Wireless transceiver repeater

Abstract

To provide a radio transceiver repeater device that has a relatively simple configuration, is easy to operate, and can effectively utilize existing radio transceivers. [Solution] When a specified low-power transceiver 201 connected to an A terminal connection jack 1 receives radio waves transmitted by another specified low-power transceiver, the demodulated audio signal is input as a microphone input signal to a digital low-power community radio transceiver 202 connected to a B terminal connection jack 2 and relayed and transmitted by the digital low-power community radio transceiver 202, making it possible to receive it by other digital low-power community radio transceivers.In addition, in the case of transmissions from other digital low-power community radio transceivers, reception by other specified low-power transceivers is also possible through similar relay transmission.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a repeater device for a wireless transceiver, and more particularly to a repeater device that is designed to be versatile and easy to operate. [Background technology]

[0002] It is well known that wireless relay devices are used as a means for expanding the communication range and improving the communication quality between wireless transceivers. Such a wireless relay device includes, for example, a device configured to receive and demodulate content transmitted from one wireless transceiver to the wireless relay device at a predetermined frequency called an uplink frequency, and transmit the content to the other wireless transceiver at a different frequency called a downlink frequency, thereby relaying communications between wireless transceivers (see, for example, Patent Document 1, etc.). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-053662 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the case of the above-mentioned conventional device, the received signal is first demodulated to make it an audio signal, and then modulated at a frequency different from the received frequency before being transmitted wirelessly. This essentially means that a receiving circuit and a transmitting circuit with different frequencies are provided, and it is necessary to construct essentially one wireless device, which leads to problems such as a complicated device configuration and an increase in the cost of the device.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned situation, and aims to provide a radio transceiver repeater device that has a relatively simple configuration, is easy to operate, can effectively utilize existing radio transceivers, is applicable not only to relaying between radio transceivers using the same frequency band, but also to relaying between radio transceivers using different frequency bands, and furthermore has a high degree of flexibility in selecting the transmission / reception switching method. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object of the present invention, the wireless transceiver audio repeater device of the present invention comprises: A wireless transceiver audio relay device that relays communication between a first wireless transceiver and a second wireless transceiver that use different frequency bands, a first audio relay processing circuit configured to be able to input a speaker output signal of a first relay wireless transceiver having the same configuration as the first wireless transceiver to an external microphone connection terminal of a second relay wireless transceiver having the same configuration as the second wireless transceiver; a second audio relay processing circuit configured to be able to input a speaker output signal of the second relay wireless transceiver to an external microphone connection terminal of the first relay wireless transceiver, The first audio relay processing circuit includes: a first terminal gain amplifier circuit for amplifying a speaker output signal of the first relay wireless transceiver to a desired level; a first terminal analog-to-digital converter circuit for performing analog-to-digital conversion on the output signal of the first terminal gain amplifier circuit; a first terminal delay circuit for delaying the output signal of the first terminal analog-to-digital converter circuit by a required time and outputting it; and a first terminal digital-to-analog converter circuit for digital-to-analog conversion on the output signal of the first terminal delay circuit; a noise detection circuit for a first terminal that detects whether or not there is noise exceeding a predetermined noise threshold in the output signal of the analog-to-digital conversion circuit for the first terminal; a PTT drive circuit for a first terminal that generates and outputs a PTT signal based on external control; a first terminal transmission control circuit that can set a desired one of three voice relay control methods, signal detection, noise detection, and busy input transmission, in response to an external input signal, and controls the generation and output of a PTT signal from the first terminal PTT drive circuit based on the set voice relay control method; When the voice relay control method is set to the noise detection, the transmission control circuit for the first terminal causes the PTT drive circuit for the first terminal to generate the PTT signal when the noise detection circuit for the first terminal detects noise exceeding a predetermined noise threshold in the output signal of the analog-to-digital conversion circuit for the first terminal, and thereafter causes the PTT drive circuit for the first terminal to terminate generation of the PTT signal when the noise detection circuit for the first terminal no longer detects noise exceeding the predetermined noise threshold; The output signal of the PTT drive circuit for the first terminal can be input to an external microphone connection terminal of the second relay wireless transceiver together with the output signal of the digital-to-analog conversion circuit for the first terminal, The second audio relay processing circuit includes: a gain amplifier circuit for a second terminal that amplifies a speaker output signal of the second relay radio transceiver to a desired level; an analog-to-digital converter circuit for a second terminal that performs analog-to-digital conversion on the output signal of the gain amplifier circuit for a second terminal; a delay circuit for a second terminal that delays the output signal of the analog-to-digital converter circuit for a required time and outputs the delayed output signal; and a digital-to-analog converter circuit for a second terminal that performs digital-to-analog conversion on the output signal of the delay circuit for a second terminal. a noise detection circuit for a second terminal that detects whether or not there is noise exceeding a predetermined noise threshold in the output signal of the analog-to-digital conversion circuit for the second terminal; a PTT drive circuit for a second terminal that generates and outputs a PTT signal based on external control; a second terminal transmission control circuit that can set a desired one of three voice relay control methods, signal detection, noise detection, and busy input transmission, in response to an external input signal, and controls the generation and output of a PTT signal from the second terminal PTT drive circuit based on the set voice relay control method; When the voice relay control method is set to the noise detection, the transmission control circuit for the second terminal causes the PTT drive circuit for the second terminal to generate the PTT signal when the noise detection circuit for the second terminal detects noise exceeding a predetermined noise threshold in the output signal of the analog-to-digital conversion circuit for the second terminal, and thereafter causes the PTT drive circuit for the second terminal to terminate generation of the PTT signal when the noise detection circuit for the second terminal no longer detects noise exceeding the predetermined noise threshold; The output signal of the PTT drive circuit for the second terminal is configured to be input to the external microphone connection terminal of the first relay radio transceiver together with the output signal of the digital-to-analog conversion circuit for the second terminal. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, by connecting two types of wireless transceivers that use different frequency bands, an audio signal received by one wireless transceiver can be transmitted from the other wireless transceiver, thereby enabling communication between the two types of wireless transceivers that use different frequency bands to be relayed.This has the effect of enabling the communication range between two types of wireless transceivers that use different frequency bands to be expanded using existing wireless transceivers with a relatively simple configuration and without the need for complex settings or adjustment work. Furthermore, the switching between transmission and reception can be performed not only by the commonly used so-called busy input signal but also by detecting an audio signal or a noise signal, thereby improving the flexibility in selecting the control method and providing a more versatile radio transceiver repeater device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view of a wireless transceiver repeater according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a connection state between a wireless transceiver and a wireless transceiver when the wireless transceiver repeater is in use according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a wireless transceiver repeater device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] 1 is a block diagram showing a specific example of a circuit configuration of a wireless transceiver repeater device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 5] 5A and 5B are waveform diagrams illustrating the operation of a wireless transceiver repeater device in an embodiment of the present invention, where FIG. 5A is a waveform diagram showing the change in speaker input, FIG. 5B is a waveform diagram showing the change in microphone output, and FIG. 5C is a waveform diagram showing the change in PTT signal. [Figure 6] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a usage state of a wireless transceiver repeater device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams illustrating another example of a usage state of the wireless transceiver repeater device according to the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. It should be noted that the components, arrangements, etc. described below do not limit the present invention, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention. First, a wireless transceiver repeater S according to an embodiment of the present invention will be generally described with reference to FIGS. This radio transceiver repeater S is suitable for expanding the communication range between radio transceivers using different frequency bands. A specific example of a radio transceiver using different frequency bands is a combination of a specific low-power transceiver used in the UHF band and a digital low-power community radio transceiver used in the VHF band, but of course this combination is not limited to this.

[0010] In the following description, the radio transceiver repeater S is assumed to be used for relaying communications between a specified low-power transceiver and a digital low-power community radio transceiver. First, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the radio transceiver repeater S will be generally described, focusing on its appearance and external connections during use. When using this radio transceiver repeater S, it is necessary to connect a specified low-power transceiver 201 and a digital low-power community radio transceiver 202 as shown in the schematic diagram of FIG.

[0011] That is, first, the letters "RADIO-A" are written on the back side of the wireless transceiver repeater device S shown in Figure 2, and below that there is an A terminal connection jack 1 for connecting to a wireless transceiver. To the left of the letters "RADIO-A" are written the letters "RADIO-B," and below that is provided a B terminal connection jack 2 for connecting to a wireless transceiver.

[0012] In this embodiment of the present invention, a specified low-power transceiver 201 is connected to the A terminal connection jack 1, and a digital low-power community radio transceiver 202 is connected to the B terminal connection jack 2. That is, the A-terminal external microphone connection terminal 201a and the A-terminal external earphone connection terminal 201b provided on one side of the specified low-power transceiver 201 are connected to the A-terminal connection jack 1 using the A-terminal connection cable 3.

[0013] Similarly, a B terminal connection cable 4 is used to connect the B terminal external microphone connection terminal 202a and the B terminal external earphone connection terminal 202b, which are provided on one side of the digital low-power community radio transceiver 202, to the B terminal connection jack 2. For ease of explanation, the wireless transceiver connected to the A terminal connection jack 1 will be referred to as the "A wireless terminal," and the wireless transceiver connected to the B terminal connection jack 2 will be referred to as the "B wireless terminal."

[0014] Additionally, on the back side of the radio transceiver repeater device S, to the left of the B terminal connection jack 2, the letters "RADIO-B" are written, and below that there is a roughly circular receptacle 5 for connecting a general-purpose device. This is for connecting a general-purpose radio device, and is not directly related to the relay operation between the specified low-power transceiver and the digital low-power community radio transceiver, so a detailed explanation of it will be omitted here. The above-mentioned connection between the specified low-power transceiver 201 and the digital low-power community radio transceiver 202 and the radio transceiver repeater S is merely an example and is not limited to this. In other words, the digital low-power community radio transceiver 202 may be connected to the A terminal connection jack 1, and the specified low-power transceiver 201 may be connected to the B terminal connection jack 2.

[0015] Furthermore, on the back side of the wireless transceiver relay device S shown in FIG. 2, the words "micro USB" are written on the right edge, and a micro USB receptacle 6 is provided below that. In the wireless transceiver repeater device S, some threshold values ​​in circuit operation can be changed and set externally using a personal computer, and this micro USB receptacle 6 is used for connecting to the personal computer (not shown) in this case.

[0016] On the other hand, FIG. 1 shows the external appearance of the front of the wireless transceiver repeater device S. A volume control knob 11 is provided below the letters "VR" on the right side of the front of the wireless transceiver repeater S. This volume control knob 11 is used to adjust the speaker volume when a so-called speaker microphone (not shown) is connected to the wireless transceiver repeater S.

[0017] To the left of the volume control knob 11, below the letters "SP", there is a speaker connection jack 12, and to the left of that, below the letters "MIC", there is a microphone connection jack 13. As mentioned above, the speaker connection jack 12 and the microphone connection jack 13 are for connecting a speaker microphone (not shown). The wireless transceiver repeater device S is configured in this manner so that by connecting a speaker microphone (not shown), communication with a specific low-power transceiver or a digital low-power community wireless transceiver is possible through this wireless transceiver repeater device S.

[0018] Furthermore, on the front side of the wireless transceiver repeater device S, the letters "RADIO-B" are written to the left of the microphone connection jack 13, and below that, with a small gap between them, the letters "TX" and "RX" are written at an appropriate distance from the microphone connection jack 13 side. Above the letters "TX" and between them and the letters "RADIO-B", there is provided a B terminal TX display LED 14, and above the letters "RX" and between them and the letters "RADIO-B", there is provided a B terminal RX display LED 15. Here, the B terminal TX display LED 14 is lit when the digital low-power community radio transceiver 202 connected to the B terminal connection jack 2 is in a transmitting state, and the B terminal RX display LED 15 is lit when the digital low-power community radio transceiver 202 is in a receiving state.

[0019] Furthermore, to the left of the letters "RADIO-B" are written the letters "RADIO-A", and below that, as described above, the letters "TX" and "RX" are written in that order from the right side of the front, and between the letters "RADIO-A" and the letters "TX", and "RX" are provided an A terminal TX display LED 16 and an A terminal RX display LED 17, respectively.

[0020] Here, the A terminal TX display LED 16 is lit when the specified low power transceiver 201 connected to the A terminal connection jack 1 is in a transmitting state, and the A terminal RX display LED 17 is lit when the specified low power transceiver 201 is in a receiving state. In addition, to the left of the A terminal RX display LED 17 is a power display LED 18 that lights up when power is supplied to this wireless transceiver repeater device S, and the letters "POW" which mean power are written on the bottom side of it.

[0021] Next, the outline of the operation of the wireless transceiver repeater device S will be described. For example, when the specified low-power transceiver 201 receives radio waves transmitted from a specified low-power transceiver not shown that is within the normal communication range of the specified low-power transceiver 201, the audio signal input to the radio transceiver repeater device S is subjected to signal level adjustment, delay processing, etc., and then input via the B-terminal external microphone connection terminal 202a of the digital low-power community radio transceiver 202 and transmitted by the digital low-power community radio transceiver 202. The transmitted radio waves are received by a digital low-power community radio transceiver (not shown) within a range where digital low-power community radio transceiver 202 can communicate.

[0022] Conversely, when radio waves transmitted from a digital low-power community radio transceiver (not shown) within the normal communication range of the digital low-power community radio transceiver 202 are received by the digital low-power community radio transceiver 202, the demodulated audio signal is subjected to processing such as signal level adjustment by the radio transceiver repeater S, as in the above example, and then input via the A-terminal external microphone connection terminal 201a of the specified low-power transceiver 201 and transmitted by the specified low-power transceiver 201. The transmitted radio waves are received by a specified low-power transceiver 201 (not shown) within the communication range of the specified low-power transceiver 201.

[0023] In this way, communication becomes possible via the radio transceiver repeater device S between a specific low-power transceiver (not shown) that is within the normal communication range of the specific low-power transceiver 201 and a digital low-power community radio transceiver (not shown) that is within the communication range of the digital low-power community radio transceiver 202.

[0024] Next, the circuit configuration of the wireless transceiver repeater device S will be described with reference to FIGS. First, an example of a schematic circuit of the wireless transceiver repeater device S will be described with reference to FIG. The wireless transceiver repeater device S is configured to be roughly divided into a first audio repeat processing circuit 101 and a second audio repeat processing circuit 102. The first and second audio relay processing circuits 101 and 102 basically have the same circuit configuration.

[0025] In Figure 3, the notation "SP(A)" refers to the A-terminal external earphone connection terminal 201b of the specified low-power transceiver 201, and the notation "MIC(A)" refers to the A-terminal external microphone connection terminal 201a of the specified low-power transceiver 201. Also, in Figure 3, the notation "SP(B)" refers to the B terminal external earphone connection terminal 202b of the digital low-power community radio transceiver 202, and the notation "MIC(B)" refers to the B terminal external microphone connection terminal 202a of the digital low-power community radio transceiver 202.

[0026] Furthermore, in Figure 3, the notation "SP(A) IN" means that a signal is input from the A terminal external earphone connection terminal 201b of the specified low power transceiver 201, and the notation "SP(B) IN" means that a signal is input from the B terminal external earphone connection terminal 202b of the digital low power community radio transceiver 202.

[0027] Furthermore, in Figure 3, the notation "MIC output" means an audio signal that has undergone the required processing in the first audio relay processing circuit 101 or the second audio relay processing circuit 102, and is input to the corresponding wireless transceiver. That is, the MIC output of the first audio relay processing circuit 101 is input to the B-terminal external microphone connection terminal 202b, and the MIC output of the second audio relay processing circuit 102 is input to the A-terminal external microphone connection terminal 201b. In addition, the notation "PTT" means a push-to-talk (PTT) signal, which is generated in the first audio relay processing circuit 101 and the second audio relay processing circuit 102, as will be described in detail later.

[0028] Next, the first audio relay processing circuit 101 is configured to perform delay processing, level adjustment, etc. on the audio signal from the specified low-power transceiver 201 input via the A terminal connection jack 1, and to input the audio signal to the B terminal external microphone connection terminal 202a of the digital low-power community radio transceiver 202 connected to the B terminal connection jack 2. On the other hand, the second audio relay processing circuit 102 is configured to perform delay processing, level adjustment, etc. on the audio signal from the digital low-power community radio transceiver 202 input via the B terminal connection jack 2, and to input the audio signal to the A terminal external microphone connection terminal 201a of the specified low-power transceiver 201 connected to the A terminal connection jack 1.

[0029] Next, a specific example of the circuit configuration of the first and second audio relay processing circuits 101 and 102 will be described with reference to FIG. For ease of explanation, the following description of the specific circuit configuration example in Figure 4 will be a description of the specific circuit configuration of the first voice relay processing circuit 101, and the description of this first voice relay processing circuit 101 will be used in place of the description of the second voice relay processing circuit 102. In addition, in FIG. 4, the circuit name is written in each block, but the word "circuit" is omitted, and the word "circuit" will also be omitted in the following explanation.

[0030] Furthermore, when distinguishing between the circuits constituting the first voice relay processing circuit 101 and the circuits constituting the second voice relay processing circuit 101, in the case of the circuits of the first voice relay processing circuit 101, the term "for first terminal" will be added to the beginning of the circuit name (for example, "gain amplifier for first terminal"), and in the case of the circuits constituting the second voice relay processing circuit 102, the term "for second terminal" will be added to the beginning of the circuit name (for example, "gain amplifier for second terminal"). In addition, if there is no particular need to distinguish between them, these terms will be omitted.

[0031] First, the first audio relay processing circuit 101 is configured to be roughly divided into a main signal processing section 101A and a sub-signal processing section 101B. The main signal processing unit 101A has as its main components the following circuits: a gain amplifier 31, an ADC (Analog to Digital Converter) 33, a delay memory 34, a transmission gain control 36, a filter 38, and a DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) 40, and is configured to be able to output an input audio signal as a signal suitable for the opposing radio transceiver, i.e., the microphone input signal of the B radio terminal.

[0032] The sub-signal processing unit 101B is configured to adjust transmission timing, generate PTT signals, etc., using the following circuits as its main components: noise detection 41, audio gain control 43, signal detection 44, squelch release noise analysis 46, single tone analysis 48, transmission control 50, PTT drive 53, unmodulated timer 55, and continuous transmission timer 57.

[0033] Each circuit will be specifically described below. First, main signal processing unit 101A will be specifically described. First, in Figure 4, the notation "Speaker-input A / B" on the input side of the gain amplifier 31 means that either an audio signal from the specified low-power transceiver 201 connected to the A terminal connection jack 1 (a signal obtained from the A terminal external earphone connection terminal 201b) or an audio signal from the digital low-power community radio transceiver 202 connected to the B terminal connection jack 2 (a signal obtained from the B terminal external earphone connection terminal 202b) is input. That is, the gain amplifier 31 for the first terminal in the first audio relay processing circuit 101 receives an audio signal from the specified low-power transceiver 201 connected to the A terminal connection jack 1, and the gain amplifier 31 for the second terminal in the second audio relay processing circuit 102 receives an audio signal from the digital low-power community radio transceiver 202 connected to the B terminal connection jack 2.

[0034] The gain amplifier 31 is a programmable gain amplifier configured to be able to adjust the signal level of the input audio signal to a signal level suitable for processing in a subsequent circuit. The gain amplifier 31 can change the amplification factor as needed using a reception gain 32. The reception gain 32 is a circuit configured to vary the amplification factor of the gain amplifier 31 in accordance with input data input from an externally connected personal computer (not shown). In FIG. 4, the square blocks represented by thick lines represent circuits that can change the amplification factor, etc., as described above, in accordance with input data input from an externally connected personal computer (not shown).

[0035] The audio signal that has been appropriately amplified by the gain amplifier 31 is input to the ADC 33, where it is converted from analog to digital and output as a digital audio signal. Note that a 16-bit ADC is used as the ADC 33 in this embodiment. The digital audio signal from the ADC 33 is input to the delay memory 34, audio gain control 43, signal detection 44, and noise detection 41 circuits. The delay memory 34 is a delay circuit configured to use a first-in first-out (FIFO) memory to delay the digital audio signal input from the ADC 33 by a desired time and output the delayed signal.

[0036] The reason for this delay is that when the digital audio signal is converted back into an analog audio signal in a later circuit described below and input into the opposing radio transceiver, i.e., in this case, the B terminal external microphone connection terminal 202a of the digital low-power community radio transceiver 202, and the signal is put into transmission mode, there is a delay in the start-up of the transmission mode, which causes the initial part of the audio signal to be missing and not transmitted, thereby preventing interference with the call. The delay time in the delay memory 34 can be changed as needed by the audio delay time 35. The audio delay time 35 is configured to be able to change the delay time in the delay memory 34 in accordance with input data input from an externally connected personal computer (not shown).

[0037] The transmit gain control 36 is a circuit configured to perform variable amplification (gain control) to adjust the signal level of the digital audio signal input from the delay memory 34 to a level suitable for the transmission signal at the opposing radio transceiver. The signal level of the digital audio signal output from the transmission gain control 36 can be adjusted by a transmission gain 37. That is, the transmission gain 37 is a circuit configured to vary the gain (amplification) in the transmission gain control 36 in accordance with input data input from an externally connected personal computer (not shown).

[0038] The filter 38 is a circuit that performs filtering on the digital audio signal input from the transmission gain control 36. That is, the filter 38 attenuates the required low-frequency signals of the digital audio signal to improve the high-frequency range, thereby improving the clarity of the signal when it is demodulated on the receiving side. The bass range to be attenuated by the filter 38 can be adjusted as appropriate by a bass attenuation selection 39. The bass attenuation selection 39 is a circuit configured to be able to set the bass range to be attenuated by the filter 38 in accordance with input data input from an externally connected personal computer (not shown).

[0039] The DAC 40 is a circuit that performs digital-to-analog conversion and is configured to convert the digital audio signal input from the filter 38 into an analog audio signal and output it. Note that the DAC 40 in this embodiment uses a 16-bit DCA.

[0040] In Figure 4, the notation "Microphone output B / A" on the output side of DAC40 means an analog audio signal to the B terminal external microphone connection terminal 202a of the digital low-power community radio transceiver 202 connected to the B terminal connection jack 2, or an analog audio signal to the A terminal external microphone connection terminal 201a of the specified low-power transceiver 201 connected to the A terminal connection jack 1. Therefore, for example, if the speaker input of the gain amplifier 31 is A, that is, an audio signal from the A-terminal external earphone connection terminal 201a of the specified low-power transceiver 201 connected to the A-terminal connection jack 1, then the microphone output of the DAC 40 is B, that is, an audio signal input to the B-terminal external microphone connection terminal 202a of the digital low-power community radio transceiver 202 connected to the B-terminal connection jack 2.

[0041] Next, the sub-signal processing unit 101B will be described in detail. In this wireless transceiver repeater device S, switching between transmission and reception, in other words, turning on / off audio repeat control, can be selected from three different methods, and the sub-signal processing unit 101B is a circuit that mainly selects the audio repeat control method and adjusts the transmission timing. First, in this wireless transceiver repeater device S, the desired control method is selected from "signal detection," "noise detection," or "busy input transmission," and voice repeat control is performed according to the selected method. The desired control method can be selected by connecting the wireless transceiver repeater S to a personal computer (not shown) and running dedicated software before using the device.

[0042] Each circuit constituting the sub-signal processing unit 101B will be specifically described below. First, as described above, the transmission control 50 is a circuit configured to perform voice relay control based on a preselected method. That is, the transmission control 50 is configured so that the voice relay control method is preselected by the transmission selection 51. Specifically, the transmission control 50 is configured such that the desired control method is set by the transmission selection 51 from among "signal detection," "noise detection," or "busy input transmission" (details to be described later), and based on the set control method, the transmission control 50 controls the generation and output of the PTT signal in the PTT drive 53 (described later).

[0043] Next, the noise detection 41 is a circuit configured to detect slight noise components during reception and to output a required signal to the transmission control 50 in response to the detection of a noise component. Specifically, the output signal of the ADC 33 is input to the noise detector 41, which detects noise components. When the noise detector 41 detects a noise component that exceeds a preset threshold (hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, referred to as a "noise threshold"), it determines that the required noise component has been detected and outputs the required signal.

[0044] The noise threshold value can be set to a desired level by the noise detection threshold value 42. The noise detection threshold value 42 is a circuit configured to be able to set the noise threshold value in the noise detection 41 in accordance with input data input from an externally connected personal computer (not shown). In the wireless transceiver repeater device S of this example, noise detection is the default setting for the voice relay control method. Therefore, as mentioned above, if the setting is not changed using a personal computer before using the device, voice relay control based on noise detection will be performed.

[0045] The noise detection threshold set by the noise detection threshold 42 is also input to the audio gain control 43 . That is, when audio relay control is performed based on noise detection, the audio gain control 43 is a circuit configured to set the amplification level of the gain amplifier 31 to a level corresponding to the above-mentioned noise threshold value, which is input from the noise detection threshold value 42. Furthermore, the output signal of the ADC 33 is input to the audio gain control 43, whereby the amplification degree of the gain amplifier 31 is feedback-controlled.

[0046] Next, the signal detection 44 is a circuit configured to input the output signal of the ADC 33 and, when an audio signal exceeding a threshold value (hereinafter referred to as the "audio detection threshold value" for the sake of convenience) is detected, output the required signal to the transmission control 50. The audio detection threshold in the signal detection 44 can be set to a desired level by the signal detection threshold 45. The signal detection threshold 45 is a circuit configured to be able to set the audio detection threshold in the signal detection 44 in accordance with input data input from an externally connected personal computer (not shown).

[0047] As mentioned above, if "signal detection" is set as the voice relay control method in advance by a personal computer before using this device S, voice relay control by transmission control 50 will be activated in response to the output of signal detection 44 (details will be described later).

[0048] Next, the single tone analysis 48 is a circuit for stopping transmission when a so-called tone signal (DTMF: Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency) is included in the received voice signal. That is, the single tone analysis 48 is a circuit that inputs a signal from the signal detection 44, analyzes whether or not a predetermined tone signal is included, and if the analysis result indicates that the predetermined tone signal is included, outputs a required signal to the transmission control 50 to stop the output of the PTT signal by the PTT drive 53.

[0049] The predetermined tone signal can be selected by tone selection 49 . The tone selection 49 is a circuit configured to be able to set a predetermined tone signal in the single tone analysis 48 in accordance with input data input from an externally connected personal computer (not shown).

[0050] Next, the squelch release noise analysis 46 is a circuit configured to output a required signal to the transmission control 50 to stop the output of the PTT signal by the PTT drive 53, similar to the above-mentioned single tone analysis 48, when a signal that will result in a so-called squelch release state is received. That is, the squelch release noise analysis 46 is a circuit that inputs a signal from the signal detection 44 and outputs the required signal to the transmission control 50 when noise exceeding a predetermined threshold (hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, referred to as the "squelch threshold") for setting the squelch release state is detected.

[0051] The squelch threshold value for the above-mentioned squelch release state can be set by the noise selection 47. That is, the noise selection 47 is a circuit configured to be able to set the above-mentioned squelch threshold value in the squelch release noise analysis 46 in accordance with input data input from an externally connected personal computer (not shown).

[0052] Next, the non-modulation timer 55 is a circuit for forcibly stopping transmission when a so-called non-modulation state continues for a predetermined time or longer. In other words, the unmodulated timer 55 is a circuit that inputs a signal from the signal detector 44 and outputs the required signal to the PTT drive 53 to stop outputting the PTT signal when it is determined that the signal is in an unmodulated state, that is, that no audio signal is included for a predetermined time (hereinafter referred to as the "unmodulated time" for the sake of convenience).

[0053] The non-modulation time can be set by the non-modulation prevention time 56 . The non-modulation prevention time 56 is a circuit configured so that the non-modulation time in the non-modulation timer 55 can be set in accordance with input data input from an externally connected personal computer (not shown).

[0054] Next, the continuous transmission timer 57 is a circuit for forcibly stopping transmission when the transmission state exceeds a predetermined time. In other words, the continuous transmission timer 57 is a circuit that outputs the required signal to the PTT drive 53 to forcibly stop the output of the PTT signal when it is determined based on the output of the transmission control 50 that the transmission state has exceeded a predetermined time (hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, referred to as the "continuous time limit").

[0055] The continuous transmission time limit in the continuous transmission timer 57 can be set to a desired time by the continuous transmission time limit 58. The continuous transmission time limit 58 is a circuit configured to be able to set the continuous transmission time limit in the continuous transmission timer 57 in accordance with input data input from an externally connected personal computer (not shown).

[0056] Next, the PTT drive 53 is a circuit configured to generate and output a PTT signal based on the output signal from the transmission control 50. When "signal detection" is set as the voice relay control, the PTT drive 53 operates to maintain the PTT signal in an ON state for a certain period of time (hereinafter referred to as "TX duration" for convenience of explanation) so as to continue the transmission state even if the received signal is interrupted, i.e., the speaker input is cut off. This TX duration can be adjusted by the transmission duration 54. The transmission duration 54 is a circuit configured so that the TX duration in the PTT drive 53 can be adjusted according to input data input from an externally connected personal computer (not shown).

[0057] In Figure 4, the notation "PTT B / A" on the output side of the PTT drive 53 means that the signal output from the PTT drive 53 is a PTT signal input to the B wireless terminal or a PTT signal input to the A wireless terminal. For example, when the input to the gain amplifier 31 is a signal from wireless terminal A, the output of the PTT drive 53 is "PTT B," and when the input to the gain amplifier 31 is a signal from wireless terminal B, the output of the PTT drive 53 is "PTT A."

[0058] Next, the output timing of the PTT signal will be described with reference to FIG. First, it is assumed that the audio relay control method is set to "noise detection." A signal from the A-terminal external earphone connection terminal 201b of the A-wireless terminal is applied to the gain amplifier 31 as a speaker input signal (see Figure 5(A)). If noise exceeding the noise threshold is detected by the noise detection 41 for a predetermined time, i.e., during a preset input detection response time (see Figure 5(B)), the PTT signal rises to the required level in the PTT driver 55 in response to a signal from the transmission control 50, and is output as a PTT signal for the B-wireless terminal (see Figure 5(C)).

[0059] The input detection response time in the transmission control 50 can be changed as needed by the detection response time 52. The detection response time 52 is a circuit configured to be able to change the input detection response time in accordance with input data input from an externally connected personal computer (not shown).

[0060] On the other hand, the speaker input signal input to the gain amplifier 31 is delayed by the delay memory 34 as described above, and is output from the DAC 40 with a delay of a predetermined audio delay time (see FIG. 5(B)). The input detection response time that determines the timing of the rise of the PTT signal described above is set within a range that does not exceed the above-mentioned audio delay time. Therefore, the microphone output is output after the PTT signal is raised, which reliably prevents the audio from being interrupted when transmission starts, ensuring highly reliable communication.

[0061] The PTT signal output from the PTT drive 53 is superimposed on the microphone output and input as a microphone input signal to the corresponding wireless terminal via the A terminal connection cable 3 or the B terminal connection cable 4. The PTT signal output from the PTT drive 53 is used to light up the A terminal TX display LED 16 and the B terminal TX display LED 14 .

[0062] Next, the output timing of the PTT signal when the voice relay control method is set to "signal detection" will be described with reference to FIG. 5, focusing on the differences from the above-mentioned "noise detection" method. "Signal detection" is a method of outputting a PTT signal when an audio signal is detected. When an audio signal is detected by signal detection 44, the PTT signal rises to the required level in PTT driver 55 in response to a signal from transmission control 50, and is output as a PTT signal for wireless terminal B or wireless terminal A (see Figure 5(C)).

[0063] The detection of an audio signal by the signal detector 44 is limited to within the input detection response time from the time of input of the speaker input signal, as in the case of "noise detection" described above (see Figures 5(A) and 5(C)). Apart from the above points, the output timing of the PTT signal and microphone output signal is basically the same as in the case of "noise detection" above, so a detailed explanation will be omitted here.

[0064] Next, the output timing of the PTT signal when the voice relay control method is set to "busy input transmission" will be explained with reference to FIG. 5, focusing on the differences from the previously explained "noise detection" method. "Busy input transmission" is applicable to wireless terminals that have a function for outputting a so-called busy signal, and is a method for controlling voice relay based on that busy signal. That is, a busy input signal from wireless terminal A or wireless terminal B is input to the transmission control 50 (see FIG. 4). Note that in FIG. 4, the notation "busy input A / B" on the input side of the transmission control 50 means that a busy input signal is input from wireless terminal A or wireless terminal B.

[0065] The transmission control 50 causes the PTT drive 53 to stop outputting the PTT signal while the busy input signal is being input, and when the input of the busy input signal is stopped, causes the PTT drive 53 to turn the PTT signal on (see Figure 5(C)), i.e., to enter a transmission state. Apart from the above points, the output timing of the PTT signal and microphone output signal is basically the same as in the case of "noise detection" above, so a detailed explanation will be omitted here.

[0066] Next, a specific example of use will be described with reference to FIGS. First, a first use example will be described with reference to FIG. For example, in the past, a field worker B (mobile station) performing required work at an outdoor work site would exchange required information about the work with an operator A managing the work using a digital low-power community radio transceiver. In such cases, in order to ensure reliable communication without adversely affecting the communication conditions with field worker B (mobile station), operator A had to avoid leaving the office or other location where the digital low-power community radio transceiver was installed. As a result, operator A must wait in an office or other location to ensure reliable communication with on-site worker B, which limits his or her range of movement, resulting in disadvantages such as a decrease in the operator's own work efficiency.

[0067] In response to this, as described below, by communicating between operator A and on-site worker B via voice relay using this device S, it is possible to solve the above-mentioned problems, ensure reliable communication, and improve work efficiency. That is, as mentioned above, first, a specified low-power transceiver 201 is connected to the A terminal connection jack 1, and a digital low-power community radio transceiver 202 is connected to the B terminal connection jack 2.

[0068] Then, operator A will use specified low power transceiver 201-1. The radio waves transmitted by operator A from the specified low-power transceiver 201-1 are received by the specified low-power transceiver 201 connected to the device S as a relay station, and then transmitted by the digital low-power community radio transceiver 202 connected to the device S.

[0069] As a result, field worker B can receive the radio waves transmitted by the digital low-power community radio transceiver 202 connected to the device S acting as a relay station using the digital low-power community radio transceiver 202-1 he carries with him, and understand the content of operator A's transmission. In this case, unlike the conventional case, operator A can communicate from a distance of approximately 100 m from device S, which is the average communication distance between specified low-power transceivers, thereby increasing freedom of movement and enabling him to work more efficiently than before.

[0070] On the other hand, when field worker B transmits from digital low-power community radio transceiver 202-1, the transmitted radio waves are received by digital low-power community radio transceiver 202 connected to this device S, and then transmitted by specific low-power transceiver 201 connected to this device S. Therefore, operator A can receive the radio waves transmitted by specified low-power transceiver 201 connected to this device S using specified low-power transceiver 201-1 that he carries with him, and can understand the content of the transmission from field worker B.

[0071] Next, a second example of use shown in FIG. 7 will be described. The same components as those in the example of use shown in FIG. 6 are given the same reference numerals, and detailed explanations thereof will be omitted. The first use example described above shows an example in which this device S is used as a relay station for communication between one operator A carrying specified low-power transceiver 201-1 and one field worker B carrying digital low-power community radio transceiver 202-1. In contrast, the second use example shows an example in which this device S is used as a relay station for communication between a group of people (hereinafter referred to as a "special low-power communication group" for the sake of convenience) carrying specified low-power transceivers 201-1 to 201-n (n=3 in the example of FIG. 7) and a group of people (hereinafter referred to as a "digital community communication group" for the sake of convenience) carrying digital low-power community radio transceivers 202-1 to 202-n (n=2 in the example of FIG. 7). It should be noted that the number of personnel shown in FIG. 7 is merely an example and is not limited to this.

[0072] The usage of this device S is basically the same as in the first usage example, so a detailed explanation will be omitted here. An external antenna 501 may be connected to the digital low-power community radio transceiver 202 connected to the device S. In this case, the range of communication between the digital low-power community radio transceiver 202 connected to the device S and the digital communication group can be expanded from about 1 km in the first use example to several kilometers, providing a communication means with further improved communication stability, reliability, etc.

[0073] In the embodiment of the present invention, an example has been described in which the device S is used as a relay station for a specific low-power transceiver and a digital low-power community radio transceiver, as described above, but the radio transceivers that can be relayed are not limited to these radio transceivers. In other words, this device S enables communication relay between two types of wireless transceivers that use different frequency bands, and is not limited to wireless transceivers that use a specific frequency, ensuring high versatility. [Industrial Applicability]

[0074] The present invention has a relatively simple configuration, is easy to operate, and can be applied to a radio transceiver repeater in which effective use of existing radio transceivers is desired. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 1...A terminal connection jack 2...B terminal connection jack 3...A terminal connection cable 4...B terminal connection cable 101...First audio relay processing circuit 102...Second audio relay processing circuit 201...Specific low-power transceiver 202...Digital low-power community radio transceiver

Claims

1. A wireless transceiver audio relay device that relays communication between a first wireless transceiver and a second wireless transceiver that use different frequency bands, a first audio relay processing circuit configured to be able to input a speaker output signal of a first relay wireless transceiver having the same configuration as the first wireless transceiver to an external microphone connection terminal of a second relay wireless transceiver having the same configuration as the second wireless transceiver; a second audio relay processing circuit configured to be able to input a speaker output signal of the second relay wireless transceiver to an external microphone connection terminal of the first relay wireless transceiver, The first audio relay processing circuit includes: a first terminal gain amplifier circuit that amplifies a speaker output signal of the first relay wireless transceiver to a desired level; a first terminal analog-to-digital converter circuit that performs analog-to-digital conversion on the output signal of the first terminal gain amplifier circuit; a first terminal delay circuit that delays the output signal of the first terminal analog-to-digital converter circuit by a required time and outputs it; and a first terminal digital-to-analog converter circuit that digital-to-analog converts the output signal of the first terminal delay circuit; a noise detection circuit for a first terminal that detects whether or not there is noise exceeding a predetermined noise threshold in the output signal of the analog-to-digital conversion circuit for the first terminal; a PTT drive circuit for a first terminal that generates and outputs a PTT signal based on external control; a first terminal transmission control circuit that can set a desired one of three voice relay control methods, signal detection, noise detection, and busy input transmission, in response to an external input signal, and controls generation and output of a PTT signal from the first terminal PTT drive circuit based on the set voice relay control method; When the voice relay control method is set to the noise detection, the first terminal transmission control circuit causes the first terminal PTT drive circuit to generate the PTT signal when the first terminal noise detection circuit detects noise exceeding a predetermined noise threshold in the output signal of the first terminal analog-to-digital conversion circuit, and thereafter causes the first terminal PTT drive circuit to terminate generation of the PTT signal when the first terminal noise detection circuit no longer detects noise exceeding the predetermined noise threshold; The output signal of the PTT drive circuit for the first terminal can be input to an external microphone connection terminal of the second relay wireless transceiver together with the output signal of the digital-to-analog conversion circuit for the first terminal, The second audio relay processing circuit includes: a second terminal gain amplifier circuit that amplifies a speaker output signal of the second relay radio transceiver to a desired level; a second terminal analog-to-digital converter circuit that performs analog-to-digital conversion on the output signal of the second terminal gain amplifier circuit; a second terminal delay circuit that delays the output signal of the second terminal analog-to-digital converter circuit by a required time and outputs the delayed output signal; and a second terminal digital-to-analog converter circuit that digital-to-analog converts the output signal of the second terminal delay circuit. a noise detection circuit for a second terminal that detects whether or not there is noise exceeding a predetermined noise threshold in the output signal of the analog-to-digital conversion circuit for the second terminal; a PTT drive circuit for a second terminal that generates and outputs a PTT signal based on external control; a second terminal transmission control circuit that can set a desired one of three voice relay control methods, signal detection, noise detection, and busy input transmission, in response to an external input signal, and controls the generation and output of a PTT signal from the second terminal PTT drive circuit based on the set voice relay control method; When the voice relay control method is set to the noise detection, the second terminal transmission control circuit causes the second terminal PTT drive circuit to generate the PTT signal when the second terminal noise detection circuit detects noise exceeding a predetermined noise threshold in the output signal of the second terminal analog-to-digital conversion circuit, and thereafter causes the second terminal PTT drive circuit to terminate generation of the PTT signal when the second terminal noise detection circuit no longer detects noise exceeding the predetermined noise threshold; A radio transceiver audio relay device characterized in that the output signal of the PTT drive circuit for the second terminal, together with the output signal of the digital-to-analog conversion circuit for the second terminal, can be input to the external microphone connection terminal of the first relay radio transceiver.

2. The first audio relay processing circuit includes: a first terminal signal detection circuit that receives an output signal from the first terminal analog-to-digital conversion circuit and detects the presence or absence of an audio signal; When the voice relay control method is set to the signal detection, the first terminal transmission control circuit is configured to cause the first terminal PTT drive circuit to generate the PTT signal when the voice signal is detected by the first terminal signal detection circuit instead of the first terminal noise detection circuit, and thereafter cause the first terminal PTT drive circuit to terminate generation of the PTT signal when the voice signal is no longer detected by the first terminal signal detection circuit; The second audio relay processing circuit includes: a second terminal signal detection circuit that receives an output signal from the second terminal analog-to-digital conversion circuit and detects the presence or absence of an audio signal; 2. The wireless transceiver voice repeater device according to claim 1, wherein the second terminal transmission control circuit is configured to, when the voice signal is detected by the second terminal signal detection circuit instead of the second terminal noise detection circuit, cause the second terminal PTT drive circuit to generate the PTT signal, and then, when the voice signal is no longer detected by the second terminal signal detection circuit, cause the second terminal PTT drive circuit to terminate generation of the PTT signal.

3. the first terminal transmission control circuit is configured to, when the voice relay control method is set to the busy input transmission, cause the first terminal PTT drive circuit to generate the PTT signal while no busy input signal is being input, instead of the first terminal noise detection circuit, and cause the first terminal PTT drive circuit to terminate generation of the PTT signal when the busy input signal is input; 2. The wireless transceiver voice repeater device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission control circuit for the second terminal is configured to, when the voice repeat control method is set to the busy input transmission, cause the PTT drive circuit for the second terminal to generate the PTT signal instead of the noise detection circuit for the second terminal while no busy input signal is input, and to cause the PTT drive circuit for the second terminal to terminate generation of the PTT signal when the busy input signal is input.

4. The first audio relay processing circuit includes: an unmodulated timer circuit for a first terminal that causes the PTT drive circuit for the first terminal to stop outputting the PTT signal when the detection of the voice signal by the signal detection circuit for the first terminal has ceased for a predetermined period of time; The second audio relay processing circuit includes:

4. A radio transceiver audio repeater device according to claim 1, further comprising an unmodulated timer circuit for the second terminal which causes the PTT drive circuit for the second terminal to stop outputting the PTT signal when the detection of an audio signal by the signal detection circuit for the second terminal has ceased for a predetermined period of time.

5. The first audio relay processing circuit includes: a first terminal continuous transmission timer circuit that causes the first terminal PTT drive circuit to stop outputting the PTT signal when it is determined based on the output signal of the first terminal transmission control circuit that the output of the PTT signal by the first terminal PTT drive circuit has exceeded a predetermined continuous time limit; The second audio relay processing circuit includes:

5. The radio transceiver audio repeater according to claim 4, further comprising a second terminal continuous transmission timer circuit which causes the second terminal PTT drive circuit to stop outputting the PTT signal when it is determined based on the output signal of the second terminal transmission control circuit that the output of the PTT signal by the second terminal PTT drive circuit has exceeded a predetermined continuous time limit.

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