Multiplex communications – Communication over free space – Combining or distributing information via code word channels...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-19
2002-05-14
Chin, Wellington (Department: 2664)
Multiplex communications
Communication over free space
Combining or distributing information via code word channels...
C370S335000, C717S152000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06389001
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to vocoders and, more particularly, to a method for downloading data to add functions to a vocoder.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
The conventional art in this field is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,375. In a conventional cellular mobile telephone system, voice is detected through a microphone and coded by a vocoder. The vocoder supplies the representative coded voice data for a specific voice. The microphone can detect the corresponding voice by searching a codebook using the received code.
FIG. 1
is a block diagram illustrating voice coding and multiplexing as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,375. A signal coded by a vocoder
110
is transmitted to a multiplexer (MUX)
120
. The multiplexer
120
is controlled by a control message transmitted from a control unit
140
. The multiplexer
120
transmits the multiplexed code signal to a transceiver
130
and the transceiver
130
transmits the multiplexed code signal.
Moreover, a conventional program download type information processor is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,630,139. In general, an information processor includes the following: a central processing unit (CPU); an Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM) for storing programs for ordinary processing and program download control; and a random access memory (RAM) having a first program storage area for loading the programs stored in the EEPROM and a second program storage area for storing a new downloaded program. During an idle time in the ordinary processing program, the CPU executes a download control program to download a new program from an external device into the second program storage area of the RAM and to store the downloaded program in the EEPROM. The CPU is reset after storage of the program. However, U.S. Pat. No. 5,630,139 does not separate the software (S/W) block (i.e., the new program) into CODE and DATA.
In general, an IS-95 code division multiple access (CDMA) system includes a plurality of mobile stations (MSs), a plurality of base station transceiver subsystems (BTSs), a plurality of base station controllers (BSCs) for controlling the plurality of base station transceiver subsystems, a plurality of base station managers (BSMs) for maintaining the plurality of base station controllers, a plurality of mobile switching centers (MSCs) for connecting the plurality of base station transceiver subsystems to a public switched telephone network (PSTN), and a plurality of home location registers (HLRs) connected to the plurality of mobile switching centers for managing the status of services for the plurality of mobile stations.
In a CDMA system as described above, a vocoder is employed in a base station controller (BSC). The multiplexed signal is transmitted to a base station transceiver subsystem (BTS) and then to a mobile telephone. In a vocoder system that operates as described above, an enhanced variable rate code (EVRC) function may be used to provide subscribers with better quality voice service.
A processor utilized in a base station controller (BSC) for operation and maintenance is referred to as a selector and vocoder processor (SVP).
FIG. 2
is a diagram illustrating the structure of a vocoder control processor in a BSC according to the prior art. A selector and vocoder processor (SVP)
160
is connected to a selector interface processor (SIP)
150
. The SVP
160
communicates with a call control digital signaling processor (CDSP)
180
using a dual port RAM
170
. The CDSP
180
communicates with a plurality of voice digital signaling processors (VDSPs)
200
using another dual port RAM
190
.
Each of the plurality of VDSPs
200
is a practical vocoder control processor that controls a respective vocoder. Prior to the addition of the EVRC function, some of the S/Ws that were operated in the SVP included, for example: a real-time operating system (RMOS_SVP); a transcoding selector bank controller execution (TCOX) block for performing call control processing; an SVP maintenance management execution (SMNX) block for performing status management and testing of the vocoders; and a call control digital signaling processor execution (CDSPX) block for performing management of digital signaling processors (DSPs) and message processing.
As stated above, a conventional SVP has an operating system and three application blocks. Upon initially starting, SVP
160
receives packets from a processor loader execution (PLX) block using a booter. The PLX is a program loader of SIP
150
which is an upper processor in relation to SVP
160
. Then, RMOS_SVP, TCOX, SMNX and CDSPX are respectively loaded to a corresponding memory area of SVP
160
.
FIG. 3
is a diagram of a memory map of a memory for a selector and vocoder processor (SVP) according to the prior art. The memory is composed of the following six blocks: an exception vector
210
, an RMOS_SVP
220
, a supervisor stack
230
, a CDSPX
240
, an SMNX
250
and a TCOX
260
. The six blocks are located at a 1 Megabyte area of static random-access memory (SRAM) from address 100000 to address 1FFFFF.
The interior structure of CDSPX
240
is divided into a code part and a data part. The code part performs interfacing with 15 VDSPs, downloading of binary data (executable data), processing of VDSP messages, various kinds of statistics, reporting status management, etc. The data part of CDSPX
240
, which includes binary data (executable data), is not used by SVP
160
. Instead, the data is downloaded to CDSP/VDSP for use thereby.
The EVRC function is implemented within TCOX
260
, which is a call control-processing block in a vocoder providing voice services. Utilizing the EVRC function, it is possible to support 8 k and 13 k QCELP vocoding.
In general, if a function is newly added and, accordingly, the size of the corresponding application block is increased, the corresponding processor should be able to accommodate the corresponding application block using the processor's limited memory resources. That is, if an EVRC function is added to a vocoder having the above structure, then the memory area of the corresponding application block (i.e., TCOX) should be increased. However, the conventional processor associated with the vocoder in the BSC has insufficient memory resources to accommodate the required increase of memory area.
Since the problem is a lack of memory, the problem may be solved by simply supplementing the memory size with additional hardware. However, since the SVPs (and their associated memory) are provided on selector transcode assembly (SXOA) boards, all the SXOA boards presently employed in a CDMA system would need to be replaced. Disadvantageously, the above replacement would result in significant pecuniary loss. Therefore, it would be desirable to support EVRC service using a S/W method that allows the existing hardware (H/W) configuration to remain unchanged.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A method is provided for downloading data to add enhanced variable rate code (EVRC) functions to a vocoder in a base station controller (BSC) of a code division multiple access (CDMA) cellular system. The BSC includes a plurality of voice digital signaling processors (VDSPs), a call control digital signaling processor (CDSP), a selector and vocoder processor (SVP) and a selector interface processor (SIP). The BSC connects a base station transceiver subsystem (BTS) and a mobile switching center (MSC). Each of the plurality of VDSPs respectively control each of a plurality of vocoders for compressing a voice. The CDSP controls the plurality of VDSPs, the SVP controls the CDSP, and the SIP controls the SVP. The method includes the steps of: dividing a specific memory area into a code part and a data part for storing code and data, respectively; requesting the SIP to download an executable program and the code stored in the code part by BOOT of the SVP; loading the executable program and the code stored in the code part to the SVP by a processor loader execution (PLX) of the SIP; running the loaded executable program by the SVP; requesting t
Chin Wellington
Dilworth & Barrese LLP
Duong Frank
Samsung Electronics Co,. Ltd.
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