US 7,443,817 B2 · Automatic wireless connection selection

Abstract

The present invention relates to wireless communications systems, and in particular the selection of one or more available wireless connections suitable for use with a desired service or set of services. The present invention provides a method of and apparatus for selecting one or more wireless connections from a plurality of available wireless connections between a mobile terminal and one or more base stations for a service requested by a user of the terminal or base stations, the method comprising: determining one or more connection characteristics for each said available connection; determining a utility value for each said available connection; selecting one or more said connections based on said determined utility values; wherein each said connection utility value for a said available connection is based on the acceptability for said service of the determined connection characteristics for that connection according to a fuzzy logic determination.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A method of selecting one or more wireless connections from a plurality of available wireless connections between a mobile terminal and one or more base stations for a service requested by a user of the terminal or base stations, the method comprising:

determining one or more connection characteristics for each of said available connections;
determining a utility value for each of said available connections;
and
selecting one or more of said connections based on said determined utility values,
wherein each of said connection utility values for said available connections is based on the acceptability for said service of the determined connection characteristics for that connection, and
wherein the step of determining the connection utility values comprises
determining one or more fuzzy sets having membership functions for each of said connection characteristics for each of said connections, said fuzzy sets representing different levels of acceptability of the corresponding connection for said service;
determining a utility value for each connection characteristic for each connection according to corresponding fuzzy sets and depending on the determined connection characteristic for that connection;
and
adding together said determined connection characteristic utility values for each connection in order to provide the total connection utility value for each said connection.

7 more elements

An apparatus for selecting one or more wireless connections from a plurality of available wireless connections between a mobile terminal and one or more base stations for a service requested by a user of the terminal or base stations, the apparatus comprising:

a characteristics processor or software module configured to determine one or more connection characteristics for each of said available connections;
a utility processor or software module configured to determine a utility value for each of said available connections;
a selector configured to select one or more of said connections based on said determined utility values;
wherein the utility processor or software module includes
a first processor or software module configured to determine one or more fuzzy sets having membership functions for each of said connection characteristics for each of said connections, said fuzzy sets representing different levels of acceptability of the corresponding connection for said service;
a second processor or software module configured to determine a utility value for each connection characteristic for each connection according to corresponding fuzzy sets and depending on the determined connection characteristic for that connection;
and
a third processor or software module configured to add together said determined connection characteristic utility values for each connection in order to provide the total connection utility value for each said connection.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Automatic wireless connection selection

Life of this patent

Automatic wireless connection selection

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims17