Communication System, Radio Lan Base Station Control Device, and Radio Lan Base Station Device

• US 20080304456A1
• Filed: 06/07/2005
• Published: 12/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: III Holdings 12, LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Iino, Satoshi, Matsui, Hironori
• Granted Patent: US 8,169,984 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/73 Access point logical identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/00 Communication routing or communication path finding
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/12 between access points and access point controllers

Abstract

There are provided a communication system, a radio LAN base station control device, and a radio LAN base station device capable of increasing the control reliability and improving communication stability and safety between the radio LAN base station control device and the radio LAN base station device. In this communication system (10), a plurality of data tunnels are formed between an AP control device (100) and the radio LAN base station device (200) and the data tunnels are used according to the frame type (control data frame, data frame, etc.) so as to increase the reliability that the AP control frame reaches the radio LAN base station device (200). As a result, control reliability between the AP control device (100) and the radio LAN base station device (200) is increased. Thus, it is possible to improve the communication stability and safety in the communication system (10).

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a wireless LAN base station apparatus; and

a wireless LAN base station control apparatus provided with a tunnel formation management section that forms a plurality of data tunnels therefrom to said wireless LAN base station apparatus and a control section that transmits data using different data tunnels according to the type of the transmission data.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein said tunnel formation management section forms a first one of the data tunnels defined by a base station MAC address of said wireless LAN base station apparatus and a control station MAC address of the own apparatus and further a second one of the data tunnels with base station identification information of said wireless LAN base station apparatus other than said base station MAC address and said control station MAC address.

3. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein said tunnel formation management section uses a BSSID as said base station identification information.

4. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein said control section transmits control data using said first one of the data tunnels and transmits data other than said transmission data using said second one of the data tunnels.

5. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein said tunnel formation management section forms said plurality of data tunnels according to data tunnel identification information.

6. The communication system according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of said wireless LAN base station apparatuses, wherein said tunnel formation management section adds tunnel group identification information to the data tunnels formed therefrom to said different wireless LAN base station apparatuses to form a virtual LAN according to said tunnel group identification information.

7. A wireless LAN base station control apparatus comprising:

a tunnel formation management section that forms a plurality of data tunnels; and

a control section that transmits data using different data tunnels according to the type of the transmission data.

8. The wireless LAN base station control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said tunnel formation management section forms a first one of the data tunnels defined by a base station MAC address of a wireless LAN base station apparatus and a control station MAC address of the own apparatus and further a second one of the data tunnels with base station identification information of said wireless LAN base station apparatus other than said base station MAC address and said control station MAC address.

9. The wireless LAN base station control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said tunnel formation management section uses a BSSID as said base station identification information.

10. The wireless LAN base station control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said control section transmits control data using said first one of the data tunnels and transmits data other than said transmission data using said second one of the data tunnels.

11. The wireless LAN base station control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said tunnel formation management section forms said plurality of data tunnels according to data tunnel identification information.

12. The wireless LAN base station control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said tunnel formation management section adds tunnel group identification information to data tunnels formed therefrom to different wireless LAN base station apparatuses to form a virtual LAN according to said tunnel group identification information.

13. A wireless LAN base station apparatus comprising:

a tunnel formation management section that forms a plurality of data tunnels; and

a control section that transmits data using different data tunnels according to the type of the transmission data.

14. The wireless LAN base station apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said tunnel formation management section forms a first one of the data tunnels defined by a base station MAC address of the own apparatus and a control station MAC address and further a second one of the data tunnels with base station identification information other than said base station MAC address and said control station MAC address.

15. The wireless LAN base station apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said tunnel formation management section uses a BSSID as said base station identification information.

16. The wireless LAN base station apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said control section transmits control data using said first one of the data tunnels and transmits data other than said transmission data using said second one of the data tunnels.

17. The wireless LAN base station apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said tunnel formation management section forms said plurality of data tunnels according to data tunnel identification information.