Access point for local area radio communication and radio communication system using the same

• US 20030192055A1
• Filed: 02/28/2003
• Published: 10/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Aoki, Fumihiko, Oyama, Kazuya
• Application Number:
  US10/375,002
• Publication Number:
  US 20030192055A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/109
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2143 located in a single building, e.g. hotel, hospital or museum arrangements specially adapted for plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63; adaptations for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution in television systems H04N7/106
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2223 being a public access point, e.g. for downloading to or uploading from clients arrangements specially adapted to plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An access point includes a gateway enabling an internet connection, a settop box selecting and outputting a video signal and an audio signal from a plurality of tuners respectively receiving broadcastings corresponding to a request signal, and an AV/LAN radio transmission module having an AV communication module for transmitting and receiving a video signal and an audio signal by wireless, a radio LAN transmission and reception module performing transmission and reception, and transmission and reception antenna, and local area radio communication and communication for a plurality of AV signal distributions are performed in frequency bands that are not overlapping one another. Therefore, a radio LAN such as the internet as well as broadcasting contents distribution can be provided to a mobile information terminal device.

Claims

1. An access point for local area radio communication with a plurality of radio information terminal devices, comprising:

a gateway unit enabling an internet connection in a plurality of different circuits;

a settop box unit having a tuner to receive broadcasting from each of a plurality of different media and a selector selecting and outputting a video signal and an audio signal from said tuner corresponding to a request signal; and

an AV/LAN radio transmission unit having a video and audio communication module to transmit a video signal and an audio signal output from said settop box unit by wireless and receive a request signal for changing a received broadcasting channel and broadcasting media, a transmission and reception module connected to pairs of communication antennas and said gateway unit and performing transmission and reception for local area radio communication, and a pair of transmission and reception antennas;

wherein

said local area radio communication and communication for a plurality of said AV signal distributions and reception of a request signal for changing a received broadcasting channel and broadcasting media are respectively performed in frequency bands that are not overlapping one another.

2. The access point according to claim 1, wherein

when reception of AV signal distribution is requested from said radio information terminal device, a connection with the radio information terminal device is established according to priorities assigned to a plurality of said AV communication modules.

3. The access point according to claim 2, further comprising:

an output terminal provided corresponding to number of all other AV communication module and noticing that an AV signal is distributed to said radio information terminal device in said plurality of AV communication modules;

an input terminal receiving a signal noticing that an AV signal is distributed from all other AV communication module; and

means for connecting said input terminal and said output terminal, allowing only an AV communication module having the highest priority of AV communication modules not connected to said radio information terminal device to originate a radio signal sensing a radio information terminal device, and allowing the AV communication module originating the sense signal to start connection with a radio information terminal device and to concurrently send a signal noticing that it is connected to other AV communication module.

4. The access point according to claim 2, wherein

in a plurality of AV communication modules having said priorities allocated thereto, the lowest priority is allocated when distribution of an AV signal to said radio information terminal device is ended.

5. The access point according to claim 1, comprising:

all or a part of a cable modem, an optical network unit and an xDSL modem to enable said gateway unit to establish an internet connection in said plurality of different circuits; and

all or a part of an analog ground wave tuner, a digital ground wave tuner, a satellite broadcasting tuner, and a CATV tuner to enable reception of a plurality of different broadcasting media.

6. The access point according to claim 1, wherein

number of said tuners for each broadcasting media included is same as number of said AV communication modules, and

said selector selects a tuner corresponding to desired broadcasting media to be distributed among said plurality of tuners and connects with said AV communication module.

7. The access point according to claim 1, having

a change-over switch switching connections between an AV output portion of a tuner provided for each of said different broadcasting media and said plurality of selectors, wherein

each said selector operates said change-over switch relating to a certain tuner corresponding to a tuner selection request signal from said AV communication module when other selector is not operating, and enables switching of a change-over switch relating to other tuner from other selector.

8. The access point according to claim 7, wherein

when said selector cannot select a certain tuner corresponding to said tuner selection request signal because other tuner has already selected the tuner, said AV communication module detects a selection disable signal from the selector and notices to a radio information communication terminal device in communication that the tuner is used by other user and cannot be selected.

9. A radio communication system, comprising:

an access point according to claim 1;

and

one or more mobile information terminal device including an AV communication module receiving an AV signal transmitted from said access point and transmitting a request signal for changing a received broadcasting channel and broadcasting media, a local area radio communication transmission and reception module transmitting and receiving local area radio communication data to and from said access point, switching means for selectively validating communication of one of the AV communication module and the local area radio communication transmission and reception module, and an AV/LAN radio transmission module having an antenna for transmission and reception transmitting a signal from a module validated by the switching means and receiving a radio signal;

wherein

a local area radio communication service and a broadcasting contents distribution service provided from the access point can be switched and received corresponding to a request from said mobile information terminal device.

10. The radio communication system according to claim 9, wherein

each of the plurality of AV communication modules monitors all selection state of said change-over switch of each said tuner, sends information of selectable tuner or non-selectable tuner by wireless to a radio communication terminal receiving radio distribution of an AV signal, and indicates the information on a display of the radio terminal.

11. The radio communication system according to claim 9, wherein

when connection to said access point is attempted from said mobile radio terminal device after a determination is made whether to perform said local radio communication or to receive broadcasting contents distribution, said access point is connected with said radio LAN transmission and reception module when the local area radio communication is performed and is connected to an AV communication module that is not connected to other mobile information terminal among a plurality of AV communication modules when the broadcasting contents distribution is requested, the AV communication module is not connected to other mobile information terminal until a connection is ended by the connected mobile information terminal, and a selector keeps a connection of said tuner connected to the mobile information terminal device to prevent connection to other AV communication module until the mobile information terminal requests to change connected broadcasting media.

12. The radio communication system according to claim 9, wherein

a plurality of said AV communication modules in said access point successively originate signals noticing a non-communication state continuously or at regular intervals when not communicating with said mobile information terminal device, and

said mobile information terminal device finds a non-communicating module from the plurality of AV communication modules based on said signal noticing the non-communication state and starts communication, and the AV communication module in said access point concurrently stops originating the non-communication signal to prevent access from other mobile information terminal device.

13. The radio communication system according to claim 12, wherein

said plurality of AV communication modules in said access point successively originate signals noticing a non-communication state continuously or at regular intervals when not communicating with said mobile information terminal device, and

said mobile information terminal device finds a non-communicating module from the plurality of AV communication modules based on said signal noticing the non-communication state and starts communication, and the AV communication module in said access point concurrently stops originating the non-communication signal to prevent access from other mobile information terminal device until no non-communicating AV communication module is left in said access point, and said mobile information terminal device and said AV communication module maintain a one-to-one connection.

14. The radio communication system according to claim 12, wherein

a transmission system of resending when an error occurs is used as radio transmission of said AV signal, and transmission from an AV communication module already in communication in said access point is not received by said plurality of radio mobile information terminal devices even when the same video is requested, but other non-communicating module is allocated to keep high-quality AV signal transmission with less errors.

15. The radio communication system according to claim 12, comprising

an AV communication module controller that, when new one of said radio mobile information terminal device requests further AV signal distribution while no non-communicating said AV communication module is left, compares a desired channel in a requested AV signal with a channel in the AV communication module already in communication, and if there is the same channel, directs to the corresponding AV communication module to divide a bandwidth of an error resending and switch a one-to-one connection to a one-to-multiple connection, wherein

number of radio mobile information terminal devices that can receive broadcasting contents from said access point increases.

16. The radio communication system according to claim 15, wherein

a system administrator can previously set a part of said plurality of AV communication modules in said access point as an AV communication module maintaining a one-to-one connection state to provide broadcasting contents only to a specific person of users each receiving the broadcasting contents with said radio information terminal device.

17. The radio communication system according to claim 9, wherein

ensured bandwidths of said AV signal transmission are arranged in separate frequency bandwidths, and a transmission bandwidth of local area radio communication is allocated in a frequency bandwidth therebetween to reduce interference between said AV signals.

18. The radio communication system according to claim 9, wherein

a transmission bandwidth of radio to be used is further increased, and a bandwidth used for AV signal transmission is allocated so as to always have the largest bandwidth space.