JP2000069185A - Wire/wireless connection adapter device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wireless system for an out-of-machine operator by using the general purpose radio of a press-to-talk system even if it is ICS adopting a side tone function without altering the ICS already loaded to an airplane. SOLUTION: This wire/wireless connection adapter device 20 is connected between machine body side radio 12 for performing transmission and reception with portable radio 13 and the ICS 2 provided with the side tone function, received voice signals RXAF 51 from the machine body side radio 12 are detected and relay switches 22 and 23 are driven by a relay driving part 21. When call termination signals are detected by the relay driving part 21, a first relay switch 22 is switched so as to send out the RXAF 51 to the ICS 2 and a second relay switch 23 is switched so as to prevent the sneak path of TXAF 61 to a VOX circuit 11. Thus, an oscillation state by the side tone function is prevented and communication is normally performed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wired / wireless connection adapter device, and more particularly, to a communication device with a wireless transmission / reception device using a one-way wireless transmission system (press talk system) by connecting to an aircraft intercom having a side tone function. The present invention relates to a wired / wireless connection adapter device used for the purpose.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in aircraft maintenance and the like, a wired aircraft intercom system (hereinafter referred to as ICS) has been used as a means for communicating with workers inside and outside the aircraft and pilots and other crew members.
tem). In this ICS, a cable for intercom communication is wired inside an aircraft or the like,
Further, an airframe-side connector terminal is provided in the middle or at the end of the cable, and an operator or a crew can connect the headset-side connector terminal at the end of the cable extended from a headset provided with a microphone and a speaker to the airframe-side connector. By connecting to the terminal, it becomes possible to have a conversation via a headset with a crew member or a worker inside the aircraft or with an outside worker. At this time, when the outside worker works near the jet engine of the aircraft, the sound of the worker himself may not be heard due to the extremely loud engine sound. For this reason, some ICSs employ a sidetone function in which once the voice of the speaker himself speaking into the microphone is transmitted to the ICS of the body, the ICS feeds it back to the headphones of the speaker. Thereby, the speaker's own voice can be confirmed even under noise. For example, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a conventional ICS having the above-described side tone function. The configuration will be described.

[0006] In FIG. 6, an ICS 2 including wiring is installed in the body 1 of an aircraft, and an in-board connector 3 and an out-of-board connector 7 are provided at various places where maintenance and the like are performed in the middle and at the end of the wiring. . The ICS 2 has a built-in side tone connection circuit 6 for providing the above-described side tone function. Pilots and in-flight workers 5
Is a headset 4 having a microphone and a speaker.
Is attached, and the headset connector attached to the end of the cable extending from the headset 4 is connected to the in-flight connector 3 so that conversation by the ICS 2 is possible. On the other hand, an outboard worker 9 that performs maintenance of a jet engine and the like under the main wing, wears the headset 8 in the same manner as described above, and
By connecting the headset connector attached to the end of the device to the external connector 7, conversation by the ICS 2 becomes possible.

By the way, the above-mentioned ICS connection cable 10
Has a longer cable length so that the external worker 9 can work away from the body 1. For this reason, the external worker 9 has to work with the heavy cable because the worker has to pull the heavy cable, which lowers the work efficiency and is dangerous because the cable is dropped at night. Furthermore, when lightning strikes the aircraft 1, there is a risk of electric shock via the cable. For this reason, a cableless intercom system has long been desired by outside workers, and a system in which a cable is replaced with a wireless device as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent No. 2696228 has been proposed. . In this example, a so-called press-talk type general-purpose wireless device that performs alternate transmission and reception using one frequency instead of a cable is connected to an aircraft equipped with an ICS that does not employ the side tone function.

[0005]

However, in such an aircraft intercom system (ICS) for connecting a general-purpose radio device of the press-talk type, although the side tone function is not adopted as described in the above publication, other,
ICs that use the sidetone function depending on the aircraft
Some have S. Therefore, when a general-purpose radio device of the press-talk system is connected to the ICS adopting the side tone function, the voice from the external worker and the feedback voice by the side tone are switched in a short time by a VOK circuit described later. There is a disadvantage that an oscillation state occurs. Therefore, FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration in a case where the part of the ICS connection cable 10 of the ICS 2 of FIG. 6 having the side tone function is made wireless based on the disclosure of the above publication. In FIG. 7, the configuration inside the fuselage 1 of the aircraft is the same as that shown in FIG. 6, and in order to make it wireless, VOK (Voice Operate
d Keyer) The device-side wireless device 12 is connected via the circuit 11. On the other hand, the outside worker 9 carries a portable wireless device 13 with a headset 14, and the body-side wireless device 1 connected to the ICS 2 by the portable wireless device 13.
2 is communicated. The VOK circuit 11 creates a transmission press signal for putting the radio into a transmission state from the transmission voice, or sets the airframe radio 12 to the transmission state when the VOK circuit 11 receives a voice signal from the ICS 2 side. An audio signal is supplied to the portable wireless device 13 as a modulation signal, and when a radio wave 17 is received from the portable wireless device 13, the demodulated signal is supplied to the ICS 2 via the VOK circuit 11. When no communication is being performed, the aircraft radio 12 is in a standby state (reception state). However, when an audio signal from inside the aircraft is input to the VOK circuit 11, the VOK circuit 11 12 is switched to the transmitting side to wirelessly transmit the arriving audio signal, and when there is an incoming call from the portable wireless device 13 to the body-side wireless device 12, the demodulated audio signal is sent to the ICS2. The external worker 9 wears the same headset 14 as described above, talks while pressing the portable wireless device 13 (press talk method), and communicates with the pilot worker or the like on the aircraft 5 via the ICS 2. Calls can be made between them.

However, as shown in FIG. 7, the radio wave received from the portable radio device 13 is demodulated into an audio signal and
When the circuit 11 sends the signal to the ICS 2, since the ICS 2 is provided with the side tone connection circuit 6, immediately after sending the incoming signal as an audio signal to the ICS 2, the VOK circuit 11 uses the sent audio signal as a side tone for the portable radio. Wireless transmission to the device 13 is performed. Thus, V
If the OK circuit 11 receives the side tone signal during the receiving state, the OK circuit 11 switches the body side wireless device 12 to the transmitting state. After that, the aircraft-side radio 12
, And attempts to send an audio signal to the ICS 2, but immediately switches the reception state of the body radio 12 to the transmission state by the side tone signal in the same manner as described above. As described above, since the switching operation is repeated in a short time, there is an inconvenience that an oscillation state occurs between the two wireless devices, and a call from the outside to the inside of the device is disabled.
Therefore, it is possible to prevent the oscillation by omitting the VOK circuit 11 and allocating the input / output signals of the ICS 2 directly to the uplink channel and the downlink channel of the wireless device capable of simultaneous simultaneous bidirectional communication. There is an inconvenience that it cannot be realized using such an inexpensive general-purpose wireless device of the press talk system. In addition, if the side tone function is eliminated by modifying the side tone connection circuit 6 of the ICS 2 mounted on the aircraft so as to eliminate the side tone function, the above oscillation can be prevented even when an inexpensive press-talk type general-purpose wireless device is used. Can be. However, I already installed on the aircraft
Upgrading the CS requires a lot of money, and there are inconveniences that the aircraft cannot be operated during the upgrade.
The present invention has been made in order to eliminate the conventional inconveniences as described above, and has been developed without using an ICS equipped with a side tone function without modifying an ICS already mounted on an aircraft. It is an object of the present invention to provide a wired / wireless connection adapter device that can realize a wireless system for outside workers using a wireless device.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to the first aspect of the present invention is directed to an aircraft interphone for connecting between an aircraft interphone having a side tone function and a radio transmitting / receiving apparatus. Wired to add to
In the wireless connection adapter device, a first detecting means for detecting an incoming signal from the wireless transmitting / receiving device, and a first switch for transmitting the incoming signal to the aircraft intercom
Switching means; and, when the incoming signal is detected, a second switching means for switching such that the incoming signal is prevented from sneaking into the wireless transmitting / receiving device. According to this, when the incoming signal from the wireless transmitting / receiving device is detected by the detecting means, the incoming signal is switched to be transmitted to the aircraft interphone by the first switching means, and the incoming signal is transmitted and received by the second switching means. Switch to prevent it from sneaking into the device. in this way,
When an over-the-air worker talks to an on-board worker using radio,
The side tone function prevents the transmission / reception state of the wireless device from being switched in a short time, and a normal communication state can be obtained, so that it is not necessary to take measures such as repairing the ICS installed in the aircraft, Even with an ICS that employs a side tone function, a wireless system for outside workers can be realized using a general-purpose wireless device of the press talk system.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the wired / wireless connection adapter device of the first aspect, when the incoming signal is transmitted to the aircraft interphone via the first switching means, the incoming signal is transmitted. And a notifying means for notifying that the wireless transmitting / receiving apparatus is connected to the aircraft intercom by adding a notification signal to the aircraft. According to this, the worker is notified of forgetting to remove the wireless transmission / reception device connected to the aircraft interphone by a notification unit using an alarm sound or the like, so that the wireless transmission / reception device is reliably removed from the aircraft after the maintenance. be able to. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the wired / wireless connection adapter device according to the second aspect, a separate power supply independent of a main power supply is provided as a power supply for the notification unit. According to this, since another power supply independent of the main power supply is used as the power supply of the notification means, even if the power supply on the main power supply side is down or the power supply is not received from the main power supply, the The notification means can surely notify the user without being affected by the wireless communication device, thereby preventing the user from forgetting to remove the wireless transmission / reception device.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on one illustrated embodiment. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a communication system in which a wireless transmitting / receiving device is connected to an aircraft intercom system (ICS) including a wired / wireless connection adapter device of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the same or corresponding parts as those of the conventional ICS and the wireless transmission / reception device shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. As shown in FIG. 1, a characteristic configuration of the present invention is a wired / wireless connection for switching and processing a side tone signal between an external connector 7 of an ICS 2 provided on an outer wall of an airframe and a VOK circuit 11. The insertion and connection of the adapter device 20 makes it possible to use an inexpensive general-purpose wireless device based on the press-talk method as the device-side wireless device 12. And ICS2
In the middle or at the end of the cable extending from
The in-flight connector 3 and the out-of-flight connector 7 to which can be connected are installed anywhere inside and outside the aircraft. If the headset 4 is connected to the in-flight connector 3 or the out-of-flight connector 7,
You can talk to each other through a wired intercom. Further, when talking with an in-flight worker or crew using the portable wireless device 13 outside the aircraft, the aircraft-side wireless device 12 is connected to the external connector 7 via the wired / wireless connection adapter device 20. By doing so, it is possible to make a call by wireless communication of the press talk system.

In FIG. 1, a voice signal (RXAF) directed from the outside worker to the inside worker for the inside of the machine is denoted by a reference numeral 51, and a voice signal (TXAF) directed from the inside worker to the outside worker for the outside is shown. Indicated by reference numeral 61,
The press signal transmitted from the VOK circuit 11 that switches the airframe radio 12 from the reception state to the transmission state to the airframe radio 12 is indicated by reference numeral 71. FIG.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating in detail one configuration example of the wired / wireless connection adapter 20 of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the configuration of the wired / wireless connection adapter device 20 includes a relay driving unit 21 as a detection unit that detects the RXAF 51 of an audio signal directed from the external worker to the internal worker and drives the relay. And R
First relay switch 22 as first switching means for switching between passing and blocking of XAF 51, second relay switch 23 as second switching means for switching between passing and blocking of TXAF 61, and first relay switch 22 , The switch common contact 24 (K1a), the switch release side contact 25 (NO → interruption side) and the switch connection side contact 2
6 (NC → passing side) and the second relay switch 23
Of the switch common contact 27 (K1b), the switch release side contact 28 (NO → blocking side) and the switch connection side contact 29 (NC → passing side), and the wired / wireless connection adapter device 20 to the ICS2. An alarm sound generating circuit 30 is provided as a notifying means for notifying a worker of the connection, and a battery 31 is provided as a separate power supply independent of a main power supply for supplying power to each unit of the wired / wireless connection adapter device 20. ing.

In addition to the above, the wired / wireless connection adapter device 20 includes amplifiers AMP1 and AMP2 for amplifying the signal for detecting the RXAF 51 of the audio signal, and the input side of the amplifier AMP1 and the switch connection side contact 26. A resistor R1 provided therebetween, a resistor R2 provided between the switch connection side contact 26 and the ground, a diode D1 having a rectifying action and an anode connected to the output side of the amplifier AMP1, and a cathode side of the diode D1. A resistor R3 provided between the ground, a capacitor C1 provided between the cathode of the diode D1 and the ground, and a cathode of the diode D1 are connected to the input side of the amplifier AMP2. Then, the output of the amplifier AMP2 is input to the relay driving unit 21, and the relay driving unit 21 controls switching between the first relay switch 22 and the second relay switch 23. Further, the headset 4 connected to the in-board connector 3 and the out-of-board connector 7 for making a call includes a microphone 41 and a speaker 4.
2 and the like. In ICS2,
A side tone connection circuit 6 is provided as in the conventional example described above.

Next, the wired / wireless connection adapter device 2
The operation of 0 will be described. First, an audio signal is transmitted from the external worker to the machine-side wireless device 12 via the radio wave 17 by the portable wireless device 13. In the airframe radio 12,
When the radio wave 17 is received, the modulated signal is demodulated and output to the VOK circuit 11 as an audio signal RXAF51. The audio signal RXAF51 is transmitted via a VOK circuit 11
It is input to the wireless connection adapter device 20. The RXAF 51 input to the wired / wireless connection adapter device 20 is amplified by the amplifier AMP1, rectified to DC by the diode D1, further amplified by the amplifier AMP2, and then input to the drive coil of the relay drive unit (K1) 21. The first relay switch 22 and the second relay switch 23 are switched by performing on / off driving. First, the contact state of the relay drive unit (K1) 21 in the cut-off state is shown in FIG.
The position of each switch is at the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. Then, when a driving force is generated in the relay driving unit (K1) 21 and the ON operation is started, the first relay switch 22 (K1a) switches the switch release side contact 25 ( The switch connection side contact 26 (passing side) is driven from the cutoff side) to the switch connection side contact 26 (passing side), and the switch common contact 24 and the switch connection side contact 26 conduct. As shown in FIG. 4, the second relay switch 23 (K1b) is driven from the switch connection side contact 29 (passage side) to the switch release side contact 28 (cutoff side), and is connected to the switch common contact 27. The conduction is lost. Thus, the RXAF5
1 is input to the ICS 2 via the first relay switch 22, but is returned to the VOK circuit 11 because the side tone signal passing through the side tone connection circuit 6 of the ICS 2 is cut off by the second relay switch 23. Will not be.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the general-purpose radio of the press-talk system is connected to the ICS 2 having the side tone function via the wired / wireless connection adapter device 20, the reception state is reduced. The occurrence of the oscillation state in which the switching between the transmission state and the transmission state is prevented in a short time is prevented, and a normal conversation can be performed. For this reason, it is not necessary to eliminate the oscillation state by repairing the ICS installed on the aircraft, etc., and using a low-priced press-talk type general-purpose radio, it is possible to use a highly efficient and safe radio for outside workers. The system can be realized. In the above embodiment, the outside worker cannot use the side tone function provided in the ICS. However, if necessary, a soundproof type headset for the outside worker should be used. Thus, the user can confirm his / her own voice even under noisy conditions. In addition, if a general-purpose radio device of the press talk system having a side tone function is used, the user can more clearly confirm his / her own voice. In addition,
An alarm sound generation circuit 30 may be provided in the wireless connection adapter device 20 as a notification unit for notifying that the adapter device is connected to the outer wall of the machine body. This alarm sound generation circuit 30 is connected to the wired / wireless connection adapter device 20.
This is intended to prevent an accident in which the adapter and the wireless device are detached and fall off in the sky while forgetting to remove the aircraft-side wireless device 12 while being connected to the outer wall of the aircraft via the.

Here, the alarm sound generation circuit 30 generates an alarm signal as a notification signal, and sends an alarm signal to the ICS 2 while the wired / wireless connection adapter device 20 is connected to the external connector 7 on the body side. Is transmitted. This alarm signal is sent to the wired / wireless connection adapter device 2
Regardless of whether the first relay switch 22 of 0 is on the connection side or the release side, it is always sent to the ICS2. When the first relay switch 22 is on the connection side and the RXAF 51 is input, the RXAF 51
Is superimposed on the alarm signal and sent to the ICS2. The warning signal includes, for example, a signal that generates a short-time oscillation signal at a predetermined interval, and the body-side radio device 12 is connected to the ICS 2 while the warning sound is superimposed on the voice of the worker. Means that. The same applies to the case where the first relay switch 22 is on the release side. Since the oscillating signal is generated for a short time at a predetermined interval, the ICS2 is output while the alarm sound is heard even if no audio signal is input. Means that the airframe-side wireless device 12 is connected. Therefore, if the warning sound is heard from the headset 4 even after the work is completed, the IC
The operation of removing the airframe-side wireless device 12 from S2 is always performed.

As described above, since the pilot or the in-flight worker can check whether or not the wired / wireless connection adapter device 20 is connected to the external connector 7 while staying in the cabin, It is possible to reliably prevent the aircraft-side wireless device 12 connected via the wireless connection adapter device from taking off while hanging on the aircraft outer wall. Note that here, the wired / wireless connection adapter device 20 is used.
Is connected to the ICS2 side by an alarm sound. However, as a notification means other than the alarm sound, any display means, a lamp, or the like is used to notify whether the connection state is established. Of course, it may be configured. Also, the alarm sound used here is a signal in the human audible frequency range, and if the frequency is a frequency that overlaps or is close to the human voice frequency range, for example, at predetermined intervals of about 10 seconds. 1 kHz
It is desirable to generate the signal of z for about 0.5 seconds so as to minimize the interruption of voice communication between workers. Further, when the alarm sound uses a signal in an audible frequency region that is far from the human voice frequency region, the alarm sound can be continuously generated because the degree of the influence of the interference of the call content is low.

A battery 31 is used as a power source for driving the above-mentioned alarm sound generating circuit 30. This is to enable the alarm sound generation circuit 30 of the wired / wireless connection adapter device 20 to be driven independently without relying on the power supply of the aircraft radio 12 or the main power supply of the aircraft 1 side. Even if the power supply of the airframe-side radio 12 or the power supply of the airframe 1 goes down, or the power supply from the airframe side is not configured, it is necessary to secure the drive power and always This is to enable notification of whether or not the wired / wireless connection adapter device 20 is connected. As described above, since the battery 31 independent of the main power supply is used as the power supply of the alarm sound generation circuit 30 for preventing the forgetting of the removal of the airplane-side wireless device 12 connected to the ICS 2, the power supply state from the main power supply is affected. Thus, it is possible to reliably notify the user of forgetting to remove the wireless device. Here, the battery 31 is used as the power source of the alarm sound generating circuit 30, but a power source other than the battery can be used as long as the power source can be stably supplied by another power source independent of the main power source or the like. good.

FIG. 5 is a view for explaining a connection state of a connector provided at the end of a cable extending from the wired / wireless connection adapter device 20 for connection with the external connector 7. FIG. () Is a diagram showing a connector state before connection, and FIG. (B) is a diagram showing a connector state after connection. 5 (a) and 5 (b), a power switch 85 is attached to the male connector 81, and the male contact portion 83 of the male connector 81 in FIG. Before being connected to the female contact portion 84 of the connector 7, the switch movable portion 86 of the power switch 85 is protruded and the power is off. After the male contact portion 83 of the male connector 81 in FIG. 5B is connected to the female contact portion 84 of the external connector 7 of the body 1, the switch movable portion 86 of the power switch 85 is connected to the body 1 Alternatively, the power is turned on by being pushed by the outer wall of the external connector 7 and buried in the housing of the power switch 85. Thus, by providing the power switch 85 at the tip of the connector,
When the male connector 81 is connected to the external connector 7,
The power is turned on automatically and the alarm sounds continuously. Further, since no power is supplied when the connector is not connected, power is supplied only when the battery 31 built in the wired / wireless connection adapter device 20 is required, and the life of the built-in battery 31 can be extended.

[0018]

As described above, according to the present invention, even if an ICS that employs a side tone function is used by using a general-purpose radio of a press-talk type, the ICS already mounted on an aircraft is not modified. A wireless system for outside workers can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a communication system in which a wireless transmission / reception device is connected to an aircraft intercom system including a wired / wireless connection adapter device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of a wired / wireless connection adapter of FIG. 1 in detail.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state of a contact when a relay driving unit is in a cutoff state.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state of an audio signal when the relay driving unit is in a cut-off state and when the relay driving unit is driven to perform an ON operation.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a connection state of a connector provided at a distal end of a cable extending from a wired / wireless connection adapter device for connection with an external connector.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a conventional ICS having a side tone function.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a system in which an ICS connection cable of the ICS of FIG. 6 is made wireless.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... body, 2 ... ICS, 3 ... in-machine connector, 4 ... headset, 5 ... in-machine worker, 6 ...
..Side tone connection circuits, 7 ... outboard connectors,
8 ... Headset, 9 ... Outside worker, 11 ...
・ VOK circuit, 12 ・ ・ ・ Aircraft side radio, 13 ・ ・ ・ Portable radio, 14 ・ ・ ・ Headset, 15 ・ ・ ・ ICS
Connection cable, 16 ・ ・ ・ Transceiver connection cable, 17 ・
..Radio waves, 20: Wired / wireless connection adapter device, 2
1 ... Relay drive unit, 22 ... First relay switch, 23 ... Second relay switch, 24, 27 ...
· Switch common contacts, 25, 28 ··· Switch open side contacts, 26, 29 ··· Switch connection side contacts, 30 ···
・ Alarm sound generation circuit, 31 ・ ・ ・ Battery, 41 ・ ・ ・ Microphone, 42 ・ ・ ・ Speaker, 51 ・ ・ ・ RXAF, 6
1 ... TXAF, 81 ... male connector, 82 ...
・ Male contact part, 84 ・ ・ ・ Female contact part, 85 ・ ・ ・ Power switch, 86 ・ ・ ・ Switch movable part

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A wired / wireless connection adapter device added to an aircraft intercom for connecting between an aircraft intercom having a side tone function and a wireless transmission / reception device, wherein an incoming signal from the wireless transmission / reception device is detected. A first switching unit that switches the incoming signal to be transmitted to the aircraft intercom; and, when the incoming signal is detected, prevents the incoming signal from wrapping around to the wireless transmitting / receiving device. A wired / wireless connection adapter device, comprising: a second switching unit for switching. 2. When transmitting the incoming signal to the aircraft interphone via the first switching means, a notification signal is added to the incoming signal, and the wireless transmission / reception device is being connected to the aircraft interphone. 2. The wired / wireless connection adapter device according to claim 1, further comprising a notification unit that notifies the aircraft intercom of the fact. 3. A power supply for said notifying means, comprising another power supply independent of a main power supply.
2. The wired / wireless connection adapter device according to item 1.