Systems, methods, apparatuses, devices and associated computer-readable media for providing 6LoWPAN data access

• US 9,369,995 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2014
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Chakrabarti, Samita, Larkins, John, Rius I Riu, Jaume, Fornehed, John, Lu, Chenguang
• Primary Examiner(s): Chery, Dady
• Application Number:
  US14/187,148
• Publication Number:
  US 20150245332A1
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• Field of Search: 370/229, 370/230, 370/235, 370/329, 370/351, 370/352, 370/355
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/659 Internet protocol version 6 [IPv6] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/065 using assembly or disassembly of packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1268 of uplink data flows
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components

Abstract

A scheme for providing access to 6LoWPAN data in a wireless access network. In one embodiment, a Radio Unit (RU) of the access network is provided with IP bridging functionality for packaging 6LO data as a control channel message. When the RU element receives 6LO data from an external router, the data is packaged in a format specified for a control channel associated with an Ethernet cable link coupling the RU element to a 6LO endpoint of the access network. The bridging functionality is operative to transmit the control channel message (including the packaged 6LO data packets) to the 6LO endpoint based on an address mapping between the destination IP address of the 6LO data packets and the 6LO endpoint'"'"'s address.

Claims

1. A method operating at a Radio Unit (RU) element of an access system providing access with respect to information in Internet Protocol (IP) version 6 (IPv6) over Low Power Wireless Personal Area Network (6LoWPAN) format, the method comprising:

receiving 6LoWPAN data (“

6LO data”

) packets from a router coupled to an external packet-switched network;

examining a destination IP address of the 6LO data packets and determining an address of at least one radio dot (RD) element to which the 6LO data packets are to be delivered;

repackaging the 6LO data packets as a control channel message in a format specified for a control channel associated with an Ethernet cable link between the RU element and the at least one RD element;

transmitting the repackaged 6LO data packets to the at least one RD element via the Ethernet cable link as the control channel message;

receiving cellular communications radio bits from a Digital Unit (DU) element coupled to the RU element via a communication link operable with Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) protocol, wherein the cellular communications radio bits destined for the at least one RD element are multiplexed as in-phase and quadrature (IQ) data; and

transmitting the cellular communications radio bits to the at least one RD element in a downlink frequency band of a frequency band plan associated with the Ethernet cable link.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one RD element'"'"'s address is determined by querying an IP-to-RD address mapping relationship database.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the control channel is an out-of-band control channel associated with the Ethernet cable link.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one RD element includes a sensor component.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one RD element includes a 6LO access point (AP).

6. A system for providing access with respect to information in Internet Protocol (IP) version 6 (IPv6) over Low Power Wireless Personal Area Network (6LoWPAN) format, the system comprising:

a Digital Unit (DU) element having baseband functionality that is configured to interface with a cellular core network;

a Radio Unit (RU) element coupled to the DU element using a first connection and to at least one radio dot (RD) element using a second connection, the RU element including an interface for receiving 6LoWPAN data (“

6LO data”

) packets from a router coupled to an external packet-switched network;

a bridging function module included in the RU element and configured to;

examine a destination IP address of the 6LO data packets and determine an address of the at least one RD element to which the 6LO data packets are to be delivered; and

repackage the 6LO data packets as a control channel message in a format specified for a control channel associated with the second connection;

a transceiver module included in the RU element for transmitting the repackaged 6LO data packets to the at least one RD element via the second connection as the control channel message; and

a transceiver module included in the RU element for receiving cellular communications radio bits from the DU element via the first connection, wherein the cellular communications radio bits destined for the at least one RD element are multiplexed as in-phase quadrature phase (IQ) data from the DU element and are converted to corresponding IF signals transmitted to the at least one RD element in a downlink frequency band of a frequency band plan associated with the second connection.

7. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein the bridging function module is operative to determine the at least one RD element'"'"'s address by querying an IP-to-RD address mapping relationship database.

8. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein the first connection is implemented as a communication link operable with Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) protocol.

9. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein the communication link is an optical transmission link.

10. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein the communication link is an electrical transmission link.

11. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein the second connection is implemented as a metallic cable link.

12. The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the metallic cable link is an Ethernet cable and the control channel is an out-of-band control channel associated with the second connection.

13. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein the DU and RU elements are integrated as a single element.

14. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein the cellular radio communications bits correspond to 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)-compliant cellular radio communications involving the at least one RD element.

15. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein the at least one RD element includes a sensor component.

16. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein the at least one RD element includes a 6LO access point (AP).

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a processor of a Radio Unit (RU) element configured to operate in an access system, facilitate access with respect to information in Internet Protocol (IP) version 6 (IPv6) over Low Power Wireless Personal Area Network (6LoWPAN) format, the computer-readable medium comprising:

a code portion for processing 6LoWPAN data (“

6LO data”

) packets received from a router coupled to an external packet-switched network;

a code portion for examining a destination IP address of the 6LO data packets and for determining an address of at least one radio dot (RD) element to which the 6LO data packets are to be delivered, wherein the at least one RD element is coupled to the RU element via an Ethernet cable link;

a code portion for repackaging the 6LO data packets as a control channel message in a format specified for a control channel associated with the Ethernet cable link between the RU element and the at least one RD element;

a code portion for facilitating transmission of the repackaged 6LO data packets to the at least one RD element via the Ethernet cable link as the control channel message;

a code portion for processing cellular communications radio bits received from a Digital Unit (DU) element coupled to the RU element via a communication link operable with Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) protocol, wherein the cellular communications radio bits destined for the at least one RD element are multiplexed as in-phase quadrature phase (IQ) data; and

a code portion for facilitating conversion of the cellular communications radio bits to a corresponding IF signal and for transmission of the IF signal to the at least one RD element in a downlink frequency band of a frequency band plan associated with the Ethernet cable link.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 17, wherein the code portion for determining the at least one RD element'"'"'s address is configured to determine the address by querying an IP-to-RD address mapping relationship database.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 17, wherein the cellular communications bits correspond to 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)-compliant cellular radio communications involving the at least one RD element.