JP2003037602A - Network equipment connection control unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem that connection between present equipment and equipment A on a network is occasionally disturbed resulting from connecting a communication path from equipment B not to be operated when establishing the connection of a communication path to the equipment A. SOLUTION: A recording part is provided for identification information on whether a connection is enabled with previously designated equipment or not, a connection request source is discriminated and on the basis of the information on the recording part, the connection is permitted only to connectable equipment or connection requests from all equipment are refused so that the connection of the present equipment can be controlled.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to IEEE 1394.
In audio / video equipment connected by a digital network such as the above, connection control of communication of audio / video data transmitted / received between the equipments is performed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional audio / video device equipped with IEEE 1394, the reproduction / recording of an image is mainly performed by connecting one device to another device of the same stream and transmitting / receiving audio / video data. It is something to do.

For example, digital video (hereinafter referred to as DV) is Br standardized by IEC61883.
It takes a connection form called oAdcAst connection. Two DV
When dubbing between files, the playback side is IEEE1394
This can be done by transmitting the DV stream to the channel determined by the above, and the recording side receiving the stream of the same channel. As another example, for recording and playback between a digital broadcast receiver and a digital video recorder (hereinafter referred to as DVHS), Pointto P
The connection form is based on the point connection.

This clarifies the connection between the two and
It sends and receives transport streams,
The side receiving the stream establishes a connection with the other device. In addition, this connection form is based on the previous BroAdcAst.
Unlike connection, according to the standard, it is possible to disconnect only from the device that established the connection. As a stream protocol on IEEE 1394, DV protocol, MPEG transport stream protocol, and AM (Audio & Music) protocol are standardized in IEC61883.

Here, the port for inputting and outputting the stream to and from the IEEE1394 is called a port, and the port for connecting the IEEE1394 cable is distinguished as a terminal. For example, in the case of a device having one port and two terminals, two or more other devices can be connected, but only one stream can be transmitted and received at the same time.

[0006]

By increasing the functionality of audio / video equipment as it is digitized, not only is the stream transmitted / received between one-to-one on a network as in the past, but also one-to-many. Connection may be made
Furthermore, different types of streams may be simultaneously transmitted and received.

[0007] For example, DVHS is used in a digital broadcast receiver.
When an audio device such as an amplifier that reproduces audio is connected to the network, the MPEG transport stream is transmitted and received to and from the DVHS, and the amplifier transmits and receives an AM stream for audio.

In IEEE 1394, Point to
When making a Point connection, it is customary for the side that receives the stream to do so, so when the DVHS records, this connection is established from the DVHS to the digital broadcast receiver. The amplifier also establishes a connection to the digital broadcast receiver in order to play the audio.

At this time, if there is one port on the digital broadcast receiver side and only one type of stream can be output at the same time, only one of the connections executed previously can be performed. At this time, depending on the order in which the DVHS and amplifier are connected or the order in which the power is turned on, the devices may or may not be usable.

If the power of the amplifier is turned on and the connection with the digital broadcast receiver is established, even if the user wants to reproduce the DVHS, the stream communication cannot be connected and the reproduced image cannot be displayed. .

It may be possible to solve the above-mentioned problem by increasing the number of ports in the hardware and outputting a plurality of streams at the same time. The same problem arises due to the limited number. Also, depending on the device, the Point to Point is automatically set for the device that sends the stream.
There is a device for connecting t.

[0012] For example, some DVHSs are provided with an automatic connection function for automatically making this connection. Even when the DVHS is not actually recording, a connection is established with the partner device to stream. To receive. The DVHS uses this function when performing a recording operation on the DVHS side.

When various devices equipped with IEEE 1394 are connected to the network as described above, it is assumed that a plurality of devices having an automatic connection function are connected. At this time, like the digital broadcast receiver (TV), IEEE1
When positioned as the master of the 394 device, another IEEE 1394 device may be automatically connected to use all ports for transmitting and receiving streams. As a result, even if the digital broadcast receiver wants to establish a connection with a specific device to perform transmission / reception, all the ports are already in use and the stream cannot be transmitted / received.

[0014]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is to communicate via a network in a device which secures a transmission band in advance and transmits / receives data between devices connected to the network. A communication control unit,
When each device connected to the network has the function of establishing and disconnecting the communication path, it mainly provides the network connection control device that establishes the communication path with the communication partner device and controls the transmission and reception of data. To do.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a network, 2 is a control device operated by a user as a master, 3A is a controlled device to be operated,
3B is a non-controlled device that is not operated by the master, 4 is a communication control unit, 5 is a connection request identification unit, and 6 is a connection control processing unit.

The control device 2 operates the control device 3A connected to the network 1. A device connected to the IEEE 1394 network usually includes an AV / C command transmission / reception unit for recognizing the connected device and controlling the device, and a device operation application software unit for issuing a command for operating the device. In 1, the parts that are not directly related are omitted.

Here, referring to FIG. 1, a master device on the network transmits a stream to another device for recording and reproduction, and a master device reproduces the stream. The processing for this will be described. For ease of explanation, the control device 2 has only one port for inputting and outputting a stream.

Two devices, a controlled device 3A and a non-controlled device 3B, are connected to the network 1. At this time, if the non-control target device 3B is powered on and the automatic connection function is enabled and the receiving destination is the control device 2, since the non-control target device 3B performs Point to Point connection, only one port is provided. The port of the control device 2 that does not have is used up. Therefore, since the control device 2 has the port blocked, the control device 2 is pointed to the control target device 3A.
The t to Point connection is established and the stream cannot be transmitted or received.

Therefore, in the first embodiment, when the non-controlled device 3B transmits a command for establishing a connection to the control device 2, the control device 2 receives the command at the communication control unit 4. The connection request identification unit 5 of the connection processing control unit 6
It is a module for identifying a command for connection establishment and a disconnection request among the IEEE 1394 commands. IEEE
In 1394, the connection state is managed by registers called input plugs and output plugs.

In the case of transmission, specifically, output P
lug Control Register (oPC
The connection is controlled and managed by rewriting the value of the register called R). Actually Point to Poi
The process when connecting nt is I
The value of the previous register is rewritten after ensuring the bandwidth of the network according to the channel used for transmission and reception of EEE 1394 and the transfer rate of the stream.

At this time, the original value to be rewritten and the rewritten value 2
The connection is controlled by specifying one value and rewriting the register value when the original value is correct. In addition, IEEE1
Since the processing procedure for securing the connection resource of 394 is described in IEC61883, details thereof will not be described here. This o
The connection processing control unit 6 changes the PCR register.

When the connection processing control unit 6 receives a rewriting request from the non-controlled device 3B to the oPCR, the connection processing control unit 6 always rejects the rewriting request even if a correct value is specified. As a result, the non-controlled device 3B cannot connect to the control device 2, so that the port of the control device 2 can be set to an idle state.

Therefore, the stream can be transmitted and received by connecting to the controlled device 3A as requested by the user who operates the control device 2. At this time, the non-control target device 3
B cannot establish a connection, but since the device operated by the user is the controlled device 3A, even if the operation of the non-controlled device 3B is disturbed, it is against the intention of the user. However, it is possible to give priority to the operation of the user.

In the first embodiment, even if a plurality of devices are connected on the network and the same operation as that of the non-controlled device 3B is performed, the connection processing control unit 6 of the controlled device 2 establishes these connections. Reject all. By taking this configuration, the device on the network is controlled by giving priority to the user's operation,
It becomes possible to send and receive a stream.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 2 shows a configuration according to the second embodiment. Only the differences in configuration from the first embodiment will be described. In FIG. 2, 7 is a connection determination unit,
Reference numeral 8 denotes a device identification management unit of a device connected to the network, which is additionally configured in the first embodiment. The device identification management unit 8 determines the type of the device connected to the network 1 and stores the device list in the memory for management.

Here, the user designates the device to be operated by the control device 2, and the information of use / non-use is held together with the list of devices. FIG. 3 shows an example of management information held by the device identification management unit. In FIG. 3, 21 is a device identification ID, 22 is a device type, and 23 is a device operation target flag.

FIG. 3 shows the management information in FIG. 2, and the controlled device 3A has a device identification ID of 0000000.
1 means "use" as DVHS, non-controlled device 3B means "do not use" as 00000002 as amplifier
When set to. This information is composed of non-volatile memory such as EEPROM, and is retained even after the power is turned off to always save the information of the last used device.
It is possible not to re-input after turning on the power.

Here, when a command for performing Point to Point connection is transmitted from the non-controlled device 3B to the control device 2, the connection processing control unit 6 is sent via the communication control unit of the control device 2. Connection request identification unit 5
If a connection request is made, the device identification ID for which the command has been sent is taken out by the connection determination unit 7, the device list held by the device identification management unit 8 is searched, and the corresponding device identification ID is obtained.
Check the availability of the equipment in.

At this time, the information that the non-controlled device 3B is "not used" is extracted from the management information of FIG.
The connection processing control unit 6 rejects the request from the non-control target device 3B. On the other hand, in the case of a connection request from the control target device 3A, the information "use" is extracted from the management information of the device identification management unit 8, and the connection request is accepted and the connection is permitted. The same effect as 1 can be obtained.

Further, the control device 2 has two or more ports and is capable of simultaneously inputting and outputting a plurality of streams, which is effective when a plurality of devices are connected. For example,
The automatic connection function needs to explicitly specify the destination where the DVHS receives the stream, such as when the DVHS side reserves the recording, but the control device 2 does not interfere with the operation of the user, and the control device 2 transmits the data from the specific device. Allow operation and DVH
It becomes possible to execute recording by S.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a network, 2 is a control device that controls as a master, 3A is a controlled device that is operated, 3B is a non-controlled device that is not operated by the master, 4 is a communication control unit, 5 is a connection request identification unit, Reference numeral 8 is a device identification management unit, 9 is a device state acquisition unit, and 10 is a power command control unit.

The device identification management unit 8 determines the type of the device connected to the network 1 and stores it in a memory as a device list for management, and at the same time notifies the current control device notified from the connection request identification unit 6. Record the connection establishment or disconnection status of 2. FIG. 5 shows an example of the management information in FIG. 4, and the control target device 3A sets the device identification ID to 000.
As DVHS in 00001, the connection from this device is “none”, and the non-control target device 3B is 0000000.
In Fig. 2, as an amplifier, a state in which the connection from this device is "present" is shown.

In FIG. 5, 21 is a device identification ID, 22
Is a listening type, 24 is a device connection flag, and 25 is a dead time count. The device status acquisition unit 9 uses the network 1
The status of the device connected to the AV / C of IEEE1394
Acquires the operating status of the device by sending and receiving commands.

For example, in the case of DVHS, the POWER command of AV / C command and VIDEO PLAYER / REC
TRANSPORT STA to check the status of ORDER
Send the TE command to acquire the power supply status and deck status (playback, recording).

The control device 2 has one port, and when the control target device 3A is connected to receive the stream, the non-control target device 3B establishes the connection with the control device 2 by the automatic connection function. The process will be described. In addition,
One port of the control device 2 is already used for connection from the non-control device 3B, and the control device 2 cannot establish a new connection for receiving the stream.

At this time, when the connection processing control unit 6 establishes a connection with the control-target device 3A at the request of the user, the communication connection among the devices connected to the network 1 from the identification management unit 8 is established. By acquiring the established device information, the information of the non-control target device 3B can be obtained. Therefore, the device status acquisition unit 9 acquires the device status of the non-control target device 3B. For example, in the case of DVHS, when the state is "stop", the power supply command control unit 10 sends a POWER OFF control command to the controlled device 3A to turn off the power supply.

As a result, the non-controlled device 3B can disconnect the control device 2. Therefore, the connection processing control unit 6 can establish a connection with the controlled device 3A. At this time, the user has an intention to operate the control target device 3A from the control device 2 and does not perform any operation even if the non-control target device 3B is powered off.

When the non-controlled device 3B is judged to be in an unused state, the device state is monitored periodically, for example, in units of 1 second, and the time in the stopped state is counted to operate for 1 minute or more. POWER O only if not
By sending the FF command, the accuracy of control can be increased. This non-operation time count information can be realized by adding it to the management information of the device identification management unit 8 of each device.

[0040]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the master device connected to the network can suppress the connection for unnecessary stream transmission / reception from other devices, and the user's connection can be suppressed. It becomes possible to preferentially operate the device based on the intention.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram for realizing the first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram for realizing the second embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of management information for device control held by a device identification management unit.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram for realizing the third embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of connection state management information held by a device identification management unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 network 2 control equipment 3A controlled equipment 3B Non-controlled device 4 Communication control unit 5 Connection request identification section 6 Connection processing control unit 7 Connection determination part 8 Equipment identification management section 9 Device status acquisition unit 10 Power command controller 21 Device ID 22 Device type 23 Device operation target flag 24 Connection status flag 25 Dead time counter

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. Between devices connected to a network,
In a device that secures a transmission band in advance and transmits / receives data, communication is mainly performed when a communication control unit that communicates via a network and each device connected to the network have a function of establishing and disconnecting a communication path. A network connection control device that establishes a communication path with a partner device and controls data transmission / reception. 2. The network control device according to claim 1, further comprising a connection processing unit that always rejects a communication path establishment request from a device connected to the network, and communicates with respect to data transmission / reception performed by the device itself. A network connection control device that controls routes. 3. The network control device according to claim 2, which stores a device identification unit for identifying a device connected to the network, a connection request destination identification unit for a communication path, and connectable and connection refusal identification information. A network connection control device comprising: a recording unit; and a connection determination unit that determines a connection request source and performs a connection request process based on information in the recording unit. 4. The network control device according to claim 1, further comprising a device status acquisition unit that acquires a status of a device connected to the network, and a power command control unit, and powers the device when the device is not operating. A network connection control device, characterized by disconnecting.