Routing and mobility management protocols for ad-hoc networks

A method for locating a route in a communications network comprising the steps of:

• a) providing a network comprised of a plurality of communications nodes;
• b) designating a subset of said nodes as a plurality of mobility management nodes;
• c) defining a management zone for each said mobility management node, each said management zone including all nodes in said network that are within a first predefined maximal distance from a corresponding mobility management node;
• d) providing each mobility management node in said network with location information for all nodes that are within each mobility management node's corresponding management zone;
• e) defining a routing zone for each node in said network, each said routing zone including all nodes in said network that are within a second predefined maximal distance from a corresponding node;
• f) providing each node in said network with routing information for all nodes within said network that are within each node's corresponding routing zone;
• g) sending a route determination request from a source node in said network to a first of said mobility management nodes having a management zone in which said source node is located;
• h) sending said request from said first mobility management node to a plurality of the remaining mobility management nodes in said network, including at least a second mobility management node having a management zone that covers a destination node identified in said route determination request;
• i) sending location information for said destination node from said second mobility management node to said first mobility management node;
• j) determining a general direction from said source node to said destination node through use of said location information sent by said second mobility management node;
• k) sending a route location query from said source node to at least one peripheral node on a periphery of said source node's routing zone that is in said general direction of said destination node;
• l) determining whether said destination node is located within a routing zone corresponding to any of said peripheral nodes, and if so, determining at least one route from said source node through said at least one peripheral node to said destination node;
• m) if said destination node is not located within said at least one peripheral node's routing zones, then sending a route location query from said at least one peripheral node to at least one node that is on a periphery of said at least one peripheral node's routing zone, and is in said general direction of said destination node;
• and
• n) repeating steps l and m as necessary to locate at least one route from said source node to said destination node.

A multiple node communications network comprising:

• a) a plurality of communications nodes for transmitting and receiving information;
• b) means in a first node for storing routing information for all of said nodes that are within a routing zone of said first node, said routing zone being defined by a radius of a first predefined maximal distance from said first node;
• c) means in said first node for receiving a query from a source node outside said first node's routing zone for a route determination to a destination node;
• and
• d) means responsive to said query for sending route information to said source node if said destination node is in said first node's routing zone, and sending a route location query to at least one node on a periphery of said first node's routing zone, if said destination node is not in said first node's routing zone.