Patent ID: 8452433
Filing Date: 2013-05-28
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A path setting method 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 control device, a plurality of devices and an audio network connecting the control device and 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 in a transmission frame for transmitting audio signals of a plurality of channels between the plurality of devices, said path setting method comprising: a first allocation step of allocating the transmission channels of the network to individual ones of the plurality of devices so that each of the devices reserves a predetermined number of the transmission channels; an instruction reception step of the control device receiving a connection instruction instructing a connection between one signal supply source and one signal supply destination; a second allocation step of, in response to the connection instruction, allocating 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 reserved, by said first allocation step, for the device possessing the one signal supply source, wherein the transmission channel allocated to the connection instruction has a channel number; a supply source setting step of causing the device possessing the one signal supply source, for which the connection instruction has been given, to transmit an audio signal, supplied from the signal supply source, by use of the transmission channel allocated to the connection instruction by said second allocation step; a channel number identifying step of causing the device possessing the one signal supply destination, for which the connection instruction has been given, to identify the channel number of the transmission channel allocated to the connection instruction, the channel number assigned to an individual one of the plurality of transmission channels in the transmission frame; and a supply destination setting step of causing the device possessing the one signal supply destination, for which the connection instruction has been given, based on the identification of the channel number, to receive the audio signal of the transmission channel set by said supply source setting step and to supply the received audio signal to the one signal supply destination.