Method and wirelessly connectable communications device for packet-oriented data transmission
In order to transmit data packets between a wirelessly connectable communications device and a communications partner, particularly during a handover process, the invention provides that when a first wireless transmission path is available, an availability of at least one additional wireless transmission path is detected. Based on the detection, a specific assignment schema, via which at least one portion of the data packets is assigned to each of the transmission paths, is selected according to specific transmission requirements and/or to a transmission protocol to be used for transmitting the data packets. An address specification specific to the transmission path is then assigned to a respective data packet that is assigned to a transmission path. By using the assigned address specifications, the data packets are transmitted via the different transmission paths between the communications device and the communications partner according to the selected assignment schema.
1. A method for transmitting a sequence of data packets between a wirelessly connectable communications device and a communications partner, comprising:
a) providing the communications device with a separate IP interface for each of at least two wireless access points;
b) when a first wireless transmission path is available, detecting an availability of at least one second wireless transmission path, and providing a sequence of at least two IP addresses as source addresses of the wireless communications device, each IP address associating a different IP interface with each wireless transmission path;
c) generating a first assignment schema configured to assign each data packet an address specification and effect assignment of data packets to the first wireless transmission path and at least one second wireless transmission path;
d) transmitting the data packets via the first wireless transmission path and at least one second wireless transmission path between the communications device and the communications partner based on the address specification assigned to each data packet;
e) recording transmission capacities of the first and at least one second wireless transmission paths; and
f) replacing the first assignment schema with a second assignment schema that is different than the first assignment schema.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the data packets are comprised of a first set of data packets and a second set of data packets that have content identical to content of the first data packets and wherein the second assignment schema is configured to send the first set of data packets along the first wireless transmission path and the second set of data packets along the at least one second wireless transmission path.
3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the assignment of a respective data packet to at least one of the wireless transmission paths is effected according to the intended purpose of the data packet.
4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the assignment of the data packets to the wireless transmission paths is executed in the transport layer and/or a protocol layer lying thereabove in accordance with the OSI reference model.
5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the generation of the first assignment schema is effected according to an estimated value for the duration of the availability of at least one of the transmission paths.
6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the assignment of a respective data packet to at least one of the wireless transmission paths is effected according to the type, content, and/or intended purpose of the data packet.
7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the replacement of the first assignment schema is effected according to an estimated value for the duration of the availability of at least one of the transmission paths.
8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the generation of the first assignment schema is effected according to the number of available transmission paths.
9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the at least two IP addresses is two IP addresses and the first assignment schema alternately assigns to each data packet one of the two IP addresses so that the assignment of data packets sequentially alternates between the first wireless transmission path and the at least one second wireless transmission path.
10. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the assignment of the data packets to the wireless transmission paths is executed in the transport layer and/or a protocol layer lying thereabove in accordance with the OSI reference model.
11. The method according to claim 1 wherein the replacement of the first assignment schema is effected according to the number of available transmission paths.
12. The method according to claim 1 wherein the data packets are comprised of a first set of data packets and a second set of data packets that are substantially identical to the first set of data packets and wherein the first assignment schema is configured to transmit the first set of data packets via the first wireless transmission path and the second set of data packets via the at least one second wireless transmission path.
13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the assignment of the data packets to the wireless transmission paths is executed in the transport layer and/or a protocol layer lying thereabove in accordance with the OSI reference model.
14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the assignment of a respective data packet to at least one of the wireless transmission paths is effected according to the type or content of the data packet.
15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the assignment of the data packets to the wireless transmission paths is executed in the transport layer and/or a protocol layer lying thereabove in accordance with the OSI reference model.
16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the assignment of the data packets to the wireless transmission paths is executed in the transport layer and/or a protocol layer lying thereabove in accordance with the OSI reference model.
17. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the assignment of the data packets to the wireless transmission paths is effected according to transmission parameters recorded as part of a flow check and/or overload check.
18. The method according to claim 1 , wherein transmitting of the data packets takes place during a handover process.
19. The method according to claim 1 wherein the second assignment schema is a modification of the first assignment schema.
20. The method according to claim 1 wherein the first assignment schema is configured for transmitting the data packets such that the data packets are alternatively routed via the first wireless transmission path and the at least one second wireless transmission path and wherein the second assignment schema is configured for parallel transmission of the data packets via the first wireless transmission path and the at least one second wireless transmission path.
21. The method according to claim 20 wherein the replacement of the first assignment schema is occurs when only a low transmission rate is admissible.
22. The method of claim 20 wherein the replacement of the first assignment schema is determined based on an estimation of transmission path stability for at least one of the first wireless transmission path and the at least one second wireless transmission path.