Electrical computers and digital data processing systems: input/ – Input/output data processing – Peripheral monitoring
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-22
2004-10-05
Gaffin, Jeffrey (Department: 2182)
Electrical computers and digital data processing systems: input/
Input/output data processing
Peripheral monitoring
C710S008000, C345S215000, C345S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06801957
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an information-outputting apparatus provided with a digital interface conforming to typically an IEEE 1394 standard and a plurality of analog input terminals or a plurality of analog interfaces and used for managing connection relations of a plurality of electronic apparatuses connected to the information-outputting apparatus, and relates to a connection-relation management method adopted in the information-outputting apparatus.
In recent years, a variety of digital contents are abundantly provided by way of communication media such as broadcasting media and the Internet as well as through recording media like a DVD (digital video disc). It is conceivably possible to widen the range of applications of such abundantly available digital contents and to well provide an environment of utilizing the digital contents wherein the user has a high degree of freedom to use the contents.
It is also conceivably possible to provide an analog interface as well as a digital interface on a monitor apparatus referred to as an AV (Audio-Visual) apparatus and a variety of electronic apparatuses such as a playback apparatus, a recording apparatus, a recording and playback apparatus and a receiving apparatus. By providing a variety of electronic apparatuses with a digital interface as described above, a digital content can be copied and played back without deteriorating its quality.
While there are a variety of digital interfaces, a digital interface conforming to the IEEE 1394 standard draws much attention. The IEEE is an acronym of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers of the US. The digital interface conforming to the IEEE 1394 standard is capable of transmitting signals such as digital video and audio signals, which must satisfy real-time requirements, at a high speed.
The digital interface conforming to the IEEE 1394 standard transmits information in the form of a series of packets. In addition, the digital interface conforming to the IEEE 1394 standard offers a high degree of freedom to connect electronic apparatuses to form a variety of connections such as a tree connection, a star connection and a daisy-chain connection.
For example, assuming a daisy-chain connection connecting a plurality of electronic apparatuses
1
,
2
,
3
,
4
and
5
each provided with a digital interface conforming to the IEEE 1394 standard as shown in
FIG. 1A
, the daisy-chain connection can be designed so that any one of the electronic apparatuses
1
,
2
,
3
,
4
and
5
is capable of transmitting an information signal such as a video signal to a destination apparatus by including information indicating the destination apparatus in a packet containing the information signal. In addition, any one of the electronic apparatuses
1
,
2
,
3
,
4
and
5
is capable of receiving a packet destined for the electronic apparatus itself but incapable of receiving a packet destined for an electronic apparatus other than the apparatus itself.
The daisy-chain connection connecting a plurality of electronic apparatuses
1
,
2
,
3
,
4
and
5
each provided with a digital interface conforming to the IEEE 1394 standard as shown in
FIG. 1A
is equivalent to a connection wherein the electronic apparatuses
1
,
2
,
3
,
4
and
5
are connected to each other by a single common digital bus
6
as shown in FIG.
1
B.
In the conventional analog connection, each electronic apparatus must have as many analog input terminals as electronic apparatuses in the connection. In the case of the electronic apparatuses
1
,
2
,
3
,
4
and
5
shown in
FIGS. 1A and 1B
, for example, the monitor apparatus
2
requires
4
analog input terminals for connecting the monitor apparatus
2
to the other
4
electronic apparatuses
1
,
3
,
4
and
5
.
In the case of a digital interface, on the other hand, it is not necessary to provide as many digital I/O terminals as connected electronic apparatuses like the analog interface described above. A plurality of electronic apparatuses are connected by using the so-called common bus allowing digital signals to be exchanged between the electronic apparatuses.
By the way, the conventional connection among electronic apparatuses, which uses both the digital and analog interfaces, was not applied to consumer AV apparatuses. In the future, however, newly started digital television broadcasting may for example coexist with the existing analog television broadcasting so that a period in which contents are presented by using analog signals along with contents presented by using digital signals conceivably continues.
For this reason, a variety of electronic apparatuses are each provided with both analog and digital interfaces. For example, the monitor apparatus
2
conceivably has 3 analog input terminals
2
a
1
,
2
a
2
and
2
a
3
in addition to 2 digital I/O terminals
2
d
1
and
2
d
2
as shown in FIG.
2
.
The monitor apparatus
2
with such terminals is connected to a digital broadcast receiver
1
known as an IRD (Intelligent Receiver Device) and a DVTR (Digital Video Tape Recorder)
3
by analog and digital signal cables each represented by a dashed line and a solid line as shown in FIG.
2
. The connection of the IRD
1
and the DVTR
3
to each other in the monitor apparatus
2
is not transparent.
For example, an electronic apparatus connected to others through a digital interface conforming to the IEEE 1394 standard communicates with the other apparatuses and knows what other apparatuses are connected to itself.
However, the monitor apparatus
2
connected to the IRD
1
and the DVTR
3
by analog signal cables through two of the analog input terminals
2
a
1
,
2
a
2
and
2
a
3
does not know which input terminal is connected to the IRD
1
and which terminal is connected to the DVTR
3
. While the person in charge of installation knows how the monitor apparatus
2
is connected to the IRD
1
and the DVTR
3
, the monitor apparatus
2
itself is not capable of recognizing the connections of the IRD
1
and the DVTR
3
.
For this reason, when the DVTR
3
supplies analog and digital signals alternately to the monitor apparatus
2
, even though the monitor apparatus
2
is capable of normally processing the digital signal received from the DVTR
3
, the monitor apparatus
2
does not process the analog signal received from the DVTR
3
unless the user deliberately selects the analog input terminal
2
a
2
to which the DVTR
3
is connected. This is because, since there are a plurality of analog input terminals, the monitor apparatus
2
is not capable of determining which analog input terminal is receiving the analog signal.
In addition, in an actual terminal-switching operation from reception of a digital signal to reception of an analog signal in which the user deliberately selects an analog input terminal to receive the analog signal, the user normally does not know which analog input signal is used for receiving the analog signal so that the terminal-switching operation cannot conceivably be carried out quickly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide an information-outputting apparatus capable of flexibly keeping up with switching from an analog signal to a digital signal supplied thereto and vice versa in an environment of coexisting analog and digital connections, and to provide a connection-relation management method adopted in the information-outputting apparatus.
An information-outputting apparatus provided by the present invention comprises: a digital I/O terminal connecting the information-outputting apparatus to a plurality of electronic apparatuses through a digital bus and allowing pieces of information each peculiar to one of the electronic apparatuses to be detected by a communication; electronic-apparatus-information-detecting means for detecting the pieces of information each peculiar to one of the electronic apparatuses connected to the digital I/O terminal; information-reporting means for reporting the pieces of information each peculiar to one of th
Kimura Yuji
Sadanaka Kazue
Gaffin Jeffrey
Sorrell Eron
LandOfFree
Information-outputting apparatus and connection-relation... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Information-outputting apparatus and connection-relation..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Information-outputting apparatus and connection-relation... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3262231