Method for bluetooth on-demand routing and network formation, and communication method in bluetooth group ad hoc network

• US 20030202477A1
• Filed: 04/09/2003
• Published: 10/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Myung-jong, Zhen, Bin
• Granted Patent: US 8,351,339 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/248
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/26 Route discovery packet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/46 Cluster building
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/28 for reactive routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method for Bluetooth on-demand routing, and network formation, and a communication method of a Bluetooth group ad hoc network. With respect to a Bluetooth network system that has a source node, a destination node and a plurality of independent nodes, the method includes the forward and the backward path set-up steps. In the forward path set-up step, the source node sends out a route request message, thus setting up multi forward paths towards the source node and the destination node. In the backward path set-up step, the destination node in receipt of the route request message sends out a route reply message to the source node through one of the set forward paths, thus setting up a backward path. Through the set backward path, a route is formed as the most suitable path between the source node and the destination node to save battery power and provide broader bandwidth.

Claims

1. A method for routing and network formation of a network system having a source node, a destination node, and a plurality of independent nodes, comprising the steps of:

setting multi forward paths from the source node towards the destination node to which the source node sends out a route request message; and

setting a backward path in which the destination node in receipt of the route request message sends out a route reply message to the source node along one of the set multi forward paths, wherein a route is formed as a most suitable path between the source node and the destination node through the set backward path.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step of setting multi forward paths comprises the steps of:

broadcasting the route request message when the source node requires a route towards the destination node and there is at least one route available; and

transmitting the route request message in which at least one first intermediate node that is hopped next to the source node receives the broadcasted route request message and transmits the route request message to a next hopping second intermediate node until the route request message reaches the destination node.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, with a connection being set-up between the source node and the destination node, the source node becomes a master and a neighboring intermediate node becomes a slave, such that the route request message is transmitted from the master to the slave.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein all intermediate nodes along the forward path are master-slave joint nodes.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the route request message is a routing trigger that initiates an Inquiry operation in the source node to find and connect neighboring nodes.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the routing trigger is provided from one of a routing layer and a management entity of a Bluetooth protocol.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of setting the backward path comprises the steps of:

transmitting a route reply message to the source node in which the destination node in receipt of the route request message sends out the route reply message to the source node along one of the set multi forward paths; and

transmitting the route reply message in which intermediate nodes that are hopped from the destination node towards the source node receive the route reply message, and transmit the route reply message to the next hopping nodes until the route reply message reaches the source node.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the route reply message is a routing trigger that initiates a master-slave switching to interleave a slave-slave joint node between master nodes.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the master-slave switching is performed between a node spaced from the destination node by an even number and the next hopping node.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein a routing that performs routing in the Bluetooth protocol is independent from the network formation, and formed one of a BNEP (Bluetooth network encapsulation protocol) layer and an IP (internet protocol) layer.

11. In a communication method of a Bluetooth group ad hoc network that comprises a plurality of adjacent wireless communication devices, the communication method comprises the steps of:

forming a network that comprises a plurality of piconets comprising a slave node operating as a slave in only one piconet, a master node operating as a master in only one piconet, a slave-slave joint node operating as a slave in two piconets, and a master-slave joint node operating as a slave in one piconet while operating as a master in another piconet, and at least two piconets are connected by the slave-slave joint node; and

with a reception of a routing trigger at a joint node, the joint node bridging the piconets belonging to the formed network.

12. The communication method of claim 11, wherein the slave node performs an Inquiry Scan at a regular basis to be found by a new master, and with a reception of a routing trigger signal, performs an Inquiry to find a nearby network.

13. The communication method of claim 11, wherein the slave node becomes the joint node when the slave node is found by a new master and thus a new link is added.

14. The communication method of claim 11, wherein the master node performs an Inquiry at a regular basis to find a free node positioned in a communicable range,

performs the Inquiry Scan at a regular basis to be found by another master node when both master nodes are in a radio range, and

switches to a slave node upon being found by the another master node.

15. The communication method of claim 11, wherein the routing trigger is a signal generated from one of a routing protocol and a management entity, and at least one of route request (RREQ), route reply (RREP), and route error (RERR).

16. The communication method of claim 11, wherein a data structure of nodes belonging to one of a same piconet and a same network, is recorded as a table, and routing is performed based on the table.

17. The communication method of claim 16, wherein the table is updated when one of a new node and a new network is found, and with a link being lost, deletes a corresponding node from the table.

18. The communication method of claim 16, wherein the table records at least one of a master node BD-ADDR, a slave node BD-ADDR, a connection lifetime, a piconet, and a network lifetime, and a BD-ADDR of a slave-slave joint node.