JP2009302749A - Wireless communication apparatus and method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wireless communication apparatus wherein communication quality in a wireless network is controlled and as a result, the quality of end-end communication can be controlled. <P>SOLUTION: The wireless communication apparatus includes: a communication part 102 for communicating with a plurality of first end terminals through a wireless network; a communication part 101 for communicating with a plurality of second end terminals through a wired network; a management part 111 for acquiring an index indicating a time required for communication with each of the plurality of second end terminals from data about a high-order layer, and associating the index with the second end terminals for management; a determination part 112 for determining a priority for allocating a radio resource to each of the plurality of first end terminals so that a communication time with a first end terminal to be the opposite communication party of a second end terminal corresponding to the index is shorter as a time indicated by the index is long; and a control part 104 for controlling the allocation of the radio resource in accordance with the priority. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to control of end-to-end communication quality in a communication system in which a wireless network and a wired network are connected to each other.

  In a communication system in which a wireless network and a wired network are connected to each other, an end terminal connected to the wireless network (referred to as a first end terminal for convenience) and an end terminal connected to the wired network (referred to for convenience) Communication (ie, end-to-end communication) with the second end terminal) is realized as follows.

  The first end terminal transmits data to another wireless communication device via the wireless network. The wireless communication device is connected to a wireless network and a wired network, and transfers data received from the first end terminal via the wireless network to the second end terminal via the wired network. The wireless communication device transfers data received from the second end terminal via the wired network to the first end terminal via the wireless network.

  When controlling the quality of end-to-end communication as described above, it should be noted that the types and ranges of communication quality that can be controlled in the wireless network and the wired network are different. That is, it is desirable to control the quality of end-to-end communication in consideration of the properties and characteristics of the wireless network and the wired network.

In a wireless communication system in which a wireless network and a wired network are connected to each other, a TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) control method described in Patent Document 1 controls the communication quality of end-to-end communication based on the communication quality of the wireless network. Yes. Specifically, when a TCP connection is formed between an end terminal on the wired network side and an end terminal on the wireless network side, the end terminal on the wireless network side opens a TCP window based on the communication quality of the wireless network. And as a result, the quality of the end-to-end communication is controlled. Therefore, according to the TCP control method described in Patent Document 1, when a data error such as packet loss occurs, whether the cause of the data error is a deterioration of the quality of the wireless network or congestion of the wired network is described above. Judgment can be made based on the quality information, and a decrease in throughput due to unnecessary window control can be suppressed.
JP 2000-253096 A

  The TCP control method described in Patent Document 1 controls the TCP window on the first end terminal side, and does not control the communication quality in each of the wireless network and the wired network.

  In addition, network resources such as radio waves in a wireless network are usually shared among a plurality of end terminals. Accordingly, the quality of end-to-end communication is affected by various factors such as the number of end terminals sharing network resources, the quality of end-to-end communication required by each end terminal, the communication environment and communication quality of each end terminal. . Controlling the quality of end-to-end communication in consideration of the effects of the various factors is useful but difficult. In particular, it is known that the communication quality in a wireless network varies greatly depending on the above various factors.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a wireless communication apparatus that controls communication quality in a wireless network and, as a result, can control the quality of end-to-end communication.

  A wireless communication apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention receives first data from a plurality of first end terminals via a wireless network, and transmits second data to the plurality of first end terminals. And a second communication unit that transmits the first data to a plurality of second end terminals via a wired network and receives the second data from the plurality of second end terminals. And an index indicating the time required for communication between each of the plurality of second end terminals and an extraction unit that extracts third data related to an upper layer from the first data and the second data The management unit that is obtained from the data 3 and manages in association with the second end terminal, and the longer the time indicated by the index, the first communication terminal of the second end terminal corresponding to the index becomes. With other end devices A determination unit that determines a priority of radio resource allocation to each of the plurality of first end terminals, and a control unit that controls the allocation of the radio resource according to the priority; It comprises.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the radio | wireless communication apparatus which controls the communication quality in a radio | wireless network and can control the quality of end-end communication as a result can be provided.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)
As shown in FIG. 1, the first wireless communication device (AP) according to the first embodiment of the present invention is connected to a plurality of second wireless communication devices (MS_A, MS_B, and MS_C) via a wireless network. And connected to a plurality of communication devices (CE_1, CE_2, and CE_3) via a wired network. More specifically, in FIG. 1, the first wireless communication device (AP) is connected to the communication device (CE1) via the first wired network, and the communication devices (CE_2 and CE_3) are connected to the first wireless communication device (AP1). They are connected via a wired network and a second wired network. The second wireless communication apparatus and the communication apparatus are both end terminals, and perform end-end communication in any combination. The first wireless communication device (AP) is an access point, for example, but is not limited thereto. The second wireless communication devices (MS_A, MS_B, and MS_C) are, for example, mobile stations, but are not limited thereto. FIG. 1 only illustrates one communication system including the first wireless communication apparatus according to the present embodiment, and the number of second wireless communication apparatuses and communication apparatuses is arbitrary.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the first wireless communication apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a wired network I / F (interface) 101, a wireless network I / F 102, a data extraction unit 103, a wireless resource control unit 104, a control parameter storage. Unit 105 and control unit 110.

  The wired network I / F 101 is connected to a communication cable network as a wired network, for example, and transmits / receives data to / from a plurality of communication devices via the communication cable. Specifically, the wired network I / F 101 framing data transferred from the wireless network I / F 102 with a header or the like according to a predetermined format, converting the data into an electric signal or an optical signal, and the like Send to cable. The wired network I / F 101 converts an electrical signal, an optical signal, or the like input from the communication cable into a digital signal, performs deframe processing, extracts data, and transmits the data to the wireless network I / F 102 and the data extraction unit 103. input.

  The wireless network I / F 102 transmits / receives data to / from a plurality of second wireless communication devices via an antenna. Specifically, the wireless network I / F 102 frames the data transferred from the wired network I / F 101 with a header or the like according to a predetermined format, and performs encoding processing, modulation processing, band limitation, and power amplification. The RF signal is transmitted from the antenna. The wireless network I / F performs wireless processing such as band limitation and power amplification, demodulation processing, decoding processing, and deframe processing on the RF signal received from the antenna to extract data, and the wired network I / F 101 And input to the data extraction unit 103. The radio resource control unit 104 controls radio resources for the radio network I / F 102 to communicate with each of the plurality of second radio communication devices.

  The data extraction unit 103 extracts data related to an upper layer from data input from the wired network I / F 101 and the wireless network I / F 102. Specifically, the data extraction unit 103 extracts header information of an upper layer protocol such as the Internet protocol (IP). The data extraction unit 103 inputs the extracted data to the control unit 110.

  The radio resource control unit 104 controls radio resources allocated to each of the plurality of second radio communication devices based on the priority input from the control unit 110. A specific radio resource control method will be described later.

  Control parameters are stored in the control parameter storage unit 105. The control parameter storage unit 105 is managed by the control parameter management unit 111. The control parameter includes information for identifying the second wireless communication device and the communication device that perform end-end communication, an index indicating the quality of communication with the communication device (for example, time required for communication), and the like. It is. Details of the control parameters will be described later.

  The control unit 110 includes a control parameter management unit 111 and a priority determination unit 112, and controls each unit constituting the first wireless communication apparatus in FIG. The control parameter management unit 111 manages the control parameter storage unit 105. Specifically, the control parameter management unit 111 updates the control parameter stored in the control parameter storage unit 105 or reads it out as necessary. Details of the control parameter update processing performed by the control parameter management unit 111 will be described later. The priority determining unit 112 determines priorities for each of the plurality of second wireless communication devices that perform end-end communication with the communication device. For example, the priority determination unit 112 classifies the plurality of second wireless communication devices into any of a plurality of categories having different priorities. Details of the priority determination process performed by the priority determination unit 112 will be described later.

The operation of the first wireless communication apparatus in FIG. 1 will be described below using FIG.
When end-end communication between any one of the plurality of second wireless communication devices and any one of the plurality of communication devices is started, the first wireless communication device sets control parameters related to the end-end communication. A control parameter update process is performed so as to be stored in the control parameter storage unit 105. If there is no other end-to-end communication, the first wireless communication device does not perform priority determination processing and wireless resource control processing because the wireless resource is occupied. On the other hand, the first radio communication apparatus performs the priority determination process and the radio resource control process as necessary because the radio resource is shared if there is another end-to-end communication. When any one of the end-to-end communications is disconnected, the first wireless communication apparatus performs a control parameter update process so as to delete the control parameters related to the end-to-end communications from the control parameter storage unit 105.

  Hereinafter, the control parameter update processing by the control parameter management unit 111 will be described with reference to FIG. Note that the control parameter update process in FIG. 4 is performed at the start of a new end-to-end communication or periodically.

  First, the control parameter management unit 111 acquires a combination of identifiers of the second wireless communication apparatus that performs end-end communication to be processed and the identifiers of the communication apparatuses from the data input from the data extraction unit 103, and combines the identifiers. Is stored in the control parameter storage unit 105 (step S201). For example, the combination of identifiers is stored in the control parameter storage unit 105 in the form of an identifier table as shown in FIG. 5A. Here, the identifier is identification information for uniquely identifying the second wireless communication apparatus and the communication apparatus, such as an IP address in IP.

  If the combination of identifiers is stored in the control parameter storage unit 105 (step S201), the control parameter management unit 111 ends the control parameter update process. On the other hand, if the combination of identifiers is not stored in the control parameter storage unit 105 (step S201), the control parameter management unit 111 stores the combination of identifiers in the control parameter storage unit 105 (step S202). For example, the control parameter management unit 111 newly adds a combination of identifiers to the identifier table in FIG. 5A described above.

  Next, the control parameter management unit 111 checks whether or not the round trip time (RTT) corresponding to the communication device in the end-to-end communication to be processed is stored in the control parameter storage unit 105. (Step S203). For example, the control parameter storage unit 105 stores the RTT in association with the identifier of the communication device in the format of the RTT table as shown in FIG. 5B.

  If the RTT corresponding to the communication device is stored in the control parameter storage unit 105 (step S203), the control parameter management unit 111 ends the control parameter update process. On the other hand, if the RTT corresponding to the communication device is not stored in the control parameter storage unit 105 (step S203), the control parameter management unit 111 acquires the RTT required for communication with the communication device (step S204). For obtaining the RTT, for example, a protocol such as Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) is used.

  Next, the control parameter management unit 111 stores the RTT acquired in step S204 in the control parameter storage unit 105 in association with the identifier of the communication device (step S205), and ends the control parameter update process. For example, the control parameter management unit 111 newly adds a combination of the identifier of the communication device and the RTT to the RTT table of FIG. 5B described above.

  Hereinafter, priority determination processing by the priority determination unit 112 will be described with reference to FIG. Note that the priority determination process in FIG. 6 is performed at the start of a new end-to-end communication or periodically.

  First, the priority determination unit 112 refers to the control parameter storage unit 105 and acquires the RTT corresponding to the current communication device to be processed (step S301). Next, the priority determination unit 112 compares the RTT acquired in step S301 with the threshold T_th1 (step S302). If the RTT is larger than the threshold value T_th1 (step S302), the priority determination unit 112 classifies the second wireless communication device that is performing end-end communication with the current communication device to be processed into the first category (step S302). In step S306, the process proceeds to step S307. Details of the category will be described later. On the other hand, if the RTT is equal to or smaller than the threshold T_th1 (step S302), the process proceeds to step S303.

  In step S303, the priority determination unit 112 compares the RTT acquired in step S301 with a threshold T_th2 (<threshold T_th1). If the RTT is larger than the threshold value T_th2 (step S303), the priority determination unit 112 classifies the second wireless communication device that is performing end-end communication with the current communication device to be processed into the second category (step S303). In step S305, the process proceeds to step S307. On the other hand, if the RTT is equal to or less than the threshold value T_th2 (step S303), the priority determination unit 112 classifies the second wireless communication device that is performing end-end communication with the current communication device to be processed into the third category. (Step S304), the process proceeds to Step S307.

  In step S307, if the priority determination process is completed for all communication devices, the priority determination process ends. If not, the priority determination unit 112 selects one of the unprocessed communication devices as the next processing target. Arbitrarily, and the process returns to step S301.

  In the following description, each category represents the priority of radio resource allocation for the second radio communication device. Specifically, the priority of the first category is the highest (that is, the communication quality in the wired network is the lowest), and the priority becomes lower in the order of the second category and the third category. That is, in the radio resource control process described later, radio resources are most preferentially assigned to the second radio communication devices belonging to the first category. Note that the number of categories is not limited to three and may be any number, and may be dynamically changed as necessary. Similarly, the threshold value may be an arbitrary number, or the number of threshold values or the threshold value itself may change dynamically. In addition, when the second wireless communication apparatus performs end-end communication simultaneously with a plurality of communication apparatuses, the priority determination unit 112 determines the maximum value, minimum value, and average of the RTT corresponding to the plurality of communication apparatuses. The category (priority) may be determined based on the value, the median value, or the mode value.

Hereinafter, a specific example of the radio resource control process by the radio resource control unit 104 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7, 8, and 9.
In FIG. 7, the radio resource control unit 104 assigns a so-called time slot as a radio resource to the second radio communication apparatus according to the category type. In this example, the radio resource control unit 104 reduces the radio resources (time slots) to be allocated in the order of the first category, the second category, and the third category. This example is suitable when the communication method between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device is, for example, time division multiple access (TDMA).

  In FIG. 8, the radio resource control unit 104 assigns a code, a space, or a frequency to the second radio communication apparatus, and assigns transmission power according to the category type. In this example, the radio resource control unit 104 is configured to reduce the transmission power to be allocated in the order of the first category, the second category, and the third category. That is, the ratio of the transmission power allocated to the first category is the largest among all the transmission powers that can be allocated by the radio resource control unit 104, and the ratio decreases in the order of the second category and the third category. When a large transmission power is allocated, the reception power in the second wireless communication apparatus becomes relatively large. For example, a high-order modulation scheme such as 64QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation) or a coding scheme with high coding efficiency is used. It becomes possible to do. That is, control of the transmission speed (communication quality) of the wireless network is realized by transmission power allocation. In this example, the communication method between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device is, for example, code division multiple access (CDMA), space division multiple access (SDMA), or the like. ), Frequency division multiple access (FDMA) or orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA).

  In FIG. 9, the radio resource control unit 104 allocates a so-called time slot as a radio resource to the second radio communication apparatus, and varies the data retransmission time interval according to the category type. In this example, the radio resource control unit 104 is configured to increase the data retransmission time interval in the order of the first category, the second category, and the third category. In this example, the communication method between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device is based on a time slot, and when an error occurs in data, a different time slot is used. This is suitable for communication systems that perform retransmission.

  As described above, the wireless communication apparatus according to the present embodiment allocates the wireless resources allocated to the end terminals connected via the wireless network based on the quality of communication with the end terminals connected via the wired network. I try to control it. Therefore, according to the wireless communication apparatus according to the present embodiment, the communication quality in the wireless network can be controlled, and as a result, the quality of end-to-end communication can be controlled.

  More specifically, the wireless communication apparatus according to the present embodiment predicts the communication quality in the wired network based on the round trip delay time, and if the communication quality is relatively low, that is, the round trip delay time is large, Radio resources are controlled so that the communication quality in the network is relatively high, and as a result, the quality of end-to-end communication is controlled. For example, when the wireless communication apparatus according to the present embodiment relays a plurality of end-to-end communications, the time required for each end-to-end communication is averaged and can be expected to be within a predetermined range.

(Second Embodiment)
The first wireless communication apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention differs from the first wireless communication apparatus according to the first embodiment described above in the control parameter update process and the priority determination process, and the rest is the same. It is. In the following description, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and different parts are mainly described.

  Hereinafter, the control parameter update process according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Note that the control parameter update process of FIG. 10 is performed at the start of a new end-to-end communication or periodically.

  First, the control parameter management unit 111 acquires a combination of identifiers of the second wireless communication apparatus that performs end-end communication to be processed and the identifiers of the communication apparatuses from the data input from the data extraction unit 103, and combines the identifiers. Is stored in the control parameter storage unit 105 (step S211). For example, the combination of identifiers is stored in the control parameter storage unit 105 in the form of an identifier table as shown in FIG. 11A. Here, the identifier is identification information for uniquely identifying the second wireless communication apparatus and the communication apparatus, such as an IP address in IP.

  If the combination of identifiers is stored in the control parameter storage unit 105 (step S211), the control parameter management unit 111 ends the control parameter update process. On the other hand, if the combination of identifiers is not stored in the control parameter storage unit 105 (step S211), the control parameter management unit 111 stores the combination of identifiers in the control parameter storage unit 105 (step S212). For example, the control parameter management unit 111 newly adds a combination of identifiers to the identifier table of FIG. 11A described above.

  Next, the control parameter management unit 111 checks whether or not a communication time index corresponding to the communication device in the end-to-end communication to be processed is stored in the control parameter storage unit 105 (step S213). Here, the communication time index is an index indicating the communication time between the first wireless communication device and the communication device. Specifically, for example, the TTL (Time To Live) specified in IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4) indicating the lifetime of a packet, or the hop upper limit (Hop Limit) specified in IPv6 and indicating the upper limit of the number of transfers is the above communication. It is desirable as a time index. When TTL is used as the communication time index, the control parameter storage unit 105 stores the TTL in association with the identifier of the communication device, for example, in the format of a TTL table as shown in FIG. 11B.

  If a communication time index corresponding to the communication device is stored in the control parameter storage unit 105 (step S213), the control parameter management unit 111 ends the control parameter update process. On the other hand, if it corresponds to a communication device but is not stored in the control parameter storage unit 105 (step S213), the control parameter management unit 111 acquires a communication time index required for communication with the communication device (step S214). For example, when the communication time index is TTL or Hop Limit described above, it can be extracted from the IP header.

  Next, the control parameter management unit 111 stores the TTL acquired in step S214 in association with the identifier of the communication apparatus in the control parameter storage unit 105 (step S215), and ends the control parameter update process. For example, the control parameter management unit 111 newly adds a combination of the identifier of the communication device and the TTL to the TTL table in FIG. 11B described above.

  Hereinafter, priority determination processing according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Note that the priority determination processing in FIG. 12 is performed at the start of a new end-to-end communication or periodically.

  First, the priority determination unit 112 refers to the control parameter storage unit 105 and acquires a communication time index (for example, TTL) corresponding to the current communication device to be processed (step S311). Next, the priority determination unit 112 compares the communication time index acquired in step S311 with the threshold value P_th1 (step S312). If the communication time index is larger than the threshold value P_th1 (step S312), the priority determination unit 112 classifies the second wireless communication device that is performing end-end communication with the current communication device to be processed into the third category. (Step S316), the process proceeds to Step S317. On the other hand, if the communication time index is equal to or less than the threshold value P_th1 (step S312), the process proceeds to step S313.

  In step S313, the priority determination unit 112 compares the communication time index acquired in step S311 with the threshold value P_th2 (<threshold value P_th1). If the communication time index is larger than the threshold value P_th2 (step S313), the priority determination unit 112 classifies the second wireless communication device that is performing end-end communication with the communication device currently being processed into the second category. (Step S315), the process proceeds to Step S317. On the other hand, if the communication time index is equal to or less than the threshold value P_th2 (step S313), the priority determination unit 112 sets the second wireless communication device that is performing end-end communication with the current processing target communication device as the first category. Classification is performed (step S314), and the process proceeds to step S317.

  In step S317, if the priority determination process has been completed for all communication devices, the priority determination process ends. If not, the priority determination unit 112 selects one of the unprocessed communication devices as the next processing target. As desired, the process returns to step S311.

  As described above, the wireless communication device according to the present embodiment predicts the quality of communication with an end terminal connected via a wired network by using a communication time index, and based on the communication quality, The radio resources allocated to the connected end terminals are controlled. Therefore, according to the wireless communication apparatus according to the present embodiment, the communication quality in the wireless network can be controlled, and as a result, the quality of end-to-end communication can be controlled.

(Third embodiment)
The first wireless communication apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention differs from the first wireless communication apparatus according to the second embodiment described above in the priority determination process, and the rest is the same. In the following description, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and different parts are mainly described.

  Hereinafter, priority determination processing according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Note that the priority determination process in FIG. 13 is performed at the start of a new end-to-end communication or periodically.

  First, the priority determination unit 112 refers to the control parameter storage unit 105 and acquires a communication time index (for example, TTL) corresponding to the current communication device to be processed (step S321). Next, the priority determination unit 112 compares the communication time index acquired in step S321 with the threshold value P_th1 ′ (step S322). If the communication time index is larger than the threshold value P_th1 '(step S322), the priority determination unit 112 classifies the second wireless communication device that is performing end-end communication with the current processing target communication device into the second category. Then (step S328), the process proceeds to step S329. On the other hand, if the communication time index is equal to or less than the threshold value P_th1 ′ (step S322), the process proceeds to step S323.

  In step S323, the priority determination unit 112 compares the communication time index acquired in step S321 with the threshold value P_th2 ′ (<threshold value P_th1 ′). If the communication time index is larger than the threshold value P_th2 ′ (step S323), the priority determination unit 112 classifies the second wireless communication device that is performing end-end communication with the current processing target communication device into the first category. Then (step S327), the process proceeds to step S329. On the other hand, if the communication time index is equal to or less than the threshold value P_th2 ′ (step S323), the process proceeds to step S324.

  In step S324, the priority determination unit 112 compares the communication time index acquired in step S321 with the threshold value P_th3 ′ (<threshold value P_th2 ′). If the communication time index is larger than the threshold value P_th3 ′ (step S324), the priority determination unit 112 classifies the second wireless communication device that is performing end-end communication with the current processing target communication device into the second category. Then (step S326), the process proceeds to step S329. On the other hand, if the communication time index is equal to or less than the threshold value P_th3 ′ (step S324), the priority determination unit 112 sets the second wireless communication device that is performing end-end communication with the current processing target communication device as the first category. (Step S325), and the process proceeds to step S329.

  In step S329, if the priority determination process has been completed for all the communication devices, the priority determination process ends. Otherwise, the priority determination unit 112 selects one of the unprocessed communication devices as the next processing target. Is arbitrarily selected, and the process returns to step S321.

  As described above, the wireless communication device according to the present embodiment predicts the quality of communication with an end terminal connected via a wired network by using a communication time index, and based on the communication quality, The radio resources allocated to the connected end terminals are controlled. Therefore, according to the wireless communication apparatus according to the present embodiment, the communication quality in the wireless network can be controlled, and as a result, the quality of end-to-end communication can be controlled.

(Fourth embodiment)
The first wireless communication apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention differs from the first wireless communication apparatus according to the first embodiment described above in control parameter update processing and priority determination processing, and the rest is the same. It is. In the following description, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and different parts are mainly described.

As shown in FIG. 14, the first wireless communication device (AP) according to the present embodiment is connected to a plurality of second wireless communication devices (MS_A, MS_B, and MS_C) via a wireless network, and a plurality of communication The devices (GW, CE_1, CE_2, and CE_3) are connected via a wired network. More specifically, in FIG. 14, the first wireless communication device (AP) is connected to the communication devices (CE1 and GW) via the first wired network, and the communication devices (CE_2 and CE_3) are connected to the first wireless communication device (AP). 1 is connected via a wired network, a communication device (GW), and a second wired network. The second wireless communication device and the communication devices (CE1, CE2, and CE3) are both end terminals and perform end-end communication in any combination. The communication device (GW) is, for example, a gateway and performs address conversion and protocol conversion between the first wired network and the second wired network, but is not limited thereto. Note that FIG. 14 only illustrates one communication system including the first wireless communication apparatus according to the present embodiment, and the number of second wireless communication apparatuses and communication apparatuses is arbitrary. 15 is used to explain the control parameter update process according to the present embodiment. It is assumed that the control parameter update process of FIG. 15 is performed at the start of a new end-to-end communication or periodically.

  First, the control parameter management unit 111 acquires a combination of identifiers of the second wireless communication apparatus that performs end-end communication to be processed and the identifiers of the communication apparatuses from the data input from the data extraction unit 103, and combines the identifiers. Is stored in the control parameter storage unit 105 (step S221). For example, the combination of identifiers is stored in the control parameter storage unit 105 in the form of an identifier table as shown in FIG. 16A. Here, the identifier is identification information for uniquely identifying the second wireless communication apparatus and the communication apparatus, such as an IP address in IP.

  If the combination of identifiers is stored in the control parameter storage unit 105 (step S221), the control parameter management unit 111 ends the control parameter update process. On the other hand, if the combination of identifiers is not stored in the control parameter storage unit 105 (step S221), the control parameter management unit 111 stores the combination of identifiers in the control parameter storage unit 105 (step S222). For example, the control parameter management unit 111 newly adds a combination of identifiers to the identifier table in FIG. 16A described above.

  Next, the control parameter management unit 111 checks whether or not a match flag corresponding to the communication device in the end-to-end communication to be processed is set in the control parameter storage unit 105 (step S223). Here, the coincidence flag is information indicating whether or not the identifiers of the second wireless communication apparatus and the communication apparatus coincide with identifiers within a predetermined range. When the discrepancy is indicated, a value of “0” is set. Here, the identifier within the predetermined range is the first identifier when there are communication devices (for example, CE2 and CE3 in FIG. 14) that communicate with the first wireless communication device via a plurality of networks. An identifier of a communication device (for example, CE1 in FIG. 14) connected to a wired network (for example, the first wired network in FIG. 14) to which the wireless communication device is connected is shown. Usually, since a communication device that does not pass through a transfer device such as a router or a GW (for example, CE1 in FIG. 14) is assigned an IP address within a predetermined range, the communication device connects to the first wireless communication device. It is possible to determine whether or not the communication device is connected to a wired network based on the matching flag corresponding to the communication device. A communication device connected to the wired network to which the first wireless communication device is connected (ie, match flag = “1”) is a communication device that performs communication via a plurality of wired networks (ie, match flag = “0”). ), It is assumed that the time required for communication is likely to be shortened. Therefore, the quality of communication via the wired network can be predicted by the match flag. For example, the control parameter storage unit 105 stores a match flag in association with the identifier of the communication device in the form of a match flag table as shown in FIG. 16B.

  If the coincidence flag corresponding to the communication device is set in the control parameter storage unit 105 (step S223), the control parameter management unit 111 ends the control parameter update process. On the other hand, if the coincidence flag corresponding to the communication device is not stored in the control parameter storage unit 105 (step S223), the control parameter management unit 111 sets the coincidence flag corresponding to the communication device.

  That is, if the identifier of the communication device matches an identifier within a predetermined range (step S224), the control parameter management unit 111 sets “1” as the match flag corresponding to the communication device (step S225), and the process finish. For example, the control parameter management unit 111 newly adds a combination of the identifier of the communication device and the match flag (= 1) to the match flag table of FIG. 16B described above.

  On the other hand, if the identifier of the communication device does not match the identifier within the predetermined range (step S224), the control parameter management unit 111 sets “0” as the match flag corresponding to the communication device (step S226), and processing Ends. For example, the control parameter management unit 111 newly adds a combination of the identifier of the communication device and the match flag (= 0) to the match flag table of FIG. 16B described above.

  Hereinafter, priority determination processing according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Note that the priority determination processing in FIG. 17 is performed at the start or periodically of a new end-to-end communication.

  First, the priority determination unit 112 refers to the control parameter storage unit 105 and acquires a match flag corresponding to the current communication device to be processed (step S331). Next, the priority determination unit 112 checks whether or not the match flag acquired in step S331 is “1” (step S332).

  If the match flag acquired in step S331 is “1” (step S332), the priority determination unit 112 sets the second wireless communication device that is performing end-end communication with the current processing target communication device as the second wireless communication device. The data is classified into categories, and the process proceeds to step S335 (step S334).

  On the other hand, if the match flag acquired in step S331 is not “1”, that is, “0” (step S333), the priority determination unit 112 performs end-to-end communication of the communication device currently being processed. The two wireless communication devices are classified into the first category, and the process proceeds to step S335 (step S333).

  In step S335, if the priority determination process has been completed for all the communication devices, the priority determination process ends. If not, the priority determination unit 112 selects one of the unprocessed communication devices as the next processing target. As desired, the process returns to step S331.

  As described above, the wireless communication apparatus according to the present embodiment predicts the quality of communication with an end terminal connected via a wired network by using a match flag, and based on the communication quality, via the wireless network Radio resources allocated to connected end terminals are controlled. Therefore, according to the wireless communication apparatus according to the present embodiment, the communication quality in the wireless network can be controlled, and as a result, the quality of end-to-end communication can be controlled.

(Fifth embodiment)
The first wireless communication apparatus according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention is different from the first wireless communication apparatus according to the fourth embodiment described above in the control parameter update process, and the rest is the same. In the following description, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and different parts are mainly described.

  Hereinafter, the control parameter update process according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. It is assumed that the control parameter update process of FIG. 18 is performed at the start of a new end-to-end communication or periodically.

  First, the control parameter management unit 111 acquires a combination of identifiers of the second wireless communication apparatus that performs end-end communication to be processed and the identifiers of the communication apparatuses from the data input from the data extraction unit 103, and combines the identifiers. Is stored in the control parameter storage unit 105 (step S231). For example, the control parameter storage unit 105 stores a match flag, which will be described later, in association with the combination of the identifiers in the identifier / match flag table format shown in FIG. Here, the identifier is identification information for uniquely identifying the second wireless communication apparatus and the communication apparatus, such as an IP address in IP.

  If the combination of identifiers is stored in the control parameter storage unit 105 (step S231), the control parameter management unit 111 ends the control parameter update process. On the other hand, if the combination of identifiers is not stored in the control parameter storage unit 105 (step S231), the control parameter management unit 111 stores the combination of identifiers in the control parameter storage unit 105 (step S232). For example, the control parameter management unit 111 newly adds a combination of identifiers and a matching flag (initial value) corresponding thereto in the identifier / matching flag table of FIG.

  Next, the control parameter management unit 111 checks whether or not a match flag corresponding to the communication device in the end-to-end communication to be processed is set in the control parameter storage unit 105 (step S233). Here, the match flag is information indicating whether or not the identifier of the communication device matches a predetermined identifier. For example, the match flag is “0” when indicating a match and “1” when indicating a mismatch. Each value is set. Here, the predetermined identifier indicates the identifier of the communication apparatus (GW) described with reference to FIG. Normally, when the communication device (GW) is a so-called proxy server, all communication devices connected to the first wireless communication device via the communication device (GW) (for example, CE2 and CE3 in FIG. 14). Is converted into the IP address of the communication device (GW). Therefore, it is possible to determine whether or not the communication device is connected to the first wireless communication device via the communication device (GW) based on the matching flag corresponding to the communication device. The communication device connected to the first wireless communication device without passing through the communication device (GW) (that is, the match flag = “1”) is connected to the first wireless communication device via the communication device (GW). Since it is assumed that the time required for communication is likely to be shorter than that of the communication device connected to (i.e., match flag = “0”), the quality of communication via the wired network can be predicted by the match flag. For example, the control parameter storage unit 105 stores a match flag in association with a combination of identifiers in the identifier / match flag table format shown in FIG.

  If a match flag corresponding to the communication device is set in the control parameter storage unit 105 (step S233), the control parameter management unit 111 uses the match flag (“1” or “0”) in step S232 to identify / The match flag (initial value) corresponding to the combination of identifiers stored in the match flag table format is updated, and the control parameter update process is terminated. On the other hand, if it corresponds to the communication device but is not stored in the control parameter storage unit 105 (step S233), the control parameter management unit 111 sets a match flag corresponding to the communication device.

  That is, if the identifier of the communication device matches the predetermined identifier (step S234), the control parameter management unit 111 sets “0” as the match flag corresponding to the communication device (step S235), and the process ends. For example, the control parameter management unit 111 updates the match flag (initial value) corresponding to the communication device to “0” in the identifier / match flag table of FIG. 19 described above.

  On the other hand, if the identifier of the communication device does not match the predetermined identifier (step S234), the control parameter management unit 111 sets “1” as the match flag corresponding to the communication device (step S236), and the process ends. . For example, the control parameter management unit 111 updates the match flag (initial value) corresponding to the communication device to “1” in the identifier / match flag table of FIG. 19 described above.

  As described above, the wireless communication apparatus according to the present embodiment predicts the quality of communication with an end terminal connected via a wired network by using a match flag, and based on the communication quality, via the wireless network Radio resources allocated to connected end terminals are controlled. Therefore, according to the wireless communication apparatus according to the present embodiment, the communication quality in the wireless network can be controlled, and as a result, the quality of end-to-end communication can be controlled.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and can be embodied by modifying the components without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the above embodiments. Further, for example, a configuration in which some components are deleted from all the components shown in each embodiment is also conceivable. Furthermore, you may combine suitably the component described in different embodiment.

1 is a block diagram showing a wireless communication system including a first wireless communication apparatus (AP) according to a first embodiment. The block diagram which shows the 1st radio | wireless communication apparatus of FIG. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing an operation of the first wireless communication apparatus in FIG. 1. The flowchart which shows the control parameter update process by the control parameter management part of FIG. The figure which shows the identifier table managed by the control parameter management part of FIG. The figure which shows the round-trip delay time table managed by the control parameter management part of FIG. The flowchart which shows the priority determination process by the priority determination part of FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an example of radio resource control by the radio resource control unit of FIG. 2. Explanatory drawing of the other example of FIG. Explanatory drawing of the other example of FIG.7 and FIG.8. The flowchart which shows the control parameter update process which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows the identifier table which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows the TTL table which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the priority determination process which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the priority determination process which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. The block diagram which shows the radio | wireless communications system containing the 1st radio | wireless communication apparatus (AP) which concerns on 4th Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the control parameter update process which concerns on 4th Embodiment. The figure which shows the identifier table which concerns on 4th Embodiment. The figure which shows the coincidence flag table which concerns on 4th Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the priority determination process which concerns on 4th Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the control parameter update process which concerns on 5th Embodiment. The figure which shows the identifier / matching flag table which concerns on 5th Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

101 ... Wired network I / F
102 ... Wireless network I / F
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 103 ... Data extraction part 104 ... Control parameter memory | storage part 105 ... Radio | wireless resource control part 110 ... Control part 111 ... Control parameter management part 112 ... Priority determination part

Claims (10)

A first communication unit that receives first data from a plurality of first end terminals via a wireless network and transmits second data to the plurality of first end terminals;
A second communication unit that transmits the first data to a plurality of second end terminals via a wired network and receives the second data from the plurality of second end terminals;
An extraction unit for extracting third data related to an upper layer from the first data and the second data;
A management unit that acquires an index indicating a time required for communication with each of the plurality of second end terminals from the third data and manages the index in association with the second end terminal;
Each of the plurality of first end terminals is such that the longer the time indicated by the index, the shorter the communication time with the first end terminal that is the communication partner of the second end terminal corresponding to the index. A determination unit that determines the priority of radio resource allocation to
And a control unit that controls allocation of the radio resource according to the priority.   The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the index is a round-trip delay time.   The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the index is a parameter indicating a time required for communication included in the third data.   The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the parameter is a TTL value in an Internet protocol.   4. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the parameter is a value of Hop Limit in the Internet protocol.   The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the index is information indicating whether or not an identifier of the second end terminal included in the third data matches a specific identifier.   The radio communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls time slot allocation to each of the plurality of first end terminals according to the priority.   The radio communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls transmission power allocation to each of the plurality of first end terminals according to the priority.   The radio communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls a data retransmission time interval for each of the plurality of first end terminals according to the priority. Receiving first data from a plurality of first end terminals via a wireless network and transmitting second data to the plurality of first end terminals;
Transmitting the first data to a plurality of second end terminals via a wired network and receiving the second data from the plurality of second end terminals;
Extracting third data relating to an upper layer from the first data and the second data;
Obtaining an index indicating the time required for communication with each of the plurality of second end terminals from the third data and managing the index in association with the second end terminal;
Each of the plurality of first end terminals is such that the longer the time indicated by the index, the shorter the communication time with the first end terminal that is the communication partner of the second end terminal corresponding to the index. Determining the priority of radio resource allocation for
And controlling the allocation of the radio resource according to the priority.

Images