Patent ID: 7987224

Claim:
An audio signal processor comprising two sets of receivers and transmitters each performing communication in a single direction, and capable of being incorporated into a network system as one of processors constituting said network system in which said processors are connected in series by connecting one set of said receiver and transmitter in one processor to one set of said transmitter and receiver in a next processor by communication cables, respectively, wherein one of the processors operates as a master node, an audio transport frame generated by the master node circulates along a ring transmission route formed among said processors in said network system at a constant period, said audio transport frame including a plurality of storage regions for audio signals, and each of said processors writes and/or reads audio signals to/from the audio transport frame, to thereby transport the audio signals between a series of connected processors, said audio signal processor comprising: an incorporating device that, when detecting a processor directly connected to the audio signal processor via the communication cable and not incorporated into the ring transmission route to which the audio signal processor belongs and which exists prior to incorporation of the detected processor into the ring transmission route, communicates with the detected processor to incorporate the detected processor into the ring transmission route; a mode switch device that, when receiving a master change command designating the audio signal processor as the master node in the existing ring transmission route, switches the audio signal processor into a master mode in which the audio signal processor operates as the master node, while other processors not designated as the master node operate in a slave mode; a reset instructing device that, when detecting said master change command, resets the audio signal processor to separate the audio signal processor from the ring transmission route, and sends a reset command for instructing reset to all adjacent processors with which the audio signal processor is directly connected via the communication cables; and a reset conveying device that, when receiving a reset command from an adjacent processor on a side, resets the audio signal processor to separate the audio signal processor from the ring transmission route, and sends a reset command to another adjacent processor on another side.