JP6535623B2 - Broadcast signal transmitter - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a power saving technique of a notification signal transmission apparatus that transmits a notification signal notifying the presence of a protected device that is not preferably affected by an electromagnetic field.

  The transmission output of the mobile phone is controlled so that the mobile phone and the base station can communicate stably, and the transmission power of the mobile phone tends to increase as the radio wave from the base station becomes weaker. For this reason, a device such as a medical device with low electromagnetic interference resistance in a medical institution, which is equipped with an electric circuit, a sensor, etc. and is not preferably affected by an electromagnetic field (hereinafter referred to as a protected device) If there is a mobile phone near the site, there is a risk of electromagnetic interference from radio waves emitted by the mobile phone.

  As a technology to notify the mobile phone of the presence of the protected device, attach a notification signal transmission device for transmitting a notification signal notifying the presence of the protected device to the protected device, and when the mobile phone receives the notification signal, transmit output of the mobile phone A technique of limiting is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP, 2008-98869, A

  Conventionally, the transmission power of the notification signal and the transmission interval thereof have not been studied from the viewpoint of power saving, and when the transmission device is attached to a movable protected device (including a robot etc.) The frequency of replacement has become an operational problem.

  Then, an object of this invention is to provide the alerting signal transmission apparatus which operate | moves by power saving.

  The notification signal transmission device of the present invention is a notification signal transmission device that transmits a notification signal indicating the presence of a protected device that is not preferably affected by an electromagnetic field, and includes an electromagnetic field sensor, a distance control unit, and And a control unit. The interval control unit determines in advance the correspondence between the transmission interval of the notification signal, the transmission power of the notification signal, the transmission interval of the notification signal and the transmission power of the notification signal, and the measured intensity of the electromagnetic field. In accordance with the control information, the transmission interval of the informing signal, the transmission power of the informing signal, or the transmission interval of the informing signal and the transmission power of the informing signal corresponding to the measured intensity of the electromagnetic field obtained by the electromagnetic field sensor are specified. The transmission control unit performs control of transmitting the broadcast signal at the transmission interval, the transmission power, or the transmission interval and the transmission power specified by the interval control unit. The control information does not transmit the notification signal when the measured intensity of the electromagnetic field is lower than a predetermined reference value, and in the other cases, 1) the measured intensity of the electromagnetic field in the control information In the case where the transmission interval of the notification signal is determined correspondingly to the above, the transmission interval of the notification signal is longer as the measured intensity of the electromagnetic field is lower, and 2) notification corresponding to the measurement intensity of the electromagnetic field in the control information When the transmission power of the signal is determined, the lower the measured intensity of the electromagnetic field, the smaller the transmission power of the notification signal, and 3) the transmission interval of the notification signal corresponding to the measurement intensity of the electromagnetic field in the control information When a pair with the transmission power of the notification signal is determined, the transmission interval of the notification signal is longer and the transmission power of the notification signal is smaller as the measured intensity of the electromagnetic field is lower. There is.

  According to the present invention, the broadcast signal is transmitted at a constant transmission interval in order to switch transmission and stop of the broadcast signal and to change both the transmission interval, the transmission power, or the transmission interval and the transmission power according to the electromagnetic field strength. It operates with power saving compared to the conventional configuration which continues to do.

The figure which shows a mode that the alerting signal transmission apparatus is attached to the to-be-protected apparatus. The figure which shows the function structural example of an alerting signal transmission apparatus. The figure which shows an example of control information (the 1). The figure which shows an example of control information (the 2). The figure which shows an example of control information (the 3). The figure explaining the relationship between the transmission interval of the alerting signal based on the time change of the measurement intensity of an electromagnetic field, and this time change and control information (example of Drawing 3), and the transmission power of an alerting signal. The figure explaining the relationship between the transmission interval of the alerting | reporting signal based on the time change of the measurement strength of an electromagnetic field, and this time change and control information (example of FIG. 4), and the transmission power of a alerting | reporting signal. The figure explaining the relationship between the transmission interval of the alerting | reporting signal based on the time change of the measurement strength of an electromagnetic field, and this time change and control information (example of FIG. 5), and the transmission power of a alerting | reporting signal. A notification signal transmission processing flow figure.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the notification signal transmission device 100 is attached to the protected device 200. There is no limitation on the attachment position of the notification signal transmission device 100. For example, the attachment position may be in the vicinity of a component (for example, a sensor) weak to electromagnetic interference included in the protected device 200, or conversely, may be a position as far as possible from the component. Moreover, there is no limitation in the attachment method of alerting | reporting signal transmission apparatus 100. FIG. Since the notification signal transmission device 100 can be fixed to the protected device 200 and can move together, it can be used not only for the fixed type but also for the movable protected device 200 (including a robot etc.).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the notification signal transmitting apparatus 100 generates an electromagnetic field according to control information in which the correspondence between the measured intensity of the electromagnetic field and the transmission interval of the notification signal and / or the transmission power is predetermined. The interval control unit 103 for identifying the transmission interval and / or transmission power of the broadcast signal corresponding to the measured intensity of the electromagnetic field obtained by the sensor 101 and the notification using the transmission interval and / or transmission power identified by the interval control unit 103 And a transmission control unit 105 for transmitting a signal.

  The notification signal transmission device 100 includes one or more electromagnetic field sensors 101. Although there is no limitation on the measurement method by each electromagnetic field sensor 101, it is preferable that the frequency range at the time of measurement includes a frequency band to which the protected device 200 is affected by the electromagnetic field. When the electromagnetic field strength measurement by each electromagnetic field sensor 101 is performed, the electromagnetic field strength measured by each electromagnetic field sensor 101 is stored in the storage unit (not shown) of the notification signal transmission device 100 (step S1 (FIG. 9) reference)).

  The interval control unit 103 determines in advance the correspondence between the transmission interval of the notification signal, the transmission power of the notification signal, and the set of the transmission interval of the notification signal and the transmission power of the notification signal, and the measured intensity of the electromagnetic field. According to the control information, the transmission interval of the broadcast signal, the transmission power of the broadcast signal, or the transmission interval of the broadcast signal and the transmission power of the broadcast signal corresponding to the measured intensity of the electromagnetic field obtained by the electromagnetic field sensor 101 are specified. A process is performed (step S2 (refer FIG. 9)). The control information does not transmit the notification signal when the measured intensity of the electromagnetic field is lower than a predetermined reference value, and in the other cases, 1) the measured intensity of the electromagnetic field in the control information In the case where the transmission interval of the notification signal is determined correspondingly to the above, the transmission interval of the notification signal is longer as the measured intensity of the electromagnetic field is lower, and 2) notification corresponding to the measurement intensity of the electromagnetic field in the control information When the transmission power of the signal is determined, the lower the measured intensity of the electromagnetic field, the smaller the transmission power of the notification signal, and 3) the transmission interval of the notification signal corresponding to the measurement intensity of the electromagnetic field in the control information When a pair with the transmission power of the notification signal is determined, the transmission interval of the notification signal is longer and the transmission power of the notification signal is smaller as the measured intensity of the electromagnetic field is lower. There is.

  As shown in FIG. 3 as a specific example in the case where the measured strength of the electromagnetic field is associated with the transmission interval of the notification signal in the control information, the control information includes the measured intensity V of the electromagnetic field and the transmission interval D of the notification signal. It has a lookup table data structure that defines the correspondence with. In the data structure of this example, “α” is the above “predetermined reference value” which serves as an index for switching whether to transmit a broadcast signal, and “void” does not transmit a broadcast signal. Is information representing As described above, the control information is determined such that control of transmitting the notification signal is performed when V <α, and the notification signal is not transmitted when V ≦ α. Furthermore, in this example, another reference value β (where α <β) is determined, and the transmission interval corresponding to the case where the measured intensity V satisfies α ≦ V <β is d1, and the measured intensity V is The transmission interval in the case of satisfying β ≦ V is d2 (where d2 <d1). As described above, the control information is determined such that the transmission interval D of the notification signal becomes longer as the measured intensity V of the electromagnetic field decreases in the case of V ≧ α (“void” is theoretically infinite transmission) It can also be considered as an interval). The reference value β is set, for example, at the lower limit of the electromagnetic field strength that the protected device 200 should be particularly alert. Also, for example, the moving speed of the person carrying the device 300 (for example, a portable terminal for wireless communication [smart phone, tablet, feature phone, data communication terminal, router, etc.]) emitting electromagnetic waves or the speed at which the protected device 200 moves. Assuming that the distance between the protected device 200 and the device 300 is reduced by up to 1 meter per second, the transmission interval of the notification signal is preferably 0.5 seconds or less, for example, d1 = 0.3 [seconds], d2 It may be set to be 0.1 second.

The control information is not permitted to be described as the data structure of the look-up table but may be described as a function f that outputs the transmission interval D corresponding to the input measured intensity V. According to the above example, an example of such a function f can be expressed as

  As shown in FIG. 4 as a specific example in the case where the measured strength of the electromagnetic field is associated with the transmission power of the notification signal in the control information, the control information includes the measured intensity V of the electromagnetic field and the transmission power P of the notification signal. It has a lookup table data structure that defines the correspondence with. In the data structure of this example, "alpha", "beta" and "void" are the same as those in the example shown in FIG. Similar to the example shown in FIG. 3, the control information is determined such that control for transmitting the notification signal is performed when V ≦ α without transmitting the notification signal when V <α. Furthermore, in this example, the transmission power corresponding to when the measured intensity V satisfies α ≦ V <β is p1, and the transmission power when the measured intensity V satisfies β ≦ V is p2 (where p2> p1). is there. As described above, the control information is determined such that the transmission power P of the notification signal decreases as the measured intensity V of the electromagnetic field decreases in the case of V ≧ α (“void” indicates that the transmission power is zero. Can also be considered).

As described above, it is also permitted to be described as the function g that outputs the transmission power P corresponding to the input measured strength V, not as the data structure of the above-described look-up table. According to the above example, an example of such a function g is expressed as the following equation.

  As shown in FIG. 5 as a specific example in the case where the measurement strength of the electromagnetic field, the transmission interval of the notification signal, and the transmission power are associated in the control information, the control information includes the measurement strength V of the electromagnetic field. And a data structure of a look-up table that defines a correspondence between a set of a transmission interval D of a broadcast signal and a transmission power P. In the data structure of this example, "α", "β" and "void" are the same as those in the example shown in FIGS. Similar to the example shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the control information is determined such that control for transmitting the notification signal is performed in the case of V ≧ α without transmitting the notification signal in the case of V <α. There is. Furthermore, in this example, the transmission interval corresponding to when the measured intensity V satisfies α ≦ V <β is d1, the transmission power is p1, and the transmission interval when the measured intensity V satisfies β ≦ V is d2 and the transmission power Is p2 (however, d2 <d1 and p2> p1). As described above, the control information is determined such that the transmission interval D of the broadcast signal is longer and the transmission power P of the broadcast signal is smaller as the measured intensity V of the electromagnetic field is lower when V ≧ α.

As described above, it is also permissible to be described as the transmission interval D corresponding to the input measured strength V and the multi-output function h for outputting the transmission power P, not as the data structure of the above-mentioned look-up table . According to the above example, an example of such a multiple output function h is expressed as the following equation.

  When the number of electromagnetic field sensors 101 is one, the storage unit stores time-series measured intensities of the electromagnetic fields obtained by the electromagnetic field sensors 101, and the number of electromagnetic field sensors 101 is two. In the case of the above, the time-series measured intensity of the electromagnetic field obtained by the electromagnetic field sensor 101 is stored for each of the electromagnetic field sensors 101. Therefore, when the number of electromagnetic field sensors 101 is one, the interval control unit 103 is stored in the storage unit as the measurement intensity used when specifying the transmission interval and / or the transmission power according to the control information. If the maximum measured intensity among the measured intensities in time series or the time average of the measured intensities in time series is adopted, and the number of electromagnetic field sensors 101 is two or more, all stored in the storage unit The maximum measurement intensity among the measurement intensities of (1) or the maximum value of the time average of the measurement intensities of time series of each electromagnetic field sensor 101 can be adopted. In addition, when the frequency range at the time of measurement includes a frequency band other than the frequency band to which the protected device 200 is affected by the electromagnetic field, the measurement in the frequency band to which the protected device 200 is affected by the electromagnetic field Among the strengths, the measurement strength to be used in specifying the transmission interval and / or the transmission power according to the control information may be selected. At this time, as in the above, the time average of the maximum measured intensity or the measured intensity may be adopted.

The transmission control unit 105 performs control processing of transmitting a broadcast signal at the transmission interval, transmission power, or transmission interval and transmission power specified by the interval control unit 103 (step S3 (see FIG. 9)).
According to the example of FIG. 3, when the transmission interval specified by the interval control unit 103 is void, the transmission control unit 105 performs control processing not to transmit the notification signal (this is performed before the first transmission of the notification signal). If the transmission interval specified by the interval control unit 103 is d1, the transmission control unit 105 performs control processing to transmit the broadcast signal at the transmission interval d1). When the transmission interval specified by the interval control unit 103 is d2, the transmission control unit 105 performs control processing to transmit the broadcast signal at the transmission interval d2 (see FIG. 6).
According to the example of FIG. 4, when the transmission power specified by the interval control unit 103 is void, the transmission control unit 105 performs control processing not to transmit the notification signal (this is because the transmission power of the notification signal is zero). If the transmission power specified by the interval control unit 103 is p1, the transmission control unit 105 performs control processing to transmit the broadcast signal at the transmission power p1, and the interval control unit 103 When the transmission power identified by the above is p2, the transmission control unit 105 performs control processing to transmit the broadcast signal at the transmission power p2 (see FIG. 7).
According to the example of FIG. 5, when the combination of the transmission interval and the transmission power specified by the interval control unit 103 is void, the transmission control unit 105 performs control processing not to transmit a notification signal, and the interval control unit 103. When the combination of the transmission interval and the transmission power identified by the above is (d1, p1), the transmission control unit 105 performs control processing to transmit the broadcast signal at the transmission interval d1 and the transmission power p1, and the interval control unit When the combination of the transmission interval and the transmission power identified by 103 is (d2, p2), the transmission control unit 105 performs control processing to transmit the broadcast signal at the transmission interval d2 and the transmission power p2 (FIG. 8). reference).

  As described above, in order to switch between transmission and stop of the notification signal and change the transmission interval, or the transmission power, or both the transmission interval and the transmission power according to the electromagnetic field strength, in the operation of this embodiment, the notification signal is used. A time zone in which transmission is not performed is created, and even in a time zone in which a broadcast signal is transmitted, a time domain with a long transmission interval and / or a time domain with a small transmission power are created depending on the electromagnetic field strength. It operates with power savings compared to conventional configurations that continue to transmit signals. The notification signal is received by the device 300.

  The transmission control unit 105 may be configured to perform control processing of transmitting a notification signal when the power of the protected device 200 is in the on state. This configuration can be realized, for example, by a so-called bus-powered system in which the power supply of the notification signal transmission device 100 is supplied from the protected device 200 by a USB cable. Alternatively, the notification signal transmission apparatus 100 includes a power supply monitoring unit (not shown), the power supply monitoring unit has a configuration for detecting the voltage or current of the power supply of the protected device 200, and the transmission control unit 105 It is also possible to adopt a configuration that performs control processing of transmitting a notification signal when the power of 200 is detected and the transmission interval and / or transmission power specified by the interval control unit 103 is not void. it can.

  The notification signal includes not only information notifying the device 300 of the presence of the protected device 200, but also information on the performance with which the protected device 200 can withstand electromagnetic interference, a frequency band in which the protected device 200 is affected by an electromagnetic field, electromagnetic Information such as the distance at which interference occurs, and further, information required for the device 300 to perform processing necessary to reduce the influence on the protected device 200 (for example, reduction of transmission power, transmission stop, etc.) It can be included. The upper limit of the transmission power of the notification signal is the power that does not affect the protected device 200. The notification signal may be an electromagnetic wave (radio wave, light, etc.) or a sound wave (not limited to an audible frequency by a living body). When the notification signal is an electromagnetic wave, the hardware controlled by the transmission control unit 105 is an antenna, and when the notification signal is a sound wave, the hardware controlled by the transmission control unit 105 is a speaker. The antenna and the speaker may be components of the broadcast signal transmission apparatus 100 or may be external elements connected to the broadcast signal transmission apparatus 100.

  The notification signal transmission apparatus 100 can also include a notification unit 107 that emits a predetermined physical stimulus that can be sensed by a sense of the user of the device 300 (see FIG. 2). The notification unit 107 may be configured to operate simultaneously with the transmission of the notification signal by the transmission control unit 105, or may be configured to operate simultaneously with the transmission of the notification signal at a transmission interval shorter than a predetermined transmission interval. It may be configured to operate simultaneously with transmission of a broadcast signal with a transmission power higher than a predetermined transmission power, or a state in which the maximum value of the measured intensities stored in the storage unit is higher than a predetermined threshold It may be configured to operate when continuing for a set time.

  The "predetermined physical stimulus that can be sensed by the user's sensei" is, for example, light, sound, vibration, heat, visual information, etc., but usually light, sound, visual information is selected. When the physical stimulation is light, the notification unit 107 is, for example, a light emitting diode. When the physical stimulation is sound, the notification unit 107 is, for example, a speaker. When the physical stimulation is visual information, the notification unit 107 is It is a liquid crystal display which displays a figure symbol etc.

  The configuration of the notification signal transmission device 100 including the notification unit 107 is not limited. Even when the device 300 includes the notification unit 107 (see FIG. 1), a configuration in which each of the notification signal transmission device 100 and the device 300 includes the notification unit 107 is also permitted. When the device 300 has the notification unit 107, “a predetermined physical stimulus that can be sensed by the user's sensei” is light, sound, vibration, heat, visual information, etc., as described above, but usually, light , Sound, vibration, visual information is selected. If the physical stimulation is light, the notification unit 107 is, for example, a light emitting diode. If the physical stimulation is sound, the notification unit 107 is, for example, a speaker. If the physical stimulation is vibration, the notification unit 107 is, for example, a vibration generator. When the physical stimulus is visual information, the notification unit 107 is a liquid crystal display that displays, for example, characters and symbols.

  As a mode for carrying out this embodiment simply, when the measured intensity of the electromagnetic field of the control information is lower than a predetermined reference value, the notification signal is not transmitted, and in the case other than the above case. It may be determined such that only one transmission interval of the broadcast signal, or only one transmission power, or a combination of only one transmission interval and transmission power corresponds to the measured strength of the electromagnetic field. According to the above example, the broadcast signal is not transmitted when V <α, and the broadcast signal is transmitted at transmission interval d when V ≧ α, or the broadcast signal is transmitted at transmission power p. Alternatively, control information is determined such that control is performed such that the broadcast signal is transmitted at the transmission interval d and the transmission power p.

<Supplementary Note>
The notification signal transmission apparatus includes, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) (may include a cache memory, a register, etc.) as a single hardware entity, a RAM or ROM as a memory, an external storage device as a hard disk, and It has a configuration including a bus connected to enable exchange of data among the CPU, RAM, ROM, and an external storage device. In addition, as necessary, this hardware entity includes an apparatus (drive) capable of reading and writing recording media such as CD-ROM, an input unit to which a keyboard can be connected, an output unit to which a liquid crystal display etc can be connected, and It may include a communication unit to which a communication device (for example, a communication cable) that can communicate to the outside can be connected.

  The external storage device of the hardware entity stores a program necessary for realizing the above-mentioned function and data required for processing the program (for example, the above control information) (limited to the external storage device) For example, the program may be stored in a ROM which is a read only storage device). In addition, data and the like obtained by the processing of these programs are appropriately stored in a RAM, an external storage device, and the like.

  In the hardware entity, each program stored in the external storage device (or ROM etc.) and data necessary for processing of each program are read into the memory as necessary, and interpreted and processed appropriately by the CPU . As a result, the CPU realizes predetermined functions (interval control unit, transmission control unit).

  As described above, when the processing function in the hardware entity (the broadcast signal transmitting apparatus) described in the above embodiment is implemented by a computer, the processing content of the function that the hardware entity should have is described by a program. Then, by executing this program on a computer, the processing function of the hardware entity is realized on the computer.

  The program describing the processing content can be recorded in a computer readable recording medium. As the computer readable recording medium, any medium such as a magnetic recording device, an optical disc, a magneto-optical recording medium, a semiconductor memory, etc. may be used.

  Further, in this embodiment, the hardware entity is configured by executing a predetermined program on a computer, but at least a part of the processing content may be realized as hardware.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and can be suitably changed in the range which does not deviate from the meaning of the present invention. In the above-described embodiment, V <α using simple inequality is illustrated as the expression by the judgment formula “when the measured intensity of the electromagnetic field is lower than the predetermined reference value”. However, the expression by the judgment formula “when the measured intensity of the electromagnetic field is lower than a predetermined reference value” is not limited to the case represented by a simple inequality, but may be represented by an inequality inequality. That is, a value α-η obtained by subtracting an arbitrary numerical value η smaller than, for example, the value represented by the least significant digit of the measurement significant digit from the predetermined reference value α is regarded as the "predetermined reference value α _new ". Accordingly, the expression V <α by the judgment equation using the simple inequality is practically rewritten to the expression V ≦ α _new by the judgment equation using the inequality symbol. In other words, in the case where V ≦ ζ is used as the expression by the judgment formula in the case where the broadcast signal is not transmitted with respect to the predetermined reference value 或, the predetermined reference value 例 え ば is measured, for example By considering the value た + η obtained by adding an arbitrary value η smaller than the value represented by the least significant digit of the significant figure as the “predetermined reference value ζ _new ” The expression V ≦ ζ is practically rewritten equivalently to the expression V <に よ る_new by the judgment equation using a simple inequality, and corresponds to “when the measured intensity of the electromagnetic field is lower than a predetermined reference value”, Such an embodiment is also included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims (2)

It is a notification signal transmission device that transmits a notification signal that indicates the presence of a protected device that is not preferably affected by an electromagnetic field,
Electromagnetic field sensor,
A control in which the correspondence between one of the transmission interval of the notification signal, the transmission power of the notification signal, the transmission interval of the notification signal and the transmission power of the notification signal, and the measured intensity of the electromagnetic field is predetermined. According to the information, the transmission interval of the notification signal, the transmission power of the notification signal, or the transmission interval of the notification signal and the transmission power of the notification signal corresponding to the measured intensity of the electromagnetic field obtained by the electromagnetic field sensor An interval control unit to identify
A transmission control unit that performs control to transmit the broadcast signal at the transmission interval, the transmission power, the transmission interval, and the transmission power specified by the interval control unit;
The control information does not transmit the notification signal when the measured intensity of the electromagnetic field is lower than a predetermined reference value, and in the other cases,
1) When the transmission interval of the notification signal is determined corresponding to the measured intensity of the electromagnetic field in the control information, the lower the measurement intensity of the electromagnetic field, the longer the transmission interval of the notification signal,
2) When the transmission power of the notification signal is determined corresponding to the measured intensity of the electromagnetic field in the control information, the lower the measurement intensity of the electromagnetic field, the smaller the transmission power of the notification signal,
3) In the control information, when a set of the transmission interval of the notification signal and the transmission power of the notification signal is determined corresponding to the measurement intensity of the electromagnetic field, the notification is the more the lower the measurement intensity of the electromagnetic field is The transmission interval of the signal is longer and the transmission power of the broadcast signal is smaller,
The notification signal transmission apparatus is characterized in that it is defined. In the broadcast signal transmission device according to claim 1,
The notification signal transmitting apparatus, wherein the transmission control unit is configured to perform control of transmitting the notification signal when the power of the protected device is in an on state.

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