JPH04301949A - Digital communication equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve efficiency for using a line, to reduce communication cost and to realize the various types of communication not to be limited by the quantity of information. CONSTITUTION:At the equipment connecting plural user terminals 12a and 12b and a line network 14 by using a line 15b having prescribed capacity, when the capacity of information to be transmitted by the user terminal 12a (12b) is larger than the current idle capacity of the line 15d, the information by the terminal 12a (12b) is temporarily stored in a storage change device 13, the capacity of this stored information to be transmitted is changed into the transmitting capacity smaller than the current idle capacity of the line 15d, this storage change device 13 and the line network are connected by using the line 12a (12b), and the information stored in the storage change device 13 is transferred to the line network 14.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a digital communication device that connects a plurality of terminals to a line network using a line of a predetermined capacity.

0002

[Prior Art] Conventionally, data received from a terminal or network is stored, and data received from a terminal or a network is stored, as seen in a storage device (STOC) in a facsimile network (F-net) or a voice message device in a private network. Wait for and send (
There is a storage device that transfers data.

The storage device described above has two main advantages. (1) Effective use of network equipment: Effective use of network equipment can be achieved, such as by reducing terminal waiting time for one communication and by allowing data to be transferred during times when lines are idle. (2) Providing a variety of communication services: It is possible to provide communication services such as broadcast communication, confidential communication, and retransmission when the destination terminal is busy.

FIG. 5 shows an example of an exchange system using a storage device. In the figure, 1 is an exchange;
2 is a user terminal, 3 is a storage device, and 4 is a public network. This exchange 1 accommodates user terminals 2a to 2b and a storage device 3 via transmission lines 5a to 5b and 5c, respectively.
The user terminals 2a to 2b, the storage device 3, and the public network 4 are exchange-connected. Information from the user terminals 2a to 2b is temporarily stored in the storage device 3, and is transferred after waiting for a destination line or terminal to become available.

[0005] However, in conventional storage devices, the transmission speed when transferring stored data is a fixed speed unique to the system, so the capacity of the free band at the transmission destination is determined by the transmission speed of the storage and conversion device. There is a problem in that unless there is more data remaining than the transmission capacity (amount of information) available, the data cannot be transferred.

[0006] Therefore, in order to increase the efficiency of line usage,
It is necessary to set a small transmission capacity determined by the transmission speed of the storage device, and it is not suitable for transferring large amounts of data. Furthermore, when transferring a large amount of data, it is necessary to set a large transmission capacity determined by the transmission speed of the storage device when configuring the system, and as explained above, there are many cases where the data cannot be transferred.

In other words, in conventional storage devices, there is an inversely proportional (trade-off) relationship between usage efficiency and the amount of data handled (transmission capacity);
There was a problem in that the transmission capacity (transmission capacity) was limited.

[0008]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] As mentioned above, in conventional storage devices, the transmission capacity determined by the transmission speed when transmitting accumulated data is a fixed capacity specific to the system, so There is a problem in that unless the remaining capacity is greater than the transmission capacity of the storage device, transfer cannot be performed, which limits the amount of data that can be handled.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a digital communication device that can improve line usage efficiency, reduce communication costs, and realize a variety of communications that are not limited by the amount of information. .

0010

[Means for Solving the Problems] A digital communication device of the present invention connects a plurality of terminals and a line network using a line with a predetermined capacity, and includes: a determining means for determining the current free capacity of the line; Comparison means for comparing the information transmission capacity of the terminal with the current free capacity of the line determined by the determination means when a connection to the line network is instructed from the terminal; As a result of the comparison, if the information transmission capacity of the terminal is less than the current free capacity of the line, the terminal is connected to the line network using the line, and the information from the terminal is transferred to the line network. As a result of the comparison by the comparison means, if the information transmission capacity of the terminal is greater than the current free capacity of the line, the information by the terminal is temporarily stored, and the information transmitted by the terminal is transmitted. storage and change means for changing the capacity to a transmission capacity smaller than the current free capacity of the line; and information stored in the storage and change means that connects the storage and change means to the line network using the line; and a second processing means for transferring the data to the line network.

[0011]

[Operation] The present invention connects a plurality of terminals and a line network using a line of a predetermined capacity, and when a connection from the terminal to the line network is instructed, the terminal transmits information. The capacity is compared with the current free capacity of the line, and as a result of this comparison, if the information transmission capacity of the terminal is less than the current free capacity of the line, the terminal and the line network are connected to the line. the information from the terminal is transferred to the line network, and as a result of the comparison by the comparison means, if the information transmission capacity of the terminal is greater than the current free capacity of the line, the information from the terminal is transferred to the line network. The storage and change means temporarily stores the information, changes the transmission capacity of the stored information to a transmission capacity smaller than the current free capacity of the line, and connects the storage and change means to the line network using the line; The information stored in the storage/change means is transferred to the line network.

0012

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a digital communication device according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, 11 is an exchange;
2 is a user terminal (terminal), 13 is a storage and conversion device, and 14 is a public network. This exchange 11 is a user terminal 1
2a, 12b, storage and conversion device 13, and public network 14, respectively, and transmission lines 15a, 15b, and 15c, and transmission line (line) 1.
5d, the information from the user terminals 12a and 12b is temporarily stored in the storage conversion device 13 according to the available bandwidth capacity of the transmission destination line, and the information is stored based on the parameters including the available bandwidth capacity of the transmission destination line. The transmission capacity is determined by the transmission rate determined by the transfer destination line.

FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the storage conversion device 13. In FIG. 2, 16 is a reception buffer, 17
18 is a counter circuit, 18 is a data storage device, 19 is a network interface, 20 is a central control circuit, and 21 is a clock circuit.

The reception buffer 16 temporarily stores the information input from the transmission path 15c and sends it to the storage device 18. At this time, the call control signal is separated and transferred to the central control circuit 20. The counter circuit 17 counts the amount of information received by the reception buffer 16 and notifies the central control circuit 20 of the count. The storage device 18 stores the received information until receiving a transmission instruction from the central control circuit 20, and upon receiving the transmission instruction, transmits the information to the network interface 19. The network interface 19 transfers the received information at the transmission rate instructed by the central control circuit 20. The central control circuit 10 determines the information to be transferred and the output speed based on the call control signal received from the reception buffer 16 and the amount of information notified from the counter circuit 17, and instructs the network interface 19 about the output speed. The clock circuit 21 creates a timing signal necessary for the operation of each circuit 16, . . . 20, and notifies each circuit 16, . In this way, the received information is temporarily stored, the speed (transmission capacity) is converted, and the information is transferred.

The central control circuit 20 controls the respective circuits 16, 17, 18, 19, and 21 of the storage/conversion device 3, and also controls, for example, the CCI
TT recommendation Q. "Call setup" as defined in G.931
It also performs communication control for receiving call control signals such as "response" and "disconnect" with the user terminals 12a and 12b, the public network 14, and the exchange 11.

Next, in the above-described configuration, the operation from once storing information from the user terminals 2a and 2b to transferring the information will be explained below with reference to the sequence shown in FIG.

(1) The exchange 11 connects the user terminal 2a (
2b), when the call setup signal is received from the storage conversion device 13 and the pre-stored subscriber information, the call is judged to be acceptable. A "call setup" signal is sent.

(2) The storage conversion device 13 is connected to the exchange 11
When a "call setting" signal is received from the exchange 11, the state of the storage device 18 and pre-stored subscriber information are referred to to determine whether to accept the call.If it is determined that the call can be accepted, preparations are made to receive the information, and sends a "call setup acceptance" signal to When the exchange 11 receives the "call setup acceptance" signal from the storage/conversion device 13, it sends the "call setup acceptance" signal to the user terminal 12a.

(3) The storage and conversion device 13 transmits a "response" signal to the exchange 11 when reception preparation is completed. When the exchange 11 receives the "response" signal from the storage and conversion device 13, it transmits the "response" signal to the user terminal.

(4) The exchange 11 has a user terminal 12a
The information is received from and stored in the storage and conversion device 13.

(5) Upon receiving the "disconnection instruction" signal from the user terminal 12a, the amount of information received from the user terminal 12a is stored and the disconnection process is performed according to the program. In this way, an incoming call is received from the sender, and the storage of information is completed.

(6) The storage and conversion device 13 checks the "vacant band capacity" of the exchange 11 at a predetermined timing.

(7) The storage/conversion device 13 determines the transmission capacity determined by the transmission speed based on the available bandwidth capacity (resource) investigated in (6) and predetermined parameters, and sends a "call setup" signal to the exchange 11. Send out. Switchboard 11
When receiving the "call setting" signal from the storage/converting device 13, it determines whether to accept the call, and if it determines that the call can be accepted, it sends a "call setting" signal to the public network 14.

(8) The exchange 11 connects the public network 14 with “
When receiving the "call setting acceptance" signal, it sends a "call setting acceptance" signal including free bandwidth capacity information to the user terminal 12a.

(9) The exchange 11 connects the public network 14 with “
Upon receiving the “response” signal, the storage conversion device 13 receives the “response” signal.
Send a signal.

(10) When the storage/conversion device 13 receives the "response" signal, it transfers the information to the exchange 11 using the transmission capacity determined in (7) above.

(11) When the information transfer is completed, the storage/conversion device 13 sends a "disconnect" signal to the exchange 11 and performs a predetermined disconnection process. The exchange 11 sends a "disconnect" signal and performs a predetermined disconnection process.

In this way, the transmission capacity (transmission speed) of the accumulated user information can be converted and transferred.

The effect on the above operation will be explained using FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a conventional storage conversion system, and FIG. 4 is an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIGS. 4 and 5, the maximum bandwidth capacity of the transmission line 15d (5d) connecting the broadband ISDN network and the exchange 11(1) is defined as U, of which the bandwidth capacity U1 is used by the terminal 12b (2b). (The free bandwidth capacity is U
-U1 1) Assume a case.

As shown in FIG. 5, conventionally, the user terminal 2
Even if a is the transmission capacity U2 (>U-U1) and an attempt was made to transfer a file of F bytes via the transmission path 5d, the transfer could not be done because the free band capacity of the transmission path 5d was small. Furthermore, even when the storage device 3 is used, since the transmission speed is uniform in the system, it is necessary to wait until the capacity of the free band increases.

However, as shown in FIG. 4, according to the present invention, the file to be transmitted is temporarily stored in the storage/conversion device 13, and the transmission capacity determined by the transmission speed is converted to the capacity of the free band or less before transmitting the information. Therefore, the time required to start transfer can be shortened compared to conventional methods, and it is possible to improve the efficiency of using the transmission path.

[0034] In the above embodiment, the case where the information is sent after being converted to the capacity of the free bandwidth of the transmission destination or less has been explained, but from the capacity of the free bandwidth of the transmission destination and the amount of information received, Information can also be sent with a transmission capacity determined by the transmission rate that can be transmitted within a given period of time.

[0035] Furthermore, it is also possible to calculate the transmission capacity determined by the transmission speed that is a predetermined communication cost from the available bandwidth capacity of the transmission destination and the billing parameters, and send information to the transmission destination using this transmission capacity. Information can also be sent so that the cost is minimized.

As described above, by setting various predetermined parameters including the available bandwidth capacity of the transmission destination line, the transmission destination line can be set at various transmission capacities (transmission speeds) as necessary. This not only improves the efficiency of line usage, but also enables time-specific transfers and minimum-cost transfers.

[0037]Also, although a switch was used in the above embodiment,
The same can be achieved by using digital communication equipment such as a cross-connect or multiplexing device that accommodates multiple lines and exchanges or multiplexes information transmitted via the lines.

[0038] Furthermore, the present invention can be similarly realized in the case of a digital communication device that exchanges or multiplexes cells each consisting of a fixed-length information field and a header. In this case, not only can the transmission capacity (transmission rate) be changed and transferred for each call, but also the transmission capacity (transmission rate) can be changed in units of a certain cell.

It is also applicable to a digital communication device that exchanges or multiplexes data in units of 64 KB/s or an integral multiple of the same speed.

[0040]

[Effects of the Invention] As detailed above, according to the present invention,
It is possible to provide a digital communication device that can improve line usage efficiency, reduce communication costs, and realize a variety of communications that are not limited by the amount of information.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a digital communication device in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the storage conversion device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the digital communication device in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the usage status of a transmission path in the digital communication device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the usage status of a transmission path in a conventional digital communication device.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11... Exchange, 12... User terminal, 13... Storage conversion device, 14... Public network (line network), 15a-15c... Transmission line,
15d...Transmission line (line), 16...Reception buffer, 17...
Counter circuit, 18...Data storage device, 19...Network interface, 20...Central control circuit, 21...Clock circuit.

Claims (1)

[Claims] Claim 1: A digital communication device that connects a plurality of terminals and a line network using a line with a predetermined capacity, comprising: a determination means for determining the current free capacity of the line; When a connection is instructed, a comparison means compares the information transmission capacity of the terminal with the current free capacity of the line determined by the determination means, and as a result of the comparison by the comparison means, the information transmitted by the terminal a first processing means for connecting the terminal to the line network using the line and transferring information from the terminal to the line network when the transmission capacity of the line is smaller than the current free capacity of the line; As a result of the comparison by the comparison means, if the information transmission capacity of the terminal is greater than the current free capacity of the line, the information by the terminal is temporarily stored, and the transmission capacity of this accumulated information is used as the current free capacity of the line. A storage change means for changing the transmission capacity to a smaller amount than the free capacity, and the storage change means and the line network are connected using the line, and the information stored in the storage change means is transferred to the line network. A digital communication device comprising: second processing means.