Communication apparatus, communication method, and computer-readable record medium with communication program

• US 20050201413A1
• Filed: 03/11/2005
• Published: 09/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Murakami, Takashi
• Application Number:
  US11/076,862
• Publication Number:
  US 20050201413A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/468
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/407 with decentralised control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/28 in relation to timing considerations

Abstract

A communication apparatus, a communication method, and a computer-readable record medium where a communication program is recorded, are provided which are capable of making communication more reliable. In this apparatus: an application processing section creates transmission request data which includes data type information that indicates the transmission destination of transmission data to be transmitted and whether or not a response should be made to the transmission data; a communication-medium processing section stores communication-medium type information that indicates the type of the communication medium; a communication mediation processing section mediates the timing in transmitting the transmission data, based on the data type information which is included in the transmission request data that is created by the transmission-request data creating means and the communication-medium type information which is stored in the communication-medium processing section; and a data transmission processing section transmits the transmission data according to the timing which is mediated by the communication mediation processing section.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus which transmits and receives data to and from another communication apparatus, via a communication medium, comprising:

a transmission-request data creating means for creating transmission request data which includes data type information that indicates a transmission destination of transmission data to be transmitted and whether or not a response should be made to the transmission data;

a communication-medium type-information storing means for storing communication-medium type information that indicates the type of the communication medium;

a communication mediation processing means for mediating the timing in transmitting the transmission data, based on the data type information which is included in the transmission request data that is created by the transmission-request data creating means and the communication-medium type information which is stored in the type-information storing means; and

a data transmitting means for transmitting the transmission data according to the timing which is mediated by the communication mediation processing means.

2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the transmission-request data includes data type information which indicates that the transmission data to be transmitted is;

individual response-request data which designates a specific transmission destination individually and requests a response from the transmission destination of the transmission data;

individual no-response-request data which designates a specific transmission destination individually and does not request a response from the transmission destination of the transmission data;

broadcast response-request data which transmits the transmission data broadcast without specifying a transmission destination and requests a response from the transmission destination of the transmission data;

or broadcast no-response-request data which transmits the transmission data broadcast without specifying a transmission destination and does not request a response from the transmission destination of the transmission data; and

the communication mediation processing means mediates the timing in transmitting the transmission data, based on the data type information which is included in the transmission request data that is created by the transmission-request data creating means and the communication-medium type information which is stored in the communication-medium type-information storing means.

3. The communication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

a communication data table is further provided for managing the transmission-request data;

in the communication data table, each piece of transmission-request data is stored so as to correspond to a transmission state; and

the communication mediation processing means mediates the timing in transmitting the transmission data, based on the data type information which is included in the transmission request data that is created by the transmission-request data creating means, the communication-medium type information which is stored in the communication-medium type-information storing means, and the transmission state which is stored in the communication data table.

4. The communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the communication mediation processing means:

if the transmission-request data is inputted, stores, in the communication data table, the data type information which is included in the transmission-request data, and sets the transmission state to a transmission waiting state;

if the data type information is the individual response-request data, confirms the transmission states of the other pieces of transmission-request data which are stored in the communication data table; and

if the transmission states of all the other pieces of transmission-request data are not in a response waiting state, outputs the transmission-request data to the data transmitting means, and changes, into the response waiting state, the transmission state of the transmission-request data which is stored in the communication data table.

5. The communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:

the data transmitting means has the function of transmitting the transmission data, after confirming there is not another piece of data on the communication path of the communication medium before the transmission data is transmitted, and if there is not another piece of data on the communication path, confirming again there is not another piece of data on the communication path after a predetermined period of time elapses; and

the communication mediation processing means;

if the transmission-request data is inputted, stores, in the communication data table, the data type information which is included in the transmission-request data, and sets the transmission state to a transmission waiting state;

if the data type information is the individual response-request data, confirms the transmission states of the other pieces of transmission-request data which are stored in the communication data table; and

if the transmission states of all the other pieces of transmission-request data are not in a response waiting state, or if the transmission states of some of the other pieces of transmission-request data are in the response waiting state and all the transmission destinations of some of the other pieces of transmission-request data which are in the response waiting state are different from the transmission destination of the transmission-request data, outputs the transmission-request data to the data transmitting means, and changes, into the response waiting state, the transmission state of the transmission-request data which is stored in the communication data table.

6. The communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the communication mediation processing means:

if the transmission-request data is inputted, stores, in the communication data table, the data type information which is included in the transmission-request data, and sets the transmission state to a transmission waiting state;

if the data type information is the individual no-response-request data, confirms the transmission states of the other pieces of transmission-request data which are stored in the communication data table; and

if the transmission states of all the other pieces of transmission-request data are not in a response waiting state, outputs the transmission-request data to the data transmitting means, and changes, into a transmission completion state, the transmission state of the transmission-request data which is stored in the communication data table.

7. The communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:

the data transmitting means has the function of transmitting the transmission data, after confirming there is not another piece of data on the communication path of the communication medium before the transmission data is transmitted, and if there is not another piece of data on the communication path, confirming again there is not another piece of data on the communication path after a predetermined period of time elapses; and

the communication mediation processing means;

if the transmission-request data is inputted, stores, in the communication data table, the data type information which is included in the transmission-request data, and sets the transmission state to a transmission waiting state;

if the data type information is the individual no-response-request data, confirms the transmission states of the other pieces of transmission-request data which are stored in the communication data table; and

if the transmission states of all the other pieces of transmission-request data are not in a response waiting state, or if the transmission states of some of the other pieces of transmission-request data are in the response waiting state and all the transmission destinations of some of the other pieces of transmission-request data which are in the response waiting state are different from the transmission destination of the transmission-request data, outputs the transmission-request data to the data transmitting means, and changes, into a transmission completion state, the transmission state of the transmission-request data which is stored in the communication data table.

8. The communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the communication mediation processing means:

if the transmission-request data is inputted, stores, in the communication data table, the data type information which is included in the transmission-request data, and sets the transmission state to a transmission waiting state;

if the data type information is the broadcast response-request data, confirms the transmission states of the other pieces of transmission-request data which are stored in the communication data table; and

if the transmission states of all the other pieces of transmission-request data are not in a response waiting state, outputs the transmission-request data to the data transmitting means, and changes, into the response waiting state, the transmission state of the transmission-request data which is stored in the communication data table.

9. The communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:

the data transmitting means has the function of transmitting the transmission data, after confirming there is not another piece of data on the communication path of the communication medium before the transmission data is transmitted, and if there is not another piece of data on the communication path, confirming again there is not another piece of data on the communication path after a predetermined period of time elapses; and

the communication mediation processing means;

if the transmission-request data is inputted, stores, in the communication data table, the data type information which is included in the transmission-request data, and sets the transmission state to a transmission waiting state;

if the data type information is the broadcast response-request data, confirms the transmission states of the other pieces of transmission-request data which are stored in the communication data table; and

if the transmission states of all the other pieces of transmission-request data are not in a response waiting state, or if the transmission states of some of the other pieces of transmission-request data are in the response waiting state and all the types of some of the other pieces of transmission-request data which are in the response waiting state are broadcast, outputs the transmission-request data to the data transmitting means, and changes, into the response waiting state, the transmission state of the transmission-request data which is stored in the communication data table.

10. The communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the communication mediation processing means:

if the transmission-request data is inputted, stores, in the communication data table, the data type information which is included in the transmission-request data, and sets the transmission state to a transmission waiting state;

if the data type information is the broadcast no-response-request data, confirms the transmission states of the other pieces of transmission-request data which are stored in the communication data table; and

if the transmission states of all the other pieces of transmission-request data are not in a response waiting state, outputs the transmission-request data to the data transmitting means, and changes, into a transmission completion state, the transmission state of the transmission-request data which is stored in the communication data table.

11. The communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:

the data transmitting means has the function of transmitting the transmission data, after confirming there is not another piece of data on the communication path of the communication medium before the transmission data is transmitted, and if there is not another piece of data on the communication path, confirming again there is not another piece of data on the communication path after a predetermined period of time elapses; and

the communication mediation processing means;

if the transmission-request data is inputted, stores, in the communication data table, the data type information which is included in the transmission-request data, and sets the transmission state to a transmission waiting state;

if the data type information is the broadcast no-response-request data, confirms the transmission states of the other pieces of transmission-request data which are stored in the communication data table; and

if the transmission states of all the other pieces of transmission-request data are not in a response waiting state, or if the transmission states of some of the other pieces of transmission-request data are in the response waiting state and all the types of some of the other pieces of transmission-request data which are in the response waiting state are broadcast, outputs the transmission-request data to the data transmitting means, and changes, into a transmission completion state, the transmission state of the transmission-request data which is stored in the communication data table.

12. The communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the communication mediation processing means:

if the transmission-request data is inputted, stores, in the communication data table, the data type information which is included in the transmission-request data, and sets the transmission state to a transmission waiting state;

if the data type information is the individual response-request data or the broadcast response-request data, after the transmission-request data is transmitted by the data transmitting means, changes, into a response waiting state, the transmission state which corresponds to the transmission-request data; and

if no response is made even though a predetermined period of time elapses after the transmission state is changed into the response waiting state, changes the transmission state into a time-out state.

13. The communication apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the communication mediation processing means sets the predetermined period from the time when the transmission state is changed into the response waiting state to the time when the transmission state is shifted into the time-out state, according to the communication-medium type information which is stored in the communication-medium type-information storing means.

14. The communication apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the communication mediation processing means sets the predetermined period from the time when the transmission state is changed into the response waiting state to the time when the transmission state is shifted into the time-out state, according to the data length of the transmission-request data.

15. The communication apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the communication mediation processing means sets the predetermined period from the time when the transmission state is changed into the response waiting state to the time when the transmission state is shifted into the time-out state, according to the data length of response data to the transmission data.

16. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the transmission-request data includes communication-medium specification information for specifying a communication medium to be used from among a plurality of the communication mediums which have a different standard from each other;

the communication mediation processing means specifies a communication medium which transmits the transmission data, based on the communication-medium specification information that is included in the transmission-request data; and

the data transmitting means transmits the transmission data, using the communication medium which is specified by the communication mediation processing means.

17. A communication method in which data is transmitted to and received from another communication apparatus, via a communication medium, comprising:

a transmission-request data creating step of creating transmission request data which includes data type information that indicates a transmission destination of transmission data to be transmitted and whether or not a response should be made to the transmission data;

a communication-medium type-information storing step of storing communication-medium type information that indicates the type of the communication medium;

a communication mediation processing step of mediating the timing in transmitting the transmission data, based on the data type information which is included in the transmission request data that is created in the transmission-request data creating step and the communication-medium type information which is stored in the type-information storing step; and

a data transmission processing step of transmitting the transmission data according to the timing which is mediated in the communication mediation processing step.

18. A computer-readable record medium in which a communication program is recorded for transmitting and receiving data to and from another communication apparatus, via a communication medium, wherein the computer-readable record medium in which the communication program is recorded allows a computer to function as:

a transmission-request data creating means for creating transmission request data which includes data type information that indicates a transmission destination of transmission data to be transmitted and whether or not a response should be made to the transmission data;

a communication-medium type-information storing means for storing communication-medium type information that indicates the type of the communication medium;

a communication mediation processing means for mediating the timing in transmitting the transmission data, based on the data type information which is included in the transmission request data that is created by the transmission-request data creating means and the communication-medium type information which is stored in the communication-medium type-information storing means; and

a data transmitting means for transmitting the transmission data according to the timing which is mediated by the communication mediation processing means.