Voice communication system

• US 6,819,664 B1
• Filed: 02/03/2000
• Issued: 11/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Jeong, Man Su
• Primary Examiner(s): HSU, ALPUS
• Application Number:
  US09/496,957
• Time in Patent Office: 1,748 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338, 370/352, 370/359, 370/389, 370/395.1, 370/395.5, 370/395.52, 370/395.6, 370/395.61, 370/401, 370/465, 370/466, 370/467, 370/522, 370/525, 370/526, 379/88.16, 379/88.17, 379/88.22, 379/88.23, 379/88.24, 379/93.01, 379/93.26, 379/219, 379/220, 379/229, 379/235, 379/360, 379/361, 379/418, 709/230, 709/249, 709/250
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2872 Termination of subscriber connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1026 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1036 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols

Abstract

A voice communication apparatus that includes gateway modules in a distributed structure to drive a protocol selected by a corresponding terminal in communication with a public telephone network, so as to convert a packet and renew a state variation of a terminal allocated to itself within a group while performing the packet conversion, and a packet switching module to switch to a corresponding port while communicating between a public telephone network and the gateway module or between a LAN and the gateway module. Each module thus co-owns the information by transferring the call signal and voice by the ethernet interface on a network standard, and accordingly, the switching between the PSTN (public switched telephone network) gateway modules is simply performed. This facilitates long-distance communication with an employee, for example, who may telecommute from a remote place, thereby reducing the expense of long-distance communication. The user can be directly connected to the LAN-based voice terminal through the multi-media switch module, or indirectly connected to the LAN-based voice terminal through the general hub or the switch hub allowing for expansion of the capacity.

Claims

1. A communication system for a local area network (LAN), comprising:

a private multi-media system for connecting to first and second networks;

a switching unit for coupling a plurality of terminals to the private multi-media system, wherein the first network is a public telephone network and the second network is one of a dedicated network and the Internet, and wherein the private multi-media system performs a protocol conversion to couple the public telephone network to the LAN and to couple the second network to the LAN, and

wherein the private multi-media system comprises;

an ethernet interface block for commonly connecting N number of ports defining four ethernet transfer lines as a single port;

a network interface connection unit for interfacing with the LAN and the second network;

a bus connection unit for coupling to gateway modules;

a plurality of media access control (MAC) address tables to store MAC addresses of a destination gateway module;

a plurality of MAC layer switches to communicate between the network interface connection unit and the bus connection unit referring to the MAC addresses stored in the MAC address tables; and

a personal computer interface (PCI) bus arbitrator to enable the MAC unit to access a PCI bus.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the private multimedia system comprises:

N number of gateway modules arranged in a distributed structure, which drive a protocol selected by a corresponding terminal in communication with a public telephone network to convert a packet and renew a state variation of a terminal allocated to itself within a group while performing the packet conversion; and

a N/M number of packet switching modules that switches to a corresponding port while performing a communication between the plurality of gateway modules and one of a remote network and a local area network (LAN).

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the packet switching module corresponds to each of the gateway modules in a one-to-one manner.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein each of the gateway modules comprises:

a call signal processing block to match a communication protocol between a public telephone network and an internal LAN on a real-time operating system;

a voice processing block to process a voice packet between the public telephone network and the internal LAN when a communication path is formed;

a multi-channel connection unit to interface between public telephone networks for the call signal processing block and the voice processing block; and

a bus connector to interface between the call signal processing block and an ethernet interface block.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the call signal processing block comprises:

a call signal detecting/generating unit to detect and generate ring signals of the public telephone network inputted through the multi-channel connection unit and a notice signal;

a call signal converting unit to convert ring signals to an IP address of a receiving interphone line terminal on the LAN side when the ring signals are detected, and to convert the ring signals to a call message form by a call control;

a network protocol unit to process on IP/TCP/UDP protocol the signal from the call signal converting unit and the bus connector; and

a system controller to check the call signal converting unit and renew corresponding information of a look-up table after judging that the call state was varied.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the notice signal is one of an off-hook signal, a DTMF tone, and a call progress tone of interphone line.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the voice processing block comprises:

a voice CODEC to convert an analog voice transferred and received through a telephone service company line interface through the multi-channel connection unit to a prescribed data form;

a line echo removal unit to remove a reflected voice signal from the converted signal;

a multi-channel voice packet converting unit to convert the analog voice signal on the telephone service company line passing through the line echo removal unit to an RTP/RTCP packet, and convert the RTP/RTCP packet on the LAN to an analog voice fitting onto the telephone service company line, to couple it to the line echo removal unit; and

a voice packet processing unit to connect the multi-channel voice packet converting unit to a network protocol unit.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the prescribed data form is G.711 PCM.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein the bus connector comprises:

a bus connection unit to connect the network protocol unit and an ethernet link of the ethernet interface block; and

a bus selecting unit to control the bus connection unit so as to select one out of N number of ports.

10. The system of claim 2, wherein the remote network is a public telephone network.

11. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

a port to connect a prescribed number of ethernet transfer lines; and

a power supply line and a ground line, commonly connected to the plurality of gateway modules and the packet switching module.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the switching unit comprises:

a unified power module (UPM); and

a hub coupled to the UPM, wherein the hub is coupled to at least one communication terminal, and wherein the UPM is coupled to the private multi-media system.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the UPM is directly coupled to at least one communication terminal, and wherein each communication terminal is one of a PC phone and an IP phone.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the private multi-media system comprises:

N number of gateway modules coupled to the first network;

a N/M number of packet switching modules coupled to the second network and the plurality of the gateway modules, wherein each of the gateway modules comprises,

a call signal processing block to match a communication protocol between the public telephone network and the LAN on a real-time operating system,

a voice processing block to process a voice packet between the public telephone network and the LAN when a communication path is formed,

a multi-channel connection unit to interface between public telephone networks for the call signal processing block and the voice processing block, and

a bus connector to interface between the call signal processing block and an ethernet interface block.

15. A communications system comprising:

a multi-media system to couple to first and second networks;

a switching unit to couple a plurality of terminals to the multi-media system, wherein the multi-media system comprising;

N number of gateway modules to couple to the first network;

a N/M number of packet switching modules to couple to the second network and the plurality of the gateway modules; and

an ethernet interface block for commonly connecting N number of ports defining four ethernet transfer lines as a single port both to the gateway modules and to the packet switching modules,

wherein the packet switching module comprises;

a network interface connection unit to interface with one of a remote network and a (local area network) LAN;

a bus connection unit to couple with at least one gateway module;

a media access control (MAC) unit to communicatively couple the network interface connection unit to the bus connection unit; and

a personal computer interface (PCI) bus arbitrator to enable the MAC unit to access a PCI bus.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the gateway module is configured to communicate with a public telephone network, and wherein the MAC unit comprises:

a plurality of MAC address tables to store MAC addresses of a prescribed gateway module; and

a plurality of MAC layer switches to communicate between the network interface connection unit and the bus connection unit referring to the MAC addresses stored in the MAC address tables.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the packet switching module and the gateway module are configured to match protocols to enable voice communication between the public telephone network and the LAN.

18. A communications system comprising:

a multi-media system to couple to first and second networks;

a switching unit to couple a plurality of terminals to the multi-media system, wherein the multi-media system comprises;

N number of gateway modules to couple to the first network;

a N/M number of packet switching modules to couple to the second network and the plurality of the gateway modules; and

an ethernet interface block for commonly connecting N number of ports defining four ethernet transfer lines as a single port both to the gateway modules and to the packet switching modules,

wherein each of the gateway modules comprising;

a call signal processing block to match a communication protocol between a public telephone network and a local area network (LAN) on a real-time operating system;

a voice processing block to process a voice packet between the public telephone network and the LAN when a communication path is formed;

a multi-channel connection unit to interface between the public telephone network for the call signal processing block and the voice processing block; and

a bus connector to interface between the call signal processing block and the ethernet interface block;

wherein the packet switching module comprises;

a network interface connection unit to interface with one of a remote network and a (local area network) LAN;

a bus connection unit to couple with at least one gateway module;

a media access control (MAC) unit to communicatively couple the network interface connection unit to the bus connection unit; and

a personal computer interface (PCI) bus arbitrator to enable the MAC unit to access a PCI bus.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the call signal processing block comprises:

a call signal detecting/generating unit to detect and generate ring signals of the public telephone network, inputted through a multi-channel connection unit, and a notice signal;

a call signal converting unit to convert ring signals to an IP address of a receiving interphone line terminal on the LAN when the ring signals are detected, and to convert the ring signals to a call message form by a call control;

a network protocol unit to protocol process signals from the call signal converting unit and the bus connector; and

a system controller to check the call signal converting unit and renew corresponding information of a look-up table after determining that a call state was varied.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the notice signal is one of an off-hook signal, a DTMF tone, and a call progress tone of an interphone line.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the voice processing block comprises:

a voice CODEC to convert an analog voice signal transferred and received through a telephone service company line interface through the multi-channel connection unit to a prescribed data form;

a line echo removal unit to remove a reflected voice signal from the converted signal;

a multi-channel voice packet converting unit to convert the analog voice signal on the telephone service company line passing through the line echo removal unit to an RTP/RTCP packet, and convert the RTP/RTCP packet on the LAN network to an analog voice signal fitting onto the telephone service company line, to couple it to the line echo removal unit; and

a voice packet processing unit to couple the multi-channel voice packet converting unit to a network protocol unit.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the prescribed data form is G.711 PCM.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the bus connector comprises:

a bus connection unit to connect the network protocol unit and an ethernet link of the ethernet interface block; and

a bus selecting unit to control the bus connection unit so as to select one out of N number of ports.