IP Library Granted Patent US 9,769,721
Granted Patent B2
US 9,769,721 · App. 14/570,396 · Granted Sep 19, 2017

Channel switching method, apparatus, and device

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,769,721
App. No.
14/570,396
Granted
Sep 19, 2017
Kind
B2
Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a channel switching method, apparatus, and device. The method includes: obtaining, by a mobile Wi-Fi device, a channel switching instruction sent by a Wi-Fi access point, where the channel switching instruction carries a destination channel identifier; and switching, by the mobile Wi-Fi device according to the channel switching instruction, a communication channel between the mobile Wi-Fi device and the Wi-Fi access point, and a communication channel between the mobile Wi-Fi device and a terminal that accesses the mobile Wi-Fi device to a destination communication channel corresponding to the destination channel identifier carried in the channel switching instruction. In this way, a Wi-Fi client and a Wi-Fi access end of a mobile Wi-Fi device still work on a same communication channel after performing channel switching, thereby improving compatibility, a throughput, and stability of the mobile Wi-Fi device.

Claims (44)

1. A channel switching method, comprising:

obtaining, by a mobile Wi-Fi device, a channel switching instruction sent by a Wi-Fi access point that provides access to a network, the channel switching instruction carrying a destination channel identifier, and the mobile Wi-Fi device comprising a Wi-Fi client of the Wi-Fi access point and also a second Wi-Fi access point for a terminal to provide access to the network for the terminal by channeling communications to the Wi-Fi access point using the Wi-Fi client; and

switching, by the mobile Wi-Fi device according to the channel switching instruction:

a communication channel between the mobile Wi-Fi device and the Wi-Fi access point to a destination communication channel corresponding to the destination channel identifier, and

a communication channel between the mobile Wi-Fi device and the terminal that accesses the mobile Wi-Fi device for access to the network to the destination communication channel corresponding to the destination channel identifier by sending a switching instruction to the terminal from the mobile Wi-Fi device.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the switching, by the mobile Wi-Fi device according to the channel switching instruction comprises:

controlling, by the mobile Wi-Fi device according to the channel switching instruction, the communication channel between the mobile Wi-Fi device and the Wi-Fi access point to be switched to the destination communication channel corresponding to the destination channel identifier, and generating a switching completion signal; and

switching, by the mobile Wi-Fi device according to the switching completion signal, the communication channel between the mobile Wi-Fi device and the terminal that accesses the mobile Wi-Fi device to the destination communication channel corresponding to the destination channel identifier.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the switching, by the mobile Wi-Fi device according to the channel switching instruction comprises:

controlling, by the mobile Wi-Fi device according to the channel switching instruction, the communication channel between the mobile Wi-Fi device and the Wi-Fi access point to be switched to the destination communication channel corresponding to the destination channel identifier; and at the same time controlling the communication channel between the mobile Wi-Fi device and the terminal that accesses the mobile Wi-Fi device to be switched to the destination communication channel corresponding to the destination channel identifier.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising: before the obtaining the channel switching instruction sent by a Wi-Fi access point:

receiving, by the mobile Wi-Fi device, a termination instruction that is sent by the Wi-Fi access point and used for instructing the mobile Wi-Fi device to stop transmitting data; and

terminating, by the mobile Wi-Fi device according to the termination instruction, data transmission performed by the mobile Wi-Fi device on the communication channel between the mobile Wi-Fi device and the Wi-Fi access point.

5. The method according to claim 4 , further comprising, after the terminating the data transmission:

sending the termination instruction to the terminal that accesses the mobile Wi-Fi device to instruct the terminal to stop transmitting data on the communication channel on which the terminal communicates with the mobile Wi-Fi device.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising: after the switching, by the mobile Wi-Fi device according to the channel switching instruction,

sending, by the mobile Wi-Fi device, information comprising the destination channel identifier to the terminal that accesses the mobile Wi-Fi device, wherein the information is used to instruct the terminal to switch from the communication channel on which the terminal communicates with the mobile Wi-Fi device to the destination communication channel corresponding to the destination channel identifier.

7. A channel switching apparatus, comprising:

at least one hardware processor;

a memory interfaced to the at least one hardware processor, the memory including instructions which control the at least one hardware processor to:

obtain, by using a receiver in a mobile Wi-Fi device, a channel switching instruction sent by a Wi-Fi access point that provides access to a network, the channel switching instruction carrying a destination channel identifier, and the mobile Wi-Fi device comprising a Wi-Fi client of the Wi-Fi access point and also a second Wi-Fi access point for a terminal to provide access to the network for the terminal by channeling communications to the Wi-Fi access point using the Wi-Fi client; and

switch, according to the channel switching instruction:

a communication channel between the mobile Wi-Fi device and the Wi-Fi access point to a destination communication channel corresponding to the destination channel identifier, and

a communication channel between the mobile Wi-Fi device and the terminal that accesses the mobile Wi-Fi device for access to the network to a destination communication channel corresponding to the destination channel identifier carried in the channel switching instruction by sending a switching instruction to the terminal from the mobile Wi-Fi device.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the instructions further control the at least one hardware processor to:

control, according to the channel switching instruction, the communication channel between the mobile Wi-Fi device and the Wi-Fi access point to be switched to the destination communication channel corresponding to the destination channel identifier, and generate a switching completion signal; and

switch, according to the switching completion signal, the communication channel between the mobile Wi-Fi device and the terminal that accesses the mobile Wi-Fi device to the destination communication channel corresponding to the destination channel identifier.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the instructions further control the at least one hardware processor to: control, according to the channel switching instruction, the communication channel between the mobile Wi-Fi device and the Wi-Fi access point to be switched to the destination communication channel corresponding to the destination channel identifier; and at the same time control the communication channel between the mobile Wi-Fi device and the terminal that accesses the mobile Wi-Fi device to be switched to the destination communication channel corresponding to the destination channel identifier.

10. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the instructions further control the at least one hardware processor to receive, by using the receiver in the mobile Wi-Fi device, a termination instruction that is sent by the Wi-Fi access point and used for instructing the mobile Wi-Fi device to stop transmitting data; and

terminate, according to the termination instruction, data transmission performed by the mobile Wi-Fi device on the communication channel between the mobile Wi-Fi device and the Wi-Fi access point.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the instructions further control the at least one hardware processor to send the termination instruction to the terminal that accesses the mobile Wi-Fi device to instruct the terminal to stop transmitting data on the communication channel on which the terminal communicates with the mobile Wi-Fi device.

12. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the instructions further control the at least one hardware processor to send information comprising the destination channel identifier to the terminal that accesses the mobile Wi-Fi device, and the information is used to instruct the terminal to switch from the communication channel on which the terminal communicates with the mobile Wi-Fi device to the destination communication channel corresponding to the destination channel identifier.

13. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the channel switching apparatus comprises a channel switching chip.

14. A mobile Wi-Fi device, comprising:

a receiver, configured to obtain a channel switching instruction sent by a Wi-Fi access point which provides access to a network, the channel switching instruction carrying a destination channel identifier; and

a Wi-Fi processing chip, connected to the receiver and configured, according to the channel switching instruction, to switch:

a communication channel between the mobile Wi-Fi device and the Wi-Fi access point to a destination communication channel corresponding to the destination channel identifier carried in the channel switching instruction, and

a communication channel between the mobile Wi-Fi device and a terminal that accesses the mobile Wi-Fi device for access to the network to the destination communication channel corresponding to the destination channel identifier carried in the channel switching instruction by sending a switching instruction to the terminal from the mobile Wi-Fi device.

15. The device according to claim 14 , wherein the Wi-Fi processing chip is further configured to: control, according to the channel switching instruction, the communication channel between the mobile Wi-Fi device and the Wi-Fi access point to be switched to the destination communication channel corresponding to the destination channel identifier, and generate a switching completion signal; and switch, according to the switching completion signal, the communication channel between the mobile Wi-Fi device and the terminal that accesses the mobile Wi-Fi device to the destination communication channel corresponding to the destination channel identifier.

16. The device according to claim 14 , wherein the Wi-Fi processing chip is further configured to: control, according to the channel switching instruction, the communication channel between the mobile Wi-Fi device and the Wi-Fi access point to be switched to the destination communication channel corresponding to the destination channel identifier; and control the communication channel between the mobile Wi-Fi device and the terminal that accesses the mobile Wi-Fi device to be switched to the destination communication channel corresponding to the destination channel identifier.

17. The device according to claim 14 , wherein the receiver is further configured to receive a termination instruction that is sent by the Wi-Fi access point and used for instructing the mobile Wi-Fi device to stop sending data; and

the Wi-Fi processing chip is further configured to terminate, according to the termination instruction, data transmission performed by the mobile Wi-Fi device on the communication channel between the mobile Wi-Fi device and the Wi-Fi access point.

18. The device according to claim 14 , wherein the Wi-Fi processing chip is further configured to send information comprising the destination channel identifier to the terminal that accesses the mobile Wi-Fi device, and the information is used to instruct the terminal to switch from the communication channel on which the terminal communicates with the mobile Wi-Fi device to the destination communication channel corresponding to the destination channel identifier.

19. The device according to claim 14 , wherein the mobile Wi-Fi device has a single Wi-Fi processing chip.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 19, 2018
From: HUAWEI DEVICE (SHENZHEN) CO., LTD.
To: HUAWEI DEVICE CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 047603/0039 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jun 12, 2018
From: HUAWEI DEVICE CO.,LTD.
To: HUAWEI DEVICE (SHENZHEN) CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 046340/0590 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 16, 2014
From: ZHANG, KUI; YAO, XINZHENG; ZHAO, PENG
To: HUAWEI DEVICE CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 034517/0901 →