Multiplex communications – Network configuration determination
Reexamination Certificate
1998-03-24
2001-02-06
Vu, Huy D. (Department: 2739)
Multiplex communications
Network configuration determination
C370S259000, C370S238000, C370S351000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06185193
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a designing system for computer-aided access communication networks, and more particularly to a designing system for computer-aided access communication networks for calculating the configuration of low deployment cost access communication networks to satisfy given demands under constraints regarding the quality of communication, positioning of equipment deployment among other factors, and civil-engineered equipment needed therefor.
Published achievements of the related prior art include (1) the Gazette of the Japanese Patent Laid-open no. Hei 4-316157 and (2) a paper by Hiroyuki Kawakami et al. contained in the 1996 Communications Society Convention of the Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers, B-792, 1996.
In these prior art designing systems for access communication networks, the equipment involved is not definitely classified into communication equipment and civil-engineered equipment, and moreover, when automatic designing is to be accomplished, the network designer can make neither editing nor definition regarding what to do with the existing equipment.
More specifically, even if there already is some equipment, everything has to be deleted and, the existing equipment being supposed to be inexistent, the configuration of a low deployment cost access communication network and the position of its deployment should be calculated anew under constraints regarding the quality of communication among other factors, from geographical information, subscription demand information, equipment information and, in addition to them, design parameter information.
However, the conventional access network designing system referred to above involves the following problems.
First, it permits no design which reuses existing communication equipment and civil-engineered equipment related to a narrowband access communication network, whose scenario is the most common for the development of a broadband access communication network base.
The reason is that communication equipment and civil-engineered equipment are not classified for discrete management.
Second, it does not allow the network designer to define the eligible site for the deployment of the equipment as he or she prefers.
The reason is the use of a system by which the eligible site for deployment is not edited and merely attributes are extracted from map data as keys.
Third it permits no automatic designing by an addition formula in which the location of the equipment is designated in advance of automatic designing or reuse only the unoccupied capacity with the existing equipment location being fixed, and therefore neither a design with limitation of the equipment site nor a design to reduce cost by reuse of existing equipment is possible.
The reason is that it is important to use only the unoccupied capacity of each equipment unit, whose position is fixed, or give a designation allowing deletion.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a designing system for access communication networks, which makes possible automatic designing of a less costly access communication network under various constraints on the basis of demand information by using existing equipment.
According to the invention, there is provided, to achieve the foregoing object, an access communication network designing system for automatically calculating the configuration of an access communication network to reduce the deployment cost and its deployment position from geographical information within the design area, subscription demand information, equipment information and design parameter information including the initial accommodation rate, comprising: equipment defining means for defining positional information and equipment information, making distinction between communication equipment including apparatuses, cables, and management or control systems; and civil-engineered equipment including ducts and aerial wiring; eligible deployment site defining means for defining a site where the communication and/or civil-engineered equipment can be deployed; and automatic designing means for automatically calculating the configuration of a low deployment cost access communication network and civil-engineered equipment needed therefor by an addition formula which, on the basis of edit inputs or already automatically calculated equipment information, prohibits any shift or deletion of existing equipment and thereby keeps already accommodate lines unaffected.
According to the invention, said equipment defining means may be provided with communication equipment defining means for a network designer to edit and/or define the types and positions of communication equipment including apparatuses, cables, management or control systems and, in automatic designing, whether or not to fix the positions of these items of communication equipment and use unoccupied capacities, and civil-engineered equipment defining means for a network designer to edit and/or define the types and positions of civil-engineered equipment including ducts, aerial wiring and, in automatic designing, whether or not to fix the positions of these items of civil-engineered equipment and use unoccupied capacities; and calculate the configuration of the access communication network and the civil-engineered equipment needed therefor.
Also according to the invention, said eligible deployment site defing means may be provided with eligible deployment site extracting map for designating attributes of a map object from map data and extracting it as an eligible deployment site for equipment; and deployment site editing means for the network designer to edit the eligible deployment site as he or she prefers; and calculate the configuration of the access communication network and the civil-engineered equipment needed therefor.
And according to the invention, said automatic designing means may judge from the information designated by said equipment defining means whether or not to use communication and/or civil-engineered equipment; if any is to be used, only use the unoccupied capacities of existing equipment without shifting or deleting any existing equipment; and automatically calculate the configuration of a low deployment cost access communication network and civil-engineered equipment needed therefor.
A first access communication network designing system according to the invention has means for classifying equipment into communication equipment and civil-engineered equipment, and defining them; means for designating each item of equipment to be usable and unusable in automatic designing by an additional formula; and means for prohibiting editing of any item of equipment for which an addition designing mode has been defined to protect existing equipment.
A second access communication network designing system according to the invention has means of designating a deployment site for equipment by attributes of roads and the like and extracting it from map data; and means for the designer of the communication network to edit the attributes as he or she prefers.
It may further have means for automatically designing a low deployment cost access communication network according to whether or not each item of equipment, as defined for that item, is to be used in automatic designing.
The means for classifying equipment into communication equipment and civil-engineered equipment and defining them defines the communication equipment with respect to each apparatuses cable and management or testing system, and defines the civil-engineered equipment as classified into a central office (CO), remote terminal (RT) sites, ducts and aerial wiring. It divides underground civil-engineered equipment items, such as ducts, and aerial civil-engineered equipment at positions where cables can be drawn out, and holds information on these equipment items as so segmentalized. For each item of equipment, the maximum capacity, unoccupied capacity and cost information are held.
The means for designing whether or not each it
Kawakami Hiroyuki
Okazaki Hiroyuki
McGuireWoods LLP
NEC Corporation
Trinh Dung
Vu Huy D.
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