JP2007221728A - Information processing apparatus and method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the convenience in user's manipulation in radio connecting operations by switching displays of radio connection in accordance with an apparatus of a connecting party in radio connecting operations. <P>SOLUTION: When a connecting information is designated from a registering means to register the connecting information for radio communication with an external apparatus, display and non-display to a display of the information related to radio communication of the own apparatus are controlled on the basis of the designated connecting information. In accordance with an instruction to start the connection, radio communication with the external apparatus is set up using the designated connecting information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus equipped with a wireless function and a method thereof, and more particularly to information display for facilitating wireless connection.

  Information processing such as an imaging device such as a digital camera that records and reproduces still images and moving images, and a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a PC) that communicates and stores audio data and image data using a memory card having a solid-state memory element as a recording medium Equipment is widespread. By carrying an image pickup system equipped with these image pickup apparatuses and information processing apparatuses, it is possible to perform flexible business promotion even outdoors. That is, with the imaging system, the business promotion place is no longer restricted by indoor work such as an office or a house.

In particular, image data captured by a digital camera equipped with a communication function is transferred to a PC equipped with a communication function using wireless communication, for example, and the digital camera and the PC are operated in a coordinated manner, thereby providing convenient imaging. It is possible to construct a system (Patent Document 1). In addition, it is possible to select a digital camera having a similar wireless function as a connection destination of such wireless communication, and to exchange images stored in both cameras.
JP 2003-298617 A

  As described above, when there are a plurality of wireless connection modes of the digital camera, it is naturally necessary to select a correct connection destination when connecting. Also, the operation method at the time of connection requires consideration according to the connection target. For example, when connecting to a PC via an operating wireless network, the connection can be established only by a connection operation from the camera side. However, there are cases where connection operations from both sides are required, such as between cameras. Thus, the user is required to give a certain consideration to the connection operation depending on the connection destination and the nature of the connection destination.

  In particular, the connection process between the cameras established by performing the connection operation from both cameras requires that the connection destination camera is correctly selected in both connection operations when multiple connection destination cameras are registered. is there.

  An object of the present invention is to improve the convenience of a user's operation in a wireless connection operation by switching a display related to the wireless connection in accordance with a connection destination device in the wireless connection operation.

An information processing apparatus according to the present invention for solving the above problems is as follows.
Registration means for registering connection information for wireless communication with an external device;
Designation means for designating one of the connection information registered in the registration means;
Display control means for controlling display / non-display on the display means of information related to the wireless communication of the own machine based on the connection information specified by the specifying means;
Communication means for establishing wireless communication with an external device using the designated connection information.

In addition, an information processing method according to the present invention for solving the above problems is as follows.
A registration process for registering connection information for wireless communication with an external device;
A designation step for designating one of the connection information registered in the registration step;
A display control step for controlling display / non-display of information related to wireless communication of the own device based on the connection information specified in the specifying step;
A communication step of establishing wireless communication with an external device using the specified connection information.

  According to the present invention, in the wireless connection operation, the display related to the wireless connection is appropriately switched according to the connection destination device, so that the convenience of the user operation in the wireless connection operation is improved.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of the digital camera 100 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, an optical element 14 on which an optical image is formed on an image sensor 14 via a photographing lens 10 and a shutter 12 having a diaphragm function converts the optical image into an electrical signal, and an A / D converter 16 The analog signal output of the image sensor 14 is converted into a digital signal. The timing generation circuit 18 is controlled by the memory control circuit 22 and the system control circuit 50, and supplies a clock signal and a control signal to the image sensor 14, the A / D converter 16, and the D / A converter 26.

  The image processing circuit 20 performs predetermined pixel interpolation processing and color conversion processing on the data from the A / D converter 16 or the data from the memory control circuit 22. The image processing circuit 20 performs predetermined calculation processing using the captured image data, and the system control circuit 50 controls the exposure control unit 40 and the distance measurement control unit 42 based on the obtained calculation result. I do. Thereby, AF (autofocus) processing, AE (automatic exposure) processing, and EF (flash pre-emission) processing of the TTL (through-the-lens) method are performed. Further, the image processing circuit 20 performs predetermined arithmetic processing using the captured image data, and also performs TTL AWB (auto white balance) processing based on the obtained arithmetic result.

  The memory control circuit 22 controls the A / D converter 16, the timing generation circuit 18, the image processing circuit 20, the image display memory 24, the D / A converter 26, the memory 30, and the compression / decompression circuit 32. Data from the A / D converter 16 is written into the image display memory 24 or the memory 30 via the image processing circuit 20, the memory control circuit 22, or directly via the memory control circuit 22.

  The display image data stored in the image display memory 24 is converted into an analog signal by the D / A converter 26 and displayed on the image display 28. The image display 28 is composed of a TFT LCD or the like. In addition, if the image data captured using the image display 28 is sequentially displayed, an electronic viewfinder function can be realized. The image display 28 can arbitrarily turn on / off the display according to an instruction from the system control circuit 50. When the display on the image display 28 is turned off, the power consumption of the digital camera 100 can be greatly reduced.

  The memory 30 includes a volatile memory and / or a nonvolatile memory, and stores captured still images and moving images. Therefore, the memory 30 has a sufficient storage capacity for storing a predetermined number of still images and a predetermined time of moving images. Thereby, even in the case of continuous shooting or panoramic shooting in which a plurality of still images are continuously shot, it is possible to write a large amount of images to the memory 30 at high speed. The memory 30 can also be used as a work area for the system control circuit 50.

  The compression / decompression circuit 32 compresses and decompresses image data by adaptive discrete cosine transform (ADCT) or the like. The compression / decompression circuit 32 reads an image stored in the memory 30, performs a compression process or an expansion process, and writes the processed data to the memory 30.

  The exposure control unit 40 controls the shutter 12 having a diaphragm function. The exposure control unit 40 also has a flash light control function in cooperation with the flash 48. The distance measuring unit 42 controls the focusing of the photographic lens 10. The zoom control unit 44 controls zooming of the taking lens 10, and the barrier control unit 46 controls the operation of the protection unit 102 that is a barrier.

  The flash 48 also has an AF auxiliary light projecting function and a flash light control function. The exposure control unit 40 and the distance measurement control unit 42 are controlled using the TTL method. Based on the calculation result of the image data captured by the image processing circuit 20, the system control circuit 50 includes the exposure control unit 40 and the distance measurement control unit. 42 is controlled.

  A system control circuit 50 controls the entire digital camera 100. The memory 52 stores constants, variables, programs, and the like for operating the system control circuit 50. The display unit 54 displays an operation state, a message, and the like using characters, images, sounds, and the like according to the execution of the program in the system control circuit 50. The display unit 54 is installed in a single or a plurality of positions near the operation unit of the digital camera 100 so as to be easily visible, and is configured by a combination of sounding elements such as an LCD, an LED, and a speaker. In addition, the display unit 54 is partially installed in the optical viewfinder 104.

  For example, among the display contents of the display unit 54, what is displayed on the LCD or the like is a single shot / continuous shooting display, a self-timer display, a compression rate display, a recording pixel number display, a recording number display, and a remaining image number display. , Shutter speed display, Aperture value display, Exposure compensation display, Flash display, Red-eye reduction display, Macro shooting display, Buzzer setting display, Clock battery level display, Battery level display, Error display, Multi-digit number information display In addition, there are a display state of the external storage medium 120, a communication I / F operation display, and a date / time display. Among the display contents of the display means 54, what is displayed in the optical viewfinder 104 includes in-focus display, camera shake warning display, flash charge display, shutter speed display, aperture value display, exposure correction display, and the like.

  The non-volatile memory 56 is an electrically erasable / recordable memory. For example, an EEPROM or the like is used, and a wireless connection management table to be described later is stored therein. The identification information 58 stores the most recent authentication information for establishing a communication session via the communication unit 110 and the antenna 112.

  Reference numerals 60, 62, 64, 66, 68, 70, and 72 denote operation means for inputting various operation instructions of the system control circuit 50. The operation means includes a switch, a dial, a touch panel, pointing by line-of-sight detection, a voice recognition device, and the like, and various operation inputs can be performed by a single or a plurality of combinations thereof. Hereinafter, these operation means will be described in detail.

  The main switch 72 is used to switch between power on and power off. The mode dial switch 60 is used for switching setting of each function mode such as an automatic shooting mode, a shooting mode, a panoramic shooting mode, a playback mode, a multi-screen playback / erase mode, and a PC connection mode. The shutter switch (SW1) 62 is turned on during operation of a shutter button (not shown). When the shutter switch (SW1) 62 is turned on, the start of operations such as AF (auto focus) processing, AE (auto exposure) processing, AWB (auto white balance) processing, and EF (flash pre-flash) processing is instructed.

  The shutter switch (SW2) 64 is turned on when the operation of a shutter button (not shown) is completed. When the shutter switch (SW2) 64 is turned on, a series of photographing processing including exposure processing, development processing, and recording processing is executed. The exposure process is a process of writing image data into the memory 32 via the A / D converter 16 and the memory control circuit 22 from the signal read from the image sensor 12. The development process is a process for developing the image data written in the exposure process using an operation in the image processing circuit 20 or the memory control circuit 22. The recording process is a process of reading the image data from the memory 30, compressing it by the compression / decompression circuit 32, and sequentially writing it to the external storage medium 120.

  The single-shot / continuous-shot switch 66 is continuously in a single-shot mode in which a single frame is shot in a standby state when the shutter switch (SW2) 64 is turned on and while the shutter switch (SW2) 64 is turned on. You can set the continuous shooting mode to continue shooting.

  The operation unit 70 includes various buttons and a touch panel. The operation unit 70 includes, for example, a menu button, a set button, a wireless connection start button, a wireless connection destination change + (plus) button, a wireless connection destination change− (minus) button, a wireless connection cancel button, a macro button, and a multi-screen playback modification. Page button, flash setting button, self-timer button, menu movement + (plus) button, menu movement-(minus) button, playback image movement + (plus) button, playback image-(minus) button, shooting image quality selection button, exposure Includes a correction button and a date / time setting button. The operation unit 70 also includes a playback switch that can set each function mode such as a playback mode, a multi-screen playback / erase mode, and a PC connection mode. The operation unit 70 includes an AF mode setting switch for switching between the one-shot AF mode and the servo AF mode. The one-shot AF mode is an AF mode in which an autofocus operation is started by turning on the shutter switch (SW1) 62 and keeps the focused state once focused. The servo AF mode is an AF mode that continues the autofocus operation continuously while the shutter switch (SW1) 62 is on.

  In addition, the operation unit 70 includes a setting switch, an image display ON / OFF switch, a quick review on / off switch, a compression mode switch, and the like. The image display on / off switch sets the image display 28 on / off. The quick review on / off switch sets on / off of a quick review function for automatically reproducing image data taken immediately after photographing. The compression mode switch is used to select a compression rate of JPEG compression, or to select a CCD RAW mode in which a signal from an image sensor is directly digitized and recorded on a storage medium. In addition, the functions of the plus button and the minus button can be selected more easily by providing a rotary dial switch.

  The power supply control unit 80 is configured by a battery detection circuit, a DC-DC converter, a switch circuit that switches blocks to be energized, and the like. The power supply control unit 80 detects the presence / absence of a battery, the type of battery, and the remaining battery level, controls the DC-DC converter based on the detection result and the instruction of the system control circuit 50, and requires the necessary voltage. It supplies to each part including a storage medium for a period. The power supply control unit 80 is connected to a power supply 86 via connectors 82 and 84. Examples of the power source 86 include primary batteries such as alkaline batteries and lithium batteries, secondary batteries such as NiCd batteries, NiMH batteries, and Li-ion batteries, and AC adapters.

  The interface 90 is an interface with an external storage medium 120 such as a memory card or a hard disk. The connector 92 connects an external recording medium 120 such as a memory card or a hard disk. The recording medium attachment / detachment detection unit 94 detects whether or not the recording medium 120 is attached to the connector 92.

  The protection unit 102 is a barrier that prevents the imaging unit from being stained or damaged by covering the imaging unit including the lens 10 of the digital camera 100.

  The optical viewfinder 104 can perform shooting without using the electronic viewfinder function of the image display 28. In the optical viewfinder 104, some functions of the display unit 54, for example, a focus display, a camera shake warning display, a flash charge display, a shutter speed display, an aperture value display, an exposure correction display, and the like are installed.

  The communication unit 110 is a wireless LAN communication control device such as IEEE802.11b or IEEE802.11g. The communication unit 110 connects the digital camera 100 to another wirelessly connectable camera, PC, wireless network adapter, or the like via the antenna 112 by the wireless communication unit 110.

The external storage medium 120 is a recording medium such as a memory card or a hard disk, and is used for storing captured images. The USB controller / connector 121 is used for transferring image data or the like with an external device such as a PC via a USB cable.
The overall system configuration of the digital camera 100 has been described above.

  Next, a method for managing wireless connection data in this embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the wireless connection management table 200 in the present embodiment. It is assumed that the wireless connection management table 200 is stored in the nonvolatile memory 59. In the wireless connection management table 200, wireless connection information for a plurality of connection destinations can be registered.

  In FIG. 2, an own device nickname 201 is a nickname given to the digital camera (digital camera 100 in FIG. 1).

  On the wireless network, each device is identified by a unique MAC address. However, it is not realistic for a user to recognize each device by a MAC address under normal operation. Therefore, it is possible to set a nickname consisting of alphanumeric characters. The nickname 202, the device type 203, and the wireless connection parameter 204 are data defining connection settings, and these three data form one connection destination entry. The nickname 202 is a nickname of the connection destination entry 1, and is composed of alphanumeric characters like the own nickname 201. The nickname can be freely set at the discretion of the user, but it must be unique within the wireless connection management table 200 and between devices to be connected. The nickname needs to have a consistent relationship with the MAC address that is an essential identifier.

  The device type 203 is the device type of the connection destination entry 1 and is an identifier representing the device type of the connection destination, such as a camera, a PC, or a wireless network adapter. The wireless connection parameter 204 is an area that stores a parameter group necessary for wireless connection with the connection destination of the entry, such as a network identifier, a connection channel, an encryption method and an encryption key, and a MAC address of the connection destination device.

  The wireless connection information corresponding to the connection destination can be created by a utility on the PC. The wireless connection information created on the PC is downloaded to the digital camera 100 via the USB controller 121 and registered in the wireless connection management table 200 in the nonvolatile memory 59. Of course, the wireless connection management table 200 itself may be generated by a utility on the PC and loaded into the digital camera 100.

  Next, connection with a second camera having the same configuration as that of the digital camera 100 having the wireless connection management table 200 will be described.

  First, when both cameras are connected, each other's wireless connection information must be stored in the wireless connection management table 200 of both cameras. That is, one connection destination entry of the connection information in the wireless connection management table 200 of the first camera needs to define the connection of the second camera. Similarly, the wireless camera connection management table 200 of the second camera must have a connection destination entry that defines connection information of the first camera.

  This will be described more specifically with reference to FIG. In the wireless connection management table 200 of the first camera, a connection destination entry corresponding to the second camera is registered. In the nickname 202 of the connection destination entry, the same character string as the “own nickname” registered in the wireless connection management table of the second camera is registered. In addition, an identifier representing “camera” is registered in the device type 203 of the connection destination entry, and the MAC address of the second camera is registered in the wireless connection parameter 204. Similarly, the first camera information is also stored as a connection destination entry in the wireless connection management table 200 of the second camera. That is, the same character string as the “own nickname” of the first camera is registered in the nickname 202 in this connection destination entry. In addition, an identifier representing “camera” is registered in the device type 203 of this connection destination entry, and the MAC address of the first camera is registered in the wireless connection parameter 204.

  Also, the connection between the first and second cameras needs to be performed by selecting each other's camera from both the first and second cameras and then performing a connection operation. FIG. 3 shows a state in which a wireless connection operation is performed between the first camera and the second camera. The connection operation of the first and second cameras will be described below with reference to FIG.

  The connection destination selection screen 301 is displayed on the image display 28 of the first camera 304 when a wireless connection start operation (for example, pressing of a wireless connection start button) is performed on the operation unit 70 of the first camera 304. Contents. The connection destination selection screen 307 is a content displayed on the image display 28 of the second camera 312 when a wireless connection start operation is performed on the operation unit 70 of the second camera 312.

  In the connection destination selection screen 301, the connection destination nickname display unit 302 displays the contents of the connection destination nickname of the connection destination entry designated from the wireless connection management table 200 in the first camera. Further, the connection destination nickname display unit 302 may include a display 313 corresponding to the device type of the connection destination. The designation of the connection destination entry can be changed by, for example, the + -button of the operation unit 70 of the first camera 304 (the configuration of the operation unit is not limited in any way, such as assigning the left and right buttons of the cross key). Is possible. By operating the + − button, connection destination entries are sequentially specified from the wireless connection management table 200, and the nicknames of the specified connection destination entries are displayed on the connection destination nickname display unit 302. For example, when the + button is pressed, the nickname of the next entry in the wireless connection management table 200 is displayed, and when the-button is pressed, the nickname of the previous entry is displayed. When the device type 203 of the designated connection destination entry is “camera”, the own device nickname (the contents of the own device nickname 201 of the wireless connection management table 200 of the first camera 304) is displayed on the connection destination selection screen 301. (303).

  The own device nickname display 303 is displayed only when the communication setting for the camera is necessary even at the connection destination (connection destination displayed in the nickname 302) corresponding to the selected connection destination entry. . In this embodiment, the own device nickname display 303 is displayed only when the device type 203 of the designated connection destination entry is an identifier representing “camera”. For example, when the second camera 312 (CAMERA 2) is selected as the connection destination, the second camera 312 also requires communication settings for the first camera 304, so that the own device nickname display 303 is displayed. Is called. Accordingly, when wireless communication is to be performed between the first and second cameras, communication settings for both are facilitated. In this embodiment, the wireless connection between the cameras will be described. However, the present invention can be applied to any wireless connection between devices in which wireless connection is established by designating wireless information between the cameras. For example, mobile devices (PDA, game machine, mobile phone, media player, etc.) compatible with wireless LAN can be mentioned.

  That is, when connecting the first camera 304 and the second camera 312, if the connection destination selection screen 301 of the first camera 304 and the connection destination selection screen 307 of the second camera 312 are mutually confirmed, You can easily select the connection destination. More specifically, the user of the first camera 304 indicates that the content of the connection destination nickname display unit 302 on the connection destination selection screen 301 is displayed on the own device nickname on the connection destination selection screen 307 of the second camera 312 to be connected. Operate to equal 309. Similarly, the user of the second camera 312 indicates that the content of the connection destination nickname display unit 308 of the connection destination selection screen 307 is the own nickname display unit 303 of the connection destination selection screen 301 of the first camera 304 to be connected. To be equal to Reference numeral 314 denotes the device type of the connection destination device.

  After the selection of the connection destination is completed for both the first and second cameras in this way, when the set button (305, 310) of the operation unit 70 is pressed by both the first camera 304 and the second camera 312. The connection process is started. Thus, wireless communication between the first and second cameras is established.

  Next, the case where the connection destination is a PC will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating that the camera 404 performs wireless connection to the wireless-compatible PC 405. When a wireless connection start button on the operation unit 70 of the camera 404 is pressed, a connection destination selection screen 401 is displayed on the image display 28. As described above, the connection destination nickname display unit 402 displays the contents of the connection destination nickname 202 of the connection destination entry designated from the wireless connection management table 200. The connection destination nickname display unit 402 includes a device type display 406 (indicating that it is a PC) of the connection destination device. Further, as described above, the designation of the connection destination entry can be changed by the + − button of the operation unit 70 of the camera 404.

  In FIG. 4, PC 405 (nickname: Computer1) is selected as the connection destination. An identifier representing “PC” is registered in the device type 203 of the connection entry corresponding to the PC 405 in the wireless connection management table 200. In the present embodiment, when the device type 203 is a connection destination entry indicating a PC, the network ID registered in the wireless connection parameter 204 in the entry is displayed on the network information display unit 403. When the device type of the connection destination is “PC”, the own device nickname is not displayed. Note that the network ID of which the desired PC is a component can be easily confirmed from the PC. For example, in the case of an 802.11 wireless LAN, setting parameters including network IDs (ssid, essid) can be easily referred to by a setting application or the like. Therefore, the legitimacy of the selected connection destination can be easily confirmed, and the convenience of selecting the connection destination can be obtained.

  Next, a case where the connection destination is a printer will be described with reference to FIG. A wireless adapter 707 is connected to the printer 708, and the camera 706 performs wireless communication with the wireless adapter 707. In the wireless connection management table 200, a connection destination entry having the wireless adapter 707 as a connection destination is registered, and the device type of the connection destination entry is “printer”. When this connection destination entry is designated, the nickname of the wireless adapter 707 is displayed on the connection destination nickname display unit 702, and the printer type display 709 displays a printer ("Prt" in this example).

  Since communication setting is not required on the printer side, the own device nickname is not displayed on the connection destination selection screen of the camera 706. A test button 703 checks whether the connection destination is within the communication range or the printer is not busy. When the printer is within the communication range and is not busy, the set button 704 establishes wireless communication with the printer 708 (wireless adapter 707). When the cancel button 705 is pressed, the connection process is stopped.

  A processing procedure related to the connection destination selection screen display in the wireless connection operation described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the present embodiment, each connection destination entry in the connection management table 200 is assigned an entry number in order, and the designation of the connection destination entry is controlled using the entry number.

  In step S501, the connection destination entry number in the wireless connection management table 200 to be displayed first is set to 1, that is, the connection destination data of the first connection destination entry is displayed. In step S502, a connection destination selection screen is displayed on the image display 28 in a state where the designated connection destination entry in the wireless connection management table 200 is selected. Details will be described later.

  In step S503, operation button input processing is performed, and some operation button input event is detected. In step S504, it is determined whether the input event detected in step S503 is a + button. If it is the + button, the process proceeds from step S504 to step S508, and 1 is added to the entry number. Then, the process returns to step S502, and the connection destination selection screen is displayed again according to the updated entry number. If the input event detected in step S503 is a-button, the process proceeds from step S505 to step S509. In step S509, the entry number is decremented by 1. Then, the process returns to step S502, and the connection destination selection screen is displayed again according to the updated entry number.

  If the input event detected in step S503 is a set button input, the process proceeds from step S506 to step S510. In step S510, a wireless connection process is executed with the connection destination entry selected at that time. If the input event detected in step S503 is a cancel button input, the process ends from step S507. If the input event detected in step S503 does not correspond to any of the +,-, set, and cancel buttons, the process proceeds to step S503 and waits for detection of the next button input.

  Next, control of display of a connection destination selection screen will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In step S601, it is determined whether the entry number exceeds the total number of entries in the wireless connection management table 200. If it exceeds, in step S610, the entry number is set to 1 (first connection destination entry in the wireless connection management table 200). In step S602, it is determined whether the entry number is smaller than 1. If it is smaller than 1, the process proceeds to step S611. In step S611, the entry number is set as the total number of entries (the last connection destination entry in the wireless connection management table 200).

  In step S603, the data of the connection destination entry designated by the entry number is read from the wireless connection management table 200. In step S604, the contents of the nickname 202 are extracted from the data read in step S603 and displayed on the connection destination nickname display unit 302 (308, 402, 702).

  Next, the device type 203 of the designated connection destination entry is checked. If the device type 203 is “camera”, the process advances from step S605 to step S612. In step S612, the own device nickname display 303 (310) is executed and the own device nickname 201 of the connection destination management table 200 is displayed as in the connection destination selection screen (301, 307) shown in FIG. If the device type 203 of the designated connection destination entry is “PC”, the process advances from step S605 to step S613. In step S613, the network ID registered in the wireless connection parameter 204 of the connection destination entry is displayed as in the connection destination selection screen (401) shown in FIG. In this case, the nickname display is not performed.

  Further, if the device type 203 of the connection destination entry is a printer, the process proceeds from step S607 to step S614. In step S614, a connection destination selection screen 701 shown in FIG. 5 is displayed. In this case, the nickname display is not performed.

  In this embodiment, when the device type 203 of the designated connection destination entry is other than camera, PC, or printer, the connection destination selection screen is not displayed. In the above embodiment, the own device nickname is displayed as the wireless connection information of the own device, but the essence is display of own information that can be used for setting the wireless connection. Accordingly, the MAC address of the own device may be displayed instead of displaying the own device nickname. However, as described above, it is not practical for a user to recognize each device by a MAC address, and a form using a nickname is preferable. Alternatively, the MAC address and nickname of the own device may be displayed together.

  As described above, the nickname display for wireless connection is displayed only when the connection partner is “Camera”, so the display screen can be used efficiently even in devices such as digital cameras with small display screens. it can.

  As described above, according to the above-described embodiment, it is possible to easily determine the connection destination when performing network connection with each other. Also, when establishing wireless communication between the camera and the camera, the connection destination must be recognized by both parties. However, since the wireless connection information of each device is displayed at the time of connection, it is easy to specify and confirm the connection destination by both parties. .

  In the above embodiment, the wireless communication connection mainly using the camera has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be applied to a case where a printer and a printer are connected wirelessly. In this case, the wireless connection management table 200 is registered in the printer, and the above-described control connection control is performed. By connecting the printers by wireless communication, for example, it is possible to print an image in a medium attached to one printer by a wirelessly connected printer.

  Although the embodiment has been described in detail above, the present invention can take an embodiment as a system, apparatus, method, program, storage medium, or the like. Specifically, the present invention may be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices, or may be applied to an apparatus composed of a single device.

  In the present invention, the functions of the above-described embodiments are achieved by supplying a software program directly or remotely to a system or apparatus, and the computer of the system or apparatus reads and executes the supplied program code. Including the case. In this case, the supplied program is a program corresponding to the flowchart shown in the drawing in the embodiment.

  Accordingly, since the functions of the present invention are implemented by computer, the program code installed in the computer also implements the present invention. In other words, the present invention includes a computer program itself for realizing the functional processing of the present invention.

  In that case, as long as it has the function of a program, it may be in the form of object code, a program executed by an interpreter, script data supplied to the OS, or the like.

  Examples of the recording medium for supplying the program include the following. For example, floppy (registered trademark) disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, MO, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, ROM, DVD (DVD-ROM, DVD- R).

  As another program supply method, a client computer browser is used to connect to a homepage on the Internet, and the computer program of the present invention is downloaded from the homepage to a recording medium such as a hard disk. In this case, the downloaded program may be a compressed file including an automatic installation function. It can also be realized by dividing the program code constituting the program of the present invention into a plurality of files and downloading each file from a different homepage. That is, a WWW server that allows a plurality of users to download a program file for realizing the functional processing of the present invention on a computer is also included in the present invention.

  Further, the program of the present invention may be encrypted, stored in a storage medium such as a CD-ROM, and distributed to users. In this case, a user who has cleared a predetermined condition is allowed to download key information for decryption from a homepage via the Internet, execute an encrypted program using the key information, and install the program on the computer. You can also.

  In addition to the functions of the above-described embodiment being realized by the computer executing the read program, the embodiment of the embodiment is implemented in cooperation with an OS or the like running on the computer based on an instruction of the program. A function may be realized. In this case, the OS or the like performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

  Furthermore, the program read from the recording medium is written in a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, so that part or all of the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized. May be. In this case, after a program is written in the function expansion board or function expansion unit, the CPU or the like provided in the function expansion board or function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing based on the instructions of the program.

It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the digital camera of embodiment. It is a figure which shows the data structural example of the wireless connection management table of embodiment. It is a figure explaining connection operation of the 1st camera and 2nd camera of an embodiment. It is a figure explaining connection operation of the camera and PC of an embodiment. It is a figure explaining connection operation of the camera and printer of an embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the connection destination selection screen display process by embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the connection destination selection screen display process by embodiment.

Claims (16)

Registration means for registering connection information for wireless communication with an external device;
Designation means for designating one of the connection information registered in the registration means;
Display control means for controlling display / non-display on the display means of information related to the wireless communication of the own machine based on the connection information specified by the specifying means;
An information processing apparatus comprising: communication means for establishing wireless communication with an external apparatus using the designated connection information. The connection information includes model information of the corresponding external device,
The display control means determines display / non-display on the display means of information related to wireless communication of the own device based on the model information included in the connection information designated by the designation means. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1. The connection information includes instruction information indicating display / non-display of information related to the wireless connection of the own device
The display control means determines display / non-display of information related to the wireless connection of the own device on the display means based on the instruction information included in the connection information designated by the designation means. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.   2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information related to the wireless communication of the own device whose display / non-display is controlled by the display control unit is a nickname set to the own device.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the display control unit displays information related to wireless communication of the own device on the display unit when the model information indicates an imaging apparatus.   When the model information indicates a general-purpose computer, the display control means hides information related to its own wireless communication, acquires a network identifier from the connection information, and displays the network identifier on the display means. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3.   4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the model information indicates a printer, the display control unit hides information related to wireless communication of the own device. A registration process for registering connection information for wireless communication with an external device;
A designation step for designating one of the connection information registered in the registration step;
Based on the connection information specified in the specifying step, a display control step for controlling display / non-display in the display step of information related to the wireless communication of the own device,
A communication step of establishing wireless communication with an external device using the designated connection information. The connection information includes model information of the corresponding external device,
The display control step determines display / non-display of information related to wireless communication of the own device in the display step based on the model information included in the connection information specified in the specifying step. The information processing method according to claim 8. The connection information includes instruction information indicating display / non-display of information related to the wireless connection of the own device,
The display control step determines whether to display / hide information related to the wireless connection of the own device based on the instruction information included in the connection information designated in the designation step. The information processing method according to claim 8.   9. The information processing method according to claim 8, wherein the information related to the wireless communication of the own device whose display / non-display is controlled by the display control step is a nickname set in the own device.   11. The information processing method according to claim 10, wherein the display control step displays information related to wireless communication of the own device in the display step when the model information indicates an imaging device.   When the model information indicates a general-purpose computer, the display control step hides information related to the wireless communication of the own device, obtains a network identifier from the connection information, and displays it on the display step. The information processing method according to claim 10.   The information processing method according to claim 10, wherein, in the display control step, when the model information indicates a printer, information related to wireless communication of the own device is not displayed.   A control program for causing a computer to execute the information processing method according to claim 8.   A computer readable memory storing a control program for causing a computer to execute the information processing method according to claim 8.

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