JP6706941B2 - Radio and wireless communication system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a wireless device having a function of performing different types of data communication with a common wireless frequency.

Conventionally, in order to check the soundness of wireless devices, a self-diagnosis wireless device equipped with a self-diagnosis function for periodically performing inspection communication (self-diagnosis communication) between the wireless devices has been put into practical use.
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a wireless device that periodically transmits and receives an inspection signal when communication by press talk operation is not performed.

JP-A-8-265207

By the way, in order to prevent unauthorized use when the wireless device is lost or stolen, there is a secure function that disables use of the wireless device after the operation permission time notified from the management device elapses. When such a secure function is installed in the self-diagnosis wireless device, simply mounting the secure function causes the following problems.

That is, since the self-diagnosis function periodically performs data communication, when the data communication of the self-diagnosis function and the secure function are performed at the common radio frequency, signals collide (interfere) with each other. For example, when the secure communication is started at the periodic self-diagnosis communication timing, signals collide with each other and any data communication is disturbed, so that both functions cannot be used. Further, if the data communication of the self-diagnosis function and the data communication of the secure function are the same modulation system, the above interference problem is aggravated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has a function of performing data communication at a predetermined radio frequency and a function of performing different types of data communication at the same radio frequency. It is an object of the present invention to prevent the signals of both functions from colliding with each other when the machine is used, and thus interfering with each other's data communication.

In the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, the wireless device has the following configuration.
That is, the radio device according to the present invention has a first mode in which data communication is performed at a predetermined radio frequency and a second mode in which data communication of a type different from the first mode is performed at the predetermined radio frequency. And a control means for selecting either the first mode or the second mode according to the operation at power-on and controlling the wireless communication means to operate in the selected mode.

As described above, the radio device according to the present invention has the first mode and the second mode in which different types of data communication are performed at the common radio frequency, but in one mode selected according to the operation at the time of turning on the power. Only works, not the other mode. Therefore, by operating so as to limit the area in which one of the modes is activated, it is possible to prevent the signals from colliding with each other in the mutual data communication and the communication from being disturbed.

Here, the wireless device according to the present invention is, as one configuration example, a mode in which the first mode is received from the control device, which is another wireless communication device, of the operation time permitted by the wireless device (for example, “secure mode”). ), and the second mode may be a mode (for example, “self-diagnosis mode”) in which communication for inspection is periodically performed with another wireless device.
As a result, it is possible to provide a wireless device that executes the secure function by operating the wireless device in the first mode and a self-diagnosis function by operating the wireless device in the second mode, and at the same time, perform data communication of the mutual functions. Can be prevented from interfering with each other. That is, for example, in the vicinity of the control device, since each radio is activated to operate in the first mode (secure mode) to set the operation time, communication for inspection occurs between the radios. Instead, the communication for setting the operation time is suppressed from being hindered by the communication for inspection.

In this case, it is preferable that the transmission output in the first mode (secure mode) be smaller than that in the second mode (self-diagnosis mode). As a result, the communication related to the setting of the operating time can be limited to a limited area around the control device, so that the communication for inspection can be prevented from being hindered by the communication related to the setting of the operating time.
If there is a wireless device that serves as a master station for inspection communication and a wireless device that serves as a slave station for inspection communication, the wireless communication means of the master station wireless device registers the slave station wireless device. Further, a third mode (so-called "preset mode") is provided for the control means, and the control means is responsive to an operation at the time of turning on the power source. Mode), and the wireless communication means may be controlled to operate in the selected mode.

Further, in the wireless device according to the present invention, as one configuration example, the control unit may control the wireless communication unit so as to switch the operation mode in accordance with the operation after the power is turned on. This eliminates the need to cycle power to switch the radio mode.
In addition, the wireless device according to the present invention may be provided with a display unit that performs a display for identifying the mode in operation as one configuration example. This allows the user of the radio to check in which mode the radio is operating.
The present invention can also be understood as a wireless communication system including a plurality of wireless devices as described above.

According to the present invention, when a radio having a function of performing data communication at a predetermined radio frequency and a function of performing different types of data communication at the same radio frequency is used, signals of both functions are transmitted to each other. It is possible to prevent the collision of the data communication with each other due to the collision.

It is a figure which shows the outline|summary of the wireless communication system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the mode of the self-diagnosis by the wireless communication system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the functional block of the radio|wireless machine which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the external appearance of the radio|wireless machine which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, (a) is a front view, (b) is a right view. It is a figure which shows the example of a transition of the operating state of the radio|wireless machine which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the radio|wireless machine which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, (a) is an example of a screen in a self-diagnosis mode, (b) is an example of a preset selection screen, (c) is a register. It is an example of a station list screen.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an outline of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The wireless communication system of this example includes a plurality of wireless devices 10 possessed by each worker, and a control device 50 installed in a place serving as a base where each worker acts (for example, a work headquarters or a standby room). , And a management device 30 communicatively connected to the control device 50 via the network 40.

The management device 30 stores various kinds of information regarding the wireless device 10 under management.
The control device 50 is a device that sets an operation permission time, which is a time for permitting the wireless device 10 to perform an operation (wireless communication), and includes an operation unit 51 that receives an operation related to the operation permission time from an operator and the wireless device 10. The wireless unit 52 performs secure communication for setting the operation permission time.

In addition to the function of performing voice communication with another wireless device 10 for a call, the wireless device 10 has a function of performing secure communication for setting an operation-permitted time for itself, as a function of data communication, and a wireless device. It has a function of performing periodic self-diagnosis communication for checking the soundness of the. That is, the wireless device 10 of this example is a self-diagnosis wireless device equipped with a secure function. These communications are performed using a predetermined radio frequency and a modulation method that are common to each other. In this example, analog FM (Frequency Modulation) modulation is used as the modulation method.

In the secure communication, secure communication is performed with the control device 50 using a secure signal. The wireless device 10 acquires the operation permission time from the control device 50 by secure communication and saves it in its own memory. The wireless device 10 is allowed to perform an operation (wireless communication) until the operation permission time expires, and when the operation permission time expires, the operation is disabled and voice communication cannot be performed.
In this example, the operation permission time is set by designating the target wireless device 10 by the identification number, the group number, or the like, but is set without designating the target wireless device 10, and the plurality of wireless devices 10 are set. A common operation permission time may be set for each.

As shown in FIG. 2, the self-diagnosis communication is performed between the radio station 10 serving as a master station (hereinafter, the master station radio station 10A) and the radio station 10 serving as a slave station (hereinafter, slave station radio station 10B). , Periodically at times other than during a call. In the example of FIG. 2, the master station radio 10A and the eight slave station radios 10B #1 to #8 perform self-diagnosis communication.
In the self-diagnosis communication, data communication by a self-diagnosis signal is performed at regular intervals between the master station radio 10A and the slave station radio 10B to check whether or not wireless communication is possible with each other. When the self-diagnosis communication is interrupted, the wireless communication with the wireless device 10 is possible due to a failure of the wireless device 10 of the communication partner, a move out of the communication range, or a failure of the own wireless device 10A. You can judge that it is not in a proper state.

The wireless device 10 is provided with a plurality of independent modes, and the type of data communication to be valid is defined for each mode. Specifically, the wireless device 10 has a normal call/secure mode that limits valid data communication to only secure communication, and a self-diagnosis mode that limits valid data communication to only self-diagnosis communication. There is.

The master station radio 10A further has a preset mode for setting the slave station radio 10B that is a partner of self-diagnosis communication. This makes it possible to preset (preset) which slave station radio 10B is to be inspected and to flexibly change the inspection unit. In the preset mode, valid data communication is limited to only self-diagnosis communication.

In the normal call/secure mode, the valid data communication is limited to the secure communication only. Therefore, the wireless device 10 does not perform the self-diagnosis communication even when receiving the self-diagnosis signal in the normal call/secure mode. This can prevent the secure communication from being disturbed by the self-diagnosis communication.
In the self-diagnosis mode and the preset mode, the valid data communication is limited to the self-diagnosis communication only. Therefore, the wireless device 10 does not perform the secure communication even if the secure signal is received in the self-diagnosis mode and the preset mode. .. This can prevent the self-diagnosis communication from being disturbed by the secure communication.

In any of the normal call/secure mode, the self-diagnosis mode, and the preset mode, the operation permission time is monitored (countdown), and the wireless communication can be performed until the operation permission time expires. However, secure communication for acquiring the operation permission time can always be performed in the secure mode regardless of the operation permission time.

Here, in the preset mode, by transmitting and receiving the self-diagnosis signal as in the self-diagnosis mode, it is possible to automatically perform the automatic preset for registering the slave station radio 10B to be inspected. Specifically, first, the master station wireless device 10A transmits a preset request to the slave station wireless device 10B. Upon receiving the preset request, the slave station wireless device 10B transmits a response (inspection result) at a predetermined timing corresponding to the slave station number (identification number) of its own station. The master station radio 10A displays the corresponding slave station number on the screen from the received inspection result. If there is no problem with the slave station number of the slave station radio 10B to be used, the user of the master station radio 10A determines and registers the slave station radio 10B to be inspected by operating the key switch, and Save to memory. After that, the preset mode is switched to the self-diagnosis mode, and the self-diagnosis communication is started.
The above description is an example of automatic preset using self-diagnosis communication, but in the preset mode, the slave station radio 10B to be inspected is manually registered (only the button operation of the radio 10) without performing data communication. It is also possible to do so.

As shown in the functional block example of FIG. 3, the wireless device 10 includes a control unit 11 that controls the operation of the wireless device 10, a wireless communication unit 12 that performs wireless communication processing, and an operation input by a user (for example, a worker). An operation unit 15 for receiving the information and a display unit 16 for displaying various kinds of information are provided.
The wireless communication unit 12 performs wireless communication operation in any one of a normal call/secure mode, a self-diagnosis mode, and a preset mode (only the master station radio 10A).
The control unit 11 controls the entire wireless device 10, and includes an operation detection unit 13, a display processing unit 14, and a mode control unit 17.
The operation detection unit 13 detects the operation of the operation unit 15 by the user.
The display processing unit 14 controls the display of the display unit 16.
The mode control unit 17 selectively selects (uniquely determines) a mode in accordance with the operation of the operation unit 15 by the user detected by the operation detection unit 13 when the power is turned on, and wireless communication according to the selected mode. The wireless communication unit 12 is controlled to perform the operation. In addition, the mode control unit 17 causes the display processing unit 14 to perform a display for identifying the selected mode.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the external appearance of the wireless device 10, where (a) is a front view and (b) is a right side view. The wireless device 10 of this example is provided with a power switch 21 and a channel switch 22 on the upper part of the housing. An LED (Light Emitting Diode) unit 23, a microphone 24, a speaker 25, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) 26, and operation buttons 27 are provided on the front surface of the housing. The operation buttons 27 include a preset button 27a, a function selection button 27b, an end button 27c, a memory button 27d, an up move button 27e, and a down move button 27f. A PTT (Push to Talk) switch 28 and a monitor switch 29 are provided on the right side of the housing.

The transition of the operating state in the wireless device 10 of this example will be described. FIG. 5 shows an example of the transition of the operating state of the wireless device.
First, a case where the operation permission time of the wireless device 10 has not expired will be described.
When the power of the wireless device 10 is turned on by operating the power switch 21 from the power-off state (S10), if the operation permission time has not expired, a mode corresponding to the operation at the time of powering on is performed as described below. Are selectively selected and controlled to operate in that mode.

When the monitor switch 29 and the PTT switch 28 are in the depressed state at the time of power-on (S10), the wireless device 10 transits to the normal call/secure mode.
When the wireless device 10 transitions to the normal call/secure mode, the wireless device 10 enters the standby state (S40). The wireless device 10 in the standby state (S40) can perform voice communication until the operation permission time expires. That is, the call voice received from the other radio device 10 can be output as voice from the speaker 25, or the call voice received by the microphone 24 while the PTT switch 28 is being pressed can be transmitted to the other radio device 10.

In addition, when the function selection button 27b is pressed for a short time in the standby state (S40), the wireless device 10 displays the function setting screen (S41) on the LCD 26 and accepts settings related to various functions from the user.
Further, when the monitor switch 29 is shortly pressed while the function setting screen (S41) is being displayed, the wireless device 10 displays the squelch level setting screen (S42) on the LCD 26 and accepts the squelch level setting from the user.
It should be noted that, in this example, the display or the like indicating that the current mode is the normal call/secure mode is not output, but the display or the like may be output.

Here, in the normal call/secure mode, the channel to be used is not limited, and a plurality of channels can be switched and used. That is, in the normal call/secure mode, the channel used for wireless communication can be changed by operating the channel switch 22.

The wireless device 10 transitions to the self-diagnosis mode if the key switch is not operated (no operation) when the power is turned on (S10).
When the wireless device 10 transits to the self-diagnosis mode, the wireless device 10 performs a self-diagnosis check operation (S20) by periodic self-diagnosis communication with another wireless device 10. As shown in FIG. 6A, the wireless device 10 in the self-diagnosis mode indicates that the current mode is the self-diagnosis mode by displaying the word “inspection” on the LCD 26. Note that the present mode may be indicated as the self-diagnosis mode by another mode such as lighting (or blinking) the LED section 23 in a predetermined color.
Further, the wireless device 10 in the self-diagnosis mode can perform voice communication until the operation permission time expires.

Here, in the self-diagnosis mode, the master station radio 10A and the slave station radio 10B that perform self-diagnosis communication must all be able to transmit and receive transmission waves of the same frequency. Limit to channels. That is, in the self-diagnosis mode, even if the channel switch 22 is operated, the channel used for wireless communication is fixed to a predetermined channel and is not changed.
In this way, by limiting the self-diagnosis communication to use only one predetermined channel, it is possible to prevent the number of channels that can be used for other communication from decreasing. Further, when performing self-diagnosis communication, the user of each wireless device 10 does not need to operate the channel switch 22 so that the channel of the master station wireless device 10A and the channel of the slave station wireless device 10B become the same. The convenience of the user is improved, and it is possible to prevent the self-diagnosis communication from failing due to an erroneous operation of the channel switch 22.

In addition, in the master station radio 10A, if the monitor switch 29 is pressed at the time of power-on (S10), the master station radio 10A transitions to the preset mode.
When the master station wireless device 10A transits to the preset mode, the preset selection screen (S30) as shown in FIG. 6B is displayed on the LCD 26, and it can be seen that the master station wireless device 10A is operating in the preset mode. In this state, when the PTT switch 28 is shortly pressed, the automatic presetting (S31) is performed, and when the call/PRI button 27a is shortly pressed, the manual presetting (S32) is performed. In the case of automatic preset (S31), "automatic" is displayed on the LCD 26, and "manual" is displayed on the LCD 26 for manual preset (S32), so that the preset operation states can be distinguished. ..

When the automatic preset (S31) or the manual preset (S32) is finished, the master station radio 10A displays the registered slave station list screen (S33) on the LCD 26 to let the user confirm the slave station radio 10B to be inspected. .. FIG. 6C shows an example of a registered slave station list screen registered by automatic preset, in which six slave station radios 10B with slave station numbers 1, 3 to 6 and 8 are registered as inspection targets. You can see that it was done. When the user confirms that there is no problem by looking at the display of the registered slave station list screen (S33), he presses the PTT switch 28.
When the PTT switch 28 is pressed while the registered slave station list screen (S33) is displayed, the master station wireless device 10A determines the registered content and saves it in its own memory, transitions to the self-diagnosis mode, and executes the self-diagnosis mode. The diagnostic check operation (S20) is started.

Here, also in the preset mode, as in the self-diagnosis mode, the channel to be used is limited to one channel dedicated to the self-diagnosis communication. That is, in the preset mode, even if the channel switch 22 is operated, the channel used for wireless communication remains fixed to a predetermined channel and is not changed.

Although the operation in the state where the operation permission time has not expired has been described above, after the operation permission time expires, the wireless device 10 enters the operation prohibited state (S50) and performs an operation different from the above.
That is, when the power of the wireless device 10 is turned on by operating the power switch 21 from the power-off state while the operation permission time has expired, the wireless device 10 is forced to enter the normal call/secure mode regardless of the pressed state of the key switch. After the transition, the operation is prohibited (S50).
That is, the mode control unit 17 of the wireless device 10 determines whether or not the operation permission time is held in the memory (not shown) regardless of the operation detection result of the operation detection unit 13 when the power is turned on, or Check whether there is time remaining or whether the time as the operation permission time has passed. Then, the mode control unit 17 controls the mode according to the operation detection result of the operation detection unit 13 if it is within the operation permission time, and shifts to the normal call/secure mode if it is outside the operation permission time, and prohibits the operation. State.
When the wireless device 10 in the operation prohibited state (S50) performs secure communication with the control device 50 and acquires the operation permission time, the wireless device 10 shifts to the standby state (S40).

Further, even when the operation permission time expires during operation in each of the normal call/secure mode, the self-diagnosis mode, and the preset mode, the normal call/secure mode operation is prohibited (S50). As described above, in order to make the wireless device 10 ready for use again after the expiration of the operation-permitted time, it is necessary to perform secure communication to obtain the operation-permitted time. Therefore, the normal call/secure mode operation is automatically performed. Transition to the prohibited state (S50).
Therefore, according to the wireless device 10 of the present example, when the operation is started in a state where the operation permission time is expired and when the operation permission time is expired after the activation, the normal call is automatically performed regardless of the mode. Since the secure mode is set and the operation permission time is acquired, it is not necessary to manually restart the wireless device 10 to set the normal call/secure mode, which improves the convenience of the user.

After acquiring the operation permission time, the wireless device 10 remains in the normal call/secure mode. When the user wants to shift the wireless device 10 to the self-diagnosis mode or the preset mode, the user temporarily turns off the power of the wireless device 10 and performs a mode selection operation after turning on the power.
It should be noted that the normal call/secure mode may be switched to the self-diagnosis mode or the preset mode (or vice versa) according to the operation after the power is turned on. There is no need to power cycle machine 10.

As described above, the wireless device 10 of this example has a plurality of modes in which different types of data communication are performed with a common wireless frequency and modulation method, but the mode to be operated is selected depending on how the wireless device 10 is powered on. By selectively selecting (uniquely determining valid data communication), collision of different types of data communication is prevented. As a result, both the self-diagnosis function and the secure function coexist in one wireless device.
The operation of the key switch described above is an example, and the operation contents are not limited to the above.

Here, as an example, the wireless device 10 of the present example is assumed to be used in the following operation.
Before a plurality of workers working in a group go to the work area, the wireless device 10 carried by each worker is installed near each control device 50 (for example, a work headquarters or a standby room) at each base (for example, in the communication area). ), and activate in normal call/secure mode. As a result, secure communication is performed and the operation permission time is set in the wireless device 10 of each worker. Further, in the vicinity of the control device 50, each radio 10 is activated to operate in the normal call/secure mode to set the operation time, and is operated not to operate in the self-diagnosis mode. Communication is not generated, and the secure communication related to the setting of the operation permission time is prevented from being hindered by the self-diagnosis communication.

Next, each worker turns off the power of the wireless device 10 once, moves to the work area, and then restarts in the self-diagnosis mode to use for wireless communication in the work area. If the slave station wireless device 10B to be checked for self-diagnosis communication is not registered (or changed) in the master station wireless device 10A, the master station wireless device 10A activates the preset mode and the slave station wireless device 10A activates the preset mode. The machine 10B is activated in the self-diagnosis mode to register (or change) the slave station radio 10B to be inspected, and then the master station radio 10A shifts to the self-diagnosis mode. If a worker carrying the wireless device 10 moves to a work area away from the control device 50, the secure signal from the control device 50 does not reach, so that the secure communication is prevented from interfering with the self-diagnosis communication. It

In such an operation, when each worker activates the wireless device 10 in the normal call/secure mode to set the operation permission time, it is assumed that the wireless device 10 is near the control device 50. Therefore, the transmission output of wireless communication need not be so high. Further, in consideration of suppressing the influence on the self-diagnosis communication, the output of the wireless communication may be suppressed as small as possible.
On the other hand, when each worker uses the wireless device 10 in the self-diagnosis mode in the work area, it is assumed that each wireless device 10 performs wireless communication in a relatively distant state. It is preferable that there be some output.
Therefore, in this example, the control unit 11 of the wireless device 10 sets the transmission output in wireless communication with the control device 50 in the normal call/secure mode in the operation prohibited state to 10 mW, and transmits in the self-diagnosis mode. The output is set to about 1 W to 5 W, and in the secure communication in the normal call/secure mode (excluding the normal call), the output of the wireless communication is suppressed compared to the self-diagnosis mode. Note that it is preferable to reduce the transmission output only for secure communication (data communication) between the wireless device 10 and the control device 50, and for voice communication in the normal call/secure mode, the normal transmission output is about 1W to 5W. Done in.

Here, the configurations of the system and the device according to the present invention are not necessarily limited to those described above, and various configurations may be used.
For example, in the above embodiment, the number of channels that can be used in the self-diagnosis mode and the preset mode is limited to one predetermined channel, but a plurality of channels may be used. Specifically, for example, when automatic presetting is performed by the master station wireless device 10A, the slave station wireless device 10B that matches the same channel as the master station wireless device 10A may be set as an inspection target. In addition, for example, automatic presetting is performed for each channel so that a different slave station radio 10B can be set as an inspection target for each channel so that the user of the master station radio 10A can perform the self-diagnosis communication. The station radio 10B may be switched. Further, the above setting may be performed by manual presetting.
Further, the present invention can be provided as, for example, a method or system for executing the processing according to the present invention, a program for realizing such a method or system, a storage medium storing the program, or the like. ..

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be applied to various radios having a function of performing different types of data communication with a common radio frequency and modulation scheme.

10: wireless device, 10A: master station wireless device, 10B: slave station wireless device,
11: control unit, 12: wireless communication unit, 13: operation detection unit, 14: display processing unit,
15: Operation part, 16: Display part, 17: Mode control part 21: Power switch, 22: Channel switch, 23: LED, 24: Microphone, 25: Speaker, 26: LCD, 27: Operation button, 28: PTT switch , 29: monitor switch,
30: management device, 40: network, 50: control device, 51: operation unit, 52: wireless unit

Claims (6)

Wireless communication means for performing wireless communication,
Depending on the operation at power-on, either the first mode for performing data communication at a predetermined radio frequency or the second mode for performing a different type of data communication at the predetermined radio frequency from the first mode is selected. A control means for controlling the wireless communication means to operate in a selected mode,
A wireless device having
The first mode is a mode in which the operating time permitted for the radio is received from the control device,
The second mode is a mode in which communication for inspection is periodically performed with another wireless device. The wireless device according to claim 1 ,
The radio device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission power in the first mode is smaller than that in the second mode. The wireless device according to claim 2 ,
There is a radio that serves as a master station for the inspection communication, and a radio that serves as a slave station for the communication for inspection.
The control means of the master station radio selects any one of the first mode, the second mode or the third mode for registering the slave station radio according to an operation at power-on. The wireless communication device controls the wireless communication means to operate in the selected mode. The wireless device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The wireless device, wherein the control means controls the wireless communication means so as to switch the operation mode according to an operation after power is turned on. The wireless device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
A wireless device comprising display means for displaying a display for identifying an operating mode. In a wireless communication system having a plurality of wireless devices that periodically perform inspection communication between wireless devices, and a control device that transmits the operating time permitted to the wireless devices,
The radio is
Wireless communication means having a first mode for receiving the operating time from a control device at a predetermined wireless frequency and a second mode for performing the inspection communication at the predetermined wireless frequency;
Control means for selecting either the first mode or the second mode according to an operation at power-on and controlling the wireless communication means to operate in the selected mode;
A wireless communication system comprising:

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