Radio communication system, terminal and packet

• US 7,408,929 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2002
• Issued: 08/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Toshimitsu, Kiyoshi, Adachi, Tomoko
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan; Wing
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jones; Prenell
• Application Number:
  US10/243,895
• Publication Number:
  US 20030063607A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,150 Days
• Field of Search: 370389-401, 370/466, 370/225, 370/254, 370/318, 370/328, 370/338, 370/392, 370/455, 370/352, 370/469, 370/312, 370/473, 370/310, 370/229, 455/9, 455/518, 455/522, 455/560, 455/458, 455/466, 455/509, 455/511, 709/238, 709/219, 705/40, 340/825.02, 340/825.52, 375/372
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A radio communication system includes a plurality of radio communication terminals, in which a first radio communication terminal stores, in a first field contained in a header of a radio communication packet, address information indicating at least one radio communication terminal to which the radio communication packet is directly transmitted, and a second terminal relays the radio communication packet with reference to the address information stored in the first field. The header of the radio communication packet includes a second field which stores address information indicating a final destination terminal and a third field which stores address information indicating the first terminal as a sending source.

Claims

1. A radio communication system in which at least one of a plurality of radio communication terminals relays a radio communication packet including a header, comprising:

a first radio communication terminal which is included in the plurality of radio communication terminals and stores, in a first field contained in the header of the radio communication packet, address information indicating at least one radio communication terminal to which the radio communication packet is directly transmitted; and

a second radio communication terminal which is included in the plurality of radio communication terminals and relays the radio communication packet with reference to the address information stored in the first field,

the header of the radio communication packet including a second field which stores address information indicating a final destination terminal and a third field which stores address information indicating the first radio communication terminal as a sending source,

wherein the second radio communication terminal extracts the address information from the first field of the radio communication packet, determines, based on the address information extracted, whether or not the second radio communication terminal is an immediate destination to which the radio communication packet is transmitted, updates the address information in the first field, and then transmits the radio communication packet which includes the address information updated to at least remaining one of the radio communication terminals when the second radio communication terminal determines to be the immediate destination.

2. The radio communication system according to claim 1, wherein the header of the radio communication packet further includes a fourth field which stores address information indicating at least one radio communication terminal from which the radio communication packet is directly transmitted.

3. The radio communication system according to claim 1, wherein the address information stored in the first field includes group address information.

4. The radio communication system according to claim 1, wherein the address information stored in the second field includes group address information.

5. The radio communication system according to claim 1, wherein the second radio communication terminal is selected from a routing table which contains at least the address information.

6. The radio communication system according to claim 5, wherein the routing table includes information indicating reliability of communication between the first radio communication terminal and the second radio communication terminal.

7. The radio communication system according to claim 5, wherein the routing table is updated by exchanging the radio communication packet between the first radio communication terminal and the second radio communication terminal.

8. The radio communication system according to claim 5, wherein the routing table is updated based on a received level of the radio communication packet.

9. The radio communication system according to claim 5, wherein the routing table includes information which is based on a sum of the radio communication terminals which have relayed the radio communication packet.

10. The radio communication system according to claim 9, wherein relay operation that the radio communication packet is relayed is stopped in accordance with the information which is based on a sum of the radio communication terminals which have relayed the radio communication packet.

11. A radio communication terminal which is included in a plurality of radio communication terminals and can relay a radio communication packet including a header, comprising:

a relaying module configured to relay the radio communication packet with reference to address information stored in a first field contained in the header of the radio communication packet, the address information of the first field indicating at least one radio communication terminal to which the radio communication packet is directly transmitted,

the header of the radio communication packet including a second field which stores address information indicating a final destination terminal and a third field which stores address information indicating the first radio communication terminal as a sending source;

an extracting module configured to extract the address information from the first field of the radio communication packet;

a determining module configured to determine, based on the address information extracted, whether or not the radio communication terminal is an immediate destination to which the radio communication packet is transmitted; and

an updating module configured to update the address information in the first field and then to transmit the radio communication packet which includes the address information updated to at least remaining one of radio communication terminal when the radio communication terminal determines to be the immediate destination.

12. The radio communication terminal according to claim 11, wherein the header of the radio communication packet further includes a fourth field which stores address information indicating at least one radio communication terminal from which the radio communication packet is directly transmitted.

13. The radio communication terminal according to claim 11, wherein the address information stored in the first field includes group address information.

14. The radio communication terminal according to claim 11, wherein the address information stored in the second field includes group address information.

15. The radio communication terminal according to claim 11, wherein the radio communication terminal to which the radio communication packet is directly transmitted is selected from a routing table which contains at least the address information.

16. The radio communication terminal according to claim 15, wherein the routing table includes information indicating reliability of communication between the radio communication terminal and at least remaining one of radio communication terminals.

17. The radio communication terminal according to claim 15, wherein the routing table is updated by exchanging the radio communication packet between the radio communication terminal and at least remaining one of radio communication terminals.

18. The radio communication terminal according to claim 15, wherein the routing table is updated based on a received level of the radio communication packet.

19. The radio communication terminal according to claim 15, wherein the routing table includes information which is based on a sum of the radio communication terminals which have relayed the radio communication packet.

20. The radio communication terminal according to claim 19, wherein relay operation that the radio communication packet is relayed is stopped in accordance with the information which is based on a sum of the radio communication terminals which have relayed the radio communication packet.