Method and apparatus for grouping mobile nodes in extended wireless LAN

• US 8,295,254 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2006
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Min-soo, Cho, Song-yean
• Primary Examiner(s): Pérez-Gutiérrez, Rafael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Miah, Liton
• Application Number:
  US11/429,105
• Publication Number:
  US 20060268823A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,360 Days
• Field of Search: 370/311, 370/328, 370/338, 455/435.3, 709/230, 709/238
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/22 using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver Station] or an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/24 Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/22 with access to wired networks

Abstract

A method and apparatus for grouping wireless access points and re-grouping access points separated from a group in order to construct a clear and efficient transmission connection channel in an extended wireless LAN architecture are provided. Accordingly, a grouped mobile node determines disconnection of a connection channel to the group, and if the connection channel is disconnected, the mobile node searches for a connection channel to the existing group or a new group to re-subscribe thereto, so that all the mobile nodes can always be in a grouped state. As a result, it is possible to prevent broadcast storm in which broadcasted frames are repetitively transmitted along a loop in an extended wireless LAN architecture.

Claims

1. A method of allowing a mobile node subscribing in a predetermined group among a plurality of groups, each group constructed with mobile nodes that intercommunicate and have a function of frame-routing in a wireless network, to re-subscribe to any one of the groups, the method comprising:

determining whether or not a connection channel of the mobile node to the predetermined group is disconnected;

searching other connection channels of the mobile node to the plurality of groups based on a result of the determination;

setting an updated connection channel of the mobile node to any one of the plurality of groups based on a result of the searching; and

receiving at the mobile node a first frame including identification information of a fixed node in order to inform the mobile node of the presence of the fixed node,

wherein the frame includes a sequence number having a value which is different according to a time when the fixed node broadcasts the frame as information for determining whether or not the broadcasted frame is redundantly received by a recipient,

wherein the searching comprises, if it is determined that the connection channel to the predetermined group is disconnected, searching connection channels to the predetermined group first, and then if searching of the connection channels to the predetermined group fails, searching connection channels to the other groups, and

wherein the method further comprises receiving by the mobile node, a second frame including the identification number of the fixed node and a sequence number having the same value as the value of the first frame via different routing paths to the fixed node and selecting by the mobile node, one of the first frame and the second frame.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein in the searching the other channels, when the connection channel is determined to be disconnected, the updated connection channel, which is constructed with mobile nodes subscribing to an arbitrary group managed by a fixed node and through which the mobile node is connected, is searched.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein in the determining disconnection, when a predetermined frame, which is periodically received through a previously-set connection channel from a fixed node managing the predetermined group, is not received for a predetermined time period, the connection channel is determined to be disconnected.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein in the determining disconnection, when a routing path, through which the mobile node is connected to a fixed node managing the predetermined group and which is constructed with the mobile nodes of the predetermined group, is not searched by using a routing protocol, the connection channel is determined to be disconnected.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein in the determining disconnection, when a beacon frame, which a node that is closest to the mobile node in the predetermined group among nodes that construct the connection channel through which the mobile node is connected to a fixed node managing the predetermined group repeatedly transmits to all nodes within a predetermined distance, is not received for a predetermined time period, the connection channel is determined to be disconnected.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein in the determining disconnection, when identification information of fixed nodes recorded in a beacon frame which a node, which is closest to the mobile node in the predetermined group among nodes that construct the connection channel through which the mobile node is connected to a fixed node managing the predetermined group, transmits to all nodes within a predetermined distance is different from identification information of the fixed node managing the predetermined group, the connection channel is determined to be disconnected.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein in the determining disconnection, when a frame which a fixed node managing the predetermined group repeatedly transmits is not received for a predetermined time period, the connection channel is determined to be disconnected.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein in the searching the other channels, a routing path to a fixed node managing the predetermined group is searched using a routing protocol.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the searching the other channels comprises:

determining whether or not a beacon frame, repetitively transmitted to all nodes within a predetermined distance by another fixed node other than a fixed node in the predetermined group or a mobile node subscribing to a group of another fixed node, is received; and

searching for a routing path to another fixed node using a routing protocol when the beacon frame is determined to be received.

10. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium having embodied thereon a computer program for executing a method of allowing a mobile node subscribing in a predetermined group among a plurality of groups, each group constructed with mobile nodes that intercommunicate and have a function of frame-routing in a wireless network, to re-subscribe to any one of the groups, the method comprising:

determining whether or not a connection channel of the mobile node to the predetermined group is disconnected;

searching other connection channels of the mobile node to the plurality of groups based on a result of the determination;

setting an updated connection channel of the mobile node to any one of the plurality of groups based on a result of the searching; and

receiving at the mobile node a first frame including identification information of a fixed node in order to inform the mobile node of the presence of the fixed node,

wherein the frame includes a sequence number having a value which is different according to a time when the fixed node broadcasts the frame as information for determining whether or not the broadcasted frame is redundantly received by a recipient,

wherein the searching comprises, if it is determined that the connection channel to the predetermined group is disconnected, searching connection channels to the predetermined group first, and then if searching of the connection channels to the predetermined group fails, searching connection channels to the other groups, and

wherein the method further comprises receiving by the mobile node, a second frame including the identification number of the fixed node and a sequence number having the same value as the value of the first frame via different routing paths to the fixed node and selecting by the mobile node, one of the first frame and the second frame.

11. An apparatus serving as a mobile node having a function of frame-routing in a wireless network, the apparatus comprising:

a transmission and reception unit which receives a first frame including identification information of a fixed node connecting the wireless network with another network different from the wireless network;

a frame processing unit which processes the received frame;

a determination unit which determines whether or not to subscribe to a group managed by the fixed node connecting the wireless network with another network different from the wireless network when the frame including identification information of the fixed node is received;

a connection channel setting unit which sets a connection channel to the fixed node based on a determination of the determination unit;

a transmission unit which transmits the identification information of the mobile node to the fixed node so as to allow the fixed node to register the mobile node as a member of the group;

a disconnection detection unit which detects whether or not the set connection channel to the fixed node is disconnected after the fixed node registers the mobile node as a member of the group; and

a re-subscription connection channel searching unit which searches for an updated connection channel so as to re-subscribe to the group or another group different from the group when the set connection channel is disconnected,

wherein the connection channel searching unit, when the set connection channel to the fixed node is disconnected, searches for a connection channel first so as to re-subscribe to the group managed by the fixed node, and then if searching of the connection channel fails, searches for a connection channel to another group different from the group managed by the fixed node,

wherein the identification information of the fixed node informs of the presence of the fixed node,

wherein the frame also includes a sequence number having a value which is different according to a time when the fixed node broadcasts the frame as information for determining whether or not the broadcasted frame is redundantly received by a recipient, and

wherein the transmission and reception unit receives a second frame including the identification number of the fixed node and a sequence number having the same value as the value of the first frame via different routing paths to the fixed node and the frame processing unit selects one of the first frame and the second frame.