JP2007184661A - Gap filler system and branching device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate installation of a gap filler system provided with a plurality of transmission antennas and transmission amplifiers. <P>SOLUTION: Transmission side amplifier units 700 receive broadcast signals superimposed with drive signals by power supply branching units 600. Thereafter each of the transmission side amplifier units 700 separates the broadcast signal and power supply signal from the received signal, drives an amplifier by a drive signal produced on the basis of the power supply signal to amplify a signal level of the separated broadcast signal. The drive signal is produced on the basis of the power supply signal transmitted not through transmission paths 30, 32 but through a path diverged by its concerned power supply branching unit 600. Thus, it is not required to transmit signals at a signal level depending on the number of the transmission side amplifier units 700 through the transmission paths 30, 32 thereby eliminating the need for taking into account the voltage drop through the transmission paths 30, 32. Consequently, the transmission distance by the transmission paths 30, 32 can be extended more in comparison with the configuration of transmitting the power supply signal (i.e. drive signal) through the transmission paths 30, 32. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a gap filler system that amplifies a signal level of a broadcast signal received by a receiving antenna and retransmits the signal from the transmitting antenna.

  Normally, in a gap filler system, a device composed of a transmission antenna and a transmission amplifier (transmission side device) is located away from a device composed of a reception antenna and a reception amplifier (reception side device). Installed.

  In this case, a drive signal for driving the amplifier for transmission may be supplied to the amplifier by superimposing a transmission cable (for example, a coaxial cable, etc.) between the two devices on the transmitted broadcast signal. In this case, in the transmission side device, the transmitted signal is separated into the broadcast signal and the drive signal, and the supply of the drive signal thus separated is received to realize amplification of the signal level for the separated broadcast signal. Possible (see Patent Document 1).

Such a drive signal supply method eliminates the need for laying a cable only for supplying a drive signal between both devices, and thus reduces the time and labor required for laying such a cable. Can be easily installed.
JP 2003-078492 A

  By the way, for example, when the dead zone of the broadcast signal is over a wide range or the dead zone has a complicated shape, in order to be able to retransmit the broadcast signal to such a dead zone, It is necessary to install each transmitting device in a different place.

  In such a case, considering the adoption of the drive signal supply method described above, the signal level (current value) of the drive signal to be supplied from the reception side device is naturally increased depending on the number of transmission side devices. Must.

 However, when the drive signal is transmitted to the transmission cable, the voltage drop increases according to the transmission distance. Therefore, the signal level of the drive signal has to be increased as the transmission distance becomes longer. Is not practical, and as a result, the transmission distance by the transmission cable must be shortened.

  However, laying a cable only to supply a drive signal between both devices increases the labor involved in laying the cable as described above, so that it can be easily installed as a gap filler system. From the viewpoint of

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and the object thereof is to facilitate installation as a gap filler system including a plurality of devices including a transmission antenna and a transmission amplifier. Is to provide technology for

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a gap filler system according to claim 1 includes a receiving antenna that receives a broadcast signal transmitted from a broadcasting station side, and a transmission path that transmits the broadcast signal received by the receiving antenna. A branching device for branching the transmission path into a plurality of routes, a plurality of amplifying units for amplifying signal levels of broadcast signals transmitted through the branching route branched by the branching unit, and a signal level by each of the amplifying units. A gap filler device comprising a plurality of transmitting antennas for retransmitting the amplified broadcast signal, and supplied to the broadcast signal transmitted through the branch path from the outside for driving the amplifying unit. A plurality of drive superimposing units for superimposing drive signals, wherein the amplifying unit is a drive for separating a broadcast signal and a drive signal from a signal transmitted through the branch path; Away it means, and has an amplification means for amplifying signal level of the separated broadcast signal is supplied with the drive signal separated into the drive separation means, it is characterized.

  Further, the gap filler system according to claim 2 is a state separation means for separating a state signal indicating an operation state of the amplification unit from a signal transmitted through the transmission path, in addition to the configuration of claim 1, and A state monitoring unit having an information collecting unit that collects an operation state indicated by the state signal separated by the state separating unit; and the amplifying unit transmits a broadcast signal transmitted through the branch path to the amplifying unit. State output means for superimposing a state signal indicating its own operation state and outputting it to the transmission path side is provided.

  In this configuration, the status signal may be configured to transmit the branch path and the transmission path together with the broadcast signal (in a state of being superimposed on the broadcast signal). However, for example, when an element such as an attenuator (attenuator) is provided in the branch path, there is a possibility that a problem such as the signal level of the state signal being attenuated unnecessarily occurs. Therefore, it is conceivable to configure the status signal to be relayed through another route. For this purpose, for example, it may be configured as described in claim 3.

  The gap filler system according to claim 3, wherein a state separation unit that separates the state signal from a signal transmitted through the branch path, a state relay path that relays the state signal separated by the state separation unit, and the transmission A state superimposing unit that superimposes a state signal transmitted through the state relay route on a broadcast signal transmitting the route and outputs the signal to the state monitoring unit.

  In addition, as described above, in the configuration in which the state monitoring unit collects the operation state of the amplification unit, the timing at which the state signal is transmitted from the amplification unit is not particularly limited. For example, it is conceivable that the amplification unit is configured to transmit at a constant time interval. It is also conceivable that the amplifying unit is configured to transmit a status signal in response to a request from the status monitoring unit.

In order to realize the latter, for example, it may be configured as described in claim 4.
5. The gap filler system according to claim 4, wherein the state monitoring unit includes request transmission means for transmitting a request signal for requesting the state signal to the amplification unit and superimposing the request signal on the transmission path. And the amplifying unit includes request separating means for separating the request signal from a signal transmitted through the branch path, and the state transmitting means receives the request signal separated by the request separating means. The status signal is transmitted.

  In this configuration, the transmission of the request signal by the state monitoring unit may be performed at a timing such as when a certain time period, occurrence of some event is detected, or when the processing load of the state monitoring unit is lighter than a certain level. Good. The request signal may be transmitted to all of the plurality of amplifying units, or may be transmitted to each of the plurality of amplifying units in order.

  In this configuration, the request signal may be configured to transmit the branch path and the transmission path together with the broadcast signal (in a state of being superimposed on the broadcast signal). However, for example, in the case where an element such as an attenuator (attenuator) is provided in the branch path, there is a possibility that a problem such as the signal level of the request signal being attenuated unnecessarily occurs. Therefore, it can be considered that the request signal is configured to be relayed through another route. For this purpose, for example, it may be configured as described in claim 5.

  The gap filler system according to claim 5, wherein a request separation unit that separates the request signal from a signal that is transmitted through the transmission path, a request relay path that relays the request signal separated by the request separation unit, and the branch A request superimposing unit that superimposes a request signal that transmits the request relay path on a broadcast signal that transmits the path and outputs the signal to the amplifying unit side.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, a branching apparatus includes the branching device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects and a drive superimposing unit.
A branching device according to a seventh aspect includes the state separation unit, the state relay path, and the state superposition unit according to any one of the third to fifth aspects.

  A branching device according to an eighth aspect includes the request separation unit, the request relay route, and the request superimposing unit according to a fifth aspect.

  According to the gap filler system of the first aspect, a signal in which a driving signal supplied from the outside is superimposed on the broadcast signal transmitted through the transmission path is input to the amplifying unit. Then, the amplifying unit receiving such a signal separates the broadcast signal and the drive signal from the signal, receives the supply of the separated drive signal, and realizes the amplification of the signal level for the separated broadcast signal. Can do.

  At this time, since the drive signal supplied to the amplification unit is transmitted through the branch path instead of the transmission path, a signal having a signal level corresponding to the number of amplification units and transmission antennas is transmitted from the reception antenna side to the transmission path. There is no need to consider the effects of voltage drop due to such signals. Therefore, the transmission distance by this transmission path can be lengthened compared with the structure which transmits the drive signal of an amplifier by a transmission path.

  Further, since the drive signal supplied to the amplification unit is superimposed on the branch path branched from the transmission path, it is not necessary to lay a supply path only for supplying the drive signal to the amplification unit. There is no trouble in laying. As a result, installation as a gap filler system can be facilitated. This becomes more significant as the transmission distance through the transmission path becomes longer.

According to the gap filler system of the second aspect, the operating state of the amplifying unit can be collected by the state monitoring unit.
At this time, the state signal indicating the operation state collected by the state monitoring unit is a signal output to the transmission path side by being superimposed on the broadcast signal transmitted through the branch path by the amplification unit, and transmitted through this transmission path. The signal is separated from the signal on the state monitoring unit side. In other words, since the status signal is transmitted along the transmission path together with other signals, it is not necessary to lay a path only for transmitting the status signal along the transmission path, and no labor is required for such laying. As a result, it is possible to prevent an unnecessary increase in labor for installing the gap filler system. This becomes more significant as the transmission distance through the transmission path becomes longer.

  According to the gap filler system of the third aspect, since the state signal is separated from the signal transmitted through the branch path and transmitted to the state relay path, for example, when an element such as an attenuator is provided in the branch path Even if it exists, it can prevent that troubles, such as the signal level of a state signal being attenuate | damped unnecessarily, arise by providing a state relay path | route so that the element may be bypassed.

  In addition, since the state relay route at this time only needs to have a transmission distance that can bypass other elements provided in the branch route, a route only for transmitting the state signal is laid along the transmission route. As a result, no great effort is required.

  According to the gap filler system of the fourth aspect, the state monitoring unit can collect the operation state of each amplification unit according to the convenience of the state monitoring unit by transmitting a request signal.

  According to the gap filler system of the fifth aspect, since the request signal is separated from the signal transmitted through the branch path and transmitted to the request relay path, for example, when an element such as an attenuator is provided in the branch path. Even if it exists, it can prevent that malfunctions, such as the signal level of a request signal being attenuate | damped unnecessarily, by providing a request | requirement relay path | route so that the element may be bypassed.

According to the branching device of the sixth aspect, a part of the gap filler system according to any one of the first to fifth aspects can be configured.
According to the branching device of the seventh aspect, a part of the gap filler system according to any of the third to fifth aspects can be configured.

  According to the branching device described in claim 8, a part of the gap filler system described in claim 5 can be configured.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
(1) Overall Configuration As shown in FIG. 1, the gap filler system 1 retransmits broadcast signals received by the reception side device 10 and the reception side device 10 that receives broadcast signals transmitted from the broadcast station side. The transmission side device 20, the reception side device 10, and the transmission side device 20 are connected to the transmission paths 30 and 32. The transmission paths 30 and 32 are connected via a distributor 34.
(1-1) Configuration and Operation of Reception Side Device The reception side device 10 includes a reception antenna 100 that receives broadcast signals, a reception side amplification unit 200 that amplifies the signal level of the broadcast signals received by the reception antenna 100, The receiving side transmitting unit 300 for transmitting the broadcast signal amplified by the receiving side amplifying unit 200 to the transmitting side device 20 via the transmission paths 30 and 32, and between the receiving side amplifying unit 200 and the receiving side transmitting unit 300. A state monitoring unit 400 that monitors the operating state of the receiving side amplification unit 200 is provided.

First, the operation of the receiving side amplification unit 200 will be described with reference to FIG.
In the reception side amplification unit 200, the signal level of the signal input from the reception antenna 100 side is amplified by the multistage amplifier 202. Thereafter, the frequency band corresponding to the broadcast signal among the signals thus amplified in signal level passes through the high-pass filter 204 and is output to the state monitoring unit 400 side. Here, a power supply separation circuit 206 is provided in the path from the high-pass filter 204 to the state monitoring unit 400. This power supply separation circuit 206 separates only frequency components of a power supply signal, which will be described later, to separate the power supply unit 220. The circuit configuration is such that the signal is output to a path connected to, and a signal in a higher frequency band is passed in both directions. Therefore, the signal (broadcast signal) that has passed through the high-pass filter 204 passes through the power supply separation circuit 206 and is output to the state monitoring unit 400 side.

  In the receiving side amplification unit 200, the operation state (for example, input / output level, current value or voltage value of FET (amplifying element), voltage value, temperature, etc.) of the multistage amplifier 202 is monitored by the CPU 210. The CPU 210 outputs state information indicating the operation state to the state monitoring unit 400 side at a predetermined timing. This state information is modulated by the modulation unit 212 into a state signal in a frequency band (f1) lower than the broadcast signal (for example, modulation by FSK; the same applies hereinafter), and the diplexer 214, the low-pass filter 216, and the power source separation circuit 206 are And output to the state monitoring unit 400 side.

  Here, the timing at which the CPU 210 outputs the state information indicates that the operation state indicates that an abnormality has occurred in the reception-side amplification unit 200. In addition to the timing determined on the CPU 210 side, such as a certain time period, state monitoring There are times when a request signal is received from the unit 400 side.

  This request signal is a signal in a lower frequency band (f2, f2 ≠ f1) than the broadcast signal, and is a signal transmitted by the state monitoring unit 400 along the path from the state monitoring unit 400 to the receiving side amplification unit 200. Is a signal that is superimposed and output. Then, the request signal output from the state monitoring unit 400 passes through the power supply separation circuit 206, the low-pass filter 216, and the diplexer 214, and then is input to the demodulation unit 218. Thus, the request signal input to the demodulator 218 is demodulated into request information suitable for processing by the CPU 210 (for example, demodulated by FSK; the same applies hereinafter) and then input to the CPU 210. The CPU 210 that has input the request information outputs state information indicating the operation state at that time to the state monitoring unit 400 in the same manner as described above.

  Further, the receiving side amplification unit 200 operates by supplying the drive signal generated by the power supply unit 220 to each component (multistage amplifier 202, CPU 210, etc.). As will be described later, the signal transmitted through the path from the reception side amplification unit 200 to the state monitoring unit 400 is a signal output by the state monitoring unit 400 and is used to supply power to the reception side amplification unit 200. The power signal is superimposed. This power supply signal is separated by the power supply separation circuit 206 and output to the path leading to the power supply unit 220. The power supply unit 220 generates a drive signal (DC12V signal in this embodiment) based on this power supply signal. Generate. Note that the power supply signal that is the basis for generating the drive signal here is a signal in a lower frequency band than the status signal and the request signal (in this embodiment, a DC signal).

Next, the configuration and operation of the state monitoring unit 400 will be described with reference to FIG.
In the state monitoring unit 400, the broadcast signal input from the reception side amplification unit 200 side passes through the high pass filter 402 and is output to the reception side transmission unit 300 side. Here, a power supply insertion circuit 404 is provided in the path from the reception side amplification unit 200 to the high pass filter 402. This power supply insertion circuit 404 is a circuit that allows a high-frequency component to pass through the power supply signal bidirectionally. It has a configuration. Therefore, the broadcast signal input from the receiving side amplification unit 200 side passes through the power supply insertion circuit 404 and reaches the high pass filter 402.

  In addition, the state monitoring unit 400 supplies a drive signal (in this embodiment, a DC12V signal) generated by the power supply unit 406 based on the external power supply to each component (a CPU 408, a transmission / reception unit 418, which will be described later). To work. Further, the power supply unit 406 generates a signal (DC signal) in a lower frequency band than the status signal and the request signal as a power supply signal based on not only the drive signal but also an external power supply. When this power supply signal is input to the power supply insertion circuit 404, the power supply insertion circuit 404 superimposes it on a signal transmitted through the path from the state monitoring unit 400 to the reception side amplification unit 200 and receives the signal on the reception side amplification unit 200 side. Is output.

  Further, in this state monitoring unit 400, the CPU 408 outputs a request command to the reception side amplification unit 200 side at a constant cycle, and inputs a state signal output from the reception side amplification unit 200 side. Here, the request command is modulated by the modulation unit 410 into a request signal in a lower frequency band (f2) than the broadcast signal, and then passes through the diplexer 412, the low-pass filter 414 and the power supply insertion circuit 404 and is amplified on the receiving side. Output to the unit 200 side. The state signal passes through the power supply insertion circuit 404, the low pass filter 414, and the diplexer 412 and is input to the demodulation unit 416. The demodulator 416 demodulates the state signal into state information suitable for processing by the CPU 408 and inputs the demodulated state signal to the CPU 408. The CPU 408 collects the state information input within a predetermined time, and causes the state information thus collected to be transmitted to a predetermined transmission destination by the transmission / reception unit 418. The transmission / reception unit 418 transmits state information via the wireless antenna 420.

Note that the receiving side transmission unit 300 simply transmits the broadcast signal input from the state monitoring unit 400 via the transmission paths 30 and 32, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.
(1-2) Configuration and Operation of Transmission-side Device The transmission-side device 20 includes a transmission-side reception unit 500 that receives broadcast signals transmitted from the reception-side device 10 via transmission paths 30 and 32, and transmission-side reception. The signal level is amplified by the power supply branching unit 600 for branching the broadcast signal received by the unit 500, the transmission side amplification unit 700 for amplifying the signal level of the broadcast signal branched to the power supply branching unit 600, and the transmission side amplification unit 700. A transmission antenna 800 for retransmitting a broadcast signal, a state monitoring unit 900 that is interposed between the transmission side reception unit 500 and the power supply branching unit 600 and monitors the operation state of the transmission side amplification unit 700 are provided.

First, the configuration and operation of the state monitoring unit 900 will be described with reference to FIG.
In the state monitoring unit 900, the broadcast signal input from the transmission-side reception unit 500 passes through the high-pass filter 902 and is output to the power supply branching unit 600 side.

  Further, in this state monitoring unit 900, the CPU 904 outputs a request command to the transmission side amplification unit 700 side at a constant cycle, and inputs a state signal transmitted from the transmission side amplification unit 700 side. At this time, the request command is modulated by the modulation unit 906 into a request signal in a lower frequency band (f2) than the broadcast signal, passes through the diplexer 908 and the low-pass filter 910, and is output to the power supply branching unit 600 side. . Further, the status signal is a signal in a lower frequency band (f1) than the broadcast signal, and the transmission side amplification unit 700 superimposes the signal transmitted through the path from the transmission side amplification unit 700 to the power supply branching unit 600. This is the signal that is output. The state signal output from the transmission side amplification unit 700 passes through the low pass filter 910 and the diplexer 908 and is input to the demodulation unit 912. The demodulator 912 demodulates the state signal into state information suitable for processing by the CPU 904 and inputs the demodulated state signal to the CPU 904. The CPU 904 collects the state information input within a certain time, and causes the transmission / reception unit 914 to transmit the collected state information to a predetermined transmission destination. The transmission / reception unit 914 transmits state information via the wireless antenna 916.

  In addition, the state monitoring unit 900 supplies a drive signal (in this embodiment, a DC12V signal) generated by the power supply unit 918 based on the external power supply to each component (CPU 904, transmission / reception unit 914, etc.). Works with.

  Note that the transmission side receiving unit 500 in the transmission side device 20 simply receives broadcast signals input from the transmission paths 30 and 32 and outputs them to the state monitoring unit 900, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

Next, the configuration and operation of the power branching unit 600 will be described with reference to FIG.
In the power supply branching unit 600, the broadcast signal input from the state monitoring unit 900 side is input to the branching unit 604 and is branched into two paths. Thus, a broadcast signal that transmits one of the routes branched by the branching device 604 (route toward the lower left in FIG. 5) is output to the power supply branching unit 600 at the subsequent stage. In addition, a broadcast signal that transmits the other route (route to the right in FIG. 5) is input to the distributor 608, and is further distributed to each of a plurality of routes (in this embodiment, two routes). Is done.

  Thus, the broadcast signal distributed by the distributor 608 passes through the high-pass filter 610, the attenuator (ATT) 612, and the high-pass filter 614, respectively, and is input to the power supply insertion circuit (power supply insertion) 616.

  A power supply signal generated by the power supply unit 618 based on an external power supply is input to the power supply insertion circuit 616. The power supply signal is superimposed on a signal transmitted through the path to the transmission side amplification unit 700 by the power supply insertion circuit 616 and output to the transmission side amplification unit 700 side. The power supply unit 618 also generates a drive signal (in this embodiment, a DC12V signal) to be supplied to each component (CPUs 628 and 630, which will be described later) of the power supply branching unit 600. Supply to each component.

  In addition, the power branching unit 600 includes a state monitoring unit 900 and a transmission side amplifying unit by a first CPU (CPU (1)) 622 and a second CPU (CPU (2)) 624 connected via an input / output port. A relay path is formed to relay the exchange of the status signal and the request signal with 700.

  First, the request signal input from the state monitoring unit 900 side is input to the demodulating unit 630 via the low pass filter 626 and the diplexer 628 and also output to the power supply branching unit 600 (or the terminating resistor 40) side of the subsequent stage. This request signal is a signal in a lower frequency band (f1) than the broadcast signal. Thus, the request signal input to the demodulator 630 is demodulated into request information suitable for processing by the CPUs 622 and 624 and then input to the first CPU 622.

  The CPU 622 that has input the request information passes the request information to the second CPU 624, and the second CPU 624 inputs the request information to the modulation unit 634. Thus, the request information input to the modulation unit 634 is modulated by the modulation unit 634 into a request signal in a lower frequency band (f3, f3 ≠ f1) than the broadcast signal, passes through the diplexer 636, and then is distributed to the distributor 608. Are input to the power supply insertion circuit 616 of each of the paths distributed through the low-pass filter 638. The power supply insertion circuit 616 superimposes this request signal on the signal transmitted through the path to the transmission side amplification unit 700 and outputs the signal to the transmission side amplification unit 700 side.

  The state signal input from the transmission side amplification unit 700 side is input to the demodulation unit 640 via the power supply insertion circuit 616, the low pass filter 638, and the diplexer 628, respectively. This status signal is a signal in a lower frequency band (f4, f4 ≠ f3) than the broadcast signal. Thus, the state signal input to the demodulator 640 is demodulated into state information suitable for processing by the CPUs 622 and 624 and then input to the second CPU 624. The second CPU 624 that has input this state information passes this state information to the first CPU 622, and the first CPU 622 inputs k state information to the modulation unit 642. The state information thus input to the modulation unit 642 is modulated by the modulation unit 642 into a state signal in a lower frequency band (f2, f2 ≠ f4) than the broadcast signal, and then is transmitted through the diplexer 628 and the low-pass filter 626. The data is output to the monitoring unit 900 side.

Next, the configuration and operation of the transmission side amplification unit 700 will be described with reference to FIG.
In the transmission side amplification unit 700, the frequency component corresponding to the broadcast signal among the signals input from the power supply branching unit 600 side is input to the multistage amplifier 704 via the high pass filter 702, and the signal level is amplified here. Thus, the signal is output to the transmitting antenna 800 side. Here, a power supply separation circuit 706 is provided in a path from the power supply branching unit 600 to the high-pass filter 702. This power supply separation circuit 706 separates only a frequency component (DC) of a power supply signal to be described later. The circuit is configured to output to a path connected to the power supply unit 708 and to pass a signal in a higher frequency band in both directions. Therefore, a broadcast signal having a higher frequency component than the power supply signal among the signals input from the power supply branching unit 600 side passes through the power supply separation circuit 706 and reaches the high-pass filter 702.

  In the transmission side amplification unit 700, the operation state (same as above) of the multistage amplifier 704 is monitored by the CPU 710. The CPU 710 outputs state information indicating the operation state to the state monitoring unit 900 side at a predetermined timing. This state information is modulated by the modulation unit 712 into a state signal in a lower frequency band (f4) than the broadcast signal, and passes through the diplexer 714, the low-pass filter 716, and the power supply separation circuit 706 and is output to the power supply branching unit 600 side. Is done.

  Here, the timing at which the CPU 710 outputs the status information is the status monitoring in addition to the timing determined on the CPU 710 side, such as a fixed time period, when the operation status indicates that an abnormality has occurred in the transmission side amplification unit 700. There are times when a request signal is received from the unit 900 side.

  As described above, this request signal is a signal that the state monitoring unit 900 outputs by superimposing the signal transmitted through the path from the state monitoring unit 900 to the transmission side amplification unit 700. This request signal is a signal in a lower frequency band (f3) than the broadcast signal. The request signal output from the state monitoring unit 900 is input to the demodulation unit 718 after passing through the power supply separation circuit 706, the low pass filter 716 and the diplexer 714. Thus, the request signal input to the demodulator 718 is demodulated into request information suitable for processing by the CPU 710 and then input to the CPU 710. The CPU 710 that has input the request information outputs the state information indicating the operation state at that time to the state monitoring unit 900 as described above.

Further, the transmission side amplification unit 700 operates by supplying a drive signal generated based on the power supply signal separated from the power supply separation circuit 706 by the power supply unit 708 to each component (multistage amplifier 704, CPU 710, etc.). . As described above, the power supply signal for supplying power to the transmission side amplifying unit 700 is superimposed by the power supply branching unit 600 on the path from the transmission side amplifying unit 700 to the power supply branching unit 600. This power supply signal is separated by the power supply separation circuit 706 and output to the path to the power supply unit 708. The power supply unit 708 outputs a drive signal (DC12V signal in this embodiment) based on this power supply signal. Generate. Here, the power supply signal that is the basis for generating the drive signal is a signal (DC signal) in a lower frequency band than the status signal and the request signal.
(2) Operation and Effect According to the gap filler system 1 described above, the transmission signal is superimposed on the broadcast signal transmitted through the transmission paths 30 and 32 by the power branching unit 600 in the transmission side amplification unit 700. Signal is input. Then, the transmission side amplifying unit 700 to which such a signal is input separates the broadcast signal and the power signal from this signal by the power source separation circuit 706, and the drive signal generated by the power source unit 708 based on the separated power signal is obtained. To the multistage amplifier 704. In this way, signal level amplification by the multistage amplifier 704 can be realized for the broadcast signal separated by the power supply separation circuit 706.

  At this time, the drive signal supplied to the multistage amplifier 704 is generated based on the power signal transmitted through the path branched by the power branching unit 600 (hereinafter referred to as “branch path”) instead of the transmission paths 30 and 32. The Therefore, it is not necessary to transmit signals having signal levels corresponding to the number of the transmission side amplification unit 700 and the transmission antenna 800 to the transmission paths 30 and 32, and it is not necessary to consider the influence of the voltage drop caused by such signals. Therefore, the transmission distance by the transmission paths 30 and 32 can be increased as compared with the configuration in which the power signal (that is, the drive signal) is transmitted by the transmission paths 30 and 32.

  Further, since the power signal supplied to the transmission side amplifying unit 700 is transmitted through the branch path instead of the transmission paths 30 and 32, it is necessary to lay a supply path for supplying the power signal to the transmission side amplifying unit 700. There is no need for such laying. As a result, installation as the gap filler system 1 can be facilitated. This becomes more conspicuous as the transmission distance by the transmission paths 30 and 32 becomes longer.

Further, with the above-described configuration, the state monitoring unit 900 can collect state information indicating the operation state of the transmission side amplification unit 700 and notify the predetermined notification destination.
In addition, the state information collected by the state monitoring unit 900 is a signal that the transmission side amplification unit 700 outputs to the transmission paths 30 and 32 while being superimposed on the broadcast signal transmitted through the branch path. 32 is a signal that is separated on the state monitoring unit 900 side from the signal transmitted. In other words, since this status signal is transmitted along the transmission paths 30 and 32 together with other signals, it is not necessary to lay a path only for transmitting the status signal along the transmission paths 30 and 32. There is no need for trouble. As a result, it is possible to prevent an unnecessary increase in labor for installing the gap filler system 1. This becomes more conspicuous as the transmission distance by the transmission paths 30 and 32 becomes longer.

  In the power supply branching unit 600, the state signal and the request signal are separated from the signal transmitted through the branch path by the high-pass filter 614 and the low-pass filters 626 and 638, and the low-pass filter 626 and the low-pass filter are provided. The relay route sandwiched between 638 is transmitted. Therefore, even when an element such as the attenuator 612 is provided in the branch path as in the above configuration, the signal level of the status signal and the request signal is reduced by forming the relay path so as to bypass the element. It is possible to prevent problems such as unnecessary attenuation.

  In addition, the relay route only needs to secure a transmission distance that can bypass other elements provided in the branch route, and a route only for transmitting the status signal and the request signal is laid along the transmission routes 30 and 32. As in the case, there is no great effort. In particular, in the present embodiment, since the relay path as described above is built in the power branching unit 600, if the gap filler system 1 is installed using such a power branching unit 600, the relay path is laid. Therefore, there is no need for trouble.

In addition, the state monitoring unit 900 collects the state information indicated by the state signal from the transmission side amplification unit 700 according to the convenience of the state monitoring unit 900 by transmitting a request signal to the transmission side amplification unit 700. can do.
(3) Modifications Embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can take various forms as long as they belong to the technical scope of the present invention. Needless to say.

  For example, in the above embodiment, when the state monitoring unit 900 of the transmission side device 20 outputs a request signal, all the transmission side amplification units 700 that have input this request signal output the state signal to the state monitoring unit 900 side. What was comprised was illustrated. However, the state monitoring unit 900 may be configured to output a signal for requesting a state signal only to a specific transmission side amplification unit 700. For this purpose, the request signal may be a signal indicating the identification information of the transmitting-side amplifier 700 that should request the normal signal.

In the above-described embodiment, the state monitoring unit 400 is configured to output a request signal to the reception-side amplifier 200 by the CPU 408 at a constant period. However, the timing for outputting the request signal may be configured to be other than this timing. For example, when an event (such as a specific operation state or an external command) occurs in the state monitoring unit 400, or when the processing load on the CPU 408 is lighter than a certain level, etc. Conceivable.
(4) Correspondence with the Present Invention In the embodiment described above, the transmission side amplification unit 700 is an amplification unit in the present invention, and the power source separation circuit 706 of the transmission side amplification unit 700 is a drive separation unit in the present invention. The multistage amplifier 704 is an amplifying unit in the present invention, and the high pass filter 702 and the low pass filter 716 are a state output unit and a request separating unit in the present invention.

  The power branching unit 600 is a branching device according to the present invention. The power supply insertion circuit 616 and the power supply unit 618 of the power branching unit 600 are drive superimposing units according to the present invention. The high-pass filter 614 and the low-pass filter 638 are the present invention. And the low-pass filter 626 is the state superimposing unit and the request separating unit in the present invention, and the route from the low-pass filter 626 to the low-pass filter 638 is the state relay route and the request relaying route in the present invention. is there.

  In the state monitoring unit 900, the high-pass filter 902 and the low-pass filter 910 are state separation means and request transmission means in the present invention, and the CPU 904 is information collection means in the present invention.

Block diagram showing the configuration of the gap filler system The block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the receiving side amplification part in a receiving side apparatus The block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the power supply monitoring part in a receiving side apparatus The block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the power supply monitoring part in a transmission side apparatus The block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the power supply branch part in a transmission side apparatus The block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the transmission side amplification part in a transmission side apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Gap filler system, 10 ... Reception side apparatus, 20 ... Transmission side apparatus, 30 ... Transmission path, 32 ... Transmission path, 34 ... Distributor, 40 ... Termination resistor, 100 ... Reception antenna, 200 ... Reception side amplification part , 202, multistage amplifier, 204, high-pass filter, 206, power supply separation circuit, 212, modulation unit, 214, diplexer, 216, low-pass filter, 218, demodulation unit, 220, power supply unit, 300, reception side transmission unit, 400,. State monitoring unit 402... High-pass filter 404 404 Power supply circuit 406 Power supply unit 410 Modulation unit 412 Diplexer 414 Low-pass filter 416 Demodulation unit 418 Transmission / reception unit 420 Wireless antenna 500 ... transmission side receiving unit, 600 ... power supply branching unit, 604 ... branch unit, 608 ... distributor, 610 ... high pass filter, 6 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 ... Attenuator, 614 ... High pass filter, 616 ... Power supply insertion circuit, 618 ... Power supply part, 622 ... 1st CPU, 624 ... 2nd CPU, 626 ... Low pass filter, 628 ... Diplexer, 630 ... Demodulation part, 634 ... Modulation part, 636 ... Diplexer, 638 ... Low-pass filter, 640 ... Demodulation unit, 642 ... Modulation unit, 700 ... Transmission-side amplification unit, 702 ... High-pass filter, 704 ... Multistage amplifier, 706 ... Power supply separation circuit, 708 ... Power supply unit, 712 ... Modulation 714 ... Diplexer, 716 ... Low pass filter, 718 ... Demodulator, 800 ... Transmitting antenna, 900 ... State monitor, 902 ... High pass filter, 906 ... Modulator, 908 ... Diplexer, 910 ... Low pass filter, 912 ... Demodulation , 914 ... transmission / reception unit, 916 ... wireless antenna, 918 ... power supply .

Claims (8)

A receiving antenna for receiving a broadcast signal transmitted from the broadcast station side;
A transmission path for transmitting a broadcast signal received by the receiving antenna;
A branching device for branching the transmission path into a plurality of paths;
A plurality of amplifiers for amplifying the signal level of each broadcast signal transmitted through the branch path branched by the branch;
A gap filler device comprising a plurality of transmitting antennas for retransmitting a broadcast signal having a signal level amplified by each of the amplifying units,
A plurality of drive superimposing units that superimpose driving signals supplied from the outside to drive the amplifying unit are provided on each of the broadcast signals transmitted through the branch path,
The amplification unit is configured to separate a broadcast signal and a drive signal from a signal transmitted through the branch path, and to receive the drive signal separated by the drive separation unit and to receive the separated broadcast signal. A gap filler system comprising amplification means for amplifying a signal level. A state separation unit that separates a state signal indicating an operation state of the amplification unit from a signal transmitted through the transmission path; and an information collection unit that collects an operation state indicated by the state signal separated by the state separation unit A state monitoring unit,
The amplifying unit includes state output means for superimposing a state signal indicating an operation state of the amplifying unit on a broadcast signal transmitted through the branch path and outputting the signal to the transmission path side. The gap filler system according to claim 1. A state separation unit for separating the state signal from a signal transmitted through the branch path;
A state relay path for relaying the state signal separated by the state separation unit;
The state superimposition part which superimposes the state signal which transmits the said state relay path | route on the broadcast signal which transmits the said transmission path | route, and outputs it to the said state monitoring part side is provided. Gap filler system. The state monitoring unit includes request transmission means for transmitting a request signal for requesting the state signal to the amplification unit and transmitting the broadcast signal transmitted through the branch path to the amplification unit side,
The amplifying unit includes request separation means for separating the request signal from a signal transmitted through the branch path, and the state transmission means receives the request signal separated by the request separation means, and outputs the state signal. It is comprised so that it may transmit. The gap filler system according to claim 2 or 3 characterized by things. A request separation unit that separates the request signal from a signal transmitted through the transmission path;
A request relay path for relaying the request signal separated by the request separation unit;
5. A request superimposing unit that superimposes a request signal for transmitting the request relay path on a broadcast signal transmitted through the branch path and outputs the signal to the amplifying unit side. 5. Gap filler system. A branching device comprising: the branching device according to any one of claims 1 to 5; and a drive superposition unit. The branching device according to claim 6, comprising the state separation unit, the state relay route, and the state superposition unit according to claim 3. The branching device according to claim 6, comprising the request separation unit according to claim 5, a request relay route, and a request superimposition unit.

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