Controller device, mobile terminal and mobile communication method

• US 7,539,503 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2005
• Issued: 05/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2004
• 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: Suzuki, Toshihiro, Kobayashi, Motonari
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Duc
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Hai V
• Application Number:
  US11/265,182
• Publication Number:
  US 20060120337A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,300 Days
• Field of Search: 455/507, 370/338
• US Class Current: 455/507
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/24 Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/00 Devices specially adapted for wireless communication networks, e.g. terminals, base stations or access point devices

Abstract

A controller device for performing communication control of a mobile terminal belonging to an ad hoc network, includes: a communication environment information obtaining unit configured to obtain communication environment information, which shows a communication environment in the mobile terminal belonging to the ad hoc network, from the mobile terminal; and a proxy control information transmitter unit configured to transmit proxy control information for performing the communication control instead of the controller device, to a predetermined mobile terminal belonging to the ad hoc network, when the obtained communication environment information satisfies a predetermined condition.

Claims

1. A controller device for performing communication control of mobile terminals belonging to an ad hoc network by providing routing information for the mobile terminals, the controller device comprising:

a communication environment information obtaining unit configured to obtain communication environment information, which shows a communication environment in each of the mobile terminals belonging to the ad hoc network, from each of the mobile terminals;

an isolation timing predicting unit configured to predict a time when connections between all of the mobile terminals belonging to the ad hoc network and the controller device are cut, upon receipt of communication environment information satisfying a predetermined condition; and

an advance assist processor unit configured to command a predetermined mobile terminal of the mobile terminals belonging to the ad hoc network to perform the communication control instead of the controller device, at the time when the isolation timing predicting unit predicts connections between all of the mobile terminals belonging to the ad hoc network and the controller device are cut.

2. The controller device according to claim 1, comprising an ex post facto assist processor unit configured to receive a result of the communication control performed by the predetermined mobile terminal instead of the controller device, when a connection between the mobile terminals belonging to the ad hoc network and the controller device is recovered.

3. The controller device according to claim 1, wherein the communication environment information in each of the mobile terminals is a state of a radio wave in each of the mobile terminals, and

the isolation timing predicting unit predicts the time when connections between all of the mobile terminals belonging to the ad hoc network and the controller device are cut, when the radio wave in each of the mobile terminals falls below a predetermined threshold value.

4. The controller device according to claim 1, wherein the communication control of the mobile terminals is a routing control performed by providing the routing information to a destination mobile terminal for an originating mobile terminal based on location information of the originating mobile terminal belonging to the ad hoc network and location information of a terminating mobile terminal belonging to the ad hoc network.

5. The controller device according to claim 1, wherein the proxy control information includes information indicating a time when the connections between all of the mobile terminals belonging to the ad hoc network and the predetermined controller device are cut, and data to perform the communication control.

6. A mobile terminal belonging to an ad hoc network and communicating with other mobile terminals belonging to the ad hoc network by obtaining routing information from a predetermined controller device, the mobile terminal comprising:

an assist network interface unit configured to transmit to the predetermined controller device communication environment information which shows a communication environment in the mobile terminal and to receive proxy control information transmitted by the predetermined controller device, when the predetermined controller device predicts a time when connections between all of the mobile terminals belonging to the ad hoc network and the predetermined controller device are cut based on the communication environment information, the proxy control information indicating that the mobile terminal conduct communication control instead of the controller device; and

an assist processor unit configured to perform the communication control of the mobile terminals belonging to the ad hoc network instead of the predetermined controller device, the communication control being based on the received proxy control information, when connections between the mobile terminals and the predetermined controller device are cut.

7. The mobile terminal according to claim 6, comprising an ex post facto assist processor configured to transmit to the predetermined controller device a result of the communication control performed instead of the predetermined controller device, when the connection between the mobile terminal and the controller device is recovered.

8. The mobile terminal according to claim 6, wherein the assist processor unit obtains a location information of an originating mobile terminal belonging to the ad hoc network and obtains a location information of a terminating mobile terminal belonging to the ad hoc network, and

the assist processor unit provides the routing information to a destination mobile terminal for the originating mobile terminal based on the location information of the originating mobile terminal and location information of the terminating mobile terminal.

9. The mobile terminal according to claim 6, wherein the proxy control information includes information showing a time when the connections between all of the mobile terminals belonging to the ad hoc network and the predetermined controller device are cut, and data to perform the communication control.

10. A mobile communication method for performing communication control of mobile terminals, each of the mobile terminals belonging to an ad hoc network and communicating with other mobile terminals belonging to the ad hoc network by obtaining routing information from a predetermined controller device, the mobile communication method comprising:

obtaining, at the predetermined controller device, communication environment information which shows a communication environment in each of the mobile terminals belonging to the ad hoc network from each of the mobile terminals;

predicting, at the predetermined controller device, a time when connections between all of the mobile terminals belonging to the ad hoc network and the predetermined controller device are cut, when the obtained communication environment information satisfies a predetermined condition;

commanding, at the predetermined controller device, a predetermined mobile terminal of the mobile terminals belonging to the ad hoc network to perform the communication control instead of the predetermined controller device by transmitting proxy control information for performing the communication control to the predetermined mobile terminal, when the predetermined controller device predicts a time when the connections between all of the mobile terminals belonging to the ad hoc network and the predetermined controller device are cut; and

performing, at the predetermined mobile terminal, the communication control of the mobile terminals belonging to the ad hoc network instead of the predetermined controller device based on the received proxy control information, when the connections between all of the mobile terminals belonging to the ad hoc network and the controller device are cut.

11. The mobile communication method according to claim 10, wherein the proxy control information includes information indicating a time when the connections between all of the mobile terminals belonging to the ad hoc network and the predetermined controller device are cut, and data to perform the communication control.