COMMUNICATION APPARATUS, CONTROL METHOD OF COMMUNICATION APPARATUS, AND STORAGE MEDIUM STORING PROGRAM

If an authentication type parameter included in a communication setting stored in a storage unit indicates that the WPA and WPA2 standards and the WPA3 standard upward compatible therewith are supported, a communication apparatus replaces the authentication type parameter with an authentication type parameter indicating that the WPA3 standard is not supported and the WPA and WPA2 standards are supported, and outputs the communication apparatus including the replaced authentication type parameter.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a communication apparatus capable of performing wireless communication, a control method of a communication apparatus, and a storage medium storing program.

Description of the Related Art

Recent years have seen an increase in the number of communication apparatuses, such as digital cameras, video cameras, printers, and smartphones, having a wireless communication function. Such a communication apparatus can store a communication setting inputted by a user and perform wireless communication based on the stored communication setting.

The communication setting includes an authentication type parameter related to authentication of the wireless communication.

Some of the above communication apparatuses have a function of exporting and importing a communication setting. By using this function, such a communication apparatus can export a communication setting stored therein to another apparatus to allow the other apparatus to use the communication setting or can import a communication setting stored in another apparatus to use the communication setting.

In a case where an apparatus imports a communication setting from a different apparatus and uses the communication setting, setting compatibility between these apparatuses often becomes an issue. For example, if a new standard is added to the wireless security standards (for example, authentication types), there will coexist apparatuses supporting the new standard and apparatuses (legacy apparatuses) not supporting the new standard. Therefore, some method needs to be devised to use communication settings based on the new standard in the legacy apparatuses.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-212242 discusses a technique of ensuring consistency between apparatuses for importing and exporting a communication setting therebetween. Specifically, when an apparatus exports a communication setting to a different apparatus, the exporting apparatus provides the importing apparatus with setting version information. If the importing apparatus does not support the version indicated by the setting version information, the importing apparatus does not read the communication setting.

However, in accordance with this method discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-212242, there is a case where when a new standard is added, firmware needs to be changed so that a different model can determine a newly set version. In addition, in a case where a new standard is compatible with an old standard, there are cases where a model supporting the old standard cannot use a communication setting that is supposed to be usable therein.

The present invention is directed to enabling an apparatus to replace a part of a communication setting for wireless communication when outputting the communication setting so that a receiving apparatus can reliably use the communication setting.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to an aspect of the present invention, a communication apparatus that performs wireless communication with an external apparatus includes a storage unit configured to store a communication setting including an authentication type parameter for the wireless communication, a replacement unit configured to replace, in a case where the authentication type parameter included in the communication setting stored in the storage unit indicates that both a first authentication type and a second authentication type that is upward compatible with the first authentication type are supported, the authentication type parameter with an authentication type parameter indicating that the second authentication type is not supported and the first authentication type is supported, and an output unit configured to output the communication setting including the authentication type parameter replaced by the replacement unit.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The technical scope of the present invention is defined by the scope of claims and is not limited by the following individual exemplary embodiment.

System Configuration Example

A first exemplary embodiment will be described.FIG.1illustrates a configuration example of a system100as an example of a communication system according to the present exemplary embodiment. The present system100includes, for example, a digital camera101, a digital camera102, and a communication setting file103to which a communication setting is exported. While the digital camera101will be described as an example of a communication apparatus in the present exemplary embodiment, the present exemplary embodiment of the present invention is also applicable to various types of communication apparatuses (for example, a printer, a smartphone, etc.) other than a digital camera.

The present exemplary embodiment assumes that the digital cameras101and102each have a wireless communication function. The following description will be given assuming that the wireless communication function is a wireless local area network (LAN) function compliant with IEEE802.11 series. However, the wireless communication function is not limited thereto and may be a different wireless communication function such as Bluetooth®, Multi-band OFDM Alliance (MBOA), ultra wide band (UWB), ZigBee, or Near Field Communication (NFC). In addition, instead of wireless communication, wired communication based on a wired LAN, universal serial bus (USB) connection, or the like may be performed. Examples of UWB include a wireless USB, wireless1394, and WINET.

The digital camera101has a function of generating the communication setting file103, as one of its means for allowing the digital camera102to use a communication setting of the digital camera101. The communication setting file103generated by this function is stored in a memory card attached to the digital camera101. When the memory card is attached to the digital camera102, the digital camera102reads the stored communication setting file103. In this way, the communication setting file103is transferred between the digital camera101and the digital camera102. Alternatively, the above-described wireless communication or wired communication may be used as means for outputting the communication setting to the outside via a network.

In the present system configuration, while the digital camera102will be described as an apparatus that reads the communication setting outputted by the digital camera101to the outside, more than one external apparatus may read the communication setting. That is, a plurality of digital cameras may import the communication setting by using the same communication setting file103. In addition, a network may be established among apparatuses including the digital camera102by using the communication function described above, and the digital camera101may transmit the communication setting thereof to the plurality of other apparatuses via the network.

In the present exemplary embodiment, Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), WPA2, and WPA3 will be described as wireless security standards. The following description assumes an example in which the digital camera101supports not only the WPA and WPA2 standards, which correspond to a first encryption method, but also the WPA3 standard, which corresponds to a second encryption method, and the digital camera102only supports the WPA and WPA2 standards, not the WPA3 standard.

Configuration of Digital Camera

FIG.2Aillustrates a hardware configuration example of the digital camera101according to the present exemplary embodiment. A wireless LAN control unit201performs wireless LAN radio frequency (RF) control processing, wireless LAN communication processing, driver processing for performing various control processing of wireless LAN communication compliant with IEEE802.11 series, and protocol processing related to the wireless LAN communication. An antenna202is used for performing wireless LAN communication.

A control unit203comprehensively controls the digital camera101by executing a control program stored in a read-only memory (ROM)204. The ROM204stores the control program executed by the control unit203. The control unit203performs various operations, which will be described below, by executing the control program stored in the ROM204. A communication setting to be stored in a digital camera is stored in the ROM204.

A random access memory (RAM)205is used as a work memory when the control unit203executes the control program and uses temporarily store data. A storage unit206stores various kinds of information such as parameters for communication and compressed and encoded image data in a recording medium (not illustrated). An operation unit207is for operating the digital camera101.

A display unit208displays various kinds of information and has a function of outputting visually recognizable information as in a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a light-emitting diode (LED) or a function of outputting sound as in a speaker. The operation unit207and the display unit208may be integrated as a single unit like a touch panel. The digital camera101also includes a microphone209.

A packet transmission/reception unit210transmits and receives packets related to various kinds of communication. An image capturing unit211captures an optical image of an object. An image processing unit212converts a captured image outputted from the image capturing unit211into image data in a predetermined format and performs various kinds of processing such as correction of the brightness and color of the image data.

An encoding/decoding unit213performs predetermined high-efficiency encoding (for example, variable-length encoding after discrete cosine transform and quantization) on the image data outputted from the image processing unit212. A reproduction unit214reproduces compressed and encoded image data. A power supply unit215supplies power to the digital camera101.

FIG.2Billustrates an example of a software configuration implemented by the control unit203reading a program stored in the ROM204. An instruction determination unit251determines whether a user has instructed to start a communication function or export a communication setting by using a button or the like of the operation unit207. A storage control unit252controls the storage unit206to store data and read data into the RAM205.

A display control unit253controls the display unit208to perform various kinds of display processing. A transmission unit254transmits a request and data to the outside using the packet transmission/reception unit210and the wireless LAN control unit201. A reception unit255receives a response and data from the outside using the packet transmission/reception unit210and the wireless LAN control unit201. A setting output unit256outputs a communication setting stored in the ROM204to the outside.

All the functional blocks illustrated inFIGS.2A and2Bare related to each other in terms of software or hardware. The above functional blocks are simply examples, and a plurality of functional blocks may constitute one functional block. Alternatively, any of the functional blocks may be further divided into a plurality of blocks that performs a plurality of respective functions. The control unit203may first load the control program, which is stored in the ROM204, into the RAM205and then execute the control program.

Communication Setting

Next, a communication setting stored in the ROM204will be described. A communication setting301illustrated inFIG.3is a group of communication setting parameters used by the digital camera101or102to perform communication with an external apparatus. The group of communication setting parameters includes various communication parameters including an authentication type parameter, which will be described below.

These parameters include interface information used by a wired LAN and a wireless LAN, a connection destination IP address, and a network authentication type parameter relating to a wireless security standard. The present parameters also include information for performing communication with an external apparatus, and examples of the information include a password character string length parameter and a password character string.

In the present exemplary embodiment, three types of wireless security standards, which are WPA, WPA2, and WPA3 standards, can be set in the network authentication type parameter, and the parameter values indicate usable or unusable standards in combination. The network authentication type parameters also specify an operation mode of a wireless security standard used when the digital camera101or102performs wireless LAN communication.

The network authentication type parameters illustrated in a table403represent parameter types indicating combinations of the WPA3 standard, which is incompatible with the specific importing apparatus but compatible with the other specific importing apparatus, and the WPA and WPA2 standards, which are compatible with the specific importing apparatus. In other words, the table403indicates that all the WPA, WPA2, and WPA3 standards are supported.

The password character string length parameters illustrated in a table501indicate password types that are usable in the WPA/WPA2 standard. A password character string length parameter illustrated in a table502indicates a password type usable in the WPA3 standard. One of the parameters illustrated in the tables401to403is selected as the network authentication type parameter and one of the parameters illustrated in the tables501and502as the password character string length parameter. The selected parameters constitute the communication setting301.

Flow of Processing

Hereinafter, processing performed by the digital camera101according to the present exemplary embodiment will be described with reference toFIG.6. The processing is started when the control unit203of the digital camera101executes a program stored in the ROM204and when the user selects export processing of a communication setting of the digital camera101via the operation unit207.

First, in step S601, the control unit203determines whether the network authentication type parameter included in the communication setting subjected to the export processing is included in the table403. As a result of the determination, if the parameter is included in the table401or the table402(NO in step S601), since the parameter is usable by the importing apparatus or unusable by the importing apparatus, the processing proceeds to step S602. In step S602, the control unit203performs the export processing of the communication setting directly (that is, without performing replacement processing, which will be described below).

The exported communication setting can be read by the digital camera102. Specifically, if the export processing has been performed with a parameter included in the above table401, which does not indicate the WPA3 as a usable standard, the digital camera102can read the communication setting. However, if the export processing has been performed with a parameter included in the table402, which indicates the WPA3 as a usable standard, the digital camera102cannot read the communication setting.

In step S601, if the parameter is included in the table403(YES in step S601), the importing apparatus not supporting the WPA3 standard desires to use the exported parameter as a parameter for the WPA2 standard, so that the processing proceeds to step S603. In step S603, password character string length parameter determination processing is performed.

In step S603, the control unit203determines whether the password character string length parameter of the communication setting is included in the table502. If the parameter is included in the table501(NO in step S603), since the password character string length parameter is compatible with the WPA2 standard, the importing apparatus can establish a connection based on the WPA2 standard. Thus, in step S604, the control unit203performs replacement processing on the currently set network authentication type parameter. Thereafter, the control unit203performs the export processing in step S602.

FIG.7illustrates an example of the replacement processing. The network authentication type parameter value to be exported is replaced by a value that does not include the WPA3 standard in accordance with a table701. Since the communication setting exported in step S602after the replacement processing does not include the WPA3 parameter, the digital camera102can read the communication setting.

The replaced network authentication type parameter value is applied only to the export processing, and the replacement processing is not performed on the parameter included in the communication setting stored in the ROM204. In step S603, if the password character string length parameter is not included in the table501but included in the table502(YES in step S603), the processing proceeds to step S605. In step S605, the control unit203checks the password character string.

If the password character string length parameter is a parameter indicating “1 to 255 ASCII characters” as illustrated in the table502and if the actual password character string is 8 to 63 ASCII characters or 64 hexadecimal digit characters usable based on the WPA2 standard, a connection can be stablished based on the WPA2 standard. Thus, in step S605, the control unit203determines whether the password length is 8 to 63 ASCII characters or 64 hexadecimal digit characters.

If the password length is 8 to 63 ASCII characters or 64 hexadecimal digit characters (YES in step S605), the processing proceeds to step S604. In step S604, the replacement processing is performed on the currently set network authentication type parameter. Then in step S602, the export processing is performed. In step S605, if the password length is not 8 to 63 ASCII characters or 64 hexadecimal digit characters (NO in step S605), the processing proceeds to step S602. In step S602, the export processing of the communication setting is performed.

The present invention has thus been described in detail based on the above exemplary embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to this specific exemplary embodiment, and various modifications obtained without departing from the scope of the present invention are also included in the present invention.

For example, in the above exemplary embodiment, the processing inFIG.6is performed after the user selects the export processing of the communication setting, regardless of the type of the export destination apparatus (i.e., importing apparatus). However, alternatively, before the network authentication type parameter included in the communication setting subjected to the export processing is determined in step S601, the user may be asked to select an apparatus as the export destination (output destination) apparatus, and it may be determined whether to perform the replacement processing described above based on the selected apparatus.

FIG.8illustrates a user interface801as an example of a user interface for selecting an export destination apparatus, andFIG.9is an example of a flowchart of processing performed when an export destination apparatus is selected.

The user interface801is displayed after the user selects the export processing of the communication setting, and the user is asked to select an apparatus as the export destination apparatus.

It is assumed here that an apparatus A is an apparatus of the same type as the digital camera101and does not need the parameter replacement processing and apparatuses B and C are apparatuses of a different type from the digital camera101and can be compatible with the communication setting of the digital camera101by performing the parameter replacement processing. When the user selects any of the displayed export destination apparatuses, then in step S901, the control unit203determines whether the parameter replacement determination processing is to be performed on the selected apparatus.

In step S901, if the apparatus A, which is the same type of the digital camera101and does not need the parameter replacement processing, is selected (NO in step S901), the processing proceeds to step S902, and then the processing in step S602and subsequent steps is performed. On the other hand, in step S901, if the apparatus B or the apparatus C, which is a different type of apparatus and needs the parameter replacement processing, is selected (YES in step S901), the processing proceeds to step S903, and then the processing in step S601and subsequent steps is performed. In this way, the parameter replacement determination processing can be omitted for an apparatus that does not need the determination processing. This modification is included in the scope of claims of the present invention.

In addition, in the above exemplary embodiment, in a case where the replacement of the parameter has been performed before the export processing, a configuration may be provided in which the user is notified that the replacement processing has been performed via the user interface or the like after the export processing in step S602. This modification is included in the scope of claims of the present invention.

Moreover, in the above exemplary embodiment, combinations of the WPA standard, the WPA2 standard and the WPA3 standard are described as examples of the network authentication type parameters used for the determination in step S601. However, the combinations in the present exemplary embodiment are not limited to these examples. For example, a standard that may be released in the future that is upward compatible with the existing WPA3 standard, or a wireless security standard that is not compatible with WPA3 standard or earlier versions of a security standard (i.e., WPA/WPA2 standard) can be considered to be included in the parameter combinations.

In such a case, for example, as illustrated inFIG.10, step S1001may be performed prior to step S601. In step S1001, it is determined whether the wireless security standards included in the network authentication type parameters include combinations of wireless security standards incompatible with the specific importing device. If combinations of wireless security standard incompatible with the specific importing device is not included (NO in step S1001), the processing proceeds to step S1002, and step S602may be performed without performing the subsequent determinations.

In addition, if the password length is not 8 to 63 ASCII characters or 64 hexadecimal digit characters in step S605, the processing in step S602is performed without performing the parameter replacement.

In this case, in a case where the communication setting is in an infrastructure mode, there is no need to change the password. This is because the password depends on an opposing apparatus such as an access point, and if the setting is changed, the exporting apparatus cannot connect to the opposing apparatus. In contrast, in a case where the communication setting is in an access point mode, the password is the password that the digital camera101has. Therefore, usability is improved by converting or resetting the password into a password supported by the WPA2.

As illustrated inFIG.11, if the password length is not 8 to 63 ASCII characters or 64 hexadecimal digit characters in step S605(NO in step S605), the processing proceeds to step S1101. In step S1101, the control unit203determines whether the communication setting is in the access point mode. If the communication setting is not a setting in the access point mode (NO in step S1101), the processing proceeds to step S1102, and then the processing in step S602is performed. In contrast, if the communication setting is in the access point mode (YES in step S1101), the processing proceeds to step S1103. In step S1103, the password is changed to 8 to 63 ASCII characters or 64 hexadecimal digit characters. The processing proceeds to step S1104, and then the processing proceeds to step S604. In step S604, the control unit203performs the replacement processing on the network authentication type parameter.

As described above, in a case where the communication setting is in the access point mode, the communication setting compatible with the importing apparatus can be exported by changing the password. In step S1103, the password may be automatically changed, and the user may be notified of the change of the password via the user interface. Further, a configuration may be provided in which the user is asked to directly enter a new password, and this modification is included in the scope of claims of the present invention.

This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-088228, filed May 26, 2021, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.