KR20150011723A - Method and apparatus for selecting network in an electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for selecting a network in an electronic device supporting multiple communications methods by considering channel environment related indicators. The method for determining a network can comprise the following steps of: checking data transmission control information on networks; and determining at least one network to be accessed among the networks based on the data transmission control information on the networks.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for selecting a wireless network in an electronic device,

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to electronic devices, and more particularly, to a wireless network selection apparatus and method in an electronic device.

With advances in communications technology and advances in semiconductor technology, portable electronic devices can support multiple communication schemes. For example, the portable electronic device may be a GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication) network, an EDGE (Enhanced Data GSM Environment) network, a CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) network, a W- Speed packet access network, an HSPA + (Evolved HSPA) network, an LTE (Long Term Evolution) network, and a WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network).

If it can support multiple communication schemes, the portable electronic device can select the serving network using a fixed priority. For example, the portable electronic device may select a serving network for connection based on a maximum data rate that can be supported by communication networks. That is, the portable electronic device does not consider the actual wireless environment of the area where the portable electronic device is located when selecting the serving network. Here, the wireless environment may include at least one of a Signal to Interface and Noise Ratio (SINR) and a network load.

As described above, since the portable electronic device selects the serving network without considering the actual radio environment, the maximum data rate can not be guaranteed in the actual radio environment.

The embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to an apparatus and method for selecting a serving network in consideration of a channel environment association indicator in an electronic apparatus supporting a plurality of communication schemes.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present disclosure seek to provide an apparatus and method for selecting a serving network in consideration of data rates in an electronic device supporting a plurality of communication schemes.

The embodiments of the present disclosure are intended to provide an apparatus and method for selecting a serving network in consideration of data transmission control information of each network in an electronic apparatus supporting a plurality of communication schemes.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of operating an electronic device includes determining data transfer control information for networks, determining at least one network to which to connect among the networks based on data transfer control information of the networks . ≪ / RTI >

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device includes: a plurality of communication systems; at least one of: identifying channel environment association indicators for one or more networks; identifying data transmission control information for the networks via the communication systems; And a processor for determining at least one network to connect among the networks based on data transmission control information of the networks.

As described above, in an electronic device supporting a plurality of communication schemes, a data service can be provided at an optimum data rate in an actual radio environment by selecting a serving network considering channel environment association indexes of the respective networks.

1 shows a configuration of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
2 shows a block configuration of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
3 shows a procedure for determining data transmission control information at a base station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
4 illustrates a procedure for determining a serving network in an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
5 illustrates a procedure for determining a serving network in an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
6 illustrates a procedure for determining a serving network in an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
7 shows a procedure for determining a serving network in an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

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

Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in terms of techniques for selecting a serving network in consideration of channel environment association indicators in an electronic device.

In the following description, the channel environment association indicator may include data transmission control information or data transmission control information and channel environment information for each network. Here, the channel environment information may be transmitted to an electronic device, such as a Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), a Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), a Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), a Signal to Noise Ratio (Ec / Io), and a CQI Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > channel information < / RTI > The data transmission control information includes a variable associated with a data transmission rate determined by the base station according to channel environment information such as a modulation and coding selection (MCS) level, a resource block (RB), a carrier aggregation (CA), a bandwidth Information can be displayed.

In the following description, an electronic device includes a portable electronic device supporting a plurality of communication methods, a portable terminal, a mobile terminal, a mobile pad, a media player, A personal digital assistant (PDA), a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a smart phone, a netbook, a television, a mobile Internet device (MID) A combination of one or more of various devices such as a mobile PC (UMPC: Ultra Mobile PC), a Tablet PC, navigation, a smart TV, a wrist watch, a digital camera, MP3 and the like.

The base station may include a station such as a mobile communication base station, an access point (AP), and a femto base station that supports communication services of an electronic device using radio resources.

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

Referring to FIG. 1, a wireless communication system may include a first base station 100 of a first communication scheme and a second base station 110 of a second communication scheme. The first base station 100 and the second base station 110 may support a link adaptation scheme capable of adaptively changing a data rate. For example, the first base station 100 and the second base station 110 may use Adaptive Modulation and Coding (AMC), which can change the modulation and coding format according to the channel environment and adaptively change the data rate to correspond to the channel environment, Techniques. For example, the first base station 110 and the second base station 120 may provide a data service by selecting an MCS level suitable for a channel environment from predetermined Modulation and Coding Selection (MCS) levels.

When the electronic device 120 is located in the overlapping area of the service area 102 of the first base station 100 and the service area 112 of the second base station 110, ) And the channel environment association indexes of the second base station 110 to select a serving network. For example, if it is assumed that the first base station 100 supports the LTE network and the first base station 100 allocates an MCS level of 15 to the electronic device 120, According to Table 1, data rates of about 31 Mbps (31704 Mbps) can be supported.

MCS
Index Modulation
Order TBS
Index Redundancy
Version T-PUT
(Kbps) 0 2 0 0 3112 One 2 One 0 4008 2 2 2 0 4968 3 2 3 0 6456 4 2 4 0 7992 5 2 5 0 9528 6 2 6 0 11448 7 2 7 0 13536 8 2 8 0 15264 9 2 9 0 17568 10 2 10 0 19080 11 4 10 0 19080 12 4 11 0 22152 13 4 12 0 25456 14 4 13 0 28336 15 4 14 0 31704 16 4 15 0 34008

Assuming that the second base station 110 supports the WLAN network and the second base station 110 assigns an MCS level of 10 to the electronic device 120, the electronic device 120 is shown in Table 2 below Thus supporting a data rate of 39 Mbps.

MCS
Index Spatial
Streams Modulation
Type Coding
Rate Data RAte Mb / s 20 MHz channel 40 MHz channel 800ns GI 400ns GI 800ns GI 400ns GI 0 One BPSK 1/2 6.50 7.20 13.50 15.00 One One QPSK 1/2 13.00 14.40 27.00 30.00 2 One QPSK 3/4 19.50 21.70 40.50 45.00 3 One 16 QAM 1/2 26.00 28.90 54.00 60.00 4 One 16 QAM 3/4 39.00 43.30 81.00 90.00 5 One 64 QAM 2/3 52.00 57.80 108.00 120.00 6 One 64 QAM 3/4 58.50 65.00 121.50 135.00 7 One 64 QAM 5/6 65.00 72.20 135.00 150.00 8 2 BPSK 1/2 13.00 14.40 27.00 30.00 9 2 QPSK 1/2 26.00 28.90 54.00 60.00 10 2 QPSK 3/4 39.00 43.30 81.00 90.00

The electronic device 120 may select the second base station 110 as a serving network considering the MCS level of the first base station 100 and the second base station 110. [ The electronic device 120 may perform network switching to the second base station 110. [

In another example, assuming that the first base station 100 supports the LTE network and assigns an MCS level of 15 to the electronic device 120, Mbps (31704 Mbps) data rate. Assuming that the second base station 110 supports the WLAN network and assigns an MCS level of 9 to the electronic device 120, the electronic device 120 will support a data rate of 36 Mbps according to Table 2 . The electronic device 120 may select the first base station 100 as a serving network considering the MCS level of the first base station 100 and the second base station 110. [

In the above-described embodiment, the electronic device 120 can select one of the base stations 100 and 110 supporting different networks in consideration of the channel environment association index as a serving base station.

In another embodiment, where one base station can support multiple communication networks, the electronic device 120 may select a serving network in view of channel environment association indicators of networks that can be accessed through one base station.

2 shows a block configuration of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

2, the electronic device 200 includes a memory 210, a processor unit 220, communication systems 230-1 to 230-N, an audio processing unit 240, an input / output control unit 250, a display unit 260 ), And an input device 270. Here, a plurality of memories 210 may exist.

The memory 210 includes a program storage unit 211 for storing one or more programs for controlling the operation of the electronic device 200 and a data storage unit 212 for storing data generated by driving the electronic device 200. [ . ≪ / RTI >

The data storage unit 212 may store an MCS level table for each network that can be accessed by the electronic device 200 as shown in Table 1 and Table 2. [

The program storage unit 211 may include a graphical user interface (GUI) program 213, a communication control program 214, and at least one application program. Here, the program included in the program storage unit may be expressed as a set of instructions and an instruction set.

The GUI program 213 may include at least one software component for providing a graphical user interface to the display 260. [ The GUI program 213 can control to display the application program information driven by the processor 222 on the display unit 260. [

The communication control program 214 may include at least one software component for selecting a serving network by comparing channel environment association indicators for each network that the electronic device 200 can access. For example, the communication control program 214 may transmit the channel environment information to the connectable network and select the serving network using the data transfer control information provided from the network. Referring to FIG. 1, the communication control program 214 may compare the MCS levels of the first base station 100 and the second base station 110 to select a serving network. As another example, the communication control program 214 can select a serving network by comparing data transmission control information and channel environment information of connectable networks. 1, the communication control program 214 may compare the MCS level and the CQI of the first base station 100 and the second base station 110 to select a serving network.

The application 215 may include software components for at least one application program installed in the electronic device 200.

The processor unit 220 may include a memory interface 221, at least one processor 222, and a peripheral interface 223. At least one of the memory interface 221, the at least one processor 222, and the peripheral interface 223 included in the processor unit 220 may be integrated into at least one integrated circuit or implemented as a separate component have.

Memory interface 221 may control access to memory 210 of components such as processor 222 or peripheral interface 223.

The peripheral device interface 223 can control the connection of the processor 222 and the memory interface 221 to the input / output peripheral of the electronic device 200. [

The processor 222 may use at least one program to control the electronic device 200 to provide various multimedia services.

The processor 222 may execute at least one program stored in the memory 210 to control the service to provide a service corresponding to the program. The processor 222 may execute the communication control program 214 stored in the program storage unit 211 to compare the channel environment association indexes with the networks to which the electronic device 200 can connect to select the serving network. For example, the processor 222 may transmit the channel environment information to the connectable network and select the serving network using the data transfer control information provided from the network. Referring to FIG. 1, the processor 220 may compare the MCS levels of the first base station 100 and the second base station 110 to select a serving network. In another example, the processor 220 may compare the data transfer control information and channel environment information of connectable networks to select a serving network. Referring to FIG. 1, a processor 220 may compare a MCS level and a CQI of a first base station 100 with a second base station 110 to select a serving network.

The communication systems 230-1 to 230-N may perform at least one of communication functions such as voice communication and data communication. The communication systems 230-1 to 230-N may be a Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) network, an Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE) network, a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network, a Wideband Division Multiple Access (W- Can perform a communication function according to any one of a communication method, a network, an HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) network, an HSPA + (Evolved HSPA) network, an LTE (Long Term Evolution) network and a WLAN .

The audio processing unit 240 may provide an audio interface between the user and the electronic device 100 through the speaker 241 and the microphone 242. [

The input / output control unit 250 may provide an interface between the input / output device such as the display unit 260 and the input device 270 and the processor 222.

The display unit 260 may display status information of the electronic device 200, characters entered by the user, moving pictures and / or still pictures, and the like. For example, the display unit 260 may display application program information driven by the processor 222.

The input device 270 may provide the input data generated by the user's selection to the processor 222 through the input / output control unit 250. For example, the input device 270 may include at least one of a keypad including at least one hardware button, and a touchpad for sensing touch information.

When the electronic device 200 receives the data transfer control information from the base station, the base station can operate as shown in FIG. 3 to determine the data transfer control information.

3 shows a procedure for determining data transmission control information at a base station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 3, in step 301, the BS can check channel environment information of an electronic device located in a service area. For example, the base station may receive channel environment information from an electronic device located in the service area.

The base station can determine data transmission control information of the electronic device in consideration of at least one of the channel environment information and the radio environment information of the electronic device in operation 303. For example, the base station may determine the MCS level of the electronic device in consideration of one or more of the CQI and the radio environment information of the electronic device. Here, the radio environment information may include at least one of a Signal to Interface and Noise Ratio (SINR) and a network load.

After determining the data transmission control information of the electronic device, the base station can transmit the data transmission control information to the electronic device in step 305. [

4 shows a procedure for determining a serving network in an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 4, the electronic device can confirm channel environment association indexes for a plurality of networks connectable in step 401. FIG. For example, the electronic device can confirm data transmission control information for each network provided from a plurality of connectable networks. In another example, the electronic device may verify the channel environment information for each network using the reference signal provided from a plurality of connectable networks. In another example, the electronic device may perform a ping test on a plurality of connectable networks to verify channel environment information for each network.

In step 403, the electronic device determines a serving network by comparing the channel environment association indexes of the networks. For example, when determining the serving network by considering the MCS level of the networks, the electronic device can confirm the data rate according to the MCS level of each network in the MCS level table for each network stored in the data storage unit 212 . The electronic device can determine the network with the highest data transfer rate among the connectable networks as the serving network. In another example, the electronic device can determine the serving network by comparing the MCS level and the CQI of connectable networks.

Figure 5 illustrates a procedure for determining a serving network in an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 5, an electronic device connectable to a plurality of networks can perform a communication service by accessing a first network in step 501. FIG. For example, in FIG. 1, the electronic device 120 may perform data communication by connecting to a first base station 100 supporting a first communication scheme.

It is possible to confirm whether the electronic device enters the service area of the second network in step 503 while accessing the first network and performing the communication service. The electronic device can confirm whether or not the electronic device enters the service area of the base station using the second communication method which is different from the communication method of the first network. For example, referring to FIG. 1, an electronic device 100 enters a service area 112 of a second base station 110 while connected to a first base station 100 in accordance with movement of an electronic device 100 . The electronic device 120 can confirm that the control signal of the second base station 110 is received while being connected to the first base station 100. [

When the electronic device does not enter the service area of the second network, the electronic device can access the first network and perform the communication service in step 501.

When entering the service area of the second network, the electronic device can confirm the channel environment association indexes for the first network and the second network in step 505. [ For example, the electronic device may receive data transfer control information for each network from the first network and the second network. For example, the electronic device can transmit the channel environment information for the respective networks to the first network and the second network and receive the data transmission control information from the respective networks. In another example, the electronic device can confirm the channel environment information for each network using the reference signal provided from the first network and the second network. In another example, the electronic device may perform a ping test (pin gtest) on the first network and the second network to verify channel environment information for each network.

The electronic device can determine the serving network by comparing the channel environment association indexes of the networks in step 507. [ For example, when determining the serving network by considering the MCS level of the networks, the electronic device can confirm the data rate according to the MCS level of each network in the MCS level table for each network stored in the data storage unit 212 . The electronic device can determine the network with the highest data transfer rate among the connectable networks as the serving network. In another example, the electronic device can determine the serving network by comparing the MCS level and the CQI of the first and second networks.

In the above-described embodiment, when the second network is determined as the serving network, the electronic device can connect to the second network through network switching. On the other hand, when the first network is determined as the serving network, the electronic device can maintain the connection with the first network.

6 illustrates a procedure for determining a serving network in an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 6, an electronic device connectable to a plurality of networks can access a first network and perform a communication service in step 601. For example, referring to FIG. 1, an electronic device 120 may connect to a first base station 100 supporting a first communication scheme to perform data communication.

The electronic device can confirm in step 603 whether the MCS level for data communication with the first network is smaller than the reference MCS level.

If the MCS level for data communication with the first network is equal to or greater than the reference MCS level, the electronic device recognizes that it can perform smooth data communication through the first network. In step 601, Service can be performed.

When the MCS level for data communication with the first network is smaller than the reference MCS level, the electronic device recognizes that it can not perform smooth data communication through the first network, and can confirm whether the second network can be accessed in step 605 . For example, the electronic device can confirm whether a control signal is received from a base station using a second communication scheme different from the communication scheme of the first network.

If the second network does not exist, the electronic device can access the first network in step 601 to perform the communication service.

If there is more than one connectable second network, then the electronic device may verify the channel environment association indicator for the first network and the one or more second networks in step 607. [ For example, the electronic device may receive data transfer control information for each network from the first network and the second network. For example, the electronic device can transmit the channel environment information for the respective networks to the first network and the second network and receive the data transmission control information from the respective networks. In another example, the electronic device can confirm the channel environment information for each network using the reference signal provided from the first network and the second network. In another example, the electronic device may perform a ping test (pin gtest) on the first network and the second network to verify channel environment information for each network.

The electronic device may determine the serving network by comparing the channel environment association indicators of the networks in step 609. [ For example, when determining the serving network by considering the MCS level of the networks, the electronic device can confirm the data rate according to the MCS level of each network in the MCS level table for each network stored in the data storage unit 212 . The electronic device can determine the network with the highest data transfer rate among the connectable networks as the serving network. In another example, the electronic device can determine the serving network by comparing the MCS level and the CQI of the first and second networks.

In the above-described embodiment, the electronic device can recognize that when the MCS level with the first network is smaller than the reference MCS level, smooth data communication can not be performed through the first network.

In another embodiment, the electronic device may recognize that if the MCS level for data communication with the first network is consistently less than the reference MCS level for a reference time, then it is not possible to perform a smooth data communication over the first network .

7 shows a procedure for determining a serving network in an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 7, an electronic device connectable to a plurality of networks can check if a network selection event occurs in step 701. FIG. For example, the electronic device can confirm that the power is turned ON.

When the network selection event occurs, the electronic device can check whether there are a plurality of networks accessible in step 703. [ For example, the electronic device can verify that control signals of a plurality of networks are received.

When there is one network to which the electronic device can be connected, the electronic device can connect to the network and perform data communication.

If there are multiple networks to which the electronic device is connectable, the electronic device checks the channel environment association indicator for the connectable networks in step 705. The electronic device can confirm data transmission control information for each network provided from a plurality of connectable networks. For example, the electronic device may transmit channel environment information for each network to connectable networks to receive data transfer control information from each network. In another example, the electronic device may verify the channel environment information for each network using the reference signal provided from a plurality of connectable networks. In another example, the electronic device may perform a ping test on a plurality of connectable networks to verify channel environment information for each network.

The electronic device can determine the serving network by comparing the channel environment association indexes of the networks in step 707. [ For example, when determining the serving network by considering the MCS level of the networks, the electronic device can confirm the data rate according to the MCS level of each network in the MCS level table for each network stored in the data storage unit 212 . The electronic device can determine the network with the highest data transfer rate among the connectable networks as the serving network. In another example, the electronic device can determine the serving network by comparing the MCS level and the CQI of the first and second networks.

In the above-described embodiment, the electronic device can determine the serving network in consideration of the channel environment association indicator of the connectable networks.

In another embodiment, the electronic device may determine the serving base station by considering channel environment association indicators for base stations supporting the same network.

While the present invention has been described in connection with certain exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the embodiments described, but should be determined by the scope of the appended claims, as well as the appended claims.

Claims (18)

A method of operating an electronic device,
Checking data transmission control information for the networks;
And determining at least one network to be connected among the networks based on data transmission control information for the networks,
Wherein the data transmission control information includes at least one of a modulation and coding selection (MCS) level, a resource block (RB), a carrier aggregation (CA), a bandwidth (Bandwidth)
The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising checking channel environment information for the networks prior to determining the network.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the determining of the network comprises:
And selecting at least one network among the networks based on data transmission control information and channel environment information for the networks.
3. The method of claim 2,
The step of checking the channel environment information comprises:
And performing a ping test on the networks to verify channel environment information for each network.
3. The method of claim 2,
The channel environment information includes at least one of a Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), a Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), a Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), a Signal to Noise Ratio (Ec / Io), and a CQI Way.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the step of verifying the data transfer control information comprises:
And checking data transmission control information for the first network and the one or more second networks if the electronic device is connectable to one or more second networks while connected to the first network.
The method according to claim 6,
If the MCS level of the first network is lower than the reference MCS level prior to checking the data transmission control information,
Wherein the step of verifying the data transfer control information comprises:
And checking data transmission control information for the first network and the second or more connectable second networks if there is more than one connectable second network.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the determining of the network comprises:
Checking data transmission rates of the networks in consideration of data transmission control information for the networks;
And selecting a network having the best data transmission rate among the networks as a network to be connected.
9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the step of determining the data rate comprises:
Determining a data rate for each network in consideration of an MCS level for the networks.
In an electronic device,
A plurality of communication systems,
And a processor for determining data transfer control information for the networks via the communication systems and determining at least one network among the networks based on the data transfer control information of the networks,
Wherein the processor confirms the data transfer control information including at least one of a modulation and coding selection (MCS) level, a resource block (RB), a carrier aggregation (CA), a bandwidth (Bandwidth)
11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the processor identifies channel environment information for the networks via the communication systems.
12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the processor selects at least one network among the networks based on data transmission control information and channel environment information for the networks.
12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the processor performs a ping test on the networks through the communication systems to verify channel environment information for each network.
12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the processor is configured to receive at least one of a received signal strength indicator (RSSI), a reference signal received power (RSRP), a reference signal received quality (RSRQ), a signal to noise ratio (Ec / Io), and a channel quality indicator (CQI) A device for verifying environmental information.
11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the processor identifies data transfer control information for the first network and the one or more second networks when the processor is connectable to one or more second networks while connected to the first network through the communication systems.
11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the processor identifies a data rate for the networks in consideration of data transmission control information for the networks and selects a network having the best data rate among the networks as a network to be connected.
17. The method of claim 16,
Wherein the processor determines a data rate for each network by considering an MCS level for the networks.
11. The method of claim 10,
The communication systems may be a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network, an Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE) network, a CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) network, a W- ) Network, an HSPA + (Evolved HSPA) network, an LTE (Long Term Evolution) network, or a WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network).

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