Wireless Network Selection Using Local Environment Context

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current methods for selecting telecommunications networks fail to adapt access resources to the network infrastructure based on the local environment of terminals, leading to suboptimal connections for multimedia services with diverse mobility and geographic coverage needs.

Innovation Solution

A method that considers contextual information from a reference terminal's local environment, including information processing capabilities and network access connections, to determine the most suitable wireless telecommunications network for a connection, allowing the use of additional communication resources from connected terminals or infrastructure nodes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If network selection is based on overall connection criteria and contextual information, then service quality and coverage are improved, but access resources of terminals become limited or unsuitable

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice qualityVSAvoidaccess resources adaptation
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the network selection process into two independent phases: first selecting the infrastructure network based on overall connection criteria, then selecting peer-to-peer links within the local environment based on terminal capabilities. This segmentation allows each phase to optimize for its specific requirements without compromise.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent adds a new dimension to network selection by introducing local environment information about peer terminals as a separate selection criterion. Instead of selecting only the infrastructure network, the system now selects both the infrastructure network and the peer-to-peer communication path, creating a multi-dimensional selection space that simultaneously optimizes for service quality and resource adaptability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Reliability

If network selection considers contextual information from operator policy and user profiles, then service quality is improved, but complexity of information processing increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice qualityVSAvoidinformation processing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts local environment information from the overall network selection process and handles it separately through peer discovery mechanisms. By taking out the peer-to-peer selection component, the system can process infrastructure network selection using traditional methods while independently processing peer terminal capabilities, thereby managing complexity through separation of concerns.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Adaptability or versatility

If terminal access resources are adapted to application needs, then connectivity and service quality are improved, but device complexity and resource management overhead increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccess resources adaptationVSAvoidresource management complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements self-service by enabling terminals to autonomously discover and evaluate peer terminals in their local environment without requiring complex centralized resource management. Each terminal independently assesses peer capabilities and selects appropriate communication paths, distributing the resource management complexity across multiple nodes rather than concentrating it in a single controller.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP2039209B1Method, device and system of selecting a wireless access network based on environment information, computer program and corresponding data medium
Publication Date: 2017.11.01 ORANGE SA
  • EP2039209B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2039209B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP2039209B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

The method of selecting a wireless access telecommunication network in a global link between a first terminal (18) and a second terminal (12) comprises the steps of furnishing context information related to a set of at least one terminal (12, 18) called context taken from the first and second terminals, and in determining the network selected from context information from the set of context terminals (12, 18) by following a set of predetermined rules. The context information of at least one reference terminal taken in the set of context terminals includes information related to a local environment of the at least one reference terminal (12) and the determination of the selected network depends on information related to the local environment of the at least one reference terminal (12). Fig. 1 Utilisateur User Noeud Node