JP2004134851A - Network apparatus and control method for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a network apparatus and a control method which can register a reservation to enable its operation, even if an operation is made from a separate network apparatus while being subjected to an operation from other network apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: Network apparatus 200, 300 remote-controllable exclusively from other network apparatus between a plurality of network apparatus connected to a network 10 comprise communication units 103, 202 for transferring data to/from other network apparatus over the network, and controllers 104, 205 which receive reservation registrations of operations from a network apparatus separate from the other network apparatus exclusively operating now, holds the contents thereof, and execute the registered reserved operations after ending the exclusive remote operation by the other network apparatus. A user of the separate network apparatus is not required to keep waiting until the operation is enabled. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a device (hereinafter, referred to as a network device) that is connected to a network and can perform a cooperative operation with another device, and a control method for the network device. TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an improved network device and a method for controlling such a network device for ensuring cooperative operation between network devices that can be used in an environment.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, widespread use of computers has promoted the installation of networks even in ordinary households, and accordingly, home appliances mainly used in ordinary households, for example, represented by video cameras, video disk recorders, and the like. As for devices, various technologies have been devised to date, in order to connect them to a network and remotely control the devices from a remote place via this network, or to operate a plurality of devices in cooperation. I have.
[0003]
Among such conventional technologies, for example, the “ECHONET standard” specifies a communication protocol and a middleware specification for controlling various home electric appliances on a plurality of physical media such as a power line and a radio. As a network technology for digital AV equipment, for example, “HAVi (Home Audio Video Interoperability)” which defines control specifications using IEEE1394 as a physical medium is already known. Furthermore, with the spread of PCs and Internet connections at home in recent years, LANs such as 100Base-TX and wireless LANs based on standards such as IEEE802.11b or IEEE802.11a have been laid. It has become to.
[0004]
That is, home appliances currently used in ordinary households can be remotely controlled from inside or outside the home by connecting to such a LAN.
[0005]
However, when operating a home appliance connected to such a network, the user who intends to perform the operation is not always located near the device to be operated. This is especially true when remote control is to be performed. When remote control is to be performed, there is a possibility that the device to be operated is being used by another user or a timer has already been reserved.
[0006]
Therefore, conventionally, in remote control of home electric appliances via such a network, there has been considered a method for exclusively performing control so as not to cause a conflict with an operation by another user or a timer reservation operation. I have.
Patent Document 1 discloses that a controller device acting as a controller transmits a command to another network device to be remotely controlled so that the network device is exclusively used, thereby controlling the network device from another controller device or the like. A method is shown to ensure that the user is not disturbed.
[0007]
[Patent Document]
JP 2001-53766 A
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
That is, in the above-described conventional example, the controller device to be remotely controlled (hereinafter, referred to as the controller device) occupies the device to be operated, and the other controller device to perform the remote operation later. Its content is to prevent the operation from being disturbed.
[0009]
However, in the above case, when viewed from the side of the controller device that intends to perform the remote operation later, it is not known when the remote operation by the controller device that currently occupies the operation target ends, so that the operation is not performed. There was the inconvenience of having to wait until it was completed and remote control could be performed. For example, according to the control method described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-148705, when the occupation of the network device to be operated is requested, and as a result, no response to the occupation request is obtained, Occupancy request is made at a later time, and this is shown to be repeated.
[0010]
As described above, in the above-described related art, from the viewpoint of the user of the controller device that intends to perform a remote operation later, the user keeps waiting in a state where he or she does not know when the desired operation can be performed. There was a problem that it was extremely inconvenient.
[0011]
Therefore, in the present invention, in view of the above-described problems in the related art, in other words, a home appliance (network device) connected to a network used in a general home can be used as a network device ( Remote operation by the controller device), even if another network device has already exclusively controlled the home appliance remotely, the user does not need to wait for the end of the operation by the other network device, An object of the present invention is to provide a highly convenient network device and a control method for such a network device by reliably performing a remote operation after the operation of the other network device is completed. .
[0012]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, in a network device capable of exclusive remote control from another network device, a network device different from the other network device exclusively operating And means for receiving the reservation of the operation and holding the contents thereof, and executes the operation received from the other network device after the exclusive remote operation by the another network device is completed.
[0013]
Further, when the another network device registers the reservation of the operation, together with the operation, the operation content performed by the own device is registered as a reservation operation in the own device, and thereafter, the operation reserved by the network device is performed. Is notified to the another network device that the execution of the network device has been started, the another network device starts a reserved operation, so that the network device and the another network device perform a cooperative operation. .
[0014]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a network configuration diagram showing a state in which a network device as a home appliance according to the present invention is connected to, for example, a network provided in a home. Here, for example, the video camera 100, the video disk recorder 200, and the digital TV 300 are connected to the network 10. In the network configuration exemplified here, the video camera 100 and the video disk recorder 200 are each configured as a network device to which the present invention is applied.
[0015]
Next, FIG. 2 shows a detailed internal configuration of the video camera 100 and the video disk recorder 200, which are home appliances constituting the network device of the present invention. Here, the network in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 may be, for example, a network for AV equipment configured by a bus of the IEEE 1394 standard, or alternatively, for example, 100Base-TX It may be a so-called wireless LAN based on a LAN standard such as IEEE 802.11b or a standard such as IEEE 802.11a.
[0016]
2, a video camera 100, which is one of the network devices, includes an imaging unit 101, an image data processing unit 102, a communication unit 103, a control unit 104, and a storage unit 105. In the video camera 100 having such a configuration, for example, when capturing an image, the image captured by the imaging unit 101 is sent to the image data processing unit 102, where it undergoes predetermined signal processing and image data compression processing. This is recorded in the unit 105. The storage unit 105 is made of, for example, a recording medium such as a cassette tape, an optical disk, a magnetic disk, or a semiconductor memory, and may be of any type. On the other hand, when the image is reproduced, the image recorded in the storage unit 105 is read out, sent to the communication unit 103, and further sent out to the network 10. It is also possible to perform so-called live image transmission in which image data captured by the imaging unit 101 and processed by the image data processing unit 102 is directly transmitted from the communication unit 103 to the network.
[0017]
In the above configuration, the control unit 104 controls the imaging unit 101, the image data processing unit 102, the communication unit 103, and the storage unit 105, and controls the control data received via the network 10 by the communication unit 103. Based on this, a function of controlling the entire video camera or, conversely, transmitting control data from the communication unit 103 to the network 10 and controlling other network devices connected to the network 10 is provided. Also have.
[0018]
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, the video disk recorder 200, which is another network device, includes a broadcast receiving unit 201, a communication unit 202, a signal conversion unit 203, a disk drive unit 204, and a control unit 205. . In the video disc recorder 200 having such a configuration, for example, when recording a broadcast program, the video signal received by the broadcast receiving unit 201 is subjected to predetermined signal processing and data compression processing by the signal conversion unit 203, and the video signal is processed by the tape deck unit 204. Record on disc. Also, for example, when recording external image data, the signal conversion unit 203 performs necessary processing on the image data received from the network 10 by the communication unit 202, and then records the video data on a video tape in the disk drive unit 204. .
[0019]
At the time of image reproduction, the signal conversion unit 203 performs necessary processing on the image data read from the video tape by the disk drive unit 204, and then sends out the data to the network 10 via the communication unit 202. The image data sent over the network is sent, for example, to a digital television 300 (see FIG. 1) not shown in FIG. 2, where the image is reproduced and displayed on its display screen.
[0020]
In this video disk recorder 200, the control unit 205 controls the broadcast receiving unit 201, the communication unit 202, the signal conversion unit 203, and the disk drive unit 204, and controls the network 10 by the communication unit 202. Based on the control data received via the network, the entire video disc recorder is controlled, and conversely, control data is transmitted from the communication unit 202 to the network 10 so that the other network connected to the network 10 The control of the device is the same as described above.
[0021]
Subsequently, FIG. 3 attached hereto controls the video camera 100 and the video disc recorder 200 as a whole, based on the control data received via the network 10, as described above. Conversely, control of each of the video camera 100 and the video disk recorder 200 that sends control data from the communication unit 103 or 202 to the network 10 and controls other network devices connected to the network 10 FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of main processing blocks showing the configuration of units 104 and 205.
[0022]
That is, according to the present invention, a network device (a video camera 100 and a video camera 100 in FIG. 1 described above) that is a home appliance connected to the network 10 provided in the home and capable of performing an interlocking operation with another device. The video disc recorder 200) has the same main processing blocks in its control units 104 and 205.
[0023]
Specifically, each of the control units 104 and 205 includes a communication processing unit 401, a command processing unit 402, an exclusion determining unit 403, an operation control unit 404, and a reservation processing unit 405, as shown in FIG. ing. The communication processing unit 401 among the above units transmits and receives data to and from the network 10 by the communication units 103 and 202 (see FIG. 2) of the video camera 100 or the video disk recorder 200, and transmits and receives data. Performs reception and transmission processing. The command processing unit 402 extracts a command from the control data received by the communication processing unit 401, interprets the command, and transmits a command for controlling another network device transmitted by the communication processing unit 401 to the network 10. Is generated. According to the content of the command interpreted by the command processing unit 402, a command is sent to the following operation control unit 404, and operation control of each unit of the apparatus is performed according to the command. In the command processing unit 402, a necessary command is generated based on an operation result of each unit of the apparatus and an instruction such as a button input from a user operation panel (not shown).
[0024]
The exclusion determination unit 403 determines to execute only a command received from another specific network device registered in advance, and not to execute a command transmitted from another network device. The exclusion determining unit 403 additionally checks which network device on the network the command received by the command processing unit 402 is sent from, based on the source address of the control data, and is registered. If it is from a network device, execution is permitted, and if it is received from another network device, an error notification is sent to the network device that is the source of the command without execution. If the exclusion setting has not been made, the command received from all network devices is executed. In the exclusion determination unit 403, the registration of the exclusion setting is also executed as one command. Therefore, if the exclusive control has already been set, other network devices cannot set the exclusive control.
[0025]
Further, when the above-described exclusive control is set, the reservation processing unit 405 stores the contents of the reservation in an internal table based on a reservation command for an operation received from a network device other than the registered exclusive control. To hold. It should be noted that the reservation command of the operation is different from the exclusive control setting described above and receives and executes even if the exclusive control is set. Further, in the internal table of the reservation processing unit 405, when registration is performed with respect to another network device by an operation reservation command, the operation content to be performed by the own device is also stored in response to the registration.
[0026]
Next, FIG. 4 shows an example of the configuration of an internal table in the reservation processing unit 405. As is clear from the figure, the information held in the internal table includes, for example, “reservation ID” 501, “reservation command issuing source” 502, “reservation operation content” 503, “reservation execution trigger condition” 504, The “expiration date” 505 is set.
[0027]
More specifically, first, the “reservation ID” 501 is a number for identifying a plurality of reservations. In the example of FIG. 4, the reservation ID is a four-digit numerical value. It has been shown. Next, the “reservation command issue source” 502 contains the address of the network device that is the source of the received reservation command. In FIG. 4, as an example, characters indicating the type of device are written for explanation. However, in practice, it is preferable to hold a numerical value indicating an address. In the case of the reservation by the own device, for example, a special value such as “0” or “−1” may be entered. Here, the reservation by the own device is used when the device is in a standby state after issuing a reservation command to another device and before the device starts executing the reserved operation. is there.
[0028]
The “reservation operation content” 503 indicates an operation reserved by the reservation command. In the example of FIG. 4, an example in which operations such as recording and playback are reserved is shown as an example of a video disk recorder. In this case as well, the commands may be stored by numbers in the actual table. In addition, the “reservation execution trigger condition” 504 indicates a condition serving as a trigger for executing the reservation, and usually designates, for example, a case where the setting of the exclusive control is released. For example, in the case of the above-described reservation by the own device, a notification received from another device is used as a trigger. In this case, it is needless to say that the code number indicating the condition may be stored in the actual table.
[0029]
Further, the “expiration date” 505 indicates the expiration date of the operation reservation, and is specified by the command transmission side when registering a reservation command, for example. Note that this expiration date is used to delete the information about the reservation from the table after a certain period of time, in order to prevent a deadlock condition such as when the device is disconnected from the network after registering the reservation. It is specified only when it is acceptable.
[0030]
5 shows a procedure for transmitting and receiving control data between the video camera 100, the video disk recorder 200, and the digital TV 300 whose schematic configuration is shown in FIG. In this example, while the digital TV 300 occupies and uses the video disc recorder 200 to reproduce the image recorded on the video disc recorder 200, the video camera 100 It is assumed that there is a request to record a recorded image on the video disk recorder 200. More specifically, the request is temporarily registered once, and the occupation of the video disk recorder 200 from the TV 300 is determined. An example is shown in which the registered operation is performed after the operation is completed.
[0031]
First, as is apparent from the above assumptions, the TV 300 requests the video disk recorder 200 to occupy the video disk recorder 200 (step 1001). On the other hand, the video disk recorder 200 receiving this request accepts the request. This is reported to the TV side (step 1002). Then, the TV 300 requests the video disk recorder 200 to reproduce the recorded image (step 1003), and the video disk recorder 200 informs the TV side that it has received the request (step 1004). The tape reproducing operation is started (step 1100).
[0032]
Thereafter, when a request for occupancy is sent from the video camera 100 to the video disk recorder 200 (step 1005), the video disk recorder 200 is already occupied by the TV 300, and informs the video camera that it cannot be occupied (step 1005). 1006). Then, the video camera 100, which has been notified that the occupation is not occupied, makes a reservation to perform a recording operation on the video disc recorder after the occupation is completed instead of the above occupation request (step 1007), and receives this reservation. The video disk recorder 200 accepts this and holds the related information in the internal table of the reservation processing unit 405 (see FIG. 3) (step 1008). Further, upon receiving the reservation acceptance notification from the video disk recorder 200, the video camera 100 registers a “playback” operation as a reservation by the own device in an internal table of the reservation processing unit 405 (see FIG. 3). (See item “operation” 503 in FIG. 4).
[0033]
Further, after that, when the video disk recorder 200 receives a request to stop the reproduction operation from the TV 300 (step 1009), the video disk recorder 200 receives the request and transmits it to the TV side (step 1010) to stop the reproduction (step 1010). Step 1102). Next, upon receiving a command to release the occupation of the video disk recorder 200 from the TV 300 (step 1011), the video disk recorder 200 accepts the command and transmits an end notification to the TV side (step 1012).
[0034]
When the video disk recorder 200 is released from being occupied by the TV 300, the video disk recorder 200 also notifies the video camera 100 that the occupation has been released (step 1013), and records the image from the video camera. The operation starts (step 1103). At this time, the video disk recorder 200 starts operating in a state where the video disk recorder 100 is occupied and registered. On the other hand, when the video camera 100 receives the notification of the release of the occupation from the video disk recorder 200, the video camera 100 starts reproducing the recorded image registered as the reservation of the own device (step 1104).
[0035]
Thereafter, when the reproduction for the designated period is completed, the video camera 100 sends a stop request to the video disk recorder 200 (step 1014), and the video disk recorder 200 that has received the stop request has received the stop request. This is notified to the camera side (step 1015), and the recording operation is stopped (step 1105) to release the occupation. When the video camera 100 receives the stop from the video disc recorder 200, the video camera 100 also stops its reproduction operation (step 1106).
[0036]
As described above, according to the video disk recorder and the video camera which are the network devices according to the embodiment of the present invention, the video disk recorder is exclusively operated by another network device such as a digital TV. , The operation request from the video camera can be registered. With this, after the exclusive operation by another network device is completed, the operation registered and reserved can be executed. Therefore, when the user attempts to perform the operation from the video camera, the video disk recorder may be operated by another video device. There is no need to wait until the state exclusively operated by the network device ends.
[0037]
In addition, when the video camera registers the operation of the video disk recorder, the video camera also registers the operation of the device itself, and the operation is started when the operation reserved for the video disk recorder is started. , The cooperation between the video camera and the disc recorder can be performed, and the user still needs to wait until the exclusive operation by another network device is completed. There is no.
[0038]
In the above-described embodiment of the present invention, an example in which an operation for recording image data reproduced from a video camera on a video disc recorder is registered has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this operation. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention can be applied to the case where other operations are registered without reservation. Also, the network device that performs the registration of the reservation operation is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the present invention can be applied to the case where the operation of the video camera is registered from the video disc recorder side. Will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
[0039]
The video disk recorder described above may be, for example, a video disk recorder on which a magnetic disk or both are mounted, in addition to the optically recordable disk. It can be applied without depending on the type of the medium.
[0040]
Further, the present invention is not limited to the video disk recorder and the video camera described above, but may be any network device capable of exclusively performing remote control between other network devices. It is applicable regardless of the type.
[0041]
That is, the present invention is not limited to the case where the above-described network device is located in a home, and may be applied to a case where a remote operation or a cooperative operation is performed between a home network device and a home network device. Applicable. For example, when attempting to remotely control a home network device from a portable information terminal used outside the home, if the network device is occupied and operated, the portable information terminal will be The operation for notifying that the occupancy has been completed is registered in advance and the operation from the portable information terminal is executed when the remote operation of the network device becomes possible. It is possible. Alternatively, the present invention can be applied to a case where a remote operation or a cooperative operation is performed between a network device in a certain home and a network device in another home via a wide area network. it can.
[0042]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, it is possible to make a reservation registration of a remote operation from another network device with respect to a network device that is exclusively remotely controlled by the other network device. Provided is a convenient network device in which remote operation from another registered network device is reliably executed after the operation is completed, and the user does not need to wait for operation from the another network device. it can.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a state in which a network device according to an embodiment of the present invention is connected to a network.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a video camera and a video disk recorder, which are home appliances constituting the network device.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an internal configuration of a control unit, which is a feature of home electric appliances constituting the network device.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of an internal table of a reservation processing unit in the control unit shown in FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing an example of an operation procedure (data transmission / reception procedure) between devices including the network device of the present invention connected to a network.
[Explanation of symbols]
10. Network
100 ... video camera
103 ... communication unit
104 ... Control unit
200 ... Video disk recorder
202: Communication unit
205: control unit
401: communication processing unit
402: Command processing unit
403 ... exclusion determination unit
404 ... Operation control unit
405: reservation processing unit

Claims (12)

A plurality of network devices connected on the network, a network device capable of mutually exclusive remote control from other network devices, each network device,
A communication unit for transmitting and receiving data to and from another network device via the network; and
Via the communication unit, a reservation for operation is received from another network device that is currently operating exclusively, and the content of the operation is registered and retained. And a controller configured to execute an operation for accepting reservation registration from the another network device after the remote operation is completed. The network device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit includes:
Via the communication unit, reservation processing means for accepting reservation registration of the operation from another network device different from the other network device that is currently exclusively operating and retaining the contents thereof; and
An operation control means for executing an operation of accepting reservation registration from the another network device after the exclusive remote operation by the other network device is completed. 3. The network device according to claim 2, wherein the control unit further receives and interprets a control command to be remotely operated by the other network device, and transmits the content of the control command to the operation control unit. A command processing unit that generates and sends a response after notifying and executing this, and
When remote control is performed by another network device, the remote control is exclusively performed by the other network device so as not to receive remote control from the other network device other than the other network device. A network device comprising exclusive control means. A communication unit for transmitting and receiving data to and from another network device via a network;
A command processing unit that generates and transmits a control command to remotely control another network device, and receives and interprets a response to the control command;
When remotely controlling another network device, a control command is received such that the other network device exclusively receives remote control so that the other network device does not receive remote control from the third network device. In the network device that transmits and remotely controls the other network device exclusively,
A reservation processing unit for an operation executed based on a notification received from another network device,
Transmitting a command for remote operation reservation registration to the other network device when the other network device is exclusively receiving a remote operation from the third network device;
In the reservation processing means, the content of the operation performed by the own device is registered and held together with the remote operation registered and registered in the other network device, and this is retained.
Upon receiving a notification that the remote operation registered and reserved with the other network device has been started, the network device executes the operation held by the reservation processing means. A communication unit for transmitting and receiving data to and from another network device via a network;
A command processing unit for generating and interpreting a control command for remotely controlling the second network device and / or for remotely controlling the third network device, and performing remote control by the third network device Exclusive control means for exclusively receiving a remote control by the third network device so as not to receive a remote operation from a fourth network device other than the third network device;
When remotely operating the second network device, the second network device is configured to prevent the second network device from receiving a remote operation from a fifth network device other than the second network device. In a network device that exclusively and remotely controls the second network device by transmitting a control command for exclusively receiving the remote control from the own device,
Reservation processing means for receiving a remote operation reservation registration from a fourth network device different from the third network device and holding the remote operation registration while exclusively receiving a remote operation from the third network device; Prepare,
When the remote operation exclusively performed from the third network device ends, the remote operation registered and reserved from the fourth network device held by the reservation processing means is executed,
When the second network device is exclusively receiving a remote operation from the fifth network device, a command for reservation registration of the remote operation is transmitted to the second network device;
The reservation processing means reserves and registers the operation contents performed by the own device together with the remote operation registered and registered in the second network device,
Upon receiving a notification that the remote operation registered and registered in the second network device has started, the network device executes the operation held by the reservation processing means. 6. The network device according to claim 2, 4 or 5, wherein the information of the reservation registration held by the reservation processing means constituting the control unit includes at least information for identifying the network device that has made the reservation registration. When,
Information for identifying the operation content of the self-registered device,
A network device including information for identifying a start condition of an operation registered and reserved. 7. In the network device according to claim 6, in addition to the information, the reservation registration information held by the reservation processing unit configuring the control unit further includes:
A network device comprising a reservation registration expiration date. A control method for performing remote control exclusively from another network device among a plurality of network devices connected via a network, the control method comprising: Receives the reservation registration of the operation from another network device and retains the contents thereof, and executes the operation that received the reservation registration from the another network device after the exclusive remote operation by the other network device ends. A method for controlling a network device. In the method of controlling a network device according to claim 8, the information of the reservation registration in which the content is retained includes at least information for identifying the network device that has performed the reservation registration,
Information for identifying the operation content of the self-registered device,
A method for controlling a network device, comprising: information for identifying a start condition of a registered operation. 10. The network device according to claim 9, wherein the information of the reservation registration in which the contents are held includes, in addition to the information,
A method for controlling a network device, including a term of validity of reservation registration. When the first network device remotely controls the second network device, the first network device controls the second network device so that the second network device does not accept the remote operation from another network device. Transmitting a control command for occupying and remotely controlling to exclusively remotely control the second network device;
A third network device transmitting a control command for occupying the second network device and remotely controlling the second network device while the first network device exclusively controls the second network device; ,
Notifying that the second network device cannot be occupied by the third network device;
When the third network device receives a notification from the second network device that it cannot be occupied, transmitting a request for remote operation reservation registration to the second network device;
A step in which the second network device receives the reservation registration transmitted from the third network device and holds the reservation registration therein;
When the exclusive remote operation of the second network device by the first network device ends, the second network device starts executing the remote operation registered and reserved by the third network device. A method for controlling a network device, the method comprising: The control method of a network device according to claim 11, further comprising:
When the third network device makes a remote operation reservation registration with the second network device and is accepted, the third network device makes a reservation registration of the operation performed by the third network device together with the remote operation in its own device;
Upon receiving a notification that the second network device starts executing the remote operation registered and reserved by the third network device, the third network device starts executing the operation registered and reserved in the third network device. A method for controlling a network device, comprising:

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