METHOD, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEM FOR CONNECTING A MOBILE CLIENT TO WIRELESS NETWORKS

• US 20110299422A1
• Filed: 06/03/2010
• Published: 12/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deutsche Telekom AG
• Original Assignee: Deutsche Telekom AG
• Inventors: KIM, Kyu-Han, SINGH, Jatinder Pal, GUPTA, Dhruv, MIN, Alexander
• Granted Patent: US 8,427,942 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/253
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method for connecting a mobile client to a wireless network includes periodically triggering an access point scanning process so as to monitor an access point density of a wireless network. A frequency of the triggering is adjusted in response to a change in the access point density.

Claims

1. A method for providing a mobile client with a wireless connection, the method comprising:

periodically triggering an access point scanning process so as to monitor an access point density of a wireless network; and

adjusting a frequency of the triggering in response to a change in the access point density.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

decreasing the frequency of the triggering in response to a decrease in the access point density.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

increasing the frequency of the triggering in response to an increase in the access point density.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring at least one movement of the mobile client; and

adjusting the frequency of the triggering in response to the at least one movement of the mobile client.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining a speed of the at least one movement of the mobile client; and

increasing the frequency of the triggering in response to an increase in the speed.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

decreasing the frequency of the triggering in response to a decrease in the speed.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the movement of the mobile client is detected by an accelerometer disposed in the mobile client.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting one or more access points within a region in which the mobile client resides;

monitoring at least a link quality and a load characteristic of the wireless network; and

selecting an access point from the detected one or more access points for connecting the mobile client to the wireless network in response to at least the link quality and the load characteristic of the wireless network.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the wireless network is a wireless mesh network including a plurality of access points, wherein another network entity is connected to one of the plurality of access points, and wherein each of the detected one or more access points is associated with a path connecting the respective access point and the another network entity through the wireless mesh network, each path having one or more nodes selected from the plurality of access points;

the method further comprising;

determining a connection quality and a load characteristic of each path through the wireless mesh network associated with each of the detected one or more access point;

selecting the access point in accordance with the connection qualities and the load characteristics of the paths.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

ranking the detected one or more access points based on the connection qualities and the load characteristics of their associated paths through the wireless mesh network; and

selecting the access point in accordance with the ranks.

11. A computer readable medium having computer readable codes stored thereon, when executed by one or more digital processors, instructing the one or more digital process to providing a mobile client with a wireless connection, the computer readable codes including:

instructions for periodically triggering an access point scanning process so as to monitor an access point density of a wireless network; and

instructions for adjusting a frequency of the triggering in response to a change in the access point density.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, the computer codes further comprising:

instructions for monitoring at least one movement of the mobile client; and

instructions for adjusting the frequency of the triggering in response to a change in the at least one movement of the mobile client.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 12, the computer codes further comprising:

instructions for receiving motion signals from an accelerometer disposed in the mobile client; and

instructions for determine at least one movement of the mobile client from the motion signals.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 11, the computer codes further comprising:

instructions for detecting one or more access points within a region in which the mobile client resides;

instructions for measuring at least a link quality and a load characteristic of the wireless network; and

instructions for selecting one of the detected one or more access points to connect the mobile client to the wireless network in accordance with at least the link quality and the load characteristic of the wireless network so as to maximize an end-to-end performance of the wireless connection.

15. A mobile client for connecting to a wireless network through one or more access points, comprising:

a scanning module configured to periodically trigger an access point scanning process so as to monitor an access point density of the wireless network; and

an adjustment module configured to adjust a frequency of the triggering in response to a change in the access point density.

16. The mobile client of claim 15, further comprising:

a sensor configured to generate motion signals indicative of at least one movements of the mobile client; and

a mobility monitor configured to monitor the at least one movements of the mobile client through the motion signals,

wherein the adjustment module is further configured to adjust the frequency of the triggering in response to a change in the at least one movements of the mobile client.

17. The mobile client of claim 15, further comprising an association module configured to monitor at least a link quality and a load characteristic of the wireless network and select an access point to connect the mobile client to the wireless network in accordance with at least the link quality and the load characteristic of the wireless network so as to maximize an end-to-end performance of a wireless connection.

18. The mobile client of claim 16, wherein the scanning module is further configured to monitor a received signal strength of wireless signals received by the mobile client,

the mobile client further comprising:

a migration module configured to migrate of the mobile client from a first access point to a second access point in response to at least one of the change in the movement of the mobile client, the change in the access point density, and a change in the received signal strength.

19. A system for providing a mobile client with a wireless connection to a wireless network, the system comprising;

a plurality of access points distributed within the wireless network; and

a mobile client configured to periodically trigger an access point scanning process so as to monitor an access point density within a region in which the mobile client resides, the mobile client further configured to adjust a frequency of the triggering in response to a change in the access point density.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the mobile client is configured to monitor at least one movements of the mobile client and configured to adjust the frequency of the triggering in response to a change in the movement of the mobile client.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein each of the plurality of access point is configured to measure at least a link quality and a load characteristic of the wireless network and configured to transmit the measurements indicative of the link quality and the load characteristic to the mobile client.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the mobile client is configured to receive the measurements of the link quality and the load characteristic, and when the mobile client detects one or more access points of the wireless network, the mobile client is configured to select one of the detected one or more access points in accordance with the measurements of the link quality and the load characteristic of the wireless network so as to maximize an end-to-end performance of the wireless connection.