Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer-to-computer protocol implementing – Computer-to-computer data transfer regulating
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-03
2001-09-11
Dinh, Dung C. (Department: 2153)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer-to-computer protocol implementing
Computer-to-computer data transfer regulating
C370S236000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06289387
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a remote module control system for controlling, through a switching system, a module which is disposed at a place remote from the switching system and accommodates a plurality of line/trunk circuits, and a control method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
For accommodating a plurality of subscriber's terminals located at a place remote (remote place) from a place where a switching system is arranged, employed is a mode of disposing a module which accommodates each subscriber's terminal at the remote place and connecting the module (this module will be referred to as a remote module hereinafter) and the switching system by a predetermined interface to accommodate each subscriber's terminal in the switching system.
FIG. 5
is a block diagram showing structure of a system which accommodates a subscriber's terminal at a remote place by the control of such a remote control module. With reference to
FIG. 5
, a subscriber's terminal
300
arranged at a remote place is accommodated in a remote module
200
disposed at the remote place, and the remote module
200
and a switching system
100
are connected with each other through a predetermined interface.
The remote module
200
includes an interface circuit (INT circuit)
510
for the connection with the switching system
100
and also includes, in one-to-one correspondence to each subscriber's terminal
300
, a line/trunk circuit (L/T circuit)
520
which accommodates the subscriber's terminal
300
.
The switching system
100
includes a time-division switch
120
for conducting switched connection, an L/T circuit
140
for accommodating a subscriber's terminal (not shown) and a central processor
110
for controlling the time-division switch
120
and the L/T circuit
140
and also includes, in one-to-one correspondence to each remote module
200
, an INT circuit
530
for the connection with the remote module
200
. The central processor
110
also controls the L/T circuit
520
of the remote module
200
through the INT circuit
530
.
In a conventional remote module control method, control of each L/T circuit
520
of the remote module
200
from the central processor
110
is realized by the reception and transmission of signals between the central processor
110
and the L/T circuit
520
through the INT circuit
530
and the INT circuit
510
of the remote module
200
. In other words, this is the same procedure as that for controlling the L/T circuit
140
of the switching system
100
which accommodates a subscriber's terminal.
FIG. 6
is a sequence diagram showing operation according to a remote module control method by a conventional system. With reference to
FIG. 6
, in a case of data writing to the L/T circuit
520
of the remote module
200
from the central processor
110
of the switching system
100
, the central processor
110
, in order to confirm data-writability/data-unwritability of the L/T circuit
520
, first scans the L/T circuit
520
for checking writability/unwritability through the INT circuit
530
and the INT circuit
510
(Step
601
).
When it is confirmed by the scanning at Step
601
that the L/T circuit
520
is data-writable, the central processor
110
transfers data to the L/T circuit
520
through the INT circuit
530
and the INT circuit
510
(Step
602
). Upon reception of the data, the L/T circuit
520
checks normality of the received data and notifies the central processor
110
of the result of the check through the INT circuit
510
and the INT circuit
530
(Step
603
). When the check result shows normality of the received data, the central processor
110
finishes the data writing processing. On the other hand, when the result shows abnormality of the received data, processing will be repeated starting at Step
601
.
For reading data from the L/T circuit
520
of the remote module
200
, the central processor
110
first scans the L/T circuit
520
through the INT circuit
530
and the INT circuit
510
in order to confirm existence
on-existence of data to be read from the L/T circuit
520
(Step
604
).
When it is confirmed by the scanning at Step
604
that data to be read exists in the L/T circuit
520
, the central processor
110
reads the data from the L/T circuit
520
through the INT circuit
530
and the INT circuit
510
(Step
605
). After the reception of the data, the central processor
110
checks normality of the received data and notifies the L/T circuit
520
of the result of the check through the INT circuit
530
and the INT circuit
510
(Step
606
) to finish the reading processing.
The above-described conventional remote module control method, however, has a shortcoming that because a central processor of a switching system directly controls a line/trunk circuit of a remote module, a transmission delay of an interface circuit or a line increases a latency of the central processor to reduce a processing capacity.
In a case of the operation shown in
FIG. 6
, for example, transmission delays T
1
to T
4
are generated at the respective operations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a remote module control system which solves the above-described conventional drawback and reduces a latency of a central processor of a switching system to improve a processing capacity and a control method thereof.
According to the first aspect of the invention, a remote module control system for controlling, from a switching system, a remote module which is disposed at a place remote from the switching system and accommodates a plurality of line/trunk circuits,
the remote module comprises
data information management means for managing data information indicative of existence
on-existence of data to be transferred which is to be transferred to the switching system and notifying the switching system of the data information as required, and
data transmission means for transmitting the data to be transferred indicated by the data information to the switching system,
the switching system comprises
a central processor for controlling the line/trunk circuits, and
interface means for connecting the central processor and the remote module, wherein
the interface means comprises
first storage means for storing the data information received from the remote module,
second storage means for storing the data to be transferred received from the remote module, and
reception information setting means for monitoring the first storage means to set reception information indicative of the reception of the data to be transferred based on the data information stored,
wherein the central processor monitors the reception information setting means to obtain the data to be transferred stored in the second storage means according to the reception information.
In the preferred construction, the data information management means of the remote module comprises flag setting means for setting flag data indicative of existence
on-existence of the data to be transferred, and flag management means for monitoring the flag data set by the flag setting means to transmit the flag data to the switching system according to the state of the flag data.
In the preferred construction, the reception information setting means of the switching system comprises data information management means for monitoring the data information stored at the first storage means, and flag data setting means for setting flag data indicative of the reception of the data to be transferred indicated by the data information under control of the data information management means,
wherein the central processor monitors the flag data setting means to obtain the data to be transferred stored at the second storage means according to the state of the flag data.
In another preferred construction, the data information management means of the remote module comprises first flag setting means for setting first flag data indicative of existence
on-existence of the data to be transferr
Dinh Dung C.
Fields Kenneth W.
McGuireWoods LLP
NEC Corporation
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