JP2005142965A - Communication apparatus, communication method, communication program, and recording medium with communication program recorded thereon - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communication apparatus in which a retransmission packet can be speedily transmitted and the efficiency of utilizing a band on each communication channel is improved in packet transmission using a multi-link system. <P>SOLUTION: A packet buffer 24 stores state information indicating that each of stored packets is in a state of waiting transmission, a state of waiting the reception of delivery confirmation indicating whether or not a transmitted packet is appropriately delivered to a destination, and in a state of confirming the success of the transmission. A schedule processing unit 23b sets a packet that is requested to retransmit, in packets stored in the packet buffer 24, to the state of waiting transmission and determines a communication channel on which a packet that is set in the state of waiting transmission, in packets stored in the packet buffer 24, is transmitted. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication apparatus and a communication method for performing packet communication by radio, for example.

  In recent years, the usage forms of information communication networks have been diversified more and more widely. As a result, computer systems having different network architectures need to be interconnected. In order to enable such heterogeneous communication, a standard network architecture called OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) has been proposed.

  The OSI reference model consists of (1) physical layer, (2) data link layer, (3) network layer, (4) transport layer, (5) session layer, (6) presentation layer, (7) application layer, It consists of seven layers.

  (1) The physical layer is a layer that manages the electrical, mechanical, and physical conditions and guarantees bit string transmission because a physical medium such as a telephone line or a coaxial cable is used as a communication line. (2) The data link layer guarantees that a frame composed of bit strings is reliably transmitted to the partner system by detecting and recovering bit errors that occur on the transmission path between adjacent communicating systems. It is a layer to do. The data link layer includes, for example, LLC (Logical Link Control) and MAC (Media Access Control).

  (3) The network layer uses various communication networks, manages the relay and routing functions for establishing a communication path with the end-end system that is the communication partner, and guarantees data transmission between the end-end systems. Is a layer. (4) The transport layer is a layer that ensures that data is reliably transferred between processes that are actually communicating in the last system on both sides of the communication network. (5) The session layer is a layer that manages information required by the process (for example, half-duplex or full-duplex management, transmission right management, etc.), synchronization between processes, and resynchronization management. .

  (6) The presentation layer determines the data structure (syntax) to be transferred between processes, and performs conversion between the data structure unique to each process and the common data structure required for transfer as necessary. . (7) The application layer is the highest layer and provides a user with file transfer, e-mail, network management, and the like.

  In the OSI reference model as described above, when data is transmitted, data flows from the seventh layer to the first layer, whereas when data is received, data flows from the first layer to the seventh layer. Become.

  In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for transmission of a larger amount of data via a communication network, and the demand for high-speed communication has increased remarkably. Here, as a method of increasing the transmission speed of data communication, a method of increasing the transmission speed of the physical layer can be mentioned. However, the transmission rate of the physical layer has a limit corresponding to the characteristics of the communication medium and protocol. For example, the physical speed of ISDN (integrated services digital network) is 64 Kbps, and the maximum speed of a wireless LAN according to IEEE802.11a is 54 Mbps. Needless to say, it is physically impossible to perform data transmission exceeding these communication speeds. is there.

  On the other hand, there is a multilink protocol as another method for increasing the transmission speed of data communication (see Patent Document 1, Non-Patent Document 1, etc.). The multilink protocol is generally realized as a function of the data link layer. According to the multi-link protocol, a process is performed in which a plurality of specific data links are aggregated at the uppermost portion of the data link layer and shown as a single virtual data link to an upper layer (network layer). . According to such processing, the transmission rate of the virtual data link is the sum of the rates of the individual data links.

  In the current multilink protocol, when an error occurs in a packet transferred in a certain data link, the error packet is retransmitted in the same data link according to the procedure of the MAC sublayer of the data link layer. Is called.

  On the other hand, recently, there is an increasing demand for transmitting large amounts of moving image data and the like by streaming. When transmitting such streaming data, real-time performance is required for communication. In other words, the packet (QoS packet) constituting the streaming data has an expiration date, and must be transmitted within the expiration date.

  FIG. 24A shows an example in which the retransmission of the QoS packet is successful. In this example, the packet 5 has failed to be transmitted when it is first transmitted, and has been successfully transmitted when retransmission is performed. Since the time of this retransmission is before the expiration date of the packet 5, the transmission of the packet 5 is successful.

  On the other hand, FIG. 24B shows an example in which retransmission of a QoS packet has failed. In this example, the packet 5 has failed to be transmitted when it is first transmitted and at the first retransmission. Thereafter, the expiration date after the packet has passed before the second retransmission. In this case, the QoS packet 5 that could not be transmitted within the expiration date cannot be used and becomes invalid (packet loss), and the video based on the moving image data is disturbed on the receiving side. That is, when performing retransmission to compensate for transmission errors, it is important that retransmission be successful within the validity period of each packet.

  IEEE 802.11e (see Non-Patent Document 2) specialized for QoS data communication in a wireless LAN is a MAC layer protocol designed to realize retransmission of QoS packets within such an expiration date. In IEEE 802.11e, two methods for confirming whether or not a packet has been transmitted normally have been proposed. The first method is a method in which the communication device on the reception side transmits a reception confirmation packet (Normal Ack) to the transmission side for each received QoS packet. As a second method, the communication device on the transmission side transmits a plurality of QoS packets in bursts, and then transmits a delivery confirmation request packet (BAR: Block Ack Request) for the transmitted QoS packet, and communication on the reception side. This is a method in which the device returns a reception confirmation packet (BA: Block Ack) for the received QoS packet in accordance with the BAR.

Here, since it is necessary to arrange the order of the packets on the receiving side, the QoS packets are given an order number in advance. In the method using Normal Ack, which is the first method, the QoS packet is transmitted in order. On the other hand, in the case of the method using BAR / BA which is the second method, SequenceControl indicating the sequence number of the first packet of the QoS packet to be confirmed for delivery is indicated in BAR, and SequenceControl is indicated in BA. The reception confirmation information regarding a total of 64 QoS packets from the QoS packet with the sequence number shown to the QoS packet with the sequence number shown with SequenceControl + 63 is shown.
JP 2000-216815 A (publication date August 4, 2000) PPP MultiLink Protocol (RFC1998, 1996/8) IEEE Std 802.11e Draft 4.4 (2003/6)

  The maximum speed of the physical layer of the wireless LAN according to IEEE802.11a is 54 Mbps. However, when transmitting higher-quality AV data or transmitting a plurality of AV data, further transmission bandwidth and transmission speed are required. Become. Therefore, it is conceivable to apply the multilink protocol here, but in the case of wireless communication, there is a problem that the error rate varies with time for each channel as a transmission path, as shown in FIG. This time variation of the error rate is caused by various factors such as movement of the transmitter / receiver, movement of the object between the transmitter and the receiver, temperature change, etc. The error rate of each channel is It fluctuates finely. Here, when trying to transmit a QoS packet whose expiration date is close to an end in a time zone with a high error rate in a certain channel, there arises a problem that the packet loss rate becomes high.

  Further, when transmission is performed using a plurality of links, there is a high possibility that the packets are received on the receiving side in an order different from the order of the packets transmitted on the transmitting side. Here, a specific example in the case of confirming delivery using Normal Ack defined in IEEE 802.11e will be described with reference to FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b). In the case shown in FIG. 23 (a), when packets are transmitted using two links (channels 1 and 2), the size of each packet is different, so that the order of packets at the time of transmission and An example in which the order of packets is different is shown. Further, in the case shown in FIG. 23B, when packets are transmitted using the same two links (channels 1 and 2), the retransmission is performed due to packet transmission failure, so that the order of packets at the time of transmission is increased. And an example in which the order of packets at the time of reception is different.

  When performing delivery confirmation using Normal Ack, since transmission by single link has been assumed in the past, the order of packets at the time of transmission and the order of packets at the time of reception were not different. When applying, the order of the packets will be different as described above. Therefore, it is necessary to cope with such a state.

  In addition, the following problems occur when using multiple links to perform collective delivery confirmation such as IEEE 802.11e BA (to send back together acknowledgment information of multiple packets). .

  Since each packet to be transmitted is transmitted on a plurality of links, the order of packets transmitted on each link may be discrete (discontinuous). On the other hand, the BA is configured to include a predetermined number (64) of reception confirmation information from a certain packet. When the number of links is one as in IEEE 802.11e, there is no problem with 64 links. However, as the number of links increases, the range of packet numbers to be confirmed by the BA increases, and the number of packets that can be confirmed by this BA is substantially Therefore, the efficiency of the reception confirmation process is poor.

  Further, as described above, when communication is performed by multilink, antennas provided corresponding to the respective channels are generally provided close to each other. FIG. 26A shows a configuration example when antennas A and B corresponding to two channels A and B are provided close to each other. The power difference between the transmission signal power and the reception signal power depends on the communication distance, and this difference is usually about several tens dB. Here, channel A uses a signal of frequency f1, and channel B uses a signal of frequency f2. It is assumed that transmission is performed on channel A and reception is performed on channel B at a certain point in time. In this case, the transmission signal of the frequency f1 by the channel A affects the reception signal of the frequency f2 by the channel B. This state is shown in FIG.

  In this figure, an outline of a graph in which the horizontal axis represents frequency and the vertical axis represents signal power is shown. A broken line P1 indicates a power spectrum in the transmission signal having the frequency f1. The reception processing of channel B performs band-pass filter processing. However, since the characteristics of the filter are generally not ideal, a part of the signal of f1 passes through the filter, and the power spectrum thereafter is as shown by a solid line P2. Become. Since this spectrum is much larger than the power spectrum P3 of the reception signal at the frequency f2, there is a problem that the reception processing on the channel B cannot demodulate the signal at the frequency f2. In order to cope with this, it is preferable to align the transmission period and the reception period in all channels (so that the transmission process and reception process periods of different channels do not overlap).

  On the other hand, it is also conceivable to use a physical layer communication method called MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) together with a multilink. In MIMO, a plurality of transmission antennas and a plurality of reception antennas are used, and a signal in the same frequency band as that of a CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) system is used to logically configure a plurality of channels and perform simultaneous communication. There are many things. A multilink protocol is applied to the plurality of channels. In this case, since a plurality of antennas are used, the transmission processing and reception processing periods are not overlapped for the same reason as described above. However, it is easier and more convenient to make the transmission start times of each channel uniform. Is good.

  FIG. 27A shows the waveform of the channel signal when the packet transmission start time on channel A and the packet transmission start time on channel B are different when performing communication by MIMO. As shown in this figure, when the transmission of the channel B packet is started while the channel A packet is being transmitted, the change in the magnitude of the channel signal is relatively small. Specifically, the magnitude of this change is about 3 dB at maximum in the case of two channels. That is, it is understood that it is difficult for the receiving side to detect that the transmission of the channel B packet is started because the change in the magnitude of the channel signal is scarce.

  On the other hand, FIG. 27B shows the waveform of the channel signal when the packet transmission start time on channel A and the packet transmission start time on channel B are aligned when performing communication by MIMO. . As shown in this figure, since it is possible to easily detect that the packets of channel A and channel B are being transmitted, the receiving side starts decoding from the time when the reception of the packet is detected. The channel signal can be easily recognized.

  Furthermore, not only when performing communication by MIMO, but also when using multiple channels with different frequency channels, if transmission of packets in all channels is started simultaneously, transmission timing control in each channel is common. Therefore, it is possible to simplify the control by the MAC layer.

  However, as described above, when the transmission period for all channels and the reception period are aligned, and when packet transmission is started at the same time, normal ACKs for all channels need to be returned simultaneously. . In this case, as shown in FIG. 28, there arises a problem of time for returning Ack. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 28, when packet 1 and packet 2 having different lengths are transmitted between channel A and channel B, Normal Ack needs to be returned at the end of the longest packet 2. is there. However, if transmission of the packet 2 fails, there arises a problem that it is not possible to recognize at which point the Normal Ack may be returned.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a communication apparatus and a communication method for solving problems that occur when performing packet transmission by the multilink method. More specifically, an object of the present invention is to provide a communication device and a communication device capable of quickly transmitting a retransmission packet when performing packet transmission by a multilink method and improving the bandwidth utilization efficiency in each communication channel. It is to provide a communication method.

  It is another object of the present invention to provide a communication device and a communication method that suppress the successful transmission of a packet to the receiving side after the expiration date of the packet expires.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a communication device and a communication method for preventing problems such as that delivery confirmation processing is performed more frequently than necessary or that a delivery confirmation request for a packet to be delivered is not requested. There is to do.

  It is another object of the present invention to provide a communication device and a communication method that can accurately cope with the multilink method even in the normal ack method.

  In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a communication apparatus and a communication that can accurately cope with a case where a communication method that requires a transmission period and a reception period to be aligned in all channels is adopted. It is to provide a method.

  In order to solve the above problems, a communication apparatus according to the present invention is a communication apparatus that transmits a plurality of packets to a communication destination using a plurality of communication channels. Scheduling means for deciding whether to transmit on a communication channel, and the scheduling means determines a communication channel to be used when transmitting a packet for which a retransmission request has been received from a communication destination, affected by the communication channel that transmitted the packet last time. It is characterized by setting without.

  The communication apparatus according to the present invention further includes a packet storage unit that stores a packet to be transmitted in the above configuration, and the packet storage unit is waiting for transmission for each stored packet. , Storing information indicating whether it is waiting to receive a delivery confirmation indicating whether the transmitted packet has been properly delivered to the communication destination, or whether the transmission has been confirmed to be successful, Among the packets stored in the packet storage unit, the scheduling unit sets a packet for which a retransmission request has been received to a state waiting for the transmission, and among the packets stored in the packet storage unit The packet that is set as a state waiting for the transmission may be scheduled.

  In the communication device according to the present invention, in the above configuration, for each packet transmitted on each communication channel, a delivery confirmation request unit that generates a delivery confirmation request packet for requesting the delivery confirmation from the communication destination is provided in each communication channel. It is good also as a structure provided correspondingly.

  Further, the communication apparatus according to the present invention is provided with a delivery confirmation request means for generating a delivery confirmation request packet for requesting the delivery confirmation from the communication destination for a packet transmitted through a plurality of communication channels in the above configuration. It is good also as composition which has.

  In order to solve the above problems, a communication apparatus according to the present invention is a communication apparatus that transmits a plurality of packets to a communication destination using a plurality of communication channels. Scheduling means for determining in what order the communication channels should be transmitted, and the scheduling means performs scheduling so that packets scheduled for continuous transmission are transmitted on different communication channels. It is characterized by.

  In order to solve the above problem, a communication device according to the present invention is a communication device that transmits a plurality of packets to a communication destination using a plurality of communication channels, and transmits a packet to be transmitted. Scheduling means for determining in which order in which communication channel to transmit, and when the scheduling means assigns each packet to each communication channel in accordance with the transmission order of the packet to be transmitted, Each time a packet is assigned to a certain communication channel, the transmission completion time of the packet is updated in the transmission completion time storage means for each communication channel, and the packet is sent to the communication channel having the smallest transmission completion time. It is characterized by assigning.

  Further, in order to solve the above problem, the communication device according to the present invention is a communication device that transmits a plurality of packets, and includes a scheduling unit that sets a transmission order of packets to be transmitted, and the scheduling unit includes: Multiple packets to be transmitted are divided into multiple groups according to the remaining expiration date set in each packet, and packets included in a group with a shorter remaining expiration date are transmitted with priority. It is characterized by setting the transmission order.

  Further, the communication apparatus according to the present invention may be configured such that, in the above configuration, the scheduling means sets the transmission order so that packets included in a group with a shorter remaining expiration date are transmitted earlier.

  Further, in order to solve the above problem, the communication device according to the present invention is a communication device that transmits a plurality of packets, and includes a scheduling unit that sets a transmission order of packets to be transmitted, and the scheduling unit includes: A feature is that the transmission order is set so that a packet having a larger packet size is preferentially transmitted.

  Moreover, the communication apparatus according to the present invention may be configured such that, in the above configuration, the scheduling means sets the transmission order such that a packet having a larger packet size is transmitted earlier.

  Further, the communication device according to the present invention may be configured such that, in the above configuration, the scheduling means sets the transmission order of the packets in each group so that packets having larger packet sizes are transmitted first. Good.

  In the communication apparatus according to the present invention, in the configuration described above, the plurality of packets are transmitted to one communication destination using a plurality of communication channels, and the scheduling unit has a shorter remaining expiration date. It is good also as a structure which allocates the packet contained in a group to the communication channel with a lower error rate among several communication channels.

  In the communication apparatus according to the present invention, in the configuration described above, the plurality of packets are transmitted to a single communication destination using a plurality of communication channels, and the scheduling unit includes a packet having a large packet size. The scheduling may be performed so that the error channel is assigned to a communication channel having a lower error rate.

  The communication apparatus according to the present invention may be configured such that, in the above configuration, the scheduling unit allocates the packet in each group to a communication channel having a lower error rate as the packet size is larger.

  Further, in the above configuration, the communication device according to the present invention has a scheduling result storage unit for storing a scheduling result by the scheduling unit, and a packet to be transmitted according to the scheduling result stored in the scheduling result storage unit. It may be configured to further include packet distribution means for sequentially transmitting to the communication channel.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the communication device according to the present invention is a communication device that transmits a plurality of packets, and provides a communication confirmation to the communication destination indicating whether the transmitted packet has been properly delivered to the communication destination. A delivery confirmation request means for generating a requested delivery confirmation request packet, wherein the delivery confirmation packet includes a packet information area corresponding to the number of packets to be acknowledged, and the packet information area corresponds to It is characterized in that information for identifying each packet is included.

  The communication apparatus according to the present invention further includes transmission packet storage means for storing information specifying a transmitted packet in the above configuration, and the delivery confirmation request means is stored in the transmission packet storage means. The delivery confirmation request packet may be generated based on the information.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the communication device according to the present invention is a communication device that receives a packet from the communication device according to the present invention, and returns a response to the packet when the delivery confirmation request packet is received. A delivery confirmation transmitting means for generating a delivery confirmation packet to be transmitted. The delivery confirmation packet includes delivery confirmation information areas corresponding to the number of packets to be acknowledged. / It is characterized by being composed of bits indicating failure.

  The communication apparatus according to the present invention further includes reception packet storage means for storing information specifying a received packet in the above configuration, wherein the delivery confirmation transmission means is stored in the reception packet storage means. The delivery confirmation packet may be generated based on the information.

  The communication device according to the present invention is a communication device that receives a plurality of packets from a single communication destination using a plurality of communication channels in order to solve the above-described problem. Delivery confirmation transmitting means for returning a delivery confirmation packet to each packet and packet alignment means for aligning a plurality of received packets in order are provided.

  The communication device according to the present invention is a communication device that transmits a plurality of packets to a single communication destination using a plurality of communication channels in order to solve the above-described problem. And a packet generation means for generating a transmission packet including information indicating a return time at which a delivery confirmation packet to be returned from the communication destination should be returned with respect to the data packet input as .

  Further, in order to solve the above-described problem, the communication device according to the present invention is a communication device that receives a packet from the communication device according to the present invention, and when the transmission packet is received, Is provided with a delivery confirmation transmitting means for reading the reply time information included in the reply time and returning a delivery confirmation packet for the reply packet at the reply time.

  The communication device according to the present invention is a communication device that receives a plurality of packets from a single communication destination using a plurality of communication channels in order to solve the above-described problem. Delivery confirmation transmission means for returning a delivery confirmation packet to each packet is provided, and the delivery confirmation transmission means transmits the delivery confirmation packet simultaneously on all communication channels.

  Further, the communication device according to the present invention is configured such that, in the above configuration, the delivery confirmation transmitting means includes information on delivery confirmation in the delivery confirmation packet in all the channels transmitted simultaneously in the delivery confirmation packet. Also good.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the communication device according to the present invention is a communication device that transmits a plurality of packets to a single communication destination using a plurality of communication channels. A delivery confirmation requesting means for generating a delivery confirmation request packet for requesting a delivery confirmation indicating whether the delivery has been properly performed first, and the delivery confirmation requesting means transmits the delivery confirmation request packet to all communication channels. It is characterized by transmitting simultaneously.

  Further, in the communication device according to the present invention, in the above configuration, the delivery confirmation request unit includes information on a delivery confirmation request in a delivery confirmation request packet in all the channels transmitted simultaneously to the delivery confirmation request packet. It is good also as a structure to include.

  In addition, a communication method according to the present invention is a communication method in a communication apparatus that transmits a plurality of packets to a communication destination using a plurality of communication channels in order to solve the above problem. A communication channel to be used when transmitting a packet for which a retransmission request has been received from a communication destination in the first step. It is characterized by setting without being affected by the communication channel transmitted last time.

  Further, in the communication method according to the present invention, in the above method, the packet storage means for storing the packet to be transmitted is waiting for transmission for each packet stored, and the transmitted packet is sent to the communication destination. A second step of storing information indicating whether the state is waiting for receipt of a delivery confirmation indicating whether the delivery has been properly performed or a state in which the successful transmission has been confirmed; and the packet storage means Among the stored packets, the packet that has received a retransmission request is set to a state waiting for the transmission, and among the packets stored in the packet storage means, the state waiting for the transmission The method may further include a third step of scheduling the set packet.

  Further, in the communication method according to the present invention, in the above method, the fourth step of generating a delivery confirmation request packet for requesting the delivery confirmation from the communication destination with respect to a packet transmitted on each communication channel includes the communication channel It is good also as a method performed every.

  The communication method according to the present invention includes a fifth step of generating a delivery confirmation request packet for requesting the delivery confirmation from the communication destination for a packet transmitted on a plurality of communication channels. It is good also as a method.

  In addition, a communication method according to the present invention is a communication method in a communication apparatus that transmits a plurality of packets to a communication destination using a plurality of communication channels in order to solve the above problem. Including a first step for determining in which communication channel and in which order to transmit the packets to be transmitted. In the first step, packets scheduled to be transmitted continuously are respectively connected to different communication channels. It is characterized in that scheduling is performed so as to transmit the data.

  In addition, a communication method according to the present invention is a communication method in a communication apparatus that transmits a plurality of packets to a communication destination using a plurality of communication channels in order to solve the above problem. A first step of determining in which communication channel and in what order the communication packet should be transmitted, and in the first step, each packet is assigned to each communication channel in accordance with the transmission order of the packet to be transmitted. Each time a packet is assigned to a certain communication channel, the transmission completion time of the packet is updated in the transmission completion time storage means for each communication channel, and the transmission completion time is the smallest time. It is characterized by assigning packets to communication channels.

  Further, a communication method according to the present invention is a communication method in a communication device that transmits a plurality of packets in order to solve the above-described problem, and includes a first step of setting a transmission order of packets to be transmitted, In the first step, a plurality of packets to be transmitted are divided into a plurality of groups according to the length of the remaining expiration date set in each packet, and packets included in a group with a shorter remaining expiration date are It is characterized in that the transmission order is set so that transmission is performed with priority.

  Further, the communication method according to the present invention may be a method in which, in the above method, in the first step, the transmission order is set so that packets included in a group having a shorter remaining expiration date are transmitted earlier. .

  Further, a communication method according to the present invention is a communication method in a communication device that transmits a plurality of packets in order to solve the above-described problem, and includes a first step of setting a transmission order of packets to be transmitted, In the first step, the transmission order may be set so that a packet having a larger packet size is preferentially transmitted.

  Further, the communication method according to the present invention may be a method of setting the transmission order so that a packet having a larger packet size is transmitted earlier in the first step.

  In the communication method according to the present invention, in the above method, in the first step, the transmission order of the packets in each group is set so that the larger the packet size is, the earlier the transmission is performed. It is good.

  In the communication method according to the present invention, in the above method, the plurality of packets are transmitted to a single communication destination using a plurality of communication channels, and in the first step, a remaining expiration date is set. A method may be used in which packets included in a shorter group are assigned to a communication channel with a lower error rate among a plurality of communication channels.

  In the communication method according to the present invention, in the above method, the plurality of packets are transmitted to one communication destination using a plurality of communication channels, and in the first step, the size of the packet is determined. A method may be used in which scheduling is performed such that a larger channel is assigned to a communication channel having a lower error rate.

  The communication method according to the present invention may be a method in which, in the above method, in the first step, the packets in each group are assigned to a communication channel having a lower error rate as the packet size is larger. Good.

  The communication method according to the present invention further includes a step of sequentially sending packets to be transmitted to each communication channel in accordance with the scheduling result stored in the scheduling result storage means for storing the scheduling result. It is good also as the method of including.

  In addition, a communication method according to the present invention is a communication method in a communication device that transmits a plurality of packets in order to solve the above-described problem, and performs a delivery confirmation indicating whether the transmitted packets can be properly delivered to a communication destination. Including a first step of generating a delivery confirmation request packet to be requested to a communication destination, wherein the delivery confirmation packet includes a packet information area corresponding to the number of packets to be acknowledged, and the packet information area includes , Each of which includes information for identifying the corresponding packet.

  In the communication method according to the present invention, in the above method, in the first step, the delivery confirmation request is based on information stored in transmission packet storage means for storing information identifying a transmitted packet. A method of generating a packet may be used.

  A communication method according to the present invention is a communication method in a communication device that receives a packet from a communication device that operates according to the communication method according to the present invention. A second step of generating a delivery confirmation packet that is returned in response to the received packet. The delivery confirmation packet includes a delivery confirmation information area corresponding to the number of packets to be acknowledged. The confirmation information area is constituted by bits indicating success / failure of delivery.

  In the communication method according to the present invention, in the above method, the delivery confirmation packet is based on the information stored in the received packet storage means for storing the information specifying the received packet in the second step. It is good also as a method of producing | generating.

  In addition, a communication method according to the present invention is a communication method in a communication apparatus that receives a plurality of packets from a single communication destination using a plurality of communication channels in order to solve the above-described problem. The method includes a first step of returning a delivery confirmation packet to each received packet, and a second step of arranging the plurality of received packets in order.

  In addition, a communication method according to the present invention is a communication method in a communication apparatus that transmits a plurality of packets to a communication destination using a plurality of communication channels in order to solve the above problem. Including a first step of generating a transmission packet including information indicating a return time at which a delivery confirmation packet to be returned from a communication destination is returned with respect to a data packet input as a data packet to be transmitted It is characterized by.

  In addition, a communication method according to the present invention is a communication method in a communication device that receives a packet from a communication device that operates according to the communication method according to the present invention. In this case, the information processing apparatus includes a first step of reading information on a reply time included in the transmission packet and returning a delivery confirmation packet for the reply packet at the reply time.

  In addition, a communication method according to the present invention is a communication method in a communication apparatus that receives a plurality of packets from a single communication destination using a plurality of communication channels in order to solve the above-described problem. , Including a first step of returning a delivery confirmation packet to each received packet. In the first step, the delivery confirmation packet is transmitted simultaneously on all communication channels.

  In the communication method according to the present invention, in the above method, in the first step, the delivery confirmation packet includes information on delivery confirmation in the delivery confirmation packet in all the channels transmitted simultaneously. Also good.

  In addition, a communication method according to the present invention is a communication method in a communication device that transmits a plurality of packets to a communication destination using a plurality of communication channels in order to solve the above-described problem. Including a first step of generating a delivery confirmation request packet that requests a delivery confirmation indicating whether or not the packet has been properly delivered to the communication destination. In the first step, the delivery confirmation request packet is transmitted to all communications. It is characterized by transmitting simultaneously on the channel.

  Further, in the communication method according to the present invention, in the above method, in the first step, the delivery confirmation request packet includes information on a delivery confirmation request in a delivery confirmation request packet in all channels transmitted simultaneously. It is good also as a method of including.

  A communication program according to the present invention causes a computer to execute the communication method according to the present invention.

  A recording medium recording the communication program according to the present invention is characterized by recording the communication program according to the present invention.

  As described above, the communication device according to the present invention can select a communication channel used when transmitting a packet for which a retransmission request has been received from the communication destination by the scheduling unit without being affected by the communication channel that previously transmitted the packet. It is configured to set. In addition, as described above, the communication method according to the present invention sets the communication channel used when transmitting a packet for which a retransmission request has been received from a communication destination without being affected by the communication channel that transmitted the packet last time. It has become a method.

  Conventionally, a packet for which a retransmission request has been received from a communication destination is transmitted on a communication channel that transmitted the packet last time. In this case, if the communication state of the communication channel transmitted last time is bad or the schedule is clogged, retransmission of the packet may be delayed.

  On the other hand, according to the above configuration and method, the communication channel for transmitting the retransmission packet can be set regardless of the previous communication channel, and therefore the retransmission packet is transmitted on a more appropriate communication channel. It becomes possible. Therefore, it is possible to quickly transmit the retransmission packet and to improve the band utilization efficiency in each communication channel.

  Further, in the communication apparatus and the communication method according to the present invention, in the above-described configuration and method, the packet storage unit that stores the packet to be transmitted is in a state of waiting for transmission for each stored packet. Stores information indicating whether the packet is properly delivered to the communication destination, waiting for receipt of delivery confirmation, or information indicating whether transmission has been confirmed successfully. Among the packets stored in the means, the packet that received the retransmission request is set to the state waiting for the transmission, and among the packets stored in the packet storage means, the packet is waiting for the transmission. You may make it schedule the packet set as a state.

  Thereby, the packet to be retransmitted is stored in the packet storage means as a packet to be transmitted, and scheduling is performed based on this. Therefore, the packet to be retransmitted is scheduled in the same manner as the packet to be newly transmitted. As a result, the packet to be retransmitted can be set without being affected by the communication channel transmitted last time. There is an effect that it becomes possible.

  Further, the communication device and the communication method according to the present invention are configured such that, in the above configuration and method, a delivery confirmation request packet for requesting the delivery confirmation from the communication destination is generated for a packet transmitted on each communication channel. Also good.

  In this case, since the delivery confirmation process is performed in each communication channel, the delivery confirmation process in each communication channel can be performed by the same process as the delivery confirmation process in the single link. Therefore, there is an effect that the mounting can be easily performed.

  The communication apparatus and communication method according to the present invention are configured to generate a delivery confirmation request packet for requesting the delivery confirmation from a communication destination for a packet transmitted on a plurality of communication channels in the above configuration and method. May be.

  In this case, since only one configuration for generating the delivery confirmation request packet is required, the apparatus can be simplified.

  In addition, since confirmation of packets transmitted on a plurality (n) of communication channels is performed with one delivery confirmation request packet instead of n, n-1 bandwidth can be increased, and the packet loss rate for this excess is improved. Can be made. For example, when there are three channels, in the case of a configuration in which a delivery confirmation request packet is generated for each communication channel, three delivery confirmation request packets are transmitted and a delivery confirmation packet corresponding thereto is returned. On the other hand, according to the above-described configuration and method, one delivery confirmation request packet is transmitted, and a delivery confirmation packet corresponding thereto is returned. In other words, since it is no longer necessary to send and receive a combination of 3-1 = 2 delivery confirmation request packets and delivery confirmation packets, other packets can be allocated accordingly, and the packet loss rate improves when packet retransmission becomes severe. Can be made.

  In addition, as described above, the communication apparatus and the communication method according to the present invention perform scheduling so that packets scheduled to be transmitted continuously are transmitted through different communication channels.

  Thereby, the scheduled packet can be transmitted more quickly. In addition, since the control when setting the communication channel for transmitting each packet is simple, the above processing can be realized with a simple circuit configuration.

  In addition, as described above, the communication device and the communication method according to the present invention assign each packet to each communication channel according to the transmission order of the packets to be transmitted. The transmission completion time of the packet is updated in the transmission completion time storage means for each communication channel, and the packet is assigned to the communication channel having the shortest transmission completion time.

  Thereby, the scheduled packet can be transmitted more quickly. In addition, scheduling is performed based only on the packet transmission completion time, and the control is relatively simple. Therefore, the above processing can be realized with a simple circuit configuration.

  In addition, as described above, the communication device and the communication method according to the present invention divide a plurality of packets to be transmitted into a plurality of groups according to the length of the remaining expiration date set in each packet, and the remaining The transmission order is set so as to preferentially transmit packets included in a group with a shorter expiration date.

  As a result, a packet with a short remaining expiration date is preferentially transmitted, so that the packet is delivered to the communication destination after the expiration date has passed, and the packet can be prevented from being lost. Play.

  Further, the communication apparatus and the communication method according to the present invention may set the transmission order so that packets included in a group with a shorter remaining expiration date are transmitted earlier.

  As a result, a packet with a short remaining expiration date is transmitted earlier, so that the packet is delivered to the communication destination after the expiration date has passed, and the packet can be prevented from being lost. Play.

  Further, as described above, the communication apparatus and the communication method according to the present invention set the transmission order so that a packet having a larger packet size is preferentially transmitted.

  When the size of the packet is large, there is a high possibility that a transmission failure such as a deterioration of the communication status during the packet transmission will occur. On the other hand, according to the above configuration and method, the larger the packet size, the higher the priority for transmission, so even if a transmission failure occurs, the retransmission processing is performed for the packet. There is an effect that the possibility of being able to be performed within the time limit can be increased.

  In the communication apparatus and the communication method according to the present invention, the transmission order may be set so that a packet having a larger packet size is transmitted earlier.

  As a result, the larger the packet size, the earlier the transmission, so that even if a transmission failure occurs, the possibility that retransmission processing can be performed within the validity period of the packet is increased. There is an effect that can be.

  In addition, as described above, the communication device and the communication method according to the present invention divide a plurality of packets to be transmitted into a plurality of groups according to the length of the remaining expiration date set in each packet, and the remaining In addition to setting the transmission order so that packets included in a group with a shorter expiration date are transmitted earlier, the transmission order of packets within each group is transmitted earlier as the packet size is larger. You may make it set so that.

  Thereby, even when transmission failure occurs, there is an effect that it is possible to increase the possibility that retransmission processing can be performed within the validity period of the packet.

  In the communication apparatus and the communication method according to the present invention, packets included in a group having a shorter remaining expiration date may be assigned to a communication channel having a lower error rate among a plurality of communication channels.

  As a result, it is possible to increase the possibility of successful transmission of a packet with a short remaining expiration date, so that the packet is delivered to the communication destination after the expiration date has passed and the packet is prevented from being lost. There is an effect that can be.

  Further, the communication device and the communication method according to the present invention may perform scheduling so that the larger the packet size is, the lower the error rate is assigned to the communication channel.

  When the size of the packet is large, there is a high possibility that a transmission failure such as a deterioration of the communication status during the packet transmission will occur. On the other hand, according to the above-described configuration and method, the larger the packet size, the higher the possibility of successful packet transmission, thereby reducing the need for retransmission processing. Thus, the packet transmission efficiency can be improved.

  Further, the communication device and the communication method according to the present invention divide a plurality of packets to be transmitted into a plurality of groups according to the length of the remaining expiration date set in each packet, and the shorter remaining expiration date. In addition to assigning packets included in a group to a communication channel with a lower error rate among a plurality of communication channels, communication with a lower error rate as the packet size of the packets in each group becomes larger. You may make it allocate to a channel.

  In this case, it is possible to increase the possibility of successful transmission of a packet with a short remaining expiration date, and it is possible to increase the possibility of successful packet transmission as the packet size increases. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a packet from being delivered to the communication destination after the expiration date has passed and to prevent the packet from being lost, and to reduce the situation where retransmission processing is necessary, and to improve the packet transmission efficiency. There is an effect that can be increased.

  In the communication apparatus and communication method according to the present invention, in the above configuration and method, packets to be transmitted may be sequentially transmitted to each communication channel in accordance with the scheduling result stored in the scheduling result storage unit. Good.

  As a result, it is possible to transmit the packet in each communication channel by accurately reflecting the scheduling result.

  In addition, the communication device and the communication method according to the present invention generate a delivery confirmation request packet for requesting a delivery confirmation indicating whether the transmitted packet has been properly delivered to the communication destination, as described above, and The delivery confirmation packet includes packet information areas corresponding to the number of packets to be acknowledged, and the packet information area includes information for identifying the corresponding packets.

  Conventionally, the delivery confirmation request packet includes information indicating the first packet of the packet group to be acknowledged, and the delivery confirmation is performed for a predetermined number of packets from the first packet. It was supposed to be. In this case, if the number of packets to be confirmed for delivery is a discrete number, the substantial number of delivery confirmations obtained by one delivery confirmation request is reduced.

  On the other hand, according to the above configuration and method, the delivery confirmation request packet includes information specifying the packet itself to be acknowledged, so it is desired to confirm delivery with a single delivery confirmation request. It becomes possible to specify a packet accurately. Therefore, it is possible to prevent such a problem that the delivery confirmation processing is performed more frequently than necessary, or the delivery confirmation request for the packet to be delivered is not requested.

  Further, the communication device and the communication method according to the present invention provide the delivery confirmation request packet based on the information stored in the transmission packet storage means for storing the information specifying the transmitted packet in the above configuration and method. You may make it produce | generate.

  In this case, there is an effect that it is possible to easily generate a delivery confirmation request packet appropriately including a packet to be acknowledged.

  In addition, the communication device and the communication method according to the present invention generate a delivery confirmation packet to be returned to the delivery confirmation request packet when the delivery confirmation request packet is received, and the delivery confirmation packet includes a packet to be acknowledged. A number of acknowledgment information areas are included, and the acknowledgment information area is constituted by bits indicating success / failure of delivery.

  Thereby, since the size of the delivery confirmation packet can be minimized, there is an effect that the use efficiency of the communication band can be improved.

  Further, the communication device and the communication method according to the present invention generate the delivery confirmation packet based on the information stored in the received packet storage means for storing the information specifying the received packet in the configuration and method described above. You may make it do.

  In this case, there is an effect that it is possible to easily generate a delivery confirmation packet appropriately including information on delivery confirmation.

  In addition, as described above, the communication device and the communication method according to the present invention return a delivery confirmation packet to each received packet in each communication channel and arrange the received packets in order. It has become.

  Conventionally, in the case of the Normal Ack method in which the transmission side receives a delivery confirmation packet for each transmitted packet, it is assumed that the packets are transmitted in the order of the packets. However, this is based on the premise that the system is a single link system. In the case of the multilink system, it is often the case that packets are not transmitted in the order of packets.

  On the other hand, according to the above configuration and method, the receiving side performs the alignment process of the received packets, so that the transmitting side transmits the packets in the order of the packets. Can be released. In other words, the Normal Ack method also has the effect of being able to accurately cope with the multilink method.

  In addition, as described above, the communication device and the communication method according to the present invention set the return time at which the delivery confirmation packet returned from the communication destination is returned to the data packet input as the data packet to be transmitted. A transmission packet including the indicated information is generated.

  As a result, there is an effect that the receiving side can know the time when the delivery confirmation packet should be returned.

  Here, in the first step, the packet means may include reply times that are all the same time for transmission packets in all communication channels transmitted within a predetermined period. In this case, even when the packet length of the data packet is different for each channel, the time at which the delivery confirmation packet is returned can be made uniform for all channels. Accordingly, it is possible to accurately cope with a case where a communication method that requires a transmission period and a reception period to be aligned in all channels is adopted.

  In addition, as described above, the communication device and the communication method according to the present invention read the reply time information included in the transmission packet when the transmission packet is received, and at the reply time, A delivery confirmation packet for the reply packet is returned.

  As a result, the delivery confirmation packet can be transmitted at the time requested from the transmission side.

  In addition, as described above, the communication device and the communication method according to the present invention return a delivery confirmation packet to each received packet and simultaneously transmit the delivery confirmation packet on all communication channels. ing.

  Accordingly, it is possible to accurately cope with a case where a communication method that requires a transmission period and a reception period to be aligned in all channels is adopted.

  In the communication apparatus and the communication method according to the present invention, the delivery confirmation packet may include information on delivery confirmation in the delivery confirmation packet transmitted on all channels transmitted simultaneously.

  In this case, the transmission of the packet is successful in a certain channel, but when the reply of the delivery confirmation packet is unsuccessful, the retransmission of the packet that has been successfully transmitted in another channel is wasted. Can be prevented.

  In addition, as described above, the communication device and the communication method according to the present invention send a delivery confirmation request packet for requesting a delivery confirmation indicating whether or not the transmitted packet has been properly delivered to the communication destination to all communication channels. At the same time.

  Accordingly, even when a communication method that requires the transmission period and the reception period to be aligned is adopted, it is possible to cope with the problem.

  In the communication apparatus and the communication method according to the present invention, the delivery confirmation request packet may include information on the delivery confirmation request in the delivery confirmation request packet for all the channels transmitted simultaneously.

  In this case, if a delivery confirmation request packet transmission failure or a delivery confirmation packet reply failure occurs in a channel, the delivery confirmation request packet is retransmitted and the delivery confirmation packet is resent on that channel. It is possible to prevent other channels from entering a standby state without performing any transmission / reception processing.

  Note that the communication method can be executed on a computer by a communication program. Further, by storing the communication program in a computer-readable recording medium, the communication program can be executed on any computer.

  The communication device according to the present invention is a communication device that transmits a plurality of packets to a single communication destination using a plurality of communication channels, and a data packet input as a data packet to be transmitted is It is also possible to adopt a configuration provided with packet generation means for converting into a transmission packet having a predetermined packet length.

  The communication method according to the present invention is a communication method in a communication apparatus that transmits a plurality of packets to a single communication destination using a plurality of communication channels, and the data input as data packets to be transmitted It is also possible to adopt a configuration including a first step of converting a packet into a transmission packet having a predetermined packet length.

  In the case of such a configuration and method, the lengths of transmission packets transmitted on all communication channels are aligned. Therefore, by aligning the transmission timing of transmission packets on all communication channels, The reception of the delivery confirmation packet for the packet is also aligned in all communication channels. Therefore, even when a communication method that requires the transmission period and the reception period to be aligned is adopted, it is possible to cope with the problem.

(Embodiment 1)
An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

(Configuration of communication network system)
FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration of the communication network system according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, this communication network system transmits stream data and data from a transmission device 3 to a reception device 4 via a transmission side communication device (communication device) 1 and a reception side communication device (communication device) 2. The data is transmitted.

  The transmission device 3 is a device capable of transmitting stream data such as moving image data and other data to an external device. Specifically, the transmission device 3 is configured by a moving image reproduction device such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) player, a DVD recorder, and an HDD recorder, a broadcast reception device such as a BS / CS tuner, and the like.

  The receiving device 4 is a device that performs processing based on the received stream data and other data. Specifically, the receiving device 4 is configured by, for example, a display device that displays moving image data as received stream data.

  The stream data / data output from the transmission device 3 is transmitted to the transmission side communication device 1. Then, the transmission side communication device 1 transmits the stream data / data to the reception side communication device 2 by wireless communication. When receiving the stream data / data sent from the transmission side communication device 1 via wireless, the reception side communication device 2 transmits this to the reception device 4. Through the above processing, transmission of stream data / data from the transmission device 3 to the reception device 4 is performed.

  In the present embodiment, a system in which the transmission device 3 and the transmission-side communication device 1 are provided as separate devices is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The configuration may be such that the function of the device 1 is provided. Similarly, the receiving device 4 may have a configuration in which the function of the receiving communication device 2 is provided.

(Configuration of transmitter / receiver communication device)
FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of the transmission side communication device 1 and the reception side communication device 2. As shown in the figure, the transmission side communication device 1 includes a transmission side control unit 5 and a plurality of communication I / Fs 7. The reception side communication device 2 includes a reception side control unit 6 and a plurality of communication. I / F8. The communication I / F 7... In the transmission side communication device 1 and the communication I / F 8 in the reception side communication device 2 correspond one-to-one. To be done. That is, wireless communication using a plurality of links (communication channels) is performed between the transmission side communication device 1 and the reception side communication device 2. In the present embodiment, the number of links is n, and links 1 to n are provided.

  The transmission-side control unit 5 is a block that controls communication processing in the transmission-side communication device 1 and includes a transmission-side MAC layer 9 and first to n-th transmission-side physical layers 10. The transmission side MAC layer 9 is a functional block having the function of the MAC layer in the data link layer in the OSI reference model in the transmission side communication device 1. Details of the transmission side MAC layer 9 will be described later.

  The first to n transmitting-side physical layers 10 are functional blocks having functions of the physical layer in the OSI reference model described above in the transmitting-side communication apparatus 1. Each of the first to n transmission-side physical layers 10 is provided corresponding to the links 1 to n, and is connected to the corresponding communication I / F 7.

  When the stream / data packet output from the transmission device 3 is input to the transmission side MAC layer 9, the stream is converted into a QoS packet in the transmission side MAC layer 9 in the case of a stream. Here, the QoS packet is a packet in which stream data such as a moving image is packetized, real-time transmission is required, and a valid period and the like are set. On the other hand, the data packet is a packet of normal data that does not require real-time transmission. Hereinafter, when it is not necessary to distinguish the two, they are simply referred to as a packet.

  The transmission side MAC layer 9 allocates each packet to be transmitted to any one of the links and transmits it to any one of the corresponding first to n transmission side physical layers 10. And each packet is transmitted from communication I / F7 ... by each control of the 1st-n transmission side physical layers 10 ....

  The reception-side control unit 6 is a block that controls communication processing in the reception-side communication device 2 and includes a reception-side MAC layer 11 and first to n reception-side physical layers 12. The receiving-side MAC layer 11 is a functional block having the function of the MAC layer in the data link layer in the OSI reference model described above in the receiving-side communication device 2. Details of the reception-side MAC layer 11 will be described later.

  The first to n receiving physical layers 12 are functional blocks having the functions of the physical layer in the OSI reference model described above in the receiving communication device 2. Each of the first to n receiving physical layers 12 is provided corresponding to the links 1 to n, and is connected to the corresponding communication I / F 8.

  Based on the control of the first to n receiving physical layers 12..., The packets received in each of the communication I / Fs 8 are restored to the original stream / data packets in the receiving MAC layer 11. Then, the stream / data packet restored in the receiving-side MAC layer 11 is transmitted to the receiving device 4.

  In the present embodiment, each functional block in the transmission-side control unit 5 and the reception-side control unit 6 is configured by an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) IP (Intellectual Property) that realizes the corresponding function. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a configuration in which a CPU (Central Processing Unit) is realized by executing a program for realizing each of the functional blocks or a part thereof may be employed. The above program is a program code (execution format program, intermediate code program, source program, etc.) of software that realizes processing. This program may be used alone or in combination with other programs (such as OS).

  The program may be stored in, for example, a readable / writable non-volatile storage unit, and may be read from the storage unit and executed. Further, the program may be acquired via a transmission medium (a medium that fluidly holds the program) such as a network (connected to a wired line or a wireless line).

(Configuration of sender MAC layer)
Next, the configuration of the transmission side MAC layer 9 will be described below with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, the transmission-side MAC layer 9 has a configuration including a transmission buffer control unit 21 and first to n-framers 22.

  The transmission buffer control unit 21 temporarily stores the stream / data packet input from the transmission device 3 as a packet, and transmits each packet to the first to n framers 22 according to the transmission schedule. The transmission buffer control unit 21 includes a transmission packet processing unit 23 and a packet buffer (packet storage means) 24.

  The transmission packet processing unit 23 includes a packetization processing unit (packet generation unit) 23a, a schedule processing unit (scheduling unit) 23b, and a packet distribution processing unit (packet distribution unit) 23c. The packetization processing unit 23a performs processing for converting a stream input from the transmission device 3 into a QoS packet. In the case of a data packet, the packetization processing unit 23a outputs the data packet as it is. The packet output by the packetization processing unit 23a is stored in the packet buffer 24. The packet buffer 24 stores order information, status information, and data for each packet. The order information is information indicating the order of the corresponding packet. The status information is information indicating the communication status of the corresponding packet. The data corresponds to the actual packet data of the corresponding packet.

  The state information is one of a transmission standby state, a transmission in progress state, a transmission confirmation state, and a transmission completed state. The transmission standby state indicates a state in which the corresponding packet has not been transmitted yet and is waiting for transmission. The packet immediately after being output by the packetization processing unit 23a and stored in the packet buffer 24 is in this transmission standby state. When packet transmission is started, the packet is set to the transmitting state. When the transmission is completed, the packet is set to a transmission confirmation state (a state waiting for receipt of a delivery confirmation).

  When the successful transmission is confirmed by Normal Ack or BA, the corresponding packet is set to a transmitted state (a state where the successful transmission is confirmed). On the other hand, when the transmission failure is confirmed, the corresponding packet is set in a transmission standby state.

  The schedule processing unit 23b schedules which packet is transmitted in which order through which link. Details of the schedule processing unit 23b will be described later. The packet distribution processing unit 23c performs processing for sequentially transmitting the packets stored in the packet buffer 24 to any one of the first to n-framers 22... According to the scheduling by the schedule processing unit 23b.

  The first to n-th framers 22... Each include a frame processing unit (delivery confirmation request unit) 25, a PktEndTime (transmission completion time storage unit) 26, and SeqBuff (transmission packet storage unit) 27. The frame processing unit 25 performs frame processing on the packet transmitted from the transmission packet processing unit 23 at an appropriate time, and performs processing of transmitting to the corresponding first to n transmission-side physical layers 10. The frame processing is processing for adding a MAC header and an error check code to each packet. Further, the frame processing unit 25 performs a delivery confirmation process using Normal Ack or a delivery confirmation process using BA.

  PktEndTime26 and SeqBuff27 indicate a register stored value and a buffer stored value. In PktEndTime 26, the transmission end time for each transmitted packet is stored. When delivery confirmation is performed by Normal Ack, the reception completion time of Normal Ack corresponding to the packet is stored in PktEndTime26. When delivery confirmation is performed by the BA, the transmission end time of each packet or the reception completion time of the BA is stored in the PktEndTime 26. The value stored in the PktEndTime 26 is updated every time a packet is transmitted.

  The SeqBuff 27 is used to create a BAR, and stores a number indicating the order of all packets transmitted in a burst for each link.

(Configuration of receiving side MAC layer)
Next, the configuration of the reception-side MAC layer 11 will be described below with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, the reception-side MAC layer 11 has a configuration including a reception buffer control unit 41 and first to n-framers 42.

  Each of the first to n-th framers 42 includes a frame processing unit (delivery confirmation transmission unit) 45 and a SeqBuff (reception packet storage unit) 46. The frame processing unit 45 performs MAC header analysis, error code check, and delivery confirmation processing on the received packet with respect to the received packet sent from the corresponding first to n transmitting-side physical layers 10. is there. When the frame processing unit 45 confirms that the packet has been successfully received, the frame processing unit 45 performs a process of transmitting Normal Ack or BA to the transmission side according to the type of packet and the set packet delivery confirmation method.

  SeqBuff 46 indicates a value stored in the register, and stores the number of the order of all packets received during a burst in order to create a BA when delivery confirmation by the BA is performed.

  The reception buffer control unit 41 stores packets received by the first to n-framers 42... Restores data and sends out stream / data packets to the reception device 4. The reception buffer control unit 41 includes a reception packet processing unit 43 and a packet buffer 44.

  The received packet processing unit 43 includes a packet alignment processing unit (packet alignment means) 43a and a data restoration processing unit 43b. The packet alignment processing unit 43a performs a process of aligning the packets sent from the first to n framers 42 in order and storing them in the packet buffer 44. The packet buffer 44 stores order information and data for each packet. The order information is information indicating the order of the corresponding packet. The data corresponds to the actual packet data of the corresponding packet.

  The data restoration processing unit 43b reads out the packets stored in the packet buffer 44 in order, restores the stream / data packets by sequentially combining them, and outputs them to the receiving device 4. Is what you do.

(Details of schedule processing section)
FIG. 5 shows a configuration related to the schedule processing unit 23 b in the transmission packet processing unit 23. As shown in the figure, the schedule processor 23b is connected to a register 23d and an array register 23e for storing variables used for scheduling.

  Scheduling by the schedule processing unit 23b is performed for all links before transferring the first burst and at the time when each burst is completed. The burst referred to here indicates a transmission process of a packet group included in one scheduling by the schedule processing unit 23b. When delivery confirmation by Normal Ack is performed, scheduling is performed after transmission of the last packet in each link is completed. When delivery confirmation by BA is performed, scheduling is performed after BA reception is completed in each link. The reason that scheduling needs to be performed for all links is that, when a packet transmission error occurs, packet transmission ends after the scheduled time.

  For example, in the example shown in FIG. 18, the case where the BAR / BA sequence in channel 3 succeeds and the case where it fails are shown. Channel 1 scheduling is first performed at time A. If the BAR / BA sequence in channel 3 is successful, channel 3 is scheduled at time B, packet 8 is assigned to channel 3, and packet 10 is assigned to channel 2 at the next time C.

  On the other hand, if an error occurs in the BA of channel 3, the BAR / BA is retransmitted and the BA end time is delayed. In addition, because an error has occurred, the channel status has also changed. Therefore, by performing scheduling when BA is completed for each channel, it is possible to reflect in the scheduling that the channel status has changed.

  The register 23d stores maxBurst 31a, nextPkt 31b, and nextCh 31c. maxBurst 31a indicates the maximum number of packets scheduled by the schedule processing unit 23b. In other words, the schedule processing unit 23b performs one-time scheduling for the number of packets indicated by maxBurst 31a. In addition, since Normal Ack performs packet confirmation for each packet, it is appropriate to set maxBurst 31a as the number of links, but this is not an essential condition. The reason is that it is better to schedule Normal Ack for each Normal Ack because the status of the packet is known for each packet.

  NextPkt 31b indicates the number of the next scheduled packet. In other words, the schedule processing unit 23b schedules the packets having the numbers indicated in the nextPkt 31b in order, and performs a process of incrementing the value of the next Pkt 31b by one when scheduling of a certain packet is completed.

  NextCh 31c indicates a link (channel) to which a packet is assigned next. That is, as a result of scheduling a certain packet, when the link to which the packet is assigned is determined, the schedule processing unit 23b stores a value corresponding to the link in nextCh 31c.

  The array register 23e stores PktsToSend 32a, SPktEndTime 32b, SendBuff32c, SendBuffPtr32d, and SendingPtr32e. PktsToSend 32a stores the number of packets corresponding to the number indicated by maxBurst 31a. The schedule processing unit 23b performs scheduling for the packet having the number stored in the PktsToSend 32a.

  The SPktEndTime 32b stores the packet transmission end time in each link (channel) while scheduling packets in order. In other words, when the schedule processing unit 23b schedules the packets in order, the transmission end time of the packet scheduled at that time is stored in the SPktEndTime 32b corresponding to the allocated link.

  SendBuff 32c stores the numbers of all packets scheduled for each link. That is, the SendBuff 32c is configured by a two-dimensional array of registers. The content stored in the SendBuff 32c becomes the schedule result by the schedule processing unit 23b.

  The SendBuffPtr 32d stores the number of packets assigned to each link (channel) while scheduling the packets in order. In other words, when the schedule processing unit 23b schedules the packets in order, the number of packets assigned to the link to which the packet is assigned at that time is stored in the SendBuffPtr 32d.

  SendingPtr32e indicates which packet in SendBuff 32c is the packet sent at that time when the packets are sent in order based on the scheduling result after the scheduling is completed. That is, by looking at SendingPtr 32e, it is possible to confirm to which packet transmission in SendBuff 32c has been completed.

(Scheduling flow)
Next, the flow of scheduling by the schedule processing unit 23b will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, the expiration date in the QoS packet will be described. When the input data is stream data such as moving image data, each stream has a time area when the stream is input to the transmission side. The receiving side must output the stream at time + delayBound (constant) input to the transmitting side. For this reason, when the transmission of the QoS packet is not successful by the time + delayBound input to the transmission side, the QoS packet becomes a packet loss.

Returning to the flowchart of FIG. When scheduling is started, first in step 1 (hereinafter referred to as S1), the schedule processing unit 23b performs a process of assigning packets corresponding to the maxBurst value read from the maxBurst 31a in the register 23d to the array of PktsToSend 32a. In detail, it has n’t been sent yet, and
Packets with time + delayBound> current time input to the transmission side are assigned to the PktsToSend 32a array from the oldest. The maximum number of allocated packets is maxBurst.

  Here, the packet that has not been transmitted is a packet whose status information is in a transmission waiting state in the packet buffer 24. In the packet buffer 24, when the number of packets waiting for transmission is smaller than maxBurst, only these packets are allocated to the PktsToSend 32a.

  Next, in S2, various register values are initialized. Specifically, nextPkt 31b is set to 0, all items in SendBuffPtr 32d are set to 0, all items in SendingPtr 32e are set to 0, and all items in SPktEndTime 32b are in the corresponding first to n-framers 22. It is updated to the value stored in PktEndTime26. When a time past the current time is stored in PktEndTime 26, the value corresponding to the corresponding channel in SPktEndTime 32b is set to the current time.

  Next, in S <b> 3, nextCh 31 c is set to the channel in which the smallest time is stored among the times for each channel stored in SPktEndTime 26.

  Next, in S4, packet scheduling is performed. First, a channel on which nextCh is scheduled is shown, a packet on which PktsToSend [nextPkt] is scheduled is shown, and SendBuffPtr [nextCh] shows the number of packets assigned to nextCh until now. Here, the packet to be scheduled is assigned to SendBuff [SendBuffPtr [nextCh]] [nextChCh]. Note that SendBuff [x] [y] is a two-dimensional array of SendBuff32c, where x indicates a packet and y indicates a channel.

  After the packet is assigned as described above, SPktEndTime [nextCh] is set to the transmission end time of the scheduled packet, and SendBuffPtr [nextCh] is incremented.

  Next, in S5, it is checked whether all the packets stored in PktsToSend 32a have been scheduled. If there is an unscheduled packet (NO in S5), the value of nextPkt 31b is incremented (S6), and the process returns to S3. When the schedule of all packets is completed (YES in S5), the process proceeds to S7.

  In S7, a BAR is first assigned to the end of all links (channels) in SendBuff 32c. Then, a BAR / BA transmission period is added to all links (channels) in SPktEndTime 32b. Furthermore, the values for all links in SendBuffPtr32d are incremented. Thus, scheduling is completed.

(Second configuration example of transmission packet processing unit)
Next, a second configuration example of the transmission packet processing unit 23 will be described. This configuration example is suitable when the BAR / BA delivery confirmation method is used. First, an outline of scheduling in this example will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 (a) to 7 (c).

First, packets to be scheduled are classified into two groups. The first group contains the time input on the sending side + delayBound-t <current time (t is a constant)
Is assigned. Packets other than those in the first group are assigned to the second group. That is, a packet with a grace time of less than t seconds is assigned to the first group, and a packet with a grace time of more than t seconds is assigned to the second group. In the example shown in FIG. 7A, packets 4 and 7 belong to the first group, and packets 9, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19 belong to the second group.

  Next, the packets of the second group are arranged in descending order, and the first group and the second group are combined into one overall group. This state is the state of FIG. Then, the packets are allocated in order from the channel with the lowest error rate in the order of arrangement of the entire group. At this time, the allocation is performed so that the total transmission time of the packets allocated to each channel is approximately the same. This state is the state of FIG.

  In the above example, the packets to be scheduled are classified into two groups. However, the number of groups is not limited to two, and 3 according to the length of the remaining expiration date. You may make it classify | categorize into two or more groups.

  FIG. 8 shows a configuration related to the schedule processing unit 23b in the transmission packet processing unit 23 in the second configuration example. The difference from the configuration shown in FIG. 5 is that the items stored in the register 23d and the array register 23e are different. Since other configurations are the same as those described above, description thereof will be omitted.

  In the register 23d, in addition to the aforementioned maxBurst 31a, nextPkt 31b, and nextCh 31c, a RemainTime 31d is stored. RemainTime 31d indicates the total transmission time of packets that have not yet been scheduled during scheduling.

  In addition to the aforementioned PktsToSend 32a, SPktEndTime 32b, SendBuff32c, SendBuffPtr32d, and SendingPtr32e, the array register 23e stores ErrorRate 32f. ErrorRate 32f indicates the error rate of each channel at the time when scheduling is started. The error rate calculation method will be described later.

(Scheduling flow in second configuration example of transmission packet processing unit)
Next, the scheduling flow in the second configuration example of the transmission packet processing unit 23 will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. When scheduling is started, first, in S11, the schedule processing unit 23b performs a process of assigning a packet corresponding to the maxBurst value read from the maxBurst 31a in the register 23d to the array of PktsToSend 32a. In detail, it has n’t been sent yet, and
The maximum maxBurst number of packets from the oldest to the time input on the transmission side + delayBound> current time is divided into the first group and the second group. Here, the packet that has not been transmitted is a packet whose status information is in a transmission waiting state in the packet buffer 24. In the packet buffer 24, when the number of packets waiting for transmission is smaller than maxBurst, only these packets are assigned to the first group or the second group.

  Next, the packets included in the second group are arranged in descending order, and finally, all the packets included in the first group and the second group are assigned to PktsToSend 32a.

  Next, in S12, various register values are initialized. The initialization of nextPkt31b, SendBuffPtr32d, SendingPtr32e, and SPktEndTime32b is the same as that described in S2 of FIG. RemainTime 31d is set to the total transmission time of all packets stored in PktsToSend 32a.

  Next, in S13, nextCh 31c is set to the channel in which the smallest value is stored in the error rate for each channel stored in the error rate 32f. Here, when S13 is performed after the second time, nextCh 31c is set to the channel with the smallest ErrorRate after the previously set channel.

  Next, in S14, packet scheduling is performed. First, a channel on which nextCh is scheduled is shown, a packet on which PktsToSend [nextPkt] is scheduled is shown, and SendBuffPtr [nextCh] shows the number of packets assigned to nextCh until now. Here, the packet to be scheduled is assigned to SendBuff [SendBuffPtr [nextCh]] [nextChCh]. Further, the transmission time of PktsToSend [nextPkt] is subtracted from the RemainTime 31d.

  After the packet is assigned as described above, SPktEndTime [nextCh] is set to the transmission end time of the scheduled packet, and SendBuffPtr [nextCh] is incremented.

  Next, in S15, “RemainTime” is compared with the total free time of channels to which packets are not yet allocated. If YES in S15, that is, if the free time is larger than RemainTime, the process proceeds to S17. On the other hand, if NO in S15, that is, if the idle time is less than RemainTime, the value of nextPkt 31b is incremented (S16), and the process returns to S14.

  Next, in S17, it is determined whether or not the RemainTime has become zero. If YES in S17, that is, if RemainTime becomes 0, the process proceeds to S18. On the other hand, if NO in S17, that is, if RemainTime is not yet 0, the process returns to S13.

  In S18, a BAR is first assigned to the end of all links (channels) in SendBuff 32c. Then, a BAR / BA transmission period is added to all links (channels) in SPktEndTime 32b. Furthermore, the values for all links in SendBuffPtr32d are incremented. Thus, scheduling is completed.

  In the above example, packets included in the first group with the shorter remaining expiration date are assigned to communication channels with a lower error rate among the plurality of communication channels. The transmission order may be set so that included packets are transmitted earlier.

(Calculation method of ErrorRate)
Next, a method for calculating ErrorRate will be described. The ErrorRate is calculated after receiving the BA for each burst of each channel. ErrorRate is calculated by (error rate of previous burst) / f + (number of error packets) / (number of transmitted packets). That is, ErrorRate is calculated including the effect of ErrorRate in the previous burst. In the above equation for calculating the error rate, f is a parameter for adjusting the amount to include the effect of the error rate in the immediately preceding burst. Increasing the value of f reduces the above effect, while conversely decreasing it increases the effect.

  The reason why the ErrorRate is calculated including the effect of the ErrorRate in the immediately preceding burst is as follows. When a lot of errors occur in a burst in a channel, there are cases where the error rate has increased accidentally only for a short period of time and cases where the error rate has continued to increase for a certain period of time. . In the former case, the error rate is expected to be low in the next burst, while in the latter case, the error rate is expected to be high in the next burst. In order to take this into consideration, ErrorRate is calculated including the effect of ErrorRate in the immediately preceding burst.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of calculation of ErrorRate. In this example, f = 10 is set. In the first burst, five packets are transmitted, and transmission fails in one packet. ErrorRate is calculated immediately after BAR / BA for this burst is performed, and 0.0 / 10 + 1/5 = 0.2 is set as ErrorRate. In the next burst, five packets are transmitted, and transmission fails in two of them. The ErrorRate calculated immediately after BAR / BA for this burst is calculated is 0.2 / 10 + 2/5 = 0.42.

  When an error occurs in BAR or BA, a process of adding be to ErrorRate is performed. Since the BAR or BA is relatively short compared to the data packet, and the BAR and BA are important packets, it is more appropriate to largely reflect the influence of the error BAR / BA in the ErrorRate. It is preferable to set a fixed value of about 5.

  In the above example, an error rate calculation method considering the influence of the error rate in the immediately preceding burst is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the error rate calculation method considering the error rate history in the previous burst is shown. Any method may be used.

(Configuration of BAR and BA)
Next, the structure of BAR and BA used in this embodiment will be described. FIG. 11 shows a schematic configuration of BAR and BA used in the present embodiment. The BAR includes a BAR MAC header and packet numbers of n packets for which confirmation is requested. That is, the BAR includes packet information areas corresponding to the number of packets to be confirmed for delivery, and each packet information area includes a packet number as information for identifying the corresponding packet. .

  The BA includes a MAC header for BA and a bitmap representing the communication state of the requested n packets. Each bit of the bitmap in BA has a one-to-one correspondence with the packet number of the packet requested for confirmation in BAR. In the present embodiment, the BAR is generated by the frame processing unit 25 of the first to n framers 22 in the transmission side MAC layer 9, and the BA is the frame processing unit 45 of the first to n framers 42 in the reception side MAC layer 11. Generated by.

  In the present embodiment, n, which is the number of packets requested for confirmation, is the number of packets in a burst transmitted on the corresponding channel. The frame processing unit 25 on the transmission side sets the number of n packets for which confirmation is requested based on the contents stored in the SeqBuff 27. As will be described later, the packet number requested by the BAR may include the number of a packet transmitted on another channel.

(Embodiment 2)
The following will describe another embodiment of the present invention with reference to FIGS. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the structure which has the function similar to the structure demonstrated in above-described embodiment, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the first embodiment described above, when confirmation of delivery by BA is performed, transmission / reception of BAR / BA is performed for each link (channel). That is, the BAR is generated and transmitted by the frame processing unit 25 in each of the first to n framers 22 on the transmission side, and the BA is generated by the frame processing unit 45 in each of the first to n framers 42 on the reception side. -Transmission is performed. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, BAR / BA transmission / reception is performed for all packets transmitted in all links.

  The communication network system according to the present embodiment has the same configuration as that described with reference to FIG. The configurations of the transmission side communication device 1 and the reception side communication device 2 are also the same as those described in the first embodiment with reference to FIG.

(Configuration of sender MAC layer)
Next, the configuration of the transmission side MAC layer 9 will be described below with reference to FIG. The transmission-side MAC layer 9 according to the present embodiment is different from the transmission-side MAC layer 9 shown in the first embodiment in the configuration of the transmission packet processing unit 23 and the configuration of the first to n-framers 22. Yes. The transmission packet processing unit 23 includes a delivery confirmation processing unit (delivery confirmation request means) 23d and a SeqBuff 23e as an array register in addition to the packetization processing unit 23a, the schedule processing unit 23b, and the packet distribution processing unit 23c. The first to n-framers 22 are each provided with a frame processing unit 25 and a PktEndTime 26, and the SeqBuff 27 provided in the first embodiment is not provided in the first to n-framers 22. It has become. Other configurations are the same as the configurations shown in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted here.

  The delivery confirmation processing unit 23d performs a delivery confirmation process by Normal Ack or a delivery confirmation process by BA for all packets transmitted from the transmission packet processing unit 23 to the first to n-framers 22. When delivery confirmation processing by the BA is performed, the delivery confirmation processing unit 23d generates a BAR and sends it to the reception side, and performs delivery confirmation by using the BA sent from the reception side.

  The SeqBuff 23e is used by the delivery confirmation processing unit 23d to create a BAR, and stores a number indicating the order of all packets for all links transmitted during a burst.

(Configuration of receiving side MAC layer)
Next, the configuration of the receiving-side MAC layer 11 will be described below with reference to FIG. The reception-side MAC layer 11 according to the present embodiment is different from the reception-side MAC layer 11 shown in the first embodiment in the configuration of the reception packet processing unit 43 and the configuration of the first to n-framers 42. Yes. The received packet processing unit 43 includes a delivery confirmation processing unit (delivery confirmation transmission means) 43c and a SeqBuff 43d as an array register in addition to the packet alignment processing unit 43a and the data restoration processing unit 43b. Further, each of the first to n-framers 42 includes a frame processing unit 45, and the SeqBuff 46 provided in the first embodiment is not provided in the first to n-framers 42. Yes. Other configurations are the same as the configurations shown in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted here.

  The delivery confirmation processing unit 43c performs a delivery confirmation process by Normal Ack or a delivery confirmation process by BA for all packets sent from the first to n-framers 42. When delivery confirmation processing by BA is performed, the delivery confirmation processing unit 43c creates a BA according to the BAR sent from the transmission side, and sends this to the transmission side. Note that the normal Ack packet is returned by each framer 42 that has received the packet.

  SeqBuff 43d indicates a register storage value, and when the delivery confirmation by the BA is performed, the sequential number of all the packets received during the burst for creating the BA is stored.

(Example of BAR / BA sequence)
Here, the BAR / BA sequence in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 shows an example in which packets are allocated to two channels (links) for transmission. First, packet 1 is transmitted on channel 1, and then packet 2 is transmitted on channel 2. While the packet 2 is being transmitted on the channel 2, the first transmission / reception of the BAR / BA is performed on the channel 1.

  Thereafter, packet 3 is transmitted on channel 1, and then packet 4 is transmitted after transmission of packet 2 is completed on channel 2. Then, after the transmission of the packet 3 is completed on the channel 1, the packet 5 is transmitted. During the transmission of the packet 5, the second transmission / reception of the BAR / BA is performed on the channel 2.

  Packets scheduled at the time when transmission / reception of the first BAR / BA is completed (time (A)) are packets 3, 4, and 5. Packets confirmed in the second transmission / reception of BAR / BA are packets 2, 3, and 4 that have been transmitted in the period (B). These packets 2, 3, and 4 are stored in the SeqBuff 23e when the second BAR / BA transmission / reception is performed (time (C)).

  When delivery confirmation of a packet transmitted by a plurality of links is performed by one BAR / BA, in order to avoid using all channels wastefully, the transmission / reception end time of BAR / BA in a burst is set to another link. Need to be faster. When the BAR / BA transmission / reception end time is t1 and the burst end time in another link is t2, the schedule of the next burst is performed at t1, so if t2 <t1, t1-t2 The period is wasted.

  For example, in case 1 shown in FIG. 19, BAR / BA is assigned to channel 1 that ends earliest, and scheduling is performed at time A. On the other hand, in case 2, BAR / BA is assigned to channel 2 and scheduling is performed at time point B. In this case, the packet transmission by the scheduling is after the period from the time point B to the time point A as compared with the case 1, and this time is wasted.

(Scheduling flow)
Next, the flow of scheduling by the schedule processing unit 23b in the second embodiment will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. In FIG. 15, the processing from S21 to S26 is the same as the processing from S1 to S6 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 6 described in the first embodiment, and therefore the description thereof is omitted here.

  If YES in S25, that is, if all packet schedules have been completed, the process proceeds to S27. In S27, first, nextCh is set to the channel with the smallest value stored in SPktEndTime 32b. Then, a BAR is assigned to the end of the channel corresponding to nextCh in SendBuff 32c. Then, a transmission period of BAR / BA is added to the channel corresponding to nextCh in SPktEndTime 32b. Further, the value for the channel corresponding to nextCh in SendBuffPtr32d is incremented. As a result, the BAR is assigned to the channel where the burst packet communication is completed earliest. Thus, scheduling is completed.

(Second Configuration Example of Transmission Packet Processing Unit in Embodiment 2)
Next, a second configuration example of the transmission packet processing unit 23 in the second embodiment will be described. This configuration example is the same as the second configuration example of the transmission packet processing unit shown in the first embodiment in a mode in which transmission / reception of BAR / BA is performed for all packets transmitted in all links. Processing is to be performed.

  FIG. 16 shows a configuration related to the schedule processing unit 23b in the transmission packet processing unit 23 in the second configuration example. The difference from the configuration shown in FIG. 8 described in the first embodiment is that the items stored in the array register 23e are different. Since other configurations are the same as those described above, description thereof will be omitted.

  The array register 23e stores OffsetTime32g in addition to the aforementioned PktsToSend32a, SPktEndTime32b, SendBuff32c, SendBuffPtr32d, SendingPtr32e, and ErrorRate32f. The OffsetTime 32g stores a constant for ending the channel to which the BAR is allocated first, and depends on the number of channels and one packet length. For example, OffsetTime is set as (longest packet length) * (number of channels-1) or (average packet length) * (number of channels-1).

  In this second configuration example, since error rate information can also be used, the BAR is assigned to the channel with the lowest error rate. Therefore, it is important to end the channel with the lowest error rate earliest.

(Scheduling flow in second configuration example of transmission packet processing section in embodiment 2)
Next, a scheduling flow in the second configuration example of the transmission packet processing unit 23 in Embodiment 2 will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. When scheduling is started, first in S31, the schedule processing unit 23b performs a process of assigning packets corresponding to the maxBurst value read from the maxBurst 31a in the register 23d to the array of PktsToSend 32a. Note that the processing in S31 is the same as the processing in S11 in the flowchart shown in FIG.

  Next, in S32, various register values are initialized. The initialization of nextPkt31b, SendBuffPtr32d, SendingPtr32e, SPktEndTime32b, and RemainTime31d is the same as that described in S12 of FIG. The OffsetTime 32g is set as (longest packet length) * (number of channels-1) or (average packet length) * (number of channels-1) as described above.

  Next, in S33, nextCh 31c is set to the channel in which the smallest value is stored in the Error Rate for each channel stored in the Error Rate 32f.

  Next, in S34, packet scheduling is performed. First, a channel on which nextCh is scheduled is shown, a packet on which PktsToSend [nextPkt] is scheduled is shown, and SendBuffPtr [nextCh] shows the number of packets assigned to nextCh until now. Here, the packet to be scheduled is assigned to SendBuff [SendBuffPtr [nextCh]] [nextChCh]. Further, the transmission time of PktsToSend [nextPkt] is subtracted from the RemainTime 31d.

  After the packet is assigned as described above, SPktEndTime [nextCh] is set to the transmission end time of the scheduled packet, and SendBuffPtr [nextCh] is incremented.

  Next, in S35, the time calculated by “RemainTime-OffsetTime” is compared with the total free time of channels to which packets are not yet allocated. If YES in S35, that is, if the free time is longer than the time calculated by RemainTime-OffsetTime, the process proceeds to S37. On the other hand, if NO in S35, that is, if the free time is less than the time calculated by RemainTime-OffsetTime, the value of nextPkt 31b is incremented (S36), and the process returns to S34.

  In S37, first, a BAR is assigned to the end of the channel corresponding to nextCh in SendBuff 32c. Then, a transmission period of BAR / BA is added to the channel corresponding to nextCh in SPktEndTime 32b. Further, the value for the channel corresponding to nextCh in SendBuffPtr32d is incremented. As described above, a BAR is assigned to a channel with a high error rate.

  Next, in S38, it is determined whether or not RemainTime has become zero. If YES in S38, that is, if RemainTime becomes 0, the process ends. On the other hand, if NO in S38, that is, if RemainTime is not yet 0, the process proceeds to S39.

  Next, in S39, nextCh31c is set to the channel with the smallest Error Rate after the previously set channel.

  Next, in S40, the same processing as the processing in S34 described above is performed. In S41, a comparison is made between the RemainTime and the total free time of channels to which packets have not yet been assigned. If YES in S41, that is, if the free time is longer than RemainTime, the process returns to S38. On the other hand, if NO in S41, that is, if the free time is less than RemainTime, the value of nextPkt 31b is incremented (S42), and the process returns to S40.

  In the second embodiment, the ErrorRate calculation method and the BAR and BA configurations described in the first embodiment can also be applied.

(Embodiment 3)
The following will describe still another embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the structure which has the function similar to the structure demonstrated in above-described embodiment, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the present embodiment, packets are transmitted simultaneously on each channel, and the lengths of all packets are unified.

  The communication network system according to the present embodiment has the same configuration as that described with reference to FIG. The configurations of the transmission side communication device 1 and the reception side communication device 2 are also the same as those described in the first embodiment with reference to FIG.

(Configuration of sender MAC layer)
The transmitting-side MAC layer 9 has the same configuration as that shown in FIG. 12 in the second embodiment, and the different part is the processing contents in the packetization processing unit 23a.

  When the transmission target is an MPEG2-TS stream, the input to the transmission side MAC layer has a fixed length (188 bytes) structural unit. On the other hand, when the transmission target is a data packet, the length of each data packet given as an input to the transmission side MAC layer is variable.

  Here, in this embodiment, since it is necessary to unify the lengths of the packets to be transmitted, it is necessary to convert the input stream / data packet into a predetermined fixed-length packet. This processing is performed by the packetization processing unit 23a as in the second embodiment.

  In the case of a QoS packet generated based on a stream, packetization processing is performed so that all QoS packets have a fixed length. On the other hand, in the case of a data packet, a process of converting a variable-length input data packet into a fixed-length intermediate packet is performed as in the case shown in FIG. That is, the input data packet is reconfigured so as to be a fixed-length intermediate packet by changing the division position. Here, the length of the intermediate packet is set to be the same as the fixed length of the QoS packet.

  Information on the data packet included in each intermediate packet is stored in the header H of each intermediate packet. The fixed-length QoS packet or intermediate packet generated in this way by the packetization processing unit 23 a is stored in the packet buffer 24.

(Configuration of receiving side MAC layer)
The receiving-side MAC layer 11 has the same configuration as that shown in FIG. 13 in the second embodiment, and the different part is the processing contents in the data restoration processing unit 43b.

  The fixed-length packets generated by the packetization processing unit 23a of the transmission side communication device 1 are sequentially transmitted to the reception side communication device 2 and stored in the data of the packet buffer 44. If the packet stored in the packet buffer 44 is a QoS packet, the data restoration processing unit 43b performs restoration processing and outputs a stream as described in the second embodiment.

  On the other hand, when the packet stored in the packet buffer 44 is an intermediate packet, the data restoration processing unit 43b performs a process of converting the fixed-length intermediate packet into a variable-length data packet. That is, when reception of an intermediate packet corresponding to all parts of a certain data packet is completed, the data recovery processing unit 43b performs a data packet recovery process based on the required intermediate packet. Here, the data restoration processing unit 43b performs the restoration process by referring to the header H of the intermediate packet to recognize which part of the data packet the intermediate packet corresponds to. .

(Details of schedule processing section and scheduling flow)
The configuration related to the schedule processing unit 23b in the transmission packet processing unit 23 is the same as that shown in FIG. Further, the scheduling flow is the same as that shown in FIG. The difference is the condition of the value stored in maxBurst 31a and the initialization process of SPktEndTime 32b.

  In this embodiment, packets of the same length are transmitted simultaneously on all channels, so the number of packets in one scheduling needs to be a multiple of the number of links. That is, a multiple of the number of links is stored in maxBurst 31a. When performing a delivery confirmation process using Normal Ack, it is appropriate to use the value stored in maxBurst 31a as the number of links.

  Similarly, since all the packets need to be transmitted at the same time, the SPktEndTime 32b of all the links is set to the current time in S2 in FIG.

(Second configuration example of transmission packet processing unit and scheduling flow)
Next, a second configuration example of the transmission packet processing unit 23 in the third embodiment will be described. This configuration example is the same as the second configuration example of the transmission packet processing unit shown in the first embodiment in a mode in which transmission / reception of BAR / BA is performed for all packets transmitted in all links. Processing is to be performed. That is, the configuration related to the schedule processing unit 23b in the transmission packet processing unit 23 is the same as that shown in FIG. Also, the scheduling flow is the same as that shown in FIG. The differences are the condition of the value stored in maxBurst 31a and the initialization process of PktsToSend 32a and SPktEndTime 32b.

  maxBurst 31a and SPktEndTime 32b are the same as the details of the schedule processing unit in the third embodiment.

The initialization process of PktsToSend 32a is as follows. The schedule processing unit 23b performs a process of assigning packets for the maxBurst value read from the maxBurst 31a in the register 23d to the array of PktsToSend 32a. In detail, it has n’t been sent yet, and
Packets with time + delayBound> current time input to the transmission side are assigned to the PktsToSend 32a array from the oldest. The maximum number of allocated packets is maxBurst.

(Delivery confirmation processing by Normal Ack)
Next, in Embodiment 3, the case where the delivery confirmation process by Normal Ack is performed is demonstrated. First, the case where the delivery confirmation process by the conventional Normal Ack is performed is demonstrated as a comparative example. Conventional Normal Ack includes delivery confirmation information regarding a packet received in each channel. In other words, in the conventional Normal Ack, the transmission side can recognize only the delivery confirmation information related to the packet transmitted previously on the channel that received the Normal Ack. This causes the following problems.

  FIG. 21A shows an example of a packet sequence in the case where a transmission confirmation process using a conventional Normal Ack is performed in a configuration in which a packet is transmitted through two channels 1 and 2. In this example, a packet 3 is transmitted on the channel 2, and this transmission is successful, but the transmission of the Normal Ack to this is unsuccessful. At this time, the transmitting side has not received the Normal Ack for the packet 3, and therefore recognizes that the transmission of the packet 3 has failed. Therefore, the packet 3 is retransmitted in the next sequence. That is, on the receiving side, the packet 3 is received twice, and the communication band is wasted.

  On the other hand, in this embodiment, the delivery confirmation information regarding all the packets received simultaneously on all the channels is included in the Normal Ack. FIG. 21B shows an example of a packet sequence in the case where transmission confirmation processing by Normal Ack in the present embodiment is performed in a configuration in which a packet is transmitted by two channels 1 and 2.

  In this example, packet 3 is transmitted on channel 2, and this transmission is successful, but transmission of Normal Ack on channel 2 has failed. However, since the Normal Ack in Channel 1 transmitted at the same time as the Normal Ack has been successfully transmitted, the transmitting side confirms the Normal Ack received in Channel 1 to confirm the transmission of the packet 3 transmitted in Channel 2. It can be confirmed that the transmission is successful. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the packet 3 from being retransmitted wastefully and to efficiently use the communication band.

(Delivery confirmation processing by BA)
Next, the case where the delivery confirmation process by BA is performed in Embodiment 3 will be described. First, the case where the delivery confirmation process by the conventional BA is performed is demonstrated as a comparative example. The conventional BA includes delivery confirmation information regarding a packet group received in each channel. In other words, in the conventional BA, the transmission side can recognize only the delivery confirmation information related to the packet transmitted previously in the channel that received the BA. This causes the following problems.

  FIG. 22A shows an example of a packet sequence in the case where a transmission confirmation process by a conventional Normal Ack is performed in a configuration in which a packet is transmitted through three channels 1, 2, and 3. In this example, only the BAR transmitted on channel 1 has failed to transmit. In channel 3, the transmission of the BAR is successful, but the transmission of the BA is not successful. In this case, the BAR is retransmitted in the channels 1 and 3, but even in the channel 2 where the BAR has been successfully transmitted, nothing is transmitted during the period in which the BAR is retransmitted in the channels 1 and 3. Without waiting. That is, the communication band usage efficiency is poor.

  On the other hand, in this embodiment, delivery confirmation information regarding all packets received simultaneously on all channels is included in the BA. FIG. 22B shows an example of a packet sequence in the case where the delivery confirmation processing by the BA in the present embodiment is performed in the configuration in which the packet is transmitted through the three channels 1, 2, and 3.

  In this example, transmission of BAR on channel 1 has failed. In channel 3, the transmission of the BAR is successful, but the transmission of the BA is not successful. On the other hand, since transmission of BAR and BA is successful in channel 2, the transmission side can recognize delivery confirmation information of packets transmitted in all channels. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a channel that has been successfully transmitted from waiting for a BAR / BA sequence in another channel, so that the communication band can be used efficiently.

(Embodiment 4)
The following will describe still another embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the structure which has the function similar to the structure demonstrated in above-described embodiment, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In this embodiment, reception is not performed during transmission. In Embodiment 3, the packet length is all the same, but in this embodiment, the packet length is variable. In this embodiment, since the MIMO communication method is not targeted, it is not necessary to transmit packets of all channels simultaneously. However, in the case where delivery confirmation by Normal Ack is performed in the present embodiment, Normal Ack is received every time a packet is transmitted, and therefore, this embodiment can be applied to MIMO.

  The communication network system according to the present embodiment has the same configuration as that described with reference to FIG. The configurations of the transmission side communication device 1 and the reception side communication device 2 are also the same as those described in the first embodiment with reference to FIG.

  The transmitting-side MAC layer 9 is the same as the configuration shown in FIG. 12 in the second embodiment, and the different part is the processing content in the packetization processing unit 23a.

  The receiving-side MAC layer 11 is the same as the configuration shown in FIG. 13 in the second embodiment, and the different part is the processing content in the delivery confirmation processing unit 43c.

  FIG. 29 shows an example of using BAR / BA in this embodiment. In FIG. 29, channel 1 and channel 2 are channels of different frequencies, TT (transmission period, Time for Transmit) is a period in which packets and BAR are transmitted, and TR (reception period, Time for Receive) is BA. This is the period for receiving. It is assumed that no packet is received during packet transmission.

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 29, all the packets of the burst including the BAR are transmitted within the same TT. However, unlike the packets 3 and 4, it is not necessary to transmit the packets of both channels at the same time. In addition, in the case of IEEE802.11e, the time between BAR and BA is fixed (16 μs). Therefore, BA is transmitted at the same time by simultaneously transmitting after the last BAR packet in all channels. So that In FIG. 29, there is a waiting time Tw between the end of transmission of packet 4 in channel 1 and the start of transmission of BAR, and transmission of BAR in channel 1 is waited until transmission of packet 5 in channel 2 is completed.

(Packet configuration)
In the present embodiment, when delivery confirmation by Normal Ack is performed, the packetization processing unit 23a performs processing for including information on the return time at which Normal Ack should be returned in the QoS packet or data packet to be transmitted, and then transmitting the packet. Is supposed to generate. This reply time must be set to be the same for all channels. The reply time is determined by the time at which transmission of the last packet of all channels is completed + t (constant). When the same physical layer as that of IEEE802.11a is used, t is 16 μs.

  In the receiving-side MAC layer 11, the delivery confirmation processing unit 43 c performs processing so as to read the reply time information included in the received packet and send a Normal Ack back at the set reply time.

(Details of schedule processing section and scheduling flow)
The configuration related to the schedule processing unit 23b in the transmission packet processing unit 23 is the same as that shown in FIG. Further, the scheduling flow is the same as that shown in FIG. However, all BARs after scheduling are transmitted simultaneously. The time when the BAR is transmitted is the time when the last packet transmission is completed for all channels + t (constant). When the same physical layer as that of IEEE802.11a is used, t is 16 μs.

(Second configuration example of transmission packet processing unit and scheduling flow)
Next, a second configuration example of the transmission packet processing unit 23 in Embodiment 4 will be described. The configuration related to the schedule processing unit 23b in the transmission packet processing unit 23 is the same as that shown in FIG. Also, the scheduling flow is the same as that shown in FIG. However, all BARs after scheduling are transmitted simultaneously. The time when the BAR is transmitted is the time when the last packet transmission is completed for all channels + t (constant). When the same physical layer as that of IEEE802.11a is used, t is 16 μs.

  Since Normal Ack and BAR / BA in the fourth embodiment are the same as those described in the third embodiment, the description thereof is omitted here.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope shown in the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  The communication apparatus according to the present invention can be applied to, for example, a communication apparatus used for a transmission apparatus capable of transmitting stream data such as moving image data and other data to an external apparatus. Specifically, examples of the transmitting device include a device having a function of reproducing a moving image recorded as a digital code such as a DVD player, a DVD recorder, and an HDD recorder, and a broadcast receiving device such as a BS / CS tuner.

  The communication apparatus according to the present invention can be applied to a communication apparatus used for a reception apparatus that performs processing based on received stream data and other data, for example. Specifically, examples of the receiving device include a display device that displays moving image data as received stream data.

It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the transmission side communication apparatus and receiving side communication apparatus which concern on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the communication network system which concerns on this embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of a transmission side MAC layer. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of a receiving side MAC layer. It is a block diagram which shows the structure in connection with the schedule process part in a transmission packet process part. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the scheduling by a schedule process part. FIGS. 9A to 9C are diagrams for explaining an outline of scheduling in the second configuration example of the transmission packet processing unit. It is a block diagram which shows the structure in connection with the schedule process part in the transmission packet process part in a 2nd structural example. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the scheduling in the 2nd structural example of a transmission packet process part. It is a figure which shows the example of calculation of ErrorRate. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of BAR and BA used by this embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the transmission side MAC layer which concerns on the other embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the receiving side MAC layer which concerns on the other embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a sequence of BAR / BA in the other embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the scheduling by the schedule process part in the other embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure in connection with the schedule process part in the transmission packet process part in the 2nd structural example in the other form of implementation of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the scheduling in the 2nd structural example of the transmission packet process part in the other embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the packet sequence which shows the case where a BAR / BA sequence is successful and the case where it fails in a specific channel. It is a figure which shows two examples of a packet sequence. It is a figure which shows the process which converts the variable-length input data packet into a fixed-length intermediate packet. FIG. 6A is a diagram showing an example of a packet sequence in the case where a transmission confirmation process using a conventional Normal Ack is performed in a configuration in which a packet is transmitted using two channels, and FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a packet sequence in case the delivery confirmation process by Normal Ack in this embodiment is performed in the structure which transmits a packet by one channel. FIG. 6A is a diagram showing an example of a packet sequence when a delivery confirmation process using conventional Normal Ack is performed in a configuration in which a packet is transmitted using three channels. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a packet sequence in case the delivery confirmation process by BA in this embodiment is performed in the structure which transmits a packet by one channel. (A) and (b) are diagrams showing specific examples in the case where delivery confirmation using Normal Ack defined in IEEE802.11e is performed. FIGS. 9A and 9B are diagrams showing an example in which retransmission of a QoS packet is successful and an example in which the retransmission is unsuccessful. In the case of wireless communication, it is a figure which shows a mode that an error rate fluctuates temporally for every channel which is a transmission line. FIG. 6A is a diagram showing a configuration example in the case where two antennas corresponding to two channels are provided close to each other, and FIG. It is a figure which shows the outline of the graph which took a frequency and signal power on the vertical axis | shaft in case a reception is performed. FIG. 6A is a diagram showing the waveform of the channel signal when the packet transmission start times in the two channels are different from each other when performing communication by MIMO, and FIG. It is a figure which shows the waveform of a channel signal when the packet transmission start time in two channels is prepared when performing communication. It is a figure explaining that Normal Ack needs to be sent in response to the end of the longest packet when packets having different lengths are transmitted in two channels. It is a figure which shows the example of the packet sequence of BAR / BA.

Explanation of symbols

1 Transmission side communication device (communication device)
2 Receiving side communication device (communication device)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 Transmission apparatus 4 Reception apparatus 5 Transmission side control part 6 Reception side control part 9 Transmission side MAC layer 10 Transmission side physical layer 11 Reception side MAC layer 12 Reception side physical layer 21 Transmission buffer control part 22 Framer 23 Transmission packet processing part 23a Packet Processing unit (packet generation means)
23b Schedule processing unit (scheduling means)
23c Packet distribution processing unit (packet distribution means)
23d Register 23d Delivery Confirmation Processing Unit (Delivery Confirmation Request Unit)
23e array register 24 packet buffer (packet storage means)
25 Frame processing part (Delivery confirmation request means)
26 PktEndTime (transmission completion time storage means)
27 SeqBuff (Transmission packet storage means)
41 reception buffer control unit 42 framer 43 received packet processing unit 43a packet alignment processing unit (packet alignment means)
43b Data restoration processing unit 43c Delivery confirmation processing unit (delivery confirmation transmission means)
44 packet buffer 45 frame processing unit (delivery confirmation transmission means)
46 SeqBuff (reception packet storage means)

Claims (54)

A communication device that transmits a plurality of packets to a single communication destination using a plurality of communication channels,
Scheduling means for determining on which communication channel a packet to be transmitted is to be transmitted;
A communication apparatus, wherein the scheduling means sets a communication channel used when transmitting a packet for which a retransmission request has been received from a communication destination without being affected by a communication channel that previously transmitted the packet. Packet storage means for storing a packet to be transmitted;
The packet storage means is waiting for transmission with respect to each stored packet, is waiting for reception confirmation indicating that the transmitted packet has been properly delivered to the communication destination, and Remembers information indicating which of the confirmed success states,
Among the packets stored in the packet storage unit, the scheduling unit sets a packet for which a retransmission request has been received to a state waiting for the transmission, and among the packets stored in the packet storage unit The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a packet set as a state waiting for the transmission is scheduled.   3. A delivery confirmation request means for generating a delivery confirmation request packet for requesting the delivery confirmation from the communication destination for a packet transmitted on each communication channel is provided corresponding to each communication channel. The communication device described.   3. The communication apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a delivery confirmation requesting unit configured to generate a delivery confirmation request packet for requesting the delivery confirmation from a communication destination for a packet transmitted through a plurality of communication channels. A communication device that transmits a plurality of packets to a single communication destination using a plurality of communication channels,
Scheduling means for determining in what communication channel and in what order the packets to be transmitted are provided;
A communication apparatus, wherein the scheduling means performs scheduling so that packets scheduled to be transmitted continuously are transmitted through different communication channels. A communication device that transmits a plurality of packets to a single communication destination using a plurality of communication channels,
Scheduling means for determining in what communication channel and in what order the packets to be transmitted are provided;
When the scheduling means assigns each packet to each communication channel according to the transmission order of the packets to be transmitted, each time a packet is assigned to a certain communication channel, the transmission completion time of the packet is stored in the transmission completion time storage means. A communication apparatus that updates for each communication channel and assigns a packet to the communication channel having the shortest transmission completion time. A communication device that transmits a plurality of packets,
A scheduling means for setting a transmission order of packets to be transmitted;
The scheduling means divides a plurality of packets to be transmitted into a plurality of groups according to the length of the remaining expiration date set in each packet,
A communication apparatus, wherein a transmission order is set so that a packet included in a group having a shorter remaining validity period is transmitted with priority.   8. The communication apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the scheduling unit sets a transmission order so that a packet included in a group having a shorter remaining expiration date is transmitted earlier. A communication device that transmits a plurality of packets,
A scheduling means for setting a transmission order of packets to be transmitted;
A communication apparatus, wherein the scheduling means sets a transmission order so that a packet having a larger packet size is preferentially transmitted.   10. The communication apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the scheduling means sets a transmission order so that a packet having a larger packet size is transmitted earlier.   9. The communication apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the scheduling means sets the transmission order of the packets in each group so that a packet having a larger packet size is transmitted earlier. While transmitting the plurality of packets to a single communication destination using a plurality of communication channels,
8. The communication apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the scheduling means assigns a packet included in a group having a shorter remaining expiration date to a communication channel having a lower error rate among a plurality of communication channels. While transmitting the plurality of packets to a single communication destination using a plurality of communication channels,
10. The communication apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the scheduling unit performs scheduling so that a packet having a larger packet size is assigned to a communication channel having a lower error rate.   13. The communication apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the scheduling means assigns the packets in each group to a communication channel having a lower error rate as the packet size is larger. Scheduling result storage means for storing a scheduling result by the scheduling means;
15. A packet distribution unit for sequentially transmitting packets to be transmitted to each communication channel in accordance with a scheduling result stored in the scheduling result storage unit. The communication device according to item. A communication device that transmits a plurality of packets,
A delivery confirmation request means for generating a delivery confirmation request packet for requesting a delivery confirmation indicating whether the transmitted packet has been properly delivered to the communication destination;
The delivery confirmation packet includes a packet information area corresponding to the number of packets to be acknowledged, and the packet information area includes information for identifying a corresponding packet. Communication device. Further comprising transmission packet storage means for storing information identifying the transmitted packet;
The communication apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the delivery confirmation requesting unit generates the delivery confirmation request packet based on information stored in the transmission packet storage unit. A communication device for receiving a packet from the communication device according to claim 16 or 17,
Upon receipt of the delivery confirmation request packet, it comprises a delivery confirmation transmission means for generating a delivery confirmation packet to be sent back to the packet.
The delivery confirmation packet includes delivery confirmation information areas corresponding to the number of packets to be acknowledged, and the delivery confirmation information area includes bits indicating success / failure of delivery. Communication device. A reception packet storage means for storing information for identifying the received packet;
19. The communication apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the delivery confirmation transmitting unit generates the delivery confirmation packet based on information stored in the received packet storage unit. A communication device that receives a plurality of packets from a single communication destination using a plurality of communication channels,
In each communication channel, a delivery confirmation transmitting means for returning a delivery confirmation packet for each received packet;
A communication apparatus comprising: a packet alignment unit that aligns a plurality of received packets in order. A communication device that transmits a plurality of packets to a single communication destination using a plurality of communication channels,
Packet generation means for generating a transmission packet including information indicating a return time to which a delivery confirmation packet to be returned from the communication destination should be returned with respect to a data packet input as a data packet to be transmitted A communication device. A communication device for receiving a packet from the communication device according to claim 21,
Upon receipt of the transmission packet, it is provided with a delivery confirmation transmitting means for reading the reply time information included in the transmission packet and returning a delivery confirmation packet for the reply packet at the reply time. A communication device. A communication device that receives a plurality of packets from a single communication destination using a plurality of communication channels,
Each communication channel includes a delivery confirmation transmission means for returning a delivery confirmation packet for each received packet,
A communication apparatus, wherein the delivery confirmation transmitting means transmits the delivery confirmation packet simultaneously on all communication channels.   24. The communication apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the delivery confirmation transmission means includes information on delivery confirmation in the delivery confirmation packet in all the channels transmitted simultaneously in the delivery confirmation packet. A communication device that transmits a plurality of packets to a single communication destination using a plurality of communication channels,
A delivery confirmation request means for generating a delivery confirmation request packet for requesting a delivery confirmation indicating whether the transmitted packet has been properly delivered to the communication destination;
The delivery confirmation requesting means transmits the delivery confirmation request packet simultaneously on all the communication channels.   26. The communication apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the delivery confirmation requesting unit includes information on a delivery confirmation request in delivery confirmation request packets for all channels transmitted simultaneously in the delivery confirmation request packet. A communication method in a communication device for transmitting a plurality of packets to a single communication destination using a plurality of communication channels,
A first step of determining on which communication channel a packet to be transmitted is to be transmitted;
In the first step, a communication channel used when transmitting a packet for which a retransmission request has been received from a communication destination is set without being affected by the communication channel that previously transmitted the packet. In the packet storage means for storing the packet to be transmitted, for each stored packet, waiting for transmission, waiting for reception confirmation indicating that the transmitted packet has been properly delivered to the communication destination And a second step of storing information indicating whether the transmission is successful or a transmission is confirmed to be successful;
Among the packets stored in the packet storage means, the packet that has received a retransmission request is set to a state waiting for the transmission, and among the packets stored in the packet storage means, the transmission is waited for. 28. The communication method according to claim 27, further comprising a third step of scheduling a packet set as a status of being performed.   29. The communication according to claim 28, wherein a fourth step of generating a delivery confirmation request packet for requesting the delivery confirmation from the communication destination is performed for each communication channel with respect to a packet transmitted on each communication channel. Method.   30. The communication method according to claim 28, further comprising a fifth step of generating a delivery confirmation request packet for requesting the delivery confirmation from a communication destination for a packet transmitted on a plurality of communication channels. A communication method in a communication device for transmitting a plurality of packets to a single communication destination using a plurality of communication channels,
A first step of determining in which communication channel and in what order the packets to be transmitted are to be transmitted;
In the first step, scheduling is performed such that packets scheduled to be transmitted continuously are transmitted through different communication channels. A communication method in a communication device for transmitting a plurality of packets to a single communication destination using a plurality of communication channels,
A first step of determining in which communication channel and in what order the packets to be transmitted are to be transmitted;
In the first step, when each packet is assigned to each communication channel according to the transmission order of the packets to be transmitted, each time a packet is assigned to a certain communication channel, the transmission completion time of the packet is stored. A communication method characterized in that a packet is allocated to a communication channel that is updated for each communication channel and has the minimum transmission completion time. A communication method in a communication device for transmitting a plurality of packets,
Including a first step of setting a transmission order of packets to be transmitted;
In the first step, the plurality of packets to be transmitted are divided into a plurality of groups according to the length of the remaining expiration date set in each packet, and
A communication method, wherein a transmission order is set so that a packet included in a group having a shorter remaining expiration date is transmitted with priority.   34. The communication method according to claim 33, wherein in the first step, a transmission order is set so that packets included in a group having a shorter remaining expiration date are transmitted earlier. A communication method in a communication device for transmitting a plurality of packets,
Including a first step of setting a transmission order of packets to be transmitted;
In the first step, a transmission order is set so that a packet having a larger packet size is preferentially transmitted.   36. The communication method according to claim 35, wherein, in the first step, a transmission order is set so that a packet having a larger packet size is transmitted earlier.   35. The communication method according to claim 34, wherein, in the first step, the transmission order of the packets in each group is set such that the larger the packet size, the earlier the transmission. While transmitting the plurality of packets to a single communication destination using a plurality of communication channels,
34. The communication method according to claim 33, wherein, in the first step, a packet included in a group having a shorter remaining expiration date is assigned to a communication channel having a lower error rate among a plurality of communication channels. While transmitting the plurality of packets to a single communication destination using a plurality of communication channels,
36. The communication method according to claim 35, wherein, in the first step, scheduling is performed such that the larger the packet size is, the lower the error rate is assigned to the communication channel.   39. The communication method according to claim 38, wherein, in the first step, packets in each group are allocated to a communication channel having a lower error rate as the packet size is larger.   41. The method according to claim 27, further comprising a step of sequentially transmitting packets to be transmitted to each communication channel according to the scheduling result stored in the scheduling result storage means for storing the scheduling result. The communication method according to claim 1. A communication method in a communication device for transmitting a plurality of packets,
Generating a delivery confirmation request packet that requests a delivery confirmation indicating whether the transmitted packet has been properly delivered to the communication destination;
The delivery confirmation packet includes a packet information area corresponding to the number of packets to be acknowledged, and the packet information area includes information for identifying a corresponding packet. Communication method.   43. The communication according to claim 42, wherein, in the first step, the delivery confirmation request packet is generated based on information stored in a transmission packet storage unit that stores information specifying a transmitted packet. Method. A communication method in a communication device that receives a packet from a communication device that operates according to the communication method according to claim 42 or 43,
A second step of generating a delivery confirmation packet in response to the receipt of the delivery confirmation request packet;
The delivery confirmation packet includes delivery confirmation information areas corresponding to the number of packets to be acknowledged, and the delivery confirmation information area includes bits indicating success / failure of delivery. Communication method.   45. The communication method according to claim 44, wherein, in the second step, the delivery confirmation packet is generated based on information stored in received packet storage means for storing information specifying a received packet. . A communication method in a communication apparatus for receiving a plurality of packets from a single communication destination using a plurality of communication channels,
A first step of returning a delivery confirmation packet for each received packet in each communication channel;
And a second step of arranging a plurality of received packets in order. A communication method in a communication device for transmitting a plurality of packets to a single communication destination using a plurality of communication channels,
Including a first step of generating a transmission packet including information indicating a return time at which a delivery confirmation packet to be returned from a communication destination is returned with respect to a data packet input as a data packet to be transmitted. A communication method characterized by comprising: A communication method in a communication device that receives a packet from a communication device that operates according to the communication method according to claim 47, wherein
When the transmission packet is received, it includes a first step of reading information on a reply time included in the transmission packet and returning a delivery confirmation packet for the reply packet at the reply time. A communication method characterized by the above. A communication method in a communication apparatus for receiving a plurality of packets from a single communication destination using a plurality of communication channels,
A first step of returning a delivery confirmation packet for each received packet in each communication channel;
In the first step, the delivery confirmation packet is transmitted simultaneously on all communication channels.   50. The communication apparatus according to claim 49, wherein in the first step, the delivery confirmation packet includes information on delivery confirmation in the delivery confirmation packet in all channels transmitted simultaneously. A communication method in a communication device for transmitting a plurality of packets to a single communication destination using a plurality of communication channels,
Generating a delivery confirmation request packet that requests a delivery confirmation indicating whether the transmitted packet has been properly delivered to the communication destination;
In the first step, a delivery confirmation request packet is transmitted simultaneously on all communication channels.   52. The communication method according to claim 51, wherein, in the first step, the delivery confirmation request packet includes information on a delivery confirmation request in delivery confirmation request packets for all channels transmitted simultaneously.   53. A communication program causing a computer to execute the communication method according to claim 27.   54. A computer-readable recording medium on which the communication program according to claim 53 is recorded.

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