Wi-fi process

• US 9,357,478 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2014
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Nagaraj, Suresh
• Primary Examiner(s): DOAN, PHUOC HUU
• Application Number:
  US14/449,972
• Publication Number:
  US 20140342733A1
• Time in Patent Office: 669 Days
• Field of Search: 455/432.1, 455/456.1, 455/434, 455/114.3, 455/67.7, 370/252, 702/94
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3805 with built-in auxiliary receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0245 according to signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method and apparatus for a wireless device that can adapt a rate of related wireless network unit scans for adjacent networks is disclosed. In one embodiment, the wireless device can include a wireless network unit and a co-located geo-location signal receiver, and a processor. The processor can determine the position and speed of the wireless device from data received from the geo-location signal receiver. The processor can configure the wireless network unit to adapt the rate of related wireless network scans based upon determined speed and position. In one embodiment, the wireless network unit scans can be wireless scans for other nearby networks for roaming or location based services.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

by a wireless device, performing operations for;

receiving location signals, the location signals indicating respective positions of the wireless device;

determining a change of position of the wireless device based at least in part on the location signals; and

altering a period of time between wireless network scans made by the wireless device based at least in part on the change of position of the wireless device, wherein the period of time between wireless network scans is increased when the change of position is less than a first amount.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the location signals comprises receiving the location signals in a geo-location signal receiver in the wireless device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein altering the period of time between wireless network scans made by the wireless device further comprises:

decreasing the period of time between wireless network scans when the change of position of the wireless device is more than a second amount.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless network scans comprise location scans.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless network scans comprise roam scans.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless network scans comprise scans based on an IEEE 802.11 specification.

7. A method, comprising:

by a wireless device, performing operations for;

receiving motion signals, the motion signals indicating respective motions of the wireless device;

determining a motion of the wireless device based at least in part on the motion signals; and

altering a period of time between wireless network scans made by the wireless device based at least in part on the motion of the wireless device, wherein the period of time between wireless network scans is increased when the motion is less than a first amount.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein receiving the motion signals comprises receiving the motion signals in at least one of a motion sensor and an acceleration sensor in the wireless device.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein altering the period of time between wireless network scans made by the wireless device further comprises:

decreasing the period of time between wireless network scans when the motion is more than a second amount.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the wireless network scans comprise scans based on an IEEE 802.11 specification.

11. A method, comprising:

by a wireless device, performing operations for;

receiving location signals, the location signals indicating respective positions of the wireless device;

determining a speed of the wireless device based at least in part on the location signals; and

altering a period of time between wireless network scans made by the wireless device based at least in part on the speed of the wireless device, wherein the period of time between wireless network scans is increased when the speed of the wireless device is less than a first speed.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein receiving the location signals comprises receiving the location signals in a geo-location signal receiver in the wireless device.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein altering the period of time between wireless network scans made by the wireless device further comprises:

decreasing the period of time between wireless network scans when the speed is more than a second speed.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the wireless network scans comprise scans based on an IEEE 802.11 specification.

15. A wireless device, comprising:

a network unit that performs operations for wireless network scans;

a geo-location signal receiver that performs operations for receiving location signals, the location signals indicating respective positions of the wireless device; and

a processor that performs operations for altering a period of time between wireless network scans performed by the network unit based at least in part on a change of position of the wireless device, wherein the period of time between wireless network scans is increased when the change of position is less than a first amount.

16. The wireless device of claim 15, wherein altering the period of time between wireless network scans made by the wireless device further comprises:

decreasing the period of time between wireless network scans when the change of position of the wireless device is more than a second amount.

17. The wireless device of claim 15, further comprising:

a motion sensor that performs operations for detecting motion of the wireless device;

wherein the processor further performs operations for altering the period of time between wireless network scans based at least in part on the detected motion.

18. The wireless device of claim 15, wherein the processor performs operations for:

determining a speed of the wireless device based at least in part on the location signals; and

altering the period of time between wireless network scans made by the wireless device based at least in part on the speed of the wireless device.

19. The wireless device of claim 15, wherein the wireless network scans comprise scans based on an IEEE 802.11 wireless specification.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by a wireless device, cause the wireless device to perform a method comprising:

receiving location signals, the location signals indicating respective positions of the wireless device;

determining a change of position of the wireless device based at least in part on the location signals; and

altering a period of time between wireless network scans made by the wireless device based at least in part on the change of position of the wireless device, wherein the period of time between wireless network scans is increased when the change of position is less than a first amount.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein altering the period of time between wireless network scans made by the wireless device comprises:

decreasing the period of time between wireless network scans when the change of position of the wireless device is more than a second amount.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises:

determining a speed of the wireless device based at least in part on the location signals; and

altering the period of time between wireless network scans made by the wireless device based at least in part on the speed of the wireless device.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving motion signals that indicate motion of the wireless device;

determining a motion of the wireless device based at least in part on the motion signals; and

altering the period of time between wireless network scans made by the wireless device based at least in part on the motion of the wireless device.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the wireless network scans comprise scans based on an IEEE 802.11 specification.