JP2011045026A - Master apparatus switching method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate switching a master apparatus without manipulation for changing the setting of the master apparatus and a slave device by manually breaking a network even if switching the master communication apparatus based on the intention of a user. <P>SOLUTION: When an apparatus to be newly added to the network is presumed as the master apparatus in this audio system, the newly added apparatus is operated as the slave device to join the network and it issues later, to the present master apparatus, a request for switching of the master apparatus. Then the master apparatus breaks the network and this master apparatus is switched to the newly added master apparatus to restructure the network. In addition, when the apparatus already working as the slave device in the network is switched to the master apparatus, the master apparatus is requested to break the network and can then be replaced with the apparatus having worked as the slave device in order to restructure the network. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for controlling communication between communication devices.

  When a network is configured by wireless communication between communication devices, the network may be configured by the master communication device under the management of the master communication device, with one communication device as a master and the other communication device as a slave. Many. In such a case, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for switching a master and a slave so that a master communication device is a slave and a slave communication device is a master.

JP 2004-120651 A

  In Patent Document 1, only a master communication device can communicate with a plurality of communication devices as slaves, and cannot communicate between slave communication devices. In other words, the master and the slave only differ in the object that can be communicated. In addition, each communication device has a completely different function, and the order of communication devices to be masters so that each function operates in a specific situation between specific communication devices. Are determined in advance, and the master and the slave in each communication device are switched according to the contents.

On the other hand, there are a plurality of communication devices having a function such as transmitting an audio signal to a slave communication device only when it is a master, and it is a case where it is desired to decide which communication device is a master according to the intention of the user. If you want to use a communication device that is neither a master nor a slave at a certain point in time, or change to various situations, decide which communication device will be the master in all situations. That is not realistic. That is, in the technique of Patent Document 1, even if the master communication device is changed in a specific order, it is possible to cope with the network by freely using the specific communication device determined by the user's intention as a master. It cannot be configured.
Further, as a technique for configuring a network with a specific communication device as a master according to a user's intention, a method of manually operating a physical switch to change a setting and then reconnecting each communication device is conventionally known. However, it takes time and effort to process.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and even when switching a communication device as a master according to the intention of a user, the network is manually disbanded to set the master and slave. It is an object to easily switch masters without performing an operation of changing.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the present invention is configured such that one master communication device is connected to another slave communication device by wireless communication, and the master communication device performs broadcast communication with the slave communication device. The master communication device and the slave communication device transmit data in a streaming format, and the master communication device switches the master communication device to another device in a system in which a network is configured to transmit and receive each information to and from each other. A master device switching method, wherein a communication device that is not connected to the master communication device by wireless communication obtains a request for making the device itself a master, and obtains the request in the obtaining step A connection process in which the communication device is connected to the master communication device by wireless communication as a slave communication device; and In a subsequent process, a communication device connected to the master communication device transmits a notification information for notifying that the master device is a master to the master communication device, and the master communication device includes: A reception process for receiving the notification information transmitted in the transmission process, and a master communication apparatus that has received the notification information in the reception process becomes a master for the communication apparatus that has transmitted the notification information in the transmission process. A permission transmission process for transmitting permission notification information for notifying that permission is permitted; and a permission reception process for receiving a permission notification information transmitted in the permission transmission process by a communication apparatus that has transmitted the notification information in the transmission process; The master communication device that has transmitted the permission notification information in the permission transmission process is connected to the slave communication device by wireless communication. A recognition process for recognizing that a connection by wireless communication with the master communication apparatus is disconnected, and a recognition process in which the communication apparatus that has received the permission notification information in the permission reception process is disconnected. A master device switching method comprising: a communication device that recognizes a disconnection comprising: a master device as a master device; and a configuration process of connecting to another slave communication device by wireless communication to form a new network. I will provide a.

  Also, the present invention is such that one master communication device is connected to another slave communication device by wireless communication, and the master communication device transmits data to the slave communication device in a streaming format by broadcast communication. The master communication device and the slave communication device are a master device switching method for switching the master communication device to another device in a system that configures a network so as to transmit and receive each information to and from each other. A communication device that is not connected to the master communication device by wireless communication acquires a request for making the device itself a master, and a communication device that acquires the request in the acquisition step is a slave A connection process of connecting to the master communication apparatus by wireless communication as a communication apparatus of A transmission process in which the communication apparatus connected to the master communication apparatus transmits notification information to notify the master communication apparatus that the own apparatus is the master, and the master communication apparatus is in the transmission process. A reception process for receiving the transmitted notification information, and a master communication apparatus that has received the notification information in the reception process permit the communication apparatus that has transmitted the notification information in the transmission process to become a master. A permission transmission process for transmitting permission notification information for notifying that, a permission reception process in which a communication device that has transmitted the notification information in the transmission process receives the permission notification information transmitted in the permission transmission process, and the permission transmission. Disconnection process in which the master communication device that has transmitted the permission notification information in the process disconnects the wireless communication with the slave communication device The communication device that has received the permission notification information in the permission reception process recognizes that the wireless communication connection with the master communication device has been disconnected, and has recognized the disconnection in the recognition process. There is provided a master device switching method, characterized in that the communication device comprises a configuration process in which the communication device is connected to another slave communication device by wireless communication to form a new network.

  In another preferred embodiment, a reconnection process in which a communication device that has disconnected wireless communication in the disconnection process uses its own device as a slave communication device and connects to a communication device that configures a network in the configuration process by wireless communication. Is further provided.

  According to the present invention, even when the communication device as a master is switched by the user's intention, it is easy to manually disband the network and change the master and slave settings. Master switching can be realized.

It is a figure explaining an example of the audio system concerning an embodiment. It is a block diagram explaining the structure of the speaker apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a block diagram explaining the structure of the subwoofer apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a block diagram explaining the structure of the audio apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining an example of the master switching process in the case of a 1st aspect. It is a figure explaining the part following FIG. 5 among the flowchart explaining an example of the master switching process in the case of a 1st aspect. It is a flowchart explaining an example of the master switching process in the case of a 2nd aspect.

<Embodiment>
[Overview]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an audio system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The audio system in this example includes a speaker device 10, a subwoofer device 20, and an audio device 50, which are examples of communication devices. The audio device 50 is a device in which a portable audio terminal 30 and a communication module 40 are connected.
The speaker device 10 has a speaker that outputs mid-high range sounds, and the subwoofer device 20 has a speaker that outputs low-frequency sounds. The audio device 50 is connected to a portable audio terminal 30 that generates an audio signal from music data indicating music and a communication module 40 for performing wireless communication with other devices. Details of the configuration of each device will be described later.
The playback apparatus 1000 plays back information recorded on an optical disc such as a CD (Compact Disc) or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), and outputs the played back data. In this example, the reproduction apparatus 1000 outputs audio data Sin to the speaker apparatus 10 as a reproduced signal.

The speaker device 10, the subwoofer device 20, and the audio device 50 each have a configuration for performing wireless communication, and either the speaker device 10 or the audio device 50 becomes a master and becomes a slave that exists within the communication range. And a network with the connected devices.
Among the devices constituting the network, the master device can transmit the data in the streaming format to the slave device by broadcast communication. In this example, the audio data indicating the musical sound waveform signal is in the streaming format. Sent by. In addition, the master device and the slave device transmit and receive a control signal Sc including information indicating notification, control, instruction, and the like to the counterpart device.
These pieces of information are not transmitted / received only between the master device and the slave device, but each device is configured so that it can be transmitted / received between all the devices constituting the network, that is, between the slave devices. It may be configured. For example, transmission information is transmitted and received between the master device and the slave device using broadcast communication, and the identification information for identifying the slave device to be transmitted is combined with the information transmitted from the slave device. May be configured to transmit. The slave device related to the identification information may be configured to recognize the information transmitted to the device itself. In this example, it is assumed that the control signal Sc can be transmitted from the speaker device 10 to the subwoofer device 20 even when both are slaves.

Next, an outline of the operation of the audio system according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 1A, when the audio device 50 does not exist, the speaker device 10 serves as a master, and audio data Sw indicating a low-frequency musical sound waveform signal is sent to the subwoofer device 20 that is a slave. Send. As a result, sound corresponding to the audio data Sin output from the playback apparatus 1000 is output from the speaker device 10 and the subwoofer device 20.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1B, when the audio device 50 is added, the master is changed from the speaker device 10 to the audio device 50 to reconfigure the network, and the audio device 50 to the speaker device 10 and the subwoofer device are reconfigured. Audio data St is transmitted to 20. Thereby, a sound corresponding to the audio data St is output from the speaker device 10 and the subwoofer device 20.
Hereinafter, each configuration of the speaker device 10, the subwoofer device 20, and the audio device 50 for realizing the process of switching the master between the devices will be described.

[Configuration of Speaker Device 10]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the speaker device 10. The wireless communication unit 110 has a function of performing wireless communication with other devices under the control of the communication control unit 120. The wireless communication unit 110 establishes wireless communication at a physical level by searching for other devices existing within the communication range according to the intensity of the output radio wave, and controls each communication necessary for connection under the control of the communication control unit 120. Information (details will be described later) is transmitted and received, and the apparatus is connected by wireless communication.
At this time, the master device and the slave device are connected, and the slave devices are not connected. In addition, the master device can be connected to a plurality of slave devices by wireless communication, and one master device forms a network with the slave devices connected to the own device by wireless communication. . The wireless communication unit 110 of the master device can also dissolve the network by disconnecting the wireless communication connection under the control of the communication control unit 120. Here, if the wireless communication has been established at the physical level, whether the other device is a master or a slave can be recognized by exchanging signals according to the type of master and slave. It is configured.

As described above, the wireless communication unit 110 of the master device transmits audio data in a streaming format to the slave device by broadcast communication. The audio data to be transmitted is encoded audio data input to the wireless communication unit 110. On the other hand, when the wireless communication unit 110 of the slave device receives the encoded audio data, it decodes and outputs it.
In addition, the master device and the slave device connected by wireless communication transmit and receive the control signal Sc. The contents of the information indicated by the control signal Sc will be described later.

The communication control unit 120 sets whether the own device is a master or a slave, and controls each operation of the wireless communication unit 110 in a master switching process to be described later according to the contents. In addition, the communication control unit 120 notifies the control unit 130 to recognize whether the own device is a master or a slave.
The control unit 130 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like. The CPU controls each part of the speaker device 10 by loading a control program stored in the ROM into the RAM and executing it.
For example, the control unit 130 recognizes from the notification from the communication control unit 120 whether the own device is a master or a slave, and controls the audio processing unit 150 described later according to the content. In addition, the audio processing unit 150 is controlled in accordance with a control signal Sc received from another specific device output from the wireless communication unit 110, an operation signal from the operation unit 170 described later, and the like.

  The audio acquisition unit 140 acquires audio data Sin output from the playback apparatus 1000 and outputs the audio data Sin to the audio processing unit 150. Note that the audio data Sin acquired by the audio acquisition unit 140 may not be acquired from the playback apparatus 1000, and may be acquired from a tuner, a sound source, or the like that generates audio data in the apparatus.

The sound processing unit 150 is, for example, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) and performs each operation under the control of the control unit 130.
When the own apparatus is a slave, the sound processing unit 150 performs preset acoustic processing on the audio data St output from the wireless communication unit 110 under the control of the control unit 130, and the sound emitting unit 160. Output for. At this time, acoustic processing is performed corresponding to the output characteristics of the speaker in the sound emitting unit, which will be described later, such as extracting the middle and high range of the audio data St.
On the other hand, when the own apparatus is the master, the sound processing unit 150 performs a predetermined acoustic process on the audio data Sin output from the sound acquisition unit 140 under the control of the control unit 130, and outputs the sound. Unit 160 and wireless communication unit 110. At this time, the audio data Sw output to the wireless communication unit 110 and transmitted to the subwoofer device 20 is subjected to acoustic processing corresponding to the output characteristics of the subwoofer device 20 such as extracting a low frequency of the audio data Sin. The audio signal output to the sound emitting unit 160 is subjected to acoustic processing corresponding to the output characteristics of the speaker in the sound emitting unit 160, such as extracting the middle and high frequencies of the audio data Sin.
Note that the acoustic processing is not limited to the above-described content, and may be anything such as providing a sound field effect and adjusting the output level, or the acoustic processing may not be performed. These acoustic processes may be determined according to the content of the received control signal Sc.

The sound emitting unit 160 includes an amplification circuit that amplifies a musical sound waveform signal related to input audio data, and a speaker that emits the amplified musical sound waveform signal. The speaker may be a single speaker or a plurality of speakers. In the case of a plurality of speakers, the sound output direction may be controlled by providing directivity to the sound by configuring a speaker array.
The operation unit 170 has an operation element (button, rotary encoder, etc.) for inputting a user instruction, and outputs an operation signal corresponding to the operation of the operation element. The instruction to be input includes a switching instruction for switching audio data related to sound emission to audio data acquired by the sound acquisition unit 140 such as that from the playback apparatus 1000, volume adjustment, and details of acoustic processing to be set. This operator may be provided on a remote control capable of remote control.
The display unit 180 has a display screen that displays a menu screen, a setting screen, and the like. The content displayed on the display screen is controlled by the control unit 130. The above is the description of the configuration of the speaker device 10.

[Configuration of Subwoofer Device 20]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the subwoofer device 20. The wireless communication unit 210 has a function of performing wireless communication with other devices under the control of the communication control unit 220. The detailed functions are the same as those of the wireless communication unit 110, and thus description thereof is omitted. Note that the subwoofer device 20 does not have a function of acquiring audio data for transmission like the sound acquisition unit 140, and therefore does not need to be a master and operates as a slave device.
The communication control unit 220 has the same function as that of the communication control unit 120. However, as described above, the communication control unit 220 does not have to be a master. Therefore, when connecting by wireless communication, the communication control unit 220 is set as a slave. Yes.

The audio processing unit 230 acquires audio data received and decoded by the wireless communication unit 210, performs acoustic processing set in advance or notified by the speaker device 10, and outputs the processed audio data to the sound emitting unit 240. To do. As for this acoustic processing, for example, acoustic processing is performed corresponding to the output characteristics of the subwoofer device 20 such as extracting a low frequency of the acquired audio data Sin. Further, settings such as a band to be extracted and an output level may be changed according to the content of the control signal Sc received by the wireless communication unit 210.
The sound emitting unit 240 has an amplifying circuit that amplifies a musical sound waveform signal related to input audio data, and a speaker that emits the amplified musical sound waveform signal. This speaker is a speaker adjusted to output a low frequency range. The above is the description of the configuration of the subwoofer device 20.

[Configuration of Audio Device 50]
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the audio device 50. As described above, the audio device 50 is obtained by connecting the portable audio terminal 30 and the communication module 40 via the interfaces 360 and 430. In this example, the communication module 40 is supplied with electric power from the power supply unit (not shown) of the portable audio terminal 30 via the interfaces 360 and 430 when connected to the portable audio terminal 30. Therefore, when the communication module 40 is detached from the portable audio terminal 30 and the connection is released, the function of each part of the communication module 40 is stopped. Hereinafter, each structure is demonstrated in order.

The portable audio terminal 30 includes a control unit 310, a storage unit 320, an operation unit 330, a display unit 340, an audio output unit 350, and an interface 360, which are connected via a bus.
The control unit 310 has a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The CPU controls each part of the portable audio terminal 30 via the bus by loading a control program from the ROM into the RAM and executing it.
The storage unit 320 is storage means such as a hard disk or a non-volatile memory, and stores audio data indicating musical sound waveform signals corresponding to respective contents such as music and movies, video data indicating video, and the like.

The operation unit 330 includes an operation element for a user to perform an operation (for example, a rotation operation, pressing, etc.). When the user operates the operator, an operation signal indicating the operation content is output to the control unit 310. By this operation, various instructions are possible, for example, an instruction to start the portable audio terminal 30, an instruction to play back the content stored in the storage unit 320, and the like.
The display unit 340 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display having a menu screen, a setting screen, and a display screen for displaying content video, and performs display in accordance with video data input by the control of the control unit 310.
The audio output unit 350 has a connection terminal for connecting sound emission means such as headphones, and supplies a musical sound waveform signal related to audio data input by the control of the control unit 310 to the connected sound emission means.

  The interface 360 is a connection terminal for connecting to an external device and inputting / outputting various information and data. In this example, the communication module 40 is connected to the interface 360, and audio data and a control signal Sc are output to the connected communication module 40 under the control of the control unit 310.

The communication module 40 includes a wireless communication unit 410, a communication control unit 420, and an interface 430. The wireless communication unit 410 and the communication control unit 420 have the same functions as the wireless communication unit 110 and the communication control unit 120 in the speaker device 10, respectively, and thus description thereof is omitted.
The interface 430 is a connection terminal for connecting to an external device and inputting / outputting various data. In this example, the portable audio terminal 30 is connected to the interface 430, and audio data and a control signal Sc output from the interface 360 of the portable audio terminal 30 are output to the wireless communication unit 410. The above is the description of the configuration of the audio device 50.

[Operation]
Next, master switching processing among operations in the audio system according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following description, the master switching process will be described in order in two modes. As a first mode, the speaker device 10 is a master, and the audio device 50 not participating in the network constituted by the master is the next master. As a second mode, the audio device 50 is a master, and the speaker device 10 participating in the network constituted by the master is the next master. First, master switching processing in the first mode will be described with reference to FIGS.

[Master switching process (1)]
5 and 6 are flowcharts for explaining an example of the master switching process in the case of the first mode. First, it demonstrates using FIG. A network is configured with the speaker device 10 as a master and the subwoofer device 20 as a slave, and audio data Sw is transmitted from the speaker device 10 to the subwoofer device 20. This state is the state shown in FIG.
When the audio device 50 is activated by a user's operation (step S110), power is supplied from the portable audio terminal 30 to the communication module 40, and the communication control unit 420 uses the audio device 50 as a master. (Step S120). Note that the trigger for recognizing the request to be a master may be another operation (for example, a content reproduction instruction) in the operation unit 330 of the portable audio terminal 30 or the portable audio terminal 30. The communication module 40 may be connected. Alternatively, the network may be detected (a master device constituting the network is detected).

The communication control unit 420 controls the wireless communication unit 410 to detect whether the master device is within the communication range, thereby searching for whether there is a network configured by the device (step S130). ) When the master device is not detected within the communication range and the network does not exist (step S140; No), the device is set as the master and the network is configured with devices that do not constitute the network (step S140). S145).
On the other hand, when the master device is detected within the communication range and the network exists (step S140; Yes), the own device is set as the slave, and the master device (in this case, the speaker device 10) is A connection request is made (step S150). This connection request is made when the slave audio device 50 transmits connection request information indicating the content of the connection request to the master speaker device 10.

  When the speaker device 10 receives the connection request information from the audio device 50, the speaker device 10 permits the speaker device 10 to connect by wireless communication (step S160), and transmits connection permission information indicating the content. When the audio device 50 receives this connection permission information, the speaker device 10 and the audio device 50 are connected by wireless communication, and the audio device 50 participates as a slave in the network formed by the speaker device 10.

The audio device 50 notifies the speaker device 10 that the own device is a master (step S170). This notification is performed by transmitting a control signal Sc including notification information indicating that the audio device 50 becomes a master to the speaker device 10. Note that the audio device 50 may indicate that the audio device 50 becomes the master by transmitting the control signal Sc including the notification information indicating that the master switching is requested from the audio device 50.
When the speaker device 10 receives the control signal Sc, the speaker device 10 permits the change of the master (step S180) and transmits permission notification information notifying that the change is permitted to the audio device 50, and then the audio device 50 and the subwoofer device. The wireless communication connection with each of 20 is disconnected. By this disconnection, the network constituted by the speaker device 10 is dissolved (step S190). Then, transmission of audio data Sw from the speaker device 10 is also stopped.

  Next, description will be made with reference to FIG. The audio device 50 receives the permission notification information from the speaker device 10, and is permitted to become the master device when the network is dissolved due to disconnection of the wireless communication with the speaker device 10. This is recognized (step S200), and the device is changed to a master (step S210). On the other hand, after dissolving the network, the speaker device 10 changes its own device to a slave (step S220) and searches for a master device (step S230). When the network is dissolved, the subwoofer device 20 starts searching for a master device (step S230). Note that the processes in steps S220 and S230 are performed in parallel with the processes in steps S200 and S210.

When each of the speaker device 10 and the subwoofer device 20 detects that the audio device 50 is a master, the speaker device 10 and the subwoofer device 20 transmit connection request information to the audio device 50. When receiving the connection request information from each of the audio devices 50, the audio device 50 permits the connection to each of them (step S240), and transmits the connection permission information to each of them.
As a result, the audio device 50 is the master, the speaker device 10, and the subwoofer device 20 is the slave, and is connected by wireless communication to form a network (step S250).

Then, when configuring the network, the audio device 50 transmits the audio data St obtained by reproducing the data stored in the storage unit 320 by broadcast communication (step S260), and transmits the audio data St to the speaker device 10 and the subwoofer device 20. Receive. As a result, from the speaker device 10 and the subwoofer device 20, a musical sound waveform signal obtained by performing acoustic processing on the audio data St is emitted. This state is the state shown in FIG.
In this state, the speaker device 10 performs control including setting information indicating parameters set in the sound processing unit 230 in order to balance the output of the sound output from the own device and the sound output from the subwoofer device 20. The setting content of the sound processing unit 230 may be changed by transmitting the signal Sc. The above is the description of the master switching process in the first aspect. Next, master switching processing in the second mode will be described with reference to FIG.

[Master switching process (2)]
FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the master switching process in the case of the second mode. First, in the case of the second mode, as described above, the master switching process in the case of the first mode is started. In addition, it is intended to start from the case of such a state, and is not necessarily limited to the case where the state is brought about by the completion of the master switching process in the case of the first mode. That is, the case where such a state has been established from the beginning is also included.
In this state, when the speaker device 10 is instructed by the user to operate the operation unit 170 to switch the audio data related to sound emission to the audio data acquired by the sound acquisition unit 140, the control unit 130 Then, with the acquisition of the operation signal output as a result, a signal indicating a request for making the own apparatus a master is output to the communication control unit 120. As a result, the communication control unit 120 recognizes that the request is for the device itself as a master (step S310).

The speaker device 10 notifies the audio device 50 that its own device is a master (step S320). This notification is performed by transmitting a control signal Sc including notification information to the audio device 50, as in the first embodiment.
When receiving the control signal Sc, the audio device 50 permits the change of the master (step S330), transmits permission notification information to the speaker device 10, and then wirelessly communicates with each of the speaker device 10 and the subwoofer device 20. Disconnect the communication connection. By this disconnection, the network constituted by the audio device 50 is dissolved (step S340). Then, transmission of audio data St from the audio device 50 is also stopped.

When the audio device 50 dissolves the network, the audio device 50 turns off its own power supply (step S350). By turning off the power, it is possible to prevent another attempt to connect as the master. When the audio device 50 is set to receive audio data transmitted from another device and output a sound waveform signal related to the audio data from the audio output unit 350, the power is turned off. Instead of doing this, the device itself may be set as a slave.
On the other hand, the speaker device 10 receives permission notification information from the audio device 50, and is permitted to become the master device when the wireless communication with the audio device 50 is disconnected and the network is dissolved. This is recognized (step S360), and the device is changed to the master (step S370). On the other hand, when the network is dissolved, the subwoofer device 20 starts searching for a master device (step S380). Note that the processes in steps S360 and S370 are performed in parallel with the processes in steps S350 and S380.

When the subwoofer device 20 recognizes that the speaker device 10 is a master, the subwoofer device 20 transmits connection request information to the speaker device 10. When the speaker device 10 receives the connection request information, the speaker device 10 permits the connection to the subwoofer device 20 (step S390), and transmits the connection permission information to the subwoofer device 20.
As a result, the speaker device 10 is connected as a master and the subwoofer device 20 is connected as a slave, so that a network is formed (step S400).

When the speaker device 10 configures the network, the speaker device 10 performs acoustic processing on the audio data Sin input from the playback device 1000, transmits the low-frequency audio data Sw by broadcast communication (step S410), and the subwoofer device 20 To receive. As a result, the musical sound waveform signal related to the mid-high range of the audio data Sin is emitted from the speaker device 10, and the musical sound waveform signal related to the audio data Sw is emitted from the subwoofer device 20. This returns to the state shown in FIG.
In this state, the speaker device 10 performs acoustic processing on the audio data Sin to balance the sound output from the own device and the sound output from the subwoofer device 20, and transmits the audio data Sw as audio data Sw. Yes. Therefore, in the case of the first mode, when the setting content of the audio processing unit 230 is changed, the setting before the change may be returned when the network is dissolved, or a separate control signal Sc May be changed to a new setting by transmitting. The above is the description of the master switching process in the second mode.

As described above, in the audio system according to the embodiment of the present invention, when a device newly added to the network becomes a master, the newly added device once joins the network as a slave, and is mastered with respect to the master device. Request switching. Then, the master device dissolves the network, and the master can be switched to the newly added device to reconfigure the network. If the network is already configured as a slave and the device is switched to the master, the network is dissolved on the master device, and then the master is switched to the slave device and the network is reconfigured. be able to.
Therefore, even when switching the master communication device at the user's will, it is easy to switch masters without manually dismantling the network and changing the master and slave settings. Can be realized.

<Modification>
As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention can be implemented in various aspects as follows.
[Modification 1]
In the above-described embodiment, the description has been made assuming that the number of audio devices 50 is one. However, in the situation illustrated in FIG. 1B, another new audio device 50 may exist. In the first modification, the original audio device 50 is referred to as an audio device 50A, and the new audio device 50 is referred to as an audio device 50B.
When the audio device 50B becomes the master, the master switching process of the first aspect in the embodiment is performed, the audio device 50A is disbanded, and then the audio device 50B becomes the master to reconfigure the network. That's fine. The audio device 50A may be turned off, for example, as performed in the master switching process of the second mode.

  As described above, any device having a configuration corresponding to the wireless communication units 110, 210, and 410 and the communication control units 120, 220, and 420 can be a partial configuration of the audio system according to the embodiment. Note that such a device may be able to become a master when it has a configuration for outputting data such as audio data in a streaming format.

[Modification 2]
In the embodiment, the audio system in which audio data is transmitted and received has been described as an example. However, the present invention can be applied to various communication systems even if the audio system is not used. For example, when the speaker device 10 is a television or the like having a display screen for displaying video, the data transmitted in a streaming format from the master device by broadcast communication may be audio data and video data. Thus, an AV system may be configured as an example of the communication system.
At this time, the transmitted data may be different depending on which device is the master. For example, the data transmitted from the television to the subwoofer device 20 may be the audio data Sw in the embodiment, and transmission of video data is not necessary.

  In addition, a device that constitutes a communication system is a computer device, and one computer device becomes a master, and data is transmitted in a streaming format by broadcast communication to other computer devices that are slaves. The computer apparatus may serve as a server for streaming data. Then, the master having the server role may be switched to another computer device by the master switching process.

[Modification 3]
In the embodiment described above, connection request information and notification information are acquired in connection permission (steps S160 and S240 in FIG. 5, step S390 in FIG. 7) and master change permission (step 180 in FIG. 5 and step S330 in FIG. 7), respectively. However, the user may be allowed to select permission or non-permission.
In this case, a display requesting permission is displayed on the display screen of the permitted device, etc., and the user is prompted to perform a permission or non-permission instruction operation. And a user should just perform the process in embodiment, when operation of an operation part is performed and permission or non-permission is instruct | indicated and there exists an instruction | indication of permission. On the other hand, in the case of a non-permission instruction, it is only necessary to notify the device that has transmitted the connection request information or notification information so as not to connect or to prevent the master from being changed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Speaker apparatus, 20 ... Subwoofer apparatus, 30 ... Portable audio terminal, 40 ... Communication module, 50 ... Audio apparatus, 110 ... Wireless communication part, 120 ... Communication control part, 130 ... Control part, 140 ... Audio | voice acquisition part, 150 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Voice processing part 160 ... Sound emission part 170 ... Operation part 180 ... Display part 210 ... Wireless communication part 220 ... Communication control part 230 ... Sound processing part 240 ... Sound emission part 310 ... Control part, 320 ... Storage unit, 330 ... Operation unit, 340 ... Display unit, 350 ... Audio output unit, 360 ... Interface, 410 ... Wireless communication unit, 420 ... Communication control unit, 430 ... Interface, 1000 ... Playback device

Claims (3)

One master communication device is connected to another slave communication device by wireless communication, and the master communication device transmits data to the slave communication device in a streaming format by broadcast communication. The communication device and the slave communication device are a master device switching method for switching the master communication device to another device in a system that configures a network so as to transmit and receive each information,
An acquisition process in which a communication device that is not connected to the master communication device by wireless communication acquires a request for making the device itself a master,
A connection process in which the communication apparatus that has acquired the request in the acquisition process connects to the master communication apparatus by wireless communication as a slave communication apparatus;
A transmission process in which the communication apparatus connected to the master communication apparatus in the connection process transmits notification information for notifying that the own apparatus is a master to the master communication apparatus;
A receiving process in which the master communication device receives notification information transmitted in the transmitting process;
The permission transmission for transmitting permission notification information for notifying that the master communication apparatus that has received the notification information in the reception process permits the communication apparatus that has transmitted the notification information in the transmission process to become a master. Process,
A permission reception process in which the communication device that has transmitted the notification information in the transmission process receives the permission notification information transmitted in the permission transmission process;
A disconnection process in which the master communication device that has transmitted the permission notification information in the permission transmission process disconnects the connection by wireless communication with the slave communication device,
A recognition process for recognizing that the communication apparatus that has received the permission notification information in the permission reception process has disconnected from the master communication apparatus through wireless communication;
A communication device that recognizes the disconnection in the recognition process includes a configuration process in which a self-device is set as a master and the other communication device of the slave is connected by wireless communication to form a new network. Master device switching method. One master communication device is connected to another slave communication device by wireless communication, and the master communication device transmits data to the slave communication device in a streaming format by broadcast communication. The communication device and the slave communication device are a master device switching method for switching the master communication device to another device in a system that configures a network so as to transmit and receive each information,
An acquisition process in which a communication device that is not connected to the master communication device by wireless communication acquires a request for making the device itself a master,
A connection process in which the communication apparatus that has acquired the request in the acquisition process connects to the master communication apparatus by wireless communication as a slave communication apparatus;
A transmission process in which the communication apparatus connected to the master communication apparatus in the connection process transmits notification information for notifying that the own apparatus is a master to the master communication apparatus;
A receiving process in which the master communication device receives notification information transmitted in the transmitting process;
The permission transmission for transmitting permission notification information for notifying that the master communication apparatus that has received the notification information in the reception process permits the communication apparatus that has transmitted the notification information in the transmission process to become a master. Process,
A permission reception process in which the communication device that has transmitted the notification information in the transmission process receives the permission notification information transmitted in the permission transmission process;
A disconnection process in which the master communication device that has transmitted the permission notification information in the permission transmission process disconnects the connection by wireless communication with the slave communication device,
A recognition process for recognizing that the communication apparatus that has received the permission notification information in the permission reception process has disconnected from the master communication apparatus through wireless communication;
A communication device that recognizes the disconnection in the recognition process includes a configuration process in which a self-device is set as a master and the other communication device of the slave is connected by wireless communication to form a new network. Master device switching method. The communication apparatus that has disconnected wireless communication in the disconnection process further comprises a reconnection process in which the self apparatus is a slave communication apparatus and is connected to the communication apparatus configuring the network in the configuration process by wireless communication. The master device switching method according to claim 1 or 2.

Images