JP2015023532A - Network system, processing device and communication method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce a network load having a daisy chain connection.SOLUTION: A network system includes a management device 1 and processing devices 2-1 to 2-4 which are connected in series by a communication line 7. The management device 1 is located at the first stage. Each control unit 24 of the processing devices 2-1 to 2-4 controls the internal operation of the self-devices. Each network unit 20 of the processing devices 2-1 to 2-4 includes: a first port 21 for exchanging data with a device located one stage before through the communication line 7; a second port 22 for exchanging data with a device located one stage after through the communication line 7; and a third port 23 for exchanging data with the control unit 24. The network unit 20 transfers data, received at the third port 23, from the first port 21, whereas restricts transfer from the second port 22, and also transfers data received at the second port 22 from the first port 21 and the third port 23.

Description

  The present invention relates to a network system, a processing apparatus, and a communication method.

  When connecting a multi-configured display apparatus to a network, a star connection using a network hub is generally used. However, in recent years, there have been proposals for daisy chain connection between display devices because of the ease of connectivity. Daisy chain is a method in which a plurality of devices that perform communication are connected in series via a communication line. In the case of daisy chain connection, since it is only necessary to connect adjacent display devices with a network cable, when the number of display devices is large, connection is easier than with star connection.

  On the other hand, Patent Documents 1 and 2 describe controlling packet transfer in a daisy chain connected network. Patent Document 3 describes that data is transferred when a device such as a monitor is connected by a connection method in which a daisy chain method and a node branch method are mixed and a bus use right is obtained from a parent node. .

Special table 2010-525644 Special table 2009-516432 gazette JP 2002-16750 A

  In a display system (network system) composed of multiple display devices (processing devices), a management server is connected at the forefront of daisy chain connection. When a layer 2 switch is used for daisy chain connection of this display system, data packets are sent in both directions on the front side (management server side) and the rear side as seen from the display device. This promotes congestion of daisy chained networks and causes performance degradation. However, Patent Documents 1 to 3 do not describe solving such a problem.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and provides a network system, a processing apparatus, and a communication method for reducing the load on a daisy chain connected network.

[1] One aspect of the present invention is a network system in which a management device and a plurality of processing devices that communicate with the management device are connected in series via a communication line with the management device as the foremost stage. Includes a control unit for controlling the internal operation of the processing device, a first port for transmitting / receiving data to / from the management device at the immediately preceding stage or the other processing device at the immediately preceding stage via the communication line, A second port that transmits / receives data to / from another processing device in the subsequent stage via the communication line; and a third port that transmits / receives data to / from the control unit, and the data received by the third port is A network unit that transfers data from one port and restricts transfer from the second port, and transfers data received by the second port from the first port and the third port. Is a network system that butterflies.

[2] One embodiment of the present invention is the processing device in a network system in which a management device and a plurality of processing devices communicating with the management device are connected in series via a communication line with the management device as the first stage. A first port that transmits and receives data to and from the control unit that controls the internal operation of the processing device, the management device in the previous stage or the other processing device in the previous stage, and the communication line; A second port that transmits / receives data to / from another processing device in the subsequent stage, and a third port that transmits / receives data to / from the control unit, and receives data received by the third port A network unit that transfers data from the first port, restricts transfer from the second port, and transfers data received by the second port from the first port and the third port. A processing apparatus according to claim Rukoto.

[3] One embodiment of the present invention is a communication method executed by a network system in which a management device and a plurality of processing devices communicating with the management device are connected in series with a communication line with the management device as the first stage. The processing device transmits / receives data to / from the control unit that controls the internal operation of the processing device and the management device in the previous stage or the other processing device in the previous stage through the communication line. A network port having a first port, a second port for transmitting / receiving data to / from the other processing device at the next stage via the communication line, and a third port for transmitting / receiving data to / from the control unit, A transfer control step in which the network unit transfers data received by the third port from the first port and restricts transfer from the second port; A communication method characterized by having the a transfer step of transferring from said first port and said third port data.

[4] Further, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided the processing device in a network system in which a management device and a plurality of processing devices that communicate with the management device are connected in series via a communication line with the management device as the first stage. A communication method to be executed, wherein the processing device includes a control unit that controls an internal operation of the processing device, the management device in the immediately preceding stage, or the other processing device in the immediately preceding stage and the communication line. A network unit having a first port for transmitting and receiving data, a second port for transmitting and receiving data to and from the other processing apparatus in the next stage, and a third port for transmitting and receiving data to and from the control unit A transfer control step in which the network unit transfers data received by the third port from the first port and restricts transfer from the second port; It is a communication method characterized by having a transfer step of transferring the data to which the second port is received from the first port and the third port.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the load on a network connected in a daisy chain.

It is a figure which shows the example of the connection structure of the network system by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the connection structure of the display system to which the network system of this embodiment is applied. It is a figure which shows the communication direction of the display apparatus by the embodiment. It is a figure which shows the flow of the packet in the display system by the embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the connection structure of the display system by a prior art. It is a figure which shows the communication direction of the display apparatus by a prior art. It is a figure which shows the flow of the packet in the display system by a prior art.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First, a conventional display system will be described.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a connection configuration of a conventional display system. The display system shown in the figure is configured by connecting a management server 8 and a plurality of display devices 9 in a daisy chain by Ether (registered trademark). The management server 8 is arranged at the foremost stage, and the plurality of display devices 9 are arranged at the rear stage of the management server 8. The display system shown in FIG. 4 includes four display devices 9, which are referred to as display devices 9-1, 9-2, 9-3, and 9-4, respectively. Each display device 9 communicates only with the management server 8 that manages the display device 9, and does not perform communication between the display devices 9.

The display device 9 includes a network unit 90 and a control unit 94. The network unit 90 is a layer 2 switch that controls the packet transfer direction between ports. The network unit 90 includes a first port 91 for connection with the previous stage, a second port 92 for connection with the subsequent stage, and a third port 93 for connection with the control unit 94. The first port 91 transmits / receives a packet to / from the previous management server 8 or other display device 9 via the communication line 7 such as a network cable. The second port 92 transmits / receives a packet to / from the other display device 9 at the next stage via the communication line 7. The third port 93 transmits and receives packets to and from the control unit 94 of the own device. The control unit 94 is a CPU (central processing unit) and controls the entire inside of the display device 9. The control unit 94 has a port 95, and the port 95 transmits and receives packets to and from the network unit 90.
Note that the display device 9-4 at the rearmost stage does not need to include the second port 92.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a packet flow in the display device 9. The network unit 90 of the display device 9 transfers the packet received by the first port 91 from the previous management server 8 or another display device 9 from the second port 92 and the third port 93, and the second port 92. The packet received from the other display device 9 one after is transferred from the first port 91 and the third port 93. In addition, the network unit 90 transfers the packet received by the third port 93 from the control unit 94 from the first port 91 and the second port 92.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a packet flow in the conventional display system shown in FIG. In the figure, an example in which the display device 9-1 transmits a packet is shown.
When the control unit 94 of the display device 9-1 outputs a packet from the port 95, the network unit 90 receives the packet transmitted by the control unit 94 by the third port 93 and transfers it from the first port 91 and the second port 92. To do. The network unit 90 of the display device 9-2 receives the packet sent from the display device 9-1 by the first port 91 and transfers it from the second port 92 and the third port 93. The network unit 90 of the display device 9-3 receives the packet transmitted from the display device 9-1 from the previous stage through the first port 91 and transfers it from the second port 92 and the third port 93.

  In this way, the packets transmitted from the display device 9-1 are not only sent to the upstream management server 8 which is the communication destination, but are also successively transferred to the subsequent display devices 9-2 to 9-4. End up. Similarly, when packets are sent from the display devices 9-2 and 9-3, useless packets are transferred to the display device 9 in the subsequent stage. This increases the load on the network. This situation becomes more prominent as the number of connected display devices 9 increases.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a connection configuration of a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The network system shown in FIG. 3 is configured by connecting the management apparatus 1 and a plurality of processing apparatuses 2 in a daisy chain with an ether, with the management apparatus 1 being the foremost stage. That is, the management device 1 and the plurality of processing devices 2 are connected in series by the communication line 7 such as a network cable. The network system shown in the figure includes four processing devices 2, which are referred to as processing devices 2-1, 2-2, 2-3 and 2-4. Each processing device 2 communicates only with the management device 1 that manages the processing device 2, and performs data transfer between the processing devices 2, but does not perform communication. Here, communication refers to transmission of data in which information transmitted from a transmission source device to a destination device is set, and reception of the transmitted data by the destination device.

  The processing device 2 includes a network unit 20 and a control unit 24. The network unit 20 controls the data transfer direction between ports. The network unit 20 is realized by, for example, a layer 2 switch. The network unit 20 includes a first port 21 for connection with the previous stage, a second port 22 for connection with the subsequent stage, and a third port 23 for connection with the control unit 24. The first port 21 transmits / receives data to / from the previous management device 1 or the other processing device 2 one previous level via the communication line 7. The second port 22 transmits / receives data to / from another processing apparatus 2 one stage after the communication line 7. The third port 23 transmits / receives data to / from the control unit 24 of the own device. The control unit 24 is a CPU and controls the overall operation of the processing device 2. The control unit 24 has a port 25, and the port 25 transmits and receives data to and from the network unit 20.

  Note that the processing device 2-4 at the last stage may not include the second port 22. The network unit 20 and the control unit 24 may be connected by a local bus.

  The network unit 20 of the processing device 2 illustrated in FIG. 1 transfers data received by the third port 23 from the first port 21 and restricts transfer from the second port 22. In addition, the network unit 20 transfers data received by the second port 22 from the first port 21 and the third port 23. For this reason, the data output from the processing device 2 is transferred only to the preceding stage, arrives at the management apparatus 1 that is the communication destination, and is not transferred to the subsequent stage. Therefore, useless data transfer can be suppressed and the network load can be reduced.

  Next, an embodiment when the above-described network system shown in FIG. 1 is applied to a display system will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a connection configuration of a display system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The display system shown in the figure is configured by connecting a management server 4 and a plurality of display devices 5 in a daisy chain by Ether (registered trademark). The management server 8 is the management device 1 in the network system shown in FIG. 1 and manages the display device 5. The display device 5 is the processing device 2 in the network system shown in FIG. 1, and performs processing for displaying video data on a monitor (not shown) provided in the device itself.

  The management server 4 is arranged at the frontmost stage, and the plurality of display devices 5 are arranged at the rear stage of the management server 4. The display system shown in the figure includes four display devices 5, which are respectively referred to as display devices 5-1, 5-2, 5-3 and 5-4. Since the display devices 5 do not control other display devices 5, each display device 5 communicates only with the management server 4 and performs packet transfer between the display devices 5, but does not perform communication. The management server 4 can output not only a data packet for managing or controlling the display device 5 but also a signal of video data to be displayed on the display device 5. Note that video data may be output from a device other than the management server 4. As an example of a display system, a plurality of display devices 5 are arranged vertically and horizontally, and a display system for displaying video data output from each display device 5 on a monitor is arranged in a large screen, or a plurality of display devices 5 arranged in a row are arranged. There are various systems such as a system for simultaneously displaying an image of video data on a monitor, but the present invention is not limited to these as long as the display system 5 is a multi display system.

  The display device 5 includes a network unit 50 and a control unit 54. The network unit 50 is a layer 2 switch that controls the packet transfer direction between ports. The network unit 50 includes a first port 51 for connection with the previous stage, a second port 52 for connection with the subsequent stage, and a third port 53 for connection with the control unit 54. The first port 51, the second port 52, and the third port 53 can communicate bidirectionally. The first port 51 transmits / receives a data packet to / from the management server 4 in the previous stage or another display device 5 in the previous stage through the communication line 7. The second port 52 transmits / receives a packet to / from the other display device 5 in the next stage via the communication line 7. The third port 53 transmits and receives packets to and from the control unit 54 of the own device. The control unit 54 is a CPU and controls the entire inside of the display device 5. The control unit 54 has a port 55, and the port 55 transmits and receives packets to and from the network unit 50.

  Note that the display device 5-4 at the rearmost stage need not include the second port 52. Further, the network unit 50 and the control unit 54 may be connected by a local bus.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a packet flow in the display device 5. The network unit 50 of the display device 5 transfers, from the second port 52 and the third port 53, the packet received by the first port 51 from the management server 4 in the immediately preceding stage or the other display device 5 in the immediately preceding stage, The second port 52 transfers the packet received from the other display device 5 one stage after the first port 51 and the third port 53. Further, the network unit 50 transfers the packet received by the third port 53 from the control unit 54 from the first port 51 and restricts transfer from the second port 52. Note that the control unit 54 of the display device 5 discards the packet when the destination transferred from the third port 53 to the port 55 is different from the own device.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a packet flow in the display system shown in FIG. In the figure, an example in which the display device 5-1 or the display device 5-4 transmits a packet is shown.

  When the control unit 54 of the display device 5-1 outputs a packet from the port 55, the network unit 50 receives the packet transmitted by the control unit 54 through the third port 53. The network unit 50 transfers the packet received by the third port 53 from the first port 51 to the previous stage, and restricts transfer from the second port 52. As a result, the packet sent out by the display device 5-1 is transferred to the upstream management server 4, but not transferred to the subsequent display devices 5-2 to 5-4.

On the other hand, when the control unit 54 of the display device 5-4 outputs a packet, the network unit 50 receives the packet transmitted from the control unit 54 through the third port 53 and transfers the packet from the first port 51 to the preceding stage. The network unit 50 of the display device 5-3 receives the packet sent from the display device 5-4 by the second port 52 and transfers it from the first port 51 and the third port 53. The network unit 50 of the display device 5-2 receives the packet transmitted from the display device 5-4 from the subsequent stage through the second port 52 and transfers it from the first port 51 and the third port 53. Then, the network unit 50 of the display device 5-1 receives the packet transmitted from the display device 5-4 from the subsequent stage through the second port 52 and transfers it from the first port 51 and the third port 53. Thereby, the management server 4 receives the packet transmitted by the display device 5-4.
As described above, the network unit 50 transfers the packet received by the second port 52 from the first port 51 and the third port 53, so that the packet sent from the display device 5-4 is transferred to the management server 4 in the preceding stage. Is done.

When the management server 4 outputs a packet, the network unit 50 of the display device 5-1 receives the packet sent from the management server 4 through the first port 51 and transfers it from the second port 52 and the third port 53. . The network unit 50 of the display device 5-2 receives the packet transmitted from the management server 4 from the previous stage through the first port 51 and transfers it from the second port 52 and the third port 53. Then, the network unit 50 of the display device 5-3 receives the packet transmitted from the management server 4 from the previous stage through the first port 51 and transfers it from the second port 52 and the third port 53. The network unit 50 of the display device 5-4 receives the packet transmitted from the management server 4 from the previous stage through the first port 51 and transfers it from the third port 53.
As described above, when the network unit 50 transfers the packet received by the first port 51 from the second port 52 and the third port 53, the packet transmitted by the management server 4 is transferred to all the display devices 5. .

  By controlling the transfer direction as described above, the network unit 50 effectively suppresses the transmission of useless packets while maintaining the connectivity between the management server 4 and each display device 5 in the display system. The load can be reduced.

As described above, in this embodiment, by controlling the packet transfer direction in the network unit (layer 2 switch), unnecessary packet transmission is suppressed and the amount of data (number of packets) flowing through the network is reduced. Thereby, network congestion is reduced. In addition, the network unit controls the packet transfer direction according to the input port of the packet, thereby referring to the address table based on the MAC (Medium Access Control) address and comparing with the case of the related art that performs transfer, Transfer delay in the network unit is also reduced. Accordingly, since the delay in communication between the management server and the display device is reduced as compared with the conventional case, the number of daisy chain connections can be increased. That is, the actual number of connected display devices can be increased.
In addition, the delay in communication between the management server and the display device is reduced, so that the response in the display device is improved and the usage scene is expanded. For example, the present invention can be applied to remote control (UI) where response is important.

  In the above description, the processing device 2 is a display device. However, the present invention can also be applied to a case where a projector device or a computer device is daisy chain connected as the processing device 2.

  Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the network unit 20 and the network unit 50 may be realized by dedicated hardware, and a program for realizing the above-described processing is loaded from a memory and executed. By doing so, the function may be realized.

  The program may be transmitted from a computer system storing the program in a storage device or the like to another computer system via a transmission medium or by a transmission wave in the transmission medium. Here, the “transmission medium” for transmitting the program refers to a medium having a function of transmitting information, such as a network (communication network) such as the Internet or a communication line (communication line) such as a telephone line. The program may be for realizing a part of the functions described above. Furthermore, what can implement | achieve the function mentioned above in combination with the program already recorded on the computer system, and what is called a difference file (difference program) may be sufficient.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Management apparatus 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4 ... Processing apparatus 4, 8 ... Management server 5, 5-1, 5-2, 5-3, 5-4, 9, 9- DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 9-2, 9-3, 9-4 ... Display apparatus 7 ... Communication line 20, 50, 90 ... Network part 21, 51, 91 ... 1st port 22, 52, 92 ... 2nd port 23, 53, 93 ... Third port 24, 54, 94 ... Control unit 25, 55, 95 ... Port

Claims (9)

A network system in which a management device and a plurality of processing devices communicating with the management device are connected in series by a communication line with the management device as the first stage,
The processor is
A control unit for controlling the internal operation of the processing apparatus;
A first port that transmits / receives data to / from the management device at the immediately preceding stage or the other processing device at the immediately preceding stage via the communication line, and data via the communication line at the other subsequent processing device. A second port that transmits and receives data and a third port that transmits and receives data to and from the control unit, and transfers data received by the third port from the first port and restricts transfer from the second port; A network unit for transferring data received by the second port from the first port and the third port;
A network system characterized by this. The network unit is a layer 2 switch.
The network system according to claim 1. The network unit has a local bus instead of the third port.
The network system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The network system is a multi-display display system,
The processing device is a display device constituting the display system,
The management device manages a plurality of the display devices constituting the display system;
The network system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: A management apparatus and a plurality of processing apparatuses that communicate with the management apparatus, the processing apparatus in a network system in which the management apparatus is connected in series with a communication line as the first stage,
A control unit for controlling the internal operation of the processing apparatus;
A first port that transmits / receives data to / from the management device at the immediately preceding stage or the other processing device at the immediately preceding stage via the communication line, and data via the communication line at the other subsequent processing device. A second port that transmits and receives data and a third port that transmits and receives data to and from the control unit, and transfers data received by the third port from the first port and restricts transfer from the second port; A network unit for transferring data received by the second port from the first port and the third port;
A processing apparatus comprising: The network system is a multi-display display system,
The processing device is a display device constituting the display system,
The management device manages a plurality of the display devices constituting the display system;
The processing apparatus according to claim 5. A communication method executed by a network system in which a management device and a plurality of processing devices communicating with the management device are connected in series by a communication line with the management device as the first stage,
The processor is
A control unit for controlling the internal operation of the processing apparatus;
A first port that transmits / receives data to / from the management device at the immediately preceding stage or the other processing device at the immediately preceding stage via the communication line, and data via the communication line at the other subsequent processing device. A second port for transmitting and receiving, and a network unit having a third port for transmitting and receiving data to and from the control unit,
The network unit is
A transfer control step of transferring data received by the third port from the first port and restricting transfer from the second port;
A transfer step of transferring data received by the second port from the first port and the third port;
A communication method characterized by comprising: A communication method executed by the processing device in a network system in which a management device and a plurality of processing devices communicating with the management device are connected in series by a communication line with the management device as the first stage,
The processor is
A control unit for controlling the internal operation of the processing apparatus;
A first port that transmits / receives data to / from the management device at the immediately preceding stage or the other processing device at the immediately preceding stage via the communication line, and data via the communication line at the other subsequent processing device. A second port for transmitting and receiving, and a network unit having a third port for transmitting and receiving data to and from the control unit,
The network unit is
A transfer control step of transferring data received by the third port from the first port and restricting transfer from the second port;
A transfer step of transferring data received by the second port from the first port and the third port;
A communication method characterized by comprising: The network system is a multi-display display system,
The processing device is a display device constituting the display system,
The management device manages a plurality of the display devices constituting the display system;
The communication method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that

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