Transmitting device and transmission method, receiving device and receiving method, and program

Abstract

The goal is to enable multipath parallel distributed communication that allows for stable, high-capacity data transmission, regardless of the application. [Solution] The wireless communication interface includes a frequency setting unit that sets the operating frequency, which is the frequency used by the wireless communication interface for communication with a base station of a mobile wireless communication network, to be a different frequency for each of the multiple wireless communication interfaces; a transmission path control unit that distributes the sequentially supplied multiple packets to multiple transmission paths by referring to information fed back from a receiving device that receives packets transmitted by a transmitting device; an additional header control unit that adds an additional header to each packet, which is an additional header corresponding to the transmission path and stores a sequence number indicating the supply order of the multiple packets; and a transmission unit that sends the packets with the additional headers attached to each of the multiple wireless communication interfaces provided corresponding to the additional headers.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a transmission device and a transmission method, a reception device and a reception method, and a program, and enables a transmission device, a transmission method, a reception device, a reception method, and a program that can realize multi-path parallel distributed communication capable of stably performing high-capacity transmission without depending on an application.

Background Art

[0002] As technologies for realizing high-capacity transmission using multiple frequency bands, Carrier Aggregation (CA) and Dual Connectivity (DC) have been standardized by 3GPP and commercially introduced.

[0003] In recent years, even when the communication line used between communication devices is a best-effort line, high reliability may be required. As an example of a communication method for realizing high reliability, for example, there is a multi-path redundant communication method in which two or more copied packets are transmitted and received through different paths.

[0004] As a method for configuring a multi-path redundant communication line, a method has been proposed in which, in a mobile terminal equipped with a plurality of cellular modems, packets are replicated on the transmission side and redundantly transmitted using a plurality of different communication lines (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A transmitting device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a transmitting device that transmits packets via a mobile wireless communication network, comprising: a frequency setting unit that sets the utilization frequency, which is the frequency used by the wireless communication interface for communication with a base station of the mobile wireless communication network, to be a different frequency for a plurality of wireless communication interfaces; a transmission path control unit that distributes a plurality of packets supplied sequentially to a plurality of transmission paths by referring to information fed back from a receiving device that receives packets transmitted by the transmitting device; an additional header control unit that adds to each packet an additional header corresponding to the transmission path, which stores a sequence number indicating the supply order of the plurality of packets; and a transmission unit that sends the packets with the additional headers added to the plurality of wireless communication interfaces provided corresponding to the additional headers.

[0007] A transmission method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a transmission method for a transmitting device that transmits packets via a mobile wireless communication network, comprising: a frequency setting step of setting the utilization frequency, which is the frequency used by the wireless communication interface for communication with a base station of the mobile wireless communication network, to be a different frequency for a plurality of wireless communication interfaces; a transmission path control step of distributing a plurality of sequentially supplied packets to a plurality of transmission paths by referring to information fed back from a receiving device that receives packets transmitted by the transmitting device; an additional header control step of adding an additional header to each packet, which is an additional header corresponding to the transmission path and stores a sequence number indicating the supply order of the plurality of packets; and a transmission step of sending the packets to which the additional header has been added to each of the plurality of wireless communication interfaces provided corresponding to the additional header.

[0008] A receiving device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a receiving device that receives a plurality of packets transmitted from the same transmitting device and distributed across a plurality of transmission paths via a mobile wireless communication network, wherein each packet is accompanied by an additional header corresponding to the plurality of transmission paths, the additional header including a sequence number indicating the order in which the packets were supplied to the transmitting device, and the receiving control unit provides feedback to the transmitting device regarding information related to the plurality of transmission paths by referring to the additional header, and the receiving control unit sequentially outputs the packets received from the plurality of transmission paths to the same information processing device in the order in which they were received or in the order of the sequence numbers.

[0009] A receiving method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a receiving method for a receiving device that receives a plurality of packets transmitted from the same transmitting device, which are distributed and transmitted across a plurality of transmission paths, via a mobile wireless communication network, wherein the packets are accompanied by an additional header corresponding to the plurality of transmission paths, which includes a sequence number indicating the order in which the packets were supplied to the transmitting device, and the receiving control step involves feeding back information relating to the plurality of transmission paths to the transmitting device by referring to the additional header, and the output step involves sequentially outputting the packets received from the plurality of transmission paths to the same information processing device in the order in which they were received or in the order of the sequence numbers.

[0010] Each aspect of the present disclosure may be implemented by a computer, in which case a program causing the computer to perform each step of the above method, and a computer-readable recording medium on which such program is recorded, also fall within the scope of the present disclosure. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This diagram illustrates an example of uplink communication in a transmission system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This diagram illustrates an example of downlink communication in a transmission system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3]This block diagram shows an example of the functional configuration of a multilink communication terminal, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. [Figure 4] This diagram illustrates, in tabular format, a list of radio frequencies available for wireless communication, allocated to a designated MNO (Mobile Network Operator). [Figure 5] This figure shows another example of the information stored in the frequency usage information storage unit. [Figure 6] This diagram illustrates an example of throughput measurement and transmission path determination using a multilink communication terminal and / or multilink communication termination device. [Figure 7] This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the packet transmission process. [Figure 8] This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the packet reception processing flow. [Figure 9] This diagram illustrates an example configuration of a transmission system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 10] This diagram shows an example of a computer configuration that executes instructions for programs, which are software programs that implement various functions. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Hereinafter, one embodiment of this disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. For ease of understanding, the background and challenges of this disclosure will be described first, followed by a detailed description of the disclosure.

[0013] Technologies such as Carrier Aggregation (CA) and Dual Connectivity (DC) have been standardized by 3GPP and are being commercially implemented to achieve high-capacity transmission using multiple frequency bands.

[0014] However, due to deterioration of radio wave reception quality at cell edges and cell boundary areas (such as transmission power constraints in the uplink and low received SINR in the downlink), and due to the fact that the amount of radio resources allocated per user is restricted by proportional fairness scheduling on the radio base station side in areas with a large number of users, etc., the throughput of each terminal decreases.

[0015] Particularly in the uplink, due to the maximum transmission power constraint of each UE, the throughput improvement effect by CA / DC is limited in a single modem configuration. For example, in the case of DC, the maximum transmission power of a UE per cell becomes small, and in order to increase the uplink power density, the bandwidth available for transmission from the UE becomes small. Also, in the case of DC, since the communication quality of the MN (Master Node) can affect the throughput of the SN (Secondary Node), depending on the positional relationship between the UE and the cell, it is not always possible to efficiently increase the throughput.

[0016] In recent years, even when the communication line used between communication devices is a best-effort line, high reliability may be required. As an example of a communication method for realizing high reliability, for example, there is a multipath information communication method in which two or more copied packets are transmitted and received via different paths. As a specific example of realizing this multipath redundant communication method in a mobile radio communication network, a method has been proposed in which a mobile terminal equipped with a plurality of cellular modems duplicates packets on the transmission side and performs redundant transmission using a plurality of different communication lines.

[0017] Under such circumstances, for example, a multipath parallel distributed communication technology that realizes high-capacity transmission by parallel distributed transmission on a plurality of communication lines in a mobile radio communication network is also expected. As a communication protocol corresponding to the multipath parallel distributed communication technology, multipath TCP (MPTCP), which is an extension of TCP, has been proposed.

[0018] However, since MPTCP is a TCP-based protocol, for example, it cannot be used for the communication of applications that use UDP. That is, the conventional multi-path parallel distributed communication protocol has a problem that the applicability depends on the application.

[0019] One aspect of the present disclosure aims to provide a technology that can realize multi-path parallel distributed communication capable of stably performing large-capacity transmission without depending on an application.

[0020] (First Embodiment) The first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below.

[0021] (Configuration Example of Transmission System) (Uplink) A configuration example of a transmission system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of uplink communication in a transmission system according to the first embodiment. In the transmission system 100, as will be described later, multi-path parallel distributed communication using a plurality of virtual private lines becomes possible. In the uplink, a multi-link communication terminal 120 described later functions as a transmission device, and a multi-link communication terminal device 220 described later functions as a reception device.

[0022] The transmission system 100 shown in the figure includes a multi-link communication terminal 120 that transmits packets via a mobile wireless communication network connected by a plurality of wireless communication interfaces, and a multi-link communication terminal device 220 that receives packets transmitted from the multi-link communication terminal 120 via the mobile wireless communication network. Then, a packet group 311, which is a plurality of packets transmitted from the client device 101, is received as a packet group 321 by the server device 241 via the mobile wireless communication network. The transmission system 100 in FIG. is applied to, for example, vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication between a vehicle and a network.

[0023] In the example in Figure 1, base stations 161-1a and 161-1b..., base station 161-Na and base station 161-Nb are shown as base stations of the mobile radio communication network. Also in the example in Figure 1, the mobile core 181 and the backhaul network 180 of the mobile radio communication network are shown. The backhaul network 180 connects each base station to each other, and to the base stations and the mobile core 181.

[0024] The mobile core 181 may be a mobile core (EPC) that supports LTE and 5G NSA (Non Standalone), or a mobile core (5GC) that supports 5G SA (Standalone). The backhaul network 180 may be a backhaul network that supports both LTE and 5G. Note that the mobile radio communication network in Figure 1 is operated by a single MNO.

[0025] (Client device 101) The client device 101 generates and outputs a packet group 311 to be transmitted. In this example, the packet group 311 contains five packets, each represented by a circled character A through E.

[0026] The client device 101 may be, for example, a sensor device that packets the detection signal from a sensor. Alternatively, the client device 101 may be a personal computer, a smartphone, or the like.

[0027] When the client device 101 outputs packet group 311, packets A to E are sequentially supplied to the multilink communication terminal 120 in that order.

[0028] (Multilink communication terminal) The multilink communication terminal 120 adds additional headers to each packet included in the packet group 311 supplied from the client device 101. In the example in Figure 1, additional headers PH1 to PHN are added to each packet included in the packet group 311, and packets A to E included in the packet group 311 are sent to the base station of the mobile radio communication network as payloads (PLs).

[0029] The additional headers PH1 to PHN are each network layer headers. For example, each of the additional headers PH1 to PHN contains an IP address. The multilink communication terminal 120 sends packets A to E, included in packet group 311, to multiple cellular devices corresponding to multiple virtual private lines, for example, using the method described later.

[0030] For the sake of simplicity, here we assume that the multilink communication terminal 120 sends packets A to E, which are included in packet group 311, to cellular 201-1, which corresponds to virtual private line 151-1, and to cellular 201-N, which corresponds to virtual private line 151-N. In this example, packets containing packets A, C, and E as PLs are sent over virtual private line 151-1, and packets containing packets B and D as PLs are sent over virtual private line 151-2.

[0031] As an example, the additional headers PH1 to PHN each contain a sequence number. The sequence number indicates the order in which the packets are transmitted. For example, if packets are output from client device 101 in the order of packet A, packet B, packet C, ..., the additional header PH1 attached to the packet with packet A as the PL will contain the sequence number 1.

[0032] Furthermore, the additional header PHN attached to a packet with packet B as the PL contains sequence number 2, the additional header PH1 attached to a packet with packet C as the PL contains sequence number 3, and so on, with sequence numbers being stored in this manner.

[0033] Furthermore, a timestamp for delay measurement may be stored in an additional header.

[0034] (Cellular) The multilink communication terminal 120 is connected to Cellular 201-1, ..., and Cellular 201-N. Cellular 201-1, ..., and Cellular 201-N have wireless communication interfaces for wireless communication with base stations of the mobile wireless communication network. Each of Cellular 201-1, ..., and Cellular 201-N may be composed of, for example, a mobile router, a smartphone, etc. However, unlike typical mobile routers, smartphones, etc., the frequency used for wireless communication with base stations of the mobile wireless communication network (usage frequency described later) for each of Cellular 201-1, ..., and Cellular 201-N is controlled by the multilink communication terminal 120. Each of Cellular 201-1, ..., and Cellular 201-N may be a UE (Unified User Interface).

[0035] Each of the Cellular 201-1, ..., and Cellular 201-N has a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module). In this example, each of the Cellular 201-1, ..., and Cellular 201-N has SIM341-1, ..., and SIM341-N. Each of the SIM341-1, ..., and SIM341-N may be assigned, for example, an individual subscriber number from the mobile network operator (MNO).

[0036] Packets to which an additional header has been added by the multilink communication terminal 120 are supplied to cellular 201-1, ..., and cellular 201-N. Cellular 201-1 performs wireless communication with base station 161-1 using the first operating frequency. Cellular 201-N performs wireless communication with base station 161-N using the nth operating frequency.

[0037] In this way, each packet transmitted from cellular 201-1, ..., and cellular 201-N is sent to the mobile core 181 via the backhaul network 180, passing through base stations 161-1, ..., and 161-N.

[0038] (Mobile Core) The mobile core 181 has multiple network function units. The mobile core 181 is connected to an external network such as the internet via a network function unit such as an NEF (Network Exposure Function) (not shown). For example, a multilink communication termination device 220 is connected to such an external network. Packets with additional header PH1 and packets with additional header PHN are sent to the multilink communication termination device 220, respectively.

[0039] (Multilink communication termination device) The multilink communication termination device 220 generates a packet group 321 from packets received via the backhaul network 180 and the mobile core 181 and supplies it to the server device 241.

[0040] Packet group 321 is a group of packets arranged by the multilink communication termination device 220 in the order in which they were received. In this example, the packets are arranged in the order of packet C, packet D, packet A, packet E, and packet B. These packets will be output sequentially to the server device 241 in this order.

[0041] Packets C, D, A, E, and B included in packet group 321 may also contain sequence numbers stored in their respective additional headers. Alternatively, packets included in packet group 321 may also contain additional headers.

[0042] Furthermore, as will be described later, the multilink communication termination device 220 reorders the received packets as needed, removes additional headers, and supplies the reordered packet group 322 to the server device 241. When reordering packets, the multilink communication termination device 220 refers to the information stored in the additional headers PH1, ..., and PHN, and generates the reordered packet group 322 by arranging the packets in sequence number order.

[0043] Packet group 322 is a group of packets received by the multilink communication termination device 220, arranged in sequence number order. In this example, the packets are arranged in the order of packet A, packet B, packet C, packet D, and packet E. In other words, the packets are arranged in the order they were sent from the client device 101. These packets will be output sequentially to the server device 241 in this order.

[0044] (Server device) The server device 241 acquires the packet group supplied from the multilink communication termination device 220. As a result, packets transmitted from the client device 101 are received by the server device 241.

[0045] For example, if the server device 241 has a reordering function, the server device 241 obtains packet group 321 from the multilink communication termination device 220 and rearranges the packets contained in packet group 321 in the order they were sent from the client device 101. Alternatively, if the server device 241 does not have a reordering function, the server device 241 obtains packet group 322 from the multilink communication termination device 220.

[0046] (Virtual private line) As described above, in the transmission system 100 according to this embodiment, packets are transmitted via a wireless communication path through cellular 201-1 and base station 161-1, and via a wireless communication path through cellular 201-N and base station 161-N, and multipath parallel distributed communication is performed. This makes it possible to transmit packets included in packet group 311 to the server device at a higher speed.

[0047] In the transmission system 100 shown in Figure 1, prior to the commencement of communication between the client device 101 and the server device 241, the multilink communication terminal 120 and the multilink communication termination device 220 are connected via VPN (Virtual Private Network). The communication port connected to cellular 201-1 of the multilink communication terminal 120 and the communication port connected to cellular 201-2 of the multilink communication terminal 120 are each assigned different IP addresses. The VPN connection is established using these IP addresses and the IP addresses assigned to the communication ports of the multilink communication termination device 220.

[0048] Specifically, as shown in Figure 1, a first virtual private line 151-1 is established between cellular 201-1 (more precisely, the communication port of the multilink communication terminal 120) and the communication port of the multilink communication termination device 220. In addition, a second virtual private line 151-2 (not shown) is established between cellular 201-2 (more precisely, the communication port of the multilink communication terminal 120) and the communication port of the multilink communication termination device 220.

[0049] Furthermore, a third virtual private line 151-3 (not shown), a fourth virtual private line 151-4 (not shown), ... are formed between cellular 201-3, cellular 201-4, ... and the communication port of the multilink communication termination device 220. Then, an Nth virtual private line 151-N is formed between cellular 201-N and the communication port of the multilink communication termination device 220.

[0050] Furthermore, if Cellular 201-1, ..., and Cellular 201-N each have different IP addresses, Cellular 201-1, ..., and Cellular 201-2 may be configured to terminate with the first virtual private line 151-1, ..., and the nth virtual private line 151-N related to the VPN connection.

[0051] In the example shown in Figure 1, packets with the additional header PH1 are transmitted using the first virtual private line 151-1, and packets with the additional header PHN are transmitted using the Nth virtual private line 151-N. As described above, cellular 201-1 communicates wirelessly with base station 161-1 using the first operating frequency, so the first virtual private line 151-1 passes through base station 161-1. Similarly, cellular 201-N communicates wirelessly with base station 161-N using the Nth operating frequency, so the Nth virtual private line 151-N passes through base station 161-N.

[0052] In this explanation, we described an example in which a virtual private line network consisting of virtual private lines 151-1, ..., and virtual private line 151-N is configured between one multilink communication terminal 120 and one multilink communication termination device 220. However, for example, a virtual private line network may be configured between multiple multilink communication terminals 120 and one multilink communication termination device 220.

[0053] (downlink) Figure 2 illustrates an example of downlink communication in a transmission system according to the first embodiment. Components identical to those described in Figure 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions are omitted as appropriate. In the downlink, the multilink communication termination device 220 functions as a transmitter, and the multilink communication terminal 120 functions as a receiver.

[0054] Furthermore, similar to the case of the uplink, prior to the commencement of communication between the server device 241 and the client device 101, the multilink communication terminal 120 and the multilink communication termination device 220 are assumed to be connected via VPN, and virtual private lines 151-1, ..., and virtual private lines 151-N are established. In other words, similar to the case of the uplink, multipath parallel distributed communication using multiple virtual private lines is performed in the transmission system 100. This allows packets included in packet group 371 to be transmitted to the client device at a higher speed.

[0055] The transmission system 100 shown in the figure includes a multilink communication terminal 120 that receives packets via a mobile wireless communication network connected by multiple wireless communication interfaces, and a multilink communication termination device 220 that transmits packets to the multilink communication terminal 120 via the mobile wireless communication network. A packet group 371, consisting of multiple packets transmitted from the server device 241, is received as a packet group 382 by the client device 101 via the mobile wireless communication network.

[0056] (Server device 241) The server device 241 generates and outputs a packet group 371 to be sent. In this example, packet group 371 contains five packets, each represented by a circled character A through E.

[0057] When the server device 241 outputs packet group 371, packets A to E are sequentially supplied to the multilink communication termination device 220 in that order.

[0058] (Multilink communication termination device) The multilink communication termination device 220 adds additional headers to each packet included in the packet group 371 supplied from the client device 101. In the example in Figure 2, additional headers PH1 to PHN are added to each packet included in the packet group 371, and packets A to E included in the packet group 371 are sent as payloads (PLs) to base stations of the mobile radio communication network.

[0059] The multilink communication termination device 220, for example, sends packets A to E, which are included in packet group 371, to multiple virtual private lines.

[0060] For the sake of simplicity, here we assume that the multilink communication termination device 220 sends packets A to E, which are included in packet group 371, to virtual private line 151-1 and virtual private line 151-N, respectively. In this example, packets containing packets A, C, and E as PLs are sent over virtual private line 151-1, and packets containing packets B and D as PLs are sent over virtual private line 151-N.

[0061] As an example, the additional headers PH1 to PHN each contain a sequence number. The sequence number indicates the order in which the packets are transmitted. For example, if packets are output from server device 241 in the order of packet A, packet B, packet C, ..., the additional header PH1 attached to the packet with packet A as the PL will contain the sequence number 1.

[0062] Furthermore, the additional header PHN attached to a packet with packet B as the PL contains sequence number 2, the additional header PH1 attached to a packet with packet C as the PL contains sequence number 3, and so on, with sequence numbers being stored in this manner.

[0063] Furthermore, a timestamp for delay measurement may be stored in an additional header.

[0064] (Core network) Packets with the additional header PH1 are transmitted using the first virtual private line 151-1, and packets with the additional header PHN are transmitted using the Nth virtual private line 151-N.

[0065] The backhaul network 180 transmits packets sent from the multilink communication termination device 220 to base station 161-1, which corresponds to virtual private line 151-1, and to base station 161-N, which corresponds to virtual private line 151-N, for example, via the mobile core 181.

[0066] (Cellular) As described above, Cellular 201-1, ..., and Cellular 201-N have wireless communication interfaces for wireless communication with base stations of the mobile wireless communication network. In Figure 2, packets transmitted from the multilink communication termination device 220 with the additional header PH1 attached are received by Cellular 201-1, and packets with the additional header PHN attached are received by Cellular 201-N.

[0067] In this way, each packet received by cellular 201-1, ..., and cellular 201-N is supplied to the multilink communication terminal 120.

[0068] (Multilink communication terminal) The multilink communication terminal 120 generates a packet group 381 from packets received via cellular 201-1 and cellular 201-N and supplies it to the client device 101.

[0069] Packet group 381 is a group of packets arranged in the order in which the multilink communication terminal 120 received each packet. In this example, the packets are arranged in the order of packet C, packet D, packet A, packet E, and packet B. These packets will be output sequentially to the client device 101 in this order. Packet C, packet D, packet A, packet E, and packet B included in packet group 381 may also include sequence numbers stored in their respective additional headers. Alternatively, packet group 321 may also include an additional header.

[0070] Furthermore, as will be described later, the multilink communication terminal 120 reorders the received packets as needed, removes the additional headers, and supplies the reordered packet group 382 to the client device 101. When reordering packets, the multilink communication terminal 120 refers to the information stored in the additional headers PH1, ..., and PHN, and generates the reordered packet group 382 by arranging the packets in sequence number order.

[0071] Packet group 382 is a group of packets received by the multilink communication terminal 120, arranged in sequence number order. In this example, the packets are arranged in the order of packet A, packet B, packet C, packet D, and packet E. In other words, the packets are arranged in the order they were sent from the server device 241. These packets will be output sequentially to the client device 101 in this order.

[0072] (Client device) The client device 101 acquires the packet group supplied from the multilink communication terminal 120. As a result, packets transmitted from the server device 241 are received by the client device 101.

[0073] For example, if the client device 101 has a reordering function, the client device 101 acquires packet group 381 from the multilink communication terminal 120 and rearranges the packets contained in packet group 381 in the order they were sent from the server device 241. Alternatively, if the client device 101 does not have a reordering function, the client device 101 acquires packet group 382 from the multilink communication terminal 120.

[0074] (Example of a multilink communication terminal's functional configuration) Next, the configuration of the multilink communication terminal 120 will be described. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the multilink communication terminal 120 shown in Figures 1 and 2. As shown in the figure, the multilink communication terminal 120 includes a frequency setting unit 121 and a packet transmission unit 122. Also, as shown in the figure, the multilink communication terminal 120 includes a reception control unit 141, a first output unit 142, a second output unit 143, and a setting reception unit 144.

[0075] Furthermore, cellular units 201-1 and 201-2 may be integrated into the multilink communication terminal 120.

[0076] (Frequency setting section) The frequency setting unit 121 sets the utilization frequencies, which are the frequencies used by each of the multiple wireless communication interfaces for communication with base stations of the mobile wireless communication network, to be different frequencies for each interface. The multiple wireless communication interfaces may be, for example, cellular 201-1, ..., cellular 201-N. For example, in the example shown in Figure 1 or Figure 2, N different utilization frequencies will be set for cellular 201-1, ..., cellular 201-N.

[0077] In addition, in the example shown in Figure 3, the frequency setting unit 121 includes a cellular control unit 131 and a frequency usage information storage unit 132.

[0078] Each of the above-mentioned wireless communication interfaces communicates with, for example, multiple base stations of the same mobile communication carrier's mobile wireless communication network, and the frequency setting unit 121 restricts the candidate operating frequencies that each wireless communication interface can select, thereby making the operating frequency of one wireless communication interface different from the operating frequencies of other wireless communication interfaces. The operating frequency may be, for example, the center frequency of one component carrier.

[0079] (Cellular Control Unit) The cellular control unit 131 controls cellular 201-1 and cellular 201-2, which have wireless communication interfaces, by referring to the information stored in the frequency information storage unit 132. As an example, the cellular control unit 131 limits the candidate frequencies for which cell search or SSB search is performed when cellular 201-1 and cellular 201-2 are started by issuing AT commands.

[0080] (Frequency information storage unit) The frequency usage information storage unit 132 stores information related to the frequencies that a UE can use to communicate with base stations of a mobile radio communication network in a given MNO. Details of the information stored in the frequency usage information storage unit 132 will be described later.

[0081] (Packet transmission unit) The packet transmission unit 122 selects the destination for each packet in the packet group to be transmitted from among multiple transmission paths. Then, the packet transmission unit 122 adds an additional header corresponding to each transmission path to each packet and sends it to one of the multiple wireless communication interfaces provided corresponding to the additional header.

[0082] The packets sent by the packet sending unit 122 are network layer packets. For example, the packets sent by the packet sending unit 122 may be IP packets.

[0083] In the example shown in Figure 2, the packet transmission unit 122 includes a transmission path control unit 133, an additional header control unit 134, and a transmission unit 135.

[0084] (Transmission path control unit) The transmission path control unit 133 refers to the information fed back from the device that received the packets and distributes the sequentially supplied packets to multiple transmission paths.

[0085] The transmission path control unit 133, for example, selects the destination for each packet in a packet group to be transmitted from among multiple transmission paths. These multiple transmission paths may be, for example, virtual private lines 151-1 to 151-N.

[0086] The transmission path control unit 133, for example, acquires the transmission throughput of multiple transmission paths as feedback information and controls the amount of packets sent to each transmission path based on the throughput of that transmission path.

[0087] Then, the transmission path control unit 133 distributes the destinations of the packets in the packet group 311 supplied from the client device 101 to multiple transmission paths, for example, in accordance with the controlled amount of packets.

[0088] (Additional header section) The additional header control unit 134 controls the process of generating and adding additional headers to packets transmitted on different transmission paths. For example, the additional header control unit 134 adds additional header PH1 to packets on the first transmission path, ..., and adds additional header PHN to packets on the Nth transmission path. The additional headers are generated corresponding to each wireless communication interface used to transmit the packet. Here, since cellular 201-1, ..., and cellular 201-N are provided as wireless communication interfaces, N types of additional headers (additional header PH1, ..., additional header PHN) are generated.

[0089] Note that the additional headers PH1, ..., and PHN are each network layer headers, and for example, each of them contains an IP address. Also, for example, each of them contains a sequence number. The sequence number is a number that indicates the transmission order of the packets, and as mentioned above, it may be a number that is added to each packet supplied from the client device 101 in the order in which they were supplied.

[0090] Furthermore, a timestamp for delay measurement may be stored in an additional header.

[0091] In this manner, the additional header control unit 134 adds to each packet an additional header corresponding to the transmission path, which stores a sequence number indicating the order in which the packets are supplied.

[0092] In this example, the additional header control unit 134 is provided in the multilink communication terminal 120, but the additional header control unit 134 may also be provided in cellular 201-1 and cellular 201-2, respectively.

[0093] Alternatively, the additional header added by the additional header control unit 134 of the multilink communication terminal 120 may be configured such that, for example, cellular 201-1 stores predetermined header information (first header information) in the additional header, thereby transmitting a packet with additional header PH1 added, ... and cellular 201-N stores other header information (nth header information), thereby transmitting a packet with additional header PHN added.

[0094] In this way, a network layer header is added to (encapsulates) the network layer packet, so the transmission system 100 can be used whether the communication between the client device 101 and the server device 241 uses TCP or UDP.

[0095] (Transmission section) The transmission unit 135 sends packets with additional headers to multiple wireless communication interfaces provided in correspondence with the additional headers. For example, the transmission unit 135 sends packets with additional header PH1 to cellular 201-1, ..., and packets with additional header PHN to cellular 201-N.

[0096] (Receiver control unit) The receiving control unit 141 receives packets transmitted through each transmission path. The receiving control unit 141 identifies the transmission path of the received packet based on the additional header of the packet, measures the throughput of the transmission path, and feeds back the information related to the measured throughput. Throughput measurement may be performed, for example, using a timestamp for delay measurement stored in the additional header.

[0097] In other words, the receiving control unit 141 refers to the additional header and feeds back information related to multiple transmission paths to the device that sent the packet.

[0098] Furthermore, the receiving control unit 141 has a buffer that holds packets received within a predetermined time.

[0099] (First output section) The first output unit 222 selects received packets from the buffer of the reception control unit 141 in the order of the sequence numbers stored in the additional headers, removes the additional headers from the selected packets, and outputs them in sequence number order. Note that packets received via different transmission paths are not necessarily received in sequence number order, so a buffer is used to hold packets received within a predetermined time.

[0100] (Second output section) The second output unit 223 removes any additional headers from the received packets and outputs them in the order they were received. The second output unit 223 may also select and output packets one by one in the order they were received, without using the buffer of the receive control unit 141.

[0101] The setting reception unit 224 accepts settings for operating either the first output unit 222 or the second output unit 223.

[0102] (Example of a functional configuration of a multilink communication termination device) In the above, Figure 3 was used to describe an example of the functional configuration of the multilink communication terminal 120. However, of the functional blocks shown in Figure 3, all functional blocks except the frequency setting unit 121 can be applied as functional configurations for a multilink communication termination device 220.

[0103] In other words, the multilink communication termination device 220 shown in Figures 1 and 2 comprises a packet transmission unit 122, a reception control unit 141, a first output unit 142, a second output unit 143, and a setting reception unit 144, as shown in Figure 3.

[0104] (Information stored in the frequency information storage unit 132) Next, with reference to Figures 4 and 5, an example of the information stored in the frequency information storage unit 132 in Figure 3 will be described.

[0105] The 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) defines the frequency bands for high-frequency signals used in Time Division Duplex (TDD) and Frequency Division Duplex (FDD). Furthermore, within these frequency bands, each of the multiple mobile network operators (MNOs) is allocated a frequency band, and each MNO provides its communication services using its allocated frequency band.

[0106] The allocated frequency bands are distinguished by symbols used by 3GPP to represent those frequency bands (which we will refer to here as "3GPP bands"). For example, in the case of 5G smartphones for the Japanese market, "n1", "n3", "n28", "n41", "n77", "n78", "n79", and "n257" are allocated for 5G communication. In addition, "B1", "B3", "B8", "B18", "B19", "B21", "B26", "B28", "B41", and "B42" are allocated for LTE communication.

[0107] Figure 4 is a table illustrating a list of radio frequency bands available for wireless communication, allocated to a specific MNO (e.g., MNO#1). The table in Figure 4 shows the radio frequency bands available for LTE communication, and all columns labeled "RAT (Radio Access Technology)" are listed as LTE.

[0108] In the table in Figure 4, the column labeled "Duplex" contains information indicating the duplexing method, listing FDD and TDD. In the table in Figure 4, the column labeled "Frequency Band" lists frequency bands such as 2.1GHz, 1.7GHz, 900MHz, etc. In the table in Figure 4, the column labeled "3GPP band" contains symbols representing the frequency band used by 3GPP. That is, the 2.1GHz band is labeled "B1", the 1.7GHz band is labeled "B3", the 900MHz band is labeled "B8", etc.

[0109] Furthermore, in the table in Figure 4, the column labeled "Cell Search Target Information" contains the information used by the UE when performing a cell search. The column labeled "Cell Search Target Information" is divided into a "Center Frequency" column and an "EARFCN (E-UTRAN Absolute radio-frequency channel number)" column, which contain the center frequency and the absolute radio frequency channel number (ARFCN), respectively.

[0110] Note that the center frequencies listed here are those of the downlink (DL) component carriers, while the center frequencies of the uplink (UL) component carriers are uniquely determined by corresponding to the DL center frequencies. In the table in Figure 4, the column labeled "bandwidth" lists the bandwidth corresponding to each EARFCN.

[0111] Figure 5 shows another example of information stored in the frequency information storage unit 132. Figure 5 is a table illustrating a list of radio wave frequencies available for wireless communication, allocated to a predetermined MNO (e.g., MNO#1). The table in Figure 5 shows the radio wave frequencies available for 5G communication (NR), and all columns labeled "RAT" are listed as NR.

[0112] In the table in Figure 5, the column labeled "Duplex" contains information indicating the duplexing method, listing FDD and TDD. The column labeled "Frequency Band" in the table in Figure 5 lists frequency bands such as 1.7GHz, 700MHz, 3.4GHz, etc. The column labeled "3GPP band" in the table in Figure 5 contains symbols that identify the frequency band used by 3GPP. For example, the 1.7GHz band is labeled "n3", the 700MHz band "n28", the 3.4GHz band "n77", etc.

[0113] In the table in Figure 5, the column labeled "SSB Frequency Information" shows the information that a UE uses to search for an SSB (Synchronization Signal block) when connecting with a base station. This information is divided into "Frequency," "GSCN," and "SSB-ARFCN." The column labeled "GSCN" contains a symbol that identifies the frequency of the next synchronization raster position to search when searching for an SSB, and the column labeled "Frequency" contains the frequency corresponding to that GSCN. The column labeled "SSB-ARFCN" contains the absolute radio frequency channel number (ARFCN) that identifies that frequency.

[0114] In the table in Figure 5, the column labeled "DL Radio License Information" is divided into three columns: "Bandwidth," "Center Frequency," and "NR-ARFCN." The "NR-ARFCN" column contains the absolute radio frequency channel number, the frequency identified by that absolute radio frequency channel number is listed in the "Center Frequency" column, and the bandwidth of the component carrier having that center frequency is listed in the "Bandwidth" column.

[0115] The information shown in Figures 4 and 5 is stored in the frequency usage information storage unit 132. Here, we have described an example in which the frequency usage information storage unit 132 stores information on radio wave frequencies available for wireless communication that are assigned to one MNO (MNO#1). However, for example, if a user of the multilink communication terminal 120 has contracts with multiple MNOs, the frequency usage information storage unit 132 may also store information on frequencies assigned to multiple MNOs (MNO#1, MNO#2, ...).

[0116] (Setting the operating frequency) As described above, the cellular control unit 131 sets the operating frequencies for cellular 201-1, ..., and cellular 201-N, which are the frequencies used for communication with base stations of the mobile wireless communication network, by, for example, issuing AT commands. For example, if the operating frequency of cellular 201-1 and the operating frequency of cellular 201-2 are different, there is a high probability that the base station to which cellular 201-1 is connected and the base station to which cellular 201-2 is connected are different.

[0117] If the base station to which Cellular 201-1 is connected is different from the base station to which Cellular 201-2 is connected, then, for example, the positional relationship between the cell and the cellular UE at one base station will be different from the positional relationship between the cell and the cellular UE at the other base station. In other words, even if the UE is located at the edge of one cell, it may be located near the center of the other cell.

[0118] If the UE is located at the cell edge, degradation of radio wave reception quality may occur at the cell edge or cell boundary area (e.g., transmission power constraints on the uplink, low reception SINR on the downlink).

[0119] Furthermore, if the base station to which Cellular 201-1 is connected is different from the base station to which Cellular 201-2 is connected, for example, the number of UEs in a cell at one base station will be different from the number of UEs in a cell at the other base station. In cells with a large number of UEs connected, for example, proportional fairness scheduling on the base station side may impose constraints on the amount of radio resources allocated per UE.

[0120] By ensuring that the operating frequencies for Cellular 201-1, Cellular 201-2, ..., and Cellular 201-N are all different, the possibility of degradation in radio wave reception quality and limitations on the amount of radio resource allocated can be reduced. Furthermore, even if each cellular is connected to a different base station, if a multipath parallel distributed communication line is configured by the same MNO, the communication quality of the entire service related to multipath parallel distributed communication can be guaranteed.

[0121] The cellular control unit 131, for example, restricts the component carriers that can be searched at startup for each of the cellular units 201-1, ..., and 201-N, thereby ensuring that each cellular unit operates at a different frequency.

[0122] (Select the frequency to use per RAT unit) The cellular control unit 131 may, for example, control cellular 201-1 to select a frequency to be used from among the radio wave frequencies available for LTE communication shown in Figure 4. The cellular control unit 131 may also control cellular 201-N to select a frequency to be used from among the radio wave frequencies available for 5G communication shown in Figure 5. In other words, the cellular control unit 131 may control cellular 201-1 and cellular 201-N such that the "RAT" (e.g., LTE) related to the frequency used by cellular 201-1 and the "RAT" (e.g., NR) related to the frequency used by cellular 201-N are different from each other.

[0123] In this case, the cellular control unit 131 configures the startup configuration information of the cellular 201-1 so that when the cellular 201-1 performs a cell search, only the frequency bands corresponding to the symbols listed in the "3GPP band" column shown in Figure 4 can be searched. This limits the frequency bands that the cellular 201-1 can search when it starts up.

[0124] Furthermore, the cellular control unit 131 configures the startup configuration information of the cellular 201-N so that when the cellular 201-N performs an SSB search, only the frequency bands corresponding to the symbols listed in the "3GPP band" column shown in Figure 5 can be searched. This limits the frequency bands that the cellular 201-N will search when it starts up.

[0125] In other words, the cellular control unit 131 of the frequency setting unit 121 restricts the candidate frequencies used by each wireless communication interface so that they are frequencies included in the frequency bands used by different RATs (Radio Access Technologies).

[0126] In this case, the operating frequency (component carrier center frequency) actually used by Cellular 201-1 will be determined by Cellular 201-1's search, and the operating frequency included in the frequency band used for LTE communication (first RAT) will be set for Cellular 201-1. Similarly, the operating frequency actually used by Cellular 201-N will be determined by Cellular 201-N's search, and the operating frequency included in the frequency band used for 5G communication (second RAT) will be set for Cellular 201-N.

[0127] (Select the frequency to use on a 3GPP band basis) Furthermore, the cellular control unit 131 may, for example, control cellular 201-1 to select an operating frequency included in the first "3GPP band" from the available radio wave frequencies shown in Figures 4 and 5. The cellular control unit 131 may also control cellular 201-N to select an operating frequency included in the second "3GPP band" from the available radio wave frequencies shown in Figures 4 and 5. In other words, the cellular control unit 131 may control cellular 201-1 and cellular 201-N such that the "3GPP band" related to the operating frequency of cellular 201-1 and the "3GPP band" related to the operating frequency of cellular 201-N are different from each other. In this case, the "RAT" may be the same.

[0128] For example, the first and second "3GPP bands" may be B1 and B3, or B41 and B42, respectively. Also, the first and second "3GPP bands" may be n3 and n28, or n77 and n257, respectively. Furthermore, the first and second "3GPP bands" may be B1 and n28, or n77 and B41, respectively.

[0129] In this case, the cellular control unit 131 configures the startup configuration information of the cellular 201-1 so that when the cellular 201-1 performs a cell search or SSB search, only the frequencies listed in the "center frequency" or "frequency" column corresponding to the first "3GPP band" can be searched. This limits the frequency bands that can be targeted for cell search or SSB search when the cellular 201-1 starts up.

[0130] Furthermore, the cellular control unit 131 configures the startup configuration information of the cellular 201-N so that when the cellular 201-N performs a cell search or SSB search, only the frequencies listed in the "center frequency" or "frequency" column corresponding to the second "3GPP band" can be searched. This limits the frequency bands that can be targeted for cell search or SSB search when the cellular 201-N starts up.

[0131] In other words, the cellular control unit 131 of the frequency setting unit 121 restricts the candidate operating frequencies for each wireless communication interface so that they are operating frequencies that fall within the 3GPP band defined by 3GPP, and that each falls within a different 3GPP band frequency range.

[0132] In this case, the operating frequency (center frequency of the component carrier) actually used by Cellular 201-1 is determined by Cellular 201-1's search, and the operating frequency included in the frequency band corresponding to the first "3GPP band" will be set for Cellular 201-1. Similarly, the operating frequency actually used by Cellular 201-N is determined by Cellular 201-N's search, and the operating frequency included in the frequency band corresponding to the second "3GPP band" will be set for Cellular 201-N.

[0133] (Select the frequency to be used on a component carrier basis) Furthermore, the cellular control unit 131 may, for example, control cellular 201-1 to select an operating frequency corresponding to a component carrier having a first center frequency from among the available radio wave frequencies shown in Figures 4 and 5. The cellular control unit 131 may also control cellular 201-N to select an operating frequency corresponding to a component carrier having an Nth center frequency from among the available radio wave frequencies shown in Figures 4 and 5. In other words, the cellular control unit 131 may control cellular 201-1 and cellular 201-N such that the component carriers related to the operating frequency of cellular 201-1 and the component carriers related to the operating frequency of cellular 201-N are different from each other. In this case, the "RAT" may be the same, and the "3GPP band" may be the same.

[0134] In this case, the cellular control unit 131 configures the startup configuration information of the cellular 201-1 so that when the cellular 201-1 performs a cell search or SSB search, only the first frequency listed in the "center frequency" or "frequency" column can be searched. This limits the EARFCN or SSB-ARFCN that the cellular 201-1 will search or perform an SSB search on at startup.

[0135] Furthermore, the cellular control unit 131 configures the startup configuration information of cellular 201-2 so that when cellular 201-N performs a cell search or SSB search, only the Nth frequency listed in the "center frequency" or "frequency" column can be searched. This limits the EARFCN or SSB-ARFCN that can be targeted for cell search or SSB search when cellular 201-N starts up.

[0136] Furthermore, component carriers can be individually identified by "EARFCN" in Figure 4 or "NR-ARFCN" in Figure 5. Therefore, the selection of operating frequencies at the component carrier level can be rephrased as the selection of operating frequencies at the ARFCN level.

[0137] This section describes an example in which Cellular 201-1 and Cellular 201-N are instructed to select an operating frequency corresponding to one component carrier each. However, it is also possible to provide Cellular 201-1 and Cellular 201-N with two, three, ... candidate component carriers each and have them select one from among them.

[0138] In other words, the cellular control unit 131 of the frequency setting unit 121 restricts the candidate operating frequencies for each wireless communication interface so that they correspond to different component carriers.

[0139] (Another example of selecting the operating frequency) (Select the frequency to use according to priority) For example, when selecting the operating frequency on a RAT basis, frequency bands corresponding to multiple 3GPP bands are searched. In such cases, for example, information indicating the priority of the frequency bands to be searched may be stored in the operating frequency information storage unit 132.

[0140] Similarly, when selecting operating frequencies on a 3GPP band basis, the operating frequency information storage unit 132 may store information indicating the priority of the center frequency of the cell search target to be searched, or the SSB frequency.

[0141] For example, when the cellular control unit 131 sets the startup configuration information for cellular 201-1 and cellular 201-N, it may set the startup configuration information so that a search is performed according to information indicating priority.

[0142] Thus, the frequency setting unit 121 may further set the priority order that each wireless communication interface should select from among the candidate frequencies to be used by each wireless communication interface.

[0143] (Exclude specific operating frequencies from selection) Furthermore, if an MNO employs DSS, it may be possible to avoid selecting the center frequency of the component carrier targeted by DSS (Dynamic Spectrum Sharing) as the frequency used. DSS is a technology that introduces 5G to part or all of the frequency band used by LTE. In cases where an NR system is operated in the same band as an existing LTE system, DSS may be adopted to allow the existing LTE system and the NR (5G) system to coexist in the same band in order to improve frequency utilization efficiency.

[0144] For example, consider a scenario where Cellular 201-1 is instructed to select a frequency from the available radio frequencies for LTE communication, and Cellular 201-N is also instructed to select a frequency from the available radio frequencies for LTE communication. If the frequencies determined by the searches of Cellular 201-1 and Cellular 201-N are subject to DSS, even if their RATs are different, there is a possibility that a portion of the range defined by the minimum and maximum frequencies of the component carriers corresponding to the frequencies will overlap. If a portion of the component carrier frequency ranges overlap, there is a high probability that Cellular 201-1 and Cellular 201-N will be connected to the same base station.

[0145] For this reason, for example, component carriers that are the target of DSS may be excluded from the search. For example, information indicating which of the center frequencies or SSB frequencies that cannot be searched may be stored in the usage frequency information storage unit 132.

[0146] For example, when the cellular control unit 131 sets the startup configuration information for cellular 201-1 and cellular 201-2, it may set the startup configuration information such as those indicated by information that cannot be searched so that predetermined operating frequencies are excluded from the search target.

[0147] Thus, the frequency setting unit 121 may further set the operating frequencies that should be excluded from selection by the wireless communication interface from among the candidate operating frequencies for each wireless communication interface.

[0148] (Throughput measurement and transmission path determination) Next, we will describe the measurement of throughput and the determination of the transmission path by the multilink communication terminal 120 and / or the multilink communication termination device 220. Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the measurement of throughput and the determination of the transmission path by the multilink communication terminal 120 and / or the multilink communication termination device 220.

[0149] For example, consider the case where a packet is transmitted from a multilink communication terminal 120 to a multilink communication termination device 220. In this case, for example, a packet group 311 is supplied from the client device 101 to the multilink communication terminal 120.

[0150] The multilink communication terminal 120 controls the packet distributor 271 to send packets A, C, E, and F, which are included in packet group 311, to the first virtual private line (virtual private line #1), and to send packets B and D, which are included in packet group 311, to the Nth virtual private line (virtual private line #N).

[0151] More specifically, for example, the packet distributor 271 may generate information that associates each packet with a transmission path (virtual private line), and the generated information may be supplied to the additional header control unit along with the packets.

[0152] The packet distributor 271 may be provided, for example, as part of the transmission path control unit 133 in Figure 3.

[0153] The multilink communication termination device 220 calculates the throughput of virtual private line #1 and virtual private line #N, respectively, using the throughput meter 281. The throughput meter 281 measures throughput, for example, by using a timestamp for delay measurement stored in an additional header.

[0154] The throughput meter 281 may be provided, for example, as part of the receiver control unit 141 in Figure 3.

[0155] The throughput measurement results for virtual private line #1 and virtual private line #N, measured by the throughput meter 281, are fed back to the multilink communication terminal 120 (dotted arrow in the figure).

[0156] Feedback may be sent for each virtual private line (transmission path), or the throughput measurement results for each virtual circuit may be combined and sent using a single virtual circuit.

[0157] For example, the throughput measurement results for virtual private line #1 may be transmitted via virtual private line #1 from the multilink communication termination device 220 (throughput meter 281) to the multilink communication terminal 120 (packet volume controller 272), and the throughput measurement results for virtual private line #N may be transmitted via virtual private line #N from the multilink communication termination device 220 to the multilink communication terminal 120. Alternatively, the throughput measurement results for virtual private line #1 and the throughput measurement results for virtual private line #N may be transmitted via virtual private line #1 from the multilink communication termination device 220 to the multilink communication terminal 120.

[0158] The multilink communication terminal 120 uses the feedback throughput of virtual private line #1 and virtual private line #N to cause the packet volume controller 272 to determine the amount of packets to allocate to each virtual private line.

[0159] The packet volume controller 272 determines the amount of packets to allocate to each virtual private line, for example, in proportion to the throughput value of each virtual private line. For example, if the throughput of virtual private line #1 : throughput of virtual private line #N = 2:1, then 4 packets are sent to virtual private line #1 while 2 packets are sent to virtual private line #N.

[0160] Based on the control of the packet volume controller 272, the packet distributor 271 controls the dispatch of packets to each virtual private line. That is, the packet distributor 271 distributes the sequentially supplied packets across multiple transmission paths by controlling the dispatch of the amount of packets allocated by the packet volume controller 272 to each of the multiple transmission paths. The packet volume controller 272 may be provided, for example, as part of the transmission path control unit 133 in Figure 3.

[0161] By measuring throughput and determining the transmission path in this way, it is possible to avoid, for example, allocating many packets to a transmission path with low transmission quality. As a result, it becomes possible to efficiently increase the transmission capacity per unit time by utilizing multiple transmission paths.

[0162] In this example, we have described the case where packets are sent from the multilink communication terminal 120 to the multilink communication termination device 220. However, when packets are sent from the multilink communication termination device 220 to the multilink communication terminal 120, the throughput measurement results may not be fed back. That is, the packet volume controller 272 of the multilink communication termination device 220 may determine the amount of packets to allocate to each virtual private line based on the throughput measurement results by the multilink communication termination device 220.

[0163] Alternatively, when packets are transmitted from the multilink communication termination device 220 to the multilink communication terminal 120, the throughput measurement results may also be fed back. That is, the throughput meter 281 of the multilink communication terminal 120 may calculate the throughput of each virtual private line, and the calculated throughput may be fed back to the multilink communication termination device 220. In this case, the multilink communication termination device 220 may use the fed-back throughput to have the packet volume controller 272 determine the amount of packets to allocate to each virtual private line.

[0164] (Packet transmission process flow) Next, the packet transmission process by the multilink communication terminal 120 according to this embodiment will be described. Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the packet transmission process flow.

[0165] In step S121, the cellular control unit 131 of the frequency setting unit 121 refers to the information stored in the usage frequency information storage unit 132 and sets the usage frequencies for cellular 201-1 and cellular 201-2, which are the frequencies used for communication with base stations of the mobile wireless communication network. The usage frequency may be, for example, the center frequency of one component carrier.

[0166] In this case, as described above, the operating frequency may be selected on a per-RAT basis. That is, the cellular control unit 131 may set the operating frequency included in the frequency band used for the first RAT to cellular 201-1, ..., and set the operating frequency included in the frequency band used for the Nth RAT to cellular 201-N.

[0167] Furthermore, as described above, the operating frequency may be selected on a 3GPP band basis. That is, the cellular control unit 131 may set the operating frequency included in the first 3GPP band to cellular 201-1, ..., and the operating frequency included in the Nth 3GPP band to cellular 201-N.

[0168] Furthermore, as described above, the operating frequency may be selected on a component carrier basis. That is, the cellular control unit 131 may set the operating frequency corresponding to the first component carrier to cellular 201-1, ..., and set the operating frequency corresponding to the Nth component carrier to cellular 201-N.

[0169] In step S122, the transmission path control unit 133 of the packet transmission unit 122 distributes the packets to multiple transmission paths (for example, virtual private line #1 to virtual private line #N).

[0170] At this time, the transmission path control unit 133, for example, uses the throughput of each virtual line that has been fed back to the packet volume controller 272 to determine the amount of packets to allocate to each virtual private line. Then, based on the control of the packet volume controller 272, the packet distributor 271 controls the transmission of packets to each virtual private line. Furthermore, the packet distributor 271 generates information that associates each packet with a transmission path (virtual private line), and the generated information is supplied to the additional header control unit along with the packets.

[0171] In step S123, the additional header control unit 134 adds an additional header to each packet assigned to each transmission path as a result of the processing in step S122. For example, an additional header PH1 is added to packets sent to virtual private line #1, and an additional header PHN is added to packets sent to virtual private line #N.

[0172] In step S124, the transmission unit 135 sends the packets to which the additional headers have been added in step S123 to the multiple wireless communication interfaces corresponding to the additional headers. For example, a packet with additional header PH1 is sent to cellular 141-1, and a packet with additional header PHN is sent to cellular 141-N.

[0173] This is how the packet transmission process is executed.

[0174] In addition, when a packet is sent from the multilink communication termination device 220, the packet transmission process described above is also executed, but in this case, the process in step S121 is not executed.

[0175] (Packet reception processing flow) Next, the packet reception processing by the multilink communication termination device 220 according to this embodiment will be described. Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the packet reception processing flow.

[0176] In step S141, the receiving control unit 141 receives packets from each transmission path.

[0177] In step S142, the reception control unit 141 measures the throughput for each transmission path. At this time, for example, as explained with reference to Figure 6, the throughput measuring instrument 281 calculates the throughput of virtual private line #1 and the throughput of virtual private line #N, respectively. The throughput measuring instrument 281 measures the throughput using, for example, a timestamp for delay measurement stored in an additional header.

[0178] In step S143, the receiving control unit 141 feeds back information related to the measurement results in step S142 to the multilink communication terminal 120. The fed-back information is supplied, for example, to the packet volume controller 272 of the multilink communication terminal 120.

[0179] In step S144, it is determined whether or not a setting to operate the first output unit 142 has been accepted. Prior to the start of packet reception processing, it is assumed that the setting acceptance unit 144 has accepted a setting to operate either the first output unit 142 or the second output unit 143.

[0180] If it is determined in step S144 that the setting to operate the first output unit 142 has been accepted, the processing in step S145 is executed. In step S145, the first output unit 142 reorders the received packets and outputs them. At this time, for example, reordering using the buffer of the receive control unit 141 is performed. As a result, for example, a group of packets 322 that have been reordered from the multilink communication termination device 220 is output.

[0181] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S144 that the setting to operate the second output unit 143 has been accepted (and the setting to operate the first output unit 142 has not been accepted), the process in step S146 is executed.

[0182] In step S146, the second output unit 143 outputs the received packets in the order they were received. As a result, for example, the multilink communication termination device 220 outputs a group of packets 321 that have not been reordered.

[0183] This is how the packet reception process is executed.

[0184] Furthermore, the packet reception process described above is also executed when the multilink communication terminal 120 receives packets.

[0185] (Effects of the first embodiment) According to this embodiment, packets are transmitted and received using multiple transmission paths via a multipath parallel distributed communication line using a mobile wireless communication network. Therefore, for example, it becomes possible to transmit packets in parallel using 3, 4, ..., N transmission paths, making it possible to further improve throughput compared to, for example, Dual Connectivity (DC) communication.

[0186] Furthermore, since each transmission path uses its own dedicated cellular network, the maximum transmit power per cell is greater compared to, for example, DC-based communication, which can improve uplink throughput in particular. Also, unlike DC, the communication quality of the MN does not affect the throughput of the SN, so throughput can be efficiently increased regardless of the UE's location.

[0187] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, an additional network layer header is added to the transmitted packets. Therefore, unlike MPTCP, for example, the transmission system 100 can be used whether the communication between the client device 101 and the server device 241 uses TCP or UDP. Thus, it is possible to realize multipath parallel distributed communication whose suitability for use is not dependent on the application.

[0188] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, a multipath parallel distributed communication line is configured by the same MNO. Therefore, for example, the communication quality of the entire service related to multipath parallel distributed communication can be guaranteed, and more stable communication becomes possible.

[0189] Therefore, according to this embodiment, multipath parallel distributed communication that enables stable, high-capacity transmission regardless of the application can be realized.

[0190] (Second embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of this disclosure will be described.

[0191] (Example of a transmission system configuration) Figure 9 is a diagram illustrating an example configuration of a transmission system according to the second embodiment of this disclosure. Components having the same function as those described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions are omitted as appropriate. In this embodiment, communication takes place between two multilink communication terminals 120 (multilink communication terminal 120-1 and multilink communication terminal 120-2).

[0192] The transmission system 100 shown in Figure 9 is applicable to V2N2V (Vehicle-to-Network-to-Vehicle) communication, for example, through vehicle-to-vehicle wireless communication via a mobile wireless communication network. The transmission system 100 shown in the figure has multilink communication terminals 120-1 and 120-2 that send and receive packets via a mobile wireless communication network connected by multiple wireless communication interfaces. Packets transmitted from user terminal 105-1 are received by user terminal 105-2 via the mobile wireless communication network.

[0193] In the example in Figure 9, unlike in Figures 1 or 2, base stations 162-1 and 162-2 are shown as base stations of the mobile radio communication network. Furthermore, the mobile radio communication network in Figure 9 is operated by a single MNO, similar to the case in Figure 4.

[0194] In addition, in the example shown in Figure 9, user terminal 105-1 is connected to multilink communication terminal 120-1, and user terminal 105-2 is connected to multilink communication terminal 120-2.

[0195] (User terminal) User terminal 105-1 generates and outputs a packet group 311 to be sent. In this example, packet group 311 contains five packets, each represented by a circled character A through E.

[0196] The user terminal 105-1 may be, for example, a sensor device that packets the detection signal from a sensor. Alternatively, the user terminal 105-1 may be a personal computer, a smartphone, or the like.

[0197] When packet group 311 is output from user terminal 105-1, packets A to E are sequentially supplied to multilink communication terminal 120-1 in that order.

[0198] User terminal 105-2 acquires the packet group supplied from multilink communication terminal 120-2. As a result, packets transmitted from user terminal 105-1 are received by user terminal 105-2.

[0199] For example, if user terminal 105-2 has a reordering function, user terminal 105-2 obtains packet group 321 from multilink communication terminal 120-2 and rearranges the packets contained in packet group 321 in the order they were sent from user terminal 105-1. Alternatively, if user terminal 105-2 does not have a reordering function, user terminal 105-2 obtains packet group 322 from multilink communication terminal 120-2.

[0200] (Multilink communication terminals and cellular) Multilink communication terminal 120-1 is connected to cellular 201-1, ..., and cellular 201-N. Multilink communication terminal 120-2 is connected to cellular 202-1, ..., and cellular 202-N. Cellular 201-1, ..., cellular 201-N, and cellular 202-1, ..., and cellular 202-N have wireless communication interfaces for wireless communication with base stations of the mobile wireless communication network.

[0201] Furthermore, each of Cellura 201-1, ..., and Cellura 201-N has SIM341-1, ..., and SIM341-N. Each of Cellura 202-1, ..., and Cellura 202-N has SIM342-1, ..., and SIM342-N.

[0202] Each of the SIM341-1, ..., SIM341-N, and SIM342-1, ..., SIM342-N may be assigned, for example, a unique subscriber number from the mobile network operator (MNO).

[0203] Cellular 201-1, ..., and Cellular 201-N each use different operating frequencies to communicate wirelessly with base stations 161-1, ..., and base station 161-N. Similarly, Cellular 202-1, ..., and Cellular 202-N each use different operating frequencies to communicate wirelessly with base stations 162-1, ..., and base station 162-N.

[0204] The operating frequencies of Cellura 201-1 and Cellura 202-1 may be the same or different. Similarly, the operating frequencies of Cellura 201-2, ..., Cellura 201-N and Cellura 202-2, ..., Cellura 202-N may be the same or different.

[0205] (Virtual private line) In the transmission system 100 shown in Figure 9, prior to the commencement of communication between user terminal 105-1 and user terminal 105-2, multilink communication terminal 120-1 and multilink communication terminal 120-2 are connected via VPN.

[0206] Specifically, as shown in Figure 9, a first virtual private line 152-1 is established between cellular 201-1 (more precisely, the communication port of multilink communication terminal 120-1) and cellular 202-1 (more precisely, the communication port of multilink communication terminal 120-2). In addition, a second virtual private line 152-2 is established between cellular 201-2 (more precisely, the communication port of multilink communication terminal 120-1) and cellular 202-2 (more precisely, the communication port of multilink communication terminal 120-2).

[0207] Furthermore, a third virtual private line 152-3, a fourth virtual private line 152-4, etc. are established between Cellular 201-3, Cellular 201-4, etc. and Cellular 202-3, Cellular 202-4, etc. Then, an Nth virtual private line 152-N is established between Cellular 201-N and Cellular 202-N.

[0208] In other words, a point-to-point virtual private line network is established between multilink communication terminal 120-1 and multilink communication terminal 120-2.

[0209] Furthermore, if Cellular 201-1, ..., and Cellular 201-N each have different IP addresses, and Cellular 202-1, ..., and Cellular 202-N each have different IP addresses, Cellular 201-1, ..., and Cellular 201-2, and Cellular 202-1, ..., and Cellular 202-N may be configured to terminate the first virtual private line 152-1, ..., and the nth virtual private line 152-N related to the VPN connection.

[0210] (Additional header) The multilink communication terminal 120-1 adds additional headers to each packet included in the packet group 311 supplied from the user terminal 105-1. In the example in Figure 9, additional headers PH1 to PHN are added to each packet included in the packet group 311, and packets A to E included in the packet group 311 are sent to the base station of the mobile radio communication network as payloads (PLs).

[0211] The additional headers PH1 to PHN are each network layer headers. For example, each of the additional headers PH1 to PHN contains an IP address. The multilink communication terminal 120-1 sends packets A to E, included in packet group 311, to multiple cellular devices corresponding to multiple virtual private lines, for example, using the method described later.

[0212] For the sake of simplicity, here we assume that the multilink communication terminal 120 sends packets A to E, which are included in packet group 311, to cellular 201-1, which corresponds to virtual private line 151-1, and to cellular 201-N, which corresponds to virtual private line 151-N. In this example, packets containing packets A, C, and E as PLs are sent over virtual private line 151-1, and packets containing packets B and D as PLs are sent over virtual private line 151-2.

[0213] As an example, the additional headers PH1 to PHN each contain a sequence number. The sequence number indicates the order in which the packets are transmitted. For example, if packets are output from client device 101 in the order of packet A, packet B, packet C, ..., the additional header PH1 attached to the packet with packet A as the PL will contain the sequence number 1.

[0214] Furthermore, the additional header PHN attached to a packet with packet B as the PL contains sequence number 2, the additional header PH1 attached to a packet with packet C as the PL contains sequence number 3, and so on, with sequence numbers being stored in this manner.

[0215] Furthermore, a timestamp for delay measurement may be stored in an additional header.

[0216] The above explanation uses the example of a packet being sent from user terminal 105-1 to user terminal 105-2, but the same applies when a packet is sent from user terminal 105-2 to user terminal 105-1.

[0217] (Effects of the second embodiment) Thus, in this embodiment, similar to the multilink communication terminal 120-1, the multilink communication terminal 120-2 is connected to multiple different base stations. For example, when user terminals 105-1 and 105-2 are mounted in a vehicle or the like, the configuration according to this embodiment can be applied.

[0218] In other words, according to this embodiment, multipath parallel distributed communication can be realized in V2N2V communication that enables stable, high-capacity transmission regardless of the application.

[0219] (Third embodiment) For example, each of the cellular devices according to the first and second embodiments may be configured to connect to a base station using Carrier Aggregation (CA) or Dual Connectivity (DC).

[0220] This method makes it possible to further increase transmission capacity.

[0221] (Other embodiments) In the embodiments described above, examples were explained in which multipath parallel distributed communication is performed using a mobile radio communication network operated by a single MNO. However, multipath parallel distributed communication may also be performed using mobile radio communication networks operated by different MNOs.

[0222] For example, the virtual private lines 151-1, ..., and 151-N shown in Figures 1 and 2 may be constructed in part using a mobile radio communication network operated by a first MNO, and the rest using a mobile radio communication network operated by a second MNO. Similarly, the virtual private lines 152-1, ..., and 152-N shown in Figure 9 may be constructed in part using a mobile radio communication network operated by a first MNO, and the rest using a mobile radio communication network operated by a second MNO.

[0223] Furthermore, a virtual private line may be constructed using three or more different mobile radio networks, such as a mobile radio network operated by a first MNO, a mobile radio network operated by a second MNO, a mobile radio network operated by a third MNO, and so on.

[0224] In such a case, for example, Cellular 201-1 is connected to a base station of the mobile radio network operated by the first MNO, Cellular 201-2 is connected to a base station of the mobile radio network operated by the second MNO, and so on, forming radio sections of virtual private lines 151-1, virtual private line 151-2, and so on. Then, virtual private line 151-1 is connected via the core network of the first MNO, virtual private line 151-2 is connected via the core network of the second MNO, and so on, as each virtual private line is constructed.

[0225] In this way, the base station to which Cellular 201-1 is connected will be different from the base station to which Cellular 201-2 is connected. Therefore, by ensuring that the MNOs for Cellular 201-1, Cellular 201-2, ..., and Cellular 201-N are all different, the possibility of degradation in radio wave reception quality and limitations on the amount of radio resource allocated can be reduced.

[0226] However, if multipath parallel distributed communication is implemented using multiple different mobile radio communication networks operated by different MNOs, it is not possible to guarantee the overall communication quality of the service related to multipath parallel distributed communication.

[0227] Alternatively, some of the transmission paths may be constructed using wireless networks different from the mobile wireless network, such as optical wireless, Wi-Fi, or DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication).

[0228] (Example of implementation using software) Each of the multilink communication terminal 120 and the multilink communication termination device 220 described above is a program for making a computer function, and can be realized by a program for making a computer function as the multilink communication terminal 120 and the multilink communication termination device 220. In this case, the multilink communication terminal 120 and the multilink communication termination device 220 are equipped with a computer having at least one control device (e.g., a processor) and at least one storage device (e.g., memory) as hardware for executing the above program. An example of such a computer is shown in Figure 10.

[0229] The computer 500 includes at least one processor 501 and at least one memory 502. The memory 502 stores a program 520 that causes the computer 500 to operate as a multilink communication terminal 120 and a multilink communication termination device 220. In the computer 500, the processor 501 reads and executes this program 520 from the memory 502, thereby realizing the functions of the multilink communication terminal 120 and the multilink communication termination device 220.

[0230] The processor 501 can be, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphic Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), an FPU (Floating Point Number Processing Unit), a PPU (Physics Processing Unit), a microcontroller, or a combination thereof.

[0231] For memory 502, for example, flash memory, HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), or a combination of these can be used.

[0232] Furthermore, the computer 500 may also be equipped with RAM (Random Access Memory) for deploying the program 520 at runtime and for temporarily storing various data. The computer 500 may also be equipped with a communication interface for sending and receiving data with other devices. Furthermore, the computer 500 may also be equipped with an input / output interface for connecting input / output devices such as a keyboard, mouse, display, and printer.

[0233] Furthermore, the program 520 can be recorded on a non-temporary, tangible recording medium 530 that is readable by the computer 500. Such a recording medium 530 could be, for example, a tape, disk, card, semiconductor memory, or a programmable logic circuit. The computer 500 can retrieve the program 520 via such a recording medium 530.

[0234] Furthermore, program 520 can be transmitted via a transmission medium. Such a transmission medium could be, for example, a communication network or broadcast waves. Computer 500 can also acquire program 520 via such a transmission medium.

[0235] Furthermore, some or all of the functions of the multilink communication terminal 120 and the multilink communication termination device 220 can also be implemented by logic circuits. For example, an integrated circuit in which logic circuits functioning as the above-mentioned control blocks are formed is also included in the scope of this disclosure. In addition, it is also possible to implement the functions of the above-mentioned control blocks using, for example, a quantum computer.

[0236] Furthermore, while the embodiments described above illustrate examples of applying the disclosure to 5G communication systems, the disclosure can also be applied to 6G and later communication systems.

[0237] According to each aspect of this disclosure described above, the effects described above can contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 9, "Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster technological innovation."

[0238] This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of this disclosure.

[0239] 〔summary〕 A transmitting device according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure is a transmitting device that transmits packets via a mobile wireless communication network, comprising: a frequency setting unit that sets the utilization frequency, which is the frequency used by the wireless communication interface for communication with a base station of the mobile wireless communication network, to be a different frequency for a plurality of wireless communication interfaces; a transmission path control unit that distributes a plurality of packets supplied sequentially to a plurality of transmission paths by referring to information fed back from a receiving device that receives packets transmitted by the transmitting device; an additional header control unit that adds to each packet an additional header corresponding to the transmission path, which stores a sequence number indicating the supply order of the plurality of packets; and a transmission unit that sends the packets with the additional headers added to the plurality of wireless communication interfaces provided corresponding to the additional headers.

[0240] A transmitting device according to Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure, in Embodiment 1 described above, the transmission path control unit comprises a packet quantity control unit that determines the amount of packets to be allocated to each of the plurality of transmission paths based on information fed back from a receiving device that receives packets transmitted by the transmitting device, which is information relating to the throughput of each of the plurality of transmission paths, and a packet distribution unit that distributes a plurality of sequentially supplied packets to the plurality of transmission paths by controlling the dispatch of the amount of packets allocated by the packet quantity control unit to each of the plurality of transmission paths.

[0241] The transmitting device according to Embodiment 3 of the present disclosure, in Embodiment 1 or 2 above, wherein each of the plurality of wireless communication interfaces communicates with a plurality of base stations of the same mobile communication carrier's mobile wireless communication network, and the frequency setting unit restricts the candidate usage frequencies that each wireless communication interface can select, thereby making the usage frequency of one wireless communication interface different from the usage frequencies of other wireless communication interfaces.

[0242] The transmitting device according to Embodiment 4 of this disclosure, in Embodiment 3 above, the frequency setting unit is: The candidate frequencies used by each wireless communication interface are restricted to frequencies that fall within the frequency bands used by different RATs (Radio Access Technologies).

[0243] In the transmission device according to embodiment 5 of this disclosure, in embodiment 3 described above, the frequency setting unit is: The candidate operating frequencies for each wireless communication interface are restricted to operating frequencies that fall within the 3GPP bands defined by 3GPP, and that each falls within a different 3GPP band frequency range.

[0244] In the transmission device according to embodiment 6 of the present disclosure, in embodiment 3 above, the frequency setting unit restricts the candidate usage frequencies of each wireless communication interface to usage frequencies corresponding to different component carriers.

[0245] In the transmitting device according to embodiment 7 of the present disclosure, in any of embodiments 4 to 6 above, the frequency setting unit further sets the priority order that the wireless communication interface should select from among the candidate frequencies used by each wireless communication interface.

[0246] In the transmission device according to embodiment 8 of the present disclosure, in any of embodiments 4 to 6 above, the frequency setting unit further sets the usage frequencies to be excluded from selection by the wireless communication interface from among the candidate usage frequencies of each wireless communication interface.

[0247] A transmission method according to aspect 9 of the present disclosure is a transmission method for a transmitting device that transmits packets via a mobile wireless communication network, comprising: a frequency setting step of setting a plurality of wireless communication interfaces to use different frequencies, which are frequencies used by each wireless communication interface for communication with a base station of the mobile wireless communication network; a transmission path control step of distributing a plurality of sequentially supplied packets to a plurality of transmission paths by referring to information fed back from a receiving device that receives packets transmitted by the transmitting device; an additional header control step of adding an additional header to each packet, which is an additional header corresponding to the transmission path and stores a sequence number indicating the supply order of the plurality of packets; and a transmission step of sending the packets to which the additional headers have been added to the plurality of wireless communication interfaces provided corresponding to the additional headers.

[0248] A program according to aspect 10 of the present disclosure causes a computer to function as a transmitting device that transmits packets via a mobile wireless communication network, comprising: a frequency setting unit that sets the utilization frequency, which is the frequency used by each wireless communication interface for communication with a base station of the mobile wireless communication network, to be a different frequency for each of a plurality of wireless communication interfaces; a transmission path control unit that distributes a plurality of packets supplied sequentially to a plurality of transmission paths by referring to information fed back from a receiving device that receives packets transmitted by the transmitting device; an additional header control unit that adds to each packet an additional header corresponding to the transmission path, which stores a sequence number indicating the supply order of the plurality of packets; and a transmission unit that sends the packets with the additional headers added to the plurality of wireless communication interfaces provided corresponding to the additional headers.

[0249] A receiving device according to aspect 11 of the present disclosure is a receiving device that receives a plurality of packets transmitted from the same transmitting device and distributed across a plurality of transmission paths via a mobile wireless communication network, wherein each packet has an additional header corresponding to the plurality of transmission paths, the additional header including a sequence number indicating the order in which the packets were supplied to the transmitting device, and the receiving control unit that refers to the additional header and feeds back information relating to the plurality of transmission paths to the transmitting device, and the output unit that sequentially outputs the packets received from the plurality of transmission paths to the same information processing device in the order in which they were received or in the order of the sequence numbers.

[0250] A receiving method according to aspect 12 of the present disclosure is a receiving method for a receiving device that receives a plurality of packets transmitted from the same transmitting device and distributed across a plurality of transmission paths via a mobile wireless communication network, wherein each packet is accompanied by an additional header corresponding to the plurality of transmission paths, the additional header including a sequence number indicating the order in which the packets were supplied to the transmitting device, and the receiving control step includes feeding back information relating to the plurality of transmission paths to the transmitting device by referring to the additional header, and the output step includes sequentially outputting the packets received from the plurality of transmission paths to the same information processing device in the order in which they were received or in the order of the sequence numbers.

[0251] A program according to aspect 13 of the present disclosure causes a computer to function as a receiving device that receives a plurality of packets transmitted from the same transmitting device, which are distributed and transmitted across a plurality of transmission paths, via a mobile wireless communication network, wherein each packet has an additional header corresponding to the plurality of transmission paths, which includes a sequence number indicating the order in which the packets were supplied to the transmitting device, and the receiving control unit refers to the additional header and feeds back information relating to the plurality of transmission paths to the transmitting device, and the output unit sequentially outputs the packets received from the plurality of transmission paths to the same information processing device in the order in which they were received or in the order of the sequence numbers. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0252] 100 Transmission Systems 101 Client device 105-1, 105-2 User Terminals 120 Multilink communication terminals 121 Frequency setting section 122 Packet transmission unit 131 Cellular Control Unit 132 Frequency Usage Information Storage Unit 133 Transmission Path Control Unit 134 Additional Header Control Unit 135 Discharge Unit 141 Receiving Control Unit 142 First Output Section 143 Second Output Section 144 Setting Reception Section 151-1, 151-N Virtual Private Line 152-1, 152-N Virtual Private Line 161-1, 161-N base station 162-1, 162-N base station 180 Backhaul Networks 181 Mobile Core 201-1, 201-N Cellular 202-1, 202-N Cellular 341-1, 341-N SIM 342-1, 342-N SIM 220 Multilink communication termination equipment 241 Server device

Claims

1. A transmitting device that transmits packets via a mobile wireless communication network, A frequency setting unit sets the operating frequency, which is the frequency used by the wireless communication interface for communication with the base station of the mobile wireless communication network, to be a different frequency for each of the multiple wireless communication interfaces, A transmission path control unit that, by referring to information fed back from a receiving device that receives packets transmitted by the aforementioned transmitting device, distributes a plurality of sequentially supplied packets to a plurality of transmission paths, An additional header control unit adds to each packet an additional header corresponding to the transmission path, which stores a sequence number indicating the supply order of the plurality of packets, A transmission unit that sends packets to which the additional header has been added to each of the plurality of wireless communication interfaces provided corresponding to the additional header. A transmitting device equipped with the following features.

2. The transmission path control unit, A packet volume control unit that determines the amount of packets to be allocated to each of the multiple transmission paths based on information fed back from a receiving device that receives packets transmitted by the transmitting device, and information relating to the throughput of each of the multiple transmission paths. A packet distribution unit controls the dispatch of the amount of packets allocated by the packet volume control unit to each of the multiple transmission paths, thereby distributing the sequentially supplied multiple packets across the multiple transmission paths. The transmitting device according to claim 1, comprising:

3. Each of the aforementioned multiple wireless communication interfaces communicates with multiple base stations of the same mobile communication carrier's mobile wireless communication network. The frequency setting unit restricts the candidate operating frequencies that each wireless communication interface can select, thereby causing the operating frequency of one wireless communication interface to differ from the operating frequencies of other wireless communication interfaces. The transmitting device according to claim 1.

4. The frequency setting unit is, The candidate frequencies used by each wireless communication interface are restricted to include frequencies within the frequency bands used by different RATs (Radio Access Technology). The transmitting device according to claim 3.

5. The frequency setting unit is, The candidate operating frequencies for each wireless communication interface are restricted to operating frequencies that fall within the frequency bands of different 3GPP bands defined by 3GPP. The transmitting device according to claim 3.

6. The frequency setting unit is, The candidate operating frequencies for each wireless communication interface are restricted so that they correspond to different component carriers. The transmitting device according to claim 3.

7. The frequency setting unit is, Further setting the priority order for which each wireless communication interface should select from the candidate frequencies used by each wireless communication interface. The transmitting device according to claim 3.

8. The frequency setting unit is, Further setting of the operating frequencies to be excluded from selection by the wireless communication interface from among the candidate operating frequencies for each wireless communication interface. The transmitting device according to claim 3.

9. A transmission method for a transmitting device that transmits packets via a mobile wireless communication network, A frequency setting step involves setting the operating frequency, which is the frequency used by the wireless communication interface for communication with the base station of the mobile wireless communication network, to be a different frequency for multiple wireless communication interfaces. A transmission path control step that, by referring to information fed back from a receiving device that receives packets transmitted by the transmitting device, distributes a plurality of sequentially supplied packets to a plurality of transmission paths, An additional header control step is to add to each packet an additional header corresponding to the transmission path, which stores a sequence number indicating the supply order of the plurality of packets. A transmission step of sending the packet to which the additional header has been added to each of the plurality of wireless communication interfaces provided in correspondence with the additional header. A transmission method that includes [this].

10. Computers, A transmitting device that transmits packets via a mobile wireless communication network, A frequency setting unit sets the operating frequency, which is the frequency used by the wireless communication interface for communication with the base station of the mobile wireless communication network, to be a different frequency for each of the multiple wireless communication interfaces, A transmission path control unit that, by referring to information fed back from a receiving device that receives packets transmitted by the aforementioned transmitting device, distributes a plurality of sequentially supplied packets to a plurality of transmission paths, An additional header control unit adds to each packet an additional header corresponding to the transmission path, which stores a sequence number indicating the supply order of the plurality of packets, The device functions as a transmitting device comprising a transmission unit that sends packets to which the additional header has been added to each of the plurality of wireless communication interfaces provided corresponding to the additional header. program.

11. A receiving device that receives multiple packets transmitted from the same transmitting device, which are distributed across multiple transmission paths, via a mobile radio communication network. The packet is further endowed with an additional header corresponding to the plurality of transmission paths, which includes a sequence number indicating the order in which the packets were supplied to the transmitting device. A receiving control unit that, referring to the additional header, feeds back information relating to the multiple transmission paths to the transmitting device, An output unit that sequentially outputs packets received from the multiple transmission paths to the same information processing device in the order they were received or in the order of their sequence numbers. A receiving device equipped with the following features.

12. A receiving method for a receiving device that receives multiple packets transmitted from the same transmitting device, which are distributed across multiple transmission paths, via a mobile radio communication network, The packet is further endowed with an additional header corresponding to the plurality of transmission paths, which includes a sequence number indicating the order in which the packets were supplied to the transmitting device. A receive control step that refers to the additional header and feeds back information relating to the multiple transmission paths to the transmitting device, An output step which sequentially outputs packets received from the multiple transmission paths to the same information processing device in the order they were received or in the order of their sequence numbers. Reception methods including

13. Computers, A receiving device that receives multiple packets transmitted from the same transmitting device, which are distributed across multiple transmission paths, via a mobile radio communication network. The packet is further endowed with an additional header corresponding to the plurality of transmission paths, which includes a sequence number indicating the order in which the packets were supplied to the transmitting device. A receiving control unit that, referring to the additional header, feeds back information relating to the multiple transmission paths to the transmitting device, The receiving device is configured to include an output unit that sequentially outputs packets received from the multiple transmission paths to the same information processing device in the order they were received or in the order of their sequence numbers. program.

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