U.S. patent application number 14/374063 was filed with the patent office on 2015-01-01 for method and apparatus for selecting an access point based on direction of movement.
The applicant listed for this patent is Schah Walli Ali, Bizhan Karimi-Cherkandi, Farrokh Mohammadzadeh Kouchri. Invention is credited to Schah Walli Ali, Bizhan Karimi-Cherkandi, Farrokh Mohammadzadeh Kouchri.
Application Number | 20150004974 14/374063 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46750508 |
Filed Date | 2015-01-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150004974 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Karimi-Cherkandi; Bizhan ;
et al. |
January 1, 2015 |
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SELECTING AN ACCESS POINT BASED ON
DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT
Abstract
A method, system and apparatus for selecting an access point
includes detecting a location and direction of motion of a mobile
device, detecting a strength of signal from candidate access points
and determining a location of such access points based upon at
least one of the (i) location and direction of motion of the mobile
device, (ii) access point location information known to the mobile
device, and (iii) monitoring of the change in detected signal
strength from candidate access points that occurs upon the movement
of the mobile device. Embodiments of the system and apparatus may
include a mobile terminal device or may include such a device and a
plurality of access points that provide access to a network, such
as a base station or a router that provide access to an enterprise
network or a local area network that is connected to the
internet.
Inventors: |
Karimi-Cherkandi; Bizhan;
(Boca Raton, FL) ; Kouchri; Farrokh Mohammadzadeh;
(Boca Raton, FL) ; Ali; Schah Walli; (Boca Raton,
FL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Karimi-Cherkandi; Bizhan
Kouchri; Farrokh Mohammadzadeh
Ali; Schah Walli |
Boca Raton
Boca Raton
Boca Raton |
FL
FL
FL |
US
US
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
46750508 |
Appl. No.: |
14/374063 |
Filed: |
August 21, 2012 |
PCT Filed: |
August 21, 2012 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/US2012/051694 |
371 Date: |
July 23, 2014 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
455/435.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G01S 5/0284 20130101;
H04W 64/003 20130101; H04W 36/08 20130101; H04W 48/20 20130101;
G01S 5/08 20130101; H04W 64/006 20130101; H04W 48/16 20130101; H04W
36/32 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
455/435.2 |
International
Class: |
H04W 48/16 20060101
H04W048/16; H04W 64/00 20060101 H04W064/00; H04W 48/20 20060101
H04W048/20 |
Claims
1. A method for selecting an access point comprising: a mobile
communication terminal determining at least one of a location of
the mobile communication terminal and a direction of motion in
which the mobile communication terminal is moving; the mobile
communication terminal saving the determined at least one of the
location of the mobile communication terminal and the direction of
motion in which the mobile communication terminal is moving; the
mobile communication terminal monitoring signal strengths of
candidate access points to determine whether the signal strength
for any of the candidate access points changes during movement of
the mobile communication terminal such that the mobile
communication terminal determines for each of the candidate access
points at least one of (i) a rate of increase in signal strength
for that access point and (ii) a rate of decrease in signal
strength for that access point as the mobile communication terminal
moves; the mobile communication terminal determining that one of
the candidate access points provides improved connectivity to a
network as compared to an access point to which the mobile
communication terminal is currently communicating with for access
to the network based upon the monitored signal strengths of
candidate access points and the saved determined at least one of
the location of the mobile communication terminal and the direction
of motion in which the mobile communication terminal is moving; the
mobile communication terminal selecting the determined one of the
candidate access points for subsequent communications to register
with that one of the candidate access points for accessing the
network via the selected one of the candidate access points; and
the mobile communication terminal communicating with the selected
one of the candidate access points for registering with the
selected one of the candidate access points for accessing the
network.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising: the mobile
communication terminal saving time information corresponding to the
saved determined at least one of the location of the mobile
communication terminal and the direction of motion in which the
mobile communication terminal is moving.
3. The method of claim 3 wherein the mobile communication terminal
determines the location of the mobile communication terminal and
the direction of motion in which the mobile communication terminal
is moving and saves the determined location of the mobile
communication terminal and the direction of motion in which the
mobile communication terminal is moving.
4. The method of claim 3 further comprising: the mobile
communication terminal stopping communicating with the access point
to which the mobile communication terminal was communicating with
for access to the network prior to communicating with the selected
one of the candidate access points for registering with the
selected one of the candidate access points for accessing the
network such that the mobile communication terminal no longer
utilizes that access point for access to the network while
communicating with the selected one of the candidate access points
for access to the network.
5. The method of claim 3 wherein the mobile communication terminal
also determines a speed at which the mobile communication terminal
is moving.
6. The method of claim 3 wherein the mobile communication terminal
communicates with a location service to determine the location of
the mobile communication terminal.
7. The method of claim 3 wherein the monitoring of the signal
strength of candidate access points comprises the mobile
communication terminal receiving signals from the candidate access
points, detecting a signal strength for each signal, saving the
signal strength of the candidate access points, and corresponding
the signal strength of candidate access points with the saved
location of the mobile communication terminal and the saved
direction of motion in which the mobile communication terminal is
moving.
8. The method of claim 3 wherein the mobile communication terminal
is a cellular phone, a mobile phone, a tablet, an internet
appliance, a personal digital assistant, or a laptop computer and
wherein the candidate access points comprise at least a plurality
of base stations or a plurality of routers; and wherein the method
further comprising: the mobile communication terminal determining
locations of the candidate access points; and wherein the mobile
communication terminal determining that one of the candidate access
points provides improved connectivity to a network as compared to
an access point to which the mobile communication terminal is
currently communicating with for access to the network is also
based upon the determined locations of the candidate access
points.
9. The method of claim 1 further comprising: the mobile
communication terminal predicting a future location of the mobile
communication terminal; and wherein the mobile communication
terminal determining that one of the candidate access points
provides improved connectivity as compared to the access point to
which the mobile communication terminal is currently in
communication with for access to the network is also based upon the
predicted future location of the mobile communication terminal; and
wherein the improved connectivity is determined to be an improved
connectivity in view of the predicted future location of the mobile
communication terminal such that a momentary detection of another
candidate access point having a stronger signal does not result in
a selection of that candidate access point when expected subsequent
movement of the mobile communication terminal to the predicted
location indicates that the signal of that candidate access point
will be weaker than the signal strength of at least one other
candidate access point.
10. A communication system comprising: a first access point
providing a first coverage area for access to a network via
wireless communication with the first access point; a second access
point providing a second coverage area for access to the network
via wireless communication with the second access point; and a
mobile communication terminal communicatively connected to the
first access point for access to the network; and the mobile
communication terminal moving from within the first coverage area
in a direction towards the second coverage area; the mobile
communication terminal determining at least one of a location of
the mobile communication terminal and a direction of motion in
which the mobile communication terminal is moving; the mobile
communication terminal saving the determined at least one of the
location of the mobile communication terminal and the direction of
motion in which the mobile communication terminal is moving; the
mobile communication terminal monitoring a first signal strength of
the first access point and the second signal strength of the second
access point to determine whether the signal strength for the
second access point changes during movement of the mobile
communication terminal such that the mobile communication terminal
determines that the second signal strength increases and the first
signal strength decreases as the mobile communication terminal
moves; the mobile communication terminal determining that the
second access point provides improved connectivity to the network
as compared to the first access point to which the mobile
communication terminal is currently communicating with for access
to the network based upon the monitored first and second signal
strengths and the saved determined at least one of the location of
the mobile communication terminal and the direction of motion in
which the mobile communication terminal is moving; the mobile
communication terminal selecting the second access point for
subsequent communications to register with the second access point
for accessing the network via the second access point; and the
mobile communication terminal communicating with the second access
point for registering with the second access point for accessing
the network when within the second coverage area.
11. The system of claim 10 further comprising: a third access point
providing a third coverage area for access to the network via
wireless communication with the third access point; and wherein the
mobile communication terminal also monitoring a third signal
strength of the third access point to determine whether the signal
strength for the third access point changes during movement of the
mobile communication terminal such that the mobile communication
terminal determines that the third signal strength increases and
the first and second signal strengths decrease as the mobile
communication terminal moves; the mobile communication terminal
determining that the third access point provides improved
connectivity to the network as compared to the second access point
after the mobile communication terminal communicated with the
second access point for registering with the second access point
for accessing the network when within the second coverage area
based upon the monitored first, second and third signal strengths
and the saved determined at least one of the location of the mobile
communication terminal and the direction of motion in which the
mobile communication terminal is moving; the mobile communication
terminal selecting the third access point for subsequent
communications to register with third access point for accessing
the network via the third access point; and the mobile
communication terminal communicating with the third access point
for registering with the third access point for accessing the
network when the mobile communication terminal is within the third
coverage area.
12. The system of claim 11 wherein the first coverage area overlaps
with the second and third coverage areas, the second coverage area
overlaps with the first and third coverage areas, and the third
coverage area overlaps with the first and second coverage
areas.
13. The system of claim 11 wherein at least one of the first,
second and third access points is a router or a base station and
wherein the mobile communication terminal is a cellular phone, a
mobile phone, a tablet, an internet appliance, a personal digital
assistant, or a laptop computer; and wherein the mobile
communication terminal predicting a future location of the mobile
communication terminal; and wherein the mobile communication
terminal determining that the second access point provides improved
connectivity to the network as compared to the first access point
to which the mobile communication terminal is currently
communicating with for access to the network based upon the
monitored first, second, and third signal strengths and the saved
determined at least one of the location of the mobile communication
terminal and the direction of motion in which the mobile
communication terminal is moving is also based upon the predicted
future location of the mobile communication terminal; wherein the
improved connectivity is determined to be an improved connectivity
in view of the predicted future location of the mobile
communication terminal such that a momentary detection of the first
access point or third access point having a stronger signal does
not result in a selection of that access point when the subsequent
movement of the mobile communication terminal to the predicted
location indicates that the signal of the first access point or
third access point will subsequently be weaker relative to the
signal strength of the second access point.
14. The system of claim 10 wherein the mobile communication
terminal saving time information corresponding to the saved
determined at least one of the location of the mobile communication
terminal and the direction of motion in which the mobile
communication terminal is moving.
15. The system of claim 14 wherein the mobile communication
terminal determines a location of the first access point, a
location of the second access point, and a location of the third
access point; and wherein the mobile communication terminal
determining that the third access point provides improved
connectivity to the network as compared to the second access point
after the mobile communication terminal communicated with the
second access point for registering with the second access point
for accessing the network when within the second coverage area
based upon the monitored first, second and third signal strengths,
the location of the first access point, the location of the second
access point, and the location of the third access point, and the
saved determined at least one of the location of the mobile
communication terminal and the direction of motion in which the
mobile communication terminal is moving.
16. system of claim 15 wherein the mobile communication terminal
has a motion sensor that detects at least one of a speed at which
the mobile communication terminal is moving and the direction of
motion in which the mobile communication terminal is moving and
wherein the mobile communication terminal communicates with a
location service to determine the location of the mobile
communication terminal.
17. The system of claim 10 wherein the monitoring of the first and
second signal strengths comprises the mobile communication terminal
receiving signals from the first and second access points,
detecting a signal strength for each signal, saving the signal
strengths of the first and second access points, and corresponding
the signal strengths of the first and second access points with the
saved location of the mobile communication terminal and the saved
direction of motion in which the mobile communication terminal is
moving.
18. A mobile communication terminal comprising: non-transitory
memory having at least one application stored thereon; a
transceiver unit; a processor unit communicatively connected to the
transceiver unit, the processor unit communicatively connected to
the memory such that the at least one application is executable by
the processor unit, the at least one application defining a method
that is performed by the mobile communication terminal comprising:
the mobile communication terminal determining at least one of a
location of the mobile communication terminal and a direction of
motion in which the mobile communication terminal is moving; the
mobile communication terminal saving the determined at least one of
the location of the mobile communication terminal and the direction
of motion in which the mobile communication terminal is moving; the
mobile communication terminal monitoring signal strength of
candidate access points to determine whether the signal strength
for any of the candidate access points changes during movement of
the mobile communication terminal such that the mobile
communication terminal determines for each of the candidate access
points at least one of (i) a rate of increase in signal strength
for that access point and (ii) a rate of decrease in signal
strength for that access point as the mobile communication terminal
moves; the mobile communication terminal determining that one of
the candidate access points provides improved connectivity to a
network as compared to an access point to which the mobile
communication terminal is currently communicating with for access
to the network based upon the monitored signal strength of
candidate access points and the saved determined at least one of
the location of the mobile communication terminal and the direction
of motion in which the mobile communication terminal is moving; the
mobile communication terminal selecting the determined one of the
candidate access points for subsequent communications to register
with that one of the candidate access points for accessing the
network via the selected one of the candidate access points; and
the mobile communication terminal communicating with the selected
one of the candidate access points for registering with the
selected one of the candidate access points for accessing the
network.
19. The mobile communication terminal of claim 18 wherein the
mobile communication terminal monitoring of the signal strength of
candidate access points comprises the mobile communication terminal
receiving signals from the candidate access points, detecting a
signal strength for each signal, saving the signal strength of the
candidate access points, and corresponding the signal strength of
candidate access points with the saved location of the mobile
communication terminal and the saved direction of motion in which
the mobile communication terminal is moving.
20. A non-transitory computer readable medium having at least one
application stored thereon that defines a method that is performed
when the at least one application is executed by a mobile
communication terminal, the method defined by the at least one
application comprising: the mobile communication terminal
determining at least one of a location of the mobile communication
terminal and a direction of motion in which the mobile
communication terminal is moving; the mobile communication terminal
saving the determined at least one of the location of the mobile
communication terminal and the direction of motion in which the
mobile communication terminal is moving; the mobile communication
terminal monitoring signal strength of candidate access points to
determine whether the signal strength for any of the candidate
access points changes during movement of the mobile communication
terminal such that the mobile communication terminal determines for
each of the candidate access points at least one of (i) a rate of
increase in signal strength for that access point and (ii) a rate
of decrease in signal strength for that access point as the mobile
communication terminal moves; the mobile communication terminal
determining that one of the candidate access points provides
improved connectivity to a network as compared to an access point
to which the mobile communication terminal is currently
communicating with for access to the network based upon the
monitored signal strength of candidate access points and the saved
determined at least one of the location of the mobile communication
terminal and the direction of motion in which the mobile
communication terminal is moving; the mobile communication terminal
selecting the determined one of the candidate access points for
subsequent communications to register with that one of the
candidate access points for accessing the network via the selected
one of the candidate access points; and the mobile communication
terminal communicating with the selected one of the candidate
access points for registering with the selected one of the
candidate access points for accessing the network.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to communication systems, such
as communication systems that utilize cellular phones, mobile
computer devices, tablets, laptops, other types of terminal devices
and other types of communication devices. More particularly, the
present invention relates to a system, method and device configured
to permit a communication terminal device to select an access point
for communicating with that access point to utilize a network to
which that access point is connected.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Approaches to resolving the location of mobile devices
include use of a global positioning system ("GPS") and a
triangulation technique that utilizes multiple base stations such
as the Global System for Mobile Communications ("GSM")
triangulation method. Such approaches require the terminal device
to obtain its location information by communicating with a service
that identifies a location by communicating with multiple base
stations or by communicating with multiple different satellites.
But, some mobile devices are not part of a GSM network or are
unable to utilize a GPS service. Such devices may not have a GSM
receiver or GPS receiver for example and therefore may be unable to
obtain or detect their location information. Terminal devices such
as Session Initiation Protocol ("SIP") telephones, tablets,
laptops, PC telephones, laptops or desktop computers may be
configured to utilize one or more microphones and speakers for
forming audio communication connections or video communication
connections via an internet connection may be part of a local area
network or wide area network such as an enterprise network that is
connected to the internet.
[0003] Devices that are moved from beyond the range of an initial
access point may need to select a new access point for ensuring the
device stays connected to a particular network and is able to
maintain its connection to that network. A mobile device typically
makes a blind selection based on detected signal strength. For
example, even if location information of the mobile device is
available to that device, it may not utilize such information to
select an access point. But, the reliance on the detected signal
strength metric can result in picking a poor access point candidate
that requires another reselection of an access point after a
relatively short period of time. Further, such a selection process
may only occur after a service or connection to a network has been
dropped, which reduces the quality of the services available to the
device via the network to which the device was connected. For
example, a phone call or a video teleconference call or other type
of ongoing communication session utilizing such a network
connection may be dropped by a device due to movement of the device
and a failure to proficiently select an appropriate access
point.
[0004] We have determined that a new device, system, and method are
needed for communication systems to permit mobile terminal devices
to better select an access point to which it communicates for
obtaining or retaining access to a network or a service hosted via
that network.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] We have developed a method, system and apparatus for
selecting an access point. The apparatus may be a non-transitory
computer readable medium or may be a mobile communication terminal,
for example. The system may be a communication system or a network.
The method may be a method that is implemented by an embodiment of
the apparatus or system.
[0006] In one embodiment, a method for selecting an access point
includes a number of steps. Those steps include a mobile
communication terminal determining at least one of a location of
the mobile communication terminal and a direction of motion in
which the mobile communication terminal is moving. The mobile
communication terminal saves the determined at least one of the
location of the mobile communication terminal and the direction of
motion in which the mobile communication terminal is moving. The
mobile communication terminal also monitors the signal strengths of
candidate access points to determine whether the signal strength
for any of the candidate access points changes during movement of
the mobile communication terminal such that the mobile
communication terminal determines for each of the candidate access
points at least one of (i) a rate of increase in signal strength
for that access point and (ii) a rate of decrease in signal
strength for that access point as the mobile communication terminal
moves. The mobile communication terminal determines that one of the
candidate access points provides improved connectivity to a network
to which the mobile communication terminal is currently
communicating with for access to the network based upon the
monitored signal strengths of candidate access points and the saved
determined at least one of the location of the mobile communication
terminal and the direction of motion in which the mobile
communication terminal is moving. The mobile communication terminal
may select the determined one of the candidate access points for
subsequent communications to register with that one of the
candidate access points for accessing the network via the selected
one of the candidate access points and may communicate with the
selected one of the candidate access points for registering with
the selected one of the candidate access points for accessing the
network.
[0007] Embodiments of the method may also include additional steps.
For example, the mobile communication terminal may save time
information corresponding to the saved determined at least one of
the location of the mobile communication terminal and the direction
of motion in which the mobile communication terminal is moving. As
another example, the mobile communication terminal may also
determine its speed and save its determined speed.
[0008] The mobile communication terminal may stop communicating
with the access point to which the mobile communication terminal
was communicating with for access to the network prior to
communicating with the selected one of the candidate access points
for registering with the selected one of the candidate access
points for accessing the network so that terminal is no longer
utilizing that access point for access to the network while
communicating with the selected one of the candidate access
points.
[0009] In one embodiment of the method, the monitoring of the
signal strength of the candidate access points includes the mobile
communications terminal receiving signals from the candidate access
points, detecting a signal strength for each signal, saving the
signal strength of the candidate access points, and corresponding
the signal strength of candidate access points with the saved
location of the mobile communication terminal and the saved
direction of motion in which the mobile communication terminal is
moving.
[0010] It should be understood that the mobile communication
terminal may be any of a number of communication terminal devices.
For example, the mobile communication terminal may be a cellular
phone, a mobile phone, a tablet, an internet appliance, a personal
digital assistant, or a laptop computer. The access points may be
any of a number of possible computer devices that provide access to
a network such as base stations, routers, or wireless access
points.
[0011] In some embodiments, the mobile communication terminal can
also determine locations of the candidate access points. The mobile
communication terminal's determination that one of the candidate
access points provides improved connectivity to a network as
compared to the access point to which the mobile communication
terminal is currently communicating with for access to the network
is also based upon the determined locations of the candidate access
points.
[0012] In one embodiment, the method may include the step of the
mobile communication terminal predicting a future location of the
mobile communication terminal. Additionally, the mobile
communication terminal determining that one of the candidate access
points provides improved connectivity as compared to the access
point to which the mobile communication terminal is currently in
communication with for access to the network is also based upon the
predicted future location of the mobile communication terminal. The
improved connectivity is determined to be an improved connectivity
in view of the predicted future location of the mobile
communication terminal so that a momentary detection of another
access point have a stronger signal does not result in a selection
of that access point when the expected subsequent movement of the
mobile communication terminal to the predicted location indicates
that the signal of that access point will subsequently be weaker
than the signal strength of at least one other candidate access
point.
[0013] A communication system is also provided. In one embodiment,
the communication system includes a first access point, a second
access point and a mobile communication terminal. The first access
point provides a first coverage area for access to a network via
wireless communication with the first access point. The second
access point provides a second coverage area for access to the
network via wireless communication with the second access point.
The mobile communication terminal is communicatively connected to
the first access point for access to the network. The mobile
communication terminal moves from within the first coverage area in
a direction towards the second coverage area. The mobile
communication terminal determines at least one of a location of the
mobile communication terminal and a direction of motion in which
the mobile communication terminal is moving and saves the
determined at least one of the location of the mobile communication
terminal and the direction of motion in which the mobile
communication terminal is moving. The mobile communication terminal
monitors the first signal strength of the first access point and
the second signal strength of the second access point to determine
whether the signal strength for the second access point changes
during movement of the mobile communication terminal such that the
mobile communication terminal determines that the second signal
strength increases and the first single strength decreases as the
mobile communication terminal moves. The mobile communication
terminal may determine that the second access point provides
improved connectivity to the network as compared to the first
access point to which the mobile communication terminal is
currently communicating with for access to the network based upon
the monitored first and second signal strengths and the saved
determined at least one of the location of the mobile communication
terminal and the direction of motion in which the mobile
communication terminal is moving. The mobile communication terminal
selects the second access point for subsequent communications to
register with the second access point for accessing the network via
the second access point and communicates with the second access
point for registering with the second access point for accessing
the network when within the second coverage area.
[0014] In some embodiments of the system, the system also includes
a third access point that provides a third coverage area for access
to the network via wireless communication with the third access
point. The mobile communication terminal may also monitor a third
signal strength of the third access point to determine whether the
signal strength for the third access point changed during movement
of the mobile communication terminal so that the mobile
communication terminal determines that the third signal strength
increases and the first and second signal strengths decrease as the
mobile communication terminal moves. The mobile communication
terminal determines that the third access point provides improved
connectivity to the network as compared to the second access point
after the mobile communication terminal communicated with the
second access point for registering with the second access point
for accessing the network when within the second coverage area
based upon the monitored first, second, and third signal strengths
and the saved determined at least one of the location of the mobile
communication terminal and the direction of motion in which the
mobile communication terminal is moving. The mobile communication
terminal may select the third access point for subsequent
communications to register with the third access point for
accessing the network via the third access point and may
communicate with the third access point for registering with the
third access point for accessing the network when the mobile
terminal is within the third coverage area.
[0015] The system may also be configured so that the mobile
communication terminal predicts its future location and determines
that the second access point provides improved connectivity to the
network as compared to the first access point to which the mobile
communication terminal is currently communication with for access
to the network based upon the monitored first, second and third
signal strengths and the saved determined at least one of the
location of the terminal and direction of motion in which the
terminal is moving and is also based upon the predicted future
location of the terminal. The improved connectivity may be
determined to be an improved connectivity in view of the predicted
future location of the terminal so that a momentary detection of
the first access point or third access point having a stronger
signal does not result in a selection of that access point when the
subsequent movement of the terminal to the predicted location
indicates that the signal of the first access point or third access
point will subsequently be weaker relative to the signal strength
of the second access point.
[0016] The locations of the access points may be determined by the
mobile communication terminal in some embodiments of the system.
The determining that the third access point provides improved
connectivity as compared to the second access point after the
mobile communication terminal communicated with the second access
point for registering with the second access point for accessing
the network when within the second coverage area based upon the
monitored first, second , and third signal strengths, the locations
of the first, second and third access points, and the saved
determined at least one of location of the terminal and direction
of motion in which the terminal is moving.
[0017] The mobile terminal may include a motion sensor in some
embodiments of the system or method or mobile communication
terminal. The motion sensor can detect at least one of the speed at
which the mobile communication terminal is moving and the direction
of motion in which the terminal is moving. The terminal may
communicate with a location service to determine the location of
the terminal as well. Alternatively, the terminal may communicate
with one or more access points to utilize a triangulation method to
assess its location. For instance, if the terminal determines the
locations of the access points to which it detects signal
strengths, it can estimate its location based upon the access point
signal strengths and known locations of the access points. Access
point location information may be obtained in a number of ways. For
instance, the mobile communication terminal may communicate with an
access point, an external database maintained by a server or other
computer device accessible via the network, or a location service
to obtain such access point location information.
[0018] A mobile communication terminal and non-transitory computer
readable may also be provided. The computer readable medium may be
memory such as a hard drive, a flash drive, a compact disc, or
memory of an application server that hosts an application store, or
other memory.
[0019] The non-transitory computer readable medium may include at
least one application that is stored thereon that defines a method
that is performed when the at least one application is executed by
a mobile communication terminal. The method that is defined may be,
for example, the different embodiments of a method discussed above
that is also discussed below with reference to exemplary
embodiments. For example, the method defined by the at least one
application may include the mobile communication terminal
determining at least one of a location of the mobile communication
terminal and a direction of motion in which the mobile
communication terminal is moving. The mobile communication terminal
saves the determined at least one of the location of the mobile
communication terminal and the direction of motion in which the
mobile communication terminal is moving. The mobile communication
terminal also monitors the signal strengths of candidate access
points to determine whether the signal strength for any of the
candidate access points changes during movement of the mobile
communication terminal such that the mobile communication terminal
determines for each of the candidate access points at least one of
(i) a rate of increase in signal strength for that access point and
(ii) a rate of decrease in signal strength for that access point as
the mobile communication terminal moves. The mobile communication
terminal determines that one of the candidate access points
provides improved connectivity to a network to which the mobile
communication terminal is currently communicating with for access
to the network based upon the monitored signal strengths of
candidate access points and the saved determined at least one of
the location of the mobile communication terminal and the direction
of motion in which the mobile communication terminal is moving. The
mobile communication terminal may select the determined one of the
candidate access points for subsequent communications to register
with that one of the candidate access points for accessing the
network via the selected one of the candidate access points and may
communicate with the selected one of the candidate access points
for registering with the selected one of the candidate access
points for accessing the network.
[0020] The mobile communication terminal may include a transceiver
unit, non-transitory memory, and a processor unit communicatively
coupled to the transceiver unit and memory. The processor unit is
communicatively connected to the memory such that it can execute
the at least one application. The at least one application defines
a method that is performed when it is executed by the processor
unit. The method that is defined may include the mobile
communication terminal determining at least one of a location of
the mobile communication terminal and a direction of motion in
which the mobile communication terminal is moving. The mobile
communication terminal saves the determined at least one of the
location of the mobile communication terminal and the direction of
motion in which the mobile communication terminal is moving. The
mobile communication terminal also monitors the signal strengths of
candidate access points to determine whether the signal strength
for any of the candidate access points changes during movement of
the mobile communication terminal such that the mobile
communication terminal determines for each of the candidate access
points at least one of (i) a rate of increase in signal strength
for that access point and (ii) a rate of decrease in signal
strength for that access point as the mobile communication terminal
moves. The mobile communication terminal determines that one of the
candidate access points provides improved connectivity to a network
to which the mobile communication terminal is currently
communicating with for access to the network based upon the
monitored signal strengths of candidate access points and the saved
determined at least one of the location of the mobile communication
terminal and the direction of motion in which the mobile
communication terminal is moving. The mobile communication terminal
may select the determined one of the candidate access points for
subsequent communications to register with that one of the
candidate access points for accessing the network via the selected
one of the candidate access points and may communicate with the
selected one of the candidate access points for registering with
the selected one of the candidate access points for accessing the
network.
[0021] Other details, objects, and advantages of the invention will
become apparent as the following description of certain present
preferred embodiments thereof and certain present preferred methods
of practicing the same proceeds.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] Present preferred devices, systems, and apparatuses for
providing communications between multiple communication devices are
shown in the accompanying drawings and certain present preferred
methods of practicing the same are also illustrated therein. It
should be understood that like reference numbers used in the
drawings may identify like components.
[0023] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a first exemplary embodiment of
a system. A broken line arrow in FIG. 1 illustrates a path of
movement of a mobile communication terminal moving from a coverage
range of a first access point to a new location within a coverage
range of a second access point. An optional location service 9 is
shown in broken line in FIG. 1 as well.
[0024] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the first exemplary embodiment
of the system illustrating a mobile device moved to within a
coverage range of a second access point. A broken line arrow
indicates a path of movement of the mobile communication terminal
from the second coverage area to a new destination area. The
optional location service 9 is shown in broken line in FIG. 2 as
well.
[0025] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a
mobile communication terminal that may be used in embodiments of
the system.
[0026] FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary embodiment
of a method for selecting an access point.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
[0027] Referring to FIGS. 1-4, a communication system may include a
network such as a wide area network or a local area network that
includes one or more access points such as routers, base stations,
or other types of access points that provide communication
terminals with access to the network. It should be understood that
a wide area network may be referred to as a "WAN" and a local area
network may be referred to as a "LAN". In some embodiments, it is
contemplated that an embodiment of the system may be a WAN that is
at least in part configured as a wireless cellular network and each
wireless access point may be a base station or cellular
communication tower.
[0028] The network may include a first access point 4 that has a
wireless transceiver for providing a first coverage area 4a for the
first access point 4. The network may also include other access
points such as a second access point 5 that includes a wireless
transceiver to provide a second coverage area 5a for the second
access point 5 and a third access point 6 that includes a wireless
transceiver that provides a third coverage area 6a for the third
access point 6.
[0029] The first, second, and third coverage areas may overlap
along borders of those areas with coverage areas of other access
points. For example, the third coverage area 6a for the third
access point 6 may overlap with the first coverage area 4a at first
overlapping coverage area 6b and may overlap with the second
coverage area 5a at second overlapping coverage area 6c. The first
coverage area 4a of the first access point 4 may overlap at a third
overlapping coverage area 4b with the second coverage area 5a of
the second access point 5. The coverage areas for the first, second
and third access points may all overlap at a fourth overlapping
coverage area 7 as well.
[0030] The coverage areas may be defined by the range of the radio
signal strength of each access point. For instance, the first
access point 4 may provide a first coverage area 4a of a one
thousand meter radius around the first access point 4 the second
access point 5 may provide a second coverage area 5a of a five
hundred meter radius around the second access point 5 and the third
access point 6 may provide a third coverage area 6a of a three
hundred meter radius around the third access point 6. Of course, in
other embodiments the radio signal strengths for the wireless
transceivers of the access points may each provide a range
differing from the exemplary ranges discussed above. The ranges may
each be different values or may each be the same value. It should
be understood that the access points may be positioned in different
rooms of a building or may be positioned in different sites of a
facility or may be otherwise positioned in different geographical
locations of a predefined area of real property. It should also be
understood that the shape of a coverage area could also be
different than a generally circular area that has a radius.
[0031] In one embodiment, the system may be a WAN or a LAN that is
configured to operate as a Wi-Fi compliant network. It should be
appreciated that "Wi-Fi" is a term that is a trademark of the Wi-Fi
Alliance and is a brand name associated with wireless local area
networks that operate as designed by one of the Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers' ("IEEE") 802.11
standards.
[0032] The access points may all provide access to a WAN or LAN
such as an enterprise network or a branch network of an enterprise
network. The access points may of course communicate with other
network nodes or network elements. For example, each of the access
points may communicate with a switch device, one or more gateways,
one or more servers, one or more survivability servers, one or more
authentication servers, or one or more border control elements of a
network to which the access points are connected. The access points
may also register with one or more servers that may host a service
the access points may utilize.
[0033] A mobile communication terminal 1 may be communicatively
connected to the first access point 4 to obtain access to an
enterprise network or other network. For example, the mobile
communication terminal 1 may register with the access point for
communicating with the access point for purposes of sending and
receiving messages with other network nodes of the network or other
terminals that may be reachable via the enterprise network for
exchanging communications.
[0034] The mobile communication terminal 1 may also be
communicatively connected to a location service 9 such as a GPS
service or other type of location service. The mobile communication
terminal 1 may communicate with the location service 9 to determine
a current geographical location of the mobile communication
terminal. The mobile communication terminal 1 may cyclically
contact the location service 9 to obtain current geographical
location information of the terminal. For instance, after a
predefined period of time passes from a subsequent communication
with the location service 9 for determining a current geographical
location of the terminal, the mobile communication terminal 1 may
communicate with the location service to obtain an updated current
geographical location of the mobile communication terminal 1. In
some embodiments, the access points may also communicate with the
location service 9 to determine their geographical location.
[0035] The mobile communication terminal 1 may be a mobile phone
such as a cellular phone or smart phone, be a laptop computer, a
tablet computer device, a personal digital assistant, an internet
appliance, or other type of mobile communication terminal such as a
computer device configured to provide telephony or video telephony
communications to a user that permits the user to participate in
phone calls or conference calls. For example, in one embodiment the
mobile communication terminal 1 may have a processor unit 11 that
is communicatively connected to a wireless transceiver unit 13,
non-transitory memory 14, a speaker 12 that emits audio, a display
unit 15 such as liquid crystal display or monitor, a camera sensor
19 for capturing images or video, a microphone 18 for recording
audio and a motion sensor 21 for detecting motion of the mobile
communication terminal 1. The memory 14 may have at least one
application 17 stored thereon. The application may have program
code that is executable by the processor unit 11. The application
17 may define steps of a method that are performed by the mobile
communication terminal 1 upon the execution of the program code of
the application by the processor unit 11. One example of such a
method defined by the application 17 may be appreciated from FIG.
4.
[0036] The wireless transceiver 13 may include a receiver unit 13a
and a transmitter unit 13b. The receiver unit 13a may receive
communications or data and the transmitter unit 13b may transmit
data or messages to other devices. The display unit 15 may be a
liquid crystal display or other type of display. The display unit
15 may be a touch screen that is configured to receive input from a
user in addition to providing output to a user. The speaker 12 may
include one or more speakers or one or more audio emitting devices.
The microphone 18 may be an input device configured to receive
audio input. Such audio input may also be stored in the memory 14.
The camera sensor 19 may capture still images or video and may
store such video or images in the memory 14. The microphone 18 may
work in conjunction with the camera sensor 19 to record audio so
that audio of a video is recorded and playable with the images of
the video. The processor unit 11 may be a central processing unit
such as a microprocessor, interconnected set of microprocessors or
other type of processor hardware element configured to execute
software stored on memory that is communicatively connected to the
processor. The memory 14 may be non-transitory memory such as a
flash drive, a hard drive or other memory that is communicatively
coupled to the processor unit 11 so that the processor unit 11 can
execute one or more applications or other software stored on the
memory 14.
[0037] Of course, the mobile communication terminal may also
include other input devices or output devices. For example, one or
more buttons or a keyboard could be communicatively connected to
the processor unit 11. As another example, a scanner, a mouse, or
other input device could be communicatively connected to the
processor unit. It is contemplated that a printer or other output
device could also be communicatively connected to the mobile
communication terminal 1.
[0038] The motion sensor 21 of the mobile communication terminal
may include one or more accelerometers, a compass, a combination of
at least one accelerometer and a compass, or other mechanism that
is communicatively connected to the processor unit 11 for detecting
at least one of a direction of motion and a speed of the mobile
communication terminal 1. For example, the sensing of motion may
alternatively be determined via data that is stored in memory that
is received from a GPS service provider or other location service 9
to which the mobile communication terminal 1 communicates. The
stored location data may be assessed to determine a speed,
direction of motion, and a location of the terminal. As yet another
alternative, motion sensing may be achieved by data stored in the
memory that contains information obtained from two or more access
points that identifies the location of those access points, the
signal strengths, and the signal strength changes over time. The
stored data may then be assessed by the processor unit 11 to
determine movement and direction of movement.
[0039] In some embodiments, the motion sensor 21 may detect the
direction of motion and the speed at which the mobile communication
terminal is moving and save such data in the memory 14. A time at
which such data was detected or saved can also be saved in the
memory 14 and linked for corresponding to that saved speed and
direction of motion data. For example, the motion sensor 21 may
detect that the mobile communication terminal 1 is not moving and
may subsequently detect that the mobile communication terminal is
traveling southeast at a speed of five kilometers per hour. The
speed and direction information detected by the motion sensor 21 or
otherwise obtained by the terminal may be stored in memory in
chronological order in a table or other format so that a future
location of the mobile communication terminal may be predicted or
estimated. For instance, current and subsequent direction and speed
information may be evaluated to determine which coverage are the
mobile communication terminal 1 may be in at a future time and
determine when the access point providing service within that
coverage zone should be communicated with to ensure a continuous
connection to the network. The steps of such a procedure may be
predefined by the application 17 and may be practiced by the mobile
communication terminal 1 automatically upon the processor unit 11
executing the application 17. Examples of such estimation of
location and selection of access points may be appreciated from at
least the below.
[0040] For example, the mobile communication terminal 1 may detect
that it is moving from a first position shown in FIG. 1 to a new
position, which is shown in FIG. 2 as being located within the
second coverage area 5a that is the coverage area for the second
access point 5. The mobile communication terminal 1 may make such a
determination based on a detection of the motion and direction of
the mobile communication terminal 1 made by its motion sensor 21 or
via a determination made based upon location information obtained
from a location service 9. The determination may also be made based
upon a prediction of where the mobile communication terminal 1 may
be moved to at a particular time in view of the detected speed,
location, and direction of movement of the mobile communication
terminal 1 and the history of past speed, location, and direction
of movement of the mobile communication terminal 1.
[0041] At the same time a predicted future location of the mobile
communication terminal is being determined or after that
determination is made, the mobile communication terminal may also
detect a signal strength of each access point that provides a
coverage area near the location of the mobile communication
terminal 1. While the mobile communication terminal may be
communicatively connected to the first access point 4 in the first
coverage area 4a, the transceiver unit 13 may still detect the
signal strength of nearby coverage areas such as the second
coverage area 5a and third coverage area 6a. The signal strength
may be recorded and saved in memory 14 and linked to a particular
saved speed, location, and direction of motion so that a history of
the location, motion and direction of motion of the mobile
communication terminal can also indicate how the signal strength of
different access points changes for purposes of selecting an access
point to communicate with for accessing a network. The signal
strength detection and strength value may be continuously monitored
and saved for use in access point selection along with time data
for identifying the time at which that signal strength data was
detected or saved. The saved signal strength value and time data
may also be linked with a saved detected speed, determined
location, and direction of motion data so that such saved data
corresponds with each other so that a particular speed, determined
location, and direction of motion at a particular time corresponds
with a detected signal strength for each access point.
[0042] The saved time, signal strength, location, speed and
direction of motion data may be collected and used for predicting a
path of future movement of the mobile communication terminal 1 and
for selecting an access point that will provide the best coverage
(e.g. highest level of signal strength for the longest period of
time within a coverage area) for the mobile communication terminal
for access to the network while the mobile communication terminal
is in motion or is in use while in motion. Such a switch of access
points to the second access point 5 could be made when the mobile
communication terminal 1 enters into the third overlapping coverage
area 4b, enters into the fourth overlapping coverage area 7, or
when it is further within the second coverage area 5a and outside
of any overlapping coverage areas depending on the signal strength
of other available access points at different locations along a
path of movement of the mobile communication terminal 1.
[0043] For example, the mobile communication terminal 1 may detect
its ongoing motion from an initial first position in the first
coverage area 4a toward a second position located in the second
coverage area 5a as indicated by the broken line arrow in FIG. 1.
Upon a detection of the determined future location of the mobile
communication terminal 1 within the second coverage area 5a, the
mobile communication terminal 1 may then seek to predict the best
time to communicate with the second access point 5 for selecting
the second access point 5 as the access point to communicate with
for accessing the network. Such a selection may take into account a
prior registration with the first access point 4 and a time delay
in registering with the second access point and the changing signal
strength received from the first, second, and third access points
4, 5 and 6. For example, upon entering the third overlapping
coverage area 4b, the mobile communication terminal 1 may have
communicated with the second access point 5 to switch to the second
access point 5 as being the access point to which the mobile
communication terminal communicates for accessing a network so that
such a switch to the second access point 5 occurs upon entrance
into the third overlapping coverage area 4b, which is within the
second coverage area 5a. Alternatively, such a communication may
not occur for selecting the second access point to provide access
to the network until entering the fourth overlapping area 7 due to
the signal strength of the first access point 4 being a stronger
signal then the second access point 5 until reaching such a
position.
[0044] The determination made by the mobile communication terminal
1 as to when to select the second access point 5 may be based on a
number of other factors as well. For example, the mobile
communication terminal 1 may be configured so that the rate of
increase in signal strength of the second access point that is
detected along with the recorded direction of motion must result in
meeting a predefined value or threshold or exceeding such a value
or threshold for a predetermined period of time before a selection
of the second access point is made. Such a threshold may only come
into consideration if there is more than one viable access point
for selecting.
[0045] It should be understood that the path of movement of the
mobile communication terminal 1 passes through fourth overlapping
area 7. In this fourth overlapping area 7, the signal strength of
the third access point 6 may actually be stronger than the signal
strength of the second access point 5. But, the mobile
communication terminal 1 may still select the second access point
5, or if already having selected the second access point 5, choose
not to reselect the third access point 6 in view of this momentary
detected increase in signal strength from the third access point
due to the prediction that in the near future the mobile
communication terminal 1 shall move further away from the third
coverage area 6a of the third access point 6 and will move closer
to the second coverage area 5a of the second access point 5. As a
result, unnecessary switching of access points occurs. Unnecessary
switching can create stress on outgoing communications and present
a risk for communication interruption. By the mobile communication
terminal 1 selecting a better long term access point, less
switching of access points may occur which can cause less
communication interruptions and less stress on the outgoing
communications of the mobile communication terminal 1 and less
stress on the communication capacity of the access points.
[0046] The rate of increase in signal or the rate of decrease in
signal from different access points may also be assessed without
reference to a threshold value. Instead, a rate of increase in
signal for an access point may be monitored to confirm that motion
in a particular direction corresponds to increasing signal strength
while motion in that same direction may correspond to decreasing
signal strength from other access points. Such a determination
based on the increasing or decreasing nature of the signal strength
for different candidate access points and direction of motion may
be used to select an access point to replace a currently used
access point as the currently used access point's signal strength
decreases and continues to decrease during motion relative to other
candidate access points. The mobile communication terminal 1 may
determine that a selection of a new access point should be made
upon the rate of increase in signal strength of one access point
indicating that a candidate access point has or will soon have a
substantially stronger signal and should also have a stronger
signal for a longer period of time than other access points that
have had a slower increase in signal strength or a decrease in
signal strength during the motion of the mobile communication
terminal 1.
[0047] Additionally, the actuation of the motion sensor 21 for
detecting and recording the speed and direction of motion of the
mobile communication terminal may only occur upon the mobile
communication terminal being detected as being involved in an
ongoing communication session such as a phone call or video call.
If the communication terminal is in an idle state and is turned on
but not in active use for engaging in a communication session (e.g.
downloading data from a network node, involved in a telephone call,
involved in an instant messaging session, watching a video stream,
etc.), the motion sensor 21 may not be actuated for recording and
saving direction of motion and speed information for use in
selecting an access point. Such actuation may help preserve a
battery life of the terminal so that the mechanism is only in use
and utilizing terminal resources when it may provide the most
benefit to a user. For embodiments of the mobile communication
terminal that do not utilize a motion sensor 21 or for embodiments
that have a motion sensor 21 but also utilize a location service 9,
communications associated with other devices of services so the
mobile communication terminal 1 can obtain its location
information, direction of motion information, or speed information
may also be deactivated or actuated depending upon whether the
terminal is in an idle state or an active state to preserve battery
life.
[0048] In some embodiments of the system, the location service 9
may also communicate geographic location information about where
each of the access points is located. Such information can
alternatively be communicated to the communication terminal via an
access point to which that terminal is connected for access of the
network as well as those access points that the mobile
communication terminal detects as being available for selection for
access to the network. The access point location information may be
known to the mobile communication terminal, communicated via a
location service or otherwise retrieved from a database that is
external to the mobile communication terminal via communications
with a location service, access point location service or access
point that has access to such a database. Such access point
location information can then also be taken into consideration for
the selection of an access point based upon current and previous
detected movement and direction of movement of the mobile
communication terminal 1 along with the known location of different
access points.
[0049] After moving to the position within the second coverage area
5a shown in FIG. 2, the mobile communication terminal 1 may stay in
that position for a relatively long period of time, such as four
hours or eight hours. Thereafter, the mobile communication terminal
1 may move toward a location in the third coverage area 6a as
indicated by the broken line arrow illustrated in FIG. 2. The
mobile communication terminal 1 may monitor the change in signal
strength from the second access point 5 to which it now
communicates for access to the network as well as the first access
point 4 and third access point 6 that occurs from such movement
along with the direction of movement of the mobile communication
terminal, the location of the terminal, and speed of the terminal
that is determined by the terminal for use in selecting the third
access point 6 as the access point to communicate with for future
continued access to the network. Such monitoring of signal strength
and assessment of candidate access points may occur similar to the
above described process used to switch from the first access point
4 to the second access point 5 discussed above.
[0050] The mobile communication terminal 1 could determine that it
should switch to the third access point 6 when it is in motion upon
it entering the third overlapping coverage area 6c, while it moves
through that third overlapping coverage area 6c, when entering or
passing through the fourth overlapping coverage area 7 or when the
mobile communication terminal 1 passes out of that overlapping
coverage area and is located further into the third coverage area
6a depending on determination of when such a switch would provide
the best coverage for the mobile communication terminal for access
to the network that is based on a number of the above discussed
factors such as detected signal strength and the rate of changes to
those detected signal strengths that results from the movement of
the mobile communication terminal 1.
[0051] It should be understood that the mobile communication
terminal 1 may determine to select the third access point 6 while
in the fourth overlapping coverage area 7 instead of the first
access point 4 even though the first access point 4 may be detected
as having a stronger signal while the mobile communication terminal
is within the fourth overlapping coverage area 7. But, the mobile
communication terminal 1 may still select the third access point 6,
or if already having selected the third access point 6, choose not
to reselect the first access point 4 in view of this momentary
detected increase in signal strength from the first access point
due to the prediction that in the near future the mobile
communication terminal 1 shall move further away from the first
coverage area 4a of the first access point 4 and will move closer
to the third coverage area 6a of the third access point 6. As a
result, unnecessary switching of access points occurs. By selecting
a better long term access point, less switching of access points
may occur which can cause less communication interruptions and less
stress on the outgoing communications of the mobile communication
terminal 1 and less stress on the communication capacity of the
access points.
[0052] It should be appreciated that variations to the exemplary
systems, mobile communication terminals, non-transitory computer
readable mediums, and methods discussed above may be made. For
example, the memory 14 may be any of a number of different types of
memory on which one or more applications may be stored so that a
processor unit may execute or run those one or more applications.
As another example, the mobile communication terminal may be any of
a number of types of computer terminal devices such as a tablet,
laptop, cellular phone, mobile phone, internet appliance, or other
communication terminal. As yet another example, the number of
access points or types of access points of a network may be any of
a number of possible alternatives to meet a desired design
objective.
[0053] As yet another example, it is contemplated that some access
points that may be detected by a mobile communication terminal for
obtaining access to a network may not be suitable for
communications because the user of the mobile communication
terminal 1 may not have a necessary authorization needed for
communicating with that access point (e.g. password, authorization
constraint, necessary encryption, etc.). A network may also be
configured to not permit mobile communication terminals that are
outside of certain constraint parameters, such as a roaming
limitation, to communicate with an access point for gaining access
to the network. Such access points may not be candidate access
points for communications even when reachable by a mobile
communication terminal when such exclusive conditions are
determined to exist and the mobile communication terminal knows it
cannot meet a pre-requisite condition of such an access point (e.g.
previously failed to establish a connection with the access point,
learning of such requirements from an external database, learning
of such requirements from another communication device of the
network, etc.).
[0054] While certain present preferred embodiments of a
communication terminal, non-transitory computer readable medium
executable by a communication terminal, a communication system, and
methods of making and using the same have been shown and described
above, it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not
limited thereto but may be otherwise variously embodied and
practiced within the scope of the following claims.
* * * * *