JP2008165479A - Information reproducing apparatus and information reproducing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve convenience for a user, regarding an information reproducing apparatus and an information reproducing method. <P>SOLUTION: A reproducing means 1d stores content information 1g related to content data being reproduced and connection apparatus information 1f on an information providing apparatus serving as a providing source of the content data, in a storage means 1a. An information providing apparatus detection means 1b, when disconnected from a network 3 and then reconnected thereto, detects an information providing apparatus to be connected to the network at the present time. A reproduction control means 1c retrieves a matching information providing apparatus based on the connection apparatus information 1f in the storage means 1a, from the detected information providing apparatuses 2a, 2b to 2n, then establishes a connection with the retrieved information providing apparatus, and makes a request for reproduction of content data set in the content information 1g. A reproduction means 1d acquires content data requested for reproduction for reproduction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information reproducing apparatus and an information reproducing method, and more particularly to an information reproducing apparatus and an information reproducing method for reproducing information provided from the information providing apparatus by connecting to at least one information providing apparatus connected to a network.

  In recent years, with the development of computer technology and network technology, it has been widely practiced to connect various information processing devices to a server device provided on a network and acquire and use various content data held by the server device. Yes. Hereinafter, an apparatus that mainly reproduces acquired content data is referred to as an information reproducing apparatus. For home use, for example, a server device that stores content data such as audio data, video data, AV (Audio / Visual) data (synchronized audio data and video data), still image data, and the like. There is provided a home network system environment in which an information reproduction apparatus that reproduces content data is connected via a LAN (Local Area Network), receives supply of target content data from a server apparatus, and is reproduced by the information reproduction apparatus.

  In such a home network system, a plurality of server devices and information reproducing devices are arranged on the network, and an arbitrary server device and information reproducing device are connected to each other, so that a plurality of server devices possess A large amount of content data can be reproduced and enjoyed by the information reproducing apparatus. However, since the information reproducing apparatus performs reproduction while receiving the content data from the server apparatus, the content data cannot be reproduced if the connection with the server apparatus is disconnected for some reason. Then, when the connection is made again to the network, the same processing procedure as that for the first connection to the network has been executed. For this reason, the user who wants to connect to the server device that was connected before the network was disconnected searches the server device connected last time from the list of connectable server devices detected by the information reproducing device, and selects that server device. The operation had to be done and was troublesome.

Therefore, a client with an automatic network connection function that automatically searches for a server that has been connected and connects to the discovered server when the network connection of the client is disconnected for some reason and is connected again has been proposed ( For example, see Patent Document 1).
JP 2006-252214 A (FIG. 1)

  As described above, when the information reproducing apparatus is once disconnected from the network and reconnected, it is often desirable that the information reproducing apparatus returns to the state before the network disconnection. In particular, when playing back content data, if the information playback device is disconnected from the network for a short period of time due to a minor abnormality such as the network, it is desired that the content data be played back when the network connection is restored. Is done. In the case of a portable information reproducing apparatus, there is a case where it is desired to reproduce the continuation after intentionally turning off the power and moving the place. Furthermore, in recent years, power saving of electrical products has been progressing, and products that shift to a standby mode in which power supply to other than necessary parts are stopped are increasing due to conditions such as no operation input for a certain period of time. From the viewpoint of power saving, it is desirable that the information reproducing apparatus also shifts to a standby state if conditions are satisfied. However, when returning from the standby state and reconnecting to the network, setting is required from the beginning, which is not convenient.

  However, in the conventional information reproducing apparatus, once the connection with the server apparatus is disconnected, even if the network connection is restored, the operation is performed again to connect to the server apparatus, and the reproduction content data is designated. There was a problem that content data had to be reproduced from. For example, when trying to advance to the position where playback was performed at the time of the previous connection, a more complicated operation had to be performed, which was not convenient. Such an operation is the same when the reconnection with the server device before disconnection is automatically performed.

  Normally, the reproduction of content data is started after accumulating a certain amount of content data in the information reproducing apparatus. For this reason, even if the reproduction of the content data is requested, there is a problem that it takes time to start.

  The present invention has been made in view of these points, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an information reproducing apparatus and an information reproducing method capable of improving user convenience, particularly when reconnected to a network. And

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the present invention is an information reproducing apparatus that is connected to at least one information providing apparatus connected to a network and reproduces information provided from the information providing apparatus. An information reproducing apparatus including a detecting unit, a reproduction control unit, and a reproducing unit is provided. The storage unit stores at least connection device information that identifies an information providing device that is connected most recently via a network, and content information that identifies content data acquired and reproduced from the information providing device. The information providing device detection unit collects device information of the information providing device when newly connected to the network, and detects an information providing device connected to the network depending on whether the device information has been collected. When the connection to the network is restored, the reproduction control unit reads the connection device information and the content information stored in the storage unit, and based on the connection device information, selects an information providing device that matches the connection device information. While selecting and connecting from the information providing apparatus detected by the detecting means, a reproduction request for the content data reproduced at the previous connection is made based on the content information. The reproduction means acquires content data requested to be reproduced from the information providing device, reproduces the acquired content data, generates connection device information regarding the information providing device, and content information regarding the content data being reproduced, Store in storage means.

  According to such an information reproducing device, when reproducing the content data provided from the information providing device, the connection device information specifying the information providing device and the content information specifying the content data are stored in the storage means. Is done. When disconnected from the network for some reason and newly connected to the network, the information providing device detection means collects device information from the information providing device and detects the information providing device currently connected to the network. The reproduction control unit reads the connection device information and the content information stored in the storage unit, and selects an information providing device that matches the connection device information from the information providing devices detected by the information providing device detection unit. Then, it connects to the selected information providing apparatus and makes a reproduction request for the content data set in the content information. The reproduction means that has received the reproduction request from the reproduction control means acquires the content data requested for reproduction from the information providing apparatus connected by the reproduction control means, and performs reproduction. At this time, connection device information of the connected information providing device and content information of the content data being reproduced are generated and stored in the storage means. As a result, when it is disconnected from the network for some reason and connected to the network again, the content data that was played back at the previous connection can be played back.

  Further, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, in the information reproducing method of the information reproducing apparatus for reproducing the information provided from the information providing apparatus by connecting to at least one information providing apparatus connected to the network, the information providing apparatus detecting means However, when newly connected to the network, the step of collecting the device information of the information providing device, detecting the information providing device connected to the network according to whether the device information has been collected, and the reproduction control means, When the connection to the network is restored, the connection device information that identifies the information providing device that was last connected to the network when connected to the network last time, and the content information that identifies the content data acquired and reproduced from the information providing device, The connection device information and the content information are read from the storage means for storing Selecting and connecting a matching information providing device from the information providing devices detected by the information providing device detecting means, and making a reproduction request for the content data reproduced at the previous connection based on the content information; and reproducing means Acquires the content data requested to be played back by the playback control means from the information providing device, plays back the acquired content data, and connects to the connected device information related to the connected information providing device, and the content related to the content data being played back And a step of generating information and storing the information in a storage means.

  According to such an information reproducing method, in the information reproducing apparatus, at the time of reproducing content data, content information for identifying the content data being reproduced, and connection apparatus information for identifying the information providing apparatus that provides the content data Is stored in the storage means. Then, when the network connection is disconnected and reconnected, if an information providing device connected to the network is detected at this time, the connection to the partner information providing device at the previous connection is made based on the connection device information and the content information. Then, the reproduction of the content data being reproduced at that time is started.

  According to the present invention, the information reproducing device stores content information for specifying the content data being reproduced and connection device information for specifying the information providing device that provides the content data. Then, once disconnected from the network and then connected again, the information providing device set in the connection device information is selected and connected, and the reproduction of the content data set in the content information is started. This makes it possible to automatically resume the playback of the content data that was played before the network disconnection when connected to the network again. At this time, troublesome operations such as selection of the information providing apparatus and selection of content data are not necessary, and the convenience for the user can be improved.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the concept of the invention applied to the embodiment will be described, and then the specific contents of the embodiment will be described.
FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of the invention applied to the embodiment.

  The information reproducing system to which the information reproducing apparatus according to the present invention is applied includes information providing apparatuses 2a, 2b,..., 2n that provide content data to the network 3, and information providing apparatuses 2a, 2b,. Is connected to the information reproducing apparatus 1 that reproduces the content data provided from. The information reproducing apparatus 1 is connected to one of the information providing apparatuses 2a, 2b,..., 2n, which is selected by the user, via the network 3, and reproduces it while sequentially receiving content data. A plurality of information reproducing devices 1 may be connected to the network 3. Hereinafter, when it is not particularly necessary to specify the information providing devices 2a, 2b,.

  The information reproducing apparatus 1 includes a storage means 1a for storing various information, an information providing apparatus detecting means 1b for detecting an information providing apparatus 2 connected to the network 3, a reproduction control means 1c for controlling reproduction of content data, and content data. A reproduction unit 1d for reproduction and a communication control unit 1e for controlling communication via the network 3 are provided.

  The storage unit 1a stores connection device information 1f for specifying the information providing device 2 that provides the content data being played back by the playback unit 1d, and content information 1g for specifying the content data. Among these, as the connection device information 1f, an ID uniquely assigned to the information providing device 2, an address on the network, a port number, and the like are set. Also, as content information, in addition to information that uniquely identifies content data (for example, URL (Uniform Resource Locator) that holds the content data), title, etc., the elapsed time and the number of bytes that have been played back during playback Etc. are set. Since the connection device information 1f and the content information 1g stored in the storage means 1a need to remain even when the information reproducing apparatus 1 is turned off, the storage means 1a retains its contents even when the power is turned off. Non-volatile memory and memory backed up by a battery.

  The information providing device detection means 1b detects the information providing devices 2a, 2b,..., 2n connected to the network 3 when the information reproducing device 1 is newly connected to the network 3. For example, after connecting to the network 3, all information providing devices 2a, 2b,..., 2n connected to the network 3 issue a message requesting device information by multicast that can be received. Then, the information providing apparatus 2 that has received a response including the apparatus information before the predetermined time has passed is considered to have been detected.

  The playback control unit 1c controls the playback of the content data by giving an instruction such as a playback request to the playback unit 1d. When the connection to the disconnected network 3 is restored, the connection device information 1f and the content information 1g stored in the storage unit 1a are read. The information providing devices 2a, 2b,..., 2n detected by the information providing device detecting means 1b and the information providing device 2 connected at the previous connection set in the connecting device information 1f. Check the device information, select the matching device, and connect. When there is no information providing device 2 registered in the connecting device information 1f among the information providing devices 2a, 2b,..., 2n detected by the information providing device detecting means 1b, the information providing device 2 is based on the connecting device information 1f. Then, an activation request is issued to the information providing apparatus 2 connected at the previous connection to wake up. If waked up, connect. Based on the content information, the reproduction unit 1d is requested to reproduce the content data that was reproduced at the previous connection. When the connection to the network 3 is not restored, or when nothing is registered in the connection device information 1f, a display unit (not shown) displays a list of information providing devices 2 detected by the information providing device detection means 1b. And wait for user selection. When the information providing apparatus 2 is selected and content data is selected, a reproduction request for the content data is made.

  The reproduction unit 1d reproduces the content data according to the reproduction control unit 1c. If the reproduction request is based on the content information 1g when the connection to the network 3 is restored, the reproduction is performed with reference to the content information 1g. When playback position information indicating how far playback has been performed is set during the previous connection and playback is performed based on the playback position information. In the reproduction process, the content data is acquired from the information providing apparatus 2 that holds the content data requested to be reproduced, and is temporarily stored in the buffer. Normally, the reproduction process is started after the content data is accumulated to some extent, and after the decoding process or the like is performed on the content data, the audio or image signal is reproduced. The content data in the buffer area is sequentially rewritten with new content data when the reproduction is completed. In this way, playback is performed while receiving provision of content data. At this time, the connection device information 1f and the content information 1g are updated to those relating to the information providing device 2 that provides the content data being reproduced and the content data being reproduced, and stored in the storage unit 1a. In the middle of reproduction, an elapsed time indicating how far the content data has been reproduced, the number of bytes already reproduced, and the like are set.

The communication control unit 1e controls communication between the information providing apparatuses 2a, 2b, ..., 2n connected to the network 3 and the information reproducing apparatus 1.
The information providing devices 2a, 2b,..., 2n store various content data, and upon receiving a request from the information reproducing device 1, supply the requested content data. In addition to the content data, according to a request from the information reproducing device 1, it provides its own device information, content data related information related to the content data held, and the like.

  In the information reproducing system having such a configuration, during normal operation, the information reproducing apparatus 1 is connected to any one of the information providing apparatuses 2a, 2b,..., 2n and reproduces content data. At this time, content information 1g relating to the content data being reproduced and connection device information 1f relating to the information providing device 2 providing the content data are generated and stored in the storage means 1a. For example, if connected to the information providing apparatus 2a, information specifying the information providing apparatus 2a is set in the connection apparatus information 1f.

  When the information reproducing device 1 is disconnected from the network 3 and then connected again, the information providing device detecting means 1b obtains the device information of the information providing devices 2a, 2b,... 2n via the communication control means 1e. Request and wait for a response. For the request, a request command that can be received by the information providing apparatuses 2a, 2b,. Here, it is assumed that a response is obtained from the information providing apparatuses 2a and 2b. The information providing device detection unit 1b determines that the information providing device 2a and the information providing device 2b from which the response has been obtained are connected to the network 3. The reproduction control unit 1c reads the connection device information 1f and the content information 1g from the storage unit 1a. The information providing device (in this case, the information providing device 2a) set in the connection device information 1f is compared with the detected information providing devices 2a and 2b, and the matching information providing device 2a is selected and connected. To do. Next, the reproduction control unit 1c makes a reproduction request for the content data set in the content information 1g to the reproduction unit 1d. The reproduction unit 1d acquires the content data requested to be reproduced from the information providing apparatus 2a, and starts the reproduction.

  As a result, it is possible to reproduce the content data that has been reproduced before being disconnected from the network 3. The user can enjoy the continuation of the content data without performing troublesome operations such as selection of the information providing device 2 and designation of the content data, and convenience can be improved.

  When the content data is being reproduced when it is disconnected from the network 3, reproduction position information indicating how far the content data has been reproduced is left in the content information 1g. When the playback unit 1d is connected to the network 3 again, the playback unit 1d plays back from the continuation of the previous playback based on the playback position information. However, for reproduction from the middle, the information providing apparatus 2 and its content data must be able to cope with time seek or byte seek.

  In addition, in order to reproduce the content data, a certain amount of data must be stored in the buffer, so the data is acquired from the information providing apparatus 2 in advance. Even when the information reproduction apparatus 1 automatically starts reproduction of content data, the information reproduction apparatus 1 must indicate to the user which information providing apparatus 2 is connected and what kind of content data is reproduced. Therefore, at the time of start-up, an initial screen such as a list display of the detected information providing device 2, the connected device information of the connected information providing device 2, content information held, and content data that has been played back are displayed on a display unit (not shown). It is necessary to display information sequentially. In normal operation, after the information related to the content data is displayed, the reproduction process such as the acquisition of the content data is started. However, when the reproduction of the content data is automatically resumed, the information providing apparatus 2 of the other party is notified. As soon as the connection is established, the acquisition of the content data is started and the acquired data is stored in the buffer. Thereby, it is possible to shorten the time until the reproduction is resumed. Alternatively, the content data acquired last time may be left a little in the storage unit 1a, and the acquisition of data may be started from there. Thereby, the time until resumption can be further shortened.

  Hereinafter, the embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, taking as an example a case where the embodiment is applied to a LAN (Local Area Network) system (home network system) formed in a home. In addition, audio data is applied as an example of content data transmitted and received through the LAN system.

[Home network configuration]
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the home network system according to the embodiment of the present invention. The home network system according to the embodiment of the present invention has a configuration in which server devices 21 to 23 and audio playback devices 11 to 13 are connected through a LAN 30.

  The server devices 21 to 23 are, for example, information processing devices such as personal computers, audio content recorders, and the like, and have a function of connecting to the LAN 30 and a large-capacity storage medium such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). . The audio data stored in the HDD can be provided to the audio playback apparatuses 11 to 13 through the LAN 30. Each of the audio playback devices 11 to 13 has a connection function to the LAN 30 and receives and plays back audio data transmitted from the server devices 21 to 23 via the LAN 30.

  In this home network system, in practice, for example, the server devices 21 to 23 and the audio playback devices 11 to 13 are connected to broadband routers (not shown) to form a LAN system. In this case, the broadband router has a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server function and a NAT (Network Address Translation) function for the devices on the LAN 30, whereby each device on the LAN 30 is connected to an external network (WAN: Wide Area Network). It is also possible to share the side line.

  In the home network system as described above, the server devices 21 to 23 have a function as an information providing device that provides audio data, and the audio playback devices 11 to 13 provide audio data from the server devices 21 to 23. It has a function as a client device (information reproducing device) that receives and reproduces the received information. Then, the user can enjoy different audio contents provided by any of the server apparatuses 21 to 23 through each of the audio playback apparatuses 11 to 13. That is, the audio playback devices 11 to 13 can select any one of the server devices 21 to 23 as the audio data distribution source according to the audio data (audio content) to be played back. .

  Furthermore, the audio playback apparatuses 11 to 13 according to the present embodiment comply with the guidelines recommended by the DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) as an example in order to easily connect electronic devices and exchange content data. Device. In the DLNA guidelines, as a procedure for detecting and controlling electronic devices and managing content data, it is required to support UPnP (Universal Plug & Play) announced by Microsoft Corporation as a standard.

  UPnP is an IP (Internet Protocol) that can be used on a typical IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) 802 network in network communication using Ethernet of 10 / 100BASE-T. This is a protocol group and data format specifications composed of TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) over IP, UDP (User Datagram Protocol), etc., and expands the functions in Internet standard communication (TCP / IP communication).

  By adopting UPnP in so-called CE (Consumer Electronics) devices such as audio playback devices, CE devices such as audio playback devices can easily mutually authenticate with other CE devices and personal computers, and through the network. Therefore, it is possible to easily and appropriately perform provision of a service and execution of the provided service without causing the user to perform troublesome work.

[Overview of UPnP]
FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a UPnP protocol stack (protocol group structure).

  As shown in FIG. 3, in UPnP, actual transmission / reception of data is performed by the Internet standard communication protocol. Also, in order to realize the unique functions of UPnP as described below, SSDP (Simple Service Discovery Protocol), GENA (General Event Notification Architecture), SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol), HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol), etc. The following protocol groups are used.

  Furthermore, in UPnP, vendor definition (UPnP Vendor Defined), UPnP Forum Working Committee Defined, and device specification (structure) definition (UPnP Device Architecture Defined) are made as shown in FIG. It has become.

  UPnP provides six functions of addressing, discovery, description, control, eventing, and presentation. Hereinafter, six functions provided by UPnP will be described.

  In a UPnP device (an electronic device equipped with UPnP) such as an audio playback device, in order to use audio data using the UPnP function, the UPnP AV architecture is followed. UPnP devices in the UPnP AV architecture are classified into three types as follows.

  That is, in the UPnP AV architecture, a UPnP device includes a media server (Media Server) that provides content, a control point (Control Point) that functions as a control terminal device, and a media renderer (Media Renderer) that functions as a playback device. It is classified into three. Here, the media server corresponds to what is generally called a server apparatus in the network system, and the media renderer corresponds to what is generally called a client apparatus in the network system.

  The control point (control device) can control each UPnP device connected to the network. The function as a control point can be installed in both the media server and the media renderer. The control point can be installed in all the electronic devices that make up the network, or any electronic device that makes up the network. It is also possible to mount control points on the. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that a function as a control point is mounted on each of the audio playback devices 11 to 13.

  Further, UPnP addressing is a function for each UPnP device to acquire an address for identifying its own device on the IEEE 802 network, and DHCP or Auto-IP is used.

  Discovery is performed after addressing, so that the control point can discover the target device (media server or media renderer) that it wants to control. The protocol used here is the SSDP described above. When each electronic device constituting the network system is connected to the IEEE 802 network, the electronic device broadcasts a message on the IEEE 802 network notifying a device and a service included in the network system. The control point can know what device is connected to the IEEE 802 network by receiving the broadcast message.

  In the SSDP packet output from the electronic device to be controlled discovered by the control point by the discovery, the URL of the device description (Device Description) is described. The control point can obtain more detailed device information of the electronic device from the device description by accessing the URL.

  The device information includes icon information, model name, producer name, product name, service description (Service Description) in which detailed information on the service of the device is described. The control point can know the access method to the target device from the device description and the service description. The device description and the service description are expressed in XML (eXtensible Markup Language).

  The function of the control is roughly classified into two functions: action (execution) and query (query). The action is performed by a method defined in the action information of the service description, and the control point can operate the target device by performing the action (Invoke). The query is used to extract the value of the device information (State Variable) of the service description. In the control, the above-described transport protocol called SOAP is used, and XML is used as the expression.

  Eventing is used to notify the control point from the target device when the value of the device information is changed. In this eventing, the above-described transport protocol called GENA is used, and XML is used as its expression. The presentation is used to provide a user with a control means using a user interface.

  By using the UPnP function as described above, each UPnP device not only requires a complicated operation from the user, but also enters a network and becomes ready for communication, as well as detection and connection of other UPnP devices. Also be able to do it automatically.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a tree structure for managing content stored in the media server.
A media server which is a UPnP device incorporates a function (Service) called CDS (Contents Directory Service). With this function, the media server stores how content is stored in the media server with respect to the control point. Notify In CDS, there are two abstracted objects (Objects) called Containers and Items, which are so-called in WINDOWS (registered trademark) which is an OS (Operating System) provided by Microsoft Corporation. It corresponds to a folder (Folder) and a file (File). As shown in FIG. 4, the container and the item are always made into a tree structure. In the present embodiment, the distributed audio content (audio data) means the item in FIG.

  The control point can obtain the URL (link where information is written) of each content by acquiring the tree structure shown in FIG. 4 from the media server. When the information about the desired audio content (item) can be acquired, operations on the audio track (audio data) such as playback and stop of the audio content are performed using the AV transport function of the media server. To be able to do.

  As described above, each of the server apparatuses 21 to 23 and the audio playback apparatuses 11 to 13 according to the present embodiment becomes capable of TCP / IP communication using the UPnP addressing function, and the UPnP discovery function. Perform mutual device authentication using. As a result, each device can grasp the configuration of the network and communicate with the target electronic device.

[Configuration example of audio playback device]
Next, the configuration of the audio playback device that constitutes the home network system of the present embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the audio playback device. Although the configuration of the audio playback device 11 will be described here as an example, the audio playback devices 12 and 13 can also be realized by the same hardware configuration.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the audio playback device 11 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 102, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103, a flash memory 104, an input interface (I / F) 105, An input unit 105a, a graphic processing unit 106, a display unit 106a, a communication interface (I / F) 107, an audio decoder 108, an equalizer 109, a D / A conversion unit 110, an audio amplifier 111, and a speaker 112 are provided. Among these, each block except the speaker 112 is connected via the internal bus 120.

  The CPU 101 controls the entire audio playback device 11. The ROM 102 stores programs executed by the CPU 101 and data necessary for processing. The RAM 103 is mainly used as a work area in various processes. Note that the CPU 101, the ROM 102, and the RAM 103 may be realized as a microcomputer. The flash memory 104 is a rewritable nonvolatile memory, for example, in which various data that should be retained even when the power of the audio playback device 11 is turned off is recorded. It can also be used as storage means for storing connection device information and content information to be referred to when reconnecting to the network.

  The input I / F 105 transmits a signal from the input unit 105 a to the CPU 101 via the internal bus 120. The input unit 105a is provided with various input switches such as operation keys. The graphic processing unit 106 displays an image on the screen of the display unit 106 a in accordance with a command from the CPU 101. The display unit 106a is composed of, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display).

  The communication I / F 107 is connected to the LAN 30 via a LAN cable (not shown) and transmits / receives data to / from other devices. Further, the communication I / F 107 can extract audio encoded data from a packet received through the LAN 30 and directly pass it to the audio decoder 108.

  The audio decoder 108 decodes the audio encoded data received from the communication I / F 107. The audio decoder 108 can decode audio data of a compression encoding method such as MP3 (Moving Picture Experts Group / Audio Layer-3). Also, it has a function of receiving LPCM (Linear Pulse Code Modulation) type audio data and outputting it to the equalizer 109 as it is.

  The equalizer 109 performs sound quality adjustment on the audio data supplied from the audio decoder 108 and outputs it to the D / A converter 110. The sound quality adjustment parameters are instructed from the CPU 101 to the equalizer 109 in response to an instruction input from the user received through the input unit 105a.

  The D / A converter 110 converts the digital audio data supplied from the equalizer 109 into an analog audio signal. The audio amplifier 111 amplifies the analog audio signal supplied from the D / A conversion unit 110 to a predetermined level and supplies it to the speaker 112. As a result, sound corresponding to the analog audio signal supplied to the speaker 112 is reproduced and output.

Note that the functions of the audio decoder 108 and the equalizer 109 may be realized by software executed by the CPU 101.
With such a hardware configuration, the processing functions of the present embodiment can be realized. FIG. 5 shows the hardware configuration of the audio playback device. However, the audio playback device from the audio decoder 108 to the speaker 112 is not provided, and a storage device for storing content data is provided. Except for this, the hardware configurations of the server apparatuses 21 to 23 are the same.

[Home network operation]
In the home network system described above, when the user wants to play back the audio content stored in any of the server devices 21 to 23 that are media servers, the user selects the server device. Then, an operation of designating audio content to be played back is required. In the embodiment of the present invention, when audio content is selected and played by such an operation, even if the audio playback device 11 is disconnected from the LAN 30 for some reason, Audio content that was played before being disconnected from the LAN 30 is automatically played.

Hereinafter, the operation before and after the connection to the LAN 30 is disconnected, that is, before the connection to the LAN 30 is disconnected and after the connection is restored after being disconnected will be described.
(1) Operation before disconnection The processing procedure after first connecting to the LAN 30 is shown. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure from the first start of the audio reproducing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. The process is started by connecting to the network (LAN 30).

  [Step S11] An SSDP M-Search is issued. In SSDP M-Search, when connected to a network, a message requesting to notify the server device of a device or service provided to the server device is transmitted by multicast. Then, a predetermined response waiting time is set and a response is waited. Upon receiving this message, the server device returns an SSDP response packet including identification information for identifying the device itself.

[Step S12] It is determined whether an SSDP response packet is received. If received, the process proceeds to the next step. If not received, the process proceeds to step S14.
[Step S13] When an SSDP response packet is received, information acquired from the response packet is set in the server information. Further, based on the response packet, the device description that defines the details of the server device is acquired.

  [Step S14] It is determined whether or not the response waiting time set in step S11 has elapsed. If not, the process returns to step S12 and waits for an SSDP response. If it has elapsed, the process proceeds to the next step.

  [Step S15] Since a connectable server device has been detected by the processing up to step S14, a server list related to the detected server device is displayed on the display unit 106a in order to prompt the user to select a server device to be connected. indicate. Thereby, the user can select a desired server device.

  [Step S16] It is determined whether or not an operation input for selecting the server device has been performed by the user. If no server device is selected, the waiting state is continued. If it is selected, the process proceeds to the next step.

  [Step S17] Since the server device is selected, the server device is connected. Also, by using the CDS incorporated in the selected server device, the server device acquires related information such as the type of audio content stored in the server device, attached information, storage location, etc., and selects content such as a content list and content title. Information for prompting the user is displayed on the display unit 106a.

  [Step S18] It is determined whether or not an operation input for selecting content has been performed by the user. If no server device is selected, the waiting state is continued. If it is selected, the process proceeds to the next step.

  [Step S19] Acquisition of the selected audio content is started. When the audio content provided by the server device connected in step S17 is acquired and a predetermined amount of data is accumulated, a reproduction process is performed. The audio decoder 108 decodes the acquired data, and outputs sound through the equalizer 109, the D / A converter 110, the audio amplifier 111, and the speaker 112. Further, when reconnecting to the network, information necessary for resuming reproduction, connection device information for specifying a server device to be connected, and content information for specifying content and a reproduction state are stored in a power source such as the flash memory 104. Even if it is disconnected, the information is stored in the storage means.

By executing the above processing procedure, the audio content held by the server device selected by the user is played by the audio playback device 11.
The figure shows the process until the first song is played. When connecting to the same server device and playing another song, the process returns to step S18 and processing from the next content selection wait is performed. Further, when connecting to another server device, the connection with the server device is once disconnected, and the process returns to step S15 to perform the processing from the display of the server list.

In this way, the playback process is repeated several times until the audio playback device 11 is disconnected from the network.
When the audio playback device 11 is disconnected from the network, the connection device information of the last connected server device and the content information regarding the played content are stored in the storage unit.

Here, reproduction information relating to content reproduction and server information relating to the server device will be described.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of reproduction information of the audio reproduction device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  List_status, which is information for list management, represents the processing status of the content list. For example, list unused (= 0), information acquired (= 1), information / sound data acquired (= 2), etc. are set. In server_current_server_id, which is server information, a server information number related to the server device that provides the content is set. Since a plurality of pieces of server information shown in FIG. 8 are registered in the audio playback device 11 corresponding to the server device, which server information is the server device is set.

  The following is content playback information related to content playback. In the content reproduction information, first, codec_id (type of codec), bitrate (bit rate), frequency (sampling frequency), channel (indicates the number of channels, mono or stereo), bit_per_sample (1) Bit number per sample) is set. Total_time is set to the total time required for content reproduction, and total_size is set to the total size of the content. In current_time, the current playback position is set by the elapsed time when playback is started from the beginning of the content. current_size indicates the current reproduction position by the number of bytes of reproduced data. The current_time and the current_size are appropriately updated according to the progress of the reproduction process. In parent_id, an ID character string of an upper layer (container or folder) of the currently reproduced content is set, and in object_id, an ID character string of the currently reproduced content is set. In addition, the total_child_count indicates the number of items (files and folders) in the upper layer of the content specified by the parent_id, and the current_child_count indicates the item in the upper layer specified by the parent_id. Of which number. Sort_flag and filter_flag are set with a sort method and a filter method for obtaining a list, respectively. As information for acquiring content, remote_host (content IP address), remote_port (content port number), and remote_path (content URL) are set. In addition, the server type is set in remote_type. Furthermore, title_name (music name character string), artist_name (artist name character string), and album_name (album name character string) are set as information accompanying the content.

  In order to resume playback processing, at least remote_host, remote_port, remote_path, and content ID object_id, which are necessary to acquire content data, must be stored in a memory that holds information until the processing is resumed. There is.

At this time, if parent_id which is the ID of the upper position of the content is also saved, it becomes possible to request the reproduction of other content in the same container as the content.
If current_time (elapsed time) or current_size (number of played bytes) indicating the position is stored if the playback is in progress during the previous connection, the content can be played back from the middle.

Further, in addition to the reproduction information, part of the content data being reproduced, for example, content data that has been acquired from the server device and has not yet been reproduced can be left.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of server information of the audio playback device according to the embodiment of the present invention. The figure shows server information of one server device, and such server information is set for at least the number of detected server devices.

  In the server information, management information, information acquired by SSDP, and information acquired from Device Description are set. When the audio playback device 11 functioning as a control point is connected to a network, the server device is detected by SSDP M-Search. Server Addr (server device address information), uuid (Universally Unique IDentifier; unique identifier that uniquely identifies the server device), location (Device Description URL), max, obtained from the SSDP response packet obtained by SSDP M-Search age (the valid period of the Cache-Control server) is set in the server information. Although the address of the server device is variable, each server device can be identified by uuid. Subsequently, the device description URL is accessed by accessing the URL of the device description based on the location acquired by SSDP. Of the obtained Device Description, the friendly name (server name character string), service cds Addr (command destination address), service cds url (command destination URL), control url (command destination URL for the control function) Is set in the server information. The management information includes a connection status with the server device and a connection history. “status” indicates the state of detection confirmation of this server device, and indicates which state is “Receiving SSDP M-Search response”, “Reading Device Description”, “Reading Device Description”, or the like. current sv. Whether the server device is selected in flag, the server type is set in type, whether the server device has been connected in the past, and the MAC address of the server device is set in mac address.

  In order to restart the reproduction process, in order to identify the server apparatus connected before the network disconnection, a memory in which the connection apparatus information including at least the UUID, the IP address and port, and the control URL is held until the process is restarted. It is necessary to save in.

(2) Operation after the connection is restored By the operation before the connection is disconnected, at least the connection device information (UUID, IP address and port, control URL) related to the server device connected immediately before the connection is disconnected, and playback Content information (content URL, object ID, parent ID) regarding the content that has been stored is held in the memory. In the middle of reproduction, an elapsed time indicating the reproduction position and the number of reproduced bytes are further set.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, when the connection to the network is restored based on the stored information in which the playback state at the previous connection is recorded, the state of the audio playback device 11 before the connection is disconnected is restored. Return to the state. The detailed processing procedure will be described below.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure after the audio playback device according to the embodiment of the present invention is reconnected to the network. The audio playback device 11 is reconnected after being disconnected from the network (LAN 30), and processing is started.

  [Step S21] SSDP M-Search is performed. Since the processing by SSDP M-Search is the same as the processing from step S11 to step S14 in FIG. 6, the description thereof is omitted here. With the SSDP M-Search, the server information shown in FIG. 8 is acquired for the server device currently connected to the network.

  [Step S22] The server information acquired in step S21 is searched, and the UUID, IP address, and port registered in the connection device information are matched with the corresponding part. Since the IP address and the port may be changed, even if the IP address and the port do not match, if the UUID matches, it is the same as the server device set in the connection device information. Is considered.

  [Step S23] In the search process of step S22, it is determined whether the same server device as the connection device information, that is, the connection server device connected last time is detected. If not detected, the process proceeds to step S31. If detected, the process proceeds to the next step.

[Step S24] When a previously connected server device is detected, the server device is connected to the detected server device.
[Step S25] If information related to the content that was played back at the previous connection is set in the content information, acquisition of content data is started based on the content URL. If the content is being played back at the previous connection and the elapsed time or the number of played bytes is set in the content information, the acquisition of the content data is started from the continuation of the playback position corresponding to the elapsed time or the number of played bytes. Further, when the content data acquired at the previous connection is held in the memory, the acquisition is performed from the continuation. The content data acquisition from the middle can be executed only when the server device and the content of the other party can perform time seek or bit seek operations. When it cannot be executed, the content data from the beginning is acquired.

  [Step S26] An initial display such as a server list of the server devices detected in Step S21 and a notification of automatically connected server devices is performed on the display unit. This display informs the user which server device is connected. Note that, during the initial display, the acquisition of the content data started in step S25 is performed in parallel.

  [Step S27] It is determined whether there is content to be reproduced. If there is no content played back at the previous connection, the process proceeds to step S30. If there is content that was being played back at the time of the previous connection and acquisition of content data has started in the processing of step S25, the processing proceeds to the next step.

  [Step S28] If the content reproduced at the previous connection is registered in the content information and the acquisition of the content data is started, the reproduction of the content data is started when the data necessary for the reproduction process is accumulated. Since the acquisition of the content data is started in advance after connecting to the partner server device, the reproduction of the content data can be started in a short time. When it is disconnected from the network, it is in the middle of reproduction. When the subsequent content data can be acquired from the server device, reproduction is performed from the middle of the previously interrupted content.

[Step S29] Information at the time of content reproduction such as the title of the content being reproduced is displayed on the display unit, and the process ends.
[Step S30] When there is no content played back at the time of connection, if a parent ID is registered in the content information, a content list of the same hierarchy is displayed on the display unit based on the parent ID. In the embodiment of the present invention, in addition to the object ID of the content, the parent ID of the higher layer is stored. In FIG. 4, objectID corresponds to the ID of an item, and parentID corresponds to the ID of a container including the objectID. Therefore, even if only objectID is held, other items cannot be presented to the user, but if parentID is held, items belonging to it, that is, other items belonging to the same container as objectID must be presented Can do. Therefore, a content list including other content belonging to the same container is displayed, and the process ends.

  [Step S31] When the server device connected at the previous connection is not detected, the server list of the server device detected in step S21 is displayed on the display unit, and the user is requested to perform an operation from the selection of the server device. To finish the process. In addition, when the other party server apparatus has a wake-up function, the other party server apparatus can also be started based on connection apparatus information. In this case, if the partner server device is activated, the process returns to step S24 to perform the process of restarting the content reproduction.

  By executing the above processing procedure, when the audio playback device is disconnected from the network and connected to the network again, the connected device information related to the server device connected at the previous connection and the playback were performed. Based on the content information related to the content, the server device connected to the previous connection is connected, and the reproduction of the content is resumed. As a result, when the audio playback device is connected to the network again, the user can enjoy the content from the previous time without repeating the complicated operation once more, and convenience is improved. If it was interrupted during playback, it can be played back from the middle instead of from the beginning. In addition, information necessary for resuming content reproduction is retained, and since content data acquisition is started prior to other processing while being connected to the server device, content reproduction is performed after connection to the network. Time to start can be shortened.

  Furthermore, in the embodiment, the audio reproducing apparatus has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, even for an information reproducing apparatus that reproduces visual data, the convenience of the user can be improved by selecting the information reproducing apparatus connected last time and automatically restarting the content.

  The above processing functions can be realized by a computer. In that case, a program describing the processing contents of the functions that the information reproducing apparatus should have is provided. By executing the program on a computer, the above processing functions are realized on the computer. The program describing the processing contents can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. When distributing the program, for example, portable recording media such as a DVD and a CD-ROM in which the program is recorded are sold. It is also possible to store the program in a storage device of a server computer and transfer the program from the server computer to another computer via a network.

  The computer that executes the program stores, for example, the program recorded on the portable recording medium or the program transferred from the server computer in its own storage device. Then, the computer reads the program from its own storage device and executes processing according to the program. The computer can also read the program directly from the portable recording medium and execute processing according to the program. Further, each time the program is transferred from the server computer, the computer can sequentially execute processing according to the received program.

It is a conceptual diagram of the invention applied to embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the home network system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the protocol stack (structure of a protocol group) of UPnP. It is a figure which shows the example of the tree structure which manages the content stored in the media server. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of an audio reproduction apparatus. It is the flowchart which showed the process sequence from the first starting of the audio reproduction apparatus of embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed an example of the reproduction | regeneration information of the audio reproduction apparatus of embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed an example of the server information of the audio reproduction apparatus of embodiment of this invention. It is the flowchart which showed the process sequence after the audio reproduction apparatus of embodiment of this invention is reconnected to a network.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Information reproduction apparatus, 1a ... Memory | storage means, 1b ... Information provision apparatus detection means, 1c ... Reproduction control means, 1d ... Reproduction means, 1e ... Communication control means, 2a, 2b, ..., 2n ... information providing device, 3 ... network, 1f ... connection device information, 1g ... content information

Claims (7)

In an information reproducing apparatus that connects to at least one information providing apparatus connected to a network and reproduces information provided from the information providing apparatus,
Storage means for storing connection device information for identifying at least the information providing device connected most recently via the network, and content information for identifying content data acquired and reproduced from the information providing device;
Information providing device detection means for collecting device information of the information providing device when newly connected to the network and detecting the information providing device connected to the network according to whether the device information has been collected When,
When the connection to the network is restored, the connection device information and the content information stored in the storage unit are read, and the information providing device that conforms to the connection device information is read based on the connection device information. Reproduction control means for selecting and connecting from the information providing apparatus detected by the providing apparatus detecting means, and making a reproduction request for the content data reproduced at the previous connection based on the content information;
The content data requested to be played back by the playback control means is acquired from the information providing device, and the acquired content data is played back, and the connected device information related to the connected information providing device is played back. Reproducing means for generating the content information relating to the content data and storing it in the storage means;
An information reproducing apparatus comprising: The playback means sets the current playback position information according to the elapsed time from the start of playback or the size of the played content data in the content information, at the time of playback, with respect to the content data being played back, When the reproduction control unit acquires a reproduction request for the content data that was reproduced at the previous connection in response to the connection to the network, the elapsed time set in the content information or the reproduced content data The content data is reproduced from a reproduction position corresponding to the reproduction position information based on the size of
The information reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The reproduction control means is connected to the information providing apparatus and starts acquisition of the content data prior to other processing, while displaying an initial screen including presentation of the connected information providing apparatus on the display unit. Acquiring content data and accumulating the content data prior to the start of playback processing;
The information reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The reproduction means stores the remainder of the reproduced content data in a predetermined area of the storage means at the time of reproduction,
When the connection to the network is restored, the reproduction control unit starts acquisition of the content data from the remaining continuation of the content data stored in the storage unit.
The information reproducing apparatus according to claim 3. The information providing apparatus manages a plurality of the content data in a tree structure,
The reproducing means registers, in the content information, hierarchical information that specifies at least one hierarchical level of the content data from which the information related to the content data can be derived, together with information related to the content data being reproduced.
When the connection to the network is restored, the playback control means, based on the hierarchy information stored in the storage means, tells the user at least another content belonging to the same hierarchy as the content data that was played back last time. Provide information about content data,
The information reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: If the information providing device matching the connection device information is not detected, the reproduction control means is based on the connection device information, and the information providing device that was the connection partner before disconnecting from the network Request activation
The information reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: In an information reproducing method of an information reproducing apparatus for connecting to at least one information providing apparatus connected to a network and reproducing information provided from the information providing apparatus,
When the information providing device detecting means is newly connected to the network, the information providing device collects device information of the information providing device and connects to the network according to whether the device information has been collected. Detecting step;
When the connection to the network is restored, the reproduction control means obtains from the information providing apparatus and reproduces the connection apparatus information that identifies the information providing apparatus that was last connected when the network was connected to the network last time. And reading the connection device information and the content information from storage means for storing the content information for specifying the content data, and based on the connection device information, the information providing device adapted to the connection device information is the information providing device. Selecting and connecting from the information providing device detected by the detecting means, and making a reproduction request for the content data that was reproduced at the previous connection based on the content information;
Reproducing means acquires the content data requested to be reproduced by the reproduction control means from the information providing apparatus, reproduces the acquired content data, and connects the connection apparatus information relating to the connected information providing apparatus; and Generating the content information relating to the content data being reproduced and storing it in the storage means;
A method for reproducing information, characterized by:

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