JP2002094544A - Portable player, player access device, home network system, and access method to home network - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a home network system that can organically couple various devices connected to a home network with a portable player so that they can effectively utilize respective resources. SOLUTION: The home network system is provided with a home network 1 that is formed by interconnecting devices in a house, the portable player 40 that transmits/receives data to/from the home network 1, and a player access point 30 that controls mutual data transmission/reception with the portable player 40. The home network system is characterized in that the portable player 40 carries out negotiation to enter the service of the player access point 30, transmits data to select a specific AV device among the devices to the player access point 30 and receives audio data or video data from the selected AV device via the player access point 30.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a portable player or the like capable of accessing a home network.
The present invention relates to a portable player or the like that makes it possible to mutually use resources with devices connected to a home network.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Hitherto, a terrestrial television broadcast and a telephone line have been mainly used as networks connected to a home.
Speaking of a network in a house, it is limited to a case where a TV and a VTR are connected to record a TV program, and a case where devices are connected between audio devices. However, in recent years, a “home network (home network)” utilizing intranet technology such as LAN, which has been developed mainly for business use, has been rapidly attracting attention.

[0003] The background of such rapid development of home networks is the rapid spread of information devices such as PCs (personal computers), printers and scanners, and the rapid increase in the number of Internet users. Diversification of communication and broadcast services has also contributed to its development. That is, in addition to general telephone lines, ISDN lines, mobile phones,
Communication means such as PHS services have been developed, and in addition to terrestrial television broadcasting, BS / CS analog broadcasting, CAT
Broadcasting services such as V and digital CS broadcasting have also been started. Also, in AV (Audio Video) devices, MD
Digitization such as players, digital video cameras, and digital still cameras is progressing rapidly, and great development of digital products such as digital video and digital television is expected in the future. Furthermore, home appliances such as refrigerators, air conditioners, and microwave ovens as well as these information terminal devices and AV devices are connected to the home network,
Technologies that enable remote control of each product are also introduced.

[0004] On the other hand, cordless telephones have become commonplace in communication devices, and mobile communication devices represented by mobile phones and PHS have been remarkably developed. In addition, for example, a portable player that uses a semiconductor memory that is reduced in size and weight and has a large capacity and outputs audio data (audio information) and video data (video information) stored in the semiconductor memory is also available. Is being developed. According to such a portable player, for example, it is possible to perform audio playback at an individual's free time indoors and outdoors, and if a large-capacity memory is mounted, images can be played indoors and outdoors. Free reproduction of information is also possible.

[0005]

As described above, while the home network has been remarkably developed, the miniaturization and the increase in the capacity of the portable player have been greatly advanced. However, portable players are used only for video reproduction, audio reproduction, data reproduction, and the like indoors and outdoors, and are completely independent of equipment in a house. For this reason, resources provided by these portable players, operation units, display units, and the like cannot be used for a home network.

Further, the operation of the portable player is basically executed by these devices alone, and the operation from an external device is not considered. If the resources of the external device can be shared by the portable player, the portable player can be more effectively utilized.

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve such technical problems, and its object is to provide:
It is to use resources, operation units, display units, and the like of a portable player in a house. Another object is to effectively link a home network and a portable player, and to use video information, audio information, and the like from devices connected to the home network in the portable player.

[0008]

[MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEMS] Under such a purpose,
The present invention enables a portable player to access a home network, transmits video data and audio data from various devices constituting the home network to the portable player, and allows the portable player to freely receive the content. Can be reproduced. That is, the present invention relates to a portable player which can access a home network in which various devices in a house are connected by a network, and provides an access point of the home network to a specific device constituting the home network. A request output unit for outputting a request for data acquisition, a data receiving unit for receiving data output by the device based on the output request, and a speaker, a headphone, and a liquid crystal for receiving the received data in the form of audio or video. Data output means for outputting to a display or the like.

[0009] The request output means may be characterized in that it outputs a data acquisition request including destination information for specifying a device among various devices constituting the home network. As a method of specifying the device, for example, there is a method of specifying the URL of the device, similarly to accessing the WWW. Further, the data receiving means is characterized by receiving audio data and / or video data output from a specific device constituting the home network.

[0010] On the other hand, the present invention relates to a player access apparatus connected to a home network and functioning as an access point for a portable player.
A network interface connected to the home network to which the V device is connected for communication, a player interface for communication with the portable player, and negotiation for the portable player to enter the service via the player interface Control means for performing the negotiation, and thereafter, bridges data between the portable player and the AV device via the player interface and the network interface.

Here, the control means relays the service request packet obtained from the player interface and transfers the packet to the AV device via the network interface. In addition, data transmitted from an AV device obtained via a network interface is relayed and transferred to a portable player via a player interface.

A home network system to which the present invention is applied includes a home network that connects a plurality of devices in a house to form a network, a player that can wirelessly transmit and receive data to and from the home network, An access point for controlling mutual data transmission and reception between the device connected to the home network and the player, the player executes a negotiation to enter the service of the access point, and after executing the negotiation, Transmitting data for selecting a specific AV device from the devices to the access point, and receiving audio data and / or video data from the selected AV device via the access point. it can.

[0013] On the other hand, the present invention is a method for accessing a home network in which a plurality of devices in a house are connected by a network. After receiving the audio data and / or video data, the portable player recognizes the specified destination of the AV device that wants to receive the audio data and / or the video data. It is characterized in that video data can be transmitted. Here, when transmission / reception of the received access request or the audio data and / or video data to be relayed is executed by a packet, a relay process for the packet is performed.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail based on an embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the overall configuration of a home network system according to the present embodiment. This home network system includes a home network 1 set up in a house and a portable player 40 connected to the home network 1 by wireless or wired. The home network 1 is largely composed of a low-speed network system 10 that connects home electric appliances and the like in a house, a high-speed network system 20 that connects AV systems and the like in a house, and a bridge for connecting these to each other.
(Bridge) 9. Between the low-speed network system 10 and the high-speed network system 20,
A gateway may be provided instead of the bridge 9. By providing the bridge 9 and the gateway, it is possible to execute format conversion of messages and character codes, conversion of an address structure different for each network, conversion of a protocol used in each layer, and the like.

A low-speed network 11 is set up in a home-use low-speed network system 10 constituting the home network 1. In this low-speed network 11,
Bath control unit 12 for controlling hot water supply temperature and hot water volume in bathroom, light control 13 in each room in house, air conditioner 14 such as air conditioner, cooking device 15 such as microwave oven and refrigerator, crime prevention, gas leak, various devices A security sensor 16 and the like including various sensors for detecting the use frequency and the like are connected. This low-speed network 1
For example, a general-purpose system that can easily control many devices using, for example, a power line is being studied. For example, an Echonet Consortium and a home plug (HomePlug) are being considered.
(Trademark)).

The high-speed network system 20 constituting the home network 1 is provided with a high-speed network 21 constituted by, for example, Ethernet (registered trademark). This high-speed network 2
1 includes a digital recorder 22 for performing various digital recordings such as a digital film recorder, a digital voice recorder, a digital video recorder, etc., a personal computer (PC) 23, an audio system 24, a digital television (digital TV) 25, an entrance and a specific place. A security camera 26 for monitoring is connected. The high-speed network 21 is connected to a player access point 30 as a player access device, which is connected to the portable player 40 wirelessly or via a wire and exchanges data with the portable player 40. When performing actual control, various devices connected to the high-speed network 21 use H as a server function protocol.
The TTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) RFC (Reque
st For Comments) 2068) is used, and WWW (Wo
rld Wide Web) technology can be used. When configuring such a network, the bridge 9
Functions as a TP server.

Between the player access point 30 and the portable player 40, for example, data transmission using a packet is performed by an IP Internet protocol or a dedicated protocol. Thereby, the portable player 40 and various devices such as AV systems in the home connected to the high-speed network 21 and the low-speed network 1
1 enables communication with various household electrical appliances in the home. At this time, the portable player 4
When the player access point 30 is accessed from 0, the player access point 30 receives information from various devices connected to the high-speed network 21 or the low-speed network 11, and sends the information to the portable player 40. I will send it back. The portable player 40 that has received the information returns selects the device connected to the high-speed network 21 or the low-speed network 11 based on the returned information, and starts the operation here.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the internal configuration of the player access point 30. Here, a network interface 32, a wireless device 33 as a player interface, a storage device 34 functioning as control means, and a CPU 35 are provided via a bus 31. The network interface 32 is connected to the high-speed network 21 and performs, for example, transmission and reception of protocols with various devices constituting the home network system. The wireless device 33 includes a portable player 40
For example, data transmission and reception are performed by packets, for example. Also, for example, when connected to the portable player 40 by wire, it functions as a connection interface. The storage device 34 functions to temporarily store a protocol and the like obtained from the high-speed network 21 and the portable player 40. When the transmission rates and protocols obtained from the network interface 32 and the wireless device 33 are different, the CPU 35 analyzes the mutual data, performs routing and protocol conversion using the storage device 34, and performs mutual data conversion. It has a function to perform transmission.

Here, for example, from the portable player 40, the light control 1 in the low-speed network system 10 is performed.
A case is considered in which access is made to LED 3 and ON / OFF of the lamp is controlled. In this case, first, the portable player 40 performs negotiation to enter the service under the player access point 30. When the negotiation is completed, a communication packet flows from the portable player 40 to the high-speed network 21 via the player access point 30.

When trying to access the bridge 9 from the portable player 40, the portable player 40
As in the case of accessing the URL, for example, the URL is changed to “Brid
ge ". This enables the portable player 40 to access the bridge 9. The bridge 9 is connected to the low-speed network 11 when the high-speed network system 20 accesses the bridge 9 via HTTP. A device that is currently available is determined by recognizing or examining the device using a protocol such as Echonet or HomePlug.
ypertext Markup Language), HTML2 (RFC186
6), expressed in HTML4 (ISO8879) or the like, and sent back to the portable player 40 via the player access point 30.

As described above, the bridge 9 has a function of converting between the protocol of the high-speed network system 20 and the protocol of the low-speed network system 10, so that the light from the portable player 40 can be turned on / off, dimming, and air conditioning. Settings, bathtub filling, security sensor (door lock, unauthorized entry, presence detection, etc.) status check,
Many applications can be performed, such as security operations such as door locks, data transmission to cooking utensils such as microwave ovens, device operations, and status displays.

Similarly to the bridge 9, the digital recorder 22, personal computer 23, audio system 24, digital TV 25, security camera 26, etc.
Equipped with a TP server function, the portable player 4
Operation from 0 is possible. That is, the portable player 40
Performs access to various devices having a URL in the same manner as when accessing the WWW,
Operation from 0 and the status display of various devices on the portable player 40 become possible.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another configuration example of the home network in the present embodiment shown in FIG.
In this case, a high-speed network 21 represented by Ethernet is connected to an IEEE 13
94 bus 7 is connected. Here, IEEE 139
A digital TV 25, an audio system 24, and a digital recorder 22, which are devices using IEEE 1394, are connected to the 4 bus 7. Thus, in certain limited applications such as AV equipment,
It is possible to use a bus such as EEE1394. This IEEE 1394 is an international standard high-speed digital serial / interface, and the transfer rate is 100
There are three types, Mbps, 200 Mbps, and 400 Mbps, and standardization of 800 Mbps or more has been attempted.
The IEEE 1394 has an isochronous transfer method for preferentially transferring audio, moving images, and the like.
Power can be supplied via a bus, and devices can be directly connected to each other without a host such as a PC. Therefore, it can be used as an infrastructure in the home network 1 such as a connection with the AV device in the present embodiment. That is, the portable player 40 sends the IEEE
Various operations can be performed on the device connected to the E1394, and the portable player 40 can perform the IEEE1.
The status display of various devices connected to 394 can be performed. In this way, similarly to the case where the device connected to the low-speed network 11 is accessed via the bridge 9, the IEEE 139 is connected via the bridge 8.
The same access as the access to the WWW can be made to the devices connected to the four bus 7.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are diagrams showing the operation flow of the CPU 35 in the player access point 30 shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 shows a case where there is an interruption from the wireless device 33, and FIG. , An interrupt from the network interface 32 is shown. Here, first, negotiation is performed as to whether or not the protocols of the portable player 40 and the player access point 30 match. For example, when the portable player 40 performing wireless communication enters the communicable range of the player access point 30, what kind of communication is performed between the player access point 30 and the portable player 40, Confirmation work such as speaking ability is performed.

As shown in FIG. 3, when there is an interrupt from the wireless device 33, it is first determined whether or not the data is valid (step 101). That is, it is determined whether or not the packet which has requested the interrupt is a usable packet, whether or not there is no error, and the like. If the data is not valid, the process ends. If it is valid data, it is determined whether or not this packet is an initialization packet (step 102). If the packet is an initialization packet, an initialization packet is generated (step 103), transmitted to the wireless device 33 (step 104), and the process ends.
If the packet is not the initialization packet, it is determined whether the packet is addressed to itself (addressed to the player access point 30) (step 105). If the packet is addressed to itself, an internal processing reply packet is generated (step 10).
6), and transmits it to the wireless device 33 (step 107), and the process ends. If the packet is not addressed to itself, a transfer packet is generated (step 108), transmitted to the network interface 32 (step 109), and the packet is transferred to various devices constituting the home network system.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, when there is an interrupt from the network interface 32,
First, it is determined whether or not the packet is valid data such as whether or not the packet itself is usable (step 111). If the data is not valid, the process ends. If it is valid data, it is determined whether or not this packet is an initialization packet (step 112). If the packet is an initialization packet, an initialization packet is generated (step 1).
13) The data is transmitted to the network interface 32 (step 114), and the process ends. If the packet is not the initialization packet, it is determined whether the packet is addressed to itself (addressed to the player access point 30) (step 1).
15). If the packet is addressed to itself, an internal processing reply packet is generated (step 116) and transmitted to the network interface 32 (step 117), so that packet transfer for reply to various devices constituting the home network system is performed. Done. If the packet is not addressed to itself, a transfer packet is generated (step 118) and transmitted to the wireless device 33 (step 119).
Data transfer from various devices constituting the home network system to the portable player 40 is performed. As described above, in the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not the data is valid even when the interruption from the network interface 32 occurs. This makes it possible to cope with a case where noise is mixed in a packet, a case where a data transfer request is made from a plurality of devices at the same time, and the like.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a packet flowing on the home network 1 in the present embodiment.
In the example of the packet shown here, a SYNC for synchronization is transmitted after the preamble, and further, a destination address for transmitting the packet and a source address of the packet are transmitted. Thereafter, the user data follows, and a frame check sequence (FCS) is transmitted. The user data includes a command code indicating the type of data, a status indicating the status, user data which is actual data, and a checksum for performing error processing in the user data. A request code for indicating the contents of a request with the home network system is included.

Next, the configuration of the portable player 40 will be described. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the portable player 40 used in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, a portable player 40 and peripheral devices that can be inserted and removed include a controller 4 that executes overall control.
1. Transmission / reception module 4 for communicating with player access point 30 on home network 1 by radio or the like
2. A portable player 40 for storing audio data and the like.
A memory module 43 composed of a semiconductor memory or the like that can be inserted into and removed from the device, a socket 44 for mounting the memory module 43 to the device, an operation display unit 45 having a display such as a liquid crystal display together with a predetermined key arrangement, encoded audio data Decoder 46 and audio decoder 4 for decoding
A digital-to-analog (D / A) converter and an audio amplifier 47 for converting and amplifying the digital audio data obtained by the digital audio data 6 and the portable audio player 40;
The headphone 48 outputs the analog signal from the D / A converter and the audio amplifier 47 as audio. The display, the D / A converter, the audio amplifier 47, and the headphone 48 in the operation display unit 45 function as output means for outputting the received audio data and video data to the user.

Transmission / reception module 4 in the present embodiment
2 is a request output unit that outputs a request for data acquisition to a specific device in the home network 1;
It functions as a receiving unit that receives audio data and video data output from the specified device. The transmission / reception module 42 includes, for example, an antenna (not shown),
Transmission and reception using a packet to and from the wireless device 33 of the player access point 30 are performed wirelessly. From the transmission / reception module 42, control signals for operating various devices in the home network 1 are transmitted by the operation display unit 45, and control signals output from the various devices are received by the transmission / reception module 42. Also, it receives audio data and video data stored in the digital recorder 22 in the home network 1, and further transmits, for example, audio data and video data captured by the portable player 40 to the wireless device 33. It can be configured to transmit. Video data and audio data transmitted from AV equipment such as the digital recorder 22 are configured as, for example, stream data, and transmitted and received in a configuration in which a plurality of packs storing video data and audio data are arranged.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining communication contents performed between the portable player 40, the player access point 30, and the digital recorder 22. Here, the digital recorder 22 is shown as a representative example, but other devices among the various devices constituting the home network 1 can communicate similarly.

First, the portable player 40 transmits a configuration request for setting to the wireless device 33 of the player access point 30 via the transmission / reception module 42. Upon receiving this request, the player access point 30 notifies the portable player 40 of the network information. The portable player 40 having received the notification sends a service request packet to the player access point 30. Upon receiving the service request, the player access point 30 recognizes the destination address included in the packet, performs a packet relay process, and sends a service request packet to the digital recorder 22 via the high-speed network 21. The digital recorder 22 that has received the service request packet sends a service start packet to the player access point 30, and the player access point 30 performs a relay process on the service start packet and sends the service start packet to the portable player 40. Send a service start packet.

After receiving the service start packet,
The portable player 40 transmits a data request packet. Upon receiving the data request packet, the player access point 30 performs a relay process and sends the data request packet to the digital recorder 22. The digital recorder 22 selects data to be transmitted based on the received data request packet, and transmits the data to the player access point 30 as a data packet. The player access point 30 that has received the data packet performs a relay process on the data packet and transmits the data packet to the portable player 40.

In the portable player 40, if there is no error in the received data, an ACK (acknowledge characte
r) Return the packet. Player access point 30
Then, relay processing is performed on the ACK packet, and the ACK packet is transmitted to the digital recorder 22. The digital recorder 22 sends out a service end packet, and the player access point 30 performs a relay process on the service end packet, and then sends a service end packet to the portable player 40.
Thereby, a series of communication between the portable player 40 and the digital recorder 22 configuring the home network 1,
That is, from the service request by the portable player 40,
A series of processes until the reception of the predetermined data ends.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the portable player 40 can be connected to the high-speed network system 20 in the house by wireless or / and wired. As a result, the resources, operation units, display units, and the like of the portable player 40 can be used in the house, and resources such as audio information and video information included in various devices constituting the home network 1 can be used. This can be provided to the portable player 40. In the mutual use of resources between the home network 1 and the portable player 40, individual recognition / authentication, network recognition / authentication, etc. are performed to select only necessary devices and necessary networks. Device and unnecessary network connection rejection may be selectable.

Further, the present embodiment is further expanded, and when the portable player 40 is connectable, the portable player 4
Even if 0 is in the standby or sleep state, it is also possible to configure such that it automatically rises in response to a connection request, performs necessary processing, and returns to the standby or sleep state after completion of the processing. With this configuration, it is possible to use or operate resources from various devices constituting the home network 1 irrespective of the state of the portable player 40.

[0036]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, it is possible to organically connect various devices connected to a home network to a portable player,
Each other's resources can be used effectively.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram for describing an overall configuration of a home network system according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an internal configuration of a player access point 30.

FIG. 3 shows a CP in the player access point 30.
It is a figure showing operation flow of U35.

FIG. 4 shows a CP in the player access point 30.
It is a figure showing operation flow of U35.

FIG. 5 is a home network 1 according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a packet flowing on the upper side.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a portable player 40 used in the present embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining communication contents performed between the portable player 40, the player access point 30, and the digital recorder 22.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another configuration example of the home network according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

1: home network, 7: IEEE 1394 bus,
8, 9 Bridge, 10 Low-speed network system, 11 Low-speed network, 12 Bus control unit, 13 Light control, 14 Air conditioning equipment, 15
... Cooking equipment, 16 ... Security sensor, 20 ... High-speed network system, 21 ... High-speed network, 22 ...
Digital recorder, 23 ... Personal computer (P
C), 24: audio system, 25: digital television (digital TV), 26: security camera, 30:
Player access point, 31 bus, 32 network interface, 33 wireless device, 34 storage device, 35 CPU, 40 portable player, 41 controller, 42 transmitting / receiving module, 43 memory module, 44 socket , 45 ... operation display section, 46 ...
Audio decoder, 47 ... D / A converter and audio amplifier, 48 ... Headphone

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A portable player that can access a home network in which various devices in a house are connected by a network,
Request output means for outputting a data acquisition request to a specific device constituting the home network, data reception means for receiving data output by the device based on the request output by the request output device, Data output means for outputting the data received by the data reception means. 2. The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the request output unit outputs a data acquisition request including destination information for specifying a device from among various devices constituting the home network. Portable player. 3. The portable player according to claim 1, wherein the data receiving means receives audio data and / or video data output from the specific device constituting the home network. 4. A player access device connected to a home network and functioning as an access point for a portable player, wherein the player access device is connected to a home network to which an AV device (Audio Video device) in a house is connected. A network interface for performing communication with the portable player, a player interface for performing communication with the portable player, and control means for executing negotiation for the portable player to enter a service via the player interface, A player access device for executing data negotiation between the portable player and the AV device via the player interface and the network interface after executing the negotiation by the control means. 5. The control means relays a service request packet obtained from the player interface, and relays the service request packet via the network interface.
5. The player access device according to claim 4, wherein the transfer is performed to a V device. 6. The control means relays data transmitted from the AV device obtained through the network interface and transfers the data to the portable player through the player interface. Item 5. The player access device according to item 4. 7. A home network connecting a plurality of devices in a house to form a network, a player enabling wireless transmission and reception of data to and from the home network, and the device connected to the home network A home network system, comprising: an access point for controlling mutual data transmission and reception between the player and the player; and wherein the player executes negotiation to enter a service of the access point. 8. The player, after executing the negotiation, transmits data for selecting a specific AV device from the devices to the access point, and transmits the access point from the selected AV device. The home network system according to claim 7, wherein the home network system receives the audio data and / or the video data via the terminal. 9. A method for accessing a home network in which a plurality of devices in a house are connected by a network, wherein an access request to an AV device constituting the home network is received from a portable player, and the access request is received. Later, the portable player recognizes the specified destination of the AV device that wants to receive audio data and / or video data, and the audio data to the portable player is transmitted from the recognized AV device as the recognized destination. And / or a method for accessing a home network, wherein transmission of video data is enabled.