Communication device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10069963-B2
Application number	US-201615185725-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 17, 2016
Priority date	Aug 26, 2015
Publication date	Sep 4, 2018
Grant date	Sep 4, 2018

Abstract

A communication device includes: a signal generator configured to generate a first signal and supply the first signal to a telephone line; a terminator having a variable terminal impedance as seen from the telephone line; a detector configured to detect a difference between the terminal impedance and a line impedance of the telephone line; and a controller configured to determine the terminal impedance so that the difference is reduced.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A communication device for communication via a telephone line, comprising:
a terminator for terminating the telephone line, the terminator having a variable terminal impedance as seen from the telephone line;
a transmitter configured to transmit a first signal to the telephone line;
a detector configured to detect a second signal occurring on the telephone line due to the first signal, and to determine, based on the detected second signal, whether the terminal impedance matches a line impedance of the telephone line; and
a controller configured to set the terminal impedance so that the detector determines that the terminal impedance matches the line impedance,
wherein the controller sets the terminal impedance to a first terminal impedance and sequentially varies a frequency of the first signal to different frequencies, and for each of the different frequencies, the detector detects the second signal and determines, on a basis of the detected second signal, whether the terminal impedance matches the line impedance, and
wherein when the detector determines, for at least one of the different frequencies, that the terminal impedance does not match the line impedance, the controller changes the terminal impedance to a second terminal impedance and sequentially varies the frequency of the first signal to different frequencies, and for each of the different frequencies, the detector detects the second signal and determines, on a basis of the detected second signal, whether the terminal impedance matches the line impedance.

2. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the second signal occurs due to reflection of the first signal by the telephone line.

3. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the detector determines, when an amplitude value of the second signal is less than a predetermined amplitude value, that the terminal impedance matches the line impedance.

4. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein when the detector determines, for each of the different frequencies, that the terminal impedance matches the line impedance, the controller determines the first terminal impedance as the terminal impedance.

5. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the controller sequentially varies the frequency of the first signal within a first frequency range.

6. The communication device of claim 5 , wherein:
the communication device is connected to a communication partner via the telephone line, the communication partner transmitting a dial tone signal to the communication device,
the first signal is a tone signal, and
before transmitting the first signal to the telephone line, the transmitter transmits a dial pulse signal or a DTMF signal to the communication partner, thereby causing the communication partner to stop transmission of the dial tone signal.

7. The communication device of claim 5 , wherein the controller sequentially varies the frequency of the first signal within the first frequency range but outside a second frequency range.

8. The communication device of claim 7 , wherein:
the communication device is connected to a communication partner via the telephone line, the communication partner transmitting a dial tone signal to the communication device,
the first signal is a tone signal, and
the second frequency range corresponds to a frequency of the dial tone signal transmitted by the communication partner.

9. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein:
the terminator includes a plurality of terminal circuits having different impedances, and
the controller determines the terminal impedance by selecting one of the plurality of terminal circuits.

10. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the terminator is configured by a silicon data access arrangement.

11. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the terminator includes a plurality of transformers.

12. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the communication device is a facsimile machine.

Assignees

• Oki Data Kk

Inventors

• Ogawa Kimiaki

Classifications

• H04B3/493

  Testing echo effects or singing · CPC title

• H04N1/00206

  Transmitting or receiving computer data via an image communication device, e.g. a facsimile transceiver (H04N1/00236 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04M11/066

  Telephone sets adapted for data transmision · CPC title

• H04N2201/0093

  Facsimile machine (H04N2201/0094 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04M3/305

  testing of physical copper line parameters, e.g. capacitance or resistance (locating faults in cables G01R31/08) · CPC title