Method and nodes for selecting a capillary network gateway

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10104520-B2
Application number	US-201415116931-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 21, 2014
Priority date	Feb 21, 2014
Publication date	Oct 16, 2018
Grant date	Oct 16, 2018

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a method for selecting a capillary network gateway for a machine device of a capillary network. The capillary network gateway is capable of data exchange between the machine device and a wireless network. The method comprises: acquiring information about a respective message box capability for two or more capillary network gateways of the capillary network; and selecting, for the machine device, the capillary network gateway based on the information about the message box capability. The disclosure also relates to a corresponding node, computer program and computer program product.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for selecting a capillary network gateway for a machine device of a capillary network, the capillary network gateway being capable of data exchange between the machine device and a wireless network, the method comprising:
acquiring information about a respective message box capability for two or more capillary network gateways of the capillary network, and
selecting, for the machine device, the capillary network gateway based on the information about the message box capability.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the selecting is further based on a characteristic of an energy supply of the machine device, and wherein the selecting comprises selecting, for a machine device having a constrained energy supply, a capillary network gateway having a message box capability.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein acquiring the information about a respective message box capability for two or more capillary network gateways of the capillary network comprises acquiring the information from an information element of a data packet exchanged between the machine device and the wireless network.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the selecting is further based on one or more additional criteria chosen from: a requirement of an application configured in the machine device, channel quality and/or required transmission power of a channel between the machine device and each of the two or more capillary network gateways, energy status of the machine device, location of the two or more capillary network gateways, radio technology used by the respective capillary network gateway in communication with the machine device, latency between the machine device and each of the at least two capillary network gateway.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , comprising connecting the machine device to the selected capillary network gateway.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the selecting is further based on an additional criterion and wherein the connecting comprises connecting the machine device to the capillary network gateway when the additional criterion is met and the selected capillary network gateway has a message box capability, and else connecting the machine device to another capillary network gateway meeting the additional criterion and the other capillary network gateway having a message box capability.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the selecting is further based on requirements of an application run by the machine device, the method comprising deriving information about the application run by the machine device by parsing an incoming or outgoing machine device message or by acquiring information about the application run by the machine device from a node within the capillary network or a node within the wireless network or a node external to the wireless network and the capillary network.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein acquiring the information about a respective message box capability for two or more capillary network gateways of the capillary network comprises receiving, at a first capillary network gateway of the capillary network, information about a message box capability from at least one other capillary network gateway of the capillary network or from a network node of the wireless network.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein acquiring the information about a respective message box capability for two or more capillary network gateways of the capillary network comprises obtaining, by a network node, information about a respective message box capability for two or more capillary network gateways.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the obtaining comprises:
receiving, from each of the two or more capillary network gateways information about a respective message box capability, or
using information about the respective message box capability available in the network node, or
receiving, from one or more other network nodes of the wireless network, information about a respective message box capability for the two or more capillary network gateways.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein acquiring the information about a respective message box capability for two or more capillary network gateways of the capillary network comprises receiving, at the machine device, information about a respective message box capability from two or more capillary network gateways.

12. A node for selecting a capillary network gateway for a machine device of a capillary network, the capillary network gateway being capable of data exchange between the machine device and a wireless network, the node comprising a processor and memory, the memory containing instructions executable by the processor, whereby the node is operative to:
acquire information about a respective message box capability for two or more capillary network gateways of the capillary network, and
select, for the machine device, the capillary network gateway based on the information about message box capability.

13. The node as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the node is configured to select further based on a characteristic of an energy supply of the machine device, and wherein the node is further configured to select, for a machine device having a constrained energy supply, a capillary network gateway having a message box capability.

14. The node as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the node is configured to convey the information about the message box capability by using an information element of a data packet exchanged between the machine device and the wireless network.

15. The node as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the node is configured to select further based on one or more additional criteria chosen from: a requirement of an application configured in the machine device, channel quality and/or required transmission power of a channel between the machine device and each of the two or more capillary network gateways, energy status of the machine device, location of the two or more capillary network gateways, radio technology used by the respective capillary network gateway in communication with the machine device, latency between the machine device and each of the at least two capillary network gateway.

16. The node as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the node is configured to perform the acquiring and selecting when the machine device exits a low-power mode.

17. The node as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the node is configured to connect the machine device to the selected capillary network gateway.

18. The node as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the node is configured to select further based on an additional criterion and wherein the node is further configured to connect the machine device to the capillary network gateway when the additional criterion is met and the selected capillary network gateway has a message box capability, and else connect the machine device to another capillary network gateway meeting the additional criterion and the other capillary network gateway having a message box capability.

19. The node as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the node is configured to select further based on requirements of an application run by the machine device, and wherein the node is further configured to derive information about the application run by the machine device by parsing an incoming or outgoing machine device message or wherein the node is configured to acquire information about the application run by the machine device from a node within the capillary network or from a node within the wirele

Assignees

• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M

Inventors

• Sachs Joachim
• Keränen Ari
• Rune Johan
• Eriksson Anders E
• Beijar Nicklas
• Tsiatsis Vlasios
• Militano Francesco

Classifications

• Y02D70/21

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02D70/142

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• H04W48/18

  Selecting a network or a communication service · CPC title

• H04W4/70 Primary

  Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC] · CPC title

• Y02D70/1262

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic