APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SELECTING COMMUNICATION NETWORK

• US 20130157711A1
• Filed: 07/27/2012
• Published: 06/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: LEE, Jeong-Woo, LEE, Shin-Kyung, KWON, Oh-Cheon, YUN, Doo-Seop
• Granted Patent: US 9,161,297 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/525
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an apparatus and method for selecting a communication network. The apparatus for selecting a communication network includes an information management unit for generating context-aware profile information based on communication situations of an area in which a vehicle is located and information which is set by a driver, and a communication network selection unit for selecting an optimal communication network in the area in which the vehicle is located, based on the context-aware profile information.

Claims

1. An apparatus for selecting a communication network, comprising:

an information management unit for generating context-aware profile information based on communication situations of an area in which a vehicle is located and information which is set by a driver; and

a communication network selection unit for selecting an optimal communication network in the area in which the vehicle is located, based on the context-aware profile information.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication network selection unit comprises:

a connection setup verification unit for verifying a connection method selected by the driver of the vehicle based on the context-aware profile information; and

a communication network determination unit for selecting the optimal communication network either using a recommended connection depending on a result of the verification by the connection setup verification unit or based on priorities set by the driver.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the information management unit is configured to calculate weights for respective recommended connection parameters selected based on the context-aware profile information by using relative comparison of an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique, generate ranking scores of communication networks for each of the recommended connection parameters, and store the ranking scores in a parameter-based ranking score table.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the communication network determination unit is configured to, if the recommended connection has been set up, select the optimal communication network using both the context-aware profile information and the parameter-based ranking score table.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the communication network determination unit is configured to determine ranking scores of each communication network for the recommended connection parameters using the parameter-based ranking score table, add resulting values obtained by multiplying corresponding weights by the ranking scores, calculate a final network score for each communication network, and select a communication network having a highest score, from among final network scores for respective communication networks, as the optimal communication network.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the communication network determination unit is configured to, if a priority connection has been set up, check available communication networks based on the context-aware profile information, and select a communication network having a highest priority, from among the available communication networks, as the optimal communication network.

7. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the communication network determination unit is configured to, if a connection to the optimal communication network has failed, increase a number of connection failures, exclude the communication network for which the connection was attempted, and select a next available communication network as the optimal communication network.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the context-aware profile information comprises connection setup-related information, network status information, location information, and history information.

9. A method of selecting a communication network, comprising:

generating context-aware profile information, based on communication situations of an area in which a vehicle is located and information which is set by a driver;

verifying a communication network connection method set by the driver using the context-aware profile information; and

selecting an optimal communication network in the area in which the vehicle is located, based on the communication network connection method set by the driver.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the selecting the optimal communication network comprises:

determining whether automatic connection mode or manual connection mode has been set using the context-aware profile information; and

if it is determined that the automatic connection mode has been set, determining whether a recommended connection or a priority connection has been set up.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

calculating weights for respective recommended connection parameters selected based on the context-aware profile information, using relative comparison of an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique; and

generate ranking scores of communication networks for each of the recommended connection parameters, and store the ranking scores in a parameter-based ranking score table.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the selecting the optimal communication network selects the optimal communication network using both the context-aware profile information and the parameter-based ranking score table.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the selecting the optimal communication network comprises:

determining ranking scores of each communication network for the recommended connection parameters using the parameter-based ranking score table;

adding resulting values obtained by multiplying corresponding weights by the ranking scores, thus calculating a final network score for each communication network; and

selecting a communication network having a highest score, from among final network scores for respective communication networks, as the optimal communication network.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the selecting the optimal communication network comprises:

if the priority connection has been set up, checking supportable communication networks based on the context-aware profile information;

detecting available communication networks having available signal strengths from the supportable communication networks; and

selecting a communication network having a highest priority, from among the available communication networks, as the optimal communication network.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the selecting the optimal communication network comprises:

if a connection to the optimal communication network has failed, increasing a number of connection failures;

determining whether the number of connection failures exceeds a preset value; and

if it is determined that the number of connection failures does not exceed the preset value, selecting a next available communication network except the communication network for which the connection has failed, as the optimal communication network.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the context-aware profile information comprises connection setup-related information, network status information, location information, and history information.