Communication terminal device, communication system, communication method, and program
View Patent ↗A communication terminal device, a communication system, a communication method, and a program which allow efficient communication processing via multicast communication, along with power saving. The communication terminal devices includes a wireless communication unit comprising: a multicast ACK generating unit which makes it possible to transmit packets having an ACK function; a multicast ACK analysis unit which analyzes received packet data for ACK information; wireless transmission and reception units which perform modulation and demodulation processing; and a central control unit and a timing control unit which control these components. The ACK function is thus implemented by multicast packets in multicast communication. This makes it possible to check if its own transmission data is received by other stations (communication terminals).
1. A communication terminal device capable of holding wireless communication with at least one other communication terminal device within a communication group, comprising:
a transmission unit which transmits a packet to the at least one other communication terminal device within the communication group;
a reception unit which receives a packet from the at least one other communication terminal device within the communication group;
an analysis unit which identifies the at least one other communication terminal device which sends the packet received by the reception unit; and
a control unit capable of adding reception acknowledge information which indicates whether the reception unit receives the packet from the individual communication terminal device or not to the packet for the transmission unit to transmit, wherein
when it is acknowledged that the packet transmitted via the transmission unit is received by the at least one other communication terminal device, the control unit stops transmission by the transmission unit of a packet containing the same data which is already included in the packet.
2. The communication terminal device according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit is capable of checking the packets from the at least one other communication terminal device, received by the reception unit, for reception by the at least one other communication terminal device of the packet transmitted via the transmission unit.
3. The communication terminal device according to claim 1 , wherein
a multicast packet is transmitted by the transmission unit and received by the reception unit.
4. The communication terminal device according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit stops the transmission of the packet on the condition that reception of all the at least one other communication terminal device is acknowledged; the data to be transmitted is not updated; and the reception acknowledge information needs not be returned to the at least one other communication terminal device.
5. The communication terminal device according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit makes the transmission unit transmit a packet containing only the reception acknowledge information, when it is acknowledged that the packet transmitted via the transmission unit is received by the at least one other communication terminal device.
6. The communication terminal device according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit determines whether or not to stop the transmission of the packet by the transmission unit, at communication intervals corresponding to an annunciation signal, based on a status of reception of the reception acknowledge information from the at least one other communication terminal device and a past status of reception of the reception acknowledge information from the at least one other communication terminal device.
7. The communication terminal device according to claim 6 , wherein
the control unit stops transmission by the transmission unit of the packet when it is acknowledged that the packet transmitted via the transmission unit is received by all the at least one other communication terminal device, based on the reception acknowledge information from the at least one other communication terminal device in or before the previous communication interval.
8. The communication terminal device according to claim 6 , wherein
the control unit makes the transmission unit transmit a packet including information on the state of reception in the previous communication interval corresponding to the annunciation signal.
9. The communication terminal device according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit has
a first function of stopping transmission by the transmission unit of a packet containing the same data which is already included in the packet, when it is acknowledged that the packet transmitted via the transmission unit is received by the at least one other communication terminal device, and
a second function of making the transmission unit transmit a packet containing only the reception acknowledge information, when it is acknowledged that the data transmitted via the transmission unit is received by the at least one other communication terminal device; and
the first function and the second function are switched depending on a degree of channel congestion.
10. A communication system comprising a plurality of communication terminal devices each capable of holding wireless communication with the at least one other communication terminal device within a communication group,
the communication terminal devices each including:
a transmission unit which transmits a packet to the at least one other communication terminal device within the communication group;
a reception unit which receives a packet from the at least one other communication terminal device within the communication group;
an analysis unit which identifies the at least one other communication terminal device which sends the packet received by the reception unit; and
a control unit capable of adding reception acknowledge information which indicates whether the reception unit receives the packet from the individual communication terminal device or not to the packet for the transmission unit to transmit, wherein
when it is acknowledged that the packet transmitted via the transmission unit is received by the at least one other communication terminal device, the control unit stops transmission by the transmission unit of a packet containing the same data which is already included in the packet.
11. The communication system according to claim 10 , wherein
the control unit has
a first function of stopping transmission by the transmission unit of a packet containing the same data which is already included in the packet, when it is acknowledged that the packet transmitted via the transmission unit is received by the at least one other communication terminal device, and
a second function of making the transmission unit transmit a packet containing only the reception acknowledge information, when it is acknowledged that the data transmitted via the transmission unit is received by the at least one other communication terminal device; and
the first function and the second function are switched depending on a degree of channel congestion.
12. A communication method for holding wireless communication with at least one other communication terminal device within a communication group, the method comprising:
transmitting a packet to the at least one other communication terminal device within the communication group;
receiving a packet from the at least one other communication terminal device within the communication group;
identifying the at least one other communication terminal device which sends the packet received; and
adding reception acknowledge information which indicates whether or not to receive the packet from the individual communication terminal device to the packet to be transmitted, wherein
when it is acknowledged that the packet transmitted is received by the at least one other communication terminal device, stopping transmission of a packet containing the same data which is already included in the packet.
13. A computer program written in a computer-readable format so that processing for holding wireless communication with at least one other communication terminal device within a communication group is executed on a computer system, the program comprising:
transmitting a packet to the at least one other communication terminal device within the communication group;
receiving a packet from the at least one other communication terminal device within the communication group;
identifying the at least one other communication terminal device which sends the packet received; and
adding reception acknowledge information which indicates whether or not to receive the packet from the individual communication terminal device to the packet to be transmitted, wherein
when it is acknowledged that the packet transmitted is received by the at least one other communication terminal device, stopping transmission of a packet containing the same data which is already included in the packet.