JP6207315B2 - Communication apparatus and communication system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to communication technology.

  In recent years, near field communication such as NFC (Near Field Communication), IrDA (Infrared Data Association), and TransferJet (registered trademark) has begun to be used in mobile phones and the like. By simply performing an operation such as bringing the devices closer together, data can be transmitted and received between the devices by proximity wireless communication. In addition, there is a technique for performing handover from such close proximity wireless communication to a different wireless communication method such as wireless LAN (IEEE802.11 series) or Bluetooth (registered trademark) (Patent Document 1).

  Further, a protocol for handing over to a different wireless communication system such as NFC, wireless LAN, or Bluetooth (registered trademark) has been standardized as an international standard (Non-Patent Document 1). In Non-Patent Document 1, a record for indicating a communication method capable of handover from NFC communication is defined.

JP 2011-193474 A

NFC Forum Connection Handover 1.2

  If the technique in Non-Patent Document 1 is used, it can be handed over to a method other than NFC by a simple operation of bringing the devices closer by NFC communication. However, in Non-Patent Document 1, there is room for improvement in terms of not being able to notify information related to communication after handover, for example, and reducing the data amount of NFC communication.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism that makes it easier to use a conventional handover technique.

In order to solve the above problems, a communication device according to an aspect of the present invention performs handover to a first communication unit that performs wireless communication with another communication device using a first communication method, and to a communication method different from the first communication method. And a transmission means for transmitting the message using the first communication means, including wild card information as information for designating the different communication method in one record included in the message .

  According to the present invention, it is possible to make handover more convenient and easy to use.

1 is a diagram illustrating a system configuration according to an embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of the communication apparatus (digital camera) which concerns on embodiment. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a communication apparatus (printer) according to an embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the functional block structure of the communication apparatus (digital camera) which concerns on embodiment. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional block configuration of a communication apparatus (printer) according to an embodiment. The figure explaining the operation | movement flow of the communication apparatus (digital camera) in 1st embodiment. The figure explaining the operation | movement flow of the communication apparatus (printer) in 1st embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary communication sequence between the digital camera and the printer according to the first embodiment. The figure explaining the operation | movement flow of the communication apparatus (digital camera) in 2nd embodiment. The figure explaining the operation | movement flow of the communication apparatus (printer) in 2nd embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary communication sequence between a digital camera and a printer according to a second embodiment.

  Hereinafter, a communication device and a communication system according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram of a device configuration of a system 100 assumed in the present embodiment described below. Reference numerals 101 and 102 denote communication apparatuses according to the present invention. In this embodiment, 101 is a digital camera and 102 is a printer. The digital camera 101 and the printer 102 can communicate with each other using the NFC communication 103 and the wireless LAN communication 104.

  Next, FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the digital camera 101.

  The digital camera 101 includes a display unit 201, an operation unit 202, a storage unit 203, a power supply unit 204, a photographing unit 205, a control unit 206, a ROM 207, a RAM 208, a wireless LAN communication unit 209, and an NFC communication unit 210.

  The display unit 201 is configured by, for example, an LCD or LED, has a function of outputting visually recognizable information, and displays a UI related to the application. The operation unit 202 has a function for the user to perform various inputs and operate the communication apparatus. The storage unit 203 includes, for example, an HDD, and stores and manages various data such as wireless communication network information, data transmission / reception information, and image data. The power supply unit 204 is, for example, a battery, holds a power supply for operating the entire apparatus, and supplies power to each hardware. The photographing unit 205 includes an image sensor, a lens, and the like, and takes a photograph or a moving image. The control unit 206 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit), for example, and controls the operation of each component of the digital camera 101. The ROM 207 stores control commands, that is, programs, and various operations described later are realized by the control unit 206 executing the control programs stored in the ROM 307. The RAM 208 is used for temporary storage of work memory and data when executing a program. A wireless LAN communication unit 209 performs the wireless LAN communication 104. The wireless LAN communication unit 209 performs wireless communication conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series. In this embodiment, the wireless LAN communication unit 209 performs wireless communication conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series, but other communication methods such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) may be used. Reference numeral 210 denotes an NFC communication unit that performs the NFC communication 103. The NFC communication unit 210 performs wireless communication complying with NFC (Near Field Communication). Further, the NFC communication unit 210 automatically establishes the NFC communication 103 when detecting a device capable of communication within the communication range. Note that although the NFC communication unit 210 performs wireless communication in conformity with NFC, a communication method with a shorter communication distance than the communication method used by the wireless LAN communication unit 209 may be used. Further, the NFC communication unit 210 may use a communication method having a slower communication speed than the communication method used by the wireless LAN communication unit 209.

  Next, FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the printer 102. The printer 102 includes a print processing unit 310 instead of the photographing unit 205 of the digital camera 101. The print processing unit 310 prints the image data stored in the storage unit 303. Since other components are the same as those of the digital camera 101, description thereof is omitted here.

  Next, functional block diagrams of the digital camera 101 and the printer 102 will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, the functional blocks of the digital camera 101 and the printer 102 are stored as programs in the ROM 207 and the ROM 307, respectively, and the functions are implemented by executing the programs by the control unit 206 and the control unit 305. The control units 206 and 207 implement each function by performing control of each hardware and calculation and processing of information according to a control program. A part or all of the functional blocks may be implemented as hardware. In this case, a part or all of each functional block is configured by, for example, ASIC (application specific integrated circuit).

  FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram (400) of the digital camera 101. The digital camera 101 includes a wireless LAN communication control unit 410, an NFC communication control unit 420, and a service execution unit 430.

  The wireless LAN communication control unit 410 is a processing unit that controls wireless LAN communication via the wireless LAN communication unit 209. The wireless LAN communication control unit 410 includes a station function that operates as a wireless LAN terminal and an AP function that operates as an access point. The NFC communication control unit 420 is a processing unit that controls NFC communication via the NFC communication unit 210. The service execution unit 430 is a processing unit that manages service information of external devices that can be executed by the digital camera 101 using the wireless LAN communication control unit 410 and executes services. The service execution unit 430 manages service identifiers, service execution procedures corresponding to the service identifiers, service option information, and the like as service information. It is assumed that the digital camera 101 of this embodiment can execute two types of services “print service A” and “print service B”.

  FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram (500) of the printer. The printer 102 includes a wireless LAN communication control unit 510, an NFC communication control unit 520, a service control unit 530, and a print control unit 540.

  The wireless LAN communication control unit 510 is a processing unit that controls wireless LAN communication via the wireless LAN communication unit 308. The wireless LAN communication control unit 510 includes a station function that operates as a wireless LAN terminal and an AP function that operates as an access point. The NFC communication control unit 520 is a processing unit that controls NFC communication via the NFC communication unit 309. The service control unit 530 is a processing unit that manages information on services that the printer 102 can provide to external devices via the wireless LAN communication control unit 510 and executes services. The service control unit 530 manages service identifiers, service execution procedures corresponding to the service identifiers, service option information, and the like as service information. It is assumed that the printer 102 according to the present embodiment can execute three types of services “print service A”, “print service C”, and “print service D”. The print control unit 540 is a functional unit that controls print processing by the print processing unit 310. The service control unit 530 can print the print data received from the external device by controlling the print control unit 540 in response to a request from the external device.

  The operation of the communication system having the above configuration will be described.

(First embodiment)
The operation procedure of the digital camera 101 and the printer 102 in the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

  The flowchart in FIG. 6 shows an operation procedure of the digital camera 101 when the digital camera 101 and the printer 102 are brought close to each other by a user operation.

  When detecting the proximity of the NFC communication unit 309 of the printer 102, the NFC communication control unit 420 of the digital camera 101 establishes NFC communication with the printer 102 (S601). Next, the control unit 206 of the digital camera 101 determines whether a service to be executed with the printer 102 has been determined (S602). In this embodiment, the service to be executed is determined by a user operation received by the operation unit 202. The determination in S602 is changed by a user operation performed by the digital camera 101 before starting NFC communication. That is, the determination in S602 is made via the NFC communication unit 210 when the service executed by the digital camera 101 is selected and the printer 102 is connected to the printer 102 via the NFC communication unit 210 or when the service to be executed is not selected. It is done by connecting.

  If the service to be executed with the printer 102 has been determined (YES in S602), the digital camera 101 determines whether the service can be executed using NFC communication (S603 to S608). If the service executed with the printer 102 has not been determined (NO in S602), the digital camera 101 determines whether the service can be executed using the wireless LAN communication after connecting to the printer 102 via the wireless LAN communication. (S609 to S616).

  If the service to be executed with the printer 102 is determined (YES in S602), the NFC communication control unit 420 transmits a handover request message including the identifier information of the service to be executed to the printer 102 by the NFC communication unit 210. (S603). The service identifier here is an integer value uniquely associated with a service whose specification is individually defined. The handover request message is a message for requesting a connection parameter necessary for the connection in order to newly connect by a communication method different from NFC. The handover request message may include service ancillary information in addition to the service identifier. For example, information such as the encoding format of the file to be printed, the printing paper size, the printing color, and the presence / absence of duplex printing may be added and transmitted. The handover request message may include information on a wireless communication interface used when executing the service. The wireless communication interface information is information indicating a wireless LAN or Bluetooth (registered trademark).

  In this embodiment, the digital camera 101 receives a handover request message including information indicating that the desired service method is “print service A”, the desired connection form is wireless LAN, and the file format to be printed is JPEG. Shall be sent. In the present embodiment, the handover request message is a Handover Request message defined by NFC Forum Connection Handover Technical Specification.

  Subsequently, the NFC communication control unit 420 receives a handover response message from the printer 102 via NFC communication (S604), and analyzes the message content. In the present embodiment, the response message is a Handover Select message defined by NFC Forum Connection Handover Technical Specification. The handover response message includes information indicating whether or not the printer 102 can execute the service included in the handover request message transmitted in S603. If the response message indicates that the service can be executed (YES in S605), the digital camera 101 connects to the wireless LAN network in accordance with the wireless LAN connection parameters included in the message (S606). The connection parameter is information for connecting the printer 102 to a network constructed as an access point. The connection parameters include all or at least one of SSID, encryption key, encryption method, authentication key, authentication method, passphrase, and MAC address of the printer 102.

  When connected to the wireless LAN network based on the connection parameters acquired by the wireless LAN communication unit 209 of the digital camera 101, the service execution unit 430 executes the service according to the service procedure transmitted in S603 (S607). The service execution unit 430 executes a service through communication by the wireless LAN communication unit 308 in the wireless LAN network having the acquired connection parameters. If the service included in the handover request message is not executable in the handover response message (NO in step S605), the service execution unit 430 displays a message indicating that the printing process has failed on the display unit 201. (S608). Then, the process ends. Note that the error notification method is not limited to the message display. For example, the error may be notified by vibration of the digital camera 101 main body, sound, lighting of an LED light, or the like.

  On the other hand, when the NFC connection is established with the printer 102 without selecting the service to be executed by the digital camera 101 (NO in S602), the NFC communication control unit 420 transmits a request message to the printer 102 by NFC communication without including service information. (S609). Subsequently, the NFC communication control unit 420 receives a handover response message from the printer 102 (S610). Next, the wireless LAN communication control unit 410 connects to the wireless LAN network according to the wireless LAN connection parameters included in the handover response message (S611). When the connection to the wireless LAN network is completed, the wireless LAN communication control unit 410 performs a service search process on the wireless LAN network and collects information on services supported by communication devices on the network (S612). This service search process is performed using a communication protocol such as SSDP (Simple Service Discovery Protocol) or mDNS (Multicast DNS). If the service execution unit 430 finds a communication device that supports an executable service as a result of the search process in S612 (YES in S613), the service execution unit 430 performs a process for selecting the service (S614). Then, the service execution unit 430 executes the selected service (S615). Note that the selection processing in S614 is performed, for example, when the user selects a service name. As a result of the search processing in S612, if a communication device that supports an executable service cannot be found (NO in S613), the service execution unit 430 displays a message indicating that the print processing has failed on the display unit 201 (S616). ). Then, the process ends. As in S608, the error notification method is not limited to the message display. For example, the error may be notified by vibration of the main body of the digital camera 101, sound, lighting of the LED light, or the like.

  Next, the flowchart of FIG. 7 shows an operation procedure of the printer 102 when the digital camera 101 and the printer 102 are brought close to each other.

  When the NFC communication control unit 520 detects the proximity of the NFC communication unit 210 of the digital camera 101, the printer 102 establishes NFC communication with the digital camera 101 (S701). Next, the NFC communication control unit 520 receives the handover request message from the digital camera 101 by NFC communication (S702). If service information is included in the received handover request message (YES in S703), the service control unit 530 determines whether the service can be executed by itself (S704). If the service can be executed (YES in S704), the NFC communication control unit 520 adds information indicating that the service can be executed to the handover response message and transmits it to the digital camera 101 (S705). If the service cannot be executed (NO in S704), the NFC communication control unit 520 adds information indicating that the service cannot be executed to the handover response message and transmits the information to the digital camera 101 (S709). Exit. If the service information is not included in the received handover request message (NO in S703), the NFC communication control unit 520 transmits a handover response message that does not include service executable / impossible information to the digital camera 101. (S710). In addition, the NFC communication control unit 520 transmits the handover response message transmitted in S705 and S710 including the connection parameter of the wireless LAN network used when executing the service.

  Subsequently, the wireless LAN communication control unit 510 activates the access point function, and generates a wireless LAN network corresponding to the connection parameter included in the response message (S706). Furthermore, the service control unit 530 starts waiting for a print service that it supports (S707). If the print service information is specified in the handover request message received in S702, the printer 102 starts waiting for the specified print service. If the print service information is not specified in the handover request message received in step S702, the printer 102 starts standby processing for all print services supported by itself. Information on the service that has started waiting is notified on the wireless LAN network created in S706, and is retrieved from other communication devices on the wireless LAN network.

  Thereafter, when image data is transmitted from the digital camera 101, the print control unit 540 receives and prints the image data (S708).

  Next, an example of a communication sequence between the digital camera 101 and the printer 102 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In FIG. 8, first, NFC communication between the two is established in response to a user operation to bring the digital camera 101 and the printer 102 closer (S801). Next, the digital camera 101 transmits a handover request message to the printer 102 by NFC communication (S802). Information indicating that the digital camera 101 wants to print a JPEG file by wireless LAN communication using the “print service A” method is added to the handover request message. The printer 102 transmits a handover response message including the service execution availability information included in the received handover request message and the connection parameter of the wireless LAN network generated by the printer 102 to the digital camera 101 by NFC communication (S803). As described above, since the services supported by the printer 102 are “print service A”, “print service C”, and “print service D”, the message including information indicating that the service can be executed is transmitted by NFC communication here. To do. Subsequently, the printer 102 activates the access point function and generates a wireless LAN network corresponding to the connection parameter transmitted in S803 (S804). Furthermore, the printer 102 starts a print service standby process by “print service A” (S805).

  On the other hand, the digital camera 101 activates the wireless LAN communication unit 308, searches for a wireless LAN network corresponding to the received connection parameter, and connects (S806). When the connection to the wireless LAN network is completed, the digital camera 101 transmits the image data to be printed to the printer 102 via the wireless LAN network according to the procedure of the printing service A (S807). The printer 102 prints the received image data (S808).

  In the above embodiment, the handover request message transmitted from the digital camera 101 to the printer 102 includes only one service information. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and includes a plurality of service information. It doesn't matter. For example, a plurality of pieces of service information and information indicating whether to execute all services (AND) or only one service (OR) may be further added to the handover request message and sent.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, since service information is added to a handover request message, service information can be shared between apparatuses before handover. In addition, since service information is shared between devices before handover, handover processing can be suppressed when the communication partner does not support a desired service. Therefore, handover processing from NFC to a wireless LAN or Bluetooth (registered trademark) can be performed only when necessary. In general, since a wireless LAN connection process requires several seconds to several tens of seconds, it is possible to omit unnecessary time by suppressing unnecessary handover.

(Second embodiment)
In the first embodiment, as a method for sharing information on a service performed using NFC communication, a method of transmitting a service that can be used by a device that uses the service to a device that provides the service is exemplified. In the following, as a second embodiment, an example is described of a method in which a service providing apparatus agrees on information on a service to be performed by transmitting information on a service supported by the apparatus to a utilization apparatus. The configuration of the communication system in the present embodiment is the same as that in the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the details of the operation of the communication system in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The flowchart of FIG. 9 shows an operation procedure of the digital camera 101 when the digital camera 101 and the printer 102 are brought close to each other.

  When detecting the proximity of the NFC communication unit 309 of the printer 102, the NFC communication control unit 420 of the digital camera 101 establishes NFC communication with the printer 102 (S901). Subsequently, the NFC communication control unit 420 receives a handover request message from the printer 102 via NFC communication (S902), and analyzes the message content. The handover request message includes an identifier of service supported by the printer 102 and additional information. When the received handover request message includes information on the service that the NFC communication control unit 420 wants to execute (YES in S903), the NFC communication control unit 420 includes information indicating that the service notified in the response message is to be executed. 102 (S904). Further, the digital camera 101 transmits the response message including the connection parameter of the wireless LAN network used when executing the service.

  Subsequently, the digital camera 101 activates the access point function by the wireless LAN communication control unit 410, and generates a wireless LAN network corresponding to the connection parameter included in the response message (S905). Waiting for the printer 102 to connect to the wireless LAN network, the digital camera 101 transmits image data to be printed to the printer 102 in accordance with the service procedure desired in the service received in S902 (S906). If the desired service is not included in the handover request message (NO in S903), the digital camera 101 transmits a response message including information indicating that the service is not executed to the printer 102 (S907). Then, the digital camera 101 displays error information (S908).

  The flowchart in FIG. 10 shows an operation procedure of the printer 102 when the digital camera 101 and the printer 102 are brought close to each other. When the NFC communication control unit 520 of the printer 102 detects the proximity of the NFC communication unit 210 of the digital camera 101, NFC communication is established with the digital camera 101 (S1001). Next, the NFC communication control unit 520 transmits a handover request message including identifier information of a service that it supports to the digital camera 101 by NFC communication (S1002). As described above, in this embodiment, the printer 102 supports three printing services of “print service A”, “print service C”, and “print service D”. Therefore, the three service information is included in the handover request message.

  Subsequently, the NFC communication control unit 520 receives a response message from the digital camera 101 via NFC communication (S1003), and analyzes the message content. If the received response message includes information that the digital camera 101 executes the service (YES in S1004), the wireless LAN communication control unit 510 connects to the wireless LAN network according to the connection parameter included in the response message ( S1005). When the connection to the wireless LAN network is completed, the print control unit 540 starts waiting for the print service transmitted in S1002 (S1006), and receives and prints image data transmitted from the digital camera 101 (S1007). If the received response message includes information indicating that the digital camera 101 does not execute the service (NO in S1004), the printer 102 ends the process without performing handover to the wireless LAN.

  Next, an example of a communication sequence between the digital camera 101 and the printer 102 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  First, by bringing the digital camera 101 and the printer 102 close to each other (not shown), NFC communication is established between them (S1101). Next, the printer 102 transmits a handover request message to the digital camera 101 (S1102). Information indicating that the printer 102 supports “print service A”, “print service C”, and “print service D” is added to the request message. Also, information indicating that file printing in JPEG format can be performed in “print service A” and “print service C”, and PDF and TIFF formats can be added in “print service D”. Similarly, information indicating that each print service can be executed using wireless LAN communication is added to the request message. Upon receiving the handover request message, the digital camera 101 transmits a handover response message to which information indicating that the service notified in S1102 is executed is added to the printer 102 (S1103). The response message includes connection parameters for the wireless LAN network generated by the digital camera 101. Subsequently, the digital camera 101 activates the access point function, generates a wireless LAN network that matches the wireless LAN network information transmitted in S1103 (S1104), and waits for connection of the printer 102. Upon receiving S1103, the printer 102 searches for and connects to the wireless LAN network included in the message (S1105). When the connection to the wireless LAN network is completed, the printer 102 starts print service standby processing by “print service A”, “print service C”, and “print service D” (S1106).

  When the digital camera 101 detects that the printer 102 is connected to the wireless LAN network (S1105), it transmits image data to be printed to the printer 102 according to the procedure of the print service A (S1107). The printer 102 prints the received image data (S1108).

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, service information that can be provided is added to a handover request message, so that service information can be shared between apparatuses before handover. In addition, since service information is shared between devices before handover, handover processing can be suppressed when the communication partner does not support a desired service. Therefore, handover processing from NFC to a wireless LAN or Bluetooth (registered trademark) can be performed only when necessary. In general, since a wireless LAN connection process requires several seconds to several tens of seconds, it is possible to omit unnecessary time by suppressing unnecessary handover.

(Third embodiment)
In the first and second embodiments, the wireless communication method for performing handover from NFC has been described only for the wireless LAN. In the following, as a third embodiment, a method will be disclosed in which each device has both wireless LAN and Bluetooth wireless communication systems and performs handover from NFC to either a wireless LAN or Bluetooth (registered trademark).

  In the non-patent document 1 described above, a record for indicating a communication method capable of performing handover from NFC communication is defined. It is defined that one record includes a communication method for which one handover is desired. Therefore, a device that supports a plurality of communication systems such as a wireless LAN and Bluetooth (registered trademark) can perform communication according to a protocol for handover including a record for each communication system, regardless of the communication system after handover. Need to do. However, when a record is created for each of a plurality of communication methods, there is a problem that the volume of data to be communicated increases. In particular, in NFC communication in which the communication speed is relatively slow and the communicable range is short, if the amount of data to be communicated is large, a desired time is only required when the user touches the device on the opposite device for NFC communication. There are cases where communication is not completed.

  The present embodiment reduces the amount of data communicated at the time of handover in a device that supports a plurality of communication methods such as a wireless LAN and Bluetooth (registered trademark).

  Note that the configuration of the communication system in the present embodiment is the same as that in the first embodiment, except that each device includes both wireless LAN and Bluetooth (registered trademark) wireless communication systems.

  When the apparatus can use a plurality of wireless communication systems, the handover request message transmitted in step S603 includes information on the wireless LAN and Bluetooth (registered trademark) as information on the wireless communication interface. Further, in the handover request message, an identifier of a service to be executed on each wireless communication method, service attached information, and the like are stored in association with information on each wireless communication interface.

  For example, consider a case where “print service A” is performed using either wireless LAN communication or Bluetooth (registered trademark). In this case, the handover request message includes a record in which information related to “print service A” is stored in association with information indicating wireless LAN communication. Similarly, a record in which information related to “print service A” is stored in association with information indicating Bluetooth (registered trademark) is included. The handover response message includes a record storing information indicating that “print service A” is executed using at least one of wireless LAN communication and Bluetooth (registered trademark) and connection parameters of the wireless LAN network. Is included. In the present embodiment, the record is ALTERNATIVE_CARRIER_RECORD defined in Non-Patent Document 1. The record includes information on a wireless communication interface for identifying a communication method that can be handed over indicated by the record, and a plurality of auxiliary information. In the present embodiment, the information on the wireless communication interface is information indicated by CARRIER_DATA_REFERENCE specified in Non-Patent Document 1. The wireless communication interface information can include the type of carrier such as wireless LAN / Wi-Fi IBSS / Bluetooth (registered trademark) / Wi-Fi DIRECT. Moreover, the power state (Active: active state, Inactive: inactive state, etc.) of each radio carrier may be included.

  The auxiliary information is information indicated by AUXILIARY_DATA_REFERENCE defined in Non-Patent Document 1 in the embodiment. In the auxiliary information, identifier information of a service to be executed is stored. Further, information indicating the priority of each piece of identifier information of a plurality of services is stored as auxiliary information.

  Here, in the present embodiment, when a service is executed on either of the two communication methods, the wireless communication interface information stored in the record indicates that handover is requested in any of a plurality of communication methods. Stores wildcard information. Wildcard information can be included in one record. Therefore, the wild card information can specify a plurality of communication methods including a wireless LAN and Bluetooth (registered trademark) as a counterpart device in one record. Therefore, if the wildcard information is used for a plurality of post-handover communication methods that have conventionally been requested from a partner apparatus using a plurality of records, a plurality of communication methods are requested by including the wildcard information in one record. be able to.

  When the wild card information is stored in the record, the handover request message may store an identifier of the service to be executed in association with the wild card information, service attached information, or the like. For example, when “print service A” is desired regardless of the communication method after handover such as wireless LAN communication and Bluetooth (registered trademark), “print service A” is associated with the wild card information in the record included in the handover request message. Is stored. In this way, by storing wildcard information as the wireless communication interface information of the record included in the handover request message, the size of the handover request message can be saved as compared with the case of storing the record for each wireless communication method. It becomes possible. As a result, even when a plurality of wireless communication schemes are supported, the possibility of exceeding the upper limit size of the handover request message is reduced, and more reliable communication can be performed. That is, in NFC communication in which the communication speed is relatively slow and the communicable range is short, the communication for handover can be completed in a short time when the user touches the device on the opposite device.

  Even if the handover request message does not include a service identifier or service ancillary information, it is possible to save the size of the handover request message by storing only wildcard information as stored wireless communication interface information. It becomes.

  The handover request message may store information on the currently used wireless communication method as wireless communication interface information. By specifying the information of the wireless communication method currently in use in the request message, it is not necessary to include the connection parameter of the wireless LAN network used at the time of service execution in the response message, so that message exchange can be performed more efficiently. .

  Note that the above-described embodiment is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiment shown in the specification and the drawings, and can be modified without departing from the scope of the invention.

  Moreover, in the above-described embodiment, a method of performing wireless LAN communication by either communication device serving as an access point and the communication device serving as the access point transmitting a connection parameter is exemplified. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Communication may be performed via an external access point, or communication in an ad hoc mode may be performed. Further, wireless LAN communication may be performed by performing a connection procedure by Wi-Fi Direct between communication devices.

  In the above-described embodiment, the system configuration of the digital camera 101 and the printer 102 has been described. However, the above-described processing may be performed using another device. Furthermore, service information transmitted / received between communication apparatuses is not limited to services related to printing. For example, information related to services such as an image transmission service, a moving image reproduction service, and an image scanning service may be transmitted and received. A plurality of these services may be transmitted and received collectively.

  In the above-described embodiment, the information handover response message indicating that the service is not executed is included in order to notify that the service included in the handover request message is not executed. However, the present invention limits this. is not. That is, any method can be used as long as the communication apparatus that has transmitted the handover request message can detect that the service included in the request message is not executed on the receiving side. For example, notification may be made by not transmitting a handover response message, or notification may be made by transmitting a message different from Handover Select.

  In the above-described embodiment, the service identifier transmitted and received by NFC communication is an integer value uniquely associated with the service. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be character string information such as a service name. Furthermore, the identification information may be associated with a plurality of service pairs.

(Other examples)
The present invention can also be realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various storage media, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, or the like) of the system or apparatus reads the program. It is a process to be executed.

Claims (12)

A communication device,
First communication means for performing wireless communication with another communication device by the first communication method;
Using the first communication means, the wild card information is included in one record included in the message for handover to the communication method different from the first communication method as information specifying the different communication method. A transmission means for transmitting ;
A communication apparatus comprising:   2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a connection parameter included in a response to the message from the other communication apparatus is used to connect to the other communication apparatus in a communication method corresponding to the connection parameter. . The message further includes information on a plurality of services requested by the communication device,
3. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication device executes at least one of the plurality of services by communication in the communication method after handover to a communication method different from the first communication method. Communication equipment. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the message further includes information on services that the communication device can provide or services that can be used.   And determining means for determining whether to communicate with the other communication device by a communication method different from the first communication method based on a response to the message from the other communication device. The communication apparatus according to any one of 1 to 4.   When the response to the message from the other communication device includes information indicating that the service requested by the communication device can be executed by the other communication device, the determination unit includes the first 6. The communication apparatus according to claim 5, wherein it is determined that communication is performed using a communication method different from the communication method.   The communication apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein when the determination unit determines that communication is not performed using a communication method different from the first communication method, an error is notified to the user.   The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first communication unit performs communication by NFC (Near Field Communication). Wherein the first communication method is different from the communication method, the communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that contains the IEEE802.11 series.   The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the message is a handover request message. A control method of a communication device having a first communication means for performing wireless communication with another communication device by a first communication method,
Using the first communication means, the wild card information is included in one record included in the message for handover to the communication method different from the first communication method as information specifying the different communication method. A transmission process to transmit ;
A method for controlling a communication apparatus, comprising: Program for executing a computer the control method according to claim 1 1.

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