Wireless communication network systems and wireless communication terminals

Abstract

This system provides a simplex wireless communication network that allows for the immediate switching of group formation / integration status from each wireless communication terminal. [Solution] Each terminal belonging to each group Gx (x=a,b,c) sets the transmit / receive channel to chA / chB / chC during group formation communication. However, when in standby mode, the receive / demodulate unit RX switches to scan mode for chA / chB / chC / chZ (chZ is a common channel). If there are no received signals on any of the scan channels in this mode, the transmit / receive channel is set to chZ, enabling the transmission of a unified signal. In this state, the receive / demodulate unit RX is in scan mode for all terminals in the network. Upon receiving the unified signal during the scan phase of chZ, the terminal switches its transmit / receive channel to chZ, transitioning to the group formation state. In this state, the formation signal can be transmitted via channel chZ, and the terminal can return to the group formation state as appropriate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a network system and a wireless communication device thereof that can switch between a group formation state in which a plurality of groups for performing single - communication between a plurality of wireless communication terminals exist in a single - communication wireless communication network composed of business - use wireless communication terminals conforming to a specific low - power standard or the like, and a group integration state in which the groups are integrated to enable single - communication between wireless communication terminals in different groups.

Background Art

[0002] A wireless communication device conforming to a specific low - power standard (see Non - Patent Document 1 below) performs voice communication at a relatively short distance using the 400 MHz band and is a license - exempt station. Therefore, outdoors, it is widely used for business communication among workers at various work sites such as construction sites, and indoors, it is widely used for business communication among workers at relatively large restaurants, home centers with large spaces, etc.

[0003] Also, a wireless communication device conforming to the digital simple radio standard (see Non - Patent Document 2 below) is a wireless station that can be opened with a relatively simple application. While the specific low - power standard has a radio wave output of up to 10 mW, a radio wave output of up to 5 W is permitted, and the communication - possible distance is significantly longer. Therefore, it is used for communication between each floor of a large event venue or a high - rise building.

[0004] Generally, in wireless communication for business communication, a single - communication method is often adopted, and communication within a business group is carried out while repeating transmission and reception using a single channel. However, for example, at a construction site, it may be better to separate communication between the site supervisor and the responsible person from communication between workers. Also, in security at an exhibition hall or the like, it is often more effective to divide the area and have dense communication in each divided area than to have overall communication using a single channel throughout the entire area.

[0005] Therefore, the fundamental issue is how to determine the scope of group communication. Naturally, it is desirable to be able to switch between operating with multiple small communication groups (group formation state) and operating with a larger communication group formed by integrating those groups (group integration state) as needed. In particular, such network operation is required to prepare for situations where information sharing via an urgently integrated communication network is necessary, such as in the event of an accident or disaster.

[0006] On the other hand, in the aforementioned simplex communication network for business communication, as shown in Figure 14, if wireless communication terminals (101, 102, 103) and (201, 202, 203) belonging to groups G1 and G2 are communicating via simplex on channels A and B respectively, communication between the groups is impossible unless one group adjusts its channel to match the channel of the other group. Furthermore, changing channels requires a complex communication sequence, which is time-consuming. Even if one terminal in group G1 changes its transmit / receive channel to channel B and enables simplex communication with the terminals in group G2, the other terminals in group G1 remain unchanged and have no way of knowing what has happened.

[0007] Patent Document 1 below discloses a wireless communication method for reorganizing two ad-hoc wireless LANs into one integrated wireless LAN. In this wireless communication method, when any group A performs network communication, one of the wireless terminals aa belonging to that group becomes the group's host, performs carrier sensing to check the channel used by one of the wireless terminals bb of another group B, and performs a procedure to exchange information regarding the feasibility of group integration and the communication channel to be used through packet exchange between the two wireless terminals aa and bb. If group integration is possible and the communication channel to be used is determined, each wireless terminal aa and bb notifies the other terminals in groups A and B respectively to set the determined communication channel, thereby initiating equal-level distributed network communication. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-135965 [Non-patent literature]

[0009] [Non-Patent Document 1] The Association of Radio Industries and Businesses, "Standards for Low-Power Radio Stations / Radio Telephone Equipment," RCR STD-20 Version 5.1, revised October 29, 2021. [Non-Patent Document 2] The Association of Radio Industries and Businesses, "Radio Equipment for Digital Simple Radio Stations," ARIB STD-T98 2.0, revised October 4, 2023. [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0010] As described above, in group communications using wireless communication terminals, which are used in numerous business fields, it is convenient to be able to switch between the operational state of small communication groups and the operational state of larger communication groups that integrate these groups. This would enable rational operation that can be adapted to various applications.

[0011] However, as with conventional methods, for one group to adjust its usage channel to match that of the other group, it must either know the other group's usage channel beforehand, or, if not, find it through scanning or other means. Even if the usage channel is known, the other terminals in the group to which the device belongs must also be notified that they should change to that channel. Therefore, the procedures for merging and unmerging groups are quite complicated and time-consuming, and considering that these situations often require urgency, they cannot be considered user-friendly. In the wireless communication method described in Patent Document 1, wireless terminals aa and bb are configured to perform the procedure on behalf of groups A and B, but there are still issues with responsiveness. Furthermore, while the above assumes the case of two communication groups, the procedure for merging and unmerging three or more communication groups becomes extremely complex, and it is naturally unrealistic to expect immediate response.

[0012] Therefore, taking the above problems into consideration, the present invention aims to provide a wireless communication network system and wireless communication terminals that can be configured to switch immediately between a group configuration state in which multiple groups, each consisting of multiple wireless communication terminals, communicate independently using a simplex method, and a group integration state in which multiple groups are integrated into one and all wireless communication terminals communicate with each other using a simplex method. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] The first invention is a wireless communication network capable of being in a group configuration state in which there are N groups (where N is an integer of 2 or more) in which multiple wireless communication terminals communicate in a simplex manner using one channel, each using a different channel (hereinafter referred to as the "group channel"), and a group integration state in which all wireless communication terminals belonging to the N groups communicate in a simplex manner using a common channel, wherein the wireless communication terminal sets the modulation transmitter and receiver demodulator to the group channel of the group to which it belongs (hereinafter referred to as the "own group channel") during communication operation in the group configuration state, but sets the receiver demodulator to a scan mode that cycles through the own group channel, each group channel of the other (N-1) groups, and the common channel at a predetermined period during standby operation, and sets the modulation transmitter and receiver demodulator to the common channel in the group integration state, and in the scan mode of the receiver demodulator, there is a state in which no received signal is present on any of the scan channels (hereinafter referred to as the "first state"), the own group channel and / or the The system includes a state detection means for detecting whether the system is in a state where a received signal exists on the group channel of another (N-1) group (hereinafter referred to as the "second state") or a state where a received signal exists on the common channel (hereinafter referred to as the "third state"), and an instruction means for instructing the system to switch between the group formation state and the group integration state. In the group formation state, if the instruction means issues a switching instruction while the state detection means is detecting the first state, the system switches the setting channels of the modulation transmission unit and the receiver demodulation unit from the own group channel to the common channel and generates and transmits a group integration signal. If the state detection means is detecting the second state, the system returns the receiver demodulation unit from the scanning mode to the setting state of the own group channel. If the state detection means is detecting the third state, the system detects the group integration signal transmitted by another wireless communication terminal from the received signal on the common channel, the system switches the setting channels of the modulation transmission unit and the receiver demodulation unit from the own group channel to the common channel. In the group integration state,The present invention relates to a wireless communication network system characterized in that, when a switching instruction is received from the instruction means, a group formation signal is generated and transmitted, and when the receiving demodulation unit receives the group formation signal transmitted by another wireless communication terminal, the setting channels of the modulation transmission unit and the receiving demodulation unit are switched from the common channel to the own group channel, respectively, thereby switching the group formation state and the group integration state of the network.

[0014] In the wireless communication network according to this invention, the system switches between a group configuration state in which N groups, each consisting of multiple wireless communication terminals, communicate in a simplex manner using different group channels, and a group integration state in which all wireless communication terminals belonging to the N groups communicate in a simplex manner using a common channel.

[0015] In this case, when transitioning from a group formation state to a group integration state, it is necessary to send the command signal, the group integration signal, to all wireless communication terminals on the network. Each wireless communication terminal, when in standby mode, sets its receive demodulation unit to scan mode and controls it to cycle through its own group channel and the group channels and common channel of the other (N-1) groups at predetermined intervals. However, the predetermined period is set within a range that allows for confirmation of the presence or absence of a received signal in each channel being scanned.

[0016] Furthermore, if the state detection means detects a first state in which no received signals are present on any of the scanning channels, then all wireless communication terminals belonging to the N group are in standby mode, and therefore the receiving and demodulating units of all wireless communication terminals other than the own unit are also in scanning mode.

[0017] Here, when a user's wireless communication terminal that desires to communicate in a group-integrated state issues a switching instruction from the instruction means, the modulation transmission unit and the reception demodulation unit in that terminal are set to a common channel, and the modulation transmission unit transmits a group integration signal as a command signal. On the one hand, since the receiving and demodulating units of all other wireless communication terminals are in the scanning mode as described above, it is possible to receive the group integration signal during the scanning process of the common channel, and by receiving this signal, the modulation transmitting unit and the receiving and demodulating unit of the own device are switched and set to the common channel.

[0018] As a result, all wireless communication terminals belonging to N groups will be set to the common channel, a network in the group integration state will be configured, and communication by the simplex mode using the common channel between all wireless communication terminals will become possible. Therefore, from any of the wireless communication terminals belonging to N groups, if the state detection means is detecting the first state, it is possible to shift from the group formation state to the group integration state simply by giving a switching instruction from the instruction means.

[0019] In addition, when the state detection means is in the second state, that is, when there is a received signal from the own group channel and / or the group channels of the other (N - 1) groups in the scanning mode of the receiving and demodulating unit, it is nothing other than a state where group communication in the group formation state is being executed in any of the N groups. In this case, since there is a group that cannot receive the group integration signal even if it is transmitted on the common channel, the receiving and demodulating unit is returned from the scanning mode to the set state of the own group channel to make the communication in the group formation state possible.

[0020] Also, when the state detection means is in the third state, that is, when there is a received signal on the common channel, if a group integration signal transmitted by another wireless communication terminal is detected from the received signal, the modulation transmitting unit and the receiving and demodulating unit of the own device are switched and set to the common channel according to that instruction. In this case, a network in the group integration state will be configured based on the request of another wireless communication terminal.

[0021] The above relates to the functions and operations of a wireless communication terminal in a group formation state. However, in the group integration state, all wireless communication terminals are in a state where a common channel is set as the transmission / reception channel, and it is possible to directly give and receive an instruction for group formation using the common channel as it is. Therefore, when there is a switching instruction from the instruction means, after generating and transmitting a group formation signal, and also when the reception demodulation unit receives a group formation signal from another wireless communication terminal, the set transmission / reception channel is immediately switched from the common channel to the self-group channel. As a result, all wireless communication terminals belonging to N groups are switched from the state of setting the common channel to the state of setting the self-group channel, and the network shifts from the group integration state to the group formation state.

[0022] In the first invention, it is desirable that the cyclic scanning in the scanning mode by the channel control means is executed at a predetermined period in which the scanning time of the self-group channel is set to be sufficiently longer than the scanning times of the group channels of the other (N - 1) groups and the scanning time of the common channel.

[0023] In the first invention, the scanning mode of the reception demodulation unit by the channel control means in the group formation state is started when the wireless communication terminal enters the standby state. However, when there is reception on the self-group channel, the reception demodulation unit is immediately switched from the scanning mode to the state of setting the self-group channel and shifts to receiving a call signal in the self-group. In that case, if the self-group channel / each group channel of other groups / common channel are cyclically scanned at a predetermined period, depending on the reception timing of the call signal, the scanning of the self-group channel may occur later than the scanning of other channels within the predetermined period, resulting in a cut-off at the beginning of the call. Regarding this problem, it can be effectively suppressed by setting the scanning time of the self-group channel to be sufficiently longer than the scanning times of other channels during the cycle of the cyclic scanning.

[0024] In the first invention described above, when the state detection means has detected the second state, if there is a received signal on the own group channel, the receiver demodulator is switched from the scanning mode to the setting state of the own group channel. However, if there is a received signal only on the group channels of other groups other than the own group channel, it is desirable to maintain the scanning mode of the receiver demodulator and return to the detection operation of the first to third states by the state detection means.

[0025] Since the received signal on the group's own channel relates to the call signal within that group, the receive demodulation unit must not be in scan mode and must immediately return to the group's own channel so that group communication can be performed. However, if the received signal is only on the group channels of other groups, it means that in the group formation state, communication is being performed only by the other groups, and the group's own group is in a standby state. At this point, since no special action is required, the receiver / demodulator remains in scan mode and returns to state detection operation. Furthermore, if there is no received signal on any loop channel, it will inevitably be in the third state, and if a group integration signal is detected, the modulation transmission unit and the reception demodulation unit will switch to the common channel.

[0026] In the first invention, it is desirable that the wireless communication terminal is equipped with a display means, which, in the group formation state, displays that it is possible to switch to the group integration state while the state detection means is detecting the first state, and in the group integration state, displays that it is possible to switch to the group formation state during the period when the modulation transmission unit and the reception demodulation unit are set to the common channel.

[0027] In the first invention described above, switching to a group integration state is possible by giving an instruction from the instruction means during the time when the state detection means detects a first state in the group formation state. However, it is difficult to determine whether the state detection means has detected a first state if the state changes in a short period of time, for example, by playing back the demodulated signal of the receiving demodulation unit in scanning mode as audio. This method of displaying whether switching is possible allows the display means to visually notify whether the state detection means is in the first state and whether a common channel is set, making it easier to confirm the timing of inputting a switching instruction for the group formation state / group integration state by the instruction means on the wireless communication terminal. In addition, methods such as turning an indicator light on / off or displaying the status on a display device can be applied as means of display.

[0028] Regarding the notification method for the network status in the first invention described above, a notification method using a beeping sound generating means can also be adopted. In that case, the wireless communication terminal is equipped with a beeping sound generating means, and in the group formation state, if a switching instruction is received from the instruction means while the state detection means is detecting the first state, the group integration signal is generated and transmitted, and then the beeping sound generating means outputs a first beep. On the other hand, if a switching instruction is received from the instruction means while the state detection means is detecting a state other than the first state, the second beep is immediately output. Furthermore, in the group integration state, if a switching instruction is received from the instruction means, the group formation signal is generated and transmitted, and then the first or third beep is output, and it is desirable that the first to third beeps be different from each other.

[0029] Similar to the case using the aforementioned display means, this relates to the input of a switching instruction for the group formation state / group integration state, but in this case, a beep sound is used to notify whether the group integration signal / group formation signal was transmitted correctly. Whether the state detection means is in the first state or not is often subject to frequent changes in that state. In such situations, even if the display means confirms the occurrence of the first state as described above, it is difficult to capture the timing for manually issuing a switching instruction from the instruction means. In this beep notification method, when a switching instruction is received from the instruction means while a group is formed, the wireless communication terminal automatically checks whether it is detecting the first state, and outputs a first beep if it can transmit a group integration signal, and a second beep if it cannot transmit the signal. In the group integration state, if carrier sensing is performed and transmission is possible, the group formation signal can be transmitted immediately, and after that transmission, either the first or third beep sound is output. Each beep sound can be made different from the others; for example, the first beep could be a long single beep, the second a series of short beeps, and the third a long single beep with a different timbre from the first beep. This makes it easier to confirm the situation.

[0030] In the first invention, the wireless communication terminal is equipped with a counter, and when transmitting the group integration signal or the group organization signal, it increments the count value of its own counter by a predetermined number and adds the incremented count value before transmitting. On the other hand, when it receives the group integration signal or the group organization signal, it extracts the count value (C1) added to the received group integration signal or the group organization signal and compares it with the incremented count value (M) of its own counter. If the count value (C1) > the count value (M), the modulation transmission unit and the reception demodulation unit are set to the common channel or the own group channel according to the received signal, and the count value (M) is set to the count value ( While rewriting to C1), if the count value (C1) ≤ the count value (M), it is desirable to maintain the setting channels of the modulation transmission unit and the reception demodulation unit as they are. Furthermore, when transmitting a communication signal related to a call, the count value of the unit's counter is always added to the communication frame before transmission. On the other hand, when receiving a communication frame from another wireless communication terminal, the count value (C2) added to that communication frame is extracted and compared with the count value (M) of the unit's counter. If the count value (C2) > the count value (M), the count value (M) of the counter is rewritten to the count value (C2). On the other hand, if the count value (C2) ≤ the count value (M), it is desirable to maintain the count value (M) of the counter as it is.

[0031] In the first invention described above, wireless communication terminals belonging to a wireless communication network switch the network between a group integration state and a group integration state by transmitting a group integration signal when in a group formation state and a group formation signal when in a group integration state, respectively. However, each wireless communication terminal is not always within communication range of other wireless communication terminals, and there are cases where it goes out of range and then returns, or where the power is turned off for a certain period of time. In such cases, wireless communication terminals may have their transmission and reception channels set to a common channel even though the network is in a group configuration, or conversely, wireless communication terminals may have their transmission and reception channels set to their own group channel even though the network is in a group integration configuration. Therefore, to address such inconsistencies, each wireless communication terminal is equipped with a dedicated counter. Whenever a group formation state / group integration state switching signal (group integration signal or the aforementioned group formation signal) is transmitted, the counter value is first incremented by a predetermined number to update it. At the same time, the updated counter value of the terminal is always added to the communication frame of the switching signal or the communication signal related to the call before transmission. Furthermore, it can be estimated that the channel setting status (own group channel / common channel) of each wireless communication terminal is more likely to correspond to the current channel setting status of the network the more channel changes it has undergone (i.e., the larger the counter count value). Therefore, each time a switching signal is received, the count value (C1) attached to that signal is compared with the count value (M) of the unit's counter. If C1 > M, the unit switches its transmit / receive channels to the common channel and its own group channel, depending on whether the received switching signal is a group integration signal or a group organization signal. Furthermore, when a communication signal related to a call is received, the count value (C2) attached to the communication frame is compared with the count value (M) of the device's counter. However, since this is communication on the device's own group channel, no channel switching is performed; instead, if C2 > M, the device's counter's count value (M) is simply overwritten with the count value (C2). Furthermore, if C1 ≤ M or C2 ≤ M, nothing will be done and the current state will be maintained. As a result, even if a wireless communication terminal temporarily leaves the communication range or is turned off for a certain period of time, and no longer responds to the network's communication status (group formation status / group integration status), it can automatically respond to the current network communication status when it returns to the communication range or is turned back on.

[0032] The second invention relates to a wireless communication terminal applied to the wireless communication network system of the first invention, and has the following configuration. A wireless communication terminal applicable to a wireless communication network capable of having two states: a group formation state in which there are N groups (where N is an integer of 2 or more) in which multiple wireless communication terminals communicate in a simplex manner using one channel, each using a different channel (hereinafter referred to as the "group channel"), and a group integration state in which all wireless communication terminals belonging to the N groups communicate in a simplex manner using a common channel, wherein during communication operation in the group formation state, the modulation transmitter and the receive demodulator are set to the group channel of the group to which the device belongs (hereinafter referred to as the "own group channel"), but during standby operation, the receive demodulator is set to a scan mode that cycles through the own group channel, each group channel of the other (N-1) groups, and the common channel at a predetermined period, and in the group integration state, the modulation transmitter and the receive demodulator are set to the common channel, and in the scan mode of the receive demodulator, there is a state in which no received signal exists on any of the scan channels (hereinafter referred to as the "first state"), the own group channel and / or the other ( The system comprises a state detection means for detecting whether the N-1) group has a received signal on its group channel (hereinafter referred to as the "second state") or a received signal on its common channel (hereinafter referred to as the "third state"), and an instruction means for instructing the mutual switching between the group formation state and the group integration state. In the group formation state, if the instruction means issues a switching instruction while the state detection means is detecting the first state, the system switches the setting channels of the modulation transmission unit and the receiver demodulation unit from the own group channel to the common channel and generates and transmits a group integration signal. If the state detection means is detecting the second state, the system switches the receiver demodulation unit from the scanning mode to the setting state of the own group channel. If the state detection means is detecting the third state, the system detects the group integration signal transmitted by another wireless communication terminal from the received signal on the common channel, the system switches the setting channels of the modulation transmission unit and the receiver demodulation unit from the own group channel to the common channel. In the group integration state,A wireless communication terminal characterized in that, upon receiving a switching instruction from the instruction means, it generates and transmits a group formation signal, and immediately upon receiving the group formation signal transmitted by another wireless communication terminal, it switches the setting channels of the modulation transmission unit and the reception demodulation unit from the common channel to the group channel, respectively.

[0033] In the wireless communication terminal of this second invention, it is desirable that the cyclic scanning in scanning mode by the channel control means be configured to be performed at a predetermined period in which the scanning time of the own group channel is set to be sufficiently longer than the scanning time of each group channel of the other (N-1) groups and the scanning time of the common channel.

[0034] In the wireless communication terminal of this second invention, when the state detection means has detected the second state, if there is a received signal on the own group channel, the receiver demodulator is switched from the scanning mode to the setting state of the own group channel. However, if there is a received signal only on the group channels of other groups other than the own group channel, it is desirable to maintain the scanning mode of the receiver demodulator and return to the detection operation of the first to third states by the state detection means.

[0035] Furthermore, in the wireless communication terminal of the second invention, it is desirable to provide a display means to indicate that, in the group formation state, it is possible to switch to the group integration state while the state detection means is detecting the first state, and in the group integration state, it is desirable to indicate that it is possible to switch to the group formation state during the period when the modulation transmission unit and the reception demodulation unit are set to the common channel.

[0036] Furthermore, in the wireless communication terminal of the second invention, a beep sound generating means is provided, and in the group formation state, if a switching instruction is received from the instruction means while the state detection means is detecting the first state, the group integration signal is generated and transmitted, and then the beep sound generating means outputs a first beep sound. On the other hand, if a switching instruction is received from the instruction means while the state detection means is detecting a state other than the first state, the second beep sound is immediately output. Also, in the group integration state, if a switching instruction is received from the instruction means, the group formation signal is generated and transmitted, and then the first beep sound or the third beep sound is output, and it is desirable that the first to third beep sounds are different from each other.

[0037] Furthermore, in the wireless communication terminal of the second invention, a counter is provided, and when transmitting the group integration signal or the group organization signal, the count value of the device's counter is incremented by a predetermined number, and the incremented count value is added and transmitted. On the other hand, when receiving the group integration signal or the group organization signal, the count value (C1) added to the received group integration signal or the group organization signal is extracted and compared with the incremented count value (M) of the device's counter. If the count value (C1) > the count value (M), the modulation transmission unit and the reception receiver are connected. The modulation unit is set to the common channel or the local group channel according to the received signal, and the count value (M) is rewritten to the count value (C1). However, if the count value (C1) ≤ the count value (M), the set channels of the modulation transmission unit and the reception demodulation unit are maintained as they are. Furthermore, when transmitting a communication signal related to a call, the count value of the unit's counter is always added to the communication frame before transmission. However, when receiving a communication frame from another wireless communication terminal, the count value (C2) added to that communication frame is extracted and compared with the count value (M) of the unit's counter. If the count value (C2) > the count value (M), the count value (M) of the counter is rewritten to the count value (C2). However, if the count value (C2) ≤ the count value (M), the count value (M) of the counter is maintained as it is. [Effects of the Invention]

[0038] According to the wireless communication network system and wireless communication terminal of the present invention, it is possible to switch between a group configuration state in which there are multiple groups that perform simplex communication between multiple wireless communication terminals, and a group integration state in which all groups are integrated and simplex communication is possible even between wireless communication terminals of different groups, by issuing an instruction from any wireless communication terminal. Each wireless communication terminal constituting the network only requires a standard basic configuration consisting of a pair of modulation transmitters and receivers / demodulators in terms of hardware, allowing for the application of identical specifications. Furthermore, from a software perspective, the only difference is the group channel, and the control sequences can be standardized, which has the advantage of making the construction of the network system relatively easy. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0039] [Figure 1] This is a functional block diagram of a wireless communication terminal applied to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram of a network configuration where wireless communication terminals belonging to three groups, Ga, Gb, and Gc, are communicating in simplex in groups Ga and Gc, and in a standby state in group Gb. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram of a network where three groups, Ga, Gb, and Gc, have been merged, enabling simplex communication between wireless communication terminals within the network (in the diagram, wireless communication terminal 50c-2 is the transmitting terminal and the others are the receiving terminals). [Figure 4] This diagram schematically represents the channel cyclic scanning state performed in scan mode by the receiver demodulator RX of each wireless communication terminal 50a, 50b, and 50c belonging to groups Ga, Gb, and Gc, respectively. [Figure 5] This is an example of a communication frame format diagram used in the wireless communication network of the embodiment. [Figure 6A] This flowchart shows the operating procedures for each wireless communication terminal applied to the wireless communication network system according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 6B] This flowchart shows the operating procedure for each wireless communication terminal applied to the wireless communication network system according to Embodiment 1 (with the processing in step S22 of Figure 6A modified). [Figure 7] This is a schematic network diagram showing the group configuration where each wireless communication terminal belonging to one of the three groups Ga, Gb, and Gc is in a standby state within its respective group. [Figure 8]This is a schematic network diagram showing the transition instruction stage in which wireless communication terminal 50a-2, belonging to group Ga, transmits a group integration signal, based on the group organization status in Figure 7. [Figure 9] This is a schematic diagram of the network in a group integration state after the three groups Ga, Gb, and Gc have been merged, with each wireless communication terminal in a standby state. [Figure 10] This is a schematic network diagram showing the transition instruction stage in which wireless communication terminal 50a-2, belonging to group Ga, transmits a group formation signal, based on the group integration state shown in Figure 9. [Figure 11] This is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of a wireless communication terminal according to Embodiment 2. [Figure 12A] This flowchart shows the operation procedure of the wireless communication terminal according to Embodiment 3 (mainly the procedure for transitioning from a group formation state to a group integration state). [Figure 12B] This is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the wireless communication terminal according to Embodiment 3 (mainly the procedure for transitioning from the group integration state to the group formation state). [Figure 12C] This is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the wireless communication terminal according to Embodiment 3. [Figure 13A] This flowchart shows the operation procedure of the wireless communication terminal according to Embodiment 3 (mainly the procedure for transitioning from a group formation state to a group integration state). [Figure 13B] This is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the wireless communication terminal according to Embodiment 3 (mainly the procedure for transitioning from the group integration state to the group formation state). [Figure 14] This is a schematic network diagram showing the simplex communication status for each group in the conventional network. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0040] Hereinafter, embodiments of the wireless communication network system and wireless communication terminal of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 13B. First, Figure 1 is a functional block diagram of the business wireless communication terminals 50a, 50b, and 50c according to the embodiment, where 20 is the antenna, 21 is the distributor, 22 is the amplifier, RX is the receiver / demodulator, 23 is the amplifier, 24 is the speaker (or earphone), 25 is the microphone, 26 is the amplifier, TX is the modulation / transmission unit, 27 is the amplifier, 28 is the system control unit, 29 is the operation unit, 30 is the liquid crystal display unit, and 31 is the buzzer.

[0041] In this receiving system, the signal received by the antenna 20 is input to the receiver / demodulator RX via the distributor 21 and amplifier 22. The receiver / demodulator RX extracts and demodulates only the signal of the set channel from the received signal, and this demodulated signal is amplified by the amplifier 23 and played back as sound from the speaker (or earphones) 24. Furthermore, in the transmission system, the input signal from the microphone 25 is input to the modulation transmission unit TX via the amplifier 26. The modulation transmission unit TX modulates the carrier signal of the set channel with the input signal, and the modulated signal is power amplified by the amplifier 27 and transmitted from the antenna (shared with the receiving system) 20 via the distributor 21.

[0042] The entire system, including the receiving and transmitting systems, as a wireless communication terminal is controlled by the system control unit 28. The system control unit 28 receives various instruction input signals from the operation unit 29 and signals from each module, and controls the receiver demodulation unit RX, the modulation transmission unit TX, and each amplifier 23, 26. It also reads out the group integration signal and group organization signal to the modulation transmission unit TX and transmits them, and performs display control to display various information related to the communication status on the liquid crystal display unit 22, as well as control to sound a beep from the buzzer 31 as appropriate.

[0043] The wireless communication terminals 50a, 50b, and 50c according to this embodiment are controlled to be configured in two ways: a group configuration state in which groups Ga, Gb, and Gc are formed to perform simplex communication between wireless communication terminals using different communication channels chA, chB, and chC, as shown in Figure 2; and a group integration state in which all groups Ga, Gb, and Gc are integrated to enable simplex communication between wireless communication terminals of different groups using a common channel chZ, as shown in Figure 3. In each figure, the wireless communication terminals 50a, 50b, and 50c are represented by simplified blocks. For example, TX:chA indicates that the modulation transmitter TX is set to channel chA, RX:chA indicates that the receiver demodulator RX is set to channel chA, and RX:SCAN indicates that the receiver demodulator RX is set to channel scanning mode.

[0044] In the group configuration state, as shown in Figure 2, wireless communication terminals 50a-1 to 50b-1 to 50b-3 belong to group Ga, wireless communication terminals 50b-1 to 50b-3 belong to group Gb, and wireless communication terminals 50c-1 to 50c-3 belong to group Gc. Simplex communication can be performed for each group Ga, Gb, and Gc using their respective group channels chA, chB, and chC. In the group integration state, as shown in Figure 3, the transmit and receive channels of all wireless communication terminals 50a-1 to 50b-1 to 50b-1 to 50c-1 to 50c-3 are set to a common channel chZ, allowing simplex communication to be performed from each terminal to other terminals across groups.

[0045] However, in the group configuration shown in Figure 2, groups Ga and Gc are in communication mode (50a-2 and 50c-1 are transmitting terminals, and 50a-1,2 and 50c-2,3 are receiving terminals), while in group Gb, all wireless communication terminals 50b-1 to 3 are in standby mode. In the group integration configuration shown in Figure 3, wireless communication terminal 50c-2 is the transmitting terminal, and the other wireless communication terminals 50a-1 to 3, 50b-1 to 3, and 50c-1,3 are receiving terminals.

[0046] By the way, as shown in group Gb in Figure 2, when there is no communication on group channel chB under the group configuration state and each wireless communication terminal 50b-1 to 3 is in standby mode, the system control unit 28 of those terminals switches the receive demodulation unit RX from the group channel chB setting state to scanning mode. In the scanning mode of the wireless communication terminals 50b-1 to 50b-3 belonging to group Gb, the system control unit 28 repeatedly switches the receiving channel of the receiving demodulation unit RX in the order of group channel chB → group channel chA → group channel chC → common channel chZ, and scans each channel to check for the presence or absence of a received signal.

[0047] Furthermore, while the conditions for transitioning to scanning mode and the scanning operation were described above using the wireless communication terminals 50b-1 to 50b-3 of group Gb as an example in the group formation state, the same applies to the wireless communication terminals 50a-1 to 50a-3 and 50c-1 to 50c-3 of groups Ga and Gc in the group formation state. However, the scanning order of each channel in scanning mode and the allocation of scanning time to each channel within one cycle of cyclic scanning differ depending on which group the wireless communication terminal belongs to. For example, if one cycle of cyclic scanning is 1 second, the allocation of scanning time to each channel in the wireless communication terminals 50a-1~3, 50b-1~3, and 50c-1~3 of groups Ga, Gb, and Gc will be configured as shown in Figure 4.

[0048] As is clear from the figure, within one scanning cycle (1 sec), the scanning time for the group channels chA / chB / chC to which the machine belongs is allocated a sufficiently long 910 msec, while the scanning time for the other group channels and the common channel chZ is shortened to 30 msec. As will be seen in the embodiments described later, when a wireless communication terminal that has entered standby mode in a group configuration switches to scanning mode, and in that scanning mode, it executes a procedure to transition to the group integration state on the condition that there are no received signals on all scanning channels. However, if there is a reception on the group channel to which the device belongs, it immediately returns to the receiving channel setting in the group configuration state and performs audio playback. This is adopted as a measure to make the scanning time on the group channel to which the device belongs as long as possible so that the beginning of the received audio does not get cut off.

[0049] Furthermore, each wireless communication terminal 50a-1~3, 50b-1~3, 50c-1~3 according to this embodiment performs communication using a communication frame configured as shown in Figure 5 as an example. The transmitting terminal transmits a modulated wave modulated with MSK (Minimum Shift Keying) or the like using the baseband signal of the audio signal section incorporated into the frame format. The receiving terminal demodulates the received signal related to this modulated wave to reproduce the audio signal, while each information signal of the data payload received prior to the audio signal is separated and detected and used as data for operation control by the system control unit 28. In addition to standard information such as the aircraft's identification information (ID), the group's identification information (G-ID), and the transmission / reception channel information, the data payload also includes specific information such as the group formation signal (GFS) / group integration signal (GIS) and the counter's count value.

[0050] Next, as embodiments 1 to 3, the switching of the group formation state / group integration state of the wireless communication network and the operation procedures of each wireless communication terminal 50a-1 to 3, 50b-1 to 3, and 50c-1 to 3 will be described. However, when explaining the relationship between the operation of a wireless communication terminal and the state of the wireless communication network, it is easier to understand if we consider it as the operation of one wireless communication terminal arbitrarily selected from among wireless communication terminals 50a-1~3, 50b-1~3, and 50c-1~3. Therefore, in the flowchart relating to the operation procedure, the selected terminal is referred to as "wireless communication terminal 50," the group to which wireless communication terminal 50 belongs is represented as Gx (x=a,b,c), and the group channel of that group Gx is represented as chX (X=A,B,C). Furthermore, when specifically explaining the state of the wireless communication network in relation to each wireless communication terminal using a network schematic diagram, each wireless communication terminal will be indicated by its own code.

[0051] <Embodiment 1> Figure 6A is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the wireless communication terminal 50 belonging to group Gx (group channel chX). First, the network is in a group configuration as shown in Figure 2, and the wireless communication terminal 50 performs communication using the group channel chX in group Gx as appropriate, but group communication may be interrupted and the terminal may enter a standby state. In this embodiment, when it is confirmed that the wireless communication terminal 50 is in standby mode, the receiver demodulator RX is switched from the group channel chX setting state to scan mode [see Figure 4] (S1, S2, S3: Y → S4).

[0052] In this scanning mode, the receiver demodulator RX checks whether there is no received signal on all scanning channels chA, chB, chC, and chZ. If this is confirmed, the liquid crystal display 30 displays that it is possible to switch to the group integration state (S5:Y→S6). This display is intended to indicate when the ON operation of the GI / GF button, described later, becomes effective. It is not limited to displaying text on the LCD display unit 30; it may also be displayed by lighting an indicator lamp or other means. In this case, the absence of a received signal on all scanning channels chA, chB, chC, and chZ by the receiver demodulator RX means that, as shown in Figure 7, all wireless communication terminals 50a-1~3, 50b-1~3, and 50c-1~3 in each group Ga, Gb, and Gc are in standby mode, and their receiver demodulator RX is set to scanning mode.

[0053] If the GI / GF button on the control unit 29 (instruction button for switching between group formation state and group integration state) is not pressed ON, the confirmation of the no-signal state and the display will continue (S7:N→S5,S6). However, if the GI / GF button is pressed ON, the modulation transmitter TX and the receiver demodulator RX are immediately switched to the common channel chZ, and the group integration signal (GIS) is set in the communication frame (excluding the voice signal) and transmitted on the common channel chZ (S7:Y→S8,S9). Furthermore, the display on the liquid crystal display unit 30 (S6) is erased by the transmission of the group integration signal (GIS) (S10).

[0054] Figure 8 shows an example where wireless communication terminal 50a-2 of group Ga transmits a group integration signal (GIS) on the common channel chZ. At this stage, the receiver demodulation units RX of all wireless communication terminals 50a-1, 3, 50b-1~3, and 50c-1~3, except for wireless communication terminal 50a-2, are in scanning mode, and therefore can receive the group integration signal (GIS) transmitted by wireless communication terminal 50a-2 during the scanning phase of the common channel chZ. Therefore, upon receiving the group integration signal, the wireless communication terminals 50a-1, 3, 50b-1~3, and 50c-1~3 switch their modulation transmitter TX and receiver demodulator RX to the common channel chZ. As a result, as shown in Figure 9, the transmit and receive channels of all wireless communication terminals 50a-1~3, 50b-1~3, and 50c-1~3 in groups Ga, Gb, and Gc become the common channel chZ, and the network transitions from a group formation state to a group integration state.

[0055] On the other hand, returning to Figure 6A, if a received signal is detected during the scan immediately after the receiving demodulation unit RX of the wireless communication terminal 50 enters the scanning mode (S4, S5:N), or if there was no received signal at the time of that scan but a received signal is detected while the GI / GF button is not turned ON (S4, S5:Y → S6, S7 → S5:N), the display (S6) is cleared (S21: only if S6, S7 has been passed), and the following control is performed depending on whether there is a received signal on at least one of the group channels chA, chB, chC during the scanning process, or whether there is a received signal on the common channel.

[0056] When there is at least one received signal on a group channel, it means that communication is taking place on the group channel in at least one of the groups Ga, Gb, and Gc. The receiver demodulator RX is returned from scan mode to the setting state of group channel chA to correspond to the group configuration state of the network (S22 → S26 → S1).

[0057] Furthermore, regarding the procedure when there is a received signal in at least one group channel among all the scan channels (step S22), instead of uniformly returning the receiver demodulator RX from scan mode to the group channel chX setting state to correspond to the group configuration state as shown in Figure 6A, as shown in Figure 6B, when there is a received signal related to the group channel of the group to which the unit belongs, it is to correspond to the group configuration state in the same manner as above (S22-1: Y → S26 → S1), but when there is a received signal only in the group channels of other groups, the scan mode of the receiver demodulator RX is maintained and the procedure returns to checking whether there are no received signals in all scan channels (S22-2: Y → S5).

[0058] On the other hand, when there is a received signal on the shared channel, there is a high probability that a Group Integration Signal (GIS) is being transmitted from another wireless communication terminal in the network. If this signal (GIS) is detected, the modulation transmitter TX and the receiver demodulator RX are switched to the common channel chZ (S23, S24, S25). This operation corresponds to the operation of wireless communication terminals 50a-1, 3, 50b-1~3, and 50c-1~3, other than wireless communication terminal 50a-2, in the state shown in Figure 8. If the Group Integrated Signal (GIS) cannot be detected, it means that an unknown signal has been received. In this case, the receiver demodulator RX is returned from scan mode to the group channel chA setting to correspond to the network group configuration (S24 → S26 → S1).

[0059] Next, when the network enters a group integration state, as shown in Figures 3 and 9, the transmit and receive channels of all wireless communication terminals 50a-1~3, 50b-1~3, and 50c-1~3 within the network are unified to a common channel chZ. Therefore, any terminal can communicate with other terminals using the common channel in a simplex manner. Therefore, returning to Figure 6A, in the wireless communication terminal 50, when the group integration state is reached, the liquid crystal display unit 30 displays that it is possible to switch to the group organization state (S12).

[0060] Then, in the wireless communication terminal 50, regardless of whether communication is currently being performed on the common channel chZ, if a user who wishes to return to group formation communication turns ON the GI / GF button, if communication is currently being performed, the group formation signal (GFS) is set in the communication frame of the call signal and transmitted. If it is in standby mode, the transmit mode is set and the group formation signal (GFS) is set in a communication frame without a call signal and transmitted (S13, S14: Y → S15). Furthermore, if a group formation signal (GFS) is transmitted, the modulated transmitter TX and received demodulator RX of the unit are switched to the group channel chX after transmission (S16).

[0061] On the other hand, in the wireless communication terminal 50 in a group integration state, contrary to the transmission operation of the group formation signal (GFS) described above, the receiving demodulation unit RX may also receive and detect the group formation signal (GFS) from another wireless communication terminal on the common channel chZ (S31). This group formation signal (GFS) is set in the communication frame of a call signal or a communication frame without a call signal. When it is received or detected, the modulating transmitter TX and receiving demodulator RX of the unit are switched to group channel chA, as described above (S31→S16).

[0062] In any case, the modulation transmitter TX and receiver demodulator RX of the wireless communication terminal 50 are switched from the shared channel chZ to the group channel chA. If this switching setting is configured, the display in step S12 is cleared (S16, S17), and the operation returns to the group configuration state (S17 → S1).

[0063] Figure 10 shows, as an example, a state in which a group formation signal (GFS) is transmitted from the wireless communication terminal 50a-2 in a group integration state. Since the transmit and receive channels of all wireless communication terminals 50a-1~3, 50b-1~3, and 50c-1~3 in the network are on the common channel chZ, the group formation signal (GFS) is received by all terminals except wireless communication terminal 50a-2. As a result, the transmit and receive channels of all wireless communication terminals 50a-1~3, 50b-1~3, and 50c-1~3 are switched to the group channel to which they belong, returning them to the group formation state.

[0064] <Embodiment 2> In the above embodiment 1, as shown in the flowchart in Figure 6A, when the network is in a group configuration state and the wireless communication terminal 50 is in a standby state, the receiver demodulator RX is switched to scanning mode (S3:Y→S4). In the channel cyclic scanning by the receiver demodulator RX shown in Figure 4, the state in which there is no received signal in all scanning channels chA, chB, chC, and chZ is the timing to transmit the group integration signal (GIS) on the common channel chZ. Therefore, based on the detection event of this no-signal state, the liquid crystal display unit 30 is configured to display that it is possible to switch to the group integration state. Furthermore, when the network enters a group integration state, the LCD display unit 30 displays that it is possible to switch to the group configuration state (S11, S12).

[0065] In the group formation state, when the GI / GF button on the operation unit 29 is turned ON at the aforementioned timing, the transmit / receive channel is switched to the common channel chZ, and the group integration signal (GIS) is transmitted, the display is cleared (S7:Y→S8,S9,10). Also, in the group integration state, when the GI / GF button on the operation unit 29 is turned ON and the group formation signal (GFS) is transmitted, or when the group formation signal (GFS) is received / detected by the receive / demodulation unit RX, the transmit / receive channel is switched from the common channel chZ to the group channel chX (S14,S15→S16 / S31→S16), and then the respective displays are cleared (S17).

[0066] In contrast, in this second embodiment, the operation of the wireless communication terminal 50 is controlled as shown in the flowchart of Figure 11. First, in the case of the first embodiment, when the network is in a group configuration state, the receiver demodulator RX is switched to scanning mode when the wireless communication terminal 50 enters standby mode (S51-S54). However, in this embodiment, the GI / GF button can be optionally turned ON after the start of the scanning mode. If, at the time of this ON operation, the receiving demodulation unit RX confirms that there is no received signal on all scanning channels chA, chB, chC, and chZ during its channel cyclic scanning, the modulation transmission unit TX and the receiving demodulation unit RX are switched from group channel chX to common channel chZ to transmit a group integrated signal (GIS), and then the buzzer 31 is activated to output a long beep once (S55, S56:Y → S57~S58, S59). In other words, it notifies the user that the transmission of the Group Integration Signal (GIS) associated with the ON operation of the GI / GF button was performed at a time when it was valid.

[0067] Conversely, if the GI / GF button is turned ON and it is confirmed that there is a received signal on at least one of the scanning channels chA, chB, chC, and chZ, the buzzer 31 is activated to emit several short beeps (S55, S56:N→S71). In other words, if there are other wireless communication terminals that cannot receive the Group Integration Signal (GIS) at the time of the ON operation, the Group Integration Signal (GIS) cannot be transmitted effectively, and the user is immediately notified that the ON operation is invalid.

[0068] Furthermore, the operation when a received signal is detected in at least one group channel among the total scan channels of the receiver demodulator RX, or when a received signal is detected in the common channel chZ, after the short beep sound has been output several times, or when the GI / GF button is not turned ON, is the same as in Embodiment 1 (S71→S72~S75 / S55:N→S55a:N→S72~S75). Furthermore, if there is a received signal in at least one group channel among all scanning channels, as shown in Figure 6B of Embodiment 1, the operation to return to the setting state of group channel chX and the operation to maintain the scanning mode may be selected depending on whether or not the group channel of the device is included in the received signal [Figure 6B (S22-1:Y→S26→S1) / (S22-2:Y→S5)].

[0069] On the other hand, when the network is in a group integration state, if no other wireless communication terminals are in a transmission state (i.e., idle according to carrier sense), the GI / GF button can be turned ON at any time to transmit a group formation signal (GFS). When this signal is transmitted, the buzzer 31 is activated to output a long beep once (S62-S64). Similar to the transmission of the Group Integration Signal (GIS), this also notifies the user that the transmission of the Group Formation Signal (GFS) has been successfully executed in response to the ON operation of the GI / GF button. However, since it involves the transmission of a different signal, it is desirable to make it audibly distinguishable from the beep sound used in the case of the transmission of the Group Integration Signal (GIS).

[0070] As described above, this embodiment 2 (Figure 11) is characterized by a procedure for notifying whether or not the transmission of the group integration signal (GIS) / group organization signal (GFS) corresponding to the ON operation of the GI / GF button is possible and its completion. In relation to embodiment 1 (Figures 6A and 6B), only the procedure for displaying / erasing on the liquid crystal display unit 30 that the transmission of each of the above signals is possible in embodiment 1 has been replaced with their characteristic procedures. Therefore, other operating procedures are the same as in embodiment 1.

[0071] <Embodiment 3> In the wireless communication network systems described in Embodiments 1 and 2, each wireless communication terminal 50a-1 to 3, 50b-1 to 3, and 50c-1 to 3 belonging to the network transmits command signals, namely group integration signals and group formation signals, respectively, in group formation state and group integration state, thereby enabling the network state to be switched as appropriate. However, it is unavoidable that some wireless communication terminals will temporarily go out of range or have their power turned off for a certain period of time due to various circumstances.

[0072] However, if a wireless communication terminal is outside of the communication range or powered off, and a group integration signal is transmitted or received, causing the group integration state to switch, even if the wireless communication terminal returns to its original state, it may end up with a situation where the transmission / reception channel is set to the common channel despite the network being in the group integration state, or conversely, where the transmission / reception channel is set to the group channel despite the network being in the group integration state. This can result in what is known as a "lost terminal."

[0073] In this embodiment 3, each wireless communication terminal 50 is equipped with a counter to record and maintain the number of times the group formation state / group integration state has been switched. When transmitting a group integration signal / group formation signal, the counter value of the terminal is added to these signals. When receiving a group integration signal / group formation signal, the counter value of the terminal is compared with the counter value of the terminal. If the wireless communication terminal 50 is a deviated terminal, the transmission and reception channels are adaptively rewritten and set to realize an automatic recovery function according to the network state (hereinafter referred to as the "deviated terminal alignment recovery function").

[0074] Figures 12A, 12B, and 12C show the procedure for this purpose incorporated into the basic procedure of the wireless communication terminal 50 according to Embodiment 1 (Figure 6A), while Figures 13A, 13B, and 12C show the procedure incorporated into the basic procedure of the wireless communication terminal 50 according to Embodiment 2 (Figure 11).

[0075] Figure 12A is a flowchart that incorporates the necessary procedures related to the alignment recovery function of divergent terminals, using the procedure from the group formation state in Figure 6A to the transmission of the group integration signal (GIS) (S1-S10) and the procedure for switching the transmission and reception channels to the common channel chZ when the receiver demodulation unit RX receives the group integration signal (GIS) in scanning mode (S5-S21-S26) as the basic operation procedure.

[0076] In Figure 12A, the difference from Figure 6A (S1~S10, S5→S21~S26) is that when transmitting the Group Integration Signal (GIS), the count value of the local counter is incremented by +1 and the incremented count value is added to the Group Integration Signal (GIS) before transmission (S9-1, S9-2). In this embodiment, as described above, the count value is added to the Group Integration Signal (GIS) before transmission. Therefore, when these are received and detected, the received count value Q is compared with the count value M of the local counter (S24-1:Y→S24-2). If Q > M, the local transmit / receive channel is switched to the common channel chZ, and the counter's count value M is rewritten to Q (S24-3:Y→S25-1, S25-2). On the other hand, if Q ≤ M, the current transmit / receive channel chX is maintained (S24-3:N→S24-4→S26→S1).

[0077] Figure 12B is a flowchart that incorporates the necessary procedures related to the alignment recovery function of the deviated terminal, using the procedure for switching and setting the transmit / receive channel to group channel chX by transmitting a group integration signal (GIS) from the group integration state in Figure 6A (S11~S16) and the procedure for switching the transmit / receive channel to group channel chX when a group formation signal (GFS) is received without the GI / GF button being turned ON (S14:N→S31:Y→S16) as the basic operation procedure.

[0078] In Figure 12B, the difference from the case in Figure 6A (S11~S16, S14:N→S31:Y→S16) is that when transmitting the group formation signal (GFS), the count value of the local counter is incremented by +1 and the incremented count value is added to the group formation signal (GFS) before transmission (S15-1, S15-2). In this embodiment, as described above, the count value is added to the group formation signal (GFS) before transmission. Therefore, when these are received and detected, the received count value R is compared with the count value M of the local counter (S31-1:Y→S31-2). If R > M, the count value M of the counter is rewritten to R, and the local transmit / receive channel is switched to the group channel chX (S31-3:Y→S31-4→S16). If R ≤ M, the current transmit / receive channel chZ is maintained (S31-3:N→S31-4→S13).

[0079] Furthermore, in this embodiment 3, even when the wireless communication terminal 50 is communicating using group channel chX or common channel chZ (S2 in Figure 12A or S13 in Figure 12B), it always adds the count value of its own counter to the communication frame and transmits it, and when it receives such a communication frame, it executes the operation procedure shown in Figure 12C. Specifically, upon receiving a call communication frame, the system detects the count value W of the source terminal's counter, which is recorded in the data payload of the frame, and compares the detected count value W with the count value M of the system's own counter (S101~S103). Then, if the comparison result is W > M, the count value M is rewritten to W; conversely, if W ≤ M, the count value M is kept as is (S104, S105).

[0080] The process of correcting / maintaining the counter's count value during this communication phase is performed when wireless communication terminals are communicating on the same channel (group channel chX or common channel chZ), and the transmission / reception channel is not switched even if the count value W and count value M are different. However, the wireless communication terminal 50 with the larger counter value on its own machine has experienced more switching between group formation and group integration states on the network, so it can be estimated that this value is more accurate (in other words, the wireless communication terminal with the smaller counter value is more likely to be the stray terminal), and the system is designed to match the smaller counter value to the larger counter value.

[0081] Next, Figures 13A and 13B are flowcharts that incorporate the necessary procedures related to the alignment recovery function of the deviated terminal into the basic procedure (Figure 11) of the wireless communication terminal 50 according to Embodiment 2 as described above. Comparing Figures 13A and 13B with the flowcharts in Figures 12A and 12B, the differences between the operation of the wireless communication terminal according to Embodiment 2 (Figure 11) and the operation of the wireless communication terminal according to Embodiment 1 (Figure 6A) are directly reflected. However, the required procedures for the alignment recovery function of the deviated terminal are exactly the same when comparing the relevant procedure parts in Figures 13A and 12A, and Figures 13B and 12B.

[0082] Specifically, steps S58-1, S58-2 and S74-1 to S76 in Figure 13A correspond to steps S9-1, S9-2 and S24-1 to S26 in Figure 12A, respectively, and steps S63-1, S63-2 and S81-1 to S81-5 in Figure 13B correspond to steps S15-1, S15-2 and S31-1 to S31-5 in Figure 12B, respectively. Furthermore, the operating procedure shown in Figure 12C also applies directly to communication using group channel chX in step S52 of Figure 13A and communication using common channel chZ in step S61 of Figure 13B.

[0083] Furthermore, the deviant terminal alignment recovery function of this embodiment 3 is procedurally added to each control function related to group organization / integration in embodiments 1 and 2. Therefore, the explanation of the basic operating procedures in Figures 13A and 13B will be left to the explanation in Embodiment 2, and the explanation of the operating procedures related to the alignment recovery function of the deviated terminal will be left to the explanation in Figures 12A and 12B in this Embodiment 3. [Industrial applicability]

[0084] This invention can be applied to a network system that switches between a group formation state and a group integration state in a network such as a business wireless communication terminal, and to a wireless communication terminal that implements this system. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0085] 20...Antenna, 21...Distributor, 22...Amplifier, RX...Receiver / Demodulator, 23...Amplifier, 24...Speaker, 25...Microphone, 26...Amplifier, TX...Modulation Transmitter, 27...Amplifier, 28...System Control Unit, 29...Operation Unit, 30...LCD Display Unit, 31...Buzzer, 50a, 50b, 50c...Wireless Communication Terminals, 101~103, 201~203...Wireless Communication Terminals.

Claims

1. A wireless communication network capable of having two states: a group formation state in which there are N groups (where N is an integer of 2 or more) in which multiple wireless communication terminals communicate in a simplex manner using a single channel, each using a different channel (hereinafter referred to as the "group channel"); and a group integration state in which all wireless communication terminals belonging to the N groups communicate in a simplex manner using a common channel. The wireless communication terminal includes a channel control means that, during communication operation in the group formation state, sets the modulation transmission unit and the receive demodulation unit to the group channel of the group to which the unit belongs (hereinafter referred to as the "own group channel"), but during standby operation, sets the receive demodulation unit to a scan mode that cycles through the own group channel, each group channel of the other (N-1) groups, and the common channel at a predetermined period, and in the group integration state, sets the modulation transmission unit and the receive demodulation unit to the common channel; a state detection means that detects which state the receive demodulation unit is in in the scan mode, that there are no received signals in any of the scan channels (hereinafter referred to as the "first state"), that there are received signals in the own group channel and / or the group channels of the other (N-1) groups (hereinafter referred to as the "second state"), or that there are received signals in the common channel (hereinafter referred to as the "third state"); and an instruction means that instructs the mutual switching between the group formation state and the group integration state. In the group formation state, if a switching instruction is received from the instruction means while the state detection means is detecting the first state, the setting channels of the modulation transmission unit and the reception demodulation unit are switched from the own group channel to the common channel and a group integration signal is generated and transmitted; if the state detection means is detecting the second state, the reception demodulation unit is switched from the scanning mode to the setting state of the own group channel; if the state detection means is detecting the group integration signal transmitted by another wireless communication terminal from the received signal on the common channel while the state detection means is detecting the third state, the setting channels of the modulation transmission unit and the reception demodulation unit are switched from the own group channel to the common channel, In the group integration state, if a switching instruction is received from the instruction means, a group formation signal is generated and transmitted, and if the receiving demodulation unit receives the group formation signal transmitted by another wireless communication terminal, the setting channels of the modulation transmission unit and the receiving demodulation unit are switched from the common channel to the group's own channel, respectively. A wireless communication network system characterized by the execution of switching between the group configuration state and the group integration state of the network.

2. The wireless communication network system according to claim 1, wherein the cyclic scanning in scanning mode by the channel control means is performed at a predetermined period in which the scanning time of the own group channel is set to be sufficiently longer than the scanning time of each group channel of the other (N-1) groups and the scanning time of the common channel.

3. The wireless communication network system according to claim 1, wherein when the state detection means detects the second state, if there is a received signal on the own group channel, the receive demodulation unit is switched from the scanning mode to the set state of the own group channel, but if there is a received signal only on the group channels of other groups other than the own group channel, the receive demodulation unit maintains the scanning mode and returns to the state detection means's operation to detect the first to third state.

4. The wireless communication terminal is equipped with a display means, The wireless communication network system according to claim 1, wherein in the group formation state, the system displays that it is possible to switch to the group integration state while the state detection means is detecting the first state, and in the group integration state, the system displays that it is possible to switch to the group formation state during the period when the modulation transmission unit and the reception demodulation unit are set to the common channel.

5. The wireless communication terminal is equipped with a means for generating a beep sound. The wireless communication network system according to claim 1, wherein, in the group formation state, if a switching instruction is received from the instruction means while the state detection means is detecting the first state, the group integration signal is generated and transmitted, and then the beep sound generating means outputs a first beep sound; on the other hand, if a switching instruction is received from the instruction means while the state detection means is detecting a state other than the first state, a second beep sound is immediately output; and in the group integration state, if a switching instruction is received from the instruction means, the group formation signal is generated and transmitted, and then the first beep sound or a third beep sound is output, and the first to third beep sounds are different from each other.

6. The wireless communication terminal is equipped with a counter, When transmitting the group integration signal or the group organization signal, the counter value of the local machine is incremented by a predetermined number, and the incremented count value is added before transmission. On the other hand, when the group integration signal or the group organization signal is received, the count value (C1) added to the received group integration signal or the group organization signal is extracted and compared with the incremented count value (M) of the local machine's counter. If the count value (C1) > the count value (M), the modulation transmission unit and the reception demodulation unit are set to the common channel or the self-group channel according to the received signal, and the count value (M) is rewritten to the count value (C1). On the other hand, if the count value (C1) ≤ the count value (M), the set channels of the modulation transmission unit and the reception demodulation unit are maintained as they are. Furthermore, when transmitting communication signals related to a call, the device always adds the count value of its own counter to the communication frame before transmission. On the other hand, when receiving a communication frame from another wireless communication terminal, it extracts the count value (C2) added to that communication frame and compares it with the count value (M) of its own counter. If the count value (C2) > the count value (M), the count value (M) of the counter is overwritten with the count value (C2), while if the count value (C2) ≤ the count value (M), the count value (M) of the counter is kept as is. The wireless communication network system according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5.

7. A wireless communication terminal applicable to a wireless communication network that can take two states: a group formation state in which there are N groups (where N is an integer of 2 or more) in which multiple wireless communication terminals communicate in a simplex manner using a single channel, each using a different channel (hereinafter referred to as the "group channel"); and a group integration state in which all wireless communication terminals belonging to the N groups communicate in a simplex manner using a common channel. During communication operation in the group formation state, the modulation transmission unit and the receive demodulation unit are set to the group channel of the group to which the unit belongs (hereinafter referred to as the "own group channel"), but during standby operation, the receive demodulation unit is set to a scan mode that cycles through the own group channel, each group channel of the other (N-1) groups, and the common channel at a predetermined period, and in the group integration state, the modulation transmission unit and the receive demodulation unit are set to the common channel, and the system comprises a channel control means for detecting which state the receive demodulation unit is in in the scan mode, that there is no received signal in any of the scanned channels (hereinafter referred to as the "first state"), that there is a received signal in the own group channel and / or the group channels of the other (N-1) groups (hereinafter referred to as the "second state"), or that there is a received signal in the common channel (hereinafter referred to as the "third state"), and an instruction means for instructing the mutual switching between the group formation state and the group integration state. In the group formation state, if a switching instruction is received from the instruction means while the state detection means is detecting the first state, the setting channels of the modulation transmission unit and the reception demodulation unit are switched from the own group channel to the common channel and a group integration signal is generated and transmitted; if the state detection means is detecting the second state, the reception demodulation unit is switched from the scanning mode to the setting state of the own group channel; if the state detection means is detecting the group integration signal transmitted by another wireless communication terminal from the received signal on the common channel while the state detection means is detecting the third state, the setting channels of the modulation transmission unit and the reception demodulation unit are switched from the own group channel to the common channel, In the group integration state, if a switching instruction is received from the instruction means, a group formation signal is generated and transmitted, and immediately if the receiving demodulation unit receives the group formation signal transmitted by another wireless communication terminal, the setting channels of the modulation transmission unit and the receiving demodulation unit are switched from the common channel to the group's own channel. A wireless communication terminal characterized by the following.

8. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 7, wherein the cyclic scanning in scanning mode by the channel control means is performed at a predetermined period in which the scanning time of the own group channel is set to be sufficiently longer than the scanning time of each group channel of the other (N-1) groups and the scanning time of the common channel.

9. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein when the state detection means has detected the second state, if there is a received signal on the own group channel, the receive demodulation unit is switched from the scanning mode to the setting state of the own group channel, but if there is a received signal only on the group channels of other groups other than the own group channel, the receive demodulation unit maintains the scanning mode and returns to the state detection means's operation to detect the first to third state.

10. Equipped with display means, The wireless communication terminal according to claim 7, wherein in the group formation state, it is indicated that switching to the group integration state is possible while the state detection means detects the first state, and in the group integration state, it is indicated that switching to the group formation state is possible during the period when the modulation transmission unit and the reception demodulation unit are set to the common channel.

11. Equipped with a means for generating a beep sound, The wireless communication terminal according to claim 7, wherein, in the group formation state, if a switching instruction is received from the instruction means while the state detection means is detecting the first state, the group integration signal is generated and transmitted, and then the beep sound generating means outputs a first beep sound; on the other hand, if a switching instruction is received from the instruction means while the state detection means is detecting a state other than the first state, a second beep sound is immediately output; and in the group integration state, if a switching instruction is received from the instruction means, the group formation signal is generated and transmitted, and then the first beep sound or a third beep sound is output, and the first to third beep sounds are different from each other.

12. Equipped with a counter, When transmitting the group integration signal or the group organization signal, the counter value of the local machine is incremented by a predetermined number, and the incremented count value is added before transmission. On the other hand, when the group integration signal or the group organization signal is received, the count value (C1) added to the received group integration signal or the group organization signal is extracted and compared with the incremented count value (M) of the local machine's counter. If the count value (C1) > the count value (M), the modulation transmission unit and the reception demodulation unit are set to the common channel or the self-group channel according to the received signal, and the count value (M) is rewritten to the count value (C1). On the other hand, if the count value (C1) ≤ the count value (M), the set channels of the modulation transmission unit and the reception demodulation unit are maintained as they are. Furthermore, when transmitting communication signals related to a call, the device always adds the count value of its own counter to the communication frame before transmission. On the other hand, when receiving a communication frame from another wireless communication terminal, it extracts the count value (C2) added to that communication frame and compares it with the count value (M) of its own counter. If the count value (C2) > the count value (M), the count value (M) of the counter is overwritten with the count value (C2), while if the count value (C2) ≤ the count value (M), the count value (M) of the counter is kept as is. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 7, 8, 9, 10, or 11.

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