JPH0846710A - Cordless telephone system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To conduct transmission reception of information between an external device and a line without moving the external device. CONSTITUTION:Transmission data from an infrared ray transmission reception section of a personal computer 4 reach an infrared ray transmission reception section 30 of a slave set side through a space between the slave set and the personal computer as a transmission medium and demodulated by a controller 29 to obtain prescribed digital data. A MODEM 28 converts digital data from the personal computer 4 into an analog signal suitable for a telephone line 5 to act like a facsimile MODEM. On the other hand, received data are converted from an analog signal into digital data by the MODEM 28 and fed to the personal computer via the controller 29 and the infrared ray transmission reception section 30.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cordless telephone device which transmits / receives information to / from an external device by a slave.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, cordless telephone devices and portable telephones have rapidly spread as communication devices using radio waves, and have been progressing from business use to general household use and personal use. In addition, in this type of cordless telephone device, not only a call is made but also a data terminal is connected to a data transmission terminal provided in the cordless handset to perform wireless data communication.

Also in personal computers and the like, there have been introduced into the market those which perform serial communication with an external device by infrared rays by incorporating an infrared transmitting / receiving device or by attaching it externally.

For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 5-80046 discloses a cordless telephone with a modem, a terminal adapter and the like connected to a cordless telephone, and data of a personal computer connected to a communication port supplied by these. There is disclosed a cordless telephone that transmits a call to a public line network or the like housed in a base unit. In addition, JP-A-4-1046
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 46 discloses a personal computer communication system in which a cordless telephone handset has a built-in modem for personal computer communication so that personal computer data can be put on a public line.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional cordless telephone or personal computer communication system, the cordless telephone slave unit must be connected to the personal computer with a predetermined cable every time data communication is performed. It cannot be denied that there is a hassle of management and cable connection.

Further, in order to avoid this annoyance,
Leaving the cordless handset used for data communication connected to a personal computer may lead to other uses of the cordless handset, for example, lowering the efficiency of use in a call, and it is a cordless type that can be used by moving in a normal call. The original function of the handset of the telephone becomes meaningless.

Further, when the cordless handset and the personal computer are connected by a cable, there is a problem that the mutual distance is limited and communication with the cordless handset becomes impossible depending on the installation place of the personal computer.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to connect a personal computer and a telephone line without moving the personal computer or without pulling the telephone line to a place where the personal computer is installed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a cordless telephone device that can send and receive information between two devices.

[0009]

[Means for Solving the Problems] and

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is composed of a plurality of slave units and a master unit which controls the slave units via radio waves and accommodates a line. A cordless telephone device, wherein transmitting / receiving means for transmitting / receiving information to / from an external device by light in the slave unit, and modulating information from the transmitting / receiving means in the slave unit, or demodulating information to the transmitting / receiving unit. Modulation and demodulation means to
The slave unit is provided with a unit for executing a predetermined interface process between the modem unit and the master unit, and the information after the modulation is transmitted to the line through the master unit, and the line. After being demodulated, the information from is sent to the external device via the transmitting / receiving means.

In the above-mentioned structure, the cordless telephone device functions to optically transmit and receive information between the child device and the personal computer.

Further, the invention according to claim 2 further comprises:
The modulation / demodulation means executes a predetermined facsimile communication protocol when the information is facsimile information, and means for determining whether or not the information is facsimile information.

With this configuration, it functions to perform facsimile communication via light between the line and the personal computer.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the entire cordless telephone device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the cordless telephone device 1 includes a master device 2 for controlling the entire device,
It is composed of a plurality of slave units 3a and 3b that transmit and receive information and the like to and from the master unit 2 via radio waves. In addition, each child device 3a, 3
b and the personal computer 4, as will be described later, slaves 3a and 3b.
Infrared transmitter / receiver for transmitting and receiving infrared data between the personal computer and the personal computer 4 (codes 10a, 1
0b, indicated by reference numeral 11 on the personal computer side).

The master unit 2 is connected to the public line network 6 through the telephone line 5, and the voice information of the master unit 2 itself and the slave units 3a and 3b and the personal computer 4 sent through the slave units 3a and 3b. Data is transmitted to the public line network 6.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal structure of a cordless handset constituting the cordless telephone system according to this embodiment.
The slave unit shown in the figure includes a voice communication unit 20 involved in normal voice communication, a data communication unit 40 involved in infrared data communication, a wireless control unit 22 related to wireless communication control with a master unit,
Then, it is configured by a CPU (central control unit) 21 that controls the entire slave unit including these components.

The voice communication unit 20 uses a speaker 26 (which functions as a receiver) for transmitting and receiving voice information, a microphone 27 (which functions as a transmitter), and dials the telephone number of the other party, and the like. , Has a key input unit 25 for performing a key input for realizing a predetermined function, and these are controlled by the call control unit 24.

Further, the data communication section 40 is an infrared transmission / reception section 30 and an infrared transmission / reception section 30 for directly transmitting / receiving data to / from the personal computer 4 by infrared rays in the cordless telephone device configured as shown in FIG. The interface between the infrared transmission / reception unit 30 and the modem 28, such as sending the data received in the above as a data of a predetermined format to a modem (modulation / demodulation device) 28 described later, sending the data from the modem 28 to the infrared transmission / reception unit 30, and the like. A controller 29 that performs processing is provided.

The modem 28 converts the data format between the digital data from the personal computer 4 and the analog signal compatible with the telephone line 5, and in this embodiment, it has a function as a facsimile modem as described later.

The CPU 21 controls according to the mode setting in the mode setting unit 31 which will be described later, which is set according to the communication mode in the slave unit, and as a result, the switching unit 23.
The switching is performed at 1 and one of the voice communication unit 20 and the data communication unit 40 is connected to the wireless control unit 22. As a result, data communication or voice communication is performed by the child device. The wireless control unit 22 has a transmission control unit 22a and a reception control unit 22b, and exchange of transmission / reception information with the master unit is performed via the antenna 32.

Data transmission / reception control using infrared rays in the cordless telephone system according to this embodiment will be described in detail below. Here, it is assumed that the transmitted / received data is facsimile data.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a data transmission processing procedure in the cordless telephone device according to this embodiment.

In the cordless telephone system according to the present embodiment, when the facsimile data is transmitted using the cordless handset, first, the keyboard 12 of the personal computer 4 is operated to
The identification number (telephone number) of the communication partner is input and the communication partner is called (step S1). After confirming that the communication partner has responded, the operator operates the mode setting unit 31 shown in FIG. 1 to shift to the data communication mode by the slave (step S2). As a result, as described above, the CPU 2
The switching unit 23 is switched under the control of No. 1, and the wireless control unit 22 and the data communication unit 40 are connected via the switching unit 23.

When the data communication mode is entered in step S2, the slave unit determines whether or not the infrared communication with the personal computer 4, which is the data transmission source, is normal. Specifically, the CPU 21 activates the data communication unit infrared transmission / reception unit 30 and executes a procedure according to a predetermined protocol with the personal computer 4. Then, in step S3, for example, because there is an obstacle on the infrared transmission path or the personal computer 4 has not completed the predetermined preparation for data transmission, the personal computer 4 sends the data to the child device. If there is an abnormality in data transmission by infrared rays, the controller 29 sends the CPU 21
A signal indicating "communication error" is transmitted to.

As described above, when it is determined in step S3 that the communication between the child device and the personal computer is not normal, the operator analyzes those abnormalities in step S4. However, if it is determined in step S3 that the communication between the child device and the personal computer is normal, that is, the controller 29
When a signal indicating “communication normal” is sent from the CPU to the CPU 21, the following data transmission processing is executed.

That is, the data transmitted from the infrared transmission / reception unit 11 (see FIG. 1) on the personal computer 4 side (this data is modulated at a predetermined carrier frequency) is a slave unit.
A predetermined digital data is obtained by reaching the infrared transmitting / receiving unit 30 on the slave side through a space between the personal computers and demodulated by a demodulator (not shown) in the controller 29.

The above digital data is then transferred to the modem 2
8 is input, and at that time, the FAX controller 32 determines whether the data is facsimile data (step S5). Then, if the data input to the modem 28 via the controller 29 is facsimile data, the FAX controller 32 at step S6
The format of the data is converted into the data format of normal facsimile data.

If the data input to the modem 28 is not facsimile data, the data format conversion is not performed and the data transmission process described later is started.

In step S7, the digital data is converted into an analog signal, and the converted signal is subjected to a predetermined facsimile modulation, which is then controlled by the radio controller 22.
Sent to Then, the analog signal corresponding to the digital data thus converted is modulated at a predetermined frequency by the transmission control unit 22a of the wireless control unit 22 and further subjected to power conversion, and then converted into a radio wave from the antenna 32. It is sent to the base unit.

In step S8, it is determined whether or not the above-described transmission processing is completed. If it is determined that the processing is completed, the present transmission processing is exited.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing a data reception processing procedure in the cordless telephone system according to this embodiment.

When data is received by the cordless telephone system according to the present embodiment, in step S11, which one of a plurality of cordless handsets is to receive data, that is, which one is selected. Notify the master unit whether to allow the slave unit to receive an incoming call. This notification is issued by, for example, the key input unit 2
Enter a predetermined code from 5.

If a plurality of slave units are set to receive an incoming call all at once, it is assumed that the slave unit that responds first has the data reception right. In this case, the above step S1 is performed.
The selection process corresponding to 1 becomes unnecessary.

In step S12, the mode setting section 31 is operated to set the slave unit to the data reception standby mode. With this mode setting, the CPU 21 switches the switching unit 23 to the data communication unit 40 side. After this setting, the operator moves the slave unit to a position where communication with the personal computer 4 using infrared rays is possible. Then, in step S13, a data transmission request from the communication partner, that is, an incoming call notification via the master unit is waited, and if an incoming call is actually received, incoming call response processing and data incoming are entered in the next step S14.

In a succeeding step S15, the FAX controller 32 determines whether or not the received data is facsimile data. Specifically, the FAX controller 32 is
This determination is made based on the communication contents at the time of negotiation between the devices, which is performed prior to the communication of the facsimile data. If it is determined that the received data is facsimile data, the next step S1
At 6, the modem 28 receives the data sent from the other party according to a known facsimile reception procedure (protocol).

The data received in this manner is converted from an analog signal into digital data by the modem 28 contrary to the above-described data transmission, and is further converted into a predetermined data format by the controller 29 in the next stage. Is converted. Then, the converted data is sent to the personal computer 4 via the infrared transmission / reception unit 30 (step S17).

In step S18, it is determined whether or not the data reception according to the predetermined protocol is completed, and if it is completed, the present reception process is exited.

As described above, according to this embodiment,
The cordless telephone device's cordless handset is equipped with an infrared transmitter / receiver and a modem that can perform data communication with a personal computer by infrared rays, so that the telephone line can be extended to the place where the personal computer is installed in the office or home, or the telephone can be used. Data communication between the PC and the outside becomes possible through the telephone line without moving the PC to the place where it is placed.

Further, by making the modem built in the slave unit a modem capable of processing the facsimile protocol, facsimile information can be transmitted and received between the outside and the personal computer through the telephone line, and especially at home where the installation location of the device is restricted. In, the facsimile transmission / reception function can be easily realized.

In the above embodiment, the plurality of slave units each have an infrared transmission / reception unit, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, only a specific slave unit has an infrared transmission / reception unit. It is provided, and the slave unit is determined in advance as a slave unit dedicated to data transmission / reception,
You may make it transmit / receive data with a personal computer.

Further, the slave unit is provided with a control unit capable of transmitting / receiving information to / from a specific partner terminal device without going through the master unit, and the information transmitted / received via this control unit is stored inside the slave unit. By providing the memory, the operator may transmit the information stored in the memory to the personal computer at an arbitrary timing.

Furthermore, the information from the personal computer can be stored in the slave unit, and the stored information can be transmitted to the partner terminal device at any timing via the control unit without passing through the master unit. You may

[0043]

As described above, according to the present invention,
By making it possible to transmit and receive information between the cordless telephone device slave unit and the external device by light, without moving the external device, or without pulling the line to the installation location of the external device, It is possible to easily exchange information information from an external device with a communication partner.

According to another aspect of the present invention, by executing a facsimile communication protocol and handling facsimile information as information, it is possible to perform facsimile communication using a light medium between a communication partner and an external device.

[0045]

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an entire cordless telephone device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a cordless handset constituting the cordless telephone device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a data transmission processing procedure in the cordless telephone device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a data reception processing procedure in the cordless telephone device according to the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 cordless telephone device 2 base unit 3a, 3b slave unit 4 personal computer 5 telephone line 6 public line network 10a, 10b, 11, 30 infrared transmitter / receiver unit 20 voice communication unit 21 CPU (central control unit) 22 wireless control unit 24 call control unit 25 key input unit 28 modem 29 controller 40 data communication unit

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Internal reference number FI Technical indication location H04B 10/22 H04M 1/02 C H04N 1/00 107 Z 1/32 Z

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A cordless telephone device comprising a plurality of slave units and a master unit which controls the slave units via radio waves and accommodates a line, wherein an external device is provided by light in the slave units. And a transmitting and receiving means for transmitting and receiving information, and, in the slave, modulating and demodulating means for modulating information from the transmitting and receiving means, or demodulating information to the transmitting and receiving means, and in the slave, the modulating and demodulating means and the Means for executing a predetermined interface process with the master unit, the information after the modulation is transmitted to the line through the master unit, and the information from the line is transmitted and received after the demodulation. A cordless telephone device, wherein the cordless telephone device is sent to the external device via a means. 2. The apparatus further comprises means for determining whether or not the information is facsimile information, and the modulation / demodulation means executes a predetermined facsimile communication protocol when the information is facsimile information. The cordless telephone device according to claim 1. 3. The cordless telephone device according to claim 1, wherein the light is infrared light. 4. The cordless device according to claim 1, further comprising means for individually setting a first mode for transmitting / receiving the information and a second mode for communicating in the slave unit. Telephone device. 5. The modulator / demodulator is configured such that the slave unit is the first unit.
The cordless telephone device according to claim 4, wherein a predetermined facsimile communication protocol is executed when the cordless telephone device is set to the mode. 6. The control means for controlling in the slave unit to wirelessly transmit and receive information to and from a partner terminal device without passing through the master unit, and the control means inside the slave unit via the control means. 2. The cordless telephone according to claim 1, further comprising means for accumulating the received information, wherein the accumulated information is transmitted to the external device via the transmitting / receiving means at an arbitrary timing. apparatus. 7. The storage device further comprises means for accumulating information from the external device, and the accumulated information is transmitted to the partner terminal device at an arbitrary timing via the control means. The cordless telephone device according to claim 6, wherein: