U.S. patent application number 14/729978 was filed with the patent office on 2015-12-10 for communication apparatus, control method, and program.
The applicant listed for this patent is CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA. Invention is credited to Mitsuru Konji, Takeshi Matsushita.
Application Number | 20150355875 14/729978 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 53677610 |
Filed Date | 2015-12-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150355875 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Matsushita; Takeshi ; et
al. |
December 10, 2015 |
COMMUNICATION APPARATUS, CONTROL METHOD, AND PROGRAM
Abstract
A communication apparatus capable of performing near field
communication acquires communication information of a target
apparatus through the near field communication, determines whether
or not the target apparatus is connected to an access point to
which the communication apparatus is connected, on the basis of the
communication information, and accepts the target apparatus as a
target to which the communication apparatus is to be connected by
using a peer-to-peer communication system, when it is determined
that the target apparatus is not connected to the access point to
which the communication apparatus is connected.
Inventors: |
Matsushita; Takeshi;
(Fujisawa-shi, JP) ; Konji; Mitsuru;
(Kawasaki-shi, JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA |
Tokyo |
|
JP |
|
|
Family ID: |
53677610 |
Appl. No.: |
14/729978 |
Filed: |
June 3, 2015 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
358/1.15 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 3/1292 20130101;
G06F 3/1236 20130101; G06F 3/1204 20130101; H04W 4/80 20180201 |
International
Class: |
G06F 3/12 20060101
G06F003/12 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jun 6, 2014 |
JP |
2014-117848 |
Jan 26, 2015 |
JP |
2015-012709 |
Claims
1. A communication apparatus capable of performing near field
communication, the communication apparatus comprising: an acquiring
unit configured to acquire communication information of a target
apparatus through the near field communication; a determination
unit configured to determine whether or not the target apparatus is
connected to an access point to which the communication apparatus
is connected, on the basis of the communication information; and an
accepting unit configured to accept the target apparatus as a
target to which the communication apparatus is to be connected by
using a peer-to-peer communication system, when it is determined
that the target apparatus is not connected to the access point to
which the communication apparatus is connected.
2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further
comprising: an issuing unit configured to issue a device search
request via the access point to which the communication apparatus
is connected, wherein the determination unit determines whether or
not the target apparatus is connected to the access point to which
the communication apparatus is connected, on the basis of at least
one response to the device search request and the obtained
communication information.
3. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further
comprising: an instruction unit configured to instruct the target
apparatus to switch to the peer-to-peer communication system, when
it is determined that the target apparatus is not connected to the
access point to which the communication apparatus is connected,
wherein, after the switching instruction is supplied, the accepting
unit accepts the target apparatus as a connection target in the
peer-to-peer communication system.
4. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when
a WiFi setting is disabled, the accepting unit accepts the target
apparatus as a connection target in the peer-to-peer communication
system without determining whether or not the target apparatus is
connected to the access point to which the communication apparatus
is connected.
5. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when
it is determined that the target apparatus is operating in the
peer-to-peer communication system on the basis of the communication
information, the accepting unit accepts the target apparatus as a
connection target in the peer-to-peer communication system without
determining whether or not the target apparatus is connected to the
access point to which the communication apparatus is connected.
6. A control method performed in a communication apparatus capable
of performing near field communication, the method comprising:
acquiring communication information of a target apparatus through
the near field communication; determining whether or not the target
apparatus is connected to an access point to which the
communication apparatus is connected, on the basis of the
communication information; and accepting the target apparatus as a
target to which the communication apparatus is to be connected by
using a peer-to-peer communication system, when it is determined
that the target apparatus is not connected to the access point to
which the communication apparatus is connected.
7. The control method according to claim 6, further comprising:
issuing a device search request via the access point to which the
communication apparatus is connected, wherein whether or not the
target apparatus is connected to the access point to which the
communication apparatus is connected is determined on the basis of
at least one response to the device search request and the obtained
communication information.
8. The control method according to claim 6, further comprising:
instructing the target apparatus to switch to the peer-to-peer
communication system, when it is determined that the target
apparatus is not connected to the access point to which the
communication apparatus is connected, wherein, after the switching
instruction is supplied, the target apparatus is accepted as a
connection target in the peer-to-peer communication system.
9. The control method according to claim 6, wherein, when a WiFi
setting is disabled, the target apparatus is accepted as a
connection target in the peer-to-peer communication system without
determining whether or not the target apparatus is connected to the
access point to which the communication apparatus is connected.
10. The control method according to claim 6, wherein, when it is
determined that the target apparatus is operating in the
peer-to-peer communication system on the basis of the communication
information, the target apparatus is accepted as a connection
target in the peer-to-peer communication system without determining
whether or not the target apparatus is connected to the access
point to which the communication apparatus is connected.
11. A storage medium storing a program executed in a communication
apparatus capable of performing near field communication, the
program activating a process comprising: acquiring communication
information of a target apparatus through the near field
communication; determining whether or not the target apparatus is
connected to an access point to which the communication apparatus
is connected, on the basis of the communication information; and
accepting the target apparatus as a target to which the
communication apparatus is to be connected by using a peer-to-peer
communication system, when it is determined that the target
apparatus is not connected to the access point to which the
communication apparatus is connected.
12. The storage medium according to claim 11, the process further
comprising: issuing a device search request via the access point to
which the communication apparatus is connected, wherein whether or
not the target apparatus is connected to the access point to which
the communication apparatus is connected is determined on the basis
of at least one response to the device search request and the
obtained communication information.
13. The storage medium according to claim 11, the process further
comprising: instructing the target apparatus to switch to the
peer-to-peer communication system, when it is determined that the
target apparatus is not connected to the access point to which the
communication apparatus is connected, wherein, after the switching
instruction is supplied, the target apparatus is accepted as a
connection target in the peer-to-peer communication system.
14. The storage medium according to claim 11, wherein, when a WiFi
setting is disabled, the target apparatus is accepted as a
connection target in the peer-to-peer communication system without
determining whether or not the target apparatus is connected to the
access point to which the communication apparatus is connected.
15. The storage medium according to claim 11, wherein, when it is
determined that the target apparatus is operating in the
peer-to-peer communication system on the basis of the communication
information, the target apparatus is accepted as a connection
target in the peer-to-peer communication system without determining
whether or not the target apparatus is connected to the access
point to which the communication apparatus is connected.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to communication apparatuses,
and particularly to a communication technology in which near field
communication is enabled.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] Recently, external apparatuses, such as a digital camera and
a mobile telephone, specify communication targets with which
communication is to be performed, by using a near field
communication system including near field communication (NFC).
Systems are known which output image files held in a digital camera
or a mobile telephone by using an image output apparatus through
wireless communication other than near field communication.
[0005] As part of a network function, some systems have a remote
print function and a firmware update function which are performed
via the Internet by establishing a connection to the Internet via
an access point. Even in a state in which no access points are
present, a host terminal may use an access point function provided
for an image output apparatus, so as to establish a peer-to-peer
(P2P) connection between the host terminal and the image output
apparatus, thereby performing printing and scanning. A mode in
which a host terminal performs wireless communication in a P2P
manner by using the access point function provided for an image
output apparatus is called the access point (AP) mode.
[0006] However, when the image output apparatus enters the AP mode,
the image output apparatus is connected to the host terminal in a
P2P manner, and the connection to an access point is interrupted,
whereby the Internet connection fails to work. As a result, the
image output apparatus may fail to use the above-described various
functions which need the Internet connection.
[0007] When the connection target in a P2P connection fails to
connect to the Internet, the host terminal operating in the AP mode
will also fail to connect to the Internet. In this condition, an
application in the host terminal also fails to access the Internet.
For example, sites on the Internet fail to be viewed from a
browser.
[0008] In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-182449, a technique is
disclosed in which, when a first wireless communication apparatus
is moved close to a second wireless communication apparatus, if the
first wireless communication apparatus is performing data
communication via an access point, the first wireless communication
apparatus does not switch to a P2P connection to the second
wireless communication apparatus.
[0009] However, in the technique in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
2011-182449, when the first wireless communication apparatus does
not perform data communication with the Internet via an access
point, the communication setting of the first wireless
communication apparatus is changed to P2P connection. For example,
when the first wireless communication apparatus receives a
connection request from the second wireless communication apparatus
in the state in which the first wireless communication apparatus
does not perform data communication with the Internet via an access
point, the first wireless communication apparatus switches to P2P
connection. After that, even when a user wants to get connected to
the Internet by using the first wireless communication apparatus
while the first and second communication apparatuses are connected
to each other in a P2P manner, the user needs to wait until the P2P
connection ends, in order to perform an operation intended by the
user. Therefore, customer convenience may be reduced.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] The present invention provides a communication apparatus
capable of performing near field communication. The communication
apparatus includes an acquiring unit, a determination unit, and an
accepting unit. The acquiring unit acquires communication
information of a target apparatus through the near field
communication. The determination unit determines whether or not the
target apparatus is connected to an access point to which the
communication apparatus is connected, on the basis of the
communication information. The accepting unit accepts the target
apparatus as a target to which the communication apparatus is to be
connected by using a peer-to-peer communication system, when it is
determined that the target apparatus is not connected to the access
point to which the communication apparatus is connected.
[0011] Further features of the present invention will become
apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments
with reference to the attached drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a
print system according to an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0013] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an outer appearance of a
terminal.
[0014] FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating outer appearances
of a printer.
[0015] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of
the terminal.
[0016] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of
the printer.
[0017] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of
an NFC unit.
[0018] FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a process performed in a first
embodiment.
[0019] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a process performed in a second
embodiment.
[0020] FIGS. 9A to 9E are diagrams illustrating exemplary user
interfaces (UIs) of the terminal.
[0021] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a process performed in a third
embodiment.
DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0022] Exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described
below in detail with reference to the drawings. Unless otherwise
specified, it is not intended that the scope of the invention be
not limited to the relative configuration of the components, the
display screens, and the like which are described in the present
embodiments. Each of the embodiments of the present invention
described below can be implemented solely or as a combination of a
plurality of the embodiments or features thereof where necessary or
where the combination of elements or features from individual
embodiments in a single embodiment is beneficial.
First Embodiment
[0023] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a
print system. The system includes an access point 100 located at
the center, and also includes a mobile terminal 200 and a printer
300 which are connectable to the access point 100. The terminal 200
which also serves as a communication apparatus includes at least
two types of wireless communication units whose communication
speeds are different from each other. As long as the terminal 200
is an apparatus which can handle files to be printed, such as a
personal information terminal, e.g., a personal digital assistant
(PDA), a mobile telephone, and a digital camera, any type of
apparatus may be used.
[0024] The printer 300 which also serves as a communication
apparatus has a reading function of reading a document on the
platen glass, and a print function of performing printing by using
a print engine such as an ink-jet print engine. In addition, the
printer 300 may have a facsimile (FAX) function and a telephone
function.
[0025] The printer 300 is capable of establishing a wireless
local-area network (LAN) connection in the infrastructure mode.
That is, the printer 300 which is operating in the infrastructure
mode is capable of performing wireless communication with the
terminal 200 via the external access point 100. The printer 300
also has the AP mode. In the AP mode, the terminal 200 and the
printer 300 are also capable of performing P2P communication with
each other through a wireless LAN. As described above, in the AP
mode, the access point function provided for a printer is
activated, and the terminal 200 uses the access point of the
printer to perform wireless peer-to-peer communication with the
printer.
[0026] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an outer appearance of the
terminal 200. In the first embodiment, a smartphone is taken as an
example. A smartphone is a multi-function mobile telephone provided
with a camera, a net browser, a mail function, and the like as well
as a mobile telephone function. An NFC unit 201 performs near field
communication. A user brings the NFC unit 201 to the vicinity of an
NFC unit of a target (in the first embodiment, an NFC unit of the
printer 300) within a predetermined distance (about 10 cm),
enabling communication to be performed. That is, the terminal 200
is capable of performing near field communication.
[0027] A wireless LAN unit 202 which performs communication through
a wireless LAN is disposed in the terminal 200. A display unit 203
is a display provided with, for example, a display mechanism using
a liquid crystal display (LCD) system. An operation unit 204 is
provided with an operation mechanism using a touch panel system,
and detects a pressing operation performed by a user. In a typical
operation, the display unit 203 displays button icons and a
software keyboard, and a user presses the operation unit 204,
whereby an event of pressing a button is issued. A power supply key
205 is used when the power supply is turned on or off.
[0028] FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating outer appearances
of the printer 300. In the first embodiment, a multi-function
printer (MFP) having a reading function (scanner) is taken as an
example. In FIG. 3A, platen glass 301 which is a transparent glass
plate is used when a document is put on the plate so as to be
scanned by using the scanner. A platen cover 302 prevents reading
light from being emitted to the outside when the scanner is used to
perform a reading operation. A print-sheet input slot 303 is an
input slot for setting various sizes of sheets of paper. Sheets of
paper which are set in the print-sheet input slot 303 are conveyed
to the print unit one by one, are subjected to printing, and are
discharged from a print-sheet output slot 304.
[0029] In FIG. 3B, an operation display unit 305 and an NFC unit
306 are disposed on the top of the platen cover 302. The NFC unit
306 which performs near field communication is a portion of the
printer 300, to the vicinity of which a user brings the terminal
200. The effective distance of the contact is a predetermined
distance (about 10 cm) from the NFC unit 306. A wireless LAN
antenna 307 is embedded to perform wireless LAN communication.
[0030] Near field communication means wireless communication which
is typified by NFC and whose communication range is a predetermined
range which is relatively small (for example, several centimeters
to 1 m).
[0031] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of
the terminal 200. The terminal 200 includes a main board 210 which
controls the entire apparatus, the wireless LAN unit 202, the NFC
unit 201, a line connection unit 206, the operation unit 204, and
the display unit. Each of the wireless LAN unit 202, the NFC unit
201 and the line connection unit 206 serves as a communication unit
of the terminal 200.
[0032] A central processing unit (CPU) 211 which is a
microprocessor disposed in the main board 210 operates according to
a control program stored in a program memory 213 which is a
read-only memory (ROM) and which is connected to the CPU 211 via an
internal bus 212, and according to the information in a data memory
214 which is a random-access memory (RAM).
[0033] The CPU 211 controls the wireless LAN unit 202 via a
wireless LAN control circuit 215, thereby communicating with
another communication terminal through a wireless LAN 102. The CPU
211 controls the NFC unit 201 via an NFC control circuit 216,
thereby enabling detection of a connection to another NFC terminal
through NFC 101 and enabling reception/transmission of data from/to
another NFC terminal. The CPU 211 controls the line connection unit
206 via a line control circuit 217, whereby a connection to a
mobile phone network 105 is established, enabling phone calls to be
made and enabling data to be received/transmitted.
[0034] The CPU 211 controls an operation-unit control circuit 218,
thereby enabling displaying to be performed on the operation unit
204 and enabling an operation to be received from a user. The CPU
211 controls a camera unit 219 so that an image is captured, and
stores the captured image in an image memory 220 in the data memory
214. Other than captured images, the CPU 211 is capable of storing
images obtained from the outside through the mobile phone network
105 or the wireless LAN 102 in the image memory 220, and of, in
contrast, transmitting images to the outside.
[0035] A nonvolatile memory 221 including a memory such as a flash
memory stores data which is to be kept in the memory even after the
power supply is turned off. For example, in addition to telephone
book data, various types of communication connection information,
information about devices which were connected to the terminal 200,
or the like, image data to be kept in the memory and a program such
as application software for achieving various functions in the
terminal 200 are stored.
[0036] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of
the printer 300. The printer 300 includes a main board 310 which
controls the entire apparatus, a line connection unit 322, a
wireless LAN unit 308, the NFC unit 306, and the operation display
unit 305. The line connection unit 322, the wireless LAN unit 308,
and the NFC unit 306 serve as communication units of the printer
300.
[0037] A CPU 311 which is a microprocessor disposed in the main
board 310 operates according to a control program stored in a
program memory 313 which is a ROM and which is connected to the CPU
311 via an internal bus 312, and according to the information in a
data memory 314 which is RAM.
[0038] The CPU 311 controls a scanner unit 315 so that a document
is read, and stores the read document in an image memory 316 in the
data memory 314. The CPU 311 controls a print unit 317, thereby
enabling an image in the image memory 316 in the data memory 314 to
be printed on a recording medium.
[0039] The CPU 311 controls the wireless LAN unit 308 through a
wireless LAN control circuit 318, thereby enabling communication
with another communication terminal to be performed through the
wireless LAN 102. The CPU 311 controls the NFC unit 306 through an
NFC control circuit 319, thereby enabling detection of a connection
to another NFC terminal through the NFC 101 and enabling
reception/transmission of data from/to another NFC terminal. The
CPU 311 controls the line connection unit 322 through a line
control circuit 321, whereby a connection to a telephone network
323 is established, enabling FAX reception/transmission and data
reception/transmission.
[0040] The CPU 311 controls an operation-display-unit control
circuit 320, thereby enabling the state of the printer 300 or a
menu for selecting a function to be displayed on the operation
display unit 305 and enabling an operation to be received from a
user.
[0041] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating the detail of an NFC
unit 600 used as the NFC unit 201 or the NFC unit 306.
[0042] In NFC communication, when near field communication is
performed using the NFC unit 600, an apparatus which outputs a
radio frequency (RF) field at first to start communication is
called an initiator. An apparatus which responds to a command
submitted from the initiator and which communicates with the
initiator is called a target.
[0043] The NFC unit 600 includes an NFC controller unit 601, an
antenna unit 602, an RF unit 603, a transmission-reception
controller 604, an NFC memory 605, a power supply 606, and a device
connection unit 607. The antenna unit 602 receives radio waves from
another NFC device, and transmits radio waves to another NFC
device. The RF unit 603 is provided with a function of modulating
an analog signal to a digital signal and demodulating a digital
signal to an analog signal. The RF unit 603 which includes a
synthesizer identifies bands and the frequencies of channels, and
controls the bands and the channels by using frequency allocating
data.
[0044] The NFC memory 605 includes, for example, a nonvolatile
memory. Data stored in the NFC memory 605 may be read and written
even in a state in which power from the power supply is not
supplied. The control of storing data, including reading and
writing data from/to the NFC memory 605, is achieved by the NFC
controller unit 601.
[0045] The transmission-reception controller 604 controls
operations for reception/transmission, such as construction and
decomposition of a reception/transmission frame, addition and
detection of a preamble, and frame identification. The
transmission-reception controller 604 also controls the NFC memory
605, and reads/writes various data and programs. When operations
are performed in the active mode in which bi-directional
communication with a device is enabled, power is supplied via the
power supply 606. In addition, communication with another device is
performed through the device connection unit 607, and communication
with another NFC device located within a range in which
communication may be performed is performed by using radio waves
received/transmitted through the antenna unit 602.
[0046] In the first embodiment, the terminal 200 and a printer need
to perform bi-directional communication through NFC. Therefore, the
NFC always operates in the active mode.
[0047] In the description below, an operation in which the NFC unit
201 of the terminal 200 is brought to the vicinity of the NFC unit
306 of the printer 300 is denoted as an "NFC touch operation".
[0048] In the first embodiment, the following use case will be
described. A user selects images to be printed, by operating the
terminal 200. Then, the user performs an NFC touch operation on the
printer 300, using which printing is to be performed, whereby the
selected images are printed by using the printer 300.
[0049] When the printer 300 is present in the same network as the
terminal 200, printing is performed while the connection state is
maintained. Otherwise, a P2P connection to the printer 300 is
established, and printing is performed.
[0050] By using the flowchart in FIG. 7, the first embodiment will
be described. FIG. 7 illustrates a process performed when images
specified by using the terminal 200 are printed by using the
printer 300. Steps in the flowchart which are related to the
terminal 200 in the present application are achieved by the CPU 211
reading programs associated with the flowchart and executing the
programs.
[0051] A user operates the terminal 200, selects image data, and
performs an NFC touch operation on the printer 300. FIGS. 9A to 9E
illustrate UI examples of the terminal 200. For example, a user
actives a print application installed in the terminal 200, whereby
the selection screen (selection UI) in FIG. 9B is displayed. In the
UI in FIG. 9B, thumbnail images of image data in the terminal 200
are displayed. When a user taps the thumbnails of images to be
printed, with a touch operation, check marks indicating selection
are displayed on the thumbnails. In the state in which the images
are selected, when the user performs an NFC touch operation on the
printer 300, a printing operation is started.
[0052] In step S1101, the terminal 200 obtains tag information from
the NFC tag of the printer 300. The tag information includes at
least three types of information about network settings of the
printer 300. Specifically, the three types of information are (1)
the MAC address of the printer 300, (2) the SSID and the password
used when the printer 300 is in the AP mode, and (3) the current
wireless mode of the printer 300. The current wireless mode in the
information (3) is either one of the AP mode and the infrastructure
mode. The tag information in the present application may be simply
called communication information since the tag information is
information about communication.
[0053] In step S1102, the terminal 200 checks whether or not the
wireless fidelity (WiFi) setting is enabled. The WiFi setting being
enabled means that WiFi communication is allowed to be performed in
the terminal 200. If the WiFi setting is enabled, the process
proceeds to step S1103. If the WiFi setting is disabled, the
process proceeds to step S1110.
[0054] In step S1103, the terminal 200 checks the current wireless
mode of the printer 300 which is included in the information (3)
obtained in step S1101. If the current wireless mode is the AP
mode, the process proceeds to step S1112. If the current wireless
mode is the infrastructure mode, the process proceeds to step
S1104. That is, if the terminal 200 determines that the printer 300
is operating by using the peer-to-peer communication system, the
terminal 200 proceeds the process to step S1112.
[0055] In step S1104, the terminal 200 detects a printer 300 whose
MAC address matches the MAC address of the printer 300 which is
included in the information (1) obtained in step S1101.
Specifically, the terminal 200 transmits a device search command by
broadcast to the network joined by the terminal 200, and receives
responses from apparatuses joining the network. The terminal 200
detects a response including a MAC address matching the MAC address
obtained in step S1101, thus performing the process in step
S1104.
[0056] If a printer 300 is detected in step S1104, the terminal 200
establishes a wireless LAN connection to the printer 300 detected
in step S1104, by using the wireless LAN unit 202 in step S1106.
Specifically, the terminal 200 determines (keeps) the access point
100 to which the terminal 200 has been connected, as a target to be
connected. In step S1109, the terminal 200 transmits a print job to
the printer 300 through the wireless LAN via the access point 100.
Specifically, the terminal 200 issues a specific command to the
printer 300, thereby establishing a session with the printer 300.
The terminal 200 generates the print job on the basis of the image
data selected in the selection screen in FIG. 9B, and transmits the
print job in step S1109. The timing of generating a print job may
be set before the flowchart in FIG. 7 is performed, or after a
connection is established in step S1106.
[0057] The printer 300 which has received the print job prints the
images on paper on the basis of the print job, and the process
ends.
[0058] If a printer 300 is not detected in step S1104, the process
of the terminal 200 proceeds to steps S1105 to S1107.
[0059] In step S1107, the terminal 200 writes an instruction to
make a transition to the AP mode, in the NFC tag of the printer
300. The information written as an instruction to make a transition
may be a command to make a transition to the AP mode or may be
information indicating that a printer corresponding to the MAC
address has not been found. When the printer 300 detects an
instruction to make a transition to the AP mode, which is written
in the NFC tag, the printer 300 makes a transition to the AP
mode.
[0060] In step S1108, using the SSID and the password of the access
point of the printer 300 which are included in the information (2)
obtained in step S1101, the terminal 200 establishes a wireless LAN
connection to the printer 300 which has made a transition to the AP
mode in step S1107. Specifically, the terminal 200 changes the
access-point connection target from the access point 100 to the
access point of the printer 300. That is, in step S1108, the access
point of the printer 300 is determined to be the access-point
connection target. This process causes a P2P connection between the
terminal 200 and the printer 300 to be established, and the
terminal 200 transmits the print job to the printer 300 in step
S1109. The process performed by the printer 300 which has received
the print job is the same as the above-described process. In the
case where the printer 300 is already in the AP mode when an NFC
touch operation is performed, the process proceeds to step S1109
via step S1112. The wireless mode of the printer 300 is obtained in
the process in step S1101.
[0061] If the process proceeds to step S1110 in step S1102, the
terminal 200 changes the WiFi setting of the terminal 200 to
enabled in step S1110. In step S1111, the terminal 200 writes an
instruction to make a transition to the AP mode, in the NFC tag of
the printer 300. When the printer 300 detects an instruction to
make a transition to the AP mode, which is written in the NFC tag,
the printer 300 performs a process of making a transition to the AP
mode.
[0062] The process in step S1112 which is the same process as that
in step S1106 will not be described.
[0063] If the process proceeds to step S1112 in step S1103, the
printer 300 is already in the AP mode. Therefore, using the SSID
and the password which are used when the printer 300 is in the AP
mode and which are included in the information (2) obtained in step
S1101, the terminal 200 establishes a connection to the printer
300, and transmits the print job to the printer 300 in step S1109.
The printer 300 which has received the print job performs a print
process, and the process ends.
[0064] The steps in the flowchart in FIG. 7 may be executed by a
print application providing the screens in FIGS. 9A to 9E.
[0065] According to a series of processes illustrated in the
above-described flowchart, when a connection between the printer
300 and the terminal 200 has been established in the infrastructure
mode, printing is performed while the connection state is
maintained. In contrast, when a connection between the printer 300
and the terminal 200 has not been established in the infrastructure
mode, the terminal 200 instructs the printer 300 to make a
transition to the AP mode, and performs printing.
[0066] As a result, a connection in the infrastructure mode is
maintained as long as possible. Accordingly, connections to the
Internet from the printer 300 and the terminal 200 may be also
maintained as long as possible.
[0067] A user may easily set the WiFi setting of the terminal 200
enabled or disabled at any timing by using a WiFi setting item in
the system setting menu in the terminal 200. A user who does not
own the access point 100 does not need to establish a WiFi
connection between the access point 100 and the terminal 200.
Therefore, to reduce consumption of the battery of the terminal 200
which is caused by unnecessary functions, the WiFi setting of the
terminal 200 may be highly likely to be set disabled. Even in this
case, the terminal 200 checks the WiFi setting in step S1102. When
the WiFi setting is disabled, the terminal 200 sets the WiFi
setting enabled, and establishes a wireless connection to the
printer 300 in the AP mode, thereby enabling printing to be
performed in the AP mode.
[0068] In step S1103, the terminal 200 checks the wireless mode of
the printer 300. When the printer 300 is determined to already
operate in the AP mode, the terminal 200 does not perform the
detection process in which a printer 300 is unlikely to be found.
According to the above-described process, a connection between the
printer 300 and the terminal 200 may be effectively
established.
[0069] As described above, the process of checking if the WiFi
setting of the terminal 200 is enabled in step S1102 and the
process of checking the wireless mode of the printer 300 in step
S1103 are not necessary in the present invention, and are performed
to improve customer convenience, such as making the process faster.
Therefore, even when both or one of steps S1102 and S1103 is not
performed, the present invention may achieve an effect of
maintaining a connection in the infrastructure mode as long as
possible.
[0070] The process flow of the first embodiment will be described
by using the screens displayed on the mobile terminal 200.
[0071] In the terminal 200, the print application is activated,
whereby the screen in FIG. 9A is displayed. When a user selects
photo printing, the print application displays a list of images
held in the terminal 200 as illustrated in FIG. 9B. When document
printing is selected, a list of documents held in the terminal 200
is displayed.
[0072] In the state in which the user selects images to be printed,
in FIG. 9B, when the user performs an NFC touch operation on the
printer 300 by using the terminal 200, the print application
displays the screen in FIG. 9C. Performing an NFC touch operation
causes the process in FIG. 7 of the present application as
described above to be performed.
[0073] In the state in which the user selects images to be printed,
in FIG. 9B, when the print button is pressed, the screen in FIG. 9D
is displayed. In the state in which the screen in FIG. 9D is
displayed, when the user performs an NFC touch operation on the
printer 300 by using the terminal 200, printing is performed by
using the print setting information displayed in FIG. 9D.
[0074] A user may register a printer for the print application. In
the state in which the screen in FIG. 9D is displayed, when the
user performs an NFC touch operation on a printer 300 different
from the registered printer, the screen in FIG. 9E is displayed. At
that time, the process in FIG. 7 causes a wireless connection
between the terminal 200 and the printer 300 to be established. The
terminal 200 obtains function information of the printer 300 (for
example, the paper size and the paper type which may be handled by
the printer 300) through the wireless connection, and reflects the
obtained result on the screen in FIG. 9E. That is, the options
displayed when a user presses the paper size field or the paper
type field are determined on the basis of the function information
of the printer 300 which is obtained through the wireless
connection. In the screen in FIG. 9E, after the user sets the print
setting information, when the user presses the print button, a
print job is transmitted through the wireless connection to the
printer 300 on which the user has performed an NFC touch
operation.
Second Embodiment
[0075] In the first embodiment, when the terminal 200 and the
printer 300 are not present in the same network, the terminal 200
instructs the printer 300 to make a transition to the AP mode.
However, if it is possible for the printer 300 to be connected
again to the access point to which the terminal 200 has been
connected, the printer 300 may be connected again to the access
point.
[0076] Unless otherwise specified, the configurations of the
apparatuses in the second embodiment are equivalent to those in the
first embodiment, and will not be described. Description will be
made below by using FIG. 8.
[0077] In step S1201, the terminal 200 obtains tag information from
the NFC tag of the printer 300. The tag information includes four
types of information about network settings of the printer 300.
Specifically, in addition to the information (1) to (3) described
above, information (4) which describes a connection history of
SSIDs corresponding to access points to which the printers 300 was
connected is included. For the information (4) about a connection
history, passwords corresponding to the SSIDs are separately held
in the printer 300, not in the tag.
[0078] Step S1202 is the same as step S1104, and step S1203 is the
same as step S1105. Accordingly, the detailed description will not
be made. If a printer 300 is not detected in step S1203, the
process proceeds to step S1206 from step S1203.
[0079] In step S1206, the SSID of the access point to which the
terminal 200 has been connected is compared with the connection
history of SSIDs of access points which is included in the
information (4) obtained in step S1201, and whether or not an SSID
in the connection history matches the SSID is checked. If no SSIDs
match the SSID, the process proceeds to step S1207. If an SSID
matches the SSID, the process proceeds to step S1209.
[0080] The processes in steps S1207, S1208, and S1205 are the same
as those in steps S1107, S1108, and S1109, and the detailed
description will not be made. If it is determined that the
determination result in step S1206 is YES, the terminal 200 writes
the SSID matched in step S1206 and an instruction to establish a
connection to the access point, in the NFC tag of the printer 300
in step S1209. When the printer 300 detects an instruction to
establish a connection to the access point, which is written in the
NFC tag, the printer 300 uses the SSID specified by the terminal
200 and the password stored along with the access-point history, so
as to establish a connection to the access point again. Thus, the
terminal 200 and the printer 300 are connected to the same access
point, thereby being connected in the same network.
[0081] In step S1210, the terminal 200 performs broadcasting to the
network, detects a printer 300 whose MAC address matches the MAC
address of the printer 300 which is included in the information (1)
obtained in step S1201, and establishes a wireless connection to
the detected printer 300. The specific process in step S1210 is the
same as that in step S1106. In step S1205, the terminal 200
transmits a print job to the printer 300 via the established
wireless connection. The printer 300 which has received the print
job performs printing, and the process ends.
[0082] As described above, according to the second embodiment, the
terminal 200 uses the connection history of access points which is
held in the printer 300, enabling the terminal 200 to be connected
to the printer 300 via an access point. As a result, the state in
which both of the terminal 200 and the printer 300 are connectable
to the Internet may be maintained with a higher probability.
[0083] In the second embodiment, the example in which a connection
history of access points for the printer 300 is held is described.
In contrast, the terminal 200 may hold a connection history (SSID)
of access points for the terminal 200. In this case, in step S1201,
instead of the connection history of SSIDs corresponding to access
points for the printer 300 which is included in the information
(4), the terminal 200 obtains the SSID of the access point to which
the printer 300 has been connected. In step S1206, the terminal 200
compares SSIDs in the connection history of the terminal 200 with
the SSID, which is obtained in step S1201, of the access point to
which the printer 300 has been connected. If an SSID in the
connection history matches the SSID, the terminal 200 may set the
connection target to the access point for the matched SSID
again.
[0084] In the embodiments of the present invention, the examples in
which the present invention is applied to the printer 300 are
described. Similarly to the printer, the present invention is
applicable to a digital camera having a WiFi connection function
and a P2P connection function. Specifically, when a terminal is to
function as a remote controller of a digital camera, while
connections to the Internet from the terminal and the digital
camera are maintained as long as possible, for example, an
operation of clicking the shutter of the connected digital camera
may be performed from the terminal.
[0085] In the case where a terminal is to function as a remote
controller for apparatuses, such as a network audio player and a
video recorder, a remote control function may be also achieved
while a connection to the Internet from each of the apparatuses is
maintained as long as possible.
[0086] Therefore, the scope in which the present invention is
applied is not limited to a printer.
[0087] In the embodiments, the example using the AP mode is
described as an example of a P2P connection between a terminal and
an apparatus. However, in the case where other P2P connection
methods, such as a Bluetooth connection and a Wi-Fi Direct
connection, hinder a connection to the Internet in both or one of
the terminal and the apparatus, the present invention may be
applied. As a result, an effect that an Internet connection in each
of the apparatuses is maintained as long as possible may be
achieved.
[0088] As an example of a P2P connection between a terminal and an
apparatus, the example using the AP mode is described. However, in
establishment of a P2P connection, the printer 300 does not need to
function as an AP. Specifically, in a Wi-Fi Direct P2P connection,
one apparatus operates as a host and the other apparatus operates
as an AP. However, in the specification, which serves as an AP
depends on the condition. In the present invention, when a P2P
connection is enabled, the present invention may achieve the effect
even if either one of the terminal and the printer serves as an AP.
Therefore, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the
case in which the printer serves as an AP. When a Wi-Fi Direct P2P
connection is to be established in the process of the present
application, negotiations are performed between the terminal and
the printer, and either one of the terminal and the printer is
determined to operate as an AP.
[0089] As an example of near field communication, the example using
NFC is described. Instead of NFC, Bluetooth may be used.
[0090] In the present application, the process in which the
terminal 200 uses the MAC address obtained from the printer 300, so
as to search for the printer 300 is described. However, another
method may be employed in which the terminal 200 obtains the IP
address and the MAC address by using NFC and searches for the
printer 300 by using the IP address. When the terminal 200 does not
find the printer 300 by using the IP address, the terminal 200 may
search for the printer 300 again by using the MAC address. This
process enables the search process to be efficiently performed.
[0091] Alternatively, device information, such as the model name
and the type of the printer 300, may be transmitted to the terminal
200 through NFC. When the device information of printers which may
be used by the print application of the terminal 200 does not match
the device information obtained through an NFC touch operation (for
example, when the model names do not match each other), the print
application displays an error screen. A message indicating that it
is impossible to continue the printing is displayed on the error
screen. On the error screen, a message indicating printers which
may be used by the print application, a message for recommending
use of another print application, or the like may be displayed.
[0092] In addition, function information of the printer 300 may be
transmitted to the terminal 200 through NFC. When a function
selected in the screen in FIG. 9A provided by the print application
of the terminal 200 is not included in the function information
obtained through an NFC touch operation, the print application
displays an error screen. A message indicating that it is
impossible to continue the process may be displayed on the error
screen. Specifically, in the case where faxing is selected in FIG.
9A, and where a scan function is not included in the function
information obtained from the printer 300 through an NFC touch
operation, the print application stops the FAX process and displays
an error screen.
Third Embodiment
[0093] In the first embodiment, in the case where the WiFi setting
of the terminal 200 is enabled and where the printer 300 has not
established a WiFi connection, the process proceeds to step S1107
via steps S1101 to S1105. At that time, in step S1107, the terminal
200 writes an instruction to make a transition to the AP mode, in
the NFC tag of the printer 300, causing the printer 300 to make a
transition to the AP mode. Therefore, for a period from the start
of the process in step S1101 to the end of the process in step
S1107, a user should not move the terminal 200 away from the
printer 300. Specifically, the distance between the terminal 200
and the printer 300 should be a distance with which NFC
communication may be performed.
[0094] Before the terminal 200 completes the process in step S1107,
the user may change the position of the terminal 200 which is being
touched, or may move the terminal 200 away from the printer 300. As
a result, NFC communication may fail to be performed in step S1107,
and an instruction to make a transition to the AP mode may fail to
be carried out, causing the communication between the terminal 200
and the printer 300 to end up with a connection error. When a
connection error occurs in step S1107, the user performs a touch
operation again, and the flow from steps S1101 to S1107 is
performed again. At that time, simple repetition of the same
processes alone may cause another connection error because the user
moves the terminal 200 away from the printer 300 or changes the
position of the terminal 200 again.
[0095] When a connection error occurs in step S1107, a process for
reducing the probability of occurrence of a connection error may be
performed.
[0096] Unless otherwise specified, the configurations of the
apparatuses in a third embodiment are equivalent to those in the
first embodiment, and will not be described. Description will be
made below by referring to FIG. 10.
[0097] Before the process illustrated in FIG. 10 is described,
assume the following case. A user performs an NFC touch operation
on the printer 300 by using the terminal 200 so as to try to
establish a connection. Before the process in step S1107 is
completed, the user moves the terminal 200 away from the printer
300. In this case, the printer 300 has not adequately received an
instruction to make a transition to the AP mode. Therefore, the
printer 300 has not made a transition to the AP mode. As a result,
the terminal 200 fail to establish a connection to the printer 300.
At that time, the terminal 200 holds connection error information
in the nonvolatile memory 221 in the terminal 200. The connection
error information is updated at the end of the process in step
S1307 described below. When a connection error for the printer 300
occurs in the process in step S1307, the MAC address of the printer
300 on which the failed operation of establishing a connection was
performed is stored along with a setting value indicating the
occurrence of a connection error. If a connection error does not
occur in step S1307, a setting value indicating that no connection
errors occur is stored. When the process in step S1307 has never
performed, a setting value for the case in which no connection
errors occur is stored as an initial value.
[0098] A process flow using the error information will be
described.
[0099] In step S1301, the terminal 200 obtains tag information from
the NFC tag of the printer 300. The tag information includes three
types of information about network settings of the printer 300,
which are similar to those in the first embodiment.
[0100] Steps S1302 and S1309 are the same as steps S1103 and S1112,
and will not be described in detail.
[0101] In step S1302, if it is determined that the printer 300 is
not in the AP mode, the process proceeds to step S1303.
[0102] In step S1303, the terminal 200 obtains the connection error
information stored in the terminal 200. The terminal 200 determines
whether or not the following condition is satisfied: (1) the
connection error information includes a setting value indicating
that an error occurred, and (2) the MAC address of the printer 300
obtained in step S1301 matches the MAC address of the printer 300
included in the error information. If it is determined that the
determination result in step S1303 is YES, the terminal 200 skips
steps S1304 to S1305, and proceeds the process to step S1307.
[0103] If it is determined that the determination result in step
S1303 is NO, the process proceeds to step S1304. Steps S1304 to
S1306 are the same processes as those in steps S1104 to S1106, and
will not be described in detail.
[0104] In step S1307, a process equivalent to that in step S1107 is
performed, and the connection error information is updated at the
end.
[0105] Step S1310 is the same process as that in step S1109, and
will not be described in detail.
[0106] As described above, in the third embodiment, when a
connection error due to an NFC touch occurred last time, the
process (which is the process in step S1305, and which is also
referred to as a determination process) in which a printer is
specified and which relatively takes time may be skipped. As a
result, a time till an instruction to make a transition to the AP
mode is supplied when touching is performed again may be reduced.
Thus, even in the case where a user moves the terminal 200 away
from the printer 300 just after the user performs a touch
operation, the probability of producing another connection error
may be reduced.
[0107] When a connection error occurs, a user is highly likely to
perform another touch operation at once. Therefore, time
information about when the error occurred may be included in the
connection error information. Specifically, in the determination in
step S1303, the current time is compared with the time information
which indicates when an error occurred and which is included in the
connection error information. If the difference between the time
when an error occurred last time and the current time is within a
predetermined time (for example, within 10 seconds) and if the MAC
addresses match each other, the process may proceed to step
S1307.
[0108] The current connection state of the printer 300 may be used
in the determination condition. Specifically, the tag information
obtained in step S1301 includes information about whether or not
the printer 300 has been connected in the infrastructure mode. This
information is stored as the connection error information when an
error occurs. In the determination in step S1303, if a connection
error occurred in step S1307 last time and if the state of the
wireless mode which is obtained in step S1301 matches the state of
the wireless mode which is included in the connection error
information, the process proceeds to step S1307.
[0109] In step S1303, the determination condition for determining
whether or not the process skips the process of specifying a
printer 300 and proceeds to step S1307 may be one of the conditions
of, for example, the MAC address, the elapsed time, and a change in
the connection state of the printer 300, or may be a combination of
these. The determination condition itself may be any as long as it
is information from which it may be determined that the state of
the printer 300 is possibly changed, such as a change of the IP
address of the printer 300 or a change of the SSID in the AP
mode.
[0110] The present invention enables customer convenience to be
improved by performing wireless communication in consideration of
the connection state of a communication target apparatus.
Other Embodiments
[0111] Embodiment(s) of the present invention can also be realized
by a computer of a system or apparatus that reads out and executes
computer executable instructions (e.g., one or more programs)
recorded on a storage medium (which may also be referred to more
fully as a `non-transitory computer-readable storage medium`) to
perform the functions of one or more of the above-described
embodiment(s) and/or that includes one or more circuits (e.g.,
application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) for performing the
functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s), and
by a method performed by the computer of the system or apparatus
by, for example, reading out and executing the computer executable
instructions from the storage medium to perform the functions of
one or more of the above-described embodiment(s) and/or controlling
the one or more circuits to perform the functions of one or more of
the above-described embodiment(s). The computer may comprise one or
more processors (e.g., central processing unit (CPU), micro
processing unit (MPU)) and may include a network of separate
computers or separate processors to read out and execute the
computer executable instructions. The computer executable
instructions may be provided to the computer, for example, from a
network or the storage medium. The storage medium may include, for
example, one or more of a hard disk, a random-access memory (RAM),
a read only memory (ROM), a storage of distributed computing
systems, an optical disk (such as a compact disc (CD), digital
versatile disc (DVD), or Blu-ray Disc (BD).TM.), a flash memory
device, a memory card, and the like.
[0112] While the present invention has been described with
reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the
invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments.
The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest
interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and
equivalent structures and functions.
[0113] This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent
Application No. 2014-117848 filed Jun. 6, 2014 and No. 2015-012709
filed Jan. 26, 2015, which are hereby incorporated by reference
herein in their entirety.
* * * * *