Data communication program, data communication method, and data communication system

Abstract

To perform high speed data communication while securing high reliability.SOLUTION: When dictionary data 22du to be transmitted from a WES server 20 to an electronic dictionary 10 has predetermined or higher data capacity, a data communication system determines whether or not a communication environment of an electronic dictionary 10 is stable, selects UDP having lower reliability but faster than TCP to transmit a real data part dn of the dictionary data 22du, transmits a sum value sumn of the real data part dn using TCP capable of performing data communication slower but having higher reliability than UDP. When a sum value calculated on the basis of the real data part dn received using UDP by the electronic dictionary 10 does not agree with the sum value sumn received using TCP, the data communication system receives the real data part dn from the WES server 20 using TCP again. Even when the dictionary data 22du has the predetermined or higher data capacity, the electronic dictionary 10 can download it from the WES server 20 fast while keeping high reliability.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a data communication program, a data communication method, and a data communication system. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, in a data communication system using a network, two protocols, Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP), are defined in the transport layer of the TCP / IP protocol group (protocol stack). TCP is used for file transfers, sending and receiving emails, etc., because it provides highly reliable data communication. However, in order to achieve high reliability, there are many communication processes, and the header size is large, which increases the communication load, and it takes a long time to download large amounts of data. On the other hand, UDP is less reliable but allows for faster communication, so it is used for speed-based communications such as voice calls and multi-site web conferences.

[0003] Conventionally, when transmitting target data to be transmitted from a server device to a user terminal via a network, first, basic transmission information including a checksum of the target data is transmitted by TCP, and then the main body of the target data is transmitted by UDP. If the amount of lost packets that cannot be transmitted correctly is less than a predetermined amount, the lost packets are retransmitted by TCP, and if the amount of lost packets is more than the predetermined amount, the lost packets are retransmitted by UDP (for example, see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-184917 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the technology disclosed in the prior art documents, either TCP or UDP is selected depending on the amount of lost packets to be resent, which is determined after the target data is sent, and the lost packets are resent. However, if the amount of lost packets is greater than a certain amount, that is, if the data communication environment is unstable and more than the certain amount of lost packets are resent using UDP, this will result in a decrease in reliability in correctly sending the target data.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a data communication program, a data communication method, and a data communication system that enable high-speed data communication while maintaining high reliability. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The data communication program according to the present invention comprises: A control unit of a data communication system capable of communication using TCP and communication using UDP, which is lower in reliability than the communication using TCP but allows for faster communication, determining whether or not a communication environment is stable when transmitting target data designated as a target for transmission from the first communication device to the second communication device; If it is determined that the communication environment is not stable, the target data is transmitted by the TCP communication; When it is determined that the communication environment is stable, the target data is transmitted by the UDP communication, and the checksum value of the target data is transmitted by the TCP communication. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to perform high-speed data communication while maintaining high reliability. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1]1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a data communication system 1 according to an embodiment of a data communication program, a data communication method, and a data communication system of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic circuit of an electronic dictionary (electronic device) 10. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic circuit of a WES server (server device) 20. [Figure 4] 2 is a diagram showing a data format of dictionary data (contents) 22du having a data capacity equal to or larger than a predetermined value and stored in a dictionary database storage area 22d of the WES server 20. FIG. [Diagram 5] 4 is a flowchart showing an additional dictionary download process in the electronic dictionary 10 and an additional dictionary download handling process in the WES server 20, which are related to the overall operation of the data communication system 1; [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart showing a data download process by the electronic dictionary 10 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 6 is a flowchart showing a data upload process by the WES server 20 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing a data download process by the electronic dictionary 10 according to the second embodiment. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing a data upload process by the WES server 20 according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. (Configuration of the embodiment) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a data communication system 1 according to an embodiment of the data communication program, the data communication method, and the data communication system of the present invention. The data communication system 1 is applicable to all data communications between communication devices (electronic devices with communication functions) on a network, such as a server-client system using the network. The data communication system 1 of the embodiment includes an electronic dictionary (electronic device) 10 and a WES (Worldwide Education Service) server (server device) 20 provided on a communication network N such as the Internet. The WES server 20 refers to a dedicated server that connects the electronic dictionary 10 and an information terminal (not shown) with an electronic dictionary application built in with a cloud service, and has a function of uploading at least dictionary content to the electronic dictionary 10 and the information terminal. In the embodiment, uploading refers to sending (transferring) data (files) from one's own electronic device (here, the WES server 20) to another electronic device (here, the electronic dictionary 10), and downloading refers to receiving (receiving transfer) data (files) from another electronic device (here, the WES server 20).

[0011] The electronic dictionary (electronic device) 10 may be configured as a dedicated electronic dictionary 10 described below, or as a smartphone, tablet terminal, PC (Personal Computer), mobile phone, e-book, portable game machine, or the like having a dictionary function.

[0012] The data communication system 1 shown in FIG. 1 has at least the following functions (10a) to (10h) and (20a) to (20g). In the electronic dictionary 10, a function (10a) of requesting new dictionary data (contents) of the user's choice as additional dictionary data to the WES server 20 and downloading the requested additional dictionary data from the WES server 20. In the WES server 20, a function (20a) of uploading additional dictionary data (contents) requested by the electronic dictionary 10 to the electronic dictionary 10.

[0013] In the electronic dictionary 10, a function (10b) for measuring (identifying) communication environment data (such as RSSI <Receive Signal Strength Indicator: electric field strength of wireless communication> and throughput <data transmission speed: bits per second>) with the WES server 20 via the communication network N and obtaining it. In the electronic dictionary 10 or the WES server 20, a function (10c / 20b) for determining whether the communication environment is stable according to whether the communication environment data (stability of the communication environment: such as RSSI and throughput) obtained by the electronic dictionary 10 is equal to or greater than a preset data value (predetermined or more). In the electronic dictionary 10 or the WES server 20, a function (10d / 20c) for determining whether additional dictionary data (content), which is the target of downloading to the electronic dictionary 10 (the target of uploading from the WES server 20), has a data capacity (data size) of a predetermined amount or more.

[0014] In the WES server 20, among the dictionary data (content) stored in the dictionary database (DB), dictionary data (content) 22du (see Fig. 4) with a data capacity of a predetermined amount or more is divided into a plurality of data blocks Bd1 to Bdn with a preset data capacity (predetermined size) (each block includes an actual data part d1 to dn and checksum values sum1 to sumn thereof), and a header Hd storing the dictionary name, a UDP flag indicating (recommending) data transmission via UDP, and the total data capacity is stored in association with it. Function (20d).

[0015] In the WES server 20, when uploading additional dictionary data to the electronic dictionary 10, based on whether the data capacity of the additional dictionary data is a predetermined amount or more and whether the communication environment of the electronic dictionary 10 is stable, the additional dictionary data is transmitted to the electronic dictionary 10 via UDP or TCP for each data block. Function (20e). In the electronic dictionary 10, a function (10e) for receiving additional dictionary data transmitted from the WES server 20 via UDP or TCP via UDP or TCP.

[0016] In the electronic dictionary 10, when a data block of additional dictionary data is received via UDP, a function (10f) for calculating a sum value corresponding to the actual data of the received data block. In the WES server 20, when transmitting additional dictionary data for each data block to the electronic dictionary 10 by UDP, a function (20f) of transmitting the actual data contained in the data block by UDP and transmitting the sum value by TCP. In the electronic dictionary 10, a function (10g) of receiving, via TCP, the sum value of a data block transmitted from the WES server 20 via TCP. In the electronic dictionary 10, a function (10h) for determining whether a sum value calculated corresponding to the actual data of a data block received via UDP matches the sum value of the data block received via TCP, and if they do not match, for re-receiving the actual data of the data block from the WES server 20 via TCP. In the WES server 20, if a sum value calculated corresponding to the actual data of a data block sent to the electronic dictionary 10 via UDP does not match the sum value of the data block sent to the electronic dictionary 10 via TCP, a function (20g) of resending the actual data of the data block to the electronic dictionary 10 via TCP.

[0017] Figure 1 shows an example of a case where a content list screen G is displayed on the touch panel display unit 17 of the electronic dictionary 10 when additional dictionary data (content) has been downloaded from the WES server 20 to the electronic dictionary 10 in response to a request for additional dictionary data (content) from the electronic dictionary 10 to the WES server 20. The content list screen G displays a list of dictionary data (contents) stored in the electronic dictionary 10 as a list of dictionary icons of the specified language system by specifying a language system tab such as the [Japanese] tab TN. When the [Japanese] tab TN is specified, a list of dictionary icons of Japanese-language dictionaries (for example, [Japanese 1] N1, [Japanese 2] N2, ...) is displayed. Here, when additional Japanese language dictionary data is downloaded from the WES server 20 to the electronic dictionary 10 and stored therein, an additional dictionary icon AD corresponding to the additional dictionary data is displayed.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic circuit of the electronic dictionary (electronic device) 10. As shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic circuit of the WES server (server device) 20. As shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a data format of dictionary data (contents) 22du having a data capacity equal to or larger than a predetermined value and stored in the dictionary database storage area 22d of the WES server 20. As shown in FIG.

[0019] <Electronic Dictionary (Electronic Device) 10> As shown in FIG. 2, an electronic dictionary (electronic device) 10 includes a control unit (CPU: Central Processing Unit) 11, which is a computer. The control unit 11 controls the operation of each part of the circuit in accordance with a dictionary control program (12a) and a communication control program (12b) stored in a memory unit 12. The dictionary control program (12a) and the communication control program (12b) may be stored in advance in the memory unit 12, read from an external storage medium 13 such as a memory card by a storage medium reading unit 14 and stored in the memory unit 12, or downloaded from a Web server (a program server in this case) on the communication network N via a communication unit (Wi-Fi (registered trademark) wireless communication unit) 15 and stored in the memory unit 12. The Wi-Fi module used in the communication unit (Wi-Fi) 15 may be a complete module with a built-in protocol stack.

[0020] The dictionary control program (12a) and the communication control program (12b) include a system program for controlling the entire electronic dictionary 10, as well as a program for establishing a communication connection with the WES server 20 at any time, a program for searching dictionary data (12e) in response to user operations, and a program for cooperating with the WES server 20 at any time to execute the above-mentioned functions (10a) to (10h). The communication control program (12b) may include a protocol stack in which two protocols, TCP and UDP, are defined in the transport layer, and functions in conjunction with the dictionary control program (12a).

[0021] The control unit 11 is connected via a system and data bus to a memory unit 12, a recording medium reading unit 14, a communication unit (Wi-Fi) 15, a key input unit 16 including character input keys and a [Translate / Confirm] key, and a touch panel display unit 17. The memory unit 12 has program memory areas 12a, 12b for storing a dictionary control program (12a) and a communication control program (12b), as well as a communication environment data memory area 12c for storing communication environment data (12c), an electronic dictionary ID memory area 12d for storing electronic dictionary IDs (electronic dictionary identification information) (12d), a dictionary data memory area 12e for storing dictionary data (12e), an additional dictionary data memory area 12f for storing additional dictionary data (12f), and a work data memory area 12g for temporarily storing various work data (12g) generated or acquired in response to control of the operation of each part by the control unit 11, as necessary. In the communication environment data storage area 12c, data values of RSSI (electric field strength) in the communication unit (Wi-Fi) 15 measured according to the dictionary control program (12a) and the communication control program (12b), and data values of throughput (data transmission speed) calculated (estimated) based on the time when dummy data for throughput measurement of a predetermined data capacity is transmitted and received with the WES server 20 are stored as communication environment data (12c). Note that the data value of throughput may be stored (accumulated) as a throughput history by associating the throughput at the time of past data communication with the data value of RSSI at that time, and the throughput corresponding to the current data value of RSSI may be acquired. Further, the communication environment data (12c) may be anything that indicates the stability of the communication environment, not limited to RSSI and throughput.

[0022] In the electronic dictionary ID storage area 12d, electronic dictionary identification information unique to the electronic dictionary 10 is stored as the electronic dictionary ID. Note that the electronic dictionary ID may also serve as user identification information (user ID). In the dictionary data storage area 12e, various dictionary data (contents) such as language-based and field-based dictionaries, such as a Japanese dictionary and an English dictionary, are stored as dictionary data (digital contents) that associate words and phrases that are headwords with explanatory information including semantic meanings, example sentences, and explanations corresponding to the same headwords. In the additional dictionary data storage area 12f, dictionary data (contents) downloaded from the WES server 20 is stored as additional dictionary data (additional dictionary data) for the dictionary data (12e) stored in the dictionary data storage area 12e.

[0023] The electronic dictionary 10 configured in this way controls the operations of each part of the circuit according to the instructions described in the dictionary control program (12a) and the communication control program (12b) by the control unit 11, and realizes various functions as described in the following operation explanation by the cooperation of software and hardware.

[0024] <WES server (server device) 20> As shown in FIG. 3, the WES server (server device) 20 includes a control unit (CPU) 21 which is a computer. The control unit 21 controls the operation of each part of the circuit in accordance with a server control program (22a) and a communication control program (22b) stored in the storage unit 22. The server control program (22a) and the communication control program (22b) may be pre-stored in the memory unit 22, or may be read from an external recording medium 23 such as a CD-ROM by the recording medium reading unit 24 and stored in the memory unit 22, or may be downloaded from a Web server (here, a program server) on the communication network N via the communication unit 25 and stored in the memory unit 22.

[0025] The server control program (22a) and the communication control program (22b) include a system program for controlling the entire WES server 20, as well as a program for establishing a communication connection with external communication devices including the electronic dictionary 10 at any time, and a program for cooperating with the electronic dictionary 10 at any time to execute the above-mentioned functions (20a) to (20g). The communication control program (22b) may include a protocol stack in which two protocols, TCP and UDP, are defined in the transport layer, and functions in cooperation with the server control program (22a).

[0026] The control unit 21 is connected to a storage unit 22, a recording medium reading unit 24, a communication unit 25, an input unit 26 including a pointing device and a keyboard, a display unit 27, and the like via a system and a data bus. The memory unit 22 has program memory areas 22a, 22b for storing a server control program (22a) and a communication control program (22b), as well as a communication environment data memory area 22c for storing communication environment data (22c) acquired from the electronic dictionary 10 during communication connection, a dictionary database memory area 22d, a user management database memory area 22e, and a work data memory area 22f for temporarily storing various work data (22f) generated or acquired in response to control of the operation of each part by the control unit 21 as necessary.

[0027] In the dictionary database storage area 22d, a large number of different types of dictionary data (contents) in various languages, fields, etc. are stored as dictionary data in which a word or phrase that is an entry word is associated with explanatory information including the meaning, example sentence, and explanation corresponding to the entry word for each dictionary data. As shown in Fig. 4, dictionary data 22du having a data capacity of a predetermined amount or more is divided into a plurality of data blocks Bd1 to Bdn (each block includes actual data parts d1 to dn and their sum values ​​sum1 to sumn), and stored in association with a header Hd that stores a dictionary name, a (recommended) UDP flag indicating data transmission by UDP, and a total data capacity.

[0028] The user management database memory area 22e stores, in association with each other, the electronic dictionary ID (or user ID) of the electronic dictionary 10 of a user who uses the WES server 20 and a stored dictionary, which is identification information (e.g., dictionary name) of dictionary data already stored in the electronic dictionary 10.

[0029] In the WES server 20 configured in this manner, the control unit 21 controls the operation of each part of the circuit in accordance with commands written in the server control program (22a) and the communication control program (22b), and the software and hardware operate in cooperation to realize various functions as described in the operation explanation below.

[0030] (Operation of the embodiment) Next, the operation of the data communication system 1 according to the embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing an additional dictionary download process in the electronic dictionary 10 and an additional dictionary download handling process in the WES server 20, which are involved in the overall operation of the data communication system 1. As shown in FIG. In the electronic dictionary 10, for example, when an additional dictionary download screen (not shown) for accepting the download of additional dictionary data (content) is displayed and identification information (dictionary name) of the additional dictionary data to be downloaded is specified (step D1 (Yes)), the control unit 11 transmits the electronic dictionary ID (12d) and a download request for the specified additional dictionary data to the WES server 20 (step D2). The control unit 11 communicates with the WES server 20 to execute a process for downloading the additional dictionary data (step D3 (Figure 6: first embodiment / Figure 8: second embodiment)), stores the additional dictionary data (12f) downloaded from the WES server 20 in the additional dictionary data memory area 12f (step D4), and terminates the series of processes for downloading the additional dictionary data.

[0031] When the WES server 20 receives the electronic dictionary ID sent from the electronic dictionary 10 and a download request for the specified additional dictionary data (step S1 (Yes)), the control unit 21 establishes a communication connection with the electronic dictionary 10 and executes an upload process for the additional dictionary data (step S2 (Figure 7: first embodiment / Figure 9: second embodiment)). The control unit 21 stores the identification information of the newly uploaded additional dictionary data as a stored dictionary stored in association with the corresponding electronic dictionary ID in the user management database (22e) (step S3), and ends the series of additional dictionary download processing.

[0032] <Additional dictionary download (first embodiment)> FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the data download process by the electronic dictionary 10 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the data upload process by the WES server 20 according to the first embodiment. In the process relating to the communication connection between the electronic dictionary 10 and the WES server 20 described below, the communication process for the part not mentioned as UDP or TCP may basically be performed using TCP.

[0033] When the data upload process shown in FIG. 7 is started in the WES server 20, the control unit 21 transmits the header Hd of the additional dictionary data to be downloaded that is stored in the dictionary database storage area 22d to the electronic dictionary 10 (step S11). When the electronic dictionary 10 receives the header Hd of the dictionary data sent from the WES server 20 (step D11 (Yes)), the control unit 11 determines whether the received header Hd data includes a UDP flag that indicates (recommends) sending data via UDP (step D12).

[0034] Here, if it is determined that the header Hd of the target dictionary data contains a UDP flag (see Figure 4) (step D12 (Yes)), the control unit 11 acquires current communication environment data (step D13), and determines whether the communication environment is stable depending on whether the acquired communication environment data (RSSI, throughput, etc.) is equal to or greater than a preset data value (step D14). When the electronic dictionary 10 determines that the communication environment is stable (step D14 (Yes)), the control unit 11 transmits a download request for the actual data by UDP to the WES server 20 (step D15).

[0035] When the WES server 20 receives a request to download actual data via UDP from the electronic dictionary 10 (step S12 (Yes)), the control unit 21 transmits only the actual data portion dn of the first data block Bdn among the remaining untransmitted data blocks Bd1 to Bdn of the divided data blocks Bd1 to Bdn of the target dictionary data 22du to the electronic dictionary 10 via UDP for each data block Bdn (step S13), as shown in FIG. 4. In the electronic dictionary 10, the control unit 11 receives the actual data portion dn of the data block Bdn transmitted from the WES server 20 by UDP (step D16), and calculates the sum value of the received actual data portion dn (step D17). The control unit 11 also transmits a TCP download request for the sum value to the WES server 20 (step D18).

[0036] When the WES server 20 receives a request to download the sum value via TCP from the electronic dictionary 10 (step S14 (Yes)), the control unit 21 transmits the sum value sumn corresponding to the actual data part dn transmitted in the previous step S13 to the electronic dictionary 10 via TCP (step S15). In the electronic dictionary 10, the control unit 11 receives the sum value sumn sent by TCP from the WES server 20 (step D19) and determines whether the sum value of the actual data part dn calculated in the previous step D17 matches the received sum value sumn, i.e., whether the actual data part dn already received by UDP in the previous step D16 was received correctly (without errors) (step D20).

[0037] Here, if it is determined that the calculated sum value matches the received sum value sumn, i.e., if it is determined that the actual data part dn already received via UDP has been received correctly (step D20 (Yes)), the control unit 11 determines whether or not the actual data part dn of a pre-specified number of data blocks has been received (step D23). The specified number of data blocks is the number of data blocks that allows the actual data portion dn to be correctly received via UDP within a certain period of time (e.g., 3 minutes) when the communication environment is stable, but may be specified based on other conditions.

[0038] On the other hand, if it is determined that the calculated sum value does not match the received sum value sumn, i.e., if it is determined that the actual data part dn already received via UDP was not received correctly (step D20 (No)), the control unit 11 sends a request to re-download the actual data via TCP to the WES server 20 (step D21). When the WES server 20 receives a request to re-download the actual data via TCP from the electronic dictionary 10 (step S16 (Yes)), the control unit 21 transmits the actual data part dn that was transmitted via UDP in the previous step S13 to the electronic dictionary 10 again via TCP (step S17). In the electronic dictionary 10, the control unit 11 receives the actual data portion dn of the data block Bdn retransmitted by TCP from the WES server 20 (step D22), and determines whether the actual data portion dn of the specified number of data blocks has been received (step D23).

[0039] Then, if it is determined that the actual data portion dn of the specified number of data blocks has not yet been received (step D23 (No)), the control unit 11 repeats the processing from step D15 onwards, and first receives the actual data portion dn of the next data block Bdn using UDP, and if it is not received correctly, receives it again using TCP (steps D15 to D22). The control unit 21 of the WES server 20 determines whether or not the transmission (upload) of all data of the target dictionary data 22du has been completed (step S18), and if it is determined that the transmission of all data has not been completed (step S18 (No)), it repeats the processing from step S12 onwards, transmitting the actual data section dn of the next data block Bdn via UDP and the sum value sumn via TCP, and re-transmitting the actual data section dn via TCP if it was not correctly transmitted via UDP (steps S12 to S18).

[0040] On the other hand, in the electronic dictionary 10, if it is determined that the communication environment data acquired in step D13 is less than a preset data value and the communication environment is unstable (step D14 (No)), the control unit 11 sends a TCP download request to the WES server 20 (step D25). When the WES server 20 receives a download request via TCP from the electronic dictionary 10 (step S19 (Yes)), the control unit 21 transmits only the actual data portion dn and its sum value sumsumn of the first data block Bdn among the divided data blocks Bd1 to Bdn of the target dictionary data 22du that have not yet been transmitted, for each data block Bdn, via TCP (step S20), as shown in FIG. 4. In the electronic dictionary 10, the control unit 11 receives the actual data portion dn and its sum value sumn of the data block Bdn sent from the WES server 20 via TCP (step D26), and determines whether the actual data portion dn and sum value sumn of the specified number of data blocks have been received (step D27).

[0041] Then, if it is determined that the actual data section dn and sum value sumn of the specified number of data blocks have not yet been received (step D27 (No)), the control unit 11 repeats the processing from step D25 onwards and receives the actual data section dn and sum value sumn of the next data block Bdn via TCP (steps D25, D26). The control unit 21 of the WES server 20 determines whether or not the transmission (upload) of all data of the target dictionary data 22du has been completed (step S18), and if it is determined that the transmission of all data has not been completed (step S18 (No)), it repeats the processing from step S19 onwards and transmits the actual data portion dn and sum value sumn of the next data block Bdn via TCP (steps S19, S20).

[0042] Thereafter, if the electronic dictionary 10 determines that the actual data portion dn of the specified number of data blocks sent from the WES server 20 via UDP has been received while the communication environment has been determined to be stable (step D23 (Yes)), or if it determines that the actual data portion dn of the specified number of data blocks and the sum value sumn have been received while the communication environment has been determined to be unstable (step D27 (Yes)), the control unit 11 determines whether or not reception (downloading) of all data of the dictionary data 22du has been completed, for example, based on the data volume contained in the header Hd of the target dictionary data previously received (step D24). If it is determined that the reception (downloading) of all data of the target dictionary data 22du is not complete, the control unit 11 repeats the processes from step D13 onwards. In other words, when the dictionary data 22du to be added has a data capacity equal to or greater than a specified amount and includes a UDP flag in its header Hd, the electronic dictionary 10 selects UDP, which is less reliable in data communication than TCP but enables faster data communication, in a stable communication environment, and repeats receiving the actual data portion dn of each data block Bdn of the dictionary data 22du to be added sent from the WES server 20 via UDP, and re-receiving the actual data portion dn via TCP if the actual data portion dn is not received correctly via UDP as determined based on the sum value sumn received from the WES server 20 via TCP, until the actual data portion dn of the specified number of data blocks is received (steps D13 to D23). Furthermore, when the communication environment is unstable, TCP, which has a slower data communication speed than UDP but is more reliable, is selected, and the reception of the actual data portion dn and sum value sumn for each data block Bdn of the target dictionary data 22du transmitted from the WES server 20 via TCP is repeated until the actual data portion dn and sum value sumn for the specified number of data blocks are received (steps D13, D14 → D25 to D27).

[0043] In the state where it is determined in the WES server 20 that the transmission (upload) of all data of the target dictionary data 22du is not completed (step S18 (No)), the control unit 21 repeats the processes from step S12 onwards. In other words, when the additional dictionary data 22du requested by the electronic dictionary 10 has a data capacity equal to or larger than a specified size and includes a UDP flag in its header Hd, and the communication environment of the electronic dictionary 10 is stable and a request to download actual data via UDP is received from the electronic dictionary 10, the control unit 21 repeats the following steps: transmitting the actual data portion dn via UDP for each data block Bdn of the target dictionary data 22du, transmitting the sum value sumn via TCP, and retransmitting the actual data portion dn via TCP if the actual data portion dn via UDP is not correctly received by the electronic dictionary 10, until the actual data portion dn of the specified number of data blocks is received by the electronic dictionary 10 (steps S12 to S18). Furthermore, when the communication environment of the electronic dictionary 10 is unstable and a download request is received from the electronic dictionary 10 via TCP, the control unit 21 repeats the transmission of the actual data portion dn and sum value sumn via TCP for each data block Bdn of the target dictionary data 22du until the actual data portion dn and sum value sumn of the specified number of data blocks are received by the electronic dictionary 10 (steps S12 → S19, S20, S19 → S18).

[0044] On the other hand, in the electronic dictionary 10, if it is determined in step D11 that the header Hd of the additional dictionary data received from the WES server 20 does not contain a UDP flag and the data capacity of the target dictionary data is less than a predetermined amount (step D12 (No)), the control unit 11 sends a request to download all data via TCP to the WES server 20 (step D28). When the WES server 20 receives a request to download all data via TCP from the electronic dictionary 10 (step S21 (Yes)), the control unit 21 transmits all of the target dictionary data to the electronic dictionary 10 via TCP (step S22). In electronic dictionary 10, control unit 11 receives, via TCP, all of the target dictionary data transmitted from WES server 20 via TCP (step D29). In other words, when the dictionary data to be added has a data volume less than a predetermined value, downloading the dictionary data does not take a significant amount of time even if TCP, which has a slower data communication speed than UDP, is used, and therefore the electronic dictionary 10 selects TCP, which has a high reliability of data communication, and downloads the dictionary data to be added from the WES server 20 without determining whether the communication environment of the electronic dictionary 10 is stable or not.

[0045] <Additional dictionary download (second embodiment)> FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the data download process of the electronic dictionary 10 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the data upload process by the WES server 20 according to the second embodiment. In the first embodiment, when the data capacity of the dictionary data to be added is equal to or larger than a predetermined value, the process of selecting UDP or TCP according to the communication environment of the electronic dictionary 10 is performed on the side of the electronic dictionary 10. In contrast, in the second embodiment, the process of selecting UDP or TCP according to the data capacity of the dictionary data to be added and the communication environment of the electronic dictionary 10 is performed on the side of the WES server 20. In the flowcharts shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the same processes as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same step reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0046] In the electronic dictionary 10, the control unit 11 acquires the current communication environment data (RSSI, throughput, etc.) and transmits the acquired communication environment data to the WES server 20 (step D31). When the WES server 20 receives the current communication environment data for the electronic dictionary 10 transmitted from the electronic dictionary 10 (step S31 (Yes)), the control unit 21 selects whether to use the UDP or TCP transmission method for uploading the dictionary data to the electronic dictionary 10 based on the data capacity of the dictionary data designated by the electronic dictionary 10 as the target for addition and the received communication environment data for the electronic dictionary 10 (step S32).

[0047] Here, the process in which the WES server 20 selects UDP or TCP will be described. In the selection process for selecting UDP or TCP depending on the data volume of the dictionary data and the communication environment data, the selection may be made based on an estimated download time, which is the time estimated to be required to download the dictionary data. In other words, the purpose of sending data via UDP rather than TCP is to shorten the time it takes to download data, but if the communication environment is unstable and communication errors (retries) occur frequently, the throughput of data transmission via UDP will be significantly lower than that of TCP, and it may end up taking longer to download data when sending via UDP than when sending via TCP. Furthermore, when the data volume of the dictionary data is small, the estimated download time is short to begin with, so there is little need to select UDP. Taking these factors into consideration, the estimated download time for each of TCP and UDP may be calculated by adding the standard download time estimated from only the data volume when the communication environment is stable and there are no communication errors (retries) to the additional download time estimated to increase due to a decrease in throughput depending on the communication environment, and the transmission method with the shorter estimated download time may be selected. The standard download time and the increased download time may be obtained in advance by conducting transmission experiments in various communication environments using a predetermined amount of sample data, or may be obtained by calculation based on the relationship between the stability of the communication environment and the average occurrence rate of communication errors.

[0048] Alternatively, simply, TCP or UDP may be selected as follows. If the data volume is below a certain level, there is little benefit in selecting UDP, so TCP is selected without considering the communication environment. Also, if the stability of the communication environment indicated by the communication environment data is below a certain level, there is little benefit in selecting UDP, so TCP is selected without considering the data volume. Then, if the data volume is not below a certain level and the stability of the communication environment indicated by the communication environment data is not below a certain level (if the data volume is equal to or greater than a certain level and the stability of the communication environment indicated by the communication environment data is equal to or greater than a certain level), UDP is selected. Also, when the difference in the decrease in throughput between TCP and UDP due to the communication environment is small, if the data capacity is equal to or greater than a predetermined level, UDP is selected without considering the communication environment. Also, if the stability of the communication environment indicated by the communication environment data is equal to or greater than a predetermined level, UDP is selected without considering the data capacity. And, if the data capacity is not equal to or greater than a predetermined level and the stability of the communication environment indicated by the communication environment data is not equal to or greater than a predetermined level (if the data capacity is equal to or less than a predetermined level and the stability of the communication environment indicated by the communication environment data is equal to or less than a predetermined level), TCP is selected.

[0049] If control unit 21 selects UDP (step S32a (Yes)), it transmits an upload notification to upload the target dictionary data 22du by UDP to electronic dictionary 10 (step S33). Then, control unit 21 starts transmitting actual data portions d1 to dn of each data block Bdn of target dictionary data 22du to electronic dictionary 10 by UDP (step S13).

[0050] When the electronic dictionary 10 receives an upload notification via UDP sent from the WES server 20 (step D32 (Yes)), the control unit 11 begins receiving, via UDP, the actual data sections d1 to dn of each data block Bdn of the target dictionary data 22du sent from the WES server 20 via UDP (step D16). The control unit 11 receives the actual data portion dn of each data block Bdn via UDP, and if the actual data portion dn is not received correctly via UDP as determined based on the sum value sumn received via TCP, it re-receives the actual data portion dn via TCP (steps D16 to D22).If the actual data portion dn of the specified number of data blocks has not been received (step D23 (No)), it sends a download request for the next data block Bdn to the WES server 20 (step D15a). Every time a download request for the next data block Bdn is received from the electronic dictionary 10 (step S12a (Yes)), the control unit 21 of the WES server 20 repeats transmission of the actual data portion dn of the next data block Bdn by UDP (step S13).

[0051] On the other hand, if the WES server 20 selects TCP (step S32 (No)), the control unit 21 transmits an upload notification to the electronic dictionary 10 to upload the target dictionary data 22du by TCP (step S34). Then, transmission of the actual data portion dn and the sum value sumn of each data block Bdn of the target dictionary data 22du to the electronic dictionary 10 by TCP is started (step S20). When the electronic dictionary 10 receives an upload notification via TCP sent from the WES server 20 (step D33 (Yes)), the control unit 11 begins receiving via TCP the actual data portion dn and sum value sumn for each data block Bdn of the target dictionary data 22du sent from the WES server 20 (step D26). The control unit 11 repeatedly receives the actual data portion dn and sum value sumn for each data block Bdn via TCP (step D26), and if the actual data portion dn and sum value sumn for the specified number of data blocks have not been received (step D27 (No)), it sends a download request for the next data block Bdn to the WES server 20 (step D25a). Every time a download request for the next data block Bdn is received from the electronic dictionary 10 (step S19a (Yes)), the control unit 21 of the WES server 20 repeatedly transmits the actual data portion dn and the sum value sumn of the next data block Bdn via TCP (step S20).

[0052] That is, in the second embodiment, as one mode of transmitting dictionary data to the electronic dictionary 10, when the target dictionary data 22du to be added requested by the electronic dictionary 10 has a data capacity equal to or larger than a predetermined value, the WES server 20 judges whether the communication environment of the electronic dictionary 10 is stable based on the communication environment data received from the electronic dictionary 10. Then, when the communication environment of the electronic dictionary 10 is stable, UDP, which is less reliable in data communication than TCP but allows high-speed data communication, is selected, and the WES server 20 repeats the transmission of the actual data portion dn of each data block Bdn of the target dictionary data 22du to the electronic dictionary 10 via UDP, the transmission of the sum value sumn via TCP, and, if the actual data portion dn is not correctly received by the electronic dictionary 10 via UDP, the retransmission of the actual data portion dn via TCP, until the specified number of data blocks of the actual data portion dn are received by the electronic dictionary 10. Furthermore, when the communication environment of the electronic dictionary 10 is unstable, TCP, which has a slower data communication speed than UDP but is more reliable, is selected, and the transmission of the actual data portion dn and sum value sumn via TCP for each data block Bdn of the target dictionary data 22du to the electronic dictionary 10 is repeated until the actual data portion dn and sum value sumn for the specified number of data blocks are received by the electronic dictionary 10.

[0053] (Summary of the embodiment) According to the data communication system 1 of the embodiment, when the target dictionary data 22du requested from the electronic dictionary 10 to the WES server 20 has a data volume equal to or larger than a certain amount that would take a significant amount of time for data communication via TCP, for example, when the communication environment of the electronic dictionary 10 is stable, the WES server 20 transmits to the electronic dictionary 10, for each of the data blocks Bd1 to Bdn into which the target dictionary data 22du is divided, the actual data portion dn of the data block Bdn via UDP and the sum value sumn via TCP. The electronic dictionary 10 receives the actual data part dn and the sum value sumn sent by UDP for each data block Bd1-Bdn of the dictionary data 22du from the WES server 20, and if the sum value calculated based on the actual data part dn received by UDP does not match the sum value sumn received by TCP, it re-receives the actual data part dn by TCP from the WES server 20. The electronic dictionary 10 repeats the reception of the actual data part dn of the next data block Bdn from the WES server 20 by UDP and the reception of the sum value sumn by TCP, including re-receiving the actual data part dn by TCP if the sum values ​​do not match, until a specified number of data blocks (e.g., the number of data blocks that can be correctly received by UDP within a certain period of time in a stable communication environment) of the actual data part dn are correctly received.

[0054] When the communication environment of the electronic dictionary 10 is unstable, the WES server 20 transmits the actual data portion dn and the sum value sumn of each data block Bdn of the target dictionary data 22du via TCP to the electronic dictionary 10. The electronic dictionary 10 repeats receiving the actual data portion dn and sum value sumn of the next data block Bdn via TCP until it receives the actual data portion dn and sum value sumn of the specified number of data blocks transmitted from the WES server 20 via TCP.

[0055] The electronic dictionary 10 acquires communication environment data each time the specified number of blocks of real data part dn and sum value sumn are received, and determines whether the communication environment of the electronic dictionary 10 is stable or not, either in the electronic dictionary 10 or in the WES server 20. Then, in the same manner as described above, sending and receiving (data communication) of the real data part dn and sum value sumn for each data block Bdn between the WES server 20 and the electronic dictionary 10 by selecting UDP or TCP is repeated depending on whether the communication environment of the electronic dictionary 10 is stable or unstable. If the target dictionary data 22du requested from the electronic dictionary 10 to the WES server 20 has a data volume less than a predetermined value, the WES server 20 transmits all of the dictionary data 22du to the electronic dictionary 10 via TCP regardless of the communication environment of the electronic dictionary 10.

[0056] In this way, when the dictionary data 22du to be transmitted from the WES server 20 to the electronic dictionary 10 has a data capacity equal to or greater than a predetermined capacity, the electronic dictionary 10 determines whether the communication environment of the electronic dictionary 10 is stable, and selects and transmits the actual data section dn of the dictionary data 22du via UDP, which is less reliable than TCP but capable of faster data communication, and transmits the sum value sumn of the actual data section dn via TCP, which is slower than UDP but capable of more reliable data communication. If the sum value calculated by the electronic dictionary 10 based on the actual data section dn received via UDP does not match the sum value sumn received via TCP, the electronic dictionary 10 re-receives the actual data section dn from the WES server 20 via TCP, so that the electronic dictionary 10 can download dictionary data 22du having a data capacity equal to or greater than a predetermined capacity from the WES server 20 at high speed and while maintaining high reliability.

[0057] In addition, all or any of the following processes may be performed by either the electronic dictionary 10 (electronic device) or the WES server 20 (server device): the process of determining whether the dictionary data 22du to be added has a data capacity equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the process of determining whether the communication environment of the electronic dictionary 10 is stable based on communication environment data acquired by the electronic dictionary 10, and the process of selecting whether the actual data section dn of the target dictionary data 22du is transmitted and received from the WES server 20 to the electronic dictionary 10 via UDP or TCP depending on whether the communication environment of the electronic dictionary 10 is stable. This is not limited to the configurations of the first and second embodiments, and may be performed by either the electronic dictionary 10 (electronic device) or the WES server 20 (server device).

[0058] In addition, when the data capacity of the target dictionary data 22du is large, that is, equal to or larger than a predetermined value, the actual data portion dn of the dictionary data 22du may be transmitted by UDP to perform high-speed downloading (uploading) of the dictionary data even if the communication environment is unstable, and even if the data capacity of the target dictionary data 22du is less than a predetermined value, it may be determined whether the communication environment is stable, and if it is unstable, the dictionary data 22du may be transmitted by TCP to perform reliable downloading (uploading) of the dictionary data. In addition, whether the communication environment of the electronic dictionary 10 is stable may be determined based on the state of match between the sum value of the actual data part dn received via UDP and the sum value sumn transmitted via TCP in data communication of the target dictionary data 22du that has already been performed (for example, whether the rate of match is greater than or equal to a predetermined value or less than a predetermined value).

[0059] In addition, in the embodiment of the data communication system 1, the data communication is between the electronic dictionary 10 and the WES server 20 via the network N, and the subject of the data communication is dictionary data. However, it goes without saying that the data communication may be between data communication devices via a network, and the type of data is not limited to dictionary data. Therefore, according to the data communication system 1 of the embodiment, it is possible to perform high-speed data communication while maintaining high reliability.

[0060] The methods of each process by the data communication system 1 described in the above embodiment, i.e., the additional dictionary download process in the electronic dictionary 10 and the additional dictionary download support process in the WES server 20 shown in the flowchart of Fig. 5, the data download process of the first and second embodiments in the electronic dictionary 10 shown in the flowcharts of Fig. 6 and Fig. 8, and the data upload process of the first and second embodiments in the WES server 20 shown in the flowcharts of Fig. 7 and Fig. 9, can be stored in a medium of an external recording device such as a memory card (ROM card, RAM card, etc.), a magnetic disk (floppy (registered trademark) disk, hard disk, etc.), an optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD, etc.), or a semiconductor memory and distributed as a program that can be executed by a computer. Then, the control unit (CPU) of the information processing device (electronic device) reads the program recorded in the medium of the external recording device into the storage device, and the operation is controlled by the read program, thereby realizing the various functions described in the embodiment and executing similar processes by the above-mentioned methods.

[0061] In addition, the program data for realizing each technique can be transmitted over a communication network (N) in the form of program code, and the program data can be imported into an information processing device (electronic device) from a computer device (program server) connected to this communication network (N) and stored in a storage device, thereby realizing the various functions described above.

[0062] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist of the invention. The embodiments may be combined as appropriate, and in that case, the combined effects can be obtained. Furthermore, the embodiments include various inventions, and various inventions can be extracted by combinations selected from the multiple components disclosed. For example, if the problem can be solved and the effect can be obtained even if some components are deleted from all the components shown in the embodiments, the configuration from which the components are deleted can be extracted as an invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 1. Data communication systems 10...Electronic dictionary (electronic device) (data communication device) 11...Control unit (CPU) 20 ... WES server (server device) (data communication equipment) 21...Control unit (CPU) 22du…Dictionary data (dictionary content) Hd...Header Bd1~Bdn...Data block d1~dn: Actual data section sum1~sumn...sum value N ... communication network (Internet)

Claims

1. A control unit of a data communication system capable of communication using TCP and communication using UDP, which is lower in reliability than the communication using TCP but is capable of high-speed communication, determining whether or not a communication environment is stable when transmitting target data designated as a transmission target from the first communication device to the second communication device; If it is determined that the communication environment is not stable, the target data is transmitted by the TCP communication; If it is determined that the communication environment is stable, the target data is transmitted by the UDP communication, and a checksum value of the target data is transmitted by the TCP communication. A data communication program to make it function as such.

2. determining whether the communication environment is stable based on a stability level of the communication environment; The control unit, If it is determined that the stability of the communication environment is less than a predetermined level, the target data is transmitted by communication using the TCP; When it is determined that the stability of the communication environment is equal to or higher than a predetermined level, the target data is transmitted by the UDP communication, and a checksum value of the target data is transmitted by the TCP communication.

2. The data communication program according to claim 1, for causing the data communication program to function as described above.

3. The control unit, When transmitting the target data, a data volume of the target data is further determined; determining whether the target data is to be transmitted by the TCP communication or the UDP communication based on a data volume of the target data and a stability of the communication environment; 3. The data communication program according to claim 2, for causing the data communication program to function as described above.

4. The control unit, When it is determined that the data volume of the target data is equal to or larger than a predetermined value and the communication environment is stable, the target data is transmitted by communication using the UDP; When it is determined that the data volume of the target data is less than a predetermined value or the communication environment is not stable, the target data is transmitted by the TCP communication.

4. The data communication program according to claim 3, for causing the data communication program to function as described above.

5. The control unit, When it is determined that the data volume of the target data is equal to or larger than a predetermined value or that the communication environment is stable, the target data is transmitted by communication using the UDP; When it is determined that the data volume of the target data is less than a predetermined value and the communication environment is not stable, the target data is transmitted by the TCP communication.

4. The data communication program according to claim 3, for causing the data communication program to function as described above.

6. The control unit, based on the data volume of the target data and the stability of the communication environment, and taking into consideration the time required to resend the data in the event of a communication error, estimate the time required to transmit the target data for each of the communication by TCP and the communication by UDP, and transmit the target data via the communication by TCP or the communication by UDP, whichever of the communication by TCP and the communication by UDP has the shorter estimated time; 4. The data communication program according to claim 3, for causing the data communication program to function as described above.

7. The control unit, When it is selected to transmit the target data by the UDP communication, a checksum value of the target data is transmitted by the TCP communication separately from the target data; When it is selected to transmit the target data by the TCP communication, the checksum value is not transmitted separately from the target data.

2. The data communication program according to claim 1, for causing the data communication program to function as described above.

8. The stability of the communication environment is acquired as a data transmission speed estimated based on a time required to transmit the target data of a predetermined data volume; The control unit, selecting whether to transmit the target data by the UDP communication or the TCP communication depending on whether the data transmission speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed or lower than a predetermined speed; 3. The data communication program according to claim 2, for causing the data communication program to function as described above.

9. When the data capacity of the target data is equal to or larger than a predetermined capacity, the target data is divided into a plurality of data blocks of a predetermined size, each of which includes actual data and a checksum value of the actual data; The control unit, transmitting the actual data of each divided data block by communication using the UDP, and transmitting the checksum value of each divided data block by communication using the TCP; 2. The data communication program according to claim 1, for causing the data communication program to function as described above.

10. The target data having a data capacity equal to or larger than a predetermined value is stored in a storage unit, The control unit, determining a stability of the communication environment when transmitting each of the divided data blocks; for a data block to be transmitted when it is determined that the stability of the communication environment is equal to or higher than a predetermined level, the actual data is transmitted by the UDP communication and the checksum value is transmitted by the TCP communication; When it is determined that the stability of the communication environment is less than a predetermined level, the data block to be transmitted is transmitted by using the TCP.

10. The data communication program according to claim 9, for causing the data communication program to function as described above.

11. The data communication program according to claim 2 , wherein the stability of the communication environment is acquired as an RSSI or a throughput of a Wi-Fi communication.

12. Whether or not the communication environment is stable is determined based on a match state between a checksum value of the target data received in the UDP communication and a checksum value transmitted in the TCP communication in a communication of the target data that has already been performed. The data communication program according to claim 1.

13. the control unit of the data communication system includes a first control unit of the first communication device and a second control unit of the second communication device, the first communication device is a server device, the second communication device is an electronic dictionary, and the target data is dictionary data; When the electronic dictionary downloads the dictionary data from the server device, The second control unit of the electronic dictionary, obtaining a stability of the communication environment of the electronic dictionary; transmitting information indicating the acquired stability to the server device; When the server device uploads the dictionary data to the electronic dictionary, The first control unit of the server device, determining whether or not a communication environment of the electronic dictionary is stable based on the information indicating the stability received from the electronic dictionary; selecting whether to transmit the dictionary data by the UDP communication or the TCP communication based on the determination result of the communication environment; The data communication program according to claim 1.

14. the control unit of the data communication system includes a first control unit of the first communication device and a second control unit of the second communication device, the first communication device is a server device, the second communication device is an electronic dictionary, and the target data is dictionary data; When the electronic dictionary downloads the dictionary data from the server device, The second control unit of the electronic dictionary, determining whether the communication environment of the electronic dictionary is stable; transmitting information indicating a result of the determination to the server device; When the server device uploads the dictionary data to the electronic dictionary, The first control unit of the server device, selecting whether to transmit the dictionary data by the UDP communication or the TCP communication based on information indicating the result of the determination received from the electronic dictionary; The data communication program according to claim 1.

15. A control unit of a data communication system capable of communication using TCP and communication using UDP, which is lower in reliability than the communication using TCP but is capable of high-speed communication, When transmitting target data designated as a transmission target from the first communication device to the second communication device, a strength of a wireless signal transmitted or received by wireless communication is identified; If the strength of the identified wireless signal is less than a predetermined value, the target data is transmitted by communication using the TCP; If the strength of the identified wireless signal is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the target data is transmitted by the UDP communication, and a checksum value of the target data is transmitted by the TCP communication. A data communication program to make it function as such.

16. The wireless communication is wireless communication via WiFi communication, activating the control unit to identify a strength of a wireless signal transmitted or received by an RSSI of the WiFi communication; The data communication program according to claim 15.

17. A control unit of a data communication system capable of communication using TCP and communication using UDP, which is lower in reliability than the communication using TCP but allows for faster communication, determining whether or not a communication environment is stable when transmitting target data designated as a transmission target from the first communication device to the second communication device; If it is determined that the communication environment is not stable, the target data is transmitted by the TCP communication; If it is determined that the communication environment is stable, the target data is transmitted by the UDP communication, and a checksum value of the target data is transmitted by the TCP communication. A data communication method that causes processing to occur.

18. A data communication system capable of communication using TCP and communication using UDP, which is lower in reliability than the TCP but is capable of high-speed communication, comprising: determining whether or not a communication environment is stable when transmitting target data designated as a transmission target from the first communication device to the second communication device; If it is determined that the communication environment is not stable, the target data is transmitted by the TCP communication; If it is determined that the communication environment is stable, the target data is transmitted by the UDP communication, and a checksum value of the target data is transmitted by the TCP communication. A data communication system comprising a control unit that executes processing.

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