Electronic device and method for searching for access point in local area network at electronic device

• US 10,045,278 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2014
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Cho, Sung-Rae, Kim, Tae-Yoon, Lim, Chae-Man, Lee, Jung-Woo
• Primary Examiner(s): Karikari, Kwasi
• Application Number:
  US15/324,976
• Publication Number:
  US 20170223607A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,490 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• 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: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A method for searching for an access point in a local area network at an electronic device, in accordance with various embodiments, comprises: an operation for determining the moving level of the electronic device; and an operation for deciding, in accordance with the determination result of the moving level of the electronic device, whether or not an access point in the local area network is searched for. Other embodiments are possible.

Claims

1. A method of searching for an access point of a local area network in an electronic device, the method comprising:

determining a moving level of the electronic device;

searching for an access point of the local area network according to a result of the determination on the moving level of the electronic device;

measuring an amount of change in signal strength of the access point; and

determining whether or not to access the access point according to the moving level of the electronic device and the amount of the change in the signal strength of the access point,

wherein the determining of the moving level of the electronic device comprises;

identifying the moving level of the electronic device by using position information of the electronic device, which is measured through at least one of a sensor or a GPS module in the electronic device, a Doppler frequency change of a serving cell of the electronic device, a change in a strength of a signal that is received from one or more nearby cells of the electronic device, a change in a strength of a signal that is received from a base station of a mobile communication network, or a change in the number of nearby cells of the electronic device; and

comparing the identified moving level with a first reference value to then determine that the moving level of the electronic device is high if the identified moving level is equal to, or more than, the first reference value and to then determine that the moving level of the electronic device is low if the identified moving level is less than the first reference value.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the searching for the access point of the local area network comprises:

identifying a change in the moving level of the electronic device while being connected to, or disconnected from, the access point; and

determining whether or not to search for the access point of the local area network according to the change in the moving level of the electronic device.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the identifying of the moving level of the electronic device by using the change in the strength of the signal that is received from one or more nearby cells of the electronic device comprises:

calculating a mean value of amounts of changes in strength of a reception signal that is received from a nearby cell of the electronic device for a specified period of time; and

identifying the moving level of the electronic device by using the calculated mean value.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising determining a signal strength change of the access point by comparing the amount of the change in the signal strength of the access point and a second reference value, and if the number of nearby cells of the electronic device is less than a specified number of nearby cells, identifying the moving level of the electronic device by using the strength of the reception signal that is received from the nearby cell of the electronic device and the signal strength change of the access point.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining whether or not to access the access point comprises:

identifying the access point that has the minimum signal strength change among discovered access points according to the amount of the change in the signal strength;

determining signal strength change of the identified access point to be high if the amount of the change in the signal strength of the identified access point is equal to, or more than, a second reference value, and determining signal strength change of the identified access point to be low if the amount of the change in the signal strength of the identified access point is less than the second reference value; and

determining whether or not to access the identified access point according to the moving level of the electronic device and the determined signal strength change of the identified access point.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the identifying of the access point that has the minimum signal strength change comprises:

calculating a mean value of amounts of changes in a strength of a reception signal that is received from the access point; and

determining an access point that has the minimum calculated mean value to be the access point having the minimum signal strength change.

7. An electronic device comprising:

a local area communication module that searches for one or more access points of a local area network and performs wireless local area communication;

a controller that determines a moving level of the electronic device, searches for an access point of the local area communication module according to a result of the determination on the moving level, measures an amount of change in signal strength of the access point, and determines whether or not to access the access point according to the moving level of the electronic device and the amount of the change in the signal strength of the access point; and

a mobile communication module that performs mobile communication,

wherein the controller;

identifies a Doppler frequency change of a serving cell of the electronic device, a change in a strength of a signal that is received from one or more nearby cells of the electronic device, a change in a strength of a signal that is received from a base station of the mobile communication network, or a change in the number of nearby cells of the electronic device by using a signal that is received through the mobile communication module;

identifies the moving level of the electronic device by using the identified change; and

compares the identified moving level with a first reference value to then determine that the moving level of the electronic device is high if the identified moving level is equal to, or more than, the first reference value and to then determine that the moving level of the electronic device is low if the identified moving level is less than the first reference value.

8. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the controller:

identifies a change in the moving level of the electronic device while being connected to, or disconnected from, the access point; and

determines whether or not to search for the access point according to the change in the moving level of the electronic device.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, further comprising a mobile communication module that performs mobile communication, wherein the controller:

by using a signal that is received through the mobile communication module, identifies the moving level of the electronic device by using the change in the strength of the signal that is received from the one or more nearby cells of the electronic device and the amount of the change in signal strength of the access point if the number of nearby cells of the electronic device is less than a specified number of nearby cells; and

compares the identified moving level with a first reference value to then determine that the moving level of the electronic device is high if the identified moving level is equal to, or more than, the first reference value and to then determine that the moving level of the electronic device is low if the identified moving level is less than the first reference value.

10. The electronic device of claim 8, further comprising a GPS module or a sensor that senses position of the electronic device, wherein the controller:

identifies the moving level of the electronic device by using the position of the electronic device that is sensed through at least one of the GPS module or the sensor; and

compares the identified moving level with a first reference value to then determine that the moving level of the electronic device is high if the identified moving level is equal to, or more than, the first reference value and to then determine that the moving level of the electronic device is low if the identified moving level is less than the first reference value.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the controller:

identifies the access point that has the minimum signal strength change among discovered access points according to the amount of the change in the signal strength;

determines signal strength change of the identified access point to be high if the amount of the change in the signal strength is equal to, or more than, a second reference value;

determines signal strength change of the identified access point to be low if the amount of the change in the signal strength is less than the second reference value; and

makes a control to access, or to not access, the identified access point through the local area communication module according to the moving level of the electronic device and the determined signal strength change of the identified access point.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the controller makes a control to access the identified access point through the local area communication module if the moving level of the electronic device is determined to be high or low, and if the signal strength change of the identified access point is determined to be low.

13. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the controller makes a control to not access the identified access point through the local area communication module if the moving level of the electronic device is determined to be high, and if the signal strength change of the identified access point is determined to be high.

14. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the controller makes a control to not access the identified access point through the local area communication module and controls the local area communication module to re-search for one or more accessible access points according to specified conditions if the moving level of the electronic device is determined to be low, and if the signal strength change of the identified access point is determined to be high.

15. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the controller determines to search for the access point through the local area communication module at least once according to specified conditions if it is identified that the moving level of the electronic device is changed from low to high, or if it is identified that the moving level of the electronic device is changed from high to low while being connected to the identified access point.

16. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the controller determines to search for the access point through the local area communication module at least once according to specified conditions if it is identified that the moving level of the electronic device is changed from low to low while being disconnected from the identified access point.

17. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the controller determines to search for the access point through the local area communication module at least once according to specified conditions if it is identified that the moving level of the electronic device is changed from low to high while being disconnected from the identified access point.

18. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the controller determines to not search for the access point through the local area communication module if it is identified that the moving level of the electronic device is changed from high to high while being disconnected from the identified access point.