Control method and display system

Abstract

To prevent interference when a device requests communication with a display device from a device that has already established communication with the display device, even if the device has not yet established communication with the display device. [Solution] In a display system comprising a first device, a second device, and a display device that can communicate with the first device via a wired cable and with the second device via wireless communication and capable of displaying an image in a display area, the display device establishes a first communication with the first device via a wired cable, and if the second device requests a second communication between the second device and the display device while the display device is displaying an image in the display area, the display device transmits information to the first device via the wired cable indicating that a second communication has been requested, and if the display device receives information from the first device via the wired cable indicating that the second communication has been approved, it establishes a second communication via wireless communication.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to a control method and a display system.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in order for a device such as a computer to display an image on a display device such as a projector, communication between the device such as a computer and the display device is established. For example, in Patent Document 1, a projector displays an image including an identification code on a projection surface in response to a predetermined operation such as power-on, and a user using the projector inputs the identification code displayed on the projection surface to an information terminal, thereby establishing communication between the projector and the information terminal.

Prior Art Document

Patent Document

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, when it is possible to connect a plurality of devices to one display device, there are the following problems. Specifically, while the display device is displaying an image based on image data transmitted from a device with which communication has already been established with the display device, a situation is conceivable where a device that has not established communication with the display device requests communication with the display device. In this situation, if the display device executes a predetermined operation and displays an image including an identification code, there is a problem that the display of the image based on the image data transmitted from the device with which communication has been established is hindered.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] A control method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a control method for a display system having a first device, a second device, and a display device that can communicate with the first device via one or more wired cables and can communicate with the second device by wireless communication and is capable of displaying an image in a display area, wherein the display device establishes a first communication with the first device via the one or more wired cables, and when the second device requests a second communication between the second device and the display device while the display device is displaying an image in the display area, the display device transmits information indicating that the second communication has been requested to the first device via the one or more wired cables, and when the display device receives information from the first device via the one or more wired cables indicating that the second communication has been approved, it establishes the second communication by wireless communication.

[0006] A display system according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a first device, a second device, and a display device that can communicate with the first device via one or more wired cables and can communicate with the second device by wireless communication and is capable of displaying an image in a display area, wherein the display device establishes a first communication with the first device via the one or more wired cables, and if the second device requests a second communication between the second device and the display device while the display device is displaying an image in the display area, the display device transmits information indicating that the second communication has been requested to the first device via the one or more wired cables, and if the display device receives information from the first device via the one or more wired cables indicating that the second communication has been approved, it establishes the second communication by wireless communication. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] A diagram illustrating the display system 1 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] A diagram showing an example of the PC10 configuration. [Figure 3] A diagram showing an example of the configuration of a smartphone 20. [Figure 4] A diagram showing an example of the configuration of projector 30. [Figure 5] A sequence diagram illustrating an example of the operation of display system 1. [Figure 6] A flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of Projector 30. [Figure 7] A flowchart illustrating an example of processing upon receiving a communication request. [Figure 8] A flowchart illustrating an example of processing upon receipt of authorization request information. [Figure 9] A diagram showing an example of a communication judgment image for CW. [Figure 10] This figure shows a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing when a communication request is received in the first modified example. [Figure 11] A flowchart illustrating an example of the authorization request information transmission process. [Figure 12] This figure shows a flowchart illustrating an example of processing upon receipt of authorization request information in the first modified example. [Figure 13] A flowchart showing an example of the operation of projector 30 in the second modified example. [Figure 14] A flowchart illustrating an example of image data reception processing. [Figure 15] This figure shows a flowchart illustrating the authorization request information transmission process in the second modified example. [Figure 16] A flowchart showing an example of the operation of projector 30 in the third modified example. [Figure 17] This diagram shows a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of image data reception processing in the third modified example. [Figure 18] A diagram illustrating the state immediately before the mode is changed to hold mode. [Figure 19] A diagram illustrating the state after switching to hold mode. [Figure 20] A diagram showing a flowchart illustrating the authorization request information transmission process in the third modified example. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments for implementing the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. However, in each figure, the dimensions and scales of each part are appropriately different from the actual ones. Further, the embodiments described below are preferred specific examples of the present disclosure, and thus are subject to various technically preferable limitations. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments unless there is a description specifically limiting the present disclosure in the following description.

[0009] 1. First Embodiment 1-1. Outline of the First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a display system 1 according to the first embodiment. The display system 1 is a system that projects an image GC onto a projection area PR of a projection surface SC visible to one or more viewers W in a venue MP, and in which any one of two or more presenters U explains about the image GC. The venue MP is a place where an event where viewers W gather is held, and may be either an indoor or outdoor place. The viewers W are specific or unspecified persons. However, the viewers W may not exist, and a presenter U other than the presenter U currently explaining among the two or more presenters U may be a temporary viewer. The event is, for example, a meeting, lecture, and class, etc. In the present embodiment, it is premised that two or more presenters U explain in sequence.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 1, the presentation system 1 includes one PC 10, one or more N smartphones 20, and a projector 30. PC is an abbreviation for Personal Computer. The PC 10 is operated by the presenter U_PC. The i-th smartphone 20_i among the N smartphones 20 is operated by the i-th presenter U_i among the N presenters. i is an integer from 1 to N. In the following description, the presenter U_PC and the presenters U_1 to U_N may be described as the presenter U without distinction. In this embodiment, for the sake of simplicity of explanation, the presenter U will describe the image GC projected on the projection area PR. However, the person operating the PC 10 or the person operating the smartphone 20_i may be different from the person describing the image GC. One PC 10 and N smartphones 20 are an example of "a plurality of devices". Projecting an image is an example of "displaying an image". The projector 30 is an example of a "display device". The projection area PR is an example of a "display area". Also, the presentation system 1 may have N PCs instead of the N smartphones 20.

[0011] In the following description, when distinguishing elements of the same type, reference numerals are used as in smartphone 20_1, smartphone 20_2. On the other hand, when not distinguishing elements of the same type, only the common number among the reference numerals is used as in smartphone 20.

[0012] The projector 30 can communicate with the PC 10 and N smartphones 20. Specifically, the projector 30 can communicate with the PC 10 via a wired cable CB. In addition, the projector 30 can communicate with N smartphones 20 via wireless communication. Examples of wireless communication include WiFi, Bluetooth, or ZigBee. WiFi and Bluetooth are registered trademarks. However, the projector 30 and each of the N smartphones 20 may communicate via relay devices such as wireless routers, or via networks such as LAN, WAN, and the Internet. LAN is an abbreviation for Local Area Network. Note that the wired cable CB is an example of "one or more wired cables".

[0013] As in display system 1, there are two situations in which wired and wireless communication methods are used to communicate with the projector 30. The first situation in which wired and wireless communication are used is when display system 1 includes a device, such as a smartphone 20, for which wired cable CB communication is not common. The second situation in which wired and wireless communication are used is when the venue MP is large and it is not possible to connect to the projector 30 using a wired cable CB.

[0014] There are two situations in which Display System 1 is applied. In the first situation in which Display System 1 is applied, the event is a conference, and presenter U_PC is the organizer of the conference and gives an overall explanation of the conference. Each presenter U_i, from i = 1 to N, gives an explanation according to their respective agenda. In the second situation in which Display System 1 is applied, the event is a class, and presenter U_PC is the homeroom teacher in charge of the class, and each presenter U_i, from i = 1 to N, is a student taking the class. The teacher, who is presenter U_PC, explains the content of the assignment given to the students in the previous class. Each student, who is presenter U_i, from i = 1 to N, explains their answer to the assignment. For the sake of clarity, the following assumes that the first presenter U is presenter U_PC, followed by presenter U_1, then all presenters U_i from i=1 to N-1, and finally presenter U_i+1.

[0015] The configuration of the PC 10, smartphone 20, and projector 30 will be explained using Figures 2, 3, and 4.

[0016] Figure 2 shows an example of the configuration of PC10. PC10 has at least one processing circuit 11, a storage circuit 12, a wired communication circuit 15, an input unit 16, and a display unit 17. The processing circuit 11, the storage circuit 12, the wired communication circuit 15, the input unit 16, and the display unit 17 are interconnected by a bus 19 for communicating information.

[0017] The processing circuit 11 is a processing circuit such as a CPU or FPGA. CPU is an abbreviation for Central Processing Unit. FPGA is an abbreviation for Field Programmable Gate Array. The processing circuit 11 may be composed of one or more processors.

[0018] The memory circuit 12 is composed of a magnetic storage device or flash ROM, etc. The memory circuit 12 is a recording medium readable by the processing circuit 11 and stores multiple programs, including the projector communication control program PRJ1 and the control program PR1 executed by the processing circuit 11, as well as various information used by the processing circuit 11. The projector communication control program PRJ1 is an application program that controls the operation of the PC 10 in the display system 1. For example, the PC 10 downloads the projector communication control program PRJ1 from a server managed by the developer of the projector 30. The control program PR1 is a system program including the OS of the PC 10. OS is an abbreviation for Operating System.

[0019] The wired communication circuit 15 is an interface for connecting to an external computer or the like, and is equipped with connectors and interface circuits compliant with standards such as USB, IEEE 1394, and Ethernet. USB stands for Universal Serial Bus. IEEE stands for Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Ethernet is a registered trademark.

[0020] As shown in Figure 2, a wired cable CB is electrically connected to the wired communication circuit 15. Figure 2 shows a part of the inside of the wired cable CB. As shown in Figure 2, the wired cable CB has a first wire WR1 for transferring image data and a second wire WR2 for transmitting control data. For example, when the wired cable CB operates in USB Type-C alternate mode, the first wire WR1 is a wire that transmits image data according to HDMI, etc., and the second wire WR2 is a pair of signal lines that transmit differential signals D+ and D-. HDMI is a registered trademark and an abbreviation for High-Definition Multimedia Interface.

[0021] The input unit 16 is a device for the presenter U_PC to input information. The input unit 16 is, for example, a mouse and a keyboard.

[0022] The display unit 17 is a device that displays an image based on the image data transmitted by the processing circuit 11. For example, the display unit 17 is an LCD or an organic EL display. LCD is an abbreviation for Liquid Crystal Display. EL is an abbreviation for Electro Luminescence. Alternatively, the input unit 16 and the display unit 17 may be integrated into a single unit. An example of such an integrated configuration is a touch panel.

[0023] Figure 3 shows an example of the configuration of a smartphone 20. The smartphone 20 has at least one processing circuit 21, a memory circuit 22, a wireless communication circuit 24, an input unit 26, and a display unit 27. The processing circuit 21, the memory circuit 22, the wireless communication circuit 24, the input unit 26, and the display unit 27 are interconnected by a bus 29 for communicating information.

[0024] The processing circuit 21 is a processing circuit such as a CPU or FPGA. The processing circuit 21 may be composed of one or more processors.

[0025] The memory circuit 22 is composed of a magnetic memory device or flash ROM, etc. The memory circuit 22 is a recording medium readable by the processing circuit 21 and stores multiple programs, including the projector communication control program PRJ2 and the control program PR2 executed by the processing circuit 21, as well as various information used by the processing circuit 21. The projector communication control program PRJ2 is an application program that controls the operation of the smartphone 20 in the display system 1. The projector communication control program PRJ1 and the projector communication control program PRJ2 are programs with the same function. The projector communication control program PRJ1 is built for the PC 10, and the projector communication control program PRJ2 is built for the smartphone 20, which is the difference between the projector communication control program PRJ1 and the projector communication control program PRJ2. In the following description, the projector communication control program PRJ1 and the projector communication control program PRJ2 may be referred to as the projector communication control program PRJ without distinction. For example, the smartphone 20 downloads the projector communication control program PRJ2 from a server managed by the developer of the projector 30. Control program PR2 is a system program that includes the OS of smartphone 20. Projector communication control program PRJ is an example of a "program that controls communication of a display device."

[0026] The wireless communication circuit 24 is hardware having a communication circuit for wireless communication with other devices such as the projector 30. The wireless communication circuit 24 may include a connector or antenna compatible with communication standards such as wireless communication via Wi-Fi, infrared communication, and Bluetooth, and a communication circuit. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are registered trademarks.

[0027] The input unit 26 is a device for presenter U_i to input information for each integer i from 1 to N. The input unit 26 is, for example, a physical button.

[0028] The display unit 27 is a device that displays an image based on the image data transmitted by the processing circuit 21. For example, the display unit 27 is an LCD or an organic EL display. LCD is an abbreviation for Liquid Crystal Display. EL is an abbreviation for Electro Luminescence. Alternatively, the input unit 26 and the display unit 27 may be integrated into a single unit. An example of an integrated configuration of the input unit 26 and the display unit 27 is a touch panel.

[0029] In the following description, each element of smartphone 20_i may be described with the reference symbol "_i". For example, the display unit 27 of smartphone 20_i may be referred to as display unit 27_i.

[0030] Figure 4 shows an example of the configuration of a projector 30. The projector 30 includes at least one processing circuit 31, a memory circuit 32, a wireless communication circuit 34, a wired communication circuit 35, an input device 36, and a projection device 37. The processing circuit 31, the memory circuit 32, the wireless communication circuit 34, the wired communication circuit 35, the input device 36, and the projection device 37 are interconnected by a bus 39 for communicating information.

[0031] The processing circuit 31 is a processing circuit such as a CPU, SoC (System on Chip), or FPGA. The processing circuit 31 may be composed of one or more processors.

[0032] The memory circuit 32 is composed of a magnetic storage device or flash ROM, etc. The memory circuit 32 is a recording medium readable by the processing circuit 31 and stores multiple programs, including the control program PR3 and the communication control program PRM, as well as various information used by the processing circuit 31. The control program PR3 is a system program including the OS of the projector 30. The communication control program PRM is a program that controls the operation of the projector 30 in the display system 1.

[0033] The wireless communication circuit 34 is hardware having a communication circuit for wireless communication with other devices such as a smartphone 20. The wireless communication circuit 34 may include, for example, a connector or antenna compatible with communication standards such as wireless communication via Wi-Fi, infrared communication, or Bluetooth, and a communication circuit.

[0034] The wired communication circuit 35 is an interface connected to the PC 10, etc., and includes connectors and interface circuits compliant with standards such as USB, IEEE1394, and Ethernet.

[0035] The input device 36 is a device for presenter U to input information. The input device 36 consists of multiple buttons, such as a function list display key, up key, down key, left key, right key, select key, and cancel key. Alternatively, the input device 36 may consist of one or more types of devices, such as a pointing device or a touch panel. Alternatively, the projector 30 may communicate with a remote controller having the aforementioned multiple buttons instead of the input device 36.

[0036] The projection device 37 is a device that projects an image GC onto a projection area PR based on image data transmitted from the processing circuit 31. The projection device 37 includes a light source 37a, a display panel 37b, and an optical system 37c.

[0037] The light source 37a includes, for example, a halogen lamp, xenon lamp, ultra-high pressure mercury lamp, LED, or laser light source, and emits red, green, and blue light, respectively. LED is an abbreviation for Light Emitting Diode. The display panel 37b is an optical modulator that includes three optical modulation elements corresponding to red, green, and blue light. Each optical modulation element includes, for example, a transmissive liquid crystal panel, a reflective liquid crystal panel, or a digital mirror device, and generates image light of each color by modulating the light of the corresponding color. The image light of each color generated by the display panel 37b is combined by a color synthesis optical system to become full-color image light. The optical system 37c is a projection optical system that includes a projection lens, etc., which projects the full-color image light from the display panel 37b onto the projection area PR by imaging the image GC.

[0038] Let's return to the explanation in Figure 1. In the example in Figure 1, the projector 30 is communicating with the PC 10, and the image GP displayed on the display unit 17 and the image GC projected onto the projection area PR are the same.

[0039] In this specification, if image GP and image GC are identical, it means that the image data transmitted by processing circuit 11 to display unit 17 and the image data transmitted by processing circuit 31 to projection device 37 are identical. Therefore, even if the color reproduction accuracy of the display unit 17 and the color reproduction accuracy of the projection device 37 are different, if the image data transmitted by processing circuit 11 to display unit 17 and the image data transmitted by processing circuit 31 to projection device 37 are identical, image GP and image GC are considered identical. Similarly, for each i from 1 to N, if the image displayed on the display unit 27_i of smartphone 20_i and image GC are identical, it means that the image data transmitted by processing circuit 21_i to display unit 27_i and the image data transmitted by processing circuit 31 to projection device 37 are identical. Therefore, even if the color reproduction accuracy of the display unit 27_i and the color reproduction accuracy of the projection device 37 are different, if the image data transmitted by the processing circuit 21_i to the display unit 27_i and the image data transmitted by the processing circuit 31 to the projection device 37 are the same, the image displayed on the display unit 27_i and the image GC are considered to be the same.

[0040] 1-2. In the progress of the event During the event, while presenter U_PC is explaining image GC, presenter U_1, who will present after U_PC, requests to prepare for projection onto projector 30. One example of projection preparation is establishing communication between smartphone 20_1 and projector 30. Establishing communication means setting up the communication path between the PC or smartphone and the projector before starting data transfer. Establishing communication via wired cable CB means that the communication path between the PC and projector is set up by executing a wired communication establishment process appropriate to the wired cable CB. For example, if wired cable CB is USB compliant, communication between PC 10 and projector 30 becomes possible by performing USB enumeration, which is an example of a wired communication establishment process, on both PC 10 and projector 30.

[0041] In wireless communication, establishing communication means that PC10 or smartphone20 logs into the service where projector30 projects an image. Alternatively, establishing communication may also be achieved by performing a three-way handshake when TCP is used for communication between PC10 and projector30, or between smartphone20 and projector30. TCP stands for Transmission Control Protocol. Once communication is established, smartphone20 can access projector30, and presenterU can prepare for projection. In the following description, establishing communication between smartphone20 and projector30 in wireless communication may be referred to as "smartphone20 logging into projector30."

[0042] Generally, the time allotted for presenter U to explain is predetermined. If a problem occurs where smartphone 20_1 cannot log in to projector 30, and resolving this problem takes time, presenter U_1's presentation time may be shortened. Therefore, by having smartphone 20_1 log in to projector 30 while presenter U_PC is explaining about image GC, presenter U_1 can proceed with their explanation smoothly after presenter U_PC finishes.

[0043] The method by which smartphone 20 logs into projector 30 is as follows: Projector 30 displays an image containing an identification code in the projection area PR in response to a predetermined operation such as powering on. For each i from 1 to N, presenter U_i logs into projector 30 by entering the identification code displayed in the projection area PR into smartphone 20_i.

[0044] One possible scenario is that while presenter U_PC is explaining about image GP, smartphone 20_1 requests communication with projector 30 in order to log in to projector 30. In this situation, if projector 30 displays an image containing the identification code in the projection area PR, it interferes with the display of image GP based on the image data transmitted from PC 10. If the display of image GP based on the image data transmitted from PC 10 is interfered with, presenter U_PC will be unable to continue their explanation about image GP. Furthermore, presenter U_PC will need to explain to the audience W that the image containing the identification code is unrelated to the content that presenter U_PC is explaining.

[0045] Therefore, in the display system 1 of this embodiment, when the projector 30 receives a request from the smartphone 20_1 for communication between the smartphone 20_1 and the projector 30, it notifies the PC 10 via the wired cable CB of authorization request information indicating that this communication has been requested. Hereinafter, the request for communication may be referred to as "communication request". Upon receiving authorization request information, the PC 10 starts the projector communication control program PRJ1, and the projector communication control program PRJ1 outputs information to the display unit 17 of the PC 10 that allows the presenter U_PC to decide whether or not to approve this communication. The information that allows the presenter U_PC to decide whether or not to approve communication between the smartphone 20_1 and the projector 30 may be a string indicating whether or not to approve communication between the smartphone 20_1 and the projector 30, or it may be image data showing an image. In the following description, the information that allows the presenter U_PC to decide whether or not to approve communication between the smartphone 20_1 and the projector 30 is image data showing an image, and may be referred to as "communication decision image data". When Projector 30 receives information from PC 10 via wired cable CB indicating that communication between smartphone 20_1 and Projector 30 has been authorized, smartphone 20_1 logs into Projector 30. Since the image indicated by the communication judgment image data is not displayed in the projection area PR, presenter U_PC can proceed with the explanation regarding the image GP without interruption. The operation of display system 1 will be explained using Figures 5 and 6.

[0046] 1-3. Operation of Display System 1 Figure 5 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the display system 1. Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the projector 30. In Figure 5, the explanation is based on the assumption that the smartphones 20 included in the display system 1 are smartphone 20_1 and smartphone 20_2. In the first embodiment, management privileges for the projector 30 are set on the PC 10 that has established communication with the projector 30, and on the smartphone 20 that has logged into the projector 30. The projector 30 then prompts the presenter U on the PC 10 or smartphone 20 with management privileges to decide whether or not to accept communication to the projector 30. In the following description, the PC 10 and smartphone 20 with management privileges may be referred to as "management privilege devices". The number of management privilege devices can be an integer greater than or equal to 0.

[0047] In the following description, PC10 corresponds to "device 1", smartphone 20_1 corresponds to "device 2", and smartphone 20_2 corresponds to "device 3". Communication between PC10 and projector 30 corresponds to "first communication". Communication between smartphone 20_1 and projector 30 corresponds to "second communication". Communication between smartphone 20_2 and projector 30 corresponds to "third communication".

[0048] The processing circuit 31 of the projector 30 reads the communication control program PRM from the storage circuit 32 and executes the read communication control program PRM, thereby performing the operations shown in Figures 5 and 6. The processing circuit 11 of the PC 10 reads the projector communication control program PRJ1 from the storage circuit 12 and executes the read projector communication control program PRJ1, thereby performing the operations shown in Figure 5. Furthermore, the processing circuit 21 of the smartphone 20 reads the projector communication control program PRJ2 from the storage circuit 12 and executes the read projector communication control program PRJ2, thereby performing the operations shown in Figure 5.

[0049] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, in step SP2, the processing circuit 31 projects an identification code image, including the identification code, onto the projection area PR after power-on. The identification code is, for example, a string of characters containing multiple alphanumeric characters. Then, as shown in Figure 6, in step SP4, the processing circuit 31 determines whether or not the power has been turned off, such as by pressing the power button of the projector 30. If the determination result in step SP4 is positive, the processing circuit 31 terminates the series of processes shown in Figure 6.

[0050] If the result of step SP4 is negative, the processing circuit 31 determines in step SP6 whether the wired cable CB is electrically connected, as shown in Figure 6. If the result of step SP6 is positive, the PC 10 and the projector 30 perform wired communication establishment processing in step SP8, and communication between the PC 10 and the projector 30 is established. After the processing of step SP8 is completed, the processing circuit 31 sets management authority for the device with which communication has been established via wired communication, which in the example of Figure 5 is the PC 10, in step SP10. After the processing of step SP10 is completed, the processing circuit 31 performs the processing of step SP4 again.

[0051] If the result of step SP6 is negative, the processing circuit 31 determines in step SP12 whether or not a communication request has been received via wireless communication, as shown in Figure 6. If the result of step SP12 is positive, the processing circuit 31 executes the communication request reception processing in step SP14, as shown in Figure 6. The communication request reception processing will be explained using Figure 7.

[0052] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of processing when a communication request is received. In step SP32, the processing circuit 31 determines whether or not there is a management authority device. If the determination result in step SP32 is negative, it means that there is no management authority device and the projector 30 has received a communication request via wireless communication. The processing when the determination result in step SP32 is negative will be described below.

[0053] If the result of step SP32 is negative, as shown in Figure 7, in step SP34, it is determined whether the identification code included in the received communication request matches the identification code included in the identification code image. If the result of step SP34 is negative, in step SP36, the processing circuit 31 refuses to connect with the device that sent the communication request and terminates the series of processes shown in Figure 6. Under the direction of the processing circuit 31, the wireless communication circuit 34 sends a rejection response to the device that sent the communication request as an example of refusing to connect with the device. This rejection response includes, for example, an identifier indicating that the identification code entered by the user is incorrect.

[0054] If the result of step SP34 is positive, as shown in Figure 7, in step SP38, the processing circuit 31 grants permission to log in to the device that sent the communication request, and the device that sent the communication request logs in to the projector 30. Next, as shown in Figure 7, in step SP40, the processing circuit 31 sets management authority for the device that sent the communication request, and terminates the series of processes shown in Figure 7.

[0055] Let's return to the explanation in Figures 5 and 6. In the example in Figure 5, we will explain under the assumption that after the wired communication establishment process is performed, PC 10 starts transmitting image data to projector 30 in step SC4. Specifically, PC 10 transmits image data to projector 30 via the first wiring WR1 of the wired cable CB.

[0056] If the result of step SP12 is negative, the processing circuit 31 determines in step SP16 whether or not to start receiving image data, as shown in Figure 6. If the result of step SP16 is positive, the projection device 37 starts projecting an image based on the received image data in step SP18, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, based on the instructions of the processing circuit 31. The image based on the image data may be the image shown by the image data itself, a part of the image shown by the image data, or an image in which another image is superimposed on the image shown by the image data or a part of the image. The other image may be, for example, a string of characters indicating the current time, or an OSD image whose position and contrast can be manipulated. OSD is an abbreviation for On Screen Display.

[0057] If image data is received from two or more devices in step SP18, the projection device 37 projects images based on the image data received from each of the two or more devices into each of the divided projection areas PR. After the processing of step SP18 is completed, the processing circuit 31 executes the processing of step SP4 again.

[0058] If the result of step SP16 is negative, the processing circuit 31 determines in step SP20 whether or not the reception of image data has ended, as shown in Figure 6. If the result of step SP20 is positive, the projection device 37 terminates projection of the image based on the received image data in step SP22, as shown in Figure 6, based on the instructions of the processing circuit 31.

[0059] In step SP22, if image data is being received from three or more devices and the reception of image data from one device has ended, the projection device 37 reduces the number of divisions of the projection area PR and projects an image based on the image data received from each of the two or more devices. Also, if image data is being received from two devices and the reception of image data from one device has ended, the projection device 37 cancels the division of the projection area PR and projects an image based on the image data received from the remaining device.

[0060] After the processing in step SP22 is completed, the processing circuit 31 executes the processing in step SP4 again. If the result of the determination in step SP20 is negative, the processing circuit 31 also executes the processing in step SP4 again.

[0061] In Figure 5, the explanation assumes that in step SP18, the projection device 37 started projecting an image, and in step SS2, the smartphone 20_1 sent a communication request to the projector 30. Therefore, the processing circuit 31 determines that the result of step SP12 is positive, and further, in step SP32 in Figure 7, since there is one device with management privileges set, the processing circuit 31 determines that the result of step SP32 is positive.

[0062] Let's return to the explanation in Figures 5 and 7. If the result of the determination in step SP32 is affirmative, at least one of the wireless communication circuit 34 and the wired communication circuit 35 transmits authorization request information to one or more management authority devices in step SP42, under the direction of the processing circuit 31. In the example in Figure 5, the wired communication circuit 35 transmits the authorization request information to the management authority device PC10 via the second wiring WR2 of the wired cable CB, under the direction of the processing circuit 31. The authorization request information is information indicating that the smartphone 20_1 has requested communication with the projector 30, and is necessary information to allow the presenter U_PC to decide whether or not to approve the communication between the smartphone 20_1 and the projector 30. The authorization request information is, for example, information about the smartphone 20_1 that sent the communication request to the projector 30. For example, the authorization request information includes the name of the smartphone 20_1 that requested permission to communicate, and the account ID currently logged into the smartphone 20_1. ID is an abbreviation for Identification.

[0063] Upon receiving the authorization request information, the processing circuit 11 of the PC 10 executes the authorization request information reception processing in step SC8, as shown in Figure 5. Note that if the smartphone 20_x is a management authority device, the authorization request information reception processing may also be executed by the processing circuit 21_x of the smartphone 20_x. x is an integer from 1 to N. The authorization request information reception processing will be explained using Figure 8.

[0064] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing an example of processing upon receipt of authorization request information. Below, the flowchart shown in Figure 8 will be explained using an example in which the processing circuit 11 performs the processing upon receipt of authorization request information. In step SC22, the processing circuit 11 determines whether or not the projector communication control program PRJ1 is running based on the execution code of the control program PR1.

[0065] The reason for checking whether the projector communication control program PRJ1 is running is that even if the projector communication control program PRJ1 is not running, the image data representing the image GP displayed on the display unit 17 of the PC 10 is transferred via the wired cable CB, and the projector 30 projects the image GC represented by this image data. However, in the series of processes shown in Figure 8, the processes from step SC26 onwards are realized by the processing circuit 11 executing the execution code of the projector communication control program PRJ1. Therefore, in the first embodiment, if the projector communication control program PRJ1 is not running, it is necessary to start the projector communication control program PRJ1. If the determination result in step SC22 is negative, the processing circuit 11 starts the projector communication control program PRJ1 in step SC24.

[0066] After the processing in step SC24 is completed, or if the determination result in step SC22 is positive, the processing circuit 11 generates communication judgment image data based on the authorization request information using the execution code of the projector communication control program PRJ1 in step SC26. Of the processing when authorization request information is received, the processing from step SC26 onwards is performed by the execution code of the projector communication control program PRJ1. After the processing in step SC26 is completed, the processing circuit 11 displays the communication judgment image CW indicated by the communication judgment image data on the display unit 17 in step SC28. An example of the display of the communication judgment image CW will be explained with reference to Figure 9.

[0067] Figure 9 shows an example of a communication decision image CW. As shown in Figure 9, the display unit 17 superimposes the communication decision image CW onto the image GP. In the example in Figure 9, the communication decision image CW has a string STR1, a button BTN1, and a button BTN2. The string STR1 is "Do you authorize communication between projector 30 and smartphone 20_1?". Button BTN1, which is labeled "Yes", is pressed by presenter U_PC to send authorization information to projector 30 via wired cable CB, indicating that communication to projector 30 has been authorized. Button BTN2, which is labeled "No", is pressed to send denial information to projector 30 via wired cable CB, indicating that communication to projector 30 has been denied.

[0068] As shown in Figure 9, the communication judgment image CW is displayed on the display unit 17, but it is not projected onto the projection area PR.

[0069] Let's return to the explanation in Figure 8. After the processing in step SC28 is completed, in step SC30, the processing circuit 11 determines whether or not it has received decision completion information from the projector 30. Decision completion information is information indicating that the decision on whether or not to approve the communication has been completed. The case where the decision result in step SC30 is positive will be explained later. If the decision result in step SC30 is negative, the processing circuit 11 determines in step SC32 whether or not the button BTN1 marked "Yes" has been pressed. If the decision result in step SC32 is positive, the processing circuit 11 transmits the approval information to the projector 30 via the second wiring WR2 of the wired cable CB in step SC34. After the processing in step SC34 is completed, the processing circuit 11 terminates the series of processes shown in Figure 8.

[0070] If the result of step SC32 is negative, the processing circuit 11 determines in step SC36 whether the button BTN2 marked "No" was pressed. If the result of step SC36 is negative, the processing circuit 11 returns to step SC30. On the other hand, if the result of step SC36 is positive, the processing circuit 11 transmits the denial information to the projector 30 via the second wiring WR2 of the wired cable CB in step SC36. After the processing in step SC38 is completed, the processing circuit 11 terminates the series of processes shown in Figure 8.

[0071] Let's return to the explanation in Figures 5 and 7. In the example in Figure 5, it is assumed that the button BTN1 was pressed by the presenter U_PC via the operation of PC10. Therefore, as shown in Figure 5, the processing circuit 11 executes the process in step SC32.

[0072] After the processing in step SP42 is completed, the processing circuit 31 determines in step SP44 whether or not it has received approval information or denial information from one or more management authority devices, as shown in Figure 7. If the result of the determination in step SP44 is negative, the processing circuit 31 executes the processing in step SP44 again. In the example in Figure 5, it is assumed that the PC 10 has pressed button BTN1 by the presenter U_PC and has sent approval information to the projector 30 in step SC32. Therefore, the processing circuit 31 determines that the result of the determination in step SP44 is positive.

[0073] If the result of the determination in step SP44 is affirmative, at least one of the wireless communication circuit 34 and the wired communication circuit 35, under the direction of the processing circuit 31, transmits determination completion information to the management authority devices that have transmitted authorization request information but have not transmitted either approval information or denial information in step SP46. If there is a management authority device that has not received either approval information or denial information, the projector 30 determines that this management authority device has not transmitted either approval information or denial information. Immediately after PC10 transmits the first approval information, there is only one management authority device, and there are no management authority devices that have not transmitted either approval information or denial information. Therefore, the processing circuit 31 does not perform any substantial processing in step SP46.

[0074] After the processing in step SP46 is completed, the processing circuit 31 determines in step SP48 whether or not it has received the authorization information. If the result of the determination in step SP48 is positive, the processing circuit 31 executes the processing in step SP38, which in the example in Figure 5 grants permission to log in to the smartphone 20_1.

[0075] If the determination result in step SP48 is negative, that is, if denial information is received, the processing circuit 31, as shown in Figure 7, in step SP50, rejects the connection with the device that sent the communication request and terminates the series of processes shown in Figure 7. The processing in step SP50 is the same as the processing in step SP36, but the content of the denial response in step SP50 may differ from the content of the denial response in step SP36. The denial response in step SP50 may include, for example, an identifier indicating that the communication was denied by a user of PC10 who has administrative authority over projector 30.

[0076] In the example shown in Figure 5, the explanation assumes that after the processing circuit 31 executes the process in step SP38 and smartphone 20_1 logs into projector 30, smartphone 20_2 sends a communication request to projector 30 in step SS12.

[0077] When a communication request is received, the processing circuit 21 determines that the results of steps SP12 and SP32 are positive. Then, at least one of the wireless communication circuit 34 and the wired communication circuit 35 transmits authorization request information to one or more management authority devices in step SP42, under the direction of the processing circuit 31. After the smartphone 20_2 has transmitted the communication request, there are two management authority devices: the PC 10 and the smartphone 20_1. Therefore, in step SP42, the wired communication circuit 35 transmits the authorization request information to the PC 10 via the second wiring WR2 of the wired cable CB, under the direction of the processing circuit 31, and the wireless communication circuit 34 transmits the authorization request information to the smartphone 20_1, under the direction of the processing circuit 31.

[0078] When authorization request information is received, the processing circuit 11 of the PC 10 and the processing circuit 21_1 of the smartphone 20_1 execute the authorization request information reception processing. In the example in Figure 5, the explanation is based on the premise that the processing circuit 11 of the PC 10 transmits approval information to the projector 30 based on the operation of presenter U_PC, and that the smartphone 20_1 does not transmit either approval information or denial information. Therefore, as shown in Figure 5, in step SP46, the wireless communication circuit 34 transmits decision completion information to the smartphone 20_1 under the instruction of the processing circuit 21.

[0079] When the processing circuit 21_1 receives the judgment completion information, it determines that the judgment result of step SC30 is positive, as shown in Figure 8. If the judgment result of step SC30 is positive, the processing circuit 21_1 erases the communication judgment image CW in step SC40. After the processing of step SC40 is completed, the processing circuit 21_1 terminates the series of processes shown in Figure 8.

[0080] After the processing circuit 31 of the projector 30 transmits the decision completion information, as shown in Figures 5 and 7, in step SP38, it grants permission to log in to the smartphone 20_2, which is the device that sent the communication request, and the smartphone 20_2 logs in to the projector 30.

[0081] In Figure 5, projector 30 sends decision completion information to smartphone 20_1 and then grants login permission to smartphone 20_2. However, it is also possible to send decision completion information to smartphone 20_1 after granting login permission to smartphone 20_2.

[0082] 1-4. Summary of the First Embodiment In the following description, the communication between PC10 and projector 30 will be referred to as the first communication, the communication between smartphone 20_1 and projector 30 as the second communication, and the communication between smartphone 20_2 and projector 30 as the third communication, and the summary of the first embodiment will be explained.

[0083] The display system 1 in the first embodiment is a system having a PC 10 and a projector 30 capable of communicating with one or more smartphones 20. Furthermore, the display system 1 implements a method for controlling communication between the projector 30 and the smartphones 20. The projector 30, which can project an image onto a projection area PR, establishes first communication with the PC 10 via a wired cable CB. If the projector 30 receives a request from a smartphone 20_1 for second communication between the smartphone 20_1 and the projector 30 while displaying an image onto the projection area PR, it transmits authorization request information indicating that a second communication has been requested to the PC 10 via the wired cable CB. If the projector 30 receives authorization information from the PC 10 via the wired cable CB indicating that the second communication has been approved, it establishes second communication via wireless communication. According to the first embodiment, the communication judgment image CW indicated by the communication judgment image data is displayed on the display unit 17, but is not projected onto the projection area PR, so the projection of the image GP displayed on the projector 30 is not obstructed. Furthermore, the smartphone 20_1 can log in to the projector 30. Therefore, according to the first embodiment, even when the projector 30 and the PC 10 are not connected by wireless communication, the smartphone 20_1 can log in to the projector 30 while suppressing interference with the display of the image GP based on image data transmitted from the PC 10 connected to the projector 30 via a wired cable CB.

[0084] Furthermore, the display system 1 includes a smartphone 20_2 that can communicate wirelessly with the projector 30, and the first and second communications are established. If the projector 30 receives a request from the smartphone 20_2 for a third communication between the smartphone 20_2 and the projector 30 while displaying an image in the projection area PR, the projector 30 sends authorization request information indicating that a third communication has been requested to both the PC 10 and the smartphone 20_1. If the projector 30 receives authorization information from the PC 10 or the smartphone 20_1 indicating that the third communication has been approved, it establishes the third communication wirelessly. According to the first embodiment, while preventing interference with the display of the image GP based on image data transmitted from the PC 10 or smartphone 20, the smartphone 20_2 can establish communication with the projector 30. Furthermore, either presenter U_PC or presenter U_1 can press button BTN1 or button BTN2 on the communication judgment image CW. Therefore, according to the first embodiment, compared to the configuration in which one presenter U presses button BTN1 or button BTN2 on the communication judgment image CW, delays in the approval of the third communication due to malfunctions such as delays in the display system 1's communication or negligence on the part of presenter U can be suppressed.

[0085] The wired cable CB is a single wired cable comprising a first wire WR1 for transferring image data and a second wire WR2 for transmitting control data. The first wire WR1 receives image data from the PC 10, showing the image displayed in the projection area PR, and the second wire WR2 receives authorization request information from the PC 10 indicating that a second communication has been requested. The authorization request information is an example of control data. According to the first embodiment, image data and control data can be transferred between the PC 10 and the projector 30 using a single wired cable CB.

[0086] When Projector 30 receives approval information indicating that the third communication has been approved, or denial information indicating that the third communication has been denied, from one of the devices, PC 10 or smartphone 20_1, Projector 30 transmits decision completion information to the other device, PC 10 or smartphone 20_1, indicating that the decision on whether or not to approve the third communication has been completed. According to the first embodiment, since the decision completion information is transmitted to the other device of the PC 10 and smartphone 20_1, the communication decision image CW displayed on the display unit 17 of the other device can be erased, thereby reducing the burden on the presenter U of the other device.

[0087] In the first embodiment, if the determination result in step SP44 is positive, the projector 30 sends decision completion information to the management authority device that has not yet sent both approval and rejection information in step SP46, but this is not limited to this. For example, if the projector 30 receives approval information, it may establish communication with the device that sent the communication request and then send the decision completion information to the aforementioned management authority device. Alternatively, if the projector 30 receives rejection information, it may refuse to connect with the device that sent the communication request and then send the decision completion information to the aforementioned management authority device.

[0088] 2. Variations Each of the forms exemplified above can be modified in various ways. Specific examples of modifications that can be applied to each of the aforementioned forms are given below. Two or more forms arbitrarily selected from the following examples can be combined as appropriate, provided they do not contradict each other.

[0089] 2-1. First variation As mentioned above, it is not essential that the projector communication control program PRJ1 is executed on PC10. Therefore, it is possible that the projector communication control program PRJ1 is not stored in the memory circuit 12. The first modified example describes a configuration in which the projector communication control program PRJ1 is not stored.

[0090] 2-1-1. Operation of the first modified example Figure 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing when a communication request is received in the first modified example. The flowchart in Figure 10 differs from the flowchart in Figure 7 in that it executes the process of step SP62 instead of the processes of steps SP42 and SP44, but is otherwise identical. Hereafter, only the differences from the flowchart in Figure 7 will be explained.

[0091] If the result of step SP32 is positive, the processing circuit 31 executes the authorization request information transmission process in step SP62. The authorization request information transmission process will be explained using Figure 11.

[0092] Figure 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the authorization request information transmission process. In the flowchart shown in Figure 11, the processes of step SP42 and step SP44 are the same as the processes of step SP42 and step SP44 in the flowchart shown in Figure 7, respectively, so the explanation of these processes is omitted. In the following sections, if a step number is the same as one that has already been explained, the explanation will be omitted as it has already been explained.

[0093] The processing circuit 31 executes the processing in step SP42. After the processing in step SP42 is completed, the processing circuit 31 determines in step SP72 whether or not it has received rejection information. The rejection information is information indicating that PC10, which received the authorization request information, does not have the projector communication control program PRJ1 stored in its memory. If the determination result in step SP72 is affirmative, the processing circuit 31 sends the projector communication control program PRJ1 to the device that sent the rejection information in step SP74. To implement the processing in step SP74, the memory circuit 32 of the projector 30 stores projector communication control programs PRJ corresponding to multiple platforms, and the processing circuit 31 sends the projector communication control program PRJ corresponding to PC10's platform to PC10. A platform refers to the environment in which a program operates, specifically, for example, an OS. To identify the projector communication control program PRJ corresponding to PC10, PC10 only needs to include information indicating PC10's platform in the rejection information. Alternatively, the projector 30 may store projector communication control programs PRJ corresponding to multiple platforms in a USB mass storage device connected to the projector 30.

[0094] After the processing of step SP74 is completed, the processing circuit 31 executes the processing of step SP42 again. That is, the processing circuit 31 resends the authorization request information to the management authority device. If there is a management authority device other than PC10 and the processing of step SP42 is executed again, the processing circuit 31 may or may not resend the authorization request information to the management authority device other than PC10.

[0095] If the result of step SP72 is negative, the processing circuit 31 executes the process of step SP44. If the result of step SP44 is negative, the processing circuit 31 determines in step SP76 whether a predetermined period has elapsed since the authorization request information was transmitted. If the result of step SP76 is negative, the processing circuit 31 executes the process of step SP72 again. If the result of step SP76 is negative, the processing circuit 31 executes the process of step SP72 again. If the result of step SP76 is positive, the processing circuit 31 transmits the projector communication control program PRJ to the PC10, which is a management authority device connected by a wired cable CB, in step SP78. After the completion of the process of step SP78, the processing circuit 31 executes the process of step SP42 again.

[0096] If the result of step SP44 is positive, the processing circuit 31 terminates the series of processes shown in Figure 11.

[0097] Figure 12 is a flowchart showing an example of processing upon receipt of authorization request information in the first modified example. The series of processes shown in Figure 12 will also be explained using an example in which the processing circuit 11 performs the processing upon receipt of authorization request information, similar to Figure 8.

[0098] In step SC52, the processing circuit 11 determines whether or not the projector communication control program PRJ1 is stored in the memory circuit 12. If the result of the determination in step SC52 is positive, the processing circuit 11 executes the process in step SP22. If the result of the determination in step SC52 is negative, the processing circuit 11 transmits rejection information to the projector 30 via the second wiring WR2 of the wired cable CB in step SC54. In step SC56, the processing circuit 11 receives the projector communication control program PRJ1 and stores the received projector communication control program PRJ1 in the memory circuit 12. After the completion of the process in step SC56, the processing circuit 11 terminates the series of processes shown in Figure 12. If the processing circuit 11 has completed the authorization request information reception process by executing the process in step SC56, it will receive authorization request information again. In the authorization request information reception process corresponding to the authorization request information received again, the processing circuit 11 determines that the result of the determination in step SC52 is positive.

[0099] 2-1-2. Summary of the first variation In the following description, the communication between smartphone 20_1 and projector 30 is referred to as the second communication, and the summary of the first modified example is explained using an example where PC 10 is set as the administrative privilege device.

[0100] If PC10 does not have the projector communication control program PRJ1 stored in it, the projector 30 causes PC10 to store the projector communication control program PRJ1, and the approval information indicating that the second communication has been approved is sent from PC10, which has executed the projector communication control program PRJ1 stored in PC10, to the projector 30. According to the first modified example, if the projector communication control program PRJ1 is not stored in PC10, the projector 30 can cause PC10 to store the projector communication control program PRJ1, thereby allowing PC10, which is connected to projector 30 via wired cable CB, to determine whether or not a newly logged-in smartphone 20 is connected to presenter U_PC.

[0101] 2-2. Second variation The second modification differs from the first embodiment and the first modification in that, when the smartphone 20, which is the management authority device, is in a mode that occupies the projection area PR and displays an image, the PC 10 causes the presenter U_PC to determine whether or not the newly requested login smartphone 20 is connected. The second modification will be described below.

[0102] 3-2-1. Operation of the second modified example Figure 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the projector 30 in the second modified example. The flowchart in Figure 13 differs from the flowchart in Figure 6 in that it executes the process of step SP14B instead of step SP14, the process of step SP16B instead of step SP16, the process of step SP24 is executed if the result of the determination of step SP16B is positive, and the process of step SP26 is executed if the result of the determination of step SP20 is positive. Other parts are the same. Hereafter, only the differences from the flowchart in Figure 6 will be explained. In order to facilitate understanding of the specification, the process of step SP14B will be explained after the processes of steps SP16B, SP24, and SP22.

[0103] If the result of step SP12 is negative, the processing circuit 31 determines in step SP16B whether it has started receiving image data or whether the presenter U has instructed it to switch to the occupied mode.

[0104] Occupied mode is a mode in which an image based on image data transmitted from one of the devices included in the display system 1, either the PC 10 or one or more smartphones 20, occupies and displays within the projection area PR. Both the PC 10 and the smartphones 20 can be set to occupied mode, but the smartphones 20 are more likely to be set to occupied mode than the PC 10. The reason why the PC 10 is less likely to be set to occupied mode for the smartphones 20 is that the PC 10 can project an image to the projector 30 without starting the projector communication control program PRJ1, and therefore the PC 10 may not have started the projector communication control program PRJ1 at all, which allows it to transition to occupied mode.

[0105] In the following description, a smartphone 20 or PC 10 with the occupied mode set may be referred to as the "occupied device." The display unit 17 or 27 of the occupied device may be referred to as the "display unit of the occupied device." Furthermore, the presenter U of the occupied device may be referred to as presenter U_o. Note that the occupied mode is an example of the "first mode." An instruction to switch to occupied mode is, for example, the pressing of the "Switch to Occupied Mode" button displayed on the display unit 17 of the PC 10 and the display unit 27 of the smartphone 20.

[0106] If the result of step SP16B is negative, the processing circuit 31 executes the processing in step SP20. If the result of step SP16B is positive, the processing circuit 31 executes the image data reception processing in step SP24. The image data reception processing will be explained using Figure 14.

[0107] Figure 14 is a flowchart showing an example of image data reception processing. In step SP92, the processing circuit 31 determines whether any of the PC 10 and one or more smartphones 20 included in the display system 1 have a device set to occupy mode.

[0108] If the result of step SP92 is negative, the processing circuit 31 determines in step SP94 whether or not a transition to the occupied mode has been instructed. If the result of step SP94 is negative, the processing circuit 31 executes the process in step SP18. After the processing in step SP18 is completed, the processing circuit 31 terminates the series of processes shown in Figure 14.

[0109] If the result of step SP94 is positive, in step SP96, the processing circuit 21 sets the device that has been instructed to switch to occupied mode to occupied mode. Next, in step SP98, the projection device 37, based on the instructions of the processing circuit 31, starts projecting an image based on the received image data while occupying the projection area PR. Specifically, if image data is received from two or more devices, the projection device 37 releases the division of the projection area PR and projects an image based on the image data transmitted from the device set to occupied mode, i.e., the occupied device. After the processing of step SP98 is completed, the processing circuit 31 terminates the series of processes shown in Figure 14.

[0110] If the result of step SP92 is positive, the processing circuit 31 refuses to project an image based on image data received from a device other than the occupied device in step SP100. After the processing of step SP100 is completed, the processing circuit 31 terminates the series of processes shown in Figure 14.

[0111] Let's return to the explanation in Figure 13. If the result of step SP20 is positive, the processing circuit 31 releases the PC10 that was set to occupy mode in step SP26. Specifically, if the device that has finished receiving image data is an occupy device, the processing circuit 31 releases the occupy mode. After the processing in step SP26 is completed, the processing circuit 31 executes step SP22.

[0112] To avoid complicating the diagram, Figure 13 omits the illustration of the case where the presenter U_o of the occupied device instructs the release of the occupied mode. When the presenter U_o instructs the release of the occupied mode, the projector 30 releases the device that was set to occupied mode. The instruction to release the occupied mode is, for example, when the "Release Occupied Mode" button displayed on the display unit of the occupied device is pressed. If, as a result of releasing the occupied mode, image data is received from two or more devices, the projection device 37 projects images based on the image data received from each of the two or more devices into each of the divided projection area PR.

[0113] If the result of step SP12 is affirmative, the processing circuit 31 executes the communication request reception processing in the second modified example in step SP14B. The communication request reception processing in the second modified example differs from the communication request reception processing in the first modified example in that it executes the authorization request information transmission processing in the second modified example instead of the authorization request information transmission processing in the first modified example, but is the same in other respects, so its explanation is omitted. The authorization request information transmission processing in the second modified example will be explained using Figure 15.

[0114] Figure 15 is a flowchart showing the authorization request information transmission process in the second modified example. In step SP82, the processing circuit 31 determines whether there are two or more management authority devices. If the determination result in step SP82 is negative, the processing circuit 31 transmits authorization request information to one management authority device in step SP84. On the other hand, if the determination result in step SP82 is positive, the processing circuit 31 transmits authorization request information to a management authority device other than the occupied device in step SP86.

[0115] After the processing of step SP84 or step SP86 is completed, the processing circuit 31 executes the processing of step SP44.

[0116] Let's return to the explanation in Figure 13. After the processing of step SP14B is completed, the processing circuit 31 returns to the processing of step SP4.

[0117] 2-2-2. Summary of the second variation In the following description, communication between smartphone 20_2 and projector 30 is referred to as the third communication, and the second modified example is explained using an example where PC 10 and smartphone 20_1 are set as management privilege devices.

[0118] When smartphone 20_1 is set to an occupied mode in which an image based on image data transmitted from smartphone 20_1 occupies and displays in the projection area PR, and when projector 30 receives a request for third communication from smartphone 20_2 while displaying an image in the projection area PR, it sends information indicating that a third communication has been requested to PC 10 via wired cable CB, and when projector 30 receives information from PC 10 via wired cable CB indicating that the third communication has been approved, it establishes third communication via wireless communication. According to the first modification, the display unit 17 of the PC 10, which is not projecting an image onto the projector 30, displays the communication judgment image CW indicated by the communication judgment image data, thereby avoiding bothering the presenter U_1 of the smartphone 20_1, which is displaying an image on the projector 30.

[0119] 2-3. Third Variation The third modification differs from the first embodiment, the first modification, and the second modification in that the PC 10 and the smartphone 20 can be set to a mode that does not update the image displayed on the projector 30. The third modification will be described below.

[0120] 2-3-1. Operation of the third modified example Figure 16 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the projector 30 in the third modified example. The flowchart in Figure 16 differs from the flowchart in Figure 13 in that it executes the process of step SP14C instead of step SP14B, the process of step SP16C instead of step SP16B, the process of step SP24C instead of step SP24, and the process of step SP26C instead of step SP26, but is otherwise identical. Hereafter, only the differences from the flowchart in Figure 13 will be explained. To facilitate understanding of the specification, the process of step SP14C will be explained after the processes of steps SP16C, SP24C, and SP2.

[0121] If the result of step SP12 is negative, the processing circuit 31 determines in step SP16C whether it has started receiving image data or whether the presenter U has instructed it to switch to hold mode.

[0122] The hold mode is a mode in which the image displayed on the projector 30 is not updated. The hold mode is useful when, while the projector 30 is displaying an image based on image data transmitted from one or more devices among the PC 10 and one or more smartphones 20 included in the display system 1, the presenter U's device is allowed to perform a process that the audience W does not want to see. The process that the audience W does not want to see is, for example, the process of entering personal information such as an account ID and password.

[0123] Note that both PC10 and smartphone 20 are devices that can be set to hold mode, but smartphone 20 is more likely to be set to hold mode than PC10. The reason why PC10 is less likely to be set to hold mode than smartphone 20 is that, similar to the occupied mode, PC10 can project an image to projector 30 without starting the projector communication control program PRJ1, so PC10 may not even start the projector communication control program PRJ1, which can transition to hold mode. Another reason why PC10 is less likely to be set to hold mode is that if PC10 is performing a process that it does not want the audience W to see, it can simply disconnect the wired cable CB from PC10.

[0124] The instruction to switch to hold mode is, for example, when the "Switch to hold mode" button displayed on the display unit 17 of the PC 10 and the display unit 27 of the smartphone 20 is pressed.

[0125] The hold mode, which does not update the image displayed on the projector 30, includes continuously updating the same image. In the following description, the PC 10 and smartphone 20 set to hold mode may be referred to as the "hold device".

[0126] To implement the hold mode, the projector 30 stops updating images based on image data from the time hold mode is set. In the following description, image data from the time hold mode is set may be referred to as "image data after hold mode."

[0127] There are three ways to implement the hold mode, as described below. In the first method of implementing the hold mode, the hold device temporarily stops transmitting image data to the projector 30 when the presenter U instructs it to enter hold mode. The projector 30 continues to project an image based on the last image data transmitted from the hold device. In other words, in the first method of implementing the hold mode, the hold device does not transmit post-hold image data to the projector 30.

[0128] In the second method for implementing the hold mode, the hold device temporarily stops transmitting image data to the projector 30 when the presenter U instructs it to enter hold mode. The projector 30 continues to project the image indicated by the image data pre-stored in the memory circuit 32. That is, in the second method for implementing the hold mode, the hold device does not transmit the hold image data to the projector 30. The image indicated by the image data pre-stored in the memory circuit 32 can be any image, but for example, it may be an image containing a string of characters indicating that it is in hold mode. The image indicated by the image data pre-stored in the memory circuit 32 may also be a moving image.

[0129] In the third method for realizing the hold mode, the hold device continues to transmit image data to the projector 30 even when the presenter U instructs it to enter hold mode. The projector 30 stores the image data transmitted from the hold device in the memory circuit 32 at the time the presenter U instructs it to enter hold mode, and continues to project an image based on the stored image data. That is, in the third method for realizing the hold mode, the hold device transmits the post-hold image data to the projector 30, but the projector 30 does not project an image based on the post-hold image data. The following description will use an embodiment that employs the first method for realizing the hold mode.

[0130] Furthermore, in the following description, the state in which an image based on image data transmitted from either PC10 or one or more smartphones 20 is displayed on the projector 30 may be referred to as "shared mode." The device among PC10 and smartphones 20 that is set to shared mode may be referred to as the "source sharing device." In addition, the display unit 17 of PC10 and the display unit 27 of smartphone 20, which are source sharing devices, may be referred to as the "display unit of the source sharing device." Shared mode is an example of "second mode." Hold mode is an example of "third mode."

[0131] Furthermore, in the following description, images based on image data transmitted from the sharing source device may be referred to as "shared images." Shared images have the following two forms. In the first form, the shared image is identical to the image displayed on the display unit of the sharing source device. In the following, the shared image in the first form may be referred to as a "mirrored image."

[0132] The shared image in the second embodiment is different from the image displayed on the display unit of the sharing device. Specifically, the shared image in the second embodiment is a portion of the image displayed on the display unit of the sharing device. A portion of the image displayed on the display unit of the sharing device is, for example, an enlarged image of a portion of the image displayed on the display unit of the sharing device, or an image within the window of an application program displayed on the display unit of the sharing device. The application program can be anything, but for example, a program for creating documents and a program for displaying documents. Hereafter, the shared image in the second embodiment may be referred to as a "partially shared image".

[0133] Furthermore, among the devices with administrative authority, those that are neither a shared device nor a reserved device may be referred to as "unshared devices."

[0134] If the result of step SP16C is negative, the processing circuit 31 executes the processing in step SP20. If the result of step SP16C is positive, the processing circuit 31 executes the image data reception processing in the third modified example in step SP24C. The image data reception processing in the third modified example will be explained with reference to Figure 17.

[0135] Figure 17 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of image data reception processing in the third modified example. In step SP122, the processing circuit 31 determines whether or not a transition to hold mode has been instructed. If the determination result in step SP72 is negative, in step SP124, the processing circuit 31 sets the device that transmitted the image data among the PC 10 and one or more smartphones 20 to shared mode. After the processing in step SP124 is completed, the processing circuit 31 executes the processing in step SP18. After the processing in step SP18 is completed, the processing circuit 21 terminates the series of processes shown in Figure 17.

[0136] If the result of step SP122 is positive, the processing circuit 31 sets the device that has been instructed to switch to hold mode to hold mode in step SP126. After the processing in step SP126 is completed, the projection device 37 projects an image in step SP128 based on the instructions of the processing circuit 31, without relying on image data transmitted from the hold device. After the processing in step SP128 is completed, the processing circuit 31 terminates the series of processes shown in Figure 17. The state immediately before being changed to hold mode will be explained using Figure 18, and the state after being changed to hold mode will be explained using Figure 19.

[0137] Figure 18 is a diagram illustrating the state immediately before the system is switched to hold mode. Figure 19 is a diagram illustrating the state after the system has been switched to hold mode. A common premise for both Figures 18 and 19 is that PC 10 and smartphone 20_1 are the source devices. Therefore, the projector 30 divides the projection area PR into two parts: partial area SR1 and partial area SR2. Partial area SR1 and partial area SR2 may be areas obtained by dividing the projection area PR into two equal parts, or areas obtained by dividing it unequally. Furthermore, there may be areas in the projection area PR that are not included in either partial area SR1 or partial area SR2.

[0138] In the example shown in Figure 18, the projector 30 projects image GC_A1, based on image data transmitted from PC 10, onto partial area SR1, and image GC_B1, based on image data transmitted from smartphone 20_1, onto partial area SR2. Image GC_A1 is identical to image GP_A1 displayed on display unit 17. Image GC_B1 is identical to image GP_B1 displayed on display unit 27_1 of smartphone 20_1. Thus, in the example shown in Figure 14, it is assumed that before switching to hold mode, a shared image in the first mode, i.e., a mirrored image, is projected. Partial area SR1 is an example of a "first partial area," and partial area SR2 is an example of a "second partial area." Image data transmitted from PC 10 is an example of "first image data," and image data transmitted from smartphone 20_1 is an example of "second image data."

[0139] As shown in Figure 18, let's assume that presenter U_1 instructs smartphone 20_1 to change from shared mode to hold mode.

[0140] In the example in Figure 19, the projector 30 stops updating the image in partial region SR2 based on image data from the time the smartphone 20_1 is set to hold mode. Therefore, in the example in Figure 19, the image displayed on the display unit 27_1 is updated from image GP_B1 to image GP_B2, but the image projected onto partial region SR2 remains image GC_B1. On the other hand, with respect to the PC 10, which remains in shared mode, the projector 30 continues to update the image in partial region SR1. That is, in the example in Figure 19, the image displayed on the display unit 17 is updated from image GP_A1 to image GP_A2, and the image projected onto partial region SR1 is updated from image GC_A1 to image GC_A2, and images GP_A2 and GC_A2 are identical.

[0141] Let's return to the explanation in Figure 16. If the result of step SP16C is negative, the processing circuit 31 executes the process in step SP20. If the result of step SP20 is positive, the processing circuit 31 releases the device that was set to shared mode or held mode in step SP26C. Specifically, if the device that finished receiving image data was the source device, the processing circuit 31 releases the shared mode, and if the device that finished receiving image data was a held device, it releases the held mode. As a result of releasing the held mode, the projector 30 resumes updating the image based on the image data transmitted from the device that was a held device after the held mode was released. After the completion of the process in step SP26C, the processing circuit 21 executes step SP22.

[0142] To avoid complicating the diagram, Figure 16 omits the illustration of the case where the presenter U of the hold device instructs the hold mode to be released. When the presenter U of the hold device instructs the hold mode to be released, the projector 30 releases the hold mode of the hold device.

[0143] If the determination result in step SP12 is affirmative, the processing circuit 31 executes the communication request reception processing in the third modified example in step SP14C. The communication request reception processing in the third modified example differs from the communication request reception processing in the second modified example in that it executes the authorization request information transmission processing in the third modified example instead of the authorization request information transmission processing in the second modified example, but is the same in other respects, so its explanation is omitted. The authorization request information transmission processing in the third modified example will be explained using Figure 20.

[0144] Figure 20 is a flowchart showing the authorization request information transmission process in the third modified example. Processing circuit 31 executes the process in step SP82. If the determination result of step SP82 is negative, processing circuit 31 executes the process in step SP84, and after the completion of the process in step SP84, executes the process in step SP44.

[0145] If the result of step SP82 is positive, the processing circuit 31 determines in step SP142 whether there are either a reserved device or an unshared device, or both, among the management authority devices.

[0146] If the result of step SP142 is positive, the processing circuit 31 controls at least one of the wireless communication circuit 34 and the wired communication circuit 35 to send authorization request information to the device found in step SP142 in step SP144. Specifically, if both a reserved device and an unshared device are present, the processing circuit 31 sends authorization request information to both the reserved device and the unshared device. If only a reserved device is present, the processing circuit 31 sends authorization request information to the reserved device. If only an unshared device is present, the processing circuit 31 sends authorization request information to the unshared device. After the processing of step SP144 is completed, the processing circuit 31 executes the processing of step SP44.

[0147] If the result of step SP142 is negative, the processing circuit 31 sends authorization request information to the source device in step SP146. After the processing in step SP146 is completed, the processing circuit 31 executes the processing in step SP44.

[0148] 2-3-2. Summary of the third variation In the following, image data sent from PC10 will be referred to as the first image data, and image data sent from smartphone 20_1 will be referred to as the second image data. Furthermore, in the following description, a summary of the third modified example will be explained using an example in which PC10 and smartphone 20_1 are set as administrative access control devices.

[0149] PC10 is set to a shared mode in which an image based on image data transmitted from PC10 is displayed on projector 30, and smartphone 20_1 is also set to a shared mode. Partial area SR1, which is a part of the projection area PR, displays an image based on the first image data transmitted from PC10, and partial area SR2, which is a part of the projection area PR but different from partial area SR1, displays an image based on the second image data transmitted from smartphone 20_1. If smartphone 20_1 is set to an exclusive mode in which the image displayed on projector 30 is not updated, projector 30 stops updating the image in partial area SR2 based on the second image data from the time it was set to exclusive mode. If smartphone 20_2 requests a third communication while projector 30 is displaying an image on projection area PR, projector 30 sends authorization request information to smartphone 20_1 indicating that a third communication has been requested. If projector 30 receives authorization information from smartphone 20_1 indicating that the third communication has been approved, projector 30 establishes the third communication via wireless communication. According to the third modification, by transmitting authorization request information to the smartphone 20_1, which is a holding device, communication between the smartphone 20_2 and the projector 30 can be established while suppressing interference with the display of the image shown on the display unit 17 of the PC 10. The reason why it is desirable to suppress interference with the display of the image shown on the display unit 17 of the PC 10 is as follows: The presenter U_PC of the PC 10 may explain while looking at the image displayed on the display unit 17. Therefore, if the communication judgment image CW is displayed on the display unit 17, the explanation regarding the image displayed on the display unit 17 may be interrupted, which may be annoying for the presenter U_PC.

[0150] 2-4. Fourth Variation In the first embodiment described above, the PC 10 and the smartphone 20_1 are the management authority devices, and when the projector 30 receives a request from the smartphone 20_2 for a third communication between the smartphone 20_2 and the projector 30 while the projector 30 is displaying an image in the projection area PR, authorization request information indicating that a third communication has been requested is sent to both the PC 10 and the smartphone 20_1, but is not limited to this. For example, the projector 30 may send the authorization request information to only one of the PC 10 and the smartphone 20_1.

[0151] According to the fourth modified example, similar to the first embodiment, the smartphone 20_2 can establish communication with the projector 30 while preventing interference with the display of the image GP based on image data transmitted from the PC 10 or smartphone 20.

[0152] 2-5. Fifth Variation In each of the embodiments described above, the PC 10 and the projector 30 were connected by a single wired cable CB, but this is not limited to the PC 10 and the projector 30. The PC 10 and the projector 30 may be connected by two or more wired cables. For example, the PC 10 and the projector 30 may be connected by a first cable for transferring image data and a second cable for transmitting control data. The first cable is, for example, an HDMI cable or a DVI cable. DVI is an abbreviation for Digital Visual Interface. The second cable is, for example, a USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 cable, or an RS-232C cable.

[0153] 2-6. Sixth Variation In the embodiments described above, the projector 30 was an example of a "display device," but it is not limited to this. For example, other examples of display devices may be an organic EL display or a liquid crystal display. EL is an abbreviation for Electro Luminescence.

[0154] 2-7. Seventh Variation In each of the above embodiments, the display unit of the administrative authority device was shown as an example of an output destination for information that allows presenter U to decide whether or not to approve the communication, but the output destination is not limited to the display unit of the administrative authority device. For example, the administrative authority device has earphones, and presenter U wears these earphones. The administrative authority device may play audio to the earphones indicating information that allows presenter U of the administrative authority device to decide whether or not to approve communication between the smartphone 20 and the projector 30, and audio prompting approval or denial of the communication. For example, the audio indicating information that allows presenter U of the administrative authority device to decide whether or not to approve communication between the smartphone 20 and the projector 30 might be, "Do you approve communication between projector 30 and smartphone 20?" For example, the audio prompting approval or denial of the communication might be, "Press the OK key to approve the communication, or the CAN-DOK key to deny it." If the OK key is pressed, the administrative authority device sends approval information to the projector 30, and if the CAN-DOK key is pressed, the administrative authority device sends denial information to the projector 30.

[0155] 2-8. Variation 8 In each of the above embodiments, the projector 30 sends decision completion information to the management authority devices that sent authorization request information but did not send either approval information or denial information. However, it is not necessary to send decision completion information.

[0156] 3. Addendum A summary of this disclosure is provided below.

[0157] (Note 1) A control method for a display system comprising a first device, a second device, and a display device that can communicate with the first device via one or more wired cables and can communicate with the second device wirelessly and is capable of displaying an image in a display area, wherein the display device establishes a first communication with the first device via the one or more wired cables, and when the second device requests a second communication between the second device and the display device while the display device is displaying an image in the display area, the display device transmits information indicating that the second communication has been requested to the first device via the one or more wired cables, and when the display device receives information from the first device via the one or more wired cables indicating that the second communication has been approved, the display device establishes the second communication wirelessly. According to Note 1, the second communication is established when the display device transmits information indicating that the second communication has been requested to the first device via one or more wired cables and receives information from the first device via one or more wired cables indicating that the second communication has been approved. This allows the display device to establish a second communication even if an image containing the identification code is not displayed on the display device when a second communication is requested, thereby preventing interference with the display of the image in the display area.

[0158] (Note 2) The control method described in Note 1, wherein the display system having established the first and second communications further comprises a third device capable of communicating with the display device by wireless communication, and when the display device is displaying an image in the display area, the display device transmits information indicating that the third communication has been requested to at least one of the first and second devices, and when the display device receives information from the first or second device indicating that the third communication has been approved, it establishes the third communication by wireless communication. According to Note 2, the third communication is established when the display device transmits information indicating that the third communication has been requested to at least one of the first and second devices, and receives information from the first or second device indicating that the third communication has been approved. As a result, when the display device is requested to establish the third communication, the third communication can be established even if an image containing an identification code is not displayed on the display device, and interference with the display of an image in the display area can be suppressed.

[0159] (Note 3) The control method described in Note 1 or 2, wherein the one or more wired cables are a single wired cable, and the single wired cable comprises a first wire for transferring image data and a second wire for transmitting control data, the first wire receives image data from the first device indicating the image displayed in the display area, and the second wire receives information from the first device indicating that the second communication has been requested. According to Note 3, the second communication is established by transferring control data and image data indicating the image displayed in the display area via a single wired cable. This simplifies the configuration of the wired cables connecting the first device and the display device.

[0160] (Note 4) If the first device does not store a program to control the communication of the display device, the display device causes the first device to store the program, and information indicating that the second communication has been approved is transmitted from the first device, which has executed the program stored in the first device, to the display device, according to the control method described in any one of Notes 1 to 3. According to Note 4, if the first device does not store a program, the display device establishes the second communication by causing the first device to store a program. As a result, when the display device requests the second communication under circumstances where the first device does not store a program, the second communication can be established even if an image containing an identification code is not displayed on the display device, thereby preventing interference with the display of the image in the display area.

[0161] (Note 5) The control method described in Note 2, wherein the second device is set to a first mode in which an image based on image data transmitted from the second device occupies and is displayed in the display area, and the display device, while displaying an image in the display area, receives a request for the third communication from the third device, transmits information indicating that the third communication has been requested to the first device via one or more wired cables, and when the display device receives information from the first device via one or more wired cables indicating that the third communication has been approved, establishes the third communication by wireless communication. According to Note 5, when the second device is set to a first mode in which an image based on image data transmitted from the second device occupies and is displayed in the display area, the third communication is established when the display device transmits information indicating that the third communication has been requested to the first device via one or more wired cables, and receives information from the first device via one or more wired cables indicating that the third communication has been approved. This allows the display device to establish a third communication when requested, without having to send information to the second device indicating that a third communication has been requested, thus avoiding inconvenience to the user of the second device, which is set to the first mode.

[0162] (Claim 6) The control method according to Appendix 2, wherein when the first device is set to a second mode, an image based on first image data transmitted from the first device is displayed in a first partial area which is a part of the display area; when the second device is set to a second mode, an image based on second image data transmitted from the second device is displayed in a second partial area which is a part of the display area but different from the first partial area; the display device stops updating the image of the second partial area based on the second image data after the second device is set to the third mode if the second device is set from the second mode to a third mode which does not update the image to be displayed on the display device; the display device transmits information to the second device indicating that a third communication has been requested if the first device is set to a second mode and the second device is set to a third mode; and the display device establishes the third communication by wireless communication if it receives information from the second device indicating that the third communication has been approved. According to Appendix 6, by transmitting information to the second device, which is a holding device, indicating that a third communication has been requested, interference with the display of the image shown on the display unit of the first device can be suppressed.

[0163] (Note 7) If the display device receives a request for the third communication from the third device while displaying an image in the display area, it transmits information to the first and second devices indicating that the third communication has been requested. The display device then transmits information to the other of the first and second devices indicating that it has completed the decision on whether or not to approve the third communication, in response to receiving information from one of the first and second devices indicating that the third communication has been approved or denied. According to Note 7, by transmitting the decision completion information to the other of the first and second devices, one device erases the communication decision image CW displayed on the display unit of the other device. This reduces the burden on the presenter U of the other device.

[0164] (Note 8) A display system comprising a first device, a second device, and a display device that can communicate with the first device via one or more wired cables and can communicate with the second device wirelessly and is capable of displaying an image in a display area, wherein the display device establishes a first communication with the first device via the one or more wired cables, and when the second device requests a second communication between the second device and the display device while the display device is displaying an image in the display area, the display device transmits information indicating that the second communication has been requested to the first device via the one or more wired cables, and when the display device receives information from the first device via the one or more wired cables indicating that the second communication has been approved, it establishes the second communication wirelessly. According to Note 8, the same effect as Note 1 can be obtained. [Explanation of symbols]

[0165] 1…Display system, 11…Processing circuit, 12…Memory circuit, 15…Wired communication circuit, 16…Input unit, 17…Display unit, 19…Bus, 20_1,20_2…Smartphone, 21…Processing circuit, 22…Memory circuit, 24…Wireless communication circuit, 26…Input unit, 27…Display unit, 29…Bus, 30…Projector, 31…Processing circuit, 32…Memory circuit, 34…Wireless communication circuit, 35…Wired communication circuit, 36…Input device, 37…Projection device, 37a…Light source, 37b…Display panel, 37c…Optical system, 39…Bus, BTN1,BTN2…Buttons CB...Wired cable, CW...Communication judgment image, GC,GC_A1,GC_A2,GC_B1,GP,GP_A1,GP_A2,GP_B1,GP_B2...Image, MP...Venue, PR...Projection area, PR1,PR2,PR3...Control program, PRJ1,PRJ2...Projector communication control program, PRM...Communication control program, SC...Projection surface, SR1,SR2...Partial area, SS12,SS2...Step, STR1...String, U,U_1,U_PC...Presenter, W...Audience, WR1...First wiring, WR2...Second wiring.

Claims

1. A control method for a display system having a first device, a second device, and a display device that can communicate with the first device via one or more wired cables and can communicate with the second device wirelessly and is capable of displaying an image in a display area, The display device establishes first communication with the first device via the one or more wired cables, If the display device receives a request from the second device for a second communication between the second device and the display device while an image is being displayed in the display area, it transmits information indicating that a second communication has been requested to the first device via one or more wired cables. When the display device receives information indicating that the second communication has been approved from the first device via one or more wired cables, it establishes the second communication via wireless communication. Control method.

2. The display system, which has established the first and second communications, further comprises a third device capable of communicating with the display device via wireless communication. If the display device receives a request from the third device for a third communication between the third device and the display device while an image is being displayed in the display area, it transmits information indicating that the third communication has been requested to at least one of the first device and the second device. When the display device receives information from the first or second device indicating that the third communication has been approved, it establishes the third communication via wireless communication. The control method described in claim 1.

3. The aforementioned one or more wired cables are actually a single wired cable. The aforementioned wired cable includes a first wire for transferring image data and a second wire for transferring control data. The first wiring receives image data from the first device indicating the image displayed in the display area. The second wiring receives information indicating that the first device has requested the second communication. The control method described in claim 1.

4. If the first device does not store a program to control the communication of the display device, the display device will cause the first device to store the program. Information indicating that the second communication has been approved is transmitted from the first device that executed the program stored in the first device to the display device. The control method described in claim 1.

5. The second device is set to a first mode in which an image based on image data transmitted from the second device occupies the display area and is displayed. If the display device receives a request for the third communication from the third device while displaying an image in the display area, it transmits information indicating that the third communication has been requested to the first device via one or more wired cables. When the display device receives information from the first device via one or more wired cables indicating that the third communication has been approved, it establishes the third communication via wireless communication. The control method described in claim 2.

6. When the first device is set to the second mode, an image based on the first image data transmitted from the first device is displayed in the first partial area, which is a part of the display area. When the second device is set to the second mode, an image based on the second image data transmitted from the second device is displayed in the second sub-region, which is a part of the display area and different from the first sub-region. If the second device is set from the second mode to a third mode in which the image displayed on the display device is not updated, the display device stops updating the image of the second partial region based on the second image data from the time the third mode was set. If the display device receives a request for the third communication from the third device while the first device is set to the second mode and the second device is set to the third mode, it transmits information to the second device indicating that the third communication has been requested. When the display device receives information from the second device indicating that the third communication has been approved, it establishes the third communication via wireless communication. The control method according to claim 2.

7. If the display device receives a request for the third communication from the third device while displaying an image in the display area, it transmits information to the first device and the second device indicating that the third communication has been requested. The display device, upon receiving information from one of the first and second devices indicating that the third communication has been approved or denied, transmits to the other of the first and second devices information indicating that the decision on whether or not to approve the third communication has been completed. The control method according to claim 2.

8. A display system comprising: a first device; a second device; and a display device that can communicate with the first device via one or more wired cables and can communicate with the second device via wireless communication and is capable of displaying an image in a display area, The display device establishes first communication with the first device via the one or more wired cables, If the display device receives a request from the second device for a second communication between the second device and the display device while an image is being displayed in the display area, it transmits information indicating that a second communication has been requested to the first device via one or more wired cables. When the display device receives information indicating that the second communication has been approved from the first device via one or more wired cables, it establishes the second communication via wireless communication. Display system.

Images