Data transmitting apparatus data receiving apparatus and data transmission control apparatus

• US 6,128,316 A
• Filed: 04/23/1998
• Issued: 10/03/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/1995
• 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: Nishimura, Takuya, Yamada, Masazumi, Takeda, Hidetoshi, Iitsuka, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pizarro, Ricardo M.
• Application Number:
  US08/945,629
• Time in Patent Office: 894 Days
• Field of Search: 370/468, 370/464, 370/469, 370/351, 370/352, 370/357, 370/498, 370/503, 370/507, 370/508
• US Class Current: 370/468
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40 Bus networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40058 Isochronous transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40065 Bandwidth and channel allocation home automation networks H04L12/2803; flow control H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40071 Packet processing; Packet format adaptation of digital video signals for transport over a specific network H04N21/2381, H04N21/4363, H04N21/4381; packet switches H04L49/00; intermediate storage or scheduling H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40078 Bus configuration home automation networks H04L12/2803; arrangements for maintenance or administration H04L41/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40084 Bus arbitration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/403 with centralised control, e.g. polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• 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 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/13 in a LAN segment, e.g. ring or bus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/22 Traffic shaping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2416 Real-time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/28 in relation to timing considerations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/36 by determining packet size, e.g. maximum transfer unit [MTU]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23602 Multiplexing isochronously with the video sync, e.g. according to bit-parallel or bit-serial interface formats, as SDI
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2381 Adapting the multiplex stream to a specific network, e.g. an Internet Protocol [IP] network transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 : PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4342 : Demultiplexing isochronously with video sync, e.g. according to bit-parallel or bit-serial interface formats, as SDI
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4344 : Remultiplexing of multiplex streams, e.g. by modifying time stamps or remapping the packet identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 : Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43632 : involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44231 : Monitoring of peripheral device or external card, e.g. to detect processing problems in a handheld device or the failure of an external recording device configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; reporting information sensed by appliance or service execution status of appliance services in a home automation network H04L12/2823; monitoring the status of connected device in data switched networks H04L43/0817

Abstract

It is objected to simplify a procedure concerning bandwidth acquisition. Bandwidth acquiring means 809 of a second transmitting apparatus 814 acquires a bandwidth which was used by a first transmitting apparatus 806 by using a propagation delay identifier 804 read from first transmitting apparatus 806 and a maximum transmission data size 805 after stopping transmission of first transmitting apparatus 806. Each apparatus is composed so that transmission is started using this bandwidth and because returning and re-acquisition are not accompanied when the transmission is switched, necessary procedure can be simplified. Further, it is possible to effectively use the bandwidth by using a propagation delay identifier.

Claims

1. At data transmitting apparatus which is one of a plurality of apparatuses, said plurality of apparatuses having a connection topology as a result of being coupled together by a transmitting medium, the data transmitting apparatus comprising:

propagation delay identifier holding means for holding a propagation delay identifier which is determined by the propagation delay which corresponds to the connection topology of said transmitting medium; and

maximum transmission data size holding means for holding maximum transmission data size expressing maximum size of the data which can be contained in a packer transmitted to said transmitting medium;

said transmitting apparatus having a bandwidth available for itself which corresponds to said maximum transmission data size and said propagation delay identifier;

wherein said bandwidth available for said data transmitting apparatus is changeable by one of said plurality of apparatuses based upon said connection topology.

4. A data transmission apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said maximum transmission data size is readable and said propagation delay identifier is readable and changeable by a further one of said plurality of apparatuses.

2. A control apparatus for use with a plurality of transmitting apparatuses, said plurality of transmitting apparatuses having a connection topology as a result of being coupled together by a transmitting medium, each of said transmitting apparatuses including:

propagation delay identifier holding means for holding a propagation delay identifier which is determined by the propagation delay which corresponds to the connection topology of said transmitting medium,

the control apparatus comprising;

analyzing

means for analyzing the connection topology;

identifier determination means for determining said propagation delay identifier according to an analyzing result outputted from said analyzing means; and

identifier setting means for setting said propagation delay identifier determined at said identifier determination means in said propagation delay identifier holding means;

wherein said bandwidth available for one of said plurality of transmitting apparatuses is changeable by any of said plurality of transmitting apparatuses based upon said connection topology.

3. A data transmission control apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein:

said analyzing means determines the connection topology according to a number of maximum relay apparatuses assumed from a number of apparatuses connected to the transmitting medium.

5. A data transmission control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said maximum transmission data size is readable and said propagation delay identifier is readable and changeable by a further one of said plurality of apparatuses.