Patent ID: 8289871

Claim:
A propagation delay time measuring system comprising: a propagation delay time measuring apparatus that continuously transmits a plurality of measuring packets, a clock time of transmission being stored in the measuring packet; and a reply apparatus that sends back the measuring packets, transmitted from the propagation delay time measuring apparatus, to the propagation delay time measuring apparatus, wherein the reply apparatus sends back only the measuring packet, which is received within a predetermined time since the last measuring packet is received, to the propagation delay time measuring apparatus, the propagation delay time measuring apparatus receives the measuring packets sent back from the reply apparatus, and the propagation delay time measuring apparatus measures a propagation delay time between the propagation delay time measuring apparatus and the reply apparatus using at least one of the received measuring packets, wherein the propagation delay time measuring apparatus transmits m measuring packets, where 3â‰¦mâ‰¦ â€œa total number of the continuously-transmitted plurality of measuring packetsâ€, measures the propagation delay time using the received measuring packets, and computes an inter-packet propagation delay time difference obtained by a difference between the measured propagation delay times, wherein a value of m is variable in the propagation delay time measuring apparatus, and wherein the propagation delay time measuring apparatus obtains the value of m in which the inter-packet propagation delay time difference concentrates on zero, and the propagation delay time measuring apparatus computes the inter-packet propagation delay time difference using the value of m, wherein m is an integer.