JP4834015B2 - Information communication apparatus and information communication system having quality ensuring means - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information communication device and an information communication system for connecting a content terminal that transmits and receives content information to a LAN (Local Area Network).

  In recent years, communication functions compatible with the Internet protocol (hereinafter simply referred to as “IP”) have been adopted in general household electrical appliances such as telephones, televisions, and video recording devices, and the number of devices that function as content terminals that transmit and receive content information has increased. In order to use these functions, it is necessary to communicate various types of content terminals with external networks even in ordinary homes, and the construction of a local area network (hereinafter simply referred to as “LAN”) within one's own home. The number of people who try to increase is increasing. In recent years, with the spread of power carrier line communication and wireless LAN, it has become possible to construct a LAN in a house without requiring complicated indoor wiring.

  However, in order for content terminals to transmit and receive content information without any problems, sufficient knowledge is required in advance regarding the communication quality required for transmission and reception of the content information between the content terminal and the LAN or external network. The communication quality assurance is performed by incorporating an information communication device such as a router or a modem having a communication medium quality control function performed according to a protocol or the like corresponding to the content terminal between the content terminal and the external network.

  A conventional information communication device needs to set communication quality in detail according to the type and quality of a communication medium used for transmission between the information communication device and the content terminal, and the type of content data. In the communication quality setting, various items are set in accordance with the above-described protocol and the like, so it is general to set the setting items in a table and perform setting operations on a computer screen.

  However, the bandwidth of the communication medium may vary due to various factors. For example, in the case of power carrier line communication, if the position of an outlet to be used changes, the band may fluctuate greatly depending on environmental conditions such as noise and its temporal change. For this reason, the user must check how much bandwidth can be secured by the speed monitoring function of the information communication device each time and change the communication quality setting accordingly. For example, the information communication device of Non-Patent Document 1 connects to a communication medium, presses a button, performs security setting and simple speed grasp, and visually displays the degree of bandwidth reservation with a light emitting indicator. The user looks at the light emission indicator to determine whether or not sufficient bandwidth can be secured. If it is not sufficient, the user can connect to another outlet and check the light emission indicator again, so that the bandwidth required for content transmission / reception can be obtained. You can check whether it is secured.

Panasonic Communications Co., Ltd., “Product Introduction BL-PA100 / PA100KT Features”, [online], [November 1, 2007], Internet <URL http: // panasonic. co. jp / pcc / products / plc / products. html>

However, in a conventional information communication device, a user needs to perform communication quality setting and medium selection in consideration of the type of content terminal, communication medium, and content information. As described above, in order to set communication quality, it is necessary to understand the meaning of many communication technology terms and setting items, the characteristics and characteristics of media, and it is sufficient for those who do not have such knowledge. It is difficult to construct a LAN that can ensure a high content transfer quality.
In addition, information communication devices are required to minimize manufacturing costs. Therefore, the provision of a monitor for setting communication quality is performed by connecting an external display terminal such as a monitor output of a content terminal or a personal computer to set communication quality. For this reason, when connecting a conventional telephone, television, video recording device, etc. as a content terminal to a LAN, it is necessary to prepare a personal computer and connect it to an information communication device and set the communication quality. This makes it difficult to construct a LAN for a user who is difficult to operate a personal computer.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to make it possible to easily perform communication quality setting when a content terminal is connected to a LAN without requiring special knowledge of communication technology.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a first physical communication unit connected to a LAN (Local Area Network) side and a second physical communication connected to a content terminal side that transmits and receives content information via the LAN. An information communication device including a transfer processing unit that performs information transfer to and from the communication unit and performs communication quality control using the first physical communication unit, and determines a type of content information to be transmitted and received by the content terminal A content specifying unit to be executed, a memory unit in which communication quality setting information according to the type of content information and the type of communication medium of the first physical communication unit is stored, and the type of content information determined from the content specifying unit The communication quality setting information corresponding to the determined content information type is acquired from the memory unit, and the first object is acquired. An arithmetic processing unit that acquires communication speed information from the physical communication unit, and the arithmetic processing unit acquires the communication quality setting information and the communication speed information, and the necessary speed information described in the communication quality setting information The remaining communication speed using the first physical communication unit from the difference between the communication speed information and the communication quality setting information in the transfer processing unit based on the remaining speed and the communication quality setting information A process for generating control instruction information for executing the predetermined quality control, and a process for notifying the transfer processing unit of the generated control instruction information. The transfer processing unit receives the control instruction information. A configuration is adopted in which a communication information setting corresponding to the predetermined quality control is executed by the information communication device of the other party connected via the first physical communication unit.

According to the configuration of the present invention, the user need only install the information communication device between the LAN and the content terminal and select the type of content information transmitted and received by the content terminal connected by the content specifying unit. The information communication device includes a memory unit in which communication quality setting information corresponding to the type of content information and the type of communication medium is stored, and triggered by selection of the type of content information by the content specification unit, Control instruction information is generated by the arithmetic processing unit based on the communication quality setting information and communication speed information, and the control instruction information is reflected on the transfer processing unit and the communication control unit on the content terminal side. For this reason, as long as the user understands the correspondence between the type of content information transmitted and received by the content terminal and the first and second physical communication units, the user can communicate with the content terminal, the communication medium, and the content terminal suitable for the type of content information. Communication quality between devices can be automatically secured and confirmed.
Therefore, according to the present invention, the communication quality setting for connecting the content terminal to the LAN can be easily performed for the information communication device without requiring the knowledge of the communication technology.

Specifically, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the quality control content for ensuring the bandwidth described in the necessary speed information in a state where the remaining speed is present is described.
As the contents of the quality control, for example, classifier, admission control, shaping, queuing and scheduling, etc. can be appropriately employed.

  In the case where a plurality of the first physical communication units and the second physical communication units are provided, the arithmetic processing unit and the transfer processing unit may be configured to individually process all the physical communication units. Since the memory unit has already stored communication quality setting information corresponding to the type of content information and the type of communication medium of the first physical communication unit, quality control and related control, selection of a medium, switching, etc. Various implementations can be made on the basis of differences in band status among a plurality of communication media, compatibility with the type of content information based on the difference in type, and the like.

For example, the communication quality setting information includes a plurality of first physical communication units, and the communication quality setting information describes the first physical communication unit to be preferentially used for each type of content information. The control instruction for obtaining the respective remaining speeds of the first physical communication unit and causing the other first physical communication units having the remaining speed to communicate when the remaining speed of the first physical communication unit to be preferentially used is insufficient. A configuration for generating information can be employed.
According to this configuration, the same or different physical standards can be used as the communication media of the plurality of first physical communication units. Considering that the bandwidth varies depending on the type of communication medium and the required communication quality varies depending on the type of content information, the first physical communication unit to be preferentially used for each type of content information is designated as the provider of the information communication device. Can be described in advance in the communication quality setting information. The remaining speed of each first physical communication unit may fluctuate depending on the type of communication medium and the surrounding environment, and the first physical communication unit to be preferentially used may run out of bandwidth. If the speed is obtained, it is possible to automatically ensure a high communication quality in which the shortage is compensated by the other first physical communication unit.

A plurality of first physical communication units; an operation switch for selecting the first physical communication unit as a transfer destination in association with the second physical communication unit; and an operation state of the operation switch for the arithmetic processing unit. The structure provided with the determination part which transmits to can be employ | adopted.
According to this configuration, the user can easily set the first physical communication unit that is desired to be used for transmission / reception according to the type of content information only by a switch operation.

  The plurality of first physical communication units may be any combination for the same type of communication medium and different types of communication media. The type of communication medium is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a telephone line, a coaxial line, a power carrier line, a wireless transmission line, and an optical transmission line.

Further, the content specifying unit monitors the determined state of the type of content information under a predetermined time condition, and the arithmetic processing unit monitors the remaining speed under a predetermined time condition, and based on the monitoring result, A configuration for performing update processing of control instruction information can be employed.
According to this configuration, even if the bandwidth of the communication medium occurs, if a predetermined time condition is satisfied in the content specifying unit and the arithmetic processing unit, a control instruction newly adapted to the current bandwidth reservation state of the communication medium is newly established. Since the information is automatically updated, it is possible to automatically ensure the communication quality setting that follows the bandwidth fluctuation without bothering the user.
It should be noted that the predetermined time condition is always a trigger having a parameter such as the elapse of a certain time interval as a parameter, and it is preferable to employ constant monitoring because of the above-described effects. In order to prevent a deviation between the control instruction information to be updated and the bandwidth state of the actual communication medium, it is preferable to adopt the same time condition in the content specifying unit and the arithmetic processing unit.

The content specifying unit includes an operation switch that selects a type of the content information in association with the second physical communication unit, and a determination unit that transmits an operation state of the operation switch to the arithmetic processing unit. Can be adopted.
According to this configuration, the user can easily determine the type of content information transmitted / received by the content terminal with respect to the specific second physical communication unit connected to the content terminal only by a switch operation.

  The content designating unit is configured such that the communication port of the second physical communication unit and the type of content information are fixed in a one-to-one relationship, for example, the communication port of one second physical communication unit is used for voice communication. The communication port of the other second physical communication unit can be configured to be fixed for moving images. However, since the communication ports of the second physical communication unit are required for the number of types of content information to be supported, the switch It is preferable that one second physical communication unit can be used for transmission / reception of a plurality of types of content information by operation.

  In addition, a state display unit that visually displays the quality control setting result is provided, and the arithmetic processing unit generates display control information of the state display unit based on the remaining speed and notifies the state display unit If the configuration for performing the above is adopted, the user can easily determine whether the communication quality is ensured.

  The present invention also provides information between a first physical communication unit connected to a LAN (Local Area Network) side and a second physical communication unit connected to a content terminal side that transmits and receives content information via the LAN. An information communication system incorporating an information communication device including a transfer processing unit that performs transfer and performs communication quality control using the first physical communication unit, wherein the information communication device transmits and receives at the content terminal A content designating unit that determines the type of content information, a memory unit that stores communication quality setting information according to the type of content information and the type of communication medium of the first physical communication unit, and the content designating unit Communication quality corresponding to the determined content information type from the memory unit upon receiving notification of the content information type An arithmetic processing unit that acquires setting information and acquires communication speed information from the first physical communication unit, wherein the arithmetic processing unit acquires the communication quality setting information and the communication speed information, and A process for obtaining a remaining communication speed using the first physical communication unit from the difference between the required speed information described in the setting information and the communication speed information, and the transfer process based on the remaining speed and the communication quality setting information A process for generating control instruction information for causing the unit to execute predetermined quality control described in the communication quality setting information, and a process for notifying the transfer processing unit of the generated control instruction information. Receives the control instruction information, performs a process of causing the other information communication device connected via the first physical communication unit to perform communication quality setting corresponding to the predetermined quality control, and performs the transfer process. Department Receiving the control instruction information, and performing a process of causing the other information communication device connected via the first physical communication unit to execute communication quality setting corresponding to the predetermined quality control. It is. Since the information communication system having this configuration includes the information communication device as described above, it is possible to automatically ensure the communication quality setting when the content terminal is connected to the LAN.

  As described above, according to the present invention, by adopting the above configuration, it is possible to easily perform communication quality setting when connecting a content terminal to a LAN without requiring special knowledge of communication technology.

Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an information communication device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a configuration example of the information communication device and the information communication system according to the first embodiment.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the information communication device 100 according to the first embodiment is connected to the external network 11 via the line termination device 20, and transfer control between the information communication device 21 and the external network 11 is performed. This is for constructing an information communication system in which the content terminal 1 is connected to a LAN on which is executed.

  The content terminal 1 transmits and receives content information in a packet according to a predetermined protocol via a LAN, and is, for example, an IP phone, a television, a personal computer, or the like.

  The types of content information are, for example, audio, video, etc., and are classified based on applications that handle content information.

  The external network 11 is a public network and forms part of the Internet network.

  A LAN is configured using one or more types of communication media. The LAN communication medium 12 is a physical communication medium. For example, an indoor power line, a coaxial line, a wireless transmission line, or the like is employed. The line termination device 20 is a device that terminates an external network, and an information communication device such as an optical line termination device (ONU) or an ADSL modem is employed. The information communication device 21 includes a network device such as a PLC adapter that constitutes a LAN with the information communication device 100, and connects the external network 11 and the LAN via the line termination device 20. The line terminator 20 may be omitted, and a network device that serves as both the information communication device 21 and the line terminator can be provided.

  The information communication device 100 includes a plurality of first physical communication units 101 and 102 connected to the communication medium 12 on the LAN side, a second physical communication unit 103 connected to the content terminal 1 side, and content information transmitted and received by the content terminal 1 A content designating unit for determining the type of content, communication quality setting information corresponding to the type of content information and the type of communication medium of the first physical communication units 101 and 102, and the content designating unit In response to the notification of the type of the content information, the communication quality setting information corresponding to the determined content information type is acquired from the memory unit 121, and the communication speed information is acquired from the first physical communication units 101 and 102. Information is transferred between the arithmetic processing unit 131, the first physical communication units 101 and 102, and the second physical communication unit 103, and the first physical communication unit 10 , And a transfer processing unit 141 to conduct a quality control of the communication using the 102, and a state display unit for visually displaying the setting result of the quality control. The arithmetic processing unit 131 and the transfer processing unit 141 individually perform processing related to the physical communication units 101, 102, and 103 for each communication unit.

  The first physical communication units 101 and 102 perform physical communication control with the LAN side. The first physical communication units 101 and 102 can be realized by physical connection division using a plurality of physical connectors.

  The first physical communication units 101 and 102 can be connected to the same or different information communication devices 21 and 22. Taking the first physical communication unit 102 as an example, the communication medium 13 of the first physical communication unit 102 can be connected to the information communication device 21 or can be connected to the line terminating device 20. Each of the information communication devices 21 and 22 can be connected to the same external network 11 via the line termination device 20 or can be connected to different external networks.

  The second physical communication unit 103 performs physical communication control with the content terminal 1 side. A set top box (STB), a VoIP adapter, or the like can be appropriately interposed between the second physical communication unit 103 and the content terminal 1 according to the function of the content terminal 1, the type of content information, and the like.

  The content designating unit is associated with the second physical communication unit 103, the operation switches 111 and 112 for selecting the type of content information, and the determination unit 113 for transmitting the operation state of the operation switches 111 and 112 to the arithmetic processing unit 131. Consists of.

  The operation switches 111 and 112 may be switches that can be arbitrarily operated by the user, and for example, button switches, selector switches, and the like can be used. Each of the operation switches 111 and 112 is configured such that the type of content information is displayed on the function classification of the content terminal 1, for example, an IP phone, an Internet television, or the like. The type of content information transmitted / received by the function of the content terminal 1 and its transmission / reception protocol can be assumed. Therefore, the user can intuitively select the type of content information by the function classification of the content terminal 1. Since the type of content information transmitted / received by the function of the content terminal 1 and its transmission / reception protocol can be assumed, the association information between the operation switches 111 and 112 and the type of content information is stored in the memory unit 121 in advance. ing.

  The determination unit 113 monitors ON / OFF of the switches 111 and 112. The arithmetic processing unit 131 determines the type of the determined content information by transmitting the operation state of the operation switches 111 and 112 from the determination unit 113.

  The switches 111 and 112 maintain the contact state until the next switch operation is received. This is because once the content terminal 1 is connected to the second physical communication unit 103, there is no frequent opportunity to release the connection.

FIG. 3 a conceptually shows the table 122 stored in the memory unit 121.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3a, a table 122 is stored in the memory unit 121 for each of the types A and B of the communication medium. Each table 122 uses the switches 111 and 112 as keys, and information for associating information 123 with the type of content information, and types of control instructions according to the types A and B of the physical standard of the communication medium and the type of content information. Communication quality setting information 124 and control information 125 for generating display control information of the status display unit are described.

  The communication quality setting information 124 can describe information such as a necessary speed, a protocol identifier, and detailed quality control contents such as the admission control according to the protocol. For example, the communication quality setting information 124 describes information specifying the priority of communication using the first physical communication units 101 and 102 for each type of content information. As the priority, a TOS (Tape of Services) value can be adopted. Other examples include protocol types such as UDP and TCP, Ether types such as IPv4 and IPv6, classification using values such as IP address and MAC address, contents of queuing and scheduling, for example, PQ (Priority Queuing) Quality control contents such as WFQ (Weight Fair Queuing) and CBQ (Class-Based Queuing) can also be described.

  The arithmetic processing unit 131 acquires the communication quality setting information 124 and the communication speed information of the first physical communication units 101 and 102, and calculates the difference between the necessary speed information described in the communication quality setting information 124 and the communication speed information. Based on the remaining speed and the communication quality setting information 124, a process for obtaining the remaining speed of communication using the first physical communication units 101 and 102, and a predetermined processing described in the communication quality setting information 124 in the transfer processing unit 141 Processing for generating control instruction information for executing quality control, processing for notifying the generated control instruction information to the transfer processing unit 141, display control information for the status display unit based on the remaining speed and the control information 125 Generate and notify the status display unit.

  Upon receiving the control instruction information, the transfer processing unit 141 receives at least one of bandwidth control and priority control corresponding to the control instruction information, and receives the control instruction information. The other party information communication device connected via the units 101 and 102 performs processing for executing communication quality setting corresponding to the predetermined quality control.

  In response to receiving the display control information from the arithmetic processing unit 131, the status display unit corresponds to the control unit 151 that performs display control corresponding to the display control information and the first physical communication units 101 and 102. It consists of provided visual display units 152 and 153. For example, the visible display units 152 and 153 perform lighting control of the light emitting elements indicating whether or not the quality setting of the selected switch is ensured based on the display control information by the control unit 151. For this reason, the user can confirm whether the quality required for the application to be used has been secured by looking at the visible display portions 152 and 153. In addition, as display control of the visible display parts 152 and 153, the display by the light extinction / lighting according to the state of quality ensuring, the display by a color change, etc. can be employ | adopted suitably.

  FIG. 4a shows an operation flow of the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the function of each part of the information communication device 100 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 1, 3a, and 4a.

When the information communication apparatus 100 completes a predetermined initial activation operation by turning on the power, the information communication apparatus 100 activates the next setting preparation process S1.
The determination unit 113 starts monitoring the state of whether or not the type of content information has been selected by monitoring the ON operation of the switches 111 and 112, and continues constantly.
The first physical communication units 101 and 102 start measurement of the communication speed of the communication medium and continue constantly. Further, the communication processing unit 131 is notified of communication speed information indicating the communication speed of the measurement result. The first physical communication units 101 and 102 to which no communication medium is connected have a negative communication speed.
The arithmetic processing unit 131 starts monitoring the remaining speed and continues constantly. When the communication speed information is received from the first physical communication units 101 and 102, the remaining speeds of the first physical communication units 101 and 102 are obtained. Until the switches 111 and 112 are turned ON for the first time, the speed indicated by the communication speed information is set as the remaining speed. Display control information for each of the visible display units 152 and 153 is generated and notified to the control unit 151.
The control unit 151 performs lighting control of the corresponding visible display units 152 and 153 based on the notified display control information.

  After the processes 1 to 3 in S1 are completed, the user connects the content terminal 1 to the second physical communication unit 103, and selects the type of content information using the switches 111 and 112. When the user operates the switches 111 and 112, the determination unit 113 notifies the arithmetic processing unit 131 of switch operation information indicating the operation content (S2).

  The arithmetic processing unit 131 determines that the type of content information corresponding to the switches 111 and 112 has been selected when receiving the switch operation information indicating “ON” in S <b> 2, and the table 122 of the memory unit 121. , The corresponding communication quality setting information 124 and control information 125 are acquired, and the remaining speed is obtained (S3).

In S3, when the remaining speeds of the first physical communication units 101 and 102 are negative, the arithmetic processing unit 131 does not particularly perform communication quality control such as bandwidth control, and causes the transfer processing unit 141 to sequentially perform packet transfer. Control instruction information is generated and notified.
Further, based on the acquired control information 125, the arithmetic processing unit 131 generates, for example, display control information with contents for turning off the corresponding visible display units 152 and 153, and notifies the control unit 151 of the display control information. The control unit 151 performs turn-off control (S4).

  Through S4, the user can confirm from the visible display units 152 and 153 that quality is not ensured in the transmission / reception of the type of content information selected by the operation switches 111 and 112.

In S3, when the remaining speed of the first physical communication units 101 and 102 is 0 or more, the arithmetic processing unit 131 performs the corresponding first physical communication based on the acquired communication quality setting information 124 and control information 125. Control instruction information and display control information for the units 101 and 102 are generated, the generated control instruction information is notified to the transfer processing unit 141, and the generated display control information is notified to the control unit 151. For example, the communication quality setting information 124 describes quality control details for ensuring the bandwidth described in the necessary speed information in a state where there is a remaining speed, and the arithmetic processing unit 131 stores the determined content information in the first The control instruction information of the control content for ensuring the quality of communication using one physical communication unit 101, 102 is generated.
In addition, when performing the priority control, the arithmetic processing unit 131 generates the control instruction information that prioritizes communication of the content information based on the priority.
The transfer processing unit 141 performs quality control corresponding to the control instruction information upon receiving the control instruction information. The control unit 151 performs display control corresponding to the display control information (S5).

  The transfer processing unit 141 transmits the control instruction information corresponding to the control instruction information to the corresponding information communication devices 21 and 22 when the control instruction information of S5 is written in its own control table. The information communication devices 21 and 22 rewrite their own control tables upon receiving this control instruction information, and perform control corresponding to the control instruction information. Thereby, the communication quality setting according to the determined type of content information is automatically completed (S6).

  With the completion of S6, the communication quality setting between the content terminal 1 and the information communication device of the other party is automatically completed.

  Thereafter, the information communication apparatus 100 continues the loop process for starting S1 with the completion of S6. That is, the arithmetic processing unit 131 automatically performs control instruction information update processing. For this reason, the information communication apparatus 100 can automatically update the communication quality setting at a loop interval once the user turns on the switches 111 and 112.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, the communication quality setting for connecting the content terminal 1 to the LAN can be easily performed on the information communication device without requiring special knowledge of the communication technology. it can.

  In the first embodiment, the arithmetic processing unit 131 and the transfer processing unit 141 individually process all the first physical communication units 101 and 102, and the memory unit 121 stores the type of content information and the communication medium. Since the communication quality setting information has already been stored as a table corresponding to types A and B, quality control can be performed using a unified protocol or the like, for example, ToS or CoS. Therefore, the information communication device 100 performs a variety of band control and related control based on the compatibility of the types of content information based on the difference in the band state between the plurality of communication media and the difference in the types. Can do.

For example, since the types of content information and the switches 111 and 112 are associated by the association information 123, the first physical to be preferentially used for each type of content information is included in the communication quality setting information 124. A communication part can be described. Since the priority is described for each type of content information in the communication quality setting information 124, as shown in FIG. 3b, the priority should be used indirectly for each type of content information using the priority. One physical communication unit A to X can be described as appropriate.
Then, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4b, the arithmetic processing unit 131, in the step (S3), of the first physical communication units 101 and 102 to be prioritized corresponding to the determined type of content information. When it is determined that the remaining speed is insufficient, the remaining speeds of the other first physical communication units 101 and 102 are confirmed (S11). The control instruction information for communicating the shortage using the other first physical communication units 101 and 102 is generated (S12), and the transfer processing unit 141 notifies the partner information communication device (S13). can do.
As a result, for example, even when the first physical communication unit 101 to be preferentially used has a shortage of bandwidth, it is possible to automatically ensure a high communication quality in which the other first physical communication unit 102 compensates for the shortage. .
On the other hand, when the remaining speed cannot be secured even if each of the first physical communication units 101 and 102 is used, the process of (S4) is performed.

  In the step (S12), for example, the first physical communication unit 101 to be preferentially used is connected to the information communication device 21, and the other first physical communication unit 102 is connected to the other information communication device 22, so that information communication is performed. When the devices 21 and 22 are connected to the same external network 11 or external networks connected to each other via the line termination device 20, the bandwidth between the first physical communication unit 101 and the information communication device 21 is maximized. The control instruction information including the control content to be secured and the control content to secure the insufficient bandwidth between the other first physical communication unit 102 and the information communication device 22 may be generated. The transfer processing unit 141 performs processing for causing each of the information communication devices 21 and 22 to execute communication quality setting for securing the allocated bandwidth.

  In addition, as the information communication devices 21 and 22, those added with a function for terminating the information communication device 100 or the external network 11 and a routing function may be employed.

  2 and 5, the LAN is connected between the information communication device 21 and the first physical communication unit 101 of the information communication device 100, and the communication medium 13 of the other first physical communication unit 102 is also connected. The configuration is basically the same in the case of connection, and the communication port for the first physical communication unit 101 is secured to the maximum extent for the information communication device 21, and the communication port for the other physical communication unit 102 is secured. Then you can secure the shortfall.

  In addition, instead of allocating a band according to the remaining speeds of the plurality of first physical communication units 101 and 102 as described above, it is configured to perform communication using all the first physical communication units 101 and 102. You can also. This configuration is effective when, for example, it is always desired to minimize the connection time because the available bandwidth of all the first physical communication units 101 and 102 is always utilized to the maximum.

  In the first embodiment, one second physical communication unit 103 is used. However, when a plurality of content terminals 1 and 2 are desired to be connected to one information communication device 100 as shown in FIGS. The second physical communication unit may be added as appropriate. For example, if a table using the type of content information as a key is stored in the memory unit 121 and the second physical communication unit is physically pluralized, different protocols and quality control can be performed for the content terminals 1 and 2. it can.

  In the first embodiment, the first physical communication unit to be preferentially used is described in the communication quality setting information 124. However, for the convenience of the user, the first physical communication unit 101 is more secure than ensuring the communication quality. , 102 and the second physical communication unit 103 may be set by themselves and used continuously in that state. As a modification suitable for such a case, the second embodiment is shown in FIG. In the following, differences from the first embodiment will be described, and description of common configurations will be omitted.

As illustrated, the information communication device 100A according to the second embodiment is associated with a plurality of first physical communication units 101 and 102, second physical communication units 103 and 104, and second physical communication units 103 and 104. Operation switches 111 and 112 that select the first physical communication units 101 and 102 that are transfer destinations, and a determination unit 113 that transmits an operation state of the operation switches 111 and 112 to the arithmetic processing unit 131.
In the second embodiment, for example, when the type of content information is selected by operating the operation switch 111 provided for the second physical communication unit 103, the second physical communication unit 103 and the first physical communication unit 101 Fixed to the transfer path. For this reason, the communication quality setting as shown in FIG. 4B is not executed. The same applies to the other second physical communication units 104.

Functional block diagram of the information communication apparatus according to the first embodiment The schematic diagram which shows the structural example of the information communication system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. Conceptual diagram of the table stored in the memory unit of FIG. Conceptual diagram showing an example of the priority control content described in the communication quality setting information of FIG. Operation flow diagram according to the first embodiment The flowchart which shows operation | movement of the example of a change which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The schematic diagram which shows the 1st modification structural example of the information communication system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The schematic diagram which shows the 2nd modification structural example of the information communication system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The schematic diagram which shows the 3rd modification structural example of the information communication system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. Functional block diagram of an information communication device according to the second embodiment

Explanation of symbols

1, 2 Content terminal 11 External network 12, 13 Communication medium 20 Line termination device 21, 22 Information communication device 100 Information communication device 101, 102 First physical communication unit 103, 104 Second physical communication unit 111, 112 Switch 113 Determination unit 121 Memory Unit 122 Table 123 Association Information 124 Communication Quality Setting Information 125 Control Information 131 Operation Processing Unit 141 Transfer Processing Unit 151 Control Units 152 and 153 Visible Display Unit

Claims (7)

Information is transferred between a first physical communication unit connected to a LAN (Local Area Network) side and a second physical communication unit connected to a content terminal side that transmits and receives content information via the LAN. 1 is an information communication device including a transfer processing unit that performs quality control of communication using one physical communication unit,
A content specifying unit for determining the type of content information to be transmitted and received by the content terminal;
A memory unit in which communication quality setting information corresponding to the type of content information and the type of communication medium of the first physical communication unit is stored;
In response to the notification of the content information type determined from the content designating unit, communication quality setting information corresponding to the determined content information type is acquired from the memory unit, and the communication speed is transmitted from the first physical communication unit. An arithmetic processing unit for acquiring information,
The content specifying unit includes an operation switch that selects a type of the content information in association with the second physical communication unit, and a determination unit that transmits an operation state of the operation switch to the arithmetic processing unit.
The arithmetic processing unit acquires the communication quality setting information and the communication speed information, and uses the first physical communication unit based on a difference between the required speed information described in the communication quality setting information and the communication speed information. A process for obtaining a remaining communication speed, and a process for generating control instruction information for causing the transfer processing unit to perform predetermined quality control described in the communication quality setting information based on the remaining speed and the communication quality setting information. And a process of notifying the transfer processing unit of the generated control instruction information, and the transfer processing unit receives the control instruction information and receives information on the other party connected via the first physical communication unit. An information communication device that performs processing for causing a communication device to execute a communication quality setting corresponding to the predetermined quality control.   2. The information communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication quality setting information describes a quality control content for securing a band described in the necessary speed information in a state where the remaining speed is present.   A plurality of the first physical communication units, wherein the communication quality setting information describes the first physical communication unit to be preferentially used for each type of the content information, and the arithmetic processing unit includes the first physical communication unit Each remaining speed of the physical communication unit is obtained, and when the remaining speed of the first physical communication unit to be preferentially used is insufficient, the control instruction information to be communicated using another first physical communication unit having a remaining speed is obtained. The information communication device according to claim 1, wherein the information communication device is generated.   A plurality of the first physical communication units, an operation switch for selecting the first physical communication unit as a transfer destination in association with the second physical communication unit, and an operation state of the operation switch are transmitted to the arithmetic processing unit The information communication device according to claim 1, further comprising a determination unit that performs the determination.   The content specifying unit monitors a determination state of the type of content information under a predetermined time condition, and the arithmetic processing unit monitors the remaining speed under a predetermined time condition, and based on the monitoring result, the control instruction The information communication device according to claim 1, wherein information update processing is performed. A state display unit that visually displays the quality control setting result is provided, and the arithmetic processing unit generates display control information of the state display unit based on the remaining speed and performs a process of notifying the state display unit information communication apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that. Information is transferred between a first physical communication unit connected to a LAN (Local Area Network) side and a second physical communication unit connected to a content terminal side that transmits and receives content information via the LAN. An information communication system incorporating an information communication device including a transfer processing unit that performs communication quality control using one physical communication unit,
The information communication device stores a content designation unit that determines the type of content information to be transmitted / received by the content terminal, and communication quality setting information according to the type of content information and the type of communication medium of the first physical communication unit Receiving the notification of the content information type determined from the completed memory unit and the content designating unit, obtaining communication quality setting information corresponding to the determined type of content information from the memory unit, and An arithmetic processing unit that obtains communication speed information from a physical communication unit, wherein the content specifying unit selects the type of content information in association with the second physical communication unit, and an operation of the operation switch It becomes the state from the determination unit to be transmitted to the arithmetic processing section, the calculation processing unit, the communication speed information and the communication quality setting information Obtaining the remaining speed of communication using the first physical communication unit from the difference between the required speed information described in the communication quality setting information and the communication speed information, the remaining speed and the communication quality setting Processing for generating control instruction information for causing the transfer processing unit to execute predetermined quality control described in the communication quality setting information based on information, and processing for notifying the transfer processing unit of the generated control instruction information The transfer processing unit receives the control instruction information, and causes the other information communication device connected via the first physical communication unit to perform communication quality setting corresponding to the predetermined quality control. An information communication system characterized by performing processing.

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