JPH04220049A - Automatic answering telephone set - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To specify a depressed dial signal, to reduce voice malfunction and to quicken the reception time of a remote signal by using a tone detector for the detection of a low group and a high group of a DTMF signal of a tone dial serially in the case of remote-controlling the automatic answering telephone set. CONSTITUTION:The automatic answering telephone set is provided with a reception timer means 9 delaying an output signal from a tone detector 8 and regarding it as the reception of one remote signal with a signal input for a prescribed time or over, a cancel timer means 10 cancelling a 1st signal when a 2nd signal cannot be detected after the detection of the 1st signal, a frequency high/low control changeover means 11 selecting a frequency detected by the tone detector 8 and a reception inhibit timer means 12 to inhibit the reception signal till the tone detector 8 reaches a receptible state when the means is switched.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an answering machine using a tone detector as remote signal detection means.

0002

[Prior Art] Conventionally, dual tone multi-frequency signals have been used as remote control signals.
In answering machines that use cy signals, or tone dial signals (hereinafter abbreviated as DTM signals), one PLL-IC (tone detector IC) is used to keep costs low. An answering machine has been developed that detects only one frequency of the radio signal and uses it as a remote signal.

0003

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the conventional configuration as described above, the DTMF signal has two frequency bands both in the audio band, and since one of them is detected, it is difficult to detect the two frequencies at the same time. There was a high possibility that voice errors would occur when responding to a message or receiving a message from the other party.

[0004] For this reason, malfunctions caused by voice have traditionally been prevented by lengthening the reception time. There was a problem with how it felt. Also, if you only use the low group frequency, you cannot tell the difference because the frequency is the same regardless of whether you press push buttons 1, 2, or 3, and if you use only the high group number, the same frequency will be the same even if you press any of the push buttons 1, 4, or 7. There was also the problem that they could not be distinguished by frequency.

[0005] The present invention has been made to improve the above-mentioned prior art, and uses one tone detector and asks the remote operator to press the same code two or more times.
The first time detects the frequency of the DTMF low group, and the second time detects the number of weeks of the high group, thereby identifying the pressed button without increasing cost, reducing audio malfunctions, and controlling the remote signal. To provide an answering machine capable of shortening reception time.

[0006]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, the answering machine of the present invention uses a tone detector for detecting a remote signal from a telephone line. A reception timer means that delays the signal output and determines that one remote signal has been received when the signal is input for a certain period of time or more, and a reception timer means that determines that one remote signal has been received after the signal has been input for a certain period of time, and a reception timer means that the second signal cannot be detected after the first signal has been detected. a cancel timer means for canceling the signal; a frequency high/low switching control means for switching the frequency detected by the tone detector; and when the frequency high/low switching control means is switched, the tone detector becomes ready for reception. and a reception prohibition timer means for prohibiting reception signals until the reception period ends.

[0007]

[Operation] With the above configuration, the present invention arranges to send out a DTMF signal with the same code twice as a remote control signal, and in the first signal, its lo
Detect the frequency of the w group, and in the second signal, its high
If the frequency of group h is detected, and both match the preset frequency, it is determined that the correct code has been received, and the pressed button is identified, reducing malfunctions due to voice and reducing the reception time of remote signals. It can be done quickly.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An answering machine according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a telephone line, 2 is a bell detection means for detecting a bell signal from the telephone line 1, 3 is a telephone line closing means for connecting/disconnecting the telephone line 1, and 4 is o
utgoing message, that is, a response message (hereinafter abbreviated as OGM message) or in
This is a transmitting/receiving circuit that processes the audio signal of a coming message, that is, a message from the other party (hereinafter abbreviated as an ICM message).
It consists of an analog switch for connecting a tape or ICM tape recording/playback head and a recording/playback amplifier. 5 is a cassette deck that drives OGM tapes and ICM tapes, 6 is O where response messages are recorded.
GM tape, 7 is an IC that records messages from the other party.
M tape, 8 is PLL-IC (tone detector) for detecting remote signals from the line, 9 is PLL-I
A reception timer means that delays the signal output from C8 and assumes that one remote signal has been received when a signal is input for 100 msec or more, and 10 is a reception timer means that delays the signal output from C8 and determines that one remote signal is received when the signal is input for 100 msec or more. 11 is a frequency high/low switching control means for switching the frequency detected by the PLL-IC 8, and 12 is a P when the high/low switching control is switched.
An acceptance prohibition timer means for prohibiting acceptance signals until the LL-IC 8 becomes ready for acceptance; 13 is a control means for controlling the answering machine, and is constituted by a microcomputer.

The operation of the answering machine consisting of the above-mentioned components will be explained below with reference to FIG. 2.

[0011] Below is the code for remote operation.
''. First, the user calls home to perform remote operation. In this answering machine, when a bell signal is received from the telephone line 1, the bell detection means 2 detects is transmitted to the control means 13,
When the control means 13 detects a bell (step 1), the line closing means 3 is closed and the call is received.

When a call arrives, the control means 13 first activates the PLL-
The H/L switching control means 11 for switching the detection frequency of the IC 8 is set to the low group (in this case, the frequency corresponding to the dial "1" is 697 Hz), the reception timer means 9 is set to 100 msec, and the cancel timer means 10 is set to 100 msec. The initial setting is 1 sec (step 2), and the cassette deck 5 is controlled to amplify the response message pre-recorded on the OGM tape 6 by the transmitting/receiving circuit 4 and sent to the line 1 via the line closing means 3 ( step 3).

When the user hears his or her response message, he or she dials "1" twice on the tone dial telephone in order to send the DTMF signal to the answering machine.

The DTMF signal coming from the line is input to the PLL-IC 8 through the line closing means 3. PLL-
In the IC8, the control means 13 causes the frequency H/L switching control means 11 to select the low group (6) corresponding to the dial "1".
97 Hz), it detects the "1" signal (697 Hz) of the low group of the incoming DTM signal and outputs the signal. When there is a signal output from the PLL-IC 8, the reception timer means 9 counts (step 4), and when the frequency of the low group is received for 100 msec or more (step
5) Assuming that a DTMF signal has been received once, wait until there is no more DTMF signal (step 6). In this case DTMF
By switching the H/L control before the signal disappears, the high group frequency/
It seems that both low group frequencies can be detected, but PLL
-As a characteristic of IC8, when switching the detection frequency, it is approximately 2
Since a switching time of 00 msec is required, the reception speed is not fast and the user feels that the reception of remote signals is poor. For this reason, only one frequency is accepted at one time.

When the DTMF signal disappears, the H/L switching is performed in the high group (the frequency corresponding to dial "1" is 12
09Hz) (step 7), and waits for 200 msec by the reception prohibition timer until the PLL-IC 8 becomes able to accept the high group frequency (step 8).

When the H/L switching becomes high, the cancel timer means is counted until the second reception to determine whether the first signal is valid or not (step 9).
).

Normally, it takes about 0.5 seconds for the user to release the button for the first remote signal and press the button for the second remote signal. The time until the second remote signal is 1se
Let it be c.

If the cancel timer means counts 1 second by the time the user presses the remote signal button for the second time, the control means 13 sets the H/L switching control to the low group and cancels the first reception (s
step 10). This is an important time because if the time setting of the cancel timer means is too long, the sound will likely malfunction, and if it is too short, the remote signal will not be accepted even though the user has pressed the button twice.

When the user releases the button for the first remote signal and presses the button for the second remote signal within 1 second, the input signal from the line is detected in the same way as when detecting the low frequency group for the first time. The incoming DTMF signal is input to the PLL-IC 8 through the line connection means 3. PLL-I
C8 is set to hi by the H/L control of the control means 13.
Since the incoming DTMF signal "1" is set to the high group signal (1,209 Hz), the high group signal (1,209 Hz) is
Hz) and outputs a signal, the reception timer means counts (step 4') and the frequency of the high group is 100.
If msec is received (step 5'), this means that the second DTMF signal has been received, and remote control signal reception is completed (step 11).

When the remote reception is received by receiving the remote control signal twice, the control means 13 operates the cassette deck 5 to play the message recorded from the caller.
The message from the caller recorded on the ICM tape is transmitted from the ICM head of the cassette deck 5 by rewinding the M tape 7 and putting it in the playback state from the tape starting point, and putting the transmitting/receiving circuit 4 in the ICM sending state. The transmitting amplifier of the receiving circuit 4 outputs the signal to the line.

[0021] In this way, the low group 697Hz,
If a high frequency of 1,209 Hz is detected the second time, it is determined that the remote code is "1".

[0022] Through the above operations, the user can listen to the message from the caller from a remote location.

It should be noted that the numerical values of the timer means and the like in the above embodiments are merely examples, and may be slightly increased or decreased.

[0024] Furthermore, the tone detector may use a PLL-IC or a bandpass filter whose center frequency can be switched.

[0025]

As described above, the answering machine of the present invention uses one tone detector to detect the low group of tone dial DTMF signals on the premise that the user presses the same code twice as a remote control signal. used for detection, and the second remote control signal is also high.
By configuring it to be used for group detection, it has a great practical effect by identifying the pressed dial without increasing costs, reducing audio malfunctions, and speeding up the reception time of remote signals. be.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of main parts of an answering machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Figure 2] Flowchart showing the operation of Figure 1

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Telephone line 2 Bell detection means 3 Line connection means 4 Sending/receiving circuit 5 Cassette deck 6 OGM tape 7 ICM tape 8 PLL-IC (tone detector) 9
Reception timer means 10 Cancellation timer means 11 Frequency high/low switching control means 12 Reception prohibition timer means 13 Control means

Claims (1)

[Claims] Claim 1: In an answering machine using a tone detector for detecting a remote signal from a telephone line, the signal output from the tone detector is delayed and the signal is output once when the signal is input for a predetermined period of time or more. A reception timer means for determining that a remote signal has been received, a cancel timer means for canceling the first signal when the second signal cannot be detected after the first signal has been detected, and a frequency detected by the tone detector is switched. Frequency high/low switching control means;
An answering machine comprising: reception prohibition timer means for prohibiting reception signals until the tone detector becomes ready for reception when the frequency high/low switching control means is switched.