Method and device for selecting a radio transmission channel in a radio system

Abstract

Method for selecting a radio transmission channel from a group of radio transmission channels, each corresponding to different transmission technologies and / or using different infrastructure components, for establishing a data connection between a mobile unit (7, 17) and a central unit (6), wherein - the central unit (6) is connectable to a first local unit (2a, 2b, 3a, 4a) arranged in a local area (A, B), via which a data transmission connection to the mobile unit (7, 17) can be established by means of a first radio transmission channel which corresponds to a first transmission technology of the different transmission technologies and / or uses a first infrastructure component, - the central unit (6) is connectable to a second local unit (2a, 2b, 3a, 4a) arranged in the local area (A, B), via which a connection to the mobile unit (7, 17) can be established by means of a second radio transmission channel which corresponds to a second transmission technology of the different transmission technologies and / or uses a second infrastructure component, - wherein the mobile unit (7, 17) has at least two radio units (9, 10, 11), each of which is designed for data transmission via one of the two radio transmission channels, - wherein data on at least one previous radio connection, so-called historical data, on at least one of the radio transmission channels in the local area (A, B) are used to select the radio transmission channel from the group of radio transmission channels, - wherein the historical data are geodata-referenced, wherein the selection is made based on a position determination of the mobile unit (7, 17) and the geodata-referenced historical data, and - wherein the position of the mobile unit (7, 17) is determined by means of a navigation system and a preconditioning of the respective selection process of the radio transmission channel for route sections along the route is carried out on the basis of a route stored in the navigation system along which the mobile unit moves and on the basis of the geodata-referenced historical data.

Description

The invention relates to a method and a device for selecting a radio transmission channel in a network radio connection. The invention relates in particular to the selection of a radio transmission channel from a plurality of radio transmission channels, each of which has different transmission technologies.Mobile terminals such as mobile telephones, smart phones, tablet PCs or laptops are often able to communicate wirelessly via radio channels of different transmission technologies and have electronic components corresponding to the respective technology. A first such transmission technology is, for example, a mobile radio technology for data transmission in a mobile radio network on the basis of corresponding mobile radio standards such as, for example, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) or GSM 3G or Long Term Evolution (LTE) or GSM 4G. There are other wireless transmission technologies, for example, wireless local network (WLAN) technology corresponding to the group of IEEE 802.11x standards for operating a computer network. Another wireless transmission technology for mobile terminals is, for example, the Bluetooth technology according to the technology standard IEEE 802.15.1. Different transmission technologies may differ, for example, with regard to their transmission frequencies, in their transmission layer structure and / or in their transmission protocols. For controlling the respective data transmission, a corresponding, standardized transmission protocol is provided for each of the transmission technologies, wherein different versions of the standard can be provided, such as GSM 2G / 3G or IEEE 802.11a / b / n, which differ from one another in each case in details for the respective implementations.When selecting the radio transmission channel or the connection network in a mobile radio network, it is regularly decided with which stationary base station a mobile radio device, for example a mobile telephone, communicates for data transmission. A change of the transmission channel may become necessary, for example, if the mobile radio device is located in a region in which signals of two base stations can be received. This is necessary, for example, if the mobile radio device moves from the transmission / reception area, i.e., of the mobile radio cell of the first base station, into the transmission / reception area of the second base station, for example, during a car trip. The change of the communication of the mobile radio device from the transmission channel with the first base station to the transmission channel with the second base station and / or between similar mobile radio networks or transmission channels is also referred to as a horizontal handover process.In so-called hybrid communication networks, a wireless data connection can take place via radio transmission channels of different transmission technologies and / or via different connection infrastructure components.In hybrid communication networks, it is sometimes advantageous or even necessary to switch the wireless data connection between terminals, base stations, switches and / or central data sources selectively and / or in parallel, completely or partially and permanently or temporarily between radio channels of different transmission technologies. In order to be able to automatically control such, so-called vertical handover processes and advantageously make the associated decisions in hybrid communication networks, suitable decision criteria or algorithms are required. In hybrid communication networks, it is sometimes also advantageous or even necessary to switch the wireless data connection between terminals, base stations, switching centers and / or central data sources selectively and / or in parallel, completely or partially and permanently or temporarily between radio channels of different connection infrastructures of the same transmission technology, for example between infrastructure components of different mobile radio providers or between base stations of different mobile radio cells. In order to be able to automatically control such horizontal handover processes and advantageously make the decisions associated therewith in hybrid communication networks, suitable decision criteria or algorithms are likewise required.The increasingly widespread parallel availability of static or mobile network elements of various connection technologies, such as WLAN elements, for example according to the IEEE 802.11x or ETSI ITS G5 standards or mobile radio networks with multi-antenna radio, such as according to the 3GPP LTE standard, results in more and more networking possibilities for connecting the mobile terminal to a central device, such as a central computer or server.US 2009 / 0059861 A1 describes various methods for controlling a handover process of a cell-based transmission system with a change between two transmission frequencies. In a first method, the signal strength is determined at the mobile radio device at the respective transmission frequency and the connection is set up via the frequency that has the greater signal strength. In a second method, the signal quality of the respective transmission frequency is determined at the mobile radio device and the connection is set up via the transmission frequency with the better signal quality.US 2011 / 0267969 A1 likewise describes a handover process between mobile radio cells, in which a series of received signal parameters for controlling the process, such as e.g. the signal strength and the signal-to-noise ratio, are taken into account.US 2012 / 0064908 A1 discloses a handover process in a wireless telecommunication network, in which a moving terminal connected in the network at one access point is connected, or respectively transferred, to another access point.US 2013 / 0023281 A1 describes a method for selecting a radio access carrier resource, for example in the course of a handover process between two corresponding radio access carrier resources. Historical data is used in connection with a radio access bearer resource. Furthermore, location information may be used to determine a radio access bearer resource. Based on the historical data and location information of a radio access bearer resource, its suitability for selection can be determined.It is the object of the invention to achieve a high connection quality in a communication network which enables a wireless data connection via radio transmission channels of different transmission technologies and / or different infrastructure components.This object is achieved by the invention specified in the independent patent claims. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are set forth in the dependent claims.According to the invention, a radio transmission channel is selected from a group of radio transmission channels, which respectively correspond to different transmission technologies and / or use different infrastructure components, for establishing a data connection between a mobile unit and a central unit. In this case, the central unit can be connected and in particular is connected to a first local unit which is arranged in a local area and via which a data transmission connection to the mobile unit can be established by means of a first radio transmission channel which corresponds to a first transmission technology of the different transmission technologies and / or uses a first infrastructure component. The central unit can furthermore be connected and in particular connected to a second local unit, which is arranged in the local area and via which a connection to the mobile unit can be established by means of a second radio transmission channel, which corresponds to a second transmission technology of the different transmission technologies and / or uses a second infrastructure component. The mobile unit has at least two radio units, which are each designed for a data transmission via one of the two radio transmission channels. For the selection of the radio transmission channel from the group of radio transmission channels, data on at least one earlier radio connection, so-called historical data, is used on at least one of the radio transmission channels in the local area. The data connection can then be established between the mobile unit and the central unit via the selected radio transmission channel. In this case, it is furthermore provided that the historical data are geodata referenced, wherein the selection is carried out on the basis of a position determination of the mobile unit and the geodata referenced historical data. In addition, the position of the mobile unit is determined by means of a navigation system and on the basis of a route stored in the navigation system along which the mobile unit moves. Furthermore, the geodata-referenced historical data are used to precondition the respective selection process of the radio transmission channel for route sections along the route.The selection of the radio transmission channel is effected in particular in a communication network in which the data connection is established. The selection can be made in the mobile unit and in particular when the mobile unit is located in the local area or is moving towards this area in which a connection can be established both to the first local unit and to the second local unit by means of its at least two radio units. The selection can be made in particular in the course of the changeover from a first local area to a second local area, wherein the radio transmission channel in the mobile unit can be changed or switched depending on the selection. On the basis of the selection, a horizontal and / or a vertical handover process of the radio transmission channel can take place. For this purpose, the radio units can each be designed accordingly, for example by a transmitting and / or receiving unit which corresponds to a respective radio transmission technology and / or by an electronic and / or program-related component, by means of which coupling can take place with an infrastructure component of the communication network, for example a SIM mobile radio card.The historical data can be, in particular, empirically obtained and / or time-stamped and / or stored data. The historical data can be recorded, provided and / or stored in particular in the mobile unit, in at least one of the local units, in the central unit and / or in a further data source, for example in a backend server connectable to the communication network, and in particular can be available there in each case. The historical data can be exchanged in particular between one or more of these units. The mobile unit is movable and moves in particular in the local area.The infrastructure component can be, for example, a mobile radio base station, a central unit of a network operator or a control component of the respective communication network, in particular of the mobile radio network of the network operator. The infrastructure component can also be a corresponding component for a radio transmission channel of another transmission technology, for example an access point for a WLAN network.The selection of the radio transmission channel from the group of radio transmission channels can be effected completely or partially automatically. It can be controlled, for example, completely or partially by a computer program which is executed by means of a processor provided within the mobile unit. The selection can also be controlled by suitable other electronic and in particular digital control components.The invention is based on the recognition that the process of selecting a radio transmission channel in a local area can be controlled much more easily and accurately if the historical data on at least one of the radio transmission channels in the local area is available and used. This is because the selection decision can then be made on the basis of the results or data of earlier selection processes. This can lead to a number of advantages, in particular in selection decisions for vertical and / or horizontal handovers in hybrid networks:High connection quality, in particular when historical connection quality data relating to a plurality of radio transmission channels are used for controlling the channel selection. The connection quality can have the effect, for example, of reliability of the radio connection, of rapid connection establishment and / or of cost-effective connection.High reception strength, in particular when historical data for the reception strength of a plurality of radio transmission channels are used for controlling the channel selection.No or fewer connection interruptions and relatively few vertical handover events and thus more robust communication. This is of great importance in particular when the mobile unit is moved, for example as a smart phone with a vehicle and in particular in the form of a vehicle, for example when a mobile radio card is fixedly integrated into the vehicle.Short connection time (so-called air time) between the mobile unit and the local unit. This allows more efficient use of the radio transmission channel, unnecessary protocol overhead in the communication thereof to be avoided and resources of the radio interface to be optimized.Furthermore, it can be provided in particular that at least one sensor is provided in at least one of the units, preferably in the mobile unit, with which measured values of the respective radio transmission channel relevant to the quality of the radio transmission are detected and these are likewise used for selecting the radio transmission channel. The following measured variables can be detected, for example, using the sensor or sensors:passively measurable network parameters such as performance characteristics, reception strength, signal-to-noise ratio, channel load, interference response, etc.actively measurable network parameters such as latency, packet error rate, or maximum or average data transfer rate.The sensor can be integrated in particular into the mobile radio modem or the mobile radio modem itself can be the sensor.In particular, further local measured variables, which are in particular not network-specific or not specific for the radio transmission channel and / or are recorded by a vehicle sensor system, can be detected in the mobile unit and used for the selection, for example by means of position, direction, speed and acceleration sensors, rotation rate sensors, direction sensors, imaging sensors, weather sensors, in particular precipitation sensors, etc.Criteria for the selection of the radio transmission channel or data transmission network connected thereto and / or a network infrastructure component can be determined both locally in the mobile unit on the basis of values determined by measurement and / or scanned, and cooperatively. In the case of a cooperative determination, data can also be received and used via radio transmission channels from other data sources, such as the local units or from a central data service, in particular from the central unit. Historical data and / or current data to the respective data transmission networks and / or technologies can be provided as a so-called availability card, which comprises a plurality of local areas, is time-referenced and / or is created on the part of the mobile unit or an external data source of the network provider or other service provider. In addition, a network load map can be provided in particular by a network operator, said map representing the current load of the respective network or of the respective radio transmission technology. Based on the availability map and / or the network utilization map, an experience map can be created that includes additional data, experience values and / or evaluations, and in particular historical data. The corresponding historical data are each based on a plurality of empirically and in particular metrologically determined data for example for network availability, for availability of the respective transmission technology and / or for the respective signal strength. Data of the availability card, the network load card and / or the experience card can be used to select the radio transmission channel and / or a network infrastructure component. The position sensor system can be, for example, a geodata referencing sensor system based on the global positioning system (GPS).The mobile unit can be a vehicle in particular. Vehicle in the sense of the present invention may be any type of vehicle, for example a bicycle, a motor vehicle, an electric vehicle, a train, a ship, etc. The mobile unit may also be a mobile radio device such as a smart phone or another unit comprising at least one electronic communication module.The measured variables mentioned can be used advantageously in particular when the mobile unit is a vehicle or is used in the course of a movement with a vehicle. Local vehicle parameters can be detected as measured variables and used to select the radio transmission channel.The use of current measured variables of the vehicle sensor system and / or corresponding current data from other sources for selecting the radio transmission channel enables improved preconditioning, in particular in the case of vertical and / or horizontal handover decisions, in the case of weather influences such as, for example, snowfall or heavy rain or in the case of high traffic volumes. By means of such preconditioning, it is possible in particular to improve vertical and / or horizontal handover decisions which are carried out for a moving mobile unit in the course of a transition between two mobile radio cells.In an advantageous exemplary embodiment of the invention, the radio transmission channel is selected from the group of radio transmission channels by means of control data which are generated and / or stored outside the mobile unit. Such control data may also be referred to as external control data. The selection process for a radio transmission channel in a local area can be controlled in a substantially simpler and more accurate manner in particular if such external control data are available and used for at least one of the radio transmission channels in the local area.According to an advantageous exemplary embodiment of the invention, the external control data are geodata referenced and the radio transmission channel is selected on the basis of a position determination of the mobile unit and the geodata referenced historical data. The historical data can also be time referenced and the selection can be made based on a time determination and the time referenced historical data.According to a further advantageous exemplary embodiment of the invention, a controller provided in the mobile unit, a controller provided in the central unit and / or a controller provided in one of the local units cooperate to select the radio transmission channel.The historical data and / or the external control data can be stored in one of the controllers, in particular, completely or partially. They can be transmitted from this controller to another controller in the course of the radio transmission channel selection process.In the mobile unit, a first control component can preferably be provided for controlling the radio connection of the first radio technology and / or for the use of the first infrastructure component, and a second control component can be provided for controlling the radio connection of the second radio technology and / or for the use of the second infrastructure component. The two control components can cooperate in terms of control technology for selecting the radio transmission link. The historical data are stored in particular in the mobile unit. These stored data are used in particular for selecting the radio transmission channel.According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the radio transmission channel is additionally selected as a function of at least one computer-controlled application which runs on a processor which is connected to the mobile unit by control technology and is in particular integrated into the mobile unit. This embodiment can be used particularly advantageously, for example, when the mobile unit is a vehicle. Depending on the type of the at least one application, at least one of the radio transmission channels can then be preferred in the selection. This allows the respective connection technology and / or infrastructure components to be optimized with respect to the respective application and thus the quality of the respective service provided by the application to be optimized.For example, it can be provided that for an entertainment application a radio transmission channel is preferred via which a high data rate can be transmitted, e.g. a WLAN channel, while for example for a safety-relevant application such as an emergency call function a radio channel with the highest possible signal strength is preferred, e.g. a GSM channel. For the degree of preference, a parameter can be provided, for example, in corresponding decision algorithms for selecting the radio transmission channel. The respective applications can also be classified with respect to a priority for selection. For this purpose, for example, the emergency call function and functions of driver assistance systems, with which traffic flow-relevant data such as end-of-traffic data or cross traffic data are transmitted, can be classified with a high priority, Internet and multimedia functions with a medium priority and information services with a low priority.The application-related optimization in the selection of the radio transmission channel can be carried out on the basis of locally detected and stored data within the mobile unit and / or on the basis of data which are provided by the central unit and / or transmitted to the mobile unit. The data can include historical data and / or further control data. The decision parameters or optimization goals for the selection of the radio transmission channel can be used, for example, as the maximum data rate, a minimum transmission time, minimum transmission costs or a maximum robustness of the respective data service.With the invention, the load or scaling of the various radio transmission channels can advantageously also be optimized for a local area, for example if it can be seen on the basis of the historical data that in the local area a specific radio transmission channel is overloaded daily at a specific time, such as during the so-called brush hour in occupation traffic, and another radio transmission channel is only poorly used. In this situation, the low-load radio transmission channel can be selected in a targeted manner on the basis of the historical data, i.e. load balancing can take place in the local area between the various radio transmission channels, such as a GSM mobile radio transmission channel and a WLAN radio transmission channel.As a result, the spectral efficiency of the radio transmission channels in this range can be increased. Current data relating to brush resources or traffic compressions or jams caused otherwise can also be provided currently via the central unit and / or external data sources and used for selecting the radio connection channel. To provide corresponding data, so-called crowd-sourced methods can also be used, wherein data from a plurality of vehicles, which are located in the same local area or were recently located, are transmitted via a central data source, such as a so-called backend server, or also directly from vehicle-to-vehicle to the respective mobile unit in which the radio transmission channel is to be selected.Control data and / or historical data can also be transmitted directly from a first vehicle, in particular, a vehicle which exits from the local area, to a second vehicle, in particular, a vehicle which enters the local area, for example, wirelessly in the form of a vehicle-to-vehicle (car-to-car) communication. This highly up-to-date data can then be used by the second vehicle for the selection of the radio transmission channel.If a plurality of data transmissions are carried out in parallel via a radio transmission channel, it is also advantageous to provide a central control system which takes into account the respective data-transmitting applications. This control can be provided wholly or partly in the mobile unit, in the local unit and / or in the central unit. It is advantageous if measured variables determined locally with the mobile unit or the local unit are made available for the respective other units via suitable interfaces, for example via one or more of the radio transmission channels.In cases in which the mobile unit is a vehicle, the invention can also be used particularly advantageously in that it can be connected to a backend server via the radio transmission channels and the central unit and can in turn be connected to a large number of other vehicles using data technology via this server. It can thus acquire and store a large number of historical data which are transmitted to it by the respective vehicles from the respective local areas, for example to the radio transmission channels there. The transmitted data can in particular be georeferenced or georeferenced in the course of storage in the backend server.For the selection of the radio transmission channel, different algorithms can be realized which use the historical data and optionally further data or parameters as well as their classification, weighting and linking. For corresponding decisions within the selection process, threshold-based rules, for example, can be used, fuzzy logic-based algorithms and / or algorithms that are based on the method of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP).According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, for at least one data transmission process via one of the radio transmission channels in the local area and outside the mobile unit, channel connection data, so-called external channel connection data, are generated. The radio transmission channel can then be selected from the group of radio transmission channels by means of the external channel connection data. The selection of the radio transmission channel can furthermore take place in particular in the mobile unit.A transmission technology in the sense of the present invention can provide, in particular, a cellular network, at least one access point and / or at least one ad hoc radio network. The transmission technology may comply with a technology standard for data transmission, for example one of the standardsGlobal System for Mobile Communications (GSM), GSM2, GSM3 (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System, UMTS), GSM4 (Long Term Evolution, LTE, LTE-A),wireless local area network (WLAN) according to the group of the IEEE 802.11x standards,the standard European Telecommunications Standards Institute Intelligent Transport System ETSI ITS G5, orthe standard worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), and optionally again a specific version thereof and one derived therefromstandards, oranother data transmission standard.In summary, the invention advantageously allows control technology coordination between control units of different radio transmission channels or communication technologies and / or for the use of different infrastructure components for the radio transmission channels. The inventive selection method for a radio transmission channel allows active resource management and active connection management for the respective radio transmission channels to be carried out in particular on the part of the mobile unit. These may be application-related in particular. They can be controlled centrally. By means of a specific cost function, it is also advantageously possible to achieve optimized handling of the available degrees of freedom in a hybrid network and thus an improvement in the quality of function during its use. The selective selection of the radio transmission channel also allows the energy efficiency of the mobile unit to be improved in that, for example, a reduced transmission power can be set for the radio transmission channel or a radio transmission channel with less complex signal processing complexity is selected.The invention can also achieve saving connection fees for the data connection between the mobile unit and the central unit if the external data contain a fee parameter which corresponds to the respective fee rates of the respective radio transmission channels assigned in the local area and / or the time. The selection of the radio transmission channel can then also be effected taking into account the charge parameter.Further exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to figures. The following are shown: FIG. 1 schematically shows the passage of a motor vehicle through two local regions, FIG. 2 shows a data transmission for historical data, FIG. 3 is a flow chart for selecting a radio transmission channel; and FIG. 4 is a structural diagram for selecting a radio transmission channel.In FIG. 1, a hybrid network infrastructure 1 is shown, which in this example comprises a GSM 3G mobile radio network 2, a WLAN network 3 and an ETSI ITS G5 mobile radio network 4. The network infrastructure 1 can also comprise other transmission technologies. A corresponding second network infrastructure can also be provided, which is completely or partially independent of the first network infrastructure and is operated, for example, by another network operator. The two network infrastructures can optionally use the same components completely or partially and / or have the same transmission technologies, for example use a base station together, but can be configured differently in terms of control technology. The GSM 3G mobile radio network 2 extends over two local areas A, B over a full area, wherein two mobile radio cells 2 c, 2 dadjacent to one another are symbolically indicated in FIG. 1, and the indicated dividing line 12 separates the local areas A, B. Local regions can also be referred to as regions or as zones or represent such regions or be parts of such regions. They can in principle be arbitrarily divided or delimited from one another within a map. Local areas may, but need not, be contiguous to each other seamlessly. They may overlap, for example. Boundaries of local regions can be defined, for example, by boundaries of radio network cells of a mobile radio network.Two local units in the form of mobile radio base stations 2 aand 2 bare drawn in in the local area A with respect to the GSM 3G mobile radio network 2 of the network infrastructure 1, each of which has at least one mobile radio antenna, and a mobile radio network controller 5, which is operated by the network operator of the mobile radio network and via which, inter alia, the corresponding mobile radio data are communicated. The mobile radio network controller 5 is in turn connected to a central unit 6, which can also exchange data with the two other networks 3 (WLAN), 4 (ETSI ITS 5). This connection can be at least partially wired. In the WLAN network 3, a local unit in the form of a WLAN base station 3 awhich comprises a WLAN antenna and a WLAN network controller 13 are furthermore provided in the local area B. In the ETSI ITS G5 mobile radio network 4 a local unit in the form of an ETSI ITS 5 base station 4 ais accordingly provided, which comprises at least one ETSI ITS 5 antenna and an ETSI ITS 5 network controller 14. The WLAN network 3 comprises in the local area B a WLAN radio cell 3 a, within which wireless communication with a mobile unit on the basis of the WLAN transmission technology is possible. The ETSI ITS G5 mobile radio network 4 comprises in the local area B an ITS radio cell 4 b, within which wireless communication with a mobile unit is possible on the basis of the ETSI ITS G5 transmission technology.Furthermore, a motor vehicle 7 is schematically depicted in FIG. 1, wherein in particular its dimensions are not scale-wide compared to the size of the mobile radio cell 2 c. In the present example, the vehicle 7 comprises a plurality of components for radio-based data transmissions. A communication controller 8 allows selection of the radio transmission technology for wireless communication on the basis of the three above-mentioned radio transmission technologies. The data transmission is then carried out via a GSM communication module 9 which supports the GSM3 transmission technology, via a WLAN communication module 10 which supports the WLAN transmission technology or via a communication module 11 which supports the ETSI ITS G5 transmission technology. In the communication controller 8, it is selected for this purpose in each case via which of the modules 9, 10, 11, i.e. via which radio transmission channel a data connection is established between the vehicle 7 and the central unit 6. The selection (vertical handover) is in particular carried out again when the motor vehicle 7 has reached the predefined local area B by its movement in the direction C from the predefined local area A.FIG. 2 once again shows the motor vehicle 7 in the local area A, wherein here, in addition to the radio transmission modules 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, sensors 16 aare also shown, with which radio transmission parameters of the respective radio transmission channels can be detected, such as the respective signal strength. The measured values of the radio transmission parameters can then be used for the selection or the vertical handover. Furthermore, a central vehicle controller 19 ais provided in the motor vehicle 7, which is connected to the communication controller 8 for controlling the radio transmission for the exchange of data. The vehicle controller 19 aobtains measurement data from in-vehicle sensors 18 a, such as speed sensors, position sensors, acceleration sensors, etc. These data detected locally in the mobile unit or in the motor vehicle 7 can be used in the communication controller 8 for the selection of the radio transmission channel. The communication controller 8 can also store historical, georeferenced data which were recorded with the sensors located in the motor vehicle 7 during earlier journeys through the local area A. This data can also be used for the selection of the radio transmission channel in the local area A. Furthermore, the controller 8 can retrieve historical data from a data memory 15 of the central unit 6 via a currently existing radio connection, on the basis of which data the selection of the radio transmission channel is controlled. This historical data may also be georeferenced to the local area A based on position coordinates. The central unit 6 can also retrieve data from further sources 6 aand provide it to the communication controller 8 or send it to this controller, which it can then use to select the radio transmission channel. For example, a further data source 6 acan be provided by a network operator of a mobile radio network, via which the network operator currently informs about faults. Such current or historical data of the network operators can be time-related and / or georeferenced.In FIG. 2, a vehicle 17 is located in the local local area B, which vehicle likewise has the components described above with respect to vehicle 7. However, the vehicle 17 is just about to leave the local area B in its direction of travel D. The communication controller 8 aof the mobile unit or of the vehicle 17 transmits data on radio transmission channels recorded in the vehicle 17 when it is located in the local area B to the central unit, which stores the latter as historical data, wherein a time stamp can be assigned for the input of the data in order to take account of its upduality in a later forwarding to other vehicles. The recorded data can be measured values of the radio sensors 16 band / or of the vehicle sensors 18 b, but can also be fault or fault messages of the respective radio transmission modules 9 a, 10 a, 11 aand / or of the communication controller 8 aor other historical data or experience maps stored in the communication controller 8 a, which were recorded already earlier.FIG. 3 shows a flow chart for selecting a radio transmission channel, also called transmission channel selection. In a first phase 20, the decision is prepared, in a second phase 21, the decision is made on the basis of information from step 20 and by means of predefined rules, which transmission channel is selected, and in a third phase 22, the receiver is set accordingly in order to effect the data transmission via the selected transmission channel. The phases 20, 21, 22 for the transmission channel selection are in this case repeated at regular time intervals in order to enable as uninterrupted a data transmission with as high a data transmission rate as possible, even if the mobile terminal is moving. The phases can also be traversed by means of position information, wherein a new traverse takes place when predefined local regions are reached. In this case, it is furthermore possible to predict, on the basis of a road map and current sensor data of a vehicle such as its speed, steering angle, etc., when the mobile terminal or vehicle is within a predefined range. In this case, data of a travel route programmed into a navigation system on which the vehicle is located can also be used in particular. On the basis of this information and further information described above or below, for example regarding available radio transmission channels, at least decision criteria and in particular already pre-decisions or the fixed decision for the selection of a radio transmission channel can then be provided or made proactively in a local area which the mobile unit or the vehicle only reaches at a later point in time. As a result, upon arrival in the area, any handover process can be carried out quickly, efficiently and without interference, in particular without interruption.Phase 20 is divided into four steps. In step 20 a, criteria can be determined both locally on the receiver side on the basis of directly measured or scanned values and cooperatively. In the case of a cooperative determination, data about networks that are currently and / or soon available can also be determined from other data sources, such as an availability map provided by a central data service or an experience map created by the receiver in the course of time, which are each based on a multiplicity of empirically determined data. In step 20 b, a rule-based preselection of transmission channels takes place, wherein this can likewise take place locally, cooperatively or in combination locally and cooperatively. Locally, a transmission channel can be excluded, for example, on the basis of a lower speed limit of the data transmission or on the basis of a lower radio power limit. Cooperatively, for example, a central data service can be deceased of the use of a network service and, therefore, a transmission channel using this network service can be excluded. For example, the network operator can provide information that a specific network or a specific radio transmission channel is used in the relevant local area. On the basis of this information, the relevant radio transmission channel can be excluded from the selection.In step 20c, the predetermined, decision-making performance indicators (KPI) are evaluated and a quality value is derived therefrom for each transmission channel. In this case, locally different performance values such as, for example, the data transmission rate, the radio intensity, the spectral efficiency, the energy consumption on the part of the receiver, data transmission time delays, a signal-to-noise ratio, signal interruptions, local preference settings, etc. can be evaluated on the basis of evaluation rules. For this purpose, it is also possible, for example, to use preamble data of transmission protocol data and / or to integrate measured values in time. The performance indicators can also comprise further information such as rate information or preference information relating to the respective radio transmission channels. In step 20 c, too, a local evaluation and / or a cooperative evaluation can take place. In step 20 d, the available radio transmission channels are evaluated, wherein a sequence can also be formed according to a predefined rule.FIG. 4 illustrates a structural diagram for a process for selecting a radio transmission channel from a group of different radio transmission channels in a mobile unit, which can be used for the above-described process variants. For this purpose, a processor 25 is provided in the mobile unit, for example in the communication controller 8 shown in FIG. 1, which processor executes a corresponding computer program that brings about the selection method. In addition, various data are loaded into the processor 25 to control the selection method. In particular, control parameters 31 are loaded into the processor 25, so-called intelligent data planning parameters (IDP parameters), by which, for example, a specific one of various selection algorithms supported by the computer program is applied for the selection method. Furthermore, network parameters 26 corresponding to the individual radio transmission channels available in the group, in particular provided by the central unit, the local units and / or the mobile unit, are loaded into the processor 25. Sensor system data 27, which are detected in particular in the mobile unit, are also loaded into the processor 25. These can be, for example, data of a radio-specific sensor system or data of a vehicle-specific sensor system. In addition, road map data 28 can be loaded into the processor 25, for example for the topology of the area in which the mobile unit is currently located or which it will reach on the basis of a travel route loaded in a navigation system, and corresponding sensor data relating to the current location, such as global positioning system (GPS) data or data derived therefrom, such as speed data. Furthermore, external data 29 can be loaded into the processor 25, which data are provided by a data source external to the mobile unit, such as the central unit, for example, and are retrieved from there.Both the external data and the local data can be historical data, wherein, in particular in the case of earlier radio connections, they have been recorded and then stored in the same local area in which the mobile unit is currently located for the same radio transmission channels. However, the historical data can also be based on other boundary conditions, for example on a time indication according to which, for example, a specific radio transmission channel is heavily used in a specific time period and is then relatively poorly available. A corresponding data collection, in which historical data relating to a plurality of local areas or areas is stored, can be provided as an experience map. Corresponding historical data, which are stored in the mobile unit and in particular formed from measured values acquired by sensors of the mobile unit, can likewise be loaded into the processor 25 as local historical data 30.When the computer program executed in the processor 25 has processed the respective loaded data, at least one data record or a control value 32 is output, with which the selection of a radio transmission channel from the group of available radio transmission channels takes place in the mobile unit, in particular by switching the mobile unit to the respective communication module of the respective radio transmission channel.The following categories of information can be used for the selection of the radio transmission channel, in each case individually or in combination:traffic informationnetwork utilizationAvailability cardexperience map and / orroad map.The respective information can be georeferenced, so that overall a complex, multi-layered information landscape or map landscape can be created. The respective information may include current data and / or historical data.The described devices and system components are controlled in particular with computer programs and can for this purpose comprise further elements, known per se, of computers and digital control devices such as a microprocessor, volatile and nonvolatile memories, interfaces, etc. The invention can therefore also be implemented wholly or partly in the form of a computer program product which, when loaded and executed on a computer, brings about a sequence according to the invention wholly or partly. It can be provided, for example, in the form of an electronically readable data carrier.

Claims

Method for selecting a radio transmission channel from a group of radio transmission channels, which respectively correspond to different transmission technologies and / or use different infrastructure components, for establishing a data connection between a mobile unit (7, 17) and a central unit (6), wherein - the central unit (6) can be connected to a first local unit (2a, 2b, 3a, 4a) arranged in a local area (A, B), via which a data transmission connection to the mobile unit (7, 17) can be established by means of a first radio transmission channel, which corresponds to a first transmission technology of the different transmission technologies and / or uses a first infrastructure component, - the central unit (6) can be connected to a second local unit (2a, 2b, 3a, 4a) arranged in the local area (A, B), via which a connection to the mobile unit (7, 17) can be established by means of a second radio transmission channel which corresponds to a second transmission technology of the different transmission technologies and / or uses a second infrastructure component, - wherein the mobile unit (7, 17) has at least two radio units (9, 10, 11) which are each designed for a data transmission via one of the two radio transmission channels, - wherein data relating to at least one earlier radio connection, so-called historical data, are used for the selection of the radio transmission channel from the group of radio transmission channels in the local area (A, B), - wherein the historical data are geodata referenced, wherein the selection is carried out on the basis of a position determination of the mobile unit (7, 17) and the geodata referenced historical data, and - wherein the position determination of the mobile unit (7, 7, 7, 17) is carried out by means of a navigation system and, on the basis of a route stored in the navigation system, along which the mobile unit moves and, on the basis of the geodata-referenced historical data, preconditioning of the respective selection process of the radio transmission channel for route sections along the route is carried out.Method according to Claim 1, characterized in that the historical data are recorded, provided and / or stored in the mobile unit (7, 17), in the local unit (2a, 2b, 3a, 4a), in the central unit (6) and / or in a further data source.Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the historical data is time referenced.Method according to Claim 3, characterized in that the selection is carried out on the basis of a time determination and the time-referenced historical data.Method according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, in order to select the radio transmission channel, a controller provided in the mobile unit (7, 17), a controller provided in the central unit (6) and / or a controller provided in one of the local units (2a, 2b, 3a, 4a) interact.Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the radio transmission channel is selected from the group of radio transmission channels by means of control data which are generated and / or stored outside the mobile unit (7, 17).Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mobile unit (7, 17) is a vehicle.Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mobile unit (7, 17) has a first controller (9, 10, 11) for controlling the radio connection of the first radio technology and / or first infrastructure component, and a second controller (9, 10, 11) for controlling the radio connection of the second radio technology and / or second infrastructure component.Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one sensor (16a) is provided in the mobile unit (7, 17) and in particular in at least one controller of the mobile unit (7, 17), with which sensor measurement values relevant to the quality of the radio transmission are detected and used for selecting the radio transmission link.Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the radio transmission channel is additionally selected as a function of at least one computer-controlled application which runs on a processor which is connected to the mobile unit (7, 17) by control technology.Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transmission technologies of the radio transmission channels are each selected from the following group of standardized technologies: GSM, GSM2, GSM3, GSM4, LTE, LTE-A, UMTS, WLAN, WiMAX, ETSI ITS G5.Device for selecting a radio transmission channel from a group of radio transmission channels, which respectively correspond to different transmission technologies and / or use different infrastructure components and with which a data connection can be established between a mobile unit (7, 17) and a central unit (6), comprising means for carrying out a method according to one of Claims 1 to 11.Computer program product for selecting a radio transmission channel from a group of radio transmission channels, which respectively correspond to different transmission technologies and / or use different infrastructure components, for establishing a data connection between a mobile unit (7, 17) and a central unit (6), which, when loaded and executed on a computer, brings about a method according to one of Claims 1 to 11.

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