JP2008022055A - Network apparatus controller - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a matter that it is difficult for a user to identify an apparatus easily when a plurality of apparatus of the same model number are connected with a network. <P>SOLUTION: The network apparatus controller 101 detects variation in operating state occurring in an AV apparatus when a user operates a desired AV apparatus, and stores the address of an AV apparatus in which variation in operating state is detected as control information Tctr. An apparatus operating information acquisition control unit 203 transmits state confirmation commands Cst2-Cstn to the AV apparatus 102-104, respectively. Subsequently, the apparatus operating information acquisition control unit 203 receives response commands Cres2-Cresn replied in response to the state confirmation commands Cst2-Cstn from a command transmitter 202, and determines whether each of the AV apparatus 102-104 is in power on state or power off state based on information included in a received response command Cres2-Cresn. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a device for controlling a network device, and more particularly to a device for controlling the operation of an audio / video device connected to a digital network such as IEEE1394 by a control command.

  Conventionally, an audio / video device (hereinafter referred to as “AV device”) capable of constituting a digital network (hereinafter simply referred to as “network”) in conformity with a standard such as IEEE 1394 is known. The AV device may acquire information on other AV devices or control operations of other AV devices by exchanging commands with other AV devices connected via a network. it can. Examples of commands exchanged between AV devices include a command for instructing the selection of a digital tuner and a command for instructing switching of an internal input for a television equipped with a digital tuner.

  The specification of a command that enables cooperation between AV devices is determined based on a network standard. For example, a command for recognizing an AV device compliant with IEEE 1394 and information included in the command are specified by 1394 Trade Association (1394TA). In addition, the IEEE 1394 standard defines a configuration ROM configuration that holds a unique number that can be uniquely specified for each device. However, in standards other than IEEE 1394, a number corresponding to a unique number of IEEE 1394 may not be defined.

Further, conventionally, a function is known in which a certain AV device acquires information on other AV devices connected to the network, and then displays the acquired AV device information as a list of connected devices on a display screen. Some AV devices may have an upper limit on the number of controllable devices in consideration of restrictions on CPU resources, network resources, and the like, and stability of control operations. In this case, the user can select a connected device with reference to the connected device list displayed on the screen. For example, it is assumed that a number of AV devices exceeding the number of controllable devices are connected to the television. The user operates the remote controller or key to select an AV device to be controlled from the television within the range of controllable devices from the connected device list displayed on the television screen. The television sets the AV device selected by the user as a control target.
JP 2003-108451 A IEEE, “IEEE 1394 Standard for a High Performance Serial Bus”, IEEE Std 1394-1995, August 30, 1996 IEEE, “IEEE 1394 Standard for a High Performance Serial Bus-Amment 1”, IEEE Std 1394a-2000, 2000 International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), “Consumer audio / video equipment-Digital interface”, IEC61883 1394 Trade Association (1394TA), “Configuration ROM for AV / C Devices 1.0”, TA Document 1999027 1394TA, “AV / C Digital Interface Command Set General Specification”, TA Document 1999026 High-Definition Multimedia Interface Specification

  As described above, when a conventional AV device has a function of displaying a list of connected devices, the user refers to the list of connected devices displayed on the screen, and the number of AV devices exceeding the number of controllable devices is displayed. A desired AV device can be selected from the list.

  However, the conventional AV apparatus as described above has the following problems.

  First, when a plurality of the same AV devices are connected, there is a problem that the user cannot easily grasp the correspondence between the device display on the list of connected devices and the devices actually connected.

  More specifically, when a user owns a plurality of AV devices such as a digital video tape recorder (DVHS), a hard disk recorder (HDR), and a digital tuner that can be connected to the network, the digital tuner and the plurality of recording devices are included in the same network. Etc. are connected. Even if the number of AV devices connected to the network increases, if information such as the model number of the AV device can be acquired from the AV device, the user can easily use the list of connected devices displayed on the screen. The connected device can be identified and selected. However, when the user connects the same AV device to the network, the same information (model number, etc.) is displayed in the connected device list. If the user knows the connection order of the same AV device, the user may be able to select a desired AV device from the list of connected devices on the screen. In other cases, a plurality of identical devices may be displayed on the screen. Since it cannot be easily distinguished from the above, there is a possibility that a device different from the device that the user originally wants to select is erroneously selected on the screen.

  In particular, since the information held by the AV device differs depending on the interface standard, depending on the standard, it is not always possible to display information that can be easily distinguished by the user on the display screen. For example, an AV device compliant with IEEE 1394 holds at least information such as a manufacturer name and a model name in the Configuration ROM. On the other hand, for example, a device conforming to the High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) may not hold not only a device-specific number but also information such as a model number. In the latter case, it is difficult to present information that can be distinguished by the user on the connected device list for the same device.

  Next, as the number of AV devices connected to the same network increases, there is a problem that mutual control of AV devices becomes complicated.

  As described above, an AV device connected to a network may be controlled by a command from another AV device. When a certain AV device receives a plurality of control commands, the processing specified by the control commands is executed in the order in which the control commands are received, so there is a possibility that the user may perform an unintended operation. For example, assume that a television and a plurality of recording devices are connected via a network. After a recording device issues a control command for operating the TV, if another recording device issues another control command, the TV receives the command received earlier by executing the processing of the control command received later. It is possible that the operation by is interrupted. Therefore, there is a possibility that the channel selection of the television is changed or the input is switched by the control command issued from the recording device or the like while the user is watching the television.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and information on devices connected to a network is detected not only by an identification command but also by detecting a transition of an operation state by a user operation. An object of the present invention is to provide a network device control apparatus that enables recognition and selection. Furthermore, the present invention provides a network device control apparatus capable of explicitly designating a device that receives control based on a user instruction in order to reduce the interruption of operation due to a control command sent to the network. It aims to be realized.

  The present invention is a network device control apparatus connected via a network to one or more devices to which a unique address is assigned in the network, the communication unit communicating with the device via the network, and the communication unit A command transmission / reception unit for transmitting commands to the device and receiving commands transmitted from the device, a memory for storing connected device information in which each address and type of the device is associated, and an operating state for each device. The command transmission / reception unit is instructed to transmit a status confirmation command for requesting a reply to the command, and is returned from the device in response to the status confirmation command, and the device has changed from the first operation state and the first operation state. A device operation information acquisition control unit that receives from the command transmission / reception unit a state response command indicating which of the second operation states is present; Based on the command, and a connection device identification management unit for recording in the memory the control information including the address of the device in a second operating state.

  In this case, the display control unit may further include a display control unit that controls the display of the connected device information on the display screen, and the display control unit may display the device whose address is included in the control information in distinction from other devices.

  The display control unit displays a display for instructing each of the devices to be in the first operating state on the display screen, and then displays a display for instructing that one of the devices be in the second state. May be displayed.

  The display control unit further includes a key operation input information acquisition unit that receives a key input for selecting a device to be displayed separately. The device operation information acquisition control unit responds to reception of a key input by the key operation input information acquisition unit. The address of the device selected by key input may be recorded as control information.

  Further, the network device control apparatus receives the control request command transmitted from the device from the command transmission / reception unit, interprets the control request command transmitted from the device included in the selected device information, and performs processing specified in the control request command. A control request determination unit that instructs execution may be provided. In this case, the control request determination unit instructs the execution of the process only when the source address of the control request command is included in the control information.

  According to the present invention, even when a plurality of devices are connected and the same device is connected to the network, it is possible to easily select the device intended by the user. Further, even in a standard network device that does not hold unique information, the device can be selected as intended by the user. In addition, according to the present invention, it is also possible to suppress the execution of a command from a device other than the selected device, so that the operation intended by the user is prevented from being hindered by a command from another device. .

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a network device control apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the device information Tdev held by the connected device identification management unit 204 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a control created by the connected device identification management unit 204 shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of information Tctr.

  First, the basic concept of the network device control apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment will be described. The network device control apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment is configured as a part of an AV device such as a television, for example, and transmits AV commands to other AV devices 102 to 104 connected via a digital network, thereby Information is acquired from the devices 102 to 104 and these are controlled. When the network device control apparatus 101 is connected to the network 100 for the first time, the network device control apparatus 101 acquires information such as types of all AV devices 102 to 104 connected to the network 100, and the acquired information is the device information shown in FIG. Hold as Tdev.

  However, as described above, when the same AV device is connected to the plurality of networks 100, the user easily specifies the AV device based on the AV device information acquired by the network device control apparatus 101. I can't. Therefore, the network device control apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment detects the change in the operation state that occurs in the AV device when the user operates the desired AV device, and the AV in which the change in the operation state is detected. The device address is stored as control information Tctr shown in FIG. That is, the network device control apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment does not cause the user to select a desired device from the information on the connected device held by the network device control device 100, but the user can The selected AV device is specified.

  Referring to FIG. 1, a network device control apparatus (AV device) 101 and AV devices 102 to 104 are connected to a network 100. The network device control apparatus 101 includes a communication control unit 201, a command transmission / reception unit 202, a device operation information acquisition control unit 203, a connected device identification management unit 204 including a memory 208, a key operation input information acquisition unit 205, a display A control unit 206, a control request determination unit 207, a nonvolatile memory 209, and a processing unit 210 are provided.

  The communication control unit 201 communicates with the AV devices 102 to 104 via the network 100 according to the communication procedure according to the network 100 standard, and transmits / receives AV data, commands, and the like.

  The command transmission / reception unit 202 transmits commands Cst2 to Cstn to the AV devices 102 to 104 via the communication control unit 201 in accordance with the command transmission instruction Isnd from the device operation information acquisition control unit 203. In addition, the command transmission / reception unit 202 receives commands Cres 2 to Cresn returned from the AV devices 102 to 104 in response to the commands Cst 2 to Cstn from the communication control unit 201. Further, the command transmission / reception unit 202 receives the command Cctr transmitted from the AV devices 102 to 104 for controlling the network device control apparatus 101 from the communication control unit 201, and outputs the received command Cctr to the control request determination unit 207.

  The device operation information acquisition control unit 203 outputs an instruction Isnd requesting the command transmission / reception unit 202 to transmit a command. In addition, the device operation information acquisition control unit 203 receives response commands Cres <b> 2 to Cresn to the command transmitted according to the command transmission instruction Isnd from the command transmission / reception unit 202.

  The connected device identification management unit 204 stores, in the memory 208, device information Tdev in which addresses of all AV devices 102 to 104 connected to the network 100 are associated with information such as device type, manufacturer name, and model number. To do. Further, the address of the AV device selected by the user as the control target of the network device control apparatus 101 according to the instruction from the device operation information acquisition control unit 203 is stored in the memory 208 as control information Tctr. Further, the connected device identification management unit 204 stores the device information Tdev and control information Tctr held in the memory 208 in the nonvolatile memory 209 and stores the device information Tdev and control information Tctr read from the nonvolatile memory 209 in the memory 208. Hold.

  The details of the control information creation processing executed by the device operation information acquisition control unit 203 and the connected device identification management unit 204 will be described later.

  The key operation input information acquisition unit 205 receives user input from an input device (not shown) such as a remote controller or buttons arranged on the front panel, and determines processing contents of the received user input.

  The display control unit 206 displays information about the menu screen and user operations on a display device included in the network device control apparatus 101 or an external display device to which the network device control apparatus 101 is connected.

  The control request determination unit 207 acquires the control command Cctr transmitted from the AV devices 102 to 104 for operating the network device control apparatus 101 from the command transmission / reception unit 202, interprets the acquired command Cctr, and designates the command by the command Cctr. The processing instruction Ictr to be processed is output to the processing unit 210.

  The processing unit 210 performs processing for executing functions provided in the network device control apparatus 101 in accordance with the instruction Ictr output from the control request determination unit 207.

  Hereinafter, the creation process of the device information Tdev and the creation process of the control information Tctr executed by the network device control apparatus 101 shown in FIG. 1 will be described in order. In the following, it is assumed that the network 100 is configured in conformity with IEEE1394.

  First, a process for creating device information Tdev shown in FIG. 2 will be described.

  When the network device control apparatus 101 is first connected to the network 100, the network device control apparatus 101 executes a transaction defined by IEEE 1394 for instructing all the connected AV devices 102 to 104 to read the configuration ROM. Information of 102 to 104 is acquired.

  More specifically, when the network device control apparatus 101 is connected to the network 100, the communication control unit 201 first detects a bus reset that occurs when the device is connected. Next, based on the detection of the bus reset by the communication control unit 201, the device operation information acquisition control unit 203 executes a transaction for acquiring information on the configuration ROM for the AV device 102.

  Here, the Configuration ROM held by each of the AV devices 102 to 104 includes an EUI 64 (64-bit Extended Unique Identifier) used as an address for uniquely identifying each AV device on the network 100, a manufacturer name, and the like. A character string indicating the model name is recorded. The details of the data format recorded in the Configuration ROM are described in “Configuration ROM for AV / C Devices 1.0” issued by 1394TA. In addition, in order to determine the function of the device, information included in UNIT_info and SUBUNIT_info in the AV / C command defined by 1394TA, format information of supported media, information such as Identifier Descriptor indicating device attributes, and the like. By reading, it can be determined whether the type of the AV device 102 is DVHS, DVC, HDR, tuner, or the like.

  The device operation information acquisition control unit 203 executes the above-described transaction similarly for the AV devices 103 to 104 connected to the network 100.

  Management of response commands returned from the AV devices 102 to 104 in response to commands transmitted from the network device control apparatus 101 is performed by the connected device identification management unit 204. The connected device identification management unit 204 stores information acquired from the response command in the memory 208 as device information Tdev (FIG. 2).

  When the user wants to refer to a list of AV devices connected to the network 100, the user operates an input device (not shown) such as a remote controller or a key to instruct execution of a list display function of the connected devices. The key operation input information acquisition unit 205 determines a user input and outputs a signal Sdis that instructs the device operation information acquisition control unit 203 to display the connected device list. The device operation information acquisition control unit 203 acquires the device information Tdev stored in the memory 208 of the connected device identification management unit 204 and outputs the display content Sdev created based on the device information Tdev to the display control unit 206. The display control unit 206 displays the display content Sdev received from the device operation information acquisition control unit 203 on the screen.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed by the network device control apparatus shown in FIG.

  In the example shown in FIG. 4, a unique number 301 on the screen, a device type 302, a manufacturer name 303, and a device model number 304 are displayed for each device. For example, when the number of devices that can be controlled by the network device control apparatus 101 is limited in consideration of hardware resources and network resources, the user operates the input device to display the screen shown in FIG. The control target device of the network device control apparatus 101 is selected above.

  Specifically, the display control unit 206 changes the color of one selected row to the other row in order to indicate the selected state of one selected row of the list shown in FIG. Change from color. The display control unit 206 changes and displays the selection state of each device in accordance with an instruction output from the key operation input information acquisition unit 205 in response to an operation of the “up” and “down” keys on the remote controller. Thereafter, in response to the user pressing the “selection key” or the like of the input device, the device operation information acquisition control unit 203 transmits an instruction Ireg requesting registration of the selected device as a device to be controlled as a connected device identification management. Output to the unit 204. The connected device identification management unit 204 records the address of the instructed device (the device selected by the user) in the memory 208, and creates control information Tctr shown in FIG.

  On the screen, for example, the selected device is indicated by further changing the color of the number of the device that has been selected by the user. In order to select a device, a column for selecting either “operate / do not operate” may be added to the device list.

  However, when the same AV device, that is, a plurality of AV devices having the same manufacturer name and model number are connected to the network 100, a plurality of pieces of the same information are displayed on the screen. In the example of FIG. 4, the two devices specified by the numbers 1 and 2 are the same. In this case, the user cannot grasp the correspondence between the two devices (number 1 and number 2) displayed on the screen and the actual device unless the user knows the connection order of the same device. In addition, the network device control apparatus 101 holds addresses that can identify the AV devices 102 to 103 in the memory 208, but even if the addresses are displayed on the screen, the user can show the correspondence between the addresses and the devices. It cannot be easily grasped.

  Therefore, the network device control apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment has a function that allows the user to interactively select a device separately from the above-described device selection processing. This function is executed in response to the user selecting the device selection button 305 by operating the input device. When the user completes the selection of the device or when it is not necessary to select the device, the device selection process is terminated by selecting the end button 306 by operating the input device.

  Hereinafter, the processing when the user selects the device selection button 305 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure executed by the network device control apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a screen transition diagram schematically showing changes in the display screen in the process shown in FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing changes in the operating state of each AV device.

  In step S101, in response to the selection of the device selection button 305 by the user, the network device control apparatus 101 turns off all the connected devices except the network device control apparatus 101, that is, the AV devices 102 to 104. A prompt message panel and a confirmation button are displayed on the screen. More specifically, the display control unit 206 displays a message and an OK button on the screen as in the example illustrated in FIG. In accordance with the screen display, the user selects the confirmation button (OK button in FIG. 6A) after turning off the power of the AV devices 102 to 104 as shown in FIG. 7A. In response to the selection of the confirmation button by the user, the network device control apparatus 101 proceeds to step S102.

  In order to save the user from having to turn off the power of the AV devices 102 to 104, the device operation information acquisition control unit 203 sends a POWER Control command to each of the AV devices 102 to 104 connected to the network 100. It may be issued to instruct the power-off request sequentially.

  In step S102, the network device control apparatus 101 displays a message panel that prompts the user to turn on only the device selected by the user and a confirmation button on the screen. More specifically, the display control unit 206 displays a message and an OK button as in the example illustrated in FIG. The user selects a confirmation button after turning on the power of the AV device to be selected as the control target of the network device control apparatus 101 according to the screen display.

  Here, for ease of explanation, it is assumed that the user selects the AV device 103 as a control target of the network device control apparatus 101. In this case, as shown in FIG. 7B, only the operating state of the AV device 103 changes from the OFF state to the ON state. In response to the selection of the confirmation button by the user, the network device control apparatus 101 proceeds to step S103.

  In step S103, the network device control apparatus 101 sequentially transmits a POWER Status command to each of the AV devices 102 to 104, and investigates the power state of each AV device. More specifically, first, the device operation information acquisition control unit 203 transmits a POWER Status command to each of the AV devices 102 to 104 as the status confirmation commands Cst2 to Cstn. Next, the device operation information acquisition control unit 203 receives response commands Cres2 to Cresn that are returned in response to the state confirmation commands Cst2 to Cstn from the command transmission / reception unit 202, and is included in the received response commands Cres2 to Cresn. Based on the information, it is determined whether each of the AV devices 102 to 104 is in a power-on state or a power-off state. After the determination, the network device control apparatus 101 proceeds to step S104.

  In step S104, the network device control apparatus 101 determines whether there is one device that is in a power-on state. More specifically, the device operation information acquisition control unit 203 determines whether or not there is one command indicating power-on among the response commands Cres2 to Cresn acquired in step S103. The network device control apparatus 101 proceeds to step S107 when there is one device that is powered on (Yes in step S104), and proceeds to step S105 otherwise (No in step S104).

  In step S105, the network device control apparatus 101 displays a message panel indicating that the number of AV devices selected by the user is not one, a continuation button, and a process end button. More specifically, when the device operation information acquisition control unit 203 determines that a plurality of AV devices are on, the display control unit 206 displays “a plurality of devices are powered on”. If the device operation information acquisition control unit 203 determines that all AV devices are in the off state, “Power-on device not found” is displayed. The network device control apparatus 101 proceeds to step S106 in response to selection of continuation of the device selection operation or end of processing by the user.

  In step S106, the network device control apparatus 101 determines whether or not to continue the device selection process. More specifically, the device operation information acquisition control unit 203 determines which one of the continuation button and the process end has been selected by the user. If the continuation button is selected by the user (Yes in step S106), the network device control apparatus 101 returns to step S101, and otherwise (No in step S106), ends the process.

  In step S107, the network device control apparatus 101 changes the target device display color in the list of connected devices. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 6C, the display control unit 206 changes the color of the device display that is determined to be powered on by the device operation information acquisition control unit 203. When a selection column of “use / do not use” as described above is added to the connected device list, a selection symbol such as the selection column or a circle may be displayed at this stage. After changing the display color, the network device control apparatus 101 proceeds to step S108.

  In step S108, the network device control apparatus 101 causes the display control unit 206 to display a message panel that prompts the user to confirm whether or not to validate the selection, and a confirmation button. For example, the display control unit 206 displays “Please press OK for selected device” as a message. The user selects the confirmation button according to the message on the screen. In response to the selection of the confirmation button by the user, the key operation input information acquisition unit 205 outputs a signal Ssel indicating that the confirmation button has been selected by the user to the device operation information acquisition control unit 203. Thereafter, the network device control apparatus 101 proceeds to step S109.

  In step S109, the network device control apparatus 101 records the device selected by the user as control information. More specifically, the device operation information acquisition control unit 203 registers, in the control information Tctr, the AV device determined to be in the power-on state in step S103 according to the signal Ssel output from the key operation input information acquisition unit 205. An instruction Ireg requesting to do so is output to the connected device identification management unit 204. The connected device identification management unit 204 registers the address of the device specified by the instruction Ireg output from the device operation information acquisition control unit 203 in the control information Tctr. After registration, the network device control apparatus 101 proceeds to step S110.

  In step S110, the network device control apparatus 101 determines whether or not the number of selected devices has reached the controllable number. More specifically, the device operation information acquisition control unit 203 compares the number of devices selected by the user with the controllable number of the network device control apparatus 101, and if the two are equal, the selected number becomes the controllable number. Judge that it has reached. The network device control apparatus 101 proceeds to step S110 when the number of selected devices reaches the controllable number (Yes in step S110), and proceeds to step S112 otherwise (No in step S110).

  In step S111, the network device control apparatus 101 displays a message panel indicating that the number of devices selected by the user has become maximum. For example, the display control unit 206 displays “the number of selected devices has become the maximum” as a message. Thereafter, the network device control apparatus 101 ends the process.

  In step S112, the network device control apparatus 101 determines whether or not to continue the device selection process. In order to execute the processing in step S112, the display control unit 206 may display a message, a continuation button, and an end button on the screen, as in step S105. When the network device control apparatus 101 receives an instruction to continue processing from the user (Yes in step S112), the network device control apparatus 101 returns to step S101, and otherwise (No in step S112), ends the processing.

  In order to cancel the AV device once selected as the control target device from the control target, a selection cancellation function may be added to the connected device list display screen (FIG. 4). Specifically, the user selects the input device “select” while the row of the device once added to the control target device is selected using the “up” and “down” keys of the input device on the screen. When the “” key or the like is pressed, the connected device identification management unit 204 may delete information about the selected device from the control information Tctr.

  The connected device identification management unit 204 stores the control information Tctr created in step S109 in the nonvolatile memory 209. As a result, the nonvolatile memory 209 stores the device information Tdev including the addresses and types of all the AV devices 102 to 104 connected to the network 100 and the address of the device selected as the control target of the network device control apparatus 101. The control information Tctr included is stored. The device information Tdev and control information Tctr stored in the non-volatile memory 209 are the connected device identification management unit when the network device control apparatus 101 is turned on next time or when the bus reset occurs next time. The data is read onto the memory 208 by 204. Further, in the device information Tdev and the control information Tctr, an address (EUI 64) that can uniquely identify the AV devices 102 to 104 connected to the network 100 is recorded. Thereby, the network device control apparatus 101 can reduce the occurrence of transactions for identifying devices by reusing the device information Tdev and the control information Tctr once created.

  As described above, the network device control apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment detects a change in the operating state of the AV devices 102 to 104 connected to the network 100 and controls the address of the device whose operating state has changed. Record in information Tctr. Therefore, according to the network device control apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment, the user can reliably connect the desired device to the network by interactively changing the operation state of the desired device while referring to the display screen. It can be selected as a control target of the device control apparatus 101.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the network device control apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  Since the basic configuration of the network device control apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention is the same as that according to the first embodiment, the difference between the present embodiment and the first embodiment will be described below. The explanation will be focused on.

  First, network device control apparatus 110 according to the present embodiment is different from Embodiment 1 in that a list of AV devices selected as control targets is displayed on the screen. Therefore, the device operation information acquisition control unit 203 acquires the control information Tctr from the connected device identification management unit 204, and outputs the display content Sdev created based on the control information Tctr to the display control unit 206. The display control unit 206 displays the display content Sdev output from the device operation information acquisition control unit 203 on the screen.

  Further, the network device control apparatus 110 according to the present embodiment is connected to a network conforming to IEEE 1394 in that control information Tctr is created for AV devices connected to a network conforming to HDMI. This is different from the apparatus according to the above.

  Hereinafter, a method of creating a connected device list when the network device control apparatus 110 is connected to a network conforming to HDMI will be described. As described in the first embodiment, a device conforming to IEEE 1394 holds information such as a unique number, a manufacturer name, and a device model number. On the other hand, devices conforming to HDMI do not necessarily have a unique number, manufacturer name, and device model number. However, since the network device control apparatus 110 according to the present invention identifies the connected device based on a change in the operating state of the connected device, even if the connected device conforms to a standard such as HDMI, the user can A desired device can be easily selected. Note that details of HDMI are described in High-Definition Multimedia Interface Specification.

  Therefore, the device information Tdev held by the connected device identification management unit 204 includes an HDMI logical address instead of the EUI 64 and a device type (recorder, player, tuner, etc.) associated with the logical address. The control information Tctr includes an HDMI logical address as an address instead of the EUI 64.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed by the network device control apparatus shown in FIG.

  The control device list shown in FIG. 9 is displayed on the screen by the display control unit 206 when the user operates an input device or the like. The control device list according to the present embodiment is composed of columns of number 401 and device type 402. As described above, in the present embodiment, since it is expected that the manufacturer name, model number, and the like cannot be acquired from the connected device, these pieces of information are not displayed on the screen. In FIG. 9, the already created control device list is displayed, but when the list is first created, the columns of the number 401 and the device type 402 are blank. In addition, as examples of buttons used by the user when creating a list, a selection button 403 for instructing creation of a list, a deletion button 404 for instructing deletion of an existing list, and the end of device selection processing An end button 405 for instructing is displayed.

  Hereinafter, the processing executed by the network device control apparatus 110 when the user selects the device selection button 403 to create a new control device list will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure executed by the network device control apparatus shown in FIG. 8, and FIG. 11 is a screen transition diagram schematically showing a change in the display screen in the processing process shown in FIG. .

  In step S201, in response to the selection of the device selection button 403 by the user, the network device control device 110 turns off all the connected devices except the network device control device 110, that is, the AV devices 102 to 104. A prompt message panel and a confirmation button are displayed on the screen. More specifically, the display control unit 206 displays a message and an OK button on the screen as in the example illustrated in FIG. In the stage of FIG. 11A, since the control information Tctr has not been created, no device is displayed on the display screen. In accordance with the screen display, the user turns off the power of the AV devices 102 to 104 and then selects a confirmation button (OK button in FIG. 11A). The network device control apparatus 110 proceeds to step S202 in response to the selection of the confirmation button by the user.

  Note that the device operation information acquisition control unit 203 issues a STANDBY command to each of the AV devices 102 to 104 connected to the network 100 in order to save the user from turning off the power of the AV devices 102 to 104. Then, it may be instructed to turn off the power sequentially.

  In step S202, the network device control apparatus 110 displays a message panel that prompts the user to turn on only the device selected by the user, and a confirmation button on the screen. More specifically, the display control unit 206 displays a message and an OK button as in the example illustrated in FIG. In accordance with the screen display, the user turns on the AV device to be selected as the control target of the network device control apparatus 110 and then selects the confirmation button.

  In step S203, the network device control apparatus 110 sequentially transmits commands for inquiring about the power state to each of the AV devices 102 to 104, and investigates the power state of each AV device. More specifically, first, the device operation information acquisition control unit 203 uses, as the state confirmation commands Cst2 to Cstn, commands for confirming the power supply state as device type numbers defined in the HDMI standard (in the HDMI, logical address and In turn). Next, the device operation information acquisition control unit 203 receives response commands Cres2 to Cresn that are returned in response to the state confirmation commands Cst2 to Cstn from the command transmission / reception unit 202, and is included in the received response commands Cres2 to Cresn. Based on the information, it is determined whether each of the AV devices 102 to 104 is in a power-on state or a power-off state. After the determination, the network device control apparatus 110 proceeds to step S204.

  In step S204, the network device control apparatus 110 determines whether there is one device in a power-on state. More specifically, the device operation information acquisition control unit 203 determines whether or not there is one command indicating power-on among the response commands Cres2 to Cresn acquired in step S203. The network device control apparatus 110 proceeds to step S208 if there is one device that is powered on (Yes in step S204), and proceeds to step S205 otherwise (No in step S204).

  In step S205, when the network device control apparatus 110 determines that a plurality of AV devices are powered on (in the case of Yes in step S204), the physical address of the powered-on AV device is further checked, and all the same physical devices It is determined whether it is an address. If all the physical addresses are the same, the network control device 110 proceeds to step S208, otherwise proceeds to step S206.

  In step S206, the network device control apparatus 110 displays a message panel indicating that the number of AV devices selected by the user is not one, a continuation button, and a process end button. More specifically, when the device operation information acquisition control unit 203 determines that a plurality of AV devices are on, the display control unit 206 displays “a plurality of devices are powered on”. If the device operation information acquisition control unit 203 determines that all AV devices are in the off state, “Power-on device not found” is displayed. The network device control apparatus 110 proceeds to step S207 in response to selection of continuation of device selection operation or end of processing by the user.

  In step S207, the network device control apparatus 110 determines whether or not to continue the device selection process. More specifically, the device operation information acquisition control unit 203 determines which one of the continuation button and the process end has been selected by the user. If the continuation button is selected by the user (Yes in step S207), the network device control apparatus 110 returns to step S201, and otherwise (No in step S207) ends the processing.

  In step S208, the network device control apparatus 110 records the address of the device whose power is on in the control information Tctr. More specifically, the device operation information acquisition control unit 203 sends to the connected device identification management unit 204 an instruction Ireg that requests to register the AV device determined to be in the power-on state in the control information Tctr in step S203. Output. The connected device identification management unit 204 registers the address of the device specified by the instruction Ireg output from the device operation information acquisition control unit 203 in the control information Tctr. After registration, the network device control apparatus 110 proceeds to step S209.

  In step S209, the network device control apparatus 110 displays the type of the selected device. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 10C, the display control unit 206 acquires the display content Sdev created by the device operation information acquisition control unit 203 based on the control information Tctr, and selects the device included in the control information Tctr. Add to the list and display. The network device control apparatus 110 proceeds to step S210 after displaying the selected device.

  In step S210, it is determined whether all devices that accept commands are selected. More specifically, the device operation information acquisition control unit 203 compares the number of devices registered in the control information with the number of devices that received the response command, and if both are equal, all devices that receive the command It is determined that it has been selected. If all devices that accept commands are selected (Yes in step S210), the network device control apparatus 110 proceeds to step S211. Otherwise (No in step S210), the network device control apparatus 110 proceeds to step S212.

  In step S211, the network device control apparatus 110 displays a message panel indicating that all devices that accept commands are selected. For example, the display control unit 206 displays “all controllable devices have been selected” as a message. Thereafter, the network device control apparatus 110 ends the process.

  In step S212, the network device control apparatus 110 determines whether or not to continue the device selection process. At this time, in order to receive an instruction from the user, the display control unit 206 may display a process continuation button and a process end button. The user selects the process continuation button when there is an unselected apparatus among the apparatuses that accept commands in the network apparatus control apparatus 110, and selects the process end button otherwise. When the network device control apparatus 110 receives an instruction to continue processing from the user (Yes in step S212), the network device control apparatus 110 returns to step S201, and otherwise (No in step S212), ends the processing.

  To cancel a device that has been selected once, select the device row by using the "Up" and "Down" keys on the input device on the list of connected devices, and operate the "Select" key on the input device. May be canceled. In this case, in response to the operation of the “select” key, the connected device identification management unit 204 may delete the address of the selected device from the control information Tctr.

  Further, the connected device identification management unit 204 stores the control information Tctr created in step S208 in the nonvolatile memory 209. As a result, the nonvolatile memory 209 stores the device information Tdev including the addresses and types of all the AV devices 102 to 104 connected to the network 100 and the address of the device selected as the control target of the network device control apparatus 110. The control information Tctr included is stored. When the network device control apparatus 110 is turned on next time, the connected device identification management unit 204 reads the device information Tdev and control information Tctr stored in the nonvolatile memory into the memory 208. The device operation information acquisition control unit 203 issues a command for confirming the presence of the device address included in the device information Tdev and the control information Tctr in the memory 208, and each device is connected to the network 100 based on the presence or absence of a response. It is determined whether or not it exists.

  As described above, the network device control apparatus 110 according to the present embodiment also detects a change in the operating state of the AV devices 102 to 104 connected to the network 100, and controls the address of the device whose operating state has changed. Record in Tctr. Therefore, according to network device control apparatus 110 according to the present embodiment, when the device conforms to a standard (standard different from IEEE 1394) in which the device cannot acquire a device-specific number, manufacturer name, device model number, or the like, such as HDMI. Even so, as in the first embodiment, it is possible to reliably and easily select a desired device as a control target of the network device control apparatus 110.

(Embodiment 3)
Since the basic configuration of the network device control apparatus 101 according to the third embodiment of the present invention is the same as that according to the first embodiment, in the following description, FIGS. The difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 will be mainly described.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, the function of the control request determination unit 207 will be mainly described.

  The network device control apparatus 101 connected to the network 100 such as IEEE 1394 issues control commands to other AV devices 102 to 104 and controls them, and receives control commands from the other AV devices 102 to 104. May be accepted. For example, when the network device control apparatus 101 is configured as a part of a television, it is conceivable to receive control commands such as service selection, input switching, and power off from the AV devices 102 to 104.

  If only two AV devices (network device control apparatus 101 and one AV device) are connected to the network 100, that is, if the AV devices have a one-to-one connection relationship, control is performed. Since the command issuer can be specified, the user can sufficiently expect the operation of the two devices.

  On the other hand, when three or more AV devices are connected to the network 100, the number of devices that transmit control commands to a certain AV device increases as the number of AV devices increases. Therefore, when the user does not expect, a certain AV device receives a command from the unexpected AV device, and as a result, the user's operation on the certain AV device may be hindered. In addition, if there is an AV device that issues a command different from the command sequence assumed for a certain AV device or an unknown command, the certain AV device may fall into an unexpected state.

  In order to avoid such a situation, the control request determination unit 207 determines whether or not the received control command is transmitted from a device designated in advance. More specifically, the control request determination unit uses the control information Tctr stored in the memory 208 of the connected device identification management unit 204 as a list of devices that are allowed to accept commands, and is defined by the received control command. It is determined whether or not to execute.

  Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 12, a specific example of processing when the AV device 102 is registered as a control target of the network device control apparatus 101 but the AV device 104 is not registered as a control target will be described. .

  FIG. 12 is a diagram schematically showing a control command determination process by the network device control apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, it is assumed that the control information Tctr includes the address Addr2 of the AV device 102 and the address Addr3 of the AV device 103.

  When the AV device 102 issues a control command Cctr2 to the network device control apparatus 101, the communication control unit 201 interprets that the received command is a command addressed to the own device, and sends the received command Cctr2 to the command transmission / reception unit 202. hand over. The command transmission / reception unit 202 outputs the received command Cctr2 to the control request determination unit 207 when the command Cctr2 received from the communication control unit 201 is a control command or a status inquiry command addressed to itself. The control request determination unit 207 acquires the control information Tctr held in the memory 208 by the connected device identification management unit 204, and determines whether or not the address Addr2 of the AV device 102 that has transmitted the command Ctrl2 is included in the control information Tctr. . Here, since the address Addr2 of the AV device 102 is included in the control information Tctr, the control request determination unit 207 interprets the contents of the received command Cctr2 and controls the control system of each function provided in the network device control apparatus 101. The instruction Ictr is output to the processing unit 210.

  On the other hand, when the AV device 104 issues a control command Cctrn to the network device control apparatus 101, the control request determination unit 207 receives the reception command Cctrn via the communication control unit 201 and the command transmission / reception unit 202. However, since the address Addrn of the AV device 104 is not included in the control information Tctr, the control request determination unit 207 discards the received command Cctrn. In addition, the control request determination unit 207 outputs, to the command transmission / reception unit 202, an instruction Irej that requests the issuance of a response command Crej with respect to the transmission source address of the received command (the address Addrn of the AV device 104). The command transmission / reception unit 202 outputs a response command Crej indicating that the processing of the command Cctrn has been rejected to the AV device 104 in accordance with the instruction Irej from the control request determination unit 207.

  In the present embodiment, the processing when the network device control apparatus 101 conforms to IEEE 1394 has been described. However, the processing of the control request determination unit 207 is also performed by the network device control apparatus according to the second embodiment. The same can be applied.

  As described above, according to the network device control apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to permit only control processing from a specific device so as not to hinder the user's operation. Further, according to the network device control apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment, even when there is a device that issues an abnormal command, it is possible to perform control so that no more command processing is performed.

  The network device control apparatus according to the present invention can be used for AV devices such as a television, a recorder, and a digital tuner.

The block diagram which shows schematic structure of the network equipment control apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. The figure which shows an example of the apparatus information which the connection apparatus identification management part shown by FIG. 1 hold | maintains The figure which shows an example of the control information which the connection apparatus identification management part shown by FIG. 1 produces The figure which shows an example of the screen which the network apparatus control apparatus shown by FIG. 1 displays The flowchart which shows the process sequence which the network equipment control apparatus shown by FIG. 1 performs. Screen transition diagram schematically showing changes in the display screen in the process shown in FIG. The figure which shows the change of the operating state of each AV apparatus typically The block diagram which shows schematic structure of the network equipment control apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. The figure which shows an example of the screen which the network apparatus control apparatus shown by FIG. 8 displays The flowchart which shows the process sequence which the network equipment control apparatus shown by FIG. 8 performs. Screen transition diagram schematically showing changes in the display screen in the process shown in FIG. The figure which shows typically the control command determination process by the network device control apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

100 Network 101, 110 Network device control apparatus 102, 103, 104 AV device 201 Communication control unit 202 Command transmission / reception unit 203 Device operation information acquisition control unit 204 Connected device identification management unit 205 Key operation input information acquisition unit 206 Display control unit 207 Control Request determination unit 208 Memory 209 Non-volatile memory

Claims (5)

A network device control apparatus connected to one or more devices to which a unique address is assigned in the network via the network,
A communication unit that communicates with the device via the network;
A command transmission / reception unit for transmitting a command to the device and receiving a command transmitted from the device via the communication unit;
A memory for storing connected device information in which each address and type of the device is associated;
The command transmission / reception unit is instructed to transmit a status check command requesting each of the devices to return a status of operation, and is returned from the device in response to the status check command. A device operation information acquisition control unit that receives from the command transmission / reception unit a state response command indicating whether the state is a second operation state that has changed from the first operation state;
A network device control apparatus comprising: a connected device identification management unit that records control information including an address of a device in the second operation state in the memory based on the state response command. A display control unit for controlling display on the display screen of the connected device information;
The network device control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit displays a device whose address is included in the control information in distinction from other devices.   The display control unit displays a display for instructing each of the devices to be in the first operation state on the display screen, and then instructs one of the devices to be in the second state. The network device control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a display is displayed on the display screen. A key operation input information acquisition unit for receiving a key input for selecting a device to be distinguished and displayed by the display control unit;
The device operation information acquisition control unit records the address of the device selected by the key input as the control information in response to reception of the key input by the key operation input information acquisition unit. The network device control apparatus according to claim 2. A control request determination unit that receives a control request command transmitted from the device from the command transmission / reception unit and instructs execution of a process defined in the control request command;
2. The network device control according to claim 1, wherein the control request determination unit instructs the execution of the process only when a source address of the control request command is included in the control information. apparatus.

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