JP2007074236A - Communication apparatus with integrated function, inter-media connector, communication apparatus for terminal, and wiring form - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communication apparatus with an integrated function which can simply achieve communication at a low cost using the same system by a plurality of wiring systems. <P>SOLUTION: The communication apparatus A with the integrated function is used for a communication system including a plurality of media allowed to be used as communication lines and enables a plurality of media to communicate with a high-order side network by extracting signals from respective media. The communication apparatus A with the integrated function is provided with filters 8, 9, 10 formed correspondingly to respective media to pass signals of prescribed frequency bands and impedance matching units 14, 15, 16 and is connected to the terminal of the high-order side network. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication device with an integrated function, an inter-media coupler, a terminal communication device, and a wiring configuration. More specifically, the present invention relates to a communication device with an integrated function, an intermediary coupler, a terminal communication device, and a wiring configuration that are preferably used in a home network and use a power line or a telephone line as a communication path.

  Power line communication (Power Line Communication) is a method for transmitting information using power lines arranged to supply power such as outdoor wiring and indoor light lines, and it is necessary to newly construct a communication line. In recent years, it has been attracting attention as a communication means for Internet access and construction of a home network in the home.

  Similar to such power line communication, a system based on a standard called HomePNA for a telephone line and MOCA for a coaxial line has been proposed as one that uses an existing wiring system as a communication path.

  Among these wiring systems, the coaxial line and the telephone line have good transmission characteristics and can perform high-speed and stable communication, but there are few connection points and the places where the terminal apparatus can be used are limited. On the other hand, power lines have many connection points (there are outlets in almost all rooms at home), and the degree of freedom in selecting the terminal device usage location is high, but the complexity of the wiring path affects the transmission characteristics, and the transmission speed Variation may occur.

  Since each wiring system has advantages and disadvantages as described above, if the wiring system can be selected according to the intended use and the terminal device can be connected, the advantages of each wiring system can be utilized. Since each wiring system has a different method, it is necessary to provide predetermined equipment for each wiring system in order to enable selection of the wiring system according to the purpose of use, which complicates the system and increases the cost. It is not realistic because it turns on.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and a communication device with an integrated function, which can realize communication using the same method in a plurality of wiring systems easily and at low cost, and inter-media coupling It is an object to provide a communication device, a terminal communication device, and a wiring configuration.

The communication device with an integrated function according to the present invention is used in a communication system including a plurality of media that can be used as communication channels, and has an integrated function that enables signals to be extracted from each of the plurality of media to communicate with a higher-level network. A communication device,
It is provided with a filter and an impedance matching unit provided corresponding to each of the plurality of media and allowing a signal of a predetermined frequency band to pass through, and is connected to a termination of the higher-level network.

  In the communication device with an integrated function according to the present invention, a filter that allows a signal in a predetermined frequency band to pass is provided corresponding to each of the plurality of media. Therefore, a signal in a predetermined frequency band to be transmitted and received from each medium is extracted. be able to. In addition, the impedance matching unit can eliminate differences in impedance and attenuation between media due to differences in wiring structure and connection form. For this reason, it is possible to communicate using a plurality of media using the same method, and it is possible to easily construct a highly convenient integrated network. On the terminal device side, media can be freely selected according to usage, and the advantages of each media can be utilized.

  The predetermined frequency band is preferably a frequency band of a signal used in power line communication. In this case, overall excellent communication can be performed in that it can coexist with a communication speed, signal attenuation, and a signal used in an existing medium.

The intermedia coupler of the present invention is used in a communication system including a plurality of media that can be used as a communication path, and is an intermedia coupler that connects the plurality of media so that they can communicate with each other.
A filter and an impedance matching unit are provided corresponding to each of the plurality of media, and pass a signal of a predetermined frequency band.

  In the intermedia coupler of the present invention, a filter that allows a signal of a predetermined frequency band to pass is provided corresponding to each of the plurality of media, so that a signal of a predetermined frequency band to be transmitted / received from each medium is extracted. Can do. In addition, the impedance matching unit can eliminate differences in impedance and attenuation between media due to differences in wiring structure and connection form. For this reason, even when one or more of the plurality of media cannot be connected to the communication device with integrated function or when connection is difficult, the media that can be connected to the communication device with integrated function, and the remaining By connecting media that cannot be connected or difficult to connect by means of the inter-media coupler, signals can be communicated between the media. As a result, communication can be performed using a plurality of media using the same method, and a highly convenient integrated network can be easily constructed. On the terminal device side, media can be freely selected according to usage, and the advantages of each media can be utilized.

  In addition, since the inter-media coupler of the present invention is coupled by a predetermined filter and impedance matching unit, it is possible to once capture the signal into the device and perform coupling between the media of the signal. The signal can be passed between the media with only the device. In this case, there is no need to process the signal by the device, which is advantageous in terms of signal delay. On the other hand, when the signal strength is weak, the speed will drop when passing between different media, so it is also possible to capture the signal once in the device and play back and amplify the signal to combine the media Is possible.

  The predetermined frequency band is preferably a frequency band of a signal used in power line communication. In this case, overall excellent communication can be performed in that it can coexist with a communication speed, signal attenuation, and a signal used in an existing medium.

The terminal communication device of the present invention is a terminal communication device used together with a terminal device in the communication system in a communication system including a plurality of media that can be used as a communication path,
A plurality of terminal portions connectable to respective terminal portions of the plurality of media;
A filter and an impedance matching unit that are provided corresponding to each of the plurality of media and pass a signal of a predetermined frequency band;
It is characterized by having.

  The terminal communication device of the present invention has a plurality of terminal portions connectable to the respective terminal portions of a plurality of media, and a filter that allows a signal in a predetermined frequency band to pass is provided corresponding to each of the plurality of media. Therefore, a signal of a predetermined frequency band to be transmitted / received from the terminal device can be extracted and transmitted to a desired medium. In addition, the impedance matching unit can eliminate differences in impedance and attenuation between media due to differences in wiring structure and connection form.

  The predetermined frequency band is preferably a frequency band of a signal used in power line communication. In this case, overall excellent communication can be performed in that it can coexist with a communication speed, signal attenuation, and a signal used in an existing medium.

  Furthermore, the wiring form of the present invention is a wiring form of a communication system including a plurality of media that can be used as a communication path, and the plurality of media are connected to each other by the above-described intermedia coupler. It is characterized by that.

  In the wiring form of the present invention, the plurality of media are connected to each other by the above-described intermedia coupler so that they can communicate with each other using the same method. A highly integrated network can be easily constructed. On the terminal device side, media can be freely selected according to usage, and the advantages of each media can be utilized.

  According to the communication device with an integrated function, the intermediary coupler, the terminal communication device, and the wiring configuration according to the present invention, communication using the same method in a plurality of wiring systems can be realized easily and at low cost.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a communication device with an integrated function, an inter-media coupler, a terminal communication device, and a wiring form according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a home network to which a communication device with an integrated function of the present invention is applied. In this application example, a telephone line 1, a power line 2, and a coaxial line 3 are wired at predetermined locations in the home as media that can be used as a communication path. The telephone line 1, the power line 2 and the coaxial line 3 are drawn into the home from the external telephone line 11, the power line 12 and the coaxial line 13 via the lead-in portions 4, 5, and 6 arranged outside the home, respectively. . As shown in the figure, the power line 2 has many access points and outlets are arranged in each room, but the telephone line 1 and the coaxial line 3 have fewer access points than the power line 2. In the figure, 30 is a distribution board, and 31 is a set top box (STB).

  The communication device A with an integrated function according to an embodiment of the present invention is arranged outside the home as with the pull-in units 4, 5, 6. In the present embodiment, the communication device A with an integrated function and the ONU (Optical Network Unit) 7 that constitutes the termination of the higher-level network are integrated (see FIG. 2). Good. The ONU 7 is connected to the upper network via an optical fiber cable 32.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the communication device A with an integrated function includes filters 8, 9, 10 and impedance matching units 14, 15, 16 provided corresponding to the telephone line 1, the power line 2, and the coaxial line 3, respectively. It has. The filters 8, 9, and 10 allow signals in a predetermined frequency band to pass. In the present embodiment, as the predetermined frequency band, a frequency band of a signal used in power line communication (usually 2 to 30 MHz). The frequency band normally used as the telephone line 1 is up to several kHz, and the frequency band normally used as the coaxial line 3 is a high band of several hundred MHz, A high-pass filter (HPF), a high-pass filter (HPF), and a band-pass filter (BPF) are used as the filters 8, 9, and 10, respectively. By providing such a filter, a signal in a predetermined frequency band to be transmitted and received from each of the telephone line 1, the power line 2, and the coaxial line 3 can be extracted. Further, the impedance and the attenuation are different between the media such as the telephone line 1 due to the difference in the wiring structure and the connection form. However, impedance matching units 14, 15, and 16 are provided corresponding to the respective media. Thus, the difference in impedance and attenuation can be eliminated. Impedance matching can be, for example, 100Ω for telephone lines and 50Ω for power and coaxial lines. Moreover, these can be unified and it can also couple | bond by about 50 (ohm).

  Signals from the telephone line 1, the power line 2, and the coaxial line 3 are transmitted to the ONU 7 via the filter and impedance matching unit, and the OFDM modulator / demodulator and MAC unit 17. By using the filter and the impedance matching unit, it is possible to communicate with a plurality of media using the same method, and to provide a convenient, high-speed and ubiquitous integrated network without drawing an optical fiber into the home. Easy to build. On the terminal device side, the media can be freely selected according to the intended use, and the advantages of each media can be utilized.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of terminal communication apparatus B according to one embodiment of the present invention. The terminal communication device B is disposed between a terminal device such as a personal computer (PC) 18 or a television and a medium such as the telephone line 1. The terminal communication device B receives a plurality of terminal portions (not shown) connectable to respective terminal portions of a plurality of media, and signals in a predetermined frequency band provided corresponding to the plurality of media. Filters 19, 20, 21 to be passed and impedance matching units 22, 23, 24 are provided. As these filters 19, 20, 21 and impedance matching units 22, 23, 24, the same media as the communication device A with an integrated function can be used for each medium.

  Signals from the telephone line 1, the power line 2 and the coaxial line 3 are transmitted to a PC 18 which is a terminal device via a filter and an impedance matching unit, an OFDM modulator / demodulator / MAC unit 25, and a physical layer conversion unit 26. . From the power line 2, a DC power source for driving the terminal communication device B is taken out by the AC / DC power source 27.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a home network to which the communication device with an integrated function and the intermedia coupler of the present invention are applied. In this application example, unlike the application example shown in FIG. 1, the communication device A with an integrated function is connected only to the lead-in part 6 of the coaxial line 3 among the telephone line 1, the power line 2 and the coaxial line 3, The telephone line 1 and the power line 2 are not connected to the lead-in portions 4 and 5. On the other hand, in this application example, the intermedia coupler C1 is disposed between the terminal end of the coaxial line 3 and the terminal end of the power line 2, and between the terminal end of the telephone line 1 and the terminal end of the power line 2 An intermedia coupler C2 is disposed therebetween. These inter-media couplers C1 and C2 connect the coaxial line 3 and the power line 2 and between the telephone line 1 and the power line 2 so that they can communicate with each other. Provided with a filter and an impedance matching device for passing a signal of a predetermined frequency band. As these filters and impedance matching units, the same media as the communication device A with an integrated function can be used for each medium.

  In the intermedia couplers C1 and C2, a filter that allows a signal in a predetermined frequency band to pass is provided corresponding to each medium to be connected. Therefore, a signal in a predetermined frequency band to be transmitted and received from each medium. Can be taken out. In addition, the impedance matching unit can eliminate differences in impedance and attenuation between media due to differences in wiring structure and connection form. For this reason, even when one or more media among the plurality of media cannot be connected to the communication device with integrated function A or are difficult to connect, a medium that can be connected to the communication device with integrated function A, By connecting the remaining media that cannot be connected or difficult to connect with the media couplers C1 and C2, signals can be communicated between the media. As a result, communication can be performed using a plurality of media using the same method, and a highly convenient integrated network can be easily constructed. On the terminal device side, media can be freely selected according to usage, and the advantages of each media can be utilized. In this case, when the communication with the terminal device is sufficiently performed only by allowing the signal to pass through only the filter and the impedance matching unit of the intermedia coupler C1 or C2, the signal is transmitted at the device portion of the intermedia coupler. There is no need to regenerate and amplify. On the other hand, when the signal strength is weak, the speed will drop when passing between different media, so it is also possible to capture the signal once in the device and play back and amplify the signal to combine the media Is possible.

  In addition, a terminal unit that can be connected to each terminal portion of a plurality of media composing the communication system (in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, telephone line 1, power line 2, and coaxial line 3) is provided and compatible with each medium. By providing the above-mentioned filter and impedance matching device, communication between the power line and the telephone line, between the power line and the coaxial line, and between the telephone line and the coaxial line is performed using the same-media coupler. Can be connected as possible.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of another embodiment of the communication device with integrated function according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the communication device A with integrated function shown in FIG. And an antenna unit 29 are provided, and the wired media composed of the telephone line 1, the telephone line 2, and the coaxial line 3 and the wireless are integrated and combined.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram of still another embodiment of the communication device with an integrated function according to the present invention. In this embodiment, in the communication device A with an integrated function shown in FIG. , 16 and the OFDM modulator / demodulator and MAC unit 17 are arranged. In this embodiment, the ONU that constitutes the termination of the upper network is separate from the communication device A with the coupling function. By inserting a directional coupler 40 so that the signals that have passed through the filters 8, 9, 10 and the impedance matching units 14, 15, 16 can only pass through the OFDM modulator / demodulator and MAC unit 17, the filters 8, 9, 10 are inserted. In addition, the impedance matching units 14, 15, and 16 can prevent signals from passing between the media. This is effective, for example, in preventing noise specific to media other than signals from flowing into other media. In the coaxial line or the like, since the upstream inflow noise is concerned, it is possible to prevent the in-house noise from going out through the communication device A with an integrated function. In this case, as described above, the media cannot be coupled unless the signal is once reproduced and amplified by the media coupler.

  In the above-described embodiment, an optical fiber is used for connection to the upper network, but it is needless to say that xDSL or other means such as ADSL can be used as appropriate.

It is explanatory drawing of the home network to which the communication apparatus with an integrated function of this invention is applied. It is a schematic block diagram of one embodiment of a communication device with an integrated function of the present invention. It is a schematic block diagram of one embodiment of a communication device for terminals of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing of the home network to which the communication apparatus with an integrated function of this invention and the coupling device between media are applied. It is a schematic block diagram of other embodiment of the communication apparatus with an integrated function of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram of other embodiment of the communication apparatus with an integrated function of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1,11 telephone line 2,12 power line 3,13 coaxial line 7ONU
8, 9, 10
19, 20, 21 Filter 14, 15, 16
22, 23, 24 impedance matching unit 17, 25 OFDN modulator / demodulator and MAC unit 18 personal computer (terminal device)
Communication device with A coupling function Communication device for B terminal C1, C2 Media coupling device

Claims (7)

A communication device with an integrated function that is used in a communication system including a plurality of media that can be used as a communication path, extracts a signal from each of the plurality of media, and enables communication with an upper network,
An integrated function comprising a filter and an impedance matching unit provided corresponding to each of the plurality of media and passing a signal of a predetermined frequency band, and connected to a termination of the upper network Communication device.   The communication device with an integrated function according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined frequency band is a frequency band of a signal used in power line communication. An inter-media coupler that is used in a communication system including a plurality of media that can be used as a communication path, and that connects the plurality of media in a communicable manner,
A media-to-media coupler, comprising a filter and an impedance matching unit, which are provided corresponding to each of the plurality of media and pass a signal of a predetermined frequency band.   The intermedia coupler according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined frequency band is a frequency band of a signal used in power line communication. In a communication system including a plurality of media that can be used as a communication path, a terminal communication device used together with a terminal device in the communication system,
A plurality of terminal portions connectable to respective terminal portions of the plurality of media;
A filter and an impedance matching unit that are provided corresponding to each of the plurality of media and pass a signal of a predetermined frequency band;
A communication device for a terminal, comprising:   The terminal communication device according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined frequency band is a frequency band of a signal used in power line communication.   A wiring form of a communication system including a plurality of media that can be used as a communication path, wherein the plurality of media are connected to each other by an intermedia coupler according to claim 3. Wiring form.

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