Communication bandwidth measurement apparatus, recording medium on which program is recorded, and method

• US 20090122716A1
• Filed: 11/04/2008
• Published: 05/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Hayashi, Koichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,031,742 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0894 Packet rate

Abstract

To provide a terminal apparatus, a program, and a communication bandwidth determination method which can correctly measure a communication bandwidth, without providing a server apparatus which measures the communication bandwidth.

A controller of a measuring terminal apparatus fixes a measurement bit rate and, every time it increases a number of subject terminal apparatus, transmits measurement data to, or receives them from, the plurality of subject terminal apparatus at a fixed measurement bit rate, and measures the bit rate for each subject terminal apparatus. Then, the controller, in the event that a difference between a tallied bit rate before increasing the number of subject terminal apparatus and a tallied bit rate after increasing the number of subject terminal apparatus is less than or equal to a predetermined value, determines that the tallied bit rate at that time is the communication bandwidth of the measuring terminal apparatus.

Claims

1. A terminal apparatus comprising:

a communication section which carries out a communication with another terminal apparatus via a network;

a terminal determination section which decides on a plurality of another terminal apparatus as subjects of measurement used for determining a communication bandwidth between the network and the communication section;

a measurement bit rate determination section which decides on a measurement bit rate with each measurement subject terminal apparatus;

a measurement section which carries out a communication with each measurement subject terminal apparatus, at the measurement bit rate, and measures a bit rate of the communication with each measurement subject terminal apparatus; and

a determination section which tallies measurement bit rates with each measurement subject terminal apparatus, among the plurality of measurement subject terminal apparatus, with which a communication has been possible at the measurement bit rate decided on, and determines the communication bandwidth.

2. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the measurement bit rate determination section decides on a predetermined fixed value as the measurement bit rate, and

the determination section, when a difference between a bit rate tallied before increasing a number of the measurement subject terminal apparatus and a bit rate tallied after the increase is less than or equal to a predetermined value, determines the communication bandwidth.

3. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the terminal determination section decides on a fixed plurality of measurement subject terminal apparatus, and

the determination section, when a difference between a bit rate tallied before increasing the measurement bit rate and a bit rate tallied after the increase is less than or equal to the predetermined value, determines the communication bandwidth.

4. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storage section which stores the bit rate with each measurement subject terminal apparatus, measured by the measurement section, for each measurement subject terminal apparatus, and stores the communication bandwidth determined by the determination section, wherein

the terminal determination section randomly selects another terminal apparatus to be a measurement subject candidate, acquires a bit rate with the terminal apparatus whose communication bandwidth it is trying to determine from the storage section included in the measurement subject candidate terminal apparatus, increases the measurement subject candidate terminal apparatus and, every time it acquires the bit rate, totals the acquired bit rates, calculating a total bit rate, and

retrieves the communication bandwidth from the storage section included in the terminal apparatus whose communication bandwidth it is trying to determine and, when a difference between a bit rate of the communication bandwidth and the total bit rate is less than or equal to the predetermined value, decides on another terminal apparatus selected as the measurement subject candidate as a first measurement subject terminal apparatus.

5. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the measurement section receives predetermined measurement data, at the measurement bit rate, from each measurement subject terminal apparatus, and measures the bit rate.

6. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the measurement section transmits predetermined measurement data, at the measurement bit rate, to each measurement subject terminal apparatus, and measures the bit rate.

7. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the network configuring a content distribution system which connects a plurality of terminal apparatus in a tree-shaped hierarchical structure, with a content distribution apparatus distributing content information as an apex, and enables a distribution of the content information from the content distribution apparatus to a plurality of terminal apparatus, the terminal apparatus further comprises:

a section which, when joining the network, determines the communication bandwidth, and furthermore

connects to a downstream terminal apparatus, connected in the tree-shaped hierarchical structure, based on the determined communication bandwidth.

8. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the network configuring a content distribution system which, by a plurality of terminal apparatus connected via the network transmitting and receiving among themselves content information which each terminal apparatus holds, enables a distribution of the content information, the terminal apparatus further comprises:

a section which, when joining the network or at a time of a predetermined trigger, determines the communication bandwidth, and furthermore

receives the content information from another terminal apparatus in the determined communication bandwidth.

9. A recording medium on which is recorded a computer readable program for causing a computer to function as each section in the terminal apparatus described in claim 1.

10. A method of determining, using a terminal apparatus which has a communication section which carries out a communication with another terminal apparatus via a network, a communication bandwidth between the network and the communication section, the method comprising the steps of:

deciding on a plurality of another terminal apparatus as subjects of measurement used for determining the communication bandwidth;

deciding on a measurement bit rate with each measurement subject terminal apparatus;

carrying out a communication with each measurement subject terminal apparatus, at the measurement bit rate, and measuring a bit rate of the communication with each measurement subject terminal apparatus, and

tallying measurement bit rates with each measurement subject terminal apparatus, among the plurality of measurement subject terminal apparatus, with which a communication has been possible at the measurement bit rate decided on, and determining the communication bandwidth.