Telecommunications – Transmitter and receiver at separate stations – Having measuring – testing – or monitoring of system or part
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-06
2001-07-24
Chang, Vivian (Department: 2682)
Telecommunications
Transmitter and receiver at separate stations
Having measuring, testing, or monitoring of system or part
C455S456500, C455S067700
Reexamination Certificate
active
06266514
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
A mobile phone network conventionally consists of a plurality of base stations arranged in a pattern so as to define a plurality of overlapping cells which provide radiocommunication support in a geographic area. Base stations are located so as to provide optimal coverage of the mobile phone service area. As shown in
FIG. 1
, the transmission pattern of a geographic arrangement of network base stations typically looks like a honeycomb of cells. Each base station in the network serves a roughly circular area with a diameter ranging from a few hundred meters to several kilometers depending on population density. The mobile phone network typically only has a specified number of frequencies available for use by mobile subscribers. Therefore, to maximize use of the specified number of frequencies while preventing interference between adjacent base stations, each base station supports different frequencies than its corresponding adjacent base stations. When a mobile subscriber moves to the edge of a cell associated with a current servicing base station the mobile subscriber can be “handed-off” to an adjacent base station so as to enable call quality and signal strength to be maintained at a predetermined level.
Occasionally, areas of inadequate network coverage exist within a cell, or between cells, that cannot be circumvented by “hand-off” to a neighboring cell. Examples of such areas (
17
,
18
,
19
) are shown in FIG.
1
and typically occur due to geographical terrain, large buildings, or poor cell tuning, for example. These areas of inadequate network coverage can impair the quality of the mobile subscriber signal, and also impair the ability of the network to avoid call dropping. In areas where the transmission level is weak, the quality of the phone signal will likely be degraded. Furthermore, in geographic areas of very poor network coverage, the potential for call dropping exists.
Conventionally, adequate network coverage is monitored through the performance of drive tests by network operator staff. To perform this monitoring, operator staff drive throughout the network and conduct and record call quality checks. A conventional system such as TEMS (Test Mobile System) is used to perform the monitoring. TEMS uses mobiles modified with specialized software for monitoring parameters of the radio environment. Radio environment monitoring is initiated by an operator who connects the modified mobile to a personal computer via a standard RS-232 serial connection. A GPS receiver is also connected to the PC to provide mobile position information. Survey data is then compiled during the monitoring process including data such as the geographic locations associated with signal strengths, bit error rates, interference, or dropped calls. Post-processing of the data gathered by TEMS is performed in a geographical information system (GIS) that enables the operator to visualize survey data with different colors and symbols that are indicative of status and operation of the mobile.
The conventional monitoring technique exemplified by TEMS, however, requires an inordinate amount of resources to survey the network. Such resources include extra monitoring equipment, extra staff to conduct the drive tests, and additional staff time to drive around and survey the network. Furthermore, the time delay between the actual time at which an inadequacy in network coverage begins to exist and the time taken to survey the network, tabulate the results, and implement changes in the network coverage, ensures a period of degraded performance to affected mobile subscribers.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a technique for monitoring a cellular network that minimizes the time required to detect areas of poor network coverage and which further minimizes the necessity of operator intervention.
SUMMARY
These desirable characteristics and others are provided by the following exemplary embodiments of the invention.
According to one exemplary embodiment of the invention a method of constructing a data representation indicating an occurrence of an event associated with a mobile station in a radiocommunications network is provided. The method of this exemplary embodiment comprises the steps of: providing at least one parameter indicating the occurrence of an event associated with said mobile station; comparing said at least one parameter with a plurality of threshold values to provide a comparison result; initiating a positioning request from said network based on said comparison result; providing a location of said mobile station based on said positioning request, wherein said location is associated with the occurrence of said event; and constructing a data representation indicating the occurrence of said event using said plurality of threshold values and said location, wherein said data representation is coded with a value associated with at least one threshold value of said plurality of threshold values.
According to a second exemplary embodiment of the invention a system for constructing a data representation indicating an occurrence of an event associated with a mobile station in a radiocommunications network is provided. The system of this exemplary embodiment comprises: means for providing at least one parameter indicating the occurrence of an event associated with said mobile station; means for comparing said at least one parameter with a plurality of threshold values to provide a comparison result; means for initiating a positioning request from said network based on said comparison result; means for providing a location of said mobile station based on said positioning request, wherein said location is associated with the occurrence of said event; and means for constructing a data representation indicating the occurrence of said event using said plurality of threshold values and said location, wherein said data representation is coded with a value associated with at least one threshold value of said plurality of threshold values.
According to a third exemplary embodiment of the invention a method of constructing a map of events associated with mobile stations in a radiocommunications network is provided. The method of this exemplary embodiment comprises the steps of: a) providing at least one parameter indicating the occurrence of an event associated with a mobile station; b) comparing said at least one parameter with a plurality of threshold values to provide a comparison result; c) initiating a positioning request from said network based on said comparison result; d) providing a location of said mobile station based on said positioning request, wherein said location is associated with the occurrence of said event; e) constructing a data representation indicating the occurrence of said event using said plurality of threshold values and said location, wherein said data representation is coded with a value associated with at least one threshold value of said plurality of threshold values; and f) selectively repeating steps a) through e) to construct a map of occurrences of said events throughout at least a portion of said network.
According to a fourth exemplary embodiment of the invention a system for constructing a map of events associated with mobile stations in a radiocommunications network is provided. The system of this exemplary embodiment comprises: means for providing parameters indicating the occurrences of events associated with a plurality of mobile stations; means for comparing said parameters with a plurality of threshold values to provide comparison results; means for initiating positioning requests from said network based on said comparison results; means for providing locations of each of said plurality of mobile station based on said positioning requests, wherein said locations are associated with said occurrences of events; means for constructing data representations indicating said occurrences of events using said plurality of threshold values and said locations, wherein said data representations are coded with a value associated with at least one threshold value
Burns Doane Swecker & Mathis L.L.P.
Chang Vivian
Lee John J.
Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
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