1. An audio signal transmitting apparatus adapted to communicate with a plurality of external connection apparatuses and transmit audio signals to the plurality of external connection apparatuses, comprising:
an external output unit to output the audio signal to the outside;
an audio signal transmitting unit to transmit the audio signal to the plurality of external connection apparatus being in a communicable state; and
an audio output control unit to perform, when headphone information representing validity of a headphone function that outputs the audio signal though headphones is received from at least one of the external connection apparatuses which receive the audio signals, control to stop an output by the external output unit.
2. The audio signal transmitting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the audio output control unit is further adapted to perform control to stop an external output of an audio signal received by the at least one of the external connection apparatuses.
3. The audio signal transmitting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the audio output control unit, when a second external connection apparatus other than the at least one of the external connection apparatuses is in a communicable state, performs control to stop an external output of the audio signal received by the second external connection apparatus.
4. The audio signal transmitting apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the audio output control unit is further adapted to perform control to make the headphone function of the second external connection apparatus valid.
5. The audio signal transmitting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the audio output control unit further performs control to make the headphone function of the audio signal transmitting apparatus valid.
6. The audio signal transmitting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising;
a channel mapping information generating unit to change, when the headphone information is received from the at least one of the external connection apparatuses, channel mapping information representing each of types of the audio signals transmitted through a plurality of channels into information including a type of the audio signal which can be output from an external connection apparatus having a valid headphone function, wherein the audio signal transmitting unit transmits the audio signals to the external connection apparatuses through the plurality of channels.
7. The audio signal transmitting apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a channel mapping information providing unit to provide the channel mapping information changed by the channel mapping information generating unit to at least the at least one of the external connection apparatuses which transmits the headphone information.
8. The audio signal transmitting apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the audio output control unit controls the external connection apparatus which acquires the changed channel mapping information from the channel mapping information providing unit to stop an external output of the audio signal received by the at least one of the external connection apparatuses.
9. The audio signal transmitting apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the audio output control unit controls at least a second external connection apparatus which does not acquire the changed channel mapping information from the channel mapping information providing unit to maintain an external output of the audio signal received by the external connection apparatus.
10. The audio signal transmitting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
an output permissionnonpermission determining unit o determine, when the headphone information is received from the at least one of the eternal connection apparatuses, whether an external output of the audio signal is to be stopped with respect to each of the plurality of external connection apparatuses which can communicate with the audio signal transmitting apparatus on the basis of a type of an audio signal which can be output by the at least one of the external connection apparatuses; and
a mute signal transmitting unit to transmit a mute signal which directs the at least one of the external connection apparatus apparatuses to stop an external output of the audio signal depending on a determination of the output permissionnonpermission determining unit, wherein the audio output control unit
controls the mute signal transmitting unit to transmit the mute signal to the at least one of the external connection apparatuses in which it is determined by the output permissionnonpermission determining unit that the external output of the audio signal is to be stopped, and
controls the mute signal transmitting unit not to transmit the mute signal to a second external connection apparatus for which it is determined by the output
permissionnonpermission determining unit that the external output of the audio signal does not need to be stopped.
11. The audio signal transmitting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising;
a mute signal transmitting unit to transmit a mute signal which directs the at least one of the external connection apparatuses to stop an external output of the audio signal, and wherein
the audio signal transmitting unit transmits the audio signals to the external connection apparatuses through a plurality of channels, and
the audio output control unit controls the mute signal transmitting unit to transmit the mute signal to a particular external connection apparatus which externally outputs the audio signal transmitted through a specific channel of the plurality of channels.
12. The audio signal transmitting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising
a connection state management unit to determine, when headphone cancellation information representing that the headphone function is canceled is received, the presenceabsence of the at least one of the external connection apparatuses having the valid headphone function, and wherein the audio output control unit
performs control to maintain a stop state of an output by the external output unit when the connection state management unit determines that the at least one of the external connection apparatuses having the valid headphone function is present, and
performs control to restart the output by the external output unit when the connection state management unit determines that the at least one of the external connection apparatuses having the valid headphone function is absent.
13. The audio signal transmitting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the audio signal transmitting unit transmits the audio signals to the plurality of external connection apparatuses through the plurality of channels, and
the audio signal transmitting apparatus and the external connection apparatuses output the audio signals transmitted through the different channels corresponding to the same contents.
14. The audio signal transmitting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the audio signal transmitting apparatus can wirelessly communicate with the plurality of external connection apparatuses.
15. An audio signal receiving apparatus adapted to communicate with a plurality of external connection apparatuses and output audio signals received from the external connection apparatuses, comprising:
an audio signal receiving unit to receive the audio signal from an external connection apparatus being in a communicable state; and
a headphone information transmitting unit to transmit, when a headphone function that outputs the audio signal by headphones is valid, headphone information representing validity of the headphone function to the external connection apparatus.
16. The audio signal receiving apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising:
a headphone output unit to output the audio signals received by the audio signal receiving unit by the headphones;
a channel mapping information acquiring unit to acquire channel mapping information representing types of the audio signals transmitted through a plurality of channels from the external connection apparatus;
an output permissionnonpermission determining unit to determine whether the audio signals received by the audio signal receiving unit include an audio signal for headphone output serving as a type of the audio signal which can be output from the headphone output unit on the basis of the acquired channel mapping information; and
an audio output control unit to control, when the headphone function is valid and when the output permissionnonpermission determining unit determines that the audio signal for headphone output is included, to output the audio signal for headphone output to the headphone output unit.
17. The audio signal receiving apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising;
an external output unit to output the audio signal received by the audio signal receiving unit to the outside, and wherein
the output permissionnonpermission determining unit further determines whether the audio signal received by the audio signal receiving unit includes an audio signal for external output serving as the type of the audio signal which can be output by the external output unit on the basis of the acquired channel mapping information, and
the audio output control unit performs control to stop an output by the external output unit when the output permissionnonpermission determining unit determines that the audio signal for external output is not included and when the headphone function is valid.
18. An audio signal transmission system which includes an audio signal transmitting apparatus adapted to transmit an audio signal to an external connection apparatus, and an audio signal receiving apparatus adapted to output the audio signal received from the audio signal transmitting apparatus, wherein the audio signal transmitting apparatus comprises:
an external output unit to output the audio signal to the outside;
an audio signal transmitting unit to transmit the audio signal to the plurality of audio signal receiving apparatus being in a communicable state; and
an audio output control unit to perform, when headphone information representing validty of a headphone function that outputs the audio signal by headphones is received from at least one of the audio signal receiving apparatuses which receive the audio signals, control to stop an output by the external output unit, and wherein the audio signal receiving apparatus includes:
an audio signal receiving unit to receive the audio signal from the audio signal transmitting apparatus being in a communicable state; and
a headphone information transmitting unit to transmit the headphone information to the audio signal transmitting apparatus.
19. An audio signal transmission method in an audio signal transmission system including an audio signal transmitting apparatus adapted to transmits an audio signal to an external connection apparatus and an audio signal receiving apparatus adapted to outputs the audio signal received from the audio signal transmitting apparatus, comprising:
causing the audio signal transmitting apparatus to transmit the audio signal to the audio signal receiving apparatus;
causing the audio signal receiving apparatus to receive the audio signal from the audio signal transmitting apparatus;
causing the audio signal receiving apparatus which receives the audio signal to transmit headphone information representing validity of a headphone function to the audio signal transmitting apparatus, when the headphone function that outputs the audio signal by headphones is valid; and
causing the audio signal transmitting apparatus to stop an external output of the audio signal by the audio signal transmitting apparatus when the headphone information is received from at least one of the audio signal receiving apparatuses.
20. A program which is executed in an audio signal transmitting apparatus adapted to communicate with a plurality of external connection apparatuses and which transmits audio signals to the external connection apparatuses, causing a computer to realize:
an audio output function that outputs the audio signal to the outside;
an audio signal transmitting function that transmits the audio signal to the an external connection apparatus being in a communicable state; and
an audio output control function that performs, when headphone information representing validity of a headphone function that outputs the audio signal by headphones is received from at least one of the external connection apparatuses which receive the audio signals, control to stop an output by the audio output function.
21. A program executed in the audio signal receiving apparatus adapted to communicate with a plurality of external connection apparatuses and outputs the audio signals received from the external connection apparatuses, causing a computer to realize:
an audio signal receiving function that receives the audio signal from the audio signal transmitting apparatus being in a communicable state; and
a headphone information transmitting function that transmits headphone information representing a validity of a headphone function that outputs the audio signal by headphones to the audio signal transmitting apparatus.
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 band allocation method adapted to a communication system in which a plurality of nodes and a managing apparatus are coupled via a network and each node requests a transfer band with respect to the managing apparatus, comprising the steps of:
(a) sending tolerable values of a transfer rate and a compression rate from each node to the managing apparatus at a time of a resetting;
(b) sending a transfer rate and a compression rate that are to be actually used from each node to the managing apparatus when making a request for a transfer band after the resetting;
(c) detecting a node that cannot secure the transfer band and calculating a lacking bandwidth, in the managing apparatus, with respect to the request for the transfer band;
(d) detecting a node that can reduce a transfer band thereof and specifying a transfer rate and a compression rate with respect to the node that can reduce the transfer band thereof, in the managing apparatus, based on the tolerable values of the transfer rate and the compression rate of each node and the transfer rate and the compression rate included in the request for the transfer band; and
(e) specifying the transfer band, the transfer rate and the compression rate as requested by the request for the transfer band, in the managing apparatus, with respect to the node that cannot secure the transfer band.
2. The band allocation method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:
the communication system is in conformance with the IEEE1394 communication standard;
the managing apparatus is formed by an Isochronous Resource Manager (IRM); and
the tolerable values of the transfer rate and the compression rate sent from each node to the IRM at the time of the resetting are set in a reserve (rsv) field of a Self-ID packet that is sent to the IRM.
3. The band allocation method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the transfer rate and the compression rate that are to be actually used, sent from each node to the IRM when making the request for the transfer band after the resetting, are set in parameters of bandwidth requirement included in an asynchronous packet that is sent to the IRM.
4. The band allocation method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said step (d) is carried out in the managing apparatus based on a comparison of the tolerable values of the transfer rate and the compression rate of each node with the transfer rate an the compression rate included in the request for the transfer band.
5. A communication control unit for a node which requests a transfer band with respect to a managing apparatus that is coupled to the node via a network, comprising:
a part configured to send tolerable values of a transfer rate and a compression rate to the managing apparatus at a time of a resetting;
a part configured to send a transfer rate and a compression rate that are to be actually used to the managing apparatus, when making a request for the transfer band after the resetting; and
a part configured to set the transfer band, the transfer rate and the compression rate to a transfer band, a transfer rate and a compression rate that are specified from the managing apparatus.
6. The communication control unit as claimed in claim 5, wherein the transfer band, the transfer rate and the compression rate that are specified from the managing apparatus are the transfer band, the transfer rate and the compression rate as requested by the request for the transfer band, if the node cannot secure the transfer band with respect to the request for the transfer band.
7. The communication control unit as claimed in claim 5, wherein:
the node is in conformance with the IEEE1394 communication standard;
the managing apparatus is formed by an Isochronous Resource Manager (IRM); and
the tolerable values of the transfer rate and the compression rate sent to the IRM at the time of the resetting are set in a reserve (rsv) field of a Self-ID packet that is sent to the IRM.
8. The communication control unit as claimed in claim 7, wherein the transfer rate and the compression rate that are to be actually used, sent to the IRM when making the request for the transfer band after the resetting, are set in parameters of bandwidth requirement included in an asynchronous packet that is sent to the IRM.
9. A communication apparatus comprising:
a communication control unit for a node which requests a transfer band with respect to a managing apparatus that is coupled to the node via a network,
said communication control unit comprising:
a part configured to send tolerable values of a transfer rate and a compression rate to the managing apparatus at a time of a resetting;
a part configured to send a transfer rate and a compression rate that are to be actually used to the managing apparatus, when making a request for the transfer band after the resetting; and
a part configured to set the transfer band, the transfer rate and the compression rate to a transfer band, a transfer rate and a compression rate that are specified from the managing apparatus; and
a host unit, coupled to the communication control unit, and installed with a software configured to control sending of an asynchronous packet that declares the transfer rate and the compression rate that are to be actually used when making the request for the transfer band after the resetting.
10. A communication control unit for a managing apparatus which receives a request for a transfer band from a plurality of nodes that are coupled to the managing apparatus via a network, comprising:
a part configured to store tolerable values of a transfer rate and a compression rate received from each node at a time of a resetting;
a part configured to receive a transfer rate and a compression rate that are to be actually used from each node, after the resetting;
a part configured to detect a node that cannot secure a transfer band and to calculate a lacking bandwidth, with respect to a request for the transfer band;
a part configured to detecting a node that can reduce a transfer band thereof and to specify a transfer rate and a compression rate with respect to the node that can reduce the transfer band thereof, based on the tolerable values of the transfer rate and the compression rate of each node and the transfer rate and the compression rate included in the request for the transfer band; and
a part configured to specify the transfer band, the transfer rate and the compression rate as requested by the request for the transfer band, with respect to the node that cannot secure the transfer band.
11. The communication control unit as claimed in claim 10, which is in conformance with the IEEE1394 communication standard, and wherein the tolerable values of the transfer rate and the compression rate received from each node at the time of the resetting are set in a reserve (rsv) field of a Self-ID packet that is sent to the IRM.
12. The communication control unit as claimed in claim 11, wherein the transfer rate and the compression rate that are to be actually used, received from each node after the resetting, are set in parameters of bandwidth requirement included in an asynchronous packet that is received from each node.
13. A communication apparatus comprising:
a communication control unit for a managing apparatus which receives a request for a transfer band from a plurality of nodes that are coupled to the managing apparatus via a network,
said communication control unit comprising:
a part configured to store tolerable values of a transfer rate and a compression rate received from each node at a time of a resetting;
a part configured to receive a transfer rate and a compression rate that are to be actually used from each node, after the resetting;
a part configured to detect a node that cannot secure a transfer band and to calculate a lacking bandwidth, with respect to a request for the transfer band;
a part configured to detecting a node that can reduce a transfer band thereof and to specify a transfer rate and a compression rate with respect to the node that can reduce the transfer band thereof, based on the tolerable values of the transfer rate and the compression rate of each node and the transfer rate and the compression rate included in the request for the transfer band; and
a part configured to specify the transfer band, the transfer rate and the compression rate as requested by the request for the transfer band, with respect to the node that cannot secure the transfer band; and
a host unit, coupled to the communication control unit, and installed with a software configured to control specifying a transfer rate and a compression rate with respect to the node that can reduce the transfer band thereof, and specifying a transfer band, a transfer rate and a compression rate with respect to the node that cannot secure the transfer band with respect to the request for the transfer band.