Routing protocol within hybrid-cellular networks

• US 7,295,544 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2004
• Issued: 11/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Allen, Vernon A., Pham, Minh T., Chiou, Wayne W., D'Souza, Ralph L., O'Shea, Robert J., Sivapuram, Saritha
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng; George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Torres; Marcos L.
• Application Number:
  US10/901,580
• Publication Number:
  US 20060023689A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 Days
• Field of Search: 370254-255, 455 411- 413, 455/426.1, 455/11.1
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

In order to set up efficient routes between two closely-located nodes an optimized route for two nodes within a hybrid-cellular network (HCN) is achieved by converting an HCN route to an ad-hoc route. Thus, a node within the communication system may originally be communicating with another node via an HCN route and then instructed to switch to a more efficient ad-hoc route for communication with the node.

Claims

1. In a hybrid-cellular network, a method for converting a hybrid-cellular route to an ad-hoc route, the method comprising the steps of:

determining if two nodes within the hybrid-cellular network are in close proximity;

determining connectivity information for the two nodes, wherein the step of determining connectivity information comprises the step of determining information taken from the group consisting of a tree route path between the two nodes, a neighbor list for each node, and an associated link quality for nodes along the tree route path;

determining an optimized ad-hoc route between the two nodes, wherein the optimized ad-hoc route between the two nodes does not involve the network coordinator; and

converting the hybrid-cellular route to an ad-hoc route by instructing the two nodes to communicate via the optimized ad-hoc route.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of receiving a request to establish the pairing between the two nodes.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining if the two nodes are in close proximity comprises the step of determining if the two nodes are under a same network coordinator.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining the optimized ad-hoc route comprises the step of determining a route with a least amount of hops.

5. In a hybrid-cellular communication system, a method for converting a hybrid-cellular route to an ad-hoc route, the method comprising the steps of:

determining if the two nodes are in close proximity;

determining route information for the two nodes, wherein the step of determining route information comprises the step of determining information taken from the group consisting of a tree route path between the two nodes, a neighbor list for each node, and an associated link quality for nodes along the tree route path;

determining an optimized ad-hoc route between the two nodes based on the route information, wherein the optimized ad-hoc route between the two nodes comprises a ad-hoc route having a least amount of hops, wherein the optimized ad-hoc route between the two nodes does not involve the network coordinator; and

instructing the two nodes to convert the hybrid-cellular route to the ad-hoc route by assigning the two nodes the optimized ad-hoc route.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising the step of receiving a request to establish the pairing between two nodes.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of determining if the two nodes are in close proximity comprises the step of determining if the two nodes are under a same network coordinator.

8. A network coordinator existing within a hybrid-cellular network (HCN), an apparatus for creating an ad-hoc route, the apparatus comprising:

logic circuitry determining an optimized ad-hoc route between two nodes utilizing a hybrid-cellular route, the optimized route being based on route information, and wherein the optimized ad-hoc route between the two nodes comprises an ad-hoc route having a least amount of hops, and wherein the optimized ad-hoc route between the two nodes does not involve the network coordinator, and wherein the route information is taken from the group consisting of a tree route path between the two nodes, a neighbor list for each node, and an associated link quality for nodes along the tree route path and

a transmitter instructing the two nodes to change from an HCN route to the ad-hoc route.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising a receiver receiving a request to establish the pairing between two nodes comprises a request from a first node to establish a pairing with a second node.