Radio communication network system and radio communication terminal

Abstract

To provide a system capable of switching an organization / integration state of a group from each radio communication terminal in a quick response manner in a simplex radio communication network.SOLUTION: A terminal belonging to each group G1 / G2 / G3 comprises: a modulation transmission section TX which can be switched to a group channel chA / chB / chC and a common channel chZ; a main reception demodulation section RX1 which is fixed to the group channel; a sub reception demodulation section RX2 which is fixed to the common channel; muting sections 11 and 12 for outputs of the reception demodulation sections RX1 and RX2; and a signal combination section 13 which combines outputs of the muting sections 11 and 12. Audio reproduction is performed on an output of the signal combination section 13. When one terminal transmits a command signal of integration / organization on the common channel, the other terminal receives the command signal by the sub reception demodulation section RX2 and performs channel control of the modulation transmission section TX and adaptive control of the muting sections 11 and 12, and the one terminal itself also executes similar control in a transmission event.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a network system and its wireless communication device that can switch between a group formation state in which there are multiple groups in which multiple wireless communication terminals perform simplex communication, and a group integration state in which groups are integrated to enable simplex communication even between wireless communication terminals in different groups, in a simplex wireless communication network configured with business wireless communication devices such as those conforming to specific low-power standards. [Background technology]

[0002] Wireless communication devices that comply with the specified low-power standard (see Non-Patent Document 1 below) are used for voice communication over relatively short distances using the 400 MHz band, and are also license-free radio stations. As such, they are widely used for business-related communication between employees outdoors at various work sites such as construction sites, and indoors at relatively large restaurants and home improvement stores with ample space.

[0003] Furthermore, radio communication devices conforming to the digital simplex radio standard (see Non-Patent Document 2 below) are radio stations that can be established with a relatively simple application, and while the specified low-power standard allows for a maximum radio wave output of 10 mW, these devices are permitted for a maximum radio wave output of 5 W, which significantly increases the communication distance, making them suitable for use in large event venues and for communication between floors of high-rise buildings.

[0004] Generally, simplex communication is often adopted for wireless communication for business communication, and communication is maintained within a business group by repeating transmission and reception using a single channel. However, for example, at a construction site, it may be better to separate communication channels between the site supervisor and responsible person and communication channels between workers.Also, when guarding an exhibition venue, it is often more effective to divide the area and maintain close communication within each divided area, rather than using a single channel for overall communication throughout the entire area.

[0005] Therefore, the basic issue is how large the scope of group communication should be. Naturally, it is desirable to be able to switch between an operational state of multiple small communication groups (group organization state) and an operational state of a larger communication group that integrates these groups (group integration state) as appropriate. Such network operation is particularly required in preparation for situations where information needs to be shared through an emergency integrated communication network, such as in the event of an accident or disaster.

[0006] On the other hand, in the network using the simplex communication method for business communication mentioned above, as shown in Figure 9, if wireless communication terminals (101, 102, 103) and (201, 202, 203) belonging to groups G1 and G2 are conducting simplex communication on channels A and B, respectively, communication between the groups is not possible unless one group matches the channel used by the other group, and there is no way for the two groups to communicate with each other. Furthermore, changing channels requires a complex communication sequence that takes time, and even if one terminal in group G1 changes its transmitting and receiving channel to channel B and becomes able to communicate with each terminal in group G2 using simplex communication, the other terminals in group G1 remain as they were and have no way of knowing about the situation.

[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 host, performs carrier sensing to check the channel used by one of the wireless terminals bb of another group B, and executes an information exchange procedure regarding whether or not the groups can be merged and the communication channel to be used by exchanging packets between the two wireless terminals aa and bb.If the groups can be merged and the communication channel to be used has been determined, each wireless terminal aa and bb notifies the other terminals of groups A and B, respectively, and has them set the determined communication channel, thereby starting equal-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] Association of Radio Industries and Businesses, "Specific Low-Power Radio Stations / Radio Equipment for Radio Telephones / Standard Specifications," RCR STD-20 Version 5.1, revised October 29, 2021 [Non-patent document 2] Association of Radio Industries and Businesses, "Radio Equipment for Digital Simple Radio Stations," ARIB STD-T98 Version 2.0, revised October 4, 2023 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] As described above, in group communications using wireless communication terminals that are used in many business fields, it is convenient to be able to switch between the operational state of a small communication group and the operational state of a large communication group that integrates those groups, and it is believed that this will enable rational operation that is suited to a variety of uses.

[0011] However, as with conventional methods, in order for one group to match its channel usage with the channel usage of another group, it must either know the channel usage of the other group in advance, or if it does not know, it must find out by scanning or the like.Even if it knows the channel usage, it must also notify other terminals in the group to which it belongs that they should change to that channel. Therefore, the procedures for merging and unmerging groups are quite complicated and time-consuming, and considering that this is often an emergency, it cannot be said to be user-friendly. In the wireless communication method of Patent Document 1, wireless terminals aa and bb execute the procedure on behalf of groups A and B, but there still remain problems in terms of responsiveness. Furthermore, while the above assumes the case of two communication groups, if three or more communication groups are to be integrated and then disintegrated, the procedure for carrying this out through prior communication becomes extremely complicated, and it is naturally impossible to expect quick response.

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

[0013] The wireless communication network system of the present invention is a network capable of being in a group formation state in which there are a plurality of groups in which a plurality of wireless communication terminals communicate in a simplex manner using one channel, each group having different one channel (hereinafter referred to as a "group channel"), and a group integration state in which wireless communication terminals belonging to all of the groups communicate in a simplex manner using a common channel, wherein the wireless communication terminal comprises a modulation transmission unit selectively set to the group channel of the group to which the wireless communication terminal belongs or the common channel, a main reception demodulation unit set to the group channel of the group to which the wireless communication terminal belongs, a secondary reception demodulation unit set to the common channel, first muting means controlled to mute or unmute an output signal of the main reception demodulation unit, second muting means controlled to mute or unmute each output signal of the secondary reception demodulation unit, signal synthesis means for synthesizing each output signal of the first and second muting means and outputting the synthesized signal to audio reproduction means, and a modulation transmission unit selectively set to the group formation signal or the group integration signal in response to a selection instruction input from an operation means in a transmission mode. and system control means for, when the command transmitting means causes the group formation signal to be transmitted or the secondary receiving and demodulating unit receives the group formation signal, setting the modulation transmitting unit to the group channel of the group to which the terminal belongs and setting the first control state to a non-muted state and the second muting means to a muted state, and, when the command transmitting means causes the group unified signal to be transmitted or the secondary receiving and demodulating unit receives the group unified signal, setting the modulation transmitting unit to the common channel and setting the first muting means to a muted state and the second muting means to a non-muted state, wherein, when any of the wireless communication terminals in the network transmits the group formation signal in response to a command input from the operating means, all of the wireless communication terminals in the network are set to the first control state and form the group formation state, and when the group unified signal is transmitted,All of the wireless communication terminals in the network are in the second control state, forming the group integrated state.

[0014] The wireless communication network system of the present invention allows the network to be quickly switched between a group formation state and a group integration state simply by performing a selection operation from any one of the wireless communication terminals belonging to the network. Each wireless communication terminal in the network has a transmission / reception function section characterized in that the modulation / transmission section can be switched between a group channel and a common channel, and the main reception / demodulation section is set to the group channel and the sub reception / demodulation section is set to the common channel. Unless the device itself is in transmission mode, the main receiving demodulation unit and the sub receiving demodulation unit are always in the ON state, and first and second muting means are provided for their output signals, respectively, and the outputs of each muting means are output to the audio playback means in a manner where they are combined by the signal combining means, and the audio is played back. As will be described later, since the muting means are controlled so that the muting state and the non-muting state are mutually reversed, the signal combining means may be configured as a simple electrical connection section.

[0015] A signal transmitted from each wireless communication terminal on a common channel can be received and demodulated in the sub-receiving and demodulating section in wireless communication terminals other than the transmitting terminal of that signal, regardless of the control state of each muting means. Furthermore, by controlling the states of the two muting means so that they have an inverse relationship of mute / non-mute, it is possible to switch between playing back the audio of the group channel and the common channel.

[0016] Based on the above premise, at any one wireless communication terminal within the network, when a selection instruction is input from the operating means, the command transmitting means causes the modulation transmitting unit to transmit a group formation signal or a group integration signal on a common channel, and the signal can be received and demodulated by the secondary receiving and demodulating unit at all other wireless communication terminals. When the command transmitting means causes the modulation transmitting section to transmit a group organization signal / group integration signal on the common channel or when the sub-receiving demodulation section receives a group organization signal / group integration signal transmitted by another wireless communication terminal, the system control means controls the modulation transmitting section and the first and second muting means as follows, depending on the signal. (1) If the signal is a group organization signal, the modulation transmitter is set to the group channel of the group to which the device belongs, and the first control state is established in which the first muting means is set to the non-muted state and the second muting means is set to the muted state. (2) If the signal is a group integrated signal, the modulation transmitter is set to a common channel, and a second control state is established in which the first muting means is set to a muted state and the second muting means is set to a non-muted state.

[0017] As a result, when all wireless communication terminals in the network are in the first control state, in each terminal, in receive mode, only the communication audio on the group channel is played, and in transmit mode, the input audio of the terminal itself is transmitted on the group channel, resulting in a group formation state being formed in the entire network. On the other hand, when all wireless communication terminals in the network are in the second control state, in each terminal, in receive mode, only the communication audio on the common channel is played, and in transmit mode, the input audio of the terminal itself is transmitted on the common channel, resulting in a group integration state being formed in the entire network.

[0018] A wireless communication terminal of the present invention constitutes a network related to the wireless communication network system, and comprises a modulation transmission unit selectively set to the group channel or the common channel of the group to which the wireless communication terminal belongs, a main reception demodulation unit set to the group channel of the group to which the wireless communication terminal belongs, a secondary reception demodulation unit set to the common channel, first muting means controlled to mute or unmute an output signal of the main reception demodulation unit, second muting means controlled to mute or unmute each output signal of the secondary reception demodulation unit, signal synthesis means for synthesizing each output signal of the first and second muting means and outputting the synthesized signal to audio reproduction means, and a modulation transmission unit which generates a group organization signal or a group integration signal in a transmission mode in response to a selection instruction input from an operation means, and and a system control means for, when the command transmitting means causes the group organization signal to be transmitted or the sub-receiving demodulation unit receives the group organization signal, setting the modulation transmitting unit to the group channel of the group to which the device belongs and setting the first control state in which the first muting means is set to a non-muted state and the second muting means to a muted state, and, when the command transmitting means causes the group unified signal to be transmitted or the sub-receiving demodulation unit receives the group unified signal, setting the modulation transmitting unit to the common channel and setting the first control state in which the first muting means is set to a muted state and the second muting means to a non-muted state.

[0019] In each wireless communication terminal in the wireless communication network system of the present invention, when the command transmitting means receives an instruction input, if the instruction input is related to transmitting the group formation signal despite being in the first control state, or if the instruction input is related to transmitting the group integration signal despite being in the second control state, it is desirable that the command transmitting means treat the instruction input as invalid. This is because if a group formation signal or group integration signal is transmitted based on an incorrect instruction input, the current state of the modulation transmission unit and each muting means will be reset not only for the own terminal but also for other wireless communication terminals, forcing unnecessary operations.

[0020] It is desirable that each wireless communication terminal in the wireless communication network system of the present invention is provided with a display means or an indicator lamp so that, based on whether the terminal itself is in the first or second control state, it can notify whether the network is in the group formation state or the group integration state by the display content of the display means or by turning on / off the indicator lamp. This allows the user of each wireless communication terminal to easily check the current network status, and is also effective in eliminating errors in inputting instructions to the command transmitting means. [Effects of the Invention]

[0021] The present invention provides convenience in wireless communication networks in a variety of business fields by enabling each wireless communication terminal to easily switch between a network state (group formation state) in which multiple groups communicate using simplex communication and a network state (group integration state) in which groups are integrated and wireless communication terminals within the network can communicate using simplex communication, at any time. In terms of hardware, each wireless communication terminal that makes up the network differs from the usual configuration only in that it has one auxiliary receiving / demodulating unit in addition to a pair of modulating / transmitting units and a main receiving / demodulating unit, and is provided with muting means and a signal synthesis unit for the output signals of each receiving / demodulating unit, so the same specifications can be applied.On the other hand, in terms of software, the only difference is the group channel, and the control sequence can be standardized, which has the advantage that it is relatively easy to build as a network system. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1]FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a wireless communication terminal (common to groups G1, G2, and G3) according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a network in a group formation state in which wireless communication terminals belonging to three groups G1, G2, and G3 are performing simplex communication for each group. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure for switching the network state (group formation state and group integration state) in the wireless communication terminals of group G1. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure for switching the network state (group formation state and group integration state) in the wireless communication terminals of group G2. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure for switching the network state (group formation state and group integration state) in the wireless communication terminals of group G3. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a network in which, in a group formation state, a wireless communication terminal 31 of a group G1 transmits a group integration signal. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a network in a group integration state in which three groups G1, G2, and G3 are integrated and simplex communication can be performed between the wireless communication terminals within the network. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a network in which a wireless communication terminal 52 of group G3 transmits a group organization signal in a group integration state. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a network showing a conventional simplex communication state for each group. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] Hereinafter, a wireless communication network system and a wireless communication terminal according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. This embodiment relates to a wireless communication network system that can switch between a group organization state in which three wireless communication terminals communicate in simplex mode using one channel, with three groups using different channels, and a group integration state in which the three groups are integrated and all wireless communication terminals in the network communicate in simplex mode using a common channel. Here, the three groups are designated as G1, G2, and G3, the group channels used in each group are designated as chA, chB, and chC, and the common channel used in the group integration state is designated as chZ.

[0024] Figure 1 is a functional block diagram showing the hardware configuration of each wireless communication terminal in the network, where 10 is an antenna, RX1 is a main receiving and demodulating unit, RX2 is a sub-receiving and demodulating unit, 11 and 12 are muting units, 13 is a signal combining unit, 14 is an amplifier, 15 is a speaker (or earphone), 16 is a microphone, 17 is an amplifier, TX is a modulation transmitting unit, 20 is a system control unit, 21 is an operation unit, 22 is a display unit, and 23 is an indicator.

[0025] In the same figure, looking at the receiving system, the received signal at antenna 10 is input to main receiving demodulation unit RX1 and sub receiving demodulation unit RX2, and the output demodulated signals of each receiving demodulation unit RX1, RX2 are input to signal synthesis unit 13 via each muting unit 11, 12, and the output signal of signal synthesis unit 13 is amplified by amplifier 14 and reproduced as sound by speaker (or earphone) 15. In addition, in the transmission system, an input signal from a microphone 16 is input to a modulation transmission unit TX via an amplifier 17, and the modulation transmission unit TX modulates the carrier signal of the set channel with the input signal, and the modulated signal is power-amplified and transmitted from an antenna (shared with the receiving system) 10.

[0026] The entire system as a wireless communication terminal including the receiving and transmitting systems is controlled by a system control unit 20, which receives various instruction input signals from an operation unit 21 and signals from each module, controls the receiving and demodulating units RX1, RX2, the modulating and transmitting unit TX, the muting units 11, 12, and the amplifiers 14, 17, displays various information related to the communication status on a display unit 22, and notifies the group formation / integration status by turning on / off an indicator lamp 23.

[0027] In the wireless communication terminal of this embodiment, the system control unit 20, in response to instructions input from the operation unit 21, previously sets the main receiving and demodulating unit RX1 to channel chA / chB / chC corresponding to the group to which it belongs, and the secondary receiving and demodulating unit RX2 to the common channel chZ, and the modulation and transmitting unit TX is configured to switch between channel chA / chB / chC corresponding to the group to which it belongs and the common channel chZ during the operation of the network.

[0028] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a network in a group formation state, with three wireless communication terminals (31, 32, 33), (41, 42, 43), and (51, 52, 53) belonging to each of three groups G1, G2, and G3. Group communication is carried out using simplex mode using channel chA in group G1, channel chB in group G2, and channel chC in group G3.

[0029] In this case, each wireless communication terminal 31, 32, 33 of group G1 sets the modulation transmitter TX and main receiver demodulator RX1 to group channel chA and the secondary receiver demodulator RX2 to common channel chZ, each wireless communication terminal 41, 42, 43 of group G2 sets the modulation transmitter TX and main receiver demodulator RX1 to group channel chB and the secondary receiver demodulator RX2 to common channel chZ, and each wireless communication terminal 51, 52, 53 of group G3 sets the modulation transmitter TX and main receiver demodulator RX1 to group channel chC and the secondary receiver demodulator RX2 to common channel chZ, but sets the muting unit 11 to the non-muted state and the muting unit 12 to the muted state. Therefore, in each wireless communication terminal 31, 32, 33, 41, 42, 43, 51, 52, 53, only the demodulated signal related to the group channel chA / chB / chC of the group to which the terminal belongs is reproduced through the signal synthesis unit 13 and played back on the speaker 15. In addition to this, the modulation transmission unit TX is set to the group channel, and a group formation state is achieved in which independent group communication is possible in each group G1, G2, G3.

[0030] In Figure 2, wireless communication terminal 31 is shown as the transmitting terminal in group G1, wireless communication terminal 41 in group G2, and wireless communication terminal 51 in group G3, but naturally any wireless communication terminal within each group can be the transmitting terminal, and when it becomes the transmitting terminal, the main receiving demodulation unit RX1, which is set to the same channel as the transmitting channel of the modulation transmitting unit TX, is controlled to the OFF state.

[0031] The above group formation state is the initial state, and the operating procedures of each wireless communication terminal that enable the network to switch between the group integration state and the group formation state as needed are shown for each of the wireless communication terminals (31, 32, 33), (41, 42, 43), and (51, 52, 53) belonging to each group G1, G2, and G3 as shown in the flowcharts of Figures 3, 4, and 5. Regarding the operating procedures of each figure related to this wireless communication terminal, the basic flow is the same regardless of the group, but the only difference is that the group channels chA / chB / chC are different for each group G1, G2, G3.

[0032] In the operating procedure for the wireless communication terminals 31, 32, and 33 of group G1 (Figure 3), first, the network is in a group formation state, and as described above, each modulation transmission unit TX and main reception demodulation unit RX1 are set to the group channel chA, and the sub reception demodulation unit RX2 is set to the common channel chZ, and the muting unit 11 is set to the non-muted state and the muting unit 12 is set to the muted state. In this state, the system control unit 20 constantly checks whether a group integration instruction has been operated on the operation unit 21 of its own device and the command signal has been detected (S1), whether the secondary reception demodulation unit RX2 has received the group integration signal transmitted from the other device and the demodulated signal has been detected (S2), whether a group formation instruction has been operated on the operation unit 21 of its own device and the command signal has been detected (S3), and whether the secondary reception demodulation unit RX2 has received the group formation signal transmitted from the other device and the demodulated signal has been detected (S4).

[0033] Here, when a command signal related to group integration is detected by operation of the operation unit 21 of the own device (S1), the system control unit 20 confirms that the muting unit 11 of the own device is in a muted state and the muting unit 12 is not in a non-muted state (they are not set to the group integration state), and then switches the modulation transmission unit TX from the group channel chA to the common channel chZ, reads out the group integration code stored in advance in the built-in memory to the modulation transmission unit TX, modulates the carrier of the common channel chZ with the same code, and transmits the group integration signal (S1 → S5, S6).

[0034] On the other hand, when the sub-receiving / demodulating unit RX2 receives and demodulates the group integration signal transmitted by another device and compares the demodulated signal with the group integration code stored in the internal memory and finds that they match (S2), the system control unit 20 switches the modulating / transmitting unit TX from the group channel chA to the common channel chZ (S2 → S7).

[0035] In either case, the system control unit 20 switches the muting unit 11 from the non-muted state to the muted state, and the muting unit 12 from the muted state to the non-muted state, thereby responding to the transition of the network from the group formation state to the group integration state (S6 / S7→S8). Furthermore, when the above procedure is completed, the system control unit 20 turns on the indicator lamp 23 to notify that the network has entered a group integration state (S9).

[0036] The operation procedure [(S1 → S5, S6) / (S2 → S7) → S8, S9)] of the wireless communication terminals 31, 32, 33 belonging to group G1 in FIG. 3 is the same as the steps [(S21 → S25, S26) / (S22 → S27) → S28, S29)] in FIG. 4 and the steps [(S41 → S45, S46) / (S42 → S47) → S48] in FIG. 5 for the wireless communication terminals (41, 42, 43), (51, 52, 53) belonging to other groups G2, G3. , S49)] and are basically the same, but the difference is that Figure 3 relates to wireless communication terminals 31, 32, and 33 of group G1, so the group channel to be switched to the common channel chZ is chA, whereas Figures 4 and 5 relate to wireless communication terminals (41, 42, 43) and (51, 52, 53) of groups G2 and G3, so the switching targets are chB and chC.

[0037] Therefore, in all wireless communication terminals 31, 32, 33, 41, 42, 43, 51, 52, and 53 in the network, the modulation transmitting unit TX switches to the common channel chZ, and the main receiving demodulation unit RX1 remains the group channel (chA / chB / chC) and the sub receiving demodulation unit RX2 remains the common channel chZ, but the muting unit 11 switches to a muted state and the muting unit 12 switches to a non-muted state.

[0038] In this case, the modulation transmission unit TX is set to the common channel chZ, and by the above-mentioned control of the muting units 11 and 12, the signal received and demodulated by the main receiving and demodulating unit RX1 on the group channel (chA / chB / chC) is not output to the signal combining unit 13, and only the signal received and demodulated by the sub receiving and demodulating unit RX2 on the common channel chZ is reproduced as audio on the speaker 15 via the signal combining unit 13, resulting in a group integration state, and all wireless communication terminals 31, 32, 33, 41, 42, 43, 51, 52, 53 in the network becoming able to communicate by simplex using the common channel chZ (FIG. 3: S10, FIG. 4: S30, FIG. 5: S50).

[0039] A schematic diagram of the network configuration related to the transition from the group formation state to the group integration state is shown in Figure 6. For example, when a wireless communication terminal 31 belonging to group G1 switches the modulation transmission unit TX from group channel chA to common channel chZ and transmits a group integration signal, the other wireless communication terminals 32 and 33 of group G1 and the wireless communication terminals (41, 42, 43), (51, 52, 53) of groups G2 and G3 receive the signal at their secondary receiving and demodulating units RX2, and the modulation transmission units TX and muting units 11 and 12 switch to the above-mentioned states. Furthermore, a similar state is established in the wireless communication terminal 31 that is the sender of the group integration signal due to the transmission event, and the network enters the group integration state as shown in Figure 7. FIG. 7 shows a case where the wireless communication terminal 31 that transmitted the group integration signal is again serving as a transmitting terminal and transmitting an audio signal.

[0040] Next, when the network is in a group integration state and a command signal relating to group formation is detected by operation on the operation unit 21 of the own device (S3), the system control unit 20 confirms that the muting unit 11 of the own device is in a non-muted state and the muting unit 12 is not in a muted state (they are not set to a group formation state), and then reads out the group formation code stored in advance in the built-in memory to the modulation transmission unit TX, modulates the carrier of the common channel chZ with the same code, and transmits the group formation signal (S3 → S11, S12). This is the same as step S1 above, except for the difference between the group integration signal and the group organization signal. In this case, however, after the modulation transmission unit TX transmits the group organization signal on the common channel chZ, the set channel is switched from the common channel chZ to the group channel chA of the group to which the own device belongs (S12).

[0041] On the other hand, when the sub-receiving demodulation unit RX2 receives and demodulates the group organization code transmitted by another device and compares the demodulated signal with the group organization code stored in the internal memory and finds that they match (S4), the system control unit 20 switches the modulation transmission unit TX from the common channel chZ to the group channel chA (S4 → S13).

[0042] In either case, the system control unit 20 switches the muting unit 11 from the mute state to the non-mute state and the muting unit 12 from the non-mute state to the mute state, thereby responding to the transition of the network from the group integration state to the group organization state (S12 / S13→S14). Furthermore, when this procedure is completed, the system control unit 20 turns off the indicator lamp 23 to notify that the network has entered a group formation state (S15).

[0043] The operation procedure [(S3 → S11, S12) / (S4 → S13) → S14, S15)] of the wireless communication terminals 31, 32, 33 belonging to group G1 in FIG. 3 is similar to the steps [(S23 → S31, S32) / (S24 → S33) → S34, S35)] in FIG. 4 and the steps [(S43 → S51, S52) / (S44 → S53) → S34, S35)] in FIG. 5 for the wireless communication terminals (41, 42, 43), (51, 52, 53) belonging to other groups G2, G3. S54, S55) and are basically the same, but the difference is that Figure 3 relates to wireless communication terminals 31, 32, and 33 of group G1, so the group channel to which the switch is made from the common channel chZ is chA, whereas Figures 4 and 5 relate to wireless communication terminals (41, 42, 43) and (51, 52, 53) of groups G2 and G3, so the switch destinations are chB and chC.

[0044] Therefore, in the wireless communication terminals 31, 32, and 33 belonging to group G1, the modulation transmitter TX returns from the common channel chZ to the group channel chA, in the wireless communication terminals 41, 42, and 43 belonging to group G2, the modulation transmitter TX returns from the common channel chZ to the group channel chB, and in the wireless communication terminals 51, 52, and 53 belonging to group G3, the modulation transmitter TX returns from the common channel chZ to the group channel chC, and at the same time, the muting unit 11 in each of the wireless communication terminals 31, 32, 33, 41, 42, 43, 51, 52, and 53 is switched to the non-muted state and the muting unit 12 is switched to the muted state, but the main receiving demodulation unit RX1 remains on the group channel (chA / chB / chC) of the group to which the terminal belongs, and the secondary receiving demodulation unit RX2 remains on the common channel chZ.

[0045] In summary, in each of the wireless communication terminals 31, 32, and 33 of group G1, the modulation transmitter TX and main receiver demodulator RX1 are set to group channel chA, and the secondary receiver demodulator RX2 is set to common channel chZ; in each of the wireless communication terminals 41, 42, and 43 of group G2, the modulation transmitter TX and main receiver demodulator RX1 are set to group channel chB, and the secondary receiver demodulator RX2 is set to common channel chZ; and in each of the wireless communication terminals 51, 52, and 53 of group G3, the modulation transmitter TX and main receiver demodulator RX1 are set to group channel chC, and the secondary receiver demodulator RX2 is set to common channel chZ, and each muting unit 11 is set to the non-muted state, and each muting unit 12 is set to the muted state, so that the network returns to the group formation state shown in Figure 2.

[0046] As a result, of the audio signals received and demodulated at each wireless communication terminal 31, 32, 33, 41, 42, 43, 51, 52, 53, only the demodulated signals at the main receiving and demodulating unit RX1 for the group channels chA, chB, chC of the group to which each terminal belongs are played back as audio at the speaker 15 via the signal synthesis unit 13. In addition to this, since the modulation transmitting unit TX is set to the group channels chA, chB, chC, independent group communication is possible in each group G1, G2, G3 (Figure 3: S16, Figure 4: S36, Figure 5: S56).

[0047] A schematic diagram of a network configuration related to the transition from the group integration state to the group formation state is shown. For example, in the group integration state as shown in FIG. 8, when the wireless communication terminal 52 (which belongs to group G3 in the group formation state) transmits a group formation signal on the common channel chZ, the other wireless communication terminals 31, 32, 33, 41, 42, 43, 51, and 53 in the network receive the group formation signal at their secondary receiving and demodulating units RX2, and as described above, each switches its modulation transmitting unit TX from the common channel chZ to the group channels chA, chB, and chC of the groups G1, G2, and G3 to which it belongs, and controls each muting unit 11 and 12 to a setting state opposite to that in the group integration state. Furthermore, the wireless communication terminal 52 that has become the sender of the group formation signal also switches its modulation transmitting unit TX to the group channel chC of group G3 after transmitting the group formation signal, and similarly controls each muting unit 11 and 12 to a setting state opposite to that in the group integration state, so that the network returns to the group formation state of FIG. 2.

[0048] From the above, the user of each wireless communication terminal 31, 32, 33, 41, 42, 43, 51, 52, 53 in the network can quickly switch the network configuration by simply performing a simple instruction operation from the operation unit 21 at any timing, thereby transmitting a group integration signal if in a group formation state (Figure 2) or a group formation signal if in a group integration state (Figure 7). In addition, the output of the received and reproduced sound is switched between the group formation state and the group integration state by controlling each muting unit 11, 12, which has the advantage that there is no mixing of switching sounds into the reproduced sound as occurs when switching is performed by a switching circuit. [Industrial Applicability]

[0049] The present invention can be applied to a network system that switches between a group formation state and a group integration state in a network of business-use wireless communication terminals, and to a wireless communication terminal that realizes this. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 10...antenna, RX1...main receiving demodulation unit, RX2...sub-receiving demodulation unit, 11, 12...muting unit, 13...signal synthesis unit, 14...amplifier, 15...speaker (or earphone), 16...microphone, 17...amplifier, TX...modulation transmission unit, 20...system control unit, 21...operation unit, 22...display unit, 23...indicator lamp, 31, 32, 33, 41, 42, 43, 51, 52, 53, 101, 102, 103, 201, 202, 203...wireless communication terminal.

Claims

1. In a network capable of assuming a group formation state in which there are multiple groups in which multiple wireless communication terminals communicate in a simplex manner using one channel (hereinafter referred to as a "group channel"), with the multiple groups having different channels, and a group integration state in which all wireless communication terminals belonging to the group communicate in a simplex manner using a common channel, the wireless communication terminal comprises a modulation transmission unit selectively set to the group channel or the common channel of the group to which the wireless communication terminal belongs, a main reception demodulation unit set to the group channel of the group to which the wireless communication terminal belongs, a secondary reception demodulation unit set to the common channel, first muting means controlled to mute or unmute an output signal of the main reception demodulation unit, second muting means controlled to mute or unmute each output signal of the secondary reception demodulation unit, signal synthesis means for synthesizing each output signal of the first and second muting means and outputting the synthesized signal to audio reproduction means, and a signal synthesis means for generating a group organization signal or a group integration signal in a transmission mode in response to a selection instruction input from an operation means and setting the modulation transmission unit to the common channel. and system control means for, when the command transmitting means causes the group organization signal to be transmitted or the sub-receiving demodulation unit receives the group organization signal, setting the modulation transmitting unit to the group channel of the group to which the device belongs and setting the first muting means to a non-muted state and the second muting means to a muted state, as a first control state; and, when the command transmitting means causes the group unified signal to be transmitted or the sub-receiving demodulation unit receives the group unified signal, setting the modulation transmitting unit to the common channel and setting the first muting means to a muted state and the second muting means to a non-muted state, as a second control state, When any of the wireless communication terminals in the network transmits the group formation signal in response to an instruction input from the operation means, all of the wireless communication terminals in the network enter the first control state and form the group formation state, and when any of the wireless communication terminals in the network transmits the group integration signal, all of the wireless communication terminals in the network enter the second control state and form the group integration state. A wireless communication network system comprising:

2. 2. The wireless communication network system according to claim 1, wherein in each of the wireless communication terminals, when the command transmitting means receives an instruction input, if the instruction input is related to transmitting the group formation signal despite being in the first control state, or if the instruction input is related to transmitting the group integration signal despite being in the second control state, the command transmitting means treats the instruction input as invalid.

3. 3. The wireless communication network system according to claim 1, wherein each of the wireless communication terminals is provided with a display means or an indicator lamp, and based on whether the terminal itself is in the first or second control state, notifies whether the network is in the group formation state or the group integration state by displaying the content of the display means or turning on / off the indicator lamp.

4. A wireless communication terminal applied to a network capable of assuming a group formation state in which a plurality of groups in which a plurality of wireless communication terminals communicate in a simplex manner using one channel exist with different channels (hereinafter referred to as "group channels"), and a group integration state in which all wireless communication terminals belonging to the group communicate in a simplex manner using a common channel, a modulation transmission unit selectively set to the group channel or the common channel of the group to which the own device belongs; a main receiving and demodulating unit set to the group channel of the group to which the own device belongs; a secondary receiving and demodulating unit set to the common channel; a first muting means controlled to mute or not mute the output signal of the main receiving and demodulating section; a second muting means for controlling each output signal of the auxiliary receiving and demodulating unit to be in a muted state or a non-muted state; a signal synthesis means for synthesizing the output signals of the first and second muting means and outputting the synthesized signal to an audio reproduction means; a command transmitting means for generating a group organization signal or a group integration signal in response to a selection instruction input from an operating means in a transmission mode, and setting the modulation transmitting unit to the common channel to transmit the generated signal; system control means for, when the command transmitting means causes the group organization signal to be transmitted or when the sub-receiving demodulation unit receives the group organization signal, setting the modulation transmitting unit to the group channel of the group to which the device belongs, and setting the first muting means to a non-muted state and the second muting means to a muted state, as a first control state; and, when the command transmitting means causes the group integrated signal to be transmitted or when the sub-receiving demodulation unit receives the group integrated signal, setting the modulation transmitting unit to the common channel, and setting the first muting means to a muted state and the second muting means to a non-muted state, as a second control state. A wireless communication terminal comprising:

5. 5. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 4, wherein when the command transmitting means receives an instruction input, if the instruction input is an instruction input relating to transmission of the group formation signal despite being in the first control state, or an instruction input relating to transmission of the group integration signal despite being in the second control state, the command transmitting means treats the instruction input as invalid.

6. 6. A wireless communication terminal according to claim 4 or 5, further comprising a display means or an indicator lamp, and notifying whether the network is in the group formation state or the group integration state based on whether the terminal itself is in the first or second control state by displaying content on the display means or turning on / off the indicator lamp.

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