JP2010200029A - Communication network system, call control apparatus therefor and call origination regulating method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the communication rate of a call, by enabling only call origination to a call control apparatus in a network where congestion occurs to be regulated in the case where a plurality of communication networks coexist, while sharing the same telephone number band. <P>SOLUTION: When a call origination regulation is controlled, an identifier of a session control server that becomes a call arrival destination, acquired from a location server 31 in response to a call origination request from a subscriber terminal TM1 is compared with an identifier of a session control server which is a regulation target, included in call originate regulation information reported beforehand from a traffic control server 32, to determine whether the identifiers match. If they match, it is determined whether the call origination request is to be defined as a call originate regulation target based on information, representing a call originate regulation amount which is included in the call originate regulation information; and when it is determined that the call origination request is defined as a call origination regulation target, a notice indicating a state under congestion is redirected to the subscriber terminal TM1 that is a transmission source of the call origination request. When it is determined that the call origination request is not defined as a call origination regulation target, on the other hand, the call origination request is transferred to the session control server that is the call arrival destination. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  In a communication network system in which a plurality of communication networks share the same telephone number band, such as a circuit switching network and an IP (Internet Protocol) network, when the congestion occurs in a certain communication network, the communication network The present invention relates to a communication network system having a function of restricting outgoing calls, a call control device thereof, and an outgoing call restricting method.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a public switched telephone network (PSTN) adopting a circuit switching system, for example, exchanges are arranged in each region, and subscribers of 0AB-J numbers assigned to the regions are accommodated in these exchanges. In this way, subscribers are accommodated in each exchange every subscriber number band (0AB-E, etc.). For this reason, for example, when a natural disaster such as an earthquake occurs in a certain area, many calls are made to the affected area by visiting calls, and incoming calls are concentrated on the exchange in the affected area. In addition, the concentration of incoming calls to a specific exchange may occur due to an inquiry to an event or a ticket reservation. Since PSTN equipment is designed based on the volume of calls that normally occur, if the concentration of incoming calls occurs as described above, the equipment capacity will be exceeded, resulting in congestion and calls to specific areas. There are situations where it becomes difficult to connect.

  Therefore, in general, in the PSTN, when congestion occurs in an exchange in a disaster-affected area or an event hosting area, the transmission restriction is instructed to exchanges in all other areas. Then, all other exchanges should regulate outgoing calls so that the total amount of incoming calls from other areas to the affected areas and event holding areas is within the call volume that can be handled by the exchange in which the congestion has occurred. I have to. By doing so, it is possible to maximize the call processing capability of the exchange while protecting the exchange in which congestion has occurred (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  On the other hand, in recent years, IP telephone services that perform call control in accordance with SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) have been rapidly spreading. This system for providing an IP telephone service is configured so that, for example, a session control server is installed in each region, and subscribers in that region are accommodated in these session control servers. For this reason, even in this type of system, as in the case of PSTN described above, when the number of calls to a specific area is concentrated due to the occurrence of a disaster or event, the call volume of the session control server in that area May result in congestion. Therefore, it has been proposed to apply congestion control based on transmission restriction implemented in the above-described PSTN to this IP telephone network (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP-A 63-182945 JP 2007-336141 A

  However, the conventionally proposed outgoing call control methods for congestion countermeasures have the following problems to be solved. That is, when the PSTN or IP telephone network is operated alone, the subscriber number band is uniquely assigned to the exchange or the session control server. For this reason, when congestion occurs in an exchange or session control server in a certain area, the subscriber number band of the area where the congestion occurs is designated to the exchange or session control server in another area. If the transmission to is restricted, congestion in the area can be suppressed.

  However, the PSTN and the IP telephone network have recently been connected to each other, and the introduction of general number portability has increased the number of subscriber terminals having the same subscriber number band in the PSTN and the IP telephone network. ing. For this reason, for example, when congestion occurs in a session control server in a certain area in the IP telephone network, if a subscriber number band accommodated by this session control server is specified, not only the call to the session control server but also PSTN Outgoing calls to the exchange that accommodates the same subscriber number band are also restricted. The same problem occurs when congestion occurs in an exchange in a certain area in the PSTN and a subscriber number band accommodated by this exchange is designated.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above circumstances, and its object is to provide a call control device in a network in which congestion occurs when a plurality of communication networks coexist and share the same telephone number band. To provide a communication network system, a call control device, and a call restriction method that can restrict only the call to the call and thereby limit the influence of call restriction due to the occurrence of congestion to improve the call communication rate. is there.

In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention is that a first communication network and a second communication network each accommodating a plurality of subscriber terminals share the same subscriber number band, and the subscriber terminals are connected to the subscribers. When a call request that includes subscriber information including a number band as destination information is transmitted, the call source subscriber terminal and the destination subscriber terminal are connected to enable communication. In the communication network system, a plurality of call control devices for distributing and accommodating the plurality of subscriber terminals in the first and second communication networks, subscriber information assigned to the subscriber terminals, and the When congestion occurs in at least one of the subscriber information management device that manages the identification information of the call control device that accommodates the subscriber terminal in association with each other and the plurality of call control devices, the congestion occurs. Outgoing call control device identification information It generates control information, the call restriction information provided with the traffic control device notifies the call control device other than the call control apparatus in which the congestion has occurred.
In each of the plurality of call control devices, when the call request is sent from the subscriber terminal in a state in which the call restriction information is notified from the traffic control device, the incoming call included in the call request Based on the destination subscriber information, the identification information of the call control device accommodating the destination subscriber terminal is acquired from the subscriber information management device, and the identification information of the acquired call control device is transmitted as the notification. It is determined whether or not the identification information of the call control device included in the restriction information matches, and when it is determined that the two identification information matches, a call restriction process based on the call restriction information is performed on the call request. It is what I do.

  Therefore, when congestion occurs in a certain call control device, the outgoing call control information including identification information that uniquely identifies the call control device is sent from the traffic control device to all other call controls in the first and second communication networks. The device is notified. When a call request is generated from the subscriber terminal in this state, the call control device identifies the call control device of the call destination from the subscriber information management device using the callee subscriber information included in the call request as a key. Information is acquired, and it is determined whether or not the acquired identification information of the destination call control device matches the identification information of the call control device included in the outgoing call restriction information. Outgoing restriction processing for the request is performed. For this reason, it is possible to restrict outgoing calls only for outgoing calls to the call control device where congestion has occurred. As a result, even if there is a call control device that accommodates the same telephone number band in another communication network, unnecessary call control to this call control device is not performed, so that The call communication rate can be kept high.

One aspect of the present invention is also characterized by comprising the following specific embodiments.
In the first embodiment, when the call restriction is controlled, the identification information of the destination call control apparatus acquired from the subscriber information management apparatus is first included in the call restriction information notified from the traffic control apparatus. Compared with the identification information of the call control device, it is determined whether or not both identification information matches. Next, when it is determined that both identification information matches, it is determined whether or not the call request is subject to call restriction based on information indicating the call restriction amount included in the call restriction information, and the call origination is determined. When it is determined that it is subject to restriction, response information indicating that it is congested is returned to the subscriber terminal that is the transmission source of the call request. The request is transferred to the destination call control device.
In this way, based on the identification information of the call control device, only the transmission request to the call control device in which the congestion has occurred is subject to transmission restriction, and further based on the information indicating the outgoing restriction amount included in the transmission restriction information. In addition, it is possible to control whether the call request is restricted or transferred to the destination as it is. Therefore, an appropriate amount of call request corresponding to the call processing capability of the device is transferred only to the call control device in which congestion occurs, thereby protecting the call control device in which congestion has occurred. Thus, it is possible to make the most of the call processing capability of the call control device.

In the second embodiment, the first communication network is configured by an IP (Internet Protocol) communication network using a session control server that performs call connection control according to SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) as a call control device. The communication network is configured by a circuit switching network using a switching device that performs call control according to the circuit switching system as a call control device.
In this way, when the IP communication network and the circuit switching network share the same subscriber number band, it is possible to perform outgoing call restriction only for outgoing calls to the session control server or the exchange where congestion has occurred. As a result, the communication rate of calls to the session control server or the exchange can be kept high.

  That is, according to one aspect of the present invention, when a plurality of communication networks share the same telephone number band and can coexist, it is possible to restrict only the transmission to the call control device in the network where the congestion has occurred. Thus, it is possible to provide a communication network system, a call control device thereof, and a call control method that improve the call communication rate by limiting the influence of call control due to the occurrence of congestion.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a communication network system according to the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the session control server used with the communication network system shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the call connection operation | movement between the session control servers in the communication network system shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the call connection operation | movement between the session control server and PSTN in the communication network system shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the outline | summary of the transmission control operation | movement in the session control server of the communication network system shown in FIG. It is a sequence diagram which shows the specific example of the transmission control operation | movement between the session control servers in the communication network system shown in FIG. It is a sequence diagram which shows the specific example of the transmission control operation | movement with the session control server and PSTN in the communication network system shown in FIG.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a communication network system according to the present invention. The communication network system of this embodiment connects an IP telephone network 1 and a circuit switching network (PSTN) 2, and these IP telephone networks 1 and PSTN 2 have the same subscriber number band of 0AB-J number format, for example, 042259. The subscriber number band consisting of the area code and the area code is shared.

  The IP telephone network 1 includes a plurality of session control servers 11 to 13 that function as call control devices, a location server 31 that functions as a subscriber information management device, and a traffic control server 32 that functions as a traffic control device. These servers 11 to 13, 31, and 32 can communicate with each other within the IP network.

  Of the session control servers 11 to 13, the session control servers 11 and 12 have a function of accommodating subscribers. These session control servers 11 and 12 have subscriber terminals TM1 and TM2 via edge routers 21 and 22, respectively. , ... are connected. On the other hand, of the session control servers 11 to 13, the session control server 13 has a function as a gateway for connecting to the PSTN 2, and is connected to the PSTN 2 and to the multimedia gateway (MG) 23.

  The location server 31 includes a location table that manages the destination information. In this location table, identifiers of the session control servers 11 and 12 that accommodate the subscribers are stored in association with the subscriber numbers of all the subscribers accommodated in the IP telephone network 1. In the location table, the PSTN identifier, the identifier of the session control server 13 connected to the PSTN 2, or the connection point between the session control server 13 and the PSTN 2 is associated with the subscriber numbers of all the subscribers accommodated in the PSTN 2. Is stored. As the identifiers of the session control servers 11 to 13, for example, FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name) is used.

  When the location server 31 receives the destination inquiry transmitted from the session control servers 11 and 12, the location server 31 searches the location table using the destination subscriber number included in the inquiry as a key. Then, it has a function of extracting the identifiers of the session control servers 11 to 13 that accommodate the destination subscriber and returning the extracted destination session control servers 11 to 13 to the session control servers 11 and 12 as the inquiry source. .

  The traffic control server 32 receives the congestion information periodically transmitted from the session control servers 11 to 13, and detects congestion based on the received congestion information. Then, when congestion is detected, transmission restriction information is generated, and the generated transmission restriction information is notified to all session control servers 11 to 13 other than the session control server where the congestion is detected. At this time, the identifier of the session control servers 11 to 13 in which the congestion is detected and information indicating the amount of restriction are inserted into the outgoing call restriction information. As the information indicating the restriction amount, an upper limit value of the call communication amount per unit time is used.

The session control servers 11 to 13 are configured as follows. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the hardware and software.
That is, the session control servers 11 to 13 include a central processing unit (CPU) 41, to which a program memory 43 and a data memory 44 are connected via a bus 42, and communication interfaces 45 to 47 are connected. Are connected to each other.

  The communication interfaces 45 to 47 include a higher-level communication interface 45, a server-to-server communication interface 46, and a lower-level communication interface 47. In the higher-level communication interface 45, under the control of the CPU 41, an inquiry about the destination and a response to the location server 31 are transmitted and received, and congestion information and transmission restriction information are transmitted to and received from the traffic control server 32. Is done. In the inter-server communication interface 46, the call control information is transferred by SIP between the adjacent session control servers 11 to 13 under the control of the CPU 41. In the lower communication interface 47, call control information is transferred between the edge routers 21 and 22 and the multimedia gateway 23 under the control of the CPU 41.

  The data memory 44 is provided with a transmission restriction information storage unit 441 as a recording area for storing information necessary for carrying out the present invention. The transmission restriction information storage unit 441 is used for storing the transmission restriction information notified from the traffic control server 32 until a restriction release notification is received.

The program memory 43 stores a call processing control program 431, a call restriction control program 432, and a congestion notification control program 433 as application programs necessary for carrying out the present invention.
The congestion notification control program 433 causes the CPU 41 to execute the following processing.
(1) Processing for monitoring communication traffic in its own server, and periodically sending the result as congestion information from the higher-level communication interface 45 to the traffic control server 32.
(2) Processing for receiving transmission restriction information transmitted from the traffic control server 32 via the upper communication interface 45 and storing the received transmission restriction information in the transmission restriction information storage unit 441 in the data memory 44.
(3) Processing for deleting the transmission restriction information stored in the transmission restriction information storage unit 441 in response to the release of the transmission restriction.

The call processing control program 431 causes the CPU 41 to execute the following processing.
(1) Included in the call control information when call control information for a call request transmitted from the subscriber terminals TM1, TM2,... A process of inquiring destination information from the upper network communication interface 45 to the location server 31 based on the destination subscriber number and receiving a response.
(2) The session control server that is the destination of communication from the inter-server communication interface 46 according to the destination information notified by the response when the outgoing control information is not stored in the outgoing control information storage unit 441. Process to be transferred to.
(3) Call control information transferred from another session control server is received via the inter-server communication interface 46, and the received call control information is received from the lower-level communication interface 47 via the edge routers 21 and 22. Processing to transfer to the previous subscriber terminals TM1 and TM2.

The outgoing call restriction control program 432 causes the CPU 41 to execute the following processing.
(1) When transmission restriction information is stored in the transmission restriction information storage unit 441, an identifier of the destination session control server included in the destination information notified by the response from the location server 31 is stored in the memory. A process of comparing whether or not both identifiers match with the identifier of the destination session control server to be regulated included in the transmitted call regulation information.
(2) When both identifiers match, the call request received from the subscriber terminal is set as a restricted call or a non-restricted call according to the information indicating the restriction amount included in the stored outgoing restriction information. The process of determining what to do.
(3) If the call is determined to be restricted in (2) above, the call request is not transferred to the destination session control server, and the lower side communication interface 47 is connected to the caller requesting subscriber terminal. Processing to return notification information indicating that congestion is occurring.
(4) A process of transferring a call request sent from the subscriber terminal from the inter-server communication interface 46 to the destination session control server when it is determined as a non-restricted call in (2).

  In FIG. 1, the configuration of PSTN 2 is not shown, but PSTN 2 also has a plurality of exchanges functioning as call control devices and subscribers having functions equivalent to location server 31, as with IP telephone network 1 described above. An information management device and a traffic control device having functions equivalent to those of the traffic control server 32 are provided.

Next, a call restriction operation by the communication network system configured as described above will be described.
(1) Call control operation when outgoing call regulation is not activated
(1-1) When the called subscriber is accommodated in the IP telephone network 1
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a call control procedure by the session control server 11 and the location server 31 in this case. In the following description, it is assumed that “0422591234” is assigned as the subscriber number to the subscriber terminal TM2, and “SERVER1” and “SERVER2” are assigned as identifiers to the session control servers 11 and 12, respectively.

  In the subscriber terminal TM1, it is assumed that the caller performs a call operation with the other subscriber terminal TM2 in the IP telephone network 1 as a destination. Then, a SIP call request signal (INVITE SIP: 0422591234 @ [hostport] SIP2.0) is transmitted from the subscriber terminal TM1, and this call request signal is received by the session control server 11 via the edge router 21. (Step (1) in FIG. 3).

  Upon reception of the call request signal, the session control server 11 inquires the destination information including the destination subscriber number described in the received call request signal under the control of the call processing control program 431 ( Query (0422591234)) is generated, and the generated query is transmitted from the higher-level communication interface 45 to the location server 31 (step (2) in FIG. 3).

  Upon receiving the inquiry, the location server 31 searches the location table 311 using the called subscriber number “0422591234” included in the inquiry as a key. Then, the identifier of the session control server as the destination is extracted, and a response including the extracted identifier of the session control server as the destination is returned to the session control server 11 as the inquiry source. For example, at this time, the identifier “SERVER2” of the session control server 12 is stored in the location table 311 in association with the called subscriber number “0422591234” as shown in FIG. Therefore, the identifier “SERVER2” of the session control server 12 is returned to the inquiring session control server 11 as a response (ANSWER (SERVER2)) as shown in (3) of FIG.

  When the response (ANSWER (SERVER2)) is received via the higher-level communication interface 47, the session control server 11 determines whether or not the outgoing call restriction information is stored in the outgoing call restriction information storage unit 441 in the data memory 44. . As a result of this determination, since the call restriction information is not stored now, the call request signal (INVITE SIP: 0422591234 @ [hostport] SIP2.0) sent from the subscriber terminal TM1 is sent from the inter-server communication interface 46. Transfer to the session control server 12 (step (4) in FIG. 3).

  The session control server 12 transfers the transferred call request signal (INVITE SIP: 0422591234 @ [hostport] SIP2.0) to the called subscriber terminal TM2 via the edge router 22. Thus, an end-to-end session is established between the originating subscriber terminal TM1 and the called subscriber terminal TM2, and the subscriber terminals TM1 and TM2 can perform multimedia communication thereafter.

(1-2) When the called subscriber is accommodated in the PSTN 2
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a call control procedure by the session control server 11 and the location server 31 in this case. Here, it is assumed that “0422595678” is assigned as the subscriber number to the subscriber terminal TM3, and “SERVER3” is assigned as the identifier to the session control server 13.

  In the subscriber terminal TM1, it is assumed that the caller performs a call operation with the subscriber terminal TM3 accommodated in the PSTN 2 as a destination. Then, a SIP call request signal (INVITE SIP: 0422595678 @ [hostport] SIP2.0) is transmitted from the subscriber terminal TM1, and this call request signal is received by the session control server 11 via the edge router 21. (Step (1) in FIG. 4).

  Upon reception of the call request signal, the session control server 11 inquires the destination information including the destination subscriber number described in the received call request signal under the control of the call processing control program 431 ( Query (0422595678)) is generated, and this inquiry is transmitted from the higher-level communication interface 45 to the location server 31 (step (2) in FIG. 4).

  Upon receiving the inquiry, the location server 31 searches the location table 311 using the called subscriber number “0422595678” included in the inquiry as a key. Then, the identifier of the session control server (gateway) 13 connected to the PSTN 2 that is the destination is extracted, and a response including the extracted identifier of the session control server 13 is returned to the session control server 11 that is the inquiry source. For example, at this time, the identifier “SERVER3” of the session control server 13 is stored in the location table 311 in association with the called subscriber number “0422595678” as shown in FIG. Therefore, the identifier “SERVER3” of the session control server 12 is returned to the session control server 11 as the inquiry source as a response (ANSWER (SERVER3)) as shown in (3) of FIG.

  When the response (ANSWER (SERVER3)) is received via the higher-level communication interface 47, the session control server 13 determines whether or not the outgoing call restriction information is stored in the outgoing call restriction information storage unit 441 in the data memory 44. . As a result of this determination, since the call restriction information is not stored now, the call request signal (INVITE SIP: 0422595678 @ [hostport] SIP2.0) sent from the subscriber terminal TM1 is sent from the inter-server communication interface 46. Transfer to the session control server 13 (step (4) in FIG. 4).

  When the session control server 13 receives the transferred call request signal (INVITE SIP: 0422595678 @ [hostport] SIP2.0), the session control server 13 issues a call via the connection point (identifier: POI) between the IP telephone network 1 and the PSTN 2. The call request signal (IAM 0422595678) is transferred to the PSTN 2 (step (5) in FIG. 4). When the exchange in the PSTN 2 receives the call request signal, the call request signal is transmitted to the destination subscriber terminal TM3 in accordance with the called subscriber number described in the call request signal. When the subscriber terminal TM3 responds to the incoming call, an end-to-end communication path is established between the subscriber terminal TM1 of the IP telephone network 1 and the subscriber terminal TM3 of the PSTN2, and thereafter the subscriber terminals TM1 and TM2 Multimedia communication is possible.

(2) Call control operation when outgoing call restriction is activated
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an outline of the outgoing call restriction control procedure by the session control server 11 in this case.
When the call request signal is received from the originating subscriber terminal TM1 (step (1) in FIG. 5), the session control server 11 receives the call request signal received under the control of the call processing control program 431. 5 is generated, and the generated inquiry is transmitted from the higher-level communication interface 45 to the location server 31 (FIG. 5). Middle step (2)).

  When the inquiry is received, the location server 31 searches the location table using the destination telephone information included in the inquiry as a key. Then, the identifier of the session control server as the destination is extracted, and a response (ANSWER (destination information)) including the extracted identifier of the destination session control server is returned to the session control server 11 as the inquiry source ( Step (3) in FIG.

  When the response (ANSWER (destination information)) is received via the higher-level communication interface 47, the session control server 11 determines whether or not the outgoing call restriction information is stored in the outgoing call restriction information storage unit 441 in the data memory 44. judge. As a result of this determination, if the outgoing call restriction information is stored, in step (4), whether the call request sent from the calling subscriber terminal TM1 is a restricted call or a non-restricted call. The determination is performed as follows.

  That is, first, in step S51, the destination information returned from the location server 31 is compared with the destination information to be restricted included in the outgoing restriction information stored in the outgoing restriction information storage unit 441. It is determined whether or not. As a result of the determination, if both destination information matches, the call request received from the subscriber terminal TM1 is set as a call subject to restriction according to the information indicating the restriction amount included in the stored call restriction information. Or unregulated calls. When it is determined that the call is subject to restriction, the call request is not transferred to the destination session control server, and the caller requesting subscriber terminal is congested from the lower communication interface 47. Return notification information. On the other hand, when the call is determined as a non-restricted call, the call request sent from the subscriber terminal of the caller is transferred from the inter-server communication interface 46 to the session control server of the callee.

The outgoing call restriction operation by the session control server 11 described above will be described in more detail.
(2-1) When the called subscriber is accommodated in the IP telephone network 1
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a call restriction control procedure by the session control server 11 and the location server 31 in this case. Here, “0422591234” is assigned to the subscriber terminal TM2 as a subscriber number, and the session control servers 11 and 12 have identifiers FQDN: “server1.example.ne.jp” and FQDN: “server2.example.”, Respectively. The description will be made assuming that “ne.jp” is assigned.

  Each session control server 11-13 monitors the communication traffic in its own server, and periodically transmits the result as congestion information from the higher-level communication interface 45 to the traffic control server 32 (step (1) in FIG. 6). . The traffic control server 32 receives congestion information periodically transmitted from the session control servers 11 to 13 and detects congestion based on the received congestion information. When congestion is detected, transmission restriction information is generated, and the generated transmission restriction information is notified to all session control servers 11 to 13 other than the session control server where the congestion is detected.

  For example, assume that congestion occurs in the session control server 12 now. Then, the traffic control server 32 detects congestion based on the congestion information from the session control server 12. Based on the detection result, transmission restriction information is generated in step S61, and the generated traffic control server 32 notifies the other session control servers 11 and 13 of the transmission restriction information. At this time, the outgoing call restriction information includes an identifier (server2.example.ne.jp) of the session control server 12 in which the congestion is detected, and information indicating the restriction amount (for example, 10 [call / sec]). (Step (2) in FIG. 6).

When the call control information is notified from the traffic control server 32, the session control server 11 stores the call control information in the call control information storage unit 441 in the data memory 44, and then, in step S62, the call control control program 432 is executed. After that, the transmission restriction control is executed as follows under the control of the transmission restriction control program 432.
That is, when the SIP call request signal (INVITE SIP: 0422591234 @ [hostport] SIP2.0) is received from the originating subscriber terminal TM1 (step (3-1) in FIG. 6), the session control server 11 Under the control of the call processing control program 431, a query (Query (0422591234)) including the called subscriber number “0422591234” described in the received call request signal is generated, and the generated query (Query (0422591234)) is transmitted from the higher-level communication interface 45 to the location server 31 (step (3-2) in FIG. 6).

  When receiving the inquiry (Query (0422591234)), the location server 31 searches the location table using the called subscriber number “0422591234” included in the inquiry (Query (0422591234)) as a key. Then, the identifier (server2.example.ne.jp) of the session control server 12 as the destination is extracted, and the identifier (server2.example.ne.jp) of the session control server 12 as the destination is extracted. A response (ANSWER (server2.example.ne.jp)) is returned to the session control server 11 as the inquiry source (step (3-3) in FIG. 6).

  When the response (ANSWER (server2.example.ne.jp)) is received via the higher-level communication interface 47, the session control server 11 stores the outgoing call restriction information in the outgoing call restriction information storage unit 441 in the data memory 44. It is determined whether or not. As a result of this determination, since the outgoing call restriction information is stored as described above, the outgoing call request signal (INVITE SIP: 0422591234 @ [hostport] SIP2. 0) is determined as a restriction target call or a non-restriction target call.

  For example, first, the identifier “server2.example.ne.jp” of the session control server 12 that is the return destination returned from the location server 31 is used as the restriction target included in the outgoing call restriction information stored in the outgoing call restriction information storage unit 441. It is determined whether or not both identifiers match with the identifier (server2.example.ne.jp) of the session control server 12. As a result of this determination, when both identifiers match as described above, the above-mentioned information received from the subscriber terminal TM1 according to the information (10 [call / sec]) indicating the restriction amount included in the stored transmission restriction information. It is determined whether the call request signal is a restriction target call or a non-restriction target call. When it is determined that the call is to be restricted, the call request is not transferred to the destination session control server, and the call requesting subscriber terminal TM1 is congested from the lower-level communication interface 47. Notification information (503 Service Unavailable) is returned.

On the other hand, when the call is determined to be a non-regulated call, the call request signal (INVITE SIP: 0422591234 @ [hostport] SIP2.0) sent from the subscriber terminal TM1 as the caller is transmitted to the inter-server communication interface 46 to the destination session control server 12 (step (4-4) in FIG. 6).
(2-2) When the called subscriber is accommodated in the PSTN 2
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a call restriction control procedure by the session control server 11 and the location server 31 in this case. Here, it is assumed that “0422595678” is assigned as the subscriber number to the subscriber terminal TM3, and “server3.example.ne.jp” is assigned as the identifier to the session control server 13.

When the transmission restriction information is notified from the traffic control server 32, the session control server 11 stores the transmission restriction information in the transmission restriction information storage unit 441 in the data memory 44 and then starts the transmission restriction control program 432. Thereafter, transmission restriction control is executed under the control of the transmission restriction control program 432 as follows.
That is, when the SIP call request signal (INVITE SIP: 0422595678 @ [hostport] SIP2.0) is received from the originating subscriber terminal TM1 (step (5-1) in FIG. 7), the session control server 11 Under the control of the call processing control program 431, a query (Query (0422595678)) including the called subscriber number “0422595678” described in the received call request signal is generated, and the generated query (Query (0422595678)) is transmitted from the higher-level communication interface 45 to the location server 31 (step (5-2) in FIG. 7).

  Upon receiving the inquiry (Query (0422595678)), the location server 31 searches the location table using the called subscriber number “0422595678” included in the inquiry (Query (0422595678)) as a key. Then, an identifier (server3.example.ne.jp) of the session control server (gateway) 13 connected to the PSTN 2 serving as the destination is extracted, and the identifier of the session control server 13 serving as the extracted destination ( A response (ANSWER (server3.example.ne.jp)) including server3.example.ne.jp) is returned to the session control server 11 as the inquiry source (step (5-3) in FIG. 7).

  When the response (ANSWER (server3.example.ne.jp)) is received via the higher-level communication interface 47, the session control server 11 stores the outgoing call restriction information in the outgoing call restriction information storage unit 441 in the data memory 44. It is determined whether or not. As a result of this determination, since the outgoing call restriction information is now stored, the outgoing call request signal (INVITE SIP: 0422595678 @ [hostport] SIP2.0) sent from the calling subscriber terminal TM1 is used as the call subject to restriction. Or non-regulated call.

  For example, first, the identifier “server3.example.ne.jp” of the session control server 12 that is the return destination returned from the location server 31 is used as the restriction target included in the outgoing call restriction information stored in the outgoing call restriction information storage unit 441. It is determined whether or not both identifiers match with the identifier (server2.example.ne.jp) of the session control server 12. As a result of this determination, since this example does not match, the call request is determined to be an unregulated call, and a call request signal (INVITE SIP: 0422595678 @ [hostport] SIP2 sent from the caller subscriber terminal TM1 is sent. .0) is transferred from the inter-server communication interface 46 to the destination session control server 13 (step (5-4) in FIG. 7).

  When the call request signal (INVITE SIP: 0422595678 @ [hostport] SIP2.0) is transferred, the session control server 13 issues a call to the PSTN 2 as shown in step ((5-5)) of FIG. A call request signal (IAM 0422595678) is transmitted. When the exchange in PSTN 2 receives the call request signal (IAM 0422595678), it sends an incoming signal to the called subscriber terminal TM3 in accordance with the called subscriber number “0422595678” described in the call request signal. When the subscriber terminal TM3 responds to the incoming call, an end-to-end communication path is established between the subscriber terminal TM1 of the IP telephone network 1 and the subscriber terminal TM3 of the PSTN 2, and thereafter the subscriber terminals TM1 and TM3 Multimedia communication is possible.

  Therefore, when congestion occurs in the session control server 12 in a state where the PSTN 2 owns the same subscriber telephone number band (042259) that the session control server 12 accommodates, this session Call restriction is performed only for calls that are destined for the control server 12, and calls that are destined for PSTN 2 are communicated without being subject to call restriction.

The traffic control server 32 monitors the congestion state based on the congestion information ((6) in FIG. 7) periodically notified from the session control server 12 even after the congestion is detected. When it is determined that the congestion has been eliminated, transmission restriction release instruction information is generated, and this transmission restriction release instruction information is transmitted to each of the session control servers 11 and 13 to which the transmission restriction information has been transmitted first ((( 7)).
When receiving the transmission restriction release instruction information, the session control servers 11 and 13 delete the corresponding transmission restriction information from the transmission restriction information storage unit 441 in the data memory 44.

  As described above in detail, in this embodiment, when controlling outgoing calls, the identifier of the session control server that is the destination received from the location server 31 in response to the outgoing request from the subscriber terminal TM1 is used as the traffic control. It is compared with the identifier of the session control server to be restricted included in the outgoing restriction information notified in advance from the server 32, and it is determined whether or not both identifiers match. If both identifiers match, it is determined whether or not to make the call request subject to outgoing restriction based on information indicating the outgoing restriction amount included in the outgoing restriction information. When notification information (503 Service Unavailable) indicating that congestion is occurring is returned to the subscriber terminal TM1 that is the transmission source of the call request, on the other hand, when it is determined that the call is not subject to call restriction, the call request is The call is transferred to the destination session control server.

  Therefore, in a system in which the IP telephone network 1 and the PSTN 2 share the same subscriber telephone number band (042259), when congestion occurs in a session control server in the IP telephone network 1, the session control server The outgoing call restriction is performed only for the outgoing call with the destination as the destination, and the outgoing call with the PSTN 2 as the destination is communicated without being subject to the outgoing call restriction. For this reason, it is possible to maintain a high call communication rate to the PSTN 2. Moreover, since the destination server information already managed in the location server 31 is used to identify the session control server subject to outgoing call restriction, new management information is prepared, or judgment for outgoing call restriction is performed. There is an advantage that can be realized without significantly changing the procedure.

  In addition, since it is determined whether the call request is to be restricted or non-restricted based on the information indicating the amount of outgoing restriction included in the outgoing restriction information, the congestion of the session control server where the congestion has occurred is determined. An appropriate amount of call requests corresponding to the call processing capability will be transferred, so that it is possible to maximize the call processing capability of the call control device while protecting the call control device where congestion has occurred. It becomes.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the call restriction control procedure according to the present invention is implemented in the IP telephone network 1 has been described as an example. However, you may comprise so that the same transmission control control procedure may be implemented in PSTN2. This is because each switch in the PSTN 2 is provided with functions similar to those provided in the session control servers 11 and 12 of the IP telephone network 1 to realize the present invention, and further provided with devices similar to the location server 31. Can be realized. At this time, the location server 31 of the IP telephone network 1 can be expanded so that the PSTN 2 can be used.

In addition, the type of communication network, the configuration of the call control device, the procedure and contents of outgoing call restriction control, and the like can be variously modified and implemented without departing from the gist of the present invention.
In short, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Further, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, you may combine suitably the component covering different embodiment.

  TM1 to TM3: subscriber terminal, 1 ... IP telephone network, 2 ... PSTN, 11-13 ... session control server, 21, 22 ... edge router, 23 ... multimedia gateway (MG), 31 ... location server, 32 ... Traffic control server, 41 ... CPU, 42 ... bus, 43 ... program memory, 44 ... data memory, 45 ... higher side communication interface, 46 ... inter-server communication interface, 47 ... lower side communication interface, 431 ... call processing control program, 432 ... Transmission restriction control program, 433 ... Congestion notification control program, 441 ... Transmission restriction information storage unit.

Claims (7)

The first and second communication networks each accommodating a plurality of subscriber terminals share the same subscriber number band, and the subscriber terminal includes subscriber information including the subscriber number band as destination information. A communication network system that enables communication by connecting between a calling subscriber terminal and a called subscriber terminal when a call request is transmitted,
The first and second communication networks are:
A plurality of call control devices for distributing and accommodating the plurality of subscriber terminals;
A subscriber information management device that manages subscriber information assigned to the subscriber terminal and identification information of a call control device that accommodates the subscriber terminal in association with each other;
When congestion occurs in at least one of the plurality of call control devices, transmission restriction information including identification information of the call control device in which the congestion has occurred is generated, and the call control information in which the congestion has occurred is generated. A traffic control device for notifying a call control device other than the device,
Each of the plurality of call control devices includes:
When the call request is sent from the subscriber terminal in a state in which the call control information is notified from the traffic control device, the subscriber based on the destination subscriber information included in the call request Means for acquiring identification information of a call control device accommodating the called subscriber terminal from the information management device;
It is determined whether or not the acquired identification information of the call control device matches the identification information of the call control device included in the notified call control information, and when it is determined that the both identification information matches, A communication network system, comprising: call restriction control means for performing a call restriction process based on the call restriction information for the call request. The transmission restriction control means is
A determination unit for comparing the acquired identification information of the call control device with the identification information of the call control device included in the notified call restriction information, and determining whether or not the two identification information matches;
Means for determining whether or not the call request is to be subject to call restriction based on information indicating a call restriction amount included in the call restriction information when it is determined by the decision means that both pieces of identification information match. When,
Means for returning response information indicating that the call request is congested to a subscriber terminal that is a transmission source of the call request when it is determined that the call request is a call restriction target;
2. The communication network system according to claim 1, further comprising means for transferring the call request to the destination call control device when it is determined that the call request is not subject to call restriction.   The first communication network is an IP (Internet Protocol) communication network using a session control server that performs call control according to SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) as a call control device, and the second communication network is a circuit switching system. 3. The communication network system according to claim 1, wherein the communication network system comprises a circuit switching network using a switching device that performs call control as a call control device. The first and second communication networks each accommodating a plurality of subscriber terminals share the same subscriber number band, and these first and second communication networks distribute the plurality of subscriber terminals. A plurality of call control devices to be accommodated, and a subscriber information management device for managing the subscriber information assigned to the subscriber terminal and the identification information of the call control device for accommodating the subscriber terminal in association with each other , An outgoing call restriction method used in a communication network system including a traffic control device,
When congestion occurs in the call control device, the traffic control device generates transmission restriction information including identification information of the call control device in which the congestion has occurred, and uses the call restriction information for the call where the congestion has occurred. A process of notifying the call control device other than the control device;
The call control device storing the call restriction information notified from the traffic control device in a memory;
When a call request including subscriber information including the subscriber number band as destination information is sent from the subscriber terminal, the call control device displays destination subscriber information included in the call request. A process of acquiring identification information of a call control device that accommodates a destination subscriber terminal from the subscriber information management device,
The call control device determining whether the acquired identification information of the call control device matches the identification information of the call control device included in the outgoing call control information stored in the memory;
A call restriction method comprising: a step of performing a call restriction process based on the call restriction information with respect to the call request when the call control device determines that the identification information matches. The process of performing the outgoing call restriction process is as follows:
When it is determined that the acquired identification information of the call control device matches the identification information of the call control device included in the call restriction information stored in the memory, the call restriction amount included in the call restriction information is represented. Determining whether to make the call request subject to call restriction based on the information; and
When it is determined that the call request is subject to call restriction, a process of returning response information indicating that the call request is being congested to a subscriber terminal that is a transmission source of the call request;
5. The call restriction method according to claim 4, further comprising a step of transferring the call request to the destination call control device when it is determined that the call request is not subject to call restriction. The first and second communication networks each accommodating a plurality of subscriber terminals share the same subscriber number band, and these first and second communication networks distribute the plurality of subscriber terminals. A plurality of call control devices to be accommodated, and a subscriber information management device for managing the subscriber information assigned to the subscriber terminal and the identification information of the call control device for accommodating the subscriber terminal in association with each other The call control device used in a communication network system comprising a traffic control device,
The transmission control information received from the traffic control device to a call control device other than the call control device in which congestion has occurred, including transmission restriction information including identification information of the call control device in which congestion has occurred, and the received transmission restriction information is stored in the memory Means for storing in,
When a call request including subscriber information including the subscriber number band as destination information is sent from the subscriber terminal, the subscriber is based on the destination subscriber information included in the call request. Means for acquiring identification information of a call control device accommodating the called subscriber terminal from the information management device;
When it is determined whether the acquired identification information of the call control device matches the identification information of the call control device included in the outgoing call restriction information stored in the memory, and it is determined that both the identification information match And a means for performing outgoing call restriction processing based on outgoing call restriction information stored in the memory in response to the outgoing call request. The means for performing the outgoing call restriction process is:
A determination unit for comparing the acquired identification information of the call control device with the identification information of the call control device included in the notified call restriction information, and determining whether or not the two identification information matches;
Means for determining whether or not the call request is to be subject to call restriction based on information indicating a call restriction amount included in the call restriction information when it is determined by the decision means that both pieces of identification information match. When,
Means for returning response information indicating that the call request is congested to a subscriber terminal that is a transmission source of the call request when it is determined that the call request is a call restriction target;
7. The call control device according to claim 6, further comprising means for transferring the call request to the destination call control device when it is determined that the call request is not subject to call restriction.

Images