JP2014127787A - Radio device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a radio device that is able to flexibly cope with a change in utilization situations.SOLUTION: A radio device comprises a plurality of operational modes including a plurality of channels with different numbers and/or the different numbers of channels, and a user selects any operational mode depending on utilization situations from theses operational modes and can perform communication in the operational mode. As the plurality of operational modes, the radio device has a normal channel mode (a) including part of selectable channels and an extended channel mode (b) including at least all the channels of the normal channel mode.

Description

  The present invention relates to a radio having a plurality of channels having different frequencies as communication channels.

  In general, in a wireless device, a plurality of channels having different frequencies are assigned as communication channels, and communication is performed between the wireless devices by selecting one of the channels (see, for example, Patent Document 1). When using a radio, the user selects multiple channels to be used for communication from the assigned channels using cloning software, which is function setting software, and sets them as selectable channels. doing.

  When communicating with the radio, the user turns one of the knobs on the radio body or presses the up / down key to select one channel from the set channels, and on the display screen Check the selected channel number. After determining the channel to be used in this way, communication is performed.

JP-A-6-140958

  There are cases where it is used for communication between members of a fire brigade as an application of a portable or in-vehicle wireless device. Portable and in-vehicle wireless devices are widely used as a means of communication between members in the field of fire or disaster or in daily activities.

  In such a use, it is common to communicate using a different channel for each fire brigade so that cross-talk does not occur between the fire brigade in charge of each district. For this reason, each fire brigade is assigned one or several channels including a spare, and other channels are set not to be used.

  On the other hand, in the event of a large-scale fire or disaster that cannot be handled by a fire department in one district, the local fire brigade may ask for support, and multiple fire departments may cooperate in fire fighting and rescue activities. . In such a case, it is necessary to communicate between members of different fire brigades. Members (supervisors) who supervise and supervise multiple fire brigade need to confirm what kind of communication is being carried out in each fire brigade. However, the conventional radio cannot communicate with channels other than the set channel.

  In order to cope with such changes in usage conditions, it is necessary to set the radios to be used so that they can communicate on all channels, or to prepare radios that can communicate on all channels separately. There is.

  However, if each wireless device is set to be able to communicate with all channels, it takes time and effort to select a channel, and communication to channels that are not normally used cannot be avoided. End up. On the other hand, if radios that can communicate with all channels are prepared, extra costs will be incurred.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a radio device that can flexibly cope with changes in usage conditions.

In order to achieve the above object, a wireless device according to the present invention is a wireless device that performs communication using any of a plurality of channels having different frequencies.
A plurality of operation modes including a plurality of channels having different numbers and / or numbers are provided, and communication is performed in an operation mode selected by the user among these operation modes.

  Here, it is preferable to use a normal channel mode including a part of selectable channels and an extended channel mode including at least all channels of the normal channel mode as the plurality of operation modes.

The radio according to the present invention is
A receiving circuit that converts a high-frequency signal received by an antenna into an audio signal;
A transmission circuit that converts an audio signal into a high-frequency signal and transmits the signal to the antenna;
A channel switching circuit for switching a reception channel of the reception circuit and a transmission channel of the transmission circuit;
A controller that reads data relating to an operation mode selected by a user from a memory in which data relating to the operation mode is stored, and notifies the channel switching circuit of a channel designated by the user;
It is preferable to provide an operation unit for inputting data of a channel designated by the user.

  The operation mode is switched when a mode switching key provided on the operation unit is pressed for a predetermined time or when a plurality of keys provided on the operation unit are simultaneously pressed. Preferably, it is done.

  In the wireless device according to the present invention, since the optimum operation mode can be selected according to the use situation, convenience for portable use is dramatically increased.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the radio | wireless machine concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the operation mode of a radio. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process in the controller at the time of switching an operation mode. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process in a controller at the time of selecting a channel.

  Hereinafter, a wireless device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the case where the wireless device according to the present invention is applied to a portable wireless device, which is a typical application, is taken as an example.

<Configuration of radio>
FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a radio device according to the present embodiment. The wireless device 1 includes an antenna 11, a receiving circuit 12, a transmitting circuit 13, a channel switching circuit 14, an AF (Audio Frequency) amplifier circuit 15, a speaker 16, a microphone 17, a controller 20, an operation unit 30, and a display unit 40. Yes. In the figure, thick arrows indicate the flow of audio signals, and thin arrows indicate the flow of signals in the control system.

  In the figure, the receiving circuit 12 extracts a high-frequency signal of the channel (frequency) selected by the channel switching circuit 14 from the radio wave received by the antenna 11, reproduces an audio signal, and supplies it to the AF amplifier circuit 15.

  The transmission circuit 13 modulates the carrier wave of the channel (frequency) selected by the channel switching circuit 14 and transmits the audio signal supplied from the AF amplification circuit 15 from the antenna 11.

  The channel switching circuit 14 is a circuit for setting a channel (frequency) received by the receiving circuit 12 and a channel (frequency) transmitted by the transmitting circuit 13. In setting, the channel received by the receiving circuit 12 and the transmitting circuit 13 are transmitted. Make sure that the same channel is used.

  The AF amplifying circuit 15 amplifies the audio signal supplied from the receiving circuit 12 and outputs the amplified audio signal to the speaker 16. The audio signal input from the microphone 17 is amplified and supplied to the transmission circuit 13.

  The speaker 16 converts the sound signal output from the AF amplifier circuit 15 into sound. On the other hand, the microphone 17 receives the user's voice as an input, generates a voice signal, and outputs the voice signal to the AF amplifier circuit 15.

  The controller 20 individually sets the reception circuit 12 and the transmission circuit 13 to the operating state or the stopped state, and notifies the channel switching circuit 14 of the channel to be set. The controller 20 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 21, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 22 that stores a program that defines the operation of the CPU 21, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 23 that functions as a work memory for the CPU 21, and a nonvolatile memory 24. It consists of

  The nonvolatile memory 24 stores data regarding all channels that can be selected by the wireless device 1. Note that the CPU 21 performs data writing to the nonvolatile memory 24 and data reading from the nonvolatile memory 24.

  The operation unit 30 is used to transmit various inputs and user instructions to the controller 20, and includes a knob, a switch, a key, and the like. The operation unit 30 includes a PTT (Press To Talk) switch 31, a channel selection knob 32, and a mode switching key 33.

  When the PTT switch 31 is pressed (turned on), the receiving circuit 12 stops operating, the transmitting circuit 13 enters an operating state, transmission is performed from the antenna 11, and when released (turned off), the transmitting circuit 13 The operation is stopped, the receiving circuit 12 is in an operating state, and the received audio signal is reproduced.

  The knob 32 is used to select a channel. When the knob 32 is turned forward with a finger (clockwise direction of rotation), the channel number is increased. When the knob 32 is turned in the reverse direction, the channel number is decreased. The function of the mode switching key 33 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG.

  The display unit 40 is composed of a liquid crystal display or the like, and is used to display various data. The screen of the display unit 40 displays that a wireless signal has been received (call has been received), a channel number, and the like.

<Setting of used channel>
Next, setting of channels to be used will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, cloning software is used for channel setting. When the user starts using the wireless device 1, the user sets a channel to be used using the cloning software.

  The nonvolatile memory 24 stores data regarding all channels that can be used in the wireless device 1. When the user operates a key or the like of the operation unit 30 to read data related to the channel from the nonvolatile memory 24, the channel number is displayed on the screen of the display unit 40.

  FIG. 2A shows a method for setting channels used in the three groups A, B, and C. FIG. For example, it is assumed that ten channels are assigned as channels used by the fire brigade. When each group is a fire brigade in a nearby location, Group A uses three channels 1, 2, and 3 to communicate with each other. Similarly, the group B uses three channels 4, 5, and 6, and the group C uses four channels 7, 8, 9, and 10 to communicate with each other.

  In this case, for the wireless device 1 used in the A group, three channels 1, 2, and 3 are set as used channels. The set channel number is stored in the nonvolatile memory 24. The channels used in the B group and C group are set in the same manner.

  When a member belonging to the A group communicates using the wireless device 1, when a channel is selected by turning the knob 32 of the operation unit 30, one of 1, 2, and 3 is displayed as a channel number on the screen of the display unit 40. The If you stop turning the knob when the desired channel number is displayed, you can communicate on that channel.

  Channels 4 to 10 that are not set as use channels cannot be selected and are not displayed on the screen of the display unit 40. In this way, members of group A can communicate with each other without worrying about interference with members of other groups.

  The channel setting method described above is the same as that of a conventional radio, but in this embodiment, a mode that can be operated in a plurality of modes including a plurality of channels having different numbers and / or numbers is adopted. For example, in the normal channel mode shown in FIG. 2A, the members of the A group can use only three channels, but in the extended channel mode shown in FIG. 2B, the members of the A group use 10 channels. it can.

  When the wireless device 1 is operated in the extended channel mode shown in FIG. 2B, when the knob 32 is turned, 1 to 10 are displayed as channel numbers on the screen of the display unit 40, and the member selects one of those channels. Can be used to communicate.

  Both the channel setting content (normal channel mode) shown in FIG. 2A and the channel setting content (extended channel mode) shown in FIG. 2B are stored in the nonvolatile memory 24. Only channel settings can be read. As described above, in the normal channel mode, the channel setting contents shown in FIG.

  In order to read the channel in the extended channel mode shown in FIG. 2B, a special operation is required. Specifically, it is necessary to keep pressing the mode switching key 33 of the operation unit 40 beyond a predetermined time.

  The switching of the operation mode described above is particularly effective when the wireless device 1 is used to communicate between members of the fire brigade. That is, in normal communication, if operation is performed in a mode with a small number of channels, it takes less time to select a channel, and thus quick communication between members becomes possible. On the other hand, when multiple fire brigades collaborate in fire fighting and rescue activities, it is possible to communicate with members of different fire brigades by using the extended channel mode with a large number of selectable channels. Become. Furthermore, since the supervisor who directs and supervises a plurality of fire brigades can confirm the contents of communication conducted in each fire brigade, it can accurately grasp the situation of fire fighting activities and rescue activities.

  The reason why a special operation is required for switching the operation mode is to prioritize the operation in the normal channel mode, and the operation mode is not switched only by the user pressing the mode switching key 33. For the same reason, when the radio mode 1 is turned off after the operation mode is set to the extended channel mode, when the power is turned on again, the operation mode is switched to the normal channel mode.

  As a special operation for switching the operation mode, in addition to the above-described long press of the mode switching key 33, an operation that is not normally performed, for example, an operation of simultaneously pressing a plurality of predetermined keys is also effective.

<Operation mode switching process>
Next, processing in the controller 20 when the operation mode is switched from the normal channel mode shown in FIG. 2A to the extended channel mode shown in FIG. 2B will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. The key long press timer shown in the figure is realized by counting clocks. The channel buffer is composed of the RAM 23, and the software increments or decrements the channel number set when the channel is switched.

  When the controller 20 detects that the mode switching key 33 of the operation unit 30 has been pressed (Yes in Step S11), the controller 20 sets a key long press timer and starts measuring elapsed time (Step S12).

  If the pressing of the mode switch key 33 is not released during the measurement (No in step S13), and the key press timer has expired after a predetermined time has elapsed (Yes in step S14), the controller 20 Switches the operation mode from the normal channel mode to the extended channel mode (step S15).

  Subsequently, the controller 20 sets the minimum channel in the channel buffer (step S16), performs further channel setting processing (step S17), and ends the operation mode switching.

  Here, the minimum channel refers to the minimum number (channel 1 in FIG. 2B) among the channel numbers that can be selected in the changed operation mode. The reason for setting the minimum channel is to set the reference channel in the scanning operation. The channel setting is a process for setting channels (channels 1 to 10 in FIG. 2B) that can be selected in communication. Note that the scan operation is an operation of sequentially switching and monitoring a plurality of channels set in the selected operation mode and checking whether or not the monitored channel has an impression.

  Thereafter, the operation mode is changed from the normal channel mode shown in FIG. 2 (a) to the extended channel mode shown in FIG. 2 (b), and the user selects a desired channel from the 10 channels 1 to 10 for communication. it can. Accordingly, in the scanning operation, 10 channels 1 to 10 are switched at a predetermined time interval, and each time the channel is switched, it is detected whether or not there is a received signal in the channel.

<Channel switching process>
Next, based on the flowchart of FIG. 4, processing in the controller 20 when the channel is switched using the knob 32 or by a scanning operation will be described. The encoder shown in the figure is a rotary encoder attached to the rotary shaft of the knob 32. When the knob 32 is rotated in the forward direction, the value of the encoder is increased. The channel buffer is the same as the channel buffer described in FIG.

  When the value of the encoder is increased by the user turning the knob 32 (Yes in step S21), the controller 20 increments the value of the channel buffer (step S22). For example, when the initial channel is 1, it is changed to channel 2.

  Next, the operation mode is confirmed (step S23). When the operation mode is the normal channel mode (Yes), the changed channel (channel 2 in the above example) is valid in the normal channel mode, that is, the channel set as the use channel by the cloning software. It is determined whether or not there is (step S24), and if it is valid (Yes), processing for setting as a communication channel is performed (step S26). On the other hand, if the changed channel is not valid in the normal channel mode (No in step S24), the process returns to step S22.

  On the other hand, when the operation mode is not the normal channel mode in the processing of step S23, that is, the extended channel mode (No), the changed channel (channel 2 in the example of FIG. 2B) is effective in the extended channel mode. It is determined whether or not there is (step S25), and if it is valid (Yes), a process for setting as a communication channel is performed (step S26). Otherwise (No in step S25), the process of step S22 is performed. Return.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 4, the process when the knob 33 is rotated in the forward direction has been described. However, the same process is performed when the knob 33 is rotated in the reverse direction. In this case, the encoder down is monitored, and when the encoder is down, the value of the channel buffer is decremented. For example, if our channel is 2, change to channel 1.

  As described above, in the wireless device according to the present invention, since the optimum operation mode can be selected according to the use situation, convenience for portable use is dramatically increased.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a portable radio device has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It goes without saying that the same effect can be obtained even when the present invention is applied to a vehicle-mounted or stationary radio.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the normal channel mode including a part of selectable channels and the extended channel mode including all channels of the normal channel mode are used as the operation mode has been described. It is not limited to this example. Needless to say, various operation modes can be adopted depending on the use state of the radio.

  In the above-described embodiment, data related to the operation mode (that is, channel data usable in the normal channel mode and the extended channel) is stored in the nonvolatile memory so that the data is not lost when the radio is turned off. However, these data may be stored in a RAM backed up by a battery.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Radio | wireless machine 11 Antenna 12 Reception circuit 13 Transmission circuit 14 Channel switching circuit 15 AF amplifier circuit 16 Speaker 17 Microphone 20 Controller 21 CPU
22 ROM
23 RAM
24 Nonvolatile memory 30 Operation section 31 PTT switch 32 Knob 33 Mode switching key 40 Display section

Claims (5)

A wireless device that performs communication using any of a plurality of channels having different frequencies,
A radio having a plurality of operation modes including a plurality of channels having different numbers and / or numbers, and performing communication in an operation mode selected by a user among these operation modes.   The normal channel mode including a part of selectable channels and the extended channel mode including at least all channels of the normal channel mode are used as the plurality of operation modes. The radio described in 1. A receiving circuit that converts a high-frequency signal received by an antenna into an audio signal;
A transmission circuit that converts an audio signal into a high-frequency signal and transmits the signal to the antenna;
A channel switching circuit for switching a reception channel of the reception circuit and a transmission channel of the transmission circuit;
A controller that reads data relating to an operation mode selected by a user from a memory in which data relating to the operation mode is stored, and notifies the channel switching circuit of a channel designated by the user;
The wireless device according to claim 1, further comprising an operation unit that inputs data of a channel designated by a user.   4. The wireless device according to claim 3, wherein the operation mode is switched when a mode switching key provided in the operation unit is pressed beyond a predetermined time.   4. The wireless device according to claim 3, wherein the operation mode is switched when a plurality of keys provided on the operation unit are simultaneously pressed.

Images