Radio-telecommunication device in vehicles

• US 5,801,865 A
• Filed: 05/21/1997
• Issued: 09/01/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alcatel NV (Nokia Corporation), Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel NV (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Weis, Bernd, Schlesinger, Heinz
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Wellington
• Assistant Examiner(s): BACARES, RAFAEL D
• Application Number:
  US08/861,185
• Time in Patent Office: 468 Days
• Field of Search: 359/115, 359/125, 359/152, 359/154, 359/172, 359/173, 359/118, 359/120, 359/145, 455/89, 455/99, 455/345, 455/517, 370/310, 370/465, 370/328, 370/466
• US Class Current: 398/113
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3822 specially adapted for use in vehicles H04B1/3827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00384 Key input means, e.g. buttons or keypads electromechanical details of key input means in general H01H13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00408 Display of information to the user, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0049 By wire, cable or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0086 Image transceiver H04N2201/0093 and H04N2201/0094 take precedence

Abstract

A telecommunication device (11) for vehicle installation is proposed, which is equipped with an HF-transmitting and receiving device (22, 23), with different terminals and with a transmission network (19) between the HF-transmitting and receiving device and the terminals. The telecommunication-specific part of each terminal is physically separated from the actual user part (12, 13, 14) of the terminal, and installed in a central terminal control (15), which is connected with the HF-transmitting and receiving device (22). An efficient, optical transmission network (19) may be provided between the terminal control (15) and the user parts (12, 13, 14) of the terminals. Both the central terminal control (15) and the user parts (12, 13, 14) of the terminals are equipped with an interface unit for the transmission network (19). The telecommunication device (11) is less voluminous than a conventional device with individual terminals, and therefore more suitable for installation in the vehicle.

Claims

1. A radio-telecommunication device (11) for vehicles, comprising:

an HF-transmitting and receiving device (22),

a plurality of terminals each having user specific parts (12, 13,

     14) for providing respective user interfaces, the plurality of terminals having different input-output means (32-36) that are interconnected to perform different telecommunication services, including services associated with a printer, a facsimile, a telephone, and a personal computer, and

a central terminal control (15) having radio-telecommunication specific parts for providing control and signal processing functions for the plurality of terminals, the radio-telecommunication specific parts being physically separated from the user specific parts (12, 13,

     14) and being interconnected thereto by a transmission network (19), and the central terminal control (15) being connected to the HF-transmitting and receiving device (22),

wherein the central terminal control (15) has an interface unit (18) that interfaces with the transmission network (19) to perform the different telecommunication services, as well as has units for selecting services (17) and for data formatting (21), for controlling an exchange of signalling data between the telecommunication-specific parts and the user specific parts (12,

     14) to perform one of the different telecommunication services with one of the input-output means (32-36) of the respective user specific parts (12, 13,

     14).

2. A radio-telecommunication device (11) according to claim 1, wherein the user specific parts (12, 13, 14) of the terminals contain different input/output means (32, 33, 34, 35, 36), and the telecommunication device (11) contains only one of each different input/output means (32, 33, 34, 35, 36).

3. A radio-telecommunication device (11) according to claim 2, wherein the input/output means (32, 33, 34, 35, 36) include a receiver (33) of a telephone (13), and a printer (32) for a fax machine (12) or a personal computer or navigation device.

4. A radio-telecommunication device (11) according to claim 3, wherein the personal computer or navigation device includes a display screen (34) and a keyboard (36).

5. A radio-telecommunication device (11) according to claim 1, wherein the transmission network (19) is a star-Y-shaped network (19'"'"') which emanates from the central terminal control (15).

6. A radio-telecommunication device (11) according to claim 1, wherein the radio-telecommunication device (11) is used in airplanes or rail vehicles, and the transmission network (19) is a bus system (19") with coupling elements.

7. A radio-telecommunication device (11) according to claim 6, wherein the transmission network (19) is a fiber-optic network.

8. A radio-telecommunication device (11) according to claim 5, wherein the transmission network (19) is a fiber-optic network.

9. A radio-telecommunication device (11) for a vehicle that provides different telecommunication services including telephone service, facsimile service, and personal computer service, between the vehicle and a global system mobile communication network, comprising:

an HF-transmitting and receiving device (22) for exchanging voice, text and control data signals for the different telecommunication services between the vehicle and the global system mobile communication network;

a plurality of vehicular telecommunication terminals, each for providing a respective telecommunication service, having a respective user specific part (12, 13,

     14) for providing a user interface, and having a respective user interface unit (26, 27,

     28) connected to a transmission network (19); and

a central terminal control (15) being connected to the HF-transmitting and receiving device (22) for exchanging the voice, text and control data signals for the different telecommunication services, having integrated radio-telecommunication specific parts (17, 18,

     19) for all of the vehicular telecommunication terminals (12, 13,

     14) to provide centralized control and signal processing functions for the telecommunication services between the vehicle and the global system mobile communication network, having a bidirectionally-connected interface unit (18) for connecting the radio-telecommunication specific parts (17, 18,

     19) to respective user interface units (26, 27,

     28) via the transmission network (19), having a bidirectionally-connected select telecommunication service unit (17) for selecting the telecommunication services for the vehicle, having a bidirectionally-connected data formatting unit (21) for converting the voice, text and control data signals for the different telecommunication services into a data format that can be received by respective user specific parts (12, 13,

     14), and having a bidirectionally-connected protocol development unit (16) for a protocol to control the respective user specific parts (12, 13,

     14) of the vehicular telecommunication terminals for providing the different telecommunication services between the vehicle and the global system mobile communication network.