A communication apparatus, a communication arrangement and a communication method

Communication device, communication configuration structure, and communication method

A COMMUNICATION APPARATUS, A COMMUNICATION ARRANGEMENT AND A COMMUNICATION METHOD

Field of invention

The present invention is directed to a communication device or communication configuration that permits a single user or a group of users at a shared location to communicate with one or more remote users or remote group users. More specifically, a number of embodiments of the present invention relate to optical communication between a radio portion/unit and a control portion/unit of such a communication device or configuration including a communication configuration.

Background of the invention

A communication configuration used by a single user or group of users sharing the same location in communication with one or more remote users or groups of users can be set as one of separate components for electrical interconnection, such as wire interconnections. combination. Such a communication configuration structure can be referred to as a decentralized communication configuration structure, as opposed to an integrated communication configuration structure in which all components hosting the communication configuration structure are in a single device.

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an embodiment of a communication configuration structure 100 as a decentralized communication configuration. The communication configuration 100 includes a control unit 110 and one or more radio sections 140-i (borrowed in the example of FIG. 1) Radio sections 140-1 and 140-2 are shown). The radio sections 140-i are each coupled to the control unit 110 by an individual electrical conductor 120-i. The connections between the components are typically provided using a cable that is removably attached to the control unit 110 and to the proximity radio portion 140-i. The radio portion 140-i operates as a professional mobile radio (PMR) known to the art, and the radio portions 140-i are each configured to permit individual radio portions 140-i of the communication configuration 100 to communicate with one or more corresponding remote radios Point-to-point or point-to-multipoint communication between units. The control unit 110 is provided with an audio input component (for example, a microphone disposed or coupled to the control unit 110) for receiving audio input from a user of the communication arrangement 100, and an audio output component (eg, located or linked to the control) The speaker of unit 110 is used to reproduce audio to the user of communication configuration 100. The control unit 110 is further provided with a user interface such that the user of the communication configuration 100, for example, uses his/her selected radio portion 140-i to control and other uses using press-to-talk (PTT) methods known in the art. Audio communication. Thus, the electrical conductor 120-i of the communication configuration 120-i carries the audio signal between the control unit 110 and the radio portion 140-i, as well as the control signals from the control unit 110 to the radio portion 140-i.

Apply a decentralized communication configuration structure, such as a communication configuration structure 100. The alternative integrated communication configuration structure permits flexibility in component selection, such as audio input/output components having desired types and characteristics, radio portion (140-i), and control unit (110) to meet desired usage conditions. . In addition, the decentralized approach replaces one of the components of the communication configuration structure with a new (eg, due to damage or malfunction), but at the same time allows the user to reassemble the communication by simply connecting to the currently required radio portion 140-i. Configuration structure 100. Further, the decentralized approach facilitates improved usability of the communication configuration by allowing the user to configure (or wear) the components for ease of use and good performance of the conditions of use, involving all user activities and/or Mobility, and easy and reliable hands-free operation. In order to achieve this, the components of the decentralized communication configuration are typically provided with wearable components, or other tools that can be worn or worn by a user wearing a clothing or communication configuration, or can be mounted to a user's location. A component of a fixed structure. These decentralized communication configurations are typically applied to professional use where the performance requirements of the communication configuration are high and the easy and reliable "hands-free" operation of the communication configuration plays a key role. Such use conditions include military use (both in combat and training situations) and, for example, by police, firefighters, construction workers, and the like.

Designed to include one of the many components used professionally for distributed communication Configuration structures, where such components are typically derived from different manufacturers, requiring careful selection, configuration and testing of components of the configuration structure, and overall configuration of the structure. Due to the electrical connections between the components, it is typically important to take measures to ensure electrical compatibility between the components of the configuration to ensure compliance with communication quality, reliability and safety requirements. More specifically, the communication configuration structure may need to display regulations regarding electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and/or characteristic safety (IS) to verify that the communication configuration can be applied to certain professional uses.

Examples of EMC, EMC standards and regulations include 2004 December 15, 2015 European Parliament and Commission Order 2004/108/EC. Examples of IS, IS regulations include equipment intended for potentially explosive atmospheres And protection system March 23, 1994 European Parliament and Commission Order 94/9/EC (ATEX), certified international electrotechnical committee system (IECEx system) for equipment used in explosive atmospheres, and mutual IS certification provided by Insurance (FM) Research and Insurance Laboratories (UL) (USA). In this regard, examples of FM standards include FM 3600 (Approval Standards for Electrical Equipment in Hazardous (Classified) Locations - General Requirements, Category Number 3600, December 2011) and FM 3610 (used in Category I, II) And the approval criteria for the safety devices and phase-coupled devices of Part III, Part 1, hazard (classification) position, category number 3610, January 2010). In this respect, examples of UL standards include UL 913 (Approval Standards for Characteristic Safety Devices and Phase Connection Devices for Category I, II, and III, Part 1, Hazard (Classification) Position, July 29, 1988 ), UL 60079-0 (explosive atmosphere - part 0: equipment - general requirements, fifth edition, October 21, 2009) and UL 60079-11 (explosive atmosphere - part 11: equipment protection by intrinsic safety) "I", fifth edition, September 30, 2009).

It may be possible to comply with the expected performance requirements and regulations of EMC and / or IS Further complication to match communication system components together, may result in suboptimal performance of certain components of the communication configuration structure, or even lossy communication due to poor matching or even conflicting requirements of components used in the configuration structure quality. More specifically, the communication configuration may be required, for example, by importing an additional component, removing one of the existing components, and/or replacing one of the existing components with the new component. Reassembly of such components and/or reassembly of the communication system as a whole to ensure the desired communication quality and reliability and re-testing in compliance with relevant EMC and/or IS regulations. Such re-assembly and re-testing Energy consumption is inconvenient, and in many cases expensive.

Summary of invention

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a decentralized communication configuration structure that facilitates direct assembly and reassembly.

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for controlling the communication of a conversation via a professional mobile radio is provided. The apparatus includes a control portion for controlling the press-to-talk communication, the control portion including a first optical transceiver portion configured to convert an optical downlink signal into an electrical downlink signal for presentation to a The user, and converting an electrical uplink signal into an optical uplink signal for providing to a radio portion. The device includes one or more interface portions, each interface portion being coupled to the control portion by an optical link, each interface portion being connectable to a different radio portion by an electrical connection, the radio portion being permitted to pass through one or more communication channels, Communicating via a wireless communication link, each interface portion including a second optical transceiver portion configured to convert a downlink signal received from one of the individual radio portions into the optical downlink signal Provided to the control portion, and converting the optical uplink signal into an electrical uplink signal for providing to the individual radio portion.

The downlink and uplink signals can include audio signals. One or more of the interface portions may include an audio processing portion that is configured to apply radio portion specific processing. Additionally or alternatively, the control portion includes an audio processing portion that is configured to apply independent processing of the radio portion independently of the audio processing.

According to a second aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided for The configuration structure of the communication communication is pressed through a professional mobile radio. The configuration structure includes a device in accordance with a first aspect of the present invention and the one or more radio portions, each of which is coupled to the individual interface portion by an electrical connection.

According to a third aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided for Controlling a method of pressing a communication communication through a professional mobile radio, where the method is applied to a device, the device comprising a control portion for controlling the press communication and one or more interface portions, each interface portion By means of an optical link to the control portion, each interface portion can be connected to a different radio portion by means of an electrical link, the radio portion being permitted to communicate via one or more communication channels through a different wireless communication link. The method includes providing an uplink signal through an optical link, and the control portion is configured to convert an electrical uplink signal into an optical uplink signal for providing to an interface portion, and providing the optical link through the optical link The optical uplink signal is applied to an interface portion, and the optical uplink signal is converted to an electrical uplink signal for providing to the individual radio portion. The method further includes providing a downlink signal through an optical link, including an interface portion, converting a downlink signal received from one of the individual radio portions into an optical downlink signal for providing The control portion provides the optical downlink signal to the control portion through the individual optical link, and the control portion converts the optical downlink signal into an electrical downlink signal for presentation to a user.

In the method, the downlink and uplink signals may be included Contains audio signals. Additionally, providing the uplink signal can include, in an interface portion, applying a particular radio portion of the audio processing to adapt the characteristics of the electrical uplink audio signal to meet the requirements of the individual radio portion, and providing the downlink signal Optionally, in an interface portion, a particular radio portion of the audio processing is applied to adapt the characteristics of the electrical downlink audio signal to meet such requirements of the control portion. Additionally or alternatively, providing the uplink signal can include, in the control portion, applying universal audio processing to adapt characteristics of the electrical uplink audio signal to satisfy an audio signal suitable for presentation to the user Requiring, and providing the downlink signal, can include, in the control portion, applying universal audio processing to adapt the characteristics of the electrical downlink audio signal to an audio signal suitable for presentation to the user.

This patent application presents exemplary embodiments of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting the applicability of the scope of the accompanying claims. The verb "comprise" and its derivatives are used in this patent application as an open limitation, and do not exclude the existence of unquoted features. Features described hereinafter may be freely combined with each other unless otherwise stated.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The detailed description of the specific embodiments that follow will be apparent from the Detailed Description of the Detailed Description.

<p>100, 200, 300, 400, 400'‧‧‧ communication configuration structure</p><p>110, 210, 410, 410 '‧‧‧ Control Unit / Part</p><p>120-i‧‧‧Electrical wire</p><p>140-i‧‧‧radio section/unit</p><p>150, 150'‧‧‧ microphone</p><p>160, 160'‧‧‧ Speakers</p><p>212‧‧‧User interface</p><p>214‧‧‧ Analog to Digital (A/D) Converter</p><p>215‧‧‧Digital to Analog (D/A) Converter</p><p>216, 217‧‧ ‧ audio processing part</p><p>218-i, 239-i‧‧‧ light emitter</p><p>219-i, 238-i‧‧‧ optical receiver</p><p>220-i‧‧‧ optical link</p><p>230-i, 230-i'‧‧‧ interface part, optical interface part</p><p>234-i‧‧‧Pre-processing part of audio</p><p>236-i‧‧‧Audio post-processing part</p><p>413, 413'‧‧‧ communication interface</p><p>500‧‧‧ method</p><p>Section 500a-b‧‧‧</p><p>505-585‧‧‧</p>

Figure 1 schematically illustrates an embodiment of a decentralized communication configuration or apparatus.

2 is a schematic illustration of several components of an exemplary communication configuration or apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a schematic illustration of several components of a control portion in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 is a schematic illustration of several components of an interface portion in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 is a schematic illustration of several components of an exemplary communication configuration or apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 6 is a schematic illustration of several components of an exemplary communication configuration or apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 7 illustrates one method in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed description of the preferred embodiment

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates certain components of an example communication configuration structure 200. The communication configuration 200 includes a control portion 210 for controlling the operation of the radio portions 140-1 and 140-2 (representing one or more radio portions, also referred to as radio portion 140-i or radio portion 140). The configuration structure 200 further includes interface portions 230-1 and 230-2 (representing one or more interface portions, also referred to as interface portion 230-i or interface portion 240) to permit individual radio portions 140-i and control portion 210 Light communication. The configuration further includes optical links 220-1 and 220-2 (representing one or more optical links, also referred to as optical links 220-i or optical links 220) for connecting individual optical interface portions 230- i to the control section 210. The optical link 220-i is preferably provided using one or more optical cables that are detachably coupled to the control unit 210 and / or link to the individual interface portion 230-i. A fiber optic cable can include one or more optical fibers, as described in further detail below in this document. The communication configuration 200 can also be referred to as a communication device.

Figure 2 further depicts one or more radio sections 140-i communicating over the radio portion of the radio and remote communication configuration. The radio portion 140-i can be configured to permit audio communication and/or data communication. The optical interface portion 230-i can be coupled to the individual radio portion 140-i to provide a link between the radio portion 140-i and the control portion 210. 2 further illustrates a microphone 150 (or a plurality of microphones) for capturing an audio signal and one or more speakers 160 (eg, a pair of speakers) for reproducing an audio signal, and the microphone 150 and the speaker 160 are coupled or coupled. Connected to the control section 210.

Thus, the communication configuration 200 allows a user to have audio communication and/or data communication between one or more other users. The control portion 210 and the one or more interface portions 230-i together with the optical links 220-i connecting the individual interface portions 230-i and the control portion 210 can be considered as one of control communications for communication over one or more radio links. (communication) device. The user can apply the (communication) device to control one of the one or more radio portions 140-i for use with another user employing the interoperable radio portion, for example, with another user having a similar type Instead of the (first) user of the radio part, the communication is communicated in one of the communicative communication configurations.

The control portion 210 is typically disposed within its dedicated housing separate from other components of the communication configuration 200. Similarly, the interface portions 230-i are each preferably disposed in a dedicated housing thereof, and the housing is provided with a configuration for connecting the optical interface portion 230-i to the individual radio portion 140-i, and one or Each of the plurality of radio sections 140-i is typically disposed within its dedicated housing. Configuring an interface portion 230-i and the configuration of the individual radio portion 140-i permits the use of another radio portion 140-i (having similar characteristics) to displace the elasticity of the radio portion 140-i within a separate housing, such as a malfunction In the event of damage, it is not necessary to also replace the interface portion 230-i. As an alternative, the interface portion 230-i can be disposed within the same housing of the individual radio portion 140-i, thereby providing the configuration structure 200 to a smaller number of separate entities. Further, the microphone 150 and the speaker 160 are separately provided from the control portion 210, for example, disposed in the headset. In other words, in this regard, the communication configuration structure 200 can be viewed as a decentralized communication configuration (also referred to as a decentralized communication device) where at least two of the components are set to borrow a light chain. A separate entity interconnected by the road 220-i. In this regard, by way of example, the dashed rectangles in FIG. 2 each represent a single entity, thereby providing an embodiment of the components of the communication configuration 200 and the components coupled thereto that may distinguish the constituent entities.

Due to the decentralized approach, the entity that may install or architect the communication configuration structure 200 may be resilient depending on the actual usage conditions. In one example use case, the communication configuration structure 200 can be set to be used by a single user. As a result, the user can apply the decentralized approach to the entities that make up the communication configuration structure 200 as he/she considers appropriate tools. In this case, control portion 210 is typically provided to a control unit/entity that can be attached to a garment or other personal tool worn or carried by the user for easy access by a user. In another example use case, the communication configuration structure 200 can be provided by a group of users sharing the communication configuration structure 200. As a result, the entity of the communication configuration structure 200 can be mounted on a fixed Use the position structure inside the body, such as the interior of the car or indoors. In this case, the control portion 210 is typically provided in a control unit/entity that can be mounted to easily access the location (on the wall, on the table, on the dashboard of the car, etc.) by the group of users. In the case of two such examples, a user can access the control unit 210 by connecting his/her personal microphone 150 and a speaker 160 (eg, a headset placed on the user). Communication configuration structure.

The advantage of using the optical link 220-i, for example, instead of the wire of the pipeline 100, provides for a complete electrical decoupling between the components of the communication configuration 200, i.e., between the control portion 210 and the interface portion 230-i. As a result, typically the remaining significant electrical coupling is between the various interface portions 230-i and the individual radio portions 140-i.

While this has the effect of reducing the electrical interference between the radio sections 140-i of the communication configuration 200, there is another, and perhaps even more important, advantage of such electrical decoupling: an alternative to a communication All of the components of the configuration structure may be associated with the desired EMC and/or IS requirements (as in the case of, for example, the communication configuration structure 100), together with the components connected thereto as a single entity, such optical links of the communication configuration structure 200. The configuration of the 220-i license control portion 220 may be associated with the microphone 150 and the speaker 160 and other components/entities that may be/attached to meet EMC and/or IS requirements (interface portion 230-i and) The radio section 140-i is independent of each other. Similarly, the communication configuration structure 200 permits the various interface portions 230-i and the individual radio portions 140-i to which the connections/links can be made to meet the EMC and/or IS requirements and other groups of the communication configuration structure 200. The configuration of the device is independent. As a result, measures are taken to ensure that the relevant EMC requirements are met (such as the component housing of the communication configuration 200 and/or the shielding of the wires within and/or between the components, the components of the communication configuration 200, and/or The filtering of the electrical signals can be applied to a lesser extent, thereby facilitating the simplification of the design of the communication configuration 200, which may result in reduced implementation and reduced design costs. Similarly, measures are taken to ensure that the relevant IS requirements are met (such as one interface between components of the communication configuration 200, particularly the interface matching parameters between the interface portion 230-i and the individual radio portion 140-i, For example, (maximum) voltage, current and/or power levels and impedance and/or capacitance within the interface can be applied to a lesser extent, thereby facilitating a simplified design of the communication configuration 200, which may result in reduced implementation and reduced design costs. It also contributes to the performance improvement using the radio section 140-i.

Such independent configuration facilitates avoiding any conflicting or poor matching requirements arising from, for example, different radio protocols and transmission techniques applied to the radio portion 140-i, which may jeopardize communications when assembled to meet EMC and/or IS requirements The overall performance of the configuration structure 200 is configured. Again, the interface portion 230-i/radio portion 140-i is directly scalable to such an independently configured license communication configuration 200: for example, when a new radio portion 140-i is added to the communication configuration 200, There is no need to reconfigure the communication configuration structure 200 as a whole to ensure that EMC and/or IS requirements are met, but the newly introduced paired interface portion 230-i/radio portion 140-i is integrated because of the optical link 220 The electrical decoupling caused by -i affects the EMC and/or IS requirements in the existing components of the communication configuration 200 without being introduced into the new interface portion 230-i/radio portion 140-i.

The radio portion 140-i preferably permits bi-directional PTT communication through a PMR system. Such a radio portion 140-i provides a half-duplex point-to-point or point-to-multipoint connection over a radio link to a remote radio portion/unit that applies the same radio protocol. In other words, each radio portion 140-i can be configured to communicate via a predetermined (PMR) protocol (PTT) communication. The radio portion 140-i can employ a digital or analog radio system. Several such radio protocols are known in the industry, typically operating in the very high frequency (VHF) range or ultra high frequency (UHF) range, embodiments including Terrestrial Trunking Radio (TETRA), Project 25 (P25 or APCO) -25) Radio, MPT-1327 radio, digital mobile radio (DMR) and dedicated role radio (PRR), such as the H4855 PRR.

The radio portion 140-i permits communication via a single communication channel, or the radio portion 140-i permits communication via two or more communication channels. In the context of a network, a communication channel refers to a logical connection between the radio portion 140-i and one or more corresponding radio units of one or more remote users. Thus, depending on the radio protocol/technology being applied and the desired communication mode through a communication channel, the communication channel can provide a link to a particular remote user and/or location for a particular call group (ie, To multiple remote users and/or locations), in a particular frequency band or channel, etc. The radio portion 140-i is preferably pre-configured to provide a predetermined communication channel or two or more predetermined communication channels, and the control portion 210 provides the user with access to the one or more radio portions 140-i. One of the provided communication channels is a means of scheduling communications, as described in further detail later in this document.

The microphone 150 and the speaker 160 can provide, for example, to provide a speakerphone The headset, or a pair of speakers 160, is configured as a headset and a microphone 150 is mounted thereon, which can be coupled to the control portion 210. In another embodiment, the microphone 150 and one or more speakers 160 can be integrated into a handheld audio input/output entity, which can be referred to as a (remote) speaker-microphone (RSM) unit, and can be coupled to control Section 210. In yet another embodiment, the microphone 150 and/or the one or more speakers 160 can be integrated into a helmet or to a helmet system to be worn by a user of the communication arrangement 200. Regardless of the configuration to provide the microphone 150 and/or the speaker 160, it is preferably detachably coupled to the control portion 210 via electrical wiring. As another embodiment, the configuration providing the microphone 150 and/or the speaker may be coupled to the control portion by a (short-range) wireless link such as Bluetooth or a wireless local area network (WLAN). In other words, the microphone 150 and the speaker 160 are typically provided as separate entities, or a single separate body that is removably coupled to the housing of the entity containing the control portion 210. Such an arrangement is particularly useful for use in situations where a group of (co-located) users can connect the microphone 150 and the speaker 160 when they want to communicate using one of the radio sections 140-i. Personally configured to control unit 210.

Control portion 210 functions as the entity that controls (uplink) audio transmission by the one or more radio portions 140-i in accordance with instructions provided by a user of the communication configuration 200, and The data of one or more of the radio sections 140-i controls the reproduction of the (downlink) audio.

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates certain components of the control portion 210. The control part 210 is provided with a user interface 212 including a control component and its license communication A user of structure 200 controls the operation of one or more radio sections 140-i to transmit and/or receive audio signals over one or more communication channels. In particular, the user interface 212 can be configured such that the user application employs the PTT communication method of its selected communication channel. In this regard, the user interface 212 can include one or more user operable buttons that are arranged to be buttons or keyboards on the housing of the entity containing the control portion 210. The button or button of the user interface 212 can be employed to correspond to the communication channel in one of the radio portions 140-i switching between the utterance mode and the listening mode. The utterance mode can also be regarded as the transmission mode, and the listening mode can be regarded as the reception mode.

For example, pressing and maintaining a button or button may cause control portion 210 to provide one or more control signals through individual optical links 220-i for setting or maintaining corresponding communication channels in individual radio portions 140-i. mode. Conversely, not pressing (or releasing) a button or button may cause control portion 210 to provide one or more control signals through individual optical links 220-i for maintaining or setting corresponding communications at individual radio portions 140-i. The channel is in listening mode. Additionally, a control signal that does not provide an indication of the utterance mode can be interpreted to indicate a listening mode. In such an arrangement, the control portion 210 can delete the dedicated control signal indication that provides the listening mode, and instead can rely on the lack of the control signal to indicate the utterance mode for a certain communication channel, and serve as one of the listening modes of the individual communication channel. .

Simultaneously with the control signal indicating the utterance mode, the control portion 210 can be configured to provide an (input) audio signal received from the microphone 150 to the individual optical interface portion 230-i for subsequent transmission through the selected communication channel by the individual radio portion 140-i Transmitted, while in listening mode, control portion 210 can be configured An audio signal received from one of the optical interface portions 220-i is provided to the speaker 160 for reproduction to a user of the communication configuration 200.

The processing of the (input) audio signal to be provided to one of the optical links 220-i may include a number of steps, some of which are described below. In this regard, control portion 210 includes means for converting an (input) audio signal from an analog format to a digital format, such as analog to digital (A/D) converter 214. The A/D converter 214 typically provides a digital audio signal, such as a pulse-to-code modulation (PCM) signal, at a predetermined sampling rate (or sampling frequency). For example, the sampling rate can be, for example, 8 kHz or 16 kHz. The control portion 210 further includes light emitters 218-1 and 218-2 (representing one or more light emitters 218-i) configured to receive the digital audio signal as an electrical signal, convert the electrical signal to an optical signal, and An optical signal is provided to the individual optical interface portion 230-i through the optical link 220-i. The (input) audio signal, typically transmitted from the control portion 210 toward one of the interface portions 230-i, originating from the microphone 150, may be referred to as an uplink audio signal.

Similarly, the processing of the audio signal received (from the optical signal) from one of the optical links 220-i can include a number of steps, some of which are described below. In this regard, control portion 210 includes optical receivers 217-1 and 219-2 (representing one or more optical receivers 219-i) configured to receive digital audio signals from optical link 220-i The optical signal of one is used to convert the optical signal into an electrical signal, and the audio signal is provided as an electrical signal for supply to the speaker 160 and thus to the user. The optical receiver 219-i can be provided separately from the individual optical transmitters 218-i, or the optical receivers 219-i can be provided in conjunction with the individual optical transmitters 218-i, thereby forming optical transceivers for the individual optical links 220-i. Part. control The portion 210 further includes means for converting an audio signal from a digital format to an analog format, such as a digital to analog (D/A) converter 215, for converting to an analog format audio signal, and thus suitable for, for example, providing to a speaker 160 format. The audio signal received through one of the optical links 220-i may be referred to as a downlink audio signal.

Control portion 210 typically includes an audio processing portion 216 configured to pre-process the uplink audio signal to satisfy the (predetermined) requirements for trans-transmitting optical link 220-i prior to being provided to optical link 220-i. Similarly, the audio processing portion 216 can be configured to post-process the downlink audio signal to provide an audio signal having desired characteristics, such as to satisfy a condition deemed suitable for presentation to a user, prior to being provided to the D/A converter 215. (predetermined) audio requirements for audio signals. For uplink and for downlink audio signals, the audio processing may include one or more of the following: noise cancellation/suppression in the audio signal to improve speech quality and clarity of the audio signal; automatic audio signal Gain/level control to ensure proper audio signal level; compression or decompression of the dynamic range of the audio signal; correction (i.e., filtering, for example, band pass or low pass filtering) the frequency characteristics of the audio signal to meet a predetermined standard. More specifically, the audio processing portion 216 is configured for audio processing that is applied in a similar manner regardless of the destination of the uplink audio signal or the source of the downlink audio signal. Conversely, any communication channel or radio portion specific (audio) signal processing is performed at the individual interface portion 230-i. The distribution of such audio processing functions is used to simplify the structure of the control portion 210 because it does not need to include a certain communication channel that may or may not be coupled to the control portion 210 and/or wireless with certain characteristics. The electrical part is a specific (information) processing function. Thus the exact same configuration of control portion 210 can be employed regardless of the nature of the radio portions 140-i coupled to or to be coupled thereto.

Regarding the control of the foregoing utterance and listening mode, in the operation change of the control section 210, the voice actuation technique can be used to switch between the utterance mode and the listening mode. In this regard, the audio processing portion 216 can be (further) assembled to apply voice activity detection (VAD) techniques or the like to detect an input audio signal representative of the active speech. These techniques are known to the art. As a result, the control portion 210 can be configured to include activating voice in response to detecting the input audio signal, and providing a control signal for setting a communication channel in the utterance mode. Conversely, the control portion 210 can be configured to provide a control signal to maintain or set all communication channels in the listening mode in response to failure to detect the input audio signal including the active speech (or detecting the input audio signal not including the active speech). Taking the choice of utterance/listening mode as an example of voice actuation techniques, the button of user interface 212 can be applied as a means of selection for the applied communication channel.

In one case, the control portion 210 is configured to permit the communication of one or more of the radio portions 140-i to be communicated through a single communication channel, and the indication for providing the utterance/listening mode can be deleted. Clear control signal: in this case, the interface portion 230-i receiving the uplink audio signal is used as an indication of the starting point of the utterance mode provided by the individual radio portion 140-i in the unique communication channel; Aspect, the interface portion 230-i that does not receive the uplink audio signal indicates the listening mode for the unique communication channel of the individual radio portion 140-i.

Alternatively or in addition to the audio signal material, the communication configuration structure 200 can be configured to permit transmission and/or reception of general (binary) material through one of the communication channels provided by the radio portion 140-i. In this regard, the control portion 210 can be provided with one or more data for receiving (uplink) data transmitted through one of the communication channels and/or for providing one of the communication channels. Information received by the person. A data such as serial data such as RS-232 data, RS-485 data, universal serial bus (USB), National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA), etc. For a specific embodiment, the data to be received through the data port (transmitted through a communication channel) may be location data, such as Global Positioning System (GPS) data originating from the positioning/Navigation device to indicate the location of the communication configuration structure 200, The information to be provided through the data (received through a communication channel) can indicate the location of a remote communication configuration structure for the location data. For the transfer of location data, the data can be provided with NMEA 0183埠. In addition to or in addition to location data, the data received/provided through one or more materials may be substantially any material, such as data representing a network protocol (IP) packet stream. The data to be transmitted through a communication channel preferably receives a communication channel and/or radio portion 140-i having an address information indication to be transmitted by the communication configuration structure 200. However, for example, in one case, the communication configuration 200 is configured using only a single radio portion 140-i to provide a single communication channel, and such address information may not be necessary and may be deleted.

When the control portion 210 is configured to transmit and/or receive general (binary) data, the light emitter 218-i is further configured to receive (binary) data from the data port as an electrical signal, converting the electrical signal to an optical signal. The optical signal is supplied to the individual optical interface portion 230-i through the optical link 220-i. The (input) material derived from the data to be transmitted from the control portion 210 toward one of the interface portions 230-i may be referred to as uplink data. Similarly, the optical receiver 219-i can be further configured to receive (binary) data from one of the optical links 220-i as an optical signal, convert the optical signal into an electrical signal, and provide the data via the data source For electrical signals. The (input) data to be received through one of the optical links 220-i may be referred to as downlink data. Control portion 210 can be configured to transmit data between control and optical transmitters or receivers 218-i, 219-i without modification, or control portion 210 can include a data processing portion to adapt data characteristics. In summary, the data processing portion can be applied to data processing to ensure that the data to be provided to the optical link 220-i satisfies the (predetermined) requirements of the link, and/or the data to be provided to the data meets the criteria ( Schedule) requirements. For example, the data processing portion can be configured to convert the data from the format applied to the data frame to a format suitable for transmission over the optical link 220-i and, conversely, from the optical link 220-i. The format is converted to the format applied to the data file. As another embodiment, the data processing portion can convert the data rate into a provider suitable for transmission through the data port or optical link 220-i.

As briefly described above, the control portion 210 can be configured to provide the individual radio portion 140-i with a control signal for use as one of a communication channel in the utterance mode, and also to provide a control signal for use in the listening mode. One of the communication channels is clearly indicated. The control signals may include, for example, a control signal indicating an utterance/listening mode, and a control signal identifying the communication channel providing an utterance/listening mode indication (when the individual radio sections 140-i are configured to provide two or more communications) When the channel is). In addition or in addition, control Portion 210 can be configured to issue or provide other types of uplink control signals to control communications over a communication channel and/or to control the operation of a certain radio portion 140-i. For example, there may be an uplink control signal for setting a certain radio portion 140-i to be turned on or off, and an uplink control signal for changing or adapting a certain radio portion 140-i (a given communication) The characteristics of the channel, an uplink control signal used to increase or decrease the transmission power of a communication channel, and the like. In still another embodiment, where control portion 210 is configured to permit transmission and/or reception of general (binary) data, there may be an uplink control signal that explicitly indicates the type of the uplink signal, such as Whether the individual uplink signals represent uplink audio signals or uplink (binary) signals.

Similarly, control portion 210 can be configured to receive control signals over optical link 220-i. Such (downlink) control signals can, for example, include a control signal that identifies the communication channel from which the individual downlink signals are received ( When individual radio sections 140-i are assembled to provide two or more communication channels). As another embodiment, where control portion 210 is configured to permit transmission and/or reception of general (binary) data, there may be a downlink control signal that explicitly indicates the type of the downlink signal, For example, does the individual downlink signal indicate a downlink audio signal or a downlink (binary) signal. As a further option, the control signal used as a type of indication may indicate that the downlink signal includes a notification, an indication, or a warning received via a communication channel.

The light emitter 218-i can be further configured to convert any control signals issued from the control portion 210 from an electrical signal to an optical signal. Example In this regard, the optical transmitter 218-i can be configured to receive a control signal for maintaining/setting one of the radio portions 140-i in an utterance mode or a listening mode, converting the control signal into a light control signal, And transmitting the light control signal to the individual optical interface portion 230-i through the individual optical link 220-i. Light emitter 218-i may be further configured to apply a similar type of conversion to any other control signal to provide to one of the interface portions.

Control portion 210 can further include additional portions or components, such as a controller or processor for controlling the operation of control portion 210 and signals received over optical link 220-i based on user input. The control portion 210 can further include a memory for (temporarily) storing audio signals, control signals and other data, and possibly also for storing the code to be executed by the controller/processor to operate the control portion 210. control. Control portion 210, such as user interface 212, can include a display for displaying information to the user of communication configuration 200.

The interface portion 230-i serves as an entity to provide an interface function between the control portion 210 and the radio portion 140-i to which the interface portion 230-i can be connected or connected. The interface portion 230-i is coupled to the control portion 210 via an individual optical link 220-i and is connectable to the individual radio portion 140-i via an electrical connection. The electrical connection may be provided, for example, by electrical wiring between the interface portion 230-i and the individual radio portion 140-i, and/or by matching one or more of the housing portion 230-i housing and the individual radio portion 140-i housing Electrical connectors. By way of example, the one or more electrical connectors may provide one or more ports to connect the radio portion 140-i to the individual interface portion 230-i, where the one or more ports may include the following One of them or Many: audio signals for transferring digital audio signals, data for transferring binary data (for example, NMEA 0183埠 for transferring position data), and control for transferring control signals.

In the most straightforward embodiment, interface portion 230-i provides only conversion between optical and electrical representations of digital audio signals or general purpose (binary) data. As schematically illustrated in FIG. 4, in this regard, interface portion 230-i includes a light receiver 238-i and a light emitter 239-i. The light receiver 238-i and the light emitter 239-i may be provided separately from each other, or the light receiver 238-i and the light emitter 239-i may be provided in combination, thereby forming one of the optical transceiver portions of the interface portion 230-i . The optical receiver 238-i is configured to receive a digital audio signal (from an individual optical link 220-i) as an optical signal from an individual optical link 220-i, converting the optical signal into an electrical signal, And providing an audio signal to the individual radio portion 140-i as an electrical signal. Optical transmitter 239-i is configured to receive digital audio signals as electrical signals (from individual radio sections 140-i), to convert electrical signals into optical signals, and to provide optical signals to control via individual optical links 220-i. Portion 210 is used for further processing and subsequent reproduction to the user.

The interface portions 230-i are each tailored to match the characteristics of a certain type of radio portion 140-i. The match may be, for example, by the interface interface portion 230-i to process (intelligent) signals to be provided to the individual radio portion 140-i to which the radio portion 140-i can be coupled to meet the requirements of the particular (type) radio portion 140-i, such as In terms of audio signal format, audio signal level, audio signal power, and the like. Similarly, interface portion 230-i can be configured to process (audio) signals to be received from individual radio portions 140-i that can be coupled thereto to satisfy control portion 210. Requirements, for example, in terms of audio signal format, audio signal level, audio signal power, and the like.

In this regard, the interface portion 230-i can further include an audio pre-processing portion 234-i configured to receive a digital audio signal (ie, an uplink control signal) from the optical receiver 238-i as an electrical signal, processing the The audio signal, and the resulting modified audio signal is provided to the individual radio portion 140-i. The audio pre-processing portion 234-i can be configured to modify the characteristics of the digital audio signal to assist in efficient transmission and (possible) audio encoding of the audio signal. Such corrections may include, for example, correcting (ie, filtering) the frequency characteristics of the audio signal, specifying or limiting the energy level of the (input) audio signal according to a predetermined law, applying noise cancellation or noise suppression to the audio signal, The sampling rate of the audio signal is converted to one or more of a sampling rate or the like suitable for further processing of the audio signal in the individual radio portion 140-i. Additionally or alternatively, the audio pre-processing portion 234-i can be configured to apply audio coding (i.e., audio compression) to the audio signal to reduce the audio signal to be transferred by the individual radio portion 140-i over the radio link. Data rate. Audio coding can be considered as converting an audio signal from an audio domain to a compressed domain. In summary, the audio pre-processing portion 234-i can be configured to apply audio signal correction and/or audio coding in accordance with the characteristics and/or requirements of the individual radio portion 140-i, for example, to adapt the audio signal to individual The requirements of the communication protocol imposed by the radio section 140-i (the corresponding communication channel).

Interface portion 230-i can further include an audio post-processing portion 236-i configured to receive digital audio signals from radio portion 140-i (the corresponding communication channel), process the audio signal, and provide the resulting corrected The audio signal is provided through an individual optical link 220-i. The audio post-processing portion 236-i can modify the characteristics of the received digital audio signal to assist in providing the audio signal through the optical link 220-i, adapt the audio signal to meet the requirements of the control portion 210, and/or provide the desired The characteristic audio signal is for subsequent reproduction to the user. Such correction may include, for example, filtering of the audio signal, specifying or limiting the energy level of the audio signal according to a predetermined method, applying echo cancellation or echo suppression to the audio signal, converting the sampling rate to be suitable for processing in the control portion 210. One or more of the sampling rate, etc. Additionally or alternatively, when the audio signal is received from the individual radio portion 140-i in a compressed format, the audio post-processing portion 236-i can be further configured to apply audio decoding (i.e., audio decompression) to the received The audio signal is converted to convert the audio signal from the compressed domain to an audio domain for subsequent processing/correction of the audio signal in interface portion 230-i and/or control portion 210. Alternatively, as a separate dedicated portion, the audio pre-processing portion 234-i and the audio post-processing portion 236-i may be jointly provided to the interface portion 230-i as an audio processing portion.

More specifically, the audio pre-processing portion 234-i and/or the audio post-processing portion 236-i, if provided in the individual interface portion 230-i, are configured to perform any radio portion 140-i specific to the audio signal. The processing, and the audio processing portion 216 (as described above) in the control portion 210 is configured to perform audio processing independent of the radio portion, that is, audio processing applied in a similar manner to the uplink audio signal. The source of the destination or downlink audio signal is independent of its origin.

Interface portion 230-i can be further configured to receive self-control General (binary) uplink data for section 210. As a result, the optical receiver 238-i can be configured to convert the uplink data, from the optical signal to the corresponding electrical signal, in a manner similar to that previously described for the (uplink) audio signal. In a similar manner, interface portion 230-i can be further configured to receive general (binary) downlink data from individual radio portion 140-i, and as a result, optical transmitter 239-i can be configured to downlink The road data, like the previous description of the (downlink) audio signal, is converted from an electrical signal to a corresponding optical signal. In addition, the audio pre-processing portion 234-i can be configured to format or translate the uplink data from one of the control portions 210 into one of the formats suitable for the individual radio portion 140-i, and the audio post-processing Portion 236-i can be configured to format/translate the downlink data from one of the individual radio portions 140-i into one of the formats suitable for control portion 210.

The interface portion 230-i can be further configured to receive an uplink control signal from the control portion 210, such as a control signal to control the utterance/listening mode of the individual radio portion 140-i. As a result, the optical receiver 238-i can be configured to convert the uplink control from the optical signal to the corresponding electrical signal in a manner similar to that previously described for the (uplink) audio signal. The interface portion 230-i can be further configured to receive downlink control signals from the individual radio portions 140-i. As a result, the optical transmitter 239-i can be configured to convert the downlink control signal, from the electrical signal to the corresponding optical signal, in a manner similar to that previously described for the (downlink) audio signal. Again, the pre-processing portion 234-i can be configured to convert or translate the uplink data from one of the control portions 210 into a suitable radio unit. One of the 140-i formats, and the post-processing portion 236-i can be configured to convert/translate the downlink data from one of the individual radio portions 140-i into one of the suitable control portions 210 format.

As previously described, the optical links 220-i are each typically provided with one or more optical fibers including one or more optical fibers, and the optical cables are preferably detachably coupled to the control portion 210 and/or to the individual interface portions 230. -i.

As an example, the optical link 220-i can be set to a single fiber optic cable that permits half-duplex communication, thereby allowing only the audio signal (and/or other data) to be transferred in one direction at a time. The single fiber optic cable can comprise a single fiber or a collection of fibers. In another embodiment, the optical link 220-i can be configured as a single fiber optic cable that permits the simultaneous transmission of audio signals (and/or other data) in either direction, or by using one of a set of licensed full-duplex communications. Multiple fibers, or by using two sets of one or more fibers, where each collection is dedicated to communication in one of the directions. In yet another embodiment, the two sets of optical fibers can be disposed on separate optical cables, thereby providing a dedicated optical cable for one of two communication directions.

Although the configuration of several optical links 220-i can be applied to the interior of the communication configuration structure 200, in an excellent solution, the optical links 220-i each have a fiber optic cable consisting of a single optical fiber, which permits audio. The signal (and possibly other data) is transferred simultaneously in both directions. More specifically, the dimensions of a single fiber can be designed to permit audio signals (and possibly other data) to be instantly transferred in both the uplink and downlink directions. This point can be actuated by, for example, transferring a segment of the uplink audio signal representing the N milliseconds of the audio in the uplink direction during a period of time less than or equal to N/2 milliseconds (ms), thus leaving At least N/2 milliseconds for the corresponding direction in the downlink Transfer of downlink audio segments. As a result, although a simultaneous bidirectional data link is not provided between the control portion 210 and the interface portion 230-i, the optical link 220-i provides data transfer capability, and is perceived as an audio signal transmitted through the optical link 220-i in two The direction is shifted at the same time. Even though the PTT communication is essentially unidirectional at a given time instant, the communication configuration 200 permits the transmission of signals, for example, using the first radio portion 140-i (the first communication channel), and simultaneously through the second radio portion 140- i (the second communication channel) receives the signal. Therefore, it is possible to "perceive the simultaneous transmission of the audio signal in both directions" of the optical link 220-i auxiliary audio signal using the simultaneous transmission and reception of the two radio sections 140-i. The communication protocol applied to the optical link 220-i is preferably modified to meet the communication characteristics of the optical link 220-i and the data characteristics to be carried on the optical link 220-i. The requirements of configuration structure 200. However, the details of such (etc.) communication protocols are outside the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates certain components of an example communication configuration structure 300 as a variation of the communication configuration structure 200. In the communication configuration 300, the microphone 150 and the speaker 160 can be provided within the same entity of the control portion 210, such as a dashed rectangle to cluster the components of the communication configuration 300 into a single entity indication. More specifically, the control portion 210 can be integrated with the microphone 150 and the speaker 160 into an RSM unit, which in turn can be coupled to the individual radio portion 140-i through the optical link 220-i and through the individual interface portion 230-i. Otherwise, the structure and function of the communication configuration structure 300 correspond to the structure and function of the communication configuration structure 200.

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates certain components of an example communication configuration structure 400 as a variation of the communication configuration structure 200. The communication configuration structure 400 includes a control portion 410 that in turn includes a communication interface 413 to cause the control portion 410 to communicate with an additional communication configuration, as represented by communication configuration 400' in FIG. Otherwise, the control portion 410 is similar to the control portion 210. The communication configuration structure 400' includes components that match the components of the communication configuration structure 400, and thus one of the communication configuration structures 400' includes a communication interface 413. More specifically, the control portion 410 can be configured to communicate with the control portion 410' via an electrical connection (eg, one or more electrical leads) through the communication interface 413 and through the communication interface 413', thereby permitting two communication configurations. Electrical connection between structures 400, 400'. The communication configuration 400 and/or the communication configuration 400' can be coupled to the additional communication configuration via the individual communication interfaces 413, 413'. The control portions 410, 410' can be configured to receive through the communication interfaces 413, 413' that can be applied to transfer audio signals, general (binary) data, and/or control signals between the control portions 410, 410' And / or launch data.

As an example, a user of the communication configuration 400' can apply the microphone 150' to the audio input and apply the speaker 160' to the audio reproduction while employing the radio portion 140-i of the communication configuration 400. One is used for radio communication. For example, in such a use case, the input (uplink) audio signal is derived from a microphone 150', and the input audio signal is converted into a digital uplink audio signal in the control portion 410', the digitization The uplink audio signal is transferred to the control portion 410 via the communication interfaces 413' and 413, and the control portion 410 applies the optical transmitter 218-i to transmit through the individual optical link 220-i. Provided to the individual interface portion 230-i for subsequent transmission through a desired communication channel, Converting the digital uplink audio signal into an optical signal. In the reverse audio path, the optical receiver 219-i converts the (digital) downlink audio signal received from the individual optical link 220-i into an electrical signal, and transmits the downlink through the communication interfaces 413 and 413'. The link audio signal is transferred to the control portion 410' for D/A conversion and is provided for retransmission to the user via the speaker 160'.

As for the variation of the foregoing embodiment, the source of the audio signal (in the communication configuration structure 400') may be one of the interface portions 230-i' instead of the microphone 150', and the same reason (in the communication configuration structure) The destination of the audio signal in 400' may be one of the interface portions 230-i' rather than the speaker 160'. Accordingly, the control portions 410 and 410' can be configured to use one of the communication channels of the communication configuration 400', relayed or forwarded through one of the communication channels of the communication configuration 400 ( Digital) audio signal or vice versa.

As another embodiment, one of the data of the control portion 410' can be used as a source of general (binary) uplink data and then provided to the control portion 410 as an electrical signal through the communication interfaces 413' and 413, which in turn One of the radio portions 140-i coupled thereto is applied to transmit uplink data through the selected communication channel (e.g., as described in the context of the communication configuration structure 200). In the downlink direction, the general (binary) uplink data received through one of the optical links 220-i is transferred to the control portion 410' through the communication interfaces 413 and 413' as electrical signals for subsequent use. Provided through the data of the control section 410'. As for the variation of the embodiment, the source of the general (binary) material (in the communication configuration structure 400') may be an interface. The data of one of the parts 230-i', rather than the control part 410', and the like, (in the communication configuration structure 400') the destination of the general (binary) material may be the interface part 230-i The data of one of the 'instead of the control part 410'. Accordingly, the control portions 410 and 410' can be configured to use one of the communication channels of the communication configuration structure 400' to relay or forward the general purpose received by one of the communication channels of the communication configuration 400. (binary) data or vice versa.

The operations, procedures, and/or functions described above in the context of communication configuration structures 200, 400, particularly in the context of control portions 210, 410, and interface portion 230-i may also be indicated as performing corresponding operations, procedures, and/or functions. One of the method steps of the function. In this regard, as a non-limiting example, a method 500 of controlling communication (e.g., PTT communication) over a wireless network (e.g., a PMR system) is presented, also illustrated by the flow diagram depicted in FIG.

The method 500 includes providing an uplink signal through the optical link 220-i, as exemplified in the portion 500a of the flowchart, and providing a downlink signal through the optical link 220-i, as in the portion 500b of the flowchart Illustrative. As indicated in block 505, providing the uplink signal includes obtaining an input signal. The input signal is obtained as an electrical signal. This may involve, for example, capturing and/or receiving an input audio signal. Providing the uplink signal can further include applying a common process to the input signal to generate the uplink signal, as indicated in block 510. This may involve, for example, applying an audio (pre-) process common to all of the interface portion 230-i and/or the radio portion 140-i, such as described in the context of the communication configuration structure 200. Providing the uplink signal further includes, for example, the control portion 210, converting the electrical uplink signal to an optical uplink The signal is provided to the individual interface portion 230-i as indicated in block 515. As indicated in block 520, providing the uplink signal further includes providing an uplink signal to the corresponding interface portion 230-i through the individual optical link 220-i. In addition, providing an uplink signal is further included in the interface portion 230-i to convert the optical uplink signal into an electrical uplink signal for providing to the individual radio portion 140-i, as indicated in block 525. As indicated in block 530, providing the uplink signal further includes applying a radio portion specific (or interface portion specific) process to the uplink signal. This may involve radio portion specific (or interface portion specific) processing of the audio signal, such as described in the context of communication configuration structure 200. Finally, providing the uplink signal includes providing the uplink signal to the radio portion 140-i for transmission over the wireless communication link.

As indicated in block 555, providing the downlink signal includes receiving the downlink signal over a wireless link. Providing the downlink signal can further include applying a radio portion specific (or interface portion specific) process to the downlink signal, such as audio processing, as indicated in block 560. As indicated in block 565, providing the downlink signal further includes converting the downlink signal from an electrical signal to an optical downlink signal for providing to the control portion 210. As indicated in block 570, providing the downlink signal further includes providing (optical) downlink signals to the control portion 210 over the optical link 220-i, and then converting the optical downlink signals to be in the control portion 210 to electrical Downlink signal. As indicated in block 580, providing the downlink signal can further include applying a common process to the downlink signal. Such may involve, for example, applying an audio (post) process that is common to all interface portions 230-i and/or radio portion 140-i, as described, for example, in the context of communication configuration 200. Finally, mention The downlink signal includes providing a downlink signal for presentation to a user.

Method 500 provides an embodiment that can be modified and compensated in a variety of ways, such as described later in the context of communication configuration structures 200 and 400 for further details.