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

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10045278-B2
Application number	US-201415324976-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 9, 2014
Priority date	Jul 9, 2014
Publication date	Aug 7, 2018
Grant date	Aug 7, 2018

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.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

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 identif

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Cho Sung-Rae
• Kim Tae-Yoon
• Lim Chae-Man
• Lee Jung-Woo

Classifications

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title

• H04W4/027

  using movement velocity, acceleration information · CPC title

• H04W48/04 Primary

  based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed · CPC title

• H04W88/02

  Terminal devices · CPC title

• H04W48/16 Primary

  Discovering, processing access restriction or access information · CPC title