ENHANCED MOBILE NETWORK SYSTEM ACQUISITION USING SCANNING TRIGGERS

• US 20110069680A1
• Filed: 09/18/2009
• Published: 03/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Kassam, Ayaz S., Doherty, James, Krause, Kevin R., Yi, Ki Hak
• Granted Patent: US 8,908,561 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/332
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/142 over the same radio air interface technology
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A system and method for executing network acquisition employ a triggered scan for network acquisition regardless of the recorded optimal nature of the current network. In general, when one or more predefined conditions occur, a network scan is initiated to identify another network, if any, that is more optimal than the current network. Example trigger conditions include failed registration attempts, exceeding a predetermined distance threshold, entry to or exit from a pre-determined region, excess CDMA Chip delay, and others. Triggers may be used singly or in Boolean combinations. In this way, network scanning occurs when it may be beneficial, but will not be initiated too frequently or in situations where connectivity may not actually be suboptimal. This triggered scan provides improved connectivity, and can allow the device to make and receive calls in locations where it would otherwise not have been possible.

Claims

1. A method of providing improved network connectivity to a wireless device by identifying an alternative network to replace a current network, the device being associated with a PRL, the method comprising:

idling on the current network;

detecting the occurrence of a predetermined trigger condition;

based on the detecting of the predetermined trigger condition, initiating a scan of one or more alternative networks, the scan including at least network that is not listed in the PRL;

during the scan, identifying a best alternative network that supports a service level that is higher than the current network; and

disassociating from the current network and acquiring the best alternative network.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein detecting the occurrence of a predetermined trigger condition comprises detecting the occurrence of single predetermined event.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein detecting the occurrence of a predetermined trigger condition comprises detecting the occurrence of a plurality of predetermined events, the occurrence of all of which constitutes the predetermined trigger condition.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein detecting the occurrence of a predetermined trigger condition comprises detecting the occurrence of at least one of a plurality of predetermined events.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein detecting the occurrence of a predetermined trigger condition further comprises detecting the nonoccurrence of a predetermined blocking event.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined trigger condition includes one or more events selected from the group consisting of (1) reaching a predetermined distance from a base station, (2) reaching a predetermined distance from a site of an immediately prior acquisition task, (3) exiting from a predetermined geographical region, (4) detecting a CDMA chip delay greater than a pre-determined amount, (5) detecting a received signal strength less than a threshold value, (6) detecting an Ec/Io above a threshold value.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein reaching a predetermined distance from a base station includes comparing a current latitude/longitude with a base station latitude/longitude included in a sync message.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein reaching a predetermined distance from a site of an immediately prior acquisition task includes recording a latitude/longitude whereat the prior acquisition task was performed and comparing a current latitude/longitude to the recorded latitude/longitude.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein detecting the occurrence of a predetermined trigger condition includes determining that the predetermined trigger condition has occurred if, for a duration exceeding a threshold duration, the received signal strength is less than a predetermined signal value and the Ec/Io is above a predetermined noise value.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein detecting the occurrence of a predetermined trigger condition includes detecting satellite radio signal availability.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising placing a wireless call on the best alternative network that could not be placed on the current network.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a call on the best alternative network that could not be received on the current network.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the best alternative network is not listed in the PRL.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the best alternative network is listed in the PRL, but is associated with a lower priority in the PRL than the current network.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined trigger condition is user-selectable.

16. The method according to claim 6, wherein detecting a CDMA chip delay greater than a pre-determined amount includes detecting a predetermined chip delay exceeding about 100 μ

s.

17. The method according to claim 9, wherein the threshold duration is about 60 seconds and the predetermined signal value is about −

100 dbm.

18. The method according to claim 9, wherein the predetermined noise value is about 7.

19. A computer-readable medium having thereon computer-executable instructions for providing improved network connectivity to a wireless device by identifying an alternative network to replace a current network, the device being associated with a PRL, the computer-executable instructions comprising:

instructions for idling on the current network;

instructions for detecting the occurrence of a predetermined trigger condition;

instructions for initiating a scan of one or more alternative networks based on the detecting of the predetermined trigger condition, the scan including at least network that is not listed in the PRL;

instructions for identifying a best alternative network during the scan that supports a service level that is higher than the current network; and

instructions for disassociating from the current network and acquiring the best alternative network.

20. A vehicle-borne telematics unit for communicating over one or more wireless networks, the telematics unit comprising:

a processor for operating the telematics unit in accordance with computer-readable executable instructions; and

a computer-readable medium associated with the processor and having thereon computer-executable instructions for identifying an alternative network to replace a current network that was selected based on a PRL, the instructions including instructions for detecting the occurrence of a predetermined trigger condition and initiating a scan of one or more alternative networks, the scan including at least network that is not listed in the PRL, identifying a best alternative network that supports a service level higher than the current network, and disassociating from the current network and acquiring the best alternative network.