US 7,609,687 B2 · Home agent apparatus, mobile router communication system, and communication method

Abstract

A mobile router notifies a care-of address to a home agent apparatus, and generates a tunnel for local scope packet transmission between it and the home agent apparatus, and thereby, even if a terminal device moved onto a foreign link, communication becomes available in the same manner as on a home link. In addition, the home agent apparatus and the mobile router carry out transfer only to a necessary destination, by use of information of the terminal device which is accommodated in itself. Further, the home agent apparatus manages information of the terminal device which is accommodated in the mobile router, and thereby, it is possible to carry out packet communication only to the terminal device which corresponded to a destination, and it becomes possible to reduce useless transmission processing and reception processing in a network.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A home agent apparatus adapted for communicating with a plurality of mobile routers that are on an external network and for communicating with a home link on a home network of the home agent apparatus, each of the plurality of mobile routers accommodating communication between the home link and a terminal device on the external network, the home agent apparatus comprising:

an interface connected to the plurality of mobile routers and the home link;
a mobile router movement management section managing locations of the plurality of mobile routers that are connected to the external network and remote from the home network using a mobile router movement management table;
an IP processing section determining a destination of a tunnel packet received from the plurality of mobile routers and outputting the tunnel packet to a tunnel packet processing section, responsive to a destination of the tunnel packet being a local scope;
the tunnel packet processing section uncapsulating the tunnel packet and sending out the uncapsulated packet to the home link from the interface;
a local packet reception processing section receiving a non-tunnel packet from the home link by the interface, determining a destination of the non-tunnel packet, and outputting the non-tunnel packet to a local packet transfer processing section, responsive to the destination being the local scope and having a destination other than the home agent apparatus itself;
and
the local packet transfer processing section which encapsulates the non-tunnel packet and transmits the encapsulated tunnel packet to all the mobile routers in the mobile router movement management table, regardless of the destination of the non-tunnel packet.

4 more elements

A mobile router of a plurality of mobile routers that are on an external network, the mobile router having a first interface for accommodating at least one terminal device, and a second interface for connecting with an Internet, and carrying out communication over the Internet, or between access networks for connecting with the Internet, comprising:

a packet inspection section judging, from which of the first and second interfaces either a tunnel packet or a non-tunnel packet is received;
a tunnel packet processing section receiving by way of the second interface the tunnel packet from a home agent apparatus having a mobile router movement management table for managing locations of the plurality of the mobile routers that are connected to the external network, the tunnel packet having been transmitted to all of the mobile routers in the mobile router movement management table, regardless of a destination of the non-tunnel packet, the tunnel packet processing section uncapsulating the tunnel packet which is received from the second interface, and transmitting the uncapsulated tunnel packet to the at least one terminal device responsive to a destination of the tunnel packet being of a local scope;
and
a local packet reception processing section receiving a non-tunnel packet from the at least one terminal device, determining a destination of the non-tunnel packet, and outputting the non-tunnel packet, responsive to the destination being the local scope and having a destination other than the mobile router itself;
and
a local packet transfer processing section encapsulating the received non-tunnel packet from the at least one terminal device to generate a tunnel packet, and then, transmitting the encapsulated tunnel packet to a home agent apparatus in which a home address of the mobile router is registered responsive to:
(1) a transmission source of the received non-tunnel packet being the at least one terminal device;
(2) the received non-tunnel packet being received via the first interface;
(3) the destination of the received non-tunnel packet being of the local scope;
and (4) the mobile router itself not being connected to a home link.

7 more elements

A communication system, comprising:

a gateway device for connecting an Internet and a home network;
at least one access router for connecting the Internet and an external network;
a home agent apparatus;
a plurality of mobile routers that are on the external network, each including:
a first interface for accommodating at least one terminal device,
a second interface for connecting with the Internet, and carrying out communication over the Internet, or between access networks for connecting with the Internet,
a packet inspection section judging from which of the first and second interfaces a packet is received,
a tunnel packet processing section uncapsulating a tunnel packet which is received from the second interface, and transmitting the uncapsulated tunnel packet to the terminal device that is accommodated, responsive to a destination of the tunnel packet being a local scope,
a local packet reception processing section receiving a non-tunnel packet from the terminal device, determining a destination of the non-tunnel packet, and outputting the non-tunnel packet, responsive to the destination being the local scope and having a destination other than the mobile router itself, and
a local packet transfer processing section encapsulating the non-tunnel packet to generate an encapsulated tunnel packet, and then transmitting the encapsulated tunnel packet to the home agent apparatus in which a home address of the mobile router itself is registered, responsive to:
(1) the received packet being received from the first interface;
(2) the received packet having a transmission source that is the terminal device which is accommodated;
(3) a destination of the non-tunnel packet being the local scope;
and (4) the mobile router itself is not being connected to a home link, wherein:
the home agent apparatus includes:
a mobile router movement management part managing locations of the plurality of mobile router that are connected to the external network and remote from the home network using mobile router movement management table,
a tunnel packet processing part uncapsulating the tunnel packet received, and sending out the uncapsulated packet to the home link, and
a local packet transfer processing part encapsulating a non-tunnel packet to generate an encapsulated tunnel packet addressed to the mobile router and then, transmitting the encapsulated tunnel packet to all mobile routers in the mobile router movement management table, responsive to:
(1) a destination of the non-tunnel packet received by an interface connected to the home link being of the local scope;
and (2) the destination of the non-tunnel packet being other than that of the home agent apparatus itself.

17 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Home agent apparatus, mobile router communication system, and communication method

Life of this patent

Home agent apparatus, mobile router communication system, and communication method

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16