System and method for forming circuit connections within a telecommunications switching platform

Abstract

A system and method for forming circuit connections within a telecommunications switching platform that uses tables of logical identifiers for resources and information channels being handled by the platform to allow dynamic addressing of components and provide significant flexibility over prior-art systems.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A telecommunications switching platform comprising: a plurality of telecommunications channel inputs;   a plurality of telecommunications channel outputs;   an applications processor operable to manage the switching platform and to control the connection of selected ones of said channel inputs to selected ones of said channel outputs through end-to-end switching requests; and   a switching module in electrical communication with said applications processor and operable to perform switching functions to effect said end-to-end switching requests from said applications processor, said switching module comprising a switch and a configuration table in which a first address is translated into a second address to determine the connection of said pluralities of channel inputs and channel outputs to said switch.   
     
     
       2. The telecommunications switching platform of claim 1 wherein said switching module receives at least one digital signal that is divided into multi-bit, periodically-repeating frames, and wherein said frames are further subdivided into a plurality of timeslots, each timeslot being one or more bits that are consistently transmitted at a certain time within each frame whereby each of said timeslots represents an information channel on said digital signal. 
     
     
       3. The telecommunications switching platform of claim 2 wherein at least one of said information channels is a telecommunications control channel. 
     
     
       4. The telecommunications switching platform of claim 2 wherein at least one of said information channels is one of said plurality of telecommunications channel inputs and outputs. 
     
     
       5. The telecommunications switching platform of claim 2 wherein each timeslot of said digital signal is represented by a first and second address in said configuration table. 
     
     
       6. The telecommunications switching platform of claim 1 wherein said switching module receives a plurality of digital signals divided into multi-bit, periodically-repeating frames having a plurality of timeslots wherein timeslots of each digital signal are represented by first and second addresses and wherein said switch is operable to switch signals between at least one timeslot of one of said plurality of digital signals to another timeslot of one of said plurality of digital signals. 
     
     
       7. The telecommunications switching platform of claim 1 and further comprising a switching module responsible for creating said configuration table and for translating said first addresses into said second addresses via said configuration table. 
     
     
       8. The telecommunications switching platform of claim 7 and further comprising a plurality of resource processors wherein at least one of said first addresses uniquely identifies at least one of said plurality of resource processors such that said identifying address is a logical identifier of said resource processor. 
     
     
       9. The telecommunications switching platform of claim 8 wherein at least one of said plurality of resource processors is a signal-processing module having a plurality of a digital signal processors operable to perform signal processing on telecommunications channels being switched by said switching platform. 
     
     
       10. The telecommunications switching platform of claim 9 wherein each of said plurality of digital signal processors is uniquely identified by one of said first addresses. 
     
     
       11. The telecommunications switching platform of claim 8 wherein at least one of said resource processors is a telephony-support module responsible for providing call-related functions. 
     
     
       12. The telecommunications switching platform of claim 8 and further comprising an interface module responsible for terminating spans between the telecommunications switching platform and external telecommunications systems. 
     
     
       13. The telecommunications switching platform of claim 1 wherein said configuration table permits the formation of semi-permanent connections between said plurality of telecommunications input and output channels and resources within the telecommunications switching platform. 
     
     
       14. A telecommunications switching platform comprising: a plurality of telecommunications channel inputs;   a plurality of telecommunications channel outputs;   an applications processor operable to manage the switching platform and to control the connection of selected ones of said channel inputs to selected ones of said channel outputs through end-to-end switching requests; and   a switching module in electrical communication with said applications processor and operable to perform switching functions to effect said end-to-end switching requests from said applications processor, said switching module, said switching module comprising: a control bus interface connected to a control bus within said telecommunications switching platform;     a controller connected to said control bus interface, said controller operable to communicate with other elements in said telecommunications switching platform through said control bus interface, said controller further operable to transmit a primary heartbeat message as a part of said communication with said other elements and to receive a primary heartbeat response sent by said other elements in response to said primary heartbeat message.   
     
     
       15. The telecommunications switching platform of claim 14 wherein said primary heartbeat response includes data sufficient to identify the other element in said telecommunications switching platform from which said heartbeat response was transmitted. 
     
     
       16. The telecommunications switching platform of claim 15 and further comprising a memory in which said switching module is operable to store a table of resources known to exist in the telecommunications switching platform. 
     
     
       17. The telecommunications switching platform of claim 16 wherein said controller is further operable to compare said data sufficient to identify said other element to said table of known resources to determine whether the existence of said element had previously been detected by a previous heartbeat response. 
     
     
       18. The telecommunications switching platform of claim 17 wherein said controller is operable to add the identity of said identified other element to said table of known resources if said identity is not already registered within said table. 
     
     
       19. The telecommunications switching platform of claim 17 wherein said controller is further operable to check said table of known resources to determine if other previously-known resources failed to respond to said heartbeat message. 
     
     
       20. The telecommunications switching platform of claim 19 wherein said controller is further operable to update said table of known resources to indicate whether there was a response by a previously-known resource. 
     
     
       21. The telecommunications switching platform of claim 14 wherein said control bus is a pair of redundant control buses. 
     
     
       22. The telecommunications switching platform of claim 21 wherein said primary heartbeat message and said primary heartbeat response are transmitted and received through one of said pair of redundant control buses and wherein said switching module is further operable to transmit through said control bus interface a secondary heartbeat message, which is transmitted by said control bus interface through the other of said pair of redundant control buses. 
     
     
       23. The telecommunications switching platform of claim 21 wherein said switching module communicates with a plurality of other elements in the telecommunications switching platform, and wherein said switching module sends primary heartbeat messages to and receives primary heartbeat responses from a first group of said plurality of other elements over a first bus of said pair and primary heartbeat messages to and primary heartbeat responses from a second group of said plurality of other elements over a second bus of said pair. 
     
     
       24. The telecommunications switching platform of claim 23 wherein said switching module is operable to send and receive secondary heartbeat messages and responses to and from said second group of said plurality of other elements over said first bus and to send and receive secondary heartbeat messages and responses to and from said first group of said plurality of other elements over said second bus. 
     
     
       25. The telecommunications switching platform of claim 24 wherein at least one of said secondary heartbeat messages contains addressing information sufficient to particularly identify the element within said telecommunications switching platform for which said secondary heartbeat message is intended. 
     
     
       26. The telecommunications switching platform of claim 25 wherein said switching module sends a plurality of said secondary heartbeat messages, thereby periodically, individually addressing a plurality of other elements within said telecommunications switching platform. 
     
     
       27. The telecommunications switching platform of claim 25 wherein said secondary heartbeat messages are sent to one of said other elements in said telecommunications switching platform when said switching module has failed to receive a primary heartbeat response from said other element. 
     
     
       28. A telecommunications switching platform comprising: a plurality of telecommunications channel inputs;   a plurality of telecommunications channel outputs;   an applications processor operable to manage the switching platform and to control the connection of selected ones of said channel inputs to selected ones of said channel outputs through end-to-end switching requests; and   a switching module in electrical communication with said applications processor and operable to perform switching functions to effect said end-to-end switching requests from said applications processor, said switching module, said switching module comprising: a control bus interface connected to a redundant pair of control buses within said telecommunications switching platform; and   a module controller connected to said control bus interface, said module controller operable to communicate with other elements in said telecommunications switching platform through said control bus interface, said module controller further operable: to transmit primary heartbeat messages to a first group of a plurality of other elements within the telecommunications switching platform over a first bus of said redundant control buses and to receive primary heartbeat responses from said first group over said first bus; to transmit primary heartbeat messages to a second group of said plurality of other elements over a second bus of said redundant control buses and receive primary heartbeat responses from said second group over said second bus.     
     
     
       29. The telecommunications switching platform of claim 28 wherein said control bus interface is further operable to transmit secondary heartbeat messages to and receive secondary heartbeat responses from said first group over said second bus and to transmit secondary heartbeat messages to and receive secondary heartbeat responses from said second group over said first bus. 
     
     
       30. The telecommunications switching platform of claim 29 wherein each of said primary heartbeat responses and said secondary heartbeat responses contain information sufficient to identify from which of the other elements within the telecommunications switching platform said responses have originated, and wherein said switching module is operable to parse such information from said responses. 
     
     
       31. The telecommunications switching platform of claim 30 wherein said switching module is operable to compare the identities parsed from said primary and secondary heartbeat responses and compare said identities to a table of known resources to determine whether the existence of the other elements from which said responses originated had previously been known within said telecommunications switching platform. 
     
     
       32. The telecommunications switching platform of claim 31 wherein said controller is operable to add the identity of said identified other element to said table of known resources if said identity is not already registered within said table. 
     
     
       33. The telecommunications switching platform of claim 30 wherein said controller is further operable to check said table of known resources to determine if other previously-known resources failed to respond to said heartbeat message. 
     
     
       34. The telecommunications switching platform of claim 33 wherein said controller is further operable to update said table of known resources to indicate that there was no response from a previously-known resource. 
     
     
       35. The telecommunications switching platform of claim 29 wherein said secondary heartbeat messages comprise addressing sufficient to identify to which of said other elements in said telecommunications switching platform said secondary heartbeat messages are intended and wherein said controller sends a plurality of said secondary heartbeat messages, thereby periodically, individually addressing each of said plurality of resources. 
     
     
       36. A method for configuring a telecommunications switching platform, said platform comprising a controller, a switching module, system resources, and at least one shared communication path, and a plurality of telecommunications channel inputs and outputs for receiving and transmitting information channels to and from external telecommunications systems, the method comprising: building a configuration table comprising logical identifiers for said system resources, wherein said logical identifier determines over which portion of said at least one shared communications path said system resource will communicate;   building a connection table in which a logical identifier is assigned to at least one of said telecommunications channel inputs and outputs, whereby said logical identifier determining over which portion of said at least one shared communication path the information channel associated with said assigned telecommunications channel input and output will be carried.   
     
     
       37. The method of claim 36 wherein said configuration table and said connection table are the same table. 
     
     
       38. The method of claim 36 and further comprising the step of polling at least one system resource to receive a registration from such system resource and determining a logical identifier for such system resource. 
     
     
       39. The method of claim 36 whereby said telecommunications switching platform further comprises a control bus, and wherein said telecommunication platform further comprises a controller connected to said control bus, said controller operable to communicate with other elements in said telecommunications switching platform through said control bus, and further comprising the steps of: transmitting primary heartbeat messages to a first group of a plurality of other elements within the telecommunications switching platform over a first bus of said redundant control buses; and   receiving primary heartbeat responses from said first group over said first bus.   
     
     
       40. The method of claim 39 and further comprising the steps of: transmitting primary heartbeat messages to a second group of said plurality of other elements over a second bus of said redundant control buses; and   receiving primary heartbeat responses from said second group over said second bus.   
     
     
       41. The method of claim 39 and further comprising the steps of: transmitting secondary heartbeat messages to said first group over said second bus; receiving secondary heartbeat responses from said first group over said second bus;   transmitting secondary heartbeat messages to said second group over said first bus; and   receiving secondary heartbeat responses from said second group over said first bus.   
     
     
       42. The method of claim 41 wherein each of said primary heartbeat responses and said secondary heartbeat responses contain information sufficient to identify from which of the other elements within the telecommunications switching platform said responses have originated, and further comprising the step of parsing such information from said responses. 
     
     
       43. The method of claim 42 wherein said telecommunications switching platform further comprises a table of known resources within the platform and further comprising the step of comparing the identities parsed from said primary and secondary heartbeat responses to said table to determine whether the existence of the other elements from which said responses originated had previously been known within said telecommunications switching platform. 
     
     
       44. The method claim 43 and further comprising the step of adding the identity of newly-identified elements to said table. 
     
     
       45. The method of claim 42 wherein said telecommunications switching platform further comprises a table of known resources within the platform and further comprising the step of checking said table to determine if other previously-known resources failed to respond to said primary and secondary heartbeat messages. 
     
     
       46. The method claim 45 and further comprising the step of updating said table to indicate that there was no response from a previously-known resource. 
     
     
       47. The method of claim 41 wherein said secondary heartbeat messages comprise addressing sufficient to identify to which of said other elements in said telecommunications switching platform said secondary heartbeat messages are intended and further comprising the step of sending a plurality of said secondary heartbeat messages, thereby periodically, individually addressing each of said plurality of resources. 
     
     
       48. A resource shelf for a telecommunications switching platform, said resource shelf comprising: a switching module for switching information channels borne on telecommunications signals connected to said telecommunications switching platform, said switching module connected to an applications processor in said telecommunications switching platform;   a plurality of resource modules connected to said switching module for providing resources to the telecommunications switching platform, said resource modules operable to communicate with said applications processor through said switching module.   
     
     
       49. The resource shelf of claim 48 wherein said resource modules are selected from the group consisting of telephony-support modules, signal-processing modules, and interface modules. 
     
     
       50. A method for setting up conference calls in a telecommunications switching platform, the method comprising the steps of: assigning a logical identifier to be used for conferences being handled by the telecommunications switching platform, the conference logical identifier containing information concerning which resources have been allocated in the switching module to provide the conference connections;   assigning traffic channels to connect to the conference by requesting connection to the logical identifier assigned to the conference.   
     
     
       51. A switching module for use in a telecommunications switching platform having an applications processor another switching module and at least one resource processor, said switching module comprising: an arbitration bus connected to said another switching module whereby said switching module and said another switching module are operable to negotiate over which of said modules will be an active module and which of said modules will be an inactive module;   a network connection to said applications processor; and   a local communications connection to said at least one resource processor whereby said switching module is operable to pass communications between said applications processor and said at least one resource processor.   
     
     
       52. The switching module of claim 51 and further comprising conferencing circuits operable to connect multiple two-way traffic channels into a single conference.