WIRELESS COMMUNICATION APPARATUS, PRINTING APPARATUS, AND CONTROL METHOD

• US 20180020406A1
• Filed: 05/30/2017
• Published: 01/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: OGAWA, Yohei, SAKUDA, Kenji
• Granted Patent: US 10,412,675 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0235 where the received signal is a power saving command
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/028 switching on or off only a part of the equipment circuit blocks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A wireless communication apparatus includes: a first wireless communication unit performing first wireless communication; a second wireless communication unit performing second wireless communication that consumes less power than the first wireless communication; and a control unit that switches between a first operation mode and a second operation mode consuming less power than the first operation mode. The control unit switches between the first operation mode and the second operation mode on a basis of a search result of searching for another apparatus performed in the second wireless communication.

Claims

1. A wireless communication apparatus comprising:

a first wireless communication unit performing first wireless communication;

a second wireless communication unit performing second wireless communication that consumes less power than the first wireless communication; and

a control unit that switches between a first operation mode and a second operation mode consuming less power than the first operation mode,

wherein the control unit switches between the first operation mode and the second operation mode on a basis of a search result of searching for another apparatus performed in the second wireless communication.

2. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the second operation mode corresponds to a state in which the second wireless communication unit is operating and the first wireless communication unit is not operating, and

wherein the first operation mode corresponds to a state in which the first wireless communication unit is operating.

3. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the first wireless communication unit includes a data communication unit that manages data communication based on the first wireless communication and a communication control unit that manages control of the data communication, and

wherein, in the first operation mode, the communication control unit of the first wireless communication unit is made to operate.

4. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the communication control unit of the first wireless communication unit is made to operate when a request for connection from the other apparatus is received.

5. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein in a case in which the second wireless communication unit detects the other apparatus during the second operation mode, the control unit switches the second operation mode to the first operation mode.

6. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the control unit, on a basis of information regarding a distance to the detected apparatus, performs switching to the first operation mode.

7. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the control unit performs switching to the first operation mode on a basis of whether or not an application provided in the detected apparatus is activated.

8. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the control unit performs switching to the first operation mode on a basis of identification information of the detected apparatus.

9. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the second wireless communication is based on Bluetooth Low Energy communication.

10. A printing apparatus including the wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1.

11. A control method for controlling a wireless communication apparatus including a first wireless communication unit performing first wireless communication and a second wireless communication unit performing second wireless communication that consumes less power than the first wireless communication,

the method comprising:

switching between the first operation mode and the second operation mode on a basis of a search result of searching for another apparatus performed in the second wireless communication.