JPH10107829A - Indoor multimedia communication network system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily build up an indoor communication network by which all information for a broadcast system and a communication system is integrally operated indoor. SOLUTION: This indoor multimedia communication network system is constituted of a consumer system information network (external network) 3 through which data such as numerals, characters and graphics and time series data such as audio information and video information are transmitted, an indoor exclusive use communication network (indoor installed coaxial cable) 52 through which the time series data are received and sent with the external network 3, and various terminal equipments 7 connecting to the indoor installed coaxial cable 52. The frequency of the indoor installed coaxial cable 52 is independent of the frequency for the external network 3. A communication controller 51 that converts data between the external network 3 and the indoor installed coaxial cable 52 distributes the data integrally to the indoor installed coaxial cable 52.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a multimedia communication system that handles data such as numerical values, characters, graphics, etc., and time series data such as audio information, video information, and the like. A dedicated indoor communication network is laid, and only necessary external information is taken into the indoor dedicated communication network by the communication controller that converts data between the external network and the indoor dedicated communication network, or transmitted to the external network. And an indoor multimedia communication network system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Toward the advanced information and communication society, CATV
Various information services, such as (Community Antenna Television) and the Internet, have begun to be introduced to households and shops. At present, such information services are provided as follows. That is, the information service is provided by connecting a communication line for each information service indoors and connecting the communication line to a desired device.

[0003] Such information services include numerical values, characters,
It handles data such as graphics and time-series data such as audio information and video information, and systems that handle these data are collectively referred to as multimedia communication systems.

FIG. 4 shows a conventional multimedia communication system. In this figure, a multimedia communication system 110 includes an external network 130 for transmitting data such as numerical values, characters and graphics, and time-series data such as audio information and video information, and an indoor transmission line 1 connected to the external network 130.
50, various terminal devices 170, and an auxiliary device 190 provided between a part of the terminal devices 170 and the indoor transmission path 150 as main components.

The external network 130 is classified into a broadcasting external network 131 for transmitting time-series data such as audio information and video information, and a communication external network 132 for transmitting data such as numerical values, characters, and graphics. I have. The broadcasting external network 13
1 is a satellite broadcast transmission system 133 and a terrestrial broadcast transmission system 13
4 and CATV135. The communication external network 132 is a digital integrated service network (ISDN;
grated Services digital Network) 136 and an outdoor power line 137.

The indoor transmission line 150 is a broadcasting indoor communication line 15 for transmitting time-series data such as audio information and video information.
1 and a communication indoor communication line 152 for transmitting data such as numerical values, characters, and graphics. The broadcasting indoor communication line 151 is a coaxial cable 15 for satellite broadcasting.
3, a terrestrial broadcast coaxial cable 154, and a CATV coaxial cable 155. The communication system indoor communication line 1
Reference numeral 52 denotes a local area network (LAN).
k) 156, twisted pair wire 157, indoor power line 158
And the like. In the above description, the CATV 135 is included in the broadcast external network 131, but also functions as the communication external network 132 for transmitting data such as numerical values, characters, and graphics.

[0007] The various terminal devices 170 include a television receiver 171 and a home automation system 17.
2. Home security system 173, telephone 17
4, facsimile apparatus 175, personal computer (PC) 176, cable telephone 177, and the like.

The auxiliary device 190 includes a satellite broadcast receiving device 191, a terrestrial broadcast receiving antenna 192, a CAT
V set-top box 193, a cable modem 194, and a subscriber termination unit (DSU; Digital Service).
Unit) 195 and a power controller 196.

[0009] The satellite broadcast wave received by the satellite broadcast receiver 191 is input to the television receiver 171 via the satellite broadcast coaxial cable 153. The terrestrial broadcast wave received by the terrestrial broadcast reception antenna 192 is input to the television receiver 171 via the terrestrial broadcast coaxial cable 154. CATV135 is CATV
Via the coaxial cable 155 for cable and the set-top box 193 for CATV.

[0010] The cable telephone 177 is connected to a coaxial cable 155 for CATV so as to be able to talk. The personal computer 176 has a LAN 156,
Cable modem 194, CATV coaxial cable 155
The exchange of data such as numerical values, characters, graphics, etc. is possible via the.

Also, the home automation system 1
72, home security system 173, telephone 17
4 and the facsimile apparatus 175
57, which is connected to the ISDN 136 via the DSU 195 so that data can be exchanged.

Further, the power controller 196 can supply the power of the outdoor power line 137 to the television receiver 171 via the indoor power line 158.

As described above, as the transmission medium, the television receiver 171 includes coaxial cables 153, 154, and 1
55 is used. The telephone 174 uses a twisted pair line 157 or wireless communication. In addition, at present, a dedicated line for the information exchange of some of the indoor terminal devices 170 is specially laid.

Next, the terrestrial wave and the CATV 135 frequency allocation and application in the conventional multimedia communication system 110 will be discussed with reference to FIG. In FIG. 5, reference numeral (a) denotes a band symbol, reference numeral (b) denotes a terrestrial frequency band, reference numeral (c) denotes a CATV 135 frequency band, and reference numeral (d) denotes a frequency.

In FIGS. 5A and 5D, a band symbol U
Represents a frequency band of 0 to 50 [MHz], and B1 represents a frequency band of 7
0 to 108 [MHz], and C1 is a frequency band of 108 to 17
0 [MHz], and B2 has a frequency band of 170 to 222 [MH].
z], C2 is the frequency band 222-470 [MHz],
B3 represents a frequency band of 470 to 770 [MHz].

In FIGS. 5B and 5D, the FM
Broadcasting is performed in a frequency band of 76 to 90 [MHz], and channels 1 to 3 (VHF-L) of a television broadcasting band are arranged in a frequency band of 90 to 108 [MHz], and are generally included in the band symbol B1. Also, 4 to 12 channels (VHF-H) of the television broadcast band are arranged in frequency bands 170 to 222 [MHz], and are generally included in the band symbol B2. The UHF television broadcasting band is arranged in a frequency band of 470 to 770 [MHz] and is included in a band symbol B3.

Further, in FIGS. 5C and 5D, C
In the ATV 135, the upstream band has a frequency band of 0 to 50 [M
Hz] and is generally included in the band symbol U. Guard bands are arranged in a frequency band of 50 to 70 [MHz]. In CATV 135, a frequency band from 70 to 450 [MHz] is arranged as a down band, a mid band is arranged in a band symbol C1, and a super high band is arranged in a part of C2.

The points of the above-mentioned frequency arrangement are summarized in Table 1 as follows.

[0019]

[Table 1] Here, in the case of terrestrial broadcasting, as can be seen from FIG. 5 and Table 1, the band symbol U is unused, and the band symbols B1 and B
2, B3 is used for FM broadcasting and television broadcasting. In the case of television broadcasting, there are unused channels. For example, in the Kanto region, 2 channels, 5
Channel 7, channel 7, channel 9 and channel 11 correspond to them. The band symbols C1 and C2 are not used for television broadcasting. This band itself is used for aviation and mobile radio.

In the case of CATV 135, as can be seen from FIG. 5 and Table 1, all the bands above 70 [MHz] are used as bands, but in Japan, bands up to 450 [MHz] are used. I have decided. The breakdown is as follows. That is, as shown in Table 1, the band symbol U
Some are used for upstream signals, and currently, downstream signal transmission experiments for cable telephone 177 and personal computer communication are being conducted. As shown in Table 1, the band symbols B1, B2, and B3 are mainly used for broadcasting some free independent programs, mainly for rebroadcasting of terrestrial FM broadcasts and television broadcasts. . To receive this band, the CATV set-top box 193 becomes unnecessary. Band symbols C1, C
In No. 2, as shown in Table 1, it is used for independent broadcasting.
To receive this band, a set-top box 193 for CATV is required.
(Including paid programs that require a separate fee) are broadcast.

In order to receive various information services as described above, in the conventional multimedia communication system, a broadcast indoor communication line 151 and a communication indoor communication line 152 must be laid for each information service. Was.

[0022]

In order to receive various information services as described above, in a conventional multimedia communication system, a broadcast indoor communication line 151 or a communication indoor communication line is provided for each information service. The lines 152 must be laid individually, and congestion of communication lines becomes a problem when the number of menus for information services increases in the future.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an indoor multimedia network capable of easily constructing an indoor communication network capable of integrally handling all information of a broadcast system and a communication system indoors by using an existing transmission medium. A communication network system is provided.

[0024]

In order to achieve the above object, an indoor multimedia communication network system according to the first aspect of the present invention is a system for transmitting multimedia data such as numerical values, characters, graphics, and the like.
An external network through which time-series data such as audio information and video information is transmitted, an indoor transmission line laid indoors capable of capturing and transmitting time-series data between the external network, and a connection to the indoor transmission line In the multimedia communication system including various types of terminals, the indoor transmission path is an indoor dedicated communication network that is frequency-independent from an external network, and data is converted between the external network and the indoor dedicated communication network. And a communication controller for integrally distributing the data to the indoor dedicated communication network.

Therefore, according to the first aspect of the present invention, since the indoor dedicated communication network is independent of the external network irrespective of frequency, it can easily cope with an increase in information services.

The indoor multimedia communication network system according to the second aspect of the present invention comprises an external network through which time-series data such as numerical data, characters, graphics, etc., audio information, video information, etc. are transmitted, and An indoor transmission line capable of taking in and transmitting time-series data to and from a network and laying indoors;
In a multimedia communication system including various terminal devices connected to the indoor transmission line, the indoor transmission line is an indoor-only communication network that is frequency-independent from an external network, and the external network and the indoor-only communication network And a communication controller that converts the data to and from the indoor dedicated communication network and distributes the data in an integrated manner.Various terminal devices are connected to the indoor dedicated communication network and distributed by the communication controller. An adapter that can receive and distribute the data is provided.

Therefore, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the frequency band of the signal transmitted from the communication controller to the indoor coaxial cable and the frequency band of the signal transmitted to the communication controller via the indoor coaxial cable are determined by the communication controller. And the frequency band handled by the adapter of each terminal device can be changed, so that it is possible to easily cope with an increase in information service menus.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the communication controller may further include a band-pass filter, a low-pass filter, a band-elminating filter, or a band-elminating filter for transmitting a signal or noise from an external network in a predetermined frequency band to the indoor. It is characterized in that it does not enter a dedicated communication network, and that predetermined data is allocated to the band and the data can be transmitted to an indoor dedicated communication network.

In the invention according to claim 4, the communication controller temporarily interrupts time-series data in the external network,
Only necessary signals are transmitted to, or received from, various devices connected to the indoor dedicated communication network.

Further, in the invention according to claim 5, the communication controller transmits a downlink signal to a downlink of one band formed by dividing a used frequency band by a fixed frequency, and It receives an uplink signal transmitted on the uplink of the band of.

[0031] In the invention according to claim 6, the communication controller is configured to divide the signal into a downlink of one band formed by dividing the frequency by about half of the highest usable frequency that can be used in the coaxial cable placed indoors. A signal for transmission is transmitted, and an uplink signal transmitted through an uplink of the other band formed by dividing the frequency by about half of the highest use frequency is received.

Further, in the invention described in claim 7, the indoor exclusive communication network is a coaxial cable for television broadcasting wired indoors.

[0033]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the indoor multimedia communication network system according to the present invention will be described.

[First Embodiment] FIG. 1 shows a multimedia communication system to which a first embodiment of an indoor multimedia communication network system according to the present invention is applied. In FIG. 1, a multimedia communication system 1 includes a customer-related information network (external network) 3, which is an external network for transmitting data such as numerical values, characters, and graphics, and time-series data such as audio information and video information. And the indoor multimedia communication network system 5 of the invention.

The customer information network 3 includes NI
It consists of wired transmission media such as SDN and CATV, and wireless transmission media such as terrestrial broadcasting and satellite broadcasting. An information provider 31 such as a local government, a CATV company 32, a communication company 33, a power company 34, and the like are connected to the wired transmission medium of the customer-related information network 3, and the wireless transmission medium includes
A terrestrial broadcaster 35, a satellite broadcaster 36, and the like are connected. This consumer information network 3 is a communication controller 51 of the indoor multimedia communication network system 5.
It is connected to the. Note that power is supplied from the power company 34 to the indoor multimedia communication network system 5 via the outdoor power wiring 41.

Here, the information services handled in the indoor multimedia communication network system 5 will be described. Table 2 shows contents by field, Tables 3 and 4 show applications by media, and classification of information services Each is shown in Table 5.

Table 2 shows the contents of each service field and the type of media as follows.

[0038]

[Table 2] Table 2 shows the following four service fields ((A)-
(D), which is roughly classified and further subdivided and shown as follows.

(A) Communication As shown in Table 2, communication realizes one-on-one information exchange and contact with one another. For example, telephone, facsimile, videophone, email,
Internet World Wide Web (WW
W; World Wide Web). For phone calls,
The media type is voice, the communication direction is bidirectional, and the content is voice communication. For facsimile,
The types of media are text and still images, the communication direction is bidirectional, and the content is electronic communication via paper. For the videophone, the media type is voice and video, the communication direction is bidirectional, and the content is voice and video communication.
With regard to electronic mail, the type of media is text, the communication direction is bidirectional, and the content is electronic communication by a personal computer or the like using the Internet. With regard to WWW, the media types are text, voice, and still images, and the communication direction is mainly the down direction, and the content is information provision through a homepage such as text, voice, and still images using the Internet.

(A) Culture (Culture, Education, Recreation) In the culture of recreation and culture, as shown in Table 2,
While at home, they can take in information electronically and have fun and knowledge. For example, television broadcasting, high-definition television broadcasting, game-on-demand, communication karaoke, electronic newspaper, multimedia magazine, electronic library, electronic art museum / museum, electronic zoo / aquarium, and the like can be given. For the types, directions, and contents of these media,
It is as shown in Table 2.

In the education of culture, as shown in Table 2, remote business and home study can be realized. For the types, directions, and contents of these media,
It is as shown in Table 2.

(C) Life Management As shown in Table 2, the life management increases the convenience of maintaining a life while staying at home.

Here, as for the reservation / management of the life / management, as shown in Table 2, for example, home shopping, electronic catalog shopping, home banking,
Traffic return and accommodation reservation, entertainment ticket reservation purchase, betting ticket
You can purchase lottery tickets. The types, directions, and contents of these media are as shown in Table 2.

As shown in Table 2, the administrative and local services in the life and management are, for example,
Welfare information services, information services for foreigners, welfare services for the elderly, exploration services for the elderly, electronic public information / circulation boards, electronic official document browsing, electronic voting, disaster prevention information / alarm transmission, industrial information services, etc. These media types,
The directions and contents are as shown in Table 2.

As shown in Table 2, the work in the life and management includes working at home, opening a virtual mall, and a home LAN. The types, directions, and contents of these media are as shown in Table 2.

In addition, as shown in Table 2, home health care, home health care, and emergency emergency call are listed for health in life and management. The types, directions, and contents of these media are as shown in Table 2.

(D) Home Management As shown in Table 2, home management makes home maintenance and management convenient. For safety in home management,
Home security, home automation systems and telecons, and the like. As shown in Table 2, the energy management in the home management includes automatic medical examination, remote control processing, transmission of electric-related information, load control, and the like. The types, directions, and contents of these media are as shown in Table 2.

Tables 3 and 4 show information media applications classified by communication and broadcasting. Table 3 shows the contents of the communication system, and Table 4 shows the contents of the broadcasting system.

[0049]

[Table 3]

[0050]

[Table 4] Here, in Table 3, when the information medium is a) low-speed data, a transmission capacity of several kbps can be shared among a maximum of about 30 consumers. Applications include home security, emergency reporting, elderly exploration services, monitoring and control of customers indoors and out, automatic examination of power companies, provision of procedures and information such as charges, load equipment, distributed power supplies, etc. Control, automatic examination of gas and water utilities.

In Table 3, in the case of b) characters, voices, and still images, a transmission capacity of several [kbps] per unit application is secured and the current analog telephone is transmitted, and 64 [kbps] per unit application. Is secured and the current N-ISDN data can be transmitted. In addition, as applications, telephones between unspecified persons, facsimile, videophone, e-mail, WWW
And information acquisition and reservation / purchase of transportation and accommodation facilities,
Electronic catalog shopping, entertainment ticket reservation and exchange, electronic newspapers, multimedia magazines, electronic libraries,
Providing information to remote counters by local governments and others, providing information to local residents, providing information to specific persons (elderly, disabled, and foreigners), transmitting disaster prevention information and warnings, opening virtual malls,
There is home study.

Further, in Table 3, c) in the case of a moving image,
As for the transmission capacity, a number [Mbps] per unit application is secured. Examples of applications include video on demand such as movie on demand and game on demand, online karaoke, electronic art museums, electronic zoos and aquariums, working from home, remote lessons, and home treatment / diagnosis.

In addition, in Table 4, in the case of d) characters, still images, and sounds, the transmission capacity is several tens [kHz] per unit channel. Examples of the application include text broadcasting and FM broadcasting by providing information such as news and stock information.

In Table 4, in the case of e) a moving image, the transmission capacity is 6 [MHz] per unit channel, and an application is an NTSC standard television broadcast.

Further, in Table 4, f) In the case of a high-quality moving image, the frequency is 17 [MHz] per unit channel. The application includes high-definition broadcasting and satellite broadcasting.

Table 5 shows the classification of information services, and is as follows.

[0057]

[Table 5] In Table 5, the measurement control data of the information medium,
For voice, text / still images, and moving images, (1) low-speed data service can provide only measurement control data (indicated by "O" in the table), and cannot provide other media (Indicated by "x" in the table).

In Table 5, (2) analog telephone service can provide measurement control data (no linking), text / still image (modem switching), and voice.

In Table 5, (4) high-speed broadband service can provide measurement control data, voice, text / still images, and even moving images.

Therefore, it is necessary to construct an indoor multimedia communication network system by examining the contents of the information service.

The indoor multimedia communication network system 5 constructed in consideration of the characteristics of the information service
Is an indoor dedicated communication network (for example, an indoor coaxial cable) 52 as an indoor transmission line that is frequency-independent from the customer-related information network 3, and between the customer-related information network 3 and the indoor-located coaxial cable 52. The communication controller 51 converts the data of the information service, and distributes the data to the indoor coaxial cable 52 in an integrated manner. The communication controller 51 is connected to the indoor coaxial cable 52 and can receive and transmit the data of the information service. A terminal device 7 having a line adapter (not shown).

Here, the various terminal devices 7 include a television receiver 71, a home automation system 7
2. Home security system 73, telephone 74, facsimile device 75, personal computer (PC)
76, power optimization system 77, power controller 7
8, a TV door phone 79 and the like.

The power optimization system 78 is connected to a load conditioner 81, a heat storage air conditioner 82, a distributed power supply 83, and an electric device 84.

The electric power from the electric power company 34 is controlled by the electric power controller 78 and supplied to the load conditioner 81 via the indoor electric power wiring 42a. The electric power controlled by the load conditioner 81 is supplied to the heat storage air conditioner 82, the distributed power supply 83, and the electric equipment 8 via the indoor electric power wiring 42b.
4, the television receiver 71, the home automation system 72, the home security system 73, and the telephone 7 via the indoor power wiring 42 c.
4. Facsimile device 75, personal computer 7
6 and the TV door phone 79.

FIG. 2 shows a first embodiment of the indoor multimedia communication network system. In this figure, a satellite broadcast wave received by a satellite broadcast receiving device 91 is input to a communication controller 51 via a satellite broadcast coaxial cable. The terrestrial broadcast wave received by the terrestrial broadcast receiving antenna 92 is input to the communication controller 51 via a coaxial cable. The CATV company 32 and the communication controller 51 are connected via a coaxial cable, and broadcast from the CATV company 32 is transmitted to the communication controller 5.
1 and the communication controller 51 can perform communication between the CATV company 32 and a predetermined terminal device. The N-ISDN line 38 is connected to the communication controller 51. Communication using the outdoor power wiring 41 is performed with the communication controller 51.

The communication controller 51 converts the frequency band between the input satellite broadcast, terrestrial broadcast, CATV broadcast, etc., and various types of information based on the ISDN and CATV of the customer information network 3 and appropriately reallocates them. And transmits the signal to the indoor coaxial cable 52. Further, the communication controller 51 controls the telephone 7 among the terminal devices 7 placed indoors.
4. Facsimile device 75, personal computer 7
6 and the like via the indoor coaxial cable 52 are transmitted to the transmission medium of the customer information network 3 that carries the information service. The communication controller 51 can also exchange information between predetermined terminal devices 7 placed indoors via the coaxial cable 52 placed indoors.

As the indoor coaxial cable 52, a "television receiving coaxial cable" which is already wired to each room in many cases in existing homes is used as a main transmission line. The indoor coaxial cable 52 includes a television receiver 71, a home automation system 72, a home security system 73, and a telephone 7
4. Facsimile device 75, personal computer 7
6, power optimization system 77, power controller 78,
A TV door phone 79 and a CATV set top box 80 are connected.

In such an indoor multimedia communication network system, a method of securing a downlink to the indoor coaxial cable 52 will be examined with reference to Table 6.

[0069]

[Table 6] (I) First system (i) Outline An empty channel of a terrestrial band in band symbols B1, B2, and B3 (see FIG. 5) is used.

(Ii) Reservable Capacity In terrestrial broadcasting, several channels can be reserved.

In CATV, there are some cases where it is difficult to secure.

(Iii) Transmission of band symbols B1, B2, and B3 (see FIG. 5, transmission of FM broadcast and terrestrial television broadcast) Transmission can be performed as it is.

(Iv) Band symbols C1, C2 (see FIG. 5, C
(ATV's own program broadcasting) It can be transmitted as it is. (v) Implementation of information services In the case of low-speed data services, it is suitable for terrestrial broadcasting.

In the case of a medium-speed high-speed data service, terrestrial broadcasting becomes difficult to cope with a new change of a television channel.
CATV makes it difficult to secure indoor circuits.

In the case of a high-speed broadband service, implementation becomes difficult. (II) Second method

(I) Outline The television signal of either one of the band symbols C1 and C2 (see FIG. 5) is prevented from entering the room by means of a filter or the like.
Use that band. Specifically, a part of the downlink band is reserved as an indoor exclusive band, and the band is used.

(Ii) Reservable Capacity In the case of the mid band (band symbol C1), about 10 channels can be reserved.

In the case of a super high band (band symbol C2), about 38 channels can be secured.

(Iii) Transmission of band symbols B1, B2, B3 (see FIG. 5, transmission of FM broadcast and terrestrial television broadcast) Transmission can be performed as it is.

(Iv) Band symbols C1, C2 (see FIG. 5, C
Independent program broadcasting of ATV) Frequency conversion is performed for customers who subscribe to CATV.

(V) Implementation of Information Service In the case of a low-speed data service, there is not much advantage corresponding to the cost of frequency conversion.

In the case of a medium speed high speed data service, an indoor line can be reliably secured.

In the case of a high-speed broadband service, implementation becomes difficult.

The television signal of one of the C bands is prevented from entering the room by means of a filter or the like, and each line is set within the band. In the case of a CATV system, an independent broadcast channel (receivable only by a set-top box) signal transmitted in this band cannot be received.

To summarize the second method, a fixed channel within this band is allocated to each of the television receivers 71 in which the set-top boxes 80 are installed.
In this case, the communication controller 51 substitutes for the channel selection. The frequency is converted into a fixed channel carrier frequency output from the communication controller 51 and transmitted to the set-top box 80. Set top box 8
It is considered that the number of the television receivers 71 in which 0 is set is about 5 at maximum per one subscriber. As a result, a margin is provided in this band, and each line can be set.

The display of the power information and the like to the consumer is performed by the television receiver 71 provided with the set-top box 80.
Can be selected with. According to the second method, the band symbols B1 to B3 are not changed at all, so that no change is necessary for the television receiver 71 in which the set-top box 80 is not installed. In the case of terrestrial broadcasting, since there are no television signals in the band symbols C1 and C2, unnecessary signals from external signals are blocked by a filter.

When the second system is applied to the super high band of the band symbol C2, a sufficient free band is created, and it is possible to transmit HDTV and the like indoors in this band.

A filter is used to block a part of the television frequency band. (III) Third method (i) Outline All bands including uplink and downlink division frequencies are rearranged.
That is, a new frequency arrangement different from the current state is set by setting the entire band as an indoor dedicated band.

(Ii) With a capacity of 50 to 770 [MHz] (assuming the upper limit frequency of UHF), the frequency band becomes 720 [MHz] and is
20 channels can be secured.

(Iii) Transmission of band symbols B1, B2, B3 (see FIG. 5, transmission of FM broadcast and terrestrial television broadcast) Frequency conversion for all broadcast and communication equipment of customer television receiver 71 I do.

(Iv) Band symbols C1, C2 (see FIG. 5, C
ATV independent program broadcasting) Frequency conversion is performed for all broadcasting and communication devices of the consumer television receiver 71.

(V) Implementation of Information Service In the case of a low-speed data service, there is no advantage corresponding to the cost of frequency conversion.

In the case of the medium-speed high-speed data service, it is possible to cope with the sophistication of the system, and in some cases, there is little advantage corresponding to the cost.

In the case of a high-speed broadband service, this is made possible by a new frequency arrangement.

To summarize the third method, since the entire band is a dedicated band for indoor use and a new frequency arrangement different from the current state, it is connected to a coaxial cable such as a television receiver and an FM receiver. A fixed channel is allocated to all broadcasting devices, and the communication controller 51 performs channel selection and frequency conversion for each device. By doing so, there is a large margin in the band above the indoor coaxial cable 52.

In the above-mentioned indoor multimedia communication network system, as a result of examining three forms regarding the setting of the downlink in the indoor coaxial cable 52, it has been found that the best result can be obtained by employing the third method. . Therefore, the arrangement of frequencies by the communication controller 51 will be specifically examined.

FIG. 3 shows a specific example of the frequency allocation of signals redistributed by the communication controller. In this figure, the horizontal axis represents frequency, and the vertical axis represents signal level.

First, the communication controller 51 sets the CATV
Of the super high band (220 MHz to 45
0 MHz) is blocked by a band-pass filter or a low-pass filter so as not to leak into the indoor coaxial cable 52 (see the symbol K in FIG. 3), and low-speed data, N-ISDN, and CATV downstream signals Is allocated to the band (220 MHz to 450 MHz) and can be output to the indoor coaxial cable 52. That is, the communication controller 51 performs the super high band (220 MHz to 450 MHz) of the CATV in FIG.
The low-speed data transmission lines Q1 and N-
An N-ISDN line Q2 for transmitting ISDN data and a television signal transmitting fixed line Q3 for transmitting a CATV signal are formed.

Next, for FM broadcasting, the frequency band 70
~ 90 [MHz], and assign the FM signal downlink Q
5 is assumed. Also, VHF-L (1-3 channels)
For VHF-H (4 to 12 channels) television broadcasts, a frequency band of 90 to 220 [MHz] is assigned to make the television signal downlink Q6. Furthermore, for UHF broadcasting, 470 [MHz]
The above frequency band is allocated to the television signal downlink Q7. The communication controller 51 can send downlink signals of FM broadcast, VHF television broadcast, and UHF television broadcast to the downlinks Q5, Q6, and Q7 formed on the indoor coaxial cable 52.

Next, a frequency band of 30 to 70 [MHz]
Are assigned to the uplink, and as shown in FIG. 3, the uplink R1 for transmitting a television signal and the uplink R for low-speed data.
2. An uplink R3 for N-ISDN data is formed. Accordingly, the communication controller 51 transmits the television signal, the low-speed data, and the N-ISDN data to the uplink lines R1, R2 formed on the indoor coaxial cable 52.
2, can be captured via R3.

The frequency band 0 to 30 [MHz] is allocated to bidirectional communication to form a LAN line P. Therefore, the communication controller 51 uses the LAN line P formed on the indoor coaxial cable 52 to exchange information between the terminal devices 7 connected to the indoor coaxial cable 52. be able to.
For example, the power information from the power controller 78 connected to the communication controller 51 can be transmitted to the personal computer 76 connected to the indoor coaxial cable 52 via the communication controller 51.

According to the above-described embodiment, in many cases in existing homes, the coaxial cable for television reception already wired to each room is utilized as the indoor coaxial cable 52, so that a large-scale additional wiring is required. It is easy to introduce into existing indoors.

The television receiver 71, home automation system 72, home security system 73, telephone 74, facsimile device 75, personal computer 76, power optimization system 77, power controller 78, television intercom 79, etc. By integrating with the information transmission medium, most devices of the individual system can be connected via each line adapter.

In this embodiment, the following advantages can be obtained by securing a dedicated band in the indoor coaxial cable 52 and setting a line independent of the external network by the communication controller 51.

(I) There is a possibility that a plurality of terminals can be used with one contract with an external network.

(Ii) Since the information exchange between the predetermined terminal devices 7 can be performed via the communication controller 51 without passing through the external network, the usage fee of the customer-related information network 3 becomes unnecessary, and The traffic on the family information network 3 is reduced.

(Iii) Since communication between the predetermined terminal device 7 and the customer information network 3 is performed via the communication controller 51, the communication can be performed by changing the interface of the communication controller 51 on the customer information network 3 side. And the range of selection of the predetermined terminal device 7 is expanded.

(Iv) In the case of broadcasting, the HD under development is
It is possible to coexist with a system different from the current NTSC such as TV and digital television.

(V) Security and reliability of the customer information network 3 can be improved. That is, in a network such as CATV in which a plurality of users are connected, the communication controller 51 selects only necessary information from the information on the customer-related information network 3 and transfers the information to the indoor coaxial cable 52 in the customer. For,
Security on the customer information network 3 side is improved.

(Vi) Further, the customer information network 3
Since only the communication controller 51 performs transmission to the side, managing only the customer-side information network 3 side interface of the communication controller 51 can ensure the reliability of the customer-side information network 3.

(Vii) Further, in the case of a CATV network, it is possible to prevent an abnormal signal or noise in the upstream signal frequency band from an individual device such as the television receiver 71 from affecting the customer information network 3. .

[Second Embodiment] In the first embodiment, N-ISDN (16 [kbps] × 1 + 64 [k
bps] .times.N), the system was configured as an indoor multimedia communication network system using frequency allocation as shown in FIG. However, in the second embodiment,
In order to be able to adopt B-ISDN (156 [Mbps]) in the future, the upper limit of the CATV transmission frequency (450
[MHz]), that is, the frequency band is divided into about 250 [MHz], and 250 [MHz] is set as the frequency demarcation point for the uplink and downlink, so that the uplink and downlink are both about 156 [Mbps]. The transmission capacity can be set. This can be realized because the communication controller 51 can freely set a fixed frequency for each broadcast device.

According to the second embodiment, since the transmission line is secured at the frequency demarcation point, 15
A transmission capacity of about 6 [Mbps] can be secured, and the system can be flexibly changed.

[0114]

As described above, according to the indoor multimedia communication network system according to the first aspect of the present invention, the indoor dedicated communication network is provided which is frequency independent from the external network. The provision of the communication controller for integrally distributing the data has the following effects.

(I) There is a possibility that a plurality of terminals can be used with one contract with an external network.

(Ii) Since information exchange between predetermined terminal devices can be performed via a communication controller without passing through an external network, a fee for using the external network is unnecessary.
In addition, traffic on the external network is reduced.

(Iii) Since communication between a predetermined terminal device and the external network is performed through the communication controller, it is possible to cope with an increase in information services by changing the interface of the communication controller on the external network. The range of selection of a predetermined terminal device is expanded.

(Iv) In the case of broadcasting, the HDT under development
V and digital television can coexist with a system different from the current NTSC.

(V) Security and reliability of the external network can be improved. That is, in a network such as CATV in which a plurality of users are connected, the communication controller selects only necessary information from the external network and transfers it to the indoor dedicated communication network in the customer. Improve security.

(Vi) Further, since transmission to the external network is performed only by the communication controller, the reliability of the customer-related information network can be ensured by managing only the external network side interface of the communication controller.

(Vii) Further, in the case of a CATV network, it is possible to prevent an abnormal signal or noise in an uplink signal frequency band from an individual device such as a television receiver from affecting an external network.

Further, according to the indoor multimedia communication network system according to the second aspect of the present invention, the same effects as those of the first aspect of the present invention can be obtained. Individual systems such as television broadcasting, telephone, indoor LAN, home security, and home automation can be integrated into one information transmission medium as much as possible, and can easily cope with an increase in information service menus.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, a band-pass filter or a low-pass filter prevents a signal or noise from an external network from intruding into the indoor dedicated communication network in a predetermined frequency band, and allocates predetermined data to the band. Since the data can be transmitted to the indoor private communication network, there is an effect that it is easy to match with a system such as a telephone service or an Internet connection service utilizing the future CATV.

[0124] In the invention described in claim 4, the communication controller temporarily interrupts the time series data in the external network,
Since only necessary signals are transmitted to or received from various devices connected to the indoor dedicated communication network, it is possible to easily cope with a change or a new channel of an external network.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the communication controller transmits a down-link signal to a down-link of one band formed by dividing a use frequency band by a constant frequency, and transmits the down-link signal to the other band. Since an uplink signal transmitted through the uplink is received, it is possible to easily cope with a change or new establishment of an information service of an external network, and is excellent in system expandability.

[0126] In the invention according to claim 6, the communication controller is configured to divide the signal into a downlink of one band formed by dividing the frequency by about half of the highest usable frequency that can be used in the coaxial cable placed indoors. Is transmitted, and an uplink signal transmitted on the uplink of the other band formed by dividing the frequency by about half of the highest use frequency is received.
Sufficient transmission capacity capable of accommodating the band proposed as ISDN can be secured.

In the invention according to claim 7, since a coaxial cable for television broadcasting wired indoors is used as the indoor exclusive communication network, there is no need for special wiring, and the wiring laying cost is reduced. it can.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a multimedia communication system to which an embodiment of an indoor multimedia communication network is applied.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an indoor multimedia communication network system.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a frequency band used in an indoor multimedia communication network system.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a conventional indoor multimedia communication network system.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a state of a frequency band used in a conventional indoor multimedia communication network system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 indoor multimedia communication network system 3 customer information network (external network) 5 indoor multimedia communication network system 7 terminal device 31 information provider such as municipalities 32 CATV company 33 communication company 34 power company 51 communication controller 52 indoor coaxial cable 71 Television receiver 72 Home automation system 73 Home security system 74 Telephone 75 Facsimile device 76 Personal computer 77 Power optimization system 78 Power controller 79 Television doorphone 81 Load conditioner 82 Thermal storage air conditioner 83 Distributed power supply 84 Electrical equipment

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification symbol FI H04M 3/00 H04L 11/20 B H04Q 9/00 321 13/00 305B 361 (72) Inventor Tsukasa Yoshimitsu Iwatokita, Komae-shi, Tokyo 2-11-1 Inside the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (72) Inventor Hiroshi Iwasaki 2-1-1-1 Iwatokita, Komae-shi, Tokyo Inside the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Company

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. Data such as numerical values, characters, graphics, etc.
An external network through which time-series data such as audio information and video information is transmitted, an indoor transmission line laid indoors capable of taking in and transmitting time-series data between the external network, and a connection to the indoor transmission line. In the multimedia communication system composed of various types of terminals, the indoor transmission path is an indoor dedicated communication network that is frequency-independent from the external network, and data is transmitted between the external network and the indoor dedicated communication network. An indoor multimedia communication network system, comprising: a communication controller for performing conversion and integrally delivering the data to the indoor dedicated communication network. 2. Data such as numerical values, characters, graphics, etc.
An external network through which time-series data such as audio information and video information is transmitted, an indoor transmission line laid indoors capable of taking in and transmitting time-series data between the external network, and a connection to the indoor transmission line. In the multimedia communication system including various terminal devices, the indoor transmission path is an indoor dedicated communication network that is frequency-independent from the external network, and data is transmitted between the external network and the indoor dedicated communication network. A communication controller is provided for integrally delivering the data to the indoor dedicated communication network, and various terminal devices are connected to the indoor dedicated communication network and receive the data delivered by the communication controller. An indoor multimedia communication network system, comprising an adapter capable of distribution. 3. The communication controller according to claim 1, further comprising: a band-pass filter, a low-pass filter, or a band-eliminating filter for preventing a signal or noise from the external network from entering the indoor dedicated communication network in a predetermined frequency band. The indoor multimedia communication network system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein predetermined data is allocated to the indoor dedicated communication network and the data can be transmitted to the indoor dedicated communication network. 4. The communication controller according to claim 1, wherein the communication controller temporarily interrupts the time-series data in the external network, and transmits or receives only necessary signals to or from various devices connected to the indoor dedicated communication network. 3. The indoor multimedia communication network system according to claim 1, wherein: 5. The communication controller according to claim 1, wherein the communication controller transmits a downlink signal to a downlink of one band formed by dividing a used frequency band by a certain frequency, and transmits the uplink signal of the other band. 3. The indoor multimedia communication network system according to claim 1, wherein an incoming uplink signal is received. 6. The communication controller sends a downlink signal to a downlink of one band formed by dividing the frequency by about half of a maximum usable frequency that can be used in an indoor coaxial cable. 3. The indoor multi-unit according to claim 1, wherein an uplink signal transmitted through an uplink of the other band formed by dividing the frequency by about half of the used frequency is received. Media communication network system. 7. The indoor multimedia communication network system according to claim 1, wherein the indoor dedicated communication network is a coaxial cable for television broadcasting wired indoors.