Streaming communication system

The present invention relates to a streaming communication system.

In recent years, with the spread of broadband communication, there are increasing opportunities to play video and audio via the Internet using streaming technology. When streaming data such as video and audio is distributed via the Internet, the streaming data is divided into a plurality of packets and distributed. Then, a client device such as a PC (Personal Computer) extracts data from these received packets, reconstructs the data, and reproduces the data.

However, on the Internet, communication of various applications coexists in one IP (Internet Protocol) network. Therefore, the communication speed may decrease due to network congestion or the like. In such a case, data reproduction is disturbed in communication that requires receiving packets in real time, such as streaming communication.

Therefore, a technology has been proposed in which all packets are monitored by a router to search for streaming packets such as video and audio, and bandwidth control is performed using the packets as a trigger.

For example, in Patent Document 1, a communication control device (Wide Area Network) side / LAN (Local Area Network) side boundary, which has bandwidth measurement, communication flow monitoring, bandwidth calculation, and bandwidth control, is installed. Home router) is disclosed. The communication control device guarantees QoS (Quality of Service) for streaming communication for televisions and the like connected in parallel.

Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a streaming data communication system including a server for distributing streaming data and a streaming data communication device for receiving streaming data. The streaming data communication device determines an appropriate bit rate based on the test data packet transmitted from the server.<patcit num="1"><text>Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-210347</text></patcit><patcit num="2"><text>Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-167514</text></patcit>

<p> According to the above technology, the router secures the bandwidth required for streaming communication. However, analyzing all the packets and finding the trigger for streaming is very burdensome on the router side.</p><p> Also, depending on the communication, a protocol that the router does not know may be used, so it is difficult for the router alone to accurately grasp the start / end of streaming communication and its required bandwidth.</p><p> Further, when a large number of streaming communications occur at the same time, it is difficult to allocate the optimum bandwidth for each of the streaming communications because the bandwidth is competing only by controlling the priority of the packets.</p><p> The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a streaming communication system that performs efficient bandwidth control.</p>

<p> According to one aspect of the present invention, it is a streaming communication system including a plurality of streaming communication devices for streaming communication and a communication relay device for controlling relay of data packets between devices connected to the network. Each streaming communication device includes a communication means for transmitting and receiving data packets and a request packet transmission means for transmitting a request packet instructing the communication relay device to control the band for streaming communication, and the communication relay is performed. The device includes a request packet receiving means for receiving the request packet and a band control means for controlling the band of the data packet according to the request packet.</p><p> Preferably, the request packet is an allocation request packet that includes an instruction to allocate bandwidth for streaming communication in the network.</p><p> Preferably, the request packet is a release request packet that includes an instruction to release the band reserved for streaming communication.</p><p> Preferably, the band control means controls to secure the band for the address of the streaming communication device that transmitted the secure request packet in response to the request packet receiving means receiving the secure request packet.</p><p> Preferably, the band control means controls to release the band reserved for the address of the streaming communication device that transmitted the release request packet in response to the request packet receiving means receiving the release request packet.</p><p> Preferably, the communication relay device sets the address of the streaming communication device that transmitted each secure request packet and the band required for streaming communication included in each secure request packet for the secure request packets from the plurality of streaming communication devices. It further includes a storage means for associating and storing.</p><p> Preferably, when the band control means controls to secure the band for the addresses of the plurality of streaming communication devices, the request packet receiving means is released from the predetermined streaming communication device among the plurality of streaming communication devices. In response to receiving the request packet, control is performed to release the reserved band for the address of the predetermined streaming communication device.</p><p> Preferably, the communication relay device further includes a physical port display means for displaying the physical port for which the bandwidth control means controls according to the secured request packet received by the request packet receiving means.</p><p> Preferably, the streaming communication device determines the data storage means for storing the data used in the streaming communication and the bandwidth required for the streaming communication in the compressed format of the data stored in the data storage means. Further including the determination means, the request packet transmission means transmits the secure request packet based on the determination result of the data determination means.</p><p> Preferably, the data determining means determines the bandwidth required for streaming communication in the compressed form of the data packet in response to the communication means receiving the data packet.</p><p> Preferably, the request packet transmitting means uses an IP packet as the secure request packet.</p><p> Preferably, the request packet transmitting means uses an IP packet as the release request packet.</p><p> Preferably, when the bandwidth control means performs bandwidth control for a plurality of streaming communication devices, the band control means requests the allocation of the addresses of the streaming communication devices that have transmitted the allocation request packets among the plurality of streaming communication devices. Bandwidth is controlled based on packets, and the remaining bandwidth is evenly allocated to the addresses of the remaining streaming communication devices.</p><p> Preferably, the data determination means has a table in which the compression format of the data packet and the bandwidth required for the compression format are associated with each other, and the data determination means determines the required bandwidth based on the table.</p><p> Preferably, the communication relay device further includes a notification means for notifying the user that the bandwidth control means is performing control according to the secured request packet received by the request packet receiving means.</p><p> Preferably, the communication relay device further includes a reserved band display means for displaying the address of the streaming communication device that the band control means controls to secure the band in association with the reserved bandwidth.</p><p> Preferably, the data determining means determines the compression format of the data packet based on the payload type of the data packet used in the streaming communication.</p><p> Preferably, the streaming communication is a communication using the SIP protocol, and the data determination means determines the start of the streaming communication and the compression format of the data packet based on the method and the offer SDP information of the response message to the method. ..</p><p> Preferably, each streaming device and the router device are connected by a premises information communication network.</p>

<p> According to the present invention, bandwidth control is efficiently performed in streaming communication. As a result, stable streaming communication can be performed.</p>

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same parts are designated by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are the same. Therefore, detailed description of them will not be repeated.

As will be clarified in the following description, according to the present invention, the streaming communication device requests a communication relay device (hereinafter, referred to as a router device) to secure a band required for streaming communication. To send. The router device allocates the required bandwidth according to the request packet. As a result, stable streaming communication can be performed.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a network configuration to which the streaming communication system 10 according to the present embodiment is applied.

A network configuration to which the streaming communication system 10 according to the present embodiment is applied will be described with reference to FIG.

The streaming communication system 10 is composed of a streaming communication device 5-1 to 5-n capable of streaming communication and a router device 3 that controls the bandwidth of the streaming communication devices 5-1 to 5-n.

The router device 3 is directly connected to the network 1 which is a network such as WAN (Wide Area Network) or the Internet, but may be connected to the network 1 via an ISP (Internet Service Provider) gateway (not shown). .. In addition, the router device 3 and the streaming communication devices 5-1 to 5-n are connected via LAN7. LAN7 may be a wired LAN or a wireless LAN. In the following description, unless each device of the streaming communication devices 5-1 to 5-n is specified, it is simply referred to as the streaming communication device 5. In addition to this, a plurality of other devices can be connected to the router device 3.

The streaming communication system 10 as described above constitutes one local network, and can be considered as a network in a premises such as a home or an office, for example.

The streaming communication device 5 is connected to various communication devices on the network 1 side, for example, a server device to perform communication. It is also possible to distribute streaming data as a server device by itself. The streaming communication device 5 is, for example, a PC or an IP telephone.

The router device 3 controls a plurality of data communications executed between the communication device on the network 1 side and the streaming communication device 5.

The network 1 is a best-effort network that does not guarantee the communication speed that can be used by the user, unlike the subscriber telephone network. Therefore, the devices connected to the network 1 operate so as to use up all of them when the line capacity is sufficient. Transmission efficiency is improved for Web access and file transfer, but for applications that must maintain a certain bandwidth, such as streaming communication, it causes inconveniences such as disruption of data playback.

Therefore, in order to perform stable streaming communication, it is necessary to perform appropriate bandwidth control by a router device or the like. In the streaming communication system according to the present embodiment, the streaming communication device notifies the router device of the band required for streaming communication. The router device controls to secure the bandwidth according to the notification. As a result, the streaming communication device can execute stable streaming communication.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the streaming communication device 5. The functions of the streaming communication device 5 will be described with reference to FIG.

The streaming communication device 5 includes a communication interface unit (hereinafter referred to as communication I / F unit) 109, a bandwidth securing / opening request transmission unit 110, a required bandwidth search table 118, and a packet monitoring and session information processing unit 111. The audio / video processing unit 112 and the display unit 106 are provided.

The communication I / F unit 109 is an interface for transmitting and receiving packets. The packet monitoring and session information processing unit 111 monitors the packet received by the communication I / F unit 109, and determines whether the packet is the start packet of streaming communication (for example, IP voice communication or incoming IP TV call). judge. In addition, after the session (communication) is established by the start packet, the line status is measured periodically. The packet monitoring and session information processing unit 111 calculates the bandwidth required for streaming communication based on the above determination or measurement result using the required bandwidth search table 118, and notifies the bandwidth reservation / release request transmission unit 110. Further, when it is detected that the communication is terminated, the band reservation / release request transmission unit 110 is notified to release the secured band.

When starting streaming communication from the own device, since the communication method is known in advance, the band required band is directly notified to the band securing / opening request transmission unit 110. Here, the "communication method" refers to a compression format such as MP4V (corresponding to MPEG4: Moving Picture Experts Group phase 4) or PCMU (corresponding to G.711 μ-law).

The detailed processing in which the packet monitoring and the session information processing unit 111 determines the start packet and measures the line state will be described later.

The required bandwidth search table 118 is a table in which the data compression format and the required bandwidth for the compression format are associated with each other. For example, in IP phones, G.711 is associated with 64 kbps, G.722 is associated with 64 kbps, and G.729 is associated with 8 kbps. The contents of the table may be only the compression format supported by the own device. The packet monitoring and session information processing unit 111 searches for the compression format listed in the required bandwidth search table 118 from the compressed format of the data included in the received start packet, and calculates the required bandwidth.

The band reservation / release request transmission unit 110 transmits a request packet to the router device 3 via the communication I / F unit 109, which requests the packet monitoring and the reservation of the required bandwidth notified from the session information processing unit 111. When the packet monitoring and session information processing unit 111 notifies the band release, the request packet requesting the band release is transmitted to the router device 3 via the communication I / F unit 109. As a method of transmitting the request packet, for example, there are a method of transmitting the packet to the IP address of the router device 3 obtained by DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) and a method of transmitting the packet to the network address. .. The packet transmitted here is an IP packet in which information (IP address, network address, etc.) for identifying the communication partner is stored in the header.

The audio / video processing unit 112 performs reproduction processing of the transmitted data by rearranging the order of the packets based on the header information of the received packets and the like. Further, the reproduced data is given to the display unit 106. Alternatively, the audio / video data stored in a storage device (not shown) is divided into packets so that streaming communication can be performed.

The display unit 106 displays the playback data given by the audio / video processing unit 112. For example, it consists of a liquid crystal display and a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display.

Next, the packet monitoring and the processing performed by the session information processing unit 111 will be described in detail.

FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram for explaining the determination of the start packet and the measurement of the line state. An example of determining the start packet and measuring the line state in the packet monitoring and session information processing unit 111 will be described with reference to FIG.

In the streaming communication system 10 in FIG. 1, a call control procedure as shown in FIG. 3 is required in order to establish a connection between the communication device on the network 1 side and the streaming communication device 5 prior to communication. Here, the SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) protocol is used as a protocol for call control.

Prior to the explanation of FIG. 3, SIP will be described. SIP is a protocol that indicates the procedure for opening, changing, and ending a session. SIP has a message called a method consisting of "connection request message (INVITE)", "acknowledgement message (ACK)", "end request message (BYE)", and a response message that responds to the method. is there. For example, when you want to start communication with the other party, use "connection request message (INVITE)". In addition, the response code is defined for the response message, and the code is divided according to the content, such as a provisional response if it is "1xx" and a success response if it is "2xx".

The content of the SIP message consists of (1) start line, (2) header field, (3) blank line, and (4) body (hereinafter referred to as "payload" as appropriate).

(1) The content of the method is shown on the start line. (2) Various information indicating the destination and source (for example, SIP URI (Uniform Resource Identifier)) is added to the header field as needed. (3) A blank line indicates the delimiter between the header and the body. Then, in the (4) body, communication information indicating the communication method supported by the own device, the bandwidth usage time, the port number used for communication, etc. is described in SDP (Session Description Protocol).

Hereinafter, FIG. 3 will be described by taking an IP telephone as an example as a communication device. Network 1 side communication device (here, referred to as the calling side communication device (hereinafter, referred to as "calling side")) and streaming communication device 5 (here, referred to as the called side communication device (hereinafter, "calling side"). (Call) and) are exchanged SIP messages via the SIP server.

First, the caller sends a connection request message (INVITE) to the SIP server. This connection request message (INVITE) contains an IP phone number or URI that specifies the calling and called parties. In addition, communication information of audio and video data to be exchanged by communication is written in SDP in the body part.

The SIP server looks up the IP address of the called party from its database and sends this connection request message (INVITE) to the called party. In addition, a trying message (100 Trying) is returned to the calling side.

Upon receiving the connection request message (INVITE), the called party immediately notifies the user of the incoming call by ringing a ring tone or the like. At this time, the packet monitoring and session information processing unit 111 detects the start of streaming communication. Then, based on the communication information written in the payload type, the required bandwidth is calculated with reference to the required bandwidth search table 118. Further, the packet monitoring and session information processing unit 111 instructs the bandwidth allocation / start request transmission unit 110 to transmit the packet requesting the acquisition of the required bandwidth calculated above to the router device 3.

The called party also sends a calling message (180 Ringing) to the SIP server. This ringing message (180 Ringing) is transmitted to the caller via the SIP server.

In this calling state, if the called user performs an off-hook operation, a success response message (200 OK) is transmitted to the calling side via the SIP server.

The caller who receives the success response message (200 OK) can identify the IP address of the callee from the offer SDP information in the message. Here, the "offer SDP information" indicates the information written in SDP in the response message. In addition, the offer SDP information describes some transfer rates that can be communicated. As a result, an ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol) packet is sent to the IP address of the called party (S10). In addition, ICMP is a protocol for a router or host located on the route to notify the source host of the failure when there is a network failure and normal communication cannot be performed. It is mainly used to check the status of each other between computers and network devices connected by TCP / IP.

The sender calculates the current bandwidth from the delay time of the response to the transmitted ICMP packet. Furthermore, from the offer SDP information, the fastest transfer rate in the band is selected. The calling side sends an acknowledgment message (ACK) in which the selected transfer rate is written in the body part to the called side via the SIP server. This establishes the session. At this time, the packet monitoring and session information processing unit 111 reads the transfer rate from the body portion of the acknowledgment message (ACK). If this transfer rate is different from the required bandwidth calculated based on the connection request message (INVITE), the router device 3 is instructed again to transmit the packet requesting the bandwidth allocation to the bandwidth allocation / release request transmission unit 110.

As described above, the called party can know the information such as the start of communication, the IP address of the communication partner, and the compression format of the audio or video data to be exchanged by the connection request message (INVITE). In addition, the sender sends an ICMP packet to the IP address of the other party, calculates the bandwidth from the delay time of the response, and selects the fastest transfer rate in that bandwidth. The selected transfer rate is written to the body portion of the acknowledgment message (ACK). The called party transmits a bandwidth reservation request packet to the router device based on the transfer rate written in the body portion.

After the session is established, streaming communication becomes possible by transmitting data packets destined for the other IP address between the transmitting side and the receiving side. During communication, RTP (Real-time Transport Protocol) packets, RTCP (RTP Control Protocol) packets, RTP (Real Time Streaming Protocol) packets, etc. are used. Note that some SIP messages do not strictly specify the compression format as described above. Generally, the communication method is described in the payload of an RTP packet or the like. In such a case, the compression format may be determined from the payload type of these packets.

In addition, during communication, the calling side sends an ICMP packet to the receiving side's IP address at preset times (S12). Then, the transfer rate is changed according to the line condition. The transfer rate is selected from the offer SDP information, and a connection request message (INVITE) or update message (UPDATE) describing the selected transfer rate is sent to the called party (S14). As a result, the packet monitoring and session information processing unit 111 instructs the bandwidth securing / opening request transmission unit 110 to transmit the packet requesting the change of the communication speed to the router device 3.

In addition, when terminating the session, the caller sends a termination request message (BYE). Upon receiving the termination request message (BYE) via the SIP server, the called party returns a success response message (200 OK) and the session ends. Since the called party detects the end of communication, it sends a packet requesting the router device to release the band.

As described above, the packet monitoring and session information processing unit 111 can determine the start of communication and the type of communication from the connection request message (INVITE) and the offer SDP information. In the above description, the streaming communication device 5 is described as the called side, but the calling side can also perform bandwidth control by the same procedure.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the router device 3. The function of the router device 3 will be described with reference to FIG.

The router device 3 includes a LAN side communication I / F unit 113, a bandwidth reservation display unit 114, a bandwidth allocation control processing unit 115, a bandwidth allocation table 116, and a WAN side communication I / F unit 117.

The LAN side communication I / F unit 113 is an interface for transmitting and receiving packets to and from a streaming communication device 5 or the like installed on the LAN side.

The WAN side communication I / F section 117 is connected to network 1. It is an interface for sending and receiving data to and from server devices connected to network 1.

When the bandwidth allocation control processing unit 115 receives the bandwidth reservation request packet from the streaming communication device 5 via the LAN side I / F unit 113, the bandwidth allocation control processing unit 115 of the streaming communication device 5 that has transmitted the request packet to the bandwidth allocation table 116. Register the IP address and the requested bandwidth in association with each other. Then, the bandwidth allocation process is performed for the IP address. As a method of securing bandwidth, for example, a packet MAC (Media Access) There is a way to look at the Control) address and raise the routing priority of packets from the streaming communication device of that MAC address. As a result, even if a large amount of data is exchanged between other streaming communication devices, the communication of the streaming communication device having a higher priority is prioritized and the bandwidth is secured. As another example, there is a method of limiting the bandwidth of packets other than the address for which bandwidth priority is specified. In this method, for example, buffering is performed on the router device side so that data is not transferred at a speed of 10 Mbps or higher. As a result, for example, 100Base-TX Ethernet (registered trademark) can freely use the remaining 90 Mbps. The router device allocates bandwidth according to the request packet by, for example, these methods.

The bandwidth allocation control processing unit 115 gives priority to the communication of the device that has transmitted the bandwidth reservation request packet. The remaining bandwidth is allocated to the device that has not been notified after the bandwidth is secured according to the request packet. Alternatively, the priority may be set low. When the bandwidth allocation control processing unit 115 does not perform bandwidth control according to the request packet, it performs normal routing such that the relay route is set according to the destination IP address of the received packet.

When the bandwidth allocation control processing unit 115 receives the bandwidth release request packet, the bandwidth allocation control processing unit 115 deletes the IP address of the streaming communication device 5 that has transmitted the bandwidth release request packet from the bandwidth allocation table 116.

As described above, the bandwidth allocation table 116 is a table in which the IP address to which the bandwidth is allocated by the bandwidth allocation control processing unit 115 and the requested bandwidth are associated with each other.

The band reservation display unit 114 displays whether or not the band reservation process is being performed. For example, when the bandwidth allocation control processing unit 115 performs bandwidth allocation control according to a request packet, the LED (Light Emitting Diode) is turned on. The LED is not turned on when the bandwidth allocation control according to the request packet is not performed.

Alternatively, allocate bandwidth to the setting interface of router device 3 (for example, HomePage where you can access the IP address of the router on the Web and check the settings of the router device) for which IP address and at what speed. There is a way to display which physical port is speed-limited.

Next, the processing for enabling the above operation in the streaming communication device 5 and the router device 3 will be described.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the streaming communication device 5. The processing performed by the streaming communication device 5 will be described with reference to FIG.

First, in step S201, the packet monitoring and session information processing unit 111 confirms the reception of the packet addressed to its own address in the communication I / F unit 109.

Next, in step S203, the packet monitoring and session information processing unit 111 determines whether or not the received packet is the start packet of streaming communication. At this time, as described in FIG. 3, the start of streaming communication is determined by the connection request message (INVITE). Alternatively, it is determined whether or not there is an input for starting streaming communication from the user via an operation unit (not shown in FIG. 2).

If it is determined that the streaming communication has not started (NO in step S203), the process returns to the process of step S201.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the streaming communication has started (YES in step S203), the band allocation / release request transmission unit 110 transmits a packet requesting the allocation of the required bandwidth to the router device 3 (step S205). ). As described with reference to FIG. 3, the required bandwidth is calculated by the packet monitoring and session information processing unit 111 based on the communication information written in the payload in the packet and the required bandwidth search table 118. When starting streaming communication from the own device, since the communication information is known in advance, the packet monitoring and session information processing unit 111 directly notifies the band securing / opening request transmission unit 110 of the required band.

Subsequently, in step S207, the audio / video processing unit 112 communicates audio, video, and the like. At this time, the audio / video processing unit 112 reproduces the received packet as audio / video data and gives it to the display device 106. Alternatively, when starting streaming communication from the own device, the audio / video data stored in the storage device (not shown in FIG. 2) is divided into packets and transmitted to the communication partner.

Then, in step S209, the packet monitoring and session information processing unit 111 determines whether or not the streaming communication has ended. At this time, as described in FIG. 3, the end of the streaming communication is determined by the communication end message (BYE). Alternatively, the audio / video processing unit 112 determines whether the process of dividing the audio / video data into packets has been completed.

If it is determined that the streaming communication has not ended (NO in step S209), the process of step S207 is performed.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the streaming communication is completed (YES in step S209), the band reservation / release request transmission unit 110 transmits a packet requesting the release of the secured band to the router device 3 (step S211). ).

Finally, in step S213, the control unit (not shown in FIG. 2) of the streaming communication device 5 determines whether or not the termination condition is satisfied. Here, the process may be continued repeatedly unless there is a termination command from the user. Alternatively, the above-mentioned processing may be terminated when the set number of times is reached, or may be terminated when a certain period of time has elapsed from the start of the processing. If it is determined that the end condition is not satisfied (NO in step S213), the process of step S203 is performed. On the other hand, if it is determined that the end condition is satisfied (YES in step S213), the process is terminated.

Through the above processing, the streaming communication device 5 transmits a packet requesting the securing of the band required for the streaming communication and a packet requesting the release of the secured band to the router device 3. As a result, stable streaming communication can be performed.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the router device 3. The processing performed by the router device 3 will be described with reference to FIG. After activation, the router device 3 performs normal routing processing such as setting a relay route according to the destination IP address of the received packet. The processing of the router device 3 shown below is performed independently of the normal routing processing, but when a request packet is received, the processing shown in FIG. 6 is executed with priority over the normal routing processing.

First, in step S301, the band allocation control processing unit 115 confirms the reception of the request packet in the LAN side communication I / F unit 113.

Next, in step S303, the band allocation control processing unit 115 determines whether or not the request packet in step S301 has been received. For example, an IP packet in which the MAC address and IP address of the packet are both router devices 3 is determined to be a request packet. If it is determined that the request packet has not been received (NO in step S303), the process proceeds to step S301.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the bandwidth reservation request packet has been received (secured in step S303), in step S305, the bandwidth allocation control unit 115 reads the information written in the packet payload and the bandwidth required for streaming communication. Recognize. Then, in the band allocation table 116, the IP address of the streaming communication device that transmitted the request packet and the band to be allocated are registered in association with each other.

Subsequently, in step S307, the band allocation control processing unit 115 performs the band securing process. As a method of securing the bandwidth, there are a method of using various QoS algorithms for a specific address, a method of limiting the bandwidth other than the specific address, and the like.

Then, in step S309, the band reservation display unit 114 displays whether or not the band reservation process is being performed. For example, when the bandwidth allocation control processing unit 115 performs bandwidth allocation control according to the request packet, the LED is turned on.

Or, for which IP address and at what speed the bandwidth is secured for the router device setting interface (for example, HomePage where you can access the router IP address on the Web and check the router device settings). Is displayed, or which physical port is speed-limited.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the bandwidth release request packet has been received (released in step S303), the bandwidth allocation control processing unit 115 sets the bandwidth allocation control processing unit 115 to the IP address of the streaming communication device that transmitted the bandwidth release request packet in step S311. , Performs bandwidth release processing, and deletes the registration of the IP address for which the bandwidth release processing was performed and the allocated bandwidth from the bandwidth allocation table 116. Further, the band reservation display unit 114 changes the band reservation display for the IP address of the streaming communication device that transmitted the band release request packet and the band reserved. For example, if the bandwidth allocation control processing unit 115 does not perform bandwidth allocation control according to the request packet, the LED is not turned on.

Further, in step S313, the control unit (not shown in FIG. 4) of the router device 3 determines whether or not the termination condition is satisfied. Here, the process may be continued repeatedly unless there is a termination command from the user. Alternatively, the above-mentioned processing may be terminated when the set number of times is reached, or may be terminated when a certain period of time has elapsed from the start of the processing. If it is determined that the end condition is not satisfied (NO in step S313), the band allocation control processing unit 115 returns to the processing of step S301. On the other hand, if it is determined that the end condition is satisfied (YES in step S313), the process is terminated.

Through the above processing, the router device 3 performs bandwidth control according to the request packet transmitted by the streaming communication device 5. As a result, stable streaming communication can be performed.

According to the streaming communication system according to the present embodiment, the streaming communication device transmits a packet requesting the router device to secure the band required for the streaming communication. The router device allocates the required bandwidth according to the request packet. As a result, stable streaming communication can be performed. Further, even when the streaming communication device communicates in a protocol or compression format in which the router device cannot determine the required band, the router device secures the required band because the streaming communication device notifies the router device of the required band. Stable streaming communication can be performed depending on the band.

Further, according to the streaming communication system according to the present embodiment, since the streaming communication device notifies the router device of the required band and the usage time of the band, the burden of the routing process in the router device can be reduced. As a result, efficient bandwidth control can be performed without increasing the cost of the system.

Further, according to the streaming communication system according to the present embodiment, the router device performs bandwidth control on the port according to the request packet transmitted by the streaming communication device. This allows you to avoid imposing extra restrictions on other ports.

Further, according to the streaming communication system according to the present embodiment, an IP packet is used as the request packet. As a result, it is not necessary to add a new signal line or the like, so that an existing device can be used.

Further, according to the streaming communication system according to the present embodiment, bandwidth control is performed for the IP addresses of a plurality of streaming communication devices that have transmitted request packets. As a result, in the past, when streaming communication was performed on one port, only this communication could be prioritized, but bandwidth control is performed for the IP address of each streaming communication device that sent the request packet. be able to. Therefore, it is possible to accurately secure the required speeds for the streaming communication that occurred at the same time, and to continue the communication without cutting the communication of the remaining ports more than necessary.

Further, according to the streaming communication system according to the present embodiment, the router device performs bandwidth control according to a request packet from the streaming communication device. As a result, the bandwidth can be controlled so as to ensure the quality of the streaming communication even if the setting is not made by the user, so that the burden on the user is reduced.

Further, in the streaming communication system according to the present embodiment, the existing procedure is used as the streaming communication procedure. As a result, existing communication can be performed even with communication with a streaming communication device that does not have a configuration like this system.

It should be considered that the embodiments disclosed this time are exemplary in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown by the scope of claims rather than the above description, and it is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of claims.

<figref num="1">It is a figure which illustrated the structure of the network to which the streaming communication system 10 which concerns on this embodiment is applied.</figref><figref num="2">It is a functional block diagram which showed the functional configuration of a streaming communication apparatus 5.</figref><figref num="3">It is a sequence diagram for demonstrating the determination of a start packet and the measurement of a line state.</figref><figref num="4">It is a functional block diagram which showed the functional configuration of the router apparatus 3.</figref><figref num="5">It is a flowchart which showed the process performed by a streaming communication apparatus 5.</figref><figref num="6">It is a flowchart which showed the process which a router apparatus 3 performs.</figref>

Code description

1 network, 3 router device, 5 streaming communication device, 7 LAN, 10 streaming communication system, 106 display unit, 109 communication I / F unit, 110 bandwidth reservation / release request transmission unit, 111 packet monitoring and session information processing unit, 112 Audio / video processing unit, 113 LAN side communication I / F unit, 114 bandwidth reservation display unit, 115 bandwidth allocation control processing unit, 116 band allocation table, 117 WAN side communication I / F unit, 118 required bandwidth search table.