Data transmission / reception method and data transmission / reception device

Abstract

To transmit data and a file from a personal computer to the outside by means of a relatively inexpensive and simple method even in such a situation that a USB port and a wired or wireless LAN cannot be used.SOLUTION: Data and a file stored in a transmission side personal computer are once converted into a non-compressed image and the image is transmitted to the outside as an image via an HDMI cable. The image is taken by a reception side personal computer via a USB adapter connected to the HDMI cable and restored to the original data and file with restoration software in the reception side personal computer. The data and file are transmitted to a reception personal computer from a transmission personal computer with these procedures.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and device for transmitting data and files stored in a personal computer to an external device. [Background technology]

[0002] The most common way to send data or files stored on a computer to an external storage device is to save them to an external storage device such as a hard disk drive, DVD, Blu-ray, or USB memory via a Universal Serial Bus (USB) terminal, or to save them to an external storage device via a wired Local Area Network (LAN) or wireless LAN.

[0003] However, if the USB port, wired LAN, or wireless LAN is damaged or its functionality is limited, it is difficult to transfer files to an external device.

[0004] Meanwhile, many recent personal computers are equipped with HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface, registered trademark) terminals, making it possible to display video and audio information, etc. on an external monitor, etc., via the HDMI terminal.

[0005] Prior art includes Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, which propose a method for transferring complementary file data accompanying audio and video data via an HDMI cable. This technology is an application example for video and audio devices, and has the problem that it cannot be applied to data and files stored in a personal computer. In addition, the two devices are divided into a source device and a sink device, and are characterized by being synchronized based on a clock generated by the source device. Therefore, it is difficult to apply this technology to devices that cannot be synchronized via an HDMI cable. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-130664 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2011-523287 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] Even in situations where the USB port and wired / wireless LAN cannot be used, there is a need to send data and files from a PC to an external device.

[0008] The problem that this invention aims to solve is to transmit data and files from a personal computer to an external device in a relatively inexpensive and simple manner without going through a USB port or a wired or wireless LAN. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The present invention relates to a transmission / reception method and device for transmitting data or files stored in a personal computer to an external device via an HDMI cable.

[0010] The file to be sent, stored in the sending computer, is converted to uncompressed image data, a so-called BMP (bitmap) format file, using conversion software stored in the sending computer, and temporarily saved in the sending computer's storage device. Next, this uncompressed image is displayed on the sending computer's monitor.

[0011] An HDMI cable is connected to the HDMI terminal of the sending computer, and the other end of the HDMI cable is connected to the receiving computer via a USB adapter.

[0012] The image is displayed on the monitor of the sending computer, and is simultaneously transmitted to the receiving computer via the HDMI cable and USB adapter, where it is stored as image data.

[0013] Next, demodulation and conversion software is used in the receiving computer to restore the uncompressed image data to the original data file.

[0014] The conversion software on the sending and receiving computers must be paired. The image data to be displayed is easily uncompressed, but it does not necessarily have to be uncompressed. The sending computer must have an HDMI terminal. Also, the receiving computer must have a USB terminal. One of the features of this system is that it does not require clock synchronization between the sending and receiving computers. The sending computer can simply stream data. Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the present invention, even in a situation where the USB port and wired / wireless LAN cannot be used, it is possible to transmit data and files stored in a sending computer to an external device via an HDMI cable. Recently, devices that capture HDMI signals via USB are available at low cost, so this can be achieved in a relatively inexpensive and simple manner. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a transmission / reception system of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a transmission method in the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an image of image data in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a transmission method according to the second embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an image of image data in the second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an image of image data in the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] In order to provide a more complete understanding of the present invention, the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are given by way of example only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. EXAMPLES

[0018] Fig. 1 shows a transmitting / receiving system according to an embodiment of the present invention. A transmitting personal computer 1 is connected to a receiving personal computer 6 via an HDMI cable 4 connected to an HDMI terminal 3 and a USB adapter 5. The display output of the transmitting personal computer 1 is displayed on a display monitor 2, and is also transmitted to the receiving personal computer 6 having a USB terminal 7 via the HDMI cable 4 and the USB adapter 5.

[0019] 1, the HDMI cable and the USB adapter are shown separately, but the two may be integrated into one device. It is also possible to use devices and cables that are already on the market, in which case the present invention can be realized in an inexpensive and simple manner.

[0020] The procedure for sending and receiving data is shown in Figure 2. Image data is used to send data. The data of the file to be transferred from the sending computer is converted to an image file using conversion software stored on the sending computer, and then saved on the sending computer's hard disk or solid state drive.

[0021] As an example, the generation of an uncompressed image file with a resolution of full high definition (1920 pixels horizontally, 1080 pixels vertically) and 8-bit gradation is described below. To simplify the model, the pixel output is assumed to be binary data, with either 0 or 255 (2 to the power of 8 - 1). Since one byte corresponds to eight bits, each pixel A(i, j) (i=1 to 1920, j=1 to 1080) is divided into eight pixels and assigned to one byte. An example of the generated image file is shown in Figure 3. For example, if the first byte of the binary code of the data or file to be sent is "D6", "D6" expressed in hexadecimal becomes "1101 0110" in binary, so by converting 1 to 255 and 0 to 0 as shown in Table 1, it becomes "255 255 0 255 0 255 255 0". In BMP format, "255 255 0 255 0 255 255 0" means "white-white-black-white-black-white-black" as pixel data. In this way, the file contents are read one byte at a time from the beginning of the file, converted into a numerical value corresponding to each byte, and finally a BMP format file is generated. The conversion method in Table 1 is only an example, and the conversion method is not limited to this method.

[0022] [Table 1]

[0023] Using this method, it is possible to convert and generate data equivalent to 259,200 bytes (1920 x 1080 ÷ 8) per image in full high definition. The data capacity of the generated uncompressed image is 6,220,800 bytes (1920 x 1080 x 3).

[0024] When converting data into image data, specially developed software can be used, but it can also be achieved relatively easily and simply by using the Microsoft Excel macro function that is already installed on many computers. On a moderately powerful PC, generating one uncompressed image file takes approximately 30 seconds.

[0025] Next, the saved uncompressed image file is displayed full screen on the monitor of the sending computer, and at the same time, it is transmitted from the HDMI terminal to the receiving computer via an HDMI cable and USB adapter.

[0026] The receiving computer stores the transmitted image data in its memory and restores the original data by reversing the process used by the sending computer to convert it.

[0027] When using the software that utilizes the Microsoft Excel macro function described above, the transmission itself takes less than one second, but it takes about 30 seconds to restore the data after it is received.

[0028] As a further application example, it is convenient to store the executable file for restoration on the USB adapter and set it up so that the restoration software automatically starts when the USB adapter is inserted into the receiving computer. EXAMPLES

[0029] In the first embodiment, the transmission and reception of one image data, that is, data and files of 259,200 bytes or less, is described. To transmit and receive data of a capacity of 259,200 bytes or more, the first embodiment may be simply repeated, but in this case, the transmitting and receiving personal computers must be constantly connected during the transmission and reception operation, and the operation of the personal computers is restricted during that time. As explained above, when converting using a PC with moderate capabilities, it takes about 30 seconds to generate one image data, and another 30 seconds to restore the data after receiving it. The transmission and reception itself takes less than one second, but the data conversion and restoration take a total of about one minute. Therefore, for example, when transmitting 100MB of data in the first embodiment, it takes more than eight hours.

[0030] One way to reduce the time occupied by two computers is to generate a series of image files in advance on the sending computer, and then display the images one by one after the series of image files is generated and transmitted simultaneously. With this method, the only time the two computers are connected is for displaying the image files and transmitting them, which can reduce the time considerably. For example, in the case of sending and receiving 100MB data as mentioned above, the connection time between the two computers can be reduced to about 10 minutes.

[0031] Figure 4 shows a process flow diagram in Example 2. Figure 5 shows an example of a series of image files.

[0032] The number N of image files required to transmit a file capacity F bytes of data to be transmitted is calculated by Equation 1.

[0033]

number

[0034] As in the first embodiment, one image file is generated for every 259,200 bytes, and the conversion is repeated N times. When the conversion is complete, N image files are generated.

[0035] Now connect the sending computer and the receiving computer via an HDMI cable and a USB adapter. It doesn't matter if these two computers are already connected in advance.

[0036] Next, the image file is displayed on the monitor of the sending computer at regular intervals, and at the same time the corresponding image data is transmitted via the HDMI cable.

[0037] The receiving computer saves the transmitted image information as files at regular intervals in sequence. Alternatively, the receiving computer may save the image information as a new file whenever there is a change in the image information it receives. In any case, a notable feature of this invention is that it does not require a synchronization signal or clock from the sending computer to the receiving computer. The above operation is repeated until the last image file is transmitted, that is, N times. Once the transmission of a series of images is complete, the restoration file is used to restore the original data or file.

[0038] It is important to note that there is a delay in capturing images from HDMI via a USB adapter, and it is advisable to determine the transmission interval taking this delay into consideration. Using a high-performance USB adapter enables high-speed transmission, but it also increases the system cost of the device. EXAMPLES

[0039] If you want to perform even faster transmission than in the second embodiment, it is effective to use the display gradation instead of the uncompressed binary data (white is 255, black is 0) described in the first and second embodiments. In theory, the transmission efficiency can be increased by 255 times in 8-bit gradation. Also, by expressing in RGB instead of black and white gray gradation, it is possible to significantly increase the amount of information that can be transmitted per image. However, it is necessary to find the optimal conditions by considering the time interval for displaying one image and the associated read transmission errors. Also, there is a demand for improved circuit implementation in HDMI cables and USB adapters that realize high performance and high speed communication, and as this increases the system cost, there is a demand for optimization of the required performance. An example of image data to be transmitted is shown in Figure 6. An illustration of the data transmission and reception procedure is omitted.

[0040] Also, in order to achieve transmission in a short time, the transmission interval may not be fixed, but may be variable, and recording may be performed when the image changes. EXAMPLES

[0041] In the first, second and third embodiments, data is transmitted in one direction from a sending computer to a receiving computer via an HDMI terminal and a USB adapter. By preparing two pairs of HDMI terminals and USB adapters and connecting them to each terminal, data can be transmitted and received in both directions between two computers. Illustrations are omitted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1 Sending computer 2. The monitor connected to or built into the sending computer 3 HDMI terminal 4 HDMI cable 5 USB adapter 6 Receiving computer 7. USB port

Claims

1. A method for transmitting data or files in a personal computer to an external device, comprising the steps of: A transmitting computer having an HDMI (registered trademark) terminal; An HDMI cable connected to the HDMI terminal, A USB adapter connected to the HDMI cable, In a system consisting of a receiving computer having a USB terminal connected to the USB adapter, converting data or files to be transmitted into image data; transmitting image data from a sending personal computer as an HDMI signal; receiving the transmitted image data in a receiving personal computer via an HDMI cable and a USB adapter; and restoring the received image data to the original data or file in the receiving personal computer.

2. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image data is non-compressed image data.

3. The transmitting and receiving method according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that when transmitting and receiving multiple image data, the multiple image data to be transmitted and received are converted in advance by the transmitting personal computer, and then the images are displayed continuously and transmitted to the receiving personal computer via an HDMI cable and a USB adapter.

4. 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the image data is continuously captured by the receiving personal computer without using a clock generated by the sending personal computer.

5. A transmission / reception system for transmitting data or files inside a personal computer to the outside, The system includes a sending computer having an HDMI terminal, An HDMI cable connected to the HDMI terminal, A USB adapter connected to the HDMI cable, The receiving computer has a USB terminal connected to the USB adapter. The sending computer is converting data or files to be transmitted into image data; A step of transmitting image data from the sending personal computer as an HDMI signal; The receiving computer is receiving the transmitted image data in a receiving personal computer via an HDMI cable and a USB adapter; A transmitting / receiving system that performs a step of restoring the received image data to the original data or file in the receiving personal computer.

6. 6. The transmitting / receiving system according to claim 5, wherein the image data is non-compressed image data.

7. A transmission / reception system as described in claims 5 and 6, characterized in that when transmitting and receiving multiple image data, the multiple image data to be transmitted and received are converted in advance by the transmitting personal computer, and then the images are displayed continuously and transmitted to the receiving personal computer by transmitting via an HDMI cable and a USB adapter.

8. 8. The transmitting / receiving system according to claim 7, wherein the receiving personal computer continuously receives image data without using a clock generated by the transmitting personal computer.

9. 9. The transmitting / receiving system according to claim 8, which is configured by a device in which an HDMI cable and a USB adapter are integrated.

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