ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND NETWORK ACCESSING METHOD THEREOF

• US 20110110521A1
• Filed: 11/03/2010
• Published: 05/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: YUN, Hyun-kyu, LEE, Moo-hyun, SHIM, Seung-seop, YANG, Geun-sam
• Application Number:
  US12/938,478
• Publication Number:
  US 20110110521A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/270
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point

Abstract

Disclosed are an electronic device enabling wireless networking through a wireless network and a network accessing method thereof, the electronic device including: a communicating unit which accesses the wireless network to perform wireless networking; an encoding unit which encodes a signal transmitted from or received by the communicating unit; and a controller which controls the encoding unit to encode identification information of the electronic device, in response to the electronic device being powered on, and controls the communicating unit to initiate an access to the wireless network based on the identification information encoded by the encoding unit. Accordingly, an automatic access to the wireless network is initiated when the electronic device is powered on, without any special manipulation by the user, thereby enhancing convenience to the user.

Claims

1. An electronic device enabling wireless networking through a wireless network, the electronic device comprising:

a communicating unit which performs wireless communication through a relay relaying communication in the wireless network; and

a controller which ascertains whether the electronic device is powered on, receives a relay signal from the relay if the electronic device is powered on, and controls the communicating unit to initiate an access to the wireless network based on the received relay signal.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising an encoding unit which encodes a signal transmitted from or received by the communicating unit,

wherein the controller controls the encoding unit to encode identification information of the electronic device if the relay signal is received through the communicating unit, and controls the communicating unit to transmit the encoded identification information to the relay.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the encoding unit encodes the identification information based on at least one coding method selected from among a plurality coding methods.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the encoding unit repeats selection of one coding method from among the plurality coding methods on a predetermined cycle.

5. The electronic device of claim 2, further comprising an encrypting unit which performs encryption,

wherein the controller controls the encrypting unit to encrypt the identification information encoded by the encoding unit.

6. The electronic device of claim 2, further comprising a signal generating unit which generates a signal having a received signal strength indication (RSSI) pattern,

wherein the controller controls the communicating unit to transmit the signal having the generated RSSI pattern.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the controller controls the signal generating unit to generate the encoded identification information as the signal having the RSSI pattern.

8. The electronic device of claim 6, further comprising an encrypting unit which performs encryption,

wherein the controller controls the encrypting unit to encrypt the identification information encoded by the encoding unit, and controls the signal generating unit to generate the encoded and encrypted identification information as the signal having the RSSI pattern.

9. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the signal generating unit generates the signal having the RSSI pattern as a signal having a cycle in microseconds.

10. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein:

the relay signal comprises a signal having a received signal strength indication (RSSI) pattern; and

the controller determines whether an RSSI strength of the received relay signal is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold value, and designates the relay that transmits the relay signal as a device for initiating the access to the wireless network if the RSSI strength is determined to be greater than or equal to the threshold value.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the relay signal comprises a beacon signal transmitted from the relay or a probe response signal transmitted from the relay in response to a probe request signal transmitted by the communicating unit.

12. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the relay signal comprises a data frame comprising recognition information for allowing the electronic device to initiate an access to the wireless network.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the recognition information comprises at least one of information about presence of the recognition information, information about a vendor of the electronic device, product information of the electronic device, and information about integrity of the recognition information.

14. The electronic device of claim 12, further comprising a second signal generating unit which generates an association request signal,

wherein the controller ascertains an integrity of the relay signal and controls the communicating unit to transmit the association request signal generated by the second signal generating unit to the relay if the relay signal has a sufficient integrity according to the ascertaining.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, further comprising an encrypting unit which performs encryption,

wherein the controller controls the encrypting unit to encrypt identification information used in joining the wireless network, and controls the second signal generating unit to generate an association request signal comprising the encrypted identification information.

16. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the controller controls the second signal generating unit to generate an association request signal comprising information about an integrity of the encrypted identification information.

17. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the controller controls the communicating unit to initiate an access to the wireless network through the relay if an association response signal is received from the relay corresponding to the transmitted association request signal.

18. A wireless network accessing method of an electronic device enabling wireless networking through a wireless network, the method comprising:

ascertaining whether the electronic device is powered on; and

controlling a communicating unit of the electronic device, which performs wireless communication through a relay relaying communication in the wireless network, to receive a relay signal from the relay if the electronic device is powered on and to initiate an access to the wireless network based on the received relay signal.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising

encoding, by an encoding unit, identification information of the electronic device;

and

transmitting the encoded identification information to the relay through the communicating unit.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the encoding comprises encoding the identification information based on one selected method from among a plurality of coding methods.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the encoding comprises repeating selection of the coding method on a predetermined cycle.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising encrypting the encoded identification information.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising generating a signal having a received signal strength indication (RSSI) pattern.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the generating the signal comprises generating the encoded identification information as the signal having the RSSI pattern.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising encrypting the encoded identification information,

wherein the generating the signal comprises generating the encoded and encrypted identification information as the signal having the RSSI pattern.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the signal having the RSSI pattern has a cycle in microseconds.

27. The method of claim 18, wherein:

the relay signal comprises a signal having the RSSI pattern; and

the controlling the communicating unit to initiate the access to the wireless network comprises;

determining whether an RSSI strength of the received relay signal is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold value; and

designating the relay that transmits the relay signal as a device for initiating the access to the wireless network if the RSSI strength is greater than or equal to the threshold value according to the determining.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the relay signal comprises a beacon signal transmitted from the relay or a probe response signal transmitted from the relay in response to a probe request signal transmitted by the communicating unit.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the relay signal comprises a data frame comprising recognition information for allowing the electronic device to initiate an access to wireless network.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the recognition information comprises at least one of information about presence of the recognition information, information about a vendor of the electronic device, product information of the electronic device, and information about integrity of the recognition information.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the designating the relay as the device for initiating the access comprises:

ascertaining an integrity of the relay signal; and

generating an association request signal and transmitting the generated association request signal to the relay through the communicating unit if the relay signal has a sufficient integrity according to the ascertaining

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the generating the association request signal comprises:

encrypting, by an encrypting unit of the electronic device, identification information used in joining the wireless network; and

generating an association request signal comprising the encrypted identification information.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the generating the association request signal comprises generating an association request signal comprising integrity information about the encrypted identification information.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the controlling the communicating unit to initiate the access to the wireless network further comprises initiating the access to the wireless network through the relay if an association response signal is received from the relay corresponding to the transmitted association request signal.