Method and apparatus for communication between coordinator-based wireless network and different type of network which are interconnected through a backbone network

• US 20050243787A1
• Filed: 04/29/2005
• Published: 11/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Hong, Jin-woo, Sung, Hyun-ah, Bae, Dae-gyu
• Granted Patent: US 7,417,996 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for communication between a coordinator-based wireless network and a different type of network interconnected through a wired backbone network by means of a wired/wireless connecting device are disclosed. In the method, in order to communicate with a network device connected to a different type of network other than a coordinator-based wireless network, a network device in the coordinator-based wireless network provides a frame containing type information on the different type of network and information on a length of a physical address supported by the different type of network, and a wireless/wired connecting device converts the frame of the coordinator-based wireless network to another type of frame supported by the different type of network, and transmits the converted frame.

Claims

1. A communication method between a coordinator-based wireless network and a different type of network interconnected through a backbone network, the communication method comprising:

a) acquiring a physical address of a destination network device connected to the network different from the coordinator-based wireless network;

b) generating a first frame containing the physical address of the destination network device; and

c) transmitting the generated first frame to a connecting device connecting the coordinator-based wireless network to the backbone network.

2. The communication method of claim 1, wherein the step a) comprises:

transmitting a second frame for requesting the physical address of the destination network device;

receiving a physical address response frame containing the physical address of the destination network device from the connecting device after transmitting the second frame for requesting the physical address; and

extracting the physical address of the destination network device from the physical address response frame.

3. The communication method of claim 2, wherein the second frame for requesting the physical address includes at least one of a logical address of a source network device, a logical address of the destination network device, and a physical address of the source network device, which are supported by a destination network.

4. The communication method of claim 1, wherein the first frame containing the physical address includes a frame body portion containing data to be transmitted and a header portion containing information about the data to be transmitted, and the header portion contains information regarding at least one of a type of a destination network, information regarding a physical address length of the destination network device supported by the destination network, and a physical address of a source network device and the physical address of the destination network device supported by the destination network.

5. The communication method of claim 1, wherein the first frame containing the physical address includes a frame body portion containing data to be transmitted and a header portion containing information about the data to be transmitted, the header portion contains at least one of information regarding a type of a destination network and information regarding a physical address length of the destination network device which is of a type supported by the destination network, and the frame body portion contains at least one of a physical address of a source network device and the physical address of the destination network device supported by the destination network.

18. A computer readable recording medium storing a program for performing the method according to claim 1.

6. A communication method between a coordinator-based wireless network and a different type of network interconnected through a backbone network, the communication method comprising:

a) receiving a physical address request frame from a connecting device connecting the coordinator-based wireless network to the backbone network;

b) transmitting a physical address response frame, which contains a physical address and has been converted to an address whose type is supported by a network from which the physical address request frame has been transmitted, to the connecting device after receiving the physical address request frame; and

c) receiving a frame containing the physical address from the connecting device after transmitting the physical address response frame to the connecting device.

7. The communication method of claim 6, wherein c) comprises:

converting the frame containing the physical address to a frame supported by the coordinator-based wireless network; and

processing the converted frame.

19. A computer readable recording medium storing a program for performing the method according to claim 6.

8. A communication method between a coordinator-based wireless network and a different type of network interconnected through a backbone network, the communication method comprising:

a) converting a frame received from a first network device in the coordinator-based wireless network to a first type of frame supported by a backbone network;

b) transmitting the converted first type of frame to the backbone network;

c) converting a frame received from the backbone network to a second type of frame supported by the coordinator-based wireless network; and

d) transmitting the converted second type of frame to the first network device in the coordinator-based wireless network.

9. The communication method of claim 8, wherein a) comprises:

converting the received frame to a third type of frame supported by a destination network according to information regarding a type of the destination network and information regarding a physical address length of a second network device supported by the destination network, which are contained in a head portion of the frame received from the first network device in the coordinator-based wireless network; and

converting the converted frame received from the first network device to the first type of frame supported by the backbone network.

10. The communication method of claim 8, further comprising storing the frame received from the first network device in the coordinator-based wireless network before transmitting the converted first type of frame to the backbone network.

11. The communication method of claim 8, further comprising storing the first type of frame received from the backbone network before transmitting the converted second type of frame to the first network device in the coordinator-based wireless network.

12. A network device comprising:

a control module for generating a physical address request frame for requesting a physical address of a destination network device connected to a network whose type is different from a coordinator-based wireless network, extracting the physical address of the destination network device from a physical address response frame, which is a response frame based on the physical address request frame, and generating a frame which contains the physical address of the destination network device, wherein said physical address is converted to an address of a type supported by a destination network;

a transceiving module for transmitting one of the physical address request frame generated by the control module and the frame containing the physical address of the destination network device, and receiving the physical address response frame which is a response frame based on the physical address request frame; and

a storage module for storing one of the frame generated by the control module and the physical address response frame provided from the transceiving module.

13. The network device of claim 12, wherein the frame containing the physical address of the destination network device includes a frame body portion containing data to be transmitted and a header portion containing information about the data to be transmitted, and the header portion contains information regarding a type of the destination network, information regarding a physical address length of the destination network device supported by the destination network, and a physical address of the network device and the physical address of the destination network device supported by the destination network.

14. The network device of claim 12, wherein the frame containing the physical address of the destination network device includes a frame body portion containing data to be transmitted and a header portion containing information about the data to be transmitted, the header portion contains information regarding a type of the destination network and information regarding a physical address length of the destination network device supported by the destination network, and the frame body portion contains a physical address of the network device and the physical address of the destination network device supported by the destination network.

15. A network device comprising:

a control module for generating a physical address response frame, which contains a physical address of the network device, wherein said physical address has been converted to an address whose type is supported by a network from which a physical address request frame has been transmitted, in response to the physical address request frame received from a connecting device connecting a coordinator-based wireless network including the network device to a backbone network, and for extracting the physical address of the network device from a frame containing the physical address of the network device;

a transceiving module for transmitting the physical address response frame generated by the control module, and receiving one of the physical address request frame and the frame containing the physical address of the network device; and

a storage module for storing one of the physical address response frame generated by the control module and the frame containing the physical address of the network device provided from the transceiving module.

16. A connecting device connecting a coordinator-based wireless network to a backbone network, the connecting device comprising:

a transceiving module for receiving a first frame from the coordinator-based wireless network to transmit the received first frame to the backbone network, and receiving a second frame from the backbone network to transmit the received second frame to the coordinator-based wireless network;

a control module for converting the first frame of the coordinator-based wireless network provided from the transceiving module to a first type of frame supported by the backbone network, and converting the second frame of the backbone network provided from the transceiving module to a second type of frame supported by the coordinator-based wireless network; and

a storage module for storing one of;

one of the first frame and the second frame received by the transceiving module and one of the first and the second type of frame converted by the control module.

17. The connecting device of claim 16, wherein the converted first type of frame whose type is supported by the backbone network is obtained by converting the first frame of the coordinator-based wireless network to a third type of frame supported by a destination network according to type information of the destination network contained in a header portion of the first frame and physical address length information of a network device supported by the destination network, and then converting the converted first frame to the first type of frame supported by the backbone network.