the process in Figure 11B may be performed. Alternatively, even if there are fewer than three Coordinated APs, if there are multiple APs (i.e., two), the process in Figure 11C may be performed. This is because even in that case, the number of APs that the communication device 100 communicates with directly can be reduced.

[0165] S1321 and S1322 are the same as the processes S1301 and S1302 in Figure 13A. That is, the communication device 100 searches for nearby APs and receives their responses.

[0166] In S1323, the communication device 100 performs AP disconnection processing. At this time, it ensures that it does not disconnect the AP with the strongest signal strength. From the table in Figure 12, among the connected multi-AP group ("SSID_1" AP1, AP2, AP3), the AP with the strongest signal strength is AP113. Therefore, the communication device 100 sends a disconnection request (Deauth (De-authentication) frame) to AP111, which is not AP113. In particular, the connection may be terminated targeting the AP with the weakest signal strength. In the example in Figures 12 and 13(c), the communication device 100 terminates the connection with AP111, which has the weakest signal strength.

[0167] AP111 receives a disconnection request as a CoordinatedAP, then updates the group's connection information as a CoordinatorAP, and ceases to be a CoordinatedAP thereafter.

[0168] In S1327, AP111 transmits a trigger frame to AP112, AP113 and the communication device 100. In response, AP112 and AP113 transmit and receive data with the communication device 100 in S1328.

[0169] As described above, in the process of reducing the number of connected APs, the communication device 100 reduces the number of connections to multi-AP compatible APs while maintaining the multi-AP connection. In other words, it reduces the number of coordinated APs that make up the multi-AP group.

[0170] ●Effects of the Embodiment With the configuration and procedure described above, in this embodiment, if it is determined that the amount of communication is low in power-saving mode, the number of connected APs can be reduced to further suppress the consumption of resources such as power. Furthermore, when the operating mode transitions from power-saving mode to normal mode, or if it is determined that the amount of communication is high, the communication performance can be improved by connecting to a multi-AP group using multi-AP communication. In this way, a mechanism can be provided that reduces the power consumption of the STA (slave station) while utilizing multi-AP communication.

[0171] [Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 14. Figure 14 is a flowchart of this embodiment that replaces the processing shown in Figures 7A and 7B in the first embodiment. For drawings other than Figures 7A and 7B and their descriptions, the description of the first embodiment will be used in this embodiment as well.

[0172] Figure 14 is a flowchart derived from the flowcharts in Figures 7A and 7B, with the processing corresponding to the power-saving mode omitted. In other words, in Figure 14, regardless of the operating mode, control is performed to reduce the number of connected APs if the first condition indicating a large amount of communication with the AP is not met. Furthermore, if the first condition is not met and the number of APs has been reduced, control is performed to increase the number of APs again.

[0173] More details are as follows. Figure 14 is a flowchart showing the flow of the AP connection method determination process according to this embodiment. This process is achieved by the CPU 212 loading the program stored in the ROM 413 into the RAM 414 and executing it.

[0174] When the communication device 100 is started up, the CPU 212 first performs a multi-AP connection in S1401. Details of S1401 are explained in Figure 8.

[0175] Next, in S1402, the CPU 212 performs a communication status determination process. As will be explained later with reference to Figure 10, it determines the amount of communication between the communication device 100 and the AP.

[0176] In S1403, the CPU 212 determines whether to proceed to processing for a high communication state. Here, if the determination in S1402 indicates that the amount of communication with the AP is large, the process proceeds to S1404, i.e., processing for a high communication state; otherwise, it proceeds to S1407.

[0177] (In the case of high data traffic) In S1404, the CPU 212 determines whether the AP connection count is currently reduced. The connection count reduction state means that the system is not connected to any APs capable of Multi-AP communication and is communicating with only one AP (hereinafter referred to as the single AP connection state), or that it is connected to one or more APs capable of Multi-AP communication but has undergone the AP connection reduction process described later in S1409. If the system is in the single AP connection state, or if the AP connection count reduction state flag stored in S1124 is set (Yes), the system determines that the connection count reduction state is in effect. If the system determines in S1404 that the AP connection count reduction state is in effect, the system proceeds to S1405; otherwise, it proceeds to S710.

[0178] In S1405, CPU 212 disconnects the AP that is currently connected. In S1406, CPU 212 performs multi-AP connection processing. The processing in S1406 is the same as in S1401.

[0179] As described above, if the amount of data to be transmitted is large and the current state is one of reduced connections (for example, not in a multi-AP connection state), the communication device 100 will perform a multi-AP connection.

[0180] (In the case of low communication volume) On the other hand, if it is determined in S1403 that the communication volume is not large, then in S1407 the CPU 212 determines whether the communication volume with the connected AP is small and whether it is in a low communication state, based on the result of the determination in S1402. If it is determined that it is in a low communication state, proceed to S1408; otherwise, proceed to S1410.

[0181] In S1408, the CPU 212 determines whether the current AP connection count is reduced, similar to S1404. If it determines that the current state is an AP connection count reduction state, it proceeds to S1410; otherwise, it proceeds to S1409. In S1409, the CPU 212 performs the AP connection count reduction process. This reduces the number of connected APs. Details of the AP connection count reduction process are shown in Figures 11A-11C.

[0182] As described above, if the amount of communication is small and the current state is not one of reduced connection status (for example, a multi-AP connection state), the communication device 100 performs a process to reduce the number of connected APs in S1409. Specifically, this process changes the state from one where it was connected to multiple N Coordinated APs in multi-AP communication to one or more APs, which is fewer than N. More specifically, it either becomes a state where it is connected to fewer than N Coordinated APs in a multi-AP connection, or a single-AP connection state.

[0183] The communication state determined by the communication state determination process in S1402 is either a high communication state or a low communication state. Therefore, depending on the communication state, only one of either S1404-S706 or S1408-S1409 will be executed. For this reason, when operating in power saving mode, depending on the amount of communication, if the amount of communication is large, multi-AP communication is performed, and if it is small, the number of APs for multi-AP communication is reduced. This makes it possible to achieve both power saving and high-speed communication.

[0184] Once the series of processes is complete, the process proceeds to S1410. In S1410, the CPU 212 determines whether to terminate the process. If it decides to continue the AP connection method determination process, it returns to S1402 and repeats the power saving mode determination. Otherwise, the process terminates. One example of terminating the process is when the communication device 100 is executing a shutdown sequence. Also, for example, if the processes shown in Figures 7A and 7B, which change the number of connected APs according to the operating mode of the communication device 100, are optionally executed according to the settings, then if the setting is canceled, the process may be terminated in S1410.

[0185] As described above, according to this embodiment, if it is determined that the amount of data being transmitted is low, the number of connected APs can be reduced to further suppress the consumption of resources such as power. Furthermore, if it is determined that the amount of data being transmitted is high, the communication performance can be improved by connecting to a multi-AP group using multi-AP communication. In this way, it is possible to provide a mechanism that reduces the power consumption of STAs (slave stations) while utilizing multi-AP communication.

[0186] [Third Embodiment] Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 15. Figure 15 is a flowchart of this embodiment that replaces the processing shown in Figures 7A and 7B in the first embodiment. For drawings other than Figures 7A and 7B and their descriptions, the description of the first embodiment will be used in this embodiment as well.

[0187] Figure 15 is a flowchart derived from the flowcharts in Figures 7A and 7B, omitting the processing corresponding to the power-saving mode. In other words, in Figure 15, regardless of the amount of communication with the AP, control is performed to reduce the number of connected APs when the operating mode is power-saving mode. Also, if the operating mode is normal mode, control is performed to increase the number of APs again if the number of APs has been reduced.

[0188] More details are as follows:

[0189] Figure 15 is a flowchart showing the flow of the AP connection method determination process according to this embodiment. This process is achieved by the CPU 212 loading the program stored in the ROM 413 into the RAM 414 and executing it.

[0190] When the communication device 100 is started up, the CPU 212 first performs a multi-AP connection in S1501. Details of S1501 are as explained in Figure 8.

[0191] Next, in S1502, the CPU 212 determines whether the operating mode of the communication device 100 should be changed to power saving mode (power saving state). Details of S1502 are as explained in Figure 9.

[0192] In S1503, the CPU 212 determines whether or not to switch to power saving mode based on the result of the determination in S1502. If it switches to power saving mode, it proceeds to S1504; otherwise, it proceeds to S1513.

[0193] In S1504, the CPU 212 performs a process to switch the operating mode (power state) of the communication device 100 to power-saving mode. Specifically, the CPU 212 performs at least one of the following processes: dimming the backlight of the display unit, lowering the period of the clock supplied to the arithmetic unit (CPU 212), setting the sleep timer to be shorter than normal, and setting the email reception confirmation interval to be longer.

[0194] S1505 to S1506 is a process for determining whether or not to reduce the number of AP connections. Depending on the amount of data traffic, it is determined whether to maintain multi-AP connections or reduce the number of AP connections.

[0195] In S1505, the CPU 212 determines whether the current state is one in which the number of AP connections is being reduced. If it determines that the current state is one in which the number of AP connections is being reduced, the process proceeds to S1507; otherwise, it proceeds to S1506. In S1506, the CPU 212 performs the AP connection reduction process. This reduces the number of connected APs. Details of the AP connection reduction process are explained with reference to Figures 11A-11C.

[0196] As described above, when the communication device enters power-saving mode, the communication device performs a process in S1506 to reduce the number of connected APs. Specifically, this process changes the state from being connected to multiple (N) Coordinated APs in multi-AP communication to being connected to fewer than N APs, specifically one or more APs. More specifically, it either becomes connected to fewer than N Coordinated APs in multi-AP connection, or becomes a single AP connection state.

[0197] S1507 and S1508 are processes to determine whether the power saving mode has been deactivated.

[0198] In S1507, the CPU 212 performs a power saving mode determination process, similar to S1502. In S1508, the CPU 212 determines, based on the results of the process in S1507, whether or not to change from power saving mode to normal mode. If it determines that it should change from power saving mode to normal mode, it proceeds to S1509; otherwise, if the power saving mode is to be maintained, it branches to S1513.

[0199] In S1509, the CPU 212 executes a process to cancel the power saving mode (a process to return to normal mode). Specifically, the CPU 212 performs at least one of the following processes: - Restores the backlight of the display unit, which was dimmed, to its original brightness (brighter than in power saving mode). - Restores the period of the clock supplied to the arithmetic unit (CPU 212), which was lowered, to its original value (higher than in power saving mode). - Sets the sleep timer to normal (longer than in power saving mode). - Sets the email reception confirmation interval to normal (shorter than in power saving mode). S1510 to S1512 are processes to return to the multi-AP connection state (non-AP connection reduction state) if the AP connection count was reduced when returning from power saving mode to normal mode.

[0200] In S1510, the CPU 212 determines whether the AP connection count is currently reduced. The connection count reduction state means either the system is not connected to any APs capable of Multi-AP communication and is communicating with only one AP (hereinafter referred to as the single AP connection state), or it is connected to one or more APs capable of Multi-AP communication, but the AP connection reduction process described later in S712 has been performed. If the system is in the single AP connection state, or if the AP connection count reduction state flag stored in S1124 described later is set (Yes), the system determines that it is in the connection count reduction state. If the system determines in S1510 that it is in the AP connection count reduction state, it proceeds to S1511; otherwise, it proceeds to S1513.

[0201] In S1511, the CPU 212 performs a disconnection process for the currently connected AP. In S1512, the CPU 212 performs a multi-AP connection process. The processing content in S1512 is the same as in S1501.

[0202] Once the series of processes is complete, the process proceeds to S1513. In S1513, the CPU 212 determines whether to terminate the process. If the power is turned off, wireless LAN communication is disabled, etc., the process is terminated; otherwise, the process returns to S1502 and is repeated.

[0203] As described above, according to this embodiment, when operating in power-saving mode, the consumption of resources such as power can be further reduced by reducing the number of connected APs. Furthermore, when the operating mode transitions from power-saving mode to normal mode, communication performance can be improved by connecting with a multi-AP group using multi-AP communication. In this way, a mechanism can be provided that reduces the power consumption of STAs (slave stations) while utilizing multi-AP communication.

[0204] Furthermore, the various controls described above, which were explained as being performed by the CPU of each device, may be performed by a single piece of hardware, or multiple pieces of hardware (for example, multiple processors or circuits) may share the processing to control the entire device.

[0205] Furthermore, although the invention has been described in detail based on preferred embodiments, it is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various forms that do not depart from the gist of this disclosure are also included in the present invention. Moreover, each of the embodiments described above is merely one example, and it is possible to combine each embodiment as appropriate.

[0206] Furthermore, although the above-described embodiments used the application of the technology of this disclosure to an MFP as an example, this is not limited to this example, and it can be applied to any wireless device capable of Multi-AP communication. In other words, the technology of this disclosure can be applied to personal computers, PDAs, tablet terminals, mobile phone terminals such as smartphones, music players, game consoles, e-book readers, smartwatches, and various measuring devices (sensor devices) such as thermometers and hygrometers. The technology of this disclosure can also be applied to digital cameras (including still cameras, video cameras, network cameras, and security cameras), printers, scanners, and drones. The technology of this disclosure can also be applied to video output devices, audio output devices (e.g., smart speakers), media streaming players, and wireless LAN adapters that can be connected via USB terminals or LAN cable terminals. A video output device includes, for example, a set-top box, which acquires (downloads) videos and still images from the internet specified by a URL instructed by a communication device and outputs them to a display device connected via a video output terminal such as HDMI®. This enables streaming playback on display devices and mirroring (displaying content shown on a communication device on a display device). Video output devices include media players such as televisions, hard disk recorders, Blu-ray recorders, and DVD recorders, as well as head-mounted displays, projectors, televisions, display devices (monitors), and signage devices. Furthermore, the technology disclosed herein is applicable to Wi-Fi-connected devices, such as so-called smart home appliances, including air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, ovens, microwave ovens, lighting fixtures, heating appliances, and cooling appliances.

[0207] (Other Embodiments) The technology of this disclosure can also be realized by supplying a program that implements one or more of the functions of the embodiments described above to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and by having one or more processors in the computer of that system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more functions.

[0208] The technical ideas derived from this disclosure are not limited to the exemplary embodiments disclosed, but are intended to encompass various modifications of the exemplary embodiments, or substitutions with equivalent structures or functions. The scope of the following claims should be interpreted in the broadest way to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.

[0209] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-233114, filed on 27 December 2024, and all of its contents are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A communication device comprising: communication control means for connecting to a plurality of access points and transmitting or receiving data through the plurality of access points; and control means for performing a predetermined process to reduce the number of access points to which the device is connected, so as to be connected to one or more APs but less than N APs, based on the fact that, while connected to a plurality of N access points, the first condition corresponding to a large amount of communication between the communication device and the plurality of access points being connected is not met.

2. A communication device comprising: communication control means for connecting to a plurality of access points and transmitting or receiving data through the plurality of access points; and control means for performing a predetermined process to reduce the number of connected access points to one or more and less than N access points, based on the fact that the communication device is operating in a power-saving mode which is an operating mode that consumes less power than the normal mode, while connected to a plurality of N access points.

3. A communication device according to claim 1, wherein the control means performs a predetermined process to reduce the number of access points to be connected to, based on the fact that, while connected to the plurality of access points, the communication device operates in a power-saving mode which is an operating mode that consumes less power than the normal mode and does not satisfy the first condition.

4. A communication device according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the first condition includes the execution of a predetermined application.

5. A communication device according to claim 1, 3, or 4, wherein the predetermined application is an application for at least one of the following uses: video playback, music playback, online communication games, and web conferencing.

6. A communication device according to claim 1 or any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the first condition includes the transmission or reception of data of a predetermined type.

7. A communication device according to claim 6, characterized in that the predetermined type of data is at least one of the following: a print job file in a format that causes a printing error if transmission is interrupted for a certain period of time, call data, and data including authentication information for login or payment.

8. A communication device according to claim 1 or any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein the first condition includes the occurrence of an error related to the transmission and reception of streaming data during the transmission and reception of streaming data.

9. A communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the first condition includes initiating the transmission and reception of a predetermined amount or more of data.

10. A communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the first condition includes the transmission or reception of a predetermined amount or more of data.

11. A communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the plurality of access points are a plurality of coordinated access points included in a single multi-access point group, and the predetermined process is a process of disconnecting the connection with the plurality of access points that are currently connected and connecting to a single access point without using the multi-access point function.

12. A communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the predetermined process is a process of disconnecting the connection with at least one access point among the plurality of connected access points, excluding the access point with the best communication conditions.

13. A communication device according to claim 12, wherein the access point with the best communication conditions is one of the following: the access point with the best communication quality, the access point with the strongest radio wave intensity, the access point with the highest communication speed when connected, or the access point with the strongest security.

14. A communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the plurality of access points are coordinated access points included in a single multi-access point group.

15. A program for causing a computer to function as one of the means of a communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

16. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as one of the means of a communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

17. A method for controlling a communication device having communication control means and control means, comprising: a communication control step in which the communication control means connects to a plurality of access points and transmits or receives data through the plurality of access points; and a control step in which the control means, based on the fact that while connected to a plurality of N access points, does not satisfy a first condition corresponding to a large amount of communication between the communication device and the plurality of access points that are connected, reduces the number of access points to which it is connected to a number of APs of 1 or more and less than N.

18. A method for controlling a communication device having a communication control means and a control means, comprising: a communication control step in which the communication control means connects to a plurality of access points and transmits or receives data through the plurality of access points; and a control step in which the control means, while connected to a plurality of N access points, performs a predetermined processing based on the fact that the communication device is operating in a power-saving mode which is an operating mode that consumes less power than the normal mode, and reduces the number of access points to which it is connected to one or more APs and less than N APs.

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