Control device and display device

Abstract

The present invention simplifies the connections of devices required for a display device to display video. This control device comprises a computation circuit, a first communication circuit, and a second communication circuit, and is capable of controlling a display device for displaying video. In a case in which the first communication circuit is connected to an information processing device by a cable, the second communication circuit is connected to the display device, the control device and the display device are provided in the same network, and the control device and the display device have unique addresses that can be identified in the network, when the computation circuit has acquired data including an address from the information processing device via the first communication circuit, the computation circuit performs processing corresponding to the data if the address indicates the control device, and transmits the data to the display device if the address indicates the display device.

Description

Control device and display device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control device that controls a display device that displays video, and a display device that is controlled by the control device and displays video.

[0002] Conventionally, display systems have been used that project images using display devices such as projectors. In display systems, the display devices are sometimes controlled by information processing devices such as personal computers. In addition, control devices that expand the functions of the display devices may be used. For example, the control device is called an option board or an option slot. The control device can execute control over the display devices that would be difficult to achieve using the information processing device alone.

[0003] International Publication No. 2013 / 038656

[0004] In a display system including a display device, an information processing device, and a control device, two cables, a first cable and a second cable, are required to connect the information processing device to another device. Specifically, the information processing device is connected to the control device via the first cable. The information processing device is also connected to the display device via the second cable. Therefore, conventional display systems have complex wiring.

[0005] The present disclosure provides a control device and a display device that simplify wiring in a display system.

[0006] The control device disclosed herein is a control device that has an arithmetic circuit, a first communication circuit, and a second communication circuit and is capable of controlling a display device that displays images. When the first communication circuit is connected to an information processing device by a wired cable, the second communication circuit is connected to the display device, the control device and the display device are provided on the same network, and the control device and the display device have unique addresses that can be identified on the network, the arithmetic circuit, upon receiving data including an address from the information processing device via the first communication circuit, determines whether the address indicates the control device or the display device, and, if the address indicates the control device, performs processing according to the data, and, if the address indicates the display device, transmits the data to the display device.

[0007] These general and specific aspects may be realized by a system, a method, and a computer program, as well as combinations thereof.

[0008] The control device and display device of the present disclosure can simplify the wiring in a display system.

[0009] It is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a control device and a display device included in a display system according to the present disclosure. It is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of data transmitted from an information processing device to a control device. It is a schematic diagram illustrating another example of data transmitted from an information processing device to a control device. It is a flowchart illustrating processing executed by a control device that has received data.

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. However, in the detailed description, unnecessary parts of the description of the prior art and substantially identical configurations may be omitted. This is for the sake of simplicity. Furthermore, the following description and the accompanying drawings are disclosed to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter of the claims.

[0011] <Display System> Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram illustrating a display system 1 according to the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 1, the display system 1 includes a control device 10, a display device 20, an information processing device 30, and a relay device 40. The control device 10 and the display device 20 can operate in accordance with control signals from the information processing device 30. The relay device 40 is, for example, a switching hub (HUB) that transmits received data to a device connected via a wired cable.

[0012] In the display system 1 according to this embodiment, the display device 20 and the relay device 40 are not connected to each other. That is, the communication cable shown by the dashed line in FIG. 1 does not exist. On the other hand, the control device 10 and the relay device 40 are connected to each other by the communication cable 50 shown by the solid line. The control device 10 and the display device 20 are connected to each other via their respective connection I / Fs 16 and 22. The control device 10 receives both data addressed to the control device 10 and data addressed to the display device 20, transmitted from the information processing device 30 via the relay device 40. The control device 10 transmits to the display device 20, among the data received from the information processing device 30, data addressed to the display device 20. In this embodiment, an example of the display device 20 is a projection device that projects an image onto a projection surface or the like. Of the data received from the information processing device 30, the control device 10 processes the data addressed to the control device 10 itself.

[0013] Destinations on a network will now be described. For example, when the control device 10 and the display device 20 are installed on the same network, in other words, when the control device 10 and the display device 20 are connected to a relay device 40, the control device 10 and the display device 20 have unique addresses that allow them to be identified on the network. The "address" referred to here is, for example, a Media Access Control (MAC) address. A unique MAC address is assigned to each network interface of the control device 10 and the display device 20 when they are manufactured. For example, the network interface of the control device 10 is the communication circuit 11, and the network interface of the display device 20 is the communication circuit 21. Note that the MAC addresses can also be changed using software. In either case, the control device 10 and the display device 20 are uniquely identifiable on the network. In the following description, the MAC address of the network interface of the control device 10 may be referred to as the MAC address of the control device 10. Furthermore, the MAC address of the network interface of the display device 20 may be referred to as the MAC address of the display device 20. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the control device 10 is connected to the relay device 40. However, the display device 20 is not connected to the relay device 40. Therefore, the data transmitted from the information processing device 30 is received only by the control device 10.

[0014] 2A and 2B will be used to explain data transmitted from the information processing device 30. FIG. 2A shows an example in which data transmitted from the information processing device 30 is addressed to the control device 10. For example, the data addressed to the control device 10 includes the MAC address of the control device and a video signal and / or a control signal. As shown in FIG. 2A , signals associated with the MAC address of the control device are processed within the control device 10.

[0015] 2B shows an example in which data transmitted from the information processing device 30 is addressed to the display device 20. For example, the data addressed to the display device 20 includes the MAC address of the display device, and a video signal and / or a control signal. As shown in FIG. 2B, a signal associated with the MAC address of the display device is transmitted from the control device 10 to the display device 20. Furthermore, the signal transmitted from the control device 10 to the display device 20 is processed by the display device 20.

[0016] 1, the control device 10 may include, for example, a communication circuit 11, an arithmetic circuit 12, a converter 13, a storage device 14, a display circuit 15, and a connection interface (I / F) 16. An example of the control device 10 may be a media processor used to display video content. Specifically, the control device 10 may be an expansion board known as an option board or option slot used in the display device 20. When the control device 10 is an expansion board, the control device 10 and the display device 20 are connected via a connection terminal on the control device 10 side and a connection terminal on the display device 20 side.

[0017] The communication circuit 11 performs data communication with an external device (e.g., the information processing device 30, etc.). The data communication performed by the communication circuit 11 is wired data communication and conforms to a known communication standard. For example, in the display system 1 of the present disclosure, a communication controller of a semiconductor integrated circuit that operates in compliance with the Ethernet (registered trademark) standard is used as the communication circuit 11.

[0018] The arithmetic circuit 12 is a controller that controls the entire control device 10. For example, the arithmetic circuit 12 may be a processor such as a CPU.

[0019] Converter 13 converts the data format when the data format transmitted by information processing device 30 differs from the data format received by display device 20. For example, consider a case where connection I / F 16 and connection I / F 22 communicate according to the USB standard. In this case, converter 13 extracts data addressed to display device 20 from the Ethernet frame received via communication circuit 11 and converts the data into a data format that can be transmitted according to the USB standard.

[0020] The storage device 14 is a recording medium for recording various information. For example, it is a storage device such as an SSD or eMMC. The storage device 14 can store, for example, video content transmitted from the information processing device 30. The storage device 14 may store multiple video contents in advance. In this case, the control device 10 can read out selected video content in accordance with an operation from an external device (for example, the information processing device 30) and display it on the display device 20.

[0021] The display circuitry 15 is a controller that controls the display of video. For example, the display circuitry 15 may be a processor such as a GPU. The display circuitry 15 may perform various processes related to the enhancement of video content displayed by the display device 20 and the display of video. For example, the display circuitry 15 may perform geometric correction processing.

[0022] The connection I / F 16 is an interface that can be connected to a connection terminal of the display device 20 .

[0023] In this embodiment, the display device 20 is a projection device or projector that projects an image onto a projection surface. The display device 20 may include, for example, a communication circuit 21, a connection I / F 22, a relay device 23, an arithmetic circuit 24, an HDMI (registered trademark) terminal 25, a front-end processing unit 26, a signal processing unit 27, a panel driving unit 28, a light source driving unit 29, and an optical device 31, as shown in FIG.

[0024] Similar to the communication circuit 11 described above, the communication circuit 21 performs data communication with an external device (e.g., the information processing device 30, etc.). The data communication performed by the communication circuit 21 is wired data communication and conforms to a known communication standard. However, as described above, in the display system 1 of the present disclosure, the communication circuit 21 is not wired connected to the relay device 40. Therefore, as described above, data is not transmitted from the information processing device 30 to the display device 20.

[0025] The communication circuit 21 may have a slower communication speed than the communication circuit 11. In the display system 1, the communication cable 50 is connected to only the communication circuit 11, which has a faster communication speed, out of the communication circuits 11 and 21. In the display system 1, video images with a high communication load may be transmitted and received, but by using the communication circuit 11 with a fast communication speed, the time required to transmit and receive the video images can be reduced. Therefore, the wiring of the display system 1 can be simplified and the time required for data communication in the display system 1 can be reduced.

[0026] The connection I / F 22 is an interface connectable to the connection I / F 16 of the control device 10 described above. When the data received from the control device 10 is a video signal, the connection I / F 22 transmits the received data to the front-end processing unit 26. When the data received from the control device 10 is an operation signal related to video display, the connection I / F 22 transmits the received data to the arithmetic circuit 24. The operation signal related to video display may include processing of the display device 20 itself, processing of the video itself, driving processing of the display panel, and / or driving processing of the light source. When the data received from the control device 10 is an operation signal related to video display or an operation signal for turning the power of the display device 20 on / off, the connection I / F 22 transmits the received data to the arithmetic circuit 24.

[0027] The relay device 23 outputs the data received from the connection I / F 22 to the arithmetic circuit 24 .

[0028] The arithmetic circuit 24 is a controller that controls the entire display device 20. For example, the arithmetic circuit 24 may be a processor such as a CPU. For example, the arithmetic circuit 24 turns the power of the display device 20 on / off in accordance with an operation signal for turning the power on / off via the relay device 23. Furthermore, for example, the arithmetic circuit 24 controls the processing units 26, 27 and / or the driving units 28, 29 in accordance with an operation signal related to the display of images.

[0029] The HDMI terminal 25 is a terminal that can be connected to an external device (not shown) such as a video playback device. When the HDMI terminal 25 receives video content to be played from the external device, it outputs the video content to the subsequent front-end processing unit 26. Note that the video content may include a video signal and an audio signal, but in this disclosure, the transmission, reception, and processing of the audio signal will be omitted.

[0030] 1 , the display device 20 can be connected to the control device 10 via the connection I / F 22, and can also be connected to other playback devices via the HDMI terminal 25. However, when data is received via both the connection I / F 22 and the HDMI terminal 25, it is not possible to determine which of the two terminals to process the received data via. Therefore, the display device 20 is set in advance, for example, via the information processing device 30, as to whether to process data received via the connection I / F 22 or data received via the HDMI terminal 25. The display device 20 then processes the received data in accordance with the setting.

[0031] When the front-end processing unit 26 receives a video signal from the connection I / F 22 or the HDMI terminal 25, it outputs the video signal to the downstream signal processing unit 27. Furthermore, when the front-end processing unit 26 receives an operation signal related to processing of the display device 20 itself from the arithmetic circuit 24, it executes processing indicated by the operation signal. The operation signal related to processing of the display device 20 itself may be, for example, an operation signal for executing zoom correction, shift correction, and / or focus correction when displaying an image.

[0032] When the signal processing unit 27 receives a video signal from the front-end processing unit 26, it outputs the video signal to the subsequent panel driving unit 28. At this time, when the signal processing unit 27 receives an operation signal related to the processing of the video itself from the arithmetic circuit 24, it executes the processing indicated by the operation signal. The operation signal related to the processing of the video itself may be, for example, an operation signal for executing geometric correction, gamma correction, contrast correction, color correction, and / or edge blend correction. After executing the processing of the video itself, the signal processing unit 27 outputs the processed video signal to the panel driving unit 28.

[0033] When panel driver 28 receives a video signal from signal processor 27, it outputs the video signal to downstream optical device 31. When panel driver 28 receives an operation signal related to the drive processing of a display panel (DMD or liquid crystal panel) used for video projection from arithmetic circuit 24, panel driver 28 converts the video signal into a drive signal for driving the display panel. Furthermore, panel driver 28 drives the display panel in accordance with the drive signal.

[0034] When the light source driving unit 29 receives an operation signal related to the driving process of the light source from the arithmetic circuit 24, it converts the signal into a control signal for controlling the light source in accordance with the video signal. The light source driving unit 29 also drives the light source in accordance with the control signal, and executes the process indicated by the operation signal.

[0035] The optical device 31 may include a display panel used to project an image, a light source, and the like.

[0036] <<Information Processing Device>> Although not shown, the information processing device 30 is an information processing device such as a personal computer that includes an arithmetic circuit, an input device, an output device, a communication circuit, a storage device, and the like.

[0037] The arithmetic circuit is a controller that controls the entire information processing device 30. The arithmetic circuit may be various processors such as a CPU, MPU, GPU, FPGA, DSP, ASIC, etc., or a dedicated hardware circuit. The input device may be an operation button, keyboard, mouse, touch panel, microphone, etc. used for inputting operations and data. The output device may be a display that displays data used in processing related to video display. The communication circuit performs data communication with an external device (e.g., the control device 10, etc.). The data communication may be wired and / or wireless and conforms to known communication standards. As described above, communication with the control device 10 is performed via a wired connection. The storage device is a recording medium that records various information. The storage device may be realized, for example, by a RAM, a ROM, a flash memory, an SSD (Solid State Drive), a hard disk drive, or other storage device, or an appropriate combination thereof.

[0038] <Processing in Control Device> The processing executed by the control device 10 when it receives data from the information processing device 30 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0039] The communication circuit 11 receives data transmitted from the information processing device 30 via the relay device 40 (S01). The communication circuit 11 outputs the received data to the arithmetic circuit 12.

[0040] The arithmetic circuit 12 determines whether the data transmitted from the information processing device 30 is addressed to the control device 10 (S02). Specifically, it determines whether the MAC address included in the data received in step S01 is an address that identifies the control device 10 or an address that identifies the display device 20.

[0041] If the MAC address included in the data is an address that identifies the control device 10 (YES in S02), the arithmetic circuit 12 executes the process included in the data (S03).

[0042] On the other hand, if the MAC address included in the data is an address that identifies the display device 20 (NO in S02), the arithmetic circuit 12 outputs the data to the display device 20 (S04). Specifically, the arithmetic circuit 12 converts the data format of the converter 13 and transmits the converted data to the display device 20 via the connection I / F 16.

[0043] <<Data Destined for Control Device>> Examples of data destined for the control device 10 that are the target of processing in step S03 include the following: The data destined for the control device 10 has the structure described above in FIG. 2A.

[0044] (1-1) The video information processing device 30 for storing video in the storage device 14 may transmit the video to be stored in advance in the storage device 14 to the control device 10. Upon receiving the video to be stored in the storage device 14, the arithmetic circuitry 12 stores the video in the storage device 14. The information processing device 30 may also transmit the order in which multiple video contents are to be played (playlist) and the timing of playback (schedule data). At this time, the arithmetic circuitry 12 associates the playlist and / or schedule data with the video and stores them in the storage device 14.

[0045] (1-2) Operation Signal for Displaying Video Stored in Storage Device 14 The information processing device 30 may transmit an operation signal for displaying a video previously stored in the storage device 14 on the display device 20. Upon receiving the target operation signal, the arithmetic circuit 12 reads the video from the storage device 14. The arithmetic circuit 12 also displays the read video on the display device 20 via the display circuit 15 and the connection I / F 16.

[0046] (1-3) Video Adjustment Data Stored in Storage Device 14 The control device 10 can cause the display circuit 15 to perform geometric correction, blending correction, color adjustment, etc. on the video to be displayed on the display device 20. The information processing device 30 may transmit adjustment data to the control device 10 for adjusting the video, such as geometric correction, blending correction, and / or color adjustment. Upon receiving the adjustment data, the arithmetic circuit 12 stores the adjustment data in the storage device 14 and causes the display circuit 15 to adjust the video content based on the adjustment data. Note that some of the above-described video adjustments may be performed by the display device 20, in which case the adjustment data may be transmitted as data addressed to the display device.

[0047] <<Data Destined for Display Device>> Examples of data destined for the display device 20 to be output in step S04 include the following: The data destined for the display device 20 has the structure described above in FIG. 2B.

[0048] (2-1) Operation Signal for Turning the Power On / Off of the Display Device 20 or for Displaying Images The information processing device 30 can perform an operation for turning the power on / off via the display device 20 and / or an operation related to displaying images via the control device 10. At this time, the information processing device 30 transmits an operation signal to the control device 10. Upon receiving this operation signal, the arithmetic circuit 12 converts the data format of the operation signal using the converter 13. Furthermore, the arithmetic circuit 12 transmits the operation signal with the converted data format to the display device 20 via the connection I / F 16.

[0049] (2-2) Video information processing device 30, which displays video on display device 20, may transmit the video to be displayed on display device 20 to control device 10. Upon receiving the video to be displayed on display device 20, arithmetic circuit 12 stores the video received from information processing device 30 in storage device 14. Furthermore, arithmetic circuit 12 transmits the video received from information processing device 30 to display device 20 via display circuit 15 and connection I / F 16.

[0050] As described above, in the display system 1 according to the embodiment, the control device 10 determines whether the data is addressed to the control device itself or to the display device 20, and executes processing according to the destination. This means that the information processing device 30 only needs to transmit data to the control device 10. Therefore, the display device 20 only uses a connection with the control device 10, and a connection with the information processing device 30 is not required. This simplifies the wiring of the entire system.

[0051] Overview of the embodiments (1) The control device of the present disclosure has an arithmetic circuit, a first communication circuit, and a second communication circuit, and is capable of controlling a display device that displays an image, wherein the first communication circuit is connected to an information processing device by a wired cable, the second communication circuit is connected to the display device, and the control device and the display device are provided on the same network, and the control device and the display device have unique addresses that are identifiable on the network, the arithmetic circuit, upon receiving data including an address from the information processing device via the first communication circuit, determines whether the address is an address indicating the control device or an address indicating the display device, and if the address indicates the control device, executes processing according to the data, and if the address indicates the display device, transmits the data to the display device.

[0052] This simplifies the wiring of the entire system when the display device and the control device are connected and used.

[0053] (2) In the control device of (1), the data may include video.

[0054] This allows the information processing device to transmit the video to be displayed on the display device via the control device.

[0055] (3) In the information processing device of (1) or (2), the display device may be a projection device, and the data may be a control signal for controlling the projection device.

[0056] This simplifies the wiring for the entire system when projecting images.

[0057] (4) In the information processing device of any one of (1) to (3), the display device may be a projection device, and the data may be an adjustment signal for adjusting the image projected by the projection device.

[0058] This allows the information processing device to adjust the image displayed on the display device via the control device.

[0059] (5) In the information processing device of any one of (1) to (4), the information processing device may further include a storage device that stores an image to be displayed on the display device, and the data may include the image to be stored in the storage device.

[0060] This allows the control device to store in advance in the storage device images that can be displayed on the display device.

[0061] (6) In any one of the information processing devices (1) to (5), the address indicating the control device may be a MAC address of the control device, and the address indicating the display device may be a MAC address of the display device.

[0062] This allows the control device to determine the destination of a signal transmitted by the information processing device based on the MAC address.

[0063] (7) A display device of the present disclosure is a display device having a second arithmetic circuit and a third communication circuit connectable to a control device described in any one of (1) to (6), wherein the data includes an operation signal for operating the display device, and the arithmetic circuit of the display device, upon receiving the data from the control device, performs an operation according to the operation signal.

[0064] This allows the display device to receive data and perform operations via the control device without being connected to an information processing device.

[0065] The control device and display device according to all claims of the present disclosure are realized by hardware resources, such as a processor, a memory, and cooperation with a computer program.

[0066] The control device and display device of the present disclosure are useful for simplifying the connection of devices required for displaying images.

Claims

1. A control device having an arithmetic circuit, a first communication circuit, and a second communication circuit, capable of controlling a display device that displays images, wherein the first communication circuit is connected to an information processing device by a wired cable, the second communication circuit is connected to the display device, and the control device and the display device are provided on the same network, and the control device and the display device have unique addresses that can be identified on the network, the arithmetic circuit, upon receiving data including an address from the information processing device via the first communication circuit, determines whether the address is an address indicating the control device or an address indicating the display device, and if the address indicates the control device, executes processing according to the data, and if the address indicates the display device, transmits the data to the display device.

2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the data includes video.

3. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the display device is a projection device, and the data is a control signal for controlling the projection device.

4. The control device according to claim 2, wherein the display device is a projection device, and the data is an adjustment signal for adjusting the image projected by the projection device.

5. The control device according to claim 2, further comprising a storage device for storing an image to be displayed on the display device, and the data includes the image to be stored in the storage device.

6. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the address indicating the control device is a MAC address of the control device, and the address indicating the display device is a MAC address of the display device.

7. A display device further comprising a second arithmetic circuit and a third communication circuit, wherein the third communication circuit is connectable to a control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the data includes an operation signal for operating the display device, and the second arithmetic circuit, upon receiving the data from the control device, executes an operation according to the operation signal.

Images