JP5907380B2 - Information processing system, information processing method, server, information processing apparatus, control method thereof, and control program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for outputting output data generated based on input data from an input device to an output device.

  In the above technical field, Patent Document 1 discloses a video encoding apparatus that converts a digital video data signal input from a personal computer or a DVD player into an analog video signal and outputs the analog video signal to an external video device such as a liquid crystal television. Has been.

JP 2007-174041 A

  However, in the technique described in the above document, data that can be converted is determined by the apparatus, and it has not been possible to deal with various differences in specifications between the input device and the output device.

  The objective of this invention is providing the technique which solves the above-mentioned subject.

In order to achieve the above object, an apparatus according to the present invention provides:
Multiple types of connectors for connecting multiple types of devices,
Data acquisition means for acquiring input data from an input device connected to the connector;
The input data, input connector information for identifying a connector to which the input device is connected, and output connector information for identifying a connector to which an output device for outputting output data generated from the input data is connected. Transmitting means for transmitting to the server via the network;
The output data generated from the input data in the server based on the information on the input device acquired with reference to the input connector information and the information on the output device acquired with reference to the output connector information. Receiving means for receiving from the server via the network;
Data output means for outputting the output data received by the receiving means to the output device;
It is characterized by providing.

In order to achieve the above object, the method according to the present invention comprises:
A method for controlling an information processing apparatus including a plurality of types of connectors for connecting a plurality of types of devices,
A data acquisition step of acquiring input data from an input device connected to the connector;
The input data, input connector information for identifying a connector to which the input device is connected, and output connector information for identifying a connector to which an output device for outputting output data generated from the input data is connected. Transmitting to the server via the network;
In the server, the output data generated from the input data based on the input device information acquired with reference to the input connector information and the output device information acquired with reference to the output connector information. Receiving from the server via the network;
A data output step for outputting the output data received in the reception step to the output device;
It is characterized by including.

In order to achieve the above object, a program according to the present invention provides:
A control program for an information processing apparatus including a plurality of types of connectors for connecting a plurality of types of devices,
A data acquisition step of acquiring input data from an input device connected to the connector;
The input data, input connector information for identifying a connector to which the input device is connected, and output connector information for identifying a connector to which an output device for outputting output data generated from the input data is connected. Transmitting to the server via the network;
In the server, the output data generated from the input data based on the input device information acquired with reference to the input connector information and the output device information acquired with reference to the output connector information. Receiving from the server via the network;
A data output step for outputting the output data received in the reception step to the output device;
Is executed by a computer.

In order to achieve the above object, an apparatus according to the present invention provides:
A server connected to an information processing apparatus having a connector for connecting a device via a network;
An output device for outputting input data of an input device connected to a connector of the information processing apparatus, input connector information for identifying a connector to which the input device is connected, and output data generated from the input data Receiving means for receiving output connector information for identifying a connected connector from the information processing apparatus via a network;
Output data generating means for generating the output data from the input data based on the information on the input device acquired with reference to the input connector information and the information on the output device acquired with reference to the output connector information When,
Transmitting means for transmitting the output data to the information processing apparatus via the network;
It is characterized by providing.

In order to achieve the above object, the method according to the present invention comprises:
A method for controlling a server connected to an information processing apparatus having a connector for connecting a device via a network,
An output device for outputting input data of an input device connected to a connector of the information processing apparatus, input connector information for identifying a connector to which the input device is connected, and output data generated from the input data Receiving the output connector information for identifying the connected connector from the information processing apparatus via a network; and
Output data generation step for generating the output data from the input data based on the information on the input device acquired with reference to the input connector information and the information on the output device acquired with reference to the output connector information When,
Transmitting the output data to the information processing apparatus via the network;
It is characterized by including.

In order to achieve the above object, a program according to the present invention provides:
A control program for a server to be connected to an information processing apparatus having a connector for connecting a device via a network,
An output device for outputting input data of an input device connected to a connector of the information processing apparatus, input connector information for identifying a connector to which the input device is connected, and output data generated from the input data Receiving the output connector information for identifying the connected connector from the information processing apparatus via a network; and
Output data generation step for generating the output data from the input data based on the information on the input device acquired with reference to the input connector information and the information on the output device acquired with reference to the output connector information When,
Transmitting the output data to the information processing apparatus via the network;
Is executed by a computer.

In order to achieve the above object, a system according to the present invention provides
An information processing system comprising an information processing apparatus having a connector for connecting a device and a server connected to the information processing apparatus via a network,
The information processing apparatus includes:
Multiple types of connectors for connecting multiple types of devices,
Data acquisition means for acquiring input data from an input device connected to the connector;
The input data, input connector information for identifying a connector to which the input device is connected, and output connector information for identifying a connector to which an output device for outputting output data generated from the input data is connected. First transmitting means for transmitting to the server via the network;
First output means for receiving the output data generated from the input data in the server from the server via the network;
Data output means for outputting the output data received by the first receiving means to the output device;
With
The server
Second receiving means for receiving the input data, the input connector information, and the output connector information from the information processing apparatus via a network;
Output data generating means for generating the output data from the input data based on the input device information acquired with reference to the input connector information and the output device information acquired with reference to the output connector information; ,
Second transmission means for transmitting the output data to the information processing apparatus via the network;
It is characterized by providing.

In order to achieve the above object, the method according to the present invention comprises:
An information processing method of an information processing system comprising: an information processing apparatus having a plurality of types of connectors for connecting a plurality of types of devices; and a server connected to the information processing apparatus via a network,
A data acquisition step in which the information processing apparatus acquires input data from an input device connected to the connector;
The information processing apparatus identifies the input data, input connector information for identifying a connector to which the input device is connected, and a connector to which an output device for outputting output data generated from the input data is connected. Output connector information to be transmitted to the server via the network;
A second receiving step in which the server receives the input data, the input connector information, and the output connector information from the information processing apparatus via a network;
The server generates the output data from the input data based on the input device information acquired with reference to the input connector information and the output device information acquired with reference to the output connector information. A data generation step;
A second transmission step in which the server transmits the output data to the information processing apparatus via the network;
A first receiving step in which the information processing apparatus receives the output data generated from the input data in the server from the server via the network;
A data output step in which the information processing apparatus outputs the output data received in the first reception step to the output device;
It is characterized by including.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to deal with various differences in specifications between an input device and an output device.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the information processing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the information processing system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the information processing system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows the operation | movement procedure of the information processing system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the cloud server which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the relay adapter which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the communication data between the relay adapter which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and a cloud server. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of adapter DB which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of connector DB which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of device DB which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of driver DB which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of device connection DB which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of application DB which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the cloud server which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the device connection table which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the data processing in the cloud server which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of the cloud server which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the relay adapter which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the connector table which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the data processing in the relay adapter which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of the relay adapter which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the information processing system which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows the operation | movement procedure of the information processing system which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the relay adapter which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the data processing of the cloud server which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the communication data between the relay adapter which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention, and a cloud server. It is a figure which shows the structure of the connector corresponding | compatible table which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the device connection table which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the application table which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of the relay adapter which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of the cloud server which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the information processing system which concerns on 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the information processing system which concerns on 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows the operation | movement procedure of the information processing system which concerns on 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows the operation | movement procedure of the information processing system which concerns on 6th Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of application DB and application table which concern on 6th Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the components described in the following embodiments are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention only to them. For example, in the second to fifth embodiments, the component that performs data processing is a “cloud server”, but it is shown as a specific example of the server and is not limited to this.

[First Embodiment]
An information processing apparatus 100 as a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The information processing apparatus 100 is an apparatus that transmits input data from the input device 110, receives output data obtained by converting input data, and outputs the output data to the output device 120.

  As illustrated in FIG. 1, the information processing apparatus 100 includes a plurality of types of connectors 101-1 to 101-n, a data acquisition unit 102, a transmission unit 103, a reception unit 104, and a data output unit 105. . A plurality of types of devices are connected to the plurality of types of connectors 101-1 to 101-n. The data acquisition unit 102 acquires input data from the input device 110 connected to the connectors 101-1 to 101-n. The transmission unit 103 transmits the input data 103a, the input connector information 103b, and the output connector information 103c to the server 130 via the network 140. Here, the input connector information 103b is information for identifying the connector 101-1 to which the input device 110 is connected. The output connector information 103c is information for identifying the connector 101-n to which the output device 120 for outputting the output data generated from the input data is connected. The receiving unit 104 receives the output data 104a from the server 130 via the network 140. Here, the output data 104a is input to the input data 103a in the server 130 based on the information on the input device 110 acquired with reference to the input connector information 103b and the information on the output device 120 acquired with reference to the output connector information 103c. Generated from The data output unit 105 outputs the output data 104 a received by the receiving unit 104 to the output device 120.

  According to the present embodiment, in a plurality of types of devices connected to a plurality of types of connectors, the input data from any input device and the output data of any output device are supported. Can handle various specification differences between output devices.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, an information processing system according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the information processing system according to the present embodiment, a relay adapter that is an information processing apparatus having a plurality of connectors having different specifications transfers data converted by the cloud server from the connected input device to the output device. For example, only by connecting to a relay adapter, video of a DVD drive that is an input device connected to a USB connector is output to a large display that is an output device connected to a DVI connector.

  According to the present embodiment, in a plurality of types of devices connected to a plurality of types of connectors of a relay adapter, it is possible to transfer data from the input device to the output device in response to various specification differences corresponding to the connector types.

《Information processing system》
First, the configuration and operation of the information processing system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

(Description of operation)
FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the information processing system 2000 according to the present embodiment.

  In the information processing system 200 of FIG. 2, a cloud server 210, a relay adapter 220, an access point 230, a DVD drive 241 as an input device, and a large display 242 as an output device are illustrated. In this embodiment, the relay adapter 220 has a USB connector, an HDMI connector, and a DVI connector. The DVD drive 241 is connected to the USB connector, and the large display 242 is connected to the DVI connector. However, the configuration is not limited to these.

  The left diagram in FIG. 2 shows the case where the DVD drive 241 and the large display 242 are connected to the connector of the relay adapter 220. The relay adapter 220 notifies the cloud server 210 which connector is connected to the device via the access point. This notification method will be described later with reference to FIG.

  The cloud server 210 recognizes the DVD drive 241 and the large display 242 together with a connector to which the DVD drive 241 and the large display 242 are connected based on a device connection database (hereinafter, DB) 211 and selects a device driver and an application.

  As a result, in the right diagram of FIG. 2, video data read from the DVD drive 241 according to the USB protocol is transmitted to the cloud server 210. In the cloud server 210, the data is converted into output data output by the DVI protocol. Then, the video data read from the DVD drive 241 is output to the large display 242 according to the DVI protocol.

  In addition, a connector and a connection cable are not limited to these. According to the present embodiment, for example, any connector corresponding to an AV cable (pin plug cable, composite cable, D terminal cable, component cable, S terminal cable, optical digital cable, coaxial cable, etc.) can be supported. In addition, any connector corresponding to a display cable (VGA, DVI, D-Sub, Mini D-Sub, display port, etc.) can be supported. In addition, any connector corresponding to a personal computer cable (SATA, RS232C, SATA, PS / 2, MIDI) can be supported. Furthermore, the cable is not limited to a wire, and may be one using wireless technology. In this case, each connector is provided with a communication chip and an antenna, and transmission / reception data is temporarily stored in the transmission data buffer 603 and the reception data buffer 607.

(Constitution)
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the information processing system 200 according to the present embodiment.

  As illustrated in FIG. 3, the information processing system 200 includes a cloud server 210 connected via a network 340 and three rooms having IT devices. The three rooms are a living room 310 in the house, a conference room 320 in the company, and a hospital room 330 in the hospital. Note that the present invention is not limited to these.

  First, the living room 310 has the configuration shown in FIG. Next, the conference room 320 is configured with a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a PC) in which a tablet 321 is used as a display screen and a keyboard 323 connected to the USB connector of the relay adapter 322 and a pointing device 324 are combined. A corresponding virtual PC is generated in the cloud server 210 as a virtual computer. In the hospital room 330, a thermometer 333, a sphygmomanometer 334, and a pulse meter 335, which are biological information detection sensors displayed on the biological information display device 331, are connected to the RS232 connector and the USB connector of the relay adapter 332.

The cloud server 210 transfers data from an input device connected to connectors of various specifications of these various relay adapters to an output device. The cloud server 210 includes an adapter DB 312, a connector DB 313, a device DB 314, a device connection DB 211, a driver DB 315, and an application DB 316. The adapter DB 312 is used to identify the adapter connected to the device. The connector DB 313 is used for identifying the connector to which the device is connected. The device DB 314 is used to identify a device connected to the adapter connector. The device connection DB 211 is used to select a device driver and a processing application from a combination of a plurality of devices in a specific area. The driver DB 315 stores device drivers corresponding to various devices and various connectors. The application DB 316 stores application programs that realize various processing applications.
(Operation procedure)
FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an operation procedure of the information processing system 200 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 4, as shown in FIG. 2, the DVD drive 241 is connected to the USB connector of the relay adapter 220 by a USB cable, and the large display 242 is connected to the DVI connector by a DVI cable. The relay adapter 220 and the access point 230 are connected by a wired or wireless LAN network, and the access point 230 and the cloud server 210 are connected by an IP network.

  First, in step S401, the DVD drive 241 and the large display 242 are connected to the relay adapter 220. In step S403, the relay adapter 220 generates and transmits a notification packet for notifying the cloud server 210 of device connection. The notification packet includes a connector ID to which the device is connected, an adapter ID, and adapter authentication information.

  In step S405, the cloud server 210 refers to the adapter DB 312 and authenticates the relay adapter 220 using the received adapter ID and adapter authentication information. If authenticated, the cloud server 210 proceeds to step S407, refers to the connector DB 313 and the driver DB 315, selects and starts a corresponding general-purpose driver from the connector ID to which the device is connected. In step S409, the cloud server 210 acquires device information of a device connected by the general-purpose driver.

  In response to the request for device information acquisition by the general-purpose driver of the cloud server 210, the relay adapter 220 receives the device information of each connected device in step S411, generates a packet, and transmits the packet to the cloud server 210.

  In step S413, the cloud server 210 refers to the device DB 314, the driver DB 315, and the device connection DB 211, and selects a device driver and an application corresponding to the combination of connected devices from the acquired device information. In step S415, the cloud server 210 executes the selected device driver and application to generate output data from the input data.

  In response to the execution of the device driver and application of the cloud server 210, the DVD drive 241 connected to the USB connector reads data from the DVD in step S417. In step S419, the relay adapter 220 generates a packet including the data input of the DVD drive 241 and transmits the packet to the cloud server 210. The cloud server 210 converts the acquired input data into output data if necessary for the application. The converted output data is transmitted from the cloud server 210 to the relay adapter 220. In step S421, the relay adapter 220 unencapsulates the packet and outputs the data to the large display 242. In step S423, the large display outputs the received data.

<Functional configuration of cloud server>
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the cloud server 210 according to the present embodiment. Since the functions of each DB have been described above with reference to FIG. The detailed configuration of each DB is shown in FIGS. 8A to 12 below.

  The cloud server 210 includes a communication control unit 501 that communicates with the relay adapter 220 via the network 340. The adapter identification unit 502 identifies the adapter based on the adapter ID included in the packet received from the relay adapter 220 in the communication control unit 501. Then, the adapter authentication unit 503 authenticates the adapter by comparing the received adapter authentication information with the authentication information registered in the adapter DB 312.

  On the other hand, the data corresponding to each connector included in the packet received from the relay adapter 220 in the communication control unit 501 is stored in the transmission / reception data buffer 504 in association with each connector (see FIG. 14B). The connector identification unit 505 identifies the connector type connected to the device with reference to the connector DB 313 based on the connector ID of each connector. Then, the general-purpose driver selection unit 506 selects a general-purpose driver to be used corresponding to the connector type identified with reference to the driver DB 315.

  The device information acquisition unit 507 acquires device information of a device connected by the selected general-purpose driver from the transmission / reception data buffer 504 corresponding to each connector. The device recognition unit 508 recognizes the device type and the like by collating the acquired device information with the device information in the device DB 314.

The device driver selection unit 509 selects a device driver to be used with reference to the driver DB 315 based on the recognized device type. On the other hand, the application selection unit 510 selects an application to be used with reference to the device connection DB 211 from a combination of recognized device types of input / output devices. Note that a combination of device types may be referred to when selecting a device driver by the device driver selection unit 509. The program execution unit 511 executes the selected device driver and the selected application, and uses the data buffer corresponding to each connector of the transmission / reception data buffer 504 to perform data transmission / reception processing and conversion processing from input data to output data. To realize.
<< Functional configuration of relay adapter >>
FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the relay adapters 220, 322, and 332 according to the present embodiment. Since all the relay adapters have the same configuration, the relay adapter 220 will be described as a representative in the following description.

  The connector group 601 is a connector that can connect devices corresponding to various connector specifications. Although FIG. 6 shows the USB connector 601a, the HDMI connector 601b, the RS232 connector 601c, and the DVI connector 601d, the present invention is not limited to this. The cable drive circuit group 602 is a circuit that drives a connection cable such as a voltage defined corresponding to each connector.

  The transmission data buffer 603 is a buffer that temporarily stores data read from the connected input device corresponding to each connector (see FIG. 17B). This buffer temporarily stores not only input data but also connection information and connector ID transmitted at the time of device connection or device information transmitted in the device information acquisition sequence corresponding to each connector. The connector table 608 provides the connector ID to be transmitted when the device is connected to the transmission data buffer 603. The contents of the transmission data buffer 603 are encapsulated in a state where the transmission packet generation unit 604 maintains the correspondence of each connector regularly or in the event of a request from the cloud server 210 or an emergency of the relay adapter 220, and the communication control unit 605 To the cloud server 210.

  On the other hand, the received packet received from the cloud server 210 via the communication control unit 605 is unencapsulated by the received packet storage unit 606 and is similar to the transmission data buffer 603. The received data buffer 607 is stored corresponding to each connector. This buffer receives not only output data but also command information transmitted in the device information acquisition sequence, command information transmitted at the time of data input / output, and the like corresponding to each connector and temporarily stored. Data corresponding to each connector of the reception data buffer 607 is output to each device driven by the cable drive circuit group 602 and connected from the connector group 601.

《Communication data between relay adapter and cloud server》
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating communication data between the relay adapter 220 and the cloud server 210 according to the present embodiment.

  First, transfer of input data from the device will be described. Input data 701 (first connector input data, second connector input data,...) From each connector is temporarily stored in the transmission data buffer 603 of the relay adapter 220. Then, it is transmitted to the access point 230 by a packet 702 that is buffered in the order of connectors and has a header including an adapter ID. As described with reference to FIG. 6, the connector ID when the device is connected is inserted into the connector corresponding position of the packet by the relay adapter 220. When there is no access point 230 and transmission is directly made to the IP network, a TCP / IP header is added. The access point 230 collects the packets received from the relay adapters 220 and transmits an IP packet 703 with a TCP / IP header to the cloud server 210 via the IP network.

  Next, transfer of output data to the device will be described. The access point 230 attaches a TCP / IP header, unencapsulates the IP packet 704 received from the cloud server 210 via the IP network, and transmits a packet 705 including the adapter ID in the header to each relay adapter 220. The relay adapter 220 unencapsulates the packet 705 and temporarily stores data corresponding to each connector in the reception data buffer 607. Then, output data 706 (first connector output data, second connector output data,...) Corresponding to each connector is output from each connector to each device.

(Adapter DB)
FIG. 8A is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the adapter DB 312 according to the present embodiment. The configuration of the adapter DB 312 is not limited to FIG. 8A.

  The adapter DB 312 stores adapter authentication information 812 and adapter arrangement position information 813 where the adapter is arranged in association with the adapter ID 811. Note that the adapter placement position information 813 may be registered by the user or may be changed as needed by a GPS (Global Positioning System) provided in the adapter.

(Connector DB)
FIG. 8B is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the connector DB 313 according to the present embodiment. The configuration of the connector DB 313 is not limited to FIG. 8B.

  The connector DB 313 stores a connector type 822 and a connector specification 823 in association with the connector ID 821. The connector specifications include the voltage level of each signal, its allowable level, or pin assignment.

(Device DB)
FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the device DB 314 according to this embodiment. The configuration of the device DB 314 is not limited to FIG.

  The device DB 314 stores a model 902, input / output distinction 903, a prepared connection connector 904, a communication method 905 using a connection connector, various capabilities 906 such as a data transfer speed and a buffer capacity, and the like in association with the device ID 901. To do.

(Driver DB)
FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the driver DB 315 according to the present embodiment. The configuration of the driver DB 315 is not limited to FIG.

  The driver DB 315 includes a general-purpose driver storage unit 1010 that stores general-purpose drivers corresponding to connector types, and a device-driver storage unit 1020 that stores device drivers corresponding to device models and connection connectors.

  The general-purpose driver storage unit 1010 stores a general-purpose driver 1013 for acquiring device information to be used in association with the connector ID 1011 and the connector type 1012. In addition, when it is not independent from a device driver as a general purpose driver, the general purpose part of a device driver is used. Further, in the case of a device model or a connector type for which device information can be acquired directly after connecting the device, the general-purpose driver storage unit 1010 is not specified.

  The device driver storage unit 1020 stores a device driver 1024 to be used in association with the device ID 1021, the device model 1022, and the connection connector 1023. As the device driver 1024, the first device driver, the second device driver,... Are stored in the recommended order based on the use history so far. The usage history may include user satisfaction.

(Device connection DB)
FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the device connection DB 211 according to the present embodiment. Note that the configuration of the device connection DB 211 is not limited to FIG.

  The device connection DB 211 stores a connection device 1102 including an input device and an output device in association with the adapter ID 1101 of each relay adapter, and other devices 1103 in the same room or area of a predetermined distance. The connection device 1102 includes a plurality of devices, a first connection device, a second connection device,. Then, the input / output devices are used in the same region in association with the combination of the connection devices of the connection device 1102 or in association with the combination including other devices 1103 if there are other devices in the region. A history of the processing application 1104 is stored.

  For example, a video output application that outputs a DVD video to the display is stored as the processing application 1104 in response to a condition that the connection device 1102 connected to the relay adapter 220 is a DVD drive as an input device and a display as an output device. . Also, the connection device 1102 connected to the relay adapter 220 is both the keyboard and pointing device of the input device, and a virtual PC is used as the processing application 1104 in accordance with the condition that there is a smartphone or tablet in the same area (conference room). The app is remembered. In addition, a printing application for printing a photograph of a digital camera with a printer is stored as a processing application 1104 corresponding to the condition that the connection device 1102 connected to the relay adapter 220 is a printer as an output device and a digital camera as an input device. The The connection device 1102 connected to the relay adapter 332 is both a thermometer and a sphygmomanometer as input devices, and the processing application 1104 corresponds to the condition that there is a display for displaying biological information in the same area (patient room). A biometric information application for outputting the detected biometric information to the display is stored. It should be noted that a plurality of processing applications may be stored for each combination of connected devices, and prioritized according to user history, satisfaction, etc., and accumulated.

(Application DB)
FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the application DB 316 according to this embodiment. The configuration of the application DB 316 is not limited to FIG.

  The application DB 316 stores an input / output device group 1202, a first candidate driver / application group 1203, a second candidate driver / application group 1204,... In association with the processing application 1201. Here, the driver / application pair is a combination of a device driver program and an application program for realizing the same processing application, and a plurality of types of these combinations are also prioritized according to the user's history or satisfaction level. Accumulated with.

<< Hardware configuration of cloud server >>
FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the cloud server 210 according to the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 13, a CPU 1310 is an arithmetic control processor, and implements each functional component of the cloud server 210 of FIG. 5 by executing a program. The ROM 1320 stores fixed data and programs such as initial data and programs. The communication control unit 501 is a communication control unit, and in this embodiment, communicates with the relay adapters 220, 322, and 332 via the network 340. Note that the number of CPUs 1310 is not limited to one, and may be a plurality of CPUs or may include a graphics processing unit (GPU) for image processing.

  The RAM 1340 is a random access memory that the CPU 1310 uses as a work area for temporary storage. The RAM 1340 has an area for storing data necessary for realizing the present embodiment. The adapter ID / authentication information 1341 is an identifier of the relay adapter in communication and its authentication information. The connection connector information 1342 is an identifier of the connector of the relay adapter to which the device is connected. The device connection table 1343 is a table for selecting a use program from device information acquired from a device connected to the relay adapter (see FIG. 14A). The selected driver information 1344 is information on a device driver selected based on the device connection table 1343. The selected application information 1345 is information on the processing application selected based on the device connection table 1343. The transmission / reception data buffer 504 is a buffer for temporarily storing transmission / reception data with the relay adapter for each connector (see FIG. 14B).

  The storage 1350 stores a database, various parameters, or the following data or programs necessary for realizing the present embodiment. The adapter DB 312 is the database shown in FIG. 8A. The connector DB 313 is the database shown in FIG. 8B. The device DB 314 is the database shown in FIG. The driver DB 315 is the database shown in FIG. The device connection DB 211 is the database shown in FIG. The application DB 316 is the database shown in FIG.

  The storage 1350 stores the following programs. The cloud server control program 1351 is a program that controls the entire cloud server 210. The connected device group acquisition module 1352 is a module that acquires information on a device group connected to the relay adapter in the cloud server control program 1351. The driver / application selection module 1353 is a module that selects an appropriate device driver and processing application by referring to the device connection DB 211 based on the device set connected to the relay adapter in the cloud server control program 1351. The device driver program 1354 is a program selected by the driver / application selection module 1353. The processing application program 1354 is a program selected by the driver / application selection module 1353.

  Note that FIG. 13 shows only data and programs essential to the present embodiment, and data and programs not related to the present embodiment are not shown.

(Device connection table)
FIG. 14A is a diagram showing a configuration of the device connection table 1343 according to the present embodiment.

  The device connection table 1343 indicates a connection device set 1412 connected to the relay adapter in association with the adapter ID 1411, a use program set 1413 selected based on the connection device set 1412, and a process evaluation (satisfaction) 1414 by the user. Remember.

(Data processing in cloud server)
FIG. 14B is a diagram for explaining data processing in the cloud server 210 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 14B, an outline of data transfer is shown, and the detailed configuration is ignored.

  Transmission / reception of packets with each relay adapter is performed by the communication control unit 501. Each slot of the received packet includes data corresponding to each connector. The data corresponding to each connector is temporarily stored in each device input data area of the transmission / reception data buffer 504. The input data read from each device input data area is passed to the processing application in the program execution unit 511 via the input device and the device driver corresponding to the connection connector.

  On the other hand, the output data converted into the data corresponding to the output device and the connection connector corresponding to the processing application is similarly transmitted to each device of the transmission / reception data buffer 504 corresponding to each connector via the device driver corresponding to the output device and the connection connector. Temporarily stored in the output data area. The output data stored in each device output data area of the transmission / reception data buffer 504 is encapsulated as a transmission packet by the communication control unit 501 and transmitted to the relay adapter that has received the input data.

  For example, an input / output process as indicated by a thick line in FIG. 14B is realized. Assume that an input device is connected to the first connector of the relay adapter and an output device is connected to the second connector. Input data from the input device connected to the first connector of the relay adapter is extracted from the received packet and temporarily stored in the first device input data area of the transmission / reception data buffer 504. Then, it is passed to the first processing application via the corresponding device driver. The output data processed by the first processing application is temporarily stored in the second device output data area of the transmission / reception data buffer 504. The transmission packet is encapsulated together with the data of other connectors and transmitted to the relay adapter. Further, it is assumed that an input device is connected to the nth connector of the relay adapter and an output device is connected to the n−1th connector. Input data from an input device connected to the nth connector of the relay adapter is extracted from the received packet and temporarily stored in the nth device input data area of the transmission / reception data buffer 504. Then, it is passed to the second processing application via the corresponding device driver. The output data processed by the second processing application is temporarily stored in the area of the (n−1) th device output data in the transmission / reception data buffer 504. The transmission packet is encapsulated together with the data of other connectors and transmitted to the relay adapter.

《Cloud server processing procedure》
FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the cloud server 210 according to the present embodiment. This flowchart is executed by the CPU 1310 in FIG. 13 using the RAM 1340, and implements the functional configuration unit in FIG.

  First, in step S1511, it is determined whether a notification of device connection from the relay adapter is received. In step S1521, it is determined whether device information of a device connected to the relay adapter is received. In step S1531, it is determined whether or not input data is received from a device connected to the relay adapter. In step S1541, it is determined whether or not output data is to be transmitted to a device connected to the relay adapter.

  If it is a device connection notification, the process advances to step S1513 to acquire the adapter ID of the relay adapter and the connection connector ID to which the device is connected. Next, in step S1515, a general-purpose driver corresponding to the connection connector ID is selected with reference to the driver DB 315. Then, the selected general-purpose driver is activated to acquire device information of the device connected to the relay adapter.

  If device information is received, the process advances to step S1523 to analyze the device set by referring to the device DB 314 from the acquired device information. Next, in step S1525, a device driver is selected with reference to the device connection DB 211 based on the device set. In step S1527, based on the device set, a processing application is selected with reference to the device connection DB 211. In step S1529, the selected device driver and processing application are activated.

  If the input data is received, the process advances to step S1533 to temporarily store the input data of the received packet received from the relay adapter in the input data buffer (corresponding to the connection connector) of the corresponding device. Next, in step S1535, the input data read from the input data buffer of the corresponding device is processed by the processing application to generate output data. In step S1537, the processed output data is temporarily stored in the output data buffer (corresponding to the connection connector) of the corresponding device.

  If the output data is to be transmitted, the process proceeds to step S1543, and the output data temporarily stored in the output data buffer of the corresponding device is acquired. In step S1545, the transmission packet encapsulated together with the output data to another connector is transmitted to the relay adapter that has received the input data.

<< Hardware configuration of relay adapter >>
FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the relay adapters 220, 322, and 332 according to the present embodiment. Since the configuration of any relay adapter is the same, the relay adapter 220 will be described as a representative.

  In FIG. 16, a CPU 1610 is a processor for arithmetic control, and implements each functional component of the relay adapter 220 of FIG. 6 by executing a program. The ROM 1620 stores fixed data and programs such as initial data and programs. The communication control unit 605 is a communication control unit, and in the present embodiment, communicates with the cloud server 210 via a network. Note that the CPU 1610 is not limited to one, and may be a plurality of CPUs or may include a GPU for image processing.

  The RAM 1640 is a random access memory that the CPU 1610 uses as a work area for temporary storage. The RAM 1640 has an area for storing data necessary for realizing the present embodiment. The transmission data buffer 603 is a buffer that temporarily stores data to be transmitted to the cloud server 210 input from devices connected to each connector. The reception data buffer 607 is a buffer for temporarily storing data received from the cloud server 210 that is output to the device connected to each connector. The transmission packet 1641 is a transmission packet that is transmitted to the cloud server 210 generated by encapsulating the transmission data in the transmission data buffer 603. A received packet 1642 is a received packet received from the cloud server 210.

  The storage 1650 stores a database, various parameters, or the following data or programs necessary for realizing the present embodiment. The connector table 608 is a table that stores the connectors equipped in the relay adapter 220 in an identifiable manner (see FIG. 17A). The storage 1650 stores the following programs. The adapter control program 1651 is a control program that controls the entire relay adapter 220. The data input / output module 1652 is a module that controls data input / output of devices connected to the connector group 601 in the adapter control program 1651. The packet transmission / reception module 1653 is a module that controls transmission / reception of transmission / reception packets via the communication control unit 605 in the adapter control program 1651.

  Further, the relay adapter 220 includes a connector group 601 for connecting devices and a cable drive circuit group 602 for driving a cable connected to each connector. Although not shown, the relay adapter 220 may have a GPS position calculation unit.

  Note that FIG. 16 shows only data and programs essential to the present embodiment, and data and programs not related to the present embodiment are not shown.

(Connector table)
FIG. 17A is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the connector table 608 according to the present embodiment.

  The connector table 608 stores a connector ID / type 1712, a connector specification 1713, a device connection flag 1714, and a data buffer address 1715 in association with the connector number 1711 in the relay adapter. The device connection flag 1714 is turned ON when the device is connected, and the transmission / reception data buffer can be used. The data buffer address 1715 is normally fixed to the connector number, but the buffer position and buffer size may be changed by the user.

(Data processing in relay adapter)
FIG. 17B is a diagram for explaining data processing in the relay adapter 220 according to the present embodiment. Note that FIG. 17B shows an outline of data transfer, and details of the configuration are ignored. Also, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same data as in FIG.

  First, data transfer in which input data from a device connected to the connector is transmitted to the cloud server 210 will be described. The input data (701) of each connector in FIG. 7 is temporarily stored in the transmission data buffer 603. 17B, the transmission data buffer 603 includes first connector input data, second connector input data,..., Nth connector input data. Each of these input data is encapsulated as a packet 702. Note that “E” at the head of each input data in the packet 702 is an enable bit, indicating that the input data of this slot is significant. When the enable bit E is OFF, the cloud server 210 ignores it.

  Next, data transfer for outputting output data received from the cloud server 210 to a device connected to the connector will be described. The configuration of the packet 705 received from the cloud server 210 is the same as that of the packet 702 only by changing input data to output data. Also in the packet 705, when the enable bit E is OFF, the relay adapter 220 ignores it. The output data of each slot is temporarily stored in the reception data buffer 607 corresponding to each connector. In FIG. 17B, the reception data buffer 607 includes first connector output data, second connector output data,..., Nth connector output data. Output data (706) corresponding to each connector of the reception data buffer 607 is output to a device connected to the connector.

《Relay adapter processing procedure》
FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the relay adapter 220 according to the present embodiment. This flowchart is executed by the CPU 1610 of FIG. 16 using the RAM 1640, and implements the functional configuration unit of FIG.

  First, in step S1811, it is determined whether the device is connected to the connector. In step S1821, it is determined whether or not a packet is received from the cloud server 210. In step S1831, it is determined whether the packet is transmitted to the cloud server 210 or not.

  If the device is connected to the connector, the process advances to step S1813 to set the device connection flag 1714 of the connector table 608 to ON. Next, the transmission / reception data buffer corresponding to the connector is enabled. Then, the device connection flag and the connector ID are temporarily stored in the transmission data buffer. In step S1819, the packet including the device connection flag and the connector ID is transmitted to the slot in the packet corresponding to the connector to the cloud server 210. Thus, at the time of device connection, the device connection and connector ID are transmitted by the connector corresponding slot of the transmission packet. And notify.

  If the packet is received from the cloud server 210, the process proceeds to step S1823, and the received packet is unencapsulated. The received data is temporarily stored in each received data buffer corresponding to the connector together with the enable bit E.

  If the packet is transmitted to the cloud server 210, the process advances to step S1833 to encapsulate the data in the transmission data buffer together with the enable bit E. In step S1835, the packet is transmitted to the cloud server 210.

In addition, reading from the reception data buffer for data output to the connected device via the connector, or storing the data from the connected device in the transmission data buffer via the connector depends on the specifications of each connector and connected device. Done in response.
[Third Embodiment]
Next, an information processing system according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the information processing system according to the present embodiment, the relay adapter that is an information processing apparatus is different from the second embodiment in that it includes an operation unit that associates a connected input device with an output device. Since other configurations and operations are the same as those of the second embodiment, the same configurations and operations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  According to the present embodiment, in a plurality of types of devices connected to a plurality of types of connectors of the relay adapter, a difference in various specifications corresponding to the connector types is dealt with, and the input device associated with the user is changed to the output device. Data transfer is possible.

《Information processing system》
First, the configuration and operation of the information processing system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 and 20.

(Constitution)
FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the information processing system 1900 according to this embodiment. In FIG. 19, the same components as those in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

  An information processing system 1900 in FIG. 19 includes a cloud server 1910, a relay adapter 1920, an access point 230, a DVD drive 1971 and an HDD drive 1972 as input devices, and a television (hereinafter referred to as TV) 1973 as an output device. And 1974 are shown.

  In this embodiment, the relay adapter 1920 is equipped with a plurality of different connectors 1921 of A to H and a to h. The relay adapter 1920 is a device having a power cord 1924 independently. The access point 230 communicates with the antenna 1923. Further, the relay adapter 1920 displays the icon of the connected device on the device connection display unit 1922 having a display screen, and the user can associate the input device with the output device.

  For example, in FIG. 19, the DVD drive 1971 is connected to the connector B, the HDD drive 1972 is connected to the connector C, the TV 1973 is connected to the connector c, and the TV 1973 is connected to the connector h. In the device connection display unit 1922 having a display screen, the user sets data output to the TV 1973 of the connector c using the DVD drive 1971 of the connector B as an input device, and is displayed by an arrow. On the other hand, the user sets data output to the TV 1974 of the connector h using the HDD drive 1972 of the connector C as an input device, and is displayed by an arrow on the device connection display unit 1922 having a display screen.

Thus, the combination of the input device and the output device set by the user in the relay adapter 1920 is notified to the cloud server 1910, and the cloud server 1910 performs data processing according to the combination.
(Operation procedure)
FIG. 20 is a sequence diagram showing an operation procedure of the information processing system 1900 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 20, a DVD drive 1971 and a TV 1973 will be described as an example. In addition, since it demonstrated in 2nd Embodiment, description of the detailed exchange of data transfer is abbreviate | omitted.

  First, in steps S2001 and S2003, connector connection of each device is detected. In step S2005, the detected device connection and connector are notified to the cloud server 1910. In steps S2007 and S2009, the cloud server 1910 requests and acquires device information of each connected device.

  As a result, an icon of the connected device is displayed on the device connection display unit 1922 having the display screen of the relay adapter 1920. When the user designates an input device and an output device to be associated, the relay adapter 1920 acquires an input / output relationship in step S2013. In step S2015, the acquired input / output relationship is transmitted to the cloud server 1910. In step S2017, the cloud server 1910 generates a buffer for input / output data. In step S2019, a device driver corresponding to the connected device is acquired from the device information and activated.

  When communication with the device via the relay adapter 1920 is established from the cloud server 1910, the cloud server 1910 encapsulates a command for requesting data input from the DVD drive 1971 into a slot in the packet corresponding to the connector in step S2021. The packet is transmitted to the relay adapter 1920. The relay adapter 1920 unencapsulates the packet and outputs a data input request to the DVD drive 1971. In response to the data input request, the DVD drive 1971 reads input data. In step S2025, the relay adapter 1920 encapsulates the read input data and transmits the packet to the cloud server 1910. In step S2027, the cloud server 1910 unencapsulates the received packet and acquires input data from the DVD drive 1971. In step S2029, the data is stored in an input buffer from the DVD drive 1971.

  In step S2031, the cloud server 1910 converts input data from the DVD drive 1971 stored in the input buffer into data suitable for the TV 1973 as an output device. In step S2033, the data is transferred to a buffer for output to the TV 1973. In step S2035, the data including the transferred output data to the TV 1973 in the corresponding packet is encapsulated, and the packet is transmitted to the relay adapter 1920. In step S2037, the relay adapter 1920 unencapsulates the received packet and sends the acquired output data to the TV 1973. When the output data from the relay adapter is normally received, the TV 1973 returns an ACK (Acknowledgement) signal. In step S2039, the relay adapter 1920 encapsulates the ACK signal into the slot in the packet corresponding to the connector, and transmits the packet to the cloud server 1910.

  By such a procedure, data from the DVD drive 1971 connected to the relay adapter 1920 and correlated with each other by the user can be output to the TV 1973.

<< Functional configuration of relay adapter >>
FIG. 21 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the relay adapter 1920 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 21, the main differences from FIG. 6 of the second embodiment are the display of device connection on the device connection display unit 1922 and the setting of the input / output relationship by the user. Therefore, in FIG. 21, the different portions are illustrated in detail, but other functional components are illustrated in a simplified manner.

  The connectors A to H and a to h are connected to the input buffer 2101 and the output buffer 2102. The input data temporarily stored in the input buffer 2101 is encapsulated in the packet generation unit 2104 and transmitted from the packet transmission / reception unit 2105 to the cloud server 1910. The packet received by the packet transmitting / receiving unit 2105 from the cloud server 1910 is unencapsulated by the packet decomposing unit 2106 and temporarily stored in the output buffer 2102.

  From the output data unencapsulated by the packet decomposing unit 2106, the device connection storage unit 2107 acquires information related to device connection and stores it in the device connection table 2107 (FIG. 24B). Then, an icon corresponding to the connected device is displayed on the device connection display unit 1922. In the device connection display unit 1922, when the user sets a device to be input / output related, the connector correspondence instruction unit 2103 acquires the user setting, stores it in the connector correspondence table 2103a (see FIG. 24A), To display the relationship. Then, the contents of the connector correspondence table 2103a are encapsulated by the packet generation unit 2104 and notified to the cloud server 1910. The cloud server 1910 acquires the correspondence between the input device and the output device based on the connector correspondence information.

《Data processing of information processing system》
FIG. 22 is a diagram for explaining data processing in the cloud server 1910 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 22, the flow of data transfer is shown in a simplified manner. Therefore, FIG. 22 is understood in more detail by referring to FIG. 13B of the second embodiment. In FIG. 22, data conversion processing by the processing application is omitted.

  The packet received from the relay adapter 1920 is unencapsulated by the packet decomposing unit 2201, decomposed into input data for each connector, and temporarily stored in the input buffer 2202. Input data is acquired from each buffer by the corresponding driver 2203. The input data is connected to the driver 2206 and the buffer 2207 corresponding to the connector of the output device by the switching of the switch 2204 corresponding to the input / output relationship of the connected device by the control unit 2205. Then, it is encapsulated by the packet generator 2208 together with the output data to other connectors, and the packet is transmitted to the relay adapter 1920.

(Communication data between relay adapter and cloud server)
FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating communication data 2300 between the relay adapter 1920 and the cloud server 1910 according to the present embodiment. Note that the configuration of the communication data 2300 is not limited to FIG.

  In the second embodiment, the enable bit E is added to each data slot. However, in this example, the enable bits are collected in the enable bit area 2301 to indicate whether the data is significant. Therefore, the data area 2302 is the same as that of the second embodiment except that there is no enable bit E.

(Connector correspondence table)
FIG. 24A is a diagram showing a configuration of the connector correspondence table 2103a according to the present embodiment.

  In the connector correspondence table 2103a, the input / output relationship of each of the connectors A to H and a to h provided in the relay adapter 1920 is indicated by ◯. In this way, the input / output relationship set by the user is stored and notified to the cloud server 1910.

(Device connection table)
FIG. 24B is a diagram showing a configuration of a device connection table 2107a according to the present embodiment.

  The device connection table 2107a stores the connector specifications and the name of the device (ID) that has been connected for reduction for each of the connectors A to H and a to h that the relay adapter 1920 is equipped with. With reference to the device connection table 2107a, an icon is displayed on the device connection display unit 1922.

(Application table)
FIG. 25 is a diagram showing a configuration of the application table 2500 according to the present embodiment.

  The application table 2500 stores each application (indicated by AP1, AP2,...) And a set of a connector and a connection device of the relay adapter 1920 that are processed by the application.

《Relay adapter processing procedure》
FIG. 26 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of the relay adapter 1920 according to the present embodiment. When the CPU of the relay adapter 1920 executes this flowchart, the functional configuration unit of FIG. 21 is realized.

  First, in step S2601, a connection of a device to the connector is awaited. If there is a device connection, the process advances to step S2603 to notify the cloud server 1910 of the connection connector together with the connection information. In step S2605, the device waits for reception of device information acquired by the cloud server 1910. In the device information acquisition procedure by the cloud server 1910, the relay adapter 1920 relays data, but it is omitted here because it is data through. When the device information is received, in step S2607, the connected device is displayed with an icon, and the cloud server 1910 is instructed to set the user corresponding to the connector correspondence of the input / output device.

《Cloud server processing procedure》
FIG. 27 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the cloud server 1910 according to the present embodiment. When the CPU of the cloud server 1910 executes this flowchart, the data transfer in FIG. 22 is realized.

  First, in step S2701, reception of a device connection from the relay adapter 1920 is awaited. If the device connection is received, the process proceeds to step S2703, and the connector information to which the notified device is connected is acquired. Next, in step S2705, connected device information is acquired. In step S2707, the acquired device information is notified to the relay adapter 1920, and a reception corresponding to the connector is awaited. When the connector correspondence set by the user using the relay adapter 1920 is received from the relay adapter 1920, in step S2709, communication establishment processing and application activation are performed according to the connector and device connection.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Next, an information processing system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the information processing system according to the present embodiment, the relay adapter, which is an information processing apparatus, has a function of an operation unit that associates a connected input device with an output device, as compared with the second and third embodiments. It is different in point. Since other configurations and operations are the same as those of the second and third embodiments, the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations and operations, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

  According to this embodiment, in a plurality of types of devices connected to a plurality of types of connectors of a relay adapter, an input associated with a user using a mobile terminal in response to a difference in various specifications corresponding to the connector type Data can be transferred from the device to the output device.

<Configuration of information processing system>
FIG. 28 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information processing system 2800 according to this embodiment. 28, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the second embodiment and FIG. 19 of the third embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

  The information processing system 2800 includes a smartphone 2850 that is connected by a USB cable 2821 from the relay adapter 2820 and communicates with the cloud server 1910 via the network 340. A screen on which the user sets the input / output relationship of the connected device that the relay adapter 1920 of the third embodiment has is displayed on the display screen 2851 of the smartphone 2850. The user can set the input / output relationship of the connected device from the display screen 2851 of the smartphone 2850. FIG. 28 shows an example in which a scanner 2831 and a printer 2832 are connected to the relay adapter 2820.

[Fifth Embodiment]
Next, an information processing system according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the information processing system according to the present embodiment, the relay adapter, which is an information processing apparatus, differs from the second and fourth embodiments in that the input device and the output device are connected to a USB hub. Since other configurations and operations are the same as those of the second and third embodiments, the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations and operations, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

  According to the present embodiment, a relay adapter that integrates a plurality of types of devices connected to a plurality of types of connectors with a USB hub addresses various specifications corresponding to the connector type, and changes from an input device to an output device. Data transfer is possible.

《Information processing system》
With reference to FIGS. 29 and 30, the configuration and operation of the information processing system according to the present embodiment will be described.

(Constitution)
FIG. 29 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an information processing system 2900 according to the present embodiment. 28, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the second embodiment, FIG. 19 of the third embodiment, and FIG. 28 of the fourth embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted. To do.

  In FIG. 29, the relay adapter includes a USB hub 2960 and a DVI-USB conversion unit 2971 and ATA-USB conversion unit 2972 connected to the USB hub 2960. The conversion unit is not limited to these.

Note that there are various conversion units as described below, and these may be used to connect to the smartphone 2850 via HDMI and connect each conversion unit to the HDMI hub. For example, the following conversion can be used.
-HDMI-> DVI conversion-HDMI-> VGA conversion-HDMI-> D terminal conversion-HDMI-> Component (Y / Pb / Pr) conversion (Operation procedure)
FIG. 30 is a sequence diagram showing an operation procedure of the information processing system 2900 according to this embodiment. In FIG. 30, corresponding to FIG. 29, the device A is connected to the DVI-USB conversion unit 2971 with a DVI cable, and the device B is connected to the ATA-USB conversion unit 2972 with an ATA cable. Each conversion unit and the USB hub 2960 and between the USB hub 2960 and the smartphone 2850 are connected by a USB cable. It is assumed that device A is an output device and device B is an input device.

  First, in step S3001, the cloud server 1910 provides an application to the smartphone 2850. The smartphone 2850 activates the provided application.

  Thereafter, in step S3005, the device B is connected to the ATA-USB conversion unit 2972. In step S3007, the ATA-USB conversion unit 2972 generates a USB packet of device information. In step S3009, the data is transmitted to the smartphone 2850 via the USB hub 2960. In step S3011, the device A is connected to the DVI-USB conversion unit 2971. In step S3013, the DVI-USB conversion unit 2971 generates a USB packet of device information. In step S3015, the data is transmitted to the smartphone 2850 via the USB hub 2960.

  In step S3017, the smartphone 2850 buffers the acquired device information. In step S3019, when the correspondence of the input / output relationship of the device from the user is set, in step S3021, the device information and the device correspondence information are transmitted to the cloud server 1910.

  In step S3023, the cloud server 1910 activates a driver corresponding to the device. Then, the device B which is an input device is instructed to input data. The data input instruction is signal-converted by the ATA-USB conversion unit 2972 and transmitted to the device B in step S3025. In response to the data input instruction, device B reads data in step S3027. In step S3029, the read data is converted into a USB packet by the ATA-USB conversion unit 2972 and transmitted to the smartphone 2850. In step S <b> 3031, the smartphone 2850 buffers input data and transmits it to the cloud server 1910.

  When the cloud server 1910 acquires the input data in step S3033, in step S3035, the cloud server 1910 performs data processing using the corresponding application and generates output data. In step S3037, the cloud server 1910 activates a driver corresponding to the output device and instructs the device A to output data. In step S3039, the data output instruction is signal-converted by the DVI-USB conversion unit 2971 and transmitted to the device A. Subsequently, the cloud server 1910 transmits output data to the smartphone 2850 in step S3041. In step S3039, the smartphone 2850 buffers the output data and transmits the output data to the device A using a USB packet. The USB packet of the output data is signal-converted by the DVI-USB conversion unit 2971 and transmitted to the device A in step S3043. In step S3035, the device A outputs the received data.

[Sixth Embodiment]
Next, an information processing system according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the information processing system according to the present embodiment, the relay adapter, which is an information processing apparatus, differs from the second and fifth embodiments in that it processes all or part of input data from the input device. In this embodiment, the relay adapter performs decompression processing of the compressed moving image, but is not limited to decompression processing. Since other configurations and operations are the same as those of the second and third embodiments, the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations and operations, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

  According to the present embodiment, it is possible to transfer data from an input device to an output device by dealing with differences in various specifications corresponding to connector types by simple data processing by a relay adapter having a plurality of types of connectors.

<< Operation procedure of information processing system >>
FIG. 31 is a sequence diagram showing an operation procedure of the information processing system 3100 according to this embodiment. FIG. 31 shows the operation procedure of the three types of information processing systems 3100, but is not limited to this. Each operation procedure briefly shows the characteristics of data transfer in the present embodiment. In the information processing system 3100 according to the present embodiment, the DVD drive 3141 is connected to the USB connector of the relay adapter 3120, and the TV 3142 is connected to the DVI connector. The relay adapter 3120 is connected to a smartphone 3150 using a USB cable, and can be connected to the cloud server 3110 via an IP network.

  First, an example in which the relay adapter 3120 performs simple data processing and transfers data from the input device to the output device without the help of the smartphone 3150 or the cloud server 3110 will be described. In step S <b> 3111, the relay adapter 3120 acquires input data that is a compressed moving image read from the DVD drive 3141. Next, in step S3113, the relay adapter 3120 decompresses the compressed moving image data to generate output data. In step S3115, the relay adapter 3120 outputs the decompressed moving image to the TV 3142. Note that the video decompression application may be stored in the relay adapter 3120 or downloaded from the cloud server 3110 in advance.

  Next, an example will be described in which the relay adapter 3120 passes data and the smartphone 3150 performs simple data processing to transfer data from the input device to the output device without the help of the cloud server 3110. In step S <b> 3121, the smartphone 3150 acquires the input data that is the compressed moving image read from the DVD drive 3141 via the relay adapter 3120. Next, in step S3123, the smartphone 3150 decompresses the compressed moving image data. Subsequently, in step S <b> 3125, the smartphone 3150 processes the decompressed moving image data to generate output data. In step S3127, the smartphone 3150 relays the decompressed and processed video to the TV 3142 via the relay adapter 3120. Note that the moving image decompression application and the moving image processing application may be stored in advance in the smartphone 3150 or downloaded from the cloud server 3110.

  Finally, an example will be described in which the relay adapter 3120 passes data, the smartphone 3150 performs simple data processing, and further performs processing of the cloud server 3110 to transfer data from the input device to the output device. In step S 3131, the smartphone 3150 acquires the input data that is the compressed moving image read from the DVD drive 3141 via the relay adapter 3120. Next, in step S3133, the smartphone 3150 decompresses the compressed moving image data. Subsequently, in step S3135, the smartphone 3150 processes the decompressed moving image data to generate output data. In step S3137, the decompressed and processed video is transmitted to the cloud server 3110 via the IP network. In step S3139, the cloud server 3110 edits the received moving image. Then, the cloud server 3110 relays the edited video to the TV 3142 via the smartphone 3150 and the relay adapter 3120.

(Application DB and application table)
FIG. 32 is a diagram showing the configuration of the application DB 3210 and the application table 3220 according to this embodiment. 32, the application DB 3210 has a configuration in which items are added to FIG. 12 of the second embodiment, and the application table 3220 has a configuration in which items are added to FIG. 25 of the third embodiment. Are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

  For the processing application 1201, the application DB 3210 further includes a combination of a third candidate driver / application combination executed by the cloud server 3110 and a candidate proxy (relay driver / application) executed by the relay adapter 3120 or the smartphone 3150. 3205 is added. The candidate proxies (relay drivers / applications) are downloaded from the cloud server 3110 to the relay adapter 3120 and the smartphone 3150 and executed, and a part of the data processing, or all of the simple processing, is executed. For example, as shown in FIG. 31, decompression of a compressed moving image is included in simple processing.

  Similarly, in the application table 3220, in addition to the applications (AP1, AP2,...), Proxy applications (proxy AP1, proxy AP2,. Remember. This proxy application is also downloaded from the cloud server 3110 to the relay adapter 3120 or the smartphone 3150 and executed.

[Other Embodiments]
Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Various changes that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope of the present invention. In addition, a system or an apparatus in which different features included in each embodiment are combined in any way is also included in the scope of the present invention.

  In addition, the present invention may be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices, or may be applied to a single device. Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied to a case where a control program that realizes the functions of the embodiments is supplied directly or remotely to a system or apparatus. Therefore, in order to realize the functions of the present invention on a computer, a control program installed in the computer, a medium storing the control program, and a WWW (World Wide Web) server that downloads the control program are also included in the scope of the present invention. include.

Claims (17)

Multiple types of connectors for connecting multiple types of devices,
Data acquisition means for acquiring input data from an input device connected to the connector;
The input data, input connector information for identifying a connector to which the input device is connected, and output connector information for identifying a connector to which an output device for outputting output data generated from the input data is connected. Transmitting means for transmitting to the server via the network;
The output data generated from the input data in the server based on the information on the input device acquired with reference to the input connector information and the information on the output device acquired with reference to the output connector information. Receiving means for receiving from the server via the network;
Data output means for outputting the output data received by the receiving means to the output device;
An information processing apparatus comprising: Further comprising setting means for setting a set of the input device and the output device;
2. The transmission unit according to claim 1, wherein the transmission unit transmits the combination of the input connector information and the output connector information based on the combination of the input device and the output device set by the setting unit. Information processing device. The information processing device includes a relay device having the plurality of types of connectors, and a portable terminal that controls communication between the relay device and the server,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the setting unit is included in the mobile terminal.   The relay device includes a plurality of conversion units that connect different cables to convert signals, and a hub that transmits a plurality of signals from the plurality of conversion units to the portable terminal using one cable. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmission unit further transmits authentication information for authenticating the information processing apparatus. The transmission means transmits each input data of each device connected to the plurality of types of connectors as a packet set in a slot corresponding to the connector,
The receiving means receives each output data of each device connected to the plurality of types of connectors as a packet set in a slot corresponding to the connector,
The transmitting means transmits the input data, the input connector information, or the output connector information by a slot corresponding to the connector in the packet, and the receiving means corresponds to the connector in the packet. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output data is received by a slot.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a data processing unit that performs at least partial processing in generating the output data from the input data. A method for controlling an information processing apparatus including a plurality of types of connectors for connecting a plurality of types of devices,
A data acquisition step of acquiring input data from an input device connected to the connector;
The input data, input connector information for identifying a connector to which the input device is connected, and output connector information for identifying a connector to which an output device for outputting output data generated from the input data is connected. Transmitting to the server via the network;
In the server, the output data generated from the input data based on the input device information acquired with reference to the input connector information and the output device information acquired with reference to the output connector information. Receiving from the server via the network;
A data output step for outputting the output data received in the reception step to the output device;
A method for controlling an information processing apparatus, comprising: A control program for an information processing apparatus including a plurality of types of connectors for connecting a plurality of types of devices,
A data acquisition step of acquiring input data from an input device connected to the connector;
The input data, input connector information for identifying a connector to which the input device is connected, and output connector information for identifying a connector to which an output device for outputting output data generated from the input data is connected. Transmitting to the server via the network;
In the server, the output data generated from the input data based on the input device information acquired with reference to the input connector information and the output device information acquired with reference to the output connector information. Receiving from the server via the network;
A data output step for outputting the output data received in the reception step to the output device;
A control program for causing a computer to execute. A server connected to an information processing apparatus having a connector for connecting a device via a network;
An output device for outputting input data of an input device connected to a connector of the information processing apparatus, input connector information for identifying a connector to which the input device is connected, and output data generated from the input data Receiving means for receiving output connector information for identifying a connected connector from the information processing apparatus via a network;
Output data generating means for generating the output data from the input data based on the information on the input device acquired with reference to the input connector information and the information on the output device acquired with reference to the output connector information When,
Transmitting means for transmitting the output data to the information processing apparatus via the network;
A server comprising: A method for controlling a server connected to an information processing apparatus having a connector for connecting a device via a network,
An output device for outputting input data of an input device connected to a connector of the information processing apparatus, input connector information for identifying a connector to which the input device is connected, and output data generated from the input data Receiving the output connector information for identifying the connected connector from the information processing apparatus via a network; and
Output data generation step for generating the output data from the input data based on the information on the input device acquired with reference to the input connector information and the information on the output device acquired with reference to the output connector information When,
Transmitting the output data to the information processing apparatus via the network;
A server control method comprising: A control program for a server to be connected to an information processing apparatus having a connector for connecting a device via a network,
An output device for outputting input data of an input device connected to a connector of the information processing apparatus, input connector information for identifying a connector to which the input device is connected, and output data generated from the input data Receiving the output connector information for identifying the connected connector from the information processing apparatus via a network; and
Output data generation step for generating the output data from the input data based on the information on the input device acquired with reference to the input connector information and the information on the output device acquired with reference to the output connector information When,
Transmitting the output data to the information processing apparatus via the network;
A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for controlling a server. An information processing system comprising an information processing apparatus having a connector for connecting a device and a server connected to the information processing apparatus via a network,
The information processing apparatus includes:
Multiple types of connectors for connecting multiple types of devices,
Data acquisition means for acquiring input data from an input device connected to the connector;
The input data, input connector information for identifying a connector to which the input device is connected, and output connector information for identifying a connector to which an output device for outputting output data generated from the input data is connected. First transmitting means for transmitting to the server via the network;
First output means for receiving the output data generated from the input data in the server from the server via the network;
Data output means for outputting the output data received by the first receiving means to the output device;
With
The server
Second receiving means for receiving the input data, the input connector information, and the output connector information from the information processing apparatus via a network;
Output data generating means for generating the output data from the input data based on the input device information acquired with reference to the input connector information and the output device information acquired with reference to the output connector information; ,
Second transmission means for transmitting the output data to the information processing apparatus via the network;
An information processing system comprising: The first transmission means further transmits authentication information for authenticating the information processing apparatus,
The server includes generation means for generating a virtual computer in which the input device connected to the connector included in the information processing apparatus and the output device are connected if the information processing apparatus is authenticated. The information processing system according to claim 13. The first transmission means transmits each input data of each device connected to the plurality of types of connectors as a packet set in a slot corresponding to the connector,
The second transmission means transmits each output data of each device connected to the plurality of types of connectors as a packet set in a slot corresponding to the connector,
The first transmitting means transmits the input data, the input connector information, or the output connector information by a slot corresponding to the connector in the packet, and the second transmitting means is configured to transmit the input data, the input connector information, or the output connector information. The information processing system according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the output data is transmitted by a slot corresponding to a connector.   The information processing system according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the information processing apparatus further includes data processing means for performing at least partial processing in generating the output data from the input data. An information processing method of an information processing system comprising: an information processing apparatus having a plurality of types of connectors for connecting a plurality of types of devices; and a server connected to the information processing apparatus via a network,
A data acquisition step in which the information processing apparatus acquires input data from an input device connected to the connector;
The information processing apparatus identifies the input data, input connector information for identifying a connector to which the input device is connected, and a connector to which an output device for outputting output data generated from the input data is connected. Output connector information to be transmitted to the server via the network;
A second receiving step in which the server receives the input data, the input connector information, and the output connector information from the information processing apparatus via a network;
The server generates the output data from the input data based on the input device information acquired with reference to the input connector information and the output device information acquired with reference to the output connector information. A data generation step;
A second transmission step in which the server transmits the output data to the information processing apparatus via the network;
A first receiving step in which the information processing apparatus receives the output data generated from the input data in the server from the server via the network;
A data output step in which the information processing apparatus outputs the output data received in the first reception step to the output device;
An information processing method comprising:

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