USER EQUIPMENT AND ACCESS METHOD THEREOF

• US 20120058763A1
• Filed: 11/15/2011
• Published: 03/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: ZHAO, Hongxia
• Granted Patent: US 8,489,099 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/434
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/32 by location or mobility data, e.g. speed data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/324 by mobility data, e.g. speed data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks

Abstract

In the field of wireless network communications, in order to solve a problem in the prior art that a user equipment (UE) cannot be handed over in time between a mobile access point (AP) and a fixed access point, a UE and an access method thereof are provided. The method includes the following steps. A relative speed between a UE and each access point is calculated. The access point is selected to establish a communication connection if the relative speed between the UE and the access point is smaller than a threshold speed. Therefore, a beneficial effect that the UE can be handed over in time between the mobile access point and the fixed access point is achieved.

Claims

1. A method for a user equipment (UE) to access a wireless network, comprising:

measuring a relative speed between the UE and each of a plurality of access points of the wireless network; and

selecting an access point among the plurality of access points, in which the relative speed between the UE and the access point is smaller than or equal to a threshold speed, to establish a communication connection between the UE and the access point.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein before measuring the relative speed between the UE and each of the plurality of the access points, the method further comprises:

receiving, by the UE, broadcast information of each of the plurality of access points, and acquiring the threshold speed from the broadcast information.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein before the measuring the relative speed between the UE and each of the plurality of the access points, the method further comprises:

storing a preset value as the threshold speed in the UE.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of access points comprises mobile access points, fixed access points, or both.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the measuring the relative speed between the UE and each of the plurality of access points comprises:

measuring, by the UE, a Doppler frequency shift of a signal sent by each of the plurality of access points, and obtaining the relative speed according to the Doppler frequency shift.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the measuring the relative speed between the UE and each of the plurality of access points comprises:

measuring, by the UE, the relative speed according to speed information collected by a global positioning system (GPS) of the UE and speed information collected by the GPS of each of the plurality of access points.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein if the relative speed between the UE and each of the plurality of access points is smaller than or equal to the threshold speed, the method further comprises:

selecting the access point having a maximum signal intensity from the plurality of access points to establish the communication connection.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein

if the relative speed between the UE and each access point is greater than the threshold speed, the method further comprises:

selecting, by the UE, a access point, in which the relative speed between the UE and the access point is the minimum, to establish the communication connection.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein if the UE and a serving access point are in a connected state, and the relative speed between the UE and the serving access point is greater than the threshold speed, selecting an access point to establish a communication connection comprises:

selecting, by the UE, a neighboring access point to hand over to from the serving access point if the relative speed between the UE and the neighboring access point is smaller than or equal to the threshold speed.

10. The method according to claim 9, if there are a plurality of neighboring access points, and the relative speed between the UE and each neighboring access point is smaller than or equal to the threshold speed, selecting a neighboring access point to hand over to from the serving access point comprises:

selecting, by the UE, a neighboring access point having a maximum signal intensity from the plurality of the neighboring access points to hand over to from the serving access point.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein if the relative speed between the UE and each access point is greater than the threshold speed, the UE is handed over from a serving access point to a neighboring access point by using a “

delay and margin”

method.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the “

delay and margin”

method comprises;

handing the UE over to the neighboring access point if the signal intensity of the neighboring access point is higher than the signal intensity of the serving access point and the signal intensity of the serving access point has reached an intensity threshold for a time period longer than a time threshold.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein if the UE and a serving access point are in a connected state, and the relative speed between the UE and the serving access point is smaller than or equal to the threshold speed, the UE is handed over from the serving access point to a neighboring access point by using a “

delay and margin”

method.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the “

delay and margin”

method comprises;

handing the UE over to the neighboring access point if the relative speed between the neighboring access point and the UE is smaller than or equal to the threshold speed, and the signal intensity of the neighboring access point is higher than the signal intensity of the serving access point and has reached an intensity threshold for a time period longer than a time threshold.

15. A user equipment (UE), comprising:

a measuring unit, configured to measure a relative speed between the UE and each of a plurality of access points; and

an access unit, configured to select an access point among the plurality of access points, in which the relative speed between the UE and the access point is smaller than or equal to a threshold speed, to establish a communication connection between the UE and the access point.

16. The UE according to claim 15, further comprising:

a memory, configured to store a preset value as the threshold speed.

17. The UE according to claim 15, further comprising:

a global positioning system (GPS) unit, configured to collect speed information of the UE, wherein the measuring unit is further configured to measure the relative speed according to the speed information collected by the GPS unit and speed information of each of the plurality of access points.

18. The UE according to claim 15, wherein if the UE and a serving access point are in a connected state, the access unit is further configured to:

hand over the UE from a serving access point to an access point if the relative speed between the UE and the access point is smaller than or equal to the threshold speed.

19. The UE according to claim 15, wherein the access unit is further configured to select the access point having a maximum signal intensity among the plurality of access points.

20. A computer program product comprising a readable storage medium storing program code thereon for use by a user equipment (UE), the program code comprising:

instructions for measuring a relative speed between the UE and each of a plurality of access points of the wireless network; and

instructions for selecting an access point among the plurality of access points, in which the relative speed between the UE and the access point is smaller than or equal to a threshold speed, to establish a communication connection between the UE and the access point.

21. The computer program product according to claim 20, wherein the instructions for measuring a relative speed between the UE and each of a plurality of access points of the wireless network comprises:

instructions for measuring a Doppler frequency shift of a signal sent by each of the plurality of access points, and

instructions for obtaining the relative speed according to the Doppler frequency shift.

22. The computer program product according to claim 20, wherein the instructions for measuring a relative speed between the UE and each of a plurality of access points of the wireless network comprising:

instructions for measuring the relative speed according to speed information collected by a global positioning system (GPS) of the UE and speed information collected by the GPS of each of the plurality of access points.

23. The computer program product according to claim 20, wherein if the relative speed between the UE and each access point is greater than the threshold speed, the program code further comprises:

instructions for selecting an access point, in which the relative speed between the UE and the access point is the minimum, to establish the communication connection, if the relative speed between the UE and each access point is greater than the threshold speed.

24. The computer program product according to claim 20, wherein if the UE and a serving access point are in a connected state, and the relative speed between the UE and the serving access point is greater than the threshold speed, the program code further comprises:

instructions for selecting a neighboring access point to hand over to from the serving access point if the relative speed between the UE and the neighboring is smaller than or equal to the threshold speed.