JP2001204091A - Digital device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a digital device, which is operated or operates other devices with a command delivered through a network, that can display the result of the command when the state of the device is changed by the command to avoid a user from confusing. SOLUTION: In the case that an internal state of a device is changed by a command from an external device, a display displays the command, information denoting its contents, information of a command issue source and the result of it. Furthermore, in the case of the device that uses a command to control other devices for realization of a certain operation, when it is judged that an operation request source is not normal, the device stores information being a cause to stop operation and displays it on the display in optional timing.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a digital device interconnected to a network, and more particularly to a digital device that performs a certain operation by using a function of another device connected to the network.

[0002] In this specification, "digital equipment"
Devices related to digital video and digital audio, such as broadcast receivers, television receivers, DVHS and DV
A recording / reproducing device such as D, an audio device, and a personal computer are conceivable.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, a typical command that can control an external device is an AV / C command defined by the 1394 Trade Association. AV / C command is IEEE std 1
This command is used in home appliances and commercial facilities equipped with 394-1995. See 1394 Trade Assoc
AV / C standard published by iation `` Digital Interfac
e Command Set General Specification ".

[0004]

In the present invention, the contents of the standard are analyzed.

The AV / C command has a portion common to all devices and a portion defined for each device type. The type of the command itself is divided into a control command, a status command, and a Notify command for notifying a change. I have. In addition, a support level is assigned to each command. Support levels include mandatory, recommended, optional, and vendor specific. Commands that require a support level must be possessed by devices equipped with AV / C commands,
Few commands are required. That is,
Because many commands are recommended or optional, different devices may have different supported commands. For example, even if the device A sends a control command whose support level is not essential to the device B, but the device B does not support the command, the device A does not perform the intended operation at all. Device cannot be executed.

As an example of an operation that can be executed by a command, if the device is a VTR, commands corresponding to VTR functions such as power ON / OFF, tape playback, and program recording are specified. Any device that has these AV / C commands can operate the VTR simply by transmitting the command to the target VTR.

[0007] There are two problems when controlling a device by a command. One is that when a controlled device receives a command, if there is another person who happens to be using the device, it appears that the device suddenly performed an unintended operation. This means that confusion may occur when there are multiple users. The second is that it is not always possible to know in a timely manner whether the device to be operated supports the command that the control side is trying to transmit and whether the device is ready to execute the command. In order to avoid such problems, in some cases, if your own device is in a situation where you do not want to be controlled by other devices, you will not accept commands from others inside your own device, Although it is performed to prevent undesired operations from occurring, this only guarantees the operation of the own device, and cannot cope with controlling other devices.

In a network where commands can be used to use the functions of external devices other than the own device, the operation intended by the user is executed regardless of whether the device is the external device or the own device. However, depending on the state of each independent device, a command may not be executed or an operation unexpected by the user may be performed by a command from another device.

For example, in a device having a tuner function,
When a user is watching a certain program, a channel from which the user is watching suddenly changes due to a command from another device. In this case, the user is greatly confused. In such a case, it is necessary to clarify the cause, but no process corresponding to this is currently performed. It is an object of the present invention to clarify the action taken by the command in response to this problem.

[0010] In addition, there is a problem particularly when a reservation is made to control a device other than the own device using a command.
If it is time to execute the reservation and the device to be controlled is in a state where it cannot execute the transmitted command,
The reservation of the device that issued the command becomes impossible. In an environment where execution of the reservation is not guaranteed, it is necessary to clarify the reason why the command was not executed.

[0011] Especially when the user is not present, it is important to be able to present a reason why the user can be satisfied later. Another object of the present invention is to clarify the cause when the command is not executed.

[0012]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to the present invention, a command transmitted from another device for controlling the own device and an operation of the own device in response to the command are displayed on a display device as information. Display its contents. In addition, in response to commands issued by the device to control other devices,
The result of the command processing of the other device receiving the command is displayed on a display device. In addition, when performing an operation by reserving the own device using the function of another device connected to the network, whether or not the specified execution condition is satisfied while sending a command according to the execution procedure And a function that saves the state when the condition is no longer satisfied in the memory as information that is the cause of the inability to execute the reservation, retrieves this information at an arbitrary timing, and displays the information on the display device in an easy-to-understand language. To have.

[0013]

FIG. 2 shows a digital satellite broadcast receiver (I).
RD = Integrated Receiver / Decorder), the procedure for displaying the contents on the display device when the internal state of the device A changes due to the reception of a command from the external device is simply shown. It was done.

Device A and Device B, Device C are IEEE1394-1995
(Hereinafter referred to as a 1394 network). First, it is assumed that the state of the device A is the power OFF state. At this time, 1394 Trade Association from device B
When the device A receives a Power command (parameter is power ON), which is a unit command of the AV / C command defined in (1394TA), the device A turns on the power inside the device A in accordance with the command request. Respond to Power command for device A
In addition to returning the ponce, an easy-to-understand execution result such as “the power-on request from the device B has been received” is displayed on a display device built in or externally connected to the device A. Also, from the device C, the Tunner subunit com
When receiving the Direct Select Information command (CH5 channel selection for simplicity) which is a mand, the device A selects CH5 from the state in which CH2 has been selected as requested by the command. I do. For device A, Direc
In addition to returning a response to the t Select Information command, an easy-to-understand execution result such as "a channel selection request from device C has been accepted" is displayed. As described above, when the internal state of the device A is changed by the command from the external device, the user can be confused by displaying the execution result of the command in an easy-to-understand manner. For example, in the above-described case of tuning, the device A
May have originally wanted to watch CH2 before receiving the command from the device B. If this were the case, the user of device A would feel confused that the channel was unexpectedly switched to CH5. In such a case, the execution result of the above command is
By presenting it on some display means, the user of the device A can grasp the situation.

The display means may be a monitor built in the device A, a television monitor connected to the outside, or a front display panel of the device A.

FIG. 2 also assumes that the device A and the device B are connected via a 1394 network. This shows a procedure for issuing a command to the device B as a digital VTR and executing the reservation when a recording reservation is made inside the device A as the IRD. Here, the device A, which is an IRD, does not have a recording function but has a recording reservation function. Therefore, in order to execute the recording reservation, it is necessary to use the recording function of the device B which is a digital VTR connected to the 1394 network. As a reservation execution procedure 1, the device A sets and establishes a connection called Point to Point with respect to the device B. After the connection is established, the device A performs a reservation execution procedure 2 with respect to the device B.
(The parameter is power ON), and the device B also receives the command and enters the power ON state. At this time, the Response comma
Since the nd is returned to the device A, the device A can know the state of the device B. Next, the device A performs a reservation execution procedure 3 as follows.
AV / C Tape Recorder / Playersubunit Tape Recording F
Using the ormat command, the recording mode of the device B is set to the HS mode. When the setting of the mode is completed, Response c
After returning the ommand to the device A, the type of the tape currently inserted in the digital VTR which is the device B is changed to Medium / AV / C Tape Recorder / Player subunit as a reservation execution procedure 4.
Confirm using the Info command. In response to the command, the type of tape inserted into the device B is returned from the device B by a response command of Medium Info. At this time, device B
If the tape inserted into the device A is a normal analog VHS tape, an error occurs inside the device A. This is because when the recording mode is HS, the type of tape corresponding to the recording mode cannot be other than digital VHS tape. This is defined in the digital VTR standard. If the above-described criteria are provided inside the device A with respect to the information obtained by such a command, it can be determined whether or not the recording reservation functions normally. The execution of the reservation determined that the device A is not normal is stopped at that time, and the information from the command that caused the stop includes the time, the reservation number, the output destination of the command,
The result is stored in a memory together with the execution result. The cause of the suspension of the execution of the reservation is a mismatch between the recording mode and the type of the inserted video tape.

In a 1394 network where a device other than the own device is operated by a command to execute a reservation, the result of the reservation execution is stored in the memory as described above, so that misunderstandings and questions of the user can be solved to some extent. You can do it. Table 1 below shows information that stores the result of the above-mentioned reservation execution, and this is presented using any display device.

[0018]

[Table 1]

In general, a front panel attached to the front of a television monitor or device connected to the outside of the IRD can be considered as the display device. It is convenient if the user can present the information on the display means by performing an operation. For example, it is common to display by GUI (Graphical User Interface). Items such as “execution result” may be created on the GUI, and when the item is selected, Table 1 may be presented on the television monitor.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of an IRD assumed for the device A. The IRD 1 includes a tuner 10 for selecting a channel, a demodulation unit 11 for canceling modulation used in the system, a TS decoding unit 12 for selecting a type stream from an MPEG transport stream, and an audio decoding unit 1.
3, video decoding unit 14, display processing unit 15, I / O processing unit 16 for processing external inputs such as remote control, Flash ROM1
7, a ROM 18, a RAM 19, a CPU 20, a modem 21, and a 1394 processing unit 22. The TV monitor 2 is a display processing unit 1
Connect with 5. If the 1394 processing unit 22 is a device connected to another network, the device matches the network. In addition, there is a card processing unit and the like. The basic configuration of the IRD does not change whether it is the present invention or a conventional one.
To explain the data flow of the present invention, the command itself is 13
The data is transmitted and received by the 94 processing unit 22, where communication processing according to the 1394 standard is performed. AV / C command itself is CPU2
0 is analyzed and stored in the RAM 19 or the Flash ROM 17. Here, when the above-mentioned recording reservation operation is stopped, the information which causes the recording reservation operation and the result information are stored. These pieces of information can be displayed using the display processing unit 15.

FIG. 4 shows a case where the internal state of the device A which is the IRD 1 is changed by a command from an external device.
In detail, when the channel selection is performed by a command from the device B, the execution result is displayed on the television monitor 2 as a display device and on the front display panel of the IRD 1. Displaying the contents of the command on the display device at the time of execution of the command from the outside in this manner is also effective in reducing confusion for the user.

FIG. 5 shows, in reverse, when the device A issues a tuning command to the external device B, the execution result is displayed on the television monitor 2 connected to the device A and on the front display panel of the IRD 1. It is a state in which it is shown. When a command for operating an external device is issued and the external device is located at a remote place, the result of the command may be difficult to understand. In such a case, it is convenient if the execution result of the command issued by the own device is displayed.

[0023]

According to the present invention, in a device operated by a command circulating on a network or a device operated by a command, when the state of the device is changed by the command, the execution result of the command is displayed, thereby enabling the user to execute the command. Can be avoided. Further, when a recording reservation is executed using a function of another device, the user can grasp the situation by storing the result of the reservation execution together with the cause.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a basic conceptual diagram of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating storage of information when a failure occurs during execution of a reservation according to an embodiment of the present invention, including a sequence of commands.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an IRD having a function based on the 1394-1995 standard according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating display contents of a display unit when a state of the own device changes according to a command from another device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing display contents of a display unit when a state of another device changes according to a command from the own device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1. IRD, 2. TV monitor, 15. Display processing unit, 2.
0: CPU, 22: 1394 processing unit.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H04N 5/44 H04N 5/44 Z // H04L 12/40 H04L 11/00 320 (72) Inventor Hiroaki Takahashi 292 Yoshida-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture F-term in the Digital Media System Division of Hitachi, Ltd. 5K048 BA02 BA04 DA05 EB02 EB14 EB15 FB08 FB10

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A digital device connectable to a network for communicating data relating to video or audio, a command transmitting / receiving means for transmitting / receiving a command for mutual operation with another digital device, A digital device, comprising: display means for displaying, when transmitted or received, a result executed by the command. 2. The network is interconnected by a 1394 serial bus, and the digital device is connected to IEEE Std 139.
The digital device according to claim 1, wherein the digital device conforms to the 4-1995 standard. 3. A digital device that can be connected to a network for communicating data and commands, has a command that allows the device to be operated from the outside, and has received a command from another device via the network. A digital device for presenting, as information, an execution result of the command on a display device. 4. A digital device connectable to a network for communicating data and commands, comprising: a command enabling operation of the own device from the outside; and a command enabling operation of another device connected to the network. The execution result for the command when the own device receives a command from another device via the network, and the execution result of the other device for the command when the own device issues a command to operate the other device as information. Digital equipment characterized by being presented on a display device. 5. A digital device compliant with at least the IEEE Std 1394-1995 standard, which has a command to enable its own device to be operated from outside in a network interconnected by a 1394 serial bus, and A digital device that, when its own device receives a command from another device, presents an execution result of the command as information on a display device. 6. A digital device which is at least compliant with the IEEE Std 1394-1995 standard and which is connected to a network via a 1394 serial bus. If the device has a command that makes it possible to operate the other device, the execution result of the command when the own device receives a command from the other device via the network, and the own device issues a command to operate the other device A digital device for presenting, as information, an execution result of another device with respect to a command of (i) on a display device. 7. A digital device capable of executing an operation reserved for its own device by utilizing a function of another device connected to a network for communicating data and commands, wherein execution of the reserved operation is performed by a command. A command is output according to a predefined procedure, and it is determined that the execution of the reservation operation is not possible, based on the information included in the response of the command and the execution condition of the predefined reservation operation. In this case, the digital device stores the cause of the inability to execute the reservation operation in a memory, retrieves the stored information at an arbitrary timing, and presents the information on a display device. 8. An operation which is compliant with at least the IEEE Std 1394-1995 standard and executes an operation reserved for its own device by utilizing a function of another device connected to a network interconnected by a 1394 serial bus. A digital device capable of executing a reservation operation by a command, outputting a command according to a predefined procedure, and information included in a response of the command and execution conditions of the predefined reservation operation. If it is determined that the execution of the reservation operation is not possible, the cause of the execution of the reservation operation is stored in a memory, the stored information is called at an arbitrary timing, and the display device A digital device characterized by being presented above. 9. A digital device capable of executing a recording operation reserved for its own device using a recording function of another device connected to a network for communicating data and commands,
The execution of the scheduled recording operation is performed by a command, and a command is sequentially output according to a predefined recording procedure. The command is determined based on information included in the command response and execution conditions of the predefined scheduled recording operation. If it is determined that the scheduled recording operation cannot be performed, the cause of the disabled scheduled recording operation is stored in the memory, the stored information is called at an arbitrary timing, and displayed on the display device. Digital device characterized by presenting. 10. A recording operation which is compliant with at least the IEEE Std 1394-1995 standard and which is reserved for its own device using a recording function of another device connected to a network interconnected by a 1394 serial bus. Is a digital device capable of executing a timer recording operation by a command,
A command is sequentially output according to a pre-defined recording procedure. Judging from information included in the response of the command and the execution condition of the pre-defined recording operation, it is impossible to execute the pre-programmed recording operation. If it is determined that
A digital device characterized in that the cause of the impossibility of execution of a scheduled recording operation is stored in a memory, the stored information is called at an arbitrary timing, and presented on a display device.