KR20060070664A - Apparatus and method for execute conference by using explicit multicast in keyphone system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an apparatus and method for performing a conference function using Xcast in a key phone system, comprising: a PSTN / IP interface unit for performing an interface with a terminal and a PSTN or an IP network; A DSP connected to the PSTN / IP interface unit to perform signal encoding; A control unit connected to the DSP to control a key phone system; A TCP / IP stack under the control of the controller and performing an Xcast process in a TCP / IP layer; It is connected to the TCP / IP stack and includes a LAN interface unit that performs an interface with a terminal by Xcast through the Internet, and thus, by using an IP multicast technology through the key phone system without the help of other equipment or software, It will be able to provide enhanced voice and video conferencing capabilities.

Description

Apparatus and method for execute conference by using explicit multicast in keyphone system}

1 is a block diagram of a conventional key phone system,

2 is a conceptual diagram showing a protocol stack of a conventional key phone system,

3 is a block diagram of an apparatus for performing a conference function using Xcast in a keyphone system according to the present invention;

4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of performing a conference function using Xcast in a keyphone system according to the present invention;

5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of transmitting an Xcast packet according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

11, 12, 41 ~ 44: terminal 20: key phone system

21: PSTN / IP interface unit 22: DSP

23 control unit 24 TCP / IP stack

25: LAN interface unit 30: Internet

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for performing a conference function using explicit multicast (Xcast) in a keyphone system, and more particularly, to an IP phone system without the help of other equipment (for example, a router) or software. (Internet Protocol) The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for performing a conference function using Xcast in a keyphone system suitable for providing an efficient and improved voice / video conference function using a multicast technology.

In general, a key phone system is an efficient simple exchange system designed to be used by several people at the same time by installing a limited trunk line in the key phone main unit and connecting a key phone and a regular phone. Such a key phone system may be connected to a trunk line and an extension to perform a voice guidance function, an interrupt function, a broadcast function, a reception rejection function, a remote maintenance function, and the like. And the digital key phone system allows the exchange function to be performed by digital method.

1 is a block diagram of a conventional key phone system.

As shown therein, a trunk line interface unit 3 for performing an interface with the terminal 1 to a public switched telephone network (PSTN) through a central office (CO) line; A digital signal processor (DSP) 4 which is connected to the trunk line interface unit 3 and encodes a signal; A control unit (5) connected to the DSP (4) to control the key phone system (2); It is composed of a LAN (Local Area Network) interface unit 6 under the control of the control unit 5 and performing an interface with the terminal 8 through the Internet 7.

The operation of the prior art configured as described above will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the key phone system 2, the trunk line interface unit 3 interfaces with the terminal 1 to the PSTN via the trunk line.

The DSP 4 is connected to the CO line interface 3, is controlled by the controller 5, and performs encoding of a signal.

The control unit 5 is connected to the DSP 4 and is connected to the LAN interface unit 6 to control the key phone system 2.

The LAN interface unit 6 is controlled by the control unit 5 and performs an interface with the terminal 8 through the Internet 7.

Thus, the key phone system 2 provides a conference function.

Conferencing is a feature that allows one user to talk to two other users at the same time.

2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a protocol stack of a conventional key phone system.

The protocol stack of the keyphone system includes an application layer, an H.323 stack layer, a transmission control protocol / internet protocol layer, a low stack layer, It is composed of a physical layer.                         

Thus, the prior art provides both a conference function at the application layer.

In this way, a service that implements hardware for providing an application layer and a conferencing function and enables three-way communication through an assigned port is provided in the conventional key phone system 2.

However, this conventional technology has the following problems.

In other words, the problem with the prior art is that only a three-way call is possible and a video conference function cannot be provided.

Therefore, the present invention is intended to support more conference participants and perform video conferencing functions based on Xcast technology.

Accordingly, the present invention has been proposed to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an efficient and improved voice / video conferencing function using IP multicast technology without the help of other equipment or software through a key phone system. The present invention provides an apparatus and a method for performing a conference function using X-cast in a key phone system capable of providing the same.

In order to achieve the above object, a conference function performing apparatus using Xcast in a keyphone system according to an embodiment of the present invention,

A PSTN / IP interface unit for performing an interface with a terminal through a PSTN or an IP network; A DSP connected to the PSTN / IP interface unit to perform signal encoding; A control unit connected to the DSP to control a key phone system; A TCP / IP stack under the control of the controller and performing an Xcast process in a TCP / IP layer; It is characterized in that it comprises a LAN interface unit connected to the TCP / IP stack and performing an interface with a terminal by Xcast via the Internet.

In order to achieve the above object, a method of performing a conference function using Xcast in a keyphone system according to an embodiment of the present invention,

A first step of encoding the transmitted data when the conference terminal transmits the conference data; A second step of generating encoded data after the first step into an Xcast packet in a TCP / IP stack; And a third step of generating an Xcast packet generated after the second step as a multiple unicast packet according to a destination address list and transmitting it to a receiving terminal.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention as described above, an apparatus and apparatus for performing a conference function using Xcast in a key phone system will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

3 is a block diagram of an apparatus for performing a conference function using Xcast in a keyphone system according to the present invention.

As shown therein, the PSTN / IP interface unit 21 performs an interface with the terminals 11 and 12 to the PSTN or IP network; A DSP (22) connected to the PSTN / IP interface unit (21) for encoding signals; A control unit 23 connected to the DSP 22 to control the key phone system 20; A TCP / IP stack 24 under the control of the control unit 23 and performing Xcast processing in the TCP / IP layer; The LAN interface unit 25 is connected to the TCP / IP stack 24 and performs an interface with the terminals 41 to 44 by Xcast through the Internet 30.

In the TCP / IP stack 24, the video conferencing function is performed by performing the Xcast process on the video stream.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of performing a conference function using Xcast in a keyphone system according to the present invention.

As shown therein, a first step (ST1) (ST2) of encoding the transmitted data when the conference terminal transmits the conference data; A second step (ST3) of generating encoded data after the first step into an Xcast packet in the TCP / IP stack 24; And a third step (ST4) of generating the Xcast packet generated after the second step into a multiple unicast packet according to a destination address list and transmitting the result to a receiving terminal. .

Referring to the accompanying drawings, the operation of the apparatus and the method for performing the conference function using the X-cast in the key phone system according to the present invention configured as described above are as follows.

First, the present invention aims to provide an efficient and improved voice / video conferencing function using IP multicast technology through the key phone system without the help of other equipment or software.

Here, Xcast is a newly proposed method of providing multicast service, unlike traditional multicast schemes based on RFC1112 (Request For Comments 1112, which is written for Host Extension for IP Multicasting technology). The sender transmits the same data to the multicast group members through unicast through its destination address list without constructing a multicast tree.

Therefore, by mounting the Xcast technology in the key phone system 20, it is possible to effectively provide the audio / video conferencing function in the TCP / IP stack 24 stage.

Therefore, the PSTN / IP interface unit 21 performs an interface with the terminals 11 and 12 through a PSTN or an IP network.

In addition, the DSP 22 is connected to the PSTN / IP interface unit 21 and under the control of the control unit 23 performs the encoding of the signal.

The control unit 23 is connected to the DSP 22, to the TCP / IP stack 24, and performs control on the key phone system 20.

The TCP / IP stack 24 is controlled by the controller 23 and performs Xcast processing in the TCP / IP layer. The TCP / IP stack 24 also performs Xcast processing on the video stream so that the video conferencing function is performed. The audio conferencing function can also be performed through Xcast processing on the audio stream.

The LAN interface unit 25 is connected to the TCP / IP stack 24, and performs an interface with the terminals 41 to 44 through the Internet 30 through the broadcast.

Accordingly, all operations or information storage related to the conference function are performed by the TCP / IP stack 24.

The TCP / IP stack 24 stores information about conference members.

Therefore, when the sender transmits audio or video information, the DSP 22 performs encoding on the information. When the control unit 23 reads the encoded information and passes it to the TCP / IP stack 24, the TCP / IP stack 24 opens the LAN interface unit 25 based on the stored information such as an address list that it has. A unicast transmission of multiple data based on a destination IP address is performed through the unicast.

5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of transmitting an Xcast packet according to the present invention.

Thus, in FIG. 5, reference numerals A, B, and C denote IP Enable Keyphone Systems installed at each branch office and the main office, and these keyphone systems A, B, and C are interconnected through the Internet. have.

Reference numerals A1 and A2 denote terminals such as personal computers (PCs) in the A-keyphone system, and A3 denote terminals such as telephones in the A-keyphone system. Further, reference numerals B1 and B2 denote terminals such as PCs in the B-keyphone system, and B3 denote terminals such as telephones in the B-keyphone system. Reference numerals C1 and C2 denote terminals such as PCs in the C-keyphone system, and C3 denote terminals such as telephones in the C-keyphone system.

So, suppose that terminals A1, B1, B2, C1, and C3 want to conduct audio or video conference with each other and transmit data from terminal A1 to another terminal.

Then, the A-keyphone system converts the data from A1 into Xcast packets according to the conference list information registered to the A-keyphone system, and delivers the data to the keyphone systems of B and C, respectively.

At this time, the A-keyphone system knows that the B1, B2 terminals and C1, C3 terminals belong to different keyphone systems according to its routing table information, and generates and transmits packets according to the next hop information of each keyphone system. . Here, hop refers to a journey in which data packets are sent from one point to another point in a network in a packet switched network. Thus, in a network such as the Internet using TCP / IP, the hop count of a packet to its destination is kept in the packet header.

Therefore, in FIG. 5, two packets containing the same information are generated and delivered through the Internet. The received B and C keyphone systems make the Xcast packet in the form of the current unicast packet based on their next hop information. Will be sent.

Accordingly, terminals A1, B1, B2, C1, and C3 perform audio or video conferencing functions with each other.

As such, the present invention provides an efficient and enhanced voice / video conferencing function using IP multicast technology without the help of other equipment or software through the keyphone system.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention may use various changes, modifications, and equivalents. It is clear that the present invention can be applied in the same manner by appropriately modifying the above embodiments. Accordingly, the above description does not limit the scope of the invention as defined by the limitations of the following claims.

As described above, the apparatus and method for performing a conference function using Xcast in the key phone system according to the present invention have an effect of providing an efficient conference function regardless of the number of conference participants.

In addition, the present invention provides the video conferencing function as well as the audio conferencing function, it is also possible to perform the function as an IP-based multimedia composite device.

In addition, the present invention provides a service through an inexpensive IP network, so that various users can freely use their desired conference function.

Claims (3)

A PSTN / IP interface unit for performing an interface with a terminal through a PSTN or an IP network; A DSP connected to the PSTN / IP interface unit to perform signal encoding; A control unit connected to the DSP to control a key phone system; A TCP / IP stack under the control of the controller and performing an Xcast process in a TCP / IP layer; And a LAN interface unit connected to the TCP / IP stack and configured to interface with a terminal through Xcast through the Internet. The method of claim 1, wherein the TCP / IP stack, An apparatus for performing a conferencing function using Xcast in a keyphone system, wherein the video conferencing function is performed by performing Xcast processing on the video stream. A first step of encoding the transmitted data when the conference terminal transmits the conference data; A second step of generating encoded data after the first step into an Xcast packet in a TCP / IP stack; And a third step of generating an Xcast packet generated after the second step as a multiple unicast packet according to a destination address list and transmitting the multiplexed packet to a receiving terminal. How to do it.

Images