JP2001168892A - Network constructing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To contribute to the spread of a home network by automatizing the assignment of authority of network equipment and facilitating a network construction. SOLUTION: The authority for equipment connected to a network (self equipment) is arbitrated on the basis of the level information of self equipment and on the level information of another piece of equipment on the network (S15). One of a master authority and a slave authority is dynamically imparted to the self equipment, in accordance with the arbitration result (S16 and S17).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for constructing a network, and more particularly to a method for constructing a network which is preferably applied to a home network or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, AV (Audio Visual)
l) Digitalization of home electric appliances, mainly devices, has been progressing, and accordingly, a movement of connecting home electric appliances to a network and controlling them by a personal computer or the like, that is, a movement of a so-called home network has become apparent. This means that when home appliances are digitized, information such as video and audio can be exchanged as digital data, so that they can be interconnected for remote operation and information can be exchanged between products. In the end, for example,
It is no longer a dream to control the temperature of the air conditioner with a personal computer or operate the stereo with a TV remote control.

[0003] From such a social background, "Bluetooth
th "," HomeRF "," IrDA-Contro "
l "and other wireless (or optical communication) network technologies,
Various infrastructure technologies have been proposed, such as a power line network technology such as “ECHONET”, a bus network technology such as “IEEE 1394”, and a telephone line network technology such as “HomePNA”. Some of these technologies are active. By supporting wire insertion / removal (plug-and-play or hot-plug functions), settings for connecting and disconnecting new devices have been simplified.

[0004] However, even if the above-mentioned infrastructure technology is used, construction of a home network is not easy for those who do not have specialized knowledge (hereinafter referred to as "general public" for convenience), and its use has been delayed. That is also true. As one of the causes, it can be pointed out that the authority assignment of the device connected to the network is troublesome. In other words, to build a home network,
Purchase home appliances compatible with a specific infrastructure technology, connect the home appliances (hereinafter referred to as "devices") via a wired or wireless network medium, and assign settings to each device. Have to do it. The authority is, for example, a master authority capable of controlling another terminal on the network or a slave authority on the controlled side.

[0005] Only one device having master authority (hereinafter referred to as "master device") exists on the network (however, within the same group), and a device having slave authority within the same group (hereinafter referred to as "master device") using this master device. "Slave device"). In general, the master device is often assigned to a device having an advanced control function such as a personal computer, but if there is no personal computer, the master device may be assigned to, for example, a network-compatible television receiver. This is because such a receiver is provided with a sophisticated remote control that can also be used as an input device such as a keyboard, and has a control function equivalent to or close to that of a personal computer. In recent years, liquid crystal displays and information processing functions have also been incorporated in some home appliances such as refrigerators and microwave ovens, which are so-called “white products,” and these home appliances can also be used as master devices. is there.

[0006]

Now, when purchasing one of these various master devices (or a device usable as a master device) and trying to connect it to a home network, the existing If there is no master device, in other words, if it is a network with only slave devices, the newly connected master device will be the only master device on the network, so it is possible to connect the purchased device as it is and build a network without any problem it can. However, if a master device is already connected, one of the existing device and the purchased device must be the master device, and the other must be the slave device. At that time, it is determined which is suitable for the master device However, such judgment requires a certain degree of technical knowledge, so it is not easy for the general public and it is one of the factors that hinder the spread of home networks. there were.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a network construction method which facilitates network construction by automating authority assignment of network devices, thereby contributing to the spread of home networks. It is in.

[0008]

(1) In a network construction method according to the present invention, each network device stores in advance level information for authority determination, and when the device is connected to a network, the level information is stored in the network device. When another device exists on the network and the level information of the other device is higher than the level information of the own device, the slave authority is given to the own device. Otherwise, the master authority is given to the own device. It is characterized by doing. (2) Alternatively, in the network construction method according to the present invention, when the level information of the other device is the same as the level information of the own device, the master authority is given to the own device according to a preset priority mode. Or not. (3) Alternatively, the network construction method according to the present invention further comprises, when the master device is granted master authority, change the authority of a device having master authority among other devices on the network to slave authority. Features. (4) Alternatively, the network construction method according to the present invention further checks the presence of another device on the network when connecting the own device to the network, and if the other device does not exist, assigns master authority to the own device. It is characterized by doing. (5) Alternatively, the network construction method according to the present invention is further characterized in that a group attribute is input to each of the network devices, and a network is constructed by devices having the same group attribute.

[0009]

In the network construction method according to the present invention, the level information of the device (own device) connected to the network,
Authority of the own device is arbitrated based on the level information of other devices on the network, and one of the master authority and the slave authority is dynamically given to the own device according to the arbitration result. That is, in the above (1), when the level information of the other device is higher than the level information of the own device, the slave authority is given to the own device, otherwise, the master authority is given to the own device, In the above (2),
If the level information of the other device is the same as the level information of the own device, it is determined whether to grant master authority to the own device according to a preset priority mode. When the master authority is given to the other devices on the network, the device having the master authority is changed to the slave authority. In the above (4), if no other device exists on the network, the other device is unconditionally assigned to the own device. Master authority is granted, and in (5) above, a network is identified by a group attribute. For example, an exclusive network is configured by changing the group attribute.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1A is a conceptual diagram of a home network. In the figure, a network medium 1 is a transmission medium such as a wired, wireless or optical communication. The network medium 1 includes a transmission path such as a cable in the case of a cable, and a transmission / reception unit of an electric signal exchanged via the transmission path. In the case of optical communication, an optical transmission / reception unit, a modulation / demodulation unit, and the like are included. In any case, in addition to these physical components, for example, “Bluetooth”, “Ho”
wireless (or optical communication) network technologies such as "meRF" and "IrDA-Control";
T "and other power line network technologies," IEEE1
394 ”and other bus network technologies,“ HomePN
"A" and other logical components (to be described later) based on an architecture such as a telephone line network technology.

[0011] This logical component is, in particular, hot plugging, that is, a function of notifying that a new device is connected to the network or that the already connected device is turned on, and a function of unplugging (Unplugging). ), That is, a function of notifying that the device has been removed from the network or the power has been turned off. As a result, the network medium 1 can be plug-and-play or hot plugging (or hot plug; hereinafter, referred to as "hot plug").
A hot-swap function called "network hot swapping" is provided for network equipment.

The network medium 1 includes several network devices such as a personal computer 2, a television receiver 3, and a VTR (Video Tape Record).
er) 4 and the like, and a home network is constructed by these devices and the network medium 1.

FIG. 1B is a diagram showing a hierarchical structure (corresponding to the above-mentioned logical components) of the network medium 1. The physical layer 5, the communication control layer 6, the presentation layer 7, and the application layer are arranged in order from the lower layer. It has a structure in which layers 8 are stacked. This hierarchical structure is based on OSI (Open S
systems Interconnection: an open system interconnection) is a simplified version of the seven-layer model of the reference model. The physical layer 5 corresponds to the physical layer of the OSI reference model, and the electrical conditions of the above physical components, connector standards, and the like. Is defined.

The communication control layer 6 corresponds to a data link layer, a network layer, a transport layer, and a session layer of the OSI reference model, and defines procedures such as identification of a communication message, error correction, and start and end of communication. , Physical identification information of its own device (pre-assigned fixed information, hereinafter referred to as “GID”), logical identification information on the network (variable information dynamically assigned in the order of connection to the network, hereinafter “PID”) ), Level information (to be described later) for authority determination of the own device, and information (registry information) related to other devices (hereinafter, referred to as “other devices”) on the network.

The presentation layer 7 and the application layer 8 correspond to the presentation layer and the application layer of the OSI reference model. The presentation layer 7 defines the data expression format and the like, and is lower than the application layer 8 (physical layer). An API (Application Programmable Interface) of the layer 5 and the communication control layer 6) is provided, and the application layer 8 communicates with other devices on the network using this API, and various home appliances, personal computers, etc. Provide the required network functions.

Here, at least a part of the physical layer 5 that performs data transmission by wire, wireless, or optical communication (typically, a transmission path in the case of a cable; hereinafter, a “transmission path” for convenience of description).
) Except for the layers 5 to 8 are incorporated in the network device. That is, each of the personal computer 2, the television receiver 3 and the VTR 4 in FIG. 1A has a physical layer 5 (excluding a transmission path), a communication control layer 6,
It includes components corresponding to the presentation layer 7 and the application layer 8, and has, for example, a configuration as shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 2, the network device 10 includes:
The network device 10 corresponds to the personal computer 2, the television receiver 3 or the VTR 4 shown in FIG. 1A. The network device 10 is used when a message flowing through the transmission path 1a is addressed to itself, or when a destination is not specified (or a specific group). If the received message is a broadcast message, the address processing unit 11 takes in the message, corrects the error of the received message, generates the transmitted message, and performs the “hot plug process” and the “hot plug notification receiving process” described later. Message transmitting / receiving unit 12 to be executed
A unique information storage unit 13 for storing unique information (GID, PID, function information, level information for authority determination, etc.) of the own device, a registry information storage unit 14 for storing registry information on other devices on the network, With
These units 11, 12, 13, and 14 implement the physical layer 5 (excluding the transmission line 1a) and the communication control layer 6 of the hierarchical structure model.

Further, the network device 10 includes a presentation unit 15 and a device dependent unit 16. The device dependent unit 16 includes the essential functions of the network device 10, such as a signal processing function for the personal computer 2 and a television receiver 3. If the VTR 4 includes a hardware function and a software resource for realizing a receiving function of a television broadcast and a display function of a reproduced image, and a VTR 4, a recording / reproducing function is included. For example, if the own device is the personal computer 2 or the television receiver 3, the remote control device of the personal computer 2 or the remote control device of the television receiver 3 (these devices are connected to the dependent unit 16). Control signal from one of the included hardware resources) Communicated to the VTR4 if For example, to allow remote operation of the recording / playback from the PC 2 or television receiver 3. The presentation unit 15 corresponds to the presentation layer 7 of the hierarchical structure model,
The device dependent unit 16 corresponds to the application layer 8 of the same model.

The network device 10 having the above configuration
Implements the basic functions of the personal computer 2, the television receiver 3 or the VTR 4 in the device dependent unit 16, and, for example, in the case of the personal computer 2 or the television receiver 3, the device dependent unit 16 In addition to realizing the remote control function of the above-mentioned other devices, the message transmission / reception unit 12 executes “hot plug processing” described later particularly at the time of hot plugging, and further receives the message at the time of receiving a hot plug notification from another device on the network. The “hot plug notification receiving process” described later in the transmitting / receiving unit 12
Execute

<Hot Plug Processing> First, the hot plug processing will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic flowchart of the hot plug process. This flowchart is executed at the time of hot plugging, that is, when the own device is connected to the network, or when the own device already connected to the network is turned on. When the flowchart is executed, first, it is determined whether or not another device exists on the network (step S11). In addition,
“Presence” means that the device exists in a state in which data communication can be performed by the network medium 1 (an active state or a state in which the user is logged on to the network). If there are no other devices on the network,
Since only the own device exists, the master device is unconditionally given the master authority (step S17), and sends a hot plug notification as a broadcast message on the network (step S18). It should be noted that the hot plug notification at this time is merely sent because no other device exists on the network. As described above, according to the hot plug process of FIG. 3, when there is no other device on the network, the master device can be unconditionally given the master authority.

On the other hand, if there is another device on the network ("YES" in step S11), registry information on the other device is obtained (step S12), and the obtained registry information is stored in the registry information storage unit 14 of the own device.
(Step S13). The registry information is information stored in the unique information storage unit 13 of another device, that is, GID, PID, function information, level information for authority determination, and the like. GID is identification information unique to each device (for example, a combination of a manufacturer code and a serial number code for each manufacturer), PID is identification information indicating the position of each device on the network, and function information Is information indicating what function the device has, but level information for authority determination (hereinafter simply referred to as “level information”) is information unique to the present embodiment. According to a preferred example, the level information is "1",
Numerical values such as “2” and “3”, and each numerical value is given an upper / lower relationship indicating the priority of granting the master authority. For example,
"1" is the highest level (highest priority)
“2” is the next level, and “3” is the lowest level (lowest priority). It goes without saying that symbols and codes other than numerical values may be used, and the level stages are not limited to the three exemplified above.

Hereinafter, the level information will be described as the numerical values of the above three stages, and the hierarchical relationship will be as described above.
Now, it is assumed that the level of the hot-plugged device (own device) is “1” and the level of another device on the network is “2” or “3”. In this case, the level read from the fixed information storage unit 13 of the own device is “1” (step S14), and the level in the registry information stored in the registry information storage unit 14 is “2” or “2”. 3 ”, there is no higher level in the registry information than the level of the own device. Therefore, the determination result of "is there a higher level than the level of the own device in the registry information?" (Step S15) is "NO". In this case, the master authority is given to the own device (step S17). Then, a hot plug notification including information indicating that the master device has been given the master authority is transmitted to the network as a broadcast message (step S18). The hot plug notification is received by another device on the network, and is referred to in a hot plug notification receiving process executed by the other device. As described above, when there is another device on the network, the level information of the other device is compared with the level information of the own device, and when the level information of the own device is a higher level, the master device is given master authority and The fact can be sent out on the network by the hot plug notification.

On the other hand, when there is another device on the network ("YES" in step S11), and
If the level information of the other device is higher than the level information of the own device ("YES" in step S15), the slave device is given slave authority (step S16), indicating that the slave device has been given slave authority. The hot plug notification including the information is sent out on the network as a broadcast message (step S18). The hot plug notification is received by another device on the network, and is referred to in a hot plug notification receiving process executed by the other device. As described above, when another device exists on the network and the level information of the other device is higher than the level information of the own device, the slave authority is given to the own device, and a hot plug notification is made to that effect. Can be transmitted over the network.

Therefore, in the above three cases, that is, when there is no other device on the network, when there is another device and the level information of the other device is not higher than the level information of the own device, the other device is In the three cases where the device exists and the level information of the other device is higher than the level information of the own device, the authority of the own device can be dynamically set. Since the authority to be granted to the device is determined by comparing the level information with other devices, the appropriate level information to be assigned to each device in advance makes it possible for only one device suitable for having master authority on the network. The device can be given its master authority and the other devices can be given slave authority.

For example, "1" is assigned to the personal computer 2, "2" is assigned to the television receiver 3, and "3" is assigned to the VTR 4. First, V is assigned to a network to which nothing is connected.
Considering the case where the TR4 is connected, the master authority is given to the VTR 4 from the above case. Next, VT
Considering the case where the television receiver 3 is connected to the network to which the R4 is connected, from the above case, the television receiver 3 is given master authority (at this time, the authority of the VTR 4 is determined by receiving a hot plug notification described later). It is changed to slave authority by processing). Similarly, when the personal computer 2 is connected to a network in which the television receiver 3 and the VTR 4 are connected, from the above case, the personal computer 2 is given master authority (at this time, the authority of the television receiver 3 is given). Is changed to slave authority by a hot plug notification receiving process described later). Alternatively, considering the case where the television receiver 3 is connected to a network in which the personal computer 2 and the VTR 4 are connected, from the above case, the television receiver 3 is given slave authority (at this time, the authority of the personal computer 2 becomes Not changed).

<Hot Plug Notification Receiving Process> Next, the hot plug notification receiving process will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic flowchart of the hot plug notification receiving process. This flowchart shows a hot-plug notification sent as a broadcast message from the own device (hot-plugged device) (step S18 in FIG. 3).
(See Reference event). When the flowchart is executed, first, the registry information storage unit 14
Is updated (step S21). The update information includes the GI of the newly connected device.
D, PID, function information, and level information for authority determination.

Next, the authority information of the hot-plugged device is extracted from the received hot plug notification, and it is determined whether or not the authority information indicates master authority (step S22). If it does not indicate the master authority, the flowchart ends, and if it indicates the master authority, the own device (the own device is the device that is executing the hot plug notification receiving process). It is determined whether or not the authority is the master authority (step S23). If the authority is not the master authority, the flowchart ends. If the authority is the master authority, the flow is changed to the slave authority (step S24), and the flowchart ends.

Therefore, according to the hot plug notification receiving process, when the master authority is given to the hot-plugged device, the authority of the device which already has the master authority is changed to the slave authority. There can be only one master device above, and in cooperation with the hot plug process described above, automation of authority assignment of network devices can be achieved. As a result, network construction can be facilitated, and a useful technology that contributes to the spread of home networks can be provided.

<Improved Example of Hot Plug Processing> In the above embodiment, in the hot plug processing of FIG. 3, when there is no higher level than the level of the own apparatus in the registry information (“NO” in step S15) ), The master device is unconditionally given the master authority (step S17).
Considering the existence of the same level, it is desirable to improve as follows. FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a modification corresponding to steps S15, S16 and S17 of the hot plug process of FIG. In this improved example, when there is no higher level than the level of the own device in the registry information (“N” in step S15)
O ") determines whether or not the same level as that of the own device exists in the registry information (step S31). If there is not the same level, the same device as the hot plug process of FIG. Master authority (step S1)
7) However, if there is the same level, it is further determined whether or not there is a device having the master authority among the devices of the same level (step S32). Grant slave authority to the device (step S
16) If there is no device having the master right, the master right is given to the own device (step S17).

According to this improved example, if there is a device having master authority on the network and the level of the device is the same as that of the hot-plugged device,
Hot-plugged devices do not have master privileges. In this improved example, based on the idea that which device has the same master level does not make a big difference, it is better not to change the authority of the device that already has the master right, but it is possible to reduce the overhead due to the change of the system configuration It is based on the idea that it is a good idea.

<Further Improvement of Hot Plug Processing> However, such a concept is not always universal. For example, if the hot-plugged device is new, the above ideas may not apply. In many cases, new devices have improved functionality or new features, in which case there is a device on the network with master authority and the level of the device is hot-plugged. Even if the level is the same as the level of the device, giving master authority to the hot-plugged device is preferable from the viewpoint of utilizing a new function or a function with improved usability from the viewpoint of the entire network.

FIG. 6 shows an example in which FIG. 5 is further improved in consideration of the above point. Step S1 of the hot plug process shown in FIG.
It is a flowchart of a part corresponding to 5, Step 16, and Step S17. In this improved example, when there is a device having the master authority among the same level devices (“YES” in step S32), it is determined whether or not the “preceding master device priority mode” is set (step S33). If the mode is the mode, slave authority is given to the own device (step S16). If the mode is not the same priority mode, master authority is given to the own device (step S17).

The preceding master device priority mode is a mode in which a device having a master authority (preceding master device) exists on the network and the level of the preceding master device is the same as that of the hot-plugged device. This mode specifies whether to give priority to the authority of the preceding master device. The information indicating the priority mode may be stored in advance in a device to be hot-plugged, or may be passed between devices having master authority as a system value.

According to this improved example, since which device is to be given master authority among devices of the same level according to the preceding master device priority mode, for example, the preceding master device priority mode is set to "valid" ( If it is set to “True value”, the flowchart of FIG. 6 is substantially the same as the flowchart of FIG. 5, and if “invalid” (False value), the flowchart of FIG. The master authority can be given, and the authority of the preceding master device can be changed to the slave authority (however, this change is performed by the hot plug notification receiving process of FIG. 4).

<Example of Network Construction> FIG. 7 shows an example of a network construction to which the above embodiment is applied. The network devices 21 to 34 correspond to the network device 10 of FIG. The solid line that is connected is the transmission path 1a, and the numbers described inside the network devices 21 to 34 represent the levels assigned to each. In (a), two network devices 21 and 2
The two levels are both “1”. Therefore, according to the hot plug process of FIG. 3 and the hot plug notification receiving process of FIG. 4, the master authority is given to the network device connected later (step S17 in FIG. 3), and the authority of the other network device is set to the slave. The authority is changed (step S24 in FIG. 4). In (b), the levels of the two network devices 23 and 24 are "1" and "2", respectively. Therefore, according to the hot plug process of FIG. 3 and the hot plug notification receiving process of FIG. 4, for example, when the network device 23 is connected later, the master authority is given to the network device 23 (step S1 in FIG. 3).
7), the authority of the other network device 24 is changed to the slave authority (step S24 in FIG. 4). Alternatively, when the network device 24 is connected later, the slave authority is given to the network device 24 (step S16 in FIG. 3), and the master authority of the other network device 23 is not changed.

(C) and (d) are the same as (b). In (c), two network devices 25, 2
The six levels are “2” and “3”, respectively. Therefore, according to the hot plug process of FIG. 3 and the hot plug notification receiving process of FIG. 4, for example, when the network device 25 is connected later, the master authority is given to the network device 25 (step S17 in FIG. 3). ), The authority of the other network device 26 is changed to slave authority (step S24 in FIG. 4). Alternatively, when the network device 26 is connected later, the network device 2
6 are given slave authority (step S1 in FIG. 3).
6), the master authority of the other network device 25 is not changed. Similarly, in (d), the levels of the two network devices 27 and 28 are "1" and "3", respectively. Therefore, according to the hot plug process of FIG. 3 and the hot plug notification receiving process of FIG. 4, for example, when the network device 27 is connected later, the master authority is given to the network device 27 (step S1 in FIG. 3).
7), the authority of the other network device 28 is changed to the slave authority (step S24 in FIG. 4). Alternatively, when the network device 28 is connected later, the slave right is given to the network device 28 (step S16 in FIG. 3), and the master right of the other network device 27 is not changed.

When there are three or more network devices, for example, in (e), the levels of the three network devices 29, 30, and 31 are "1", "2", and "3", respectively. Therefore, according to the hot plug process of FIG. 3 and the hot plug notification receiving process of FIG. 4, for example, when the network device 29 is connected later, the master authority is given to the network device 29 (step S17 in FIG. 3). 4), the authority of the higher level of the other network devices 30 and 31 is changed to the slave authority (step S24 in FIG. 4). Or, when the network device 30 is connected later, the network device 3
0 is given slave authority (step S1 in FIG. 3).
6), the master authority of the higher-level network device 29 is not changed.

Alternatively, in (f), the level of one of the three network devices 32, 33, and 34 is “1”, and the remaining two are “2”. Therefore, according to the hot plug process of FIG. 3 and the hot plug notification receiving process of FIG.
For example, when the network device 32 is connected later, the master authority is given to the network device 32 (step S17 in FIG. 3), and the other network device 3
The authority of the one having the master authority is changed to the slave authority among the devices 3 and 34 (step S24 in FIG. 4).

According to the improved example of the hot plug process (FIG. 5 or FIG. 6), there exists a device having the same level as the device to which the hot plug has been performed, and the device having the master authority has priority. In the case of the master device, for example, (a)
In such a case, the result is different from the above basic hot plug process (FIG. 3). That is, according to the improved example of FIG. 5, the master authority is given to the hot-plugged device regardless of the presence of the preceding master device. According to the improved example of FIG. 6, the hot-plugged device is hot-plugged according to the preceding master device priority mode. The master device is granted master authority.

<Consideration of Group Attribute> In the above description, the group attribute on the network is not mentioned.
Different groups can exist in the same network as in (Local Area Network). Only one master authority needs to exist in the same group, and in this regard, the hot plug process of FIG. 3 and the hot plug notification receiving process of FIG. Partial changes should be made as in (b). That is, FIG. 8A is a flowchart of a main part of the hot plug process in which the group attribute is determined, and the determination condition in step S11 in FIG. 3 is set to “is another device belonging to the same group on the network?”. Has changed. According to Step 11 after this change (in the figure, a dash is added to distinguish it from before the change)
Since only the existence of devices with the same group attribute is determined,
The hot plug process of FIG. 3 can be executed only within a group of hot-plugged devices.

FIG. 8B determines whether or not the notification is a hot plug notification from the same group (step S2).
0) is a flowchart of a main part of a hot plug notification receiving process improved so that registry information is updated only in the case of a hot plug notification from the same group (step S21). According to this, the hot plug notification receiving process of FIG. 4 can be executed only when a hot plug notification from the same group is received.

<Example of Network Construction Considering Group Attributes> FIG. 9 is an example of network construction having group attributes. Network devices 35 to 42 correspond to the network device 10 of FIG.
Numerals described in the insides of .about.42 represent levels, and alphabets (A or B) written next to them represent group attributes. That is, if the groups are the same as in (a) or (b), the authority assignment of the master device is performed only by comparing the levels, but for example, as shown in (c), the group A is assigned to the same network. When the network devices 40 to 42 and the network device 43 of the group B are present, even if the network device 43 of the group B is connected to the network, it is merely physically connected and the network device of the group A is connected. When viewed from 40 to 42, it is the same as being separated from the network as shown.

Therefore, in order to make the group B network device 43 visible from the group A network devices 40 to 42, the group attribute of the group B network device 43 is changed to A as shown in FIG. Then (or by adding the group attribute A), the hot plug process may be executed. In this case, since the level of the network device 43 is “3”, the slave authority of the group A is given. When one network device, for example, the network device 40 having the master authority is amplagged as shown in (e), the remaining device performs a process equivalent to the hot plug process,
What is necessary is just to dynamically reassign the master authority. In this case, since the levels of the remaining devices are all the same, they may be assigned on a first-come-first-served basis or randomly.

The group attribute is given a unique attribute by an input device (key input device, fingerprint authentication device, voice authentication device, image authentication device, etc.). For example,
The fingerprint authentication device inputs the group attribute A to each terminal. Thus, for example, a network of only fathers can be easily constructed. Further, for example, if the father has built a network in the home (FIG. 9B), and the child wants to add a terminal to this network A, he needs to input or add the father's group attribute A using the fingerprint authentication device. (FIG. 9D).

In the above description, the specification or examples of various details and numerical values, character strings, and other symbols are references for clarifying the idea of the present invention, and all or some of them are used to explain the idea of the present invention. It is clear that is not limited. Further, for the sake of brevity, detailed descriptions of well-known techniques, well-known procedures, well-known architectures, and well-known circuit configurations (hereinafter, “well-known matters”) have been avoided, but all of these well-known matters or Some are not intentionally excluded. Since the above-mentioned well-known matters can be known by those skilled in the art at the time of filing the present invention, they are included in the above description.

[0046]

According to the network construction method of the present invention, the authority of the own device is arbitrated based on the level information of the device (own device) connected to the network and the level information of other devices on the network. According to the arbitration result, one of the master authority and the slave authority is dynamically given to the own device. Therefore, it is possible to automate the assignment of the authority of the network devices, facilitate the network construction, and provide a network construction method that contributes to the spread of home networks. That is,
When the level information of the other device is higher than the level information of the own device, the slave authority is given to the own device, and otherwise, the master authority is given to the own device.
By providing an appropriate level to each device in advance, the accuracy of the arbitration operation can be improved.

According to another aspect, when the level information of the other device is the same as the level information of the own device, it is determined whether to grant master authority to the own device according to a priority mode set in advance. Therefore, the arbitration operation can be performed without any trouble in the case of the peer level, and by switching the priority mode, it is possible to freely control which device is given the master authority in the case of the peer level, and The usability of the system can be improved. Further, according to another aspect, when the master authority is given to the own device, the device having the master authority among the other devices on the network is changed to the slave authority, so that the network condition (only one master authority) is satisfied. Can be satisfied. According to another aspect, when no other device exists on the network, the master authority is unconditionally given to the own device, so that arbitration when connecting another device having a lower level than that device is performed. Work can be simplified. Further, according to another aspect, a common network can be configured by devices having the same group attribute, and an exclusive network can be configured by changing the group attribute.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a home network and a hierarchical structure diagram of a network medium.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a network device.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic flowchart of a hot plug process.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a schematic flowchart of a hot plug notification receiving process.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic flowchart of an improved hot plug process.

FIG. 6 is a schematic flowchart of a further improved hot plug process.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a network construction example to which the embodiment is applied.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a main part flowchart of hot plug processing and hot plug notification receiving processing in consideration of group attributes.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of constructing a network having a group attribute.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Network medium 2 Personal computer 3 Television receiver 4 VTR 5 Physical layer 6 Communication control layer 7 Presentation layer 8 Application layer 10 Network device 11 Address processing unit 12 Message transmission / reception unit 13 Unique information storage unit 14 Registry information storage unit 15 Presentation unit 16 Device dependent part

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An apparatus for storing level information for authority determination in advance in each of network devices, and when connecting the own device to a network, when another device exists on the network and the level information of the other device A method of assigning a slave authority to the own device when the device is higher than the level information of the own device, and assigning a master authority to the own device otherwise. 2. When the level information of the other device is the same as the level information of the own device, it is determined whether or not to grant master authority to the own device according to a preset priority mode. The network construction method according to claim 1. 3. The device according to claim 1, wherein, when the master device is given the master authority, the authority of the device having the master authority among other devices on the network is changed to the slave authority. The network construction method described in Crab. 4. When connecting the own device to a network,
4. The network construction method according to claim 1, wherein the presence of another device on the network is checked, and when the other device does not exist, master authority is given to the own device. 5. The network device according to claim 1, wherein a group attribute is input to each of the network devices, and a network is constructed by devices having the same group attribute. The network construction method described in Crab.