Video transmission system and method

Abstract

To provide a video transmission system and a method, capable of improving user convenience.SOLUTION: According to an embodiment, a video transmission system is provided including a source device, a sink device, and an HDMI cable connecting the source device and the sink device. The sink device includes: first transmitting means transmitting first identification information for identifying the sink device to a first server device; first receiving means receiving first connection information created by the first server device on the basis of the first identification information; and second transmitting means transmitting the received first connection information to the source device via the HDMI cable. The source device includes third transmitting means transmitting the first connection information to a second server device. The first connection information is used to establish a connection between the first server device and the second server device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention relates to a video transmission system and method. [Background technology]

[0002] In general, HDMI (registered trademark) cables are widely used, and by using such HDMI, it is possible to easily utilize a video transmission system in which a source device that transmits video data and a sink device that receives and displays the video data are connected by the HDMI cable.

[0003] Incidentally, in recent years, a technology called digital twin has become known that collects data (information) from a physical space and reproduces the physical space in a virtual (cyber) space.

[0004] By applying this digital twin to the video transmission system described above, it may be possible to provide more useful services to users of the video transmission system and improve convenience for those users. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-106763 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a video transmission system and method that can improve user convenience. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to an embodiment, a video transmission system is provided that includes a source device that transmits video data, a sink device that receives the video data, and an HDMI cable connecting the source device and the sink device. The sink device includes: a first transmitting means that transmits first identification information for identifying the sink device to a first server device that builds a digital twin of the sink device; a first receiving means that receives first connection information for the first server device that is created in the first server device based on the first identification information; and a second transmitting means that transmits the received first connection information to the source device via the HDMI cable. The source device includes a third transmitting means that transmits the first connection information transmitted by the second transmitting means to a second server device that builds a digital twin of the source device. The first connection information transmitted by the third transmitting means is used to establish a connection between the first server device and the second server device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a network system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a video transmission system. [Figure 3] A diagram to explain the overview of digital twins. [Figure 4] A diagram explaining the relationship between video transmission systems and digital twins. [Figure 5] 4 is a sequence chart for explaining an outline of processes executed in the video transmission system, the source server device, and the sink server device. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of the operation of the video transmission system, the source server device, and the sink server device. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a DTL data structure. [Figure 8] A diagram showing the data structure of VSDB data. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a first modified example of the present embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the data structure of VSIF data. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a second modified example of the present embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a second modified example of the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a network system in this embodiment. The network system shown in Fig. 1 includes a source device 11, a sink device 12, a source server device 21, and a sink server device 22. In this embodiment, the source device 11 and the sink device 12 are connected via an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) cable 13.

[0010] The source device 11 corresponds to a transmitting device that transmits (transmits) video data to the sink device 12 via the above-mentioned HDMI cable 13. The source device 11 includes, for example, a recorder, an optical disc player, a set-top box, a video camera, a personal computer, a smartphone, and the like.

[0011] The sink device 12 corresponds to a receiving device that receives video data transmitted (transmitted) from the source device 11 via the HDMI cable 13. The sink device 12 includes, for example, a television (television receiver), a monitor, a projector, a personal computer, a smartphone, and digital signage.

[0012] In this embodiment, for convenience, the description will be mainly given assuming that video data is transmitted from the source device 11 to the sink device 12, but the source device 11 may transmit video data and audio data to the sink device 12.

[0013] The source device 11 has a communication function and is communicably connected to the source server device 21 via a network 30 such as the Internet. Similarly, the sink device 12 has a communication function and is communicably connected to the sink server device 22 via the network 30.

[0014] In this embodiment, the source device 11, sink device 12, and HDMI cable 13 described above constitute a video transmission system.

[0015] Next, the configuration of the video transmission system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 2, the video transmission system 1 includes a source device 11, a sink device 12, and an HDMI cable 13.

[0016] The source device 11 includes an HDMI transmitter 111 , a CPU 112 and a communication interface 113 .

[0017] The HDMI transmitter 111 transmits (transmits) video data to the sink device 12 in accordance with the TMDS (Transition Minimized Differential Signaling) method using the video transmission lane of the HDMI cable 13, for example.

[0018] The HDMI transmitter 111 acquires data indicating the video transmission capabilities of the sink device 12 using a DDC (Display Data Channel) of the HDMI cable 13. Specifically, the HDMI transmitter 111 acquires EDID (Extended Display Information Data) from the sink device 12 as data indicating the video transmission capabilities of the sink device 12. The EDID is made up of data indicating the functions and performance supported by the sink device 12 based on a format defined in the CTA-861 standard.

[0019] Furthermore, the HDMI transmitter 111 obtains data (hereinafter referred to as cable data) indicating the video transmission capabilities of the HDMI cable 13 from the HDMI cable 13, for example, using the DDC of the HDMI cable 13. This cable data is made up of a cable ID (identification information for identifying the HDMI cable 13) including the manufacturer name (vendor ID), product model number (type of HDMI cable 13) and serial number of the HDMI cable 13, and data indicating the functions and performance supported by the HDMI cable 13.

[0020] The CPU 112 is a processor for controlling the operations of the components in the source device 11, including the HDMI transmitter 111.

[0021] The communication interface 113 is a module for enabling communication with the source server device 21 described above.

[0022] The sink device 12 includes an HDMI receiver 121 , an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) 122 , a speaker 123 , a CPU 124 , a communication interface 125 , and a memory 126 .

[0023] The HDMI receiver 121 receives video data transmitted from the source device 11 and displays the video data on the LCD 122. Furthermore, when audio data is transmitted from the source device 11, the HDMI receiver 121 receives the audio data and outputs the audio data from the speaker 123.

[0024] The CPU 124 is a processor for controlling the operation of components in the sink device 12 including the HDMI receiver 121 .

[0025] The communication interface 125 is a module that enables communication with the sink server device 22 described above.

[0026] The memory 126 stores the above-mentioned EDID, sink device ID (identification information for identifying the sink device 12), etc. The sink device ID includes, for example, the manufacturer name (vendor ID) of the sink device 12, the product model number (type of the sink device 12), and the serial number.

[0027] The HDMI cable 13 includes a memory 131. The memory 131 is a non-volatile memory, and stores the above-mentioned cable data and the like.

[0028] Here, there is a technology called digital twin that can reproduce a physical space in a virtual (cyber) space based on data collected from the physical space. With this type of digital twin, it is possible to reproduce in real time in a virtual space a digitized device (state) based on data collected from the device placed in the physical space, as shown in Figure 3, for example (i.e., to construct a digital twin of the device), and then use the digital twin to perform optimal control of the device placed in the physical space.

[0029] In this embodiment, it is considered that the above-described digital twin is applied to the video transmission system 1. Specifically, the source server device 21, which is communicatively connected to the source device 11, is configured to have the function of collecting various data related to the source device 11 from the source device 11 and constructing a digital twin of the source device 11 based on the data. In this case, as shown in FIG. 4, the source server device 21 can grasp the state of the source device 11 in real time by utilizing the constructed digital twin of the source device 11 and perform optimization control of the source device 11.

[0030] Similarly, the sink server device 22 communicatively connected to the sink device 12 is configured to have the function of collecting various data related to the sink device 12 from the sink device 12 and constructing a digital twin of the sink device 12 based on the data. In this case, the sink server device 22 can grasp the state of the sink device 12 in real time by utilizing the digital twin of the sink device 12, as shown in FIG. 4, and can perform optimization control of the sink device 12.

[0031] However, although the source server device 21 can construct a digital twin of the source device 11, it does not know that the source device 11 is connected to the sink device 12 via the HDMI cable 13, and can only grasp the state of the source device 11 alone. Similarly, the sink server device 22 can construct a digital twin of the sink device 12, but it does not know that the sink device 12 is connected to the source device 11 via the HDMI cable 13, and can only grasp the state of the sink device 12 alone.

[0032] In other words, as described above, if the source server device 21 and the sink server device 22 simply construct digital twins individually, it will not be possible to properly grasp the state of the entire video transmission system 1, and it will not necessarily be possible to provide useful services to users.

[0033] Therefore, in this embodiment, a mechanism is provided that enables a digital twin of a video transmission system 1 including a source device 11 and a sink device 12 to be constructed when the source device 11 is connected to a sink device 12 via an HDMI cable 13.

[0034] Hereinafter, an overview of the processing executed in the video transmission system 1 (the source device 11 and the sink device 12), the source server device 21, and the sink server device 22 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the sequence chart of FIG.

[0035] The process shown in FIG. 5 may be executed, for example, at the timing when the source device 11 and the sink device 12 are connected via the HDMI cable 13, but may also be executed at a timing specified by the user of the video transmission system 1 or at a preset timing.

[0036] As described above, the source server device 21 has the function of collecting data related to the source device 11 and constructing a digital twin of the source device 11. The sink server device 22 has the function of collecting data related to the sink device 12 and constructing a digital twin of the sink device 12.

[0037] It is also assumed that the source device 11 and the sink device 12 are connected via an HDMI cable 13. However, the source server device 21, which is communicatively connected to the source device 11, and the sink server device 22, which is communicatively connected to the sink device 12, are not aware that the source device 11 and the sink device 12 are connected via the HDMI cable 13, and are operating independently of each other.

[0038] It should be noted that the processing of source device 11 described below is realized by the operation of a processor such as CPU 112 provided in source device 11, and the processing of sink device 12 is realized by the operation of a processor such as CPU 124 provided in sink device 12. It should be noted that the processing of source server device 21 and sink server device 22 is also realized by the operation of a processor such as CPU provided in source server device 21 and sink server device 22.

[0039] When constructing a digital twin of the video transmission system 1 as described above, the sink device 12 (CPU 124) acquires a sink device ID from, for example, the memory 126 provided in the sink device 12 (step S1).

[0040] When the process of step S1 is executed, the sink device 12 transmits the sink device ID acquired in step S1 to the sink server device 22 (step S2).

[0041] The sink server device 22 receives the sink device ID transmitted in step S2, and creates connection information for the sink server device 22 (connection information used to establish a connection to the sink server device 22) based on the sink device ID (step S3).

[0042] The connection information created in step S3 is transmitted from the sink server device 22 to the sink device 12 (step S4).

[0043] The sink device 12 receives the connection information transmitted in step S4, and transmits the connection information to the source device 11 via the HDMI cable 13 (step S5).

[0044] Next, the source device 11 receives the connection information transmitted in step S5, and transmits the connection information to the source server device 21 (step S6).

[0045] When the processing of step S6 is executed, the source server device 21 receives the connection information sent in step S6, and establishes a connection between the source server device 21 and the sink server device 22 using the connection information (step S8).

[0046] 5, connection information for the sink server device 22 created based on the sink device ID is provided to the source server device 21 via the sink device 12, the HDMI cable 13, and the source device 11 (that is, through a connection in the physical space), thereby establishing a connection between the source server device 21 and the sink server device 22. In this case, the source server device 21 and the sink server device 22 can operate in cooperation with each other, and it becomes possible to construct a digital twin of the video transmission system 1 including the source device 11 and the sink device 12.

[0047] Next, with reference to FIG. 6, a specific example of the operation of the video transmission system 1 according to this embodiment, the source server device 21, and the sink server device 22 will be described.

[0048] Here, a memory 126 (for example, a ROM) included in the sink device 12 has written therein a sink device ID and an EDID for identifying the sink device 12. The sink device ID may be written in the memory 126 at the time of shipping the sink device 12.

[0049] In this case, the sink device 12 reads out the sink device ID from the memory 126 (step S11).

[0050] Next, the sink device 12 transmits the sink device ID read from the memory 126 to the sink server device 22 (digital twin of the sink device 12) (step S12).

[0051] The sink server device 22 uses the sink device ID transmitted from the sink device 12 to create an identifier called a DTL (Digital Twin Locator) for identifying the sink server device 22 (i.e., the digital twin of the sink device 12) (step S3). This DTL (hereinafter referred to as the DTL for sink digital twin) corresponds to the connection information for the sink server device 22 described above.

[0052] In this case, the sink server device 22 creates a DTL for the sink digital twin having a data structure such as that shown in Fig. 7. Specifically, the DTL for the sink digital twin is composed of three elements: an IP address, a port number, and a UUID (Universally Unique Identifier).

[0053] The IP addresses constituting the DTL of the sink digital twin are IP addresses assigned to the sink server device 22. The port numbers constituting the DTL of the sink digital twin are the destination port numbers when connecting to the sink server device 22 via TCP / IP. The IP addresses and port numbers required to create the DTL of the sink digital twin are assumed to be managed in advance within the sink server device 22.

[0054] Furthermore, the UUID that constitutes the DTL of the sink digital twin corresponds to an ID number for identifying the digital twin of the sink device 12 constructed by the sink server device 22, and is uniquely assigned to the sink device 12. The UUID is generated, for example, in accordance with the specifications defined in IETF RFC4122, by combining the IEEE MAC address of the host that generates the UUID (for example, the sink server device 22) with the time of generation of the UUID (in nanoseconds). Note that there are several versions of the UUID format, but in this embodiment, it is assumed that Version 1 is used, for example.

[0055] In this embodiment, the sink server device 22 prepares in advance a table that holds the correspondence between the above-mentioned sink device ID and the UUID assigned to the sink device 12, and can obtain the UUID required to create the DTL of the sink digital twin (i.e., the UUID corresponding to the sink device ID sent from the sink device 12) from the table.

[0056] Note that, although it has been described here that a sink device ID including a vendor ID, a product model number, and a serial number is transmitted from the sink device 12 to the sink server device 22, the sink device ID transmitted from the sink device 12 to the sink server device 22 may include, for example, only the serial number, and the vendor ID and the product model number may be acquired (received) from an external device of the video transmission system 1. Furthermore, although it is assumed that the above-mentioned UUID is generated in the sink server device 22, it may also be generated in an external device different from the sink server device 22.

[0057] Next, the sink server device 22 transmits the DTL of the created sink digital twin to the sink device 12 (step S14).

[0058] Here, the sink device 12 needs to transfer the DTL of the sink digital twin transmitted from the sink server device 22 to the source device 11 via the HDMI cable 13. In this case, in this embodiment, the VSDB / VSIF mechanism is used. Note that the VSDB / VSIF is a data format for exchanging control information conforming to the HDMI standard between the source device 11 and the sink device 12, and a VSDB (Vendor-Specific Data Block) is used when transmitting control information from the sink device 12 to the source device 11, and a VSIF (Vendor-Specific InfoFrame) is used when transmitting control information from the source device 11 to the sink device 12.

[0059] That is, when the sink device 12 transmits the DTL of the sink digital twin to the source device 11 as described above, the sink device 12 generates data (hereinafter referred to as VSDB data) in which the DTL is added (inserted) into a data structure conforming to the VSDB (step S15).

[0060] Here, Fig. 8 shows the data structure of VSDB data (VSDB data format). Note that Fig. 8 assumes VSDB data having a size of byte 0 to byte 27.

[0061] As shown in Fig. 8, a tag code is placed in the upper three bits of byte 0 of the VSDB data, and the tag code indicates the type of data block. Note that, according to the HDMI standard, the tag code indicating a VSDB is defined as "3."

[0062] Additionally, the lowest 5 bits of byte 0 of the VSDB data are assigned to Length, which indicates the size (number of bytes) of the VSDB data payload (the portion after the IEEE OUI). In the example shown in Fig. 8, Length is "27".

[0063] Additionally, IEEE OUI is placed in bytes 1 to 3 of the VSDB data, and this IEEE OUI represents a 3-byte number (OUI issued by IEEE) for identifying the vendor of the VSDB. In the example shown in Fig. 8, the IEEE OUI is "00:00:3D".

[0064] Furthermore, Data Type is placed in Bytes 4 and 5 of the VSDB data, and this Data Type is a number (16-bit integer) that indicates the type of data placed after Byte 6. In the example shown in Fig. 8, the Data Type is "0x0001," which indicates the DTL of the sink digital twin.

[0065] In addition, the sink digital twin DTL is placed (inserted) after byte 6 of the VSDB data. As mentioned above, the sink digital twin DTL consists of an IP address (4 bytes), port number (2 bytes), and UUID (16 bytes).

[0066] 6, the sink device 12 adds the above-mentioned VSDB data to the EDID and transmits the EDID to the source device 11 via the HDMI cable 13 (step S16). In this case, the EDID is transmitted in accordance with DDC, which is a protocol for exchanging control information that complies with the HDMI standard.

[0067] The source device 11 receives the EDID transmitted from the sink device 12. The source device 11 extracts the VSDB data from the received EDID, extracts the DTL of the sink digital twin from the VSDB data, and transmits the DTL to the source server device 21 (step S17).

[0068] The source server device 21 receives the DTL of the sink digital twin transmitted from the source device 11, and establishes a connection with the sink server device 22 based on the IP address and port number that make up the DTL of the received sink digital twin (step S18). This enables the source server device 21 to recognize that the source device 11 and the sink device 12 to which the UUID that makes up the DTL of the sink digital twin is assigned (that is, the sink device 12 identified by the sink device ID that corresponds to that UUID) are connected via the HDMI cable 13.

[0069] As described above, in this embodiment, the sink device 12 transmits a sink device ID (first identification information) for identifying the sink device 12 to the sink server device 22 (first server device) that constructs a digital twin of the sink device 12, receives from the sink server device 22 a DTL (first connection information) of the sink digital twin created in the sink server device 22 based on the sink device ID, and transmits it to the source device 11 via the HDMI cable 13. Also, in this embodiment, the source device 11 transmits the DTL of the sink digital twin transmitted from the sink device 12 to the source server device 21 (second server device) that constructs a digital twin of the source device 11. The DTL transmitted from the source device 11 to the source server device 21 in this way is used to establish a connection between the source server device 21 and the sink server device 22.

[0070] When a connection is established between the source server device 21 and the sink server device 22 as described above, the source server device 21 and the sink server device 22 can operate in cooperation with each other. In this case, by sharing data relating to the source device 11 collected from the source device 11 and data relating to the sink device 12 collected from the sink device 12 between the source server device 21 and the sink server device 22, the data can be used to construct a digital twin of the video transmission system 1 (a digital twin combining the digital twin of the source device 11 and the digital twin of the sink device 12).

[0071] The DTL of the sink digital twin described above is inserted into VSDB data having a data structure that complies with VSDB, and is transmitted from the sink device 12 to the source device 11 via the HDMI cable 13. This VSDB data is also transmitted in accordance with DDC. That is, in this embodiment, attention is focused on the high extensibility of VSDB / VSIF, and the DTL of the source digital twin can be transferred from the sink device 12 to the source device 11 by using the expansion functions of the VSDB / VSIF.

[0072] In this embodiment, as described above, the DTL of the sink digital twin obtained from the sink server device 22 (i.e., the digital twin of the sink device 12 in the virtual space) is transmitted via a VSDB over a physical connection, thereby establishing a connection between the source server device 21 and the sink server device 22 and constructing a digital twin of the video transmission system 1.

[0073] Note that such a digital twin of the video transmission system 1 may be constructed, for example, in each of the source server device 21 and the sink server device 22. Also, the digital twin of the video transmission system 1 may be constructed in one of the source server device 21 and the sink server device 22 and shared with the other server device.

[0074] As described above, data related to the source device 11 is continuously collected by the source server device 21, and data related to the sink device 12 is continuously collected by the sink server device 22, and the data is reflected in real time in the digital twin of the video transmission system 1 constructed as described above. This makes it possible to grasp, for example, the status of the video transmission system 1 (the source device 11 and the sink device 12) in real time, and therefore it is thought that various services using the digital twin of the video transmission system 1 can be provided to users of the video transmission system 1.

[0075] Below, we will briefly explain an example of a service (hereinafter referred to as a provided service) that is provided using the digital twin of the video transmission system 1 constructed in this embodiment. Here, as an example of the provided service, we will explain a customer support service for the source device 11 (or the sink device 12).

[0076] Generally, for example, if a user of the video transmission system 1 is unable to use the video transmission system 1 appropriately, the user may contact a customer support center of the source device 11 (e.g., a recorder) to inquire about the use of the video transmission system 1. In this case, if a digital twin of the source device 11 is constructed in the source server device 21, an operator at the customer support center of the source device 11 can grasp the status of the source device 11 in real time based on the digital twin of the source device 11 and support the user's use of the source device 11. However, if a problem (defect) occurs not with the source device 11 but with the sink device 12 (e.g., a television), the customer support center of the source device 11 cannot grasp the status of the sink device 12, and the operator at the customer support center will encourage the user to contact the customer support center of the sink device 12. In this case, the user needs to contact a different customer support center again, which is inconvenient.

[0077] In contrast to this, according to the present embodiment, as described above, it is possible to construct a digital twin of the video transmission system 1 including the source device 11 and the sink device 12, for example, in the source server device 21, and therefore the operator of the customer support center for the source device 11 can support the user's use of the video transmission system 1 after understanding the status of the sink device 12 in addition to the source device 11.

[0078] That is, according to this embodiment, by utilizing the digital twin of the video transmission system 1, it is possible to provide HDMI support by integrating information held by multiple vendors (manufacturers of the source device 11 and the sink device 12), and therefore it is not necessary for the user to perform the cumbersome task of contacting the customer support center of the source device 11 and then the customer support center of the sink device 12, as described above, and it is thought that convenience for the user can be improved.

[0079] Incidentally, in this embodiment, it has been described that the connection information (DTL of the sink digital twin) created in the sink server device 22 is transmitted (transferred) to the source server device 21 via the sink device 12, the HDMI cable 13, and the source device 11. However, as long as it is possible to establish a connection between the source server device 21 and the sink server device 22 (i.e., to construct a digital twin of the video transmission system 1), the connection information created in the source server device 21 (hereinafter referred to as DTL of the source digital twin) may be transmitted (transferred) to the sink server device 22 via the source device 11, the HDMI cable 13, and the sink device 12 (hereinafter referred to as a first variant of this embodiment).

[0080] Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 9, a specific example of the operation of the video transmission system 1, the source server device 21, and the sink server device 22 according to the first modified example of this embodiment will be described.

[0081] 2, the source device 11 is provided with a memory (for example, a ROM), and the memory is assumed to have written therein identification information (hereinafter referred to as a source device ID) for identifying the source device 11. The source device ID may be written in the memory at the time of shipping the source device 11.

[0082] In this case, source device 11 reads out the source device ID from memory (step S21). The source device ID read out from memory includes the vendor ID (manufacturer name) of source device 11, the product model number (type of source device 11), and the serial number.

[0083] Next, source device 11 transmits the source device ID read from memory to source server device 21 (digital twin of source device 11) (step S22).

[0084] The source server device 21 uses the source device ID transmitted from the source device 11 to create a DTL for identifying the source server device 21 (i.e., the digital twin of the source device 11) (step S23). This DTL (hereinafter referred to as the DTL of the source digital twin) corresponds to connection information for the source server device 21.

[0085] Note that, except for the use of a source device ID instead of a sink device ID, the DTL of the source digital twin is the same as the DTL of the sink digital twin described above, and therefore a detailed explanation thereof will be omitted here. Note that, in order to create the DTL of the source digital twin, the source server device 21 is assumed to have prepared in advance a table that holds the correspondence between the source device ID and the UUID assigned to the source device 11.

[0086] Next, source server device 21 transmits the DTL of the created source digital twin to source device 11 (step S24).

[0087] Here, source device 11 needs to transfer the DTL of the source digital twin transmitted from source server device 21 to sink device 12 via HDMI cable 13. In this case, source device 11 generates data (hereinafter referred to as VSIF data) in which the DTL is added (inserted) into a data structure conforming to VSIF used when transmitting control information from source device 11 to sink device 12 as described above (step S25).

[0088] 10 shows the data structure of VSIF data (VSIF data format). Note that in FIG. 10, VSIF data having a size of byte 0 to byte 30 is assumed.

[0089] As shown in Fig. 10, Packet Type is placed in byte 0 of the VSIF data, and this Packet Type indicates the type of InfoFrame. Note that according to the HDMI standard, the Packet Type indicating VSIF is defined as "0x81".

[0090] Additionally, byte 1 of the VSIF data contains the version, which indicates the version number of the HDMI standard. In the example shown in Fig. 10, the version is "1."

[0091] Additionally, the lowest 5 bits of byte 2 of the VSIF data contain Length, which indicates the size (number of bytes) of the VSIF payload (the portion after the IEEE OUI). In the example shown in Fig. 10, Length is "27".

[0092] Also, a checksum is placed in byte 3 of the VSIF data, and this checksum represents the checksum of the entire VSIF data (bytes 0 to 30 shown in FIG. 10).

[0093] Additionally, IEEE OUI is placed in bytes 4 to 6 of the VSIF data, and this IEEE OUI represents a 3-byte number (OUI issued by IEEE) for identifying the vendor of the VSIF. In the example shown in Fig. 10, the IEEE OUI is "00:00:3D".

[0094] Furthermore, Data Type is placed in bytes 7 and 8 of the VSIF data, and this Data Type is a number (16-bit integer) that indicates the type of data placed after byte 9. In the example shown in Fig. 10, the Data Type is "0x0002," which indicates the DTL of the source digital twin.

[0095] Additionally, the DTL of the source digital twin is placed (inserted) after byte 9 of the VSIF data. The DTL of the source digital twin consists of an IP address (4 bytes), port number (2 bytes), and UUID (16 bytes).

[0096] 9 again, source device 11 transmits the above-mentioned VSIF data to sink device 12 via HDMI cable 13 (step S26). In this case, the VSIF data is inserted into a blanking interval set in the video data transmitted from source device 11 to sink device 12 via HDMI cable 13, and then transmitted to sink device 12. Note that a blanking interval is a gap area between frames (video frames) that make up the video data.

[0097] Sink device 12 receives the VSIF data transmitted from source device 11. Sink device 12 extracts the DTL of the source digital twin from the received VSIF data, and transmits the DTL to sink server device 22 (step S27).

[0098] Sink server device 22 receives the DTL of the source digital twin transmitted from sink device 12, and establishes a connection with source server device 21 based on the IP address and port number that make up the DTL of the received source digital twin (step S28). This enables sink server device 22 to determine that sink device 12 and source device 11 to which the UUID that makes up the DTL of the source digital twin is assigned (that is, source device 11 identified by the source device ID that corresponds to that UUID) are connected via HDMI cable 13.

[0099] As described above, in the first modified example of this embodiment, source device 11 transmits a source device ID (first identification information) for identifying source device 11 to source server device 21 (first server device) that constructs a digital twin of source device 11, receives from source server device 21 a DTL (first connection information) of the source digital twin created in source server device 21 based on the source device ID, and transmits it to sink device 12 via HDMI cable 13. Also, in the first modified example of this embodiment, sink device 12 transmits the DTL of the source digital twin transmitted from source device 11 to sink server device 22 (second server device) that constructs a digital twin of sink device 12. The DTL transmitted from sink device 12 to sink server device 22 in this manner is used to establish a connection between source server device 21 and sink server device 22.

[0100] As described above, in this embodiment, user convenience can be improved by utilizing the digital twin of the video transmission system 1 constructed by establishing a connection between the source server device 21 and the sink server device 22 as explained using Figure 6, but the first variant of this embodiment can also achieve the same effects as this embodiment.

[0101] In the first modified example of this embodiment, the DTL of the source digital twin is inserted into VSIF data having a data structure that complies with VSIF, and is transmitted from the source device 11 to the sink device 12 via the HDMI cable 13. This VSIF data is also inserted into a blanking interval set in the video data and transmitted. That is, in the first modified example of this embodiment, similar to the above-described present embodiment, attention is focused on the high extensibility of VSDB / VSIF, and by using the expansion function of the VSDB / VSIF, it is possible to achieve the transfer of the DTL of the source digital twin from the source device 11 to the sink device 12.

[0102] Incidentally, in the above-described present embodiment and first modified example of the present embodiment, by constructing a digital twin of the video transmission system 1, for example, an operator at a customer support center for the source device 11 (or sink device 12) can grasp the status of the source device 11 and the sink device 12 in real time and provide support regarding the use of the video transmission system 1. However, there may be cases where a problem (fault) regarding the use of the video transmission system 1 resides in, for example, the HDMI cable 13 connecting the source device 11 and the sink device 12, and in such cases, the configurations according to the above-described present embodiment and first modified example of the present embodiment cannot provide appropriate support.

[0103] That is, in this embodiment and the first variant example of this embodiment, it has been described that a digital twin of the video transmission system 1 including the source device 11 and the sink device 12 is constructed, but in order to further improve user convenience, a mechanism is desired that makes it possible to construct a digital twin of the video transmission system 1 including the source device 11, the sink device 12, and the HDMI cable 13.

[0104] A configuration for constructing a digital twin of the video transmission system 1 including the source device 11, the sink device 12, and the HDMI cable 13 (hereinafter referred to as a second modified example of this embodiment) will be described below.

[0105] Fig. 11 shows an example of the configuration of a network system in a second modified example of the present embodiment. As shown in Fig. 11, in the second modified example of the present embodiment, in addition to the source device 11, the sink device 12, the source server device 21, and the sink server device 22 shown in Fig. 1, a cable server device 23 is further connected to the network 30.

[0106] It should be noted that the source server device 21 is a server device having the function of constructing a digital twin of the source device 11, and the sink server device 22 is a server device having the function of constructing a digital twin of the sink device 12, while the cable server device 23 is a server device having the function of collecting data related to the HDMI cable 13 and constructing a digital twin of the HDMI cable 13 based on the data.

[0107] Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 12, a specific example of the operation of the video transmission system 1 according to the second modified example of this embodiment, the source server device 21, the sink server device 22, and the cable server device 23 will be described.

[0108] Here, a memory 131 (for example, a ROM) provided in the HDMI cable 13 is written with a cable ID (including cable data) for identifying the HDMI cable 13. Note that the cable ID may be written in the memory 131 at the time of shipping the HDMI cable 13.

[0109] In the second modified example of this embodiment, it is considered that this cable ID is used to create connection information (DTL), but it is not realistic to give the HDMI cable 13 itself a function (communication function) to execute communication via a network 30 such as the Internet. For this reason, in the second modified example of this embodiment, the source device 11 executes communication as a proxy for the HDMI cable 13.

[0110] In this case, the cable ID is read from the memory 131 included in the HDMI cable 13 (step S31). Note that the cable ID read from the memory 131 includes the vendor ID, product model number, and serial number of the HDMI cable 13 as described above.

[0111] Next, the cable ID read from the memory 131 is transferred (transmitted) from the HDMI cable 13 to the source device 11 (step S32). This transfer of the cable ID is performed in accordance with, for example, SCDC (Status & Control Data Channel), which is an alternative protocol to DDC that complies with HDMI 2.1a.

[0112] The source device 11 transmits the cable ID transferred from the HDMI cable 13 to the cable server device 23 (step S34).

[0113] The cable server device 23 creates a DTL for identifying the cable server device 23 (i.e., the digital twin of the HDMI cable 13) using the cable ID transmitted from the source device 11 (step S34). This DTL (hereinafter referred to as the cable digital twin DTL) corresponds to connection information for the cable server device 23.

[0114] Note that the DTL of the cable digital twin is the same as the DTL of the sink digital twin described above, except that a cable ID is used instead of a sink device ID, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted here. Note that in order to create the DTL of the cable digital twin, the cable server device 23 is assumed to have prepared in advance a table that holds the correspondence between the cable ID and the UUID assigned to the HDMI cable 13.

[0115] Next, source device 11 receives the DTL of the cable digital twin transmitted from cable server device 23, and generates VSIF data by adding (inserting) the DTL to a data structure conforming to VSIF used when transmitting control information from source device 11 to sink device 12 as described above (step S36). Note that the data structure of the VSIF data is as described in the first modified example of the present embodiment (FIG. 10) above, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0116] The source device 11 transmits the VSIF data to the sink device 12 via the HDMI cable 13 (step S37). In this case, the VSIF data is inserted into a blanking interval set in the video data and transmitted to the sink device 12.

[0117] Sink device 12 receives the VSIF data transmitted from source device 11. Sink device 12 extracts the DTL of the cable digital twin from the received VSIF data, and transmits the DTL to sink server device 22 (step S38).

[0118] The sink server device 22 receives the DTL of the cable digital twin transmitted from the sink device 12, and establishes a connection with the cable server device 23 based on the IP address and port number that constitute the DTL of the received cable digital twin (step S39). This enables the sink server device 22 to recognize that the sink device 12 is connected to the source device 11 via the HDMI cable 13 to which the UUID that constitutes the DTL of the cable digital twin is assigned (that is, the HDMI cable 13 identified by the cable ID that corresponds to the UUID).

[0119] Meanwhile, source device 11 transmits the DTL of the received cable digital twin to source server device 21 (step S40).

[0120] The source server device 21 receives the DTL of the cable digital twin transmitted from the source device 11, and establishes a connection with the cable server device 23 based on the IP address and port number that make up the DTL of the received cable digital twin (step S41). This enables the source server device 21 to recognize that the source device 11 is connected to the sink device 12 via the HDMI cable 13 to which the UUID that makes up the DTL of the cable digital twin is assigned (that is, the HDMI cable 13 identified by the cable ID that corresponds to the UUID).

[0121] In addition, in Figure 12, it has been explained that the processing is performed in the order of steps S31 to S41, but the processing of steps S36 to S39 is processing for establishing a connection between the sink server device 22 and the cable server device 23, and steps S40 and S41 are processing for establishing a connection between the source server device 21 and the cable server device 23. The order in which the processing of S36 to S36 is performed and the order in which the processing of steps S41 and S42 is performed may be interchanged, or the processing of S36 to S36 and the processing of steps S41 and S42 may be performed in parallel.

[0122] As described above, in a state in which a connection between the source server device 21 and the sink server device 22 is established by executing the processing described in the present embodiment or the processing described in the first modified example of the present embodiment, if the processing described in the second modified example of the present embodiment is further executed, the source server device 21, the sink server device 22, and the cable server device 23 can operate in cooperation with each other. In this case, by sharing the data collected from the source device 11, the data collected from the sink device 12, and the data collected from the HDMI cable 13 among the source server device 21, the sink server device 22, and the cable server device 23, it is possible to construct a digital twin of the entire video transmission system 1 including the source device 11, the sink device 12, and the HDMI cable 13 (a digital twin that combines the digital twin of the source device 11, the digital twin of the sink device 12, and the digital twin of the HDMI cable 13).

[0123] With such a digital twin, even when there is no problem with the use of source device 11 and sink device 12, an operator at the customer support center for source device 11 can grasp the status of HDMI cable 13 in real time (for example, the orientation of HDMI cable 13 connecting source device 11 and sink device 12 is reversed) and can support the user in using HDMI cable 13.

[0124] In other words, in the second variant of this embodiment, the status of the video transmission system 1 can be grasped in more detail compared to the above-described present embodiment and the first variant of this embodiment, and therefore it is possible to provide a service that further improves user convenience.

[0125] In the second modified example of this embodiment, the cable server device 23 has been described as collecting data related to the HDMI cable 13 (that is, having the function of constructing a digital twin of the HDMI cable 13), but as described above, the HDMI cable 13 itself does not have a communication function. In this case, the data related to the HDMI cable 13 may be collected via the source device 11 or the sink device 12, or may be collected by adding another function to the HDMI cable 13.

[0126] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as within the scope of the invention described in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0127] 1...video transmission system, 11...source device, 12...sink device, 13...HDMI cable, 21...source server device, 22...sink server device, 23...cable server device, 111...HDMI transmitter, 112...CPU, 113...communication interface, 121...HDMI receiver, 122...LCD, 123...speaker, 124...CPU, 125...communication interface, 126...memory, 131...memory.

Claims

1. A video transmission system including a source device that transmits video data, a sink device that receives the video data, and an HDMI cable that connects the source device and the sink device, The sink device a first transmission means for transmitting first identification information for identifying the sink device to a first server device that constructs a digital twin of the sink device; a first receiving means for receiving first connection information for the first server device, the first connection information being generated in the first server device based on the first identification information; a second transmitting means for transmitting the received first connection information to the source device via the HDMI cable; Including, the source device includes a third transmission means that transmits the first connection information transmitted by the second transmission means to a second server device that constructs a digital twin of the source device; The first connection information transmitted by the third transmission means is used to establish a connection between the first server device and the second server device. Video transmission system.

2. The first connection information is inserted into VSDB (Vendor-Specific Data Block) data having a data structure conforming to VSDB and transmitted to the source device.

2. The video transmission system according to claim 1.

3. 3. The video transmission system according to claim 2, wherein the VSDB data is transmitted in accordance with a DDC (Display Data Channel).

4. The source device is a fourth transmission means for receiving second identification information for identifying the HDMI cable from the HDMI cable and transmitting the second identification information to a third server device that constructs a digital twin of the HDMI cable; a second receiving means for receiving second connection information for the third server device, the second connection information being generated in the third server device based on the second identification information; a fifth transmitting means for transmitting the received second connection information to the sink device via the HDMI cable; Further comprising: the third transmission means transmits the received second connection information to the second server device; the first transmission means transmits the second connection information transmitted by the fifth transmission means to the first server device; The second connection information is used to establish a connection between the first and second server devices and the third server device. The video transmission system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. 5. The video transmission system according to claim 4, wherein the second connection information is inserted into VSIF (Vendor-Specific InfoFrame) data having a data structure conforming to VSIF and transmitted to the sink device.

6. The video transmission system according to claim 5, wherein the VSIF data is inserted into a blanking interval set in the video data and transmitted to the sink device.

7. A video transmission system including a source device that transmits video data, a sink device that receives the video data, and an HDMI cable that connects the source device and the sink device, The source device is a first transmission means for transmitting first identification information for identifying the source device to a first server device that constructs a digital twin of the source device; a first receiving means for receiving first connection information for the first server device, the first connection information being generated in the first server device based on the first identification information; a second transmission means for transmitting the received first connection information to the sink device via the HDMI cable; Including, the sink device includes a third transmission means that transmits the first connection information transmitted by the second transmission means to a second server device that constructs a digital twin of the sink device, The first connection information transmitted by the third transmission means is used to establish a connection between the first server device and the second server device. Video transmission system.

8. 8. The video transmission system according to claim 7, wherein the first connection information is inserted into first VSIF data having a data structure conforming to VSIF and transmitted to the sink device.

9. 9. The video transmission system according to claim 8, wherein the first VSIF data is inserted into a blanking interval set in the video data and transmitted to the sink device.

10. The source device is a fourth transmission means for receiving second identification information for identifying the HDMI cable from the HDMI cable and transmitting the second identification information to a third server device that constructs a digital twin of the HDMI cable; second receiving means for receiving second connection information for the third server device, which is created in the third server device based on the second identification information; Further comprising: the first transmission means transmits the received second connection information to the first server device; the second transmission means transmits the received second connection information to the sink device via the HDMI cable; the third transmission means transmits the second connection information transmitted by the second transmission means to the second server device; The second connection information is used to establish a connection between the first and second server devices and the third server device. The video transmission system according to any one of claims 7 to 9.

11. 11. The video transmission system according to claim 10, wherein the second connection information is inserted into second VSIF data having a data structure conforming to VSIF and transmitted to the sink device.

12. The video transmission system according to claim 11, wherein the second VSIF data is inserted into a blanking interval set in the video data and transmitted to the sink device.

13. A method executed by a video transmission system including a source device that transmits video data, a sink device that receives the video data, and an HDMI cable that connects the source device and the sink device, a step in which the sink device transmits first identification information for identifying the sink device to a first server device that constructs a digital twin of the sink device; receiving, by the sink device, first connection information for the first server device, the first connection information being created in the first server device based on the first identification information; a step of the sink device transmitting the received first connection information to the source device via the HDMI cable; a step of transmitting, by the source device, the first connection information transmitted from the sink device to a second server device that constructs a digital twin of the source device; Equipped with The first connection information transmitted from the source device is used to establish a connection between the first server device and the second server device. method.

14. A method executed by a video transmission system including a source device that transmits video data, a sink device that receives the video data, and an HDMI cable that connects the source device and the sink device, a step in which the source device transmits first identification information for identifying the source device to a first server device that constructs a digital twin of the source device; receiving, by the source device, first connection information for the first server device, the first connection information being created in the first server device based on the first identification information; the source device transmitting the received first connection information to the sink device via the HDMI cable; a step of transmitting, by the sink device, the first connection information transmitted from the source device to a second server device that constructs a digital twin of the sink device; Equipped with The first connection information transmitted from the sink device is used to establish a connection between the first server device and the second server device. method.

Images