Communication system and communication method

• US 8,051,198 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2004
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Godo Kaisha IP Bridge 1 (IP Bridge, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sudo, Hiroaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayard; Djenane
• Assistant Examiner(s): DONABED, NINOS J
• Application Number:
  US10/542,657
• Publication Number:
  US 20060117111A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,533 Days
• Field of Search: 709234-238, 455439-444, 370228-332, 370/338
• US Class Current: 709/237
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0011 for data sessions of end-to-end connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0019 adapted for mobile IP [MIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/085 involving hierarchical organized mobility servers, e.g. hierarchical mobile IP [HMIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/005 Data network PoA devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A communication system enabling significant reduction in delay in handover between MAPs without increasing the number of MAPs to install. In the communication system, MAP(101) issues a Router Advertisement to AR(111) to AR(118). Particularly, MAP(101) assigns a plurality of Router Advertisements of a source of care-of address (RCOA) to register with HA to AR(118) of a cell on either side of a boundary of areas for each MAP. MN(107) receives a Router Advertisement transmitted from AR that is a communicating party among AR(119) to AR(126), and using the Router Advertisement, generates care-of addresses, RCOA and LCOA. AR(111) to AR(118) transmit the Router Advertisement RA generated by MAP(101) to MN in communication. Further, AR(111) to AR(118) transmit the care-or-addresses, RCOA and LCOA, issued from MN(107) to MAP(101).

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a communication terminal apparatus comprising a processor;

a plurality of access routers that communicate with the communication terminal apparatus;

a first mobility anchor point that controls an access router subordinate under the first mobility anchor point among the plurality of access routers, issues a first care-of address and a second care-of address, and transmits the issued first care-of address and the issued second care-of address through a network;

a second mobility anchor point that controls another access router subordinate under the second mobility anchor point among the plurality of access routers, wherein the second mobility anchor point is adjacent to the first mobility anchor point and separated by a boundary with the first mobility anchor point; and

a home agent that;

transmits data, transmitted to a home address of the communication terminal apparatus, to a destination indicated by at least one of the first care-of address and the second care-of address, wherein;

the first care-of address can only be used in cells of the first mobility anchor point;

the second care-of address can only be used in predetermined cells;

wherein the predetermined cells;

(i) only include a first cell group, which is part of the cells of the first mobility anchor point, and a second cell group, which is part of the cells of the second mobility anchor point, the second cell group of the second mobility anchor point being adjacent to the first cell group of the first mobility anchor point and separated by the boundary with the first mobility anchor point, and

(ii) do not include at least one of (a) a third cell, which is part of the cells of the first mobility anchor point, and (b) a fourth cell, which is part of the cells of the second mobility anchor point; and

the home agent registers the home address of the communication terminal apparatus, the first care-of address transmitted through the network and the second care-of address transmitted through the network, wherein;

the home address of the communication terminal apparatus, the first care-of address and the second care-of address are associated with each other.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the first mobility anchor point changes how many cells are to be included in the predetermined cells.

3. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein the first mobility anchor point detects a moving speed of the communication terminal apparatus, and, in a case of communicating with the communication terminal apparatus moving at high speed, sets the predetermined cells to include more cells than in a case of communicating with the communication terminal apparatus moving at low speed.

4. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the first cell group consists of a first cell of the first mobility anchor point and the second cell group consists of a second cell of the second mobility anchor point.

5. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the first mobility anchor point that issues the first care-of address and the second care-of address further issues a third care-of address for identifying the communication terminal apparatus in a network of the access router that is subordinate under and communicating with the first mobility anchor point, and registers the third care-of address in the home agent.

6. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein, when the communication terminal apparatus moves from a cell of the second mobility anchor point to a cell of the first mobility anchor point through one or more of the predetermined cells, the first mobility anchor point registers the first care-of address in the home agent while the communication terminal apparatus performs communication using the second care-of address in the one or more of the predetermined cells.

7. A communication method in a communication system comprising a communication terminal apparatus comprising a processor;

a plurality of access routers that communicate with the communication terminal apparatus;

a first mobility anchor point that controls an access router subordinate under the first mobility anchor point among the plurality of access routers;

a second mobility anchor point that controls another access router subordinate under the second mobility anchor point among the plurality of access routers wherein the second mobility anchor point is adjacent to the first mobility anchor point and separated by a boundary with the first mobility anchor point; and

a home agent, the communication method comprising;

at the first mobility anchor point, issuing a first care-of address and a second care-of address, and transmitting the issued first care-of address and the issued second care-of address through a network; and

at the home agent;

transmitting data, transmitted to a home address of the communication terminal apparatus, to a destination indicated by at least one of the first care-of address and the second care-of address, wherein;

the first care-of address can only be used in cells of the first mobility anchor point;

the second care-of address can only be used in predetermined cells;

wherein the predetermined cells;

i) only include a first cell group, which is part of the cells of the first mobility anchor point, and a second cell group, which is part of the cells of the second mobility anchor point, the second cell group of the second mobility anchor point being adjacent to the first cell group of the first mobility anchor point and separated by the boundary with the first mobility anchor point, and

(ii) do not include at least one of (a) a third cell, which is part of the cells of the first mobility anchor point and (b) a fourth cell, which is part of the cells of the second mobility anchor point; and

the home agent registers the home address of the communication terminal apparatus, the first care-of address transmitted through the network and the second care-of address transmitted through the network, wherein;

the home address of the communication terminal apparatus, the first care-of address and the second care-of address are associated with each other.

8. The communication method according to claim 7, wherein the first mobility anchor point changes how many cells are to be included in the predetermined cells.

9. The communication method according to claim 8, wherein the first mobility anchor point detects a moving speed of the communication terminal apparatus, and, in a case of communicating with the communication terminal apparatus moving at high speed, sets the predetermined cells to include more cells than in a case of communicating with the communication terminal apparatus moving at low speed.

10. The communication method according to claim 7, wherein the predetermined cells consist of the first cell group of the first mobility anchor point and the second cell group of the second mobility anchor point, and each of the first and second cell groups comprises a plurality of cells.

11. The communication method according to claim 7, wherein the first mobility anchor point that issues the first care-of address and the second care-of address further issues a third care-of address for identifying the communication terminal apparatus in a network of the access router that is subordinate under and communicating with the first mobility anchor point, and registers the third care-of address in the home agent.

12. The communication method according to claim 7, wherein, when the communication terminal apparatus moves from a cell of the second mobility anchor point to a cell of the first mobility anchor point through one or more of the predetermined cells, the first mobility anchor point registers the first care-of address in the home agent while the communication terminal apparatus performs communication using the second care-of address in the one or more predetermined cells.