Mobile ad hoc network system and operating method thereof

• US 7,450,517 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2005
• Issued: 11/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Cho, Ki-Hyoung
• Primary Examiner(s): HSU, ALPUS
• Application Number:
  US11/040,059
• Publication Number:
  US 20050157661A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,391 Days
• Field of Search: 370/238, 370/254, 370/338, 455/435.1, 455/445
• US Class Current: 370/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/42 Centralised routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/30 for proactive routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A mobile ad-hoc network system includes: a plurality of mobile terminals; and a central control means for setting an optimal route among terminals, performing connection with an infrastructure network and connecting networks using different wireless access technologies. By including the central control means, the ad-hoc network system can overcome the limitation of the related art ad-hoc network and provide a network service with high quality and stability to each terminal.

Claims

1. A mobile ad-hoc network system comprising:

a plurality of mobile terminals and a central control means configured to create a network map by registering identifiers and state information of the mobile terminals and setting transmission routes among the terminals based on the created network map, wherein the central control means comprises;

a means for storing registration information including, for each of the mobile terminals, an identifier, state information and identifiers of neighbor terminals, and for creating the network map by using the registration information;

a means for setting and updating the transmission routes among the terminals based on the created map; and

a means for providing route information to a mobile terminal when the mobile terminal requests the route information for transmitting data to a destination; and

wherein each terminal comprises;

a means for storing information including identifiers of its neighbor terminals and distance information indicating a distance from the terminal to the central control means;

a means for transmitting a broadcast message including an identifier of the terminal and the distance information stored therein;

a means for receiving a response message including an identifier of the responding terminal and distance information indicating a distance from the responding terminal to the central control means;

a means for updating the information on the neighbor terminals stored in the terminal and setting a smallest value of the values obtained by respectively adding the distance information of the neighbor terminals to the distance from the terminal to the neighbor terminals as the updated distance information of the terminal, when the received response message is different from the stored information; and

a means for transmitting the updated information to the central control means to be registered, when the terminal enters a network area of the mobile ad-hoc network.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the network map calculates a link cost among terminals by using the registration information, and wherein the network map is created based on the calculated link cost.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the central control means further comprises:

a means for performing transmission route reservation for a terminal that wants to perform data transmission so that terminals in a data transmission route cannot be allocated to a different path.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the central control means further comprises:

a means for providing a security key to a terminal requesting high level security in order to maintain security of a network.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the central control means further comprises:

a multi-MAC protocol means for enabling mobile terminals based on at least one of IEEE802.11, Hyper LAN, Bluetooth, Home RF, WPAN and cellular mobile communication to be wirelessly connected.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the central control means further comprises:

an access means for supporting connection of an arbitrary terminal with the infra network or a GPRS (General Packet Radio Service).

7. A data transmission method for a mobile ad-hoc network system comprising a plurality of terminals and a central control means, each terminal storing information including identifiers of neighbor terminals and distance information indicating a distance from the terminal to the central control means, said method comprising:

transmitting, by mobile terminal, a broadcast message including an identifier of the terminal and the distance information thereof;

receiving, by the mobile terminal, a response message including an identifier of a responding terminal and distance information indicating a distance from the responding terminal to the central control means;

wherein if the received response message is different from the information on the neighbor terminals stored in the mobile terminal, updating, by the mobile terminal, stored information therein with the received response message, and setting, by the mobile terminal, a smallest value of the values obtained by respectively adding the distance information of the neighbor terminals to the distance from the mobile entering terminal to the neighbor terminals as the updated distance information of the mobile terminal;

transmitting, by the mobile terminal, the updated information to the central control means to be registered;

requesting, by the mobile terminal, from the central control means, route information, when the mobile terminal generates data to be transmitted;

transmitting, by the central control means, the requested route information to the mobile terminal;

transmitting, by the mobile terminal, the generated data to a destination according to the received route information;

registering information of a new mobile terminal with the central control means;

and updating route information of each terminal set in the central control means when the new terminal enters a network area,

wherein the registration information comprises an identifier of the new mobile terminal, state information of the new mobile terminal, and a list of identifiers of neighbor terminals of the new mobile terminal.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the state information of the terminal includes a battery charge state information.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the central control means calculates a link cost among terminals based on registration information of terminals, and creates a network map based on the calculated link cost.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the central control means generates route information to the destination based on the network map and provides the route information to the mobile terminal, when the mobile terminal requests a route to a destination.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the route information includes a list of IP address of the neighbor terminals.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the mobile terminal requests a QoS level or a security level selectively, when the mobile terminal requests the route information from the central control means.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the mobile terminal broadcasts the message after the lapse of predetermined time, if information of the response message comprises the stored information therein.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein the mobile terminal broadcasts the message again, if the mobile terminal fails to receive a response message to the message within a predetermined time.

15. The method of claim 7, wherein if the mobile terminal is a non-registered terminal, a maximum value of a distance to the central control means is set as a distance to the non-registered terminal.