KR100714989B1 - Gap filler for DMB service - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a relay apparatus for a digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) service. In the present invention, a repeater for satellite DMB service is composed of three units: a signal processing unit 10, a distribution unit 20, and a power amplification unit 30. Each of these units consists of a separate enclosure. The signal processing unit 10 converts and outputs a TDM-type DMB signal input from the satellite reception antenna 40 into a CDM-type DMB signal, and the distribution unit 20 is applied from the signal processing unit 10. The DMB signal is divided into a plurality of signals and provided to the power amplification unit 30, respectively. The power amplification unit 30 amplifies the DMB signal provided from the distribution unit 20 and transmits the same through the service antenna 50. In addition, the signal processing unit 10 transmits and receives control data to and from the distribution unit 20 and the power amplification unit 30 to control the operation of these units 20 and 30. In this case, the signal processing unit 10 and the distribution unit 20 transmit and receive control data through the RS485 method, and the signal processing unit 10 and the power amplification unit 30 transmit and receive control data through an FSK modulation signal. The FSK modulation signal transmitted from the signal processing unit 10 to the power amplification unit 30 is distributed by the distribution unit 20 and supplied to the power amplification unit 30 together with the DMB signal.

 DMB, enclosure, gap filler, repeater

Description

Relay device for DMB service {Gap filler for DMB service}

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a relay device for a DMB service according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a block diagram showing a specific configuration of the signal processing unit 10 in FIG.

3 is a block diagram showing a specific configuration of the distribution unit 20 in FIG.

4 is a block diagram showing a specific configuration of the power amplification unit 30 in FIG.

*** Brief description of the main parts of the drawing ***

10: signal processing unit, 20: distribution unit,

30: power amplifier unit, 40: satellite reception antenna,

50: service antenna.

The present invention relates to a relay device for a DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) service, and in particular, to configure the relay device into a plurality of separate units to improve the induction of installers of the device, and to efficiently perform the maintenance It relates to a relay device for the service.

Recently, a DMB service that enables a user to watch a multimedia broadcast using a communication terminal such as a cellular phone or a portable dedicated receiver has been developed and rapidly spread. These DMB services are largely divided into satellite DMB and terrestrial DMB, and the terrestrial DMB is divided into terrestrial broadcast and non-terrestrial broadcast according to the service provider.

In general, since DMB is serviced using a radio frequency, a relay device called a gap filler is essentially required. The gap filler receives and amplifies DMB signals transmitted from satellites or broadcasters, and transmits the amplified signals through a wireless network so that a user can watch a multimedia broadcast at any place, especially on the move.

On the other hand, in general, the relay device is installed and operated in a communication shadow area or an area where many users exist due to its characteristics, and such a place is usually not provided with a separate space for installing these relay devices. In addition, since the relay apparatus includes a plurality of signal processing modules and a plurality of devices such as an amplifying apparatus, a control module, and a power supply for processing the transmitted and received signals, the size of the enclosure becomes large. Therefore, in the related art, it is difficult to install a relay device, and there is a problem that maintenance of the device is not easy.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a relay device for a DMB service that greatly improves the degree of freedom of installation of a device and is very easy to maintain and repair.

A repeater for a DMB service according to the first aspect of the present invention for realizing the above object is combined with a donor antenna, a signal processing unit for receiving a DMB signal from the donor antenna and converts it into a signal of a type suitable for service; A distribution unit for distributing and outputting the DMB signal output from the signal processing unit into a plurality of signals, and a power amplification unit coupled to the service antenna and amplifying the DMB signal output from the distribution unit and transmitting the same through the service antenna; The signal processing unit, the distribution unit, and the power amplification unit each comprise a separate enclosure, the signal processing unit includes control means for controlling the entire relay device, and the distribution unit is based on an external power source. Control power from the control means In accordance with the power amplification unit characterized in that it comprises a power supply for providing an operating power.

In addition, the relay apparatus for the DMB service according to the second aspect of the present invention for realizing the above object is a signal processing means for receiving a DMB signal from the donor antenna and converts it into a signal of a type suitable for the service, and the entire relay apparatus A first processing means for controlling the signal processing unit for providing the DMB signal and the control signal to a distribution unit, and dividing and outputting the DMB signal and the control signal input from the signal processing unit into a plurality of signals; In addition, a distribution unit for providing a control signal input from the power amplification unit to the signal processing unit, power amplifying means for amplifying and outputting the DMB signal output from the distribution unit through a service antenna, and controls the power amplifying means; A power amplification unit having a second control means for The distribution unit and the distribution unit and the power amplifier unit are each composed of separate enclosures, and the distribution unit provides the DMB signal and the control signal to the power amplifier unit through a single cable, and the second control means is provided from the first control means. The power amplifying means is controlled in accordance with a control signal of.

In addition, the distribution unit is provided with a power supply device for generating an operating power source based on an external power source and providing an operating power source to the power amplification unit in accordance with control data from the control means, wherein the operating power source is the DMB signal. And it is provided as a power amplifier unit through a single cable.

The signal processing unit may include a wireless modem, and the control unit may control the relay device based on an external command input through the wireless modem.

In addition, the first and second control means is characterized in that for transmitting and receiving data in the FSK method.

In addition, the control means and the power supply is characterized in that for transmitting and receiving data in the RS485 method.

Hereinafter, an embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the present invention can be implemented by applying the same method to a satellite DMB and terrestrial DMB service and a relay device for a general mobile communication system. However, hereinafter, a case in which the present invention is applied to a relay device for satellite DMB service, that is, a gap filler, will be described.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a relay device for a DMB service according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, the relay device includes a signal processing unit 10, a distribution unit 20, and a plurality of power amplifier units 30: 30-1, 30-2,..., 30-n. Each of these units consists of a separate enclosure.

The signal processing unit 10 is coupled with a donor antenna, ie, a satellite receiving antenna 40, via a cable 60. The signal processing unit 10 converts a DMB signal of a TDM scheme (Time Division Multiplexing) received through the satellite reception antenna 40 into a DMB signal of a CDM scheme (Code Division Multiplexing). In addition, the converted DMB signal is output through the cable 70.

The distribution unit 20 is coupled with the signal processing unit 10 via the cable 70. The distribution unit 20 distributes the DMB signals received through the cable 70 into a plurality of signals, and distributes the distributed DMB signals in a plurality of cables 80: 80-1, 80-2, ..., 80-. through n).

The power amplification unit 30 is coupled to the distribution unit 20 via the cable 80 as well as to the service antenna 50 via the cable 90. The power amplification unit 30 amplifies the DMB signal applied from the distribution unit 20 through the cable 80 and outputs the same through the cable 90. As such, the DMB signal output through the cable 90 is applied to the service antenna 50 and transmitted through the wireless network.

On the other hand, the operating power is supplied to the signal processing unit 10 and the distribution unit 20 through power cables 100 and 101, respectively. The signal processing unit 10 and the distribution unit 20 operate on the power supplied through these power cables 100, 101, and in particular, the distribution unit 20 supplies power to the power amplification unit 30 based on this operating power. Supply the operating power. In this case, the operating power supplied from the distribution unit 20 to the power amplification unit 30 is provided through the cable 80.

In addition, the signal processing unit 10 provides a predetermined control signal or control data to the distribution unit 20 via cables 71 and 72. The control data transmitted from the signal processing unit 10 via the cable 71 is for the distribution unit 20. The signal processing unit 10 executes communication with the distribution unit 20 in, for example, an RS485 system to control the supply of operating power from the distribution unit 20 to each of the power amplifier units 30.

In addition, the control data transmitted from the signal processing unit 10 via the cable 72 is for the power amplification unit 30. The distribution unit 20 couples the control data received from the signal processing unit 10 via the cable 72 to the cable 80 and from the power amplification unit 30 via the cable 80 to the signal processing unit 10. The control data sent out) is coupled to the cable 72. In other words, the signal processing unit 10 and each of the power amplification units 30 execute communication with each other via the cables 72 and 80 and the distribution unit 20. At this time, the signal processing unit 10 and the power amplification unit 30 execute data transmission and reception by, for example, the FSK method. The signal processing unit 10 transmits data for turning on / off the amplifier function of the power amplifier unit 30 or controlling the amplification gain thereof to the power amplifier unit 30 through the cable 72, and the power amplifier unit. 30 transmits state information such as over temperature and overload of the apparatus to the signal processing unit 10 through the cable 80.

2 is a block diagram showing a specific configuration of the signal processing unit 10.

In FIG. 2, the signal processing unit 10 includes a signal processing module 11, a power supply device 12, and a modem 13.

The signal processing module 11 is coupled to the satellite receiving antenna 40 via an arrester 14 and a cable 60 to protect the internal circuits from lightning strikes. The signal processing module 11 includes a TDM demodulator 111, a CDM modulator 112, a digital / analog converter 113, a frequency upconverter 114, a wireless modem 115, an RS485 signal processor 116, The control unit 117 is provided.

The TDM demodulator 111 demodulates a TDM-type DMB signal input through the arrester 14, and the CDM modulator 112 modulates the DMB signal demodulated by the TDM demodulator 111 into a CDM signal. . The CDM DMB signal output from the CDM modulator 112 is converted into digital data by the digital / analog converter 113 and then converted into a frequency signal of, for example, 2.6 kHz by the frequency up converter 114, and then output. . The DMB signal of the CDM type output from the signal processing module 11 is provided to the distribution unit 20 through the arrester 15 and the cable 70.

The wireless modem 115 is for wireless communication between the relay device and an external device, for example, a management server (not shown) for externally managing the relay device, and the RS485 signal processor 116 is a controller to be described later. It is for processing a signal according to the RS485 method between the 117 and the distribution unit 20.

The controller 117 controls the signal processing module 11 as a whole, and also controls the distribution unit 20 and the power amplification unit 30. The controller 117 is coupled to the power supply 27 of the distribution unit 20 in FIG. 3 via the RS485 signal processor 116 and the cable 71. Control data output from the control unit 117 to the power supply unit 27 is appropriately converted through the RS485 signal processing unit 116 and applied to the power supply unit 27 of the distribution unit 20. In addition, data such as a response received from the power supply device 27 is applied to the controller 117 through the RS485 signal processor 116. The control unit 117 controls the power supply device 27 based on the control command from the management server applied through the wireless modem 115 or the status information from the power amplification unit 30 to be described later.

In addition, the control unit 117 controls the on-off driving of the power amplifier unit 30, the setting of the amplification gain, and the like. The control data transmitted from the control unit 117 to the power amplification unit 30 is coupled to the cable 72 through the modem 13. The modem 72 modulates and outputs the control data output from the control unit 117 using, for example, a frequency shift keying (FSK) method. Frequency signals in the 300 MHz band, for example, coupled to the cable 72 via the modem 13 are distributed by the distribution unit 20 and supplied to each power amplification unit 30 as described below. Various state information received from the power amplification unit 30, for example, state information such as an overload state and an over temperature state of the power amplification unit 30, is demodulated through the modem 13 and applied to the controller 117.

The power supply device 12 generates and supplies operating power required to the entire apparatus of the signal processing unit 11 based on external power input through the power cable 100. In particular, the power supply 12 applies a predetermined operating power to the bias-tee 141 of the arrester 14. Operating power coupled to this bias tee 141 is provided to the satellite receiving antenna 60 via a cable 60.

3 is a block diagram showing a specific configuration of the distribution unit 20 in FIG.

In FIG. 3, the DMB signal received from the signal processing module 11 of the signal processing unit 10, that is, the frequency signal of 2.6 GHz band, is input through the arrester 21, and the modem 13 of the signal processing unit 10 is input. The FSK modulated signal, i.e., the frequency signal in the 300 MHz band, is input through the band pass filter 22. This bandpass filter 22 is for selectively passing only the FSK modulated signal. The DMB signal and the FSK modulated signal are combined into a single signal and input to the divider 23.

The divider 23 branches the input DMB signal and the FSK modulated signal into a plurality of signals, and each of these branched signals is connected to the arresters 24: 24-1, 24-2,..., 24-n. 80: 80-1, 80-2, ..., 80-n) to the power amplification unit 30.

Meanwhile, band pass filters 25: 25-1, 25-2,..., 25-n are coupled to each coupling node of the distributor 23 and the arrester 24. These bandpass filters 25 are for filtering, for example, 300 MHz FSK modulated signals input from the power amplifier unit 30 via the cable 80 and the arrester 24. The FSK modulated signal received through the band pass filter 25 is coupled to the cable 72 through the combiner 26 and input to the modem 13 of the signal processing unit 10.

In addition, the distribution unit 20 is provided with a power supply device 27. The power supply device 27 generates the operating power required by the power amplification unit 30 based on the external power input through the power cable 101. The operating power generated in this way is coupled to the bias-tees 241 (241-1, 241-2, ..., 241-n) of each arrester 24. Operating power coupled to the bias tee 241 is supplied to the power amplification unit 30 via a cable 80. In particular, the power supply device 27 includes, for example, an RS485 signal processor 271 for processing an RS485 signal. The RS485 signal processing unit 271 is coupled to the RS485 signal processing unit 116 of the signal processing module 11 of FIG. 2 through a cable 71. The power supply device 27 transmits and receives control data to and from the control unit 117 of the signal processing module 11 of FIG. 2 through these RS485 signal processing units 271 and 116. As described above, the power supply device 27 supplies the operating power supplied to the bias tee 241 of the arrester 24 according to the control data applied from the control unit 117, that is, to each power amplification unit 80. Selectively turn on / off the operating power supplied.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of the power amplification unit 30 in FIG. 1.

In FIG. 4, the DMB signal and the FSK modulated signal input from the distribution unit 20 through the cable 80 are coupled to the inputs of the band pass filters 32 and 33 through the arrester 31. The bandpass filter 32 selectively filters the DMB signal in the 2.6 GHz band and couples it to the input of the high power amplifier 34. The high power amplifier 34 amplifies and outputs an input DMB signal, and the output DMB signal is coupled to the cable 90 through a band pass filter 35 and an arrester 36 for noise removal. It is transmitted wirelessly via 50.

In addition, the band pass filter 33 selectively filters the FSK modulated signal of the 300 MHz band and combines it with the input of the modem 37, and also filters the FSK modulated signal of the 300 MHz band output from the modem 37, for example. It is coupled to the connection node of the raster 31 and the band pass filter 32. The modem 37 demodulates the FSK modulated signal inputted through the bandpass filter 33 to the HPA controller 38 and performs FSK modulation on the control data input from the HPA controller 38. )

The HPA control unit 38 transmits and receives control data with the control unit 117 of the signal processing unit 10 through the above-described FSK modulation signal and controls the high power amplifier 34. The HPA control unit 38 drives the high power amplifier 38 on / off or controls its amplification gain in accordance with the control data from the control unit 117. The HPA control unit 38 also transmits temperature and overload information obtained from the high power amplifier 38 to the control unit 117.

On the other hand, the operating power supplied from the distribution unit 20 is output from the bias tee 311 of the arrester 31, and the operating power is supplied to the high power amplifier 32 and the regulator 39. The regulator 39 supplies the operating power to the modem 37 and the HPA control unit 38 based on the input power.

Next, the operation of the device having the above configuration will be described.

In the above embodiment, the relay device for the satellite DMB service is composed of three units: a signal processing unit 10, a distribution unit 20, and a power amplifier unit 30. The DDM signal of the TDM type received from the satellite reception antenna 40 is converted into the CDM type DMB signal by the signal processing module 10 of the signal processing unit 10 and provided to the distribution unit 20.

When the DMB signal is input through the arrester 21 in the distribution unit 20, this signal is distributed by the distributor 23 as a plurality of signals. And the signal distributed in this way is coupled to the cable 80 through the arrester 24 is supplied to each power amplifier unit 30.

When the DMB signal is received through the cable 80 in the power amplifier unit 30, it is input to the high power amplifier 34 through the arrester 31 and the band pass filter 32 and amplified. In addition, the amplified DMB signal is coupled to the cable 90 through the band pass filter 35 and the arrestor 36 and is wirelessly transmitted through the service antenna 50.

In addition, the signal processing unit 10 and the distribution unit 20 supply operating power to the satellite receiving antenna 40 and the power amplifier unit 30, respectively. At this time, the supply of the operating power is performed using cables 60 and 80 for transmitting the DMB signal without using a separate power line.

In particular, the control unit 117 of the signal processing unit 10 controls the power supply unit 27 of the distribution unit 20 to be supplied from the distribution unit 10 to each power amplification unit 30 through the cable 80. Control the operating power. The controller 117 communicates with the power supply device 27 in an RS485 manner. The control unit 117 determines the power supply unit 27 based on the command from the management server received through the wireless modem 115 or the status information from each power amplification unit 30 received through the modem 13. By sending a control command of the control unit selectively controls the operating power supplied to each power amplification unit (30).

The signal processing unit 10 and each power amplification unit 30 transmit and receive control data through an FSK modulation signal. The signal processing unit 10 and the power amplification unit 30 transmit and receive data in a polling manner. The control data transmitted from the signal processing unit 10 to the power amplification unit 30 is distributed by a distribution unit 20 into a plurality of signals and applied to each power amplification unit 30. Separate IDs are assigned to the signal processing unit 10 and the power amplification unit 30, respectively, and the signal processing unit 10 and the power amplification unit 30 are units to which the corresponding control data should be received when transmitting control data. The ID of is added to the control data.

That is, in the signal processing unit 10 of FIG. 1, the control unit 117 generates predetermined control data and applies it to the modem 13. In this case, the ID of the power amplification unit 30 to which the control data is to be transmitted is added to the control data. The control data includes a control command for turning on / off the driving of each power amplifier unit 30 or setting an amplification gain and an inquiry command for reporting status information of each power amplifier unit 30. When the modem 13 receives control data from the control unit 117, the modem 13 modulates the control data by the FSK method and transmits the control data through the cable 72.

In the distribution unit 20, when the FSK modulation signal is received through the cable 72, the received signal is input to the distributor through the band pass filter 22, and the FSK modulation signal distributed and output from the distributor 23 is It is coupled to the cable 80 via the arrester 24 and transmitted together with the DMB signal to the power amplifier unit 30.

On the other hand, in the power amplifier unit 30, when the DMB signal and the FSK modulated signal are received from the distribution unit 20 through the arrester 31, the DMB signal is passed to the high power amplifier 34 through the band pass filter 32. The FSK modulated signal is applied to the modem 37 through the bandpass filter 33. The modem 37 demodulates the input FSK modulation signal and applies the demodulated signal to the HPA controller 38. The HPA control unit 38 determines whether the corresponding control data is its own by referring to the ID added to the received data. If it is determined at this time that the control data is own, control processing is executed based on the control data.

If the received control data is a status query command, the HPA controller 38 generates response data based on the status information obtained from the high power amplifier 34, that is, over temperature information or overload information, and outputs the response data to the modem 37. Done. In this case, the ID of the signal processing unit 10 to which the corresponding data is transmitted is added to the response data. The modem 37 modulates the data when the data is input from the HPA control unit 38 by the FSK method and outputs the data. At this time, the FSK modulation signal output from the modem 37 is coupled to the input of the arrester 31 through the band pass filter 33 and transmitted to the distribution unit 20 through the cable 80.

In the distribution unit 20 of FIG. 3, when the FSK modulation signal is received through the cable 80, it is input to the combiner 26 through the arrester 24 and the bandpass filter 25 to connect the cable 72. The modem 13 is applied to the modem 13 of the signal processing unit 10, and the modem 13 demodulates the received FSK modulation signal into an original signal and applies it to the controller 117.

The controller 117 collects state information of each power amplification unit 30 through a method of sequentially transmitting a status query command to each power amplification unit 30 in a polling manner. The controller 115 controls the distribution unit 20 and each power amplification unit 30 based on the collected state information. In addition, the control unit 115 transmits the above state information to the management server in response to a request from an external device input through the wireless modem 115, that is, the management server.

In the above-described embodiment, since the relay device is composed of a plurality of enclosures, the relay device is not significantly affected by the place where the relay device is to be installed, that is, the freedom of installation of the relay device is greatly increased.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, when a failure or an error occurs in the relay device, only the unit in which the error occurs can be selectively repaired or replaced, thereby making maintenance and repair of the relay device very easy.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, since the plurality of power amplification units 30 can be coupled to the DMB signal output from the signal processing unit 10 through the distribution unit 20, a plurality of power amplifications as necessary. The unit 30 can be provided. That is, since a plurality of power amplification units 30 can be provided for one signal processing unit 10, the service shadow area can be effectively removed.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, if it is necessary to install another relay device adjacent to one relay device, the power amplifier unit 30 may be installed in the corresponding area and combined with the distribution unit 20. The configuration and operation can be executed very efficiently.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the signal processing unit 10 has a communication function with the management server, and in particular, the signal processing unit 10 controls the distribution unit 20 and each of the power amplification units 30 to supply power. Since the amplification gain of the amplification unit 30 can be appropriately set or the power amplification unit 30 can be selectively turned on / off, efficient operation and management of the relay device is enabled.

The embodiment according to the present invention has been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be carried out in various modifications without departing from the technical gist of the present invention.

That is, for example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the signal processing unit 10 can control both the distribution unit 20 and the power amplification unit 30 has been described, but this is selectively employed as necessary. Can be carried out.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to implement a relay device for a DMB service having a high degree of freedom of installation of the relay device, easy maintenance and repair thereof, and an efficient configuration and operation of the relay network.

Claims (7)

A signal processing unit coupled to the donor antenna and receiving a DMB signal from the donor antenna and converting the DMB signal into a signal suitable for service; A distribution unit for distributing and outputting a DMB signal output from the signal processing unit into a plurality of signals; A power amplification unit coupled to a service antenna and amplifying a DMB signal output from the distribution unit and transmitting the same through a service antenna; The signal processing unit, the distribution unit and the power amplification unit are each composed of a separate enclosure, The signal processing unit has control means for controlling the entire relay device, The distribution unit includes a power supply device that generates an operating power source based on an external power source and provides the operating power source to the power amplification unit according to the control data from the control means. The control means and the power supply unit for a DMB service, characterized in that for transmitting and receiving data in the RS485 method. The method of claim 1, The operation power output from the power supply unit is a relay device for a DMB service, characterized in that it is provided to the power amplification unit through a single cable with a DMB signal. delete Signal processing means for receiving a DMB signal from a donor antenna and converting the signal into a signal suitable for a service, and first control means for controlling the entire relay device, and providing the DMB signal and the control signal to a distribution unit, respectively. A signal processing unit, A distribution unit for distributing and outputting the DMB signal and the control signal input from the signal processing unit into a plurality of signals, and for providing the control signal input from the power amplifier unit to the signal processing unit; And a power amplifying unit including a power amplifying means for amplifying the DMB signal output from the distribution unit and transmitting the same through a service antenna, and a second control means for controlling the power amplifying means. The signal processing unit, the distribution unit and the power amplification unit are each composed of a separate enclosure, The distribution unit provides the DMB signal and the control signal to the power amplification unit through a single cable, And the second control means controls the power amplifying means in accordance with a control signal from the first control means. The method of claim 4, wherein The distribution unit includes a power supply unit that generates an operating power source based on an external power source and provides an operating power source to the power amplification unit in accordance with control data from the control means, wherein the operating power source is a single unit with the DMB signal. Repeater for the DMB service, characterized in that provided by the power amplifier unit through the cable. The method according to claim 4 or 5, The signal processing unit includes a wireless modem, and the control means for controlling the relay device based on an external command input through the wireless modem. The method of claim 4, wherein And the first and second control means transmits and receives data in an FSK scheme.

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