JP2008042913A - Method and application for supporting radio access system selection by multi-mode mobile station - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide methods for a selecting a radio access system for a mobile station. <P>SOLUTION: The methods for selecting the radio access system for the mobile station include performing multi-mode system selection in a multi-mode mobile station using a multi-mode system selection algorithm as a function of multi-mode overlay information, the multi-mode overlay information including a plurality of associations, each association being between a respective set of systems that serve at least a common geographical area, at least some of the associations being between systems using differing radio access technology. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present application relates generally to the selection of radio access systems with multi-mode mobile stations.

  A multi-mode mobile station is a mobile station (MS) with the ability to access networks of different types of radio access technologies (RAT). Existing multi-mode mobile stations include Global System for Mobile Communications / General Packet Radio Service (GSM / GPRS) and Code Division MultipleC (Code DivisionC) MultiplexC Mobile station with a combination of GSM / GPRS / Universal Mobile Telecommunication Systems (UMTS) and CDMA performance and wireless wide area network (WLAN) performance. And a combination.

  The system selection algorithm provides the MS with a way to find the most appropriate network for the service subscribed to by the MS. The system selection algorithm is used in all RATs. The network assists the MS in selecting appropriate systems such as GSM / GPRS, UMTS and CDMA. For example, in existing CDMA wireless systems, the MS uses an operator-supplied list called PRL (Preferred Roaming List). The PRL describes which systems are allowed to use, the priority associated with the system for preference, which systems are prohibited, and whether the system is considered home or roaming. The PRL can be pre-supplied during manufacture or can be dynamically downloaded from the network via an over-the-air delivery protocol (eg, IS-683 OTASP / OTAPA). The PRL is stored in the non-volatile memory of the MS or Removable User Identity Module (R-UIM). In existing GSM / GPRS / UMTS systems, instead of PRL, a PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network) list stored on a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) or Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) card is used by the network This indicates the system preference for the MS. The PLMN list includes a home PLMN, an operator controlled PLMN, and a user controlled PLMN.

  GPRS and UMTS are the evolution of GSM. GSM / GPRS and UMTS use different radio access technologies, but in some embodiments are treated as a single category for network acquisition. This is because they share the same core network. In a CDMA network, a SID (System Identifier) identifies an associated CDMA carrier or operator and generally covers a large geographic area. A network identifier (NID) is a subset of a SID and covers a smaller area, such as an area covered by one MSC. In the GSM / GPRS / UMTS network, the Mobile Country Code (MCC) and the Mobile Network Code (MNC) identify the associated PLMN or carrier. Within the PLMN, a Location Area Code (LAC) identifies the region covered by a given MSC / VLR (Mobile Service Switching Center / Visit Location Register).

(Overview)
One broad aspect of the present application may provide a method for selecting a system, in which a multimode mobile station uses a multimode system selection algorithm as a function of multimode overlay information. Performing the selection, the multi-mode overlay information includes a plurality of associations, each association being an association between a respective set of systems working in at least a common geographic region, the association At least part of the gender is the relevance between systems that use different radio access technologies.

  In some embodiments, the multi-mode overlay information may include timing information regarding a search to be performed for the system, performing system selection includes performing a search for the system according to the timing information, and Timing information is provided for systems that are part of the system but not necessarily all, the timing information includes an indication of which system is provided with timing information, and for which system the timing information is provided. This indication includes a respective bit for each system that indicates the presence or absence of timing information for that system.

  In some embodiments, the multi-mode overlay information includes priority information for each system that prioritizes each relevant system and uses a multi-mode system selection algorithm as a function of the multi-mode overlay information The multi-mode mobile station performing the multi-mode system selection after acquiring a system included in one of the system sets of the multi-mode overlay information, In some cases, this involves periodically trying to connect to another system in the set of systems that has a higher priority than a particular system. The method may further include monitoring the system in an idle mode if the acquired system is the highest priority system in a given system group.

  In some embodiments, the method may further include the multi-mode mobile station receiving the multi-mode overlay information wirelessly.

  In some embodiments, receiving the multi-mode overlay information wirelessly may follow the format in the table below.

一部の実施形態において、上記方法は、上記モバイルステーションが、マルチモード性能情報を送信することをさらに含み得る。

In some embodiments, the method may further include the mobile station transmitting multi-mode performance information.

  In some embodiments, transmitting the multi-mode performance information includes transmitting at least one bit for each of a plurality of radio access technologies indicating whether each radio access technology is supported. obtain.

  In some embodiments, transmitting at least one bit for each of the plurality of radio access technologies indicating whether each of the radio access technologies is supported may be CDMA, GSM / GPRS / UMTS, and WLAN Transmitting at least one bit for each of.

  In some embodiments, the method includes, if CDMA is supported, individually transmitting at least one bit indicating support for each of CDMA 1x and CDMA 1xEVDO, as well as GSM / GPRS / If UMTS is supported, it may further include individually transmitting at least one bit for each of GSM, GPRS, and UMTS as well.

  In some embodiments, transmitting at least one bit for each of a plurality of radio access technologies indicating whether each of the radio access technologies is supported, assuming that CDMA is supported, Transmitting at least one bit for each of GSM and WLAN.

  In some embodiments, OTASP (Radio Service Programming) / OTAPA (Radio Parameter Management) may be used to request and send multi-mode performance information.

  In some embodiments, transmitting at least one bit for each of the plurality of radio access technologies indicating whether each of the radio access technologies can be supported is performed according to the format of the following table.

一部の実施形態において、ＣＤＭＡがサポートされる場合には、上記モバイルステーションは、以下の表のフォーマットに従ってマルチモード性能情報を送信し得る。

In some embodiments, if CDMA is supported, the mobile station may transmit multi-mode performance information according to the format in the following table.

一部の実施形態において、ＧＳＭ／ＧＰＲＳ／ＵＭＴＳがサポートされる場合には、上記モバイルステーションは、以下の表のフォーマットに従ってマルチモード性能情報を送信し得る。

In some embodiments, if GSM / GPRS / UMTS is supported, the mobile station may transmit multi-mode performance information according to the format in the table below.

一部の実施形態において、上記マルチモード性能オーバレイ情報は、システムについて実行されるべき探索に関するタイミング情報を含み得る。

In some embodiments, the multi-mode performance overlay information may include timing information regarding searches to be performed for the system.

  Another broad aspect of the application may provide a method, wherein the system prepares multi-mode overlay information, wherein the multi-mode overlay information includes a plurality of associations, each association being An association between each set of systems working in at least a common geographic region, at least part of the association being an association between systems using different radio access technologies; and Transmitting the multi-mode overlay information to the mobile station.

  In some embodiments, the method may further include the system receiving the multi-mode performance information from the mobile station, wherein the multi-mode overlay information is for a radio access technology supported by the mobile station. Contains customized overlay information for each mobile station containing only the system.

  Another broad aspect of the application may provide an apparatus, which is a multi-mode system selection function that performs multi-mode system selection as a function of multi-mode overlay information, wherein the multi-mode overlay information includes a plurality of multi-mode overlay information. Each association is an association between a respective set of systems working in at least a common geographic region, at least a portion of which is between systems using different radio access technologies A multi-mode system selection function, a memory for storing the multi-mode overlay information, and a wireless access radio for accessing a system having one or more radio access technologies.

  In some embodiments, the multi-mode system selection function includes at least one radio access technology specific network selection function that performs network selection for a given radio access technology, and network selection from a plurality of different radio access technologies. And a multi-mode network selection function.

  In accordance with embodiments of the present application, multimode overlay information may be provided to a multimode mobile station. The multi-mode overlay information provides a list of networks or systems for various radio access technologies available in overlapping geographical areas.

  The present invention further provides the following means.

(Item 1)
A method for selecting a radio access system for a mobile station, the method comprising:
Performing multi-mode system selection in a multi-mode mobile station using a multi-mode system selection algorithm as a function of multi-mode overlay information, wherein the multi-mode overlay information includes a plurality of associations, each association Gender is at least the association between each set of systems working in a common geographic area, at least part of which is the association between systems using different radio access technologies, Including the method.

(Item 2)
The method of item 1, further comprising storing the multi-mode overlay information at the multi-mode mobile station.

(Item 3)
Item 3. The method of item 1 or 2, wherein the multi-mode overlay information includes, for each association, an identification parameter for the respective set of systems.

(Item 4)
The identification parameter for at least one code division multiple access “CDMA” system is:
Including at least one of a system identifier “SID”, an SID and network identifier “NID”, a mobile country code “MCC”, and an MCC and mobile network code “MNC”;
At least one global system for mobile communication / general packet radio service / universal mobile telecommunications system “GSM / GPRS / UMTS” system
4. The method of item 3, comprising at least one of MCC, MCC and MNC, and MCC, MNC and location area code “LAC”.

(Item 5)
The multi-mode overlay information includes a respective overlay group number for each system, and systems having the same overlay group number include the respective system set of one of the associations. The method according to any one of the above.

(Item 6)
Storing radio access technology specific system selection information for at least one radio access technology;
6. The method of any of items 1-5, further comprising performing system selection using a radio access technology specific system selection algorithm.

(Item 7)
Storing radio access technology specific system selection information for the at least one radio access technology and performing system selection using the radio access technology specific system selection algorithm;
For CDMA, store the preferred roaming list “CDMA PRL” and perform CDMA system selection using the CDMA PRL;
7. For GSM / GPRS / UMTS, storing a public land mobile network “PLMN” list and performing system selection using the PLMN list.

(Item 8)
8. The method of any one of items 1-7, wherein the multi-mode overlay information includes priority information for each system that prioritizes each relevant system.

(Item 9)
The multi-mode mobile station, which performs multi-mode system selection using a multi-mode system selection algorithm as a function of the multi-mode overlay information,
Attempting to acquire the system using one of the most recently used radio access technology "RAT" and the default radio access technology;
After acquiring a specific system, determining system information from the multi-mode overlay information;
Determining whether there is another system using a different RAT in the set of systems and having a higher priority than the particular system;
9. The method of item 8, comprising obtaining a higher priority system if there is a higher priority system.

(Item 10)
The multi-mode mobile station, which performs multi-mode system selection using a multi-mode system selection algorithm as a function of the multi-mode overlay information,
Having a higher priority system than having acquired a system included in one of the set of systems of the multi-mode overlay information and having a higher priority system, 10. A method according to item 8 or 9, comprising periodically attempting to connect to another system in the set of systems.

(Item 11)
In any one of items 8-10, the multi-mode overlay information includes a higher priority system search time for each system that defines how often to search for higher priority systems. The method described.

(Item 12)
Any of items 1-7, wherein the multi-mode overlay information includes timing information relating to a search to be performed for the system, and performing the system selection includes performing a system search according to the timing information. 2. The method according to item 1.

(Item 13)
The timing information above is
A set of bits indicating the actual timer value;
A set of bits indicating the actual timer value offset by a predetermined value;
13. The method of item 12, comprising at least one of a set of bits to index into a table of timer values.

(Item 14)
The timing information is for each system identified in the multi-mode overlay information, and the timing information is for a given system while that system is acquired.
How often to search for a system that has a higher priority than the given system and that has a different RAT from the RAT of the given system;
How often to search for a system that has a higher priority than the given system and has a different RAT from the RAT of the given system, and for at least some systems, 14. The method of item 12 or 13, wherein the plurality of timing information indicates at least one of each being specified for each higher priority system.

(Item 15)
The timing information is for each system to be searched, and the timing information specifies a time for a given type of system included in the multi-mode overlay information, which is more than the current system. 13. A method according to item 12, which is the time between searches for this type of system to be used by the mobile station when searching for this type of system as a high priority system.

(Item 16)
Any one of items 12-15, wherein the timing information is provided for a system that is part of the system but not necessarily all, the timing information including an indication of which system the timing information is provided for. The method according to item.

(Item 17)
The multi-mode mobile station further includes receiving the multi-mode overlay information wirelessly, and receiving the multi-mode overlay information wirelessly;
A group identifier identifying the association to which the system belongs;
A system type that identifies the type of the system and at least one identification parameter;
Priority information indicating the relative priority of the system;
17. The method according to any one of items 1 to 16, comprising receiving search timing information for each system.

(Item 18)
Multi-mode overlay information for the above system is
Overlay group information defining the association of the system with other systems in at least one common geographic location;
A system type that identifies the type of the system and at least one identification parameter;
18. The method of any one of items 1-17, comprising: intra group overlay priority timing information regarding a search to be performed for the system.

(Item 19)
A device,
Multi-mode system selection function means for performing the method according to any one of items 1 to 18;
Memory for storing multi-mode overlay information;
A wireless access radio that accesses a system having one or more radio access technologies.

(Item 20)
A computer readable medium that stores program instructions executable by a processor of the computing device to cause the computing device to perform the method of any one of items 1-18.

(Summary)
A method is provided for a multi-mode mobile station to perform multi-mode system selection using a multi-mode system selection algorithm as a function of multi-mode overlay information. The multi-mode overlay information includes a plurality of associations, each association being an association between a respective set of systems working in at least a common geographic region, at least some of which associations are different radio access The relevance between systems using technology. A method is also provided for a system to prepare multi-mode overlay information including a plurality of associations and send the multi-mode overlay information to the mobile station.

  Referring now to FIG. 1, a block diagram of an embodiment of mobile station 8 is shown. The mobile station 8 has a memory, and stores network selection information 10 to 12 specific to radio access technologies for a plurality of radio access technologies in the memory. In addition, for each radio access technology, there are network selection algorithms 14-16 specific to the respective radio access technology. Multi-mode overlay information 18 is also shown, which is stored in memory on multi-mode mobile station 8 and multi-mode system selection algorithm 19. Of course, the mobile station 8 has other functionality but is not shown for the sake of brevity. This may include, for example, an access radio, a processor, a memory, an antenna, and the like. Network access algorithms 14-16 and multi-mode network selection algorithm 19 specific to radio access technology may be implemented using, for example, one of a suitable combination of software, hardware and firmware.

  In operation, for each radio access technology (RAT), network selection information 10-12 specific to the radio access technology and network selection algorithms 14-16 specific to the radio access technology to perform network selection for that technology. Work together in a traditional manner. At the same time, the multi-mode network selection algorithm 19 operates in response to the multi-mode overlay information 18 to perform network selection that requires multiple different radio access technology selections to be made.

  Referring now to FIG. 2, a specific embodiment of the multi-mode mobile station of FIG. 1 is shown, and the mobile station in FIG. 2 is typically indicated as 25, CDMA radio access technology and GSM / GPRS / UMTS radio access. Equipped to operate using technology. For GSM / GPRS / UMTS, the mobile station has a GSM / GPRS / UMTS PLMN list 20 and for CDMA, the mobile station has a CDMA PRL 22. There is a GSM / GPRS / UMTS network selection algorithm 24, which operates to perform network selection using the GSM / GPRS / UMTS PLMN list 20, and there is a CDMA network selection algorithm 26, and a CDMA PRL 22 To perform CDMA network selection. Multimode overlay information 28 and multimode network selection algorithm 30 are also shown, which perform the selection between CDMA and GSM / GPRS / UMTS radio access technologies.

  Referring now to FIG. 3, a very specific embodiment of the multimode overlay information summarized in Table 41 is shown. This table includes several systems grouped into overlay groups, and two overlay groups, 40 and 42, are shown in the illustrated embodiment. Each overlay group displays the association between each set of systems. Each system in the set of systems includes one or more different RAT types. Thus, in some implementations, more than one system in a common geographic region may have the same RAT type, and a mobile station may have a particular RAT in one of several systems. Allows you to choose.

  Table 41 shows "index" 43, "overlay group number" 45, "intra group priority" 44, "higher priority network search time (first embodiment)" 46, and "higher priority network." Search time (Embodiment 2) "having a column identified by heading 47. Another column with the heading “System Information” includes a further heading “System Type” 48 and “Specific Information” 49. The “System Type” column 48 identifies the type of system for each listed system. System types may include, for example, CDMA and GSM, GPRS, UMTS, and WLAN. In some embodiments, GSM / GPRS / UMTS are classified together as a single system type. More generally, any suitable mechanism for identifying various system types may be used.

  The first overlay group 40 is identified by “0” in the “overlay group number” column 45 and includes three different systems: a CDMA system, a GSM system, and a UMTS system. Specifically, as identified in the “specific information” column 49, these include CDMA with SID / NID (system identifier / network identifier) (6, 1) and MCC / MNC / LAC (mobile country code). / Mobile network code / Location area code) 350/22/2 and UMTS system with MCC / MNC / LAC350 / 22/3. The second overlay group 42 is identified by “1” in the “overlay group number” column 45 and includes three systems, which consist of a CDMA system, a GSM system, and a wireless LAN. Specifically, as identified in the “specific information” column 49, these are: a CDMA system with SID / NID (6, 2); a GSM system with MCC / MNC / LAC350 / 22/3; A WLAN system having an SSID (service set identifier). There is a respective set of identification parameters for each system. In the particular example illustrated, for each CDMA system, the identification parameters include SID and NID. In some embodiments, additional identification parameters for CDMA systems include MCC and MNC. For each GSM / GPRS / UMTS system in the illustrated embodiment, the identification parameters include MCC, MNC and LAC. In some embodiments, identification parameters for GSM / GPRS / UMTS systems include MCC only or MCC and MNC. Finally, for a wireless LAN, the identification parameter consists of an SSID. In some embodiments, the multimode overlay information includes intra overlay group priority information, as shown in column 44 of FIG. Any suitable mechanism may be used to indicate the relative priority of systems within the overlay group. In the illustrated embodiment, only two different priorities are listed, and these priorities relate to records that are sequentially ordered in the table. More specifically, the designation “more” for a given system means that the system has a higher priority than the previous system in the table, while “same” ")" Means that it has the same priority as the previous system in the table.

  In the overlay group 40 of the illustrated embodiment, the system with the highest priority (CDMA) has the “more” of intra group overlay priority identification, and the other two systems (GSM, UMTS) It has “same” group overlay priority identification, because the two systems have similar lower priority. In the illustrated example overlay group 42, the system having the highest priority (CDMA) has an intra-group overlay priority identification "more". A system with a lower priority than the highest priority system (CDMA) but with a higher priority than the system with the lowest priority (WLAN) (GSM) is also the “more” of intra-group overlay priority identification. Is included. The system with the lowest priority (WLAN) has an “identical” intra group overlay priority identification.

  In some embodiments, the multi-mode overlay information includes timing information that specifies the timing of searches to be performed for various system types. This timing information can arrive in various forms. In some embodiments, the timing information is a series of bits that indicate the actual timer value, eg, in “minutes”. In some embodiments, the timing information is a series of bits that indicate the actual timer value, eg, minutes, offset by a predetermined value. For example, if the timer has a value less than 2, the timer value may be offset by 2 (ie, the timing information is equal to the timer value to be used minus 2), resulting in more A few bits are used to convey timing information. In some embodiments, the timing information is a series of bits that index into a table previously stored on the mobile station that includes a series of timer values.

  In some embodiments, the timer information is associated with each system identified in the multimode overlay information. In some embodiments, the timer information may be how often a given system is searched for a system with a higher priority than the given system, and the RAT of the given system. Indicates whether to search using a different RAT, at the same time the system is obtained. An example of this approach is shown in column 46 entitled "Higher priority network search time (Example 1)" in FIG. Column 46 includes a parameter indicating how often a higher priority system is sought for each system listed in the table. For example, a given mobile station acquires a UMTS system identified with MCC = 350, MNC = 22 and LAC = 3, while a mobile station adds a higher priority system of different RAT types every 5 minutes. The parameters specific to the table specify what to look for. In this case, the mobile station searches for a CDMA system. Similarly, if a given mobile station acquires a GSM system identified by MCC = 350, MNC = 22, and LAC = 2, the mobile station becomes a higher priority system (a CDMA system in the illustrated embodiment). ) Every 10 minutes. This approach provides the flexibility of providing different timer values for the same RAT system.

  For such systems, in some embodiments, when the timer expires, all of the higher priority systems are searched, for example, to start with the highest priority system. In other embodiments, only the highest priority system is searched.

  In yet another implementation, a plurality of timers are identified for each listed system, each timer specifying a period of search for each of the higher priority systems than the listed system.

  In some embodiments, timer information is associated with each entry in the table to be searched. In some embodiments, the timer is used by the mobile station when searching for this type of system as a higher priority system than the current system for a given type of system included in the overlay information. Specify the time during the search for this type of system. This embodiment is shown in column 47 entitled “Higher priority network search time (Example 2)” in FIG.

  Column 47 contains a parameter indicating how often each system listed in the table is to be searched for as a higher priority system. For example, a particular parameter value in the table indicates that a given mobile station will not have a CDMA system with SID / NID = 6/1 unless it acquires a CDMA system with SID / NID = 6/1. Specifies that a search should be made every 5 minutes. Similarly, unless a given mobile station acquires a CDMA system with SID / NID = 6/1 and does not acquire a GSM system with MCC / MNC / LAC = 350/22/2, the mobile station A GSM system with MCC / MNC / LAC = 350/22/2 should be searched every 10 minutes. Since the UTMS system has the lowest priority, there is no time to indicate how often the search is performed.

  In some embodiments, each timing information is not provided for every entire network, but rather, timing information is provided for some networks and one or more bits are used. Signaling the presence or absence of such information. This particular example is given in Table 13 of FIG. 6B. With such an approach, timing information is not included for each group specific entry, eg, the highest priority entry. In some embodiments, a default value (eg, may be defined for each RAT type) may be used as a secondary entry if timing information was not included.

  In some embodiments, when the multi-mode station is powered up and turned on, the multi-mode mobile station may only be able to do so if, for example, the mobile station has a valid acquisition history including the recently used RAT. Search for an appropriate system by looking for a RAT that matches the recently used RAT. Otherwise, the mobile station looks for an appropriate system using the default RAT search settings. A network selection algorithm specific to the radio access technology is used at this point.

  A specific usage scenario will now be described with reference to the values in the table of FIG. 3, specifically in connection with “Higher priority network search time (Example 1)” 46, the mobile station Are assumed to have CDMA default RAT settings. The mobile station searches for a CDMA system based first on the CDMA PRL. If the mobile station is in overlay group “0” as defined in “overlay group number” 45, the mobile station acquires a CDMA system and sends “system information”, in particular “specific information” 49. Read and search SID / NID information. In this example, it is assumed that the mobile station acquires a CDMA system with SID / NID = 6/1. Assuming that SID / NID information has been obtained in this way, the mobile station then checks the multi-mode overlay information to determine if there is a higher priority system. In this case, since CDMA is the most preferred system, it can be seen that the mobile station remains in the CDMA system without having to look for other systems.

  On the other hand, if the mobile station's default RAT setting is GSM / GPRS / UMTS, the mobile station searches for a GSM / GPRS / UMTS system based first on the GSM / GPRS / UMTS PLMN list. If the mobile station is in overlay group “0” as defined in “overlay group number” 45, the mobile station acquires the GSM / GPRS / UMTS system and “system information”, particularly “specific information”. "49" is read and MCC / MNC / LAC information is retrieved. With the available MCC / MNC / LAC information, the mobile station knows the RAT available in the region by checking the multi-mode overlay information. Specifically, assuming that the mobile station has acquired a GSM / GPRS / UMTS system with MCC / MNC / LAC = 350/22/2, the RAT type information is a multimode associated with overlay group “0”. It can be found in the overlay information. Since there is a CDMA system shown as the most preferred system (ie, SID / NID = 6/1), the mobile station performs periodic system selections and tries to acquire the CDMA system.

  FIG. 7 provides a detailed example for the selection operation of a multi-mode mobile station power-up system. The assumption for the embodiment of FIG. 7 is that the mobile station is a dual-mode mobile station that supports CDMA and GSM / GPRS / UMTS radio access technologies.

  After the multi-mode mobile station is powered up, the first step 705 is a decision step to determine if the default mode setting is CDMA. If the default mode setting is CDMA (yes path), the multi-mode mobile station attempts to acquire a CDMA system using PRL in step 710. Step 715 is another decision step and determines whether a CDMA system has been acquired. If a CDMA system is acquired (yes pass), the multi-mode mobile station determines system information, eg, SID / NID information, from the overlay parameter table in step 720. Step 725 is a decision step that follows step 720 and determines whether other RAT systems are available based on the overlay parameters for the common geographic region. If other RAT systems are available (yes path), step 730 is a decision step that determines whether CDMA is the most preferred RAT among those available systems. If CDMA is the most preferred RAT (yes path), then the multi-mode mobile station monitors the CDMA system in idle mode at step 735. If CDMA is not the most preferred RAT (no path at step 730), then the multi-mode mobile station performs a periodic search to find the most preferred RAT system at step 740. If no other RAT is available (no path at step 725), the multi-mode mobile station monitors the CDMA system in idle mode at step 735.

  If the default mode setting is not CDMA (no path of step 705), step 745 is a decision step for determining whether the default mode setting is GSM / GPRS / UMTS. If the default mode is GSM / GPRS / UMTS in step 745 (yes path), then in step 750, the multi-mode mobile station attempts to acquire a GSM / GPRS / UMTS system using the PLMN list. If a CDMA system was not acquired in step 715 (no path of step 715), the multimode mobile station attempts to acquire a GSM / GPRS / UMTS system using the PLMN list in step 750. Step 755 is a decision step that follows step 750 and includes determining whether a GSM / GPRS / UMTS system has been acquired. If a GSM / GPRS / UMTS system is acquired (yes path), the multi-mode mobile station determines system information using a table of overlay parameters, eg, MCC / MNC / LAC information, at step 760. If the GSM / GPRS / UMTS system has not been acquired (no path of step 755), the multi-mode mobile station enters the GSM / GPRS / UMTS limited service mode at step 780. The limited service mode is sometimes called the SOS mode, which is an emergency mode in which the mobile station is only allowed to call emergency services. Step 765 is a decision step that follows step 760 and determines whether other RAT systems are available based on the overlay parameters for the common geographic region. If other RAT systems are available (yes path), step 770 determines whether any one of GSM / GPRS / UMTS is the most preferred RAT of those available systems. This is a decision step. If any one of GSM / GPRS / UMTS is the most preferred RAT (yes path), the multi-mode mobile station monitors a predetermined one of the GSM / GPRS / UMTS systems in idle mode at step 775 To do. If any one of GSM / GPRS / UMTS is not the most preferred RAT type (step 770, no path), the multi-mode mobile station performs a periodic search and the most preferred system in step 740 Find out. If no other RAT is available (no path of step 765), the multi-mode mobile station monitors a predetermined one of the GSM / GPRS / UMTS systems in idle mode at step 775.

  In some embodiments, if one or more RAT types are available in a particular geographic area, the overlay information includes only system configuration information. For example, if only a CDMA system or only a GSM / GPRS / UMTS system is available in one region, overlay information for the system is not included in the overlay information. This reduces the amount of overlay information that is maintained.

  In some embodiments, overlay information is downloaded to the mobile station using OTASP / OTAPA (Radio Service Provisioning / Radio Parameter Management) messages. In some embodiments, the new OTASP / OTAPA message includes an overlay information download request message and an overlay information download response message. In some embodiments, an over-the-air provisioning server (OTA server) may be responsible for downloading the overlay parameter table along with other over-the-air provisioning parameters (eg, PRL table). For example, if the user dials * 228 and the mobile station indicates that the mobile station requests radio provisioning parameter downloading, the OTA server will set the overlay parameter along with other radio messages to the device. Download the table. Overlay parameters are downloaded as a table at a time.

  FIG. 4 shows a very specific example of a format that can be used for such a message.

  Table 1 is an example of a data structure for a download request message format transmitted by the network. Table 1 includes the identification of a single field, “num_overlay_group”, where “num_overlay_group” is the number of overlay groups. Table 1 also defines the specific length of the field as 4 bits, but more generally the length of the field is implementation specific.

  Tables 2-4 are examples of data structures included in the download request message sent by the network.

  Table 2 shows various parameters for each of the overlay groups, which define each overlay group and define the length of each field for the various respective parameters. The various parameters include a group identification “Group_id” having a length of 4 bits and a system type “System_type” having a length of 2 bits. A specific example of the format of “System_type” is further defined in Table 3 of FIG. A specific example of “Specific_info” is further defined in Table 4 of FIG. Further parameters in Table 2 include intra-group priority “priority” having a length of 1 bit and search time “Search_time” of a higher priority network having a length of 7 bits.

  The “priority” field may include, for example, “1” for “more” and “0” for “identical”, as described above with respect to Table 1, in defining priorities. In some embodiments, the “Search_time” field includes time in minutes, as described above with respect to Table 1.

  In some implementations, the “Search_time” field is represented with fewer bits. For example, a 3-bit value is defined below to represent “Search_time” between 1 minute and 64 minutes.

表３は、「Ｓｙｓｔｅｍ＿ｔｙｐｅ」情報の実施例を含み、該情報において、ＧＳＭシステムは、「０」の値を有し、ＣＤＭＡシステムは、「１」の値を有し、ＷＬＡＮシステムは、「２」の値を有し、ＵＭＴＳシステムは、「３」の値を有する。これらの値は、２ビットのシーケンスである「００」、「０１」、「１０」および「１１」によってそれぞれ表され得る。システムのタイプは、表１２の中に含まれる３つのタイプに限定されるようには意図されない。他のシステムのタイプは、例えばＧＰＲＳおよびＵＭＴＳを含み得る。システムのタイプに関連付けられたビット値は、インプリメンテーション特有のものである。

Table 3 includes an example of “System_type” information in which the GSM system has a value of “0”, the CDMA system has a value of “1”, and the WLAN system has “2”. The UMTS system has a value of “3”. These values may be represented by 2-bit sequences “00”, “01”, “10” and “11”, respectively. The system types are not intended to be limited to the three types included in Table 12. Other system types may include, for example, GPRS and UMTS. The bit value associated with the type of system is implementation specific.

  Table 4 includes an example of “Specific_info” information related to a network having the type identified by “System_type” described above. In the example described for GSM, the specific information is the PLMN and LAC in the “PLMN_LAC type” field, for PLMN, the field is 24 bits, and for LAC, the field is , 16 bits. For CDMA, “Specific_info” information includes “SID_NID_TYPE”, which is SID type and NID type information, for SID, the field is 15 bits, and for NID, the field is 16 Is a bit. For WLAN, the specific information in Table 4 is “ssid_type” which is SSID type information, and is 8 bits long.

  It should be understood that the names and numbers of the bits in the various fields in Tables 2, 3 and 4 are implementation specific and are not intended to be limited to the names and numbers in the illustrated embodiment. Further, in some embodiments, additional fields to the above-described fields may be included in those that include additional information useful in radio access system selection.

  The overlay group number in Table 1 of FIG. 3 is a very specific mechanism that defines the association between a set of systems that function in a common geographic region. More generally, multi-mode overlay information may include multiple associations, each association being at least between a respective series of systems functioning in a common geographic region, where these associations are Can be defined using any suitable mechanism.

  As described above, in some embodiments, system selection uses a radio access technology-specific system selection algorithm even while multi-mode system selection is performed. Executed in parallel. Thus, when a mobile station easily acquires a CDMA system, a multi-mode system selection can be performed, an available GSM / GPRS / UMTS system can be identified, and a system selection specific to radio access technology can be performed, Another CDMA system may be selected using, for example, a PRL-based algorithm. Similarly, for a mobile station that has acquired a GSM / GPRS / UMTS system, the multi-mode system selection is used to search for a CDMA system, and at the same time, the GSM / GPRS / UMTS PLMN list is another GSM / GPRS / UMTS can be used to search for systems.

  Thus, the multi-mode mobile station makes two types of system selections. One type of system selection is to run a regular system to find the most preferred identical RAT system. Another type of system selection is to perform inter-RAT system selection in the geographic region of the overlay. In some embodiments, finding the most preferred identical RAT system is performed according to current standards for CDMA and GSM / GPRS / UMTS.

  In some embodiments, if the timer value is such that a search based on multi-mode overlay information is to be performed simultaneously as a search based on a search algorithm specific to the radio access technology, Priorities are given to searches based on specific search algorithms. For example, acquiring a CDMA system, the PRL may specify to search for another CDMA system at a specific time, and the multi-mode overlay information may be stored in the UMTS system at a specific time simultaneously with the PRL-based search. A search can be specified. In this case, priority is given to the PRL based search.

  In some embodiments, each PLMN list is associated with a GSM, GPRS, UMTS, respectively. This can be stored, for example, on a subscriber identity module (SIM) card used in a multi-mode mobile station. In other embodiments, the same PLMN list may be used for one or more of GSM, PGRS and UMTS for system selection.

  In some embodiments, the mobile station's multi-mode or multi-RAT capability information is used to support multi-mode system selection. The information may be implemented, for example, by adding a new CDMA OTASP / OTAPA message.

  A specific example of mobile station multi-RAT capability information is defined in FIG. 5A.

  In some embodiments, the network queries the mobile station's multi-RAT capabilities by sending OTASP / OTAPA messages. In some embodiments, the new OTASP / OTAPA message includes a multi-mode system selection (MMSS) performance request message and a multi-mode system selection (MMSS) performance response message.

  FIG. 5A includes Tables 5-7, and Table 5 includes respective rows indicating that each supports GSM / GPRS / UMTS, CDMA, and WLAN, respectively, and Table 6 indicates which type of CDMA RAT Table 7 contains further details on what types of GSM / GPRS / UMTS RAT are supported, including further details on what is supported.

  Referring now specifically to Table 5, there are type specific records for each of GSM / GPRS / UMTS, CDMA, and WLAN. Each record has a “value” field that indicates whether the type is supported. In the particular example illustrated, for GSM / GPRS / UMTS, a value of “0” indicates that GSM / GPRS / UMTS is not supported, and “1” indicates that GSM / GPRS / UMTS is Indicates that it is supported. For a value of “1”, Table 7 includes further details on which specific GSM / GPRS / UMTS RAT types are supported. For CDMA, a value of “0” indicates that there is no support for either 1x or 1xEVDO CDMA, and a value of “1” indicates that support for one or both of 1x or 1xEVDO CDMA is supported. Indicates that there is. For a value of “1”, Table 6 includes further details as to which specific CDMA RAT types are supported.

  For WLAN, a value of “0” indicates that WLAN is not supported, and a value of “1” indicates that WLAN is supported.

  For the specific example of Table 5, multi-RAT performance support may be represented by a total of 3 bits, 1 to indicate whether GSM / GPRS / UMTS, CDMA and WLAN are supported respectively. Bits are used.

  Referring now to Table 6, this includes additional information indicating that support for multi-RAT performance is supported for CDMA. In the particular example illustrated, an 8-bit field is used, where 1 bit indicates whether 1x CDMA is supported and 1 bit indicates whether 1x EVDO CDMA is supported. This leaves 6 bits available for further types of CDMA technology to be identified.

  Referring now to Table 7, this includes additional information indicating that support for multi-RAT performance indicates that GSM / GPRS / UMTS is supported. In the particular example illustrated, an 8-bit field is used, where 1 bit indicates whether GSM / GPRS is supported and 1 bit indicates whether UMTS is supported. This leaves 6 bits available for further types of GSM / GPRS / UMTS technology to be identified.

  The MMSS performance request message is used by the network to query the configuration of the mobile station. In some embodiments, multi-RAT performance support is one of the network's query block types, eg, defined in FIG. 5B. Upon receiving the MMSS capability request message, the mobile station responds to the MMSS capability request message, which indicates the supported multi-RAT capability.

  Table 9 of FIG. 5B is another detailed example of how multi-RAT performance support may be indicated. In Table 9, there is a type specific record for each system type, namely GSM, UMTS and WLAN. In the illustrated embodiment, a 9-bit field is used, 1 bit indicates whether GSM is supported, 1 bit indicates whether UTMS is supported, and 1 bit is supported by WLAN. Indicates whether or not This leaves 6 bits available for further types of GSM / GPRS / UMTS technology to be identified.

  When the field “GSM_SUPPORTED” is set to “1”, this indicates that the mobile station is capable of supporting GSM, otherwise this field is set to “0”. . When the field “UMTS_SUPPORTED” is set to “1”, this indicates that the mobile station is capable of supporting UMTS, otherwise this field is set to “0”. . When the field “WLAN_SUPPORTED” is set to “1”, this indicates that the mobile station is capable of supporting WLAN, otherwise this field is set to “0”. .

  Table 9 is the same as Table 5 in FIG. 5B in that CDMA is not included and GSM and UMTS are shown separately, rather than having an additional field indicating these RAT types from the GSM / GPRS / UMTS group. Is different. In other implementations, performance support may be indicated in a similar manner to the specific combinations in Table 9, but using other combinations of RAT types.

  In some embodiments, based on the mobile station's multi-RAT capability indication, downloading the system configuration may be more flexible. For example, if the mobile station indicates that it supports only CDMA and GSM / GPRS technologies, the system will even download CDMA and GSM / GPRS related systems, even for regions that include other radio access technologies. do it. For example, the system may exclude UMTS information even if the UMTS may otherwise be included in one or more overlay groups. Referring to FIG. 3, mobile stations with CDMA, GSM and WLAN capabilities, but without UMTS capability, are sent a prepared version of multi-mode overlay information that includes only CDMA, GSM and WLAN systems. This includes omitting the UMTS system from overlay group “0”. This reduces the length of the radio message and saves parameter storage in the mobile station's memory.

  In some embodiments, using the knowledge of the mobile station's multi-RAT capability, the system downloads a different system configuration set or other information, which the mobile station can It may be necessary to facilitate mobile station system selection or other RAT related functionality.

  With the development of wireless systems, more information can be added to the MMSS overlay information, facilitating mobile stations to perform system selection and other multi-RAT related functionality.

  This description has focused on multi-mode mobile stations with the ability to access different types of radio access technology systems. Existing multi-mode mobile stations include mobile stations that have a combination of one or more of GSM, GPRS, UMTS, WLAN, and CDMA capabilities. More generally, other embodiments are applicable to multi-mode mobile stations utilizing other RAT types and those listed above.

  In some implementations, MSPL (MMSS system priority list) helps multi-mode mobile stations in system selection. MSPL is a preferential list of cellular systems. In some embodiments, the cellular system is a CDMA2000 system and a non-CDMA2000 system. In some embodiments, once a system is selected, the multi-mode mobile station follows standard network selection procedures for the selected system to acquire a network. In some embodiments, the MSPL is transmitted to a multi-mode mobile station using OTASP. In some embodiments, the MSPL is maintained by the multi-mode mobile station when the multi-mode mobile station is turned off. In some embodiments, the timer introduced above in connection with FIG. 3 provides timing information to the MSPL.

  6A and 6B include Tables 10 to 13, which are examples of data structures used to describe the MSPL in more detail. Table 10 includes information about the size, identification method, and MSPL content. Tables 11 and 13 contain information about each of the MSPL records in MSPL, and Table 12 contains information that further defines the information in Tables 11 and 13.

  Table 10 is an example of information included in MSPL. The MSPL example includes multiple fields, which define the size, specific identification, and number of records in the MSPL. Table 10 also displays the size in bits for each field. The size of a particular field is identified in Table 10, so that the size of that field and the overall MSPL size are implementation specific.

  The first field in Table 10 is “MSPL_SIZE”. The “MSPL_SIZE” field defines the size of the MSPL. In some embodiments, this field is set in octets for the overall size of the MSPL including the “MSPL_SIZE” field. In the example shown, this field is 8 bits long.

  The second field is “MSPL_ID”. The “MSPL_ID” field defines the identification of the MSPL. In some embodiments, the multi-mode mobile station sets this field to the MSPL identification value assigned to the MSPL by the base station. In the example shown, this field is 4 bits long.

  The third field is “NUM_MSPL_RECS”. The “NUM_MSPL_RECS” field defines the number of priority records for the MMSS system. This field is set for the number of MMSS system priority records contained in the MSPL. In the example shown, this field is 8 bits long.

  Specific examples of MMSS priority records are shown in Table 11. For each of the number of MMSS priority records defined in the “NUM_MSPL_RECS” field, a group of fields included in Table 11 appears.

  The first field in Table 11 is “SYS_TYPE”. The “SYS_TYPE” field defines the identification of the system type. For example, the system type may be specified according to entries in Table 12, which is described below. In the example shown, this field is 4 bits long.

  The second field in Table 11 is “PRI_CLASS”. The “PRI_CLASS” field identifies network acquisition priority for the preferred system type multi-mode mobile station network selection process. In one implementation, 4 bits are used in the “PRI_CLASS” field. Table 14 includes a list of options for the “PRI_CLASS” field. The value “0000” is used only to select the mobile station's home network, “0001” is used for the mobile station's home network and the preferred network, and “0010” is any arbitrary number in the system. Used for network. In the example shown, this field is 4 bits long.

  The third field in Table 11 is identified as “SYS_PRI”. The “SYS_PRI” field indicates the relative priority of the system in MSPL. In some embodiments, the relative priority is indicated as “high” by a “1” bit or “same” by a “0” bit. For example, for each entry of “1”, the current system type has a higher priority than the next system type in the table, and for each entry of “0”, the current system type is the next system type in the table. Same priority. In some embodiments, the last entry in the MSPL has the system priority set to “0”. In the example shown, this field is 1 bit long.

  The fourth field in Table 11 is “HIGHHER_PRI_SRCH_TIME”. The “HIGHHER_PRI_SRCH_TIME” field includes search time information with high priority. In some embodiments, the "HIGHER_PRI_SRCH_TIME" field is set for the time during the search for this type of system and when searching for this system as a higher priority system than the current system. Mobile station is used. In the example shown, this field is 7 bits long. In other embodiments, the “HIGHER_PRI_SRCH_TIME” field may include timing information having any of the above forms. For example, the “HIGHHER_PRI_SRCH_TIME” field may be only 3 bits long and defines a time of 1 to 64 minutes as described above. In some embodiments, any of the pre-introduced search information can be used here.

  Table 12 includes a list of different types of systems, which may be used in the “SYS_TYPE” field in Tables 11 and 13, each with a 4-bit value associated with a different type of system. In the illustrated example, CDMA2000 has an associated value “0000”, GSM has an associated value “0001”, and UMTS has an associated value “0010”. In some embodiments, the value “0001” is associated with GSM / GPRS. The type of system is not intended to be limited to the three types included in Table 12. Other system types may include, for example, WLAN, GPRS, and GSM. The value associated with the system type is implementation specific.

  As indicated above, in some embodiments, each timing information is not provided to every network, but rather timing information is provided to some networks, and one or more bits are , Used to signal the presence or absence of such information. A specific example of this is shown in Table 13.

  Table 13 includes the same fields as Table 11 and also includes a “SRCH_TIME_INCL” field. The “SRCH_TIME_INCL” field indicates whether search time information with high priority is included in the system. In the illustrated example, the “SRCH_TIME_INCL” field is represented by a single bit. When the single bit is “1”, the search time information with high priority is included, and when the single bit is “0”, the search time information with high priority is not included. . The method of indicating whether high priority search time information is included for the system is implementation specific. In the example shown, this field is 1 bit long.

  The names of the fields and the number of bits in the fields in Table 10, Table 11, Table 12, Table 13 and Table 14 are implementation specific and are intended to be limited to the names and number of bits in the illustrated example. Not. For example, the “PRI_CLASS” field in Table 11 and Table 13 may be referred to as “PRI_NET”.

  Here, FIG. 11 is used to describe a method by which the system provides multi-mode overlay information to a mobile station.

  In step 1110, the system creates multi-mode overlay information. Multi-mode overlay information includes a plurality of associations, each association being an association between a respective set of systems, the system working in at least a common geographic region and at least part of the associations Is the relationship between systems using different radio access technologies. The created multi-mode overlay information may take the form of relevance described above in FIG. 3, for example.

  In step 1120, the system transmits multi-mode overlay information to the mobile station. In some embodiments, this occurs before step 720 and step 760 in FIG. 7, and the mobile may utilize multi-mode overlay information created by the system.

  In some embodiments, the multi-mode overlay information may include customized multi-mode overlay information for each mobile station, the information supported by the mobile station based on multi-mode performance information from the mobile station. Includes only systems related to radio access technology.

  Referring now to FIG. 8, a block diagram of an exemplary multi-mode mobile device 810 is shown that communicates using circuit-switched communication and packet-switched communication separately or simultaneously, The multi-mode system selection algorithm is used to perform multi-mode system selection using a multi-mode system selection algorithm as a function of overlay information, the multi-mode overlay information includes a plurality of associations, and each association is associated with a respective system. Associations between sets, where the systems work at least in a common geographic region, and at least some of the associations are associations between systems that use different radio access technologies. Multi-mode mobile device 810 has a processor 811 coupled to a multi-mode selection function 812. A memory 815 coupled to the processor 811 is also included in the multi-mode mobile device 810. In some embodiments, the multi-mode selection function 812 includes a RAT specific network selection algorithm and / or a multi-mode network selection algorithm described above with respect to FIGS. In some embodiments, the memory 815 includes RAT specific network selection information and / or multi-mode overlay information as described above with respect to FIGS.

  In operation, the multi-mode mobile device 810 is adapted to communicate using circuit switched communications and packet switched communications separately or simultaneously. Circuit switched communication may include, for example, a voice call. Packet switched communications may include any data, such as streaming video data or VoIP (Voice over IP). According to one aspect, the multi-mode selection function 812 performs multi-mode system selection using a multi-mode system selection algorithm as a function of multi-mode overlay information stored in the memory 815 in the multi-mode mobile device 810. Operates to provide functionality. An example of how this is achieved is described above with reference to FIG. In some embodiments, the multi-mode selection function 812 is implemented software and can be executed by the processor 811. More generally, however, the multi-mode selection function 812 may be implemented as software, hardware, firmware, or any suitable combination of software, hardware, and firmware.

  Referring now to FIG. 9, a block diagram of an exemplary multi-mode wireless device 920 is shown that communicates using circuit-switched communication and packet-switched communication separately or simultaneously, The multi-mode system selection algorithm is used to perform multi-mode system selection using a multi-mode system selection algorithm as a function of overlay information, the multi-mode overlay information includes a plurality of associations, and each association is associated with a respective system. Associations between sets, where the systems work at least in a common geographic region, and at least some of the associations are associations between systems that use different radio access technologies. Multi-mode wireless device 920 has a processor 921 coupled to a wireless access radio 923 and a multi-mode selection function 922. A memory 925 coupled to the processor 921 is also included in the multi-mode mobile device 920. In some embodiments, the multi-mode selection function 922 includes a RAT specific network selection algorithm and / or a multi-mode network selection algorithm as described above with respect to FIGS. In some embodiments, the memory 925 includes RAT specific network selection information and / or multi-mode overlay information as described above with respect to FIGS.

  In operation, the multi-mode wireless device 920 is adapted to communicate wirelessly using a wireless access radio 923 over a wireless communication network, eg, a cellular network. Multi-mode wireless device 920 is adapted to communicate using circuit switched communications and packet switched communications separately or simultaneously. According to one aspect, multi-mode selection function 922 performs multi-mode system selection using a multi-mode system selection algorithm as a function of multi-mode overlay information stored in memory 925 in multi-mode wireless device 920. Provide functionality. In some embodiments, the multi-mode selection function 922 is implemented software and can be executed by the processor 921. More generally, however, the multi-mode selection function 922 may be implemented as software, hardware, firmware, or any suitable combination of software, hardware, and firmware.

  The devices of FIGS. 8 and 9 only show functionality with respect to the aspects described herein. It should be understood that a practical implementation includes additional functionality for the indicated implementation.

  Now referring to FIG. 10, a block diagram of a mobile communication device 1000 is shown, which may implement a mobile device for the methods described herein. It should be understood that the mobile device 1000 is shown very clearly in detail for illustrative purposes only.

  The processing device (microprocessor 1028) is shown schematically as being coupled between the keyboard 1014 and the display 1026. The microprocessor 828 controls the overall operation of the mobile device 1000 as well as the operation of the display 1026 in response to user activation of keys on the keyboard 1014.

  The mobile device 1000 has a housing, which can be elongated in the vertical direction, or can take other sizes and shapes (including clamshell housing structures). Keyboard 1014 may include mode selection keys or other hardware or software for switching between text input and telephone input.

  In addition to the microprocessor 1028, other parts of the mobile device 1000 are shown schematically. These include a communication subsystem 1070, a short-range communication subsystem 1002, a keyboard 1014, a display 1026, other input / output devices, a set of LEDs 1004, and a set of auxiliary I / O devices. 1006, serial port 1008, speaker 1011 and microphone 1012 as well as input / output devices and memory devices, including flash memory 1016 and random access memory (RAM) 1018 And other device subsystems 1020. Mobile device 1000 may have a battery 1021 that provides power to the active elements of mobile device 1000. In some embodiments, the mobile device 1000 is a two-way radio frequency (RF) communication device that has voice and data communication capabilities. Further, in some embodiments, the mobile device 1000 has the ability to communicate with other computer systems via the Internet.

  In some embodiments, the operating system software executed by the microprocessor 1028 is stored in a persistent storage device, such as flash memory 1016, but other types of memory devices, such as read only memory (ROM). ) Or similar storage elements. Further, system software, certain device applications, or portions thereof, may be temporarily loaded into a volatile storage device, such as RAM 1018. Communication signals received by mobile device 1000 can also be stored in RAM 1018.

  In addition to operating system functionality, the microprocessor 1028 allows software applications to run on the mobile device 1000. A predetermined set of software applications that control basic device operations, such as voice communication module 1030A and data communication module 1030B, may be installed on mobile device 1000 during manufacture. Further, a personal information manager (PIM) application module 1030C may also be installed on the mobile device 1000 during manufacture. In some embodiments, the PIM application can organize and manage data items such as emails, calendar events, voice mails, appointments, and task items. In some embodiments, the PIM application can also send and receive data items via the wireless network 1010. In some embodiments, the data items managed by the PIM application may use the device on which the user's corresponding data item is stored or associated with the host computer system to establish a wireless network 1010. Integrated, synchronized, and updated. In addition, additional software modules illustrated as other software modules 1030N may be installed during manufacturing.

Communication functions including data communication and voice communication may be performed through the communication subsystem 1070, and possibly the short-range communication subsystem 1002. The communication subsystem 1070 includes a receiver 1050, a transmitter 1052, and one or more antennas as illustrated as receive antenna 1054 and transfer antenna 1056. In addition, the communication subsystem 1070 also includes processing modules such as a digital signal processor (DSP) 1058 and a local oscillator (LO) 1060. The specific design and implementation of the communication subsystem 1070 depends on the communication network, in which the mobile device 700 is intended to operate. For example, the communication subsystem 1070 of the mobile device 1000 is designed to work with Mobitex ^™ , DataTAC ^™ or Generic Bucket Radio Service (GPRS) mobile data communication networks and can be any of a variety of voice communication networks, eg , Advanced Mobile Phone Service (AMPS), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Personal Communications Services (PC) Can be done. Other types of data networks and voice networks can be used with the mobile device 1000 either in a separate and integrated state.

Network access can vary depending on the type of communication system. For example, in the Mobitex ^™ and DataTAC ^™ networks, mobile devices are registered on the network using a unique personal identification number (PIN) associated with each device. However, in GPRS networks, network access is typically associated with a subscriber or device user. Thus, GPRS devices typically have a subscriber identity module, commonly referred to as a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card, and operate on a GPRS network.

  When the network registration action or activation action is completed, the mobile device 1000 may send and receive communication signals over the communication network 1010. Signals received from communication network 1010 by receive antenna 1054 are transmitted to receiver 1050, which provides signal amplification, frequency down conversion, filtering, channel selection, etc., and also provides analog to digital conversion. Can do. Converting the received signal from analog to digital allows the DSP 1058 to perform more complex communication functions, such as demodulation and decoding. In a similar manner, the signal forwarded to the network 1010 is processed (eg, modulated and encoded) by the DPS 1058 so that the transmitter 1052 can perform digital to analog conversion, frequency upconversion, filtering, and so on. , Amplification and transfer to the communication network (or networks) 1010 via transfer antenna 1056.

  In addition to processing communication signals, the DSP 1058 provides control of the receiver 1050 and transmitter 1052. For example, the gain applied to the communication signal at receiver 1050 and transmitter 1052 can be adaptively controlled through an automatic gain control algorithm implemented in DSP 1058.

  In the data communication mode, a received signal, eg, a text message or web page download, is processed by the communication subsystem 1070 and input to the microprocessor 1028. The received signal is then further processed by the microprocessor 1028 for output to the display 1026, or alternatively to other auxiliary I / O devices 1006. The user of the device may also use a keyboard 1014 and / or other auxiliary I / O device 1006, such as a touch pad, rocker switch, thumb controller, or other type of input device, for data items, such as e-mail. Can create a message. The created data item can then be transferred through the communication network 1010 via the communication subsystem 1070.

  In the voice communication mode, the overall operation of the device is substantially the same as in the data communication mode, except that the received signal is output to the speaker 1011 and the transferred signal is generated by the microphone 1012. . Alternative voice or audio I / O subsystems, such as a voice message recording subsystem, may also be implemented on the mobile device 1000. Further, the display 1016 may also be utilized in a voice communication mode, for example displaying caller identity, duration of a voice call, or voice call related information.

The short-range communication subsystem 1002 enables communication between the mobile device 1000 and other nearby systems or devices, which need not be similar devices. For example, the short-range communication subsystem may include an infrared device and associated circuitry and components, or a Bluetooth ^™ communication module, providing a system and device that can be used for communication as well.

  Various modifications and variations to the present application are possible in light of the above teachings. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the subject matter may be practiced within the scope of the claims, unless indicated otherwise herein.

Embodiments are described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a multi-mode mobile station according to an embodiment of the present application. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a multi-mode mobile station operating in CDMA and GSM / GPRS / UMTS modes according to an embodiment of the present application. FIG. 3 is an example of a table containing multi-mode overlay information. FIG. 4 is a set of tables that show how the multi-mode overlay information of FIG. 3 can be downloaded. FIG. 5A is a set of tables showing exemplary data structures that the mobile station signals to the system what its multi-mode capability is. FIG. 5B is a set of tables showing exemplary data structures that the mobile station signals to the system what its multi-mode capability is. FIG. 6A is a set of tables showing exemplary data structures that assist the mobile station in selecting a system. FIG. 6B is a set of tables illustrating exemplary data structures that assist the mobile station in selecting a system. FIG. 7 is a detailed flowchart of an exemplary method for performing system selection. FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a multi-mode mobile device according to an embodiment of the present application. FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a multi-mode mobile wireless device according to an embodiment of the present application. FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an exemplary mobile communication device. FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a conventional method for preparing multi-mode overlay information.

Claims (20)

A method for selecting a radio access system for a mobile station, the method comprising:
Performing multi-mode system selection in a multi-mode mobile station using a multi-mode system selection algorithm as a function of multi-mode overlay information, wherein the multi-mode overlay information includes a plurality of associations, each association Gender is at least the association between each set of systems working in a common geographic area, at least part of which is the association between systems using different radio access technologies, Including the method.   The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the multi-mode overlay information at the multi-mode mobile station.   The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the multi-mode overlay information includes an identification parameter for the respective set of systems for each association. The identification parameter for at least one code division multiple access “CDMA” system is:
Including at least one of a system identifier “SID”, an SID and network identifier “NID”, a mobile country code “MCC”, and an MCC and mobile network code “MNC”;
At least one global system for mobile communication / general packet radio service / universal mobile telecommunications system “GSM / GPRS / UMTS” system
4. The method of claim 3, comprising at least one of MCC, MCC and MNC, and MCC, MNC and location area code “LAC”.   The multi-mode overlay information includes a respective overlay group number for each system, and systems having the same overlay group number include the respective system set of one of the associations. The method of any one of these. Storing radio access technology specific system selection information for at least one radio access technology;
6. The method of any one of claims 1-5, further comprising performing system selection using a radio access technology specific system selection algorithm. Storing radio access technology specific system selection information for the at least one radio access technology and performing system selection using the radio access technology specific system selection algorithm;
For CDMA, store the preferred roaming list “CDMA PRL” and perform CDMA system selection using the CDMA PRL;
7. For GSM / GPRS / UMTS, storing a public land mobile network “PLMN” list and using the PLMN list to perform system selection.   The method of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the multi-mode overlay information includes priority information for each system that prioritizes each relevant system. The multi-mode mobile station performs multi-mode system selection using a multi-mode system selection algorithm as a function of the multi-mode overlay information.
Attempting to acquire the system using one of the most recently used radio access technology "RAT" and the default radio access technology;
After acquiring a specific system, determining system information from the multi-mode overlay information;
Determining whether there is another system using a different RAT in the set of systems and having a higher priority than the particular system;
9. The method of claim 8, comprising obtaining a higher priority system if there is a higher priority system. The multi-mode mobile station performs multi-mode system selection using a multi-mode system selection algorithm as a function of the multi-mode overlay information.
Having acquired a system included in one of the set of systems of the multi-mode overlay information and having a higher priority system, has a higher priority than the particular system, 10. A method according to claim 8 or 9, comprising periodically trying to connect to another system in the set of systems.   11. The multi-mode overlay information includes a higher priority system search time for each system that defines how often a higher priority system is searched. The method described in 1.   The multi-mode overlay information includes timing information regarding a search to be performed for a system, and performing the system selection includes performing a system search according to the timing information. The method according to claim 1. The timing information is
A set of bits indicating the actual timer value;
A set of bits indicating the actual timer value offset by a predetermined value;
13. The method of claim 12, comprising at least one of a set of bits for indexing into a table of timer values. The timing information is for each system identified in the multi-mode overlay information, the timing information for a given system while that system is acquired
How often to search for a system having a higher priority than the given system and having a different RAT from the RAT of the given system;
How often to search for a system that has a higher priority than the given system and has a different RAT from the RAT of the given system, and for at least some systems, 14. A method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the plurality of timing information indicates at least one of each specified for each higher priority system.   The timing information is for each system to be searched, and the timing information specifies a time for a given type of system included in the multi-mode overlay information, which is more than the current system. 13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the time between searches for this type of system to be used by a mobile station when searching for this type of system as a high priority system.   16. The timing of any of claims 12-15, wherein the timing information is provided for a system that is part of but not necessarily all of the system, the timing information including an indication of which system the timing information is provided for. 2. The method according to item 1. Further comprising receiving the multi-mode overlay information over the air at the multi-mode mobile station, and receiving the multi-mode overlay information over the radio,
A group identifier identifying the association to which the system belongs;
A system type that identifies the type of the system and at least one identification parameter;
Priority information indicating the relative priority of the system;
The method according to claim 1, comprising receiving search timing information for each system. Multimode overlay information for the system is:
Overlay group information defining the association of the system with other systems in at least one common geographic location;
A system type that identifies the type of the system and at least one identification parameter;
The method according to claim 1, comprising: intra group overlay priority timing information relating to a search to be performed for the system. A device,
A multi-mode system selection function means for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18;
Memory for storing multi-mode overlay information;
A wireless access radio that accesses a system having one or more radio access technologies.   A computer readable medium storing program instructions executable by a processor of the computing device to cause the computing device to perform the method of any one of claims 1-18. .

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