Method and system for address assignment in mobile ad-hoc network

• US 7,836,155 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2006
• Issued: 11/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: You, Jae-pil, Lee, Dong-keun, Kang, Hyun-sik, Roh, Young-sung, Kim, Jae-hoon, Singh, Shubhranshu, Kim, Jung-ho, Choi, Young-gon, Kang, Kyung-lim
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel; Ashok B
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOLDBERG, ANDREW C
• Application Number:
  US11/335,594
• Publication Number:
  US 20060171387A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,761 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220, 709/226, 370/389, 370/401
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5046 Resolving address allocation conflicts; Testing of addresses testing when self-assigning an address H04L61/5092
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5092 by self-assignment, e.g. picking addresses at random and testing if they are already in use
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/02 Data link layer protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A method for assigning a global address to a node in an ad-hoc network is provided. A joining node to the ad-hoc network generates a local address using its MAC address. The joining node inquires of its one-hop nodes about whether they occupy a local address that is the same as the generated local address. When the joining node is informed that there are no nodes occupying the same local address, it generates a global address using the generated local address and a global prefix provided from neighbor nodes. The joining node inquires of an Internet gateway about whether the generated global address is currently used. When the joining node is informed that there are no nodes currently using the same global address, the joining node is assigned the generated global address. Further, the joining node and the Internet gateway communicate messages via a relay node using a tunneling.

Claims

1. A method for assigning a global address to a node in an ad-hoc network including a plurality of nodes, the method comprising:

generating, at the node, a global address using a local address of the node and a global prefix discriminating each of a plurality of networks;

selecting, at the node, one of neighbor nodes as a relay node;

instructing, at the node, the selected neighbor node to request, from an Internet gateway, assignment of a generated global address to the node, by using tunneling; and

receiving, at the node, information, from the selected neighbor node, regarding whether the generated global address is assignable,

wherein the local address of the node is allocated to the node according to result of searching whether the same local address is used in a neighbor table stored in a neighbor node, the neighbor table storing local addresses of neighbor nodes,

wherein the information comprises a global address message indicating allowability of the generated global address, and the information is transmitted from the Internet gateway according to result of comparison of the global address with a pre-stored global address table in the Internet gateway,

wherein the method further comprises;

if the generated global address is currently assigned to another node, transmitting a message to the another node, wherein the transmitted message comprises an inquiry regarding whether the another node currently uses the assigned global address;

if no reply is received in response to the transmitted message, reassigning the generated global address to the node; and

if a reply is received in response to the transmitted message and the reply indicates that the another node does not currently use the assigned global address, reassigning the generated global address to the node.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising inquiring of a one-hop node whether the generated local address is currently used, and wherein the generated local address is assigned when no reply is received from the one-hop node.

3. A method for assigning a global address that is requested by a first node in an ad-hoc network, which includes a plurality of nodes, the method being performed by an Internet gateway, the method comprising:

receiving a global address request message transmitted from the first node via a relay node;

checking whether a global address that is allocated to a second node is identical to the requested global address or not, using a global address table stored in the Internet gateway;

if the second node is present in the global address table, sending a global address disallowance message to the relay node that has forwarded the global address request message by using tunneling, and otherwise, updating the global address table;

if the second node is present in the global address table, sending the second node a message for inquiring whether the second node currently uses the allocated global address;

if a global address use message is received from the second node that currently uses the allocated global address, maintaining the global address table, and if a global address use message is not received, updating the global address table and reassigning the allocated global address to the first node; and

if a reply is received in response to the message for inquiring and the reply indicates that the second node does not currently use the allocated global address, reassigning the allocated global address to the first node.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising discarding information relating to the allocated global address when no reply is received from the second node.

5. A system for assigning a global address in an ad-hoc network, the system comprising:

a joining node which generates a global address using a local address of the joining node and a global prefix discriminating each of networks;

a relay node, which is a neighbor node with respect to the joining node and stores a neighbor table that includes local addresses of neighbor nodes of the relay node; and

an Internet gateway;

wherein the relay node checks whether the neighbor table includes information relating to the same local address as the local address of the joining node, wherein the joining node sends to the relay node a first message that requests assignment of a generated global address;

wherein the relay node forwards the first message that is received from the joining node to the Internet gateway using tunneling and forwards a second message that is originated by the Internet gateway to the joining node using tunneling; and

wherein the Internet gateway checks whether there is a conflicting node assigned the same global address as the requested global address based on a pre-stored global address table in the Internet gateway, transmits to the conflicting node a third message for inquiring whether the conflicting node currently uses the global address that is assigned to the conflicting node if there is the conflicting node assigned the same global address as the requested global address, updates the global address table and reassigns the generated global address to the joining node if no reply is received in response to the third message, and reassigns the generated global address to the joining node if a reply is received in response to the third message and the reply indicates that the conflicting node does not currently use the assigned global address.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the Internet gateway assigns the requested global address to the joining node when there is no other node that is assigned a global address that is identical to the requested global address.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the relay node sends an advertisement message that contains an address of the Internet gateway and a global prefix, at regular time intervals.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the joining node inquires of a one-hop node about whether a generated local address is currently used, and wherein the joining node is assigned the generated local address when no reply is received from the one-hop node.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the Internet gateway discards information relating to the previously assigned global address when no reply is received from the conflicting node.

10. A method for assigning a global address to a node in an ad-hoc network, the method comprising:

generating a global address at a first node using a local address of the first node and a global prefix, wherein the first node is to be joined to the ad-hoc network;

transmitting a first message from the first node to a neighbor node, wherein the first message comprises an inquiry regarding whether the generated global address is currently assigned to another node;

transmitting the first message from the neighbor node to an Internet gateway using tunneling to request assignment of the generated global address to the first node; and

assigning the generated global address to the first node according to a global address message indicating allowability of the generated global address,

wherein the local address of the first node is generated in the first node and whether the generated local address is usable is checked based on a neighbor table stored in a neighbor node, the neighbor table storing local addresses of neighbor nodes,

wherein the global address message is transmitted from the Internet gateway to the first node according to result of comparison of the generated global address with a pre-stored global address table in the Internet gateway,

wherein the method further comprises;

if the generated global address is currently assigned to another node, transmitting a fourth message to the another node, wherein the fourth message comprises an inquiry regarding whether the another node currently uses the assigned global address;

if no reply is received in response to the fourth message, reassigning the generated global address to the first node; and

if a reply is received in response to the fourth message and the reply indicates that the another node does not currently use the assigned global address, reassigning the generated global address to the first node.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the generated global address is generated by:

generating a local address at the first node;

transmitting a second message from the first node to a second node, wherein the second message comprises an inquiry regarding whether the generated local address is currently assigned to another node;

if the generated local address is not currently assigned to another node, generating the global address at the first node using the generated local address.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the local address is generated using a media access control (MAC) address of the first node that is to be joined.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the global address is generated using a global prefix that is provided from a neighbor node.

14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising, when the generated local address is currently assigned to another node, transmitting a third message to the other node, wherein the third message comprises an inquiry regarding whether the other node currently uses the assigned local address.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising, if no reply is received in response to the third message, reassigning the generated local address to the first node.

16. The method according to claim 14, further comprising, if a reply is received in response to the third message, and the reply indicates that the other node does not currently use the assigned local address, reassigning the generated local address to the first node.