MOBILE COMMUNICATION APPARATUS, METHOD AND COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM THEREOF CAPABLE OF DETERMINING WHETHER TO KEEP SEARCHING FOR AVAILABLE BASE STATIONS

• US 20080200163A1
• Filed: 02/15/2007
• Published: 08/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Institute For Information Industry
• Original Assignee: Institute For Information Industry
• Inventors: Wu, Hung-Wei, Wang, Chien-Wen, Wu, Yao-Chuan, Tsai, Kun-Chan
• Application Number:
  US11/675,592
• Publication Number:
  US 20080200163A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/423
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A positioning module positions the location of the mobile communication apparatus. A determination module stores a map and determines whether the location of the mobile communication apparatus is within one of the effective communication ranges of the available base stations based on the map. A processing module ceases searching for the signals of available base stations if the location of the mobile communication apparatus is determined not to be within one of the effective communication ranges. A mobile communication apparatus can cease searching for the signals of available base stations if the mobile communication apparatus is not within one of the effective communication ranges of any available base stations or the search takes too much time. Therefore, power is saved.

Claims

1. A mobile communication apparatus, comprising:

a positioning module for positioning a location of the mobile communication apparatus;

a determination module for determining whether the location of the mobile communication apparatus is within one of effective communication ranges of available base stations; and

a processing module for ceasing searching signals of the available base stations if the location of the mobile communication apparatus is determined not within one of the effective communication ranges.

2. The mobile communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing module searches the signals of the available base stations if the location is determined within one of the effective communication ranges.

3. The mobile communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein after the processing module ceases searching the signals of the available base stations, the positioning module positions the location of the mobile communication apparatus, and the determination module determines whether the location of the mobile communication apparatus is within one of the effective communication ranges of the available base stations continuously.

4. The mobile communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a clock module for clocking a first predetermined time, wherein the determination module determines whether a time of searching the signals of available base stations is greater than the first predetermined time, and the determination module starts to perform the location determination operation if the time of searching the signals of the available base stations reaches the first predetermined time.

5. The mobile communication apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the processing module keeps searching the signals of the available base stations if the first predetermined time is determined greater than the time of searching the signals of the available base stations.

6. The mobile communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a clock module for clocking a second predetermined time if the location of the mobile communication apparatus is determined not within one of the effective communication ranges; and

an examination module for determining whether a user inputs an instruction during the second predetermined time;

wherein the processing module performs the ceasing operation if no instruction is inputted during the second predetermined time

7. The mobile communication apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the examination module further determines whether the instruction indicates to cease searching the signals of the available base stations if the instruction is inputted during the second predetermined time, and the processing module performs the ceasing operation if the instruction indicates to cease searching the signals of the available base stations.

8. The mobile communication apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the processing module keeps searching the signals of the available base stations if the instruction indicates not to cease searching the signals of the available base stations.

9. The mobile communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the determination module stores a map comprising information for locations of the available base stations and the effective communication ranges of base stations, and the determination module performs the location determination operation based on the map.

10. The mobile communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the positioning module positions the location based on one of Global Positioning System (GPS), Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), and Galileo Positioning System (GPS).

11. A mobile communication method, comprising the steps of:

positioning a location of a mobile communication apparatus;

determining whether the location of the mobile communication apparatus is within one of effective communication ranges of available base stations; and

ceasing searching signals of the available base stations if the location of the mobile communication apparatus is determined not within one of the effective communication ranges.

12. The mobile communication method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising the step of searching the signals of the available base stations if the location is determined within one of the effective communication ranges.

13. The mobile communication method as claimed in claim 11, wherein after the ceasing step is executed, the positioning step and the determining step are executed continuously.

14. The mobile communication method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

clocking a first predetermined time; and

determining whether a time of searching the signals of the available base stations is greater than the first predetermined time;

wherein the step of determining whether the location of the mobile communication apparatus is within one of effective communication ranges of available base stations is executed if the time of searching the signals of the available base stations reaches the first predetermined time.

15. The mobile communication method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising the step of keeping searching the signals of the available base stations if the first predetermined time is determined greater than the time of searching the signals of the available base stations.

16. The mobile communication method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

clocking a second predetermined time if the location of the mobile communication apparatus is determined not within one of the effective communication ranges; and

determining whether a user inputs an instruction during the second predetermined time;

wherein the ceasing step is executed if no the instruction is inputted during the second predetermined time.

17. The mobile communication method as claimed in claim 16, further comprising the steps of:

determining whether the instruction indicates to cease searching the signals of the available base stations if the instruction is inputted during the second predetermined time;

wherein the ceasing step is executed if the instruction indicates to cease searching the signals of the available base stations.

18. The mobile communication method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising the step of keeping searching the signals of the available base stations if the instruction indicates not to cease searching the signals of the available base stations.

19. The mobile communication method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising the step of storing a map comprising information for locations of the available base stations and the effective communication ranges of base stations, wherein the determining step is executed based on the map.

20. A computer readable medium storing a computer program having code for a mobile communication apparatus to execute a mobile communication method, the mobile communication method comprising the steps of:

positioning a location of the mobile communication apparatus;

determining whether the location of the mobile communication apparatus is within one of effective communication ranges of available base stations; and

ceasing searching signals of the available base stations if the location of the mobile communication apparatus is determined not within one of the effective communication ranges.

21. The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 20, wherein the method further comprises the step of searching the signals of the available base stations if the location is determined within one of the effective communication ranges.

22. The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 20, wherein after the ceasing step is executed, the positioning step and the determining step are executed continuously.

23. The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 20, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

clocking a first predetermined time; and

determining whether a time of searching the signals of the available base stations is greater than the first predetermined time;

wherein the step of determining whether the location of the mobile communication apparatus is within one of effective communication ranges of available base stations is executed if the time of searching the signals of the available base stations reaches the first predetermined time.

24. The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 23, wherein the method further comprises the step of keeping searching the signals of the available base stations if the first predetermined time is determined greater than the time of searching the signals of the available base stations.

25. The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 20, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

clocking a second predetermined time if the location of the mobile communication apparatus is determined not within one of the effective communication ranges; and

determining whether a user inputs an instruction during the second predetermined time;

wherein the ceasing step is executed if no instruction is inputted during the second predetermined time.

26. The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 25, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

determining whether the instruction indicates to cease searching the signals of the available base stations if the instruction is inputted during the second predetermined time;

wherein the ceasing step is executed if the instruction indicates to cease searching the signals of the available base stations.

27. The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 26, wherein the method further comprises the step of keeping searching the signals of the available base stations if the instruction indicates not to cease searching the signals of the available base stations.

28. The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 20, wherein the method further comprises the step of storing a map comprising information for locations of the available base stations and the effective communication ranges of base stations, and the determining step is executed based on the map.