Wireless communication apparatus and control method therefor

• US 8,976,772 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2014
• Issued: 03/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Shimura, Hajime
• Primary Examiner(s): MEW, KEVIN D
• Application Number:
  US14/294,108
• Publication Number:
  US 20140267813A1
• Time in Patent Office: 281 Days
• Field of Search: 370328-329, 370331-333, 370/338, 370/341, 370/437, 370442-444, 370461-462, 370/465, 455436-444
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00347 with another still picture apparatus, e.g. hybrid still picture apparatus circuits or arrangements for control or supervision between image input and image output device H04N1/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0039 Connection via a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0055 By radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements

Abstract

When a wireless communication network is built in an ad hoc mode, it is possible to appropriately build the wireless communication network regardless of start timings of wireless communication functions of image capturing apparatuses. In order to achieve the object, there is provided the image capturing apparatus which is capable of building a wireless communication network by wirelessly connecting to another image capturing apparatus in an ad hoc mode, and which is capable of switching between a function as a creator and a function as a joiner, including a start unit configured to start as the creator, a unit configured to execute a scan process, and a unit configured to determine based on a result of the scan process whether to function as the creator and to function as the joiner, and to control the image capturing apparatus in accordance with the determination result.

Claims

1. An image capture apparatus, comprising:

an image capture unit;

a first receiving unit configured to wirelessly receive first information, wherein the first information is used to determine that the image capture apparatus should operate as a first role for joining a created wireless communication network;

a second receiving unit configured to wirelessly receive second information wherein the second information is used to determine that the image capture apparatus should operate as a second role for creating a wireless communication network or as the first role; and

a determining unit configured to determine that the image capture apparatus should operate as the first role in a case that the first receiving unit receives the first information and in a case that the image capture apparatus connects to a communication partner apparatus which transmitted the first information, and determine that the image capture apparatus should operate as the second role or as the first role in accordance with the second information in a case that the first receiving unit does not receive the first information and the second receiving unit receives the second information,

wherein the image capture apparatus communicates an image captured by the image capture unit with a communication partner apparatus to which the capture apparatus connects by operating as the first role or the second role that are determined by the determining unit.

2. The image capture apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a constructing unit configured to construct a wireless communication network with a communication partner apparatus based on an operation as the second role or an operation as the first role.

3. The image capture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determining unit determines whether the image capture apparatus should operate as the second role or the first role based on comparing the second information with a third information which has been set in the image capture apparatus, wherein the second information is information associated with a communication partner apparatus which transmitted the second information.

4. The image capture apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the determining unit compares the second information with the third information, and in a case that a value indicated by the second information is larger than a value indicated by the third information, the determining unit determines that the image capture apparatus should operate as the first role, and in a case that a value indicated by the third information is larger than a value indicated by the second information, the determining unit determines that the image capture apparatus should operate as the second role.

5. The image capture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in a case that the image capture apparatus operates as the second role, a network identifier for a wireless communication network to be constructed is set, and in a case that the image capture apparatus operates as the first role, the image capture apparatus joins a wireless communication network which is identified by a network identifier set by the communication partner apparatus.

6. The image capture apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a response unit configured to respond to a search request from another apparatus with information which is used to determine that the other apparatus should operate as the first role in a case that the determining unit determines that the image capture apparatus should operate as the second role.

7. The image capture apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a processing unit configured to execute a process for causing another apparatus to join a first wireless communication network after the image capture apparatus constructs the first wireless communication network with the communication partner apparatus .

8. The image capture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first information is information for inputting to a Vender Specific Information Element of a response signal to a search signal which is transmitted for searching another apparatus.

9. The image capture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first information and the second information is included in a response signal to a search signal transmitted for searching another apparatus.

10. The image capture apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a setting unit configured to, if the image capture apparatus operates as the first role, set the first information received by the first receiving unit to the image capture apparatus.

11. The image capture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein if the first receiving unit receives the first information from the communication partner apparatus, the image capture apparatus operates as the first role without the determination based on the second information.

12. The image capture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first receiving unit receives the first information and the second receiving unit receives the second information by a communication conformed to IEEE 802.11 standard.

13. The image capture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein if the image capture apparatus operates as the second role, BSSID of a wireless communication network to be constructed is set to the image capture apparatus.

14. The image capture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first role is a role as a joining apparatus and the second role is a role as a constructing apparatus.

15. The image capture apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the image capture apparatus starts wireless communication processing including a determining processing by the determination unit in a case of receiving an instruction from a user.

16. The image capture apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the image capture apparatus displays a result of a wireless communication processing.

17. The image capture apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the image capture apparatus starts wireless communication processing including a determining processing by the determination unit in a case of receiving an instruction from a user, and displays a result of the wireless communication processing.

18. A control method for a image capture apparatus, comprising:

receiving wirelessly first information, wherein the first information is used to determine that the image capture apparatus should operate as a first role for joining a created wireless communication network;

receiving wirelessly second information wherein the second information is used to determine that the image capture apparatus should operate a second role for creating a wireless communication network or as the first role;

determining that the image capture apparatus should operate as the first role in a case that the first information is received and in a case that the image capture apparatus connects to a communication partner apparatus which transmitted the first information, and determining that the image capture apparatus should operate as the second role or as the first role in accordance with the second information in a case that the first information is not received and the second information is received; and

communicating a captured image with a communication partner apparatus to which the capture apparatus connects by operating as the first role or the second role that are determined in the determining.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with a computer readable control program which, when executed by a processor, will cause a computer to execute the control method according to claim 18.