Path setting method and apparatus for audio system, and audio system

A path setting apparatus for setting a path for transmitting an audio signal from a desired signal supply source to a desired signal supply destination in an audio system including a plurality of devices and an audio network connecting the plurality of devices,

• each of the plurality of devices having at least one of a plurality of signal supply sources and a plurality of signal supply destinations, the audio network having a plurality of transmission channels for transmitting audio signals of a plurality of channels between the plurality of devices, each of the plurality of devices transmitting audio signals of a plurality of channels between the device and another of the devices by use of a predetermined number of the transmission channels allocated thereto,
• said path setting apparatus comprising:
• an instruction reception section which receives a connection instruction instructing a connection between one signal supply source and one signal supply destination;
• a transmission channel allocation section which, in response to the connection instruction received by said instruction reception section, allocates to the connection instruction a transmission channel, currently unused for transmission of an audio signal, from among the predetermined number of the transmission channels having been allocated to the device possessing the one signal supply source;
• a supply source setting section which causes the device possessing the one signal supply source, for which the connection instruction has been given, to transmit an audio signal of the one signal supply source by use of the transmission channel allocated to the connection instruction by said transmission channel allocation section;
• a supply destination setting section which causes the device possessing the one signal supply destination, for which the connection instruction has been given, to receive the audio signal of the transmission channel set by said supply source setting section and to supply the received audio signal to the one signal supply destination for which the connection instruction has been given;
• and
• a warning section which, when said transmission channel allocation section cannot allocate any transmission channel to the connection instruction even though the connection instruction has been given, warns a user that a connection based on the connection instruction is not implemented by operations of said supply source setting section and said supply destination setting section being not performed.

An audio system including a control device, a plurality of devices and an audio network connecting the plurality of devices,

• each of the plurality of devices having at least one of a plurality of signal supply sources and a plurality of signal supply destinations, the audio network having a plurality of transmission channels for transmitting audio signals of a plurality of channels between the plurality of devices,
• said control device comprising:
• a band management section which, in response to band managing operation by a user, controls numbers of the transmission channels to be reserved by individual ones of the devices;
• and
• a connection setting section which, in response to connection setting operation for instructing a connection between a signal supply source possessed by one of the plurality of devices and a signal supply destination possessed by another of the plurality of devices, changes signal supply destination information stored in the device possessing the signal supply source and signal supply source information stored in the device possessing the signal supply destination, the signal supply destination information being information indicative of a signal supply destination possessed by another of the devices to which the signal supply source is to be connected, the signal supply source information being information indicative of a signal supply source possessed by another of the devices to which the signal supply destination is to be connected,
• each of said plurality of devices comprising:
• a reservation section which reserves a plurality of the transmission channels under control of said band management section;
• a storage section which has stored therein signal supply destination information pertaining to each signal supply source possessed by said device and signal supply source information pertaining to each signal supply destination possessed by said device, stored content of said storage section being changed by said connection setting section;
• a transmission setting section which, on the basis of each of the signal supply destination information stored in said storage section, allocates one of the transmission channels, reserved for the device by said reservation section, to each signal supply source possessed by said device and makes a setting for outputting an audio signal, supplied from the signal supply source, via the transmission channel allocated to the signal supply source;
• an output notification section which notifies all of other devices on the network of signal output information indicative of respective signal supply sources of audio signals being outputted by said device via the plurality of the transmission channels reserved for the device by said reservation section;
• and
• a reception setting section which, on the basis of each of the signal supply source information stored in said storage section and signal output information notified by the output notification section of another of the devices and for each signal supply destination possessed by said device, determines a transmission channel via which an audio signal is to be received and makes a setting for receiving the audio signal from the determined transmission channel,
• wherein, regardless of whether or not a device indicated by the signal supply destination information stored in the storage section of each of the devices is currently connected to the audio network, the reservation section of each of the devices reserves a plurality of the transmission channels, and the transmission setting section of the device makes a setting, on the basis of the signal supply destination information, for outputting an audio signal, supplied from the signal supply source, via one of the reserved transmission channels.

An audio system including a control device, a plurality of devices and an audio network connecting the plurality of devices,

• each of the plurality of devices having at least one of a plurality of signal supply sources and a plurality of signal supply destinations, the audio network having a plurality of transmission channels for transmitting audio signals of a plurality of channels between the plurality of devices,
• said control device comprising:
• a band management section which, in response to band managing operation by a user, controls numbers of the transmission channels to be reserved by individual ones of the devices;
• and
• a connection setting section which, in response to connection setting operation for instructing a connection between a signal supply source possessed by one of the plurality of devices and a signal supply destination possessed by another of the plurality of devices, changes signal supply destination information stored in the device possessing the signal supply source and signal supply source information stored in the device possessing the signal supply destination, the signal supply destination information being information indicative of a signal supply destination possessed by another of the devices to which the signal supply source is to be connected, the signal supply source information being information indicative of a signal supply source possessed by another of the devices to which the signal supply destination is to be connected,
• each of said plurality of devices comprising:
• a reservation section which reserves a plurality of the transmission channels under control of said band management section;
• a storage section which has stored therein signal supply destination information pertaining to each signal supply source possessed by said device and signal supply source information pertaining to each signal supply destination possessed by said device, stored content of said storage section being changed by said connection setting section;
• a transmission setting section which, on the basis of each of the signal supply destination information stored in said storage section, allocates one of the transmission channels, reserved by said reservation section, to each signal supply source possessed by said device and makes a setting for outputting an audio signal, supplied from the signal supply source, via the transmission channel allocated to the signal supply source;
• an output notification section which notifies all of other devices on the network of signal output information indicative of respective signal supply sources of audio signals being outputted by said device via the plurality of the transmission channels reserved for the device by said reservation section;
• a reception setting section which, on the basis of each of the signal supply source information stored in said storage section and signal output information notified by the output notification section of another of the devices and for each signal supply destination possessed by said device, determines a transmission channel via which an audio signal is to be received and makes a setting for receiving the audio signal from the determined transmission channel;
• and
• a connection updating section which sets, in response to connection setting operation by the user, a connection between a signal supply source possessed by said device and a signal supply destination possessed by another of the devices or between a connection between a signal supply destination possessed by said device and a signal supply source possessed by another of the devices and updates, in accordance with content of the set connection, the signal supply destination information and the signal supply source information stored in said storage section of said device.

An audio system including a control device, a plurality of devices and an audio network connecting the plurality of devices,

• each of the plurality of devices having at least one of a plurality of signal supply sources and a plurality of signal supply destinations, the audio network having a plurality of transmission channels for transmitting audio signals of a plurality of channels between the plurality of devices,
• said control device comprising:
• a band management section which, in response to band managing operation by a user, increases or decreases numbers of the transmission channels to be reserved by individual ones of the devices;
• a priority setting section which sets a given one of the plurality of signal supply sources of each of the devices at a higher priority than any other signal supply source of the device;
• and
• a connection updating section which, in response to connection setting operation instructing a connection between a signal supply source possessed by one of said plurality of devices and a signal supply destination possessed by another of said plurality of devices, changes signal supply destination information stored in the device possessing the signal supply source and signal supply source information stored in the device possessing the signal supply destination, the signal supply destination information being information indicative of a signal supply destination possessed by another of the devices to which the signal supply source is to be connected, the signal supply source information being information indicative of a signal supply source possessed by another of the devices to which the signal supply destination is to be connected,
• each of said plurality of devices comprising:
• a reservation section which reserves a plurality of the transmission channels under control of said band management section;
• a storage section which has stored therein signal supply destination information pertaining to each signal supply source possessed by said device and signal supply source information pertaining to each signal supply destination possessed by said device, stored content of said storage section being changed by said connection setting section;
• a transmission setting section which, on the basis of each of the signal supply destination information stored in said storage section, allocates one of the transmission channels, reserved for the device by said reservation section, to each signal supply source possessed by said device and makes a setting for outputting an audio signal, supplied from the signal supply source, via the transmission channel allocated to the signal supply source, said transmission setting section allocating one of the transmission channels to the signal supply source, set at the higher priority by said priority setting section, with a priority over the other signal supply source;
• an output notification section which notifies all of other devices on the network of signal output information indicative of respective signal supply sources of audio signals being outputted by said device via the plurality of the transmission channels reserved for the device by said reservation section;
• and
• a reception setting section which, on the basis of each of the signal supply source information stored in said storage section and signal output information notified by the output notification section of another of the devices and for each signal supply destination possessed by said device, determines a transmission channel via which an audio signal is to be received and makes a setting for receiving the audio signal from the determined transmission channel.