Apparatus and method for extending mobility in a mobile ad hoc network

• US 20060092939A1
• Filed: 10/29/2004
• Published: 05/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.), Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Ramanarayanan, Gowri Shankar, Duggi, Mohan R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,848,757 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 using user query or user detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/182 Network node acting on behalf of an other network entity, e.g. proxy
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

Mobility in a mobile ad hoc network (MANET) can be extended by using fixed network resources to support MANET-level communication between a traveling MANET node and the remainder of the MANET. The IPv6 protocol is used over the fixed network resources to support the MANET-level communication, and mobility-supporting features of the IPv6 protocol are exploited without modifying the IPv6 protocol.

Claims

1. An apparatus for extending mobility in a mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) comprising:

an IPv6 controller for producing IPv6 proxy Neighbor Advertisements; and

a MANET controller coupled to said IPv6 controller for recognizing when said IPv6 controller produces an IPv6 proxy Neighbor Advertisement on behalf of a traveling MANET node, wherein said MANET controller responds to said recognizing by performing proxy communication with the mobile ad-hoc network on behalf of the traveling MANET node.

2. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said MANET controller responds to said recognizing by transmitting on the mobile ad-hoc network information from the IPv6 proxy Neighbor Advertisement.

3. The apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein said apparatus operates as a gateway apparatus and further comprises a first interface to a wired network and a second interface to a wireless network.

4. The apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein said first interface coupled to said IPv6 controller and said second interface coupled to said MANET controller.

5. The apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein said information further comprises destination address information which the mobile ad-hoc network is to use for proxy communication with the traveling MANET node.

6. The apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein said MANET controller responds to said recognizing by encapsulating the IPv6 proxy Neighbor Advertisement in a MANET-level packet.

7. An apparatus for extending mobility in a mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) comprising:

an input for receiving information which indicates that a mobile MANET node has produced an IPv6 Neighbor Advertisement; and

a MANET controller coupled to said input and responsive to receipt of said information for transmitting on the mobile ad-hoc network information from the IPv6 Neighbor Advertisement.

8. The apparatus as set forth in claim 7, further comprising an IPv6 controller provided in said mobile MANET node for producing said IPv6 Neighbor Advertisement, said IPv6 controller coupled to said input, and said input and said MANET controller provided in said mobile MANET node together with said IPv6 controller.

9. The apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein said input is for receiving the IPv6 Neighbor Advertisement, and said MANET controller is for encapsulating the IPv6 Neighbor Advertisement in a MANET-level packet.

10. The apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein said input is further capable of receiving from a source MANET node a routing discovery request for a destination MANET node and said MANET controller responds to the routing discovery request by sending a proxy MANET routing discovery reply to the source MANET node on behalf of the destination MANET node.

11. The apparatus as set forth in claim 10, wherein said MANET controller is responsive to the routing discovery request for determining whether the destination MANET node has been previously determined to require proxy communication with the mobile ad-hoc network.

12. The apparatus as set forth in claim 10, wherein said MANET controller is operable after sending the proxy MANET routing discovery reply for performing further proxy communication with the source MANET node on behalf of the destination MANET node.

13. The apparatus as set forth in claim 10, wherein said apparatus is implemented as a gateway apparatus.

14. A method of extending mobility in a mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) comprising the steps of:

recognizing an IPv6 proxy Neighbor Advertisement produced on behalf of a traveling MANET node; and

in response to the step of recognizing, executing one of (a) performing proxy communication with the mobile ad-hoc network on behalf of the traveling MANET node, and (b) transmitting on the mobile ad-hoc network information from the IPv6 proxy Neighbor Advertisement.

15. The method as set forth in claim 14, further comprising the step of adding the traveling MANET node to a proxy list in response to the step of recognizing.

16. The method as set forth in claim 14, wherein the step of transmitting includes the step of encapsulating the IPv6 proxy Neighbor Advertisement in a MANET-level packet.

17. The method as set forth in claim 14, wherein the information includes destination address information which the MANET is to use for proxy communication with the traveling MANET node.

18. The method as set forth in claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

receiving from a source MANET node a routing discovery request for a destination MANET node; and

in response to receipt of the routing discovery request, sending a proxy MANET routing discovery reply to the source MANET node on behalf of the destination MANET node.

19. The method as set forth in claim 18, further comprising the step, in response to the routing discovery request, of determining that the destination MANET mode has been previously determined to require proxy communication with the mobile ad-hoc network.

20. The method as set forth in claim 18, further comprising the step, after the step of sending, of performing further proxy communication with the source MANET node on behalf of the destination MANET mode.