JP2006254492A - Digital device and method of controlling the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communications system, capable of conducting efficient data communication with a plurality of digital devices for individually conducting optimum operation control for each of the digital devices from the outside. <P>SOLUTION: The communications system is constituted, such that an external terminal apparatus (personal computer) 103 is capable of individually conducting remote operations of the digital devices (video cameras) 600a-600c, conducting operations different from those conducted by the control methods (control conditions) by the control means, already provided inside the digital devices 600a-600c, or applying limitations to the operations, by outputting commands for operation control from the outside terminal apparatus 103, or by directing changes of the control methods (control conditions) by the control means, to the control means inside the digital devices 600a-600c. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a digital device having a photographing function and capable of communicating with an external device.

  Conventionally, hard disks and printers are often used as peripheral devices of personal computers (hereinafter simply referred to as “personal computers” or “PCs”). These devices have a general-purpose interface for small computers represented by SCSI or the like, which is a digital interface (hereinafter referred to as “digital I / F”), and are connected to PCs for data communication.

  In recent years, digital cameras, digital video cameras, and the like are also listed as one of peripheral devices as data input means to a PC. For example, images such as still images and moving images taken with a digital camera or digital video camera and the accompanying audio are captured in a PC and stored in a hard disk or edited in a PC and then color-printed by a printer. The technical field of doing is progressing. Along with this, the number of users is also increasing.

Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 29, there is a system 100 in which a digital camera 910 and a printer 930 are connected to a PC 920.
The digital camera 910 includes a memory 911 serving as a recording unit, an image data decoding unit 912, an image processing unit 913, and a D / A conversion unit (digital / analog converter) 914. In addition, a digital input / output (I / O) unit 916 with the EVF 915 serving as a display unit and the PC 920 is provided.
The printer 930 includes a SCSI interface (I / F) unit 931, a memory 932, a printer head 933, a printer controller 934 as a printer control unit, and a driver 935 connected to the PC 920 through a SCSI cable.
The PC 920 includes a digital I / O unit 929 with the digital camera 910, an operation unit 921 such as a keyboard and a mouse, an image data decoding unit 922, a display 923, a hard disk 924, a memory 925 such as a RAM, and an MPU 926 serving as an arithmetic processing unit. It has. The PC 920 further includes an SCSII / F (board) 928 as a digital I / F with the printer 930 and a PCI bus 927 for connecting them.

In such a system 900, when image data obtained by imaging with the digital camera 910 is taken into the PC 920 and the image data is output from the PC 920 to the printer 930, the image data is first stored in the memory 911. This image data is read from the memory 911 and supplied to the decoding unit 912 and the digital I / O unit 916, respectively.
The image data supplied to the decoding unit 912 is decoded here, is subjected to image processing for display by the image processing unit 913, and is displayed by the EVF 915 via the D / A conversion unit 914.
On the other hand, the image data supplied to the digital I / O unit 916 is output to the PC 920 via a cable.

In the PC 920, the image data from the digital camera 910 is received by the digital I / O unit 929. The received image data is stored in the hard disk 924 via the PCI bus 927 (mutual transmission bus). Alternatively, after being decoded by the decoding unit 922, it is stored as display image data in the memory 925, converted to analog on the display 923, and then displayed.
At this time, when an operation input at the time of editing or the like is performed by the operation unit 921, the MPU 926 performs operation control of the entire PC 920 for editing processing or the like according to the operation.
When the image data from the digital camera 910 is printed out, the image data is output to the printer 930 via the SCSII / F unit 928. Therefore, the image data is supplied to the printer 930 via the SCSI cable.

  In the printer 930, the image data from the PC 920 is received by the SCSII / F931. The received image data is formed as print image data in the memory 932, and the printer head 933 and the driver 935 operate according to the control of the printer controller 934, whereby the print image data in the memory 932 is read and printed out. .

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-93573 JP-A-8-265742

However, in the conventional system as described above, the digital camera 910 cannot change the controllable range of the photographing function even if the digital camera 910 can control the transmission range of the image in accordance with an instruction from the PC 920 side. In particular, optimal operation control according to information such as the focal length range and exposure time range of the camera could not be performed.
The present invention is intended to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to optimally control the photographing function operation of a digital device such as a digital camera according to information such as a focal length range and an exposure time range. .

  A first digital device according to the present invention is a digital device having a photographing function and capable of communicating with another digital device, and the focal length range information of the photographing function is transmitted to the other digital device. When receiving a transmission means for transmitting, a change means for changing the controllable range of the photographing function based on a control condition change instruction received as a response to transmission of the focal length range information, and a control instruction for the photographing function, Control means for controlling the photographing function so as to operate within the controllable range changed by the changing means.

  A second digital device according to the present invention is a digital device having a photographing function and capable of communicating with other digital devices, and provides exposure time range information of the photographing function to the other digital devices. When receiving a transmission means for transmitting, a changing means for changing a controllable range of the photographing function based on a control condition changing instruction received as a response to the transmission of the exposure time range information, and a control instruction for the photographing function, Control means for controlling the photographing function so as to operate within the controllable range changed by the changing means.

  A first control method for a digital device according to the present invention is a method for controlling a digital device having a photographing function and capable of mutual communication with other digital devices, the focal length range information of the photographing function being set to the other A transmission step of transmitting to the digital device and a control condition change command received as a response to the transmission of the focal length range information, when the control function command is received, the imaging function is within the range. And a changing step for changing a controllable range of the photographing function to control the operation.

  A second digital device control method according to the present invention is a digital device control method having a photographing function and capable of mutual communication with other digital devices, wherein the exposure time range information of the photographing function is stored in the other digital device. A transmission step of transmitting to the digital device and a control condition change command received as a response to the transmission of the exposure time range information. And a changing step for changing a controllable range of the photographing function to control the operation.

  According to the present invention, the photographing function operation of a digital device such as a digital camera can be optimally controlled according to information such as a focal length range and an exposure time range.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  In the present embodiment, for example, IEEE 1394-1995 (High Performance Serial Bus) is used as a general-purpose digital I / F that connects various digital devices. First, “IEEE1394” will be described in advance. Hereinafter, IEEE 1394-1995 is also simply referred to as “IEEE 1394” or “1394 serial bus”.

FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a network system based on IEEE1394.
The system 100 includes a TV monitor device 101, an AV amplifier 102, a PC 103, a printer 104, and two digital video tape recorders (VTRs) 105 and 106. Further, a digital video disc (DVD) player 107 and a compact disc (CD) player 108 are provided. These devices are connected by IEEE1394.

IEEE 1394 solves the above-mentioned problems in SCSI and the like as much as possible, and can be integrated and installed in each device not only for communication between a PC and its peripheral devices but also for communication between all digital devices. It is a thing.
Some major features of IEEE 1394 include the following. For example, since high-speed serial communication is used, the cable is relatively thin and flexible, and the connector is extremely small compared to the SCSI cable. Furthermore, large-capacity data such as image data can be transferred at high speed together with device control data.
That is, according to data communication using IEEE 1394, when a device that is not normally stationary, such as a mobile or portable digital camera or digital video, is connected to a PC, the troublesomeness is greatly increased compared to SCSI or the like. Reduced. Then, there is a great advantage that the image data can be smoothly transferred to the PC.

[Outline of 1394 Serial Bus]

  With the advent of home digital VTRs and digital video disc (DVD) players, video data and audio data (hereinafter collectively referred to as “AV data”) are transferred in real time and with a large amount of information. There is a need to do that. In order to transfer such AV data to a PC or other digital device in real time, an interface capable of high-speed data transfer with a necessary transfer function is required. An interface developed from such a viewpoint is the IEEE 1394 (1394 serial bus).

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a network system configured using a 1394 serial bus.
This system is equipped with devices A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H, between A and B, between A and C, between B and D, between D and E, between C and F, The CG and CH are connected by a twisted pair cable for 1394 serial bus.
Examples of these devices A to H include a PC, a digital VTR, a DVD player, a digital camera, a hard disk, and a monitor.

The connections between the devices can be mixed with the daisy chain method and the node branching method, so that a connection with a high degree of freedom can be performed. In addition, each device has its own unique ID, and by recognizing each other, one network is configured in a range connected by a 1394 serial bus.
For example, since each device plays a role of relay only by sequentially connecting each device with a single 1394 serial bus cable (daisy chain connection), one network can be configured as a whole.

The 1394 serial bus is compatible with the Plug and Play function, and has a function of automatically recognizing a device and recognizing a connection state only by connecting a cable to the device.
Therefore, in the system shown in FIG. 2, when an arbitrary device is removed from the network or newly added, the bus is automatically reset, that is, the configuration information of the network up to that point is reset. A new network will be rebuilt. With such a function, it is possible to always set and recognize the network configuration at that time.

  The data transfer rate of the 1394 serial bus is defined as 100/200/400 Mbps, and the device having the higher transfer rate supports the lower transfer rate, so that compatibility is maintained.

The data transfer mode includes an asynchronous transfer mode for transferring asynchronous data (Asynchronous data) such as a control signal, and an isochronous transfer mode for transferring real-time AV data synchronous data (Isochronous data). Hereinafter, asynchronous data (Asynchronous data) is referred to as Async data, and synchronous data (Isochronous data) is referred to as “Iso data”.
With these transfer modes, Async data and Iso data are given priority to the transfer of Iso data following the transfer of the cycle start packet (CSP) indicating the start of the cycle in each cycle (usually 125 μS / cycle). Transfers are mixed in the cycle.

FIG. 3 shows the components of the 1394 serial bus.
As shown in FIG. 3, the 1394 serial bus has a layer structure.

As shown in FIG. 3, the most hardware is a 1394 serial bus cable, and a 1394 connector port is connected to the connector at the end of the cable.
A hardware part (hardware) including a physical layer and a link layer 812 is positioned above the 1394 connector port.
The hardware part is composed of a substantial interface chip, of which the physical layer performs encoding, connector-related control, and the like, and the link layer performs packet transfer, cycle time control, and the like.

A firmware part (firmware) including a transaction layer and a management layer is positioned above the hardware part.
The transaction layer manages data to be transferred (transaction) and issues commands such as Read, Write, and Lock. The management layer manages the connection status and ID of each device connected to the 1394 serial bus, and manages the network configuration.

  The hardware part and the firmware part are the actual configuration of the 1394 serial bus.

A software part (software) including an application layer is positioned above the firmware part.
The application layer differs depending on the software used, and how data is transferred on the interface is defined by a protocol such as AV protocol.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a diagram of the address space in the 1394 serial bus.
Each device (node) connected to the 1394 serial bus always has a 64-bit address unique to each node as shown in FIG. This address is stored in the memory of the node, so that the node address of itself or the other party can be recognized at all times, and data communication specifying the communication partner can also be performed.

  The addressing of the 1394 serial bus is performed according to a method in conformity with the IEEE1212 standard. For address setting, the first 10 bits are used to specify the bus number (bus No.), and the next 6 bits are used to specify the node ID (node No.). .) Used for designation. The remaining 48 bits become the address width given to the node. Each 48-bit area can be used as a unique address space. The last 28 bits are a data area unique to the node (unique data area), in which information for identifying each node, specifying usage conditions, and the like are stored.

The above is the outline of the 1394 serial bus.
Next, features of the 1394 serial bus will be described in more detail.

[Electric specifications of 1394 serial bus]

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a cross section of a cable for a 1394 serial bus.
As shown in FIG. 5, the 1394 serial bus cable is provided with a power supply line in addition to the two twisted pair signal lines. With such a configuration, power can be supplied to a node that does not have a power supply, a node whose voltage has dropped due to a failure, or the like.
Further, the voltage of the DC power supplied from the power line is defined as 8 to 40V, and the current is defined as the maximum current DC1.5A.
Note that some simple connection cables do not have a power supply line after limiting the connection destination devices.

[DS-Link method]

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a DS-Link (Data / Strobe Link) encoding method adopted as a data transfer method in the 1394 serial bus.
The DS-Link encoding method is suitable for high-speed serial data communication and requires two sets of signal lines. That is, the main data signal (Data) is sent on one signal line of the two pairs, and the strobe signal (Strobe) is sent on the other signal line. Therefore, the receiving side can reproduce the clock (Clock) by receiving the data signal and the strobe signal and taking the exclusive OR.
Thus, in the DS-Link encoding method, there is no need to mix a clock signal in a data signal. Therefore, the DS-Link encoding method has higher transfer efficiency than other serial data transfer methods. Further, since a phase locked loop (PLL) circuit is not required, the circuit scale of the controller LSI can be reduced accordingly. In addition, when there is no data to be transferred, there is no need to send information indicating that it is in an idle state, so that the transceiver circuit of each node can be put in a sleep state, and power consumption can be reduced.

[Bus reset sequence]

  Each node connected to the 1394 serial bus is given a node ID and is recognized as a node constituting the network.

When a change occurs in the network configuration and it is necessary to recognize the new network configuration, each node that detects the change transmits a bus reset signal on the bus to enter a mode for recognizing the new network configuration. enter. Examples of changes in the network configuration include, for example, connection / separation of network devices, increase / decrease in the number of nodes due to power ON / OFF and the like.
The change in the network configuration at this time is detected by detecting the change in the bias voltage on the base of the 1394 connector port (see FIG. 3 above, hereinafter simply referred to as “connector port”).

  Therefore, when a bus reset signal is transmitted from a certain node, the physical layer (see FIG. 3) of each node receives the transmitted bus reset signal. At the same time, the generation of the bus reset signal is transmitted to the link layer (see FIG. 3 above), and the bus reset signal is transmitted to other nodes. Then, after all nodes finally receive the bus reset signal, the bus reset sequence is activated.

  The bus reset sequence is activated when a cable is inserted or removed, or when a hardware abnormality is detected by the network, and is directly connected to the physical layer (see FIG. 3 above) such as host control by protocol. It is also activated by giving a command. Further, when the bus reset sequence is activated, the data transfer is temporarily interrupted, and a standby state is entered during the activation of the sequence. After the bus reset is completed, the data transfer is resumed under a new network configuration.

[Node ID determination sequence]

  As described above, after the bus reset sequence is activated and the bus reset is completed, each node enters an operation of giving an ID to each node in order to construct a new network configuration. A general sequence from bus reset to node ID determination at this time will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a series of sequences from the generation of the bus reset signal until the node ID is determined and data transfer can be performed.
In FIG. 7, first, each node constantly monitors the bus reset signal (step S101), and when detecting that the bus reset signal has been generated, declares a parent-child relationship between the nodes directly connected to each other (step S101). S102). As a result, a new network configuration can be obtained in a state where the network configuration is reset.
The process in step S102 is repeated until it is determined in step S103 that the parent-child relationship has been determined among all the nodes. When the parent-child relationship is determined among all the nodes, next, a route is determined (step S104).

When the route is determined in step S104, a node ID setting operation for giving an ID to each node is performed (step S105).
The process of step S105 is a process of setting node IDs in the order of a predetermined node from the root, and is repeated until it is determined in step S106 that all nodes have been given IDs.
When the node IDs have been set for all the nodes, the new network configuration is recognized by all the nodes, and the data can be transferred between the nodes. In this state, each node starts data transfer (step S107), and at the same time, returns to step S101 to monitor the generation of the bus reset signal again.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing details of the processing from the monitoring of the bus reset signal (step S101) to the route determination (step S104), and FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the ID setting (steps S105 and S106). It is a flowchart which shows the detail of a process.

  First, in FIG. 8, each node monitors the generation of the bus reset signal (step S201) and detects that the bus reset signal has been generated. Thereby, the network configuration is once reset.

Next, as a first step of re-recognizing the reset network configuration, each node resets the flag FL with data indicating a leaf (node) (step S202).
After that, each node checks the number of ports, that is, the number of other nodes connected to itself (step S203), and in accordance with the result, in order to start the declaration of the parent-child relationship from now on, the undefined (parent-child relationship is determined) The number of ports that have not been checked is checked (step S204).
Note that the number of undefined ports detected in step S204 is equal to the number of ports immediately after the bus reset, but decreases as the parent-child relationship is determined.

  Here, immediately after the bus reset, the parent-child relationship can be declared only in an actual leaf. Whether or not it is a leaf can be known from the confirmation result of the number of ports in step S203, that is, if this port number is “1”, it is a leaf. Therefore, when the number of undefined ports detected in step S204 is “1”, the leaf makes a declaration of parent-child relationship to the connection partner node “I am a child and the partner is a parent” (step S205). This sequence is finished.

In addition, the node in which the confirmation result of the number of ports in step S203 is “2” or more, that is, the branch (node), is the number of undefined ports detected in step S204 immediately after the bus reset is “number of undefined ports> 1”. " Therefore, data indicating a branch is set in the flag FL (step S206), and the process waits for a parent-child relationship to be declared from another node (step S207).
Then, a parent-child relationship is declared from another node, and the branch receiving it returns to step S204 and confirms the number of undefined ports. At this time, if the number of undefined ports is “1”, declare a parent-child relationship of “I am a child and the other is a parent” to other nodes connected to the remaining ports in step S205. Can do. Further, the branch whose number of undefined ports is “2” or more still waits for the “parent-child relationship” to be declared again from another node in step S207.

  Also, when the number of undefined ports in any branch or leaf that did not operate quickly despite being able to declare a child exceptionally becomes “0”, the declaration of the parent-child relationship of the entire network is completed. It will be. For this reason, the only node for which the number of undefined ports is “0”, that is, the node determined to be the parent of all nodes, sets data indicating the root (node) in the flag FL (step S208). As a result, this node is recognized as a route (step S209), and then this sequence ends.

As described above, the processing from the bus reset to the declaration of the parent-child relationship between the nodes in the network is completed.
Next, a process of giving an ID to each node is performed. Here, it is a leaf that can first set an ID. Therefore, here, IDs are set from a smaller number (node number: 0) in the order of leaf → branch → root.

  That is, in FIG. 9, first, based on the data set in the flag FL, the process branches to a process corresponding to the node type, that is, leaf, branch, and route (step S301).

  When the result of step S301 is “leaf”, the number of leaves (natural number) existing in the network is set to the variable N (step S302). Thereafter, the leaf requests a node number from the root (step S303). If there are a plurality of requests, the route that has received the request performs arbitration (step S304), gives a node number to a certain node, and notifies the other nodes of the result indicating the node number acquisition failure (step S304). S305).

  The leaf for which the node number could not be acquired by the determination in step S306 repeats the node number request again in step S303.

  On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S306, the leaf that has acquired the node number broadcasts ID information (self ID packet) including the acquired node number to notify all nodes (step S307).

Here, the self ID packet includes the ID information of the node, the number of ports of the node, the number of connected ports, whether each port is a parent or a child, and the ability of the node to be a bus manager. Presence / absence information and the like are posted. Regarding the capability presence / absence information, if there is a capability capable of becoming a bus manager, the contender bit in the self ID packet is set to “1”, and if there is no capability capable of becoming a bus manager, the contender bit is set to “0”.
The ability to become a bus manager is, for example,
(1) Bus power management Whether each device on the network configured as shown in FIG. 2 is a device that requires power supply or a device that can supply power using the power line in the connection cable. Management of when to supply power.
(2) Maintaining the speed map Maintain the communication speed information of each device on the network.
(3) Maintenance of network structure (topology map) Maintenance of network tree structure information described later (see FIG. 10)
(4) This means that bus management such as bus optimization based on information acquired from the topology map is possible, and a node that has become a bus manager by the procedure described later performs bus management for the entire network. Become.
Also, a node capable of becoming a bus manager, that is, a node that broadcasts by setting the contender bit of the self ID packet to “1”, each information of the self ID packet transferred by broadcast from each node, communication speed, etc. Store the information. And when it becomes a bus manager, a speed map and a topology map are constructed based on the information stored.

When the broadcast of the ID information is completed in step S307 described above, the variable N representing the number of leaves is decremented (step S308).
Thereafter, the processes in steps S303 to S308 are repeated until the variable N becomes “0” by the determination in step S309. When the ID information of all the leaves is broadcast, the process proceeds to the ID setting process (steps S310 to S317) for the next branch.

This branch ID setting process is executed even when the result of step S301 is a branch. Similar to the above-described leaf ID setting, first, the number of branches existing in the network (natural number). ) Is set to the variable M (step S310). Thereafter, the branch requests a node number from the root (step S311).
In response to this request, the route performs arbitration (step S312), gives a certain branch a young number following the leaf, and notifies the branch that could not acquire the node number of the result indicating acquisition failure (step S312). S313).

  The branch whose node number could not be acquired by the determination in step S314 repeats the node number request again in step S311.

On the other hand, the branch that has acquired the node number broadcasts ID information including the acquired node number to notify all nodes (step S315). When the broadcast of the ID information ends, the variable M indicating the number of branches is decremented (step S316).
Thereafter, until the variable M becomes “0” according to the determination in step S317, the processes in steps S311 to S316 are repeated. When the ID information of all branches is broadcast, the ID setting process for the next route (step The process proceeds to S318 and S319).

When the processing so far is completed, the only node that has not finally obtained ID information is the root. Therefore, in the ID setting process for the next route, the route sets the smallest number not given to other nodes as its own node number (step S318), and broadcasts ID information including the node number (step S319). ).
This route ID setting process is a process executed even when the result of step S301 is a route.

  Through the above-described processing, after the parent-child relationship is determined, IDs are determined for all the nodes, and it becomes clear whether each node has the ability to become a bus manager. When a plurality of nodes finally have the ability to become a bus manager, the node with the largest ID number becomes the bus manager. If the route has the ability to become a bus manager, the route becomes the bus manager because the route ID number is the largest in the network. On the other hand, if the route does not have the ability to become a bus manager, the node having the next highest ID number after the route and the contender bit in the self ID packet is set to “1” Become a manager. Further, as to which node has become the bus manager, each node broadcasts a self ID packet when the ID is acquired (see FIG. 9). This can be grasped as common recognition among nodes.

  Therefore, as an example, a specific procedure in an actual network will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the network shown in FIG. 10, node A and node C are directly connected below node B, which is the root, node D is directly connected below node C, and node E and node are connected below node D. F has a hierarchical structure in which F are directly connected. The procedure for determining the hierarchical structure, root node, and node ID in such a network is as follows.

  After the bus reset signal is generated, in order to recognize the connection status of each node, first, a parent-child relationship is declared between directly connected ports of each node. “Parent and child” as used herein means that “parent” is higher in the hierarchical structure and “child” is lower.

In FIG. 10, after the bus reset, the node A first declared the parent-child relationship.
Here, as described above, the declaration of the parent-child relationship can be started from a node (leaf) to which only one port is connected. This is because if the number of ports is “1”, it is the end of the network, that is, the leaf. When this is recognized, the parent-child relationship is determined from the node that performed the earliest operation among those leaves. In this way, the port of the node that declared the parent-child relationship is set as “child” of the two nodes connected to each other, and the port of the partner node is set as “parent”. Therefore, in FIG. 10 described above, “child-parent” is set between nodes A and B, between nodes E and D, and between nodes FD.

  Next, the hierarchy is increased by one, and among the nodes having a plurality of ports, that is, the nodes that have received the declaration of the parent-child relationship from the other nodes, the parent-child relationship declaration is sequentially made for the upper nodes.

In FIG. 10, first, after the parent-child relationship between the nodes DE and DF is determined, the node D declares the parent-child relationship to the node C. As a result, the node D-C A “child-parent” relationship is set.
The node C that has received the declaration of the parent-child relationship from the node D declares the parent-child relationship to the node B connected to the other port, and thereby the “child-parent” relationship between the nodes C-B. Is set.

In this way, the hierarchical structure as shown in FIG. 10 is configured, and the node that becomes the parent in all the finally connected ports is determined as the root (in FIG. 10, node B is the root). Become).
Note that there is only one route in one network configuration. In addition, when the node B in which the parent-child relationship is declared from the node A declares the parent-child relationship with respect to other nodes at an early timing, there is a possibility that another node such as the node C becomes the root. In other words, depending on the timing at which the declaration of the parent-child relationship is transmitted, any node may be the root, and even if the network configuration is the same, a specific node is not necessarily the root.

When the route is determined, a determination mode for each node ID is entered. Here, all nodes have a broadcast function for notifying all other nodes of their determined ID information.
The ID information includes a node number, information on connected positions, the number of ports possessed, the number of connected ports, parent-child relationship information of each port, and the like.

As described above, the node numbers are allocated from the leaf as described above, and node numbers = 0, 1, 2,. The node having the node number transmits ID information including the node number to each node by broadcasting. Thereby, it is recognized that the node number is “allocated”.
When all the leaves have obtained the node number, the next step is to branch and the node number following the leaf is assigned. Similar to the leaf, ID information is broadcast in order from the branch to which the node number is assigned, and finally the route broadcasts its own ID information. Therefore, the root will always have the highest node number.

  As described above, the ID setting for the entire hierarchical structure is completed, the network configuration is reconstructed, and the bus initialization operation is completed.

[Bus arbitration]

  Prior to data transfer, the 1394 serial bus always arbitrates for the right to use the bus. Each node connected to the 1394 serial bus configures a logical bus type network that relays the data transferred on the network to transmit all the data to all devices in the network. For this reason, bus arbitration is necessary to prevent packet collision. This allows only one device to transfer data at a certain time.

  11 (a) and 11 (b) are diagrams for explaining arbitration. FIG. 11 (a) shows an operation for requesting the right to use the bus, and FIG. 11 (b) shows the use of the bus. The operation to allow is shown.

When the bus arbitration starts, one or more nodes each request a bus use right from the parent node. In FIG. 11A, the node C requests the node B, which is the parent node, and the node F requests the bus usage right to the node A, which is the parent node.
Upon receiving this request, the parent node further requests the bus usage right from the parent node, thereby relaying the bus usage right request from the child node. This request is finally delivered to the mediation route. In FIG. 11A, the node A that has received the request from the node F requests the right to use the bus to the node F that is the parent node. That is, the node A relays the bus use right request from the node F.

The route that has received the request for the right to use the bus determines which node is given the right to use the bus. This arbitration work can be performed only by the route, and a node that wins the arbitration is given permission to use the bus. FIG. 11B shows a state in which the bus use permission is given to the node C and the bus use right request of the node F is rejected.
At this time, the route sends a DP (data prefix) packet to the node that lost the bus arbitration to inform that the request for the right to use the bus has been rejected. The request for the right to use the bus of the node that lost the bus arbitration is kept waiting until the next bus arbitration.
On the other hand, the node that has won the bus arbitration and obtained the bus use permission can subsequently start data transfer.

  Here, a flowchart of a series of bus arbitration flows will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, in order for a node to be able to start data transfer, the bus must be in an idle state. In order to recognize that the previous data transfer has been completed and the bus is currently in an idle state, a gap length of a predetermined idle time set individually in each transfer mode (for example, sub It is only necessary to detect the progress of the action gap.

  First, each node determines whether or not a predetermined gap length corresponding to the transferred Async data or Iso data is obtained (step S401). Unless this predetermined gap length is obtained, each node cannot request the right to use the bus necessary to start the transfer. Therefore, each node waits until a predetermined gap length is obtained.

When a predetermined gap length is obtained in step S401, the node determines whether there is data to be transferred (step S402). If there is transfer data, the node sends a signal requesting the right to use the bus to the route. (Step S403). As shown in FIG. 11A, the signal indicating the request for the right to use the bus is finally delivered to the route while being relayed to each node in the network.
If it is determined in step S402 that there is no transfer data, the node is in a standby state as it is.

When the route receives one or more signals requesting the bus use right (step S404), the route checks the number of nodes that have requested the bus use right (step S405).
If the result of step S405 is that there is one node that has requested the right to use the bus, the route grants the right to use the bus immediately after that node (step S408).

  On the other hand, if the result of step S405 is that there are a plurality of nodes that have requested the bus use right, the route performs an arbitration operation to narrow down the node that grants the right to use the bus immediately to one (step S406). This arbitration work is an operation for giving the right to use the bus equally (fair arbitration) without giving permission to use the bus only to the same node each time.

As a result, the process branches according to one node that has won the arbitration and the other nodes that have lost (step S407).
As a result, a permission signal indicating permission to use the bus immediately after is sent to one node that has won the arbitration (step S408). Therefore, the node that has received this permission signal starts transferring data (packets) to be transferred immediately after. Then, after the data transfer is completed, the process returns to step S401.
Further, a DP (data prefix) packet indicating that the request for the right to use the bus has been rejected is sent to the node that has lost the arbitration (step S409). Therefore, the node that has received the DP packet returns to step S401 to request the bus use right again.

[Asynchronous transfer]

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing temporal transition states in asynchronous transfer.
In FIG. 13, the first “subaction gap” indicates the idle state of the bus. When the idle state time reaches a predetermined value, it is determined that the node desiring data transfer can request the right to use the bus, and accordingly, the bus arbitration as described in FIG. 12 is executed. .

  When the bus arbitration permits the use of the bus, the data transfer is packetized. The node that has received this data returns a reception confirmation return code “ack” after a short gap of “ask gap” and responds (or sends a response packet) to complete the data transfer. The “ack” is information including 4-bit information and a 4-bit checksum, including information indicating success, busy state, or pending state, and immediately returned to the data transmission source node.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a packet format for asynchronous transfer.
The packet has a header portion in addition to the data portion and the error correction data CRC, and the target node ID, source node ID, transfer data length, various codes, and the like are written in the header portion.
Here, asynchronous transfer is one-to-one communication from the self node to the partner node. Therefore, the packet sent out from the transfer source node is distributed to each node in the network, but each node ignores packets other than those addressed to itself, so that only the node designated as the destination receives the packet.

[Synchronous (Isochronous) transfer]

This isochronous transfer, which can be said to be the greatest feature of the 1394 serial bus, is a transfer mode particularly suitable for transferring data that requires real-time transfer, such as multimedia data such as video image data and audio data.
Asynchronous transfer is a one-to-one transfer, whereas this isochronous transfer can uniformly transfer data from one transfer source node to all other nodes by a broadcast function.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a temporal transition state in isochronous transfer.
Isochronous transfer is executed at regular intervals on the bus. This time interval is called an isochronous cycle and is set to 125 μS. The cycle start packet (CSP) plays a role of indicating the start time of each cycle and adjusting the time of each node. The node that transmits the CSP is a node called a cycle master. After the transfer in the previous cycle is completed and a predetermined idle period (subaction gap) is passed, the CSP that notifies the start of this cycle is transmitted. . That is, the time interval for transmitting CSP is 125 μS.

Further, as shown in FIG. 15 as “channel A”, “channel B”, and “channel C”, by assigning channel IDs to a plurality of types of packets in one synchronization cycle, It can be transferred separately. This enables real-time transfer between a plurality of nodes at the same time, and the receiving node only needs to receive data of the channel ID desired by itself.
The channel ID does not represent the address of the destination node, but merely gives a logical number to the data. Therefore, the transmitted packet is transmitted from one transmission source node to all other nodes, that is, transferred by broadcast.

In isochronous transfer, prior to the packet transmission, bus arbitration is performed as in the above-described asynchronous transfer. However, since isochronous transfer is not one-to-one communication like asynchronous transfer, as shown in FIG. 15, “ask” (reception code for reception confirmation) is a return code for reception confirmation. Does not exist.
Further, “iso gap” (isochronous gap) shown in FIG. 15 represents an idle period necessary for recognizing that the bus is in an idle state before performing isochronous transfer. When this predetermined idle period elapses, a node that wishes to perform isochronous transfer determines that the bus is free and can perform arbitration before transfer.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a packet format for isochronous transfer.
Each packet divided into each channel has a header portion in addition to the data portion and the error correction data CRC, and the header portion includes a transfer data length and a channel number. Various other codes, error correction header CRC, and the like are written and transferred.

[Bus cycle]

Actually, isochronous transfer and asynchronous transfer can be mixed in the 1394 serial bus. FIG. 17 shows the temporal transition of the transfer state on the bus at that time.
Isochronous transfer is executed with priority over asynchronous transfer. This means that after CSP, isochronous transfer can be started with a gap length (“ack gap” isochronous gap) shorter than the gap length of the idle period (“subaction gap”) required to start asynchronous transfer. Because. Therefore, isochronous transfer is executed with priority over asynchronous transfer.

In the general bus cycle shown in FIG. 17, the CSP is transferred from the cycle master to each node at the start of cycle #m. With this CSP, each node adjusts time, waits for a predetermined idle period (isochronous gap), and then a node that should perform isochronous transfer performs arbitration and enters packet transfer. In FIG. 17, “channel e”, “channel s”, and “channel k” are isochronously transferred in order.
After the operations from the bus arbitration to the packet transfer are repeated for the given channel, the isochronous transfer can be performed when all the isochronous transfers in the cycle #m are completed.

That is, when the idle time reaches the subaction gap where asynchronous transfer is possible, it is determined that a node that wishes to perform asynchronous transfer can move to execution of arbitration.
Asynchronous transfer can be performed only when a sub-action gap for starting asynchronous transfer is obtained between the end of isochronous transfer and the time to transfer the next CSP (cycle synch). .

In the cycle #m in FIG. 17, after isochronous transfer for three channels, two packets (packet 1 and packet 2) are transferred in the subsequent asynchronous transfer (including “ack”). After the transfer of these two packets, it reaches the time (cycle synch) at which cycle # (m + 1) should be started, and thus the transfer in cycle #m ends.
At this time, when the time to transmit the next CSP (cycle synch) is reached during the asynchronous transfer or isochronous transfer operation, the transfer is not forcibly interrupted, and after the transfer is completed, the next period is passed through the idle period. Cycle CSP is sent. That is, when one cycle continues for 125 μS or more, the next cycle is shortened from the reference 125 μS by the extension. As described above, the isochronous cycle can be exceeded or shortened on the basis of 125 μS.
The isochronous transfer is executed every cycle if necessary to maintain the real-time transfer, and the asynchronous transfer may be postponed to the next and subsequent cycles due to a reduction in the cycle time. Such delay information is also managed by the cycle master.

  As described above, IEEE 1394 has various conveniences to eliminate the inconvenience of data communication by digital I / F such as SCSI. In particular, large-capacity data such as image data can be transferred together with the device control data at high speed, and the cable is relatively thin and convenient for routing. Furthermore, since it is only necessary to connect cables in series to a plurality of connected devices, it is only necessary that one cable be connected to a main control device such as a PC.

  Thus, the system 100 shown in FIG. 1 in which various digital devices are connected by IEEE 1394 will be specifically described.

In the system 100, the TV monitor device 101 and the AV amplifier 102 are connected by IEEE 1394 (1394 serial bus), and a specific device is selected from other devices connected to the 1394 serial bus. The other devices are video / audio devices such as digital VTRs 105 and 106, for example. Then, video / audio data output from the selected specific device is transferred to the TV monitor device 101.
In addition, the PC 103 can capture images from various video devices connected by a 1394 serial bus and print them out by the printer 104 within a range permitted by law. ing. The various video devices are video / audio devices such as digital VTRs 105 and 106, for example. The PC 103 is connected to the AV amplifier 102 via a 1394 serial bus.

The network system shown in FIG. 1 is an example of a system including a group of devices, and may be configured such that other devices are connected before the TV monitor device 101 and the CD player 108.
Also, the devices constituting the system are not limited to the devices shown in FIG. 1, and may be, for example, an external storage device such as a hard disk, a second CD player, a second DVD player, or the like. That is, any device capable of configuring a network with a 394 serial bus may be used.

  Therefore, in the system 100 as described above, here, for the sake of simplicity of explanation, the connection of the printer 104 and the digital VTR 105 using the 1394 serial bus will be described as an example, and the information transmission path and the like in the connection will be described.

FIG. 18 shows the internal configuration of the printer 104 and the digital VTR 105.
In FIG. 18, only the reproduction system is shown for the sake of simplicity of the internal configuration of the digital VTR 105.

The printer 104 is provided with a 1394 I / F unit 521 between the digital VTR 105 and the PC 103, an image processing unit 522 for forming image data to be printed out, a memory 523 for the forming processing, and a printer head 524. Yes. Further, a printer head 524, a driver 525 for feeding paper, and the like, an operation unit 526 for a user to input various instructions to the printer 104, and a printer controller 527 for controlling the operation of the entire printer 104 are provided. . Further, a printer information generation unit 528 and a data selector 529 that generate the status of the printer 104 as printer information via the 1394 I / F 521 are provided.
The digital VTR 105 is provided with a recording / reproducing head 502, a reproduction processing unit 503, a video decoding unit 504, a D / A converter 505, and an external output terminal 506 for recording and reproducing data on the magnetic tape 501. Yes. Furthermore, an operation unit 507 for a user to input various instructions to the digital VTR 105, a system controller 508 that controls the operation of the entire digital VTR 105, and a frame memory 509 are provided. Further, a 1394 I / F unit 510 between the printer 104 and the PC 103 and a selector 511 for plural types of data are provided.
The data selector 511 and the data selector 529 select each data to be input or output. As a result, each data is sequentially distinguished for each data type and input / output to / from a predetermined block. ing.

  The following operation is performed between the printer 104 and the digital VTR 105 as described above.

First, in the digital VTR 105, the recording / reproducing head 502 reads video data recorded on the magnetic tape 501 and supplies it to the reproduction processing unit 503. It is assumed that the video data at this time is encoded by a predetermined compression method based on DCT (discrete cosine transform) and VLC (variable length encoding) as band compression methods for home digital video.
The playback processing unit 503 performs processing of a predetermined playback format on the video data from the recording / playback head 502.
The decoding unit 504 performs a predetermined decoding process corresponding to the above encoding method on the video data via the reproduction processing unit 503.
The D / A converter 505 converts the video data decoded by the decoding unit 504 into analog, and outputs it to an external device (not shown) via the external output terminal 506.

  At this time, when desired video data or the like is transferred to another device (node) using the 1394 serial bus, the decoding unit 504 temporarily stores the decoded video data in the frame memory 509. . Thereafter, the stored video data is supplied to the 13941 / F unit 510 via the data selector 511 described later, and is transferred to the printer 104 or the PC 103, for example.

  The data selector 511 is supplied with various control data from the system controller 508 in addition to the video data from the frame memory 509, and selectively transfers them to the 1394 I / F unit 510.

  For example, when the video data transferred to the printer 104 is data for direct printing in the printer 104, the printer 104 captures the video data into the printer 104 via the 1394 I / F unit 521. At this time, when the video data is transferred to a device other than the printer 104 (such as the PC 103), the video data passes through the 1394 I / F unit 521 and is transferred to the target device (node). Will be.

  Here, an instruction to the digital VTR 105 such as a reproduction operation of the digital VTR 105 is performed from the operation unit 507. Therefore, the system controller 508 controls the operation of each unit including the control of the reproduction processing unit 503 of the digital VTR 105 based on the instruction input from the operation unit 507. At this time, for example, when a predetermined instruction is input, depending on the instruction input from the operation unit 507, for example, a control command for the printer 104 is generated, and this is used as command data via the data selector 511 to the 1394 I / F unit 510. To the printer 105.

  In addition, printer information data such as an operation status of the printer 104 described later from the printer 104 can be taken into the system controller 508 from the 1394 I / F unit 510 via the data selector 511. The printer information data is input via the 1394 I / F unit 510. However, if the printer information data is unnecessary for the digital VTR 105, it passes through the 1394 I / F unit 510 and is transferred to the other digital VTR 106. The printer information data can also be transferred to the PC 103 via the 1394 I / F unit 510.

On the other hand, in the printer 104, first, data input to the 1394 I / F unit 521 is classified by data type by the data selector 521. As a result, data to be printed out is supplied to the image processing unit 522.
The image processing unit 522 performs image processing suitable for print output on the data supplied from the data selector 529, and forms this as print image data in the memory 523.
The print image data formed in the memory 523 is supplied to the printer head 524 according to writing and reading control from the printer controller 527, and is printed out here. At this time, driving of the printer head 524 and driving such as paper feeding are performed by the driver 525, and operation control of the driver 525 and the printer head 524 is performed by the printer controller 527.

  Here, the operation unit 526 is used to input instructions for operations such as paper feeding, reset, ink check, and standby / stop of the printer operation. Based on the input instructions, the printer controller 527 operates each unit. Control is made to be done.

  When the data input to the 1394 I / F unit 521 is data indicating a command for the printer 104 issued from the PC 103 or the digital VTR 105, the following operation is performed. That is, the data is transmitted as a control command from the data selector 529 to the printer controller 527, and the operation of each unit of the printer 104 is controlled by the printer controller 527.

Further, the printer information generation unit 528 generates, as printer information, the operation status of the printer 104, a message indicating whether the print output can be completed or started, a warning message, information on image data to be printed, and the like. Is supplied to the data selector 529. Examples of warning messages include paper jams, malfunctions, and presence / absence of ink. Thereafter, the data is output to the outside via the 1394 I / F unit 521 by the data selector 529. Therefore, on the basis of the output printer information, the PC 103 and the digital VTR 105 perform display and processing according to the printer status.
For example, a message or print image based on printer information from the printer 104 is displayed on the PC 103 (or on the digital VTR 105 if the digital VTR 105 has a direct print function). The user inputs a command to the printer 104 from the PC 103 (and the digital VTR 105) in order to take an appropriate action by checking the displayed message and print image. This command input is given as control command data to the printer 104 via the 1394 serial bus. In response to this, the printer 104 uses the printer controller 527 to control the operation of each unit of the printer 104 in accordance with the control command data and the print image forming operation in the image processing unit 522.

As described above, video data, various command data, and the like are appropriately transferred to the 1394 serial bus connecting the PC 103 or digital VTR 105 and the printer 104.
The transfer format of each data in the digital VTR 105 is based on the specification of the 1394 serial bus described above. In other words, video data (and audio data) are mainly transferred as ISo data by the isochronous transfer method, and command data is transferred as async data by the amorphous transfer method.
At this time, depending on certain types of data, it may be more convenient to transfer the data using the azimuth transfer method than the iso-gloss transfer method. In such a case, the azine transfer method is used. Also, the printer information data transferred from the printer 104 is transferred as an async data by the asynchronous transfer method. Further, when print image data having a large amount of information is transferred, it may be transferred as ISO data by an isochronous transfer method.

In FIG. 1, the data communication between the devices other than the printer 104 and the digital VTR 105 described above can also be bidirectionally transferred based on the specifications of the 1394 serial bus. That is, bidirectional transfer is also possible for data communication among the PC 103, the digital VTR 106, the DVD player 107, the CD player 108, the AV amplifier 102, and the TV monitor 101.
Further, the TV monitor 101, AV amplifier 102, PC 103, digital VTR 106, DVD player 107, and CD player 108 are equipped with a function control unit specific to each device. However, the parts necessary for information communication by the 1394 I / F are the same as those of the digital VTR 105 and the printer 104. The parts necessary for information communication by 1394 I / F are a data selector that receives data to be transmitted from each block in the device, and distributes the received data to each block in the device, and a 13941 / F unit. .

The above is the description of “IEEE1394” used in the present embodiment.
Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

(First embodiment)
The present invention is applied to, for example, a digital video camera 600 as shown in FIG.
The digital video camera 600 has the IEEE 1394 I / F 267 as described above, and the IEEE 1394 I / F 267 is connected to the PC 103 as shown in FIG. 1 by an IEEE 1394 cable 628. Hereinafter, the digital video camera is simply referred to as “video camera”.
Further, the video camera 600 can be connected to an image memory block, which will be described later, used for an electronic zoom function or the like.

That is, the video camera 600 is provided with an imaging unit, a digital signal processing unit 601, and a camera system control unit 602 as shown in FIG.
The imaging unit includes an optical lens unit (not shown), an aperture 603, an imaging element (herein referred to as “CCD”) 604, an AGC 605, an A / D converter 606, an aperture drive unit 607, a CCD driver 608, and A timing generator 609 is included.
The digital signal processing unit 601 includes a color separation matrix 610, level control circuits 611 and 612, a color difference matrix 613, a signal processing block 614, an aperture control reference signal generation circuit 615, and an RY level control reference signal generation circuit 616. Is provided. Further, a BY level control reference signal generation circuit 617, an I / F circuit 618 with the camera system control unit 602, and an AGC gain control reference signal generation circuit 630 are provided.
The camera system control unit 602 includes a RAM having a standard control data storage area 621 and an adjustment control data storage area 622, a RAM having a control data storage area 623, and an I / F circuit 625 with the digital signal processing unit 601. It has been. Further, a CPU 626, a ROM 629, an IEEE 1394 I / F unit 627 with the PC 103, and a communication line 631 with the image memory block and the like are provided.

  In the video camera 600 as described above, first, the imaging light imaged on the imaging surface of the CCD 604 via the optical lens unit (not shown) and the diaphragm 603 is photoelectrically converted by the CCD 604 and gain controlled by the AGC 605. Is done. Thereafter, it is digitized by an A / D converter 606. The digital image signal thus obtained is supplied to the digital signal processing unit 601.

  In the digital signal processing unit 601, the level of the luminance component Y of the digital image signal from the A / D converter 606 is compared with the reference signal generated by the aperture control reference signal generation circuit 615 in the signal processing block 614. Made. The comparison result is supplied to the aperture driving unit 617, whereby automatic aperture control is performed so that an appropriate aperture value is always obtained for the imaging light.

Further, the color signal component of the digital image signal is supplied to the color separation matrix 610, where it is separated into R, G, B color components. In particular, the levels of the R and B color components are controlled by level control circuits 611 and 612, respectively. The other G color components and the R and B color components which are the outputs of the level control circuits 611 and 612 are converted into RY and BY color difference signals by the color difference matrix 613.
As for the control of the color component level, the RY color difference signal level, which is the output signal of the color difference matrix 613, is converted into the RY level control reference signal in the signal processing block 614, as in the aperture value control. The level is compared with the reference signal generated by the generation circuit 616. The signal processing block 614 compares the level of the BY color difference signal, which is the output signal of the color difference matrix 613, with the reference signal generated by the BY level control reference signal generation circuit 617. The comparison result is supplied to the level control circuits 611 and 612, so that automatic level control of the R and B color components is performed so that an appropriate white balance is always obtained.

On the other hand, the time for accumulating charges corresponding to the amount of imaging light imaged on the imaging surface of the CCD 604 in the cells in the CCD 604, that is, the shutter speed, is controlled by the CCD drive signal. The CCD drive signal is supplied from the timing generator 609 to the CCD 604 via the CCD driver 608.
The timing generator 609 is connected to the I / F 625 in the camera system control unit 602, and controls the above accumulation time of the CCD 604 in accordance with a control command from the CPU 626 in the camera system control unit 602.

  The output levels of the aperture control reference signal generation circuit 615, the RY level control reference signal generation circuit 616, the BY level control reference signal generation circuit 617, and the AGC gain control reference signal generation circuit 630 are also shown. It has been made changeable. That is, each of these output levels can be changed by a control signal sent from the camera system control unit 602 via the I / F circuit 618.

  The camera system control unit 602 can communicate with the PC 103 provided outside the video camera 600 via the IEEE 1394 cable 628 and the IEEE 1394 I / F unit 627. The camera system control unit 602 outputs a signal for changing the aperture value, the RY, BY, and AGC gain control reference values in accordance with the camera control command from the PC 103. That is, the output levels of the aperture control reference signal generation circuit 615, the RY level control reference signal generation circuit 616, the BY level control reference signal generation circuit 617, and the AGC gain control reference signal generation circuit 630 from the CPU 626. A signal is output to change. This makes it possible to control the control target of the imaging unit such as the aperture value, hue, and color density of the video camera 600 from the PC 103 outside the video camera 600.

  The reference values of the output levels of the aperture control reference signal generation circuit 615, the RY level control reference signal generation circuit 616, the BY level control reference signal generation circuit 617, and the AGC gain control reference signal generation circuit 630 are: It is stored in the standard control data storage area 621 of the RAM. Normally, the data (reference value) in the standard control data storage area 621 is transferred to the control data storage area 623 of the RAM. The data (reference value) in the control data storage area 623 is also transmitted to the aperture control reference signal generation circuit 615, the RY level control reference signal generation circuit 616, and the BY level control reference signal generation circuit 617. The Similarly, the data (reference value) in the control data storage area 623 is also transmitted to the AGC gain control reference signal generation circuit 630 and the timing generator 609. In these transmissions, the data (reference value) in the control data storage area 623 is transmitted as a control condition via the CPU 626. Thereby, appropriate photographing conditions are automatically set.

FIG. 20 shows an image memory block 660 associated with the video camera 600 of FIG.
The image memory block 660 is used, for example, for an electronic zoom function for cutting out and enlarging a part of the digital image signal (image data) captured by the digital signal processing unit 601 in FIG.
Therefore, the image memory block 660 includes an I / F circuit 661 with the digital signal processing unit 601, digital signal processing circuits 662 and 664, a field / frame memory (image memory) 663, and a memory controller 665. The memory controller 665 is connected to the camera system control unit 602 shown in FIG.

In such an image memory block 660, first, the luminance component (luminance signal) Y and the color difference signals RY and BY obtained by the digital 601 are stored in the image memory block 660 via the I / F circuit 661. Is taken in. Then, digital signal processing such as compression is performed by the digital signal processing circuit 662. Thereafter, it is temporarily stored in the image memory 663.
When the data stored in the image memory 663 is read, the read data is subjected to digital signal processing such as decompression by the digital signal processing circuit 664. As a result, the original luminance signal Y and color difference signals RY and BY are restored, and these signals are output.

  The digital signal processing circuit 662, the image memory 663, and the digital signal processing circuit 664 are controlled by a memory controller (memory control circuit) 665. The memory controller 665 is connected to the CPU 626 of the camera system control unit 602 shown in FIG. That is, the memory controller 665 is controlled by the CPU 626.

  The case where the control target of the video camera 600 as described above is controlled from the external PC 103 will be specifically described below.

The camera control command transmitted from the PC 103 to the IEEE 1394 I / F unit 627 is appropriately replaced with data corresponding to the camera control command in the CPU 626 and output to the digital signal processing unit 601 through the I / F 625.
At the same time, control information corresponding to data output to the digital signal processing unit 601 via the I / F 625 is also stored in the adjustment control data storage area 622 of the RAM, and the RAM control is performed as necessary. The data is read out to the CPU 626 through the data storage area 623.
With this configuration, the camera control command once transmitted from the PC 103 is stored in the video camera 600, and the setting can be recalled when necessary.

  The CPU 626 executes an address for operating each of the above RAMs and read / write control via the address and R / W designation units 620 and 624. Thus, when the video camera 600 is set to the shooting conditions set by the PC 103, the data in the adjustment control data storage area 622 is written in the control data storage area 623. On the other hand, when the video camera 600 is set in the standard state, data in the standard control data storage area 621 is written in the control data storage area 623.

  When the IEEE 1394 cable is connected to each of the video camera 600 and the PC 103, the video camera 600 and the PC 103 recognize each of them and determine whether to enter the mode setting operation.

Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 21, first, the PC 103 side determines whether or not an IEEE 1394 cable is connected by detecting whether or not a bus reset has occurred (step S701).
If no bus reset has occurred as a result of this determination, the process stands by without executing any processing.

If the result of determination in step S701 is that a bus reset has occurred, it is determined whether or not the video camera 600 is connected (step S702). As a determination method at this time, for example, a method of reading out a 64-bit address in the address space in the 1394 serial bus as shown in FIG.
As a result of the determination, if it is determined that the video camera 600 to be controlled is not connected, the process returns to step S701.

If it is determined in step S702 that the video camera 600 to be controlled is connected, it is determined whether or not the video camera 600 is in a state of accepting a mode setting command from the PC 103 ( Step S703). The state in which the mode setting command is received depends on the state of the video camera 600 main body, such as whether the mode can be changed and the command reception standby state is set.
If it is determined that the mode setting command is not accepted as a result of the determination, the process returns to step S702, and it is confirmed whether or not the video camera 600 to be controlled is still connected, and then the process of the next step S703 is performed again.

  If it is determined in step S703 that the video camera 600 is in a state of accepting a mode setting command, the mode setting command is transmitted to the video camera 600 to control the operation of the video camera 600.

  On the one video camera 600 side, as shown in FIG. 22, first, a normal camera operation is executed (step S711). The normal camera operation here is an operation in a state where data (standard control data) in the standard control data storage area 621 of the RAM is written in the control data storage area 623 of the RAM shown in FIG.

While executing such a normal camera operation, the CPU 626 always monitors whether or not the IEEE1394 cable is connected (step S712). As a method for detecting the connection of the IEEE 1394 cable at this time, for example, a method for detecting a change in the bias voltage of the port is used.
As a result of this monitoring, if the connection of the IEEE 1394 cable is not confirmed, the process returns to step S711.

  As a result of the monitoring in step S712, if the cable connection is confirmed, after completion of the bus reset (step S713), it is determined whether or not the PC 103 is connected (step S714). As to whether or not the connection target is the PC 103, as in the PC 103 side, for example, the 64-bit address of the address space in the 1394 serial bus of the video camera 600 shown in FIG. A method for identifying the above is used.

  As a result of the determination in step S714, if the connection target is the PC 103, it is determined whether or not the PC 103 side is executing the mode setting program (the processing program according to the flowchart of FIG. 21) (step S715). As the determination method, for example, a method of reading the information of the application layer shown in FIG. 3 or a method of recognizing Async data in mutual communication is used.

  As a result of the determination in step S715, when it is confirmed that the PC 103 side is executing the mode setting program, a message indicating that the mode setting command from the PC 103 side can be received is transmitted to the PC 103 side. Thereafter, in accordance with a command from the PC 103 side, the control reference value and shutter speed are changed as described above, and the mode setting operation of the video camera 600 is executed by rewriting the contents of the RAM.

  Note that the video camera 600 side identifies whether or not to execute the mode setting operation in accordance with a command from the PC 103 by sequentially executing the determinations of steps S712, S713, S714, and S715. Therefore, if the condition is not satisfied in any of the above determinations, the operation not following the command from the PC 103, that is, the normal camera operation described above is repeated.

  The processing program of FIG. 22 and other processing programs used for camera control are stored in the ROM 629 shown in FIG. 19, and the CPU 626 sequentially reads out and executes control commands from the ROM 629. Is implemented.

As described above, the control target of the video camera 600 is controlled from the external PC 103.
Further, as shown in FIG. 23, when the control targets of a plurality of video cameras 600a, 600b, and 600c having the same function as the video camera 600 are controlled independently from one external PC 103, the following Such an operation is performed.

  The configuration shown in FIG. 23 is applied to, for example, a surveillance camera system. That is, in this system, the first monitoring camera 600a, the second monitoring camera 600b, and the third monitoring camera 600c are connected to the PC 103, which is a main control device, and the IEEE 1394 I / F units 627a, 627b, 627c. Are connected in series.

The lens of the first monitoring camera 600a has a focal length of 3.3 to 10 mm.
Here, as the effective image area of the CCD is smaller than the effective image circle diameter of the lens on the imaging surface of the camera, the image on the telephoto side is taken into the CCD. The effective imaging area of the CCD varies depending on the camera. For this reason, if it is difficult to grasp how wide-angle (telephoto) images can be taken from the focal length value of the lens, it is converted to the focal length value of the lens attached to the 35 mm silver salt film camera. It is common to discuss the viewable angle of view with a converted value.
Here, in the case of the 1st monitoring camera 600a, the value converted into the focal length of the lens attached to the 35 mm silver salt film camera is set to 24-72 mm.

  The second monitoring camera 600b and the third monitoring camera 600c are each mounted with a lens having a focal length of 3.9 to 39 mm (44 to 440 mm in terms of 35 mm silver salt film). In particular, the second monitoring camera 600b is installed to monitor a high-speed moving object according to the direction of the camera platform, and the camera and the third monitoring camera 600c are also used to monitor a dark part according to the direction of the camera platform. It is installed.

From the PC 103, an item change command as shown in FIG. 24 is output for each camera operation control of the first to third surveillance cameras 600a to 600c. In addition, the first to third monitoring cameras 600a to 600c that receive this change the control conditions of the control unit in accordance with the change command.
The method of changing the control condition at this time is as described with reference to FIGS. That is,
(1) As represented by the theater stage, when the subject is a subject with a dark background and a spotlight on a specific person, the iris opens in the darkness of the background and the person's face appears In order to prevent the white from flying white, the aperture is closed and controlled slightly.
(2) When an object at a close distance from the camera is an object to be photographed, the focal length is set short and the optical condition is set so that macro photography is possible.
(3) When an object under high illuminance is an object to be photographed, the iris diaphragm amount is suppressed to a predetermined value and the shutter speed is increased in order to prevent diffraction of light due to excessive iris diaphragm.
(4) When it is necessary to identify the color of a bright spot in an environment where illumination is insufficient, the aperture, shutter speed, and white balance are set to appropriate values so that the bright spot color can be photographed well. To do.
Thus, it is possible to perform camera mode setting suitable for each shooting condition.

Here, in general, the electronic zoom has a mechanism for obtaining an enlarged screen by cutting out and enlarging a part of the screen imaged by the CCD.
As shown in FIG. 20, the luminance signal Y and the color difference signals RY and BY output from the digital image processing unit 601 are input to the image memory block 660 via the I / F circuit 661. Is done. In the image memory block 660, the image signal is subjected to digital signal processing such as compression by a digital signal processing circuit 662 and processed into a form that can be stored in an image memory (field or frame memory) 663. The image data stored in the image memory 663 is read out to the digital signal processing circuit 664 as necessary, where digital signal processing such as decompression is performed, and the original luminance signal Y and color difference signal RY. , BY is formed. At this time, the digital signal processing circuit 662, the image memory 663, and the digital signal processing circuit 664 are each controlled by the memory controller 631. In particular, the memory controller 665 receives an operation command from the CPU 626 of the camera system control unit 602 via the communication line 631.

For example, when reading image information from the image memory 663, if the reading start position and end position are set inside the original screen in both the horizontal and vertical directions of the screen, the image information from the image memory 663 after the reading is completed. Is a part of the screen. If this is expanded in both the horizontal and vertical directions by the digital signal processing circuit 664 and appropriate interpolation is applied, the amount of information is lower than that of the original image, but the image quality deteriorates. A zoom image (enlarged image) can be obtained.
Therefore, by obtaining information relating to the cutout range from the CPU 626, it is possible to perform electronic zoom at an arbitrary magnification.

  As described above, it is possible to obtain a magnified image by setting the reading start position and end position by the memory controller 665 and executing electronic zoom, but the magnified image has a reduced amount of information. The image quality is deteriorated. The more a fine subject is imaged on the original imaging screen, the more noticeable the deterioration of the image quality is, and the details of the enlarged image are difficult to discriminate. Accordingly, a fine subject is more easily captured as the focal length of the lens is shorter. Therefore, it is preferable not to perform the electronic zoom in a camera equipped with a lens closer to the wide such as the first monitoring camera 600a.

  Thus, FIG. 25 shows a case where the PC 103 selects the first monitoring camera 600a equipped with a lens having a relatively short focal length, and outputs the video obtained by the first monitoring camera 600a to a monitor or the like. , Shows the flow of processing in the PC 103.

First, the process waits until the operator selects the camera type in the first to third monitoring cameras 600a to 600c (step S721).
When it is detected that the camera type has been selected, the communication target in the PC 103 is changed to capture the video of the selected monitoring camera (here, the first monitoring camera 600a) (step S722).
Note that, when the communication target is changed and an operation command is output to the selected surveillance camera, communication is performed using the async data as described above. Further, since the video from the selected surveillance camera is supplied to the IEEE 13941 / F unit of the PC 103 as Iso data, it is identified on the monitor after identifying whether the video is from the first surveillance camera 600a. It will be projected.

Next, the camera information of the first monitoring camera 600a is read (step S723).
The camera information here is, for example, information as shown in FIG. 26, and information stored in the ROM 629 (see FIG. 19) or the like inside the first monitoring camera 600a is used as the CPU 626 and the IEEE 1394 I / F. The data is taken into the PC 103 via the unit 627.
Among the camera information described above, information on “shortest focal length (35 mm equivalent shortest focal length)”, “longest focal length (35 mm equivalent longest focal length)”, and “electronic zoom function presence / absence” is used in the present embodiment. It becomes necessary information.

  Next, from the camera information obtained in step S723, the difference between the “shortest focal length” and the “longest focal length” is equal to or smaller than a first predetermined value, and the “shortest focal length” is equal to or smaller than a second predetermined value. By determining whether or not the lens is a wide lens, it is determined whether or not it is a wide lens (step S724).

  If the result of determination in step S724 is that the first camera 600a is a camera equipped with a wide lens and also equipped with an electronic zoom function, the following operation is performed. In other words, even if the operator issues a zoom command from wide to telehe to the first monitoring camera 600a via the PC 103, the electronic zoom is such that the zoom is stopped at the optical tele end and the electronic zoom is not executed thereafter. A zoom prohibition command is output (step S726).

  On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S724, for example, the operator selects the second monitoring camera 600b or the third monitoring camera 600c, which is equipped with a non-wide zoom and also equipped with an electronic zoom function. If it is a camera, the following operation is performed. That is, an electronic zoom permission command for permitting electronic zoom ahead from the optical telephoto end is output (step S725).

  By executing the processing as described above, in a surveillance camera equipped with a wide lens, electronic zoom is not executed, and a good image can be captured. In addition, in a surveillance camera equipped with a non-wide lens, an image obtained at the optical telephoto end can be further magnified with an electronic zoom to confirm a monitored object in detail.

(Second Embodiment)
In the present embodiment, the processing in the PC 103 shown in FIG. 25 in the first embodiment described above is, for example, processing according to the flowchart of FIG.
Here, only the points different from the first embodiment will be described specifically for the sake of simplicity.

First, as in the first embodiment described above, the process waits until the operator selects a camera type (step S731).
When it is detected that the camera type has been selected, the communication target in the PC 103 is changed to capture the video of the selected camera (here, the second monitoring camera 600b) (step S732). .

  Next, the camera information of the second monitoring camera 600b is read (step S733). This camera information is also information as shown in FIG.

Here, in the present embodiment, among the above camera information, “shortest exposure time” and “head position” are necessary information.
Further, the fact that the second monitoring camera 600b, that is, a camera capable of shooting a high-speed moving object, is stored in the memory in the PC 103 when the monitoring camera system is initially set, for example.
Therefore, it is determined based on the contents of the memory whether the camera selected by the operator (second monitoring camera 600b) is a camera that can also photograph a high-speed moving object (step S734).

If the result of the determination in step S734 is that the camera can also shoot a high-speed moving object, it is determined whether or not the pan head position of the second monitoring camera 600b is the high-speed moving object shooting position (step S735). .
As a result of the determination, if it is the high-speed moving object shooting position, a control change command is output to the second monitoring camera 600b so that the shortest exposure time is reached.
On the other hand, when it is not the high-speed moving object photographing position (when the pan head is the non-high-speed moving object photographing position), the exposure time is set to a standard value of 1/60 for the second monitoring camera 600b. A control change command is output as much as possible.

  If it is determined in step S734 that the camera is not capable of capturing a high-speed moving object, that is, another monitoring camera (a camera that cannot capture a high-speed moving object) is selected instead of the second monitoring camera 600b in step S731. If so, the following operation is performed. That is, the process proceeds from step S724 in FIG. 25, and the process from the determination as to whether the camera is equipped with a wide lens is executed.

(Third embodiment)
In the present embodiment, the processing in the PC 103 shown in FIG. 25 in the first embodiment described above is, for example, processing according to the flowchart of FIG.
Here, only the points different from the first embodiment will be described specifically for the sake of simplicity.

First, in the same manner as in the first embodiment described above, the process waits until the camera type is selected by the operator (step S741).
When it is detected that the camera type has been selected, the communication target in the PC 103 is changed in order to capture the video of the selected camera (here, the third monitoring camera 600c) (step S742). .

  Next, the camera information of the third monitoring camera 600c is read (step S743). This camera information is also information as shown in FIG.

Here, in the present embodiment, among the above camera information, “longest exposure time” and “head position” are necessary information.
In addition, the fact that the third monitoring camera 600c, that is, a camera capable of photographing a dark part, is stored in the memory in the PC 103 when, for example, the monitoring camera system is initially set.
Therefore, it is determined based on the contents of the memory whether the camera (third monitoring camera 600c) selected by the operator is a camera that can also shoot a dark part (step S744).

If the result of the determination in step S744 is that the camera can also shoot a dark part, it is determined whether or not the pan head position of the third monitoring camera 600c is the dark part shooting position (step S745).
If the result of this determination is that it is a dark part shooting position, the AGC gain is increased with respect to the third monitoring camera 600c, that is, the output of the AGC reference voltage generation circuit 630 shown in FIG. Manipulate. Further, a control change command is output so that the longest exposure time is reached (steps S746 and S747).
On the other hand, when the position is not the dark part photographing position, the AGC gain is left to automatic adjustment of the third monitoring camera 600c for the third monitoring camera 600c, and the exposure time is controlled to be set to a standard value of 1/60. A change command is output (steps S748 and S749). That is, when the pan head position is a non-dark part photographing position, a control change command is output to set the exposure time to a standard value of 1/60.

  If it is determined in step S744 that the camera is not capable of capturing a dark part, that is, if another monitoring camera (camera that cannot capture a dark part) is selected instead of the third monitoring camera 600c in step S741. Performs the following operations: That is, the process proceeds from step S734 in FIG. 27 to determine whether or not the camera is capable of photographing a high-speed moving object. If this is not the case, the process from step S724 in FIG. Transition to processing. And it is discriminate | determined whether it is a camera mounted with a wide lens, and the subsequent process according to the discrimination | determination result is performed.

  The above is the description of the first to third embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. For example, in both the second and third embodiments, the subject to be photographed is identified by the pan head position, but monitoring is performed sequentially so that the operator can view the optimum photographing screen while looking at the monitor. Manual operation may be performed via the PC 103 to change the control content of the camera.

Another object of the present invention is to read and execute the program code stored in the storage medium by the computer (or CPU or MPU) from the storage medium storing the program code that realizes the procedure of the flowchart shown in the above-described embodiment. Can also be achieved.
In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.
As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a flexible disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, or the like can be used.
Further, based on the instruction of the program code read by the computer, an operation system (OS) or the like running on the computer performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing. This is also included.
Further, based on the instruction of the program code read from the storage medium, the CPU of the function expansion board or function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing. This is also included. Here, the function expansion board is inserted into a computer, for example, and the function expansion unit is connected to the computer. Further, for example, after being read, the program code is once written in a memory provided in the function expansion board or function expansion unit.
That is, the embodiment of the present invention can be realized by, for example, a computer executing a program. Also, means for supplying a program to a computer, for example, a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM in which such a program is recorded, or a transmission medium such as the Internet for transmitting such a program is also applied as an embodiment of the present invention. Can do. The above program can also be applied as an embodiment of the present invention. The above program, recording medium, transmission medium, and program product are included in the scope of the present invention.

In description of IEEE1394, it is a figure for demonstrating an example of the system by which a digital apparatus is connected by IEEE1394. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of the network system comprised using the said IEEE1394 serial bus. It is a figure for demonstrating the component of the said IEEE1394 serial bus. It is a figure for demonstrating the address space in the said IEEE1394 serial bus. It is sectional drawing of the said IEEE1394 serial bus cable. It is a figure for demonstrating the DS-Link encoding system of the data transfer format in the data communication by said IEEE1394. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the process from the bus reset to node ID determination in the said network system. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the detail of the process from the said bus reset monitoring to route determination. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the detail of the process of the said node ID determination. It is a figure for demonstrating the actual network which has the said network system structure. It is a figure for demonstrating the bus use request and bus use permission in the said network. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the bus arbitration in the said bus use permission. It is a figure for demonstrating the temporal transition state in the asynchronous transfer by the said IEEE1394. It is a figure for demonstrating the packet format of the said asynchronous transfer. It is a figure for demonstrating the temporal transition state in the isochronous transfer by the said IEEE1394. It is a figure for demonstrating the packet format of the said isochronous transfer. It is a figure for demonstrating the mode of the temporal transition of the transfer state on a bus | bath where the said isochronous transfer and asynchronous transfer were mixed. It is a figure for demonstrating an information transmission path | route in the system by which a digital apparatus is connected by the said IEEE1394. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a video camera to which the present invention is applied in a first embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the image memory block accompanying the said video camera. 4 is a flowchart for explaining processing up to start of mode setting in a PC connected to the video camera by the IEEE1394. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the process until the mode setting operation | movement start in the said video camera PC. It is a figure for demonstrating the surveillance camera system provided with two or more said video cameras. It is a figure for demonstrating the kind of camera control command from the said PC to the said video camera. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the process in the said PC. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of the camera specification memorize | stored in the said video camera. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the process in said PC in 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the process in said PC in 3rd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the conventional system which uses SCSI.

Explanation of symbols

103 Personal computer (PC)
600a to 600c video camera 627a to 627c IEEE1394 I / F section

Claims (11)

A digital device having a photographing function and capable of communicating with other digital devices,
Transmitting means for transmitting focal length range information of the photographing function to the other digital device;
Based on a control condition change command received as a response to the transmission of the focal length range information, changing means for changing the controllable range of the imaging function;
Control means for controlling the photographing function to operate within the controllable range changed by the changing means when receiving the control command for the photographing function;
A digital device comprising:   The digital control according to claim 1, wherein when the control command outside the changed controllable range is received, the control unit performs control so as to prohibit the operation of the photographing function according to the received control command. machine.   The digital apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the focal length range information includes at least one of a shortest focal length and a longest focal length.   The digital device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls an optical zoom function and an electronic zoom function as the photographing function.   5. The digital device according to claim 1, wherein the digital device communicates with the other digital device via an IEEE 1394 standard system bus. 6. A digital device having a photographing function and capable of communicating with other digital devices,
Transmitting means for transmitting exposure time range information of the photographing function to the other digital device;
Based on a control condition change command received as a response to the transmission of the exposure time range information, changing means for changing the controllable range of the photographing function;
Control means for controlling the photographing function to operate within the controllable range changed by the changing means when receiving the control command for the photographing function;
A digital device comprising:   The digital device according to claim 6, wherein the changing unit changes a controllable range of an exposure time of the photographing function based on the received control condition change command.   The exposure time range information includes a shortest exposure time, and when the digital device has a high-speed moving object photographing function, receiving a control condition change command for changing the exposure time of the photographing function to the shortest exposure time. 8. The digital device according to claim 7, wherein   The exposure time range information includes a longest exposure time, and when the digital device has a dark part photographing function, a control condition change command for changing the exposure time of the photographing function to the longest exposure time is received. The digital device according to claim 7. A method for controlling a digital device having a photographing function and capable of communicating with other digital devices,
A transmission step of transmitting focal length range information of the photographing function to the other digital device;
Based on the control condition change command received as a response to the transmission of the focal distance range information, the control of the shooting function is performed to control the shooting function to operate within the range when the control command for the shooting function is received. A change step to change the possible range;
A method for controlling a digital device, comprising: A method for controlling a digital device having a photographing function and capable of communicating with other digital devices,
A transmission step of transmitting exposure time range information of the photographing function to the other digital device;
Based on the control condition change command received as a response to the transmission of the exposure time range information, the control of the shooting function is performed to control the shooting function to operate within the range when the control command for the shooting function is received. A change step to change the possible range;
A method for controlling a digital device, comprising:

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