JP2016178548A - Device and system for content output, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable an improved communication speed and a connectivity with the enjoyment of convenience by radio communication.SOLUTION: A projector 10, which is a content output device including a projection execution unit 135, includes: a radio communication unit 121 which performs radio communication; a wired communication unit 122 which performs wired communication; a content search unit 133 which, when accepting a content server search request by an access which satisfies a predetermined condition, searches a content server accessible from the wired communication unit 122; and a response transmission unit 134 which transmits a search result by the content search unit 133 to a transmission source of the search request. It may be considered that the predetermined condition is an access to the radio communication unit 121 or an access which uses a predetermined protocol to perform communication through the radio communication unit 121.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a content output device, a content output system, and a program.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in the field of content output devices such as projectors, there is known a technique that can instruct the content output device to project content using wireless communication. For example, DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) and UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) correspond to this.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-228561 describes that moving image and still image data can be transferred between a plurality of AV devices using a wireless LAN.

As described above, when wireless communication is used, wiring is not required and the degree of freedom of connection of devices is improved, and convenience is improved in this respect. However, there are problems that the communication speed is lower than that of wired communication and that the connection is unstable. This is a particular problem when trying to transfer large volumes of content such as moving images.
The technique described in Patent Document 1 also does not provide a solution for this problem.
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to improve the communication speed and the connectivity while enjoying the convenience of wireless communication.

  The content output apparatus according to the present invention includes an output unit that outputs content by display or projection, a first communication unit that performs wireless communication, a second communication unit that performs wired communication, and an access that satisfies a predetermined condition. A search means for searching for a content server accessible from the second communication means when receiving a search request, and a response means for sending a search result by the search means to a transmission source of the search request It is.

  According to the above configuration, it is possible to improve communication speed and connectivity while enjoying the convenience of wireless communication.

It is a figure which shows an example of the use environment of the projector which is embodiment of the content output device of this invention. It is a figure which shows the hardware constitutions of the projector shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the function with which each apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is provided. It is a sequence diagram which shows the operation example of each apparatus by the function of each part shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the list of the content server made into search object. FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram illustrating an operation example different from that of FIG. 4 of each device, according to the function of each unit illustrated in FIG. 3. It is a sequence diagram which shows the operation example of each apparatus in a modification. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen displayed on the portable terminal device 20 by the operation | movement of FIG.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
First, FIG. 1 shows an example of a use environment of a projector that is an embodiment of a content output apparatus of the present invention.
A projector 10 shown in FIG. 1 is an embodiment of a content output apparatus according to the present invention. The projector 10 is arranged in a conference room M, and performs wired communication via a wired communication path 40 and wireless communication via a wireless communication path 50. Is possible. The wired communication path 40 can be configured as, for example, a wired LAN (local area network). The wireless communication path 50 can be realized by a short-range wireless communication such as a wireless LAN or Bluetooth (registered trademark). Network communication or peer-to-peer communication may be used.

  The projector 10 is a device that outputs content such as moving images and still images to the projection. The content data can be read from a recording medium such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory directly connected to the projector 10, but is acquired from the content servers 30 a to 30 c connected via the wired communication path 40. Can do.

  The mobile terminal device 20 is a device that is brought into the conference room M by a user and can communicate with the projector 10 via the wireless communication path 50, and can be configured as a smartphone or a tablet computer, for example. Then, the user can access the projector 10 via the wireless communication path 50 by operating the mobile terminal device 20, and can instruct the projector 10 to search for content, project the content, and the like.

The content servers 30a to 30c (use the code “30” when it is not necessary to specify an individual) hold content data such as moving images and still images, and respond to requests from external devices such as the projector 10 An information processing apparatus having a function of providing the data.
In the environment shown in FIG. 1, the projector 10 and the mobile terminal device 20 have a high degree of freedom of connection because of wireless communication, and the projector 10 and the content server 30 have high stability and high speed because of wired communication. Data transmission is possible. Note that communication between the mobile terminal device 20 and the content server 30 need not be possible.

Next, FIG. 2 shows a hardware configuration of the projector 10.
As shown in FIG. 2, the projector 10 includes a CPU 11, a ROM 12, a RAM 13, an HDD (hard disk drive) 14, a wireless communication I / F (interface) 15, a wired communication I / F (interface) 16, an operation unit 17, and a display unit. 18 and a projection unit 19, which are connected by a system bus B through an appropriate interface.

The CPU 11 controls the entire projector 10 by executing a program stored in the ROM 12 or the HDD 14 using the RAM 13 as a work area, and implements various functions including those described later with reference to FIG.
The ROM 12 and the HDD 14 are non-volatile storage media (storage means) and store various programs executed by the CPU 11 and various data described later.
The wireless communication I / F 15 is an interface for communicating with an external device such as the portable terminal device 20 via the wireless communication path 50, and is a first communication unit. The wired communication I / F 16 is an interface for communicating with an external device such as the content server 30 via the wired communication path 40, and is a second communication unit.

The operation unit 17 is an operation means for accepting an operation from the user, and can be configured by a button, a touch panel, or the like.
The display unit 18 is a presentation unit for presenting the operating state of the projector 10, setting contents, a message, and the like to the user, and can be configured by a liquid crystal display, a lamp, or the like.

The operation unit 17 and the display unit 18 may be externally attached. In the case where the projector 10 does not need to receive an operation from the user directly (the operation may be accepted by an external device connected via any communication I / F or information may be presented). The operation unit 17 and the display unit 18 need not be provided.
The projection unit 19 is an output unit that projects and outputs a moving image or an image on a screen according to content data.

The mobile terminal device 20 may have different specific performance and shape, but has the same hardware configuration as that shown in FIG. 2 except for the wired communication I / F 16 and the projection unit 19.
Although the content server 30 may have different specific performance and shape, the content server 30 has the same hardware configuration as that shown in FIG. 2 except for the wireless communication I / F 15 and the projection unit 19.

Next, FIG. 3 shows a functional configuration of each apparatus shown in FIG. Note that FIG. 3 mainly shows functions used when the projector 10 prepares or executes projection of content in accordance with an instruction from the mobile terminal device 20.
First, the projector 10 includes functions of a wireless communication unit 121, a wired communication unit 122, and a request processing unit 130.

Among these, the wireless communication unit 121 has a function of performing wireless communication via the wireless communication I / F 15.
The wired communication unit 122 has a function of performing wired communication via the wired communication I / F 16.
The request processing unit 130 has a function of processing a request received from an external device via the wireless communication unit 121 or the wired communication unit 122. More specifically, it includes the functions of a request reception unit 131, a proxy necessity determination unit 132, a content search unit 133, a response transmission unit 134, and a projection execution unit 135.

The request receiving unit 131 has a function of receiving a request received from an external device via the wireless communication unit 121 or the wired communication unit 122 and delivering the request to a function to be processed.
When the proxy necessity determination unit 132 receives a search request from the content server or a content list acquisition request, the proxy 10 performs a search within a range where the projector 10 may not be accessible instead of the request source. A function for determining whether or not to perform acquisition is provided. This determination can be made based on whether or not the received request is transmitted by an access satisfying a predetermined condition.

As this predetermined condition, for example, (1) access other than the wired communication unit 122 (in this case, the wireless communication unit 121), (2) access in the ad hoc mode to the wireless communication unit 121, and (3) wireless Access to the communication unit 121 in the infrastructure mode (when the projector 10 functions as an access point). (4) In the projector 10, the proxy execution is set according to a predetermined parameter. , Etc. are conceivable.
Among these, (1) to (3) are conditions for determining a case where it is considered that the requesting device cannot access the wired communication path 40 connected to the wired communication unit 122. (2) and (3) discriminate this by the protocol used for access.

When the proxy necessity determination unit 132 determines that the search or acquisition related to the request is performed instead of the request source, the wired communication unit 122 is connected to the function (in this case, the content search unit 133) that performs the corresponding search or acquisition. Instructs to perform search and acquisition via
The content search unit 133 has a function of searching the content server 30 itself, a list of content held by the content server 30, and content data itself, or requesting and acquiring the content server 30.
The proxy necessity determination unit 132 and the content search unit 133 correspond to search means.

  The response transmission unit 134 has a function of a response unit that transmits a response to the request received by the request reception unit 131. For example, when the request reception unit 131 receives a search request from the content server and the content search unit 133 executes it as a proxy according to the determination result of the proxy necessity determination unit 132, the response transmission unit 134 responds to the received search request. As a result, the search result is transmitted to the request source.

  The projection execution unit 135 has a function of executing projection of a moving image, an image, and the like by the projection unit 19 based on the content passed from the content search unit 133. When the content search unit 133 acquires content data to be projected from the content server 30 in accordance with the projection request, the content search unit 133 passes the data to the projection execution unit 135.

Next, the mobile terminal device 20 includes a wireless communication unit 221, a search request unit 222, and a projection request unit 223.
Among these, the wireless communication unit 221 has a function of performing wireless communication with other devices such as the projector 10.
The search request unit 222 has a function of requesting the projector 10 to search for a content server or acquire a content list in accordance with a user operation or automatically.
The projection request unit 223 has a function of selecting content from a content list acquired from the projector 10 or requesting the projection to the projector 10 in accordance with a user operation or automatically.

Next, the content server 30 includes a wired communication unit 321, a search response unit 322, and a content providing unit 323.
Among these, the wired communication unit 321 has a function of performing wired communication with other devices such as the projector 10.
The search response unit 322 has a function of returning a response indicating that the content server 30 is available in response to a search with respect to the content server 30. The content server 30 also has a function of providing a list in response to an acquisition request for the list of contents held by the content server 30.
The content providing unit 323 has a function of providing data related to a request in response to a content data acquisition request.

Next, FIG. 4 and FIG. 6 show an operation example of each device by the function of each unit shown in FIG.
In the operation of FIG. 4, the upper side of the broken line is an operation when the projector 10 receives a content server search request from the mobile terminal device 20 via the wireless communication path 50. Below the broken line is the operation when a content list acquisition request is received.

  In the operation of FIG. 4, first, the mobile terminal device 20 searches the content server 30 that can be used from the projector 10 according to the operation of a user who desires to project content using the projector 10. Then, a content server search request is transmitted (S101). Since communication is performed using the wireless communication path 50 between the portable terminal device 20 and the projector 10, the wireless communication unit 121 receives this request on the projector 10 side and passes it to the request processing unit 130 to process the request. (S102).

  Upon receiving the request in step S102, the request processing unit 130 determines whether or not to search for the content server related to the request instead of the mobile terminal device 20 that is the transmission source by the function of the proxy necessity determination unit 132 ( S103). The criteria are as described in the description of the proxy necessity determination unit 132. Here, the criterion (1) is used, and it is assumed that the determination in step S103 is Yes because the request is transmitted by access to other than the wired communication unit 122.

  In this case, the request processing unit 130 transmits a search packet to the wired communication path 40 via the wired communication unit 122 by the function of the content search unit 133 in order to search for the usable content server 30 (S104). , S105). This transmission can be performed by broadcast. Alternatively, a list of access destinations of the content server 30 to be used as shown in FIG. 5 is created based on searches performed in the past and input from the user, and only for the content servers 30 included in the list. Individual existence confirmation may be performed. In this way, a search result can be obtained with a lower processing load than in the case of broadcasting.

  In FIG. 5, the access destination is described by a URL (Uniform Resource Locator), but may be described by an address such as an IP (Internet Protocol) address. In addition, it is possible not to check the existence of all the content servers 30 in the list but only to candidates that are narrowed down under some condition.

In any case, the search packet reaches the content servers 30a to 30c for each server, and the content servers 30a to 30c each return a response (S106, S107). The request processing unit 130 tabulates the responses by the function of the content search unit 133, and the function of the response transmission unit 134 uses the function of the response transmission unit 134 as a response to the search request in step S102. It returns to the terminal device 20 (S108, S109).
Upon receiving this response, the mobile terminal device 20 can display the content servers 30a to 30c that cannot be directly accessed from the mobile terminal device 20 in a list of available servers and allow the user to select the content acquisition destination.

  If No in step S103, the request processing unit 130 discards the received content server search request (S110). Even in this case, if the mobile terminal device 20 and the content server 30 can communicate with each other and a search request from the mobile terminal device 20 reaches the content server 30, the mobile terminal device 20 does nothing for the projector 10. Even if it is not, it can be understood that the content server 30 is available.

  Next, the user selects one of the content servers 30 in the list, and instructs to display a list of contents that can be used in the content server 30. Receiving this instruction, the mobile terminal device 20 transmits to the projector 10 a content list acquisition request specifying one of the content servers 30 transmitted as a search result (S121, S122).

On the projector 10 side, this request is processed in the same manner as in the case of the content server search request in step S101, and a content list acquisition request is transmitted to the designated content server 30 instead of the portable terminal device 20, and usable content Is obtained (S123 to S127). Then, the projector 10 returns this list to the mobile terminal device 20 (S128, S129). When the answer is No in step S123, the projector 10 discards the request (S130) as in step S103.
The mobile terminal device 20 that has received the response in step S129 can display a list of content that can be used in the content servers 30a to 30c that cannot be directly accessed by the mobile terminal device 20 and allow the user to select content to be projected.

Next, the operation of FIG. 6 is an operation when the projector 10 receives a projection request from the mobile terminal device 20 via the wireless communication path 50.
When the user selects any content from the content list displayed by the mobile terminal device 20 by the operation of FIG. 4 and instructs the mobile terminal device 20 to project the content, the mobile terminal device 20 Then, the projection request designating the content server 30 and the content file is transmitted (S141). The projector 10 receives this projection request through the wireless communication unit 121, and the wireless communication unit 121 passes the projection request to the request processing unit 130 (S142).

  In the request processing unit 130, the projection request is directly passed from the request receiving unit 131 to the content search unit 133, and the function of the content search unit 133 requests the specified content server 30 to transmit the specified file (S143). ). That is, a file transmission request designating the file is transmitted. This transmission is performed by the wired communication path 40 via the wired communication unit 122 (S144).

  In response to this, the content server 30 that has received the file transmission request transmits the designated file to the projector 10 (S145, S146). Upon receiving this, the projector 10 converts the received file data into a projection format by the function of the projection execution unit 135 (S147), and executes projection based on the converted data (S148).

  Through the above operation, the user can cause the projector 10 to project content held in the content servers 30a to 30c that cannot be directly accessed from the mobile terminal device 20 operated by the user. Further, in this projection, content data having a large capacity is transmitted via the wired communication path 40. Therefore, high-speed and highly stable transmission is possible, and the waiting time from the projection instruction to the start of projection can be shortened.

On the other hand, from the user's point of view, various requests can be made from the mobile terminal device 20 to the projector 10 by wireless communication, and comfortable operations can be performed without being bothered by wiring connection and cable arrangement.
Such an effect is that when the projector 10 receives a search request for a content server or a content list acquisition request by access satisfying a predetermined condition, the projector 10 searches for a content server that can be accessed from the wired communication unit 122, or content. Is obtained and the result is transmitted to the transmission source of the request.
In other words, this eliminates the need to connect all the devices involved in projection to the same network, so that wired and wireless communication can be used properly, and each device can operate using both merits. It is possible.

Although the description of the embodiment is finished as described above, in the present invention, the specific configuration and number of apparatuses, the specific processing procedure, the type of data to be handled, and the like are not limited to those described in the embodiment.
For example, display of search results and reception of projection instructions in the mobile terminal device 20 may be performed using a web browser.

FIG. 7 shows an operation example of each device in this case.
In this example, when the user wants to operate the projector 10 from the mobile terminal device 20, the user first activates a web browser and accesses a predetermined URL of the projector 10. In response to this, the mobile terminal device 20 transmits an HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) request to the projector 10 (S161). In the projector 10, the wireless communication unit 121 receives this and passes it to the request processing unit 130 in charge of processing (S162). In this example, the request processing unit 130 has a web server function, and the web server function generates data of the web page requested by the HTTP request (S163). And it describes in the HTTP response with respect to the HTTP request which received this, and returns to the portable terminal device 20 of a transmission source (S164, S165). The mobile terminal device 20 displays an operation screen on the screen of the web browser based on the data of the web page described in the HTTP response (S166).

The operation screen displayed here is, for example, the operation screen 250 illustrated in FIG. 8, and includes a list display unit 251, a search button 252, and a projection button 253.
In the first display state, the list display unit 251 may be blank. The search button 252 is a button for transmitting a content server search request or a content list acquisition request to the projector 10. The projection button 253 is a button for transmitting a projection request for the selected content among the content displayed on the list display unit 251 to the projector 10.

  In the example of FIG. 8, when the user operates the search button 252 on the upper screen, the mobile terminal device 20 transmits a content server search request to the projector 10, and based on the data returned by the projector 10 as a response, A list of available content servers 30 is displayed on the list display unit 251. This is the center screen.

When the user selects one content server 30 from the list and operates the search button 252 again, the mobile terminal device 20 transmits a content list acquisition request regarding the selected content server 30 to the projector 10. Then, based on the data returned by the projector 10 as a response, a list of contents available in the selected content server is displayed on the list display unit 251. This is the lower screen.
When the user selects one content from the list and operates the projection button 253, the mobile terminal device 20 transmits a projection request for the selected content to the projector 10, and causes the projector 10 to perform projection. be able to.

In addition, when using a web page in this way, the modification of displaying the list as a thumbnail can be easily performed by the function of the web browser.
In addition to the above, in the above-described embodiments, the example in which the content output apparatus is a projector has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be applied to a display that outputs content by display, an electronic whiteboard, an electronic conference system, or the like.

Also, the content to be output is not limited to a moving image or a still image. Audio or the like may be output in accordance with this or individually.
Further, it is not essential that the terminal device for the user to operate to access the projector 10 is portable.
Further, the mobile terminal device 20 is configured to be capable of both wireless communication and wired communication, and is used for communication depending on whether or not the proxy response is to be made to the projector 10 as shown in FIG. It is possible to switch the interface.

  Further, the search of the content server 30 performed by the projector 10 in step S104 of FIG. 4 may be performed also on the wireless communication unit 121 side. This is because there may be a content server 30 that can be accessed only from the wireless communication unit 121. However, when the same content server 30 is found by both the search from the wired communication unit 122 side and the search from the wireless communication unit 121 side, subsequent communication with the content server 30 is performed via the wired communication unit 122. It is desirable. This is to improve the communication speed and stability.

  In addition, the functions of the projector 10 and the mobile terminal device 20 are provided in a distributed manner in a plurality of devices, and it is also impeded that these devices cooperate to function as a system having the same functions as the projector 10 and the mobile terminal device 20. I can't.

The embodiment of the program of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to control required hardware to realize the function of the projector 10 or the mobile terminal device 20 in the above-described embodiment.
Such a program may be stored in a ROM or other nonvolatile storage medium (flash memory, EEPROM, etc.) provided in the computer from the beginning. However, it can also be provided by being recorded on an arbitrary nonvolatile recording medium such as a memory card, CD, DVD, or Blu-ray disc. Each procedure described above can be executed by installing the program recorded in the recording medium in a computer and executing the program.

Furthermore, it is also possible to download from an external device that is connected to a network and includes a recording medium that records the program, or an external device that stores the program in a storage unit, and install and execute the program on a computer.
In addition, it is needless to say that the configurations of the embodiments and modifications described above can be arbitrarily combined and implemented as long as they do not contradict each other.

10: projector, 11: CPU, 12: ROM, 13: RAM, 14: HDD, 15: wireless communication I / F, 16: wired communication I / F, 17: operation unit, 18: display unit, 19: projection unit , 20: mobile terminal device, 30: content server, 40: wired communication path, 50: wireless communication path, 121, 221: wireless communication section, 122, 321: wired communication section, 131: request receiving section, 132: proxy required Rejection determination unit, 133: content search unit, 134: response transmission unit, 135: projection execution unit, 222: search request unit, 223: projection request unit, 250: operation screen, 251: list display unit, 252: search button, 253: Projection button, 322: Search response unit, 323: Content providing unit, B: System bus, M: Conference room

JP 2005-191622 A

Claims (7)

Output means for outputting content by display or projection;
First communication means for performing wireless communication;
A second communication means for performing wired communication;
Search means for searching for a content server accessible from the second communication means when a search request for the content server is received by an access satisfying a predetermined condition;
A content output apparatus comprising: response means for transmitting a search result by the search means to a transmission source of the search request. The content output device according to claim 1,
The access satisfying the predetermined condition is an access to other than the second communication means. The content output device according to claim 1,
The access satisfying the predetermined condition is an access using a predetermined protocol for performing communication via the first communication means. The content output device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Registration means for registering a list of content servers on the network accessible from the second communication means;
The content output apparatus characterized in that the search means searches for a content server that is actually accessible from content servers in a list registered by the registration means. The content output device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Control for acquiring content from any of the content servers transmitted as a result of the search in response to a request transmitted from a transmission source of the search request via the second communication unit, and outputting the content by the output unit A content output device comprising means. Output means for outputting content by display or projection;
First communication means for performing wireless communication;
A second communication means for performing wired communication;
Search means for searching for a content server accessible from the second communication means when a search request for the content server is received by an access satisfying a predetermined condition;
A content output system comprising: response means for transmitting a search result by the search means to a transmission source of the search request. A computer for controlling a content output device comprising output means for outputting or displaying content by projection;
First communication means for performing wireless communication;
A second communication means for performing wired communication;
Search means for searching for a content server accessible from the second communication means when a search request for the content server is received by an access satisfying a predetermined condition;
The program for functioning as a response means which transmits the result of the search by the search means to the transmission source of the search request.

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