Network construction method and communication system for communicating between different groups via representative device of each group

• US 6,396,814 B1
• Filed: 09/11/1998
• Issued: 05/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaishi Toshiba, Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsubara, Shinzo, Ikegami, Fumihiko, Iwamura, Kazuaki, Kawamura, Takuya, Horiguchi, Takeo, Yamaguchi, Shogo
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Wellington
• Assistant Examiner(s): Duong, Frank
• Application Number:
  US09/152,058
• Time in Patent Office: 1,355 Days
• Field of Search: 370/230,235,252,254,255,321,322,326,337,347,400,401,402,432,442,464,498,256 714/1,748
• US Class Current: 370/256
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1868 Measures taken after transmission, e.g. acknowledgments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1881 with schedule organisation, e.g. priority, sequence management

Abstract

A communication network construction method comprises the steps of grouping the communication devices belonging to a communication network into one or a plurality of communication groups. In a selection step, one or a plurality of representative devices are selected in each communication group formed in the grouping step. In a communication step, each communication device communicates directly with the communication devices belonging to the same group, and communicates with the communication devices belonging to a different group by first transmitting data to the representative device of the same communication group and then causing the representative device to transfer a part or the whole of the data to the representative device of the different communication group.

Claims

1. A method of constructing a communication network, comprising the steps of:

grouping communication devices belonging to a communication network into one or a plurality of communication groups;

selecting at least one representative device in each communication group formed in said grouping step; and

after said selecting step is effected, causing each communication device to communicate directly with other communication devices belonging to the same communication group and to communicate with each communication device belonging to a different group by first transmitting data to said at least one representative device of the same communication group and then causing said at least one said representative device of said same communication group to transfer part or the whole of the data to a representative device of said different group;

wherein said each communication device transmits a device message containing the information on the transmitting communication device and a communicable communication device identified by the transmitting communication device, said each communication device identifies a communicable communication device from a received device message, and said each communication device performs said grouping step and said selecting step using the information on the received device message;

wherein each communication device notifies the maximum number of the devices of a communication group to other communication devices and said grouping step is performed so that the number of the communication devices of a communication group to which the present communication device belongs does not exceed said maximum number of the devices.

2. A method of constructing a communication network, comprising the steps of:

grouping communication devices belonging to a communication network into one or a plurality of communication groups;

selecting at least one representative device in each communication group formed in said grouping step; and

after said selecting step is effected, causing each communication device to communicate directly with other communication devices belonging to the same communication group and to communicate with each communication device belonging to a different group by first transmitting data to said at least one representative device of the same communication group and then causing said at least one said representative device of said same communication group to transfer part or the whole of the data to a representative device of said different group;

wherein a terminal selected as said at least one representative device executes the steps of;

receiving a terminal ID information transmitted by a different terminal for identifying said different terminal;

receiving a communicable terminal information transmitted by said different terminal for indicating that said different terminal is a communicable terminal;

storing the terminal ID information and communicable terminal information received from the same terminal related to each other as a communication environment information; and

transmitting said stored communication environment information to a different terminal.

3. A method of constructing a communication network according to claim 2, wherein the terminals other than the terminal selected as said at least one representative terminal each executes the steps of:

transmitting the present terminal ID information for identifying the present terminal to at least the terminal selected as said at least one representative terminal belonging to the same communication group as said present communication terminal; and

transmitting the communicable terminal information of the present communication device indicating that said present communication device is a communicable terminal to at least the terminal selected as a representative terminal belonging to the same communication group as said present communication terminal.

4. A method of constructing a communication network, comprising the steps of:

grouping communication devices belonging to a communication network into one or a plurality of communication groups;

selecting at least one representative device in each communication group formed in said grouping step; and

after said selecting step is effected, causing each communication device to communicate directly with other communication devices belonging to the same communication group and to communicate with each communication device belonging to a different group by first transmitting data to said at least one representative device of the same communication group and then causing said at least one said representative device of said same communication group to transfer part or the whole of the data to a representative device of said different group;

wherein said each communication device executes the steps of;

selecting one communication path from a plurality of communication paths;

transmitting the information on the communication path selected by said present communication device;

receiving the information on the communication path selected by a different communication device;

storing the information on the communication path assigned by a different communication device; and

comparing the stored information on the communication path selected by said different communication device with the information on the communication path selected by said present communication device, and upon judgment that there exists no communication device that has selected the same communication path as the one selected by said present communication device, reselecting a communication path other than the communication path selected by said present communication device from among said plurality of communication paths.

5. A method of constructing a communication network, comprising the steps of:

grouping communication devices belonging to a communication network into one or a plurality of communication groups;

selecting at least one representative device in each communication group formed in said grouping step; and

after said selecting step is effected, causing each communication device to communicate directly with other communication devices belonging to the same communication group and to communicate with each communication device belonging to a different group by first transmitting data to said at least one representative device of the same communication group and then causing said at least one said representative device of said same communication group to transfer part or the whole of the data to a representative device of said different group;

wherein said each communication device executes the steps of;

selecting a plurality of communication paths from among a plurality of communication paths; and

transmitting the information received from the selected communication paths, directly or after being processed appropriately, to a communication path different from the communication paths from which said information is received.

6. A method of constructing a communication network, comprising the steps of:

grouping communication devices belonging to a communication network into one or a plurality of communication groups;

selecting at least one representative device in each communication group formed in said grouping step; and

after said selecting step is effected, causing each communication device to communicate directly with other communication devices belonging to the same communication group and to communicate with each communication device belonging to a different group by first transmitting data to said at least one representative device of the same communication group and then causing said at least one said representative device of said same communication group to transfer part or the whole of the data to a representative device of said different group;

wherein said each communication device executes the steps of;

generating the communication device ID information for identifying the present communication device and transmitting the communication device ID information thus generated;

identifying a communicable communication device based on the received communication device ID information of a different communication device;

setting at least one communication device as the same group among the communicable communication devices identified; and

newly selecting the same communication path for the communication devices belonging to the same group thus set.

7. A method of constructing a communication network, comprising the steps of:

grouping communication devices belonging to a communication network into one or a plurality of communication groups;

selecting at least one representative device in each communication group formed in said grouping step; and

after said selecting step is effected, causing each communication device to communicate directly with other communication devices belonging to the same communication group and to communicate with each communication device belonging to a different group by first transmitting data to said at least one representative device of the same communication group and then causing said at least one said representative device of said same communication group to transfer part or the whole of the data to a representative device of said different group;

wherein said each communication device executes the steps of;

storing the management information including at least IDs of child devices managed by said present communication device and the delivery acknowledgment information received from said child devices;

storing the ID of a parent device managing said present communication device;

transmitting and receiving information between all child devices stored in said management information storage step or between said all child devices and said parent device stored in said step of said parent device ID storage step;

comparing the delivery acknowledgment information indicating the receipt of said information transmitted from a child device in said step of transmitting and receiving information with said management information and acknowledging the delivery of said transmitted information; and

transmitting the terminal ID information for identifying a local terminal at least to the terminal selected as the representative terminal of the same communication group as said local terminal; and

transmitting the delivery acknowledge information to said parent device upon confirmation of said transmitted information in said delivery acknowledgment step.

8. A method of constructing a communication network according to claim 7, wherein said each communication device executes the step of:

retransmitting the transmitted information in a case where the delivery cannot be acknowledged or a retransmission request information indicating the failure to receive the information correctly is received in said delivery acknowledgment step;

wherein said step of transmitting and receiving information to and from said parent device includes the step of retransmitting said information from said parent device to all child devices stored in said management information storage step; and

wherein said step of transmitting the delivery acknowledgment includes the step of transmitting the delivery acknowledgment information to said parent device when the delivery of said retransmitted information is acknowledged by all the child devices in said delivery acknowledgment step.

9. A method of constructing a communication network according to claim 7, further comprising the step of:

removing the management information on a predetermined number of child devices in the case where the number of the child devices stored in said management information storage step exceeds a reference number and transmitting the management information on the removed child devices to different communication devices;

wherein said management information storage step includes the step of storing the management information received from different communication devices.

10. A communication system comprising:

a grouping processing section for grouping communication devices belonging to a communication network into at least one communication group;

a selection processing section for selecting at least one representative device from each communication group grouped by said grouping processing section; and

after selecting said at least one representative device in said selection processing section, said selection processing section causing each communication device to communicate directly with the communication devices belonging to the same communication group and to communicate with a communication device belonging to a different communication group by first transmitting data to the at least one representative device of said same communication group and said selection processing section causing said at least one representative device to transfer part or the whole of said data to the at least one representative device of said different communication group

wherein a terminal selected as said at least one representative device includes;

a terminal ID information receiving section for receiving the terminal ID information transmitted from a different terminal for identifying said terminal;

a communicable terminal information receiving section for receiving the communicable terminal information transmitted from a different terminal for indicating that said different terminal is communicable;

a communication environment information storage section for relating said terminal ID information and said communicable terminal information received from the same terminal to each other and storing both of said information as communication environment information; and

a communication environment information transmission section for transmitting said stored communication environment information to a different terminal.

11. A communication system according to claim 10, wherein the terminals other than the terminal selected as said representative device each include:

a terminal ID information transmission section for transmitting the terminal ID information for identifying a local terminal at least to the terminal selected as the representative terminal of the same communication group as said local terminal; and

a communicable terminal information transmission section for transmitting the communicable terminal information of the local terminal indicating that the local terminal is communicable at least to the terminal selected as the representative terminal belonging to the same communication group as said local terminal.

14. A communication system according to claim 10, further comprising means for receiving a communication environment information transmission request from a different terminal,

wherein upon receipt of said communication environment information transmission request, said communication environment information transmission means transmits the communication environment information stored in said communication environment information storage means.

12. A communication system comprising:

a grouping processing section for grouping communication devices belonging to a communication network into at least one communication group;

a selection processing section for selecting at least one representative device from each communication group grouped by said grouping processing section; and

after selecting said at least one representative device in said selection processing section, said selection processing section causing each communication device to communicate directly with the communication devices belonging to the same communication group and to communicate with a communication device belonging to a different communication group by first transmitting data to the at least one representative device of said same communication group and said selection processing section causing said at least one representative device to transfer part or the whole of said data to the at least one representative device of said different communication group;

further comprising communication environment information transmission decision means for deciding whether or not the communication environment information stored in said communication environment information storage means is transmitted in accordance with predetermined conditions.

13. A communication system according to claim 12, wherein said communication environment information transmission means transmits the communication environment information on a plurality of terminals stored in said communication environment information storage means in one or a plurality of packets.

15. A communication system comprising:

a grouping processing section for grouping communication devices belonging to a communication network into at least one communication group;

a selection processing section for selecting at least one representative device from each communication group grouped by said grouping processing section; and

after selecting said at least one representative device in said selection processing section, said selection processing section causing each communication device to communicate directly with the communication devices belonging to the same communication group and to communicate with a communication device belonging to a different communication group by first transmitting data to the at least one representative device of said same communication group and said selection processing section causing said at least one representative device to transfer part or the whole of said data to the at least one representative device of said different communication group;

further comprising means for detecting the updating of the communication environment information stored in said communication environment information storage means, wherein upon detection of the updating of the communication environment information, said communication environment information transmission means transmits the communication environment information stored in said communication environment information storage means.

16. A communication system comprising:

a grouping processing section for grouping communication devices belonging to a communication network into at least one communication group;

a selection processing section for selecting at least one representative device from each communication group grouped by said grouping processing section; and

after selecting said at least one representative device in said selection processing section, said selection processing section causing each communication device to communicate directly with the communication devices belonging to the same communication group and to communicate with a communication device belonging to a different communication group by first transmitting data to the at least one representative device of said same communication group and said selection processing section causing said at least one representative device to transfer part or the whole of said data to the at least one representative device of said different communication group;

further comprising;

means for receiving said communication environment information sent from a communication device arranged at a different terminal; and

means for storing said received communication environment information.

17. A communication system comprising:

a grouping processing section for grouping communication devices belonging to a communication network into at least one communication group;

a selection processing section for selecting at least one representative device from each communication group grouped by said grouping processing section; and

after selecting said at least one representative device in said selection processing section, said selection processing section causing each communication device to communicate directly with the communication devices belonging to the same communication group and to communicate with a communication device belonging to a different communication group by first transmitting data to the at least one representative device of said same communication group and said selection processing section causing said at least one representative device to transfer part or the whole of said data to the at least one representative device of said different communication group;

wherein said communication device includes;

means for selecting a communication path used for communication from among a plurality of communication paths;

communication path selection transmission means for transmitting the information to the communication path selected by said communication path selection means;

communication path selection receiving means for receiving the information from the communication path selected by said communication path selection means and detecting the occupancy rate of a different communication device in the non-selected communication paths; and

means for storing the information on the occupancy rate of the communication path detected by said communication path selection receiving means.

18. A communication system according to claim 17, wherein said communication path selection means includes the function of selecting a plurality of communication paths used for communication.

19. A communication system according to claim 17, wherein said communication path selection means selects a communication path used for communication from a plurality of communication paths usable by said present communication device, detects the presence or absence of a communication device that has selected the same communication path as said selected communication path based on the information stored in said communication path storage means, and reselects a communication path in the absence of a communication device.

20. A communication system according to claim 18, further comprising relay means for delivering, directly or after being appropriately processed, the information received by said communication path selection receiving means to said communication path selection transmission means so that the information received by said communication path selection receiving means is transmitted from a different communication path than the communication path that has received said information among a plurality of the communication paths selected by said communication path selection means.

21. A communication system according to claim 17, further comprising:

means for generating the communication device ID information for identifying a present communication device and transmitting the generated communication device ID information through said communication path selection transmission means;

means for identifying a communicable communication device based on the communication device ID information of different communication devices received from said communication path information receiving means;

means for setting one or a plurality of communication devices in the same group of the communicable communication devices identified by said communicable device identification means; and

means for selecting the same communication path anew for the communication devices in the same group set by said group setting means.

22. A communication system comprising:

a grouping processing section for grouping communication devices belonging to a communication network into at least one communication group;

a selection processing section for selecting at least one representative device from each communication group grouped by said grouping processing section; and

after selecting said at least one representative device in said selection processing section, said selection processing section causing each communication device to communicate directly with the communication devices belonging to the same communication group and to communicate with a communication device belonging to a different communication group by first transmitting data to the at least one representative device of said same communication group and said selection processing section causing said at least one representative device to transfer part or the whole of said data to the at least one representative device of said different communication group;

comprising a first communication device, a second communication device and a third communication device coexisting with each other,

wherein said first communication device transmits and receives the information using a single communication path for communication,

wherein said second communication device includes communication path selection means capable of selecting a communication path for communication from among a plurality of communication paths, communication path selection transmission means for transmitting the information to the communication path selected by said communication path selection means, communication path selection receiving means for receiving the information from the communication path selected by said communication path selection means and detecting the occupancy rate of a communication device in the non-selected communication path, and communication path storage means for storing the information on the occupancy rate of the communication path detected by said communication path selection receiving means, and

wherein said third communication device includes communication path selection means capable of selecting a plurality of communication paths for communication from among a plurality of communication paths, communication path selection transmission means for transmitting the information to the communication paths selected by said communication path selection means, communication path selection receiving means for receiving the information from the communication paths selected by said communication path selection means and detecting the occupancy rate of different communication devices in the non-selected communication paths, communication path storage means for storing the information on the occupancy rate of the communication paths detected by said communication path selection receiving means, and relay means for delivering, directly or after being processed appropriately, the information received by said communication path selection receiving means to said communication path selection transmission means so that the information received by said communication path selection receiving means is transmitted from different communication paths than the communication paths that have received said information among a plurality of the communication paths selected by said communication path selection means.

23. A communication system comprising:

a grouping processing section for grouping communication devices belonging to a communication network into at least one communication group;

a selection processing section for selecting at least one representative device from each communication group grouped by said grouping processing section; and

after selecting said at least one representative device in said selection processing section, said selection processing section causing each communication device to communicate directly with the communication devices belonging to the same communication group and to communicate with a communication device belonging to a different communication group by first transmitting data to the at least one representative device of said same communication group and said selection processing section causing said at least one representative device to transfer part or the whole of said data to the at least one representative device of said different communication group;

wherein said communication device includes;

a function for storing the management information including at least the identifier (ID) of a child device managed by said present communication device and the delivery acknowledgment information received from said child device;

a function for storing the ID of a parent device managing said present communication device;

an information communication section for transmitting and receiving the information with selected one of all the child devices stored by said management information storage function and said parent device stored by said ID storage function;

a delivery acknowledgment section for comparing the delivery acknowledgment information indicating the receipt of said information received from the child device that has transmitted the information through said information communication section with said management information and acknowledging the delivery of said transmitted information; and

delivery acknowledgment transmission section for transmitting the delivery acknowledgment information to said parent device when the information transmitted is acknowledged by said delivery acknowledgment section.

24. A communication system according to claim 23, wherein said communication device includes:

an information retransmission section for retransmitting said transmitted information in selected one of the cases where said delivery acknowledgment section fails to acknowledge the delivery and where the retransmission request information indicating the failure of correct receipt of the information is received;

wherein said information communication section retransmits said information from said parent device to all the child devices stored in said management information storage section; and

wherein said delivery acknowledgment transmission section transmits said delivery acknowledgment information to said parent device when said delivery acknowledgment section acknowledges the delivery of said retransmitted information from all the child devices.

25. A communication system according to claim 23, further comprising a management information transmission section for transmitting to other devices the management information excluding the management information on a predetermined number of child devices in the case where the number of the child devices stored by said management information storage function exceeds a standard,

wherein said management information storage function stores the management information received from different devices.

26. A computer-readable recording medium for storing a program executed for constructing a communication network, said program being used for executing the steps of:

forming grouping communication devices belonging to a communication network into at least one communication group;

selecting at least one representative device in each communication group thus grouped; and

after said selection step, causing each of the communication devices to communicate directly with the communication devices belonging to a same group and to communicate with the communication devices belonging to a different group by first transmitting data to the at least one representative device of said same group and then causing said representative device to transfer a part or the whole of the data to the at least one representative device of the different group;

wherein said each of the communication devices executes the steps of;

receiving the terminal ID information transmitted from a different terminal for identifying said different terminal;

receiving the communicable terminal information transmitted from a different terminal for indicating that said different terminal is a communicable terminal;

relating said terminal ID information and said communicable terminal information received from the same terminal to each other and storing both of said information; and

operating said computer so that said stored communication environment information is transmitted to a different terminal.

27. A computer-readable recording medium for storing a program executed for constructing a communication network, said program being used for executing the steps of:

forming grouping communication devices belonging to a communication network into at least one communication group;

selecting at least one representative device in each communication group thus grouped; and

after said selection step, causing each of the communication devices to communicate directly with the communication devices belonging to a same group and to communicate with the communication devices belonging to a different group by first transmitting data to the at least one representative device of said same group and then causing said representative device to transfer a part or the whole of the data to the at least one representative device of the different group;

wherein said each of the communication devices executes the steps of;

selecting one of a plurality of communication paths;

transmitting the information on the communication path selected by said present communication device;

receiving the information on the communication path selected by a different communication device;

storing the information on the communication path assigned by a different communication device; and

comparing the information on the communication path selected by a different communication device and stored in said communication path storage step with the information on the communication path selected by the present communication device and upon judging that no communication device has selected the same communication path as the present communication device, reselecting a communication path other than the one selected by the present communication device from among a plurality of communication paths.

28. A computer-readable recording medium for storing a program executed for constructing a communication network, said program being used for executing the steps of:

forming grouping communication devices belonging to a communication network into at least one communication group;

selecting at least one representative device in each communication group thus grouped; and

after said selection step, causing each of the communication devices to communicate directly with the communication devices belonging to a same group and to communicate with the communication devices belonging to a different group by first transmitting data to the at least one representative device of said same group and then causing said representative device to transfer a part or the whole of the data to the at least one representative device of the different group;

wherein said each of the communication devices executes the steps of;

storing the management information including at least the IDs of child devices stored by said present communication device and the delivery acknowledgment information received from said child devices;

storing the ID of a parent device managing said present communication device;

transmitting and receiving the information to and from selected one of all the child devices stored in said management information storage step and said parent device stored in said parent device ID storage step;

comparing the delivery acknowledgment information indicating the receipt of the information from a child device that has transmitted said information in said transmission/receiving step with the management information and acknowledging the delivery of said transmitted information; and

transmitting the delivery acknowledgment information to said parent device when said transmitted information is acknowledged in said delivery acknowledgment step.

29. A computer-readable recording medium according to claim 28, wherein said communication device executes the step of:

retransmitting the transmitted information in selected one of the cases where the delivery cannot be acknowledged and where the retransmission request information is received indicating the failure of correct receipt of the information in said delivery acknowledgment step;

wherein said step of transmitting and receiving the information to and from said parent device includes the step of retransmitting said information from said parent device to all the child devices stored in said management information storage step; and

wherein said delivery acknowledgment transmission step includes the step of transmitting the delivery acknowledgment information to said parent device in the case where the transmission of the information is acknowledged by all the child devices in said delivery acknowledgment step.

30. A computer-readable recording medium according to claim 28,

wherein the management information excluding the management information on a predetermined number of child devices is transmitted to a different device in the case where the number of child devices stored in said management information storage step exceeds a standard;

and

wherein said management information storage step includes the step of storing the management information received from a different device.