Patent Document

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 from Chinese Patent Application No. 200810170699.0 filed Oct. 30, 2008, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to the field of Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs). More particularly the invention relates to an Access Point (AP) in a WLAN, a method for selecting a channel for an access point (AP) and a method for assisting the AP in selecting a channel. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    The deployment of WLANs based on the 802.11 standard has increased dramatically in the past few years. For the purpose of occupying the market and providing seamless coverage, multiple service providers independently deploy WLANs in the same range, and moreover each deployment involves multiple Access Points (APs). The APs based on the 802.11a standard are rarely seen in the market due to transmission distance problems and incompatibilities with the 802.11b standard. Other Access Point supported standards such as 802.11b and 802.11g can only support three non-overlapping transmission channels (i.e., channel 1, channel 6 and channel 11). As a result, a terminal always finds multiple APs operating on the same channel and within that terminal&#39;s sensing range. 
         [0006]    As known by those skilled in the art, WLANs are based on a carrier sensing mechanism to share channels, which results in each terminal having to share channels with all APs and terminals operating on the same channel and within its carrier sensing range. The available bandwidth for each client is thus limited. There have been some alternative solutions for selecting a channel. 
         [0007]    One manner is to monitor, by an AP, channels used by other APs, and then to select, by the AP, a channel where there are the fewest APs operating so as to reduce conflicts. 
         [0008]    Another manner is to select, by the same service provider, different channels for APs deployed in the same coverage area. However, in the network environment as shown in  FIG. 1 , such manners for selecting a channel will have a negative impact on the service quality experienced by a terminal  110 . For example, it is assumed that in the WLAN shown in  FIG. 1 , APs  101  and  102  are within the sensing range of terminal  110  and can provide services therefore. AP  101  and AP  102  are respectively out of each other&#39;s sensing range. 
         [0009]    In the case of AP  101  selecting channel 1, AP  102  also selects channel 1 since it does not detect other APs in its sensing range. However, the terminal  110  can detect that there are two APs operating in channel 1. The terminal  110  will be interfered by signals sent on channel 1 by the other AP and thus its available bandwidth will be reduced, regardless of AP  101  or AP  102  providing a service thereto. However, both AP  101  and AP  102  will not change their own channels as neither of them can detect that they operate in the same channel. 
         [0010]    For such a network environment, there is no appropriate solution in the related art. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    In view of above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a method for selecting a channel for an AP, a method for assisting the AP in selecting a channel, and an AP in the WLAN. 
         [0012]    According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for selecting a channel for an access point (AP) in a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), including: the AP receiving network conditions of APs within the sensing range of a terminal sent by the terminal, and the AP selecting a channel based on the received network conditions. 
         [0013]    According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for assisting an access point (AP) in selecting a channel in a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), including: a terminal collecting network conditions of APs within its sensing range, and the terminal sending the collected network conditions to the APs within its sensing range. 
         [0014]    According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an access point (AP) in a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), including: a network conditions communicator, for receiving network conditions of APs within the sensing range of a terminal sent by the terminal, and a channel optimizer for selecting a channel based on the received network conditions. 
         [0015]    With every aspect of the present invention, an AP is enabled to select a channel from the view of a terminal so as to avoid conflicts at the terminal, thereby improving the available bandwidth of the terminal, and giving better experiences to users. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION ON THE DRAWINGS 
         [0016]    The above and other aspects and advantages will become apparent through the detailed description with reference to the specific embodiments and in combination with the drawings. 
           [0017]      FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram illustrating a distribution of a terminal and APs in a WLAN; 
           [0018]      FIG. 2  is another schematic diagram illustrating a distribution of a terminal and APs in a WLAN; 
           [0019]      FIG. 3  is still another schematic diagram illustrating a distribution of terminals and APs in a WLAN; 
           [0020]      FIG. 4  schematically shows a flow chart of a method for selecting a channel for an AP according to the present invention; 
           [0021]      FIG. 5  schematically shows a flow chart of a method for selecting an AP for a terminal according to the present invention; 
           [0022]      FIG. 6  is a schematic block diagram of a terminal according to the present invention; 
           [0023]      FIG. 7  is a schematic block diagram of an AP according to the present invention; and 
           [0024]      FIG. 8  is a structural block diagram showing a computer device able to implement an embodiment according to the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0025]    According to an embodiment of the present invention, the AP selects a channel which minimizes conflicts at the terminal. 
         [0026]    In other embodiments of the present invention, the method further includes the AP generating statistics on performance of terminals accepting the AP&#39;s service, such that the AP selects a channel based on the performance statistics and the received network conditions. 
       Exemplary Embodiment 1 
       [0027]    A method for selecting a channel for an AP according to the present invention shown in  FIG. 4  will be described with reference to the schematic diagram illustrating a distribution of a terminal and APs in a WLAN shown in  FIG. 1 . The network environment shown in  FIG. 1  is similar to those described above, and thus its description is omitted herein. 
         [0028]    In step S 401 , a terminal collects network conditions of APs within its sensing range. 
         [0029]    In the related art, each AP may broadcast its current network conditions on the used channel periodically, and this has been described in ANSI/IEEE Std 802.11, 1999 Edition, Telecommunications and information exchange between system, Local and metropolitan area networks Specific requirements, Part 11: Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specifications, 1999 (Document 1) which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Thus, terminals can collect the network conditions broadcasted by these APs according to the present invention. 
         [0030]    In  FIG. 1 , the terminal  110  can preferably collect network conditions of APs  101  and  102 , that is, collect network conditions of all APs within its sensing range. 
         [0031]    Alternatively, a terminal may collect network conditions of some APs within its sensing range. In such a case, the method according to the present invention can be applied to APs which are able to receive network conditions of other APs within the terminal&#39;s sensing range sent by the terminal. 
         [0032]    Generally, downlink channel information is more important for WLANs. Accordingly, the network conditions of AP  101  may include downlink channel information from AP  101  to terminal  110 , or may include the downlink channel information and traffic load information of AP  101 . 
         [0033]    The network conditions of AP  102  may include downlink channel information from AP  102  to terminal  110 , or may include the downlink channel information and traffic load information of AP  102 . 
         [0034]    The network conditions are not limited to the given examples, but may include any information regarding channel, APs and terminals. 
         [0035]    The downlink channel information may include a channel number (such as channel 1, channel 6 or channel 11), or may include one or both of the signal strength of the downlink channel and the wireless standard used in the channel (such as, 802.11b or 802.11g), and channel number. 
         [0036]    However, those skilled in the art can appreciate that the downlink channel information is not limited to the given exemplary information, but can include any information related to the downlink channel, such as encryption information. 
         [0037]    Table 1 can be used to represent the network conditions examples of APs  101  and  102  according to this embodiment. 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 1 
               
               
                   
               
               
                   
                 Signal 
                   
                   
                 Operating 
                   
               
               
                 AP Name 
                 Strength 
                 Encryption 
                 Load 
                 Mode 
                 Channel 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 AP 101 
                 98% 
                 Open 
                 70% 
                 802.11g 
                 1 
               
               
                 AP 102 
                 93% 
                 Open 
                 25% 
                 802.11b 
                 1 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0038]    In step S 402 , the terminal sends the collected network conditions to APs within its sensing range. 
         [0039]    According to the present invention, the terminal can send the collected network conditions to APs by inserting them in reserved fields in the association request frame. However, it should be understood that the association request frame is merely an example of a frame for initiating an association request to an AP, and frames for this purpose are not limited to it. 
         [0040]    In  FIG. 1 , the terminal  110  may preferably send the collected network conditions to all APs within the terminal&#39;s sensing range, i.e., the terminal may send the collected network conditions of APs  101  and  102  to APs  101  and  102 . 
         [0041]    Alternatively, a terminal may send collected network conditions to some APs within its sensing range. For example, when security is a consideration, a terminal may only send network conditions of APs within a same management domain to APs within its management domain, instead of sending such network conditions to APs in other management domains. Similarly, network conditions of APs in other management domains will not be sent to APs in its management domain. 
         [0042]    Alternatively, a terminal may send only the network conditions to the AP selected by a user. For instance, if a user wishes to use AP  101 , the terminal  110  sends the collected network conditions of APs  101  and  102  to AP  101 . 
         [0043]    Finally, in step S 403 , an AP selects a channel based on the received network conditions. 
         [0044]    AP  101  in  FIG. 1  is taken as an example. AP  101  learns, based on the network conditions received from terminal  110 , that AP  102  is operating on channel 1 and then it may select a channel different from the one where AP  102  is operating, for instance channel 6 or channel 11, so as to avoid conflicts at the terminal  110 . 
       Exemplary Embodiment 2 
       [0045]    A brief description of the method, as shown in  FIG. 4 , for selecting a channel for an AP according to the present invention will be given with reference to  FIG. 2 . Lines representing AP&#39;s coverage range are omitted in  FIG. 2  for clarity. 
         [0046]    In the WLAN shown in  FIG. 2 , APs  201 - 206  are within the sensing range of terminal  210 , but none of the APs are within sensing ranges of each other. It is assumed that AP  201 , AP  202  and AP  203  operate on channel 1, AP  204  on channel 6, and APS  205  and  206  on channel 11. 
         [0047]    In accordance with the method shown in  FIG. 4 , the terminal  210  collects network conditions of APs  201 - 206  in step S 401 , and sends the collected network conditions to APs  201 - 206  in step S 402 . 
         [0048]    Taking AP  201  as an example, AP  201  learns that: it is operating on channel 1 with two other APs at the same time, there are two APs operating on channel 11, and only one AP is operating on channel 6. Thus AP  201  selects the channel where there are the fewest APs operating as its operating channel in step S 403 . In other words, AP  201  may select channel 6 to avoid the occurrence of more conflicts at terminal  210 . 
       Exemplary Embodiment 3 
       [0049]    A method for selecting a channel for an AP according to the present invention will be described as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0050]    In the WLAN shown in  FIG. 3 , AP  301  provides services to terminals  310 - 312 ; APs  302  and  303  are within the sensing range of terminal  310 ; AP  304  is within the sensing range of terminal  311 ; and APs  305  and  306  are within the sensing range of terminal  312 . 
         [0051]    In step S 401 , AP  301  attempts to select a channel. Terminals  310 - 312  collect network conditions of APs within their own sensing ranges, that is, all terminals accepting service from AP  301  collect network conditions of APs within their own respective sensing ranges. 
         [0052]    Alternatively, network conditions can be collected by less than all of terminals  310 - 312 . In step S 402 , terminals  310 - 312  send the collected network conditions to all APs within their own respective sensing ranges. 
         [0053]    Additionally, if terminals  310 - 312  are unable to send network conditions of other APs to AP  301  simultaneously, AP  301  may alternatively store the received network conditions for subsequent operations after all collectable network conditions are collected. 
         [0054]    AP  301  can capture statistics on the performance of all terminals  310 - 312  which accept its service. 
         [0055]    Alternatively, AP  301  can capture statistics on the performance of one or more of terminals  310 - 312 , that is, capture statistics of the performance of some terminals accepting its service. 
         [0056]    The performance statistics may include a terminal&#39;s priority and/or load statistic. However, as appreciated by those skilled in the art, the performance statistic may include any parameters of terminal performance, and is not limited to the given example. 
         [0057]    Alternatively, AP  301  can store the performance statistics for future use as needed. 
         [0058]    In step S 403 , AP  301  selects, based on network conditions of other APs received from terminals  310 - 312  and performance statistics on terminals  310 - 312 , a channel which can provide the largest throughput for the three terminals. 
         [0059]    Generally speaking, the performance of an AP is evaluated by aggregate throughput of all terminals served by this AP. Those skilled in the art can evaluate the performance of an AP using any parameters related to the evaluation of service quality, not limited to the aggregate throughput of all terminals utilized herein, such as throughput of some terminals or even one terminal served by the AP, delay, jitter, and packet loss rate. The aggregate throughput of all terminals served by the AP is just an example. 
         [0060]    Specifically, the throughput is defined as the payload size transmitted in a unit time, i.e., payload which can be successfully transmitted in a transmission slot divided by the average length of a slot, and this has been described in Bianchi, G., Performance analysis of the IEEE 802.11 distributed coordination function, Selected Areas in Communications, IEEE Journal on, vol. 18, no. 3, March 2000 which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
         [0061]    For a given client U j  (j is a natural number), if it accepts the service from AP A i  (i is a natural number) and operates on channel k (k is a natural number), its throughput is given by 
         [0000]    
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   
                     S 
                     ij 
                     k 
                   
                   = 
                   
                     
                       
                         p 
                         
                           s 
                           , 
                           ij 
                         
                         k 
                       
                        
                       
                         E 
                          
                         
                           [ 
                           L 
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                           k 
                         
                          
                         
                           T 
                           busy 
                         
                       
                       + 
                       
                         
                           ( 
                           
                             1 
                             - 
                             
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                               k 
                             
                           
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                          
                         
                           T 
                           idle 
                         
                       
                     
                   
                 
               
               
                 
                   ( 
                   1 
                   ) 
                 
               
             
           
         
       
     
         [0062]    where 
         [0063]    E[L] is an average payload size of a data packet; 
         [0064]    T busy  is an average length of a busy time slot; 
         [0065]    T idle  is an average length of an idle time slot; 
         [0066]    p s,ij   k  is a probability that there is a successful transmission from A i  (operating on the channel k) to U j  in a time slot; 
         [0067]    p b,j   k  is a probability that the channel k is sensed to be busy by U j  in a time slot. 
         [0068]    p s,ij   k  in formula (1) is given by 
         [0000]    
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   
                     p 
                     
                       s 
                       , 
                       ij 
                     
                     k 
                   
                   = 
                   
                     
                       p 
                       ij 
                     
                      
                     
                       
                         ∏ 
                         
                           
                             m 
                             : 
                             
                               
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                                 m 
                               
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                         ) 
                       
                     
                   
                 
               
               
                 
                   ( 
                   2 
                   ) 
                 
               
             
           
         
       
     
         [0069]    where 
         [0070]    p ij  is a probability that A i  sends data packets to user U j  at a time slot; 
         [0071]    p i  is a probability that A i  transmits in a time slot; 
         [0072]    Ψ j   k  is the set of APs operating on channel k and within the sensing range of U j . 
         [0073]    m: A m εΨ j   k , m≠i A m    
         [0000]    is an AP operating on channel K and belonging to the set of APs within the sensing range of, U j  wherein m is an identifier; m≠i represents that A i  is not included. 
         [0074]    p b,j   k  in formula (1) is given by 
         [0000]    
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   
                     p 
                     
                       b 
                       , 
                       j 
                     
                     k 
                   
                   = 
                   
                     1 
                     - 
                     
                       
                         ∏ 
                         
                           m 
                           : 
                           
                             
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                             m 
                           
                         
                         ) 
                       
                     
                   
                 
               
               
                 
                   ( 
                   3 
                   ) 
                 
               
             
           
         
       
     
         [0075]    By substituting formulae (2) and (3) into formula (1), the throughput of U j  is calculated as 
         [0000]    
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   
                     S 
                     ij 
                     k 
                   
                   = 
                   
                     
                       
                         p 
                         ij 
                       
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                         busy 
                       
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                               busy 
                             
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                               idle 
                             
                           
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                   4 
                   ) 
                 
               
             
           
         
       
     
         [0076]    where p ij  depends on the traffic load of A i  and the number of terminals accepting the service from A i , and thus only A knows the value of p ij . Because p m  depends on the traffic load of A m  and Ψ j   k  is known by U j  only, 
         [0000]    
       
         
           
             
               ∏ 
               
                 
                   m 
                   : 
                   
                     
                       A 
                       m 
                     
                     ∈ 
                     
                       Ψ 
                       j 
                       k 
                     
                   
                 
                 , 
                 
                   m 
                   ≠ 
                   i 
                 
               
             
              
             
               
                 ( 
                 
                   1 
                   - 
                   
                     p 
                     m 
                   
                 
                 ) 
               
                
               
                   
               
                
               and 
                
               
                   
               
                
               
                 
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                     m 
                     : 
                     
                       
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                       m 
                     
                   
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         [0000]    can only be provided by U j . This further confirms that a channel minimizing the conflicts at a terminal can be selected for an AP according to the present invention, for the AP is able to receive network conditions of other APs which are known by terminals only. 
         [0077]    After getting the throughput of each user in a given channel, the AP is capable of selecting, based on formula (5), the channel which can maximize the aggregate throughput of all terminals served by the AP, i.e., selects the channel corresponding to the maximum value of 
         [0000]    
       
         
           
             
               ∑ 
               
                 
                   U 
                   j 
                 
                 ∈ 
                 
                   Θ 
                   
                     i 
                      
                     
                         
                     
                   
                 
               
             
              
             
               S 
               ij 
               k 
             
           
         
       
     
         [0078]    to optimize the network performance. 
         [0000]    
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   
                     max 
                     
                       k 
                       : 
                       
                         available 
                          
                         
                             
                         
                          
                         channels 
                       
                     
                   
                    
                   
                     
                       ∑ 
                       
                         
                           U 
                           j 
                         
                         ∈ 
                         
                           Θ 
                           i 
                         
                       
                     
                      
                     
                       S 
                       
                         ij 
                          
                         
                             
                         
                       
                       k 
                     
                   
                 
               
               
                 
                   ( 
                   5 
                   ) 
                 
               
             
           
         
       
     
         [0079]    where 
         [0080]    Θ i    
         [0081]    denotes the set of terminals served by A i . 
         [0082]    The AP  301  hereby can select, based on the above formulae, a channel which can maximize the aggregate throughput of all terminals serviced by AP  301 . 
         [0083]    The method for selecting a channel for an AP according to the present invention has been described above, and another application of the present invention, i.e., selecting an AP for a terminal based on network conditions of APs within the terminal&#39;s sensing range sent by the terminal, will be described hereinafter. Generally, an AP is selected by a user manually. According to the present invention, multiple APs can help a user to select or recommend an AP with the best performance for a user based on the network conditions sent by terminals, the AP&#39;s load and the like in order to further improve the user experiences. 
       Exemplary Embodiment 4 
       [0084]    A flowchart of selecting an AP for a terminal according to the present invention shown in  FIG. 5  will be described with reference to the schematic diagram illustrating a distribution of a terminal and APs in a WLAN shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         [0085]    In  FIG. 2 , it is assumed that terminal  210  needs to select an AP to provide service to it. 
         [0086]    In step S 501 , terminal  210  may preferably collect network conditions of APs  201 - 206 , and send the collected network conditions to APs  201 - 206  in step S 502 . 
         [0087]    Alternatively, terminal  210  may collect network conditions of some of the APs  201  to  206 , and send the collected network conditions to some of the APs  201  to  206 . 
         [0088]    Alternatively, terminal  210  may send its QoS requirements to APs. 
         [0089]    In step S 503 , APs  201  to AP  206  calculate parameters representing the kind of performance of service available for terminal  210 , respectively, based on the received network conditions. The parameters can include one or more of available bandwidth, jitter and packet loss rate. As known by those skilled in the art, parameters of performance are not limited to these three types, but can be any parameters related to evaluate the service. 
         [0090]    For the purpose of clarity, the parameters of performance calculated by APs  201  to  206  respectively are shown in Table 2. 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                 TABLE 2 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                 Available 
                   
                 Packet Loss 
               
               
                   
                 AP Name 
                 Bandwidth 
                 Jitter 
                 Rate 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 AP 201 
                 10M  
                 21% 
                 25% 
               
               
                   
                 AP 202 
                 2M 
                 5% 
                 2% 
               
               
                   
                 AP 203 
                 9M 
                 6% 
                 30% 
               
               
                   
                 AP 204 
                 8M 
                 20% 
                 15% 
               
               
                   
                 AP 205 
                 7M 
                 8% 
                 12% 
               
               
                   
                 AP 206 
                 3M 
                 15% 
                 20% 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0091]    In step S 504 , APs  201 - 206  send the parameters of performance shown in  FIG. 2  to terminal  210  respectively. 
         [0092]    In step S 505 , the user of terminal  210  selects an AP to accept its service based on the received parameters of performance and its own QoS requirements. Accepting the AP&#39;s service includes directly requesting the selected AP to associate through initiating a new association request frame; and establishing a connection to send traffic data after the association confirmation from the AP, thus accepting the AP&#39;s service. 
         [0093]    If a user desires to use terminal  210  to communicate with an AP to implement high-speed downloads of files, available bandwidth is the terminal&#39;s primary concern. Based on such a QoS requirement, the terminal  210  may select AP  201  to provide service, because it has a higher available bandwidth than other APs. If there are a plurality of APs satisfying its bandwidth requirement, terminal  210  can select one from those APs to provide service. 
         [0094]    If terminal  210  wishes to communicate with an AP to implement VoIP, packet loss rate is the terminal&#39;s primary concern. Based on such a QoS requirement, terminal  210  may select AP  202  to accept its service since AP  202  has a lower packet loss rate. If there are a plurality of APs satisfying the packet loss rate requirement, terminal  210  can select one from those APs to provide service. 
       Exemplary Embodiment 5 
       [0095]    According to this embodiment, for example, terminal  210  may send its own QoS requirements with the network conditions to APs within its sensing range. 
         [0096]    If all APs or some APs within the sensing range of terminal  210  belong to a same management domain, they may send their own network conditions and QoS requirements of terminal  210  to a management entity connected to such APs. Alternatively they may send the calculated parameters of performance and QoS requirements of terminal  210  to the management entity after the parameters representing the kinds of performance being available for terminal  210  are calculated. The management entity is able to negotiate one AP to provide service to terminal  210  based on the QoS requirements and one of the network conditions of APs and these parameters of performance. Then the AP establishes a connection with the terminal  210 . Or, the management entity sends a message to the selected AP to notify the terminal  210  of the AP being recommended to provide service to it, so as to be selected by the user of the terminal. 
         [0097]    Alternatively, if all APs or some APs within the sensing range of terminal  210  can communicate with each other, each AP can send its own network conditions and QoS requirements of terminal  210  to other APs. They may also send the calculated parameters of performance and QoS requirements of terminal  210  to other APs after the parameters representing the kinds of service being available for the terminal  210  are calculated. Each AP then compares the performance of service that it can provide to the terminal  210  with the performance of services that other APs can provide to the terminal  210  respectively. If the performance of service that an AP can provide is better than the performance of services that other APs can provide, the AP and terminal  210  establish a connection. Or, the selected AP notifies the terminal  210  that it is the recommended one to provide a service to the terminal  210 , and the user of the terminal can select it. 
         [0098]    The method for selecting an AP for a terminal according to the present invention has been described above, and structures of a terminal and an AP for implementing the above-mentioned method according to the present invention are described as follows. 
       Exemplary Embodiment 6 
       [0099]    A description of a terminal according to the present invention is given with reference to  FIG. 6 .  FIG. 6  is a schematic block diagram of a terminal  600  according to the present invention. 
         [0100]    The terminal  600  can include a channel scanner  601  for collecting network conditions broadcasted by APs within the sensing range of terminal  600 , since each AP would broadcast its current network conditions on the used channel periodically. The terminal  600  may also include a network conditions communicator  602 , for sending the network conditions collected by the channel scanner  601  to APs (this can be implemented by initiating an association request frame to initiate an association request so as to send the network conditions which will be inserted into the reserved fields of the association request frame to an AP), and alternatively for further sending QoS requirements of the terminal  600  to APs within the sensing range of the terminal  600 . The terminal  600  may further include a connection builder  603 , for receiving parameters of performance which can be provided for the terminal  600  from APs within the sensing range of terminal  600 , and selecting one AP therefrom to provide service based on these parameters of performance and its own QoS requirements. 
       Exemplary Embodiment 7 
       [0101]    A description of an AP according to the present invention is given with reference to  FIG. 7 .  FIG. 7  is a schematic block diagram of an AP according to the present invention. 
         [0102]    AP  700  can include a network conditions communicator  701 , for receiving network conditions of APs within the sensing range of the terminal sent by the terminal, and alternatively for receiving the QoS requirements of the terminal sent therefrom. AP  700  can also include a channel optimizer  703  for selecting a channel based on the network conditions received by the network conditions communicator  701 . 
         [0103]    AP  700  can also include a memory  702  for storing the network conditions received by the network conditions communicator  701  when the terminals cannot send AP  700  the network conditions of other APs simultaneously. The subsequent operations can be implemented after all collectable network conditions of APs are collected. 
         [0104]    AP  700  may further include a performance monitor  704 , for making a statistic on performance of terminals accepting its service. In such case, the memory  702  can also store the performance statistics for further call-out when needed; and the channel optimizer  703  can select a channel based on the received network conditions and performance statistics. 
         [0105]    AP  700  can further include an AP selection optimizer  705  for calculating parameters of performance that can be provided to the terminal based on the network conditions received by the network conditions communicator  701 . AP  700  can further include a connection builder  706  for sending the parameters of performance calculated by the AP selection optimizer  705  to the terminal, such that the terminal can select an AP for providing a service to it based on the received parameters of performance. 
         [0106]    Optionally, AP  700  can include an inter-AP negotiator  707 , for negotiating with other APs to select one AP to provide service to the terminal based on the QoS requirements of the terminal and one of the received network conditions and parameters of performance calculated by the AP selection optimizer  705 . The specific negotiation procedure has been described in Embodiment 5. 
       Exemplary Embodiment 8 
       [0107]    Hereinafter, reference will be made to  FIG. 8  to describe a computer device in which the present invention can be implemented.  FIG. 8  schematically illustrates a structural block diagram of a computer device in which an embodiment according to the present invention can be implemented. 
         [0108]    The computer system as shown in  FIG. 8  includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit)  801 , a RAM (Random Access Memory)  802 , a ROM (Read Only Memory)  803 , a system bus  804 , a hard disk controller  805 , a keyboard controller  806 , a serial interface controller  807 , a parallel interface controller  808 , a display controller  809 , a hard disk  810 , a keyboard  811 , a serial peripheral device  812 , a parallel peripheral device  813  and a display  814 . Among these components, connected to the system bus  804  are the CPU  801 , the RAM  802 , the ROM  803 , the hard disk controller  803 , the keyboard controller  805 , the keyboard controller  806 , the serial interface controller  807 , the parallel interface controller  808  and the display controller  809 . The hard disk  810  is connected to the hard disk controller  805 ; the keyboard  811  is connected to the keyboard controller  806 ; the serial peripheral device  812  is connected to the serial interface controller  807 ; the parallel peripheral device  813  is connected to the parallel interface controller  808 ; and the display  814  is connected to the display controller  809 . 
         [0109]    The structural block diagram in  FIG. 8  is shown only for illustration purpose, and is not intended to limit the invention. In some cases, some devices can be added or reduced as required. 
         [0110]    Further, the embodiments of the present invention can be implemented with software, hardware or the combination of software and hardware. The hardware part can be implemented by a special logic; the software part can be stored in a memory and executed by a proper instruction execution system like a microprocessor or a special designed hardware. 
         [0111]    Further, the embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination thereof. The hardware portion can be implemented by a special logic. The software portion can be stored in a memory and executed by a proper instruction execution system such as a microprocessor or a dedicated designed hardware. 
         [0112]    While this specification contains many specific details, these should not be constructed as limitations on the scope of the disclosure or of what may be claims, but rather as descriptions of features specific to particular implementations of the disclosure. Certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate implementations can also be implemented in combination in a single implementation. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single implementation can also be implemented in multiple implementations separately or in any suitable sub-combination. Moreover, although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a sub-combination or variation of a sub-combination. 
         [0113]    Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various system components in the implementations described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all implementations. It should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products. 
         [0114]    While the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments of the present invention considered by far, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed herein. On the contrary, all modifications and equivalent arrangements that come within the spirit and range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein. The scope of the appended claims is accorded with the broadest interpretation to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.

Technology Category: 5