JP2024034058A - Computer program for a terminal device, terminal device, and method executed by the terminal device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a terminal device that executes appropriate processing depending on whether the communication device includes a wireless interface that is independent from a control unit or a wireless interface that is not independent from a control unit. When a wireless link is established between a first wireless interface of the terminal device and a third wireless interface of a communication device, the terminal device transmits type information indicating the type of the third wireless interface. Receive. The terminal device displays an operation screen indicating a change operation when the type information indicates a first type wireless interface that is independent from the control unit of the communication device; The operation screen is not displayed when indicating the second type wireless interface that is not configured. [Selection diagram] Figure 3

Description

This specification discloses a technique for establishing a wireless connection between a terminal device and a communication device.

Patent Document 1 discloses a system including a printer and a mobile terminal. The printer includes an NFC interface that functions as an IC tag based on the NFC (Near Field Communication) standard. When the mobile terminal establishes an NFC connection with the printer, the mobile terminal receives information for establishing a WFD (abbreviation for Wi-Fi Direct (registered trademark)) connection from the printer using the NFC connection. The mobile terminal uses this information to establish a WFD connection with the printer.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-107831

The NFC interface disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above can obtain instructions from the control unit of the printer and can supply notifications to the control unit. Patent Document 1 does not take into account a situation in which the printer includes an NFC interface that cannot acquire instructions from the control unit or provide notifications to the control unit, that is, an NFC interface that is independent from the control unit. do not have.

In this specification, a terminal device that executes appropriate processing depending on whether the communication device includes a wireless interface that is independent from the control unit of the communication device or a wireless interface that is not independent from the control unit is described. Provide enabling technology.

This specification discloses a computer program for a terminal device. The terminal device includes a first wireless interface for performing wireless communication according to a first communication standard, and a first wireless interface for performing wireless communication according to a second communication standard different from the first communication standard. The wireless interface may include a second wireless interface, a display unit, and a computer. The computer program causes the computer to control each of the following parts, that is, the first wireless interface and the third wireless interface of the communication device in response to the terminal device being brought closer to the communication device, When a wireless link is established between the third wireless interface and the third wireless interface for performing wireless communication according to the first communication standard, the third wireless interface is configured using the wireless link. , the specific information receiving unit receives specific information via the first wireless interface, the specific information including type information indicating the type of the third wireless interface. and when the type information indicates a first type wireless interface that is independent from a control unit of the communication device, the state of the communication device is disabled by a function of a predetermined method of the second communication standard. a first display control unit that causes the display unit to display an operation screen showing a change operation for changing from a disabled state in which the function is enabled in the predetermined method to an enabled state in which the function of the predetermined method is enabled; , when the type information indicates the second type of wireless interface that is different from the first type of wireless interface and is not independent from the control unit of the communication device, the first display control unit, in which the operation screen is not displayed; and the type information indicates the first type of wireless interface, and when the change operation is performed on the communication device, the second wireless between the interface and the fourth wireless interface of the communication device, which is for performing wireless communication according to the second communication standard, according to the predetermined method. a first establishing unit that establishes a first wireless connection; and when the type information indicates the second type of wireless interface, the first establishing unit establishes a first wireless connection; It may function as a second establishment unit that establishes a second wireless connection according to the predetermined method between the interface and the fourth wireless interface.

According to the above configuration, the terminal device displays the operation screen when the type information indicates the first type wireless interface that is independent from the control unit. Therefore, it is possible to prompt the user to perform a change operation on the communication device. Therefore, the terminal device can establish a first wireless connection with the communication device when the change operation is performed on the communication device. On the other hand, if the type information indicates a second type wireless interface that is not independent from the control unit, the terminal device establishes a second wireless connection with the communication device even if the change operation is not performed on the communication device. can do. In this way, the terminal device can perform appropriate processing depending on whether the communication device includes the first type of wireless interface or the second type of wireless interface.

The computer-readable recording medium storing the computer program described above, the terminal device itself, and the method executed by the terminal device are also new and useful. Further, a communication system including a terminal device and a communication device is also new and useful.

The configuration of the communication system is shown. A sequence diagram of state transition processing of a multi-function device is shown. A flowchart of application processing of the terminal device is shown. 10 shows a flowchart of independent interface processing. Each screen displayed on the terminal device is shown. A flowchart of tag interface processing is shown. A sequence diagram of case A1 is shown. A sequence diagram continuing from FIG. 7 is shown. A sequence diagram of case A2 is shown. A sequence diagram of case A3 is shown. A sequence diagram of case B1 is shown. A sequence diagram of case B2 is shown. A sequence diagram of case B3 is shown.

(First example)
(Configuration of communication system 2: Figure 1)
As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system 2 includes a terminal device 10, an access point (hereinafter simply referred to as "AP") 60, and a plurality of multi-function devices 100, 200. In this embodiment, a situation is assumed in which a wireless connection according to the Wi-Fi standard is established between the terminal device 10 and one of the multi-function devices 100, 200.

(Configuration of terminal device 10)
The terminal device 10 is a portable terminal device such as a smartphone, PDA, or tablet PC. The terminal device 10 includes an operation section 12, a display section 14, an NFC (Near Field Communication) interface 20, a Wi-Fi interface 22, and a control section 30. Each part 12 to 30 is connected to a bus line (numerals omitted).

The operation unit 12 includes a plurality of keys. A user can input various instructions to the terminal device 10 by operating the operation unit 12. The display unit 14 is a display for displaying various information. The display unit 14 also functions as a touch panel (ie, an operation unit) that receives instructions from the user.

The NFC interface 20 is a wireless interface for performing wireless communication according to the NFC standard (hereinafter referred to as "NFC communication"). The NFC standard is a wireless communication standard based on the international standard ISO/IEC21481 or 18092, for example. The NFC interface 20 is connected to the control unit 30 via a bus line (number omitted), and can supply information to the control unit 30 and obtain information from the control unit 30. That is, the NFC interface 20 is capable of communicating with the control unit 30. The NFC interface 20 can receive power from the power supply (not shown) of the terminal device 10.

The Wi-Fi interface 22 is a wireless interface for performing wireless communication according to the Wi-Fi standard (hereinafter referred to as "Wi-Fi communication"). The Wi-Fi standard is, for example, in accordance with the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.) 802.11 standard and standards equivalent to it (e.g. 802.11a, 11b, 11g, 11n, etc.). It is a wireless communication standard for performing wireless communication. The Wi-Fi interface 22 further supports the WFD (abbreviation for Wi-Fi Direct (registered trademark)) method developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance. Details of the WFD method are described in the standard document "Wi-Fi Direct Specification Version 1.9" created by the Wi-Fi Alliance.

Here, the differences between NFC communication and Wi-Fi communication will be described. The communication speed of Wi-Fi communication (for example, the maximum communication speed is 600 Mbps) is higher than the communication speed of NFC communication (for example, the maximum communication speed is 424 kbps). The carrier wave frequency in Wi-Fi communication (ie, 2.4 GHz band or 5.0 GHz band) is different from the carrier wave frequency in NFC communication (ie, 13.56 MHz). The maximum distance at which Wi-Fi communication can be performed (for example, 100 m) is greater than the maximum distance at which NFC communication can be performed (for example, about 10 cm).

The control unit 30 includes a CPU 32 and a memory 34. The CPU 32 executes various processes according to programs 36 and 40 stored in the memory 34. The memory 34 is configured with volatile memory, nonvolatile memory, etc., and stores an OS program 36 and an MFP application 40. Hereinafter, the OS program 36 and the MFP application 40 will be referred to as "OS 36" and "application 40", respectively.

The OS 36 is a program for controlling basic operations of the terminal device 10, and is, for example, iOS (registered trademark), Android (registered trademark), or the like. The application 40 is installed on the terminal device 10 from a server on the Internet provided by the vendor of the MFP 100. The application 40 is a program for establishing a WFD-compliant wireless connection with the multi-function device and for causing the multi-function device to print or scan.

(Configuration of multi-function device 100)
The multi-function device 100 is a peripheral device (for example, a peripheral device of the terminal device 10) that can execute a print function and a scan function. Hereinafter, the multi-function device will be referred to as "MFP (abbreviation for Multi-Function Peripheral)". The MFP 100 includes an operation section 112, a display section 114, a print execution section 116, a scan execution section 118, an NFC independent interface 120, a Wi-Fi interface 122, and a control section 130.

The operation unit 112 includes a plurality of keys. A user can input various instructions to MFP 100 by operating operation unit 112. The display unit 114 is a display for displaying various information. The display unit 114 also functions as a touch panel (ie, an operation unit) that receives instructions from the user. The printing execution unit 116 includes a printing mechanism such as an inkjet type or a laser type. The scan execution unit 118 includes a reading mechanism such as a CCD method or a CIS method.

The NFC independent interface 120 is a wireless interface for performing NFC communication. The NFC independent interface 120 is a so-called seal type, label type, or the like interface. NFC independent interface 120 is not connected to the bus line of MFP 100. Therefore, the NFC independent interface 120 cannot supply information to the control unit 130 or obtain information from the control unit 130. That is, the NFC independent interface 120 cannot communicate with the control unit 130. Generally speaking, the NFC independent interface 120 is independent from the controller 130. The NFC independent interface 120 cannot receive power from the power supply (not shown) of the MFP 100, and communicates with a communication partner (for example, the terminal device 10) by electromagnetic induction.

The Wi-Fi interface 122 is similar to the Wi-Fi interface 22 of the terminal device 10, and has a MAC address "MAC1". Wi-Fi interface 122 supports WFD. The MFP 100 can operate as a group owner (that is, a wireless network master station, hereinafter referred to as "G/O") of the WFD. When the MFP 100 operates as a G/O, the MFP 100 can establish a WFD-compliant wireless connection (hereinafter referred to as a “WFD connection”) with the terminal device 10.

The control unit 130 includes a CPU 132 and a memory 134. CPU 132 executes various processes according to program 136 stored in memory 134. The memory 134 is composed of volatile memory, nonvolatile memory, and the like.

(Configuration of multi-function device 200)
MFP 200 has the same configuration as MFP 100, except that the type of NFC interface is different and the Wi-Fi interface has MAC address "M2". MFP 200 includes an operation section 212, a display section 214, a print execution section 216, a scan execution section 218, an NFC tag interface 220, a Wi-Fi interface 222, and a control section 230.

NFC tag interface 220 is a wireless interface for performing NFC communication. NFC tag interface 220 is connected to the bus line of MFP 200. Therefore, the NFC tag interface 220 can supply information to the control unit 230 and obtain information from the control unit 230. That is, the NFC tag interface 220 cannot communicate with the control unit 230. Generally speaking, NFC tag interface 220 is not independent from controller 230. The NFC tag interface 220 can receive power from the power supply (not shown) of the MFP 200.

In this embodiment, the NFC tag interface 220 is an IC tag interface that functions only as an NFC standard card. However, in a modified example, the NFC tag interface 220 may be an interface that can selectively operate in any one of card emulation mode, reader/writer mode, and P2P mode.

The control unit 230 includes a CPU 232 and a memory 234. CPU 232 executes various processes according to program 236 stored in memory 234. The memory 234 is composed of volatile memory, nonvolatile memory, and the like.

(MFP100 state transition process: Figure 2)
With reference to FIG. 2, the state transition process executed by CPU 132 of MFP 100 will be described. The process shown in FIG. 2 is started when the power of the MFP 100 is turned on as a trigger.

In S10, CPU 132 first sets the WFD setting of MFP 100 to "OFF". The WFD setting indicates either "ON", which means the MFP 100 operates as a G/O of the WFD, or "OFF", which means the MFP 100 does not operate as the G/O.

In S12, the CPU 132 displays the home screen SC0 on the display unit 114. The home screen SC0 includes various buttons such as a copy button, a scan button, and a WFD setting button. Although not shown in the flowchart, when the copy button or scan button is selected by the user, the CPU 132 copies or scans the document.

In S20, the CPU 132 determines whether the WFD setting button on the home screen SC0 has been selected by the user. If the CPU 132 determines that the WFD setting button has been selected (YES in S20), the process proceeds to S22. On the other hand, if the CPU 132 determines that the WFD setting button has not been selected (NO in S20), it continues monitoring in S20. Note that although FIG. 2 shows that if NO in S20, the process proceeds to S40, the process in S40 is a process executed by the CPU 232 of the MFP 200 including the NFC tag interface 220, and is not executed by the CPU 132 of the MFP 100 including the MFP 100.

In S22, the CPU 132 causes the display unit 114 to display the setting change screen SC1. The settings change screen SC1 includes a message indicating the current WFD settings, a message asking whether to change the WFD settings, a YES button, and a NO button.

In S24, the CPU 132 determines whether the YES button in the setting change screen SC1 has been selected by the user. If the CPU 132 determines that the YES button has been selected (YES in S24), the process proceeds to S26. On the other hand, if the CPU 132 determines that the NO button has not been selected (NO in S24), the process returns to S12.

In S26, the CPU 132 changes the WFD settings. If the current WFD setting is "OFF", the CPU 132 changes the WFD setting from "OFF" to "ON" in S26. In this case, the CPU 132 changes the state of the MFP 100 from a state in which it does not operate as a G/O of the WFD (hereinafter referred to as a "non-G/O state") to a state in which it operates as a G/O (hereinafter referred to as a "G/O state"). status). In other words, the non-G/O state is a state in which the WFD method function in MFP 100 is disabled, and the G/O state is a state in which the WFD method function in MFP 100 is enabled. When the process of S26 is executed, a wireless network in which MFP 100 operates as a G/O (ie, a master station) is formed. CPU 132 maintains the state of MFP 100 in the G/O state unless the WFD setting is changed from "ON" to "OFF" by the user. That is, CPU 132 permanently maintains the state of MFP 100 in the G/O state.

When changing the WFD setting from "OFF" to "ON," the CPU 132 further changes the state of the MFP 100 to a state where WPS (abbreviation for Wi-Fi Protected Setup) is not activated (hereinafter referred to as a "non-WPS state"). (hereinafter referred to as "WPS state") to a state in which WPS is activated (hereinafter referred to as "WPS state"). Thereby, the MFP 100 can perform communication according to WPS and establish a WFD connection with another device. CPU 132 maintains the state of MFP 100 in the WPS state until a first predetermined time (for example, 70 seconds) has elapsed since the non-WPS state was changed to the WPS state. That is, after the first predetermined time has elapsed, CPU 132 returns the state of MFP 100 from the WPS state to the non-WPS state.

If the current WFD setting is "ON", the CPU 132 changes the WFD setting from "ON" to "OFF" in S26. In this case, the CPU 132 changes the state of the MFP from the G/O state to the non-G/O state. As a result, the wireless network in which MFP 100 operates as a G/O disappears. When S26 ends, the process returns to S12.

(MFP200 state transition process: Figure 2)
The CPU 232 of the MFP 200 can execute the processes of S10 to S26 in FIG. 2, and monitors that the NFC link is established in S40. When the CPU 232 obtains an establishment notification indicating that the NFC link has been established from the NFC tag interface 220, the CPU 232 determines YES in S40 and proceeds to S42. As described above, the NFC independent interface 120 of the MFP 100 is independent from the control unit 130. Therefore, the CPU 132 of the MFP 100 cannot obtain the establishment notification from the NFC independent interface 120. That is, the CPU 132 cannot execute the process of S40.

In S42, the CPU 232 determines whether the current WFD setting is "ON". If the CPU 232 determines that the current WFD setting is "ON" (YES in S42), the process proceeds to S44, and if it determines that the current WFD setting is "OFF" (NO in S42), the process proceeds to S46. Proceed to.

In S44, CPU 232 changes the state of MFP 200 from the non-WPS state to the WPS state. CPU 232 maintains the state of MFP 200 in the WPS state until a first predetermined time (for example, 70 seconds) has elapsed since the non-WPS state was changed to the WPS state. When S44 ends, the process returns to S12.

In S46, the CPU 232 changes the state of the MFP 200 from the non-G/O state to the G/O state while maintaining the WFD setting at "OFF". The CPU 232 changes the state of the MFP 200 from the G/O state to a non-G/O state if the state in which the MFP 200 in the G/O state continues for a second predetermined period (for example, 300 seconds) without establishing a WFD connection with any device. Return to state. For example, after the WFD connection with the terminal device 10 is established, the CPU 232 returns the state of the MFP 200 to the non-G/O state when a second predetermined period of time has elapsed since the WFD connection was disconnected. As described above, since the process of S46 is a process in which the MFP 200 is temporarily changed to the G/O state, the WFD setting is maintained at "OFF".

In S46, CPU 232 further changes the state of MFP 200 from the non-WPS state to the WPS state. CPU 232 maintains the state of MFP 200 in the WPS state until a first predetermined time (for example, 70 seconds) has elapsed since the non-WPS state was changed to the WPS state. When S46 ends, the process returns to S12.

(Application processing on the terminal device 10: Figure 3)
Next, with reference to FIG. 3, a description will be given of a process that is realized when the CPU 32 of the terminal device 10 executes the application 40. When the operation for starting the application 40 is executed, the process shown in FIG. 3 is started. In the following, when describing the processing that the CPU 32 of the terminal device 10 executes according to the OS 36, the CPU 32 will not be described as the main body, but the OS 36 will be described as the main body. Similarly, when describing the processing that the CPU 32 executes according to the application 40, the application 40 will be described as the main subject. Note that, hereinafter, in response to the application 40 supplying an instruction to execute a certain process to the OS 36, the OS 36 may execute the process. In this case, the process can be said to be a process executed by the application 40 via the OS 36. In other words, the application 40 causes the CPU 32 to function as a process execution unit that executes the process by supplying a process execution instruction to the OS 36.

In S110, the application 40 causes the display unit 14 to display the home screen SC10. Home screen SC10 includes a print icon and a scan icon.

In S120 and S130, the application 40 monitors whether the print icon or scan icon on the home screen SC10 is selected by the user. If the print icon is selected, the application 40 determines YES in S120 and proceeds to S122, and if the scan icon is selected, the application 40 determines YES in S130 and proceeds to S132.

In S122, the application 40 causes the display unit 14 to display an image selection screen SC12. The image selection screen SC12 is a screen for selecting a file representing an image to be printed. The image selection screen SC12 includes, for example, file names of various files stored in the memory 34 (eg, "aaa.jpeg", etc.).

In S124, the application 40 monitors whether one file (ie, image) in the image selection screen SC12 is selected by the user. If a file is selected, the application 40 determines YES in S124 and proceeds to S126.

In S126, the application 40 causes the display unit 14 to display the preview screen SC14. Preview screen SC14 includes an image represented by the file selected in S124, that is, a print preview image. The preview screen SC14 further includes a message prompting the user to bring the terminal device 10 closer to the MFP in order to cause the MFP to execute printing. When S126 ends, the process advances to S140.

In S132, the application 40 causes the display unit 14 to display the scan screen SC20. The scan screen SC20 includes a message prompting the user to bring the terminal device 10 closer to the MFP in order to cause the MFP to perform a scan. When S126 ends, the process advances to S140.

In S140, the application 40 monitors that an NFC link with the MFP is established. When the terminal device 10 is brought close to the MFP in response to a message on the screen SC14 or SC20 displayed in S126 or S132, an NFC link is established between the NFC interface 20 and the NFC interface (for example, 120 or 220) of the MFP. is established. In this case, the application 40 obtains an establishment notification indicating that the NFC link has been established from the NFC interface 20, determines YES in S140, and proceeds to S142. The establishment notification includes information (hereinafter referred to as "specific information") received from the NFC interface of the MFP using the above-mentioned NFC link. That is, the application 40 receives specific information from the MFP via the NFC interface 20. The content of the specific information depends on the MFP to which the NFC link is established.

When an NFC link with MFP 100 is established, the specific information includes interface type information indicating that NFC interface 120 of MFP 100 is an NFC independent interface. In this case, the specific information further includes the MAC address "MAC1" of MFP 100 and the model name "M1" of MFP 100. This information is stored in advance in the NFC independent interface 120 from the time the MFP 100 is shipped.

On the other hand, when an NFC link with MFP 200 is established, the specific information includes interface type information indicating that NFC interface 220 of MFP 200 is an NFC tag interface. In this case, the specific information further includes the MAC address "MAC2" of MFP 200.

When the MFP 200 is powered on, the MFP 200 generates an SSID (abbreviation for Service Set Identifier) that identifies the wireless network in which the MFP 200 operates as a G/O, and a password used in the wireless network. , the information is stored in the NFC tag interface 220. Then, when the MFP 200 transitions from the non-G/O state to the G/O state after the power of the MFP 200 is turned on, the MFP 200 forms a wireless network in which the information is used. Furthermore, when transitioning from the G/O state to the non-G/O state, the MFP 200 generates a new SSID and a new password, and stores these information in the NFC tag interface 220. Therefore, the specific information further includes the SSID and password.

When establishing a Wi-Fi connection with the AP 60, the MFP 200 causes the NFC tag interface 220 to store the IP address of the MFP 200 used in the wireless network formed by the AP 60. Therefore, if MFP 200 has established a Wi-Fi connection with AP 60, the specific information further includes the IP address of MFP 200.

The upper limit number of devices that can participate as slave stations in the wireless network in which MFP 200 operates as a G/O is determined in advance. In this embodiment, the upper limit number is "1". If the MFP 200 forms the wireless network described above and another device participates in the wireless network as a slave station, the MFP 200 stores error information in the NFC tag interface 220. Therefore, in this case, the specific information further includes error information. The error information means that the mobile station cannot participate in the wireless network because the number of slave stations in the wireless network has reached the upper limit.

In S142, the application 40 determines whether the interface type information included in the received specific information indicates an NFC independent interface or an NFC tag interface. If the interface type information indicates an NFC independent interface, the application 40 proceeds to S150 and executes independent interface processing (see FIG. 4). If the interface type information indicates an NFC tag interface, the application 40 proceeds to S160 and executes tag interface processing (see FIG. 6). When S150 or S160 ends, the process returns to S110.

(Independent interface processing: Figure 4)
Next, with reference to FIG. 4, the independent interface processing of S150 in FIG. 3 will be described. Hereinafter, the MAC address included in the specific information received in S140 will be referred to as a "target MAC address." Furthermore, as described above, the specific information received from an MFP with an NFC independent interface includes the model name of the MFP. In the following, the model name will be referred to as "target model name." For example, the specific information received from MFP 100 includes "M1" as the target model name.

In S210, the application 40 determines whether the connection history information in the memory 34 includes the target MAC address. The connection history information is information including the MAC address of the MFP with which the WFD connection was established through the process of FIG. 4, and is stored in the memory 34 in S272, which will be described later. If the connection history information includes the target MAC address, the application 40 determines YES in S210 and proceeds to S212; if the connection history information does not include the target MAC address, the application 40 determines NO in S210 and proceeds to S240. .

In S212, the application 40 supplies a device search instruction to the OS 36. The device search instruction is a command that instructs to search for a master station of a wireless network existing around the terminal device 10. Thereby, the OS 36 executes a search for a parent station by transmitting a broadcast probe request via the Wi-Fi interface 22. The OS 36 receives a Probe response from the master station via the Wi-Fi interface 22. The master station includes an AP, a WFD G/O, and the like. Therefore, for example, when MFP 100 or MFP 200 operates as a G/O, OS 36 receives a Probe response from MFP 100 or MFP 200. The Probe response includes the SSID of the wireless network formed by the master station that is the source of the Probe response, and the MAC address of the master station. The OS 36 supplies the application 40 with search results including each MAC address included in each Probe response received by the above search.

In S220, the application 40 determines whether the search result obtained from the OS 36 includes the target MAC address. If the search result includes the target MAC address, the application 40 determines YES in S220 and proceeds to S260; if the search result does not include the target MAC address, the application 40 determines NO in S220 and proceeds to S280.

In S240, the application 40 determines whether the target model name is "M1" or "M2". If the target model name is "M1", the application 40 determines YES in S240 and proceeds to S242, and if the target model name is "M2", determines NO in S240 and proceeds to S244.

In S242, the application 40 causes the display unit 14 to display the operation screen SC30 corresponding to the model name "M1". As shown in FIG. 5, the operation screen SC30 displays a message 300 prompting the user to select the WFD setting on the home screen of the MFP and change the WFD setting of the MFP from "OFF" to "ON". include. That is, the message 300 is a message prompting the user to select the YES button in the setting change screen SC1 displayed in S22 of FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the MFP with the NFC independent interface does not automatically transition from the non-G/O state to the G/O state even if the NFC link with the terminal device 10 is established (i.e., if YES in S40) (S46 after passing through is not executed). Therefore, the user needs to perform an operation on the MFP to change the WFD setting of the MFP from "OFF" to "ON". In this embodiment, since the operation screen SC30 is displayed, the user can appropriately perform an operation to change the WFD setting of the MFP to "ON". Operation screen SC30 further includes a message 302 prompting the user to bring terminal device 10 closer to the MFP. When S242 ends, the process advances to S250.

In S244, the application 40 causes the display unit 14 to display the operation screen SC32 corresponding to the model name "M2". As shown in FIG. 5, the operation screen SC32 includes a message 310 prompting the user to change the WFD setting of the MFP from "OFF" to "ON" by pressing a physical button on the front of the MFP. In this way, the WFD settings of the MFP (not shown) having the model name "M2" are changed using a different method from that of the MFP 100 having the model name "M1". Therefore, the application 40 displays an operation screen SC30 or SC32 that shows the method according to the model name. This allows the user to change the WFD settings of the MFP using a method according to the model name. When S244 ends, the process advances to S250.

At S250, the application 40 monitors that the NFC link with the MFP is re-established. The process at S250 is similar to the process at S140 in FIG. When acquiring the establishment notification from the NFC interface 20, the application 40 determines YES in S250 and proceeds to S260. In this way, when the NFC link with the MFP is re-established, the application 40 can establish a WFD connection with the MFP in the process from S260 onwards.

In S260, the application 40 supplies the OS 36 with a connection instruction including the target MAC address. The connection instruction is a command that instructs to establish a WFD connection with the MFP having the target MAC address. Thereby, the OS 36 attempts to establish a WFD connection with the MFP operating as a G/O via the Wi-Fi interface 22.

In S262, the application 40 causes the display unit 14 to display the connection screen SC35. As shown in FIG. 5, the connection screen SC35 includes a message 320 indicating that processing for establishing a WFD connection with the MFP is being executed. Connection screen SC35 further includes a message 322 prompting the user to select the connection button when it is displayed on the MFP. The connection button is a button for changing MFP 100 from a non-WPS state to a WPS state.

As described above, even if the MFP 100 is changed from the non-WPS state to the WPS state in S26 of FIG. 2, the MFP 100 will change from the WPS state to the non-WPS state after the first predetermined time (for example, 70 seconds) has elapsed. do. Therefore, for example, the NFC link with MFP 100 can be re-established after a first predetermined period of time has elapsed since MFP 100 performed the operation corresponding to operation screen SC30 displayed in S242. In this case, since the MFP 100 has returned to the non-WPS state, even if the process for establishing a WFD connection with the MFP 100 is executed in S260, the WFD connection with the MFP 100 is not established and the connection button is not displayed on the MFP 100. Ru. The user can select a connection button displayed on MFP 100 in response to message 322 in connection screen SC35. Thereby, the user can appropriately establish a WFD connection with MFP 100.

Further, after the WFD connection with MFP 100 is disconnected, the NFC link with MFP 100 may be re-established in order for the user to re-establish the WFD connection with MFP 100. In this case as well, since the MFP 100 has returned to the non-WPS state, even if the process for establishing a WFD connection with the MFP 100 is executed in S260, the WFD connection with the MFP 100 is not established and the connection button is displayed on the MFP 100. be done. The user can select a connection button displayed on MFP 100 in response to message 322 in connection screen SC35. Thereby, the user can appropriately re-establish the WFD connection with MFP 100.

In S270, the application 40 determines whether a WFD connection with the MFP has been established. When the application 40 obtains a connection notification indicating that a WFD connection has been established from the OS 36, the application 40 determines YES in S270 and proceeds to S272, and receives an error notification from the OS 36 indicating that a WFD connection has not been established. In the case of acquiring , it is determined NO in S270 and the process proceeds to S280.

In S272, if the target MAC address is not already stored as the connection history information, the application 40 adds the target MAC address to the connection history information. If the application 40 has already stored the target MAC address as connection history information, it skips S272.

In S274, the application 40 sends a print command or a scan command to the MFP via the Wi-Fi interface 22 using the WFD connection established in S270. If the application 40 passes through S126 in FIG. 3, it transmits a print command including print data representing the image selected in S124 to the MFP. Thereby, the MFP executes printing of the image. On the other hand, if the application 40 passes through S132 in FIG. 3, it transmits a scan command to the MFP. Thereby, the MFP scans the document and generates scan data. The scan data may be sent from the MFP to the terminal device 10 using the above WFD connection, may be stored in the memory of the MFP, or may be stored in an external memory connected to the MFP. It's okay.

Although not shown, when S274 ends, the WFD connection between the terminal device 10 and the MFP is disconnected. The WFD connection may be disconnected primarily by the terminal device 10, or the WFD connection may be disconnected primarily by the MFP. When S274 ends, the process in FIG. 4 ends.

In S280, the application 40 determines whether the target model name is "M1" or "M2". If the target model name is "M1", the application 40 determines YES in S280 and proceeds to S282, and if the target model name is "M2", determines NO in S280 and proceeds to S284.

In S282, the application 40 causes the display unit 14 to display an error screen SC40 corresponding to the model name "M1". As shown in FIG. 5, error screen SC40 includes a message 340 indicating that the WFD connection was not established. Error screen SC40 further includes a message 342 prompting the user to select WFD settings on the home screen of the MFP and change the WFD settings of the MFP from "OFF" to "ON." Message 342 is similar to message 300 in operation screen SC30. Even though the operation screen SC30 is displayed in S242, the user may not perform the operation to change the WFD setting of the MFP to "ON". In this case, the WFD connection with the MFP is not established (NO in S270), and an error screen SC40 including message 342 is displayed. Therefore, the user can perform an operation to change the WFD setting of the MFP to "ON" in response to the message 342. When S282 ends, the process of FIG. 4 ends.

In S284, the application 40 causes the display unit 14 to display an error screen SC42 corresponding to the model name "M2". As shown in FIG. 5, error screen SC42 includes a message 350 indicating that the WFD connection was not established. Error screen SC42 further includes a message 352 prompting the user to change the WFD setting of the MFP from "OFF" to "ON" by pressing a physical button on the front of the MFP. Message 352 is similar to message 310 in operation screen SC32. In response to message 352, the user can perform an operation to change the WFD setting of the MFP to “ON”. In particular, in this embodiment, the application 40 displays an error screen SC40 or SC42 that shows a method depending on the model name. This allows the user to change the WFD settings of the MFP using a method according to the model name. When S284 ends, the process of FIG. 4 ends.

(Tag interface processing: Figure 6)
Next, with reference to FIG. 6, the tag interface processing in S160 of FIG. 3 will be described. As described above, the specific information received from MFP 200 equipped with an NFC tag interface includes the MAC address "MAC2" of MFP 200, the SSID of the wireless network in which MFP 200 operates as a G/O, and the password of the wireless network. include. Further, the specific information may further include the IP address of MFP 200 used in the wireless network formed by AP 60, and may also include error information.

In S310, the application 40 determines whether the specific information includes error information. If the specific information includes error information, the application 40 determines YES in S310 and proceeds to S312, and if the specific information does not include error information, determines NO in S310 and proceeds to S320.

In S312, the application 40 causes the display unit 14 to display an error screen SC50. Error screen SC50 includes a message indicating that a WFD connection with MFP 200 cannot be established because the number of slave stations in the wireless network in which MFP 200 operates as a G/O has reached the upper limit. Therefore, the user can know that it is not possible to establish a WFD connection with MFP 200. When S312 ends, the process of FIG. 6 ends.

In S320, the application 40 determines whether the terminal device 10 and the MFP 200 have established a Wi-Fi connection with the same AP 60. Specifically, the application 40 first determines whether or not the specific information includes an IP address, and if the specific information does not include an IP address, it determines that a Wi-Fi connection with the same AP 60 has not been established. It is determined that (NO in S320), and the process proceeds to S330. When the specific information includes an IP address, the application 40 supplies the OS 36 with a continuity check instruction including the IP address. The continuity confirmation instruction is a command that instructs transmission of a confirmation signal that includes the IP address as the destination IP address. Thereby, the OS 36 transmits a confirmation signal via the Wi-Fi interface 22, and supplies a continuity notification to the application 40 when receiving a response signal. When the OS 36 does not receive a response signal, it supplies a non-conduction notification to the application 40. When acquiring the continuity notification from the OS 36, the application 40 determines that a Wi-Fi connection with the same AP 60 has been established (YES in S320), and proceeds to S322. When acquiring the disconnection notification from the OS 36, the application 40 determines that a Wi-Fi connection with the same AP 60 has not been established (NO in S320), and proceeds to S330.

In S322, the application 40 uses the Wi-Fi connection with the AP 60 to send a print command or a scan command to the MFP via the Wi-Fi interface 22. Which command is sent is the same as S274 in FIG. 4. When S322 ends, the process of FIG. 6 ends.

The processes in S330 and S340 are similar to the processes in S260 and S270 in FIG. 4, respectively. When the WFD connection with the MFP 200 is established (YES in S340), the application 40 sends a print command or a scan command to the MFP via the Wi-Fi interface 22 using the WFD connection with the MFP 200 in S342. Send to. Which command is sent is the same as S274 in FIG. 4. When S342 ends, the process of FIG. 6 ends.

If the WFD connection with the MFP 200 is not established (NO in S340), the application 40 causes the display unit 14 to display an error screen SC52 in S344. The error screen SC52 includes a message indicating that the WFD connection was not established, and a message indicating the reason why the WFD connection was not established. The cause indicates, for example, that the communication environment between the terminal device 10 and the MFP 200 may be poor. When S344 ends, the process of FIG. 6 ends.

(Specific cases: Figures 7 to 13)
Next, with reference to FIGS. 7 to 13, specific cases realized by the processes in FIGS. 2 to 4 and 6 will be described. In FIGS. 7 to 13, NFC communications are indicated by thick dashed arrows, and Wi-Fi communications are indicated by thin dashed arrows.

(Case A1: Figure 7)
Case A1 in FIG. 7 is a case where the terminal device 10 establishes a WFD connection with the MFP 100. In the initial state of FIG. 7, the WFD setting of MFP 100 is "OFF" and MFP 100 is in a non-G/O state.

At T10, when an operation for starting the application 40 is performed on the terminal device 10, the application 40 is started at T12 (trigger in FIG. 3). The application 40 displays the home screen SC10 at T14 (S110), and accepts a print icon selection operation at T20 (YES at S120). The application 40 displays the image selection screen SC12 at T22 (S122), and accepts an operation to select an image to be printed at T24 (YES at S124). In this case, the application 40 displays a preview screen SC14 (S126).

When the terminal device 10 is brought close to the MFP 100, an NFC link is established between the terminal device 10 and the MFP 100 at T30, and the application 40 receives specific information from the MFP 100 (YES at S140). The specific information includes interface type information indicating the NFC independent interface, the MAC address "MAC1" of the MFP 100, and the model name "M1" of the MFP 100. In this case, the application 40 displays the operation screen SC30 corresponding to the model name "M1" at T32 (YES at S142, S150, NO at S210 in FIG. 4, YES at S240, S242). In this way, the application 40 displays the operation screen SC30 when the interface type information indicates an NFC independent interface. Therefore, the user can be prompted to perform an operation on the MFP 100. Therefore, the application 40 can establish a WFD connection with the MFP 100 when the above operation is performed on the MFP 100.

The user performs an operation on MFP 100 at T34 in response to message 300 in operation screen SC30. Specifically, the MFP 100 displays the home screen SC0 (S12 in FIG. 2), accepts a selection operation of the WFD setting button (S20), and displays the setting change screen SC1 (S22). Then, the MFP 100 accepts the selection operation of the YES button in the setting change screen SC1 (S24), and changes the WFD setting from "OFF" to "ON" at T36 (S26). That is, MFP 100 transitions from a non-G/O state to a G/O state, and from a non-WPS state to a WPS state.

Thereafter, when the terminal device 10 is brought close to the MFP 100 in response to the message 302 in the operation screen SC30, the NFC link is re-established between the terminal device 10 and the MFP 100 at T40, and the application 40 receives specific information from the MFP 100. (YES in S250 of FIG. 4). In this case, the application 40 supplies a connection instruction including the MAC address "MAC1" to the OS 36 at T42 (S260), and displays the connection screen SC35 at T44 (S262).

When the OS 36 obtains the connection instruction from the application 40 at T42, the OS 36 executes communication according to WPS with the MFP 100 at T50, and establishes a WFD connection with the MFP 100 at T52. In this case, the OS 36 transmits a connection notification to the application 40 at T54.

When the application 40 obtains the connection notification from the OS 36 at T54 (YES at S270), the application 40 stores the MAC address "MAC1" as connection history information at T56 (S272). The application 40 then transmits a print command to the MFP 100 at T60 (S274).

Upon receiving the print command from the terminal device 10 at T60, the MFP 100 executes printing according to the print command at T62. Thereafter, at T70, the WFD connection between the terminal device 10 and the MFP 100 is disconnected. In this case, MFP 100 maintains the G/O state. However, MFP 100 transitions from the WPS state to the non-WPS state.

(Continuation of Figure 7: Figure 8)
Referring to FIG. 8, a situation in which the user causes MFP 100 to execute printing again after the process in FIG. 7 is executed will be described. The processing from T110 to T130 is similar to the processing from T10 to T30 in FIG. In this case, the application 40 supplies a device search instruction including the MAC address "MAC1" to the OS 36 at T134 (YES at S210 in FIG. 4, S212).

Upon acquiring the device search instruction from the application 40 at T134, the OS 36 transmits a broadcast probe request at T130, and receives a probe response from the MFP 100, which is the G/O, at T138. The Probe response includes the MAC address "MAC1" of MFP 100 and the SSID "SSID1" of the wireless network in which MFP 100 operates as a G/O. At T140, the OS 36 supplies the application 40 with the search result including the MAC address "MAC1" in the Probe response.

When the application 40 acquires the search result from the OS 36 at T140, it supplies a connection instruction including the MAC address "MAC1" to the OS 36 at T142 (S260), and displays the connection screen SC35 at T144.

Upon acquiring the connection instruction from the application 40 at T142, the OS 36 transmits a connection request including the MAC address "MAC1" in the connection instruction as the destination MAC address to the MFP 100 at T146.

MFP 100 receives a connection request from terminal device 10 at T146. However, since MFP 100 is in a non-WPS state, it cannot perform communication according to WPS. In this case, the MFP 100 displays a connection button at T147. The user selects the connection button displayed on MFP 100 at T148 in response to message 322 in connection screen SC35. The selection operation of the connection button here corresponds to a button operation according to the PBC (Push Button Configuration) method of WPS. As a result, the MFP 100 transitions from the non-WPS state to the WPS state at T149.

After that, the OS 36 executes communication according to WPS with the MFP 100 at T150, and establishes a WFD connection with the MFP 100 at T152. In this way, the application 40 displays the operation screen SC30 when the NFC link with the MFP 100 is re-established (T130 in FIG. 8) after the first WFD connection is disconnected (T70 in FIG. 7). The WFD connection with the MFP 100 can be re-established without having to do so (T152). The subsequent processing from T154 to T170 is similar to the processing from T54 to T70 in FIG.

(Case A2: Figure 9)
Case A2 in FIG. 9 is a case in which an operation for changing the WFD setting of MFP 100 to "ON" is not performed. The processing from T210 to T232 is similar to the processing from T10 to T32 in FIG.

Even if the operation screen SC30 is displayed, the user does not perform an operation to change the WFD setting of the MFP 100 to "ON". Then, at T240, the NFC link is re-established between the terminal device 10 and the MFP 100 (YES at S250 in FIG. 4). In this case, the application 40 supplies a connection instruction including the MAC address "MAC1" to the OS 36 at T242 (S260), and displays the connection screen SC35 at T244 (S262).

Upon acquiring the connection instruction from the application 40 at T242, the OS 36 transmits a broadcast probe request at T246. However, since MFP 100 is in a non-G/O state, OS 36 does not receive a Probe response from MFP 100. Therefore, the OS 36 is unable to establish a WFD connection with the MFP 100, and supplies an error notification to the application 40 at T254.

When the application 40 acquires the error notification from the OS 36 at T254, it displays the error screen SC40 at T260 (NO at S270, YES at S280, S282). In this way, the application 40 displays the error screen SC40 when the NFC link with the MFP 100 is re-established (T240) without performing an operation to change the WFD setting of the MFP 100 to "ON". (T260). Therefore, the user can know that the WFD connection with MFP 100 has not been established. In particular, error screen SC40 includes a message 342 indicating an operation for changing the WFD setting of MFP 100 to "ON". Therefore, the user can know that the operation must be performed in order to establish a WFD connection with MFP 100.

When the processes from T210 to T230 are executed again after case A2 in FIG. 9, the application 40 is at T232 and displays the operation screen SC30 (NO in S210, YES in S240, S242). Therefore, the user can know that he should perform an operation to change the WFD setting of MFP 100 to "ON". Then, the application 40 can establish a WFD connection with the MFP 100 when the above operation is performed on the MFP 100 (T34 to T52 in FIG. 7).

(Case A3: Figure 10)
Case A3 in FIG. 10 is a case in which the MFP 100 in the G/O state has established a WFD connection with another terminal device 50. The WFD setting of the MFP 100 is "ON", and the MFP 100 is in the G/O state and non-WPS state. The processing from T310 to T332 is similar to the processing from T10 to T32 in FIG.

The user attempts to perform an operation on MFP 100 in response to message 300 in operation screen SC30 displayed at T332. However, in this case, since the WFD setting of MFP 100 is already set to "ON", the user does not perform an operation to change the WFD setting of MFP 100 to "ON". Then, at T340, the NFC link is re-established between the terminal device 10 and the MFP 100 (YES at S250 in FIG. 4). In this case, the application 40 supplies a connection instruction including the MAC address "MAC1" to the OS 36 at T342 (S260), and displays the connection screen SC35 at T344 (S262).

When the OS 36 obtains the connection instruction from the application 40 at T342, the OS 36 attempts to perform communication with the MFP 100 according to WPS. However, since the MFP 100 is in a non-WPS state and the number of slave stations belonging to the wireless network in which the MFP 100 operates as a G/O is the upper limit, the OS 36 cannot perform communication with the MFP 100 according to WPS. Can not. Therefore, the OS 36 supplies an error notification to the application 40 at T354.

When the application 40 acquires the error notification from the OS 36 at T354, it displays the error screen SC40 at T360 (NO at S270, YES at S280, S282). Therefore, the user can know that the WFD connection with MFP 100 has not been established.

(Case B1: Figure 11)
Case B1 in FIG. 11 is a case where the terminal device 10 establishes a WFD connection with the MFP 200. In the initial state of FIG. 11, the WFD setting of the MFP 200 is "OFF", and the MFP 200 is in a non-G/O state. MFP 200 has established a Wi-Fi connection with AP 60. The terminal device 10 has not established a Wi-Fi connection with the AP 60.

The processing from T410 to T426 is similar to the processing from T10 to T26 in FIG. At T430, an NFC link is established between the terminal device 10 and the MFP 200, and the application 40 receives specific information from the MFP 200 (YES at S140). The specific information includes interface type information indicating the NFC tag interface, the MAC address "MAC2" of the MFP 200, the SSID "SSID2" of the wireless network in which the MFP 200 operates as a G/O, the password of the wireless network, and the AP 60. The IP address of MFP 200 used in the wireless network being formed is included. At T440, the application 40 supplies a continuity check instruction including the received IP address to the OS 36 (NO at S142, S160, NO at S310 in FIG. 6, S320).

When the NFC link with the terminal device 10 is established at T430 (YES at S40 in FIG. 2), the MFP 200 transitions from the non-G/O state to the G/O state, and from the non-WPS state to the WPS state. (NO in S42, S46).

At T440, upon acquiring the continuity check instruction from the application 40, the OS 36 attempts to transmit a confirmation signal that includes the IP address in the continuity check instruction as the destination IP address. In this case, since the terminal device 10 has not established a Wi-Fi connection with the AP 60, the OS 36 cannot transmit the confirmation signal to the MFP 200, and as a result does not receive a response signal from the MFP 200. Therefore, the OS 36 supplies a non-conduction notification to the application 40 at T441.

When the application 40 obtains the disconnection notification from the OS 36 at T441 (NO at S320 in FIG. 6), the application 40 supplies a connection instruction including the MAC address "MAC2" to the OS 36 (S330). The subsequent processes from T450 to T470 are the same as those from T50 to T70 in FIG. 7, except that the MFP 200 is the target. In this way, when the interface type information indicates the NFC tag interface, the application 40 can establish a WFD connection with the MFP 200 even if the MFP 200 does not perform an operation to change the WFD setting to "ON". Can be done.

When the WFD connection with the terminal device 10 is disconnected at T470, the MFP 200 transitions from the WPS state to the non-WPS state. MFP 200 further transitions from the G/O state to the non-G/O state when a second predetermined time (for example, 300 seconds) has elapsed after the WFD connection was disconnected. Here, the point that MFP 200 shifts from the G/O state to the non-G/O state is different from case A1 in FIG. 7 in that MFP 100 maintains the G/O state. In case A1 in FIG. 7, the MFP 100 transitions to the G/O state in response to the user performing an operation on the MFP 100 (T34, T36). Therefore, MFP 100 maintains the G/O state in response to the user's intention to change the WFD setting of MFP 100 to “ON”. On the other hand, in case B1 of FIG. 11, the user does not perform any operation on the MFP 200. Therefore, the MFP 200 temporarily shifts to the G/O state, and returns to the non-G/O state when the WFD connection with the terminal device 10 is disconnected.

(Case B2: Figure 12)
Case B2 in FIG. 12 is a case in which the terminal device 10 transmits a print command to the MFP 200 via the AP 60. In the initial state of FIG. 12, the terminal device 10 and the MFP 200 have established a Wi-Fi connection with the same AP 60.

The processing from T510 to T540 is similar to the processing from T410 to T440 in FIG. Upon acquiring the continuity check instruction from the application 40 at T540, the OS 36 transmits a confirmation signal including the IP address in the continuity check instruction as the destination IP address at T542. Thereby, the OS 36 transmits a confirmation signal to the MFP 200 via the AP 60 at T542, and receives a response signal from the MFP 200 via the AP 60 at T544. Therefore, the OS 36 supplies a continuity notification to the application 40 at T546.

When the application 40 obtains the continuity notification from the OS 36 at T546 (YES at S320 in FIG. 6), it transmits a print command to the MFP 200 via the AP 60 (S322). In this way, the application 40 can send a print command to the MFP 200 via the AP 60 without establishing a WFD connection with the MFP 200 when the terminal device 10 and the MFP 200 are connected to the same AP 60 .

Upon receiving the print command from the terminal device 10 via the AP 60 at T546, the MFP 200 executes printing according to the print command. Then, when a first predetermined time (for example, 70 seconds) has elapsed since the MFP 200 transitioned to the WPS state at T536, the MFP 200 transitions to the non-WPS state. Furthermore, if a second predetermined period of time (for example, 300 seconds) has elapsed without establishing a WFD connection after transitioning to the G/O state at T536, the MFP 200 transitions to the non-G/O state.

(Case B3: Figure 13)
Case B3 is a case in which the MFP 200 in the G/O state has established a WFD connection with another terminal device 50. The WFD setting of the MFP 200 is "ON", and the MFP 200 is in a G/O state and a non-WPS state.

The processing from T610 to T626 is similar to the processing from T410 to T426 in FIG. At T630, an NFC link is established between the terminal device 10 and the MFP 200, and the application 40 receives specific information from the MFP 200 (YES at S140). The specific information includes error information. In this case, the application 40 displays the error screen SC50 at T632 (YES at S310 in FIG. 6, S312). Therefore, the user can know that it is not possible to establish a WFD connection with MFP 200 because the number of slave stations in the wireless network in which MFP 200 operates as a G/O has reached the upper limit.

(Effects of this example)
According to this embodiment, the terminal device 10 displays the operation screen SC30 when the interface type information indicates an NFC independent interface (T32 in FIG. 7). Therefore, the user can be prompted to perform an operation on the MFP 100. Therefore, when the operation is executed on MFP 100 (T34), terminal device 10 can establish a WFD connection with MFP 100 (T52). On the other hand, when the interface type information indicates an NFC tag interface, the terminal device 10 can establish a WFD connection with the MFP 200 even if the above operation is not performed on the MFP 200 (T452 in FIG. 11). In this way, the terminal device 10 can perform appropriate processing depending on whether the MFP is equipped with an NFC independent interface or an NFC tag interface.

(correspondence)
MFPs 100 and 200 are examples of "communication devices." The NFC standard and the Wi-Fi standard are examples of the "first communication standard" and the "second communication standard", respectively. The WFD method is an example of the "predetermined method." The NFC interface 20 and Wi-Fi interface 22 of the terminal device 10 are examples of a "first wireless interface" and a "second wireless interface," respectively. NFC interface 120 or 220 of MFP 100 or MFP 200 is an example of a "third wireless interface." The Wi-Fi interface 122 or 222 of the MFP 100 or MFP 200 is an example of a "fourth wireless interface." The NFC independent interface and the NFC tag interface are examples of a "first type wireless interface" and a "second type wireless interface," respectively. Operation screens SC30 and SC32 are an example of "a plurality of operation screens". The connection screen SC35 is an example of a "notification screen". The selection operation of the connection button is an example of a "predetermined connection operation." The error screen SC40 (or SC42) is an example of a "first error screen." The message 342 in the error screen SC40 is an example of a "message indicating a change operation." The error screen SC50 and the error screen SC40 (or SC42) are examples of a "second error screen" and a "third error screen", respectively.

S140 in FIG. 3 is an example of a process executed by the "specific information receiving section." S242 and S244 in FIG. 4 are examples of processing executed by the "first display control unit." S260 executed after S242 or S244 is an example of a process executed by the "first establishment unit." S330 in FIG. 6 is an example of the process executed by the "second establishment unit". S260, which is executed after YES in S210 in FIG. 4, is an example of the process executed by the "re-establishment unit." S262 is an example of a process executed by the "second display control unit". S282 and S284 are examples of processing executed by the "third display control unit". S312 in FIG. 6 is an example of a process executed by the "fourth display control unit". S282 and S284 in FIG. 4 are examples of processing executed by the "fifth display control section."

(Second example)
Next, a second embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, in S272 of FIG. 4, the application 40 stores the target MAC address and the date and time when the WFD connection was established in association with each other as connection history information. Then, if YES in S210 of FIG. 4, the application 40 determines whether a predetermined period of time (for example, one month) has elapsed from the date and time associated with the target MAC address. If the application 40 determines that the predetermined time has elapsed, the process proceeds to S240, and if it determines that the predetermined time has not elapsed, the process proceeds to S212.

For example, if a long time has passed since the WFD connection was established between the terminal device 10 and the MFP 100, the WFD setting of the MFP 100 is set to "ON" by the user performing an operation according to the setting change screen SC1. There is a possibility that the WFD setting of the MFP 100 has been changed from "ON" to "OFF" due to initialization of the MFP 100. Therefore, even if the application 40 stores the target MAC address as connection history information, if the above predetermined time has elapsed, the application 40 displays the operation screen SC30 or S32 (S242, S244). ). Thereby, the application 40 can appropriately establish a WFD connection with the MFP 100.

(Third example)
Next, a third embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, in S272 of FIG. 4, the application 40 stores the target MAC address and the date and time when the WFD connection was established in association with each other as connection history information. Then, in the case of YES in S210 of FIG. 4, the application 40 specifies the number of dates and times associated with the target MAC address, that is, the number of connections that is the number of times a WFD connection has been established, and determines that the number of connections is a predetermined number. It is determined whether or not the number of times is less than the number of times (for example, three times). If the application 40 determines that the number of connections is less than the predetermined number, the application 40 proceeds to S240, and if it determines that the number of connections is greater than or equal to the predetermined number, the application 40 proceeds to S212.

If the number of connections is less than the predetermined number, there is a possibility that the user has insufficient knowledge regarding MFP 100. If the MAC address of MFP 100 is stored as connection history information, the WFD setting of MFP 100 should have been changed to "ON", but after that, a user with little knowledge changed the WFD setting of MFP 100. It may have been changed to "OFF". Therefore, even if the application 40 stores the target MAC address as connection history information, if the number of connections is less than the predetermined number, the application 40 displays the operation screen SC30 or S32 (S242, S244). . Thereby, the application 40 can appropriately establish a WFD connection with the MFP 100.

Although specific examples of the technology disclosed in this specification have been described above in detail, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The techniques described in the claims include various modifications and changes to the specific examples illustrated above. Modifications are listed below.

(Modification 1) If the operation for changing the WFD setting to "ON" is common among various models of MFPs equipped with NFC independent interfaces, the NFC independent interfaces of all models of MFPs do not contain specific information. It is not necessary to remember the model name as . In this case, the application 40 may display an operation screen common to any model of MFP without executing the determination in S240 of FIG. 4. Generally speaking, "specific information" does not need to include model name information. Further, the "first display control section" may display only one type of operation screen on the display section.

(Modification 2) The processes of S210 to S220 in FIG. 4 may be omitted. Generally speaking, the "re-establishment unit" re-establishes the first wireless connection after the operation screen is displayed when the wireless link is re-established after the first wireless connection is disconnected. You may let them.

(Modification 3) The process of S262 in FIG. 4 may be omitted. In this modified example. The "second display control section" can be omitted.

(Modification 4) The process of S250 in FIG. 4 may be omitted. In this case, for example, the application 40 may monitor whether the user performs an operation on a predetermined button, and may proceed to S260 when the operation is performed. Further, for example, the application 40 may immediately proceed to S260 after displaying the operation screen SC30 or SC32 in S242 or S252. Generally speaking, the "first establisher" may establish the first wireless connection even if the wireless link is not re-established.

(Variation 5) The processes of S280 to S284 in FIG. 4 may be omitted. In this modification, the "third display control section" and the "fifth display control section" can be omitted.

(Variation 6) Error screen SC40 may not include message 342, and error screen SC42 may not include message 352. Generally speaking, the "first error screen" does not need to include a message indicating a change operation.

(Modification 7) Even if the number of slave stations belonging to the wireless network in which the MFP 200 operates as a G/O reaches the upper limit, the NFC tag interface 220 of the MFP 200 does not need to store error information. That is, the specific information received from MFP 200 does not need to include error information. In this case, the processes of S310 and S312 in FIG. 6 may be omitted. In this modification, the "fourth display control section" can be omitted.

(Modification 8) The situation in which the MFP 200 transmits specific information including error information to the terminal device 10 is not limited to the situation where the number of slave stations belonging to the wireless network in which the MFP 200 operates as a G/O has reached the upper limit. . For example, even when operating as a WFD client, the MFP 200 cannot establish a WFD connection with the terminal device 10. In this case, the specific information may include error information indicating that MFP 200 is operating as a WFD client. Then, in S312 of FIG. 6, an error screen indicating that the MFP 200 is operating as a WFD client may be displayed.

(Modification 9) The "first communication standard" is not limited to the NFC standard, and may be, for example, the TransferJet standard. The "second communication standard" is not limited to the Wi-Fi standard, and may be, for example, the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard.

(Modification 10) The "predetermined method" is not limited to the WFD method, and may be the SoftAP method.

(Modification 11) The "communication device" is not limited to an MFP, and may be other devices such as a printer, scanner, terminal device, PC, or server.

(Modification 11) In the above embodiment, each of the processes shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 and 6 to 13 is executed by software (for example, the application 40), but at least one of these processes is executed by a logic circuit. It may also be realized by hardware such as.

The technical elements described in this specification or the drawings exhibit technical utility alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims as filed. Furthermore, the techniques illustrated in this specification or the drawings can achieve multiple objectives simultaneously, and achieving one of the objectives has technical utility in itself.

Even if each claim is dependent on only some of the claims in the scope of claims as of the filing of this patent application, each claim can be dependent on only some of the claims. Not limited. To the extent not technically inconsistent, each claim may be dependent on other claims to which it was not dependent as filed. That is, the techniques of each claim can be combined in various ways as follows.
(Item 1)
A computer program for a terminal device,
The terminal device is
a first wireless interface for performing wireless communication according to a first communication standard;
a second wireless interface for performing wireless communication according to a second communication standard different from the first communication standard;
A display section;
comprising a computer;
The computer program causes the computer to run the following parts:
In response to the terminal device being brought close to the communication device, the first wireless interface and the third wireless interface of the communication device perform wireless communication according to the first communication standard. when a wireless link is established between the third wireless interface and the third wireless interface, the wireless link is used to transmit specific information from the third wireless interface via the first wireless interface. a specific information receiving unit that receives the specific information, the specific information including type information indicating the type of the third wireless interface;
When the type information indicates a first type of wireless interface that is independent from the control unit of the communication device, the state of the communication device is determined by indicating that the function of the predetermined method of the second communication standard is disabled. a first display control unit that causes the display unit to display an operation screen showing a change operation for changing from a disabled state in which the function is enabled in the predetermined method to an enabled state in which the function of the predetermined method is enabled; When the type information indicates the second type of wireless interface that is different from the first type of wireless interface and is not independent from the control unit of the communication device, the operation the first display control unit in which no screen is displayed;
When the type information indicates the first type of wireless interface and the change operation is performed on the communication device, the second wireless interface and the fourth wireless interface of the communication device, , and the fourth wireless interface for performing wireless communication according to the second communication standard, a first establishing unit that establishes a first wireless connection according to the predetermined method;
When the type information indicates the second type of wireless interface, even if the change operation is not performed on the communication device, the predetermined wireless interface is connected between the second wireless interface and the fourth wireless interface. a second establishment unit that establishes a second wireless connection according to the method;
A computer program that functions as
(Item 2)
When the type information indicates the first type of wireless interface, the specific information further includes model name information indicating a model name of the communication device,
The first display control section causes the display section to display, among a plurality of operation screens corresponding to a plurality of model names, the operation screen corresponding to the model name indicated by the model name information. 1. The computer program according to 1.
(Item 3)
The computer program further causes the computer to
When the wireless link is re-established between the first wireless interface and the third wireless interface after the first wireless connection is disconnected, the operation screen is displayed on the display unit. 3. The computer program according to item 1 or 2, which functions as a re-establishment unit that re-establishes the first wireless connection between the second wireless interface and the fourth wireless interface without any connection.
(Item 4)
The computer program further causes the computer to
performing a predetermined connection operation in the communication device when the wireless link is re-established between the first wireless interface and the third wireless interface after the first wireless connection is disconnected; a second display control unit that causes the display unit to display a notification screen prompting what to do, the predetermined connection operation being a second display control unit that causes the communication device to perform communication for re-establishing the first wireless connection; function as the second display control unit, which is an operation for causing
The re-establishment unit re-establishes the first wireless connection between the second wireless interface and the fourth wireless interface when the predetermined connection operation is performed in the communication device. Computer program according to item 3.
(Item 5)
The first establishing unit is configured such that the type information indicates the first type of wireless interface, the change operation is performed on the communication device, and the first type of wireless interface and the third wireless interface any one of items 1 to 4, wherein the first wireless connection is established between the second wireless interface and the fourth wireless interface when the wireless link is re-established between the second wireless interface and the fourth wireless interface; The computer program described in Section.
(Item 6)
The computer program further causes the computer to
the wireless link between the first wireless interface and the third wireless interface, where the type information indicates the first type of wireless interface, and the change operation is not performed by the communication device; 6. The computer program according to item 5, which functions as a third display control section that causes the display section to display a first error screen when the error screen is re-established.
(Item 7)
7. The computer program according to item 6, wherein the first error screen includes a message indicating the change operation.
(Item 8)
The first display control unit is configured to re-establish the wireless link between the first wireless interface and the third wireless interface after the first error screen is displayed on the display unit. The computer program according to item 6 or 7, wherein the computer program causes the operation screen to be displayed on the display unit.
(Item 9)
The type information indicates the second type of wireless interface, the state of the communication device is the enabled state, and the communication device is unable to establish a wireless connection with the terminal device according to the predetermined method. If possible, the specific information further includes error information,
When the type information indicates the first type of wireless interface and the communication device is unable to establish a wireless connection with the terminal device according to the predetermined method, the specific information includes the error information. not included,
The computer program further causes the computer to
a fourth display control unit that causes the display unit to display a second error screen when the type information indicates the second type of wireless interface and the specific information includes the error information;
The type information indicates the first type of wireless interface, and the first wireless connection is established because the communication device is unable to establish a wireless connection with the terminal device according to the predetermined method. a fifth display control unit that causes a third error screen to be displayed on the display unit when the establishment is not established;
9. The computer program according to any one of items 1 to 8, which functions as a computer program as described in any one of items 1 to 8.
(Item 10)
The first display control unit is configured such that the type information indicates the first type of wireless interface, and that the first wireless connection between the second wireless interface and the fourth wireless interface was previously established. displaying the operation screen on the display unit if a predetermined time has passed since the establishment;
The type information indicates the first type of wireless interface, and the predetermined time has elapsed since the first wireless connection was last established between the second wireless interface and the fourth wireless interface. 10. The computer program according to any one of items 1 to 9, wherein the operation screen is not displayed if the operation screen is not displayed.
(Item 11)
The first display control unit is configured such that the type information indicates the first type of wireless interface, and the first wireless connection is established between the second wireless interface and the fourth wireless interface. displaying the operation screen on the display unit when the number of times the operation has been performed is less than a predetermined number;
The type information indicates the first type of wireless interface, and the number of times the first wireless connection is established between the second wireless interface and the fourth wireless interface is equal to or greater than a predetermined number of times. 11. The computer program according to any one of items 1 to 10, wherein the operation screen is not displayed in this case.
(Item 12)
The first communication standard is the NFC (Near Field Communication) standard,
The computer program according to any one of items 1 to 11, wherein the second communication standard is a Wi-Fi standard.
(Item 13)
The computer program according to any one of items 1 to 12, wherein the predetermined method is a WFD (abbreviation for Wi-Fi Direct) method.

2: communication system, 10: terminal device, 12: operation unit, 14: display unit, 20: NFC interface, 22: Wi-Fi interface, 30: control unit, 32: CPU, 34: memory, 36: OS program, 40: MFP application, 50: terminal device, 60: AP, 100: multi-function device, 112: operation unit, 114: display unit, 116: print execution unit, 118: scan execution unit, 120: NFC independent interface, 122: Wi-Fi interface, 130: control unit, 132: CPU, 134: memory, 136: program, 200: multi-function device, 212: operation unit, 214: display unit, 216: print execution unit, 218: scan execution unit, 220: NFC tag interface, 222: Wi-Fi interface, 230: control unit, 232: CPU, 234: memory, 236: program

Claims (15)

A computer program for a terminal device,
The terminal device is
a first wireless interface for performing wireless communication according to a first communication standard;
a second wireless interface for performing wireless communication according to a second communication standard different from the first communication standard;
A display section;
comprising a computer;
The computer program causes the computer to run the following parts:
In response to the terminal device being brought close to the communication device, the first wireless interface and the third wireless interface of the communication device perform wireless communication according to the first communication standard. when a wireless link is established between the third wireless interface and the third wireless interface, the wireless link is used to transmit specific information from the third wireless interface via the first wireless interface. a specific information receiving unit that receives the specific information, the specific information including type information indicating the type of the third wireless interface;
When the type information indicates a first type of wireless interface that is independent from the control unit of the communication device, the state of the communication device is determined by indicating that the function of the predetermined method of the second communication standard is disabled. a first display control unit that causes the display unit to display an operation screen showing a change operation for changing from a disabled state in which the function is enabled in the predetermined method to an enabled state in which the function of the predetermined method is enabled; When the type information indicates the second type of wireless interface that is different from the first type of wireless interface and is not independent from the control unit of the communication device, the operation the first display control unit in which no screen is displayed;
When the type information indicates the first type of wireless interface and the change operation is performed on the communication device, the second wireless interface and the fourth wireless interface of the communication device, , and the fourth wireless interface for performing wireless communication according to the second communication standard, a first establishing unit that establishes a first wireless connection according to the predetermined method;
When the type information indicates the second type of wireless interface, even if the change operation is not performed on the communication device, the predetermined wireless interface is connected between the second wireless interface and the fourth wireless interface. a second establishment unit that establishes a second wireless connection according to the method;
A computer program that functions as When the type information indicates the first type of wireless interface, the specific information further includes model name information indicating a model name of the communication device,
The first display control section causes the display section to display the operation screen corresponding to the model name indicated by the model name information among the plurality of operation screens corresponding to the plurality of model names. The computer program according to item 1. The computer program further causes the computer to
When the wireless link is re-established between the first wireless interface and the third wireless interface after the first wireless connection is disconnected, the operation screen is displayed on the display unit. 2. The computer program product according to claim 1, which functions as a re-establishment unit that re-establishes the first wireless connection between the second wireless interface and the fourth wireless interface without re-establishing the first wireless connection. The computer program further causes the computer to
performing a predetermined connection operation in the communication device when the wireless link is re-established between the first wireless interface and the third wireless interface after the first wireless connection is disconnected; a second display control unit that causes the display unit to display a notification screen prompting what to do, the predetermined connection operation being a second display control unit that causes the communication device to perform communication for re-establishing the first wireless connection; function as the second display control unit, which is an operation for causing
The re-establishment unit re-establishes the first wireless connection between the second wireless interface and the fourth wireless interface when the predetermined connection operation is performed in the communication device. The computer program according to claim 3. The first establishing unit is configured such that the type information indicates the first type of wireless interface, the change operation is performed on the communication device, and the first type of wireless interface and the third wireless interface 2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the first wireless connection is established between the second wireless interface and the fourth wireless interface when the wireless link is re-established between the second wireless interface and the fourth wireless interface. . The computer program further causes the computer to
the wireless link between the first wireless interface and the third wireless interface, where the type information indicates the first type of wireless interface, and the change operation is not performed by the communication device; 6. The computer program product according to claim 5, which functions as a third display control section that causes the display section to display a first error screen when the error screen is re-established. 7. The computer program product according to claim 6, wherein the first error screen includes a message indicating the change operation. The first display control unit is configured to re-establish the wireless link between the first wireless interface and the third wireless interface after the first error screen is displayed on the display unit. 7. The computer program according to claim 6, wherein the computer program causes the operation screen to be displayed on the display unit in the case where the operation screen is displayed on the display unit. The type information indicates the second type of wireless interface, the state of the communication device is the enabled state, and the communication device is unable to establish a wireless connection with the terminal device according to the predetermined method. If possible, the specific information further includes error information,
When the type information indicates the first type of wireless interface and the communication device is unable to establish a wireless connection with the terminal device according to the predetermined method, the specific information includes the error information. not included,
The computer program further causes the computer to
a fourth display control unit that causes the display unit to display a second error screen when the type information indicates the second type of wireless interface and the specific information includes the error information;
The type information indicates the first type of wireless interface, and the first wireless connection is established because the communication device is unable to establish a wireless connection with the terminal device according to the predetermined method. a fifth display control unit that causes the display unit to display a third error screen when the establishment is not established;
The computer program according to claim 1, which functions as a computer program. The first display control unit is configured such that the type information indicates the first type of wireless interface, and that the first wireless connection between the second wireless interface and the fourth wireless interface was previously established. displaying the operation screen on the display unit if a predetermined time has passed since the establishment;
The type information indicates the first type of wireless interface, and the predetermined time has elapsed since the first wireless connection was last established between the second wireless interface and the fourth wireless interface. 2. The computer program according to claim 1, wherein the operation screen is not displayed if the user has not performed the operation. The first display control unit is configured such that the type information indicates the first type of wireless interface, and the first wireless connection is established between the second wireless interface and the fourth wireless interface. displaying the operation screen on the display unit when the number of times the operation has been performed is less than a predetermined number;
The type information indicates the first type of wireless interface, and the number of times the first wireless connection is established between the second wireless interface and the fourth wireless interface is equal to or greater than a predetermined number of times. 2. The computer program according to claim 1, wherein the operation screen is not displayed in the case where the operation screen is not displayed. The first communication standard is the NFC (Near Field Communication) standard,
The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein the second communication standard is a Wi-Fi standard. The computer program according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined method is a WFD (abbreviation for Wi-Fi Direct) method. A terminal device,
a first wireless interface for performing wireless communication according to a first communication standard;
a second wireless interface for performing wireless communication according to a second communication standard different from the first communication standard;
A display section;
In response to the terminal device being brought close to the communication device, the first wireless interface and the third wireless interface of the communication device perform wireless communication according to the first communication standard. when a wireless link is established between the third wireless interface and the third wireless interface, the wireless link is used to transmit specific information from the third wireless interface via the first wireless interface. a specific information receiving unit that receives the specific information, the specific information including type information indicating the type of the third wireless interface;
When the type information indicates a first type of wireless interface that is independent from the control unit of the communication device, the state of the communication device is determined by indicating that the function of the predetermined method of the second communication standard is disabled. a first display control unit that causes the display unit to display an operation screen showing a change operation for changing from a disabled state in which the function is enabled in the predetermined method to an enabled state in which the function of the predetermined method is enabled; When the type information indicates the second type of wireless interface that is different from the first type of wireless interface and is not independent from the control unit of the communication device, the operation the first display control unit in which no screen is displayed;
When the type information indicates the first type of wireless interface and the change operation is performed on the communication device, the second wireless interface and the fourth wireless interface of the communication device, , and the fourth wireless interface for performing wireless communication according to the second communication standard, a first establishing unit that establishes a first wireless connection according to the predetermined method;
When the type information indicates the second type of wireless interface, even if the change operation is not performed on the communication device, the predetermined wireless interface is connected between the second wireless interface and the fourth wireless interface. a second establishment unit that establishes a second wireless connection according to the method;
A terminal device comprising: A method performed by a terminal device, the method comprising:
The terminal device is
a first wireless interface for performing wireless communication according to a first communication standard;
a second wireless interface for performing wireless communication according to a second communication standard different from the first communication standard;
comprising a display section;
The method includes:
In response to the terminal device being brought close to the communication device, the first wireless interface and the third wireless interface of the communication device perform wireless communication according to the first communication standard. when a wireless link is established between the third wireless interface and the third wireless interface, the wireless link is used to transmit specific information from the third wireless interface via the first wireless interface. a specific information receiving step, wherein the specific information includes type information indicating the type of the third wireless interface;
When the type information indicates a first type of wireless interface that is independent from the control unit of the communication device, the state of the communication device is determined by indicating that the function of the predetermined method of the second communication standard is disabled. a first display control step of displaying on the display unit an operation screen showing a change operation for changing from a disabled state in which the function is enabled in the predetermined method to an enabled state in which the function of the predetermined method is enabled; When the type information indicates the second type of wireless interface that is different from the first type of wireless interface and is not independent from the control unit of the communication device, the operation the first display control step in which the screen is not displayed;
When the type information indicates the first type of wireless interface and the change operation is performed on the communication device, the second wireless interface and the fourth wireless interface of the communication device, , and the fourth wireless interface for performing wireless communication according to the second communication standard, a first establishing step of establishing a first wireless connection according to the predetermined method;
When the type information indicates the second type of wireless interface, even if the change operation is not performed on the communication device, the predetermined wireless interface is connected between the second wireless interface and the fourth wireless interface. a second establishment step of establishing a second wireless connection according to the method;
A method of providing.

Images