Mobile terminal apparatus and system selecting method

• US 7,174,188 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2005
• Issued: 02/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Mobile Communications Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Ishikura, Akira, Kiyomoto, Moriaki, Sakagawa, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Duc M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CAI, WAYNE HUU
• Application Number:
  US11/218,621
• Publication Number:
  US 20060009220A1
• Time in Patent Office: 518 Days
• Field of Search: 455/552.1, 455/226.1, 455/67.11, 455/435.1, 455/435.2
• US Class Current: 455/552.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/04 using triggered events

Abstract

In a first standby state, the reception quality of a signal from a system which has established synchronization is detected. If the detected reception quality deteriorates to be less than a threshold value, the destination of synchronization establishment is changed from a first system to a second system. In a second standby state after this system change, the reception quality of a system having a higher priority order of selection than the second system which has established synchronization is detected. If a third system whose detected reception quality exceeds the threshold value is found, the destination of synchronization establishment is changed to this third system again. After that, the first standby state is returned.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal for connecting to a plurality of mobile communication systems, and wherein each mobile communication system corresponds to different communication standards, the mobile terminal comprising:

a memory configured to store priority information corresponding to the plurality of mobile communication systems;

a system acquiring section configured to acquire a first system from the plurality of mobile communication systems with reference to the priority information stored in the memory, and proceed to a standby state;

a first determination section configured to detect a first reception quality of a signal transmitted from the first system, and check whether the detected first reception quality satisfies a first condition;

a first reacquiring section configured to acquire, from the plurality of mobile communication systems, a second system whose reception quality satisfies a second condition if the first determination section determines that the first reception quality does not satisfy the first condition, and proceed to the standby state;

a second determination section configured to detect reception quality of a signal transmitted from at least one system having higher priority information than that of the second system, with reference to the priority information in the standby state, and check whether there is a third system whose reception quality satisfies a third condition; and

a second reacquiring section configured to acquire the third system satisfying the third condition if the second determination section determines that there is the third system whose reception quality satisfies the third condition, and proceed to the standby state.

2. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the first system and the third system acquired by the second reacquiring section are the same system.

3. A mobile terminal for connecting to a plurality of mobile communication systems, and wherein each mobile communication system corresponds to different communication standards, the mobile terminal comprising:

a memory configured to store priority information corresponding to the plurality of mobile communication systems;

a system acquiring section configured to select a first system from the plurality of mobile communication systems based upon the priority information stored in the memory, acquire a base station which belongs to the first system, and proceed to a standby state;

a first determination section configured to detect a first reception quality of a signal transmitted from the acquired base station in the standby state, and check whether the first reception quality satisfies a first condition;

a detection section configured to detect reception quality of a signal transmitted from a base station which belongs to a system, other than the first system, of the plurality of mobile communication systems in the standby state;

a first reacquiring section configured to select, from other mobile communication systems, a second system whose reception quality is higher than the first reception quality if the first determination section determines that the first reception quality does not satisfy the first condition, acquire a base station which belongs to the selected second system, and proceed to the standby state;

a second determination section configured to detect third reception quality of a signal from a base station belonging to a system having higher priority information than that of the second system with reference to the priority information and check whether there is a third system whose reception quality satisfies a second condition; and

a second reacquiring section configured to acquire a base station belonging to the third system if the second determination section detects that there is the third system, and proceed to the standby state.

4. The mobile terminal according to claim 3, wherein

the first determination section detects the first reception quality of the signal transmitted from the base station of the first system, and checks whether the detected reception quality falls below a first threshold;

and

the second determination section detects the third reception quality of the signal transmitted from the base station which belongs to the system having higher priority information than that of the second system, and checks whether the detected third reception quality exceeds a second threshold higher than the first threshold.

5. The mobile terminal according to claim 3, wherein the first and second determination sections detect, as the reception quality, the received field strength of a received signal and the ratio (Ec/Io) of the energy (Ec) of a signal received from a base station to be detected to the total energy (Io) of received signals, respectively, and compare the detected received field strength and the Ec/Io with different threshold to check whether both the received field strength and Ec/Io are not less than the threshold.

6. The mobile terminal according to claim 3, wherein the first determination section selects the second system if the first determination section determines that the detected reception quality fails to satisfy the first condition the predetermined number of times.

7. The mobile terminal according to claim 3, wherein the second determination section detects, a plurality of times, the reception quality of the signal from the base station belonging to the system having higher priority than that of the second system, and checks whether the third reception system satisfies the second condition the predetermined number of times.

8. A mobile terminal for connecting to a plurality of mobile communication systems, each mobile communication system corresponds to different communication standards, comprising:

a memory configured to store priority information corresponding to the plurality of mobile communication systems;

a system acquiring section configured to acquire a first system from the plurality of mobile communication systems with reference to the priority information stored in the memory, and proceed to a standby state;

a first determination section configured to detect a first reception quality of a signal transmitted from the first system, and check whether the detected first reception quality satisfies a first condition;

a first reacquiring section configured to acquire, from the plurality of mobile communication systems, a second system whose reception quality satisfies a second condition if the first determination section determines that the first reception quality does not satisfy the first condition, and proceed to the standby state;

a second determination section configured to detect reception quality of signals from systems having higher priority information than that of the second system in order with reference to the priority information in the standby state, and check whether there is a third system whose reception quality satisfies a third condition; and

a second reacquiring section configured to acquire the third system satisfying the third condition if the second determination section determines that there is the third system whose reception quality satisfies the third condition, and proceed to the standby state.

9. The mobile terminal according to claim 8, wherein the second determination section detects reception quality of signals from the systems in the order of descending priorities, with reference to the priority information and checks whether there is the third system whose reception quality satisfies the third condition, and stops the detection of the reception quality of signals, if there is the third system satisfying the third condition.

10. The mobile terminal according to claim 8, wherein the second determination section is activated at predetermined time intervals.