JP2000004244A - Resource reservation managing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a resource reservation managing device for the time management of network resources such as bands or channels for enabling the reserved transfer of data between AV equipment. SOLUTION: A user of resources requests the reservation of the resources to a resource reservation managing device 101. At the resource reservation managing device 101, while referring to a band reservation managing table 102 and a channel reservation managing table 103, it is discriminated whether the allocation of bands and channels is possible at the requested time or not. When they can be secured at the requested time, the permission of the resource reservation is returned through a network 1206 to the user. Further, time is managed by a timer device 106 and at the reserved time, the effect is reported to the user. Then, the user transfers the data while using the designated channel at the permitted time within the permitted band.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a resource reservation management system for managing resources such as a band and a channel with time in order to enable a reserved transfer of a data stream between AV devices in an AV network to which AV devices are connected. It concerns the device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional resource management device, for example,
There is an isochronous resource manager of the IEEE 1394 standard. The isochronous resource manager does not manage resources in the future in consideration of time, but only manages current resources.

Hereinafter, a conventional resource management device will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a configuration diagram of a conventional resource management device. 12, reference numeral 1201 denotes a resource management device; 1202, a bandwidth management table; 1203, a channel management table; 1204, a control unit; 1205, a network interface;
The resource management device 1201 has a role of managing resources of the network 1206 and ensuring transfer of an AV data stream. The resources to be managed mainly include bands and channels.

[0004] Upon receiving a bandwidth allocation request from a user via the network interface 1205, the resource management device 1201 first reads the current free bandwidth stored in the bandwidth management table 1202 and compares it with the requested bandwidth. If the bandwidth can be allocated, the control unit 120
No. 4 gives an assignment permission to the user via the network 1206. When receiving a channel assignment request, the channel management unit 1203 reads the status of each channel from the channel management table 1203, searches for a free channel, and notifies the user of the channel. At the same time, both tables are updated. The user
The AV data stream is transferred using the designated channel within the permitted band.

FIG. 13 shows a configuration example of a band management table and a channel management table. In FIG.
1 is an example of a band management table, and 1302 is an example of a channel management table. The bandwidth management table 1202 stores the current free bandwidth. Bandwidth management table example 1301
, The free bandwidth is 70 Mbps and the bandwidth in use is 30 Mbps
bps. In addition, there may be cases where the entire band, the used band for each channel, and the like are stored. The channel management table 1203 stores the use state for each channel. In the example of the channel management table 1302, the channel 1 is in use and the channel 2 is idle.

FIG. 14 shows an example of the configuration of an AV network provided with a resource management device. 14, reference numeral 1401 denotes a controller; 1402, a television; 1403, a tuner;
04 is a video. For example, an operation from the controller 1401 changes the video 1404 to the television 1402.
If you want to transfer the AV data stream and watch the video,
The controller 1401 transmits a bandwidth allocation request and a channel allocation request via the network 1206 to the resource management device 120.
1 and a notification of the band allocation permission and the channel to be used is received from the resource management device 1201. Thereafter, the controller notifies the television 1402 and the video 1404 of the used channel and the operation start signal. Video 1404 initiates the transfer of data using the indicated channel,
402 tunes to the notified channel and receives data. Also, at the end of watching the video,
The controller 1401 sends an operation end request signal to both devices, and thereafter notifies the resource management device 1201 of a band release request and a channel release request. The resource management device 1201
Upon receiving this notification, the band and the channel are released. In addition,
The tuner 1403 may be a video source instead of the video 1404.

[0007]

However, the above configuration has the following problems.

Since the resource management device does not have a resource management function that takes time into consideration, there is a problem that it is not possible to cope with a case where it is desired to reserve network resources for a time, such as scheduled recording combining a tuner and a video.

When a reservation is made by a conventional resource management apparatus, a band and a channel are secured at the time of making a reservation, and the right to use the resource is held in an unused state until the time of actual use. However, there is a problem that resources are wasted.

[0010] In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a resource reservation management device capable of reserving network resources. Another object of the present invention is to provide a resource reservation management device which can add a reservation management function by utilizing the resource management function even in a conventional network in which a resource management device having no reservation management function is operating. I do.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, in order to solve the above problems, a part or all of a band is reserved in a resource reservation management device of an AV network which manages resources of an entire network. Means for managing together with time information for use, means for managing part or all of the channels together with time information for reservation, determining whether or not to accept a band reservation request including time information from a user, Means for notifying a user of a determination result including channel information. According to the first aspect of the present invention, with the above-described configuration, network resources such as bands and channels can be reserved for time,
This makes it possible to realize reservation type data transfer via a network, such as reservation recording between television and video.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a resource management device for managing resources of the entire network.
Means for the AV network, wherein the resource reservation management device requests bandwidth allocation and channel allocation to the resource management device to reserve a reserved band and one or more reservation channels; Means for maintaining and managing bandwidths and channels for reservation, receiving a bandwidth reservation request including time information from a user, determining whether or not to accept the bandwidth reservation request, and notifying the user of a determination result including channel information. It was made. Second in the present invention
In the invention of the above, with the configuration described above, in an existing network provided with a resource management device, by adding a resource reservation management device, a resource reservation function is added while utilizing the resource management function of the conventional resource management device, It becomes possible to realize a reservation service such as reservation recording.

[0013]

(Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, a resource reservation management apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described.
This will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a resource reservation management device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1
01 is a resource reservation management device, 102 is a band reservation management table, 103 is a channel reservation management table, 104 is a control unit, and 105 is a timer device.

The operation of the resource reservation management device of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described below.

The user of the resource is the resource reservation management device 101
, A resource reservation request is made. The resource reservation request includes information on a required bandwidth and a required time indicating from what time to when and how much bandwidth is requested.

In the resource reservation management apparatus 101, first, the request is received by the network interface 1205.
Next, the control unit 104 refers to the bandwidth reservation management table 102 to determine whether the required bandwidth can be allocated at the required time. The band reservation management table 102 stores band reservation information managed for a certain period up to a certain point in time. If the band can be allocated, it is further determined by referring to the channel reservation management table 103 whether the channel can be allocated at the requested time. The channel reservation management table 103 stores channel reservation information managed for a certain time ahead of time. If an available channel can be secured at the requested time, the control unit 104 rewrites the channel reservation management table 103. Reserve a channel. Further, the bandwidth reservation management table 102 is rewritten, and the reservation of the bandwidth is also performed at the same time.

If the reservation is successful, the resource reservation management device 10
1 returns the resource reservation permission to the user via the network 1206. The resource reservation permission usually includes information on the used channel, but if the used channel cannot be determined at this time, a notification will be given later. Resource reservation management device 10
1 manages the time by the timer device 106, and when the reserved time comes, notifies the user to that effect. Upon receipt of the notice, the user shall, at the permitted time and within the permitted bandwidth,
The AV data stream is transferred using the specified channel.

FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of the bandwidth reservation management table according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2, 201 is a reservable band, 202 is a non-reservable band,
203 is a reserved band. Bandwidth reservation management table 1
In 02, the entire band is divided into a reservable band 201 and a non-reservable band 202, the current band use state is stored for both bands, and the band reservation state up to a predetermined time is stored for the reservable band. ing. In this example, 100
Of the entire Mbps band, 70 Mbps is set as a reservable band, and the rest is set as a non-reservable band. Also, 1
From 0:00 to 11:00, 50 Mbps is already reserved as the reserved band 203, and it is shown that a request for a reservation including this time can only be received at 20 Mbps or less.

FIG. 3 shows a configuration example of the channel reservation management table according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 301 denotes a current channel use state, and 302 denotes a channel reservation state. The channel reservation management table stores a current channel use state 301 and a channel reservation state 302 up to a certain time later. In this example, the channel type is divided into a reservable channel and a non-reservable normal channel, the current use state is stored for both channels, and the reservable channel is reserved for a certain period of time. I remember. In this example, among all channels 1 to 8, four channels 1 to 4 are reserved channels. Channel 2 is
It is reserved from now to 9:30 and from 10:30 to 12:30.

As described above, by setting a part of resources such as a band and a channel as non-reservable resources, monopolization of resources by reservation can be avoided.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the configuration of an AV network according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG.
1 is a controller. FIG. 5 shows a signal sequence of the AV network according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 501 denotes a resource reservation request signal;
Is a resource reservation permission signal, 503 is a resource use permission signal, 50
4 is an operation start request signal, 505 is an AV data stream signal, 506 is a resource use end signal, and 507 is an operation end request signal.

For example, by a reservation operation from the controller 401, a video 140
When performing video reservation recording by transferring data to the resource reservation management apparatus 101, the controller 401 transmits a resource reservation request signal 501 to the resource reservation management apparatus 101 via the network 1206, and transmits a resource reservation permission signal from the resource reservation management apparatus 101. The notification of 502 is received. When the reservation time comes, the controller 401 receives the resource use permission signal 503 including the information of the used channel from the resource reservation management device 101. Thereafter, the controller 101 notifies the television 1402 and the video 1404 of an operation start request signal 504 including the used channel. The television 1402 starts transferring the AV data stream signal 505 on the notified channel, and the video 1404 receives the AV data stream signal 505 on the notified channel. At the end of the reservation, the resource reservation management device 101 transmits a resource use end signal 506 to the controller 401 and then releases the band and the channel. Upon receiving this, the controller 401 sends an operation end request signal 507 to both devices, and stops the operation.

If there is a possibility that the currently used resources or the currently free resources cannot be guaranteed after a certain period of time due to the reservation, the current user or the user who intends to use the free band is requested. By notifying the message, service interruption due to resource shortage can be prevented.

According to the present embodiment, network resources such as bands and channels can be reserved for time.
Scheduled data transfer via a network such as scheduled recording between videos can be realized.

In this embodiment, an example in which channels are managed as resources has been described. However, when channel resource management is unnecessary, such as when the number of channels is sufficiently large, only band management may be performed. Further, as a channel management method, a method of allocating a used channel at the time of reservation and notifying the user or a method of notifying when actually starting use may be used. Also, in this case, at the time of reservation, only the number of simultaneously used channels is managed and it is not determined which channel to use, but at the start of actual use, the used channel is determined from available channels and notified to the user. Is also good.

Further, in this embodiment, an example has been described in which the user of the resource is the controller, but a device such as a television, a video, or a tuner may be the user.

In this embodiment, the resource reservation management device manages the time, and instructs the user to start and end the operation at the reservation start time and the reservation end time. The user may recognize the time by using an internal timer device or a timer device that can be referred to on a network, and start and end the operation at the reservation start and end times.

Further, in the present embodiment, an example has been described in which resource management is performed using the band management table and the channel management table. However, one table in which both resources are described simultaneously may be used. In addition, it is divided into a table for managing reserved resources and a table for managing currently used resources.
Any method of dividing the table may be used as long as the same contents as those in the present embodiment can be managed and stored.

(Embodiment 2) Hereinafter, a resource reservation management device according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a resource reservation management device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 6, 6
01 is a resource reservation management device, 602 is a band reservation management table, 603 is a channel reservation management table, and 604 is a control unit.

FIG. 7 is a system configuration diagram of an AV network according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 701 denotes a timer device.

The operation of the resource reservation management apparatus of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described below.

In this embodiment, there is a resource management device similar to the conventional example, and a resource reservation management device is added to an operating AV network to realize a resource reservation function by both devices. It is. For example, IEEE
In an environment where an isochronous resource manager manages resources in an E1394 network,
This can be applied to the case where resource reservation management is desired.

In this embodiment, first, at the time of initialization of the AV network, the resource reservation management device 601 makes a resource request such as a band request and a channel request to the resource management device 1201. When sufficient resources cannot be secured, the request is taken again at a proper timing, or the network 1206 is reset. The resources of the band and the channel acquired here are held by the resource reservation management device 601 for reservation, and are allocated to the user who requests the resource reservation.

The user of the resource is the resource reservation management device 601
Make a resource reservation request. The resource reservation request includes information on a required bandwidth and a required time indicating from what time to when and how much bandwidth is requested. Resource reservation management device 60
In 1, the network interface 1205 first receives this request. Next, the control unit 604 refers to the bandwidth reservation management table 602 to determine whether the required bandwidth can be allocated at the required time. Bandwidth reservation management table 602
Stores bandwidth reservation information for each time up to a certain time ahead for the bandwidth secured by the resource management device 1201. If the channel can be allocated, it is further determined by referring to the channel reservation management table 603 whether the channel can be allocated at the requested time. The channel reservation management table 603 stores channel reservation information for each channel up to a predetermined time ahead for the channel secured by the resource management device 1201. If there is an available channel within the requested time, the control unit 604 executes , The channel is reserved, and the band is reserved.

When the reservation succeeds, the control unit 604 returns a reservation permission to the user via the network interface 1205. The reservation permission includes information on the used channel. If the used channel cannot be determined at the time of reservation, the used channel is notified together with the resource use permission signal at the start of the reservation operation. The user, at the time permitted,
The AV data stream is transferred using the designated channel within the permitted band. Time management is performed with reference to a timer device connected to the network.

FIG. 8 shows a configuration example of the bandwidth reservation management table according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 8, reference numeral 801 denotes a bandwidth reservation management table of the resource reservation management device, 802 denotes a bandwidth management table of the resource management device, and 803
Is a band secured by the resource reservation management device. FIG. 9 is a configuration example of a channel reservation management table according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 9, reference numeral 901 denotes a channel reservation management table of the resource management device, 902 denotes a channel management table of the resource management device, 903 denotes a current channel use status, 904 denotes a channel reservation status, and 905 denotes a channel secured by the resource reservation management device. is there.

The bandwidth reservation management table 602 indicates that the resource management device 1201
For 03, the current band use state and the band reservation state up to a certain time later are stored. These bands are
As shown in FIG. 8, the bandwidth management table 8 of the resource management device
In 02, it is in use. Further, the channel reservation management table 603 stores the current channel use state 903 and the channel reservation state 904 up to a certain time ahead for the channel 905 secured by the resource reservation management apparatus from the resource management apparatus 1201. These channels are in use in the channel management table 902 of the resource management device as shown in FIG. In this example, the reserved state of the channel is managed by the number of used channels per time.

FIG. 10 shows a signal sequence of an AV network according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 10, reference numeral 1001 denotes a resource request signal, and 1002 denotes a resource permission signal.

For example, at a certain time, a video 140
When performing video reservation recording by transferring data to the resource reservation management device 601, the controller 401 transmits a resource reservation request signal 501 to the resource reservation management device 601 via the network 1205. Receive. When the reservation time comes, the resource reservation management device 601 notifies the controller 401 of a resource use permission signal 503 including information on the used channel. In response to this, the controller 401 sends an operation start request signal 504 including information on the used channel to the television 1402 and the video 1404.
Notify. TV 1402 is on the notified channel
The transfer of the AV data stream 505 is started, and the video receives data on the notified channel. At the end of the reservation, the resource reservation management device 601 sends a resource use end signal 506 to the controller 401, and the controller 401 receives the operation use end signal 506 from both devices.
Send 7 Further, the resource reservation management device 601 releases the band and the channel.

FIG. 11 shows a signal sequence of an AV network according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 11, 1101 is a resource use permission confirmation signal, and 1102 is a resource use end confirmation signal.

In the present embodiment, the signal sequence in the case where the user of the resource is not the controller but the television is shown. Further, in this example, a sequence is performed in which a resource use permission confirming signal 1101 and a resource use end confirming signal 1102 are transmitted from the television as a resource user to the resource reservation managing device at the reservation start and end times, and the confirmation is performed. ing.

In the present embodiment, the resource reservation management device requests and reserves resources from the resource management device at the time of initialization. However, the resource reservation management device may request resources other than at the time of initialization. The reservation resources may be secured and released dynamically.

Also, in this embodiment, the resource reservation management device secures and manages the band and the channel for reservation. However, it is also possible to manage only the band and leave the management of the channel to the resource management device. Also, it is also possible to manage only whether or not the number of simultaneously used channels does not exceed the reserved channel without deciding a channel to be used at the time of reservation, determine a used channel from available channels at the time of starting reservation, and notify it. .

In this embodiment, an example has been described in which channels are managed as resources. However, when channel resource management is unnecessary, such as when the number of channels is sufficiently large, only band management may be performed.

In this embodiment, an example has been described in which the controller sends an operation start request signal and an operation end request signal to a device such as a television or a video at a reservation time. The signal may be notified directly to the device. Alternatively, the reserved time may be notified to the device in advance, and the device may manage the time by referring to a timer device or the like, and automatically start and end the data transfer at the reserved time.

In this embodiment, by adding a resource reservation management device to a network having a resource management device, a resource reservation function is added while retaining the resource management function of the conventional resource management device. A reservation service such as recording can be realized.

[0049]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, network resources such as bands and channels can be reserved for time, so that network such as reservation recording between television and video can be established. This makes it possible to realize reservation-type data transfer via the Internet.

Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, resources are secured from the existing resource management device, and the secured resources can be managed and redistributed as reservation resources. Utilizing the resource management function of
By adding a resource reservation function, a reservation service such as reservation recording can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a resource reservation management device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a bandwidth reservation management table according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a channel reservation management table according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an AV network according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a signal sequence of an AV network according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a resource reservation management device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a system configuration diagram of an AV network according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a bandwidth reservation management table according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a channel reservation management table according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a signal sequence of an AV network according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a signal sequence of an AV network according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a configuration diagram of a conventional resource management device.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a band management table and a channel management table.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of an AV network configuration including a resource management device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 101, 601 Resource reservation management device 102, 602 Band reservation management table 103, 603 Channel reservation management table 104, 604, 1204 Controller 105, 701 Timer device 201 Reservable band 202 Non-reservable band 203 Reserved band 301, 903 Current Channel use state 302,904 channel reservation state 401,1401 controller 501 resource reservation request signal 502 resource reservation permission signal 503 resource use permission signal 504 operation start request signal 505 AV data stream signal 506 resource use end signal 507 operation end request signal 801 Resource reservation management device bandwidth reservation management table 802 Bandwidth management table of resource management device 803 Bandwidth reserved by resource reservation management device 901 Channel reservation management table of resource management device 902 Channel management table of source management apparatus 905 Channel reserved by resource reservation management apparatus 1001 Resource request signal 1002 Resource permission signal 1101 Resource use permission confirmation signal 1102 Resource use end confirmation signal 1201 Resource management apparatus 1202 Band management table 1203 Channel management table 1205 Network Interface 1206 Network 1301 Example of Band Management Table 1302 Example of Channel Management Table 1402 Television 1403 Tuner 1404 Video

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Hajime Maekawa 1006 Kazuma Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yoshifumi Yanagawa 1006 Kazuma Kazuma Kadoma City, Osaka Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. ( 72) Inventor Ike Masao 1006 Kadoma, Kazuma, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 5K030 JA10 LC06 LC09 5K032 CC05 DA01 DB24 DB28

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. An AV network resource reservation management device having a resource management device for managing resources of the entire network, wherein a means for requesting a bandwidth allocation to the resource management device to secure a reservation band. Resource reservation management comprising means for maintaining and managing the reserved bandwidth for reservation, receiving a bandwidth reservation request including time information from a user, determining whether or not to accept the bandwidth reservation request, and notifying the user of the determination result. apparatus. 2. An AV network resource reservation management device comprising a resource management device for managing resources of the entire network. Means for securing one or more reservation channels, maintaining and managing the reserved bandwidth and reserved channels, receiving a bandwidth reservation request including time information from a user, and determining whether or not to accept the bandwidth reservation request; A resource reservation management device comprising means for notifying a user of a determination result including channel information. 3. The resource reservation management device according to claim 1, further comprising timer means, and means for notifying a user of a reservation start and a reservation end event at a reservation start time and a reservation end time, respectively. 4. A means for referring to an external timer means via a network, and a reservation start time and a reservation end time,
3. The resource reservation management device according to claim 1, further comprising means for notifying a user of a reservation start event and a reservation end event. 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising timer means, and means for making a channel allocation request to the resource management apparatus at the reservation start time to secure a channel and notifying a user of information on the channel. Resource reservation management device. 6. An AV network resource reservation management device for managing resources of an entire network, comprising: means for managing a part or all of a band together with time information for reservation, and a band including time information from a user. A resource reservation management device comprising: means for receiving a reservation request, determining whether or not to accept the request, and notifying the user of the determination result. 7. An AV network resource reservation management device for managing resources of an entire network, comprising: means for managing a part or all of a band together with time information for reservation, and a part or all of a channel for reservation. Resource reservation management comprising: means for managing together with time information, and means for receiving a bandwidth reservation request including time information from a user, determining whether or not to accept the request, and notifying the user of a determination result including channel information. apparatus. 8. The resource reservation management device according to claim 6, further comprising timer means and means for notifying a user of a reservation start and a reservation end event at a reservation start time and a reservation end time, respectively. 9. A means for referring to an external timer means via a network, and a reservation start time and a reservation end time,
8. The resource reservation management device according to claim 6, further comprising means for notifying a user of a reservation start event and a reservation end event. 10. The resource reservation management apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising timer means, and means for allocating a channel to a reservation start time and notifying a user of information on the channel.