Wireless transmission system, relay device, wireless sink device, and wireless source device

• US 8,613,029 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2009
• Issued: 12/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Eguchi, Yohichi, Tsuji, Keisuke, Ohmae, Ryosuke, Etoh, Masayuki, Imanishi, Seiji, Katoh, Shinichi, Kinoshita, Takuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheleheda, James R
• Application Number:
  US13/256,791
• Publication Number:
  US 20120011535A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,517 Days
• Field of Search: 725/74, 725/78, 725/80, 725/81, 725/141
• US Class Current: 725/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4625 Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43635 HDMI
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64746 Control signals issued by the network directed to the server or the client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64753 directed to the client

Abstract

A wireless transmission system is provided that can minimize the control command transmission amount by operating a plurality of sink devices in conjunction with each other with respect to each group when performing a wireless AV transmission. The wireless transmission system includes: a bridge device (1) which wireless-transmits an AV content; and a plurality of wireless sink devices (5, 6) which reproduce the wireless-transmitted AV content. The bridge device (1) has a group identification table which stores a group identifier for identifying a group formed by the wireless sink device (5, 6). The bridge device (1) adds a group identifier extracted from the group identification table to a control command for controlling the sink devices (5, 6) and wireless-transmits the control command having the group identifier. The wireless sink devices (5, 6) receive a control command wireless-transmitted from the bridge device (1) if a corresponding group identifier is added to the control command.

Claims

1. A wireless transmission system comprising:

a content transmitting apparatus that wirelessly transmits AV contents including video and/or audio; and

a plurality of sink devices that receive the wirelessly transmitted AV contents, at least one of the plurality of the sink devices being made up of a wireless sink device, wherein

the content transmitting apparatus includes a group identification ID table that stores group identification ID for identifying a group made up of the plurality of the sink devices, a group identification ID adding portion that adds group identification ID extracted from the group identification ID table to a control command controlling the plurality of the sink devices, and a wireless transmitting portion that wirelessly transmits the control command with the group identification ID added,

the wireless sink device is configured to receive a control command wirelessly transmitted from the content transmitting apparatus responsive to its own group identification ID being added to the control command,

the content transmitting apparatus is made up of a wired source device and a relay device wired to the wired source device, and

the relay device is wirelessly connected to the wireless sink device and mutually converts between different respective data formats a wired control command communicated with the wired source device and a wireless control command communicated with the wireless sink device,

wherein the plurality of the sink devices making up the group includes a television apparatus and one or more audio devices,

wherein if the relay device is wirelessly connected to the television apparatus and the television apparatus is wirelessly connected to the one or more audio devices, the group identification ID table is generated by an operation that the relay device assigns a group identification ID to the television apparatus when the television apparatus is powered on, and the television apparatus groups the audio devices based on device identification information unique to the audio devices and assigns the group identification ID to the grouped audio devices.

2. The wireless transmission system as defined in claim 1, wherein the wired source device and the relay device are HDMI-connected, and the wired control command is a CEC message.

3. The wireless transmission system as defined in claim 2, wherein the wired source device and the relay device include an HDMI device ID table that stores a logic address indicative of a device type and a physical address indicative of a device position.

4. The wireless transmission system as defined in claim 1, wherein the wireless sink device includes the group identification ID table and receives a control command wirelessly transmitted from another wireless sink device belonging to the same group if its own group identification ID is added to the control command.

5. The wireless transmission system as defined in claim 1, wherein any one of the wireless sink devices belonging to the same group is defined as a representative wireless sink device, and the representative wireless sink device wirelessly communicates with the content transmitting apparatus or a representative wireless sink device of another group on behalf of the group to which the representative wireless sink device belongs.

6. The wireless transmission system as defined in claim 5, wherein the representative wireless sink device communicates with other sink devices within the group to which the representative wireless sink device belongs.

7. The wireless transmission system as defined in claim 5, wherein if a control command is broadcast-transmitted from the content transmitting apparatus, the representative wireless sink device receives the control command, integrates a plurality of responses of other sink devices within the group to which the representative wireless sink device belongs into one response based on a predetermined rule, and returns the integrated response to the content transmitting apparatus.

8. The wireless transmission system as defined in claim 5, wherein a group identification ID stored in the group identification ID table is defined as a device ID of the representative wireless sink device.

9. A wireless transmission system comprising:

a content transmitting apparatus that wirelessly transmits AV contents including video and/or audio; and

a plurality of sink devices that receive the wirelessly transmitted AV contents, at least one of the plurality of the sink devices being made up of a wireless sink device, wherein

the content transmitting apparatus includes a group identification ID table that stores group identification ID for identifying a group made up of the plurality of the sink devices, a group identification ID adding portion that adds group identification ID extracted from the group identification ID table to a control command controlling the plurality of the sink devices, and a wireless transmitting portion that wirelessly transmits the control command with the group identification ID added,

the wireless sink device is configured to receive a control command wirelessly transmitted from the content transmitting apparatus responsive to its own group identification ID being added to the control command,

the content transmitting apparatus is made up of a wireless source device and the plurality of the sink devices are made up of a wired sink device and a relay device wired to the wired sink device, and

the relay device functions as a wireless sink device wirelessly connected to the wireless source device and mutually converts between different respective data formats a wireless control command communicated to/from the wireless source device and a wired control command communicated to/from the wired sink device,

wherein the plurality of the sink devices making up the group includes the relay device, a television apparatus, and one or more audio devices,

wherein if the wireless source device is wirelessly connected to the relay device and the relay device is wirelessly connected to the one or more audio devices, the group identification ID table is generated by an operation that the wireless source device assigns a group identification ID to the relay device when the relay device is powered on, and the relay device groups the audio devices based on device identification information unique to the audio devices and assigns the group identification ID to the grouped audio devices.

10. The wireless transmission system as defined in claim 9, wherein the relay device and the wired sink device are HDMI-connected, and wherein the wired control command is a CEC message.

11. The wireless transmission system as defined in claim 10, wherein the relay device and the wired sink device include an HDMI device ID table that stores a logic address indicative of a device type and a physical address indicative of a device position.

12. The wireless transmission system as defined in claim 9, wherein the relay device is wired to the television apparatus.