Integrating multi-hop mesh networks in mobile communication networks

• US 9,179,494 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2012
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Arkko, Jari, Garneij, Fredrik, Melen, Jan, Sagfors, Mats
• Primary Examiner(s): CHO, HONG SOL
• Application Number:
  US13/723,091
• Publication Number:
  US 20140177505A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/10 Small scale networks; Flat hierarchical networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/22 with access to wired networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

The invention provides for a method and a node for integrating the devices (20a-20g) of a meshed multi-hop network (20) in a mobile communication network (10). The method comprises the following steps: attaching at least one device of said meshed multi-hop network to said mobile communication network, retrieving, in at least one node of said mobile communication network, from at least one base station of said mobile communication network, information about the devices of said meshed multi-hop network that may be accessed through said base station, and storing, in said node (11) for each device, said information such that said node knows, for each device, through which base stations (23) it may be accessed. Thereby, the meshed multi-hop network is integrated in the mobile communication network.

Claims

1. A method of integrating devices of a meshed short range multi-hop network in a cellular communication network, comprising:

attaching at least one device of said meshed multi-hop network to said cellular communication network;

retrieving, in at least one node of said cellular communication network, from at least one base station of said cellular communication network, information defining which devices of said meshed multi-hop network, connected to, and accessible through said base station;

storing said information in said node, for each device; and

deciding, using said information, which path to use for accessing a particular device in the meshed multi-hop network from the cellular communication network.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said information further comprises information mapping each device to a user subscription for communication with the cellular communication network.

3. A method according to claim 2 further comprising:

creating a view of all devices belonging to a particular subscriber.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein said view comprises the path or paths to each device in said multi-hop network, from each base station through which said device may be accessed, respectively.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the view is accessed from a user interface and wherein the view shows devices, associated with a user, on different meshed multi-hop networks.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein interactions with the user access provide access to stored information in the devices of the meshed multi-hop network.

7. A method according to claim 2, wherein said information is used to determine which subset of devices in the multi-hop network a multicast message goes to, based on which subscriber the devices are associated with.

8. A method according to claim 1 further comprising:

continuously reporting, from each base station in said cellular communication network, information regarding which devices can be accessed from that particular base station.

9. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

using said information to determine to which network nodes a multicast message should be delivered.

10. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

requesting, from one of said devices, to attach to a second meshed multi-hop network using the same global address as used in a first meshed multi-hop network.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein no new PDP context is needed, based on the second meshed multi-hop network having the same global address as the first meshed multi-hop.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein the meshed multi-hop network uses RPL as a routing protocol.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one device of the meshed multi-hop network has the information of the devices of the meshed multi-hop network.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is part of another meshed multi-hop network.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the attaching at least one device of said meshed multi-hop network to said cellular communication network requires using cellular access.

16. A node in a cellular communication network, configured to integrate devices of a meshed short-range multi-hop network in said cellular communication network, said node comprising:

a network communication unit configured to communicate with said cellular communication network;

a processor configured to retrieve, using said network communication unit, from at least one base station of said cellular communication network, information defining which devices, of said meshed multi-hop network, that are connected to, and accessible through said base station, and decide, using said information, which path to use for accessing a particular device in the meshed multi-hop network from the cellular communication network; and

a memory configured to store said retrieved information.

17. A node according to claim 16, wherein said information further comprises information mapping each device to a user subscription for communication with the cellular communication network.

18. A node according to claim 16, wherein said processor is further:

configured to decide based on said information, which path to use for accessing a particular device.

19. A node according to claim 16, wherein said processor is further:

configured to create a view of all devices belonging to a particular subscriber of said cellular communications network.