JP6777435B2 - Communication device, communication system, line determination method, and line determination program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a technique for determining a communication line actually used from among line candidates.

In a communication system using a time division multiple access (TDMA) system, a time slot (timing occupied by transmission of a specific station) is used between communication devices (hereinafter, also referred to as "stations") that communicate with each other. , A set of elements) must be kept in sync. Patent Document 1 discloses an example of a technique for reducing the time required for synchronization of time slots.

The mobile information sharing system of Patent Document 1 includes a communication control station and a mobile station. Each station includes a wireless device, a time-division synchronous wireless modem device, and a position information display device. The wireless device determines a communication slot (time slot) by performing time synchronization using GPS (Global Positioning System), and then performs wireless communication using a common wireless frequency between stations. The time-division synchronous wireless modem device selects an unused communication slot as a transmission slot of its own station by monitoring the usage status of the communication slot before starting transmission, and uses it for subsequent transmission. As a result of the above configuration, the mobile information sharing system of Patent Document 1 can immediately synchronize the time slots if the accurate time can be acquired by GPS.

In a communication system using a frequency division multiple access (FDMA) system, it is necessary that information on frequencies used by other stations is shared between stations communicating with each other. The communication method using FDMA is defined as, for example, the SCPC (Single Channel Per Carrier) standard.

The automatic link establishment (ALE) technology automatically determines the frequency used for communication (hereinafter, also referred to as "line") between stations that communicate with each other (hereinafter, also referred to as "line connection"). ) Is a technology. ALE technology is defined, for example, as the US Department of Defense MIL-STD-188-141A standard.

An example of the ALE technique is disclosed in Patent Document 2. The transmission / reception device for a shortwave wireless line of Patent Document 2 includes one transmission system, a plurality of reception systems for receiving each of usable frequencies, and automatic line connection control means. In the time slot, the automatic line connection control means sequentially uses one of the usable frequencies to send transmission data from the transmission system to the partner station, and receives a response returned from the partner station at the same frequency via each reception system. To do. Then, the automatic line connection control means determines which frequency is most suitable for communication based on the quality of the received signal (hereinafter, also referred to as "line quality" or "signal quality"). As a result of the above configuration, the shortwave radio line transmitter / receiver of Patent Document 2 automatically determines the optimum frequency for communication.

In the shortwave radio line transmitter / receiver of Patent Document 2, a time slot is used for ALE. Therefore, the shortwave wireless line transmitter / receiver of Patent Document 2 has a problem that the time required for ALE is long. In particular, as the number of partner stations or the number of lines that can be used increases, the time required for ALE increases.

The time slots used for the ALE must first be synchronized between the stations communicating with each other when performing the ALE.

Patent Document 3 discloses an example of an ALE technique for reducing the time required for time slot synchronization. The communication system of Patent Document 3 includes one control station and one or more subordinate stations. In the communication system of Patent Document 3, first, synchronization of each subordinate station with respect to the control station is established. Next, the control station uses each line in sequence to perform transmission / reception for line quality evaluation. Subsequently, the control station determines the frequency based on the result of the line quality evaluation, and notifies each subordinate station of the determined frequency to establish a line link between the control station and each subordinate station. Then, even after the line link is disconnected, the synchronization of the subordinate station with respect to the control station is maintained. Subsequently, when the line link is reestablished, the process after the line quality evaluation is performed without performing the process of reestablishing the synchronization. As a result of the above configuration, in the communication system of Patent Document 3, the reestablishment of the line link is speeded up.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-11144 JP-A-2002-300072 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-247919

However, in the communication system of Patent Document 3, when the first line link is established, the processing of synchronization between stations and the processing after the line quality evaluation are performed, and when the line link is reestablished, the line quality is performed. The processing after the evaluation is performed. That is, since the synchronization process between stations is executed when the first line link is established, the time required for the synchronization process between the first stations is not shortened. Therefore, the communication system of Patent Document 3 has a problem that the time required for ALE is insufficiently shortened.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has high signal quality in a communication system including a plurality of stations that analyze signal quality for each line and communicate using a line with high signal quality. The main purpose is to reduce the time required to determine the line.

In one aspect of the present invention, the communication system is a communication system including a plurality of communication devices capable of communicating using any one of a plurality of lines, and each of the plurality of communication devices is the time of the satellite positioning system. A predetermined rule is a time slot representing a set of transmission timings in which a plurality of communication devices transmit a signal using any one of a plurality of lines so that the error is within a predetermined range by using the synchronization function. According to the time slot determining means determined based on the above and the time slot determined by the time slot determining means, (I) among the plurality of signals, among the plurality of lines based on the quality information indicating the signal quality. A signal that is quality information on which a predetermined criterion for determining a line depends and can measure the first quality information regarding a signal received by the own communication device is used for other communication among the plurality of communication devices. The first quality information received from the device is measured based on the received signal and held by the self-communication device, and (II) the first quality information held without being transmitted is used for other communication. Communicating one signal out of a plurality of signals that are transmitted to the device and (III) quality information on which the criteria depend and include a second quality information about the signal received by the other communication device. The first quality information held by the quality information transmitting / receiving means, the standard, and the quality information transmitting / receiving means of the own communication device, which receives from the device and holds the second quality information included in the received signal. A line determination means for determining any line used by the own communication device for communication after the line determination is provided based on the above and the second quality information.

In one aspect of the present invention, the communication device is any of a plurality of lines that can be used for communication by the plurality of communication devices so that the error is within a predetermined range by utilizing the time synchronization function of the satellite positioning system. According to a time slot determining means that determines a set of transmission timings for transmitting a signal using the above, and a time slot determined by the time slot determining means, (I) a plurality of times. Among the signals, the quality information indicating the quality of the signal is the quality information on which a predetermined standard for determining a certain line among a plurality of lines depends on, and the signal received by the self-communication device. Receiving a signal capable of measuring the first quality information from another communication device among a plurality of communication devices, measuring the first quality information based on the received signal, and holding it in the own communication device. And (II) the first quality information that is retained without being transmitted is transmitted to another communication device, and (III) the quality information that the standard depends on and is received by the other communication device. A quality information transmitting / receiving means for receiving a certain signal from a plurality of signals including a second quality information regarding the signal to be received from another communication device and holding the second quality information included in the received signal. , Based on the standard and the first quality information and the second quality information held by the quality information transmitting / receiving means of the self-communication device, any line used by the self-communication device for communication after the line is determined. It is provided with a line determining means for determining.

In one aspect of the present invention, the line determination method is a line determination method in a communication system including a plurality of communication devices capable of communicating using any of a plurality of lines, and in each of the plurality of communication devices. Time, which represents a set of transmission timings in which multiple communication devices transmit signals using any of multiple lines so that the error is within a predetermined range using the time synchronization function of the satellite positioning system. The slot is determined based on a predetermined rule, and according to the determined time slot, (I) among the plurality of signals, a certain line among the plurality of lines is determined based on the quality information indicating the quality of the signal. A signal that is quality information on which a predetermined standard is dependent and can measure the first quality information regarding a signal received by the own communication device is received from another communication device among a plurality of communication devices. , The first quality information is measured based on the received signal and held by the self-communication device, and (II) the first quality information held without being transmitted is transmitted to another communication device. , (III) Receive and receive a signal from a plurality of signals that are quality information on which the criteria depend and that include a second quality information about a signal received by another communication device. The second quality information contained in the signal is held, and the self-communication device is used for communication after the line is determined based on the standard and the first quality information and the second quality information held by the self-communication device. Determines which line to use.

In one aspect of the present invention, the line determination program or the recording medium in which the line determination program is stored is a plurality of communication devices so that the error is within a predetermined range by utilizing the time synchronization function of the satellite positioning system. Is a time slot determination process that determines a time slot representing a set of transmission timings for transmitting a signal using any of a plurality of lines that can be used for communication, and a determined time. According to the slot, (I) the quality information on which a predetermined criterion for determining a certain line among the plurality of lines depends on the quality information indicating the quality of the signal among the plurality of signals, and the self A signal capable of measuring the first quality information regarding the signal received by the communication device is received from another communication device among the plurality of communication devices, and the first quality information is measured based on the received signal. It is the quality information that is held by the self-communication device, (II) the first quality information that is held without being transmitted is transmitted to another communication device, and (III) the standard depends on it. In addition, receiving a certain signal from a plurality of signals including the second quality information regarding the signal received by the other communication device from the other communication device, and holding the second quality information included in the received signal. Based on the quality information transmission / reception processing, the standard, and the first quality information and the second quality information held by the communication device, whichever the communication device uses for communication after the line is determined. Let the computer execute the line determination process to determine the line.

According to the present invention, in a communication system including a plurality of stations that perform signal quality analysis for each line and communicate using a line with high signal quality, the time required to determine a line with high signal quality is shortened. It has the effect of being able to.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of the structure of the communication system in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining an example of the time slot determination rule, the time slot for ALE, and the signal quality information in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining an example of quality information and line determination criteria in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation as a control station of a communication device in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation as a subordinate station of a communication apparatus in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the structure of the communication system in 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the hardware composition which can realize the communication apparatus in each embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In all drawings, equivalent components are designated by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.
(First Embodiment)
The configuration in this embodiment will be described.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a communication system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The number of communication devices (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “stations”) included in the communication system of the present embodiment is N + 1 (N is a natural number of 1 or more).

The communication system 200 of the present embodiment includes stations 101, 102, .... Each station can use M (M is a natural number of 2 or more) types of lines (communication lines). The line is, for example, the frequency of a carrier wave used for communication between stations. The station that first transmits a signal in ALE is called a "control station". A station that performs an ALE operation in response to a signal transmitted by a control station is referred to as a "subordinate station". There is one control station in the communication system 200, and one or more subordinate stations in the communication system 200. In the following description, it is assumed that the station 101 is a control station and the station 102 is a subordinate station. Therefore, in the following description, the station 101 is also referred to as a "control station", and the station 102 is also referred to as a "subordinate station 1". When the number of stations is 3 or more, the communication system 200 includes the station 103, and the station 103 is also referred to as a “subordinate station 2”.

Each station holds "setting information". The setting information includes information indicating the number of available lines, information indicating the number of stations, and information indicating the transmission order of the own station in the "ALE time slot" for each line or regardless of the line. Alternatively, each station holds information from which setting information can be derived. In the present application, the ALE time slot is a set whose elements are transmission timings (hereinafter, also referred to as "fixed time slots") occupied by transmission using a specific line by a specific station. The ALE time slot is used to perform ALE. The TDMA time slot determines a fixed time slot for a plurality of stations on one line. On the other hand, the ALE time slot determines a fixed time slot of a plurality of stations on a plurality of lines. In the following description, it is assumed that the number of lines is M and the number of stations is N + 1. It is assumed that the transmission order of the stations 101, 102, ... Is "1", "2", ... In order regardless of the line.

Each station includes a time slot determination unit 110, a quality information transmission / reception unit 120, and a line determination unit 130.

The time slot determination unit 110 determines the ALE time slot based on the "time slot determination rule". The determination of the ALE time slot is to determine the order, start time, and end time of the fixed time slots in a certain ALE time slot.

The time slot determination rule is a rule for determining the ALE time slot based on the number of lines and the number of stations.

The time slot determination unit 115 determines the ALE time slot so that the time error is within a predetermined range by using the time synchronization function of the satellite positioning system (NSS: Navigation Satellite System). NSS is, for example, GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Compass. GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System) is a Russian NSS. Galileo is the NSS of the European Union. Compass is a Chinese NSS.

The time in the ALE time slot is supplied, for example, by the station's "internal clock" (not shown). The time of the internal clock is adjusted to synchronize with the highly accurate NSS time source so that the time error of the internal clock is within a predetermined range. The time adjustment of the internal clock is performed as often as necessary according to the time accuracy of the internal clock. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to equate the ALE time slots of each station.

The quality information transmission / reception unit 120 generates a signal by modulating a series of data to be transmitted by a predetermined modulation method. The modulation method is, for example, FSK (Frequency Shift Keying) and PSK (Phase Shift Keying). Such data includes "quality information" (described later), and an error detection code may be added. The error detection code may be an error correction code, for example, a Golay code.

The quality information transmission / reception unit 120 transmits a signal including quality information or the like according to the ALE time slot determined by the time slot determination unit 110, or receives a signal including quality information or the like from another station.

The quality information is information indicating the quality of a received signal in communication using a specific line between specific stations. The quality information may include quality information about a plurality of lines, a plurality of sources, or a plurality of recipients. Alternatively, the quality information may not include the quality information if the quality information to be transmitted does not exist. The quality information is, for example, an error rate, a reception level, a signal-to-noise power ratio of a received signal, or an evaluation value (weighted sum, etc.) derived from these values. The quality information may be derived, for example, by decoding an error detection code.

The quality information transmission / reception unit 120 receives a signal necessary for measuring or receiving at least the quality information on which the "line determination standard" (described later) depends. The quality information transmission / reception unit 120 may receive a signal necessary for measuring or receiving quality information that does not depend on the line determination standard. The quality information transmission / reception unit 120 holds at least the quality information on which the line determination standard depends. The quality information transmission / reception unit 120 may hold quality information that does not depend on the line determination standard.

The quality information transmission / reception unit 120, as necessary, based on the received signal, "quality information when the own station receives a signal transmitted by another station using a specific line" (hereinafter, "own station"). (Referred to as "quality information") is newly retained or updated. Further, in the present embodiment, the quality information transmission / reception unit 120 receives, if necessary, "a signal transmitted by its own station or another station is received by another station using a specific line" included in the received quality information. The quality information of other stations is newly retained or updated based on the contents of "Quality information of other stations" (hereinafter referred to as "quality information of other stations").

Further, in the present embodiment, the quality information transmission / reception unit 120 is based on "information not related to quality information" (hereinafter referred to as "additional information") added to the received quality information as needed. , The additional information of other stations is newly retained or updated.

The quality information transmitted by the quality information transmission / reception unit 120 includes at least the quality information of the own station that is not transmitted while the line determination standard depends on and is retained. However, if the quality information transmission / reception unit 120 does not hold the quality information of its own station, the quality information to be transmitted may be empty.

The quality information transmitted by the quality information transmission / reception unit 120 may include the quality information of the own station transmitted after the line determination criteria do not depend on or are retained. The quality information transmitted by the quality information transmission / reception unit 120 may include quality information of another station, and may be added with "control information" or additional information. The control information is information for controlling various functions of the ALE.

The quality information transmission / reception unit 120 encodes the held quality information by a predetermined coding method and transmits it. If the quality information to be transmitted is shorter than the data length that can be transmitted in the fixed time slot of the own station, the quality information transmission / reception unit 120 adds other data (dummy data, etc.) to the quality information. You may send it. By adding other data to the quality information, the transmission duration in the fixed time slot of the own station is secured.

After transmitting and receiving quality information, the line determination unit 130 determines a line to be used for subsequent communication based on a predetermined line determination standard and the quality information held by the own station (hereinafter, "line determination"). "). The line determination standard is a standard for making a line determination based on quality information. The line determination criteria may depend on all quality information or only some quality information. In addition, the line determination standard may include a standard that defines the expiration date (for example, 30 minutes after measurement) of the dependent quality information. Further, the line determination standard may include a standard that defines a time limit for line determination, such as providing a time-out time for line determination (for example, 5 minutes after the start).

After the line is determined, communication is performed between the stations by a predetermined communication method using the determined line. The communication method is, for example, FDMA (SCPC or the like) or TDMA in a specific line.

Next, a specific example of the ALE time slot will be described.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a time slot determination rule, an ALE time slot, and quality information according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, the upper left of FIG. 2 shows an example of an ALE time slot, and the lower right of FIG. 2 shows an example of quality information transmitted in one fixed time slot. In the quality information, the element shown by the solid line is an essential element (however, it may be empty), and the element shown by the dotted line is not an essential element.

The time slot determination rule in this example is, for example, as follows (“Time slot determination rule A”).
● One cycle of the ALE time slot is set to 60 seconds immediately after 0 seconds have elapsed at an arbitrary time and minute.
● One cycle of the ALE time slot is divided equally by the number of lines to obtain an ALE time slot for a specific line.
● Divide the ALE time slot for a specific line equally by (number of stations + 1), and in order from the beginning, "intermediate subscriber station" (station that newly subscribes to communication after the line is decided), control station, subordinate station 1, ..., A fixed time slot for transmission of the subordinate station N.

Specifically, for example, when the number of lines is "4", the above-mentioned time slot determination rule is as follows. Note that "[" indicates the start of the left-closed and right-open section, and ")" indicates the end of the left-closed and right-open section.
● The ALE time slot for the first line is [0,15] seconds per minute,
● The ALE time slot for the second line is [15,30] seconds per minute,
● The ALE time slot for the third line is [30,45] seconds per minute,
● The ALE time slot for the 4th line is [45,60] seconds per minute.

Further, for example, when the number of stations is "4", the above-mentioned time slot determination rule for the first line is as follows.
● Fixed time slot for mid-term subscriber stations is [0,3] seconds per minute,
● Fixed time slot for control station is [3,6] seconds per minute,
● Fixed time slot for subordinate station 1 is [6,9] seconds per minute,
● Fixed time slot for subordinate station 2 is [9,12] seconds per minute,
● The fixed time slot for subordinate station 3 is [12,15] seconds per minute.

A fixed time slot is determined for the second line, the third line, and the fourth line as well as the first line. However, if the communication system 200 does not allow the subordinate station to join the communication in the middle after the line is determined, the fixed time slot for the intermediate joining station may be omitted. When the time slot determination rule A is used, one cycle of the ALE time slot is suppressed to a fixed time.

In another example than the above, the time slot determination rule may be, for example, as follows (“Timeslot determination rule B”).
● The length of the fixed time slot is 1 second.
● A column in which fixed time slots for transmission of a subordinate station, a control station, a subordinate station 1, ..., And a subordinate station N are arranged in order from the beginning is set as an ALE time slot for one line.
● A row in which ALE time slots for one line are arranged in a predetermined order for the number of lines is defined as an ALE time slot for one cycle.
● The start time of the ALE time slot for the first cycle is set to midnight on January 1, Y.

However, if the communication system 200 does not allow the subordinate station to join the communication in the middle after the line is determined, the fixed time slot for the intermediate joining station may be omitted. When the time slot determination rule B is used, one cycle of the ALE time slot can be minimized.

The time slot determination rule is not limited to the above example, for example, the order of the stations may be arbitrary, and the length of the fixed time slot may be different for each station, or fixed. The number of time slots may be different for each station.

Subsequently, a specific example of quality information will be described.

Each station transmits quality information in its own fixed time slot. The quality information includes quality information or includes control information or additional information.

The control information is, for example, as follows.
● Request to subscribe a new station to communication after the line is decided (hereinafter referred to as "intermediate subscription request"),
● Request to add a fixed time slot to the ALE time slot,
● Request to remove fixed time slot from ALE time slot,
● Request to start ALE (hereinafter referred to as "ALE start request"),
● Request to end ALE,
● Request to have a specific station execute ALE,
● Request to change the line,
● Request to maintain the line.

The additional information is, for example, "own station information" and "other station reception information". The own station information includes, for example, "location information" of the own station or "information about the state of the own station". The position information is, for example, the latitude / longitude information of the position where the own station exists. The information about the state of the own station is information about the state of the own station that the own station needs to convey to the partner station, and is presence information such as "standby" and "communication". The other station reception information is the own station information of another station received by the own station from another station. Own station information and other station reception information are used, for example, to display the position and presence information of each station on a map.

Next, the line determination criteria will be described.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of quality information and line determination criteria according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, FIG. 3A shows an example of quality information of the signal received by the control station. 3 (B) to 3 (D) show an example of quality information of signals received by subordinate stations 1 to 3 in order. FIGS. 3 (E) and 3 (F) show an application example of the line determination standard. In FIG. 3, rows represent lines, columns represent signal sources, and values represent quality information about a particular line and a particular source. The quality information is a natural number from 1 to 7, and the larger the value, the higher the quality.

First, an example of the following line determination criteria will be described with reference to FIG. 3 (E).

Line determination criterion A: The line in which the minimum value of the quality information of the signal transmitted from the specific source and received by the control station using the specific source is the maximum in all the lines. select.

The quality information on which the line determination criterion A as described above depends is the quality information of the signal received by the control station. Therefore, the quality information shown in FIG. 3 (E) is the same as the quality information of the control station shown in FIG. 3 (A). As shown in FIG. 3 (E), of the quality information of the signal transmitted from the specific source and received by the control station using the lines "F1", "F2", "F3", "F4". The minimum value in all transmission sources is "1", "2", "1", and "3" in the order of the lines concerned. The maximum value of these minimum values in all lines is the quality information "3" in which the line "F4" is used. Therefore, according to the line determination criterion A, the line "F4" is selected. The line determination criterion A is effective when it is assumed that the signal qualities are substantially the same for the replacement of the source and the receiver. When the line determination criterion A is used, any of the transmitted quality information may include the quality information of the signal received by the control station, and the quality information of the signal received by the subordinate station may be included. It does not need to be included.

That is, in the present embodiment, in the line determination standard, a signal transmitted by each of the transmission sources different from the control station among the plurality of stations and received by the control station using any of the plurality of lines. This stipulates that the line in which the minimum value of quality information in a plurality of sources has the maximum value in a plurality of lines is selected.

Next, another example of the following line determination criteria will be described with reference to FIG. 3 (F).

Line determination criterion B: The minimum value of the quality information of the signal transmitted from the specific source and received at the specific destination using the specific line, the minimum value in all the recipients, and the minimum value in all the sources. However, the largest line among all lines is selected.

The quality information on which the line determination criterion B as described above depends is the quality information of the signal received by each station. Therefore, the quality information shown in FIG. 3 (F) is derived from the quality information of each station shown in FIGS. 3 (A) to 3 (D). FIG. 3 (F) is obtained by selecting the minimum value among all the destinations from the quality information corresponding to the combination of the specific line and the specific source of FIGS. 3 (A) to 3 (D). That is, FIG. 3F shows "the minimum value of the quality information of the signal transmitted from the specific source and received at the specific receiver using the specific line" among all the recipients. As shown in FIG. 3 (F), the minimum value in all sources of the "minimum value in all recipients" in which the lines "F1", "F2", "F3", and "F4" are used. Are "1", "1", "1", and "3" in the order of the lines. The maximum value of these minimum values in all lines is the quality information "3" in which the line "F4" is used. Therefore, according to the line determination criterion B, the line "F4" is selected. The line determination criterion B is effective when it is assumed that the signal quality is significantly different with respect to the replacement of the source and the receiver. When the line determination criterion B is used, any of the transmitted quality information needs to include the quality information of the signal received by each station.

That is, in the present embodiment, in the line determination criterion, transmission is performed by each of the transmission sources which is one of a plurality of stations, and any of the plurality of lines is used to and the transmission source of the plurality of stations. Selects the line in which the minimum value of quality information in multiple recipients and the minimum value in multiple sources is the largest in multiple lines for signals received by each of the different recipients. It regulates.

The line determination criteria may include criteria that specify the expiration date of quality information. In this case, the quality information includes information on the measured time. The standard for defining the expiration date is, for example, the standard that "quality information is valid for 30 minutes after measurement".

That is, in the present embodiment, the expiration date of the quality information is defined in the line determination standard.

The line determination criteria may include criteria that specify the ALE timeout period. The standard for defining the time-out time of ALE is, for example, the standard that "the standby for transmission of quality information times out in 5 minutes from the transmission of the first quality information".

The line determination standard is not limited to the above example, and may be, for example, a standard based on the average value of quality information, or stations that do not meet the predetermined quality on any line are excluded from the target of line connection. It may be a standard to be used. Alternatively, the line determination criterion may be, for example, a criterion for determining different lines for different combinations of stations.

The operation in this embodiment will be described. However, in the following, in order to make the explanation easier to understand, the quality information of the signal received by the control station is required for the line determination, but the quality information of the signal received by the subordinate station is not required ( For example, the line determination criterion A) will be described. Further, a case where additional information is not added to the quality information will be described.

First, the operation of the control station will be described.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the communication device as a control station according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the node (step) indicates the process, the link to the node indicates the transition to the process, and the label attached to the link indicates the migration condition. The transition on unlabeled links is unconditional.

The station 101 synchronizes the time of its own station with a predetermined frequency, and keeps the error of the internal clock within a predetermined range.

First, when the station 101 is requested to start ALE, the information indicating the number of available lines, the information indicating the number of stations, and the information indicating the transmission order of the own station in the ALE time slot are set from the setting information. read out. Then, as assumed in the explanation of the setting information, since the transmission order of the own station in the ALE time slot is "1", the station 101 is activated as a control station (step S110) and proceeds to the process of step S120.

Next, the station 101 (control station) starts ALE by determining the ALE time slot based on the read setting information (step S120), and proceeds to the process of step S130.

Subsequently, the control station transmits the quality information of its own station (step S130), and proceeds to the process of step S140.

Subsequently, the control station waits for the reception of the quality information of the other station (step S140). When the reception of the quality information occurs, the control station proceeds to the process of step S150. When a reception timeout occurs in the fixed time slot, the control station proceeds to the process of step S160.

The control station receives the quality information of the other station (step S150). Then, the control station updates the quality information of its own station held by its own station based on the signal including the received quality information. Then, the control station updates the quality information of the other station held by the own station based on the content of the received quality information, and proceeds to the process of step S160.

The control station determines whether or not to continue the ALE (step S160). There is no quality information or quality that needs to be transmitted but has not been transmitted (hereinafter simply referred to as "untransmitted") or has been required to be received but has not been received (hereinafter simply referred to as "unreceived"). If a timeout occurs in receiving the information, the control station proceeds to the process of step S170. If a timeout occurs, only the station that sent the required quality information is considered to have participated in the communication. The timeout time may be specified by the line determination criteria. If there is untransmitted or unreceived quality information and the next fixed time slot is the fixed time slot of the own station, the control station returns to the process of step S130. If there is untransmitted or unreceived quality information and the next fixed time slot is not the fixed time slot of the own station, the control station returns to the process of step S140.

The control station makes a line determination based on the line determination standard and the quality information held by the control station (step S170). Then, the control station continues to wait for the reception of quality information in the ALE time slot.

Next, the operation of the subordinate station will be described by taking the operation of the station 102 as an example.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the communication device as a subordinate station according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 5, the node (step) indicates the process, the link to the node indicates the transition to the process, and the label attached to the link indicates the transition condition. The transition on unlabeled links is unconditional.

The station 102 synchronizes the time of its own station with a predetermined frequency, and keeps the error of the internal clock within a predetermined range.

First, when the station 102 is requested to start ALE, the station 102 sets information indicating the number of available lines, information indicating the number of stations, and information indicating the transmission order of its own station in the ALE time slot from the setting information. read out. Then, as assumed in the explanation of the setting information, since the transmission order of the own station in the ALE time slot is “2”, the station 102 is activated as a subordinate station (step S210) and proceeds to the process of step S220.

Next, the station 102 (subordinate station 1) starts ALE by determining the ALE time slot based on the read setting information (step S220), and proceeds to the process of step S280.

Subsequently, the subordinate station 1 waits for the reception of the quality information of the control station in the ALE time slot (scan reception) (step S280). The subordinate station 1 repeats the process of step S280 until the reception of the quality information from the control station occurs or the reception of the quality information from the control station times out. When the quality information is received from the control station, the subordinate station 1 proceeds to the process of step S250. When the reception of the quality information from the control station times out, the subordinate station 1 proceeds to the process of step S260.

The subordinate station 1 receives the quality information of the other station (step S250). Then, the subordinate station 1 updates the quality information of its own station held by its own station based on the signal including the received quality information. Then, the subordinate station 1 updates the quality information of another station held by its own station based on the content of the received quality information, and proceeds to the process of step S260.

The subordinate station 1 determines whether or not to continue the ALE (step S260). If there is no untransmitted or unreceived quality information, or if the unreceived quality information cannot be received within the ALE time slot period of the predetermined time length, the subordinate station 1 indicates that the transmission / reception of the quality information is completed. Assuming that, the process proceeds to step S270. If there is untransmitted or unreceived quality information and the next fixed time slot is the fixed time slot of the own station, the subordinate station 1 proceeds to the process of step S230. If there is untransmitted or unreceived quality information and the next fixed time slot is not the fixed time slot of the own station, the subordinate station 1 proceeds to the process of step S240.

The subordinate station 1 transmits the quality information of its own station (step S230), and proceeds to the process of step S240.

Subsequently, the subordinate station 1 waits for the reception of the quality information of the other station (step S240). When the reception of the quality information occurs, the subordinate station 1 returns to the process of step S250. When a reception timeout occurs in the fixed time slot, the subordinate station 1 returns to the process of step S260.

The subordinate station 1 makes a line determination based on the line determination standard and the quality information held by the own station (step S270). Then, the subordinate station 1 continues to wait for reception of quality information in the ALE time slot.

The operations of the subordinate stations 2 to N are the same as the operations of the subordinate stations 1.

After the line is determined, the control station and the subordinate stations 1 to N communicate using the determined line.

Subsequently, the operation when the subordinate station joins the communication in the middle will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. In the following, a case where the subordinate station 2 (station 103) newly joins the communication after the line is determined between the control station and the subordinate station 1 (station 102) will be described as an example. However, the details of the operation already described will be omitted as appropriate.

The control station communicates with the subordinate station 1 and continues to wait for receiving quality information in the ALE time slot (step S170).

The subordinate station 1 communicates with the control station and continues to wait for receiving quality information in the ALE time slot (step S270).

The station 103, which is an intermediate subscription station, synchronizes the time of its own station at a predetermined frequency and keeps the error of the internal clock within a predetermined range.

In such a situation, when the station 103 is requested to start the ALE, the station 103 reads the setting information and starts it as a subordinate station (step S210).

Next, the station 103 (subordinate station 2) starts the ALE by determining the ALE time slot based on the read setting information (step S220), and receives the quality information of the control station in the ALE time slot. (Step S280).

Since the reception of the quality information from the control station times out, the subordinate station 2 determines whether or not to continue the ALE (step S260).

Since there is unreceived quality information, the subordinate station 2 waits for a fixed time slot for the intermediate subscription station and transmits the quality information of its own station (step S230). Since the subordinate station 2 is an intermediate subscription station, the quality information to be transmitted is empty quality information, and an intermediate subscription request is added as control information.

The subordinate station 2 waits for the reception of the quality information (step S240).

When a mid-term subscription request is received, the control station receives the quality information of another station (step S150), and based on the signal including the received quality information, the control station holds the quality information of the own station. Update the quality information of.

The control station determines whether or not to continue the ALE (step S160).

Since there is untransmitted quality information, the control station waits for the fixed time slot of its own station, transmits the quality information of its own station (step S130), and waits for the reception of the quality information of another station (step S140). Since the control station holds the quality information of the subordinate station 1 and the subordinate station 2, it does not have the untransmitted or unreceived quality information after the step S130.

When the reception of the subscription request occurs on the way, the subordinate station 1 receives the quality information of the other station (step S250), and holds the quality information of the other station based on the signal including the received quality information. Update the quality information of the station.

The subordinate station 1 determines whether or not to continue the ALE (step S260).

Since there is unreceived quality information, the subordinate station 1 waits for the reception of the quality information of the other station (step S240).

When the reception of the quality information transmitted by the control station occurs in step S130, the subordinate station 1 receives the quality information of the other station (step S250), and based on the signal including the received quality information, itself Update the quality information of your own station held by the station. Then, the subordinate station 1 updates the quality information of another station held by its own station based on the content of the received quality information.

The subordinate station 1 determines whether or not to continue the ALE (step S260). Since there is no untransmitted or unreceived quality information, the subordinate station 1 considers that the transmission / reception of the quality information is completed. Then, the subordinate station 1 makes a line determination based on the line determination standard and the quality information held by the own station (step S270).

When the reception of the quality information transmitted by the control station occurs in step S130, the subordinate station 2 receives the quality information of the other station (step S250), and based on the signal including the received quality information, itself Update the quality information of your own station held by the station. Then, the subordinate station 2 updates the quality information of another station held by its own station based on the content of the received quality information.

The subordinate station 2 determines whether or not to continue the ALE (step S260). Since there is no untransmitted or unreceived quality information, the subordinate station 2 considers that the transmission / reception of the quality information is completed. Then, the subordinate station 2 makes a line determination based on the line determination standard and the quality information held by the own station (step S270).

Since a reception timeout occurs in the fixed time slot, the control station determines whether or not to continue the ALE (step S160). Since there is no untransmitted or unreceived quality information, the control station considers that the transmission / reception of quality information is completed. Then, the control station makes a line determination based on the line determination standard and the quality information held by the own station (step S170).

After the line is determined, the control station, the subordinate station 1, and the subordinate station 2 communicate using the determined line.

That is, in the present embodiment, the ALE time slot further includes a transmission timing in which a station subscribing to communication among the plurality of stations transmits a signal using any one of the plurality of lines, and the plurality of stations. Of these, a plurality of quality information transmission / reception units of stations other than the mid-term subscriber stations, which are different from the mid-term subscriber stations, are used according to the ALE time slot even after the line determination unit of the stations other than the mid-term subscriber stations determines the line. Waits for the transmission of the signal including the mid-term subscription request by one of the stations, and the quality information transmitter / receiver of the mid-term subscription station transmits the signal including the mid-term subscription request according to the ALE time slot. Then, the quality information transmission / reception unit of the station other than the intermediate subscription station receives the signal including (I) the intermediate subscription request from the intermediate subscription station according to the ALE time slot, and receives the quality information of its own station based on the received signal. It measures and holds it at its own station, (II) transmits the quality information of its own station that is held without transmission to other stations, and (III) of multiple signals including the quality information of other stations. While receiving a certain signal from the intermediate subscriber station and holding the quality information of other stations included in the received signal, the quality information transmitter / receiver of the intermediate subscriber station (I) own station according to the ALE time slot. Receive a signal that can measure quality information from a station other than the subscribing station on the way, measure the quality information of your own station based on the received signal and hold it at your own station, and (II) hold it without transmitting While transmitting the quality information of the own station as it is to a station other than the intermediate subscription station, (III) receiving and receiving a certain signal among a plurality of signals including the quality information of another station from the station other than the intermediate subscription station. The quality information of other stations included in the signal is retained, and the line determination unit of the intermediate subscriber station and stations other than the intermediate subscriber station holds the standard and the quality information of the own station held by the quality information transmitter / receiver of the own station. Based on the quality information of the other station and the quality information of the other station, one of the lines used by the own station for communication after the line is determined is newly determined.

In the above description of the operation when the subordinate station joins the communication in the middle, the quality information on which the line determination criterion depends includes the quality information of the signal received by the control station, but the quality information of the signal received by the subordinate station. The case where the quality information is not included (for example, the line determination criterion A) has been described. However, when the quality information on which the line determination criterion depends includes the quality information of the signal received by the subordinate station (for example, the line determination criterion B), the subordinate station 1 is accompanied by the intermediate subscription to the communication of the subordinate station 2. And the subordinate station 2 also needs to transmit the quality information of its own station.

The operation when the quality information on which the line determination criterion depends includes the quality information of the signal received by the subordinate station will be described.

First, an operation example when each station individually executes ALE will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. However, the details of the operation already described will be omitted as appropriate.

The situation before the station 103 starts the procedure of mid-term subscription is the same as the above description of the operation when the subordinate station subscribes to the communication in the middle. In such a situation, the operation of each station when the station 103 joins in the middle is as follows, for example.
(1) First, the subordinate station 2 transmits an intermediate subscription request in a fixed time slot for the intermediate subscription station (step S230, etc.).
(2) Next, the control station receives the mid-term subscription request (transition from step S170 to step S150, etc.). At this time, the control station may discard the quality information already held.
(3) In parallel with (2) above, the subordinate station 1 receives the mid-term subscription request (transition from step S270 to step S250, etc.). At this time, the subordinate station 1 may discard the quality information already held.
(4) Subsequently, the control station transmits the quality information of its own station (step S130, etc.).
(5) Subsequently, the subordinate station 1 receives the quality information of the control station (step S250, etc.).
(6) In parallel with the above (5), the subordinate station 2 receives the quality information of the control station (step S250 and the like).
(7) Subsequently, the subordinate station 1 transmits the quality information of its own station (step S230, etc.).
(8) Subsequently, the control station receives the quality information of the subordinate station 1 (step S150 or the like).
(9) In parallel with (8) above, the subordinate station 2 receives the quality information of the subordinate station 1 (step S250 and the like).
(10) Subsequently, the subordinate station 2 transmits the quality information of its own station (step S230, etc.).
(11) Subsequently, the control station receives the quality information of the subordinate station 2 (step S150 or the like).
(12) In parallel with the above (11), the subordinate station 1 receives the quality information of the subordinate station 2 (step S250 and the like).
(13) Subsequently, the control station determines the line based on the line determination standard and the quality information held by the own station (step S170, etc.).
(14) In parallel with (13) above, the subordinate station 1 makes a line determination based on the line determination standard and the quality information held by the own station (step S270 and the like).
(15) In parallel with (13) above, the subordinate station 2 makes a line determination based on the line determination standard and the quality information held by the own station (step S270 or the like).
(16) After the line is determined, each of the control station, the subordinate station 1, and the subordinate station 2 communicates using the determined line.

That is, in the present embodiment, the quality information transmission / reception unit of a station other than the intermediate subscription station newly determines the line after discarding the held quality information in response to receiving the signal including the intermediate subscription request. It does.

Next, an operation example when the control station causes all the subordinate stations to execute ALE will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. However, in the following, the details of the operation of each station are different from the case where each station executes ALE individually.

The situation before the station 103 starts the procedure of mid-term subscription is the same as the above description of the operation when each station executes ALE individually. In such a situation, the operation of each station when the station 103 joins in the middle is as follows, for example.
(1) First, the subordinate station 2 transmits an intermediate subscription request in a fixed time slot for the intermediate subscription station (step S230, etc.).
(2) Next, the control station receives the mid-term subscription request (transition from step S170 to step S150, etc.).
(3) In parallel with (2) above, the subordinate station 1 receives the mid-term subscription request (transition from step S270 to step S250, etc.).
(4) Subsequently, the control station discards the quality information of the other station held by the own station, and then transmits the quality information of the own station to which the ALE start request is added (step S130, etc.).
(5) Subsequently, the subordinate station 1 receives the ALE start request and the quality information of the control station, discards the quality information of the other station held by the own station, and then based on the received quality information. Update the quality information of the control station held by the own station (step S250, etc.).
(6) In parallel with (5) above, the subordinate station 2 receives the ALE start request and the quality information of the control station, and receives it after discarding the quality information of the other station held by its own station. Based on the quality information, the quality information of the control station held by the own station is updated (step S250, etc.).
(7) Subsequently, the subordinate station 1 transmits the quality information of its own station (step S230, etc.).
(8) Subsequently, the control station receives the quality information of the subordinate station 1, and updates the quality information of the subordinate station 1 held by the own station based on the received quality information (step S150, etc.). ..
(9) In parallel with (8) above, the subordinate station 2 receives the quality information of the subordinate station 1, and based on the received quality information, the subordinate station 1 holds the quality information of the subordinate station 1. Update (step S250, etc.).
(10) Subsequently, the subordinate station 2 transmits the quality information of its own station (step S230, etc.).
(11) Subsequently, the control station receives the quality information of the subordinate station 2, and updates the quality information of the subordinate station 2 held by the own station based on the received quality information (step S150, etc.). ..
(12) In parallel with (11) above, the subordinate station 1 receives the quality information of the subordinate station 2, and based on the received quality information, the subordinate station 1 holds the quality information of the subordinate station 2. Update (step S250, etc.).
(13) Subsequently, the control station determines the line based on the quality information held by the control station (step S170, etc.).
(14) In parallel with (13) above, the subordinate station 1 determines the line based on the quality information held by the own station (step S270 and the like).
(15) In parallel with (13) above, the subordinate station 2 determines the line based on the quality information held by the own station (step S270 and the like).
(16) After the line is determined, each of the control station, the subordinate station 1, and the subordinate station 2 communicates using the determined line.

That is, in the present embodiment, any quality information transmitting / receiving unit of a station other than the intermediate subscription station transmits a request for newly executing the line determination in response to receiving the signal including the intermediate subscription request. That's why.

As described above, in the communication system 200 of the present embodiment, the time slot determination unit 110 uses the time synchronization function of the NSS to set the ALE time slot so that the time error is within a predetermined range. decide. That is, in the present embodiment, the time synchronization of the ALE time slot is executed asynchronously with the ALE procedure. Therefore, according to the communication system 200 of the present embodiment, it is not necessary to wait for the completion of time synchronization within the ALE procedure, and there is no need for a procedure for communicating between stations for time synchronization of the ALE time slot. Is.

Further, in the present embodiment, the quality information transmission / reception unit 120 transmits the quality information of its own station for each line and receives the quality information of the other station from the other station. Then, the line determination unit 130 determines the line to be used for the subsequent communication based on the quality information held after the transmission and reception of the quality information on which the line determination rule depends. That is, the line used for the subsequent communication is determined based on the retained quality information and the predetermined line determination standard. That is, each station can independently make the same line determination after acquiring the quality information on which the line determination standard depends. Therefore, there is no need for a procedure for communicating between stations in order to notify the determined line.

Therefore, in the communication system 200 of the present embodiment, the signal quality is analyzed for each line, and the line having high signal quality is determined in the communication system including a plurality of stations that communicate using the line having high signal quality. It has the effect of shortening the time required for.

Further, in the communication system 200 of the present embodiment, when the ALE time slot includes the fixed time slot for the intermediate subscriber station, the intermediate subscriber station communicates with the existing subscriber station without a procedure for disconnecting the connected line. You can join. That is, there is no need for a procedure for temporarily disconnecting the line and a procedure for notifying each station of the disconnection of the line. Therefore, the communication system 200 of the present embodiment has an effect that the time required for redetermining the line can be shortened when the ALE time slot includes the fixed time slot for the intermediate subscriber station.

In particular, in the communication system 200 of the present embodiment, when the quality information of the signal received by the control station is required for the line determination, but the quality information of the signal received by the subordinate station is not required. It has the effect of minimizing the transmission of quality information.
(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention, which is the basis of the first embodiment of the present invention, will be described.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the communication device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The number of communication devices (stations) included in the communication system of the present embodiment is two or more.

The communication system 205 of the present embodiment includes a plurality of stations 105, 106, .... Each station can communicate using any one of a plurality of lines 141, 142, ....

Each of the stations 105, 106, ... Includes a time slot determination unit 115, a quality information transmission / reception unit 125, and a line determination unit 135.

The time slot determination unit 115 determines the time slot (ALE time slot) based on the time slot determination rule. The ALE time slot represents a set of transmission timings (fixed time slots) in which stations 105, 106, ... Use any one of lines 141, 142, ... To transmit a signal. The ALE time slot in this embodiment is, for example, the ALE time slot in the first embodiment described above. The time slot determination rule in the present embodiment is, for example, the time slot determination rule in the first embodiment described above. The time slot determination unit 115 determines the ALE time slot so that the time error is within a predetermined range by using the time synchronization function of the satellite positioning system.

Each of the stations 105, 106, ... Has an ALE time slot in which a time difference occurs between the stations after the ALE time slot is determined. However, since the time error of each ALE time slot can be kept within a predetermined range by using various procedures, the time difference can be reduced as much as necessary. An example of the procedure is to correct the time of the internal clock by using the time synchronization function of the satellite positioning system at a required frequency according to the time accuracy of the internal clock (not shown) possessed by each station. At this time, half of the time difference allowed between the ALE time slots may be set as the tolerance in the internal clock, and the time of the internal clock may be corrected at a frequency within which the error in the internal clock falls within the tolerance. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to equate the ALE time slots of each station.

The quality information transmission / reception unit 125 transmits or receives quality information according to the ALE time slot determined by the time slot determination unit 115. The quality information in this embodiment is information indicating the quality of the received signal. The quality information may not include the quality information if the quality information to be transmitted does not exist. The quality information in this embodiment is, for example, the quality information in the first embodiment described above.

The line determination standard in the present embodiment is a standard for determining a certain line among the lines 141, 142, ... Based on the quality information. The line determination criteria may depend on all quality information or only some quality information. The line determination standard is, for example, the line determination standard in the first embodiment described above. The line determination criterion is, for example, a criterion for determining a line based only on the quality information of the signal received by the station 105 (for example, the line determination criterion A in the first embodiment). Alternatively, the line determination criterion is, for example, a criterion for determining the line based on the quality information of the signals received at all stations 105, 106, ... (For example, the line determination criterion B in the first embodiment). Is. The line determination standard may include a standard that defines the expiration date (for example, 30 minutes after measurement) of the dependent quality information. Further, the line determination standard may include a standard that defines a time limit for line determination, such as providing a time-out time for line determination (for example, 5 minutes after the start).

More specifically, the quality information transmission / reception unit 125 performs the following operations.
● The quality information transmission / reception unit 125 selects a plurality of signals among a plurality of signals that are quality information on which the line determination standard depends and can measure "quality information of the own station" regarding the signal received by the own station. Receive from other stations of. Then, the quality information transmission / reception unit 125 measures the quality information of its own station based on the received signal and holds it in its own station.
● The quality information transmission / reception unit 125 transmits the quality information of its own station, which is held without transmission, to another station.
● The quality information transmission / reception unit 125 transmits a certain signal from a plurality of signals including "quality information of another station" regarding a signal received by another station, which is quality information on which the line determination standard depends. Receive. Then, the quality information transmission / reception unit 125 holds the quality information of another station included in the received signal.

The line determination unit 135 performs communication after line determination based on the line determination standard and the "quality information of the own station" and the "quality information of another station" held by the quality information transmission / reception unit 125 of the own station. Determine which line the self-communication device uses.

The ALE time slot of the communication system 205 in the present embodiment may include a fixed time slot for an intermediate subscription station as in the first embodiment. In this case, the stations 105, 106, ... The line may be determined again after receiving the subscription request on the way.

As described above, in the communication system 205 of the present embodiment, the time slot determination unit 115 uses the time synchronization function of the NSS to set the ALE time slot so that the time error is within a predetermined range. decide. That is, in the present embodiment, the time synchronization of the ALE time slot is executed asynchronously with the ALE procedure. Therefore, according to the communication system 205 of the present embodiment, it is not necessary to wait for the completion of time synchronization within the ALE procedure, and there is no need for a procedure for communicating between stations for time synchronization of the ALE time slot. Is.

Further, in the present embodiment, the quality information transmission / reception unit 125 transmits the quality information of its own station for each line and receives the quality information of the other station from the other station. Then, after the transmission and reception of the quality information on which the line determination rule depends, the line determination unit 135 determines the line to be used for the subsequent communication based on the quality information held. That is, the line used for the subsequent communication is determined based on the retained quality information and the predetermined line determination standard. That is, each station can independently make the same line determination after acquiring the quality information on which the line determination standard depends. Therefore, there is no need for a procedure for communicating between stations in order to notify the determined line.

Therefore, in the communication system 205 of the present embodiment, the signal quality is analyzed for each line, and the line having high signal quality is determined in the communication system including a plurality of stations that communicate using the line having high signal quality. It has the effect of shortening the time required for.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration capable of realizing the communication device according to each embodiment of the present invention.

The communication device 907 includes a storage device 902, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 903, a keyboard 904, a monitor 905, and an I / O (Input / Output) 908, which are connected by an internal bus 906. .. The storage device 902 stores the operation program of the CPU 903 such as the line determination unit 135. The CPU 903 controls the entire communication device 907, executes an operation program stored in the storage device 902, executes a program such as the line determination unit 135 via the I / O 908, and transmits / receives data. The internal configuration of the communication device 907 is an example. The communication device 907 may have a device configuration for connecting the keyboard 904 and the monitor 905, if necessary.

The communication device according to each embodiment of the present invention described above may be realized by a dedicated device, but can also be realized by a computer (information processing device). In this case, the computer reads the software program stored in the storage device 902 into the CPU 903, and executes the read software program in the CPU 903. In the case of each of the above-described embodiments, the software program includes the functions of the respective parts of the communication devices 101, 102, 103, 104 shown in FIG. 1 or the communication devices 105, 106 shown in FIG. It suffices if there is a description that can realize the functions of each part of. However, it is assumed that each of these parts includes hardware as appropriate. Then, in such a case, the software program (computer program) can be regarded as constituting the present invention. Further, a computer-readable storage medium containing the software program can be regarded as constituting the present invention.

The present invention has been exemplified above by way of each of the above-described embodiments and modifications thereof. However, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in each of the above-described embodiments and modifications thereof. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes or improvements can be made to such embodiments. In such cases, new embodiments with such modifications or improvements may also be included in the technical scope of the invention. And this is clear from the matters stated in the claims.

The present invention can be used in a communication device having an ALE function in an application for shortening the time required for ALE.

101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106 Communication device 110, 115 Time slot determination unit 120, 125 Quality information transmission / reception unit 130, 135 Line determination unit 141, 142 Line 200, 205 Communication system 902 Storage device 903 CPU
904 Keyboard 905 Monitor 906 Internal Bus 907 Communication Device 908 I / O

Claims (10)

A communication system equipped with a plurality of communication devices capable of communicating using any one of a plurality of lines.
Each of the plurality of communication devices
Represents a set of transmission timings in which the plurality of communication devices transmit signals using any one of the plurality of lines so that the error is within a predetermined range by using the time synchronization function of the satellite positioning system. A time slot determination means for determining a time slot based on a predetermined rule,
According to the time slot determined by the time slot determining means.
(I) The quality information on which a predetermined criterion for determining a certain line among the plurality of lines depends on the quality information indicating the quality of the signal among the plurality of the signals, and the self. The signal capable of measuring the first quality information regarding the signal received by the communication device is received from another communication device among the plurality of communication devices, and the first quality is based on the received signal. Measuring information and holding it in a self-communication device
(II) To transmit the first quality information, which is not transmitted but is retained, to the other communication device, and
(III) A signal among the plurality of signals which is the quality information on which the reference depends and includes a second quality information regarding the signal received by the other communication device is used as the other communication device. A quality information transmitting / receiving means for holding the second quality information received from the signal and included in the received signal.
Any of the communication devices used for communication after the line is determined based on the reference and the first quality information and the second quality information held by the quality information transmitting / receiving means of the communication device. A communication system including a line determining means for determining the line. The time slot further includes a transmission timing in which a communication device that subscribes to the communication in the middle of the plurality of communication devices transmits a signal using any one of the plurality of lines.
Among the plurality of communication devices, the quality information transmitting / receiving means of the second communication device, which is different from the first communication device to be subscribed in the middle, is after the line determination by the line determination means of the second communication device. Also, according to the time slot, one of the plurality of communication devices waits for the transmission of the signal including the intermediate subscription request for requesting the intermediate subscription.
The quality information transmitting / receiving means of the first communication device transmits the signal including the intermediate subscription request according to the time slot.
The quality information transmitting / receiving means of the second communication device follows the time slot.
(I) wherein the middle subscriber further receives the signal including the request from the first communication device, said first quality information by measuring the pre-Symbol Quality information based on the signal received by the own communication device As well as holding further
(II) The first quality information, which is retained without being transmitted, is transmitted to the other communication device, and at the same time.
(III) further receives certain signals ones from the first communication device of said plurality of signals including pre Symbol Quality information, said second quality information before Symbol Quality information included in the signal received While holding further as
The quality information transmitting / receiving means of the first communication device follows the time slot.
(I) a pre-Symbol Quality information capable of measuring such a signal, the second received from the communication device, to measure the pre-Symbol Quality information based on the signal received first at the own communication device As well as keeping it as quality information of
(II) The first quality information, which is retained without being transmitted, is transmitted to the second communication device, and at the same time.
A signal certain of said plurality of signals including (III) prior Symbol Quality Information received from the second communication device, the pre-Symbol Quality information included in the signal received as said second quality information Hold and
The line determining means of the first communication device and the second communication device is the first quality information and the second quality held by the reference and the quality information transmission / reception means of the own communication device. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein any of the lines used by the self-communication device for communication after the line is determined is newly determined based on the information. The quality information transmitting / receiving means of the second communication device newly executes the line determination after discarding the held quality information in response to receiving the signal including the intermediate subscription request. The communication system according to claim 2. 2. The quality information transmitting / receiving means of any of the second communication devices transmits a request for newly executing the line determination in response to receiving the signal including the intermediate subscription request. The communication system described in. Transmission timing at which multiple communication devices transmit signals using any of the multiple lines available for communication so that the error is within a predetermined range using the time synchronization function of the satellite positioning system. A time slot determining means for determining a time slot representing a set of, based on a predetermined rule,
According to the time slot determined by the time slot determining means.
(I) The quality information on which a predetermined criterion for determining a certain line among the plurality of lines depends on the quality information indicating the quality of the signal among the plurality of the signals, and the self. The signal capable of measuring the first quality information regarding the signal received by the communication device is received from another communication device among the plurality of communication devices, and the first quality is based on the received signal. Measuring information and holding it in a self-communication device
(II) To transmit the first quality information, which is not transmitted but is retained, to the other communication device, and
(III) A signal among the plurality of signals which is the quality information on which the reference depends and includes a second quality information regarding the signal received by the other communication device is used as the other communication device. A quality information transmitting / receiving means for holding the second quality information received from the signal and included in the received signal.
Any of the communication devices used for communication after the line is determined based on the reference and the first quality information and the second quality information held by the quality information transmitting / receiving means of the communication device. A communication device including a line determining means for determining the line. In the reference, the transmission is performed by each of the transmission sources different from the first communication device among the plurality of communication devices, and is received by the first communication device using any one of the plurality of lines. The communication device according to claim 5, wherein the line in which the minimum value of the quality information in the plurality of sources with respect to the signal is the maximum in the plurality of lines is selected. In the reference, transmission is performed by each of the sources which are any of the plurality of communication devices, and any of the plurality of lines is used to be different from the source of the plurality of communication devices. The line in which the minimum value of the quality information in the plurality of recipients and the minimum value in the plurality of sources is the maximum in the plurality of lines with respect to the signal received by each of the receivers. The communication device according to claim 5, which specifies to be selected. The communication device according to any one of claims 5 to 7, which defines the expiration date of the quality information in the standard. A line determination method in a communication system including a plurality of communication devices capable of communicating using any of a plurality of lines.
In each of the plurality of communication devices
Represents a set of transmission timings in which the plurality of communication devices transmit signals using any one of the plurality of lines so that the error is within a predetermined range by using the time synchronization function of the satellite positioning system. Determine the time slot based on the prescribed rules,
According to the determined time slot
(I) The quality information on which a predetermined criterion for determining a certain line among the plurality of lines depends on the quality information indicating the quality of the signal among the plurality of the signals, and the self. The signal capable of measuring the first quality information regarding the signal received by the communication device is received from another communication device among the plurality of communication devices, and the first quality is based on the received signal. In addition to measuring information and holding it in the self-communication device
(II) While transmitting the first quality information, which is retained without being transmitted, to the other communication device,
(III) A signal among the plurality of signals which is the quality information on which the reference depends and includes a second quality information regarding the signal received by the other communication device is used as the other communication device. The second quality information received from and contained in the received signal is retained.
Based on the reference, the first quality information held by the self-communication device, and the second quality information, any of the lines used by the self-communication device for communication after line determination is determined. ,
Line determination method. Transmission timing at which multiple communication devices transmit signals using any of the multiple lines available for communication so that the error is within a predetermined range using the time synchronization function of the satellite positioning system. A time slot determination process that determines a time slot representing a set of
According to the determined time slot
(I) The quality information on which a predetermined criterion for determining a certain line among the plurality of lines depends on the quality information indicating the quality of the signal among the plurality of the signals, and the self. The signal capable of measuring the first quality information regarding the signal received by the communication device is received from another communication device among the plurality of communication devices, and the first quality is based on the received signal. Measuring information and holding it in a self-communication device
(II) To transmit the first quality information, which is not transmitted but is retained, to the other communication device, and
(III) A signal among the plurality of signals which is the quality information on which the reference depends and includes a second quality information regarding the signal received by the other communication device is used as the other communication device. Retaining the second quality information received from and contained in the received signal
Quality information transmission / reception processing and
Based on the reference, the first quality information held by the communication device, and the second quality information, any of the lines used by the communication device for communication after the line is determined is determined. A line determination program that causes a computer to perform line determination processing.

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