Wireless terminal and wireless base station allocation method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10986635-B2
Application number	US-201716465830-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 29, 2017
Priority date	Dec 6, 2016
Publication date	Apr 20, 2021
Grant date	Apr 20, 2021

Abstract

A wireless terminal capable of communicating with multiple wireless base stations through a network in which multiple wireless communication methods are used in a mixed manner. A storage unit stores, as a communication history, at least location information for the wireless terminal and information pertaining to the wireless base station at the time of communication with each wireless base station. An acquisition unit acquires the location information for the wireless terminal. On the basis of the acquired location information for the wireless terminal and the communication history stored in the storage unit a derivation unit derives a connection base station from the multiple wireless base stations, as the wireless base station to be used in data communication. A communication unit performs data communication with the derived connection base station.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A wireless terminal that is capable of performing communication with multiple wireless base stations through a network in which multiple wireless communication schemes are used in a mixed manner, the wireless terminal comprising:
an accumulation unit that accumulates at least location information on the wireless terminal and information relating to the wireless base station, as a communication history, at the time of communication in the past with each of the wireless base stations;
an acquisition unit that acquires the location information on the wireless terminal;
a derivation unit that derives a connection base station, as a wireless base station that is to be used for data communication, of the multiple wireless base stations, based on the location information on the wireless terminal and the communication history that is accumulated in the accumulation unit; and
a communication unit that performs the data communication with the derived connection base station,
wherein the accumulation unit further accumulates information on an amount of data communication with the connection base station as the communication history, and
wherein the derivation unit derives the connection base station with a preference for a wireless base station that has a larger amount of data communication, in reference to a number of communication histories in which a distance is short, the distance being based on the acquired location information on the wireless terminal and the accumulated location information on the wireless terminal included in the communication history.

2. The wireless terminal according to claim 1 ,
wherein the derivation unit derives the connection base station with a preference for a wireless base station, which has been allocated more.

3. The wireless terminal according to claim 2 ,
wherein the derivation unit derives the connection base station with a preference for a wireless base station that has been allocated more, responsive to the distance being below a prescribed threshold.

4. The wireless terminal according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an update unit that accumulates information relating to the connection base station relating to the data communication, as a communication history that is associated with the acquired location information on the wireless terminal, in the accumulation unit, responsive to the data communication with the derived connection base stationer being performed.

5. The wireless terminal according to claim 1 ,
wherein the accumulation unit further accumulates information on a wireless frequency that is to be used for the data communication with the connection base station as the communication history,
wherein the derivation unit derives the wireless frequency that is to be used for the data communication with the connection base station, using the information on the wireless frequency that is included in the communication history, and
wherein the communication unit performs the data communication with the derived connection base station using the derived wireless frequency.

6. The wireless terminal according to claim 5 ,
wherein the derivation unit derives the connection base station and the wireless frequency with a preference for a wireless base station and a wireless frequency, which have been allocated more, in reference to the number of communication histories in which the distance is short.

7. The wireless terminal according to claim 6 ,
wherein the derivation unit derives the connection base station and the wireless frequency with a preference for a wireless base station and a wireless frequency, which have been allocated more, in reference to the number of communication histories in which the distance is short responsive to the distance being below a prescribed threshold.

8. The wireless terminal according to claim 1 ,
wherein the accumulation unit further accumulates information on a wireless frequency that is to be used for the data communication with the connection base station as the communication history,
wherein the derivation unit derives the connection base station and the wireless frequency with a preference for a wireless base station and a wireless frequency that have a larger amount of data communication, in reference to the number of communication histories in which the distance is short.

9. The wireless terminal according to claim 5 , further comprising:
an update unit that accumulates information relating to the connection base station pertaining to the data communication and information on the wireless frequency, as a communication history that is associated with the location information on the wireless terminal, in the accumulation unit, responsive to the data communication with the derived connection base station being performed.

10. The wireless terminal according to claim 2 ,
wherein the location information on the wireless terminal has a latitude, a longitude, and altitude, and
wherein the derivation unit derives the distance with a preference for the altitude among the latitude, the longitude and the altitude.

11. The wireless terminal according to claim 6 ,
wherein the location information on the wireless terminal has a latitude, a longitude, and altitude, and
wherein the derivation unit derives the distance with a preference for the altitude among the latitude, the longitude and the altitude.

12. A wireless base station allocation method in a wireless terminal that is capable of performing communication with multiple wireless base stations through a network in which multiple wireless communication schemes are used in a mixed manner, the wireless base station allocation method comprising:
accumulating at least location information on the wireless terminal and information relating to the wireless base station, as a communication history, at the time of communication in the past with each of the wireless base stations;
acquiring the location information on the wireless terminal;
deriving a connection base station, as a wireless base station that is to be used for data communication, of the multiple wireless base stations, based on the acquired location information on the wireless terminal and the communication history that is accumulated;
performing the data communication with the derived connection base station;
accumulating information on an amount of data communication with the connection base station as the communication history; and
deriving the connection base station with a preference for a wireless base station that has a larger amount of data communication, in reference to a number of communication histories in which a distance is short, the distance being based on the acquired location information on the wireless terminal and the accumulated location information on the wireless terminal included in the communication history.

13. A wireless terminal that is capable of performing communication with multiple wireless base stations through a network in which multiple wireless communication schemes are used in a mixed manner, the wireless terminal comprising:
an accumulation unit that accumulates at least location information on the wireless terminal and information relating to the wireless base station, as a communication history, at the time of communication in the past with each of the wireless base stations;
an acquisition unit that acquires the location information on the wireless terminal;
a derivation unit that derives a connection base station, as a wireless base station that is to be used for data communication, of the multiple wireless base stations, based on the location information on the wireless terminal and the

Assignees

• Panasonic Corp

Inventors

• Kato Osamu
• Shimizu Noriyuki
• Yoshino Masaaki
• Aoyama Yasuhiro

Classifications

• H04W64/003 Primary

  locating network equipment · CPC title

• H04W16/32

  Hierarchical cell structures · CPC title

• H04W88/06

  adapted for operation in multiple networks {or having at least two operational modes}, e.g. multi-mode terminals · CPC title

• H04W64/00

  Locating users or terminals {or network equipment} for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management · CPC title

• H04W4/029

  Location-based management or tracking services · CPC title