Device connectivity

• US 20060140165A1
• Filed: 05/16/2005
• Published: 06/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Koodli, Rajeev, Flinck, Hannu
• Granted Patent: US 7,460,511 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5084 Providing for device mobility network addressing or numbering for mobility support in wireless networks H04W8/26; mobile IP H04W80/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

There is disclosed a personal area network comprising a plurality of wireless piconets, each piconet including one or more wireless devices, each device being provided with an Internet protocol, IP, address such that the devices of the plurality of piconets form a wireless subnetwork. There is also disclosed a device for connection in a wireless piconet configured to receive a prefix for generation of an IP address, and further configured to generate an IP address in dependence on the prefix and a unique identifier of the device.

Claims

1. A personal area network comprising a plurality of wireless piconets, each piconet including one or more wireless devices, each device being provided with an Internet protocol, IP, address such that the devices of the plurality of piconets form a wireless subnetwork.

2. The personal area network according to claim 1, wherein each device is connected to the subnetwork via a short-range wireless communication link.

3. The personal area network according to claim 2, wherein the wireless communication link is a Bluetooth link.

4. The personal area network according to claim 1, wherein the IP address for each device is determined in dependence on a prefix allocated to each of the plurality of wireless piconets.

5. The personal area network according to claim 4, wherein the prefix for each of the plurality of wireless piconets is determined by a master device of the piconet.

6. The personal area network according to claim 5, wherein the prefix is determined by the master device by one of obtaining the prefix from a further master device with which a connection is established, obtaining the prefix from a gateway with which a connection is established, and generating a prefix pseudo randomly.

7. The personal area network according to claim 5, wherein the prefix is provided from the master device to any subordinate device in the piconet.

8. The personal area network according to claim 5, wherein the IP address is generated for each device in dependence on the prefix and a unique identifier of the device.

9. The personal area network according to claim 8, wherein the unique identifier is an IEEE MAC address of the device.

10. The personal area network according to 1, wherein a master device of each of the plurality of piconets maintains a neighbour cache for storing the IP address of a subordinate device in the piconet.

11. The personal area network according to claim 1, wherein a master device of the piconet maintains a destination cache for storing an IP address of a device connected in a different piconet.

12. The personal area network according to claim 1, wherein for each address included in a destination cache, associated routing information is stored in the destination cache.

13. The personal area network according to claim 12, wherein the associated routing information includes an identity of a next hop.

14. The personal area network according to claim 13, wherein the next hop is the IP address of a master device of another piconet within the subnetwork.

15. The personal area network according to claim 1, wherein, prior to transmission of a packet from a source device to a destination device, a source master device transmits a request to locate the destination device to all master devices in the subnetwork.

16. The personal area network according to claim 15, wherein the request is forwarded between master devices in the subnetwork.

17. The personal area network according to claim 15, wherein the request is transmitted only if the IP address of the destination device is not included in a neighbour cache or a destination cache of the source master device.

18. The personal area network according to claim 15, wherein on receipt of the request a master device determines whether the destination device is in its piconet.

19. The personal area network according to claim 15, wherein on determination that the destination device is in its piconet, a destination master device receiving the request message transmits a response message to the source master device.

20. The personal area network according to claim 18, wherein on determination that the destination device is in its piconet the destination master device updates its destination cache with the details of the source master device.

21. The personal area network according to claim 19, wherein on receipt of the response message the source master device updates its destination cache with the details of the destination master device.

22. The personal area network according to claim 21, wherein the source master device transmits the packet toward the destination device in accordance with routing information in the destination cache.

23. The personal area network according to claim 15, wherein an originating master buffers the packet.

24. A device for connection in a wireless piconet configured to receive a prefix for generation of an IP address, and further configured to generate the IP address in dependence on the prefix and a unique identifier of the device.

25. The device according to claim 24, wherein the unique identifier is an IEEE MAC address of the device.

26. The device according to claim 24, comprising a master device of the piconet, wherein the master device is configured:

to obtain the prefix from a master device of a further piconet to which the master device is connected;

to obtain the prefix from a gateway to which the master device is connected;

or

to generate the prefix pseudo randomly.

27. The device according to claim 26, wherein the master device if further configured to transmit the prefix to any subordinate device of the piconet.

28. The device according to claim 27, wherein the master device is configured to transmit the prefix as a subnet-head advertisement message.

29. The device according to claim 26, wherein the master device is configured to generate the IP address for each subordinate device in the piconet, and store said IP address in a neighbour cache of the master device.

30. The device according to claim 24 comprising a subordinate device of a piconet, wherein the subordinate device is configured to obtain the prefix from the master device of the piconet.

31. The device according to claim 29 wherein the subordinate device is configured to receive the prefix in a subnet-head advertisement message.

32. A method of configuring a personal area network comprising a plurality of wireless piconets, each piconet including one or more wireless devices, the method comprising:

providing each device with an Internet protocol, IP, address thereby forming a wireless subnetwork.

33. The method according to claim 32 further comprising connecting each device to the subnetwork via a short-range wireless communication link.

34. The method according to claim 32 further comprising connecting each device to the subnetwork via a Bluetooth link.

35. The method according to claim 32 further comprising determining the IP address for each device in dependence on a prefix allocated to each piconet.

36. The method according to claim 35 further comprising determining the prefix for each of the plurality of wireless piconets by a master device of the piconet.

37. The method according to claim 36 wherein the step of determining the prefix comprises one of obtaining the prefix from a further master device with which a connection is established, obtaining the prefix from a gateway with which a connection is established, and generating a prefix pseudo randomly.

38. The method according to claim 36 further comprising providing the prefix from the master device to any subordinate device in the piconet.

39. The method according to claim 36 further comprising generating the IP address for each device in dependence on the prefix and a unique identifier of the device.

40. The method according to claim 39 in which the unique identifier is an IEEE MAC address of the device.

42. The method according to claim 32 further comprising maintaining a destination cache for each master device of each of the plurality of wireless piconets, the destination cache being for storing the IP address of a device connected in a different piconet.

43. The method according to claim 32 further comprising storing, for each address included in the destination cache, associated routing information.

44. The method according to claim 43 wherein the associated routing information includes an identity of a next hop.

45. The method according to claim 44 wherein the next hop is the IP address of a master device of another piconet within the subnetwork.

46. The method according to claim 32 further comprising the step of, prior to transmission of a packet from a source device to a destination device, transmitting a request to locate the destination device to all master devices in the subnetwork from a source master device.

47. The method according to claim 46 further comprising forwarding the request between master devices in the subnetwork.

48. The method according to claim 46 further comprising the step of only transmitting the request if the IP address of the destination device is not included in a neighbour cache or a destination cache of the source master device.

49. The method according to claim 46 further comprising the step of, on receipt of the request, determining whether the destination device is in the piconet of the master device.

50. The method according to claim 49 further comprising the step, on determination that the destination device is in its piconet, of transmitting a response message to the source master device.

51. The method according to claim 49 further comprising the step, on determination that the destination device is in its piconet, of updating its destination cache with the details of the source master device.

52. The method according to claim 50 further comprising updating the source master destination cache on receipt of the response message with the details of the destination master device.

53. The method according to claim 52 further comprising the step of transmitting the packet toward the destination device in accordance with routing information in the destination cache.

54. The method according to claim 53 further comprising buffering the packet at an originating master.

41. The method according to 32 further comprising maintaining a neighbour cache for each master device of each of the plurality of wireless piconets, the neighbour cache being for storing the IP address of a suboridnate device in the piconet.

55. A method for configuring a device for connection in a wireless piconet, comprising providing a prefix for generation of an IP address, and further generating the IP address in dependence on the prefix and a unique identifier of the device.

56. The method according to claim 55, wherein the unique identifier is an IEEE MAC address of the device.

57. The method according to claim 55 wherein the device is a master device of a piconet, wherein the method further comprising:

obtaining the prefix from a master device of a further piconet to which the master device is connected;

obtaining the prefix from a gateway to which the master device is connected;

or

generating the prefix pseudo-randomly.

58. The method according to claim 57 further comprising transmitting the prefix from the master device to any subordinate device of the piconet.

59. The method according to claim 58 wherein the master device is configured to transmit the prefix as a subnet-head advertisement message.

60. The method according to claim 57 further comprising generating, at the master device, the IP address for each subordinate device in the piconet, and storing said IP address in a neighbour cache of the master device.

61. The method according to claim 55 wherein the device is a subordinate device of a piconet, the method comprising configuring the subordinate device to obtain the prefix from the master device of the piconet.

62. The method according to claim 61 wherein the subordinate device is configured to receive the prefix in a subnet-head advertisement message.