Method for routing mobile node in wireless mesh network and a communication system thereof

• US 8,165,040 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2008
• Issued: 04/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yang, Chao, Ma, Jianfeng, Yao, Zhonghui, Cao, Chunjie, Zhang, Fan, Yang, Weidong, Wang, Wei
• Primary Examiner(s): Harper, Kevin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Baron, Henry
• Application Number:
  US12/110,870
• Publication Number:
  US 20080259788A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,457 Days
• Field of Search: 370/255, 370/256, 370/351, 370/406, 370/331, 370/277
• US Class Current: 370/255
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/20 based on geographic position or location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/24 Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/12 between location registers or mobility servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A wireless mesh network includes several mesh networks and the wireless mesh network access points to which the mesh networks belong. A method establishing backbone routing and network tolopogy among each wireless mesh network access points, selecting one said wireless mesh network access point as a location inquiry sever for all the mesh networks, and acquiring the corresponding relations between all the mesh networks in the wireless mesh network and the wireless mesh network access points to which the mesh networks belong. When said mesh network needs to transmit data, the access point inquires the location inquiry server for the wireless mesh network access point which the destination mesh network belongs to, and performs routing based on the network topology.

Claims

1. A method for routing communications to a plurality of mobile nodes in a wireless mesh network, comprising:

querying, by a mesh access point corresponding to a source mobile node, in a location query server for a mesh access point corresponding to a destination mobile node; and

performing, by the mesh access point corresponding to the source mobile node, routing according to a network topology structure of the wireless mesh network, if the source mobile node needs to transmit data,

wherein the location query server is one of the mesh access points and stores the corresponding relations between all of the mobile nodes and the mesh access points serving the mobile nodes in the wireless mesh network to form a location table, and

wherein querying, by a mesh access point corresponding to a source mobile node in a location query server for a mesh access point corresponding to a destination mobile node comprises;

if the mesh access point corresponding to a source mobile node finds that the MAC address of the destination mobile node is not within its access range, the mesh access point corresponding to a source mobile node performs a query in the location query server for the mesh access point corresponding to a destination mobile node;

wherein the mesh access point corresponding to a source mobile node stores the MAC address of the mesh access point serving as the location query server.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a backup location query server is set, and location tables are set respectively in a primary location query server and the backup location query server.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

performing the location query by the backup location query server, and re-determining a new backup location query server from the mesh access points, if the primary location query server fails.

4. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

notifying, by the mesh access point which first receives no query response from the primary location query server and the backup location query server within a predetermined time, the failures of the primary location query server and the backup location query server of the whole network, and initiating a request for re-selecting a location query server, if both the primary location query server and the backup location query server fail.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the primary and backup location query servers are the mesh access points with the minimum and secondary minimum media access control addresses in the network respectively.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein the primary and backup location query servers are mesh access points in a fixed sequence.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

establishing backbone routes and the network topology between mesh access points firstly.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

deregistering the corresponding relation between itself and the mobile node with the location query server by the original mesh access point, after the mobile node completely moves out of the coverage area of the original mesh access point; and

after the mobile node moves into the coverage area of another mesh access point, registering the corresponding relation between itself and the mobile station with the location query server by the moved-to mesh access point.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the mobile node is connected with two mesh access points concurrently, if the mobile node belongs to the two mesh access points.

10. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

notifying, by the original mesh access point, the handover-to mesh access point of the original destination mesh access point of the transmitted data, if the mobile node is transmitting data; and

notifying, by the original mesh access point, the handover-to mesh access point of address information of the mesh access point acting as the source of the received data, if the mobile node is receiving data.

11. The method according to claim 2, wherein the corresponding location query server queries actively the corresponding relation between the respective mesh access points and their corresponding mobile nodes in case of inconsistency of the location relation of the mobile node.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mobile node is in direct communication with the corresponding mesh access point.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wireless mesh network is not a home network for at least some of:

the mobile node and the other mobile nodes.

12. A wireless mesh communication system, wherein mobile nodes and mesh access points are connected wirelessly, and the respective mesh access points operate a routing protocol to establish required routes for performing routing by the mesh access point corresponding to the mobile node, the system comprising:

at least one physical interface; and

a location query server, adapted for storing the corresponding relations between all of the mobile nodes and mesh access points serving the mobile nodes in the wireless mesh network,

wherein the location query server is used to query by a first one of the mesh access points corresponding to a source mobile node for a second one of the mesh access points corresponding to a destination mobile node, and

wherein querying by a first one of the mesh access points corresponding to a source mobile node for a second one of the mesh access points corresponding to a destination mobile node comprises;

if the first one of the mesh access points corresponding to a source mobile node finds that the MAC address of the destination mobile node is not within its access range, the first one of the mesh access points corresponding to a source mobile node performs a query in the location query server for the second one of the mesh access points corresponding to a destination mobile node;

wherein the first one of the mesh access points corresponding to a source mobile node stores the MAC address of the mesh access point serving as the location query server.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the location query server is one of the mesh access points.

14. The system according to claim 12, wherein each of the mesh access points is provided with two physical interfaces, and is connected with the mobile nodes which belongs to the mesh access point or a neighbor mesh access point via different channels.

17. The system according to claim 12, wherein the mobile node is in direct communication with the corresponding mesh access point.