Router and control method of audio/video apparatus using the router

• US 20020129154A1
• Filed: 03/07/2002
• Published: 09/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sekiguchi, Yuji, Ogawa, Masataka, Fukutani, Akihito, Takeda, Toru, Kunito, Yoshiyuki, Okawa, Sumihiro
• Application Number:
  US10/092,830
• Publication Number:
  US 20020129154A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2832 Interconnection of the control functionalities between home networks single bridge functionality H04L12/4625
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2872 Termination of subscriber connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2898 Subscriber equipments DSL modems H04M11/062; cable modems H04L12/2801
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/60 Router architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/206 Real Time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4113 PC
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805

Abstract

A router emits an infrared ray based on a signal for operating a video recorder to the video recorder at a request made by any one of personal computers connected to the router through a network. In response to the infrared ray based on a signal for operating the video recorder, the video recorder outputs analog signals to the router through cables. The router then converts the analog signals into audio and video digital signals. Subsequently, the router outputs the digital signals to the personal computer making the request by way of the network. Then, the personal computer making the request outputs a sound based on the audio digital signal and displays a picture based on the video digital signal. As a result, the router allows an analog apparatus such as the video recorder to be connected to the network in a simple configuration.

Claims

1. A router comprising:

routing means for routing an IP packet;

an infrared-ray-emitting unit for emitting an infrared ray to an external apparatus; and

control means for controlling said infrared-ray-emitting unit to emit an infrared ray based on a signal for controlling said external apparatus in accordance with data included in an IP packet received by said routing means.

2. A router according to claim 1, wherein an apparatus exchanging an IP packet with said routing means is a computer.

3. A router according to claim 2, wherein a control protocol adopted between said router and said computer is an RTSP (Real Time Streaming Protocol).

4. A router according to claim 2 or 3, said router further comprising:

an input unit for inputting an analog signal output by said external apparatus; and

conversion means for converting said input analog signal into a digital signal, which is disassembled into IP packets to be output to said computer.

5. A router according to claim 4, wherein said external apparatus is an audio/video apparatus.

6. A router according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said infrared-ray-emitting unit can be mounted on and dismounted from a main body of said router.

7. A router according to any one of claims 1 to 6, said router having a plurality of said infrared-ray-emitting units, which can each be mounted on and dismounted from a main body of said router.

8. A router comprising:

an infrared-ray-emitting device for controlling an external apparatus; and

an analog input port for receiving an analog signal from said external apparatus.

9. A router according to claim 8, wherein said analog input port comprises an audio-signal input sub-port for inputting an analog signal and a video-signal input sub-port for inputting a video signal.

10. A method for controlling an audio/video apparatus by using a router, comprising the steps of:

emitting an infrared ray based on a signal for controlling said audio/video apparatus from said router to said audio/video apparatus in accordance with a request made by a computer connected to said router;

driving said router to convert an analog signal supplied by said audio/video apparatus as a result of execution of an operation at said above step to said router into a digital signal; and

outputting said digital signal obtained as a result of conversion from said router to said computer.