11520results about "Bus networks" patented technology

An interconnectivity scheme for a PC Theatre system includes the use of compatible plug and display connectors on both the display and the host computer. Audio/video signals received by either the display or the computer may be processed by the computer and transmitted between these devices in a standardized signal format using the compatible connectors. The control scheme for facilitating master-slave control of the display by the computer includes the use of various standardized signals and formats as well to ensure compatibility between products manufactured by different companies.

The present invention discloses a home network management system which can perform processing, conversion and transmission of data between a plurality of client devices and a plurality of home appliances. The home network management system resides in a home master device connected to at least one home appliance through a first network and connected to at least one client device through a second network separated from the first network, and is controlled by a central processing means of the home master device. The system includes a channel handling module for transmitting/receiving a first type of packet between the home master device and the home appliance, a transmission handling module for performing conversion between the first type of packet from the channel handling module and a first type of message from a service management module, and transmitting the converted packet and message, the service management module for performing conversion between the first type of message from the transmission handling module and a second type of message from a connection handling module, and transmitting the converted messages, and the connection handling module for performing conversion between a second type of extension message from the client device and the second type of message from the service management module.

A system for optimizing response time to events or representations thereof waiting in a queue has a first server having access to the queue; a software application running on the first server; and a second server accessible from the first server, the second server containing rules governing the optimization. In a preferred embodiment, the software application at least periodically accesses the queue and parses certain ones of events or tokens in the queue and compares the parsed results against rules accessed from the second server in order to determine a measure of disposal time for each parsed event wherein if the determined measure is sufficiently low for one or more of the parsed events, those one or more events are modified to a reflect a higher priority state than originally assigned enabling faster treatment of those events resulting in relief from those events to the queue system load.

Methods and systems are disclosed for setting up a universal remote control for operation with a system having devices to be controlled such as a TV, VCR, electronics appliances, wherein the devices are preferably interconnected. One method includes the steps of having the devices to be controlled provide a listing of the capabilities of each device, recognizing a single set of standard abstract feature indicators; processing said indicators; and, mapping said indicators into specific IR codes and keys according to said list of capabilities of said controlled device. One embodiment is optimized for use with a virtual remote control, wherein only icons corresponding to related capabilities is displayed on a touch screen of the virtual remote control. Such an embodiment is particularly well suited for controlling different families of function capability associated with correspondingly different entertainment devices to achieve an integrated entertainment, or task, grouping. Reduction of the icons displayed to the user perforce reduces the apparent complexity of the remote with which the devices are controlled.

In a meeting system, supplied-data which is convertible using a virtual machine is transmitted and received among a plurality of processing apparatuses interconnected via a transmission line, and meeting data is reproduced. At least two of the plurality of processing apparatuses include a meeting data reproducing apparatus respectively. At least one meeting data reproducing apparatus includes converting means including a virtual machine for converting the supplied-data into a data format which allows the meeting data to be reproduced, a communication interface unit for receiving the supplied-data from other processing apparatuses, and storage means in which a generated image is stored and which is accessible by other processing apparatuses via the communication interface unit. Each of at least one meeting data reproducing apparatus described above and another meeting data reproducing apparatus including the converting means and the communication interface unit reads part of the meeting data from the storage means and reproduces meeting data in a task-distributed fashion.

A RAM-based interrupt-driven interface device is disclosed for establishing a communication link between a universal serial bus (USB) host and a microcontroller device for providing a control function, the interface device being operative to receive digital information in the form of command, data and control packets from the host and to process the packets and communicate the processed digital information to the microcontroller device, and in response thereto, the microcontroller device being operative to communicate digital information to the interface device for processing and transfer thereof to the host. The interface device includes means for receiving a command generated by the host through a USB bus, means for storing the host-generated command and for generating an interface device interrupt signal upon storage of said host-generated command for use by the microcontroller device in responding to the host-generated command, a microcontroller bus for transferring microcontroller information and the interface device interrupt signal between the interface device and the microcontroller device. The interface device further includes means for receiving a microcontroller command from the microcontroller device in response to said interface device interrupt signal and means for storing the microcontroller command and it is operative to generate a microcontroller device interrupt signal upon storage of the microcontroller command for use by the interface device in developing an address for identification of the interface device to the host during subsequent communications therebetween, wherein during communication between the host and the interface device, the interface device-developed address is used by the interface device to identify host-provided information in the form of packets, and upon processing of the host-provided information, to provide the microcontroller device with the necessary information to allow it to respond to the host thereby allowing a generic microcontroller device to be flexibly interfaced with a USB, host for communication therebetween.

A system and method for configuring a remote control to command the operation of appliances, to capture demographic data, and to provide services, such as automated warranty registration, instructions, viewing guides, etc., relevant to the appliances is provided. The system includes a database and associated server that are located remotely from the remote control and accessible via a network connection. Command codes, graphical user interface elements, and services are accessed and downloaded to the remote control, as appropriate, using data supplied to the server that identifies the appliances and/or functional capabilities of the appliances. This data can be supplied by the appliances directly or can be obtained from other sources such as barcode labels, network devices, etc.

A transmitting side relay device comprises additional information generation means for generating additional information about the characteristics of a data stream, packet generation means for generating a packet by attaching additional information to each transfer unit and transmitting means for transmitting the packet to the third network according to prescribed procedures. A receiving side relay device comprises separation means for breaking down the received packet into additional information and a transfer unit, analysis means for analyzing the additional information, reproduction means for locating information included in a corresponding transfer unit in an appropriate position and reproducing the data stream and output means for outputting the data stream reproduced by the reproduction means to the second network.

A method for providing user interfaces in a first network including first devices interconnected via a communication medium and an interface device connecting the first network to a second network having interconnected second devices providing services. The user interfaces are for controlling the devices that are currently connected to the first network and communication with devices that are currently connected to the second network. The method includes: (a) obtaining information from first devices currently connected to the first network, the information including device information; (b) obtaining information from second devices via the interface device, about the services of second devices connected to the second network; (c) generating a user interface description in one or more of the first devices based on the obtained information. The user interface description in each first device includes: (1) a reference associated with the device information of each of the first devices, and (2) a reference associated with the service information of each of the second devices. A user interface is displayed based on each user interface description on a device connected to the first network capable of displaying a user interface, for user control of the first devices and communication with the second devices. Displaying each user interface is based on using each reference in the corresponding user interface description to access the associated information in each device; generating the user interface including device and service corresponding to each device using the accessed information in each device; and displaying the user interface.

A system and method for configuring a remote control to command the operation of appliances, to capture demographic data, and to provide services, such as automated warranty registration, instructions, viewing guides, etc., relevant to the appliances is provided. The system includes a database and associated server that are located remotely from the remote control and accessible via a network connection. Command codes, graphical user interface elements, and services are accessed and downloaded to the remote control, as appropriate, using data supplied to the server that identifies the appliances and/or functional capabilities of the appliances. This data can be supplied by the appliances directly or can be obtained from other sources such as barcode labels, network devices, etc.

A reconfigurable interface device for providing access to a plurality of fieldbus networks. The interface device includes a reconfigurable circuit which provides access to a selected fieldbus network from among several optional fieldbus networks. According to an embodiment, the reconfigurable circuit includes a plurality of media units, each media unit providing access to one of the several optional fieldbus networks, and a switch unit coupled to each of the plurality of media units, the switch unit activating a media unit corresponding to the selected fieldbus network, and deactivating remaining media units. A reconfigurable control device is provided for controlling and monitoring a plurality of fieldbus networks. The control device includes a host, having a server and non-volatile memory, and a reconfigurable interface device having a reconfigurable circuit. The non-volatile memory stores firmwares for reconfiguring the reconfigurable circuit in accordance with each of the several optional fieldbus networks.

The present invention addresses the difficulties of controlling new devices which have been added to a network. A network protocol, the NetCTL protocol, enables a remote control device to dynamically learn the command codes of a newly network attached device if the new device is executing the protocol. The intervention of a system administrator is not necessary since the dynamic teaming process happens automatically when the new device is attached to the network. Because the protocol allows the remote control device to learn the codes dynamically, there is no need to consult previously written tables of commands which can omit the codes for newly invented devices. A user of the remote control device which has “learned” the codes (i.e. acquired the codes) for a network attached device is able to control that device, regardless of the device's physical location, by selecting and sending the network attached device a command code to perform an operation.

A protocol for discovering a new neighbor node and detecting the loss of an existing neighbor node in a network is described. A node receives a neighbor discovery message from a neighbor node. The node receiving the neighbor discovery message periodically transmits a predetermined number of neighbor discovery messages in response to the received neighbor discovery message. Each neighbor discovery message includes an identity of the neighbor node. After transmitting the predetermined number of neighbor discovery messages, the node transmits neighbor discovery messages that omit the identity of the neighbor node until another neighbor discovery message is received from the neighbor node that indicates a change in a communications state associated with the neighbor node.

Systems and methods for enabling universal remote access and display of diagnostic images acquired by diagnostic imaging equipment, independent of the identity of the vendor that manufactured the equipment. One system includes a local area network; a scanner capable of sending objects formatted in accordance with a communications protocol, each object incorporating at least one image frame; and a data capture device connected to the local area network and programmed with data capture software to capture an object originating from the scanner in response to that scanner being specified as an object of diagnosis. This system further includes a communications channel, e.g., a virtual private network, for connecting the data capture device to a central service facility. The preferred communications protocol is DICOM. In response to an instruction from the service center, the data capture device on the LAN captures image files from a malfunctioning scanner and forwards them to the service center for diagnosis.

A video recording device includes the ability to record a video broadcast or video program while concurrently replaying a previously recorded video broadcast. This previously recorded video broadcast can be the same video broadcast that is recording or a different video broadcast. The record and playback operations are preferably triggered and controlled through a television on which the user can watch the playback of the recorded program. The viewer enters the data and commands for recording and playback preferably using a remote control device. Video programs are preferably recorded on a mass storage device. Preferably, the mass storage device is a hard disk drive coupled to the television through an IEEE 1394 serial bus network. Alternatively, any other appropriately configured memory device can be used to store the video programs. The television uses write commands to transmit to and record the program onto the mass storage device and read commands to retrieve previously recorded portions of a program to be replayed from the mass storage device. When playing back a previously recorded program or the recorded portions of a program which is still being recorded, the television will retrieve the packets of data from the mass storage device in sequence, using read commands to read from the appropriate locations where the appropriate packets have been stored. Each packet is then retrieved in sequence from the beginning of the program, even if the end portion of the program is still being recorded.

A system and method are provided for autonomously navigating a vehicle. The method captures a sequence of image pairs using a stereo camera. A navigation application stores a vehicle pose (history of vehicle position). The application detects a plurality of matching feature points in a first matching image pair, and determines a plurality of corresponding object points in three-dimensional (3D) space from the first image pair. A plurality of feature points are tracked from the first image pair to a second image pair, and the plurality of corresponding object points in 3D space are determined from the second image pair. From this, a vehicle pose transformation is calculated using the object points from the first and second image pairs. The rotation angle and translation are determined from the vehicle pose transformation. If the rotation angle or translation exceed a minimum threshold, the stored vehicle pose is updated.

A two wire communication system capable of transmitting data and transferring power by the used of an electrical bi-polar waveform across a two wire conductor from a controller in communication with the two-wire conductor to at least one module in communication with the controller and capable of transmitting data from the module to the controller; and a remote electrical device in communication with the controller. Usable data may be continuously transmitted across the two wire conductor independent of and during power transmission between the controller and the at least one module without loss of data transmission time and without affecting the transfer of power to the at least one module. The data is transmitted across the two wire conductor to the modules by pulse duration signals at the same time power is transmitted to the modules. The system is capable of using up to 100% of transmission time to transmit data without affecting transfer of power to the at least one module.