JPH10322243A - Radio communication equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide high versatility by effectively utilizing an antenna. SOLUTION: A fault is detected by inputting fault information indicating a state of a fault from three operational system transmitting/receiving parts 12a, 12b, 12c in a fault detecting part 15 and when the fault is detected in either one of the three operational system transmitting/receiving parts 12a, 12b, 12c, the antenna is switched so that the antenna previously assigned to the operational system transmitting/receiving part with the fault is assigned to a stand-by system transmitting/receiving part 13 in an antenna selecting part 16.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a radio communication apparatus, and more particularly, to a radio communication apparatus that switches an antenna assignment from an active transmission / reception section to a standby transmission / reception section when a failure occurs in an active transmission / reception section.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a conventional radio communication apparatus. In FIG. 8, reference numeral 61 denotes a wireless relay unit that performs wireless relay between a mobile communication terminal (not shown) and a base station;
Reference numeral 62 denotes an active transmission / reception unit used in a normal state; 63, a standby transmission / reception unit used when a failure occurs in the active transmission / reception unit 62; 64a, an antenna connected to the active transmission / reception unit 62; An antenna connected to the unit 63.

Next, the operation will be described. In the wireless communication device shown in FIG. 8, when the wireless relay unit 61 transmits transmission data to the active transmission / reception unit 62, the active transmission / reception unit 2
Converts the transmission data into wireless spatial data and wirelessly transmits the data from the antenna 64a. If a catastrophic failure occurs in the active transmission / reception unit 62 during normal wireless communication, the wireless relay unit 61 closes the failed active transmission / reception unit 62 and replaces the standby transmission / reception unit 63 instead. Use as an active system. Therefore, after the occurrence of the failure, the backup transmission / reception unit 61 performs transmission via the antenna 64b.

As described above, conventionally, as a countermeasure when a failure occurs in the active transmission / reception unit 62, it is common practice to previously install the backup transmission / reception unit 63 in advance.
That is, since it is necessary to install the antenna 64b in the standby transmission / reception unit 63 in advance, the transmission / reception unit and the antenna are connected in a one-to-one relationship.

Normally, the antenna 64b connected to the standby transmission / reception unit 63 is in a non-use state. However, when a failure occurs, the standby transmission / reception unit 63 switches to the active system. The antenna 64a connected to the active transmission / reception unit 62 becomes inactive. For this reason, there is always an unused antenna in both the normal state and the failure state, and it has been impossible to effectively use the radio resources (in this case, the antenna).

Therefore, as an approximation technique for effective use of radio resources, there is, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 53-115119. In this publication, one working antenna and a working receiving unit are connected to one antenna, and the occurrence of a fault is monitored for both working and standby receiving units. A technique is disclosed in which, when the error occurs, the connection to the synchronization detection circuit is switched from the active receiver to the standby receiver.

[0007]

As described in the above publication, the conventional radio communication apparatus has a configuration in which one antenna is allocated in advance not only to the active transmitting / receiving section but also to the standby transmitting / receiving section. In addition, when an active transmission / reception unit and a standby transmission / reception unit are added, a significant improvement is required in a configuration for associating the antenna with the transmission / reception unit. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult to cope with a future expansion of a transmission / reception unit, for example, it is not possible to effectively use an antenna.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems of the prior art by obtaining a highly versatile wireless communication apparatus which can easily cope with future expansion of a transmitting / receiving unit by effectively utilizing an antenna. Aim.

[0009]

Means for Solving the Problems The above-mentioned problems are solved,
In order to achieve the object, a wireless communication device according to the present invention includes:
A wireless communication device having one active transmission / reception unit and one standby transmission / reception unit and performing wireless communication by allocating one antenna to the active transmission / reception unit in a normal state, comprising: an active transmission / reception unit A failure detection unit that detects a failure by inputting failure information indicating a failure situation from the standby system; and, when a failure of the active transmission / reception unit is detected by the failure detection unit, an antenna previously assigned to the active transmission / reception unit is replaced by a standby system And an antenna selection unit assigned to the transmission / reception unit.

According to the present invention, a failure is detected by inputting failure information indicating a failure situation from the active transmission / reception unit,
When a failure in the active transmission / reception unit is detected, an antenna previously assigned to the active transmission / reception unit is assigned to the standby transmission / reception unit. Antennas may be assigned as appropriate, and effective utilization of the antennas can be achieved, so that it is possible to provide high versatility so that future expansion of transmission / reception units can be easily handled.

A wireless communication apparatus according to the next invention has M active transmission / reception units and one standby transmission / reception unit, and normally allocates one antenna to each of the M active transmission / reception units. A wireless communication device for performing wireless communication by using the above-mentioned M active transmission / reception units to input failure information indicating a failure situation to detect a failure; An antenna selector, which, when a failure is detected in any one of the transmission / reception units, allocates an antenna previously assigned to the active transmission / reception unit to the standby transmission / reception unit.

According to the present invention, a failure is detected by inputting failure information indicating a failure situation from the M active transmission / reception units, and the failure is detected in any one of the M active transmission / reception units. In this case, the antenna assigned in advance to the active transmission / reception unit is assigned to the backup transmission / reception unit.Therefore, it is not necessary to assign the antenna to the backup transmission / reception unit in advance, and it is sufficient to assign the antenna appropriately when a failure occurs, As a result, effective use of the antenna can be achieved, so that high versatility can be provided even if the number of active transmission / reception units is increased.

The wireless communication apparatus according to the next invention has a plurality of sets each including M active transmission / reception units and one standby transmission / reception unit. A wireless communication device that performs wireless communication by allocating one antenna to each of the transmission / reception units, and detects a failure by inputting failure information indicating a failure status from M active transmission / reception units in each set. A detection unit;
When a failure detection unit detects a failure in any one of the M active transmission / reception units in each set, antenna selection to allocate an antenna previously allocated to the active transmission / reception unit to the standby transmission / reception unit in the same set And a unit.

According to the present invention, a plurality of sets each including M active transmission / reception units and one standby transmission / reception unit are prepared, and in each set, a failure occurs from the M active transmission / reception units. A failure is detected by inputting failure information indicating the situation, and if a failure is detected in any one of the M active transmission / reception units, an antenna previously assigned to the active transmission / reception unit is transmitted to the standby transmission / reception unit. It is not necessary to allocate an antenna to the backup transmission / reception unit in advance for each set, and it is sufficient to allocate an antenna appropriately when a failure occurs in each set, thereby enabling effective use of the antenna. Even if the number of active transmission / reception units is increased, high versatility can be provided.

[0015] In the radio communication apparatus according to the next invention, when the active transmitting / receiving section is restored after the assignment to the standby transmitting / receiving section by the antenna selecting section, the failure detecting section determines whether the antenna is assigned to the antenna selecting section. It is characterized in that it is controlled to return to.

According to the present invention, when the active transmission / reception unit is restored after the assignment to the standby transmission / reception unit, the assignment of the antenna is returned to the original state. , Thereby simplifying system control.

A radio communication apparatus according to the next invention has M active transmission / reception units and N standby transmission / reception units, and normally allocates one antenna to each of the M active transmission / reception units. A wireless communication device for performing wireless communication by using the above-mentioned M active transmission / reception units to input failure information indicating a failure situation to detect a failure; If a failure is detected in any one of the transmission / reception units, one of the N standby transmission / reception units
A manual switch unit for manually selecting a stand, an antenna selection unit for allocating an antenna previously assigned to the active transmission / reception unit in which a failure has been detected by the failure detection unit to the standby transmission / reception unit selected by the manual switch unit, It is characterized by having.

According to the present invention, a failure is detected by inputting failure information indicating a failure situation from the M active transmission / reception units, and a failure is detected in any one of the M active transmission / reception units. In this case, any one of the N standby transmission / reception units is manually selected, and the antenna previously assigned to the active transmission / reception unit is assigned to the standby transmission / reception unit. There is no need to assign antennas in advance, and it is sufficient to assign antennas manually when a failure occurs,
Since the antennas can be effectively used, high versatility can be provided even when the antennas are allocated by manual operation.

[0019] In the wireless communication apparatus according to the next invention, the failure detection unit stores a plurality of types of failure conditions in advance,
If the input fault information matches any one of a plurality of types of fault conditions stored in advance, the situation is detected as a fault.

According to the present invention, when the input fault information matches any one of a plurality of types of fault conditions stored in advance, the situation is detected as a fault. It is easy to detect fatal failures etc. according to the content of the condition,
It is possible to improve the reliability of the system.

The radio communication apparatus according to the next invention is characterized in that the items of the failure condition include a reception input level, a reception data error rate, adjacent channel leakage power, a reception input voltage, and the like.

According to the present invention, since the items of the fault condition include the reception input level, the reception data error rate, the adjacent channel leakage power, the reception input voltage, etc., the fault condition can be defined in detail. Which gives
It is possible to improve the reliability of the system.

[0023]

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

(Embodiment 1) First, the configuration will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a wireless communication apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a wireless relay unit that performs wireless relay between a mobile communication terminal (not shown) and a base station, 2 denotes an operating transmission / reception unit that is normally operated, and 3 denotes a fatal failure to the operation transmission / reception unit 2. Is a standby transmission / reception unit that operates instead of the occurrence of an error, 4 is an antenna that transmits (or receives) transmission data, 5 is a failure that detects a failure based on failure information from the active transmission / reception unit 2 or the standby transmission / reception unit 3 The detection unit 6 is an antenna selection unit that allocates the antenna 4 to the active reception unit 2 or the standby reception unit 3 based on information from the failure detection unit 5. FIG. 1 focuses on versatility and gives the simplest configuration example. That is, a case where one active transmission / reception unit 2 and one backup transmission / reception unit 3 which are normally operated is provided as an example, and one antenna 4 is connected to the antenna selection unit 6.

Next, the antenna selector 6 will be described in detail. FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the antenna selector 6. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 7 denotes a changeover switch for allocating the antenna 4 to one of the active transmission / reception unit 2 and the standby transmission / reception unit 3 according to the control of the failure detection unit 5.
a, 7b and 7c are terminals in the changeover switch 7. The changeover switch 7 connects the terminals 7a and 7b and assigns them to the active transmission / reception unit 2, while the terminals 7a and 7c
Are assigned to the standby transmission / reception unit 2.

Next, the operation will be described. The failure detection unit 5 monitors the currently operating active transmission / reception unit 2. If a failure occurs in the active transmission / reception unit 2 during the monitoring,
The failure information (failure information M1) is detected by the failure detection unit 5 in real time. The failure detection unit 5 always determines whether the failure is a fatal failure based on the failure information, and closes the active transmission / reception unit 2 if the failure is a fatal failure, and Notification INF for switching 3 to active
To the active transmission / reception unit 2 and the standby transmission / reception unit 3.
This notification sets which transmitting / receiving unit will become the active system in the future. When the currently operating transmission / reception unit is the standby transmission / reception unit 3, the failure detection unit 5 detects the failure information M2 from the standby transmission / reception unit 3.

Further, the failure detecting unit 5 is configured to switch from the active transmitting / receiving unit 2 to which the antenna 4 is currently assigned to the standby transmitting / receiving unit 3.
Switching signal SEL for assigning to antenna selection unit 6
To send to. The antenna selection unit 6 outputs the switching signal SEL
The switching operation is performed so that the antenna 4 connected to the active transmission / reception unit 2 in which the failure has occurred is allocated to the standby transmission / reception unit 3 in accordance with the above. That is, the terminals 7a and 7b connecting the active transmission / reception unit 2 and the antenna 4 in which the failure occurred.
Is switched to the connection relationship between the terminals 7a and 7c for connecting the standby transmission / reception unit 3 and the antenna 4 by the notification INF from the failure detection unit 5. As a result, the standby transmission / reception unit 3 thereafter becomes the active transmission / reception unit and starts the transmission / reception operation in place of the failed active transmission / reception unit 2.

Thereafter, when the active transmission / reception unit 2 that has been blocked due to the occurrence of the failure recovers from the failure due to a system reset or the like, the failure detection unit 5 sends a signal to the antenna selection unit 6 from the backup transmission / reception device 2 currently operating. Control is performed to reconnect the antenna 4 to the active transmission / reception device 2 whose recovery has been completed.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the failure is detected by inputting the failure information indicating the failure status from the active transmission / reception unit 2, and the failure of the active transmission / reception unit 2 is detected. In this case, the antenna 4 previously allocated to the active transmission / reception unit 2 is allocated to the backup transmission / reception unit 3, so that it is not necessary to allocate the antenna 4 to the backup transmission / reception unit 3 in advance. Just do it. As a result, effective use of the antenna can be achieved, so that it is possible to provide high versatility so that it is possible to easily cope with an increase in the number of transmission / reception units in the future.

Further, since the number of antennas is adjusted to the number of active transmitting / receiving sections, the antennas can be used efficiently and the cost of the system can be reduced.

Further, when the active transmission / reception unit 2 is restored after the assignment to the standby transmission / reception unit 3, the assignment of the antenna 4 is returned to the original (active transmission / reception unit 2). Also performs antenna assignment in the same procedure, thereby simplifying system control.

(Embodiment 2) In Embodiment 1 described above, an example is shown in which one active transmitting / receiving section 2 is provided and one standby transmitting / receiving section 3 is provided. As described in the second embodiment, a plurality of active transmission / reception units 2 may be arranged as a general-purpose example of the first embodiment.

First, the configuration will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a wireless communication apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. FIG. 3 omits illustration of a configuration common to the first embodiment, that is, a notification INF from the wireless relay unit 1 and the failure detection unit to each transmission / reception unit. In FIG. 3, reference numerals 12a, 12b, and 12c denote operating transmission / reception units that are normally operated, and reference numeral 13 denotes a standby transmission / reception unit that operates when a fatal failure occurs in any one of the operation transmission / reception units 12a to 12c. Transmitting and receiving unit, 14a, 1
Reference numerals 4b and 14c denote active transmission / reception units 12a and 12c, respectively.
b, 12c and an antenna connected to any one of the standby transmission / reception unit 13 to transmit (or receive) transmission data;
Reference numeral 15 denotes failure information M11, M12, M from the active transmission / reception units 12a, 12b, 12c or any two of the active transmission / reception units 12a, 12b, 12c and the standby transmission / reception unit 13.
A failure detection unit that detects a failure by using the switching signal output from the failure detection unit and detects a failure by using the switching signal output from the failure detection unit.
The antennas 14a,
An antenna selection unit that allocates 14b and 14c.

FIG. 3 shows that three active transmitting / receiving sections are arranged,
The case where one backup transmission / reception unit is arranged is taken as an example. Also, three antennas connected to the antenna selection unit 16 are arranged in accordance with the number of active transmission / reception units, and the active reception units 12a, 12b, 12c and the standby reception unit 13
Is set to be smaller than the total number of transmitting / receiving units.

The antenna selector 16 shown in FIG. 3 includes an operation switch 18 and a standby switch 19.
The operation system switch 18 includes terminals 18a and 18d for connecting or disconnecting the operation system transmission / reception unit 12a and the antenna 14a.
And terminals 18b and 18e for connecting or disconnecting the active transmitting / receiving unit 12b and the antenna 14b, and terminals 18c and 18f for connecting or disconnecting the active transmitting / receiving unit 12c and the antenna 14c. Standby switch 19
Are terminals 19a and 19 for connecting or disconnecting the standby transmission / reception unit 13 and the antennas 14a, 14b or 14c.
b, 19c and 19d.

The antenna selection unit 16 uses the switching signal SEL11 output from the failure detection unit 15 to operate the transmission / reception units 12a, 12b, 12c and the antennas 14a, 14b, 1
4c is connected or disconnected by the operation system switch 18, and the switching signal S
The standby system transmitting / receiving unit 13 and the antenna 14a are
By connecting or disconnecting 14b or 14c,
One of the transmitting / receiving units is always assigned to the antennas 14a, 14b, 14c.

Next, the operation will be described. In the wireless communication device shown in FIG. 3, the antenna selection unit 16 normally includes the active transmission / reception units 12a, 12b, 12c and the antenna 14
a, 14b, and 14c are closed, and at this time, the standby transmission / reception unit 13 and the antenna 1
4a, 14b, and 14c, a standby system switch for connecting to 14c
Is open. Normally, the active transmission / reception units 12a and 12a
If a failure has occurred in any of b and 12c, the failure detection unit 15 confirms the active transmission / reception unit in which the failure has occurred.

For example, when a failure occurs in the active transmission / reception unit 12a, the failure detection unit 15
a switching signal SEL11 for separating the active transmission / reception unit 12a from the antenna 14a based on the failure information M11
To the active switch 18 and the antenna 1
The switching signal SEL12 for connecting the standby transmission / reception unit 4a to the standby transmission / reception unit 13 is sent to the standby system switch 19. Of course, although not shown, the switching instruction from the active transmission / reception unit 12a to the standby transmission / reception unit 13 is notified to the active transmission / reception unit 12a and the standby transmission / reception unit 13.

As a result, the operating system switch 18 operates the operating system transmitting / receiving unit 1 in which the fault has occurred in accordance with the switching signal SEL11.
The connection between the antenna 2a and the antenna 14a is opened (the terminal 18a is disconnected from the terminal 18d), and the standby switch 19 is closed so as to allocate the antenna 14a to the standby transmitting / receiving unit 13 in accordance with the switching signal SEL12 (terminal 19a). And connection with the terminal 19b). As a result, interruption of transmission / reception due to a failure is resolved in a short time, and the active transmission / reception unit 1
Three transmission / reception systems by 2b, 12c and the backup transmission / reception unit 13 are held. When a failure occurs in the active transmission / reception unit 12b or 12c, the antenna 14
b or 14c is allocated to the standby transmission / reception unit 13. At this time, in the operation system switch 18, the terminal 18b is disconnected from the terminal 18e or the terminal 18c is connected to the terminal 18f.
In the standby switch 19, the terminal 19c or 19d is connected to the terminal 19a.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, the three active transmission / reception units 12a, 12b, 12c
The failure is detected by inputting failure information indicating the failure status from the server, and if a failure is detected in any one of the three active transmission / reception units 12a, 12b, and 12c, the failure is pre-assigned to the active transmission / reception unit. Since the assigned antenna is assigned to the standby transmission / reception unit 13, it is not necessary to assign an antenna to the standby transmission / reception unit 13 in advance, and an antenna may be assigned as needed when a failure occurs. As a result, effective use of the antenna can be achieved, so that high versatility can be provided even if the number of active transmission / reception units is increased.

(Embodiment 3) In the above-described embodiment 2, as an example, a wireless communication apparatus in which three active transmitting / receiving sections are arranged and one standby transmitting / receiving section is arranged has been described. As in the third embodiment described below, as a countermeasure in the case where an additional active transmission / reception unit is added, a backup transmission / reception unit is added with an increase in the active transmission / reception unit in consideration of the reliability of the system. You may make it.
In the third embodiment, a configuration in which one standby transmission / reception unit is prepared for three active transmission / reception units will be described below as one set.

First, the configuration will be described. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a wireless communication apparatus according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. FIG. 4 omits illustration of a configuration common to the first embodiment, that is, a notification INF from the wireless relay unit 1 and the failure detection unit to each transmission / reception unit. In FIG. 4, reference numerals 22a, 22b, and 22c denote first active transmission / reception units that are normally operated, respectively, and reference numeral 23a denotes a first active transmission / reception unit 22a to 22c instead of when a fatal failure occurs in one of the first active transmission / reception units. The operating first standby transmission / reception units 24a, 24b, 24c are connected to any one of the first operation transmission / reception units 22a, 22b, 22c and the first standby transmission / reception unit 23a to transmit (or receive) transmission data. The antennas, 22d, 22e, and 22f are second operating transmission / reception units that are normally operated, respectively, and 23b is the second active transmitting / receiving unit.
The second backup transmission / reception units 24d, 24e, and 24f that operate instead when a fatal failure occurs in any one of the operation transmission / reception units 22d to 22f are the second operation transmission / reception units 22d, 22e, and 22f, respectively. An antenna that is connected to one of the transmission / reception unit 22f and the second standby transmission / reception unit 23b to transmit (or receive) transmission data.

Reference numeral 25 denotes a first active transmission / reception unit 22a,
22b, 22c or first active transmitting / receiving sections 22a, 22
b, 22c and the first standby transmission / reception unit 23a
A fault is detected based on the fault information M21, M22, M23, and M24 from the CPU, and a switching signal is output as described above. And the fault information M2 from the second standby transmission / reception unit 23b.
5, M26, M27, and M28 detect a failure and output the switching signal as described above. A failure detection unit 26a receives the switching signal output from the failure detection unit 25 and receives the first active-system receiving units 22a, 22b, and 22c. First standby system receiving unit 23
The antenna selector 26b assigns the antennas 24a, 24b and 24c to a, and the second active receivers 22d, 22e,
An antenna selection unit that allocates antennas 24d, 24e, and 24f to 22f and the second standby-system receiving unit 23b.

FIG. 4 shows a configuration in which six active transmission / reception units are arranged.
The case where two standby transmission / reception units are arranged is taken as an example. In addition, three antennas connected to each of the antenna selection units 26a and 26b are arranged, and are set to be smaller than the total number of transmission / reception units by the active reception unit and the standby reception unit.

The antenna selector 26a shown in FIG. 4 includes a first working switch 28a and a first standby switch 29a. The first active system switch 28a has a configuration similar to that of the active system switch 18 described above, and connects or disconnects the first active system transmitting / receiving unit 22a and the antenna 24a, and connects the first active system transmitting / receiving unit 22b and the antenna 24b. Connection or disconnection, and connection or disconnection between the first active transmission / reception unit 22c and the antenna 24c. First
The standby switch 29a has the same configuration as the above-described standby switch 19, and connects or disconnects the first standby transmission / reception unit 23a and the antenna 24a, 24b, or 24c.

The antenna selection unit 26a is provided with a failure detection unit 25
The first working transmission / reception units 22a, 22b, 22c and the antennas 24a, 24
b and 24c are connected or disconnected by the first operating system switch 28a, and the switching signal SEL22 output from the failure detecting unit 25 is used to connect and disconnect the first standby system transmitting / receiving unit 23a.
By connecting or disconnecting the antenna 24a, 24b or 24c, the antenna 24a, 24b, 24
Assign any one of the transmission / reception units to c.

The antenna selection unit 26b shown in FIG.
Are the second active switch 28b and the second standby switch 2
9b. The second active switch 28b has the same configuration as that of the above-mentioned active switch 18, connects or disconnects the second active transceiver 22d and the antenna 24d, and connects the second active transceiver 22e and the antenna 2d.
Connection or disconnection with the 4e, the second active transmission / reception unit 2
The connection or disconnection between the antenna 2f and the antenna 24f is performed. The second standby system switch 29b has the same configuration as the above-described standby system switch 19, and connects or disconnects the second standby system transmission / reception unit 23b and the antenna 24d, 24e, or 24f.

The antenna selection section 26b is provided with a failure detection section 25
The switching signals SEL23 output from the second unit cause the second active transmission / reception units 22d, 22e, 22f and the antennas 24d, 24f to
e and 24f are connected or disconnected by the second operating system switch 28b, and the switching signal SEL24 output from the fault detecting unit 25 is used to connect and disconnect the second standby system transmitting / receiving unit 23b.
By connecting or disconnecting the antenna 24d, 24e or 24f, the antenna 24d, 24e, 24
One of the transmission / reception units is assigned to f.

Next, the operation will be described. In the wireless communication apparatus shown in FIG. 4, the antenna selector 26a normally closes the first active switch 28a that connects the first active transceivers 22a, 22b, 22c to the antennas 24a, 24b, 24c. At this time, the first backup switch 29a connecting the first backup transmission / reception unit 23a and the antennas 24a, 24b, 24c is opened. In this part, the first active transmission / reception units 22a, 22b, 22
c, a failure detection unit 2
5 identifies the active transmission / reception unit in which the failure has occurred.

On the other hand, the antenna selecting section 26b normally includes the second active transmitting / receiving sections 22d, 22e, 22f and the antenna 2
4d, 24e, and 24f are closed, the second active system switch 28b is closed.
b connecting the antennas b and the antennas 24d, 24e, 24f
The standby switch 29b is open. In this part,
Normally, when a failure occurs in any of the second active transmission / reception units 22d, 22e, and 22f, the failure detection unit 25 identifies the active transmission / reception unit in which the failure has occurred.

For example, when a failure occurs in the first active transmission / reception unit 22a, the failure detection unit 25 sets the first active transmission / reception unit 22a and the antenna 24a based on the failure information M21 of the first active transmission / reception unit 22a. And a switching signal SEL22 for connecting the antenna 24a and the first standby transmission / reception unit 23a to the first standby switch 29a. Of course, although not shown, an instruction to switch from the first active transmission / reception unit 22a to the first standby transmission / reception unit 23a is sent to the first active transmission / reception unit 22a and the first standby transmission / reception unit 23a.

As a result, the first operating system switch 28a
In accordance with the switching signal SEL21, the connection between the first active transmission / reception unit 22a in which the failure has occurred and the antenna 24a is opened, and the first
The standby system switch 29a switches its antenna 24a to the first standby system transmitting / receiving unit 23a in accordance with the switching signal SEL22.
Closed to assign to. As a result, the first active transmission / reception units 22b and 22c and the first standby transmission / reception unit 2
Three transmission / reception systems according to 3a are held. The first
When a failure occurs in the active transmission / reception unit 22b or 22c, the antenna 24b or 24c is assigned to the first standby transmission / reception unit 23a.

The above description is based on the first working transmitting / receiving section 22a.
22c and the operation of the first standby transmission / reception unit 23a at the time of occurrence of a failure.
The same operation is performed even if a failure occurs on the side of the second standby transmission / reception unit 23b. For example, when a failure occurs in the second active transmission / reception unit 22d, the failure detection unit 25 disconnects the second active transmission / reception unit 22d from the antenna 24d based on the failure information M25 of the second active transmission / reception unit 22d. Signal SEL23 to the second active system switch 28b and the antenna 24d and the second standby system transceiver 2
A switching signal SEL24 for connecting to the second standby switch 29b is sent to the second standby switch 29b. Of course, although not shown, the second active transmission / reception unit 22d to the second standby transmission / reception unit 23b
To the second active system transmitting / receiving unit 22d and the second standby system transmitting / receiving unit 23b.

As a result, the second operating system switch 28b
In accordance with the switching signal SEL23, the connection between the failed second active transmission / reception unit 22d and the antenna 24d is opened, and the second
The standby system switch 29b switches its antenna 24d according to the switching signal SEL24, this time to the second standby system transmitting / receiving unit 23b.
Closed to assign to. Thereby, the second active transmission / reception units 22e and 22f and the second standby transmission / reception unit 2
3b are held. The second
When a failure occurs in the active transmission / reception unit 22e or 22f, the antenna 24e or 24f is assigned to the second standby transmission / reception unit 23b.

As described above, according to the third embodiment, a plurality of sets of M (three in this example) active transmission / reception units and one standby transmission / reception unit (this example) In each set, a failure is detected by inputting failure information indicating a failure situation from the M active transmission / reception units, and a failure is detected. When a failure is detected, an antenna previously allocated to the active transmission / reception unit is allocated to the standby transmission / reception unit. Therefore, it is not necessary to allocate an antenna to the standby transmission / reception unit in advance for each set. An antenna may be appropriately assigned when a failure occurs. As a result, effective use of the antenna can be achieved, so that high versatility can be provided even if the number of active transmission / reception units is increased.

(Embodiment 4) In Embodiment 1 described above, the antenna selection unit 6 is automatically switched from the active transmission / reception unit 2 to the standby transmission / reception unit 3 by the switching control by the failure detection unit 5.
However, as in the fourth embodiment described below, the antenna allocation may be manually selected when a failure is detected.

First, the configuration will be described. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a wireless communication apparatus according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. FIG. 5 omits illustration of a configuration common to the first embodiment, that is, a notification INF from the wireless relay unit 1 and the failure detection unit to each transmission / reception unit. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 32 denotes an active transmission / reception unit that is normally operated; 33, a standby transmission / reception unit that operates instead of a catastrophic failure occurring in the active transmission / reception unit 32; ), A failure detection unit 35 for detecting a failure based on failure information from the active transmission / reception unit 32 or the standby transmission / reception unit 33, and 36 an active reception unit 32 or a standby reception unit based on information from the failure detection unit 35. An antenna selection unit that allocates an antenna 34 to 33;
Reference numeral 40 denotes a manual switch unit provided with manual switches by the number corresponding to the number of transmission / reception units.

The manual switch unit 40 is connected to the antenna selection unit 36, selects one of the active transmission / reception unit 32 and the standby transmission / reception unit 33 by manual operation of a manual switch, and sends a switching signal to the antenna selection unit 36. SEL (same as in the first embodiment) is transmitted. Upon receiving the failure detection signal DET from the failure detection unit 35, the antenna selection unit 36 notifies the occurrence of the failure by, for example, light or sound, and receives the switching signal SEL from the manual switch unit 40 and responds to the switching signal SEL. To switch the assignment.

Next, the operation will be described. As in the first embodiment, the failure detection unit 35 monitors the active transmission / reception unit 32 that is currently operating. If a failure occurs in the active transmission / reception unit 32 during the monitoring, information on the failure (failure information M1) is detected by the failure detection unit 35 in real time. The failure detection unit 35 always determines whether the failure is a fatal failure based on the failure information M1, and closes the active transmission / reception unit 32 if the failure is fatal,
A notification INF for switching the standby transmission / reception unit 33 to the active transmission / reception unit is transmitted to the active transmission / reception unit 32 and the standby transmission / reception unit 33. This notification sets which transmitting / receiving unit will become the active system in the future.

The failure detection unit 35 further sends a failure detection signal DET to the antenna selection unit 36 for assigning the antenna 34 from the active transmission / reception unit 32 to the protection transmission / reception unit 33. The antenna selection unit 36 performs a notification operation according to the failure detection signal DET so as to allocate the antenna 34 connected to the active transmission / reception unit 32 in which the failure has occurred to the backup transmission / reception unit 3. After this announcement,
When the switching signal SEL from the manual switch unit 40 to the standby transmission / reception unit 33 is received by the antenna selection unit 36, the antenna selection unit 36 allocates the antenna 34 to the standby transmission / reception unit 33.

After that, when the active transmission / reception unit 32 that has been blocked due to the failure recovers from the failure due to a system reset or the like, the failure detection unit 35 notifies the antenna selection unit 36 of the completion of the recovery. The selection unit 36 receives a switching signal SEL for switching from the currently operating standby transmission / reception device 32 to the restored active transmission / reception device 32, and performs control to reconnect the antenna 34.

As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, a failure is detected by inputting failure information indicating a failure situation from the active transmission / reception unit 32, and the failure is detected in the active transmission / reception unit 32. In such a case, the standby transmission / reception unit 33 is manually selected, and the antenna 34 previously assigned to the active transmission / reception unit 32 is assigned to the standby transmission / reception unit 33. There is no need to assign the antenna 34, and the antenna 34 may be assigned manually when a failure occurs.
This allows the antenna to be used effectively,
High versatility can be achieved even when the antennas are assigned manually. In the above-described fourth embodiment, one active transmitting / receiving unit and one standby transmitting / receiving unit are used. However, M and N units may be used, respectively. The number (M units) is the same as the number M of system transmission / reception units.

(Embodiment 5) In Embodiment 1 described above, the failure detection unit 5 switches the antenna unit 4 based on the failure information M1 from the active transmission / reception unit 2 or M2 from the standby transmission / reception unit 3. Although no specific definition is made for the determination of the fault information, a fault condition is prepared in advance as in the fifth embodiment described below, and the fault condition is compared with the actual fault information. May be assigned according to the result of the comparison. In the fifth embodiment, the configurations shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are applied to the entire configuration as an application example of the first embodiment.

Therefore, the configuration of the main part will be described. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a main part of a wireless communication apparatus according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention. In FIG. 6, reference numeral 55 denotes a failure detection unit, which is an input port 5 for receiving failure information M1 and M2 from the active transmission / reception unit 2 and the standby transmission / reception unit 3 not shown.
6 and a parameter register 57. The input port 56 inputs a plurality of pieces of bit information and obtains a plurality of types of fault conditions from the plurality of pieces of bit information.

As an operation, the failure information M1 (or M2) notified to the failure detection unit 55 is transmitted to the active transmission / reception unit 2.
(Or the operation information of the standby transmission / reception unit 3). The failure detector 55 compares the failure information M1 (or M2) with the parameters set in the parameter register 57 in advance, and determines whether the failure is fatal according to the degree of coincidence. When it is determined that the failure is a fatal failure, a switching instruction, that is, a switching signal SEL is notified to the antenna selection unit 6.

As described above, according to the fifth embodiment, the failure detecting section 55 can grasp the details of the operation state of each transmission / reception section, and also prescribe detailed fatal failures in advance. I can do it. In particular, a failure is detected when the input failure information matches any one of a plurality of types of failure conditions stored in advance, so that a fatal failure is determined according to the content of the failure condition. And the like can be easily detected, thereby improving the reliability of the system.

(Embodiment 6) In Embodiment 5 described above, a method for detecting a failure in a wireless communication apparatus according to Embodiment 1 is described. The failure condition will be described in detail.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a fault condition defined in the radio communication apparatus according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 shows a table in which failure information items, that is, information items, and failure conditions are associated with each other. Information items include a reception input level, a reception data error rate, adjacent channel leakage power, and a reception input voltage. The information item "reception input level" specifies a failure condition of 6.0 dBμ or more, and the information item "reception data error rate" specifies a failure condition of 3% or more. The information item “adjacent channel leakage power” has a failure condition of −55d.
B or more, and the information item “reception input voltage” specifies 30 dBμV or less as a failure condition.

As described above, several failure conditions (parameters) are set in the parameter register 57 in advance, and during operation of the apparatus, the failure information M1 (or M2) from the active transmission / reception unit 2 (or the standby transmission / reception unit 3). ) Compares the fault condition with the fault information. As a result, when the failure information cannot satisfy the failure condition, that is, when it is determined that the failure is fatal, the antenna
(Switch signal SEL) is notified.

As described above, according to the sixth embodiment, if at least one information item corresponding to a parameter is set as a failure, the condition for failure occurrence is defined in detail. Therefore, the reliability can be further improved. In particular, since the items of the failure condition include the reception input level, the reception data error rate, the adjacent channel leakage power, the reception input voltage, and the like, the failure condition can be defined in detail.

[0071]

As described above, according to the present invention, a failure is detected by inputting failure information indicating a failure situation from the active transmission / reception unit, and when a failure of the active transmission / reception unit is detected. Since the antenna previously allocated to the active transmission / reception unit is allocated to the standby transmission / reception unit, there is no need to allocate the antenna to the standby transmission / reception unit in advance. Since the wireless communication device can be effectively used, it is possible to obtain a wireless communication device that can have high versatility so that it can easily cope with future expansion of a transmission / reception unit.

According to the next invention, a failure is detected by inputting failure information indicating a failure situation from the M active transmission / reception units, and the failure is detected in any one of the M active transmission / reception units. When an antenna is detected, an antenna previously assigned to the active transmission / reception unit is assigned to the standby transmission / reception unit, so there is no need to allocate an antenna to the standby transmission / reception unit in advance, and an antenna can be assigned appropriately when a failure occurs. As a result, since the antenna can be effectively used, there is an effect that a wireless communication device which can have high versatility independent of the number of active transmission / reception units can be obtained.

According to the next invention, a plurality of sets each including M active transmission / reception units and one standby transmission / reception unit are prepared, and in each set, M active transmission / reception units are provided. The fault is detected by inputting fault information indicating the fault status from the unit, and when a fault is detected in any one of the M active transmitting / receiving units, an antenna previously assigned to the active transmitting / receiving unit is used. Since the antennas are allocated to the backup transmission / reception units, it is not necessary to allocate antennas to the backup transmission / reception units in advance for each set, and it is sufficient to allocate antennas appropriately when a failure occurs in each set. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a wireless communication device that can have high versatility regardless of the number of active transmission / reception units.

Further, according to the next invention, when the active transmission / reception unit is restored after the assignment to the backup transmission / reception unit, the antenna assignment is returned to the original state. Antennas are allocated in a procedure, which provides an effect that a wireless communication apparatus that can simplify system control is obtained.

According to the next invention, a failure is detected by inputting failure information indicating a failure situation from the M active transmission / reception units, and the failure is detected in any one of the M active transmission / reception units. Is detected, any one of the N standby transmission / reception units is manually selected, and an antenna previously assigned to the active transmission / reception unit is assigned to the standby transmission / reception unit. It is not necessary to allocate an antenna to the transmitting and receiving unit in advance, and it is sufficient to manually allocate the antenna when a failure occurs, and thereby it is possible to effectively use the antenna. There is an effect that a wireless communication device that can have versatility can be obtained.

Further, according to the next invention, when the input fault information matches any one of a plurality of types of fault conditions stored in advance, the situation is detected as a fault. Therefore, it is easy to detect a fatal failure or the like according to the content of the failure condition, and thereby it is possible to improve the reliability of the system.

According to the next invention, the items of the failure condition include the reception input level, the reception data error rate, the adjacent channel leakage power, the reception input voltage, etc., so that the failure condition is specified in detail. This makes it possible to obtain a wireless communication device capable of improving the reliability of the system.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a wireless communication device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing an example of an internal configuration of an antenna selection unit according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a wireless communication device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a wireless communication device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a wireless communication device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a main part of a wireless communication device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a failure condition defined in a wireless communication device according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a wireless communication device according to a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 wireless relay section, 2, 12a to 12c, 32 active transmission / reception section, 3, 13, 33 standby transmission / reception section, 4, 14a
~ 14c, 24a ~ 24f, 34 antennas, 5, 1
5, 25, 35, 55 failure detection unit, 6, 16, 26,
36 antenna selector, 7 changeover switch, 18 operation switch, 19 standby switch, 22a to 22c
First working system transmitting / receiving unit, 22d to 22f Second working system transmitting / receiving unit, 23a First working system transmitting / receiving unit, 23b Second working system transmitting / receiving unit, 28a First working system switch, 28b Second working system switch, 29a First Spare switch, 29
b Second standby system switch.

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A wireless communication device having one active transmission / reception unit and one standby transmission / reception unit and performing wireless communication by allocating one antenna to the active transmission / reception unit in a normal state. A failure detection unit that detects a failure by inputting failure information indicating a failure situation from the active transmission / reception unit; and a failure detection unit that detects the failure of the active transmission / reception unit by the failure detection unit. And an antenna selecting unit for allocating the antenna previously allocated to the unit to the standby transmitting / receiving unit. 2. A wireless system having M active transmission / reception units and one standby transmission / reception unit, and performing wireless communication by allocating one antenna to each of the M active transmission / reception units in a normal state. A communication device, comprising: a failure detection unit configured to detect a failure by inputting failure information indicating a failure situation from the M active transmission / reception units; and any one of the M active transmission / reception units by the failure detection unit. And an antenna selector allocating the antenna previously allocated to the active transmission / reception unit to the standby transmission / reception unit when a failure is detected in one of the wireless communication devices. 3. A plurality of sets each including M active transmission / reception units and one standby transmission / reception unit, and one set is normally provided for each of the M active transmission / reception units in each set. A wireless communication device that performs wireless communication by allocating an antenna, a failure detection unit that detects a failure by inputting failure information indicating a failure situation from the M active transmission and reception units in each set, When a failure is detected in any one of the M active transmission / reception units by the failure detection unit in each set, the antennas assigned in advance to the active transmission / reception units are transmitted to the standby transmission / reception unit of the same set. A wireless communication device, comprising: an antenna selection unit assigned to a unit. 4. The failure detection section returns the assignment of the antenna to the antenna selection section when the working transmission / reception section is restored after the assignment to the protection transmission / reception section by the antenna selection section. The wireless communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the wireless communication device is controlled as described above. 5. A radio which has M active transmission / reception units and N standby transmission / reception units, and performs wireless communication by allocating one antenna to each of the M active transmission / reception units in a normal state. A communication device, comprising: a failure detection unit configured to detect a failure by inputting failure information indicating a failure situation from the M active transmission / reception units; and any one of the M active transmission / reception units by the failure detection unit. A manual switch unit for manually selecting one of the N standby transmission / reception units when one of the failures is detected; and an active transmission / reception unit for which a failure is detected by the failure detection unit. An antenna selecting unit for allocating the pre-assigned antenna to a standby transmission / reception unit selected by the manual switch unit. 6. The fault detecting unit stores a plurality of types of fault conditions in advance, and the input fault information matches any one of the plurality of types of fault conditions stored in advance. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein when the situation is detected, the situation is detected as a failure. 7. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the items of the failure condition include a reception input level, a reception data error rate, an adjacent channel leakage power, a reception input voltage, and the like.