Transmitter device for controlling data transmission

• US 20050190720A1
• Filed: 01/21/2005
• Published: 09/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Osamu, Inamura, Hiroshi, Yamamoto, Kazunori, Suzuki, Hideharu, Miyake, Motoharu
• Granted Patent: US 7,436,854 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1825 Adaptation of specific ARQ protocol parameters according to transmission conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/188 Time-out mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/193 at the transport layer, e.g. TCP related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/283 in response to processing delays, e.g. caused by jitter or round trip time [RTT]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/163 In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/06 Transport layer protocols, e.g. TCP [Transport Control Protocol] over wireless transmission control protocol/Internet protocol [TCP/IP] or user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16

Abstract

A CPU 41 of a server device 40 measures an elapsed time after transmitting a data segment, and suspends measuring time upon receiving an acknowledgement segment for the data segment. CPU 41 transmits a data segment whose elapsed time has reached a retransmission timeout value. CPU 41 sets, as a retransmission timeout value of a data block, a time value determined according to a monotonically increasing function of a number of transmissions of the data block, during a given time period after the second-time transmission of the data block, while CPU 41 sets a time value which is predetermined and is different from the time value determined by the monotonically increasing function during a period between the first-time transmission and immediately before the second-time transmission of the data block.

Claims

1. A transmitter device comprising:

transmission means for transmitting a data block to a receiver device in Transport Layer;

time keeping means for measuring an elapsed time for a data block, the measurement starting when said data block is transmitted by said transmission means;

receiving means for receiving data from said receiver device in Transport Layer;

retransmission control means for causing said transmission means to transmit a data block when an elapsed time measured by said time keeping means reaches a retransmission timeout value for said data block; and

special setting means for setting, as a retransmission timeout value of a data block, a time value determined according to a monotonically increasing function of a number of transmissions of said data block, during a given time period after second-time transmission of said data block, while setting a time value which is predetermined and is different from said time value determined by said monotonically increasing function during a period between first-time transmission and immediately before said second-time transmission of said data block.

2. The device of claim 1,

wherein said monotonically increasing function is exponential.

3. The device of claim 1,

further comprising general setting means for setting, as a retransmission timeout value of a data block, a time value determined according to said monotonically increasing function;

wherein said retransmission control means,

in a case where a network to which said receiver device belongs is a predetermined network, transmits said data block to said transmission means when an elapsed time for said data block measured by said time keeping means reaches a retransmission timeout value of said data block set by said special setting means, and

in a case where a network to which said receiver device belongs is not a predetermined network, transmits said data block to said transmission means when an elapsed time for said data block measured by said time keeping means reaches a retransmission timeout value of said data block set by said general setting means.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

first connection means for connecting to a network;

second connection means for connecting to another network; and

general setting means for setting, as a retransmission timeout value of a data block, a time value determined according to said monotonically increasing function,

wherein said transmission means uses said first or second connection means to transmit said data block to said receiver device in Transport Layer;

wherein said retransmission control means,

in a case where said transmission means uses said first connection means to transmit said data block to said receiver device, transmits said data block to said transmission means when an elapsed time for said data block measured by said time keeping means reaches a retransmission timeout value of said data block set by said special setting means, and

in a case where said transmission means uses said second connection means to transmit said data block to said receiver device, transmits said data block to said transmission means when an elapsed time for said data block measured by said time keeping means reaches a retransmission timeout value of said data block set by said general setting means.

5. A transmitter device comprising:

transmission means for transmitting a data block in Transport Layer;

time keeping means for measuring an elapsed time for a data block, the measurement starting when said data block is transmitted by said transmission means;

receiving means for receiving data from said receiver device in Transport Layer;

retransmission control means for causing said transmission means to transmit a data block when an elapsed time measured by said time keeping means reaches a retransmission timeout value for said data block;

detection means for detecting an upper limit for at least one of transfer time of data and a number of retransmissions for the same data in a communication link forming a part of a communication path between said transmitter device and said receiver device, said communication link having an upper limit determined for said at least one of transfer time of data and number of retransmissions for the same data; and

special setting means for setting, as a retransmission timeout value of a data block, a time value determined according to a monotonically increasing function of a number of transmissions of said data block, during a given time period after second-time transmission of said data block, while setting a time value corresponding to said upper limit detected by said detection means during a period between first-time transmission and immediately before said second-time transmission of said data block.

6. The device of claim 5,

wherein said upper limit is between 3 s to 6 s.

7. A transmitter device comprising:

transmission means for transmitting a data block in Transport Layer;

time keeping means for measuring an elapsed time for a data block, the measurement starting when said data block is transmitted by said transmission means;

receiving means for receiving data from a receiver device in Transport Layer;

retransmission control means for causing said transmission means to transmit a data block when an elapsed time measured by said time keeping means reaches a retransmission timeout value for said data block;

retransmission means for, when transmitted data is lost in a communication link forming a part of a communication path between said transmitter device and said receiver device, said communication link having an upper limit determined for at least one of transfer time of data and a number of retransmissions of the same data, transmitting said data using said communication link if said at least one of transfer time of data and number of retransmissions for the same data is under said upper limit; and

special setting means for setting, as a retransmission timeout value of a data block, a time value corresponding to said upper limit during a period between first-time transmission and immediately before second-time transmission of said data block, while setting a time value determined according to a monotonically increasing function of a number of transmissions of said data block during a given time period after said second-time transmission of said data block.

8. The device of claim 7,

wherein said communication link is a wireless link.

9. A program product for causing a computer to function as:

transmission means for transmitting a data block to a receiver device in Transport Layer;

time keeping means for measuring an elapsed time for a data block, the measurement starting when said data block is transmitted by said transmission means;

receiving means for receiving data from said receiver device in Transport Layer;

retransmission control means for causing said transmission means to transmit a data block when an elapsed time measured by said time keeping means reaches a retransmission timeout value for said data block; and

special setting means for setting, as a retransmission timeout value of a data block, a time value determined according to a monotonically increasing function of a number of transmissions of said data block, during a given time period after second-time transmission of said data block, while setting a time value which is predetermined and is different from said time value determined by said monotonically increasing function during a period between first-time transmission and immediately before said second-time transmission of said data block.