JP2003092622A - Communication network selection system and method, and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communication network selection system and method capable of providing a communication service along a communication condition desired by a user, and to provide a computer program. SOLUTION: The communication network selection system 50 for selecting a communication network for communication between a sender terminal 70 and a destination terminal 80 among communication networks 110 to 230, is provided with communication condition databases 2a, 2b, 2c for storing communication conditions of the communication networks (charging condition database, routing information database and user dependent line state setting database) a selection means (control means) 4 for selecting a communication network with a prescribed condition on the basis of the communication condition database, and connection means (transmission source connection section, line switch section, carrier network connection section, line connection section and IP network connection section) 6, 8, 10, 12, 20, 22 for connecting the transmission source terminal to the destination terminal according to the selected communication network.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a communication network selection system and method for selecting an appropriate communication network according to conditions such as a communication charge, and a computer program.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a control device (so-called ACR (Automatic Career Routing)) incorporated in a telephone terminal can select a carrier with the lowest communication charge from a plurality of carriers (telephone carriers). Is becoming. Here, the charge system in the carrier network is often determined according to the communication distance.

On the other hand, recently, a technique for transmitting and receiving voice information on a network such as the Internet, which is so-called Internet telephone, is being developed. In this Internet telephone, a voice call is performed by digitizing voice information, converting it into packets according to TCP / IP, which is an Internet protocol, and connecting the packets at a receiving terminal to return the voice. In addition, since the internet communication charges are often either pay-as-you-go or flat-rate, and the charges in this part are relatively low, only the communication charges for the public telephone network connecting the access point and each terminal are required. It has the advantage that it can be taken into consideration. Here, an access point (AP) refers to a relay facility between a network and a destination terminal, and usually, a plurality of APs are placed on the network, and the nearest AP and the destination terminal are connection networks such as public telephone networks. It is designed to be connected via.

[0004]

By the way, generally, in the case of the above-mentioned Internet telephone, the communication charge tends to be lower than that of the ordinary carrier connection. However, depending on the position of the access point, the access point and the terminal are concerned. Communication charges for the public telephone network in between may increase and communication charges may increase.

In addition, the communication quality of the Internet telephone is often inferior to that of the carrier connection, and
Communication quality is not constant. Therefore, depending on the user,
Even if the communication charge is a little high, you may want to connect to a carrier.

[0006] However, in the case of the conventional ACR, there is a problem that it is not possible to connect to the Internet telephone and to compare the Internet telephone and the carrier connection with each other to select the optimum communication network.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a communication network selection system and method capable of selecting a communication network having a predetermined condition from two or more communication networks, and a computer program. The purpose is to do.

[0008]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 is for performing communication between a source terminal and a destination terminal from two or more communication networks. A communication network selection system for selecting a communication network, wherein a communication condition database storing communication conditions of the communication network and a communication connection request designating a predetermined destination terminal from the source terminal are received. A selection means for selecting a communication network having a predetermined condition based on a communication condition database; and a connection means for connecting the source terminal and the destination terminal by the communication network selected by the selection means. It is characterized by that.

[0009] It is preferable that the selecting means selects another communication network satisfying the condition when the connection state to the selected communication network does not reach a predetermined standard.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the above-mentioned 2
The above communication network is characterized by having a telephone network and a network network for transmitting voice packets.

In the invention according to claim 4, when the communication network is the telephone network, the communication condition database stores a communication charge of the telephone network according to a region or time, and the selecting means. Is characterized by obtaining a communication charge from the telephone numbers of the source terminal and the destination terminal based on the communication condition database, and selecting the telephone network with the lowest communication charge.

In a fifth aspect of the present invention, when the communication network is the network, the communication condition database stores information on an access point in the network, and the selecting means sets the call origination. From the telephone numbers of the source terminal and the destination terminal, the access point closest to each terminal is searched based on the communication condition database, and the communication charge according to the connection network connecting the searched access point and each terminal Seeking
It is characterized in that the network with the lowest communication charge is selected.

In the communication network selecting system according to the sixth aspect, it is preferable that the selecting means selects a communication network having the lowest charge from the telephone network and the network network.

In the communication network selecting system according to claim 7, the communication condition database stores information on the quality of each communication network, and the selecting means determines a predetermined communication quality based on the communication condition database. It is characterized by selecting a communication network to be provided.

A communication network selection method of the present invention is a communication network selection method for selecting a communication network for communication between a source terminal and a destination terminal from two or more communication networks, A process of storing communication conditions of the communication network, and a communication network having a predetermined condition based on the communication condition when a communication connection request specifying a predetermined destination terminal is made from the source terminal. It is characterized by comprising a step of selecting and a step of connecting the source terminal and the destination terminal by the selected communication network.

The computer program of the present invention causes a computer to execute a communication network selecting method for selecting a communication network for communication between a source terminal and a destination terminal from two or more communication networks. And a step of storing the communication conditions of the communication network, and in the case of a communication connection request designating a predetermined destination terminal from the source terminal, a predetermined connection is performed based on the communication conditions. It is characterized in that the computer is caused to execute a step of selecting a communication network having a condition and a step of connecting the source terminal and the destination terminal by the selected communication network.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an entire system including a communication network selection system (hereinafter, referred to as “this system” as necessary) 50. In this embodiment, the communication network selection system 50 uses the public telephone network 3
, A plurality of telephone networks () carrier networks 110, 120, 130, and an IP (Internet Protocol) network 21 which is a network.
0, 220, 230. Each net 110-2
30 is collectively called a communication network. Communication network 110-230
Is a destination terminal 80 directly or through an appropriate predetermined connection network.
Connected to. Then, (voice) communication is performed between the source terminal 70 and the destination terminal 80 via the communication network selected from the communication networks 110 to 230. Examples of the network include the Internet and LAN (Local Ar
ea Network) or the like can be used.

The system 50 includes a communication condition database (hereinafter, abbreviated as “DB”) 2 for storing communication conditions of each communication network, a control means (selection means) 4 for controlling the entire system, and a source terminal 70. A source connection unit (connecting means) 6 for connecting with a line switching unit (connecting means) for connecting either the carrier network or the IP network to the source connection unit 6.
8, a carrier network connection unit (connecting means) 10 connected to the circuit switching unit 8 and performing various processes for carrier network connection, a predetermined carrier network among a plurality of carrier networks 110 to 130, and a carrier network connection unit 10. A line connecting unit (connecting means) 12 for connecting the Further, an IP network connection unit (connecting means) 20 that is connected to the circuit switching unit 8 and performs various processes for IP network connection, and a predetermined IP network among the plurality of IP networks 210 to 230 and the IP network connection unit 20. A line connection unit (connection means) 22 for connecting the

The communication condition database 2 actually has a plurality of databases 2a, 2b, 2c. Of these, the charging condition database 2a is used for each of the communication networks 110-2.
The charge condition of the communication charge for each 30 is stored. 2 and 3
Shows a configuration example of the charging data (table) stored in the charging condition database 2a.

FIG. 2 shows a billing table in the case of the carrier networks 110 to 130, and it depends on the area (area code) of the terminals of the communication source and the communication destination, and according to the call time (call time zone) as appropriate. The charging conditions are stored. For example, when making a call between terminals with area code △△△ and XXX
Stipulates that the call charge per second is □□ yen and that in time zone A is □ yen.

FIG. 3 shows a billing table in the case of the IP networks 210 to 230, and stores the area code assigned to each access point of each IP network. Here, the communication fee when using the IP network is as follows. First, based on the area code of the destination terminal, the access point having the nearest area code is searched. Next, the charging condition of the connection network connecting the access point and the destination terminal is acquired from a predetermined database, and the communication charge of the connection network is obtained based on the acquisition condition. For example, when the connection network is a public telephone network, the billing conditions for this public telephone network are prepared in advance as a table similar to that shown in FIG. 2, and the communication charge for the public telephone network is calculated based on this table, and this is calculated. The total communication charge is added to the communication charge of the IP network.

The routing information database 2b stores the line connection method of each communication network 110-230,
For example, in the case of the IP networks 210 to 230, the IP address of the relay device (gateway) installed in each access point is stored as a table. The user-by-user line status setting database 2c stores, as will be described in detail later, a line quality standard required for a selected communication network for each user who is a transmission source. For example, for a user who demands high line quality, only a communication network satisfying the standard is selected.

The control means 4 comprises, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), and executes computer programs for performing various controls and calculations.

The source connection unit 6 receives the public line corresponding unit 6a for connecting to the source terminal 70 that has accessed the system 50 through the telephone network 300, and the dial number of the called destination terminal. Dial number receiving unit 6b.

The carrier network connection unit 10 includes a dial number transfer unit 10a for transferring a voice signal to a received dial number and a carrier line status confirmation unit 10b for checking the line status of each carrier network according to the selected carrier network. Equipped with. In addition, the IP network connection unit 20 converts the audio signal, which is analog information, into digital information and appropriately compresses it.
A voice / IP conversion unit 20a that makes a packet according to P;
IP line status confirmation unit 20 for checking the line status of each IP network
b.

On the other hand, each of the terminals 70 and 80 may be a fixed telephone, a mobile telephone, or a personal computer capable of internet telephone. When using a personal computer, the voice / IP conversion unit 2 described above is used.
As in the case of 0a, it is necessary to incorporate a conversion device (communication board) for mutually converting a voice signal and a packet.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of the IP network and the connection mode with the destination terminal. Here, the IP network 210
However, the same applies to the other IP networks 220 and 230.

The IP network 210 is connected to the system 50 via a predetermined dedicated line 30. The IP network includes a plurality of access points (APs), and gateways (GWs) 211 to 214 are installed in each AP. The GW is composed of a predetermined server device, and is provided with the same device as the voice / IP conversion unit 20a. The GW also holds a unique IP address, receives the voice packet transmitted from the system by designating the IP address, converts the voice packet to a voice signal as appropriate, and transmits the voice signal to the destination terminals 80a to 80e. Each GW2
11 to 214 are connection networks 310, 400 and 50, respectively.
The destination terminals 80a to 80e are connected via 0 and 600.

Here, the connection network 310 is a public telephone network, 40
0 is a cable TV (CATV), 500 is xDSL (digital subscriber line), and 600 is ISDN (Integrated Service Digital Communication Network). Further, the terminal 80a is a fixed telephone, 80b is a fixed telephone or personal computer connected to CATV, 80c is a fixed telephone or personal computer connected to xDSL, and 80d and 80e are I.
A fixed telephone or personal computer connected to the SDN. In addition, each terminal 80b-80e and connection network 400
Between ~ 600, the predetermined routers 82b, 82c, 82
d, 84e, predetermined modems 84b, 84c, and terminal adapters 84d, 82e are appropriately arranged. If the terminals 80b to 80e are personal computers, each G
W transmits a voice packet to each router without converting it into a voice signal, and the conversion into a voice signal is performed by a conversion device (communication board or the like) built in the personal computer.

Further, a predetermined gatekeeper (GK) 220 is installed on the IP network 210. GK220
Performs appropriate test communication with each of the GWs 211 to 214, grasps the line status with each GW, and transmits the result to the present system 50. Next, a flow of communication network selection processing and connection processing with a destination terminal performed in the present system 50 will be described with reference to FIG. In this figure, first, the dial number receiving unit 6 of the present system 50
b receives the dial numbers of the source and the destination (of the terminal) (step S1000). Control means (selection means)
4 obtains each received dial number, and billing condition DB
Based on 2a, the communication network with the lowest communication charge is selected (step S1100). Here, for example, by using the tables of FIGS. 2 and 3 described above, the communication charges when the communication network is the carrier network and when the communication network is the IP network are calculated one by one, and the least expensive network is selected.

When the IP network is selected in step S1100, the control means 4 is a gateway installed at the access point (access point closest to the destination terminal) acquired from the table of FIG. 3 when calculating the communication charge. The IP address of is acquired from the routing information DB 2b (step S1200).

The circuit switching unit (connecting means) 8 includes a control means 4
The source connection unit 6 and the IP network connection unit 20 are connected according to the instruction of 1., and the line connection unit (connection unit) 22 connects the IP network selected according to the instruction of the control unit 4 and the IP network connection unit 20. . In this way, the connection processing to the selected communication network is performed (step S1250).

Next, the control means 4 determines whether the connection state of the selected network reaches a predetermined standard (the line is BUSY (congested)).
It is determined whether or not it is in a state (step S1270).
This judgment is made, for example, by transmitting a predetermined test signal to the connected network. “Yes” in step S1270
In this case, the control unit 4 excludes the network determined to be BUSY from the options (step S1290), and then performs the selection process of step S1100 again. As a result, another communication network with the second best communication charge is selected.

On the other hand, if "No" in step S1270, the voice / IP conversion unit 20a converts the voice signal from the source terminal into a packet having the IP address as a destination and transmits it according to the instruction of the control means 4. Yes (step S1
300). Here, the audio signal is converted into a digital signal, further compressed as appropriate, and then converted into a packet.

The gateway having the above-mentioned IP address connects the received packets, further converts them into a voice signal if necessary, and transmits (receives) to the destination terminal via a predetermined connection network (step S1400). Here, the packets are connected, then appropriately decompressed, and converted into an audio signal.

On the other hand, when the carrier network is selected in step S1100, the line switching unit (connecting unit) 8 connects the source connecting unit 6 and the carrier network connecting unit 10 in accordance with the instruction of the control unit 4, and connects the line. The unit (connecting unit) 12 connects the carrier network selected according to the instruction of the control unit 4 and the carrier network connecting unit 10. In this way, the connection process to the selected carrier network is performed (step S15).
00).

Next, the dial number transfer section 10a transmits (receives) a voice signal from the source terminal to the dial number of the destination terminal according to the instruction of the control means 4 (step S1600).

By the way, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the communication network is selected on the condition of the lowest communication charge, but the communication network can be selected on the other condition, for example, the communication quality. Hereinafter, a process of selecting a communication network having the best communication quality from the IP networks 210 to 230 will be described.

First, in FIG. 4, the GK 220 grasps the line status with each of the GWs 211 to 214. Figure 6
Is a table showing the line status grasped by the GK 220, and defines the line availability and line quality for each GW. Here, the line quality is a degree of delay according to a predetermined communication standard, which is ranked as excellent, good, or acceptable. GK
220 transmits the above table to the IP line status confirmation unit 20b of the present system 50. Then, the control means 4 operates as shown in FIG.
Instead of or in addition to the selection in step S1100 of step S1100,
The line statuses of 0 to 230 are acquired and used to judge the selection.

By doing this, not only the charge but also
Since the communication network can be selected according to the line condition desired by the user, the user's satisfaction can be improved. For example, whether the user attaches importance to a low communication charge in advance and secures the minimum standard for the line status, or whether the user wants that the communication charge and the line status both meet a certain standard, the user-specific line status setting database It is also possible to register in 2c and select the optimum communication network according to the registration. In this case, not only the carrier network but also the IP network is selected, which makes it easy to select the communication network that best suits the user's wishes.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

The communication network selection system of the present invention can be realized by a computer, various peripheral devices such as communication devices, and a software program executed by the computer. The software program executed in the system is , Can be distributed via a computer-readable storage medium or a communication line.

[0043]

As described above, according to the present invention,
When communication is performed between the source terminal and the destination terminal, a communication network satisfying a predetermined condition is selected from two or more communication networks, so that it is possible to provide a communication service according to the communication condition desired by the user. Becomes

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since not only the telephone network but also the network is selected, it is easy to select the communication network that best suits the user's wishes.

According to the present invention described in claims 4 to 6,
The communication network with the lowest communication fee can be selected, and the communication service can be provided according to the user's request.

According to the present invention described in claim 7, it is possible to select a communication network having a predetermined communication quality, and it is possible to provide a communication service according to a user's request.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a communication network selection system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a structure of a charging table stored in a charging condition database.

FIG. 3 is another diagram showing a configuration of a charging table stored in a charging condition database.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of an IP network and a connection mode with a destination terminal.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a process performed by the communication network selection system.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a table showing the line status of the IP network.

[Explanation of symbols]

2a Billing condition database (communication condition database) 2b Routing information database (communication condition database) 2c User-specific line status setting database (communication condition database) 4 Control means (selection means) 6 Originator connection section (connection means) 8 Circuit switching section (Connecting means) 10 Carrier network connecting part (connecting means) 12 Line connecting part (connecting means) 20 IP network connecting part (connecting means) 22 Line connecting part (connecting means) 50 Communication network selection system 70 Source terminal 80 Destination Terminals 110 to 130 Carrier network (communication network) 210 to 230 IP network (communication network)

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Haruno Kono             2-2-2 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Urbana             N-Net Otemachi Building NTT Corporation             Lee Thiemee (72) Inventor Keiichiro Hino             2-2-2 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Urbana             N-Net Otemachi Building NTT Corporation             Lee Thiemee (72) Inventor Kenta Nishizaki             2-2-2 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Urbana             N-Net Otemachi Building NTT Corporation             Lee Thiemee (72) Inventor Kiyotaka Saito             2-2-2 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Urbana             N-Net Otemachi Building NTT Corporation             Lee Thiemee (72) Inventor Katsuya Fukutomi             2-2-2 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Urbana             N-Net Otemachi Building NTT Corporation             Lee Thiemee F term (reference) 5K030 HA08 HA11 HB01 HB08 HC02                       JT01 KA07                 5K034 AA14 CC05 DD03 EE11 EE12                       FF10 JJ24                 5K036 HH08                 5K101 QQ11 RR05 SS08

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A communication network selection system for selecting a communication network for communication between a source terminal and a destination terminal from two or more communication networks, wherein communication conditions of the communication network are set. A communication condition database to be stored, and a selection means for selecting a communication network having a predetermined condition based on the communication condition database when there is a communication connection request from the source terminal designating a predetermined destination terminal. And a connection unit that connects the source terminal and the destination terminal by the communication network selected by the selection unit. 2. The selecting means selects another communication network satisfying the condition when the connection state to the selected communication network does not reach a predetermined standard. Communication network selection system. 3. The communication network selection system according to claim 1, wherein the two or more communication networks include a telephone network and a network network that transmits voice packets. 4. When the communication network is the telephone network,
The communication condition database stores a communication charge of the telephone network according to an area or a time, and the selecting unit communicates from the telephone numbers of the source terminal and the destination terminal based on the communication condition database. 4. The communication network selection system according to claim 3, wherein a charge is obtained and a telephone network with the lowest communication charge is selected. 5. When the communication network is the network, the communication condition database stores information about an access point in the network, and the selecting unit selects the source terminal and the destination terminal from each other. The access point closest to each terminal is searched based on the communication condition database from the owned telephone number, and the communication charge according to the connection network connecting the searched access point and each terminal is obtained. The communication network selection system according to claim 3, wherein the network network having the lowest sum of the communication charges of the network networks is selected. 6. The communication network selection system according to claim 5, wherein the selection means selects a communication network with the lowest charge from the telephone network and the network network. . 7. The communication condition database stores information about the quality of each communication network, and the selecting means selects a communication network having a predetermined communication quality based on the communication condition database. The communication network selection system according to any one of claims 1 to 6. 8. A communication network selecting method for selecting a communication network for performing communication between a source terminal and a destination terminal from two or more communication networks, wherein a communication condition of the communication network is selected. A step of storing, a step of selecting a communication network having a predetermined condition based on the communication condition when there is a communication connection request designating a predetermined destination terminal from the source terminal, and the selection A method of selecting a communication network, comprising the step of connecting the source terminal and the destination terminal with the communication network. 9. A computer program for causing a computer to execute a communication network selection method for selecting a communication network for communication between a source terminal and a destination terminal from two or more communication networks. A step of storing communication conditions of the communication network, and a communication having predetermined conditions based on the communication conditions when a communication connection request is made from the source terminal designating a predetermined destination terminal A computer program for causing a computer to execute a step of selecting a network and a step of connecting the source terminal and the destination terminal by the selected communication network.