JP3990959B2 - Data communication system, data communication method, communication terminal, and relay device - Google Patents

Description

表１に示すように、情報管理テーブルでは、通信端末を識別するためのホームアドレスＨｏｍｅＡｄｄｒと、各通信経路における在圏先を示すアドレス、容量、及び割合とが対応付けられて蓄積されている。
【００３９】
位置情報登録部３３は、位置情報データベース３９に対するデータベースアクセスモジュールであり、通知取得部３２が取得した情報を位置情報データベース３９に対して書き込むとともに、分配量決定部３４の要求に応じて、蓄積されたデータを抽出し、読み出す機能を有している。
【００４０】
分配量決定部３４は、位置情報データベース３９に蓄積された情報に基づいて、各通信経路に対するトラフィック分配量を決定するモジュールであり、決定されたトラフィック量は、データ分配部３５に出力される。
【００４１】
データ分配部３５は、第２の通信端末６から送信されたデータを、データの分配に関する情報に基づいて、複数の通信経路に分配し、第１の通信端末１に対して送信するモジュールであり、中継部３８が受信したデータを分配した後、切替部３１を通じて、各通信経路に送出する。
【００４２】
シーケンス管理部３６は、シーケンス情報を取得し、記憶するモジュールであり、受信したデータに付加されたシーケンス情報を解析し、その解析結果に基づいて、復元するデータ順序等を取得し、その解析結果をデータ復元部３７に出力する。また、このシーケンス管理部３６は、データ分配部３５により分配されたデータに対して、分配されたデータを復元するためのシーケンス情報を付加する機能も有している。
【００４３】
データ復元部３７は、通信端末１において分配され、複数の通信経路を介して受信されるデータを受信し、位置情報データベース３９に蓄積された各情報に基づいてデータを復元するモジュールであり、復元したデータは、中継部３８を通じて、第２の通信端末６に送出される。
【００４４】
中継部３８は、復元されたデータを、第２の通信端末６に対して転送し、中継するモジュールであり、一般回線やインターネット５を通じて、第２の通信端末６に接続され、第１の通信端末１からのデータを第２の通信端末６に転送する通信モジュールである。
【００４５】
（データ通信システムを用いたデータ通信方法）
そして、上記構成を有するデータ通信システムを用いたデータ通信方法は、以下の手順による。なお、ここでは、通信端末１は、エリア１２からエリア１３に向けて移動している場合を例に説明する。
【００４６】
先ず、無線アクセス網のエリア１２と、それとは別な無線アクセス網のエリア１１が重複している位置に在圏している通信端末１において、それぞれの無線アクセス網に対して無線リンクを確立する。具体的には、通信インターフェース１０４ａ及び１０４ｂから無線アクセスシステム２１及び２２に対して接続を確立する。
【００４７】
この無線リンク確立後、通信端末１は、位置情報取得部１０７により、それぞれの無線アクセス網を介して位置情報であるＣｏＡ（１）とＣｏＡ（２）を取得する。
【００４８】
これと並行して、通信端末１は、伝送容量取得部１０８により、各無線アクセス網からの報知情報に基づいて、各無線アクセス網が提供している、１ユーザが使用可能な伝送容量に関する情報を取得する。なお、この伝送容量は、加入契約時に、それぞれの無線アクセス網で１ユーザが使用可能な伝送容量の情報を取得し、伝送容量取得部１０８に記憶されたものであってもよい。
【００４９】
次いで、伝送容量に関する情報に基づいて、通信端末１は、分配量決定部１０９により、各無線アクセス網に対して送受信するトラフィックの割合を決定し、その情報を記憶するとともに、この決定された割合をデータ分配部１１０に通知する。なお、本実施形態では、１つのセッションを複数のアクセスシステムを用いて通信する。
【００５０】
その後、通信端末１は、通知部１０６により、中継装置３に対して分配量決定部１０９が決定したデータの分配量に関する情報を含めた位置登録メッセージを、中継装置３に送出する。ここで用いる位置登録メッセージは、既存のＭｏｂｉｌｅ ＩＰのメッセージをベースとしたものであり、従来のデータ形式に、分配量を記述するためのフィールドが追加されている。
【００５１】
次いで、通信端末１において、データ分配部１１０により、オペレーションシステム１０３からのデータを分配し、切替部１０５から各通信インターフェース１０４ａ〜１０４ｄを通じて、データの送信を行う。この通信端末１からデータを送信する際、シーケンス管理部１１１において、データの順序逆転を考慮して、Ｍｏｂｉｌｅ ＩＰの拡張技術であるリバーストンネリング技術［３］を用いるとともに、送信パケットにシーケンス番号を付与する。
【００５２】
そして、位置登録メッセージを受信した中継装置３は、位置情報データベース３９に格納された位置情報テーブルに、通信端末１の位置情報及び各通信網に対するトラフィック分配量を登録する。以降、この中継装置３が受信したパケットについては、上記位置情報テーブルに従ってトラフィックが振り分けられ、それぞれの無線アクセス網に対して転送される。
【００５３】
本実施形態においては、この中継装置３による転送の際、シーケンス管理部３６において、シーケンス情報を取得し、このシーケンス情報に基づいて、データの順序の並び替えを行い、通信相手である第２の通信端末６に対して、データを転送する。
【００５４】
（変更例）
なお、本実施形態では、シーケンス情報を、第１の通信端末１において付加したが、本発明はこれに限定されるものではなく、中継装置３におけるデータ転送時に、シーケンス番号を付与するようにしてもよい。
【００５５】
（作用・効果）
以上説明した本実施形態に係るデータ通信システム及びデータ通信方法によれば、通信端末１及び通信端末２間において、データを送受信する際に、各通信経路の能力に応じて全体のトラフィックを振り分けることにより、同一パケットの二重受信や無線リソースの浪費を伴わず、高帯域な通信が可能となる。
【００５６】
また、本実施形態では、通信端末１は、シーケンス管理部１１１や３６により、分配されたデータに対してシーケンス情報を付加し、このシーケンス情報に基づき、分配されたデータを復元するため、送信先に到着するデータの順序が逆転するようなときであっても、適切にデータの復元を行うことができる。
【００５７】
［第２実施形態］
次いで、本発明の第２実施形態について説明する。本実施形態では、送受信されるデータの属性を判別することにより、セッション毎に、異なる無線アクセス網を用いてデータの送受信を行うとともに、そのセッションで用いているアプリケーション毎に、或いは、そのセッションを用いて通信しているユーザ毎に、無線アクセス網を使い分けることを特徴とする。図５は、本実施形態に係る通信端末内のミドルウェアの構成を示すブロック図であり、図６は、本実施形態に係る中継装置の内部構成を示すブロック図である。
【００５８】
詳述すると、本実施形態に係る通信端末１の通知部１０６は、位置情報登録の際に、どの属性のデータを、どの通信経路に振り分けるかについての条件を通知する機能を有している。
【００５９】
また、本実施形態において、通信端末１は、上述した第１実施形態で説明した各モジュールの他に、図５に示すような、ＯＳインターフェース１１３から出力されるデータの属性を解析する属性解析部１１３ａをさらに備えており、解析結果を分配量決定部１０９に出力するようになっている。分配量決定部１０９は、属性解析部１１３ａが取得した属性について分配の方式を決定する。
【００６０】
そして、本実施形態に係る位置管理テーブルには、表２に示すように、上述した第１実施形態で説明した情報の他に、どの属性のデータを、どの通信経路に振り分けるかについての条件を登録する項目をさらに有しており、通知取得部３２で取得される条件を、ＨｏｍｅＡｄｄｒに関連付けて記録する。
【００６１】
【表２】

このデータの属性は、本実施形態では、アプリケーション毎に振り分ける場合と、ユーザ毎に振り分ける場合と、及び上記第１実施形態と同様に、割合で振り分ける場合とが記録されている。アプリケーション毎に振り分ける場合には、例えば、トランスポートレイヤのポート番号によりアプリケーションの種別を識別し、ユーザ毎に振り分ける場合には、ユーザを識別するＩＰアドレスにより識別する。
【００６２】
中継装置３の通知取得部３２は、第１の通信端末１から、上述した位置情報や伝送容量に関する情報の他に、どの属性のデータを、どの通信経路に振り分けるかについての条件を取得する機能を有しており、取得された条件を、位置情報登録部３３を通じて、位置情報データベース３９に登録する。
【００６３】
また、本実施形態において、中継装置３は、上述した第１実施形態で説明した各モジュールの他に、図６に示すような、中継部３８で受信されたデータの属性を解析する属性解析部３８ａをさらに備えており、解析結果を分配量決定部３４に出力するようになっている。分配量決定部３４は、属性解析部３８ａが取得した属性について、位置情報データベース３９に登録された条件を照合し、分配の方式を決定する。
【００６４】
なお、この第２実施形態では、セッション毎に分配するため、トラフィック量の割合を決定する必要はない。また、本実施形態では、受信側でのデータの順序逆転は基本的に起こらないことから、第１実施形態のようにシーケンス情報を付与する必要がなく、上述したシーケンス管理部１１１による処理や、Ｍｏｂｉｌｅ ＩＰの技術であるリバーストンネリング技術による処理を省略してもよい。
【００６５】
本実施形態に係る通信端末１の内部構成は、上述した第１実施形態のものとほぼ同様であるが、上記通知部１０６が、ユーザ毎に無線アクセス網を使い分けるために、位置登録の際に相手ユーザのＩＰアドレスなど識別子を含める機能を有している。中継装置３では、その情報を元に、ユーザ毎に使い分けるのか、アプリケーション毎に使い分けるか、或いは１つのセッションを単純に分割して無線アクセス網を使い分けるのかという判断を行う。
【００６６】
さらに、通信端末１からデータを送信する際には、ＯＳインターフェース１１３により、データの属性を判別し、この判別結果に基づいて、分配量決定部１０９により、トラフィック分配量を決定し、データ分配部１１０にデータの分配をさせる。
【００６７】
このような第２実施形態に係るデータ通信システム及びデータ通信方法によれば、送受信されるデータの属性と、分配する通信経路とを対応付ける情報に基づいて、データを分配するため、送信先へデータを送信する際に、例えば、ＯＳ上で実行されるアプリケーションや、通信経路を使用するユーザなど、データの属性に応じて通信経路を使い分けることでき、広帯域かつ高効率な通信が可能となる。
【００６８】
【発明の効果】
以上、本発明のデータ通信システム、データ通信方法、通信端末及び中継装置によれば、無線アクセス網の能力に応じて全体のトラフィックを単純に振り分けたり、セッション毎或いはユーザ毎にアクセス網を使い分けたり、ＡＰＬ毎にアクセス網を使い分けたりすることが可能となり、同一パケットの二重受信や無線リソースの浪費を伴わず、高帯域な通信が可能となる。
【図面の簡単な説明】
【図１】第１実施形態に係るデータ通信システムのネットワーク構成図である。
【図２】第１実施形態に係る、移動通信端末の内部構成を示したブロック図である。
【図３】第１実施形態に係る、移動通信端末内のミドルウェアの構成を示したブロック図である。
【図４】第１実施形態に係る、中継装置の内部構成を示したブロック図である。
【図５】第２実施形態に係る、移動通信端末内のミドルウェアの構成を示したブロック図である。
【図６】第２実施形態に係る、中継装置の内部構成を示したブロック図である。
【符号の説明】
１…第１の通信端末
２…通信端末
３…中継装置
４…ＩＰネットワーク
５…インターネット
６…第２の通信端末
１１〜１２…無線アクセス網（エリア）
２１〜２４…無線アクセスシステム
３１…切替部
３２…通知取得部
３３…位置情報登録部
３４…分配量決定部
３５…データ分配部
３６…シーケンス管理部
３７…データ復元部
３８…中継部
３８ａ…属性解析部
３９…位置情報データベース
１０１…アプリケーション
１０２…オペレーションシステム
１０３…ミドルウェア
１０４ａ〜１０４ｄ…通信インターフェース
１０５…切替部
１０６…通知部
１０７…位置情報取得部
１０８…伝送容量取得部
１０９…分配量決定部
１１０…データ分配部
１１１…シーケンス管理部
１１２…データ復元部
１１３…ＯＳインターフェース
１１３ａ…属性解析部[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a data communication system, a data communication method, a communication terminal, and a relay device that perform data communication from a first communication terminal to a second communication terminal via a plurality of communication paths such as different radio access networks. About.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, when a moving communication terminal performs packet communication in an existing mobile communication network, communication is performed using one wireless link in the wireless access network set at the start of communication.
[0003]
When the communication terminal moves, a new wireless link is set at the destination, and communication is continued by switching from the wireless link used before the movement to the newly set wireless link.
[0004]
In conventional mobile communication networks, location information of communication terminals is managed for each radio access network, and communication cannot be maintained when moving between different radio access networks. There was a problem that communication had to be set again.
[0005]
As a technique for solving the above, there is Mobile IP [1], [2] that enables communication by managing position information of a communication terminal in the IP layer when moving between different wireless access networks.
[0006]
In this Mobile IP, location information is managed by a home agent (hereinafter referred to as “HA”), and the communication terminal passes through a wireless access network that is located in the IP address unique to the communication terminal called a home address. The combination of the location information (IP address acquired at the location) acquired in step 1 is registered in the HA. The HA transfers a packet addressed to the communication terminal based on the position information.
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the conventional technology, the location information of the communication terminal is managed for each radio access network, and communication cannot be maintained when moving between different radio access networks. There was a problem that communication had to be set.
[0008]
In addition, as a technology for solving the above, there is Mobile IP that manages communication terminal location information at the IP layer and enables communication when moving between different wireless access networks, and communication areas of a plurality of different wireless access networks. Can be received from a plurality of radio access networks by registering a plurality of location information acquired in each radio access network to the HA. In this case, Packets reaching the HA are simply duplicated and sent to a plurality of destinations, and there is a problem that the communication terminal receives the same packet twice and wastes radio resources. .
[0009]
Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above points, and avoids the transmission of duplicate data, thereby reducing waste of communication resources and data from a moving communication terminal through a plurality of communication paths. An object of the present invention is to provide a data communication system, a data communication method, a communication terminal, and a relay device that can transmit and receive data.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problem, the present invention provides a first communication when data communication is performed from a first communication terminal to a second communication terminal through a plurality of communication paths and a relay device. On the terminal side, information on the transmission capacity for each communication path is acquired, and data sent from the operation system executed on the first communication terminal is distributed to a plurality of communication paths based on the acquired transmission capacity. Then, the information about the distribution of data is transmitted from the first communication terminal to the relay apparatus, and the information regarding the distribution of the notified data is managed together with the position information of each communication terminal in the relay apparatus. Data is relayed based on the managed information.
[0011]
According to the present invention as described above, when data is transmitted from the first communication terminal to the second communication terminal, the entire traffic is distributed according to the capability of each communication path, so that double reception of the same packet is performed. And high-bandwidth communication without waste of radio resources.
[0012]
In the above invention, the communication terminal adds sequence information for restoring the distributed data to the data distributed by the data distribution unit, and the relay device restores the distributed data based on the sequence information. It is preferable to relay to the second communication terminal. In this case, when data is transmitted from the first communication terminal to the second communication terminal, the data is appropriately restored even when the order of the data arriving at the transmission destination is reversed. be able to.
[0013]
In the above-described invention, the information relating to data distribution includes information associating the attribute of data to be transmitted and received with the communication path to be distributed, provided on the first communication terminal side, and the attribute of data output from the operation system Preferably, the data distribution unit distributes data based on the attribute of the data. In this case, when data is transmitted from the first communication terminal to the second communication terminal, communication is performed according to data attributes such as, for example, an application executed on the OS or a user using the communication path. The route can be used properly, and broadband and highly efficient communication is possible.
[0014]
In the above invention, the relay device can distribute the data transmitted from the second communication terminal to a plurality of communication paths based on the data distribution information and relay the data to the first communication terminal. is there. In this case, when data is transmitted from the second communication terminal to the first communication terminal, the entire traffic is distributed according to the capability of each communication path, so that double reception of the same packet or radio resource High-bandwidth communication is possible without waste.
[0015]
In the above invention, the relay device adds sequence information for restoring the distributed data to the distributed data, and the first communication terminal restores the distributed data based on the sequence information. It is preferable to have a data restoration unit. In this case, when data is transmitted from the second communication terminal to the first communication terminal, the data is appropriately restored even when the order of the data arriving at the transmission destination is reversed. be able to.
[0016]
In the above invention, the information relating to data distribution includes information associating the attribute of data to be transmitted and received with the communication path to be distributed, and is provided in the relay device and includes the attribute of data received from the second communication terminal. It is preferable that an attribute analysis unit for determining is provided, and the data distribution unit distributes data based on data attributes. In this case, in this case, when data is transmitted from the second communication terminal to the first communication terminal, data such as an application executed on the OS or a user using the communication path is used. Communication paths can be used properly according to attributes, and broadband and highly efficient communication is possible.
[0017]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[First Embodiment]
(Basic configuration of data communication system)
The data communication system according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the entire data communication system according to the present embodiment.
[0018]
As shown in the figure, in the data communication system according to the present embodiment, the second communication is performed from the first communication terminal 1 through the relay device 3 through a plurality of communication paths managed by the radio access systems 21 to 23. Data communication is performed with respect to the communication terminal 6.
[0019]
The first communication terminal 1 is a movable communication device located in two overlapping areas 11 and 12. In the present embodiment, the first communication terminal 1 is a mobile computer as shown in the figure, but may be a communication device such as a mobile phone.
[0020]
The wireless access systems 21 to 23 are wireless base stations that have jurisdiction over the areas 11, 12, and 13, respectively. The wireless access systems 21 to 23 can wirelessly communicate with communication terminals located in each area by transmitting and receiving packets and Is connected by a wired line to the relay device 3 located at
[0021]
The relay device 3 is a home agent that is arranged on the IP network 4 and registers and manages position information of each communication terminal, and forwards and relays packets addressed to the communication terminal based on the position information. In the present embodiment, the relay device 3 can be connected to the second communication terminal 6 through the Internet 5 and other communication lines.
[0022]
In particular, when the relay apparatus 3 according to the present embodiment registers position information acquired by each communication terminal in the wireless access network when communication areas of a plurality of different wireless access networks overlap, the position information In addition, it has a function of registering information for distributing the entire traffic according to the transmission capacity of the radio access network. This will be described later.
[0023]
(Configuration of first communication terminal)
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the first communication terminal 1 according to the present embodiment.
[0024]
As shown in FIG. 2, the first communication terminal 1 includes an application 101 executed on the operation system 102 and communication interfaces 104 a to 104 d for establishing wireless links to the plurality of wireless access systems 21 to 24. And middleware 103 for connecting the operation system 102 and each hardware, and a plurality of communication interfaces 104a to 104d for connecting to the plurality of communication paths, respectively.
[0025]
As shown in FIG. 3, the middleware 103 is connected to each of the communication interfaces 104 a to 104 d, and a switching unit 105 that switches transmission / reception data between transmission and reception, and an OS that inputs and outputs data to the operation system 102. And an interface 113.
[0026]
Further, the middleware 103 includes a data distribution unit 110, a sequence management unit 111, a data restoration unit 112, a notification unit 106, a position information acquisition unit 107, a transmission capacity acquisition unit 108, and a distribution amount determination unit 109. I have.
[0027]
The data distribution unit 110 is a module that distributes data transmitted from the operation system 102 to the plurality of communication interfaces 104a to 104d based on the traffic amount determined by the distribution amount determination unit 109. The distribution amount determination unit 109 is connected to distribute traffic according to the traffic distribution amount determined by the distribution amount determination unit 109.
[0028]
The sequence management unit 111 is a module that adds sequence information for restoring the distributed data to the data distributed by the data distribution unit 110. This sequence information includes a data order for restoring the distributed data.
[0029]
The data restoration unit 112 acquires the data distributed and relayed to the plurality of communication paths based on the information on the data distribution notified to the relay device 3 by the notification unit 106, and is distributed based on the sequence information. The data restored by the data restoration unit 112 is sent to the operation system 102 through the OS interface 113.
[0030]
The notification unit 106 is a module that notifies the relay device 3 of information related to data distribution by the data distribution unit 110. In the present embodiment, the notification unit 106 includes the position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 107 and the transmission capacity acquisition unit 108. Information about the acquired transmission capacity of each communication path is notified to the relay apparatus 3 together with the location registration information.
[0031]
The location information acquisition unit 107 is a module that acquires location information in the areas 11 and 12 in which the communication terminal 1 is located from the radio access systems 21 and 22, and the location of the communication terminal 1 from each radio access system. This is a module for acquiring information, and the acquired position information is input to the notification unit 106.
[0032]
The transmission capacity acquisition unit 108 is a module that acquires information on the transmission capacity for each communication path, and inquires each of the wireless access systems 21 to 24 to acquire a communicable transmission capacity. In addition, when the transmission capacity is fixedly determined at the time of the subscription contract, the value is stored in the storage memory built in the transmission capacity acquisition unit 108, and the information acquired from the storage memory is It also has a function of outputting to the notification unit 106 as a transmission capacity.
[0033]
The distribution amount determination unit 109 is a module that determines the traffic amount for distributing the data transmitted from the operation system 102 to the plurality of communication interfaces 104a to 104d based on the transmission capacity acquired by the transmission capacity acquisition unit 108. The determined transmission capacities are output to the data distribution unit 110.
[0034]
(Configuration of relay device)
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the relay device 3 according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the relay device 3 includes a switching unit 31, a notification acquisition unit 32, a position information registration unit 33, a distribution amount determination unit 34, a data distribution unit 35, a sequence management unit 36, a data A restoration unit 37, a relay unit 38, and a position information database 39 are provided.
[0035]
The switching unit 31 is a switch circuit that is connected to each communication interface and distributes data transmitted and received through the communication interface. Specifically, at the time of transmission, the data distributed by the data distribution unit 35 is output to each communication interface as transmission data, and at the time of reception, the data received at each communication interface is input and received. The data is output to the data restoration unit 37 as data.
[0036]
The notification acquisition unit 32 is a module that acquires information related to data distribution, such as the transmission capacity of each communication path, together with the position information of each communication terminal, from the first communication terminal 1. Is registered in the position information database 39 through the position information registration unit 33.
[0037]
The location information database 39 is a database that accumulates location information of each communication terminal and information related to the distribution of the data. In this embodiment, the location information of the communication terminal and information related to the data distribution are stored as a location management table. . An example of this information management table is shown in Table 1.
[0038]
[Table 1]

As shown in Table 1, in the information management table, a home address HomeAddr for identifying a communication terminal and an address, a capacity, and a ratio indicating a location destination in each communication path are stored in association with each other.
[0039]
The position information registration unit 33 is a database access module for the position information database 39, writes the information acquired by the notification acquisition unit 32 into the position information database 39, and is stored according to the request of the distribution amount determination unit 34. It has a function to extract and read out the data.
[0040]
The distribution amount determination unit 34 is a module that determines the traffic distribution amount for each communication path based on the information accumulated in the position information database 39, and the determined traffic amount is output to the data distribution unit 35.
[0041]
The data distribution unit 35 is a module that distributes the data transmitted from the second communication terminal 6 to a plurality of communication paths based on the information related to data distribution and transmits the data to the first communication terminal 1. After the data received by the relay unit 38 is distributed, the data is sent to each communication path through the switching unit 31.
[0042]
The sequence management unit 36 is a module that acquires and stores sequence information, analyzes the sequence information added to the received data, acquires the data order to be restored based on the analysis result, and the analysis result Is output to the data restoration unit 37. The sequence management unit 36 also has a function of adding sequence information for restoring the distributed data to the data distributed by the data distribution unit 35.
[0043]
The data restoration unit 37 is a module that receives data distributed in the communication terminal 1 and received via a plurality of communication paths, and restores the data based on each information accumulated in the position information database 39. The transmitted data is sent to the second communication terminal 6 through the relay unit 38.
[0044]
The relay unit 38 is a module that transfers the restored data to the second communication terminal 6 and relays it. The relay unit 38 is connected to the second communication terminal 6 through the general line or the Internet 5 and is connected to the first communication terminal 6. It is a communication module that transfers data from the terminal 1 to the second communication terminal 6.
[0045]
(Data communication method using data communication system)
A data communication method using the data communication system having the above configuration is based on the following procedure. Here, a case where the communication terminal 1 is moving from the area 12 toward the area 13 will be described as an example.
[0046]
First, in the communication terminal 1 located in a position where the area 12 of the radio access network and the area 11 of another radio access network overlap with each other, a radio link is established for each radio access network. . Specifically, connections are established from the communication interfaces 104a and 104b to the wireless access systems 21 and 22.
[0047]
After this radio link is established, the communication terminal 1 uses the position information acquisition unit 107 to acquire CoA (1) and CoA (2) as position information via the respective wireless access networks.
[0048]
In parallel with this, the communication terminal 1 uses the transmission capacity acquisition unit 108 based on the broadcast information from each radio access network to provide information on the transmission capacity that can be used by one user provided by each radio access network. To get. Note that this transmission capacity may be obtained by acquiring information on the transmission capacity that can be used by one user in each radio access network at the time of subscription, and storing it in the transmission capacity acquisition unit 108.
[0049]
Next, based on the information regarding the transmission capacity, the communication terminal 1 determines the proportion of traffic transmitted to and received from each radio access network by the distribution amount determination unit 109, stores the information, and determines the determined proportion. Is notified to the data distribution unit 110. In this embodiment, one session is communicated using a plurality of access systems.
[0050]
Thereafter, the communication terminal 1 sends a location registration message including information on the distribution amount of the data determined by the distribution amount determination unit 109 to the relay device 3 by the notification unit 106 to the relay device 3. The location registration message used here is based on an existing Mobile IP message, and a field for describing the distribution amount is added to the conventional data format.
[0051]
Next, in the communication terminal 1, data from the operation system 103 is distributed by the data distribution unit 110, and data is transmitted from the switching unit 105 through the communication interfaces 104 a to 104 d. When transmitting data from the communication terminal 1, the sequence management unit 111 uses reverse tunneling technology [3], which is an extension technology of Mobile IP, in consideration of data order reversal, and assigns a sequence number to the transmission packet. To do.
[0052]
The relay device 3 that has received the location registration message registers the location information of the communication terminal 1 and the traffic distribution amount for each communication network in the location information table stored in the location information database 39. Thereafter, for the packets received by the relay device 3, traffic is distributed according to the position information table and transferred to the respective radio access networks.
[0053]
In the present embodiment, at the time of transfer by the relay device 3, the sequence management unit 36 acquires sequence information, rearranges the order of data based on the sequence information, and the second communication partner. Data is transferred to the communication terminal 6.
[0054]
(Example of change)
In the present embodiment, the sequence information is added in the first communication terminal 1, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a sequence number is assigned at the time of data transfer in the relay device 3. Also good.
[0055]
(Action / Effect)
According to the data communication system and the data communication method according to the present embodiment described above, when data is transmitted / received between the communication terminal 1 and the communication terminal 2, the entire traffic is distributed according to the capability of each communication path. Thus, high-bandwidth communication is possible without double reception of the same packet and waste of radio resources.
[0056]
In this embodiment, the communication terminal 1 adds sequence information to the distributed data by the sequence management units 111 and 36, and restores the distributed data based on the sequence information. Even when the order of the data arriving at is reversed, the data can be properly restored.
[0057]
[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, by determining the attribute of data to be transmitted / received, data is transmitted / received using a different radio access network for each session, and for each application used in the session, or for the session. The wireless access network is selectively used for each user using and communicating. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of middleware in the communication terminal according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the relay apparatus according to the present embodiment.
[0058]
More specifically, the notification unit 106 of the communication terminal 1 according to the present embodiment has a function of notifying the condition about which attribute data is distributed to which communication path when registering position information.
[0059]
In the present embodiment, the communication terminal 1 uses the attribute analysis unit that analyzes the attribute of the data output from the OS interface 113 as shown in FIG. 5 in addition to the modules described in the first embodiment. 113a is further provided, and the analysis result is output to the distribution amount determination unit 109. The distribution amount determination unit 109 determines a distribution method for the attribute acquired by the attribute analysis unit 113a.
[0060]
In the location management table according to the present embodiment, as shown in Table 2, in addition to the information described in the first embodiment described above, there are conditions regarding which attribute data is allocated to which communication path. It further has an item to be registered, and records the condition acquired by the notification acquisition unit 32 in association with HomeAddr.
[0061]
[Table 2]

In the present embodiment, the data attributes are recorded for each application, for each user, and for each case in the same manner as in the first embodiment. In the case of distribution for each application, for example, the type of application is identified by the port number of the transport layer, and in the case of distribution for each user, it is identified by the IP address for identifying the user.
[0062]
The notification acquisition unit 32 of the relay device 3 acquires, from the first communication terminal 1, in addition to the position information and the information regarding the transmission capacity described above, a condition regarding which attribute data is allocated to which communication path. The acquired condition is registered in the position information database 39 through the position information registration unit 33.
[0063]
In the present embodiment, the relay device 3 includes an attribute analysis unit that analyzes the attributes of the data received by the relay unit 38 as shown in FIG. 6 in addition to the modules described in the first embodiment. 38a is further provided, and the analysis result is output to the distribution amount determination unit 34. The distribution amount determination unit 34 collates the conditions registered in the position information database 39 for the attribute acquired by the attribute analysis unit 38a, and determines the distribution method.
[0064]
In the second embodiment, since the distribution is performed for each session, it is not necessary to determine the traffic volume ratio. Further, in this embodiment, since the order of data on the receiving side does not basically reverse, it is not necessary to add sequence information as in the first embodiment, and the processing by the sequence management unit 111 described above, You may abbreviate | omit the process by the reverse tunneling technique which is the technique of Mobile IP.
[0065]
The internal configuration of the communication terminal 1 according to the present embodiment is almost the same as that of the first embodiment described above, but the notification unit 106 uses a radio access network for each user when performing location registration. It has a function of including an identifier such as the IP address of the other user. Based on the information, the relay device 3 determines whether to use it for each user, use it for each application, or simply divide one session and use the radio access network.
[0066]
Furthermore, when transmitting data from the communication terminal 1, the OS interface 113 determines the attribute of the data, and based on the determination result, the distribution amount determination unit 109 determines the traffic distribution amount, and the data distribution unit 110 distributes data.
[0067]
According to the data communication system and the data communication method according to the second embodiment, data is distributed to a transmission destination in order to distribute data based on information that associates an attribute of transmitted / received data with a communication path to be distributed. Can be used in accordance with data attributes, such as an application executed on the OS and a user using the communication path, and broadband and highly efficient communication is possible.
[0068]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the data communication system, the data communication method, the communication terminal, and the relay apparatus of the present invention, the entire traffic can be simply distributed according to the capability of the radio access network, or the access network can be properly used for each session or each user. It is possible to use different access networks for each APL, and high-bandwidth communication is possible without double reception of the same packet and waste of radio resources.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a network configuration diagram of a data communication system according to a first embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a mobile communication terminal according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of middleware in the mobile communication terminal according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the relay device according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of middleware in a mobile communication terminal according to a second embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a relay device according to a second embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 ... 1st communication terminal
2. Communication terminal
3 ... Relay device
4 ... IP network
5 ... Internet
6 ... 2nd communication terminal
11-12 ... Wireless access network (area)
21-24 ... Wireless access system
31 ... switching part
32 ... Notification acquisition unit
33 ... Location information registration part
34: Distribution amount determination unit
35 ... Data distribution part
36 ... Sequence management section
37. Data restoration unit
38 ... Relay part
38a ... Attribute analysis unit
39 ... Location information database
101 ... Application
102 ... Operation system
103 ... Middleware
104a to 104d ... Communication interface
105 ... switching part
106: Notification unit
107: Location information acquisition unit
108: Transmission capacity acquisition unit
109: Distribution amount determination unit
110: Data distribution unit
111 ... Sequence management unit
112 ... Data restoration unit
113 ... OS interface
113a ... Attribute analysis unit

Claims (18)

A data communication system in which data is transmitted and received via a plurality of communication paths between a first communication terminal and a second communication terminal,
A relay device that is arranged at a position connectable to the plurality of communication paths and relays data transmitted and received between the first communication terminal and the second communication terminal;
The first communication terminal is
An operation system execution unit that outputs data transmitted from the first communication terminal to the second communication terminal;
A plurality of communication interfaces for connecting to the plurality of communication paths;
A transmission capacity acquisition unit for acquiring information on the transmission capacity of the communication path for each communication path;
A terminal-side data distribution unit that distributes data output from the operation system execution unit to the plurality of communication interfaces based on the transmission capacity acquired by the transmission capacity acquisition unit;
A notification unit for notifying the relay device of a data distribution ratio by the terminal-side data distribution unit,
The relay device is
A database for managing the distribution ratio of the data notified from the first communication terminal together with the position information of the first communication terminal;
Based on the location information of the first communication terminal managed in the database and the distribution ratio of the data, data transmitted from the second communication terminal to the first communication terminal is transmitted to the plurality of communication paths. A data communication system comprising a relay device side data distribution unit for distribution. The first communication terminal is
A terminal-side sequence management unit for adding a sequence number for restoring the data distributed by the terminal-side data distribution unit to the data distributed by the terminal-side data distribution unit;
The relay device is
The data communication system according to claim 1, further comprising: a relay device side restoration unit that restores data received via the plurality of communication paths based on the sequence number. The relay device is
A relay device side sequence management unit for adding a sequence number for restoring the data distributed by the relay device side data distribution unit to the data distributed by the relay device side data distribution unit;
The first communication terminal is
3. The data communication system according to claim 1, further comprising: a terminal-side restoration unit that restores data received via the plurality of communication paths based on the sequence number. The terminal-side data distribution unit distributes data output from the operation system execution unit to the plurality of communication interfaces based on attributes of data output from the operation system execution unit;
The notifying unit notifies the relay device of information associating an attribute of data transmitted / received between the first communication terminal and the second communication terminal and the communication path into which the data is classified. The data communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein The relay device-side data distribution unit is configured to transfer data transmitted from the second communication terminal to the first communication terminal to the plurality of communication paths based on the attribute notified from the first communication terminal. The data communication system according to claim 4, wherein the data communication system is distributed. A data communication method for relaying data via a relay device connectable to a plurality of communication paths between a first communication terminal and a second communication terminal,
Step (1) in which the first communication terminal acquires information on the transmission capacity of the communication path for each communication path;
The first communication terminal distributes data transmitted from the first communication terminal to the second communication terminal to the plurality of communication paths based on the transmission capacity acquired in the step (1). Step (2) to perform,
A step (3) in which the first communication terminal notifies the relay device of a data distribution ratio in the step (2);
The relay device manages the distribution ratio of the data notified from the first communication terminal together with the location information of the first communication terminal in a database, and the first communication terminal managed by the database And (4) distributing data transmitted from the second communication terminal to the first communication terminal to the plurality of communication paths based on position information and a distribution ratio of the data. Data communication method. A step (5) in which the first communication terminal adds a sequence number for restoring the data distributed in the step (2) to the data distributed in the step (2);
The data communication method according to claim 6, further comprising a step (6) in which the relay device restores data received via the plurality of communication paths based on the sequence number. A step (7) in which the relay device adds a sequence number for restoring the data distributed in the step (4) to the data distributed in the step (4);
8. The step (8) comprising: a step (8) in which the first communication terminal restores data received via the plurality of communication paths based on the sequence number. Data communication method. In the step (2), data transmitted to the second communication terminal is distributed to the plurality of communication paths based on an attribute of data transmitted from the first communication terminal to the second communication terminal. And
In the step (3), the first communication terminal determines an attribute of data transmitted / received between the first communication terminal and the second communication terminal and the communication path into which the data is classified. 9. The data communication method according to claim 6, wherein the information to be associated is transmitted to the relay device . In the step (4), based on the attribute notified from the first communication terminal, data transmitted from the second communication terminal to the first communication terminal is distributed to the plurality of communication paths. The data communication method according to claim 9. A communication terminal that is connected to a relay device via a plurality of communication paths and performs data communication with another communication terminal via the relay device,
An operation system execution unit for outputting data to be transmitted to the other communication terminal;
A plurality of communication interfaces for connecting to the plurality of communication paths;
A transmission capacity acquisition unit for acquiring information on the transmission capacity of the communication path for each communication path;
And on the basis of the said transmission capacity obtained by the transmission capacity acquisition unit, the operation data distribution section data outputted from the system execution unit for distributing to the plurality of communication interfaces,
A communication terminal comprising: a notification unit that notifies the relay device of a distribution ratio of data by the data distribution unit.   The communication terminal according to claim 11, further comprising: a sequence management unit that adds a sequence number for restoring the data distributed by the data distribution unit to the data distributed by the data distribution unit. A sequence number for restoring data received from the relay device is added to the data received from the relay device via the plurality of communication paths,
The communication terminal according to claim 11, further comprising: a restoration unit that restores data received from the relay device based on the sequence number. The data distribution unit distributes data output from the operation system execution unit to the plurality of communication interfaces based on attributes of data output from the operation system execution unit,
The notifying unit notifies the relay device of information associating an attribute of data transmitted / received between the first communication terminal and the second communication terminal and the communication path into which the data is classified. The communication terminal according to claim 11, wherein: A relay device that relays data between a first communication terminal and a second communication terminal and is connectable to a plurality of communication paths,
An acquisition unit for acquiring a distribution ratio of data distributed to the plurality of communication paths by the first communication terminal;
A database for managing the distribution ratio of the data acquired by the acquisition unit together with the position information of the first communication terminal in a database ,
Based on the location information of the first communication terminal managed in the database and the distribution ratio of the data, data transmitted from the second communication terminal to the first communication terminal is transmitted to the plurality of communication paths. A relay device comprising a data distribution unit for distribution. A sequence number for restoring the data received from the first communication terminal is added to the data received from the first communication terminal via the plurality of communication paths,
The relay apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising a restoration unit that restores data received from the first communication terminal based on the sequence number.   17. The sequence management unit according to claim 15, further comprising: a sequence management unit that adds a sequence number for restoring the data distributed by the data distribution unit to the data distributed by the data distribution unit. Relay device. The acquisition unit, the information for associating the said communication path attributes and the data of the data transmitted and received between the first communication terminal and the second communication terminal is classified from the first communication terminal Acquired,
The data distribution unit distributes data transmitted from the second communication terminal to the first communication terminal to the plurality of communication paths based on the attribute notified from the first communication terminal. The relay device according to any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein:

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