Telecommunication equipment

The invention relates to telecommunication equipment and including call control equipment for center switching.

It is recalled, schematically, in Figure 1, the architecture a telecommunication network enabling a terminal of TE1 telecommunication contact a TE2 terminal.

A TE1 equipment is connected to a switch SW1 of a O1 operator. This switch SW1 is connected to a PBX SW2 of the same operator, for example, which is connected to a switch SW3 to an operator O2. A TE2 device is connected to this switch SW3.

Thus, calls between terminals TE1 and TE2 are treated by telecommunications equipment for which standards signaling are not necessarily the same.

therefore available to it in network centers of switches or PBXs as referenced equipment SW1, SW2, SW3. In practice, there is no reason why these equipment is from the same supplier or operator. The network is used to route and data flows, corresponding to the flow voice and flow control.

Flow control concerns call protocols. For the Call protocols there are several standards, the B-ISUP standard the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the standard PNNI ATM Forum (ATM: asynchronous transfer mode) and standard SS7 the ETSI (ETSI).

The architecture of a switching center (or exchange) S1 comprises various modules:<ul><li>a module for processing the signal CA,</li><li>a module to perform the call control,</li><li>CR resources management module, this module allows allocate channels by physical links.</li></ul>

In practice, the signaling module of a switch implements the call protocol which allows it to communicate with a another exchange.

CA call control module is the core of the whole. It's about a controller which creates a process for each type of call received.

In practice, when a drop line is made for a call telephone, the call control module creates a process to manage this call.

To this end, a generic process (program) is provided in the module and is able to create another process to handle the call.

Since there are several norms or standards for signaling, there may therefore different signaling modules corresponding to each of these signaling standards within a same equipment.

This architecture was shown schematically in Figure 2. Modules signaling S1, S2, S3 corresponding to the three existing standards now are located in a switch SW2 and connected to which is the core call management module CA.

This problem is, however, relatively new. However it becomes more difficult to solve the extent of new operators likely to occur and also to the extent that can be desired to upgrade existing standards.    So every time a new standard appears, equipment must evolve to reflect this new standard.

EP 0530443, indicated as D1 in the research report describes a translation system that processes signaling queries in a common language.

The object of the invention is to reduce the impact of a new signaling on the call control and for this purpose to make the control as independent as possible of appeal.

For example, according to the PNII protocol, when a request is sent by the call control module, the request can be accepted before analysis of the dialed number while in the B-ISUP protocol, the request is not accepted as the dialed number analysis is not made.

The present invention provides a solution by proposing a architecture that can be adapted to new standards or to easily scale existing standards.    The invention is particularly applicable to the wide transmission 2M-band 144 Mbit / s (ATM, video), but also the band transmissions narrow (64 kbit / s).

The invention is to provide a CA call control module Generic able to treat common queries to different standards and specific modules or components capable of processing requests specific to each standard to reduce the impact of a new signaling the call control module to make it the independent as possible.

The invention more particularly relates to an equipment comprising a service unit mainly characterized in that service unit includes a motor core and modules linked to it core, said core (20) comprising:<ul><li>means for receiving signaling messages from a or more signaling network,</li><li>means for sending said audits signaling messages modules according to a predetermined rule, said modules being capable of processing the signaling signals.</li></ul>

According to one embodiment, the core comprises means for processing some signaling messages.

The means for receiving the signaling messages comprise a high-level interface adapted to provide access to the kernel for treatment by that standard signaling messages.

The means for receiving the signaling messages comprise a low level interface adapted to provide access to the module adapted to treat received specific signaling message.

Other features and advantages of the invention will clearly on reading the description which is made hereinafter and which is given by way of nonlimiting example and with reference to the drawings in which:<ul><li>Figure 1 shows a block diagram of a network telecommunication,</li><li>Figure 2, is an equipment architecture diagram according to prior art.</li><li>Figure 3 shows a an equipment architecture diagram telecommunication system according to the invention.</li></ul>

The embodiment which is given in the following example for a simplified architecture with two corre signaling standards sponding to the signaling networks 1, 2 and module signaling S1 and S2. Naturally, the invention applies advantageously in situations where one is in the presence of more than two signaling standards, specifically a number of networks signaling 1 to n and a number of s1 signaling modules Sn.

The EQ telecommunication equipment can implement or the services required to receive messages from a network signaling 1 to n.

To this end equipment includes S1-S2 signal modules capable of receiving signals from modules corresponding signaling unrepresented equipment EQ.

Each modulus S1, S2 comprises the signaling information of the Standard 1, 2 corresponding to a logical unit referenced respectively SIG1, SIG2. Each unit is connected to an adapter for A1 the unit SIG1 and SIG2 A2 for unity, capable of transforming the query each standard (or new standard) standard requests for dialogue with the AC service unit which in practice is a control module call.

Indeed, as the dialogue with the CA Service Unit is standard, is used for adaptation interfaces A1, A2 to allow this dialogue. This practice of logical interfaces for presenting Call symbolized by links L1 to AC service unit under one format that is the standard dialog screen, whatever the signal signaling that these signals correspond to a new standard or not.

L2 links shown in dashed lines in Figure 3 match "Hook" functions present in the CA Service Unit (hook function in English terminology) designed to allow addressing to specific functions (eg generic functions, a pointer function).

L1 generic requests are handled by a generic interface I1 set, said high-level, while the functions "hook" L2 are 12 managed by a defined interface, also known as low level and will also be used to provide access to specific modules SP1, SP2 of the AC unit in the event of specific requests arrive (these requests are related to a new standard and not within a generic formulation can be processed by the engine management core generic calls NO).

I1 and I2 dialog interfaces with existing service of unity and are already set accordingly.

In practice, 80% of needs common to all standards will be covered by the interface I1 and treated with NO kernel and queries can not enter a generic formulation will be wrapped in the standard format of dialogue with the AC unit A1 adapters and A2 to be recognized by interface I2 and processed by the module Specific suitable ie SP1 or SP2. The determination module Specific suitable can be accomplished by the application of rules predetermined. These rules can simply be determining the standard to which the request is consistent.

NO nucleus is therefore able to process all requests generic common to different standards.

The specific modules SP1, SP2 implement each of the specific corresponding to the evolution of an existing standard or those of another standard does not fall within the generic framework.