Wireless local area network access point search method, apparatus, and system

• US 10,045,285 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2017
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honor Device Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Luo, Haiyan, Deng, Tianle
• Primary Examiner(s): Abelson, Ronald B
• Application Number:
  US15/609,120
• Publication Number:
  US 20170265126A1
• Time in Patent Office: 433 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The present application discloses a wireless local area network access point search method, an apparatus, and a system, relates to the field of communications technologies, and can reduce power consumption for passive scanning. According to the method, beacon sending information of a wireless local area network access point and measurement information of a user equipment are matched, so that the user equipment can search for the wireless local area network access point only at the time when and a frequency channel number at which the wireless local area network access point sends a beacon. Compared with the prior art in which a user equipment needs to continuously keep a state of searching for a wireless local area network access point, the present application greatly shortens time spent by the user equipment in listening to a beacon, and therefore reduces power consumption of passive scanning.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

acquiring, by a user equipment, measurement information, wherein the measurement information comprises at least one of the following information;

search time information, beacon sending time information, frequency information of a wireless local area network access point, or identifier information of the wireless local area network access point, wherein the search time information comprises search duration, or comprises search duration and a search cycle; and

searching, by the user equipment, for the wireless local area network access point according to the measurement information,

wherein when the measurement information is beacon sending information, the beacon sending information and the measurement information are matched.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the beacon sending time information comprises beacon sending time, or comprises beacon sending time and a beacon sending cycle.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the acquiring, by the user equipment, measurement information comprises:

receiving, by the user equipment, the measurement information from a base station.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the acquiring, by the user equipment, measurement information comprises:

receiving, by the user equipment, the measurement information sent from a network device and transparently transmitted by a base station, wherein the network device is configured to manage collaborative work between the base station and the wireless local area network access point.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

when receiving measurement indication information from the base station or receiving the measurement information sent from the network device and transparently transmitted by the base station, searching, by the user equipment, for the wireless local area network access point according to stored measurement information.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein when the search time information comprises search duration and a search cycle, searching, by the user equipment, for the wireless local area network access point according to the measurement information comprises:

searching, by the user equipment, for a wireless local area network access point in the search duration of each search cycle.

7. The method according to claim 2, wherein the user equipment searches for the wireless local area network access point only during a beacon sending time.

8. A user equipment, comprising:

a memory storing a program to be executed in a processor, wherein the program comprises instructions that cause the user equipment to perform the following;

acquiring measurement information, wherein the measurement information comprises at least one of the following information;

search time information, beacon sending time information, frequency information of a wireless local area network access point, and identifier information of the wireless local area network access point, wherein the search time information comprises search duration, or comprises search duration and a search cycle; and

searching for the wireless local area network access point according to the measurement information,

wherein when the measurement information is beacon sending information, the beacon sending information and the measurement information are matched.

9. The user equipment according to claim 8, wherein the beacon sending time information comprises beacon sending time, or comprises beacon sending time and a beacon sending cycle.

10. The user equipment according to claim 8, further comprising a receiver, wherein

the receiver is configured to t receive the measurement information sent by a base station.

11. The user equipment according to claim 8, further comprising a receiver, wherein

the receiver is configured to receive the measurement information sent from a network device and transparently transmitted by a base station, wherein the network device is configured to manage collaborative work between the base station and the wireless local area network access point.

12. The user equipment according to claim 8, wherein when the user equipment receives measurement indication information from the base station or the measurement information sent from the network device and transparently transmitted by the base station, the memory further comprises instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the user equipment to:

search for the wireless local area network access point according to stored measurement information.

13. The user equipment according to claim 8, wherein when the search time information comprises search duration and a search cycle, the searching for the wireless local area network access point according to the measurement information comprises:

searching for a wireless local area network access point in the search duration of each search cycle.

14. A non-transitory processor-readable medium having processor-executable instructions stored thereon for a user equipment, the processor-executable instructions, when executed by a processor, facilitating performance of the following:

acquiring measurement information, wherein the measurement information comprises at least one of the following information;

search time information, beacon sending time information, frequency information of a wireless local area network access point, or identifier information of the wireless local area network access point, wherein the search time information comprises search duration, or comprises search duration and a search cycle; and

searching for the wireless local area network access point according to the measurement information,

wherein when the measurement information is beacon sending information, the beacon sending information and the measurement information are matched.

15. The medium according to claim 14, wherein the beacon sending time information comprises beacon sending time, or comprises beacon sending time and a beacon sending cycle.

16. The medium according to claim 14, wherein the processor is caused to:

receive the measurement information from a base station.

17. The medium according to claim 14, wherein the processor is caused to:

receive the measurement information sent from a network device and transparently transmitted by a base station, wherein the network device is configured to manage collaborative work between the base station and the wireless local area network access point.

18. The medium according to claim 14, further comprising instructions that cause the processor to execute:

when receiving measurement indication information from the base station or receiving the measurement information sent from the network device and transparently transmitted by the base station, searching for the wireless local area network access point according to stored measurement information.

19. The medium according to claim 14, wherein when the search time information comprises search duration and a search cycle, the processor is caused to:

search for a wireless local area network access point in the search duration of each search cycle.