Wireless communication system for generating adaptive address codes in an ad hoc network

Abstract

In a wireless communication system, a plurality of communication devices performs transmission and reception, each communication device including a signal processing unit/transmitting unit, a MAC layer processing unit and an IP layer processing unit. The IP layer processing unit includes an ad hoc network processing unit, an address information management unit, a relay information storage unit and an ARP information storage unit. The ARP information storage unit stores an adaptive address code information table and the relay information storage unit stores a relay information table.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system in which a plurality of communication devices performs transmission and reception, each communication device including a signal processing unit/transmitting unit, a MAC layer processing unit and an IP layer processing unit, wherein: the IP layer processing unit includes an ad hoc network processing unit, an address information management unit, a relay information storage unit and an ARP information storage unit, and the ARP information storage unit stores an adaptive address code information table and the relay information storage unit stores a relay information table.

2. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein a relay communication device among the plurality of communication devices converts an address code of transmission side to an address code of a transmission destination.

3. The wireless communication system of claim 2, wherein the adaptive address code information table contains an address code, a participation number, a response number and plural IP addresses, and the relay information table contains a destination, a relay device and a relay number.

4. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the adaptive address code information table contains an address code, a participation number, a response number and plural IP addresses, and the relay information table contains a destination, a relay device and a relay number.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a view showing a concept of a wireless communication system.

(2) FIG. 2 is a view showing a schematic configuration of a wireless communication device.

(3) FIG. 3 is a timing chart for explaining an operation of the wireless communication system.

(4) FIG. 4 is a view showing a concept of relay in the wireless communication system.

(5) FIG. 5 is a view showing a concept of a case of transmitting ad hoc network information in the wireless communication system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

(6) FIG. 6 is a view for explaining an IP address when establishing an ad hoc network in the wireless communication system.

(7) FIGS. 7A to 7D are views for explaining adaptive address code information when establishing the ad hoc network in the wireless communication system in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention.

(8) FIG. 8 is a view for explaining an ARP information update when establishing the ad hoc network in the wireless communication system in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention.

(9) FIGS. 9A to 9D are views for explaining a relay determination when establishing the ad hoc network in the wireless communication system in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention.

(10) FIGS. 10A and 10B are a view for explaining relay communication using the adaptive address code in the wireless communication system in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

(11) Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(12) FIG. 4 is a view showing a concept of relay in a wireless communication system. In FIG. 4, a communication device ‘A’ 410 cannot directly communicate with a communication device ‘C’ 430, but communicates with the communication device ‘C’ 430 through the relay of a communication device ‘B’ 420. First, the communication device ‘A’ 410 exchanges ad hoc network information with the communication device ‘B’ 420. At the same time, the communication device ‘C’ 430 exchanges the ad hoc network information with the communication device ‘B’ 420. Since a message needs to be broadcasted to all, the IP layer processing unit 206 instructs the MAC layer processing unit 205 at a code that does not require ACK communication, e.g., an address code ‘0’ and performs a wireless transmission.

(13) In the above, if information has been successfully exchanged, it becomes possible that the communication device ‘A’ 410 communicates with the communication device ‘C’ 430 through the relay of the communication device ‘B’ 420. At this time, since the communication device ‘A’ 410, communication device ‘C’ 430, and communication device ‘B’ 420 come to join to the same network, as shown in FIG. 6, they have unique IP addresses within the same network.

(14) FIG. 6 is a view for explaining an IP address when establishing an ad hoc network in the wireless communication system. As to the IP address, the IP layer processing unit 206 determines an address code by, e.g., the combination of final numbers. The address codes generated by combining unique IP addresses become also unique on the ad hoc network. Here, a participation number of the generated address codes are set to 2 and a response order is determined by ascending order of IP addresses. This information is defined as adaptive address code information. The adaptive address code is also set in the MAC processing unit 205.

(15) Next, the operation of the wireless communication system in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. FIGS. 7A to 7D are views for explaining adaptive address code information when establishing the ad hoc network in the wireless communication system in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a view for explaining an ARP information update when establishing the ad hoc network in the wireless communication system in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 8, an ARP information storage unit 826 stores adaptive address code information tables of FIGS. 7B to 7D. When IP layer processing units 513 and 823 exchange the ad hoc network information, the exchange is performed by assigning a MAC address and an IP address of the communication device.

(16) By using them, when receiving the ad hoc network information, the IP layer processing units 513 and 823 updates ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) information having combination of the MAC address and the IP address. Up to this point, it is a pre-process to be executed until a terminal such as a PC transmits an IP packet.

(17) Next, a process when an IP packet is inputted from a terminal such as a PC to a communication device will be described. When an IP packet is inputted from a terminal such as a PC to a communication device, the IP layer processing units 513 and 823 in the communication device determines whether or not there is relay transmission from the information exchanged on the ad hoc network. The determination of relay transmission is shown in FIG. 9.

(18) FIGS. 9A to 9D are views for explaining relay determination when establishing the ad hoc network in the wireless communication system in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention. For the relay determination, connection information of a wireless section (hereinafter, referred to as “link information”) is used as the content of the ad hoc network information. In this embodiment, since it is known that the communication device ‘B’ 420 is connected to the communication device ‘C’ 430 as the destination, the communication device ‘A’ 410 designates the communication device ‘B’ 420 as a relay device.

(19) When outputting an IP packet to the MAC layer processing unit, a MAC address of the destination is set in a case that there is no relay device, and in a case that there is a relay device, a MAC address of the relay device is set. At this time, an IP address corresponding to the MAC address is extracted from the ARP information. The extracted IP address and an IP address of its own communication device are used as search keys to extract a matched address code from the adaptive address code information. The address code is given when the IP packet is inputted to the MAC layer processing unit. The MAC layer processing unit generates a MAC frame based on the given address code and the IP packet, outputs the MAC frame to the physical layer processing unit, and performs wireless communication.

(20) Since the communication device as the destination also holds the adaptive address code information, when the communication device as the destination receives the MAC frame, the device determines that the received information is addressed to itself, and transmits ACK to the transmission destination, and then sends the received information to the IP layer processing unit. This case is shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B.

(21) FIGS. 10A and 10B are a view for explaining relay communication using the adaptive address code in the wireless communication system in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention. In FIGS. 10A and 10B, the ARP information storage units 826 and 1016 store the adaptive address code information tables of FIGS. 7B to 7D. Relay information storage units 1017 and 1027 store relay information tables of FIGS. 9B to 9D. The communication device ‘A’ 410 uses the adaptive address code information shown in FIGS. 7B to 7D and the relay information shown in FIGS. 9B to 9D. From the relay information, it is seen that the communication device ‘B’ 420 is used as the relay device to send an IP packet to a terminal #2. Therefore, the communication device ‘A’ 410 selects adaptive address code information (address code “0x0102”) constructed between itself and the communication device ‘B’ 420, outputs the selected information to a MAC layer processing unit 512, and wirelessly transmits a MAC frame.

(22) Upon receiving the wireless information, the communication device ‘B’ 420 also refers to the adaptive address code information and the relay information, and transmits an IP packet to the communication device ‘C’ 430 to send data to the terminal #2. At this time, the communication device ‘B’ 420 selects adaptive address code information (address code “0x0203”) constructed between itself and the communication device ‘C’ 430, outputs the selected information to a MAC layer processing unit 522, and wirelessly transmits a MAC frame. Then, the communication device ‘C’ 430 receives the wireless information. As described above, optimum address code information is constructed and an address code is selected at the time of communication.

(23) The wireless communication system in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention can generate address code information with a minimum delay when establishing the ad hoc network.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

(24) As described above about the present invention in detail, the present invention is useful and available in a wireless communication system. Further, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the wireless communication system described herein but can be widely applied to other wireless communication systems. The present application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2014-244896 filed on Dec. 3, 2014, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(25) 101, 102, 103: transmitting and receiving stations

(26) 200: wireless communication device

(27) 201: antenna

(28) 202: transmitting unit

(29) 203: receiving unit

(30) 204: physical layer processing unit

(31) 205, 512, 522: MAC layer processing unit

(32) 206, 513, 523, 1013, 1023, 1033: IP layer processing unit

(33) 210: router

(34) 410: communication device ‘A’

(35) 420: communication device ‘B’

(36) 430: communication device ‘C’

(37) 511, 521: signal processing unit/transmitting unit

(38) 514, 523, 1034: ad hoc network processing unit

(39) 515, 525, 1035: address code information management unit

(40) 826, 1016: ARP information storage unit

(41) 1017, 1027: relay information storage unit