Mobile terminal and method for controlling network connection thereof

• US 6,282,577 B1
• Filed: 07/28/1998
• Issued: 08/28/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Okanoue, Kazuhiro, Osawa, Tomoki
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): CALDWELL, ANDREW T
• Application Number:
  US09/123,552
• Time in Patent Office: 1,127 Days
• Field of Search: 709/250, 709/220-222, 709/227-228, 709/253, 370/431, 370/463, 375/219, 713/1, 713/100, 340/825
• US Class Current: 709/250
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/50 Address allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/168 specially adapted for link layer protocols, e.g. asynchronous transfer mode [ATM], synchronous optical network [SONET] or point-to-point protocol [PPP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• 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 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Abstract

A mobile terminal detects a network formed on a communication media when the mobile terminal is to be connected to said communication media by transmitting control signals to and receiving control signals from the communication media and performs a connection control according to a protocol of a trunk network when the detected network is the trunk network or to a protocol of an ad hoc network when the detected network is the ad hoc network. When the mobile terminal can not detect a network to which the mobile terminal can be connected, the mobile terminal sets a new ad hoc network identifier for forming a new ad hoc network, after determining that the new ad hoc network identifier is not already in use another network.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal capable of being connected to either a trunk network provided with network connection nodes for connection of mobile terminals to said trunk network or an ad hoc network constructed by mutual connection of a plurality of mobile terminals, comprising:

a network detection circuit for detecting whether or not there is a network on a communication media to which said mobile station can be connected when said mobile terminal is connected to said communication media;

a trunk network connection circuit for controlling connection between said mobile terminal and said trunk network when said network detection circuit detects an existence of said trunk network;

an ad hoc network connection circuit for controlling connection between said mobile terminal and said ad hoc network when said network detection circuit detects an existence of said ad hoc network, wherein said ad hoc network connection circuit comprises;

a mobile terminal identifier candidate setting circuit for setting a candidate mobile terminal identifier for said mobile terminal predicted as being usable in a detected or newly formed ad hoc network;

a mobile terminal identifier setting request message forming circuit for forming a mobile terminal identifier setting request message containing information related to the mobile terminal identifier set as the candidate;

a broadcast message transmission circuit for performing a broadcast transmission of the formed mobile terminal identifier setting request message to the ad hoc network;

an identifier setting circuit for setting the candidate mobile terminal identifier as the identifier of said mobile terminal when said mobile terminal receives no in-use mobile terminal identifier message indicating that the candidate mobile terminal identifier indicated in the mobile terminal identifier setting request is in use within a predetermined time from the transmission of the mobile terminal identifier setting request message; and

a control circuit for activating said mobile terminal identifier candidate setting circuit and selecting another candidate, when said mobile terminal receives an in-use mobile terminal identifier message indicating that the candidate mobile terminal identifier indicated in the mobile terminal identifier setting request message is in use within the predetermined time from the transmission of the mobile terminal identifier setting request message; and

an ad hoc network identifier setting circuit for setting a new ad hoc network identifier for forming an new ad hoc network when said network detection circuit detects no network on said communication media to which said mobile terminal can be connected.

2. A mobile terminal as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a comparator for comparing a mobile terminal identifier contained in a mobile terminal identifier setting request message from another mobile terminal with the mobile terminal identifier of said mobile terminal when said mobile terminal receives the mobile terminal identifier setting request message from said other mobile terminal and, when the mobile terminal identifiers are identical, sending an in-use mobile terminal identifier message back to said other mobile terminal.

3. A mobile terminal capable of being connected to either a trunk network provided with network connection nodes for connection of mobile terminals to said trunk network or an ad hoc network constructed by mutual connection of a plurality of mobile terminals, comprising:

a network detection circuit for detecting whether or not there is a network on a communication media to which said mobile station can be connected when said mobile terminal is connected to said communication media;

a trunk network connection circuit for controlling connection between said mobile terminal and said trunk network when said network detection circuit detects an existence of said trunk network;

an ad hoc network connection circuit for controlling connection between said mobile terminal and said ad hoc network when said network detection circuit detects an existence of said ad hoc network, wherein said ad hoc network identifier setting circuit comprises;

an ad hoc network identifier candidate setting circuit for setting a candidate ad hoc network identifier for identifying an ad hoc network to be newly formed;

an ad hoc network identifier setting request message forming circuit for forming an ad hoc network identifier setting request message containing information related to the ad hoc network identifier set as the candidate;

a broadcast message transmitting circuit for performing a broadcast transmission of the formed ad hoc network identifier setting request message to a communication media;

an identifier setting circuit for setting the ad hoc network identifier candidate as the identifier of the new ad hoc network when said mobile terminal receives no in-use ad hoc network identifier message indicating that the candidate ad hoc network identifier indicated by the ad hoc network identifier setting request message is in use within a predetermined time from the transmission of the ad hoc network identifier setting request message; and

a control circuit for activating said ad hoc network identifier candidate setting circuit and selecting another candidate when said mobile terminal receives the in-use ad hoc network identifier message indicating that the candidate ad hoc network identifier indicated in the ad hoc network identifier setting request message is in use within the predetermined time from the transmission of the ad hoc identifier setting request message; and

an ad hoc network identifier setting circuit for setting a new ad hoc network identifier for forming an new ad hoc network when said network detection circuit detects no network on said communication media to which said mobile terminal can be connected.

4. A mobile terminal as claimed in claim 3, further comprising comparator for comparing an ad hoc network identifier contained in an ad hoc network identifier setting request message from another mobile terminal with the identifier of the ad hoc network to which said mobile terminal is connected when said mobile terminal receives the ad hoc network identifier setting request message from said another mobile terminal, and, when these identifiers are identical, performing a broadcast transmission of the in-use ad hoc identifier message.