JP7070776B1 - Relays, methods, programs and relay systems - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a relay device, a method, a program and a relay system for more preferably realizing communication using a mobile network.
In a relay system, a relay device 20A is connected to a network based on a first connection unit connected to another device 10A, a second connection unit connected to the network, and a control signal received from the other device 10A. The communication related to the other device 10A formed by the control of the 1 server 40 is controlled to be switched to the communication via the second server 50 connected to the network, and when the communication via the second server 50 fails, the communication to the other device 10A is performed. It includes a control unit that controls the transmission of error reports.
[Selection diagram] FIG. 7

Description

The present invention relates to relay devices, methods, programs and relay systems.

In recent years, the transition from fixed telephone networks such as ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) and PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) to IP telephone networks has been promoted. Therefore, switching from the switchboard equipment for PSTN / ISDN to the line equipment for the IP telephone network is being carried out. Communication using a fixed telephone network is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1.

In addition, for the transition to the IP telephone network in rural areas such as mountainous areas and remote islands, the cost of re-laying cables due to breakdown or aging is required, so a method using a mobile network is being considered.

Patent No. 3654178 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-244225

An object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved relay device, method, program and relay system capable of realizing switching between communications via different servers.

In order to solve the above problems, according to a certain viewpoint of the present invention, based on a first connection unit that connects to another device, a second connection unit that wirelessly connects to a mobile network, and a control signal received from the other device. The voice codec via the second server connected to the mobile network for communication using the voice codec used in the mobile network related to the other device formed by the control of the first server connected to the mobile network. Provided is a relay device including a control unit that controls switching to communication that does not use the codec and controls transmission of an error report to the other device when communication via the second server fails.

Further, in order to solve the above problems, according to another aspect of the present invention, the method is executed in a relay device having a first connection portion connected to another device and a second connection portion wirelessly connected to the mobile network . Therefore, based on the control signal received from the other device, the mobile communication using the voice codec used in the mobile network related to the other device formed by the control of the first server connected to the mobile network. Controlling to switch to communication that does not use the voice codec via a second server connected to the network, and controlling transmission of an error report to the other device if communication via the second server fails. Methods are provided, including.

Further, in order to solve the above problems, according to another viewpoint of the present invention, a first connection portion for connecting a computer to another device, a second connection section for wirelessly connecting to a mobile network, and the other device. Based on the received control signal, the second server that connects to the mobile network the communication using the voice codec used in the mobile network related to the other device formed by the control of the first server connected to the mobile network. A program for functioning as a control unit that controls switching to communication that does not use the voice codec via the server and controls transmission of an error report to the other device when communication via the second server fails. Is provided.

Further, in order to solve the above problems, according to another viewpoint of the present invention, a first connection unit connected to another device, a second connection unit wirelessly connected to the mobile network, and a control signal received from the other device. Based on the above, communication using the voice codec used in the mobile network related to the other device formed by the control of the first server connected to the mobile network is performed via the second server connected to the mobile network. Provided is a relay system including a control unit that controls switching to communication that does not use the voice codec and controls transmission of an error report to the other device when communication via the second server fails.

According to the present invention described above, it is possible to realize switching between communications via different servers.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the relay system by one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the relay device 20 by one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the function realized by the CPU 250. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation of the relay system by one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation by the 1st modification of a relay system. It is explanatory drawing which shows the processing when the error that the CNG signal is not received occurs in the relay device 20A on the transmission side. It is explanatory drawing which shows the processing when the error that the transmission of the e-mail from the relay device 20A of the transmission side to the mail server 50 fails for a predetermined number of times occurs. It is explanatory drawing which shows the processing when the error that the transmission of the image data by the facsimile from the relay device 20B on the receiving side to the facsimile terminal 10B fails for a predetermined number of times occurs. It is explanatory drawing which shows the processing when the call signal is transmitted from the other terminal to the relay device 20A while the relay device 20A on the transmitting side is receiving the image data from the facsimile terminal 10A by facsimile. It is explanatory drawing which shows the process in the case where the call signal is transmitted from another terminal to the relay device 20B while the relay device 20B on the receiving side is transmitting the image data to the facsimile terminal 10B by facsimile.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration are designated by the same reference numerals, so that duplicate description will be omitted.

Further, in the present specification and the drawings, a plurality of components having substantially the same functional configuration may be distinguished by adding different alphabets after the same reference numerals. For example, a plurality of configurations having substantially the same functional configuration or logical significance are distinguished as necessary, such as relay devices 20A and 20B. However, when it is not necessary to particularly distinguish each of the plurality of components having substantially the same functional configuration, only the same reference numerals are given to each of the plurality of components. For example, when it is not necessary to distinguish between the relay devices 20A and 20B, each relay device is simply referred to as a relay device 20.

<Relay system configuration>
One embodiment of the present invention relates to a relay system in which facsimile transmission / reception is performed via a relay device. Hereinafter, the configuration of the relay system according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a relay system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the relay system according to the embodiment of the present invention has a plurality of facsimile terminals 10A and 10B, a plurality of relay devices 20A and 20B, and a mobile network. The mobile network has a plurality of base stations 30A and 30B, a telephone server 40, and a mail server 50. Although FIG. 1 shows two facsimile terminals 10, a relay device 20, a base station 30, and the like, the relay system may have more facsimile terminals 10, a relay device 20, and a base station 30. good.

The facsimile terminal 10 is a terminal having a function of performing facsimile communication. For example, the facsimile terminal 10 has a function of transmitting image data by facsimile and a function of receiving image data transmitted by facsimile from another facsimile terminal 10. Therefore, the facsimile terminal 10 can operate as a first terminal on the transmitting side or as a second terminal on the receiving side. In the present specification, the description will proceed assuming an example in which the facsimile terminal 10A operates as the transmitting side and the facsimile terminal 10B operates as the receiving side.

The relay device 20 relays the facsimile communication performed between the two facsimile terminals 10. The relay device 20 and the facsimile terminal 10 are installed in the same home or facility, for example, and are connected to each other via a telephone line.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the relay device 20A is connected to the facsimile terminal 10A via a telephone line. Further, the relay device 20A is connected to the relay device 20B and the facsimile terminal 10B via a mobile network, and relays the facsimile communication performed between the facsimile terminal 10A and the facsimile terminal 10B.

The relay device 20B is connected to the facsimile terminal 10B via a telephone line. Further, the relay device 20B is connected to the relay device 20A and the facsimile terminal 10A via a mobile network, and relays the facsimile communication performed between the facsimile terminal 10A and the facsimile terminal 10B. As described above, when the facsimile terminal 10A operates as the transmitting side and the facsimile terminal 10B operates as the receiving side, the relay device 20A operates as the transmitting side relay device and the relay device 20B operates as the receiving side relay device. Will be.

The base station 30 is wirelessly connected to the relay device 20. The base station 30 transmits and receives, for example, a telephone call signal, a facsimile control signal, an e-mail described later, and the like to and from the relay device 20. The base station 30 may be a base station corresponding to a communication standard such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G, 5G, or local 5G.

The telephone server 40 is a device arranged in a telephone network and establishes a voice path (call connection) between two facsimile terminals 10. When the telephone server 40 receives the call signal from the relay device 20 on the transmitting side, the telephone server 40 transmits the call signal to the relay device 20 on the receiving side, and when the response signal is received from the relay device 20 on the receiving side, the answer signal is received. Is transmitted to the relay device 20 on the transmitting side.

The mail server 50 is a device arranged in a data communication network and transmits / receives electronic mail. For example, as will be described later, when the mail server 50 receives an e-mail addressed to the relay device 20B from the relay device 20A, the mail server 50 transmits the e-mail to the relay device 20B. Here, the mail server 50 sends and receives e-mails based on the communication protocol of SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol).

By the way, in a call via a mobile network, an audio codec called AMR (Adaptive Multi-Rate) can be used. AMR is a lossy compression audio codec with a high compression rate. That is, the AMR does not restore the complete original audio from the compressed signal.

However, if the facsimile communication in the above relay system is performed by AMR, the facsimile signal may be lost due to signal loss, and the communication may fail. For example, Patent Document 2 (particularly paragraph 0010, etc.) described in the column of the prior art document shows that the analog signal (signal related to communication by deemed voice such as facsimile) is deteriorated by AMR.

The inventor of the present invention has come to create a relay device 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention with the above circumstances as a point of view. The relay device 20 according to the embodiment of the present invention can stably realize facsimile communication via a mobile network. Hereinafter, the configuration of such a relay device 20 and the operation of the relay system will be sequentially described in detail.

<Relay device configuration>
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a relay device 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the relay device 20 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a telephone control chip 210, an antenna 220, an LTE communication chip 230, a memory 240, and a CPU 250.

The telephone control chip 210 is an interface for connecting to the facsimile terminal 10 via a telephone line. For example, the telephone control chip 210 receives a dial signal from the facsimile terminal 10. Further, when the call signal transmitted from the other relay device 20 is received, the telephone control chip 210 transmits a signal for ringing the ringer to the facsimile terminal 10 which is the destination of the call signal.

When connecting via a telephone line, the telephone control chip 210 connects using information contained in a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card (not shown). The SIM card stores a non-rewritable unique number (unique number for specifying a telephone number), a telephone number (fixed ID) determined by a telecommunications carrier, and the like.

The antenna 220 converts the electrical signal supplied from the LTE communication chip 230 into a wireless signal and transmits it to the base station 30. Further, the antenna 220 receives a radio signal from the base station 30, converts the radio signal into an electrical signal, and supplies the radio signal to the LTE communication chip 230.

The LTE communication chip 230 is an interface for wirelessly connecting to the base station 30. For example, the LTE communication chip 230 transmits / receives a call signal, a response signal in response to the call signal, and the like to and from the telephone server 40 via the antenna 220. Further, the LTE communication chip 230 transmits / receives an e-mail to which image data is attached to and from the mail server 50 via the antenna 220, as will be described later.

The memory 240 stores various information used for the operation of the relay device 20. For example, the memory 240 stores software, a program, and image data received from the facsimile terminal 10 or another relay device 20.

The CPU 250 is a processor that controls the overall operation of the relay device 20. The CPU 250 realizes various functions in cooperation with the memory 240. Hereinafter, the functions realized by the CPU 250 will be specifically described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a function realized by the CPU 250. As shown in FIG. 3, the CPU 250 can realize the functions of the telephone IF control unit 251, the LTE_IF control unit 252, the call control unit 253, the FAX signal control unit 254, and the data communication control unit 256.

The telephone IF control unit 251 controls the telephone control chip 210. The telephone IF control unit 251 controls, for example, a telephone line for making a call from the facsimile terminal 10 and receiving an incoming call to the facsimile terminal 10.

The LTE_IF control unit 252 controls the LTE communication chip 230. The LTE_IF control unit 252 has a function of controlling a connection with a mobile network, for example.

When controlling the connection with the mobile network, the LTE_IF control unit 252 controls the connection using information contained in a SIM card (not shown). The SIM card stores a non-rewritable unique number (unique number for specifying a telephone number), a telephone number (fixed ID) determined by a telecommunications carrier, and the like.

Further, when the LTE_IF control unit 252 connects to the mobile network by controlling the LTE communication chip 230, the LTE_IF control unit 252 is a relay device based on at least one of the communication protocol of NITZ (Network Identity and Time Zone) or NTP (Network Time Protocol). 20 Controls the acquisition and setting of time information. Here, NITZ can acquire time information to be set in the relay device 20 based on information such as the current time and time zone provided via the base station 30, and NTP can acquire the time information to be set in the relay device 20 via the base station 30. It is possible to acquire time information to be set in the relay device 20 based on a time value acquired from an NTP server existing in a connectable network (for example, the Internet (not shown)).

The LTE_IF control unit 252 may acquire time information at predetermined intervals (for example, every 1024 seconds) or at random intervals. Further, the LTE_IF control unit 252 may acquire time information when the relay device 20 hands over in the mobile network.

The call control unit 253 controls the call connection with the telephone server 40 in the telephone network. For example, VoLTE (Voice over LTE) may be used for the call control unit 253. The call control unit 253 controls the establishment and disconnection of the voice path, which will be described later as an example of the communication path.

The FAX signal control unit 254 controls and terminates facsimile communication. Facsimile communication is, for example, ITU-T Recommendation T.I. Specified by 30. That is, the FAX signal control unit 254 connects the relay device 20 and the facsimile terminal 10 connected via the telephone line to the T.I. Control (controls the telephone control chip 210) so that facsimile communication, which is communication by deemed voice, is performed based on the transmission procedure of 30.

Further, the FAX signal control unit 254 converts the image data received by facsimile from the facsimile terminal 10 on the transmitting side into a file for mail transmission. Further, the FAX signal control unit 254 converts the image data attached to the received mail into an analog signal for facsimile transmission. For example, the FAX signal control unit 254 is encoded by MH (Modified Huffman), MR (Modified READ), MMR (Modified Modified READ), JBIG (Joint-label Image experts, etc.) from the facsimile terminal 10 on the transmitting side. The image data is received, and the received image data is converted into a file according to an image data format such as TIFF (Tagged Image File Form).

The data communication control unit 256 controls communication with the data communication network. In particular, the data communication control unit 256 controls the transmission and reception of mail as data communication. For example, the data communication control unit 256 transmits an e-mail to which a file of image data obtained by the FAX signal control unit 254 is attached to another relay device 20. Here, the data communication control unit 256 transmits / receives e-mail based on the communication protocol of SMTP.

The data communication control unit 256 transmits an e-mail including the time information set by the LTE_IF control unit 252.

<Operation of relay system>
The configuration of the relay system and the relay device 20 according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described above. Subsequently, with reference to FIG. 4, the operation of the relay system according to the embodiment of the present invention will be arranged.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the relay system according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, first, when the facsimile terminal 10A transmits an off-hook signal and a dial signal addressed to the facsimile terminal 10B to the relay device 20A (S304, S308), the relay device 20A makes a telephone call via the mobile network. A call signal is transmitted to the server 40, and the telephone server 40 transmits the call signal to the relay device 20B (S312).

Then, when the relay device 20B rings the ringer of the facsimile terminal 10B (S316) and the facsimile terminal 10B transmits an off-hook signal to the relay device 20B (S320), the relay device 20B sends a response signal to the telephone server 40 via the mobile network. Is transmitted, and the telephone server 40 transmits the response signal to the relay device 20A (S324). As a result, a voice path between the facsimile terminal 10A and the facsimile terminal 10B is established (S328).

After that, when the user starts the transmission of the facsimile at the facsimile terminal 10A, the facsimile terminal 10A transmits a CNG signal (Calling Signal, calling tone) which is an example of the facsimile identification signal to the relay device 20A (S332).

Based on the reception of the CNG signal, the relay device 20A transmits a disconnect signal for disconnecting the voice path between the facsimile terminal 10A and the facsimile terminal 10B to the telephone server 40, and the telephone server 40 sends the disconnection signal to the relay device 20B. A disconnect signal is transmitted (S336). Then, the relay device 20B transmits the disconnection sound to the facsimile terminal 10B (S340), and the facsimile terminal 10B transmits an on-hook signal to the relay device 20B (S342).

On the other hand, the relay device 20A transmits an ANS signal (Answer signal, answer tone) indicating the start of facsimile reception to the facsimile terminal 10A (S344). As a result, the facsimile terminal 10A starts transmitting image data by facsimile (S348).

The relay device 20A stores the image data received from the facsimile terminal 10A as a file in the memory 240, and when the reception of all the pages is completed, the relay device 20A sends an e-mail to the relay device 20B to which the image data file is attached. Generate and send the e-mail (S352). Here, the relay device 20A uses the destination of the e-mail as the address of the relay device 20B. The address of the relay device 20B is assigned to the facsimile terminal 10B, and may be an address in which a predetermined domain is added to the telephone number indicated by the dial signal received in S308.

The mail server 50 transmits the e-mail received from the relay device 20A to the relay device 20B (S356). The facsimile terminal 10A transmits an on-hook signal to the relay device 20A (S360).

When the relay device 20B receives the e-mail, the relay device 20B converts the image data attached to the e-mail into an analog signal format and rings the ringer of the facsimile terminal 10B (S364). When the relay device 20B receives the off-hook signal from the facsimile terminal 10B (S368), the relay device 20B transmits the CNG signal to the facsimile terminal 10B (S372), and the facsimile terminal 10B transmits the ANS signal to the relay device 20B (S376).

After that, the relay device 20B transmits the image data converted into the analog signal format to the facsimile terminal 10B by facsimile (S380), and when the facsimile reception is completed in the facsimile terminal 10B, the facsimile terminal 10B is on-hooked to the relay device 20B. A signal is transmitted (S384).

<Action effect>
As described above, the relay device 20 according to the embodiment of the present invention cuts the voice path upon receiving the CNG signal from the facsimile terminal 10, and T.I. 30 Terminate the facsimile signal according to the procedure. Furthermore, T.I. According to the procedure 37, the image data received by the facsimile is transmitted and received as an attached file of an e-mail. According to one embodiment of the present invention as described above, various effects can be obtained.

For example, according to one embodiment of the present invention, image data can be transmitted by data communication in the mail format instead of facsimile communication by the AMR audio codec. Therefore, since it is possible to suppress the risk of missing facsimile control signals such as CNG signals and ANS signals that may occur in the AMR audio codec, it is possible to stably realize facsimile communication via the mobile network. be.

<Modification example>
The embodiment of the present invention has been described above. Hereinafter, some modifications of the above-described embodiment will be described. In addition, each modification described below may be applied alone to the above-described embodiment, or may be applied in combination to the above-mentioned embodiment. Further, each modification may be applied in place of the configuration of the above-described embodiment, or may be additionally applied to the configuration of the above-described embodiment.

(First modification)
In the above-described embodiment, the relay device 20 disconnects the voice path upon receiving the CNG signal from the facsimile terminal 10. On the other hand, the relay device 20 according to the first modification is based on the reception of the CNG signal from the facsimile terminal 10 or the reception of the ANS signal which is an example of the facsimile identification signal received from the facsimile terminal 10 on the receiving side. Disconnect the voice path. That is, when the relay device 20 according to the first modification receives the ANS signal from the facsimile terminal 10 on the receiving side before receiving the CNG signal from the facsimile terminal 10, the voice path is based on the reception of the ANS signal. To disconnect.

As a background of the first modification, the facsimile terminal 10 on the receiving side may start receiving the facsimile without waiting for the reception of the CNG signal and may transmit the ANS signal. If the receiving-side facsimile terminal 10 transmits an ANS signal before receiving the CNG signal, the transmitting-side facsimile terminal 10 may not transmit the CNG signal or may stop the CNG signal promptly. In this case, if the disconnection of the audio path is triggered by the reception of the CNG signal, the audio path is not disconnected because the CNG signal is not received, and the image data can be transmitted by facsimile communication by the AMR audio codec.

Therefore, by using the reception of the ANS signal as an opportunity for disconnecting the voice path, it is possible to disconnect the voice path even if the facsimile terminal 10 on the receiving side transmits the ANS signal before receiving the CNG signal. Become. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 5, the operation of the relay system according to such a first modification will be organized.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation according to the first modification of the relay system. Since the processing of S304 to S328 shown in FIG. 5 is the same as the processing of S304 to S328 shown in FIG. 4, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

After the voice path between the facsimile terminal 10A and the facsimile terminal 10B is established, the facsimile terminal 10B starts receiving the facsimile and transmits the ANS signal prior to the transmission of the CNG signal, and the relay device 20A transmits the ANS signal. It is assumed that it has been received (S404). In this case, the relay device 20A transmits an ANS signal to the facsimile terminal 10A (S408).

Further, the relay device 20A transmits a disconnect signal for disconnecting the voice path between the facsimile terminal 10A and the facsimile terminal 10B to the telephone server 40 based on the reception of the ANS signal, and the telephone server 40 sends the disconnection signal to the relay device 20B. The disconnection signal is transmitted (S412). Then, the relay device 20B transmits the disconnection sound to the facsimile terminal 10B (S416), and the facsimile terminal 10B transmits an on-hook signal to the relay device 20B (S418).

After that, the facsimile terminal 10A starts transmitting image data by facsimile (S420). The relay device 20A stores the image data received from the facsimile terminal 10A as a file in the memory 240, and when the reception of all pages is completed, the relay device 20A sends an e-mail addressed to the relay device 20B to which the image data file is attached. Generate and send the e-mail to the mail server 50 (S424).

The mail server 50 transmits the e-mail received from the relay device 20A to the relay device 20B (S428). The facsimile terminal 10A transmits an on-hook signal to the relay device 20A (S432).

When the relay device 20B receives the e-mail, the relay device 20B converts the image data attached to the e-mail into an analog signal format and rings the ringer of the facsimile terminal 10B (S436). When the relay device 20B receives the off-hook signal from the facsimile terminal 10B (S440), the relay device 20B transmits the CNG signal to the facsimile terminal 10B (S444), and the facsimile terminal 10B transmits the ANS signal to the relay device 20B (S448).

After that, the relay device 20B transmits the image data converted into the analog signal format to the facsimile terminal 10B by facsimile (S452), and when the facsimile reception is completed in the facsimile terminal 10B, the facsimile terminal 10B is on-hooked to the relay device 20B. A signal is transmitted (S456).

According to the first modification described above, even when the facsimile terminal 10 on the receiving side transmits the ANS signal before receiving the CNG signal, the image data can be transmitted by the data communication in the mail format. Therefore, since it is possible to suppress the risk of missing the facsimile signal that may occur in the AMR audio codec, it is possible to stably realize the facsimile communication via the mobile network.

(Second modification)
In the first modification, when the facsimile terminal 10 on the receiving side transmits an ANS signal before receiving the CNG signal, the relay device 20 on the transmitting side disconnects the voice path based on the reception of the ANS signal. explained. In this regard, the relay device 20 on the transmitting side may discard the ANS signal when the ANS signal is received before the communication of the CNG. In this case, since it is expected that the CNG signal is subsequently transmitted from the facsimile terminal 10 on the transmitting side, the relay device 20 on the transmitting side can disconnect the voice path based on the reception of the CNG signal. be.

Alternatively, the relay device 20 on the receiving side may discard the ANS signal transmitted before the communication of the CNG signal. Even with such a configuration, it is expected that the CNG signal is subsequently transmitted from the facsimile terminal 10 on the transmitting side, so that the relay device 20 on the transmitting side may disconnect the voice path based on the reception of the CNG signal. It is possible.

(Third modification example)
The third modification relates to the processing performed when an error occurs in the above-mentioned relay system. Since the processing to be performed differs depending on the type of error, the processing will be described for each type of error.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing processing when an error that the CNG signal is not received occurs in the relay device 20A on the transmitting side. As shown in FIG. 6, when the relay device 20A receives the dial signal from the facsimile terminal 10A (S308), the relay device 20A starts counting the timer (S310). After that, when the timer times out without receiving the dial signal from the facsimile terminal 10A (S388), the relay device 20A transmits a disconnection sound to the facsimile terminal 10A, and the voice path is disconnected (S389). This prevents the voice path from being maintained indefinitely.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing processing when an error occurs in which transmission of an e-mail from the relay device 20A on the transmitting side to the mail server 50 fails a predetermined number of times. As shown in FIG. 7, the relay device 20A transmits an e-mail with an image data file attached, and the transmission failure is repeated a predetermined number of times (three times in the example shown in FIG. 7). In this case (S352-1 to S352-3), the relay device 20A creates an error report indicating the content of the error (S390).

Then, the relay device 20A rings the ringer of the facsimile terminal 10A (S392), receives an off-hook signal from the facsimile terminal 10A (S394), and transmits an error report to the facsimile terminal 10A (S396). The facsimile terminal 10A displays, outputs voice, prints, or the like an error report received from the relay device 20A (S398). By checking the error report, the user understands that the transmission of the image data has failed and may try to retransmit the image data.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing processing when an error occurs in which transmission of image data by facsimile from the relay device 20B on the receiving side to the facsimile terminal 10B fails a predetermined number of times. As shown in FIG. 8, when the relay device 20B transmits image data to the facsimile terminal 10B by facsimile and the transmission failure is repeated a predetermined number of times (S380-1 to S380-n), the relay device 20B creates an error report showing the content of the error (S504), and transmits the error report to the relay device 20A (S508). Here, the relay device 20B asks the relay device 20A to confirm the opening of the error report.

Then, the relay device 20A rings the ringer of the facsimile terminal 10A (S512), receives an off-hook signal from the facsimile terminal 10A (S516), and transmits an error report to the facsimile terminal 10A (S520). The facsimile terminal 10A displays, outputs voice, prints, or the like an error report received from the relay device 20A (S524). After that, the relay device 20A transmits a read confirmation of the error report to the relay device 20B (S528). By checking the error report, the user understands that the transmission of the image data has failed and may try to retransmit the image data.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing processing when a call signal is transmitted from another terminal to the relay device 20A while the relay device 20A on the transmitting side is receiving image data from the facsimile terminal 10A by facsimile. As shown in FIG. 9, while the relay device 20A receives image data from the facsimile terminal 10A by facsimile (S348), when another terminal transmits a call signal to the relay device 20A (S349), the relay device 20A transmits a busy signal to another terminal (S350). After that, when the reception of the image data is completed by the facsimile, the relay device 20A executes the above-mentioned processing after S352.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing processing when a call signal is transmitted from another terminal to the relay device 20B while the relay device 20B on the receiving side is transmitting image data to the facsimile terminal 10B by facsimile. As shown in FIG. 10, while the relay device 20B is transmitting image data to the facsimile terminal 10B by facsimile (S380), when another terminal transmits a call signal to the relay device 20B (S381), the relay device 20B transmits a busy signal to another terminal (S382).

As described above, according to the third modification, it is possible to provide a relay system capable of dealing with the occurrence of various errors.

(Fourth modification)
As mentioned above, the transition to the IP telephone network in rural areas such as mountainous areas and remote islands requires costs such as re-laying cables due to breakdowns and aging, so a method using a mobile network is being considered. .. Then, the operation of the relay device 20 may be required in a place where stable supply of commercial power is not easy. A fourth modification relates to a relay device 20 that operates by being powered by a battery.

The relay device 20 in the fourth modification further includes a commercial power supply unit, a battery, a power supply switching unit, an auxiliary storage device, and a RAM disk control unit (not shown).

The commercial power supply unit connects to the commercial power supply and supplies electric power obtained from the commercial power supply as a power source for each part of the relay device 20.

A battery is a battery (for example, a lithium ion secondary battery, a nickel-cadmium storage battery, a lead storage battery, etc.) capable of storing (that is, charging) or discharging (that is, discharging) power by using a chemical reaction, and the stored power. Is supplied as a power source for each part of the relay device 20.

The power supply switching unit is a switch for switching whether the power supply for each part of the relay device 20 is a commercial power supply unit or a battery.

The auxiliary storage device is a storage device composed of a non-volatile memory (flash memory) such as an SSD (Solid State Drive). In this case, the memory 240 is a main storage device composed of a volatile memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory).

The RAM disk control unit forms a RAM disk in the memory 240 and controls I / O (Input / Output) for the RAM disk.

Hereinafter, the operation of the relay system according to such a fourth modification will be summarized. First, when the relay device 20 is started while the commercial power supply unit is connected to the commercial power supply, the RAM disk control unit forms a RAM disk in the memory 240 as the relay device 20 starts up. Then, the relay device 20 operates as described in the above-described embodiments and modifications.

Next, the relay device 20 includes the state of each part of the relay device 20, the temperature inside the device, the power in the chip (telephone control chip 210, LTE communication chip 230, etc.) and communication (connection / disconnection to the mobile network and acquisition of time information). It works to retain log information related to (call / incoming call, facsimile communication, etc.). Specifically, the RAM disk control unit stores the log information generated by the control of the relay device 20 (CPU 250) as a log file in the RAM disk formed in the memory 240. For example, the log information related to facsimile communication and the like is information related to various operations related to fax after the establishment of the S328 voice path in FIGS. 4 to 10.

Next, when the power cannot be obtained from the commercial power source, the relay device 20 operates by supplying power from the battery instantly. Specifically, when the power switching unit determines that power cannot be obtained from the commercial power supply by the control of the relay device 20 (CPU 250, commercial power supply unit, etc.), the power supply to each part of the relay device 20 is supplied to the commercial market. It works to switch from the power supply to the battery.

Next, based on the switching from the commercial power supply unit to the battery by the power supply switching unit, the RAM disk control unit stores the log file stored in the RAM disk in the auxiliary storage device. With the power switching unit switched from the commercial power supply unit to the battery, the RAM disk control unit stores the log information generated by the control of the relay device 20 (CPU 250) in the auxiliary storage device as a log file.

When electric power is obtained from the commercial power source, the relay device 20 is instantaneously operated by power supply from the commercial power source. Specifically, when the power switching unit determines that power can be obtained from the commercial power supply by controlling the relay device 20 (CPU 250, commercial power supply unit, etc.), the power supply to each part of the relay device 20 is supplied from the battery. Operates to switch to the commercial power supply.

Next, based on the switching from the battery to the commercial power supply unit by the power supply switching unit, the RAM disk control unit stores the log file stored in the auxiliary storage device in the RAM disk. With the power switching unit switched from the battery to the commercial power supply unit, the RAM disk control unit stores the log information generated by the control of the relay device 20 (CPU 250) in the RAM disk as a log file.

As described above, according to the fourth modification, the life of the auxiliary storage device composed of the non-volatile memory (flash memory) having a limited number of rewritable times can be extended, and the log information related to facsimile communication and the like can be extended. It is possible to provide a relay device capable of reliably storing the data.

(Fifth variant)
About the migration to the IP telephone network Using the mobile network can be said to be the migration of the communication line (analog line). Then, in addition to the mode in which the relay device 20 and the facsimile terminal 10 are installed as the respective devices as in the above-described embodiment, a mode in which the relay device 20 is embedded in another device can be considered. In this way, by incorporating the relay device 20 in another device, the relay device 20 can operate as a communication interface for the mobile network in the other device, and the communication line (analog line) of the other device can be migrated to the mobile network. can.

Specifically, the relay device 20 may be embedded in another device such as a multifunction device or an automatic contract machine. Here, the multifunction device is an office device having functions such as a copier, a printer, a scanner, and a facsimile, and an automatic contract machine is installed in a store of a consumer finance / credit card company and performs a monetary rent contract procedure. It is an information processing device for this purpose, and both have a function of performing facsimile communication as a means of transmitting information.

When the relay device 20 is embedded in another device, the relay device 20 and the facsimile processing unit that controls the function of performing facsimile communication in the separate device are based on an interface standard such as RS232 (Recommended Standard 232) or USB (Universal General Bus). It is connected via a circuit or cable. In addition, just as the relay device 20 and the facsimile terminal 10 are connected via the telephone line in the above-described embodiment, the relay device 20 and the facsimile processing unit of another device may be connected via the telephone line.

In the operation related to the fifth modification, in the above-described embodiment, the relay device 20A on the transmitting side is read as the relay device 20 included in another device on the transmitting side, and the facsimile terminal 10A is included in the facsimile included in another device on the transmitting side. The operation can be explained by reading it as the processing unit. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the operation will be described by reading the relay device 20B on the receiving side as the relay device 20 included in the other device on the receiving side and the facsimile terminal 10B as the facsimile processing unit included in the other device on the receiving side. You can. That is, from the viewpoint of the relay device 20 inherent in the separate device, the facsimile processing unit in the separate device corresponds to the facsimile terminal 10 in the above-described embodiment.

As described above, according to the fifth modification, it is possible to stably realize facsimile communication via the mobile network even in a mode in which the relay device 20 is embedded in another device.

(Sixth modification)
In the above-described embodiment, an example of relaying the facsimile communication performed between the facsimile terminal 10A and the facsimile terminal 10B via the mail server 50 has been described. On the other hand, the facsimile communication performed between the facsimile terminal 10A and the facsimile terminal 10B may be relayed without going through the mail server 50. In this case, the relay device 20A stores the image data received from the facsimile terminal 10A as a file in the memory 240, and when the reception of all the pages is completed, the relay device 20B to which the image data file is attached is the destination. An e-mail is generated, and the e-mail is sent directly to the relay device 20B.

Here, the relay device 20A uses the IP address or host name of the relay device 20B as the destination of the e-mail.

Further, when the relay device 20 relays the facsimile communication without going through the mail server 50, the relay device 20 may convert the destination address from the e-mail address to the IP address or the host name. Specifically, when the relay device 20A acquires as the e-mail destination of the relay device 20B as an address in which a predetermined domain is added to the telephone number indicated by the dial signal received in S308, the acquired relay device 20A The destination of the 20B e-mail is converted into the IP address or host name of the relay device 20B, and the e-mail addressed to the converted IP address or host name is generated.

As described above, according to the sixth modification, it is possible to stably realize facsimile communication via a mobile network with a simpler system configuration without going through a mail server 50.

<Supplement>
Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to these examples. It is clear that a person having ordinary knowledge in the field of the art to which the present invention belongs can come up with various modifications or modifications within the scope of the technical ideas described in the claims. , These are also naturally understood to belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

For example, each step in the processing of the relay system of the present specification does not necessarily have to be processed in chronological order in the order described as a sequence diagram or a flowchart. For example, each step in the processing of the relay system may be processed in an order different from the order described in the flowchart, or may be processed in parallel.

In addition, a computer program is also created so that the hardware such as the CPU, ROM, and RAM built in the facsimile terminal 10 and the relay device 20 can exhibit the same functions as the configurations of the facsimile terminal 10 and the relay device 20 described above. It is possible. A storage medium for storing the computer program is also provided.

10 Facsimile terminal 20 Relay device 210 Telephone control chip 220 Antenna 230 LTE communication chip 240 Memory 250 CPU
251 Telephone IF control unit 252 LTE_IF control unit 253 Call control unit 254 FAX signal control unit 256 Data communication control unit 30 Base station 40 Telephone server 50 Mail server

Claims (4)

The first connection part that connects to other devices,
The second connection part that wirelessly connects to the mobile network,
Based on the control signal received from the other device, the communication using the audio codec used in the mobile network related to the other device formed by the control of the first server connected to the mobile network is connected to the mobile network. Controls to switch to communication that does not use the audio codec via the second server.
A control unit that controls the transmission of an error report to the other device when communication via the second server fails.
A relay device. A method performed in a relay device having a first connection part for connecting to another device and a second connection part for wirelessly connecting to a mobile network .
Based on the control signal received from the other device, the communication using the audio codec used in the mobile network related to the other device formed by the control of the first server connected to the mobile network is connected to the mobile network. Control to switch to communication that does not use the audio codec via the second server
A method comprising controlling the transmission of an error report to the other device when communication via the second server fails. Computer,
The first connection part that connects to other devices,
The second connection part that wirelessly connects to the mobile network,
Based on the control signal received from the other device, the communication using the audio codec used in the mobile network related to the other device formed by the control of the first server connected to the mobile network is connected to the mobile network. Controls to switch to communication that does not use the audio codec via the second server.
A control unit that controls the transmission of an error report to the other device when communication via the second server fails.
A program to function as. The first connection part that connects to other devices,
The second connection part that wirelessly connects to the mobile network,
Based on the control signal received from the other device, the communication using the audio codec used in the mobile network related to the other device formed by the control of the first server connected to the mobile network is connected to the mobile network. Controls to switch to communication that does not use the audio codec via the second server.
A control unit that controls the transmission of an error report to the other device when communication via the second server fails.
A relay system.

Images