Network apparatus and packet routing method for ubiquitous computing

• US 7,535,872 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2004
• Issued: 05/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Jee, Jung Hoon, Sohn, Sung Won, Nam, Taek Yong, Nah, Jae Hoon
• Primary Examiner(s): Orgad; Edan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel; Jay P
• Application Number:
  US10/923,184
• Publication Number:
  US 20050105489A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,734 Days
• Field of Search: 370/331, 370/351, 370/392
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0016 Hand-off preparation specially adapted for end-to-end data sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

A network apparatus and packet routing method for ubiquitous computing are provided. In the network apparatus, a movement detection unit detects movement from a first network to a second network, and a movement address setting unit generates care-of-address (CoA) information corresponding to prefix information of the second network. A movement registration unit registers a movement address by transmitting a binding update message containing the generated CoA and home address (HoA) mapping information, to a home agent. A resource setting unit registers information on current terminal apparatuses among network terminal apparatuses on the second network. A packet distribution unit distributes the received packet to a current terminal apparatus corresponding to the application characteristic of the packet received from the home agent based on the information on the current terminal apparatuses.

Claims

1. A network apparatus for ubiquitous computing comprising:

a movement detection unit which detects movement from a first network to a second network;

a movement address setting unit which generates care-of-address (CoA) information corresponding to prefix information of the second network;

a movement registration unit which registers a movement address by transmitting a binding update message containing the generated CoA and home address (HoA) mapping information, to a home agent;

a resource setting unit which registers information on current terminal apparatuses among network terminal apparatuses on the second network through ubiquitous registration solicitation of ubiquitous router advertisement; and

a packet distribution unit which distributes the received packet to a current terminal apparatus corresponding to the application characteristic of the packet received from the home agent based on the information on the current terminal apparatuses,

wherein after said resource setting unit completes registration of the information on current terminal apparatus, requests said information, the resource setting unit informs the packet distribution unit of a list of the current terminal apparatus through ubiquitous registration indication messages.

2. The network apparatus of claim 1, wherein the movement address setting unit receives a movement detection (MD) event and generates a CoA using the prefix information on the second network.

3. The network apparatus of claim 1, wherein the movement detection unit detects movement between networks by exchanging router solicitation (RS) and router advertisement (RA) messages with an access router located at the end of the second network.

4. The network apparatus of claim 1, wherein if a mobile address registration request (MRQ) from the movement address setting unit is received, the movement registration unit transmits the binding update message to the home agent, and if a binding acknowledgement (BA) message from the home agent as a response to the binding update message is received, registers the movement address with the home agent.

5. The network apparatus of claim 1, wherein by exchanging ubiquitous router solicitation (URS) and ubiquitous router advertisement (URA) messages with the movement address setting unit, the resource setting unit reserves resources for current terminal apparatuses for a user in the second network.

6. The network apparatus of claim 1, wherein the packet distribution unit generates current terminal apparatus profile information based on information on the current terminal apparatuses set by a ubiquitous resources indication (URI) message received from the resource setting unit, and based on the generated current terminal apparatus profile information, distributes the received packet to a current terminal apparatus corresponding to the application characteristic of the received packet.

7. The network apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a local resource management unit which identifies utilizable resources of its own, and if the identified resources of its own are less than a predetermined reference level, transmits information on the current terminal apparatus to an access router located at the end of the second network and requests the access router to directly distribute the packet to a current terminal apparatus corresponding to the application characteristic of the packet.

8. A packet routing method comprising:

detecting movement from a first network to a second network;

generating care-of-address (CoA) information corresponding to prefix information of the second network;

registering a movement address by transmitting a binding update message containing the generated CoA and home address (HoA) mapping information, to a home agent;

registering information on current terminal apparatuses among network terminal apparatuses on the second network through ubiquitous registration solicitation of ubiquitous router advertisement;

identifying the application characteristic of a packet received from the home agent; and

distributing the received packet to a current terminal apparatus corresponding to the identified application characteristic of the packet based on the information on the current terminal apparatuses of a list of the current terminal apparatus informed through ubiquitous registration indication messages.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein in detecting movement, movement between networks is detected by exchanging router solicitation (RS) and router advertisement (RA) messages with an access router located at the end of the second network.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein registering a movement address comprises:

transmitting the binding update message to the home agent;

receiving a binding acknowledgement (BA) message from the home agent as a response to the binding update message; and

registering the movement address with the home agent.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein distributing the packet comprises:

generating current terminal apparatus profile information based on information on the current terminal apparatuses; and

distributing the received packet to a current terminal apparatus corresponding to the application characteristic of the received packet, based on the generated current terminal apparatus profile information.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein in distributing the packet, if utilizable resources of its own are less than a predetermined reference level, information on the current terminal apparatus is transmitted to an access router located at the end of the second network and the access router is requested to directly distribute the packet to a current terminal apparatus corresponding to the application characteristic of the packet.