Wireless communication terminal and radio communication method

• US 20060105765A1
• Filed: 09/11/2003
• Published: 05/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Matsui, Yasunori, Sakao, Katsutoshi, Kimata, Hirokatsu
• Granted Patent: US 7,542,718 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/428
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1027 assessing signal quality or detecting noise/interference for the received signal

Abstract

A wireless communication terminal is disclosed which has mass data such as stream data delivered thereto efficiently over a wireless communication network so that the overall utilization efficiency of the network is improved as well. While a wireless communication terminal (100) is receiving stream data for its use, a main controller (120) checks a radio wave reception level LB coming from a receiver unit (103) in the terminal. If the reception level is found to drop below a predetermined level, the main controller (100) causes a frequency synthesizer (105) to control reception frequencies fed to the receiver unit (103) so as to receive radio waves from a plurality of base stations in the vicinity. A search is thus made for a base station which offers a radio wave reception level higher than the predetermined level and which is delivering the stream data in question, and that base station is selected preferentially.

Claims

1. A wireless communication terminal comprising:

selecting means for selecting a base station with which to communicate;

detecting means for detecting a radio wave reception level of the base station selected by said selecting means;

determining means for determining whether said base station selected by said selecting means is delivering predetermined data;

switchover controlling means which, if the detected radio wave reception level from said detecting means drops below a predetermined level, then causes said selecting means to switch to other base stations consecutively for communication while checking each base station selected for the radio wave reception level thereof and for availability of said predetermined data to be delivered therefrom; and

selection controlling means which, if the detected radio wave reception level from said detecting means drops below said predetermined level during reception of said predetermined data, then causes said selecting means preferentially to select a base station which is delivering said predetermined data and which offers a radio wave reception level higher than said predetermined level, based on the radio wave reception level of each base station selected and on the availability of said predetermined data to be delivered therefrom.

2. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined data includes at least any of video and audio data and other mass data being delivered continuously via said base stations.

3. A wireless communication method for causing predetermined data to be delivered via base stations, said wireless communication method comprising the steps of:

if a radio wave reception level of one of said base station drops below a predetermined level, then switching to other base stations consecutively for communication while checking each base station selected for the radio wave reception level thereof and for availability of said predetermined data to be delivered therefrom; and

selecting preferentially a base station which is delivering said predetermined data and which offers a radio wave reception level higher than said predetermined level, based on the radio wave reception level of each base station selected and on the availability of said predetermined data to be delivered therefrom.

4. The wireless communication method according to claim 3, wherein said predetermined data includes at least any of video and audio data and other mass data being delivered continuously via said base stations.