JP2005150791A - Communication terminal and communication network - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communication terminal and a communication network for stabilizing communication, avoiding radio interference, and effectively using network resources. <P>SOLUTION: The communication terminal is configured with a plurality of communication terminals each provided with: a communication section 1 for transmitting/receiving packets; a number of hop storage section 4 for storing the number of hops between each of other terminals and its own terminal; a packet analyzer section 2A that sets a number of the number of hops n or over corresponding to the shortest path to be a hop range number n+a between both the terminals on the basis of the number of hops between the destination terminal (terminal D) and its own terminal stored in the number of hop storage section 4 when its own terminal is the source terminal (terminal S) and analyzes the terminals S, D and the n+a on the basis of the received packet when its own terminal is a relay terminal, sums both the number of hops between the terminal S and its own terminal and between the terminal D and its own terminal in the number of hop storage section 4 to obtain the number of hops h, and relays and transmits the packet only in the case of h≤n+a; and a packet generating section 3 for adding the set n+a to the packet to generate a transmission packet when its own terminal is the terminal S. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication network such as an ad hoc network constituted by a plurality of communication terminals, and a communication terminal constituting the communication network, and more particularly to a routing technique in the communication network.

  In an ad hoc network, each terminal in the network has a router function, and a communication path is formed by an appropriate terminal (relay terminal) between the source terminal and the destination terminal. By relaying the packet transmitted from the terminal to the destination terminal, communication between the source terminal and the destination terminal is performed. As communication technology in such an ad hoc network, a single path technology (for example, refer to Non-Patent Document 1) for communicating by forming one communication path (single path) and a plurality of communication paths (multipath) are formed. Multipath technology (for example, see Non-Patent Document 2).

“Ad hoc On-Demand Distance Vector (AODV) Routing”, Internet URL: <http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc3561.txt> ([October 16, 2003 search]) “On-demand Multipath Distance Vector Routing in AD Hoc Networks”, Internet URL: <http://www.cs.sunysb.edu/~samir/Pubs/icnp-01.pdf> ([October 16, 2003 Search])

  However, in the communication using the single path technology in the ad hoc network, there is a problem that the communication is likely to be disconnected or unstable due to the movement of the relay terminal. In communication using multipath technology, communication is difficult to be interrupted, but there is a bias in the multipath formed around the source terminal and the destination terminal, and there is a problem that the influence of radio wave interference cannot be avoided. there were. Furthermore, even when communication is stable, using multipath technology is a waste of network resources, but switching between single path technology and multipath technology has the problem of complicated control. It was.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a conventional problem, and provides a communication terminal and a communication network capable of stabilizing communication, avoiding the influence of radio wave interference, and effectively utilizing network resources. The purpose is to provide.

The communication terminal of the present invention
A communication means for transmitting and receiving packets to and from other communication terminals constituting the communication network;
Hop number holding means for holding the number of hops between each other communication terminal and its own terminal,
When the own terminal is a source terminal that transmits a packet to the destination terminal, the destination terminal is based on the number of hops between the destination terminal and the own terminal held in the hop number holding means. Routing setting means for setting a number equal to or greater than the number of hops of the shortest path between the terminal and the terminal as the number of hop ranges to be routed;
A packet generation unit that generates a packet with the number of hop ranges to be routed and transmits the packet from the communication unit;
Analyzing means for analyzing, from the packet received by the communication means, a source terminal, a destination terminal, and the number of hop ranges to be routed more than the number of hops of the shortest path between the source terminal and the destination terminal;
The number of hops of the path using the own terminal is obtained by adding the number of both hops between the source terminal and the destination terminal and the own terminal held in the hop number holding means, and the path using the own terminal It is determined whether or not the number of hops is less than or equal to the number of hop ranges to be routed, and if the number of hops of the path using the terminal is less than or equal to the number of hop ranges to be routed, the packet is relayed from the communication means And relay determination means for discarding the packet if the number of hops of the path using the terminal is not less than the number of hop ranges to be routed.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to stabilize communication, avoid the influence of radio wave interference, and effectively use network resources.

Embodiment 1
The first embodiment of the present invention described below is a method for forming a multipath between a source terminal and a destination terminal when the source terminal and the destination terminal communicate with each other in the network. Terminal has the number of hops from the source terminal to its own terminal and the number of hops from the destination terminal to its own terminal (= the number of hops from its own terminal to the destination terminal). By using the total number of hops from the destination terminal (= the number of hops in the path using its own terminal) as a reference, it is determined whether routing is performed, so that the area where the relay terminal exists is not biased It is characterized by.

  In the first embodiment, when the source terminal and the destination terminal communicate with each other, a multipath is constructed by the following procedures 1) to 4).

  1) In order to confirm that the source terminal and the destination terminal can communicate with each other, the source terminal advertises the position of its own terminal by flooding and requests communication with the destination terminal. Thereby, each terminal in the network acquires the (shortest) hop count s from the source terminal to the own terminal.

  2) The destination terminal that has received the flooding from the source terminal advertises the position of the terminal itself by flooding and returns a response to the source terminal. As a result, each terminal in the network obtains the (shortest) hop count d from the destination terminal to the own terminal.

  3) Through the above-described flooding transmission / reception operation, the source terminal and the destination terminal confirm that communication is possible, and acquire the (shortest) hop count n between the source terminal and the destination terminal. Also, each terminal in the network uses the above-described procedures 1) and 2) to determine the total number of hops s + d of the number of hops s to the source terminal and the number of hops d to the destination terminal using the own terminal. As the number of hops h. At this time, the terminal having the hop count h = n of the path using its own terminal is a terminal constituting the shortest path (optimum path) between the source terminal and the destination terminal.

  4) The source terminal issues a request in the network that only the terminal having a path hop count h of n + a or less (terminal satisfying h ≦ n + a) relays communication between the source terminal and the destination terminal. That is, the number of hop ranges to be routed is set to n + a, and a relay request is issued. Here, a is an integer of 0, 1, 2,..., Α with the integer α as an upper limit value.

  According to the above procedures 1) to 4), a multipath is formed by relay terminals in which the number of hops h of the path using the terminal is equal to or less than the number of hop ranges n + a set by the source terminal.

  Thus, since the source terminal and the destination terminal each perform flooding, each terminal in the network can know the number of hops s from the source terminal and the number of hops d from the destination terminal. Each of the terminals can determine the number of hops h (= s + d) of the path using its own terminal, and the number of hop ranges h that are set by the source terminal and the number of hops of routing set by the source terminal Routing control using n + a is possible.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a radio communication terminal according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The terminal according to the first embodiment includes a communication unit 1, a packet analysis unit 2A, a packet generation unit 3, a hop number holding unit 4, and a DV (Distance Vector) holding unit 5.

[Communication unit 1]
The communication unit 1 wirelessly communicates with other terminals in the network, and transmits / receives packets to / from these other terminals.

[Packet analysis unit 2A]
The packet analysis unit 2A analyzes the packet received by the communication unit 1. The packet analysis unit 2A further performs the following four analysis processes a) to d).

  a) Analyzing the source address and the number of hops from the source address to its own terminal (the number of transit terminals) from the packet received by the communication unit 1, and using the source address as the ID (IP address or Information that can identify a terminal such as a MAC address), and the number of hops is defined as the number of hops from the terminal at the source address to the own terminal. The terminal ID and the number of hops analyzed and sent to the hop number holding unit 4 are held in the hop number holding unit 4 for a certain period of time.

  b) Analyzing the source address, the ID of the adjacent terminal that has sent the packet, and the ID of the packet (information that can identify the packet, such as a sequence number) from the packet received by the communication unit 1, With the source address as the destination terminal ID and the adjacent terminal ID as the DV (Distance Vector) terminal ID, these destination terminal ID, DV terminal ID, and packet ID are sent to the DV holding unit 5. The terminal ID and the packet ID analyzed and sent to the DV holding unit 5 are held in the DV holding unit 5 for a certain period of time.

  c) When the terminal generates and transmits a packet to communicate with another terminal as a source terminal, the hop count holding unit 4 is inquired about the hop count n to the destination terminal, and the hop count n to the destination terminal is greater than or equal to n The hop range number n + a to be routed is set and sent to the packet generator 3.

  d) Analyzing the source address, the destination address, and the number of hop ranges to be routed n + a from the packet received by the communication unit 1. Further, the analyzed source address is set as the source terminal ID, the analyzed destination address is set as the destination terminal ID, and the number of hops for the source terminal ID and the destination terminal ID is inquired to the hop number holding unit 4. The number of hops s from the source terminal to its own terminal and the number of hops d from the destination terminal to its own terminal, which are responded from the holding unit 4, are added, and the number of hops h (= s + d) of the path using the own terminal is obtained. Ask. Then, it is determined whether or not h ≦ n + a. When h ≦ n + a is satisfied, the packet and the destination terminal ID are sent to the packet generation unit 3, and when h ≦ n + a is not satisfied, Discard the packet. In order to ensure compatibility with other systems, it is possible to send all packets that do not include the number of hop ranges n + a to be routed to the packet generator 3.

[Hop number holding unit 4]
The hop number holding unit 4 holds the terminal ID and the hop number passed from the packet analysis unit 2A for a certain period. When the packet analysis unit 2A makes an inquiry about the number of hops for the terminal ID, the number of hops corresponding to the terminal ID is returned. The hop number holding unit 4 is configured as shown in FIG. 2, for example, and holds the terminal ID, the number of hops, and the holding time as one set. The holding time gradually decreases from the initial value, and when the holding time becomes zero, the terminal ID and the number of hops of the set are deleted.

[DV holding unit 5]
The DV holding unit 5 holds one destination terminal ID, one or more DV terminal IDs, and one packet ID passed from the packet analysis unit 2A for a certain period. Further, when there is an inquiry about the DV terminal ID for the destination terminal ID from the packet generating unit 3, all the DV terminal IDs corresponding to the destination terminal ID are returned. The DV holding unit 5 is configured as shown in FIG. 3, for example, and holds one destination terminal ID, one or more DV terminal IDs, one packet ID, and a holding time as a set. . The holding time gradually decreases from the initial value, and when the holding time becomes 0, the terminal ID and packet ID of the set are deleted. The destination terminal ID and the holding time are updated based on the packet ID passed from the packet analysis unit 2A. For example, when the packet ID same as the group already held and the DV terminal ID not held in the group are passed from the packet analysis unit 2A, the packet analysis unit 2A passes the DV end ID of the group to the DV end ID of the set. The recorded DV terminal ID is added, and the holding time of the set is updated to the initial value.

[Packet generator 3]
The packet generation unit 3 generates a packet and transmits it using the communication unit 1. The packet generator 3 further performs the following three processes A) to C).

  A) A communication request packet is generated and transmitted, and a response packet for the received communication request packet is generated and transmitted.

  B) When the own terminal generates and transmits a packet to communicate with another terminal as a source terminal, the number of hop ranges to be routed n + a sent from the packet analysis unit 2A is added to the packet generated as usual. The communication unit 1 is used to transmit a packet to which the hop range number n + a is added.

  C) When the packet received by the terminal as a relay terminal is relay-transmitted, the DV holding unit 5 is inquired about the DV terminal ID for the destination terminal ID of the packet sent from the packet analysis unit 2A. If one or more DV terminal IDs corresponding to the inquired destination terminal ID exist in the DV holding unit 5 and one or more DV terminal IDs are returned from the DV holding unit 5, each DV terminal ID is returned. The packet is recreated so as to request relay to the terminal ID, and the remade packet is transmitted using the communication unit 1. If no DV terminal ID corresponding to the inquired destination terminal ID exists in the DV holding unit 5, the packet is discarded.

  The operation of the ad hoc network configured with the terminal according to the first embodiment will be described below.

  First, the source terminal makes an inquiry to the destination terminal by flooding in an attempt to communicate with the destination terminal.

  The terminal that has received the flooding packet analyzes the packet by the packet analysis unit 2A, stores the source terminal ID and the hop number s from the source terminal to the own terminal in the hop number holding unit 4, and stores the hop number s in the DV holding unit 5. The destination terminal ID, DV terminal ID, and packet ID are stored.

  Further, the destination terminal that has received the flooding packet from the source terminal knows that the packet is a packet requesting communication to the terminal itself, and further responds to the source terminal by flooding.

  The terminal that has received the flooding packet of the response analyzes the packet by the packet analysis unit 2A, stores the terminal ID of the destination terminal and the number of hops d from the destination terminal to its own terminal, and stores the destination in the DV holding unit 5. The Nation terminal ID, DV terminal ID, and packet ID are stored.

  The source terminal that has received the flooding packet of the response from the destination terminal knows the number of hops from the destination terminal to the source terminal (= the number of hops from the source terminal to the destination terminal) n. This completes the preparation.

  Since the source terminal knows the number of hops from the destination terminal (= the number of hops to the destination terminal) n by the above preparation, it adds the number of hop ranges n + a to be routed to the packet to be sent to the destination terminal. The packet is transmitted using the communication unit 1. The hop count holding unit 4 of the source terminal stores the hop count n from the destination terminal by the above preparation, and the packet analysis unit 2A of the source terminal converts the hop count n from the destination terminal to the hop count. The holding unit 4 is inquired, the number of hop ranges n + a to be routed is set, and the packet generation unit 3 of the source terminal adds the number of hop ranges n + a to be routed to the packet to be sent to the destination terminal. Here, setting the number of hop ranges to be routed to the lower limit value n (a = 0) means routing through the shortest path. There is at least one shortest path (strictly speaking, it existed in the above preparation stage). It is also possible to set the number of hop ranges n + a to be routed in advance for each terminal in the network. In this case, the source terminal needs to set the number of hop ranges n + a to be routed and is added to the packet. do not have to.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining a relay procedure in the terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  When the relay terminal receives the packet to which the hop range number n + a from the source terminal is added (step S1), in the packet analysis unit 2A, the source address (source terminal ID) and the number of hops from the source terminal to its own terminal s, adjacent terminal ID, packet ID, destination address (destination terminal ID), and hop range number n + a to be routed are analyzed (step S2), and the hop number holding unit 4 and DV holding unit 5 are Update.

  Further, the relay terminal obtains the hop number s from the source terminal to the own terminal and the hop number d from the destination terminal to the own terminal from the hop number holding unit 4 in the packet analysis unit 2A, and uses the own terminal. The path hop count h (= s + d) is obtained, and it is determined whether or not h ≦ n + a (step S3).

  If h ≦ n + a, the packet and the destination terminal ID are sent to the packet generator 3.

  If h ≦ n + a is not satisfied, the packet is discarded (step S4).

  The packet generation unit 3 that has received the packet and the destination terminal ID from the packet analysis unit 2A inquires the DV holding unit 5 about the DV terminal ID for the destination terminal ID (step S5).

  If no DV terminal ID corresponding to the inquired destination terminal ID exists in the DV holding unit 5, the packet is discarded (step S4).

  Also, if one or more DV terminal IDs corresponding to the inquired destination terminal ID exist in the DV holding unit 5, the relay is performed for each of the one or more DV terminal IDs returned from the DV holding unit 5. The packet is recreated so as to be requested, and relay-transmitted using the communication unit 1 (step S6).

  By performing the above processing in each relay terminal, the packet transmitted from the source terminal is distributed to the destination terminal, and communication between the source terminal and the destination terminal becomes possible.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the difference between the conventional method and the method of the present invention. FIG. 5A shows the conventional method, and FIG. 5B shows the method of the present invention. In FIG. 5, “O” of S represents the above terminal S, and “O” of D represents the above terminal D. In the conventional method of FIG. 5 (a), a biased multipath is formed by the terminals in a small elliptical region passing through the terminals S and D. In the method of the present invention of FIG. A non-biased multipath can be formed by a terminal in a large elliptical area with the terminal D as a focal point.

  6 and 7, each circle represents a terminal, each circle of S represents the terminal S described above, and each circle of D represents the terminal D described above. In FIG. 6, the numbers in the circles represent the number of hops of the path using the terminal (the number of hops h described above). In FIG. 7, p1 represents a path formed between the terminal S and the terminal D by the terminal having the hop number h = 5 in FIG. 6, and p2 is a terminal having the hop number h = 6 in FIG. 6 represents a path formed between the terminal D, p3 represents a path formed between the terminal S and the terminal D by the terminal having the hop number h = 7 in FIG. 6, and p4 represents the hop number h = in FIG. 8 represents a path formed between the terminal S and the terminal D by the eight terminals.

  In FIG. 6, the shortest hop number n between the terminal S and the terminal D is n = 5. When a = 2, the number of hop ranges to be routed is set to n + a = 7, and relaying is performed only by terminals satisfying h ≦ 7, relaying is performed by the terminals of h = 5, 6, and 7. Thereby, in FIG. 7, it relays by three paths p1, p2, and p3.

  In FIG. 6, when a = 3 and the number of hop ranges to be routed is set to n + a = 8, and relaying is performed only by terminals satisfying h ≦ 8, relaying is performed by the terminals of h = 5, 6, 7, and 8. Made. As a result, in FIG. 7, relay is performed through four paths p1, p2, p3, and p4.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to form only the shortest path by determining whether or not to perform a relay operation on the basis of the number of hops h of the path using its own terminal (a = 0). ), Network resources can be used effectively, paths that go around the source terminal and destination terminal can be generated, and multipath can be formed without bias (when a ≧ 1), thereby avoiding the effects of radio wave interference. it can.

Embodiment 2
The second embodiment of the present invention described below is the routing of packets generated by the source terminal (terminal S) in accordance with the situation of the ad hoc network (for example, instability of communication) in the first embodiment. The number of hop ranges to be controlled is variably controlled between a lower limit value n (where n is the number of hops in the shortest path) and an upper limit value n + α, thereby variably controlling the area of the relay terminal, thereby instability of communication in an ad hoc network It is characterized by eliminating communication and stabilizing communication.

  In the present invention, it is possible to generate a path that goes around the source terminal and the destination terminal, and a wide and unbiased multipath can be formed around the source terminal and the destination terminal as shown in FIG. Thus, it is possible to form a multipath that is unlikely to cause interference.

  FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of the wireless communication terminal according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Components similar to those in FIG. The terminal according to the second embodiment includes a communication unit 1, a packet analysis unit 2B, a packet generation unit 3, a hop number holding unit 4, and a DV holding unit 5. That is, the terminal of the second embodiment has a configuration in which the packet analysis unit 2A is the packet analysis unit 2B in the terminal of the first embodiment (see FIG. 1).

  In this second embodiment, the packet analysis unit 2B sets the number of hop ranges to be routed to the lower limit n at the beginning of communication, and detects instability of communication based on the presence or absence of communication interruption, for example. When communication is interrupted and unstable, the number of hop ranges to be routed is increased to n + 1, n + 2,... N + α as appropriate, thereby expanding the area of the relay terminal, increasing the redundant path, Stabilize communication.

  Here, if the number of hop ranges to be routed is too large, the load applied to the entire network increases. Therefore, the upper limit value n + α (the upper limit value α of a) of the number of hop ranges to be routed is a range in which the load of the entire network does not increase significantly. It is desirable to set a small value (for example, any one of 1, 2 and 3). If communication is interrupted even when the number of hop ranges to be routed is set to the upper limit value n + α, it is reconfirmed, for example, whether communication is possible.

  For example, if the upper limit α = 2 of a constituting the number of hop ranges n + a to be routed is set to 2 and the communication is stable, the number of hop ranges to be routed is set to n, and if the communication is slightly unstable, the number of hop ranges to be routed Is set to n + 1, and when communication is more unstable, the number of hop ranges to be routed is set to n + 2, and if communication is interrupted even if the number of hop ranges to be routed is set to n + 2, communication is possible. Check again.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the control procedure of the number of hop ranges n + a to be routed in the source terminal according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  First, the packet analysis unit 2B of the source terminal sets the number of hop ranges to be routed to the lower limit value n, and the packet generation unit 3 of the source terminal uses the communication unit 1 to add a packet with the number of hop ranges n to be routed. (Step S11).

  Next, the packet analysis unit 2B of the source terminal confirms whether or not ACK (response signal indicating that communication is possible) can be received from the transmission destination. If ACK is received, communication is not interrupted. If ACK is not received, it is determined that communication is interrupted (step S12).

  If communication is not interrupted, communication is continued with the number of hop ranges to be routed as it is (step S13).

  If communication is interrupted, the number of hop ranges to be routed is increased by one and reset, and the packet is retransmitted with the number of hop ranges to be routed reset added (step S14).

  When the number of hop ranges to be routed is reset, it is determined whether or not the number of hop ranges to be reset is equal to or less than the upper limit value n + α (step S15).

  If the number of reconfigured hop ranges to be routed is n + α or less, it is confirmed whether or not an ACK from the transmission destination has been received (step S12).

  If the reset hop range number to be routed is not less than n + α, it is confirmed again whether communication is possible (step S16).

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, when communication cannot be established, the number of hop ranges to be routed is appropriately increased, so that redundant paths can be increased and communication can be stabilized.

Embodiment 3
The third embodiment of the present invention described below is the same as that in the first or second embodiment when the hop number h of the path using the own terminal satisfies h ≦ n + a for the hop range number n + a to be routed. By determining the priority of the path using, and performing routing control using this priority, a multipath with reduced interference is formed.

  In this third embodiment, the number of hops h using its own terminal satisfies h ≦ n + a for the number of hop ranges n + a to be routed, and h% 2 = 0 or h% 2 = 1 or h% 3 = 0 or h By introducing a control method in which only terminals satisfying% 3 = 1 or h% 3 = 2 are relayed, a multipath with reduced interference is formed. Here, the above calculation “h% 2” is an integer remainder when the number of hops h using the terminal is divided by two. Similarly, the above calculation “h% 3” is an integer remainder when the number of hops h using the terminal is divided by 3.

  FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of the wireless communication terminal according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Components similar to those in FIG. The terminal according to the third embodiment includes a communication unit 1, a packet analysis unit 2C, a packet generation unit 3C, a hop number holding unit 4, and a DV holding unit 5. That is, the terminal according to the third embodiment has a configuration in which the packet analysis unit 2A is replaced with the packet analysis unit 2C in the terminal according to the first embodiment (see FIG. 1).

  The packet analysis unit 2C of the source terminal generates a message about a priority control condition such as “only a terminal satisfying h% 2 = 1 relays” in addition to the number of hop ranges n + a to be routed, and the hop range to be routed A message about the number n + a and the priority control condition is sent to the packet generator 3 to be added to the transmission packet. Note that the priority control condition can be set in advance in each terminal in the network. In this case, it is not necessary to add the priority control condition to the packet in the source terminal.

  The packet analysis unit 2C of the relay terminal analyzes the priority control condition from the received packet, and determines whether the number of hops h using the own terminal satisfies h ≦ n + a and satisfies the priority control condition. If both conditions are satisfied, the packet is sent to the packet generator 3. If both conditions are not satisfied, the packet is discarded.

  In FIG. 6, the shortest hop number n between the terminal S and the terminal D is n = 5. When a = 2, the number of hop ranges to be routed is set to n + a = 7, and relaying is performed only by terminals satisfying h% 2 = 1 among terminals satisfying h ≦ 7. Relaying is performed, and relaying is not performed in the terminal with h = 6. As a result, in FIG. 7, relaying is performed on two paths p1 and p3 configured with terminals of h = 5 and 7 out of three paths p1, p2 and p3 configured with terminals satisfying h ≦ 7. .

  In FIG. 6, when a = 3 and the number of hop ranges to be routed is set to n + a = 8, and relaying is performed only by terminals satisfying h% 3 = 1 among terminals satisfying h ≦ 8, h = 7 is relayed, and h = 5 and 6 are not relayed. As a result, in FIG. 7, relaying is performed using one path p <b> 3 including h = 7 terminals among the three paths p <b> 1, p <b> 2, and p <b> 3 including terminals satisfying h ≦ 7.

  However, in FIG. 6, when a = 3 and relaying only with terminals satisfying h% 3 = 2 among terminals with h ≦ 8, relaying is performed with terminals with h = 5 and 8. However, since the terminal with h = 7 does not relay, the terminal with h = 8 cannot be relayed effectively, and only the terminal with h = 5 relays, and the method fails.

  In order to eliminate such a failure of the scheme, the packet transmitted from the terminal S reaches one of the terminals with h = 8, and the packet that has passed through the terminal with h = 8 is transmitted from any one of the terminals with h = 8. It needs to reach terminal D.

  Therefore, routing control is performed so that detour processing (relay unconditionally) is performed at terminals around the source terminal (terminal S) and the destination terminal (terminal D).

  In FIG. 6, in the above case where a = 3 and h ≦ 8 among the terminals satisfying h ≦ 8 and relaying only with the terminal satisfying h% 3 = 2, for example, m = a−1 from the source terminal or the destination terminal. = The routing is controlled so that the detour processing is performed at the terminal within 2 hops.

  In order to perform the detour processing (relay unconditionally), the packet analysis unit 3 of the source terminal (terminal S) receives the message from the source terminal (terminal S) in addition to the number of hop ranges n + a to be routed and the priority control condition message. A message about the detour processing such as “the terminal with the hop number s or the hop number d from the destination terminal (terminal D) being m or less relays unconditionally” is added to the packet and transmitted. For example, when the number of hops n of the shortest path is 8 to 12, m is 3 to 5. In place of the message of the detour processing condition, a detour processing flag and the value of m can be added to the header of the packet.

  The packet analysis unit 2C of the relay terminal analyzes whether or not the detour processing condition is added to the received packet. If the detour processing condition is added, the number of hops s from the terminal S to its own terminal Alternatively, it is determined whether or not the number of hops d from the terminal D to the own terminal satisfies s ≦ m or d ≦ m. Then, when s ≦ m or d ≦ m is satisfied, the packet is sent to the packet generation unit 3 and relayed unconditionally (without determining the condition regarding the number of hops h using the terminal itself). If s ≦ m or d ≦ m is not satisfied, the condition regarding the hop number h is determined. If the condition regarding the hop number h is satisfied, the packet is sent to the packet generation unit 3 to be relayed, and the hop number h If the above condition is not satisfied, the packet is discarded.

  As described above, according to the third embodiment, a multipath with reduced interference can be formed.

Embodiment 4
In the fourth embodiment of the present invention described below, the priority of the path using the own terminal is determined from the number of hops n of the shortest path and the number of hops h of the path using the own terminal in the first or second embodiment. Judgment and routing control using this priority form a multipath that suppresses interference, effectively uses network resources, and reduces packet loss and delay due to radio wave interference between multipaths. Features.

  In the fourth embodiment, the difference h−n between the number of hops n of the shortest path and the number of hops h of the path using the own terminal is obtained as the degree of separation from the shortest path of the path using the own terminal. A priority is assigned to each of the plurality of paths in accordance with the degree of separation h-n, and the terminal constituting the shortest path with the highest priority (the number of hops h of the path using its own terminal is h = n and the degree of separation = 0 described above) Terminal immediately relays the packet, and the terminal that configures a path with a lower priority than that waits for transmission of the packet and configures a path with a higher priority than the path that the terminal itself configures. It monitors whether or not relay transmission has been performed by another terminal, and if relay transmission by the other terminal can be detected within a certain time, the packet waiting for the terminal is discarded and the other terminal within the certain time. By detecting relay transmission by Without relays a packet is waiting to own terminal.

  Whether or not the relay transmission is performed by the other terminal is determined by whether or not the same packet as the waiting packet is received within the predetermined time. If the same packet as the waiting packet is received within the time, it is determined that relay transmission has been performed by the other terminal, both packets are discarded, and the same packet as the waiting packet is received within the time. If the packet cannot be received, it is determined that the relay transmission has not been performed by the other terminal, and the standby packet is relay-transmitted.

  For example, when the number of hop ranges to be routed is n + 3, the relay terminal having a degree of separation h−n = 0 relays the received packet immediately. In addition, the relay terminal having the degree of separation h−n = 1 waits the received packet for its own terminal to monitor the relay of the packet by the other terminal, and relays the packet by any other terminal within the time A. If it can be detected, the waiting packet is discarded, and if the relay of the packet by any other terminal cannot be detected, the waiting packet is relayed. Further, the relay terminal having a degree of separation h−n = 2 waits the received terminal for its own terminal and monitors the relay of the packet by another terminal, and within time B (> A), by any other terminal If the packet relay can be detected, the waiting packet is discarded, and if the packet relay by any other terminal cannot be detected, the standby packet is relayed. Further, the relay terminal having a degree of separation h−n = 3 causes the terminal to wait for the received packet to monitor the relay of the packet by the other terminal, and by any other terminal within the time C (> B). If the packet relay can be detected, the waiting packet is discarded, and if the packet relay by any other terminal cannot be detected, the standby packet is relayed.

  FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of a wireless communication terminal according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, and the same components as those in FIG. The terminal according to the fourth embodiment includes a communication unit 1, a packet analysis unit 2D, a packet generation unit 3, a hop number holding unit 4, a DV holding unit 5, a packet monitoring unit 6, and a device 7 for shifting time. And is configured. That is, the terminal according to the fourth embodiment has a configuration in which the packet monitoring unit 6 and the time shifting device 7 are provided in the terminal according to the first embodiment (see FIG. 1), and the packet analysis unit 2A is replaced with the packet analysis unit 2D. is there.

  The packet analysis unit 2D of the source terminal sends the hop number n of the shortest path to the packet generation unit 3 in addition to the hop range number n + a to be routed, and adds it to the transmission packet.

  The packet analysis unit 2D of the relay terminal analyzes the hop count n of the shortest path from the received packet, and uses the local terminal from the hop count n of the shortest path and the hop count h of the path using the local terminal. A degree h-n of the path from the shortest path is obtained. If the number of hops h using the own terminal satisfies h ≦ n + a and the degree of separation h−n = 0, it is determined that the own terminal is a terminal constituting the highest priority path (= shortest path). The packet is sent to the packet generator 3 and immediately relayed using the communication unit. Further, if the number of hops h using the own terminal satisfies h ≦ n + a and the degree of separation h−n ≧ 1, the own terminal is a terminal constituting a path having a lower priority than the highest priority path. The packet and the degree of separation h-n are sent to the packet monitoring unit 6 to wait for the holding time set by the device 7 for shifting the time. If the number of hops h using the terminal does not satisfy h ≦ n + a, the packet is discarded.

[Packet monitoring unit 6]
The packet monitoring unit 6 holds the packet passed from the packet analysis unit 2D for a holding time set according to the degree of separation h-n by the device 7 for shifting the time. If the same packet as the held packet is delivered from the packet analysis unit 2D within the holding time, it is determined that the other terminal having higher priority than the own terminal relayed the packet correctly. Discard both the held packet and the same packet passed. When the holding time elapses, it is determined that another terminal having higher priority than the own terminal has not correctly relayed the held packet, and the held packet is sent to the packet generation unit 3. Then, relay transmission is performed using the communication unit 1.

[Device 7 for shifting time]
The apparatus 7 for shifting the time sets the holding time for the packet monitoring unit 6 to hold the packet to a longer time as the degree of separation h-n is larger. For example, if the separation degree h−n = 1, the holding time is set to time A, and if the separation degree h−n = 2, the holding time is set to time B (> A).

  As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, similarly to the third embodiment, a multipath with reduced interference can be formed.

It is a block diagram of the radio | wireless communication terminal of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram of the hop number holding | maintenance part in the terminal of FIG. It is a block diagram of the DV holding | maintenance part in the terminal of FIG. It is a flowchart explaining the relay procedure in the terminal of FIG. It is a figure explaining the difference between the conventional method and the method of the present invention. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the ad hoc network comprised with the radio | wireless communication terminal of this invention. It is a figure explaining the multipath formed in the ad hoc network of FIG. It is a block diagram of the radio | wireless communication terminal of Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a flowchart explaining the control procedure of the number of hop ranges to route in the source terminal of FIG. It is a block diagram of the radio | wireless communication terminal of Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a block diagram of the radio | wireless communication terminal of Embodiment 4 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Communication part 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D Packet analysis part 3 Packet generation part 4 Hop number holding | maintenance part 5 DV holding | maintenance part 6 Packet monitoring part 7 Time shifting apparatus

Claims (14)

A communication means for transmitting and receiving packets to and from other communication terminals constituting the communication network;
Hop number holding means for holding the number of hops between each other communication terminal and its own terminal,
When the own terminal is a source terminal that transmits a packet to the destination terminal, the destination terminal is based on the number of hops between the destination terminal and the own terminal held in the hop number holding means. Routing setting means for setting a number equal to or greater than the number of hops of the shortest path between the terminal and the terminal as the number of hop ranges to be routed;
A packet generation unit that generates a packet with the number of hop ranges to be routed and transmits the packet from the communication unit;
Analyzing means for analyzing, from the packet received by the communication means, a source terminal, a destination terminal, and the number of hop ranges to be routed more than the number of hops of the shortest path between the source terminal and the destination terminal;
The number of hops of the path using the own terminal is obtained by adding the number of hops between the source terminal and the destination terminal and the own terminal held in the hop number holding means, and the path using the own terminal It is determined whether or not the number of hops is less than or equal to the number of hop ranges to be routed, and if the number of hops of the path using the terminal is less than or equal to the number of hop ranges to be routed, the packet is relayed from the communication means And a relay determination means for discarding the packet if the number of hops of a path using the own terminal is not less than or equal to the number of hop ranges to be routed. A communication means for transmitting and receiving packets to and from other communication terminals constituting the communication network;
Hop number holding means for holding the number of hops between each other communication terminal and its own terminal,
When the own terminal is a source terminal that transmits a packet to the destination terminal, the destination terminal is based on the number of hops between the destination terminal and the own terminal held in the hop number holding means. Routing setting means for setting a number equal to or greater than the number of hops of the shortest path between the terminal and the terminal as the number of hop ranges to be routed;
A communication terminal comprising: packet generating means for generating a packet to which the number of hop ranges to be routed is added and transmitting the packet from the communication means. A communication means for transmitting and receiving packets to and from other communication terminals constituting the communication network;
Hop number holding means for holding the number of hops between each other communication terminal and its own terminal,
Analyzing means for analyzing, from the packet received by the communication means, a source terminal, a destination terminal, and the number of hop ranges to be routed that is equal to or greater than the number of hops of the shortest path between the source terminal and the destination terminal;
The number of hops of the path using the own terminal is obtained by adding the number of hops between the source terminal and the destination terminal and the own terminal held in the hop number holding means, and the path using the own terminal It is determined whether or not the number of hops is less than or equal to the number of hop ranges to be routed, and if the number of hops of the path using the terminal is less than or equal to the number of hop ranges to be routed, the packet is relayed from the communication means And a relay determination means for discarding the packet if the number of hops of a path using the own terminal is not less than or equal to the number of hop ranges to be routed. It further comprises detection means for detecting instability of communication,
The routing setting means sets the initial value of the number of hop ranges to be routed to the number of hops between the destination terminal and the own terminal held in the hop number holding means, and communication is unstable. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the number of hop ranges to be routed is reset to a larger value when the hop range is detected. The routing setting means further sets a priority control condition for causing the relay terminal to determine the priority of the path using the relay terminal,
The communication terminal according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the packet generation unit generates and transmits a packet to which the number of hop ranges to be routed and the priority control condition are added. The routing setting means sets a detour processing condition for causing a specific relay terminal that does not satisfy the priority control condition to perform relay transmission,
The communication terminal according to claim 5, wherein the packet generation means generates and transmits a packet to which the number of hop ranges to be routed, the priority control condition, and the detour processing condition are added. The analysis means further analyzes a priority control condition from the packet,
The relay determination unit determines whether the path using the local terminal satisfies the priority control condition when the number of hops of the path using the local terminal is equal to or less than the number of hop ranges to be routed. 2. The packet is relayed and transmitted if a path using a terminal satisfies the priority control condition, and the packet is discarded if a path using the terminal does not satisfy the priority control condition. Or the communication terminal of 3. The analysis means further analyzes a detour processing condition from the packet,
The relay determination means, when the number of hops of the path using the own terminal is less than the number of hop ranges to route,
It is determined whether or not the terminal satisfies the detour processing condition, and if the terminal satisfies the detour processing condition, the packet is unconditionally relayed and transmitted,
The communication terminal according to claim 7, wherein the packet is processed according to the priority control condition if the terminal does not satisfy the bypass processing condition. The routing setting means calculates the number of hops between the destination terminal and the own terminal held in the hop number holding means in order to cause the relay terminal to calculate the degree of separation of the relay terminal from the shortest path. Further set as the number of hops of the shortest path,
The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the packet generation unit generates and transmits a packet to which the number of hop ranges to be routed and the number of hops of the shortest path are added. Standby setting means for setting a holding time for causing the terminal to wait for the packet;
Holds the packet passed from the relay determination means until the holding time elapses, monitors whether the same packet as the packet has been relayed by another communication terminal, and until the holding time elapses If the same packet is relayed and transmitted by the other communication terminal during this period, the held packet is discarded, and the same packet is relayed and transmitted by the other communication terminal even if the holding time elapses. If not, packet monitoring means for relaying and transmitting the held packet from the communication means, and further comprising:
The analysis means further analyzes the number of hops of the shortest path from the packet,
The relay determination means subtracts the number of hops of the shortest path from the number of hops of the path using the terminal, calculates the degree of separation of the terminal from the shortest path, and if the degree of separation is 0 4. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the packet is immediately relay-transmitted, and if the degree of separation is not 0, the packet is sent to the packet monitoring unit and waits. The packet monitoring means determines that the same packet is relayed and transmitted by the other communication terminal if the same packet as the held packet is received by the communication means until the holding time elapses. If the same packet as the held packet is not received by the communication means even after the holding time has elapsed, it is determined that the same packet has not been relayed and transmitted by the other communication terminal. The communication terminal according to claim 10.   The communication terminal according to claim 10, wherein the standby setting unit sets the holding time longer as the degree of separation increases. The communication terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the hop number holding means holds the shortest hop number from each of the other communication terminals to the own terminal.   A communication network comprising a plurality of communication terminals according to claim 1.

Images