Information transmission system having collective data transmission and collection devices

• US 4,998,245 A
• Filed: 12/12/1988
• Issued: 03/05/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Shotaro, Ono, Yukiko, Ikezaki, Masao, Goto, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Olms, Douglas W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chin, Wellington
• Application Number:
  US07/282,570
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 370/94, 370/96, 370/85, 370/89, 370/94.1, 370/85.1, 370/85.7, 370/94.3, 370/95.1, 340/825.08, 340/825.5, 340/825.51
• US Class Current: 370/432
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1854 with non-centralised forwarding system, e.g. chaincast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/28 characterised by path configuration, e.g. LAN [Local Area Networks] or WAN [Wide Area Networks] wireless communication networks H04W ; arrangements for dividing the transmission path H04W40/00

Abstract

An information transmission system having a plurality of communication control units connected to one another through an information transmission path in a communication network comprises devices for collectively transmitting and collecting broadcasting information to and from selected plural communication control units by sending one information message.

Claims

1. A communication control method in a bus type communication network having a plurality of communication control units connected to an information transmission path wherein a selected one of said communication control units collectively collects broadcasting information from other ones of said plurality of communication control units through said information transmission path, comprising the steps of:

(a) transmitting, from said selected communication control unit which collects the broadcasting information, a memory address designation message to said information transmission path,

said memory address designation message having a destination address in the message, a control field containing a specific code and a data field containing a code indicating a memory address of data to be collected,

said code in said control field indicating an attribute of the message,

said data field containing data to be transmitted;

(b) receiving, by all said communication control units except said selected communication control unit which collects the broadcasting information, said memory address designation message is to be collected;

(c) transmitting from said selected communication control unit, which collects the broadcasting information, an information collection message to said information transmission path,

said information collection message having a destination address in the message, a control field containing a specific code, and a data field containing a plurality of sets each comprising an address data field and a send-back information field,

said send-back information field containing the information data to be sent back;

(d) transmitting from said communication control units, which have received said information collection message, unit address data of their own communication control units to said address data field in said information collection message to perform competition control, and preparing, in said communication control units which have won in the competition control, said address data field by using the unit address data of their own communication control units, and preparing said send-back information field by using the send-back information designated by said memory address designation message, and sequentially transmitting from each of said communication control units a set of said address data field and said send-back information field to said information transmission path; and

(e) receiving by said selected communication control unit, which has transmitted said information collection message, said address data field and said send-back information field so that said selected communication control unit collectively collects the broadcasting information from said other communication control units by using one message,

whereby the broadcasting information is collectively collected.

2. A communication control method in a bus type communication network having a plurality of communication control units connected to an information transmission path wherein a selected one of said communication control units collectively collects broadcasting information from said other communication control units through said information transmission path, comprising the steps of:

(a) transmitting, from said selected communication control unit which collects the broadcasting information, a memory address designation message to said information transmission path,

said memory address designation message having a destination address in the message, a control field containing a specific code and a data field containing a code indicating a memory address of data to be collected,

said code in said control field indicating an attribute of the message,

said data field containing data to be transmitted;

(b) receiving, by all said communication control units except said selected communication control unit which collects the broadcasting information, said memory address designation message and confirming that send-back information having a memory address designated by said memory address designation message is to be collected;

(c) transmitting from said selected communication control unit, which collects the broadcasting information, an information collection message to said information transmission path,

said information collection message having a destination address in the message, a control field containing a specific code, and a data field containing a plurality of sets each comprising an address data field, a byte count field and a send-back information field,

said byte count field representing the number of bytes of the information to be sent back,

said send-back information field containing the information data to be sent back;

(d) transmitting from said communication control units, which have received said information collection message, unit address data of their own communication control units to said address data field in said information collection message to perform competition control, and preparing, in said communication control units which have won in the competition control, said address data field by using the unit address data of their own communication control units, said byte count field by using the numbers of bytes of the send-back information designated by said memory address designation message, and said send-back information field by using the information to be sent back, and sequentially transmitting from each of said communication control units a set of said address data field, said byte count field and said send-back information field to said information transmission path; and

(e) receiving by said selected communication control unit, which has transmitted said information collection message, said address data field, said byte count field and said send-back information field so that said selected communication control unit collectively collects the broadcasting information from said other communication control units by using one message,

whereby the broadcasting information is collectively collected.

3. Communication control units connected to an information transmission path in a bus type communication network wherein a selected one of said communication control units collectively collects broadcasting information from said other communication control units through said information transmission path, each of said communication control units comprising:

a communication controller;

an information controller; and

a memory,

said communication controller communicating with those of said other communication control units through said information transmission path,

said information controller generating, decoding and processing the broadcasting information transmitted through said communication controller,

said memory containing the information at a memory address assigned to each information class,

said communication control units thereby performing the following operational steps;

(a) generating by said information controller of said selected communication control unit, which collects the broadcasting information, a memory address designation message and transferring said message to said communication controller to transmit said message therethrough to said information transmission path,

said memory address designation message having a designation address in the message, a control field containing a specific code, and a data field containing a code indicating a memory address of data to be collected,

said code in said control field indicating an attribute of the message,

said data field containing data to be transmitted;

(b) receiving by all said information controllers of said plural communication control units except said selected communication control unit, which collects the broadcasting information, said memory address designation message through said communication controllers thereof to confirm that send-back information containing the memory address designated in said memory address designation message is to be collected;

(c) transmitting, by said selected communication control unit, which collects the broadcasting information, an information collection message from said information controller thereof through said communication controller thereof to said information transmission path,

said information collection message having a destination address in the message, a control field containing a specific code, and a data field containing a plurality of sets each comprising an address data field and a send-back information field,

said send-back information field containing the information data to be sent back;

(d) transmitting from said communication controls of said communication control units, which have received said information collection message, unit address data of their own communication control units to said address data field in said information collection message to perform competition control, and preparing, in said communication controllers of said communication control units which have won in the competition control, said address data field by using the unit address data of their own communication control units, and preparing said send-back information field by using said information to be sent back, which has been designated by said memory address designation message and read out from said memories by said information controllers of said communication control units, and sequentially transmitting from said information controller of each of said communication control units, a set of said address data field and said send-back information field through said communication controllers thereof to said information transmission path; and

(e) receiving, by said controller of said selected communication control unit, which has transmitted said information collection message, said address data field and said send-back information field through said communication controller thereof, and deciding the content of each of the received fields so that said selected communication control unit collectively collects the broadcasting information from said other communication control units,

whereby the broadcasting information is collectively collected by using one message.

4. Communication control units connected to an information transmission path in a bus type communication network wherein a selected one of said communication control units collectively collects broadcasting information from said other communication control units through said information transmission path, each of said communication control comprising:

a communication controller;

an information controller, and

a memory,

said communication controller communicating with those of said other communication control units through said information transmission path,

said information controller generating, decoding and processing the broadcasting information transmitted through said communication controller,

said memory containing the information at a memory address assigned to each information class,

said communication control units thereby performing the following operational steps;

(a) generating, by said information controller of said selected communication control unit, which collects the broadcasting information, a memory address designation message and transferring said message to said communication controller to transmit said message therethrough to said information transmission path,

said memory address designation message having a designation address in the message, a control field containing a specific code, and a data field containing a code indicating a memory address of data to be collected,

said code in said control field indicating an attribute of the message,

said data field containing data to be transmitted;

(b) receiving by all said information controllers of said plural communication control units except said collected communication control unit, which collects the broadcasting information, said memory address designation message through said communication controllers thereof to confirm that send-back information containing the memory address designated in said memory address designation message is to be collected;

(c) transmitting, by said selected communication control unit, which collects the broadcasting information, an information collection message from said information controller thereof through said communication controller thereof to said information transmission path,

said information collection message having a destination address in the message, a control field containing a specific code, and a data field containing a plurality of sets each thereof being composed of an address data field, a byte count field and a send-back information field,

said byte field representing the number of bytes of the information to be sent back,

said send-back information field containing the information data to be sent back;

(d) transmitting from said communication controls of said communication control units, which have received said information collection message, unit address data of their own communication control units to said address data field in said information collection message to perform competition control, and preparing, in said communication controllers of said communication control units which have won in the competition control, said address data field by using the unit address data of their own communication control units, and preparing said send-back information field and said byte count field, respectively, by reading out from said memories the information to be sent back, which has been designated by said memory address designation message, and by using the information to be sent back and the number of bytes thereof, and sequentially transmitting from said information controller of each of said communication control units, a set of said address data field, said byte count field and said send-back information field through said communication controllers thereof to said information transmission path; and

(e) receiving, by said information controller of said selected communication control unit, which has transmitted said information collection message, said sets of said address data field, said byte count field and said send-back information field through said communication controller thereof, and deciding the content of each of the received fields so that said selected communication control unit collectively collects the broadcasting from said other communication control units,

whereby the broadcasting information is collectively collected by using one message.

5. An information transmission system including an information transmission path for transmitting broadcasting information therethrough and at least two communication control units for communicating with each other through said information transmission path wherein a selected one of said communication control units collectively collects the broadcasting information from one or more other communication control units,

each of said communication control units comprising a communication controller, and information controller and a memory,

said communication controller communicating with those of said other communication control units through said information transmission path,

said information controller generating, a decoding and processing the information transmitted through said communication controller,

said memory containing the information at a memory address assigned to each information class,

said information transmission system thereby performing the following operations:

(a) transmitting from said selected communication control unit, which collects the broadcasting information, a memory address designation message to said information transmission path,

said memory address designation message having a destination address in the message, a control field containing a specific code, and a data field containing a code indicating a memory address of data to be collected,

said code in said control field indicating an attribute of the message,

said data field containing data to be transmitted;

(b) receiving by all said communication control units except said selected communication control unit, which collects the broadcasting information, said memory address designation message through said communication controllers thereof to confirm by said information controllers thereof that send-back information containing the memory address designated in said memory address designation message is to be collected;

(c) transmitting from said information controller of said selected communication control unit, which collects the broadcasting information, an information collection message through said communication controller thereof to said information transmission path,

said information collection message having a destination address in the message, a control field containing a specific code, and a data field containing a plurality of sets each composed of an address data field and a send-back information field;

said send-back information field containing the information data to be sent back;

(d) transmitting from said information controllers of said communication control units, which have received said information collection message, unit address data of their own communication control units to said address data field in said information collection message to perform composition control, and preparing, in said information controllers of said communication control units which have won in the competition control, said address data field by using the unit address data of their own communication control units, and preparing said send-back information field by using said information to be sent back, which has been designated by said memory address designation message and read out from said memories by said information controllers of said communication control units, and sequentially transmitting from said information controller of each of said communication control units, a set of said address data field and said send-back information field through said communication controllers thereof to said information transmission path; and

(e) receiving, by said information controller of said selected communication control unit, which has transmitted said information collection message, said sets of said address data field and said send-back information field through said communication controller thereof, and deciding the content of each of the received fields so that said selected communication control unit collectively collects the broadcasting information from said other communicating control units,

whereby the broadcasting information is collectively collected by using one message.

6. An information transmission system including an information transmission path for transmitting broadcasting information therethrough and at least two communication control units for communicating with each other through said information transmission path wherein a selected one of said communication control units collectively collects the broadcasting information from one or more other communication control units,

each of said communication control units comprising a communication controller, and information controller and a memory,

said communication controller communicating with those of said other communication control units through said information transmission path,

said information controller generating, a decoding and processing the information transmitted through said communication controller,

said memory containing the information at a memory address assigned to each information class,

said information transmission system thereby performing the following operations:

(a) transmitting from said selected communication control unit, which collects the broadcasting information, a memory address designation message to said information transmission path,

said memory address designation message having a destination address in the message, a control field containing a specific code, and a data field containing a code indicating a memory address of data to be collected,

said code in said control field indicating an attribute of the message,

said data field containing data to be transmitted;

(b) receiving by all said communication control units except said selected communication control unit, which collect the broadcasting information, said memory address designation through said communication controllers thereof to confirm by said information controllers thereof that send-back information containing the memory address designated in said memory address designation message is to be collected;

(c) transmitting from said information controller of said selected communication control unit, which collects the broadcasting information, an information collection message through said communication controller thereof to said information transmission path,

said information collection message having a destination address in the message, a control field containing a specific code, and a data field containing a plurality of sets each comprising an address data field, a byte count field and a send-back information field;

said byte count field representing the number of bytes of the information to be sent back;

said send-back information field containing the information data to be sent back;

(d) transmitting from said information controllers of said communication control units, which have received said information collection message, unit address data of their own communication control units to said address data field in said information collection message to perform composition control, and preparing, in said information controllers of said communication control units which have won in the competition control, said address data field by using the unit address data of their own communication control units, and preparing said send-back information field and said byte count field, respectively, by reading out from said memories the information to be sent back, which information has been designated by said memory address designation message, and by using the information to be sent back and the number of bytes thereof, and sequentially transmitting from said information controller of each of said communication control units, a set of said address data field, said byte count field and said send-back information field through said communication controllers thereof to said information transmission path; and

(e) receiving, by said information controller of said selected communication control unit, which has transmitted said information collection message, said sets of said address data field, said byte count field and said send-back information field through said communication controller thereof, and deciding the content of each of the received fields so that said selected communication control unit collectively collects the broadcasting information from said other communicating control units,

whereby the broadcasting information is collectively collected by using one message.