JP2005167387A - Electronic equipment and communication control method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology of simply selecting a device among devices connected by a network such as a bus of the IEEE 1394 system even when types of them such as categories differ from each other. <P>SOLUTION: In the case of carrying out communication control capable of receiving transmission signals with a plurality of signal forms from devices connected via a prescribed network, a list of denoting whether or not the devices connected via the network are operable is displayed on a prescribed display screen in a GUI form without distinguishing the signal forms of the received transmission signals, a device selected from the displayed list is logically connected in a data transmission enabled state, which of the transmission signals with a plurality of the signal forms is to be output is detected to discriminate the type of the device, and a control command corresponding to the discriminated type is used to carry out operation control. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a suitable electronic device and communication control method applied to a device that receives a signal transmitted from a device connected by, for example, an IEEE (The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 1394 bus line.

  Audio devices and video devices (AV devices) that can transmit information to each other via a network connected using an IEEE 1394 bus line have been developed. In this network, it is possible to control AV devices connected to the network by transmitting predetermined commands (AV / C Command Transaction Set: hereinafter referred to as AV / C commands).

  For example, it is possible to prepare a plurality of video reproducing apparatuses and connect the plurality of video reproducing apparatuses (recording / reproducing apparatuses) to one television receiver via a bus line of the IEEE 1394 standard. In this case, transmission of an AV / C command from the television receiver to each video playback device can perform various operation controls such as playback start, playback stop, and tape rewinding in each video playback device.

  When multiple devices are connected via the IEEE 1394 standard bus line, a GUI (Graphical User Interface) screen for device selection is displayed, and display on the GUI screen for device selection is supported. A device to be operated is selected by a user operation. When displaying this GUI screen, for example, a list of devices that can be operated for each category of devices is displayed in a list. When the control is performed using the AV / C command, the data of the device name (model name, model number, etc.) can be acquired, and the acquired name is displayed in a list.

When a controlled device (controlled device: target with AV / C command) is selected based on the displayed name or the like, for example, the controlled device (controller with AV / C command) is controlled by the controlled device. And start playback on the controlled device based on the control command sent from the control device, and stream data such as the played video data to the bus. It is sent to a television receiver or the like via a line, and video viewing or the like is executed by the television receiver. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228561 describes a device selection that is controlled by an AV / C command.
No. 00-0725221

  By the way, when a list is displayed for performing the above-described device selection in order to connect a plurality of devices via an IEEE 1394 bus line to form a network and perform control using the AV / C command, A list is displayed for each category. If this category is different, the command system is different even for devices controlled by the same AV / C command.

  In the AV / C command, for example, a tape-related device such as a video tape recording / reproducing device has a tape-specific control command. There is a control command. In addition, even in the same group of tape devices, there are cases where different control command systems are used when the signal formats handled are different. For example, even in the case of tape-type video equipment, there are commands that control equipment that handles DV (Digital Video) digital video data and equipment that handles MPEG (Moving Picture coding Experts Group) 2 digital video data. . Examples of video equipment (video recording / playback device) that handles MPEG-2 digital video data include a video camera recorder that uses an M-MV (Micro-MV) tape cassette, and an HD (High-Definition) video. Video camera recorders that handle signals are in practical use or under development. Note that a device referred to as a video camera recorder is generally not only a function as a recorder that records video data obtained by shooting on a video tape medium, but also as a player that plays back the recorded medium. It also has functions.

  A command for controlling such a DV video device is partially different from a command for controlling an MPEG2 video device. Conventionally, if the command system is different as described above, it is handled as a device of another category.

  Accordingly, assuming an IEEE 1394 network in which, for example, a DV video tape playback device and an MPEG2 video tape playback device are connected to one television receiver, a single receiver is viewed from the user. Although two video tape playback devices are connected to each other, a screen for selecting a DV video device and a screen for selecting an MPEG2 video device are screens of different categories as a device selection screen. Therefore, an operation for directly selecting a desired device from the two devices cannot be performed from one device selection screen.

  An object of the present invention is to make it easy to select devices between devices connected via a network such as an IEEE 1394 bus even if the types of categories and the like are different.

  Whether or not a device connected via a network is operable when performing communication control that enables reception of transmission signals in a plurality of signal formats from devices connected via a predetermined network The list indicating the transmission signal is displayed in a GUI on a predetermined display screen without distinguishing the signal format of the input transmission signal, and the device selected from the displayed list is logically connected to a state capable of data transfer. In addition, the type of device is detected by detecting which of the transmission signals in multiple signal formats is output, and control for operation is performed using a control command corresponding to the determined type It is.

  As a result, the list indicating whether or not the device connected via the network can be operated is displayed on the predetermined display screen without distinguishing the signal format of the input transmission signal. A list display in which a plurality of signal format devices are mixed is performed.

  According to the present invention, a list indicating whether or not a device connected via a network can be operated is displayed on a predetermined display screen without distinguishing the signal format of an input transmission signal. A list display in which devices of the above signal formats are mixed is performed, and a device can be selected from the list display in which devices of a plurality of signal formats are mixed. Therefore, the user can perform the device selection operation without being aware of the signal format handled by the device.

  In this case, by displaying an operation button corresponding to the category of the selected device, it is possible to display the operation button in a format suitable for the device selected on the device selection screen.

  In addition, the type of device is determined by sending a control command conforming to the signal format handled by the device and determining whether to accept the control command. For example, it is specific to the signal format handled by each device. By sending this control command, it is possible to easily determine the type of device for displaying the list in a mixed manner from the devices on the network.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
First, a configuration example of a network system to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIG. In this network system, a plurality of devices are connected via an IEEE1394 serial data bus line (hereinafter simply referred to as a bus line) 1 which is a digital communication control bus. FIG. 1 shows an example in which four AV devices 100 and 200 are connected by a bus line 1. As devices connected to the bus line 1, here, a television receiver 100 having terminals for connecting an IEEE1394 bus and three video camera recorders 200, 300, and 400 are prepared. is there. Each of the video camera recorders 200, 300, and 400 is a device having a function of recording a video signal and an audio signal obtained by video shooting (imaging) on a recording medium (here, a magnetic tape). When connected to the device, it functions as a tape playback device that plays back a video tape (magnetic tape) attached to the device and sends the playback data to the network. Some models also function as a tape recording device that records video and audio signals received via a network.

  Of the three video camera recorders 200, 300, and 400, the video camera recorder 200 is a DV video camera recorder, the video camera recorder 300 is an M-MV video camera recorder, and the video camera recorder 400 is an HD camera recorder. This is a video camera recorder of the type. The DV video camera recorder 200 is a device that records digital video data on a video tape in accordance with the DV standard. The M-MV video camera recorder 300 is a device that records digital video data on a video tape according to the MPEG2 standard. The video camera recorder 400 is a device that records digital video data on a video tape according to one of the DV standard and the MPEG2 standard, and can record high-resolution video data.

  The devices 100 to 400 connected to the IEEE 1394 bus line 1 are called units from the network, and commands and responses defined by AV / C commands are used between the units. Thus, the information stored in each unit can be read from and written to each other and controlled. Each function of the unit is called a subunit.

  Each unit connected to the bus line 1 is also called a node, and a node ID is set, and the source and destination of data on the bus are specified by the node ID.

  With such a network configuration, the television receiver 100 can transmit video data and audio data sent from one selected device among the three video camera recorders 200 to 400 to the bus line 1. Upon reception, the television receiver 100 can display video and output audio. In this case, the television receiver 100 can control the operation of the devices connected to the bus line 1, and the operation screen (so-called GUI screen) of the video camera recorders 200 to 400 is displayed on the screen of the receiver 100. Thus, it is possible to instruct operation of the video camera recorders 200 to 400 by an operation of a cursor key or the like based on the display on the screen. An example of operation using this GUI screen will be described later.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the television receiver 100 of this example. The television receiver 100 of this example is configured as a so-called digital television receiver, and is configured to be able to receive digital broadcasts. That is, an antenna connection terminal 101 to which an antenna for receiving terrestrial waves is connected is provided, and an analog tuner 111 and a digital tuner 112 that receive a terrestrial channel based on a signal obtained from the terminal 101 are provided. In addition, an antenna connection terminal 102 to which a satellite broadcast receiving antenna such as a parabolic antenna is connected is provided, and a BS tuner 113 that receives a satellite broadcast channel based on a signal obtained at the terminal 102 is provided.

  Data received by each of the tuners 111, 112, and 113 is supplied to the demultiplexer 114, and is separated according to types such as video data, audio data, and control data. The output of the analog tuner 111 is converted into digital data by the analog / digital converter 115 and then supplied to the demultiplexer 114.

  Also, video data and audio data obtained at the external input terminal 103 are also supplied to the demultiplexer 114. Further, the IEEE 1394 standard interface unit 116 is connected to the demultiplexer 114, and video data and audio data received via the port 104 connected to the IEEE 1394 standard bus line are also supplied to the demultiplexer 114. .

  The video data separated by the demultiplexer 114 is supplied to the video decoder 121, where decoding processing suitable for the supplied data format is performed, and decoding from the compressed and encoded video data is performed. In the case of this example, it is possible to decode video data of at least two types of MPEG2 format decoding and DV format decoding. The decoder 121 may be composed of two decoders, an MPEG2 system decoder and a DV system decoder. The method of decoding by the decoder 121 is set by a command from a central control unit (CPU) 141 that controls the operation of each part of the television receiver 100.

  The video data decoded by the video decoder 121 is supplied to the display data processing unit 123 via the mixer 122 and subjected to high image quality processing such as double speed conversion for display on the receiver. The video data processed by the display data processing unit 123 is converted into an analog video signal by the digital / analog converter 124, supplied to the display drive unit 125, and driven to display the video by driving the display unit 126. Do. As the display unit 126, various display means such as a cathode ray tube or a liquid crystal display panel can be applied. The mixer 122 superimposes the GUI data supplied from the GUI data generation unit 127. The GUI data generation unit 127 generates video data necessary for displaying the GUI video on the display unit 126 based on the control from the central control unit 141. An example of displaying a GUI video will be described later.

  The audio data separated by the demultiplexer 114 is supplied to the audio decoder 131, and decoding processing conforming to the supplied data format is performed. In the case of uncompressed audio data, no decoding process is performed. In addition, when conversion of the sampling frequency or the like is necessary, the conversion process is performed. Then, the audio data output from the audio decoder 131 is supplied to the digital / analog converter 132 and converted into an analog audio signal. Here, the left channel audio signal and the right channel audio signal are supplied to the speaker 134L via the amplifier 133L and output (sound emission), and the right channel signal is output to the speaker via the amplifier 133R. It is supplied to 134R and output (sound emission).

  The central control unit 141 that controls the operation of each unit in the receiver is supplied with operation information from an operation unit 142 including operation keys and the like, and an infrared signal from a remote control device (not shown) is received by the infrared light reception unit 143. A control code determined by receiving light is supplied, and the state of the television receiver is controlled based on these instructions. Further, when the mode is to control other devices connected by the IEEE1394 bus line via the port 104, control data for that purpose is supplied from the central control unit 141 to the interface unit 116, and the interface A control command for sending to the bus line 1 is generated by the unit 116. When the interface unit 116 receives a command or the like via the bus line, the control data indicated by the command is sent to the central control unit 141. These commands use AV / C commands prepared as control commands transmitted on the IEEE 1394 bus line. Details of the AV / C command will be described later.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the video camera recorder 200 of this example. The video camera recorder 200 generates an imaging signal based on image light imaged on the imaging surface of the imaging element 202 via an optical system 201 such as a lens. As the image sensor 202, for example, a CCD type image sensor is used. Then, the imaging signal output from the imaging element 202 is supplied to the imaging processing unit 203 to be a video signal having a predetermined format, and the video signal is converted into digital video data by the analog / digital converter 204. Further, the digital video data is compressed and encoded into a predetermined format by the video encoder 205. Here, since the video camera recorder 200 of this example is a DV video camera recorder, it is assumed to be video data compressed and encoded in the DV format by the encoder 205. Then, the output of the encoder 205 is supplied to the multiplexer 206.

  Also, the audio signal picked up by the microphone 211 is supplied to the analog / digital converter 213 via the amplifier 212 to be converted into digital audio data, and the converted audio data is supplied to the audio encoder 214, and if necessary compressed code Turn into. Then, the audio data output from the audio encoder 214 is supplied to the multiplexer 206.

  The multiplexer 206 supplies the supplied video data and audio data to the recording / playback processing unit 207 as one system of data. The recording / reproducing unit 207 processes the supplied data for recording, supplies the data to the rotary head drum 208, and supplies the data to the magnetic tape in the tape cassette 230. At this time, the tape running system 209 controls the tape running and the rotation of the rotary head drum 208.

  The data recorded on the tape in the tape cassette 230 read by the rotary head drum 208 is reproduced by the recording / reproducing processor 207 and supplied to the interface unit 222 for the IEEE1394 system via the multiplexer 206. The data structure for sending to the IEEE 1394 bus line connected to the port 223 is sent to another device connected via the bus line. Although not shown in FIG. 3, it is also possible to output the reproduced video signal and audio signal from the output terminal.

  The central control unit 221 that controls the operation of each unit in the video camera recorder 200 can exchange control commands with a bus line connected to the port 223 via the interface unit 222. Transmission / reception of this control command is executed as an AV / C command. An operation unit 224 is connected to the central control unit 221, and shooting, recording, reproduction, and the like are controlled based on an operation command from the operation unit 224. Control to execute the action.

  Although the configuration of the video camera recorder 200 has been described here, the basic configurations of the other video camera recorders 300 and 400 are the same, and the data format encoded by the encoder is the same in terms of circuitry. The differences are the main differences. However, the recorder 200, which is a video camera recorder capable of recording and playback in the DV format, and the recorder 400, which is a video camera recorder capable of recording and playback in the DV format and HD format, are used for video data (magnetic tape). A time code, which is an absolute recording position from the beginning, is recorded on the tape. This absolute time code can be read by other devices connected to the bus line 1 by using a time code status command of an AV / C command described later. The recorder 300, which is a video camera recorder of the M-MV system (MPEG2 system in recording format), counts a counter value that is a relative position from the position where the tape cassette is mounted. This relative counter value can be read out by other devices connected to the bus line 1 by using a relative time counter status command of an AV / C command described later. Here, the recording medium recorded by each video camera recorder is a magnetic tape. However, the recording medium may be configured to be recorded on other recording media such as a memory card.

  Next, a data transmission state on the IEEE 1394 bus line 1 to which the devices 100 to 400 are connected will be described. In the IEEE 1394 network, each device connected to the bus line is referred to as a node.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a cycle structure of data transmission of devices connected by IEEE1394. In IEEE 1394, data is divided into packets and transmitted in a time division manner with a cycle of 125 μS as a reference. This cycle is generated by a cycle start signal supplied from a node having a cycle master function (any device connected to the bus). The isochronous packet secures a band (which is a unit of time but called a band) necessary for transmission from the beginning of every cycle. For this reason, in isochronous transmission, transmission of data within a certain time is guaranteed. However, no confirmation (acknowledgement: ack) is received from the receiving side, and if a transmission error occurs, there is no protection mechanism and data is lost. Asynchronous transmission in which the node that secured the bus as a result of arbitration sends out asynchronous packets during the time not used for isochronous transmission in each cycle ensures transmission by using acknowledge and retry. The transmission timing is not constant.

  In order for a given node to perform isochronous transmission, the node must support the isochronous function. Further, at least one of the nodes corresponding to the isochronous function must have a cycle master function. Furthermore, at least one of the nodes connected to the IEEE 1394 serial bus must have the function of an isochronous resource manager.

  IEEE 1394 conforms to a CSR (Control & Status Register) architecture having a 64-bit address space defined by ISO / IEC13213. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the structure of the address space of the CSR architecture. The upper 16 bits are a node ID indicating a node on each IEEE 1394, and the remaining 48 bits are used for designating an address space given to each node. The upper 16 bits are further divided into 10 bits of bus ID and 6 bits of physical ID (node ID in a narrow sense). Since a value in which all the bits are 1 is used for a special purpose, 1023 buses and 63 nodes can be designated. The node ID is reassigned when the bus is reset. A bus reset occurs when the configuration of a device connected to the bus 1 changes. For example, when any one device connected to the bus 1 is disconnected or when it is recognized that a device is newly connected to the bus 1, a bus reset is executed.

  Of the 256 terabyte address space defined by the lower 48 bits, the space defined by the upper 20 bits is an initialization register space (Initial Register) used for a 2048-byte CSR-specific register or IEEE1394-specific register. Space), private space (Private Space), initialization memory space (Initial Memory Space), etc., and the space defined by the lower 28 bits is the space defined by the upper 20 bits is the initialization register space In this case, it is used as a configuration ROM (Configuration read only memory), an initialization unit space (Initial Unit Space) used for node-specific applications, a plug control register (PCRs), and the like.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining offset addresses, names, and functions of main CSRs. The offset in FIG. 6 indicates an offset address from the address FFFFF0000000h where the initialization register space starts (the number with h at the end represents hexadecimal representation). A bandwidth available register having an offset 220h indicates a band that can be allocated to isochronous communication, and only the value of a node operating as an isochronous resource manager is valid. That is, each node has the CSR shown in FIG. 5, but only the isochronous resource manager is valid for the bandwidth available register. In other words, the bandwidth available register is substantially only provided by the isochronous resource manager. The bandwidth available register stores a maximum value when a band is not allocated to isochronous communication, and the value decreases every time a band is allocated.

  In the channel available registers (offsets 224h to 228h), each bit corresponds to each of the channel numbers 0 to 63, and when the bit is 0, the channel is already assigned. Is shown. Only the channel available register of the node operating as an isochronous resource manager is valid.

  Returning to FIG. 5, a configuration ROM based on the general ROM (read only memory) format is arranged at addresses 200h to 400h in the initialization register space. In the configuration ROM, a bus info block, a root directory, and a unit directory are arranged. The company ID (Company ID) in the bus info block stores an ID number indicating the manufacturer of the device. The chip ID (Chip ID) stores a unique ID unique to the device in the world that does not overlap with other devices.

  In order to control the input / output of the device via the interface, the node has a PCR (Plug Control Register) defined in IEC1883 at addresses 900h to 9FFh in the initial unit space of FIG. This is a materialization of the concept of a plug in order to form a signal path logically similar to an analog interface. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of PCR. The PCR has an oPCR (output Plug Control Register) representing an output plug and an iPCR (input Plug Control Register) representing an input plug. The PCR also has registers oMPR (output Master Plug Register) and iMPR (input Master Plug Register) indicating information of output plugs or input plugs specific to each device. Each device does not have a plurality of oMPRs and iMPRs, but can have a plurality of oPCRs and iPCRs corresponding to individual plugs depending on the capabilities of the devices. Each of the PCRs shown in FIG. 7 has 31 oPCRs and iPCRs. The flow of isochronous data is controlled by manipulating the registers corresponding to these plugs.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the configuration of oMPR, oPCR, iMPR, and iPCR. 8 (a) shows the configuration of oMPR, FIG. 8 (b) shows the configuration of oPCR, FIG. 8 (c) shows the configuration of iMPR, and FIG. 8 (d) shows the configuration of iPCR. . The code indicating the maximum transmission rate of isochronous data that can be transmitted or received by the device is stored in the data rate capability of 2 bits on the MSB side of oMPR and iMPR. The broadcast channel base of oMPR defines the channel number used for broadcast output (broadcast output).

  The number of output plugs (number of output plugs) on the LSB side of the oMPR stores a value indicating the number of output plugs of the device, that is, the number of oPCRs. The number of input plugs (number of input plugs) on the LSB side of iMPR stores a value indicating the number of input plugs of the device, that is, the number of iPCRs. The main extension field and auxiliary extension field are areas defined for future extension.

  The on-line of the oPCR and iPCR MSB indicates the usage status of the plug. That is, if the value is 1, the plug is online, and 0 indicates offline. The value of the broadcast connection counter for oPCR and iPCR indicates the presence (1) or absence (0) of a broadcast connection. The value of the point-to-point connection counter having a 6-bit width of oPCR and iPCR represents the number of point-to-point connections that the plug has. A point-to-point connection (so-called pp connection) is a connection for performing transmission only between one specific node and another specific node.

  The value of the channel number having a 6-bit width of oPCR and iPCR indicates the number of an isochronous channel to which the plug is connected. The value of the data rate (data rate) having a 2-bit width of the oPCR indicates the actual transmission rate of the packet of isochronous data output from the plug. A code stored in an overhead ID having a 4-bit width of oPCR indicates an over bandwidth of isochronous communication. The value of a payload having a 10-bit width of oPCR represents the maximum value of data included in an isochronous packet that can be handled by the plug.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the relationship among plugs, plug control registers, and isochronous channels. Here, devices connected to the IEEE 1394 bus line are shown as AV devices (AV-devices) 91-93. Of the oPCR [0] to oPCR [2] whose transmission speed and number of oPCRs are defined by the oMPR of the AV device 93, the isochronous data whose channel is designated by the oPCR [1] is transmitted to the channel # 1 of the IEEE1394 serial bus. Sent out. Of the iPCR [0] and iPCR [1] whose transmission rate and number of iPCRs are defined by the iMPR of the AV device 91, the input channel # 1 is based on the transmission rate and iPCR [0], and the AV device 91 is an IEEE1394 serial bus. The isochronous data sent to channel # 1 is read. Similarly, the AV device 92 sends isochronous data to the channel # 2 designated by oPCR [0], and the AV device 91 reads the isochronous data from the channel # 2 designated by iPRC [1]. .

  In this way, data transmission is performed between the devices connected by the IEEE 1394 serial bus. In the system of this example, the command is defined as a command for controlling the device connected through the IEEE 1394 serial bus. The AV / C command set can be used to control each device and judge the status. Next, this AV / C command set will be described.

  FIG. 10 shows a data structure of a packet transmitted in the asynchronous transfer mode of the AV / C command. The AV / C command set is a command set for controlling the AV device, and CTS (command set ID) = “0000”. AV / C command frames and response frames are exchanged between the nodes using the FCP. In order not to put a burden on the bus and AV equipment, the response to the command is performed within 100 ms. As shown in FIG. 10, the data of the asynchronous packet is composed of 32 bits (= 1 quadlet) in the horizontal direction. The upper part in the figure shows the header part of the packet, and the lower part in the figure shows the data block. The destination (destination ID) indicates the destination of the packet.

  CTS indicates the ID of the command set. In the AV / C command set, CTS = “0000”. The field of C type / response (ctype / response) indicates the function classification of the command when the packet is a command, and indicates the processing result of the command when the packet is a response. The commands are broadly divided into (1) a command for controlling the function from the outside (CONTROL), (2) a command for inquiring the state from the outside (STATUS), and (3) a command for inquiring from outside whether or not the control command is supported (GENERAL INQUIRY). Four types are defined: (whether or not opcode is supported), SPECIFIC INQUIRY (whether or not opcode and operands are supported), and (4) a command (NOTIFY) that requests notification of a change in state to the outside.

  Responses are returned according to the type of command. Responses to the control (CONTROL) command include “not implemented” (NOT IMPLEMENTED), “accept” (ACCEPTED), “reject” (REJECTED), and “provisional” (INTERIM). Responses to the status (STATUS) command include “not implemented” (NOT IMPLEMENTED), “rejected” (REJECTED), “in transition” (IN TRANSITION), and “stable” (TABLE). Responses to commands (GENERAL INQUIRY and SPECIFIC INQUIRY) for inquiring the presence / absence of command support include “implemented” (IMPLEMENTED) and “not implemented” (NOT IMPLEMENTED). The response to the command (NOTIFY) requesting to inform the outside of the state change includes “not implemented” (NOT IMPLEMENTED), “rejection” (REJECTED), “provisional” (INTERIM), and “changed” (CHANGED). )

  The subunit type (subunit type) is provided to specify the function in the device, and for example, a tape recorder / player, a tuner, etc. are assigned. In order to determine when there are a plurality of subunits of the same type, addressing is performed with a subunit ID as a determination number. An operation code (opcode) representing an operation code represents a command, and an operand (operand) represents a parameter of the command. Fields (dditionaloperands) added as necessary are also prepared. After the operand, 0 data or the like is added as necessary. Data CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) is used for error checking during data transmission.

  FIG. 11 shows a specific example of the AV / C command. FIG. 11A shows a specific example of command type / response. The upper part of the figure represents a command, and the lower part of the figure represents a response. “0000” is control (CONTROL), “0001” is status (STATUS), “0010” is SPECIFIC INQUIRY, “0011” is NOTIFY, and “0100” is general ink. A WIRE (GENERAL INQUIRY) is assigned. “0101 to 0111” are reserved for future specifications. Also, “1000” is not implemented (NOT INPLEMENTED), “1001” is accepted (ACCEPTED), “1010” is rejected (REJECTED), “1011” is transitioning (IN TRANSITION), “1100” Is mounted (IMPLEMENTED / TABLE), “1101” is assigned a state change (CHNGED), and “1111” is assigned a provisional response (INTERIM). “1110” is reserved for future specifications.

  FIG. 11B shows a specific example of the subunit type. “00000” is a video monitor, “00011” is a disk recorder / player, “00100” is a tape recorder / player, “00101” is a tuner, “00111” is a video camera, and “01010” is a BBS ( Bulletin Board Subunit) Subunit used as a bulletin board, “11100” has a manufacturer-specific subunit type (Vender unique), and “11110” has a specific subunit type (Subunit type extended to next byte). Assigned. A unit is assigned to “11111”, which is used when the unit is sent to the device itself, and includes, for example, turning on / off the power.

  FIG. 11C shows a specific example of an operation code (operation code: opcode). There is an opcode table for each subunit type. Here, the operation codes when the subunit type is a tape recorder / player are shown. An operand is defined for each opcode. Here, “00h” is a manufacturer specific value (Vender dependent), “50h” is a search mode, “51h” is a time code, “52h” is ATN, “60h” is an open memory, “ 61h ”is assigned to memory read,“ 62h ”to memory write,“ C1h ”to load,“ C2h ”to record,“ C3h ”to playback, and“ C4h ”to rewind.

  FIG. 12 shows specific examples of AV / C commands and responses. For example, when a playback instruction is given to a playback device as a target (consumer), the controller sends a command as shown in FIG. Since this command uses the AV / C command set, CTS = “0000”. Since ctype (command type) uses a command (CONTROL) for controlling the device from the outside, c type = “0000” (see FIG. 11). Since the subunit type is a tape recorder / player, subunit type = “00100” (see FIG. 11). id indicates the case of ID0, and id = 000. The operation code is “C3h” meaning reproduction (see FIG. 11). The operand is “75h” which means the forward direction (FORWARD). When played back, the target returns a response as shown in FIG. 12B to the controller. Here, since “accepted” is entered in the response, response = “1001” (see FIG. 11). Except for the response, the rest is the same as in FIG.

  Next, processing for examining other devices from one device connected to the bus line 1 in the configuration of this example will be described. This process is based on the AV / C command. Here, it is assumed that the three video camera recorders 200, 300, and 400 are examined from the television receiver 100 in the network configuration shown in FIG. These three video camera recorders are recognized as tape recording / reproducing apparatuses, which are tape subs whose sub unit type is a tape recorder / player.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of device recognition processing in this example. First, device recognition processing on the network is started under the control of the central control unit 141 in the television receiver 100 (step S11). When this recognition process is started, it is determined whether there is an unrecognized device among the devices connected by the bus line 1 (step S12). Here, if there is no unrecognized device, the processing here is terminated. When there is an unrecognized device, a subunit info status command (SUBUNIT INFO status command) is transmitted from the interface unit 116 of the television receiver 100 to the unrecognized device via the bus line 1 ( In step S13), a response to the command is received, and the central control unit 141 determines the content of the response. Here, it is determined from the received response whether the result is a tape subunit (step S14). If it is not a tape subunit, the recognition process here is terminated, and the recognition process for the corresponding subunit type is performed. Processing in cases other than this tape subunit is not specifically described here.

  If it is determined in step S14 that it is a tape subunit, a time code status command is transmitted to the corresponding device (step S15). The central control unit 141 determines the response to this command, and determines whether it is not mounted (NOT INPLEMENTED) (see FIG. 11) (step S16). Here, if it is not mounted (that is, if it is mounted), a DV or HD camera recorder (camcorder) is provisionally determined as the device type (step S17).

  If the response is not implemented in step S16, a relative time counter status command is transmitted to the corresponding device (step S18). The central control unit 141 determines the response to this command, and determines whether it is not mounted (NOT INPLEMENTED) (step S19). Here, when it is not mounted (that is, when it is mounted), the device type is temporarily determined as an M-MV type camera recorder (camcorder) (step S20).

  If the response is not mounted in step S19, the device type is provisionally determined as another tape device (TAPE OTHER) (step S21).

  When the determination process so far is completed, the provisional determination process is terminated (step S22). Next, the process proceeds to a tape device determination process. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the tape device determination process. When the central control unit 141 receives data of provisional determination of equipment from the control layer of the IEEE1394 bus line for communication control (step S31), the equipment (tape device) provisionally determined based on the flowchart of FIG. It is determined whether the system, DV system, or HD system is selected (step S32).

  Here, if it is temporarily determined that the device is one of these systems, the display category of these devices is determined to be a camera recorder (so-called camcorder: abbreviated CAM) (step S33). If it is determined in step S32 that the device is not one of these devices, it is determined whether or not the tape device is temporarily determined as another tape device (TAPE OTHER) (step S34). Here, if it is provisionally determined to be another tape device, the device category is determined to be another tape device (step S35). Furthermore, when it is provisionally determined other than other tape devices, the device category is determined to be unknown (UNKNOWN) (step S36). When the processing so far is completed, the determined read-only tape device is registered, and the determination processing is completed (step S37).

  If the camera recorder is determined in step S33, the device is displayed as a camera recorder (CAM) on the screen for device selection. However, it recognizes that it is actually one of the M-MV system, DV system, and HD system, displays a screen for controlling the operation of the device, etc., and commands to instruct tape playback of each device. When issuing a command, use a command appropriate for the method of each device. In addition, when video data transmitted from these devices is decoded, a decoding method suitable for the method is set. When it is recognized as another tape device, it is basically possible to decode and view video data and audio data transmitted from the device, but send a command to the device and operate. It cannot be controlled.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a display example of a screen for performing device selection when the device category is determined in this way. For example, this screen is displayed on the display unit 126 of the receiver 100 so as to be superimposed on a television broadcast image receiving screen. As the device selection screen 10, a list of devices in the selected category (here, tape playback device) is displayed. Here, since the network configuration shown in FIG. 1 is assumed, there are three camera recorders 200, 300, and 400, display 11 with CAM-1, display 12 with CAM-2, and CAM-3. Are displayed as a list display on the left side of the screen.

  Among these, the operation screen display 14 of the selected device (here, the device displayed as CAM-1) is in the center, and any button on the operation screen is selected by the cursor operation of the remote control device. As a result, a command instructing the corresponding operation is issued to the device. Here, the model name display 15 of the selected device is displayed. For the model name data, the model name is added to the data sent from the partner device when the device is recognized by the AV / C command, and the data is displayed using the data. By displaying the model name, it is possible for the user to easily determine which device the devices displayed as CAM-1, CAM-2, and CAM-3 correspond to from the display.

  As the display 14 of the operation screen of the selected device, in the case of a category having a special function or having a limited function depending on the actually determined detailed device category, an operation screen corresponding to the function is displayed. Correspondingly change the buttons to be displayed in and display them.

  Then, when a device is selected on this device selection screen and an operation for playback from the device is performed, data transmitted from the device via the bus line is received, and the television receiver 100 is received. The input switching process is performed so that the user can view the video.

  In the display example of FIG. 15, three devices are displayed as devices having the same name as CAM-1, CAM-2, and CAM-3 when the list of tape playback devices is displayed. You may make it perform the display which understands a system. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, as a device list display on the device selection screen 20, a display 21 with M-MV1 indicating that it is an M-MV camera recorder, DV1 indicating that it is a DV camera recorder, Display 22 and display 23 with HD-CAM 1 indicating that the camera recorder is an HD system may be displayed. The operation screen display 24 and the model name display 25 are the same as in the example of FIG.

  When the device selection screen as shown in FIG. 15 or FIG. 16 is displayed, when the user selects a tape playback device (in this example, a camera recorder), the device connected to the bus line is a device of a different format. In the AV / C command, devices that should be handled as devices of different categories are displayed in a list on the list screen, and the user can easily select a desired device. Although it is displayed as a device of the same category on the display, it is correctly recognized as a device of a different category on the network, so each device is correctly displayed in the same way as when displayed as a device of a different category. It is possible to control. In both cases of FIGS. 15 and 16, the display form of the device selection screen is an example, and the display is not limited to such a display.

  In the description so far, the case of the category of the tape reproducing device has been exemplified. However, it is needless to say that the same processing can be applied to the devices of other categories. In the above-described embodiment, the processing in the case of controlling the devices connected by the IEEE 1394 network with the AV / C command has been described. However, the processing of the present invention is applied to other network methods and device control methods. It is also possible to do. In this case, the network system can be applied not only to a system using a wired bus line such as the IEEE 1394 system but also to a network system that performs wireless communication such as Bluetooth (trademark).

It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the whole system by one embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of a television receiver. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of a video camera recorder. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the frame structure prescribed | regulated by the IEEE1394 system. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the structure of the address space of CRS architecture. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the position of the main CRS, a name, and a function. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structural example of a plug control register. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structural example of oMPR, oPCR, iMPR, iPCR. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the relationship between a plug, a plug control register, and a transmission channel. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the data structure of an AV / C command. It is explanatory drawing which shows the specific example of an AV / C command. It is explanatory drawing which shows the specific example of the command and response of an AV / C command. It is a flowchart which shows the apparatus recognition processing example by one embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the determination process example of the tape device by one embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the display screen by one embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other example of the display screen by one embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... IEEE1394 type bus line, 91, 92, 93 ... AV device, 100 ... Television receiver, 101, 102 ... Antenna connection terminal, 103 ... External input terminal, 104 ... Port, 111 ... Analog tuner, 112 ... Digital Tuner 113 113 BS tuner 114 demultiplexer 115 analog / digital converter 116 IEEE1394 interface unit 121 video decoder 122 mixer 122 display data processing unit 124 digital / analog Converter: 125 ... Display drive unit, 126 ... Video display unit, 127 ... GUI data generation unit, 131 ... Audio decoder, 132 ... Digital / analog converter, 133L, 133R ... Amplifier, 134L, 134R ... Speaker, 141 ... Center Control unit DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 142 ... Operation part, 143 ... Infrared light-receiving part, 200 ... Video camera recorder, 201 ... Optical system, 202 ... Imaging element, 203 ... Imaging process part, 204 ... Analog / digital converter, 205 ... Video encoder, 206 ... Multiplexer 207: Recording / playback processing unit, 208: Rotating head drum, 209 ... Tape running system, 211 ... Microphone, 212 ... Amplifier, 213 ... Analog / digital converter, 214 ... Audio encoder, 221 ... Central control unit, 222 ... IEEE1394 interface unit, 223 ... port, 224 ... operation unit, 230 ... tape cassette, 300,400 ... video camera recorder

Claims (7)

Receiving means for receiving transmission signals in a plurality of signal formats from devices connected via a predetermined network;
Display control for displaying a list of devices indicating whether or not devices connected via the network are operable on a predetermined display screen without distinguishing the signal format of the transmission signal input to the receiving means Means,
The device selected from the list is logically connected to a state in which data transfer is possible, and the type of the device is determined by detecting which of the transmission signals of the plurality of signal formats is output. An electronic device comprising control means for performing control for operation using a control command corresponding to the determined type. The electronic device according to claim 1,
Electronic equipment comprising display means for performing the GUI display under the control of the display control means. The electronic device according to claim 1,
The display control means is an electronic device that displays operation buttons corresponding to the category of the selected device. The electronic device according to claim 1,
The electronic device determines whether the device type is determined by the control means by transmitting a control command suitable for a signal format handled by the device and accepting the control command. In a communication control method capable of receiving transmission signals in a plurality of signal formats from devices connected via a predetermined network,
A display process for displaying a list of devices indicating whether or not devices connected via the network are operable without displaying a signal format of an input transmission signal on a predetermined display screen;
The device selected from the displayed list is logically connected to a state in which data transfer is possible, and the type of the device is determined by detecting which of the transmission signals of the plurality of signal formats is output. And a communication control method for performing control processing for performing control for operation using a control command corresponding to the determined type. The communication control method according to claim 5, wherein
A communication control method for displaying operation buttons according to a category of a selected device in the display process. The communication control method according to claim 5, wherein
A communication control method in which determination of the type of device by the control process is performed by transmitting a control command suitable for a signal format handled by the device and accepting the control command.

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