JP6037788B2 - Communication apparatus and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication system that communicates synchronization data for time synchronization and communication data other than the synchronization data.

In a conventional synchronization establishment method in a communication system, a pulse is input to a dedicated synchronization line provided in parallel with a network line for data communication, and the devices connected to the network are synchronized at the timing when the pulse is detected.
However, in this method, since it is impossible to distinguish a plurality of periodic pulses, the pulse is limited to a single-period pulse.
In addition, with an increase in communication speed, it is necessary to shorten the synchronization cycle, which has an effect on increased power consumption due to higher cable cost and higher speed of the dedicated synchronization line.

As another method, there is a method in which synchronization data for time synchronization and communication data other than the synchronization data are mixed and propagated on a single line without establishing a dedicated line, and synchronization is established (for example, patent document) 1).
However, when the synchronization data and communication data are mixed and propagated on a single line, the propagation of the synchronization data is hindered during propagation of the communication data, resulting in variations in the arrival time of the synchronization data to each device. There is a problem that the accuracy cannot be increased.
For this, it is possible to reduce the transmission delay of the synchronization data by reducing the communication data length or changing the transmission priority based on the delay time in the communication path (increasing the priority of the synchronization data). There is a method.
However, the former causes a reduction in the throughput of communication data, and the latter has a problem that only the maximum delay time can be guaranteed for synchronous data.
Alternatively, it is possible to improve the synchronization accuracy by making the data communication time-division method and securing the synchronization data transmission period free of the data communication period, but in this case the synchronization cycle is limited to a single one. There is a restriction.

JP 2006-109357 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and it is a main object of the present invention to realize a reduction in synchronization period and an improvement in synchronization accuracy and to enable inter-device control with a plurality of synchronization periods.

The communication device according to the present invention is
Receive at least one of synchronization data for time synchronization, communication data other than the synchronization data, and composite data in which the synchronization data is embedded in the communication data. If the received data is composite data, the composite data is the synchronization data. And a data separator for separating the communication data.

Since the communication device of the present invention can separate the combined data into the synchronous data and the communication data when the combined data is received, the data transmission source needs to transmit the synchronous data during the transmission of the communication data. In this case, it is possible to send composite data in which synchronous data is embedded in communication data, and there is no need to wait for transmission of synchronous data until transmission of communication data is completed. It is possible to shorten the synchronization period and improve the synchronization accuracy.
Also, synchronization data corresponding to a plurality of synchronization periods can be transmitted, and inter-device control can be performed with a plurality of synchronization periods.

The figure which shows the outline | summary of the process with respect to the synchronous data and communication data which concern on Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a relay device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a format example of a packet according to the first embodiment. The figure which shows the example of a format of the communication data packet which concerns on Embodiment 1, and a synchronous data packet. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a format example of a composite data packet according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation example of a data separation unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation example of a communication data switch unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation example of a synchronous data switch unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation example of a data synthesis unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 shows a configuration example of a communication device according to Embodiment 2. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of a relay device and a communication device according to the first and second embodiments.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
In the present embodiment, a system will be described in which synchronization is established between devices connected to a network, and a plurality of devices cooperate to perform control.
More specifically, means for separating communication data and synchronization data from received data, means for storing each separated data, means for determining and distributing the destination of each data, communication data and synchronization data for each destination A communication apparatus comprising means for individually storing data, means for combining and transmitting communication data and synchronization data, and means for measuring a transmission delay of the synchronization data will be described.

FIG. 1 shows an overview of processing for synchronization data and communication data in the communication system according to the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1B, the communication system according to the present embodiment includes a relay device a100a, a relay device b100b, a communication device k200k, a communication device m200m, a communication device n200n, a communication device p200p, and a communication device q200q. The
When it is not necessary to distinguish between the relay device a100a and the relay device b100b, both are collectively referred to as the relay device 100.
When there is no need to distinguish between the communication device k200k, the communication device m200m, the communication device n200n, the communication device p200p, and the communication device q200q, these are collectively referred to as the communication device 200.
Note that each of the relay device 100 and the communication device 200 corresponds to an example of a communication device.

Each of the communication devices 200 shown in FIG. 1B transmits and receives communication data packets (hereinafter referred to as communication data packets) and transmits and receives synchronization data packets (hereinafter referred to as synchronization data packets).
The synchronization data is data for time synchronization as described above.
The communication data is data other than the synchronization data, and may be data notifying any information.
In FIG. 1B, in order to synchronize between the communication device n200n and the communication device q200q, the communication device n200n transmits synchronization data N having a synchronization period N to the communication device q200q.
Further, in order to synchronize between the communication device m200m and the communication device p200p, the communication device m200m transmits synchronization data M having a synchronization period M to the communication device p200p.
The communication device k200k transmits communication data to the communication device p200p.

Each relay apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1B relays data.
When the relay device 100 receives the communication data packet and the synchronization data packet at different timings, the relay device 100 transfers the communication data packet and the synchronization data packet as they are to the transfer destination.
On the other hand, if the synchronization data packet is received while the communication data packet is being received, if the transfer destination of the communication data packet and the synchronization data packet is the same, the relay device 100 embeds the synchronization data packet in the communication data packet. A composite data packet (hereinafter referred to as a composite data packet) is used, and the composite data packet is transferred to the transfer destination.
In the example of FIG. 1B, since the relay device a100a received the packet of the synchronous data N from the communication device n200n while receiving the communication data packet from the communication device k200k, the relay device a100a was obtained by combining the two. The composite data packet (communication data + synchronization data N) is transferred to the relay device b100b.

Further, when the relay device 100 receives the composite data packet, the relay device 100 separates the composite data packet into a communication data packet and a synchronization data packet, and transfers the separated communication data packet and synchronization data packet to respective transfer destinations. .
In the example of FIG. 1B, the relay device b100b receives the composite data packet (communication data + synchronization data N) from the relay device a100a, and separates the received composite data packet into a communication data packet and a synchronization data N packet. Then, the communication data packet is transferred to the communication device p200p, and the packet of the synchronization data N is included in the synthesized data packet and transferred to the communication device q200q.

When the relay device 100 receives the combined data packet and the synchronous data packet at different timings, the relay device 100 transfers the communication data packet and the synchronous data packet separated from the combined data packet to the transfer destination as they are, The synchronous data packet input at the timing is transferred to the transfer destination as it is.
On the other hand, when the synchronization data packet is received during the reception of the composite data packet, the relay device 100 transmits the communication data packet separated from the composite data packet and the synchronization data packet received in parallel with the composite data packet. If the transfer destination is the same, the synchronous data packet is embedded in the communication data packet to form a composite data packet, and the composite data packet is transferred to the transfer destination.
In the example of FIG. 1B, the relay device b100b receives the packet of the synchronization data M from the communication device m200m while receiving the composite data packet (communication data + synchronization data N) from the relay device a100a. The communication data packet and the synchronization data M packet separated from each other are synthesized, and the synthesized data packet (communication data + synchronization data M) obtained by the synthesis is transferred to the communication device p200p.

  In this embodiment, the synthesis is performed only between the communication data packet and the synchronization data packet, and an example is described in which the communication data packets are not synthesized and the synchronization data packets are not synthesized. The packets may be combined and the synchronization data packets may be combined.

  The composition and separation in the relay device 100 are performed by the method shown in FIG.

When the relay device a100a receives the synchronous data N packet in parallel with the reception of the communication data packet, the relay data a100a embeds the synchronous data N packet in the communication data packet to obtain a combined data packet.
In FIG. 1A, for convenience of explanation, the communication data packet is divided into (1) to (4), and the relay device a100a performs the (2) portion of the communication data packet and the packet of the synchronization data N in parallel. Therefore, the synthesized data packet is generated by embedding the synchronous data N packet between the part (2) and the part (3).
Then, the combined data packet is transferred to the relay device b100b by the relay device a100a.

The relay device b100b extracts the synchronous data N packet from the received composite data packet.
Then, the packet of the synchronous data N is transferred to the communication device q200q by the relay device b100b.
Further, the relay device b100b receives the packet of the synchronous data M in parallel with the reception of the composite data packet.
Since the relay device b100b received the part (3) of the composite data packet and the packet of the synchronization data M in parallel, the relay apparatus b100b embeds the packet of the synchronization data M between the part (3) and the part (4), A composite data packet is generated.
Then, the composite data packet is transferred to the communication device p200p by the relay device b100b.
The communication device p200p receives this combined data packet and separates it into a communication data packet and a synchronous data packet.

  In the present embodiment, the operation of relay apparatus 100 will be mainly described, and the operation of communication device 200 when a composite data packet is received will be described in the second embodiment.

FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of the relay apparatus b100b according to the present embodiment.
In FIG. 2, the configuration example of the relay device b100b is shown for convenience of explanation, but the configuration example of the relay device a100a is also the same.

The relay device b100b has a plurality of data reception paths and a plurality of data transmission paths.
In FIG. 2, only the data reception path a and the data reception path m are explicitly shown, but it is assumed that there are other data reception paths.
Similarly, in FIG. 2, only the data transmission path p and the data transmission path q are clearly shown, but it is assumed that there are other data transmission paths.

In FIG. 2, in accordance with the example of FIG. 1B, the combined data packet (communication data + synchronization data N) is received from the relay device a 100a on the data reception path a, and in parallel on the data reception path m. An example of receiving a packet of synchronous data M from a communication device m200m is shown.
However, the relay device b100b may receive a communication data packet alone from the data reception path a, or may receive a packet of synchronous data M alone.
Similarly, the relay device b100b may receive a communication data packet alone or may receive a combined data packet from the data reception path m.
In FIG. 2, in accordance with the example of FIG. 1B, a composite data packet (communication data + synchronization data M) is transmitted from the data transmission path p to the communication device m200m, and the synchronization data N is transmitted from the data transmission path q. An example of transmitting a packet to the communication device q200q is shown.
However, the relay device b100b may transmit the communication data packet alone from the data transmission path p, or may transmit the packet of the synchronization data N alone.
Similarly, the relay device b100b may transmit a communication data packet alone or may transmit a combined data packet from the data transmission path q.

The composite data packet received through the data reception path a is separated into a communication data packet and a synchronous data N packet by the data separation unit 101a.
The communication data packet separated by the data separation unit 101a is stored in the communication data reception buffer 102a, and the packet of the synchronization data N is stored in the synchronization data reception buffer 103a.
Although not shown in FIG. 2, the data separation unit 101a sets the communication data counter that is a counter for counting the received data size for the communication data packet and the received data size for the synchronization data packet. It has a synchronous data counter that is a counter for counting.

In the example of FIG. 2, since the packet of the synchronization data M is received from the data reception path m, the data separation unit 101m stores the synchronization data M in the synchronization data reception buffer 103m.
The data separation unit 101m may receive a communication data packet alone or may receive a composite data packet (communication data + synchronization data M).
When the composite data packet (communication data + synchronization data M) is received from the data reception path m, the data separation unit 101m separates the composite data packet into the communication data packet and the synchronization data packet M, similarly to the data separation unit 101a. Then, the separated communication data packet is stored in the communication data reception buffer 102m, and the separated synchronization data packet M is stored in the synchronization data reception buffer 103m.
The data separation unit 101m also has a communication data counter that is a counter for counting the received data size for the communication data packet, and a synchronous data counter that is a counter for counting the received data size for the synchronous data packet. Have

The communication data switch unit 104 reads the communication data packet from the communication data reception buffer 102a and the communication data reception buffer 102m, determines the destination of the read communication data packet, arbitrates destination conflict, and then outputs the output corresponding to the destination Output communication data packets to the line.
Specifically, in the example of FIG. 2, since the communication data packet read from the communication data reception buffer 102a is destined for the communication device p200p, it is stored in the communication data transmission buffer 106p.
On the other hand, in the example of FIG. 2, since no communication data packet is stored in the communication data reception buffer 102m, no communication data packet is output to the communication data transmission buffer 106m.

The synchronous data switch unit 105 reads the synchronous data packet from the synchronous data reception buffer 103a and the synchronous data reception buffer 103m, determines the destination of the read synchronous data packet, arbitrates destination conflict, and then outputs the output corresponding to the destination Output a synchronous data packet to the line.
Specifically, in the example of FIG. 2, the synchronous data packet N read from the synchronous data reception buffer 103a is transmitted from the data transmission path q with the communication device q200q as the destination, and is stored in the synchronous data transmission buffer 107q. .
The synchronous data packet M read from the synchronous data reception buffer 103m is transmitted from the data transmission path p with the communication device p200p as the destination, and is stored in the synchronous data transmission buffer 107p.

  Note that the communication data switch unit 104 and the synchronous data switch unit 105 correspond to an example of a data transmission path determination unit.

Although not shown in FIG. 2, the data synthesis unit 108p has a packet generation buffer for generating a packet to be transmitted from the data transmission path p.
The data synthesis unit 108p reads communication data packet data and synchronous data packet data from the communication data transmission buffer 106p and the synchronous data transmission buffer 107p, stores the read data in the packet generation buffer, and stores the data in the packet generation buffer. A packet is transmitted from the data transmission path p to the communication device p200p.
The data synthesis unit 108p gives priority to the synchronization data packet in the synchronization data transmission buffer 107q over the communication data packet in the communication data transmission buffer 106p and transmits it to the data transmission path p. When a synchronous data packet is input from the buffer 107p, the synchronous data packet is combined with the communication data packet being transmitted to form a combined data packet, and the combined data packet is output to the data transmission path p.
In the example of FIG. 2, the data composition unit 108p inserts the packet of the synchronization data M into the communication data packet to obtain a composite data packet.

  The data synthesizer 108q performs the same operation as the data synthesizer 108p. However, in the example of FIG. 2, the communication data packet is not stored in the communication data transmission buffer 106q. Is directly output to the data transmission path q.

The synchronous data delay measuring unit 109 measures (predicts) the delay time from the reception to the transmission of the synchronous data packet for each of the synchronous data N packet and the synchronous data M packet.
In the case of the synchronous data N packet, the processing delay time from the reception of the combined data packet by the data separating unit 101a to the transmission of the synchronous data N packet by the data combining unit 108q is measured. A processing delay time from the reception of the packet of the synchronous data M by the data separation unit 101m to the transmission of the combined data packet by the data combining unit 108p is measured.
The synchronous data delay measurement unit 109 corresponds to an example of a processing delay time measurement unit.

  Then, the data synthesis unit 108p and the data synthesis unit 108q add the delay time predicted by the synchronization data delay measurement unit 109 and the transmission delay value included in the synchronization data to replace the transmission delay value in the synchronization data.

  In the communication device p200p that receives the composite data packet, the composite data packet is separated into the communication data packet and the synchronous data packet, and then the transmission delay value in the synchronous data is extracted to correct the synchronization time.

In the following, when it is not necessary to distinguish between the data separation unit 101a and the data separation unit 101m, they are collectively referred to as the data separation unit 101.
Similarly, when it is not necessary to distinguish between the communication data reception buffer 102a and the communication data reception buffer 102m, they are collectively referred to as the communication data reception buffer 102.
Similarly, when it is not necessary to distinguish between the synchronous data reception buffer 103a and the synchronous data reception buffer 103m, they are collectively referred to as the synchronous data reception buffer 103.
Similarly, when it is not necessary to distinguish between the communication data transmission buffer 106p and the communication data transmission buffer 106q, they are collectively referred to as the communication data transmission buffer 106.
Similarly, when there is no need to distinguish between the synchronous data transmission buffer 107p and the synchronous data transmission buffer 107q, they are collectively referred to as the synchronous data transmission buffer 107.
Similarly, when it is not necessary to distinguish between the data composition unit 108p and the data composition unit 108q, they are collectively referred to as the data composition unit 108.

The communication data packet and the synchronization data packet follow the packet format shown in FIG.
The packet is divided into a header part and a data part.
The header part stores packet type, packet size, and address information.
The packet type indicates whether it is a communication data packet or a synchronous data packet.
The packet size indicates the data size of the entire packet including the header.
The address information indicates a transmission source communication address, a transmission destination communication address, and the like.
The packet format in FIG. 3 is an example, and a packet format different from that in FIG. 3 may be adopted.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the communication data packet includes a communication data header corresponding to the header portion of FIG. 3 and communication data corresponding to the data portion.
As shown in FIG. 4B, the synchronization data packet includes a synchronization data header corresponding to the header portion of FIG. 3 and synchronization data corresponding to the data portion.
As shown in FIG. 3, the communication data header and the synchronization data header include a packet type, a packet size, and address information.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a composite data packet.
In the example of FIG. 5, a synthesized data packet in which a synchronous data packet is inserted in the middle of the communication data packet is shown.
In the present embodiment, a delimiter is arranged between the communication data and the synchronization data header in order to distinguish the communication data packet portion from the synchronization data packet portion.
The data separator 101a that has received the composite data packet (communication data + synchronization data N) in the configuration of FIG. 5 analyzes the packet type (packet type of the communication data header) located at the head of the composite data packet, and transmits the communication data. Recognizing the reception of the packet, the received data is sequentially stored in the communication data reception buffer 102a.
Further, the data separation unit 101a stores the packet size described in the packet size of the communication data header.
Thereafter, after receiving the delimiter, the received data is stored in the synchronous data reception buffer 103a from the data immediately after the delimiter (the packet type of the synchronous data header).
Further, the data separation unit 101a stores the packet size described in the packet size of the synchronous data header.
Then, it is determined that the reception of the communication data has been resumed when the reception of the data corresponding to the packet size (the packet size value of the synchronous data header) is completed, and the received data is sequentially stored in the communication data reception buffer 102a. .
Then, the data separation unit 101a determines that the combined data packet has been normally received when reception of data corresponding to the packet size described in the packet size of the communication data header is completed.

Further, when the data synthesizing unit 108p receives the packet of the synchronization data N from the synchronization data transmission buffer 107p while inputting the communication data packet from the communication data transmission buffer 106p, as shown in FIG. And a packet of synchronous data N is transmitted immediately after the delimiter.
When the transmission of the synchronous data N packet is completed, the transmission of the communication data packet that has been interrupted is resumed.

  Next, an operation example of the data separation unit 101 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, the data separation unit 101 analyzes the packet type description at the head of the packet being received, and determines whether or not the packet being received is a communication data packet (S601).
If the packet being received is a communication data packet (YES in S601), the received data is sequentially stored in the communication data reception buffer 102 (S602).
Furthermore, the data separation unit 101 stores the value of the packet size in the communication data header in a register or the like, and increments the communication data counter with the reception of the communication data packet (S603).
The communication data counter counts the received data size including the communication data header.

  When the data separation unit 101 completes reception of the communication data packet without receiving the delimiter (NO in S604, YES in S605), that is, the value of the communication data counter is registered in the register without receiving the delimiter. If the packet size value is equal to the stored packet size, the reception of the communication data packet is completed, so the value of the communication data counter is reset (S606) and the reception of the next packet is awaited.

On the other hand, when the delimiter is received before the reception of the communication data packet is completed (YES in S604), the data separation unit 101 synchronizes the received data after the data immediately after the delimiter (synchronized data packet packet type). The data is stored in the data reception buffer 103 (S607).
Further, the data separation unit 101 stores the packet size value in the synchronization data header in a register or the like, and increments the synchronization data counter with the reception of the synchronization data packet (S608).
The synchronous data counter counts the received data size including the synchronous data header.
When the reception of the synchronous data packet is completed (YES in S609), that is, when the value of the synchronous data counter becomes equal to the value of the packet size stored in the register or the like, the data separation unit 101 determines the value of the synchronous data counter. Is reset (S610), and the processing after S605 is performed.

On the other hand, as a result of analyzing the description of the packet type at the head of the packet being received, if the packet being received is a synchronous data packet (NO in S601, YES in S611), the received data is sequentially received. The data is stored in the buffer 103 (S612).
Further, the data separation unit 101 stores the value of the packet size in the synchronization data header in a register or the like, and increments the synchronization data counter with the reception of the synchronization data packet (S613).
The synchronous data counter counts the received data size including the synchronous data header.
When the reception of the synchronous data packet is completed (YES in S614), that is, when the value of the synchronous data counter becomes equal to the value of the packet size stored in the register or the like, the data separation unit 101 sets the value of the synchronous data counter. Is reset (S615), and reception of the next packet is awaited.

  Next, an operation example of the communication data switch unit 104 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

When the communication data switch unit 104 receives a communication data packet from any one of the communication data reception buffers 102 (S701), the communication data switch unit 104 refers to the address information of the input communication data packet and converts the input communication data packet to any data. It is determined whether to transmit from the transmission path, and the communication data packet is stored in the corresponding communication data transmission buffer 106 (S702).
The communication data switch unit 104 inputs communication data packets sequentially from each communication data reception buffer 102, for example, by round robin.

  Next, an operation example of the synchronous data switch unit 105 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

When the synchronous data switch unit 105 receives a synchronous data packet from any one of the synchronous data reception buffers 103 (S801), the synchronous data switch unit 105 refers to the address information of the input synchronous data packet and sets the input synchronous data packet to any data. It is determined whether to transmit from the transmission path, and the synchronous data packet is stored in the corresponding synchronous data transmission buffer 107 (S802).
The synchronous data switch unit 105 inputs synchronous data packets from the respective synchronous data reception buffers 103 in order, for example, by round robin.

  Next, an operation example of the data synthesis unit 108 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

If the communication data packet is stored in the communication data transmission buffer 106, but the synchronization data packet is not stored in the synchronization data transmission buffer 107, the data synthesis unit 108 performs communication data packet transmission processing (in S901). YES)
In this case, the data synthesis unit 108 reads the data of the communication data packet from the communication data transmission buffer 106, and stores the read data in the packet generation buffer (S902).
If no synchronous data packet is stored in the synchronous data transmission buffer 107, the operation of S902 is repeated until all the data of the communication data packet is stored in the packet generation buffer.
When all the data of the communication data packet is stored in the packet generation buffer (YES in S904), the data synthesis unit 108 transmits the communication data packet including the data in the packet generation buffer from the corresponding data transmission path.

On the other hand, if the synchronous data packet is stored in the synchronous data transmission buffer 107 before all the data of the communication data packet is stored in the packet generation buffer, the transmission timing of the communication data packet and the transmission timing of the synchronous data packet conflict. Therefore, the synchronous data packet is transmitted by being included in the composite data packet (YES in S903).
Therefore, the data synthesis unit 108 stores the delimiter in the packet generation buffer (S906), and further stores the synchronization data packet in the synchronization data transmission buffer 107 in the packet generation buffer (S907).
When the synchronization data packet in the synchronization data transmission buffer 107 is completely stored in the packet generation buffer (YES in S908), the packet generation buffer is used by using the processing delay value measured by the synchronization data delay measurement unit 109. The transmission delay value of the synchronous data is rewritten (S909), and the processing after S904 is performed.
In this case, the packet transmitted in S905 is a composite data packet.

On the other hand, when the communication data packet is stored in the communication data transmission buffer 106 and the synchronization data packet is also stored in the synchronization data transmission buffer 107, or no communication data packet is stored in the communication data transmission buffer 106. When the synchronous data packet is stored in the synchronous data transmission buffer 107, the synchronous data packet is transmitted (NO in S901, YES in S910).
In this case, the data synthesis unit 108 reads the data of the synchronous data packet from the synchronous data transmission buffer 107, and stores the read data in the packet generation buffer (S911).
When the storage of the synchronization data packet in the synchronization data transmission buffer 107 to the packet generation buffer is completed (YES in S912), the processing delay value measured by the synchronization data delay measurement unit 109 is used to store the packet in the packet generation buffer. The transmission delay value of the synchronous data is rewritten (S913), and the synchronous data packet including the data in the packet generation buffer is transmitted from the corresponding data transmission path (S914).

As described above, when the relay device according to the present embodiment receives the composite data, it can separate the composite data into the synchronization data and the communication data, and also synthesizes the communication data by embedding the synchronization data. Data can be generated and composite data can be transmitted.
For this reason, when communication data and synchronization data compete with each other, there is no need to wait for transmission of synchronization data until transmission of communication data is completed, and transmission of synchronization data can be accelerated, thus shortening the synchronization cycle and synchronization accuracy Improvement can be realized.
Also, synchronization data corresponding to a plurality of synchronization periods can be transmitted, and inter-device control can be performed with a plurality of synchronization periods.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
In the present embodiment, a communication device p200p and a communication device q200q that are reception ends in the system configuration of FIG. 1 will be described.
Hereinafter, the description will be given by taking the communication device p200p of FIG. 1 as an example.
Also, matters not described in the following description are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 10 shows a configuration example of the communication device p200p.

The communication device p200p has a plurality of data reception paths.
In FIG. 10, only the data reception path p and the data reception path r are clearly shown, but it is assumed that there are other data reception paths.
In FIG. 10, the communication device p200p receives the composite data packet (communication data + synchronization data M) from the data reception path p. However, the communication device p200p may receive the communication data packet alone. It may be received alone.
Similarly, in FIG. 10, the communication device p200p receives the packet of the synchronization data R having the synchronization period R from the data reception path r. However, the communication device p200p may receive the communication data packet alone, and the combined data packet ( Communication data + synchronization data R) may be received.

The communication device p200p has a plurality of data processing paths.
Specifically, the p-system communication data processing unit 206p that processes communication data from the data reception path p forms one data processing path.
The p-system synchronous data processing unit 207p that processes synchronous data from the data reception path p also forms one data processing path.
Further, the r-system communication data processing unit 206r that processes the communication data from the data reception path r forms one data processing path.
The r-system synchronous data processing unit 207r that processes synchronous data from the data reception path r also forms one data processing path.

Similar to the data separation unit 101 of the first embodiment, the data separation unit 201p separates the combined data packet received from the data reception path p into a communication data packet and a packet of the synchronization data M, and divides the communication data packet into the communication data. The data is stored in the reception buffer 202p, and the packet of the synchronization data M is stored in the synchronization data reception buffer 203p.
Similarly to the data separation unit 101 of the first embodiment, the data separation unit 201r also stores the packet of the synchronization data R received from the data reception path r in the synchronization data reception buffer 203r.
When the data separation unit 201r receives a composite data packet from the data reception path r, the data separation unit 201r separates the composite data packet into a communication data packet and a synchronous data R packet, as in the data separation unit 201p. The data is stored in the communication data reception buffer 202r, and the packet of the synchronization data M is stored in the synchronization data reception buffer 203r.

The communication data switch unit 204 reads out the communication data packet from the communication data reception buffer 202p and the communication data reception buffer 202r as in the communication data switch unit 104 of the first embodiment, and the read communication data packet is transmitted through any processing path. It is determined whether or not to process, and a communication data packet is output to the corresponding processing path.
Specifically, in the example of FIG. 10, since the communication data packet read from the communication data reception buffer 202p is a packet from the data reception path p, it is output to the p-system communication data processing unit 206p.
On the other hand, in the example of FIG. 10, since no communication data packet is stored in the communication data reception buffer 202r, no communication data packet is output to the r-system communication data processing unit 206r.

Similar to the synchronous data switch unit 105 of the first embodiment, the synchronous data switch unit 205 reads the synchronous data packet from the synchronous data reception buffer 203p and the synchronous data reception buffer 203r, and uses the read synchronous data packet on any processing path. It is determined whether to process, and a synchronous data packet is output to the corresponding processing path.
Specifically, in the example of FIG. 10, since the packet of the synchronization data M read from the synchronization data reception buffer 203p is a packet from the data reception path p, it is output to the p-system synchronization data processing unit 207p.
Further, since the packet of the synchronization data R read from the synchronization data reception buffer 203r is a packet from the data reception path r, it is output to the r-system synchronization data processing unit 207r.

  Note that the communication data switch unit 204 and the synchronous data switch unit 205 correspond to an example of a processing path determination unit.

As described above, also in the communication device 200 located at the receiving end, when the composite data packet is received, the communication data packet and the synchronous data packet can be separated by the data separation unit 201p and the data separation unit 201r.
In addition, communication data packets received from a plurality of data reception paths can be output to the corresponding processing paths by the communication data switch unit 204.
In addition, synchronous data packets received from a plurality of data reception paths can be output to corresponding processing paths by the synchronous data switch unit 205.

  In FIG. 10, since there is no direct relationship with the main point of the present embodiment, a mechanism for transmitting communication data and a mechanism for transmitting synchronization data are not shown, but communication data is transmitted to the configuration shown in FIG. And a mechanism for transmitting synchronization data may be added.

In the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above,
In the communication device that transmits general communication data and control synchronization data, a communication device that includes means for combining communication data and synchronization data and means for separating communication data and synchronization data from the combined data has been described.

  In addition, the communication device that establishes synchronization with an arbitrary communication destination while transmitting communication data at an arbitrary timing has been described.

  Moreover, the communication apparatus which transmits the synchronous data of arbitrary cycles and established several synchronous cycles was demonstrated.

  Further, a communication apparatus has been described in which communication data and synchronization data are identified, and synchronization data is synthesized at an arbitrary data position of data being transmitted to suppress transmission delay and perform highly accurate synchronization control.

  Further, in the synthesis of communication data and synchronization data, a communication device that measures the transmission delay of the synchronization data, stores the transmission delay value in the synthesis data, and extracts the transmission delay value at the communication destination to correct the synchronization time Explained.

Finally, a hardware configuration example of the relay device 100 and the communication device 200 shown in the first and second embodiments will be described with reference to FIG.
The relay device 100 and the communication device 200 are computers, and each element of the relay device 100 and the communication device 200 can be realized by a program.
As hardware configurations of the relay device 100 and the communication device 200, an arithmetic device 901, an external storage device 902, a main storage device 903, a communication device 904, and an input / output device 905 are connected to the bus.

The arithmetic device 901 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that executes a program.
The external storage device 902 is, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory, or a hard disk device.
The main storage device 903 is a RAM (Random Access Memory).
The communication device 904 corresponds to the physical layer of the data separation unit 101 and the data separation unit 201.
The input / output device 905 is, for example, a mouse, a keyboard, a display device, or the like.

The program is normally stored in the external storage device 902, and is loaded into the main storage device 903 and sequentially read into the arithmetic device 901 and executed.
The program is a program that realizes a function described as “unit” shown in FIG.
Further, an operating system (OS) is also stored in the external storage device 902. At least a part of the OS is loaded into the main storage device 903. ”Is executed.
In the description of the first embodiment and the second embodiment, “determining”, “determining”, “extracting”, “separating”, “combining”, and “setting”. Information, data, signal values, and variable values that indicate the results of the processes described as, "Registration of", "Selection of", "Generation of", "Input of", "Output of", etc. Is stored in the main storage device 903 as a file.
Further, the encryption key / decryption key, random number value, and parameter may be stored in the main storage device 903 as a file.

  Note that the configuration of FIG. 11 is merely an example of the hardware configuration of the relay device 100 and the communication device 200, and the hardware configuration of the relay device 100 and the communication device 200 is not limited to the configuration illustrated in FIG. Other configurations may be used.

  Moreover, the procedure shown in Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2 can also be regarded as a data processing method.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Relay apparatus 101 Data separation part 102 Communication data reception buffer 103 Synchronization data reception buffer 104 Communication data switch part 105 Synchronization data switch part 106 Communication data transmission buffer 107 Synchronization data transmission buffer 108 Data composition part 109 synchronous data delay measurement unit, 200 communication device, 201 data separation unit, 202 communication data reception buffer, 203 synchronous data reception buffer, 204 communication data switch unit, 205 synchronous data switch unit, 206 communication data processing unit, 207 synchronous data processing Department.

Claims (8)

Connected to multiple data reception paths and receives at least one of synchronization data for time synchronization, communication data other than synchronization data, and composite data in which synchronization data is embedded in the communication data for each data reception path If the received data is composite data, a data separation unit that separates the composite data into synchronous data and communication data ;
At least one of the communication data received by the data separator and the communication data separated from the combined data received by the data separator is received by the synchronization data received by the data separator and the data separator. And a data synthesizing unit that embeds at least one of the synchronization data separated from the synthesized data and generates synthesized data . The data synthesis unit
Connected to multiple data transmission paths,
The communication device further includes:
From the communication data received by the data separator, the communication data separated from the combined data received by the data separator, the synchronization data received by the data separator, and the combined data received by the data separator A data transmission path determination unit that determines which of the plurality of data transmission paths each of the separated synchronization data is transmitted from;
The data synthesis unit
The data transmission path determined by the data transmission path determination unit is common, and the combined data is generated using the communication data and the synchronization data that compete for transmission timing, and the generated combined data is sent from the corresponding data transmission path. Send
Send communication data from the corresponding data transmission path by itself, without synchronization data that has a common data transmission path,
The communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein synchronization data that does not have communication data having a common data transmission path is independently transmitted from a corresponding data transmission path. The data transmission path determination unit
For communication data, synchronization data, and composite data received in parallel by the data separator from different data reception paths, communication data, synchronization data, and communication data and synchronization data separated from the composite data are each a plurality of The communication apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the data transmission path is determined from which data transmission path. The communication device further includes:
A communication data reception buffer for storing communication data; and
A synchronization data reception buffer for storing synchronization data;
The data separator is
If the received data is combined data, the combined data is separated into communication data and synchronization data, the separated communication data is stored in the communication data reception buffer, and the separated synchronization data is stored in the synchronization data reception buffer. If the received data is communication data, store the communication data in the communication data reception buffer; if the received data is synchronous data, store the synchronization data in the synchronization data reception buffer;
The data transmission path determination unit
The communication data in the communication data reception buffer and the synchronization data in the synchronization data reception buffer are respectively determined from which data transmission path of a plurality of data transmission paths is transmitted. Item 4. The communication device according to Item 2 or 3 . The communication device further includes:
A processing delay time measurement unit that measures a processing delay time in the communication device for each of the synchronization data received by the data separation unit and the synchronization data separated from the combined data received by the data separation unit; Have
The data synthesis unit
Synchronous data to be transmitted included in the combined data, to each of the synchronous data to be transmitted by itself, any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that to reflect the been processing delay time measured by the processing delay time measuring unit The communication apparatus as described in. The communication device
Has multiple processing paths for processing data,
The data separator is
Connected to multiple data receiving paths,
For each data reception path, receive either synchronous data, communication data, or composite data,
The communication device further includes:
From the communication data received by the data separator, the communication data separated from the combined data received by the data separator, the synchronization data received by the data separator, and the combined data received by the data separator The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a processing path determination unit that determines which of the plurality of processing paths is used for the separated synchronization data. A data transmission path determination unit that determines which of the plurality of data transmission paths the synchronization data for time synchronization and communication data other than the synchronization data is transmitted from each of the plurality of data transmission paths;
Connected to the plurality of data transmission paths,
If the transmission timing of the communication data and transmission timing of the synchronization data by the data transmission path determined by the determination unit data transmission path is shared compete, embedding the synchronization data to the communication data, the synchronization data to the communication data Is generated, and the generated composite data is transmitted from the corresponding data transmission path ,
Send communication data from the corresponding data transmission path by itself, without synchronization data that has a common data transmission path,
A communication apparatus comprising: a data composition unit that independently transmits synchronous data that does not have communication data having a common data transmission path from a corresponding data transmission path . A program that causes a computer to function as the communication device according to claim 1 or 7 .

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