Method and communication device for routing unicast and multicast messages in an ad-hoc wireless network

• US 8,520,673 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2006
• Issued: 08/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telcordia Technologies Incorporated (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson), Toyota Infotechnology Center USA, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Telcordia Technologies Incorporated (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson), Toyota Infotechnology Center USA, Inc.
• Inventors: Chen, Wai, Kwon, Taek-Jin, Hikita, Toshiro, Onishi, Ryokichi, Lee, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, Dang
• Assistant Examiner(s): RANDHAWA, MANDISH K
• Application Number:
  US11/585,047
• Publication Number:
  US 20080095163A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,500 Days
• Field of Search: 370/392, 370/229, 370/328, 370/352, 370/389, 370/474, 370/390, 370/432, 370/312, 709/241
• US Class Current: 370/390
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/16 Multipoint routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/24 Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/32 for defining a routing cluster membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A method and communication device for routing unicast and multicast messages. The method for routing a unicast message includes receiving a first control packet including routing parameters from a group header node, updating a routing table based upon the routing parameters, receiving a second control packet including additional routing parameters from a group node, updating the routing table based upon the additional routing parameters and generating a forwarding table from the routing table when both of the updated steps are completed. The unicast message is routed based upon the forwarding table. A method for routing a multicast message comprises receiving the multicast message, determining if a multicast group destination for the multicast message is in a multicast forwarding table (MFT), determining if the multicast message has been previously forwarded and forwarding the multicast message if the message was not previously forwarded and the multicast group destination is in the MFT.

Claims

1. A method for routing a multicast message in an ad-hoc wireless network comprising the steps of:

receiving the multicast message for forwarding;

determining if a multicast group destination for the multicast message is in a multicast forwarding table;

determining if the multicast message has been previously forwarded;

forwarding the multicast message if it is determined that the multicast message was not previously forwarded and if it is determined that the multicast group destination is in the multicast forwarding table;

adding the multicast message to a sent list after the multicast message is sent;

storing the sent multicast message in memory for a predetermined time;

detecting if the sent multicast message is received from a neighboring forwarding node within the predetermined time;

repeating the forwarding of the multicast message if the sent multicast message is not detected within the predetermined time, wherein the multicast message is discarded from memory if the sent multicast message is detected within the predetermined time;

counting a number of times that the forwarding step is repeated;

comparing the counted number of times with a preset threshold value; and

discarding the multicast message if the counted number of times is greater than the preset threshold;

wherein transmission and reception channels are selected to alternate in a double alternate pattern.

2. The method for routing a multicast message according to claim 1, wherein the method for setting the double alternate pattern including the steps of:

(a) specifying a reference transmission channel;

(b) selecting a reference classification side;

(c) broadcasting a heartbeat control packet including the reference transmission channel and the reference classification side; and

(d) assigning transmission channels based upon said reference classification side and reference transmission channel.

3. The method for routing a multicast message according to claim 2, wherein step (d) includes the sub-steps of:

determining a classification side for a forwarding node;

determining its hop distance from the group header;

assigning the transmission channels based upon a comparison of the classification side with the reference classification side and the hop distance from the group header.