Portable Terminal Group State Image for AV Device Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing home network systems for multi-room audio and video reproduction lack efficient user interfaces for managing and controlling groups of connected AV devices, making it difficult to create, manage, and dissolve groups for synchronized content playback across multiple rooms.
Innovation Solution
A portable terminal device with a touch panel interface that displays a group state image, allowing users to easily create, add to, dissolve, or withdraw from groups of connected AV devices through intuitive graphical operations, using wireless communication to control DMRs and DMSs conforming to DLNA standards, and supporting near-field communication for non-networked devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional remote control interface is used for AV device selection, then the device can control multiple AV apparatuses, but the selection work becomes complicated and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the AV device selection process by dividing devices into multiple groups (e.g., living room devices, bedroom devices, kitchen devices) and displaying them in a segmented grid layout on the touch panel. This allows users to quickly locate and select devices from organized categories rather than searching through a single long list, significantly reducing selection time and improving operational efficiency.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple AV apparatuses are connected to the home network, then multi-room content reproduction is enabled, but the management and control of groups becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the control functions for multiple AV devices into a unified group management system. Users can create virtual groups that combine multiple AV apparatuses (audio devices, video devices, playback devices) and control them collectively through a single interface. This merging approach maintains the versatility of multi-room reproduction while simplifying group management operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The touch panel interface serves multiple functions simultaneously: it displays device status, enables device selection, facilitates group creation, manages group membership, and controls playback operations. This universal interface design eliminates the need for separate controls for each function, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining full multi-room reproduction capabilities.
3Loss of information
If a detailed device list is displayed for each room, then complete device information is provided, but the display screen becomes cluttered and hard to navigate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a one-dimensional linear list of devices to a two-dimensional grid layout where devices are arranged in rows and columns based on room groups. This dimensional change allows the display to present comprehensive device information across multiple rooms simultaneously without creating a cluttered single-column list, improving both information completeness and screen navigability.
Data Source
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AI summary
An information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present technology includes a detection unit, an acceptance unit, and an image control unit. The detection unit is capable of detecting whether or not each of a plurality of reproduction apparatuses constitutes a group related to reproduction of content, each of the plurality of reproduction apparatuses being connected to a network, each of the plurality of reproduction apparatuses being capable of reproducing the content. The acceptance unit accepts a user operation related to constitution of the group. The image control unit outputs a group state image on the basis of a detection result by the detection unit, the group state image representing a constitution state of the group, the group state image including an image of each of the plurality of reproduction apparatuses, and controls the group state image in response to the accepted user operation related to constitution of the group.