Method for selecting base station

• US 20060234756A1
• Filed: 01/11/2006
• Published: 10/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Ogino, Atsushi, Yamasaki, Ryota, Takikawa, Kumiko, Uta, Takaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,509,139 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/525
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point

Abstract

When one base station to which a terminal is to connect is determined from a plurality of base stations in a wireless communication system, the best base station is selected according to the communication quality or the content of communication services. In the wireless communication system, the plurality of base stations are classified into a plurality of groups. Indexes of communication quality between the base stations and the terminal are obtained and, for each group, the characterizing quantities of the indexes of communication quality are calculated. The base station group with which the terminal is to communicate is specified based on the characterizing quantities. One of the base stations in the specified group is determined as a communication destination base station.

Claims

1. A connection control method for selecting one base station, to which a terminal is to connect, from a plurality of base stations in a wireless communication system, said connection control method comprising:

a first step of obtaining an index of communication quality between the terminal and the base stations for each of said plurality of base stations wherein, said plurality of base stations being classified into a plurality of groups;

a second step of calculating characterizing quantities of the communication quality for each of the groups; and

a third step of specifying one of the plurality of groups based on the charactering quantities and selecting one of base stations, which belong to the specified group, as a connection destination base station of said terminal.

2. The connection control method according to claim 1

wherein, in said second step, said terminal receives wireless signals from said base stations, measures received powers, adds up the received powers for each of the groups, and determines a result of the addition as the charactering quantities of the communication quality and

in said third step, said terminal specifies a group whose charactering quantities are a maximum or larger than a threshold and selects a base station, which belongs to the specified group, as the connection destination base station of said terminal.

3. The connection control method according to claim 1 wherein, when said terminal receives wireless signals from said base stations, said terminal obtains received powers, calculates an average of the received powers for each of said plurality of groups using a number of base stations, determines the average as the charactering quantities of the communication quality, specifies a group whose charactering quantities are a maximum or larger than a threshold, and selects a base station, which belongs to the specified group, as the connection destination base station of said terminal.

4. The connection control method according to claim 1

wherein, in said second step, said terminal receives wireless signals from said base stations, obtains bit rates at which data can be sent, adds up the bit rates for each of the groups, and determines a result of the addition as the charactering quantities of the communication quality and

in said third step, said terminal specifies a group whose charactering quantities are a maximum or larger than a threshold and selects a base station, which belongs to the specified group, as the connection destination base station of said terminal.

5. The connection control method according to claim 1

wherein, in said second step, said terminal receives wireless signals from said base stations, obtains SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio) values of the received signals, adds up the SNR values for each of said plurality of groups, and determines a result of the addition as the charactering quantities of the communication quality and

in said third step, said terminal specifies a group whose charactering quantities are a maximum or larger than a threshold and selects a base station, which belongs to the specified group, as the connection destination base station of said terminal.

6. The connection control method according to claim 1 wherein a base station, to which said terminal is to connect, is determined for each group in advance and the determined base station is selected from the base stations, which belong to the specified group, as the connection destination base station of said terminal.

7. The connection control method according to claim 1 wherein a base station, from which a strongest received power is obtained, is selected from the base stations, which belong to the specified group, as the connection destination base station of said terminal.

8. The connection control method according to claim 1 wherein a base station, from which a highest communication bit rate is obtained, is selected from the base stations, which belong to the specified group, as the connection destination base station of said terminal.

9. The connection control method according to claim 1 wherein a base station, from which a highest SNR value is obtained, is selected from the base stations, which belong to the specified group, as the connection destination base station of said terminal.

10. A terminal positioning method for detecting the position of a terminal using times at which a signal, which is sent and received between a base station and said terminal, are received by a plurality of base stations, said base station being selected and connected by the method according to claim 1.

11. A wireless terminal for selecting a connection destination base station from a plurality of base stations in a wireless communication system, comprising:

a storage unit in which group information generated by classifying the plurality of base stations into groups; and

a control unit that obtains an index of communication quality between the wireless terminal and the base stations for each of said plurality of base stations, calculates-characterizing quantities of the communication quality for each of the stored groups, specifies one of the plurality of groups based on the charactering quantities, and selects one of base stations, which belong to the specified group, as the connection destination base station.

12. The wireless terminal according to claim 11, further comprising a wireless communication module for measuring a received power or an SNR value, sent from each of the base stations, as the characterizing quantities.

13. The wireless terminal according to claim 11

wherein said control unit detects a bit rate between said wireless terminal and each of the base stations as the characterizing quantities.

14. The wireless terminal according to claim 11,

wherein said wireless terminal sends and receives a wireless signal, which is used for detecting a position using propagation time differences of the signal, to and from the connection destination base station.

15. A wireless communication system in which a terminal has means for selecting one base station from a plurality of base stations with which the terminal is to wirelessly communicate, said wireless communication system comprising:

a plurality of wireless base stations classified into a plurality of groups; and

a wireless terminal to be connected to one of said plurality of wireless base stations,

wherein an index of communication quality between said wireless terminal and the wireless base stations is obtained for each of said base stations, characterizing quantities of the communication quality are calculated for each of the groups, one of the plurality of groups is specified based on the characterizing quantities, and one of the wireless base stations of the specified group is selected as a connection destination base station of the wireless terminal.

16. The wireless communication system according to claim 15

wherein the position of said wireless terminal is calculated using times at which a wireless signal, which is sent and received between said connection destination base station and said wireless terminal, is received by other wireless terminals.