US 9,178,665 B2 · Communication apparatus, communication system, absent packet detecting method and absent packet detecting program

Abstract

Any packet loss is detected very quickly by means of only a series of sequence number in a multi-path environment where a transmitter and a receiver are connected to each other by way of a plurality of networks when no inversion of sequence arises in any of the networks. A communication apparatus includes a plurality of sequence buffers arranged at each network to accumulate packets until a sequence acknowledgement and an absence detecting section adapted to determine the occurrence of an absence of a packet when one or more packets are accumulated in all the sequence buffers. With this arrangement, the absence detecting section of the receiver monitors the packets staying in the sequence guaranteeing buffer arranged in each of the network, paying attention to the characteristic that packets are stored in the sequence buffers of all the networks when a packet loss takes place.

Drawings

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Drawings

Claims12

Dependent claims

A first communication apparatus connected to a second communication apparatus via a plurality of networks in which no inversion of packet sequence occurs, the first communication apparatus comprising:

a plurality of sequence buffers, each of which corresponds to a respective one of the plurality of networks and stores packets until a sequence acknowledgement is executed;
a first control unit configured to take out the stored packets from the plurality of sequence buffers, based on sequence numbers included in the stored packets;
and
a plurality of second control units, each of which corresponds to a respective one of the plurality of sequence buffers, each second control unit removing the packets stored in its corresponding sequence buffer, and thereby emptying its corresponding sequence buffer, based on a predetermined condition related to the stored packets in its corresponding sequence buffer,
wherein the predetermined condition is when a sequence number of packet which was most recently received by an associated sequence buffer is equal to or less than a sequence number of a last packet received by that sequence buffer.

2 more elements

A communication system comprising a first communication apparatus and a second communication apparatus, the first communication apparatus being connected to the second communication apparatus via a plurality of networks in which no inversion of packet sequence occurs, the first communication apparatus including:

a plurality of sequence buffers, each of which corresponds to a respective one of said plurality of networks and stores packets until a sequence acknowledgement is executed;
a first control unit configured to take out the stored packets from the plurality of sequence buffers, based on sequence numbers included in the stored packets;
and
a plurality of second control units, each of which corresponds to a respective one of the plurality of sequence buffers, each second control unit removing the packets stored in its corresponding sequence buffer, and thereby emptying its corresponding sequence buffer, based on a predetermined condition related to the packets stored in its corresponding sequence buffer, and
wherein the predetermined condition is when a sequence number of a packet which was most recently received by an associated sequence buffer is equal to or less than a sequence number of a last packet received by that sequence buffer.

2 more elements

A communication method executed in a first communication apparatus connected to a second communication apparatus via a plurality of networks in which no inversion of packet sequence occurs, the first communication apparatus including a plurality of sequence buffers, each of which corresponds to a respective one of the plurality of networks, a first control unit, and a plurality of second control units, each of which correspond to a respective one of the plurality of sequence buffers, the communication method comprising the steps:

storing packets in the sequence buffers until a sequence acknowledgement is executed;
using the first control unit to remove the stored packets from the plurality of sequence buffers, based on sequence numbers included in the stored packets;
and
using each of the plurality of second control units to remove all of the packets stored in its corresponding sequence buffer, and thereby empty its corresponding sequence, based on a predetermined condition related to the packets stored in its corresponding sequence buffer,
wherein the predetermined condition is when a sequence number of the packet which was most recently received by an associated sequence buffer is equal to or less than a sequence number of a last packet received by that sequence buffer.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Description14,337 words

Summary1,815 words

#1. Field of the Invention

#This invention relates to a communication technique for extending the band by distributing data to a plurality of paths. More particularly, the present invention relates to a communication apparatus, a communication system, an absent packet detecting method and an absent packet detecting program for detecting any packet loss (absence) very quickly by means of only a series of sequence number in a multi-path environment where a transmitter and a receiver are connected to each other by way of a plurality of networks when no inversion of sequence arises in any of the networks.

#2. Description of the Related Art

Brief description of the drawings16 figures

#FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram according to a first embodiment of the present invention, showing the configuration thereof;

#FIG. 2 is a flowchart of the sequence acknowledging operation 221 of the takeout control section 22;

#FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the absence detecting operation 222 of the takeout control section 22;

Detailed description12,240 words

#Now, the present invention will be described in greater detail by referring to the accompanying drawings that illustrate preferable embodiments of the invention.

#In the following description, the communication between a transmitter and a receiver is defined as a flow. The route through which the flow takes place is defined as a path. Communication is realized by means of four paths when a flow of communication is distributed to four networks, whereas communication is realized by means of eight paths when two flows of communication are distributed to four networks. However, in the following description, a network may practically appear to be a synonym of a path because attention is paid almost exclusively to a flow.

#Description of the Configuration Thereof

Facts

Application

13/531,637Filed 25 Jun 2012 · continuation

Priority

JP 2007-22116428 Aug 2007

Published

US 2012/0263182 A118 Oct 2012

Granted

3 Nov 2015

Term ends

9 Oct 2028

Estimated · how

20 years from earliest known nonprovisional domestic filing plus recorded patent term adjustment, including 42 days of adjustment. Maintenance-fee lapses, terminal disclaimers and statutory extensions have not been checked. The continuity chain may be incomplete; this is not an enforceability determination.

Classification7 codes

H04L 1/1841
Buffer management: resequencing
H04L 1/1874
Arrangements specially adapted for the transmitter end: buffer management
H04L 1/188
Arrangements specially adapted for the transmitter end: time-out mechanisms
H04L 45/24
Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks: multipath

Family

Application12/200,508Parent of this continuation · filed 28 Aug 2008

US 2012/0263182 A1Pre-grant publication · published 18 Oct 2012

US 8,233,483 B2Parent of this continuation

US 2009/0059928 A1Published application

US 9,178,665 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Communication apparatus, communication system, absent packet detecting method and absent packet detecting program

Life of this patent

Communication apparatus, communication system, absent packet detecting method and absent packet detecting program

Life of this patent

Life of this patent

Abstract

Drawings

Drawings

Claims12

Description14,337 words

Drawings

Classification7 codes

Life of this patent

Description14,337 words