Accurate control of transmission information ad hoc networks

• US 8,218,511 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2003
• Issued: 07/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Prehofer, Christian, Hofmann, Philipp
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Kent
• Assistant Examiner(s): WOO, KUO-KONG
• Application Number:
  US10/569,309
• Publication Number:
  US 20080205308A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,182 Days
• Field of Search: 370/355, 370/388, 370/825.52, 370/390, 370/401, 370/469, 370/230, 370/428, 370/328, 370/466, 370/338, 455/517, 455/466, 340/825.52
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/12 using signalling between network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

In communication system (SYS) including a first network (IN) with at least a first terminal node (CN), and an ad hoc network (AHN) with at least a second terminal node (RN1-RN4; MN), and a gateway (GW), transmission information (TI) is forwarded between the first terminal node (CN) of the first network (IN) and the second terminal node (RN1-RN4; MN) of the ad hoc network (AHN). In order to perform a more accurate flow control of transmission information (TI) inside the mobile ad hoc network (AHN), the gateway (GW) and the second terminal node (MN) exchange transmission information (TI) as well as acknowledgement information (ACTAN, ACTAN′, ACTAN″). Preferably, the exchange of the transmission information (TI) and the acknowledgement information (ACTAN, ACTAN′, ACTAN″) is carried out through a tunnel link (TUN1) established between the gateway (GW) and the second terminal node (MN).

Claims

1. A gateway for forwarding transmission information between a first terminal node of a first network and a second terminal node of an ad hoc network, wherein the first terminal node is addressed by a global source address and the second terminal node is addressed by an ad hoc destination address, the gateway comprising:

a transmission/reception unit adapted to receive transmission information from said first terminal node and to transmit said transmission information to said second terminal node; and

an acknowledgment information detection unit adapted to detect the receipt of acknowledgment information from said second terminal node acknowledging that said second terminal node has received said transmission information;

wherein said transmission/reception unit comprises a first tunnel setup unit for setting up a first tunnel link between said gateway and said second terminal node by encapsulating a transmission packet received from said first terminal node and having a global source address of said first terminal node and a global destination address of said second terminal node into a modified transmission packet having an ad hoc source address of said gateway and an ad hoc destination address of said second terminal node, wherein said transmission/reception unit transmits said transmission information and receives said acknowledgment information to and from said second terminal node respectively through said first tunnel link.

2. The gateway according to claim 1, characterized by an accounting unit adapted to determine charging information for the transmission of said transmission information to said second terminal node if said acknowledgment information detection unit detects the receipt of acknowledgment information for the transmission of said transmission information to said second terminal node.

3. The gateway according to claim 1, characterized by a transmission information characteristics determining unit adapted to determine transmission characteristics of the transmission of said transmission information to said second terminal node.

4. The gateway according to claim 1, characterized in that said transmission information characteristics determining unit is adapted to determine as said transmission characteristics one or more selected from the group consisting of a data amount, a transmission speed, a transmission route along which said transmission information has been transmitted to said second terminal node, and a delay time of the packet transmission.

5. The gateway according to claim 1, characterized in that said second ad hoc network is a packet switched network, said transmission information comprises one or more transmission packets, and said acknowledgement information comprises one or more acknowledgment packets.

6. The gateway according to claim 5, characterized by an acknowledgment request unit adapted to transmit to said second terminal node an acknowledgment request packet including a predetermined sequence number of a transmission packet which was transmitted but for which no acknowledgement information has as yet been detected by said acknowledgment information detection unit, said acknowledgment request message requesting from said second terminal node the transmission of an acknowledgment packet acknowledging the receipt of the transmission packet having said predetermined sequence number.

7. The gateway according to claim 1, characterized by a route check unit adapted to detect whether a transmission route to said second terminal node exists.

8. A first terminal node of an ad hoc network for exchanging transmission information with a second terminal node of another network connected to said ad hoc network through a gateway, wherein the first terminal node is addressable by an ad hoc destination address and the second terminal node is addressable by a global resource address, the first terminal node comprising:

a transmission/reception unit adapted to receive transmission information from said another terminal node through said gateway; and

an acknowledgment information transmission unit adapted to transmit to said gateway acknowledgment information acknowledging that said transmission/reception unit has received said transmission information;

wherein

said transmission/reception unit comprise a first tunnel setup unit for setting up a first tunnel link between said second terminal node and said gateway by encapsulating a transmission packet received from said first terminal node and having a global source address of said first terminal node and a global destination address of said second terminal node into a modified transmission packet having an ad hoc source address of said gateway and an ad hoc destination address of said second terminal node, wherein said transmission/reception unit receives said transmission information and transmits said acknowledgment information from and to said gateway respectively through said first tunnel link.

9. The first terminal node according to claim 8, characterized in that said ad hoc network is a packet switched network, said transmission information comprises one or more transmission packets, and said acknowledgement information comprises one or more acknowledgment packets.

10. The first terminal node according to claim 8, characterized by a packet retransmission request unit adapted to transmit to said gateway a retransmission request packet including a sequence number of a transmission packet which is requested to be retransmitted from said gateway.

11. A method for forwarding transmission information between a first terminal node of a first network of a communication system and a second terminal node of an ad hoc network of said communication system, wherein the first terminal node is addressable by a global source address and the second terminal node is addressable by an ad hoc destination address, the method comprising the following steps in a gateway of said communication system:

setting up a first tunnel link in the ad hoc network between said gateway and said second terminal node by encapsulating a transmission packet received from said first terminal node and having a global source address of said first terminal node and a global destination address of said second terminal node into a modified transmission packet having an ad hoc source address of said gateway and an ad hoc destination address of said second terminal node and further transmitting said transmission information and receiving said acknowledgment information to and from said second terminal node respectively through said first tunnel link;

receiving, in said gateway of said communication system, transmission information from said first terminal node and transmitting, from said gateway via the first tunnel link, said transmission information to said second terminal node; and

detecting, in said gateway, the receipt of acknowledgment information via the first tunnel link from said second terminal node acknowledging that said second terminal node has received said transmission information.

13. The method according to claim 11, characterized by determining, in said gateway, charging information for the transmission of said transmission information to said second terminal node if the receipt of acknowledgment information for the transmission of said transmission information to said second terminal node is detected.

14. The method according to claim 11, characterized by determining transmission characteristics of the transmission of said transmission information to said second terminal node.

15. The method according to claim 11, characterized by determining as said transmission characteristics one or more selected from the group consisting of a data amount, a transmission speed, a transmission route along which said transmission information has been transmitted to said second terminal node, and a delay time of the packet transmission along the transmission route to the second terminal node.

16. The method according to claim 11, characterized by transmitting, from said gateway to said second terminal node, an acknowledgment request packet including a predetermined sequence number of a transmission packet which was transmitted but for which no acknowledgement information has as yet been detected in said gateway, said acknowledgment request message requesting from said second terminal node the transmission of an acknowledgment packet acknowledging the receipt of the transmission packet having said predetermined sequence number.

17. The method according to claim 11, characterized by setting up a first tunnel link between said gateway and said second terminal node and transmitting said transmission information and receiving said acknowledgment information to and from said second terminal node respectively through said first tunnel link.

18. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that said ad hoc network is a packet switched network, said transmission information comprises one or more transmission packets, and said acknowledgement information comprises one or more acknowledgment packets.

19. A computer program product stored on a computer-readable medium, comprising code sections for respectively carrying out the functions of the gateway in accordance with claim 11.

12. A method for forwarding transmission information between a first terminal node of a first network of a communication system and a second terminal node of an ad hoc network of said communication system, wherein the first terminal node is addressable by a global source address and the second terminal node is addressable by an ad hoc destination address, the method comprising the following steps in said second terminal node:

setting up a first tunnel link in the ad hoc network between said gateway and said second terminal node by encapsulating a transmission packet received from said first terminal node and having a global source address of said first terminal node and a global destination address of said second terminal node into a modified transmission packet having an ad hoc source address of said gateway and an ad hoc destination address of said second terminal node, and further transmitting said transmission information and receiving said acknowledgment information to and from said second terminal node respectively through said first tunnel link;

receiving, in said second terminal node via the first tunnel link, transmission information from a gateway of said communication system; and

transmitting, from said second terminal node via the first tunnel link to said gateway, acknowledgment information acknowledging that said second terminal node has received said transmission information.

20. A computer program product stored on a computer-readable medium, comprising code sections for respectively carrying out the functions of the terminal node in accordance with claim 12.