Common protocol layer architecture and methods for transmitting data between different network protocols and a common protocol packet

• US 20060053229A1
• Filed: 11/25/2003
• Published: 03/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Korea Electronics Technology Institute (Government of South Korea)
• Original Assignee: Korea Electronics Technology Institute (Government of South Korea)
• Inventors: Jung, Kwangmo, Lim, Seung-Ok, Choi, Kwang-Soon, Seo, Kyeung-Hak
• Granted Patent: US 7,882,254 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/237
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/085 specially adapted for interworking of IP-based networks with other networks

Abstract

The present invention provides common protocol architecture and methods for transmitting data between different network protocols and a common protocol packet. The common protocol architecture comprises an application layer; a common protocol layer positioned under the application layer, the common protocol layer enabling data communications between the different protocols; a presentation layer positioned under the common protocol layer; a session layer positioned under the presentation layer; a transport layer positioned under the session layer; a network layer positioned under the transport layer; a data link layer positioned under the network layer; and a physical layer positioned under the data link layer. The common protocol packet comprises a common protocol header with information about a packet and a payload with the contents of data. By designing the common protocol layer and the common protocol packet accepting various. protocols simultaneously, the present invention can improve compatibility between different protocols.

Claims

1. A common protocol layer architecture for transmitting data between different network protocols adopting the OSI reference model which divides the function of communicating between applications in a communication network into specific simplified tasks, the common protocol layer architecture comprising:

an application layer positioned at the top of the layer architecture;

a common protocol layer positioned under the application layer, the common protocol layer enabling data communications between the different network protocols;

a presentation layer positioned under the common protocol layer;

a session layer positioned under the presentation layer;

a transport layer positioned under the session layer;

a network layer positioned under the transport layer;

a data link layer positioned under the network layer; and

a physical layer positioned under the data link layer.

4. The common protocol layer architecture as defined by claim 1, wherein the common protocol layer performs packet switching, broadcast or multicast, address conversion, device control, packet classification, security, congestion access control, and resource management.

5. The common protocol layer architecture as defined by claim 1, wherein the common protocol layer functions as an internal interface for QoS, security, and communication management inside a home station chip.

2. A common protocol layer architecture for transmitting data between different network protocols based on the OSI reference model, the common protocol layer architecture comprising a common protocol layer positioned under an application layer, the common protocol layer enabling data communications between different network protocols.

3. The common protocol layer architecture as defined by claim 2, wherein the network protocol based on the OSI reference model is one selected from the group consisting of TCP/IP protocol, IEEE1394 protocol, LonTalk protocol, and Bluethooth protocol.

6. A method for transmitting data between different network protocols having a network protocol layer architecture adopting the OSI reference model, the method comprising the step of transmitting data through a common protocol layer to enable data communications between the different network protocols.

9. The method as defined by claim 6, wherein the common protocol layer performs packet switching, broadcast or multicast, address conversion, device control, packet classification, security, congestion access control, and resource management.

10. The method as defined as claim 6, the common protocol layer functions as an internal interface for QoS, security, and communication management inside a home station chip.

11. The method as defined by claim 6, wherein the step of transmitting data through the common protocol layer is bypassed when a device communicates with another device using the same protocol in a network and is performed when the device communicates with another device using a different protocol in the network.

12. The method as defined by claim 11, wherein the step of transmitting data through the common protocol layer comprises the steps of:

transmitting data through the existing application layer; and

transmitting data through a particular standard API.

7. A method for transmitting data between different network protocols having a network protocol layer architecture based on the OSI reference model, the method comprising the step of transmitting data through a common protocol layer positioned under an application layer, the common protocol layer to enable data communications between the different network protocols.

8. The method as defined by claim 7, wherein the network protocol based on the OSI reference model is one selected from the group consisting of TCP/IP protocol, IEEE1394 protocol, LonTalk protocol, and Bluetooth protocol.

13. A common protocol packet for transmitting data between different network protocols, comprising a common protocol header with information about a packet and a payload with the contents of data.

14. The common protocol packet as defined by claim 13, wherein the common protocol header comprises;

a source address having information about a source of a signal transmitted;

a destination address having information about a destination of the signal transmitted;

an option field related to a traffic type, a packet transmission method, and home network management;

a sequence field used in segmentation and reassembly processes;

a length field indicating magnitude of application data; and

a reserved field for use hereafter.

15. The common protocol packet as defined by claim 14, wherein the common protocol header is 16 bytes in size.

16. The common protocol packet as defined by claim 14, wherein the source address is 3 bytes in size.

17. The common protocol packet as defined by claim 14, wherein the destination address is 3 bytes in size.

18. The common protocol packet as defined by claim 14, wherein the option field is 2 bytes in size.

19. The common protocol packet as defined by claim 14, wherein the option field comprises:

a traffic type field distinguishing control command data, real time data, and non-real time data;

a packet type field defining a packet transmission method; and

a management packet field for home network management provided by the common protocol.

20. The common protocol packet as defined by claim 19, wherein the traffic type field is 3 bits in size.

21. The common protocol packet as defined by claim 19, wherein the packet type field is 5 bits in size.

22. The common protocol packet as defined by claim 19, wherein the management packet field is 8 bits in size.

23. The common protocol packet as defined by claim 19, wherein, according to value of the management packet field, the common protocol packet becomes one selected from the group consisting of:

a device registration packet providing a PnP function for a device;

a home station registration packet providing a PnP function for a home station;

an alive-check packet checking whether a device or an RG in a home network is working or not;

a report-status packet checking status of a device and sending the result;

a VOD MPEG stream packet related to VOD MPEG stream service;

a broadcasting MPEG stream packet related to broadcasting MPEG stream service;

a WAN and stream gateway interface packet for an address of a home station with a gateway interface; and

an address table management packet for addition and removal of a device to/from the home station.

24. The common protocol packet as defined by claim 23, wherein the device registration packet is one selected from the group consisting of:

a DRREQ packet requesting device registration, the DRREQ packet being sent to a home station by the device at the start of device registration; and

a DRRES packet responding to the request of device registration, the DRRES packet being sent to the device by the home station after the home station received the DRREQ packet.

25. The common protocol packet as defined by claim 23, wherein the home station registration packet is one selected from the group consisting of:

an HRSREQ packet requesting start of home station registration;

an HRSRES packet responding to the request of the start of home station registration;

an HRREQ packet requesting home station registration;

an HRRES packet responding to the request of home station registration; and

an HRIND packet indicating the home station registration.

26. The common protocol packet as defined by claim 23, wherein the alive-check packet is one selected from the group consisting of:

an ACREQ packet requesting to check whether a device is working; and

an ACRES packet responding whether the device is logged on to a home network.

27. The common protocol packet as defined by claim 23, wherein the report-status packet is one selected from the group consisting of:

an RSREQ packet including report-status request item and data about the request item;

an RSRES packet including the result of checking status of a device and

an RSIND packet used to send information about device'"'"'s urgent status to a home station.

28. The common protocol packet as defined by claim 23, wherein the VOD MPEG stream packet is one selected from the group consisting of:

a VODREQ packet requesting a VOD MPEG stream service;

a VODRES packet responding to the request of the VOD MPEG stream service; and

a VODSTR packet used to transmit MPEG stream, the MPEG stream being loaded on a payload of the VODSTR packet.

29. The common protocol packet as defined by claim 23, wherein the broadcasting MPEG stream packet is one selected from the group consisting of:

a BRCTREQ packet requesting a broadcasting MPEG stream service;

a BRCTRES packet responding to the request of the broadcasting MPEG stream service; and

a BRCTSTR packet used to transmit MPEG stream, the MPEG stream being loaded on a payload of the BRCTSTR packet.

30. The common protocol packet as defined by claim 23, wherein the WAN and stream gateway interface packet is one selected from the group consisting of:

a WGIREQ packet requesting an address of a WAN gateway interface;

a WGIRES packet responding to the request of an address of a WAN gateway interface;

a WGIIND packet initializing the address of WAN gateway interface;

an SGIREQ packet requesting an address of a stream gateway interface;

an SGIRES packet responding to the request of an address of a stream gateway interface; and

an SGIIND packet initializing the address of stream gateway interface.

31. The common protocol packet as defined by claim 23, wherein the address table management packet is one selected from the group consisting of:

an ADEV packet informing a home station of a logon of a new device;

a DDEV packet informing the home station of a logout of a device; and

an IDEV packet initializing address tables of devices in the home station.

32. The common protocol packet as defined by claim 13, wherein an UHCP packet to control a device is loaded on the payload.

33. The common protocol packet as defined by claim 32, wherein the UHCP packet has a header field comprising:

a message type field indicating a type of message;

an action field describing in detail an action of message;

a transaction ID field distinguishing a plurality of messages simultaneously arrived; and

a length field indicating length of the payload of the UHCP packet.

34. The common protocol packet as defined by claim 33, wherein the message type is one selected from the group consisting of:

an execution message used to execute the action type field;

a query message used to query the contents of the action type field; and

a notification message used when devices in a home network notify their own particular events or alarms.

35. The common protocol packet as defined by claim 34, wherein, if the message type is the execution message, the action type field has one value selected from the group consisting of:

act used to make a device conduct an order in the payload;

register used to register attributes of device in the payload on the home station; and

response used to respond to the act and the register packet.

36. The common protocol packet as defined by claim 34, wherein, if the message type is the query message, the action type field has one value selected from the group consisting of:

act used to request information about status of a device;

device directory used to request directory information of a device;

attribute directory used to request attribute information; and

response used to respond to the request of the act, the device directory, and the attribute directory.

37. The common protocol packet as defined by claim 14, wherein the sequence field is 1 byte in size.

38. The common protocol packet as defined by claim 37, wherein the sequence field comprises a sequence number field for indication of a present sequence number in the segmentation and a last packet field for indication of the last packet.

39. The common protocol packet as defined by claim 38, wherein the sequence number field is 7 bits in size.

40. The common protocol packet as defined by claim 38, wherein the last packet field is 1 bit in size.

41. The common protocol packet as defined by claim 14, wherein the length field is 1 byte in size.

42. The common protocol packet as defined by claim 14, wherein the reserved field is 5 bytes in size.