Digital mobile radio communication apparatus

Abstract: A digital mobile radio communication apparatus having a speech signal testing function and a data transmitting and receiving function. A pair of terminals are selectively used as speech signal test terminals or data transmit and receive terminals via switches.

Description: The present invention relates to a digital mobile radio communication apparatus having a speech signal testing function and a data transmitting and receiving function and, more particularly, to a digital mobile radio communication apparatus capable of reducing the number of terminals to be connected to external equipment. It has been previously proposed to provide a radio communication apparatus of the type described at least with test terminals and transmit and receive terminals for implementing the speech signal testing function and the data transmitting and receiving function, respectively. To test a speech signal, the test terminals are connected to measuring equipment. Then, a speech entered on a microphone is routed through a first audio processor, a linear coder, the measuring equipment, a linear decoder, and a second audio processor to a speaker. On the other hand, to transmit and receive data, the transmit and receive terminals are connected to a facsimile transceiver, personal computer or similar data terminal equipment. In this condition, data to be transmitted is fed from the data terminal equipment to an antenna via the terminals, a channel coder, a modulator, and a duplexer. Data coming in through the antenna is delivered to the data terminal equipment via the duplexer, a demodulator, a channel decoder, and the terminals. The problem with such a previously proposed apparatus is that it is not operable without resorting to exclusive terminals for testing a speech signal and exclusive terminals for transmitting and receiving data. This increases the number of terminals and, makes difficult a decrease in the size and weight of the apparatus. A feature of a digital mobile radio communication apparatus to be described below, by way of example is that both a speech signal testing function and a data transmitting and receiving function require a minimum number of terminals. The following description and drawings disclose a previously proposed arrangement and, by means of an example, the invention which is characterised in the appended claim, whose terms determine the extent of the protection conferred hereby. In the drawings:- FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a previously proposed digital mobile radio communication apparatus; and FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing a digital mobile radio communication apparatus illustrating the present invention. To better understand the present invention, a brief reference will be made to a previously proposed digital radio communication apparatus having a speech signal testing function and a data transmitting and receiving function, shown in FIG. 1. As shown, the apparatus has test two terminals 23 and 24 connectable to predetermined measuring equipment, not shown, for testing a speech signal, and two transmit and receive terminals 25 and 26 connectable to a facsimile transceiver, personal computer or similar data terminal equipment, not shown, for transmitting and receiving data. Switches 4 and 18 are respectively connected to the test terminals 23 and 24 and have respectively stationary contacts a and b and stationary contacts i and j . To test a speech signal, the switches 4 and 18 have their movable contacts connected to the stationary contacts a and i , respectively. As a speech signal is entered on a microphone 15, it is routed through an audio processor 16, a linear coder 17, the switch 18, the test terminal 24, the measuring equipment, not shown, the test terminal 23, the switch 4, a linear decoder 3, an audio processor 2, and a speaker 1. On the other hand, to transmit and receive data, switches 10 and 20 connected to the transmit and receive terminals 25 and 26, respectively, have their movable contacts connected to stationary contacts h and l . At the same time, the transmit and receive terminals 25 and 26 are connected to the data terminal equipment, not shown. Data to be transmitted is delivered from the data terminal equipment to an antenna 14 via the transmit and receive terminal 26, the switch 20, a channel coder 21, a modulator 22 (MOD), and a duplexer 13 (DUP). On the other hand, data coming in through the antenna 14 is routed through the DUP 13, a demodulator (DEMOD) 12, a channel decoder 11, the switch 10, and the transmit and receive terminal 25 to the data terminal equipment. The problem with the conventional apparatus described above is that the test terminals 23 and 24 and the transmit and receive terminals 25 and 26 have to be provided independently of each other, increasing the number of terminals and, therefore, obstructing the decrease in the size and weight of the apparatus, as discussed earlier. Referring to FIG. 2, a digital radio communication apparatus embodying the present invention is shown which eliminates the problem stated above. In the figures, the same or similar constituents are designated by like reference numerals for simplicity. As shown, the apparatus has a microphone 15 from which an analog speech signal is fed to an audio processor 16. The audio processor 16 processes, e.g., amplifies the analog signal and delivers the resulting signal to a linear coder 17. The linear coder 17 converts the analog signal to a digital signal and feeds it to a speech coder 19 via a switch 18. The speech coder 19 transforms the digital signal to data by compression and delivers the data to a channel coder 21 via a switch 20. The channel coder 21 adds redundant bits to the data while rearranging the data. The rearranged data is fed from the channel coder 21 to a modulator (MOD) 22. The MOD 22 modulates the input signal. The resulting digital modulated signal is transmitted via a duplexer (DUP) 13 and an antenna 14. On the other hand, a digital modulated signal received by the antenna 14 is routed through the DUP 13, a demodulator (DEMOD) 12, a channel decoder 11, a switch 10, a speech decoder 9, a switch 4, a linear decoder 3 and an audio processor 2 to a speaker 1. As a result, a speech signal is produced via the speaker 1. In the illustrative embodiment, the speech signal testing function and the data transmitting and receiving function share common terminals 7 and 8 and common switches 5 and 6 connected to the terminals 7 and 8, respectively. To use the terminals 7 and 8 as test terminals, the switches 5 and 6 have their movable contacts connected to stationary contacts c and e , respectively. In this condition, measuring equipment for measuring a speech signal is connected to the terminals 7 and 8. To use the terminals 7 and 8, as transmit and receive terminals, the movable contacts of the switches 5 and 6 are connected to stationary contacts d and f , respectively, while the movable contacts of the switches 10 and 20 are connected to stationary contacts h and l , respectively. In this configuration, the terminals 7 and 8 may be connected to the facsimile, personal computer or similar data terminal equipment. As stated above, the communication apparatus shown in FIG. 2 implements two different functions, i.e., the speech signal testing function and the data transmitting and receiving functions with only two common terminals 7 and 8. In summary, it will be seen that the present invention provides a digital mobile radio communication apparatus operable with a smaller number of terminals than conventional one and, therefore, small size and light weight. This unprecedented advantages is derived from a unique configuration wherein a pair of terminals are selectively used as speech signal test terminals or data transmit and receive terminals via switches or similar means. Various modifications will become possible for those skilled in the art after receiving the teachings of the present disclosure without departing from the scope thereof, as defined in the appended claim.

Claims: A digital mobile radio communication apparatus having two terminals (7) and (8), the two terminals (7) and (8) each being connected to a respective first and second switch (5) (6) and being selectable to enable either a speech signal testing function, or a data transmitting and receiving function to be carried out, one signal path which includes a channel decoder (11) for the receipt of an incoming signal, a speech decoder (9), the output of the channel decoder (11) being applied via a third switch (10) either to the speech decoder (9) via one terminal (g) of the third switch (10), or to a terminal (d) of the first switch (5) via another terminal (h) of the third switch (10), and a linear decoder (3), the input to the linear decoder (3) being derived either from the output of the speech decoder (9) via one terminal (b) of a fourth switch (4), or from another terminal (c) of the first switch (5) via a terminal (a) of the fourth switch (4), and another signal path which includes a linear coder (17) for the receipt of an analog speech signal, a speech coder (19), the output from the linear coder (17) being applied via a fifth switch (18) either to the speech coder (19) via one terminal (j) of the fifth switch (18), or to a terminal (e) of the second switch (6) via another terminal (i) of the fifth switch (18), and a channel coder (21), the input to the channel coder (21) being derived either from the output of the speech coder (19) via one terminal (k) of a sixth switch (20), or from another terminal (f) of the second switch (20) via another terminal (1) of the sixth switch (20), the operation of the first and second switches (5) and (6) to connect the two terminals (7) and (8) to the fourth and fifth switches (4)(18) respectively, and the operation of fourth and fifth switches (4)(18) to connect the linear decoder (3) and the linear coder (17) to the switches (5) and (6) respectively enabling the two terminals (7) and (8) to be used in the provision of a speech signal testing function, and the operation of the first and second switches (5) and (6) to connect the two terminals (7) and (8) to the third and sixth switches (10), (20) respectively, and the operation of the third and sixth switches (10) (20) to connect the channel decoder (11) and the channel coder (21) to the switches (5) and (6) respectively enabling the two terminals (7) and (8) to be used alternatively in the provision of a data transmission and reception function.

Inventors: HASHIMOTO KAZUYA, MURAKAMI TAKASHI, HASHIMOTO, KAZUYA, MURAKAMI, TAKASHI
Applicants: NIPPON ELECTRIC CO, NEC CORPORATION
Application year: 1992
Main classification: H04B7
IPC codes: H04B17, H04Q11, H04R29, H04W88