MXPA00000987A - Model and command set for an av/c-based disc player/recorder subunit - Google Patents

Abstract

In a home audio visual network including a plurality of devices coupled via an IEEE 1394 bus, a system for accessing a media changer mechanism of a multi-item media player. The multi-item media player stores a plurality of media items and can play any of the plurality of media items. A media changer mechanism having a plurality of slots for storing the plurality of media items is included within the multi-item media player. A computer system is built into the multi-item media player. A software based media changer model executes on the computer system, and in turn, causes the computer system to implement a method of accessing the media changer mechanism. In so doing, the computer system interfaces with a plurality of devices coupled to the multi-item media player via an IEEE 1394 communications link of an IEEE 1394 based network and provides a standardized command set for the media changer mechanism. The media changer model provides a set of standardized commands that allow the plurality of devices on the network to access the media changer mechanism and access any of the plurality of media items stored therein.

Description

MODEL AND SET OF COMMANDS FOR A DISC PLAYER / DISC RECORDER BASED ON AV / C FIELD OF THE INVENTION The field of the present invention pertains to audio-video systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to the connection of audio-visual media devices through a bus according to IEEE 1394 using standard AV / C protocols in the industry. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION A typical home audio visual equipment installation includes several components. For example, a radio receiver, a CD player, a pair of speakers, a television, a VCR, a cassette player, and the like. Each of these components is connected to the others through a set of wires. A component is usually the central component of the audiovisual system for home use. It is usually the radio receiver, or the tuner. The tuner has several specific inputs for its connection with the other components. The tuner has a corresponding number of control buttons or control switches that offer a limited degree of control and interoperation for the components. The control buttons and control switches are usually located on the front of the tuner. In many cases, some or all of these buttons and switches are duplicated in a manual remote control unit. A user controls the audiovisual system for domestic use by manipulating the buttons and switches on the front of the tuner or, alternatively, by manipulating buttons on the manual remote control unit. This paradigm of conventional home use audiovisual system has become quite popular. As the number of new electronic devices for consumers increases for the home audio-visual system, and as the sophisticated character and capabilities of said devices increase, several problems arise with the conventional paradigm. One of these problems is the incompatibility between the devices in the audiovisual system for domestic use. Consumer electronic devices from a manufacturer are frequently connected to an audiovisual system in a different way than similar devices from another manufacturer. For example, a multi-disc DVD player produced by a manufacturer may not provide all of its capacity. For example, the multi-disc player can incorporate the equipment (for example, specific inputs and outputs) that allows the use of the most sophisticated features of the multi-disc DVD player with devices made by other manufacturers. As such, these functions may not be able to be used with televisions or simpler, less sophisticated cable decoders. AV (home audio) systems for home use that include multiple disc players are especially problematic due to the large volume of information that can be accessed and accessed by the multi-disc player. For example, there are several multi-disc compact disc players (CDs) on the market that can hold 200 CDs or more. Considering the fact that a typical CD can include 10 or more individual "tracks" (eg, songs), a fully loaded multi-disc player can present the user with a mountain of extremely large, virtually indecipherable information. This problem can become even more difficult given the fact that there may not be any intuitive way, easily employable to have access to the various tracks with another remote control (for example, the remote control of the tuner) of the home-use AV system. With the emergence of interface technology and network formation (for example, serial communication bus according to IEEE 1394 and the widespread adoption of digital systems), perspectives are offered to correct the previous problems, however, there is still no coherent, open, extensible architecture that can provide intelligent navigation in content and selection with multiple disc player devices. There is no system to keep an informed user offering status and warning reports between devices with a home AV system. As the technology is extended according to IEEE 1394 in the production lines, it is necessary to define logic models and command sets for various devices, or functional groups such as multiple disk players and VCRs. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, what is required is a media changer device model that is independent of the media type and can therefore support any type of media (CDs, minidisks, DVCR video tapes, DAT tapes, 8 mm tapes, etc.) in any combination (a changer may have CD and DVD discs installed, etc. What is required is a model that supports AV / C protocol increments for content navigation and selection, offering both a detailed abstraction as a general description of content discovery and description, and allowing a range of controllers (from very simple to very complex) to employ their characteristics.What is required is a model that supports a status report and warning mechanisms in such a way that the controllers are aware of what is happening inside the device, thus keeping the user informed. This is especially important in a distributed network environment where the device can be in a closet or in the different room of the house in relation to the controller / user. The present invention is a method and system that meets the aforementioned requirements. In a typical embodiment, such as, for example, a home AV network, which includes several devices connected via a bus according to IEEE 1394, the present invention comprises a system for accessing a media changer mechanism. The multi-element media changer (for example, multiple disks) stores several disks and can select any of the various media disks. A media changer mechanism having a plurality of slots for storing the plural media discs may be included within the multi disc media player. Alternatively, the media change mechanism can be a "stand-alone" device attached to a separate playback device (or perhaps simply located near the playback device). A computer system is integrated into the multi-disc media player. A programmatic-based media changer model runs on the computer system, and at its Once, it causes the computer system to increase a method to access the media changer mechanism. In this way, the computer system _ creates a communication with several devices connected to the media player of multiple disks through a communication link according to IEEE 1394 of a network based on IEEE 1394 and offers a set of standardized commands for the mechanism of media changer. The media changer model offers a set of standardized commands that allow the various devices in the network to access the media changer mechanism and access to any of the various media disks stored there. In this way, the present invention offers a model that is independent of the type of medium and, therefore, supports any type of medium (CDs, minidisc, DVCR video tapes, DAT tapes, 8 mm tapes, etc.) in any combination (a changer can have CDs and DVDs installed, etc.). The model of the present invention supports improvements to the AV / C protocol for navigation in content and selection, providing both a detailed abstraction and a general abstraction of the discovery and description of content, and allowing several controllers (from very simple to very complex) to do use of its characteristics. In addition, the present invention includes support for status reporting and warning mechanisms of such so that the controllers are aware of what is happening inside the device, thus keeping the user informed. The model of the present invention supports the concept of media collections, which could be removable cartridges containing any number of discs or tapes, or any other storage element, such as PCMCIA cards that store audio or video data. These collections can be identified and manipulated independently. Thus, it is possible to have a large number of discs, tapes, etc., in a media library and be able to access them (the number of slots in the media changer is not a limitation for the number of discs or tapes that can be put up with) . The model of the present invention supports any number of units from a single media changer; thus, the changer can select a medium and place it in any "loading position" for installation in a unit. The number of loading positions, and therefore the number of units that can be supported, is limited only by the particular implementation. In addition, the model of the present invention is defined through a technical specification in which the implementation is left to the product manufacturer. The specification defines several data structures for description of media type (how to describe a CV, a DVD disc, etc.), for the content of the medium (titles of each track on a disc, duration of each track, etc.), and for reporting and status notification. These data structures could be modified in various ways in order to include or exclude various information that may or may not be available according to the environment and the capabilities integrated in the media changer subunit. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention is illustrated, by way of example and not to limit it, in the figures of the attached drawings in which like reference numbers refer to similar elements and where: Figure 1A shows an environment of the computer system of the present invention; Figure IB shows an audiovisual home network in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; Figure IC shows a multi-disk DVD player in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2A shows a diagram illustrating the relationship between a media changer subunit and the units that support it. Figure 2B shows a cartridge from Figure 2A without discs stored in the slots.

Figure 2C shows a carousel-based media changer subunit in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 shows a table illustrating the general structure of subunit identifier of the present invention. Figure 4 shows a table illustrating the subunit_dependent_dependent information field for a media changer subunit model of the present invention. Figure 5 shows a table illustrating the specifications of various types of media in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 shows a table illustrating the currently defined form factors of the present invention. Figure 7 shows a table illustrating the lists of objects defined by the media changer subunit model of the present invention. Figure 8 shows a table illustrating the general AV / C slot list data structure of the present invention. Figure 9 shows a table illustrating the attributes defined for object lists and object entry according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 10 shows a table illustrating the general structure of the AV / C object descriptor.

Figure 11 shows a table illustrating the field_of_list_information_field slot from Figure 8.

Figure 12 shows a table illustrating the update_last field in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 13 shows a table illustrating the format of the empty_slot field according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 14 shows a table illustrating the input_specific information field in the slot object list descriptor according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 15 shows a table illustrating the flag definitions in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 16 shows a table illustrating the disc media definitions according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 17 shows a table illustrating the media changer subunit model commands of the present invention. Figure 18 shows a table that illustrates the command IMPORT MIDDLE of the present invention of Figure 17. Figure 19 shows a table illustrating the various response types of the response state of the present ll invention. Figure 20 shows a table illustrating the EXPORT MEDIA control command from the table in Figure 17. Figure 21 shows a table illustrating the LOAD MEDIA control command from the table in Figure 17. Figure 22 shows a table illustrating the control command DOWNLOAD M EDIOS of the table of figure 17. Figure 23 shows a flow diagram of the steps of an exemplary interface process between a subunit of media changer and devices in a home audiovisual network in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 24 shows a flowchart of the steps of an update process of a media changer subunit model as a new media is added to the disk changer mechanism subunit according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Reference is now made to details of the embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the invention will be described in relation to the preferred embodiments, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to these embodiments. On the contrary, the invention covers alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention. in accordance with that defined in the appended claims. In addition, in the following detailed description of the present invention, several specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to a person with certain knowledge in the art that the present invention can be practiced without these specific details. In other cases, well-known methods, procedures, components and circuits have not been described in detail in order not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the present invention. The present invention offers a model that is independent of the type of medium and therefore supports any type of medium (CDs, minidisc, DVCR video tapes, DAT tapes, 8 mm tapes, etc.) in any combination (a changer can have CDs and DVDs installed, etc.). The model of the present invention carries improvements to the AV / C protocol for content navigation and selection, providing both a detailed abstraction and a general abstraction of content discovery and content description, and allowing a range of controllers (from very simple to very complex) make use of its features. In addition, the present invention includes support for reporting and status warning mechanisms in such a way that controllers are aware of what is happening inside the device, thus keeping the user informed. NOTATION AND NOMENCLATURE Some portions of the detailed descriptions that follow are presented in terms of procedures, steps, logical blocks, processing, and other symbolic representations of operations on data bits within a computer memory. These descriptions and representations are the means employed by those skilled in the art of the processing art to more effectively provide the substance of their work to other experts in the art. A procedure, step executed by computer, logical block, process, etc., is conceived here, in general, as self-consistent sequences of steps or instructions that lead to a desired result. The steps are those that require physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, but not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and manipulated in a different way in a computer system. It has been found convenient sometimes, mainly for reasons of common use, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like. It must be kept in mind, however, that all these Similar terms and terms must relate to the appropriate physical quantities and are simply convenient terms applied to these quantities. Unless otherwise specified, as is apparent from the following comments, it will be noted that in the present invention, comments employing the terms "processing", "calculation", "displacement", "exemplification", "determination" , "visualization", "recognition", or the like, refer to the action and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the registers and memories of the computer system in other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the records or memories of computer systems or other devices for storing, transmitting or displaying information of this type. COMPUTER SYSTEM ENVIRONMENT With reference to Figure 1A, a computer system 112 is illustrated. In the following comments on the present invention, certain processes and steps are commented which are carried out, in a modality, as a series of instructions (for example, example, programmatic) that are within readable memory units in system computer 112 and executed by system processors 112.

When executed, the instructions cause the computer system 112 to perform specific actions and present specific behavior described in detail below. In general, a computer system 112 employed by the present invention comprises an address / data bus 100 for communicating information, one or more central processors 101 connected to bus 100 for processing information and instructions, a volatile computer readable memory unit 102 (e.g., random access memory, static RAM, dynamic RAM, etc.) connected to bus 100 to store information and instructions for central processor (s) 101, a computer-readable non-volatile memory unit ( for example, read-only memory, programmable ROM, flash memory, EPROM, EEPROM, etc.) connected to a bus 100 for storing static information and instructions for central processor (s) 101. System 112 may optionally include a storage device for readable data in mass storage computer 104, such as a magnetic disk or an optical disk and disk drive with bus 100, to store information and instructions. Optionally, a system 112 may include a display device 105 connected to the bus 100 to display information for the user of the computer, a device alphanumeric input 106 including alphanumeric keys and function keys connected to bus 100 for communicating information and command selections to central processor (s) 101, a cursor control device 107 connected to the bus to communicate a user input information and command selections to the central processor (s) 101, and a signal input / output device 108 connected to the bus 100 to communicate messages, command selections, data, etc. ., to the central processor (s) 101 or from the central processor (s) 101. Referring now to FIG. IB, a 120 AV network is shown. domestic use in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The network 120 includes 6 devices: a television 121, a receiver 122, a multi-disc DVD player 123, a CD unit 124, an upper appliance accessory 125, a video camera 126. Each of the devices 121-126 they are communicatively connected through bus links 130a to 130e according to respective IEEE 1394 to form a single network, where each device in the network can communicate with any other devices in the network (eg, in accordance with bus protocols) according to IEEE 1394 well known). While the network 120 is illustrated include the 6 devices, it is understood that the network 120 is suitable to include any number of devices, up to the limits of the particular bus technology. The serial bus according to IEEE 1394 employed by the network 120 of FIG. 1 is a high-speed bus architecture for interconnecting digital devices thus providing a universal input / output connection. The IEEE 1394 standard defines a digital interface for applications, eliminating the need for an application to convert digital data into analog data before it is transmitted over the bus. Accordingly, correspondingly, a receiving application receives digital data from the bus, not analog data, and therefore is not required to convert analog data into digital data. The cable required by the IEEE 1394 standard is very thin compared to other thicker cables used to connect such devices. Devices can be added and devices removed from a bus according to IEEE 1394 while the bus is active. If a device is added or removed in this way, the bus is automatically reconfigured to transmit data between the nodes existing at that time. A node is considered as a logical entity that has a unique address in the bus structure. Each node offers an identification ROM, a standardized set of control records and its own address space. The IEEE 1394 of network 120 of figure IB supports Isochronous data transfers of coded digital information. Isochronous data transfers are real-time transfers that are carried out in such a way that the time intervals between significant instances have the same duration in both the transmission application and the reception application. Each data packet transferred in an isochrone way is transferred in its own time period. An example of an application for data transfer in an isochronous manner is from a top device accessory 125 to a television 121. The top apparatus accessory 125 receives a video stream from a cable company and divides the current in discrete packages. The upper video accessory 125 then transfers each packet, which represents the recorded images and sounds in a limited period of time, during this period of time, for viewing through the television 121. The IEEE 1394 standard bus architecture provides multiple channels for isochronous data transfers between applications. Specifically, a six-bit channel number is issued with the data to ensure reception by the appropriate application. This allows multiple applications to simultaneously transmit isochronous data through the bus structure. Asynchronous transfers are traditionally data transfer operations that are They carry out as soon as possible and transfer a quantity of data from one source to a destination. It will be appreciated that the present invention is equally well suited for home audio-visual networks based on other well-known network or bus standards apart from IEEE 1394. Such standards include, for example, ethernet, universal serial bus, ring, and the like. , therefore, the network structure 120 according to IEEE 1394 is illustrated and described here as an exemplary bus architecture only. As described above, the present invention offers a programmatic data structure that abstracts the functionality of a service in a network and provides a standardized method and system for interacting with the device and for controlling, employing, invoking, etc., the functionality Of the device. Particularly, the present invention offers a standardized data structure for interacting with disc-based media changers (e.g., multi-disc DVD player 123) and other media changers of this type. This data structure is known here as a "model". As the name indicates, a model in accordance with the present invention abstracts the characteristics and functionality of a device, thus offering a device for interaction with the device that is independent of the type of medium and that is compatible with a wide range of "devices". of controller ", as per example receiver 122 or a top apparatus accessory 125. The device model of the present invention is exemplified within a computer system typically integrated within the device itself. A multi-disk DVD player 123 and its integrated computer system 112 are described in Figure 1C below. Figure IC shows a multi-disc DVD player 123 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. In accordance with what has been described above, a multi-disc DVD player 123 includes a computer system 112 integrated into its internal electronic components. An example within a computer system 112 is a media changer subunit model 150 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention and a disk recorder subunit model 151. Together, the models 150 and 151 represent the functionality and characteristics of multi-disk players 123. The multi-disk DVD player 123 also includes a disk changer mechanism sub-unit 160 and a disk drive mechanism sub-unit 161. A The media changer subunit 150 model provides an abstraction of the functionality and features of the disc changer mechanism 160 specifically. Through computer system 112, the functions, status, etc., of the changer mechanism are accessed and controlled. disk 160 through other programmatic modules and controllers within the network 120. Other devices in the network 120 interact with the disk changer mechanism 160 through an interaction with a media changer subunit model 150. An interface 140 according to IEEE 1394 provides a communication link to network 120 through link 130d and 130e. The 150 subunit model supports improvements to the well known AV / C protocol for navigation and content selection, offering both a detailed abstraction and a general abstraction of content discovery and description, and allowing a range of controllers (from very simple to very complex) make use of its characteristics. A media changer subunit model 150 supports report and status warning mechanisms such that the other controllers (eg, top device accessory 125) are aware of what is going on inside the device, thus keeping the user informed. . This is especially important in a distributed network environment where, for example, the upper fixture of the control apparatus 125 can be found in another room of the house. The media changer subunit model 150 supports the concept of media sets, which can be removable cartridges containing multiple disks or tapes, or any other type of removable device (for example, game cartridges, etc.). These sets can be identified and manipulated independently. Thus, it is possible to have a large number of discs, tapes, etc., in a media library and be able to access them (the number of slots in the media changer is not a limitation on the number of discs or tapes that can be supported). The media changer subunit model 150 is defined through a technical specification in which the specific implementation is left to the product manufacturer. The media changer subunit model specification of the present invention defines several data structures for describing media types (how to describe a compact disc, a DVD disc, etc.) the media content (titles of each track in a disk, duration of each track, etc.), and for reporting and status notification. These data structures can be modified in any way to include or exclude various information that may or may not be available according to the media and the capabilities integrated in the media changer subunit. The programmatic data structure of a typical media changer subunit model of the present invention (e.g., a media changer subunit model 150) and a mode of the disk changer mechanism subunit (e.g., mechanism subunit 160). disc changer) are described below. Generalities on Subunit Model, Media Changer In a typical application, a media changer subunit model of the present invention is employed to implement a media changer subunit model AV / C. As described above, an AV / C media changer subunit model in accordance with the present embodiment is an independent object of functionality separate from other reproduction mechanisms of specific media types (eg, a disk changer mechanism 160). . The AV / C media changer subunit model supports several types of media and is not limited to discs only. It will be noted that the model and data structures used for the AV / C media changer subunit model are consistent with the structures proposed for the AV / C tuner subunit. The structures and general descriptor commands (for example, commands OPEN DESCRIPTOR, READ -DESCRIPTOR, WRITER DESCRIPTOR, SELECT NUMBER OF OBJECT and identifier of subunits, objects and lists of objects) are described in the AV / C 3.0 specification. An understanding of the general AV / C improvements described above is useful for understanding the purpose of the AV / C media changer subunit, and as such, the AV / C 3.0 specification is hereby incorporated by reference as the background information Therefore, this information is not repeated here in general. As such, the specific model for AV / C media changer subunit model, structures, commands and implementation profiles are described primarily. In accordance with what is described below, it will be understood that the term "media changer subunit" refers to a media changer subunit mechanism, such as a disk changer subunit 160 of FIG. 1C. The structure of the media changer subunit model of the present invention A media changer subunit offers a storage area for one or more units. Multiple media are stored in a media changer subunit, and different types of media can be supported by a changer. In accordance with what is indicated herein, the middle term refers to a recorded medium, such as CD, MD, or videotape. The medium can be selected individually through a controller and moved to a unit to access the content of the medium. The media changer of the present invention has several spaces which are known as slots in its storage area, and each slot can contain a medium. When a medium is stored in a subunit of media changer, it is assigned a groove. It is moved from its slot assigned to a unit, and then returned to the same slot. The ability to place a medium in a unit means that the exchanger has a certain "loading position" that it displaces for the loading / unloading operation. A changer that can handle the loading and unloading of several units will have several loading positions, one for each unit. A media changer can support several media sets, and each set can be identified individually. Such assemblies are typically represented by containers for several discs, such as for example a cartridge mechanism, in which several elements are placed. The cartridge has "space" for the installation of the media; each of these spaces will correspond to a slot in the media changer subunit when the cartridge is installed. It may be possible to have several cartridges installed in a single changer. An exemplary embodiment of a media changer based on cartridges is illustrated below. Referring now to Figure 2A, a diagram 200 is shown illustrating the relationship between a media changer subunit with the units it supports, how its storage area is defined, multiple set support, and slot allocation rules. for media. As shown in the diagram 200, a first cartridge 201 and a second cartridge 202 are within the assembly of media storage 203. Cartridges 201 and 202 have both multiple slots (eg, slot 0 through slot 4) that store media, which, in the present embodiment, are discs. A diagram 200 also shows a legend 210 that illustrates the appearance of the disks when they are present in a slot and disks when they are not present in the slot but where the slot is allocated (for example, as in the case in which the which slot is assigned is currently loaded into a unit, diagram 200 also shows a first unit 230 and a second unit 231 for "reproducing" the disks, as illustrated, units 230 and 231 both have mounted disks, disk 232 and disk 233, respectively, line 250 shows the load path from which disk 232 was loaded in unit 230 from slot 0 of cartridge 201. line 251 shows the discharge path to which disc 233 will be discharged from unit 231 back to slot 0 of cartridge 202. Figure 2B shows a cartridge 201 from figure 2A without discs stored in its slots. above, the cartridge 201 of the present embodiment includes five slots, numbered slot 0 to slot 4. Each of the slots, such as slot 0, is essentially a storage assignment or a storage slot. space to store media, which, in this case, are discs. This is shown through line 201a. It will be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to operation with multi-cartridge recipients. Other types of containers, such as multi-disc carrousel type containers, can be used. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to use with only two cartridges as shown in Figure 2A. Any number of cartridges can be supported within a media changer of the present invention. In addition, each of these cartridges may include any slot number for storing media. Figure 2C shows a media changer subunit 250 based on carousel 250 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The carousel-based media changer sub-unit 250 is substantially similar to the cartridge-based media changer sub-unit shown in FIG. 2A, however, contrary to the use of cartridges for storing the disks, a carousel 251 is employed. carousel 251, similar to the cartridges (e.g., cartridge 201 of Figure 2B), includes several slots 252 for storing the disks. The carousel-based approach is advantageous due to the fact that, in typical implementations, a carousel 251 can store many more disks (eg, 200 or more).

Media changer subunit model identifier descriptor Referring now to Figure 3, a table 300 of the general subunit identifier descriptor structure of the present invention is shown. People interested in a more complete description of this structure and the meaning of the fields other than the subunit_dependent_info field are referred to the general AV / C specification document. The manufacturer_dependent_length and manufacturer_dependent_information fields are used for vendor-specific data. The format and content are defined by the manufacturer of the media changer subunit. The subunit_dependent_info_information field of table 300 is described further below. Referring now to Figure 4, a table 400 of subunit_dependent_information for a media changer subunit model of the present invention is shown. It will be noted that the subunit_dependent_information_information_field is reserved for future definition. The field capacity_of_means indicates the number of media this subunit can store. This value is the same as the number of slots in the changer. The field number of load positions shows how many units you can handle this subunit. The field [x] _of_load contains the unique ID for each of the units (or load positions). When the media changer subunit and the units are within the same unit, the value (s) of load_position must be the address (subunit_type, subunit_ID) of the units. It will be noted that the subunit address can have any number of bytes in terms of its length, depending on whether it employs the extended addressing mechanism or not. Details appear in the AV / C specification document. The subunit_type must be in the most significant bytes and the subunit_id must be in the least significant bytes of this field. When the changer has load positions that go to external locations, the assignments of position_of_load values depend on the implementation. The field number_of_types_of_ physical_media_supported shows how many physical media sizes that subunit can support. The type fields [x] _of_physical_means are a set of physical media specifications supported (as opposed to installed) that describe the physical characteristics of the medium. The types [x] _of_physical_measures of table 400 are described further below. Figure 5 shows a table 500 that presents a list of the specifications of the various types of media. According to one embodiment of the present invention, each of the physical specifications of media type (for example, the type fields [x] of_physical_means) has the general format illustrated in table 500. It will be noted that certain slots within a Changer of the present invention can support only a subset of the types of physical media supported by the entire changer. For this reason, each slot object descriptor contains a set of the indexes of the fields of type [x] _of_physical_means that represent the types of physical media supported in this slot. For more details, please see the section entitled "Slot Object Input Specified_Information", which is described below. In accordance with the present invention, the field spec_length indicates the total number of bytes for the entire media type descriptor, including the dependent part of the type. The field type_of_physical_media identifies the physical form factor of the medium that this unit can handle. The type_dependent_length field contains the number of bytes used by the type_dependent_info field. The field information_dependent_of_type contains specific information for each type of media supported by the subunit. At present, there is no type-dependent information defined for the types of media currently defined. The type_of_ physical_means of table 500 is described further below. Figure 6 shows a table 600 presenting the currently defined formation factors of the present invention. As shown in Table 600, various types of physical media are defined and categorized according to their respective form factors. Media Changer Status Descriptor The media changer status descriptor data structure provides information regarding the current state of the media changer subunit. The media changer subunit may be in different states depending on what it is currently doing, such as moving the mechanism to select a medium, wait state, error status - possibly due to a physical obstruction - or the like. In accordance with the present invention, controllers can examine the status descriptor and may require warning for status changes by using the CHANGER STATUS command. Media changer objects and object lists Referring now to FIG. 7, a table 700 of the object lists defined by the media changer subunit model of the present invention is shown.

The objects in the list of slots (slot objects) illustrated in table 700 can have daughter lists, depending on the capacity of the changer to support these lists. Daughter lists represent the content of the media in the slot. The objects in a content list will represent either audio or video tracks (or segment). In order to build the content lists, the media changer subunit model will have to work with the appropriate unit subunit to obtain the content descriptions. It will be noted that while the units can read the media in the present mode, the changer can not read them. For details on the audio or video tracks, please see the well known DISC AV / C subunit definition. In addition, for more detailed information regarding objects and object lists, it refers to the readings to the North American Patent Application "METED AND APPARATUS FOR REPRESENTING DEVICES AND AVAILABLE INFORMATION WITHIN A NETWORK OF DEVICES USIGN OBJECT LISTS AND OBJECT ENTRIES" ( Method and Apparatus for Representing Devices and Available Information Within a Device Network Using Lists of Objects and Object Inputs) filed on March 17, 1998, which is incorporated herein by reference. Figure 8 shows a table 800 of the general AV / C slot list data structure. Table 800 shows the general structure of AV / C slot list data. Those who wish to have a complete description of the general content of the list and requirements for use can review the well-known AV / C specification. It will be noted that the list_specific_information_field exists only if it is specified in the attributes field. The attribute field of table 800 is further described through table 900 below. Referring now to Figure 9, a table 900 illustrating the attributes defined for both object lists and object entries is presented. It will be noted that some of the attributes illustrated in table 900 are common to more than one type of descriptor, while other attributes are unique to one type or another (for example, in accordance with the description of the attribute). For example, the attribute has_child_ID and the attribute tijene = object_ID are valid only for the object input descriptor and the object list descriptor, respectively. Referring now to Figure 10, a table 1000 is shown illustrating the general AV / C object descriptor structure. It will be noted that the fields ID_of_list_of_children, object_ID and the input_specific_information field exist only if these fields are specified in the attribute field. Objects are unique in pass in their fields of input_type and information_specifica_de_entrada. The content of the list_specific information field for each of the media changer subunit model objects are discussed below, along with the definition of the corresponding objects for these lists. List of slots and slot objects The list of slots contains information regarding the media set in the slots of the media changer subunit. There are no considerations or requirements regarding the type of media contained in a changer. Thus, for example, each slot must contain a different type of media. Therefore, one of the most significant attributes of the list of slots is the fact that it does not contain any information derived from the media content. All information within the list of slots and slot objects is derived by the media changer subunit model or is provided by the user. Figure 11 shows a table 1100 illustrating a slots list information field from Table 800 in Figure 8. As shown in Table 1100, the list_specific_information_length field specifies the number of bytes used for the list_specific information field. The field of information attributes specific to the slot list is reserved for future definition. The last_date field indicates the time stamp when the list was modified for the last time. If the most significant bit of the last_update field is one, the value of the last_update contains a 27-bit counter that is incremented with each modification of the object list (the LSB of this counter is in a direction offset 03? 6 ). If the msb is zero, the last_update field contains a time stamp. This field is shown in more detail in Table 1200 below. Still with reference to table 1100 of FIG. 11, the field slots_vacities is a bit mask indicating whether the slot associated with each bit contains a medium or not. A bit set to one means that there is a medium in the slot. The controller can examine this field in order to quickly determine which slots are occupied and which slots are empty. This allows the controller to efficiently examine the list structure of slots and not worry about reading the entries of empty slots. The field of slots_vaccines is illustrated in more detail in Table 1300 below. The ID_of_list_list field contains the ID value of this list of slots. This field can be used to assign a unique ID to several media sets, where a set can be found in a removable cartridge. Each cartridge will receive an ID value to help identify individual media within a given set. The field length_of_name_of_list_of_slot contains the number of bytes that is used by the field name_of_list_of_slot. The field name_of_list_of_slot contains the name of the list of slots, which will normally be assigned by the user. The content of this field should be able to be printed in ASCII text in English in accordance with the definition in the IEEE 1212 standard, section 8.1.4 of the 1994-10-05 edition. Each text character is a byte. Figure 12 shows a table 1200 illustrating the last_update field. In accordance with what has been described above, the last_update field indicates the time stamp when it is ready was modified for the last time. The bit of the year in table 1200 is 1 when the year is odd and 0 when the year is even. This allows the time stamp mechanism to cover a period of two years. The time stamp reader can examine the current year and calendar year bit (for example, which is assumed to be available elsewhere to determine whether the time stamp represents a change in the current or previous year. Now to Figure 13, a table 1300 is shown illustrating the format of the field of slots_vaccines. described above, the empty_slot field in table 1100 is a bitmask that indicates whether the slot associated with each bit contains a medium or not. The value N is the number of slots, whose value can be found in the field number_of_sears of the slot list descriptor. The size, in bytes, of the void_slot field will be determined, therefore, by the capacity of the media changer subunit. The remaining bits that do not represent valid slots must be set to 0. It will be noted that the field slots_values indicates which slots have received a medium, but does not indicate whether the assigned medium currently occupies the slot or is in a unit. The slots to which a medium was assigned may now be empty due to the fact that the medium is in one unit. In this case, the slot is not available to receive a different medium. The input_specific_ attributes field of the appropriate slot descriptor [x] determines whether a slot is occupied or not. Input Specification of Slot Objects With reference now to FIG. 14, a table 1400 is shown illustrating the entry_specific information field in the slot object list descriptor. In accordance with the present invention, the field number_of_slot in the descriptor of List of slot objects contains the number of slots in the changer. It also represents the number of objects in the slot list due to the fact that, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, there is only one slot object for each slot. The slot fields [x] each represent a slot. With reference still to table 1400 of figure 14, the input_specific_information_size field indicates the number of bytes that are used for the input_specific information field. The input_specific_ attributes field contains a set of bit markers that this entry describes. The markers are described in more detail in Table 1500 below. If the present attribute is zero, then the changer must set the valid attribute bit of form to zero as well. The field format_of_media_installed defines the format of the information in the media installed in the slot. This information must be obtained from a unit subunit, since the medium changer subunit does not have the ability to read the medium. If the valid attribute_to_format bit is clear, this field must be ignored by the controller. The values defined for medium_developed_format depend on the media type. The disc media definitions of the present invention are defined in table 1600 below. The field of installed_physical_medium_type is the index of a type descriptor [x] _of_middle_of_physics, as defined in the media changer subunit model identifier descriptor that begins on page 6. If no medium is present in this slot, then the value in this field must be ignored by a controller. The number_of_types_of_ physical_supported_fields contains the number of different sizes of physical media that can be supported by this slot. The type [x] fields of supported physical media are indexes of descriptors of type [x] _of_physical_means, in accordance with what is defined above for the field type_of_physical_means_installed. The load_position is the ID of the load position to which the medium was loaded. While the medium is present in the slot, the value in the field of position_of_load must be ignored by the controller. Figure 15 shows a table 1500 representing the definitions of markers in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. In accordance with what is described above, the input_specific_ attributes field in table 1400 contains a set of bit markers that describe this entry. Table 1500 shows the meaning of these markers.

Figure 16 shows a table 1600 illustrating the definitions of disk media in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. As described above, the values defined for the field_of_media_installed in table 1400 depend on the media type, as shown in table 1600. For example, a DVD movie disc would have the value 0501? 6. Content lists and content objects The contents lists of the present invention are daughter lists of the slot objects. Each slot object represents a medium (if a media is installed in the slot). The daughter lists of the medium represent the content of each medium. In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the media changer subunit model does not have a specific knowledge of the content descriptions. Gets the information for content descriptions from the unit subunit that supports the medium in the slot. For additional descriptions of the content description structures, see the appropriate specification (disk subunit or VCR). Each unit subunit will define its own data structures for content description, and the lists of appropriate objects and appropriate values of type_of_list. Since the subunits define these structures in a way Independently, it is possible that the two different subunit types define the same list_type value for lists with very different contents, since the media changer subunit model obtains its content lists from different units, it is possible that the list_type values for the lists maintained by the exchanger they come into conflict with each other. The controller must examine the field of format_of_media_set of object descriptor to determine the format and definition of the hierarchy of content list that descends from a slot object. Preset lists and preset objects In accordance with the present invention, it should be noted that the exchanger subunit can support any number of user pre-set lists. Each entry in the preset list specifies enough information to allow the selection of any track or segment in any medium. The specification explains the removable cartridges, so that the preset can refer to any element in an AV library even if it has not been installed concurrently in the changer (obviously, the user will have to install the element in order to select from el). Media changer subunit model commands Referring now to Figure 17, a table 1700 of media changer subunit model commands is shown. Each of the commands illustrated in Table 1700 represents basic commands for controlling the media changer subunit (for example, import media, export media, load media, and download media). Each of the commands is described separately in the following tables. Figure 18 shows a table 1800 illustrating the IMPORT MIDDLE command. The MIDDLE IMPORT control command is used to place a media in a media changer subunit. If the changer supports cartridges, then the IMPORT MIDDLE command will affect the cartridge that contains this slot. The number_of_range field specifies which slot the new media will receive. If there is already a medium assigned to this slot, the command MUST REJECT. In order to change the media allocation of a slot, it is necessary to first EXPORT the assigned media concurrently and then IMPORT the new media. If there is a removable cartridge inserted in the media changer subunit containing this slot, then the cartridge must be ejected in such a way that the user can install the new media if the slot is free to receive a medium. If the cartridge has one or more media coming from other spaces installed in a unit, then the media changer subunit can REJECT the command, or you can ACCEPT the command. With reference still to table 1800 of figure 18, if the subunit accepts the command, then it must be aware of the following: it is possible that the cartridge has a medium assigned to each of these spaces, but one or more of these elements It was installed in a unit. When the cartridge is ejected, there may be several open spaces that can receive a medium. If the user installs a new media in a space corresponding to a slot with an assigned media and then reinsertes the cartridge, the cartridge must be ejected and the command must be REJECTED. If the cartridge ejection is a manual operation that requires the user's action, then the rules should continue to be used regarding the acceptance or rejection of the commands. The status field must be set to FF? 6 upon entering. In the response box (either ACCEPTED or REJECTED), this field must be updated with the appropriate status response. These status responses are defined in table 1900 below. Figure 19 shows a table 1900 with the various types of responses of the response state. In accordance with what is described above, the returned state of table 1900 is returned in accordance with the "ACCEPTED" responses or "REJECTED" . Referring now to Figure 20, a table 2000 is shown illustrating the EXPORT MEDIA control command from Table 1700. The EXPORT MEDIUM control command is used to remove a media from a media changer subunit. Figure 21 shows a table 2100 illustrating the LOAD MEDIUM control command from Table 1700 above. The LOAD MEDIUM control command is used to set the medium from the slot to the unit. Figure 22 shows a table 2200 illustrating a DOWNLOAD MEDIA control command from Table 1700 above. The control command DECARGAR MEDIO is used to return the AV for home use, in accordance with what is described above, is based on protocols according to IEEE 1394.

Process 2300 begins at step 2301 where a media changer subunit model in accordance with the present invention is accessed through a communication link according to IEEE 1394. In accordance with what is described above, a typical household AV network (for example, a network 120 of FIG. IB) includes several AB devices connected to communication links according to IEEE 1394. The communication links allow communication of the various devices, allowing them to exchange status information, commands, and the like. In accordance with what has been described above, the media changer subunit model offers a programmatic abstraction of the set of functionality and characteristics of a media changer subunit (eg, a subunit 160 of the disc changer mechanism of FIG. ), thus offering other devices in the network (for example, controllers, etc.) with a standardized method to access and use the medium changer subunit. The media changer subunit model can be accessed through its communication link according to IEEE 1394. In step 2302, an external controller requests the state and content of the media changer subunit model in order to obtain information in As for the media stored there. In accordance with what is described above, the media changer subunit includes a device for store several individual media, which, in this embodiment, are discs (eg, DVD discs, CDs, CD-ROMs or the like). The media changer subunit model maintains several tables that catalog the status (eg, titles, content, etc.) of the various disks stored within the disk changer mechanism subunit. This information is obtained through external devices by requesting the media changer subunit model. In step 2303, the particular external controller manipulates a selected disk stored in the disk changer mechanism subunit by communicating an appropriate command to the media changer model through the communication link according to IEEE 1394. Then, in the He passed 2304, the state of the media changer subunit model is updated to reflect the new state of the disk changer mechanism subunit and the media stored there (eg, disks). Then, in step 2305, this updated status is sent to the particular external controller (e.g., upper fixture 125 of FIG. IB, receiver 122, or the like) through the communication link according to IEEE 1394 by the media changer subunit. Referring now to Figure 24, a process 2400 is illustrated in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, as in the case of process 2300 of Figure 23, The 2400 process is an exemplary interface process between a media and device changer subunit in an IEEE 1394-based home network. However, the 2400 process shows the steps involved in updating a subunit model. media changer as a new media is added to the disk changer mechanism subunit. In step 2401, a user loads a new medium (e.g., a disk) into an available slot of the disk changer mechanism subunit of a multi-disk media player. In step 2402, the medium (for example, the disk) is accessed using a media changer subunit model to determine the characteristics of the new medium. In accordance with what has been described above, the media changer subunit model is connected to the disk reproduction mechanism subunit to determine the characteristics of the new disk. Said features include, for example, the disc title, the number of volumes on the disc, the titles of each of the volumes, and the like. In step 2403, in accordance with what is described above, the media changer subunit model is updated to include the characteristics of the new media. In this way, the media subunit model maintains the accuracy of its catalog of the various stored media.

Subsequently, in step 2404, the media changer subunit model sends an updated status to the other interested devices (e.g., controller devices such as, for example, a top accessory 125). This updated status appropriately reflects the addition of the new medium added by the user. Thus, the present invention offers a model that is independent of the type of medium and therefore supports any type of medium (CD's, minidisc, DVCR video tapes, DAT tapes, 8 mm tapes, etc.) in any combination (a changer) you can have CD and DVD discs, etc.). The model of the present invention supports improvements to the AV / C protocol for navigation and content selection, providing both a detailed abstraction and a general abstraction of the discovery and description of content, and allowing a range of controllers (from very simple to very complex) make use of their characteristics. In addition, the present invention includes support for reporting and status warning mechanisms in such a way that the controllers are aware of what is occurring within the device, and therefore keep the user informed. The above descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not meant to be complete or limit the invention to the precise forms presented, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible taking into account the previous teaching. The modalities were chosen and described in order to better explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, thus allowing other persons skilled in the art to use the invention and several modalities with various modifications as appropriate for the particular use contemplated. The scope of the present invention is defined by means of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims (1)

1. CLAIMS A system for accessing a changer mechanism of a media player, comprising: a media player for storing several elements; a changer mechanism having several slots for storing the various elements, and configured to reproduce any of the various elements; a computer system connected to the changer mechanism, and having a processor connected to a memory; and a programmatic-based media changer model for execution within the computer system and comprising a computer-readable code that when executed by the processor causes the computer system to perform a method to access the mechanism of the computer. Changer, the method comprises the steps of: creating a connection with the various devices connected to the multi-element media player through a communication link according to IEEE 1394 of a network complying with IEEE 1394; and provide a set of standardized commands for the changer mechanism to provide a set of standardized commands that allow multiple devices to access the changer mechanism in such a way that various devices can access to any of the various elements. The system according to claim 1, wherein: the system is in an audiovisual network for home use that includes a plurality of devices connected through a bus according to IEEE 1394; the changer mechanism is a media changer mechanism, the media player is a multi-element media player, the elements are media where the media player reproduces any of the various media; and the changer mechanism is a media changer mechanism within the multi-element media player. The system according to claim 1 or according to claim 2, wherein the player is a disk-based multiple element media player and wherein the plurality of elements are a plurality of discs. The system of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the player includes at least one unit connected to the changer mechanism, the unit is configured to accept and reproduce one of the various elements, an element loaded by the changer mechanism. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system is in an audiovisual network of use based on IEEE 1394 that includes a plurality of devices connected through communication links according to IEEE 1394 respectively, the system is a system independent of the type of medium to access the changer mechanism that is a disc changer mechanism for the media player that is a multi-disc player connected to the network; in such a way that the media player for storing several elements is a multi-disc player and the elements are discs, where the changer mechanism is a disc changer mechanism, the system further comprises: a disc unit connected to the mechanism of disc changer to play the discs, the disc unit is configured to accept discs as loaded by the disc changer mechanism, the computer system is inside the multi disc player, and connected to the disc changer mechanism and the disk unit. The system according to claim 1 or according to claim 5, wherein the media changer model is connected to the various devices using AV / C protocols, the standardized command set is an extension of the AV / C protocols. . The system according to claim 6 wherein the computer system further carries out the step of providing improvements to the AV / C protocols for navigation and content selection for the various elements in order to provide a detailed abstraction and an abstraction of the content discovery functionality of the changer mechanism. The system according to claim 1 or according to claim 5, wherein the changer mechanism includes at least one removable multiple element cartridge to contain the various elements. The system according to claim 5 wherein the media changer model includes a media changer identifier programmatic data structure that describes the characteristics and capabilities of the disc changer mechanism. . The system according to claim 5 wherein the media changer model includes a programmer data structure of media changer status descriptor that describes a current state of the disc changer mechanism. The system according to claim 5 wherein the media changer model includes a programmatic data structure of object list for tracking the contents of the disk changer mechanism. 12. The system according to claim 5 wherein the media changer model includes programmatic data structures of commands to control the function of the disk changer mechanism. 13. A method for independent access of the type of a disc changer mechanism of a multi-disc player connected to the network, in a home-use audiovisual network based on IEEE 1394 that includes a plurality of devices connected through communication links according to IEEE 1394 respectively, the method comprises the steps of: storing a plurality of discs in a disc changer mechanism of a multi-disc player; To play one of several discs using a disc drive connected to the disc changer mechanism, the disc unit is configured to accept discs as loaded by the disc changer mechanism; connecting a plurality of devices connected to the multi-disc player through a communication link according to IEEE 1394 of the network based on IEEE 1394 by employing a computer system of the multi-disc player, the computer system has a processor connected to a memory to execute a programmatic-based media changer model, the media changer model comprises a code computer readable which, when executed by the processor, causes the computer system to perform the steps of: providing a standardized set of commands for the disk changer mechanism to provide a set of standardized commands that allows the various devices have access to the disc changer mechanism in such a way that the various devices can access any of the various discs; and connecting the disc changer mechanism with the plurality of devices through the use of AV / C protocols, the standardized set of commands is an extension of the AV / C protocols. The method according to claim 13 wherein the computer system further carries out the step of providing improvements to the AV / C protocols for browsing and content selection for the various disks providing a detailed abstraction and a general abstraction of the content discovery functionality of the disk changer mechanism. The method according to claim 13 wherein the disc changer mechanism includes at least one removable multi-disk cartridge to hold the plurality of disks. The method according to claim 13 wherein the disc changer mechanism includes a carousel to hold the various discs. . The method according to claim 13 wherein the media changer model includes a media changer identifier programmatic data structure which describes the characteristics and capabilities of the disc changer mechanism. The method according to claim 13 wherein the media changer model includes a programmer data structure of media changer status descriptor which describes a current state of the disc changer mechanism. The method according to claim 13 wherein the media changer model includes a programmatic data structure of object list for tracking the contents of the disk changer mechanism. The method according to claim 13 wherein the media changer model includes programmatic data structures of commands to control the function of the disk changer mechanism. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In an originating audiovisual network that includes several devices connected through a bus according to IEEE 1394, a system is presented to have access to a media change mechanism of a media player. multiple The multi-media media player stores several media elements and can play the various media elements. A media change mechanism that "has a plurality of slots for storing the plurality of media elements is included within the multi-media media player." A computer system is integrated into the multi-media media player. program-based media changer is carried out in the computer system, and in turn causes the computer system to implement a method to access the media changer mechanism. In this way, the computer system is connected to various devices connected to the multi-media media player via a communication link according to IEEE 1394 of an IEEE 1394-based network and provides a set of standardized commands for the changer mechanism medium. The media changer model offers a set of standardized commands that allow multiple devices on the network to access the media changer mechanism and access to all the media stored there,