User equipment and access method thereof

• US 8,489,099 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2011
• Issued: 07/16/2013
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Doan, Kiet
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAM, DUNG LE
• Application Number:
  US13/296,235
• Publication Number:
  US 20120058763A1
• Time in Patent Office: 609 Days
• Field of Search: 455/441, 455/435.2, 455/437, 455/442, 455/443
• US Class Current: 455/441
• 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, wherein the wireless network comprises a plurality of access points and the UE is in communication with a serving access point, the method comprising:

measuring a Doppler frequency shift of a signal sent by each of the plurality of access points to obtain a relative speed between the UE and the each of the plurality of access points according to the Doppler frequency shift;

measuring a signal intensity of each of the plurality of access points;

when the relative speed between the UE and the serving access point is greater than a threshold speed, determining whether there is at least one non-serving access point the relative speed between which and the UE is smaller than or equal to the threshold speed; and

if there are one or more non-serving access points the relative speed between which and the UE is smaller than or equal to the threshold speed, and one non-serving access point having a maximum signal intensity is selected among the one or more non-serving access points for the serving access point to hand over the UE to, establishing a communication connection between the UE and the selected non-serving 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 comprise 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, 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.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein when the relative speed between the UE and the serving access point is greater than the threshold speed, and if the relative speed between the UE and each of the plurality of non-serving access points is also greater than the threshold speed, the UE is handed over from the serving access point to the selected non-serving access point by using a “

delay and margin”

method.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the “

delay and margin”

method is such that;

the UE is handed over to the selected non-serving access point if the signal intensity of the selected non-serving 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.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein if the relative speed between the UE and the serving access point is smaller than or equal to the threshold speed, and the signal intensity of the serving access point is lower than a intensity threshold, the UE is handed over from the serving access point to the selected non-serving access point by using a “

delay and margin”

method.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the “

delay and margin”

method is such that;

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

10. A user equipment (UE), wherein the UE is in communication with a serving access point of a wireless network, and the wireless network comprises a plurality of access points, the UE comprising:

a measuring unit, configured to measure a Doppler frequency shift of a signal sent by each of the plurality of access points to obtain a relative speed between the UE and the each of the plurality of access points according to the Doppler frequency shift and configured to measure a signal intensity of each of the plurality of access points; and

an access unit, configured to, when the relative speed between the UE and the serving access point is greater than a threshold speed, determine whether there is at least one non-serving access point the relative speed between which and the UE is smaller than or equal to the threshold speed; and

if there are one or more non-serving access points the relative speed between which and the UE is smaller than or equal to the threshold speed, and one non-serving access point having a maximum signal intensity is selected among the one or more non-serving access points for the serving access point to hand over the UE to, establish a communication connection between the UE and the selected non-serving access point.

11. The UE according to claim 10, further comprising:

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

12. The UE according to claim 10, 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 between the UE and each of the plurality of access points according to the speed information collected by the GPS unit and speed information of each of the plurality of access points.

13. A computer program product comprising a computer readable non-transitory storage medium storing program code thereon for use by a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE is in communication with a serving access point of a wireless network, and the wireless network comprises a plurality of access points, the program code comprising:

instructions for measuring a Doppler frequency shift of a signal sent by each of the plurality of access points to obtain a relative speed between the UE and the each of the plurality of access points according to the Doppler frequency shift;

instructions for measuring a signal intensity of each of the plurality of access points;

instructions for determining, when the relative speed between the UE and the serving access point is greater than a threshold speed, whether there is at least one non-serving access point the relative speed between which and the UE is smaller than or equal to the threshold speed; and

instructions for establishing a communication connection between the UE and a selected non-serving access point, if there are one or more non-serving access points the relative speed between which and the UE is smaller than or equal to the threshold speed and one non-serving access point having a maximum signal intensity is selected among the one or more non-serving access points for the serving access point to hand over the UE to.

14. The computer program product according to claim 13, wherein the instructions for measuring the relative speed between the UE and each of the 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.