Mobile terminal, control device and mobile communication method

• US 7,352,750 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2005
• Issued: 04/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Igarashi, Ken, Hiyama, Satoshi, Moritani, Yuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Lee
• Application Number:
  US11/249,329
• Publication Number:
  US 20060083243A1
• Time in Patent Office: 900 Days
• Field of Search: 370/237, 370/238, 370/338, 370/351, 455/11.1, 455/426.1, 455/445, 455/552.1, 455/553.1
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/42 Centralised routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/20 based on geographic position or location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/248 Connectivity information update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 Transfer of terminal data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/04 Large scale networks; Deep hierarchical networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A mobile terminal includes; a first wireless interface configured to perform communication through a public mobile communication network; a second wireless interface configured to perform direct communication with another mobile terminal; an update information transmitter unit configured to transmit update information including identification information and communication state information of the mobile terminal, to a control device in the public mobile communication network through the first wireless interface at a predetermined timing; a route maintaining unit configured to receive a packet transfer route generated by the control device of the public mobile communication network based on the update information through the first wireless interface, and to maintain the packet transfer route; and a packet transmitter unit configured to transmit a packet to another mobile terminal through the second wireless interface based on the packet transfer route.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a first wireless interface configured to perform communication through a public mobile communication network;

a second wireless interface configured to perform direct communication with another mobile terminal;

an update information transmitter unit configured to transmit update information including identification information and communication state information of the mobile terminal, to a control device in the public mobile communication network through the first wireless interface at a predetermined timing;

a route maintaining unit configured to receive a packet transfer route generated by the control device of the public mobile communication network based on the update information through the first wireless interface, and to maintain the packet transfer route; and

a packet transmitter unit configured to transmit a packet to another mobile terminal through the second wireless interface based on the packet transfer route, wherein

the communication state information includes at least one of an amount of battery remaining in the mobile terminal, a moving speed of the mobile terminal, and a moving frequency of the mobile terminal, and

the update information transmitter unit is configured to decrease the transmission frequency of the update information in any one of cases where the amount of battery remaining in the mobile terminal is equal to or less than a predetermined amount, where the moving speed of the mobile terminal is equal to or faster than a predetermined speed, and where the moving frequency of the mobile terminal is equal to or more than a predetermined frequency.

2. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the update information transmitter unit is configured to collect the update information of other mobile terminals, and to transmit the collected update information together with the update information of the mobile terminal to the control device of the public mobile communication network when the mobile terminal is determined to be a representative terminal by the control device in the public mobile communication network.

3. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, further comprising:

a path state monitoring unit configured to monitor a state of a path established between the mobile terminal and the another mobile terminal, wherein

the packet transmitter unit is configured to transmit the data packet to the public mobile communication network through the first wireless interface, when the path established between the mobile terminal and the another mobile terminal has been disconnected.

4. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, further comprising:

an arrival monitoring unit configured to monitor whether or not the data packet transmitted through the second wireless interface arrives at any one of a destination terminal and a relay mobile terminal; and

a route change command transmitter unit configured to transmit a route change command, to change the packet transfer route, to the control device in the public mobile communication network through the first wireless interface when the data packet is detected not to arrive at any one of the destination terminal and the relay mobile terminal within a predetermined period of time.

5. A control device provided in a public mobile communication network, comprising:

an update information manager unit configured to receive and manage update information including identification information and communication state information of a mobile terminal from the mobile terminal at a predetermined timing;

a route calculator unit configured to calculate an optimum packet transfer route out of a plurality of packet transfer routes from the mobile terminal to a destination terminal by calculating a total cost for each of the plurality of packet transfer routes based on the communication state information and determining a route with the lowest total cost as the optimum packet transfer route; and

a notification unit configured to notify the mobile terminal of the calculated optimum packet transfer route, wherein

the communication state information includes at least one of an amount of battery remaining in the mobile terminal, a moving speed of the mobile terminal, and a moving frequency of the mobile terminal.

6. The control device according to claim 5, further comprising:

a determining unit configured to determine a representative terminal which transmits the update information of the plurality of mobile terminals as a representative to the control device based on the communication state information; and

the notification unit further configured to notify the determined representative terminal of the designation as the representative terminal.

7. The control device according to claim 5, further comprising:

a congestion monitoring unit configured to monitor a congestion state of an access node provided in the public mobile communication network, wherein

the route calculator unit is configured to change the packet transfer route from the mobile terminal to the destination terminal, so as not to pass through the access node in which the congestion state has been detected.

8. The control device according to claim 5, wherein the route calculator unit is configured to change the packet transfer route from the mobile terminal to the destination terminal, when being notified by the mobile terminal that a path established between the mobile terminal and another mobile terminal has been disconnected.

9. The control device according to claim 5, wherein the route calculator unit is configured to change the packet transfer route from the mobile terminal to the destination terminal, when being notified by the mobile terminal that a packet has not arrived at any one of the destination terminal and a relay mobile terminal within a predetermined period of time.

10. The control device according to claim 5, wherein a cost required to transfer a packet to each mobile terminal in a packet transfer route is associated with the amount of battery remaining in the mobile terminal, the moving speed of the mobile terminal, or the moving frequency of the mobile terminal, and

the route calculator unit is further configured to calculate the total cost for each of the plurality of packet transfer routes by accumulating each of the costs to transfer the packet to each mobile terminal in each of the plurality of packet transfer routes, respectively.

11. The control device according to claim 10,

wherein the cost associated with the amount of battery remaining in the mobile terminal is set higher as the amount of battery remaining in the mobile terminal becomes smaller,

the cost associated with the moving speed of the mobile terminal is set higher as the moving speed of the mobile terminal becomes faster, and

the moving frequency of the mobile terminal is set higher as the moving frequency of the mobile terminal becomes higher.

12. A mobile communication method comprising:

transmitting, at a mobile terminal, an update information including identification information and communication state information of the mobile terminal, to a control device in a public mobile communication network through a first wireless interface at a predetermined timing;

calculating, at the control device, an optimum packet transfer route out of a plurality of packet transfer routes from the mobile terminal to a destination terminal by calculating a total cost for each of the plurality of packet transfer routes based on the communication state information included in the received update information and determining a route with the lowest total cost as the optimum packet transfer route;

notifying, at the control device, the mobile terminal of the calculated optimum packet transfer route; and

transmitting, at the mobile terminal, a packet to another mobile terminal through a second wireless interface based on the optimum packet transfer route, wherein

the communication state information includes at least one of an amount of battery remaining in the mobile terminal, a moving speed of the mobile terminal, and a moving frequency of the mobile terminal, and

a transmission frequency of the update information is decreased in any of one cases where the amount of battery remaining in the mobile terminal is equal to or less than a predetermined amount, where the moving speed of the mobile terminal is equal to or faster than a predetermined speed, and where the moving frequency of the mobile terminal is equal to or more than a predetermined frequency.

13. The mobile communication method according to claim 12, further comprising:

determining, at the control device, a representative terminal which transmits the update information of the plurality of mobile terminals as a representative to the control device based on the communication state information;

notifying, from the control device, the determined representative terminal of the designation as the representative terminal; and

collecting, at the mobile terminal designated as the representative terminal, the update information of other mobile terminals, and transmitting, at the mobile terminal, the collected update information together with the update information of the mobile terminal, to the control device.

14. The mobile communication method according to claim 12, further comprising:

monitoring, at the control device, a congestion state of an access node provided in the public mobile communication network; and

changing, at the control device, the packet transfer route from the mobile terminal to the destination route, so as not to pass through the access node in which the congestion state has been detected.