JP2003514436A - Internet wireless device and system - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) SUMMARY An audio interface device (16; 116; 216), a computer device (12; 112; 212), a wireless device (14; 114; 214) and / or using one or more such devices. Audio system (10; 100; 200). The radio device (114; 214) is tunable to several frequencies and receives a transmitted audio signal (140, 149, 150) and a generating circuit (152, 152) for generating a modulated control signal. 160; 252, 160) and a transmitter (162, 140) for transmitting the modulated control signal. The computer device (112; 212) receives the demodulation control signal and the Internet radio signals associated with some radio stations, generates an audio signal representing each Internet radio signal, and outputs this (the signal described above). It can be formed. The interface device (16; 116; 216) receives an audio signal from the computer device (12; 112; 212), modulates the received audio signal by a predetermined method, and tunes to a predetermined frequency. 114; 214), a first circuit (30, 32, 34, 36; 130, 132, 134, 136; 230, 232) that can be configured to transmit the modulated audio signal at a predetermined frequency. , 234, 236). The interface device (116; 216) further receives the modulation control signal transmitted from the wireless device (114; 214), demodulates the received modulation control signal, and converts this (the above-described signal) to the computer device (112; 212). 136, 135, 137, 131; 236, 235, 237, 267, 265, 261.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an audio interface device, a computer device, a wireless device and / or an audio system, and more particularly to receiving a wireless signal supplied via the Internet on a radio such as a wireless device. To enable transmission and a wireless system using wireless signals.

The Internet enables users to access a variety of information. For example, the user can obtain information on desired subject matter, shopping catalog information, travel information, and the like.

Moreover, the Internet can provide audio signals from several radio stations. In this situation, if the arrangement used by the user to access the Internet has more than one speaker, the user will be prompted by an audio sound (hereinafter "Internet radio") corresponding to the internet radio signal from the desired radio station. Sound ”). Such an arrangement has a computer with a monitor, through which it is connected to a telephone line accessing the Internet. However, it should be appreciated that if such a computer arrangement does not include one or more speakers, the user will not be able to listen to Internet wireless sound. Further, even if such a computer arrangement comprises more than one speaker, if such a speaker is substantially fixed at one location such as at home or office, it may be convenient for the user at home or office. Listening to Internet radio sound from other places within can be very difficult, if not impossible. Further, even if the computer arrangement comprises one or more speakers, such speakers may not provide acceptable quality sound.

Therefore, the above computer arrangement may not allow a user to listen to Internet radio sound associated with a desired radio station at home, office, etc., or an audio of acceptable quality. May not allow you to listen to.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and / or system that overcomes the above-mentioned drawbacks of the computer arrangements described above.

More specifically, one object of the present invention is to provide a radio signal associated with a desired radio station at a given frequency for reception by a radio receiver tuned to the given frequency, provided over the Internet. It is to provide one or more devices and / or systems that enable transmission.

A further object of the invention is a device as described above, which allows a user to change the radio station associated with the radio signal currently being received, such as by means of one or more control switches equipped in the radio receiver. And / or providing a system.

A further object of the invention is that an information data signal (representing the identification of a radio station, connection status information, etc.) is transmitted to a radio receiver, the display corresponding to this (signal) being observed by the user. It is to provide an apparatus and / or system as described above, which is possibly displayed.

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for transmitting and receiving audio signals. Such a system is tunable to several frequencies and receives a receiver for the audio signal to be transmitted, a generating circuit for generating a modulated control signal, and a modulated control signal. A radio receiver with a transmitter; for receiving a demodulation control signal and an internet radio signal associated with several radio stations, producing an audio signal representative of each internet radio signal and outputting said signal A formed computer; and, receiving an audio signal from the computer, modulating the received audio signal in a predetermined manner, and modulating the audio signal for reception by a radio receiver tuned to a predetermined frequency to a predetermined frequency A first circuit configured to transmit at, and further receiving a modulated and transmitted control signal from the radio receiver, It demodulates the modulated control signal signal has an interface device that includes a second circuit which is formed so as to supply the above mentioned signal to the computer.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for transmitting and receiving wireless signals. Such systems include a receiver circuit that is tunable to multiple frequencies and that receives a transmitted signal, a detector circuit that determines whether the received signal is an audio signal or an information data signal. A radio receiver comprising a generation circuit for generating a modulated control signal and a transmitter circuit for transmitting the modulated control signal;
Formed to receive a modulated control signal and an internet radio signal associated with some radio stations, generate an information data signal and an audio signal representative of the received internet radio signal, and output the audio signal and the information data signal A computer; receiving audio and information data signals from the computer, modulating the received audio and information data signals in a predetermined manner, and at a predetermined frequency for reception by a radio receiver tuned to a predetermined frequency And a demodulation circuit that receives the modulated and transmitted control signal from the wireless receiver, modulates the received control signal, and supplies the signal to the computer. .

According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided an interface circuit for transmitting a computer derived audio signal from a desired Internet radio station for reception at a wireless receiver. Such an interface circuit is configured to receive a modulation control signal transmitted from a radio receiver, demodulate the received modulation control signal, and supply the above-mentioned signal to a computer; and Receives an audio signal from a computer that represents an internet radio signal, modulates the received audio signal in a predetermined manner, and sends a modulated audio signal at a predetermined frequency for reception by a radio receiver tuned to a predetermined frequency Has a second circuit for In this case, the modulated control signal represents a user-specified change to each radio station associated with the Internet radio signal currently being received by the radio receiver.

Other objects, features and advantages in accordance with the present invention are obtained by reading the following detailed description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings in which corresponding components are identified by the same reference numerals. It should be obvious.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments An embodiment of an audio system according to the present invention is described in FIG. 1-FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. This audio system wirelessly transmits and receives a signal corresponding to a desired wireless signal obtained from the Internet.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an audio system 10. The audio system 10 typically includes a computer 12, a wireless receiver 14, and
An interface device 16 is provided.

The computer 12 includes an input terminal 20 to which a cable 18 such as a telephone cable is connected, and receives an internet signal via the cable 18. The input device 19 to which the input command is supplied from the user is, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, or the like. The computer 12 further includes, for example, a processor 22 for processing signals and a sound card 24 for processing audio signals in a predetermined manner.
Equipped with. The output terminal 26 through which the audio signal is output may be part of the sound card 24 or may be connected to the sound card 24.

As a result, the Internet signal is supplied to the input terminal 20 of the computer 12 via the cable 18. The processor 22 and / or the sound card 24 are
Output terminal 26 for analog internet radio signals related to the desired radio station
The internet signal thus received is processed as it is output from. The user can select a desired radio station using the input device 19.

The interface device 16 is connected to the computer 12 by a cable 28. Specifically, one end of the cable 28 is connected to the output terminal 26 of the computer 12, and the other end is connected to the input terminal 30 of the interface device 16. As a result, the analog Internet wireless signal from the output terminal 26 of the computer 12 is supplied to the input terminal 30 of the interface device 16. This analog internet radio signal is supplied to the input terminal 30 at a predetermined frequency, for example, 88.1 MHz.

The interface device 16 includes a modulator 32 and a transmission circuit 34. Modulator 3
2 is supplied with an analog internet radio signal from an input terminal 30 and modulates the analog internet radio signal based on a predetermined modulation technique such as a radio frequency (RF) modulation technique. The transmission circuit 34 transmits the modulated internet radio signal at a predetermined frequency or band through the antenna 36. Such a predetermined frequency corresponds to an unused AM or FM band.

The radio receiver 14 is, for example, an ordinary AM and / or FM radio, and FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a receiving circuit 49, a demodulating circuit 50, and a processor 52.
, One or more speakers 44, a display 42, and a plurality of control switches or knobs 4
6 is provided. The wireless receiver 14 can be tuned to the desired frequency using one of the control switches 46. The remaining switches 46 are used for controlling volume, tone, balance, etc., for example. Information such as the selected frequency and volume is displayed on the display 42.

The wireless receiver 14 receives a transmitted audio signal such as an Internet wireless signal transmitted from the modulation interface radio device 16 via the antenna 40 and the reception circuit 49. The received modulated signal is demodulated by demodulation circuit 50 and the resulting demodulated signal is processed by processor 52 to produce an audio signal.
And processed by the audio signal, and the audio signal is supplied to the speaker 44.

In addition to receiving the transmitted Internet wireless signal, the wireless receiver 14
It is also possible to receive a radio signal directly broadcast from a broadcasting station.

When the computer 12 is activated and has access to the Internet, the Internet signal is supplied to the computer 12 via the cable 18. The user selects the desired radio station from the available radio stations by input device 1
9 can be used for tuning. Such available radio stations are the radio stations associated with the signals supplied to the computer 12 by the Internet.
The radio signal of the selected radio station is processed so as to obtain a corresponding analog audio signal. This audio signal has a predetermined frequency (for example, 88.1 MH).
In z), the audio signal is supplied from the output terminal 26 to the input terminal 30 of the interface device 16, and in the interface device 16, the audio signal is modulated by the transmission circuit 34 and the antenna 36 based on a predetermined technique, and a predetermined frequency (for example, , Unused AM or FM frequencies). The user tunes the radio receiver 14 to a predetermined frequency using the appropriate one of the switches 46. As a result, the modulated radio signal transmitted by the interface device 16 of the selected radio station is
It is received by the wireless receiver 14. The received signal is demodulated and / or processed and supplied to the speaker 44, and the speaker 44 outputs a corresponding sound.

Therefore, in the audio system 10, one radio station is selected by the user from the many available radio stations provided by the Internet, and the audio signal corresponding to the radio signal of the selected radio station is selected. A signal is transmitted and the transmitted audio signal can be received using a conventional radio. Such a radio can provide relatively high quality sound, and may be a type of radio that can be carried or relatively easily moved.

Therefore, in this audio system 10, the user can listen to a desired radio station provided via the Internet even if the computer 12 does not have a directly connected speaker. In addition, in the audio system 10, as will be understood, the user can listen to such a desired radio station at a place far away from the computer 12 unlike the place where the computer 12 is installed. . Moreover, when the radio used by the user can provide high quality sound, the audio sound from the desired radio station is thus provided with high quality sound.

Although the audio system 10 that selects one radio station from the radio stations available to the user has been described, the audio system 10 is not limited to such a system. As a modified example, the user may select a plurality of radio stations and instruct when to transmit a signal from each selected radio station. This instruction is time-based. For example, a user may transmit a signal from radio station 1 from time 1 to time 2 and a signal from radio station 2 from time 3 to time 4
Can be instructed to send up. These time-based instructions are supplied to the computer 12 via the input device 19 and processed by the computer using an internal clock.

In the audio system 10, when the user wants to change the currently selected radio station, the user inputs a command via the input device 19. In this way, when the user is listening to a radio station originally selected in a room or place near the radio receiver 14 and wants to change the radio station, the user goes to the room or place where the computer 12 is located, The input device 19 must be used to enter the desired changes. Such a procedure is clearly inconvenient and / or time consuming.
This problem can be solved by the following audio system.

FIG. 2A is a block diagram showing the configuration of the audio system 100,
The audio system 100 typically includes a computer 112, a wireless receiver 114, and an interface device 116.

The computer 112 includes an input terminal 120 to which the cable 18 is connected, a processor 122 that performs signal processing, and a sound card 124 that processes an audio signal by a predetermined method, similar to the audio system 10. The output terminal 126 through which the audio signal is output may be part of the sound card 124 or may be connected to the sound card 124. Input commands from the user are supplied via the input device 119, which may be, for example, a keyboard, a mouse or the like. As a result, the Internet signal is supplied to the input terminal 120 of the computer 112 via the cable 18. The processor 122 and / or the sound card 124 processes the internet signal thus received to output an analog internet radio signal associated with the radio station from the output terminal 126. The output terminal 126 of the computer 112 and the input terminal 130 of the interface device 116 are connected by a cable 128, and the analog Internet wireless signal from the output terminal 126 is transmitted at a predetermined frequency (for example, 88).
． 1 MHz) to the input terminal 130. The interface device 116 includes a modulator 132 and a transmission circuit 134. The modulator 132 is supplied with analog Internet wireless signals from the input terminal 130, and these analog Internet wireless signals are subjected to a predetermined modulation technique (for example, RF modulation technique). Based on the transmission circuit 1
34 is provided with a modulated internet radio signal and provides the modulated internet radio signal with a predetermined frequency or band (eg, a band associated with an unused AM or FM band).
Then, the signal is transmitted via the antenna 136. The wireless receiver 114 is a receiver of FIG. 2A and 2
As shown in B, the receiving circuit 149, the demodulation circuit 150, the processor 152,
One or more speakers 144, a display 142, and a plurality of control switches or knobs 1
46 is provided. The wireless receiver 114 can be tuned to the desired frequency using one of the control switches 146. The remaining switch 146 is used for controlling volume, tone, balance and the like. Information such as the selected frequency and volume is displayed on the display 142. The wireless receiver 114 is the interface device 1
A transmitted audio signal such as a modulated internet radio signal transmitted from 16 is received via the antenna 140 and the receiving circuit 149. The received modulated signal is demodulated by demodulation circuit 150, the resulting demodulated signal is processed by processor 152 to produce an audio signal, and the audio signal is provided to speaker 144. The wireless receiver 114 can receive a wireless signal directly broadcast from a broadcasting station in addition to receiving the transmitted Internet wireless signal.

Unlike the audio system 10, the audio system 100 allows a user to initiate a process of transmitting Internet radio signals and / or initiate a radio station change from the radio receiver 114. Here, such a difference will be described in more detail.

The wireless receiver 114 includes a modulation circuit 160, a transmission circuit 162, a station up / down switch 145, and an AM / FM / Internet switch 147 in addition to the above-described components, and the interface device 116 includes The receiver circuit 135, the demodulation circuit 137, and the output terminal 131 are provided.

The AM / FM / Internet switch 147 allows the user to select (i) an AM mode in which an AM signal is received, and (ii) an FM mode in which an FM signal is received.
iii) A desired operation mode for the wireless receiver 114 can be selected from an Internet mode in which a wireless signal obtained from the Internet is received. When the internet mode is selected using the switch 147, the processor 152 generates an internet mode control signal. With such a control signal, the wireless receiver 114 receives the Internet wireless signal transmitted by the interface device 116. Further, such a control signal is supplied to the modulation circuit 160, is modulated by a predetermined method, and the modulated control signal is transmitted via the transmission circuit 162 and the antenna 140. This transmitted control signal is received by the interface device 116, as described in more detail below,
It is supplied to the computer 112, and in response thereto, the computer 112 starts supplying a wireless signal from the Internet to the interface device 130, and as a result, a wireless signal from the Internet is transmitted.

When the wireless receiver 114 is operating in the Internet mode, station up / up
The down switch 145 allows the user to change radio stations. The station up / down switch 145 is composed of, for example, a double push-down type switch, and has a first direction (for example, an up direction or a “+” direction) or a second direction (
The radio station can be changed, for example, by pressing in the down direction or the "-" direction. Specifically, pushing down the station up / down switch 145 in each direction corresponds to a one-step change of the radio station, and when the station up / down switch 145 is pushed down in the up direction, it is adjacent to the radio station 1. When the down direction of the station up / down switch 145 is pushed down, the radio station 2 is changed to the adjacent radio station 1. When the station up / down switch 145 is depressed, or activated, the processor 152 generates a radio station change control signal. The change control signal is supplied to the modulation circuit 160, modulated in a predetermined method, and the modulated change control signal is transmitted via the transmission circuit 162 and the antenna 140. As described in more detail below, the transmitted modification control signal is received by the interface device 116 and provided to the computer 112, which in response makes the corresponding modification of the radio station.

The control signal is, for example, a tone type signal, and different audio tones are used for different operations. For example, a first audio tone is used to change the radio station up and a second audio tone is used to change the radio station down.

The modulation control signal (for example, tone signal) transmitted from the wireless receiver 114 is
It is received by the interface device 116 via the antenna 136 and the receiving circuit 135. The received modulation control signal is supplied to the demodulation circuit 137, and the wireless receiver 11
4 is demodulated in a manner substantially opposite to the modulation performed by modulator circuit 160.
The demodulation control signal is output from the output terminal 131 of the interface device 116.

The demodulation control signal from the output terminal 131 of the interface device 116 is supplied to the input terminal 127 of the computer 112 via the cable 129. The input terminal 127 is, for example, a microphone input terminal of the sound card 124. The received demodulation control signal is processed by the sound card 124. This processing includes conversion of analog signals to digital signals. The resulting digital control signal is provided to processor 122, which in response takes appropriate action. For example, when the received control signal corresponds to the internet mode control signal, the processor 122 starts the internet wireless signal transmission process. Conversely, when the received control signal corresponds to a radio station change control signal, processor 122 makes a corresponding change to the radio station.

When the computer 112 is activated and the computer is in an operating state in which the computer has access to the internet, internet signals are supplied to the computer 112 via the cable 18. The user uses the input device 119 to start the wireless signal transmission process and selects a desired radio station from the available radio stations. Instead of starting the wireless signal transmission process using the input device 11, the user turns on the wireless receiver 114 and
When the M / FM / Internet switch 147 is set to the Internet mode, the control signal is transmitted from the wireless receiver 114, received by the interface device 116, and supplied to the computer 112, and accordingly, the wireless signal transmission process is started. To be done. The radio signal of each radio station is processed so as to obtain a corresponding analog audio signal, and the analog audio signal has a predetermined frequency (for example, 4
4.1 MHz) from the output terminal 126 to the input terminal 13 of the interface device 116.
0, the analog audio signal signal is modulated by a predetermined technique and transmitted at a predetermined frequency (for example, an unused AM or FM frequency) via the transmission circuit 134 and the antenna 136. When the wireless receiver 114 is not yet activated, the user powers on the wireless receiver 114, sets the AM / FM / Internet switch 147 to Internet mode, and uses the appropriate one of the switches 146. , Tune the radio receiver 114 to a predetermined frequency. As a result, the modulated radio signal of the radio station transmitted by the interface device 116 is received by the radio receiver 114. The received signal is demodulated and / or processed and supplied to the speaker 144, and the speaker 144 outputs a corresponding sound.

When the user wants to change the radio station currently being received by the wireless receiver 114, the user uses the input device 119 to enter the appropriate command into the computer 112. Alternatively, the user may activate or depress the station up / down switch 145 in any suitable manner to tune to the desired radio station. In the latter situation, depressing the station up / down switch 145 causes a radio station control signal to be generated and transmitted by the radio receiver 114, received by the interface device 116, provided from the interface device 116 to the computer 112, and the processor 122 is controlled to perform the corresponding modification of the radio station in the manner described above.

Therefore, the audio system 100 has the above-described effects of the audio system 10. In addition, the audio system 100 allows the user to
The wireless signal transmission process can be started by setting the M / FM / Internet switch 147 to the Internet mode, and the wireless receiver 114 can be started.
The radio station can be changed using a switch (eg, station up / down switch 145) provided in the computer. Each time the user attempts to change the radio station, the input device 119 of the computer 112 is placed. You don't have to go to where you are.

In the above description of the audio system 100, the AM / FM / Internet switch 147 has been described as having a three mode setting (ie AM mode, FM mode and Internet mode), but the present invention is not limited to this. It is not limited. That is, such a switch may have less or more than three setting states and / or have different mode selections. For example, such a switch may have four modes: AM mode, FM mode, Internet mode and CD mode. In the CD mode in this case, the compact disc (CD) is reproduced by the CD reproducing device provided in the computer 112, and the reproduced audio signal is reproduced by the wireless receiver 11.
Sent as received at 4.

In the audio system 100, the user selects the station up / down switch 14
When the user wants to change the currently selected radio station to a specific radio station by using 5, the user depresses the station up / down switch 145, and the new radio station is checked to see if the specific radio station the user desires. Listen to the broadcast of the station. If it is not a new radio station, the user depresses the station up / down switch 145 again and listens to the broadcast of the new radio station to see if it is the desired radio station. The user
Such a procedure is repeated until the desired radio station is detected. Clearly, such a procedure is time consuming and frustrating. This problem can be solved by the following audio system.

FIG. 3A is a block diagram showing a configuration of the audio system 200,
The audio system 200 typically includes a computer 212, a wireless receiver 214, and an interface device 216. Each of these devices has several elements that operate in a manner similar and similar to that of audio system 100. Therefore, and for the sake of simplicity, a description of these similar components and their operation is omitted here. Therefore, the audio system 10
Only the differences between 0 and audio system 200 will be described below.

Computer 212 provides wireless signals in a manner similar to computers 12 and / or 112 described above. The analog wireless signal is supplied to the interface device 216 via the sound card 224, the output terminal 227, and the cable 228. In addition, computer 212 using processor 222 also produces information data signals. This information data signal represents radio station identification information, connection status information, and / or signaling information. The signaling information is, for example, a number of tones or tone signals, and is arranged at the start portion or header portion of the signal and indicates whether each signal is an audio signal or an information data signal. The information data signal in digital form is sent from the computer 212 to the digital terminal 22.
6 and cable 263 to interface device 216, the connection between which is an RS232 serial data connection or other bidirectional digital data type connection.

The analog radio signal is received at the input terminal 230 of the interface device 216. The received analog radio signal is modulated by the modulation circuit 232 based on a predetermined modulation technique (for example, RF modulation technique) and transmitted at a predetermined frequency via the transmission circuit 234 and the antenna 236. On the other hand, the digital information data signal is received at the input terminal 261 of the interface device 216. The received digital information data signal is processed by the processor 265, and the processed digital information data signal is converted into an analog signal by the D / A converter 267. The analog information data signal is modulated by the modulation circuit 232 and transmitted at a predetermined frequency via the transmission circuit 234 and the antenna 236.

The signal transmitted from the interface device 216 is received by the antenna 140 and the receiving circuit 149 of the wireless receiver 214. The received signal is demodulated by the demodulation circuit 150. The demodulated signal is provided to the processor 252, which has a detection circuit 254. The detection circuit 254 determines whether the received signal is a wireless signal or an information data signal. This determination is made by detecting a change in tone associated with the signaling information of the received signal, or by detecting such a change in order of tones. The received signal can be processed according to the result of this determination. For example, if the received signals are determined to be wireless signals, then these signals are processed to produce corresponding audible tones and provided to speaker 144. On the other hand, when it is determined that the received signals are information data signals, these signals are processed so that they can be visually perceived by the user, and are supplied to the display 142.

A user may initiate a request for information data (eg, for radio station identification information) by using the input switch or control switch 246 of the wireless receiver 214, which causes the processor 252 to make the request. Generate a signal. This request signal is modulated and transmitted in a manner similar to that already described for the internet mode control signal or the radio station change control signal. The transmitted request signal is transmitted to the interface device 2 via the antenna 236 and the receiving circuit 235.
16 is received. The received request signal is demodulated by the demodulation circuit 237, and A
It is converted into a digital signal by using the / D converter 267. The digital request signal is processed by processor 265 and provided to digital terminal 226 of computer 212 via terminal 261. In response, the computer 212 using the processor 222 generates the requested information and provides this information to the interface device 216 via the digital terminal 226, where the information is processed and analogized. The signal is converted, modulated, transmitted, and received by the wireless receiver 214.

In audio system 200, two connections or cables are used between computer 212 and interface device 216. That is, one is between the sound card 224 (terminal 227) and the terminal 230, and the other is the digital terminal 22.
6 and the terminal 261. Alternatively, only one connection or cable may be used. For example, the connection between the sound card 224 and the terminal 230 may be eliminated and only one connection between the digital terminal 226 and the terminal 261 may be used. This connection may be an RS-232 serial connection, a parallel connection, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection, a 1394 connection, an IrDa connection, another bidirectional digital connection, or a bandwidth sufficient to carry audio data. It may be a link that has. In such a specific example, the information data and the audio data are transmitted from the digital terminal 226 as digital signals. The data can be compressed based on a predetermined compression technique such as, for example, Linear Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) technique. If the data is compressed, the processor 265 determines that D
Before the data is converted into an analog signal by the / A converter 267, the data is expanded.

In the audio system described above, audio data is transmitted from the interface device as an analog signal or a digital signal. When the audio data is transmitted as a digital signal, the wireless receiver performs D / A conversion in order to convert the received digital audio data into an analog signal.

The receiving circuit and / or the transmitting circuit used in the wireless receiver according to the present invention are:
It operates in the so-called ISM (Industrial, Scientific and Medical band). Further, the range of signals transmitted by the present invention (for example, the signals transmitted by the radio receiver according to the present invention) is related to the respective transmission powers, and in this case, the maximum allowable transmission power is FC.
It is regulated by C.

Although the embodiments and modifications of the present invention have been described in detail, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and modifications, and other modifications and alterations are defined by the scope of claims. Obviously, it can be carried out by a person skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 FIG. FIG. 1A is a block diagram showing a configuration of an audio signal transmitting / receiving system based on an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 FIG. 1B is shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the radio | wireless apparatus of the system shown to 1A.

FIG. 3 FIG. 2A is a block diagram showing a configuration of an audio signal transmitting / receiving system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 FIG. 2B is shown in FIG. FIG. 2B is a block diagram showing a configuration of a wireless device of the system shown in FIG. 2A.

FIG. 5: FIG. FIG. 3A is a block diagram showing a configuration of an audio signal transmitting / receiving system based on still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 FIG. 3B is shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the radio | wireless apparatus of the system shown to 3A.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (81) Designated countries EP (AT, BE, CH, CY, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, IE, I T, LU, MC, NL, PT, SE, TR), OA (BF , BJ, CF, CG, CI, CM, GA, GN, GW, ML, MR, NE, SN, TD, TG), AP (GH, G M, KE, LS, MW, MZ, SD, SL, SZ, TZ , UG, ZW), EA (AM, AZ, BY, KG, KZ, MD, RU, TJ, TM), AE, AG, AL, AM, AT, AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG, BR, BY, B Z, CA, CH, CN, CR, CU, CZ, DE, DK , DM, DZ, EE, ES, FI, GB, GD, GE, GH, GM, HR, HU, ID, IL, IN, IS, J P, KE, KG, KP, KR, KZ, LC, LK, LR , LS, LT, LU, LV, MA, MD, MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, MZ, NO, NZ, PL, PT, R O, RU, SD, SE, SG, SI, SK, SL, TJ , TM, TR, TT, TZ, UA, UG, UZ, VN, YU, ZA, ZW F-term (reference) 5K011 CA01 EA01 HA02 JA08 JA12                       KA12                 5K060 CC04 CC13 DD03 [Continued summary] In order to transmit the modulated audio signal at a predetermined frequency A first circuit (30, 32, 34, 3 that can be formed as 6; 130, 132, 134, 136; 230, 23 2, 234, 236). Interface device (116; 216) are further wireless devices (114; 214) Receive the modulation control signal sent from the Demodulate the control signal and send this (the above signal) to the computer A second formable for feeding to a table (112; 212) Circuit (136, 135, 137, 131; 236, 2 35, 237, 267, 265, 261).

Claims (30)

[Claims] 1. An input terminal (3) for receiving an audio signal representing a radio signal provided by an internet source from a computer (12; 112; 212).
0, 130, 230 and / or 261) and a modulator (32; 132;) for modulating the received audio signal in a predetermined manner.
232) and a transmitter (34, for transmitting an audio signal modulated at the predetermined frequency for reception by a radio receiver (14; 114; 214) tuned to the predetermined frequency.
36; 134,136; 234,236). 2. A computer (12; 112; 212) for receiving an internet wireless signal and outputting an audio signal representing the internet wireless signal, and receiving the audio signal from the computer (12; 112; 212), A modulator (30) for transmitting the modulated audio signal at the predetermined frequency in order to modulate the received audio by a predetermined method and receive it by a radio receiver (14; 114; 214) tuned to a predetermined frequency. , 32, 34, 36; 130, 132
, 134, 136; 230 and / or 261, 232, 234, 236). 3. An audio signal transmitting / receiving system for transmitting and receiving audio signals, comprising a receiver (149; 249) tunable to several frequencies and receiving transmitted audio signals, and a modulation control signal. Generating circuit (152, 1)
60; 252,160) and a transmitter (162,1) that transmits a modulated control signal.
A radio receiver (114; 214) having 40) and a demodulation control signal and an internet radio signal associated with several radio stations, producing an audio signal representative of each internet radio signal, The audio signal is supplied from the outputting computer (112; 212) and the computer (112; 212), the supplied audio signal is modulated by a predetermined method, and the radio reception is tuned to the predetermined frequency. A first circuit (130, 132, 134, 136) for transmitting the modulated audio signal at a predetermined frequency for reception by a machine (114; 214).
230, 232, 234, 236) and the modulation control signal transmitted from the wireless receiver (114; 214), demodulates the received modulation control signal, and outputs to the computer (112; 212). The second circuit (136, 135,
137, 131; 236, 235, 237, 267, 265, 261) and an interface device (116; 216). 4. The control signal represents a user-specified change at each radio station associated with the Internet radio signal currently being received by the radio receiver (114; 214), the computer (112; 212). Is a circuit (122, 124; 2) for changing each radio station according to the received demodulation control signal.
22. The audio signal transmitting / receiving system according to claim 3, further comprising: 5. The audio signal according to claim 3, wherein the computer has a microphone input terminal (127), and the modulation control signal is received at the microphone input terminal (127) of the computer. Transmission and reception system. 6. An audio signal transmitting / receiving system for transmitting and receiving an audio signal, comprising a receiver circuit (140, 149) tunable to several frequencies and receiving a transmitted signal, A detector circuit (150, 252, 254) for determining whether the signal is an audio signal or an information data signal, a generation circuit (252, 160) for generating a modulation control signal, and transmitting the modulation control signal. A radio receiver (214) having a transmitter circuit (162,140), receiving a demodulation control signal and an internet radio signal associated with some radio stations, and representing the information data signal and the received internet radio signal. A computer (212) for generating an audio signal and outputting the audio signal and the information data signal; The audio and information data signals from the computer (212) are supplied, the supplied audio and information data signals are modulated by a predetermined method, and are received by a radio receiver (214) tuned to the predetermined frequency. For this purpose, a modulation circuit (230, 261, 232, 234, 2 which transmits the above-mentioned modulated signal at a predetermined frequency
65, 267, 236), the interface device (216) receives the modulation control signal transmitted from the wireless receiver (214), and the received control signal. Demodulating circuit (236, 235, 237, 267,
265, 261). 7. The control signal represents a user-directed change at each radio station associated with an internet radio signal currently being received by the radio receiver (214), the computer (212) causing the received demodulation to occur. The audio signal transmitting / receiving system according to claim 6, further comprising a circuit (222, 224) for changing each of the radio stations according to a control signal. 8. The audio signal transmitting / receiving system according to claim 6, wherein the information data signal from the computer (212) represents at least one of station identification information and connection state information. 9. The interface device (216) and the computer (21).
7. The audio signal transmitting / receiving system according to claim 6, wherein 2) are connected to each other using a bidirectional digital connection. 10. The audio signal transmitting / receiving system according to claim 9, wherein the bidirectional connection is one of RS-232 serial connection, parallel connection, 1394 connection and universal serial bus (USB) connection. 11. The audio signal transceiver according to claim 9, wherein the computer (212) has a digital terminal (226), and the bidirectional digital connection is connected to the digital terminal (226). system. 12. Input means (30; 130; 230 and / or 261) for receiving from a computer (12; 112; 212) an audio signal representing a radio signal provided by an internet source, and the received audio signal. Modulation means (32; 132;
232) and transmitting means (34, 3) for transmitting the modulated audio signal at the predetermined frequency for reception by a radio receiver (14; 114; 214) tuned to the predetermined frequency.
6; 134,136; 234,236). 13. In an audio signal transmitting system for transmitting an audio signal, an arithmetic means (12; 112; 212) for supplying an internet radio signal and outputting an audio signal representing the internet radio signal, and the arithmetic means (12). 112; 212) for receiving the audio signal from the radio receiver, modulating the received audio signal in a predetermined manner, and receiving at a radio receiver (14; 114; 214) tuned to a predetermined frequency. Modulating means (30, 32, 34, 36; 130, 1) for transmitting the modulated audio signal at the predetermined frequency.
32, 134, 136; 230 and / or 261, 232, 234, 236). 14. An audio signal transmitting / receiving system for transmitting and receiving an audio signal, which is tunable to several frequencies, receives an transmitted audio signal, generates a modulated control signal, and modulates the modulated signal. Radio receiving means for transmitting control signal (1
14; 214) and a computing means (112; 212) for receiving demodulation control signals and Internet radio signals associated with several radio stations and for generating and outputting audio signals representing each Internet radio signal. In order to receive the audio signal from the arithmetic means (112; 212), modulate the received audio signal in a predetermined manner, and receive by the wireless receiving means (114; 214) tuned to a predetermined frequency, A means (116; 216) for transmitting the modulated audio signal at the predetermined frequency and the control signal transmitted from the wireless receiving means (114; 214) are received, and the received modulation control signal is demodulated. And a means (116; 216) for supplying the arithmetic means (112; 212). 15. The control signal represents a user-specified change in each of the radio stations associated with an internet radio signal currently being received by the radio receiving means (114; 214) and the computing means (112; 212). ) Is means (122, 124; 22) for changing each radio station according to the received demodulation control signal.
The audio signal transmitting / receiving system according to claim 14, further comprising: 16. The computing means has a microphone input terminal (127) and the demodulated control signal is received at the microphone input terminal (127) of the computing means. Audio signal transmitting and receiving system. 17. An audio signal transmitting / receiving system for transmitting and receiving an audio signal, comprising: receiving means (140, 149) tunable to several frequencies and receiving a transmitted signal; and the received signal. Detecting means (150, 252, 254) for determining whether the audio signal is an audio signal or an information data signal, a generating means (252, 160) for generating a modulation control signal, and a transmitting means for transmitting the modulation control signal. A radio receiving means (214) having (162, 140), a demodulation control signal and an internet radio signal associated with several radio stations, and an information data signal and an audio signal representing the received internet radio signal. Operation means (2) for generating and outputting the audio signal and the information data signal
12) and receiving the audio and information data signals from the computing means (212),
The received audio and information data signals are modulated at a predetermined system, and the audio and information data signals are transmitted at the predetermined frequency for reception by the wireless receiving means (214) tuned to the predetermined frequency. Modulation means (230, 261,
232, 234, 265, 267, 236) and interface means (2
16), the interface means (216) receives the modulation control signal transmitted from the wireless receiver (214), demodulates the received control signal, and calculates the control signal by the computing means. Demodulation means (236, 235, 237, which are supplied to (212)
267, 265, 261). 18. The control signal represents a user-specified change in each radio station associated with an internet radio signal currently being received by the radio receiving means (214), and the computing means (212) is the received demodulation. 18. The audio signal transmitting / receiving system according to claim 17, further comprising means (222, 224) for changing each radio station according to a control signal. 19. The audio signal transmitting / receiving system according to claim 17, wherein said information data signal from said calculating means (212) represents at least one of station identification information and connection status information. 20. The interface means (216) and the computing means (212)
) Are connected to each other using a bidirectional digital connection.
7. The audio signal transmitting / receiving system described in 7. 21. The audio signal transmitting / receiving system according to claim 20, wherein the bidirectional connection is one of RS-232 serial connection, parallel connection, 1394 connection and universal serial bus (USB) connection. 22. The computing means (212) has a digital terminal (226),
21. The audio signal transmitting / receiving system according to claim 20, wherein the bidirectional digital connection is connected to the digital terminal (226). 23. An interface circuit (116; 216) for transmitting an audio signal from a desired internet radio station obtained from a computer (112; 212) for reception by a wireless receiver (114; 214), The modulation control signal transmitted from the receiver (114; 214) is received, the received modulation control signal is demodulated, and the computer (112; 212) is received.
To the first circuit (136, 135, 137, 131; 236, 235, 2
37, 267, 265, 261) and an audio signal representing an internet radio signal from the computer (112; 212), the received audio signal is modulated by a predetermined method, and the audio signal is tuned to a predetermined frequency. A second circuit (130, 13) for transmitting the modulated audio signal at the predetermined frequency for reception by a radio receiver (114; 214).
2, 134, 136; 230, 232, 234, 236). 24. The modulated control signal is transmitted to the radio receiver (114; 21).
24. The interface circuit according to claim 23, which represents according to 4) a user-specified change for each radio station associated with an internet radio signal currently being received. 25. An interface circuit (116; 216) for transmitting an audio signal from a desired internet radio station obtained from a computer (112; 212) for reception at a wireless receiver (114; 214), The modulation control signal transmitted from the receiver (114; 214) is received, the received modulation control signal is demodulated, and the computer (112; 212) is received.
(136,135,137,131; 236,235,237,
267, 265, 261) and an audio signal from the computer (112; 212) representing the Internet radio signal, the received audio signal is modulated by a predetermined method, and the radio reception is tuned to a predetermined frequency. Means (130, 132, 1) for transmitting the modulated audio signal at the predetermined frequency for reception by a machine (114; 214).
34, 136; 230, 232, 234, 236). 26. The modulated control signal is transmitted to the radio receiver (114; 21).
26. The interface circuit according to claim 25, which represents according to 4) a user-specified change for each radio station associated with an internet radio signal currently being received. 27. In a wireless device, receiving means (tunable to several frequencies, for receiving a transmitted signal).
140, 149, 150) and a generation means (152, 160; 252, 160) for generating a modulated control signal.
And a transmitting device (162, 140) for transmitting the modulated control signal. 28. The wireless device according to claim 27, further comprising detection means (254) for determining whether the received signal is an audio signal or an information data signal. 29. In a wireless device, a receiver circuit (140, 149, 150) tunable to several frequencies and receiving a transmitted signal, and a generator circuit (18) for generating a modulated control signal (30). 152, 160; 252, 160)
And a transmitter circuit (162, 140) for transmitting the modulated control signal. 30. The wireless device of claim 29, further comprising a detector circuit (254) for determining whether the received signal is an audio signal or an information data signal.