Mobile terminal and mobile communication method

• US 7,653,391 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2005
• Issued: 01/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2004
• 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): Tran; CongVan
• Application Number:
  US11/248,278
• Publication Number:
  US 20060084434A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,566 Days
• Field of Search: 455/435.1, 455/428, 455/445, 455/456.1, 455/433, 455/403, 455/414, 455/456, 455/458, 455/550.1, 455/519
• US Class Current: 455/435.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/24 Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A mobile terminal in a mobile communication system in which a server performs routing control based on registration information sent from the plurality of mobile terminals, including; an exchanging unit configured to exchange, with another mobile terminal, link information showing a link set in the another mobile terminal, and operational information showing whether the another mobile terminal is operating as a registering terminal which sends the registration information to the server or the another mobile terminal is operating as a non-registering terminal which does not send the registration information to the server; and a judgment unit configured to make a judgment on whether the mobile terminal should operate as the registering terminal or the mobile terminal should operate as the non-registering terminal, based on the link information and the operational information which are received from the another mobile terminal.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal in a mobile communication system in which a server performs routing control based on registration information sent from the plurality of mobile terminals, comprising:

an exchanging unit configured to exchange, with another mobile terminal, link information showing a link set in the another mobile terminal, and operational information showing whether the another mobile terminal is operating as a registering terminal which sends the registration information to the server or the another mobile terminal is operating as a non-registering terminal which does not send the registration information to the server; and

a judgment unit configured to make a judgment on whether the mobile terminal should operate as the registering terminal or the mobile terminal should operate as the non-registering terminal, based on the link information and the operational information which are received from the another mobile terminal.

2. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the judgment unit is configured to make the judgment to form a network configuration in which at least one of the registering terminals is adjacent to the non-registering terminal.

3. The mobile terminal according to claim 2, wherein the judgment unit is configured to judge that the mobile terminal should operate as the registering terminal, when the mobile terminal is the non-registering terminal, when the mobile terminal is not adjacent to the registering terminal, and when all mobile terminals adjacent to the mobile terminal are adjacent to at least one of the registering terminals.

4. The mobile terminal according to claim 2, wherein the judgment unit is configured to judge that the mobile terminal should operate as the registering terminal, when the mobile terminal is the non-registering terminal, when the mobile terminal is not adjacent to the registering terminal, when at least one mobile terminal adjacent to the mobile terminal is not adjacent to the registering terminal, and when the number of the non-registering terminals adjacent to the mobile terminal is greater than the number of the non-registering terminals adjacent to mobile terminals which are not adjacent to the registering terminal adjacent to the mobile terminal.

5. The mobile terminal according to claim 2, wherein the judgment unit is configured to judge that the mobile terminal should operate as the non-registering terminal, when the mobile terminal is the registering terminal, when the mobile terminal is adjacent to at least one of the registering terminals, and when all the non-registering terminals adjacent to the mobile terminal are adjacent to at least two of the registering terminals.

6. The mobile terminal according to claim 2, comprising a registration unit configured to:

send the registration information of the non-registering terminal adjacent to the mobile terminal to the server;

send the registration information of the registering terminal adjacent to the mobile terminal to the server, when the number of the non-registering terminals adjacent to the mobile terminal is greater than the number of the non-registering terminals adjacent to the registering terminals adjacent to the mobile terminal; and

send the registration information of the registering terminal adjacent to the mobile terminal to the server, when the number of the non-registering terminals adjacent to the mobile terminal is equal to the number of the non-registering terminals adjacent to the registering terminal adjacent to the mobile terminal, and when the number of the registering terminals adjacent to the mobile terminal is equal to or greater than the number of the registering terminals adjacent to the registering terminal adjacent to the mobile terminal.

7. The mobile terminal according to claim 2, comprising a registration unit configured to send to the server the registration information of a two-hop mobile terminal which is reachable in two hops from the mobile terminal or of one mobile terminal existing on all paths to the two-hop mobile terminal, when the two-hop mobile terminal is the non-registering terminal which is not reachable in one hop, and when the registering terminal does not exist on all paths to the two-hop mobile terminal.

8. The mobile terminal according to claim 2, comprising a registration unit configured to send to the server the registration information of a two-hop mobile terminal which is reachable in two hops from the mobile terminal and of all the non-registering terminals existing all paths to the two-hop mobile terminal, when the two-hop mobile terminal is the non-registering terminal, and when at least one of the non-registering terminals exists on all paths to the two-hop mobile terminal.

9. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the judgment unit is configured to make the judgment to form a network configuration in which all mobile terminals adjacent to the non-registering terminal are the registering terminals.

10. The mobile terminal according to claim 9, wherein the judgment unit is configured to select the non-registering terminal to shift to the registering terminal, when the mobile terminal is adjacent to the non-registering terminal.

11. The mobile terminal according to claim 10, wherein the non-registering terminal to shift to the registering terminal is determined based on the number of the adjacent non-registering terminals and the number of the adjacent registering terminals.

12. The mobile terminal according to claim 9, wherein the judgment unit is configured to judge that the mobile terminal should operate as the non-registering terminal, when the mobile terminal is the registering terminal, when all mobile terminals adjacent to the mobile terminal are the registering terminals, and when all the registering terminals adjacent to the mobile terminal are adjacent to at least one of the non-registering terminals.

13. The mobile terminal according to claim 9, wherein the judgment unit is configured to judge that the mobile terminal should operate as the non-registering terminal, when the mobile terminal is the registering terminal, when all mobile terminals adjacent to the mobile terminal are the registering terminals, when at least one mobile terminal adjacent to the mobile terminal is not adjacent to the non-registering terminal, and when the number of the registering terminals adjacent to the mobile terminal is greater than the number of the registering terminals adjacent to the registering terminal adjacent to the mobile terminal.

14. The mobile terminal according to claim 9, comprising a registration unit configured to:

send to the server the registration information of the non-registering terminal adjacent to the mobile terminal;

send to the server the registration information of the registering terminal adjacent to the mobile terminal, when the number of the non-registering terminals adjacent to the mobile terminal is greater than the number of the non-registering terminals adjacent to the registering terminal adjacent to the mobile terminal; and

send to the server the registration information of the registering terminal adjacent to the mobile terminal, when the number of the non-registering terminals adjacent to the mobile terminal is equal to the number of the non-registering terminals adjacent to the registering terminal adjacent to the mobile terminal, and when the number of the registering terminals adjacent to the mobile terminal is equal to or greater than the number of the registering terminals adjacent to the registering terminal adjacent to the mobile terminal.

15. A mobile communication method, comprising:

causing a mobile terminal to exchange, with another mobile terminal, link information showing a link set in the another mobile terminal, and operational information showing whether the another mobile terminal is operating as a registering terminal which sends the registration information to a server or the another mobile terminal is operating as a non-registering terminal which does not send the registration information to the server;

causing the mobile terminal to make a judgment on whether the mobile terminal should operate as the registering terminal or the mobile terminal should operate as the non-registering terminal, based on the link information and the operational information which have been received from the another mobile terminal; and

causing the server to perform routing control based on the registration information sent from the registering terminal.