Telecommunications – Radiotelephone system – Zoned or cellular telephone system
Patent
1996-03-18
1999-11-02
Chin, Wellington
Telecommunications
Radiotelephone system
Zoned or cellular telephone system
455561, 455424, 455 671, 455450, H04Q 730
Patent
active
059786752
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for measuring the disturbance level of a base station environment, which base station comprises at least one receiver utilizing frequency hopping, and means for measuring the signal level of signals received by the receiver. The invention further relates to a cellular communication system comprising a mobile switching centre, a base station controller and base stations, whereby the system comprises a base station with at least one receiver utilizing frequency hopping, and means for measuring the levels of the signals received by the receiver.
The present invention relates to spectral analysis carried out in the base station environment, the object of the analysis being to detect and locate the factors disturbing the system. In a prior art solution for measuring the disturbance level in a base station environment of a cellular communication system, a separate spectrum analyzer is taken to the base station site whenever problems occur. The spectrum analyzer is then used for monitoring possible disturbances by measuring the signal levels of the received signals on all the frequency channels used by the base station. In cases where the disturbance that disturbs the operation of a base station is sporadic (a fast data link, for example), it has even been necessary to wait for its occurrence.
The solution described above for measuring the disturbance level is very slow and expensive, as it requires, in addition to a separate measuring device, active participation by the service personnel during the measurements, as well as for the handling and transportation of the spectrum analyzer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to solve the aforementioned problems and offer a more user friendly and faster method for carrying out disturbance level measurements in a base station environment. This object is achieved by the method of the invention which is characterized by allocating a free traffic channel in the receiver, making the traffic channel hop from one receive frequency channel of a base station to another, and measuring the signal levels of the signals received on the frequency channels, and transmitting a report on the measurement results to the operator.
The present invention further relates to a cellular communication system in which the method of the invention can be utilized. It is characteristic to the system of the invention that a base station comprises measuring means for making a traffic channel hop from one receive frequency channel of a base station to another, and for measuring the signal levels of the signals received on said frequency channels, as well as transmitting a report on the measurement results to the base station controller.
The invention is based on the idea that measuring disturbance level of a base station environment is made considerably easier and faster as the measurements are carried out by making a free traffic channel of a base station hop so that it goes through all the receive frequency channels of the base station, and measures the levels of signals received on all of those channels. If the base station is sectorized, the measurements can be carried out, for example, in one sector at a time.
In a time divisional (TDMA) communication system, disturbance level measurements strain the traffic capacity of the base station very little, because the measurements can be carried out by using a single time slot. On the other hand, if the communication system in question is not of a time divisional type, this means that the disturbance level measurements take up the entire capacity of a receiver for the duration of the measurements. Disturbance level measurements in accordance with the present invention can easily and with only minor modifications be applied to existing communications systems, because, in many systems, the receiver of the base station already comprises the necessary measuring means for measuring the signal level of the received signal. The invention can be applied to such
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patent: 5381443 (1995-01-01), Borth et al.
patent: 5471649 (1995-11-01), Rees et al.
patent: 5491837 (1996-02-01), Haartsen
patent: 5521904 (1996-05-01), Eriksson et al.
patent: 5570373 (1996-10-01), Wing
patent: 5572510 (1996-11-01), Koivu
patent: 5604728 (1997-02-01), Jylha
patent: 5627880 (1997-05-01), Rozanski et al.
patent: 5737359 (1998-04-01), Koivu
Chin Wellington
Ferguson Keith
Nokia Telecommunications Oy
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