JPH10285664A - Av system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To centrally control a device added newly intensively without hindrance by allowing a central controller to provide an output of a command down-loaded from a device so as to control the device. SOLUTION: A central controller 12 down-loads a command from an AV device 14 when control of the AV device 14 is required and overwrites the command to a command read/write memory. Furthermore, the controller 12 down-loads icon and GUI sources used for display for the user for its selection of processing from the AV device 14 storing the sources via a data transmission line 16. Thus, the controller 12 controls all AV devices 14 without storing commands of them in the memory and displays the icon and GUI relating to an AV device added newly even without storing the icon and GUI sources relating to the AV device 14 added newly.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an AV system for controlling a plurality of AV (audio / video) devices by a predetermined centralized control device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an AV system, a plurality of AV devices such as a CD player are connected to an amplifier by an AV cable. For example, when dubbing music from a CD to a cassette tape, a user must use an amplifier, a CD player, and a cassette. The tape recorder is turned on, and the play switch of the CD player and the recording switch of the cassette tape recorder are operated. In this case, the user needs to perform an operation at each AV device, which complicates the operation.

On the other hand, for example, using an amplifier as a nucleus, each AV device and the amplifier are connected by an AV cable and connected by a control line, so that all operations can be performed from the amplifier (centralized control). There is an AV system as described above.

[0004]

The problems of the conventional centralized control of the AV system are as follows. (A) In the centralized control device, it is necessary that the control program for the AV device is previously provided in the ROM, and a control program without the control program cannot be added later. (B) Since the central control device is equipped with control programs for all the AV devices in the AV system, the amount of memory for the control programs in the central control device increases.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an AV system which overcomes the above-mentioned problems.

[0006]

An AV system according to the present invention
(10) has the following (a) to (c). (A) A data transmission path (16) that can be connected and disconnected as appropriate to the AV equipment (14), can automatically set the topology, and is shared for transmission of AV data and control data (b) (b) Controls the equipment itself An AV device (14) having a built-in command and connected to the data transmission line (16) (c) Downloading a command from the AV device (14) via the data transmission line (16) and transmitting the command to the data transmission Output to the AV device (14) via the
Control device (12) for controlling equipment (14)

[0007] AV data means audio data and / or video data. That is, the AV data is
It may mean only audio data or only video data, or may mean both data.

Each AV device (14) has a built-in command for controlling it, and can be connected to and disconnected from the data transmission path (16) as appropriate. The AV device (14) connected to the data transmission line (16) is detected by the automatic setting of the topology, and the central control device (12) detects each AV device (14) connected to the data transmission line (16). The command of (14) is downloaded via the data transmission line (16), and the command is issued to the AV device (14) via the data transmission line (16) to control the AV device (14). it can. As described above, even if the central control device (12) does not previously have a control program for the newly added AV device (14), the central control device (12) can control the added AV device (14) without any trouble. can do.
Also, the command of each AV device (14) is
There is no need for compatibility between them.

According to another AV system (10) of the present invention, the data transmission path (16) is a data transmission path conforming to IEEE1394.

A data transmission path conforming to IEEE 1394
(16) relates to (a) that the AV equipment (14) can be connected and disconnected as appropriate, (b) that the topology can be automatically set, and (c) that it can be shared for transmission of AV data and control data. It has conditions.

According to another AV system (10) of the present invention, when the central control device (12) needs to control the AV device (14), a command is issued from the AV device (14). And overwrite the read / write memory for command.

The centralized control device (12) is provided with all AV equipment (1).
It is not necessary to equip the memory with the command of 4) at one time, and the command of the AV device (14) related to the processing is downloaded and overwritten in the memory each time the processing is performed, so that the capacity of the memory can be reduced.

According to another AV system (10) of the present invention, the AV device (14) further comprises an icon source and a GUI.
The centralized control device (12) has an icon source and a GUI source for use in displaying to the user when the user selects a process from the AV device (14) to the data transmission path (16). Download via).

When a user selects a process in the central control unit (12), a GUI (graphical user) is selected.
interface is desired. AV equipment (14)
Is the processing of the AV equipment itself (14) or the processing of the AV equipment (14) (eg, in the case of a cassette tape recorder, playback, stop,
The icon source and the GUI source are represented by icons and graphics representing fast-forwarding, etc., and the icon source and the GUI source are downloaded to the central control device (12), and the user is provided with the information when the user selects a process. Used for display. As a result, the central control device (12) is able to control the icon source and G related to the newly added AV device (14).
Even if the UI source is not equipped in advance, the AV equipment
The display of the icon and GUI related to (14) can be performed without any trouble.

Another AV system (10) of the present invention further includes a wireless operation unit (26) for transmitting / receiving data to / from the central control unit (12) and allowing a user to select a process.

The user can instruct processing via the wireless operating device (26) without going to the central control device (12).

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an AV system 10 in which a user instructs a process using a pointing device 22.
FIG. Centralized controller 12 and multiple AV devices 14
Are serially connected via an IEEE 1394 bus 16. In the IEEE 1394 bus 16, the number of connected devices is up to 63, and the central controller 12 takes one node number.
It becomes 2. The monitor 18 receives data from the centralized controller 12 via a normal cable 20. pointing device
Reference numeral 22 is operated by a user, corresponds to a pointing device of a personal computer, has operation buttons for moving and clicking a cursor on a screen of a monitor 18, and the like, and is wirelessly connected to the central controller 12. The user's operation on the pointing device 22 is sent to the central controller 12. The centralized controller 12 converts the data stream of the AV signal input via the IEEE 1394 bus 16 into an analog AV signal.
It can be converted into a signal and output to, for example, a speaker with an amplifier or the like via the cable 24. Speaker is IE
If equipped with EE1394 interface,
The AV device 14 is directly connected to the IEEE 1394 bus 16 and can directly receive the packet data of the Av signal from the centralized controller 12 or another AV device 14.

FIG. 2 shows a case where the user operates the wireless liquid crystal remote controller 26.
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an AV system 10 instructing a process according to (1).
Only differences from FIG. 1 will be described. The wireless liquid crystal remote controller 26 is wirelessly connected to the central controller 12, and data is transmitted and received between the central controller 12 and the wireless liquid crystal remote controller 26.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the wireless liquid crystal remote controller 26. Data from the centralized controller 12 is input to the transmission / receiver 28 and displayed on the display 32 via the depiction virtual device 30. In the case of a touch panel, the input device 34 also serves as the display 32, and an analog signal relating to a touch position of the user's finger is sent to the AD converter 36, converted into a digital signal, and furthermore, the input position converter 38 , And transmitter / receiver
The signal is sent to the central controller 12 from the transmitter / receiver 28.

FIG. 4 shows the relationship between the virtual display range 40 and the actual display screen 42 of the display 32. The virtual display range 40 has a predetermined length in the X-axis and Y-axis directions, and a predetermined rectangular range of the virtual display range 40 is displayed on the display 32 as an actual display screen 42. The actual display screen 42 is movable within the virtual display range 40.

FIG. 5 shows the addressing of IEEE1394. The address is 64 bits long, the first 10 bits are a bus number, the next 6 bits are a node number, and the lower 48 bits are a space that can be used freely by each node.

FIG. 6 shows the lower 48-bit address space in each centralized controller 12. In this address space, information on icons, GUIs, and commands for each AV device 14 when the user selects a process related to the AV device 14 is recorded. The address is represented by 12 hexadecimal digits, and each data is recorded at each address as shown in FIG. Since each AV device 14 defines a command individually, there is no need for the command to be compatible with other AV devices 14.

FIG. 7 and FIG.
FIG. 5 is a partial view in which a flowchart for display and a user operation in FIG. In FIG. 7, the path initialization (S50) is automatically performed when the power of the centralized controller 12 and the AV device 14 is turned on, when a new node is added, and when the node is deleted. , The topology is set automatically. IEEE 1394
Until the icons of all the AV devices 14 connected to the bus 16 are registered in the centralized controller 12 (S52), the source of the icons from each AV device 14 (node) is transmitted to the IEEE 13
The data is read (= downloaded) via the 94 bus 16, separated into icon source data and GUI source address data (S56), registered in the icon table of the centralized controller 12 (FIG. 10) (S58), and Is transmitted to the wireless liquid crystal remote controller 26 (S60). The wireless liquid crystal remote controller 26 draws an icon based on the transmitted source data of the icon (S6).
2).

In FIG. 8, the user inputs a manual operation (S6).
When the position of the icon on the wireless liquid crystal remote controller 26 is corrected according to 6) (S64), the icon table (the icon positions X and Y of the nodes in FIG. 10) of the centralized controller 12 is corrected based on the correction (S68). . At S70, the presence or absence of an input from the user is checked. If the user performs a manual operation (S72), at S74, it is checked whether the operation input is an icon request or a GUI request.
At 76, a command is issued with reference to the GUI table (FIG. 12) from the input position information of the manual operation input (IEEE).
A command is sent to the target AV device 14 via the 1394 bus 16), the next GUI source address is determined, and the GUI source is read (downloaded) from the AV device 14. In S78, the downloaded GUI source is separated into GUI source data and GUI source address data. In S80, a GUI table is created and corrected. In S82, the GUI source data is sent from the central controller 12 to the wireless LCD remote controller 26. Then, in S84, a GUI is drawn on the wireless liquid crystal remote controller 26.

FIG. 9 shows the addresses of the icon table in the centralized controller 12. FIG. 10 shows the contents of each address in FIG. FIG. 11 shows the relationship between the contents of FIG. 10 and the icons 44 and the icon spaces on the actual display screen 42. In the icon table, the X coordinate and the Y coordinate when the icons of the nodes, that is, the central controller 12 and the AV device 14 are arranged in the virtual display range 40 of the wireless liquid crystal remote controller 26, and the address of the command corresponding to the icon 44 , And the storage address of the source of each icon 44 are recorded.

FIG. 12 shows the contents of the GUI command table in the centralized controller 12. The GUI command table records the X coordinate and the Y coordinate of each GUI command on the GUI screen and the address of each GUI command. The command group in FIG. 12 and the command group in FIG. 13 indicate the same command.

FIG. 13 shows the relationship between the icon screen and the GUI screen and the data. This AV system 10 is designed to select commands in a pop-up format,
The command selection screen starts with an icon screen,
Select a submenu or command on each GUI screen,
Until the command is reached, the screen is sequentially shifted to a deep GUI screen (Windows of the personal computer OS).
Same as the command selection method. ). On the icon screen, an icon on the icon screen is drawn by referring to the icon source and the command from the icon table, and a command to be executed when the icon is selected is prepared. Similarly, on the GUI screen, a command group (a group of a plurality of commands) is referred to from the GUI icon table to draw a GUI on the GUI screen and prepare for a command to be executed when a command menu is selected.

FIGS. 14 to 21 are divided views of flowcharts of processing in the centralized controller 12 and the wireless liquid crystal remote controller 26 and processing between them. The left and right sides of the boundary 90 are processing in the wireless liquid crystal remote controller 26 and in the centralized controller 12, respectively. In FIG. 14, when the initialization is performed (S92), the number of connected nodes is checked from the topology map in S94, and in S96, the centralized controller 12 (in this flowchart, the centralized controller 12 is called an AV Master). ) From each node number and the * icon address of each node (* means the address of the memory, not the contents of the memory) from each icon source and icon command table (in FIG. 6, the icon command The table is not shown in the figure.) Is read (downloaded), and in S98, it is stored in the icon space of the centralized controller 12 (a table in the right column of FIG. 11).
To memorize. In S100, the storage icon source of the icon table is sent to the wireless liquid crystal remote controller 26.

Referring to FIG. 16, a wireless liquid crystal remote control
In order to cope with the manual input in 26, a process of displaying an icon on the display 32 of the wireless liquid crystal remote controller 26 is performed based on the icon source from the centralized controller 12. S1
At 16, a new icon is drawn, and at S120, the icon drawing position is appropriately changed by the user, and at S118,
The final icon drawing position is transferred to the centralized controller 12. In S112, when the user selects a predetermined icon, in S124, the input position information X, Y is stored in the central controller.
Transferred to 12.

In FIG. 15, in S126, the icon positions X and Y in the icon table (FIG. 10) are updated based on the icon drawing positions transferred from S118 of the wireless liquid crystal remote controller 26. In S128, the input position information X and Y sent from S124 of the wireless liquid crystal remote controller 26 are recorded in the operation input register. S1
In step S02, it is determined whether the operation input register in step S128 has been updated. If the operation input register has been updated, the icon selected by the user, that is, the node (node) in step S104, based on the icon positions X and Y in the icon table (FIG. 10). Instructed node = determines which of the indicated AV devices 14). If the command in the command table of the designated node has an output command (S106), the command is output to the designated node (S10).
8) If there is a GUI read instruction in the command of the command table of the designated node (S110), S1 of FIG.
Proceed to 30.

In FIG. 17, in step S130, the address (* GUI_1_GUI) following the end address of the icon source and the icon command in FIG. 6 (the icon command is omitted in FIG. 6) is read (downloaded) from the designated node. Then, the size (GUI_1_S_Length) of the GUI source of GUI (1) is known. S1
At 32, * GUI_1_GUI ++ (++ means adding 1. In FIG. 6, N of N Byte is set to 1.) to GUI_1_S_Length.
Read (download) the length, that is, GUI (1). In S134, GUI (1) is transferred to the display 32.
In S136, GUI_1_S_Length and * GUI
An address equal to the sum of _1_GUI and 2 is obtained: * GUI_C_Table, that is, GUI (1)
GUI_C_Table representing the command table length of
Lead the value. In S146, S144 (FIG. 1)
The operation input position information of the user transmitted from the wireless liquid crystal remote controller 26 to the centralized controller 12 in the later described (8) will be recorded in the operation input register.

In FIG. 18, in the user's manual input on the display 32, the icon screen is displayed in S140 based on the GUI source of the GUI (1) transferred from the centralized controller 12 to the wireless liquid crystal remote controller 26 in S134. Is switched to a GUI screen, and GUI (1) is described.
In S142, when the user performs a predetermined operation input on the GUI screen of GU1 (1), the input position information X, Y is transferred from the wireless liquid crystal remote controller 26 to the centralized controller 12 in S144.

In FIG. 19, at S148, at S136
Only the GUI_C_Table value read at the address: * GUI_C_Table ++ (++ means adding 1; that is, the address next to the address containing the GUI_C_Table value) is read (downloaded), and it is centralized controller at S150. 12 G
It is stored in the UI command table space (the memory space of the command table and the command group in FIG. 13). In S152, if new input position information is recorded in the operation input register in S146 described above, it is determined that the operation input register has been updated, and in S154, it is checked whether or not the input position matches the input position in the GUI command table. Clears the operation input register in S156,
In the case of a match, the command is specified,
Proceed to 158.

In FIG. 20, in S158, an output command corresponding to the input specified by the user is executed. This instruction is transmitted to a node related to the instruction, that is, the AV device 14.
The data is output via the IEEE 1394 bus 16. S16
0, it is determined whether or not the next GUI screen needs to be displayed. If so, in S162, the GUI_C_Table described in the GUI command table (FIG. 12) is determined.
Then, the address of the next GUI source is calculated based on * and the offset value from GUI_C_Table, and the GUI source at that address is read (downloaded). S164
Then, the read GUI source is transferred to the wireless liquid crystal remote controller 26, and in S166, the GUI command table is read (downloaded).

In FIG. 21, in S168, S166
Is stored in the GUI command table space of the centralized controller 12. In steps S170 and S172, processing is performed in the same manner as in steps S152 and S154. If they match, the process returns to step S158, and if the instruction returns to the first icon screen, the process returns to step S100.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an AV system in which a user instructs a process using a pointing device.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an AV system in which a user instructs a process using a wireless liquid crystal remote controller.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a wireless liquid crystal remote controller.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a relationship between a virtual display range and an actual display screen of a display device.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing IEEE 1394 addressing;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a lower 48-bit address space in each centralized controller.

FIG. 7 is an upper partial view in which a flowchart for display and a user operation on the wireless liquid crystal remote controller is divided into upper and lower parts.

FIG. 8 is a lower partial view in which a flow chart for display and user operation on the wireless liquid crystal remote controller is divided into upper and lower parts.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing addresses of an icon table in the centralized controller.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the contents of each address in FIG. 9;

11 is a diagram showing a relationship between each content of FIG. 10 and an icon and an icon space on an actual display screen.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing contents of a GUI command table in the centralized controller.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between an icon screen, a GUI screen, and data.

FIG. 14 is a partial view obtained by dividing a flowchart of processing in the centralized controller and the wireless liquid crystal remote controller and processing between the two.

FIG. 15 is a partial view obtained by dividing a flowchart of processing in the centralized controller and the wireless liquid crystal remote controller and processing between the two.

FIG. 16 is a partial view obtained by dividing a flowchart of processing in the centralized controller and the wireless liquid crystal remote controller, and processing between both;

FIG. 17 is a partial view obtained by dividing a flowchart of processing in the centralized controller and the wireless liquid crystal remote controller and processing between the two.

FIG. 18 is a partial view obtained by dividing a flowchart of processing in the centralized controller and the wireless liquid crystal remote controller and processing between the two.

FIG. 19 is a partial view obtained by dividing a flowchart of processing in the centralized controller and the wireless liquid crystal remote controller and processing between the two.

FIG. 20 is a partial view obtained by dividing a flowchart of processing in the centralized controller and the wireless liquid crystal remote controller and processing between the two.

FIG. 21 is a partial view obtained by dividing a flowchart of processing in the centralized controller and the wireless liquid crystal remote controller and processing between the two.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 AV system 12 Centralized controller 14 AV equipment 16 IEEE1394 bus (data transmission path) 26 Wireless LCD remote controller (wireless operation device)

Claims (5)

[Claims] (A) A data transmission line (1) which can be connected and disconnected as appropriate for AV equipment (14), can automatically set a topology, and is shared for transmission of AV data and control data.
6), (b) an AV device (14) which contains a command for controlling the device itself and is connected to the data transmission line (16), and (c) the AV device via the data transmission line (16). AV equipment
And downloading the command from the AV device via the data transmission path.
An AV system comprising: a centralized control device (12) for outputting to the (14) and controlling the AV device (14). 2. The data transmission path (16) is connected to an IEEE 139
2. The AV system according to claim 1, wherein the AV system is a data transmission path conforming to S.4. 3. The centralized control device (12) downloads a command from the AV device (14) when it needs to control the AV device (14), and overwrites the command read / write memory. 3. The AV system according to claim 1, wherein 4. The AV device (14) includes an icon source and a GUI source, and the central control device (12) includes an icon source for displaying to a user when a user selects a process. And GUI source for the AV equipment
4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data is downloaded from (14) via the data transmission path (16).
V system. 5. A wireless operating device (26) for transmitting and receiving data to and from the centralized control device (12) and allowing a user to select a process.
The AV system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: