A circuit and method are presented for signal processing and routing of
digital voice telephony signals, using a specialized high-density
integrated circuit voice processor. The voice processor performs several
essential functions required for telephony processing, including echo
cancellation, protocol conversion, and dynamic range
compression/expansion. These functions are traditionally performed by
multiple circuits or modules. By combining these capabilities in a single
device, power and circuit board area requirements are reduced. The
embodiment of the circuit and method disclosed herein include novel
implementations of a time-slot interchange circuit and a telephony
signaling circuit. Both of these circuits are designed to minimize
demands on the signal processing engines incorporated within the voice
processor, and account for very little of the on-chip circuitry.