KR100463618B1 - Device user interface with topology map - Google Patents

Abstract

Topology maps for the systems 202, 204, 206, 208, 210 are generated and displayed on the display device to represent the various components that make up the system. When a device is added to the system, a graphical image 210 representing the device is automatically displayed. Similarly, when a device is removed from the system, the graphical image representing the device is blurred, leaving a shadow. The user may specify the source device and the receiving device by manipulating the displayed image for transmitting data. The signal may use an IEEE 1394 serial bus 202, 204, 206, 208.

Description

DEVICE USER INTERFACE WITH TOPOLOGY MAP}

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to the field of user interfaces, and more particularly to device control using a displayed topology map as part of an interface.

Components of a computer system are typically coupled to a common bus for exchanging information with each other. Various bus structures are known in the art, and each bus structure operates in accordance with a communication protocol that defines how data transmission between components is performed.

A number of the Electrical and Electronic Engineers Association (IEEE) standard for High Performance Serial Bus (with Standard for a High Performance Serial Bus, after the search base called "IEEE 1394 Serial Bus Standard"), including the IEEE standard document 1394 named as Different bus structures were promulgated. A typical serial bus with the IEEE 1394 standard architecture has multiple nodes interconnected to each other via point-to-point links such as cables that connect a single node of the serial bus to other nodes of the serial bus. It consists of Data packets propagate through a serial bus using multiple point-to-point transactions. In the serial bus, a node receiving a packet from another node on a first point-to-point link retransmits the received packet on another point-to-point link. The tree network configuration and associated packet handling protocols allow each node to receive all packets once. The serial bus of the IEEE 1394 serial bus standard may be used as an alternative bus to the parallel backplane of a computer system, as a low cost peripheral bus, or as a bus bridge between structurally compatible buses.

The communication protocol of the IEEE 1394 serial bus standard specifies two main types of bus access: asynchronous access and synchronous access. Asynchronous access can be "fair" or "cycle master". Cycle master access is used by nodes that need the next available opportunity to transfer data. Synchronous access is used by nodes that require allowed bandwidth, such as nodes that transmit video data. Each type of bus access transaction consists of at least one " subaction ", which is a complete one-way transfer operation.

The IEEE 1394 serial bus provides plug and play functionality for applications. Devices may be added or removed while the bus is operating. If a device is added or removed, the bus automatically reconfigures itself to transfer data between existing nodes. However, for users of applications at nodes coupled to the bus, there is no specific method or device for displaying the devices coupled to the IEEE 1394 serial bus. There is no prescribed method to monitor the activation status of devices coupled to the IEEE 1394 serial bus. In existing analog or digital networks, no indication of information about the network has been provided to the user, such as the type of devices constituting the network, how the devices are interconnected, the flow of signals between the various devices, and the like. To control these devices, the user must physically operate each device through the control panel on each device. When the network is an analog audio / video system, signal selectors and complex connection lines are inevitable when a user wants to freely exchange signals between devices on the network.

As an alternative, infrared control devices exist for various home entertainment products such as televisions, VCRs, and sound systems. There are also a number of so-called "universal remote control" products that can control many different brands of equipment or different types of equipment. However, no control device can control the IEEE 1394 device yet. In addition, no device displays the functions in action. For example, if a user wants to copy a video sequence from a video optical disc to a tape in a VCR, the user must control the optical disc player to play the sequence and separately control the VCR to record for a period of time. However, besides examining the display on the control panel of the two devices to see if each device performs the desired action separately, there is no convenient means for the user to actually confirm that the desired action is taking place.

Therefore, what is needed is an apparatus and method for presenting a topology of a network as part of a user interface to provide a user with means to monitor and control the devices of the network.

In most modern computer systems, the operating system provides a graphical interface for computer users. By processing images on a computer display, a user can run application programs, process files, and perform most other necessary functions through a graphical interface. This operation is performed by using cursor control keys and other keyboard keys or by using a cursor to control a peripheral device such as a joystick, mouse or trackball.

In such a system, when a program or application is loaded into the system, it is often displayed on the display by small graphic images or icons representing the program to the user. For example, a word processing program is represented by a graphic image of a paper with a line of text thereon and a writing implement such as a pencil or pen. This is especially true if the program is removed from the screen and running in the background. On a multitasking computer, several programs or applications can be run simultaneously and each program or application can be represented by its own graphical image.

When a new device is coupled to a computer system, it is not always displayed graphically on the interface. In an apparatus controlled by software loaded and operated by a computer system, the graphical image or icon is mainly displayed on the interface or somewhere in the pull-down menu. In other systems, an image or icon is displayed under loaded software control. In the case of a device coupled to and operating in conjunction with, but not controlled by, a computer system, a graphical image or icon may not be displayed on the interface.

Accordingly, it is desirable to additionally include an apparatus and method for displaying the topology of the network as part of a graphical user interface for providing the means for allowing a user to monitor, operate and control the devices of the network in the network. .

Summary of the Invention

Thus, in an embodiment, a topology map for a digital system is generated and displayed on the display device to represent the various components that make up the system. Various components are represented using icons, with each icon representing an individual component. The user specifies the source device and the receiving device by operating a corresponding icon to transfer data between the source device and the receiving device. Data transmission may include transmission of video data, audio data or both. In a preferred embodiment, the digital network corresponds to the IEEE 1394 serial bus standard.

In an alternative embodiment, when a device is added to the serial bus, a graphical image representing the device is automatically displayed in the graphical user interface. Similarly, when a device is removed from the serial bus, the graphical image representing the device is dimmed, leaving a shadow of the graphical image until the device is recombined or the system is turned off. Alternatively, the application can be executed to remove the device from the graphical user interface as soon as the device is removed from the serial bus. In another alternative embodiment, when the device is turned off, the device remains blurred in the graphical user interface but remains coupled to the serial bus. The tasks performed by the device coupled to the serial bus are also controlled and monitored by the user through the graphical user interface of the computer system. To control such tasks. A cursor control device is used to select the options displayed in the graphical user interface.

In another alternative embodiment, one or more task windows are included in the interface to help the user select a task to be performed. Once associated with the selected task, the control commands, commands and data are displayed in the control display window of the graphical user interface. When a task requires data transfer between devices, the flow of data between devices on the serial bus network is represented by a graphical image by an active data stream within the graphical representation of the bus structure. When data stops transmitting between devices, the active data stream disappears. When a device is added to the serial bus, an active stream of data flows temporarily between the computer system and the graphical image of the new device.

There are many advantages provided by the present invention. For example, a user may view a connection map or an accurate topology map for a digital system on a display device. In addition, the user can control data transfer in the digital network by clicking an icon or selecting a command from a pop-up menu associated with the various components that make up the network. By using the graphical user interface in this way, remote control of the various components of the digital network is provided. In addition, the user can understand the signal flow in the network and can also view information associated with each device in the network by viewing the topology map displayed on the display device.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the relevant art of the present invention by review of the detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

The invention is not limited to the features of the accompanying drawings, shown by way of example.

1 illustrates a digital network in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A illustrates an integrated receiver decoder (IRD) formed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

2b shows a main block of an integrated receiver decoder.

3 is a flow chart illustrating a process of generating a topology map in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

4 illustrates an exemplary self identification packet format.

FIG. 5 shows a self identification packet table of the network shown in FIG. 1; FIG.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary connection map of the network shown in FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 7 shows an exemplary topology map of the network shown in FIG. 1. FIG.

8 is a flowchart illustrating a process of constructing a topology map.

FIG. 9 shows a modified packet table of the network shown in FIG. 1; FIG.

10 illustrates an exemplary graphical user interface implementation of the present invention.

11 illustrates a pop-menu method of an exemplary user interface of the present invention.

FIG. 12 illustrates the display of information about the flow of signals between devices in a network on a network map displayed as a graphical image.

FIG. 13 illustrates retrieval of device information from a component of an audio-video system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

14 illustrates a graphical user interface in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

15 illustrates a graphical user interface in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention after additional devices have been added to the serial bus network.

FIG. 16 illustrates a printed video frame task displayed in a control display window of a graphical user interface. FIG.

17 illustrates processing of a music library task displayed in a control display window of a graphical user interface.

Figure 18 illustrates a computer system on which the graphical user interface of the present invention is performed.

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for providing a topology map for device monitoring and device control in a network. The present invention is applicable to any network that can provide topology information. Digital networks corresponding to the IEEE 1394 serial bus standard will be described herein as exemplary networks in which the methods and apparatus of the present invention operate.

In the detailed description below, the terms "topology map" and "connection map" have different meanings. The topology map shows the exact topology of the network and represents the interconnections between network devices. In contrast, the connection map includes device icons or names but does not necessarily indicate the exact topology of the digital network. The features of these terms will become apparent from a review of the entire specification. The connection map is sufficient for the purposes of the present invention where the user does not necessarily know the exact topology of the network in order to operate the devices making up the network. Thus, the use of the topology map described below is optional.

1 illustrates a digital network 100. Network 100 corresponds to the IEEE 1394 serial bus standard. A digital satellite system incorporating a receiver decoder (DSSIRD) 101 is connected to a TV / audio set 104 with an analog cable 102. In an embodiment, IRD 101 may obtain topology information and generate a map from the topology information. In an alternative embodiment, if the TV / audio set 104 has IEEE 1394 serial bus standard interface functionality and is connected to the network 100, the TV / audio set 104 may obtain topology information and map from that information. Can be generated. IRD 101 also includes a network 100 that includes a digital video disc (DVD) player 110, a digital video cassette recorder (DVCR1) 112, a mid-disc (MD) recorder 120, and a DVCR2 112. Coupled to various devices within.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that each device 101, 110, 112, 120, 122 of the network 100 is associated with a corresponding node of the serial bus. In general, a device coupled to a node acts as a "local host" to that node. For example, DSS IRD 101 is a local host for DSS IRD node, DVD player 110 is a local host for DVD node, DVCR1 112 is a local host for DVCR1 node, and MD recorder 120 ) Is the local host for the MD recorder node, and DVCR 112 is the local host for the DVCR2 node. It is not necessary for every node to have a local host or the local host is always powered on.

Point-to-point links, such as cable 108, are used to interconnect the two nodes. The DSS IRD node is coupled to the DVCR1 node by cable 108 and to the DVD node by cable 106. The DVCR1 node is coupled to the MD recorder node by cable 116 and to DVCR2 by cable 118. The MD recorder node can be coupled to other peripherals by cable 114. Each cable 106, 108, 114, and 118 can be configured in accordance with the IEEE 1394 serial bus standard and includes a first differential signal pair for conducting a first signal, a first for conducting a second signal. And a second pair of signals, and a pair of power lines.

Each node can have the same structure, although some nodes may be simplified because of their particular functionality. Thus, the node can be modified to meet the needs of a particular local host. Each node has more than one port and the number depends on its needs. For example, a DVD player node has only one port, while a DSS IRD node has two ports, as shown.

2A shows DSS ISD 124. Antenna 130 receives signal 128 from satellite 126. Signal 128 magnifies (LNB) the low noise block and sends it to tuner 132. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the signal sent to the tuner 132 includes a number of individual channels. In tuner 132, the channel required from signal 128 is selected for processing and passed to demodulator 134. In demodulator 134, the first selected channel is QPSK demodulated, Viterbi-decoded, deinterleaved, and Reed-Solomon decoded. The decoded signal 136 is sent to the main block 138 for further processing.

Main block 138 is shown in detail in FIG. 2B. As shown, the decoded signal 158 is first parsed in a Transport Packet Parser 164 and then decoded in the DES engine 166. The resulting signal is then stored in external RAM 160 under the control of traffic controller TC 168.

In response to the signal from the central processing unit (CPU) 182, the stored signal is retrieved from the external RAM 160 and properly passed through the traffic controller 168 to either the MPEG video decoder 180 or the MPEG audio decoder 188. Is sent. The output signal from video decoder 180 is mixed with on-screen display (OSD) data 174 and converted by NTSC / PAL encoder 170 into an NTSC or PAL analog signal for transmission to TV / audio set 104. do. The digital audio signal is sent from the audio decoder 188 to the audio DAC 144 and converted into an analog signal. The analog signal is then sent to the TV / audio set 140.

Central processing unit (CPU) 182 controls all of the above processes. The CPU 182 communicates with the on-chip RAM 176, ROM 184, expansion bus 190, and traffic controller 168 via an internal high speed bus 172. CPU 172 also communicates with ROM 192, modem 196, and remote command unit interface (RCU-IF) via expansion bus interface 178 and expansion bus 190. The RCU-IF 194 receives a command from a remote control unit (RCU) and sends the command to the CPU 182 via the expansion bus 190. The link layer IC (LINK) 198 and the physical layer IC (PHY) 200 communicate with the CPU 182 via an expansion interface bus 178 and an expansion bus 190. PHY 200 is coupled to LINK 198 via data and control lines and to other nodes on an IEEE 1394 serial bus.

Link 198 and PHY 200 constitute an IEEE 1394 serial bus interface to DSS IRD 124. All 1394 instructions sent by the CPU 182 are sent to the LINK 198 via the expansion bus 190. The 1394 command is sent through the PHY 200 and eventually sent to the last node in the network 100. Commands from other devices in the network 100 of FIG. 1 are received by the PHY 200 and sent to the LINK 198. The LINK 198 moves this instruction to the CPU 182 via the expansion bus 190. Audio-video data is transferred between the DSS IRD 124 and the LINK 198 via the 1394 data bus 186. When the DSS IRD 124 transmits data, the TC 168 sends the data from the external RAM 160 or the DES engine 166 to the LINK 198. When the IRD 124 receives the data, the LINK 198 sends data to the TPP 164 via the 1394 data bus 186.

3 is a flow chart showing the general steps of constructing a topology map in accordance with the present invention. The steps of configuring the cable network environment are followed: setting up bus initialization, self identification and device identification. In step 202, bus initialization settings are performed. At startup and every time a new node joins the network 100, the reset signal is placed in a special state that erases the topology information of all nodes in the network 100, and starts the next step. During the bus initialization phase, the PHY 200 internally latches the connection state of each port. The PHY 200 will automatically initiate a bus initialization phase when a change in the connection state of any port occurs, for example, when an adjacent device is removed or added. In a 1394 environment, nodes that are not connected to ports are isolated. Nodes connected with one port are leaves (or children) and nodes with more than one connection port are branches (or parents). The final root node can be a branch or a leaf.

In step 204, a tree identification step is performed. During this phase, the tree identification process converts the general network topology into a tree, in which one node is designated as the root node and all physical connections have a direction towards the root node. Each node connection port may be designated as a parent port (connected to a node near the root) or a child port (connected to a node remote from the root). Ports that are not connected are designated "off" and are not involved in the arbitration process. Tree identification procedures are well known in the art.

In step 206, a self identification step is performed to give each node an opportunity to select a particular physical identification and to identify each node to any management entity attached to the bus. This step enables the construction of low power management and system topology maps. This process is well known in the art. During the self-identification process, every node identifies all other nodes by itself. An example self identification packet format is shown in FIG. 4.

During the self-identification step 206, each node receives a self identification packet from all nodes of the network 100. CPU 182 of DSS IRD 124 receives these packets from LINK 198 and stores a portion of the information in a self-identifying packet table in external RAM 160. In order to construct a map according to the present invention, a physical identification (PHY-ID) and a port status bit of each self identification packet are required.

FIG. 5 shows an example self identification packet table 218 for the network 100 shown in FIG. 1. In the table 218, the term " pairs " identifies parent nodes that are nodes having a port state of 10 (see FIG. 4, which shows port status bits p1, p2, etc.). The term "child" refers to a child node, that is, a node having port state 11, the term "UNCONN" refers to a particular port whose port state is 01 without being connected to another PHY, and finally the term "NOPORT" refers to a PHY with a particular port. It does not exist on the port and indicates that the port status is 00. During step 208 a column representing the device names in table 218 is populated.

Regarding step 208 of FIG. 3, after the self identification process, the device identification process is performed. During this process 208, the DSS IRD 124 sends a command to all nodes and checks for their respective device type. Device type information can be stored and read from the configuration ROM associated with each node of the serial bus as known in the present invention.

In response to a response from the node, the DSS IRD 124 automatically associates a particular device name with the node. For example, DVCR will be named "DVCR". If multiple DVCRs are connected, suffixes such as DVCR1, DVCR2, etc. will be attached to each device name.

When a response is received, the device name column of the table 218 is filled in as appropriate, as shown in FIG. Instead of the DSS IRD 124, which automatically assigns a device name, the user can give the device a name.

In step 210 of FIG. 3, each device is represented by an icon or name on the map to be configured. To construct the map, the CPU 182 of the DSS IRD 124 executes instructions to place each icon properly linked to another icon on the display (TV screen or other display device).

FIG. 6 shows an example connection map of the network 100 shown in FIG. 1. The connection map may be displayed using the topology map and local host identification information. In a general case, the connection map may be derived from information related to the topology map. In the case of a topology map (as opposed to a connection map), the CPU 182 of the IRD 124 must construct the correct topology using the physical identification and port state information stored in the table 218. FIG. 7 shows an exemplary topology map of the network 100 shown in FIG. 1.

The graphical displays shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate the use of icons to represent various components of the network 100. Icons are well known in the art and are displayed using the programming techniques discussed below that provide the user with a graphical interface by allowing the user to control the operation of various devices. It will be appreciated that the graphical depictions of the various devices can be many whimsical cities. In addition, simple text can be used in place of graphical illustration. The icon can be activated where a graphic icon is used. For example, when DVCR1 is in operation, an icon representing DVCR1 may represent the operation of the videotape shown on the graphical icon.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating the general steps performed by the CPU 182 when altering the table 218 of FIG. 5 to construct a topology map for display. In step 228, the child identification counter CID is initialized to zero. In step 230, the counter CID is tested to determine if the maximum logical ID (phy_ID) value for cable 218 is exceeded. In this example, the nodes of the network 100 have phy_ID values 00 (DVD player 110), 01 (MD recorder 120), 02 (DVCR2 122), 03 (DVCR1 112), and 04 (DSS IRD 101). The phy_ID value is derived from the node self identification packet transmitted during the above self identification process. If the CID counter exceeds the maximum phy_ID value, then all cells of cable 218 are tested and the process ends at step 232, as described below.

In this step 234, the second counter, Cport, is set to the maximum number of ports for cable 218. In this example, the maximum number of ports is three, but one skilled in the art will appreciate that the maximum number of ports varies depending on the configuration of the network 100 and the nodes include the same number. Two counters, CID, and Cport are used as place holders to limit the search per cell of table 218.

The search begins at step 236 where a test of the cell defined by CID and Cport is performed. In this example, the first cell tested is cell 214. This is because CID is first set to 0 and Cport is first set to 3. The CID indicates the row of the table 218 to be searched and the Cport indicates the column to be searched. The intersection of the row defined by CID and the column defined by Cport defines the cell to be tested in step 236. The test of step 236 determines whether the current cell is a "child" cell. That is, the test determines whether the port defined by the phy_ID or CID and the Cport is a child port. Due to the first cell 214, the test will result in a negative condition and the process moves to step 240.

In step 240, a check is performed to determine if the cell in column 1, for example cell 212, is under test. Otherwise, the process does not go to step 246 and the counter Cport is decremented. However, if under test, the current cell is in column 1 and the counter CID is incremented. In this way, the cells of table 218 are tested by moving across the rows defined by the CID, from the maximum port number to the minimum port number. After the cells in column 1 of the remaining rows have been tested, the process selects the cells in column 3 of the next highest CID for testing. And after cell 212 is tested, cell 216 is then tested. This process continues until the child cell is found in step 236. It is clear that cell 226 will be the first child cell found. Cell 226 indicates port number 3 of DVCR1.

When the child cell of the table 218 is found, the process moves to step 238 and the third counter, PID is set equal to the current value of 'CID-1'. Thus, when cell 226 is found, the PID will be set equal to 2 (CID (= 3) -1).

Next, in step 242, the fourth counter, Pport, is set equal to the maximum number of ports (again, the maximum number of ports in this example is three). The two counters, PID and Pport, will be used as place holders for the second search of table 218. The goal of the second search will be to find the "pairs" cells of the table 218 paired with the child cells found in the cell step 236.

The search for paired parent cells begins at step 248 where the cell defined by the current values of PID and Pport is tested. PID defines the row under test and Pport defines the column under test. So, as the above example proceeds, after cell 226 is identified as a child cell, the PID will be set to 2 and the Pport will be set to 3. Thus, cell 222 is defined. Cell 222 is tested in step 248 and it is determined that it is not a parent cell. Thus, the process moves to step 250.

In step 250, a check is run to determine if the counter Pport is equal to the current one. Otherwise, the process moves to step 254 and Pport is reduced by one. If the current value of Pport is equal to 1, the process moves to step 256 and the PID value is reduced by one. In this way, after the last cell in a row (cell in column 1) has been tested, the table 218 moves cell-by-cell, moving from right to left across each row and moving up in the table. -cell) is searched. It is evident that this type of search results in cell 220 being identified as the first parent cell.

When the parent cell is found in step 248, the process moves to step 252. In step 252, the child cell found in step 236 is changed. Specifically, the term "child" is removed, and the CPU 182 writes the corresponding values of the PID and the Pport in place. That is, the cell is annotated with the number of ports of the parent corresponding to the phy_ID in the network 100. The process then moves to step 258 and the term “pairs” is removed from the cell identified in step 248. In place of " fairs ", CPU 182 writes the values of CID and Cport. That is, the cell is annotated with the phy_ID in the network 100 and the number of Pports of the corresponding child.

In this way, all parent and child cells of table 500 are modified to reflect the appropriate phy_ID and the number of ports of the individual child and parent nodes. The fully modified table 260 is shown in FIG. Note that cell 264 of table 260 corresponds to cell 226 of table 218. Similarly, cell 262 corresponds to cell 220.

Using the information contained in the table 260, the CPU 182 represents the proper connection between nodes to generate a topology map on the display. That is, icons representing various devices of the network 100 are shown as before. However, rather than primarily showing a connection map (showing logical connections of various components) as shown in FIG. 6, a topology map (showing physical connections of various components) may be shown. have. This is because the current CPU 182 has the appropriate information by phy_ID and the number of ports to allow precise recalculation of the actual topology of the network. For the network 100 of FIG. 1, a connection may be shown between port 1 of DVCR2 and port 3 of DVCR1. Cells 264 and 262 hold information about the connection to be identified. The overall topology map of FIG. 7 is shown in this manner except for a known analog connection between the DSS IRD 101 and the TV / audio set 104.

10 and 11 illustrate exemplary graphical user interfaces of the present invention. For a user command, the CPU 182 of the DSS IRD 101 constructs a connection map or topology map as described and stores it in the external RAM 176. From now on, the method to be described is equally available for use of the topology map, but it is assumed here that a connection map is used. The map data is sent to the OSD block 174 via the TC 168 and mixed with the decoded video signal. The mixed signal is converted to NTSC or PAL and sent to the TV / audio set 104. The connection map may be superimposed over the television video on the TV / audio set 104.

10 illustrates how a user can control the operation of network 100 using a connection map. The user records the information played back from the DVD player 110 on the video tape of the DVCR1 112 and simultaneously plays back the video tape in the DVCR2 122 via the DSS ISD 101 on the TV / audio set 104. Suppose you want to There are two ways to specify each source node and the corresponding receiving node.

For example, a method of implementing drag and drop is illustrated in FIG. 10. The user selects the icon 280 associated with the DVD player 110 and drags it in front of the receiver icon using the cursor 284. In the example shown, the highlighted DVD icon 280 is dragged and dropped onto the DVCR1 icon 282. Selection operations and drag and drop operations are performed by using a cursor control device such as an infrared remote control. For this operation, the CPU 182 of the DSS IRD 101 transmits a progress command to the DVD player 110. The DVD player 110 responds by starting to play the output data into the network. The CPU 182 of the DSS IRD 101 sends a command to the DVCR1 112 to record data from the DVD player 110. The command is generated and transmitted over the network 100 in accordance with the IEEE 1394 serial bus standard.

In the same way, in order to play back data from DVCR2 122, the user drags and drops DVCR2 icon 276 to DSS IRD icon 266 or TV icon 268. The DSS IRD 101 and the TV set 104 are connected by an analog cable. In the map, they are considered the same node. The user can specify more than one receiver device. For example, a user can record a DVD signal to two DVCR1 and DVCR2 by dragging and dropping the DVD icon 270 to two DVCR1 and DVCR2 icons 274 and 276.

The second method of device control relates to the pop-up menu method shown in FIG. When the user selects the DVD player icon 270, a pop-up menu 286 appears. If the play button is selected from the pop-up menu 286 using the cursor 284, the DVD player 110 starts playback. In the same way, to set the DVCR1 112 to record, the user can select a record button from a menu associated with the DVCR1 icon 274. DVCR2 112 and DSS IRD 101 may be similarly controlled.

The drag and drop method shown in FIG. 10 is similar to the method of starting recording or backplay. However, complex commands such as stop, fast forward, rewind, slow mode, etc. can be better controlled by the pop-up menu method shown in FIG.

12 shows a display of signal flow information between devices in the network 100 shown by the connection map. Signal flow is represented by arrows 294 and 292. In one embodiment, these arrows may be of different colors to represent different information. Arrows may be activated during play and / or seek and flashing may be on and off during stop. If recording or playback stops, the arrow disappears. Arrows such as 294 and 292 are implemented by using programming techniques that are well known in the art.

13 shows how device information can be retrieved using the connection map implementation method of the present invention. When the INFO button 310 is selected from the pop-up menu 306 combined with the DVCR2 icon 304, the DSS IRD 101 sends a command to the DVCR2 122 to send information relating to the video tape to be played. do. The content of the information window 302 depends on the selected device and its features. Examples of device information include time (tape / disk remaining time, total playback / recording time, etc.); Title (name of the loaded tape or disk); Write protection (on or off); And playback mode (chapter playback or standard playback).

When a device is added to a serial bus network, a graphical image representing the device is dynamically displayed on the graphical image interface. Similarly, when a device is removed from the serial bus, the graphical image representing the device is blurred in the graphical user interface. In the preferred embodiment, the shadow of the graphical image remains, and if the device is added back to the serial bus the entire color of the graphical image is restored. When the system is turned off and back on, the device actually coupled to the serial bus is displayed in the graphical user interface. When a device is removed from the serial bus, if the device has not been rejoined to the serial bus, the graphical image representing the device is dimmed and then removed when the system is turned off and on again. Alternatively, as soon as the device is removed from the serial bus, the graphical image may be removed. In another alternative embodiment, the graphical image is dimmed when the device is turned off, but remains coupled to the serial bus, informing the user of the graphical user interface that the device is currently unavailable.

14 shows a third method of device control. Here, the graphical interface 230 includes a bus display window 338 and a control display window 322. Bus display window 338 displays devices coupled to the serial bus network. A graphical representation of the bus structure 340 together shows the connection of each displayed device. This graphical representation may be a topology map or connection map as discussed above. The computer on which the graphical user interface is displayed is coupled to the bus structure. In the bus display window 338 of the graphical user interface 320, the graphical representation of the computer 336 is shown connected to the graphical representation of the bus structure 340. In addition, the compact disc (CD) converter 334, the magnetic (MD) recorder 332, the stereo amplifier 330, the television 328, the video printer 326, and the digital cassette recorder 324 are bus structures 340. ) It will be readily understood that a collection of devices on a bus is merely exemplary and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention or the appended claims.

Communication is directed to the user via the control display window 322. The user also initiates a control command and selects an option through the control display window 322 for the current task. The user initiates a control command and selects an option using the cursor control unit. Through the graphical user interface, the available tasks to be performed and controlled are displayed in task windows 312, 314 and 318. The user selects a task to be performed using the cursor control device. Once selected, the current task is displayed in window 322 of the control display. Task windows 312, 314, 316, and 318 display common tasks based on the general functionality of the system. Alternatively, task windows 312, 314, 316, and 318 display device types coupled to the serial bus network and specific tasks based on the functionality of such devices. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the number of tasks described herein for display in an interface. Depending on the system, an appropriate number of tasks can be displayed in the interface.

15 shows the change in graphical user interface 350 when additional devices are connected to the serial bus network. When a digital camcorder is first coupled to a serial bus network, communication is sent over the serial bus to verify the device type coupled to the serial bus and device address. In the example of a digital camcorder, the host system displaying graphical user interface 350 receives the communication and determines that the new device is coupled to the serial bus. The host system then obtains an image for the digital camcorder from the image library. The image library contains images of other devices that can be held in memory of the host computer system and coupled to the serial bus. Alternatively, the computer system can obtain an image of the device from the memory of the device itself. The image of the digital camcorder is then displayed in the bus display window 370 as a graphical representation of the digital camcorder 368.

When the graphical representation of the digital camcorder 368 is first displayed in the bus display window 370, the activated data stream 374 is the bus structure between the graphical representation of the digital camcorder 368 and the graphical representation of the host computer system 366. It is shown in the display of 370 indicating communication initialization between two devices. The graphical representation of the digital camcorder 368 will be displayed in full color as long as the digital camcorder is coupled to the serial bus network within the bus display window 370.

If the digital camcorder is removed from the serial bus network, the graphical representation of the digital camcorder 368 is blurred, leaving shadows or outlines of the digital camcorder. Then, if the digital camcorder is rejoined to the serial bus network before the system is turned off, the graphical representation of the digital camcorder 368 is restored to full color. If the system is off before the digital camcorder is rejoined to the serial bus network, when the system is on again, the graphical representation of the digital camcorder 368 is removed. In an alternative embodiment, as soon as the digital camcorder is removed from the serial bus network, the graphical representation of the digital camcorder 368 is removed. In another alternative embodiment, if the digital camcorder is off and still coupled to the serial bus network, the graphical representation of the digital camcorder 368 is displayed flowing. This indicates to the user that the digital camcorder is coupled to the serial bus network but is currently unavailable.

16 shows how the current task selected by the user is displayed in the control display window 392 of the graphical user interface 386. The current task selected in this figure is the task of printing video frames from a digital camcorder on a video printer. The user selects this task by using the cursor control device to select a printing video frame task in task window 376. When a special task is selected. The button corresponding to the task is highlighted. When the current task is displayed in the control, display window 392, the control display window 392 includes a device subwindow 388, a command subwindow 394, and a task control subwindow 396. A graphical representation of the device to be used to accomplish the task is displayed in the device subwindow 388. In the printing video frame task shown in FIG. 3, the graphical representation displayed in the device subwindow 388 is the graphical representation of the video printer.

The command to be selected by the user is displayed in the command subwindow 394. In the printed video frame displayed in FIG. 16, the commands available to the user are start, print, and dub. The user selects one of the commands in the command subwindow 394 using the cursor control device. Not all displayed commands are always selectable. When selection is possible, the command is highlighted, such as the start command 390.

Task control subwindow 396 displays the options available to the user to accomplish the task. In the printing video task displayed in FIG. 16, a video frame that the user can select for printing is displayed in the frame window 398 in the task control subwindow 396. The video frame to be displayed is read from the video source in the case of a digital camcorder. The displayed video frame occurs at a predetermined interval on the tape in the digital camcorder. Preferably, in the printing video frame display in this figure, the video frames are displayed at one second interval in the frame task window 398. The user can scroll through these video frames by selecting the control selection option 402 displayed in the task control subwindow 396. The user selects one of the control selections 402 using the cursor control device. The video frame then plays, fast forwards, at a second interval in speed. It will be displayed in order based on the control selection options selected by the user such as rewind, stop and pause.

The user selects one or more video frames displayed in the frame window 398 for printing using the cursor control device. In the example shown in FIG. 16, the user selects video frame 398. Once selected, video frame 398 is first displayed within selected frame window 384 and will be printed when the user initiates a print command from command subwindow 394.

When the video frame is printed and the data is transferred from the digital camcorder to the video printer, the active stream of data 424 is shown in the representation of the bus system 422. The activated stream of data 424 is shown as a flow from the graphical representation of the digital camcorder 418 to the graphical representation of the video printer 406. The activated stream of data 424 allows the user to monitor the operation of the device coupled to the serial bus network.

17 currently displays a selected task for processing a music library within the control display window 446 of the graphical user interface 438. The task of processing the music library authorizes the user to play the CD stored in the CD converter via the stereo amplifier. The graphical representation of the CD converter is displayed in sub-window 440. The command subwindow 450 includes playback pause and stop commands as well as controls sliders for volume, bass and treble that are selected and controlled by the user using the cursor control device. In processing the music library task, shown in FIG. 17, the available music CDs are displayed in the CD window 452. The user searches for available music CDs using the control selection option 434 and the cursor control device.

The user selects one of the CDs displayed in the CD window 452 using the cursor control device. Once selected, the title of the CD is displayed in the album name subwindow 436. In the example shown in FIG. 17, the selected CD is a CD 444. The titles of available songs on the selected CD are displayed in the song list subwindow 448. From the song list subwindow 448, the user can select a song to be played using the cursor control device. Songs selected for playback are listed in the order selected in the playlist subwindow 454.

When a song is played from the CD and data is transferred from the CD changer to the amplifier, a stream of activated data 474 is shown in the representation of bus stream 478. The stream of activated data 474 is shown in a flow between the graphical representation of the CD converter 466 and the graphical representation of the stereo amplifier 462.

In the example shown in FIG. 17, the task of dubbing video is first initialized by the user. This task involves playing the video on a television and simultaneously copying the selected portion of the tape of the digital camcorder to the tape of the digital VCR. The task is completed at the same time that the selected CD is played. Thus, there are two coexisting activated data streams within the representation of serial bus network 478. The activated data stream 474 is shown in flow between the graphical representation of the CD changer 466 and the graphical representation of the stereo amplifier 462 for playing the CD. The active data stream 476 shows the flow between the graphical representation of the digital camcorder 470, the graphical representation of the digital VCR 456, and the graphical representation of the television 460 to dub a video task. Once the task is completed and data stops flowing between devices, the active data stream 476 of the graphical user interface disappears.

The graphical user interface of the present invention allows the user to control and monitor the operations preferably coupled together by the IEEE 1394 serial bus network. Bus display window 472 in the graphical user interface displays a device coupled to the serial bus network. When the device is added to the serial bus network, a graphical representation of the device is displayed in the bus display window 472. When the device is removed from the serial bus display window 472, the graphical display remains shadowed until the device is recombined or the system is off. A graphical representation of the serial bus coupled to the device is also shown in bus display window 472. When data moves between devices on a serial bus network, the stream of activated data moves within the representation of the serial bus network and between the graphical representation of such devices. Thus, the user can monitor activity and data communication on the serial bus network through the graphical user interface of the present invention.

Control display window 446 is used to communicate with the user and authorize the user to select and control the operation of the device coupled to the serial bus network. Task windows 426, 428, 430, and 432 allow a user to select a task for display in control display window 446.

The graphical user interface is preferably displayed on a computer system. However, the graphical user interface is alternatively displayed on a television, monitor or other system that is coupled to a serial bus network and includes a display device. In order to control and initialize the tasks to be performed by the device, a cursor control device is used to select the options displayed on the graphical user interface by the user. The cursor control device may be a mouse, keyboard, trackball, remote controller or other device depending on the configuration of the host system. In addition, the cursor control device can be wired or wireless using wireless, infrared or other suitable technology.

18 illustrates an example computer system 484 in which graphics are implemented under the interface of the present invention. In FIG. 18, computer system 484 is a central processing unit (CPU) 488, main memory 492, video memory 490, keyboard 496 for user input, and manipulation of graphical images as a cursor control device. A conventional mouse 498, and a mass storage device 500, all coupled together by a conventional bidirectional system bus 497. Mass storage device 500 may include fixed and removable media using one or more magnetic, optical or magneto-optical storage technologies or other available mass storage technologies. System bus 497 includes an address bus for addressing any portion of memories 492 and 490. System 497 also includes a data bus for data transfer between CPU 488, main memory 492, video memory 490, and mass storage device 500.

The video multiple communication scheme and mobile device circuitry 486 in which the video amplifier 480 is coupled is coupled to a port of the video memory 490. The video amplifier 480 drives a monitor or display 482 in which the graphical user interface of the present invention is shown. The video multiplexer and shifter circuit 486 and the video amplifier 480 convert the pixel data stored in the video memory 490 to display a signal suitable for the user by the monitor 482.

Thus, a method and apparatus for controlling a device with a topology map on a network has been described. While features and examples of the present invention have been described in connection with specific exemplary embodiments thereof, those skilled in the art will appreciate that any skilled artisan without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims. It will be appreciated that modifications may be possible.

Claims (15)

Within the digital system comprising a plurality of nodes interconnected by a plurality of point-to-point links, each of the nodes having an associated local host. In the method of controlling, A network topology map for the plurality of nodes based on port status information about the node, the network topology map including node identification information, the network topology map stored in memory Generating a; Associating corresponding local host identification information in the data structure in the memory with the node identification information; Mixing a signal representing a connection map and a signal representing video information for display on a television, and using the network topology map and the local host identification information, the connection map-wherein the connection map is the above; Displaying the plurality of local hosts including the digital system, using a graphical representation of a local host; And And controlling the operation of the first plurality of local hosts by manipulating a corresponding one of the graphical displays. The method of claim 1, The connection map further representing a physical connection path between the plurality of local hosts. The method of claim 1, The connection map further representing a logical connection path between the plurality of local hosts. The method of claim 1, The control step, Selecting the corresponding graphical representation of the first local host; And Dragging and dropping the corresponding graphical representation of the first local host onto a corresponding graphical representation of a second plurality of local hosts; And said drag and drop step initiates digital transmission between said first local hose and said second local host over a digital network. The method of claim 1, The control step, Selecting the corresponding graphical representation of the first local host; Displaying a pop-up menu associated with the first local host, the pop-up menu including a plurality of commands for the first local host; And Selecting a first command from the pop-up menu, According to the step of selecting, the first local host to operate according to the command. In a method for controlling a plurality of audio / video components of an audio / video system, A connection map derived from a network topology map mixed with a signal representing a connection map and a signal representing video information for display on a television, wherein the connection map is derived from a network topology map configured according to port state information about the audio / video component; Representing an interconnection of each of the audio / video components, and wherein the connection map includes a plurality of graphical representations, each graphical representation corresponding to each one of the audio / video components; Displaying on the component; And And operating a graphical representation corresponding to the selected one of the audio / video component to control the operation of the selected audio / video component. The method of claim 6, The operation step, How to include a drag and drop action step. The method of claim 6, The operation step, Selecting the graphical representation; In response to the selecting step, displaying a pop-up menu, the pop-up menu comprising a plurality of commands, each command corresponding to an associated operational state of the selected audio / video component; And Selecting the first command such that the selected audio / video component is in the operational state associated with a first command. The method of claim 6, Displaying signal flow information graphically indicating transmission of information in the audio / video system, The transmission of the information corresponds to the operation of the selected audio / video component. The method of claim 9, The transmission of the information is indicated by a plurality of arrows, The arrow indicates the direction of information transmission in the audio / video system. The method of claim 6, The operation step, Selecting the graphical representation; And In response to the selecting step, displaying a device information window; The device information window includes device information about the selected audio / video component. A local host in a digital network comprising a plurality of nodes interconnected by a plurality of point-to-point links, at least one of the nodes having a corresponding local host, wherein: Central processing configured to generate a network topology map for the digital network in response to a first signal, the network topology map based on port state information about the node and indicating an interconnection of a plurality of nodes of the digital network Unit (CPU); Memory coupled to the CPU, the memory configured to store the network topology map as a data structure; And A local host comprising combining means for combining a video signal received from a video source and representing video data for display on a television with a topology signal corresponding to a network topology map received from the memory to produce a mixed signal; . The method of claim 12, The coupling means, A video decoder coupled to receive a video signal from a singer video source; And An on screen display mixer coupled to receive the video signal from the video decoder and to receive the topology signal from the memory. The method of claim 12, Further comprising an interface unit coupled to the CPU, The interface unit is configured to generate the first signal in response to a user command. The method of claim 14, The interface unit includes a local remote control receiver.