JP7368289B2 - wireless broadcast system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a radio broadcasting system equipped with a slave station device that receives a radio signal transmitted from a master station device and outputs the amplified sound.

Conventionally, information has been transmitted from an information source to a geographically distant location by voice or non-voice (text data, etc.), regardless of whether it is wireless or wired. As an example of information transmission using voice, there is a radio broadcasting system that includes a slave station device that receives a radio signal transmitted from a master station device and outputs the amplified sound. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a broadcast communication system in which a master station can collect reception quality of slave stations.

Patent No. 6202612

When transmitting information using audio, such as in a wireless broadcasting system, the information transmission cannot be achieved unless the other party is within the range of the audio and can hear the content. In addition, the sound may become noise and cause a nuisance to the surrounding area. Furthermore, since people in the vicinity can also hear the voice, it may not be possible to ensure confidentiality when transmitting important information.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to prevent noise and ensure confidentiality when using voice for information transmission.

In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, a radio broadcasting system is configured as follows.
That is, the radio broadcasting system according to the present invention includes a master station device, a slave station device that receives a radio signal transmitted from the master station device, and a processing device disposed near the slave station device. The device wirelessly transmits an instruction signal that causes the processing device to execute processing, and when the slave station device receives the instruction signal, it outputs audio that includes the instruction signal in the inaudible sound band, and the processing device The present invention is characterized in that processing corresponding to the instruction signal is executed based on the instruction signal included in the inaudible sound band of output audio from the device.

Various types of signals can be used as the instruction signal included in the inaudible sound band of the output audio. For example, as the instruction signal, a signal instructing information collection, a signal instructing text display, a signal instructing audio output, etc. can be used.

Here, as one configuration example, the master station device may generate audio data including the instruction signal in the inaudible sound band and wirelessly transmit it to the slave station device. In addition, as another configuration example, the master station device wirelessly transmits the instruction signal as non-audio data to the slave station device, and the slave station device converts the non-audio data to audio in the inaudible sound band and outputs it. You may also do so.

According to the present invention, by using inaudible sounds in audio information transmission, it is possible to prevent noise and ensure confidentiality.

1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a wireless broadcasting system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a sequence of operations for collecting information using inaudible sounds.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a radio broadcasting system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The wireless broadcasting system of this example is based on a fixed wireless system that includes a relay device 11, a console 12, a door-to-door receiver 21, and an outdoor slave station 22.

The operation console 12 is installed, for example, in a building of a headquarters that conducts disaster prevention work, such as a disaster prevention center, a city hall, or a town/village office. The relay device 11 is a wireless equipment used to wirelessly transmit broadcast audio in response to operations on the console 12 . The door-to-door receiver 21 and the outdoor slave station 22 are slave station devices that receive wirelessly transmitted broadcast audio and amplify it from a speaker. The door-to-door receiver 21 is a slave station device installed indoors, and the outdoor slave station is a slave station device installed outdoors. In this example, a door-to-door receiver 21 is installed inside the evacuation center A building, and an outdoor slave station 31 is installed outdoors near the evacuation center B.

In conventional operation, information is conveyed by voice, so the content to be conveyed is played directly from the speakers of the door-to-door receiver 21 and the outdoor slave station 31. In this case, information cannot be transmitted unless the other party is within range of the audio and can hear the content. Furthermore, it is difficult to convey highly confidential information only to the person to whom the information is to be conveyed. In addition, although it may not be called noise, people in the surrounding area will hear information that is completely irrelevant.

Therefore, this system avoids problems such as confidentiality and noise by realizing information transmission using inaudible sounds. Inaudible sounds are sounds with frequencies that are inaudible (or difficult to hear) for humans. In this example, inaudible sounds with a frequency of 20 kHz to 40 kHz are used for information transmission, but this is only an example, and inaudible sounds with other frequencies may be used. A mechanism for transmitting information using inaudible sounds will be described below.

An inaudible sound transmitting device 13, an information management device 14, an information display device 15, and the like are connected to the console 12, which is the side that transmits information.
An inaudible sound receiver 22 is installed near the door-to-door receiver 21 that receives information. The inaudible sound receiver 22 is connected to an information gathering device 23, and the information gathering device 23 is further connected to an information display device 24, a voice speaking device 25, an information transmitting device 26, and the like.
Similarly, an inaudible sound receiver 32 is installed near the outdoor slave station 31. The inaudible sound receiver 32 is connected to an information gathering device 33, and the information gathering device 33 is further connected to an information display device 34, a voice speaking device 35, an information transmitting device 36, and the like.

Here, the vicinity of the door-to-door receiver 21 refers to a range where the audio output from the door-to-door receiver 21 can be received without any problem. Although the range in which audio can be received changes depending on the output volume of the door-to-door receiver 21, it is sufficient that the inaudible sound receiver 22 is placed at a position where it can receive the minimum volume expected in actual operation. Similarly, the inaudible sound receiver 32 only needs to be placed at a position where it can receive the sound output from the outdoor slave station 31.

The operations of these devices will be explained with reference to the sequence example shown in FIG. Here, we will explain a case where a worker at the headquarters acquires (collects) the latest information on evacuation center A as an example. It should be noted that evacuation center A is a facility where people come and go on a daily basis, and the information on permanent supplies etc. is always up to date. In addition, evacuation center B is an unmanned facility, and information such as permanent supplies is updated during periodic inspections.

The worker operates the inaudible sound transmitter 13 located at the headquarters, specifies evacuation center A, and inputs an instruction to obtain the latest information. When the inaudible sound transmitting device 13 receives an instruction to obtain the latest information, it generates audio data in the inaudible sound band containing the instruction to obtain the latest information, and performs a notification activation function that instructs the activation of a notification (public address broadcast). It is transmitted along with the signal to the console 12 (step S1).

The console 12 wirelessly transmits the notification activation signal and the audio data in the inaudible band via the relay device 11 (steps S2 and S3). When the door-to-door receiver 21 in the evacuation center A receives the notification activation signal and the audio data in the inaudible band, it outputs broadcast audio corresponding to the audio data in the inaudible band from the speaker (step S4). Furthermore, when the outdoor slave station 31 in the evacuation center B receives the report activation signal and the audio data in the inaudible band, it outputs broadcast audio corresponding to the audio data in the inaudible band from the speaker. In addition, the outdoor slave station 31 in evacuation center B does not output amplified sound based on the destination information (designating the door-to-door receiver 21 in evacuation center A) included in the notification activation signal and the audio data in the inaudible band. You can do it like this.

The inaudible sound receiver 22 in the evacuation center A receives the broadcast sound (inaudible sound) output from the door-to-door receiver 21 with a microphone, and transmits the received content to the information gathering device 23 (step S5). The information collecting device 23 analyzes the inaudible sound band of the broadcast sound received by the inaudible sound receiver 22. When the information collection device 23 recognizes the instruction included in the inaudible sound band (instruction to obtain the latest information on evacuation center A), the information collection device 23 collects and organizes the latest information on evacuation center A and sends it to the information transmission device 26. Transmit (step S6). Note that the inaudible sound receiver 23 in the evacuation center B also receives the broadcast sound (inaudible sound) output from the outdoor slave station 31 with a microphone and transmits it to the information gathering device 33, but it is not in the inaudible sound band. Since the included instructions are not directed to the information gathering device 33, no particular processing is performed.

The information transmitting device 26 transmits the latest information on the evacuation center A obtained from the information collecting device 23 to the console 12 at the headquarters using a communication means such as LTE (Long Term Evolution) or Wi-Fi (step S7). ). The operation console 12 deploys the latest information about the shelter A received from the information transmitting device 26 to the information management device 14 (step S8).

The information management device 14 transmits to the information display device 15 the instruction to display the latest information on the shelter A received from the information transmitter 26 (step S9). As a result, the information display device 15 displays the latest information on the evacuation center A (operating status of the evacuation center A, number of evacuees, stockpiled items status, etc.). Further, if additional processing is required at the evacuation center A, the information management device 14 transmits a request to the inaudible sound transmitting device 13 to instruct to that effect using an inaudible sound (step S10). As a result, the inaudible sound transmission device 13 generates audio data in the inaudible band that instructs additional processing, and wirelessly transmits it via the relay device 11.

As described above, in the wireless broadcasting system of this example, the inaudible sound generator 13 generates inaudible audio data containing an instruction to obtain the latest information on evacuation center A to the information gathering device 23. Then, the relay device 11 transmits wirelessly to the door-to-door receiver 21 through the operation console 12, and the door-to-door receiver 21 outputs broadcast audio (inaudible sound) from the speaker according to the received audio data, and the information collection device 23 is configured to perform acquisition processing of the latest information on the evacuation center A based on instructions included in the inaudible sound band of the broadcast sound received by the inaudible sound receiver 22.

According to such a configuration, an instruction to collect information (instruction to obtain the latest information) to the information collecting device 23 in the evacuation center A is transmitted using a wireless broadcasting system constructed for performing audio broadcasting. be able to. Furthermore, since inaudible sounds are used to transmit information to the information gathering device 23, even if there are an unspecified number of people in the evacuation center A, no noise is generated, and confidentiality can be ensured.

Here, in this example, a case has been described in which inaudible sounds are used to transmit information to evacuation center A, but the same applies to evacuation center B as well.
In addition, in this example, only the inaudible broadcast sound containing instructions to obtain the latest information on evacuation center A is output from the individual receivers 21 to the speakers, but instructions are given to the inaudible sound band of normal broadcast sound. The content may be output from a speaker in a superimposed manner. According to such a configuration, it is possible to give instructions to the information gathering device 23 at the same time as broadcasting to the people in the evacuation center A.

Further, in this example, the case where an instruction to collect information is transmitted has been described as an example, but inaudible sounds can also be used to transmit other instructions. One example is an operation in which an instruction to display text is transmitted using an inaudible sound and the text is displayed on the information display device 24. According to such a configuration, for example, the content of the broadcast can be displayed in text at the same time as the broadcast is broadcast to the people in the evacuation center A, so that information can be transmitted to hearing-impaired people without delay.

Another example is an operation in which a voice output instruction is transmitted using an inaudible sound and the voice output device 25 is caused to output the voice. According to such a configuration, for example, by re-outputting the same broadcast audio that is output from the speaker from the door-to-door receiver 21 from the audio utterance device 25, it is possible to suppress overhearing of the broadcast content. In addition, for example, by outputting a sound different from the broadcast sound outputted from the speaker from the door-to-door receiver 21 from the voice speaking device 25, it is possible to supplement the broadcast content, give voice instructions to workers near the voice speaking device 25, etc. becomes possible.

Furthermore, in this example, the inaudible sound generator 13 located at the headquarters generates inaudible sound data containing instructions for evacuation center A, but the door-to-door receiver 21 at evacuation center A is inaudible. Audible audio data may also be generated. In this case, the equipment at the headquarters (for example, the console 12) wirelessly transmits instructions to the shelter A as non-audio data from the relay device 11, and the door-to-door receivers 21 convert the received non-audio data into inaudible sounds. All you have to do is convert it to audio and output it through a speaker.

Although the present invention has been described in detail above, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the configuration described above, and may be realized by a configuration other than the above. For example, instead of configuring the console 12 and the inaudible sound transmitting device 13, which correspond to the master station device according to the present invention, separately as in the above embodiment, they may be integrated into one device. Furthermore, instead of configuring the inaudible sound receiver 22 and the information gathering device 23, which correspond to the processing device according to the present invention, separately as in the above embodiment, they may be integrated into an integrated device.

Further, the present invention can be provided, for example, as a method including technical procedures related to the above processing, a program for causing a processor to execute the above processing, and a storage medium that stores such a program in a computer-readable manner. is also possible.

It should be noted that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments shown and described, but also includes all embodiments that provide equivalent effects to the object of the present invention. Moreover, the scope of the invention may be defined by any desired combinations of specific features of each and every disclosed feature.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION This invention can be utilized for the radio broadcasting system equipped with the slave station apparatus which receives the radio signal transmitted from the master station apparatus, and outputs it amplified.

11: Relay device, 12: Operation console, 13: Inaudible sound transmitting device, 14: Information management device, 15: Information display device, 21: Door-to-door receiver, 22: Inaudible sound receiver, 23: Information gathering device, 24: Information display device, 25: Voice utterance device, 26: Information transmission device, 31: Outdoor slave station, 32: Inaudible sound receiver, 33: Information collection device, 34: Information display device, 35: Voice utterance device, 36: Information transmitting device

Claims (4)

comprising a master station device, a slave station device that receives a wireless signal transmitted from the master station device, and a processing device disposed near the slave station device,
The master station device generates audio data that includes an instruction signal in an inaudible band that causes the processing device to execute a process, and wirelessly transmits it to the slave station device ,
The slave station device outputs audio including the instruction signal in an inaudible sound band based on the audio data received from the master station device ,
The radio broadcasting system is characterized in that the processing device executes processing corresponding to the instruction signal based on the instruction signal included in the inaudible sound band of output audio from the slave station device. The radio broadcasting system according to claim 1,
A radio broadcasting system, wherein the instruction signal is a signal instructing information collection. The radio broadcasting system according to claim 1,
A radio broadcasting system, wherein the instruction signal is a signal instructing text display. The radio broadcasting system according to claim 1,
A radio broadcasting system, wherein the instruction signal is a signal instructing audio output.

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