JP2008165698A - Information update system and reproduction device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information update system and a reproduction device which can simply upgrade control programs of display devices using commands defined by a standard of interactive cable television. <P>SOLUTION: A control part 4 of the information update system reads an update file 99 from an optical disk 100, and makes vendor commands showing the contents of the update file 99 based on the standard of HDMI. The control part 4 transmits the vendor commands from an HDMI port 20 to television sets 101. Control parts 104 of the television sets 101 side upgrade firmware 106A memorized in a memory part 106 by the vendor commands when the television sets receives the vendor commands. After completion of upgrade, the control part 104 operates based on the upgraded firmware 106A. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information update system in which a playback device and a display device are connected to each other via a bidirectional cable, and a control program of the display device is upgraded by updating, and a playback device applied to the system. .

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been provided a display device that includes a nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory that stores a control program, and a microcomputer that operates based on the control program (hereinafter referred to as a microcomputer). This display device is, for example, a liquid crystal television or a plasma television.
And in said display apparatus, in order to correct the malfunction of an apparatus or to improve the function of an apparatus, it is made possible to update a control program even after a user purchases an apparatus. For example, it is possible to upgrade the control program and add the function of the display device after purchasing the display device.

When updating the control program of the home appliance including the display device, for example, the home appliance reads and updates an update file for updating the content of the control program from a medium such as a DVD distributed by the home appliance manufacturer. This adds a new function to the home appliance.
On the other hand, Patent Document 1 proposes a digital electronic device.
JP 2003-316596 A

However, the above display device alone does not have a reading mechanism for reading the update file from the medium. For this reason, it has been difficult to upgrade the control program for the display device. For example, a new flash memory in which the upgraded control program was recorded was distributed from the device vendor, and the flash memory built in the display device had to be removed and replaced with a new flash memory. .
Therefore, in the conventional display device, after the user purchases the display device, it is difficult to correct the defect of the display device or improve the function of the display device.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is intended to solve such a conventional problem, and an information updating system that can easily upgrade a control program of a display device by using a command defined by a bidirectional cable standard. And a playback apparatus.

  The information update system of the present invention has the following configuration in order to solve the above problems.

(1) a playback device that reads data from a medium and outputs the data to the outside;
In an information update system comprising: a display device that is connected to the playback device via a bidirectional cable that transmits the data and that processes the data output from the playback device and displays video.
The display device
A storage unit storing a control program in which an operation content for controlling each unit of the device itself is described, the control program being upgraded by an update file for updating the content;
Control means that operates based on the control program,
The playback device
When the medium in which the update file is recorded is set and the version upgrade of the control program is instructed, the update file is read from the medium and a command indicating the content of the update file is sent to the bidirectional cable. Reading and creating means for creating based on the standards of
Transmitting means for transmitting the command created by the reading creation means to the display device via the bidirectional cable;
When the command is transmitted to the display device, the control unit of the display device upgrades the control program stored in the storage unit according to the content of the command.

In this configuration, the playback device is, for example, an optical disk device, a hard disk drive device, or an SD card playback device. The medium is a semiconductor memory such as an optical disk, a hard disk, or an SD card. The display device is, for example, a liquid crystal television or a plasma television. A bidirectional cable means a cable capable of bidirectional communication. Upgrade means updating the control program to the latest information. Version upgrade is a concept including upgrade and update.
When updating the control program, the user sets a medium such as a DVD distributed by the display device vendor in the playback device. An update file is recorded on this medium by the sales manufacturer. Then, it instructs to upgrade the control program. As a result, the reading unit creates the contents of the update file as the above command. This command is a command defined by the bidirectional cable standard. Then, the transmission means transmits the command to the display device.
When the command is transmitted, the control means of the display device upgrades the control program stored in the storage means based on the command. When the upgrade is completed, the control means operates based on the upgraded control program.
As described above, by using a command defined by the bidirectional cable standard, the control program can be easily upgraded even in a display device having no reading mechanism. Therefore, in the display device, even after the user purchases the display device, it is possible to easily correct the defect and improve the function.

(2) The reading / creating means of the playback device includes:
When the medium on which the update file is recorded is set and the version upgrade of the control program is instructed, transmission of the version information of the control program stored in the storage unit is transmitted to the display unit. Request through
When there is a response to the request from the display device, based on the response result, it is determined whether the version of the update file is newer than the version of the control program,
When the version of the control program is newer, the transmission means is prohibited from transmitting the command to the display device.

In this configuration, the request transmitted from the transmission unit is input to the display device via the bidirectional cable. The control means of the display device checks the control program in the storage means, reads the version information, and transmits it to the playback device via the bidirectional cable.
Then, the reading and creating unit determines whether the version of the update file is newer than the version of the control program based on the transmitted version information. Only when the version of the update file is newer, the transmission means permits the command to be transmitted to the display device.
As described above, it is possible to prevent the control program from being erroneously updated to an old version.
The version information is described in advance in the control program. Similarly, version information of the update file is described in advance in the update file.

(3) The bidirectional cable is an HDMI standard cable,
The command created based on the bidirectional cable standard is a vendor command.

The HDMI standard defines a control standard for household electrical appliances called CEC (Consumer Electronics Control). CEC has general vendor commands that are common to all companies that control power supply and input switching, and optional vendor commands that can be defined independently by the manufacturer.
In this configuration, this vendor command is used.

  In addition, the reproducing apparatus of the present invention has the following configuration in order to solve the above problems.

(4) A playback device including an output unit that reads data from a medium and outputs the data to the outside, and is connected to a display device that processes the data output from the output unit and displays an image via a bidirectional cable In
A medium in which an operation file for controlling each part of the display device is described and in which an update file for updating the content of the control program stored in the display device is recorded is set, and the control program using the update file Reading and creating means for reading the update file from the medium and creating a command indicating the content of the update file based on the standard of the bidirectional cable
Transmission means for transmitting the command created by the reading creation means to the display device via the bidirectional cable,
The reading and creating unit instructs the display device via the transmitting unit to upgrade the control program stored in the display device according to the contents of the command.

In this configuration, the playback device is used in the information update system (1).
Thereby, there exists an effect similar to said (1).

  According to the present invention, the control program can be easily upgraded even in a display device having no reading mechanism.

  Hereinafter, an information update system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of an optical disk device of an information update system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The optical disk device 1 is a so-called DVD player, and includes a control unit 4 that controls the operation of each unit of the apparatus body 1 and a pickup head 2 (hereinafter referred to as a PU head 2) that reads data from the optical disk 100 set in the apparatus body 1. A playback unit 3 such as an RF amplifier, an operation unit 5 that receives an operation from a user, a display unit 7 that displays information, a storage unit 6 that stores data, and an audio process that outputs an audio signal. Unit 11, an image processing unit 13 that outputs an image signal, and an HDMI port 20 into which the HDMI cable 21 is inserted.

In addition, the optical disc apparatus 1 is connected to the television 101 via an HDMI cable 21 inserted into the HDMI port 20. The television 101 is a liquid crystal television compliant with the HDMI standard.
HDMI is an abbreviation for High Definition Multimedia Interface, and is an interface for transmitting digital A / V signals from an output device such as a DVD playback device to a display device such as a television receiver or a projector. HDMI is an extension of DVI (Digital Visual Interface for Computer) Ver1.0, which is a conventional standard. Specifically, DVI is a standard that transmits only image information, whereas HDMI is a standard that allows audio information and other information to be transmitted over a single cable in addition to image information. Furthermore, HDMI can transmit high-quality multi-channel audio and high-resolution image signals (video signals) in various formats.
HDMI can transmit information transmitted from the television 101 to the optical disc apparatus 1 by DDC (Display Date Channel). DDC is the name of the communication format.

  Moreover, the control part 4 is comprised, for example with a microcomputer. The control unit 4 is connected to the HDMI port 20 via a control line 19 that transmits update data described in the update file.

The PU head 2 includes a laser diode (LD), a collimator lens, a beam splitter, an objective lens, a photodetector, a thread motor, and a biaxial actuator (not shown).
The PU head 2 is movably attached to an axis extending in the radial direction of the optical disc 100. The sled motor moves the PU head 2 in the radial direction of the optical disc 100.
The LD is a light source that outputs laser light, and the photodetector is formed of a plurality of light receiving elements, and detects reflected light from the optical disc 100. In the photodetector, for example, the light receiving area is divided into four substantially equally, and four light receiving areas are formed.
The objective lens adjusts the irradiation position of the laser beam on the optical disc 100. The biaxial actuator moves the objective lens in the direction in which the objective lens is brought into contact with or separated from the optical disc 100 and in the radial direction of the optical disc 100.

First, the operation during reproduction will be described.
The PU head 2 irradiates the optical disc 100 with a laser beam having a reading power, and detects reflected light from the optical disc 100 with a photodetector. Thereby, the information recorded on the optical disc 100 is optically read.

  The reproducing unit 3 generates an RF signal based on the outputs of the plurality of light receiving elements in the PU head 2 and amplifies the RF signal. Then, the reproducing unit 3 processes the RF signal, extracts image and audio data, and decodes them. Here, the extracted image signal is encoded by, for example, MPEG. Further, the audio signal to be extracted is encoded by, for example, MPEG or AC3. Then, the reproduction unit 3 outputs the audio signal to the audio processing unit 11 and the image signal to the image processing unit 13 while synchronizing both data.

The audio processing unit 11 outputs the expanded audio signal to the external television 101 as a digital reproduction audio signal.
The image processing unit 13 outputs the decompressed image signal to the external television 101 as a digital reproduction image signal.
The audio processing unit 11 and the image processing unit 13 transmit the digital signal to the television 101 via the HDMI cable 21 by the TMDS (Transition Minimized Differential Signaling) method.

  The audio processing unit 11 and the image processing unit 13 are connected to the television 101 via an HDMI cable 21 inserted into the HDMI port 20. The user can view the image based on the image signal output from the image processing unit 13 and the sound based on the audio signal output from the audio processing unit 11 on the television 101.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of the television receiver of the information update system according to the embodiment of the present invention. The television 101 is a so-called liquid crystal television, and is D / A converted by an HDMI port 120 into which the HDMI cable 21 is inserted, a D / A conversion unit 103 that D / A converts a digital reproduction audio signal and a digital reproduction image signal. A display unit 113 that processes the reproduced image signal to display an image, and a speaker 111 that processes the reproduced audio signal that has been D / A converted to emit sound.

  The user can view the image based on the image signal output from the optical disc apparatus 1 and the sound based on the audio signal output from the optical disc apparatus 1 through the display unit 113 and the speaker 111.

  Furthermore, the television 101 includes a storage unit 106 that stores firmware 106A, and a control unit 104 that controls the operation of each unit of the television 101 based on the firmware 106A.

  The storage unit 106 is a rewritable nonvolatile memory, for example, a flash memory. The firmware 106A stored in the storage unit 106 describes the operation content (control method) for controlling each unit of the television 101. The firmware 106A is upgraded by an update file for updating its contents.

  The control unit 104 is configured by a microcomputer, for example. The control unit 104 includes a RAM (not shown) as a work field for expanding data processed by the firmware 106A. The control unit 104 is connected to the HDMI port 120 via a control line 119 for transmitting update data described in the update file.

  Note that the optical disc apparatus 1 in FIG. 1 and the television 101 in FIG. 2 constitute an information update system of this embodiment. The firmware 106A corresponds to the “control program” of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of each control unit in the optical disc apparatus 1 and the television receiver 101 in the information update system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the version information of the update file 99 and the version information of the firmware 106A. The operation in FIG. 3 is an operation when the user sets the optical disc 100 in which the update file 99 is recorded and instructs the operation unit 5 to upgrade the firmware 106A. Here, the optical disk 100 is an optical disk distributed by a manufacturer of the television 101 in order to correct the malfunction of the television 101. The update file 99 is a file for updating the contents of the firmware 106A.
When the optical disk 100 is set in the optical disk apparatus 1 and the upgrade of the firmware 106A is instructed by the operation unit 5 (S1), the control unit 4 on the optical disk apparatus 1 side is stored in the storage unit 106 on the television 101 side. The television 101 is requested to transmit the version information of the firmware 106A that is present (S2). This request is input to the television 101 via the control line 19, the HDMI port 20, and the HDMI cable 21.

  When there is a request via the HDMI cable 21, the control unit 104 on the television 101 side executes an update mode for updating the firmware 106A (S101). Here, this request is received by the HDMI port 120 and input to the control unit 104 via the control line 119.

  Next, the control unit 104 transmits the version information of the firmware 106A from the HDMI port 120 (S102). Here, version information is described in advance in firmware 106A (at the time of the previous version upgrade or the like).

  When the version information of the firmware 106A is received, that is, when there is a response to the request from the television 101, the control unit 4 determines whether the version of the update file 99 is newer than the version of the firmware 106A based on the response result. (S3). This determination is performed by the control unit 4 causing the PU head 2 to read the version information of the update file 99 and acquiring it via the playback unit 3. Here, version information is described in the update file 99 when the file is created.

If it is determined that the version of the update file 99 is not newer than the version of the firmware 106A, the control unit 4 ends this process. That is, the control unit 4 prohibits transmission of a vendor command from the HDMI port 20. The reason for providing S2 and S3 is to prevent the firmware 106A from being erroneously updated to an old version.
In this embodiment, S2 and S3 are provided. However, in implementation, S2 and S3 may be excluded from this process.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, when determining that the version of the update file 99 is newer than the version of the firmware 106 </ b> A, the control unit 4 reads the update file 99 from the optical disc 100 and sends a vendor command indicating the contents of the update file 99. And based on the HDMI standard (S4). Describing S4 in detail, the HDMI standard defines a control standard for consumer electronics devices called CEC (Consumer Electronics Control). CEC has general vendor commands that are common to all companies that control power supply and input switching, and optional vendor commands that can be defined independently by the manufacturer. Therefore, in S4, the control unit 4 causes the PU head 2 to read the update file 99, obtains it via the playback unit 3, and creates the content of the update file 99 as a vendor command.

  Next, the control unit 4 transmits the vendor command created in S4 from the HDMI port 20 to the television 101 (S5). This vendor command is input to the television 101 via the control line 19, the HDMI port 20, and the HDMI cable 21. In S <b> 5, the control unit 4 sends the vendor command created in S <b> 4 and instructs the television 101 through the HDMI port 20 to upgrade the control program stored in the television 101 according to the content of the vendor command. This instruction may be described in the vendor command. As a result, the television 101 performs the following operation according to the instruction.

  When the vendor command is received at the HDMI port 120, the control unit 104 on the television 101 side starts upgrading the firmware 106A stored in the storage unit 106 (S103).

  When the upgrade is completed (S104), the control unit 104 notifies the optical disk device 1 from the HDMI port 120 that the upgrade has been completed (S105). Then, the control unit 104 ends this process. Thereafter, the control unit 104 operates based on the upgraded firmware 106A.

  When the notification from the television 101 is received at the HDMI port 20, the control unit 4 closes the session related to version upgrade (S6) and ends this process. Here, the control unit 4 stands by until the version upgrade of the television 101 is completed.

  As described above, by using the vendor command defined in the HDMI standard, the control program can be easily upgraded even on the television 101 having no reading mechanism. Therefore, in the television 101, even after the user purchases the television 101, it is possible to easily correct the malfunction and improve the function.

  In this embodiment, the vendor standard is used because the HDMI standard is adopted. However, the implementation is not limited to these, and a command corresponding to each interface may be used. .

1 is a block diagram showing the main configuration of an optical disk device of an information update system according to an embodiment of the present invention The block diagram which shows the main structures of the television receiver of the information update system which is embodiment of this invention The flowchart which shows operation | movement of each control part in the optical disk device 1 and the television receiver 101 in the information update system which is embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows an example of the version information of the update file 99, and the version information of the firmware 106A

Explanation of symbols

1-optical disk device 2-pickup head 3-playback unit 4-control unit 5-operation unit 6-storage unit 7-display unit 11-audio processing unit 13-image processing unit 19-control line 20-HDMI port 21-HDMI cable 99-update file 100-optical disc 101-television 101-television receiver 103-D / A conversion unit 104-control unit 106A-firmware 106-storage unit 111-speaker 113-display unit 119-control line 120-HDMI port

Claims (5)

A playback device that reads data from the media and outputs it to the outside;
In an information update system comprising: a display device that is connected to the playback device via a bidirectional cable that transmits the data and that processes the data output from the playback device and displays video.
The display device
A storage unit storing a control program in which an operation content for controlling each unit of the device itself is described, the control program being upgraded by an update file for updating the content;
Control means that operates based on the control program,
The playback device
When the medium in which the update file is recorded is set and the version upgrade of the control program is instructed, the transmission means transmits the control program version information stored in the storage means to the display device. Reading creation means to request via,
Transmitting means for transmitting the request to the display device via the bidirectional cable,
The reading and creating means determines whether the version of the update file is newer than the version of the control program based on the response result when the response to the request is from the display device;
(1) When the version of the update file is newer, the reading and creating unit reads the update file from the medium and sends a command indicating the content of the update file based on the bidirectional cable standard. Create and instruct the sending means to send the command to the display device;
When the command is transmitted to the display device, the control unit of the display device upgrades the control program stored in the storage unit according to the content of the command,
(2) The information updating system for prohibiting the transmission unit from transmitting the command to the display device when the version of the control program is newer. A playback device that reads data from the media and outputs it to the outside;
In an information update system comprising: a display device that is connected to the playback device via a bidirectional cable that transmits the data and that processes the data output from the playback device and displays video.
The display device
A storage unit storing a control program in which an operation content for controlling each unit of the device itself is described, the control program being upgraded by an update file for updating the content;
Control means that operates based on the control program,
The playback device
When the medium in which the update file is recorded is set and the version upgrade of the control program is instructed, the update file is read from the medium and a command indicating the content of the update file is sent to the bidirectional cable. Reading and creating means for creating based on the standards of
Transmitting means for transmitting the command created by the reading creation means to the display device via the bidirectional cable;
When the command is transmitted to the display device, the control unit of the display device upgrades the control program stored in the storage unit according to the content of the command. The reading / creating means of the playback device includes:
When the medium on which the update file is recorded is set and the version upgrade of the control program is instructed, transmission of the version information of the control program stored in the storage unit is transmitted to the display unit. Request through
When there is a response to the request from the display device, based on the response result, it is determined whether the version of the update file is newer than the version of the control program,
The information update system according to claim 2, wherein when the version of the control program is newer, the transmission unit is prohibited from transmitting the command to the display device. The bidirectional cable is an HDMI standard cable,
4. The information update system according to claim 2, wherein the command created based on the bidirectional cable standard is a vendor command. In a playback device that includes an output unit that reads data from a medium and outputs the data to the outside, and is connected to a display device that processes the data output from the output unit and displays an image via a bidirectional cable,
A medium in which an operation file for controlling each part of the display device is described and in which an update file for updating the content of the control program stored in the display device is recorded is set, and the control program is based on the update file Reading and creating means for reading the update file from the medium and creating a command indicating the content of the update file based on the standard of the bidirectional cable
Transmission means for transmitting the command created by the reading creation means to the display device via the bidirectional cable,
The reproduction device that instructs the display device via the transmission means to upgrade the control program stored in the display device according to the content of the command.

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