Multi-hop ad-hoc wireless networks that support non-multi-hop wireless terminals
View Patent ↗An apparatus and methods are disclosed that enable a non-multi-hop wireless terminal (i.e., a wireless terminal that has not been programmed to participate in multi-hop ad-hoc wireless networks) to in fact participate in a multi-hop ad-hoc wireless network, without any changes to the non-multi-hop terminal's software or hardware. In the illustrative embodiment, a wireless terminal T that already belongs to a multi-hop ad-hoc wireless network is assigned to a non-multi-hop wireless terminal W, and a signal is transmitted to terminal W that induces terminal W to use terminal T as a relay for transmitting messages. The assignment of multi-hop-capable terminals in the network to non-multi-hop terminals can be based on a variety of factors, such as signal strengths and the geo-locations of terminals.
1. A method comprising:
receiving at one or more of a plurality of wireless telecommunications terminals a signal from a wireless telecommunications terminal W, wherein said plurality of wireless telecommunications terminals belong to the same ad-hoc wireless network and are capable of participating as intermediary nodes in multi-hop routes through said ad-hoc wireless network, and wherein said wireless telecommunications terminal W is incapable of participating as an intermediate node in a multi-hop route through said ad-hoc wireless network and wherein said ad-hoc wireless network comprises a gateway; and
transmitting, in response to said signal, a series of messages to said wireless telecommunications terminal W, wherein each of said messages of said series is a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol message that is transmitted by a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol server, and wherein each of said series of messages specifies a respective address for said gateway, and wherein each of said series of messages is transmitted no more than Δ seconds after the transmission of the prior message, and wherein Δ>0.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising broadcasting in said ad-hoc wireless network an Address Resolution Protocol message from said wireless telecommunications terminal W.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein said series of messages induces said wireless telecommunications terminal W to use one of said plurality of wireless telecommunications terminals as a relay for transmitting a message to a destination outside said ad-hoc wireless network.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of said series of messages specifies the address of a wireless telecommunications terminal T of said ad-hoc network as the address for said gateway.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein wireless telecommunications terminal T is selected from said plurality of wireless telecommunications terminals.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one message M of said series of messages is updated by a wireless telecommunications terminal T of said ad-hoc network before message M is received by wireless telecommunications terminal W.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein wireless telecommunications terminal T updates message M so that message M specifies the address of wireless telecommunications terminal T as the address for said gateway.
8. The method of claim 6 wherein wireless telecommunications terminal T is selected from said plurality of wireless telecommunications terminals.
9. The method of claim 6 wherein wireless telecommunications terminal T is selected from a subset of said plurality of wireless telecommunications terminals that are capable of updating Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol messages.
10. An apparatus comprising:
a receiver for receiving a first signal that indicates that a second signal has been received at one or more of a plurality of wireless telecommunications terminals from a wireless telecommunications terminal W, wherein said plurality of wireless telecommunications terminals belong to the same ad-hoc wireless network and are capable of participating as intermediary nodes in multi-hop routes through said ad-hoc wireless network, and wherein said wireless telecommunications terminal W is incapable of participating as an intermediate node in a multi-hop route through said ad-hoc wireless network and wherein said ad-hoc wireless network comprises a gateway; and
a transmitter for transmitting, in response to said first signal, a series of Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol messages to said wireless telecommunications terminal W, wherein each of said series of messages specifies a respective address for said gateway, and wherein each of said series of messages is transmitted no more than A seconds after the transmission of the prior message, and wherein Δ>0.
11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said apparatus is a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol server.
12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said series of messages induces said wireless telecommunications terminal W to use one of said plurality of wireless telecommunications terminals as a relay for transmitting a message to a destination outside said ad-hoc wireless network.
13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein at least one of said series of messages specifies the address of a wireless telecommunications terminal T of said ad-hoc network as the address for said gateway.
14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein wireless telecommunications terminal T is selected from said plurality of wireless telecommunications terminals.
15. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein at least one message M of said series of messages is updated by a wireless telecommunications terminal T of said ad-hoc network before message M is received by wireless telecommunications terminal W.
16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein wireless telecommunications terminal T updates message M so that message M specifies the address of wireless telecommunications terminal T as the address for said gateway.
17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein wireless telecommunications terminal T is selected from said plurality of wireless telecommunications terminals.
18. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein wireless telecommunications terminal T is selected from a subset of said plurality of wireless telecommunications terminals that are capable of updating Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol messages.