Base station apparatus and network identifier assignment method

• US 7,099,694 B1
• Filed: 06/08/2000
• Issued: 08/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Aramaki, Takashi, Shirasaki, Yoshimasa
• Primary Examiner(s): D AGOSTA, STEPHEN M
• Application Number:
  US09/762,581
• Time in Patent Office: 2,273 Days
• Field of Search: 455/88, 455/420, 455450-4521, 455/434, 455/435.1, 455/500, 455/507, 455/561, 455/446, 455/449, 370/313, 370/329, 370/338, 370/349, 709/208, 709/222, 709/223, 709/237
• US Class Current: 455/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/604 Address structures or formats
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5038 for local use, e.g. in LAN or USB networks, or in a controller area network [CAN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5046 Resolving address allocation conflicts; Testing of addresses testing when self-assigning an address H04L61/5092
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5076 Update or notification mechanisms, e.g. DynDNS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5084 Providing for device mobility network addressing or numbering for mobility support in wireless networks H04W8/26; mobile IP H04W80/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5092 by self-assignment, e.g. picking addresses at random and testing if they are already in use
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

When a communication network is newly set up, the NET-ID assignment method investigates NET-IDs of adjacent base stations and then decides an appropriate NET-ID based on the investigation result. At this time, the decided NET-ID is updated in a NET-ID table stored in the base station.

Claims

1. A base station apparatus forming a communication network that is identified by a unique network identifier, the base station apparatus comprising:

a table that stores states of use of a plurality of network identifiers;

a receiver that receives information about a state of use of a network identifier used by an existing base station apparatus;

an assigner that assigns a network identifier to said base station apparatus with reference to said information and updates the table in accordance with said information and said network identifier assigned to said base station apparatus;

a setter that sets an extending identifier and increases a number of bits for use for a network identifier, when there is no unused network identifier and said base station apparatus and said existing base station apparatus form different communication networks; and

a transmitter that transmits information about the updated table, wherein;

when said base station apparatus and said existing base station apparatus form a same communication network, the assigner assigns the same network identifier as the network identifier used by said existing base station apparatus to said base station apparatus with reference to said information stored in the table, and

when said base station apparatus and said existing base station apparatus form different communication networks, the assigner assigns a network identifier that is unused by said existing base station apparatus and different from the network identifier used by said existing base station apparatus to said base station apparatus and, if there is no unused network identifier, assigns the extending identifier and the increased number of bits as a network identifier to the communication network of said base station apparatus.