JP7307789B2 - COMMUNICATION DEVICE, CONTROL METHOD THEREOF, AND PROGRAM - Google Patents

Description

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

In recent years, portable information terminals such as smart phones and tablets have become popular. In order to connect these information terminals to the Internet, users need to connect the information terminals to lines provided by telecommunications carriers by wire or wirelessly. Mobile communications such as 3G/LTE provided by communication carriers and wireless LANs are often used as access lines for connecting to the Internet. Particularly for wireless LANs, frequencies of either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz are used. 2.4 GHz has been supported by many devices since the wireless LAN started to spread, but 5 GHz was initially supported by few devices.

However, 2.4 GHz has been pointed out as having problems such as a decrease in communication speed due to radio wave interference with other devices such as microwave ovens and security cameras. Therefore, in recent years, when opportunities to transmit and receive large amounts of data such as moving images have begun to increase, 5 GHz communication, which has less radio wave interference with other devices than 2.4 GHz and allows high-speed communication, has become mainstream. . Therefore, recently released wireless LAN devices, such as access points, smartphones, and tablet devices, support not only the 2.4 GHz band but also the 5 GHz band as standard. Particularly for access points, it is possible to independently form a plurality of networks with different frequencies in the 2.4 GHz band and the 5 GHz band. Therefore, it is possible to connect to networks corresponding to frequency bands supported by smartphones and tablet devices. In addition, even if the communication straddles network devices with different frequencies, the access point bridges the communication (between frequencies), so that the communication connectivity between the devices is sufficiently secured.

Note that DFS (Dynamic Frequency Selection) should be taken into consideration when using the 5 GHz band. The 5 GHz band overlaps with the band used by weather radar and the like. Therefore, when P2P communication is performed by operating a wireless base station and a device such as a printer as an access point (Wi-Fi Direct (registered trademark) GroupOwner or soft AP), the access point uses the weather as the wireless infrastructure communication. It is necessary to constantly monitor the interference waves of the channel being used so as not to affect the radar. A soft AP is a function that uses a wireless chip built in a device such as a printer or a personal computer to serve as an access point in terms of software. Also, wireless infrastructure communication is infrastructure mode wireless communication. If an interference wave is detected there, the channel must be quickly switched to another available channel. In Patent Document 1, in wireless communication in the 5 GHz band, when radio waves from various radars such as weather radar are detected by a wireless base station, if communication must be interrupted for a predetermined period of time, an available channel is automatically selected. A technique for changing to . This technology is DFS. In addition to DFS, TPC (Transmit Power Control) also has a radio wave interference avoidance function, so care must be taken as well. Bands of 5 GHz include W52, W53, W56, W58, etc., and available bands are regulated by law depending on the country or region. Among these, the bands in which DFS is implemented are W53 and W56. For example, in Japan, W52 (5.2GHz band (5150-5250MHz), W53 (5.3GHz band (5250-5350MHz)), and W56 (5.6GHz band (5470-5725MHz)) are defined as usable bands in the 5GHz band. Therefore, only the band W52 is free from DFS interference waves, and W52 uses 36/40/44/48 Ch, for example.

Patent Literature 2 discusses a technique for efficiently allocating frequency bands to terminal devices that have restrictions on the use of frequency bands. Frequency band information indicating frequency bands that can be used and frequency bands that can be used simultaneously among a plurality of frequency bands is stored in advance. A technology is being studied in which a base station and a slave station transmit information on available frequency bands to set mutual frequency bands.

JP 2010-278825 A Patent No. 5279151

Connectivity with other devices is also an important factor for printers. In addition to the method of wireless connection via an external access point (so-called wireless infrastructure mode, hereinafter referred to as "wireless infrastructure"), either one of the own device and the other device can be an access point, and the devices can connect to each other. It is also possible to use a P2P (hereinafter referred to as “P2P”) wireless connection method in which users directly establish a wireless connection.

Printers in recent years can run these two communication modes at the same time (in parallel), and there are products that fully consider the user experience so that users do not have to perform troublesome operations such as switching the communication mode of wireless devices. provided. Wireless communication in two modes can be performed simultaneously (in parallel) in one device. For example, there is a mode in which the device wirelessly connects to an external access point as a client (that is, a slave station), and a mode in which the device itself functions as a GroupOwner (or a soft AP, that is, a master station) between other devices, and a P2P wireless connection is established between the external client and the external client. A mode in which connection is made and a mode in which connection is made can be executed.

In the case where the printer has two wireless interfaces (two communication modes), an embodiment can be considered in which, for example, the wireless infrastructure mode is used as the first wireless interface and the P2P mode is used as the second wireless interface. In that case, it is desirable to be able to use both the 5 GHz/2.4 GHz bands in both the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode.

However, when multiple wireless communication modes exist, available frequency bands may be limited due to wireless chipset limitations. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above conventional example, and an object of the present invention is to implement appropriate frequency setting in a device that can use a plurality of wireless communication modes.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has the following configurations.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication device capable of executing wireless communication using a first frequency band and wireless communication using a second frequency band different from the first frequency band, ,
a first communication mode for enabling wireless communication with an information processing device via an external access point; a communication means capable of executing a second communication mode for enabling wireless communication with the processing device;
a control means for setting a channel to be used by the communication means and controlling the communication means;
with
In the first communication mode, the communication means specifies a channel of the first frequency band and a band included in the second frequency band and to which a DFS (Dynamic Frequency Selection) function needs to be applied. and a channel of a frequency band included in the second frequency band and different from the specific frequency band,
In the second communication mode, the communication means selects either a channel of the first frequency band or a channel of a frequency band included in the second frequency band and different from the specific frequency band. Communication is possible even when using, and is controlled not to communicate using the channel of the specific frequency band ,
When both the first communication mode and the second communication mode are enabled and the communication means communicates using the channel of the specific frequency band in the first communication mode, the control means setting the channel of the different frequency band as the channel of the second communication mode ;
There is provided a communication device characterized by:
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication device capable of performing wireless communication using a first frequency band and wireless communication using a second frequency band different from the first frequency band. There is
a first communication mode for enabling wireless communication with an information processing device via an external access point; a communication means capable of executing a second communication mode for enabling wireless communication with the processing device;
a control means for setting a channel to be used by the communication means and controlling the communication means;
with
When both the first communication mode and the second communication mode are enabled, the control means controls the channel to be used in the second communication mode based on the channel to be used in the first communication mode. and set
When the communication means communicates in the first communication mode using a channel of a specific frequency band that is included in the second frequency band and is a band to which a DFS (Dynamic Frequency Selection) function needs to be applied , the control means controls the communication means not to perform communication in the second communication mode using the channel of the specific frequency band ;
When the communication means communicates using the channel of the specific frequency band in the first communication mode, the control means is included in the second frequency band as the channel of the second communication mode. A communication device is provided that is characterized by setting a channel in a frequency band different from a specific frequency band .

Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present invention, appropriate frequency setting can be realized in a device that can use a plurality of wireless communication modes.

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. 1 is a diagram showing the appearance of an MFP; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an operation display section of the MFP; 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a mobile communication terminal device; FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the MFP; FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a wireless search sequence in mode A (soft AP mode); FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a wireless search sequence in mode B (WFD mode); FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a wireless search sequence in mode C (wireless infrastructure mode); FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an interface selection screen when the MFP is initially activated; FIG. 4 is a flow chart diagram showing initial startup of the MFP; 4 is a diagram showing combinations of frequency bands for two communication modes in Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 4 is a flow chart diagram showing P2P setting switching according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flow chart diagram showing setting switching of the wireless infrastructure according to the first embodiment; 4 is a flow chart diagram showing manual setup of wireless infrastructure in Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart diagram showing automatic setup (first half) of the wireless infrastructure according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a flow chart diagram showing the automatic setup (second half) of the wireless infrastructure in Embodiment 1; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing combinations of frequency bands for two communication modes in Embodiment 2; FIG. 11 is a flow chart diagram showing P2P setting switching in the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a flow chart diagram showing setting switching of a wireless infrastructure according to the second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flow chart diagram showing manual setup of wireless infrastructure in Embodiment 2; FIG. 10 is a flow diagram showing automatic setup (second half) of the wireless infrastructure in Embodiment 2; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing combinations of frequency bands for two communication modes in Embodiment 3; FIG. 11 is a flow chart diagram showing manual setup of wireless infrastructure in Embodiment 3; FIG. 11 is a flow chart diagram showing the automatic setup (second half) of the wireless infrastructure according to the third embodiment; FIG. 12 is a diagram showing combinations of frequency bands for two communication modes in Embodiment 4; FIG. 12 is a flow chart diagram showing manual setup of wireless infrastructure in Embodiment 4; FIG. 20 is a flowchart diagram showing automatic setup (second half) of the wireless infrastructure in Embodiment 4;

<<Embodiment 1>>
Embodiments of the present invention will be exemplarily described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the relative arrangement of the components, the display screen, and the like described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to them, unless there is a specific description.

<System configuration>
First, a system configuration for realizing the embodiments described below will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. FIG.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a system including a mobile communication terminal device, a printing device (MFP), and an access point (also called a wireless base station). The mobile communication terminal device 200 is a terminal device (information processing device) having a wireless LAN (WLAN) communication unit, that is, a wireless communication function. The mobile 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 device (MFP) 300 is a communication device capable of wireless communication with the portable communication terminal device 200, and may have a reading function (scanner), a FAX function, and a telephone function. Further, the communication device can be applied not only to printers but also to facsimile devices, scanner devices, projectors, mobile terminals, smart phones, notebook PCs, tablet terminals, PDAs, digital cameras, music playback devices, televisions, and the like. In this embodiment, a multi-function printer (MFP: multi-function peripheral device) having a reading function and a printing function is used as an example of a communication device. An external access point 400 provided separately from the mobile communication terminal device 200 and the printing device 300 has a WLAN communication unit, and relays communication between devices permitted to connect to the access point, thereby enabling the wireless infrastructure mode. provide communications;

The mobile communication terminal device 200 and the MFP 300 may perform wireless communication in a wireless infrastructure mode (wireless infrastructure mode) via the access point 400 by their respective WLAN communication units, or use Wi-Fi Direct (registered trademark). or P2P communication (peer-to-peer communication) such as soft AP mode. Each mode will be described later in detail with reference to FIGS. Note that the mobile communication terminal device 200 and the MFP 300 can execute processing corresponding to a plurality of print services via WLAN, as will be described later.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the appearance of the mobile communication terminal device 200. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, a smart phone is used as an example. A smart phone is a multifunctional mobile phone equipped with a camera, a web browser, an e-mail function, etc. in addition to the functions of a mobile phone.

A WLAN unit 201 is a unit for performing WLAN communication. It is assumed that the WLAN unit 201 is capable of data (packet) communication in a WLAN system conforming to the IEEE802.11 series (IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, etc.), for example. In this example, WLAN unit 201 can communicate in both the 2.4 GHz band and the 5 GHz band. Further, in wireless communication using the WLAN unit 201, communication based on Wi-Fi Direct (WFD) (registered trademark), communication in soft AP mode, communication in wireless infrastructure mode, and the like are possible. Each mode will be described later in detail with reference to FIGS. The display unit 202 is, for example, a display having an LCD type display mechanism. The operation unit 203 includes a touch panel type operation mechanism, and detects user operations. As a representative operation method, the display unit 202 displays button icons and a software keyboard, and an operation event is detected when the user touches these parts. A power key 204 is a hardware key used for turning on and off the power.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the appearance of the MFP 300. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 3, a document platen 301 is a glass-like transparent plate on which a document to be read by a scanner (reading unit) is placed. A document cover 302 is a cover for holding a document when reading it with a scanner and preventing light from a light source for irradiating a document at the time of reading from leaking to the outside. A printing paper insertion port 303 is an insertion port into which various sizes of paper can be set. The paper set in the printing paper insertion port 303 is conveyed to the printing unit one by one, printed by the printing unit, and discharged from the printing paper discharge port 304 . An operation display unit 305 includes keys such as a character input key, a cursor key, an enter key, and a cancel key, as well as LEDs (light emitting diodes) and LCDs (liquid crystal displays). Settings can be made. Moreover, you may comprise with a touch panel. The WLAN antenna 306 has an embedded antenna for WLAN communication. MFP 300 can also communicate in both the 2.4 GHz band and the 5 GHz band.

FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing an example of screen display of the operation display unit 305 of the MFP. FIG. 4A is a home screen showing a state (idle state) in which the power of the MFP is turned on and no operation such as printing or scanning is performed. Various settings and functions can be executed from the menu display of the cloud function using copy and scan, Internet communication by key operation and touch panel operation. Functions different from those shown in FIG. 4A can be displayed seamlessly from the home screen shown in FIG. 4A through key operations and touch panel operations. FIG. 4B is an example of such a screen, which is a screen on which execution of print and photo functions and change of LAN settings can be executed. FIG. 4(c) is a screen displayed when LAN setting is selected on the screen of FIG. 4(b). From this screen, various LAN setting changes such as enable/disable setting of wireless infrastructure mode and enable/disable setting of P2P mode such as WFD and soft AP mode can be executed. It is also possible to set the frequency band and channel of the wireless LAN. Note that the wireless infrastructure mode is sometimes called the first communication mode, and the P2P mode is sometimes called the second communication mode.

●Configuration of Portable Communication Terminal FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the portable communication terminal 200. As shown in FIG. The portable communication terminal device 200 has a main board 501 that performs main control of the device itself, and a WLAN unit 201 that performs WLAN communication. In the main board 501 , a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 502 is a system control unit and controls the entire portable communication terminal device 200 . Processing of the mobile communication terminal device 200 described below is executed under the control of the CPU 502 . The ROM 503 stores control programs executed by the CPU 502, embedded operating system (OS) programs, and the like. In this embodiment, each control program stored in the ROM 503 performs software control such as scheduling and task switching under the control of the embedded OS stored in the ROM 503 .

The RAM 504 is composed of an SRAM (Static RAM) or the like, and stores data such as program control variables, setting values registered by the user, data such as management data of the portable communication terminal device 200, and other data. A buffer area is provided for

The image memory 505 is composed of a memory such as a DRAM (Dynamic RAM), and temporarily stores image data received via the WLAN unit 201 and image data read from the data storage unit 513 for processing by the CPU 502 . .

The nonvolatile memory 512 is composed of a memory such as a flash memory, and continues to store data even when the power is turned off. It should be noted that such memory configurations are not limited to these. For example, the image memory 505 and RAM 504 may be shared, or data may be backed up in the data storage unit 513 . Also, in this embodiment, a DRAM is used for the image memory 505, but this is not the only option because other storage media such as a hard disk or non-volatile memory may be used.

A data conversion unit 506 analyzes data in various formats and performs data conversion such as color conversion and image conversion. A telephone unit 507 controls a telephone line and processes voice data input/output via a speaker unit 514 to realize communication by telephone. The operation unit 203 controls signals of the operation unit 204 (FIG. 2). A GPS (Global Positioning System) 509 acquires position information such as the current latitude and longitude of the portable communication terminal device 200 . The display unit 202 electronically controls the display contents of the display unit 203 (FIG. 2), and can perform various input operations, display the operating conditions and status conditions of the MFP 300, and the like.

The camera unit 511 has a function of electronically recording and encoding an image input through a lens. Images captured by the camera unit 511 are stored in the data storage unit 513 . A speaker unit 514 realizes a function of inputting or outputting voice for a telephone function, and other functions such as alarm notification. A power supply unit 515 is a portable battery, and controls power supply to the device. The power state includes a dead battery state in which there is no remaining battery power, a power off state in which the power key 205 is not pressed, a normal startup state, and a power saving state in which the device is started but in power saving mode. be.

The mobile communication terminal device 200 can wirelessly communicate with WLAN. Thereby, the portable communication terminal device 200 performs data communication with other devices such as MFP. This communication unit converts data into packets and transmits the packets to other devices. Conversely, a packet from another external device is restored to the original data and transmitted to the CPU 502 . WLAN unit 201 is connected to main board 501 via bus cable 516 . The WLAN unit 201 is a unit for realizing standardized communication. The WLAN unit 201 can concurrently provide two communication modes, for example a wireless infrastructure mode as a first communication mode and a P2P mode as a second communication mode. However, the frequency band used in each communication mode may be restricted due to hardware functions or performance. Various components (503 to 515 and 201 to 203) within the main board 501 are interconnected via a system bus 519 managed by the CPU 502. FIG.

●Configuration of MFP FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the MFP 300. As shown in FIG. The MFP 300 has a main board 601 that performs main control of the device itself, and a WLAN unit 617 that performs WLAN communication.

In the main board 601 , a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 602 is a system control unit and controls the entire MFP 300 . The processing of MFP 300 described below is executed under the control of CPU 601 . A ROM 603 stores control programs executed by the CPU 602, embedded operating system (OS) programs, and the like. In this embodiment, each control program stored in the ROM 603 performs software control such as scheduling and task switching under the control of the embedded OS stored in the ROM 603 . A RAM 604 is composed of an SRAM (Static RAM) or the like, and stores data such as program control variables, setting values registered by the user, data such as management data of the MFP 300, and various work buffer areas. It is

The nonvolatile memory 605 is composed of a memory such as a flash memory, and continues to store data even when the power is turned off. The image memory 606 is composed of a memory such as a DRAM (Dynamic RAM), and stores image data received via the WLAN unit, image data processed by the encoding/decoding processing unit 611, and the like. Moreover, like the memory configuration of the mobile communication terminal device 200, such a memory configuration is not limited to this. A data conversion unit 608 analyzes data in various formats and converts image data into print data.

A reading control unit 607 controls a reading unit 609 (for example, a CIS image sensor (contact image sensor)) to optically read an image on a document. Next, an image signal converted into electrical image data is output. At this time, the image may be output after being subjected to various image processing such as binarization processing and halftone processing.

The operation display section 305 corresponds to the operation display section 305 in FIG. An encoding/decoding processing unit 611 performs encoding/decoding processing of image data (JPEG, PNG, etc.) handled by the MFP 300 and enlargement/reduction processing. A paper feed unit 613 holds paper for printing. Paper can be fed from the paper feed unit 613 under the control of the print control unit 614 . In particular, the paper feed unit 613 can prepare a plurality of paper feed units in order to hold multiple types of paper in one device. The print control unit 614 can control from which paper feed unit paper is fed.

The print control unit 614 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 processed image data to the printing unit 612 . The printing unit 612 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 614 also plays a role of periodically reading out the information of the printing unit 612 and updating the information of the RAM 604 . Specifically, status information such as the remaining amount of the ink tank and the state of the print head is updated.

The MFP 300 also has a WLAN unit 616 installed in the same manner as the mobile communication terminal device 200. Since the function is the same as that of the WLAN unit 201 of the mobile communication terminal device 200, the description is omitted. Here, WLAN unit 616 is connected to main board 601 via bus cable 615 . The mobile communication terminal device 200 and the MFP 300 are capable of WFD-based communication and have a software access point (soft AP) function.

Various components (blocks 602 to 614, 616 to 617, 619) within the main board 601 are interconnected via a system bus 620 managed by the CPU 602. FIG.

<Regarding the P2P (Peer to Peer) method>
A plurality of modes are conceivable as a method for realizing P2P (a method in which devices directly communicate with each other via a wireless LAN without going through an external access point) in WLAN communication. In each mode, the device on the search side uses the same device search request (for example, a Probe Request frame) to search for and find a device to be a communication partner (referred to as a communication partner device or counterpart device). When activating the MFP 300 in P2P mode, it is possible to use a frequency band of 5 GHz band or 2.4 GHz band. For example, when the MFP 300 is activated with only the 2.4 GHz band set in the P2P mode, the MFP 300 does not respond even if a searching device such as the mobile communication terminal 200 transmits a search command in the 5 GHz band. The following two modes are conceivable as modes of the P2P mode.

・Mode A (soft AP mode)
・Mode B (Wi-Fi Direct (WFD) (registered trademark) mode)
There are devices that support each mode and devices that do not support each mode, and applications may differ depending on each mode. A wireless device search sequence in each mode will be described below with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. In addition, in a device having a communication function by Wi-Fi Direct (registered trademark), a dedicated application that realizes the communication function is called from its operation unit. The Wi-Fi Direct (registered trademark) device can perform Wi-Fi Direct (registered trademark) communication based on screen operations of a UI (user interface) provided by the application.

Device Search Sequence in Soft AP Mode FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a wireless device search sequence in mode A (soft AP mode). In the soft AP mode, one device (for example, the portable communication terminal device 200) is a client that performs the role of requesting various services between the devices that perform communication (for example, the portable communication terminal device 200 and the MFP 300). becomes. The other device is a soft AP (for example, MFP 300) that implements the function of an access point in WLAN through software settings.

In the soft AP mode, the client searches for a device that will serve as a soft AP using a device search request 701 . The soft AP that has received the device search request 701 replies with a device search response 702 . Through this exchange, MFP 300, which is a soft AP, is discovered on the client side. Note that the commands and parameters that are stipulated in the Wi-Fi standard may be used when wireless connection is established between the client and the soft AP, and descriptions thereof will be omitted here.

●WFD Mode Device Search Sequence FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a wireless device search sequence in mode B (WFD mode). In WFD mode, a device to be a communication partner is searched for by a device search request 801 . The device search request 801 has a WFD attribute, and can specify that the search target is a WFD mode communication device. When the MFP 300 that has received the device search request 801 returns a device search response 802, the client side detects the MFP 300 as the P2P communication partner. After determining the roles of the P2P group owner and the P2P client, the rest of the wireless connection process is performed. This role determination corresponds to GO Negotiation in P2P, for example. However, if there are restrictions on the frequency band of the wireless chipset when the wireless infrastructure mode and the WFD mode operate simultaneously in parallel, which will be described later, it is necessary to match the channels of the two modes. Therefore, it is desirable that the MFP 300 is permanently activated as a WFD mode parent station (Autonomous Group Owner). In that case, GO Negotiation communication is not required to determine roles. When the MFP 300 is activated as a Group Owner in WFD mode, the MFP 300 itself determines the frequency band and channel as the master station, so it is possible to select and use either the 5 GHz or 2.4 GHz frequency band and channel. is. The P2P mode, including soft AP mode and WFD mode, is sometimes referred to as a second wireless interface or a second communication mode in this example.

<About wireless infrastructure mode>
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a wireless device search sequence in mode C (wireless infrastructure mode). In the wireless infrastructure mode, communication devices (for example, the mobile communication terminal device 200 and the MFP 300) are connected to an external "access point" (for example, the access point 400) that controls the network, and the devices communicate with each other. It is a form of communication via points. In other words, devices communicate with each other via a network constructed by an external access point. In the wireless infrastructure mode, the mobile communication terminal device 200 searches for the access point 400 with the device search request 901 . The access point is discovered when the access point 400 returns a device search response 902 . When the mobile communication terminal device 200 and the MFP 300 each discover and connect to an access point, it becomes possible to communicate between each device via the access point. Commands and parameters that are transmitted and received when wireless connection is established between the device and the access point may be those defined by the Wi-Fi standard, and descriptions thereof will be omitted here. The wireless infrastructure mode may also be referred to as the first wireless interface or the first communication mode in this example.

<Frequency band restrictions and setup method>
A single wireless device can operate multiple wireless interfaces in parallel, and user convenience is enhanced even when the hardware of a low-cost wireless chipset has functional or performance limitations. A method for taking advantage of wireless without impairing is described in detail. Prior to the detailed description, constraints that are prerequisites for this embodiment will be described.

These wireless usage restrictions may arise due to the fact that the wireless chipset can only employ one CPU and one antenna, and that operating multiple wireless interfaces at the same time complicates the firmware. That is, when a plurality of communication modes operate concurrently in one device, available frequency bands may be limited due to limitations of the wireless chipset. In particular, in the case of wireless chipsets that are inexpensive and have relatively low performance, the available frequency band may be limited.

As a first constraint, when the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode operate concurrently, the channels (and frequency bands) used in the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode must be the same. This is because the performance of the wireless chipset is that it cannot listen to multiple channels at the same time because it operates with one CPU and one antenna.

Next, as a second constraint, the 5 GHz DFS function may not be available in P2P mode (GroupOwner or soft AP). When a device operates in the 5 GHz band as a radio base station, it must constantly monitor the band of radar waves designated by the weather radar to detect interference waves, and immediately change the channel if it detects an interference wave. This is the DFS function, but depending on the wireless chipset, DFS in P2P mode may exceed its performance, and the second limitation is due to such circumstances. This is because the P2P mode operates as a master station, and the responsibility of the master station of the DFS function is to monitor the band used by radar waves and to avoid channels when detected.

That is, when the wireless chipset has the first and second restrictions, the available frequency band (2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band) depends on the setting state of each wireless interface (for example, single IF/multiple IF). It may be restricted to others. Since there is a trade-off relationship between the available frequency band and the simultaneous use of multiple interfaces, it is possible to use the wireless device without impairing user convenience by avoiding these restrictions through internal control of the wireless device. can.

In this embodiment, in order to avoid the first constraint and the second constraint, when the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode operate concurrently, the device straddles the communication modes (that is, which communication mode is used). mode) to operate only in the 2.4 GHz band. Also, when operating only in the wireless infrastructure mode alone, it is controlled to operate in either the 5 GHz band or the 2.4 GHz band according to the wireless access point to which it is connected. Also, when operating only in the P2P mode alone, it is controlled to operate only in the 2.4 GHz band. The wireless infrastructure mode and P2P mode setting methods include initial setup [11], IF enable/disable switching by LAN setting, wireless manual setup, wireless automatic setup, etc., and will be described in order.

<Initial startup setup>
When the user who has purchased the main unit turns on the power for the first time, the MFP 300 performs initial settings from the factory shipment state (arrival state). is configured to For example, when the MFP 300 is shipped from the factory, the printing unit 612 is shipped without an ink tank, a print head, or the like. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare the MFP 300 so that it can be used by, for example, prompting the user to mount the included ink tank, print head, etc. immediately after the initial start-up when the user operates for the first time. A flag (initial startup flag) stored in the nonvolatile memory 605 is used to control whether or not the device is in the initial startup state indicating that it is in the factory shipping state. When completed, the state of the initial activation flag is changed, and thereafter the processing sequence dedicated to initial activation is configured not to be activated. In the present embodiment, focusing on the fact that the MFP 300 performs a unique process at the time of initial activation, the setting of the wireless interface is included in the process at the time of initial activation. 10 and 11, the IF setting processing sequence at the time of initial startup of MFP 300 will be described. It should be noted that an initial setup sequence other than the IF setting is also processed at initial start-up, but the sequence that is not directly related to this embodiment is not shown here. FIG. 11 shows processing executed by MFP 300 , especially CPU 602 .

When the MFP 300 is powered on, the CPU 602 of the MFP 300 refers to the initial activation flag stored in the nonvolatile memory 605 in step S1101 to determine whether it is currently in the initial activation state. This initial startup flag is preset to a specific value when the MFP 300 is shipped from the factory.

If it is determined in step S1101 that the IF is not in the initial boot state, in step S1112 the CPU 602 validates the IF according to the IF valid/invalid setting saved in the nonvolatile memory. After that, in step S1113, a normal start-up standby screen as shown in FIG. 4A is displayed to wait for user's operation. Steps 1112 and S1113 are a sequence corresponding to start-up processing during normal use by the user.

Step S1102 and subsequent steps constitute the processing sequence of this embodiment. When it is determined in step S1101 that it is in the initial activation state, in step S1102 the CPU 602 displays a screen for selecting an IF to be used by the user on the operation display unit 305, as shown in FIG. When this screen is displayed, the user selects an IF to be used by the user from items displayed on the screen.

In step S1103, the CPU 602 determines whether the wireless LAN has been selected by user operation. If it is determined that the wireless LAN is not selected, the process advances to step S1110. In step S1110, CPU 602 determines whether wired LAN has been selected. If wired LAN is not selected either, the process advances to step S1114. Here, the case where the process proceeds to step S1114 is a case where neither the wireless LAN nor the wired LAN is selected, and the USB is selected. In step S1114, the CPU 602 enables the USB and finishes the IF setting process at the time of initial activation. Although not shown here, when the entire arrival processing sequence including interface selection is completed, the value of the initial activation flag stored in the non-volatile memory 605 is changed from the initial activation state to the non-initial activation state. do. After that, the initial activation processing sequence is not activated.

When the CPU 602 determines in step S1110 that the wired LAN has been selected, in step S1111 processing for enabling the wired LAN is performed. Also, assuming that the wired LAN is enabled, the setting is saved in the nonvolatile memory 605 and referred to as an IF that is enabled during normal startup.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1103 that the wireless LAN has been selected by the user's operation, the CPU 602 activates the cableless setup mode in step S1104. Cableless setup mode is a dedicated mode that allows wireless configuration of the wireless infrastructure. The MFP 300 in cableless setup mode starts up as a soft AP mode that operates in the same way as an access point (master device). Therefore, an external device such as a personal computer, a smartphone, or a tablet can be easily connected to the MFP 300 as a client (slave device) and can communicate with the MFP 300 . The frequency band used in this cableless setup is 2.4 GHz. In the cableless setup mode, not only the soft AP mode but also the WFD mode can be used. However, in the case of WFD, the standard requires that the SSID, which is a wireless parameter, contain a string of randomly generated values, and the soft AP mode is more suitable for cableless setups using reserved SSIDs. A dedicated LAN setting application that runs on an external device such as a personal computer, a smartphone, or a tablet is configured so that even a user with little knowledge of LAN can easily connect to MFP 300 . The LAN setting dedicated application is configured to send information necessary for specifying an access point and security information for connection to the MFP 300 as a soft AP without knowing the details of the setting contents.

In the cableless setup mode, in step S1105, the CPU 602 mainly receives settings required for connection in the wireless infrastructure mode. After connecting to MFP 300 , an external device such as a personal computer, a smartphone, or a tablet transmits wireless infrastructure setting information to MFP 300 using the same application.

The wireless setting information that the MFP 300 receives from the external device includes the SSID of the external access point constructing the network to join, and the frequency band (either 5 GHz or 2.4 GHz) used by the external access point. radio channel value associated with the frequency band), encryption method, authentication method, etc. After receiving the wireless setting information, the MFP 300 stops the soft AP mode and executes wireless setting processing for the wireless infrastructure mode.

Upon receiving the settings, the CPU 602 terminates the cableless setup mode in step S1106. Then, in step S1107, the CPU 602 activates communication in the wireless infrastructure mode according to the LAN setting value received in step S1105, and performs connection processing to the external access point 400. FIG. Then, the setting is saved in the non-volatile memory 605 assuming that the wireless infrastructure mode is enabled.

In step S1108, the CPU 602 determines validity/invalidity of a plurality of wireless interfaces according to the second constraint on the frequency band of the wireless chipset. At this time, the wireless infrastructure mode is set by the MFP 300 according to the wireless infrastructure frequency band (one of 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz, or the wireless channel value related to the frequency band is transmitted) transmitted from the external device. determine the frequency band of That is, the MFP 300 determines whether the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode are valid or invalid based on the frequency band information transmitted from the external device, which is included in the LAN setting value instructed in step S1105. When the wireless channel value is transmitted from the external device, the MFP 300 converts it to the frequency band (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz) and determines whether the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode are valid or invalid. When the information indicating the 5 GHz band is transmitted as the frequency band of the wireless infrastructure in step S1105, and the wireless infrastructure mode is activated with the wireless access point of the 5 GHz frequency band as the connection destination in step S1107 (Yes in S1108), the P2P mode is disabled. , the process advances to step S1114 to enable USB. Note that both the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode are set to an invalid state as initial values (default) of factory settings. On the other hand, when the information indicating the 2.4 GHz frequency band as the infrastructure frequency band is transmitted in step S1105 and the wireless infrastructure mode of the 2.4 GHz frequency band is activated in step S1107 (No in S1108), the P2P mode is changed to 2.4 GHz. It activates in the 4 GHz frequency band and performs processing to validate the P2P mode (S1109). By activating P2P as a master station, a beacon can be transmitted and can be detected by a terminal device on the host side. Then, the setting is saved in the non-volatile memory 605 assuming that the P2P mode is enabled. For printers that can operate in both wireless infrastructure mode and P2P mode at the same time, if the user selects wireless infrastructure mode alone in the setup flow at the time of initial start-up, the P2P mode will also be enabled at the discretion of the printer. Both modes should automatically be set up for simultaneous operation. That is, the process of activating the P2P mode and saving the setting is performed regardless of whether or not the setting for activating the P2P mode has been received in the previous step S1105. However, only when a 5 GHz band external access point is selected in the wireless infrastructure mode, the P2P mode remains disabled due to restrictions of the wireless chipset.

After that, in both the case where the wired LAN is selected and the case where the wireless LAN is selected, the USB IF is enabled in step S1114, and the IF setting process at the time of initial startup is completed.

As described above, when WLAN is selected by operating the operation panel of the main unit at the time of initial startup, if the 2.4 GHz band is set for communication in the wireless infrastructure mode, communication in the wireless infrastructure mode and P2P mode (Wi- This is a processing flow in which simultaneous communication using Fi Direct (registered trademark) or software AP) is effective. On the other hand, if the 5 GHz band is set for communication in wireless infrastructure mode, communication in P2P mode (Wi-Fi Direct (registered trademark) or soft AP) is disabled, and only wireless infrastructure mode is enabled. That is, when the 5 GHz band is set, communication in the wireless infrastructure mode and communication in the P2P mode are set so as not to operate simultaneously (in parallel). This leads to the first constraint that the same channel in the same band may have to be used for multiple communication modes, and the second constraint that DFS may not work in P2P mode and the 5 GHz band may not be available. A setting that conforms to the restrictions can be made at the time of initial setup when the MFP is started to be used.

<Enable/disable switching of IF by LAN setting>
Next, a method for setting the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode at the time of enabling/disabling the IF will be described. The operation display unit 305 of the main body of the MFP is configured so that enabling/disabling of the IF to be used can be set via the main body operation screen shown in FIG. 4C or the cableless setup. In this embodiment, the use of the wired LAN and the wireless LAN is exclusive, and the wireless LAN cannot be enabled at the same time when the wired LAN is enabled. Conversely, when the wireless LAN is enabled, the wired LAN cannot be enabled at the same time. It is possible to disable both the wired LAN and the wireless LAN at the same time. The USB IF cannot be disabled by the user's setting, but is always enabled at startup and can be used simultaneously with a wired LAN or wireless LAN. The wireless LAN has settings for P2P mode and wireless infrastructure mode, which can be enabled/disabled individually and independently. It is possible to enable both the P2P mode and the wireless infrastructure mode at the same time. At this time, the MFP 300 becomes capable of performing P2P communication and wireless infrastructure communication at the same time. The set enabled/disabled state is saved in the non-volatile memory 605, is referenced at the next startup, and each IF is enabled based on the saved information. When the LAN setting items of the main unit are initialized, the P2P mode and wireless infrastructure mode are disabled. In addition, the wired LAN is also disabled, and neither wired nor wireless LAN is used. A user who has initialized the LAN setting will use the desired IF after individually changing the setting to an effective one.

IF switching will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 shows possible combinations of communication modes and frequency bands as LAN setting values. According to FIG. 12, there are three combinations of communication mode settings, and four settings from communication mode setting 1 to communication mode setting 4 are possible in combination with setting of the frequency band to be used.

Communication mode setting 1 is a pattern in which the wireless infrastructure mode is enabled and the P2P mode is disabled. For example, from the LAN disabled state, setup with an external wireless access point is performed in the wireless infrastructure mode, and the wireless settings when connection with the external wireless access point is completed in the 2.4 GHz band are saved.

Communication mode setting 2 is a pattern in which the wireless infrastructure mode is enabled and the P2P mode is disabled, similarly to communication mode setting 1 . For example, from the LAN disabled state, setup with an external wireless access point is performed in the wireless infrastructure mode, and wireless settings when connection with the wireless access point in the 5 GHz band is completed are saved. Also, when the wireless infrastructure mode is specified in step S1105 of FIG. 11 at the time of initial startup, and the wireless access point outside the 5 GHz band is connected in step S1108, communication mode setting 2 is saved.

Communication mode setting 3 is a pattern in which the wireless infrastructure mode is disabled and the P2P mode is enabled. For example, when the P2P mode is switched from the disabled setting to the enabled setting in the operation display section of FIG. 4C from the LAN disabled state, communication mode setting 3 is saved.

Communication mode setting 4 is a pattern in which the wireless infrastructure mode is disabled and the P2P mode is enabled.
For example, from communication mode setting 1, when the P2P mode is switched from disabled setting to enabled setting in the operation display section of FIG. 4C, communication mode setting 4 is saved. Also, when the wireless infrastructure mode is designated as the LAN setting value in step S1105 of FIG. Saved in mode setting 4.

As described above, in the wireless communication settings allowed in this embodiment, the 5 GHz band is used only in the wireless infrastructure mode and not in the P2P mode. Moreover, the same frequency band is used in the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode. When the MFP 300 is initially activated, the communication mode set by the procedure in FIG. The setting is the same as communication mode setting 4.

●Enabling P2P mode Switching from communication mode setting 2 to another communication mode setting is a pattern in which wireless chipset restrictions become an obstacle to IF switching. In the state of communication mode setting 2, the wireless infrastructure mode is set to 5 GHz, and when the P2P mode is switched from disabled setting to enabled setting in the operation display section of FIG. Constraints are barriers. That is, due to the first constraint, in order to operate the two modes concurrently, the P2P mode must also be activated at 5 GHz in accordance with the channel/frequency band of the wireless infrastructure mode. However, due to a second constraint, the P2P mode cannot use the 5GHz DFS feature, so it can only activate at 2.4GHz. For this reason, FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a switching to communication mode setting 3 that allows the P2P mode to be used, prioritizing the setting change to the P2P mode explicitly set by the user. FIG. 13 shows processing executed by the MFP 300, particularly by the CPU 602. FIG.

In step S1301 of FIG. 13, the CPU 602 executes an instruction to switch the P2P mode from disabled setting to enabled setting in response to the user's operation on the operation display section of FIG. 4(c). In step S1302, the CPU 602 determines whether the wireless infrastructure setting is valid or invalid. If the wireless infrastructure is invalid, the process advances to step S1306, and in step S1306 the CPU 602 designates a channel in the 2.4 GHz band and activates the P2P mode. If the wireless infrastructure is valid, the process advances to step S1303, and the CPU 602 determines whether or not the frequency band set for the wireless infrastructure mode already saved as the LAN settings is 5 GHz. When the band setting of the wireless infrastructure mode is 5 GHz, the CPU 602 gives priority to the setting change to the P2P mode explicitly set by the user, and switches to the communication mode setting 3 in which the P2P mode can be used. Therefore, it is preferable that the CPU 602 warns (notifies) that the wireless infrastructure mode will be disabled in step S1304 by, for example, displaying a warning message, and then disables the wireless infrastructure mode in step S1305. Then, in S1306, the CPU 602 activates the desired P2P mode at 2.4 GHz. If the wireless infrastructure setting is 2.4 GHz in step S1303, the process advances to step S1307 to set the same channel and 2.4 GHz frequency band as the wireless infrastructure mode to the P2P mode, and the process advances to step S1306 to activate the P2P mode.

According to the above-described procedure, when enabling the P2P mode, it is possible to start communication in the P2P mode after satisfying both the first constraint and the second constraint.

●Validation of infrastructure mode There is a case where the communication mode setting is changed from communication mode setting 3 to another communication mode setting using 5 GHz as a pattern that becomes an obstacle to IF switching due to restrictions of the wireless chipset. In the state of communication mode setting 3, the P2P mode is set to 2.4 GHz, and when the wireless infrastructure mode set up in the past in the 5 GHz band is switched from disabled to enabled in the operation display section of FIG. The first and second limitations of the chipset are barriers. That is, according to the first constraint, in order to operate the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode concurrently, P2P must also be activated at 5 GHz in accordance with the channel/frequency band of the wireless infrastructure mode. However, due to a second constraint, the P2P mode can only activate at 2.4 GHz without DFS functionality at 5 GHz. For this reason, FIG. 14 is a flowchart for switching to communication mode setting 2 with priority given to setting change to wireless infrastructure mode explicitly set by the user. FIG. 14 shows processing executed by the MFP 300, particularly by the CPU 602. FIG.

In step S1401 of FIG. 14, the CPU 602 executes an instruction to switch the wireless infrastructure mode from disabled to enabled in response to user's operation on the operation display section of FIG. 4(c). In step S1402, the CPU 602 determines whether the P2P mode setting is valid or invalid. If the P2P mode is disabled, the process advances to step S1406, where the CPU 602 designates the saved frequency band and channel and activates the wireless infrastructure mode. If the P2P mode is valid as in communication mode setting 3 in FIG. 12, the process advances to step S1403 to determine whether or not the frequency band set for the wireless infrastructure mode already saved as the LAN setting is 5 GHz. conduct. If the band setting for the wireless infrastructure mode is 5 GHz, priority is given to setting change to the wireless infrastructure mode explicitly set by the user. Therefore, in order to switch to communication mode setting 2, the CPU 602 warns that the P2P mode will be disabled by displaying, for example, a warning message in step S1404, and then disables the P2P mode setting in step S1405. is preferred. Then, in step S1406, the CPU 602 activates the desired wireless infrastructure mode at 5 GHz. In step S1403, if the wireless infrastructure setting is 2.4 GHz, the CPU 602 advances to step S1407. , to activate the P2P mode.

According to the above procedure, even when the wireless infrastructure mode is activated, the communication in the wireless infrastructure mode can be started after both the first constraint and the second constraint are satisfied.

<Wireless manual setup>
Next, a method for setting the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode during manual wireless setup will be described. FIG. 15 is a flow chart diagram showing manual setup of the wireless infrastructure implemented in MFP 300. As shown in FIG. In manual setup, a list of surrounding wireless access points retrieved (or searched) by user instructions is displayed on the operation display unit 305 of the MFP, and the user manually selects a wireless access point from the search results. FIG. 15 shows processing executed by the MFP 300, particularly by the CPU 602. FIG.

In step 1501, CPU 602 receives a user operation on operation display unit 305 of MFP 300 and executes an instruction for manual setup of the wireless infrastructure. If the MFP 300 is in the wireless LAN disabled state, the wireless IF has not been activated yet, so the CPU 602 activates the wireless IF in step S1502. For example, in the procedure of FIG. 11, when wired LAN or USB is selected, the wireless LAN is disabled.

At step 1503 , CPU 602 uses WLAN unit 616 to search for surrounding wireless access points. In FIG. 9, a device search request 903 is transmitted from the MFP 300, and a device search response 904 is returned from an external wireless access point existing in the vicinity. By broadcasting the device search request without specifying ESSID and BSSID in the same command, nearby wireless access points are detected. Also, for both the 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz bands, a sequential broadcast search is performed for all available channels. At this time, the search may be performed in the order of 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz from the smallest channel, or conversely, the search may be performed in the order of 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz from the largest channel. A device search response 904 returned from the wireless access point 400 includes information such as ESSID, BSSID, channel, etc. Based on this information, a list of wireless access point search results is displayed on the operation display unit 305 of the MFP. .

In step S1504, the user can select a desired wireless access point from the list display of the search results, and CPU 602 accepts the selection result. As a list of search results, it is easy to understand that the ESSID of the wireless access point is displayed as an identifier, but other information such as encryption information (WPA2, WPA, WEP, etc.), BSSID, channel, frequency band, radio field strength, etc. You can

In step S1505, CPU 602 connects MFP 300 to the selected wireless access point in wireless infrastructure mode. In step S1506, the CPU 602 determines whether the P2P setting is already enabled. If the P2P setting is already enabled, CPU 602 determines in step S1506 whether or not it has connected to a wireless access point in the 5 GHz band. When connecting in the 2.4 GHz band, the CPU 602 activates the P2P mode in step 1508 in accordance with the channel acquired in the wireless infrastructure mode in the first embodiment. If the connection is made in the 5 GHz band, in step S1509, the P2P mode is disabled in step S1510 after outputting a warning message or the like to warn that the P2P mode will be disabled.

As described above, in the first embodiment, since there are the first and second restrictions of the wireless chipset, the user can use the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode simultaneously without hindering the simultaneous use of the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode by giving priority to the connection of 2.4 GHz. There are advantages to be had. Also, when connecting to a wireless access point in the 5 GHz band, a warning is displayed to the user, and the P2P mode is disabled to guide the user to a LAN setting that avoids restrictions. Moreover, even when an access point is searched for using an access point search function, it is possible to avoid restrictions and set the frequency band to be used.

<Wireless automatic setup (2.4 GHz band priority)>
Next, a method for setting the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode when the 2.4 GHz band is prioritized during automatic wireless setup will be described. Automatic setup is called automatic setup because the wireless access point to be connected to can be automatically selected by a push button or PIN code method. Specifically, there are methods such as WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) (trademark), AOSS (trademark), Rakuraku Wireless Start (registered trademark), and the like. At the time of automatic wireless setup, it is necessary to attempt connection in the order in which priority is given to either the 2.4 GHz band or the 5 GHz band from among the frequency information of the wireless parameters acquired from the wireless access point. In the first embodiment, since there is a second restriction of the wireless chipset, it is more likely that the condition for simultaneous use of the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode can be satisfied by giving priority to 2.4 GHz for connection. Therefore, first, a method of attempting connection with priority given to 2.4 GHz will be described.

16 and 17 are flowcharts showing automatic setup of the wireless infrastructure mode performed by the MFP 300. FIG. In step S1601 of FIG. 16, the MFP 300 shifts to the automatic setup mode of the wireless infrastructure mode by the user's key operation or the like. 16 and 17 are processes executed by the MFP 300, particularly by the CPU 602. FIG.

In step S1602, the MFP 300 determines whether or not it is connected to the external access point 400 during automatic setup in the wireless infrastructure mode.

If connected (YES in step S1602), it is determined in step S1603 whether or not n wireless connection profiles have been received from the access point 400 (n is a positive integer). One wireless connection profile is information composed of "SSID", "frequency", "authentication method", "encryption method", and "passphrase".

On the other hand, if it is not connected (NO in step S1602), it is determined in step S1605 whether or not a predetermined timeout has occurred. If a timeout has occurred (YES in step S1605), the MFP 300 displays an error screen on the operation display unit 305 and terminates automatic setup of the wireless infrastructure mode. On the other hand, if timeout has not occurred (NO in step S1605), the process returns to step S1602 and waits for connection with the access point 400 that is automatically set up in the wireless infrastructure mode.

If n (that is, at least one) wireless connection profiles have been received from the access point 400 (YES in step S1603), the wireless connection profile counter variable m is initialized to "1" in step S1604.

On the other hand, if n wireless connection profiles have not been received from the access point 400 (NO in step S1603), it is determined in step S1606 whether or not a predetermined timeout has occurred. If a timeout has occurred (YES in step S1606), the MFP 300 displays an error screen on the operation display unit 305 and terminates automatic setup of the wireless infrastructure mode. On the other hand, if timeout has not occurred (NO in step S1606), the process returns to step S1603 and waits for n wireless connection profiles to be transmitted from the access point 400 continuously.

In step S1607, it is determined whether or not the frequency of the m-th wireless connection profile is in the 2.4 GHz band. In the case of the 2.4 GHz band (YES in step S1607), in step S1608, the m-th wireless connection profile is saved in the area storing connection information for 2.4 GHz of the RAM 604 of the MFP 300. FIG.

On the other hand, if it is not in the 2.4 GHz band (NO in step S1607), it is determined in step S1611 whether or not the frequency of the m-th wireless connection profile is in the 5 GHz band. In the case of 5 GHz (YES in step S1611), in step S1612, the m-th wireless connection profile is saved in the area storing connection information for the 5 GHz band of the RAM 604 of the MFP 300. FIG. On the other hand, if it is not in the 5 GHz band (NO in step S1611), the details will be described later in (Case 2).

In step S1609, the wireless connection profile counter variable m is incremented by one. In step S1610, the magnitude relationship between n (number of wireless connection profiles) and m (wireless connection profile counter variable) is determined. If n (number of wireless connection profiles) is smaller than m (wireless connection profile counter variable) (YES in step S1610), the process proceeds to step S1717 in FIG. Therefore, it is determined whether or not there is a wireless connection profile in the area storing connection information for the 2.4 GHz band of the RAM 604 of the MFP 300 .

On the other hand, if n (number of wireless connection profiles) is greater than m (wireless connection profile counter variable), or if n (number of wireless connection profiles) and m (wireless connection profile counter variable) are the same (NO in step S1610), Return to step S1607. Therefore, it is determined whether or not the frequency of the m-th wireless connection profile is in the 2.4 GHz band. Thereafter, the process is repeated until step S1610 becomes YES.

When saving the m-th wireless connection profile in the area for storing the connection information of the 2.4 GHz band of the RAM 604 of the MFP 300 in step S1608, for example, the authentication method and encryption method may be saved in order of strength. Also, when saving the m-th wireless connection profile in the area storing the connection information of the 5 GHz band of the RAM 604 of the MFP 300 in step S1612, for example, the authentication method and encryption method may be saved in order of strength.

In step S1717 of FIG. 17, it is determined whether or not a wireless connection profile is saved in the area for storing connection information for the 2.4 GHz band of the RAM 604 of the MFP 300. FIG. If it is saved (YES in step S1717), in step S1718 the connection information for the 2.4 GHz band is specified and the connection processing in the wireless infrastructure mode is performed. In this connection processing, the MFP 300 performs connection processing in order from the wireless connection profile at the top of the table.

In step S1719, it is determined whether or not the connection has succeeded in the 2.4 GHz band. If successful (YES in step S1719), the P2P mode setting is read from the nonvolatile memory 605 of the MFP 300 in step S1720 to determine whether the setting is valid or invalid. If the P2P mode setting is valid (YES in step S1720), the MFP 300 activates the P2P mode in step S1721. On the other hand, if the P2P mode setting is invalid (NO in step S1720), the process ends.

On the other hand, if the wireless connection profile is not saved in the area storing the connection information of the 2.4 GHz band of the RAM 604 of the MFP 300 in step S1717 (NO in step S1717), the process branches to step S1722.

In step S1722, it is determined whether or not a wireless connection profile is saved in the area storing connection information for the 5 GHz band of the RAM 604 of the MFP 300. FIG. If it is saved (YES in step S1722), in step S1723 the connection information for the 5 GHz band is designated and the connection processing in the wireless infrastructure mode is performed. In this connection processing, the MFP 300 performs connection processing in order from the wireless connection profile at the top of the table.

On the other hand, if not saved (NO in step S1722), the P2P mode setting is read from the nonvolatile memory 605 of the MFP 300 in step S1720 to determine whether the setting is valid or invalid. If the P2P mode setting is valid (YES at step S1720), the MFP 300 activates the P2P mode at step S1715. On the other hand, if the P2P mode setting is invalid (NO in step S1720), the process ends.

In step S1724, it is determined whether or not the connection in the 5 GHz band has succeeded. If successful (YES in step S1724), the P2P mode setting is read from the nonvolatile memory 605 of the MFP 300 in step S1725 to determine whether the setting is valid or invalid. If the P2P mode setting is valid (YES in step S1725), the MFP 300 outputs a warning message to the user in step S1726 to inform the user that the P2P mode will be disabled, for example, by displaying a warning message. Then, in step S1727, the P2P mode setting is disabled. The content of the warning to the user on the operation screen should be that the P2P mode setting, which is not directly related to the user's operation, will be automatically invalidated. If the P2P mode setting is invalid (NO in step S1725), the process ends.

On the other hand, if the connection fails (NO in step S1724), MFP 300 displays an error screen on operation display unit 305 and terminates the automatic setup of the wireless infrastructure mode.

According to the above method, WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup), AOSS, and Rakuraku Wireless Start (registered trademark) use a common processing flow to realize wireless setup for the 2.4 GHz band or 5 GHz band. The frequency band at the completion of wireless setup is stored in a storage area and fixed to either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz. When an access point is found for both the 2.4 GHz band and the 5 GHz band, by preferentially connecting to the 2.4 GHz band, it is possible to increase opportunities for simultaneous use with P2P. This prevents the wireless infrastructure mode or the P2P mode from being unusable due to unintentional falling into the first or second restriction of the wireless chipset after reconnection when the wireless connection is disconnected.

<Wireless automatic setup (5 GHz band priority)>
Next, a method for setting the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode when the 5 GHz band is prioritized during automatic wireless setup will be described. At the time of automatic wireless setup, it is necessary to attempt connection in the order of priority given to either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz band from among the frequency information of the wireless parameters acquired from the wireless access point. In the above example of prioritizing the 2.4 GHz band, there is a second restriction on the wireless chipset, so connecting with priority on the 2.4 GHz band may satisfy the conditions for simultaneous use of the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode. Since it can be increased, it was connected with 2.4 GHz priority. However, some users prefer to use the 5 GHz frequency band over simultaneous use of multiple wireless interfaces. Here, a method of attempting connection with priority given to 5 GHz will be described.

When connecting to a wireless access point with 5 GHz priority, reception and storage of a wireless connection profile are performed in the same manner as steps S1601 to S1616 in FIG. 16 described in <Wireless Automatic Setup (2.4 GHz Priority)>. However, in order to prioritize 5 GHz, the processing in steps S1607, S1608, and S1613 is replaced with processing for the 5 GHz band instead of the 2.4 GHz band. Also, priority is given to 5 GHz by replacing the processing of steps S1611, S1612, and S1615 with the 2.4 GHz band instead of the 5 GHz band.

Even when connecting to a wireless access point with 5 GHz priority, the wireless infrastructure mode is set according to the wireless connection profile saved in the same manner as steps S1717 to S1727 in FIG. Perform connection processing. However, in order to prioritize 5 GHz, steps S1717 and S1718 are replaced with processing for the 5 GHz band instead of the 2.4 GHz band. Also, priority is given to 5 GHz by replacing the processing of steps S1722 and S1723 with the 2.4 GHz band instead of the 5 GHz band.

Further, the warning display in step S1726 is unnecessary because it is a warning dedicated to 5 GHz. Instead, it is desirable to display the warning immediately before step S1721 in the processing of the 5 GHz band. Further, the P2P mode is disabled in step S1721, and the P2P mode is activated in the same band and channel as the wireless infrastructure mode in step S1727. That is, steps S1719 to S1721 are performed as a set as processing after successful connection to the 2.4 GHz band. Steps S1725 to S1727 are performed as a set as processing after successful connection to the 5 GHz band.

With the above processing flow, it is possible to perform automatic setup when priority is given to the use of the 5 GHz frequency band over the simultaneous use of multiple wireless interfaces (communication modes) when there are restrictions on the wireless chipset. In order to invalidate any communication mode, simply stop the communication in the communication mode to be invalidated. Also, in that case, the settings relating to the disabled communication mode are saved as they are. This also applies to other embodiments.

With the configuration and procedure described above, according to the first embodiment, in a device that supports two communication modes, the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode, each It is possible to appropriately set the bandwidth of the communication mode. At the same time, when the user specifies settings, the settings can be made with as much respect as possible to the specified settings.

<<Embodiment 2>>
To allow a plurality of wireless interfaces to operate concurrently in one wireless device, and to utilize wireless without impairing user's convenience even when there are restrictions on the hardware of a low-cost wireless chipset. A method for this will be described in a second embodiment. As described in the first embodiment, the wireless chipset uses only one CPU and antenna, and operating multiple wireless interfaces simultaneously complicates the firmware. restrictions may arise.

The first constraint of a low-cost wireless chipset is that when the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode operate concurrently, the channels (and frequency bands) used in the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode must be the same. There is

A second limitation of low-cost wireless chipsets is that 5 GHz DFS capabilities are not available in P2P mode (GroupOwner or Soft AP). That is, if the wireless chipset has the first and second restrictions, the available frequency band (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz) is limited for each wireless interface depending on the setting (single IF/multiple IF) of each wireless interface. Sometimes I end up Since there is a trade-off relationship between the available frequency band and the simultaneous use of multiple interfaces, the convenience of the wireless device can be improved by avoiding these restrictions through internal control of the wireless device.

In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, use of the 5 GHz band is allowed in the wireless infrastructure mode when the P2P mode is disabled. When two communication modes, the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode, are used at the same time, the use is allowed by setting both to the 2.4 GHz band. As a result, in accordance with the two restrictions described above, the same frequency band is used in both communication modes, and a situation in which the 5 GHz band is used without DFS functioning is prevented. Here, the 5 GHz band includes bands defined by DFS (for example, W53 and W56) and bands that do not require DFS. Therefore, the 5 GHz band can be used in P2P mode if DFS avoids the required band.

Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to avoid the first constraint and the second constraint, when the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode operate concurrently, the device is specified in the 2.4 GHz band or DFS. control to operate in a 5 GHz band (for example, a band other than W53 and W56, such as W52). Also, when operating alone in the wireless infrastructure mode, it is controlled to operate in either the 5 GHz band or the 2.4 GHz band according to the wireless access point to which it is connected. In wireless infrastructure mode, there are no restrictions on DFS functionality, so any band in the 5 GHz band may be selected in this case. When operating only in the P2P mode alone, it is controlled to operate in the 2.4 GHz band or the 5 GHz band other than the frequency band specified by DFS. As specific examples of the wireless infrastructure mode and P2P mode setting methods, methods for enabling/disabling switching of the IF by LAN setting, manual wireless setup, and automatic wireless setup will be described in order. In the following description, drawings and descriptions common to the first embodiment will be omitted, and different points will be mainly described. In particular, the basic description of the system configuration, the configuration of each device, the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode, etc. of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, so the description is omitted.

<Enable/Disable IF by LAN setting>
The main body operation unit is configured to enable/disable setting of the IF to be used via the main body operation screen shown in FIG. 4(c) or the cableless setup. In this embodiment, the use of the wired LAN and the wireless LAN is exclusive, and the wireless infrastructure cannot be enabled at the same time when the wired LAN is enabled. Conversely, when the wireless LAN is enabled, the wired LAN cannot be enabled at the same time. It is possible to disable the wired LAN and the wireless LAN at the same time. The USB IF cannot be disabled by the user's setting, but is always enabled at startup and can be used simultaneously with a wired LAN or wireless LAN.

The wireless LAN has settings for P2P mode and wireless infrastructure mode, which can be enabled/disabled individually and independently. It is possible to enable both the P2P mode and the wireless infrastructure mode at the same time. At this time, the MFP 300 becomes capable of performing P2P communication and wireless infrastructure communication at the same time. The set enabled/disabled state is saved in the non-volatile memory 605, is referenced at the next startup, and each IF is enabled based on the saved information.

When the LAN setting items of the main unit are initialized, the P2P mode and wireless infrastructure mode are disabled. In addition, the wired LAN is also disabled, and neither wired nor wireless LAN is used. A user who has initialized the LAN setting will use the desired IF after individually changing the setting to an effective one.

●Communication mode setting according to the second embodiment Switching between IFs will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 18 shows combinations of communication modes and frequency bands that can be set as LAN setting values. Communication mode setting 1 and communication mode setting 2 are patterns in which the wireless infrastructure mode is enabled and the P2P mode is disabled. For example, when a wireless access point is set up in the wireless infrastructure mode from the LAN disabled state and the wireless settings are saved when the connection with the wireless access point is completed in the 2.4 GHz band, communication mode 1 is set. Communication mode setting 1 and communication mode setting 2 are the same LAN settings (enabled/disabled) for wireless infrastructure mode and P2P mode, but as a result of successful wireless connection, the saved frequency bands are different. Therefore, they are clearly distinguished in the table.

Communication mode setting 3 and communication mode setting 4 are patterns in which the wireless infrastructure mode is disabled and the P2P mode is enabled. For example, when the P2P mode is switched from the disabled setting to the enabled setting in the operation display section of FIG. 4C from the LAN disabled state, communication mode setting 3 is saved. Whether the P2P mode operates in the 5 GHz band or the 2.4 GHz band may be changed by user setting. However, the frequency band for the P2P mode that can be selected in the communication mode setting 4 is limited to bands for which the use of DFS is not specified.

Switching from communication mode setting 2 to another communication mode setting is a pattern in which the restriction of the wireless chipset becomes an obstacle to IF switching. In the state of communication mode setting 2, the wireless infrastructure mode is set to 5 GHz, and when the P2P mode is switched from disabled setting to enabled setting in the operation display section of FIG. Constraints are barriers. That is, due to the first constraint, in order to operate in parallel, the P2P mode must also be activated at 5 GHz in accordance with the channel/frequency band of the wireless infrastructure mode. However, due to a second constraint, the P2P mode can only activate at 2.4 GHz without DFS functionality at 5 GHz. For this reason, FIG. 19 is a flowchart for switching to a communication mode setting in which the P2P mode can be used by prioritizing the setting change to the P2P mode explicitly set by the user. FIG. 19 shows processing executed by MFP 300 , especially CPU 602 .

In step S1901 of FIG. 19, an input operation from the user is received via the operation display unit of FIG. 4C, and an instruction to switch the P2P mode from the disabled setting to the enabled setting is executed. In step S1902, it is determined whether the wireless infrastructure mode setting is valid or invalid. If the wireless infrastructure mode is disabled, the process advances to step S1906, where the P2P mode is activated on the factory-set or user-set channel for the 2.4 GHz/5 GHz band. When the 5 GHz band is set in the P2P mode, a channel for which the use of DFS is not specified is selected, so the P2P mode can be activated using the set channel. However, when the channel is specified again by the user or the like when the P2P mode is enabled, in step S1906, the channel of the band for which the use of DFS is not specified is set again to activate P2P. For example, a restriction may be placed on the selection screen so that a channel in a band (DFS band) in which the use of DFS is specified cannot be selected for the P2P mode. Alternatively, when the DFS band is set by the user, the setting may be changed so as to set, for example, a pre-registered band channel for which the use of DFS is not defined.

If the wireless infrastructure mode is valid, the process advances to step S1903 to determine whether the frequency band of the wireless infrastructure mode setting already saved as the LAN setting is the frequency band used by the 5 GHz DFS function (hereinafter referred to as the DFS use band). A determination is made as to whether or not If the wireless infrastructure mode setting corresponds to the 5 GHz DFS band, priority is given to changing the setting to the P2P mode explicitly set by the user, and switching is made to communication mode setting 3 or communication mode setting 4 in which the P2P mode can be used. Therefore, after warning that the wireless infrastructure will be disabled in step S1904, the wireless infrastructure mode setting is disabled in step S1905. Then, in step S1906, the desired P2P mode is activated. However, when the 5 GHz band is set, a band other than the DFS use band is set as described above.

If the wireless infrastructure setting is a band other than the DFS use band of 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz in step S1903, the process advances to step S1907 to set the same channel and frequency band as the wireless infrastructure to the P2P mode, and the P2P mode is activated in step S1906. do.

In addition, as a pattern where the restriction of the wireless chipset becomes an obstacle to IF switching, the case where the communication mode setting is changed from communication mode setting 4 (P2P mode in the 5 GHz band) to communication mode setting that enables the wireless infrastructure mode and uses 2.4 GHz. There is In other words, this is a case where the settings are changed so that the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode use different frequencies.

In the state of communication mode setting 4, the P2P mode is in the 5 GHz band excluding the DFS use band. Therefore, when the wireless infrastructure mode, which was set up to connect in the 5 GHz band in the past, is switched from disabled to enabled in the operation display section of FIG. Become. That is, due to the first constraint, in order to operate simultaneously, P2P must also be activated at 5 GHz in accordance with the channel/frequency band of the wireless infrastructure mode. However, due to the second constraint, the P2P mode cannot use the DFS utilization band of the 5 GHz DFS function. Therefore, FIG. 20 is a flowchart for switching to communication mode setting 1 or communication mode setting 2 with priority given to setting change to wireless infrastructure mode explicitly set by the user. FIG. 20 shows processing executed by MFP 300 , especially CPU 602 .

In step S2001 of FIG. 20, an input operation from the user via the operation display unit of FIG. 4C is received, and an instruction to switch the wireless infrastructure mode from the disabled setting to the enabled setting is executed. In step S2002, it is determined whether the P2P mode setting is valid or invalid. If the P2P mode is disabled, the process advances to step S2006 to specify the previously saved frequency band and channel and activate the wireless infrastructure mode. On the other hand, if the P2P mode is valid as in communication mode setting 4, the process advances to step S2003 to determine whether or not the frequency band of the wireless infrastructure setting saved in the past is the 5 GHz DFS use band. If the DFS band has been set, priority is given to changing the setting to the wireless infrastructure mode explicitly set by the user. In order to switch to communication mode setting 1 or communication mode setting 2, after warning that the P2P mode will be disabled in step S2004, the P2P mode setting is disabled in step S2005. Then, in step S2006, the desired wireless infrastructure mode is activated at 5 GHz/2.4 GHz. If the wireless infrastructure setting is other than 2.4 GHz or the DFS band in step S2003, the process advances to step S2007 to set the same channel and frequency band as the wireless infrastructure to the P2P mode, and in step S2006 the P2P mode is activated.

<Wireless manual setup>
FIG. 21 is a flow chart diagram showing manual setup of the wireless infrastructure implemented in MFP 300. As shown in FIG. FIG. 21 shows processing executed by MFP 300 , especially CPU 602 . In manual setup, a list of nearby wireless access points searched by user instruction is displayed on the operation display unit 305 of the MFP, and the user manually selects a wireless access point from the search results, so it is called manual setup. The flowchart of steps S2101 to S2106 is the same processing as steps S1501 to S1506 of <wireless manual setup> of the first embodiment.

If the P2P setting has already been enabled in step S2106, it is determined in step S2107 whether or not a connection has been established with the wireless access point using the 5 GHz DFS band. If the connection is made in a band other than the DFS use band of 5 Hz or in the 2.4 GHz band, the P2P mode is activated in step 2108 according to the channel acquired by the wireless infrastructure. If the connection is made in the 5 GHz DFS band, a warning is displayed in step S2109, and the P2P mode is disabled in step S2110.

As described above, in the second embodiment, since there are the first and second restrictions of the wireless chipset, the frequency bands of the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode are combined to be connected except when the DFS use band is connected. There is an advantage that users can use it without hindering simultaneous use. Also, when connecting to a wireless access point in the 5 GHz DFS band, after displaying a warning to the user, the P2P mode is disabled to guide the user to a LAN setting that avoids restrictions.

<Wireless automatic setup>
At the time of automatic wireless setup, it is necessary to attempt connection in the order of priority given to either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz from among the frequency information of the wireless parameters acquired from the wireless access point. In the second embodiment, although there is a second restriction of the wireless chipset, the condition for simultaneous use of the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode can be satisfied if the connection is made in a band other than the DFS usage band of 5 GHz. Here, a method of giving priority to the wireless infrastructure connection of 5 GHz and operating the wireless infrastructure and the P2P mode in the same frequency band as much as possible will be described. When connecting to a wireless access point with 5 GHz priority, the wireless connection profile is received and stored in the same manner as steps S1601 to S1616 in FIG. . Subsequent processing will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 22 shows processing executed by MFP 300 , especially CPU 602 . Steps S2201 to S2204 in FIG. 22 are the same as the 5 GHz connection processing of <automatic wireless setup (5 GHz priority)> in the first embodiment described using steps S1717 to S1720 in FIG.

If the wireless connection is successful in the 5 GHz band (YES in step S2203), the P2P mode setting is read from the nonvolatile memory 605 of the MFP 300 in step S2204 to determine whether the setting is valid or invalid. If the P2P mode setting is valid (YES in step S2204), it is determined in step S2205 whether or not the wireless access point is connected using the DFS band.

If it is determined that the DFS band is used for connection, the MFP 300 displays a warning to the user on the operation screen in step S2206, and disables the P2P mode setting in step S2207. The content of the warning to the user on the operation screen should be that the P2P mode setting, which is not directly related to the user's operation, will be automatically invalidated. If the P2P mode setting is invalid (NO in step S2204), the process ends.

S2208 to S2210 in FIG. 22 are the same as the 2.4 GHz connection processing of <automatic wireless setup (5 GHz priority)> described in the first embodiment using steps S1722 to S1724 in FIG. However, the second embodiment describes a different method to avoid the first and second constraints of the wireless chipset. When the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode operate concurrently, the device is controlled to operate in a 5 GHz band other than the frequency band specified by 2.4 GHz or DFS. Therefore, if the P2P mode is valid in step S2211 or S2204, the P2P mode is activated in step S2312 in accordance with the channel/frequency band of the wireless infrastructure mode. If the wireless infrastructure mode channel is not available in P2P mode due to restrictions, P2P mode is disabled (S2207) after issuing a warning (S2206).

By the above method, WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup), AOSS, and Rakuraku Wireless Start (registered trademark) use a common processing flow to realize wireless setup of 2.4 GHz/5 GHz. The frequency band at the completion of wireless setup is stored in a storage area and fixed to either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz. This prevents the wireless infrastructure mode or P2P mode from being unusable due to unintentional falling into the first or second constraint of the wireless chipset after reconnection when the wireless connection is disconnected.

According to this embodiment, the 5 GHz band can be used even in the P2P mode by avoiding the DFS use band and using the 5 GHz band channel. As a result, while meeting the second constraint, there is more room for band selection, and it becomes possible to select a more efficient band and use the radio interface. Furthermore, by using the same channel for the two communication modes (P2P mode and wireless infrastructure mode), the first constraint is also met.

<<Embodiment 3>>
A single wireless device can operate multiple wireless communication interfaces in parallel, and wireless can be used without sacrificing user convenience even when there are restrictions on the hardware of a low-cost wireless chipset. explain how to

The first constraint described in Embodiments 1 and 2 can be solved in this embodiment by incurring additional costs such as increasing the CPU configuration and antenna configuration of the wireless chipset. As a result, even when the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode operate concurrently, it is assumed that independent channels (and frequency bands) can be used in the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode. Therefore, in the third embodiment, there is no first constraint. However, it is difficult to apply this technology to low-priced products because the cost of the wireless chipset is increased by the amount of increase in each configuration. A second limitation of low-cost wireless chipsets is the assumption that 5 GHz DFS functionality is not available in P2P mode (GroupOwner or Soft AP).

In this embodiment, in order to solve the second constraint, the P2P mode is controlled to operate in the 5 GHz band other than the frequency band defined by DFS. As a result, regardless of the single interface operation/multiple interface operation, the wireless infrastructure mode controls operation at either 5 GHz or 2.4 GHz according to the wireless access point to be connected. Regardless of single interface operation/multiple interface operation, the P2P mode controls operation in the 2.4 GHz band or the 5 GHz band other than the frequency band specified by DFS. As specific examples of the wireless infrastructure mode and P2P mode setting methods, methods for enabling/disabling switching of the IF by LAN setting, manual wireless setup, and automatic wireless setup will be described in order. It should be noted that in the following description, drawings and descriptions common to the above-described embodiments will be omitted, and different points will be mainly described. In particular, the basic description of the system configuration, the configuration of each device, the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode, etc. of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, so the description is omitted.

<Enable/Disable IF by LAN setting>
The main body operation unit is configured to enable/disable setting of the IF to be used via the main body operation screen shown in FIG. 4(c) or the cableless setup. In this embodiment, the use of the wired LAN and the wireless LAN is exclusive, and the wireless infrastructure cannot be enabled at the same time when the wired LAN is enabled. Conversely, when the wireless LAN is enabled, the wired LAN cannot be enabled at the same time. It is possible to disable the wired LAN and the wireless LAN at the same time. The USB IF cannot be disabled by the user's setting, but is always enabled at startup and can be used simultaneously with a wired LAN or wireless LAN.

The wireless LAN has settings for P2P mode and wireless infrastructure mode, which can be enabled/disabled individually and independently. It is possible to enable both the P2P mode and the wireless infrastructure mode at the same time. At this time, the MFP 300 becomes capable of performing P2P communication and wireless infrastructure communication at the same time. The set enabled/disabled state is saved in the non-volatile memory 605, is referenced at the next startup, and each IF is enabled based on the saved information.

When the LAN setting items of the main unit are initialized, the P2P mode and wireless infrastructure mode are disabled. In addition, the wired LAN is also disabled, and neither wired nor wireless LAN is used. A user who has initialized the LAN setting will use the desired IF after individually changing the setting to an effective one.

IF switching will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 23 shows combinations of communication modes and frequency bands that can be set as LAN setting values.

Communication mode setting 1 and communication mode setting 2 are patterns in which the wireless infrastructure mode is enabled and the P2P mode is disabled. For example, when a wireless access point is set up in the wireless infrastructure mode from the LAN disabled state and the wireless settings are saved when the connection with the wireless access point is completed in the 2.4 GHz band, communication mode 1 is set. Communication mode 1 and communication mode setting 2 are the same LAN settings (enabled/disabled) for wireless infrastructure mode and P2P mode, but as a result of successful wireless connection, the saved frequency bands are different. , are clearly distinguished in the table.

Communication mode setting 3 and communication mode setting 4 are patterns in which the wireless infrastructure mode is disabled and the P2P mode is enabled. For example, when the P2P mode is switched from the disabled setting to the enabled setting in the operation display section of FIG. 4C from the LAN disabled state, communication mode setting 3 is saved. Whether the P2P mode operates in the 5 GHz band or the 2.4 GHz band may be changed by user setting. There is no pattern in which wireless chipset restrictions become an obstacle to IF switching.

The P2P mode may be controlled to operate in a band other than the DFS use band if it is desired to use the 2.4 GHz band or the 5 GHz band.

<Wireless manual setup>
FIG. 24 is a flow chart diagram showing manual setup of the wireless infrastructure implemented in MFP 300. As shown in FIG. FIG. 24 shows processing executed by MFP 300 , especially CPU 602 . In manual setup, a list of nearby wireless access points searched by user instruction is displayed on the operation display unit 305 of the MFP, and the user manually selects a wireless access point from the search results, so it is called manual setup. The first half of the flowchart of steps S2401 to S2405 is the same processing as steps S1501 to S1505 in FIG.

If the P2P setting has already been enabled in step S2406, then in step S2407 a band other than the 5 Hz DFS use band or the 2.4 GHz band is set to the P2P mode, and in step S2208 the P2P mode is enabled. If the P2P setting is disabled in step S2406, the process ends.

As described above, in the third embodiment, since there is no first restriction of the wireless chipset, it is not necessary to match the frequency bands and channels of the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode. However, due to the second constraint, it is only necessary to activate P2P mode outside the DFS utilization band of 5 GHz, or at 2.4 GHz.

<Wireless automatic setup>
At the time of automatic wireless setup, it is necessary to attempt connection in the order of priority given to either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz from among the frequency information of the wireless parameters acquired from the wireless access point. In the third embodiment, since there is a second restriction of the wireless chipset, the condition for simultaneous use of the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode can be satisfied if the connection is made in a band other than the DFS usage band of 5 GHz. Here, a method of giving priority to 5 GHz for wireless infrastructure connection and operating the P2P mode in a band other than the 5 GHz DFS utilization band will be described. When connecting to a wireless access point with 5 GHz priority, the wireless connection profile is received and stored in the same manner as steps S1601 to S1616 in FIG. . Subsequent processing will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 25 shows processing executed by MFP 300 , especially CPU 602 .

Steps S2501 to S2504 in FIG. 25 are the same as the 5 GHz connection processing of <automatic wireless setup (5 GHz priority)> of the first embodiment described using steps S1717 to S1720 in FIG.

If the wireless connection has succeeded in the 5 GHz band (YES in step S2503), the P2P mode setting is read from the nonvolatile memory 605 of the MFP 300 in step S2504 to determine whether the setting is valid or invalid. If the P2P mode setting is valid (YES in step S2504), the P2P mode is activated in a band other than the DFS usage band (S2505). At this time, since there is no first restriction of the wireless chipset, there is no need to match the frequency band or channel between the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode. If the P2P mode setting is invalid (NO in step S2504), the process ends.

S2506 to S2508 in FIG. 25 are the same as the 2.4 GHz connection processing of <automatic wireless setup (5 GHz priority)> of the first embodiment described using steps S1722 to S1724 in FIG. The P2P mode start-up processing in steps S2504 to S2405 is common processing regardless of whether the wireless infrastructure is successfully connected to 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz.

By the above method, WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup), AOSS, and Rakuraku Wireless Start (registered trademark) use a common processing flow to realize wireless setup of 2.4 GHz/5 GHz.

The frequency band at the completion of wireless setup is stored in a storage area and fixed to either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz. However, unlike Embodiments 1 and 2, after reconnection when the wireless connection is disconnected, the wireless infrastructure mode or the P2P mode will not be unusable due to unintentional limitations of the wireless chipset. Therefore, it is not always necessary to store the frequency band at the completion of wireless setup in the storage area and fix it to either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz.

As in steps S1601 to S1616 of FIG. 16, the wireless connection profile is received and saved, so the wireless connection profile exists in the area storing the connection information of 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz of the RAM 604 of the MFP 300. FIG. As the frequency band when the wireless setup is completed,
A: 2.4GHz
B: 5GHz
C: 2.4GHz+5GHz
can be stored in non-volatile memory 605 at either frequency setting. Combination C uses different frequencies in the P2P mode or the wireless infrastructure mode, and is further divided into two profiles depending on which frequency is used in which communication mode. If the wireless chipset can use the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands and there is the first restriction, the P2P mode is unintentionally set to the first restriction depending on the frequency band of the reconnection destination access point of the wireless infrastructure. may become unusable. Therefore, it is desirable to fix and store "A: 2.4 GHz" or "B: 5 GHz" according to the connection destination of the wireless infrastructure.

On the other hand, if the wireless chipset can use the frequency bands of 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz as in the present embodiment and there is no first restriction, the P2P mode may be unintentionally switched depending on the frequency band of the connection destination of the wireless infrastructure. The first restriction does not make it unusable. Therefore, it is desirable to save the data as "C: 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz", which is the frequency band set for each mode (that is, each wireless interface). By doing so, when the 5GHz/2.4GHz wireless infrastructure is disconnected, even if the wireless infrastructure is reconnected in any frequency band within the DFS use band of 5GHz or outside the DFS use band, P2P mode will be enabled. can be used without disabling it.

According to this embodiment, the 5 GHz band can be used even in the P2P mode by avoiding the DFS use band and using the 5 GHz band channel. This increases the scope of choice regarding bands, making it possible to select more efficient bands to use the radio interface.

<<Embodiment 4>>
A method for using wireless communication without impairing the user's convenience even when multiple wireless communication interfaces exist in one wireless device and there are restrictions on the hardware of a low-cost wireless chipset. do. In this embodiment, an example in which a plurality of wireless interfaces do not operate concurrently (that is, an example in which a plurality of communication modes operate alone) will be described. In this embodiment, the first constraint described in the first and second embodiments does not become a substantial constraint on communication. Next, assume that the second constraint of low-cost wireless chipsets is that 5 GHz DFS functionality is not available in P2P mode (GroupOwner or Soft AP). It should be noted that in the following description, drawings and descriptions common to the above-described embodiments will be omitted, and different points will be mainly described. In particular, the basic description of the system configuration, the configuration of each device, the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode, etc. of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, so the description is omitted.

<Enable/Disable IF by LAN setting>
The main body operation unit is configured to enable/disable setting of the IF to be used via the main body operation screen shown in FIG. 4(c) or the cableless setup. In this embodiment, the use of the wired LAN and the wireless LAN is exclusive, and the wireless infrastructure cannot be enabled at the same time when the wired LAN is enabled. Conversely, when the wireless LAN is enabled, the wired LAN cannot be enabled at the same time. It is possible to disable the wired LAN and the wireless LAN at the same time. The USB IF cannot be disabled by the user's setting, but is always enabled at startup and can be used simultaneously with a wired LAN or wireless LAN.

The wireless LAN has settings for P2P mode and wireless infrastructure mode, which can be enabled/disabled individually and independently. However, the P2P mode and the wireless infrastructure mode cannot be enabled at the same time. The set enabled/disabled state is saved in the non-volatile memory 605, is referenced at the next startup, and each IF is enabled based on the saved information. When the LAN setting items of the main unit are initialized, the P2P mode and wireless infrastructure mode are disabled. In addition, the wired LAN is also disabled, and neither wired nor wireless LAN is used. A user who has initialized the LAN setting will use the desired IF after individually changing the setting to an effective one. For example, when one of the communication modes is enabled, if the other communication mode is enabled, the other communication mode is disabled and then the communication mode to be enabled is enabled. Furthermore, in order to satisfy the second constraint, the P2P mode permits use of the 2.4 GHz band and does not permit use of the 5 GHz band.

IF switching will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 26 shows combinations of communication modes and frequency bands that can be set as LAN setting values. Communication mode setting 1 and communication mode setting 2 are patterns in which the wireless infrastructure mode is enabled and the P2P mode is disabled. For example, when a wireless access point is set up in the wireless infrastructure mode from the LAN disabled state and the wireless settings are saved when the connection with the wireless access point is completed in the 2.4 GHz band, communication mode 1 is set. Communication mode 1 and communication mode setting 2 are the same LAN settings (enabled/disabled) for wireless infrastructure mode and P2P mode, but as a result of successful wireless connection, the saved frequency bands are different. , are clearly distinguished in the table.

Communication mode setting 3 is a pattern in which the wireless infrastructure mode is disabled and the P2P mode is enabled. For example, when the P2P mode is switched from the disabled setting to the enabled setting in the operation display section of FIG. 4C from the LAN disabled state, communication mode setting 3 is saved. Since the P2P mode cannot use the DFS, it is operated in the fixed 2.4 GHz band. Since the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode are exclusively operated, and the P2P mode is fixed at 2.4 GHz, there is no pattern that the restriction of the wireless chipset becomes an obstacle to IF switching.

<Wireless manual setup>
FIG. 27 is a flow chart diagram showing manual setup of the wireless infrastructure implemented in MFP 300. As shown in FIG. FIG. 27 shows processing executed by MFP 300 , especially CPU 602 . In manual setup, a list of nearby wireless access points searched by user instruction is displayed on the operation display unit 305 of the MFP, and the user manually selects a wireless access point from the search results, so it is called manual setup. The first half of the flowchart of steps S2701 to S2705 is the same processing as steps S1501 to S1505 in FIG.

If the P2P setting is already enabled in step S2706, a warning screen is displayed on the operation display unit 305 of the MFP in step S2707. This is because the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode operate exclusively, so when the wireless infrastructure is enabled, the P2P mode is disabled in step S2708. If the P2P setting is disabled in step S2706, the process ends. Further, in the fourth embodiment, the wireless infrastructure mode and the P2P mode are exclusive operations, so the first restriction of the wireless chipset is irrelevant.

<Wireless automatic setup>
At the time of automatic wireless setup, it is necessary to attempt connection in the order of priority given to either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz from among the frequency information of the wireless parameters acquired from the wireless access point. In Embodiment 4, there is a second restriction of the wireless chipset, and in order to avoid this, the P2P mode is operated at a fixed frequency of 2.4 GHz. Here, a method of giving priority to 5 GHz for wireless infrastructure connection and fixing the P2P mode to 2.4 GHz will be described. When connecting to a wireless access point with 5 GHz priority, the wireless connection profile is received and stored in the same manner as steps S1601 to S1616 in FIG. . Subsequent processing will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 28 shows processing executed by MFP 300 , especially CPU 602 .

Steps S2801 to S2804 in FIG. 28 are the same as the 5 GHz connection processing of <automatic wireless setup (5 GHz priority)> of the first embodiment described using steps S1717 to S1720 in FIG.

If the wireless connection has succeeded in the 5 GHz band (YES in step S2803), the P2P mode setting is read from the nonvolatile memory 605 of the MFP 300 in step S2804 to determine whether the setting is valid or invalid. If the P2P mode setting is valid (YES in step S2804), the P2P mode is invalidated in step S2805 for exclusive operation. If the P2P mode setting is invalid (NO in step S2504), the process ends.

S2806 to S2508 in FIG. 28 are the same as the 2.4 GHz connection processing of <automatic wireless setup (5 GHz priority)> in the first embodiment described using steps S1722 to S1724 in FIG. The P2P mode disabling process in steps S2804 and S2805 is a common process regardless of whether the connection to the wireless infrastructure is successful at either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz.

By the above method, WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup), AOSS, and Rakuraku Wireless Start (registered trademark) use a common processing flow to realize wireless setup of 2.4 GHz/5 GHz.
The frequency band at the completion of wireless setup is stored in a storage area and fixed to either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz. However, unlike Embodiments 1 and 2, after reconnection when the wireless connection is disconnected, the wireless infrastructure mode or the P2P mode will not be unusable due to unintentional limitations of the wireless chipset. Therefore, it is not always necessary to store the frequency band at the completion of wireless setup in the storage area and fix it to either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz.

As in steps S1601 to S1616 of FIG. 16, the wireless connection profile is received and saved, so the wireless connection profile exists in the area storing the connection information of 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz of the RAM 604 of the MFP 300. FIG. As a frequency band at the time of wireless setup completion A: 2.4 GHz
B: 5GHz
C: 2.4GHz+5GHz
can be stored in non-volatile memory 605 at either frequency setting. When the wireless chipset can use the frequency bands of 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz and there is no first restriction, the P2P mode is unintentionally set as the first restriction depending on the frequency band of the reconnection destination access point of the wireless infrastructure. may become unusable. Therefore, it is desirable to fix and store "A: 2.4 GHz" or "B: 5 GHz" according to the connection destination of the wireless infrastructure.

Conversely, if the wireless chipset can use the frequency bands of 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz as in this embodiment and the first constraint is not relevant because of exclusive operation, depending on the frequency band to which the wireless infrastructure is connected The P2P mode is not unintentionally disabled by the first constraint. Therefore, it is desirable to save at "C: 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz". By doing so, when the 5 GHz/2.4 GHz wireless infrastructure is disconnected, the wireless infrastructure can be reconnected in any frequency band within the 5 GHz DFS use band or outside the DFS use band.

27 and 28 of the present embodiment do not maintain the connection in the P2P mode, the P2P mode may be disabled first and then the processing in FIGS. 27 and 28 may be started. By doing so, the steps of testing the validity of the P2P mode and, depending on the results of that step, disabling the P2P mode are not required.

Also, in the P2P mode, by permitting setting only for channels that do not use DFS, the P2P mode can be used in the 5 GHz band.

According to this embodiment, simultaneous use of two communication modes, that is, the P2P mode and the wireless infrastructure mode, is restricted, and in the P2P mode, setting of a band using DFS is not permitted, thereby satisfying two constraints at the same time. .

[Other embodiments]
In each of the embodiments described above, the 2.4 GHz band and the 5 GHz band have been described as examples of the frequency bands to be used. However, the invention can also use other frequency bands. For example, the present invention can be applied even when frequency bands other than those described above become available due to additions or changes in wireless LAN communication standards.

Further, the present invention supplies a program that implements one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of the system or device executes the program. It can also be realized by a process of reading and executing. In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium implements the functions of the above-described embodiments. Processors include processors such as CPUs and MPUs. It can also be implemented by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that implements one or more functions.

Examples of storage media for supplying program codes include flexible disks, hard disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, CD-ROMs, CD-Rs, magnetic tapes, non-volatile memory cards, ROMs, and DVDs. can.

Further, by executing the program code read by the computer, not only are the functions of the above-described embodiments realized, but based on the instructions of the program code, the OS and applications running on the computer are actually executed. Part or all of the processing may be performed. The present invention also includes the case where the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing of this OS or application.

200 portable communication terminal device, 201 WLAN unit, 202 display unit, 203 operation unit, 204 power key, 300 MFP, 301 manuscript table, 302 manuscript cover, 303 printing paper insertion port, 304 printing paper discharge port, 305 operation display unit , 306 WLAN antennas

Claims (30)

A communication device capable of performing wireless communication using a first frequency band and wireless communication using a second frequency band different from the first frequency band,
a first communication mode for enabling wireless communication with an information processing device via an external access point; a communication means capable of executing a second communication mode for enabling wireless communication with the processing device;
a control means for setting a channel to be used by the communication means and controlling the communication means;
with
In the first communication mode, the communication means specifies a channel of the first frequency band and a band included in the second frequency band and to which a DFS (Dynamic Frequency Selection) function needs to be applied. and a channel of a frequency band included in the second frequency band and different from the specific frequency band,
In the second communication mode, the communication means selects either a channel of the first frequency band or a channel of a frequency band included in the second frequency band and different from the specific frequency band. Communication is possible even when using, and is controlled not to communicate using the channel of the specific frequency band ,
When both the first communication mode and the second communication mode are enabled and the communication means communicates using the channel of the specific frequency band in the first communication mode, the control means setting the channel of the different frequency band as the channel of the second communication mode ;
A communication device characterized by: A communication device capable of performing wireless communication using a first frequency band and wireless communication using a second frequency band different from the first frequency band,
a first communication mode for enabling wireless communication with an information processing device via an external access point; a communication means capable of executing a second communication mode for enabling wireless communication with the processing device;
a control means for setting a channel to be used by the communication means and controlling the communication means;
with
When both the first communication mode and the second communication mode are enabled, the control means controls the channel to be used in the second communication mode based on the channel to be used in the first communication mode. and set
When the communication means communicates in the first communication mode using a channel of a specific frequency band that is included in the second frequency band and is a band to which a DFS (Dynamic Frequency Selection) function needs to be applied , the control means controls the communication means not to perform communication in the second communication mode using the channel of the specific frequency band ;
When the communication means communicates using a channel of the specific frequency band in the first communication mode, the control means is included in the second frequency band as the channel of the second communication mode. A communication device characterized by setting a channel in a frequency band different from a specific frequency band . When both the first communication mode and the second communication mode are enabled, if a channel of the first frequency band is used in the first communication mode, the control means controls the second communication mode. 3. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the same channel as that used in said first communication mode is set as the channel used in said communication mode. When the communication means communicates in the channel of the specific frequency band in the first communication mode, the control means controls the communication means not to perform communication in the second communication mode. 4. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . When the communication means communicates using a channel of the different frequency band in the first communication mode, the control means uses the channel in the first communication mode as the channel to be used in the second communication mode. 4. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the same channel is set. When the communication means communicates in the channel of the different frequency band in the first communication mode, the control means controls the communication means not to perform communication in the second communication mode. A communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 . the communication means acquires setting information required for connection with an external access point by communicating with an external device;
7. The communication means according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the communication means connects to the external access point and performs communication in the first communication mode based on the information about the frequency band included in the acquired setting information. 1. The communication device according to claim 1. When the information about the frequency band included in the acquired setting information indicates the channel of the first frequency band, the communication means uses the same channel as the channel used for connection with the external access point to the executing a second communication mode;
8. The communication means according to claim 7 , wherein the communication means does not execute the second communication mode when the information about the frequency band included in the acquired setting information indicates a channel of the specific frequency band. Communication device. The communication means performs the second communication in a state in which the first communication mode is enabled and a channel of the specific frequency band is set as a channel to be used in the first communication mode. when enabling a mode, executing the second communication mode without executing the first communication mode;
In a state in which the first communication mode is enabled and a channel of the first frequency band is set as a channel to be used in the first communication mode, the communication means performs the second communication mode. 9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein when the communication mode is activated, the second communication mode is executed using the same channel as the channel used in the first communication mode. Communication device as described. The communication means performs the first communication in a state in which the second communication mode is enabled and a channel of the specific frequency band is set as a channel to be used in the first communication mode. when enabling a mode, executing the first communication mode without executing the second communication mode;
In a state in which the second communication mode is enabled and a channel of the first frequency band is set as a channel to be used in the first communication mode, the communication means performs the first communication mode. 10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 , wherein when enabling the communication mode, the same channel as that used in the first communication mode is used to execute the first communication mode. Communication device as described. The communication means acquires response information including identification information from the external access point by searching for an external access point,
The external access point corresponding to the identification information selected by the user from among the identification information displayed on the display means of the communication device based on the acquired response information is connected to the communication means, 11. A communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 10 , characterized in that it performs a communication mode of communication. When the second communication mode is enabled and the external access point corresponding to the selected identification information is connected to the channel of the first frequency band, the control means controls the the control means sets a channel to be used in the channel of the second communication mode to the same channel as the channel of the first communication mode;
When the external access point corresponding to the selected identification information is connected to the channel of the specific frequency band in a state where the second communication mode is enabled, the communication means performs the second 12. The communication device according to claim 11 , wherein the communication mode of . The communication means acquires connection information including information on frequency bands from an external access point by an automatic wireless setup method,
When the acquired connection information includes information about the first frequency band and information about the second frequency band, the communication means gives priority to the first frequency band and communicates with the external access point. 13. A communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 12 , characterized in that it connects. 14. The communication apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the wireless automatic setup method is one of WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup), AOSS (AirStation One-Touch Secure System), and Rakuraku Wireless Start. . The control means controls the channel to be used in the second communication mode when the external access point is connected to the channel of the first frequency band while the second communication mode is enabled. is set to the same channel as the channel of the first communication mode,
The communication means does not execute the second communication mode when the external access point is connected to the channel of the specific frequency band while the second communication mode is enabled. 15. A communication device according to claim 13 or 14 . 16. A message according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein a message is displayed on display means of said communication device when either said first communication mode or said second communication mode is disabled. 1. The communication device according to claim 1. 17. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 16 , wherein said communication means executes said first communication mode and said second communication mode by communication complying with IEEE802.11 series. Communication device. 18. The first communication mode according to any one of claims 1 to 17 , wherein the external access point operates as a master station and the communication device operates as a slave station. Communication device. In the first communication mode, the channel set by the control means is determined based on information on frequencies acquired from the external access point as a master station,
19. The channel set by the information processing apparatus, which is a slave station, is determined based on the channel set by the control means in the second communication mode. The communication device according to . 20. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 19 , wherein in said second communication mode, said communication device fixedly operates as a master station. 21. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 20 , wherein, in said second communication mode, said communication device operates as a master station by executing negotiation for role determination. . The second communication mode is a mode in which the communication device operates as a master station by executing an access point function of the communication device . Communication device. 22. The second communication mode is a mode in which the communication device operates as a master station by operating as a Wi-Fi Direct (registered trademark) Group Owner. The communication device according to any one of . When the communication in the first communication mode and the communication in the second communication mode are executed in parallel, the control means selects a channel for the first communication mode as a channel to be used in the second communication mode. 24. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 23 , wherein a channel different from the channel can be set. It is possible for the user to set which of the second frequency band and the first frequency band is used as the frequency band used by the communication means, and the channel of the frequency band based on the setting by the user is used to use the second frequency band. 25. A communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 24 , characterized in that a communication mode of communication is performed. The communication device is further capable of executing communication via a wired LAN,
26. The communication means according to any one of claims 1 to 25 , wherein when the wired LAN is enabled, the communication means cannot execute either the first communication mode or the second communication mode. The communication device according to . 27. A communication device according to any preceding claim, wherein the communication device is a scanner device. the communication device is a printer
28. A communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 27, characterized in that: When the communication means communicates using a channel of the specific frequency band in the first communication mode, even if the information processing device is capable of communication using the specific frequency band, the control means 29. The communication apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 28, wherein said communication means is controlled not to perform communication in said second communication mode using said specific frequency band channel. A program for causing a computer to function as each means according to any one of claims 1 to 29.

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