KR101701846B1 - Method for controlling multiple network in multi mode terminal and apparatus therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for controlling multiple networks in a multimode terminal is disclosed in the present invention. Specifically, the method includes displaying a plurality of connectable networks on a display module, selecting at least one network among the plurality of networks according to a user's input, and receiving individual data from each of the selected at least one network Wherein each of the selected at least one network assigns a different IP address to the multimode terminal. Advantageously, the step of selecting at least one network comprises the step of displaying, at the display module, the expected data reception completion time from all of the selected at least one network.

Description

[0001] METHOD FOR CONTROLLING MULTIPLE NETWORK IN MULTI MODE TERMINAL AND APPARATUS THEREFOR [0002]

The present invention relates to a multimode terminal. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for controlling multiple networks in a multi-mode terminal and an apparatus therefor.

As an example of a mobile communication system to which the present invention can be applied, a 3GPP LTE (Third Generation Partnership Project) Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication system will be schematically described.

1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an E-UMTS network structure as an example of a mobile communication system. The Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (E-UMTS) system evolved from the existing Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), and is currently undergoing basic standardization work in 3GPP. In general, E-UMTS may be referred to as an LTE (Long Term Evolution) system. For details of the technical specifications of UMTS and E-UMTS, refer to Release 7 and Release 8 of "3rd Generation Partnership Project (Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network)" respectively.

1, an E-UMTS is located at the end of a user equipment (UE) 120, an eNode B (eNode B) 110a and 110b, and a network (E-UTRAN) And an access gateway (AG). The base station may simultaneously transmit multiple data streams for broadcast services, multicast services, and / or unicast services.

One base station has more than one cell. The cell is set to one of the bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, 15, 20Mhz and the like to provide downlink or uplink transmission service to a plurality of UEs. Different cells may be set up to provide different bandwidths. The base station controls data transmission / reception for a plurality of terminals. The base station transmits downlink scheduling information to downlink (DL) data, and transmits the downlink scheduling information to the corresponding terminal in a time / frequency region, a coding, a data size, a Hybrid Automatic Repeat and ReQuest (HARQ) Information. Also, the base station transmits uplink scheduling information to uplink (UL) data to the corresponding mobile station to notify the time / frequency region, coding, data size, and hybrid automatic retransmission request related information that the mobile station can use. An interface for transmitting user traffic or control traffic may be used between the base stations. The Core Network (CN) can be composed of an AG and a network node for user registration of the UE. The AG manages the mobility of the terminal in units of TA (Tracking Area) composed of a plurality of cells.

Wireless communication technologies have been developed to LTE based on WCDMA, but the demands and expectations of users and operators are continuously increasing. In addition, since other wireless access technologies are continuously being developed, new technology evolution is required to be competitive in the future. Cost reduction per bit, increased service availability, use of flexible frequency band, simple structure and open interface, and proper power consumption of terminal.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for controlling multiple networks in a multimode terminal and an apparatus therefor.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are not restrictive of the invention, unless further departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. It will be possible.

A method for controlling multiple networks in a multimode terminal, which is an aspect of the present invention, includes: displaying a plurality of connectable networks on a display module; Selecting at least one network among the plurality of networks according to a user's input; And receiving individual data from each of the selected at least one network, wherein each selected at least one network assigns a different IP address to the multimode terminal. Here, the plurality of connectable networks include a macro base station, a femto base station, and a wireless LAN.

Advantageously, the step of selecting at least one network comprises the step of displaying on the display module the expected data reception completion time from all of the selected at least one network, Displaying the identifier of each of the selected at least one network on the display module.

More preferably, the method further comprises displaying the power remaining time of the multimode terminal on the display module on the assumption that data is received from the selected at least one network.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a multimode terminal device includes a display module; A user input module for receiving a command from a user; A plurality of wireless communication modules for individually transmitting and receiving a plurality of networks and signals; And a processor for processing signals received from the plurality of networks, wherein the processor controls to display a plurality of connectable networks on the display module, Selecting at least one network among a plurality of networks and receiving individual data from each of the selected at least one network, wherein each of the selected at least one network assigns a different IP (Internet Protocol) address to the multimode terminal . Here, the plurality of connectable networks include a macro base station, a femto base station, and a wireless LAN. In addition, the display module and the user input module may form a touch screen that recognizes a user's touch input.

Preferably, the processor controls the display module to display the expected data reception completion time from all of the selected at least one network. Alternatively, the processor controls the display of the identifier of each of the selected at least one network And controls the display module to display the image.

More preferably, the processor controls to display the power remaining time of the multimode terminal on the display module on the assumption that data is received from the selected at least one network.

According to the embodiments of the present invention, a multimode terminal of a wireless communication system can simultaneously access multiple networks and efficiently receive a plurality of data, thereby improving reception performance.

The effects obtained by the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other effects not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description will be.

1 schematically shows an E-UMTS network structure as an example of a mobile communication system,
FIG. 2 conceptually shows a network structure of an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN)
3 is a diagram showing a structure of a dual mode terminal,
4 is a diagram for explaining the concept of a femto base station,
FIG. 5 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a multi-mode network access method of a multimode terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;
6 is a diagram illustrating a user interface for connecting multiple communication networks in a multimode terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is another drawing illustrating a user interface for connecting multiple communication networks in a multimode terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
8 is a diagram illustrating a user interface that can be provided in the process of connecting and receiving data from multiple communication networks according to an embodiment of the present invention;
9 to 11 are diagrams illustrating a user interface for displaying power remaining time when the multimode terminal receives data through multiple communication networks according to an embodiment of the present invention;
12 is a diagram illustrating a user interface for displaying expected reception time and estimated fee when the multimode terminal receives data through multiple communication networks according to an embodiment of the present invention;
13 illustrates a block diagram of a communication transceiver according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the structure, operation and other features of the present invention will be readily understood by the embodiments of the present invention described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below are examples in which technical features of the present invention are applied to a 3GPP system.

2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a network structure of an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN).

Referring to FIG. 2, the E-UTRAN system is an evolved system in an existing UTRAN system. The E-UTRAN is composed of cells (eNBs), and the cells are connected via the X2 interface. The cell is connected to the terminal through the air interface, and is connected to the EPC (Evolved Packet Core) through the S1 interface.

EPC is composed of MME (Mobility Management Entity), S-GW (Serving-Gateway) and PDN-GW (Packet Data Network-Gateway). The MME has information on the access information of the terminal or the capability of the terminal, and this information is mainly used for managing the mobility of the terminal. The S-GW is a gateway having an E-UTRAN as an end point, and the PDN-GW is a gateway having a PDN (Packet Data Network) as an end point.

3 is a diagram showing a structure of a dual mode terminal.

Referring to FIG. 3, the dual mode terminal may include an application processor, a first modem processor for processing signals received from the first communication network, and a second modem processor for processing signals received from the second communication network.

The application processor may be configured as a single hardware module in the dual mode terminal, or may be included in the PC and configured independently of the dual mode terminal. In addition, the application processor may include a connection manager (CM) for managing and controlling the connection state to the first communication network or the second communication network depending on the network environment.

More specifically, the CM performs a switching function for transmitting / receiving data between the application and one of the two processors (the first modem processor or the second modem processor) according to the network connection state. That is, when the dual mode terminal is connected to the first communication network, application data is transmitted / received to the A interface so that the first modem processor and the application are connected to each other. When the dual mode terminal is connected to the second communication network, To and from the B interface so that the second modem processor and the application are connected to each other.

The host interface is located between the first modem processor and the second modem processor and can be used for transmission of control signals and data signals between the processors.

On the other hand, in many cases, for example, WIFI is constructed by overlapping with other existing communication systems (GSM, WCDMA) in a limited indoor space. In general, WIFI is generally cheaper than wireless communication, and speed is better than wireless communication.

At this time, when the user desires to use the Internet or the like, the user may be provided with the service through the connection with the WIFI network or may receive the service through the connection with the existing communication system. In this case, in a conventional terminal device, it is common to simply connect one wireless system by changing the setting in terms of the user interface.

In recent years, with the surge of smartphone users, the user first searches for a wireless LAN, or WIFI network, in a public place. As mentioned above, WIFI is cheap and speed is also remarkably better than WCDMA or GSM. First, a user informs a user of a WIFI access point (AP) having an appropriate signal strength in the vicinity, and the user accesses the corresponding AP to use a PS (Packet Switching) service. Since the WIFI and the wireless communication network do not support the handover smoothly, the WIFI connection is disconnected when the AP is out of coverage, and the connection to the external wireless communication network is performed again or another WIFI AP is searched.

Within the coverage of the WIFI AP, there was a limit to not receiving the PS service simultaneously from the WIFI and the wireless communication network simultaneously. That is, handover is impossible. In the case of a voice call based on a Circuit Switching (CS) service, a WIFI can be used for a PS service over a wireless communication network. However, in the case of a PS service, a user can select a WIFI or a wireless communication network. If a user downloads two large files via FTP, it may take a long time due to limited bandwidth even if two files are received consecutively using WIFI alone or simultaneously. However, if the user receives one file via WIFI and the other through the wireless communication network simultaneously, the downloading time can be effectively reduced.

LTE, on the other hand, has a much better bit rate than WCDMA and GSM, and may theoretically be similar or better than WIFI. In LTE, femto base stations can be considered in addition to general macro base stations. The femto base station is designed to make the existing base station small and serve only the limited area such as WIFI.

4 is a diagram for explaining the concept of a femto base station.

4, when a LTE network is constructed, a base station having a small coverage internally, that is, a femto base station is installed in the coverage of an external large base station, that is, a macro base station, and the terminal can be actually connected to both the macro base station and the femto base station . Also, in order to reduce inter-cell interference, different frequency bands must be used between the macro base station and the femto base station, and this also applies to WIFI.

The concept of the femto base station is similar to that of the WIFI, but the handover is possible between the macro base station and the femto base station, thus ensuring mobility. That is, in FIG. 4, when the mobile station is out of the CSG (Closed Subscriber Group) period, a handover is performed between another CSG or a macro base station.

On the other hand, in the stationary state, data can be transmitted and received from both the macro base station and the femto base station, thereby enabling the user to double the radio capacity. In addition, since the CoMP technique can be applied between the macro base station and the femto base station, the same data may be distributed from both base stations to increase reception speed itself.

Accordingly, the present invention proposes a method for allowing a user to determine a connection by looking at a wireless network accessible at the present time through a user interface. Such a user interface allows the operator to charge a fee according to the user's request for a specific condition, which may be an opportunity to further increase the profit.

In order to implement a method for controlling multiple communication networks of a multimode terminal according to the present invention, a wireless communication module capable of supporting each of WIFI, macro base station and femto base station must be included in the terminal. When the terminal has the above structure and wants to connect to three systems at the same time, the same method as shown in FIG. 5 should be used.

5 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a method for connecting multiple networks in a multimode terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 5, the MS transmits a connection request signal to the BS, and the BS transmits an IP address allocation request signal to the core network. In addition, the core network assigns an IP address to the terminal to correspond to each of the base stations.

In order to transmit / receive IP-type data in a communication network providing PS service such as LTE or WIFI, an IP address is required. Accordingly, in the case of providing the PS service simultaneously in the multiple communication networks as in the present invention, the number of IP addresses is required for the number of communication networks to simultaneously access. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the terminal must receive all the IP addresses corresponding to the respective networks from the core network according to the user's request.

Hereinafter, a user interface for connecting multiple communication networks of a multimode terminal to be proposed in the present invention will be described.

6 is a diagram illustrating a user interface for connecting multiple communication networks in a multimode terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

First, the terminal searches for a system connectable in the present area using the received signal strength. FIG. 6 shows not only the macro base station and the femto base station of the LTE but also the AP of the WIFI. The terminal displays the interface shown in FIG. 6 to the user and selects a base station or AP to which the user wants to connect. After that, the base station or the AP that is requested to access from the user receives the IP addresses individually through the flowchart shown in FIG. 5

FIG. 7 is another diagram illustrating a user interface for connecting multiple communication networks in a multimode terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. In particular, FIG. 7 is an example for providing more information to a user who selects a connectable system.

7 shows a user interface capable of displaying a maximum bit rate or a minimum guaranteed bit rate at which data can be received through the selected system. In other words, if the system that can access in the present region is searched for LTE macro base station, femto base station and WIFI, PS service can be provided at 10Mbps from WIFI and 12Mbps from macro base station, and at the same time, 15Mbps from femto base station A function of notifying the user that the PS service can be provided can be provided.

Meanwhile, FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a user interface that can be provided in a process in which a multimode terminal connects to multiple communication networks and receives data according to an embodiment of the present invention. In particular, FIG. 8 assumes that the macro base station, femto base station and WIFI of LTE are searched and all are selected.

In FIG. 8, data of 30 Kbytes as a current WIFI and 40 Kbytes as a macro base station is received, and at the same time, a function of notifying a user that 50 kbytes of data is being received from the femto base station can be provided. By providing such a function, the user who is receiving data from a plurality of systems can effectively inform the current reception progress status.

9 to 11 are diagrams illustrating a user interface for displaying power remaining time when the multimode terminal receives data through multiple communication networks according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Even if all of the above three systems are selected or two systems are selected, power consumption of the multimode terminal can be greatly increased. Accordingly, the multimode terminal of the present invention can provide a function of displaying the power remaining time through the user interface. That is, when data is received through the entire system which can be connected or the system selected from the entire system, the function of increasing the convenience of the user by displaying the remaining power time can be provided.

In particular, FIG. 9 is an example of providing information to the user that the power remaining time is 16 hours when receiving data through only WIFI, FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a case where data is received through WIFI and a femto base station, Quot; is provided to the user. 11 shows an example of providing information to the user that the power remaining time is 5 hours when data is received through both the WIFI, the femto base station, and the macro base station.

Or a system that uses the least amount of power in consideration of the current power remaining state, that is, a system that notifies the user of the system having the largest power remaining time.

12 is a diagram illustrating a user interface for displaying a reception completion time and an estimated fee when the multimode terminal receives data through multiple communication networks according to an embodiment of the present invention. In particular, FIG. 12 assumes that the macro base station, femto base station and WIFI of LTE are searched and all are selected.

Referring to FIG. 12, when data is received through all of the searched systems, the expected completion time of the entire data is measured to be 15 minutes and 20 seconds, and the estimated rate is 560 won. It is possible to provide information to the user as a selection criterion.

13 illustrates a block diagram of a communication transceiver according to an embodiment of the present invention. The transceiver may be part of a base station or a terminal.

13, the transceiver 1300 includes a processor 1310, a memory 1320, an RF module 1330, a display module 1340, and a user interface module 1350.

The transceiver 1300 is shown for convenience of description and some modules may be omitted. In addition, the transceiver 1300 may further include the necessary modules. Also, in the transceiver 1300, some of the modules may be further subdivided into modules. The processor 1310 is configured to perform operations according to embodiments of the present invention illustrated with reference to the figures.

Specifically, when the transceiver 1300 is part of a base station, the processor 1310 may generate a control signal and perform a function of mapping the control signal to a control channel set in a plurality of frequency blocks. In addition, when the transceiver 1300 is part of a terminal, the processor 1310 can identify the control channel indicated to it from the signals received from the plurality of frequency blocks and extract the control signal therefrom.

The processor 1310 may then perform the required operation based on the control signal. The detailed operation of the processor 1310 may refer to the contents described in Figs.

The memory 1320 is coupled to the processor 1310 and stores an operating system, applications, program code, data, and the like. The RF module 1330 is connected to the processor 1310 and performs a function of converting a baseband signal into a radio signal or a radio signal into a baseband signal. To this end, the RF module 1330 performs analog conversion, amplification, filtering, and frequency up conversion, or inverse thereof. Display module 1340 is coupled to processor 1310 and displays various information. The display module 1340 may use well known elements such as, but not limited to, a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), a Light Emitting Diode (LED), and an Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED). The user interface module 1350 is connected to the processor 1310 and may be configured as a combination of well known user interfaces such as a keypad, a touch screen, and the like.

The embodiments described above are those in which the elements and features of the present invention are combined in a predetermined form. Each component or feature shall be considered optional unless otherwise expressly stated. Each component or feature may be implemented in a form that is not combined with other components or features. It is also possible to construct embodiments of the present invention by combining some of the elements and / or features. The order of the operations described in the embodiments of the present invention may be changed. Some configurations or features of certain embodiments may be included in other embodiments, or may be replaced with corresponding configurations or features of other embodiments. It is clear that the claims that are not expressly cited in the claims may be combined to form an embodiment or be included in a new claim by an amendment after the application.

In this document, the embodiments of the present invention have been mainly described with reference to the data transmission / reception relationship between the terminal and the base station. The specific operation described herein as being performed by the base station may be performed by its upper node, in some cases. That is, it is apparent that various operations performed for communication with a terminal in a network including a plurality of network nodes including a base station can be performed by a network node other than the base station or the base station. A base station may be replaced by terms such as a fixed station, a Node B, an eNode B (eNB), an access point, and the like. In addition, the terminal may be replaced by terms such as a UE (User Equipment), a Mobile Station (MS), and a Mobile Subscriber Station (MSS).

Embodiments in accordance with the present invention may be implemented by various means, for example, hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. In the case of hardware implementation, an embodiment of the present invention may include one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs) field programmable gate arrays, processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, and the like.

In the case of an implementation by firmware or software, an embodiment of the present invention may be implemented in the form of a module, a procedure, a function, or the like which performs the functions or operations described above. The software code can be stored in a memory unit and driven by the processor. The memory unit may be located inside or outside the processor, and may exchange data with the processor by various well-known means.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the above description should not be construed in a limiting sense in all respects and should be considered illustrative. The scope of the present invention should be determined by rational interpretation of the appended claims, and all changes within the scope of equivalents of the present invention are included in the scope of the present invention.

The present invention can be applied to a wireless communication system. More specifically, the present invention can be applied to a method and an apparatus therefor for a terminal to report a transmission power residual amount in a wireless communication system.

Claims (11)

A multi-network control method in a multi-mode terminal apparatus,
Displaying on the display module a list including items of two or more accessible networks;
Selecting two or more items on the list according to a user's input; And
Receiving individual data from networks corresponding to the selected items, respectively; And
And displaying the total power remaining time of the multimode terminal device on the display module based on the power of the multimode terminal device required for receiving individual data from the networks corresponding to the selected items ,
Each of the networks corresponding to the selected items assigns different IP addresses to the multimode terminal,
Wherein each item in the list includes a name of the network and a maximum guaranteed bit rate information or a minimum guaranteed bit rate information capable of receiving data through the corresponding network.
Multiple network control method. The method according to claim 1,
And displaying the expected completion time of each data received from the networks corresponding to the selected items on the display module.
Multiple network control method. The method according to claim 1,
And displaying an identifier of each of the networks corresponding to the selected items on the display module.
Multiple network control method. delete The method according to claim 1,
The connectable networks comprising:
A macro base station, a femto base station, and a wireless LAN.
Multiple network control method. A multimode terminal apparatus in a wireless communication system,
A display module;
A user input module for receiving a command from a user;
A plurality of wireless communication modules for individually transmitting and receiving signals with two or more networks; And
And a processor for processing signals received from the networks,
The processor comprising:
Controlling the display module to display a list including items of two or more connectable networks, selecting at least two items on the list according to an input signal transmitted through the user input module, Mode terminal device to receive the individual data from the networks corresponding to the selected items, respectively, based on the power of the multimode terminal device, To be displayed on the module,
Each of the networks corresponding to the selected items allocates different IP (Internet Protocol) addresses to the multimode terminal,
Wherein each item in the list includes a name of the network and a maximum guaranteed bit rate information or a minimum guaranteed bit rate information capable of receiving data through the corresponding network.
A multimode terminal device. The method according to claim 6,
The processor comprising:
And controls the display module to display the expected reception completion time of each data received from the networks corresponding to the selected items.
A multimode terminal device. The method according to claim 6,
The processor comprising:
And controls the display module to display an identifier of each of the networks corresponding to the selected items.
A multimode terminal device. delete 8. The method of claim 7,
The connectable networks comprising:
A macro base station, a femto base station, and a wireless LAN.
A multimode terminal device. delete

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