Hybrid type telephony system

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD [Detailed description of the invention]

【0001】

[Technical field to which the invention belongs]

The present invention relates to a hybrid telephony system, and more particularly to a hybrid telephony system that eliminates the distinction between a conventional telephone housed in a time division switch and a LAN telephone housed on a LAN and provides an integrated service.

【0002】

[Conventional technology]

A conventional telephony system consisting of a private branch exchange and a LAN telephone system will be described with reference to FIG.

【0003】

In FIG. 4, the private branch exchange 150 is composed of an exchange based on the time division switch 100. The time division switch 100 has a function of switching time division data at a speed of 64 Kbps, the central controller 101 has a function of controlling the entire private branch exchange 150, and the subscriber circuit 102 and the subscriber circuit 103 are conventional. The interface circuit of the telephone (conventional telephone) has a voice interface and a control function of the conventional telephone, the trunk circuit 104 has an interface function with other exchanges and devices, and the gateway 107 is time-division data handled by the private branch exchange. It has a data conversion function between voice packets handled by the LAN telephone system and the telephone system. The conventional telephone 105 and the conventional telephone 106 are multifunctional telephones for ordinary analog telephones and private branch exchanges. In addition, the LAN switch 108 has a function of switching packets on the LAN, the LAN 109 and LAN 110 are LAN networks, and the LAN telephone 111, LAN telephone 112, and LAN telephone 113 are LAN telephones accommodated on the LAN. .. The server 114 has a function of connecting a call between the LAN telephones 111 to 113 and the gateway 107, performing a service, and the like.

【0004】

When constructing a telephone service system using a private branch exchange and a LAN telephone system, the private branch exchange 150 and the LAN telephone system are connected via a gateway 107. In this case, the trunk circuit 104 of the private branch exchange 150 and the gateway 107 are connected by a line having a speed of 64 Kbps, and the gateway 107 is connected to the LAN switch 108 side by LAN.

【0005】

For example, in the case of making a call from the conventional telephone 105 to the LAN telephone 111, when the handset of the conventional telephone 105 is off-hooked, the subscriber circuit 102 accommodating the conventional telephone 105 detects the off-hook. Notify the central controller 101.

【0006】

The central control device 101 performs call processing such as sending a dial tone to the conventional telephone 105, and receives a selection signal which is a telephone number of the other party from the conventional telephone 105. In this case, the selection signal is a combination of the access number for capturing the trunk 104 and the telephone number of the LAN telephone 111 on the LAN telephone system. For example, if the access number for capturing the trunk 104 is "8" and the telephone number of the LAN telephone 111 is "111", the selection signal is "8111".

【0007】

When the central controller 101 recognizes that the selection signal from the conventional telephone 105 is "8111", the time division switch 100 sets a call path between the subscriber circuit 102 and the trunk circuit 104, and also sets a communication path. The selection signal 111 is transmitted from the trunk 104 to the gateway 107.

【0008】

As a result, the gateway 107 recognizes that the call from the trunk 104 is a call to the LAN telephone 111, performs call processing such as inquiring the IP address of the LAN telephone 111 to the server 114, and the gateway 107 and the LAN telephone. Voice information packets are sent and received to and from 111. This enables a call between the conventional telephone 105 and the LAN telephone 111.

【0009】

In addition, a voice exchange system that accommodates a LAN subscriber circuit in the line interface of an electronic switch and connects terminals such as LAN telephones from there via LAN is published in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-308777 ("Local Area Network Terminal". Voice exchange system "). In this voice exchange system, voice data from a terminal on the LAN always goes through the LAN subscriber circuit and goes through the main switch of the electronic switch. Therefore, even for a call between LAN telephones on a LAN, the communication route follows a route such as LAN telephone-LAN subscriber circuit-main switch-LAN subscriber circuit-LAN telephone. Among them, when the LAN telephone-LAN subscriber circuit compresses the voice, the LAN telephone compresses the voice and transmits it on the LAN, and the LAN subscriber circuit restores the original data. After that, the voice data is compressed again by the LAN subscriber circuit via the LAN subscriber circuit-main switch, transmitted on the LAN, and restored to the original data again by the LAN telephone.

【0010】

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

In a conventional telephony system that uses a private branch exchange and a LAN telephone system, the private branch exchange and the LAN telephone system are completely separate systems, and since they are connected by a gateway, it is possible to provide integrated services. There is a problem that it cannot be done. For example, regarding the allocation of telephone numbers, when making a call between a conventional telephone housed in a private branch exchange and a LAN telephone, enter the access number indicating via the gateway device and the telephone number of the other party's system. There is a problem that each device must be operated consciously, such as when it is necessary.

【0011】

Further, in a voice exchange system as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-308777 (Voice exchange system of local area network terminal), voice deterioration is caused by repeating voice compression-restoration twice. Occurs. In addition, processing time is required when performing audio compression and restoration. Further, when a voice packet is transmitted using a LAN, a voice packet transmission delay occurs, the delay time is not constant, and the delay time fluctuates depending on the packet. For this reason, when restoring a voice packet that has passed through the LAN, the voice packet is restored after accumulating the voice packet for a certain period of time in order to absorb the fluctuation of the packet transmission delay on the LAN. -If the restoration is repeated, the time for absorbing fluctuations will be accumulated and the total delay time will increase, which will greatly affect the audio quality.

【0012】

(Purpose of the Invention) An object of the present invention is to provide a hybrid telephony system capable of integrating a switchboard and a LAN telephone system and sharing services for all telephones.

【0013】

Another object of the present invention is a hybrid that constitutes a system in which a private branch exchange and a LAN telephone system are integrated, maintains voice quality, and enables the provision of an integrated service in which the private branch exchange and the LAN telephone system are integrated. The purpose is to provide a type telephony system.

【0014】

[Means for solving problems]

In the voice exchange system, the hybrid telephony system of the present invention accommodates a conventional telephone housed in a time division switch of an exchange such as a premises exchange and a LAN telephone housed on a LAN in an integrated device. By doing so, it is possible to provide an integrated service without distinguishing between the conventional telephone housed in the time division switch and the LAN telephone housed on the LAN. Specifically, the premises exchange and the LAN telephone system This is a hybrid telephony system that integrates the above, and the traffic between the conventional telephones housed in the exchange or the traffic between the LAN telephones housed in the LAN telephone system is connected by the time division switch or the IP switch, respectively. The traffic between the conventional telephone housed in the switch and the LAN telephone housed in the LAN telephone system goes through the gateway circuit between the time division switch and the IP network (for example, the IP switch). It relates to a hybrid telephony system in which audio data is converted into a format and connected.

【0015】

In the hybrid telephony system of the present invention, a gateway circuit for converting the format of voice data is connected between an exchange and an IP network such as an IP switch, and a conventional telephone housed in the switch and a LAN phone housed in the IP switch are used. It is a hybrid type telephony system that enables the connection of the above, and is connected to the LAN accommodated in the IP switch, and the control bus sets the communication path of the exchange and controls the switching of the IP packet of the IP switch. It is characterized by having a central control device that manages IP address information of a LAN telephone and a gateway circuit via the LAN and controls a connection between the LAN telephones and between the LAN telephone and the gateway circuit.

【0016】

More specifically, a time division switch that performs switching operation between the time division multiplex paths of the subscriber circuit and the gateway and switches the PCM signal input / output from the subscriber circuit and the gateway circuit, and a LAN (Fig.) An IP switch that switches packets according to the destination information in the header of the IP packet flowing in 1 of 30 to 34), and a control bus controls the time division switch and the IP switch, the subscriber circuit, and the gateway circuit. It has a central control device that performs communication with the LAN telephone using LAN and controls the routing of packets between the LAN telephone and the gateway circuit. The gateway circuit has a function of converting PCM data from the time division switch into an IP packet and sending it to the LAN (34), and sending the voice data in the IP packet received from the LAN (34) to the time division switch (12). .. At this time, data is transmitted / received using PCM data between the time division switch and the gateway circuit (when the audio data is compressed on the LAN and the data is transmitted / received, the gateway circuit has an audio compression / restoration function). .. In addition, the subscriber circuit accommodates the conventional telephones (25, 26), transmits and receives voice signals between the conventional telephone and the time division switch, monitors the state of the conventional telephone, and makes a call. , The status such as recovery is notified to the central control device, and processing such as ringing the conventional telephone is performed according to the instruction from the central control device. LAN telephones (20 to 22) have a LAN interface and have a function of transmitting and receiving voice data and call processing information using IP packets.

【0017】

The conventional telephone sends and receives voice signals to and from the subscriber circuit, is switched by a time division switch, and can make a call with the connection destination. The LAN (30 to 34) is connected to the IP switch and can send and receive IP packets. The time-division network (40) is connected to other exchanges or the like by a time-division network based on 64 Kbps. The WAN (41) is a network for sending and receiving packets to and from a remote LAN, and is connected via a router (45). The router (45) has a routing function for packets sent and received to a remote location using the WAN (41). Call control, service control, and maintenance / operation services are integrated into a single central control device to enable integrated services.

【0018】

(Action) Regarding the system of a conventional switch (for example, a premises switch) centered on a time-dividing switch and a LAN telephone system composed of LAN telephones arranged on a LAN, the conventional system housed in the conventional exchange For calls between type telephones or calls between LAN telephones accommodated in the LAN telephone system, the conventional telephone and LAN accommodated in the conventional exchange are connected on each time division switch, LAN switch / LAN. Traffic between telephones is connected by converting the format of voice data via a gateway circuit. The central control device that controls the time division switch and the LAN switch is housed in a LAN connected to the LAN switch, sends and receives call information, a connection destination IP address, etc. via the LAN, and is housed in a conventional switch. It controls the traffic between the conventional telephone and the LAN telephone so that it can be communicated via the gateway circuit and the communication path of the time division switch.

【0019】

By accommodating the conventional telephones 25 and 26 housed in the time division switch and the LAN telephones 20, 21 and 22 accommodated on the LAN in the hybrid telephony system, the conventional telephones 25 and 26 and the LAN telephone 20 , 21, 22 can be provided as an integrated service without distinction.

【0020】

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

(Explanation of Configuration) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a hybrid telephony system of the present invention. The hybrid telephony system 1 of the present embodiment is roughly composed of a central control device 10, a time division switch 12 including a gateway circuit 14 and subscriber circuits 15 and 16, and an IP switch 13. The control bus 17 is a bus for the central control device 10 to control the time division switch 12, the LAN switch 13, the subscriber circuit 15, the subscriber circuit 16, and the gateway 14. Further, the hybrid telephony system 1 is provided with LANs 33 and 34 connected to the IP switch 13, the central control device 10 is housed in the LAN 33, and the gateway 14 is housed in the LAN 34.

【0021】

The central control device 10 controls the entire hybrid telephony system 1, and uses the control bus 17 to control the time division switch 12, the IP switch 13, the subscriber circuit 15, the subscriber circuit 16, and the gateway. It controls the circuit 14, communicates with the LAN telephones 20, 21, and 22 using LAN, and controls the routing of packets between the LAN telephones 20, 21, 22, and the gateway circuit.

【0022】

The time division switch 12 performs a switching operation between the time division multiple paths of the subscriber circuits 15 and 16 and the gateway 14, and switches the PCM signal and the like input and output from the subscriber circuits 15 and 16 and the gateway circuit 14.

【0023】

The IP switch 13 switches the packet according to the destination information in the header of the IP packet flowing through the LANs 30, 31, 32, 33, and 34 accommodated in the IP switch 13.

【0024】

The gateway 14 has a function of converting the PCM data from the time division switch 12 into an IP packet and sending it to the LAN 34, and sending the voice data in the IP packet received from the LAN 34 to the time division switch 12. At this time, data is transmitted and received between the time division switch 12 and the gateway 14 using 64 Kbps PCM data, but since the audio data is compressed and the data is transmitted and received on the LAN, the gateway 14 is audio-compressed. / Also has a restore function.

【0025】

The subscriber circuits 15 and 16 accommodate the conventional telephones 25 and 26, transmit and receive voice signals between the conventional telephones 25 and 26 and the time division switch, monitor the state of the conventional telephone, and make a call. The status such as call and recovery is notified to the central control device 10, and processing such as ringing the conventional telephones 25 and 26 is performed according to the instruction from the central control device 10.

【0026】

The LAN telephones 20, 21, and 22 have a LAN interface and have a function of transmitting and receiving voice data and call processing information using IP packets.

【0027】

The conventional telephones 25 and 26 send and receive voice signals to and from the subscriber circuits 15 and 16, and can make a call to the connection destination switched by the time division switch 12.

【0028】

LANs 30, 31, 32, 33, and 34 are connected to the IP switch 13 and can send and receive IP packets.

【0029】

The time-division network 40 is a time-division network based on 64 Kbps and is connected to other exchanges and the like.

【0030】

WAN41 is a network for sending and receiving packets to and from a remote LAN, and is connected via router 45.

【0031】

The router 45 has a routing function for packets sent and received to a remote location using the WAN 41.

【0032】

Although the configuration of the embodiment has been described in detail above, the gateway device 14 of FIG. 1 is well known to those skilled in the art and is not directly related to the present invention, so that the detailed configuration will be omitted.

【0033】

In the above embodiment, the conventional telephones 25 and 26 have been described as terminals accommodated in the time division switch 12, but what kind of terminals such as a multifunctional telephone, a PHS terminal, and an ISDN terminal used in an exchange will be used. It may be a terminal, an image terminal, or a data terminal.

【0034】

Further, although the LAN telephones 20, 21, and 22 have been described as terminals accommodated on the LAN, a device such as a personal computer having a voice interface may be used.

【0035】

In the above embodiment, an example of compressing the voice data into an IP packet as the gateway device 14 has been described, but whether or not the voice data is compressed can be appropriately selected.

【0036】

(Explanation of Operation) Next, the operation of the hybrid telephony system of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1 will be described. Regarding the connection operation between conventional telephones, between LAN telephones, and between conventional telephones and LAN telephones, connection between conventional telephones 25-conventional telephones 26, LAN telephones 20-connections between LAN telephones 21 and LAN telephones 20-conventional The connection operation between the type telephones 25 will be described in sequence as an example. (1) In the case of a call from the conventional telephone 25 to the conventional telephone 26 When the handset of the conventional telephone 25 goes off-hook, the subscriber circuit 15 accommodating the conventional telephone 25 detects the off-hook and notifies the central controller 10. The central control device 10 performs call processing such as sending a dial tone to the conventional telephone 25, and sends a ringer to the connected conventional telephone 26 by a selection signal which is a telephone number of the other party from the conventional telephone 25. When the conventional telephone 26 rings and answers, the call path of the time division switch 12 is set and the call processing is completed. (2) When making a call from LAN telephone 20 to LAN telephone 21 When the LAN telephone 20 is off-hook, a dial tone is heard from the handset of the LAN telephone 20. When the selection signal of the destination LAN telephone is input in this state, the LAN telephone 20 sends a call processing packet to the central controller 10.

【0037】

Here, the IP address of the central control device 10 is set in advance for each LAN telephone, and for the IP address of other LAN telephones, etc., the central control device 10 is inquired as the IP address of the connection destination for each call. , Know the connection destination IP address. Further, since the LAN telephone 20 is housed in the LAN 30 and the central control device 10 is housed in the LAN 33, the IP packet from the LAN telephone 20 is switched to the LAN 33 by the IP switch 13 and reaches the central control device 10.

【0038】

In response to a call from the LAN telephone 20, the central control device 10 notifies the LAN telephone 20 that the other party's LAN telephone 21 is in the idle state, and the LAN telephone 20 is waiting for the other party's answer. Send a ringback tone to the handset. Further, the central control device 10 notifies the LAN telephone 21 of an incoming call and smoothes the ringer to the LAN telephone 21. After that, when the LAN telephone 21 is off-hooked, the LAN telephone 21 notifies the central control device 10 of the incoming call answer, and the central control device 10 notifies the LAN telephone 20 and the LAN telephone 21 of the IP addresses of their respective destinations. The LAN telephones 20 and 21 that have been notified of the IP address of the other party can make a call by sending a voice packet to each other party.

【0039】

In the case of a call between LAN phone 20 and LAN phone 21, IP packets are sent and received directly because they are accommodated in the same LAN30, but for example, in the case of LAN phone 20 and LAN phone 22, they straddle LAN30 and LAN31. The IP packet is switched by the IP switch 13, and the IP packet is sent and received via the IP switch. (3) When calling from LAN telephone 20 to conventional telephone 25 When the LAN telephone 20 is off-hook, a dial tone is heard from the handset of the LAN telephone 20. When the selection signal of the other party's conventional telephone is input in this state, the LAN telephone 20 sends a call processing packet to the central control device 10.

【0040】

If the conventional telephone 25 is idle, the central controller 10 instructs the subscriber circuit 15 accommodating the conventional telephone 25 to smooth the ringing, and the handset of the conventional telephone 25 rings. .. At the same time, the central controller 10 notifies the LAN telephone 20 that the other party is calling, and the LAN telephone 20 hears a ringback tone. When the conventional telephone 25 is off-hooked and responds, the subscriber circuit 15 accommodating the conventional telephone 25 notifies the central controller 10 of the response. Upon receiving the response notification from the subscriber circuit 15, the central controller 10 notifies the LAN telephone 20 of the other party's response, controls the time division switch, and establishes a call path between the subscriber circuit 15 and the gateway circuit 14. At the same time as setting, the LAN telephone 20 is notified of the IP address of the gateway circuit 14, and the gateway circuit 14 is notified of the IP address of the LAN telephone 20.

【0041】

The LAN telephone 20 and the gateway circuit 14 send and receive packets on the IP by sending voice packets to the IP addresses of the gateway circuit 14 and the LAN telephone 20, respectively. A call can be made between the LAN telephone 20 and the conventional telephone 25 by performing the communication path path setting of the time division switch 12 described above.

【0042】

Thus, central system control unit 10, a speech path path setup time division switch 12, LAN telephone, the destination IP address to be sent to the gateway device, and allow any call in hybrid telephony system Since the control is performed, a system that is centrally managed can be constructed according to the present embodiment, and an integrated service can be provided between the conventional telephone and the LAN telephone housed in the time division switch.

【0043】

(Other Embodiments) In the above embodiments, a network having a LAN and a LAN switch has been described as an example, but it is clear that the network system may be any network as long as it is a packet network.

【0044】

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention applied to an IP network. In the present embodiment, the IP network can be configured to perform routing control by a hub or the like, and a configuration that does not require packet switch control by the central processing unit 17 can be adopted. Further, as the IP network, for example, it is possible to configure a network such as an ATM or a frame relay.

【0045】

Further, as a specific example of the telephony service of the above embodiment, a plurality of conventional telephones and LAN telephones are grouped to set one extension representative number, and the extension representative number is assigned to the extension representative number from within the group or from an outside line. In response to an incoming call, the central control device controls incoming calls to all conventional telephones and LAN telephones, so that all telephones in the group receive incoming calls at the same time, and any conventional telephone or LAN telephone can receive calls. It is possible to realize a telephony service that makes it possible to respond.

【0046】

In addition, as another example of an integrated service that eliminates the distinction between a conventional telephone and a LAN telephone, since the central control device enables overall management, a telephone is made from the conventional telephone to the LAN telephone. When the LAN telephone has a display function such as a liquid crystal, it is possible to realize a control for displaying the telephone number of the conventional telephone that has made a call on the liquid crystal or the like. Conversely, if the conventional telephone has a display function such as a liquid crystal display, the reverse is also possible.

【0047】

Further, by adopting a configuration in which the entire management is performed by the central control device, it is possible to adopt a maintenance management configuration in which one interface is integrated for setting and maintenance. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a system that enables such a service. A single interface maintenance / management terminal is provided on the bus of the central control device to perform various settings, maintenance, and management, and to monitor the setting and control of control data by the central control device.

【0048】

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration that realizes such maintenance and management by installing a maintenance terminal in the central control device. Since the conventional exchange system and the LAN telephone system are integrated and operated by the central control device, by providing a maintenance terminal in the central control device when setting and maintaining the central processing station data, it is integrated with one interface. It can be easily set and maintained. Since the exchange system and the LAN telephone system are integrated, the telephone numbers of the conventional telephone and the LAN telephone can be arbitrarily assigned from the maintenance terminal without any limitation.

【0049】

Although the configuration in which the central control device is physically realized as one central control device has been described, it goes without saying that this device configuration can also be configured by using a plurality of central control devices for reasons such as load distribution. Nor.

【0050】

[Effect of the invention]

As is clear from the above description, the present invention exerts the effects described below.

【0051】

The first effect is that the conventional telephone accommodated in the time division switch or the like and the LAN telephone connected on the LAN can be accommodated on the same system, so that between the conventional telephone and the LAN telephone. An integrated telephony service becomes possible. This makes it possible to realize the equivalization of the service of the LAN telephone system of the conventional telephone.

【0052】

For example, depending on the setting of the control mode in the central control unit, (a) Multiple conventional telephones and LAN telephones are grouped on a predetermined scale to set one extension representative number, and when a call is made to the extension representative number, the group telephones receive all the calls at once, and any of the conventional telephones is received. Telephony service that can answer even landline phones and LAN phones will be possible. (b) For example, when a conventional telephone makes a call to a LAN telephone and the LAN telephone has a display function such as a liquid crystal display, the telephone number of the conventional telephone that has made a call can be displayed. Conversely, if the conventional telephone has a display function such as a liquid crystal display, the reverse is also possible. As such, various services of conventional exchanges (private branch exchanges) can be integrated to provide services regardless of whether they are conventional telephones or LAN telephones.

【0053】

The second effect is that the conventional exchange (for example, private branch exchange) system and LAN telephone system operate in an integrated manner, so when setting and maintaining station data, the settings and maintenance are integrated in one interface. be able to.

【0054】

The third effect is that the conventional exchange (for example, private branch exchange) system and the LAN telephone system operate in an integrated manner, eliminating the need to distinguish between the exchange system and the LAN telephone system, for example, and assigning telephone numbers. There are no restrictions on the person, and free setting is possible.

[Simple explanation of drawings]

[Figure 1]

It is a figure which shows one Embodiment of the hybrid type telephony system of this invention.

[Figure 2]

It is a figure which shows the other embodiment of the hybrid type telephony system of this invention.

[Fig. 3]

It is a figure which shows still another embodiment of the hybrid type telephony system of this invention.

[Fig. 4]

It is a figure which shows the telephony system which used the conventional private branch exchange and the LAN telephone system.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Hybrid telephony system 10 Central controller 12 time division switch 13 IP switch 14 Gateway circuit 15, 16 subscriber circuits 17 Control bus 18 IP network 20, 21, 22 Traditional phones 25, 26 LAN phones 30, 31, 32, 33, 34 LAN 40 Time Division Network 41 WAN 45 router 100 time division switch 104 Trunk circuit 107 Gateway