Call control device, communication control program, and communication control method

Abstract

To provide a call control device that can realize a routing function by simple means.SOLUTION: The present invention is a call control device that connects to a communication terminal and other call control devices that are connected to multiple networks with different communication qualities, which includes subscriber information acquisition means for acquiring subscriber information including a service type and a subscriber type related to the communication terminal when a destination of a call signal sent from the communication terminal is other than a terminal managed by the device itself, call control signal generation means for generating a call control signal including information on the service type and the subscriber type included in the subscriber information, and communication means for transmitting the call control signal to the other call control devices.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a call control device, a communication control program, and a communication control method. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art As a system for implementing voice communication using an IP network, for example, there is a voice communication system disclosed in Patent Document 1 and the like.

[0003] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional voice communication system.

[0004] In FIG. 7, a conventional voice communication system 100 includes subscriber terminals 150 (150-1, 150-2), a call agent (CA) 200 that accommodates the subscriber terminals 150, an NNI-SBC (Session Border Controller) 300 that distributes calls to networks 400 (network 400-1 or network 400-2) with different communication qualities, a network 400-1 with guaranteed bandwidth, and a best-effort network 400-2.

[0005] 7, the NNI-SBC 300 is used for allocation according to the subscriber's service type (guaranteed voice quality, normal), and the interface into the NNI-SBC 300 is divided according to the subscriber service type to be allocated. By dividing the interface, the service type of the originating subscriber (subscriber terminal 150) can be recognized as a separate entity and processed accordingly.

[0006] For example, when the CA 200 receives a call connection request from the subscriber terminal 150, the CA 200 can confirm the service type of the subscriber by referring to the subscriber data.

[0007] Then, the CA200 transmits data to each interface (interface A, interface B) of the NNI-SBC300 according to the subscriber's service type. The NNI-SBC300 performs routing according to the ingress interface. For example, the NNI-SBC300 transmits data received via interface A to network 400-1 using interface a. On the other hand, the NNI-SBC300 transmits data received via interface B to network 400-2 using interface b.

[0008] As described above, by dividing the interfaces and allocating data for each subscriber service, it is possible to allocate destinations from the NNI-SBC300. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-254244 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] However, in the conventional configuration, a problem will arise when the NNI-SBC 300 having the above-mentioned functions becomes unusable due to EOL (End Of Life) or the like in the future.

[0011] As a countermeasure against the above, for example, it is possible to replace the CA200-2 located near the NNI-SBC300 on the network with the NNI-SBC300 as shown in Fig. 8. If the functions of the NNI-SBC300 can be substituted with the CA200-2, it will be advantageous in terms of cost.

[0012] However, as shown in FIG. 8, even if the CA200-2 is used, the CA200-2 cannot set multiple receiving interfaces and therefore cannot distribute by interface (cannot perform network distribution operations similar to those of the NNI-SBC300).

[0013] In addition, the CA200-2 does not hold subscriber data, so it cannot allocate destinations according to service type. If the CA200-2 were to access a server (database) that holds subscriber data each time to obtain the subscriber's service type and allocate destinations, it would be possible to achieve the same functionality as the NNI-SBC300. However, the process would be redundant overall, since it would require processing such as accessing the database.

[0014] Therefore, there is a demand for a call control device, a communication control program, and a communication control method that can realize a routing function by simple means. [Means for solving the problem]

[0015] The first invention is a call control device that connects to a communication terminal and other call control devices that are connected to multiple networks with different communication qualities, characterized in having: (1) a subscriber information acquisition means that acquires subscriber information including a type of service and a type of subscriber related to the communication terminal when the destination of a call signal sent from the communication terminal is other than a terminal managed by the device itself; (2) a call control signal generation means that generates a call control signal including information on the type of service and the type of subscriber included in the subscriber information; and (3) a communication means that transmits the call control signal to the other call control devices.

[0016] The second invention of the present invention is a call control device that connects to another call control device and a plurality of networks with different communication qualities, characterized in having: (1) a storage means for storing routing information, which is information that determines each of the networks that are the routing destinations based on a combination of a service type and a subscriber type; (2) a routing processing means for determining each of the networks that are the routing destinations based on the routing information and information on the service type and subscriber type contained in a call control signal received from the other call control device; and (3) a communication means for transferring the call control signal to each of the networks determined by the routing processing means.

[0017] The third communication control program of the present invention is characterized in that it causes a computer mounted on a call control device that connects to a communication terminal and other call control devices that are connected to multiple networks with different communication qualities to function as: (1) a subscriber information acquisition means that acquires subscriber information including a type of service and a type of subscriber related to the communication terminal when the destination of a call signal sent from the communication terminal is other than a terminal managed by the device itself, (2) a call control signal generation means that generates a call control signal including information on the type of service and the type of subscriber included in the subscriber information, and (3) a communication means that transmits the call control signal to the other call control devices.

[0018] The fourth invention of the present invention is a communication control method used for a call control device connecting a communication terminal and other call control devices connected to multiple networks with different communication qualities, comprising a subscriber information acquisition means, a call control signal generation means, and a communication means, characterized in that (1) the subscriber information acquisition means acquires subscriber information including a type of service and a type of subscriber related to the communication terminal when the destination of a call signal sent from the communication terminal is other than a terminal managed by the device itself, (2) the call control signal generation means generates a call control signal including information on the type of service and the type of subscriber included in the subscriber information, and (3) the communication means transmits the call control signal to the other call control device.

[0019] The fifth communication control program of the present invention is characterized in that it causes a computer mounted on a call control device that is connected to other call control devices and multiple networks with different communication qualities to function as: (1) a storage means for storing routing information, which is information that determines the network that is the routing destination based on a combination of a service type and a subscriber type; (2) a routing processing means for determining each of the networks that is the routing destination based on the routing information and information on the service type and subscriber type contained in a call control signal received from the other call control device; and (3) a communication means for transferring the call control signal to each of the networks determined by the routing processing means.

[0020] The sixth aspect of the present invention is a communication control method used for a call control device that connects to another call control device and multiple networks with different communication qualities, comprising a storage means, a routing processing means, and a communication means, wherein (1) the storage means stores routing information, which is information that determines each of the networks that are the routing destinations based on a combination of service type and subscriber type, (2) the routing processing means determines each of the networks that are the routing destinations based on the routing information and information on service type and subscriber type contained in a call control signal received from the other call control device, and (3) the communication means transfers the call control signal to each of the networks determined by the routing processing means. Effect of the Invention

[0021] According to the present invention, the routing function can be realized by simple means. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of an audio communication system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram (part 1) showing the functional configuration of a CA according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an INVITE message according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram (part 2) showing the functional configuration of the CA according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a routing table according to the embodiment; [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of a characteristic operation (routing process) of the voice communication system according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a block diagram (part 1) showing an overall configuration of a conventional voice communication system. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a block diagram (part 2) showing an overall configuration of a conventional voice communication system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] (A) Main embodiment Hereinafter, an embodiment of a call control device, a communication control program, and a communication control method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0024] (A-1) Configuration of the embodiment (A-1-1) Overall composition FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of an audio communication system according to an embodiment.

[0025] In FIG. 1, a voice communication system 1 includes a call agent (CA) 2, a subscriber information DB server 3, a CA 4 as a relay device, subscriber terminals 5 (5-1 to 5-n), and a network 50 (50-1 to 50-m).

[0026] Each network 50 may be a network with guaranteed bandwidth (high quality network), a best-effort network, or a variety of other types.

[0027] The CA2 accommodates the subscriber terminal 5 and performs call control processing. For example, the CA2 performs call control for a telephone call from the subscriber terminal 5 by connecting to the network 50 via the CA4 using a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) message.

[0028] The subscriber information DB server 3 stores information (subscriber information) of each subscriber of a plurality of services. For example, the subscriber information includes identification information for identifying each subscriber, a service type indicating the service to which each subscriber subscribes (e.g., IP telephone service X, IP telephone service Y, IP telephone service Z, etc.), and a subscriber type (e.g., subscriber A providing a high-quality line, subscriber B providing a high-quality line, subscriber C providing a low-quality line, etc.).

[0029] CA4 has a routing function in addition to the general functions of a call agent (such as a call control function). CA4 is installed, for example, at the boundary between different carrier networks, and for a SIP message (INVITE) sent from CA2, CA4 determines a network 50 to which the message should be forwarded based on unique parameters included in the INVITE (described later) and a routing table T, and forwards data to each determined network 50.

[0030] The subscriber terminal 5 is connected to the CA2, and communicates (talks) with a destination telephone terminal (for example, a telephone terminal (not shown) on the other end of the network 50) through call connection processing by the CA2. The specifications of the subscriber terminal 5 are not limited, and may be, for example, an IP telephone terminal or an ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) terminal.

[0031] (A-1-2) Detailed configuration of CA2 FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the CA2 according to the embodiment.

[0032] In FIG. 2, the CA 2 includes a communication control unit 20 and a communication unit 25.

[0033] The CA2 may be realized by installing a program (a communication control program according to the embodiment) in a computer having a processor, memory, etc., but even in this case, the functionality of the CA2 can be shown in Fig. 2. Note that the CA2 may be realized in part or in whole by hardware.

[0034] The communication control unit 20 performs call control processing (communication control processing) for communicating (connecting) the subscriber terminal 5 and a telephone terminal (not shown) connected to the network 50 using SIP messages or the like, and establishing telephone communication calls to each terminal. The communication control unit 20 includes an incoming line selection unit 21, a subscriber information acquisition unit 22, and a packet generation unit 23.

[0035] When a call connection request is received from the subscriber terminal 5, the incoming line selection unit 21 determines whether the destination is a terminal managed by the device itself, and then determines the line through which the call will be received (the transfer destination of the SIP signal).

[0036] The subscriber information acquisition unit 22 acquires the subscriber information of each subscriber terminal 5 using the communication unit 25 .

[0037] If the line selected by the incoming line selection unit 21 is the network 50 (a telephone terminal connected to the network 50), the packet generation unit 23 generates a SIP signal (an INVITE message with unique parameters added) to be sent to the CA 4. If the line selected by the incoming line selection unit 21 is a terminal managed by the device itself, the INVITE message may have a general configuration.

[0038] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an INVITE message to which unique parameters are added and which is generated by the packet generating unit 23. As shown in FIG.

[0039] In FIG. 3, a header H of an INVITE message 60 includes a unique parameter P in addition to general information such as the type of request (INVITE), destination, and SIP version.

[0040] In this embodiment, the unique parameter P includes information indicating the type of service (service type) to which each subscriber (of the subscriber terminal 5) subscribes and the type of subscriber classified by each service provided. The information on the type of each subscriber service and the type of subscriber is information acquired by the subscriber information acquisition unit 22.

[0041] In the example of Figure 3, two pieces of information are written in the form of "service type" and "subscriber type" in one line of unique parameter P, but "service type" and "subscriber type" may be defined as separate parameters. In any case, the format in which the information on "service type" and "subscriber type" is written in the INVITE message is not particularly limited.

[0042] The communication unit 25 functions as a network interface in the CA 2. In this embodiment, the CA2 is connected to the CA4 and each of the subscriber terminals 5.

[0043] (A-1-3) Detailed configuration of CA4 FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the CA according to the embodiment.

[0044] In FIG. 4, the CA 4 includes a communication control unit 30, a communication unit 35, and a storage unit .

[0045] The CA4 may be realized by installing a program (a communication control program according to the embodiment) in a computer having a processor, memory, etc., but even in this case, the functionality of the CA4 can be shown using Fig. 4. Note that the CA4 may be realized in part or in whole by hardware.

[0046] The communication control unit 30 has a routing function (routing processing unit 31) in addition to a general call control function.

[0047] The routing processing unit 31 determines a network 50 to which the INVITE message 60 received from the CA2 should be forwarded based on a unique parameter P included in the INVITE message 60 and a routing table T, and forwards the INVITE message 60 to each determined network 50.

[0048] As for other SIP signals (messages such as OK, ACK, BYE, etc.) and voice packets such as RTP (Real-time Transport Protocol) other than the INVITE message 60 of the same call, each data is transferred to each network 50 according to the routing destination determined when the INVITE message 60 is received. For this reason, information on the routing destination determined by the routing processing unit 31 is stored in a temporary storage unit (not shown) such as a memory (the information stored in the temporary storage unit may be erased when the call is terminated).

[0049] The storage unit 36 ​​stores information such as the routing table T.

[0050] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a routing table according to the embodiment.

[0051] In FIG. 5, the routing table T has the following items: “Service type” indicating the type of each service to which the subscriber subscribes, “Subscriber type” indicating the type of each subscriber, and “Routing destination” indicating each network 50 to which the INVITE message 60 will be forwarded.

[0052] The routing processing unit 31 searches the routing table T using the service type and subscriber type described in the unique parameter P of the INVITE message 60 as keys, and the network 50 described in the routing destination of the hit data becomes the transfer destination (routing destination) of the INVITE message 60.

[0053] (A-2) Operation of the embodiment Next, the operation (routing process) of the voice communication system 1 according to the embodiment having the above-mentioned configuration will be described. In this embodiment, the case where a call connection request is made from the subscriber terminal 5-1 accommodated in the CA2 to a terminal (not shown) existing at the end of the network 50 will be described as an example.

[0054] FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the characteristic operation (routing process) of the voice communication system according to the embodiment.

[0055] <s101> The subscriber terminal 5-1 transmits a call connection request to the CA2.

[0056] <s102> The communication control unit 20 of CA2 analyzes whether the destination terminal is accommodated in the device itself based on the destination information set in the call connection request. Here, it is assumed that the destination terminal exists beyond the network 50, and the communication control unit 20 decides to transfer the call to CA4, which relays the connection to the network 50.

[0057] <S103、S104> The communication control unit 20 of the CA2 requests acquisition of the subscriber information of the subscriber terminal 5-1 from the subscriber information DB server 3 using the subscriber information acquisition unit 22. The subscriber information DB server 3 returns the requested subscriber information to the CA2.

[0058] <s105> The packet generator 23 of the CA2 generates an INVITE message 60 (see FIG. 3) in which the unique parameter P is set to the service type and subscriber type included in the subscriber information acquired in steps S103 and S104.

[0059] <s106> The communication unit 25 of the CA2 transmits the INVITE message 60 generated in the above-mentioned step S105 to the CA4.

[0060] <s107> The routing processor 31 of the CA 4 searches the routing table T using the type of service and the type of subscriber described in the unique parameter P of the INVITE message 60 as keys, and sets the network 50 of the hit data as the routing destination.

[0061] <s108> The routing processor 31 of the CA4 transfers the INVITE message 60 to the network 50 determined in the above-mentioned step S105.

[0062] (A-3) Effects of the embodiment According to this embodiment, the following effects are obtained.

[0063] CA4 can distribute messages to each network 50 using information on unique parameters P (service type, subscriber type) included in the INVITE message 60 and the routing table T. In other words, since there is no redundant processing such as accessing subscriber information, the voice communication system 1 can execute routing processing efficiently with simple means. And, since CA4 has a routing function, there is no need to introduce a separate SBC.

[0064] For example, in CA4, for subscribers who are provided with IP voice communication services, incoming calls from certain types of subscribers can be transferred to the network 50 with guaranteed bandwidth, allowing for communication with improved voice quality or priority reception.

[0065] (B) Other embodiments The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modified embodiments such as those exemplified below can also be mentioned.

[0066] (B-1) In the above embodiment, the routing process in step S107 uses information on the unique parameter P (service type, subscriber type) included in the INVITE message 60, but as a modified example, communication may be prohibited for a specific subscriber type. In this case, CA4 returns a predetermined SIP error message to CA2.

[0067] (B-2) As an example of using the information of the unique parameter P (type of service, type of subscriber) included in the INVITE message 60, for example, a CDR (Call Detail Record) may be created for each type of service.

[0068] (B-3) In the above embodiment, the service type and subscriber type are used in the routing process of step S107, but the routing destination may be determined using only one of these pieces of information. [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] 1...voice communication system, 3...subscriber information DB server, 5 (5-1 to 5-n)...subscriber terminal, 20...communication control unit, 21...incoming line selection unit, 22...subscriber information acquisition unit, 23...packet generation unit, 25...communication unit, 30...communication control unit, 31...routing processing unit, 35...communication unit, 36...memory unit, 50 (50-1 to 50-m)...network, 60...INVITE message, H...header unit, P...unique parameter, T...routing table.

Claims

1. A call control device connected to a communication terminal and other call control devices connected to a plurality of networks having different communication qualities, a subscriber information acquiring means for acquiring subscriber information including a type of service and a type of subscriber related to the communication terminal when the destination of the call signal transmitted from the communication terminal is other than a terminal managed by the communication terminal; a call control signal generating means for generating a call control signal including information on the type of service and the type of subscriber included in the subscriber information; A communication means for transmitting the call control signal to the other call control device; A call control device comprising:

2. A call control device that is connected to another call control device and a plurality of networks having different communication qualities, A storage means for storing routing information that determines the network to which a service is to be routed according to a combination of a service type and a subscriber type; a routing processing means for determining each of the networks to be the routing destination based on information on the type of service and the type of subscriber included in the call control signal received from the other call control device and the routing information; a communication means for transferring the call control signal to each of the networks determined by the routing processing means; A call control device comprising:

3. 3. The call control device according to claim 2, wherein the call control signal is an INVITE signal of SIP.

4. 4. The call control device according to claim 3, further comprising: a routing processor for routing each signal, the routing processor for routing each signal, to the network determined by the routing processor for routing each signal, ...

5. A computer installed in a call control device that connects to a communication terminal and other call control devices that are connected to a plurality of networks having different communication qualities, a subscriber information acquiring means for acquiring subscriber information including a type of service and a type of subscriber related to the communication terminal when the destination of the call signal transmitted from the communication terminal is other than a terminal managed by the communication terminal; a call control signal generating means for generating a call control signal including information on the type of service and the type of subscriber included in the subscriber information; A communication means for transmitting the call control signal to the other call control device; A communication control program characterized by causing the communication control program to function as a

6. A communication control method used for a communication terminal and a call control device connected to other call control devices connected to a plurality of networks having different communication qualities, comprising: The present invention comprises a subscriber information acquisition means, a call control signal generation means, and a communication means, the subscriber information acquisition means, when the destination of the call signal transmitted from the communication terminal is other than a terminal managed by the own device, acquires subscriber information including a type of service and a type of subscriber related to the communication terminal; the call control signal generating means generates a call control signal including information on the type of service and the type of subscriber included in the subscriber information; The communication means transmits the call control signal to the other call control device. A communication control method comprising:

7. A computer installed in a call control device that is connected to other call control devices and a plurality of networks with different communication qualities, A storage means for storing routing information that determines the network to which a service is to be routed according to a combination of a service type and a subscriber type; a routing processing means for determining each of the networks to be the routing destination based on information on the type of service and the type of subscriber included in the call control signal received from the other call control device and the routing information; a communication means for transferring the call control signal to each of the networks determined by the routing processing means; A communication control program characterized by causing the communication control program to function as a

8. A communication control method used for a call control device that connects to another call control device and a plurality of networks with different communication qualities, The system includes a storage means, a routing processing means, and a communication means, the storage means stores routing information that determines the network to which the service is to be routed based on a combination of a service type and a subscriber type; The routing processing means determines each of the networks to be the routing destination based on information on the type of service and the type of subscriber included in the call control signal received from the other call control device and the routing information; The communication means transfers the call control signal to each of the networks determined by the routing processing means. A communication control method comprising:

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