Local ring network and method for transmitting digital data in a local ring network

• US 6,782,552 B1
• Filed: 02/25/2000
• Issued: 08/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Becker GmbH (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Becker GmbH (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Becker, Michael, Wietzke, Joachim, Stiegler, Andreas, Schoepp, Harald, Klaus-Wagenbrenner, Jochen
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava, Vivek
• Application Number:
  US09/513,614
• Time in Patent Office: 1,642 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.718, H04/N.7173, H04/J 1.400, 370/452, 370/460, 370/908, 370/909, 725/105, 725/118, 725/129, 725/74, 348/14.08, 398/58, 398/59, 398/66, 398/67
• US Class Current: 725/74
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/423 with centralised control, e.g. polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/63 Control signaling related to video distribution between client, server and network components; Network processes for video distribution between server and clients or between remote clients, e.g. transmitting basic layer and enhancement layers over different transmission paths, setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet between remote STB's; Communication protocols; Addressing real-time session protocols H04L65/1101; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 370/909 Token ring

Abstract

A control command, which has a command header sequence and a sequence of n parameters, is generated in a data source of a local network. The control command has a variable length defined by the data source. The control command is passed to the ring data line of the local network and is forwarded to a data sink. This data sink contains a control unit, a picture output unit, an interface and a memory, in which video data are stored. The video data can be read out and displayed on the picture output unit. The control command has n parameters of which the first m parameters are interpreted by the control unit. The number m is determined by the properties of the data sink and is independent of the properties of the data source. Using the m interpreted parameters, specific video data are read from the memory and are reproduced.

The invention relates to a local network having a plurality of subscribers, which are connected to one another through the use of an optical data line for transmitting audio, video data and/or control data. The subscribers, together with the optical data line, form a ring network.

Claims

1. A local network, comprising:

an optical data line;

a plurality of subscribers connected to one another by said optical data line for forming a ring network and for transmitting at least one of control data, audio data, and video data;

at least one of said subscribers constituting a data source for at least one of the audio data, video data and control data and at least another one of said subscribers constituting a data sink for at least one of the audio data, video data and control data;

said data source having a data source control unit and a data source interface to said optical data line, said data source being configured for passing a control command, via said data source interface, to said optical data line, the control command having a length defined by said data source, having a command header sequence and having a sequence of n parameters, n being a first given number;

said data sink having a data sink control unit, a picture output unit, a data sink interface and a memory for holding and for outputting video data via said picture output unit, said data sink control unit controlling the outputting of the video data;

said data sink control unit receiving said control command, via said data sink interface, and interpreting the control command by interpreting m initial ones of the n parameters, m being a second given number; and

said data sink control unit reading video data corresponding to the m initial ones of the n parameters from said memory of said data sink and outputting the video data, corresponding to the m initial ones of the n parameters, on said picture output unit.

2. The local network according to claim 1, wherein said data source passes the control command having the sequence of n parameters to said optical data line, such that the parameters are provided in a hierarchical order, each respective subsequent one of the parameters has a more specific and more detailed content than a respective previous one of the parameters.

3. The local network according to claim 1, wherein:

said data source passes the control command, which further includes an information item following the command header sequence and concerning the first given number n indicating the number of the parameters provided subsequent to the information item, via said data source interface, to said optical data line; and

said data sink interprets the control command having the information item by comparing the first given number n with the second given number m number and, if n≧

m, said data sink evaluates the m initial ones of the n parameters and initiates an output of the video data corresponding to the m initial ones of the n parameters, from said memory and, alternatively, if n<

m, said data sink evaluates the n parameters and initiates an output of the video data, corresponding to the n parameters, from said memory.

4. The local network according to claim 1, wherein said data sink control unit, through the use of the control command received via said data sink interface, evaluates the m initial ones of the n parameters and outputs the video data, corresponding the m initial ones of the n parameters, from said memory and, in accordance with the control command, selects picture properties.

5. The local network according to claim 4, wherein said data sink control unit selects the picture properties including at least one of contrast, color, brightness, viewing angle, and viewing window.

6. A method for transmitting digital data in a local ring network, the method which comprises:

providing a local ring network having a data source, a data sink and a ring data line;

generating, in the data source, a control command having a command header sequence and a sequence of n parameters, n being a first given number, the control command having a variable length defined by the data source;

passing the control command, via a data source interface, to the ring data line;

providing the data sink with a data sink control unit for controlling the data sink, a picture output unit, a data sink interface and a memory for holding video data to be output via the picture output unit under a control of the data sink control unit;

feeding the control command, via the data sink interface to the data sink;

interpreting, with the data sink, the control command by interpreting m initial ones of the sequence of n parameters, m being a second given number;

reading video data corresponding to the m initial ones of the n parameters from the memory of the data sink; and

outputting the video data corresponding to the m initial ones of the n parameters on the picture output unit.

7. The method for transmitting digital data in a local ring network according to claim 6, which comprises not interpreting any of the parameters of the control command after the m-th one of the n parameters.

8. The method for transmitting digital data in a local ring network according to claim 6, which comprises passing, with the data source, the control command having the sequence of n parameters to the ring data line, such that the parameters are provided in a hierarchical order, each respective subsequent one of the parameters has a more specific and more detailed content than a respective previous one of the parameters.

9. The method for transmitting digital data in a local ring network according to claim 6, which comprises:

passing, with the data source, the control command, which further includes an information item following the command header sequence and concerning the first given number indicating the number of the parameters provided subsequent to the information item, via the data source interface, to the ring data line; and

interpreting, with the data sink, the control command having the information item by comparing, with the data sink, the first given number n with the second given number m number and, if n≧

m, evaluating the m initial ones of the n parameters and initiating an output of the video data, corresponding to the m initial ones of the n parameters, from the memory and alternatively, if n<

m, evaluating the n parameters and initiating an output of the video data, corresponding to the n parameters, from the memory.

10. The method for transmitting digital data in a local ring network according to claim 6, which comprises:

transferring the data sink into a storage operating state;

writing video data, fed in via the data sink interface, to the memory of the data sink during the storing operating state; and

providing, with the data sink control unit, the video data written to the memory for an output during a normal operating state, in response to a specific control command.

11. The method for transmitting digital data in a local ring network according to claims 6, which comprises determining the number of the m initial ones of the sequence of n parameters to be interpreted, based on properties of the data sink and independently of the data source.

12. The method for transmitting digital data in a local ring network according to claim 6, which comprises controlling, with the data sink control unit, a picture output on the picture output unit in terms of picture properties and determining the controlling step with the control command fed in via the data sink interface.

13. The method for transmitting digital data in a local ring network according to claim 12, which comprises controlling the picture output on the picture output unit in terms of the picture properties including controlling at least one of contrast, color, brightness, viewing angle, and viewing window.