PACKET TRANSFER CONTROL DEVICE AND MOBILE NODE

• US 20090046664A1
• Filed: 03/16/2007
• Published: 02/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Aso, Keigo
• Application Number:
  US12/293,171
• Publication Number:
  US 20090046664A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1874 Buffer management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/14 using intermediate storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

A technique is disclosed, by which it is possible to perform retransmission control of a packet effective for a mobile node in a home agent. According to this technique, after being intercepted, among the packets encapsulated and transmitted and addressed to MN 10, MN 10 selects a packet to be transferred to a specific care-of address at HA, a packet having a specific flow information, or a packet transmitted to a specific correspondent node (e.g. CN 40). Then, MN 10 requests HA to perform buffering on the selected packets when the selected packets are to be transferred. As a result, even when the connection of MN is turned to unstable and the packet cannot reach MN from HA, HA can transfer the packet currently in buffering. This makes it possible to reduce the delay of the packet to reach MN compared with a case where the packet is retransmitted from CN.

Claims

1. A packet transfer control device for controlling packet transfer of a home agent belonging to a certain predetermined network, wherein said device comprises:

binding information controlling means for performing address control of a mobile node to which a home address is assigned from said predetermined network;

packet transferring means for intercepting a first packet addressed to said home address, for generating a second packet by encapsulating said first packet by using a header addressed to said care-of address, and for generating and transferring the second packet;

buffering request receiving means for receiving, from said mobile node, a request of buffering of transfer packet satisfying a predetermined condition in the transfer of the packet performed by said packet transfer means; and

buffering means for performing buffering of said transfer packet satisfying said predetermined condition when a request of buffering of said transfer packet satisfying said predetermined condition is received by said buffering request receiving means.

2. The packet transfer control device according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined condition is at least one of the following conditions:

a condition that destination of the transfer packet is a predetermined care-of address, or a condition that the transfer packet has predetermined flow information, or a condition that said transfer packet is a packet transmitted from a predetermined correspondent node.

3. The packet transfer control device according to claim 1, wherein said buffering request receiving means is so arranged to receive a request to perform buffering on said transfer packet at the same time as the transfer of said transfer packet from said mobile node.

4. The packet transfer control device according to claim 1, wherein said buffering request receiving means is so arranged to receive a request to temporarily perform buffering from said mobile node before said transfer packet is transferred.

5. The packet transfer control device according to claim 1, wherein said care-of address is a home address assigned to said mobile node from said predetermined network.

6. A mobile node having, in addition to a first address as assigned from a first network, a second address assigned from a second network different from said first network, wherein said mobile node comprises:

address associating means for setting said first address as a home address and for associating said second address as a care-of address of said first address;

binding information registration means for registering binding information of said first address and said second address associated by said address associating means at a home agent of said first network; and

buffering requesting means for intercepting the first packet addressed to said first address and for requesting buffering of transfer packet satisfying a predetermined condition to said home agent of said first network to transfer the second packet generated by encapsulating said first packet by using a header addressed to said second address.

7. The mobile node according to claim 6, wherein said predetermined condition is at least one of the following conditions:

a condition that destination of the transfer packet is a predetermined care-of address, or a condition that the transfer packet has predetermined flow information, or a condition that said transfer packet is a packet transmitted from a predetermined correspondent node.

8. The mobile node according to claim 6, wherein said buffering requesting means is so arranged to request buffering of said transfer packet to said home agent at the same time as the transfer of said transfer packet.

9. The mobile node according to claim 6, wherein said buffering requesting means is so arranged to request for temporary buffering before the transfer of said transfer packet to said home agent.

10. The mobile node according to claim 6, wherein said second address is a home address as assigned from said second network.