Method for selecting communication network by wireless terminal

• US 20070201394A1
• Filed: 02/08/2007
• Published: 08/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Chung, In-Oh, Chung, Jae-Pil, Nam, Sang-Jun, Jeon, Cheol-Yong
• Granted Patent: US 7,826,843 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/318
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for selecting a communication network by a wireless terminal, the method including receiving a signal having a predetermined reception power level from one or more communication networks, and calculating a guaranteed data rate of each of said one or more communication networks by using the predetermined reception power level of the signal; comparing the calculated guaranteed datarate with a minimum guaranteed datarate; and calculating a selection factor value of each of said one or more communication networks by using the guaranteed datarate when all guaranteed datarate of said one or more communication networks are equal to or greater than the minimum guaranteed datarate, and selecting a communication network having a lowest selection factor value.

Claims

1. A method for selecting a communication network by a wireless terminal, comprising the steps of:

receiving a signal having a predetermined reception power level from one or more communication networks, and calculating a guaranteed data rate of each of said one or more communication networks by using the predetermined reception power level of the signal;

comparing the calculated guaranteed datarate with a minimum guaranteed datarate; and

calculating a selection factor value of each of said one or more communication networks by using the guaranteed datarate when all guaranteed datarates of said one or more communication networks are equal to or greater than the minimum guaranteed datarate, and selecting a communication network having a lowest selection factor value.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising selecting a specific communication network when only the guaranteed datarate of the specific communication network of the guaranteed datarates of said one or more communication networks is equal to or greater than the minimum guaranteed data-rate.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the guaranteed datarate is calculated by:

Q(i)=D max(i)/(Dreq×

CBW(i))

where “

Q(i)”

represents a data-rate guarantee rate when an i^th network is used, “

Dmax(i)”

represents a maximum data rate which can be supported in the i^th network, “

Dreq (required data rate)”

represents a data rate required by the user, and “

CBW (critical bandwidth) (i)”

represents a minimum satisfaction rate at which the user starts to be satisfied in the i^th network.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the selection factor value of said one or more communication networks is calculated by:

S(i)=Q(i)×

COSTi

where “

S(i)”

represents a selection factor of an i^th network, “

Q(i)”

represents a guaranteed datarate when the i^th network is used, and “

COSTi”

represents an average cost per packet when the i^th network is used.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising setting the selected communication network as a communication network to which the wireless terminal will access.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said one or more communication networks include a mobile communication network and a wireless local area network (WLAN).

7. A method for selecting a communication network by a wireless terminal, comprising the steps of:

receiving signals having predetermined reception power levels from a mobile communication network and a wireless local area network (WLAN), and calculating guaranteed datarates of the mobile communication network and the WLAN by using the predetermined reception power levels of the signals;

comparing the calculated guaranteed datarates with a minimum guaranteed datarate;

calculating selection factor values of the mobile communication network and the WLAN by using the guaranteed datarates, when it is determined as a result of the comparison that the guaranteed datarate of the mobile communication network and the WLAN are equal to or greater than the minimum guaranteed datarate; and

selecting one communication network having a lower selection factor value based on a result of the selection factor value calculation, and setting the one communication network as a communication network to which the wireless terminal will access.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, further comprising:

selecting the WLAN when it is determined as a result of the comparison that only the guaranteed datarate of the WLAN of the guaranteed datarates of the two networks is equal to or greater than the minimum guaranteed datarate;

selecting the mobile communication network when it is determined as a result of the comparison that only the guaranteed datarate of the mobile communication network is equal to or greater than the minimum guaranteed datarate; and

waiting for the reception power signal to be received again when it is determined as a result of the comparison that the guaranteed datarates of the mobile communication network and the WLAN are less than the minimum guaranteed datarate.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the guaranteed datarate is calculated by

Q(i)=D max(i)/(Dreq×

CBW(i))

where “

Q(i)”

represents a guaranteed datarate when an i^th network is used, “

Dmax(i)”

represents a maximum guaranteed data rate which can be supported in the i^th network, “

Dreq (required data rate)”

represents a data rate required by a user, and “

CBW (critical bandwidth) (i)”

represents a minimum satisfaction rate at which the user starts to be satisfied in the i^th network.

10. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the selection factor values of the communication networks are calculated by

S(i)=Q(i)×

COSTi

where “

S(i)”

represents a selection factor of an i^th network, “

Q(i)”

represents a guaranteed data-rate when the i^th network is used, and “

COSTi”

represents an average cost per packet when the i^th network is used.