JP4198893B2 - Method for communicating with a subscriber unit using a global communication network - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a communication technique for performing communication between communication devices using an interconnected network (global communication network).
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, communication has been started using internetworking techniques. Specifically, communication is performed on the Internet using an IP protocol that is an industry standard. Initially, the communication on the Internet is mostly data communication such as FTP, TELNET, SMTP, etc., but the telephone network call is also being replaced on the Internet.
[0003]
By the way, since the subscriber number in the telephone network and the network communication address (IP address) in the Internet are different from each other, it is not possible to simply make a call or communication on the Internet using the subscriber number. When making a call, it is usually necessary for both parties making a call to access a server (Rendezvous Server) on the Internet at the same time. Alternatively, it is necessary to make a call using a dedicated gateway on the Internet.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and is intended to enable a subscriber unit in a circuit switching network to be accessed using a network communication address, and to make a call at the time of this access. It is aimed.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to this invention, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the configuration as described in the claims is adopted.
[0006]
That is, according to the present invention, in order to achieve the above-described object, a subscription is made by using an identifier for individually identifying a subscriber unit connected to a circuit switched network and a global IP address representing a group of subscriber units. It communicates with the person device. In addition, a subscriber unit is called during this communication.
[0007]
Control information such as call control may be transmitted / received via a circuit switching network, or may be routed using a network communication address. The signal line system may be an individual signal line system or a common signal line system.
[0008]
The subscriber device may be any device such as a computer, a television, a set-top box, a kiosk, or a GPS as long as it has the function of the subscriber device in addition to the telephone. The telephone is a normal fixed telephone, mobile phone, or simplified mobile phone.
[0009]
The present invention can be realized not only as a method but also as an apparatus or a system. Of course, a part of the invention can be configured as software. Of course, a software product (recording medium) used for causing a computer to execute such software is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Examples of the present invention will be described below.
[0011]
FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention as a whole, in which a communication device (for example, a telephone) 11 is connected to a subscriber switching center 12 via a subscriber line. The subscriber exchanges 12 are connected to each other via one or more relay exchanges (not shown). The subscriber switching center 12 has a switch 14 and an access server 15 in addition to a normal switch 13. The switch 14 selectively connects the communication device 11 to one of the exchange 13 or the access server 15. The access server 15 is connected to the Internet 16 via a dedicated line. The access server 15 and the communication device 11 are assigned global IP addresses (addresses that specify resources on a global communication network such as the Internet).
[0012]
FIG. 2 schematically shows the switch 14. In this figure, the switch 14 includes a switch body 17 and a control unit 18. In this embodiment, when communication is performed using the exchange connection via the ordinary exchange 13, the ordinary subscriber number is dialed as it is. On the other hand, when communicating via the Internet 16, dialing is performed by adding a service identification number such as “0AB0” (A and B are 5 for example) to a normal subscriber number. For example, when calling the JPO, the number “0550-03-3581-1101” is dialed. On the calling side, the control unit 18 detects this service identification number, switches the switch body 17 to the access server 15 side upon detection, and sends the received subscriber number to the access server 15. In other cases, the switch body 17 is switched to the exchange 13 side. On the called side, the line on the exchange 13 side and the line on the access server 15 side are monitored, and the switch body 17 is switched to the one where the signal starts to be sent. This switched state is maintained until communication is terminated.
[0013]
FIG. 3 schematically shows the functions of the access server 15. Other hardware (for example, a router or a switch) may be used as long as it is functionally equivalent. In FIG. 3, the functional blocks realized by the access server 15 include a dial storage unit 20, an address conversion unit 21, a call packet generation unit 22, a call compression unit 23, a call packet generation unit 24, a call end detection unit 25, and an end. A packet generation unit 26, a call signal generation unit 27, a response signal detection unit 28, a response packet generation unit 29, a call decoding unit 30, a call end processing unit 31 and the like are included.
[0014]
The dial storage unit 20 stores dial data (for example, 03-3581-1101) sent from the control unit 18 of the switch 14. The address conversion unit 21 converts dial data (subscriber number) into a global IP address. A global IP address is fixedly assigned to a fixedly installed communication device (such as a non-mobile phone). In the case of a mobile communication device such as a mobile phone, an IP address can be dynamically assigned based on area information. The address conversion unit 21 performs conversion with reference to a table 21a that associates subscriber numbers with IP addresses. The global IP address obtained by the conversion is held in the address register 21b, and thereafter, by using the IP address in the address register 21b, the call information can be sent to the destination using the IP protocol. As an IP address, it is preferable to use IPv6 (Internet protocol version 6, RFC1883) which has a wide address space because of its availability.
[0015]
The call packet generation unit 22 generates a call packet that makes a call control signal and sends it to the Internet 16. As shown in FIG. 4A, the call packet includes a header and a data portion, and the header includes a transmission source address and a destination address. This destination address is an IP address generated by the address conversion unit 21 and corresponds to the subscriber number of the destination communication device. The source address is the IP address of the source communication device or access server. The data portion includes a packet type (calling packet), a destination communication device, a subscriber number of the transmission source communication device, and the like. It is possible to notify the destination user of the source information using the subscriber number of the source communication device. Further, the subscriber number of the destination communication device can be used for making a call depending on circumstances.
[0016]
The call compressor 23 compresses call data. For this compression, compression is performed by using the correlation of the voice, or by removing the environmental noise to detect a substantially silent portion and transmitting the silent duration in a packet.
[0017]
The call packet generator 24 packetizes the compressed call data and sends it to the Internet 16. As shown in FIG. 4B, the call packet is composed of a header (including a destination address and a source address) and a data portion (including packet type-call packet and call data).
[0018]
Further, the call end detection unit 25 detects that the communication device 11 is in a communication end state, and the switch 13 switches the detection side switch 14 to end the call. Based on the detection of the end of the call, the end packet generator 26 generates an end packet and transmits it to the call end processor 31 of the access server 15 on the other side. As shown in FIG. 4C, the end packet includes data of a destination address, a source address, and a packet type (end packet). When the call end processing unit 31 of the access server 15 receives the end packet, it sends an end control signal to the control unit 18 of the switch 14 and the switch 13 switches the switch 13 to end the call.
[0019]
The call signal generator 27 sends a call signal to the destination communication device 11 when a call packet is received via the Internet 16. The paging signal drives the ringer circuit to notify that the communication device is in a paging state. When the user makes the communication device ready for a call according to the ringing tone, a response signal is generated and returned to the access server 15. The response signal detector 28 of the access server 15 detects this, and the response packet generator 29 sends a response packet to the Internet 16 in response to this detection. As shown in FIG. 4D, the response packet includes a destination address, a transmission source address, and a packet type.
[0020]
FIG. 5 illustrates the operation in this embodiment. As is apparent from the figure, when a call is made from the destination communication device 11, the access server 15 on the calling side generates a call packet, and this call packet is accessed on the called side via the Internet 16. The incoming call side access server 15 sends a call signal to the destination communication device 11. When the destination communication device 11 responds, the call side access server 15 generates a response packet and returns it to the call side access server 15 via the Internet 16. The calling side access server 15 starts charging from this point. The calling side access server 15 returns a response signal to the calling side communication device to start a call. Thereafter, call packets are exchanged via the Internet 16. When the end of the call is detected by any one of the access servers 15, an end packet is generated and a call end process is performed.
[0021]
In this example, the access server 15 is provided in the subscriber exchange 12. However, the access server is used as the relay exchange, and the Internet 16 is connected between the relay exchanges or between the relay exchange and the subscriber exchange. May be bypassed. For there is no access server subscriber exchange station, it performs a normal exchange processing to the relay exchange of access server comes to oversee it, but it may also be so as to be connected from the relay exchange in the Internet 16.
[0022]
Further, the access server can be a server representing a network, and the communication apparatus can be associated with a host constituting the network and assigned a network address and a host address, respectively. Of course, other assignments may be made.
[0023]
Also, the user may make a call using the IP address itself instead of the subscriber number itself. In this case, whether the call is made by the subscriber number or the IP address can be distinguished by the service number (0AB0 or the like). As the IP address, an original numerical IP address may be used, or a domain name or a subdomain name may be used. When dialing with alphabets is not possible, encoding (encoding / decoding) may be performed by combining numbers.
[0024]
Further, in order to directly access the communication device 11 from the Internet 16, it is only necessary to transmit a call packet first, receive a response packet, and then exchange according to the original application protocol. In this case, it is preferable to inform the accessing side that the communication cost is high. For example, when accessing the communication device 11 from an anchor tag on a WWW web page, when the user clicks on the anchor area, the communication is charged (in the case of going through an Internet service provider, the provider has switched over). It is preferable to send a call packet after the user acknowledges (after sending OK). The anchor area may be distinguished by color display or the like.
[0025]
Further, another network communication address may be used instead of the global IP address used for specifying the communication device 11. For example, the access server 15 itself or the global IP address of the network in which the access server 15 is arranged, and an identifier (private address) assigned to each communication device 11 under the management of the access server 15 (switching center 12) And the communication device 11 may be specified. An example of an IP packet in this case is shown in FIG. In this IP packet, the global IP of the destination access server and the source access server is included in the header, and the private IP addresses of the destination communication device and the source communication device are included in the data. Routing is performed between access servers using a global IP address, and a private address is extracted and used in the access server processing. All addresses can be generated by the address conversion unit 21. The private address may be anything that is uniquely assigned in the access server management range (virtual network). In addition to the private IP address, for example, a host name or a telephone number But you can.
[0026]
In this embodiment, control signals are exchanged by an individual line signal system, and control signals are also transmitted as packets via the Internet. However, the control signals themselves are transmitted and received via a normal switching network. May be. Further, in a system adopting a common line signal system such as ISDN, control signals may be exchanged through a common line as before. When using the common line signaling method, the calling exchange can be configured to obtain the global IP address corresponding to the called subscriber number from the called exchange so that each exchange can It is only necessary to hold conversion data for the subscriber number in the station.
[0027]
In addition, when data other than a normal speech signal is transmitted as a high-frequency signal using xDSL (digital subscriber line) technology, the switch 14 may be configured by a frequency separator. In this case, control signals such as outgoing and incoming calls can be exchanged via individual lines or common lines, and information data such as call data can be separated by a frequency separator and transmitted to the Internet 16 side.
[0028]
Next, a second embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a mobile communication system will be described. FIG. 6 shows this embodiment as a whole. In FIG. 6, portions corresponding to those in FIG.
[0029]
In FIG. 6, the base station 35 is connected to the exchange (mobile exchange) 12. That is, the base station 35 is connected to the exchange 13 and the access server 15 via the switch 14. The base station 35 performs radio communication with the mobile station 36 in the corresponding area. In the mobile communication system of this embodiment, the location of the mobile station 36 is registered. Location registration is performed in units of location registration areas (consisting of one or a plurality of base station areas) in the same manner as in a normal mobile communication system. When the location of the mobile station 36 is different from the previous registration range, the IP packet for location registration is transmitted by multicast or the like, and the table 21a of the address translation unit 21 is updated.
[0030]
In this example as well, communication can be performed via the Internet 16 as in FIG. The mobile station 36 may be a fixed wireless communication device. Further, mobile stations and fixed wireless communication devices may be mixed. For the fixed wireless communication device, the location update registration process is not required.
[0031]
Further, the access server 15 in the mobile communication system and the access server 15 in the normal circuit switching system are connected via the Internet, and the communication device of the mobile communication system and the communication device of the normal circuit switching system are connected. Can communicate. A mobile station (communication device) may be specified by combining a global IP address and a private address.
[0032]
Next, an embodiment using an identifier unique to a communication device (or an identifier unique to a communication component of the communication device), for example, a MAC address will be described. FIG. 7 shows the third embodiment as a whole, and in this figure, portions corresponding to those in FIG. In FIG. 7, the subscriber switching center 12 has a MAC address registration unit 40. In the subscriber switching center 12, when the connection state of the communication device 11 is detected, the MAC address registration unit 40 issues a MAC address transmission command to the communication device 11 and receives the MAC address from the communication device 11. If the received MAC address is the same as the previous value, nothing is done. If they are different, the value is registered, and the MAC address and subscriber number pair is packetized and multicast to other access servers. The MAC address registration unit 40 holds the relationship between the MAC address and the subscriber number of the communication device managed by the corresponding server, as well as the relationship between the MAC address and the subscriber number of the communication device managed by the other server.
[0033]
Note that when there is a possibility that the MAC address corresponding to the subscriber line may be changed, such as when the communication apparatus 11 is connected to the subscriber line, the communication apparatus 11 determines that and sends it to the MAC address registration unit 40. On the other hand, a change in registration contents may be requested.
[0034]
In this embodiment, the user makes a call by designating the MAC address directly or indirectly. On the calling side, first, the MAC address of the destination communication device is converted into a subscriber number with reference to the MAC address registration unit 40, and the subscriber number obtained by the conversion is further converted into an IP address using the address conversion unit 21. Convert to address. Then, exchange is performed via the Internet 16. When the subscriber line is disconnected (for example, when the communication device is removed from the modular), it is preferable to reset the corresponding part of the MAC address registration unit 40. That is, the data is set such that the corresponding subscriber number does not have the corresponding MAC address.
[0035]
In this embodiment, communication can be performed using the MAC address regardless of the subscriber number. Whether the IP address is taken out based on the MAC address or the IP address is taken out based on the subscriber number is a service identification number (for example, 0A ₁ B ₁ 0 for the MAC address, 0A ₂ for the subscriber number). B ₂ 0) may be added and the instruction may be given.
[0036]
When a user communicates using a MAC address, it is preferable to use a personal directory or a directory service provided by a third party.
[0037]
Also, a database server that associates the MAC address with the subscriber number may be provided on the Internet, and this database server may be used instead of the MAC address registration unit. In this case, information obtained from the database server may be cached.
[0038]
Further, the device-specific identifier is not limited to the MAC address as long as it can identify the device. For example, it may be a personal identifier stored in a personal identification card that communicates with a communication device. Further, it may not be fixedly embedded in the apparatus like a MAC address but may be set by a user or the like afterwards. This identifier is retained in a nonvolatile manner after setting.
[0039]
Although the above description has been mainly based on the assumption of a call service, the present invention can be widely applied to communication including data communication without departing from the gist thereof.
[0040]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, a subscriber unit in a circuit switching network can be accessed using a network communication address, and a call can be made at the time of this access.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention as a whole.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a switch 14 according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an access server 15 according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating various packets according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the first embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing Embodiment 2 of the present invention as a whole.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing Embodiment 3 of the present invention as a whole.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Communication apparatus 12 Subscriber exchange 13 Switch 14 Switch 15 Access server 16 Internet 17 Switch main body 18 Control part 20 Dial memory | storage part 21 Address conversion part 21b Address register 21a Table 22 Call packet generation part 23 Call compression part 24 Call packet generation Unit 25 Call end detection unit 26 End packet generation unit 27 Call signal generation unit 28 Response signal detection unit 29 Response packet generation unit 30 Call decoding unit 31 Call end processing unit 35 Base station 36 Mobile station 40 Address registration unit

Claims (4)

In a communication system for connecting a line from a predetermined subscriber device to the global communication network side via a branch point on the input side of a switching center, a communication method for communicating with the predetermined subscriber device,
Transmitting information data packets to a given subscriber device using a global IP address representing a group of subscriber devices and an address unique to each subscriber device;
And a step of calling the predetermined subscriber device to which the information data is transmitted in relation to transmission of the information data packet to the predetermined subscriber device.   The communication method according to claim 1, wherein the calling step is performed using a common signal line.   The communication method according to claim 1, wherein the calling step is performed using a packet including call information. 4. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein the exchange is a mobile exchange for mobile communication.

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