JP5670977B2 - Communication terminal, communication system, communication method, and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication terminal, a communication system, a communication method, and a program, and more particularly, to a communication terminal, a communication system, a communication method, and a program that select a communication path for transmitting and receiving data by wireless communication.

  In recent years, the amount of data processed in a terminal is increasing due to the enhancement of functions of mobile communication terminals, and the amount of data communicated is increasing accordingly.

  For this reason, the load on the communication infrastructure of mobile communication terminals is increasing, and the network communication capacity of mobile network operators is tight. This tight communication capacity is an obstacle to maintaining a good communication environment and is a serious problem.

  In order to solve this problem, for example, the load on the mobile network may be reduced by a technique called offload. That is, for a communication terminal that can use a plurality of wireless communication methods such as a mobile network and a fixed network, a line to the mobile network is switched to a Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) router by a handover or the like. Thereby, the data communication by the portable communication terminal is performed on an FTTH (Fiber To The Home) network.

  However, offloading of mobile traffic to the fixed network is merely switching the line used for communication from the mobile network, and the load on the mobile network due to an increase in traffic has only moved to the fixed network. For this reason, fixed network operators are forced to reinforce their own fixed network due to an increase in traffic on the mobile network.

  On the other hand, communication using only text data such as e-mail does not require a large communication rate. A high-speed communication path that does not cause a delay in processing such as playback of a moving image on a terminal is not necessary for sending and receiving e-mail. The offloading of communication data is merely switching the user communication line exclusively from the mobile network to the fixed network. The amount of data communication is increasing even in the fixed network, and the tightness of the bandwidth of the communication line is a problem common to the mobile network and the fixed network. For this reason, when communication lines with high-speed communication rates are tight, such communication lines will also interfere with the sending and receiving of e-mails, and mobile communication terminals are mainly used for text data communication. For users who do this, the communication environment is getting worse.

  As a method for restricting offloading to a fixed network, there is a method of selecting a communication path by detecting the type of communication data using DPI (Deep Packet Inspection) or the like at a gateway of the network. However, this method increases the load on the infrastructure for constructing the network, and does not solve the above problem.

  Since the increase in the amount of communication data is expected to continue in the future, it is an issue to provide a fair communication environment for all users.

  As a solution to the above-described problem due to communication data offloading, Patent Document 1 discloses a W-LAN (Wireless Local Area Network) communication unit, a simple mobile phone communication unit, and an EV-DO (Evolution Data Only) communication unit. A communication terminal device having

  The communication terminal apparatus measures the transmission path quality in each communication method based on the control signal output from the control signal IF (Interface) unit. On the other hand, the communication terminal apparatus measures the throughput (communication rate) in each communication method, and selects one from the three communication methods based on the transmission path quality considering the throughput.

JP 2008-118722 A

  However, the communication terminal device disclosed in Patent Document 1 only realizes a switching process optimized for high-throughput communication while maintaining a predetermined transmission path quality, and an optimal communication environment depending on the use form of communication data. There is a problem that is not selected.

  For example, in a communication line having a communication rate that does not delay the moving image playback process in the mobile communication terminal, a certain amount of communication error is allowed, but such a communication line is not suitable for sending and receiving e-mails. In addition, since a large communication rate is not required for transmission / reception of e-mails, there is a problem that excessive communication capacity is wasted if such a communication line is allocated to transmission / reception processing of text data such as e-mails.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and provides a communication terminal, a communication system, a communication method, and a program that select an optimal communication path according to the type of data to be communicated and effectively utilize communication resources. The purpose is to do.

  In order to achieve the above object, a communication terminal of the present invention is a communication terminal that communicates via at least one communication path among a plurality of communication paths, and a plurality of communication means that communicate with each other using different communication methods. Communication data holding means for holding communication data, communication path data holding means for holding the communication speed of each of the plurality of communication paths, and the type of communication data held in the communication data holding means. And selecting means for selecting a communication path having the highest communication speed or a communication path having the lowest communication speed as a communication path for communicating communication data.

  Further, the communication system of the present invention is a communication system having a communication terminal, a network, and a plurality of communication paths through which the communication terminal communicates with the network, and the communication terminals are different from each other that communicate with the plurality of communication paths. A plurality of communication means having a communication method, a communication data holding means for holding communication data to communicate with a network, a communication path data holding means for holding communication speeds respectively possessed by a plurality of communication paths, and a communication data holding Selection means for selecting a communication path having the highest communication speed or a communication path having the smallest communication path as a communication path for communicating with the network based on the type of communication data held in the means. It is characterized by.

  Further, the communication method of the present invention is a communication method for performing data communication via at least one communication path among a plurality of communication paths, the step of detecting the type of communication data to be communicated, A communication path for communicating the communication data on the communication path having the highest communication speed or the communication path having the lowest communication speed based on the step of obtaining the communication speed of each communication path and the type of communication data. And a selection step of selecting as.

  The communication program of the present invention is a communication program for performing data communication via at least one communication path among a plurality of communication paths, and includes a process for detecting a type of communication data to be communicated, A communication path for communicating the communication data through the communication path having the highest communication speed or the communication path having the lowest communication speed based on the processing for obtaining the communication speed of each communication path and the type of communication data. And a selection process for selecting as a computer.

  According to the present invention, an optimal communication path is selected according to the type of data to be communicated, and a communication environment having high communication quality that is not affected by communication of different types of data is provided.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the communication terminal device which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the procedure of the communication method which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the communication terminal device which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the communication system which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the procedure of the communication method which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the procedure of the communication method which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the procedure of the communication method which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the procedure of the communication method which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the procedure of the communication method which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the procedure of the communication method which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. An example of the data display in the display part of the communication terminal device which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention is shown. An example of the communication path | route table referred in the procedure of the communication method which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention is shown. An example of the communication path distribution criteria table referred in the procedure of the communication method which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention is shown. An example of the communication path | route table referred in the procedure of the communication method which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention is shown. An example of the communication path distribution criteria table referred in the procedure of the communication method which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention is shown. The another example of the communication path | route table referred in the procedure of the communication method which concerns on the modification of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention is shown. The another example of the communication path | route table referred in the procedure of the communication method which concerns on the modification of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention is shown.

The best mode for carrying out the invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below.
[First Embodiment]
[Constitution]
FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a communication terminal 1001 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  A communication terminal 1001 shown in FIG. 1 is a communication terminal that communicates via at least one of a plurality of communication paths. The communication terminal 1001 includes a plurality of communication units 1002 that perform communication using different communication methods, a communication data holding unit 1003 that holds communication data, and a communication path data holding unit that holds communication speeds of the plurality of communication paths. Means 1004 and selection means 1005 are provided.

The selection unit 1005 communicates the communication data on the communication path having the highest communication speed or the communication path having the lowest communication speed based on the type of communication data held in the communication data holding means. Select as communication path.
[Operation]
Next, the operation of the route selection method according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG.

  The selection unit 1005 detects the type of communication data held in the communication data storage unit 1003 (FIG. 2, step S201). Next, the selection unit 1005 refers to the communication path information held in the communication path data storage unit (step S202).

  The selection unit 1005 selects a communication path having the highest communication speed or a communication path having the lowest communication speed as a communication path for communicating communication data according to the type of data to be communicated (step S203). .

According to the communication terminal according to the present embodiment, an optimal communication path is selected according to the type of data to be communicated, and a communication environment having high communication quality that is not affected by communication of different types of data is provided.
[Second Embodiment]
A communication system and a communication path selection method according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3, 4, 5a to 5c, 7, 8, and 9. FIG.
[Constitution]
[Communication terminal]
FIG. 3 shows an example of the configuration of the communication terminal apparatus 101 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  The communication terminal device 101 illustrated in FIG. 3 includes a first communication unit 102, a second communication unit 103, a third communication unit 104, and a fourth communication unit 105. Each of these communication units communicates with a communication path, connects to a network, and can transmit and receive data. Note that when the number of communication units is larger than the number of communication paths, the surplus communication units may stop operating, or may operate as a backup for any of the operating communication units.

  The communication methods of the first to fourth communication units are different from each other.

  The communication terminal apparatus 101 includes an interface unit 109 that performs output such as display of data processed by the data processing unit 108. The interface unit 109 accepts operation instructions and data input by the user. The interface unit 109 may further include an input / output interface for exchanging data with the outside.

  The communication terminal device 101 further includes a selection unit 106 that selects a communication unit used for data communication from the first to fourth communication units 102 to 105.

  A communication unit used for data communication acquires data from the received signal.

  The data processing unit 108 receives the acquired data via the selection unit 106, processes the received data, and passes it to the interface unit 109. Alternatively, the data processing unit 108 receives data or an operation instruction input from the interface unit 109, processes the data, and sends the processed data to the network via the selection unit 106 and the communication unit.

  Data processed by the data processing unit 108 is held in the communication data storage unit 107, and is referred to and updated as necessary.

  The selection unit 106 refers to the data of the communication path held in the communication path data storage unit 110 and the data processed by the data processing unit and transmitted to the network held in the communication data storage unit 107, and performs data communication. Select the communication unit to use.

  That is, based on the data transmitted to the network and the communication path information, a communication path that is optimal for the type of data to be communicated is selected.

  The data held in the communication data storage unit 107 may be a transmission request signal for data desired to be acquired from the network. Thereby, even if it is not the data main body transmitted to a network, the classification of the data received from a network can be discriminate | determined.

After the communication unit used for communication is selected, the data held in the communication data storage unit 107 is sent to the network via the selection unit 106.
[Communications system]
FIG. 4 shows an example of the configuration of a communication system according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 4, the communication terminal apparatus 101 performs data communication with the Internet 301 through four types of wireless paths.

  In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the Bluetooth (registered trademark) 302, the Wimax (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) 303, the wireless LAN 304, and the LTE (Long Term Evolution) 305 can be used as four types of wireless routes. The number of wireless routes is not limited to this, and may be less than 4 or more than 4 as long as it is 2 or more.

  In communication terminal apparatus 101, first communication unit 102, second communication unit 103, third communication unit 104, and fourth communication unit 105 communicate with Bluetooth 302, Wimax 303, wireless LAN 304, and LTE 305, respectively. . Note that the number of radio units is not limited to four, and the number of communication paths of the communication system can be changed accordingly.

  In the communication terminal device 101, as the communication path information, for example, the communication path table shown in FIG. 8 and the communication path distribution reference table shown in FIG.

  The communication path table holds values of availability and communication rate for each communication path. The communication path sorting reference table holds a threshold of a communication rate necessary for transmission / reception according to the type of communication data. For example, in the video / audio communication, if the communication rate falls below this threshold, sound skipping or block noise is generated.

  The values held in the communication path table and the communication path sorting reference table may be updated based on the result of communication data processing. Further, the held value may be updated by means (not shown) for measuring the state of the communication path.

The communication terminal device according to the present embodiment selects a communication path suitable for the type of data to be communicated, and starts communication with the network. For this reason, for data communication that does not require a high communication rate such as text data, even if the communication line with a high communication rate is tight, a communication line with a low communication rate is selected and Data communication can be started. Further, by not using a large-capacity communication line for text data communication, waste of the communication line can be suppressed and communication resources can be effectively utilized. Thereby, the increase in the cost of the communication equipment according to the data amount increase can be suppressed.
[Operation]
Next, an example of the operation of the communication system of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3, 4, 5a to 5c, and FIG.

  Hereinafter, description will be given by taking as an example an operation in the case where the network 301 is the Internet and data communication is performed on the WWW (World Wide Web).

  FIG. 7 shows a display example in which communication data is output to the display screen 401 using a Web browser.

  In FIG. 7, character data is displayed in areas 402, 404, 405, and 408. Areas 403 and 407 display image data. Further, the streaming video is displayed in area 406. Further, sound or the like may be output from a speaker (not shown).

  In order to display communication data in a layout as shown in FIG. 7, it is necessary for the Web browser to acquire information resources associated with each area on the Web page of this layout.

  In the communication system according to the present embodiment, an operation for selecting an optimum communication path when acquiring information resources will be described below.

  In order for a browser to display a Web page on the display screen 401, the communication terminal 101 first acquires html (HyperText Markup Language) information of the Web page to be displayed. The html information includes a page destination URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) such as a page layout, an image inserted in the page, a moving image, and audio. The Web browser sequentially acquires data such as an image file designated by this reference destination URI.

  In the communication terminal 101, a communication path for acquiring information such as an image file is distributed by the communication path distribution reference table and the communication path table according to the type of data such as an image, text, and moving image.

  Next, the procedure of the communication path selection method according to the present embodiment will be described using the flowcharts of FIGS. 5a to 5c.

In this embodiment, the type of communication data is determined based on the file extension.
[Select communication path for text data]
A process when the extension of the reference destination included in the URI is html, txt (text), or the like, that is, when the file to be acquired includes only text data will be described.

  First, the communication rate threshold, the high communication rate selection flag, and the reference value of the communication path candidate are initialized (FIG. 5a, step S501). These values are described below.

  When it is determined that the communication data is text data (FIG. 5a, step S502 YES), the communication rate threshold value is set to 10 Mbps from the communication route distribution reference table of FIG. 9 (step S505).

  Next, referring to the communication path table in FIG. 8, the usable communication paths are evaluated in order from the communication path in the first row, and the communication path to be used is determined.

  Reference is made to the LTE of the communication path whose path number is 1 in the top row of FIG. 8 (FIG. 5b, step S509). In FIG. 8, reference is made to whether or not LTE can be used (step S509), and it is assumed that this communication path can be used (YES in S510).

  Next, the LTE communication rate in FIG. 8 is compared with the communication rate threshold set to the value for text data with reference to FIG. 9 (step S511). In the present embodiment, since the LTE communication rate in FIG. 8 is 37.5 Mbps and the set communication rate threshold is 10 Mbps, LTE is a candidate for a communication path to be used.

  At this time, LTE is the communication path evaluated first and is the first candidate of the communication path. Since the reference value of the communication path is initialized at the start of the flow process of FIG. 5 (FIG. 5c, step S514 YES), the communication path candidate is set to LTE (step S518).

  Next, referring to FIG. 8, it is confirmed whether there is a communication path to be evaluated next (FIG. 5b, step S512). The currently referenced route number is 1, and since the information of the communication routes from 1 to 4 is held in FIG. 8, the next communication route exists (S512 YES).

  In FIG. 8, setting is made so as to refer to the communication path indicated in the line of path number 2 (step S513), and evaluation of communication path candidates from S510 is repeated.

  The communication rate of the wireless LAN of route number 2 is also equal to or higher than the set communication rate threshold. For this reason, the wireless LAN can also be a communication path candidate, but the process differs from the above-described LTE from step S514.

  At the time of evaluation of the route number 2, the communication route candidate is already set to LTE (S514 NO).

  It is determined whether or not the high communication rate selection flag is an initial value (step S515). This flag is a reference value set in step S507, and is an initial value at the time of the current evaluation (S515 YES).

  Next, referring to FIG. 8, the communication rate of the wireless LAN of route number 2 currently being evaluated is compared with the communication rate of LTE as a communication route candidate. The communication rate of the wireless LAN is 150 Mbps, and the communication rate of the LTE communication path candidate is 37.5 Mbps. The wireless LAN being referred to has a higher communication rate than the communication path candidate LTE (NO in S516).

  The processing returns to S512 in FIG. 5b, all communication paths held in FIG. 8 are evaluated, and the above-described series of processing is repeated until there is no communication path to be referred to next. That is, this loop is repeated until all the communication paths in FIG. 8 are evaluated.

  The process for evaluating Wimax of route number 3 in FIG. 8 is the same as that of the wireless LAN of route number 2 in FIG.

  Processing when referring to the Bluetooth of route number 4 in FIG. 8 will be described.

  The processing up to step S515 is the same processing as the wireless LAN of route number 2 and Wimax of route number 3 in FIG. In step S516, when the communication rate of the communication path candidate LTE is compared with the communication rate of the Bluetooth being referred to, the communication rate of the Bluetooth is lower (YES in S516). For this reason, the communication path candidate is updated and set to the Bluetooth currently being evaluated.

Since all the communication paths in FIG. 8 have been evaluated (NO in step 512), the communication path to be used is determined to be the current communication path candidate Bluetooth, and the process for selecting the communication path for text data is completed.
[Select communication path for image data]
Next, when the extension of the reference destination included in the URI is png (Portable Network Graphics) or jpg (Joint Photographic Experts Group) indicating that the communication data is image information, the processing on the text data described above is performed. It is the same.

That is, the processing for selecting a communication path for image data shown in FIG. 5a is different from the processing for text data in that the communication rate threshold is set to a value for image data (25 Mbps) (step S506). As a result, the communication path of the image data has a communication rate value equal to or higher than the communication rate threshold value (25 Mbps) among the usable communication paths, and LTE (37.5 Mbps), which is the minimum value, is selected. Is done.
[Select audio / video data communication path]
When the extension of the reference destination included in the URI is mpg (Moving Picture Experts Group) or mp4 (MPEG-4) indicating that the communication data is audio or video information, the communication path of text data and image data It is different from the selection process. That is, a communication path with a higher communication rate is selected.

  That is, when the communication data is audio / video data (step S504 YES), the high communication rate selection flag is set. For this reason, in step S517, a communication path with a higher communication rate is selected. As a result of the communication path selection process shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 5a to 5c, the communication having the highest communication rate among the available communication paths. A route is selected.

  In the present embodiment, the communication path having a communication rate of 40 Mbps or higher for the moving image / audio data is referred to the communication path table of FIG. 8, and the wireless LAN of path number 2 and the Wimax of path number 3 are is there. Among these, since the wireless LAN has a higher communication rate, the wireless LAN is selected as the communication path.

In the case of communication data having an extension that cannot be identified (NO in S504), the communication route having the lowest communication rate is selected from the communication distribution table among the routes having the communication rate equal to or higher than the communication rate threshold of 40 Mbps. In this embodiment, Wimax of the communication path 3 in FIG. 8 is selected.
[effect]
According to the communication route selection method according to the present embodiment, an optimum communication route is selected for each type of communication data. Thereby, high communication quality can be maintained.

  In other words, for data communication that does not require a high communication rate, such as text data, the communication route having the minimum necessary communication rate is selected from the available communication routes, thereby enabling communication quality higher than the communication rate. Can be prioritized. For communication data that prioritizes communication quality such as video / audio data over communication quality, a communication path with the maximum communication rate can be selected from among the usable communication paths.

  In addition, since the communication route selection processing that has been performed on the communication infrastructure side such as a router that constitutes the network can be executed on the communication terminal side, the load on the communication infrastructure can be reduced.

In addition, physically different communication paths can be selected for each type of data, so that processing added to specific types of data as needed does not affect communication of other types of data. As a result, the confidentiality of the data can be improved.
[Third Embodiment]
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 6a to 6c and FIGS. 10 to 13. FIG.

  The communication path selection method according to the third embodiment is more suitable for data communication when there is no communication path whose communication rate is equal to or higher than the communication rate threshold among communication paths that can be used for audio / video data communication. Select a communication path.

  FIG. 10 shows information on usable communication paths. In FIG. 10, information about six communication paths is shown. FIG. 11 is a communication path distribution criterion table in the communication system according to the present embodiment.

  6A to 6C are flowcharts illustrating an example of a procedure of communication path selection processing according to the present embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, for text data and image data, a communication path is selected as in the second embodiment. For text data communication, the communication rate threshold is set to 10 Mbps (FIG. 6a, step S605). Referring to FIG. 10, communication path A (37.5 Mbps) having the minimum communication rate is selected from available paths (communication paths A, C, and E) having a communication rate of 10 Mbps or more. For image data communication, the communication rate threshold is set to 40 Mbps (step S606). Among the usable paths (communication paths C and E) having a communication rate of 40 Mbps or higher, the communication path C (40 Mbps) having the minimum communication rate is selected.

  For audio / video data communication, according to FIG. 11, the communication rate threshold is 125 Mbps. According to FIG. 10, the communication paths having a communication rate of 125 Mbps or more are the communication path B and the communication path G. However, the communication path B and the communication path G are unusable.

  Audio / video data can be communicated even in a communication environment in which only communication lines whose communication rate is lower than the communication rate threshold can be used by lowering the communication quality. When data communication is performed by securing a communication line even in a poor communication environment, it is necessary to select a communication line with better communication quality.

  Even if the communication rate falls below the communication rate threshold, the communication system according to the present embodiment selects a communication line used for data communication.

  The type of data to be communicated is audio / video data, and the evaluation process from communication path A to communication path F among the communication paths in FIG. 10 is completed, and the evaluation process for communication path G is started from step S610 in FIG. 6b. Processing from the point of time will be described.

  Referring to FIG. 11, communication path G is unusable (S610 NO), and there is no communication path to be referred to next (S612 NO), so the process proceeds to step S619.

  At this time, since there is no communication path capable of transmitting / receiving audio / video data at a communication rate equal to or higher than the communication rate threshold shown in FIG. 11, the communication path candidate remains the initial value.

  From this point onward, a process for selecting the communication path with the highest communication rate from among the available communication paths is performed.

  First, the communication rate threshold is set to 0 Mbps (step S621), and the high communication rate selection flag is set (step S622).

  Returning to step S609, the communication path E (100 Mbps) with the highest communication rate is selected from the usable communication paths (A, C, E, F) shown in FIG. The details of the process are the same as the communication path selection process for the audio / video data in the second embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

According to the communication path selection method according to the present embodiment, text data and image data can be transmitted / received through a low-speed communication path even when there is no usable high-speed communication path, and the communication quality of audio / video data has deteriorated. Transmission / reception is possible by processing. Thereby, the communication itself does not stop because the high-speed communication path cannot be used, and the data communication process can be ensured even with limited communication quality.
[Modification]
In the embodiment of the present invention, the communication path data storage unit stores the communication path table and the communication path distribution table, and the wireless communication path is selected based on the values stored in these tables. It is not limited.

  The communication path may include a wired communication line. The communication terminal may have a function of individually setting availability of each communication path.

  For example, the communication state may be periodically detected, and changes in the communication environment due to settings of the wireless terminal or changes in the surrounding environment may be reflected in the settings. For example, when a communication path that has been unavailable cannot be used, or when the communication path becomes unavailable, the availability of FIG. 10 is updated according to changes in the communication environment, and the communication path selection in accordance with the current state is selected. You may be able to do it.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 12, data priority may be given according to QoS (Quality of Service) of communication data. The communication path may be distributed by reflecting this data priority. According to this, it is possible to transmit data without delay through a communication path having a high communication rate by giving priority to data such as Video and Voice that place importance on real-time characteristics.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 13, the secure level and the power consumption level of each communication path may be added to the communication path table. As a result, a finer communication path can be selected. Moreover, you may add the information of the server which communicates data with a communication terminal device. Thereby, the range of selection of the communication path can be limited by the communication terminal.

  By using a communication path table with such detailed information added, the communication data is highly confidential, such as when the HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Over Secure Socket Layer) protocol is specified, or billing data, authentication data, etc. In the case of data communication required by the user, a communication line with a high secure level can be selected.

  In addition, a battery-powered terminal such as a portable wireless communication terminal can select a communication path with low power consumption and the highest communication rate in accordance with the power control policy.

  Furthermore, when the communication rate of each communication path is not constant and fluctuates, communication succeeded in the latest 10 minutes with respect to the communication rate of the communication path table illustrated in FIG. 8, FIG. 10, and FIG. You may apply the average of a communication rate. Thereby, even when the communication terminal moves and the surrounding environment changes, an appropriate communication path can be selected. If the movement speed of the communication terminal can be detected, the communication rate detection interval can be shortened when the movement speed is fast, and long when the movement speed is slow or not moving, so that a better communication route can be selected. .

  A program for executing the above-described processing operations is stored and distributed in a computer-readable recording medium such as a flexible disk, a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read-Only Memory), and an MO (Magneto-Optical disk). A device that executes the above-described processing operation may be configured by installing the program in a computer.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be suitably applied to a communication system in which a communication terminal that handles a plurality of types of data performs data communication via a plurality of communication paths.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Communication terminal device 102 1st communication part 103 2nd communication part 104 3rd communication part 105 4th communication part 106 Selection part 107 Data storage part for communication 108 Data processing part 109 Interface part 110 Communication path data storage part 301 Internet 302 Bluetooth
303 Wimax
304 wireless LAN
305 LTE
401 Display screen 402, 404, 405, 408 Character area 403, 407 Image area 406 Streaming video area 1001 Communication terminal 1002 Communication means 1003 Communication data holding means 1004 Communication path data holding means 1005 Selection means

Claims (10)

A communication terminal that communicates via at least one of a plurality of communication paths,
A plurality of communication means for communicating with different communication methods;
Communication data holding means for holding communication data;
Communication path data holding means for holding the communication speed of each of the plurality of communication paths;
Based on the type of communication data held in the communication data holding means, the communication path having the highest communication speed among the communication paths in the usable state or having a communication speed larger than a predetermined threshold value. A communication terminal comprising: a selecting unit that selects a communication path having the lowest communication speed among usable communication paths as a communication path for communicating the communication data. The communication data holding means holds a communication speed threshold of the first type of communication data,
The selection unit is the most usable communication path having a communication speed larger than a communication speed threshold of the first type communication data with respect to the first type communication data. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein a communication path having a low communication speed is selected. The communication data holding means holds a communication speed threshold of the second type of communication data that is larger than a communication speed threshold of the first type of communication data;
The said selection means selects the communication path which has the largest communication speed among the communication paths of a usable state with respect to the said 2nd type of communication data, The communication path | route characterized by the above-mentioned. Communication terminal. A communication system having a communication terminal, a network, and a plurality of communication paths through which the communication terminal communicates with the network,
The communication terminal is
A plurality of communication means for communicating with the plurality of communication paths and having different communication methods;
Communication data holding means for holding communication data to communicate with the network;
Communication path data holding means for holding the communication speed of each of the plurality of communication paths;
Based on the type of communication data held in the communication data holding means, the communication path having the highest communication speed among the communication paths in the usable state or having a communication speed larger than a predetermined threshold value. A communication system, comprising: a selecting unit that selects a communication path having the lowest communication speed among usable communication paths as a communication path for communicating with a network. The communication data holding means holds a communication speed threshold of the first type of communication data,
The selection unit is the most usable communication path having a communication speed larger than a communication speed threshold of the first type communication data with respect to the first type communication data. The communication system according to claim 4, wherein a communication path having a low communication speed is selected. The communication data holding means holds a communication speed threshold of the second type of communication data that is larger than a communication speed threshold of the first type of communication data;
The said selection means selects the communication path which has the largest communication speed among the communication paths of the usable state with respect to the said 2nd type communication data, The communication path | route characterized by the above-mentioned. Communication system. A communication method for communicating data via at least one of a plurality of communication paths,
Detecting a type of communication data to be communicated;
Obtaining a communication speed of each of the plurality of communication paths;
Based on the type of communication data, among the communication paths in the usable state, the communication path having the largest communication speed, or the usable communication path having a communication speed larger than a predetermined threshold And a selection step of selecting a communication path having the lowest communication speed as a communication path for communicating the communication data. Further comprising the step of obtaining a communication speed threshold of the communication data;
The selection step is the smallest of usable communication paths having a communication speed larger than a communication speed threshold of the first type of communication data for the first type of communication data. The communication method according to claim 7, wherein a communication path having a communication speed is selected. The selecting step includes a communication path in a usable state for a second type of communication data having a communication speed threshold larger than a communication speed threshold of the first type of communication data. The communication method according to claim 8, wherein a communication path having the highest communication speed is selected. A communication program for communicating data through at least one communication path of a plurality of communication paths,
A process for detecting the type of communication data to be communicated;
A process of acquiring the communication speed of each of the plurality of communication paths;
Based on the type of communication data, among the communication paths in the usable state, the communication path having the largest communication speed, or the usable communication path having a communication speed larger than a predetermined threshold A communication program causing a computer to perform selection processing for selecting a communication path having the lowest communication speed as a communication path for communicating the communication data.

Images