IP Library Granted Patent US 11,153,205
Granted Patent B2
US 11,153,205 · App. 16/367,587 · Granted Oct 19, 2021

Systems and methods for establishing communication links between networks and devices with different routing protocols

Inventors: James Patrick Hanley (Decatur, GA); Chad K. Wolter (Pequot Lakes, MN); Bryce D. Johnson (Loveland, CO); Lawrence Harris (Duluth, GA)
Assignee: Landis+Gyr Innovations, Inc.
H04L45/48H04L45/02H04L45/16H04L61/6059
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,153,205
App. No.
16/367,587
Granted
Oct 19, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

Aspects and examples are disclosed for apparatuses and processes for establishing a communication link between a network using a routing protocol for low power and lossy networks (RPL) and a non-RPL-enabled device. For instance, a communication link establishment method includes establishing, by a routing protocol for low power and lossy networks (RPL) enabled device, a communication link with a non-RPL-enabled device. The method also includes establishing, by the RPL-enabled device, a network connection with an RPL-enabled network. Further, the method includes providing, by the RPL-enabled device, a proxy communication link between the non-RPL-enabled device and the RPL-enabled network. Providing the proxy communication link includes assigning a globally unique address (GUA) to the non-RPL-enabled device, and transmitting, by the RPL-enabled device, a proxy destination advertisement object to the RPL-enabled network where the proxy destination advertisement object comprises the GUA.

Claims (67)

1. A communication link establishment method, comprising:

establishing, by a routing protocol for low power and lossy networks (RPL) enabled device, a communication link with a non-RPL-enabled device;

establishing, by the RPL-enabled device, a network connection with an RPL-enabled network, wherein the RPL-enabled device receives a network prefix of the RPL-enabled network; and

providing, by the RPL-enabled device, a proxy communication link between the non-RPL-enabled device and the RPL-enabled network, wherein providing the proxy communication link comprises:

executing a control protocol exchange between the RPL-enabled device and the non-RPL-enabled device, wherein the RPL-enabled device receives an interface identifier of the non-RPL-enabled device during the control protocol exchange;

generating, by the RPL-enabled device, a globally unique address (GUA) associated with the non-RPL-enabled device, wherein the GUA comprises a concatenation of (i) the network prefix of the RPL-enabled network and (ii) the interface identifier of the non-RPL-enabled device; and

transmitting, by the RPL-enabled device, a proxy destination advertisement object to the RPL-enabled network, wherein the proxy destination advertisement object comprises the GUA.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the proxy communication link further comprises:

receiving, at the RPL-enabled device, a proxy destination advertisement object acknowledgement from the RPL-enabled network.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communication link with the non-RPL-enabled device comprises a point-to-point protocol communication link.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein establishing the communication link with the non-RPL-enabled device comprises:

transmitting, by the RPL-enabled device, a link control protocol packet to the non-RPL-enabled device;

receiving, at the RPL-enabled device, an additional link control protocol packet from the non-RPL-enabled device; and

establishing, by the RPL-enabled device, the communication link with the non-RPL-enabled device using the link control protocol packet and the additional link control protocol packet.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein establishing the communication link with the non-RPL-enabled device further comprises:

performing, by the RPL-enabled device, an authentication process with the non-RPL-enabled device.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein establishing the network connection with the RPL-enabled network comprises:

transmitting, by the RPL-enabled device, an enhanced beacon request to a root node of the RPL-enabled network;

receiving, at the RPL-enabled device, a destination oriented directed acyclic graph (DODAG) information object from the RPL-enabled network, wherein the DODAG information object comprises the network prefix of the RPL-enabled network;

transmitting, by the RPL-enabled device, a destination advertisement object to the RPL-enabled network; and

receiving, at the RPL-enabled device, a destination advertisement object acknowledgement from the RPL-enabled network.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving, at the RPL-enabled device, a message from the RPL-enabled network for the non-RPL-enabled device; and

routing the message to the non-RPL-enabled device using the GUA.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the proxy destination advertisement object further comprises a flag indicating that the GUA originates from the non-RPL-enabled device.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the proxy communication link between the non-RPL-enabled device and the RPL-enabled network comprises establishing an IPv6 communication link between the non-RPL-enabled device and the RPL-enabled network.

10. A node of a networked system, comprising:

a processor configured to execute computer-readable instructions;

a memory configured to store the computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

establishing a network connection between the node and a protocol-enabled network, wherein the node is protocol enabled and receives a network prefix of the protocol-enabled network;

establishing a communication link between the node and a non-protocol-enabled device; and

providing a proxy communication link between the non-protocol-enabled device and the protocol-enabled network through the node, wherein providing the proxy communication link comprises:

executing a control protocol exchange between the node and the non-protocol-enabled device, wherein the node receives an interface identifier of the non-protocol-enabled device during the control protocol exchange;

generating, by the node, a globally unique address (GUA) associated with the non-protocol-enabled device, wherein the GUA comprises a concatenation of (i) the network prefix of the protocol-enabled network and (ii) the interface identifier of the non-protocol-enabled device; and

transmitting, by the node, a proxy destination advertisement object to the protocol-enabled network, wherein the proxy destination advertisement object comprises the GUA.

11. The node of claim 10 , wherein the node and the protocol-enabled network communicate using a border gateway protocol (BGP) or a 6LoWPAN Ad Hoc On-Demand Distance Vector Routing (LOAD) protocol.

12. The node of claim 10 , wherein the node and the protocol-enabled network communicate using a routing protocol for low power and lossy networks (RPL).

13. The node of claim 10 , wherein establishing the communication link between the node and the non-protocol-enabled device comprises:

transmitting a link control protocol packet to the non-protocol-enabled device;

receiving an additional link control protocol packet from the non-protocol-enabled device;

performing an extensible authentication protocol-transport layer security (EAP-TLS) mutual authentication process; and

establishing an IPv6 communication link with the non-protocol-enabled device using the link control protocol packet and the additional link control protocol packet.

14. The node of claim 10 , wherein providing the proxy communication link comprises:

receiving the GUA of the non-protocol-enabled device;

transmitting a proxy destination advertisement object to the protocol-enabled network, wherein the proxy destination advertisement object comprises the GUA; and

receiving a proxy destination advertisement object acknowledgement from the protocol-enabled network.

15. The node of claim 14 , wherein the proxy destination advertisement object further comprises a flag indicating that the GUA originates from the non-protocol-enabled device.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions executable by a processing device to perform operations comprising:

establishing a communication link between a routing protocol for low power and lossy networks (RPL) enabled device and a non-RPL-enabled device;

establishing a network connection between the RPL-enabled device and an RPL-enabled network, wherein the RPL-enabled device receives a network prefix of the RPL-enabled network; and

providing a proxy communication link between the non-RPL-enabled device and the RPL-enabled network using the RPL-enabled device, wherein providing the proxy communication link comprises:

executing a control protocol exchange between the RPL-enabled device and the non-RPL-enabled device, wherein the RPL-enabled device receives an interface identifier of the non-RPL-enabled device during the control protocol exchange;

generating, by the RPL-enabled device, a globally unique address (GUA) associated with the non-RPL-enabled device, wherein the GUA comprises a concatenation of (i) the network prefix of the RPL-enabled network (ii) the interface identifier of the non-RPL-enabled device; and

transmitting, by the RPL-enabled device, a proxy destination advertisement object to the RPL-enabled network, wherein the proxy destination advertisement object comprises the GUA.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the proxy destination advertisement object further comprises a flag indicating that the GUA originates from the non-RPL-enabled device.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein establishing the communication link comprises:

transmitting a link control protocol packet to the non-RPL-enabled device;

receiving an additional link control protocol packet from the non-RPL-enabled device; and

establishing the communication link with the non-RPL-enabled device using the link control protocol packet and the additional link control protocol packet.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein establishing the network connection comprises:

transmitting an enhanced beacon request to the RPL-enabled network;

receiving a destination oriented directed acyclic graph (DODAG) information object from the RPL-enabled network, wherein the DODAG information object comprises the network prefix of the RPL-enabled network;

transmitting a destination advertisement object to the RPL-enabled network; and

receiving a destination advertisement object acknowledgement from the RPL-enabled network.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein providing the proxy communication link comprises:

transmitting a proxy destination advertisement object associated with the non-RPL-enabled device to the RPL-enabled network; and

receiving a proxy destination advertisement object acknowledgement from the RPL-enabled network.

Assignments (2)
MERGER Recorded Oct 26, 2023
From: LANDIS+GYR INNOVATIONS, INC.
To: LANDIS+GYR TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Reel/Frame 065369/0461 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 28, 2019
From: HANLEY, JAMES PATRICK; WOLTER, CHAD K.; JOHNSON, BRYCE D.; HARRIS, LAWRENCE
To: LANDIS+GYR INNOVATIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 048726/0258 →