JPH04242330A - Radio communication terminal equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify the processing at the arrival of a call to a terminal equipment equipped with plural radio interfaces, to simplify a reply with incoming calls in duplicate and to prevent a call tone of the incoming calls in duplicate from giving disturbance on talking. CONSTITUTION:The terminal equipment is provided with two radio interfaces, a common control section 20 and a man-machine interface 21. An auxiliary key 23 includes a reply key 23b and the terminal equipment replies an incoming call by having only to depress the reply key 23b. Thus, it is not required to identify a radio interface receiving a call. Moreover, the two radio interfaces receive a call in duplicate, the reply key 23b is depressed and then a reply is implemented according to predetermined priority. Furthermore, when one incoming call is replied with priority, a call tone of the other incoming call is silenced. The control is implemented by the control section 20.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to wireless communication terminals such as cordless telephones and car telephones.

0002

[Prior Art] Home cordless telephones, car telephones,
Wireless communication terminals such as mobile phones have been put into practical use. In conventional wireless communication terminals, each terminal is equipped with one wireless interface, that is, a transmitting circuit, a receiving circuit, a communication protocol control unit, and the like. Conventional wireless communication terminals require the same number of wireless interfaces as the number of wireless interfaces used, even if they have the same or similar functions. For example, a cordless phone and a mobile phone in the home required separate handsets. As a result, there have been problems such as an increase in the number of handsets, the occurrence of erroneous operations due to different operating methods, and the need to register speed dials separately. A terminal equipped with multiple wireless interfaces is preferable in the sense that it can solve the above-mentioned problems.

0003

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] In a terminal equipped with a plurality of wireless interfaces, it is necessary to identify the wireless interface from which an incoming call is received from the ring tone or display of the incoming call, and to use both a key to specify the wireless interface and a response key. It is necessary to press , that is, the operation of two keys is necessary. Furthermore, if a call is received over two or more wireless interfaces, it is necessary to determine which one to respond to each time. Furthermore, when one of the wireless interfaces receives a duplicate call, the ringing tone of the other wireless interface may interfere with the conversation. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a wireless communication terminal in which the above-mentioned problems that occur in a terminal equipped with a plurality of wireless interfaces are resolved.

0004

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a wireless communication terminal having a plurality of wireless interfaces, in which a response key for accepting incoming calls is provided commonly to the wireless interfaces. Further, the present invention provides a wireless communication terminal having a plurality of wireless interfaces, which responds to the incoming calls according to a preset priority order when two or more wireless interfaces receive duplicate calls. It is a communication terminal. Furthermore, in a wireless communication terminal having a plurality of wireless interfaces, when incoming calls from two or more of the wireless interfaces occur overlapped, when responding to the incoming call from one wireless interface, the incoming call from the other wireless interface is This is a wireless communication terminal that turns off the ringtone generated by incoming calls.

[0005]

[Operation] When a single terminal is equipped with a plurality of wireless interfaces, incoming calls can be accepted by operating only the response key, and the operation of specifying the wireless interface can be omitted. Furthermore, when there are duplicate calls from two or more wireless interfaces, the calls are accepted in the set priority order, which simplifies the operation when receiving calls. Furthermore, by turning off the ringtone of the other incoming call when one of these two or more duplicated incoming calls is answered, it is possible to prevent the ringtone from interfering with the conversation.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an example of a mobile communication terminal to which the present invention is applied, such as a handset that can be used as both a cordless phone and a mobile phone. One example of a cordless telephone is a low power domestic cordless telephone, preferably one that can be used outdoors. An example of this is a simple mobile phone used outdoors for making calls, such as the Telepoint (CT-2), which is already in practical use in the UK. Another example is the next generation of cordless phones using quasi-microwaves. On the other hand, mobile phones can not only make outgoing calls but also receive calls from general subscribers even when the user is on the move. Here, in order to easily distinguish between the two types of wireless communication terminals, we will use the terms cordless telephone and mobile phone, but it is important that they be used for two or more wireless communication systems.

[0007] For cordless telephone system handsets,
Antenna 1, transmitter circuit 2, receiver circuit 3, synthesizer 4
is provided. A synthesizer 4 is provided to set the frequency of the communication channel. For example, in the case of a low-power home cordless phone, the upstream channel (
2 channels) from the handset to the base unit
The frequency band used is 50MHz and 350MHz for the downlink channel, and next generation cordless phones will use, for example, 2
．． The carrier frequency is 6 GHz (quasi-microwave). The transmitting circuit 2 is supplied with an audio signal and a control signal from the control unit 20, and the upstream channel signal from the transmitting circuit 2 is sent out from the antenna 1. Further, in the receiving circuit 3, the down channel signal is demodulated into an audio signal, the control signal included in the down channel signal is separated, and the received audio signal and the received control signal are supplied to the control section 20.

Similar to a cordless telephone, an antenna 11, a transmitting circuit 12, a receiving circuit 13, and a synthesizer 14 are provided for the terminal of the mobile telephone system. A synthesizer 14 is provided to set the frequency of the communication channel. An example of an analog mobile phone is TACS (Total Access Community).
cation system) method can be used. The transmission circuit 12 is supplied with audio signals and control signals from the control section 20, and the transmission signal from the transmission circuit 12 is transmitted to the antenna 1.
Sent from 1. Further, in the receiving circuit 13 , the received signal is demodulated into an audio signal, a control signal included in the received signal is separated, and the received audio signal and the received control signal are supplied to the control section 20 . The frequency used by mobile phones is
Unlike cordless phones, control signals that are unique to mobile phones and cordless phones are also used.

A dial key 22 and an auxiliary key 23 are transmitted to the control unit 20 via a man-machine interface 21.
, a speaker 24, a microphone 25, and an oscillation circuit 26 are connected. The speaker 24 is used for receiving calls, and the microphone 25 is used for sending calls. The oscillation circuit 26 includes
A speaker 27 is connected, and the oscillation circuit 26 and speaker 27 constitute a ring tone generation circuit. As shown in FIG. 2, the dial key 22 consists of numeric keys from 0 to 9 and symbol (# and *) keys. The auxiliary keys 23 include a designation key 23a for selecting one of the two wireless interfaces and setting the priority when making an outgoing or incoming call, and a response key 23b that is pressed when receiving an incoming call.
Furthermore, the auxiliary keys 23 include a talk key, a hook key, and the like, as necessary. The designation key 23a consists of two push switches, and indicator lamps 30a and 30b are provided adjacent to each push switch.

The control unit 20 is constituted by a microcomputer, and the control unit 20 has a RAM 28 and an R
OM29 is connected. The RAM 28 stores channel data indicating channels for monitoring reception, dial data for speed dialing, etc., and the ROM 29 stores programs for operating the terminal, ID codes for distinguishing it from other terminals, etc. Stored.

In the above-described embodiment, when making a dial call, the cordless telephone's wireless interface (
) and mobile phone wireless interface (represented as ■
) is selected by pressing one of the two designation keys 23a. The indicator lamp 30a or 30b corresponding to the pressed key lights up, making it easy to identify the wireless interface being used. After making this selection, the user presses the dial key 22 to make a dial call. By using data stored in the RAM 28, dialing may be performed by shortened key operations.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the dial key 2
2 and designation keys 23a and 23b, the priority order of the two wireless interfaces can be set, and the data of the priority order is stored in the RAM 28. A dedicated switch for setting priorities may be provided in conjunction with the control unit 20. Then, when there is no designation input using the designation key 23a, a call is made using the wireless interface selected according to this priority order. For example, a priority order is set so that a line with a lower usage fee is given priority. In this embodiment, it is assumed that cordless telephones are cheaper than mobile phones, so wireless interface (2) is given priority over (2).

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the calling operation performed by the control section 20 according to the priority order. When a dial call is made by operating the dial key 22 or abbreviation key without pressing the designated key 23a (step 31)
, the priority wireless interface (2) is selected in step 32 of priority determination. Outgoing processing for this wireless interface ■ is performed (step 33)
. That is, the transmission signal from the transmission circuit 2 is sent out from the antenna 1. It is determined whether this calling process has ended normally (step 34). When the calling process is completed normally, the calling process ends (step 35).

[0014] If in step 34, the transmission using the wireless interface (2) cannot be performed normally due to line congestion, being out of reach of radio waves, out of the service area, etc., control shifts to step 36. In step 36, it is tested whether the outgoing call using the wireless interface ■ has been made; if not,
Outgoing processing for the wireless interface ■ is performed (
Step 37). When this calling process is completed normally, the calling process ends. Therefore, even if the wireless interface ■ cannot perform outgoing call processing, the wireless interface ■
The call is completed. However, if the call cannot be made normally using the wireless interface (3), the process goes through step 39 to step 40.
In the case where the call cannot be made, for example, a warning sound is emitted. A warning may be displayed.

[0015] The above explanation is an example in which the wireless interface ■ has priority over the wireless interface ■.
Even if the reverse order is set, the same operation will be performed. Further, when making a call by setting the wireless interface to be used with the designated key 23a, there may be a case where the specified wireless interface cannot be used to make the call. In this case, the process is performed when the designated wireless interface is not switched to another one and a call cannot be made. The present invention is not limited to this, and similarly to the process described above, it may be possible to automatically switch to another wireless interface.

[0016] The above-mentioned outgoing processing (step 33) and determining whether the outgoing processing was successful (step 34)
A more specific example is shown in FIG. First, an empty channel is searched (step 41), and a call request is issued to the base unit using the searched empty channel. Next, it is determined whether the acknowledgment sent from the base unit has been received (step 43). When the acknowledgment is received, the master unit and slave unit are checked (step 44). This check is to check whether the terminal is to which the service is applied, and to check whether the pair of the base unit and slave unit using the ID number is correct. The result of this check is determined in step 45, and if the result of the check is correct, the dial number is transmitted (step 46), and the calling process ends normally. If it is detected in step 47 that an acknowledgment has not been received for a predetermined period of time, or if the result of the check in step 45 is abnormal, control shifts to step 36 described above.

[0017] When receiving a call, it is possible to distinguish whether the call is received by the wireless interface (1) or (2) by the ringing tone and the incoming call display. The ringing tone is generated by controlling the frequency of the oscillation circuit 26 or controlling the length of the sounding period and the non-sounding period.
It can be associated with each wireless interface. To display an incoming call, when there is an incoming call on the wireless interface (2), the indicator lamp 30a lights up, and when there is an incoming call on the wireless interface (2), the indicator lamp 30b lights up.

[0018] When a call is received from either the wireless interface (1) or (2), the call can be accepted by pressing the response key 23b. As for the key operation at the time of receiving a call, it is also possible to select the wireless interface on the receiving side by operating both the designation key 23a and the response key 23b, but it is possible to select the wireless interface on the receiving side. In comparison, there is a problem that key operations are more troublesome.

Furthermore, when a response is accepted using the response key 23b, if calls are received on two wireless interfaces, the calls are processed in accordance with preset priorities. The priority order is set by operating the designation key 23a and the dial key 22, or by using a dedicated switch. The above-described operation of performing outgoing call processing according to the set priorities (see FIG. 3) can be similarly applied to incoming call processing. By setting this priority according to frequency of use, etc., operability can be improved.

[0020] Furthermore, if there are two duplicate incoming calls and one of them is answered, the ring tone and incoming call display from the other wireless interfaces are turned off. If this control is not performed, there is a problem in that even though one incoming call has been answered, the other ring tone will be harsh to the ears during the call. To perform this control, the control unit 20 uses an incoming call flag. FIG. 5 shows processing related to the incoming call flag. It is checked whether there is an incoming call on the wireless interface (step 51). When there is an incoming call, the incoming call flag RFL1 of the wireless interface (2) is turned on (for example, RFL1 is a logical 1 level) (step 52), and when there is no incoming call, the incoming call flag RF of the wireless interface
L1 is turned off (RFL1 is taken to a logical 0 level) (step 53). Steps 54, 55 and 5
6, the incoming call flag RFL2 regarding the wireless interface (2) is generated by the same process as described above.

By referring to the incoming call flags RFL1 and RFL2, the ring tone and incoming call display are controlled as shown in FIG. The incoming call flag process in FIG. 5 and the ring tone and incoming call display process in FIG. 6 are executed at predetermined time intervals. At decision step 61 in FIG. 6, it is tested whether the flag RFL1 is on, and if it is off, as in steps 62 and 63, the incoming call display R on the wireless interface
D1 is turned off (display lamp 30a is turned off), and its ring tone TN1 is turned off.

If the flag RFL1 is on, it is tested whether it remains on for a predetermined period of time or more (step 64). After step 64 control passes to steps 65 and 66 of testing whether the call is busy. If it continues to be on and a call is in progress, the ringtone TN1 is turned off and the ringtone is prevented from sounding during the call. When a call is not in progress, the ringtone TN1 and the incoming call display RD1 are turned on regardless of the determination regarding the continuation of the on-statement (
Step 67). This allows the user to know that the wireless interface (2) has received a call. If it is not turned on continuously and a call is in progress, the ringtone TN1 or incoming notification tone R will be activated.
T and the incoming call display RD1 are turned on (step 68).
. The incoming call notification tone RT is for notifying the user during a call that there is an incoming call, and has a lower volume than the ring tone TN1 and a different tone color. Incoming notification sound RT
When the ring tone TN1 is not sounded, the ring tone TN1 is turned off.

The same process as the above-mentioned incoming call flag RFL1 is performed on the incoming call flag RFL2 regarding the wireless interface (2).
First, in step 71, the incoming call flag R is set to
It can be checked whether FL2 is on. Incoming call flag RFL
2 is the same as the incoming call flag RFL1, so the steps corresponding to steps 62 to 68 above are expressed as 72 to 78, the ring tone is expressed as TN2, and the incoming call display is expressed as RD2. Explanation will be omitted.

Examples of control performed by the processes in FIGS. 5 and 6 are shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. Figure 7 shows a case where a call is received on wireless interface ■ immediately after a call is received on wireless interface ■, and the call continues to be received on wireless interface ■ until after the call on wireless interface ■ ends. This is the operation. Due to the two incoming calls, the incoming call flags RFL1 and RFL2 are both turned on. Upon the first incoming call, the ring tone TN1 and the incoming call display RD1 are turned on, and the user answers by pressing the answer key 23b. This response turns off the ring tone TN1. However, the incoming call display RD1 remains on.

Regarding the incoming call on the wireless interface (2), the ring tone TN2 and the incoming call display RD2 are turned on.
After answering, the ringtone TN2 is turned off because the call is in progress. However, the incoming call display RD2, which was turned on due to the incoming call on the wireless interface ■, is not turned off and remains on, and the user can see this incoming call display RD2.
You can know that there is an incoming call on the wireless interface ■. After the call on the wireless interface (2) ends, the ring tone TN2 is turned on, and the user can respond to the incoming call on the wireless interface (2).

FIG. 8 shows that immediately after there is an incoming call on the wireless interface ■, there is an incoming call on the wireless interface ■, the wireless interface ■ responds, and while the call is in progress, the first incoming call ends and the second incoming call is sent to the wireless interface ■. Indicates the case in ■. When this second call arrives, the ringing tone TN2 or the incoming call arrival tone RT and the incoming call display RD2 are turned on. Therefore, the user who is on the phone can know that there is an incoming call on the wireless interface (2).

In the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the display lamps 30a and 30b are used to indicate outgoing or incoming calls. However, a light emitting section may be incorporated in the designated key 23a itself, and as shown in FIG. 9, a liquid crystal display section may be provided, and when the wireless interface
a' may be displayed on the display section, and when the wireless interface (3) is used, the display 30b' may be displayed on the display section.

Although the above embodiments are examples of cordless telephones or mobile phones as communication terminals, the present invention is applicable not only to telephones but also to wireless communication terminals such as wireless facsimile machines and data terminals. . Further, the number of wireless interfaces is not limited to two, but may be three or more. Furthermore, a part of the hardware of the wireless interface, such as an antenna, may be shared by multiple wireless interfaces.

[0028]

[Effects of the Invention] This invention allows you to respond to an incoming call without having to perform key operations to specify a wireless interface.
Since all you have to do is press the answer key, key operations when receiving a call are easy. Furthermore, when calls are received from two or more wireless interfaces, the calls are responded to in a preset priority order, so there is an advantage that there is no need to determine which wireless interface received the call. Furthermore, when there are duplicate calls from two or more wireless interfaces, when you answer one of them, the ringtones generated by the other calls are turned off, which has the advantage that the ringtones do not interfere with the conversation. There is.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of an example of a dial key and an auxiliary key.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation at the time of calling in this embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a more detailed flowchart of part of the processing at the time of transmission in this embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining incoming call flag processing in this embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart used to explain ring tone control at the time of incoming call in this embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram used to explain the operation at the time of receiving a call in this embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram used to explain the operation at the time of receiving a call in this embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of another example of displaying outgoing or incoming calls.

[Explanation of symbols]

2, 12 Transmission circuit 3, 13 Receiving circuit 20 Control section 21 Man-machine interface 22 Dial key 23 Auxiliary key

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A wireless communication terminal having a plurality of wireless interfaces, characterized in that a response key for accepting incoming calls is provided commonly to the wireless interfaces. [Claim 2] In a wireless communication terminal having a plurality of wireless interfaces, when incoming calls from two or more of the wireless interfaces occur duplicately, responses to the incoming calls are made according to a preset priority order. A wireless communication terminal characterized by: 3. In a wireless communication terminal having a plurality of wireless interfaces, when incoming calls from two or more of the wireless interfaces overlap, when responding to the incoming call from one wireless interface, A wireless communication terminal characterized in that a ring tone generated when a call is received is turned off.