JP2019054444A - Repeater system, master device, and slave device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a repeater system that complements and a co-exists voice broadcasting facility.SOLUTION: A repeater system according to an embodiment includes: a master device connectable to a base station that develops a wireless zone; a slave device that exchanges signals with the master device to redeploy the wireless zone of the base station in a predetermined area; and an output device that outputs an audio content for the area. The master device includes a multiplexing unit that multiplexes a digital audio signal obtained by digitally encoding the audio content into a transmission signal to the slave device. The slave device includes a separation unit and a decoding unit. The separation unit separates the transmission signal and the digital audio signal from the reception signal from the master device. The decoding unit decodes the digital audio signal to reproduce the audio content.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a repeater system applicable to, for example, a cellular phone system, and a parent device and a child device.

  The radio wave radiated from the base station of the cellular phone system tends to be weakened in a building or underground shopping mall due to its frequency characteristics, and may cause a dead area. Therefore, a repeater system is introduced as a measure for eliminating the dead area. The repeater system includes a parent device connected to the base station and a child device connected to the parent device, and has a function of relaying radio waves between the base station and the dead area.

JP-A-5-54531 JP 2001-037839 A International Publication No. WO2006 / 043646 Specification Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2015-023491 JP 2003-195893 A

By the way, the repeater system requires wiring from the master unit to each slave unit, but it is also necessary to install the wiring from the on-site broadcasting equipment to the speakers installed in each area individually in the building. is there. For this reason, there is a problem that it is difficult to install new equipment or to update / maintain existing equipment.
An object is to provide a repeater system, a parent device, and a child device that complement and coexist with an audio broadcasting facility.

  According to the embodiment, the repeater system includes a parent device that can be connected to a base station that expands a wireless zone, and a child that re-deploys the wireless zone of the base station to a predetermined area by exchanging signals with the parent device. And an output device that outputs audio content for the area. The parent device includes a multiplexing unit that multiplexes a digital audio signal obtained by digitally encoding audio content into a transmission signal to the child device. The slave device includes a separation unit and a decoding unit. The separation unit separates the transmission signal and the digital audio signal from the reception signal from the parent device. The decoding unit decodes the digital audio signal and reproduces audio content.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a repeater system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the system shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an existing private broadcasting system for comparison. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a repeater system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a repeater system according to the third embodiment. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a repeater system according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a repeater system according to the fifth embodiment. FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a repeater system according to the sixth embodiment. FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a repeater system according to the seventh embodiment. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a repeater system according to the eighth embodiment. FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a repeater system according to the ninth embodiment. FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a repeater system according to the tenth embodiment. FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a repeater system according to the eleventh embodiment.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a repeater system according to the first embodiment. The system shown in FIG. 1 is used to re-deploy a wireless zone developed by a base station BS in each area from the first floor to the N-th floor of a building, for example. In FIG. 1, the base station BS is connected to the base unit 20. The base unit 20 is connected to the handset 40 on each floor via the wired cable 1. That is, a plurality of slave units 40 are provided on each floor, and each slave unit 40 includes an antenna ANT and a speaker SP. Each slave unit 40 transmits / receives a signal to / from the master unit 20, emits a radio wave (RF signal) from the antenna ANT, and redeploys the radio zone of the base station BS in each floor area.
Further, the local broadcasting facility 30 is connected to the master unit 20. The local broadcasting facility 30 outputs audio content for each area.

  FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the system shown in FIG. A downlink RF (Radio Frequency) signal from the base station BS is connected to the RF interface unit 21 of the base unit 20 and converted into a digital RF signal by the conversion unit 22. This digital RF signal is input to the digital demultiplexing unit 25.

  On the other hand, an analog audio signal (audio content) from the local broadcasting facility 30 is interface-processed by the analog audio input unit 23 of the parent device 20 and then input to the audio encoding unit 24. The audio encoding unit 24 digitally encodes audio content to generate a digital audio signal. This digital audio signal is input to the digital demultiplexing unit 25. The digital demultiplexing unit 25 multiplexes the digital RF signal and the digital audio signal and sends them to the cable 1.

The multiplexed signal that has reached the slave unit 40 via the cable 1 is separated into a digital RF signal and a digital audio signal by the digital demultiplexing unit 41. The digital RF signal is returned to an analog RF signal by the conversion unit 42 and radiated from the RF interface unit 43 to the area via the antenna ANT.
The digital audio signal is decoded by the audio decoding unit 44 and then output to the speaker SP or the like via the analog audio output unit 45.

  The uplink RF signal from the antenna ANT to the base station BS is like the RF interface unit 43, the conversion unit 42, the digital demultiplexing unit 41, the cable 1, the digital demultiplexing unit 25, the conversion unit 22, and the RF interface unit 21. The base station BS is followed along the reverse path.

  According to the above configuration, the cable 1 can be shared by the digital RF signal and the digital audio signal. As a result, it is not necessary to route both the repeater dedicated wiring and the private broadcast dedicated wiring, and the cables can be prevented from becoming complicated. That is, the repeater system and the audio broadcasting facility can coexist.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an existing private broadcasting system for comparison. In the existing system, a repeater system extending from the master unit 20 to the slave unit 4 and a broadcast system extending from the local broadcasting facility 30 are formed independently of each other. For this reason, dedicated cable wiring is required, handling becomes complicated, and it takes a lot of time to install / remove the system.

  On the other hand, in the first embodiment, in addition to the function of the existing repeater system, an analog audio signal from the outside is input to the analog audio input unit 23 of the base unit 20, and the audio encoding unit 24 converts the digital audio signal. And is multiplexed with the digital RF signal by the digital demultiplexing unit 25 and transmitted to the slave unit 40. The slave unit 40 separates the digital signal from the master unit 20 by the digital demultiplexing unit 41, decodes it to an RF signal by the conversion unit 42, and outputs a radio wave from the antenna ANT connected to the RF interface unit 43. Furthermore, the audio decoding unit 44 decodes the analog audio signal and outputs it from the analog audio output unit 45 to the outside. Since it did in this way, it becomes possible to utilize a repeater system as wiring from the local broadcasting equipment to the speaker installed in each area. That is, by utilizing the resources of the repeater system, an audio signal can be transmitted from the local broadcasting facility to the speaker, and wiring to the speaker for the local broadcasting facility can be eliminated. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a repeater system, a parent device, and a child device that complement and coexist with an audio broadcasting facility.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a repeater system according to the second embodiment. 4, parts that are the same as those in FIG. 2 are given the same reference numerals, and only different parts will be described here. For example, you may make it provide the speaker SP for the local broadcasting equipment 30 in each subunit | mobile_unit 40. FIG. This facilitates securing the power supply.

[Third Embodiment]
FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a repeater system according to the third embodiment. In FIG. 5, parts that are the same as those in FIG. 2 are given the same reference numerals, and only different parts will be described here. For example, the speaker SP for the local broadcasting facility 30 and the antenna ANT may be installed in a common place for each slave unit 40. This is convenient for cable wiring.

[Fourth Embodiment]
FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a repeater system according to the fourth embodiment. In FIG. 6, parts common to those in FIG. 2 are given the same reference numerals, and only different parts will be described here. In FIG. 6, the base unit 70 includes an IP (Internet Protocol) voice input unit 51 and obtains an IP voice packet as it is. This IP voice packet is multiplexed with the digital RF signal by the digital demultiplexing unit 25 and transmitted to the slave unit 40.

  In this way, the contents to be broadcast can be stored in advance in a computer or the like in the form of an audio file, for example. This makes it easy to manage the broadcast content by the on-site broadcasting facility, and also facilitates storage, management, classification, etc. when the content increases. In particular, the compatibility with multilingual support can be increased.

[Fifth Embodiment]
FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a repeater system according to the fifth embodiment. In FIG. 7, parts that are the same as those in FIG. 2 are given the same reference numerals, and only different parts will be described here.

  In FIG. 7, the parent device 60 includes an emergency / disaster prevention broadcast input unit 61. The emergency / disaster prevention broadcast input unit 61 is connected to an emergency / disaster broadcast reception unit 50 that receives an emergency broadcast wave, a disaster prevention radio, or both. For example, when a disaster occurs, it is assumed that an emergency wireless broadcast for a predetermined area is transmitted. The emergency radio broadcast is received and demodulated by the emergency / disaster broadcast receiving unit 50, and the emergency broadcast as an analog audio signal is input to the emergency / disaster broadcast input unit 61. Thereafter, the disaster prevention broadcast encoded by the voice code conversion unit 62 is transmitted to the slave unit 40 via the cable 1 of the repeater system, and is output as a loud voice.

  Since it is such a structure, the emergency information etc. which are contained in disaster prevention broadcast can be output as audio | voice contents, and it can utilize also as a local disaster prevention system.

[Sixth Embodiment]
FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a repeater system according to the sixth embodiment. In FIG. 8, parts that are the same as those in FIG. 2 are given the same reference numerals, and only different parts will be described here.

  8 includes a slave unit designation unit 26 for designating at least one of a plurality of slave units. The identification information of the slave unit designated by the slave unit designation unit 26 is multiplexed with the downlink signal and notified to the audio output control unit 46 of the slave unit (referred to as the slave unit 90) via the cable 1. The audio output control unit 46 controls the audio decoding unit 44 to reproduce the audio content when receiving the designation by the slave unit designation unit 26. By doing in this way, it is possible to loudly output the voice only from the slave unit designated as the voice output target. That is, since the slave unit of the repeater system can be identified from the master unit, broadcast information can be broadcast by designating an arbitrary slave unit.

  According to the above configuration, it is also possible to input a plurality of different audio signals to the parent device 80 and broadcast different contents from the speakers connected to the different child devices 90. Therefore, for example, in an emergency broadcast such as when a disaster occurs, it is possible to broadcast a plurality of languages at the same time, or to broadcast in a short time with improved recognition.

[Seventh Embodiment]
FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a repeater system according to the seventh embodiment. In FIG. 9, parts that are the same as those in FIG. 2 are given the same reference numerals, and only different parts will be described here.

  In FIG. 9, the local broadcasting facility 30 includes a combining unit 31 that combines broadcast contents in a plurality of languages. That is, the synthesizer 31 synthesizes a plurality of pieces of audio information obtained by uttering common information in different languages, and generates, for example, analog audio content. The analog audio signal is input to the analog audio input unit 23 of the parent device 20, transmitted to the child device 40, and output from the speaker SP.

  According to the above configuration, voice signals in a plurality of languages are synthesized and output simultaneously from the speaker SP on the handset side. In other words, common information is not only available in Japanese but also in other languages such as English, Chinese, Korean, Russian, etc.

  In recent years, the number of foreigners visiting Japan has increased the use of multilingual guide broadcasting in public spaces such as station premises and shopping areas. All existing systems broadcast sequentially one language at a time. However, if an emergency broadcast such as guidance when a disaster occurs is to be performed in multiple languages, there is a problem that it takes a very long time to complete the broadcast in all languages.

  In contrast, in the seventh embodiment, common information is broadcast simultaneously in a plurality of languages. It is known that even in a situation where a plurality of languages can be heard in a mixed manner, a human can identify and listen to a language that is a native language. Therefore, in the seventh embodiment, by combining broadcast information in a plurality of languages and broadcasting simultaneously, the time required for information transmission can be dramatically reduced. This makes it possible to immediately transmit information that is particularly urgent, such as disaster information. In other words, it is possible to carry out emergency broadcasting in multiple languages in a short time without impairing the recognition rate.

  In addition, this is realized by utilizing resources (such as cable 1) of the repeater system. Therefore, it is possible to provide a repeater system, a parent device, and a child device that complement the audio broadcasting facilities and coexist.

[Eighth Embodiment]
FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a repeater system according to the eighth embodiment. The voice over a plurality of countries synthesized by the synthesizing unit 31 of the local broadcasting equipment 30 is encoded by the audio encoding unit 32. Thereafter, the audio signal output unit 33 converts the signal into IP and outputs it as an IP audio signal. In particular, this configuration has a high affinity with the configuration shown in FIG. 6 and is advantageous for handling voiced data.

[Ninth Embodiment]
FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a repeater system according to the ninth embodiment. In FIG. 11, parts that are the same as those in FIG. 1 are given the same reference numerals, and only different parts will be described here.

  For example, on the first floor, a plurality of languages are simultaneously output from each speaker SP. On the other hand, on the Nth floor, only one language is loudly output for each speaker SP. As described in the sixth embodiment, by designating a child device on the parent device side and selecting and specifying a language to be output, for example, a broadcast in a different language is realized for each different tenant. be able to.

[Tenth embodiment]
FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a repeater system according to the tenth embodiment. The on-site broadcasting facility 30 may include a characterization synthesis unit 34 that characterizes each of a plurality of audio information. For example, voice information in each language may be characterized by either male voice or female voice. Alternatively, the audio information in each language can be characterized by either a high sound range or a low sound range. Furthermore, it can also be distinguished by the form of youth voice, elderly voice, slow tone, fast tone. Thus, by characterizing for each language, the characteristics of the voice can be emphasized, and even if the content is simultaneously synthesized and broadcast, it is easier for listeners to hear.

[Eleventh embodiment]
FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a repeater system according to the eleventh embodiment. The voice characterized by the characterization synthesizer 34 is encoded by the voice encoder 32, converted to IP by the voice signal output unit 33, and output as an IP voice signal. In this way, it becomes advantageous for the handling of voiced data.

  As described above, according to each of the first to eleventh embodiments, it is possible to construct a more convenient system by supplementing the audio broadcasting equipment and coexisting with the repeater system.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, when the same content is broadcast a plurality of times, the sound strength may be switched for each group of a plurality of languages. That is, a voice output level adjustment unit for switching the strength of voices in multiple languages may be provided on the handset side so that voices including information in multiple languages whose levels have been adjusted may be broadcast simultaneously from all speakers. .

  Further, the broadcast content may be divided into a prelude and a subject, and the prelude information may be broadcast in a time-sharing manner in a short time in each language, and then the subject may be simultaneously broadcast in multiple languages. In other words, in the first stage of broadcasting, a plurality of languages are not synthesized, and audio signals for each single language are output. Thereafter, the subject may be broadcast simultaneously from all the speakers using an audio signal obtained by synthesizing a plurality of languages.

  It is also possible to automatically translate one language into multiple languages and broadcast it. That is, the local broadcasting facility 30 may include a translation unit that automatically translates one language into multiple languages. Furthermore, the local broadcasting facility 30 may be provided with a storage unit that stores broadcast templates prepared in advance in multiple languages.

  Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

  SP ... Speaker, ANT ... Antenna, 1 ... Cable, 4 ... Slave unit, 20 ... Master unit, 21 ... RF interface unit, 22 ... Conversion unit, 23 ... Analog audio input unit, 24 ... Audio encoding unit, 25 ... Digital Demultiplexing unit, 26 ... slave unit designation unit, 30 ... private broadcasting equipment, 31 ... synthesis unit, 32 ... speech encoding unit, 33 ... speech signal output unit, 34 ... characterization synthesis unit, 40 ... slave unit, 41 ... Digital demultiplexing unit, 42 ... Conversion unit, 43 ... RF interface unit, 44 ... Audio decoding unit, 45 ... Analog audio output unit, 46 ... Audio output control unit, 50 ... Emergency / disaster prevention broadcast receiving unit, 51 ... Audio input , 60 ... parent device, 61 ... emergency / disaster prevention broadcasting input unit, 62 ... voice code conversion unit, 70 ... parent device, 80 ... parent device, 90 ... child device.

Claims (13)

A base unit that can be connected to a base station that deploys a wireless zone; and
A handset device for exchanging signals with the base device and re-deploying a radio zone of the base station to a predetermined area;
An output device for outputting audio content for the area,
The base unit is
A multiplexing unit that multiplexes a digital audio signal obtained by digitally encoding the audio content into a transmission signal to the slave device;
The slave unit is
A separation unit that separates the transmission signal and the digital audio signal from a reception signal from the base device;
A repeater system comprising: a decoding unit that decodes the digital audio signal and reproduces the audio content. The base unit is
The repeater system according to claim 1, further comprising: an encoder that digitally encodes the audio content to generate the digital audio signal. The output device is
It has a receiver that receives emergency broadcasts including emergency information,
The repeater system according to claim 1, wherein the emergency information of the received disaster prevention broadcast is output as the audio content. Comprising a plurality of the slave units,
The base unit is
A designation unit for designating at least one of the plurality of slave devices;
Each of the plurality of slave units is
The repeater system according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that controls the decoding unit to reproduce the audio content when receiving a designation by the designation unit. The output device is
3. The repeater system according to claim 1, further comprising: a synthesizing unit that synthesizes a plurality of pieces of audio information obtained by uttering common information in different languages, and generates the audio content.   The repeater system according to claim 5, wherein the synthesis unit characterizes each of the plurality of audio information.   The repeater system according to claim 6, wherein the synthesizing unit characterizes each of the plurality of pieces of voice information with either a male voice or a female voice.   The repeater system according to claim 6, wherein the synthesizing unit characterizes each of the plurality of audio information in either a high sound range or a low sound range. In the base unit that sends and receives signals to the slave unit that re-deploys the radio zone of the base station that develops the radio zone to a predetermined area,
A parent device comprising a multiplexing unit that multiplexes a digital audio signal obtained by digitally encoding audio content for the area into a transmission signal to the child device.   Furthermore, the main | base station apparatus of Claim 9 provided with the encoding part which digitally encodes the said audio | voice content and produces | generates the said digital audio | voice signal.   Furthermore, the main | base station apparatus of any one of Claim 9 or 10 provided with the designation | designated part for designating at least 1 of several subunit | mobile_unit apparatus. In the slave device that re-deploys the radio zone of the base station that develops the radio zone to a predetermined area,
A separation unit that separates a digital audio signal obtained by digitally encoding audio content for the area from a reception signal from a base device connected to the base station;
A slave device comprising: a decoding unit that decodes the digital audio signal and reproduces the audio content.   Furthermore, the subunit | mobile_unit apparatus of Claim 12 provided with the control part which controls the said decoding part and reproduces | regenerates the said audio | voice content, when designation | designated from the said main | base station apparatus is received.