Wireless devices, wireless communication systems

Abstract

To provide a technique for giving a notification that a connection request cannot be responded even if the connection request cannot be responded when communication is available in a plurality of frequency bands.SOLUTION: A VHF radio communication unit 210 can perform radio communication using a first frequency band, and a UHF radio communication unit 220 can perform radio communication using a second frequency band. A short-range wireless communication unit 240 can perform short-range wireless communication. A control unit 250 transmits a notification signal for giving a notification that communication is in progress from the short-range wireless communication unit 240, when the UHF radio communication unit 220 receives an incoming call from a second communication device while the VHF radio communication unit 210 is communicating with a first communication device. The notification signal includes information giving instruction to transfer a message indicating that the VHF radio communication unit 210 is in communication to the second communication device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to communication technology, and more particularly to a wireless device and a wireless communication system capable of performing communication in a plurality of frequency bands. [Background technology]

[0002] A wireless device wirelessly transmits and receives data to obtain various data. When the reception power of a wireless device decreases, the wireless device cannot transmit or receive data. Therefore, when the reception strength of a first communication means satisfies a proxy communication condition, a proxy communication is performed by a second communication means (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-201581 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Generally, wireless devices that support multiple frequency bands cannot respond to incoming calls in other frequency bands when a call is being made in one frequency band. This can cause annoyance for the sender because there is no response, or a situation where the sender thinks they have made a call but the receiver does not recognize it, resulting in a mismatch.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a technique for informing a user that a connection request cannot be responded to even if communication is possible using a plurality of frequency bands. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, a wireless device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first wireless communication unit capable of performing wireless communication in a first frequency band, a second wireless communication unit capable of performing wireless communication in a second frequency band different from the first frequency band, a short-range wireless communication unit capable of performing short-range wireless communication, and a control unit that controls the first wireless communication unit, the second wireless communication unit, and the short-range wireless communication unit. When the second wireless communication unit receives an incoming call from the second communication device while the first wireless communication unit is communicating with the first communication device, the control unit transmits a notification signal from the short-range wireless communication unit to notify that communication is in progress, and the notification signal includes information instructing the first wireless communication unit to transfer a message indicating that a call is in progress to the second communication device.

[0007] Another aspect of the present invention is a wireless communication system. The wireless communication system includes a first wireless device and a second wireless device. The first wireless device includes a first wireless communication unit capable of performing wireless communication in a first frequency band, a second wireless communication unit capable of performing wireless communication in a second frequency band different from the first frequency band, a short-range wireless communication unit capable of performing short-range wireless communication, and a control unit that controls the first wireless communication unit, the second wireless communication unit, and the short-range wireless communication unit. When the second wireless communication unit receives a connection request from the second communication device while the first wireless communication unit is communicating with the first communication device, the control unit transmits a notification signal from the short-range wireless communication unit to notify that communication is in progress, and the notification signal transmitted from the short-range wireless communication unit is transferred to the second communication device by relaying by the second wireless device.

[0008] Any combination of the above components, and any transformation of the present invention into a method, device, system, recording medium, computer program, etc., are also effective as aspects of the present invention. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, when communication is possible in a plurality of frequency bands, even if a response to a connection request cannot be made, it is possible to inform that fact. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the wireless device of FIG. [Diagram 3] 3 is a diagram showing a format of a notification signal transferred in the short-range wireless communication unit of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 3 is a diagram showing a data structure of a table stored in a storage unit in FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] 2 is a sequence diagram showing a communication procedure in the wireless communication system of FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Before describing the present invention in detail, an overview will be given first. An embodiment of the present invention is a wireless communication system including a wireless device capable of performing wireless communication with each of a plurality of command stations using different frequency bands. Such a wireless device compatible with a plurality of frequency bands has, for example, a multi-deck configuration. When a wireless device with a multi-deck configuration is installed in a vehicle or the like, antennas for each frequency band are arranged in close proximity. If signals are transmitted simultaneously in a plurality of frequency bands in this state, the high-power radio waves sent from each antenna interfere with each other and become disturbed, which may cause a deterioration in communication quality. Therefore, in a wireless device, when a call is being made in one frequency band, even if an incoming call is received in another frequency band, the incoming call cannot be answered. As a result, the sending side feels uncomfortable because there is no response, or a discrepancy occurs in which the receiving side does not recognize the sending side even if the sending side thinks that it has made a contact. Therefore, when communication is possible in a plurality of frequency bands, it is required to inform the sending side that even if an incoming call cannot be answered.

[0012] When a call is being made in one frequency band and an incoming call is received in another frequency band, the wireless device according to the present embodiment notifies the other wireless device that the wireless device is in a call by short-range wireless communication. The other wireless device that receives this notification transfers the information that the wireless device is in a call to the transmitting side.

[0013] 1 shows a configuration of a wireless communication system 1000. The wireless communication system 1000 includes a first command station 100a to a third command station 100c collectively referred to as a command station 100, and a first wireless device 200a to a third wireless device 200c collectively referred to as a wireless device 200. The number of command stations 100 included in the wireless communication system 1000 is not limited to "3" and may be "2" or more. The number of wireless devices 200 included in the wireless communication system 1000 is also not limited to "3" and may be "2" or more.

[0014] The wireless communication system 1000 is used, for example, by the police. The police use different frequencies for each management area, and police vehicles operating across management areas are required to use multiple frequency bands. The wireless communication system 1000 is also used by different types of businesses, such as the police, fire departments, and local governments.

[0015] The first command station 100a to the third command station 100c are located in different management areas. As described above, the first command station 100a to the third command station 100c can perform wireless communication using different frequency bands. For example, the first command station 100a uses the VHF (Very High Frequency) band, the second command station 100b uses the UHF (Ultra High Frequency) band, and the third command station 100c uses the 800 MHz band.

[0016] The first wireless device 200a is mounted on a vehicle such as a police vehicle. The first wireless device 200a performs wireless communication with the first command station 100a in the VHF band, performs wireless communication with the second command station 100b in the UHF band, and performs wireless communication with the third command station 100c in the 800 MHz band. When the first wireless device 200a performs wireless communication with one command station 100, it does not perform wireless communication with the remaining command stations 100. The second wireless device 200b and the third wireless device 200c are similar to the first wireless device 200a.

[0017] A commander (hereinafter referred to as the "first commander") operates the first command station 100a to communicate with the wireless device 200 in the VHF band. A commander (hereinafter referred to as the "second commander") operates the second command station 100b to communicate with the wireless device 200 in the UHF band. A commander (hereinafter referred to as the "third commander") operates the third command station 100c to communicate with the wireless device 200 in the 800 MHz band. Communications between the command station 100 and the wireless device 200 are made by PTT (Push To Talk).

[0018] 2 shows the configuration of wireless device 200. Wireless device 200 includes a VHF wireless communication unit 210, a UHF wireless communication unit 220, an 800 MHz band wireless communication unit 230, a short-range wireless communication unit 240, a control unit 250, a storage unit 260, a microphone 270, and a speaker 280. The control unit 250 includes a communication detection unit 252 and a transfer processing unit 254.

[0019] The VHF wireless communication unit 210 can perform wireless communication in the VHF band, and can communicate with, for example, the first command station 100a in FIG. 1. The UHF wireless communication unit 220 can perform wireless communication in the UHF band, and can communicate with, for example, the second command station 100b in FIG. 1. The 800 MHz band wireless communication unit 230 can perform wireless communication in the 800 MHz band, and can communicate with, for example, the third command station 100c in FIG. 1. That is, the VHF wireless communication unit 210, the UHF wireless communication unit 220, and the 800 MHz band wireless communication unit 230 can perform wireless communication in different frequency bands. The VHF wireless communication unit 210 includes a VHF wireless communication antenna 212, the UHF wireless communication unit 220 includes a UHF wireless communication antenna 222, and the 800 MHz band wireless communication unit 230 includes an 800 MHz band wireless communication antenna 232. When the wireless device 200 is installed in a vehicle, the VHF wireless communication antenna 212, the UHF wireless communication antenna 222, and the 800 MHz band wireless communication antenna 232 are close to each other. In this state, if high-power transmission occurs simultaneously in multiple frequency bands, interference occurs. For this reason, the wireless device 200 is designed not to transmit simultaneously in multiple frequency bands. The VHF wireless communication unit 210, the UHF wireless communication unit 220, and the 800 MHz band wireless communication unit 230 may have a multi-deck configuration by being stored in separate housings.

[0020] The short-distance wireless communication unit 240 includes a short-distance wireless communication antenna 242 and can perform short-distance wireless communication. The short-distance wireless communication is, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark). The control unit 250 controls the VHF wireless communication unit 210, the UHF wireless communication unit 220, the 800 MHz band wireless communication unit 230, and the short-distance wireless communication unit 240. The communication detection unit 252 detects whether wireless communication is being performed in any of the VHF wireless communication unit 210, the UHF wireless communication unit 220, and the 800 MHz band wireless communication unit 230. The communication detection unit 252 detects wireless communication based on the radio wave intensity or the presence or absence of audio data during reception, and detects wireless communication based on the pressing of the PTT button or the presence or absence of a voice from the microphone 270 during transmission. The microphone 270 accepts a voice generated by the user, converts the voice into an electrical signal, and outputs the signal to the control unit 250. The speaker 280 accepts an electrical signal from the control unit 250, converts the electrical signal into an audio signal, and outputs the audio signal. The microphone 270 and speaker 280 are used during phone calls.

[0021] In the following, it is assumed that the wireless device 200 is the first wireless device 200a in Fig. 1, and while the VHF wireless communication unit 210 is communicating with the first command station 100a in the VHF band, the UHF wireless communication unit 220 receives a connection request from the second command station 100b in the UHF band. More specifically, the communication in the VHF wireless communication unit 210 is a call, and the connection request received in the UHF wireless communication unit 220 is an incoming call. The wireless communication unit that executes the call is not limited to the VHF wireless communication unit 210, and the wireless communication unit that receives the incoming call is not limited to the UHF wireless communication unit 220. When the wireless communication unit that executes the call among the VHF wireless communication unit 210, the UHF wireless communication unit 220, and the 800 MHz band wireless communication unit 230 is called the first wireless communication unit, the wireless communication unit that receives the incoming call is called the second wireless communication unit.

[0022] The communication detection unit 252 detects that the VHF wireless communication unit 210 is busy, and then detects an incoming call at the UHF wireless communication unit 220. In this state, the transfer processing unit 254 broadcasts a notification signal from the short-range wireless communication unit 240 to notify that a call is busy. FIG. 3 shows the format of the notification signal transferred in the short-range wireless communication unit 240. The source information indicates the wireless device 200 that is the origin of the notification signal, for example, the first wireless device 200a. The destination information indicates the command station 100 that is the final destination of the notification signal, for example, the second command station 100b. The transfer message indicates a message to be transmitted from the first wireless device 200a to the second command station 100b, for example, a call is busy. The transfer message is stored in 260. Return to FIG. 2.

[0023] In the following, it is assumed that the wireless device 200 is the second wireless device 200b in FIG. 1. The second wireless device 200b exists within a range where it can communicate with the first wireless device 200a by short-range wireless communication. On the other hand, the third wireless device 200c in FIG. 1 exists within a range where it cannot communicate with the first wireless device 200a by short-range wireless communication. The short-range wireless communication unit 240 of the second wireless device 200b receives a notification signal broadcast from the first wireless device 200a. The transfer processing unit 254 checks destination information in the notification signal received by the short-range wireless communication unit 240. Here, it is confirmed that the destination information indicates the second command station 100b.

[0024] FIG. 4 shows the data structure of the table stored in the storage unit 260. The table shows the wireless communication unit to be used for each communication target station. When the communication target station is the first command station 100a, the VHF wireless communication unit 210 is used, when the communication target station is the second command station 100b, the UHF wireless communication unit 220 is used, and when the communication target station is the third command station 100c, the 800 MHz band wireless communication unit 230 is used. Return to FIG. 2. Since the destination information indicates the second command station 100b, the transfer processing unit 254 refers to the table and determines to use the UHF wireless communication unit 220. The transfer processing unit 254 outputs a notification signal to the UHF wireless communication unit 220, and the UHF wireless communication unit 220 transmits the notification signal to the second command station 100b by wireless communication in the UHF band. That is, the notification signal broadcast from the first wireless device 200a is transferred to the second command station 100b by relaying by the second wireless device 200b.

[0025] The second command station 100b in Fig. 1 receives a notification signal from the second wireless device 200b. The second command station 100b displays the contents of the notification signal, particularly the sender information and the forwarding message. As a result, the second commander recognizes that the first wireless device 200a is in a call.

[0026] Here, while the first radio device 200a is communicating with the first command station 100a through the VHF radio communication unit 210, the second radio device 200b can also receive signals through the VHF radio communication unit 210. However, the VHF radio communication unit 210 of the second radio device 200b only receives signals and does not transmit signals. Therefore, it is possible to use the UHF radio communication unit 220 of the second radio device 200b for transmission. Also, when the first radio device 200a executes one-to-one communication with the first command station 100a, the second radio device 200b does not use the VHF radio communication unit 210, so the UHF radio communication unit 220 can be used for transmission. The second radio device 200b does not have a multi-deck configuration and may only have the UHF radio communication unit 220 and the short-distance radio communication unit 240.

[0027] This configuration can be realized in hardware terms by the CPU, memory, and other LSIs of any computer, and in software terms by programs loaded into memory, but here we depict functional blocks realized by the cooperation of these. Therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that these functional blocks can be realized in various forms by hardware alone, software alone, or a combination of both.

[0028] The operation of the wireless communication system 1000 with the above configuration will be described. Fig. 5 is a sequence diagram showing a communication procedure by the wireless communication system 1000. The first command station 100a and the first wireless device 200a are in a call in the VHF band (S10). The first wireless device 200a receives an incoming call from the second command station 100b in the UHF band (S12). The first wireless device 200a decides to transfer the call (S14) and broadcasts a notification signal by short-range wireless communication (S16). When the second wireless device 200b receives the notification signal, it transmits the notification signal to the second command station 100b in the UHF band (S18).

[0029] According to this embodiment, when the first wireless device 200a is communicating in one frequency band and receives a connection request in another frequency band, the call signal is transferred by short-distance wireless communication, so that the transmitting side of the other frequency band can be informed that communication is in progress. In addition, since the transmitting side of the other frequency band is informed that communication is in progress, even if the connecting request cannot be responded to when communication is possible in a plurality of frequency bands, the transmitting side can be informed of that fact. In addition, since the transmitting side is informed of that fact even if the connecting request cannot be responded to when communication is possible in a plurality of frequency bands, the transmitting side can prevent the transmitting side from feeling uncomfortable because there is no response even though the transmitting side is calling the other party. In addition, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a discrepancy in information transmission, in which the transmitting side contacts the other party in a simultaneous broadcast manner and intends to communicate with the other party, but the receiving side does not recognize it. In addition, since simultaneous transmission of high power by a plurality of frequency bands is avoided, the influence on communication during a call can be reduced.

[0030] The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments. These embodiments are merely illustrative, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications are possible in the combination of each component and each treatment process, and that such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 100 command station, 200 radio equipment, 210 VHF radio communication unit, 220 UHF radio communication unit, 230 800 MHz band radio communication unit, 240 short-range radio communication unit, 250 control unit, 252 communication detection unit, 254 transfer processing unit, 260 memory unit, 270 microphone, 280 speaker, 1000 radio communication system.

Claims

1. a first wireless communication unit capable of performing wireless communication in a first frequency band; a second wireless communication unit capable of performing wireless communication in a second frequency band different from the first frequency band; a short-range wireless communication unit capable of performing short-range wireless communication; a control unit that controls the first wireless communication unit, the second wireless communication unit, and the short-range wireless communication unit; the control unit, when the second wireless communication unit receives an incoming call from the second communication device while the first wireless communication unit is communicating with the first communication device, transmits a notification signal from the short-range wireless communication unit to notify that communication is in progress; The wireless device, wherein the notification signal includes information instructing the second communication device to transfer a message indicating that the first wireless communication unit is busy.

2. The notification signal includes information on a sender of the notification signal, information on a destination of the notification signal, and information on a message to be transferred.

2. The wireless device of claim 1.

3. 3. The wireless device according to claim 1, wherein the notification signal transmitted from the short-range wireless communication unit is received by another wireless device capable of performing short-range wireless communication and wireless communication using the second frequency band via short-range wireless communication, and is transmitted from the other wireless device to the second communication device via wireless communication using the second frequency band.

4. A first wireless device; a second wireless device; The first wireless device is a first wireless communication unit capable of performing wireless communication in a first frequency band; a second wireless communication unit capable of performing wireless communication in a second frequency band different from the first frequency band; a short-range wireless communication unit capable of performing short-range wireless communication; a control unit that controls the first wireless communication unit, the second wireless communication unit, and the short-range wireless communication unit; the control unit, when the second wireless communication unit receives a connection request from the second communication device while the first wireless communication unit is communicating with the first communication device, transmits a notification signal from the short-range wireless communication unit to notify that communication is in progress; A wireless communication system in which the notification signal transmitted from the short-range wireless communication unit is transferred to the second communication device by being relayed by the second wireless device.

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