JPH11150718A - Catv system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a CATV system for specifying a cause i.e., whether a communication disable state is due to power interruption or other transmission line fault or the like. SOLUTION: In a CATV system having a CATV station 10, a communication terminal 41-1. and a CATV transmission line 12, the communication terminal 41-1 is provided with an AC power supply 20, a 1<st> power supply section 21, that converts an output voltage of the AC power supply 20 into a 1<st> DC voltage, a 2<nd> power supply section 22 that provides an output of a 2<nd> DC voltage, a power supply interrupt detection means 24 that discriminates whether or not the 1<st> power supply section 21 is interrupted to provide an output power interrupt detection signal, and a terminal power supply information notice means 26 that sends terminal power supply information through a prescribed communication channel with a terminal identifier specifying a communication terminal 14-n based on the power interrupt detection signal. The CATV station 10 is provided with a 1<st> storage means 16 and a terminal power supply information reception means 18 that receives terminal power supply information and stores the terminal power supply information in cross reference with the terminal identifier included therein to the 1<st> storage means.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a CATV system, and more particularly to identification of a power failure of a communication terminal accommodated in the CATV system and a failure of a CATV transmission line.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, CATV companies have been providing multimedia information communication services by adding digital devices to a home television broadcasting network capable of streaming video and audio.

[0003] As described above, CATV operators are providing communication services such as telephone services that require reliability. However, the cause of the service stoppage due to communication failure is that the AC100V commercial power cord of the communication terminal is pulled by the subscriber's will. It is necessary to identify whether the power has been disconnected or the transmission line has failed due to being unplugged, and perform maintenance and operation.

FIG. 17 is a configuration diagram of a conventional CATV system. Generally, in CATV systems, CATV
CATV connecting the station 2 and the communication terminals 4-i (i = 1 to n)
The transmission path 6 is formed in a tree shape by one coaxial cable, and a plurality of downlink channel signals transmitted from the center device 8 in the CATV station 8 are mixed by the HE 10 and the amplifier 12 provided in the CATV transmission path 6 After passing through Tap Off 14, the communication terminal 4-i (i = 1 to n) receives and a plurality of uplink communication channel signals transmitted by the communication terminal 4-i pass through the CATV transmission line 6. HE in CATV station 8
10 receives the data and distributes it to the center device 8.
Provide the communication service.

[0005] Since the CATV transmission line 6 performs transmission using a single coaxial cable, the CATV station 2 attempts to communicate with each communication terminal 4-i at the same time.
Are returned all at once, and the respective data collide with each other and communication becomes impossible.

In order to prevent this, a polling signal is sequentially transmitted from the center device 6 in the CATV station 2 to each communication terminal 4-i with the terminal ID of each terminal. When a polling signal addressed to the own communication terminal is received, a polling method is employed in which data is transmitted and communication is performed on the same communication channel as the polling signal.

Conventionally, in order to monitor the state of a communication terminal using this communication system based on polling, distance information between CATV stations 2, uplink / downlink carrier levels, retransmission rates, link reestablishments, error receptions, delays Time is communication terminal 4
-I, a health check is performed and the center device 8 is notified periodically. The CATV station 2 determines whether communication with the communication terminal 4-i is possible or not based on the presence or absence of the notification.

[0008]

However, in the conventional CATV system, when the communication method by polling is not available and the status notification of the communication terminal cannot be received, there is no means for monitoring the power status of the communication terminal. power interruption cause of the communication disabled state communication terminal (communication terminal 4-i _0), disorders other than power-off, for example, could not be determined whether the transmission path failure (communication terminal 4-j ₀₎ are.

When communication failure occurs, the cause is specified,
It is necessary to take measures to restore the communication, and it is considered that it is better to make the communication impossibility due to the transmission path failure not to be charged and the communication impossibility due to the power supply interruption to be charged.

[0010] However, since the state of the communication terminal 4-i cannot be monitored, the service stop time and the failure time due to the power failure cannot be specified. I had to go outside.

When communication with the communication terminal accommodated by the CATV station 2 is not possible, the possible causes are as follows: a failure in the CATV transmission line 6, a failure in the center device 8, a failure in the communication terminal 4-i. However, there is a problem that it takes time to recover from a failure because the cause cannot be identified.

[0012] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and provides a CATV system for specifying the cause of whether a communication disabled state is caused by a power cut or other transmission path failure. It is intended to be.

[0013]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the principle of the present invention. As shown in the figure, according to the present invention, a CATV station 10 that provides a two-way communication service, and a CATV station 1
0, a plurality of communication terminals 14 receiving the provision of the bidirectional communication service, the CATV station 10, and the communication terminals 14-i (i = 1
CATV transmission line 12 that connects
In the system, the communication terminal 14-i uses the AC commercial power supply 20 and the first voltage based on the output voltage of the AC commercial power supply 20.
A first power supply unit 21 for converting to a DC voltage, a second power supply unit 22 for outputting a second DC voltage, and a power supply from the second power supply unit 22 to check the level of the output voltage of the first power supply unit 21 A power-off detection unit 24 that determines whether or not the power supply from the AC commercial power supply 20 to the first power supply unit 21 has been performed, and outputs a power-off detection signal;
A terminal power information notifying unit for transmitting terminal power information indicating whether or not the power is turned off to the TV transmission path together with a terminal identifier for specifying the communication terminal;
The V station 10 includes a first storage unit 16 for storing terminal power information, and terminal power information that receives terminal power information and stores the terminal power information in the first storage unit 16 for each terminal identifier included in the terminal power information. There is provided a CATV system comprising the receiving means 18.

According to the above-described configuration, the power-off detecting means 24 is supplied with power from the second
By checking the voltage level of the power supply unit 21, it is determined whether or not the first power supply unit 21 is turned off, and a power-off detection signal is output.

The terminal power information notifying means 26 transmits to the transmission line 12 terminal power information indicating whether the power is off or the power is normal, together with the terminal identifier of the communication terminal 14-i based on the power-off detection signal. I do.

Upon receiving the terminal power information, the terminal power information receiving means 18 records the terminal power information in the first storage means 16 for each identifier of the communication terminal 14-i. Using the terminal power supply information, the CATV station 10 specifies whether the communication failure is due to the power cut-off of the communication terminal 14-i or the failure of the transmission line 12 or the like.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First Embodiment FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a CATV system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the CATV system includes a CATV station 30, a CATV network 36, and a plurality of communication terminals 40-i (i = 1 to n). The CATV station 30 provides services for television broadcasting and multimedia information communication services such as audio, video, and announcement information, and includes a center device 32 and a head end (HE).
34.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the CATV station in FIG. The center device 32 monitors a power supply state of the communication terminal 40-i and a unit (not shown) for providing a multimedia information communication service such as a service for television broadcasting, data communication, audio, video, and announcement information communication, and the cause of the communication failure. And a fault monitoring unit 90 for calculating the transmission line fault time.

The fault monitoring unit 90 includes a polling signal transmitting unit 92, a terminal power information receiving unit 94, and a terminal power interruption monitoring unit 96.
And a subscriber information file 98. The polling signal transmitting unit 92 sets the terminal ID so as to sequentially and cyclically give the communication terminals 40-i (i = 1 to n) the transmission right of the terminal power information indicating the power-off / normal power. A polling signal is transmitted.

The terminal power information receiving section 94 is provided for the communication terminal 40.
-I receives the terminal power information transmitted from the communication terminal 40, and outputs the terminal power information to the terminal power-off monitoring unit 96.
When the terminal power-off information cannot be received and a timeout occurs due to communication failure due to -i power-off or failure of the CATV network 36, the terminal power-off monitoring unit 96 is notified.

The terminal power-off monitoring section 96 is connected to each communication terminal 40.
-I, for each terminal ID, the subscriber information file 98
Then, the cause of the communication failure and the writing of the terminal power information is specified, and the failure time of the CATV network 34 is calculated.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of the subscriber information file in FIG. As shown in this figure, the subscriber information file 98 includes subscriber information such as a terminal ID, a communication state, a power state, a communication disabled time, a communication disabled time, a power cutoff time, and a transmission path failure time.

The terminal ID is a terminal identifier for specifying the communication terminal 40-i. The communication state indicates that communication is possible / unavailable. Here, communication impossibility means that the communication terminal 40-
i of the sub-battery unit 64 in the battery empty or C
The communication terminal 40-
This means that the terminal power information cannot be received within a certain period of time after sending a polling signal addressed to the communication terminal 40-i from i.

It should be noted that communication impossibility may be determined when the terminal power information cannot be received within a predetermined time or when the terminal power information indicates power-off, that is, when the multimedia information communication service cannot be provided. However, the method for calculating the transmission path failure time is different from the case where communication disabled is defined as described above.

The communication disabled state occurrence time is the time when the communication disabled state occurs. The communication disabled time is a time during which communication was disabled. The power-off time is a time during which communication is disabled due to power-off of the communication terminal 40-i (when the sub-battery unit 64 becomes empty and terminal power information cannot be notified).

Note that the communication unavailable time and the power-off time may be time including the time when the terminal power information indicates the power-off. The transmission path failure time is the time during which the transmission path has failed.

HE 34 in FIG. 2 is a center signal for mixing a downstream channel signal and an upstream channel signal which are assigned in advance to a television signal transmitted from center device 90, data from a facsimile, a voice signal from a telephone, and the like. It is allocated to the device 32.

The communication terminals 40-i (i = 1 to n) are provided in the home and receive a multimedia information communication service with the CATV station 30.
It has a POW section 60 and an OP section 70.

The CPU unit 42 transmits a F signal between the CATV networks 36.
It transmits and receives AX data and audio signals, receives polling signals, and transmits terminal power information and health information. The modem unit 44, the channel demultiplexing unit 46, the terminal power-off detection unit 48, the CPU 50, and the memory ( MM) 52.

The modem unit 44 modulates and demodulates the RF channel transmitted and received from the CATV network 36. c
The h demultiplexer 46 multiplexes, demultiplexes, and terminates each of the upstream and downstream communication channels such as FAX data, voice signals, terminal power information, and polling signals. The terminal power-off detecting section 48 determines whether or not the power of the power section 62 has been turned off, and detects a power-off detection signal.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the terminal power-off detecting section in FIG. The terminal power-off detecting unit 48 includes a level check unit 110 and a power switching unit 112. The level check unit 110 is supplied with the secondary output from the sub-battery unit 64 as a power source, and outputs the voltage level of the secondary output (for example, usually 5 V) of the power supply unit 62 and the voltage level of the secondary output of the sub-battery unit 66. For example, if the difference voltage exceeds the threshold value, it is determined that the supply of AC commercial power of 100 V AC to the power supply unit 62 has been stopped, and a power-off detection signal, for example, A high level is generated when the power is turned off, and a low level is generated when the power of the power supply unit 62 is normal, and is output to the CPU 50 through the processor bus.

The level check section 110 is configured to supply power from the sub-battery section 64 because it is necessary to output a power-off detection signal even after the power supply section 62 is turned off.

In order to reliably transmit the terminal power information indicating that the power is off to the CATV station 30 (to enable retransmission due to a transmission error or the like), the terminal power information indicating that the power is off is transmitted to the CATV station 30. This is because, by transmitting the data for a long time, it is possible to specify the transmission path failure during the power-off in more detail.

The power supply switching section 112 selects the secondary output of the power supply section 62 when the power-off detection signal indicates that the power supply is normal, and selects the sub-battery section 64 when the power-off detection signal indicates that the power supply is off.
Is selected.

The output signal of the power supply switching unit 112 is CP
Since the power is supplied to the U section 42, during the normal power supply of the power section 62, the CPU outputs the secondary output from the power section 62.
After the unit 42 operates and the power supply unit 62 is turned off,
By operating the CPU unit 42 with the secondary output of the sub-battery unit 64, the power consumption of the sub-battery unit 64 is reduced, so that the time from when the power is turned off to when the sub-battery unit 64 becomes empty becomes longer. That is, the terminal power information can be transmitted to the CATV station 32 for a long time.

The CPU 50 in FIG. 2 outputs terminal power information (SABBAT: ON) when the power-off detection signal indicates power-off, and outputs terminal-power information (SABBA) when the power-off detection signal indicates normal power.
T: OFF) to generate terminal power supply information, channel demultiplexing section 4
6 is for instructing transmission and controlling the OP unit 70. The memory 52 stores firmware (such as generation of terminal power information) executed by the CPU 50.

The modem unit 44, the channel demultiplexing unit 46, the terminal power-off detection unit 48, and the memory 52 and the CPU 50 are connected by a processor bus. POW part 6
Reference numeral 0 denotes a power supply for generating operating voltages of the CPU section 42 and the OP section 70, and includes a power supply section 62 and a sub-battery section 64. The power supply unit 62 is connected to a power supply voltage used by the OP unit 70, for example, -48 V
A that generates a power supply voltage used by the unit 42, for example, 5V
It is a C / DC converter.

The sub-battery unit 64 is an AC adapter that is charged by AC 100V and generates a power supply voltage used by the CPU unit 42, for example, 5V. OP unit 70
Is an analog TEL interface unit 72, a broadcast control /
It has a recording unit 74, a display unit / operation unit / speaker 76.
The analog TEL interface section 72 is for taking an analog interface or a modem interface of the analog standard telephone 78 capable of making / receiving a call.

The broadcast control / recording section 74 outputs a broadcast to a built-in / external speaker when receiving an announcement broadcast, and performs recording / playback of the received broadcast. The display unit / operation unit / speaker 76
The power supply (power supply (ON), usable (operating)), and recording (recording presence / absence indication) are used to display the terminal status by LEDs, and operations such as designation of recording / reproduction of an announcement broadcast and sound output are performed. Analog TEL78 is an analog standard telephone,
The external speaker amplifier 80 is an external speaker output amplifier (not shown).

Hereinafter, the CAT according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The operation of the V system will be described. (A) Transmission of a polling signal from the CATV station 30 The polling signal transmission unit 92 in FIG. 3 sequentially transmits all communication terminals 40-i (i = 1 to n) to each of the communication terminals 40-i. The terminal ID of i is set in the polling signal, and the polling signal is transmitted to the CATV network 36 in FIG. The polling signal is transmitted through the CATV network 36 and transmitted to each communication terminal 40-i.

(B) Transmission of terminal power information of communication terminal 40-i FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a terminal power information transmission sequence.
This is a case where the communication terminal is turned off.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a terminal power supply information transmission sequence in the case of a transmission line failure. The power supply unit 62
A power supply voltage used by the CPU unit 42 and the OP unit 70 is generated from AC 100 V, a power supply voltage used by the CPU unit 42 is output to the terminal power-off detection unit 48, and a power supply voltage used by the OP unit 70 is OP Output to the unit 70.

AC 100 connected to the power supply 62 by the subscriber
If the cord of the V commercial power supply is intentionally or inadvertently pulled out, the power supply from the power supply unit 62 is stopped, and the power is cut off.

The sub-battery section 64 is charged by AC100V and operates at the operating voltage of the CPU section 42, for example, 5V.
Is generated and output to the terminal power-off detection unit 48. The level check unit 110 in the terminal power-off detection unit 48 is supplied with power by the output voltage of the sub-battery unit 64,
2 is compared with the output voltage of the sub-battery unit 64 to check whether or not the difference voltage exceeds a threshold. Is exceeded, it is determined that the power of the power supply unit 62 is turned off.
A power-off detection signal, for example, a low level when the power is normal and a high level when the power is off is output to the CPU 50 through the power switching unit 112 and the processor bus.

The power supply switching section 112 selects the output voltage of the power supply section 62 when the power-off detection signal indicates that the power supply is normal, and changes the output voltage of the sub-battery section 64 when the power-off detection signal indicates that the power supply is off. Select and output to the CPU unit 42.

If the power supply of the power supply unit 62 is normal by the power supply switching by the power supply switching unit 112,
The output voltage of the power supply unit 62 is supplied, and if the power supply unit 62 is turned off, the output voltage of the sub-battery unit 64 is supplied.

On the other hand, when receiving the polling signal transmitted from the CATV station 30, the modem section 44 demodulates. The channel demultiplexer 46 separates the demodulated polling signal and outputs it to the CPU 50 through the processor bus.

When the polling signal is input, the CPU 50 enters the terminal ID included in the polling signal into its own terminal I.
Check if it is equal to D. If it is equal to its own terminal ID, the CPU 50 inputs a power-off detection signal from the processor bus. If the power-off detection signal indicates that the power is normal, the CPU 50 adds (SABBAT: ON) and the terminal ID to the terminal power information. When the power-off detection signal indicates power-off, the terminal power information is set to (SABBAT: OFF) and the terminal ID, and output to the channel demultiplexing unit 46 through the processor bus.

When the terminal power supply information is input from the processor bus, the channel demultiplexing section 46 multiplexes the information on a predetermined channel, for example, the same channel as the polling signal, with another channel such as voice, and sends it to the modem section 44. Output.
The modem unit 44 modulates the multiplexed signal and transmits the modulated signal to the CATV network 36 through the RF connector.

As described above, each time the CPU section 42 receives the polling signal addressed to its own communication terminal 40-i, it acquires the transmission right and transmits the terminal power information to the CATV 36. Here, health information such as distance information, uplink / downlink carrier level, retransmission rate, number of link re-establishments, number of error receptions, and delay time may be transmitted on the same channel.

When the power supply 62 is turned off, as shown in FIG.
The power is supplied to the U unit 42, and the terminal power information (SABBAT: ON) is transmitted from the CPU unit 42 to the center device 32 through the CATV network 36. When the sub battery unit 64 becomes empty, the CPU unit 42 stops the operation,
Transmission of terminal power information (SABBAT: OFF) is stopped, and communication is disabled.

When the supply of 100 V AC power to the power supply unit 62 is resumed and the power supply unit 62 is restored, the CPU
The terminal power supply information (SABBAT: OFF) is transmitted from the CATV network 3
6 and transmitted to the center device 32, and communication is resumed.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG.
When a transmission line failure occurs, the polling signal cannot be received, and the terminal power supply information (SABBAT: OFF) is obtained even though the power of the power supply unit 62 is normal and the communication terminal 40-i can communicate. Transmission stops.

Then, when the transmission path failure of the CATV network 36 is restored, the terminal power supply information (SABBAT: OF
F) is transmitted to the center device 32 through the CATV network 36, and the communication is restarted.

(C) Reception of Terminal Power Information at Center Device 32 Terminal power information receiving section 94 in FIG. 3 has a timer, and polling signal transmitting section 92 transmits a polling signal addressed to communication terminal 40-i. When terminal power information is received from the communication terminal 40-i through the CATV network 36 from the HE 34 within a predetermined time after transmitting the terminal power information, the terminal power information is output to the terminal power-off monitoring unit 96, On the other hand, if the terminal power supply information is not received, the terminal ID is output to the terminal power-off monitoring unit 96 together with the terminal ID.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of FIG. FIG.
5 is a flowchart illustrating a transmission path failure determination method.
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a failure time calculation method.

In step S2 in FIG. 9, terminal power interruption monitoring section 96 checks whether terminal power information can be received, and if terminal power information is received and communication is possible, step S2 in FIG.
Proceed to 4 and if terminal power information cannot be received and communication is not possible,
Proceed to step S10.

In step S4, it is checked whether the sub-battery is ON or OFF in the terminal power information. If the terminal power information is (SABBAT: OFF), the communication terminal 40
It is determined that the power of -i is normal, and the process proceeds to step S6. If the terminal power information is (SABBAT: ON), it is determined that the power is turned off and the process proceeds to step S8.

In step S6, the communication state of the subscriber information of the terminal ID in the subscriber information file 98 is set to "OK" and the power supply state is set to "ON", and the flow advances to step S16. In step S8, the communication state of the subscriber information of the terminal ID is set to "OK", and the power state is set to "OFF".

In step S10, the subscriber information of the terminal ID is read, and if the power supply state is "OFF",
Proceeding to step S12, if the power state is "ON", proceeding to step S14.

In step S12, the communication state is set to "impossible", the power state of the communication terminal 40-i is "OFF" and the power supply is normal. The occurrence of a transmission path failure is displayed on the console 100, and the process proceeds to step S16. Looking at the contents displayed on the maintenance console 100, the maintenance person recovers the transmission path failure.

In step S14, the communication terminal 40-
Since the sub-battery is “ON” in the power state of i, that is, communication is disabled during power-off, terminal power information cannot be transmitted because the sub-battery unit 64 of the communication terminal 40-i is empty. It is determined that the
Proceed to.

For example, as shown in FIG.
-1, when the power is normal and communication is possible, for the terminal ID = 1, the communication status is “OK”, the power status is “OFF”, and the communication terminal 4
When 0-2 is communicable due to power-off, for terminal ID = 2, the communication status is “OK”, the power status is “ON”, and the communication terminal 40
If -3 is normal power supply and communication is not possible, communication status "impossible", power supply status "OFF" for terminal ID = 3, and communication is possible for terminal ID = 4 if communication terminal 40-4 is powered off and communication is not possible. The status “impossible” and the power status “ON” are set.

In step S16, the communication terminal 40-i checks whether or not communication has been disabled from communication enabled. If communication has been disabled from communication enabled, the process proceeds to step S18. The process proceeds to step S20.

In step S18, the current time is set as the communication disabled occurrence time in the subscriber information. Step S
At 20, the communication terminal 40-i checks whether or not the communication has been enabled from the communication disabled state. If the communication has been enabled from the communication disabled state, the process proceeds to step S22. If not, the process ends.

In step S22, the communication terminal 40-i recovers from the power interruption (transition to the power state "ON").
If it is determined whether or not the communication terminal 40-i has recovered from the power interruption, the process proceeds to step S24. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S26.

In step S24, (current time-
The communication failure occurrence time) is calculated, added to the “power-off time” of the subscriber information, and the processing ends. As shown in FIG. 10, the failure time is a time obtained by subtracting the communication terminal power-off time from the communication disable time, and therefore, in step S26, (current time−communication disable time) is calculated and the subscriber information “ This is added to the "communication unavailable time", and "communication unavailable time"-"power interruption time" is set to "transmission path failure time", and the processing is terminated.

According to the first embodiment described above, it is possible to specify whether communication failure is due to a transmission path failure or power supply interruption according to the communication terminal power supply information. Be able to deal with
Billing becomes clearer.

Second Embodiment FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a CATV system according to a second embodiment of the present invention, wherein substantially the same components as those in FIGS. 2 and 3 are designated by the same reference numerals. It is attached.

The CATV system according to the second embodiment comprises:
The CATV station 122 accumulates and outputs a message indicating that the terminating terminal is powered down and outputs the incoming terminal power-down talkie device 126, and controls the telephone or fax incoming connection from the communication terminal 40-i. The transmission / reception control unit 124 determines whether or not the communication terminal 40-j (j） i) is powered off. If the power is turned off, the voice signal is read from the called terminal power-off talkie device 126, Calling terminal 4
The first is that the function of outputting a message to 0-i has been added.
Different from the CATV system according to the embodiment.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of FIG. Hereinafter, the operation of the CATV system according to the second embodiment will be described. The communication terminal 40-i operates in the same manner as in the first embodiment, transmits terminal power information to the CATV network 36, and the failure monitoring unit 90 operates in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and outputs the terminal power information. Is received, and the subscriber information file 100 is updated.

Here, as shown in FIG.
It is assumed that the subscriber 0-1 performs a calling operation to call or fax the subscriber of the communication terminal 40-n. Communication terminal 4
0-1 transmits to the CATV station 120 through the CATV network 34 using an empty communication channel.

The transmission information is transmitted over the communication channel via HE12.
0 to the transmission / reception control unit 124. The transmission / reception control unit 124 searches the subscriber information file 98 for the terminal ID of the destination included in the transmission information, and determines that the communication state of the subscriber information of the corresponding terminal ID is “OK”.
Or, it is checked whether the power supply state is “ON” or “OFF”.

The outgoing / incoming call control section 124 controls the power state “O”
If the communication is possible with "FF", the communication terminal 40-n transmits a call to the destination communication terminal 40-n using the communication channel for the incoming call, and performs the incoming connection.

The outgoing / incoming control section 124 operates in the power state “O”
If "N", an instruction to output the voice message stored in the incoming terminal power-down talkie device 126 is issued. The receiving terminal power-down talkie device 126 outputs the stored voice message in accordance with an instruction from the calling / receiving control unit 124.

The transmission / reception control unit 124 inputs a voice message and transmits the voice message to the CATV network 36 via the HE 34 on the communication channel transmitted by the communication terminal 40-1. The communication terminal 40-1 transmits the voice message to the CATV
The data is received through the network 36 and output to the caller's analog telephone or fax machine. This allows the caller to
The destination communication terminal 40-n knows that communication is impossible due to power-off.

According to the second embodiment described above, the first
In addition to the effects of the embodiment, when the destination is powered off, the receiving terminal transmits a message indicating that communication is not possible due to the power cutoff, so that an improvement in service can be expected.

Third Embodiment FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a CATV system according to a third embodiment of the present invention, wherein substantially the same components as those in FIG. 12 are denoted by the same reference numerals. .

The CATV system according to the third embodiment comprises:
Instead of the incoming terminal power-down talkie device 126, the outgoing communication terminal 40-
Voice / FA that stores voice information or fax information from i
The provision of the X information storage device 136 and the transmission / reception control unit 134 provide the voice / fax information storage device 136 with voice information or fax information from the transmission / reception communication terminal 40-i when the reception communication terminal 40-j is turned off. The information is stored, and when the incoming communication terminal 40-j (j ≠ i) is restored to normal power, the stored voice information or FAX information is automatically transmitted.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of FIG. Hereinafter, the operation of the CATV system according to the third embodiment will be described. The communication terminal 40-i operates in the same manner as in the first embodiment, transmits terminal power information to the CATV network 36, and the failure monitoring unit 90 operates in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and outputs the terminal power information. Is received and the subscriber information file 98 is updated.

Here, as shown in FIG. 14A, it is assumed that the subscriber of the communication terminal 40-1 performs a calling operation to call or fax the subscriber of the communication terminal 40-n. The communication terminal 40-1 uses the idle communication channel to
The call is transmitted to the CATV station 130 through the TV network 34.

The transmission information is transmitted through the communication channel through HE34.
Is transmitted to the transmission / reception control unit 134 through The transmission / reception control unit 134 searches the subscriber information file 98 from the terminal ID of the destination included in the transmission information, and determines whether the communication state of the subscriber information of the corresponding terminal ID is “OK” or “NO”, It checks whether the power supply state is “ON” or “OFF”.

The outgoing / incoming call control section 134 outputs the power state “O”
If the communication is possible with "FF", the communication terminal 40-n transmits a call to the destination communication terminal 40-n using the communication channel for the incoming call, and performs the incoming connection.

The outgoing / incoming control section 134 outputs the power state “O”
If “N”, the incoming call response is sent to the communication terminal 40-1 through the HE 34 on the outgoing communication channel. Communication terminal 40
-1 is transmitted on the communication channel that transmitted voice information or FAX information in response to the incoming call response.

Upon receiving the voice information or the FAX information, the transmission / reception control section 134 stores the terminal ID of the receiving communication terminal 40-n and stores the voice / FAX information storage device 1
36 is instructed to store voice or fax.

The voice / FAX information storage device 136 stores voice information or FAX information in accordance with an instruction from the transmission / reception control unit 134. The outgoing / incoming control unit 134 determines whether the incoming communication terminal 40-n has been restored to normal power from the subscriber information file 98 as shown in FIG. When a call is transmitted to the communication terminal 40-n and a response is received from the communication terminal 40-n, a voice /
It instructs the FAX information storage unit 136 to output voice information or FAX information of the communication terminal 40-n.

The voice / FAX information storage section 136 outputs voice information or FAX information addressed to the communication terminal 40-n, and the transmission / reception control section 134 transmits the voice / FAX information via the communication channel that transmitted the voice information or FAX information. I do. Communication terminal 40-n
Receives voice information or FAX information and outputs it to an analog telephone or a FAX device.

According to the third embodiment described above, the first
In addition to the effects of the embodiment, when the destination is powered off, voice information or FAX information is stored in the voice / fax information storage device, and when the power of the receiving communication terminal is restored, the voice information or F
Since the AX information is transmitted to the terminating communication terminal, service improvement can be expected.

Fourth Embodiment FIG. 15 is a block diagram of a CATV system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, wherein substantially the same elements as those in FIG. 14 are denoted by the same reference numerals. .

The CATV system according to the fourth embodiment comprises:
The difference from the CATV system of the third embodiment is that the transmission / reception control unit 144 in the center device 141 receives a transmission request for voice information or FAX information during power-off from the reception communication terminal 40-j and stores the received information. The difference is that the transmitted voice information or FAX information is transmitted.

Here, the transmission request of the voice information or the FAX information during the power-off from the communication terminal 40-j is sent to the communication terminal 40-j.
A center device 142 in which the subscriber j provides a service of transmitting voice information or fax information from an analog telephone or a facsimile.
The telephone number is designated and the call is transmitted.

FIG. 16 is an operation explanatory diagram of FIG. Hereinafter, the operation of the CATV system according to the fourth embodiment will be described. The communication terminal 40-i operates in the same manner as in the first embodiment, transmits terminal power information to the CATV network 36, and the failure monitoring unit 90 operates in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and outputs the terminal power information. Is received and the subscriber information file 98 is updated.

Here, as shown in FIG. 16A, it is assumed that the subscriber of the communication terminal 40-1 performs a calling operation to make a telephone call or a fax to the subscriber of the communication terminal 40-n. Similarly to the third embodiment, if the power of the incoming communication terminal 40-n is turned off, the outgoing / incoming control unit 144 controls the voice / fax information storage device 136 to transmit the voice information from the outgoing communication terminal 40-1. Alternatively, FAX information is stored.

The subscriber of the terminating communication terminal 40-n receives AC1
When it is found that the cord of the 00V commercial power supply has been unplugged, the power supply is restored by inserting the cord. And
As shown in FIG. 16 (b), the center device 1 checks whether a voice or a fax has not reached itself while the power is off.
A call is made to 40 at a specific telephone number.

The transmission / reception control section 144 controls the communication terminal 40
-N, and determines that the called number indicated by the outgoing information requests the service of the transmission request of the voice information or the FAX information, and determines the outgoing communication terminal 4 indicated by the outgoing information.
From the terminal ID of 0-n, the output of the voice information or the FAX information addressed to the communication terminal 40-n is output to the voice / FAX information storage device 1.
Instruct 36.

The voice / fax information storage device 136 searches for voice or facsimile from the terminal ID, and outputs the corresponding voice / fax information if any. The transmission / reception control unit 144 transmits voice or fax over the communication channel transmitted by the communication terminal 40-n. The communication terminal 40-n receives the voice information or the FAX information and outputs it to the analog telephone or the FAX.

According to the fourth embodiment described above, the first
In addition to the effects of the embodiment, when the destination is powered off, voice information or FAX information is stored in a voice / FAX information storage device, and upon receiving a transfer request from a subscriber, voice or FAX is transmitted to the receiving communication terminal. The service is expected to improve service.

[0099]

As described above, according to the present invention,
It is possible to specify whether communication is not possible due to the power failure of the communication terminal or communication is not possible due to other transmission path failures, etc., so that the failures can be dealt with efficiently and the billing target becomes clear.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a principle diagram of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a CATV system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a CATV station in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a subscriber information file in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a terminal power-off detection unit in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a terminal power information transmission sequence.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a terminal power supply information transmission sequence.

FIG. 8 is an operation explanatory diagram of FIG. 3;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a transmission path failure determination method.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a failure time calculation method.

FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of a CATV system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an operation explanatory diagram of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram of a CATV system according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is an operation explanatory diagram of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a configuration diagram of a CATV system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is an operation explanatory diagram of FIG.

FIG. 17 is a configuration diagram of a conventional CATV system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 CATV station 12 Transmission line 14-i (i = 1 to n) Communication terminal 16 First storage unit 18 Terminal power supply information receiving unit 20 AC commercial power supply 21 First power supply unit 22 Second power supply unit 24 Power supply disconnection detection unit 16 Terminal Power information notification means

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A CATV that provides a two-way communication service
A CATV system comprising a station, a plurality of communication terminals receiving the provision of the bidirectional communication service from the CATV station, and a CATV transmission line connecting the CATV station and the communication terminal, wherein the communication terminal comprises: A first power supply unit that converts the output voltage of the AC commercial power supply into a first DC voltage, a second power supply unit that outputs a second DC voltage, and a power supply from the second power supply unit, Power-off detection means for checking the level of the output voltage of the first power supply, determining whether or not the power supply from the AC commercial power supply to the first power-supply has been interrupted, and outputting a power-off detection signal; Terminal power information for transmitting terminal power information indicating whether the first power supply unit is in a power-off state, along with a terminal identifier for identifying the communication terminal, to the CATV transmission line based on the power-off detection signal; The CATV station comprises: a first storage unit for storing the terminal power information; and receiving the terminal power information, and for each of the terminal identifiers included in the terminal power information, 1. A CATV system, comprising: a terminal power supply information receiving unit that accumulates in a storage unit. 2. The communication terminal according to claim 2, wherein said power-off detection signal selects said first DC voltage when said power-off detection signal indicates that power of said first power supply unit is normal, and said communication terminal detects said power-off detection signal of said first power supply unit. When indicating a power-off state, the apparatus further comprises a selection unit for selecting the second DC voltage, wherein the terminal power information notification unit is configured to input an output signal of the selection unit as a power supply. The CATV system according to claim 1. 3. The CATV system according to claim 1, wherein said second power supply unit is configured to charge based on an output voltage of said commercial AC power supply. 4. The CATV station further comprises polling signal transmitting means for sequentially transmitting a polling signal in which the terminal identifier of the communication terminal capable of acquiring a transmission right is set to all communication terminals in a cyclic manner. The power information notifying means is configured to receive the polling signal and transmit the terminal power information when the terminal identifier set in the polling signal is the terminal identifier of the terminal itself. Item 7. The CATV system according to Item 1. 5. The CATV station, for each of the terminal identifiers, for a period in which communication is disabled due to no transmission of the terminal power information from a communication terminal having the terminal identifier, the CATV station immediately before the communication disabled occurrence time. When the terminal power information indicates the power-off state, it is determined that the communication failure is due to the power-off of the communication terminal, and when the terminal power information immediately before the communication-unavailable time indicates that the power is normal. 2. The CATV system according to claim 1, further comprising a power-off determining unit that determines that the communication failure is caused by a failure other than the communication terminal. 6. The CATV station calculates, as a failure time, a time obtained by excluding the power-off time from the communication-unavailable time based on the determination result of the power-off determination means. The CA according to claim 5, further comprising a failure time calculating means.
TV system. 7. The CATV station, when an incoming call is designated from a first communication terminal to a second communication terminal, the terminal power information about the second communication terminal stored in the first storage means indicates power-off. 2. The CATV system according to claim 1, further comprising: a receiving terminal power-off talkie means for transmitting the second communication terminal power-off message to the first communication terminal. 8. The CATV station comprises: a second storage unit for storing information; and, when an incoming call is designated from the first communication terminal to the second communication terminal, the second storage unit stored in the first storage unit. When the terminal power information on the communication terminal indicates power-off, information transmitted from the first communication terminal is received and stored in the second storage unit together with the terminal identifier of the second communication terminal of the destination. Information storing means for causing, when the terminal power information regarding the second communication terminal indicates normal power supply, transmitting the information stored in the second storage means to the second communication terminal based on the terminal identifier; 2. The CAT according to claim 1, further comprising: an information transmitting means for transmitting.
V system. 9. The CATV station comprises: a third storage unit for storing information; and, when an incoming call is designated from the first communication terminal to the second communication terminal, the second storage unit stored in the first storage unit. When the terminal power information on the communication terminal indicates power-off, information transmitted from the first communication terminal is received and stored in the second storage unit together with the terminal identifier of the second communication terminal of the destination. Information storing means for transmitting, and information transmitting means for transmitting the information addressed to the second communication terminal stored in the third storage means to the second communication terminal based on an information transmission request from the second communication terminal The CAT according to claim 1, further comprising:
V system.