Communication apparatus, method, and program

A hardware device including at least a memory and a CPU executing instructions stored in the memory, the hardware device being configured to provide:

• a transmission buffer configured to store fixed-length data packets in an intended order of complete receipt of the fixed-length data packets in a recipient device;
• N communication units provided for the corresponding respective N communication networks and configured to transmit at least one of the fixed-length data packets;
• and
• a communication controller configured to:
• retrieve, from the transmission buffer, the fixed-length data packets;
• and
• allocate the fixed-length data packets to a selected at least one of the N communication units,
• the communication controller comprising:
• a data transmission period acquiring unit configured to acquire, for each communication network, a data transmission period required from transmission of one of the fixed-length data packets through the corresponding network to complete receipt of the one of the fixed-length data packets by the recipient device;
• a sort unit configured to sort a list of the communication units in ascending order of communication-rate of the communication networks respectively corresponding to the N communication units, so that the list of the N communication units is sorted from the first communication unit to the N-th communication unit in ascending order of their communication rates;
• a transmission ready determiner configured to determine whether a transmission waiting state of each communication unit has changed to a transmission-ready state that enables data-packet transmission;
• a buffer offset calculator configured to calculate, in response to determination that a k-th communication unit included in the N communication units is in the transmission-ready state, a buffer offset for the k-th communication unit in accordance with a total number of at least one of the fixed-length data packets that is (i) transmittable by at least one m-th communication unit in the N communication units and (ii) completely received by the recipient device within the data transmission period of the communication network corresponding to the k-th communication unit (m is each of variables 1 to k−1), the data transmission period of the at least one m-th communication unit being smaller than that of the k-th communication unit;
• and
• a data packet allocator configured to:
• select, in a queue of the fixed-length data packets stored in the transmission buffer, one of the fixed-length data packets, a beginning of the selected data packet being located offset by the buffer offset relative to a beginning of the queue of the fixed-length data packets;
• and
• allocate the selected data packet to the k-th communication unit.

A communication method executable by a communication apparatus comprising a CPU and memory to provide transmitting, to a recipient device, fixed-length data packets with use of N communication networks (N is an integer more than or equal to 2), the communication method comprising:

• storing the fixed-length data packets in an intended order of complete receipt of the fixed-length data packets in the recipient device;
• acquiring, for each communication network, a data transmission period required from transmission of one of the fixed-length data packets through the corresponding network to complete receipt of the one of the fixed-length data packets by the recipient device;
• determining whether a transmission waiting state of each communication unit has changed to a transmission-ready state that enables data-packet transmission;
• calculating, in response to determination that a k-th communication unit included in the N communication units is in the transmission-ready state, a buffer offset for the k-th communication unit in accordance with a total number of at least one of the fixed-length data packets that is (i) transmittable by at least one m-th communication unit in the N communication units except for the k-th communication unit and (ii) completely received by the recipient device within the data transmission period of the communication network corresponding to the k-th communication unit (m is each of variables 1 to N except for k);
• selecting, in a queue of the fixed-length data packets stored in the transmission buffer, one of the fixed-length data packets, a beginning of the selected data packet being located offset by the buffer offset relative to a beginning of the queue of the fixed-length data packets;
• allocating the selected data packet to the k-th communication unit;
• and
• transmitting, by the k-th communication unit, the allocated data packet to the recipient device.

A non-transitory storage media storing a communication program executable by a communication apparatus comprising a CPU and memory to provide for transmitting, to a recipient device, fixed-length data packets with use of N communication networks (N is an integer more than or equal to 2), the communication program causing the communication apparatus to:

• store the fixed-length data packets in an intended order of complete receipt of the fixed-length data packets in the recipient device;
• acquire, for each communication network, a data transmission period required from transmission of one of the fixed-length data packets through the corresponding network to complete receipt of the one of the fixed-length data packets by the recipient device;
• determine whether a transmission waiting state of each communication unit has changed to a transmission-ready state that enables data-packet transmission;
• calculate, in response to determination that a k-th communication unit included in the N communication units is in the transmission-ready state, a buffer offset for the k-th communication unit in accordance with a total number of at least one of the fixed-length data packets that is (i) transmittable by at least one m-th communication unit in the N communication units except for the k-th communication unit and (ii) completely received by the recipient device within the data transmission period of the communication network corresponding to the k-th communication unit (m is each of variables 1 to N except for k);
• select, in a queue of the fixed-length data packets stored in the transmission buffer, one of the fixed-length data packets, a beginning of the selected data packet being located offset by the buffer offset relative to a beginning of the queue of the fixed-length data packets;
• allocate the selected data packet to the k-th communication unit;
• and
• instruct the k-th communication unit to transmit the allocated data packet to the recipient device.

An integrated circuit configured to provide:

• a transmission buffer configured to store fixed-length data packets in an intended order of complete receipt of the fixed-length data packets in a recipient device;
• N communication units provided for the corresponding respective N communication networks and configured to transmit at least one of the fixed-length data packets;
• and
• a communication controller configured to:
• retrieve, from the transmission buffer, the fixed-length data packets;
• and
• allocate the fixed-length data packets to a selected at least one of the N communication units,
• the communication controller comprising:
• a data transmission period acquiring unit configured to acquire, for each communication network, a data transmission period required from transmission of one of the fixed-length data packets through the corresponding network to complete receipt of the one of the fixed-length data packets by the recipient device;
• a transmission ready determiner configured to determine whether a transmission waiting state of each communication unit has changed to a transmission-ready state that enables data-packet transmission;
• a buffer offset calculator configured to calculate, in response to determination that a k-th communication unit included in the N communication units is in the transmission-ready state, a buffer offset for the k-th communication unit in accordance with a total number of at least one of the fixed-length data packets that is (i) transmittable by at least one m-th communication unit in the N communication units except for the k-th communication unit and (ii) completely received by the recipient device within the data transmission period of the communication network corresponding to the k-th communication unit (m is each of variables 1 to N except for k);
• and
• a data packet allocator configured to:
• select, in a queue of the fixed-length data packets stored in the transmission buffer, one of the fixed-length data packets, a beginning of the selected data packet being located offset by the buffer offset relative to a beginning of the queue of the fixed-length data packets;
• and
• allocate the selected data packet to the k-th communication unit.

An integrated circuit configured to provide:

• a transmission buffer configured to store fixed-length data packets in an intended order of complete receipt of the fixed-length data packets in a recipient device;
• N communication units provided for the corresponding respective N communication networks and configured to transmit at least one of the fixed-length data packets;
• and
• a communication controller configured to:
• retrieve, from the transmission buffer, the fixed-length data packets;
• and
• allocate the fixed-length data packets to a selected at least one of the N communication units,
• the communication controller comprising:
• a data transmission period acquiring unit configured to acquire, for each communication network, a data transmission period required from transmission of one of the fixed-length data packets through the corresponding network to complete receipt of the one of the fixed-length data packets by the recipient device;
• a sort unit configured to sort a list of the communication units in ascending order of communication-rate of the communication networks respectively corresponding to the N communication units, so that the list of the N communication units is sorted from the first communication unit to the N-th communication unit in ascending order of their communication rates;
• a transmission ready determiner configured to determine whether a transmission waiting state of each communication unit has changed to a transmission-ready state that enables data-packet transmission;
• a buffer offset calculator configured to calculate, in response to determination that a k-th communication unit included in the N communication units is in the transmission-ready state, a buffer offset for the k-th communication unit in accordance with a total number of at least one of the fixed-length data packets that is (i) transmittable by at least one m-th communication unit in the N communication units and (ii) completely received by the recipient device within the data transmission period of the communication network corresponding to the k-th communication unit (m is each of variables 1 to k−1), the data transmission period of the at least one m-th communication unit being smaller than that of the k-th communication unit;
• and
• a data packet allocator configured to:
• select, in a queue of the fixed-length data packets stored in the transmission buffer, one of the fixed-length data packets, a beginning of the selected data packet being located offset by the buffer offset relative to a beginning of the queue of the fixed-length data packets;
• and
• allocate the selected data packet to the k-th communication unit.