Changing period to monitor arrival of beacon signal based on determination as to whether there is a high connection probability

• US 8,085,699 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2007
• Issued: 12/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Omori, Yoshiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): SINKANTARAKORN, PAWARIS
• Application Number:
  US12/278,873
• Publication Number:
  US 20100232301A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,757 Days
• Field of Search: 370/311, 370328-332, 370/338, 455436-443
• US Class Current: 370/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information

Abstract

A mobile communication terminal 10 receives “HCS_PRIO” of a notice data (System Information Block Type 3) of a base station 1 or 3, and determines whether the terminal 10 is present “indoor” and is in “a stationary state or a state moving at a low speed” based on the receiving result. Since there is a high possibility that the terminal 10 is connectable with a wireless LAN when the terminal 10 is present “indoor” and is in “a stationary state or a state moving at a low speed”, the terminal 10 sets a period for monitoring arrival of a beacon signal.

Claims

1. A mobile communication terminal which can communicate with a first base station, a second base station which is present within a service area of said first base station, and has a service area which is smaller than that of said first base station, and a wireless LAN access point, which is present within a service area of said second base station, said mobile communication terminal comprising:

a determining section configured to receive a specific signal transmitted from said first or second base station and to determine whether or not there is a high possibility that said mobile communication terminal is connected to said wireless LAN access point, based on a reception result, regardless of whether said mobile communication terminal has detected said wireless LAN access point before; and

a changing section configured to change a period to monitor arrival of a beacon signal transmitted from said wireless LAN access point based on the determination result of said determining section,

wherein said mobile communication terminal comprises a GPS (Global Position System) positioning section, and

said determining section determines whether or not there is the high possibility that said mobile communication terminal is connected to said wireless LAN access point, based on whether a number of GPS satellites captured by said GPS positioning section is equal to or less than a threshold.

2. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein said determining section acquires a data of a current position and current moving speed of said mobile communication terminal from the specific signal and determines whether or not there is the high possibility that said mobile communication terminal is connected to said wireless LAN access point, based on the data.

3. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein said first and second base stations are base stations of a WCDMA (wideband Code Division Multiple Access) system.

4. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the specific signal is a predetermined parameter of a notice data.

5. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 4, wherein the notice data is a System Information Block Type 3, and

the predetermined parameter is HCS_PRIO.

6. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the specific signal which is transmitted from said second base station is a Scrambling Code signal.

7. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the specific signal which is transmitted from said second base station is a signal with a specific frequency.

8. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the specific signal is a signal of data indicating a number of times of Cell Reselection by said mobile communication terminal.

9. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the specific signal is a signal of data indicating a number of times of Handover of said mobile communication terminal.

10. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein said first and second base stations are base stations of a GSM (Global system Mobile Communication) system.

11. A communication system comprising a mobile communication terminal which can communicate with a first base station, a second base station which is present within a service area of said first base station, and has a service area which is smaller than that of said first base station, and a wireless LAN access point, which is present within a service area of said second base station,

wherein said mobile communication terminal comprises:

a determining section configured to receive specific signals transmitted from said first base station or said second base station and to determine whether or not there is a high possibility that said mobile communication terminal is connected to said wireless LAN access point, based on a reception result, regardless of whether said mobile communication terminal has detected said wireless LAN access point before; and

a changing section configured to change a period to monitor arrival of a beacon signal transmitted from said wireless LAN access point based on the determination result of said determining section,

wherein said mobile communication terminal comprises a GPS (Global Position System) positioning section, and

said determining section determines whether or not there is the high possibility that said mobile communication terminal is connected to said wireless LAN access point, based on whether a number of GPS satellites captured by said GPS positioning section is equal to or less than a threshold.

12. The communication system according to claim 11, wherein said determining section acquires a data of a current position and current moving speed of said mobile communication terminal from the specific signal and determines whether or not there is the high possibility that said mobile communication terminal is connected to said wireless LAN access point, based on the data.

13. The communication system according to claim 11, wherein said first and second base stations are base stations of a WCDMA (wideband Code Division Multiple Access) system.

14. The communication system according to claim 11, wherein the specific signal is a predetermined parameter of a notice data.

15. The communication system according to claim 14, wherein the notice data is a System Information Block Type 3, and

the predetermined parameter is HCS_PRIO.

16. The communication system according to claim 11, wherein the specific signal which is transmitted from said second base station is a Scrambling Code signal.

17. The communication system according to claim 11, wherein the specific signal which is transmitted from said second base station is a signal with a specific frequency.

18. The communication system according to claim 11, wherein the specific signal is a signal of data indicating a number of times of Cell Reselection by said mobile communication terminal.

19. The communication system according to claim 11, wherein the specific signal is a signal of data indicating a number of times of Handover of said mobile communication terminal.

20. The communication system according to claim 11, wherein said first and second base stations are base stations of a GSM (Global system Mobile Communication) system.

21. A communication method in a communication system comprising a mobile communication terminal which can communicate with a first base station, a second base station which is present within a service area of said first base station, and has a service area which is smaller than that of said first base station, and a wireless LAN access point, which is present within a service area of said second base station, said communication method comprising:

(A) receiving a specific signal transmitted from said first or second base station and determining whether or not there is a possibility that said mobile communication terminal is connected to a wireless LAN access point, based on the reception results, regardless of whether said mobile communication terminal has detected said wireless LAN access point before; and

(B) changing a period to monitor arrival of a beacon signal transmitted from said wireless LAN access point based on the determination result in said determination (A),

wherein said mobile communication terminal comprises a GPS (Global Position System) positioning section, and

in said determination (A), said mobile communication terminal determines whether or not there is the high possibility that said mobile communication terminal is connected to said wireless LAN access point, based on whether a number of GPS satellites captured by said GPS positioning section is equal to or less than a threshold.

22. The communication method according to claim 21, wherein in said (A), said mobile communication terminal acquires a data of a current position and current moving speed of said mobile communication terminal from the specific signal and determines whether or not there is the high possibility that said mobile communication terminal is connected to said wireless LAN access point, based on the data.

23. The communication method according to claim 21, wherein said first and second base stations are base stations of a WCDMA (wideband Code Division Multiple Access) system.

24. The communication method according to claim 21, wherein the specific signal is a predetermined parameter of a notice data.

25. The communication method according to claim 24, wherein the notice data is a System Information Block Type 3, and

the predetermined parameter is HCS_PRIO.

26. The communication method according to claim 21, wherein the specific signal which is transmitted from said second base station is a Scrambling Code signal.

27. The communication method according to claim 21, wherein the specific signal which is transmitted from said second base station is a signal with a specific frequency.

28. The communication method according to claim 21, wherein the specific signal is a signal of data indicating a number of times of Cell Reselection by said mobile communication terminal.

29. The communication method according to claim 21, wherein the specific signal is a signal of data indicating a number of times of Handover of said mobile communication terminal.

30. The communication method according to claim 21, wherein said first and second base stations are base stations of a GSM (Global system Mobile Communication) system.

31. A non-transitory software medium stored with a computer-readable code for a control program for a communication method in a communication system comprising a mobile communication terminal which can communicate with a first base station, a second base station which is present within a service area of said first base station, and has a service area which is smaller than that of said first base station, and a wireless LAN access point, which is present within a service area of said second base station, said control program stored in said mobile communication terminal, and making a computer to execute:

(A) receiving a specific signal transmitted from said first or second base station and determining whether or not there is a possibility that said mobile communication terminal is connected to a wireless LAN access point, based on the reception results, regardless of whether said mobile communication terminal has detected said wireless LAN access point before; and

(B) changing a period to monitor arrival of a beacon signal transmitted from said wireless LAN access point based on the determination result in said determination (A),

wherein said mobile communication terminal comprises a GPS (Global Position System) positioning section, and

wherein said determination (A) comprising;

determining whether or not there is the high possibility that said mobile communication terminal is connected to said wireless LAN access point, based on whether a number of GPS satellites captured by said GPS positioning section is equal to or less than a threshold.

32. The non-transitory software medium according to claim 31, wherein said (A) comprises:

acquiring a data of a current position and current moving speed of said mobile communication terminal from the specific signal; and

determining whether or not there is the high possibility that said mobile communication terminal is connected to said wireless LAN access point, based on the data.

33. The non-transitory software medium according to claim 31, wherein said first and second base stations are base stations of a WCDMA (wideband Code Division Multiple Access) system.

34. The non-transitory software medium according to claim 31, wherein the specific signal is a predetermined parameter of a notice data.

35. The non-transitory software medium according to claim 31, wherein the notice data is a System Information Block Type 3, and

the predetermined parameter is HCS_PRIO.

36. The non-transitory software medium according to claim 31, wherein the specific signal which is transmitted from said second base station is a Scrambling Code signal.

37. The non-transitory software medium according to claim 31, wherein the specific signal which is transmitted from said second base station is a signal with a specific frequency.

38. The non-transitory software medium according to claim 31, wherein the specific signal is a signal of data indicating a number of times of Cell Reselection by said mobile communication terminal.

39. The non-transitory software medium according to claim 31, wherein the specific signal is a signal of data indicating a number of times of Handover of said mobile communication terminal.

40. The non-transitory software medium according to claim 31, wherein said first and second base stations are base stations of a GSM (Global system Mobile Communication) system.