Path control device, path control system, path control method, and non-transitory computer readable medium

• US 9,503,958 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2010
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Nishioka, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Kassim, Khaled
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yang, Zhaohui
• Application Number:
  US13/255,997
• Publication Number:
  US 20120020222A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,433 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/12 based on transmission quality or channel quality

Abstract

Provided are a path control device and a path control method for maintaining a constant communication quality between wireless links in a network including a plurality of wireless links with varying transmission rates. A path control device 900 for a plurality of wireless links connecting a plurality of communication devices includes an information management unit 901 that stores a correlation of communication quality between the wireless links; and a path selecting unit 902 that selects a path of a flow by using the correlation of communication quality between the wireless links. The path selecting unit 902 selects a path using the correlation of communication quality between the wireless links, thereby maintaining the communication quality of the entire path constant.

Claims

1. A path control device for a plurality of wireless links connecting a plurality of communication devices, the path control device comprising:

an information management unit that is implemented as a hardware component and that stores a correlation of communication quality between the plurality of wireless links; and

a path selecting unit that is implemented as a hardware component and that selects a path of a flow using the correlation of communication quality between the plurality of wireless links,

wherein the path selecting unit divides the plurality of wireless links into a plurality of groups according to a magnitude of a correlation of communication quality between the wireless links, and selects a normal path of the flow using wireless links belonging to the same group,

the information management unit calculates a correlation coefficient between the wireless link used for the normal path and another wireless link by using communication qualities of the plurality of wireless links, and

the path selecting unit selects a redundant path as the path of the flow from among wireless links having a correlation coefficient equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold with a wireless link used for the normal path.

2. The path control device according to claim 1, wherein the path selecting unit selects a normal path and a redundant path as paths of the flow.

3. The path control device according to claim 1, wherein the communication quality includes a history of a modulation mode used in the plurality of wireless links.

4. The path control device according to claim 3, wherein the history of the modulation mode used includes at least one of a history correlating the modulation mode with a value, and a history correlating a change in the modulation mode with a value.

5. The path control device according to claim 3, wherein when a normal path includes a plurality of wireless links, the information management unit selects, as the communication quality, a modulation mode with a lowest transmission rate for each time, and calculates a correlation coefficient using the communication quality selected.

6. The path control device according to claim 1, wherein the communication quality includes a history of information indicating a radio wave environment of the plurality of wireless links.

7. The path control device according to claim 6, wherein the information indicating the radio wave environment includes at least one of bit error rate (BER), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and carrier-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (CINR).

8. The path control device according to claim 6, wherein when a normal path includes a plurality of wireless links, the information management unit selects, as the communication quality, a worst radio wave environment for each time, and calculates a correlation coefficient using the communication quality selected.

9. A path control system comprising:

a plurality of communication devices that communicate with each other using a plurality of wireless links; and

a path control device that selects a path of a flow using a correlation of communication quality between the plurality of wireless links,

wherein the path control device includes a path selecting means which divides the plurality of wireless links into a plurality of groups according to a magnitude of a correlation of communication quality between the wireless links, and selects a normal path of the flow using wireless links belonging to the same group,

the path control device calculates a correlation coefficient between the wireless link used for the normal path and another wireless link by using communication qualities of the plurality of wireless links, and

the path selecting unit selects a redundant path as the path of the flow from among wireless links having a correlation coefficient equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold with a wireless link used for the normal path.

10. The path control system according to claim 9, wherein the path control device is mounted in at least one of the plurality of communication devices.

11. A path control method for a network in which a plurality of communication devices communicate with each other using a plurality of wireless links, the path control method comprising:

selecting a path of a flow using a correlation of communication quality between the plurality of wireless links,

wherein the selecting the path includes dividing the plurality of wireless links into a plurality of groups according to a magnitude of a correlation of communication quality between the wireless links, selecting a normal path of the flow using wireless links belonging to the same group, calculating a correlation coefficient between the wireless link used for the normal path and another wireless link by using communication qualities of the plurality of wireless links, and selecting a redundant path as the path of the flow from among wireless links having a correlation coefficient equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold with a wireless link used for the normal path.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program for controlling a path of a network in which a plurality of communication devices communicate with each other using a plurality of wireless links, the program causing a computer to execute processing for selecting a path of a flow using a correlation of communication quality between the plurality of wireless links,

wherein the selecting the path includes dividing the plurality of wireless links into a plurality of groups according to a magnitude of a correlation of communication quality between the wireless links, selecting a normal path of the flow using wireless links belonging to the same group, calculating a correlation coefficient between the wireless link used for the normal path and another wireless link by using communication qualities of the plurality of wireless links, and selecting a redundant path as the path of the flow from among wireless links having a correlation coefficient equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold with a wireless link used for the normal path.

13. A path control device for a plurality of wireless links connecting a plurality of communication devices, the path control device comprising:

an information management unit that is implemented as a hardware component and that stores a correlation of communication quality between the plurality of wireless links; and

a path selecting unit that is implemented as a hardware component and that selects a path of a flow using the correlation of communication quality between the plurality of wireless links,

wherein the path selecting unit divides the plurality of wireless links into a plurality of groups according to a magnitude of a correlation of communication quality between the wireless links, and selects a normal path of the flow using wireless links belonging to the same group, and

the information management unit calculates a correlation coefficient between a wireless link used for the normal path and another wireless link by using communication qualities of the plurality of wireless links, and

the path selecting unit selects a redundant path as the path of the flow from among wireless links having a correlation coefficient equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold with a wireless link used for the normal path.