JP2006211171A - Relay amplifier - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve efficiency in a relay amplifier of terrestrial digital broadcast. <P>SOLUTION: In the relay amplifier, a master is connected to a slave by optical cables G1-Gn. In the master, the signal of the terrestrial digital broadcast is inputted by a broadcast inputting means 1, a signal at a prescribed band is extracted from an input signal by broadcast extraction means B1-B8, the extraction signal is amplified to a prescribed level by broadcast amplification means C1-C8, an amplification signal is synthesized by a broadcast synthesizing means 4, a synthesized signal is amplified by a synthesizer amplification means 5, an amplification signal is converted to a light signal by a master light conversion means 6, and the light signal is transmitted to the optical cables G1-Gn by master optical transmission means F1-Fn. In the slave, the light signal is received by slave light reception means H1-Hn, a reception light signal is converted to an electric signal by slave electric conversion means I1-In, and the electric signal is radio-transmitted by radio transmission means L1-Ln. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a relay amplifier for terrestrial digital broadcasting, and more particularly to a relay amplifier that is efficient in terms of cost and the like.

  For example, in a terrestrial digital (television) broadcasting system, a radio wave signal transmitted wirelessly from a broadcasting station is blocked by an obstacle such as a building or a mountain, thereby generating an area (dead zone) where the radio signal does not reach. A relay amplifier that receives radio signals transmitted from a broadcasting station and transmits them to the dead zone after transmission (retransmission) in order to form a service area by sending radio signals to such a dead zone. (Retransmission device) is installed on the rooftop of a building or the top of a mountain. Such a relay amplifier makes it possible to receive a digital terrestrial broadcast program and view it on a television receiver even in a dead zone.

JP 2003-134020 A

However, the conventional relay amplifier for digital terrestrial broadcasting has to be improved in terms of efficiency such as cost, and the development of a more efficient relay amplifier has been required.
As a first specific problem, in a conventional terrestrial digital broadcast repeater amplifier, a configuration in which an amplified received signal is output to an antenna or a leaky coaxial, for example, when many dead zones are dispersed. However, the number of distributed relay amplifiers becomes necessary, which is inefficient in terms of increasing the cost and increasing the number of installation locations.
As a second specific problem, a conventional terrestrial digital broadcast relay amplifier amplifies all segments (for example, 13 segments) of each channel. Amplification of the segment was wasted, resulting in inefficiency in terms of the amplifier shape, power consumption, cost, etc. .

As a third specific problem, in the interactive service which is one of the features of digital terrestrial broadcasting, when a mobile phone line is used as an uplink, the digital terrestrial broadcast service area and the mobile phone service area are used. However, the conventional terrestrial digital broadcast relay amplifier is configured as a device dedicated to terrestrial digital broadcast that relays one-segment broadcast, and is newly installed at the same location as the relay amplifier for mobile phones. Since it was installed, the device, cable, antenna, and the like were required redundantly, which was inefficient in terms of enormous cost and increased installation location.
The present invention has been made in view of such a conventional situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide a terrestrial digital broadcast relay amplifier capable of improving efficiency in terms of cost and the like.

In order to achieve the above object, the relay amplifier according to the present invention relays and amplifies a terrestrial digital broadcast signal with the following configuration.
That is, the relay amplifier is configured by connecting a master unit and a slave unit via an optical cable.
In the master unit, the broadcast input means inputs the digital terrestrial broadcast signal, each of the plurality of broadcast extraction means extracts a predetermined band signal from the input signal, and each of the plurality of broadcast amplification means Amplifies the signals extracted by each of the plurality of broadcast extraction means to a predetermined level, the broadcast synthesis means synthesizes the signals amplified by the plurality of broadcast amplification means, and the synthesis amplification means The signal is amplified, the master optical conversion means converts the amplified signal into an optical signal, and the master optical transmission means transmits the optical signal to the optical cable.
In the slave unit, the slave unit optical receiver receives the optical signal transmitted from the master unit via the optical cable, and the slave unit electrical converter converts the received optical signal into an electrical signal for wireless transmission. Means transmit the electrical signal wirelessly.

Therefore, the terrestrial digital broadcast signal is synthesized by the master unit amplified for each predetermined band and then amplified and transmitted as an optical signal to the slave unit. The slave unit is directed to the dead zone as an electrical signal. By wireless transmission, digital terrestrial broadcast signals can be relayed and amplified using optical transmission, and efficient relay amplification can be realized.
Further, in the relay amplifier as described above, for example, it is easily realized to connect one master unit and a plurality of slave units using optical transmission using an optical cable. In particular, even when there are a lot of dead zones distributed, each of the dead zones can have multiple slave units that can be downsized compared to the parent unit. As compared with a configuration in which a plurality of relay amplifiers are provided in total, efficiency can be improved in terms of cost, installation location (here, the number of installation locations of the master unit), and the like.

Here, signals of various bands may be used as signals of a predetermined band extracted by each broadcast extracting unit. For example, signals of different bands are extracted by the respective broadcast extraction means.
Various levels may be used as the predetermined level for amplifying the signal by each broadcast amplifying means. For example, the same level or a similar level is used for a plurality of broadcast amplifying means.
Various numbers may be used as the number of the plurality of broadcast extracting means and the number of the plurality of broadcast amplifying means. For example, the same number is used as the number of the plurality of broadcast extracting means and the number of the plurality of broadcast amplifying means.

In the relay amplifier according to the present invention, as one configuration example, the broadcast extraction unit of the base unit extracts signals of different channel bands from the input signals.
Therefore, it is possible to relay and amplify the signal of the digital terrestrial broadcast channel efficiently.
In the relay amplifier according to the present invention, as another configuration example, the broadcast extraction unit of the master unit extracts a signal of a band of one segment broadcast of a different channel from the input signal.
Therefore, it is possible to efficiently relay and amplify a 1-segment broadcast signal of terrestrial digital broadcasting. Thereby, for example, the second specific problem can be solved. Specifically, amplification of signals of other segments that are not used in one-segment broadcasting can be made unnecessary. Compared to a configuration for amplifying a signal, efficiency can be improved in terms of the shape of the amplifier, power consumption, cost, and the like.

The relay amplifier according to the present invention has the following configuration as one configuration example.
That is, in the master unit, a downlink signal input unit inputs a downlink signal of a radio communication system other than the terrestrial digital broadcast, a downlink signal amplification unit amplifies the input downlink signal, and a synthesis unit performs the synthesis amplification unit. And the signal amplified by the downlink signal amplifying means are combined, and the master optical conversion means converts the signal combined by the combining means into an optical signal.

Accordingly, it is possible to efficiently relay and amplify a terrestrial digital broadcast signal, and it is possible to relay and amplify a downstream signal of another wireless communication system (a wireless communication system other than terrestrial digital broadcast) by optical transmission. Thereby, for example, the third specific problem can be solved, and specifically, the service area of digital terrestrial broadcasting can be matched with the service area of another wireless communication system, By using a common cable, antenna, etc., efficiency can be improved in terms of cost and installation location.
Here, as other wireless communication systems (wireless communication systems other than terrestrial digital broadcasting), various systems may be used, for example, a mobile phone system or the like.

Below, the structural example which concerns on this invention is shown further.
As an example of the configuration, the parent device includes a plurality of signal processing paths.
Each signal processing path includes a pre-stage frequency converting means for converting the frequency of the input terrestrial digital broadcast signal from the first frequency to the second frequency, and a signal in a predetermined band from the signal of the second frequency. Broadcast extraction means for extracting, broadcast amplification means for amplifying the extracted signal to a predetermined level, and converting the amplified signal from the second frequency to the first frequency (returning to the original frequency) ) It has a post-stage frequency conversion means.
Therefore, in each signal processing path, it is possible to amplify the signal by setting the frequency of the input signal to be the same as the frequency of the output signal.
Here, various frequencies may be used as the first frequency and the second frequency, respectively. As an example, the second frequency can be made lower than the first frequency to facilitate the amplification process.

As one configuration example, the slave unit includes: a radio reception unit that wirelessly receives an uplink signal of a radio communication system other than terrestrial digital broadcasting; a slave unit optical conversion unit that converts the received uplink signal into an optical signal; A slave optical transmission means for transmitting the signal to the optical cable.
The master unit is a master unit optical receiver that receives the optical signal transmitted from the slave unit via the optical cable, a master unit electrical converter that converts the received optical signal into an electrical signal, and the electrical signal. Uplink signal amplifying means for amplifying the signal, and uplink signal transmitting means for transmitting the amplified signal as an uplink signal of the wireless communication system.
Therefore, it is possible to relay and amplify an upstream signal of another wireless communication system (a wireless communication system other than terrestrial digital broadcasting) by optical transmission.

As one configuration example, the master unit is connected to each of the plurality of slave units via respective optical cables.
The master unit includes an optical distribution unit that distributes an optical signal to be transmitted into a plurality of signals, and transmits each distribution signal to each slave unit via each optical cable.
Accordingly, an optical signal can be transmitted from a single master unit to a plurality of slave units via an optical cable, and service areas can be formed in a plurality of dead zones by the plurality of slave units.

As one configuration example, the master unit and each of the plurality of slave units are connected to each other via a downstream optical cable for communicating a downstream signal and an upstream optical cable for communicating an upstream signal.
The master unit includes an uplink signal synthesis unit that synthesizes an optical signal received from each slave unit via each uplink optical cable, and amplifies the synthesized signal.
Therefore, by performing bidirectional communication between the master unit and the slave unit using optical transmission, it is possible to relay and amplify both downstream signals and upstream signals for terrestrial digital broadcasting and other wireless communications. Moreover, the upstream signals from a plurality of dead zones can be relay-amplified by combining the upstream signals from the plurality of slave devices with one parent device.

  As described above, according to the relay amplifier according to the present invention, the master unit inputs a terrestrial digital broadcast signal, and a signal in a predetermined band such as one channel or one segment from the input signal by each of a plurality of signal processing systems. Is extracted and amplified to a predetermined level, the multiple amplified signals are combined, the combined signal is amplified, the amplified signal is converted into an optical signal, and the optical signal is transmitted to the slave unit via the optical cable. In the slave unit, the optical signal transmitted from the master unit is received via the optical cable, the received optical signal is converted into an electrical signal, and the electrical signal is transmitted wirelessly. Relay amplification can be performed efficiently.

  Further, according to the relay amplifier according to the present invention, the master unit inputs a downlink signal of a radio communication system other than the terrestrial digital broadcast, amplifies the input downlink signal, and transmits the amplified signal and the terrestrial digital broadcast described above. Since the synthesized signal is synthesized and converted into an optical signal, the digital terrestrial broadcast signal can be efficiently relayed and amplified, and other wireless communication systems (other than terrestrial digital broadcast) It is possible to relay and amplify a downstream signal of a wireless communication system efficiently by optical transmission.

Embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In the following, an embodiment of a relay amplifier for terrestrial digital broadcasting capable of improving efficiency in terms of cost and the like will be described.
Specifically, (Embodiment 1) shows an embodiment of a relay amplifier that solves the above-mentioned first specific problem, and (Embodiment 2) shows a relay that solves the above-mentioned second specific problem. An embodiment of the amplifier is shown, and (Embodiment 3) shows an embodiment of the relay amplifier that solves the above-described third specific problem.

A first embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of a relay amplifier for digital terrestrial broadcasting in this example.
The relay amplifier of this example includes a master unit, a plurality of n slave units, and n optical cables G1 to Gn that connect the master unit and each slave unit. The optical cables G1 to Gn are configured using optical fibers, for example.
The master unit includes an input terminal 1, an amplifier 2, a distributor 3, a plurality of signal processing paths in this example, a combiner 4, an amplifier 5, and an electric signal / optical converter (E / O converter) 6, an optical distributor 7, and n output terminals F 1 to Fn.
Each signal processing path provided between the distributor 3 and the combiner 4 corresponds to a different channel (Ch) of terrestrial digital broadcasting, and includes a mixer A1 to A8 and a bandpass as an example of a filter. It has filters B1 to B8, variable amplifiers C1 to C8, upconverters D1 to D8 composed of, for example, a mixer, and amplifiers E1 to E8.

Each of the slave units includes input terminals H1 to Hn, optical / electrical signal converters (O / E converters) I1 to In, broadband amplifiers J1 to Jn, and bandpass filters K1 to Kn that are examples of filters. , Antennas L1 to Ln are provided.
Respective output terminals F1 to Fn provided in the master unit and input terminals H1 to Hn provided in the slave unit are connected by respective optical cables G1 to Gn.

FIG. 2 shows an example of channel arrangement on the frequency axis in terrestrial digital broadcasting.
As shown in FIG. 2, in digital terrestrial broadcasting, the frequency bandwidth of one channel (Ch) is 6 MHz, and 50 channels from the 13th channel to the 62nd channel in the range from 470 MHz to 770 MHz. Is placed.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the segment configuration for one channel.
As shown in FIG. 3, in terrestrial digital broadcasting, one channel is divided into 13 segments, and one of these segments (the 13th segment in this example) is converted to terrestrial digital for mobile phones. Assigned to broadcasting. The remaining segments (in this example, the first to twelfth segments) are, for example, transmitting HDTV (high definition television) data using twelve segments, or twelve segments. It is assigned to transmit HDTV data and other data using segments, or to transmit SDTV (standard definition television) data using three segments each.
In this way, terrestrial digital broadcasting allows flexible operation such as HDTV and SDTV, and the modulation method is, for example, from QPSK (Quadrature Phase Shift Keying) at the lowest speed to 16QAM (16 Quadrature Amplitude Modulation) at the highest speed. Various methods can be selected.

An example of the operation performed by the relay amplifier of this example is shown.
First, an example of the operation of the master unit is shown.
In this example, a receiving antenna (not shown) included in the relay amplifier is connected to the input terminal 1 provided in the base unit. Then, a signal wirelessly transmitted from a broadcasting device of a digital terrestrial broadcasting station is received by the receiving antenna, and the received signal is input to the input terminal 1 of the parent device.
As another configuration example, the input terminal 1 of the master unit and the output terminal of the broadcaster are connected by a wired cable, and the output signal from the broadcaster is directly input to the input terminal 1 of the master unit. Such a configuration may be used.
In the master unit, the received signal of the terrestrial digital broadcast input from the input terminal 1 is once amplified (converted) to a signal of a predetermined level by the amplifier 2, and a plurality of the amplified signals are distributed by the distributor 3 in this example. To the signal. Here, the number of signals to be distributed corresponds to, for example, the number of channels of terrestrial digital broadcasting stations that can be handled. In this example, the number of signals is described as eight as an example. Each distribution signal is input to each signal processing path and processed.

In each signal processing path, frequency distribution of each distribution signal is performed by the mixers A1 to A8, thereby converting a frequency signal of a desired channel into a signal having a constant intermediate frequency.
Further, in each signal processing path, the intermediate frequency signal is filtered by the bandpass filters B1 to B8, so that only the received signal within one channel band (in this example, only the signal with a bandwidth of 6 MHz) is extracted, The extracted signal is amplified to a predetermined level signal by the variable amplifiers C1 to C8 to adjust the level variation, and the amplified signal is frequency-converted by the up-converters D1 to D8, so that the received signal of the desired channel is again obtained. Convert to the original frequency signal.
In each signal processing path, the received signal of the desired channel converted to the signal of the original frequency is amplified to a signal of a predetermined level by the amplifiers E1 to E8 and output to the combiner 4.

In this example, as many signal processing paths as the number of broadcasting stations such as HDTVs (in this example, the same number as the number of channels) are prepared, and the band-pass filters B1 to B8 of the respective signal processing paths have respective signal processing paths. The signal components of all the bands of the 13 segments constituting the channel are allowed to pass, and the signal level variation between the broadcasting stations is adjusted in the variable amplifiers C1 to C8 of the respective signal processing paths.
Further, in this example, the signals having different local frequencies f1 to f8 are mixed with the distribution signals in the mixers A1 to A8 in the respective signal processing paths, and similarly, the signals are described in the upconverters D1 to D8 in the respective signal processing paths. Signals having different local frequencies f1 to f8 are mixed with the level-adjusted signal. Thereby, in each signal processing path, the frequency at the time of input and the frequency at the time of output of the received signal of the desired channel are the same.

The signals for each channel (in this example, signals of a total of eight channels) taken out by the respective signal processing paths are synthesized by the synthesizer 4, and the synthesized signal is amplified to a signal of a predetermined level by the amplifier 5. The amplified signal is converted from an electric signal to an optical signal by the electric signal / optical converter 6.
Further, this optical signal is distributed into a plurality by the optical distributor 7, and the respective distributed optical signals are transmitted and output from the respective output terminals F1 to Fn to the respective optical cables G1 to Gn. Each distributed optical signal is input to the input terminals H1 to Hn of the respective slave units via the respective optical cables G1 to Gn.
Here, various numbers may be used as the number of optical signals distributed by the optical distributor 7 to optical signals having a predetermined number of outputs. For example, i is a value not less than 1 and not more than n. It is possible to use a mode in which the signals are distributed to individual optical signals. In the case of i = 1, although it is not actually necessary to distribute, it is described as an aspect of distribution.
Moreover, in this example, each output terminal F1-Fn is used as a terminal for outputting the signal taken out by each signal processing path and synthesized by the synthesizer 4 to the antennas L1-Ln of each slave unit. .

Next, an example of the operation of each slave unit is shown.
In each of the slave units, optical signals transmitted through the optical cables G1 to Gn are input from the input terminals H1 to Hn. Also, the input optical signal is converted into an electric signal by the optical / electrical signal converters I1 to In, the electric signal is amplified to a signal of a predetermined level by the broadband amplifiers J1 to Jn, and the amplified signal is band-pass filtered. By filtering with K1 to Kn, unnecessary waves included in the amplified signal are removed, and the filtered signal is output to the antennas L1 to Ln via an output terminal (not shown) to the antenna. A signal is wirelessly transmitted from the antennas L1 to Ln to the dead zone.
Here, the bandpass filters K1 to Kn remove unnecessary signal components other than the digital terrestrial broadcast channel signal included in the optical signal transmitted from the master unit, for example, and the digital terrestrial broadcast channel signal has high quality. It is sent to the dead zone.

  As described above, in the relay amplifier of this example, a digital terrestrial broadcast signal is input, the master unit converts the signal into an optical signal, and transmits the optical signal to a plurality of slave units via the optical cables G1 to Gn. Can receive the optical signal, convert it into an electrical signal, and wirelessly transmit it from the antennas L1 to Ln, thereby relaying (retransmitting) the terrestrial digital broadcast signal to a plurality of dead zones. it can. The master unit extracts each channel band signal from the input digital terrestrial broadcast signal, amplifies the extracted signal of each channel band to a signal of a predetermined level, and amplifies the combined signal. Convert to optical signal. Also, in the master unit, the input digital terrestrial broadcast signal is distributed, and frequency conversion is performed twice for each distributed signal, so that signals of a plurality of channels are synthesized and output at the same frequency as at the time of reception. To do.

  Therefore, in the relay amplifier of this example, in the case of retransmitting digital terrestrial broadcasting, for example, even when many dead zones are dispersed, the optical cables G1 to Gn are used to re-send all dead zones at a low cost. It is possible to send. In this way, retransmission to a dead zone in terrestrial digital broadcasting can be efficiently performed using optical transmission, and a wide service area can be secured.

In the base unit of this example, the broadcast input means is constituted by the function of the input terminal 1, the pre-stage frequency conversion means is constituted by the functions of the mixers A1 to A8, and the function of the bandpass filters B1 to B8. Broadcast extraction means is configured, broadcast amplification means is configured by the functions of the variable amplifiers C1 to C8, post-stage frequency conversion means is configured by the functions of the up-converters D1 to Dn, and the function of the synthesizer 4 Broadcast synthesizing means is constituted, and the function of the amplifier 5 constitutes synthesizing amplification means, and the function of the electric signal / optical converter 6 constitutes the master light converting means, and the function of the optical distributor 7 Constitutes a light distribution means, and a master optical transmission means is constituted by the functions of the output terminals F1 to Fn.
Moreover, in the subunit | mobile_unit of this example, the subunit | mobile_unit light receiving means is comprised by the function of the input terminals H1-Hn, and the subunit | mobile_unit electric conversion means is comprised by the function of optical / electrical signal converter I1-In. The wireless transmission means is configured by the functions of the antennas L1 to Ln.

A second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The relay amplifier for digital terrestrial broadcasting in this example has a configuration substantially similar to that of the relay amplifier shown in FIG. Therefore, in this example, the relay amplifier of this example will be described with reference to FIG. 1, and the configuration and operation different from those of the relay amplifier described in the first example will be described in detail.
In this example, one-segment broadcasting is performed in terrestrial digital broadcasting.
FIG. 4 shows an example of channel arrangement and segment configuration on the frequency axis in terrestrial digital broadcasting.
As shown in FIG. 4, in this example, in each channel, a signal dedicated to a cellular phone is broadcast using the frequency band of the seventh segment.

In the base unit of this example, in the band pass filters B1 to B8 of the respective signal processing paths, only received signals within one segment band corresponding to each channel (in this example, transmitted in the seventh segment). (Only a signal dedicated to a cellular phone) is taken out.
In addition, as the variable amplifiers C1 to Cn and the amplifiers E1 to En of each signal processing path, those having an amplification band capable of amplifying a signal for at least one segment of each channel may be used. It is not necessary to have an amplification band (6 MHz in this example) that can amplify signals of all segments of the channel.

  As described above, in the relay amplifier of this example, a one-segment broadcasting signal of digital terrestrial broadcasting is input, and the master unit converts the signal into an optical signal and is transmitted to a plurality of slave units via the optical cables G1 to Gn. Each slave unit receives the optical signal, converts it into an electrical signal, and wirelessly transmits it from the antennas L1 to Ln, thereby relaying the terrestrial digital broadcast 1-segment broadcast signal to a plurality of dead zones Can be sent (retransmitted). In the base unit, a signal of one segment band in each channel is extracted from the signal for terrestrial digital broadcasting, and the extracted signal of one segment band is amplified to a predetermined level signal by amplifiers C1 to Cn and E1 to En, respectively. The synthesized signal is amplified and converted into an optical signal.

  Therefore, in the repeater amplifier of this example, the remaining 12 segments are not amplified in the re-transmission of the one-segment broadcast for the dead zone in the terrestrial digital broadcast. For example, the amplifier can be downsized. Thus, power consumption can be reduced, costs can be reduced, and retransmission can be performed efficiently.

A third embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 5 shows a configuration example of the relay amplifier for digital broadcasting of this example.
The relay amplifier of this example includes a master unit, a plurality of m slave units, m downlink optical cables P1 to Pm connecting the master unit and each slave unit, and m uplink optical cables. It is comprised from Y1-Ym. The optical cables P1 to Pm and Y1 to Ym are configured using, for example, optical fibers.
In this example, the direction from the parent device to the child device is referred to as “down”, and the direction from the child device to the parent device is referred to as “up”.
As a configuration for communication of the downlink signal, the master unit has a one-segment broadcasting input terminal 1, an amplifier 2, a distributor 3, a plurality of signal processing paths in this example, and a combiner 4. A plurality of input terminals M1 to M3 of the mobile phone system in this example, and three amplifiers N1 to N3 which are the same number as this, and a combiner 11 , An electric signal / optical converter (E / O converter) 12, an optical distributor 13, and m output terminals O1 to Om.
Each signal processing path provided between the distributor 3 and the combiner 4 corresponds to a different channel (Ch) of terrestrial digital broadcasting, and includes a mixer A1 to A8 and a bandpass as an example of a filter. It has filters B1 to B8, variable amplifiers C1 to C8, upconverters D1 to D8 composed of, for example, a mixer, and amplifiers E1 to E8.

In addition, the base unit has a configuration for communication of uplink signals, m number of mobile phone system input terminals Z1 to Zm, and m number of optical / electrical signal converters (O / E converters). ) AA1 to AAm, a synthesizer 21, an amplifier 22, a distributor 23, and a plurality of output terminals BB1 to BB3 of three mobile phone systems in this example.
Each slave unit includes input terminals Q1 to Qm, optical / electrical signal converters (O / E converters) R1 to Rm, and broadband amplifiers S1 to Sm as a configuration for uplink signal communication. Also, as a configuration for downstream signal communication, wideband amplifiers V1 to Vm, electrical signal / optical converters W1 to Wm, and output terminals X1 to Xm are provided, and a configuration common to upstream and downstream is provided. Are provided with duplexers T1 to Tm and antennas U1 to Um.
The respective output terminals O1 to Om provided in the master unit and the respective input terminals Q1 to Qm provided in the slave unit are connected by the respective down optical cables P1 to Pm. In addition, the input terminals Z1 to Zm of each mobile phone system provided in the master unit and the output terminals X1 to Xm provided in the slave unit are connected by respective upstream optical cables Y1 to Ym. Yes.

In this example, an input terminal 1, an amplifier 2, a distributor 3, and eight signal processing paths (mixers A1 to A8, bandpass filters B1 to B8, variable amplifiers C1 to C8, an up converter) provided in the master unit are provided. D1 to D8, amplifiers E1 to E8), combiner 4 and amplifier 5 are the same as those shown in FIG. 1 according to the second embodiment described above, and the same reference numerals are used. It is shown.
In this example, the same channel arrangement and segment configuration on the frequency axis in terrestrial digital broadcasting as those shown in FIG. 4 according to the second embodiment described above are used.

An example of the operation performed by the relay amplifier of this example is shown.
First, an example of the downlink communication operation of the master unit is shown.
A digital terrestrial broadcast one-segment broadcast signal is input to the digital terrestrial broadcast input terminal 1.
Amplifier 2, distributor 3, eight signal processing paths (mixers A1 to A8, bandpass filters B1 to B8, variable amplifiers C1 to C8, upconverters D1 to D8, amplifiers E1 to E8), synthesizer 4, amplifier 5 Then, processing similar to that described in the second embodiment is performed, and the amplified signal output from the amplifier 5 is input to the combiner 11.

Downlink signals to the mobile station device (mobile phone terminal device) transmitted from the base station device of the mobile phone system are input to the mobile phone system downlink signal input terminals M1 to M3. Here, in the base unit, for example, a downlink signal wirelessly transmitted from the base station apparatus may be received by an antenna (not shown) and input from the input terminals M1 to M3, or the base station apparatus and the base station apparatus may be wired. Downlink signals that are connected by a cable and output from the base station apparatus may be directly input from the input terminals M1 to M3.
Note that the base unit of this example corresponds to three mobile phone base station apparatuses (in this example, the same number as the number of communication channels of the mobile phone).

Downstream signals inputted from the respective input terminals M1 to M3 are amplified to signals of a predetermined level by the respective amplifiers N1 to N3, and the amplified signals are inputted to the synthesizer 11.
The synthesizer 11 synthesizes the amplified signal input from the amplifier 5 corresponding to the one-segment broadcasting of terrestrial digital broadcasting and the amplified signal input from the amplifiers N1 to N3 of the mobile phone system.
This combined signal is converted from an electric signal to an optical signal by the electric signal / optical converter 12, and the optical signal is distributed by the optical distributor 13, and the respective downstream signals are output via the respective downstream output terminals O1 to Om. To the optical cables P1 to Pm.

Next, an example of the downlink communication operation of each slave unit is shown.
In each of the slave units, optical signals transmitted through the downstream optical cables P1 to Pm are input from the input terminals Q1 to Qm. Also, the input optical signal is converted into an electrical signal by the optical / electrical signal converters R1 to Rm, and the electrical signal is amplified to a signal of a predetermined level by the broadband amplifiers S1 to Sm.
The configuration and operation in which the optical signal is distributed and transmitted by the optical distributor 13 of the master unit, the respective distributed signals are received by the respective slave units and amplified by the broadband amplifiers S1 to Sm are, for example, as described above. This is the same as in the second embodiment.
In each of the slave units, the amplified signals output from the broadband amplifiers S1 to Sm are output from output terminals (not shown), passed through the duplexers T1 to Tm, and unnecessary waves are removed. Wireless transmission from Um to the dead zone. Thereby, it is possible to deliver the downlink signal of the 1-segment broadcast of the terrestrial digital broadcast and the downlink signal of the mobile phone system to the mobile station apparatus existing in the dead zone.

Next, an example of the uplink communication operation of each slave unit is shown.
A mobile station device existing in the dead zone transmits an uplink signal to the base station device of the mobile phone system by radio.
In each of the slave units, uplink signals wirelessly transmitted from the mobile station apparatus are received by the antennas U1 to Um, and the received signals are transmitted from the input terminals (not shown) via the duplexers T1 to Tm to the broadband amplifiers V1 to Vm. To enter. Further, the received signal is amplified to a signal of a predetermined level by the broadband amplifiers V1 to Vm, the amplified signal is converted from an electric signal to an optical signal by the electric signal / optical converters W1 to Wm, and the optical signal is output to the output terminal X1. -Xm to the upstream optical cables Y1-Ym.

Next, an example of the upstream communication operation of the master unit is shown.
The upstream optical signals output from the respective slave units are transmitted to the master unit via the respective upstream optical cables Y1 to Ym.
In the base unit, the upstream optical signals from the respective slave units are input to the input terminals Z1 to Zm of the upstream signal of the mobile phone system via the respective upstream optical cables Y1 to Ym.
The optical signals inputted from the respective input terminals Z1 to Zm are converted into electric signals by the respective optical / electrical signal converters AA1 to AAm, and these m electric signals are synthesized by the synthesizer 21, and the synthesized signal Is amplified to a signal of a predetermined level by the amplifier 22.
Further, in this example, the distributor 23 distributes the amplified signal from the amplifier 22 into three signals corresponding to the three base station apparatuses of the mobile phone system, and each distributed signal corresponds to each mobile phone. It is output from the output terminals BB1 to BB3 of the upstream signal of the system. Each output signal is transmitted to each base station apparatus by radio or wire.

  As described above, in the relay amplifier of this example, a terrestrial digital broadcast 1-segment broadcast signal and a cellular phone system downlink signal are input, and the master unit converts these signals into optical signals and downloads the optical cable for downlink. The data is transmitted to a plurality of slave units via P1 to Pm, and each slave unit receives the optical signal, converts it into an electrical signal, and wirelessly transmits it from the antennas U1 to Um. Segment broadcast signals and mobile phone system downlink signals can be relayed (retransmitted) to a plurality of dead zones. In the relay amplifier of this example, each slave unit receives an upstream signal from each dead zone by the antennas U1 to Um, converts it to an optical signal, and converts it into an optical signal via the upstream optical cables Y1 to Ym. The base unit converts these upstream signals into electrical signals and transmits them to the base station device of the mobile phone system, so that upstream signals from a plurality of dead zones can be relayed (retransmitted). it can.

Therefore, in the relay amplifier of this example, the re-transmission of the one-segment broadcasting of the terrestrial digital broadcasting and the relay amplification of the mobile phone system are performed using a common device (base unit and handset) or common optical cables P1 to Pm, Y1 to Ym Since it can be performed using the common antennas U1 to Um, it is possible to cover a common area as a service area with low cost and space saving. In this example, retransmission to a dead zone in terrestrial digital broadcasting can be efficiently performed using optical transmission, a wide service area can be secured, and relay amplification of a mobile phone system can be performed. it can.
Here, in this example, for example, a configuration example of a relay amplifier in which a function of relaying and amplifying a signal other than the signal for terrestrial digital broadcasting is added to the function of the relay amplifier according to the second embodiment described above. As another configuration example, a configuration in which a function of relaying and amplifying a signal other than the signal for terrestrial digital broadcasting is added to the function of the relay amplifier according to the first embodiment described above. This relays signals other than channel signals and digital terrestrial broadcasting signals.

In the base unit of this example, the downlink signal input means is configured by the function of the downlink signal input terminals M1 to M3 of the mobile phone system, and the downlink signal amplification means is configured by the functions of the amplifiers N1 to N3. The function of the combiner 11 constitutes a combining means, the function of the electrical signal / optical converter 12 constitutes the master light converting means, and the function of the light distributor 13 constitutes the light distributing means. In addition, the master optical transmission means is configured by the functions of the output terminals O1 to Om. Further, in the base unit of this example, the base unit optical receiving means is configured by the functions of the upstream signal input terminals Z1 to Zm, and the base unit electrical conversion unit is configured by the functions of the optical / electrical signal converters AA1 to AAm. Thus, the function of the synthesizer 21 constitutes an uplink signal synthesis means, the function of the amplifier 22 constitutes an uplink signal amplification means, and the function of the output terminals BB1 to BB3 of the cellular phone system's uplink signal. Uplink signal transmission means is configured.
Moreover, in the subunit | mobile_unit of this example, the subunit | mobile_unit light receiving means is comprised by the function of the input terminals Q1-Qm, and the subunit | mobile_unit electric conversion means is comprised by the function of optical / electrical signal converter R1-Rm. The wireless transmission means and the wireless reception means are configured by the functions of the antennas U1 to Um, the slave unit optical conversion means is configured by the functions of the electric signal / optical converters W1 to Wm, and the output terminals X1 to Xm The slave optical transmission means is configured by the function.

Here, the configurations of the relay amplifier, the parent device, and the child device according to the present invention are not necessarily limited to those described above, and various configurations may be used. The present invention can also be provided as, for example, a method or method for executing the processing according to the present invention, a program for realizing such a method or method, or a recording medium for recording the program. It is also possible to provide various devices and systems.
For example, in the relay amplifier shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the example of the configuration in which the distributor 3 is provided in the preceding stage of the eight signal processing paths and the signal from the input terminal 1 is distributed to eight is shown. As a configuration example, when such a distributor 3 can be omitted, a configuration without such a distributor 3 may be used.
The application field of the present invention is not necessarily limited to the above-described fields, and the present invention can be applied to various fields.

In addition, as various processes performed in the relay amplifier, the parent device, the child device, and the like according to the present invention, for example, a control program in which a processor is stored in a ROM (Read Only Memory) in a hardware resource including a processor, a memory, and the like. May be used, and for example, each functional means for executing the processing may be configured as an independent hardware circuit.
The present invention can also be understood as a computer-readable recording medium such as a floppy (registered trademark) disk or a CD (Compact Disc) -ROM storing the control program, and the program (itself). The processing according to the present invention can be performed by inputting the program from the recording medium to the computer and causing the processor to execute the program.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the relay amplifier which concerns on 1st Example and 2nd Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the channel arrangement | positioning on the frequency axis in terrestrial digital broadcasting. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a segment. It is a figure which shows an example of the channel arrangement | positioning and segment structure on the frequency axis in terrestrial digital broadcasting. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the relay amplifier which concerns on 3rd Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  1, H1 to Hn, M1 to M3, Q1 to Qm, Z1 to Zm, input terminals, 2, 5, E1 to E8, 22, N1 to N3, V1 to Vm, amplifiers, 3, 23 to distributors 4, 11, 21 ... Synthesizer 6, 12, W1-Wm ... Electric signal / optical converter (E / O converter) 7, 13, ... Optical distributor, A1-A8 ... Mixer, B1 to B8, K1 to Kn, band pass filter, C1 to C8, variable amplifier, D1 to D8, upconverter, F1 to Fn, O1 to Om, X1 to Xm, BB1 to BB3, output terminal, G1 ~ Gn, P1 ~ Pm, Y1 ~ Ym ・ ・ Optical cable, I1In, R1 ~ Rm, AA1 ~ AAm ･ ･ Optical / electrical signal converter (O / E converter), J1 ~ Jn, S1 ~ Sm ･ ･ Wideband amplifier, L1-Ln, U1-Um ... antenna, T 1 to Tm ...

Claims (3)

In a relay amplifier that relays and amplifies terrestrial digital broadcast signals,
The relay amplifier is configured by connecting a master unit and a slave unit via an optical cable,
The master unit is a broadcast input means for inputting the digital terrestrial broadcast signal;
A plurality of broadcast extraction means for extracting signals of a predetermined band from the input signals;
A plurality of broadcast amplification means for amplifying the signals extracted by each of the plurality of broadcast extraction means to respective predetermined levels;
Broadcast synthesis means for synthesizing signals amplified by the plurality of broadcast amplification means;
Synthetic amplification means for amplifying the synthesized signal;
A master optical conversion means for converting the amplified signal into an optical signal;
A master optical transmission means for transmitting the optical signal to the optical cable,
The slave unit is a slave unit optical receiver that receives the optical signal transmitted from the master unit via the optical cable;
A handset electrical conversion means for converting the received optical signal into an electrical signal;
Wireless transmission means for wirelessly transmitting the electrical signal,
A relay amplifier characterized by that. The relay amplifier according to claim 1,
The broadcast extraction means of the master unit extracts a signal of a band of a different channel from the input signal, or extracts a signal of a band of a one-segment broadcast of a different channel from the input signal,
A relay amplifier characterized by that. The relay amplifier according to claim 1 or 2,
The base unit is a downlink signal input means for inputting a downlink signal of a wireless communication system other than the terrestrial digital broadcast,
Downlink signal amplification means for amplifying the input downlink signal;
Synthesizing means for synthesizing the signal amplified by the synthesis amplification means and the signal amplified by the downlink signal amplification means,
The base unit light converting means of the base unit converts the signal combined by the combining unit into an optical signal.
A relay amplifier characterized by that.

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