JP2016025374A - Communication device, communication device control method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable both maintaining security and having an apparatus which is unable to be registered with an apparatus to be searched for exchange data with the apparatus to be searched for.SOLUTION: A communication device includes: sharing means that holds information on an external device, and shares a communication parameter used for connecting with another external device via first communication with the other external device via second communication; and control means that generates a request signal to start sharing by the sharing means on the basis of the held information on the external device and performs control so as to transmit the request signal via the second communication.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication device capable of communicating with an external device via wireless communication.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a technique for mounting a wireless communication function and transmitting content to another device is known. For example, Non-Patent Document 1 discloses a smartphone that can use a service that wirelessly transmits image data captured in advance to another device using a wireless LAN. When using this service, the smartphone transmits a search request (so-called advertisement) to surrounding devices, and transmits image data to the device in response to this request. In this service, in addition to the setting to respond to all advertisements from other devices, the surrounding devices are set to respond only to advertisements from devices registered on the device, considering security. You can also This prevents the user from unintentionally disclosing information about the device in response to a search request from an unspecified number of other devices.

  In recent years, not only smartphones but also digital cameras and smartphones communicate and exchange images.

http: // support. apple. com / kb / HT5887

  As described above, in the service disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1, from a security point of view, a device that transmits a search request is set to return a response only when the device that has received the search request has already been registered. Can do. In this case, the image data cannot be exchanged unless the search request transmission source device is registered in advance in the search target device.

  However, the device information registered in the searchee device is a telephone number managed in a database generally called a contact address. Therefore, for example, when the device that has transmitted the search request is a device that does not have a telephone number, such as a digital camera, this device cannot be registered in the contact information of the smartphone. As a result, the digital camera cannot use the above service with a smartphone that returns a response only to a device that has already registered with the device that has received the search request.

  In view of the situation as described above, the present invention makes it possible to maintain security and to enable data exchange with a searched device even when the device cannot be registered with the searched device. With the goal.

  In view of the above problems, a communication device according to the present invention is a communication device capable of communicating with a first external device and a second external device registered in the first external device, wherein the second external device A holding means for holding information on the device and a communication parameter used for connecting to the first external device by the first communication via the second communication different from the first communication A sharing means for sharing with an external device, and a request signal for starting sharing of the communication parameters with the first external device via the second communication by the sharing means is sent to the second external device. And a control unit configured to generate the information based on the information and control the transmission through the second communication.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to achieve both maintaining security and enabling data exchange with a searched device even when the device cannot be registered with the searched device.

The block diagram of the digital camera and smart phone in 1st embodiment. The sequence diagram for demonstrating the outline | summary of the procedure of communication with the digital camera and smart phone in 1st Embodiment. The conceptual diagram which shows an example of the contact information hold | maintained with the smart phone in 1st Embodiment. (A), (b) The figure which shows an example of the screen displayed on the digital camera in 1st embodiment. (C) The figure which shows an example of the screen displayed on the smart phone in 1st embodiment. The conceptual diagram which shows an example of the information which the digital camera or smart phone in 1st Embodiment communicates by Bluetooth (trademark registration). 5 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the digital camera according to the first embodiment. The flowchart which shows operation | movement of the smart phone in 1st Embodiment. The conceptual diagram which shows an example of the contact information hold | maintained with the smart phone in 2nd Embodiment. The sequence diagram for demonstrating the outline | summary of the procedure of communication by the digital camera and smart phone in 2nd Embodiment. The conceptual diagram which shows an example of the information which the digital camera or smart phone in 2nd Embodiment communicates by Bluetooth (trademark registration). 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of a digital camera according to the second embodiment. The flowchart which shows operation | movement of the smart phone in 2nd Embodiment.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Below, the form for implementing this invention is demonstrated in detail using attached drawing.
The embodiment described below is an example as means for realizing the present invention, and may be appropriately modified or changed depending on the configuration of the apparatus to which the present invention is applied and various conditions. Moreover, it is also possible to combine each embodiment suitably.

[First Embodiment]
<Configuration of each device>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the entire system using the communication system of the first embodiment. In addition, although a digital camera and a smart phone are described here as an example of an imaging device, an imaging device is not restricted to this. For example, the imaging apparatus may be an information processing apparatus such as a portable media player, a so-called tablet device, or a personal computer.

  First, the digital camera A100 will be described.

  The control unit A101 controls each unit of the digital camera A100 according to an input signal and a program described later. Instead of the control unit A101 controlling the entire apparatus, the entire apparatus may be controlled by a plurality of pieces of hardware sharing the processing.

  The imaging unit A102 includes, for example, an optical lens unit, an optical system that controls aperture, zoom, focus, and the like, and an imaging element that converts light (video) introduced through the optical lens unit into an electrical video signal. Composed. As the imaging device, a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) or a charge coupled device image sensor (CCD) is generally used. The imaging unit A102 is controlled by the control unit A101 to convert subject light imaged by the lens included in the imaging unit A102 into an electrical signal by the imaging device, perform noise reduction processing, etc., and convert the digital data Output as image data. In the digital camera A100 of the present embodiment, the image data is recorded on the recording medium A110 in accordance with the DCF (Design rule for Camera File system) standard.

  The non-volatile memory A103 is an electrically erasable and recordable non-volatile memory, and stores a program to be described later executed by the control unit A101.

  The work memory A104 is used as a buffer memory that temporarily stores image data picked up by the image pickup unit A102, an image display memory of the display unit A106, a work area of the control unit A101, and the like.

  The operation unit A105 is used to receive an instruction for the digital camera A100 from the user. The operation unit A105 includes, for example, a power button for instructing the user to turn on / off the digital camera A100, a release switch for instructing imaging, and a playback button for instructing reproduction of image data. Furthermore, an operation member such as a dedicated connection button for starting communication with an external device via a connection unit A111 described later is included. In addition, a touch panel formed on a display unit A106 described later is also included in the operation unit A105. The release switch (not shown) has SW1 and SW2. When the release switch is in a so-called half-pressed state, SW1 is turned on. Thus, an instruction to prepare for capturing a still image such as AF (autofocus) processing, AE (automatic exposure) processing, AWB (auto white balance) processing, and EF (flash pre-emission) processing is accepted. Further, when the release switch is fully pressed, SW2 is turned on. Thereby, an instruction to capture a still image is received.

  The display unit A106 performs display of a moving image on the viewfinder, display of captured still image data, display of characters for interactive operation, and the like at a preparation stage of still image capturing. Note that the display unit A106 is not necessarily built in the digital camera A100. The digital camera A100 can be connected not only to the display unit A106 provided on the rear surface of the camera but also to the display unit A106 outside the camera, and it is only necessary to have at least a display control function for controlling the display of the display unit A106. .

  The recording medium A110 can record content. Specifically, the image data output from the imaging unit A102 is recorded. It is also possible to record content received from the outside via a connection unit A111, a short-range wireless communication unit A112, and the like, which will be described later. The recording medium A110 may be configured to be detachable from the digital camera A100, or may be built in the digital camera A100. In other words, the digital camera A100 may be able to access at least the recording medium A110 and have a data recording control function for the recording medium A110.

  The connection unit A111 is an interface for connecting to an external device. The digital camera A100 of the present embodiment can exchange data with an external device via the connection unit A111. In the present embodiment, the connection unit A111 includes an interface for communicating with an external device through a so-called wireless LAN in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 standard. The control unit A101 realizes wireless communication with an external device by controlling the connection unit A111.

  The short-range wireless communication unit A112 includes, for example, an antenna for wireless communication and a modem circuit and a communication controller for processing wireless signals. The short-range wireless communication unit A112 outputs a modulated wireless signal from the antenna, and demodulates the wireless signal received by the antenna, thereby short-range wireless communication according to the IEEE 802.15 standard (so-called Bluetooth (registered trademark)). To realize. In this embodiment, Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication employs Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy version 4.0, which has low power consumption. This Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication has a narrower communicable range than wireless LAN communication (that is, a communicable distance is short). In addition, Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication has a lower communication speed than wireless LAN communication. On the other hand, Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication consumes less power than wireless LAN communication.

  The above is the description of the digital camera A100.

  Next, the smartphone B100 will be described.

  Control part B101 controls each part of smart phone B100 according to the input signal and the below-mentioned program. Note that instead of the control unit B101 controlling the entire apparatus, the entire apparatus may be controlled by a plurality of hardware sharing the processing.

  The imaging unit B102 includes, for example, an optical lens unit, an optical system that controls aperture, zoom, focus, and the like, and an imaging device that converts light (video) introduced through the optical lens unit into an electrical video signal. Composed. In general, a CMOS or a CCD is used as the image sensor. The imaging unit B102 is controlled by the control unit B101, thereby converting the subject light imaged by the lens included in the imaging unit B102 into an electrical signal by the imaging device, performing noise reduction processing, etc., and converting the digital data Output as image data. In the smartphone B100 of the present embodiment, the image data is recorded on the recording medium B110 in accordance with the DCF standard.

  The non-volatile memory B103 is an electrically erasable and recordable non-volatile memory, and stores a program to be described later executed by the control unit B101.

  The work memory B104 is used as a buffer memory that temporarily stores image data picked up by the image pickup unit B102, an image display memory of the display unit B106, a work area of the control unit B101, and the like.

  The operation unit B105 is used for the user to accept an instruction for the smartphone B100 from the user. The operation unit B105 includes, for example, a power button for the user to instruct power on / off of the smartphone B100 and an operation button for instructing screen transition. Further, a touch panel formed on the display unit B106 described later is also included in the operation unit B105.

  The display unit B106 displays captured still image data, GUI (Graphical User Interface) display for interactive operation, and the like. The display unit B106 does not necessarily need to be included in the smartphone B100. The smartphone B100 only needs to have at least a display control function for controlling display contents.

  The recording medium B110 can record the image data output from the imaging unit B102. The recording medium B110 may be configured to be detachable from the smartphone B100, or may be built in the smartphone B100. That is, the smartphone B100 only needs to have at least means for accessing the recording medium B110.

  The connection unit B111 is an interface for connecting to an external device. The smartphone B100 of the present embodiment can exchange data with an external device via the connection unit B111. In the present embodiment, the connection unit B111 includes an interface for communicating with an external device according to the IEEE 802.11 standard, so-called wireless LAN. The control unit B101 realizes wireless communication with an external device by controlling the connection unit B111.

  The short-range wireless communication unit B112 includes, for example, an antenna for wireless communication and a modem circuit and a communication controller for processing wireless signals. The short-range wireless communication unit B112 outputs a modulated wireless signal from the antenna, and demodulates the wireless signal received by the antenna to perform short-range communication according to the IEEE 802.15 standard (so-called Bluetooth (registered trademark)). Realize. In this embodiment, Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication employs Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy version 4.0, which has low power consumption. Note that the performance characteristics compared to the wireless LAN are as described in the description of the digital camera A100.

  The public wireless communication unit B113 is an interface for realizing communication using the public network D100 via the base station C100. The public radio communication unit B113 includes an antenna for radio communication and a modulation / demodulation circuit and a communication controller for processing radio signals, and performs public radio communication according to standards such as W-CDMA (UMTS) and LTE (Long Term Evolution). Realize.

  The above is the description of the smartphone B100.

  In FIG. 1, a diagram showing that the digital camera A100 and the smartphone B100 can communicate one-to-one is described as an example, but one-to-many communication is also possible.

<System overview>
Next, an outline of the communication system in the present embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the problem that a digital camera cannot be registered in the contact information of a smartphone is solved by using a smartphone owned by the user of the digital camera. The following description details how to use a smartphone to solve a problem.

  FIG. 2 is a sequence showing the operation of each device for explaining the characteristic processing of this embodiment. The structure of the digital camera 201 in FIG. 2 is the same as that of the digital camera A100. The structure of the smartphones 202 to 204 is the same as that of the smartphone B100.

  For the description in FIG. 2, it is assumed that each device holds the following device name and BD address (Bluetooth device address: an identifier for uniquely identifying a device in Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication).

  That is, the digital camera 201 holds information “CAM — 001” as a device name. Further, information “11: 11: 11: 11: 11: 11” is held as a BD address.

  The smartphone 202 holds information “PHON — 002” as a device name. Further, information “22: 22: 22: 22: 22: 22” is held as a BD address.

  The smartphone 203 holds information “PHON — 003” as a device name. Further, information “33: 33: 33: 33: 33: 33” is held as a BD address.

  The smartphone 204 holds information “PHON — 004” as a device name. Further, information “44: 44: 44: 44: 44: 44” is held as a BD address.

  In the following description, it is assumed that the user of the digital camera 201 and the user of the smartphone 202 are the same person, and the smartphone 202 has been registered in the digital camera 201 prior to the start of the sequence of FIG. It is assumed that Here, registration of the smartphone 202 in the digital camera 201 will be described.

  Prior to the sequence in FIG. 2, the user connects the digital camera 201 and the smartphone 202 via Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication, and registers the smartphone 202 in the digital camera 201 as his / her smartphone. The registration procedure starts, for example, by operating the operation unit A105 of the digital camera 201 during connection with the smartphone 202 and instructing a dedicated process for registration by a menu operation or the like. When the process starts, the digital camera 201 acquires information for identifying the smartphone 202, and holds the information to register the smartphone 202 in the digital camera 201. In addition, said procedure is an example and you may employ | adopt another procedure. For example, the registration sequence may be started by acquiring smartphone information by other communication (NFC (Near Field Communication) or the like), and the smartphone 202 may be automatically registered in the digital camera 201. In this case, the user can register the smartphone 202 in the digital camera 201 simply by bringing the devices closer to each other. In consideration of security, the user may acquire information about the smartphone via NFC by setting the digital camera 201 in a state where the smartphone 202 can be registered by a menu operation.

  FIG. 3A is a conceptual diagram of information for identifying the smartphone 202 recorded on the recording medium A110 of the digital camera 201. FIG. The digital camera 201 of this embodiment holds registered devices as a pairing device list. At least a BD address 301 and a device name 302 are recorded in the pairing device list. Here, the device name 302 is information for the user to know which device is registered. This is prepared because it is difficult for the user to grasp a character string such as a Bluetooth (registered trademark) address. This device name may be a unique character string set in advance in the smartphone 202, or may be a device name set by the user of the smartphone 202, for example.

  The above is the description of registration of the smartphone 202 in the digital camera 201.

  Then, the registration state to the contact information of smartphones among each apparatus of FIG. 2 is demonstrated. In FIG. 2, the smartphone 202 is registered in the contact information of the other smartphone 203 and is not registered in the contact information of the smartphone 204. Here, the contact information held by the smartphone will be described using the information held by the smartphone 203 as an example.

  FIG. 3B is a conceptual diagram of contact information held by the smartphone 203. In the contact list, at least a device name 302, a user name 311 and a telephone number 312 are recorded. Here, as is clear from the fact that the information of the device name “PHONE — 002” and the information of “PHONE — 004” are held, the contact information of the smartphone 203 holds the information of the smartphones 202 and 204. It is in a state. In the present embodiment, the user of the smartphone 202 is “Johnny”, and the user of the smartphone 204 is “Anna”. Each smartphone receives another information input / registration operation through the operation unit B105, or receives the information from an external server (not shown) via the public network D100. Can be registered in the contact list.

  Returning to the description of FIG.

  A dotted arrow used in FIG. 2 represents communication by Bluetooth (registered trademark), and a thick arrow used in FIG. 2 represents communication by wireless LAN. Note that each of the digital camera and the smartphone is configured to be able to switch between valid / invalid of each function of Bluetooth (registered trademark) and wireless LAN based on a user operation. The sequence in FIG. 2 will be described assuming that both the Bluetooth (registered trademark) and wireless LAN functions are enabled in any device.

  Now, when starting each process of this sequence, for example, the user takes the following procedure. First, the user activates the digital camera 201 by pressing a playback button of the operation unit A105 of the digital camera 201. In response to this, the digital camera 201 displays a playback screen 400 as shown in FIG. On the playback screen 400, the latest image recorded on the recording medium A110 is displayed, and a shared icon 401 is superimposed and displayed. The user can input an instruction for starting the process shown in the sequence of FIG. 2 by selecting the shared icon 401 via a touch panel or an operation key included in the operation unit A105.

  When the sequence starts, first, in step S211, the digital camera 201 broadcasts a search request signal (so-called advertisement, hereinafter also referred to as a search request) to surrounding devices by Bluetooth (registered trademark). Generally, when a signal is broadcast by Bluetooth (registered trademark), the signal includes a BD address, a device name, a user name, and the like of a device that is a signal transmission source. For example, the digital camera 201 transmits at least the information shown in FIG. 5A to the search request.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the digital camera 201 transmits at least a BD address 501 indicating a transmission source, a device name 502, and a user name 511 in a search request. In general, a signal exchanged by communication using Bluetooth (registered trademark) also includes information on a transmission destination, so that it is possible to grasp which device the signal is addressed to. That is, the device that has received the signal confirms the BD address included in the signal transmission destination information, and determines whether the signal is addressed to itself. However, when broadcasting a signal, the transmission destination is not specified, and is transmitted to all surrounding Bluetooth (registered trademark) compatible devices. In this case, in FIG. 5A, the BD address 501, the device name 502, and the user name 511 of the transmission destination are indicated by “* (wild card)”.

  It should be noted in FIG. 5A that the device name “PHONE — 002” of the smartphone 202 that is a registered device is set as the device name even though the request source device is the digital camera 201. It is a point. In order to transmit this information, the digital camera 201 refers to the pairing device list and sets the device name of the registered device as the information of the transmission source added to the search request (here, the device name PHONE_002 is set). ) That is, the digital camera 201 pretends to be the smartphone 202 and transmits a search request. As a result, the other smartphones behave as if a search request is received from the smartphone 202. For the purpose of easily explaining that the user of the digital camera 201 is the same person as the smartphone 202, the transmission source user name 511 in FIG. 5A is set to “Johnny”, which is the same as the smartphone 202. About this, the user name input into the digital camera 201 may be sufficient if the user of another smart phone can grasp | ascertain. In addition, when the matching of the user name is confirmed in the collation process described later, it is necessary to set the same user name as that of the smartphone 202.

  When the smartphones 202 to 204 receive the search request, the smartphones 202 to 204 perform collation processing for determining whether to return a search response in step S212. The smartphones 202 to 204 determine whether the device name 502 of the transmission source added to the search request matches the device name of the own device or registered in the contact list. If any of the above applies, the process proceeds to step S213. Note that the collation processing in step S212 will be described in detail in steps S702 and S703 in FIG.

  As described above with reference to FIG. 2, the smartphone 202 has already been registered in the smartphone 203. Therefore, in the collation process in step S212 of the smartphone 203, it is determined that the transmission source device has already been registered in the contact and a response is made. Further, since it is assumed that the smartphone 202 is not registered in the smartphone 204, in the collation process in step S212 in the smartphone 204, it is determined that the transmission source device has not been registered in the contact. Therefore, the smartphone 204 does not return a response to this search request. Note that the smartphone 202 determines that it matches the device name of its own device. In this case, since a search request from the own device is not normally received, it is understood that this request is not a request from another smartphone but a request from a digital camera that has registered the own device. In this embodiment, in order to be able to transmit not only images to other people's smartphones but also images to their smartphones, a response is made to a request from a digital camera that has registered its own device. return.

  In step S213, the smartphones 202 and 203 transmit a search response that is a response to the search request in step S201 to the digital camera 201 by Bluetooth (registered trademark). Here, the smartphone 203 transmits at least the information shown in FIG. The information of the smartphone 203 is set as the transmission source information in FIG. The user of the smartphone 203 is “Emily”.

  It should be noted here that the BD address, device name, and user name of the transmission source of the search request are set as transmission destination information. That is, the smartphone 203 transmits a search response toward the digital camera 201 after determining that the search request is transmitted from the smartphone 202. As a result, the digital camera 201 can receive a search response from the smartphone 202 even if it is not registered in the contact list of the smartphone 202. The smartphone 202 also transmits a search response. In this case, the device name and user name of the transmission source information in FIG. 5B are the same as the transmission destination information, but the BD address is the address of the digital camera 201.

  Upon receiving the search response, the digital camera 201 displays a transmission confirmation screen 410 shown in FIG. 4B on the display unit A106 in step S214. Here, the digital camera 201 superimposes a dialog box 411 for selecting a device to transmit the image together with the image recorded on the recording medium A110 on the transmission confirmation screen 410, and transmits the image being displayed. The user is prompted to select a destination device to be transmitted. The digital camera 201 displays a transmission destination list 412, a transmission permission icon 413, and a cancel icon 414 in the dialog box 411. The transmission destination list 412 is displayed based on information added to the search response. That is, in the case of FIG. 4B, a search response is returned from the smartphone possessed by Johnny and Emily, and the user names “Johnny” and “Emily” that are added to the search response are used. , List the destination devices.

  When one or more image transmission destinations are selected from the transmission destination list 412 and the transmission permission icon 313 is further selected (S215), the digital camera 201 transmits an image to the selected device via Bluetooth (registered trademark). A request is transmitted (S216). Here, the image transmission request is a signal for telling the digital camera 201 to transmit an image. Here, the digital camera 201 adds at least the information shown in FIG. 5C to the image transmission request and transmits it. As in step S211, the digital camera 201 sets the device name of the paired device as the transmission source information (that is, sets “PHONE — 002”). The digital camera 201 adds a reduced image 500 of the captured image. On the other hand, when the cancel icon 414 is selected by the touch panel operation of the operation unit A105, the digital camera 201 ends the processing of this sequence and shifts to the reproduction screen 400 again.

  In the following description, a case where the smartphone 203 is selected in step S215 will be described as an example. In step S215, a plurality of devices can be selected as image transmission destinations. In that case, the process after step S216 will be performed with respect to several apparatus.

  Upon receiving the image transmission request, the smartphone 203 displays an image reception confirmation screen 420 as shown in FIG. 4C in step S217. At this time, the smartphone 203 displays the reduced image 500 added to the image transmission request in the dialog box 421. Accordingly, the user of the smartphone 203 is made aware that the digital camera 201 is about to transmit the main image having the content of the displayed reduced image 500. When the smartphone 203 receives the selection of the reception permission icon 423 via the operation unit B105 (S218), the smartphone 203 transmits an image transmission permission response that permits the digital camera 201 to transmit an image by Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication. (S219). On the other hand, when the selection of the reception refusal icon 424 is accepted, the smartphone 203 transmits an image transmission refusal response for refusing transmission of an image to the digital camera 201 by Bluetooth (registered trademark), and ends the processing of this sequence. .

  Upon receiving the image transmission permission response, the digital camera 201 shares communication parameters necessary for wireless LAN connection between the smartphone 203 and Bluetooth (registered trademark) (S220). Here, similarly to S211 and S216, the digital camera 201 sets the device name of the paired device as the transmission source information. If the processing of this step is completed, the wireless LAN will be used thereafter. For example, the communication between the smartphone 203 and the digital camera 201 is disconnected via Bluetooth (registered trademark) at this time. Also good.

  In subsequent step S221, the digital camera 201 and the smartphone 203 establish a wireless LAN connection based on the shared communication parameters. Once the wireless LAN connection is established, the wireless LAN connection is maintained as long as the wireless LAN connection is possible even if the devices are separated to a distance where Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication is not possible.

  In step S222, the digital camera 201 transmits the main image corresponding to the reduced image 500 transmitted in S216 to the smartphone 203 via the wireless LAN.

  When the transmission of the image in step S223 is completed, in step S228, the digital camera 201 and the smartphone 203 disconnect communication via the wireless LAN.

  The above is the outline of the communication system in the present embodiment.

<Operation of each device>
Next, a detailed operation of the digital camera for realizing the above operation will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the digital camera A100 of this embodiment. The processing shown in this flowchart is realized by the control unit A101 of the digital camera A100 controlling each unit of the digital camera A100 according to an input signal or a program. Unless otherwise specified, the same applies to the processing of the flowchart showing the operation of the digital camera A100 in the following description.

  The processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6 is performed when the Bluetooth (registered trademark) and wireless LAN functions of the digital camera A100 are enabled, and the shared icon 401 of FIG. 4A is selected by, for example, touch panel operation of the operation unit A105. Is started. Unless otherwise specified, the same applies to the processing of the flowchart showing the operation of the digital camera A100 in the following description.

  In step S601, the control unit A101 broadcasts a search request for surrounding devices using the Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication via the short-range wireless communication unit A112. Here, the control unit A101 transmits the search request with at least the information shown in FIG. The control unit A101 refers to the pairing device list and sets the device name of the registered device as transmission source information to be added to the search request. The process in this step corresponds to the process in step S211 in FIG.

  In step S602, control unit A101 determines whether a search response has been received from another device via short-range wireless communication unit A112. If the control unit A101 determines that the search response has been received, the process proceeds to step S603. If the control unit A101 determines that the search response has not been received, the process proceeds to step S604.

  In step S603, the control unit A101 displays a transmission confirmation screen 410 as shown in FIG. 4B on the display unit A106. Here, the control unit A101 displays the transmission destination list 412 in the dialog box 411 based on the information (device name, user name, BD address, etc.) added to the search response received in step S602. To control. The process in this step corresponds to the process in step S214 in FIG.

  In step S604, control unit A101 determines whether an operation for permitting image transmission has been received via the touch panel of operation unit A105. When it is determined that the transmission permission icon 413 has been selected in a state where one or more image transmission destination devices are selected from the transmission destination list 412 via the touch panel of the operation unit A105, the control unit A101 performs processing. The process proceeds to step S606. In cases other than the above, the control unit A101 moves the process to step S605. The control unit A101 operates the operation unit A105 so that the transmission permission icon 413 is not selectable when no device is displayed in the transmission destination list 412 or when no device is displayed. The display unit A106 may be controlled. For example, the transmission permission icon 413 is hidden. Alternatively, the transmission permission icon 413 is grayed out and the touch operation on the display area of the permission icon 413 is ignored.

  In step S605, control unit A101 determines whether an operation for canceling image transmission has been accepted via the touch panel of operation unit A105. If it is determined that the cancel icon 414 has been selected via the touch panel of the operation unit A105, the control unit A101 ends the process of this flowchart. In cases other than the above, the controller A101 shifts the process to step S602 again.

  In step S606, the control unit A101 transmits an image transmission request to the device selected in step S604 using the Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication via the short-range wireless communication unit A112. Here, the control unit A101 transmits the image transmission request with at least the information shown in FIG. The control unit A101 sets the source device name in the same manner as in step S601. Further, the control unit A101 adds a reduced image 500 of the captured image to the image transmission request. The process in this step corresponds to the process in step S216 in FIG.

  In step S607, the control unit A101 determines whether or not the permission response to the image transmission request in step S606 has been received via the short-range wireless communication unit A112. When determining that the image transmission permission response has been received, the control unit A101 shifts the processing to step S608. On the other hand, when it is determined that an image transmission rejection response has been received, or when it is determined that an image transmission permission response has not been received within a predetermined time, the control unit A101 ends the processing of this flowchart.

  In step S608, the control unit A101 transmits communication parameters necessary for wireless LAN communication via the connection unit A111 via the short-range wireless communication unit A112, and a device that is the transmission source of the image transmission permission response in step S607. Send and receive. The control unit A101 sets the source device name in the same manner as in steps S601 and S606. The process in this step corresponds to the process in step S220 in FIG.

  In step S609, the control unit A101 establishes a wireless LAN connection via the connection unit A111 with the image transmission destination device based on the communication parameter received in step S608. In addition, as a method of determining which of these functions as an access point here, for example, Wi-FiDirect may be used, or a unique protocol may be used. Alternatively, it may be determined in advance by Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication using the short-range wireless communication unit A112 in step S608. The process in this step corresponds to the process in step S221 in FIG.

  In step S610, the control unit A101 transmits the captured image via the connection unit A111 to the device that is the transmission source of the image transmission permission response in step S607. The process in this step corresponds to the process in step S222 in FIG.

  In step S611, the control unit A101 disconnects communication via the connection unit A111 with the device that is the transmission source of the image transmission permission response in step S607. The process in this step corresponds to the process in step S223 in FIG.

  As described above, in the digital camera A100 of the present embodiment, when transmitting a search request, the device name of the paired smartphone is set as the transmission source information.

  Next, a detailed operation of the smartphone for realizing the above operation will be described.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the smartphone B100 of the present embodiment. In addition, the process shown in this flowchart is implement | achieved when control part B101 of smart phone B100 controls each part of smart phone B100 according to an input signal or a program. The same applies to the processing of the flowchart showing the operation of the smartphone B100 in the following description unless otherwise specified.

  The process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7 is started in response to receiving an operation permitting reception of a search request via the operation unit B105. Specifically, for example, according to a menu operation from the user, the Bluetooth (registered trademark) function and the wireless LAN function are effectively set for an OS (Operating System) installed in the smartphone B100. As a result, a search request is received from the external device, and the flowchart of FIG. 7 is started. Unless otherwise specified, the same applies to the processing of the flowchart showing the operation of the smartphone B100 in the following description.

  In step S701, control unit B101 determines whether a search request has been received via short-range wireless communication unit B112. When determining that the search request has not been received, the control unit B101 repeats the process of this step and waits for the reception of the search request. On the other hand, when determining that the search request is received, the control unit B101 shifts the processing to step S702.

  In step S702, the control unit B101 determines whether the device name included in the search request is the same as the device name of the own device. When determining that the device names are the same, the control unit B101 shifts the processing to step S704. On the other hand, when determining that they are not the same, the control unit B101 shifts the processing to step S703.

  In step S703, the control unit B101 determines whether the device name included in the search request has been registered in the contact list. If it is determined that the device name has been registered in the contact list, the control unit B101 moves the process to step S704. On the other hand, if it is determined that the device name is not registered in the contact list, the device from which the search request is transmitted is not a digital camera that has registered the device, nor is it a smartphone that is registered in the contact. Become. In this case, the control unit B101 controls not to respond to the search request. That is, the process returns to step S701, and the processes of steps S701 to S703 are repeated. The processing in steps S702 and S703 corresponds to the processing in step S212 in FIG.

  In step S704, the control unit B101 transmits a search response to the device that has transmitted the search request received in step S701 via the short-range wireless communication unit B112. Here, the control unit B101 adds the information shown in FIG. 5B to the search response and transmits it. The process in this step corresponds to the process in step S213 in FIG.

  In step S705, the control unit B101 determines whether an image transmission request has been received via the short-range wireless communication unit B112. When determining that the image transmission request is received within the predetermined time, the control unit B101 shifts the process to step S706. On the other hand, if it is determined that the image transmission request has not been received even after the predetermined time has elapsed, the control unit B101 ends the process of this step.

  In step S706, the control unit B101 displays an image reception confirmation screen 420 as shown in FIG. 4C on the display unit B106. The control unit B101 controls the display unit B106 to display the reduced image 500 added to the image transmission request received in step S705 in the dialog box 421. The process in this step corresponds to the process in step S217 in FIG.

  In step S707, control unit B101 determines whether an operation for permitting image reception has been received via the touch panel of operation unit B105. If it is determined that the selection of the reception permission icon 423 has been received by the touch panel of the operation unit B105, the control unit B101 shifts the process to step S708. On the other hand, when determining that the selection of the reception refusal icon 424 has been accepted, the control unit B101 moves the process to step S713.

  In step S708, the control unit B101 transmits an image transmission permission response to the transmission source device of the image transmission request received in step S705 (hereinafter, the image transmission source device) via the short-range wireless communication unit B112. To do. The process in this step corresponds to the process in step S219 in FIG.

  In step S709, the control unit B101 transmits / receives communication parameters necessary for wireless LAN communication via the connection unit B111 via the image transmission source device and the short-range wireless communication unit B112. The process in this step corresponds to the process in step S220 in FIG.

  In step S710, the control unit B101 establishes a wireless LAN connection via the connection unit B111 with the image transmission source device based on the communication parameters transmitted and received in step S709. The process in this step corresponds to the process in step S221 in FIG.

  In step S711, the control unit B101 receives a captured image from the image transmission source device via the connection unit B111.

  In step S712, the control unit B101 disconnects communication with the image transmission source device via the connection unit B111. The process in this step corresponds to the process in step S223 in FIG.

  In step S713, the control unit B101 transmits an image transmission rejection response to the image transmission source device via the short-range wireless communication unit B112.

  As described above, the smartphone B100 according to the present embodiment returns a search response when the device name added to the search request has been registered in the contact list.

  As described above, in the digital camera of this embodiment, when transmitting a search request, the device name of a paired smartphone is set as the transmission source information. Thereby, the search response from the smart phone which has not registered the digital camera can be received. Furthermore, by searching for a communication partner not by wireless LAN but by Bluetooth (registered trademark), the power consumption can be further reduced, and the transmission of this image itself uses a wireless LAN having a higher communication speed. Smooth image transmission can be realized.

[Second Embodiment]
<System overview>
In the first embodiment, the case where the device name of a paired smartphone is set as transmission source information when the digital camera transmits a search request has been described. In contrast, in the present embodiment, a case where the BD address of a paired smartphone is set as transmission source information when the digital camera transmits a search request will be described.

  Since this embodiment has many parts in common with the first embodiment, the description will focus on the parts specific to this embodiment.

  The outline of the communication system in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 8 is an example of information referred to by the digital camera A100 or the smartphone B100 in order to realize the communication system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 8A is recorded in the nonvolatile memory A103 of the smartphone B100, and FIG. 8B is recorded in the nonvolatile memory B103 of the smartphone B100.

  The pairing device list in FIG. 8A is the same as that in FIG.

  In the contact list of FIG. 8B, at least a BD address 801, a user name 811 and a telephone number 812 are recorded. The smartphone B100 updates the contact list by receiving the information input / registration operation through the operation unit B105 or by receiving the information from an external server (not shown) via the public network D100.

  FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram illustrating a processing flow from device search to image transmission of the communication system according to the present embodiment. The sequence in FIG. 9 will be described assuming that both the Bluetooth (registered trademark) and wireless LAN functions are set to be valid in any device. In addition, the same reference number is used for the part which shows the content similar to FIG. The assumption that the digital camera 201 and the user of the smartphone 202 are the same and the assumption that the smartphone 202 is already registered in the contact information of the smartphone 203 are the same as in FIG.

  FIG. 10 is an example of information that the digital camera A100 and the smartphone B100 communicate with via Bluetooth (registered trademark) in order to realize the communication system according to the present embodiment. 10A and 10C show information transmitted by the digital camera A100, and FIG. 10B shows information transmitted by the smartphone B100.

  In the following description, a case where the smartphone 202 has been registered in the digital camera 201 will be described as an example.

  When the digital camera 201 is activated by receiving the pressing of the playback button of the operation unit A105, the display unit A106 displays the playback screen 400 of FIG. 4A, for example. On the playback screen 400, the latest image recorded on the recording medium A110 is displayed, and a shared icon 401 is superimposed and displayed.

  When the shared icon 401 is selected by the touch panel operation of the operation unit A105, the digital camera 201 starts the sequence of FIG.

  First, in step S901, the digital camera 201 broadcasts a search request (so-called advertisement) to surrounding devices using Bluetooth (registered trademark). Here, the digital camera 201 adds at least the information shown in FIG. 10A to the search request and transmits it. The digital camera 201 refers to the paired device list and sets the BD address of the registered device as transmission source information to be added to the search request. Here, the BD address of the registered smartphone 202 is set. That is, although the search request is transmitted from the digital camera 201, the information of the smartphone 202 is included in the transmission source. Other smartphones that have received this operate as if a search request has been transmitted from the smartphone 202.

  When the smartphones 202 to 204 receive the search request, in step S902, the smartphones 202 to 204 perform collation processing for determining whether to return a search response. The smartphones 202 to 204 determine whether the transmission source BD address added to the search request S901 matches the BD address of its own device or has been registered in the contact list. If it is determined that the transmission source BD address matches the BD address of the own device, the smartphones 202 to 204 perform the processes of steps S903 and S904. If it is determined that the transmission source BD address has already been registered in the contact list, the smartphones 202 to 204 perform the process of S904. Note that the collation processing in step S902 will be described in detail in steps S1201 and S703 in FIG.

  As a result of step S902 being executed by each smartphone, the smartphone 202 and the smartphone 203 return a response, and the smartphone 204 does not respond.

  Note that the smartphone 202 that has determined that it matches the BD address of its own device transmits a search request by Bluetooth (registered trademark) and a search response in step S903 before transmitting a response to the search request in step S901. Disable reception of. In the present embodiment, since the digital camera 201 uses the BD address of the smartphone 202, in the subsequent processing after step 904, a signal addressed to the BD address of the smartphone 202 is exchanged in communication. Specifically, since the search response from the smartphone 203 is transmitted to the BD address of the smartphone 202, the smartphone 202 receives this. However, the smartphone 202 performs control so as not to execute processing corresponding to reception of this response. This is because the digital camera 201 should respond to this response. Note that what is invalidated is that the smartphone 202 itself transmits a search request and that the smartphone 202 receives a search response (executes processing according to reception of the search response), and transmits the search response. Is not invalidated. That is, the response to the search request in step S901 is not prohibited here.

  The smartphones 202 and 203 transmit a search response to the digital camera 201 using Bluetooth (registered trademark) in step S904. Here, the smartphone 203 transmits at least the information shown in FIG. In the smartphone 202, the transmission source in FIG. 10B is the same information as the transmission destination. This is already controlled in step S903 so as not to respond to reception of the search response, so that the smartphone 202 itself does not react to the search response transmitted by itself. Moreover, although the smart phone 202 will also receive the search response from the smart phone 203 as above-mentioned, it does not respond | correspond to this.

  When the digital camera 201 receives the search response, the digital camera 201 performs the same process as step S214 in FIG.

  When one or more image transmission destination devices are selected from the transmission destination list 412 in FIG. 4 and the transmission permission icon 413 is further selected (S215), the digital camera 201 selects Bluetooth (registered trademark) for the selected device. ) Transmits an image transmission request (S905). Here, the digital camera 201 adds and transmits at least the information shown in FIG. Similar to step S901, the digital camera 201 sets the BD address of the registered device as transmission source information. The digital camera 201 adds a reduced image 500 of the captured image. On the other hand, when the cancel icon 414 is selected by the touch panel operation of the operation unit A105, the digital camera 201 proceeds to the process of step S909.

  In the following description, a case where the smartphone 203 is selected in step S215 will be described as an example. In step S215, a plurality of devices can be selected as image transmission destinations. In that case, the processing after step S905 is executed for a plurality of devices.

  Upon receiving the image transmission request S905, the smartphone 203 performs the same process as in step S217.

  When the smartphone 203 receives selection of the reception permission icon 423 from the touch panel of the operation unit B105 (S218), the smartphone 203 transmits an image transmission permission response to the digital camera 201 by Bluetooth (registered trademark) (S906). On the other hand, when the selection of the reception refusal icon 424 is accepted, the smartphone 203 transmits an image transmission refusal response to the digital camera 201 by Bluetooth (registered trademark), and ends the processing of this sequence.

  Upon receiving the image transmission permission response, the digital camera 201 shares communication parameters necessary for wireless LAN connection with each other by the smartphone 203 and Bluetooth (registered trademark) (S907). Here, the digital camera 201 sets the BD address of the registered device as the transmission source information, as in S901 and S905.

  Thereafter, the digital camera 201 and the smartphone 203 perform the processes of steps S221 to S223 as in FIG.

  Thereafter, when the digital camera 201 receives an operation for ending the image sharing by the operation unit B105 (S908), the digital camera 201 transmits an image sharing end notification to the smartphone 202 by Bluetooth (registered trademark) (S909). At this time, it is not necessary to set the transmission source BD address of the smartphone 202.

  Upon receiving the end notification S909, the smartphone 203 validates the transmission of the search request invalidated in step S903 and the reception of the search response in step S910.

  The above is the outline of the communication system in the present embodiment.

<Operation of each device>
Next, a detailed operation of the digital camera for realizing the above operation will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, the same reference number is used for the part which shows the same content as FIG. 6, and description is abbreviate | omitted.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing processing of the digital camera A100 according to the present embodiment.
In step S1101, the control unit A101 broadcasts a search request for surrounding devices via the short-range wireless communication unit A112. Here, the control unit A101 transmits the search request with at least the information shown in FIG. The control unit A101 refers to the pairing device list and sets the BD address of the registered device as transmission source information to be added to the search request. The processing in this step corresponds to the processing in step S901 in FIG.

  In step S1102, control unit A101 determines whether a search response has been received from another device via short-range wireless communication unit A112. Here, the control unit A101 determines the search response addressed to the BD address set as the transmission source in step S1101 as the search response addressed to the own device. If the control unit A101 determines that the search response has been received, the process proceeds to step S603. If the control unit A101 determines that the search response has not been received, the process proceeds to step S604. In step S603, processing similar to that of the step with the same number in FIG. 6 is executed.

  In step S604, similarly to FIG. 6, the control unit A101 determines whether an operation for permitting image transmission has been accepted via the touch panel of the operation unit A105. When it is determined that the transmission permission icon 413 has been selected with one or more image transmission destination devices selected from the transmission destination list 412 in FIG. 4B via the touch panel of the operation unit A105. The control unit A101 moves the process to step S1103. In cases other than the above, the control unit A101 moves the process to step S605.

  In step S605, the control unit A101 determines whether an operation for canceling image transmission has been received via the touch panel of the operation unit A105, as in FIG. When determining that the cancel icon 414 has been selected via the touch panel of the operation unit A105, the control unit A101 shifts the processing to step S1111. In cases other than the above, the controller A101 shifts the process to step S1102 again.

  In step S1103, the control unit A101 determines whether the device selected in step S604 is the same as the device set as the transmission source in step S1101. If the same, the control unit A101 moves the process to step S1104. If not, the control unit A101 moves the process to step S1107.

  First, the case where the process proceeds to step S1104 will be described.

  In step S1104, the control unit A101 transmits an image transmission request to the device selected in step S604 via the short-range wireless communication unit A112. Here, the control unit A101 transmits the image transmission request with at least the information shown in FIG. Here, unlike step S1101, the control unit A101 sets the BD address of its own device as transmission source information. Further, the control unit A101 adds a reduced image 500 of the captured image to the image transmission request.

  In step S1105, control unit A101 determines whether a permission response to the image transmission request in step S1104 has been received via short-range wireless communication unit A112. When determining that the image transmission permission response has been received, the control unit A101 shifts the processing to step S1106. On the other hand, when it is determined that an image transmission rejection response has been received, or when it is determined that an image transmission permission response has not been received within a predetermined time, the control unit A101 moves the process to step S1110.

  In step S1106, the control unit A101 transmits communication parameters required for wireless LAN communication via the connection unit A111 via the short-range wireless communication unit A112, and the device that is the transmission source of the image transmission permission response in step S1105. Send and receive. Similar to step S1104, the control unit A101 sets the BD address of its own device as the transmission source information.

  Next, a case where the process proceeds from step S1103 to step S1107 will be described.

  In step S1107, the control unit A101 transmits an image transmission request to the device selected in step S604 via the short-range wireless communication unit A112. Here, the control unit A101 transmits the image transmission request with at least the information shown in FIG. Control unit A101 sets the BD address of the transmission source to the BD address of the registered smartphone as in step S1101. Further, the control unit A101 adds a reduced image 500 of the captured image to the image transmission request. The processing in this step corresponds to the processing in step S905 in FIG.

  In step S1108, control unit A101 determines whether a permission response to the image transmission request in step S1107 has been received via short-range wireless communication unit A112. Here, the control unit A101 determines the response addressed to the BD address set as the transmission source in step S1107 as the permission response addressed to the own device. When determining that the image transmission permission response has been received, the control unit A101 shifts the processing to step S1109. On the other hand, when it is determined that an image transmission rejection response has been received, or when it is determined that an image transmission permission response has not been received within a predetermined time, the control unit A101 moves the process to step S1110.

  In step S1109, the control unit A101 communicates with the image transmission destination device that has received the image transmission permission response in step S1108 via the short-range wireless communication unit A112 and communication necessary for wireless LAN communication via the connection unit A111. Send and receive parameters. The control unit A101 sets the transmission source device name in the same manner as in steps S1101 and S1107. The processing in this step corresponds to the processing in step S907 in FIG.

  In step S1110, control unit A101 determines whether an operation for ending image sharing has been accepted via operation unit A105. When the operation for ending the image sharing is received, the control unit A101 moves the process to step S1111. On the other hand, when the operation for ending the image sharing is not accepted, the control unit A101 shifts the process again to step S604.

  In step S1111, the control unit A101 transmits an image sharing end notification to the device set as the transmission source in step S1101 via the short-range wireless communication unit A112.

  As described above, in the digital camera A100 of the present embodiment, when transmitting a search request, the registered BD address of the smartphone is set as transmission source information.

  Next, a detailed operation of the smartphone for realizing the above operation will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, the part which shows the content similar to FIG. 7 uses the same reference number, and abbreviate | omits description.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the operation of the smartphone B100 of the present embodiment.
In step S701, the control unit B101 determines whether a search request has been received via the short-range wireless communication unit B112, as in FIG. When determining that the search request has not been received, the control unit B101 repeats the process of this step and waits for the reception of the search request. On the other hand, when determining that the search request is received, the control unit B101 shifts the processing to step S1201.

  In step S1201, the control unit B101 determines whether the BD address included in the search request is the same as the BD address of the own device. When determining that the BD addresses are the same, the control unit B101 shifts the processing to step S1203. On the other hand, when determining that they are not the same, the control unit B101 shifts the processing to step S1202.

  In step S1202, control unit B101 determines whether the BD address included in the search request has been registered in the contact list. If it is determined that the BD address has already been registered in the contact list, the control unit B101 moves the process to step S1204. On the other hand, when determining that the device name is not registered in the contact list, the control unit B101 shifts the process to step S701 again. The processing in steps S1201 and S1202 corresponds to the processing in step S902 in FIG.

  In step S1203, the control unit B101 invalidates transmission of a search request and reception of a search response via the short-range wireless communication unit B112. The process of step S1203 corresponds to the process of step S903 in FIG.

  In step S1204, control unit B101 transmits a search response via short-range wireless communication unit B112 to the transmission source device of the search request received in step S701. Here, the control unit B101 adds the information shown in FIG. 10B to the search response and transmits it. The process in this step corresponds to the process in step S904 in FIG.

  In step S705, the control unit B101 determines whether an image transmission request has been received via the short-range wireless communication unit B112, as in FIG. When determining that the image transmission request is received within the predetermined time, the control unit B101 shifts the process to step S706. On the other hand, when determining that the image transmission request has not been received even after the predetermined time has elapsed, the control unit B101 shifts the processing to step S1208. In step S706, the same processing as the step with the same number in FIG. 7 is executed.

  In step S707, the control unit B101 determines whether or not an operation for permitting image reception has been accepted via the touch panel of the operation unit B105, as in FIG. When determining that the selection of the reception permission icon 423 in FIG. 4C has been received by the touch panel of the operation unit B105, the control unit B101 shifts the processing to step S1205. On the other hand, when determining that the selection of the reception refusal icon 424 has been received, the control unit B101 advances the process to step S1207.

  In step S1205, the control unit B101 transmits an image transmission permission response via the short-range wireless communication unit B112 to the transmission source device of the image transmission request received in step S705 (hereinafter, the image transmission source device). To do. The processing in this step corresponds to the processing in step S906 in FIG.

  In step S1206, the control unit B101 transmits / receives communication parameters required for wireless LAN communication via the connection unit B111 via the image transmission source device and the short-range wireless communication unit B112. The processing in this step corresponds to the processing in step S907 in FIG.

  In step S1207, the control unit B101 transmits an image transmission rejection response to the image transmission source device via the short-range wireless communication unit B112.

  In step S1208, control unit B101 determines whether the search prohibition process in step S1203 is being executed. If the search is prohibited, the control unit B101 shifts the process to step S1209. If the search is not prohibited, the control unit B101 ends this sequence.

  In step S1209, the control unit B101 determines whether an image sharing end notification has been received from the search request source device in step S701 via the short-range wireless communication unit B112. If the control unit B101 determines that the notification has been received, the process proceeds to step S1210. If the control unit B101 determines that the notification has not been received, the control unit B101 repeats step S1209 and waits for an image sharing end notification.

  In step S1210, control unit B101 enables transmission of a search request and reception of a search response via short-range wireless communication unit B112.

  As described above, the smartphone B100 according to the present embodiment returns a search response when the BD address added to the search request has been registered in the contact list.

  As described above, in the digital camera of this embodiment, when transmitting a search request, the BD address of a paired smartphone is set as the transmission source information. Thereby, the search response from the smart phone which has not registered the digital camera can be received.

(Other examples)
In the above-described embodiment, the case where one smartphone is registered in the digital camera A100 has been described as an example. However, the number of smartphones that can be registered in the digital camera A100 is not limited to one. For example, when a plurality of smartphones have been registered, the search request is transmitted using information on the registered devices sequentially. In such a case, the destination information of the search response returned from the other device is referred to, and it is confirmed which of the registered devices is used to respond to the search request. Then, if the image transmission destination device is selected, the subsequent communication is performed using the information used in the search request that has returned a response from the device. Note that it is also possible to select multiple devices to transmit. In this case, the information used in the search request that has received a response from each device is not necessarily information on one device. In other words, there may be cases where the information is for a plurality of devices. In this case, information used in subsequent communication is changed for each communication with each device.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which a search request (advertisement) using Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication is broadcast in response to an icon being selected by a user operation while an image is being reproduced is taken as an example. explained. In addition to this, for example, a search request may be broadcast in response to the execution of imaging by the digital camera A100 and generation of image data, or in response to reception of an imaging instruction. . In this case, for example, the image displayed on the screen in step S214 in FIG. 2 is an image obtained by the imaging. That is, the reduced image included in the transmission request in S216 is a reduced image of the image obtained by the imaging that triggered the start of the sequence. In this way, the user does not need to select which image to transmit, and the procedure of imaging and transmitting can be realized more easily.

  In the above-described embodiment, the search request from the digital camera 201 has been described as an example. On the other hand, the case where a search request | requirement is transmitted from another smart phone is also considered. In this case, the digital camera 201 may respond in the same procedure as when another smartphone responds to the search request. For example, when a user of the smartphone 203 wants to transmit an image and an instruction to transmit an image is received by the smartphone 203 by a user's menu operation or the like, the smartphone 203 broadcasts a search request. In response to this, the digital camera 201 may return a search response including the BD address and device name of the digital camera 201 itself in the transmission source information. In consideration of security, the user may be able to set whether or not to respond. Also, for example, a BD address or device name of a device that has been connected to the wireless LAN in the past is stored as history information, and only a search request from a device whose information is included in the history information is responded. It may be settable so that it can be performed. In this case, the information on the devices held in the history information may be sequentially used as the transmission source information of the search request transmitted from the digital camera A100.

  The present invention is also 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 recording media, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, or the like) of the system or apparatus reads the program code. It is a process to be executed. In this case, the program and the recording medium on which the program is recorded constitute the present invention.

Claims (16)

A communication device capable of communicating with a first external device and a second external device registered in the first external device,
Holding means for holding information of the second external device;
Sharing means for sharing communication parameters used for connecting to the first external device by first communication with the first external device via second communication different from the first communication;
Control means for generating a request signal for starting sharing by the sharing means based on the information of the second external device held in the holding means, and transmitting the request signal via the second communication; A communication device.   The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information of the second external device includes a device name of the second external device.   The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information of the second external apparatus includes a communication parameter for performing the second communication.   The communication according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a request signal for starting sharing of the communication parameter with the first external device via the second communication is broadcast. apparatus. Further comprising receiving means for receiving information of the second external device from the second external device via the second communication;
5. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the holding unit holds the information of the second external device received by the receiving unit. 6. Further comprising receiving means for receiving the information of the second external device from the second external device via a third communication different from the first communication and the second communication;
5. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the holding unit holds the information of the second external device received by the receiving unit. 6. A recording control unit for controlling the content to be recorded on the recording medium;
The control means controls to transmit the content to the first external device via the first communication established using the communication parameter shared with the first external device. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.   8. The communication apparatus according to claim 7, wherein when the content transmission is completed, the first communication is disconnected.   The communication according to any one of claims 7 to 8, wherein when the first communication is disconnected, the second external device is notified to that effect via the second communication. apparatus. An image capturing unit that captures an image of the subject and generates image data;
The communication apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the content is image data generated by the imaging unit. In response to an instruction for imaging, the control means sends a request signal for starting sharing of the communication parameters with the first external device via the second communication by the sharing means, Generate based on the information of the second external device, control to transmit via the second communication,
After the request signal is transmitted and before the sharing of the communication parameters is completed, the control means transmits information on the image data obtained by the instructed imaging via the second communication. The communication apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the communication apparatus is controlled to transmit to one external apparatus.   The communication device according to claim 7, wherein the content is image data received from another external device via the first communication or the second communication. .   13. The first communication established using the communication parameter shared with the first external device is maintained even after the second communication is disconnected. The communication apparatus of any one of Claims.   14. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising response means for responding when the request signal is received. A communication device control method capable of communicating with a first external device and a second external device registered in the first external device,
Holding step for holding information of the second external device;
A sharing step of sharing communication parameters used for connecting to the first external device by first communication with the first external device via a second communication different from the first communication;
A control step of generating a request signal for starting sharing in the sharing step based on the information of the second external device held in the holding step and transmitting the request signal via the second communication A method for controlling a communication apparatus.   The computer-readable program for functioning a computer as each means of the communication apparatus of any one of Claims 1 thru | or 14.

Images