Architecture for open communication in a heterogeneous network

• US 9,077,720 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2014
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telcordia Technologies Incorporated (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Telcordia Technologies Incorporated (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Chen, Wai, Lee, John, Guha, Ratul, Ling, Yibei, Kwon, Taek-Jin, Vuyyuru, Rama, Fukuyama, Junichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Sefcheck, Gregory
• Assistant Examiner(s): MITCHELL, DANIEL D
• Application Number:
  US14/152,185
• Publication Number:
  US 20140133402A1
• Time in Patent Office: 543 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/16 Multipoint routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/306 Route determination based on the nature of the carried application
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/741 Routing in networks with a plurality of addressing schemes, e.g. with both IPv4 and IPv6
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/10 of different types
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/20 based on geographic position or location

Abstract

Network architecture configured for open communication between a plurality of sub-networks. Each of the plurality of sub-networks has a different routable network addressing scheme. The architecture includes at least one broker node adapted to communicate using at least two different routable network addressing schemes. The broker node comprises an identification management module configured to collect peer-application addresses for nodes currently accessing a specific application, the peer-application addresses being associated with a specific application, an address resolution module configured to map each of the peer-application addresses to a sub-network specific routable network address and a network coordination module configured to monitor and coordinate sub-network communication capabilities between the broker node and at least one other broker node and elect a primary broker node for each sub-network which the broker node and at least one other broker node is capable of communication.

Claims

1. A mobile communication network configured for open communication between at least two sub-networks, where each of the at least one sub-networks has a different routable network addressing scheme, comprising:

a plurality of nodes configured for communicating using a first sub-network of the at least two sub-networks via a corresponding routable network addressing scheme;

a plurality of nodes configured for communicating using a second sub-network of the at least two sub-networks via a corresponding routable network addressing scheme; and

at least one broker node configured for communicating using at least two of the at least two sub-network via the corresponding routable network addressing schemes for each of the sub-networks, wherein the at least one broker node receives a traffic alert message from one node of the plurality of nodes of the first sub-network of the at least two sub-network and forwards the traffic alert message to at least one node in a second sub-network of the at least two-sub-networks based at least upon a traffic alert application in which the message is created;

wherein each of the at least one broker nodes maintains a coordinated list of broker nodes and their corresponding sub-network communication capabilities;

wherein the at least one broker node;

broadcasts the traffic alert message to each of the at least two sub-networks using the broadcast routable address corresponding to each of the sub-networks;

forwards the traffic alert message to another of the at least one broker node to distribute the traffic alert message to other sub-networks that the at least one broker node is not configured for communication; and

determines the other broker node based upon the coordinated list of broker nodes.

2. The mobile communication network according to claim 1, wherein each of the at least one broker nodes broadcasts its status of a broker node to each sub-network that the at least one broker is configured to communicate, the broadcast being via a broadcast routable address corresponding to each sub-network.

3. The mobile communication network according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of nodes configured for communicating using the first or second sub-networks receives the broadcast and maintains a list of broker nodes.

4. The mobile communication network according to claim 3, wherein the traffic alert application generates a unicast packet for a unicast message.

5. A broker node configured for open communication between a plurality of sub-networks, where each of the plurality of sub-networks has a different routable network addressing scheme, the broker node comprising:

an identification management module that collects peer-application addresses for nodes currently accessing a traffic alert application, the peer-application addresses being associated with the traffic alert application;

an address resolution module configured to map each of the peer-application addresses to a sub-network specific routable network address;

a network coordination module configured to monitor and coordinate sub-network communication capabilities between the broker node and at least one other broker node and elect a primary broker node for each sub-network which the broker node and at least one other broker node is capable of communications;

a receiving interface that receives a traffic alert message for the traffic alert application; and

a broadcast interface that broadcasts the traffic alert message to each of the plurality of sub-networks using the sub-network specific routable network address corresponding to each of the sub-networks;

wherein each of the at least one broker nodes maintains a coordinated list of broker nodes and their corresponding sub-network communication capabilities using information from the broadcast;

wherein the broker node;

forwards the traffic alert message to another of the at least one other broker node to distribute the traffic alert message to other sub-networks that the at least one broker node is not configured for communication; and

determines the other broker node based upon a coordinated list of broker nodes.

6. The broker node according to claim 5, wherein the network coordination module is configured to generate a broadcast message advertising the broker node'"'"'s status as a broker node to each sub-network that the broker is configured to communicate, the broadcast being via a broadcast routable address corresponding to each sub-network.

7. The broker node according to claim 6, wherein the network coordination module is configured with a broadcast routable address corresponding to each of the sub-networks, the broadcast routable address is used when the traffic alert message is received for the traffic alert application.

8. The broker node according to claim 6, wherein a routable network addressing scheme for a first of the plurality of networks is geographic based and routable network addressing scheme for a second of the plurality of networks is group based.

9. The broker node according to claim 6, wherein a routable network addressing scheme for a first of the plurality of networks is geographic based and mutable network addressing scheme for a second of the plurality of networks is Internet Protocol (IP) based.

10. The broker node according to claim 6, wherein the broker node is a moving vehicle

11. The broker node according to claim 6, wherein the broker node is a roadside unit.