JP2001168865A - Network repeater - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To provide a network repeater that can be easily searched even if installed outside a field of view. SOLUTION: A buzzer unit 8 in which a buzzer operates in accordance with a notification instruction from a buzzer indicator 1 is provided in a main body 2, and when an operator gives a notification using a buzzer indicator unit 4 provided in the buzzer indicator 1. By transmitting this notification instruction to the buzzer unit 8 via the network cable 3 and the instruction receiving unit 7 to activate the buzzer, it is possible to easily find the main unit 2 even when the main unit 2 is installed outside the field of view.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a network repeater for relaying data transmission between terminals, and more particularly to a technique for searching for a network repeater installed outside a field of view.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network), a network repeater for concentrating and managing network cables connected to each terminal and relaying data transmission between the terminals and its network cable are secured. It is often installed outside the field of view, such as under the floor, for hygiene and aesthetic reasons. At present, as a network for a LAN, for example, Et conforming to the IEEE802.3 standard is used.
Hernet's 10BASE-T is widely used,
As a network repeater for 10BASE-T, H
An apparatus called UB is widely used. In addition, network repeaters such as repeaters and routers are widely and generally used.

[0003]

However, when a network repeater or a network cable is installed under a floor or the like, there are the following inconveniences. That is, when it is necessary to investigate or replace the network cable due to a failure or disconnection of the network cable, it is necessary to find a network repeater outside the field of view. The same applies to the case where the wiring layout of the network cable is changed. In consideration of such a situation, it is common practice to prepare a layout diagram of the network repeaters in advance so that the position of the network repeater installed under the floor or the like can be specified. However, it is inconvenient if the network repeater cannot be found without referring to the layout diagram. Further, in a department that frequently changes the wiring layout of the network cable, it takes time and effort to manage the layout drawing. The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a network repeater that can be easily searched for even when installed outside the field of view.

[0004]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a network repeater for relaying data transmission between terminals by a main unit, wherein the main unit and the main unit are connected to each other. The gist of the invention is that it has an instructing means for instructing a separate notification, and an informing means provided in the main body for informing according to an instruction from the instructing means. According to the present invention, the notifying means for notifying according to the instruction of the instructing means is provided in the main body of the network repeater. By operating the notifying means provided on the main body, the main body can be easily found. According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the network repeater according to the first aspect, the instructing means transmits a notification instruction via a network cable. In the present invention, by transmitting the notification instruction via a network cable,
When the network cable connected to the terminal is disconnected and attached to the indicating means, and the notifying means is operated, the terminal can search for the network repeater connected via the network cable.

[0005] The present invention described in claim 3 is based on claim 1 or 2.
In the network repeater as described above, the instruction means includes:
The gist is that the notification instruction is transmitted via radio waves. In the present invention, the notification instruction is transmitted via radio waves, so that the network repeater can be found even when the network cable is disconnected. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the network transponder according to any one of the first to third aspects, the instructing unit instructs the informing unit provided in each of the plurality of main units to notify. Make a summary. According to the present invention, the notifying means provided in each of the plurality of main bodies is configured such that the instructing means can respectively instruct the notification, so that even when there are a plurality of main bodies, each of the main bodies can be easily searched for. ing. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the network repeater according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the notifying unit notifies by a buzzer, and the instructing unit instructs a volume of the buzzer. That is the gist. In the present invention, the position of the main body can be easily specified by operating the buzzer as the notification means. In addition, the provision of the instructing means for instructing the volume of the buzzer facilitates the use of the buzzer.

[0006]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. [First Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a network repeater according to the present embodiment.
The network repeater in FIG. 1 has a configuration including a buzzer indicator 1, a main body 2, and a network cable 3 connecting the buzzer indicator 1 and the main body 2. The buzzer indicator 1
A buzzer instructing unit 4 for instructing a buzzer to notify the operator, a buzzer volume instructing unit 5 for instructing a buzzer volume, a notification instruction from the buzzer instructing unit 4, and a volume instruction from the buzzer volume instructing unit 5. And an instruction transmitting unit 6 that transmits the command to the main unit 2 via the network cable 3. The main unit 2 receives each instruction from the instruction transmission unit 6
It is configured to include a plurality of instruction receiving units 7 and a buzzer unit 8 that activates a buzzer according to the notification instruction received by the instruction receiving unit 7 and adjusts the volume according to the volume instruction. The N instruction receiving units 7 can receive the instruction from the instruction transmitting unit 6 regardless of 1 to N, and are connected to a terminal such as a personal computer (PC) (not shown) via the network cable 3. In such a case, it functions as an input / output unit for data transmission.

The main body 2 is made of, for example, Ethernet
In a network using t, it corresponds to a repeater, a hub, or the like, and data transmission between the terminal via the instruction receiving unit 7 and the network cable 3 is managed by a network management device (not shown). It has become. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a usage mode of the network repeater. In the figure, the main body 2 is installed outside the field of view such as under the floor, and the network cables 3 connected to the N instruction receiving units 7 are connected to not only the PC 21 but also terminals (not shown). . If you want to change the wiring layout of the network cable,
To specify the position of the main body 2 connected to the C21, the operator disconnects the network cable 3 connected to the PC 21, connects the network cable 3 to the instruction transmission unit 6 of the buzzer indicator 1, and sets the buzzer instruction unit 4 Is instructed using.
This notification instruction is transmitted to the buzzer section 8 via the network cable 3 and the instruction receiving section 7 of the main body 2, and the buzzer section 8
Will activate the buzzer. Thereby, the operator can specify the position of the main body 2. When the user wants to change the volume of the buzzer, the operator uses the buzzer volume instruction unit 5 to specify the volume. This volume instruction is transmitted to the buzzer unit 8 in the same manner as the notification instruction, and the buzzer unit 8 adjusts the volume of the buzzer.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the buzzer section 8 for operating the buzzer in accordance with the notification instruction transmitted from the buzzer indicator 1 is provided in the main body 2, so that the operator can use the buzzer indicator 1. If you instruct
Even when the main body 2 is set out of the field of view, it can be easily found. In addition, a notification instruction and a volume instruction can be transmitted via the network cable 3,
When the network cable 3 connected to the terminal is removed and attached to the buzzer indicator 1, the terminal can search for the main body 2 connected via the network cable 3. In the present embodiment,
The buzzer is operated in accordance with the notification instruction transmitted from the buzzer indicator 1. However, the present invention is not limited to the buzzer. For example, an alarm, a bell, a melody, or the like may be operated. In such a case, the same effect as above can be obtained. [Second Embodiment] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a network repeater according to the present embodiment. As a feature, the instruction transmitting unit 6 shown in FIG. A buzzer indicator 31 is configured in place of the instruction transmitting unit 36 for transmitting the notification instruction and the volume instruction, and the instruction receiving unit 37 for receiving the radio wave 33 and transmitting the notification instruction and the volume instruction to the buzzer unit 8 is provided in the main body 32. In this case, the notification instruction and the volume instruction can be transmitted by the radio wave 33. The network management device 39 manages data transmission between the terminals, and transmits data to each terminal via the N input / output units 38 and the network cable 3 (not shown).

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a usage mode of the network repeater. A network cable 3 for connecting an input / output unit 38 of the main body 32 to a terminal (not shown)
The operator gives a notification instruction using the buzzer instruction unit 4 of the buzzer indicator 31 when the position of the main body 32 is to be specified for investigation or repair due to troubles such as failure or disconnection. This notification instruction is received by the instruction receiving section 37 of the main body 32 via the radio wave 33 and transmitted to the buzzer section 8 to activate the buzzer. When the user wants to change the volume of the buzzer, the operator uses the buzzer volume instruction unit 5 to specify the volume. This volume instruction is transmitted to the buzzer unit 8 in the same manner as the notification instruction, and the buzzer unit 8 adjusts the volume of the buzzer. Therefore, according to the present embodiment,
By transmitting the notification instruction and the volume instruction via the radio wave 33 instead of the network cable 3, even if a failure or disconnection occurs in the network cable 3, the main body 32 can be easily found. In the present embodiment, the N input / output units 38 provided on the main body 32 are used.
Has only a function of performing data transmission with each terminal, but may be replaced with the instruction receiving unit 7 shown in FIG. In such a case, whether the notification instruction and the volume instruction are transmitted via the network cable 3 or the radio wave 33 can be appropriately switched according to the judgment of the operator.

[Third Embodiment] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a mode of use of a network repeater according to the present embodiment. As a feature, a channel corresponding to a plurality of main units 32 is selected. When the operator selects a channel and gives a notification instruction or a volume instruction using a buzzer instruction unit or a buzzer volume instruction unit (not shown), the channel selection unit 40 is provided in the buzzer indicator 41. The instruction transmitting unit 36 transmits a notification instruction or a volume instruction to the main unit 32 corresponding to the selected channel via the radio wave 33, and the buzzer unit 8 of the corresponding main unit 32 operates the buzzer. . Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the buzzer indicator 41 is provided with the channel selection unit 40 for selecting a channel corresponding to the plurality of main units 32 so that any one of the channels can be selected to transmit the notification instruction and the volume instruction. By doing so, it is possible to easily find only desired ones from the plurality of main bodies 32. In addition, since the buzzer indicator 31 can transmit the notification instruction and the volume instruction via the radio wave 33, the trouble of connecting each main body and the buzzer indicator with the network cable 3 can be omitted.

In the present embodiment, a channel selector for selecting a channel corresponding to the plurality of main units 32 is provided, and the operator selects one of the channels. However, all channels can be selected. A mode may be provided, or a group may be divided in advance, and a mode in which some channels can be selected may be provided. In such a case, a desired main body 32 can be more efficiently searched for.

[0012]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the notifying means for notifying according to the instruction of the instructing means is provided in the main body of the network repeater.
Even when the main body is installed outside the field of view of the operator, the operator can easily find the main body by operating the notifying means provided on the main body using the instruction means. According to the second aspect of the present invention, by transmitting the notification instruction via the network cable, the network cable connected to the terminal is disconnected and attached to the instruction means, and the notification means is operated. In this case, the terminal can find the network repeater connected via the network cable. According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the notification instruction is transmitted via a radio wave, a network repeater can be found even when the network cable is disconnected. According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the instructing means can instruct each of the informing means provided to the plurality of main bodies, even if there are a plurality of main bodies, each main body can be easily controlled. Can be found in

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the position of the main body can be easily specified by operating the buzzer as the notification means. In addition, the provision of the instructing means for instructing the volume of the buzzer facilitates the use of the buzzer.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a network repeater according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a usage mode of the network repeater according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a network repeater according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a usage mode of a network repeater according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a usage mode of a network repeater according to a third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 31, 41: Buzzer indicator 2, 32: Main body 3: Network cable 4: Buzzer indicator 5: Buzzer volume indicator 6, 36: Instruction transmitter 7, 37: Instruction receiver 8: Buzzer 21: PC 33 radio wave 38 input / output unit 39 network management device 40 channel selection unit

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A network transponder for relaying data transmission between terminals by a main unit, wherein the instructing unit instructs notification separately from the main unit, and informing according to an instruction from the instruction unit provided in the main unit. A network relay device comprising: 2. The network repeater according to claim 1, wherein said instruction means transmits a notification instruction via a network cable. 3. The network repeater according to claim 1, wherein said instruction means transmits a notification instruction via a radio wave. 4. The network repeater according to claim 1, wherein said instructing means instructs each of informing means provided in each of a plurality of main bodies to notify. 5. The network repeater according to claim 1, wherein the notifying unit notifies by a buzzer, and the instructing unit instructs a volume of the buzzer.