Communication systems and programs

Abstract

A communication system (1) comprises: a transmission device (10-1) including a main signal duplication unit (12) that duplicates a main signal in accordance with the number of relay routes, a delay multi-value conversion unit (13) that converts a first code included in at least one multilevel modulated sub-signal into a second code representing a path delay difference, and a delay control unit (14) that divides the transmission timing of the main signal on the plurality of relay routes into a plurality of sections on the basis of the second code to adjust the transmission timing in multiple stages, and transmits the main signal to each relay route; and a reception device (10-2) including a main signal selection unit (15) that selects one main signal communicated on a main signal channel on the basis of the reception timing of the main signal, and a sub-signal decoding unit (18) that decodes at least one multilevel modulated sub-signal including a first code communicated on a sub-signal channel on the basis of the difference in arrival time of the main signal for each relay route.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a communication system and a program that send the same signal over redundant paths and perform seamless redundant switching to achieve seamless communication.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in a seamless redundant switching system that sends the same signal over redundant paths to achieve seamless communication, a method of controlling the reception order of the same frame in each path and transmitting a signal different from the main signal is known. This method is a communication in which the meaning of the code is given to the path of the first-arrived code. In a seamless redundant switching system that is redundant with two paths, by assigning code "1" to path 1 and code "0" to path 2, for the reception of the main signal of one frame, it is possible to receive one bit of the sub signal.

[0003] FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a configuration example of a conventional seamless redundant switching system. As shown in FIG. 9, the conventional seamless redundant switching system is composed of a pair of seamless devices #1 and seamless device #2. The seamless device #1 assigns sequence numbers #1, #2, #3, ···, #N to the frames to be transmitted (denoted as frames #1, #2, #3, ···, #N), duplicates them, and transmits them to path #1 and path #2. The seamless device #2 checks the frames received from each path and confirms the arrival time of the frames with the same sequence number.

[0004] Figure 10 is a timing chart illustrating a conventional sub-signal modulation scheme. In the example shown in Figure 10, the code "1" is assigned to the transmission timing when a frame with the same sequence number sent to route #1 arrives first, and the code "0" is assigned to the transmission timing when a frame with the same sequence number sent to route #2 arrives first. That is, when frames with the same sequence number sent from the source uninterrupted device to route #1 and route #2 arrive at the destination uninterrupted device, (i) the code "1" is assigned to the transmission timing when the frame sent to route #1 arrives first and the frame sent to route #2 arrives second, and (ii) the code "0" is assigned to the transmission timing when the frame sent to route #2 arrives first and the frame sent to route #1 arrives second.

[0005] Figure 11 is a diagram illustrating a conventional sub-signal modulation scheme. Figure 12 is a table illustrating a conventional sub-signal modulation scheme. The T_code shown in Figures 11 and 12 refers to the difference between the time a frame with the same sequence number arrives via route #2 and the time it arrives via route #1. The T_code is calculated by the following formula (1). As shown in Figures 11 and 12, if the frame via route #2 arrives first, i.e., T_code < 0, the code "0" is assigned, and if the frame via route #1 arrives first or simultaneously, i.e., T_code ≥ 0, the code "1" is assigned. Route #2 arrival time - Route #1 arrival time = T_code (1)

[0006] Non-patent document 1 describes a method for multiplexing data transmission without changing the frame format, utilizing the characteristics of a path redundancy configuration in a network that cannot handle a frame format for multiplexing. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0007] [Non-Patent Document 1] Yuhei Kawakami, et al., "A Study on an Information Transmission Method Utilizing Transmission Timing in Redundant Paths," IEICE General Conference 2020, March 17 (Tue) - 20 (Fri), 2020, B-8-45 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] However, in order to control the reception order of identical frames on each path, redundant frame transmission is performed, which presents a challenge: the transmission speed of the sub-signal is significantly lower than that of the main signal. For example, in communication where the frame length of the main signal is 125 bytes (1000 bits) or 1250 bytes (1000 bits), the bitrate of the sub-signal, which encodes 1 bit per frame of the main signal, is reduced to approximately 1 / 1000th or 1 / 10000th of that of the main signal.

[0009] In view of these circumstances, the object of the present invention is to provide a communication system and program capable of improving the transmission speed of sub-signals. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] To solve the above problems, the communication device according to this embodiment is a communication system that performs multiplex communication of a main signal and at least one sub-signal via a plurality of relay paths between a transmitting device and a receiving device, wherein the transmitting device comprises a main signal duplication unit that duplicates the main signal communicated on a main signal channel according to the number of relay paths, a delay multi-level conversion unit that converts a first code included in at least one multi-level modulated sub-signal communicated on a sub-signal channel into a second code representing the delay difference of the paths, and a delay control unit that adjusts the transmission timing of the main signal in the plurality of relay paths in multiple stages by dividing it into a plurality of sections based on the second code and transmits the main signal to each of the plurality of relay paths, wherein the receiving device comprises a main signal selection unit that selects one of the main signals communicated on the main signal channel based on the reception timing of the main signal via each of the plurality of relay paths, and a sub-signal decoding unit that decodes the at least one multi-level modulated sub-signal including the first code communicated on the sub-signal channel based on the difference in arrival times of the main signal for each relay path.

[0011] To solve the above problems, the communication device according to this embodiment is a communication system that performs multiplex communication of a main signal and at least one sub-signal via a plurality of relay paths between a transmitting device and a receiving device, wherein the transmitting device comprises a main signal duplication unit that duplicates the main signal communicated on the main signal channel according to the number of relay paths, a delayed multi-level conversion unit that converts the code included in the sub-signal into a third code represented by a 1-bit binary number for each relay path, based on whether the deviation of the arrival timing of the main signal from a target value is less than or greater than a threshold, and a delay control unit that performs delay control on the main signal to be transmitted to each relay path based on the third code, wherein the receiving device comprises a main signal selection unit that selects one of the main signals communicated on the main signal channel based on the reception timing of the main signal via each of the plurality of relay paths, and a sub-signal decoding unit that measures the deviation of the arrival timing of the main signal for each received relay path and converts it into a fourth code represented by at least 2-bit binary number by combining the third code that has been independently decoded for each relay path.

[0012] To solve the above problems, the program according to this embodiment causes the computer to function as a transmitting device or a receiving device in the above communication system. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to this disclosure, it becomes possible to improve the transmission speed of sub-signals. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a communication system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a non-interrupting device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a diagram illustrating the sub-signal modulation scheme according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a table illustrating the sub-signal modulation scheme according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] It is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a seamless device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 6] It is a diagram for explaining a sub-signal modulation method according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7] It is a diagram showing a sub-signal according to a second embodiment represented in the complex plane. [Figure 8] It is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a computer that functions as a transmitting device or a receiving device. [Figure 9] It is a diagram for explaining a configuration example of a conventional seamless redundancy switching system. [Figure 10] It is a timing chart for explaining a conventional sub-signal modulation method. [Figure 11] It is a diagram for explaining a conventional sub-signal modulation method. [Figure 12] It is a table for explaining a conventional sub-signal modulation method.

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail while referring to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and can be variously modified and implemented within the scope of the gist thereof.

[0016] <Communication System> (First Embodiment) Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a communication system 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 1 comprises a first uninterrupted device 10A, a second uninterrupted device 10B, a first relay path RR1, and a second relay path RR2. Hereinafter in this disclosure, the first uninterrupted device 10A and the second uninterrupted device 10B will be collectively referred to as the uninterrupted device 10 unless there is a need to distinguish between them. Similarly, in this disclosure, the first relay path RR1 and the second relay path RR2 will be collectively referred to as the relay path RR unless there is a need to distinguish between them. The communication system 1 performs multiplex communication of a main signal MS and at least one sub-signal SS via a plurality of relay paths (first relay path RR1 and second relay path RR2) between the first uninterrupted device 10A and the second uninterrupted device 10B.

[0017] The first uninterrupted device 10A operates as a transmitter 10-1 in the communication system 1. The first uninterrupted device 10A is connected to the first high-speed user terminal 20A and the first low-speed user terminal 30A. The first high-speed user terminal 20A is a terminal that transmits the main signal MS, which is transmitted via the main signal channel (shown in Figure 1, which is a signal channel that transmits the main signal MS from the first high-speed user terminal 20A to the second high-speed user terminal 20B via the first user path UR1, the first uninterrupted device 10A, the relay path RR, the second uninterrupted device 10B, and the first user path UR1 in order) to the first uninterrupted device 10A. The first low-speed user terminal 30A is a terminal that transmits the sub-signal SS, which is transmitted via a sub-signal channel (as shown in Figure 1, a signal channel that transmits the sub-signal SS from the first low-speed user terminal 30A to the second low-speed user terminal 30B via the second user path UR2, the first uninterrupted device 10A, the relay path RR, the second uninterrupted device 10B, and the second user path UR2 in that order), to the first uninterrupted device 10A. The main signal MS is a frame containing user data. The sub-signal SS is user data represented by binary codes of 0s and 1s.

[0018] The second uninterrupted device 10B operates as a receiving device 10-2 in the communication system 1. The second uninterrupted device 10B is connected to a second high-speed user terminal 20B and a second low-speed user terminal 30B. The second high-speed user terminal 20B is the terminal to which the main signal MS received by the second uninterrupted device 10B is transmitted. The second low-speed user terminal 30B is the terminal to which the secondary signal SS received by the second uninterrupted device 10B is transmitted.

[0019] The first relay path RR1 is a relay path connecting the first uninterrupted device 10A and the second uninterrupted device 10B. The second relay path RR2 is another relay path connecting the first uninterrupted device 10A and the second uninterrupted device 10B. The first uninterrupted device 10A and the second uninterrupted device 10B may include a relay network. The relay network may be, for example, an Ethernet® network. The type of relay network is not particularly limited.

[0020] The first user port UP1 is a port for receiving the main signal MS input from the first high-speed user terminal 20A via the first user path UR1, and for transmitting the main signal MS output to the second high-speed user terminal 20B via the first user path UR1. The second user port UP2 is a port for receiving the sub-signal SS input from the first low-speed user terminal 30A via the second user path UR2, and for transmitting the sub-signal SS output to the second low-speed user terminal 30B via the second user path UR2. The first relay port RP1 is a port for transmitting the main signal MS with or without delay to the first relay path RR1, and for receiving the main signal MS with or without delay from the first relay path RR1. The second relay port RP2 is a port for transmitting the main signal MS with or without delay to the second relay path RR2, and for receiving the main signal MS with or without delay from the second relay path RR2. Hereinafter, in this disclosure, unless there is a need to distinguish between the first user port UP1 and the second user port UP2, they will be referred to as user port UP. Similarly, when there is no need to distinguish between the first relay port RP1 and the second relay port RP2, they are referred to simply as relay port RP.

[0021] <Uninterrupted device> Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the uninterrupted device 10 according to the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 2, the uninterrupted device 10 comprises a transmitting device 10-1 having a sequence number assignment unit 11, a main signal duplication unit 12, a delayed multi-level conversion unit 13, and a delay control unit 14, and a receiving device 10-2 having a main signal selection unit 15, a sequence number deletion unit 16, a route determination notification unit 17, and a sub-signal decoding unit 18. The sequence number assignment unit 11, main signal duplication unit 12, delayed multi-level conversion unit 13, and delay control unit 14 of the transmitting device 10-1 constitute the first control calculation circuit 40-1 (first controller 40-1). The main signal selection unit 15, sequence number deletion unit 16, route determination notification unit 17, and sub-signal decoding unit 18 of the receiving device 10-2 constitute the second control calculation circuit 40-2 (second controller 40-2). The first control arithmetic circuit 40-1 and the second control arithmetic circuit 40-2 may be composed of dedicated hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or they may be composed of a processor, or they may include both.

[0022] <Transmitter> Next, the transmitting device 10-1 will be described. The sequence number assignment unit 11 assigns a sequence number to the input main signal MS. The sequence number is a number that represents the order in which each main signal MS is transmitted.

[0023] The main signal duplication unit 12 duplicates the main signal MS that is communicated on the main signal channel, which is assigned a sequence number according to the number of relay paths RR. The main signal duplication unit 12 then names the original main signal MS as main signal MS1 and sends main signal MS1 and the duplicated main signal MS2 to the delay control unit 14. In Figure 2, the double arrow indicates that two main signals, main signal MS1 and MS2, are sent.

[0024] The delayed multi-level conversion unit 13 converts a first code C1 contained in at least one multi-level modulated sub-signal communicated on the sub-signal channel into a second code C2 representing the delay difference of the path (the difference in arrival times between the main signal MS1 via the first relay path RR1 and the main signal MS2 via the second relay path RR2). The first code C1 is a code represented by at least two bits of binary, such as "00", "01", "11", or "10". The delayed multi-level conversion unit 13 sends the second code C2 to the delay control unit 14. After the conversion, the sub-signal SS itself is discarded.

[0025] Conventional modulation of the secondary signal SS, as shown in Figures 11 and 12, assigned two types of codes, "0" and "1", depending on whether T_code was less than 0 or greater than or equal to 0.

[0026] On the one hand, in this embodiment, the delay multi-value conversion unit 13 divides the difference in arrival times of the main signal MS for each relay path RR into a plurality of sections, and converts a multi-value modulated sub-signal including a first code C1 represented by at least 2-bit binary numbers assigned to each of the divided sections into a second code C2 representing the delay difference of the path. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the sub-signal modulation method according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a table for explaining the sub-signal modulation method according to the first embodiment. In this embodiment, as shown in the above formula (1), T_code refers to the difference between the time when a frame having the same sequence number arrives via path 2 and the time when it arrives via path 1. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in this embodiment, the value of T_code is divided into a plurality of sections, and a sub-signal SS including at least 2-bit codes corresponding to the number of divided sections is communicated through a sub-signal channel. In the present disclosure, an example in which T_code is divided into four equal sections by times t1, t2, and t3 is shown. Also, in the present disclosure, it is assumed that the frame of path 1 arrives earlier than the frame of path 2. (i) The code "00" means that the frame of path 1 arrives earlier than t1 from the arrival time of the frame of path 2 (T_code < t1). (ii) The code "01" means that the frame of path 1 arrives at a time equal to or later than t1 but earlier than t2 from the arrival time of the frame of path 2 (t1 ≦ T_code < t2). (iii) The code "11" means that the frame of path 1 arrives at a time equal to or later than t2 but earlier than t3 from the arrival time of the frame of path 2 (t2 ≦ T_code < t3). (iv) The code "10" means that the frame of path 1 arrives before t3 from the arrival time of the frame of path 2 (t3 ≦ T_code). The delay multi-value conversion unit 13 converts such a multi-value modulated sub-signal SS including the 2-bit first code C1 into a second code C2 representing the delay difference of the path.

[0027] In the above description, it is assumed that the frame of path 1 arrives earlier than the frame of path 2. However, two cases, i.e., the case where the frame of path 1 arrives earlier than the frame of path 2 and the case where the frame of path 1 arrives later than the frame of path 2, may be assumed, and the codes "00", "01", "11", and "10" may be defined. In such a case, for example, (i) t2 is defined as the time when the frames of path 1 and path 2 arrive simultaneously, (ii) the code "00" means that the frame of path 1 arrives at least t1 earlier (T_code≧t1) than the arrival time of the frame of path 2, (iii) the code "01" means that the frame of path 1 arrives later than t1 but arrives first (0<T_code<t1) than the arrival time of the frame of path 2, (iv) conversely, the code "11" means that the frame of path 2 arrives later than t3 but arrives first (0>T_code>t3) than the arrival time of the frame of path 1, and (v) the code "10" may be defined to mean that the frame of path 2 arrives at least t3 earlier (T_code≦t3) than the arrival time of the frame of path 1.

[0028] Based on the second code C2 converted by the delay multi-value conversion unit 13, the delay control unit 14 divides the transmission timing of the main signal MS in the plurality of relay paths RR into a plurality of sections and adjusts it in multiple stages based on the second code C2, and transmits the main signals MS (MS1, MS2) to the respective relay paths (RR1, RR2) of the plurality of relay paths RR.

[0029] <Receiving device> Next, the receiving device 10-2 will be described. The main signal selection unit 15 selects one of the main signals MS (MS1, MS2) communicated on the main signal channel based on the reception timing of the main signals MS (MS1, MS2) that have passed through each of the relay paths (RR1, RR2) of the multiple relay paths RR. For example, the main signal selection unit 15 selects the first-arriving main signal MS1 and discards the later-arriving main signal MS2 based on the sequence number assigned to each received main signal MS, thereby returning the main signals MS to one. The main signal selection unit 15 sends the selected main signal MS to the sequence number deletion unit 16. The main signal selection unit 15 also notifies the route determination notification unit 17 of the difference DAT of the arrival times of the main signals MS (MS1, MS2) for each relay path RR.

[0030] The sequence number deletion unit 16 deletes the sequence number from the received main signal MS and then sends the main signal MS to the second high-speed user terminal 20B via UP1. The sequence number is assigned to send the same signal to the redundant path and perform seamless redundant switching, so it is no longer needed and is deleted after transmission on the redundant path is completed.

[0031] The route determination notification unit 17 determines which relay route RR the first to receive the main signal MS1 was received via, based on the difference DAT of arrival times of the main signals MS(MS1, MS2) for each relay route RR supplied from the main signal selection unit 15. The route determination notification unit 17 then notifies the sub-signal decoding unit 18 of the determination result JR.

[0032] The sub-signal decoding unit 18 decodes at least one multi-level modulated sub-signal SS, which includes a first code C1 communicated on the sub-signal channel, based on the difference in arrival times of the main signal MS for each relay path RR. For example, the sub-signal decoding unit 18 assigns the codes "00", "01", "11", or "10" to the bits of the sub-signal SS based on which of the four intervals shown in Figure 4 the difference between the arrival time of the first main signal MS1 and the arrival time of the second main signal MS2 falls into. The sub-signal decoding unit 18 then sends the decoded sub-signal SS to the second low-speed user terminal 30B via UP2.

[0033] Refer to FIGS. 3 and 4 again. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in this embodiment, the value of T_code is divided into a plurality of intervals, and by corresponding the code of the number of the divided intervals, multilevel modulation is performed to receive at least 2-bit sub-signals for each received frame. This disclosure shows an example in which T_code is divided into four equal intervals by times t1, t2, and t3. Also, in this disclosure, it is assumed that the frame of path 1 arrives earlier than the frame of path 2. (i) When the frame of path 1 arrives earlier than t1 from the arrival time of the frame of path 2 (T_code < t1), the code "00" is assigned. (ii) When the frame of path 1 arrives at t1 or later but earlier than t2 from the arrival time of the frame of path 2 (t1 ≤ T_code < t2), the code "01" is assigned. (iii) When the frame of path 1 arrives at t2 or later but earlier than t3 from the arrival time of the frame of path 2 (t2 ≤ T_code < t3), the code "11" is assigned. (iv) When the frame of path 1 arrives before t3 from the arrival time of the frame of path 2 (t3 ≤ T_code), the code "10" is assigned.

[0034] The communication system 1 performs multilevel modulation to receive 2-bit sub-signals for each received frame by dividing the value of T_code (arrival time of path 2 - arrival time of path 1) into a plurality of intervals and corresponding the code of the number of the divided intervals. According to the communication system 1 according to this embodiment, it becomes possible to transmit the sub-signal at a transmission speed twice that of the conventional one. Also, by dividing the value of T_code into more intervals and corresponding the code of the number of the divided intervals (corresponding codes of 3 bits or more), it becomes possible to further increase the transmission rate of the sub-signal.

[0035] <Non-interrupt device> (Second Embodiment) Next, the uninterrupted device 10' according to the second embodiment will be described. Figure 5 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the uninterrupted device 10' according to the second embodiment. As shown in Figure 5, the uninterrupted device 10' includes a transmitting device 10-1' having a sequence number assignment unit 11, a main signal duplication unit 12, a delayed multi-level conversion unit 13', and a delay control unit 14', and a receiving device 10-2' having a main signal selection unit 15, a sequence number deletion unit 16, a route determination notification unit 17, and a sub-signal decoding unit 18'. Compared to the uninterrupted device 10 according to the first embodiment, the uninterrupted device 10' according to this embodiment differs in some of the functions performed by the delayed multi-level conversion unit 13', the delay control unit 14', and the sub-signal decoding unit 18'. For configurations identical to those in the first embodiment, the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment will be used, and descriptions will be omitted as appropriate.

[0036] The first control arithmetic circuit (first controller) 40-1' is configured by the sequence number assignment unit 11, main signal duplication unit 12, delayed multi-level conversion unit 13', and delay control unit 14' of the transmitting device 10-1'. The second control arithmetic circuit (second controller) 40-2' is configured by the main signal selection unit 15, sequence number deletion unit 16, route determination notification unit 17, and sub-signal decoding unit 18' of the receiving device 10-2'. The first control arithmetic circuit 40-1' and the second control arithmetic circuit 40-2' may be configured by dedicated hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or by a processor, or by including both.

[0037] <Transmitter> Next, the transmitting device 10-1' will be described. The delayed multi-level conversion unit 13' converts the code contained in the sub-signal SS into a third code C3, represented as a 1-bit binary number, independently for each relay path RR, based on whether the deviation of the arrival timing of the main signal MS from the target value is less than or greater than the threshold. In order to realize such a conversion, the transmitting device 10-1' and the receiving device 10-2' must be time-synchronized. This is because time synchronization allows the transmitting device 10-1' and the receiving device 10-2' to accurately measure the target value of the arrival timing of the main signal MS and the deviation from the target value.

[0038] The delayed multi-level conversion unit 13' according to this embodiment encodes the deviation of the arrival timing of the periodically transmitted main signal MS from the target value. The deviation of the arrival timing of the main signal MS from the target value does not need to be compared between the first relay path RR1 and the second relay path RR2, and is measured independently for each relay path RR(RR1,RR2).

[0039] Figure 6 illustrates the sub-signal modulation scheme according to the second embodiment. In this embodiment, T-code refers to the deviation of the arrival timing of the main signal MS from the target value. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the deviation of the arrival timing of the main signal MS from the target value can be determined for each path. As shown in Figure 6, the t1 line (dashed line) of path 1 is extrapolated to path 2, and it can be seen that the T-code values ​​at the boundary between "0" and "1" in path 2 are different from the T-code values ​​of path 1. In the first path (first relay path RR1), a deviation of the arrival timing of the main signal MS from the target value (T-code) of less than t1 seconds is defined as "0", and t1 seconds or more is defined as "1". On the other hand, in the second path (second relay path RR2), a deviation of the arrival timing of the main signal MS from the target value (T-code) of less than t2 seconds is defined as "0", and t2 seconds or more is defined as "1". In this way, a 1-bit sub-signal SS independent of each relay path RR can be assigned to each frame of the main signal MS.

[0040] Figure 7 is a diagram showing the sub-signal of the second embodiment represented in the complex plane. In Figure 7, arrival phase refers to the deviation of the arrival timing of the main signal MS from the target value, i.e., the T-code. In the code "XY" shown in Figure 7, X is a 1-bit third code C3, which is "0" if the deviation of the arrival timing of the main signal MS in the first relay path RR1 from the target value is less than t1 seconds, and "1" if it is t1 seconds or more. Similarly, Y is a 1-bit third code C3, which is "0" if the deviation of the arrival timing in the second relay path RR2 is less than t2 seconds, and "1" if it is t2 seconds or more. The deviation of the arrival timing of the main signal MS in the first relay path RR1 and the second relay path RR2 from the target value can be represented on the complex plane by a 2-bit fourth code C4 formed by combining two 1-bit codes. As a result, similar to the first embodiment, a sub-signal SS containing a 2-bit fourth code C4 per frame can be communicated to the sub-signal channel.

[0041] The delay control unit 14' performs delay control on the main signal MS to be transmitted to each relay path RR (RR1, RR2) based on a third code represented by a 1-bit binary number for each relay path RR.

[0042] <Receiving device> Next, the receiving device 10-2' will be described. The sub-signal decoding unit 18' measures the deviation of the arrival timing of the main signal MS from the target value for each received relay path RR, and converts it into a fourth code C4, which is represented by at least two bits of binary, by combining the third code C3, which is represented by a 1-bit binary number that has been independently decoded for each relay path RR.

[0043] According to the uninterrupted device 10' of this embodiment, communication can be made to a sub-signal channel that is multi-level modulated and capable of receiving a sub-signal containing a 2-bit code per frame. Therefore, similar to the uninterrupted device 10 of the first embodiment, it becomes possible to transmit the sub-signal at twice the transmission speed compared to conventional devices.

[0044] To operate the above-mentioned transmitter 10-1, transmitter 10-1', receiver 10-2, or receiver 10-2', it is also possible to use a computer capable of executing program instructions. Figure 8 is a block diagram illustrating the schematic configuration of a computer functioning as transmitter 10-1, transmitter 10-1', receiver 10-2, or receiver 10-2'. Here, the computer functioning as transmitter 10-1, transmitter 10-1', receiver 10-2, or receiver 10-2' may be a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, a workstation, a PC (Personal Computer), an electronic notepad, etc. Program instructions may be program code, code segments, etc., for executing the required tasks.

[0045] As shown in Figure 8, the computer 100 comprises a processor 110, a memory unit consisting of a ROM (Read Only Memory) 120, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 130, and a storage unit 140, an input unit 150, an output unit 160, and a communication interface (I / F) 170. Each component is connected to the others via a bus 180 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0046] ROM 120 stores various programs and data. RAM 130 temporarily stores programs or data as a working area. Storage 140 consists of an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive) and stores various programs and data, including the operating system. In this disclosure, the program related to this disclosure is stored in either ROM 120 or storage 140.

[0047] The processor 110 is specifically a CPU (Central Processing Unit), MPU (Micro Processing Unit), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), DSP (Digital Signal Processor), SoC (System on a Chip), etc., and may be composed of multiple processors of the same or different types. The processor 110 reads a program from the ROM 120 or storage 140 and executes the program using the RAM 130 as a working area, thereby controlling each of the above configurations and performing various calculations. At least a part of these processes may be implemented in hardware.

[0048] The program may be recorded on a recording medium readable by the transmitter 10-1, transmitter 10-1', receiver 10-2, or receiver 10-2'. Using such a recording medium, it is possible to install the program on the transmitter 10-1, transmitter 10-1', receiver 10-2, or receiver 10-2'. The recording medium on which the program is recorded may be a non-transitory recording medium. A non-transitory recording medium is not particularly limited, but may include, for example, a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory. The program may also be downloaded from an external device via a network.

[0049] The following additional information is disclosed regarding the embodiments described above.

[0050] (Additional note 1) A communication system that performs multiplex communication of a main signal and at least one sub-signal via multiple relay paths between a transmitting device and a receiving device, The transmitting device duplicates the main signal communicated on the main signal channel according to the number of relay paths, converts a first code included in at least one multi-level modulated sub-signal communicated on the sub-signal channel into a second code representing the delay difference of the paths, adjusts the transmission timing of the main signal in the plurality of relay paths in multiple stages by dividing it into multiple sections based on the second code, and transmits the main signal to each of the plurality of relay paths. A communication system comprising: a receiving device which, based on the reception timing of the main signal via each of the plurality of relay paths, selects one of the main signals communicated on the main signal channel, and decodes the at least one multi-level modulated sub-signal, which includes the first code, communicated on the sub-signal channel, based on the difference in arrival times of the main signals for each relay path. (Additional note 2) The communication system according to Appendix 1, wherein the transmitting device divides the difference in arrival times of the main signal for each relay path into multiple sections, and converts the multi-level modulated subsignal, which includes the first code represented by at least 2 bits in binary and is assigned to each divided section, into the second code representing the delay difference of the path. (Additional note 3) A communication system that performs multiplex communication of a main signal and at least one sub-signal via multiple relay paths between a transmitting device and a receiving device, The transmitting device duplicates the main signal communicated on the main signal channel according to the number of relay paths, converts the code contained in the sub-signal into a third code represented by a 1-bit binary number for each relay path, based on whether the deviation of the arrival timing of the main signal from the target value is less than or greater than a threshold, and performs delay control on the main signal to be transmitted to each relay path based on the third code. The receiving device is a communication system that, based on the reception timing of the main signal via each of the plurality of relay paths, selects one of the main signals communicated on the main signal channel, measures the difference in arrival timing of the main signal for each of the received relay paths, and combines the third code, which is independently decoded for each of the relay paths, to convert it into a fourth code represented by at least 2 bits of binary. (Additional note 4) A non-temporary storage medium storing a program executable by a computer, the non-temporary storage medium storing a program that causes the computer to function as a transmitting device or a receiving device in any one of the communications systems described in Appendix 1 to 3.

[0051] Although the embodiments described above are representative examples, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications and substitutions are possible within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. Therefore, the present invention should not be construed as being limited by the embodiments described above, and various modifications or changes are possible without departing from the claims. For example, it is possible to combine multiple component blocks shown in the configuration diagram of the embodiments into one, or to divide one component block. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0052] 1. Data communication system 10 Uninterrupted device 10A First uninterrupted device 10B Second uninterrupted device 10-1, 10-1' Transmitter 10-2, 10-2' Receiver 11 Sequence number assignment unit 12 Main signal duplication section 13,13' Delayed multi-level conversion section 14,14' Delay control unit 15 Main signal selection section 16 Sequence number deletion section 17 Route determination notification unit 18,18' Sub-signal decoding section 20 High-speed user terminals 20A First High-Speed ​​User Terminal 20B Second High-Speed ​​User Terminal 30 Low-speed user terminals 30A First Low-Speed ​​User Terminal 30B Second Low-Speed ​​User Terminal 40-1, 40-1' First control arithmetic circuit (first controller) 40-2, 40-2' Second control arithmetic circuit (second controller) 100 Computers 110 processors 120 ROM 130 RAM 140 storage 150 Input section 160 Output section 170 Communication Interface (I / F) 180 bus

Claims

[Claim 1] A communication system that performs multiplex communication of a main signal and at least one sub-signal via multiple relay paths between a transmitting device and a receiving device, The transmitting device is A main signal duplication unit that duplicates the main signal communicated on the main signal channel according to the number of relay paths, A delayed multi-level conversion unit converts the code contained in the sub-signal into a third code represented as a 1-bit binary number for each relay path, based on whether the deviation of the arrival timing of the main signal from the target value is less than or greater than the threshold, The system includes a delay control unit that performs delay control on the main signal to be transmitted to each relay path based on the third code, The receiving device is, A main signal selection unit selects one of the main signals communicated on the main signal channel based on the reception timing of the main signal via each of the multiple relay paths, A communication system comprising a sub-signal decoding unit that measures the timing difference of the arrival of the main signal for each relay path it has received, and combines the third code, which has been independently decoded for each relay path, to convert it into a fourth code that is represented by at least two bits of binary.

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