Mobile station apparatus capable of displaying better communication locations for power saving and method of the same

• US 20060030270A1
• Filed: 07/16/2004
• Published: 02/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BenQ Corporation (Qisda Corporation)
• Original Assignee: BenQ Corporation (Qisda Corporation)
• Inventors: Cheng, Steven D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,313,392 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/67.110
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/0085 using test signal generators
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/23 Indication means, e.g. displays, alarms, audible means
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/26 using historical data, averaging values or statistics
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/27 for locating or positioning the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/309 Measuring or estimating channel quality parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0245 according to signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The present invention provides a mobile station apparatus. The mobile station apparatus comprises an RF transmitting/receiving module, a display module, a memory comprising an RSSI database, and a control program. When the mobile station apparatus moves along a path comprising plural candidates of communication locations, the control program records a plurality of RSSIs, which are received by the RF transmitting/receiving module from the candidates along the communication locations, and at least one path parameter in the RSSI database, and then according to a predetermined display algorithm, the control program controls the display module to display at least one recorded RSSI and the corresponding path parameter as a reference, based on which the mobile station apparatus selects a communication location candidate for providing the mobile communication service.

Claims

1. A mobile station apparatus in a communication system, the communication system comprising a plurality of base stations for providing mobile communication service within a covered communication area, the mobile station apparatus comprising:

an RF transmitting/receiving module for transmitting and receiving RF signals to/from the base stations and for receiving a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) from the base stations;

a display module for displaying characters or graphs thereon;

a memory comprising an RSSI database; and

a control program;

wherein when the mobile station apparatus moves along a path comprising plural candidates of communication locations, the control program records a plurality of RSSIs, which are received by the RF transmitting/receiving module from the candidates along the communication locations, and at least one path parameter in the RSSI database, and then according to a predetermined display algorithm, the control program controls the display module to display at least one recorded RSSI and the corresponding path parameter as a reference, based on which the mobile station apparatus selects a communication location candidate for providing the mobile communication service.

2. The mobile station apparatus of claim 1, wherein the path parameter recorded in the RSSI database is a time parameter representing the time when the RF transmitting/receiving module receives the RSSI.

3. The mobile station apparatus of claim 1, wherein the path parameter recorded in the RSSI database is a location parameter representing the location where the RF transmitting/receiving module receives the RSSI.

4. The mobile station apparatus of claim 3, wherein the location parameter comprises the location data of altitude, longitude, and/or latitude.

5. The mobile station apparatus of claim 1, wherein the path parameter recorded in the RSSI database is an output power parameter representing the power consumption information while the RF transmitting/receiving module transmits the RF signal.

6. The mobile station apparatus of claim 1, wherein when a user is situated in the communication area, the control program automatically compares the currently received RSSI with a predetermined RSSI threshold, and only when the currently received RSSI exceeds the predetermined RSSI threshold, then the control program records the RSSI and the corresponding path parameter in the RSSI database, so that the amount of data recorded in the RSSI database is under control to avoid capacity-exceeding.

7. The mobile station apparatus of claim 6, wherein the predetermined RSSI threshold comprises an RSSI mean value and an RSSI standard deviation, the RSSI mean value is obtained by averaging a plurality of RSSIs received in a past time span, and the RSSI standard deviation is obtained by calculating the standard deviation of a plurality of RSSIs received in the past time span by means of statistics calculation method.

8. The mobile station apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mobile station apparatus further comprises an input keyboard panel with a plurality of buttons for data inputting or selection confirmation by a user, and when the user utilizes the input keyboard panel to input a display signal for location candidate, the control program displays at least one RSSI recorded in the RSSI database and the corresponding path parameter according to the predetermined display algorithm.

9. The mobile station apparatus of claim 1, wherein the predetermined display algorithm accorded by the control program sorts the RSSIs recorded in the RSSI database by signal intensity and displays the sorted RSSIs and the corresponding path parameters in the display module, so that the mobile station apparatus selects one appropriate communication location candidate and accordingly conducts the mobile communication service, so that the power consumption of the mobile station apparatus is reduced.

10. The mobile station apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mobile station apparatus links to a GPS (global positioning system) database of the communication area, and the predetermined display algorithm displays a GPS map associated with the communication area in the GPS database, sorts the RSSIs recorded in the RSSI database by signal intensity, and selectively marks the sorted RSSI beside the corresponding location on the displayed GPS map in the display module, so that the mobile station apparatus selects the location with the lowest power consumption for conducting the mobile communication service.

11. The mobile station apparatus of claim 1, wherein before the mobile station apparatus actually provides the mobile communication service at a predetermined location, the RF transmitting/receiving module receives the RSSI from the base station at the predetermined location again for confirmation and compares the received RSSI with the previously corresponding RSSI recorded in the RSSI database, and when the signal intensity of the received RSSI is substantially close to or greater than the recorded corresponding RSSI, the display module displays suggestion to conduct the mobile communication service at the predetermined location, otherwise the display module displays the next best communication location candidates recorded in the RSSI database as a further reference for selection.

12. A method for selecting communication location in a mobile station apparatus, the mobile station apparatus in a communication system, the communication system comprising a plurality of base stations for providing mobile communication service within a covered communication area, the mobile station apparatus comprising:

an RF transmitting/receiving module for transmitting and receiving RF signals to/from the base stations and for receiving a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) from the base stations;

a display module for displaying characters or graphs thereon; and

a memory comprising an RSSI database;

the method comprising the following steps;

enabling the mobile station apparatus to move along a path comprising plural candidates of communication locations;

recording in the RSSI database a plurality of RSSIs, which are received by the RF transmitting/receiving module from the candidates along the communication locations, and at least one path parameter;

controlling the display module to display at least one recorded RSSI and the corresponding path parameter according to a predetermined display algorithm; and

based on which selecting a communication location candidate by the mobile station apparatus for providing the mobile communication service.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the path parameter recorded in the RSSI database is a time parameter representing the time when the RF transmitting/receiving module receives the RSSI.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the path parameter recorded in the RSSI database is a location parameter representing the location where the RF transmitting/receiving module receives the RSSI.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the location parameter comprises the location data of altitude, longitude, and/or latitude.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the path parameter recorded in the RSSI database is an output power parameter representing the power consumption information while the RF transmitting/receiving module transmits the RF signal.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein when a user is situated in the communication area, the control program automatically compares the currently received RSSI with a predetermined RSSI threshold, and only when the currently received RSSI exceeds the predetermined RSSI threshold, then the control program records the RSSI and the corresponding path parameter in the RSSI database, so that the amount of data recorded in the RSSI database is under control to avoid capacity-exceeding.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the predetermined RSSI threshold comprises an RSSI mean value and an RSSI standard deviation, the RSSI mean value is obtained by averaging a plurality of RSSIs received in a past time span, and the RSSI standard deviation is obtained by calculating the standard deviation of a plurality of RSSIs received in the past time span by means of statistics calculation method.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the mobile station apparatus further comprises an input keyboard panel with a plurality of buttons for data inputting or selection confirmation by a user, and when the user utilizes the input keyboard panel to input a display signal for location candidate, the control program displays at least one RSSI recorded in the RSSI database and the corresponding path parameter according to the predetermined display algorithm.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the predetermined display algorithm accorded by the control program sorts the RSSIs recorded in the RSSI database by signal intensity and displays the sorted RSSIs and the corresponding path parameters in the display module, so that the mobile station apparatus selects one appropriate communication location candidate and accordingly conducts the mobile communication service, so that the power consumption of the mobile station apparatus is reduced.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein the mobile station apparatus links to a GPS (global positioning system) database of the communication area, and the predetermined display algorithm displays a GPS map associated with the communication area in the GPS database, sorts the RSSIs recorded in the RSSI database by signal intensity, and selectively marks the sorted RSSI beside the corresponding location on the displayed GPS map in the display module, so that the mobile station apparatus selects the location with the lowest power consumption for conducting the mobile communication service.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein before the mobile station apparatus actually provides the mobile communication service at a predetermined location, the RF transmitting/receiving module receives the RSSI from the base station at the predetermined location again for confirmation and compares the received RSSI with the previously corresponding RSSI recorded in the RSSI database, and when the signal intensity of the received RSSI is substantially close to or greater than the recorded corresponding RSSI, the display module displays suggestion to conduct the mobile communication service at the predetermined location, otherwise the display module displays the next best communication location candidates recorded in the RSSI database as a further reference for selection.