Controller apparatus, mobile terminal, and communication control method

• US 7,920,500 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2005
• Issued: 04/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2004
• 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): Corsaro; Nick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ho; Huy C
• Application Number:
  US11/312,508
• Publication Number:
  US 20060159054A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,931 Days
• Field of Search: 370/348, 370/346, 370/315, 370/328
• US Class Current: 370/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/64 using an overlay routing layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/22 using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver Station] or an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A controller apparatus of this invention controls transmission of a packet from a source mobile terminal to a destination mobile terminal through one or more relay mobile terminals in an ad hoc network formed by a plurality of mobile terminals. The controller apparatus includes a packet location information managing unit configured to manage packet location information which shows to which mobile terminal the packet has been transmitted in the ad hoc network.

Claims

1. A controller apparatus configured to control transmission of a packet from a source mobile terminal to a destination mobile terminal through a plurality of relay mobile terminals in an ad hoc network formed by a plurality of mobile terminals, each mobile terminal having a loss report transmitting unit, the control apparatus being distinct from the source and destination mobile terminals, the controller apparatus comprising:

a packet location information managing unit configured to manage packet location information showing to which mobile terminal the packet has been transmitted in the ad hoc network, the packet location information associating packet identification information to identify the packet with mobile terminal identification information, by receiving completion reports that include the packet location information directly from any one of the source mobile terminal, the destination mobile terminal, and the one or more relay mobile terminals that has either sent or received the packet, and the completion reports are not relayed through any other mobile terminal;

a detecting unit configured to detect loss of the packet in one of the mobile terminals of the ad hoc network, the detecting unit configured to receive a loss report from the loss report transmitting unit that is configured to detect a local loss in the corresponding mobile terminal that lost the packet; and

a retransmission request transmitting unit configured to transmit a retransmission request for the lost packet to one of the relay mobile terminals that is managed as a current location of the packet, based on packet location information managed by the packet location information managing unit,

wherein the retransmission request unit transmits the retransmission request for the lost packet to a relay mobile terminal that is located one hop before the relay mobile terminal that sent the loss report, in a case where the relay mobile terminal that sent the loss report cannot find the packet in a buffer.

2. The controller apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further comprising:

a completion report acquiring unit configured to acquire, from the relay mobile terminals, a completion report showing completion of forwarding of the packet;

wherein the packet location information managing unit is configured to update the packet location information according to the completion report.

3. The controller apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further comprising:

a checking unit configured to check with the relay mobile terminals whether the relay mobile terminals hold the packet or not;

wherein the packet location information managing unit is configured to update the packet location information based on a result of the checking.

4. The controller apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further comprising:

a checking unit configured to check with the relay mobile terminals whether the relay mobile terminals hold the packet or not;

wherein the retransmission request transmitting unit is configured to transmit the retransmission request to a relay mobile terminal holding the packet, based on a result of the checking.

5. The controller apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further comprising:

a communication environment information acquiring unit configured to acquire, from the mobile terminals, communication environment information showing a communication environment at the mobile terminals; and

a proxy control information transmitting unit configured to transmit proxy control information for performing transmission control of the packet in place of the controller apparatus, to a certain mobile terminal belonging to the ad hoc network when the acquired communication environment information satisfies a predetermined condition.

6. The controller apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the controller apparatus is arranged in a star configuration towards the source mobile terminal, the destination mobile terminal, and the one or more relay mobile terminals to receive the completion reports.

7. A communication control method for controlling transmission of a packet from a source mobile terminal to a destination mobile terminal through a plurality of relay mobile terminals in an ad hoc network formed by a plurality of mobile terminals, each mobile terminal having a loss report transmitting unit, the controlling being performed by an external control apparatus being distinct from the source and destination mobile terminals, the method comprising:

forwarding, at each of the relay mobile terminals, the packet received from a forwarding source mobile terminal to a forwarding destination mobile terminal;

transmitting, at each of the relay mobile terminals, a completion report showing completion of forwarding of the packet to an adjacent mobile terminal in the ad hoc network, directly to the external controller apparatus configured to control transmission of the packet in the ad hoc network without relaying the completion report through any other mobile terminal, the completion report including packet location information, the packet location information associating packet identification information to identify the packet with mobile terminal identification information; and

managing, at the external controller apparatus, the packet location information showing to which mobile terminal the packet has been transmitted in the ad hoc network, according to the completion report;

detecting a loss of the packet in one of the mobile terminals of the ad hoc network by a detecting unit arranged at the external control apparatus, said step of detecting is performed by receiving a loss report from the loss report transmitting unit that is configured to detect a local loss in a corresponding mobile terminal that lost the packet; and

retransmitting a retransmission request for the lost packet to one of the relay mobile terminals that is managed as a current location of the packet, based on packet location information according to the completion report from said step of transmitting, and transmitting the retransmission request for the lost packet to a relay mobile terminal that is located one hop before the relay mobile terminal that sent the loss report, in a case where the relay mobile terminal that sent the loss report cannot find the packet in a buffer.

8. A communication control method for controlling transmission of a packet from a source mobile terminal to a destination mobile terminal through one or more relay mobile terminals in an ad hoc network formed by a plurality of mobile terminals, each mobile terminal having a loss report transmitting unit, the controlling being performed by an external control apparatus being distinct from the source and destination mobile terminals, the method comprising:

forwarding, at each of the relay mobile terminals, the packet received from a forwarding source mobile terminal to a forwarding destination mobile terminal;

checking, at the external controller apparatus configured to control transmission of the packet in the ad hoc network, with each of the relay mobile terminals whether the relay mobile terminal holds the packet or not by sending a request;

transmitting, from each of the relay mobile terminals, a result of the checking to the external controller apparatus, the result of the checking including information that indicates whether the respective relay mobile terminal holds the packet or not, and mobile terminal identification information, the result of the checking is transmitted to the external controller apparatus without relaying the result of checking by any of the mobile terminals;

managing, at the external controller apparatus, packet location information showing to which mobile terminal the packet has been transmitted in the ad hoc network, the packet location information associating packet identification information to identify the packet with mobile terminal identification information, according to the result of the checking;

detecting a loss of the packet in one of the mobile terminals of the ad hoc network by the external control apparatus, the step of detecting receiving a loss report from the loss report transmitting unit that is configured to detect a local loss in a corresponding mobile terminal that lost the packet; and

retransmitting a retransmission request for the lost packet to one of the relay mobile terminals that is managed as a current location of the packet, based on packet location information according to the result of said checking, and transmitting the retransmission request for the lost packet to a relay mobile terminal that is located one hop before the relay mobile terminal that sent the loss report, in a case where the relay mobile terminal that sent the loss report cannot find the packet in a buffer.