Wireless local area network access point search method, apparatus, and system

• US 9,699,714 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2015
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honor Device Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Luo, Haiyan, Deng, Tianle
• Primary Examiner(s): Abelson, Ronald B
• Application Number:
  US14/751,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20150296447A1
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 370338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The present application discloses a wireless local area network access point search method, an apparatus, and a system, relates to the field of communications technologies, and can reduce power consumption for passive scanning. According to the method, beacon sending information of a wireless local area network access point and measurement information of a user equipment are matched, so that the user equipment can search for the wireless local area network access point only at the time when and a frequency channel number at which the wireless local area network access point sends a beacon. Compared with the prior art in which a user equipment needs to continuously keep a state of searching for a wireless local area network access point, the present application greatly shortens time spent by the user equipment in listening to a beacon, and therefore reduces power consumption of passive scanning.

Claims

1. A wireless local area network access point search method, comprising:

acquiring, by a base station, measurement information, wherein the measurement information comprises at least one of;

search time information, or frequency information of a wireless local area network access point; and

sending, by the base station, the measurement information to a user equipment served by the base station, wherein the measurement information is used for the user equipment to search for the wireless local area network access point,

wherein the search time information comprises search duration, or comprises search duration and a search cycle.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the acquiring, by a base station, measurement information comprises:

acquiring, by the base station, beacon sending information of the wireless local area network access point, and determining the measurement information according to the beacon sending information;

or

configuring, by the base station, the measurement information for the user equipment;

or

receiving, by the base station, the measurement information sent by a network device, wherein the network device is configured to manage collaborative work between the base station and the wireless local area network access point.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the measurement information sent by the network device comprises:

measurement information configured for the user equipment by the network device, or measurement information that is of the user equipment and determined by the network device according to the beacon sending information of the wireless local area network access point.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the acquiring, by the base station, beacon sending information of the wireless local area network access point comprises:

configuring, by the base station, the beacon sending information for the wireless local area network access point;

or

receiving, by the base station, the beacon sending information sent by the wireless local area network access point;

or

receiving, by the base station, the beacon sending information sent by a network device.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the beacon sending information sent by the network device comprises:

beacon sending information sent by the wireless local area network access point to the network device, or beacon sending information configured for the wireless local area network access point by the network device.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the beacon sending information comprises beacon sending time information and the frequency information.

7. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

transparently transmitting, by the base station to the user equipment, the measurement information sent from the network device to the user equipment, wherein;

the measurement information transparently transmitted from the network device to the user equipment comprises;

the measurement information configured for the user equipment by the network device, or the measurement information that is of the user equipment and determined by the network device according to the beacon sending information of the wireless local area network access point.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

sending, by the base station, measurement indication information to the user equipment;

or

transparently transmitting, by the base station to the user equipment, measurement indication information sent from the network device to the user equipment, so that the user equipment that receives the measurement indication information searches for the wireless local area network access point according to the stored measurement information.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the measurement information further comprises identifier information of the wireless local area network access point.

10. A base station, comprising:

a base station processor, and a base station transmitter, wherein,

the base station processor is configured to acquire measurement information, wherein the measurement information comprises at least one of;

search time information, or frequency information of a wireless local area network access point;

the base station transmitter is configured to send the measurement information acquired by the base station processor to a user equipment, wherein the measurement information is used for the user equipment to search for a wireless local area network access point, and the user equipment is served by the base station,

wherein the search time information comprises search duration, or comprises search duration and a search cycle.

11. The base station according to claim 10, wherein the base station processor is configured to acquire beacon sending information of the wireless local area network access point, and determine the measurement information according to the beacon sending information;

or configured to configure the measurement information for the user equipment;

or configured to receive the measurement information sent by a network device, wherein the network device is configured to manage collaborative work between the base station and the wireless local area network access point.

12. The base station according to claim 11, wherein the measurement information sent by the network device comprises:

measurement information configured for the user equipment by the network device, or measurement information that is of the user equipment and determined by the network device according to the beacon sending information of the wireless local area network access point.

13. The base station according to claim 12, wherein the base station processor is further configured to configure the beacon sending information for the wireless local area network access point;

or further configured to receive the beacon sending information sent by the wireless local area network access point;

or further configured to receive the beacon sending information sent by the network device.

14. The base station according to claim 13, wherein the beacon sending information sent by the network device comprises:

beacon sending information sent by the wireless local area network access point to the network device, or beacon sending information configured for the wireless local area network access point by the network device.

15. The base station according to claim 14, wherein the base station transmitter is further configured to send the beacon sending information to the wireless local area network access point, so that the wireless local area network access point sends a beacon according to the beacon sending information.

16. The base station according to claim 15, wherein the base station transmitter is further configured to send the beacon sending information to the wireless local area network access point;

or configured to send the beacon sending information to the network device, and then the network device sends the beacon sending information to the wireless local area network access point.

17. The base station according to claim 13, wherein the beacon sending information comprises beacon sending time information and the frequency information.

18. The base station according to claim 11, wherein the base station transmitter is further configured to transparently transmit, to the user equipment, the measurement information sent from the network device to the user equipment, wherein:

the measurement information transparently transmitted from the network device to the user equipment comprises;

the measurement information configured for the user equipment by the network device, or the measurement information that is of the user equipment and determined by the network device according to the beacon sending information of the wireless local area network access point.

19. The base station according to claim 10, wherein the base station transmitter is further configured to send measurement indication information to the user equipment;

or further configured to transparently transmit, to the user equipment, measurement indication information sent from the network device to the user equipment, so that the user equipment that receives the measurement indication information searches for the wireless local area network access point according to the stored measurement information.