1. A method of detecting an extended device, applied to a multimedia playback system, the multimedia playback system comprising a system bus and a host, the system bus comprising a control bus, a plurality of video buses and a plurality of audio buses, the method comprising the steps of:
detecting an identification (ID) of the extended device through the control bus by the host;
respectively detecting the video buses to determine the video bus coupled to the extended device by the host; and
respectively detecting the audio buses to determine the audio bus coupled to the extended device.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the control bus satisfies a RS422 (Recommended Standard-422) interface specification.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the control bus satisfies an I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit) specification.
4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the extended device further comprises a switch coupled to a control wire of the control bus, the control wire is biased at a high level at first, and the step of detecting the identification comprises:
querying the extended device according to identification data by the host, wherein the identification data comprise a plurality of default identifications, wherein the host selects one of the default identifications and queries the extended device accordingly;
turning on the switch to bias the control wire at a low level by the extended device if the selected default identification is the same as the identification of the extended device; and
verifying the identification corresponding to the extended device via the host according to the control wire biased at the low level.
5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the identification of the extended device is queried by a sequential search method in the step of querying the extended device.
6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the identification of the extended device is queried by a binary search method in the step of querying the extended device.
7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the video buses satisfy one of a low voltage differential signaling (LVDS) specification, a digital visual interface (DVI) specification, a chromatic video specification, an S video specification, and a composite video specification.
8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the extended device further comprises a switch coupled to a conductive wire of the video bus, the conductive wire is biased at a high level at first, and the step of detecting the video bus comprises:
selecting one of the video buses;
selecting a default identification;
outputting a driving command, comprising the default identification, to the selected video bus, wherein the extended device receives the driving command if the extended device is electrically coupled to the selected video bus;
verifying whether or not the default identification is the identification of the extended device, and turning on the switch, if yes, to bias the conductive wire at a low level; and
verifying that the extended device is located at the selected video bus if the host detects that the conductive wire of the video bus is at the low level.
9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the conductive wire further transmits a video signal.
10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the audio buses satisfy one of an I2S (Inter-IC Sound) interface specification, a SPDIF (SonyPhilips Digital Interface Format) interface specification, and an AC\u203297 (Audio Codec\u203297) specification.
11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the extended device further comprises a switch coupled to a conductive wire of the audio bus, the conductive wire is biased at a high level at first, and the step of detecting the audio bus comprises:
selecting one of the audio buses;
outputting a driving command, comprising the default identification, to the selected audio bus, wherein the extended device receives the driving command if the extended device is electrically coupled to the selected audio bus;
verifying whether or not the default identification is the identification of the extended device, and turning on the switch, if yes, to bias the conductive wire at a low level; and
verifying that the extended device is located at the selected audio bus if the host detects that the conductive wire of the audio bus is at the low level.
12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the conductive wire further transmits an audio signal.
13. A multimedia playback system, comprising:
a system bus, which comprises:
a control bus;
a plurality of video buses; and
a plurality of audio buses;
an extended device, for outputting a video signal and an audio signal through the video bus and the audio bus electrically coupled to the extended device, respectively; and
a host, electrically coupled to the system bus, for receiving and playing the video signal and the audio signal;
wherein the host detects an identification of the extended device through the control bus, and detects the video buses and the audio buses to determine the video bus and the audio bus coupled to the extended device through the system bus, respectively.
14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the control bus satisfies a RS422 (Recommended Standard-422) interface specification.
15. The system according to claim 13, wherein the control bus satisfies an I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit) specification.
16. The system according to claim 13, wherein:
the extended device further comprises a switch coupled to a control wire of the control bus;
the host biases the control wire at a high level at first;
the host queries the extended device according to identification data, comprising a plurality of default identifications;
the host selects one of the default identifications and queries the extended device accordingly;
the extended device turns on the switch to bias the control wire at a low level if the selected default identification is the same as the identification of the extended device; and
the host verifies the identification corresponding to the extended device according to the control wire biased at the low level.
17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the host queries the default identification of the extended device by a sequential search method.
18. The system according to claim 16, wherein the host queries the default identification of the extended device by a binary search method.
19. The system according to claim 13, wherein the video buses satisfy one of a low voltage differential signaling (LVDS) specification, a digital visual interface (DVI) specification, a chromatic video specification, an S video specification, and a composite video specification.
20. The system according to claim 13, wherein:
the extended device further comprises a switch coupled to a conductive wire of the video bus;
the conductive wire is biased at a high level at first;
the host selects one of the video buses;
the host selects a driving command, comprising a default identification, and outputs the driving command to the selected video bus;
the extended device receives the driving command if the extended device is electrically coupled to the selected video bus;
the host verifies whether or not the default identification is the identification of the extended device, and turns on the switch, if yes, to bias the conductive wire at a low level; and
the host verifies that the extended device is located at the selected video bus if the host detects that the conductive wire of the video bus is at the low level.
21. The system according to claim 20, wherein the conductive wire further transmits the video signal.
22. The system according to claim 13, wherein the audio buses satisfy one of an I2S (Inter-IC Sound) interface specification, a SPDIF (SonyPhilips Digital Interface Format) interface specification, and an AC’97 (Audio Codec ’97) specification.
23. The system according to claim 13, wherein:
the extended device further comprises a switch coupled to a conductive wire of the audio bus;
the conductive wire is biased at a high level at first;
the host selects one of the audio buses and outputs a driving command, comprising a default identification, to the selected audio bus;
the extended device receives the driving command if the extended device is electrically coupled to the audio bus;
the host verifies whether or not the default identification is the identification of the extended device, and turns on the switch, if yes, to bias the conductive wire at a low level; and
the host verifies that the extended device is located at the selected audio bus if the host detects that the conductive wire of the audio bus is at the low level.
24. The system according to claim 23, wherein the conductive wire further transmits the audio signal.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A node apparatus comprising:
a first memory including a plurality of entries each defining routing information corresponding to a packet destination address;
a second memory including a plurality of entries each defining a header processing rule corresponding to each combination of a source address and a destination address of an IP packet; and
a controller for converting a received packet into an encapsulated outgoing packet according to a header processing rule defined in said second memory and for delivering the outgoing packet to an output port according to routing information defined in said first memory,
wherein each of said entries in said second memory includes flag information indicating whether or not a control packet should be sent to a node specified by a source address of a packet received in an encapsulated form, and
wherein said control packet instructing said node apparatus to change a tunneling destination of an IP packet to be sent in an encapsulated form.
2. A node apparatus comprising:
a first memory including a plurality of entries each defining routing information corresponding to a packet destination address;
a second memory including a plurality of entries each defining a header processing rule corresponding to a combination of a source address and a destination address of an IP packet; and
a controller for converting a received packet into an encapsulated outgoing packet according to a header processing rule defined in said second memory and for delivering the outgoing packet to an output port according to routing information defined in said first memory,
wherein said controller adds an entry having a new combination of a source address and a destination address to said second memory when an encapsulated packet is received from another node apparatus.
3. A node apparatus comprising:
a plurality of interface devices each having an input port and an output port; and
a routing controller coupled with each of said interface devices;
wherein said routing controller comprises:
a buffer memory for storing packets received from each of said interface devices,
a first memory including a plurality of entries each defining routing information corresponding to a packet destination address,
a second memory including a plurality of entries each defining a header processing rule corresponding to a combination of a source address and destination address of an IP packet, and
a processor for converting a received packet stored in said buffer memory into an encapsulated outgoing packet according to a header processing rule defined in said second memory and for transferring the outputting packet to an interface device selected according to routing information defined in said first memory,
wherein each of said entries in said second memory defines a header processing rule corresponding to a combination of source and destination addresses contained in a header of an IP packet,
wherein each of said header processing rules indicates a source and destination address decision rule or an address value for tunneling communication, and
wherein said processor refers to said second memory according to source and destination addresses of a received IP packet read out from said buffer memory or obtained by decapsulating a packet which is received in an encapsulated form and stored in said buffer memory, and carries out conversion form said received packet into said outgoing packet.