JP6228383B2 - COMMUNICATION DEVICE, COMMUNICATION METHOD, PROGRAM - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication device, a communication method, and a program.

  One wireless communication standard is called Wi-Fi Direct (registered trademark). This Wi-Fi Direct is a wireless communication standard (Wi-Fi) certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance that does not require an access point that is used in a normal Wi-Fi connection method. It is a standard that can send and receive data.

  Wi-Fi Direct is a protocol that automatically determines whether each electronic device operates as a wireless LAN access point or a wireless LAN station, and eliminates the need for a conventional access point dedicated device. Connection is realized. In addition to Wi-Fi Direct, there is an “ad hoc mode” as a method for directly connecting terminals in a wireless LAN, and the ad hoc mode is a method for connecting terminals using a P2P (peer-to-peer) method. The difference between Wi-Fi Direct and ad hoc mode is that Wi-Fi Direct is a method in which any terminal realizes the function of a wireless LAN access point (base unit) by software, and ad hoc mode uses an access point. It can be said that this is a method that does not.

  As a technique using Wi-Fi Direct, there is Patent Literature 1. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which a PC wirelessly communicates with a printer using a Wi-Fi Direct function and transmits print data.

JP2013-42400A

  In Wi-Fi Direct (hereinafter referred to as WFD), a communication device that is not intended by the user may be connected to the device itself. For example, assuming that the device is a printer, it is possible to connect to the printer from a neighboring smartphone via WFD and print.

  Therefore, in order to confirm whether the access source terminal is intended by the user of the printer, an operation to approve the connection can be performed by pressing the button of the printer before permitting the connection. . However, if an operation for approving the connection occurs every time, the convenience decreases. On the other hand, accepting a connection unconditionally allows connection from an unintended terminal.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to provide a communication device, a communication method, and a program that can easily prevent a connection from a communication partner device that is not intended by a user.

In order to achieve the above object, a communication apparatus according to the present invention comprises the following arrangement. That is,
A communication device,
Receiving means for receiving a connection request from a communication partner device via a network;
In response to receiving the connection request, an acquisition unit that acquires device information that is information for specifying a communication state of the communication partner apparatus;
Based on the device information acquired by the acquisition means, when the device information satisfies a predetermined condition, the approval process by the user of the connection for the connection request after receiving the connection request is omitted, and the communication partner apparatus An authorization means for authorizing the connection , and
The predetermined condition is that the communication state is equal to or higher than a predetermined reference.
It is characterized by that .

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, while preventing the connection from the communication partner apparatus which a user does not intend, the complexity at the time of permitting a connection can be eliminated.

It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of a radio | wireless communications system. It is a figure which shows the external appearance of a portable communication terminal device. 2 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of an MFP. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation unit of an MFP. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a portable communication terminal device. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an MFP. FIG. It is a figure which shows the radio | wireless connection sequence of mode A (software AP mode). It is a figure which shows the wireless connection sequence of mode B (WFD mode). It is a figure which shows the radio | wireless connection sequence of mode C (WFD expansion mode). FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the first embodiment. 6 is a flowchart illustrating processing executed by the MFP according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an operation of the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an operation of the second embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating processing executed by the MFP according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an operation of the third embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an operation of the third embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating processing executed by the MFP according to the third embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an operation of the fourth embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an operation of the fourth embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an operation of the fourth embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating processing executed by the MFP according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an operation of the fifth embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an operation of the fifth embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an operation of the fifth embodiment. 16 is a flowchart illustrating processing executed by the MFP according to the fifth embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an operation of the sixth embodiment.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be exemplarily described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the relative arrangement of components, the display screen, and the like described in the present embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to those unless otherwise specified.

<System configuration>
First, a system configuration for realizing each embodiment described below will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a system including a portable communication terminal device and a printing device (MFP).

  The portable communication terminal device 200 is a device having a wireless LAN (WLAN) communication unit and a close proximity wireless communication unit. Note that the proximity wireless communication means wireless communication represented by NFC in which a communication range is a relatively small predetermined range (for example, 1 meter to several centimeters or less). The portable communication terminal device 200 may be a personal information terminal such as a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a mobile phone, a digital camera, or the like. The printing apparatus (MFP) 300 only needs to be able to perform wireless communication with the portable communication terminal apparatus 200, and may have a reading function (scanner), a FAX function, and a telephone function. In this embodiment, a Multi Function Printer (MFP) having a reading function and a printing function is taken as an example. Both the portable communication terminal apparatus 200 and the MFP 300 have a near field wireless communication unit by NFC, and the portable communication terminal apparatus 200 can be connected to the MFP 300 at a predetermined distance that allows NFC communication even when no power is supplied to the portable communication terminal apparatus 200. By approaching, close proximity wireless communication is possible. Further, the MFP 300 can wirelessly communicate with a terminal on a network (a network capable of communication according to TCP / IP) by a WLAN communication unit. Either or both of the portable communication terminal device 200 and the MFP 300 may perform wireless communication only by the WLAN communication unit without the proximity wireless communication unit. Note that the portable communication terminal device 200 and the MFP 300 can execute processing corresponding to a plurality of print services via a WLAN, as will be described later.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of the portable communication terminal device 200.

  In this embodiment, a smartphone is taken as an example. A smartphone is a multi-function mobile phone equipped with a camera, a web browser, an e-mail function, etc. in addition to the functions of a mobile phone. The NFC unit 201, which is a close proximity wireless communication unit, is a unit that performs communication using NFC, and performs communication by NFC by bringing the NFC unit 201 close to a partner NFC unit within a predetermined distance (for example, about 10 cm). be able to.

  The WLAN unit 202 is a unit for performing communication by WLAN. It is assumed that the WLAN unit 202 is capable of data (packet) communication in a WLAN system compliant with, for example, the IEEE 802.11 series. In wireless communication using the WLAN unit 202, communication based on Wi-Fi Direct (WFD), communication in software AP mode, ad hoc mode, infrastructure mode, and the like are possible. The display unit 203 is, for example, a display provided with an LCD type display mechanism. The operation unit 204 includes a touch panel type operation mechanism, and detects an operation by the user. As a typical operation method, there is a method in which the display unit 203 displays a button icon or a software keyboard, and an operation event is detected by the user touching those portions. A power key 205 is a hard key used when the power is turned on and off.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of the MFP 300.

  In FIG. 3A, a document table 301 is a glassy transparent table on which a document to be read by a scanner (reading unit) is placed. The document cover 302 is a cover for holding down the document when reading with the scanner or preventing light from the light source that irradiates the document from being leaked to the outside during reading. The printing paper insertion port 303 is an insertion port through which various sizes of paper can be set. The sheets set in the printing sheet insertion port 303 are conveyed one by one to the printing unit, printed by the printing unit, and discharged from the printing sheet discharge port 304.

  In FIG. 3B, the operation display unit 305 and the NFC unit 306 are arranged on the upper part of the document cover 302. The operation display unit 305 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The NFC unit 306 is a unit for performing close proximity wireless communication, and is a place where the portable communication terminal apparatus 200 is brought close to the MFP 300. An NFC communication effective distance is within a predetermined distance (about 10 cm) from the NFC unit 306. The WLAN antenna 307 is embedded with an antenna for communicating by WLAN.

  FIG. 4 is a plan view of the operation display unit 305.

  The display unit 406 is a display screen that displays a user interface such as an image or an operation menu. For example, a dot matrix LCD is given as an example. A cross key 401 is used for operations such as cursor movement on the display unit 406. A set key 402 is a key for setting input. The function key 403 is used for operations such as function setting. A start key 404 instructs execution of functions such as printing start.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the portable communication terminal device 200.

  The portable communication terminal device 200 includes a main board 701 that performs main control of the device itself, a WLAN unit 717 that performs WLAN communication, an NFC unit 718 that performs NFC communication, and a BT unit 721 that performs Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication. And have.

  In the main board 701, a CPU (central processing unit) 702 is a system control unit and controls the entire portable communication terminal device 200. The processing of the portable communication terminal device 200 shown below is executed under the control of the CPU 702. The ROM 703 stores a control program executed by the CPU 702, an embedded operating system (OS) program, and the like. In the present embodiment, each control program stored in the ROM 703 performs software control such as scheduling and task switching under the management of the embedded OS stored in the ROM 703.

  The RAM 704 is configured by SRAM (Static RAM) or the like, stores data such as program control variables, and stores data such as setting values registered by the user and management data of the portable communication terminal device 200. A buffer area is provided.

  The image memory 705 is configured by a memory such as a DRAM (Dynamic RAM), and temporarily stores image data received via the communication unit and image data read from the data storage unit 712 for processing by the CPU 702. Here, the communication unit is a general term for communication functions including the WLAN unit 717, the NFC unit 718, and the BT unit 721.

  The nonvolatile memory 722 is configured by a memory such as a flash memory and continues to store data even when the power is turned off. Note that the memory configuration is not limited to this. For example, the image memory 705 and the RAM 704 may be shared, or data backup or the like may be performed in the data storage unit 712. In the present embodiment, a DRAM is used for the image memory 705, but this is not a limitation because other storage media such as a hard disk or a nonvolatile memory may be used.

  The data conversion unit 706 performs analysis of various types of data, and data conversion such as color conversion and image conversion. The telephone unit 707 performs telephone communication by controlling the telephone line and processing voice data input / output via the speaker unit 713. The operation unit 708 controls the signal of the operation unit 204 (FIG. 2). A GPS (Global Positioning System) 709 acquires position information such as the current latitude and longitude of the portable communication terminal device 200. A display unit 710 electronically controls the display content of the display unit 203 (FIG. 2), and can perform various input operations, display the operation status and status status of the MFP 300, and the like.

  The camera unit 711 has a function of electronically recording and encoding an image input via a lens. An image captured by the camera unit 711 is stored in the data storage unit 712. The speaker unit 713 implements a function for inputting or outputting voice for a telephone function, and other functions such as alarm notification. The power supply unit 714 is a portable battery and controls power supply to the apparatus. The power state includes a battery exhausted state with no remaining battery power, a power off state in which the power key 205 is not pressed, a normal starting state, and a power saving state in which the power is activated but is in a power saving state. is there.

  The portable communication terminal device 200 is equipped with three communication units for wireless communication, and can perform wireless communication using WLAN, NFC, and BlueTooth (registered trademark). As a result, the portable communication terminal apparatus 200 performs data communication with other devices such as an MFP. This communication unit converts data into a packet and transmits the packet to another device. Conversely, a packet from another external device is restored to the original data and transmitted to the CPU 702. The WLAN unit 717, NFC unit 718 and BT unit 721 are connected to the main board 701 via bus cables 715, 716 and 720, respectively. The WLAN unit 717, the NFC unit 718, and the BT unit 721 are units for realizing communication complying with the respective standards.

  Various components (703 to 714, 717, 718, 721 and 722) in the main board 701 are connected to each other via a system bus 719 managed by the CPU 702.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the MFP 300.

  The MFP 300 includes a main board 801 that performs main control of the apparatus itself, a WLAN unit 817 that performs WLAN communication, an NFC unit 818 that performs NFC communication, and a BT unit 819 that performs Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication.

  In the main board 801, a CPU (central processing unit) 802 is a system control unit and controls the entire MFP 300. The following processing of the MFP 300 is executed under the control of the CPU 802. The ROM 803 stores a control program executed by the CPU 802, an embedded operating system (OS) program, and the like. In the present embodiment, each control program stored in the ROM 803 performs software control such as scheduling and task switching under the management of the embedded OS stored in the ROM 803. The RAM 804 is composed of SRAM (Static RAM) or the like, stores data such as program control variables, stores data such as setting values registered by the user and management data of the MFP 300, and provides various work buffer areas. It has been.

  The nonvolatile memory 805 is configured by a memory such as a flash memory, and continues to store data even when the power is turned off. The image memory 806 is configured by a memory such as a DRAM (Dynamic RAM), and is acquired through the image data received via the communication unit, the image data processed by the encoding / decoding processing unit 812, or the memory card controller 516. Accumulate image data. Further, like the memory configuration of the portable communication terminal apparatus 200, such a memory configuration is not limited to this. A data conversion unit 807 performs analysis of various types of data, conversion from image data to print data, and the like.

  Here, the communication unit is a general term for communication functions including the WLAN unit 817, the NFC unit 818, and the BT unit 819.

  A reading control unit 808 controls a reading unit 810 (for example, a CIS image sensor (contact image sensor)) to optically read an image on a document. Next, an image signal obtained by converting this into electrical image data is output. At this time, various image processing such as binarization processing and halftone processing may be performed before outputting.

  An operation unit 809 and a display unit 811 correspond to the operation display unit 305 in FIG. The code decoding processing unit 812 performs code decoding processing and enlargement / reduction processing of image data (JPEG, PNG, etc.) handled by the MFP 300. A paper feed unit 814 holds paper for printing. Paper can be fed from the paper feed unit 814 under the control of the print control unit 816. In particular, the paper feeding unit 814 can prepare a plurality of paper feeding units in order to hold a plurality of types of paper in one apparatus. Then, the print control unit 816 can control which paper feed unit performs paper feed.

  The print control unit 816 performs various image processing such as smoothing processing, print density correction processing, and color correction on the image data to be printed, and then outputs the image data to the printing unit 815. The printing unit 815 can employ, for example, an inkjet printer that prints an image by ejecting ink supplied from an ink tank from a print head. The print control unit 816 also plays a role of periodically reading information from the printing unit 815 and updating information in the RAM 804. Specifically, status information such as the remaining amount of the ink tank and the state of the print head is updated.

  Similarly to the portable communication terminal apparatus 200, the MFP 300 is also equipped with three communication units for performing wireless communication, and the functions are the same, and thus description thereof is omitted. Here, the WLAN unit 817, the NFC unit 818, and the BT unit 819 are connected to the main board 801 via bus cables 820, 821 and 822, respectively. Note that the portable communication terminal device 200 and the MFP 300 are capable of communication based on WFD and have a software access point (software AP) function.

  Various components (802 to 819) in the main board 801 are connected to each other via a system bus 823 managed by the CPU 802.

<About P2P (Peer to Peer) method>
A plurality of modes can be considered as a method for realizing P2P in communication in WLAN. In each mode, a searching device searches for and discovers a device (a communication partner device or an opposite device) as a communication partner using the same device search command (for example, a Probe Request frame). Various attributes (parameters) can be attached to the device search command and transmitted. The response to the device search command can be interpreted as much as possible within the range specified by the specification of the mode and the premise specification (Wi-Fi if WFD), when the attribute is specified in the search command. It is recommended to respond with various attributes. Further, even when information accompanying the device search command (including the above attributes) includes information that cannot be interpreted, it is possible to respond based on only information that can be interpreted for the received device search command. .

The following three modes can be considered as modes of the P2P mode.
・ Mode A (Software AP mode)
・ Mode B (Wi-Fi Direct (WFD) mode)
・ Mode C (WFD expansion mode)
Each mode may correspond to different devices, and the available applications may also differ.

  Hereinafter, the wireless connection sequence in each mode will be described with reference to FIGS.

  Note that in a device having a communication function based on Wi-Fi Direct, a dedicated application that realizes the communication function is called from the operation unit. And the apparatus which has a communication function by Wi-Fi Direct performs negotiation for performing communication of Wi-Fi Direct based on operation with respect to UI (user interface) which is an operation screen provided by the application. Can do.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a wireless connection sequence in mode A (software AP mode).

  In the software AP mode, a client in which one device (for example, portable communication terminal device 200) plays a role of requesting various services between devices (for example, portable communication terminal device 200 and MFP 300) that perform communication. The other device is a software AP (for example, MFP 300) that realizes the function of the access point in the WLAN by setting with software.

  In the software AP mode, the client searches for a device to be a software AP by a device search command. When the software AP is searched, the remaining wireless connection processing (such as establishment of a wireless connection) is performed between the client and the software AP, and then IP connection processing (such as IP address allocation) is performed. .

  Note that commands and parameters transmitted and received when realizing wireless connection between the client and the software AP may be those defined in the Wi-Fi standard, and description thereof is omitted here.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a wireless connection sequence in mode B (WFD mode).

  In the WFD mode, after a device as a communication partner is searched by a device search command, the roles of the P2P group owner and the P2P client are determined, and the remaining wireless connection processing is performed. This role determination corresponds to GO Negotiation in P2P, for example.

  Specifically, first, one device issues a device search command with a device that performs communication to search for a device to be connected in the WFD mode. When the other device to be a communication partner is searched, information on services and functions that can be supplied by each other device is confirmed between them (device supply information confirmation). Note that this equipment supply information confirmation is optional and not essential. This device supply information confirmation phase corresponds to provision discovery in P2P, for example.

  Next, by confirming the device supply information with each other, it is determined which role is the P2P client and which is the P2P group owner. Next, when the client and the group owner are determined, parameters for performing communication by Wi-Fi Direct are exchanged between them (parameter exchange phase). Based on the exchanged parameters, the remaining wireless connection processing and IP connection processing are performed between the P2P client and the group owner. The parameter exchange phase corresponds to automatically exchanging wireless LAN security parameters using, for example, Wi-Fi Protected Setup.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a wireless connection sequence in mode C (WFD extended mode).

  The WFD extension mode is an extension of the WFD mode, and requires device supply information confirmation as an option in the WFD mode. Further, after the IP connection process, the service connection process is performed.

<Embodiment 1>
In the first embodiment, a configuration for simplifying user approval related to connection by WFD based on the radio wave intensity of a radio wave received from a portable communication terminal device 200 that is a communication counterpart device (opposite device) will be described.

  In the first embodiment, for example, the radio wave intensity from the portable communication terminal device 200 that is physically close to the MFP 300 is physically far away or communicates via an obstacle such as a wall. It is assumed that the radio wave intensity from the communication terminal 200 is stronger.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the first embodiment.

  In FIG. 10, reference numeral 210 denotes an example of a UI provided by a WFD application displayed on the display unit 710 of the portable communication terminal apparatus 200. Through this UI 210, the user can start WFD. Reference numeral 310 denotes an example of a UI for determining approval / rejection of connection by WFD displayed on the display unit 811 of the MFP 300. The UI 310 has an option for approving the connection and an option for rejecting the connection. Via this UI 310, the MFP 300 can approve / deny the connection of the opposite device (portable communication terminal apparatus 200) that is requesting the WFD connection.

  In FIG. 10, the UIs 210 and 310 are illustrated as a configuration that accepts a touch operation using a touch panel, for example, but a similar operation may be accepted using a hard key or the like. For example, the focus key 401 is moved to “Approve” or “Reject” on the UI 310 and then the set key 402 or the start key 404 is pressed. Also, a dedicated button for selecting “Approve” or “Reject” may be provided, and either one of these buttons may be selected by pressing one of them.

  First, as an operation in the first embodiment, an operation in the case where the second radio wave intensity of the radio wave received from the portable communication terminal device 200 is weaker than the first radio wave intensity recorded in advance in the MFP 300 is shown in FIG. It explains using.

  P1001: The MFP 300 receives a connection request (device search request) from the portable communication terminal device 200 (opposite device).

  P1002: The MFP 300, for example, the first radio wave intensity (reference radio wave intensity) recorded in advance in the nonvolatile memory 805 and the second radio wave intensity (received radio wave intensity) of the radio wave received from the portable communication terminal device 200. And compare. If the second radio field intensity is weaker than the first radio field intensity as a result of the comparison, the MFP 300 displays the UI 310, waits for an operation on the UI 310, and approves / denies the connection request according to the operation. To do. At this time, information indicating that the received radio wave intensity from the access source is weaker than the reference radio wave intensity may be displayed on the UI 310. Moreover, you may make it display the information for specifying the portable communication terminal device 200 collectively.

  P1003: When approving the connection request based on the operation on the UI 310, the MFP 300 records the radio wave intensity of the current radio wave received from the portable communication terminal apparatus 200. This radio field intensity is recorded in the nonvolatile memory 805, for example. Here, the recording of the radio wave intensity may be performed by rewriting the reference radio wave intensity, or may be recorded in association with the portable communication terminal device 200. In the latter case, when there is an access from the portable communication terminal apparatus 200, the comparison is performed using the reference radio wave intensity corresponding to the portable communication terminal apparatus 200. Therefore, in this case, the number of reference radio wave strengths corresponding to the number of portable communication terminal devices that approve connection exists.

  P1004: The MFP 300 transmits a notification indicating connection permission to the portable communication terminal apparatus 200.

  P1005: When connection permission is notified to portable communication terminal apparatus 200, processing for establishing a wireless connection between MFP 300 and portable communication terminal apparatus 200 is executed.

  P1006: The MFP 300 executes printing based on the print data received from the portable communication terminal apparatus 200. If “reject” is selected for the display of the UI 310 in P1002, the subsequent processing is not performed.

  Next, as an operation in the first embodiment, an operation in the case where the second radio wave intensity of the radio wave received from the portable communication terminal device 200 is stronger than the first radio wave intensity recorded in the MFP 300 in advance is shown in FIG. Will be described.

  P1101: The MFP 300 receives a connection request (device search request) from the portable communication terminal device 200 (opposite device).

  P1102: The MFP 300 compares the first radio field intensity recorded in advance with the second radio field intensity of the radio wave received from the portable communication terminal apparatus 200. As a result of the comparison, if the second radio wave intensity is stronger than the first radio wave intensity, the connection request is approved even if there is no approval operation by the user as described above.

  P1103: The MFP 300 transmits a notification indicating connection permission to the portable communication terminal apparatus 200.

  P1104: When connection permission is notified to portable communication terminal apparatus 200, a process for establishing a wireless connection between MFP 300 and portable communication terminal apparatus 200 is executed.

  P1105: MFP 300 executes printing based on the print data received from portable communication terminal apparatus 200.

  Next, processing executed by the MFP 300 in the operations of FIGS. 10 and 11 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating processing executed by the MFP 300 according to the first embodiment. This flowchart shows the flow of processing performed when the CPU 802 loads a program stored in the ROM 803 to the RAM 804 and executes it.

  In step S1201, MFP 300 is activated in the WFD mode (FIG. 8). This is performed, for example, when the user turns on the MFP 300 by setting the operation unit 809 to permit execution of the WFD mode. In step S1202, the MFP 300 waits for reception of a connection request (device search request) from the opposite device. If a connection request has not been received (NO in step S1202), MFP 300 waits until a connection request is received. On the other hand, if a connection request is received (YES in step S1202), in step S1203, MFP 300 acquires the radio field intensity of the counterpart device (portable communication terminal apparatus 200) based on the radio wave that has received the connection request. The acquired radio wave intensity (second radio wave intensity) is recorded in the nonvolatile memory 805, for example.

  In step S1204, the MFP 300 determines whether or not the second radio wave intensity is stronger than the reference radio wave intensity (first radio wave intensity) recorded in advance in the nonvolatile memory 805. In this determination, for example, if the second radio wave intensity is equal to or higher than the first radio wave intensity, it is determined that the second radio wave intensity is stronger than the first radio wave intensity, and the second radio wave intensity is the first radio wave intensity. If it is less than the strength, it is determined that the second radio wave intensity is not stronger (weaker) than the first radio wave intensity.

  When it is determined that the second radio field intensity is stronger than the first radio field intensity (YES in step S1204), in step S1205, the MFP 300 permits execution of WFD. In step S1206, the MFP 300 executes printing based on print data received from the counterpart device (portable communication terminal apparatus 200). In step S1207, when printing is completed, the MFP 300 disconnects the connection by WFD.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the second radio field intensity is weaker than the first radio field intensity (NO in step S1204), in step S1208, the MFP 300 displays the UI 310, and the user who has accepted / rejected the connection by WFD. Wait for input of selection operation. In step S <b> 1209, the MFP 300 determines whether to approve connection by the WFD (user approval) based on the operation of the UI 310. If it is determined that the connection by the WFD is approved (YES in step S1209), in step S1210, the MFP 300 uses the current radio wave intensity of the opposite device (portable communication terminal apparatus 200) as the reference radio wave intensity, for example, a nonvolatile memory. Record at 805. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S1205.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the connection by WFD is rejected (NO in step S1209), the process advances to step S1207, and MFP 300 disconnects the connection by WFD. In S1208, the process may proceed to S1207 even when the selection operation by the user is not performed even after a predetermined time has elapsed.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, according to the radio field intensity from the counterpart device, the connection approval process by WFD with the counterpart device after receiving the connection request from the counterpart device is omitted. Thereby, the connection procedure by WFD can be simplified. That is, since the communication state with the opposite device is good, the connection can be automatically approved when the physical distance to the opposite device is short or there are few obstacles with the opposite device. On the other hand, when the radio field intensity from the opposite device is weak, the connection can be approved based on the selection operation by the user, so that communication by WFD can be executed even if the radio field intensity is weak.

  In the first embodiment, the connection approval process by the WFD is omitted according to the radio field intensity from the opposite device, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, whether or not to perform the approval process using at least one index such as a communication state other than the radio wave intensity, for example, a distance between the MFP and the opposite device, a signal S / N ratio received from the opposite device, and the like. It may be determined.

  More specifically, the first communication state (reference communication state) recorded in MFP 300 is compared with the second communication state received from the radio waves of the opposite device, and the second communication state is the first communication state. When it is determined that the communication state is better than the communication state (the communication state is equal to or higher than a predetermined standard), the connection approval process is omitted. In the example in which the radio wave intensity is used as the communication state, this determination as to whether it is good is good when the second radio wave intensity of the opposite device is equal to or higher than the first radio wave intensity recorded in the MFP. Is determined. Further, in the example in which distance is used as the communication state, it is favorable when the second distance between the opposite device and the MFP is less than the first distance (reference distance) recorded in the MFP. judge. In this case, for example, the MFP 300 stores in advance in the nonvolatile memory 805 the installation position information of the MFP 300 input from the operation unit 809 by the user. Then, the MFP 300 receives the current position information of the portable communication terminal apparatus 200 acquired from the portable communication terminal apparatus 200 by the GPS 709 and compares it with its own installation position information to determine whether it is within a predetermined distance. Further, in the example in which the S / N ratio is used as the communication state, it is determined that the signal is good when the S / N ratio of the signal received from the opposite device is equal to or higher than the reference S / N ratio recorded in the MFP. To do. That is, in the first embodiment, the communication status (radio wave intensity, distance, S / N ratio, etc.) of the counterpart device is used as device information of the counterpart device, and it is determined whether or not to automatically approve a connection request based on this device information. be able to.

<Embodiment 2>
Embodiment 2 demonstrates the structure which simplifies the user approval regarding the connection by WFD based on the device information (MAC address) for specifying the portable communication terminal device 200 (opposite machine).

  FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, device information (MAC address) of a device that approves connection by WFD is stored in the nonvolatile memory 805.

  First, as an operation in the second embodiment, an operation when the MAC address of the portable communication terminal apparatus 200 is not registered in the MFP 300 as device information of a device permitted to be connected by WFD will be described with reference to FIG.

  P1301: The MFP 300 receives a connection request (device search request) from the portable communication terminal device 200 (opposite device).

  P1302: The MFP 300 refers to the device information of the portable communication terminal apparatus 200 included in the connection request, and confirms whether or not the MAC address of the portable communication terminal apparatus 200 is registered in the nonvolatile memory 805. When it is determined that the MAC address of the portable communication terminal device 200 is not registered as a result of the confirmation, the MFP 300 displays the UI 310, waits for an input of an operation by the user to the UI 310, and according to the operation, Approve or reject the connection request.

  P1303: When approving a connection request based on an operation on the UI 310, the MFP 300 records the MAC address of the portable communication terminal device 200 in the nonvolatile memory 805 as device information of a device that approves a connection request by WFD. In the non-volatile memory 805, there is an upper limit on the number of MAC addresses that can be stored, and when the upper limit is currently reached, for example, the oldest MAC address is deleted and the MAC address to be recorded is recorded. .

  P1304: The MFP 300 transmits a notification indicating connection permission to the portable communication terminal apparatus 200.

  P1305: When connection permission is notified to portable communication terminal apparatus 200, a process for establishing a wireless connection between MFP 300 and portable communication terminal apparatus 200 is executed.

  P1306: The MFP 300 executes printing based on the print data received from the portable communication terminal apparatus 200.

  Next, as an operation in the second embodiment, an operation when the MAC address of the portable communication terminal apparatus 200 is registered in the MFP 300 as device information of a device permitted to be connected by WFD will be described with reference to FIG. .

  P1401: The MFP 300 receives a connection request (device search request) from the portable communication terminal device 200 (opposite device).

  P1402: The MFP 300 refers to the device information of the portable communication terminal device 200 included in the connection request, and confirms whether or not the MAC address of the portable communication terminal device 200 is registered in the nonvolatile memory 805. As a result of the confirmation, if it is determined that the MAC address of the portable communication terminal device 200 is registered, the MFP 300 approves the connection request without the approval operation by the user as described above.

  P1403: The MFP 300 transmits a notification indicating connection permission to the portable communication terminal apparatus 200.

  P1404: When connection permission is notified to portable communication terminal apparatus 200, a process of establishing a wireless connection between MFP 300 and portable communication terminal apparatus 200 is executed.

  P1405: The MFP 300 executes printing based on the print data received from the portable communication terminal apparatus 200.

  Next, processing executed by the MFP 300 in the operations of FIGS. 13 and 14 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating processing executed by the MFP 300 according to the second embodiment. This flowchart shows the flow of processing performed when the CPU 802 loads a program stored in the ROM 803 to the RAM 804 and executes it.

  In step S1501, the MFP 300 is activated in the WFD mode (FIG. 8). In step S1502, the MFP 300 waits for reception of a connection request (device search request) from the opposite device. If a connection request has not been received (NO in step S1502), MFP 300 stands by until a connection request is received. On the other hand, if a connection request is received (YES in step S1502), in step S1503, the MFP 300 acquires the MAC address of the counterpart device (portable communication terminal apparatus 200) included in the connection request. The acquired MAC address is recorded in the nonvolatile memory 805, for example.

  In step S1504, the MFP 300 determines whether the acquired MAC address is already registered in the nonvolatile memory 805 as device information of a device that approves a connection request by WFD.

  If it is determined that the acquired MAC address is already registered in the non-volatile memory 805 (YES in step S1504), in step S1505, the MFP 300 does not accept the WFD connection request here. Both are allowed. In step S1506, the MFP 300 executes printing based on print data received from the opposite device (portable communication terminal apparatus 200). In step S1507, when the printing is completed, the MFP 300 disconnects the connection by WFD.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the acquired MAC address is not registered in the nonvolatile memory 805 (NO in step S1504), in step S1508, the MFP 300 displays the UI 310 and the connection approval / rejection by WFD is received from the user. Wait for input of selection operation. In step S <b> 1509, the MFP 300 determines whether to approve connection by the WFD (user approval) based on the operation of the UI 310. If it is determined that the connection by the WFD is rejected (NO in step S1509), the process advances to step S1507, and the MFP 300 disconnects the connection by WFD.

  On the other hand, if it is determined to approve the connection by WFD (YES in step S1509), in step S1510, the acquired MAC address is recorded in the nonvolatile memory 805 as device information of a device that approves a connection request by WFD. In step S1511, the MFP 300 records the acquired MAC address to determine whether or not the storage area for storing the MAC address of the nonvolatile memory 805 is full. If it is determined that the storage area is not full (NO in step S1511), the process advances to step S1505.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the storage area is full (YES in step S1511), the oldest MAC address among the MAC addresses registered in the storage area of the nonvolatile memory 805 is deleted in step S1512. As a result, a storage area for storing the MAC address to be recorded next is secured on the nonvolatile memory 805.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, based on the MAC address of the counterpart device, it is determined whether the counterpart device that requests connection is a device that approves a connection request by WFD, and the determination result is Accordingly, the operation for approving the connection with the opposite device by WFD is omitted. Thereby, the connection procedure by WFD can be simplified. Further, when a connection request is accepted by a user operation when receiving a connection request, device information for identifying the device is registered, and the approval operation at the time of a connection request can be omitted from the next time. Therefore, it is possible to easily register a device that automatically approves a connection request.

<Embodiment 3>
In the third embodiment, a configuration for simplifying user approval for connection by WFD using a device name as device information for specifying the portable communication terminal device 200 (opposite device) will be described. The device name is name information for identifying the portable communication terminal device 200 stored in the ROM 703 of the portable communication terminal device 200, for example.

  FIG. 16 shows an operation when the device name of the portable communication terminal apparatus 200 device is not registered in the MFP 300 as device information of a device permitted to be connected by WFD. FIG. 16 is the same as the process in FIG. 13 described in the second embodiment except that the “MAC address” is changed to “device name”, and thus the description thereof is omitted here.

  FIG. 17 shows an operation when the device name of the portable communication terminal apparatus 200 is registered in the MFP 300 as device information of a device that is permitted to be connected by WFD. FIG. 17 is the same as the process in FIG. 14 described in the second embodiment except that “MAC address” is changed to “device name”, and thus the description thereof is omitted here.

  Next, processing executed by the MFP 300 in the operations of FIGS. 16 and 17 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating processing executed by the MFP 300 according to the third embodiment. This flowchart shows the flow of processing performed when the CPU 802 loads a program stored in the ROM 803 to the RAM 804 and executes it.

  Note that steps 1801 to S1812 in FIG. 18 correspond to steps S1501 to S1512 in FIG. 15 of the second embodiment. In particular, the processing target in FIG. 15 is changed from “MAC address” to “device name”. Since it can be realized after changing to "," the details are omitted.

  As described above, according to the third embodiment, the same effect as that described in the second embodiment can be obtained even if the device name is used as the device information. In step S1808, when the UI 310 is displayed, the device name of the portable communication terminal device 200 may also be displayed. Accordingly, the user can select approval or rejection after recognizing the device that has made the connection request.

<Embodiment 4>
In the fourth embodiment, device information of a device that automatically approves connection by WFD (omission of omission processing) and device information of a device that automatically rejects (omission of omission processing) are set as an approval list / rejection list, respectively, and nonvolatile memory 850 of MFP 300 A configuration for simplifying user approval related to connection by WFD by using these lists and storing them in advance will be described.

  FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the fourth embodiment.

  First, as an operation in the fourth embodiment, an operation when the MAC address of the portable communication terminal device 200 that requests connection is not registered in either the approval list or the rejection list will be described with reference to FIG.

  P1901: The MFP 300 receives a connection request (device search request) from the portable communication terminal device 200 (opposite device).

  P1902: The MFP 300 refers to the device information of the portable communication terminal device 200 included in the connection request, and the MAC address of the portable communication terminal device 200 is in either the approval list or the rejection list in the nonvolatile memory 850. Check if it is registered. As a result of the confirmation, if the MAC address of the portable communication terminal device 200 is not registered in either the approval list or the rejection list, the MFP 300 displays the UI 310, waits for the user to input an operation on the UI 310, Accept or reject the connection request depending on the operation.

  P1903: When approving the connection request based on the operation on the UI 310, the MFP 300 records the MAC address of the portable communication terminal device 200 in the approval list. If the number of registered MAC addresses reaches the upper limit of the number of MAC addresses that can be managed in the approval list, for example, the oldest MAC address is deleted and the recording target MAC address is recorded in the approval list. To do.

  P1904: The MFP 300 transmits a notification indicating connection permission to the portable communication terminal apparatus 200.

  P1905: When connection permission is notified to portable communication terminal apparatus 200, processing for establishing a wireless connection between MFP 300 and portable communication terminal apparatus 200 is executed.

  P1906: The MFP 300 executes printing based on the print data received from the portable communication terminal apparatus 200.

  P1907: When rejecting the connection request based on the operation on the UI 310, the MFP 300 records the MAC address of the portable communication terminal device 200 in the rejection list. If the number of registered MAC addresses reaches the upper limit of the number of MAC addresses that can be managed in the rejection list, for example, the oldest MAC address is deleted and the MAC address to be recorded is stored in the rejection list. Record.

  P1908: The MFP 300 transmits a notification indicating connection refusal to the portable communication terminal apparatus 200.

  Next, as an operation in the fourth embodiment, an operation when the MAC address of the portable communication terminal device 200 that requests connection is registered in the rejection list will be described with reference to FIG.

  P2001: The MFP 300 receives a connection request (device search request) from the portable communication terminal device 200 (opposite device).

  P2002: The MFP 300 refers to the device information of the portable communication terminal device 200 included in the connection request, and the MAC address of the portable communication terminal device 200 is in either the approval list or the rejection list in the nonvolatile memory 850. Check if it is registered. As a result of the confirmation, if the MAC address of the portable communication terminal device 200 is registered in the rejection list, the MFP 300 rejects the connection request even if there is no rejection operation by the user here.

  P2003: The MFP 300 transmits a notification indicating connection refusal to the portable communication terminal apparatus 200.

  Next, as an operation in the fourth embodiment, an operation when the MAC address of the portable communication terminal device 200 that requests connection is registered in the approval list will be described with reference to FIG.

  P2101: The MFP 300 receives a connection request (device search request) from the portable communication terminal device 200 (opposite device).

  P2102: The MFP 300 refers to the device information of the portable communication terminal device 200 included in the connection request, and the MAC address of the portable communication terminal device 200 is in either the approval list or the rejection list in the nonvolatile memory 850. Check if it is registered. As a result of the confirmation, when the MAC address of the portable communication terminal device 200 is registered in the approval list, the MFP 300 approves the connection request even if the user does not perform an approval operation here.

  P2103: The MFP 300 transmits a notification indicating connection permission to the portable communication terminal apparatus 200.

  P2104: When connection permission is notified to portable communication terminal apparatus 200, processing for establishing a wireless connection between MFP 300 and portable communication terminal apparatus 200 is executed.

  P2105: MFP 300 executes printing based on the print data received from portable communication terminal apparatus 200.

  Next, processing executed by the MFP 300 in the operations of FIGS. 19 to 21 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating processing executed by the MFP 300 according to the fourth embodiment. This flowchart shows the flow of processing performed when the CPU 802 loads a program stored in the ROM 803 to the RAM 804 and executes it.

  In step S2201, MFP 300 is activated in the WFD mode (FIG. 8). In step S2202, the MFP 300 waits for reception of a connection request (device search request) from the opposite device. If a connection request has not been received (NO in step S2202), MFP 300 stands by until a connection request is received. On the other hand, if a connection request is received (YES in step S2202), in step S2203, the MFP 300 acquires the MAC address of the counterpart device (portable communication terminal apparatus 200) included in the connection request. The acquired MAC address is recorded in the nonvolatile memory 805, for example.

  In step S2204, the MFP 300 determines whether the acquired MAC address is registered in the rejection list. If it is determined that the acquired MAC address is registered in the rejection list (YES in step S2204), in step S2208, MFP 300 disconnects the connection by WFD.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the acquired MAC address is not registered in the rejection list (NO in step S2204), it is determined in step S2205 whether the acquired MAC address is registered in the approval list. If it is determined that the acquired MAC address is registered in the approval list (YES in step S2205), in step S2206, the MFP 300 permits execution of WFD. In step S2207, the MFP 300 executes printing based on the print data received from the opposite device. In step S2208, when printing is completed, MFP 300 disconnects the connection by WFD.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the acquired MAC address is not registered in the approval list (NO in step S2205), in step S2209, the MFP 300 displays the UI 310 and receives a connection approval / rejection from the user by WFD. Wait for selection input. In step S <b> 2210, the MFP 300 determines whether to approve the connection by the WFD (user approval) based on the operation of the UI 310.

  When the connection by WFD is approved (YES in step S2210), the acquired MAC address is recorded in the approval list in step S2211. In step S2212, the MFP 300 records the acquired MAC address to determine whether the approval list is full. If the approval list is not full (NO in step S2212), the process advances to step S2206.

  On the other hand, if the approval list is full (YES in step S2212), the oldest MAC address among the MAC addresses registered in the approval list is deleted in step S2213. As a result, a storage area for storing the MAC address to be recorded next is secured on the approval list.

  When connection by WFD is rejected (NO in step S2210), the acquired MAC address is recorded in the reject list in step S2214. In step S2215, the MFP 300 records the acquired MAC address to determine whether or not the rejection list is full. If the rejection list is not full (NO in step S2215), the process advances to step S2208, and MFP 300 disconnects the connection by WFD.

  On the other hand, if the rejection list is full (YES in step S2215), the oldest MAC address among the MAC addresses registered in the rejection list is deleted in step S2216. As a result, a storage area for storing the MAC address to be recorded next is secured on the rejection list.

  As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, when a MAC address of a partner device that approves / denies connection is managed as a list, and there is a connection request from the partner device registered in the list, Approve / reject the connection of the opposite device that requests the connection. As a result, each time there is a connection request from the opposite device once registered in the list, it is easy to automatically approve / reject the connection of the opposite device without performing a confirmation operation at the request destination terminal. be able to. In addition, if there is a connection request from a device that is not in the list, the user performs an approval or rejection operation at that time, and automatically registers it in the approval list or rejection list according to the operation content. When a connection request is made, it can be automatically approved or rejected.

<Embodiment 5>
In the fifth embodiment, processing similar to that in the fourth embodiment is performed using the device name as device information for specifying the portable communication terminal device 200 (opposite device).

  FIG. 23 shows an operation in the fifth embodiment when the device name of the portable communication terminal apparatus 200 that requests connection is not registered in either the approval list or the rejection list of the MFP 300. FIG. 23 is the same as the processing in FIG. 19 described in the fourth embodiment except that “MAC address” is changed to “device name”, and thus description thereof is omitted here.

  FIG. 24 shows an operation when the device name of the portable communication terminal apparatus 200 that requests connection is registered in the rejection list of the MFP 300 as the operation in the fifth embodiment. FIG. 24 is the same as the process in FIG. 20 described in the fourth embodiment except that “MAC address” is changed to “device name”, and thus the description thereof is omitted here.

  FIG. 25 shows an operation in the fifth embodiment when the device name of the portable communication terminal apparatus 200 that requests connection is registered in the approval list of the MFP 300. FIG. 25 is the same as the process in FIG. 21 described in the fourth embodiment except that the “MAC address” is changed to “device name”, and thus the description thereof is omitted here.

  FIG. 26 is a flowchart illustrating processing executed by the MFP 300 according to the fifth embodiment. This flowchart shows the flow of processing performed when the CPU 802 loads a program stored in the ROM 803 to the RAM 804 and executes it.

  Note that steps S2601 to S2616 in FIG. 26 correspond to steps S2201 to S2202 in FIG. 22 of the fourth embodiment. In particular, the processing target in FIG. Since it can be realized after changing to "," the details are omitted.

  As described above, according to the fifth embodiment, the device names of the counterpart devices that accept / reject connections are managed as a list, and the same effects as those described in the fourth embodiment are used as device information. It can also be obtained by using. Note that when the UI 310 is displayed in step S2609, the device name of the portable communication terminal apparatus 200 may also be displayed. Accordingly, the user can select approval or rejection after recognizing the device that has made the connection request.

<Embodiment 6>
In the second to fourth embodiments, the device information (MAC address, device name) of the device (opposite device) is registered in the nonvolatile memory 805 by the MFP for the opposite device that has requested connection.

  The device information may be any information as long as it can uniquely identify the device (opposite device). For example, in addition to the MAC address and device name described in Embodiments 2 to 4 above, information that can uniquely identify the opposite device such as an IP address (global IP address) can be used as device information.

  In the sixth embodiment, in addition to this, assuming that the device information of the connected device to be connected is known in advance, a configuration in which the user registers the device information of the connected device in the MFP 300 in advance will be described.

  FIG. 27 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the sixth embodiment.

  In FIG. 27, reference numeral 320 denotes an example of a UI for registering device information displayed on the display unit 811 of the MFP 300. The user can register known device information in the MFP 300 in advance via the UI 320. At this time, it may be registered as a device to be automatically approved, or may be registered as a device to be automatically rejected. It is also possible to manually delete already registered device information.

  The operation in the sixth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  P2701: The MFP 300 inputs device information based on a user operation on the UI 320. This device information is a registration target in the MFP 300 or a deletion target from the MFP 300. The registration target or deletion target is specified by a UI (not shown) separate from the UI 320.

  P2702: The MFP 300 registers the input device information in the registration destination. This registration is performed as a device that permits automatic approval or as a device that permits automatic rejection. Alternatively, the MFP 300 deletes the registered device information corresponding to the input device information from these registration destinations.

  As described above, according to the sixth embodiment, the device information of the counterpart device to be connected is registered in the MFP in advance, or the device information of the registered counterpart device is deleted, so Approval / rejection can be easily performed.

  In the configurations of the second, fourth, and sixth embodiments, only the opposite device having the MAC address registered by the MAC address filtering (the registration of the MAC address that permits reception) set in the MFP 300 automatically approves the WFD connection. You may do it.

<Embodiment 7>
In the second to fifth embodiments, when the number of device information that can be registered in the nonvolatile memory 805 reaches the upper limit, the device information to be deleted is the oldest (date), but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the device information to be deleted corresponding to the deletion condition may be determined using the deletion information such as the device information with a low use frequency / number of times of use and the deletion instruction in the registered device information. . Alternatively, a selection screen for the user to manually select device information to be deleted may be presented (external input), and the device information to be deleted may be determined based on the selection operation.

  According to the various embodiments as described above, it is possible to easily prevent a connection from a communication partner apparatus that is not intended by the user, and to eliminate the complexity of permitting the connection. In addition, you may combine the above embodiment suitably. In other words, based on one or more of the device information (communication status, MAC address, device name, IP address, etc.) of the communication partner device, connect when the device is likely to be the device intended by the user Since the request is automatically approved, it is possible to easily connect to the connection request without complicated operation. On the other hand, when there is a high possibility that the device is not the device intended by the user, the user can select whether to approve the connection request or automatically reject the connection request, so that connection from an unintended device can be prevented. .

  In the above embodiment, when approving a connection request from the opposite device, the NFC unit 718 or BT unit 721 of the portable communication terminal apparatus 200 and the NFC unit 818 or BT unit 819 of the MFP 300 communicate with each other. Thus, the MFP 300 obtains device information (MAC address, device name, IP address) of the portable communication terminal device 200 from the portable communication terminal device 200, and the device information obtained when the connection request is made via the WLAN unit 817. If they match, the connection request may be approved. As described above, when the connection request is approved by NFC communication or BT communication, the display unit 811 can be omitted or simplified. When the connection request is approved by NFC communication or BT communication, if the NFC communication or BT communication with the opposite device cannot be established even after a predetermined time has elapsed, the connection request is rejected.

  Further, when using a rejection list as in the fourth and fifth embodiments, an approval list may not be provided, and an opposing device that is not registered in the rejection list may be automatically approved for a connection request.

  The present invention can also be realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various storage media, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, or the like) of the system or apparatus reads the program. It is a process to be executed. Further, the number of computers that execute the program may be one, or a plurality of computers may cooperate to execute the program. Furthermore, hardware such as a circuit that executes a part of the program may be provided, and the hardware and the computer that executes the software may cooperate to execute the processing described in the present embodiment.

Claims (5)

A communication device,
Receiving means for receiving a connection request from a communication partner device via a network;
In response to receiving the connection request, an acquisition unit that acquires device information that is information for specifying a communication state of the communication partner apparatus;
Based on the device information acquired by the acquisition means, when the device information satisfies a predetermined condition, the approval process by the user of the connection for the connection request after receiving the connection request is omitted, and the communication partner apparatus An authorization means for authorizing the connection , and
The predetermined condition is that the communication state is equal to or higher than a predetermined reference.
Communication device comprising a call. When the device information acquired by the acquisition unit does not satisfy the predetermined condition, the device further includes a presentation unit that presents an option for allowing the user to select whether to approve connection for the connection request,
The permission unit permits the connection with the communication partner device through the approval process when the user selects to approve the connection for the connection request based on the option presented by the presenting unit. The communication device according to claim 1. The information for specifying the communication state includes one of the radio field intensity of the communication partner device, the distance between the communication device and the communication partner device, and the S / N ratio of the signal received from the communication partner device. The communication apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 , characterized by the above. A communication method,
A receiving step of receiving a connection request from a communication partner device via a network;
In response to receiving the connection request, an acquisition step of acquiring device information that is information for specifying a communication state of the communication partner device;
Based on the device information acquired in the acquisition step, when the device information satisfies a predetermined condition, the approval process by the user of the connection for the connection request after receiving the connection request is omitted, and the communication partner device And a permission process for permitting connection ,
The predetermined condition is that the communication state is equal to or higher than a predetermined reference.
Communication method, wherein a call. A program for causing a computer to execute the communication method according to claim 4 .

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