Method and apparatus for connecting wireless network in a digital device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9144093-B2
Application number	US-201113288752-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 3, 2011
Priority date	Nov 3, 2010
Publication date	Sep 22, 2015
Grant date	Sep 22, 2015

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for automatically connecting a wireless Local Area Network (LAN) between digital devices and executing an application program based on the wireless LAN, and more particularly, an apparatus and a method for generating device information indicating attributes in a digital device and obtaining attributes of a peripheral device by analyzing device information of the peripheral device. The apparatus includes a device information generation part configured to generate device information including information about attributes by analyzing the attributes of the digital device. The apparatus also includes a device recognition part configured, when receiving device information of a peripheral device, to obtain attribute information of a device corresponding to the received device information. The apparatus further includes a controller configured to control to transmit the device information generated by the device information generation part, to the peripheral device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus in a digital device to connect to a wireless network, comprising:
a communication unit configured to receive device information from at least one peripheral device, wherein the device information comprises information about attributes of each of the at least one peripheral devices; and
a controller configured to:
generate digital device information associated with the digital device and control a transmission of the generated digital device information to the at least one peripheral device,
connect to the at least one peripheral device based on a signal strength determined by analyzing the received device information, and
adjust a threshold used to determine a proximity of the peripheral device using the received device information,

wherein the generated digital device information is used to determine information about attributes of the digital device by the at least one peripheral device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to transmit the digital device information to the at least one peripheral device by adding the digital device information to a management frame.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the management frame comprises at least one of a beacon frame, a probe request frame, and a probe response frame, and
the digital device information comprises at least one of a device type, a reference distance, a reference signal strength, the number of connected devices, a year of production, and device model information.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a device recognition part is configured to obtain attribute information of the device and then store the obtained attribute information, and
wherein the controller, after detecting an information request for a particular device, is configured to provide information for the request using pre-stored attribute information.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to change a quality of service for the connected peripheral device using the analyzed device information for offering smooth service.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the controller is configured to:
determine a reference signal strength of the attribute information of the peripheral device and an actual receive signal strength of the peripheral device;
allow the connection to the peripheral device after the connection to the peripheral device is allowed; and
request to move closer to the peripheral device when the connection to the peripheral device is not allowed.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein, when the actual receive signal strength of the peripheral device is smaller than the reference signal strength or when the actual receive signal strength is smaller than a minimum receive signal strength for allowing the connection to the peripheral device, the controller is configured to confirm that a proximity connection to the peripheral device is not allowed.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the controller is configured to request to move closer to the peripheral device by sending to a user, a message requesting to move to the reference distance of the digital device or to the reference distance of the at least one peripheral device.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to connect to the at least one peripheral device by prioritizing a peripheral device according to a priority of a service provided by the peripheral device using analyzed device information.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to connect to the at least one peripheral device by prioritizing the peripheral device according to the number of devices connected to the peripheral device using the analyzed device information.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to filter a list of peripheral devices available for connection based on a user input selection.

12. A method used by a digital device to connect to a wireless network, comprising:
receiving device information from at least one peripheral device, wherein the device information comprises information about attributes of each of the at least one peripheral device;
generating digital device information associated with the digital device;
transmitting the generated digital device information to the peripheral device;
connecting to the at least one peripheral device based on a signal strength determined by analyzing the received device information; and
adjusting a threshold used to determine a proximity of the peripheral device using the received device information,
wherein the generated digital device information is used to determine information about attributes of the digital device by the peripheral device.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein transmitting the digital device information to the peripheral device comprises:
adding the digital device information to a management frame.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the management frame comprises at least one of a beacon frame, a probe request frame, and a probe response frame, and
wherein the device information comprises at least one of a device type, a reference distance, a reference signal strength, the number of connected devices, a year of production, and device model information.

15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
after obtaining attribute information of the device, storing the obtained attribute information; and
after detecting an information request for a particular device, providing information for the request using pre-stored attribute information.

16. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
changing a quality of service for the connected peripheral device using the analyzed device information for smooth service.

17. The method of claim 12 , wherein connecting to the at least one peripheral device comprises:
prioritizing a peripheral device according to a priority of a service provided by the peripheral device using the analyzed device information.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein connecting to the at least one peripheral device comprises:
prioritizing the peripheral device according to a number of devices connected to the peripheral device using the analyzed device information.

19. The method of claim 12 , wherein connecting to the at least one peripheral device comprises:
determining a reference signal strength of the attribute information of the at least one peripheral device and an actual receive signal strength of the at least one peripheral device, and determining whether the connection to the at least one peripheral device is allowed;
when the connection to the at least one peripheral device is allowed, allowing the connection to the at least one peripheral device; and
when the connection to the at least one peripheral device is not allowed, requesting to move closer to the at least one peripheral device.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the connection to the at least one peripheral device is not allowed when the actual receive signal strength of the at least one peripheral device is smaller than the reference signal strength or when the actual receive signal strength is smaller than a minimum receive signal strength to allow the connection to the at least one peripheral device.

21. The method of claim 19 , wherein requesting to move closer to the at least one peripheral device comprises sending, to a user, a message requesting to move to the reference distance of the digital device or to the reference distance of the at least one periphe

Assignees

• Hahm Seong-Il
• Park Woo-Jin
• Kang Woo-Shik
• Shim Seung-Seop
• Lee Jin-Wook
• Yoon Eung-Sik
• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hahm Seong-Il
• Park Woo-Jin
• Kang Woo-Shik
• Shim Seung-Seop
• Lee Jin-Wook
• Yoon Eung-Sik

Classifications

• H04L41/5058

  Service discovery by the service manager · CPC title

• H04W76/10 Primary

  Connection setup · CPC title

• H04B7/24 Primary

  for communication between two or more posts (wireless communication networks H04W) · CPC title

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title

• H04L41/0806

  for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play · CPC title