JP7410630B2 - Programs, communication methods, and communication systems - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a program executed by an information processing device that performs wireless communication with a communication device.

There is a technology in which a plurality of information processing apparatuses (hereinafter referred to as PCs) share a device such as a printer as a communication device via a LAN (Local Area Network) connected to the Internet. Further, a LAN may be constructed as a wireless network, and in this case, compared to a wired network, there is the convenience of being able to install devices anywhere. However, it may be difficult for the user to configure settings for allowing devices such as printers to participate in the wireless network.

Patent Document 1 describes the following as a technique for easily allowing a printer to participate in an already constructed LAN. A PC and a printer are connected peer-to-peer through a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable connection. It is also described that the PC transmits information for connecting the printer to a specific access point to the printer via the USB cable.

Patent No. 4378323

When a device such as a printer attempts to connect to a specific access point using connection information, the information may not be valid. In this case, as described above in Patent Document 1, even if an information processing device such as a PC sends the information to a device such as a printer and attempts to connect that device to the access point, the device may fail to connect. In this case, the process by which a device such as a printer attempts to connect with a specific access point may be wasted.

In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to reduce cases in which a communication device fails to connect to an access point when an information processing apparatus connects the communication device to the access point.

a predetermined application program, a step of receiving a predetermined instruction from a user on a screen displayed by the predetermined application program on a computer of an information processing device; and a step of allowing the user to select one from one or more access points. executing a display control process for causing the information processing device to display a selection screen based on the reception of the predetermined instruction on a screen displayed by the predetermined application program; a transmitting step of transmitting information used for connection with the selected access point to the communication device, and the information processing device detects that any access point has been selected on the displayed selection screen. Based on this information, the information processing device executes a connection process using the authentication information input by the user, and the connection process establishes a connection between the access point selected on the selection screen and the information processing device. Establishment is a process that attempts to establish the connection after the selection screen is displayed and before the information processing device transmits information used for connection with the access point selected on the selection screen to the communication device, and the selection screen Based on the fact that the connection between the selected access point and the information processing device was successfully established by the connection process, information used for connection with the selected access point is transmitted to the predetermined communication device. transmitted by an application program.

According to the present invention, when an information processing apparatus connects a communication device to an access point, it is possible to reduce cases in which the communication device fails to connect to the access point.

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the system configuration in this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a PC and a printer in this embodiment. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process in which a printer executes wireless settings instructed by a PC. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process of performing connection confirmation in advance from a PC. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for selecting an access point. It is a figure showing various message screens displayed on a PC. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for confirming the existence of an SSID on a PC. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for confirming SSID setting information on a PC. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for checking printer specifications using a PC.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the following embodiments do not limit the present invention according to the claims, and not all combinations of features described in the present embodiments are essential to the solution of the present invention. . Hereinafter, a printer that prints an image will be described as an example of the communication device in this embodiment. However, the process in this embodiment is not limited to this, and may be applied to various devices such as a PC, a smartphone, and a digital camera. Further, a PC will be described as an example of the information processing apparatus in this embodiment. However, the process in this embodiment is not limited to this, and may be applied to various devices such as smartphones and digital cameras.

In this embodiment, the PC transmits to the printer information regarding an access point to be connected to the printer, and connects the printer to the access point. For example, the PC automatically identifies the access point to which the PC is connected among the access points to which the printer can connect, and sends information regarding that access point to the printer. The printer then uses that information to connect to the access point. Information regarding the access point includes access point specific information (SSID, etc.) and authentication information (password, etc.) used in the access point authentication process.

However, for example, suppose that the PC is connected to an access point that uses a 5 GHz frequency band, while the printer only supports wireless LAN communication in the 2.4 GHz frequency band. At this time, the wireless profile of the access point to be connected to the printer is not saved in the PC. Therefore, in this case, it is necessary for the user to specify access point information such as the SSID and password for the user's desired access point on the PC.

However, if the user makes a mistake when entering a password, the printer that receives the password will fail to connect to the access point, resulting in a connection error. Therefore, the user waits for the printer to experience a connection error before realizing that the password has been entered incorrectly. Furthermore, if a connection error occurs with the printer, the user must go to the printer and perform operations to clear the error or prepare the printer for reconnection. Passwords are often complex to ensure security, and as mentioned above, it is easy for users to enter them incorrectly.

Therefore, in this embodiment, before the PC transmits the SSID and password input by the user to the printer, the PC attempts to connect to the access point using the SSID and password. Then, based on the successful connection, the PC notifies the printer of its SSID and password. Further, if the connection fails, the user is notified of the error on the PC. As a result, the printer may fail to connect to the access point due to an incorrect password input on the PC, resulting in a connection error. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the need for the user to perform operations such as error cancellation on the printer, and it is also possible to notify the user of errors such as incorrect password input more quickly. This embodiment will be described in detail below.

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the system configuration in this embodiment. The system of this embodiment includes devices such as a PC and a printer, and one or more access points.

In FIG. 1A, a PC 100 is connected to SSID 1 of an access point 102 via a wireless LAN. Further, the printer 101 is also connected to SSID1 of the access point 102. That is, the PC 100 is in a state where it can communicate with the printer 101 via the access point 102. This method of connecting via an access point is called infrastructure connection (hereinafter referred to as infrastructure connection). With infrastructure connections, it is possible to create a network environment in which a PC can communicate with two or more devices.

On the other hand, there is a connection method called wireless Ad-hoc connection that allows communication only between two devices. The PC 100 and the printer 101 can also establish a peer-to-peer connection (hereinafter referred to as a P2P connection) through a wireless Ad-hoc connection. However, while the wireless Ad-hoc connection is established, both the PC 100 and the printer 101 are using wireless LAN dongles for the wireless Ad-hoc connection, so they are unable to communicate with devices other than each other. For this reason, wireless Ad-hoc connections are often used as temporary connections.

The PC 100 performs processing to connect the printer 101 to the access point 102 via wireless LAN connection. To this end, the PC 100 connects the printer 101 to the access point 102 by transmitting network setting information to the printer 101 using a wireless Ad-hoc connection.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a communication system including the PC 100 and the printer 101. The PC 100 includes a CPU 201, a ROM 202, a RAM 206, a display device 207, and an input interface (I/F) 208. Furthermore, the PC 100 has a USB I/F 205, a wired LAN I/F 209, and a wireless LAN I/F 210. However, the PC 100 only needs to have at least one of the USB I/F 205, the wired LAN I/F 209, and the wireless LAN I/F 210. The ROM 202 stores programs 203 corresponding to various processes including a program for wireless network setting processing for instructing the printer to set up a wireless network, a wireless profile 204 to be described later, and the like. Details of the above wireless network setting process will be described later. The CPU 201 can execute various processes including the above instruction process by reading the program 203 from the ROM 202 into the RAM 206 and executing it. Furthermore, when a network setting processing program (such as an application) is installed on the PC 100, a unique SSID is also stored in the ROM 202. This unique SSID is uniquely determined, for example, for a printer manufacturer or printer model.

The PC 100 is capable of P2P communication with the printer 101 via the USB cable 220 or via the wireless Ad-hoc connection 223. Further, the PC 100 can be connected to the LAN 221 via the Ethernet cable 224, and if the printer 101 can also be connected to the LAN 221, the PC 100 and the printer 101 can communicate with each other in the same LAN 221 environment. Further, the PC 100 is connected to an access point 222 via a wireless LAN (infrastructure connection), and the access point 222 is connected to the LAN 221 via an Ethernet cable 225, so that the PC 100 can be connected to the LAN 221.

Here, the wireless profile 204 is information including specific information (SSID, etc.) of the access point 222 connected via the wireless LAN I/F 210, authentication information (password, etc.) used in authentication processing, and the like. The wireless profile 204 is stored and managed by the CPU 201 executing an OS (Operating System) (not shown) included in the ROM 202 .

The printer 101 includes a CPU 242, a ROM 243, a RAM 247, a display device 248, an input I/F 249, a printing unit 250, a USB I/F 241, and a wireless LAN I/F 246. The ROM 243 stores a program 244, a wireless profile 245, and the like. The CPU 242 executes various controls on the printer 101 by reading the program 244 from the ROM 243 into the RAM 247 and executing it. Note that the printer 101 does not need to have the USB I/F 241.

The printer 101 is capable of P2P communication with the PC 100 via the USB cable 220 or via the wireless Ad-hoc connection 223. Further, the printer 101 is connected to an access point 222 via a wireless LAN (infrastructure connection), and the access point 222 is connected to the LAN 221 via an Ethernet cable 225, so that the printer 101 can be connected to the LAN 221. Here, the wireless profile 245 is information including settings such as the SSID and authentication information (password, etc.) of the access point 222 connected via the wireless LAN I/F 246. The wireless profile 245 is stored and managed by the CPU 242 executing a program 244 included in the ROM 243.

The ROM 243 also stores the above-mentioned unique SSID stored in the ROM 202 of the PC 100. The wireless LAN I/F 246 of the printer 101 can operate as an access point corresponding to this unique SSID.

P2P communication using the wireless Ad-hoc connection 223 in this embodiment may be a communication method that does not use an access point, or may be a method in which the PC 100 or the printer 101 operates as an access point. For example, the wireless LAN I/F 246 operates as an access point corresponding to the above-mentioned unique SSID. In this case, the wireless LAN I/F 210 is connected to the wireless LAN I/F 246 as an access point corresponding to the unique SSID. According to this method, the PC 100 can directly connect to the printer 101 through the same connection process as the external access point 222. Therefore, P2P communication with the printer 101 is possible even if the PC 100 cannot execute processing for Ad-hoc connection that does not involve an access point.

In FIG. 2, as an example, the processing sharing between the PC 100 and the printer 101 is shown as described above, but the sharing is not limited to this form, and other forms may be used.

Note that in the printer 101 of this embodiment, the user can perform an operation to connect the printer 101 to a desired access point according to the display on the display device 248. For example, the user can connect the printer 101 to a desired access point by inputting the SSID and password corresponding to the access point on the display device 248 of the printer 101.

However, the display device 248 of the printer 101 has various forms depending on the type of the printer 101, such as a small LCD display, a segment display liquid crystal display, and a flashing LED display. For example, if the display device 248 of the printer 101 only displays blinking LEDs, it is difficult to operate to connect the printer 101 to a desired access point, compared to a case where the display device 248 of the printer 101 is an LCD display that can provide sufficient expression. It may become.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the PC 100 performs wireless network setting processing on the printer 101 to connect the printer 101 to a predetermined access point. As a result, for example, a user who is unfamiliar with operating the printer 101 can easily connect the printer 101 to a desired access point. In particular, when it is difficult to perform an operation to connect the printer 101 to a desired access point on the display device 248 as described above, the user cannot easily perform the operation according to the display on the PC 100. can.

However, as a result of the wireless network setting process performed by the PC 100, the printer 101 may not be able to connect to the access point. For example, if the SSID of the predetermined access point uses a 5 GHz frequency band, but the printer 101 supports only a 2.4 GHz frequency band, the printer 101 may not be able to connect to the predetermined access point. In this case, the wireless network setting processing performed by the PC 100 on the printer 101 and the processing performed by the printer 101 in attempting to connect to the access point are wasted.

Therefore, in this embodiment, when the PC 100 connects the printer 101 to a predetermined access point, the PC 100 determines in advance whether the printer 101 can be connected to the predetermined access point. After determining that the printer 101 is connectable, the PC 100 performs wireless network setting processing to connect the printer 101 to a predetermined access point. This will be explained in detail below.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process in which the printer executes wireless settings instructed by the PC. Processing by the PC 100 is realized by the CPU 201 executing the program 203, and similarly, processing by the printer 101 is realized by the CPU 242 executing the program 244. There is a method of instructing the wireless settings of the printer 101 from the PC 100, and FIG. 3 explains the process flow of that method. It is assumed here that the PC 100 is already connected to an external access point 102 and the SSID password of the access point 102 is stored in the wireless profile 204.

A predetermined screen is displayed on the display device 207 by a network setting processing program (such as an application) included in the program 203 in the PC 100 . When the user issues a predetermined instruction to connect the PC 100 to the printer on the screen, the PC 100 starts processing for instructing wireless settings (S300). First, the PC 100 disconnects the wireless connection with the access point 102 (S301). Next, the PC 100 searches for a printer 101 that is in a wireless setting mode (described later) (S302), and determines the detection result (S303). Specifically, an access point corresponding to the above-mentioned unique SSID is searched, and it is determined whether the search is successful. If it is determined in S303 that a printer in the wireless setting mode has been detected (an access point with a unique SSID has been detected), the PC 100 establishes a wireless Ad-hoc connection with the printer 101 (S304). Specifically, the PC 100 connects the wireless LAN I/F 210 to an access point with a unique SSID.

Next, the PC 100 makes an information acquisition request to the printer 101, receives a response from the printer 101, and receives the SSID list (S305). This SSID list indicates the access points searched by the printer 101. Details will be described later. Further, in step S305, the PC 100 also receives identification information (such as a MAC address) of the printer 101 from the printer 101.

Next, the PC 100 refers to the wireless profile 204 (S306) and acquires a wireless profile that includes the SSID of the access point 102 that was connected at the start of the process shown in FIG. 3 and to which the wireless connection was disconnected in S301. The PC 100 checks whether the SSID of the access point 102 obtained in S306 is included in the SSID list obtained in S305 (S307). In this embodiment, the process in S307 is referred to as advance confirmation process 1.

As a result of the preliminary confirmation process 1 in S307, the PC 100 determines whether to connect the printer 101 to a predetermined access point (S308). In S308, if it is confirmed in S307 that the SSID of the access point 102 exists in the SSID list, it is determined that the printer 101 is to be connected to a predetermined access point. If it is determined in S308 that the printer 101 is to be connected to a predetermined access point, the PC 100 transmits information instructing the printer 101 to perform wireless settings (S309). Specifically, in S309, the PC 100 transmits the wireless profile (including the SSID and password) of the access point 102 to the printer 101. Next, the PC 100 disconnects the wireless Ad-hoc connection with the printer 101 and reconnects with the access point 102 (S310). Since the wireless profile 204 of the access point 102 is stored in the ROM 202 in the PC 100, the PC 100 can reconnect to the access point 102 in S310 without requiring the user to re-enter a password or the like.

Next, the PC 100 deletes a wireless profile temporarily remaining due to the wireless Ad-hoc connection, if any exists (S311). The process in S311 is performed to avoid leaving a wireless profile of a connection that is not intended by the user. Thereafter, the PC 100 searches for the printer 101 through the infrastructure connection via the access point 102 (S312), and determines whether the printer 101 has been detected (S313). Specifically, in S312, the PC 100 receives identification information (such as a MAC address) from a device connected to the access point 102. Then, it is determined whether the received identification information includes identification information that matches the identification information acquired from the printer 101 in S305.

If it is determined in S313 that the printer 101 has been detected, the PC 100 displays a setting success screen 600 as shown in FIG. 6A on the display device 207 (S314). When the user presses the "Next" button 601 on the setup success screen 600, the PC 100 ends the wireless setup instruction process (S315). Note that the PC 100 may connect to the printer 101 at the timing when it is determined that the printer 101 has been detected in S313, or may connect to the printer 101 at the timing when the "Next" button 601 is pressed.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the wireless setting in the printer 101 has failed through the processing in S303, S308, or S313, the PC 100 displays a setting failure screen 610 as shown in FIG. 6(b) as an error display. (S316). When the user presses the "Next" button 611 on the setting failure screen 610, the PC 100 ends the wireless setting instruction process (S315).

Next, the wireless setting process of the printer 101 will be explained. The wireless setting process is started by the user issuing a predetermined instruction on the display device 248 of the printer 101 (S350). When the wireless setting process is started, the printer 101 enters the wireless setting mode. In this wireless setting mode, the PC 100 operates the wireless LAN I/F 246 as an access point for the above-mentioned unique SSID. Note that the wireless setting mode may be started on the condition that the user issues an instruction to shift to the wireless setting mode as the above-mentioned predetermined instruction, or may be started on other conditions. For example, the printer 101 may be configured to temporarily shift to the wireless setting mode depending on conditions such as when there is no wireless connection when the printer 101 is powered on or when the printer is powered on for the first time after purchase.

Before shifting to the wireless setting mode, the printer 101 first searches for nearby SSIDs (passive scan) and creates an SSID list including the detected SSIDs (S351). After that, the printer 101 shifts to the wireless setting mode and completes preparations for wireless Ad-hoc connection (S352). Specifically, the wireless LAN I/F 246 is operated as an access point for the above-mentioned unique SSID. When the PC 100 executes the processes of S302 to S304 in this state, the printer 101 starts P2P communication in response to a connection request from the PC 100. The printer 101 checks whether there is an information acquisition request from the PC 100 (S353), and if it determines that there is a request (S354), performs information transmission processing (S355), and the process returns to S353. In S355, the printer 101 transmits the SSID list and the identification information (MAC address, etc.) of the printer 101 to the PC 100.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S354 that there is no information acquisition request, the printer 101 checks whether there is a wireless setting instruction from the PC 100 (S356), and if it is determined that there is no wireless setting instruction (No in S357), the process returns to S353. Return to If the printer 101 determines in S357 that there is a wireless setting instruction, it executes a connection process to the access point 102 specified by the PC 100 (S358). Specifically, in S358, the printer 101 executes connection processing to the access point 102 using the SSID and password included in the wireless profile received from the PC 100. The printer 101 then determines whether the connection process was successful (S359), and if it is determined to have failed, displays a setting failure error (not shown) on the display device 248 of the printer 101 (S360). When the user performs an operation to cancel a setting error (not shown) displayed on the display device 248 of the printer 101, the printer 101 ends the wireless setting process (S361). If it is determined in S359 that the connection process was successful, the printer 101 ends the wireless setting process (S361).

In this way, by sending the wireless profile of the access point 102 to which the PC 100 is already connected to the printer 101, the printer 101 and the access point 102 can be connected without requiring input operations such as a password on the printer 101. I can do it.

However, as a result of the determination (S308) in advance confirmation process 1 (S307), the wireless setting process shown in FIG. 3 may fail (S316). For example, the PC 100 may not hold the wireless profile of the access point to be connected to the printer 101. In this case, in advance confirmation process 1, it is not determined that the SSID of the access point 112 is included in the SSID list (No in S308), so the setting process shown in FIG. 3 fails. FIGS. 1(b) to 1(d) show cases in which the setting process shown in FIG. 3 fails due to such causes.

The case in FIG. 1B is a case where the access point 112 and the PC 100 are connected via a wired LAN, and is an example where the access point 112 and the printer 101 are connected via a wireless LAN. As shown in the system configuration diagram of FIG. 1(b), when the PC 100 and the access point 112 are connected to the infrastructure NW via wired LAN and can communicate with each other, the wireless profile of the access point 112 is stored on the PC 100. not exist. In this case, in advance confirmation process 1, it is not determined that the SSID of the access point 112 is included in the SSID list (No in S308), so the setting process shown in FIG. 3 fails. Even in such a case, it is desirable to connect the printer 101 to the access point 112 so that the PC 100 can communicate with the printer 101 via the access point 112. Note that the PC 100 also has a wireless LAN I/F 210, and is capable of P2P communication with the printer 101 through a wireless Ad-hoc connection.

Using FIG. 4, a process for connecting the access point 112 and printer 101 via a wireless LAN in a case where the access point 112 and the PC 100 are connected via wired LANs 221, 224, and 225 will be described. Pre-confirmation process 2 of the PC 100 shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4 is performed instead of pre-confirmation process 1 (S307) of FIG. 3.

When the PC 100 starts advance confirmation processing 2 (S400), it determines whether the wireless profile of the access point 112 to which the printer 101 is connected is stored in the PC 100 (S401). Here, if it is determined Yes in S401, it is determined whether the SSID of the access point 112 exists in the SSID list obtained from the printer 101 (S402). If the SSID of the access point 112 is in the SSID list, the PC 100 determines to connect the printer 101 to the predetermined access point (S409). In this case, the PC 100 ends the pre-confirmation process 2 (S410) and instructs the printer 101 to perform wireless settings (S309). Note that the process in S402 is similar to the preliminary confirmation process 1 in S307.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S401 that the wireless profile of the access point 112 is not stored in the PC 100, an access point selection screen is displayed (S403). Furthermore, as will be described later, the process in S403 is also an input screen display process that displays an input screen for inputting a password. A case where the PC 100 does not have the wireless profile of the access point 112 is a case where the PC 100 is connected to the infrastructure NW via a wired LAN as shown in FIG. 1(b). FIG. 5A shows an access point selection screen 500 displayed in S403, with an SSID list 501, a password setting section 503, a WEP key selection section 504, a manual addition button 505 (described later), and a "next" button 506. has. Further, FIG. 5A shows a state in which SSID-A of the SSID list 501 is selected and the focus 502 is displayed. The SSID list 501 displays a list of SSIDs created by the printer 101 in S351 and acquired by the PC 100 in S305. The user selects the SSID of the desired access point 112 from the SSID list 501 and inputs the password (letters or numbers) of the access point 112 in the password setting section 503. That is, the screen shown in FIG. 5(a) is an access point (SSID) selection screen and a password input screen. Note that when acquiring the SSID list (S305), the PC 100 acquires the encryption method and channel (frequency band) information of each SSID from the printer 101. More specifically, when performing passive scanning, the printer 101 stores the SSID, encryption method, and channel information from beacon information transmitted from each access point. Then, in S305, the PC 100 acquires this information along with the SSID list from the printer 101. If the SSID selected in the SSID list 501 is encrypted with WEP, the PC 100 enables the WEP key selection section 504 and causes the WEP key to be selected.

When the user presses the "Next" button 506 shown in FIG. 5(a), the PC 100 closes the access point selection screen 500. At this time, the PC 100 determines the SSID selected in the SSID list 501 as the SSID of the access point to which the printer 101 connects based on the wireless setting instruction in S309. Then, in steps S404, S405, and S406, the PC 100 determines whether the printer 101 can connect to the access point based on the information input by the user. As a result of these determinations, if it is not determined that it is not possible for the printer 101 to connect to the access point, the process moves to S407. If it is not determined through the processing in S404 to S407 that wireless setting is to be instructed to the printer 101, various error screen displays shown in FIGS. 6(c) to 6(h) are displayed. Further, the processing in S404, S405, and S406 will be described later.

In step S407, the PC 100 performs a connection check in advance for the SSID selected on the access point selection screen 500 before transmitting it to the printer 101. That is, on the access point selection screen 500, the access point to which the printer 101 connects is selected, and in S407 the PC 100 performs a connection test on the access point (S407). In the connection test in S407, the PC uses the password input by the user to execute processing for connecting to the access point. Through this processing, authentication processing using this password is executed at the access point. Then, the PC 100 determines whether the connection in S407 is successful or not (S408). If the password input by the user matches the password of the access point, the above authentication process is successful and the PC 100 and the access point are connected. In S408, if the PC 100 and the access point are connected, the connection is determined to be successful. If the connection is determined to be successful in S408, the PC 100 determines to connect the printer 101 to a predetermined access point (S409), and ends the pre-confirmation process 2 (S410).

Note that the wireless profile created by the connection performed in S407 is deleted by the process in S311. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a profile created by the PC 100 from being left in the ROM 202 without the user's intention.

Further, if the PC 100 successfully connects to the access point in the connection test in S407, the PC 100 may maintain the connection state and perform a printer search in S312 without connecting to the access point in S310. Alternatively, the connection with the access point may be disconnected when the pre-confirmation process 2 is finished, and the connection with the access point may be established again in S310. In the latter case, even if it is not possible to instruct the printer 101 to make wireless settings in step S309, it is possible to prevent the PC 100 from being continuously connected to the access point specified by the user.

If it is determined in S408 that the connection has failed, the PC 100 displays an error screen indicating password mismatch as an error display (S411). FIG. 6(c) is an error screen 620 displayed in S411 indicating a password mismatch. By displaying the error screen 620, the PC 100 notifies the user that the connection with the access point 112 has failed and that the password entered by the user is incorrect. When the "back" button 621 on the error screen 620 is pressed, the PC 100 closes the error screen 620, displays the access point selection screen 500 again in S403, and prompts the user to re-enter the password.

Through the processes shown in S407 and S408, it is possible to issue a connection instruction to the printer 101 even for an SSID for which the PC 100 does not have a wireless profile. Then, before transmitting the wireless profile of the access point including the SSID and password to the printer 101, the PC 100 can confirm the connection to the access point.

This can prevent the password from being notified to the printer 101 even if the user enters the password incorrectly. If the pre-confirmation process 2 shown in FIG. 4 is not executed and only the pre-confirmation process 1 (S307) is executed, the PC 100 will instruct the printer 101 to set up a connection using an incorrect password (S309). As a result, the printer 101 fails to connect to the access point, and the printer 101 displays a connection failure error (S360). Furthermore, a setting failure display (S316) is performed on the PC 100. In this case, before these displays, connection processing by the printer 101 and processing such as printer search by the PC 100 are performed, so it takes time for the user to recognize the connection failure. Furthermore, in order to retry the wireless setting of the printer 101, the user may need to perform an operation to clear the error of the printer 101 and shift the printer 101 to the wireless setting mode again. Therefore, by applying the pre-confirmation process 2 shown in FIG. 4 to S307 in FIG. 3, the user can learn of a password input error before the printer 101 causes a connection failure error.

Another case in which the PC 100 does not hold the wireless profile of an access point to be connected to the printer 101 will be described using FIG. 1C as an example. In the case shown in FIG. 1(c), the access point 122 and the access point 123 are bridge-connected. Specifically, the access point 123 set to bridge mode is relayed to the access point 122, and the access point 122 and the access point 123 are connected on the same subnet. Bridge connections are used, for example, when it is desired to construct a wireless NW environment on the same subnet across multiple rooms. In the system configuration shown in FIG. 1C, the PC 100 is connected to the access point 122 (SSID 1) through the wireless LAN I/F 210, and the printer 101 is connected to the access point 123 (SSID 2) through the wireless LAN I/F 246. The PC 100 and the printer 101 can communicate with each other via the access point 122 and the access point 123. In order to construct such an infrastructure NW environment, the PC 100 transmits wireless settings to the printer 101 using wireless Ad-hoc communication so that the printer 101 is connected to the access point 123. For example, if the distance between the PC 100 and the printer 101 is not close enough to enable wireless Ad-hoc communication, it is assumed that the user temporarily brings the PC 100 closer to the printer 101 to configure the printer 101's wireless settings.

However, in the case shown in FIG. 1C, the PC 100 is not connected to the access point 123 and does not save the SSID 2 and other setting information of the access point 123 as a wireless profile. Even in this case, according to the process shown in FIG. 4, the user can connect the printer 101 to the access point 123 by selecting SSID2 on the access point selection screen 500. Further, in step S407, the PC 100 performs a preliminary connection check, thereby making it possible to prevent an incorrect password from being sent to the printer 101 even in a bridge connection environment.

Another case in which the PC 100 does not hold the wireless profile of the access point (SSID) to be connected to the printer 101 will be described using FIG. 1(d) as an example. The access point 132 supports two or more types of SSIDs in different frequency bands. Access points used in home environments that support the 5 GHz frequency band, such as the 802.11ac standard, are commercially available. By connecting in the 5 GHz frequency band, it is possible to avoid the crosstalk situation in the 2.4 GHz band, which has been widely used in the past.

In the system configuration diagram shown in FIG. 1(d), the PC 100 is connected to the access point 132 with SSID 1 of a standard that supports the 5 GHz frequency band through the wireless LAN I/F 210. Here, if the wireless LAN I/F 246 of the printer 101 does not support the 5 GHz frequency band, the printer 101 will not be able to connect to SSID 1 even if the PC 100 issues a connection instruction to SSID 1. Can not. Furthermore, since the PC 100 is connected to SSID1 using the 5 GHz frequency band, the wireless profile for SSID1 is saved, but the wireless profile for SSID2 may not be saved. Therefore, the access point selection screen 500 is displayed in S403, and the user may select SSID 2 that supports the 2.4 GHz frequency band to which the printer 101 can be connected. In this case, by instructing the printer 101 to connect from the PC 100 (S309), the printer 101 can connect to the access point 132. Furthermore, since the processing in S408 is executed before the connection instruction (S309) is executed, it is possible to prevent an incorrect password from being sent to the printer 101.

Note that in the above description, the case where the PC 100 does not hold the wireless profile of the access point to be connected to the printer 101 has been described using FIG. 1(d). On the other hand, the SSID 2 of the desired access point 132 may not be displayed on the access point selection screen 500. That is, SSID2 may not be detected in the SSID search process (S351) of the printer 101. Specifically, this is the case when the access point 132 is set to stealth mode. Stealth mode may be set in consideration of more secure settings, and can be set such that the SSID name is not displayed on the beacon that the access point transmits to the surrounding area, or that the access point does not transmit beacons to the surrounding area. Therefore, when the stealth mode is set, SSID 2 of the access point 132 is not detected by the SSID search process of the printer 101 and is not displayed in the SSID list 501.

In such a case, the user can manually add the SSID by pressing a manual addition button 505 included in the access point selection screen 500. The user manually adds SSID 2 of the access point 132 using the access point manual addition screen 520 shown in FIG. 5B that is displayed when the manual addition button 505 is pressed. Even if the stealth mode is set, the access point 132 will respond if the SSID name is specified and the search method is used (active scan). The access point manual addition screen 520 includes an SSID input section 521, an encryption method selection section 522, an encryption method setting section 523, an OK button 524, and a Cancel button 525. The encryption method setting section 523 switches selectable setting items depending on the encryption method selected by the encryption method selection section 522. For example, the items displayed in the encryption method setting section 523 are switched depending on whether WEP is selected in the encryption method selection section 522 or WPA/WPA2 is selected. When the OK button 524 or the Cancel button 525 is pressed, the pre-confirmation process 2 of the PC 100 returns to the access point selection screen 500. Note that when the OK button 524 is pressed, the pre-confirmation process 2 of the PC 100 additionally displays the SSID name input in the SSID input section 521 of the access point manual addition screen on the SSID list 501. If the SSID is found through SSID search processing (passive scan) S351, the PC 100 can obtain wireless setting information such as channel information for determining the encryption method and frequency band in advance. However, when the SSID is input on the access point manual addition screen 520, this wireless setting information is not held, so it is necessary to prompt the user to input various wireless setting information. However, it may happen that an SSID that supports an encryption method and a frequency band suitable for the printer 101 is not correctly selected and input. In view of this, in FIG. 4, the existence of the SSID is confirmed in S404.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the process of confirming the existence of the SSID, which is executed in S404.

When the "Next" button 506 shown in FIG. 5(a) is pressed, the PC 100 starts SSID existence confirmation processing (S700). Here, it is assumed that SSID 2 (SSID-D) of the access point 132 input on the access point manual addition screen 520 is selected on the access point selection screen 500, and then the "Next" button 506 is pressed.

The PC 100 performs a search process (active scan) (S701) to see if the specified SSID2 exists, and determines whether it has been detected (S702). If it is determined in S702 that SSID2 has been detected, the PC 100 ends the SSID existence confirmation process (S703) and moves on to the next SSID information confirmation process (S405). Note that when SSID2 is detected in S702, the wireless setting information of the access point with SSID2 obtained by the search in S701 is stored in the ROM 202. This wireless setting information is used in the process in S405 (the process shown in FIG. 8) and the process in S406 (the process shown in FIG. 9), which will be described later.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S702 that SSID2 of the access point 132 has not been detected, the PC 100 displays the SSID non-detection warning screen 670 of FIG. 6(h) as an error display (S704). As a result, the PC 100 notifies that SSID2 was not found. On the SSID non-detection warning screen 670, the PC 100 displays a "next" button 672 and a "back" button 671, and asks the user whether or not to make a reselection on the access point selection screen 500. Then, the PC 100 determines which button the user pressed on the SSID non-detection warning screen 670 (S705). When the user presses the "back" button 671, that is, when the user desires to reselect the SSID, the PC 100 closes the SSID non-detection warning screen 670. Then, the PC 100 ends the SSID existence confirmation process (S706), and the process returns to S403. When the user presses the “Next” button 672, the PC 100 closes the SSID non-detection warning screen 670. Then, the PC 100 ends the SSID existence confirmation process (S707), and determines to connect the printer 101 to a predetermined access point (S409). Therefore, a wireless setting instruction is given to the printer 101 using the wireless settings input on the access point selection screen 500 or the access point manual addition screen 520.

A case in which the user selects the "back" button 671 in FIG. 6(h) is assumed to be a case in which the user inputs the SSID name incorrectly. As a case in which the "Next" button 672 is selected, a case is assumed in which the access point 132 is located at a position that cannot be detected from the PC 100. In the latter case, it is assumed that even if the access point 132 is not detected by the PC 100, it can be detected by the printer 101. In this case, it is assumed that, for example, after the printer 101 is connected to the access point 132, the PC 100 is moved closer to the access point 132. Therefore, by displaying the screen shown in FIG. 6(h), it is possible to prompt the user to move the PC 100 closer to the access point 132. Alternatively, it is also assumed that the PC 100 and the access point 132 are connected by wire, and the access point 132 is located at a location where the PC 100 cannot detect it. In this case, since there is no need for wireless connection between the PC 100 and the access point 132, the user may decide that there is no problem even if the SSID of the access point 132 is not detected by the PC 100. In this case, the user may select the "Next" button 672.

By selecting the "Next" button 672 in this way, the user can prevent the user from unintentionally falling into the setting failure error (S316) when the access point 132 is not detected from the PC 100, and It becomes possible to perform wireless settings.

Note that in the above description, a case where stealth mode is set for the access point 132 is cited as an example of the SSID 2 of the desired access point 132 not being displayed on the access point selection screen 500. As another example, there may be a limit to the size of the SSID list that the printer 101 can hold. If the size of the ROM 243 of the printer 101 is small, the SSID 2 desired by the user may not be stored in the list when creating the SSID list (S351). For example, if there are a large number of access points in the vicinity of an apartment building or the like, and a large number of SSIDs should be included in the SSID list, it may happen that the SSID desired by the user is not included in the SSIDs. In addition, for example, in a case where a large channel number is assigned, the SSID desired by the user may not be included in the SSID. The SSIDs sequentially detected in S351 are sequentially stored in the SSID list. Therefore, in these cases, the number of SSIDs that can be stored in the SSID list is exceeded before the SSID2 desired by the user is detected, and SSID2 is omitted from the SSID list.

Next, SSID information confirmation in S405 of FIG. 4 will be described using FIG. 8. The process in FIG. 8 is executed when the SSID selected by the user from the list or manually input by the user is detected by the PC 100 in the process in S404 shown in FIG. 7 (Yes in S702 in FIG. 7).

When the PC 100 starts the SSID confirmation process (S800), the PC 100 acquires the wireless setting information of the access point of SSID2 that was stored in the ROM 202 when the SSID2 was specified and searched (S701) (S801). The wireless setting information includes, for example, the authentication method, encryption method, frequency band (channel), and wireless standard used by the access point. For example, the following method is used to obtain the frequency band used by the access point. In S701, the PC 100 searches multiple frequency bands, and the frequency band used when SSID2 is detected is stored in the ROM 202 as wireless setting information as a frequency band supported by the access point of SSID2. Other information in the wireless setting information is obtained from the access point with SSID 2, for example, in the search in S701.

Next, the PC 100 compares the authentication method and encryption method set on the access point manual addition screen 520 with the authentication method and encryption method included in the wireless setting information acquired in S801 (S802). Then, the PC 100 determines whether the authentication method and the encryption method match (S803).

If it is determined in S803 that they match, the SSID confirmation process ends (S804). On the other hand, if it is determined in S803 that there is no match, the PC 100 displays an authentication method/encryption method mismatch error shown in FIG. 6(d) as an error display (S805). The display shown in FIG. 6(d) informs the user that at least one of the authentication method and encryption method set for SSID2 of the access point 132 does not match the one entered on the access point manual addition screen 520. Be notified. When the "back" button 631 is pressed, the PC 100 closes the authentication method/encryption method mismatch error screen 630 and ends the SSID confirmation process (S806, S412). Then, the PC 100 can display the access point selection screen 500 again and prompt the user to reset the settings. This allows the user to know that the input of the authentication method/encryption method was incorrect before the wireless setting instruction (S309) is issued to the printer 101. That is, it is possible to prevent the printer 101 from falling into the connection failure error (S360). Then, by pressing the "back" button 631, the user can input the authentication method and encryption method again.

On the other hand, when the SSID confirmation process ends in S804, the PC 100 executes a printer spec confirmation process as the next confirmation process (S406). The process in S406 will be explained using FIG. 9.

Note that in the process shown in FIG. 9, printer capability information is used. During the process of acquiring information from the printer (S305), the PC 100 obtains capability information of the printer 101 through the information transmission process of the printer 101 (S355). The printer capability information includes various types of wireless information supported by the printer 101, such as support channel information for determining frequency bands, supported authentication method/encryption method information, and supported wireless standard information.

When the PC 100 starts printer spec confirmation processing (S900), the PC 100 confirms the specs of the printer 101 (S901). In S902, it is determined whether the frequency band supported by SSID2 of the access point 132 is supported by the printer 101 (can be used by the printer 101). In the determination in S902, the frequency band supported by the access point, which is stored in the ROM 202 in S701 and included in the wireless setting information acquired in S801, is compared with the frequency band included in the capability information of the printer 101. .

If it is determined Yes in S902, the PC 100 makes the next determination (S903). In S903, the PC 100 determines whether the printer 101 supports (can be used with the printer 101) the authentication method/encryption method set in SSID2 of the access point 132 (S903). In the determination in S903, the authentication method/encryption method supported by the access point included in the above wireless setting information is compared with the authentication method/encryption method included in the capability information of the printer 101.

If it is determined Yes in S903, the PC 100 makes the next determination (S904). In S904, the PC 100 determines whether the printer 101 supports (can be used with the printer 101) the wireless standard (such as 802.11b/g/n) on which SSID2 of the access point 132 operates (S904). In the determination in S904, the wireless standard supported by the access point included in the above wireless setting information is compared with the wireless standard included in the capability information of the printer 101. If it is determined Yes in S904, the PC 100 ends the spec confirmation process (S905).

On the other hand, if it is determined in any of S902, S903, and S904 that the printer 101 does not support it, various error screens are displayed. If it is determined in S902 that the frequency band is not supported, the PC 100 displays a frequency band unsupported error screen (640) shown in FIG. 6(e) as an error display (S906). As a result, a notification prompting the user to select another SSID is provided. If it is determined in S903 that the authentication method/encryption method is not supported, the PC 100 displays an authentication method/encryption method unsupported error screen (650) shown in FIG. 6(f) (S907). Through the display in S907, the PC 100 notifies the user to select another SSID or change the setting of SSID2 of the access point 132. If it is determined in S904 that the wireless standard is not supported, the PC 100 displays a wireless standard unsupported error screen (660) shown in FIG. 6(g) as an error display (S908). As a result, a notification prompting the user to select another SSID is provided. Note that by pressing the "back" button (641, 651, 661) on each error screen, the PC 100 closes the error screen and ends the process (S909, S412). That is, it is possible to prevent the printer 101 from falling into the connection failure error (S360).

According to the above embodiment, through the processes shown in S407 and S408, the PC 100 can confirm the connection to the access point before transmitting the wireless profile of the access point including the SSID and password to the printer 101. For example, if the user inputs the password incorrectly, the user can be notified as shown in FIG. 6C before transmitting the wireless profile to the printer 101. In addition, through the processes shown in S404 to S407, if the SSID, authentication method, or encryption method input by the user is incorrect, or if the desired access point and the printer 101's wireless communication capability information do not match, the user is notified. may be notified.

Further, when a user is notified by the confirmation process before the wireless setting instruction (S309) to the printer 101, the cause of the notification (confirmation The display contents differ depending on the step). Therefore, when the user re-enters various information or re-selects an access point, the user can re-enter information on appropriate items and re-select an appropriate access point. Note that when the screen is redisplayed in S403 after S411, the characters and numbers input by the user and the content selected before the error screen shown in FIG. 6C is displayed are displayed.

Furthermore, in the process shown in FIG. 4, after the SSID existence confirmation process in S404, a connection test to the AP in S407 is performed. If it is determined in S404 that the SSID does not exist, an error display as shown in FIG. 6(h) is displayed without performing the process in S407. That is, if an error is determined in S404, an error display is performed without waiting for the authentication process at the access point to be executed in S407. Therefore, it is possible to notify the user of the error more quickly.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a wireless Ad-hoc connection using a wireless LAN has been described as an example of a technique for P2P connection between the printer 101 and the PC 100. In addition, short-range wireless communication such as USB connection, Ethernet cable connection, and NFC (Near Field radio Communication) may be applied as the wireless Ad-hoc connection. Furthermore, a P2P connection such as a BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy) connection may be applied as the wireless Ad-hoc connection of this embodiment.

[Other Examples]
Note that the functions of this embodiment can also be realized by the following configuration. That is, this can also be achieved by supplying a program code for performing the processing of this embodiment to a system or device, and having the computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or device execute the program code. In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium will realize the functions of the embodiment described above, and the storage medium storing the program code will also realize the functions of this embodiment.

Further, the program code for realizing the functions of this embodiment may be executed by one computer (CPU, MPU) or by multiple computers working together. Good too. Furthermore, the program code may be executed by a computer, or hardware such as a circuit for realizing the functions of the program code may be provided. Alternatively, a part of the program code may be realized by hardware, and the remaining part may be executed by a computer.

201 CPU
202 ROM
206 RAM

Claims (20)

A predetermined application program,
In the computer of the information processing device,
a step of accepting a predetermined instruction from a user on a screen displayed by the predetermined application program;
The predetermined instruction is received on a screen displayed by the predetermined application program to cause the information processing device to display a selection screen from which the user can select one or more access points. an execution step to be performed based on the
a transmitting step of transmitting information used for connection with the access point selected on the selection screen to a communication device;
run the
The information processing device executes a connection process using authentication information input by the user in the information processing device based on one of the access points being selected on the displayed selection screen,
The connection process includes establishing a connection between the access point selected on the selection screen and the information processing device after the selection screen is displayed and after the selection screen is displayed. A process attempted before the information processing device transmits the information to be used to the communication device,
Based on the fact that the connection process has succeeded in establishing a connection between the access point selected on the selection screen and the information processing device, the information used for connection with the selected access point is determined by the communication device. transmitted by said predetermined application program to;
A program characterized by: further performing a display step of displaying an input screen for accepting input of the authentication information;
The information used for connection with the selected access point includes the authentication information input on the input screen.
The program according to claim 1, characterized in that: After one of the access points is selected on the displayed selection screen, the authentication information is input by the user in the information processing device;
The program according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The information used for connection with the selected access point includes the SSID of the selected access point and the authentication information.
The program according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: Information used for connection with the selected access point is transmitted to the communication device through a peer-to-peer connection between the information processing device and the communication device;
The program according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: Information used for connection with the selected access point is transmitted to the communication device via a wireless LAN.
The program according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: Information used for connection with the selected access point is transmitted to the communication device by Bluetooth Low Energy.
The program according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: If the connection process fails to establish a connection between the access point selected on the selection screen and the information processing device, the connection between the access point selected on the selection screen and the information processing device fails. A screen corresponding to the establishment failure is displayed,
The program according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The display control process is executed as a process for transmitting information used for connection to an access point different from the access point to which the information processing apparatus is connected to the communication apparatus.
The program according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The display control process is executed in a state where a peer-to-peer connection is established between the information processing device and the communication device.
The program according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: After information used for connection with the selected access point is transmitted to the communication device, further performing a search step of searching for the communication device via the access point to which the information processing device is connected;
The program according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that: If the search for the communication device is successful, a screen corresponding to the success of the search for the communication device is displayed, and if the search for the communication device is unsuccessful, a screen corresponding to the failure of the search for the communication device is displayed. further execute a display control step that displays
The program according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that: If establishment of a connection between the access point selected on the selection screen and the information processing device fails due to the connection process, the information used for connection with the selected access point is transferred to the predetermined communication device. not sent by the application program,
The program according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that: further performing a search step of performing a process of searching for the communication device;
information used for connection with the selected access point is transmitted to the communication device detected by the process of searching for the communication device;
The program according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that: The process of searching for the communication device is a process of searching for an access point corresponding to a predetermined SSID stored in the information processing device when the predetermined application program is installed.
15. The program according to claim 14. The process of searching for the communication device is a process of searching for an access point corresponding to a predetermined SSID uniquely determined for the manufacturer of the communication device or the model of the communication device.
The program according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that: the communication device is a printing device;
The program according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that: further performing an acquisition step of acquiring, from the communication device, a list indicating access points searched by the communication device;
The selection screen is a screen displayed based on the list,
The program according to any one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that: A method for controlling an information processing device having a predetermined application program, the method comprising:
a step of accepting a predetermined instruction from a user on a screen displayed by the predetermined application program;
The predetermined instruction is received on a screen displayed by the predetermined application program to cause the information processing device to display a selection screen from which the user can select one or more access points. an execution step to be performed based on the
a transmitting step of transmitting information used for connection with the access point selected on the selection screen to a communication device;
has
The information processing device executes a connection process using authentication information input by the user in the information processing device based on one of the access points being selected on the displayed selection screen,
The connection process includes establishing a connection between the access point selected on the selection screen and the information processing device after the selection screen is displayed and after the selection screen is displayed. A process attempted before the information processing device transmits the information to be used to the communication device,
Based on the fact that the connection process has succeeded in establishing a connection between the access point selected on the selection screen and the information processing device, the information used for connection with the selected access point is determined by the communication device. transmitted by said predetermined application program to;
A control method characterized by: An information processing device having a predetermined application program,
acceptance means for receiving a predetermined instruction from a user on a screen displayed by the predetermined application program;
The predetermined instruction is received on a screen displayed by the predetermined application program to cause the information processing device to display a selection screen from which the user can select one or more access points. an execution means to execute based on the
Transmitting means for transmitting information used for connection with the access point selected on the selection screen to a communication device;
run the
The information processing device executes a connection process using authentication information input by the user in the information processing device based on one of the access points being selected on the displayed selection screen,
The connection process includes establishing a connection between the access point selected on the selection screen and the information processing device after the selection screen is displayed and after the selection screen is displayed. A process attempted before the information processing device transmits the information to be used to the communication device,
Based on the fact that the connection process has succeeded in establishing a connection between the access point selected on the selection screen and the information processing device, the information used for connection with the selected access point is determined by the communication device. transmitted by said predetermined application program to;
An information processing device characterized by:

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