FR3127094A1 - A method of connecting to a wide area network. - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for connecting a terminal (1) to an extended network (20), a plurality of wireless communication networks (21, 21', 22) being connected to said extended network (20), characterized in that it comprises the implementation by a data processing module (11) of the terminal (1) of steps of: Determination of at least one contextual parameter of the terminal (1) independent of said plurality of communication networks wireless (21, 21', 22);Selecting a wireless communication network from said plurality of wireless communication networks (21, 21', 22) according to said contextual parameter;Connecting the mobile terminal to said network extended (20) via the selected wireless communication network. Figure for abstract: Fig. 1

Description

A method of connecting to a wide area network.

GENERAL TECHNICAL AREA

The present invention relates to the field of handover (in French “connection transfer”) in particular vertical.

More specifically, it relates to a method for connecting to an extended network via several wireless networks of radio or non-radio technologies.

STATE OF THE ART

Today, smartphone-type mobile terminals are capable of implementing wireless communications via various technologies: mobile telephony (UMTS, LTE, etc.), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc.

These terminals are also capable of switching from one to the other according to priority rules, generally Wi-Fi > LTE > UMTS: the terminal first tries to connect to a known Wi-Fi network (in particular the home network of the user of the terminal), and otherwise to the telephone network with the best possible quality.

The transfer of a terminal's connection from one communication channel to another is generally called "handover", and in particular "vertical handover" when it involves a change in technology. By contrast, in “horizontal handover”, the access point is changed but the network technology remains the same (for example, the cell is changed in a mobile network).

Thus, a switch from a Wi-Fi network to a mobile network is an example of vertical handover.

An increasingly common example of the use of this handover is the "VoWifi" or Voice over Wi-Fi option (commonly known as "Wi-Fi calling"), which is a variation of VoIP offered by many operators. .

With a compatible terminal, users can enjoy Voice over Wi-Fi on any public or private Wi-Fi network.

Voice over Wi-Fi is an example of the complementarity between 4G mobile networks and Wi-Fi. The two technologies take turns and provide optimal coverage for the user.

However, we have some problems because the Wi-Fi network is a technical solution shared between different users, unlicensed frequencies do not guarantee speed, do not guarantee latency, do not guarantee call security for critical services for example.

Li-Fi is an additional connectivity solution that uses light waves (visible light and/or infrared). The physical specificities of Li-Fi mean that signal propagation is controlled, access is shared with fewer users, latency is very low.

Vertical handover is known to be automatically implemented between these networks, see for example application CN105657757. However, there is either a tendency to "cling" to a connection that is not optimal (for example, staying on poor quality Wi-Fi when Li-Fi connectivity exists), or conversely an effect of " ping pong” between the different connections (multiple switchovers unnecessary). In the end, the user often comes to choose his network manually to avoid these inconveniences.

It is therefore desirable to have a connection solution to an extended network via several wireless networks of heterogeneous technologies which is simpler, more optimal, and makes the best use of the specificities of each technology (for example which allows reduce exposure to radio waves if the user wishes).

The invention improves the situation.

PRESENTATION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention thus relates according to a first aspect to a method for connecting a terminal to an extended network, a plurality of wireless communication networks being connected to said extended network, characterized in that it comprises the implementation by a data processing module of the terminal with steps of:

1. Determination of at least one contextual parameter of the terminal independent of said plurality of wireless communication networks;
2. Selecting a wireless communication network from said plurality of wireless communication networks based on said contextual parameter;
3. Connection of the mobile terminal to said extended network via the selected wireless communication network.

According to advantageous and non-limiting characteristics:

Said plurality of wireless communication networks comprises at least one radio wireless communication network and one non-radio wireless communication network, step (b) comprising selecting the radio wireless communication network or of the non-radio wireless communication network. Indeed, radio and non-radio networks have very different properties, and selecting between these two technologies based on the contextual parameter makes it very easy to get the best out of them.

Said non-radio wireless communication network is an optical wireless communication network. Said non-radio wireless communication network is a Li-Fi network. Optical networks are a very powerful example of a non-radio network, and Li-Fi is a recognized standard.

Said plurality of wireless communication networks comprises a plurality of radio wireless communication networks, said wireless communication network being selected in step (b) from among all the radio or non-radio wireless communication networks . Indeed, there are several technologies also with various properties within the radio networks, and therefore an interest to choose on the basis of the contextual parameter on only radio/non-radio, but also a radio technology in particular.

Said plurality of wireless radio communication networks comprises a mobile communication network and a Wi-Fi network. These are in fact two very well-known and very different radio technologies, for which the present method is perfectly suited.

said contextual parameter of the terminal is a spatial parameter or a temporal parameter. These are two examples of contextual parameters that are easy to handle and allow very easily to discriminate between wireless networks.

Said terminal is initially connected to said extended network via a wireless communication network of said plurality of wireless communication networks, said initial wireless communication network, step (c) comprising, if the wireless communication network wire selected in step (b) is different from said initial wireless communication network, the implementation of a vertical handover action for the connection to said extended network via the selected wireless communication network. The present method is in fact not only intended to select a "first" connection, and proves to be very suitable for changing to a network without interrupting the communication.

The method comprises a prior step (a0) of creating at least one selection rule based on user actions, step (b) applying said selection rule. The present method also has the advantage of being easily configurable by the user, so that an automatic optimal choice of access network can be quickly made in all circumstances.

According to a second aspect, the invention relates to a terminal characterized in that it comprises a data processing module configured to implement, for the connection of the terminal to an extended network, a plurality of wireless communication networks being connected to said wide area network, steps of:

1. Determination of at least one contextual parameter of the terminal independent of said plurality of wireless communication networks;
2. Selecting a wireless communication network from said plurality of wireless communication networks based on said contextual parameter;
3. Connection of the mobile terminal to said extended network via the selected wireless communication network.

According to a third and a fourth aspect, the invention relates to a computer program product comprising code instructions for the execution of a method according to the first aspect of connection of a terminal to a wide area network; and a storage means readable by computer equipment on which a computer program product comprises code instructions for the execution of a method according to the second aspect of connection of a terminal to a wide area network.

PRESENTATION OF FIGURES

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will appear on reading the following description of a preferred embodiment. This description will be given with reference to the appended figures including:

• There is a diagram of a general architecture for implementing the method according to the invention;
• There represents the steps of an embodiment of the method according to the invention.

Claims (12)

Method for connecting a terminal (1) to an extended network (20), a plurality of wireless communication networks (21, 21', 22) being connected to said extended network (20), characterized in that it comprises the implementation by a data processing module (11) of the terminal (1) of steps of:

1. Determination of at least one contextual parameter of the terminal (1) independent of said plurality of wireless communication networks (21, 21', 22);
2. selecting a wireless communication network from said plurality of wireless communication networks (21, 21', 22) according to said contextual parameter;
3. Connection of the mobile terminal to said extended network (20) via the selected wireless communication network.

A method according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of wireless communication networks (21, 21', 22) comprises at least one radio wireless communication network (21, 21') and one wireless communication network non-radio (22), step (b) comprising selecting the radio wireless communication network (21, 21') or the non-radio wireless communication network (22). A method according to claim 2, wherein said non-radio wireless communication network (22) is an optical wireless communication network. A method according to claim 3, wherein said non-radio wireless communication network (22) is a Li-Fi network. Method according to one of claims 2 to 3, wherein said plurality of wireless communication networks (21, 21', 22) comprises a plurality of radio wireless communication networks (21, 21'), said wireless communication being selected in step (b) from among all the radio or non-radio wireless communication networks (21, 21', 22) A method according to claim 5, wherein said plurality of radio wireless communication networks (21, 21') comprises a mobile communication network (21) and a Wi-Fi network (21'). Method according to one of Claims 1 to 6, in which the said contextual parameter of the terminal (1) is a spatial parameter or a temporal parameter. Method according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said terminal (1) is initially connected to said wide area network (20) via a wireless communication network of said plurality of wireless communication networks (21, 21', 22), said initial wireless communication network, step (c) comprising, if the wireless communication network selected in step (b) is different from said initial wireless communication network, setting implementation of a vertical handover action for the connection to said extended network (20) via the selected wireless communication network. Method according to one of Claims 1 to 8, comprising a prior step (a0) of creating at least one selection rule as a function of user actions, step (b) applying the said selection rule. Terminal (1) characterized in that it comprises a data processing module (11) configured to implement, for the connection of the terminal (1) to an extended network (20), a plurality of wireless communication networks wire (21, 21', 22) being connected to said extended network (20), the steps of:

1. Determination of at least one contextual parameter of the terminal (1) independent of said plurality of wireless communication networks (21, 21', 22);
2. selecting a wireless communication network from said plurality of wireless communication networks (21, 21', 22) according to said contextual parameter;
3. Connection of the mobile terminal to said extended network (20) via the selected wireless communication network.

Computer program product comprising code instructions for the execution of a method according to one of claims 1 to 9 for connecting a terminal (1) to an extended network (10), when said program is executed by a computer. Storage medium readable by computer equipment on which a computer program product comprises code instructions for the execution of a method according to one of Claims 1 to 9 for connecting a terminal (1) to a network extended (10).