METHOD, NETWORK ELEMENT DEVICE, AND NETWORK SYSTEM FOR ASSOCIATING A TERMINAL DEVICE WITH A NETWORK

• US 20130021946A1
• Filed: 09/27/2012
• Published: 01/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Pan, Lujia, HE, Cheng
• Granted Patent: US 8,774,053 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, network element device, and network system for associating a terminal device with a network. The method for associating a terminal device with a network includes: receiving an Association Request message sent by a terminal device, where the Association Request message includes information of a request for associating the terminal device with a sensor network and an IP identifier; processing, according to the Association Request message, the request for associating the terminal device with a sensor network; when it is determined, according to the IP identifier, that the terminal device requests association with an IP network, sending an IP network Association Request message to an Edge Router; receiving a result of processing, by the Edge Router, the request for associating the terminal device with the IP network; sending an Association Respond message to the terminal device.

Claims

1. A method for associating a terminal device with a network, comprising:

receiving an association request message sent by the terminal device, wherein the association request message comprises information of a request for associating the terminal device with a sensor network and an IP identifier, wherein the IP identifier indicates whether the terminal device requests association with an IP network;

processing, according to the association request message, the request for associating the terminal device with the sensor network;

when it is determined, according to the IP identifier, that the terminal device requests association with the IP network, sending an IP network association request message to an edge router, wherein the IP network association request message is used to indicate that the terminal device requests association with the IP network;

receiving a result of processing, by the edge router, the request for associating the terminal device with the IP network;

sending an association respond message to the terminal device, wherein the association respond message comprises a result of processing the request for associating the terminal device with the sensor network and a result of processing, by the edge router, the request for associating the terminal device with the IP network.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the receiving the association request message sent by the terminal device, comprises;

receiving the association request message forwarded by a coordinator after the coordinator determines that the terminal device requests association with the IP network, or receiving the association request message directly sent by the terminal device.

3. A method for associating a terminal device with a network, comprising:

receiving an association request message sent by the terminal device, wherein the association request message comprises information of a request for associating the terminal device with a sensor network and an IP identifier, wherein the IP identifier indicates whether the terminal device requests association with the IP network;

processing, according to the association request message, the request for associating the terminal device with the sensor network;

when it is determined, according to an IP identifier, that the terminal device requests association with the IP network, forwarding the association request message to a machine to machine (M2M) coordinator to trigger the M2M coordinator to send an IP network association request message to an edge router, wherein the IP network association request message is used to indicate that the terminal device requests association with the IP network;

receiving a result of processing, by the edge router, the request for associating the terminal device with the IP network forwarded by the M2M coordinator;

sending an association respond message to the terminal device, wherein the association respond message comprises the result of processing the request for associating the terminal device with the sensor network and a result of processing, by the edge router, the request for associating the terminal device with the IP network.

4. A method for associating a terminal device with a network, comprising:

sending an association request message, by the terminal device, wherein the association request message comprises information of a request for associating the terminal device with a sensor network and an IP identifier, wherein the IP identifier indicates whether the terminal device requests association with the IP network;

receiving an association respond message, by the terminal device, wherein the association respond message comprises;

a result of processing the request for associating the terminal device with the sensor network;

when the IP identifier indicates that the terminal device requests association with the IP network, the association respond message further comprises a result of processing the request for associating the terminal device with the IP network.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein:

the result of processing the request for associating the terminal device with the sensor network refers to a result of processing, by a machine to machine (M2M) coordinator or coordinator, the request for associating the terminal device with the sensor network;

the result of processing the request for associating the terminal device to the IP network refers to a result of processing, by the edge router, the request for associating the terminal device to the IP network.

6. A machine to machine (M2M) Coordinator, comprising:

a first receiving unit, configured to receive an association request message sent by a terminal device, wherein the association request message comprises information of a request for associating the terminal device with a sensor network and an IP identifier, wherein the IP identifier indicates whether the terminal device requests association with an IP network;

a sensor network processing unit, configured to process, according to the association request message, the request for associating the terminal device with the sensor network;

a determining unit, configured to determine, according to the IP identifier, whether the terminal device requests association with the IP network;

a second sending unit, configured to, when the terminal device requests association with the IP network, send an IP network association request message to an edge router, wherein the IP network association request message is used to indicate that the terminal device requests association with the IP network;

a second receiving unit, configured to receive a result of processing, by the edge router, the request for associating the terminal device with the IP network;

a first sending unit, configured to send an association respond message to the terminal device, wherein the association respond message comprises a result of processing the request for associating the terminal device to the sensor network and a result of processing, by the edge router, the request for associating the terminal device to the IP network.

7. A coordinator, comprising:

a first receiving unit, configured to receive an association request message sent by a terminal device, wherein the association request message comprises information of a request for associating the terminal device with a sensor network and an IP identifier, wherein the IP identifier indicates whether the terminal device requests association with an IP network;

a sensor network processing unit, configured to process, based on an association request message, the request for associating the terminal device with the sensor network;

a determining unit, configured to determine, based on the IP identifier, whether the terminal device requests association with the IP network;

a first sending unit, configured to, when the terminal device requests association with an IP network, forward the association request message to a machine to machine (M2M) coordinator to trigger the M2M coordinator to send an IP network association request message to an edge router, wherein the IP network association request message is used to indicate that the terminal device requests association with the IP network;

a second receiving unit, configured to receive a result of processing, by the edge router, the request for associating the terminal device with the IP network forwarded by the M2M coordinator;

a second sending unit, configured to send an association respond message to the terminal device, wherein the association respond message comprises a result of processing the request for associating the terminal device with the sensor network and a result of processing, by the edge router, the request for associating the terminal device with the IP network.

8. A terminal device, comprising:

a sending unit, configured to send an association request message, wherein the association request message comprises information of a request for associating the terminal device with a sensor network and an IP identifier, wherein the IP identifier indicates whether the terminal device requests association with the IP network;

a receiving unit, configured to receive an association respond message, wherein the association respond message comprises;

a result of processing the request for associating the terminal device with the sensor network;

when the IP identifier indicates that the terminal device requests association with the IP network, the association respond message further comprises a result of processing the request for associating the terminal device with the IP network.

9. A network system, comprising a machine to machine (M2M) coordinator and an edge router, wherein,

the M2M coordinator is configured to receive an association request message sent by a terminal device, wherein the association request message comprises information of a request for associating the terminal device with a sensor network and an IP identifier, wherein the IP identifier indicates whether the terminal device requests for association with the IP network;

process, according to the association request message, the request for associating the terminal device with the sensor network;

when it is determined, according to an IP identifier, that the terminal device requests association with the IP network, send an IP network association request message to an edge router, wherein the IP network association request message is used to indicate that the terminal device requests association with the IP network;

receive a result of processing, by the edge router, the request for associating the terminal device with the IP network;

send an association respond message to the terminal device, wherein the association respond message comprises a result of processing the request for associating the terminal device with the sensor network and a result of processing, by the edge router, the request for associating the terminal device with the IP network;

the edge router is configured to receive the IP network association request message and send the result of processing, by the edge router, the request for associating the terminal device with the IP network to the M2M coordinator.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein:

the network system further comprises;

a coordinator, configured to receive the association request message sent by the terminal device, and forward the association request message to the M2M coordinator after it is determined, according to the IP identifier, that the terminal device requests association with the IP network.

11. A network system, comprising a coordinator, a machine to machine (M2M) coordinator, and an edge router, wherein,

the coordinator is configured to receive an association request message sent by a terminal device, wherein the association request message comprises information of a request for associating the terminal device with a sensor network and an IP identifier, wherein the IP identifier indicates whether the terminal device requests association with an IP network;

process, according to the association request message, the request for associating the terminal device with the sensor network;

when it is determined, according to the IP identifier, that the terminal device requests association with the IP network, forward the association request message to a machine to machine (M2M) coordinator to trigger the M2M coordinator to send an IP network association request message to an edge router, wherein the IP network association request message is used to indicate that the terminal device requests association with the IP network;

receive a result of processing, by the edge router, the request for associating the terminal device with the IP network forwarded by the M2M coordinator;

send an association respond message to the terminal device, wherein the association respond message comprises a result of processing the request for associating the terminal device with the sensor network and a result of processing, by the edge router, the request for associating the terminal device with the IP network;

the M2M Coordinator is configured to receive an association request message and send the IP network association request message to an edge router;

send a result of processing, by the edge router, the request for associating the terminal device with the IP network to the coordinator;

the edge router is configured to receive the IP network association request message and send a result of processing, by the edge router, the request for associating the terminal device with the IP network to the M2M coordinator.