KR102245603B1 - Terminal for multinet aggregation transmission, and operating method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of operating a terminal including at least one processor and a communication module, comprising: receiving a request to initiate a multi-network merge service, determining whether a multi-path can be generated in a local area wireless network through the communication module, and determining the multi-path If it can be generated, a step of connecting to at least one access point using each of a plurality of frequency resources, wherein the plurality of frequency resources are resources selected from a frequency band used in the local area wireless network.

Description

Terminal for multi-network merged transmission, and its operation method {TERMINAL FOR MULTINET AGGREGATION TRANSMISSION, AND OPERATING METHOD THEREOF}

The present invention relates to multi-network merged transmission.

Aggregation transmission is a technology for transmitting data using a plurality of communication networks at the same time, and processes data transmitted through each path as one session. Through the merged transmission technology, a terminal can be connected to a plurality of communication networks at one point in time, and one service/application communicates by merging a plurality of networks like one network regardless of the network type or number of networks. Accordingly, the merged transmission device can quickly transmit and receive a large amount of data by using a plurality of available network resources. In the sense of merging multiple networks, it can be called MultiNet Aggregation.

Among the merged transmission technologies, there is a multi-path TCP (MPTCP) technology that bundles and uses several TCP flows. MPTCP is an L4 technology for simultaneously using multiple IP interfaces. A terminal having a plurality of physical interfaces may be connected to a plurality of communication networks at one time through MPTCP technology, and a session is created in a subflow unit for end-to-end communication.

A terminal supporting conventional multi-network merged transmission transmits and receives traffic by merging the subflow generated in the 3G/LTE network and the subflow generated in the WiFi network. Recently released WiFi APs simultaneously support 2.4GHz and 5GHz, which are non-certified frequency bands, but until now, terminals do not use the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands at the same time, and use any one of the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. It is common. In addition, until now, a terminal supporting multi-network merged transmission does not disclose a method of simultaneously accessing a plurality of WiFi APs.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a terminal for generating a plurality of local area wireless network paths and performing merged transmission over multiple networks, and an operation method thereof.

A method of operating a terminal including at least one processor and a communication module according to an embodiment of the present invention, comprising: receiving a request to initiate a multi-network merge service, whether multiple paths can be generated in a local area wireless network through the communication module Determining, if the multipath can be generated, connecting to at least one access point using each of a plurality of frequency resources, wherein the plurality of frequency resources are in a frequency band used in the local area wireless network. It is the selected resource.

In the determining step, at least one of the number of frequency resources that can be simultaneously used in the communication module and combination information of frequency resources may be obtained, and it may be determined whether the plurality of paths can be generated based on the obtained information.

The request includes a priority connection condition, and the step of connecting to the at least one access point searches for at least one priority connection target corresponding to the priority connection condition among neighboring access points, and attempts to connect with the priority connection target. I can.

In the step of connecting to the at least one access point, when there is no priority connection object among the surrounding access points, connection with an access point having a connection history among the surrounding access points may be attempted.

The operation method may further include determining a state of the communication module based on the request, and changing to an activated state if the communication module is in an inactive state.

The communication module may include a plurality of short-range wireless communication modules having different unique identifiers.

The communication module may include a plurality of WiFi communication modules having different unique identifiers.

A method of operating a terminal including at least one processor and a communication module according to another embodiment of the present invention, comprising: generating a first subflow connected to a first access point through a first WiFi module, a second WiFi module And generating a second subflow connected to the second access point through the method, and merging the first subflow and the second subflow to transmit/receive the traffic of the application.

In the step of transmitting and receiving the traffic of the application, the traffic may be transmitted and received through the first subflow and the second subflow through a socket connected to the application.

In the generating of the first subflow, the first connection point corresponding to a connection condition is first found among neighboring connection points, and the first subflow is generated by connecting to the first connection point.

In the generating of the first subflow, the first connection point corresponding to a connection condition is first found among neighboring connection points, and the first subflow is generated by connecting to the first connection point.

The preferred access condition may include a specific frequency band that is preferentially searched and connected.

The priority access condition may include access priority for each communication standard protocol.

The operation method further includes generating a third subflow connected to a base station through a mobile communication module, and transmitting and receiving the traffic of the application includes the first subflow, the second subflow, and the second subflow. 3 Subflows can be merged to transmit/receive application traffic.

As a terminal for multi-network merged transmission according to another embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of short-range wireless communication modules having different unique identifiers, and a program including commands for multi-network merged transmission are executed, and the plurality of short-range wireless communication modules are executed. And a processor for generating a plurality of subflows connecting the wireless communication module and at least one access point, and the processor is configured to generate a plurality of subflows for connecting the wireless communication module to at least one access point. A subflow is created, and the plurality of subflows are merged to transmit and receive application traffic.

When the multi-network merge transmission is requested, the processor determines whether a multi-path can be generated based on the state information of the plurality of short-range wireless communication modules, and if the multi-path can be generated, each of a plurality of frequency resources The plurality of subflows may be generated by using.

The processor may acquire at least one of the number of frequency resources that can be simultaneously used in the plurality of short-range wireless communication modules and combination information of frequency resources, and generate the plurality of subflows based on the obtained information.

The processor may change to an active state when the plurality of short-range wireless communication modules are in an inactive state based on state information of the plurality of short-range wireless communication modules when the multi-network merge transmission is requested.

The plurality of short-range wireless communication modules may be a plurality of WiFi modules having different MAC addresses.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, since a plurality of local area wireless network paths can be generated and transmitted simultaneously, multi-network merge transmission efficiency can be improved. According to an embodiment of the present invention, frequency resource efficiency can be improved by simultaneously using a plurality of frequency bands (channels).

1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating merged transmission of multiple networks according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a hierarchical configuration diagram of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 and 4 are examples of a setting screen of a management application according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 and 6 are views exemplarily illustrating a socket connection for multi-network merged transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a flowchart of a method for generating multiple WiFi paths according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a flowchart of a method of generating multiple WiFi paths according to another embodiment of the present invention.
9 to 12 are examples of user notification screens according to an embodiment of the present invention.
13 is a hardware block diagram of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those of ordinary skill in the art may easily implement the present invention. However, the present invention may be implemented in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted in order to clearly describe the present invention, and similar reference numerals are attached to similar parts throughout the specification.

Throughout the specification, when a part "includes" a certain component, it means that other components may be further included rather than excluding other components unless specifically stated to the contrary. In addition, terms such as "... unit", "... group", and "module" described in the specification mean a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which can be implemented by hardware or software or a combination of hardware and software. have.

In the present invention, the terminal is a mobile station (MS), a mobile terminal (MT), a subscriber station (SS), a portable subscriber station (PSS), and a user equipment (UE). , Access Terminal (AT), and the like, and may include all or part of functions such as a mobile station, a mobile terminal, a subscriber station, a mobile subscriber station, a user equipment, and an access terminal.

The terminal is a base station (BS), an access point (Access Point, AP), a radio access station (RAS), a node B (Node B), an advanced node B (evolved NodeB, eNodeB), a transmission/reception base station ( It can be connected to a remote server by accessing network devices such as Base Transceiver Station, BTS), and Mobile Multihop Relay (MMR)-BS.

The terminals are various types of communication terminals such as mobile terminals such as smart phones, tablet terminals such as smart pads and tablet PCs, computers, and televisions, and may include a plurality of communication interfaces. Communication interfaces can vary. For example, the communication interface is a local area wireless network interface such as WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network)/Bluetooth called WiFi, and 3G/LTE (Long Term Evolution)/LTE-A (Long Term Evolution- Advanced) and other mobile communication network interfaces can be included, and various communication interfaces can be added by the terminal manufacturer. In the present specification, a 3G/LTE interface and a plurality of local area wireless network interfaces are described as examples, but the communication interface is not limited thereto. In the present invention, a plurality of local area wireless networks may be composed of a homogeneous network or a heterogeneous network, but for the sake of explanation, it is assumed that they are a plurality of WiFi networks.

1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating merged transmission of multiple networks according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, MultiNet Aggregation transmission is a technology for transmitting data by merging a plurality of communication networks. Transmission data is divided and transmitted into a plurality of homogeneous networks or paths of a plurality of heterogeneous networks. Data transmitted through a path can be bundled and transmitted in one path. Multi-network merged transmission may be referred to as multi-path transmission in the sense of simultaneously transmitting data through a plurality of paths.

The multi-network aggregation system may include a terminal 100 and a network device 200 connected to the terminal 100 and a plurality of networks (eg, a 3G/LTE network and a WiFi network). The network device may be called a MultiNet Aggregation-Gateway (MA-GW).

The terminal 100 includes multiple communication interfaces, and may be connected to a plurality of networks at one time through the multiple communication interfaces. The terminal 100 may generate a subflow by accessing a base station of a 3G/LTE network through a 3G/LTE communication module. In addition, the terminal 100 may generate at least one subflow by accessing at least one WiFi access point (AP) through at least one short-range wireless communication module (eg, a WiFi module). In the present invention, it is assumed that the terminal 100 is equipped with a plurality of WiFi modules. Each WiFi module supports at least one frequency band. Here, the frequency band may be 2.4GHz or 5GHz, which is an unlicensed band, but the frequency band may be added or changed according to the IEEE 802.11 standard or frequency policy.

The terminal 100 may generate a plurality of paths in a plurality of frequency bands provided by one WiFi AP as shown in FIG. 1A. Alternatively, the terminal 100 may simultaneously access a plurality of WiFi APs as shown in (b) of FIG. 1 to generate a path in a frequency band provided by each WiFi AP.

The terminal 100 may be equipped with a management application that allows a user to access and set up or manage multiple network access. The management application provides multi-network merge service on/off setting, simultaneous connection of multiple WiFis, and the like.

The terminal 100 includes a network agent that performs authentication, state management, and traffic processing for multi-network merging, and the network agent may be implemented as an internal logic of the terminal. Inside the terminal 100, the network agent and various applications communicate with each other through a socket. The network agent interworkes with the network device 200 according to setting information of a management application for network management.

The network device 200 merges subflows transmitted through multiple paths, or divides a flow transmitted through a single path into subflows of multiple paths and transmits them. The network device 200 may be located at a contact point of a multi-network, for example, at a contact point between an LTE network and a WiFi network.

The network device 200 divides the data to transmit the received data to the terminal 100. In addition, the network device 200 transmits some data to the terminal 100 through a subflow of a first network (eg, an LTE network), and transmits the remaining data to at least one second network (eg, a WiFi network). ) Can be transmitted to the terminal 100 through the subflow. The terminal 100 merges data received through a plurality of communication interfaces. In the same way, the network device 200 may merge data transmitted by the terminal 100 using a multiple communication interface and transmit the merged data to the server 220.

Multi-network merging techniques can be classified as follows according to the merging point.

L2/link layer merging creates a dedicated tunnel from the boundary point (ie, eNB) of the LTE core network (core) and the access network (access) to the WiFi AP.

L3/network layer merging creates a virtual IP tunnel to integrate IP addresses independently used in the LTE network and the WiFi network.

L4/transport layer merging can participate in data transmission regardless of the IP address system if an additional access network is available after creating a session through a single access network. At this time, the communication subject at the application level supports a structure that enables data communication based on a single session using one or more access networks.

In the L7/application layer merging, the dedicated application/network agent recombines the data received through the LTE network and the WiFi network by itself or separates and transmits the application protocol data.

As described above, various merged transmissions are possible according to the merged transport layer. In the future, a merge technology through L4-based multi-path TCP (MPTCP) will be described as an example.

2 is a hierarchical configuration diagram of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the terminal 100 processes an application by controlling hardware between the physical layer 10, the application layer 40, and the physical layer and the application layer including a plurality of communication modules (hardware). It consists of a system stack.

The operating system stack serves as an interface between hardware and applications, and may be composed of a plurality of software stacks classified according to functions. For example, the terminal 100 may be equipped with a Linux kernel 20 and an Android Framework 30, but this may be variously implemented by a terminal manufacturer.

The MPTCP processing module is mounted on the Linux kernel 20. The MPTCP processing module can carry the MPTCP/IP protocol family. The MPTCP processing module performs socket communication with an application of the application layer 40 and transmits data based on a routing table. The MPTCP processing module may transmit MPTCP to some applications, and may transmit general TCP to some applications.

When the terminal 100 mounts a plurality of WiFi modules, the first WiFi module 11 and the second WiFi module 12 are mounted on the physical layer 10. Each WiFi module wirelessly communicates through at least one frequency band, and it is assumed that it supports the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands. Each of the first WiFi module 11 and the second WiFi module 12 is assigned a unique identifier. The unique identifier may be a MAC (Media Access Control Address) address. Even if the first WiFi module 11 and the second WiFi module 12 are simultaneously connected through different WiFi MAC addresses, they can be distinguished. When each of the first WiFi module 11 and the second WiFi module 12 provides 2.4GHz and 5GHz, the terminal 100 and at least one WiFi AP (not shown) have four frequencies according to network conditions or settings. One of the band configurations may be selected and simultaneously connected to the selected frequency band.

Frequency band configuration to be connected simultaneously 1st WiFi module (11) 2nd WiFi module(12) One 5GHz 2.4GHz 2 5GHz 5GHz 3 2.4GHz 5GHz 4 2.4GHz 2.4GHz

The management application 41 is mounted on the application layer 40. The management application provides multi-network merge service on/off setting, simultaneous access to multiple WiFi networks, and the like. The management application may provide a screen for requesting a user to set a multi-network merge service on/off setting or simultaneous connection of a plurality of WiFis. Alternatively, the management application may automatically set the multi-network merge service on/off or set the simultaneous connection of multiple WiFis. When the operation of the WiFi modules is set in the management application 41, the management application 41 It communicates internally with the WiFi connection management module through the API supported by the WiFi framework, and transmits control commands to the WiFi driver through the WiFi connection management module. The WiFi driver sets the first WiFi module 11 and the second WiFi module 12 according to a control command requested from the management application 41, so that the first WiFi module 11 and the second WiFi module 12 are connected to each other. It controls to access the WiFi AP.

The WiFi driver 21 is implemented in the kernel 20. The WiFi connection management module 32 communicates with the WiFi driver 21 and may be implemented in the kernel 20 or the Android framework 30. The WiFi framework 31 provides an API for the management application 41 to access the WiFi connection management module 32 and may be implemented in the Android framework 30.

The management application 41 determines whether multiple WiFi frequency resources (frequency bands or frequency channels) can be used simultaneously (that is, whether multiple WiFi paths can be simultaneously connected) through the WiFi module of the terminal 100, and then use multiple WiFi networks. Try to connect. To this end, the management application 41 queries the WiFi driver 21 for simultaneous use of multiple WiFi frequencies through the WiFi framework 31 and the WiFi connection management module 32.

The WiFi driver 21 responds to the management application 41 by combining the frequency bands provided by the first WiFi module 11 and the second WiFi module 12 as shown in Table 1. For example, whether or not multiple WiFi frequency resources are simultaneously used (or whether multiple WiFi paths can be connected) may be obtained using an API as shown in Table 2. The API can be variously extended and defined according to the number of simultaneously available frequency resources.

vaginal answer get2WiFiFrequencyEnable( ); Enable:
“0”: 2 frequencies unused
“1”: use 2 frequencies Frequency Capabilities:
0x001: (5GHz, 2.4GHz) can be combined
0x010: (5GHz, 5GHz) can be combined
0x100: (2.4GHz, 2.4GHz) can be combined

3 and 4 are examples of a setting screen of a management application according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3, a management application is executed in the terminal 100, and a user can access and set a communication environment. The screen 300 is displayed on the display. The management application displays a screen 300 for setting multi-network merged transmission. The screen 300 may further display information for setting WiFi and mobile data.

When the multi-network merged transmission function is turned on (ON) while the WiFi module is inactive (off) state (OFF), the management application controls the WiFi module to switch the WiFi module to the active (on) state (ON).

Referring to FIG. 4, the management application may display a screen 310 for setting/guiding connection conditions when simultaneously accessing multiple WiFi networks on the display. If a specific frequency band, for example, "5GHz priority access" is designated, the terminal 100 may preferentially search for and connect to a 5GHz AP so as to access the 5GHz frequency band. When "automatic access" is designated, the terminal 100 may search for and connect to neighboring APs based on the access profile.

5 and 6 are diagrams exemplarily illustrating a socket connection for multi-network merged transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, when an arbitrary application is executed in the terminal 100, the application 400 creates a socket with the MPTCP processing module 420, and transmits and receives traffic through the socket 410. The MPTCP processing module 420 includes a TCP/IP/MPTCP protocol family, is installed in a Linux kernel, and transmits and receives traffic through a communication module. The socket 410 includes a 3G/LTE socket 411 and a WiFi socket 412.

The subflow generated through the 3G/LTE communication module 430 is connected to the 3G/LTE socket 411. The secondary subflow generated through the WiFi module 440 may be connected to the WiFi socket 412.

When the multi-network merge service is on, the primary subflow created between the terminal 100 and the network device 200 is always-on and a 3G/LTE communication module capable of communicating anytime, anywhere. It can be generated through 430. The main subflow is connected to the 3G/LTE socket 411 through the MPTCP processing module 420. A secondary subflow added to the main subflow may be generated through the WiFi module 440, and the secondary subflow generated through the WiFi module 440 may be connected to the WiFi socket 412.

Referring to FIG. 6, the terminal 100 may mount a plurality of WiFi modules capable of simultaneously connecting a plurality of WiFi paths. It is assumed that the plurality of WiFi modules are the first WiFi module 441 and the second WiFi module 442. Each WiFi module wirelessly communicates through at least one frequency band, and it is assumed that it supports the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands.

When the multi-network merge service is in an on state, the terminal 100 checks whether or not a plurality of WiFi frequencies are simultaneously used. When the terminal 100 can use multiple WiFi frequency resources at the same time, the terminal 100 generates a plurality of WiFi paths through the first WiFi module 441 and the second WiFi module 442. The terminal 100 may additionally create a plurality of WiFi paths while the application and the 3G/LTE socket are connected, but it is not necessary to first create a main subflow in the 3G/LTE network. That is, the terminal 100 generates a main subflow in any one of a plurality of local area wireless networks (eg, a plurality of WiFi networks), and provides a multi-network merge service by merging only a plurality of local area wireless networks. , 3G/LTE networks can be merged in a subordinate order.

The terminal 100 connects the first WiFi module 441 and the second WiFi module 442 to at least one AP. Each WiFi path is connected to the WiFi socket 412' through the MPTCP processing module 420'. The WiFi socket 412 ′ may include a WiFi sub-socket 1 413 through the first WiFi module 441 and a WiFi sub-socket 2 414 through the second WiFi module 442. WiFi sub-sockets are created and connected according to the number of WiFi subflows created.

A typical application cannot know multiple IPs at the same time, and can operate as a socket that can know only one IP. Accordingly, the WiFi socket viewed by the application may be selected from one of WiFi socket 1 (413) and WiFi socket 2 (414).

The terminal 100 may sequentially generate a plurality of WiFi paths while searching for a neighboring AP according to the setting information. The setting information may be requested by a user as shown in FIG. 4 or may be input to the terminal 100 or an application.

For example, if the setting information is "5GHz Priority Access", an AP that can be accessed in a 5GHz frequency band is searched. At this time, since there are a plurality of IEET 802.11 standards supporting the 5GHz frequency band, the configuration information may include priority for each standard protocol. For example, the terminal 100 may first access in the order of IEEE 802.11ac, IEEE 802.11n, and IEEE 802.11a, and may attempt to access by first operating with IEEE 802.11ac.

The terminal 100 may attempt 5GHz priority access according to a cell search threshold. The cell search threshold may be -75dBm, for example, and may be changed according to network conditions. For example, if the received signal strength (RSSI) of the 5GHz AP is greater than or equal to the cell search threshold, the terminal 100 attempts to access the 5GHz AP. If the RSSI of the 5GHz AP is less than the cell search threshold and there is a 2.4GHz AP that is higher than the RSSI of the 5GHz AP, the terminal 100 may attempt to access the 2.4GHz AP. If the RSSI of the 5GHz AP is less than the cell search threshold and there is no 2.4GHz AP higher than the RSSI of the 5GHz AP, the terminal 100 may attempt to access the 5GHz AP. Here, the 5GHz AP and the 2.4GHz AP may be devices physically located in different locations or may be the same device.

Meanwhile, the terminal 100 may determine whether to access based on various state information that can be obtained from neighboring APs in addition to the cell search threshold. For example, the terminal 100 may determine whether to have a priority access based on a channel utilization received from a neighboring AP. When the channel utilization rate of 5 GHz is less than the reference value (eg, 70%), the terminal 100 may access the 2.4 GHz channel.

7 is a flowchart of a method for generating multiple WiFi paths according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, when a first access condition is set, a method of generating a plurality of WiFi paths by the terminal 100 will be described. First, the connection conditions will be described assuming the condition of first accessing the 5GHz AP. In particular, the processor of the terminal 100 executes the following operation by driving a management application including instructions or codes for generating a plurality of WiFi paths. Meanwhile, a main subflow may be created in the 3G/LTE network before the WiFi path is created.

The terminal 100 receives a request to initiate a multi-network merge service (S110). When the multi-network merge transmission is turned on in the management application, the terminal 100 starts generating a path for the multi-network merge.

The terminal 100 determines whether the WiFi module is in an active state (ON) (S120).

If the WiFi module is in an inactive state (OFF), the terminal 100 activates (ON) the WiFi module (S122).

The terminal 100 determines whether multiple WiFi connections are possible through the WiFi module (S130). That is, the terminal 100 may obtain the number of WiFi modules or combination information of frequency resources that can be used in the WiFi modules through the API of Table 2.

If multiple WiFi connections are not supported, the terminal 100 determines whether there is an AP corresponding to the first access condition (eg, 5GHz AP) in the access profile (S140). The access profile includes AP information having a history of accessing previously.

First, if there is an AP corresponding to the access condition, the terminal 100 accesses the AP and generates a subflow (S142).

First, if there is no AP corresponding to the access condition, the terminal 100 accesses a random AP and creates a subflow (S144). Here, the random AP may be an AP manually selected by a user from among accessible APs or an AP selected by a terminal.

When multiple WiFi connections are possible, the terminal 100 determines whether there is an AP corresponding to the first access condition (eg, 5GHz AP) among the access profiles (S150).

First, if there is an AP corresponding to the access condition, the terminal 100 accesses the AP and generates a first subflow (S152).

The terminal 100 determines whether there are more APs corresponding to the first access condition (eg, 5GHz AP) among the access profiles (S154).

First, if there are more APs corresponding to the access condition, the terminal 100 accesses the AP and generates a second subflow (S156).

First, if there are no APs corresponding to the access condition, the terminal 100 connects to the recently accessed general AP (eg, 2.4GHz AP) based on the access profile, or accesses a random AP selected from among currently accessible APs. A second subflow is generated (S160, S162, S164).

If there is no AP corresponding to the first access condition in step S150, the terminal 100 determines whether there is a general AP (eg, 2.4GHz AP) recently accessed in the access profile (S170).

If there are general APs in the access profile, the terminal 100 accesses general APs (eg, 2.4GHz APs) to generate a first subflow and a second subflow (S172 and S174).

If there is no general AP in the access profile, the terminal 100 accesses random APs selected from among currently accessible APs to generate a first subflow and a second subflow (S176 and S178).

8 is a flowchart of a method of generating multiple WiFi paths according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, when an automatic connection condition is set, a method of generating a plurality of WiFi paths by the terminal 100 will be described. In particular, the processor of the terminal 100 executes the following operation by driving a management application including a command or code for generating a plurality of WiFi paths. Meanwhile, a main subflow may be created in the 3G/LTE network before the WiFi path is created.

The terminal 100 receives a request for a multi-network merge service (S210). When the multi-network merge transmission is turned on in the management application, the terminal 100 starts generating a path for the multi-network merge.

The terminal 100 determines whether the WiFi module is in an active state (ON) (S220).

When the WiFi module is in an inactive state (OFF), the terminal 100 activates (ON) the WiFi module (S222).

The terminal 100 determines whether multiple WiFi connections are possible through the WiFi module (S230).

If multiple WiFi connections are not possible, the terminal 100 determines whether there is an AP in the access profile (S240). The access profile includes AP information having a history of accessing previously.

If there is an AP recorded in the access profile, the terminal 100 creates a subflow by accessing the previously accessed AP (S242).

If there is no AP recorded in the access profile, the terminal 100 accesses a random AP selected from among the currently accessible APs and generates a subflow (S244). Here, the random AP may be an AP manually selected by a user from among accessible APs or an AP selected by a terminal.

When multiple WiFi connections are possible, the terminal 100 determines whether there is an AP recorded in the access profile (S250).

If there is an AP recorded in the access profile, the terminal 100 accesses the previously accessed AP and generates a first subflow (S252).

The terminal 100 determines whether there are more APs recorded in the access profile (S254).

If there are more APs recorded in the access profile, the terminal 100 creates a second subflow by accessing another AP that has been accessed (S256).

If there are no APs recorded in the access profile, the terminal 100 accesses a random AP selected from among the currently accessible APs and generates a second subflow (S258).

If there is no AP recorded in the access profile in step S250, the terminal 100 accesses random APs selected from among currently accessible APs to generate a first subflow and a second subflow (S260 and S262).

9 to 12 are examples of user notification screens according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 9, when multiple WiFi connections are possible and a priority access condition to a 5GHz AP is set, the terminal 100 notifies or recommends access to 5GHz APs (eg, olleh GiGA WiFi). (320) can be displayed. The screen 320 may display a "connect" or "cancel" button to receive an explicit connection request from the user.

Referring to FIG. 10, although the terminal 100 attempts to access 5 GHz APs (eg, olleh GiGA WiFi), it may not be able to connect to APs corresponding to the first access condition. Then, the terminal 100 may generate a subflow with a 5GHz AP and a subflow with a 2.4GHz AP. At this time, when an AP supports both 5GHz and 2.4GHz access, the terminal 100 may display information on simultaneous access to 5GHz and 2.4GHz of olleh GiGA WiFi, as shown in FIG. 10. Subflows created at 5GHz and 2.4GHz of olleh GiGA WiFi are used for merged transmission.

Referring to FIG. 11, the terminal 100 may simultaneously connect to different APs (ollehWiFi and olleh_GiGA_WiFi_CB6B). Subflows created in different APs (ollehWiFi and olleh_GiGA_WiFi_CB6B) are used for merged transmission.

Referring to FIG. 12, when olleh_GiGA_WiFi_CB6B supports both 5GHz and 2.4GHz access, the terminal 100 may display a screen 330 notifying or recommending the priority access of olleh_GiGA_WiFi_CB6B to 5GHz. The screen 330 may display a "connect" or "cancel" button to receive an explicit connection request from a user, and may request a password input.

13 is a hardware block diagram of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 13, the terminal 100 is composed of hardware including a processor 1100, a memory device 1200, and a plurality of communication modules 1300, and a program that is executed in combination with hardware at a designated place is Is saved. The hardware has the configuration and capability to implement the method of the present invention. The program includes instructions or codes that implement the operating method of the present invention described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 12, and executes the present invention by combining it with hardware such as the processor 1100 and the memory device 1200.

The embodiments of the present invention described above are not implemented only through an apparatus and a method, but may be implemented through a program that realizes a function corresponding to the configuration of the embodiment of the present invention or a recording medium in which the program is recorded.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and improvements by those skilled in the art using the basic concept of the present invention defined in the following claims are also provided. It belongs to the scope of rights.

Claims (7)

A method of operating a terminal including at least one processor and a communication module,
Determining whether a multipath can be generated by simultaneously using a plurality of frequency resources in a local area wireless network through the communication module,
Determining whether there is at least one preferred access point in the access profile when a specific number of multi-paths can be generated through the local area wireless network through the communication module,
If there is at least one preferred access point in the access profile, the steps of sequentially attempting to connect to the priority access point according to the local area wireless network connection condition to create a subflow connected to the priority access point, and
In a state in which the specific number of multi-paths are not created, if there is no priority access point remaining in the access profile, accessing a recently accessed access point or a currently accessible access point to create a subflow connected to the corresponding access point
Containing, operating method. In claim 1,
The step of determining whether the multi-path can be generated is
The operation method of determining whether a multipath can be generated based on at least one of the number of frequency resources that can be used simultaneously in the communication module and combination information of frequency resources. In claim 1,
The step of determining whether there is at least one preferred access point
When a preferred access to a specific frequency band is specified in a local area wireless network connection condition, an access point of the specific frequency band is searched for in the access profile. In claim 1,
The step of determining whether there is at least one preferred access point
In the access profile, determining whether there is a priority access point having a received signal strength equal to or greater than a Cell Search Threshold. In claim 1,
If there is at least one preferred access point in the access profile, notifying a connection to the preferred access point or displaying a screen for recommending a connection
Further comprising, the operation method. In claim 1,
The communication module
An operating method comprising a plurality of short-range wireless communication modules having different unique identifiers. As a terminal for multi-network merged transmission,
A plurality of short-range wireless communication modules having different unique identifiers, and
A processor for generating a plurality of subflows connecting the plurality of short-range wireless communication modules and at least one access point by executing a program including instructions for multi-network merged transmission,
The processor is
Determine whether a multipath can be generated by simultaneously using a plurality of frequency resources in a local area wireless network through the communication module,
When a specific number of multi-paths can be generated through the local area wireless network through the communication module, it is determined whether there is at least one priority access point in the access profile, and if there is at least one priority access point in the access profile, the local area wireless network Depending on the connection condition, first attempts to connect to the connection point in sequence to create a subflow that connects to the priority connection point,
In a state in which the specific number of multi-paths are not generated, if there is no priority access point remaining in the access profile, accessing a recently accessed access point or a currently accessible access point to create a subflow connected to the corresponding access point. Terminal.

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