Method and arrangement for connecting an ad-hoc communication network to a permanent communication network

• US 8,665,760 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2008
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Savox Communications Oy Ab Ltd
• Original Assignee: Savox Communications Oy Ab Ltd
• Inventors: Sinivaara, Hasse, Auranen, Pasi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lai, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, ANDREW CHUNG CHEUNG
• Application Number:
  US12/863,507
• Publication Number:
  US 20110085475A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,233 Days
• Field of Search: 370/432, 370/346, 370/249.35, 370/227, 370/338, 370/352, 370/357, 370/355, 709/238, 375/0.346, 375/350, 455/41.2, 455/90.2, 455/518, 455/519, 455/524
• US Class Current: 370/277
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/308 Route determination based on user's profile, e.g. premium users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• 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

A method and arrangement for connecting an ad-hoc communication network (101) to a permanent communication network (102), e.g. to a cellular mobile communication network. The ad-hoc communication network is established between communication devices (103-106) and a gateway device (107) using a routing protocol that is run in the gateway device and in the communication devices. A protocol address that is associated in a communication device with a protocol data unit is determined on the basis of a control action given by a user of the communication device. In a gateway device, the protocol data unit is relayed to the permanent communication network if the protocol data unit is provided with a pre-determined protocol address. The user of the communication device can determine with the aid of the control action whether he is communicating only inside the ad-hoc communication network or via the permanent communication network.

Claims

1. A system for connecting an ad-hoc communication network to a permanent communication network, the arrangement comprising:

a communication device that includes a processor unit arranged to run a routing protocol for including the communication device into the ad-hoc communication network, a control interface arranged to receive a predetermined control action given by a user of the communication device, a circuitry arranged to create a protocol data unit, and a transmitter arranged to transmit the protocol data unit to the ad-hoc communication network; and

a gateway device that includes a processor unit arranged to run the routing protocol for including the gateway device into the ad-hoc communication network, a receiver arranged to receive the protocol data unit, and a transmitter capable of relaying data carried by the protocol data unit to the permanent communication network,

wherein the processor unit of the communication device is arranged to provide the protocol data unit with a predetermined protocol address as a response to the predetermined control action, and otherwise, to provide the protocol data unit with another protocol address, and the processor unit of the gateway device is arranged to relay the data carried by the protocol data unit to the permanent communication network as a response to a situation in which the protocol data unit is provided with the predetermined protocol address.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control interface of the communication device comprises a push button and pressing of the push button is arranged to represent the predetermined control action.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control interface of the communication device comprises a speech detector and a first predetermined voice command is arranged to represent a beginning of the predetermined control action and a second predetermined voice command is arranged to represent an end of the predetermined control action.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the gateway device comprises a mobile phone that includes the transmitter capable of relaying the data carried by the protocol data unit to the permanent communication network.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the communication device is integrated with one of the following:

a breathing protection apparatus, a helmet, or a wearable device.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the routing protocol is an IP-multicast protocol (Internet Protocol) and the protocol data unit is an IP-packet.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the routing protocol is an IP-unicast protocol (Internet Protocol) and the protocol data unit is an IP-packet.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the communication device is arranged to support full-duplex communication with the gateway device and the gateway device is arranged to support full-duplex communication with the permanent communication network.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the processor unit of the gateway device is arranged:

to relay the data carried by the protocol data unit to the permanent communication network as a response to a situation in which the protocol data unit is provided with the predetermined protocol address and the gateway device is in a half-duplex transmission mode with respect to the permanent communication network, and

to send to the communication device an indication of channel unavailability as a response to a situation in which the protocol data unit is provided with the predetermined protocol address and the gateway device is in a half-duplex listening mode with respect to the permanent communication network.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the processor unit of the gateway device is further arranged:

to store an indicator of an attempted message into a buffer memory of the gateway device as a response to the situation in which the protocol data unit is provided with the predetermined protocol address and the gateway device is in the half-duplex listening mode with respect to the permanent communication network, and

to send to the communication device an indication of channel availability as a response to a situation in which the buffer memory contains the indicator of attempted message and the gateway device is switched from the half-duplex listening mode to the half-duplex transmission mode with respect to the permanent communication network.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the gateway device is arranged to support half-duplex communication with the permanent communication network and the communication device is arranged to support one of the following with the gateway device:

full-duplex communication or half-duplex communication.

12. The system arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter of the gateway device is capable of relaying the data carried by the protocol data unit to at least one of the following permanent communication networks:

a mobile communication network or a landline network.

13. A communication device comprising:

a processor unit arranged to run a routing protocol for including the communication device into an ad-hoc communication network;

a control interface arranged to receive a predetermined control action given by a user of the communication device;

a circuitry arranged to create a protocol data unit; and

a transmitter arranged to transmit the protocol data unit to the ad-hoc communication network,

wherein the processor unit is arranged to provide the protocol data unit with a predetermined protocol address as a response to the predetermined control action, and otherwise, to provide the protocol data unit with another protocol address, and the control interface comprises at least one of the following;

a) a push button and pressing of the push button is arranged to represent the predetermined control action, b) a speech detector and a first predetermined voice command is arranged to represent a beginning of the predetermined control action and a second predetermined voice command is arranged to represent an end of the predetermined control action.

14. The communication device according to claim 13, wherein the routing protocol is an IP-multicast protocol (Internet Protocol) and the protocol data unit is an IP-packet.

15. The communication device according to claim 13, wherein the routing protocol is an IP-unicast protocol (Internet Protocol) and the protocol data unit is an IP-packet.

16. The communication device according to claim 13, wherein the communication device is arranged to support full-duplex radio communication.

17. The communication device according to claim 13, wherein the communication device is integrated with one of the following:

a breathing protection apparatus, a helmet, or a wearable device.

18. A breathing protection apparatus comprising a breathing mask and a communication device that comprises:

a processor unit arranged to run a routing protocol for including the communication device into an ad-hoc communication network;

a control interface arranged to receive a predetermined control action;

a circuitry arranged to create a protocol data unit; and

a transmitter arranged to transmit the protocol data unit to the ad-hoc communication network;

wherein the processor unit is arranged to provide the protocol data unit with a pre-determined protocol address as a response to the predetermined control action, and otherwise, to provide the protocol data unit with another protocol address, and the control interface comprises at least one of the following;

a) a push button and pressing of the push button is arranged to represent the predetermined control action, b) a speech detector and a first predetermined voice command is arranged to represent a beginning of the predetermined control action and a second predetermined voice command is arranged to represent an end of the predetermined control action.

19. A method for connecting an ad-hoc communication network to a permanent communication network, the method comprising:

running a routing protocol in a communication device and in a gateway device for including the communication device and the gateway device into the ad-hoc communication network;

creating a protocol data unit in the communication device;

in the communication device, providing the protocol data unit with a predetermined protocol address as a response to a predetermined control action given by a user of the communication device, and otherwise, providing the protocol data unit with another protocol address;

transmitting the protocol data unit from the communication device to the gateway device via the ad-hoc communication network; and

relaying, in the gateway device, data carried by the protocol data unit to the permanent communication network as a response to a situation in which the protocol data unit is provided with the predetermined protocol address.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein pressing of a push button of the communication device represents the predetermined control action.

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein a speech detector is used for interpreting voice commands and a first predetermined voice command represents a beginning of the predetermined control action and a second predetermined voice command represents an end of the predetermined control action.

22. The method according to claim 19, wherein a transmitter of a mobile phone is used for relaying the data carried by the protocol data unit to the permanent communication network.

23. The method according to claim 19, wherein the communication device is integrated with one of the following:

a breathing protection apparatus and a helmet.

24. The method according to claim 19, wherein an IP-multicast protocol (Internet Protocol) is used as the routing protocol and the protocol data unit is an IP-packet.

25. The method according to claim 19, wherein an IP-unicast protocol (Internet Protocol) is used as the routing protocol and the protocol data unit is an IP-packet.

26. The method according to claim 19, wherein full-duplex communication is supported between the communication device and the gateway device, and full duplex communication is supported between the gateway device and the permanent communication network.

27. The method according to claim 19, wherein half-duplex communication is supported between the gateway device and the permanent communication network, and one of the following is supported between the communication device and the gateway device:

full-duplex communication and half-duplex communication.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein the method further comprises:

relaying, in the gateway device, the data carried by the protocol data unit to the permanent communication network as a response to a situation in which the protocol data unit is provided with the predetermined protocol address and the gateway device is in a half-duplex transmission mode with respect to the permanent communication network;

or

sending from the gateway device to the communication device an indication of channel unavailability as a response to a situation in which the protocol data unit is provided with the predetermined protocol address and the gateway device is in a half-duplex listening mode with respect to the permanent communication network.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein the method further comprises:

storing an indicator of an attempted message into a buffer memory of the gateway device as a response to the situation in which the protocol data unit is provided with the predetermined protocol address and the gateway device is in the half-duplex listening mode with respect to the permanent communication network; and

sending from the gateway device to the communication device an indication of channel availability as a response to a situation in which the buffer memory contains the indicator of attempted message and the gateway device is switched from the half-duplex listening mode to the half-duplex transmission mode with respect to the permanent communication network.

30. The method according to claim 19, wherein the data carried by the protocol data unit is relayed to at least one of the following permanent communication networks:

a mobile communication network and a landline network.