KR20040043063A - Internet phone using rs-232c - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An internet phone using an RS-232C is provided to facilitate installation without necessity of a driver by supporting an operating system itself. CONSTITUTION: A codec unit converts an analog voice signal inputted through a transmitter/receiver(202) into a digital voice signal and transmits it to a controller(218), or converts a digital voice signal inputted through a parallel-serial converter(214) into an analog signal and transmits it to the transmitter/receiver(202). A serial-parallel converter(212) converts a serial digital voice signal inputted through the codec unit(204) into a parallel signal and transfers it to a controller(218). The parallel-serial converter(214) converts a parallel digital voice signal inputted through the controller(218) into a serial signal and transfers it to the codec unit(204). When a hook switch is in an on-hook state, the controller(218) transmits data requesting a call setup to a computer, and then, when call data is received from the computer, the controller transfers ring sound data required for calling to an amplifier(206). The controller(218) transfers voice data received from the computer to the parallel-serial converter(214) in synchronization, and transfers voice data received through the serial-parallel converter(212) to the computer in synchronization.

Description

Internet phone using RS-232C {INTERNET PHONE USING RS-232C}

The present invention relates to an Internet phone, and more particularly, to an Internet phone using RS-232C capable of making a voice call by connecting to an RS-232C port of a computer having an environment capable of providing Internet phone service.

The Internet is an open network applying a common communication protocol called TCP / IP, and can provide various services such as information retrieval, e-mail, and file transfer. In addition, as the data transmission speed on the Internet increases, interest in Internet phones, Internet faxes, and Internet broadcasts is increasing.

The Internet phone can be used at a very low cost compared to a voice call using a conventional public telephone network. In the case of a voice call using a public telephone network, a circuit-switching method of allocating a single circuit is always used regardless of whether data is generated for one call. This is because it uses a packet-switched method that divides the data into a suitable size without assigning a line exclusively to the call, so that multiple calls can share one line economically.

On the other hand, the protocols of public telephone networks and Internet networks are different. That is, the voice call using the public telephone network has excellent real-time response characteristics because both connected terminals are assigned a portion of the exchange for communication and occupy until the end of communication. However, since voice calls using the Internet network independently route selection by packet so that the packets can be delivered to the destination through multiple transmission networks, the packet sent first may arrive to the called party later than the packet sent later. It may be ignored or discarded during delivery. Sending signals from connection-oriented public telephone networks that need to guarantee reliability on the connectionless Internet requires a set of protocols and devices. For this purpose, the H.323 protocol of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is recommended. have.

The H.323 protocol is a protocol for providing real-time multimedia communication in a data network. The H.323 protocol was originally proposed for a videoconferencing standard protocol, but is now a standard protocol of VoIP. The H.323 protocol specifies four system components: terminals, gateways, gatekeepers, and multipoint control units (MCUs).

On the other hand, in a general Internet phone method using a computer, the caller has to be inconvenient to wear a headset for voice calls. Therefore, in recent years, in order to solve such inconveniences, Internet telephones using USB (Universal Serial Bus) technology that can be applied to external peripherals of a computer have been developed and used. At this time, it is necessary to basically provide a firmware program for supporting an audio codec and a USB interface. By the way, the Internet phone using the USB not only needs a specific driver to connect to the computer, but also has a problem that it is difficult to install on various operating systems. In addition, there is a problem that many computers that have been produced and sold for a long time without a USB port cannot be connected and used.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above problems, the Internet using the RS-232C that can be connected to a computer through the RS-232C port for voice calls for easy installation without requiring a specific driver The purpose is to provide a telephone.

In order to achieve the above object, a telephone having a RS-232C port according to the present invention and connected to a computer providing an Internet phone service for making a voice call includes: a handset having a speaker and a microphone for a voice call; A keypad having a plurality of numeric keys; A hook switch for outputting an on-hook or off-hook signal according to the hook state of the handset; An amplifier for amplifying received ring sound data (telephone ringing); A speaker for outputting amplified ring sound data; A codec unit converting an analog voice signal input from the handset into a digital voice signal and transmitting the digital voice signal to a controller or converting a digital voice signal input through a parallel-serial converter into an analog voice signal and transmitting the analog voice signal to the handset; A serial-to-parallel converter for converting a serial-type digital voice signal input through the codec unit into a parallel form and transmitting the same to a controller; A parallel-serial conversion unit for converting the digital voice signal of the parallel form input through the control unit into a serial form and transmitting the same to the codec unit; A clock unit generating a clock for synchronizing the codec unit, the parallel-to-serial converter, the serial-to-parallel converter, and the controller; An RS-232C interface unit connected to the RS-232C port of the computer and adapted to transmit data transmitted between the computer and the control unit according to the RS-232C standard; When the hookswitch is in the on-hook state, data transmitted from the keypad to request call setup is transmitted to the computer.When call data is received from the computer, ring sound data required for a call is transmitted to the amplifier. A controller for synchronizing the received voice data to the parallel-serial converter and transmitting the voice data received through the serial-parallel converter to the computer in synchronization; And it characterized in that it comprises a power lamp that is turned on when the power of the control unit is applied.

At this time, the computer is provided with a network environment for driving the Internet phone and access to the Internet network, and when receiving the call setup request data from the Internet phone to execute the call setup, the phone number stored while storing a plurality of phone numbers It has a setting window to set up a call by selecting any one or inputting the corresponding phone number, and it is equipped with a client program that supports voice calls using the serial port driver and application program interface provided by the Windows operating system. It is desirable to.

1A is a conceptual diagram of an Internet phone service in the form of a PC2PC to which an Internet phone according to the present invention is applied;

1B is a conceptual diagram of an Internet phone service in the form of a PC2Phone and a Phone2PC to which an Internet phone according to the present invention is applied;

2 is a block diagram of an Internet telephone according to the present invention;

3 is an example of a setting window when executing a client program mounted on a computer.

* Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings

110: Client 1 Internet Phone 120: Client 1 Computer

130: Gator Keeper 140: Internet

150: client 2 computer 160: client 2 Internet phone

170: gateway 180: public telephone network

190: general telephone 202: handset

204: codec section 206: amplifier

208: speaker 210: clock portion

212: serial-to-parallel converter 214: parallel-to-serial converter

216: keypad 218: control unit

220: hook switch 222: power lamp

224 RS-232C interface

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail the present invention.

1A is a conceptual diagram of an Internet phone service in the form of a PC2PC to which an Internet phone according to the present invention is applied. Here, the caller is referred to as 'client 1' and the called party is referred to as 'client 2'. Referring to the drawing, when a call setup request is made from the client 1 computer 120 to the client 2 computer 150, the requested data is transferred to the client 2 computer 150 through the gatekeeper 130 to be connected. Done. The client 1 computer 120 is connected to the Internet phone 110 for voice call of Client 1, and the client 2 computer 150 is connected to the Internet phone 160 for voice call of Client 2. Accordingly, the Internet phone service is provided in the order of the Internet phone 110, the client 1 computer 120, the gatekeeper 130, the client 2 computer 150, and the Internet phone 160. At this time, each of the Internet telephones 110 and 160 is connected to each of the computers 120 and 150 through the RS-232C port.

The gatekeeper 130 is responsible for authentication and billing of the client and performs a call routing function. The gatekeeper 130 interworks with another system through the H.323 standard protocol. In more detail, the gatekeeper 130 blocks the connection of the unauthorized client through an authentication process or calculates a fee for each client. In addition, it does not have a channel for media transmission, but only a channel related to call control, and is in charge of address translation, user authentication, and bandwidth control.

1B is a conceptual diagram of an Internet phone service in the form of a PC2Phone and a Phone2PC to which an Internet phone according to the present invention is applied. PC2Phone type is an Internet phone service that is connected in the direction of ①, when the call setup request from the client 1 computer 120, the caller to the general telephone 190, the requested data is gatekeeper 130 through the Internet network 140 ), And the transferred data is delivered to the gateway 170 through the Internet network 140. The data transmitted in this way is converted by the gateway 170 and is transmitted to the general telephone 190 of the called party through the public telephone network 180 is connected to enable a voice call. Client 1 computer 120 is connected to the Internet phone 110 for the voice call of the client 1. Accordingly, the Internet phone service is performed in the order of the Internet phone 110, the client 1 computer 120, the gatekeeper 130, the gateway 170, and the general telephone 190. In this case, the gateway 170 connects the Internet network 140 and the public telephone network 180 to enable Internet phone service. The gateway 170 interworks with other H.323 devices through the H.323 protocol. For example, the gateway 170 is converted into a signal that can be recognized by the public telephone network 180 when a signal is input from the Internet network 140, or recognized by the Internet network 140 when a signal is input from the public telephone network 180. Convert it to a signal that can be done.

Phone2PC type is an Internet phone service connected in the direction of ②, when the caller requests a call setup from the general telephone 190 to the client 1 computer 120, the requested data is gateway 170 through the public telephone network 180 Is passed on. The transmitted data is converted by the gateway 170 and delivered to the gatekeeper 130 through the Internet network 140, and the transferred data is delivered to the client 1 computer 120, which is the called party, through the Internet network 140. By being connected, a voice call can be made. Client 1 computer 120 is connected to the Internet phone 110 for the voice call of the client 1. Accordingly, the Internet phone service is provided in the order of the general telephone 190, the gateway 170, the gatekeeper 130, the client 1 computer 120, and the internet telephone 110.

2 is a block diagram of an Internet telephone according to the present invention, which includes a handset 202, a codec unit 204, an amplifier 206, a speaker 208, a clock unit 210, a serial-to-parallel conversion unit 212, Parallel-to-serial converter 214, keypad 216, controller 218, hookswitch 220, power lamp 222, and RS-232C interface 224. The Internet phone 200 configured as described above is capable of making a voice call by accessing a computer having an RS-232C port.

To describe each, the handset 202 is a handset that a caller can hold by hand with a speaker and a microphone for a voice call, and the keypad 216 is a plurality of handsets for inputting the phone number of the counterpart. It has a numeric key. The hook switch 220 outputs an on hook or off hook signal according to the hook state of the handset 202. In other words, the high level voltage signal is output in the off hook state, and the low level voltage signal is output in the on hook state.

The amplifier 206 amplifies the ring sound data received from the control unit 218, that is, the incoming call ring tone, and the speaker 208 outputs the amplified incoming call ring tone to the outside. The codec unit 204 combines a coder and a decoder to convert an analog signal into a digital signal or converts a digital signal into an analog signal, and converts an analog voice signal input from the handset 202 into a digital voice signal. Is converted to the control unit 218 and transferred to. In addition, the digital voice signal input through the parallel-serial converter 214 is converted into an analog voice signal and transmitted to the handset 202.

The serial-parallel converter 212 converts the digital voice signal of the serial form inputted through the codec unit 204 into a parallel form and transmits it to the controller 218. On the contrary, the parallel-serial converter 214 converts the digital voice signal of the parallel type inputted through the controller 218 into a serial form and transmits the converted digital voice signal to the codec unit 204.

The clock unit 210 generates a clock for synchronizing the data necessary for transferring data between the codec unit 204, the serial-parallel conversion unit 212, the parallel-serial conversion unit 214, and the control unit 218. do. That is, an oscillator or the like that generates a clock at a constant cycle may be used. The RS-232C interface unit 224 is connected to the RS-232C port of the computer, and conforms to the RS-232C standard data transmitted between the computer and the control unit 218. Here, RS-232C means a serial communication interface standard for connecting a computer and a peripheral device.

The control unit 218 is a central processing unit (CPU) of the Internet telephone 200, which interprets and executes various commands. Specifically, when the hook switch 220 is in the on-hook state, data input from the keypad 216 to request call setup is transmitted to the connected computer. In addition, when the call data is received from the computer, the ring sound data required for the call is transferred to the amplifier 206 through the parallel-serial conversion unit 214 and the codec unit 204.

Then, the voice data received from the computer is synchronized and transferred to the parallel-serial converter 214, and the voice data received through the serial-to-parallel converter 212 is synchronized and transmitted to the computer. That is, voice data is exchanged with a computer according to RS-232C standard. The power lamp 222 is turned on when power is applied to the controller 218.

On the other hand, the computer connected to the Internet phone is equipped with a client program, it is preferable to have a network environment that can basically run the Internet phone and access the Internet network. At this time, when the client program receives call setup request data from the Internet phone, the client program executes call setup and selects any one of stored telephone numbers or directly inputs the telephone number while storing a plurality of telephone numbers. It can be provided with a setting window that can be set. In addition, it is desirable to support voice calls using a serial port driver and an application program interface provided by the Windows OS.

In addition, the client program may be connected to the USB port of the computer to process the image data captured by the image camera installed in the position to shoot the voice caller, VFW (Video) provided by the Windows operating system It is preferable to perform a function of supporting a video call by performing image device control through a ForWindow) library. In practicing the present invention, it is desirable to use standardized specifications to minimize the amount of data transmission. As the audio standard, G.723.1, G.711, G.729, and the like can be used, and as the image standard, H.261, H.263, MPEG4 and the like can be used.

3 is an example of a setting window when executing a client program mounted on a computer. On the displayed computer monitor screen 300, a client program is executed to display a setting window 310 for executing an Internet phone service. The setting window 310 includes a keypad 350 having a plurality of numeric keys for pressing a phone number and keys for selecting and canceling a call, an input window 340 for directly inputting a phone number on a computer keyboard, and a service. A guide window 330 for providing step-by-step guide information for, and a screen window 320 for displaying the image data of the other party caller. Therefore, the caller can request the call setup by using the keypad of the Internet telephone connected to the computer or by selecting the other party's telephone number using the setup window.

As described above, the Internet phone using RS-232C can be easily installed without requiring a specific driver by supporting the operating system itself. In addition, the manufacturing cost can be reduced compared to an Internet phone using USB.

Claims (3)

A telephone having an RS-232C port and connected to a computer providing Internet phone service for making a voice call. A handset having a speaker and a microphone for a voice call; A keypad having a plurality of numeric keys; A hook switch for outputting an on-hook or off-hook signal according to the hook state of the handset; An amplifier for amplifying ring sound data (telephone ringing); A speaker for outputting amplified ring sound data; A codec unit converting an analog voice signal input from the handset into a digital voice signal and transmitting the digital voice signal to a controller or converting a digital voice signal input through a parallel-serial converter into an analog voice signal and transmitting the analog voice signal to the handset; A serial-to-parallel converter for converting a serial-type digital voice signal input through the codec unit into a parallel form and transmitting the same to a controller; A parallel-serial conversion unit for converting the digital voice signal of the parallel form input through the control unit into a serial form and transmitting the same to the codec unit; A clock unit generating a clock for synchronizing the codec unit, the parallel-to-serial converter, the serial-to-parallel converter, and the controller; An RS-232C interface unit connected to the RS-232C port of the computer and adapted to transmit data transmitted between the computer and the control unit according to the RS-232C standard; When the hookswitch is in the on-hook state, data transmitted from the keypad to request call setup is transmitted to the computer.When call data is received from the computer, ring sound data required for a call is transmitted to the amplifier. A controller for synchronizing the received voice data to the parallel-serial converter and transmitting the voice data received through the serial-parallel converter to the computer in synchronization; And Internet telephone using RS-232C, characterized in that it comprises a power lamp that is turned on when the power supply to the control unit. The computer of claim 1, wherein A network environment for driving the Internet telephone and accessing the Internet network, wherein the call setup request is received when the call setup request data is received from the Internet telephone, and any one of the stored telephone numbers is selected while storing a plurality of telephone numbers. In addition, a setup window for setting a call by inputting a corresponding phone number is provided, and a client program supporting a voice call is provided using a serial port driver and an application program interface provided by a Windows operating system. Internet phone using RS-232C. The method of claim 2, wherein the client program, It processes image data of a voice caller photographed through an image camera connected to the USB port of the computer, and controls a video device by performing a video device control through a VFW (Video For Window) library provided by a Windows operating system. Internet telephone using RS-232C.