KR101593914B1 - Apparatus and method for connecting wireless internet in mobile communication terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for automatic connection to a wireless Internet network in a mobile communication terminal having a mobile communication communication module and a wireless Internet module. The automatic connection method includes the steps of: determining whether a wireless Internet access point connected to the received base station information exists when receiving the base station information from at least one mobile communication base station; Activating the wireless Internet module if it is present, and attempting to connect to the wireless Internet network using the activated wireless Internet module.

Mobile communication terminal, wireless Internet, base station information, access point (AP)

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for wireless Internet connection in a mobile communication terminal,

The present invention relates to a mobile communication terminal, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for automatically connecting a wireless Internet in a mobile communication terminal.

When the mobile communication terminal accesses the wireless Internet network, the mobile communication terminal activates the wireless Internet module and searches for a wireless Internet base station that can be accessed. If a connectable wireless Internet access point is searched, the mobile terminal attempts to access the searched wireless Internet access point. For example, when a pre-registered wireless Internet access point is searched, the mobile communication terminal attempts to access the pre-registered wireless Internet access point. For example, if there is no previously registered wireless Internet base station among the searched wireless Internet base stations, the mobile communication terminal attempts to access any wireless Internet base station.

As described above, the mobile communication terminal accesses the wireless Internet network using the wireless Internet module. Accordingly, it is inconvenient for the mobile communication terminal to activate the wireless Internet module every time the mobile communication terminal is connected to the wireless Internet network.

If the wireless Internet module is always operated in the active mode to automatically access the wireless Internet, the mobile terminal experiences a problem of power consumption by the wireless Internet module.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for accessing a wireless Internet in a mobile communication terminal.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for automatically connecting to a wireless Internet base station registered by a user in a mobile communication terminal.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for reducing power consumption of a wireless Internet module for automatically accessing a wireless Internet base station in a mobile communication terminal.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for automatically accessing a wireless Internet network in a mobile communication terminal having a mobile communication communication module and a wireless Internet module, Checking whether there is a wireless Internet access point connected to the received base station information when the information is received; activating the wireless Internet module when a wireless Internet access point connected to the received base station information exists; And attempting to connect to the wireless Internet network using the activated wireless Internet module.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a mobile communication terminal apparatus for automatic connection to a wireless Internet network includes a communication module for transmitting and receiving signals through a mobile communication network, a wireless Internet service for transmitting and receiving signals through a wireless Internet network, And a wireless Internet access point connected to the received base station information. The wireless Internet access point determines whether there is a wireless Internet base station connected to the received base station information when receiving the base station information for at least one mobile communication base station through the communication module, And a controller for controlling activation of the wireless Internet module when the wireless Internet module is present.

As described above, only when the information of the mobile communication base station managed in connection with the wireless Internet base station information is retrieved from the mobile communication terminal, the wireless Internet module is activated for automatic connection of the wireless Internet, Power consumption can be reduced, and the inconvenience of activating the wireless Internet module every time the user accesses the wireless Internet network can be solved.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear. The following terms are defined in consideration of the functions of the present invention, and these may be changed according to the intention of the user, the operator, or the like. Therefore, the definition should be based on the contents throughout this specification.

Hereinafter, a technique for automatically connecting to a wireless Internet in a mobile communication terminal will be described.

In the following description, a wireless communication system in which a mobile communication network and a wireless Internet network coexist is configured as shown in FIG.

FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, the wireless communication system includes mobile communication base stations 100, 110, and 120 for providing a mobile communication service to a mobile communication terminal, and a wireless Internet base station (102, 112, 114).

The service areas of the mobile communication base stations 100, 110 and 120 are larger than the service areas of the wireless Internet base stations 102, 112 and 114. Accordingly, the service areas of the wireless Internet bases 102, 112, and 114 may be located within the service areas of the mobile communication base stations 100, 110, and 120. For example, the wireless Internet BS 1-1 (102) is located in a service area of the MS 100 (100). In addition, the wireless Internet base station 2-1 (112) and the wireless Internet base station 2-2 (114) are located in the service area of the mobile communication base station 2 (110).

As described above, the wireless communication system may be configured to overlap the mobile communication network and the wireless Internet network. If the mobile communication base stations 100, 110 and 120 and the wireless Internet base stations 102, 112 and 114 are fixed, the mobile communication terminal transmits the information of the mobile communication base stations 100, 110 and 120 And the information of the wireless Internet base stations 102, 112, and 114 can be managed. That is, the mobile communication terminal includes information of the mobile communication base stations 100, 110, and 120 and wireless Internet base stations 102, 112, and 112 located in the service areas of the respective mobile communication base stations 100, 114 can be linked and managed. For example, the mobile communication terminal connects and manages the information of the mobile communication base station 1 (100) and the information of the wireless Internet base station 1-1 (102). Also, the mobile communication terminal connects and manages the information of the mobile communication base station 2 (110) and the information of the wireless Internet base station 2-1 (112) and the wireless Internet base station 2-2 (114).

In this case, the mobile communication terminal can automatically access the wireless Internet by activating the wireless Internet module only when receiving the mobile communication base station information connected to the wireless Internet base station registered by the user. For this purpose, the mobile communication terminal may be configured as shown in FIG.

2 illustrates a block diagram of a mobile communication terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2, the mobile communication terminal includes a control unit 200, a storage unit 210, a display unit 220, an input unit 230, a communication module 240, a wireless Internet communication module 250, 260).

The controller 200 controls overall operation of the mobile communication terminal such as processing and control for voice communication and data communication.

The control unit 200 controls the operation mode of the wireless Internet module 250 in consideration of the mobile communication base station information provided from the communication module 240. For example, when mobile communication base station information is provided from the communication module 240, the controller 200 determines whether information of a wireless Internet base station connected to the base station information exists from the storage unit 210. [

If there is no information of the managed wireless base station connected to the mobile communication base station information, the controller 200 controls the wireless Internet module 250 to operate in the inactive mode.

Meanwhile, when there is information of a wireless Internet base station managed in connection with the mobile communication base station information, the controller 200 controls the wireless Internet module 250 to operate in the active mode to automatically access the wireless Internet network do. If the wireless Internet module 250 fails to access the wireless Internet network by switching to the active mode, the controller 200 controls the wireless Internet module 250 to switch to the inactive mode. Then, the controller 200 controls the wireless Internet module 250 to switch to the active mode for each reference time to access the wireless Internet network. Here, the reference time may be expressed by Equation (1).

Herein, T _INTERVAL denotes a period for attempting connection to the wireless Internet network, MAX_INTERVAL indicates a maximum time set for the wireless Internet module 250 to access the wireless Internet network, Indicates the number of attempts to reconnect to the network.

The storage unit 210 stores a program for controlling the overall operation of the mobile communication terminal, temporary data generated during operation of the mobile communication terminal, system parameters, and other storage data. For example, the storage unit 210 stores connection information between a wireless Internet base station registered by a user and a mobile communication base station including the wireless Internet base station

The display unit 220 displays status information of the mobile communication terminal, characters, a moving picture, and a still picture that the user inputs, under the control of the controller 200.

The input unit 230 provides the controller 200 with data corresponding to a key input of the user.

The communication module 240 processes radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted and received through a mobile communication network. At this time, the communication module 240 receives the mobile communication base station information and provides it to the controller 200.

The wireless Internet module 250 processes a signal transmitted and received through a wireless Internet network. At this time, the wireless Internet module 250 switches the operation mode to the active mode or the inactive mode according to the control of the controller 200. [ For example, when the information of the wireless Internet base station connected to the mobile communication base station information received through the communication module 240 exists, the wireless Internet module 250 switches to the active mode by the controller 200 Attempt to connect to the wireless Internet network.

The voice processing unit 260 controls voice input / output for voice communication using a microphone and a speaker.

Hereinafter, an operation procedure of a mobile communication terminal for automatically connecting to a wireless Internet network will be described.

FIG. 3 illustrates a procedure for connecting a wireless Internet in a mobile communication terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, it is assumed that the mobile communication terminal includes connection information of a wireless Internet base station that can be automatically connected by a user's operation and a mobile communication base station that includes the wireless Internet base station.

Referring to FIG. 3, the mobile communication terminal checks the serving BS information in step 301. FIG. Here, the serving base station means a mobile communication base station providing mobile communication services to the mobile communication terminal.

Thereafter, the mobile communication terminal proceeds to step 303 and checks whether there is information of a wireless Internet base station connected to the checked serving base station information.

If the information of the wireless Internet base station connected to the serving base station information does not exist, the mobile terminal recognizes that there is no wireless Internet base station connectable to the surrounding wireless base station. Accordingly, the mobile communication terminal returns to step 301 and checks the serving base station information again. For example, if the mobile communication terminal recognizes that there is no wireless Internet base station connectable to the surrounding, the mobile communication terminal checks whether the serving base station is changed. If the serving base station is changed, the mobile communication terminal returns to step 301 and checks the serving base station information again.

If there is information of the wireless Internet access point connected to the serving base station information, the mobile communication terminal proceeds to step 305 and activates the wireless Internet module to automatically access the wireless Internet network.

After activating the wireless Internet module, the mobile communication terminal proceeds to step 307 and attempts to access the wireless Internet network through the activated wireless Internet module.

Thereafter, the mobile communication terminal proceeds to step 309 and confirms whether or not the connection to the wireless Internet network is successful. That is, the mobile communication terminal attempts to connect to the wireless Internet access point connected to the serving base station information in step 301. In this case, the mobile communication terminal may fail to connect to the wireless Internet network because the service area of the mobile communication base station is larger than the service area of the wireless Internet base station.

If the connection to the wireless Internet access point is successful, the mobile communication terminal ends the algorithm.

On the other hand, if the mobile communication terminal can not access the wireless Internet base station, the mobile communication terminal proceeds to step 311 and deactivates the wireless Internet module.

Thereafter, the mobile communication terminal proceeds to step 313 and checks whether a wireless Internet access period has arrived. For example, the wireless Internet access period can be expressed as Equation (1).

If the wireless Internet access period arrives, the mobile communication terminal proceeds to step 315 and checks whether the serving base station has been changed. That is, the mobile communication terminal checks whether the serving base station information confirmed in step 301 is changed.

If the serving base station is changed, the mobile communication terminal returns to step 301 and checks the serving base station information again.

On the other hand, if the serving base station is not changed, the mobile communication terminal returns to step 305 and activates the wireless Internet module to automatically access the wireless Internet network.

In the above-described embodiment, the mobile communication terminal determines whether there is a wireless Internet base station accessible by using the base station information provided from the serving base station.

In another embodiment, the mobile communication terminal can confirm whether there is a wireless Internet base station accessible by using the base station information provided from the serving base station as well as the neighbor base station.

Also, in the above-described embodiment, the wireless Internet base station is located in a service area of one mobile communication base station.

In another embodiment, the wireless Internet base station may be located in a service area of two or more mobile communication base stations. In this case, the mobile communication terminal can manage the information of the wireless Internet base station by connecting it with any mobile communication base station, or manage the information of the wireless Internet base station by connecting with the two mobile communication base stations.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited by the illustrated embodiments, but should be determined by the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a block diagram of a mobile communication terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for connecting a wireless Internet in a mobile communication terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (16)

A method for automatic connection to a wireless Internet network in a mobile communication terminal having a mobile communication communication module and a wireless Internet module, Determining whether a wireless Internet access point connected to the received base station information exists if the base station information is received from the base station; Activating the wireless Internet module when a wireless Internet access point is connected to the received base station information; The method comprising the steps of: attempting connection to a wireless Internet network using the activated wireless Internet module; And attempting to reconnect to the wireless Internet network by activating the wireless Internet module after deactivating the wireless Internet module if the connection to the wireless Internet network fails. delete The method according to claim 1, The process of reconnecting to the wireless Internet network includes: Disabling the wireless Internet module; Checking whether a reconnection cycle for a wireless Internet network is coming, And reconnecting to the wireless Internet network by activating the wireless Internet module again when a reconnection cycle for the wireless Internet network is reached. The method of claim 3, Wherein the reconnection period is calculated using the following equation (2).

Herein, TINTERVAL denotes a period for attempting to connect to the wireless Internet network, MAX_INTERVAL denotes a maximum time set for the wireless Internet module to connect to the wireless Internet network, and n denotes the number of attempts to reconnect to the wireless Internet network. The method according to claim 1, The process of reconnecting to the wireless Internet network includes: Disabling the wireless Internet module; Checking whether a reconnection cycle for a wireless Internet network is coming, Checking whether the received base station information and other base station information are received when a reconnection cycle for the wireless Internet network is reached; Determining whether there is a wireless Internet access point connected to the other base station information when the other base station information is received; And attempting to connect to the wireless Internet network by activating the wireless Internet module if the wireless Internet base station exists. delete 6. The method of claim 5, Wherein the reconnection period is calculated using the following equation (3).

Herein, TINTERVAL denotes a period for attempting to connect to the wireless Internet network, MAX_INTERVAL denotes a maximum time set for the wireless Internet module to connect to the wireless Internet network, and n denotes the number of attempts to reconnect to the wireless Internet network. The method according to claim 1, Further comprising the step of connecting and storing information of a wireless Internet base station for automatic connection and a mobile communication base station adjacent to the wireless Internet base station, Wherein when the base station information is received from at least one mobile communication base station, whether a wireless Internet base station connected to the received base station information exists is determined. 1. A mobile communication terminal apparatus for automatically accessing a wireless Internet network, A communication module for transmitting and receiving signals through the mobile communication network, A wireless Internet module for transmitting and receiving signals through a wireless Internet network, A storage unit for storing connection information of a wireless Internet base station connected to the mobile communication base station, If it is determined that there is a wireless Internet base station connected to the received base station information when the base station information on the mobile communication base station is received through the communication module and if there is a wireless Internet base station connected to the received base station information, And activates the wireless Internet module to make a connection to the wireless Internet network, and if the connection to the wireless Internet network fails, the wireless Internet module is deactivated and then the wireless Internet module is activated again to attempt to reconnect to the wireless Internet network Lt; / RTI > delete 10. The method of claim 9, Wherein the controller disables the wireless Internet module when the connection with the wireless Internet network fails, Wherein when the reconnection cycle for the wireless Internet network is reached, the wireless Internet module is activated to reconnect to the wireless Internet network in order to reconnect the wireless Internet network. 12. The method of claim 11, Wherein the control unit confirms whether a reconnection cycle calculated according to Equation (4) is present.

Herein, TINTERVAL denotes a period for attempting to connect to the wireless Internet network, MAX_INTERVAL denotes a maximum time set for the wireless Internet module to connect to the wireless Internet network, and n denotes the number of attempts to reconnect to the wireless Internet network. 10. The method of claim 9, Wherein the control unit deactivates the wireless Internet module when the connection with the wireless Internet network fails and checks whether the received base station information is different from the received base station information when a reconnection cycle for the wireless Internet network arrives, When the wireless Internet station exists, activates the wireless Internet module and attempts to connect to the wireless Internet network. In this case, . delete 14. The method of claim 13, Wherein the control unit confirms whether a reconnection cycle calculated according to Equation (5) has arrived.

Herein, TINTERVAL denotes a period for attempting to connect to the wireless Internet network, MAX_INTERVAL denotes a maximum time set for the wireless Internet module to connect to the wireless Internet network, and n denotes the number of attempts to reconnect to the wireless Internet network. 10. The method of claim 9, Further comprising a storage unit for storing and storing information of a wireless Internet base station for automatic connection and a mobile communication base station adjacent to the wireless Internet base station.

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