# US 2019/0174383 A1 · Channel Automatic Selection and Switching Method and System, and Wireless Access Point

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- Number: US 2019/0174383 A1
- Document ID: US20190174383A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/324,767
- Filed: 2016-08-10
- Published: 2019-06-06
- Earliest claimed: 2016-08-10
- Assignees: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Jinming Zhang; Chong Zhu
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190174383A1

## CPC

- G06F 9/45558: {Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects}
- H04W 36/13: {Cell handover without a predetermined boundary, e.g. virtual cells}
- H04W 36/302: {due to low signal strength}
- H04W 76/11: Allocation or use of connection identifiers
- H04W 88/08: Access point devices
- G06F 2009/45595: {Network integration; Enabling network access in virtual machine instances}
- H04W 84/12: WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)

## Abstract

A channel automatic selection and switching method and system, where after an access point (AP) and a station (STA) are successfully coupled, the AP performs quality detection on a first channel, determines, based on a quality detection result, whether the first channel needs to be switched, performs quality detection on backup channels when the first channel needs to be switched, and starts channel switching for the AP and the STA when there is a backup channel of higher quality. Because the backup channel and the first channel use same network coupling information, for the STA, a data link layer coupling is the same. Therefore, during first channel switching, a coupling interruption phenomenon does not occur, and thereby completing first channel switching without interrupting the data link layer coupling between the AP and the STA.

## Claims

### Claim at position 1

-19. (canceled)

### Claim 20

A method of switching a channel, comprising:
performing, by an access point (AP), quality detection on a first channel to obtain a first quality detection result after a station (STA) couples with a first virtual access point (VAP) of the AP via the first channel;
determining, by the AP based on the first quality detection result, whether the first channel needs to be switched;
performing, by the AP, quality detection on a plurality of backup channels to obtain a plurality of second quality detection results when the first channel needs to be switched;
determining, by the AP, a second channel from the backup channels based on the second quality detection results, wherein the second channel corresponds to a second VAP;
instructing, by the AP, the STA to switch from the first channel to the second channel which uses a same network coupling information as the first channel; and
performing, by the AP, data transmission with the STA using the second VAP via the second channel.

### Claim 21 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20, wherein instructing the STA to switch from the first channel to the second channel comprises sending, by the AP, a notification message instructing the STA to switch from the first channel to the second channel.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The method of claim 21, wherein after determining the second channel and before sending the notification message, the method further comprises suspending, by the AP, sending data to the STA.

### Claim 23 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20, wherein determining whether the first channel needs to be switched comprises determining, by the AP based on a result of whether the first quality detection result meets a first switching condition, whether the first channel needs to be switched, and wherein the first switching condition comprises:
a value of a first parameter in the first quality detection result reaches a preset threshold of the first parameter.

### Claim 24 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20, wherein determining the second channel comprises:
comparing, by the AP, the second quality detection results; and
selecting, by the AP, a channel of highest quality from the backup channels as the second channel.

### Claim 25 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20, wherein determining the second channel comprises:
comparing, by the AP, the second quality detection results with a second switching condition; and
selecting, by the AP, a channel of which a second quality detection result meeting the second switching condition as the second channel, wherein the second switching condition comprises either:
a value of a first parameter in the second quality detection results reaches a preset threshold of the first parameter.

### Claim 26 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20, wherein the network coupling information comprises at least one of a service set identifier (SSID), a basic SSID (BSSID), an encryption mode, key information, state machine information, or a user equipment identifier.

### Claim 27 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20, wherein a data link layer coupling is established between the AP and the STA after the STA couples with the first VAP of the AP via the first channel.

### Claim 28 (depends on 27)

The method of claim 27, wherein the data link layer coupling is not interrupted when the STA switches from the first channel to the second channel.

### Claim 29

An electronic device, comprising:
one or more processors; and
one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors and comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the electronic device to:
perform quality detection on a first channel to obtain a first quality detection result after a station (STA) couples with a first virtual access point (VAP) of an access point (AP) via the first channel;
determine, based on the first quality detection result, whether the first channel needs to be switched;
perform quality detection on a plurality of backup channels to obtain a plurality of second quality detection results when the first channel needs to be switched;
determine a second channel from the backup channels based on the second quality detection results, wherein the second channel corresponds to a second VAP;
instruct the STA to switch from the first channel to the second channel which uses a same network coupling information as the first channel;
trigger the AP to perform data transmission with the STA using the second VAP via the second channel.

### Claim 30 (depends on 29)

The electronic device of claim 29, wherein the instructions further cause the electronic device to send a notification message instructing the STA to switch from the first channel to the second channel.

### Claim 31 (depends on 29)

The electronic device of claim 29, wherein after determining the second channel and before sending the notification message, the instructions further cause the electronic device to suspend the AP of sending data to the STA.

### Claim 32 (depends on 29)

The electronic device of claim 29, wherein the instructions further cause the electronic device to determine, based on a result of whether the first quality detection result meets a first switching condition, whether the first channel needs to be switched, and wherein the first switching condition comprises:
a value of a first parameter in the first quality detection result reaches a preset threshold of the first parameter, a value of a second parameter reaches a preset threshold of the second parameter, and a weighted value of the first parameter and the second parameter reaches a preset threshold of the weighted value.

### Claim 33 (depends on 29)

The electronic device of claim 29, wherein the instructions further cause the electronic device to:
compare the second quality detection results; and
select a channel of highest quality from the backup channels as the second channel.

### Claim 34 (depends on 29)

The electronic device of claim 29, wherein the instructions further cause the electronic device to:
compare the second quality detection results with a second switching condition; and
select a channel of which a second quality detection result meets the second switching condition as the second channel, wherein the second switching condition comprises:
a value of a second parameter in the second quality detection result reaches a preset threshold of the second parameter, a value of a third parameter reaches a preset threshold of the third parameter, and a weighted value of the second parameter and the third parameter reaches a preset threshold of the weighted value of the second parameter and the third parameter.

### Claim 35 (depends on 29)

The electronic device of claim 29, wherein the network coupling information comprises at least one of a service set identifier (SSID), a basic SSID (BSSID), an encryption mode, key information, state machine information, or a user equipment identifier.

### Claim 36

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon executable instructions that, when executed by an electronic device, cause the electronic device to:
perform quality detection on a first channel to obtain a first quality detection result after a station (STA) couples with a first virtual access point (VAP) of an access point (AP) via the first channel;
determine, based on the first quality detection result, whether the first channel needs to be switched;
perform quality detection on a plurality of backup channels to obtain a plurality of second quality detection results when the first channel needs to be switched;
determine a second channel from the backup channels based on the second quality detection results, wherein the second channel corresponds to a second VAP;
send a notification message instructing the STA to switch from the first channel to the second channel which uses a same network coupling information as the first channel; and
trigger the AP to perform data transmission with the STA using the second VAP via the second channel.

### Claim 37 (depends on 36)

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 36, wherein after determining the second channel and before sending the notification message instructing the STA to perform first channel switching, the executable instructions further cause the electronic device to suspend the AP of sending data to the STA.

### Claim 38 (depends on 36)

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 36, wherein the executable instructions further cause the electronic device to determine, based on a result of whether the first quality detection result meets a first switching condition, whether the first channel needs to be switched, and wherein the first switching condition comprises:
a value of a first parameter in the first quality detection result reaches a preset threshold of the first parameter.

### Claim 39 (depends on 36)

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 36, wherein the executable instructions further cause the electronic device to:
compare the second quality detection results; and
select a channel of highest quality from the backup channels as the second channel.