JP2010226755A - Block converter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a block converter capable of correcting level differences caused by transmission loss, achieving favorable transmission, and improving signal quality, even when frequency conversion of a horizontally polarized wave signal and a vertically polarized wave signal separated from within a cable satellite (CS) broadcast signal is performed, and the signals are transmitted over a single coaxial cable. <P>SOLUTION: A block converter is configured by: two pairs of signal processing paths that individually down-convert a horizontally polarized wave signal and a vertically polarized wave signal acquired from a CS broadcast signal to a first intermediate frequency; a mixer 16 that combines the down-converted horizontally polarized wave signal and vertically polarized wave signal; a tilt circuit 17 that corrects signal levels of both combined polarized wave signals; an up-converter 18 that up-converts to a second intermediate frequency both polarized wave signals of which the signal levels are corrected; and a mixer 20 that combines frequency modulation (FM), very high frequency (VHF), ultra-high frequency (UHF), and broadcasting satellite (BS) broadcast signals with both polarized wave signals and sends the combined signals to a single coaxial cable. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a block converter, and in particular, converts the frequency of a horizontal polarization signal and a vertical polarization signal obtained by discriminating a broadcast signal transmitted from a communication satellite to thereby convert an existing broadcast signal such as FM, VHF, or UHF. In addition, the present invention relates to a block converter that supplies a receiving terminal via a single coaxial cable.

Communication satellite
CS digital broadcasting using Satellite (CS) realizes television broadcasting and radio broadcasting of about 100 channels per satellite by using both horizontal and vertical polarized waves using signals of 12 GHz band of communication satellites. With such broadcasting technology using communication satellites, a variety of multimedia services such as interactive TV, satellite Internet, and data transmission are planned in the future by adding communication functions to broadcast data services. Has been. With such changes in the broadcasting environment, not only existing terrestrial broadcasting such as FM, VHF, UHF, and broadcasting satellites (Broadcasting Satellite: BS) but also the above-mentioned CS in apartment buildings such as buildings and condominiums. Realization of a system capable of receiving digital broadcasting is also desired.

However, since the horizontal polarization signal and the vertical polarization signal obtained by discriminating broadcast signals transmitted from communication satellites perform multi-channel transmission using substantially the same frequency band, depending on one transmission cable, Both polarization signals cannot be transmitted simultaneously. Therefore, in order to transmit both polarizations efficiently with a single transmission cable, it is necessary to use CS block converters (frequency converters) and replace them with different bands so that the frequency bands do not overlap. is there.
The CS block converter converts a frequency band for each horizontal polarization signal and vertical polarization signal so that the frequency bands do not overlap each other in units of blocks in which a plurality of broadcast channels are grouped, and other existing broadcasts. It is designed so that it can be transmitted simultaneously with one transmission cable without overlapping the signal frequency band.

Hereinafter, a joint reception system to which a CS block converter is applied will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 4, the joint reception system includes a CS antenna 102 that receives a broadcast signal 101 transmitted from a communication satellite CS, a BS antenna 112 that receives a broadcast signal 111 transmitted from a broadcast satellite BS, and a BS antenna. 112 is received by the CS antenna 102 and a mixer 113 that synthesizes an existing terrestrial broadcast signal such as FM, VHF, or UHF, or a broadcast signal from a cable television (CATV) or the like. The CS block converter 120 performs frequency conversion as described above using the discriminated horizontal polarization signal and vertical polarization signal and the existing broadcast signal as individual inputs. In addition, each broadcast signal frequency-converted by the CS block converter 120 is simultaneously sent to one coaxial cable 121 and supplied to a receiving terminal such as a television set in each dwelling unit.

  Here, the broadcast signal 101 transmitted from the communication satellite CS is a linearly polarized wave, and multi-channeling is achieved by properly using a horizontally polarized signal and a vertically polarized signal having an angle of 90 degrees in the same frequency band. Yes. On the other hand, the broadcast signal 111 transmitted from the broadcast satellite BS is circularly polarized, and a system that assigns frequencies that do not overlap each other to each channel is adopted.

Next, the frequency conversion process of the CS block converter 120 described above will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
The frequency conversion process will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 5, the frequency allocation at the time of transmission of each broadcast signal is FM (76 to 90 MHz), VHF (90 to 222 MHz), UHF (470 to 770 MHz), and BS (1035 to 1335 MHz). Thus, the frequency band at the time of reception of the vertically polarized signal CS (V) in the CS broadcast signal is 1293 to 1533 MHz, and the frequency band of the horizontally polarized signal CS (H) is 1308 to 1548 MHz, and the frequency band of the BS (BS1 to BS15) partially overlap.
Therefore, the frequency conversion processing by the CS block converter does not simply divide the CS broadcast signal into a horizontally polarized signal and a vertically polarized signal and assign them to different frequency bands. It is necessary to perform conversion processing so as to avoid it. More specifically, the vertical polarization signal CS (V) is replaced with 92 MHz, and the horizontal polarization signal CS (H) is replaced with 347 MHz shifted to the high frequency side.

As for the joint reception system for transmitting broadcast signals such as VHF, UHF, BS, CS, etc. via a single coaxial cable using the function (frequency conversion processing) of the block converter as described above, Patent Documents 1 to 3 etc.
By the way, in the joint reception system as described above, a coaxial cable is generally used as a transmission cable. Coaxial cables have wideband characteristics and are easy to branch and distribute, so they are used in various cable networks including common reception systems and CATV.

JP-A-10-190505 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-200347 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-294673

As described above, the coaxial cable frequently used in the joint reception system has a wideband characteristic and has a feature of easy branching and distribution. However, as shown in FIG. It also has the feature that transmission loss increases depending on it.
Therefore, when a coaxial cable is used for a joint reception system, even when the cable length is about several tens of meters, there is a problem that the signal is attenuated by about several dB and the quality of the broadcast signal is deteriorated. Yes.

In particular, when a CS broadcast signal is transmitted along with other terrestrial broadcast signals, BS broadcast signals, etc. via a single coaxial cable, the frequency bands of the horizontal polarization signal and the vertical polarization signal obtained from the CS broadcast signal Are converted to a high frequency side in a wide band so that they do not overlap with each other and other broadcast signals (BS), so that the bandwidth ranges from about 250 MHz (1293-1548 MHz) at the time of reception to 500 MHz or more (1385). 1895 MHz), it is easily affected by the transmission loss (signal attenuation) in the frequency characteristics shown in FIG. 6, and a difference occurs with the signal level on the low frequency side, so that the signal quality is significantly deteriorated. Have the problem of
The frequency characteristic of transmission loss (signal attenuation) in the coaxial cable shown in FIG. 6 shows a general tendency of a known coaxial cable frequently used in satellite broadcast receiving facilities.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a block converter capable of correcting a level difference caused by transmission loss, realizing good transmission, and improving signal quality, with the object of solving the above-described problems. It is.

The block converter according to the invention of claim 1 is:
First signal processing means for converting a frequency band of a broadcast signal into a first intermediate frequency band lower than the frequency band;
Second signal processing means for converting the broadcast signal converted into the first intermediate frequency band into a second intermediate frequency band higher than the first intermediate frequency band;
Signal synthesizing means for synthesizing another broadcast signal with the broadcast signal of the second intermediate frequency band converted by the second signal processing means and sending it to one transmission cable;
With
Signal level correction means for correcting the broadcast signal so that there is no difference in signal level between the low frequency side and high frequency side of the broadcast signal converted to the first intermediate frequency band, the first signal processing means And a path between the second signal processing means and the second signal processing means.

The block converter according to the invention of claim 2 is:
First signal processing means for converting a frequency band of a broadcast signal into a first intermediate frequency band lower than the frequency band;
Second signal processing means for converting the broadcast signal converted into the first intermediate frequency band into a second intermediate frequency band higher than the first intermediate frequency band;
With
Signal level correction means for correcting the broadcast signal so that there is no difference in signal level between the low frequency side and high frequency side of the broadcast signal converted to the first intermediate frequency band, the first signal processing means Provided in a path between the second signal processing means and the second signal processing means,
The signal level correction means fixes a signal level at a low frequency of the broadcast signal in the first intermediate frequency band as a reference, converts a signal level at a higher frequency to a uniform signal level independent of frequency. It is a tilt circuit having a reverse tilt characteristic to be corrected.

The invention according to claim 3 is the block converter according to claim 2,
The broadcast signal of the second intermediate frequency band converted by the second signal processing means is combined with another broadcast signal and sent to a single transmission cable. And
The invention according to claim 4 is the block converter according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The signal level correcting means includes
The correction amount of the signal level of the broadcast signal can be variably set.
The invention according to claim 5 is the block converter according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
An S / N correction means for amplifying the signal level is provided in front of the signal level correction means to correct the signal-to-noise ratio of the broadcast signal.

According to the block converter according to the present invention, the process from the process of converting the horizontally polarized signal and the vertically polarized signal to the first intermediate frequency (down-conversion) to the process of converting to the second intermediate frequency (up-conversion). Since the correction means for flattening the signal level of both polarization signals is provided in the path of, the transmission loss (cable loss) that occurs when transmitting the broadcast signal via the coaxial cable is corrected and a good signal is obtained. Quality can be compensated.
In particular, by setting a frequency lower than the frequency of the received broadcast signal as the first intermediate frequency, and providing correction means downstream of the down-conversion, the frequency characteristics of the signal level in a state where both polarization signals are at a low frequency. Therefore, the circuit configuration can be simplified and downsized, and stable circuit characteristics can be realized.

Further, according to the block converter of the present invention, since the signal level can be corrected in a lump after the down-converted horizontal polarization signal and vertical polarization signal are combined, the horizontal polarization signal and the vertical polarization signal are corrected. The wave signals can be corrected simultaneously with the same characteristics, and the signal quality can be further improved, and the circuit configuration can be further simplified and reduced in size.
In addition, according to the block converter of the present invention, the signal level transmission loss caused when transmitting both polarization signals via the coaxial cable can be corrected by the tilt circuit having the reverse tilt characteristic. The level can be appropriately flattened, and the signal quality can be improved with a simple circuit configuration.

Further, according to the block converter of the present invention, the correction amount of the signal level of both polarization signals can be variably set using a switch mechanism, a volume mechanism, etc. Corrections can be made according to different transmission loss trends depending on the characteristics, the frequency of the signal to be handled, etc., and the signal level can be appropriately flattened.
In addition, according to the block converter of the present invention, the S / N correction means such as an amplifier is provided in the preceding stage of the signal level correction means, so that the second signal processing means ( It is possible to suppress the phenomenon that the input level to the (up-conversion) is lowered and the SN ratio is deteriorated, and good signal transmission with high signal quality can be realized.

It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the block converter which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the tilt characteristic of the tilt circuit applied to this embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the block converter which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram of the joint reception system to which CS block converter is applied. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the frequency conversion process of CS block converter. It is a figure which shows the frequency characteristic of the transmission loss in a coaxial cable.

Hereinafter, the block converter according to the present invention will be specifically described with reference to embodiments.
<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the block converter according to the first embodiment.
In FIG. 1, the block converter includes a high pass filter (HPF) 11a or 11b, an amplifier 12a or 12b, a gain controller (GC) 13a or 13b, a down converter (first signal processing means) 14a or 14b, and a band pass filter. (BPF) 15a or 15b, each of which is arranged in series, two sets of signal processing paths, and horizontally polarized signals and vertical polarizations individually downconverted to the first intermediate frequency by the two sets of signal processing paths. A mixer (MIX) 16 that synthesizes the wave signal, a tilt circuit (signal level correction means) 17 that corrects the signal level of the combined two polarization signals, and the two polarization signals whose signal levels are corrected are the second Up-converter (second signal processing means) 18 for up-converting to an intermediate frequency, and both polarization signals at a predetermined signal level It comprises an amplifier 19 for amplification, and a mixer (MIX; signal synthesis means) 20 for synthesizing FM, VHF, UHF, and BS broadcast signals with both polarization signals and sending them to one coaxial cable. Yes.

  IN1 is an input terminal for a horizontally polarized signal CS (H), IN2 is an input terminal for a vertically polarized signal CS (V), and IN3 is an existing broadcast signal, that is, a broadcast signal such as FM, VHF, UHF, or BS. OUT is an output terminal of the block converter, and is connected to the receiving terminal through a coaxial cable. Dfa and Dfb are local oscillation sources of the down converter, and Uf is a local oscillation source of the up converter.

Hereinafter, each configuration and function will be described in detail.
The HPFs 11a and 11b are received by a CS antenna (not shown), demultiplexed by a polarization demultiplexer, and function as an input filter for a broadcast signal that is input after being converted to a frequency of 1 GHz band. Only the high frequency components of the signal CS (H) and the vertically polarized signal CS (V) are passed. Here, as described in the related art, the frequency band of the horizontally polarized signal CS (H) is 1308-1548 MHz, and the frequency band of the vertically polarized signal CS (V) is 1293-1533 MHz. .

The amplifiers 12a and 12b have a function of amplifying the signal level of the input horizontal polarization signal CS (H) and vertical polarization signal CS (V) to a predetermined level, and the GCs 13a and 13b are input. When the signal levels of the horizontal polarization signal CS (H) and the vertical polarization signal CS (V) vary, the signal level is adjusted.
The down converters 14a and 14b down-convert the frequency bands of the horizontal polarization signal CS (H) and the vertical polarization signal CS (V) based on the oscillation frequencies from the local oscillation sources Dfa and Dfb, thereby In addition, the BPFs 15a and 15b allow only signals in a predetermined frequency band to pass, attenuate signals outside the band, and eliminate reception interference with signals using other frequency bands. Here, the oscillation frequency from the local oscillation source Dfa on the horizontal polarization signal CS (H) side is assumed to be 1818 MHz, and the oscillation frequency from the local oscillation source Dfb on the vertical polarization signal CS (V) side is assumed to be 2073 MHz.
1818- (1308-1548) = 270-510 [MHz] (1)
2073- (1293-1533) = 540-780 [MHz] (2)
That is, the down converters 14a and 14b perform inversion conversion so that the low frequency is high and the high frequency is low, and the mixer 16 further converts the horizontal polarization signal CS (H) and the vertical polarization signal CS (V). The frequency band is synthesized and replaced with the first intermediate frequency (270 to 780 MHz).

  The tilt circuit 17 fixes the horizontal polarization signal CS (H) and the vertical polarization signal CS (V) down-converted to the first intermediate frequency by the down converters 14a and 14b with reference to predetermined signal levels, It has a function to adjust other signal levels to approximate the reference level. For example, a well-known gain controller is used as a basic configuration, and a circuit that fixes and prevents fluctuations in a predetermined frequency range (point) is added. Configured. Details will be described later.

The up-converter 18 up-converts the frequencies of the horizontal polarization signal CS (H) and the vertical polarization signal CS (V) whose signal levels are tilt-corrected based on the oscillation frequency from the local oscillation source, and As described above, the signal is inverted and converted to a high frequency and amplified by the amplifier 19 to a signal level necessary for transmission via the coaxial cable. Here, the oscillation frequency from the local oscillation source is 2165 MHz.
2165- (270-780) = 1385-1895 [MHz] (3)
That is, the up-converter 18 performs inversion conversion so that the low frequency is high and the high frequency is low, and is replaced with the second intermediate frequency band (1385 to 1895 MHz).
The mixer 20 synthesizes an existing broadcast signal with the horizontal polarization signal CS (H) and the vertical polarization signal CS (V) converted to the second intermediate frequency, and transmits them to the receiving terminal via the coaxial cable. To do. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the frequency band is higher than FM (76 to 90 MHz), VHF (90 to 222 MHz), UHF (470 to 770 MHz), BS (1035 to 1335 MHz), and the frequency band. The horizontal polarization signal CS (H) and the vertical polarization signal CS (V) having the second intermediate frequency are combined without overlapping.

Here, the tilt circuit applied to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing the tilt characteristics of the tilt circuit.
The tilt circuit applied to the present embodiment has characteristics opposite to those of a general tilt circuit that fixes the signal level in the high frequency region and changes the slope of the signal level in the lower frequency region (reverse tilt characteristic). ). That is, as shown in FIG. 2, in the first intermediate frequency band (270 to 780 MHz) converted by the down converters 14a and 14b, the signal level in the low frequency region (near 270 MHz) is fixed as a reference, and the frequency By tilting the slope of the signal level in the higher region, the frequency characteristics of the signal level (indicated by the solid line in the figure) whose attenuation increases as the transmission loss increases are suppressed, and the frequency dependence is suppressed. A broadcast signal having a flat signal level (shown by a broken line in the figure) is output.

In particular, it is sufficient to perform signal processing at a relatively low frequency by performing signal level tilt correction in the first intermediate frequency band (270 to 780 MHz) after down-conversion. The characteristics can be easily aligned, and desired tilt characteristics can be easily realized with good controllability. On the other hand, when the same tilt correction is performed in a high frequency band, for example, a frequency when a broadcast signal is transmitted to a coaxial cable (second frequency; 1385 to 1895 MHz), the signal frequency is high and the frequency band Therefore, the characteristic must be set in consideration of the lumped constant such as the circuit pattern in addition to the constants of each component constituting the tilt circuit, and the desired tilt characteristic cannot be easily realized. Have.
In addition, the tilt function that fixes the signal level in the low frequency region and flattens the signal level by adjusting the signal level in the higher frequency region is compared to correcting the signal level in the low frequency region. The circuit can be realized simply.

Furthermore, by combining the down-converted horizontal polarization signal and vertical polarization signal and providing a tilt circuit in the path to up-conversion, the same characteristics can be applied to the horizontal polarization signal and the vertical polarization signal at the same time using a single tilt circuit. Since the tilt correction can be performed in this manner, the signal level can be satisfactorily flattened with a simplified circuit configuration.
Note that the frequencies of the local oscillation sources Dfa, Dfb, and Uf shown in the present embodiment are examples shown for convenience of explanation, and do not limit the present invention. In short, any other oscillation frequency may be used as long as the configuration and function of the tilt circuit can be down-converted to the second intermediate frequency that can be easily set.
Moreover, the schematic configuration when the block converter according to the present embodiment is applied to the joint reception system is the same as that shown in FIG.

In addition, the reverse tilt characteristic of the tilt circuit is not limited to tilting by a fixed fixed amount of correction, and a configuration in which a tilt function having a predetermined characteristic is turned on and off by a switch mechanism or the like (switching between with and without tilt). The tilt amount may be switched stepwise, or the tilt amount may be continuously changed by a volume mechanism or the like.
According to such a configuration in which the tilt characteristic is variable, even when the tendency of transmission loss varies depending on the circuit configuration and characteristics applied to the block converter, the signal level can be set by arbitrarily selecting an appropriate tilt amount. Since it can be flattened, good signal characteristics can be realized.

<Second Embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment of the block converter according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In this embodiment, in order to prevent the output level of the tilt circuit, that is, the input level to the up-converter from decreasing and the SN ratio from deteriorating when the tilt amount of the signal level corrected by the tilt circuit increases, A correction amplifier is provided.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a block converter according to the second embodiment. Here, about the structure equivalent to FIG. 1, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted.
As shown in FIG. 3, in the present embodiment, an SN correction amplifier 21 is provided on the path between the mixer 16 and the tilt circuit 17, and the horizontal polarization signal CS (H) and the vertical polarization signal CS (V). Are down-converted to the first intermediate frequency by down-converters 14a and 14b, both are combined by mixer 16, and then the signal level is amplified by SN correction amplifier 21 and input to tilt circuit 17 at the subsequent stage.

In the first embodiment described above, when the signal level is tilted for the purpose of correcting the transmission loss by the tilt circuit 17, depending on the characteristics of the circuit components of the block converter, the signal level to be corrected, and the like, the up-converter 18 in the subsequent stage. In some cases, the signal level deteriorates due to a decrease in the input level to the SNR, which deteriorates the signal-to-noise ratio (signal-to-noise characteristics).
Therefore, by providing an SN correction amplifier 21 in the preceding stage of the tilt circuit 17 and increasing the signal level in advance, even if the input level to the up-converter decreases due to the tilt correction of the signal level, the SN ratio is reduced. Deterioration can be suppressed.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, only two signals obtained by discriminating CS broadcast signals transmitted from communication satellites, that is, a case where a horizontal polarization signal and a vertical polarization signal are individually frequency-converted and combined are used. Although shown, the block converter according to the present invention is not limited to this, and can be satisfactorily applied even when a single broadcast signal is frequency-converted. Here, examples of frequency conversion of a single broadcast signal include, for example, a case where a UHF broadcast signal is converted into a VHF broadcast signal, or one system signal (horizontal polarization signal or vertical polarization signal) among CS broadcast signals. Or any of the above) may be block-converted.

Even in the case where the block converter according to the present invention is applied to such frequency conversion processing, the first signal processing means (down converter) and the second signal processing means (up converter) as in the above-described embodiments. By providing a tilt circuit between them, it is possible to perform a correction process for making the signal level uniform in a relatively low frequency band, so that good signal transmission can be realized with a simple circuit configuration.
Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, only the configuration in which the tilt circuit having the reverse tilt characteristic is applied as the signal level correction unit is shown, but the block converter according to the present invention is not limited to this, and the tilt converter An equalizer or the like may be used instead of the circuit. In short, the present invention can be applied satisfactorily as long as the signal level is made uniform by correcting the loss generated during transmission of the broadcast signal.

11a, 11b HPF
12a, 12b, 19 Amplifier 13a, 13b GC
14a, 14b Down converter 15a, 15b BPF
16, 20 Mixer 17 Tilt circuit 18 Upconverter 21 SN correction amplifier

Claims (5)

First signal processing means for converting a frequency band of a broadcast signal into a first intermediate frequency band lower than the frequency band;
Second signal processing means for converting the broadcast signal converted into the first intermediate frequency band into a second intermediate frequency band higher than the first intermediate frequency band;
Signal synthesizing means for synthesizing another broadcast signal with the broadcast signal of the second intermediate frequency band converted by the second signal processing means and sending it to one transmission cable;
With
Signal level correction means for correcting the broadcast signal so that there is no difference in signal level between the low frequency side and high frequency side of the broadcast signal converted to the first intermediate frequency band, the first signal processing means And a block converter provided on a path between the second signal processing means and the second signal processing means. First signal processing means for converting a frequency band of a broadcast signal into a first intermediate frequency band lower than the frequency band;
Second signal processing means for converting the broadcast signal converted into the first intermediate frequency band into a second intermediate frequency band higher than the first intermediate frequency band;
With
Signal level correction means for correcting the broadcast signal so that there is no difference in signal level between the low frequency side and high frequency side of the broadcast signal converted to the first intermediate frequency band, the first signal processing means Provided in a path between the second signal processing means and the second signal processing means,
The signal level correction means fixes a signal level at a low frequency of the broadcast signal in the first intermediate frequency band as a reference, converts a signal level at a higher frequency to a uniform signal level independent of frequency. A block converter comprising a tilt circuit having a reverse tilt characteristic to be corrected.   The broadcast signal of the second intermediate frequency band converted by the second signal processing means is combined with another broadcast signal and sent to a single transmission cable. The block converter according to claim 2. The signal level correcting means includes
4. The block converter according to claim 1, wherein a correction amount of the signal level of the broadcast signal can be variably set.   5. The S / N correction means for amplifying the signal level in order to correct the signal-to-noise ratio of the broadcast signal is provided in front of the signal level correction means. Block converter.

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