Ad hoc networking of terminals aided by a cellular network

Ad hoc networking by means of cellular network terminals

Technical field

The present invention relates to an IP network, and in particular to the establishment of ad hoc networking (ad hoc networking) between terminals by means of a cellular network.

Background technique

At present, the development of mobile communication equipment and mobile networks has achieved rapid development. Initially, analog mobile phones could only provide voice communication and simple paging features. Later, digital mobile networks provided more advanced features for voice and data communications, such as encryption, caller identification, and short message service (SMS) text messaging. The third-generation (3G) mobile IP network technology developed in recent years enables users to effortlessly use mobile devices to access media, information and entertainment programs with rich content.

With the advancement of networks, WLAN cellular networking has become a hotly discussed issue. Many people regard WLAN as a very important part of 3G evolution. For example, 3GPP is currently conducting feasibility studies on WLAN/UMTS interworking. This concern is not limited to 3GPP, it has also attracted the attention of 3GPP2 and the Mobile Wireless Internet Forum (MWIF). And in, for example, Bluetooth, infrared, and wireless router (WR), you can learn about other evolutionary paths for interconnection between cellular networks and networks with ad hoc capabilities.

If the data exchange between two mobile terminals is performed through a cellular infrastructure, or the two terminals are co-located, the cost of data exchange between the two mobile terminals will be very high. From the perspective of cost, bandwidth and spectrum applications, it is more effective to localize high-rate (possibly large-capacity) services by using WLAN, Bluetooth, infrared or any other peer-to-peer interface . Although the current WLAN, infrared (IR) and emerging Bluetooth/IEEE802.15 (BT) standards all leave out interfaces, it is still very difficult and awkward to achieve the expected level of trusted security between terminals. Usually, connection establishment is done manually. In addition, if only WLAN/BT/IR/WR or other non-cellular connections are used, the revenue of cellular operators will be affected. On the other hand, one of the problems is that current solutions only provide limited functionality and usability. For example, for the WLAN in IEEE802.11b, the current connection establishment is standardized.

What is needed is a way to establish a secure link through the use of equipment controlled by cellular operators, and a way to allow operators to participate in local traffic exchanges that bypass the infrastructure , Thus providing a tool for potentially bypassing the operators additional revenue. In light of these and other considerations, the present invention has been constructed here.

Summary of the invention

The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned defects, deficiencies and problems, which can be understood by reading and studying the following description.

According to one aspect of the present invention, with the support of a cellular network, a mobile node with a non-cellular wireless interface can establish a high data rate peer-to-peer connection. The cellular network can provide signaling for the following applications, including: user authentication, peer identification, authentication key distribution for secure non-cellular connection establishment, radio resource management messages, and service charging and accounting. This is especially true when one of the terminals is a server for content such as music, games, and streaming video.

According to another aspect of the present invention, non-cellular links can be used between terminals for fast and secure ad hoc communication. The signaling can be transmitted via a non-cellular radio access network, or it can be transmitted via a cellular radio access network (RAN) using dual-mode terminals. In addition, signaling transmission media can be combined. For example, one of the users may transmit signaling via WLANRAN, and the other user may transmit signaling via the cellular system.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the cellular system is not limited to the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). The cellular network used in this application refers to any mobile network operated by an operator. For example, the cellular network may be GSM, GPRS, and UMTS that use different radio access network technologies such as CDMA2000, WCDMA, and WLAN, but it is not limited to this. Similarly, the non-cellular networks and interfaces used for ad hoc links can be any of the short-range radio communication family, including BRANHiperlan, Hiperlan2, IEEE802.11a, b, g, multimedia mobile access communication (MMAC) high-speed Wireless access (HISWA), Bluetooth, IEEE802.15, etc. The short-distance connection can even be a wired or infrared connection, which does not deviate from the essence of the invention.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a cellular infrastructure is used to identify and authenticate mobile users, and one or more encryption keys or tokens for establishing a secure non-cellular link are passed. The number and types of encryption keys or security association tokens required depend on one or more security methods used in the network, but they are not part of the present invention. According to the present invention, any type of one or more security methods can be used. This will reduce processing difficulties and can bring additional revenue to operators. For example, the authentication and encryption (secure) signaling services provided by the cellular network can be charged. Another example of a chargeable service may be routing assistance based on dynamically updated registers in the cellular network, which creates a description of the ad hoc network and provides mobile nodes with optimized routing information based on the description. In addition, another example of a chargeable service is QoS (Quality of Service) support provided by the cellular infrastructure and supervised by the operator. In addition, if one of the terminals provides commercial services, this solution also allows the use of cellular billing infrastructure again in order to charge for the service.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a terminal is provided herein. With the help provided from a cellular network, the terminal can communicate through an ad hoc communication link, thereby establishing communication. The terminal receives information optimized for it from the cellular network used to establish the communication link.

According to another aspect of the present invention, one of the network nodes is associated with a cellular network, the network provides services associated with the ad hoc network, and the node may form an ad hoc network description for terminals associated with the ad hoc network. This network node receives a request for help from the terminal asking for help in establishing a communication link. In response to the request, the network node provides an optimized response to the terminal. This optimized response can provide information related to routing, quality improvement, and security and authentication. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the network node also provides server or register functions.

Description of the drawings

Figure 1 depicts an exemplary cellular network in which the present invention can be implemented; Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary system overview of interconnecting local area networks and wide area networks by means of routers; Figure 3 shows the help of cellular networks An exemplary terminal ad hoc network on a non-cellular interface; Figure 4 shows an exemplary ad hoc network in which some terminals use indirect connections (that is, multi-hop connections) for cellular networks; Figure 5 describes It is a central register system controlled by the operator; and Figure 6 describes the processing of terminal ad hoc networking on a non-cellular interface in accordance with some aspects of the present invention and assisted by a cellular network.

detailed description

In the following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, reference will be made to the drawings constituting a part of the specification. These drawings are shown as examples, and the present invention can be implemented in specific exemplary embodiments of these drawings. invention. Each embodiment is described here in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to implement the present invention. It should be understood that other embodiments may also be used without departing from the essence or scope of the present invention. And implement other changes. Therefore, the following detailed description does not have a limiting meaning, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.

In the specification and claims, unless otherwise clearly specified in the context, the following terms will adopt the meanings that are clearly associated here. The term "node" refers to a node on the network. The terms "mobile node" and "terminal" refer to nodes on a mobile network. The term "flow" refers to a packet flow. The term "support node" refers to "GGSN" and "SGSN" nodes. The term "user" refers to any individual or customer such as a company or organization that uses a mobile device to communicate or access resources via a mobile network. The term "operator" refers to any technician or organization that maintains or services things such as networks. The term "identifier" refers to user address, IMSI number, MSISDN number, IP address, or any other information related to the location or identity of the user or device.

An exemplary implementation described in this application involves an AAA (Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting) device. AAA is an IETF standard developed by the Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA) working group. Currently, the work of this working group is in progress, and the current and upcoming transaction records of this working group are referenced here (http://www.ietf.org/html.charters/aaa-charter .html). However, any other existing or future systems and methods can also be used here to replace AAA for authentication, authorization and accounting, which does not deviate from the essence of the present invention.

The term "AAA device" refers to any device that provides the AAA server function usually associated with an IP network. Other nodes or systems in the cellular network can also provide AAA functions. This includes, but is not limited to, entities serving as billing centers, gateways, resource management entities, user configuration files stored in location registers, and so on. With reference to the drawings, in these views, the same numbers refer to the same parts. In addition, unless otherwise stated or inconsistent with the content disclosed herein, the singular form of indexing shall include the plural form of indexing.

Refer to Figure 1 for an exemplary operating environment, which depicts an exemplary cellular network that can implement the present invention and is coupled to a data network. As shown in the figure, the network 100 includes a mobile node (MN) 105, a radio access network (RAN) 110, an SGSN 115, a core network 120, a router 125D-F, and an optional authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) server 300 , GGSN 135A-B, data network 140 and data network 145.

The connection and operation of the network 100 will now be described. The MN 105 is coupled with a radio access network (RAN) 110. In general, the MN 105 may include any device capable of connecting to a wireless network such as the radio access network 100. Such devices include cellular phones, smart phones, pagers, radio frequency (RF) devices, infrared (IR) devices, and integrated devices that combine one or more previous devices, and so on. MN 105 can also include other devices with wireless interfaces, such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld computers, personal computers, multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable user electronic devices, network PCs, wearable computers and many more.

A radio access network (RAN) 110 manages radio resources and provides a mechanism for users to access the core network 120. The radio access network 110 transmits information to and from devices capable of wireless communication such as the MN 105. The radio access network 110 may include two wireless and wired components. For example, the radio access network 110 may include a cellular tower linked to a wired network. Generally, cellular towers support communications to and from cellular phones, pagers, and other wireless devices, and wired networks support communications from conventional phones, long-distance communication links, and so on.

Some nodes may also be General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) nodes. For example, the Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) 115 can transmit and receive data from a mobile node such as the MN 105 via the RAN 110. The SGSN 115 also maintains location information related to the MN 105. In addition, the SGSN 115 communicates between the MN 105 and the Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) 135A-B through the core network 120. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the AAA device 300 communicates with the core network 120.

The core network 120 may be a backbone network based on IP packets, and the network includes routers 125D-F and other routing devices to connect with support nodes in the network. A router is an intermediary device that implements message transfer on a communication network. On a single network connected to multiple computers through a mesh of possible connections, the router receives the transmitted message and forwards it to the correct destination via the available routes. The router can be a simple computing device or a complex computing device. For example, the router may be a computer including a memory, a processor, and a network interface unit.

The GGSN 135A-B is coupled to the core network 120 through the router 125A-C, and serves as a wireless gateway for data networks such as the network 140 and the network 145. The networks 140 and 145 may be public Internet or private data networks. GGSN 135A-B allows MN 105 to access network 140 and network 145.

Briefly, the AAA device 300 can be used to monitor communications via an ad hoc network, and can be used to help an operator control communications via an ad hoc network. The AAA device 300 may be coupled with the core network 120 through a communication medium. And the AAA device 300 can be programmed by the operator using instructions to manage the policies related to the mobile network 100. The AAA device 300 is an optional component.

The operator can set the threshold level to determine whether to accept a new stream according to the service category of a specific user or user group. A dedicated network component such as a router or AAA device 300 can be used here to achieve this purpose. The use of AAA equipment helps to enforce authentication, authorization, and accounting rules, which in turn helps ensure end-to-end quality of service (QoS) for users. Operators can flexibly provide different AAA rules. For example, the session traffic can be mapped to the accelerated forwarding (FF) category or the assured forwarding (AF) category on the core network. Operators can use different billing structures for each category. At the same time, AAA rules can also be established nodes that use different signaling to transmit.

In addition, computers and other related electronic devices may also be connected to the network 140 and the network 145. The public Internet itself is composed of numerous Internet networks, computers, and routers. The mobile network 100 may include far more components than those shown in FIG. 1. However, the components shown here are sufficient to disclose exemplary embodiments for implementing the present invention.

For the medium used to transmit information in the above-mentioned communication link, it describes one type of computer-readable medium, that is, a communication medium. Generally, a computer-readable medium includes any medium that can be accessed by a computing device. Computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transmission mechanisms are usually added to the communication medium. In addition, the communication medium also includes any information transmission medium. The term "modulated data signal" refers to a signal that modulates or changes one or more of its characteristics in a way that encodes information into the signal. For example, such communication media may include wired media, such as twisted pair, coaxial cable, optical fiber, waveguide, and other wired media, as well as wireless media, such as acoustic, RF, infrared, and other wireless media.

FIG. 2 shows another exemplary system for implementing the present invention, in which multiple local area networks ("LAN") 220a-d, wireless local area networks 250A-C, and wide area network ("WAN") 230 are connected to each other through a router 210. Alternatively, the AAA device 300 may be coupled to different locations inside the system in order to provide AAA services. On the interconnection set of LANs and WLANs-including those based on different architectures and protocols-routers act as links between LANs, thereby being able to send messages from one to the other.

The communication links within the LAN usually include twisted wire pairs, optical fibers or coaxial cables, and the communication links within the WLAN include wireless links. The communication links between these networks can use analog telephone lines, including T1, T2 , T3 and T4 fully or partially dedicated digital lines, integrated services digital network (ISDN), digital subscriber line (DSL), wireless links or other communication links. In addition, computers such as the remote computer 240 and other related electronic devices can be connected to the LAN 220a-d or the WAN 230 at the remote end via a modem or temporary telephone line. The number of WANs, LANs and routers in FIG. 2 can be increased or decreased, which does not deviate from the essence or scope of the present invention. Similarly, the Internet itself can be composed of numerous interconnected networks, computers, and routers, and the embodiments of the present invention can also be implemented on the Internet without departing from the essence and scope of the present invention. It should be pointed out that in this example, WLAN can mean any type of wireless local area network including Bluetooth wireless networks, not just WLAN (defined in the IEEE 802.11 standard).

The AAA device 300 may include program codes that maintain rules for charging and authenticating users for ad hoc non-cellular connections established between terminals.

Terminal ad hoc networking on a non-cellular interface assisted by a cellular network Figure 3 shows an exemplary terminal ad hoc networking on a non-cellular interface with the aid of a cellular network in accordance with some aspects of the present invention. To facilitate discussion, this non-cellular interface will be a WLAN access network. In addition, this non-cellular interface can be provided by any type of non-cellular access network, and this does not deviate from the essence of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the network 300 includes four domains: the Internet 315, the cellular core network 320, the cellular access network 330, and the WLAN access network 325, and also includes terminals T1 340, T2 345, T3 350, T4 355, T5 360 and T6 365.

The WLAN access network 325 can join the cellular network at different levels.

As shown in the figure, the terminals (T1 to T6) are paired (T1 and T2, T3 and T4, and T5 and T6), and they show the established exemplary WLAN ad hoc links (375, 380, and T6, respectively). 385). The terminals T1, T2, and T3 use the WLAN access network 325 for signal transmission. The terminals T4, T5, and T6 use the cellular access network 330 for signal transmission.

The signaling used to establish a secure and simple non-cellular ad hoc link will be transmitted to the cellular network. For pure WLAN terminals or dual-mode terminals currently associated with WLAN access, signaling is transmitted via the WLAN access network (T1 to T2). For the two modes of WLAN and cellular, the signaling used for the terminal can be transmitted to the WLAN access network via the WLAN link, and can also be transmitted to the cellular access network via the cellular link (T3~T4, T5~T6) . The two terminals do not need to use the same access network for signal transmission. For example, terminal T3 and terminal T4 use different access networks. The terminal T3 uses the WLAN to access the network 425, and the terminal T4 uses the cellular access network 430.

The information transmitted via the signaling link may include many different types of information. For example, this information may include user authentication, user ID retrieval (such as WLAN interface MAC address), security parameters, encryption keys, and/or authentication and security association tokens that allow the establishment of secure WLAN ad hoc links, radio Resource management messages and so on.

In addition, such a multi-hop ad hoc network can also be implemented, in which user connections are established locally by means of the control connections between each user and the infrastructure as described above (see Figure 4 and related discussions). This will transmit the identifier of the peer to the cellular network in order to allow the establishment of a simple WLAN ad hoc link. In a WLAN terminal, the identifier can be an International Mobile Station Identity (IMSI) code (or its equivalent). In a dual-mode terminal, the identifier can also be in the non-WLAN part, and it can be the user name (and the operator). ), ISDN phone number, Network Access Identifier (NAI), or any information that can be easily transmitted between users (to communicate identity through language) or terminals (such as RF tags, logos broadcast on any media, barcodes, etc.) .

Figure 4 depicts a multi-hop signaling system used in accordance with some aspects of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the multi-hop signaling system 400 includes a cellular infrastructure 405, a terminal T1 (410), a terminal T2 (415), a terminal T3 (420), access links 425 and 430 to the cellular infrastructure, and WLAN ad hoc links 435 and 440.

To enable some terminals to access the services provided by the cellular network, multi-hop signaling is used here. For many reasons, the terminal may not be able to directly use the services provided by the cellular infrastructure 405. For example, some terminals may only include a radio interface configured for non-cellular networks. In addition, other terminals that are dual-mode terminals may be outside the coverage of the cellular network. Nevertheless, these dual-mode terminals can still connect to a non-cellular network. And according to the present invention, by using multi-hop signaling, these terminals can be allowed to obtain the services provided by the cellular network.

As shown in the figure, the terminal T3 (420) cannot directly access the cellular infrastructure 405. However, the terminal T3 can obtain the services provided by the cellular infrastructure through the terminal T2. The terminal T3 communicates with the terminal T2 via the WLAN ad hoc link (440). At some point in time, the terminals T1 (410) and T2 (415) are directly connected to the services provided by the cellular infrastructure 405 via links 425 and 430. However, at other points in time, the terminal may be outside the coverage of the cellular network. In this case, a terminal such as terminal T2 (415) can still have an ad hoc link. According to this embodiment, a WLAN ad hoc link (435) is maintained between the terminal T2 and the terminal T1. It can be seen that this multi-hop signaling allows the terminal to obtain the services provided by the cellular network.

Figure 5 depicts a central register system controlled by an operator in accordance with some aspects of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the central register system 500 includes mobile nodes T1 515, T2 520, T3 525, T4 530, T5 535, and a central register 510. Among them, the terminals T1, T2, T3, and T4 will be adjusted so that they use a non-cellular link to communicate with each other. However, the terminal T5 uses a cellular link in its communication with the terminals T1, T2, T3, and T4.

For mobile nodes such as cellular phones or PDAs with cellular phone cards, they can organize ad hoc networks and route packets to destination nodes by using a central register 510 operated by the operator. According to an embodiment of the present invention, mobile nodes in the network have both cellular (for example, GPRS, GSM, UMTS) radio interfaces and non-cellular radio interfaces (for example, Bluetooth, IR, or WLAN).

The operator here can be the cellular operator of the mobile node user, or a third-party operator. The nodes in the ad hoc network can choose to use the operator-assisted service on the cellular radio equipment, or they can try to manage without the service. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the optional use of the assistance is included in the routing algorithm of the node. When using the operator's auxiliary service, the node sends its regular update information through the cellular connection. The auxiliary service uses a standardized signaling scheme between the auxiliary server and the mobile node. This standardized signaling scheme allows nodes to communicate between the nodes themselves and ordinary operators. One advantage of this service is that by using the service, the quality of ad hoc connections can be improved. In ad hoc networks, operators can provide some services for mobile nodes, including: ad hoc network topology to help routing, service discovery, servers for ad hoc network applications such as games or authentication, authorization and Security features, location-related information, etc. The scope of the service can be the micro mobility within the ad hoc network link layer, but it can also be both macro mobility and micro mobility. For the former, the macro mobility of the IP layer is maintained by mobile IP. In other words, it is an alternative to Mobile IP (Central Origin Agent operated by the operator).

As mentioned above, the mobile node sends its neighborhood information to the central register 510. For example, when a node in the Bluetooth neighborhood detects a change in its neighborhood, the node may send update information to the central register 510. For example, this neighborhood change information can include information about a new Bluetooth, WLAN, or other ad hoc connection connected to a new mobile phone, and it can also include information about losing Bluetooth, WLAN, or ad hoc connection with a specific mobile phone. . The transmission of information can be done through a cellular connection, which can be a GPRS, GSM or UMTS connection, or some other connection.

According to the information received by the central register 510 from the node, this central register 510 will form a description or "image" of the network. This description can be in any format suitable for describing the network status and layout, especially the format suitable for describing ad hoc network parts, and then this description can be used to determine the optimal route for each requested connection. The operator may use more than one server to complete the role of the central register 510. According to this particular embodiment, the central register 510 will form a description that refers to all nodes that can establish Bluetooth, WLAN or other ad hoc connections and those nodes that receive from mobile nodes (515, 520, 525, and 530) Connection.

When using the services provided by the cellular network, the node first requests help from the cellular network in order to communicate. In this example, the node requests help from the central register. According to the service and QoS of the node, the central register returns a response optimized for the node. This response can be a single-hop/multi-hop connection route to the destination, or a recommendation to use a cellular connection. The response may include one or more messages, which may be signaling or data messages.

Operators (or third-party agencies) can charge for services controlled by the operator. These ad hoc communication services controlled by operators can be used for any local communication applications, such as local voice and messaging, file transfer, or other data services. As a specific example, local multimedia messaging allows the use of non-cellular radio devices (such as Bluetooth) in multi-mode cellular media phones for local multimedia messaging communications. When sending a multimedia message from a media phone, the client software will get in touch with the cellular network. In this instance, it will get in touch with the central register (such as a server) in the operator's network to check whether the receiver is in a non-cellular ad hoc setting. In a small number of hops on the network, if so, the message is sent via a non-cellular radio instead of a cellular network.

Operators can provide users with "free local multimedia messaging" with the lowest investment. As a result, users can be attracted to the network. At the beginning, users mainly send messages locally, so they can be familiar with multimedia messaging. Users can also use multimedia messaging on cellular connections. However, this increase in conventional multimedia messaging capacity is very beneficial to operators. According to one embodiment of the invention, the pricing of the service is based on the amount of assistance required by the cellular network. And this kind of operator-assisted service consumes a negligible part of the cellular network capacity (less than 5% of the multimedia messaging service volume).

Figure 6 illustrates the processing of terminal ad hoc networking on a non-cellular interface in accordance with some aspects of the present invention and with the aid of a cellular network. After a start block, the process moves to block 605, where the process will determine the identity of the terminal that desires to establish an ad hoc link. Then it moves to block 610, where the process will determine the network associated with the terminal. For example, the terminal can be coupled to a non-cellular network or a cellular network, or can be coupled to both networks at the same time. Next, it will move to block 620, where a signal transmission method will be selected for the terminal. This method of signal transmission is also associated with the network to which the terminal is coupled. For example, for terminals with only non-cellular connections, signaling is transmitted via a non-cellular access network. For dual-mode terminals that can communicate via non-cellular and cellular networks, signaling can be transmitted to the non-cellular access network via the non-cellular link, or to the cellular access network via the cellular link. And these two kinds of terminals do not need to use the same access network for signal transmission. For example, one terminal can use a non-cellular access network, and the other terminal can use a cellular access network. Now move to block 630, where a secure connection will be established between the terminals via the cellular network. The information transmitted to the cellular network via the signaling link may include many different types of information. For example, this information may include user authentication, user ID retrieval and mapping (such as WLAN interface MAC address from MSISDN or RF tag address), security parameters that allow the establishment of secure non-cellular ad hoc links, radio resource management messages, etc. . Moving next to block 640, where once a secure connection is established and the network is aware of this ad hoc non-cellular connection, some rules can be implemented. For example, here, terminal users can be charged based on the information data flow and data between terminals using ad hoc non-cellular connections. Then, the process proceeds to an end box, and returns to process other operations.

The above description, examples and data provide a complete description of the construction and use of the combination of the present invention. Many embodiments of the present invention can be constructed without departing from the essence and scope of the invention. Therefore, the present invention falls within the scope of the appended claims below.