JPH1168723A - Communication equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow communication equipment of a plurality of groups to share a frequency band in common with a simple configuration. SOLUTION: A retrieval function 31 sends a retrieval signal from a transmission section and a reception section receives a retrieval signal sent from other communication equipment. Since a transmission timing of the retrieval signal of the same communication equipment is deviated from a reception timing of the retrieval signal, the retrieval signal of its own equipment is not received. The communication equipment that transmits the retrieval signal received successively enables a master function 32 and the communication equipment that receives the retrieval signal successively enables a master function 33. The master operating sequence matches a slave operating sequence, then data are communicated through a prescribed data slot.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a communication device for performing communication synchronously.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In communication, a band is finite and it is desired to use it effectively. In order for a plurality of communication sessions to share a band, frequency division, time division, code division, and the like are usually employed. In these band divisions, predetermined frequencies, time slots, and codes are assigned to communication devices or are assigned according to predetermined rules. It is difficult to easily perform band division between arbitrary communication devices that have no agreement.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a communication device capable of sharing a band with a simple configuration.

[0004]

According to the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, the timing of an operation sequence of a communication apparatus is controlled by a communication apparatus in accordance with a synchronization signal from another communication apparatus. Means for synchronizing with the operation sequence;
Means for transmitting and receiving data to and from the other communication device in a predetermined time slot of the operation sequence is provided.

In this configuration, arbitrarily operating communication devices are caused to operate in the same operation sequence by a synchronization signal from one of them, thereby transmitting and receiving data in a common time slot (channel). be able to. Other communication devices also synchronize the operation sequence with a unique synchronization signal. The synchronization signal is unique to the communication device (it is unlikely to be the same), and a plurality of channels can be set in the same band.

[0006] Further, means for determining the timing of the operation sequence of the communication device main body based on a predetermined event having a contingency to the communication device, means for intermittently transmitting a trigger signal in accordance with the operation sequence, and other components. Means for receiving a trigger signal from the communication device, and an operation sequence when the timing of transmitting the trigger signal and the timing of transmitting the trigger signal of the other communication device are in a predetermined context. Means for synchronizing with the operation sequence of the communication device, and means for performing at least one of data transmission and reception with the other communication device in one or more time slots of the operation sequence. You may.

In this configuration, a plurality of communication devices whose operation sequences are synchronized form one group,
Communication is performed according to the operation sequence of the timing unique to the group. Since the timing of the operation sequence of a group is determined by chance, it is extremely unlikely that communication devices of different groups will communicate in the same time slot, and the groups can exchange data independently.

[0008] The predetermined event having a coincidence is:
The operations include turning on the power to the communication device main body, resetting operation, and initialization.

Note that data communication between communication devices may be permitted only during the same time slot. Since the positions of the time slots are shifted between different circles, interference between groups can be avoided by adopting such a configuration.

The band may be wireless or wired.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. [First Embodiment] First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 1 shows a communication device for a game 1 according to a first embodiment.
In FIG. 1, the game communication device 10 is configured by housing a predetermined internal circuit 20 (FIG. 2) in a case 11. The case 11 is made of, for example, a translucent milky plastic material, and two light emitting diodes 12a and 12b are provided inside the case 11 at a position close to the outer wall on the front side (upper side of the paper). Light emitted from the light emitting diodes 12a and 12b is applied to the outside via the side wall of the translucent case 11. In addition, a liquid crystal display panel 12c is exposed on the front surface of the case 11. Further, on the surface of the case 11, touch sensors 13a and 13b are provided. The portable chain 11a is the touch sensor 13
a is attached to the attachment portion provided with the metal contact. The communication device 10 transmits and receives a radio signal to and from another similar communication device 10, and can exchange data and transmit commands based on this. For example, data exchange
This is a text message exchange, and the message is displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 12c. The input of the message is performed by the touch sensors 12a, 12b and the like. Also, in response to the transmission of a command, an audiovisual reaction operation such as the light emitting diode 12a,
12b can blink.

FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the internal circuit 20 of the communication device 10. In FIG.
(Central Processing Unit) 21, ROM (Read Only Memory) 22, RAM (Random Access Memory) 23, Transmitter 24, Receiver 25, LED (Light Emitting Diode) L
A CD (liquid crystal display) driving unit 26, a signal processing circuit 27,
It is configured to include an interface circuit 28, a power supply 29, and the like. The ROM 22 stores software for executing operations to be described later. The RAM 23 stores data and commands input via the touch sensors 13a and 13b and the signal processing circuit 27 and operation modes of the communication device 10 itself. The transmitting unit 24 and the receiving unit 25 are for transmitting and receiving a signal of a predetermined radio frequency, and the communication device 1 manufactured according to this embodiment.
The frequency band between 0 is the same. of course,
The product may be differentiated by different frequencies, or a plurality of frequency bands may be shared. When there are a plurality of frequency bands, functions can be divided and assigned. For example, one can be used for data transmission and reception described below, and the other can be used for a normal transceiver.
The power supply 29 is, for example, a battery and supplies power to the CPU 21 when incorporated in the apparatus. Since the power-on timing has a chance, the timing of each operation sequence (FIG. 6) of the communication device 20 is normally shifted. Of course, the case 11 may be provided with a power switch or a reset switch.

FIG. 3 shows the functions executed by the communication device 10 using a block configuration for convenience. This functional block is actually realized by software,
A part or all of them may have a discrete hardware configuration.

In FIG. 3, a search function 31 transmits a search signal from a transmission unit 24 (FIG. 2),
The receiving unit 25 receives the search signal transmitted from the receiving unit 25. Since the search signal transmission timing and the search signal reception timing (time slot, grid serving as a window) of the same communication device 10 are different from each other, the search signal of the own device is not received. The master function 32 is a function executed by the communication device 10 that leads the cooperative operation among the plurality of communication devices 10 in the cooperative normal state. Master function 32
Specifically, it executes synchronization of operation timing between communication devices, transmission of a signal (master ID) for bringing a new communication device 10 into a cooperative state, and the like. The slave function 33 is a function of performing operations such as data transmission / reception following the communication device 10 executing the master function 32 among the communication devices 10 operating in cooperation. Master function 32 and slave function 33
Is a circle function 34 for exchanging data as a whole
Is configured.

Initially, the communication device 10 executes a search function (search mode). The plurality of communication devices 10 that have entered the wireless signal transmission / reception range execute either the master function (master mode) or the slave function (slave mode). When to enter the master mode and when to enter the slave mode will be described later. The master mode and the slave mode are collectively called a circle mode.

Each communication device 10 has a master / slave flag 35, and executes operations in a search mode, a master mode and a slave mode based on the flag.

Next, various operation modes of the communication device 10 will be described. The operation mode of the communication device 10 includes:
Basically, there are a search mode and a circle mode, and the circle mode includes a master mode and a slave mode.

FIG. 4 shows a case where the communication devices A and B have approached the communication distance. Each of the communication devices in the search mode periodically transmits the search ID. In this case, each communication device transmits a search ID at a unique timing according to a power-on timing, a variation in a circuit, and the like, and one communication device receives a search ID from the other first. Here, it is assumed that the communication device B has previously received the search ID from the communication device A. Then, the communication device B shifts from the search mode to the slave mode in response to receiving the search ID. Communication device B
Synchronizes the operation timing (operation sequence, time schedule) with the operation timing of the communication apparatus A in response to the reception of the search ID. Then, the communication device B transmits the circle ID as shown in FIG. The other communication device A
Can receive the circle ID after a predetermined delay time according to the transmission timing of its own search signal, and as a result,
Upon receiving the circle ID from the communication device B, the mode shifts to the master mode.

The communication devices A and B in the master mode and the slave mode stop transmitting and receiving the search ID.

In this way, synchronized signals are exchanged between the communication devices by synchronizing the operation timings. Further, even when another group approaches, the operation timing is shifted, so that the cooperative operation is performed independently for each group.

FIG. 6 shows a sequence map (time schedule) used in this embodiment. The communication device 10 repeatedly executes a series of procedures specified in the map. The sequence map includes an active time zone Ta and a waiting time zone Tb. The active time zone Ta is extremely shorter than the waiting time zone Tb, and is approximately 1 second when both time zones Ta and Tb are added. The waiting time zone Tb is a period during which an incentive signal, such as a search ID, relating to an incentive (an incentive to make a circle) from another communication device is received. The communication device that has received the trigger signal synchronizes with the transmitting communication device. That is, the sequence maps overlap on the time axis. And the active time zone T
a is a synchronous signal (ID) between synchronized communication devices.
This is a period for performing transmission / reception.

For example, in FIG. 7, assuming that the communication device A transmits an incentive signal, for example, a search ID, at timing t1 and the communication device B receives the trigger signal, the sequence map of the communication device B changes from a solid line position to a broken line position. Shift and synchronize with the sequence map of the communication device A. Thereafter, signals are exchanged between the communication devices A and B during the active time zone. The communication device B that has received the search ID becomes a slave device. Then, the communication device B in the slave state sends the communication device A back to the communication device A in the predetermined grid on the circle ID. Communication device A receives the circle ID in the same time slot,
Become the master machine. The role of the communication device is determined depending on which communication device receives the trigger signal first.
This is the same as in the first embodiment.

Next, the active time zone Ta and the waiting time zone Tb will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In FIG. 6, the active time zone T
a has various grids (time slots), and a unique function is assigned to each grid. And send this grid active, receive active,
Signal transmission / reception is controlled in the off state. The functions assigned to the active time zone Ta (which will be described in detail later) include the transmission / off of the search ID, the transmission / off of the first master ID, the transmission / off of the second master ID, and the third master ID.
Transmission / off, fourth master ID transmission / off, fifth master ID transmission / off, circle ID transmission / reception, second
Transmission / reception of hierarchy ID, transmission / reception of third hierarchy ID, transmission / reception of fourth hierarchy ID, transmission / reception of fifth hierarchy ID, transmission / reception of reset ID,
Transmission / off of forced reset ID, transmission / reception of data,
These are transmission / reception of a closed mode ID and transmission / reception of a forced open ID. Of course, a grid of another function may be provided, or a part of the grid may be deleted.

The length of each of the grids of the active time zone Ta may be a predetermined length suitable for each use. It may be the same or different.

The whole area of the waiting time zone Tb has the same function, and is not divided into small grids as in the active time zone. In the entire waiting time zone Tb, the search ID is received, the first to fifth master IDs are received, and the first hierarchy ID is received.
The reception of the fifth hierarchy ID and the reception of the forced reset ID are performed equally.

Next, signals transmitted and received in each grid of the active time zone Ta will be described in order.

[Exploration ID] This is an incentive signal for converting a communication device (single device) that does not form a circle into a circle (first hierarchy). The single device receiving the search ID becomes a slave device, and the transmitting single device receiving the search ID by another single device becomes a master device. As a result, a group (circle) of the first hierarchy is formed.

[First Master ID] This is an incentive signal for the master machine of the first hierarchy group (circle) to make a single machine a member of the circle. The single device receiving the first master ID synchronizes with the master device and becomes a member of the circle.

[Second Master ID] The only master unit that supervises the whole of the second hierarchy group (to be described later in detail with reference to the second hierarchy ID) is the one for making the master unit of the first hierarchy a slave. The trigger signal. The master machine of the first hierarchy that has received the second master ID synchronizes with the general master machine and becomes a member of the group of the second hierarchy. At this time, the only master device transmits the forced reset ID.

[Third Master ID] The only master unit that supervises the whole of the third hierarchy group (which will be described later in detail with reference to the third hierarchy ID) is to set the master unit of the second hierarchy as a slave. The trigger signal. The master device of the second hierarchy that has received the third master ID is synchronized with the general master device, and becomes a member of the group of the second hierarchy.

[Fourth Master ID] The only master unit that supervises the whole of the fourth hierarchy group (which will be described later in detail with reference to the fourth hierarchy ID) is to make the third hierarchy master unit a slave. The trigger signal. The master machine of the third hierarchy that has received the fourth master ID synchronizes with the general master machine and becomes a member of the group of the third hierarchy.

[Fifth Master ID] The only master unit that supervises the whole fifth hierarchy group (to be described in detail later with reference to the fifth hierarchy ID) is to make the fourth hierarchy master unit a slave. The trigger signal. The master machine of the fourth hierarchy that has received the fifth master ID synchronizes with the general master machine and becomes a member of the group of the second hierarchy.

[Circle ID] This is a grid that activates the circle mode by sensing the search ID. Exploration I
The single device receiving D in the waiting time zone is instantaneously synchronized with the single device on the search ID transmitting side by the forced reset. In the grid of the circle ID at the same timing, the circle ID is transmitted from the search ID receiving single device to the search ID transmitting single device. As a result, as described above, the search ID transmitting single machine becomes the master machine, and the search ID receiving single machine becomes the slave machine.

[Second hierarchy ID] This is an incentive signal exchanged between master units in a group (circle) of the first hierarchy. Upon receiving the second hierarchy ID in the waiting time zone, the master machine of the first hierarchy synchronizes the grid of the second hierarchy ID with the grid of the second hierarchy ID of the communication device on the transmitting side by forcibly resetting. The master machine that has received the second hierarchy ID returns the second hierarchy ID in the grid of the second hierarchy ID. The master machine that has received the returned second hierarchy ID recognizes that the second hierarchy ID has been successfully transmitted. The master machine that has successfully transmitted the second hierarchy ID becomes the master of the second hierarchy, and the master machine that has successfully received the second hierarchy ID becomes the slave of the second hierarchy.

[Third hierarchy ID] This is an incentive signal exchanged between the only masters in the second hierarchy group. This is the same as the second hierarchy ID, except that the hierarchy is different.

[Fourth hierarchy ID] This is an incentive signal exchanged between only one master in the third hierarchy group. This is the same as the second hierarchy ID, except that the hierarchy is different.

[Fifth hierarchy ID] This is an incentive signal exchanged between the only masters in the fourth hierarchy group. This is the same as the second hierarchy ID, except that the hierarchy is different.

[Reset ID] In the reset ID grid, the master communication device is set to be active for transmission and the slave communication device is set to be active for reception. The reset ID is used to synchronize the time axis (grid) of the slave with the time axis of the master.

[Forced reset ID] When the master unit encounters a master unit of another circle and is selected as a hierarchy master, the time axis correction is forcibly performed on all communication devices within the radio wave reach range. Single aircraft is the search ID
If this signal is received before receiving the master ID and the master ID, the search ID and the master ID cannot be received in the waiting time zone, so that the single machine cannot be circled. This can happen in rare cases,
You can also enjoy such coincidence. If the time axis of the single machine is released from the previous time axis by turning off the power or the like, the single machine can be returned to the original circle.

[Data] This grid is used as a data gate. Data is exchanged using this gate. When exchanging data, you can automatically send and receive retained data when creating circles,
In the symbol input mode, input data (message) may be transferred according to an input data transfer instruction.

[Close mode ID] This signal is
This is a compulsory signal that works only within a Hierarchical group (circle). When the grid is activated for transmission, a closed mode ID is transmitted, and all the communication devices in the circle to which the communication device belongs are shifted to the closed mode. The close mode ID can be transmitted to both the master unit and the slave unit. In the closed mode, the members of the circle are fixed. That is, the master device turns off transmission of the master ID, and stops inviting new members. However, the second to fifth master IDs and the second to fifth hierarchy IDs
Continue to be sent, so the hierarchy construction continues.

The close mode ID is determined by operating a mode change touch sensor. By operating this touch sensor, the user can leave the circle and become an open single machine. However,
In this operation, no signal is transmitted to another communication device, and the other communication device is not affected. In this case, since the communication is synchronized with the communication device of the circle, it is not re-acquired by the master ID.

[Forced open ID] When the radio wave condition deteriorates, the master machine disappears, or the baton touch is not performed well, and the acknowledge ID is not returned within the specified time, the transmission is activated. Normally, reception is active, and there is no distinction between a master unit and a slave unit. Upon receiving the forced open ID, all communication devices in the hierarchy and the circle are returned to the single device in the open mode.

Since the time axis remains the same, it remains a single machine until someone turns on the power again, or meets a colony or a single machine on another time axis. If you notice that the forced open has been performed and turn on the power quickly, you can circle other single machines.

FIG. 8 shows a modification of the operation sequence of FIG. In this modified example, the first transfer wave gate of data is turned on (transmission / reception at a delayed timing of data), the second transfer wave gate is turned on, the third transfer wave gate is turned on, and the fourth transfer wave gate is turned on. On, the fifth transfer wave gate is on, the sixth transfer wave gate is on, and the seventh transfer wave gate is on. As described above, if the data transfer wave gate is provided, data can be sequentially propagated through a plurality of communication devices. Hereinafter, the transfer wave gate of FIG. 8 will be described.

[Data, First Transfer Wave Gate] The grid of the first transfer wave gate is the same as the previous data grid.
This is a grid in which a communication device that has received data transmits a first transfer wave (data). A communication device that has not received data in the previous data grid is set to receive active.

[Second transfer wave gate] The grid of the second transfer wave gate is a grid in which the communication device that has received the data in the grid of the first transfer wave gate transmits the second transfer wave (data). A communication device that has not received data even in the grid of the first transfer wave gate is set to be reception active.

[Third Transfer Wave Gate] The grid of the third transfer wave gate is a grid in which the communication device that has received the data in the grid of the second transfer wave gate transmits the third transfer wave (data). A communication device that has not received data even in the grid of the second transfer wave gate is set to be reception active.

[Fourth transfer wave gate] The grid of the fourth transfer wave gate is a grid in which the communication device that has received the data in the grid of the third transfer wave gate transmits the fourth transfer wave (data). A communication device that has not received data even in the grid of the third transfer wave gate is set to be reception active.

[Fifth transfer wave gate] The grid of the fifth transfer wave gate is a grid in which the communication device that has received the data in the grid of the fourth transfer wave gate transmits the fifth transfer wave (data). A communication device that has not received data even in the grid of the fourth transfer wave gate is set to receive active.

[Sixth transfer wave gate] The grid of the sixth transfer wave gate is a grid in which the communication device that has received the data in the grid of the fifth transfer wave gate transmits the sixth transfer wave (data). A communication device that has not received data even in the grid of the fifth transfer wave gate is set to be reception active.

[Seventh transfer wave gate] The grid of the seventh transfer wave gate is a grid in which the communication device that has received the data in the grid of the sixth transfer wave gate transmits the seventh transfer wave (data). A communication device that has not received data even in the grid of the sixth transfer wave gate is set to be reception active.

Since eight stages of transmission / reception / transfer steps are provided before the data is propagated by the seventh transfer wave gate, data can be transmitted to a large number of communication devices widely distributed.

The number of stages of the above transfer wave gate can be set arbitrarily. In addition, a slot of data with a transfer wave gate (data is propagated) and a slot of data without a transfer wave gate (data is not propagated, FIG. 6)
May be separately provided. Any number of data slots may be provided.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be variously modified without departing from the spirit thereof. For example, a condition for performing circle formation may be provided. If a circle is formed only when the data held therein, such as a password, matches, the circle is formed only by the limited communication devices within the communicable area, and only the limited communication devices can communicate with each other. For example, only communication devices having the same password can be circled to transmit a message (data), and if only the specified ID is circled, communication with the specified communication device can be performed. The message (data) can be exchanged only by the.

Also, IDs may be assigned to member communication devices constituting a circle according to a predetermined rule (for example, in the order of joining circles), and a data slot may be assigned for each ID. For example, when a circle joining communication device notifies another member communication device of an attribute such as a user name in a predetermined data slot at the time of joining a circle, the user can determine which data slot is used for communication with which communication device. It can be known (displayed on the liquid crystal display panel), and communication with a desired communication device becomes possible.

In order to prevent interference between circles, an ID is assigned to a slot, a signal in the slot is labeled with the ID (for example, a header is attached), and interference between different slots, that is, different circles, Interference may be avoided (the probability of sequence matching between different slots is very small).

Various data can be sent as data. A command to the communication device may be sent as well as a message including characters and symbols. If the bandwidth is sufficient (for example, if the frequency is increased or high-efficiency modulation is adopted), digitized voice or image can be transmitted.

The present invention can be applied not only to a wireless communication system but also to a wired communication system such as a LAN system.

[0062]

As described above, according to the present invention, a communication apparatus that can share a band with a simple configuration can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an appearance of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating functions of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining signal exchange in the above embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining signal exchange in the above embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an operation sequence of the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating synchronization based on the operation sequence described above.

8 is a diagram illustrating a modification of the operation sequence in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 communication device 11 case 12a, 12b light emitting diode 12c liquid crystal display panel 13a, 13b touch switch 20 internal circuit 21 CPU 22 ROM 23 RAM 24 transmitting unit 25 receiving unit 26 LED / LCD driving unit 27 signal processing circuit 28 interface circuit 29 power supply

Claims (1)

[Claims] Means for synchronizing the timing of an operation sequence with the operation sequence of the other communication device in response to a synchronization signal from the other communication device; And a means for transmitting and receiving data.