MOBILE NODE, ACCESS GATEWAY, LOCATION MANAGEMENT DEVICE, AND MOBILE PACKET COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20100202374A1
• Filed: 07/10/2008
• Published: 08/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Aramoto, Masafumi
• Granted Patent: US 8,320,315 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/005 Multiple registrations, e.g. multihoming
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

When a mobile station 1 transmits a packet to a mobile station 2, the mobile station 1 selects an MAG 1 based on a primer flag of the MAG in a default router list, and transmits the packet to the MAG 1 as a default router. The MAG 1 receives the packet and resolves an LMA by finding that a destination of the packet is not a mobile station associated with the MAG 1 from a location information management table. Then the MAG 1 transfers the packet to the LMA. A transfer unit sets a transfer source as the MAG1 and a transfer destination as the LMA, and transfers the packet by a transfer technique using encapsulation, a transfer technique such as GRE tunneling, or MPLS. The LMA searches the location information management table based on the mobile station 2 as the destination of the packet, acquires an MAG 3 whose primer flag is ON, and then transfers the packet to the MAG 3. This allows each of the mobile stations to establish multiple communication paths via multiple communication networks, and to select an optimal path to deliver a packet in a mobile communication system complying with the Edge Mobility and provided with mobile stations, access gateways, and a location management device.

Claims

1. A mobile node in a packet communication system complying with the Edge Mobility and configured by including:

a mobile node;

an access gateway; and

a location management device holding a plurality of the access gateways as location information of the mobile node and setting a corresponding one of the access gateways as a transfer destination of a packet addressed to the mobile node, the access gateways connecting to a network through a plurality of access systems of the mobile node and serving as respective connection points, the mobile node characterized by comprising;

a location registration notification unit for performing a location registration for access gateways, the location registration notification unit including transmitter-receivers respectively using a plurality of network access systems connected to a core network, the transmitter-receivers being configured to be respectively connected to the access gateways;

a storage unit for acquiring path information related to all the access gateways connected through the access systems of the respective transmitter-receivers and for storing the path information; and

a transmission unit for transmitting a packet based on the path information.

2. The mobile node according to claim 1, characterized by further comprising:

a selection unit for selecting an access gateway to be preferentially used from the plurality of access gateways connected;

a notification unit for notifying of the access gateway thus selected; and

a packet transmission unit for transmitting a packet to the selected access gateway.

3. The mobile node according to claim 2, characterized in that the selection unit selects an access gateway to be preferentially used on a basis of primary information stored in a location information management table provided in a location management device.

4. The mobile node according to claim 1, characterized in that the network access systems are systems in a wireless LAN and a cellular phone.

12. The mobile node according claim 2, characterized in that the network access systems are systems in a wireless LAN and a cellular phone.

13. The mobile node according claim 2, characterized in that the network access systems are systems in a wireless LAN and a cellular phone.

5. An access gateway in a packet communication system complying with the Edge Mobility and configured by including:

a mobile node;

an access gateway; and

a location management device holding a plurality of the access gateways as location information of the mobile node and setting a corresponding one of the access gateways as a transfer destination of a packet addressed to the mobile node, the access gateways connecting to a network through a plurality of access systems of the mobile node and serving as respective connection points, the access gateway characterized by comprising;

a unit for performing a location registration of a mobile node associated with the access gateway itself on the location management device, for receiving a notification of selection of the access gateway by the associated mobile node, and for notifying the location management device of the selected access gateway.

6. A location management device holding a plurality of access gateways as location information of a mobile node and setting one of the access gateways as a transfer destination of a packet addressed to the mobile node, the access gateways connecting to a network through a plurality of access systems of the mobile node and serving as respective connection points.

7. A location management device in a packet communication system complying with the Edge Mobility and configured by including:

a mobile node;

an access gateway; and

a location management device holding a plurality of the access gateways as location information of the mobile node and setting a corresponding one of the access gateways as a transfer destination of a packet addressed to the mobile node, the access gateways connecting to a network through a plurality of access systems of the mobile node and serving as respective connection points, the location management device characterized by comprising;

a registration unit for acquiring a plurality of access gateways as location information for the mobile node and for registering the location information;

a registration unit for acquiring one of the access gateways which is selected by the mobile node and for registering selection information; and

a packet transmission unit for selecting the access gateway based on the selection information and for transmitting a packet to the mobile node.

8. A packet communication system complying with the Edge Mobility and configured by including:

a mobile node;

an access gateway; and

a location management device holding a plurality of the access gateways as location information of the mobile node and setting a corresponding one of the access gateways as a transfer destination of a packet addressed to the mobile node, the access gateways connecting to a network through a plurality of access systems of the mobile node and serving as respective connection points, the packet communication system characterized by comprising;

a mobile node having a plurality of transmitter-receivers connected to a plurality of access systems and connected to a core network through the access systems, the mobile node having a location registration notification unit for performing a location registration for the access gateways connected through the respective access systems, a storage unit for acquiring path information related to all the access gateways and for storing the path information, and a transmission unit for transmitting a packet based on the path information;

an access gateway associated with the mobile node, the access gateway having a unit for performing a location registration of the mobile node associated with the access gateway on the location management device, for receiving a notification of selection of the access gateway by the associated mobile node, and for notifying the location management device of the selected access gateway; and

a location management device having a registration unit for acquiring a plurality of the access gateways as location information for the mobile node and for registering the location information, a registration unit for acquiring one of the access gateways which is selected by the mobile node and for registering selection information, and a packet transmission unit for selecting the access gateway based on the selection information and for transmitting a packet to the mobile node.

9. A mobile node control method in a packet communication system complying with the Edge Mobility and configured by including:

a mobile node, an access gateway; and

a location management device holding a plurality of the access gateways as location information of the mobile node and setting a corresponding one of the access gateways as a transfer destination of a packet addressed to the mobile node, the access gateways connecting to a network through a plurality of access systems of the mobile node and serving as respective connection points, the control method characterized by comprising;

a location registration notification step of performing a location registration for access gateways to which transmitter-receivers are connected using a plurality of network access systems connected to a core network;

a step of acquiring path information related to all the access gateways connected through the access systems of the respective transmitter-receivers and of storing the path information; and

a step of transmitting a packet based on the path information.

10. The control method according to claim 9, further comprising:

a step of selecting an access gateway to be preferentially used from the plurality of access gateways connected;

a step of notifying of the access gateway thus selected; and

a step of transmitting a packet for the selected access gateway.

11. A program to cause a computer to perform the steps described in claim 9.

14. A program to cause a computer to perform the steps described in claim 10.