# US 2021/0345207 A1 · Terminal Roaming Steering Method and Devices, and Computer-Readable Storage Medium

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- Number: US 2021/0345207 A1
- Document ID: US20210345207A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 17/244,263
- Filed: 2021-04-29
- Published: 2021-11-04
- Earliest claimed: 2020-04-30
- Assignees: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Fuqing Sun; Zhi Ma; Xiaofei Bai; Dewei Bao
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210345207A1

## CPC

- H04W 36/14: Reselecting a network or an air interface
- H04W 40/36: due to handover
- H04W 8/02: Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks
- H04W 36/34: Reselection control
- H04W 36/08: Reselecting an access point
- H04W 36/302: {due to low signal strength}
- H04W 84/12: WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)

## Abstract

In a terminal roaming steering method, a steering protocol supported by a terminal and a second AP are determined, and the terminal is steered, based on the steering protocol supported by the terminal, to roam from a first AP to the second AP.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method comprising:
determining a steering protocol supported by a terminal connected to a first access point (AP), wherein the steering protocol is for steering the terminal to perform roaming;
determining a second AP from at least one neighboring AP that neighbors the first AP; and
steering, based on the steering protocol, the terminal to roam from the first AP to the second AP.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising further determining the second AP when a first network status of the first AP and a second network status of the second AP meet an indicated network status indicated by network selection reference information of the terminal.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising further steering the terminal based on a parameter value that is of at least one target steering parameter in the steering protocol and that is applicable to the terminal.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein before determining the second AP, the method further comprises generating a roaming steering behavior feature of the terminal based on at least one of the steering protocol, the parameter value, a signal measurement protocol supported by the terminal, or network selection reference information, wherein the roaming steering behavior feature indicates a behavior feature of the terminal during roaming.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein after generating the roaming steering behavior feature, the method further comprises determining, based on the roaming steering behavior feature, a roaming occasion for steering the terminal.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein before generating the roaming steering behavior feature, the method further comprises determining at least one of the parameter value, the signal measurement protocol or the network selection reference information.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, further comprising further determining the parameter value when a success rate of steering the terminal is greater than or equal to a target threshold based on a target parameter value set of the at least one target steering parameter, wherein the target parameter value set comprises a target parameter value of each of the at least one target steering parameter.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
obtaining a motion state of the terminal or a service type of a service currently performed by the terminal; and
determining, based on the motion state or the service type, that the terminal needs to perform roaming.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, further comprising further determining that the terminal needs to perform roaming when the motion state indicates that the terminal is moving away from the first A/P or the service type is a target service type.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the method is executed by a control node, and wherein steering the terminal comprises sending a roaming steering instruction to the first AP, wherein the roaming steering instruction instructs the first AP to steer, based on the steering protocol, the terminal to roam from the first AP to the second AP.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method claim 10, wherein the roaming steering instruction comprises a parameter value that is of at least one target steering parameter in the steering protocol and that is applicable to the terminal.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein before determining the second AP, the method further comprises:
sending an information obtaining request to each of the first AP and the at least one neighboring AP, wherein the information obtaining request comprises address information of the terminal and an identifier of a signal measurement protocol supported by the terminal, and wherein the signal measurement protocol is for measuring a signal strength between the AP and the terminal; and
receiving, in response to the information obtaining request, network information from the first AP and the at least one neighboring AP.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the method is executed by the first AP.

### Claim 14 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the network selection reference information comprises at least one of signal strength reference information, load reference information, frequency band reference information, or bandwidth reference information, wherein the signal strength reference information comprises at least one of a source signal strength threshold, a target signal strength threshold, or a target signal strength difference, wherein the target signal strength threshold is greater than or equal to the source signal strength threshold, wherein the load reference information comprises at least one of target channel utilization, a target channel utilization difference, or a target quantity of associated terminals, wherein the frequency band reference information comprises at least one of a target frequency band or a target frequency band range, and wherein the bandwidth reference information comprises at least one of a target channel bandwidth or a target channel bandwidth range.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein network information of an AP comprises at least one of a signal strength between the AP and the terminal, channel utilization of the AP, a frequency band of the AP, a quantity of terminals associated with the AP, or a channel bandwidth of the AP.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein when the first network status and the second network status AP meet at least one of the following, the first network status and the second network status meet the indicated network status:
a first signal strength between the first AP and the terminal is less than or equal to the source signal strength threshold or a neighboring signal strength between the neighboring AP and the terminal is greater than or equal to the target signal strength threshold;
the first signal strength is less than or equal to the source signal strength threshold and a difference between the neighboring signal strength and the first signal strength is greater than or equal to the target signal strength difference;
neighboring channel utilization of the neighboring AP is less than or equal to the target channel utilization;
the neighboring signal strength is greater than or equal to the first signal strength and a difference between the neighboring channel utilization and first channel utilization of the first AP is greater than or equal to the target channel utilization difference;
a quantity of terminals connected to the neighboring AP is less than or equal to the target quantity;
a first frequency band of the first AP is less than or equal to the target frequency band and a neighboring frequency band of the neighboring AP is greater than the target frequency band;
the neighboring signal strength is greater than or equal to the first signal strength and a neighboring frequency band range between the neighboring frequency band and the first frequency band is greater than or equal to the target frequency band range;
a first channel bandwidth of the first AP is less than or equal to the target channel bandwidth and a neighboring channel bandwidth of the neighboring AP is greater than the target channel bandwidth; or
the neighboring signal strength is greater than or equal to the first signal strength and a channel bandwidth range between the neighboring channel bandwidth and the first channel bandwidth is greater than or equal to the target channel bandwidth range.

### Claim 17

A control device comprising:
a memory configured to store instructions; and
a processor coupled to the memory and configured to execute the instructions to:
determine a steering protocol supported by a terminal connected to a first access point (AP), wherein the steering protocol is for steering the terminal to perform roaming,
determine a second AP from at least one neighboring AP that neighbors the first AP, and
steer, based on the steering protocol, the terminal to roam from the first AP to the second AP.

### Claim 18

A network device comprising:
a memory configured to store instructions; and
a processor coupled to the memory and configured to execute the instructions to:
determine a steering protocol supported by a terminal connected to a first access point (AP), wherein the steering protocol is for steering the terminal to perform roaming,
determine a second AP from at least one neighboring AP that neighbors the first AP, and
steer, based on the steering protocol, the terminal to roam from the first AP to the second AP.

### Claim 19

A computer program product comprising instructions that are stored on a computer-readable medium and that, when executed by a processor, cause an apparatus to:
determine a steering protocol supported by a terminal connected to a first access point (AP), wherein the steering protocol is for steering the terminal to perform roaming;
determine a second AP from at least one neighboring AP that neighbors the first AP; and
steer, based on the steering protocol, the terminal to roam from the first AP to the second AP.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The computer program product of claim 19, wherein when executed by the processor, the instructions further cause the apparatus to further determine the second AP when a first network status of the first AP and a second network status of the second AP meet an indicated network status indicated by network selection reference information of the terminal.