Communication apparatus, transmission apparatus and reception apparatus

A communication apparatus having a network device connected to a network to be used for outputting and receiving packets to and from said network, said communication apparatus comprising:

• time measurement means for measuring a time on the basis of a clock signal having a predetermined frequency;
• transmission process means for receiving information data from an application at a higher level, packetizing said information data, outputting the packet to said network by way of said network device and saving sender information including a transmission time of said packet, wherein said saved sender information remains saved after said packet is output to said network;
• reception process means for receiving a predetermined packet from said network by way of said network device, generating receiver information including an arrival time of said packet by using said time measurement means, saving said receiver information, depacketizing said packet to obtain predetermined information data and outputting said predetermined information data to an application at a higher level;
• and
• data control means for controlling flows of said information data;
• wherein said reception process means includes:
• storage means for storing transmission-time information, which is included in a first packet received after initialization, as a transmission point of time measured for said packet by the time measurement means of the transmitting communication apparatus;
• time-measurement start means for driving said time measurement means to start a measurement of time upon reception of said packet;
• addition means for adding data of time information generated by said time measurement means as a result of said measurement to data of said transmission-time information stored in said storage means;
• and
• time information generation means for generating time information synchronized with time information generated by said time measurement means of the transmitting communication apparatus.

A transmission apparatus having a network device connected to a network to be used for outputting a packet to said network, said transmission apparatus comprising:

• payload storage means for temporarily storing information data received from an application at a higher level as a payload of said packet;
• determination means for determining whether or not said information data received from said application at a higher level includes predetermined attached information to be attached to said packet;
• attached-information storage means for extracting said attached information from said information data received from said application at a higher level and temporarily keeping said attached information if said determination means determines that said information data received from said application at a higher level includes said attached information;
• control means for allocating an area in said payload storage means as an area to be used for storing said attached information if said determination means determines that said information data received from said application at a higher level includes said attached information;
• and
• attached-information write means for writing said attached information kept temporarily in said attached-information storage means into said area allocated by said control means as an area to be used for storing said attached information.

A communication apparatus having a network device connected to a network to be used for outputting and receiving packets to and from said network, said communication apparatus comprising:

• time measurement means for measuring a time on the basis of a clock signal having a predetermined frequency;
• transmission process means for receiving information data from an application at a higher level, packetizing said information data, outputting the packet to said network by way of said network device and saving sender information including a transmission time of said packet;
• reception process means for receiving a predetermined packet from said network by way of said network device, generating receiver information including an arrival time of said packet by using said time measurement means, saving said receiver information, depacketizing said packet to obtain predetermined information data and outputting said predetermined information data to an application at a higher level;
• and
• data control means for controlling flows of said information data;
• and
• a management-packet process means for:
• reading out said sender information saved in said transmission process means and said receiver information saved in said reception process means at predetermined transmission intervals,
• generating a management-information packet based on said sender information and said receiver information,
• transmitting said management-information packet to said network by way of said network device, and
• acquiring the management-information packet generated by another communication apparatus;
• wherein said management-information packet further comprises at least one of:
• a total number of packets transmitted by the communication apparatus;
• a total number of packets received by the communication apparatus;
• a total number of expected packets not received by the communication apparatus;
• information regarding an average value of jitters on said network;
• and
• information regarding fluctuations of jitters on said network.

A communication apparatus having a network device connected to a network to be used for outputting and receiving packets to and from said network, said communication apparatus comprising:

• time measurement means for measuring a time on the basis of a clock signal having a predetermined frequency;
• transmission process means for receiving information data from an application at a higher level, packetizing said information data, outputting the packet to said network by way of said network device and saving sender information including a transmission time of said packet;
• reception process means for receiving a predetermined packet from said network by way of said network device, generating receiver informatiorf including an arrival time of said packet by using said time measurement means, saving said receiver information, depacketizing said packet to obtain predetermined information data and outputting said predetermined information data to an application at a higher level;
• and
• data control means for controlling flows of said information data,
• wherein said reception process means includes correction means for:
• comparing a sum of an average network delay and transmission-time information included in a received packet as a transmission point of time measured for said packet by the time measurement means of the transmitting communication apparatus with time information as measured by said time measurement means;
• and
• delaying the output of said predetermined information data to said application at a higher level until the sum of the average network delay and said transmission-time information equals the time information as measured by said time measurement means.

A communication apparatus having a network device connected to a network to be used for outputting and receiving packets to and from said network, said communication apparatus comprising:

• time measurement means for measuring a time on the basis of a clock signal having a predetermined frequency;
• transmission process means for receiving information data from an application at a higher level, packetizing said information data, outputting the packet to said network by way of said network device and saving sender information including a transmission time of said packet;
• reception process means for receiving a predetermined packet from said network by way of said network device, generating receiver information including an arrival time of said packet by using said time measurement means, saving said receiver information, depacketizing said packet to obtain predetermined information data and outputting said predetermined information data to an application at a higher level;
• and
• data control means for controlling flows of said information data,
• wherein said reception process means includes:
• storage means for fixedly storing transmission-time information, which is included in a first packet received after initialization, as a transmission point of time measured for said packet by the time measurement means of the transmitting communication apparatus;
• time-measurement start means for driving said time measurement means to start a measurement of time upon reception of said packet;
• addition means for adding data of time information generated by said time measurement means as a result of said measurement to data of said transmission-time information fixedly stored in said storage means;
• and
• time information generation means for generating time information synchronized with time information generated by said time measurement means of the transmitting communication apparatus.

A communication apparatus having a network device connected to a network to be used for outputting and receiving packets to and from said network, said communication apparatus comprising:

• time measurement means for measuring a time on the basis of a clock signal having a predetermined frequency;
• transmission process means for receiving information data from an application at a higher level, packetizing said information data, outputting the packet to said network by way of said network device and saving sender information including a transmission time of said packet;
• reception process means for receiving a predetermined packet from said network by way of said network device, generating receiver information including an arrival time of said packet by using said time measurement means, saving said receiver information, depacketizing said packet to obtain predetermined information data and outputting said predetermined information data to an application at a higher level;
• and
• data control means for controlling flows of said information data;
• and
• a management-packet process means for:
• reading out said sender information saved in said transmission process means and said receiver information saved in said reception process means at predetermined transmission intervals,
• generating a management-information packet based on said sender information and said receiver information, wherein said management-information packet comprises information regarding the status or performance of the network,
• transmitting said management-information packet to said network by way of said network device, and
• acquiring the management-information packet generated by another communication apparatus.