WO2015158039A1

WO2015158039A1 - Network search method and network search apparatus and terminal

Info

Publication number: WO2015158039A1
Application number: PCT/CN2014/080467
Authority: WO
Inventors: 李伟清; 黄育盛; 孙振飞
Original assignee: 宇龙计算机通信科技(深圳)有限公司
Priority date: 2014-04-15
Filing date: 2014-06-21
Publication date: 2015-10-22
Also published as: CN103906191B; CN103906191A

Abstract

The present invention provides a network search method, comprising: a terminal being separated from a first network or having not registered in the first network yet, and residing at a second network; when the variation of the signal strength of the terminal in a corresponding serving cell and/or neighbor cell in the second network is greater than or equal to a preset variation, the terminal performing a search operation on the first network. The present invention further provides a corresponding network search apparatus and terminal. According to the technical solution of the present invention, the frequency and/or the number of times of network searches of the terminal can be controlled depending on the positional changes of the terminal, so that a waste of terminal power caused by frequent blind network searches is avoided, and also, the terminal can be assisted in accessing to a specific network as fast as possible, and user experience can be improved.

Description

Network search method and network search device, terminal

The present invention relates to the field of wireless communication technologies, and in particular, to a network search method, a network search device, and a terminal. Background technique

The communication field has entered the 4G era, and the entire network architecture has undergone a very big change compared with 2G/3G. As the most basic and important requirement of wireless communication, voice service is implemented in 4G for network operators and terminal providers. There is no small trouble. At this stage, major chip manufacturers and 3GPP organizations have proposed different solutions for operators to choose, mainly including single-card dual-standby solution (SGLTE/SVLTE), circuit domain fallback scheme (CSFB), S VCC. /VOLTE, SVLTE (Simultaneous Voice and LTE, LTE and voice network synchronization support) Single card dual standby system has no special requirements on the network, network side changes are small, no need to deploy IMS, and is favored by domestic operators.

At the beginning of 4G network construction, 4G network coverage still does not reach seamless coverage. Even operators pay regional coverage in some cities and regions for cost reasons. This is bound to exist for 4G off-network for mobile terminals. problem.

As shown in Figure 1, 4 is determined in Figure 1 (a), the UE is dual-standby or single-standby 4G network on the 3G and 4G networks; when the UE leaves the 4G network coverage area, the 4G network will be disconnected, which may enter Figure 1 (b) shows the connection to the 2G and 3G networks, or when the UE leaves the 4G and 3G network coverage areas, it may enter the situation shown in Figure 1 (c), that is, only connected to the 2G network; When the UE returns to the 4G network, as shown in Figure 1 (d), the user obviously wants to be able to quickly return to the 4G network. However, due to the consideration of the power consumption of the terminal, it is obviously impossible for the UE to constantly try to 4G. Network search and access operations.

Therefore, how to avoid the waste of UE power caused by blind search and enable the UE to access a specific network (such as a 4G network) as soon as possible has become a technical problem to be solved. Summary of the invention

The invention is based on the above problems, and proposes a new technical solution, which can control the network search frequency and/or the number of times of the terminal according to the change of the position of the terminal, and avoid frequent blind search of the network to cause power consumption of the terminal. Waste, and can help the terminal access a specific network as soon as possible, which helps to enhance the user experience.

In view of this, the present invention provides a network search method, including: the terminal is off-network from the first network or has not been registered to the first network, and resides in the second network; when the terminal is in the second When the amount of change in the signal strength of the corresponding serving cell and/or the neighboring cell in the network is greater than or equal to the preset amount of change, the terminal performs a search operation on the first network.

In this technical solution, for the multimode terminal, after the terminal is disconnected from the first network, it can reside in the second network to ensure continuity of communication. In the second network, since the terminal is necessarily connected to the nearby cell, by knowing the change of the signal strength of the corresponding serving cell and/or the neighboring cell in the second network, the terminal can directly reflect that the terminal is in the second The change of the position under the network, that is, the change of the signal strength of the serving cell and/or the neighboring cell is inevitably caused by the change of the position of the terminal, and the terminal is likely to change the position of a large distance. Alternatively, the technical solution of the present application is also applicable to other scenarios. For example, when the terminal is powered on in an area that does not cover the first network, the terminal can first register to the second network, and combine the above-mentioned location-based search operation to ensure that the terminal quickly searches. At the same time as the first network, avoiding blind search can help reduce terminal power consumption.

Therefore, when the location change generated by the terminal is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the terminal is likely to enter/re-enter the coverage area of the first network, and at this time, by performing a search operation on the first network, the success rate of the search network is increased. It can also avoid blind search and lead to increased power consumption of the terminal, which helps to extend the standby time of the terminal.

The first network and the second network may be any two different wireless mobile communication networks. For example, for a base station in the same location, the coverage of the first network may be smaller than the coverage of the second network. More specifically and preferably, for example, the first network may be a 4G network (such as LTE), and the second network may be a 2G network (such as GSM, GPRS, EDGE CDMA IX, etc.) or a 3G network (such as CDMA2000, TD-SCDMA/TD). -HSPA, WCDMA/HSPA, etc.). 2G/3G network because the layout time is early and the network optimization is perfect, so Usually, the network coverage is larger and more comprehensive than the 4G network that is later deployed. Therefore, the case of 4G off-network and 2G/3G without off-network is easy to appear in some areas.

In the above technical solution, preferably, the method further includes: when the number of consecutive failures of the search operation of the terminal to the first network is greater than or equal to a preset number of times, the terminal stops performing the change based on the signal strength. A search operation for the first network.

In this technical solution, by counting the number of consecutive failures, when the number of consecutive failures is large (for example, the number of consecutive failures is greater than or equal to the preset number of times), it may indicate that the first network may not be covered in a large range. Therefore, in the subsequent operation, even if the serving cell and/or the neighboring cell corresponding to the terminal change, the search operation on the first network is not performed according to this, which helps the terminal to reduce power consumption and prolong the standby time of the terminal.

In the above technical solution, preferably, when the number of consecutive failures of the search operation of the first network to the first network is greater than or equal to the preset number of times, the method further includes: starting a timer, and the terminal is in the timer After the timeout, a search operation for the first network is initiated.

In the technical solution, the timer-based network search mode is adopted, that is, the terminal performs a search operation on the first network every time the timer expires, and if successful, accesses the first network, otherwise the timer is reset. After waiting for the timer to time out again, the search operation on the first network is re-executed.

Since the terminal stops performing the network-based operation based on the change of the cell (the serving cell and/or the neighboring cell) when the number of consecutive failures is large, the timer-based network search operation enables the terminal power consumption to be reduced while To some extent, the timeliness of searching for the first network is ensured, and the user is prevented from entering/returning to the coverage area of the first network but cannot register for a long time.

In the above technical solution, the method further includes: if the searching operation of the first network initiated by the terminal after the timer expires, the number of consecutive failures is subtracted from a preset value, A search operation for the first network based on the amount of change in the signal strength is re-executed by the terminal.

In this technical solution, when the timer-based search operation fails, for the case that the timer-based search frequency is low, in order to improve the timeliness of the terminal re-accessing the first network, the number of consecutive failures may be changed. " , if the number of consecutive failures is reduced to less than the preset number, so that the terminal can re-execute a search operation based on the amount of change in signal strength, avoid waiting for The timeout of the timer is too long, which helps to shorten the waiting time of the user.

In the above technical solution, preferably, the method further includes: when the terminal fails to perform a search operation on the first network after the timer expires, restarting the timer immediately, or increasing according to a preset manner. The timer is timed and restarts the timer.

In this technical solution, by increasing the timing of the timer, the frequency of the terminal performing the search operation on the first network can be further reduced, thereby helping to reduce the power consumption of the terminal, which is beneficial to the terminal to save power, especially for a wide range. When the area without LTE network coverage moves quickly, the number of searches can be significantly reduced. Of course, it is also possible to use a fixed timing duration, so that there is no need to adjust the timing.

In the above technical solution, preferably, when the number of consecutive failures of the search operation of the first network to the first network is greater than or equal to a preset number of times, the method further includes: if the terminal initiates a routing area update request or a location area update The request initiates a search operation on the first network.

In this technical solution, due to the initiation of the routing area update request or the location area update request, the location of the terminal is inevitably changed, and the terminal is likely to return to the coverage area of the first network due to the change of the location area, and accordingly The search operation on the first network is not performed blindly, but has a greater chance of successfully searching for the first network, which helps the user to successfully and quickly restore to the first network and improve the user experience.

In the above technical solution, preferably, the method further includes: if the search operation initiated by the terminal based on the routing area update request or the location area update request fails on the first network, subtracting the consecutive failure times A value is set to re-execute a search operation for the first network based on the amount of change in the signal strength by the terminal.

In this technical solution, if the network searching operation based on the routing area update request or the location area update request still fails, in order to improve the timeliness of the terminal re-accessing the first network, the number of consecutive failures may be changed, for example, The number of failures is reduced to less than the preset number, so that the terminal can re-execute a network search operation based on the change of the signal strength, avoiding waiting for the terminal to initiate the routing area update request or the location area update request for too long, which helps shorten the user. Waiting time.

In any one of the foregoing technical solutions, preferably, the method further includes: when the terminal has a data service requirement, and/or when the amount of change of the signal strength is less than a preset change amount, determining When the terminal changes in the corresponding serving cell and/or the neighboring cell in the second network, and/or if the amount of change in the signal strength is less than a preset amount of change, determining that the terminal is in the When the change value of one or more selected parameters in the second network is greater than or equal to the corresponding preset change value, and/or in the case where the change amount of the signal strength is greater than or equal to the preset change amount, the determination The terminal is allowed to perform a search operation on the first network when the change value of the one or more selected parameters in the second network is greater than or equal to the corresponding preset change value; The selected parameter includes at least one of the following or a combination thereof: a transmit power strength and/or a transmit signal strength of the terminal, a transmit delay and/or a receive delay corresponding to the terminal, a bit error rate corresponding to the terminal, and And/or a block error rate, a signal to noise ratio and/or a signal to interference ratio corresponding to the terminal, and a position change distance of the terminal.

In the technical solution, in the second network, since the terminal is necessarily connected to the nearby cell, the terminal can directly reflect the change by knowing the change of the corresponding serving cell and/or the neighboring cell in the second network. The change of the position under the second network, that is, the change of the serving cell and/or the neighboring cell is necessarily caused by the change of the position of the terminal, and the terminal is likely to change the position of a large distance.

When the location of the terminal changes over a large distance, in addition to the change of the serving cell and/or the neighboring cell, the change value of the above various selected parameters may be larger (for example, greater than or equal to the corresponding preset change value), and It is very likely that the terminal enters/returns to the coverage area of the first network. Therefore, by determining the change value of the selected parameter, the position change of the terminal can be reflected, and it is determined whether the terminal is allowed to perform the search operation on the first network, and the blind search can be avoided to a certain extent. In order to reduce the power consumption of the terminal, it is beneficial to save power in the terminal.

Alternatively, the search operation on the first network may be performed only when the data service requirement exists in the terminal, thereby conforming to the user's use psychology, and helping to restore the connection with the first network in time, and avoiding The blind search operation of the terminal.

The present invention also provides a network search apparatus, including: a signal detecting unit, configured to detect the terminal when the terminal is off-network from the first network or has not been registered to the first network, and resides in the second network a signal strength of the corresponding serving cell and/or the neighboring cell in the second network; a change amount determining unit, configured to determine whether the amount of change in the signal strength satisfies a preset change amount or greater; In the case where the judgment result is satisfied, the execution is performed The search operation of the first network.

The first network and the second network may be any two different wireless mobile communication networks. For example, for a base station in the same location, the coverage of the first network may be smaller than the coverage of the second network. More specifically and preferably, for example, the first network may be a 4G network (such as LTE), and the second network may be a 2G network (such as GSM, GPRS, EDGE CDMA IX, etc.) or a 3G network (such as CDMA2000, TD-SCDMA/TD). -HSPA, WCDMA/HSPA, etc.). Because 2G/3G network has early layout time and perfect network optimization, its network coverage is usually larger and more comprehensive than the 4G network deployed later. Therefore, 4G off-network and 2G/3G non-off-network are easy to appear in some areas.

In the above technical solution, preferably, the network search unit is further configured to: when the number of consecutive failures of the search operation of the first network to the first network is greater than or equal to a preset number of times, stop performing A search operation of the first network for the amount of change in signal strength.

In this technical solution, by counting the number of consecutive failures, when the number of consecutive failures is large (for example, the number of consecutive failures is greater than or equal to the preset number of times), it indicates that the first network may not be covered in a large range. Therefore, in subsequent operations, even if the terminal corresponds to the serving cell and / or the neighboring cell changes, and the search operation on the first network is not performed according to this, which helps the terminal to reduce power consumption and prolong the standby time of the terminal.

In the above technical solution, the method further includes: a timer management unit, configured to start a timer if the number of consecutive failures of the search operation of the first network by the terminal is greater than or equal to a preset number of times, After the timer expires by the network search unit, a search operation for the first network is initiated.

In the above technical solution, the method further includes: a network search frequency control unit, configured to: when the search operation for the first network fails after the timer expires, subtract the consecutive failure times Presetting a value to re-execute a search operation for the first network based on the amount of change in the signal strength by the network search unit.

In this technical solution, when the timer-based search operation fails, for the case that the timer-based search frequency is low, in order to improve the timeliness of the terminal re-accessing the first network, the number of consecutive failures may be changed. " , if the number of consecutive failures is reduced to less than the preset number, so that the terminal can re-execute a network search operation based on the change of the signal strength, avoiding waiting for the timer to time out too long, and helping to shorten the waiting time of the user. .

In the foregoing technical solution, the timer management unit is further configured to: when the terminal fails to perform a search operation on the first network after the timer expires, restart the timer immediately. Or increase the timing of the timer and restart the timer according to a preset manner.

In this technical solution, by increasing the timing of the timer, the frequency of the terminal performing the search operation on the first network can be further reduced, thereby helping to reduce the power consumption of the terminal, which is beneficial to The terminal saves power, especially when moving quickly in a large area without LTE network coverage, the number of searches can be significantly reduced. Of course, it is also possible to use a fixed timing duration, so that it is not necessary to adjust the timing time.

In the above technical solution, the network search unit is further configured to: if the number of consecutive failures of the search operation of the first network to the first network is greater than or equal to a preset number of times, if the terminal initiates A routing area update request or a location area update request initiates a search operation on the first network.

In the above technical solution, preferably, the method further includes: a network search frequency control unit, configured to: when the initiated search operation for the first network based on the routing area update request or the location area update request fails, The number of consecutive failures is subtracted from a preset value to re-execute a search operation for the first network based on the amount of change in the signal strength by the network search unit.

In any one of the above aspects, preferably, the method further includes: a combination condition determining unit, configured to determine whether the terminal meets the following combination condition: there is a data service requirement; and/or the amount of change in the signal strength is less than a pre- In the case where the amount of change is set, it is determined that the terminal changes in the corresponding serving cell and/or the neighboring cell in the second network; and/or in the case that the amount of change in the signal strength is less than a preset amount of change, Determining that the change value of the one or more selected parameters of the terminal under the second network is greater than or equal to a corresponding preset change value; and/or the change amount of the signal strength is greater than or equal to a preset change amount Determining that the terminal is in the second network The change value of the one or more selected parameters is greater than or equal to the corresponding preset change value; wherein the network search unit initiates a search for the first network if the terminal meets the corresponding condition And the selected parameter includes at least one of the following or a combination thereof: a transmit power strength and/or a transmit signal strength of the terminal, a transmit delay and/or a receive delay corresponding to the terminal, and the terminal corresponding to The bit error rate and/or the block error rate, the signal to noise ratio and/or the signal to interference ratio of the terminal, and the position change distance of the terminal.

The present invention also provides a terminal, comprising: the network search device according to any one of the above aspects.

Through the above technical solution, according to the change of the location of the terminal, the network search frequency and/or the number of times of the terminal can be controlled, the frequent blind search can be avoided, the terminal power consumption is wasted, and the terminal can access the specific network as soon as possible. Helps improve the user experience. DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a process of UE off-network and re-searching in the related art;

2 is a flow chart showing a network search method according to an embodiment of the present invention; 3 is a flow chart showing performing a network search based on a change in signal strength according to an embodiment of the present invention;

4A to 4C are flowcharts showing a network search based on a change in signal strength and a timer according to an embodiment of the present invention;

5A to 5C are flowcharts showing a network search based on a change in signal strength and a region update according to an embodiment of the present invention;

6 shows a flow diagram of performing a network search based on a change in signal strength and a data service requirement, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing a network search based on a change in signal strength and a cell change according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing a network search performed based on a change amount of a signal strength and a position change distance according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

9A and 9B are flowcharts showing a process of performing a network search based on a change amount of a signal strength and a change amount of an auxiliary parameter, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 10 shows a schematic block diagram of a network search device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 11 shows a schematic block diagram of a terminal in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. detailed description

The above described objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description. It should be noted that, in the case of no conflict, the features in the embodiments and the embodiments of the present application may be combined with each other.

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention, but the invention may be practiced in other embodiments other than those described herein. Limitations of specific embodiments.

2 is a flow chart showing a network search method according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the network search method according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: Step 202: A terminal is off-network from a first network or has not been registered to the first network, and resides in a second network;

Step 204: When the terminal is in a corresponding serving cell and/or a neighboring cell in the second network The terminal performs a search operation on the first network when the amount of change in signal strength is greater than or equal to a preset amount of change.

The first network and the second network may be any two different wireless mobile communication networks. For example, for a base station in the same location, the coverage of the first network may be smaller than the coverage of the second network. More specifically and preferably, for example, the first network may be a 4G network (such as LTE), and the second network may be a 2G network (such as GSM, GPRS, EDGE CDMA IX, etc.) or a 3G network (such as CDMA2000, TD-SCDMA/TD). -HSPA, WCDMA/HSPA, etc.).

First, the specific process

The above technical solution will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 3. 3 is a flow chart showing the execution of a network search based on the amount of change in signal strength according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3, the flow of performing a network search based on the amount of change in signal strength according to an embodiment of the present invention includes:

Step 302: The UE (the user equipment, ie, the terminal) is disconnected from the LTE, and enters the LTE background. Search for work status.

Specifically, the LTE is the "first network" and the 2G/3G network is the "second network" as an example.

Step 304: After the UE registers with the 2G/3G network, record the signal strength of the serving cell and/or the neighboring cell of the UE in the 2G/3G network.

Step 306: Determine, according to the recorded signal strength, whether the change amount Q of the signal strength is greater than or not less than a preset intensity change amount Q0. If yes, go to step 308, otherwise continue to wait.

Specifically, on the one hand, the previously recorded signal strength is stored in the UE; on the other hand, the UE also continuously acquires a new signal strength. Therefore, by subtracting the current signal strength from the previously recorded signal strength and taking the absolute value, the amount of change in signal strength can be determined.

Step 308, performing an LTE search registration based on the determination result of the amount of change in the signal strength in step 306.

Specifically, since the amount of change in the signal strength is large, it means that the UE has a position change of a large distance, so that it is likely to re-move into the LTE coverage, thereby avoiding the terminal power loss caused by blind search, and It can improve the success rate of the UE re-accessing the LTE network.

Step 310: Determine whether the LTE search registration operation is successful. If successful, proceed to step 312, otherwise return to step 304.

Step 312: The UE exits the LTE background search working state and enters a normal working state. Of course, the "off-network" scenario is taken as an example here. In fact, the technical solution of the present invention is also applicable to other scenarios. For example, when the UE is powered on in an area that does not cover the LTE network, it can register to the 2G/3G network first, and then perform a search for the LTE network based on the process shown in FIG. 3, so that the LTE network can be quickly searched, and It can avoid blind search and help reduce the power consumption of the UE.

Third, the terminal saves electricity

Preferably, in the technical solution shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3, the number of consecutive failures of the LTE search operation based on the change amount of the signal strength may be counted, that is, the number of consecutive failures. When there are many consecutive failures (for example, the number of consecutive failures is greater than or equal to the preset number of times), indicating The first network may not be covered over a large range. Therefore, in the subsequent operations, the following processing methods can be used:

When the number of consecutive failures of the search operation of the terminal to the first network is greater than or equal to a preset number of times, the terminal stops performing a search operation on the first network based on a change amount of signal strength, which is helpful. The terminal reduces power consumption and extends the standby time of the terminal.

Fourth, the community changes combined with other technical means

After the search operation on the first network is stopped, the terminal may affect the timely access of the LTE network (ie, the first network), so that other technical means may be combined to solve the drawback.

Embodiment 1: Timer

In the above technical solution, preferably, when the number of consecutive failures of the search operation of the first network to the first network is greater than or equal to the preset number of times, the method further includes: starting a timer, and the terminal is in the timer After the timeout, the search operation of the first network is initiated. If the search operation of the first network fails after the timer expires, the timer is restarted.

Since the terminal stops performing the network search operation based on the location change distance when the number of consecutive failures is large, the timer-based network search operation can reduce the power consumption of the terminal and ensure the first network to a certain extent. The timeliness of the search is performed to prevent the user from entering/returning to the coverage area of the first network but not being able to register for a long time.

In the above technical solution, preferably, the method further includes: when the terminal fails to perform a search operation on the first network after the timer expires, increasing a timing of the timer according to a preset manner.

In this technical solution, by increasing the timing of the timer, the frequency of the terminal performing the search operation on the first network can be further reduced, thereby helping to reduce the power consumption of the terminal, which is beneficial to the terminal to save power, especially for a wide range. When the area without LTE network coverage moves quickly, the number of searches can be significantly reduced. Of course, it is also possible to use a fixed timing duration, so that no timing is required. Time to adjust.

Specifically, FIG. 4A shows a flow diagram of performing a network search based on a change in signal strength and a timer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the flow of performing a network search based on the amount of change in signal strength and a timer according to an embodiment of the present invention includes:

Step 402: The UE is disconnected from the LTE or has not been registered to the LTE network, and enters the LTE background search working state.

Step 404: The UE performs an LTE search registration process based on the amount of change of the signal strength. For details, refer to FIG. 2 or FIG. 3, and details are not described herein again.

Step 406: Count the number of consecutive failures N when the UE performs the LTE search registration.

If the number of consecutive failures N is greater than or not less than the preset number of times N1, the process proceeds to step 408, otherwise, the process returns to step 404.

Step 408: Start the timer, and set the timing to Tresearch. Specifically, the length of the Tresearch can be set as needed.

Step 410: Determine whether the timer expires. If it times out, go to step 412, otherwise continue to wait.

Step 412: The UE is controlled to perform an LTE search registration.

Since the length of the Tresearch is longer than the LTE search registration interval by default, it helps the UE to save power. Meanwhile, the timer-based LTE search registration can ensure the UE after the UE enters/returns to the coverage area of the LTE network. Connect to LTE in time to avoid user waiting time.

Step 414: Determine whether the LTE search registration is successful. If successful, proceed to step 416, otherwise proceed to step 418.

In step 416, the UE exits the LTE background search working state and enters a normal working state. In step 418, the value of the timer time Tresearch is incremented, and the process returns to step 408. By increasing the value of Tresearch to reduce the number of LTE search registrations, it helps to reduce UE power consumption when there is no LTE network coverage in a large range, or when users do not move at a large distance. Of course, the timing duration of the timer may not be adjusted, but is set to a fixed timing duration. Among them, for the value increase process of Tresearch, the following methods can be used:

(1) Set the threshold Threshold=n χ Tresearch, and correspond to the same Threshold, where n indicates the number of times LTE search registration is performed.

(2) After n LTE search registration, increase Threshold to the original m times (ratio: ^ mouth m=2 or other values) while still maintaining Thresholds χ Tresearch, ie

Tresearch also increased to m times the original.

(3) Until the Threshold increases to the preset maximum Threshold—max, the values of Threshold and Tresearch are stopped.

Of course, the above manner is only used as an example; those skilled in the art understand that it is obvious that other methods can also be used, for example, the timing of the timer is n X Tresearch, and n is the number of times the LTE search is registered.

As shown in FIG. 4B, based on the technical solution shown in FIG. 4A, the value of the number of consecutive failures N can be adjusted in step 418' (corresponding to step 418 shown in FIG. 4A). Specifically, the value of the number N of consecutive failures should be reduced (eg, by one) so that when returning to step 406, the LTE search registration process based on the signal strength variation in step 404 is re-executed due to N < N1, Therefore, "the amount of change in signal strength" and "timer" can be combined with each other, and the "timer" can be used to reduce the frequency of the UE's search, reduce the power consumption of the UE, and pass the "change in signal strength". Ensure the timeliness of the UE re-accessing LTE.

It should be noted:

In FIG. 4B, the meaning of "continuous failure number N" is the number of consecutive failures when the UE performs LTE search registration based on the amount of change in signal strength; and when other counting methods are used, more techniques can be expanded. Program.

For example, the number of failures of LTE search registration based on "signal strength change amount" and "timer" can be uniformly counted, that is, as long as the LTE search registration operation is performed and fails, "continuous failure" The number of times N" changes, so there is no need to distinguish the triggering factors of the LTE search registration operation, which helps to reduce the complexity of the algorithm. Specifically, when the number of consecutive failures N corresponds to the number of failures at the time of LTE search registration by "signal change amount" and "timer", step 418 in FIG. 4B can be divided into FIG. 4C. Medium The following steps:

Step 418, A, when the LTE search registration behavior initiated based on the "timer" fails, the number of consecutive failures N is increased by one.

Step 418'B, increasing the timer time of the timer according to a preset manner, and reducing the number of consecutive failures by 2 (or a larger value), so that N < N1 is ensured when returning to step 406, thereby triggering a change based on signal strength. The amount of LTE search registration process. Of course, the timing duration of the timer may not be adjusted, but is set to a fixed timing duration.

Example 2: Zone i or update

Figure 5A shows a flow diagram of performing a network search based on the amount of change in signal strength and region update, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the flow of performing a network search based on the amount of change in signal strength and the area update according to an embodiment of the present invention includes:

Step 502: The UE is disconnected from the LTE or has not been registered to the LTE network, and enters the LTE background search working state.

Step 504: The UE performs an LTE search registration process based on the amount of change of the signal strength. For details, refer to FIG. 2 or FIG. 3, and details are not described herein again.

Step 506: Count the number of consecutive failures N when the UE performs the LTE search registration.

If the number of consecutive failures N is greater than or less than the preset number of times N1, the process proceeds to step 508, otherwise, the process returns to step 504.

Step 508: Determine whether the UE initiates a request for RAU (Routing Area Updating, Routing Area i or Update) or LAU (Location Area Updating, Location Area, or Update). If yes, proceed to step 510, otherwise continue to wait.

Step 510: Perform an LTE search registration.

Specifically, due to the initiation of the routing area update request or the location area update request, the location of the UE is inevitably changed, and the UE may return to the coverage area of the LTE network due to the change of the location area, and thus the LTE network is accordingly The search operation is not performed blindly, but has a high probability of successfully searching for the first network, which helps the user to successfully and quickly restore to the LTE network and improve the user experience.

Step 512: Determine whether the LTE search registration is successful. If successful, proceed to step 514. Otherwise, return to step 508.

Step 514: The UE exits the LTE background search working state and enters a normal working state. As shown in FIG. 5B, on the basis of that shown in FIG. 5A, the following steps may be further included: Step 516: When the LTE search registration behavior initiated based on the "area update RAU/LAU" fails, the number of consecutive failures is reduced by one. (or a larger value) and return to step 506 to ensure that N < N1 is returned to step 506, thereby triggering a change based on the signal strength.

LTE search registration process.

It should be noted:

The number of consecutive failures N in Figure 5B corresponds only to the number of failures when LTE search is registered by "the amount of change in signal strength"; and when other counting methods are used, more technical solutions can be expanded. .

For example, the number of failures in LTE search registration based on "signal strength change amount" and "area update AU/LAU" can be uniformly counted, that is, as long as the LTE search registration operation is performed and fails, The number of consecutive failures N changes, so there is no need to distinguish the triggers of the LTE search registration operation, which helps to reduce the complexity of the algorithm. Specifically, when the number of consecutive failures N corresponds to the number of failures at the time of LTE search registration by "change amount of signal strength" and "region update RAU/LAU", step 516 in FIG. 5B can be divided into The following steps in Figure 5C:

In step 516A, when the LTE search registration behavior initiated based on the "area update RAU/LAU" fails, the number of consecutive failures N is increased by one.

In step 516B, the number of consecutive failures is reduced by 2 (or a larger value) such that when returning to step 506, N < N1 is asserted, thereby triggering an LTE search registration process based on the amount of change in signal strength.

Embodiment 3: Data service requirements

Figure 6 is a flow diagram showing the execution of a network search based on the amount of change in signal strength and data traffic requirements, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 6, a flow for performing a network search based on a signal strength change amount and a data service demand according to an embodiment of the present invention includes:

Step 602: The UE is disconnected from the LTE or has not been registered to the LTE network, and enters the LTE back. Scene search work status.

Step 604: Detect whether the amount of change in the signal strength of the serving cell and/or the neighboring cell of the UE in the 2G/3G network is greater than or equal to the set value, and if yes, proceed to step 606, otherwise continue to wait. Specifically, for the detection of the signal strength, refer to FIG. 2 or FIG. 3, and details are not described herein again.

Step 606: Detect whether there is a data service requirement in the UE, if yes, proceed to step 608, otherwise return to step 604.

Specifically, when the amount of change of the signal strength of the serving cell and/or the neighboring cell corresponding to the UE is large (for example, greater than or equal to a preset signal strength change amount), it is likely that the UE has moved a large distance. The UE is allowed to enter the coverage of the LTE, thereby improving the success rate of the UE's search registration for the LTE network.

In the case that the UE can search for the LTE network, the data service requirement reflects whether the user needs to perform a search registration for the LTE network. Therefore, by combining the change of the cell ID with the judgment of the data service requirement, each search for the LTE network can improve the search success rate and meet the actual needs of the user, thereby reducing the number of searches as much as possible. Reduce UE power consumption.

Step 608, performing an LTE search registration.

Step 610: Determine whether the LTE search registration is successful. If successful, proceed to step 612, otherwise return to step 604.

Step 612: The UE exits the LTE background search working state and enters a normal working state. Embodiment 4: Parameter change

When the amount of change of the signal strength of the serving cell and/or the neighboring cell corresponding to the UE is large, the UE may enter the LTE coverage due to the large-scale movement of the UE, thereby improving the UE's search for the LTE network. The success rate of registration.

Embodiment 1: Cell change

Figure 7 is a flow diagram showing the execution of a network search based on the amount of change in signal strength and cell variation, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 7, a flow for performing a network search based on a change in signal strength and a change in a cell according to an embodiment of the present invention includes:

Step 702: The UE is disconnected from the LTE or has not been registered to the LTE network, and enters the LTE back. Scene search work status.

Step 704: Detect whether the amount of change in the signal strength of the serving cell and/or the neighboring cell of the UE in the 2G/3G network is greater than or equal to the set value. If yes, go to step 708; otherwise, go to step 706. Specifically, for the detection of the signal strength, reference may be made to FIG. 2 or FIG. 3, which will not be described herein.

Step 706: Detect whether the cell ID of the serving cell and/or the neighboring cell corresponding to the UE changes. If yes, go to step 708, otherwise go back to step 704.

Specifically, when the UE changes the serving cell and/or the neighboring cell, it can be proved that the UE does have a large distance of movement, thereby improving the possibility that the UE enters the LTE coverage area, and contributing to improving the LTE network. Search for the success rate of registration to reduce the number of searches and reduce UE power consumption.

Step 708, performing an LTE search registration.

Step 710: Determine whether the LTE search registration is successful. If successful, proceed to step 712, otherwise return to step 704.

Step 712: The UE exits the LTE background search working state and enters a normal working state. Embodiment 2: Position change distance

Fig. 8 is a flow chart showing the execution of a network search based on the amount of change in signal strength and the change in position according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 8, the flow of performing a network search based on the amount of change in signal strength and the position change distance according to an embodiment of the present invention includes:

Step 802: The UE is off-network from LTE or has not registered to the LTE network, and enters the LTE background search working state.

Step 804: Detect whether the amount of change in the signal strength of the serving cell and/or the neighboring cell of the UE in the 2G/3G network is greater than or equal to the set value. If yes, go to step 808; otherwise, go to step 806. Specifically, for the detection of the signal strength, reference may be made to FIG. 2 or FIG. 3, which will not be described herein.

Step 806: Determine, according to the obtained real-time location information of the UE, whether the location change distance of the UE satisfies a preset distance greater than or equal to a preset distance. If yes, proceed to step 808, otherwise return to step 804. Specifically, the location change distance of the UE may be a distance that the UE moves when the UE starts from the last LTE search failure and until the current time.

By directly detecting and judging the distance of the location, it is possible to ensure that the UE has a large distance of movement, thereby improving the possibility of the UE entering the LTE coverage area, and improving the success rate of searching and registering the LTE network, so as to reduce Number of searches, reducing UE power consumption.

Step 808, performing an LTE search registration.

Step 810: Determine whether the LTE search registration is successful. If successful, proceed to step 812, otherwise return to step 804.

Step 812: The UE exits the LTE background search working state and enters a normal working state. Embodiment 3: Auxiliary parameters

Fig. 9A is a flow chart showing the execution of a network search based on the amount of change in signal strength and the amount of change in the auxiliary parameter, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 9A, the flow of performing a network search based on the amount of change in signal strength and the amount of change in the auxiliary parameter according to an embodiment of the present invention includes:

Step 902: The UE is off-network from LTE or has not registered to the LTE network, and enters the LTE background search working state.

Step 904: Detect whether the amount of change in the signal strength of the serving cell and/or the neighboring cell of the UE in the 2G/3G network is greater than or equal to the set value. If yes, go to step 908; otherwise, go to step 906. Specifically, for the detection of the signal strength, reference may be made to FIG. 2 or FIG. 3, which will not be described herein.

Step 906: Detect whether the change amount of the auxiliary parameter of the UE or its corresponding serving cell and/or the neighboring cell satisfies the preset change amount. If yes, go to step 908, otherwise return to step 904.

Specifically, the auxiliary parameter may include at least one of the following or a combination thereof: a transmit power strength and/or a transmit signal strength of the UE, a transmit delay and/or a receive delay corresponding to the UE, a bit error rate corresponding to the UE, and/or The block error rate, the signal to noise ratio corresponding to the UE, and/or the signal to interference ratio.

Step 908, performing an LTE search registration.

Step 910: Determine whether the LTE search registration is successful. If successful, proceed to step 912, otherwise return to step 904. In step 912, the UE exits the LTE background search working state and enters a normal working state. FIG. 9B is a flow chart showing the execution of a network search based on the amount of change in signal strength and the amount of change in the auxiliary parameter, according to another embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in Fig. 9B, based on the technical solution shown in Fig. 9A, only step 904, (corresponding to step 904 shown in Fig. 9A) and step 906' (which should be performed at step 906 shown in Fig. 9A) are performed. The adjustment is as follows:

Step 904 ′, detecting whether the amount of change of the signal strength of the serving cell and/or the neighboring cell of the UE in the 2G/3G network is greater than or equal to the set value, and if yes, proceeding to step 906 ′, otherwise re-entering step 904 .

Step 906 ′, detecting whether the change amount of the auxiliary parameter of the UE or its corresponding serving cell and/or the neighboring cell satisfies the preset change amount, and if yes, proceeding to step 908, otherwise returning to step 904.

Further, after the amount of change in the signal strength of the serving cell and/or the neighboring cell corresponding to the UE is large, the amount of change of the one or more auxiliary parameters may be detected. When the change amount of the one or more auxiliary parameters is greater than or equal to the corresponding preset change amount, it may further determine that the UE may have a large distance of movement, thereby initiating a search and registration operation on the LTE network, to improve LTE. Searching for the success rate of registration helps to avoid blind LTE search registration operations and wastes UE power consumption.

Figure 10 shows a schematic block diagram of a network search device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 10, the network search apparatus 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a signal detecting unit 1002, configured to be off-network from a first network or not registered to the first network, and reside in the terminal And detecting, by the second network, a signal strength of the corresponding serving cell and/or the neighboring cell in the second network; the change amount determining unit 1004 is configured to determine whether the change amount of the signal strength satisfies greater than or equal to The preset change amount; the network search unit 1006 is configured to perform a search operation on the first network if the determination result is satisfied.

In this technical solution, for the multimode terminal, when the terminal is disconnected from the first network, it can reside in the second network to ensure continuity of communication. In the second network, since the terminal is necessarily connected to the nearby cell, it is known that the terminal corresponds to the serving cell in the second network and / or the change of the signal strength of the neighboring cell can directly reflect the position change of the terminal under the second network, that is, the change of the signal strength of the serving cell and/or the neighboring cell is necessarily caused by the change of the position of the terminal. , and the terminal is likely to change position of a large distance. Alternatively, the technical solution of the present application is also applicable to other scenarios. For example, when the terminal is powered on in an area that does not cover the first network, the terminal can first register to the second network, and combine the above-mentioned location-based search operation to ensure that the terminal quickly searches. At the same time as the first network, avoiding blind search can help reduce terminal power consumption.

In the above technical solution, the network search unit 1006 is further configured to: stop performing execution based on the number of consecutive failures of the search operation of the first network to the first network is greater than or equal to a preset number of times A search operation of the first network for the amount of change in signal strength.

In the above technical solution, preferably, the method further includes: a timer management unit 1008, configured to: In a case that the number of consecutive failures of the search operation of the first network to the first network is greater than or equal to a preset number of times, a timer is started to be initiated by the network search unit 1006 after the timer expires. The search operation of the first network.

In the above technical solution, the method further includes: a network search frequency control unit 1010, configured to reduce the consecutive failure times when the search operation for the first network fails after the timer expires The preset value is de-asserted to re-execute the search operation for the first network based on the amount of change in the signal strength by the network search unit 1006.

In the foregoing technical solution, the timer management unit 1010 is further configured to: when the terminal fails to perform a search operation on the first network after the timer expires, restart the timing immediately. Or increasing the timing of the timer and restarting the timer according to a preset manner.

In this technical solution, by increasing the timing of the timer, the frequency of the terminal performing the search operation on the first network can be further reduced, thereby helping to reduce the power consumption of the terminal, which is beneficial to the terminal to save power, especially for a wide range. When the area without LTE network coverage moves quickly, the number of searches can be significantly reduced. Of course, it is also possible to use a fixed timing duration, so that it is not necessary to adjust the timing time. In the above technical solution, the network search unit 1006 is further configured to: if the number of consecutive failures of the search operation of the first network to the first network is greater than or equal to a preset number of times, if the terminal is When a routing area update request or a location area update request is initiated, a search operation for the first network is initiated.

In the above technical solution, preferably, the method further includes: a network search frequency control unit 1010, configured to: when the initiated search operation for the first network based on the routing area update request or the location area update request fails, The number of consecutive failures is subtracted from the preset value to re-execute the search operation for the first network based on the amount of change in the signal strength by the network search unit 1006.

In any one of the above aspects, preferably, the method further includes: a combination condition determining unit 1012, configured to determine whether the terminal meets the following combination condition: there is a data service requirement; and/or the amount of change in the signal strength is less than Determining, by the preset amount of change, that the terminal changes in a corresponding serving cell and/or a neighboring cell in the second network; and/or in a case where the amount of change in the signal strength is less than a preset amount of change Determining that the change value of the one or more selected parameters of the terminal under the second network is greater than or equal to a corresponding preset change value; and/or the change amount of the signal strength is greater than or equal to a preset change The amount of change of the one or more selected parameters of the terminal in the second network is greater than or equal to a corresponding preset change value; wherein the network search unit satisfies the corresponding In case of conditions, initiated a search operation for the first network; and the selected parameter includes at least one of the following or a combination thereof: a transmit power strength and/or a transmit signal strength of the terminal, a transmit delay corresponding to the terminal, and/or a receiving delay, a bit error rate and/or a block error rate corresponding to the terminal, a signal to noise ratio and/or a signal to interference ratio corresponding to the terminal, and a position change distance of the terminal.

Figure 11 shows a schematic block diagram of a terminal in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 11, a terminal 1100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a network search device 1000 as shown in FIG.

The technical solution of the present invention is described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention provides a network search method, a network search device and a terminal, which can control the network search frequency of the terminal according to the position change of the terminal. And/or the number of times, to avoid frequent blind search, which leads to waste of power consumption of the terminal, and can help the terminal access a specific network as soon as possible, which helps to improve the user experience.

The above is only the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention, and various modifications and changes can be made to the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. within the spirit and scope of the invention are intended to be included within the scope of the invention.

Claims

Claim

A network search method, comprising:

The terminal is off-network from the first network or has not been registered to the first network, and resides in the second network;

The terminal performs a search operation on the first network when the amount of change in the signal strength of the corresponding serving cell and/or the neighboring cell in the second network is greater than or equal to a preset change amount.

The network search method according to claim 1, further comprising: when the number of consecutive failures of the search operation of the terminal to the first network is greater than or equal to a preset number of times, the terminal stops executing A search operation on the first network based on the amount of change in the signal strength.

The network search method according to claim 2, wherein when the number of consecutive failures of the search operation of the first network by the terminal is greater than or equal to a preset number of times, the method further includes:

A timer is started, and the terminal initiates a search operation on the first network after the timer expires.

The network search method according to claim 3, further comprising: if the terminal fails to perform a search operation on the first network after the timer expires, the continuous failure The preset value is subtracted from the number of times to re-execute the search operation for the first network based on the amount of change in the signal strength by the terminal.

The network search method according to claim 3, further comprising: when the terminal fails to perform a search operation on the first network after the timer expires, restarting the timing immediately Or increasing the timing of the timer and restarting the timer according to a preset manner.

If the terminal initiates a routing area update request or a location area update request, The search operation of the first network.

The network search method according to claim 6, further comprising: if the search operation of the first network based on the routing area update request or the location area update request initiated by the terminal fails, The number of consecutive failures is subtracted from a preset value to re-execute a search operation for the first network based on the amount of change in the signal strength by the terminal.

The network search method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising:

Determining, in the case where the terminal has a data service requirement, and/or in a case where the amount of change in the signal strength is less than a preset change amount, determining, by the terminal, a corresponding serving cell and/or a neighboring cell in the second network. When a change occurs, and/or if the amount of change in the signal strength is less than a preset amount of change, determining that the change value of the one or more selected parameters of the terminal under the second network is greater than or equal to a corresponding value Determining a change in one or more selected parameters of the terminal under the second network when the preset change value is, and/or if the amount of change in the signal strength is greater than or equal to a preset change amount When the value is greater than or equal to the corresponding preset change value, allowing the terminal to perform a search operation on the first network;

Wherein the selected parameter comprises at least one of the following or a combination thereof:

a transmit power strength and/or a transmit signal strength of the terminal, a transmit delay and/or a receive delay corresponding to the terminal, a bit error rate and/or a block error rate corresponding to the terminal, and a letter corresponding to the terminal The noise ratio and/or the signal to interference ratio, the position change distance of the terminal.

A network search device, comprising:

a signal detecting unit, configured to detect, when the terminal is off-network from the first network or not registered to the first network, and camps on the second network, detecting, by the terminal, a corresponding serving cell in the second network, and/or Or the signal strength of the neighboring cell;

a change amount determining unit, configured to determine whether the amount of change in the signal strength satisfies greater than or equal to a preset change amount;

And a network search unit, configured to perform a search operation on the first network if the determination result is satisfied.

10. The network search device according to claim 9, wherein the network search The cable unit is also used to:

In a case where the number of consecutive failures of the search operation of the terminal to the first network is greater than or equal to the preset number of times, the search operation for the first network based on the amount of change in the signal strength is stopped.

The network search device according to claim 10, further comprising: a timer management unit, configured to: the number of consecutive failures of the search operation of the first network to the terminal is greater than or equal to a preset number of times In case, a timer is started to initiate a search operation on the first network by the network search unit after the timer expires.

The network search device according to claim 11, further comprising: a network search frequency control unit, configured to: when the search operation for the first network initiated after the timer expires, The number of consecutive failures is subtracted from a preset value to re-execute a search operation for the first network based on the amount of change in the signal strength by the network search unit.

The network search device according to claim 11, wherein the timer management unit is further configured to:

When the terminal fails to perform the search operation on the first network after the timer expires, the timer is restarted immediately, or the timing of the timer is increased according to a preset manner, and the timing is restarted. Device.

The network search device according to claim 10, wherein the network search unit is further configured to:

If the number of consecutive failures of the search operation of the first network to the first network is greater than or equal to a preset number of times, if the terminal initiates a routing area update request or a location area update request, the first network is initiated. Search operation.

The network search device according to claim 14, further comprising: a network search frequency control unit, configured to initiate the routing area update request or the location area update request to the first network When the search operation fails, the number of consecutive failures is subtracted from a preset value to re-execute the search operation for the first network based on the amount of change in the signal strength by the network search unit.

16. The network search device according to any one of claims 9 to 15, characterized in that It also includes:

a combination condition determining unit, configured to determine whether the terminal meets the following combination condition: there is a data service requirement; and/or if the change amount of the signal strength is less than a preset change amount, determining that the terminal is in the a corresponding serving cell and/or a neighboring cell in the second network is changed; and/or, in a case where the amount of change in the signal strength is less than a preset amount of change, determining that the terminal is in the second network or Determining, by the plurality of selected parameters, a change value greater than or equal to a corresponding preset change value; and/or determining that the terminal is in the second network if the change amount of the signal strength is greater than or equal to a preset change amount The change value of one or more selected parameters below is greater than or equal to the corresponding preset change value;

The network search unit initiates a search operation on the first network if the terminal satisfies a corresponding condition;

The selected parameter includes at least one of the following or a combination thereof:

A terminal, comprising: the network search device according to any one of claims 9 to 16.