JP2000339024A - Method and system for monitoring using state of electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily grasp the using state of electronic equipment(EE). SOLUTION: A television(TV) device 10, a disk device 20, a video tape recorders 30, 40, etc., are mutually connected through an IEEE1394 interface. Which EE is connected to the TV device 10 is judged and information concerned with the operation state of each EE is requested to the EE. Integrated time expressing the ON state of each EE is calculated and displayed on a display part 118 as a table. Power consumption information is obtained from each EE and power consumption is displayed. Since the integration starting date of the integrated time is stored, power consumption estimated in a year or the like is displayed. When an EE connected to the TV device 10 can execute self-diagnosis, a request for starting self-diagnosis is supplied to the EE at prescribed timing by utilizing the integrated time and its diagnostic result is displayed on the display part 118.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and system for monitoring the use of electronic equipment. More specifically, a plurality of electronic devices including an electronic device provided with an information output unit are connected via, for example, an IEEE1394 interface, and are connected by a first electronic device among the plurality of electronic devices. In addition to the determination of the electronic device, a request for information on the operation state of another connected electronic device is made via the interface, and the first electronic device receives the request from the other electronic device. Using the information on the operation state to generate information indicating the usage status of each electronic device, and monitoring the usage status by displaying the information on an electronic device including information output means, for example, a screen of a television device Is to be able to do.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, various electronic devices such as video devices and audio devices have been digitized.
A multimedia interface that connects these devices and enables data transmission of video, audio, etc. is based on IEEE (Ins
It is standardized as "IEEE1394" by the American Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (Title of Electrical and Electronics Engineers).

According to the IEEE 1394, a plug-and-play function that can easily perform data transfer by simply setting a device and performing a data transfer, and a connection even when the power is on are provided. The hot plug-in function is supported, and data can be transmitted between devices without providing a host computer.

[0004]

By the way, users who use these electronic devices operate freely without recognizing how long the electronic devices have been used. For this reason, even if the power consumption of electronic devices is reduced in order to reduce energy consumption from the viewpoint of environmental issues, if the usage time of electronic devices becomes longer, energy consumption should be reduced sufficiently. Can not.

[0005] In addition, there are parts and the like that are consumed with use in electronic equipment. When a predetermined time has elapsed, maintenance is performed and the worn parts are replaced to prevent the occurrence of a failure before it occurs. ing. However, in order to perform maintenance at appropriate timing, the user must manage the usage time of the electronic device, and maintenance cannot be easily performed at appropriate timing.

In view of the above, the present invention provides an electronic device usage monitoring method and a usage monitoring system capable of easily grasping the usage status.

[0007]

According to the present invention, there is provided a method of monitoring usage of an electronic device, wherein a plurality of electronic devices including an electronic device having information output means are connected via an interface. The first electronic device among the electronic devices determines which other electronic device is connected, and sends a request for information on the operation state to the other connected electronic device via the interface. The first electronic device includes the information output unit that generates information indicating a use state of each electronic device using information on an operation state supplied from the other electronic device, and includes the information output unit. It is output from an electronic device.

[0008] In addition, the electronic equipment usage status monitoring system determines the connected electronic equipment in an electronic equipment usage status monitoring system that monitors the usage status of a plurality of electronic devices connected via an interface. A first request for requesting information about an operation state to a connected electronic device, and generating information indicating a use state of each electronic device using information about an operation state obtained from each electronic device. An electronic device includes an electronic device and an information output unit that outputs information indicating a use state generated by the first electronic device.

In the present invention, a plurality of electronic devices, such as a television device, a video camera, a video tape recorder, and a disk device, are connected via an IEEE1394 interface. Here, any one of the plurality of electronic devices, for example, a television device determines what kind of electronic device is connected via the interface, and determines whether the other electronic device is connected. A request is made for information on the operating state, such as whether the power is on or off. Further, in the television device, information indicating the use status of each electronic device, for example, a list of integrated times that have been turned on, is displayed on the screen using information on the operation state supplied from another electronic device. In addition, power consumption information is requested from each electronic device as information regarding the operation state, and the power consumption is calculated and displayed from the obtained power consumption information and the integrated time. Here, when the power consumption information cannot be obtained from the electronic device, it becomes possible to input the power consumption information by the input means. In addition, by storing the integration start date of the integration time, it is possible to display the expected annual power consumption and the like. Furthermore, when the self-diagnosis can be performed by the electronic device, the self-diagnosis can be started at a desired timing by using the accumulated time.

[0010]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present invention, for example, IEEE1394
Each of the electronic devices is connected via the interface described above, and information relating to the use state of the electronic device is displayed on the electronic device having the display means.

FIG. 1 shows an IEEE 1394 topology. In IEEE 1394, nodes called leaves and branches are provided. A leaf is a node to which one cable is connected, and a node to which a plurality of cables are connected is called a branch.

At the start of the operation, the topology is automatically set. In this automatic configuration of the topology, first, the bus is reset, and the data reading and writing at each node is completed to stop the data transfer.

Next, signals are exchanged bidirectionally between the nodes, and the parent-child relationships of the nodes are sequentially determined. here,
A node that is a parent to all nodes performs arbitration of a bus called a root. When the root is determined and the tree structure is determined in this way, a process of determining a node number is performed.

In the determination of the node number, the node that first acquires the bus becomes the node number "0", and supplies a packet having the information of the node number "0" to each node. Therefore, the other nodes can determine that the node number “0” has been assigned. Hereinafter, node numbers are assigned in the order in which buses are sequentially acquired, and a packet having information on the assigned node number is supplied to each node. When a packet having information on the node number assigned last from the root is supplied to each node, the determination of the node number is completed, and asynchronous transfer or isochronous transfer becomes possible.

The above-described automatic setting of the topology and determination of the node number are performed when the number of nodes is changed, that is, when another node is connected or disconnected during operation, or when the connected node is disconnected. Is automatically performed again when the port is turned on or off by a power on / off operation or the like.

When performing data transfer, a bus use request is made before data transfer, and a route arbitrates a bus use request from each node. By this arbitration, a bus license is given to one node and data transfer is performed. Therefore, collision with a packet from another node is prevented.

Here, in IEEE1394, a fixedly allocated address space of 64 bits is used as shown in FIG. The upper 16 bits are the node ID (Node
_ID), and the upper 10 bits of the node ID are “bu
s_ID ”, the lower 6 bits of which are“ physical_I
D ". This “bus_ID” is for identifying buses. Note that when “bus_ID” is 1023, it indicates a local bus, and specifies a bus to which a device is directly connected.
“Physical_ID” is for identifying a node. Here, “physical_ID” is 6
When the number is 3, it indicates a broadcast, and all devices are designated.

The remaining 48 bits are divided into an initial memory space, a private space, and a register space. This register space is used for information exchange between devices,
As shown in FIG. 3, C standardized by IEEE1212
A core register space for an RS (Control and Status Register) architecture, a space for an IEEE 1394 serial bus, a configuration ROM space for representing the function of each node, and an initial unit space.

The configuration ROM space has a minimum format and a general format. In the general format, Bus_Info is used.
_Block part, Root_Directory part, U
nit_Directory part, Node_Uniqu
An e_ID_Leaf section and the like are provided. Bus_Inf
o_Block part and Node_Unique_ID_L
In the eaf part, a 3-byte “Nod” indicating a sales source of the device is provided.
e_Vendor_ID (Company_ID) ",
And a Node_Uni composed of a 5-byte "Chip_ID" that can be freely determined by the device distributor.
A que_ID area is provided. In addition, the minimum format indicates the source of the device.

Next, when data is transmitted between video equipment and audio equipment, for example, 1394TA (Trade A)
standard "AV / C Digital"
Interface Command Set Gen
The data transmission is performed in a packet format indicated by “eral Specification”.

FIG. 4 shows the structure of a packet.
Function control protocol FCP (Function Control Pr.) Standardized as IEC61883 by C (International Electrotechnical Commission).
otocol) is used.

In this packet, the first 16-bit "destination_ID" indicates the node on the response side (reception side) of the transaction. The 6-bit transaction label "tl" indicates a unique value that allows only the requesting (sending) node and the responding node to recognize that the transaction is related to itself. The 2-bit retry code "rt" is a retry field, and indicates information on a retry method in a busy state. The 4-bit transaction code “tcode” indicates that the packet is a block read request packet. 16-bit "so
“urce_ID” indicates the node on the request side of the transaction. 48-bit "destinatio"
When the packet is, for example, a request packet, "n_offset" indicates to which register position in the response-side address space a request command or the like stored in "FCPframe" described later is written. It also indicates to which register position in the request-side address space the read data or the like stored in the “FCP frame” is to be written. The 16-bit "da
In “ta_length”, the block to be read or the length of the read block is indicated in byte units. “Header_CRC” is an area of CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Code) which is an error detection code of header information.

"FCP frame" is an area for storing commands and data. When the packet is a request packet for making a read request, a read command is stored. When the packet is a response packet to the read request, the requested read data is stored. “Data_CRC” is “FCP frame
e "is the CRC area.

FIG. 5 shows the structure of the "FCP frame". FIG. 5A shows a case of a request packet, and FIG. 5B shows a case of a response packet. In the case of 1394TA, the 4-bit “CTS (Command / Transaction Set)” is “0000”
Is set to In the request packet, the next four bits “CT”
(Command type: ctype) ", a command type for making a request to another device as shown in FIG. 6, for example, a command for controlling the operation of the responder (CONTROL) or a command for requesting information on the operation state (STATUS), a command for notifying information (NOTIFY), and the like. In addition,
The subscript “16” indicates hexadecimal display.

In the response packet, the 4-bit "RC"
(Response Code: response) ", as shown in FIG. 7, a response type indicating a response to the command, for example, a response acknowledging execution of the command of the request packet.
(ACCEPTED), a response that rejects the execution of the command (REJECTED), a response that indicates that the command execution is not supported (NOT IMPLEMENTED), a response that indicates the status (STABLE), Indicates whether the response is an intermediate response (INTERIM) or the like.

For example, as shown in FIG. 8A, when a command is supplied from a controller (a device that outputs a request packet to another device) to a target (a device that receives a command and outputs a response packet), 100
The operation for the command is completed within ms, and the response is supplied from the target to the controller. If the operation is not completed within 100 ms, 10
The intermediate response is supplied to the controller within 0 ms, and then the final response is supplied to the controller.

The next 5 bits “Subunit_type”
In “e”, as shown in FIG. 9, a device type, for example, a video monitor, a tape recorder, a tuner, a video camera, or the like is indicated, and a device number is indicated by a 3-bit “Subunit_ID” shown in FIG. Can be shown.

The 8-bit “OPC (opcode)” indicates a command in a request packet and a processed command in a response packet. "OPR (operand) [0]" to "OPR [n]" in units of 8 bits following "OPC" indicate parameters for the command "OPC".

The request packet and the response packet are configured as described above, and a command is supplied from the controller to the target by communication between the controller and the target, and the requested data is supplied from the target to the controller. .

Next, FIG. 11 shows the overall configuration. The television device (video monitor) 10 is connected to the disk device 20, the video tape recorders 30, 40, and the video camera 50 via an IEEE1394 cable 60. The television device 10 and the disk device 2
0, the video tape recorders 30, 40, etc. are connected in a tree type, a star type, a daisy chain type, or a combination of these types so as not to generate a loop.

The IEEE 1394 of the television device 10
Interface part (hereinafter referred to as “interface part”)
At 105, the transmission packet supplied from the disk device 20 or the video tape recorders 30 and 40 via the plug 102 is received, the video data DCV and the audio data DCA are separated, and the video data DCV is supplied to the video decoder 110. And audio data DCA
Is supplied to the audio decoder 120. The configuration ROM described above is stored in the interface unit 10.
5. As described above, the configuration ROM has “Node_Vendor_ID” indicating the vendor of the device and “Chip_ID” that can be freely determined by the vendor of the device.

The video decoder 110 decodes the video data DCV and supplies it to the D / A converter 112. The D / A converter 112 converts the supplied video data into an analog video signal SV and supplies the analog video signal SV to the video signal processor 114. The video signal processing unit 114 adjusts the luminance and hue, and supplies the processed video signal SVR to the color signal output unit 116.

The color signal output section 116 generates a drive signal SDR by superimposing an on-screen display signal SSR supplied from an on-screen display control section 135 described later on the video signal SVR supplied from the video signal processing section 114. I do. The display unit 118 is based on the drive signal SDR.
, An image based on the supplied video data and an image based on the on-screen display signal are displayed on the screen of the display unit 118.

In the audio decoder 120, the audio data DCA is decoded and supplied to the D / A converter 122. The D / A converter 122 converts the supplied audio data into an analog audio signal SA and supplies the analog audio signal SA to the audio signal processor 124. The audio signal processing unit 124 performs sound quality adjustment, volume adjustment, and the like, and supplies the processed audio signal SAR to the audio output unit 127. An audio output unit 127 configured using a speaker or the like converts the supplied audio signal SAR into audio and outputs the audio.

The control unit 130 outputs a request packet from the interface unit 105 in order to read various information from the device connected via the cable 60, or outputs a response packet when the request packet is supplied. Control to generate and output. Control unit 1
In 30, a display control signal DS is generated based on the information supplied from each device and supplied to the on-screen display control unit 135.

The on-screen display control section 135 generates an on-screen display signal SSR based on the supplied display control signal DS and supplies it to the color signal output section 116.

An operation unit 137 is connected to the control unit 130, and the television device 1 is operated by using the operation unit 137.
0 and settings related to the operation control of the devices connected to the television apparatus 10.

The control unit 130 has an EEPROM (El
ectrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Mem
ory) is connected, and the memory unit 138 is connected to the television device 1
0 and information about devices connected to the television device 10 are stored. For example, the integrated time in which the operation state of each device connected to the television device 10 is turned on and the integrated time in the off state are stored, and the television device 10 reduces luminance and contrast to reduce power consumption. If it is possible to set the operating state (hereinafter referred to as “power saving operation state”), the accumulated time of the power saving operation state is also stored. In addition, information of “Subunit_type” indicating a device type of the television device 10 and “Subunit_ID” indicating a device number, and “Node” of a device connected to the television device 10
_Unique_ID ”information and“ Subunit_t
information of “type” and “Subunit_ID” are stored. The memory unit 138 and the configuration R
The OM may be constituted by one memory unit without being provided separately.

Here, as described above, the configuration ROM stores "Node_V" indicating the source of the device.
end_ID "and" Chip_ID "which can be freely determined by the seller of the device. In the “FCP frame” of the transmission packet, “Subunit_type” indicating the device type,
Since it has “Subunit_ID” indicating a device number, for example, a unique number is assigned to each model as “Chip_ID”, and a value is set on the user side so that “Subunit_ID” is different for devices of the same type. If the setting is made, each device connected via the IEEE 1394 cable can be determined individually.

In the above case, the television device 10
The information such as the integration time for each device connected to the
Although the information is stored in the storage device 38, the information may be stored in each device, and the television device 10 may read necessary information.

Next, the operation will be described. Note that, for simplicity, the description will be made with the television device 10 as a root. When the operation of the device connected via the IEEE 1394 cable is started, the television device 1
If it is 0, the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG. 12 is performed to determine the connected device. First, in step ST1, a process of determining whether or not the automatic configuration of the topology has been completed is performed. Here, when it is determined that the automatic setting is not completed, the process returns to step ST1, and when it is determined that the automatic setting is completed, the process proceeds to step ST2.

In step ST2, the total number of nodes determined by the automatic topology setting is set, for example, as a variable N, and the process proceeds to step ST3.

In step ST3, the value of the variable N-1 is set to a new value of the variable N, and the flow advances to step ST4.

In step ST4, the node "N" is inquired of the information of "Node_Unique_ID" and the device information, and the process proceeds to step ST5. In the information inquiry process, as shown in FIG. 13, for example, the television apparatus 10 as the node “4” outputs an information read command for reading the information of “Node_Unique_ID” and the device information to the node “3”. I do. As shown in FIG. 14A, the information read command indicates that the receiving side is node “3” by “destination_ID” and “sou”
“rc_ID” indicates that the transmission side is node “4”. Furthermore, "O" of "FCP frame"
"PC" indicates that the request is for an inquiry of "Node_Unique_ID".

When such an information read command is output from node “4”, “destination_
The response packet shown in FIG. 14B is supplied from the node indicated by “ID” to the node “4”. FIG. 14B
Is the “FCP frame” part of the response packet (CTS
14D, FIG. 14E, and FIG. 16, FIG. 17, FIG. 23, and FIG. In this response packet, for example, “OPR [0] to OPR
[7], “Node” stored in the configuration ROM of the video camera 50 of the node “3”
“_Vendor_ID” and “Chip_ID” are shown as information for the inquiry. For example, as shown in FIG. 14C, it is possible to determine that the device is a device of company A by “Node_Vendor_ID”, and when “Chip_ID” is a code indicating a video camera, the video camera of company A is node “3”. Connection can be determined.

Similarly, an inquiry about device information is made by a request packet shown in FIG. 14D, and "Subu" is made by a response packet shown in FIG. 14E.
"nit_type" and "Subunit_ID" are shown as information for the inquiry. This "Subu
Since “nit_type” indicates the type of the device, “Subunit_Type” may be used even if the type of the device is not described in detail by “Chip_ID”, for example.
Based on “type”, it is possible to determine what kind of device the node “3” is. Further, “Subunit_ID”
Indicates the device number. For example, even if a plurality of video cameras of the same format of Company A are connected, each video camera can be identified by setting a different device number for each video camera. Can be.

In step ST5, the read "Nod"
e_Unique_ID ”is registered, and device information, that is,“ Subunit_ID ”is registered.
It is determined whether or not information of “type” and “Subunit_ID” is registered. Here, “Node_Un
When it is determined that the information “device_ID” and the device information are not registered, the process proceeds to step ST6, where the read information “Node_Unique_ID” and the device information are registered, and the process proceeds to step ST7. When it is determined that the information has been registered, the process proceeds to step ST7.

In step ST7, “Node_Unique_” which has already been registered or newly registered
The process proceeds to step ST8 by associating the information of “ID” and the device information with the node “N”.

In step ST8, it is determined whether or not the variable N = 0. When it is determined that the variable N is not 0, the process returns to step ST3, and when it is determined that the variable N = 0, the connected device determination process is performed. To end.

As described above, as shown in FIG.
The information reading process is performed for the nodes “3” to “0”, and the disk device 20, the video tape recorders 30, 40, and the video camera 50 connected to each node can be determined. In addition, when a new device is connected or the connected device is removed, FIG.
Since the processing shown in FIG. 2 is performed again, it is possible to correctly determine what kind of device is connected.

When the determination of the connected device is completed,
Next, an operation state determination process is performed for each connected device. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the operation state determination processing for one node. The operation state determination process is
For example, this is performed by the television device 10 having a display function.

In step ST11, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time (for example, 10 minutes) has elapsed. If it is determined that the predetermined time has not elapsed, the process returns to step ST11, and it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed. Sometimes, the process proceeds to step ST12.

In step ST12, it is determined whether or not communication with the connected device is possible. If it is determined that communication is possible, the process proceeds to step ST13. When communication is not possible, the operation state determination processing ends.

In step ST13, an inquiry is made as to whether the power of the connected device is on or off, and the process proceeds to step ST14. Also,
In step ST14, it is determined whether or not there is a response to the inquiry about the power state. When it is determined that no response has been made, the process returns to step ST14, and when it is determined that a response has been made, the process proceeds to step ST20.

Here, in the inquiry about the power supply state, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6A, “OP” of “FCP frame”
"C" indicates that the request is for a power supply state inquiry. In response to such an inquiry about the power state, FIG.
As shown in B and 16C, a response indicating whether the power is on or off is given by “OPR [0]”. Also, as shown in FIG. 17A, “FCP frame
"OPC" of "e" indicates a request for an inquiry about the power supply state, and "OPR [0]" and "OPR [1]" indicate FFh (h is a hexadecimal notation, The same applies to the following cases) to secure a response data storage area. In response to such an inquiry about the power supply state, as shown in FIGS. 17B and 17C, “OPR [0]” indicates whether the power supply is on or off, and the power consumption at this time is “OPR [0]”. [1] ". For example, "O
“PR [0]” and “OPR [1]” indicate that the power consumption when the power is on is 20 W and the power consumption when the power is off is 4 W. Also, "OPR [1]"
Is FFh, indicating that there is no information on power consumption. In this case, the information on power consumption can be input on a numerical value input screen described later.

In step ST20, it is determined whether or not the power is on based on the response to the inquiry about the power state. Here, when it is determined that the power is on, the process proceeds to step ST21, and when it is not determined that the power is on, the process proceeds to step ST21.
Proceed to T25.

In step ST21, the times in which the power supply is determined to be in the ON state are sequentially integrated, and the time in step ST22 is calculated.
Proceed to. In step ST22, it is determined whether or not there is power consumption information in the response packet. Here, as shown in FIG. 17B and FIG. 17C, when there is power consumption information, the process proceeds to step ST23, and the power consumption is calculated from the obtained power consumption information and the time of the ON state. Step S
When it is not determined in T22 that there is power consumption information, or when the power consumption is calculated in step ST23, the operation state determination processing ends.

When the process proceeds from step ST20 to step ST25, it is determined in step ST25 whether or not the power is off. If it is determined that the power is off, the process proceeds to step ST26.

In step ST26, the times in which the power supply is determined to be in the off state are sequentially integrated, and the time in step ST27 is calculated.
Proceed to. In step ST27, it is determined whether or not there is power consumption information in the response packet. If there is power consumption information, the process proceeds to step ST28, in which the power consumption is calculated from the obtained power consumption information and the time of the OFF state. Is done. When it is not determined in step ST25 that the power consumption is off, when it is not determined in step ST27 that there is power consumption information, or when the power consumption is calculated in step ST28, the operation state determination processing ends.

Since such an operation state discrimination process is performed for each node, and what kind of device is connected to each node is determined as described above.
It is possible to calculate the ON integration time, OFF integration time, and power consumption of each device.

In the case where the television apparatus 10 can be set to an operation state in which the power consumption is reduced by reducing the luminance and contrast (hereinafter referred to as “power saving operation state”), FIGS. 16A and 17A 16D and FIG. 17D in response to the request shown in FIG. 18 and by adding the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG. 18, the operation time and the power consumption in the power saving operation state can be calculated. . For example, when it is determined in step ST14 in FIG. 15 that a response has been made, the process proceeds to step ST1 in FIG.
In step ST15, it is determined whether or not the power supply is in a power saving operation state. If it is determined that the power supply is in the power saving operation state, the process proceeds to step ST16, and if it is not determined that the power saving operation state is present, Step ST
Go to 20.

In step ST16, only the time during which the power supply is determined to be in the power saving operation state is sequentially integrated, and the process proceeds to step ST17. In step ST17, it is determined whether or not there is power consumption information in the response packet. When there is power consumption information, the process proceeds to step ST18, and the power consumption is calculated using the obtained power consumption information. When it is not determined that there is power consumption information in step ST17, or when the power consumption is calculated in step ST18, the operation state determination processing ends.

As described above, when the operation state determination processing of each device is completed, a display control signal DS is generated based on the calculated information such as the time and the power consumption and supplied to the on-screen display control unit 135. Is done. The on-screen display control unit 135 generates an on-screen display signal SSR based on the supplied display control signal DS and supplies it to the color signal output unit 116, thereby displaying the operation time of each device on the screen of the display unit 118. And power consumption are displayed.

FIG. 19A shows a first display mode of the display unit 118, and the registered area “N” is displayed in the display area Va.
The manufacturer name indicated by “Node_Vendor_ID” is displayed based on the information of “mode_Unique_ID” and the device information, and “Subunit”.
The type of the device indicated by “_type” is displayed. When the device type can be displayed in more detail by “Chip_ID”, the device type indicated by “Chip_ID” is displayed.

In the display area Vb, the operation state of the integration operation of each device is displayed. Here, when the above-described operation state determination processing can be performed, an ON display is performed, and an OFF display is performed when the main power of the device is in an off state or a device that is not connected. FIG.
9, the television device 10 and the disk device 2
0, video tape recorders 30, 40, video camera 5
0 is registered and the main power supply of the disk device 20 is off. In addition, in the display area Vc, an accumulated time during which the power of the device is turned on is displayed.

As described above, since the accumulated time during which the power is turned on is displayed for each device, the usage status of each device can be easily grasped.

Here, when the type of the device cannot be displayed in detail by “Chip_ID”, it is possible to input a detailed display, for example, by displaying the display area Va− in FIG. 19B.
The display of 1 can be changed from the display (DISC) of the type indicated by “Subunit_type” to the detailed display (DVD).

FIG. 19C shows a second display mode of the display unit 118, and the power consumption of each device is displayed in the display area Vd. This power consumption amount PTa is obtained by calculating the accumulated time in the power-on state as “Ton” and the power consumption in the power-on state as “P
Assuming that “on”, the integrated time in the power-off state is “Toff”, and the power consumption in the power-off state is “Poff”, it is calculated based on the equation (1). PTa = Ton × Pon + Toff × Poff (1)

As described above, since the accumulated time and the amount of power consumption in which the power is turned on for each device are displayed, not only can the usage status of each device be easily grasped, but also the power consumption can be reduced. It is possible to grasp the degree.

FIG. 20A shows a third display mode of display unit 118, and shows a case where a device capable of power saving operation is registered as described above. The display area Ve is an area for displaying the accumulated time of the power saving operation. For example, when the power saving operation is performed in the television device 10, the accumulated time of the power saving operation is displayed. In the display area Vf, the power consumption of each device is displayed. This power consumption PTb
Is calculated based on Equation (2), where “Tec” is the integration time in the power saving operation state and “Pec” is the power consumption in the power saving operation state. PTb = Ton × Pon + Toff × Poff + Tec × Pec (2)

As described above, since the power consumption including the integrated time of the power saving operation state and the power saving operation state is displayed,
The usage status of each device can be grasped in detail. In addition, by displaying the date of starting the integration in the display area Vg, it is possible to easily confirm when the reference of the information displayed in the display areas Vc, Ve, Vf is.

FIG. 20B shows a fourth display mode of the display unit 118, in which the display areas Vh and Vi are displayed for a certain period of time (for example, one day or one month from the date when the integration is started or the specified date). ) Is displayed. In addition, in the display area Vj, the integrated time per fixed period of the ON state and the power saving operation state and the integrated time per fixed period of the OFF state are obtained, and the expected annual power consumption is displayed from the power consumption in each state. The annual expected power consumption PTc is calculated based on the equation (3), where the integrated time Tcon in the ON state, the integrated time Tcoff in the OFF state, and the integrated time Tcec in the power saving operation state per day are calculated. PTc = (Tcon × Pon + Tcoff × Poff + Tcec × Pec) × 365 (3)

The target value of the annual power consumption of each device is displayed in the display area Vk. By comparing the target value of the annual power consumption with the expected annual power consumption, each of the current values is displayed. It is possible to determine whether or not the target value can be achieved depending on the usage state of the device, and to promote power saving. Here, if the expected annual power consumption is larger than the target value of the annual power consumption, for example, by switching the display color or blinking the display to perform a warning display, the expected annual power consumption is reduced to the target value. It can be easily determined that the number has exceeded the limit.

In the above-described embodiment, the power consumption is displayed by calculating the integrated time in the ON state, the OFF state, and the power saving operation state. Self-diagnosis is performed, and the self-diagnosis result can be displayed.

FIGS. 21 and 22 are flowcharts showing the self-diagnosis control processing. In step ST41, it is determined whether or not there is a device whose maintenance time is determined by the integrated time of the ON state or the sum of the integrated time of the ON state and the power saving operation state. Proceeds to step ST42, and determines whether or not to execute self-diagnosis. Here, when it is determined to execute, the process proceeds to step ST43.

In step ST43, the self-diagnosis is requested by designating the address of the device at the maintenance time. Here, in the request for the execution of the self-diagnosis, FIG.
As shown in the figure, “CT / R” of “FCP frame”
“C” and “HA” indicate, for example, a command for controlling the operation of the video tape recorder (1), and “OPC” and “OPR [0]” indicate that self-diagnosis is to be executed. .

When a request to execute self-diagnosis is made, it is determined in step ST44 whether a response packet that does not support the request is supplied. Here, as shown in FIG. 23B, "CT / R"
When it is determined that the response is not IMPLEMENTED indicating that the execution of the request is not supported by “C”, the process proceeds to step ST60 described later. When it is not determined that the response packet does not support the request, the process proceeds to step ST45.

At step ST45, it is determined whether or not a response packet for rejecting the request has been supplied. here,
As shown in FIG. 23C, “CT / RC” of the response packet
Response that refuses to execute the request (REJECTED)
When it is determined to be
Proceed to. Note that the process also proceeds to step ST61 when the interface is interrupted. If it is not determined that the packet is a response packet that rejects the request, the process proceeds to step ST46.

In step ST46, it is determined whether or not a response packet for approving the request has been supplied. here,
As shown in FIG. 23D, “CT / RC” of the response packet
When it is determined that the response is a response (ACCEPT) for approving the request, the process proceeds to step ST51 described later.
If it is not determined that the packet is a response packet that approves the request, the process proceeds to step ST47.

In step ST47, it is determined whether an intermediate response packet has been supplied. Here, FIG.
As shown in 3E, when it is determined from the response packet “CT / RC” that the response is an intermediate response (INTERIM), the process proceeds to step ST48. If it is not determined that the response is an intermediate response, the process proceeds to step ST50.

In step ST48, it is determined whether or not the response packet supplied after the intermediate response is a response packet that rejects the request. If it is determined that the packet is a response packet that rejects the request, the process proceeds to step ST61.
Note that even when the interface is interrupted, step ST
Go to 61. If it is not determined that the packet is a response packet that rejects the request, the process proceeds to step ST49.

At step ST49, it is determined whether or not a response packet for approving the request has been supplied. here,
If it is not determined that the packet is a response packet that approves the request, the process returns to step ST48. If it is determined that the packet is a response packet that approves the request, the process proceeds to step ST51.

If it is not determined in step ST47 that the response is an intermediate response, the process proceeds to step ST50, where 100 m
It is determined whether or not the time has elapsed, and if 100 ms has not elapsed, the process returns to step ST44 and returns to step ST44.
After elapse, the process proceeds to step ST61.

Step ST46 or step ST4
When the process proceeds from step 9 to step ST51, a request for a notification request of the self-diagnosis result is made in step ST51. Here, in the request for the notification request of the self-diagnosis result, as shown in FIG. 24A, “CT / RC” and “H” of “FCP frame”
"A" indicates that the command is a command for making a notification from the video tape recorder (1), and "OP"
“C” and “OPR [0]” indicate that the notification is a self-diagnosis result notification.

When a request for notification of the self-diagnosis result is made, it is determined in step ST52 whether a response packet that does not support the request is supplied. Here, as shown in FIG. 24B, when it is determined from the “CT / RC” of the response packet that the response (NOT IMPLEMENTED) indicates that the execution of the request is not supported, the process proceeds to step ST60. If it is not determined that the response packet does not support the request, the process proceeds to step ST53. In addition, "OPR
When [0] ”is FFh, it indicates that a diagnosis result has not been obtained, and the same applies to FIGS. 24C and 24E.

In step ST53, it is determined whether or not a response packet for rejecting the request has been supplied. here,
As shown in FIG. 24C, “CT / RC” of the response packet
Response that refuses to execute the request (REJECTED)
When it is determined that is, the process proceeds to step ST61.
Note that even when the interface is interrupted, step ST
Go to 61. If it is not determined that the packet is a response packet that rejects the request, the process proceeds to step ST54.

In step ST54, it is determined whether or not a response packet indicating a change in the self-diagnosis result has been supplied. Here, as shown in FIG. 24D, when it is determined by “CT / RC” of the response packet that the response (CHANGED) indicates that a change has occurred, the process proceeds to step ST59 described later. If it is not determined that the response packet indicates that a change has occurred, the process proceeds to step ST5.
Go to 5. “OPR [0]” of the response packet indicating the change in the self-diagnosis result indicates the diagnosis result. If the response packet is not diagnosed as normal, for example, an error code indicating an item determined to be abnormal is indicated.

At step ST55, it is determined whether or not a response packet of an intermediate response has been supplied. Here, FIG.
As shown in 4E, when it is determined from the response packet “CT / RC” that the response is an intermediate response (INTERIM), the process proceeds to step ST56. If it is not determined that the response is an intermediate response, the process proceeds to step ST58.

In step ST56, it is determined whether or not the response packet supplied after the intermediate response is a response packet that rejects the request. If it is determined that the packet is a response packet that rejects the request, the process proceeds to step ST61.
Note that even when the interface is interrupted, step ST
Go to 61. If it is not determined that the packet is a response packet that rejects the request, the process proceeds to step ST57.

In step ST57, it is determined whether or not a response packet indicating that a change has occurred has been supplied.
Here, if it is not determined that the response packet indicates that a change has occurred, the process returns to step ST56, and if it is determined that the response packet indicates that a change has occurred, the process proceeds to step ST59.

If it is not determined in step ST55 that the response is an intermediate response, the flow advances to step ST58 to proceed to step ST58.
It is determined whether or not the time has elapsed, and if 100 ms has not elapsed, the process returns to step ST52 and returns to step ST52.
After elapse, the process proceeds to step ST61.

Step ST54 or step ST5
When the process proceeds from step 7 to step ST59, in step ST59, the self-diagnosis result is output, that is, displayed on the screen, and the process ends. In step ST60, it is output that the request is not supported, and
At 61, the fact that the request cannot be executed is output, and the process ends.

FIG. 25 shows a selection screen for selecting whether or not to perform a self-diagnosis. An instruction for a selection operation for whether or not to perform a self-diagnosis is displayed in a display area Vm. Here, when the self-diagnosis is performed by operating the “KA key”, a display indicating that the self-diagnosis is being performed is displayed in the display area Vm when the self-diagnosis is being performed at the maintenance time. Done. Thereafter, when the self-diagnosis result is supplied from the video tape recorder (1) to the television device, the self-diagnosis result is displayed on the screen of the television device.

As described above, the integrated time in the ON state or the power saving operation state is automatically calculated, the self-diagnosis is executed at a predetermined timing, and the diagnosis result is displayed. For this reason,
Even if the use state of each device is not managed, self-diagnosis can be performed at the correct timing.

It is assumed that a numerical value input screen mode is provided as shown in FIG. 26, and information on the power consumption and the annual target of the power consumption when the operation state of the device is the ON state, the OFF state, and the power saving operation state. If the information on the value and the timing to perform self-diagnosis cannot be obtained from each connected device,
Necessary information can be input by key operation. For example, the power consumption in the on state displayed in the display area Vq, the power consumption in the power saving operation state displayed in the display area Vr, the power consumption in the off state displayed in the display area Vs, the display area As described above, the value of each item of the annual target value displayed in Vt and the value of each item in the diagnostic period indicating the timing of performing the self-diagnosis displayed in the display area Vu can be input for each device. The usage status can be easily and correctly determined, and the self-diagnosis can be started at an appropriate timing to easily monitor the status of the device.

In the above-described embodiment, the information is read from each device connected by the television device 10 to display the power consumption and the self-diagnosis result. However, the information is read by another device. Calculation of power consumption, control of self-diagnosis, and the like are performed, and information indicating a calculation result, a diagnosis result, and the like are supplied to the television device 10,
The above-described display may be performed on the screen of the television device 10. In the above-described embodiment, the information indicating the calculation result, the diagnosis result, and the like is output by the television device. However, for example, a printer device or the like is connected, and the calculation result or the diagnosis result is output from the printer device. Of course, it is also possible to print and output information indicating the above.

[0097]

According to the present invention, the first electronic device determines the connected other electronic device and requests the other electronic device for information regarding the operation state. Using the information on the operation state supplied from another electronic device, information indicating the usage status of each electronic device is generated. Further, the generated information is output from an electronic device including the information output unit. For this reason, it is possible to easily monitor the usage status of each electronic device, for example, the accumulated time during which the power is turned on, the power consumption, and the like, and reduce the energy consumption.

When the self-diagnosis can be performed by the electronic device, the self-diagnosis is automatically performed by using the calculated integrated time. Therefore, the self-diagnosis can be performed at an appropriate timing without checking for each electronic device whether or not it is time to perform the self-diagnosis.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an IEEE 1394 topology.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an IEEE 1394 address space.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a register space.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of a packet.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of an FCP frame.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing contents of CT (ctype).

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the contents of RC (response).

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a processing operation.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the contents of Subunit_type.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the contents of Subunit_ID.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an entire configuration.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a process of determining a connected device.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an information inquiry process.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a request and a response in an information inquiry process.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an operation state determination process.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a request and a response in a power state inquiry process.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a request and a response in another inquiry process of the power supply state.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating a determination process when a power saving operation can be performed.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a display mode of a display unit.

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a display mode of a display unit.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing a self-diagnosis control process (1/2).

FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing a self-diagnosis control process (2/2).

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a request and a response in a self-diagnosis execution process.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a request and a response in the notification processing of the self-diagnosis result.

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing a self-diagnosis selection screen.

FIG. 26 is a diagram showing a numerical value input screen.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Television apparatus 20 Disk apparatus 30, 40 Video tape recorder 50 Video camera 60 Cable 102 Plug 105 Interface section 110 Video decoder 112, 122 D / A conversion section 114 Video signal processing section 116 Color signal output section 118 Display section 120 Audio decoder 124 Audio signal processing unit 127 Audio output unit 130 Control unit 135 On-screen display control unit 137 Operation unit 138 Memory unit

Claims (9)

[Claims] A plurality of electronic devices including an electronic device provided with information output means are connected via an interface, and a plurality of electronic devices are connected by a first electronic device among the plurality of electronic devices. In addition to the determination of the electronic device, a request for information regarding the operation state of another connected electronic device is made via the interface. In the first electronic device, the other electronic device Using the information on the operation state supplied from the electronic device to generate information indicating the usage status of each electronic device, and outputting the information from the electronic device provided with the information output means. . 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first electronic device calculates an integrated time of each operation state of each of the electronic devices by using the supplied information on the operation state, and outputs the information as information indicating the use state. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the output is performed from an electronic device having the means. 3. The power consumption of each operation state of each of the electronic devices is supplied to the first electronic device as the information on the operation state, or the power consumption of each operation state of each of the electronic devices is supplied to the first electronic device. In the first electronic device, the first electronic device calculates the amount of power consumption from the integrated time of each operation state of the electronic device and the power consumption, and outputs the information output unit as information indicating the use status. The method according to claim 2, wherein the output is performed from an electronic device provided. 4. The first electronic device stores a calculation start date of an integrated time of each operation state of each of the electronic devices, and the first electronic device stores the integrated time and the calculation start date. The time of each operation state per day is calculated for each of the electronic devices based on the number of days elapsed from a day, and output as information indicating the use status from the electronic device including the information output unit. Item 3. The use monitoring method of an electronic device according to Item 2. 5. The power consumption of each operation state of each of the electronic devices is supplied to the first electronic device as the information on the operation state, or the power consumption of each operation state of each of the electronic devices is supplied to the first electronic device. In the first electronic device, the calculation start date of the integrated time of each operation state of each of the electronic devices is stored, and the first electronic device stores each of the electronic devices. The power consumption of an operation state and the estimated amount of power consumption per year are calculated from the time of each operation state per day, and output from the electronic device having the information output means as information indicating the usage state. Item 6. The use monitoring method of an electronic device according to Item 4. 6. When an electronic device having a self-diagnosis function is connected, timing setting information for setting a start timing of the self-diagnosis function is transmitted from the electronic device having the self-diagnosis function as the information on the operation state. 1 or the timing setting information can be input to the first electronic device. In the first electronic device, the integrated time and the timing setting information of each operation state of each electronic device are The self-diagnosis timing is determined based on the self-diagnosis.If it is determined that the self-diagnosis is to be performed, the electronic device having the self-diagnosis function is requested to perform the self-diagnosis, and the electronic device having the self-diagnosis function is determined. Causing the self-diagnosis result obtained from the device to be output from the electronic device including the information output unit as information indicating the use status. Usage monitoring method of an electronic device according to claim 2, symptoms. 7. An electronic device usage status monitoring system for monitoring the usage status of a plurality of electronic devices connected via an interface, wherein the connected electronic device is identified and the electronic device connected to the connected electronic device is identified. A first electronic device that requests information about an operation state for the first electronic device and generates information indicating a use state of each electronic device using information about the operation state obtained from each electronic device; An electronic device usage status monitoring system, comprising: an electronic device including an information output unit that outputs information indicating a usage status generated by the device. 8. The first electronic device includes a storage unit, and the integrated time obtained by integrating the time of each operation state of each electronic device using the storage unit indicates the use status. The system according to claim 7, wherein information is supplied to said information output means as information. 9. When the first electronic device generates information indicating a usage status of each electronic device using the integrated time, reference information required for generating the information can be input. 9. The system according to claim 8, further comprising an input unit.